term and abbreviation

[Kay Bauman]

I found two documents in the conveyance records. One document is about
the tutorship of a minor that has a word in it that I cannot read and
what I can read does not mean anything to me. It says "Mrs. L. S.
Bauman, widow and natural 'luterx' of said minor Henry A. Bauman, also
Robert Cain tutor of minor John R. Cain." The word in single quotes
could be any of these combinations: suterx, suters, sutrix, sutrex,
luters, lutrix, lutrex. Does anyone have any clues on what this word
may be and mean?

In another document there is an abbreviation that I am unsure of. It
says "Nancy Bauman (f.w.c.) of same residence." Typically after the
females name these documents indicate if the person was a widow or wife
of someone. What does 'f.w.c.' stand for, female with child?

Kay

[Henry Brownlee]

Kay Bauman wrote in message <377C14D7...@ionet.net>...
snip

. It says "Mrs. L. S. Bauman, widow and natural 'luterx' of said minor

Henry A. Bauman, also Robert Cain tutor of minor John R. Cain." >. Does

anyone have any clues on what this word may be and mean?

It is possible the word is Tutrix, which is used in some old colonial
documents in Louisiana to denote Tutor in a feminine form. Natural Tutrix
would mean mother. Probably from a French word.

>In another document there is an abbreviation that I am unsure of. It
>says "Nancy Bauman (f.w.c.) of same residence." Typically after the
>females name these documents indicate if the person was a widow or wife
>of someone. What does 'f.w.c.' stand for, female with child?

Although possible, it is more likely Freewoman of Color. Would the time
period involved agree with this definition?

>Kay

Henry Brownlee

[Robert Heiling]

Henry Brownlee wrote:

> Kay Bauman wrote in message <377C14D7...@ionet.net>...
> snip
> . It says "Mrs. L. S. Bauman, widow and natural 'luterx' of said minor
> Henry A. Bauman, also Robert Cain tutor of minor John R. Cain." >. Does
> anyone have any clues on what this word may be and mean?
>
> It is possible the word is Tutrix, which is used in some old colonial
> documents in Louisiana to denote Tutor in a feminine form. Natural Tutrix
> would mean mother. Probably from a French word.

Good call Henry! In the past I have looked through various documents that
included Tutelles which means guardianships. A Tuteur is a guardian in French
and your conclusion that she was the mother (natural) would, I agree, be
correct.

Bob

[Kay Bauman]

Thank you, those definitions make sense. These documents were from Louisiana
in the 1870-1880 time period.

Kay

Henry Brownlee wrote:

> Kay Bauman wrote in message <377C14D7...@ionet.net>...
> snip
> . It says "Mrs. L. S. Bauman, widow and natural 'luterx' of said minor
> Henry A. Bauman, also Robert Cain tutor of minor John R. Cain." >. Does
> anyone have any clues on what this word may be and mean?
>
> It is possible the word is Tutrix, which is used in some old colonial
> documents in Louisiana to denote Tutor in a feminine form. Natural Tutrix
> would mean mother. Probably from a French word.
>

[chris & serese Haxton]

[long absent reader chiming in..]

Black's Law dictionary actually defines "f.w.c" as Henry very astutely noted.
their broader explanation may be helpful to others:
"F.W.C. Free Woman of Color. Up to the time of the Civil War, term applied to
all persons not of white race, including Indians." Black's Law Dictionary, 5th
Ed. (1979.)

"Luterx" is a bit more puzzling. We don't have the original before us, and you
do, buy because you did not list any possible variations beginning with a "t", I
wonder if the simplest explanation is necessarily the correct one. A few
possibilities: a lutrin is the same as lectern: lutrix [one of your
possibilities]: a female lecturer? and [more in jest than not] a Luter is a lute
player, and literally then, luterx: a female luter?

One other factor leaning in favor of the 'tutrix' reading in the other word,
"natural." Under Civil law, on the death of either parent, divorce or judicial
separation, the parent [living or] providing support to the child is that child's
natural tutor [tutrix].

One possible side point of interest about "tutor" and its variations is that it
indeed meant the same thing as "guardian" under the civil codes (i.e. the laws of
France and, by extension, Louisiana.) It may simply mean teacher, etc., as used
now, in places not under (or near) civil code-observing locations.