Broome, LaTourette, and Mercereau Families of New York and Connecticut If you have a connection to Staten Island, New York, you probably have a connection to these families. The LaTourette and Mercereau families came separately to Staten Island from France in the late 17th century. They were French Huguenots who left France for religious freedom and were among the small number of early settlers on Staten Island. There were a lot of intermarriages between the LaTourette and Mercereau families and