After researching my linage during the pandemic, I encountered some amazing and dark ancestral items. Please note that I cannot deeply dive into my African and Choctaw Native American heritage due to a little something called slavery. There isn’t documentation of bloodlines, since people were taken against their will. There is, however, a plethora of ancestral linage I am able to track past to the 1400s in Europe. That said, let me start at a high level…
I was born and raised in Pasadena, California, famously known as “The City of Roses.” Growing up against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains. I was an only child who grew up in the World Wide Church of God. I always felt a sense of place. However, I eventually realized that my roots stretched far beyond the Pacific Coast.
My story is a map that winds through the historic Southern United States. It moves up into the archives of Quebec, Canada. It also stretches across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. It is a story of Creole heritage. It blends African, Native American, and European ancestry into a lineage. This lineage has called the United States home since the 1600s.
The LaBranche Legacy: From Quebec to the German Coast
The heart of my maternal grandmother’s history lies in a name that carries weight in both Canadian and Louisianan history: LaBranche.
Long before they were prominent figures in New Orleans, the LaBranche family (originally the German Zweig family) were early settlers and founders in Quebec, Canada. This northern chapter of my history eventually flowed south, following the Great Migration patterns of the era toward the French-influenced territories of the South.
The legacy of the LaBranche line is deeply woven into the fabric of Louisiana’s history, moving from the rugged “German Coast” to the highest echelons of Southern diplomacy. At the heart of this narrative is Alexandre LaBranche, a man whose life mirrored the transformation of a territory into a state. As a sugar planter who stood his ground in the Revolutionary War and the Battle of New Orleans, Alexandre wasn’t just a witness to history—he was a builder of it. His role as a delegate to Louisiana’s first constitutional convention in 1812 cemented the family’s influence, ensuring the LaBranche name would be synonymous with the very foundation of the state’s legal and social identity.
This tradition of public service and influence reached a fever pitch with his son, Alcée Louis LaBranche. Carrying the torch of his father’s ambition, Alcée moved beyond the plantation to the halls of power, serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives before taking on a pioneering role on the international stage. As the first U.S. diplomat to the Republic of Texas, he navigated the complex political waters of a fledgling nation, bridging the gap between New Orleans and the frontier. For our family, tracing our roots through the Free People of Color to these formidable figures offers a powerful window into a lineage that helped shape the Southern landscape and the American political story.
a couple LaBranche Ancestral Highlights
| Name | Relation | Historical Impact |
| Alexandre LaBranche | 4th Great-Grandfather | Revolutionary War veteran; Delegate to the 1812 Louisiana Constitutional Convention. |
| Alcée LaBranche | 3rd Great-Grandfather | Speaker of the Louisiana House; First U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to the Republic of Texas. |
Historic LaBranche Relatives
| Figure | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Zweig | Progenitor | Survived the 1721 arrival on Les Deux Frères. |
| Jean (Zweig) Labranche | Second Generation | First to use the Gallicized name in official marriage records. |
| Suzanne Marchand | Matriarch | Orphan raised by Ursulines; her marriage cemented the family’s local roots. |
| Alexandre Labranche | Military/Political Leader | Colonel in the militia; veteran of the Revolutionary War and 1812. |
| Marie Jeanne Piseros | Elite Spouse | Daughter of a prominent trader; joined the Labranche and Piseros fortunes. |
By the 18th century, my ancestors had settled on the German Coast (Côte des Allemands) of Louisiana. They were more than just settlers; they were architects of the region’s identity. From the historic LaBranche Buildings in the French Quarter to the sprawling plantations of St. Charles Parish, my family’s footprint is literally etched into the architecture of Louisiana.
*Read more about the LaBranche side of my family in my next post.
A Legacy of Liberty: The Free People of Color
Now you understand a bit of the creole side. Let’s now touch on my Choctaw Native American and African lineage. These roots trace back to the birth of a nation.
The most profound aspect of my heritage is my descent from the Free People of Color (gens de couleur libres). They have a mix of African, Creole and Native American heritage. Having roots in America dating back to the 1600s means my ancestors witnessed the very birth of this nation—and they did so while navigating the complex “third space” between the enslaved and the ruling class.
Being a descendant of this group means inheriting a legacy of:
- Early Agency: My ancestors secured their freedom centuries before the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Cultural Fusion: They were the bridge between African traditions and European social structures, creating the vibrant Creole culture I carry today.
- Endurance: To remain free and prosperous in the 17th and 18th centuries required a level of strategic brilliance and communal strength that I draw inspiration from every day.
The Tate Name: An Artistic Connection
While my maternal line is rooted in the soil of Louisiana and Quebec, rich with history and cultural heritage, my paternal name, Tate, carries its own prestigious weight and significance. The Tate name descends from the lineage associated with the Tate Modern and the iconic art institutions of the United Kingdom, institutions that have not only shaped the landscape of contemporary art but have also fostered countless artists, curators, and thinkers since their inception. With a family heritage intertwined with such esteemed cultural entities, I feel a profound connection to the world of art and creativity, as well as a responsibility to honor this legacy through my own pursuits in life. This interplay between my roots in the distinctive landscapes of Louisiana and Quebec and the esteemed lineage of the Tate family creates a rich tapestry that informs my identity and aspirations.
This connection brings a beautiful symmetry to my identity. On my mothers side, I have the industrious, resilient Creole pioneers of the American South; on my fathers other, a link to the patrons of global art and culture. It explains my own drive to create—whether I’m developing AI applications or writing for my blog—creativity is quite literally in my DNA.
Why I Tell This Story
I am a 44-year-old black woman living in the 21st century, but I carry four centuries of history in my stride. I am the product of:
- The resilience of the Free People of Color and Choctaw Native Americans.
- The pioneering spirit of the LaBranches of the German Coast.
- The artistic legacy of the Tates.
- The vibrant sunshine of my Pasadena upbringing.
Knowing that my roots in this country go back to the 1600s changes how I walk through the world. It reminds me that I don’t just belong here—I helped build this. My ancestry is a tapestry of African and European threads, woven together through centuries of survival, success, and soul.
“My history is not a straight line; it’s a global map. And every time I learn a new name or a new date, a new rose blooms in my family garden. Some of the plants have thorns.” – me, Nicole Tate
That’s not all! We explored my French and United Kingdom lineage. However, I haven’t divulged into my ancestry from Spain and the Netherlands yet…coming soon!
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