the mayfair family in louisiana in the nineteenth century several days before the haitian revolution ( the only successful slave uprising in history ) , marie claudette was warned by her slaves that she and her family might be massacred she and her children , her brother lestan and his wife and children , and her uncle maurice and his two sons and their wives and children escaped with apparent ease and an amazing amount of personal possessions , a veritable caravan of wagons leaving maye faire for the nearby port some fifty of marie claudette 's personal slaves , half of whom were of mixed blood , and some of whom were undoubtedly the progeny of mayfair men , went with the family to louisiana .