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SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


AND 


HISTORICAL 


EDITED  BY  WILLIAM  HENRY  PERRIN 


I  LLUSTRATED 


NEW  ORLEANS 

THE  GULF  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

BlOOKAPHlCAL  AND  HISTORICAL  VVoRKS 
1891 


NEW  ORLEANS: 
&  Son,  Printeks,  99,  101,  103,  Gravier  St. 

1891. 


INDUCED 


PREFACE, 


fHIS  VOLUME  goes  forth  to  our  patrons  the  result  of  months  of  arduous 
and  conscientious  labor.  None  so  well  know  as  those  who  have  been  as- 
sociated with  us  the  almost  insurmountable  difficulties  to  be  met  with  in 
the  preparation  of  a  work  of  this  character.  Since  the  inauguration  of  the  en- 
terprise a  large  force  has  been  employed  in  collecting  material.  During  this 
time  most  of  the  citizens  have  been  called  to  contribute  from  their  recollections, 
carefully  preserved  letters,  scraps  of  manuscript,  memoranda,  etc.  Public 
records  have  been  searched,  newspaper  files  have  been  overhauled,  and  former 
citizens  have  been  corresponded  with  for  a  verification  of  the  information  thus 
obtanied.  In  the  conflicting  statements  of  individuals,  and  the  discrepancies  and 
incompleteness  of  public  documents,  we  have  given  preference  to  the  pre- 
ponderance of  authorit^^  While  we  acknowledge  the  existence  of  errors,  as 
are  to  be  found  in  all  books,  we  claim  to  have  come  up  to  the  standard  of  our 
promises,  and  given  as  accurate  a  work  as  the  nature  of  surroundings  would 
permit.  The  facts  incorporated  in  the  biographical  sketches  have,  in  most 
cases,  been  secured  from  the  persons  whom  they  represent;  hence  the  publishers 
disclaim  anj^  responsibility  as  to  the  matter  they  contain.  Whatever  may  be  the 
verdict  of  some,  we  feel  assured  that  all  just  and  thoughtful  people  will  appre- 
ciate our  efforts,  and  recognize  the  importance  of  the  undertaking  and  the 
great  public  benefit  that  has  been  accomplished  in  preserving  the  valuable  his- 
torical matters  of  the  country,  and  biographies  of  many  of  the  citizens,  that 
perhaps  would  otherwise  have  passed  into  oblivion.  To  those  who  have  given 
us  their  support  and  encouragement  we  acknowledge  our  gratitude,  and  can 
assure  them  that  as  years  go  by  the  bock  will  grow  in  value  as  a  repositor)', 
not  on!}-  of  pleasing  reading  matter,  but  of  treasured  information  of  the  past 
that  will  become  an  enduring  monum'ent. 

The  Publishers. 
,]farch,  i8gi. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I. — Introductory — Southwest  Louisiana — Its  Beauty  and  Fertility — Geology — Why  the 
Farmer  should  Understand  the  Soil  he  Cultivates — Resources — General  Elevation — Climate 
— Indians — The  Attakapas  Country— Its  Name  Derived  from  a  Powerful  Tribe  of  Indians — 
A  Legend  of  the  "  Noble  Red  Man" — Lake  Catahoula — The  Western  Company — Spanish 
Occupancy — The  Settlement  Rapidly  Increases  Under  It— Marriage  Under  the  Spanish  Veil 
— A  Trip  to  New  Orleans — Incidents  of  the  Voyage — Louisiana  Ceded  back  to  France — 
Summary,  etc 7 

Chapter  II. — Parish  of  St.  Landry — Boundary  and  Topography — Timber  and  Soils — Water 
Courses — Resources,  etc. — Crop  Statistics — Early  Settlement— Something  of  the  Pioneers — 
The  Creoles — Indian  Possession — More  Pioneer  History — Parish  Organization — St.  Landry 
as  the  County  of  Opelousas — Where  the  People  Voted — Roads  and  Railroads— Agriculture — 
Sugar  Making — Rice  Culture — Churches  and  Schools — Opelousas — Its  Growth  and  Business 
—  Other  Towns  of  the  Parish — The  Press — The  Bench  and  Bar- Pioneer  Doctors — Scattered 
Threads— The  Military,  etc 27 

Chapter  III. — Parish  of  St.  Martin  — Introductory  and  Descriptive — Early  History — Its  Teriitory 
Lopped  Off  to  Form  Other  Civil  Divisions— The  Civil  War— Soldiers  of  St.  Martin— Dark 
Days  of  Reconstruction — Crop  Statistics — Resources,  etc. — Parish  Government — Schools — 
From  iSii  to  1S61 — Calamities  that. Visited  the  Town — Manufacturing  Statistics — Fire  De- 
partment— Stores,  etc. — Catholic  Church — The  Story  of  Evangeline — Vigilance  Committees — 
Battle  of  Queue  Tortue — Pioneer  Bar  of  St.   Martin — Breaux  Bridge,  etc 67 

Chapter  IV. — Parish  of  Iberia — Geneial  Description — Water  Courses,  etc. — Residences  and 
Plantations — Prairie  au  Large — Grand  Cote  and  Petit  Anse  Island — A  Pisgah  View — The 
Avery  Salt  Mines— Indian  Relics — Joe  Jefferson's  Island — Lake  Peigneur — A  Land  Flowing 
with  Milk  and  Honey — Early  Settlers — First  Americans — The  Acadians — Organization  of  the 
Parish — First  Court  House — Public  Improvements — The  Medical  Profession — Yellow  Fever 
Epidemics — Old  ''  Felicity" — Lawyers — Educational — New  Iberia  Laid  Out — Industries — 
The  Oil  Mill— Churches,  Newspapers,  etc.-  Jeannerette  -Other  Towns  of  Smaller  Note,  etc  .  91 

Chapter  V. — Paris)i  of  Calcasieu — Introductory — Topography  and  Descripiion- Settlement — 
Reese  Perkins — His  Magisterial  Services — An  Incident— The  Pioneers — Organization  ot  ihe 
Parish — The  Seat  of  Justice — Development  of  Resources — Fruit  Culture — Figs — Rice  Grow- 
ing— Lumber  Interests — Evening  on  the  Calcasieu — Railroads — The  Watkins  Road— Churches 
and  Schools — Lake  Charles  College — Lawyers  and  Doctors — Lake  Charles  Settled — Incor- 
porated— A  Go-Ahead  Town — Rice  Mill— Saw  Mills  and  Lumber — The  Piess — Country 
Towns — The  Sulphur  Mine — Many  Things  of  Many  Kinds,  etc 121 

Chapter  VI. — The  Parish  of  Cameron— Boundaries  and  Description— The  Coast  Mar&h— Fu- 
ture Development  of  -Cameron — What  Railroads  Will  Do  For  It — Settlement— Organization 
of  the  Parish — Legislative  Act  for  Its  Creation — A  Correspondent's  Impression  of  the 
Country  and  Its  Capabilities— Orange  Culture — A  Fruit  Country  Unsurpassed — What  the 
People  May  Make  of  It — Climate,  etc. — The  Medical  and  Legal  Professions — Cnurches  and 
Schools — A  Parith  Well  Supplied  with  Moral  Influences,  etc 169 


6  CONTENTS. 

Page. 
Chapter  VII. — Parish  o£  Latayette — General  Detcription — Darby's  Opinion— Geologv  and 
Soils— Beau  Basin— The  Cote  Gelee  Hills— Products,  etc.— Stock  Raising— Health  of  the 
Parish— Early  Settlement— The  Moutons- Other  Pioneers— A  Character— An  Incident- 
Lafayette  Parish  Created— Characteristics — Lafayette  vs.  Vermilionville — The  .\cadians— 
Railroads— Schools,  etc.— Bench  and  Bar— District  and  Parish  Judges  — Present  Bar— Medi- 
cal Profession--Board  of  Health — War  Record— The  Town  of  Lafayette— Railroad  Ship- 
ments— Carencro — Other  Towns — Queue  Tortus  Section— General  Summary,  etc iSi 

Chapter  VIII.— Parish  of  St.  Mary— Topography,  etc.— Belle  Isle— Geological— Lands  Over- 
flowed and  not  Overflowed — Sketch  of  Daniel  Dennett — Resources  of  the  Parish — Crop 
Statistics — In  the  Good  Old  Times,  etc. — Number  of  Slaves — Rice — Fruit  Growing — Straw- 
berries— Tobacco— Cliinate  and  Health — Cote  Blanche  Island — Early  Settlement— Moralizing 
on  the  Pioneers^Characteristicf — An  Incident — Another — Organization  of  the  Parish — 
Police  Jurors—"  Nigger  "  Rule— The  Early  Courts  and  Bar— Military— The  Town  of  Frank- 
lin— Manufacturing  Industries — A  Port  of  Entry — Morgan  City,  etc 207 

Chapter  IX. — "A  Tale  of  Acadia" — Introductory — A  Glance  at  Acadia  Parish — Prairie  on 
Fire — Resources — A  Western  Editor's  Impressions  of  Southwestern  Louisiana — Early  Set- 
tlement— A  German  Colony — Joseph  Fabacher — An  Ode  to  the  German  Emigrant — Intro- 
duction of  Rice  Culture — Making  Hay — Organization  of  the  Parish — Act  of  the  Legislature 
— Incorporation  of  Parish — Officials — Court  Houses  and  Jails — The  Town  of  Crowlev — 
Laying  Out  of  Same — Other  Towns — Schools  and  Churches — The  Acadia  College — Gen- 
eral Summary,  etc 223 

Chapter  X. — Parish  of  Vermilion— Topography  and  Description — Soils  and  Crops — Agricul- 
tural Statistics — Fruit  Culture — Pecan  Island— Shadowy  Traditions  Concerning  It — Ghosts 
of  Dead  Men — Opinion  of  an  Ex-Governor — Settlement  of  the  Parish — Act  Orgaiiizing  It 
— Town  of  Abbeville — Change  of  the  Parish  Seat — The  Catholic  Church — .Seat  of  Justice 
Finally  Located — Abbeville  Incorporated  —  Business  Men's  Directory  —  Perry's  Bridge 
— Military  History— The  War  of  1S12 — Soldiers  in  the  Late  War— Schools — The  Bench  and 
Bar — Benevolent   Associations,  etc.. 243 

Appendix. — Facts  of  Interest  to  the  Reader — Evangeline — Constitution  of  the  State — The 
Acadians — Lafitte  the  Piiate — Lafitte  the  Patriot — Battle  of  New  Orleans,  etc 257 

Index   (Part  II) 3S9 

BIOGRAPHICAL 

''age.  Page. 

AcAuiA  Parish  251  St.  Laxurv  Parish 3 

Calcasieu  Parish 137  St.  Martin  Parish 309 

Iberia  Parish 93  St.  Mary  Parish  357 

Lafayette   Parish 201  Vermilion  Parish 277 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page.  Page. 

Anding,  H.  W.  (Part   II)  119  McGixley,  B.  F.   (Part   II)  51 

Broussard,  J.  T.  (Part  I;  195  Moore,  E.  O.  (Part  II)    i 

Bryan,  J.  W.  (Part  I)  127  Opelousas  Female  Institute,  (Part  I) 25 

DusoN,  C.  C.   (Part  I)  229  Smith,  J.  P.   (Part   I)  59 

Francez,  Roman  (Part  II)  255  Thomp.son,  J.  J.   (Part  I) 293 

Gray,  H.  M.   (Part  II)  1S7  Ware,  J\o.  M.  (Part  I).  357 


SOUTHWEST    LOUISIANA. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Introduction — Southwest  Louisiana — Its  Beauty  and  Fertility — Geo- 
logical— Why  the  Farmer  Should  Understand  the  Soil  He 
Cultivates — Resources —  General  Elevations — Climate — The  At- 
TAKAPAS  Country — Its  Name  Derived  from  a  Powerful  Indian 
Tribe —  A  Legend  of  the  "Noble  Redman" — Lake  Ca-ta-oula — 
The  Western  Company — Spanish  Occupancy — The  Settlements 
Rapidly  Increase — Marriage  Under  the  Spanish  Veil — A  Visit 
TO  New  Orleans — Incidents  of  the  Tuip — Lolisiaxa  Ceded  Back 
to  France. 

.-.i^OUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  is  a  beautiful  country.  No  man  ought  to  de- 
■^  sire  a  more  lovely  or  richer  country.  It  possesses  everything  necessary 
^ '  to  wealth  and  the  enjoyment  of  life.  No  extremes  of  climate  are  known 
here.  No  burning  suns,  no  frozen  snows,  no  chilling  winds  a:»e  felt.  A  healthful 
atmosphere,  purified  by  the  gulf  breeze,  prevails  throughout  the  year.  What  then 
does  it  lack?  Nothing  but  enterprise  to  properly  develop  it,  and  to  let  the  out- 
side world  know  what  is  here. 

No  better  description  of  Southwest  Louisiana  can  be  given  than  that  found 
in  Mr.  Daniel  Dennett's  little  book,  published  in  1876;  and  much  of  it  is  used  in 
this  work.     It  was  prepared  with  great  care  and  from  personal  investigation. 

•'  From  the  northern  boundary  of  St.  Landry  to  the  gulf  coast,  the  distance 
is  about  one  hundred  miles;  and  from  the  Belle  River,  the  eastern  line  of  the 
parish  of  Iberia,  to  Lake  Arthur,  the  western  limits  of  the  parish  of  Vermilion, 
the  distance  is  about  eight\^-five  miles.  The  sea  marsh  on  the  coast  of  Attaka- 
pas  has  an  average  width  of  more  than  twent}'  miles.  The  southern  boundary 
of  these  parishes  is  in  latitude  twenty-nine  and  a  half  degrees.  The  northern 
limits  of  the  parish  of  St.  Landry  reach  latitude  thirty  one,  near  the  true  cotton 
belt  of  the  Southern  States. 

"  The  six  parishes  of  St.  Landry,  St.  Martin,  St.  Mary,  Iberia,  Vermilion 
and  Lafayette,  contain  more  than  3,000,000  acres  of  tillable  land,  most  of  it  of 
inexhaustible  fertility.  Even  most  of  the  sea  marsh  and  all  of  the  swamp  lands 
may  be  reclaimed  by  local  levees  and  proper  drainage  and  may  become  the  most 


8  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  • 

productive  rice  and  sugar  lands  in  the  State.  Windmill  pumps  may  relieve  the 
reclaimed  marsh  lands  from  surplus  water,  for  the  winds  blow  nlmost  constantly 
near  the  gulf  coast.  On  the  border  of  the  sea  marsh  of  St.  Mary  and  Iberia, 
extending  from  a  point  below  Berwick's  Bay  to  and  into  the  parish  of  Vermilion, 
■\  line  of  forest  trees,  mostly  heavy  cypress,  stand  as  the  dividing  line  and  wall 
between  the  marsh  and  the  tillable  land  of  the  Atchafalaxa  and  the  Teche.  In 
places  this  line  of  timber  is  from  one  to  two  miles  wide.  This  line  of  forest 
extends  down  to  tiie  mouth  of  Bayou  Sale  on  both  sides  and  down  both  sides  of 
Bayou  Cypre-mort.  At  Petit  Anse  Island  the  sea  marsh  and  prairie  meet  and 
the  chain  of  timber  is  broken  for  a  few  miles.  .On  the  side  of  this  crooked  chain 
of  timber,  ne.xt  to  the  plantations,  in  places,  there  is  a  heavy  growth  of  gum, 
oak,  ash,  hackberry,  and  an  undergrowth  of  dogwood,  vines,  palmetto,  haw,  etc. 
These  lines  of  timber,  reckoning  that  on  both  sides  of  Bayou  Sale  and  Bayou 
Cypre-mort  is  over  125  miles  in  extent. 

"  In  the  lower  or  eastern  part  of  the  parish  of  St.  Mary,  around  Berwick's 
Bay  and  the  lower  Teche,  the  highest  land  is  about  ten  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  Near  Franklin  the  highest  bank  is  from  twelve  to  thirteen  feet. 
Near  Breaux  Bridge,  the  first  bank  is  twenty-two  feet  high,  and  the  second  bank 
twenty-seven  feet.  In  the  parish  of  Lafayette,  the  Cote  Gelee  Hills,  Beau  Basin 
and  the  banks  of  the  Vermilion  are  forty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  gulf.  The 
general  average  of  St.  Landry  is  about  sixty  feet  above  the  same  level.  The 
parish  of  Vermilion  is  about  on  a  level  with  St.  Mary.  The  highest  elevations 
on  Belle  Isle,  Cote  Blanche,  Grande  Cote  and  Petit  Anse  island,  are  from  160 
to  185  feet  above  tide  water." 

In  his  preliminar}'  report  of  a  Geological  Survey  of  Western  Louisiana, 
Prof.  Hilgard  says:  '*  Few  sections  of  the  United  States,  indeed,  can  offer 
such  inducements  to  settlers  as  the  prairie  region  between  the  Mississippi  bot- 
toms, the  Nez  Pique  and  the  Mermentau  Rivers.  Healthier  by  far  than  the 
prairies  of  the  Northwest,  fanned  by  the  sea  breeze,  well  watered,  the  scarcity 
of  wood  rendered  of  less  moment  b}-  the  blandness  of  the  climate;  and  the  ex- 
traordinary rapidit}'  with  which  natural  hedges  can  be  grown  for  fences,  while 
the  exuberantly  fertile  soil  produces  both  sugar  cane  and  cotton  in  profusion, 
continuing  to  do  so  in  many  cases  after  seventy  years'  exhaustive  culture,  well 
may  the  Teche  countr}'  be  styled  by  its  enthusiastic  inhabitants  the  '  Eden  of 
Louisiana.""" 

Said  the  editor  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  after  visiting  Southwest  Louisiana : 
"If,  by  some  supreme  effort  of  nature.  Western  Louisiana,  with  its  soil,  climate 
and  production,  could  be  taken  up  and  transported  North,  to  the  latitude  of 
Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  be  there  set  down  in  the  pathway  of  Eastern  and 
Western  travel,  it  would  create  a  commotion  that  would  throw  the  discovery  of 
gold   in  California  in   the  -'lade  at  the  time  of    the  greatest    excitement.     The 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  » 

people  would  rush  to  it  in  countless  thousands.  Eveiy  man  would  be  intent  on 
securing  a  few  acres  of  these  wonderfully  productive  and  profitable  sugar 
places.  These  Teche  lands,  if  in  Illinois,  would  bring  from  -^300  to  $500  per 
acre." 

Why  Farmers  Should  L'liderslaiid  Their  Soils. — The  two  subjects  of 
supreme  importance  in  all  countries  are  those  of  soil  and  cHmate.  The  corner- 
stone upon  which  all  of  life  rests  is  the  farmer.  Who  then  should  be  so  versed 
as  he  in  the  knowledge  of  the  soil  ?  What  other  information  can  be  so  valuable 
to  him  as  the  mastery  of  the  science  of  Geology,  or  at  least  that  much  of  it  as 
applies  to  the  part  of  the  earth  where  he  casts  his  fortunes  and  cultivates  the  soil? 
But  it  is  not  intended  to  go  into  a  treatise  on  Geology.  The  regular  geological 
survey  of  the  State  will  give  all  facts  pertaining  to  the  constituent  elements  of 
the  soil,  and  what  particular  soils  are  best  adapted  to  certain  crops. 

The  effects  of  the  soil  on  people  and  on  animals  are  as  strong  and  certain 
as  upon  the  vegetation  that  springs  from  it.  Where  the  soil  and  subjacent  rocks 
are  profuse  in  the  bestowal  of  wealth,  and  the  air  is  deprived  of  that  invigorat- 
ing tonic  that  comes  of  the  winters  of  the  temperate  climates,  man  is  indolent 
and  effeminate.  Where  effort  is  required  to  live,  he  becomes  enlightened  and 
virtuous.  But  when  on  the  sands  of  the  desert,  or  in  the  jungles  of  Africa  or 
Brazil,  where  he  is  unable  to  procure  the  necessities  or  comforts  of  life,  he  lives 
a  savage.  It  is  told  that  Prof.  Agassiz  was  once  appealed  to  by  some  horse 
breeders  in  reference  to  developing  a  certain  strain  of  horses.  He  told  them 
it  was  not  a  question  of  equestrianism,  but  one  of  rocks.  To  most  men  this 
replv  would  have  been  meaningless,  yet  it  was  full  of  wisdom.  It  signified  that 
certain  rock  formations  that  underlie  the  soil  would  insure  a  certain  growth  of 
grasses  and  produce  certain  water,  and  the  secret  of  the  perfect  horse  lay  here. 
Then  what  subject  interests  the  farmer  more  than  the  soil  he  cultivates? 

