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It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.


Another possibility is that Blanque, in order to maintain his high position in the community and not to appear a slave dealer, may have given a bill of sale for each transfer without it being recorded. If this had been the case, buyers would have flocked to the courts to have their purchases registered after his death. Only careful detailed translations could reveal this.
The number of sales by Blanque during his lifetime, obviously the smaller number, includes at least two group sales, one to Jacques Villere (the first native-born governor of Louisiana) and another listed as Adelaide Lecompt wife Piemas. The transactions to Villere in the year 1806 were only a few, while those in 1814, the year before Blanque’s death, numbered 37.
More about the sale to Piemas is found in Dr. Hall’s comment: “Sale of 37 slaves and plantation 1 league from N.O. Six arpents front to Lake Borgne.” [N.B. The Piemas Canal was just upriver from Jackson’s line of defense in the battle of New Orleans.] Factoring in this 1814 transfer means that virtually all sales were in the years 1814 to 1816.
Another comment mentions that several slaves from an 1816 estate sale were included in an “inventory of plantation at Point-la-Hache.” This is an area at the extreme end of the road downriver from New Orleans, on the East bank. It is not far from Lake Borgne as the crow flies, but a long distance if travel were limited to the high road areas.
Perhaps we may one day find that Blanque did own one of both of these plantations, but plantations in the area were not of the size that would indicate the number of slaves to be in the hundreds. He may have even acted as a broker in the above recordings.
With regard to the Villere transactions, at least a couple bear the notation “de la cargaison de la Goleta Lanna (Sanna) Captain Antoine Laporte venant de Charleston.” A similar comment in an 1807 sale by Blanque to Charles Villiers appears as follows: “imported de Charleston por le navire Franklin.” In translation, each indicates a slave cargo coming from Charleston, Laporte being the captain of the ship Lanna and perhaps the Franklin as well.
Although I cannot at this time find anything definitive connection of Antoine Laporte to J.B. Laporte, a French consul in New Orleans, it is recorded that the latter had dealings with the Lafittes. Davis’ Book, The Pirates Laffitte, states, “Laporte of New Orleans, more than once involved in dealings with the Laffites, [and] frequently sent his prize cargoes there for sale....” Davis also mentions that the Franklin was owned by Laporte; it was the ship once loaded with supplies in connection with Laffite’s Galveston presence.
On balance, there is more than a suggestion that the merchandise of Blanque, the respected lawyer, legislator, and merchant, consisted of slaves.


Pirate House Document (045)
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