Origins & Early Life

Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881) was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo, a herbalist, and a midwife who was renowned in New Orleans. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II (1827 – c. 1862), also practiced rootwork, conjure, and Native American and African spiritualism, as well as Louisiana Voodoo and traditional Roman Catholicism. An alternate spelling of her name, Laveaux, is considered by historians to be from the original French spelling.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Historical records state that Marie Catherine Laveau was born a free woman of color in New Orleans's French Quarter, Louisiana, on Thursday, September 10, 1801. At the time of her birth, Louisiana was still administered by Spanish colonial officials, although by treaty, the territory had been restored to the French First Republic a year prior. Her mother, Marguerite D'Arcantel, was a free woman of African, European, and Native American ancestry. Because Laveau's mother was not married at the time of her birth, her father was not identified on her 1801 baptismal record. A possible candidate is Charles Laveau, the son of Charles Laveau Trudeau, a white Louisiana creole and politician.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

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