Here  and  there  are  to  be  found  an  intelligent  farmer  or  machinist  who  un- 
derslandcthe  simple  scientific  principles  that  govern  their  work  or  occupation. 
Their  knowledge  is  powei-.  In  every  turn  of  life  they  stand  upon  vantage  ground, 
and  their  lives  are  successful  in  the  broad  sense  of  that  term.  They  understand 
the  soil  they  till,  or  the  implements  of  industry  they  are  called  on  to  make  or 
use.  They  kiiovj  where  ignorance  guesses,  doubts  and  fears,  and  by  not  know- 
ing so  often  fails.  The  farmer  will  take  his  place  among  earth's  noblest  and 
best  only  when  he  forces  his  way  there,  by  the  superior  intelligence,  culture 
and  eloquence  with  which  his  mode  of  life  is  capable  of  surrounding  itself. 
Understand  your  soil  and  your  climate,  and  master  the  art  of  cultivation  of  those 
things  for  wiiich  it  is  best  adapted,  and  at  once  your  business  will  take  rank 
with  the  noblest  of  the  professions. 

Resources. — The  natural  resources  of  Southwest  Louisiana  are  scarcely 
known,  for  the  countrv  has  never  been  taxed  to  its  full  capacity,  even  in  the 


10  so UTH WEST  L  O UISIA NA  : 

production  of  the  standard  crops  and  fruits.  Cotton  and  cane,  for  years  and 
years  the  principal  crops  raised  in  this  section,  until  within  the  last  few  years 
have  never  been  cultivated  in  a  manner  to  bring  out  the  full  strength  of  the  soil. 
Under  the  old  regime  in  the  South,  in  planting  time  the  top  of  tiie  ground  was 
scratched  off — it  could  hardly  be  called  plowing — and  the  crops  put  in.  Nature 
and  the  slaves  were  left  to  do  the  balance,  while  the  planter,  with  his  family, 
enjoyed  themselves  at  some  Northern  watering  place.  Of  course,  such  farming 
is  not  calculated  to  improve  land,  or  show  just  what  it  will  produce.  There  is 
no  sort  of  question  but  that  Louisiana,  with  her  excellent  lands  and  fine  climate, 
and  with  judicious  farming,  will  prove  among  the  most  valuable  in  tlie  Republic. 

Some  statistics  from  the  different  parishes  comprised  in  this  work  show 
something  of  the  products  of  this  section.  In  St.  Landrj^  the  principal  crops,  as 
stated  above,  were  cotton  and  cane,  but  of  late  years,  rice,  corn,  potatoes, 
melons,  pumpkins,  ha3s  gardens,  fruits,  etc.,  are  being  produced  with 
great  profit  to  the  planter.  Stock  raising,  fine  stock,  is  also  becoming  a  profit- 
able business.  In  St.  Martin,  the  Teche  lands  are  considered  the  richest  and 
most  valuable  in  the  State,  and  all  the  crops  grown  here  are  produced  in  abund- 
ance. Sugar,  cotton,  corn,  tobacco,  indigo,  fruits,  melons,  in  fact  anj'thing 
ever  grown  in  the  same  latitude,  no  portion  of  Louisiana  can  excel  St.  Martin's 
parish.  In  the  parish  of  Lafayette  there  is  considerable  fine  prairie  land,  which 
is  extremely  productive,  and  produces  all  the  crops  of  the  surrounding  parishes. 
Some  of  the  most  valuable  plantations  in  the  parish  of  Iberia  are  found  along 
the  Bayou  Teche.  In  addition  to  the  usual  crops  grown  elsewhere  in  southwest 
Louisiana,  a  number  of  very  fine  orange  groves  may  be  seen  in  tliis  parish. 
The  parish  of  Vermilion  produces  excellent  crops  of  sugar,  cotton,  rice,  corn, 
potatoes,  etc.  It  is  also  valuable  for  its  fine  timber.  Fruits,  and  particularly 
peaches,  do  well  in  Vermilion.  In  St.  Mary's  parish  there  is  not,  it  is  said,  an 
acre  of  poor  land  in  the  parish.'  All  crops  and  fruits  that  flourish  in  the 
Attakapas  countr)^  do  well  in  St.  Mary.  The  parish  of  Calcasieu  is  orve  of  the 
finest  rice  producing  sections  in  the  State.  The  last  census  shows  that 
Louisiana  produced  more  rice  the  past  year  than  all  the  States  put  together,  and 
Calcasieu  proved  the  banner  parish  in  rice  culture. 

The  lumber  interests  of  Calcasieu,  and  some  others  of  these  parishes,  are  not 
the  least  sources  of  their  wealth.  But  many  other  facts  of  interest,  including 
stock  statistics,  will  be  given  in  the  history  of  the  individual  parishes. 

Climate. — The  following,  on  the  climate  of  Soutlivvestern  Louisiana,  is  by 
one*  who  lias  given  mucli  stud}'  to  the  matter: 

"  By  Southwest  Louisiana  is  meant  that  portion  of  tlie  State  of  Louisiana  one 
hundred  miles  from  north  to  south  and  one  hundred  miles  from  east  to  west  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  Stale.     This  favored  spot  is  blessed  with  a  climate 

*  W.  II.  Clint,  of  [.:ike  Charles. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  11 

that  is  exceptionally  fine.  While  much  may  be  truthfully  said  favorably  of  the 
climate  of  the  entire  gulf  coast,  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that  this  favored  spotsur- 
passes  all  other  portions  of  the  South,  and  I  verily  believe  any  other  part  of 
America,  in  the  delightfulness  of  its  climate.  Having  resided  here  nearly  two 
years,  and  having  diligently  inquired  of  the  old  inhabitants,  I  think  I  am  prepared 
to  discuss  this  subject  intelligently. 

"  And  first  I  ask,  why  is  this  particular  one  hundred  miles  square  more  favor- 
ed than  any  other  section  of  equal  extent  in  the  same  latitude?  I  will  give  you 
some  of  tlie  physical  causes  that,  in  my  judgment,  produce  this  result,  i.  The 
Gulf  of  Mexico  reaches  its  northernmost  latitude  west  of  the  Mississippi  river  on 
the  coast  of  Southwest  Louisiana.  2.  The  inner  gulf  stream,  a  stream  with  a 
current  of  two  to  three  miles  an  hour,  flowing  parallel  with  the  coast,  makes  its 
nearest  approach  to  the  land  at  the  mouth  of  Calcasieu  Pass.  This  brings  the 
warm  water  of  the  South  to  our  shores,  tempering  the  atmosphere  as  it  comes  in 
contact  with  it.  3.  Large  bodies  of  water,  in  the  form  of  lakes,  are  distributed 
along  the  coast  from  five  to  fort}'  miles  inland.  These  bodies  of  water,  connected 
with  the  gulf  as  they  are,  tend  to  modify  the  atmosphere,  cooling  it  in  summer 
and  warming  it  in  winter.  And  as  the  sun  heats  and  rarefies  the  air  on  land,  the 
air  that  has  become  cooled  by  contact  with  the  water  passes  inland  to  fill  the 
vacuum,  thus  producing  a  constant  succession  of  delightful  breezes,  which 
reach  inland  about  one  hundred  miles.  Then  north  of  this  region,  which  is 
mostly  prairie,  stretches  avast  forest  of  stately  pine,  magnificent  oak,  beautiful 
pecan  and  tall  hickory,  with  many  shrubs  and  smaller  trees  in  the  intermediate 
spaces.  This  forest  reaches  up  through  this  State  and  Arkansas  to  the  Missouri 
line,  where  it  has  in  its  front,  as  a  line  of  breastworks  against  the  northern  bliz- 
zards, the  Ozark  mountains. 

"  Whoever  has  tried  the  experiment  of  getting  behind  a  barn  for  shelter 
from  the  cutting  wind  on  a  cold  moVning  in  the  North,  and  has  then  stepped  out 
from  behind  the  barn  and  felt  the  keen  wind  strike  him  with  its  biting  breath, 
can  understand  our  situation  while  sheltered  behind  the  great  natural  barrier 
composed  of  the  great  forests  and  mountains;  and  can  understand  how  it  is  that 
we  enjoy  a  better  climate  than  our  neighbors  who  are  from  behind  the  shelter. 
When  the  blizzard  from  Minnesota  or  Dakota  starts  southward,  it  meets  an 
obstruction  in  the  Ozark  mountains  that  divides  its  main  force,  while  the  portion 
that  succeeds  in  passing  the  mountains  is  still  further  obstructed,  and  modified 
b}'  the  forest,  so  that  by  the  time  it  reaches  Southwest  Louisiana,  it  is  hut  a  cool 
wave,  producing  rainfall,  but  rarely  any  frost. 

"The  main  body  of  the  blizzard  being  divided,  one  wing  sweeps  down 
through  Indian  Territory  and  Texas,  and  is  called  a  '  Norther,'  and  is  much 
dreaded  even  in  Southern  Texas.  The  other  wing  sweeps  down  the  Missisippi 
vallev,  as   through   a  tunnel,  producing  a  prodigious  rainfall.     Staiistics  show 


12  .S  O I  -77/  U  'ES  r  LOl  7  SI  A  XA  : 

that  while  New  Orleans  Ikis  a  rainfall  of  seventy-five  inches  per  annum,  Lake 
Charles,  the  chief  city  of  Southwest  Louisiana,  has  a  rainfall  of  but  fifty  inches. 

"The  temperature  of  this  region  is  more  even  than  it  is  either  east  or  v/est 
of  us.  During  the  blizzard  of  January,  1887,  ^^  lowest  temperature  reached 
here  was  25'  above  zero.  At  the  same  time  in  Houston,  Tex.,  due  west,  the 
thermometer  reached  18°  above  zero,  while  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Houston  it 
reached  ii""  above.  At  the  same  time  directly  east  of  us  one  hundred  miles  and 
upward,  the  thermometer  marked  23^',  19'^  and  18^  above  zero.  The  higliest 
temperature  reached  in  Lake  Charles  (since  I  came  here)  is 95°  above  zero,  and 
the  lowest  30"  above.  The  difference  in  temperature  from  one  month  to  another 
is  rarely  more  than  5  to  8',  and  the  difference  from  noon  to  midniglit  not  more 
than  5'^  to  10''.  This  makes  it  very  pleasant  and  healthful.  The  climate  is 
specially  beneficial  to  those  troubled  with  lung,  nasal  and  throat  diseases.  The 
.summers  are  not  so  hot  and  sultr}'  as  the}-  are  in  the  Northwestern  States  but  are 
much  longer.  The  delightful  gulf  breezes  make  it  pleasant  even  in  the  middle 
of  the  summer,  except  during  the  middle  of  the  day — from  10  o'clock  A.  m.  to  4 
o'clock  p.  M.  —and  even  then  it  is  pleasant  in  the  shade.  The  winters  are  de- 
lightful. Althougli  tiiere  is  a  greater  rainfall  in  winter  than  in  summer,  and  it 
is  sometimes  chilly,  damp  and  disagreeable  for  from  one  to  three  davs  at  a  time, 
it  soon  changes  when  the  wind  changes  to  the  south,  and  is  so  warm  and  pleas- 
ant that  for  weeks  at  a  time  we  do  not  light  fires  in  our  sitting  rooms  or  parlors, 
and  men  work  in  tiie  open  air  in  their  shirt  sleeves. 

"  We,  therefore,  claim  with  confidence  that  Southwest  Louisiana  possesses 
a  climate  superior  to  any  other  portion  of  the  gulf  coast,  and  of  California,  in 
these  particulars:  First,  a  more  even  temperature:  second,  greater  freedom 
from  windstorms;  third,  a  more  even  distribution  of  rainfall;  fourth,  cooler  in 
summer  and  warmer  in  winter;  fifth,  healthier.  Take  it  all  the  year  round,  I  be- 
lieve our  climate  is  unsurpassed  on  this  green  earth." 

The  Atlakapas  Country. — The  magnificent  region  known  as  tlie  "  Atta- 
kapas  Country  "  embraces  the  larger  portion  of  the  territory  to  which  this  work 
is  devoted.  The  very  interesting  historical  sketch  of  it  given  herewith  was  written 
by  Col.  Felix  Voorliies,  of  St.  Martinsville,  especialh'  for  this  work.  It  is  as 
follows  : 

"  The  vast  region  known  as  tlie  '  Attakapas  District,'  under  the  Spanish 
and  French  occupancy  of  Louisiana,  comprised  the  territor}'  now  forming  the 
parislies  of  St.  Martin,  St.  Landr}-,  Iberia,  Lafayette,  Acadia,  Vermilion  and 
St.  Mar}-.  It  was  bounded  on  tlie  north  by  the  Avoyelles  District,  on  the  east 
by  the  Atchafalaya  River  and  Grand  Lake,  on  the  south  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  on  the  west  by  tlie  Mermentau  River  and  the  chain  of  lakes  through  which 
it  flows.  Its  name  was  derived  from  that  of  the  Attakapas  Indians,  a  powerful 
tribe  which,  at  one  time,  possessed  the  wiiole  of  this  region. 


lUSrORICAL  AA/)  BJOGRAPHICAL.  13 

"  The  Attaknpas  Indians  were  much  dreaded  b)'  other  Indian  tribes.  They 
liad  the  reputation  of  eating  their  prisoners  of  war,  and  lience  their  name, 
which  means  '  man  eater.'  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  Attakapas  Nation 
becoming  more  and  more  aggressive,  the  neighboring  tribes-  of  Chactas 
(Choctaws),  Alibamons,  and  Opelousas  formed  a  league  for  the  purpose  of 
resisting  their  aggressions,  and  to  repel  their  inroads  and  attacks.  A  war  of 
extermination  ensued.  Several  severe  skirmishes  took  place.  Finally,  the 
liated  and  bloodthirsty  Attakapas  Indians  were  almost  annihilated  in  a  great 
battle,  fought  on  the  hills  three  miles  west  of  the  town  of  St.  Martinsville. 
Now  powerless  to  do  harm,  the  remnant  of  the  once  warlike  Attakapas  was 
either  incorporated  in  the  victorious  tribes,  or  allowed  to  remain  unmolested  in 
the  district.  Their  degenerate  descendants  may  be  seen,  even  at  this  da}-,  at 
Indian  Bend  of  the  Teche,  a  little  above  the  town  of  Franklin.  From  the  time 
of  this  terrible  overthrow  the  Attakapas  ceased  to  be  known  and  feared  as  a 
tribe. 

"  This  occurred  shortly  before  the  advent  of  the  white  man  in  Louisiana.  Tlie 
conquered  territory  was  divided  among  the  victors.  That  part  of  the  district 
which  now  forms  the  parish  of  St.  Landry  was  allotted  to  the  Opelousas,  and 
went  by  that  name  until  after  the  cession  of  Louisiana  to  the  United  States. 
The  Alibamons  had  for  their  share  of  the  spoils  that  part  of  the  district  which 
extends  from  the  Vermilion  Bayou  to  the  River  Mermentau,  whilst  the 
Clioctaws  took  possession  of  the  Teche  country.  But  although  thej' located  two 
or  three  villages  on  the  Teche  and  Vermilion  Bayous,  tlie  immense  Attakapas 
region  was  b}-  mutual  consent  reserved  as  hunting  grounds  for  the  three  con- 
federated tribes. 

An  Indian  Legend. — "  The  Teche  has  its  Indian  legend,  which  we  deem 
not  unworthy  of  a  space  in  the  historical  sketch  of  the  country.  It  is  related 
tliat  in  remote  days  an  enormous  snake  was  seen  on  the  banks  of  the  bayou. 
Its  great  size,  the  poisonous  stench  of  its  breath,  the  lashing  of  its  tail  when  it 
had  become  infuriated,  disma3-ed  the  Indians,  and  spread  consternation  in  the 
neighborhood.  A  great  body  of  warriors  assembled,  but  no  one  dared  to  ap- 
proach the  monster  for  some  time.  Finally,  however,  it  was  dispatched  with 
clubs,  after  it  had  been  repeatedly  wounded  with  arrows.  To  commemorate 
this  event,  the  Indians  gave  the  name  of  Tenchc  to  the  stream,  the  word  Tenche 
signifying  snake. 

"  In  connection  with  this,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  a  passing-  notice  to 
lake  Cata-oulou,  the  sacred  lake  of  the  Indians.  It  lies  ensconced,  as  it  were, 
in  the  deep  solitude  of  the  great  forest  which  skirts  the  Attakapas  prairie  on  the 
east  of  the  Teche,  about  nine  miles  from  the  town  of  St.  Martinsville,  the  word 
Cata-oulou  meaning  sacrifice.  The  beauty  of  its  scenery  and  its  picturesque 
landscapes  have  probably  no  equal  in  the  State.     Its  water  has  the  transparency 


14  SOVTHWliST  LOUISIANA: 

of  crystal  and  its  depth  averages  from  ninet}'  to  one  hundred  feet.  The  sinuosities 
of  its  steep  and  precipitous  banks  and  its  width,  which  does  not  exceed  500  yards, 
lead  us  to  believe  that  at  one  time  it  may  have  been  the  bed  of  some  mighty  river, 
perhaps  the  Mississippi  itself.  The  Indians  of  the  surrounding  country  repaired 
to  this  spot  to  propitiate,  with  their  offerings  and  sacrifices,  thS  Great  Spirit,  the 
all  powerful  Manitou.  In  its  crj^stalline  waters  they  plunged  themselves  to  get 
cleansed  of  their  moral  and  physical  impurities.  In  its  sacred  waters  they 
dipped  their  amulets  and  arrows  to  avert  approaching  calamities,  and  as  a  pro- 
tection against  the  devices  of  the  evil  spirit.  He  wlio  could  not  make  this  pil- 
grimage felt  despondent  and  unhappy,  and  his  inabilit}'  to  follow  the  others  iii^ 
their  saintly  journey  bode  him  no  good.  If,  whilst  performing  his  immersion  in 
the  like,  one  should  happen  to  drown,  his  memory  was  ex'ecrated  and  his  deatli 
was  considered  the  judgment  of  the  great  Manitou  in  atonement  for  the  crimes 
committed  by  him.  Tlie  lake  is  still  called  Cata-oulou,  tlie  lake  of  sacrifice,  but 
the  great  Manitou,  like  his  Indian  worshipper,  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  The 
picturesque  and  beautiful  lake,  with  its  transparent  waters,  is  now  a  summer 
resort,  wliere  the  lover  of  solitude  and  the  people  of  St.  Martinsville  and  of  the 
adjoining  villages  in  the  sultry  hours  of  the  dog  days  seek  tiie  coolness  and 
shade  of  the  majestic  oaks  that  line  its  banks. 

"Toward  the  middle  of  tlie  last  century,  St.  Martinsville  was  known  as  the 
Poste  des  Attakapas  —  tiie  civil  and  military  concerns  of  the  whole  district  were 
administered  there.  Even  at  that  remote  period  the  Poste  des  Attakapas  had 
acquired  a  certain  importance,  although  it  consisted  of  but  a  small  church  without 
an  officiating  priest  most  of  the  time,  an  ill-constructed  barracks  for  the  pahry 
garrison  under  the  orders  of  the  commandant,  and  of  a  small  store  where  the 
scattered  settlers  of  the  neighborhood  traded. 

"  Prior  to  the  occupancy  of  Louisiana  bj^  the  Spanish  government  the  At- 
takapas district  had  been  overlooked  most  shamefulh'  by  the  colonial  government; 
although  picturesque  and  beautiful,  it  was  ihea  a  wild  region  inhabited  mostly  by 
Indians  and  by  a  few  white  men,  trappers  and  hunters.  Its  immense  prairies, 
covered  with  tall  weeds  were  the  commons  where  herds  of  cattle  and  of  deer 
roamed  and  grazed  unmolested  save  by  the  hunter  or  the  crouching  panther. 
Such  was  the  region  which,  by  the  energy  of  its  first  settlers,  was  transformed 
into  a  country  teeming  with  such  wealth  and  plenty  as  subsequently  to  deserve 
the  appellation  of  the  'Eden  of  Louisiana.' 

"  During  that  earlj'  period  no  mention  is  made  of  the  Attakapas  district  in 
history.  The  Attakapas  region  is  mentioned  only  once  in  the  annals  of  that 
time,  where  we  read  that  in  1757,  under  the  administration  of  Kerlerec,  '  a  few 
French  Canadians,  deeming  it  to  be  the  direst  of  calamities  to  submit  to  the  Eng- 
lish yoke,  abandoned  their  homes  in  Canada  to  join  their  countrymen  in  Louisi- 
ana.'    None  of  the  existing  archives  of  the  district  fix,  however,  with  certainty 


HISTORICAL  AND  niOGRAPIIICAI.  i:, 

the  dale  ot  theii-  settlement  in  the  Teche  region.  As  early  as  1723.  the  vast 
province  of  Louisiana  had  been  divided  into  seven  districts,  each  one  of  which 
was  administered  in  its  civil  and  military  concerns  by  a  commandant  and  a  judf^e. 
The  Attakapas  region  was  included  within  the  territorial  limits  of  the  OrU^ans 
district. 

