Part 4- Zepherine and Peter arrive in America

Peter and Zepherine finally arrived in America in the port of Alexandria on February 1st , 1794 and I know this is the date because I actually found their names are listed in some old papers by the Mayor’s testament (source footnote 1). I cannot stress enough how rare and lucky we are to have this!

Update: In reviewing the document, I discovered I had not gone back a page, and unbelievably the document states the name of the ships they were on and Captains ! This is what you would call a genealogical gem! I will have to research if I can find any details on the captains and the ships listed. That will have to be another post!

Emigrants were arriving by the thousands not only in Alexandria, but in many major ports across the United States such as Charleston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New Orleans. This was the first “Refugee Crisis” that America had dealt with. The refugees were held in warehouses at the wharves at first. There were daily requests for all kinds of aid in the newspapers. Food, bedding, the barest necessities. At first, people were obliging, but as the numbers grew there was grumbling about what to do with all of these refugees.  Most arrived penniless and desperate with only the clothes on their backs.  There was also fear of the various slaves and black freedmen would bring the revolution to the shores of America. A quote from an article in the smithsonian magazine on the crisis” (footnote 2)

”  According to historian Nathalie Dessens, black refugees, of which there were more than 16,000, were “feared as agents of rebellion,” and their admittance was debated by politicians and members of the public alike. Ships headed for New Orleans were stranded south of the city to prevent blacks from disembarking, and Georgia and South Carolina both tightened restrictions on slave importation during the 1790s.”

I have thought alot about what life was like for Peter and Zepherine at this time. Peter was 20 years old , a time when a young man was just starting out in his career. He would have probably been working in Le Cap and I will go into my thoughts on that in a later post. Zepherine was only 14 and witnessed so much tragedy and upheaval. The brother and sister must have formed a deep bond. The $1000 between them was no small sum back then. I believe this monetary sum is derived from those previously mentioned hidden jewels and sadly (but probably) their precious Mammy that saved their life. ( I will post later on WHY I think she saved their lives.)

So Zepherine goes to live with the family of Henry Notley Rozier and his wife Eleanor Neale, a wealthy planter who lived on a plantation that had been in his family for many generations located near Oxon Hill in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  The Rozier family was very wealthy and well-connected.  Here is a picture of them I found:

They lived in a stately manor house called at the time “Admirathoria” . The land Admirathoria is on is part of the Notley Hall land tract which can be traced back to 1662 when it was first patented.  It was given the name Admariothria (later changed to Admirathoria.) Notley Rozier came into possession in 1715. He built a house about 500 feet from the river (Lower Notley).   When he died in 1727, his son Henry Rosier inherited it and the farm.  It had vast acreage and overlooked the Potomac river. The house is privately owned and maybe even gone now, but this picture was taken sometime between 1921-1973.  The house was already in a state of disrepair as it had a front porch and other additions missing in this photo. (footnote 3)

I am not sure why Zepherine went to live with the Rozier family. It could be that there was some connection to her mother as her maiden name included “de Rosier” which is somewhat similar, but I found no immediate and obvious connection in the family tree. It could be simply that they wanted to help her out. Frankly, I think there had to be some kind of pre-existing connection. Henry also leaves her a small inheritance in his will.

She is only 3 years older than Henry’s daughter Elizabeth called “Eliza” and they must have been very close because two sets of their children get married to each other!

Peter may have gone to live with the Rozier family briefly, but definitely leaves the area quickly because on April 3, 1798 a letter was advertised by the post office in an Alexandria, VA newspaper as having been left for Peter.

I do imagine the Rosier family helped Peter at least to get on his feet in a business and set up connections. 

While living with the Rosier family and sometime between the years 1797-1799 Mammie has a child named Elizabeth. She was nicknamed “Kitty”.  Many years later , in 1806, there is a form Jean Constantine fills out to attest that Kitty was Zepherine’s personal slave moved from one state to another and not brought in from out of the country. There are no records of who the father of Kitty is, but I have my suspicions!

Henry Rozier must have felt a real fatherly affection towards Zepherine because she is included in his will. He passes away in 1802 and leaves her a yearly income. Here is an excerpt of his will regarding Zepherine:

9. Zepherine Javain

-to have a suit of mourning clothes

– a mourning ring 

-and to be paid $80.00 annually by testator’s grandchildren until she might be otherwise provided for 

Many decades later the mourning ring is mentioned in the side bar next to the painting displayed in the Colonial Dames book. The description says it is a square diamond that is tied in a scarf on her neck. 

I believe it is incorrectly attributed in this sidebar to her jewels kept safe on her passage to America. I believe it is actually the ring given to her in Henry’s will. That is just my opinion.

The large Rozier estate was located across the river and just south of Alexandria. According to Maryland Capital Park and Planning Commission the address is approximately 8409 Clay Drive (footnote 4)

Alexandria would have been the main city she would have visited and engaged in social activities. The year was 1803 and a handsome widowed gentleman …. and St. Domingue emigree just like her…. had recently moved to town! He had set up a dancing school complete with practicing balls. It would have been such an exciting event for her and her peers to at least attend the ball. Zepherine would have been 23 years old at the time. I have found a picture of her during this time, it is faded, but you can still see she was beautiful.

They were married on June 2, 1804 at Admirathoria. In October Jean reopens his dancing school for the season. He moves his school to Prince Street in Alexandria. He states in his advertisement that he is next door to the prominent Dr. Dicks residence which is 211 Prince St. Dr. Elisha Dick was a beloved figure in that time and was one of the attending physicians at George Washington’s death as well as the mayor of Alexandria (just to name a few of his accomplishments).

The DeGeneres family will remain at this location for several years. Their first child, Marsollina is born in March the following year. 

So , next post I will fill you in on where Zepherine’s brother Peter went.

Footnotes:

(1) found on google books… Calendar of Virginia State Papers and Other Manuscripts: … Preserved in the Capitol at Richmond by R.F. Walker, 1888

(2) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-united-states-first-refugee-crisis-180957717/

(3) https://collections.digitalmaryland.org/digital/collection/pgjw/id/164/

(4)https://issuu.com/mncppc/docs/illustrated_inventory_of_historic_sites_and_distri/181