I am the great grandaughter of Optime Becnel. My grandfather is Optime Becnel. His only child (son) is my father Ronald Becnel. I have very little information on my paternal side. I fanyone is related or can help me with my tree. I would be forever greatful!

~anastasia becnel francis
california

eyesofmoonstones@yahoo.com

I am working on a family tree for my friend Benjamin Severin Becnel. His father, Benjamin Severin Becnel (1905-1964) was the youngest child of Optime Becnel (1859-?) Yes Optime Becnel married Mathilde Forstall 31 Dec 1885. I have his mother listed as Oliviea Brown (1844-?). I found her and Otime listed in the 1880 US census. She is also listed in the 1870 US census as Widow Louis Laporte. She had three children with a Becnel who died before 1864. I am trying to find who this is? Any ideas? Hope this helps.

hi-

feel free to email me at :
francisonfrancis@gmail.

Optime Sentille Becnel JR. was my grandfather. He was married to Alice Jeannette Bourgeois Becnel..

the 1900 census ( i believe) indicates that he had several siblings.....a younger brother named benjamin.

My great grandfather was Optime Becnel Sr. --he married Mathilde Forstall.

HIs father is Leo Aimee Becnel and Optime was 1 of three children born unto him and his slave Olviea Brown...she had changed her name after "being set free" from Leo..." from MArie Celestine. The three children are listed as black.

ot much information on Oliviea as she was a slave....the theory is that she was also born into slavery and her father was a haydel.

Leo did get married to Noemie Becnel and have several children....
Oliviea Brown married Laporte and had some children.....


http://www.rogueroots.com/becnel.html

my email is:

francisonfrancis@gmail.com

Hello, My name is Kenneth Legaux. My grandmother was Virginie Becnel Legaux. I have a few family photos I rec'd from Marie Becnel DeLandro. May I send them to you? Maybe you could identify some people unknown to me.hope to hear from you soon. Kenneth kjlegaux@hotmail.com

James, several descendants of Leo Becnel have tried for many years without any evidence to tie their family to Aimé Leopold "Leo" Becnel. I have corresponded with many of them and understand their frustration at not being able to identify this man with certainty. Simply choosing one of the many Leo Becnels with lifetime dates that might fit is not genealogical evidence of any sort. It is careless research to show lineage to someone based on his nickname and timeline.

In your query, you say that the Leo Becnel that fathered this group died before 1864, Aimé Leopold Becnel died in 1905. It is dangerous to assume he is the ancestor just because his nickname of Leo helps to close that hole in their family tree.

This particular Leo Becnel might very well be the ancestor they have been searching for - but then again - assuming it's so does not make it so.

About 20 years ago, I was able to examine the Forstall Papers. Those lineages were from the Forstall point of view and had very little about the Becnels other than their descendants in a tree diagram with a few dates here and there. There was nothing in those papers that tied Aimé Leopold Becnel in as the actual ancestor.

One of the only mentions of the father "Leo Becnel" is on the marriage certificate of one of his children where it asks for the name of the parent.

Some of my questions have always been -
If Olivia changed her name to distance herself from her slave owner co-parent - why not the names of her children.
If Olivia's original name was Marie Celestine Haydel, where did Brown come from? Was she married to someone else before LaPorte?
If these children were born on a Becnel Plantation, which was it? Who owned the plantation or property they were born on? (There were several Becnel Plantations: Evergreen, BessieK, a portion of Golden Star and Becnel Plantation

I noticed that you have published the family tree with Aimé Leopold "Leo" Becnel - not as a possible patriarch, but rather as the actual. I would suggest notating that his insertion was a "possible" link or even if you wish a "probable" and looking further in baptismal records, etc. rather than just taking the handy Leo. As more and more of the slave schedules are published, more information will become available. Hopefully this matter can be resolved. The many times I have corresponded with the members of this family, I have always encouraged they collect as much evidential data as possible, and not make assumptions. I also never found evidence that Olivia changed her name, or what she changed it from other than hear-say.

Better to have a blank than to have the wrong person inserted. That seems to throw off all the researchers who come after that assumption.