Marie-Louise Janis

Quick Facts

Significance:

Wife of Antoine Janis and daughter-in-law to Nicolas Janis. A woman who had been enslaved and had a lasting effect on the Janis family. 

Place of Birth:

Unknown

Date of Birth:

Unknown

Place of Death:

St. Charles, Missouri

Date of Death:

Unknown

Place of Burial:

St. Charles, Missouri

Cemetery Name:

Unknown

Marie-Louise was an enslaved woman of mixed heritage that eventually gained freedom and established a home of her own. In the 1790s while enslaved by Vital Bauvais in Ste. Genevieve, Marie-Louise became involved in a relationship with her enslaver's brother-in-law, Antoine Janis. This caused an uproar that led to the Spanish Governor writing to Lt. Gov. Trudeau in St. Louis to inform him of the relationship. Despite the best efforts of the Janis family, the parish priest, and other prominent citizens to end the relationship, it persisted, and ultimately resulted in Vital Bauvais “renting” her to his son-in-law in St. Charles, Missouri.

Antoine followed Marie-Louise to St. Charles and helped raise money to buy her freedom. They soon married and lived on a lot adjoining where she had previously been enslaved. They had eight children and were both very active in the community. Marie-Louise's name appears frequently in church records noting that she attended baptisms of her children, participated in the baptisms of about 17 enslaved children, and later in weddings and burials. Marie-Louise's story is somewhat unique because she was born into slavery without a surname, but she appears in early registers as a free woman of color, and shortly after as the wife of Antoine Janis.