Pauline Buisson
Pauline Buisson (born around 1750 in Saint-Domingue; died 10 February 1826 in Yverdon-les-Bains) was an enslaved Caribbean woman who later lived as a servant in the household of the de Treytorrens family in Yverdon-les-Bains.[1][2]
Life
Pauline Buisson arrived in Yverdon-les-Bains in the 1770s from the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), with possible arrival dates of 1771 or 1776. Her parents were likely deported from Central Africa to Saint-Domingue and enslaved there.[1][2]
In Saint-Domingue, she was owned by colonial officer and plantation owner David-Philippe de Treytorrens. Together with François Mida (died 1797 in Yverdon), who was also enslaved, she was taken to Yverdon, where she lived in the de Treytorrens household. After David-Philippe de Treytorrens' death, his brother Jean-Rodolphe de Treytorrens (1715–1791), then his sister Rose-Madeleine de Treytorrens (1717–1801), and finally his distant cousin Abraham-Rodolphe-Henri-Louis de Treytorrens (1764–1835) managed the family estate.[1][2]
In 1790, Pauline Buisson gave birth to Samuel Hippolyte Buisson (died 1832), whose father was a French servant named Le Bel. In 1791, the sister and widow of David-Philippe de Treytorrens, then deceased, offered to pay for Samuel's civil rights to enable his naturalization. However, both Samuel, a trained shoemaker, and Pauline remained stateless throughout their lives. A 1791 naturalization application by the de Treytorrens family was rejected by the Bernese authorities due to Samuel's skin color, reflecting the racist societal structures of the time. Later attempts at naturalization failed due to ongoing disputes between the Yverdon municipality and the de Treytorrens family over responsibility and costs.[1][2]
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pauline Buisson. |
- Pauline Buisson . In: Affair Hypolite Buisson, fils de Pauline . In: Municipalité d'Yverdon-les-Bain .
- Pauline Buisson . In: Dialogue en Route - Interreligious Working Group in Switzerland .
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arni, Caroline. "Pauline Buisson". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (in Deutsch). Retrieved October 4, 2025.
Text available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license is not compatible with Wikipedia and cannot be freely copied into articles.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Afro-Swiss Spotlight: Pauline Buisson". AFRO SWISS FAMILIES. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
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