Trying to find more information on the parents of Joseph Theodore BURDEAU.
Born: 29 Jul 1817 in New Orleans
Died: 14 Mar 1881
Married twice
He was steamboat captain on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Captained the 607 ton side-wheel packet Oceana, built in STL, MO and operated between STL and New Orleans in 1855.
I have found no records of his father, but based on speculative family history, the father was also named Joseph Theodore Burdeau and was potentially immigrated from Martinique.
"There is speculation that one of the brothers of the Burdeau family had earlier migrated from Lyon, France, to the French colony of Martinique. Strong word of mouth tradition in the Burdeau family of New Orleans and St. Louis asserts that the immigrant Burdeau ancestor came to New Orleans from the island of Martinique. Since the steamboat captain was evidently a native of New Orleans, the immigrant must of been his father or an earlier ancestor. There is also some tradition that there was more than one Burdeau brother who left France for Martinique. Mary Burdeau Gray told a story of 3 brothers going to Martinique, two then going on to New Orleans, where one remained while they other went to St. Louis. David Burdeau tells a story of two brothers coming to New Orleans from Martinique and one changing his name to Crawford and moving to Cincinnati, OH. The Steamboat captain's son indicated in one later census that his family origins were Cuba, which means they could have been among the shiploads of French-speaking refugees who were evicted from Cuba around 1809."