'•  Louisiana  was  then  under  the  administration  of  the  Western  Companv, 
chartered  by  the  King  of  France,  and  acting  under  his  auspices.  Although 
largely  engaged  in  agriculture  on  its  large  plantations  established  on  the  river, 
in  proximity  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  the  company  had  but  one  object  in 
view':  it  was  that  of  amassing  boundless  wealth  in  the  rich  mines  said  to  e.\ist 
in  Missouri.  Led  astray  by  these  mining  delusions,  the  company  neglected  the 
only  real  and  true  source  of  the  wealth  of  the  colony — the  development  of  its 
resources  by  the  intelligent  husbandry  and  culture  of  its  soil  of  unsurpassing 
richness  and  fertility.  It  was  for  that  reason  that  the  remote  parts  of  the  Orleans 
district  remained  an  almost  unexplored  wilderness,  and  that  the  Attakapas 
region,  neglected  bj-  the  company,  continued  during  its  administration  to  be  in- 
habited only  by  a  few  trappers  and  Indians,  who  found  on  its  immense  prairies, 
where  vast  herds  of  cattle  roamed  at  large,  and  in  its  lakes  and  bayous,  well 
stocked  with  fish  and  game,  a  fruitful  source  of  profit  and  sustenance. 

"  The  district  officers  had  their  residence  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and 
seldom  visited,  if  at  all,  the  Attakapas  region,  although  easy  of  access,  through 
the  numerous  bayous  and  lakes,  outlets  of  the  Mississippi,  forming  a  network 
of  water  courses  for  communication,  unrivaled  in  any  other  country. 

Sfanish  Occupancy. — "  The  Attakapas  region,  which  has  been  immortal- 
ized by  the  pen  of  a  great  American  poet,  remained  in  that  state  of  stagnancy, 
with  its  resources  undeveloped,  until  its  transfer  bj-  France  to  Spain.  Its  popu- 
lation at  that  time,  as  shown  by  the  census  ordered  by  O'Reilly,  amounted  to 
409  persons,  all  told.  But  from  that  period,  A.  D.  1770,  a  new  era  of  prosperity 
dawned  on  the  Attakapas  region.  The  Spanish  government,  wiser  than  its  pre- 
decessor, and  having  no  faith  in  the  idle  dreams  and  mining  delusions  of  the 
Western  Company,  understood  that  the  wealth  of  the  colony  depended  on  the 
development  of  its  agricultural  resources,  and  in  the  raisingof  stock  and  cattle  in 
its  rich  pasturage  grounds.  The  fostering  of  these  industries  became  the  fixed 
policy  of  the  Spanish  government,  audit  spared  no  pains  and  neglected  nothing 
to  make  it  a  success.  For  this  purpose,  military  posts  were  stationed  in  the  dif- 
ferent districts  of  the  province.  The  Poste  des  Attakapas  was  stationed  on  the 
Teche.  The  posts  were  given  in  charge  of  officers  of  the  ami}-,  and  certain 
powers  were  conferred  upon  them  for  the  civil  and  militar}-  administration  of 
their  respective  districts.  Their  duties  in  civil  matters  were  alike  to  those  now 
performed  by  justices  of  the  peace  in  the  different  parishes  of  the  State.  Their 
jurisdiction  in  civil  matters  attached  whenever  the  value  of  the  object  in  dispute 


K;  .so*'  'THWEsr  L  OUISIANA  : 

did  not  exceed  $20^-in  cases  of  greater  impertance,  their  duty  was  to  receive  tlie 
petitions  and  answers  of  tlie  litigants,  to  take  down  their  evidence  in  writing, 
and  to  transmit  the  whole  to  headquarters  in  tlie  cit\',  for  further  proceedings. 
Tliey  were  tlie  executive  officers  of  the  district,  when  a  judgment  was  to  be  exe- 
cuted— as  notaries,  their  acts  were  authentic — as  judges  the  settlement  of  es- 
tates was  one  of  their  attributes — as  military  officers,  they  examined  the  pass- 
ports of  strangers,  and  allowed  none  to  settle  within  their  jurisdiction  without  a 
permit  from  the  governor. 

"To  the  credit  of  the  settlers  be  it  written  that  the  archives  show  that  in  those 
days  litigation  was  exceedingly  rare.  The  colonists  were  amply  provided  with 
the  necessaries  of  life,  and  plainness  and  simplicity  of  manners  were  their  char 
acteristic  virtues.  Besides,  these  commandants  were  arbiters  in  all  their  differ- 
ences. Their  decisions,  as  a  general  thing,  were  so  just  and  equitable  that  they 
proved  satisfactory  to  all,  and  put  an  end  to  litigation.  In  certain  cases,  these 
commandants,  in  the  absence  of  an  officiating  priest,  were  authorized  to  cele- 
brate marriages,  whicli  were  called  marriages  fer  verba  de  present/'.  This  cus- 
tom was  sanctioned  by  the  government  for  want  of  spiritual  assistance,  on  con- 
dition tliat  these  marriages  were  to  be  solemnized  before  the  church  on  the  first 
opportunity,  although  a  failure  of  the  solemnization  did  not  entail  nullity  of  the 
marriage. 

"  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention  here  a  peculiar  marriage  ceremony  which 
was  sometimes  performed.  It  was  termed  the  marriage  'under  the  Spanish  veil ' 
{sous  le  voile  espagiiol).  It  was  a  ceremony  wherein  four  persons  held  up  a 
white  veil  over  the  parties  in  front  of  the  priest  who  was  celebrating  the  mar- 
riage. 

"The  lands  of  the  district  were  parceled  out  or  surveyed  and  granted  to 
the  families  in  quantities  to  be  determined  according  to  their  means,  and  the  only 
conditions  imposed  on  the  grantees  were:  'that  within  three  j'ears'  possession 
they  should  make  the  necessar}'  levees  to  protect  the  lands  from  overflows  and 
ditches  to  drain  them,  keep  the  roads  running  along  the  levees  in  good  repair: 
that  the  roads  should  be  forty  feet  wide,  witli  bridges  of  twelve  feet  over  the 
ditches  crossing  the  road;  and  within  the  three  3'ears"  possession  that  the}' should 
clear  the  timber  on  their  lands  to  a  depth  of  at  least  three  arpents  from  their 
front  lines.'  These  conditions  were  imposed  as  an  incentive  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  lands  so  donated,  since,  if  violated,  these  lands  were  to  revert  to  the  crown. 
In  certain  localities,  the  land  granted  measured  one  square  league:  and  in  cases 
of  urgency  or  necessity  a  double  or  rear  concession  of  similar  extent  was  do- 
nated. 

"  The  policy  of  the  government  had  the  desired  effect — attracted  by  the 
richness  of  the  soil,  the  beauty  and  salubrity  of  the  country,  settlers,  mostly  of 
French    origin,    came    in    from    every    direction.     The    district    of   Attakapas 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  17 

received  at  that  time  a  most  valuable  accession  to  its  population  by  tlie  arrival 
cf  Spanish  emigrants  from  the  Canary  Islands  and  of  Acadian  refugees  from  the 
British  possessions. 

"  These  Spanish  emigrants,  under  the  order  of  Don  Louis  Bouligny, 
settled  where  the  town  of  New  Iberia  now  stands,  but  having  failed  in  their 
attempt  to  raise  hemp  and  flax,  and  being  discouraged  b}^  their  failure,  they 
settled  on  the  lands  bordering  on  Lake  Tasse,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Martin. 
Their  descendants,  the  Romeros,  the  Lopez,  the  Leguras,  the  Viators,  occupy 
still  the  land  gran*-ed  to  their  ancestors.  Some  of  these  families  are  now 
classed  among  the  ichest  in  the  land.  They  are  noted  for  their  hospitality  and 
for  the  fervor  with  which  they  cling  to  their  friends.  Honest  and  laborious,  they 
constitute  one  of  the  best  elements  of  the  country. 

The  Acadians. — "  These  people  had  come  from  the  barren  and  desolate 
shores  of  Acadia,  now  Nova  Scotia.  Several  years  previous  to  their  emigration 
to  Louisiana,  England,  which  had  wrested  that  province  from  the  possession  of 
France  in  America,  had  resolved  to  exterminate  the  Acadians,  solel)'  for  their 
love  for  their  mother  country,  and  of  their  devotion  to  the  Catholic  faith.  To 
carry  out  this  horrible  design,  ships  were  dispatched  to  Acadia  and  filled  with 
its  unfortunate  inhabitants,  who  were  kidnapped  by  ruffians  in  British  unifoi'm. 
The  Acadians  were  transported  to  distant  regions,  and  were  landed  on  the  sand}- 
coasts  of  the  Atlantic  from  Delaware  to  Maryland,  and  left  penniless  to  shift  for 
themselves,  to  die  of  cold  and  hunger.  They  had  been  robbed  of  their  mone}^ 
and  stripped  of  all  that  thej'  possessed.  This  cruelty  met  with  universal  repro- 
bation, and  these  unfortunates  received  the  kindest  treatment  wherever  they 
were  landed,  and  the  public  authorities  supplied  them  liberally.  But  the 
Acadians,  loathing  all  connection  with  those  whose  language  was  tliat  of  their 
oppressors,  determined  to  seek  the  land  of  Louisiana,  and  breathe  once  more 
the  air  in  which  floated  the  spotless  banner  of  France.  To  achieve  their  purpose, 
they  had  to  travel  overland  more  than  a  thousand  miles,  through  a  trackless 
wilderness.  The}'  had  to  overcome  obstacles  without  number,  exposed  to  the 
attacks  of  Indians  that  beset  their  path.  It  was  a  perilous  enterprise  before 
which  quailed  the  stoutest  heart.  But  undismayed  and  nothing  daunted  by  the 
perils  to  which  they  were  to  be  exposed,  and  the  obstacles  they  had  to  over- 
come, they  started  on  this  overland  pilgrimage  from  Mar3'land  to  the  Tennessee 
River,  which  the}-  had  finally  reached  after  untold  sufferings,  the  very  picture  of 
despair  and  of  dejection.  They  embarked  in  boats  hastily  constructed,  and  glided 
down  the  Tennessee  River,  until  they  launched  on  the  turbulent  waters  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  floated  down  that  noble  stream  as  far  as  Bayou  Plaquemine,  in 
the  county  of  Iberville.  There  they  landed,  freed  once  more  from  British  rule, 
among  friends  who  received  them  wuth  open  hearts,  and  who  vied  with  one 
another   in    relieving    llieir   distress,  and    ministering  to  their   wants.     Sliortly 


IS  so  urn  WEST  LOi  VSIA  NA  : 

afterward,  they  left  for  the  Attakapas  district,  wliere  lands  had  been  allotted  to 
tliem.  They  wended  their  way  through  dismal  swamps  and  bayous  without 
number  before  reaching  their  homes  near  the  Poste  des  Attakapas. 

"There,  tlie  different  Acadian  lamiHes  separated  to  settle  on  the  lan.Ls 
donated  to  them.  They  were  the  Leblancs,  the  Martins,  the  Broussards,  llie 
Gilbeaux,  the  Bernards,  the  Arceneaux,  the  Babins,  the  Breaux,  the  Robicheaux, 
the  Heberts  and  the  Dugas,  the  Landry's  and  the  Mclancons.  Most  of  these 
families  settled  on  the  Teche,  and  soon  they  had  cleared  their  lands  and  built 
comfortable  homes.  Laborious  and  honest,  economical  and  orderly-  in  their 
affairs,  the}'  lived  contented  with  what  little  thej'  had.  The}'  soon  enriched 
themselves  and  became  the  leading  planters  and  citizens  of  tlie  district. 

Increase  of  Pofuhilion. — "  The  population  had  largely  increased,  and  tlie 
district  of  Attakapas  was  now  highly  prosperous.  Its  commerce  had  acquired 
a  certain  importance,  and  was  carried  on  mainly  with  barges  through  the  numer- 
ous lakes  and  bayous  which  led  to  the  Mississippi  River.  The  proprietors  of 
these  barges  had  their  own  landing  places  in  the  coulees  that  opened  in  the 
prairies  of  the  Teche,  and  which  fell  in  the  lakes  and  bayous,  and  these  landing.s 
went  under  the  name  oi  -poi'tages.  There  were  then  several  of  these  portages  in 
the  district,  the  principal  of  which  were  those  of  Cypre-mort,  the  portage 
Sauvage,  and  the  portage  Guidry — at  these  places  travelers  going  to  the  city 
embarked  on  the  barges,  already  laden  with  the  products  of  the  district.  A  trip 
to  the  city  in  those  days  was  no  small  affair,  as  it  required  at  least  six  weeks  to 
effect  it.  The  travelers  had  to  provide  themselves  with  whatever  was  necessary 
for  their  comfort  diiring  the  voyage.  They  had  their  tents  and  provisions,  their 
cooks  and  servants.  The  captains  of  the  barges  assumed  no  other  responsibility 
than  that  of  conducting  their  passengers  safely  to  their  place  of  destination.  No 
traveling  was  done  during  the  night.  Toward  sunset,  the  barge  was  safely 
moored  to  the  embankment, of  the  river  or  lake  on  which  they  happened  to  be, 
and  the  tents  were  pitched,  and  the  long  liours  of  the  night  were  whiled  away 
in  the  best  manner  possible;  whenever  the  current  was  strong  the  barges  were 
pulled  slowly  along  with  ropes,  and  it  required  hours  of  that  tedious  work  to  ad- 
vance a  few  miles.  As  may  be  well  imagined,  traveling  in  those  days  was  no 
little  concern,  and  none  but  such  as  belonged  to  tlie  wealthy  class  could  afford 
the  luxury  of  a  trip  to  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Numerous  farms  now  dotted  the  right  banks  of  the  Teche,  as  it  was  con- 
sidered useless  and  unsafe  to  cultivate  the  lands  on  its  east  side,  as  they  were 
exposedto  annual  overflows.  The  lands  on  the  east  of  the  Teche  were  used  solely 
as  pasturage  grounds  during  the  low  stage  of  the  waters.  Indigo,  rice,  tobacco, 
corn  and  cotton  were  cultivated  successfully.  The  intercourse  between  the 
settlers  had  assumed  that  feature  of  politeness  and  urbanity  which  character- 
izes the  French  people.  The  advent  of  several  cadets  of  the  noble  families  of 
France  and  of  Spain  contributed  no  little  toward  increasing  the  sociability  in  the 


HISTORH  AL  AND  BIOGRAPNHAL.  1!» 

colonv  bv  their  good  breeding  and  courtly  manners.  These  cadets  had  settled 
in  Louisiana  to  seek,  that  fortune  and  distinction  to  which  they  could  not  aspire 
in  tlie  mother  country,  where  the  first  born  inherited  the  estates  and  dignities  of 
the  family.  Prominent  among  them  were  the  Deblancs,  the  Delalioussayes,  the 
Delacroix,  the  Devezins,  the  Declouets,  and  many  others,  who  took  a  conspicu- 
ous part  in  the  affairs  of  the  colony  and  occupied  the  first  posts  in  the  district. 

'*  The  colony  was  now  prospering  more  than  ever  under  the  paternal 
dominion  of  Spain.  The  government  granted  lands  witu  a  princely  Hberality 
to  all  that  were  deserving  of  the  King's  bounty,  and  the  administration,  with  vig- 
ilant care  and  by  the  just  and  equitable  enforcement  of  the  laws,  protected  its 
subjects  equally  in  their  life  and  in  their  property,  which  now  had  become  val- 
uable and  productive.  Such  was  the  prosperous  and  healthy  condition  of  the 
district  when  Louisiana  was  retroceded  to  France  in  1803,  by  the  treaty  of  San 
Ildelonso." 

Riiilroads  and  Waterways. — Southwestern  Louisiana,  and  particularly  that 
portion  embraced  in  this  volume,  is  well  supplied  with  navigable  streams.  This 
is  good  as  far  as  it  goe«,  but  it  does  not  go  far  enough.  It  is  the  railroads  that 
make  a  country.  Plenty  of  railroads  through  this  section  tc  compete  with  the 
waterways  would  make  it  one  of  the  richest  and  most  desirable  localities  in  which 
to  live  almost  in  the  world.  The  railroad,  in  this  age  of  improvement  and  in- 
vention, although  scarcely  known  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago,  has  become 
the  greatest  single  factor  in  the  development  of  the  material  and  social  progress 
not  only  of  the  United  States  but  of  other  civilized  nations  of  the  earth.  As 
late  as  1825  the  then  longest  railroad  in  the  United  States  was  from  Mauch 
Chunk  coal  mines  to  the  Lehigh  River  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  nine  miles  in 
length.  So  slow,  however,  was  the  co  struction  of  railroads  ai  their  beginning 
that  in  1834  the  longest  railroad  in  the  world  extended  from  Charleston,  S.  C, 
to  Augusta,  Ga.,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles. 

But  without  tracing  its  growth  the  railroad  system  of  the  United  Stales, 
now  forming  a  perfect  net-work  of  iron  and  steel  in  every  portion  of  the  country 
on  which  daily  and  nightl\-  continuously  run  thousands  of  locomotives,  and  tens 
of  thousands  of  freight  and  passenger  cars  loaded  with  the  products  of  the 
country-,  with  valuable  merchandise  from  every  part  of  the  world,  and  with 
thous  inds  and  thousands  of  human  beings,  dashing  with  lightning  speed  from 
city  to  city,  and  from  State  to  State,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from 
the  lakes  of  the  North  to  the  Southern  gulf,  representing  a  capital  of  more  than 
^5,000,000,  is  one  of  the  most  marvelous  achievements  of  this  great  country. 

The  Southern  Pacific  Railwa}-,  which  has  had  so  great  an  influence  in  the 
development  of  Southwestern  Louisiana,  has  an  interesting  history,  and  without 
a  synopsis  of  it  this  work  would  not,  perhaps,  be  considered  complete,  and  it 
will  be  added  in  this  connection.  It  was  compiled  by  one  perfectly  familiar  with 
its  histor)-.  and  is  substantially  correct.     It  is  as  follows: 


20  soi-r/nvES7'  l  oi  'i  si  ax  a  .- 

"It  was  incorporated  December  2,  1865,  ^o  '""  ti'om  the  peninsula  of  San 
Francisco  to  San  Diego  via  San  Jose.  It  was  composed  of  men  who  were  not 
identified  with  the  Central  Pacific  people.  It  was  built  to  San  Jose,  and  Octo- 
ber II,  1870,  it  consolidated  with  the  local  companies,  and  the  combined 
companies  went  under  the  name  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  and 
enlarged  its  plans  to  a  scheme  to  construct  a  road  to  the  Colorado  River.  Tiie 
leading  spirits  of  the  Central  Pacific  secured  control  of  it,  and  had  the  charter 
so  amended  as  to  change  the  line  from  its  original  course,  and  extended  it  from 
Goshen  southward,  commencing  at  the  terminus  of  the  Central  Pacific.  The 
construction  of  the  road  accordingl}'  went  on  without  a  halt  through  1872,  1873 
and  1874.  1  he  whole  southern  half  of  the  great  basin  of  California  was  trav- 
ersed— the  extraordinary  feat  of  penetrating  Tehashipi  Pass  was  accomplished, 
the  Mojave  Plains  were  crossed,  local  lines  were  secured,  and  the  wonderfulh- 
fertile  country  of  Los  Angeles  was  reached,  482  miles  from  San  Francisco. 

"All  the  lower  half  of  the  Stale  had  been  traversed,  and  the  changes 
which  it  had  worked  are  almost  inconceivable.  The  great  San  Joaquin  Plains 
were  cleared  of  cattle  and  sheep,  and  at  first  great  grain  fields  were  cultivated, 
and  they  have  been  rapidly  yielding  to  orchards  and  vineyards.  The  settlement 
of  the  valley  increased  enormousl}'  The  country  about  Los  Angeles  and  the 
city  itself  were  aroused  to  wonderful  activity.  The  wealth  of  the  whole  half  of 
the  State  south  of  Sacramento  River  increased  with  unheard-of  rapidity,  for 
emigrants  were  pouring  in  from  the  Eastern  States,  and,  according  to  tlie  basis 
adopted  by  the  census  department  of  the  Federal  Government,  each  emigrant 
added  $1000  to  the  wealth  of  the  State. 

