I came across this document during my research trying to establish a connection between Augustes coming from Guadeloupe and his father also being on that island. This was taken from Almanach des Spectacles and was published in 1827, in Paris, I think. It tells that a Victor Maraist intended to set up a troop (probably of actors, dancers, etc.) in both Guadeloupe and Martinique. I cannot prove that it is our Victor Maraist, but the circumstantial evidence sure seems to lead to that conclusion. Our family oral tradition was that he had an opera house in Paris, but that could have been any type of theatre. Also, the time frame fits Victor and Augustes ages as well as accounting for time spent in the islands after leaving France. I also heard from my family that Victor and his family came from Martinique, not Guadeloupe. This document shows that it could have been either island. I also remember some talk about a slave rebellion, but my memory is very hazy about this. Anyway, it would be really great to find and document Victors parents because there is a lot of material out there on the Maraists before him and theres no telling how far back we could go. I just cant make the connection. Victor has been a man of mystery as far back as I can remember. Family tradition tells that he returned to Paris to settle his affairs, but never came back. Certainly, there is no record of his death in the United States and the Catholic Church did keep good records of such things. Lets keep looking.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 02:31:06 +0000