RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: longlostbro20 on Friday 02 August 13 01:32 BST (UK)
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I've taken french classes and the name to me looks English. I don't see how it's related to French? Reason I ask is because my aunt recently told me that my father's family is creole, Louisiana Creole. More so I thought my dad was just native american. Because he had always been confused as puerto ricans or even a dark mexican at times due to native american features. But she said it's because they're creole. Anyhow, I always thought the name biblical. I don't get how is this surname of a french origin?
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I don't know much about Creole history, but Joseph is listed on common Creole surnames here: http://www.acadianmemorial.org/ensemble_encore2/cajunrootsc.htm
Often, what people are told as family history is inaccurate or only partly true. Your father's family may contain Creole people, but there may have been another heritage in there. A surname only represents one branch of the family tree. I would recommend trying to locate your ancestors on census records to see where they were born, their parents were born, the race listed, etc. That may give you more insight into who they were.
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What do you mean by Creole? I have known people in Louisiana with the surname 'Joseph' who were mixed race French speakers.
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I took the first 13 years of English/Welsh Civil Registration on Free BMD and Wales/Monmouthshire has the best chance of a Joseph surname being born in every one of the registration year quarters. It may be a Creole surname but it seems to be very prominent in Wales/Monmouthshire.
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Well, it is certainly a perfectly good French name-- Since so many of the Creole names came from the French, I see no reason it couldn't be Creole as well.