"The  ambition  of  these  tireless  railroad  builders  was  not  satisfied,  and  it 
soon  became  evident  that  a  southern  overland  route  was  in  contemplation.  The 
road  was  pushed  southward  and  eastward,  and  on  the  23d  of  Ma}%  1877,  it  struck 
the  Colorado  River,  at  Fort  Yuma,  248  miles  from  Los  Angeles,  and  731  from 
San  Francisco.  This  ended  the  eastern  progress  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  of  California;  but  largely  from  the  ^personnel  of  that  coinpan}-  was 
organized  October  7,  1878,  the  Southern  Pacific  of  Arizona.  This  company 
broke  ground  at  Yuma,  November  19,  1878,  and  Casa  Grande,  183  miles  from 
Yuma,  was  reached  on  tiie  19th  of  May,  1879.  Here  there  was  a  pause  until 
January  26,  1880,  when  the  work  of  pushing  eastward  was  recommenced,  and 
on  the  i8th  of  March  a  train  was  drawn  into  Tucson,  978  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  and,  in  celebration  of  the  event,  Mr.  Charles  Crocker,  the  master 
spirit  of  the  enterprise,  was  given  a  grand  reception  by  the  citizens. 

"  The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  of  New  Mexico,  organized  on  a 
basis  similar  to  that  of  the  others,  pushed  the  road  into  New  Mexico,  and  in 
December,  1879,  a  second  overland  route  was  established,  when  the  trains  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  rolled  into  Deming,  1198  miles  from  San  Francisco,  and 


HISTORICAL  A.VD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  21 

made  connection  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  road.  This  accom- 
plishment, however,  by  no  means  satisfied  the  ambition  or  met  the  final  purpose 
of  the  railroad  builders — a  direct  line  of  their  own  to  the  Mississippi  River  was 
the  perfect  solution  of  a  southern  overland  route;  and  with  this  end  in  view  the 
constructors  turned  their  backs  on  Deming,  and  on  the  19th  of  Ma}-,  1881,  they 
had  the  tracks  laid  into  El  Paso,  Texas,  1287  miles  from  San  Francisco. 

"  By  this  time  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world  were  fixed  upon  the  daring  men 
who  were  conducting  their  gigantic  enterprise.  They  had  crossed  the  wild 
deserts  of  Arizona  and  New  Me.xico — had  they  means  and  courage  to  throw 
a  line  across  the  vast  expanse  of  Texas?  On  went  the  work  without  a  lialt 
or  doubt;  taming  this  wild,  unsettled  country  and  unlocking  it  to  the  world. 
On  the  6th  of  December,  1881,  the  road  entered  Sierra  Blanca,  1377  miles  from 
San  Francisco,  and  there  made  connection  with  the  Te.xas  and  Pacific  Railway. 
This  opened  a  second  and  more  direct  route  to  the  East,  but  it  by  no  means 
filled  the  aims  of  the  builders.  New  Orleans  was  the  objective  point,  and  it 
was  1 100  miles  away  •     Without  a  moment's  hesitation  the}'  assailed  the  task. 

"  Meanwhile,  General  Pierce  was  building  the  line  westward  from  San  An- 
tonio, Texas,  and  on  Christmas  day  of  1882  the  two  lines  met  at  DeviFs  River, 
and  connection  was  established  between  San  Francisco  and  New  Orleans.  The 
Galveston,  Harrisburg  &  San  Antonio,  the  oldest  railroad  line  in  Texas,  had 
long  been  in  operation  between  San  Antonio  and  Houston.  The  Texas  &  New 
Orleans  Railroad  ran  from  Houston  to  Orange  on  the  Sabine  River;  Orange  con- 
nected with  Morgan's  Louisiana  &  Texas  Railroad  at  Lafayette  by  means  of  the 
Louisiana  Western  Railroad;  and  Morgan's  road  connected  Lafayette  and  New 
Orleans.  The  distance  from  El  Paso  to  Houston  is  850  miles,  and  from 
Houston  to  New  Orleans  is  360  miles.  By  arrangements  with  the  various  lines 
between  Houston  and  New  Orleans  the  Southern  overland  route  from  San 
Francisco  to  the  Mississippi  River  was  established;  but  the  ambition  of  the 
California  railroad  builders  was  still  unsatisfied.  They  must  have  the  entire  line. 
The  Central  Pacific  people  were  the  prime  movers  in  all  companies  which  were 
organized  to  construct  the  line  from  San  Francisco,  but  there  were  stock 
holders  whose  interests  were  confined  to  one  or  more  companies.  The  problem 
was  solved  by  the  organization  of  one  great  company,  which  would  be  composed 
of  the  leading  share  holders  of  all  the  companies  in  interest,  and  which  would 
lease  the  several  lines  and  operate  them  under  one  comprehensive  management. 
The  companies  in  interest  were  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  of  California,  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  of  Arizona,  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  of  New 
Mexico,  and  the  Central  Pacific.  Thus  the  Southern  Pacific  Company  was 
organized  to  operate  all  the  lines  to  New  Orleans.  These  arrangements  carried 
control  of  Morgan's  steamship  lines,  covering  7276  miles  of  deep  water  traffic, 
and  including  eighteen  iron  steamships,  besides  a  river  and  ferry  traffic, 
equipments,"'  etc. 


22  SOUTHWEST  L  OUJSJANA  : 

Such  is  a  brief  historical  sketch  of  the  Soutliern  Pacillc  Railroad  Company, 
which  includes  all  the  railroads  through  the  parishes  embraced  in  this  work,  ex- 
cept the  Texas  &  Pacific  road.  This  road  passes  through  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  parish  of  St.  Landry,  with  three  or  four  shipping  stations  in  the  parish. 
There  are  no  other  railroads  in  the  parishes  except  some  short  local  roads  of  but 
a  few  miles  in  length,  such  as  the  road  from  Cade  Station  on  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific to  St.  Martinsville;  the  road  from  New  Iberia  to  the  Salt  Mines,  and  from 
Baldwin  to  Cypre-mort.  There  are,  however,  other  contemplated  roads,  the  most 
important  of  which  is,  and  one  already  in  process  of  construction,  the  Watkins, 
Kansas  City  &  Northern,  already  graded  from  Lake  Charles  to  Alexandria,  and 
some  of  the  track  laid.     More  of  it  further  on. 

In  addition  to  the  railroads  these  eight  parishes  have  a  number  of  navigable 
streams,  lakes  and  bayous.  The  principal  streams  are  the  Atchafalaya,  Calca- 
sieu and  Mermentau  Rivers,  and  the  Baj-ou  Teche;  and  Grand  Lake,  Spanish 
Lake,  Lake  Charles,  Calcasieu  Lake,  etc.  These,  at  a  light  expense,  could  all 
be  made  navigable  the  year  round. 

Public  Schools. — For  the  development  of  a  country  properly,  a  perfect  sys- 
tem of  public  schools  is  required.  Whenever  a  man  thinks  of  emigrating  to  a 
new  country,  his  first  thought  is,  "What  are  the  facilities  for  educating  my  chil- 
dren?" This  is  the  one  great  desideratum  in  building  up  a  country.  One  draw- 
back to  the  Southern  country  has  always  been  a  lack  of  educative  facilities.  Not 
colleges  and  academies,  but  a  good  system  of  public  schools.  The  writer  is  a 
Southern  man,  and  speaks  of  what  he  knows.  A  lack  of  a  system  of  public 
schools  has  greatly  retarded  the  growth  of  the  South — more  than  any  one 
cause,  and  has  added  much  to  keep  the  tide  of  emigration  flowing  westward. 
In  the  West,  the  first  thing  after  building  a  cabin  to  shelter  the  family,  is  the 
thought  of  a  school  house,  and  often  it  is  the  best  house  in  the  whole  township. 
A  late  writer  has  said;  M  If  he  is  a  benefactor  of  mankind  who  causes  two  blades 
of  grass  to  grow  where  one  grew  before,  the  language  does  not  furnish  a  name 
for  him  or  her  who  promotes  the  cause  of  true  education.  While  the  school  is 
established  primarily  for  the  good  of  the  children  and  the  preservation  of  the 
State,  it  is  a  fact  patent  to  all,  that  the  most  valuable  result  of  all  education  is 
the  building  up  of  good  characters.  This,  to  speak  definitely,  is  to  instil  cor- 
rect principles  and  train  in  right  habits.  Citizens  with  these  '  constitute  a  State.' 
Men  and  women  with  these  are  in  possession  of  what  best  assures  rational  hap- 
piness, the  end  and  aim  of  human  life. '' 

Few  questions  are,  in  their  bearing  upon  the  future  of  the  countr}-,  more 
vitally  important  than  tliis:  "  What  are  the  hoys  and  girls  reading  f  Increased 
attention  needs  to  be  given  to  the  literature  of  the  .schools,  and  a  taste  for  whole- 
some reading — history,  biograph}',  travels,  poetry,  popular  science,  etc. — encour- 
aged, thereby  lessenitiJ  the  demand  for  dime  novels  and  low  fiction.  This  writer 


HISlOlilCAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


•n 


has  never  been  in  a  section  of  country  where  dime  novel  reading  is  carried  to 
the  excess  it  is  here.  It  shows  a  depraved  taste,  and  will  tell  in  future  years 
upon  the  civilization  of  the  State  as  well  as  upon  the  viciousness  of  tlie  general 
population. 

Then  if  you  want  your  country  to  prosper,  and  a  new  element  of  population 
infused  into  it,  improve  your  means  of  education,  until  your  system  is  second  to 
none  in  the  land.  A  country  vv^ith  plenty  of  railroad,  church  and  educational 
facilities  is  bound  to  prosper.     It  can  not  be  kept  down. 

Another  great  advantage  to  a  country  is  an  enlightened  press.  It  adds 
much  to  the  civilization,  education  and  refinement  of  any  community.  South- 
west Louisiana  lias  a  press  equal  to  almost  an}'^  section  of  countrj^and  it  is  doing 
much  for  the  development  and  progress  of  it.  The  press  is  the  great  civiHzer  of 
the  country,  and  is  a  power  for  good.  A  criticism  of  the  press  is  always  a  sure 
indication  of  its  power  and  vigor,  and  the  Texas  editor  who  said  that  "  news- 
papers are  bad  only  because  so  manj-  bad  things  [happen,"  summed  up  the 
philosophy  of  the  situation.  There  are  some  twenty  odd  newspapers  in  this  dis- 
trict of  eight  parishes,  and  they  should  constitute  a  power  for  the  development 
of  its  resources,  and  should  claim  the  united  support  of  their  readers.  Dean 
Stanley,  a  man  illustrious  for  his  wisdom  and  philosophy,  said:  "Once  archi- 
tecture was  the  press,  and  told  great  thoughts  to  the  world  in  stone ;  now  the 
press  is  architecture  and  is  building  up  the  world  of  ideas  and  usages."  Then 
every  dollar  paid  to  the  newspaper  is  a  dollar  well  invested,  for  unpretending 
as  the  sheet  may  be,  every  issue  contains  something  worth  the  subscription 
price. —  W.  II.  Perrt'n. 


'^ 


CHAPTER  II. 

Parish  of  St.  Landry — Bou.ndary  and  Topography — Timber  and  Soil — 
Water  Courses — Resources,  Etc. — Crop  Statistics — Early  Set- 
tlement  So.METHING  OF  THE  PlONEERS ThE  CrEOLES InDIAN  POS- 
SESSION— More  Pioneer  History — P.\rish  Organization — St.  Landry 
AS  THE  County  of  Opelousas — Where  the  People  Voted — Roads 
AND  Railroads — Agriculture — Sugar  M.\king — Rice  Culture — 
Churches  and  Schools — Opelousas — 'Its  Growth  and  Business — 
Other  Towns  of  the  Parish — The  Press — The  Bench  .\nd  Bar — 
Pioneer  Doctors — Scattered  Threads,  Etc. 

(^JT^O  gather  up  the  raveled  tlireads  of  the  strange  stories  of  the  lives  of  the  people 
^'^■^  that  reclaimed  the  Attakapas  country,  and  that  made  it  to  "  rejoice  and 
'^ '''  '  blossom  as  the  rose,"  to  catch  their  fleeting  traditions  and  fireside  histories, 
and  hand  them  down  to  posterity,  is  worth}' the  ambition  of  any  man.  They  were 
simple  and  unostentatious,  and  came  here — many  of  tliem — not  from  choice,  but 
from  a  force  they  could  not  resist.  Sooner  or  later,  by  the  pen  of  the  wise  his- 
torian, they  will  take  their  proper  place  in  the  history  of  their  country.  That 
they  builded  wiser  than  they  knew,  is  granted.  Few,  if  any  of  them,  ever 
lealized  in  the  dimmest  way  the  transcendent  possibilities  that  rested  upon  them. 
As  a  rule,  perhaps,  their  lives  were  aimless  and  ambitionless,  with  little  more  of 
hope  or  far-reaching  purposes  than  the  savages  that  were  their  neighbors.  Yet, 
there  stands  the  fact  that  they  followed  their  simple  impulses,  took  their  lives  in 
tlieir  hands,  penetrated  the  desert  wilderness,  and  with  a  patient  energy,  reso- 
lution and  self-sacrifice  that  str.nds  alone  and  unparalleled,  they  laid  the  founda- 
tion on  wiiich  rests  the  civilization  of  the  empire  lying  in  the  Mississippi  \^alle3'. 
When  we  contemplate  the  dangers  to  whicli  they  were  constantly  exposed,  with 
a  century  and  a  half  standing  between  them  and  us,  the  story  seems  almost  in 
credible.  In  tlie  pages  following  in  this  work  it  is  intended,  in  an  liumble  way, 
to  raise  a  monument  to  their  labors  and  their  memory. 

To  a  portion  of  the  Attakapas  country  now  known  as  the  parish  of  St. 
Landr\',  this  chapter  will  be  principally  devoted.  The  original  dimensions  of 
the  parisli,  when  it  extended  to  the  Sabine  River  on  the  west,  are  more  minutely 
given  in  the  introductory  chapter  of  this  volume.  As  at  present  circumscribed 
St.  Landry  contains  not  far  from  sixteen  hundred  square  miles,  and  nearly  40,- 
000  inhabitants.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  parishes  of  Rapides  and 
Avoyelles,  on  the  east  by  the  Atchafalaya  River,  on  the  south  by  the  parishes  of 
St.  Martin,  Lafayette  and  Acadia,  and  on  the  west  by  the  parishes  of  Calcasieu 


2.S  SOUTHWEST  L  O UJSIAXA  : 

and  Rapides.  The  following  parishes  have  been  wholl}-  or  in  part  created  out 
of  the  original  territory  of  St.  Landry:  Lafayette,  Acadia,  Calcasieu  and  Cam- 
eron.    Perhaps  others  drew  on  it  for  a  portion  of  their  territory. 

St.  Landry  is  pretty  equally  divided  between  prairie  and  woodland.  Much 
the  larger  portion  of  the  land  is  susceptible  of  grazing  and  cultivation.  It  is 
well  watered  by  numerous  bayous,  running  streams,  small  lakes,  etc.  East  of 
Opelousas  tlie  streams  flow  to  the  Atchafalaya  River,  and  west  of  the  town  the\' 
flow  to  the  Vermilion  River,  thus  forming  a  portage  upon  whicli  Opelousas  stand.s. 
Along  the  streams  is  fine  timber,  and  between  the  belts  of  timber  are  natural 
meadows  or  prairies,  tliose  vast  treeless  plains  so  common  in  Southwest  Loui.s- 
iaiia.  They  sometimes  stretch  away  for  miles  and  miles  without  a  tree  in  sight. 
e.xcept  the  thick  forests  that  bound  them  as  the  beach  limits  the  sea,  and  present 
all  the  monotony  without  the  dreariness  of  the  deserts  of  Africa.  Says  Mr. 
Darby,  in  his  work  on  Louisiana,  published  in  1817,  writing  upon  the  Opelousas 
prairie : 

"  This  vast  expanse  of  natural  meadow  extends  seventy-five  miles  southwest 
and  northeast,  and  is  twenty-five  miles  wide,  containing  more  than  1,200,000  acres, 
exclusive  of  the  numerous  points  of  woods  that  fringe  its  margin  on  all  sides. 
The  prairie  begins  thirteen  miles  northwest  of  Opelousas,  and,  gradually  opening 
to  the  southward,  sends  out  various  branches  between  the  bayous.  Here  you 
behold  vast  herds  of  cattle,  which  afford  subsistence  to  the  natives  and  the  inhab- 
itants of  New  Orleans.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  agreeable  views  in  nature 
to  behold  from  a  point  of  elevation  tliousands  of  cattle  and  horses  of  all  sizes, 
scattered  over  the  intermediate  meadow  in  wild  confusion.  The  mind  feels  a 
glow  of  corresponding  innocent  enjoyment  with  those  useful  and  inoffensive 
animals,  grazing  in  a  sea  of  plent}'.  If  the  active  horsemen  that  guard  them 
would  keep  their  distance,  fancy  would  transport  us  backward  to  the  pastoral 
ages.  Allowing  an  animal  to  be  pioduced  for  every  five  acres,  more  than  220,- 
000  could  be  yearly  reared  and  transported  from  this  prairie  alone,  which,  at  an 
average  of  ten  dollars  per  head,  would  amount  to  two  million  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars."  Mr.  Darby,  at  the  time  he  penned  the  above  (in  1817)  es- 
timated the  herds  of  the  greatest  stock  owners  of  the  country,  viz  :  Messrs. 
Wikoff,  in  the  Calcasieu  prairie,  Fontenot,  in  Mamou  prairie,  and  Andrus,  in 
Opelousas  prairie,  at  twenty  thousand  head. 

In  the  upper  part  of  St.  Landry  the  country  is  somewhat  hill}-,  and  is  "cov- 
ered with  a  dense  forest  of  pine,  oak,  ash,  walnut  and  other  valuable  forest  trees. 
Here  also  are  found  some  fine  mineral  springs,  which  are  much  resorted  to  by 
invalids,  and  possess  great  curative  qualities.  Here  are  considerable  deposits  of 
limestone,  from  which,  for  home  consumption,  is  made  very  excellent  lime;  and 
a  fine  quarryof  marble,  which  is  susceptible  of  a  beautiful  polish,  and  is  valuable 
for  making  into  mantels,  monuments,  etc.       *       *       *        T\\^   soil  in  the  middle 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  29 

and  lower  portion  of  the  pArish  is  ex'cellent,  resting  on  a  subsoil  of  tine  brown  or 
<rreyish  clay,  which,  when  ploughed  up,  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  mixed  with 
surface  soil,  is  as  rich  as  the  upper  stratum.  That  subject  to  overflow,  being 
rich  alluvial,  is  inexhaustible,  and  adapted  to  all  the  products  of  this  latitude. 
The  soil  of  the  prairies  is  generall}' mellow  and  easy  of  cultivation.  Grass  covers 
all  portions  of  the  parish,  except  the  cultivated  fields  or  the  surface  covered  by 
forests  or  bj'  water.  More  than  half  a  million  acres  of  grass  in  St.  Landry 
is  not  under  fence.  The  greater  portion  of  the  wealth  of  St.  Landry  has  been 
obtained  from  cattle  and  horses  on  the  prairies,  raised  without  hay  or  shelter. 
On  these  prairies  a  hundred  thousand  tons  of  hay  might  be  made  yearly  for  the 
New  Orleans  and  other  markets."* 

Water  Courses,  etc. — As  already  stated,  St.  Landr}'  is  well  watered  and 
drained  b}-  its  numerous  streams  and  bayous.  The  Atchafalaya  River,  which 
borders  its  eastern  limit,  connects  the  parish  by  steamboat  with  the  Mississippi 
River  and  New  Orleans.  The  Ba^'ou  Courtableau,  formed  b}-  the  junction  of 
the  Crocodile  and  Bceuf,  affords  good  navigation  to  Washington  the  entire  year, 
except  a  short  period  in  summer  when  there  is  usually  extreme  low  water.  The 
Bayou  Boeuf  is  the  means  of  transportation  for  the  planter,  and  the  Crocodile  for 
the  lumber  men  The  Plaquemine  Brule,  the  Nez  Pique,  Mallet  and  Canes  are 
fine  streams  for  draining  and  for  irrigating,  but  are  not  navigable.  The  Mermen- 
tau  River  is  a  navigable  stream,  and  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Canes, 
Plaquemine  Brule  and  Nez  Pique.  Vessels  ascend  it  for  more  than  seventy 
miles  and  load  with  lumber  for  outside  markets,  much  of  it  going  to  Havana  and 
to  Mexican  ports.  Along  these  streams  are  timbered  bottoms,  affording  the 
finest  timber  for  all  purposes  of  building  and  fencing.  When  the  timber  is 
cleared,  the  land,  which  is  extremely  rich,  grows  immense  quantities  of  sugar, 
rice,  cotton,  corn,  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes,  peas,  melons,  pinnpkins,  fruits,  gar- 
dens, etc.  No  richer  lands  are  to  be  found  an3'where.  To  sum  up  briefly,  the 
parish  has  nearly  two  hundred  and  fift}^  miles  of  navigable  waters.  The  Morgan 
Railroad,  which  passes  through  the  center  of  the  parish,  affords  the  planter  com- 
peting rates  with  water  transportation. 

