John Jeffery “Jeffey” Jean-Batiste, Sr.

John Jeffery “Jeffey” Jean Batiste Sr. (1913-2012) was the son of Eraste "Earnest" Jean-Batiste (b. abt. 1890) and Eve Elizabeth (Fils) Jean-Batiste (b. abt. 1894). He was the widowed husband of Estella Mae (Curtis) Jean Batiste. Survived by seven sons.

From his Obituary: Lafayette Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, Louisiana Published July 6, 2012

"John lived a full life. He lived and worked in the cities of New York, Seattle, and Vancouver, British Columbia. He was a long shore man during World War II, a chef, a general contractor, and an Insurance Agent for Good Citizen's Insurance Company for many years. He enjoyed music and family and inspired his children to form the internationally known Batiste Brother's Band."

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From “Musical Family of Damon Batiste.”

John Jeffrey Batiste, born in 1913, with Cajun French roots, is from New Iberia. In recent years, the Batiste family learned they were related to other New Orleans legendary artists who shared the name Batiste, even though some of their names were spelled differently. According to Damon, his family is related to, Alvin Batiste - a musical educator and clarinetist; Harold Battiste - a record label founder, composer and saxophonist, as well as the band director for Sonny and Cher; and Milton Batiste who played the trumpet "always with a smile." ...
"Well, we didn't know that we were even related," says Batiste. "Harold, you know, someone went to the genealogy institute and found that out and the name [John Batiste] was really Jean Batiste, but because of the Africans birth certificates, a lot of times the name didn't matter on the birth certificate. You were who somebody else said you were. So in those days, birth certificates weren't a big thing. So some folks put two 't's or a 'p' in the name."
Estella and Jean Batiste met in New York City and settled in New Orleans. They had seven boys, including Damon's father, David. Estella was 92 years old when she died in 2007, and Jean just passed away June 27, 2012 at 99 years old. According to Damon, his grandfather was one of the first African-American business owners in the Ninth Ward. ...”

References

• Year: 1920; Census Place: Police Jury Ward 4, Lafayette, Louisiana; Roll: T625_615; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 36 AncestryImage
• "Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPM6-VXQC : 28 November 2018), John J Batiste and Estella Curtis, 21 Feb 1944, Clark, Washington, United States, Washington State Archives, Olympia; FamilySearch digital folder 100185461.
• John Jeffery Jean-Batiste Obituary January 20, 1913 ~ June 27, 2012
• John Jeffery Jean Batiste, Sr., at FindAGrave
• “ The Batiste Family™
• “A Tribute to my parents” https://youtu.be/CnE9RFK9ghQ