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SEUZENEAU BEFORE JEFFERSON LEON Brive, France
Virginia Hamilton D'Elia (1) began her investigation of the Seuzeneau family in 1972 by corresponding with the archivist of the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. The documents received as a result of that correspondence continues to be the oldest reliable information back in time on the Seuzeneaus.
The archivist sent Virginia an extract from the marriage register of the union of Pierre Seuzeneau to Marie Chauvin Delery. That Pierre Seuzeneau (there are three of them) was our great-great-great-grandfather (2). He was a native of Brive, France. His father was named Pierre. The history of the Seuzeneaus as I have been able to develop begins with that marriage document.
I have not traced the Seuzeneaus in France. Being a native of Brive would suggest to me he was born there. Virginia and I both have been unable to locate information on any Seuzeneau in Brive.
Virginia studied in Paris for one year (3). During that time of her studies she made one quick trip to Brive. She later corresponded with an archivist, and Virginia makes the following notation on a paper passed on to me; "The Pierre that Madame Guinet wrote about from France had a son Achille Chouzenoux and since the same name (Achille) appears again here one or two generations later, it could be a connection".
I wrote the staff at the library in Brive in August 1992, and the response (both letters are in the document section) stated they were unable to locate the name Seuzeneau and further observed, "...even the local name Chouzenoux does not seem to track well".
The Seuzeneaus came to America from Brive, France. We have located no further information on the family in France. We do not know when they came to America. Was Pierre, who married Marie Chauvin Delery, the first to come, or did his father, also Pierre, and mother Francoise Guy, migrate to America and bring their children who were born in France?
This doesn't mean the search is finished. It is for me, but someone residing in the New Orleans area should patiently go through the passenger lists of vessels arriving at New Orleans.
(1)	Granddaughter of Edna Blanchard Hopkins McLeod and daughter of Lucille Hopkins Hamilton.
(2)	He was the father of the American Consul and grandfather of Jefferson Leon, our grandmother's father.
(3)	She is an art teacher.
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