While  but  little  of  St.  Landry  is  subject  to  overflow,  yet  the  bottoms  along 
the  Atchafalaj-a,  and  some  of  the  bayous,  now  and  then  are  overflowed,  on  ac- 
count of  levees  giving  way.  This,  however,  occurs  at  rare  intervals.  Even  the 
overflowed  lands  may  be,  to  some  extent,  converted  into  valuable  rice  planta- 
tions, which  become  the  richest  in  the  world.  When  the  Mississippi  and  Atcha- 
fala3'a  levees  are  made  secure,  some  of  the  most  valuable  plantations  in  South- 
west Louisiana  will  be  those  in  the  bottom  lands. 

Resources,  etc. — The  resources  of  St.  Landr\'  are  all  that  the  planter  ouglit 
to  desire.     All  the  crops  common  to  this  latitude  grow  in  the  most  bountiful  pro- 

-Dnniel  DcnnttI,  in  1876. 


30  SOUTHWEST  LOUJ.S/AXA: 

fusion.  Cotton,  cane,  corn',  rice,  fruits  and  vegetables  are  produced  here  with 
as  little  expense  and  labor,  and  in  as  great  quantity,  as  in  an}'  portion  of  tlie 
South.  Mr.  Dennett  gives  some  statistics  in  his  work  on  Louisiana,  which  were 
compiled  with  great  care,  and  though  it  was  done  twenty  years  ago,  when  the 
products  were  much  below  what  they  are  now,  illustrates  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent the  capabilities  of  the  country,  and  extracts  from  which  will  not  be  devoid 
of  interest  in  this  connection.  "  The  surface  cultivated  in  St.  Landry  yearly 
amounts  to  about  100,000  acres.  About  one-third  of  this  is  planted  in  cotton. 
Not  a  tenth  part  of  the  tillable  land  is  under  cultivation.  With  a  working  popu- 
lation like  that  of  the  Western  States,  and  the  same  kind  of  cultivation,  the  parish 
might  send  to  market  yearl}'  100,000  bales  of  cotton,  50,000  hogsheads  of  sugar, 
75,000  barrels  of  molasses  and  rice,  tobacco,  broom-corn,  hay,  beeves,  horses, 
milch  cows,  sheep,  hogs,  hides-  poultr}^  eggs,  rosin,  turpentine,  and  other  val- 
uable products  to  the  amount  of  from  $10,000,000  to  $15,000,000.  So  varied  and 
valuable  resources  in  a  climate  so  salubrious  can  hardl}'  be  found  anywhere  else 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  *«***»# 

Elbci't  Gaiifs  Exfcrieuce. — "  The  following  statement  we  copy  from  a 
pamphlet  published  in  Opelousas  in  1869:  '  I  employed  the  past  year  twent^'-two 
hands,  to-wit :  fifteen  men,  two  boys  and  five  women.  Had  in  ninety  acres  of 
cane,  one  hundred  acres  of  corn,  and  one  hundred  acres  of  cotton,  besides  sev- 
eral acres  in  potatoes  and  gardens,  with  the  following  result: 
Ground  fifty-eight  acres  of  cane  in  eighteen  da3'S,  making  one  hundred 

and  eight  hogsheads  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 

each,  which  sold  at  ten  cents $13,000 

I  made  two  hundred  gallons  of  molasses,  equal  to  eight  thousand  gallons, 

at  seventy  cents 5,600 

Also  seven  thousand  seven  hundred  bushels  of  corn 2,100 

Also  eighty-six  bales  of  cotton,  equal  to  thirty-eight  thousand  pounds, 

at  twent3'-two  cents 8.514- 

Gross  receeipts $29,214 

JMy  total  expenses  for  provisions,  repairs,  hire  of  hands,  sugar  maker, 

hogsheads  and  barrels  were $10,000 

Which  deducted  from  the  gross  income,  leaves  me  net $19,214 

'  Elbert  Gant." 

"  In  St.  Landry,  1300  pounds  of  seed  cotton  to  the  acre,  or  about  400 
pounds  of  lint,  is  a  fair  yield.  In  the  true  cotton  zone,  which  is  al-iove  the  lati- 
tude of  this  parish,  about  32  deg.  north,  1800  pounds  of  seed  cotton  maj-  be 
produced,  or  600  pounds  of    lint.     While  it  is  admitted  that  the  cotton  plant  is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  :)I 

liable  to  injury  from  insects,  still,  in  the  main,  as  many  full  crops  are  made  as 
of  an}-  other  product  of  the  soil,  and  the  chances  of  success  are  bj'  many  thought 
to  l)e  as  favorable  in  this  branch  of  industrj'  as  any  which  engage  the  farmer. 

"  One  hogshead  of  sugar  and  sixty  gallons  of  molasses  may  be  considered 
an  ordinary  yield  per  acre  in  this  parish ;  but  we  are  assured  by  a  gentleman  for 
whose  veracity  we  have  high  respect,  that  twenty-five  hogsheads  of  sugar  have 
been  produced  in  St.  Landry  from  six  acres  of  ground.  That  is  the  best  yield 
that  has  ever  been  known  in  any  sugar  producing  parish  of  the  State.  Sixtv 
gallons  of  molasses  usually  drain  from  a  hogshead  of  sugar.  Commercial 
manures  will  doubtless  largely  increase  the  average  yield  of  sugar  in  all  tiiese 
parishes,  and  the  facts  hold  good  in  regard  to  cotton  and  other  crops. 

"  The  yield  of  corn  in  St.  Landry  is  about  thirty-five  bushels  to  the  acre. 
Potatoes,  sweet  and  Irish,  well  cultivated,  from  250  to  300  bushels  to  the  acre. 
Pumpkins,  peas,  beans,  pindars,  broom  corn,  etc.,  give  heavy  returns,  but 
owing  to  the  fact  that  no  one  ever  has  made  note  of  the  yield  of  these  crops  per 
acre,  correct  statistics  of  them  have  never  been  recorded. 

"The  cotton  crop  of  St.  Landry  in  1869  was  about  20,000  bales.  But 
little  sugar  was  made.  The  crop  was  short,  and  the  planters  have  been  more 
inclined  to  cultivate  cotton  than  sugar  since  the  war.  Not  more  than  a  thousand 
hogsheads  of  sugar  and  fifteen  hundred  barrels  of  molasses  were  made  in  the 
parish.     Most  of  the  cotton  planters  made  a  bale  of  cotton  to  the  acre. 

•'  Fruits  do  well  in  St.  Landr}',  but  little  attention,  however,  is  paid  to  fruit 
culture.  Peaches,  apples,  pears,  plums,  figs,  grapes,  quince,  blackberries, 
strawberries,  dewberries,  may-apple,  persimmon,  may-haw  and  pawpaw,  all  grow 
in  the  parish.  Oranges  ma\- be  successfullj-  raised  to  some  extent  in  the  southern 
part. 

"The  number  of  cattle  in  St.  Landry  in  1S69  is  estimated  at  60,000  head  ; 
horses  at  15,000;  mules  at  3500;  sheep  3000;  number  of  hogs  large,  but  not 
known." 

The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  these  statistics  were  compiled  in  1869, 
and  while  the  general  yield  of  crops  per  acre  are  much  the  same  now,  the  acre- 
age is  largely  increased.  Fruit  culture  also  is  receiving  much  more  attention, 
and  the  number  of  animals  is  greater.  There  are  a  number  of  stock  farms  in 
the  parish  that  are  devoting  much  attention  to  improvement  of  stock;  the  conse- 
quence is.  that  a  better  class  of  animals  are  to  be  seen  throughout  the  parish 
than  in  former  j'ears. 

The  crops  of  St.  Landry  for  the  past  year  (1890)  surpasses,  perhaps,  tliose 
of  any  year  of  its  existence,  but  at  the  present  writing  complete  statistics  can 
not  be  given,  as  the  crops  are  not  all  in.  The  rice  crop,  how^ever,  is  so  nearly 
delivered  as  to  venture  a  pretty  correct  estimate. 


32  SOl'T/ZU'ESr  L  OUISIANA  : 

Mr.  A.  Levy,  of  Opelousiis,  gives  the  following  of  the  rice  crop,  and  its  in- 
crease of  recent  years : 

"  Rice  has  been  grown  in  St.  Landry  parish  for  many  3'ears  past,  but  ver}- 
little,  if  any,  was  marketed,  owing  to  the  poor  quality  of  seed  used,  a  lack  of 
facilities  for  shipping,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  planters  as  to  its  value.  In  18S4 
a  few  sacks  were  shipped  from  Opelousas  ;  in  1886  about  16,000  sacks  were 
shipped,  and  the  increase  has  continued  from  year  to  year,  until  this  \'ear's  crop 
(1890)  will  reach,  at  Opelousas  alone,  125,000  sacks,  which  will  average  $3.50 
per  sack,  amounting  to  the  sum  total  of  $437,500.  All  rice  planters  who  have 
taken  the  necessar\'  precaution  to  supply  themselves  with  water  for  irrigation,  or 
whose  locations  make  their  places  natural  rice  farms,  have  made  considerable 
money  during  the  past  two  years." 

Of  the  increase  in  the  sale  of  farming  implements,  Mr.  Levy  gives  for  his 
firm  alone,  J.  Meyers  &  Co.,  the  following:  "  The  sale  of  plows,  harrows,  reap- 
ers, threshers  and  engines  used  for  the  culture  and  harvest  of  rice  and  other 
crops,  including  wagons,  has  kept  pace  with  the  increase  of  products,  and  for 
the  3-ears  1886  to  1890  are  about  as  follows: 

12  steam  threshers  and  portable  engines,  about $14,000  00 

50  reapers  and  binders ■ 8,000  00 

40  harvesters  and  seeders -oOO  00 

300  two  and  four-horse  wagons 12 ,000  00 

Stationar}^  engines  and  boilers,  and  otiier  machinery  used  for  cotton, 

rice  and  cane  crops,  besides  extra  number  ot  plows,  etc.,  about. .    20,000  00 

"I  append  to  this,"  says  Mr.  Lev}^  "  a  memorandum  of  the  crop  made  last 
3'ear  (1890)  by  quite  a  young  man  and  his  wife.  I  can  vouch  for  the  truth  of 
the  figures,  as  I  purchased,  for  my  firm,  the  rice  and  cotton.  This  is  no  excep- 
tional case,  either,  in  St.  Landry  parish  : 

384  barrels  of  rice $  i ,  250  00 

I  barrel  of  syrup 15  00 

400  barrels    of  corn 

2500  pounds    of  cotton — 5  bales 200  00 

50  barrels  sweet   potatoes 50  00 

Raised  on  55   arpents $1,675  00 

All  expenses  were , 1,200  00 

Net  income .^ $475  00 

The  above  is  given  as  the  transactions  of  a  single  house  in  Opelousas. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  there  are  several  houses  engaged  similarly,  and  that, 
not  only  in  Opelousas,  but  in  Washington  and  other  points  in  the  parish,  the  ma 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  33 

nitude  of  the  farming  interests  are  not  diflicult  to  realize.  Otlier  facts  and  stat's- 
tics  will  be  j,'iven  under  the  head  of  agriculture. 

Early  Settlement. — The  settlement  of  St.  Landry  parish  dates  back  to  a 
period  be3'ond  the  personal  knowledge  of  any  now  living.  Its  population  has 
been  drawn  from  many  sources.  For  years  the  possession  of  Louisiana 
alternated  between  the  Spaniard  and  the  Frenchman,  the  successors  of  the  red 
Indians.  To-da}',  we  find  in  St.  Landry,  French,  Creoles,  Acadians,  Span- 
iards, Canadians,  an  occasional  Indian,  Scotchman  and  Englishman,  Germans, 
Italians,  Israelites,  Swiss,  etc.  Further,  we  find  representatives  from  half 
the  States  of  the  Union.  From  North  and  South  Carolina;  from  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, Mississippi  and  Florida;  from  Maryland,  Virginia  and  Kentucky;  with 
now  and  then  a  family  from  "bleak  New  England's  shores."  Of  late  years 
large  importations  are  being  received  from  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  and  other  States  of  the  Northwest.  No  inconsiderable  element  of  the 
population  of  St.  Landry  is  the  "  man  and  brother,"  who,  as  one  of  the  results 
of  the  late  civil  war,  has  been  placed  upon  political  equality  and  elevated  to  the 
rights  of  statesmanship.  Added  to  all  these,  we  occasionally  meet  with  a  de- 
graded remnant  of  the  "  noble  red  men,"  once  the  sole  owners  of  the  soil,  drag- 
ging out  a  miserable  existence  by  the  sufferance  of  their  conquerors. 

From  old  records  of  "churcliand  State,"  and  from  descendants,  the  follow- 
ing names  of  early  settlers  in  St.  Landr}^  parish  have  been  obtained :  Theoph- 
ilus  Collins,  D.  J.  Sutton,  Louis  Chevalier  DeVillier,  Claude  Guilliory,  Fran- 
cois Brignac,  Pierre  Doucet,  Baptiste  Vidren,  Michel  Cauman,  Joseph  Daigle, 
Honou  Delachaise,  William  Shields,  Perin  Malveau,  Jacques  Fontenot,  Pedro 
ii'ontenot,  Antoine  Fontenot,  Joaquin  Ortega,  C.  Voorhies,  Flouintin  Poiret, 
Simon  Hook,  Adam  Tate,  Jean  Baptiste  Figurant,  Leonard  Claiborne,  Jean 
Henry  Lastraps,  Wm.  Haslett,  Leonard  Claiborne,  James  Reed,  Auguste  Soi- 
leau,  Wm.  Blake,  George  King,  Antoine  Marcelin,  Jonathan  Seaman,  John  Mc- 
Daniel,  Soileau  Fuselin,  George  Hudson,  John  Bourg,  Isaac  Baldwin,  William 
Wikoff,  Joseph  Andrus,  Louis  Fontenot,  Theophilus  Elmer,  Benjamin  Smith, 
Daniel  Calligan,  John  Tear,  Christopher  Adams,  Austin  Blard,  Joseph  Roy, 
William  O'Dorrigan,  Patrick  Jurinet,  Baptiste  Marithon,  Antoine  Simeon,  J.  B. 
Fiourant,  Chas.  Lacasse,  Rewleu  T.  Sacket,  John  Lee,  Michel  Armand,  Au- 
gustin  Fruge,  Joseph  Lejuene,  Joseph  Landry,  Michel  Peraiilt,  Joseph  Young, 
Sr.,  John  Fruge,  Michel  Prud'homme,  John  Bihn,  John  B.  Young,  Frederick 
Miller,  Jacques  Fontenot,  Antoine  Boisedore,  Joseph  C.  Poree,  Joseph  Bein, 
Philip  Lacasse,  Joseph  Moreau,  Martin  Donato,  Joseph  Armand,  Louis  Carrier, 
Francois  Lemel,  Joseph  A.  Parrot,  Chas.  Norman,  John  Gradnigo,  Josepli 
Johnson,  John  B.  David,  Charles  Johnson,  Joseph  Cormier,  George  Bollard, 
John  Dinsmore,  Joseph  Grange,  Pierre  Richard,  Baptiste  Tisenau,  Blaise  Bas- 
seur,  Hubert  Janney,  Jacques  Roman,  Charles  Barre,  Luke  Hollier,  John  Midler, 


3 1  SOUTHirEST  LOUISIANA  : 

Martin  Durald,  Jiio.  B.  Staley,  Bennet  Jopline,  Michel  Canier,  John  Frazee,  Fian- 
coivS  Roze,Thos.  Bedsoe,  Pierre  Gourrinat, Thomas  Lee  Brun,ChantilaRouvassa, 
Daniel  Clark,  S3'lvanie  Saunier,  Louis  Logee,  Pierre  Frahain,  Col.  Francois 
Neda,  Jacques  Dupre,  Col.  Williarn  Oftet,  Gen.  Garriques,  J.  J.  Louaillier, 
Francois  Audillard,  Louis  Vauhille,  Pierre  Louis  Cahaune,  Francois  De  Villier, 
^Lij.  John  Preston,  etc.  These  are  some  of  the  names  of  early  settlers  in  what 
15  now  the  parish  of  St.  Landrj'.  They  are  taken  from  the  early  records,  and 
many  of  them  now,  particularly  those  who  are  without  descendants  in  the  parish 
have  passed  out  of  remembrance  of  any  now  living.  But  of  a  number  of  them 
some  interesting  reminiscences  have  been  obtained. 

Gen.  John  Preston  was  a  Virginian,  and  came  to  this  parish  many  years 
aL;o.  He  was  a  man  of  vast  wealth,  and  brought  a  large  number  of  slaves  here 
with  liim.  He  became  an  extensive  planter,  and  was  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence  in  the  community.  He  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Virginia  gentle- 
man of  the  past  centuiy,  and  was  related  to  some  of  the  ablest  and  most  influen- 
tial families  of  that  State  and  Kentucky,  notably  those  of  the  Breckinridge^, 
Cabells,  Pattons,  etc.     He  died  many  years  ago. 

Joseph  Andrews,  an  early  settler,  was  a  hatter  by  trade;  made  hats  of  furs 
of  different  animals  found  here  ;  made  fine  fur  hats  of  rabbit  skins  which  would 
last  a  man  a  lifetime.  He  accumulated  great  wealth,  and  was  well  thought  of 
by  all. 

Celestin  La  Vergen  was  a  native  of  France,  and  was  very  wealthy;  he  owned 
a  great  deal  of  land,  large  numbers  of  slaves,  and  was  an  extensive  planter.  He 
was  eccentric,  honest,  high  toned  and  popular.  He  decided,  after  a  residence  of 
many  years  in  St.  Landry,  to  revisit  his  native  France,  and  spent  a  week  packing 
and  arranging  his  trunks,  which  outnumbered  those  of  a  modern  Saratoga  belle. 
Upon  his  arrival  in  the  old  country,  the  customs  officers  in  making  an  examina- 
tion of  liis  trunks  emptied  out  the  contents,  and  then  told  him,  when  satisfied 
thej^  contained  nothing  contraband,  that  he  could  take  them  and  go  on  his  way. 
"No,  sir,"   said    he,   "I   will  not  receive  them  until  j'ou  replace  everj'thing  as 

you  found  it.      You  pack    them  as    they  were  and  send   them   to  me , 

Paris,"  and  he  made  the  customs  officer  repack  them. 

Michel  Prud'homme  was  an  early  settler,  a  good  Catholic,  and  a  man  of  broad 
and  liberal  benevolence.  He  gave  four  acres  of  ground  to  the  Catholic  church  of 
Opelousas,  where  it  is  now  located.  His  father  was  a  Hessian  soldier,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  as  a  soldier  in  the  British  army  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  His  good  sense,  and  sympathy  for  a  people  struggling  for  liberty,  prompted 
him  to  leave  the  army  by  fair  means  or  foul,  and  it  is  said  he  withdrew 
without  leave.  He  had  been  sold  by  his  own  prince  to  the  English  monarch 
to  help  crush  out  the  rebellion  among  the  American  patriots,  and  his  nature  i-e- 
volted  at  the  idea.     He  came  to  Lousiana  and  settled  in  St.  Landry.     He  would 


i 


HISTORICAL   AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  35 

never  gi\"e  his  true  name,  but  admitted  it  was  not  originall}'  Prud'homme,  but 
that  the  latter  had  been  assumed  to  disguise  his  identit}'.  He  was  somewhat 
illiterate — could  not  read  or  write — but  was  not  ignorant,  and  became  very 
wealthy. 

Louis  Chevalier  de  Villier,  Francois  de  Villier,  Baldwin  and  Major 

John  Klose  were  early  settlers.  The  last  named  died  just  before  the  late  war. 
He  was  in  the  battle  at  New  Orleans  in  1815.  He  was  a  wealthy  planter  in 
early  years.  Francois  de  Villier  settled  about  ten  miles  in  the  country  from 
Opelousas,  and  has  descendants  still  living  in  that  section  of  the  parish. 

