Billiot v. Terrebonne: Houma children pushed to the "colored" school (Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, 1917–1918)
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet proven
Year: 1917 · Places: Louisiana, Gulf Coast, Mexico, Africa
SUMMARYBilliot v. Terrebonne: Houma children pushed to the "colored" school (Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, 1917–1918) [Connections: Gulf, Louisiana, Texas & Mexico, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDH. L. Billiot sued after his sons Harry, Walter and Paul were barred from the all-white Falgout School. The court acknowledged that both parents had mixed Native American and white ancestry. The school board's claim of African ancestry was "not proven," but lawyers argued that a grandfather-in-law "might" have had African ancestry, which was enough to classify the family under Jim Crow. The judge ruled for the board on March 26, 1917. 64 Parishes writes: "For legal purposes, the Billiots were no longer members of the Houma Nation." Houma refused Black schools because doing so meant "relinquishing their Houma identity." In April 1918 the Louisiana Supreme Court declined the appeal over the $2,000 damages minimum
PATTERNA school board reclassified a Native family as Black on a "might," without proof
LENS (WW9)The clearest receipt in this set: Houma by blood, "colored" by a "might."
OPENPull the district court file (No. 7876) for the exact testimony
SOURCEH. L. Billiot v. Terrebonne Parish School Board (64 Parishes).