Margarita Estaquia (Ortiz)

I represent Margarita Estaquia, a quarterona (quadroon) girl enslaved in the household of Jose Ortiz. I was baptized by Father Josef de Agustin Briones, Chaplain of the Louisiana Regiment of Infantry, at St. Michael’s on November 25, 1817, a few weeks after my birth. My mother was Adelaide, a woman of color enslaved in the same household. I was born into slavery by virtue of her enslaved status. My father is not mentioned – that usually means that the man either did not want or was not able to acknowledge me. I had a younger sister named Luisa Anastacia.