About  1800,  a  number  of  families  came  from  France,  who  fled  from  the  hor- 
rors of  the  French  revolution.  Among  these  were  Louis  and  J.  J.  Louaillier  and 
Florentin  Poiret.  J.  J.  Louaillier  was  the  first  merchant  in  Opelousas,  and  sold 
goods  in  the  place  when  it  was  but  a  French  post,  and  a  station  for  soldiers  to 
protect  the  citizen  from  the  savages. 

Major  William  Prescott  came  from  Kentucky  early  in  the  present  centur}'. 
He  was  a  very  wealthy  man  and  brought  a  great  many  slaves  with  him.  He  planted 
on  a  large  scale  and  made  money.  He  turned  his  attention  to  politics,  and  served 
boih  in  the  State  Senate  and  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  He  was  a  man 
of  education  and  intelligence,  was  ver}-  popular,  and  described  as  a  tj-pical  old 
Kentucky  gentleman;   had  a  high  sense  of  honor,  and  despised  a  low,  mean  act. 

Col.  Francois  Neda  was  from  Spain,  and  came  here  about  the  close  of  the 
last  or  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  He  had  been  a  soldier  under  the 
Spanish  government,  and  was  an  accomplished  officer.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
merchants  of  Opelousas,  was  several  times  Mayor  of  the  town  and  altogether  a 
man  of  much  local  prominence.  He  owned  a  large  plantation  in  the  parish,  well 
stocked  with  slaves,  and  had  the  respect  of  the  entire  community. 

Col.  William  and  Nathaniel  Offutt  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  belonged 
to  the  intellectual  Offutt  family  of  the  Blue-grass  State.  Col.  Offutt  owned  a 
large  plantation  and  a  number  of  slaves.  He  was  finally  killed  by  one  of  his 
negroes.  His  brother  was  also  a  wcaltli}'  planter.  Jacques  Clement  Hollier  was 
born  in  New  Orleans  in  1776:  came  to  this  parish  and  died  in  Opelousas  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Col.  Benjamin  Rogers  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  early  times  of  St.  Landry. 
He  served  several  terms  in  the  Legislature,  and  lield  other  important  positions. 
He  and  three  of  his  friends  were  once  sued  for  libel.  They  were  defended  by 
Hon.  Sergeant  S.  Prentiss,  the  brilliant  and  eloquent  Southern  orator,  who  spoke 
tliree  days  on  the  case,  and  succeeded  in  having  his  clients  acquitted.  Robert 
Rogers,  the  father  of  Col.  Rogers,  was  an  early  settler  of  the  parish.  He  was 
from  Kentucky,  and  brought  his  old  Kentucky  rifle  with  him,  and,  like  Daniel 
Boore,  he  knew  how  to  use  it.  It  is  told  of  him  that  he  was  once  challenged  to 
fight  a  duel,  and,  as  the  challenged  part}-  had  the  choice  of  weapons,  he   chose 


■m;  soryvjUAsy' Lor/sj.-LVA: 

rifles,  whicli  so  friylUoned  l!nj  challenj^er  he  withdrew  iiis  belHgerent  proposi- 
tion. 

The  Dupres  were  a  prominent  family.  The  original,  pioneer,  and  tirst  of 
the  family  in  the  parish  was  Jacques.  He  was  at  one  lime  Lieutenant  Governor 
of  the  State.  He  took  great  interest  in  politics  and  wielded  considerable  influ- 
ence. Representatives  of  the  family  still  live  in  the  parish.  He  is  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  bar  of  St.  Landry. 

Gen.  Garriques  was  an  early  settler  and  a  ver}'  prominent  man.  He  was  in 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans  in  January,  1815.  Charles  Garriques  was  a  son.  A 
number  of  prominent  and  wealthy  families  came  with  Gen.  Garriques.  Francois 
Audillard  was  an  early  settler.  He  also  was  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Gen. 
Jackson  placed  him  under  arrest  on  the  charge  of  being  a  traitor,  but  afterward 
discovered  his  mistake  and  released  him. 

The  Fontenots  were  also  a  prominent  familj',  and  a  numerous  one,  and  pos- 
sessed great  wealth.  Many  of  them  still  live  in  the  parish,  and  are  among  the 
wealthy  and  influential  citizens.  Such  were  some  of  the  first  settlers  who  came 
to  St.  Landry.  Except  the  Spanish  and  French  soldiers,  they  were  the  tirst 
white  men  to  tread  the  soil  of  Louisiana. 

Longevity. — Mr.  Dennett  gives  some  interesting  statistics  of  longevity  in 
St.  Landry  parish  that  show  pretty  conclusively  the  healthfulness  of  the  climate. 
He  says:  "  By  the  assistance  of  intelligent  citizens  of  St.  Landry,  we  have  a 
list  of  names  of  white  persons  in  Opelousas  and  the  parish  above  the  age  ot 
sixty-five  years.  We  find  that  there  are  twenty-two  in  Opelousas,  and  fift}--six 
in  other  parts  of  the  parish,  making  seventy-eight  in  the  parish  of  St.  Landr_v, 
above  the  age  of  sixty-two,  the  oldest  having  arrived  at  the  remarkable  age  of 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  years.  In  Opelousas  there  are  forty-one  white  persons 
between  the  ages  of  fifty  and  sixty-five  j'ears,  and  doubtless  there  are  others  who 
belong  to  the  list,  but  we  have  been  unable  to  obtain  their  names.  A  partial  list 
of  these  aged  ones  is  as  follows : 

"  The  widow  V.  Dufrene  lives  about  fifteen  njiles  from  Opelousas,  and 
has  attained  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  years.  She  weighs  less  tlian 
one  hundred  pounds,  is  tall,  straight,  has  a  very  good  eyesight  and  walks  briskly 
for  one  of  her  age.  Joseph  Cheasson,  alias  Joannes,  died  several  years  ago  in 
this  parish  at  the  advanced  age  of  nearly  one  hundred  and  thirty  3-ears.  When 
he  was  one  hundred  and  fifteen  j'ears  old  he  moved  to  Texas,  and  after  living  in 
that  State  several  years  returned  to  St.  Landry.  Mr.  Thomas  died  in-  this  par- 
ish several  ye  us  since  at  the  age  of  over  one  hundred  years  ;  Joseph  Young  died 
in  this  parish  thirty  3?ears  ago,  aged  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years.  He 
married  at  the  age  of  ninety  years  and  his  wife  had  a  son  whom  he  lived  to  see 
married.  His  widow  still  lives  in  St.  Landry.  Mrs.  Blaize  died  a  few  j'ears 
since,  aged  nearly  one  hundred  years;   Mrs.  Daigle,  aunt  of  Mr.  Choteau,  who 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  37 

has  a  lease  of  the  Avery  salt  mines,  died  in  Opelousas,  aged  nearl\-  one  hundred 
years  :  Jesse  Audrus,  aged  ninety,  and  Maj.  John  Clac,  aged  ninety,  died  recently. 
A  respectable  physician  informed  us  that  Madame  Guillory,  an  old  lady  of  St. 
Landr}',  before  her  death,  could  count  up  over  eight  hundred  lineal  descendants, 
all  blood  relations.  Mr.  Joseph  Langley,  ninety-five  years  old,  lived  in  St.  Landry 
forty-two  years;  his  twelve  children  are  all  living.  He  had  no  phj-sician  in  his 
family  for  tvventj'-five  years." 

The  Creoles. — A  large  element  of  the  population,  not  only  of  St.  Landr\-, 
but  of  the  whole  Attakapas  district,  is  what  is  commonly  called  Creoles.  "The 
impression  seems  to  prevail  in  many  sections  of  the  country,"  says  a  late  writer, 
"  that  Creoles  are  a  mixture  of  the  white,  negro  and  Indian  races.  This  is  a  mis- 
take. Webster  defines  Creole  z.^,  first,  '  Properly  created,  nursed,  grown  up.' 
Second,  '  One  born  in  the  West  Indies  or  America  of  European  parents,'  Third, 
'  Born  within  or  near  the  tropics,  of  any  color.' 

"'The  first  definition  given  is  purely  philological. 

"  The  second  and  third  definitions  are  those  derived  from  usage. 

'•  Here  in  Southwest  Louisiana  we  have  still  another  definition,  derived  from 
local  usage,  which  is,  '  a  descendant  of  any  degree  from  French,  Spanish  or 
Acadian  parentage.'  The  main  body  of  those  who  are  called  '  Creoles  "  here 
are  only  such  under  this  last  definition.  They  are  not  born  of  European  pa- 
rents, nor  within  the  tropics,  but  are  descendants  of  the  Acadians  who  came 
here  from  Canada  in  A.  D.  1755.  They  are  a  quiet,  hospitable  people,  and 
wiiile  their  educational  advantages  have  been  limited,  they  are  not  by  any  means 
wholly  an  illiterate  people.  Many  of  them  can  read  and  write  well,  and  some  of 
them  are  classical  scholars.  The}'  are  almost  universall}'-  alive  to  the  importance 
of  educating  tiieir  children  and  are  starting  and  sustaining  schools  in  every  place 
where  they  can  be  sustained.  The  true  Creoles  are  among  the  most  intelligent 
and  substantial  citizens  of  the  South.  They  give  great  attention  to  the  education 
of  their  children,  but  have  been  heretofore  giving  their  attention  and  patronage 
to  private  schools. 

"  Since  the  influx  of  Northern  immigrants  into  this  country,  and  the  agitation 
of  the  public  school  question  by  them,  the  'Creoles'  have  taken  hold  of  this 
question  w-ith  them,  and  are  working  together  with  them  in  these  lines. 

"  Northern  people  are  almost  invariabl}'  agreeably  surprised  when  they 
come  to  know  the  '  Creoles  "  well.  They  find  them  warm  hearted  and  accom- 
modating and  social,  and  soon  get  to  liking  them  w-ell." 

The  Indians. — If  not  the  first  settlers  the  Indians  were  the  first  possessors 
and  the  original  owners  of  the  "Opelousas  country."  As  a  late  writer  puts  it, 
"  the  land  of  enchanting  scener}',  of  beautiful  bayous  and  glassy  lakes  and  bays; 
of  splendid  prairies  and  noble  forests;  of  pleasant  skies  and  gentle  breezes;  the 
land  of  flowers,  of  beauty,  and   of  health," — yes,  this  fairy  land  was  once  the 


38  SO UTHWEST  L  O UISIANA : 

home  of  the  red  man  and  his  kindred.  But  he  is  rapidly  disappearing  before 
the  advancing  tide  of  civiHzation  and  refinement.  They  are,  as  a  race,  doomed 
by  the  inexorable  laws  of  humanit}-  to  speedy  and  everlasting  extinguishment. 
But  less  than  a  hundred  years  ago  the  combined  strength  of  the  red  man 
might  have  driven  the  white  into  the  sea.  Fifty  years  hence,  if  not  in  a  mucli 
sliorter  period,  he  will  live  onl}'  in  the  pages  of  history  and  the  brighter  immor- 
tality of  romantic  song  and  story — such  as  is  found  in  the  sentimental  pages  of 
Fennimore  Cooper.  He  will  leave  nothing  behind  him,  for  he  has  done  nothing 
— btfen  nothing.  The  greatest  redeeming  feature  in  his  career  is  that  he  has 
always  preferred  the  worst  sort  of  freedom  to  the  best  sort  of  slavery.  Had  he 
constrnted  to  become  "  a  hewer  of  wood  and  drawer  of  water"  for  the  "  supe- 
rior race,"  he  might,  like  our  Americanized  Africans,  be  now  enjoying  the 
blessings  of  Bible  and  breeches,  sharing  the  honors  of  citizenship  and  the 
delights  of  office,  seeking  and  receiving  the  bids  of  rival  political  parties 
Whether  his  ciioice  was  a  wise  one  is  left  to  the  reader  in  his  wisdom  to  deter- 
mine; but  it  is  impossible  not  to  feel  some  admiration  for  the  indomitable  spirit 
that  has  never  bowed  its  neck  to  the  yoke,  never  called  any  man  "master." 
The  Indian  is  a  savage,  but  he  never  was,  never  will  be  a  slave. 

When  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the  whites  upon  his  hunting  grounds 
he  has  been  characterized  as  a  fiend,  a  savage,  a  barbarian  (all  of  which  he  is), 
whom  we  might  rob,  mistreat  and  even  murder  at  will.  This  whole  North  Amer- 
ican land  was  the  Indian's.  How  it  became  his  is  no  business  of  ours,  nor  is  it 
material  to  this  subject.  It  is  ours  now,  and  whether  we  obtained  it  in  a  more 
lionorable  way  than  did  the  Indians  before  us,  is  a  question  tliat  has  two  sides  to 
it.  We  have  driven  him  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  distant  shores  of  tlie 
Pacific,  where  he  hears  the  roar  of  the  waves  that  must  ere  long  close  over  him 
forever.  A  few  more  such  outbreaks  as  that  of  the  present  in  the  Northwest, 
and  his  fate  will  be  unalterably  settled.  Even  now  he  may,  in  the  figurative 
language  of  Sprague,  "  read  his  doom  in  the  setting  sun." 

In  the  chapter  introductory  to  this  work  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  Indians  who 
originall}' inhabited  this  region,  with  something  of  their  legends  and  traditions. 
There  were  plent}'  of  Indians  here  when  the  first  settlements  were  made.  An 
old  gentleman  of  Opelousas  informed  the  writer  that  witliin  his  recollection  there 
could  be  seen  in  the  streets  of  Opelousas  more  Indians  than  there  can  be  seen 
negroes  at  the  present  day,  which  would  indicate  the}'  were  rather  plentiful  in 
those  early  times. 

More  of  Pioneer  History. — The  attempt  to  settle  tliese  beautiful  lands  was 
not  without  its  perils  and  dangers.  But  the}-  were  such  that  the  Jesuit  priest  and 
the  Capuchin  monk  did  not  shrink  from  them.  Bearing  aloft  the  Cross  they 
went  forth  to  convert  the  savage  and  reclaim  the  wilderness.  But  nothwith- 
standing  the  many  dangers   by  which   they    were    constantly   surrounded,  their 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  ;;<J 

glowing  accounts  of  a  land,  figuratively,  at  least,  "flowing  with  wine  and  milk  and 

honey,"  soon  attracted  followers  to  them.     Brave  hearts  were  found,  willing  to 

leave  tlieir  patrimonial  houses  even  in  "  Sunny  France,"   and  hazard  their  lives 

amid  the  frowning  forests  and  wild  prairies  of  Southwest  Louisiana. 

To  picture  in  the   imagination  a  more  lonesome  and   dreary  waste  than  a 

country  without  a  human  habitation  is  not  an  easy  task.     The  broad  expanse  of 

prairie    stretching    away    bsyond  the  power  of  vision,  and  the  gloomy  forests 

almost  impenetrable  to  man,  is  not  very  inviting,  beautiful  though  the  land  ma}'  be. 

Often  in  autumn,  when    the  leaves   and  grass   became   sere,  the  plains,  for  the 

better   facilities  for  hunting,  were  burned  over,  and  the  atmosphere,  filled  with 

smoke  from  these  fires,  darkening  the  face  of  day,  hung  like  mourning  drapery 

upon  the  horizon.     Recalling  the  days  when  monotonous  solitude  was  all  that 

was  here,  is  to  modern  people  but  ringing  the  changes  on  the  story  of  the  "  Lost 

Mariner,"  when  the  poet  tells  us  he  was 

"  Alone,  alone,  all,  all  alone. 
Upon  the  wide,  wide  sea." 

If  great  and  beneficent  results  are  the  proper  measure  of  the  good  men  to 
do,  then  who  is  there  in  the  world's  history  that  may  take  their  places  above  the 
settlers  of  St.  Landry  and  the  surroundmg  countr}'?  To  point  the  way  for  the 
present  advancing  civilization  was  the  great  work  of  these  adventurous  people. 
For  the  grand  simplicity  of  their  lives  they  achieved  recognition  and  fame,  -as 
Enoch  Arden  did,  after  death.  Sneer  at  them  as  we  may,  yet,  in  their  little 
space  of  time,  they  made  greater  progress  than  ten  centuries  had  witnessed  be- 
fore them.  The  work  thirty  generations  had  not  done,  they  did,  and  the 
abyss  between  those  of  to-day  and  the  old  French,  Spaniards  and  Acadians, 
is  wider  and  more  profound  than  the  chasm  between  1815  and  the  battle  of  Hast- 
ings. Then  their  names  and  their  fame  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass  into  obliv- 
ion and  contempt.  Should  it  be  so,  the  act  would  stamp  their  descendants  as 
"degenerate  sons  of  noble  sires,"  unworthy  the  inheritance  they  gave  them. 

To  say  that  in  this  work  it  is  proposed  to  write  the  histor}',  in  the  broad  and 
large  meaning  of  that  word,  would  be  a  careless  use  of  language — would  be 
promising  more  t^ian  it  is  possible  to  do;  for  history  in  the  true  sense  is  philoso- 
phy in  the  highest  type,  teaching  by  example.  But  to  gather  such  facts,  inci- 
dents, statistics,  circumstances,  etc.,  trifling  or  important,  and  place  them  in  a 
ciurable  form  and  transmit  them,  ready  to  hand,  to  the  future  and  real  historian 
is  all  that  one  can  hope  to  do  in  a  manner  satisfactory.  To  tell  their  simple 
annals,  to  secure  something  of  the  "substance  ere  the  shadows  wholly  fade  " 
is  enough  to  attempt  now. 

Parish  of  Saint  Landry. — The  territory  originally  embraced  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Landr}%  as  has  bten  already  stated,  was  almost  an  empire  of  itself.  Col. 
Voorhies,    of    St.    jNIartinsvillc,    tells    how   this  portion    of  the    State   was  once 


40  sorrini 'est  l  ouisiana  -. 

called  the  Attakapas  Countiy,  and  how,  as  its 'population  and  wealth  in 
creased,  it  was  divided  and  subdivided,  forming  new  districts  under  new  names 
and  titles.  More  than  a  century  ago  it  was  the  District  of  Attakapas  and  Territorj' 
of  Orleans.  In  1805  the  Territory  of  Orleans  was  divided  into  ten  counties,  one 
of  which  was  called  the  County  of  Opelousas.  For  several  3'ears  it  bore  this 
title.  The  old  records  in  the  clerk's  office  show  the  heading — "County  of 
Opelousas  and  Territorj-  of  Orleans" — to  all  docurq^nts,  such  as  deeds,  wills  and 
other  testamentary  records.  On  the  8th  of  June,  1807,  the  County  of  Opelousas 
is  dropped  from  the  records,  and  Parish  of  St.  Landry  is  substituted  in  its  place; 
but  for  man}'  j'ears  afterward  the  Territor}'  of  Orleans  was  kept  up.  Finally, 
the  Territory  of  Orleans  is  dropped,  and  it  became,  as  now,  the  Parish  of  Saint 
Landr\-. 

When  Saint  Landr}-  was  the  count}'  of  Opelousas  the  town  of  Opelousas 
was  the  capital  of  a  large  district.  The  scattered  settlers  from  the  Atchafalaya 
River  on  the  east  to  the  Sabine  and  the  Calcasieu  on  the  west  were  under  the 
necessity  of  going  to  Opelousas  to  vote  and  to  attend  the  cpurts  of  the  district. 
Appreciating  the  fact  tiiat  the  undertaking,  for  that  day,  was  an  onerous  one, 
they  strove  to  combine  pleasure  with  business.  When,  for  instance,  an  interest- 
ing and  stirring  campaign  was  inaugurated  our  pioneer  fathers  took  pretty  much 
the  same  interest  in  it  we  do  to-day.  They  would,  as  the  election  drew  nigh, 
make  their  preparations  to  attend  it.  A  number  of  them  would  get  together 
when  time  came  to  start,  and,  well  supplied  with  the  necessaries  of  life,  mount 
tJieir  horses  or  broncho  ponies,  and  start  on  the  eventful  journey.  From  a  week 
to  ten  daws  were  required  to  make  the  trip,  cast  their  ballots  and  return.  As 
there  were  no  houses  or  taverns  along  the  route  they  would  camp  where  night 
overtook  them,  and,  "with  the  green  earth  for  a  couch  and  the  blue  sky  for  a 
covering,""  they  would  "  repose  themselves"  till  the  morning  light  aroused  them, 
wlien,  partaking  of  their  "  frugal  fare,"  they  would  mount  and  resume  tlieir 
joiirne}'. 

