Welcome to the heart of our history. My name is Sheila Jacques, and it is my absolute honor and deepest privilege to introduce you to my great-grandmother, Magnolia Robertson. I have the incredibly special distinction of having been raised by Big Ma from a baby, wrapped in her boundless love and timeless wisdom. Come along with me as we trace the roots of the woman who started it all, our ultimate Matriarch. This is her story.
To truly tell the story of Big Ma, we must journey all the way back to the turn of the 1900s. We find her working as a maid, while out in the fields, our great-grandfather, Lemar Robertson — affectionately known to us all as “Big Papa” — toiled in the soil. It was there, upon the grounds of the Stokes Plantation farm, that the coming together of what would become the Robertson family legacy first began. Through our ongoing family research and historical surveys, we have traced her birthplace to a plantation in McComb, Mississippi. Historical plantation registries confirm the existence of the Stokes Plantation in Mississippi, perfectly validating our family’s oral history. Following the paths of migrant work, she and Big Papa eventually made their way out of Mississippi and found their new beginning in Rosedale, Louisiana.
It is entirely impossible to tell the story of Big Ma without honoring the profound, beautiful friendship that formed between her and Mother Francine Bowman. Some would say they were best friends, but in truth, they were like sisters.
It was this enduring, unbreakable bond that led to a little white wooden house sitting slightly up a hill in Pine Grove. Mother Francine generously offered her dearest friend Magnolia the opportunity to place her home right there on her land. That single act of love was the official beginning of the Pine Grove settlement for the Robertson family. The connection between these two matriarchs deepened even further when Mother Francine’s son, Daniel James (Uncle D.J.), united in marriage with Big Ma’s daughter, Beatrice. That beautiful union was truly the marriage of two families — the Bowmans and the Robertsons — coming together in more ways than one. As we celebrate Magnolia Robertson today, we pause with deep reverence to acknowledge Mother Francine Bowman for her incredible generosity and her irreplaceable role in our family’s history.
Big Ma and Lemar were blessed with nine children, who built the foundation of our vast family tree:
- Ethel Robertson — September 10, 1911
- Leola Robertson — November 29, 1913
- Johnnie Robertson — October 18, 1916
- Mary Robertson — March 6, 1919
- Beulah Robertson — September 3, 1921
- Lydia Robertson — November 4, 1923
- Beatrice Robertson — April 11, 1926
- Lemar Robertson — September 22, 1928
- Susianna Robertson — June 14, 1931
As the children grew, the Robertson legacy expanded out into the world, marking our first great generational moment as Big Ma’s daughters stepped into marriage:
- Ethel Robertson became Ethel Brown
- Beulah Robertson became Beulah Barabino
- Mary Robertson became Mary Jacques
- Lydia Robertson became Lydia Brown
- Beatrice Robertson became Beatrice Bowman
- Susianna Robertson became Susianna Duchane
Behind every name in this book there is a number, and every one of those numbers is still moving. Working chapter by chapter through Big Ma’s nine children and adding up what each family has given us so far, this is where the count stands on the day of this printing:
- 168 grandchildren
- 288 great-grandchildren
- 181 great-great-grandchildren
- 31 great-great-great-grandchildren
- 1 great-great-great-great-grandchild — the first of a whole new generation
That is 669 descendants recorded so far, from one woman who was born on a plantation in McComb, Mississippi, and who could still call every single one of her grandbabies by name well into her nineties.
We want to be honest with you about what that number actually is. It is a floor, not a ceiling. It reflects only what has been formally submitted to this project so far, and eight of Big Ma’s nine children currently have counts on record. There are cousins we have not reached yet, whole households we know exist but cannot yet document, and babies who have arrived since these chapters were written.
Aunt Leola’s branch is the clearest example of the work still in front of us. Her chapter tells us that she married Joseph Howard and that together they reared her son, Mr. Kenneth Wayne Howard, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — but no grandchildren were ever recorded for her line. That means her descendants contribute nothing to the totals above. Not because they do not exist, but because no one has sent them to us yet. We would rather show you that gap plainly than quietly round the number up, and we would far rather one of her people read this very page, notice what is missing, and pick up the phone.
And that work is not theoretical — it is happening as you read this. As of today, September 2, 2026, we are actively updating the count for Uncle Johnnie Robertson’s family. His chapter presently records six grandchildren, a figure we already know understates a household that raised nine children of its own. As those names are confirmed and added, the totals on this page will climb, and the picture will get sharper. That is precisely the point of keeping this tally open: every correction we receive drives the number higher and carries us one step closer to a count that finally tells the truth about how far Big Ma’s family has reached.
So please read this page as a living tally rather than a finished one. This count is being actively worked right now, week after week, as family members write in with names, dates, and corrections. The totals you are reading today will be larger by the next reunion, and larger again at the one after that — and every single revision is a good thing, because each one means another leaf on the tree has been found and claimed.
To understand Big Ma is to understand the sheer depth of her love and the absolute reverence we held for her. Whenever Big Ma traveled from the country down to New Orleans, it was truly as if the Queen of England had arrived. The preparations for her visits were epic: the endless to-do lists, the meticulous shopping, and the palpable joy that filled the air. She would spend time staying overnight at the home of each of her children in the city, but no matter whose house she was sleeping at, the entire New Orleans family would gather there, full and festive. It was an annual royal progression until she was no longer able to make the trip — and when that day came, New Orleans simply packed up and went to her.
Her capacity for love knew no bounds or age limits. Well into her 80s, she stepped up to serve as a full-time guardian for grandchildren who needed extra attention and a safe harbor, giving them the unconditional love only she could provide. Even in her 90s, she remained an unstoppable force of nature. She maintained a year-round garden, insisting on turning over the dirt herself because she preferred it done her way. At the ripe age of 94, she was still harvesting her crops only to turn around and replant the soil.
Whether it was standing on the porch watching the older kids head off on the Labor Bus, or commanding the kitchen to feed whoever walked through her door, she was the glue that held us together. On behalf of myself, the nine children she birthed, and the hundreds of descendants she inspired, it is my greatest honor to reintroduce you to the matriarch of the Robertson family, our beloved Magnolia “Big Ma” Robertson. Thank you for walking through history with me to celebrate her extraordinary life.