This  will  seem  strange  to  many,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true.  There  are 
those  still  living  who  well  remember  the  occurrences  of  these  periodical  trips  ot 
the  western  citizens  to  the  capital  to  exercise  their  rights  of  freemen,  to  cast  their 
ballots  for  the  men  of  their  choice.  Their  journeys  were  not  devoid  of  pastime 
and  excitement.  They  would  hunt,  cook  their  fresh  meats,  and  around  the 
camp  lires  tell  stories  of  wilderness  life,  perhaps  gamble  a  little  by  way  of  re- 
lieving the  tedium  of  their  encampment.  Upon  their  return  to  their  homes  they 
had  much  to  tell.  As  Charles  Dudley  Warner  says,  in  his  interesting  article 
on  the  Acadian  Land:  "To  the  women  and  home-stayers  it  was  an  event.  The 
men  had  been  to  the  outer  world  and  brought  back  with  them  the  news  and 
gossip  of  the  capital,  and  the  simple  incidents  of  their  camping  on  the  road." 
The  details  of    the  trip  afforded  a  delightful  entertainment  for  many  an  evening 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  41 

around  the  fireside.  But  as  settlei  lents  increased,  and  new  parishes  formed  and 
new  towns  laid  out,  these  exciting  episodes  ceased  by  voting  places  being  estab- 
lished nearer  home.  A  few  of  these  old  landmarks  still  remain,  and  delight  'to 
fight  their  battles  o'er  again,"  and  shake  their  heads  and  say,  "the  old  times 
were  better  tiian  these."  The  writer  has  heard  them  tell  of  these  early  scenes, 
and  in  the  excitement  the   recital  inspired,  they  almost  seemed  to  grow  young 

again.     But 

"  Long  years  have  flown  over  these  scenes  of  the  past, 
And  many  have  turned  gray  in  the  winter's  cold  blast, 
While  others  onl^'  dream  of  the  times  that  are  gone; 
They  are  bent  by  the  years  that  are  fast  rolling  on." 

Highways,  Railroads,  Etc. — St.  Landry  is  significant  for  good  roads  in 
good  weather,  but  when  considerable  rain  falls  they  become  almost  impassable, 
that  is  to  say,  "when  the}^  are  good  they  are  very  good,  and  when  they  are  bad 
they  are  horrid."  The  first  roads  of  the  parish  were  the  trails  made  by  the 
Indians  through  the  forests  and  prairies.  The  trails,  the  highest  effort  of  his 
genius  at  internal  improvement  and  the  tj'pe  of  his  highest  civilization,  were  the 
paths  along  which  lie  pursued  his  game  or  his  enemy,  or  took  his  stealthy  march 
from  point  to  point.  The  first  roads  were  laid  out  on  the  trails,  or  rather  the  trails 
were  made  into  roads  by  common  use,  until  the  tide  of  immigration  swelled  the 
population  and  necessitated  more  roads  and  better  ones, when  they  were  improved 
by  the  hand  of  tlie  white  man,  and  others  made  to  the  different  communities. 
Like  all  the  early  improvements  of  this  section,  road  making  progressed  slowlv, 
and  even  at  this  day  the  roads  are  nothing  beyond  common  "dirt  roads."  In  dry, 
fair  weather  they  are  good,  none  better  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  in  protracted  wet 
weather,  well,  the  bottom  literally  falls  out.  Turnpikes  and  macadamized  roads 
seem  to  be  among  the  lost  arts  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  or  among  those  not  yet 
discovered.  There  is  only  one  thing  more  to  add  of  the  public  roads  in  St. 
Landry.  It  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  same  old  tale  of  the  Arkansaw  Traveler: 
"Neighbor,  why  don'  j^ou  cover  your  house?"  "  'Cause  its  raining."  "  Why 
don't  you  cover  it  when  it  ain't  raining?"     "  'Cause  it  don't  need  it  then." 

Railroads  are  a  more  important  factor.  Nothing  adds  more  to  the  wealth, 
power  and  commerce  of  a  country  than  railroads.  No  country  ever  yet  had  too 
many  railroads.  Several  railroad  projects  were  contemplated  in  this  section  of 
the  State  before  one  was  carried  through  to  successful  completion.  Morgan's 
Louisiiina  Railroad  and  the  Texas  &  Pacific  pass  through  St.  Landrj-  parish. 
There  is  nothing  so  far  as  St.  Landry  is  interested  that  at  all  compares  with  the 
building  of  tliese  railroads.  All  other  things  are  merely  events;  some  of  them 
of  great  importance,  and  others  of  less  importance,  but  all  placed  together  are 
insignificant  to  these  railroad  enterprises.  The  railroads  of  Southwest  Louisiana, 
and  the  waterwaA's  that  can  easily  be  rendered  navigable,  witii  enterprise  to  back 
them  up,  ought  to  place  every  known  market  of  the  world    accessible   to   this 


4  2  SOUTH  WES  T  LO  UlSJA  XA : 

rich  and  productive  country.  In  a  preceding  chapter,  a  more  detailed  liistory 
of  raih'oads  penetrating  the  parishes  embraced  in  this  volume  is  given,  and  to  it 
the  reader  is  referred. 

Agriculture. — This  is  the  one  great  calling  in  which  the  people  of  St.  Lan- 
dry are  more  interested  than  any  other.  Agriculture  is  the  source  of  prosperity 
of  all  trades  and  professions.  It  is  the  parent  of  all  industries,  and  as  such 
claims  precedence.  From  it  have  gone  forth  the  brawn  and  brain  that  have  sub- 
dued the  earth,  built  cities,  chained  the  lightning,  linked  the  continents  and 
"made  all  the  world  akin."  All  thriving  interests,  all  prosperous  industries,  all 
trades  and  professions  receive  their  means  of  support  either  directly  or  indirect!)' 
tlirough  agriculture.  It  is,  therefore,  by  right  of  primogeniture  and  paramoimt 
importance  the  most  indispensable  of  all  other  industries. 

The  progress  of  agriculture  was  slow  and  made  little  progress  for  many 
years  after  settlements  were  commenced  in  this  section.  The  early  planters  had 
few  implements  of  husbandrj-,  and  they  of  the  rudest  kind.  One  of  the  chief 
implements  was  the  hoe.  In  planting  lime,  an  inch  or  two  of  the  top  of  the 
ground  was  scratched  off  with  a  plow  that,  compared  with  the  improved  plows 
of  the  present  day,  scarcely  deserved  the  name.  The  crops  were  plan^-d  and 
the  cultivation  was  done  principally  with  a  hoe.    At  first  little  was  ra  .  '  ex- 

cept cane  and  indigo,  but  the  latter  proving  to  be  somewhat  unprolltable,  cane 
became  the  staple  crop.  The  following  newspaper  article  will  be  found  of  inter- 
est to  the  sugar  planter: 

"Producing  sugar  from  cane  is  one  of  the  most  important  industries  of 
Louisiana  ;  and  yet  this  industry  is  in  its  infancy.  True,  sugar  has  been  pro- 
duced here  for  many  years,  but  it  has  been  done  in  a  crude,  unscientific  way,  by 
which  fully  one-half  of  the  saccharine  matter  has  been  lost  in  manufacturing. 

"Recently  there  have  been  wonderful  developments  in  this  direction.    The 
discoveries  and  inventions  of  the  last  few  years  that  have  made  it  possible  to  pro 
duce  sugar  from  sorghum,  in  paying  quantities,  have  improved  the  processes  of 
manufacturing  the  Southern  cane  into  sugar  in  such  a  way  as  to  double  the  profits 
of  the  business. 

"  Under  the  old  processes  of  cultivation  and  manufacturing,  with  the  three- 
roller  mills  and  open  kettles,  the  cost  of  producing  cane  and  sugar  was  about  as 
follows:  It  required  one  acre  of  cane  to  plant  four  acres,  and  one  planting  would 
last  three  years;  so  it  required  one-twelfth  of  the  crop  for  seed.  The  average 
production  under  this  system  was  twenty  tons  of  cane.  This  made  an  average 
of  2209  pounds  of  sugar  and  three  barrels  of  molasses  per  acre.  The  sugar  was 
worth  4!/^  cents  per  pound,  or  $99  per  acre.  The  molasses  was  worth  $20  per 
barrel,  or  $60,  making  the  production  of  one  acre  bring  an  average  of  $159. 
Deducting  one-twelfth  for  seed,  we  still  have  $145.66 for  every  acre  of  cane  pro- 
duced.    It  cost  to  produce  and  manufacture,  etc.,    an   average   as   follows:   To 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  43 

cultivate,  $12  per  acre;  fertilizer,  $5  per  acre;  to  manufacture,  $15  per  acre;  or 
$32  per  acre  all  told.  Deducting  this  from  the  $145.66,  we  have  as  the  net 
profits  $113.66  per  acre. 

"Under  the  new  system,  which  includes  improved  machinery  for  cultivating 
and  manufacturing  and  better  drainage,  etc.,  the  results  are  simply  astounding. 
The  average  per  acre  under  this  system  is  as  follows:  Twenty-eight  and  one-half 
tons  of  cane  per  acre,  producing  225  pounds  of  sugar  per  ton,  or  64121^  pounds 
per  acre,  worth  514^  cents  per  pound,  or  $336.65.  Besides  this,  it  produced  five 
barrels  of  molasses,  worth  $7.50  per  barrel,  or  $37.50  per  acre;  total  per  acre, 
$374.15.  Deducting  one-twelfth  for  seed,  we  still  have  $342.77  per  acre.  The 
cost  of  cultivating  and  of  manufacturing  under  this  system  is  about  the  same  as 
under  the  old  system  ;  but  allowing  $10.97  more  for  expense,  we  have  as  the  net 
proceeds  of  one  acre  $300.  These  figures  look  large,  but  they  can  be  verified  fully. 
One  of  our  responsible  citizens  offered  to  enter  into  bonds  with  a  Northern  man 
who  was  skeptical,  to  pay  the  expenses  of  a  man,  and  pay  him  $100  per  day  in  in- 
vestigating, if  he  did  not  find  the  above  figures  correct  and  fully  proved.  The 
question  arises  at  once,  when  these  facts  are  claimed,  why  has  not  every  man  got 
rich  who  is  in  the  sugar  business?  The  answer  to  this  is  that  the  above  results 
are  obtainable  with  good,  honest  laborers;  and  the  most  of  the  work  heretofore 
in  this  country  has  been  done  by  negro  labor,  which  is  generally  very  imperfect. 
If  we  had  the  industrious  farmers  of  the  Northwest  to  cultivate  the  lands,  selling 
their  cane  to  the  mills  at  $4  to  $5  per  ton,  which  is  the  ruling  price,  this  coun- 
try would  produce  more  wealth  than  any  other  State  in  the  Union." 

Since  the  war  there  has  been  a  rapid  advance  in  every  branch  of  agriculture, 
not  only  in  the  mode  of  farming,  but  in  the  cultivation  of  crops  almost  unknown 
here  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago.  Rice  is  fast  becoming  a  staple  crop  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  Says  a  late  writer  on  rice  culture:  "  Every  farmer  should 
plant  more  or  less  rice.  An  acre  of  land  can  generally  be  found  on  the  farm  un- 
suited  for  any  other  crop,  and  can  be  utilized  by  planting  it  in  rice,  and  will  pro- 
duce from  forty  to  sixty  bushels,  perhaps  as  much  as  800  pounds  of  clean  rice. 
This  800  pounds  of  clean  rice  will  go  further  in  a  family  of  children  toward 
feeding  them  on  wholesome  food  than  any  other  production  from  the  same  amount 
of  land.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  crop  will  yield  a  greater  amount  of  food  for 
the  amount  of  labor  and  land  used  to  produce  it. 

"There  are  many  farmers,  however,  who  have  no  lands  that  can  be  flooded, 
but  this  will  not  prevent  them  from  growing  rice.  It  may  easily  be  grown  on 
upland,  using  the  same  seed  that  you  would  on  lowland.  There  are  different 
varieties  of  rice,  but  no  distinct  species.  The  rice  grown  by  irrigation,  if 
planted  on  upland,  is  upland  rice.  A  planter  last  spring,  after  he  had  planted 
his  rice  and  it  had  come  up  to  a  stand,  had  a  very  hard  rain  which  threw  down 
his  levees.  He  put  them  up  again,  but  had  no  way  of  flooding  his  rice,  which 
4 


44  SO  urn  WES  T  LO  UISIANA  : 

grew  to  maturity  without  any  water  or  cultivation,  and  made  a  very  iair  crop. 
If  planted  in  rows  two  and  a  half  feet  apart  and  worked  one  time  while  small,  it 
makes  an  excellent  quality  of  rice.  It  is  best  to  plant  about  the  middle  of  March 
or  the  first  of  April,  but  it  has  been  planted  much  earlier,  and  may  be  planted  as 
late  as  June  and  mature  before  frost.  When  rice  lands  can  be  obtained  that  can 
be  flooded  as  easily  and  as  cheaply  as  some  in  this  section,  it  makes  it  very 
profitable  to  grow  rice,  and  b)^  the  use  of  machinery  in  reaping  and  planting, 
large  fortunes  may  be  made  at  this  industry." 

Every  year  St.  Landry  and  all  the  surrounding  countrj^have  been  increasing 
rapidly  in  the  diversity  of  crops.  Few  farmers  now  confine  themselves  to  a  single 
crop,  but  raise  cane,  cotton,  too,  and  perhaps,  rice,  corn,  potatoes,  etc.,  while 
many  raise  fruits  successfully. 

Churches,  Schools,  Etc. — The  religious  historj^  of  the  parish  of  St.  Landr\- 
is  nearljr  as  old  as  its  settlement  by  white  people,  for  churches  were  establislied 
soon  after  white  people  came  to  the  country.  In  1777  a  Catholic  church  was 
organized  near  where  the  town  of  Washington  now  stands.  It  is  claimed  to  be 
the  first  church  established  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  and  perhaps  the  first  in  the 
State.  This  pioneer  church  is  the  same  that  is  now  in  Opelousas,  known  as  St. 
Landr3''s  Catholic  Church,  and  years  later,  when  the  county  of  Opelousas  was 
extinguished  by  the  formation  of  parishes,  this  became  the  parish  of  St.  Landry, 
in  honor  of  the  first  church  in  the  country.  The  church  records,  from  its  organ- 
ization in  1777,  to  December  18.  1803,  are  in  Spanish;  after  that  they  are  in 
French.  The  church  was  originally  organized  by  the  Capuchins,  or  religious 
priests  of  Spain. 

As  stated,  the  church  was  originally  established  near  where  Washington 
now  stands,  but  some  years  later,  in  consequence  of  a  donation  of  four  acres  of 
land  to  the  church  by  the  old  pioneer  Michel  Prud'homme,  a  rude  wooden 
building  was  put  up  for  church  purposes,  and  Saint  Landry's  Church  was  then 
permanently  established  in  Opelousas.  All  the  Catholic  parishes  and  churches 
of  Southwest  Louisiana  are  offshoots  of  this  old  church  and  that  at  St.  Martins- 
ville. More  particulars  are  given  of  this  pioneer  church  in  connection  with  the 
town  of  Opelousas. 

The  first  Protestant  minister  in  Southwest  Louisiana  was  Rev.  Joseph  Willis, 
and  he  preaclied  the  first  Protestant  sermon  in  November,  1804,  at  Vermilion. 
He  was  a  mulatto,  born  and  reared  in  South  Carolina,  but  showed  scarcely  a 
trace  of  negro  blood.  Rev.  W.  E.  Paxton,  in  his  "History  of  Louisiana  Bap- 
tists," says  of  him  :  "He  was  a  mulatto,  and  came  to  Mississippi  previous  to 
1798,  as  a  licensed  preacher.  He  was  a  man  of  some  education,  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  was  a  sound  gospel  preacher.  Some  of  his  productions  in  mv 
possession  indicate  that  he  was  a  simple-hearted  Christian,  glowing  with  the  love 
of  Jesus,  and  an  effective  preacher."     He  remained  but  a  short  time  on  his  first 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  45 

visit  and  preached  on\y  tliree  or  four  sermons.  His  color,  and  being  a  Baptist, 
rendered  him  obnoxious,  and  exposed  him  to  strong  prejudices,  and  he  was 
threatened  with  violence.  He  returned  home  after  a  brief  visit,  but  he  felt  it  to 
be  his  duty  to  come  to  the  country  he  had  visited  and  labor  for  the  good  of  the 
people.  He  chose  a  location,  returned  to  Mississippi,  made  his  arrangements, 
and  the  3'ear  following  returned  and  located  permanently  in  Louisiana,  on  Bavou 
Chicot,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Landry.  Here,  on  the  13th  of  November,  1812,  a 
church  was  constituted  by  him,  the  first  Baptist  church  in  the  State,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Willis  became,  at  the  request  of  the  church,  its  pastor. 

The  history  of  this  man  and  his  missionary  work  would  form  an  interesting 
chapter  in  the  religious  history  of  Southwestern  Louisiana,  but  space  in  this 
volume  can  not  be  given  him.  Father  Willis,  as  his  people  call  him,  in  1816 
established  another  church  in  St.  Landry,  at  Bayou  Boeuf,  most  of  the  members 
having  recently  moved  there  from  other  contiguous  settlements.  In  1S17,  yet 
other  members,  dismissed  from  the  mother-church  at  Bayou  Chicot,  formed 
churches  at  Vermilion,  Plaquemine  Brule,  and  Hickory  Flat,  now  Aimwell  in 
Catahoula  parish.  In  Ma}',  1824,  Rev.  Willis,  assisted  by  Elders  Wm.  B.  Wil- 
burn  and  Isham  Nettles,  who  had  lately  located  in  St.  Landr}',  organized  a 
church  at  Beaver  Creek  in  St.  Landry  parish,  and  Rev.  Isham  Nettles  became 
its  pastor.     But  we  can  not  follow  this  pioneer  church  further. 

The  Methodists  came  to  the  LouisianajTerritory  contemporaneously  with  the 
Baptists.  In  1804  a  Methodist  minister,  whose  name  is  forgotten,  came  to  St. 
Landry.  He  formed  a  society  at  Plaquemine,  the  first  Protestant  church  in 
this  part  of  the  State,  and  in  fact,  west  of  the  "Great  Father  of  Waters."  It  is 
not  known  where  this  pioneer  of  Methodism  came  from,  but  from  the  Natchez 
Countrj',  doubtless,  where  there  was  a  Methodist  station  as  early  as  1799,  the 
ministers  of  which  were  sent  there  from  the  South  Carolina  Conference.  Other 
Protestant  churches  have  followed  in  the  w£.ke  of  the  Methodists  and  Baptists, 
until  St.  Landr}-^  can  boast  of  Methodist,  Baptist,  Presbyterian  and  Episcopalian 
churches,  dotting  her  territory  in  almost  every  direction. 

As  to  educational  facilities,  the  Southern  States  are  far  behind  the  Northern 
and  Western  States  in  schools,  particularly  in  public  schools.  No  question  is  of 
such  vital  importance  to  the  people  as  that  of  education.  Nothing  for  which  a 
State  pays  monej'  yields  such  a  large  dividend  upon  the  cost  ;is  the  revenue 
expended  upon  schools.  A  few  words,  perhaps,  of  the  public  school  system, 
and  when  and  how  it  originated,  will  prove  of  interest  to  the  general  reader.  It  is 
just  possible,  however,  that  there  are  those  who  will  not  think  more  highly  of  it 
by  a  knowledge  of  its  birthplace,  on  the  same  principle  that  the  ancient  Hebrews 
beheved  that  nothing  good  could  come  out  of  Nazareth.  But  there  is  no  reason 
why  a  good  thing  should  be  frowned  upon  on  account  of  its  place  of  origin. 
This  is  one  great  country  and.should  know  no  dividing  lines. 


4(\  SOTTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

The  question  of  educating  the  masses  through  the  medium  of  common 
schools  was  agitated  as  early  as  1647,  in  New  England.  An  act  was  passed 
that  year  to  enable  "every  child,  rich  and  poor  alike,  to  learn  to  read  its  own 
language."  This  was  followed  by  another  act,  "giving  to  every  town  or  dis- 
trict having  fifty  householders  the  right  to  have  a  common  school,"  and  to  "every 
town  or  district  having  one  hundred  families  a  grammar  school,  taught  by  teach- 
ers competent  to  prepare  youths  for  college."  A  writer,  years  afterward,  com- 
menting on  the  act,  states  it  to  be  the  first  instance  in  Christendom  wherein  a 
civil  government  took  measures  to  confer  upon  its  youth  the  benefits  of  an  edu- 
cation. There  had  been  "parish  schools  connected  with  individual  churches," 
continued  he,  "and  foundations  for  universities,  but  never  before  embodied  in 
practice  a  principle  so  comprehensive  in  its  nature  and  so  fruitful  in  good  re- 
sults as  the  training  of  a  nation  of  intelligent  people  by  educating  all  its  youth." 
When  our  fathers,  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  later,  declared  in  the  ordinance 
of  1787  that  "knowledge,  with  religion  and  morality,  was  necessar}'  to  the  good 
government  of  mankind,"  they  struck  the  key  note  of  American  liberty. 

The  governing  power  in  every  country  upon  the  face  of  the  globe  is  an 
educated  power.  The  Czar  of  Russia,  ignorant  of  international  law,  of  domes- 
tic affairs,  of  finance,  commerce  and  the  organization  of  armies  and  navies, 
could  never,  but  for  education,  hold  under  the  sway  of  his  scepter  seventy  mil- 
lions of  subjects.  With  what  scrupulous  care  does  England  foster  her  great  uni- 
versities for  the  training  of  the  sons  of  the  nobility  for  their  places  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  in  the  army,  navy  and  church?  What  then  should  be  the  character  of 
citizenship  in  a  country  where  every  man  is  born  a  king  and  sovereign,  heir  to 
all  the  franchises  and  trusts  of  the  State  and  Republic?  An  ignorant  people  can 
be  governed,  but  only  an  intelligent  and  educated  people  can  govern  themselves; 
that  is  the  experiment  being  now  solved  in  these  United  States. 

A  recent  writer  upon  the  subject  of  common  school  education  thus  truth- 
fully remarks :  "  A  State  plants  its  right  to  educate  upon  the  foundation,  that 
intelligent  citizenship  is  the  bulwark  of  free  institutions.  It  educates  for  its  own 
protection.  Each  free  elector  holds  in  the  ward  of  his  ballot  the  measure  of 
the  State's  interest.  An  uneducated  ballot  is  the  winding  sheet  of  liberty.  The 
principle  of  sovereignty  in  a  republican  government  resides  in  the  individual 
citizen.  The  expression  of  the  popular  will  by  a  majority  at  the  polls,  in  a 
fairly  conducted  election,  is  but  the  aggregate  expression  of  American  sover- 
eignty. The  people,  by  their  votes,  determine  who  shall  represent  their 
sovereign  will.  How  to  wield  the  power  for  good,  is  the  supreme  question  for 
the  States.  An  ignorant  people,  manipulated  b}'  corrupt  leaders,  becomes  the 
worst  of  all  tyrants.  The  idea  that  the  majority  can  do  no  wrong  is  only  equaled 
by  that  monstrous  political  dogma  of  imperialism,  '  The  King  can  do  no 
wrong.'      Nothing  is  so   wrong  as    a   deluded,    demagogue-directed   majority. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  ■     47 

It  holds  power,  and  when  it  determines  to  run  riot  over  the  peace  and  jiros- 
peritv  of  society,  a  political  wolf  howls  hungry  for  prey  along  our  highways, 
and  a  roaming  leopard  keeps  ward  and  watch  at  the  crossings  of  the  streets  in 
our  towns  and  cities.  No  maxim  ever  embodied  a  more  pernicious  error  than 
the  trite  proverb,  'The  voice  of  the  people  is  the  voice  of  God.'  This  would 
be  true,  if  the  people  were  God-like.  This  can  only  be  true,  when  intelligence 
determines  public  questions  and  patriotism  executes  its  verdicts." 

The  foregoing  extract  is  true  to  the  very  letter,  and  the  Southern  people 
are  able  to  fully  realize  it.  The  greatest  crime  of  the  century  was  the  sudden 
enfranchisement  of  four  millions  of  unlettered  Africans.  Those  who  perpe- 
trated the  outrage  upon  our  republican  institutions  did  it  in  the  face  of  all  the 
social  science  they  had  propagated.  The  North  had  emphasized  the  doctrine 
tliat  virtue  and  intelligence  are  essential  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  Republic  ;  and 
yet,  in  an  ill-advised  hour  of  heated  passion,  rendered  hot  by  the  fires  of  civil 
war,  thev  made  a  horde  of  ignorant  slaves  the  peers  of  their  intelligent  masters, 
and  thus  provided  the  conditions  that  prostrated  the  South,  and  subjected  its 
people  to  the  most  destroying  despotism  that  ever  ground  into  the  dust  a  free 
citizenship.  The  only  indemnity  for  this  stupendous  wrong  is  their  education 
at  the  national  expense.  To  require  the  people  they.impoverished  by  this  act 
of  folly  to  bear  the  burden  of  their  education  would  be  a  continued  piece  of 
injustice,  which  no  political  casuistry  can  justify,  no  species  of'  sophistry  dis- 
guise, and  maudlin  philanthropy  dignify  with  a  decent  apolog}-. 

The  public  school  system  of  Louisiana  is  susceptible  of  vast  improvement. 
A  great  State,  of  the  wealth  and  material  resources  of  this,  can  have  no  excuse 
for  a  poor  sj^stem  of  public  schools.  As  the  editor  of  the  Courier  very  truth- 
fully remarks:  "Northern  immigrants  are  wanted  to  assist  to  develop  the  vast 
resources  of  this  section.  Such  immigrants  are  loth  to  come  into  a  country  not 
provided  with  good  educational  facilities,  however  inviting  it  may  be  in  other 
respects.  For  these  reasons,  and  because  we  recognize  the  fact  that  ignorance 
is  a  badge  of  inferiority  everywhere,  we  have  persistently  urged  the  establish- 
ment of  an  efficient  public  school  system.  With  taxation  up  to  the  constitutional 
limit  of  sixteen  mills,  with  every  industry  heavilj'  burdened  in  the  license  bill, 
but  with  an  enormous  debt  absorbing  almost  half  of  our  revenues,  our  rulers  have 
thus  far  failed  in  this  all-important  work,  and  Louisiana  still  lags  behind  almost 
every  other  State  in  the  Union.'" 

The  general  school  fund  of  the  State  is  derived  from  the  following  sources: 
Annual  poll  tax  of  one  dollar  per  capita  on  every  male  inhabitant  over  21;  the 
interest  on  the  proceeds  of  all  public  lands  heretofore  granted  by  the  United 
States  for  school  purposes,  and  that  which  may  be  granted,  bequeathed  or  do- 
nated hereafter  for  that  purpose ;  all  funds  or  property  other  than  unimproved 
land  bequeathed  or  granted  to  the  State, not  designated  for  other  purposes;   the 


48  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

proceeds  of  vacant  estates  falling  under  the  law  to  the  State  of  Louisiana;  a 
certain  amount  set  apart  from  the  amount  of  State  taxes  collected;  besides,  a 
certain  amount  set  apart  from  the  amount  of  parish  taxes  collected. 

The  parish  school  boards  are  appointed  b_v  the  State  Board  of  Education. 
The\'  are  empowered  to  appoint  parish  superintendents,  who  are  ex  officio  sec- 
retaries of  the  board.  Their  duties  are  to  divide  the  parishes  into  school  dis- 
tricts, to  apportion  the  school  funds  among  the  several  districts  in  proportion  to 
the  number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  6  and  i8  years,  to  require  from  each 
member  a  quarterly  report  to  the  board  of  tlie  actual  condition;  prospects  and 
needs  of  the  schools  in  the  ward  in  which  he  resides;  to  appoint  committees  to 
examine  personally  all  candidates  for  teacher  in  the  schools;  to  provide  school 
houses,  furniture  and  apparatus  for  the  schools;  to  adjust  and  tix  the  salaries  of 
teachers,  and  make  annual  reports  to  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

The  following  is  the  present  School  Board  of  St.  Landry:  Laurent  Dupre, 
Dr.  V.K.  Irion,  C.  N.  Ealer,  C.  J.  Thompson,  E.  V.  Barry,  Dr.  W.  W.  Lesley, 
Charles  Antonio  and  Frank  Wharton.  Tlie  first  named  is  president  of  the  board, 
and  the  next  secretar}-  and  parish  superintendent.  There  are  55  public  schools 
in  the  parish. 

The  Press. — The  pr^ss  of  St.  Landr}'  is  as  able  as  that  of  any  parish  in 
Southwestern  Louisiana.  The  record  of  the  newspaper  press  of  a  country,  if  it 
has  liappened  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  men  competent  to  make  it  fully  discharge 
its  duty,  ought  to  be  the  one  most  important  page  of  that  country's  histor}-.  One 
of  the  greatest  things  that  could  alwaj^s  be  said  of  our  nation  was,  it  has  a  free 
press.  No  man  has  to  be  licensed  or  selected  by  the  government  either  to  print 
a  book  or  publish  a  newspaper.  It  has  been  circumscribed  by  no  law  except 
natural  selection.  An}^  one  who  wished  could  start  a  paper  at  any  time,  and  say 
anything  he  desired  to  say,  barring  onl}'  an  occasional  boot-toe  and  the  law  of 
libel.  If  he  chose  not  to  be  suppressed  there  was  no  power  to  suppress  him — 
except  a  "  military  necessity,"  and  once  in  a  great  while  mob  violence.  If  he  was 
persecuted  or  threatened  by  some  outraged  citizen,  it  is  not  certain  but  that  he 
always  got  the  best  of  the  difficulty,  especially  when  he  would  begin  to  prate 
about  the  "palladium  of  American  liberties."  The  wisest  act  of  our  govern- 
ment in  all  its  liistory  was  the  unbridling  of  the  press.  It  was  the  seed  planted 
in  good  ground  for  its  own  perpetuity,  and  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  its  peo- 
ple. To  make  the  press  absolutely  free,  especially  after  the  centuries  of  vile 
censorship  over  it,  was  an  act  of  wisdom  transcending  in  importance  the  original 
invention  of  movable  types.  A  free  press  makes  free  speech,  free  schools,  free 
intelligence  and  freedom,  and  when  political  storms  come,  and  the  mad  waves  of 
popular  ignorance  and  passion  beat  upon  the  ship  of  state,  then,  indeed,  is  a  free 
press  the  beacon  light  shining  out  upon  the  troubled  waters.  As  an  enthusiastic 
writer  recently  put  it: 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  4i» 

"  By  means  of  the  press,  the  humblest  cabin  in  the  land  may  bid  enter  and 
become  a  part  of  the  famil}'  circle,  such  as  the  sweet  singing  bard  of  Scotland — 
the  poet  of  Bonny  Doon.  The  immortal  Siiakespeare  or  Byron,  '  who  touched 
his  harp  and  nations  heard  entranced.'  Here  Lord  Macaulay  will  lay  aside  his 
title  and  dignity,  and  with  the  timid  children  even  hold  sweet  converse  in  those 
rich,  resounding  sentences  that  flow  on  forever  like  a  great  and  rapid  river. 
Here  Gray  will  sing  his  angelic  pastoral,  as  '  the  lowing  herds  wind  slowl}-  o'er 
the  lea,  and  leaves  the  world  to  solitude  and  me;'  and  Charles  Lamb,  whose 
sweet,  sad,  witty  life  may  mix  the  laugh  with  the  sigh  of  sympathy,  set  the  chil- 
dren in  a  roar,  as  he  tells  the  story  of  the  '  invention  of  the  roast  pig;'  and  that 
human  bear — Johnson — his  roughness  and  boorishness  all  gone  now,  as  in  tren- 
chant sentences  he  pours  out  his  jeweled  thoughts  to  eager  ears;  and  the  stately 
Milton,  blind  but  sweet  and  sublime;  and  Pope,  and  poor,  unfortunate,  gifted 
Poe,  with  his  bird  of  evil  omen  perched  upon  the  pallid  bust  of  Pallas;'  and 
Shelley  and  Keats  and  Dickens  and  Thackeray  and  Saxe  and  Scott  and  Hood  and 
Elliot  and  Demosthenes  and  Homer  and  Clay  and  Webster  and  Prentice  and  all 
of  earth's  greatest,  sweetest  and  best,  are  at  the  beck  and  .call  of  mankind, 
where  they  will  spread  their  bounties  before  the  humblest  outcast  as  munificentlj' 
as  at  the  feet  of  royal  courts  of  kings." 

But  the  coming  of  the  printer,  with  the  black  letter,  the  stick,  the  ir^kpot, 
"  pi  "  and  the  "  devil  "  is  alvvaj-s  an  era  an3-where  and  among  any  people.  It  is 
an  event  of  great  portent  to  the  future  of  any  community,  for  here,  above  any 
other  institution  are  incalculable  possibilities  for  good,  iind  sometimes  well- 
grounded  fears  for  evil.  A  free  press,  in  the  hands  of  a  man  aware  of  the  great 
responsibilities  resting  upon  him,  is  a  blessing  like  the  discoveries  and  inventions 
of  genius  that  are  immortal.  In  the  dingy  printing  office  is  the  epitome  of  the 
world  of  action  and  of  thought — the  best  school  in  Christendom — the  best  church. 
An  eminent  divine  has  truly  said  :  "The  local  paper  is  not  only  a  business  guide, 
but  is  a  pulpit  of  morals;  it  is  a  kind  of  public  rostrum  where  the  affairs  of  State 
are  considered;  it  is  a  supervisor  of  streets  and  roads;  it  is  a  rewarder  of  merit ; 
it  is  a  social  friend,  a  promoter  of  friendship  and  good  will.  Even  the  so-called 
small  matters  of  a  village  or  incorporate  town  are  only  small  to  those  whose  hearts 
are  too  full  of  personal  pomposity." 

Opelousas  Courier. — The  Opelousas  Courier  is  the  oldest  paper  in  the 
parish  of  St.  Landry.  It  was  established  in  1852  by  J.  H.  Sandoz,  who  con- 
ducted the  paper  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  at  his  death  his  two  sons,  L.  and  L. 
A.  Sandoz,  took  charge  and  are  still  editing  and  pubHshing  it.  Its  issue  of 
December  27,  1890,  is  Volume  XXXVIII  and  No.  14.  It  is  a  four-page  paper, 
and  is  neatly  printed,  showing  considerable  mechanical  taste.  Upon  the  closing 
of  the  thirty-seventh  volume,  the  Courier  thus  salutes  its  friends  and  patrons: 

"  This  issue  of  the  Courier  completes  its  thirty-seventh  volume;    the  next 


-.0  SOUTH \]  EST  L  Of/SIANA  : 

will  bt-oin  its  thirty-eighth.  It  was  founded  in  December,  1852,  and  hence  will 
soon  be  thirty-eight  years  old.  But,  unlike  some  of  our  contemporaries,  we 
reckon  its  volumes  on  the  basis  of  the  weekly'  numbers  issued,  not  from  the  date 
of  its  establishment.  Its  publication  was  interrupted  for  several  months  during 
the  war  and  subsequently,  in  1870,  when  its  friends  were  denied  the  privilege 
of  giving  it  their  patronage  and  support;  hence  the  discrepancy  between  the 
date  of  its  establishment  and  the  number  of  its  volume. 

"  The  Courier  has  always  been  Democratic.  It  has  always  been  a  friend 
of  the  people.  Under  our  management  it  will  remain  so.  It  has  a  record  of 
wliicli  we  are  proud.  Its  future  is  in  our  keeping,  and  we  propose  to  transmit 
that  proud  record,  undimmed  and  untarnished,  to  our  children.  While  the 
Courier  has  always  advocated  every  cause  which  in  the  opinion  of  its  managers 
would  promote  the  welfare  of  the  people,  it  has  specially  devoted  its  attention  to 
education  and  immigration.  In  the  furtherance  and  development  of  these  objects 
He  the  dearest  interests  of  our  State.  We  need  white  immigrants  to  assist  us  in 
the  development  of  our  vast  resources  and  to  maintain  the  supremacy  and  pre- 
pf)iiderance  of  our  race. 

"To  the  friends  who  have  stood  by  us  in  the  past  we  return  our  siiict-re 
thanks.  With  their  kind  assistance  and  encouragement  we  hope  to  successfully 
weather  the  coming  storm  as  we  have  weathered  many  an  one  before;  and  we 
promise  them  that  we  will  continue  in  the  future  as  in  the  past  to  advocate  every 
measure  conducive  to  the  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  number,  whether  our 
couise  suits  selfish  and  self-seeking  politicians  or  not."" 

The  St.  Landr}'  Democrat  was  established  by  James  N.  Jackson  in  1876. 
It  is  the  official  paper  of  the  town  of  Opelousas,  and  the  parish  of  St.  Landry, 
and  one  of  the  ablest  in  Southwestern  Louisiana.  It  is  and  has  always  been 
Democratic  in  politics,  and  its  opinions  carry  weight  in  the  part}'.  Number 
50  of  "V^olume  XIII  bears  date  December  27,  1890.  The  paper  is  at  present 
published  by  Mr.  L.  Sandoz,  and  edited  by  Hon.  E.  North  Cullom.  It  is  a 
folio,  with  seven  columns  to  a  page,  and  presents  a  hantlsome  appearance. 

Judge  Cullom  is  too  well  known  in  this  section  to  need  an}'  introduction  to 
the  people.  He  is  a  native  of  Southwestern  Louisiana,  and  was  educated  at 
old  Center  College,  at  Danville  Kentuck\',  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  eminent 
institutions  of  learning  south  of  the  Ohio  River,  having  been  chartered  in  1819. 
Judge  Cullom  had  as  classmates  there  some  of  the  flower  and  chivalry  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  Southern  States,  men  who  have  become  great  in  church  and  State 
— who  have  adorned  the  bench,  the  bar  and  the  pulpit,  and  have  left  their  im- 
press upon  the  statesmanship  of  the  country.  As  a  lawyer  and  iurist.  Judge 
Cullom  has  few  equals  in  the  State.  It  is  upon  the  bench,  perhaps,  where  he  has 
served  several  terms,  that  his  talents  best  fit  him.  As  a  jurist,  his  judgments 
were  always  marked  with  impaitiality  and  even-handed  justice.     He  believes  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  51 

those  fundamental  principles  embodied  in  the  organic  law — that  eveiy  person 
ought  "to  obtain  right  and  justice  freely,  and  without  being  obliged  to  purchase 
it,"  and  that  he  ouglit  "to  find  a  certain  remedy  in  the  laws  for  all  injuries  and 
wrongs  which  he  ma}'  receive  in  his  person,  property  or  reputation."  Judge 
Cullom  takes  an  active  interest  in  politics,  but  is  no  office  seeker;  on  the  con- 
trarjs  he  has  frequently  declined  political  nominations  when  a  nomination  was 
equivalent  to  an  election.  He  is  a  writer  of  more  than  ordinarj-  ability,  and 
wields  a  pen  that  is  equaled  by  few  in  Southwestern  Louisiana. 

The  Clarion  is  a  paper  established  during  the  summer  of  1890,  and  is  a  spicy 
little  sheet,  published  by  the  St.  Landry  Publishing  and  Printing  Company.  Its 
mast  head  shows  no  colors  or  ensign  as  to  who  is  its  editor,  but  that  it  has  one, 
its  sturdy  blows  in  matters  of  right  clearly  manifest. 

The  only  paper  in  the  parish  outside  of  Opelousas  is  the  Washington  Advo- 
cate, quite  a  lively  and  interesting  sheet.  The  present  paper  was  established  in 
tiie  summer  of  1889,  and  is  owned  and  edited  by  Mr.  Carlos  Grieg.  The  first 
paper  in  Washington  was  called  The  Enterprise;  this  was  succeeded  by  The 
News,  and  it  in  turn  was  succeeded  bv  The  Advocate,  whicli,  phoenix-like,  has 
risen  from  their  ashes. 

The  parish  of  St.  Landry  is  laid  off  into  eight  jur}'  wards,  one  member  from 
each  ward,  but  one,  which  has  two,  who  are  called  police  jurors.  They  transact 
the  business  of  the  parish,  as  the  Board  of  Magistrates,  the  Board  of  Supervisors, 
or  the  Board  of  Commissioners  transact  the  business  of  the  counties  of  other 
States.  The  police  jurors  of  St.  Landry  are  as  follows:  E.  AL  Bagmi,  president, 
fn-st  ward;  H.  O.  Durio,  Dr.  H.  Berry,  T.  C.  Bihn,-  P.  Robin,  C.  W.  Ward, 
E.  E.  Milburn,  Paul  Stagg,  Capt.  Sam'l  Hass,  and  L.  J.  Dossmann,  H.  E.  Estorge, 
clerk,  and  J.  J.  Thompson,  treasurer.  The  two  last  named  are  not  actual  mem- 
bers of  the  police  jurv. 

The  first  court  house  in  the  parish  was  built  soon  after  the  State  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  ;  the  second  dne  in  1846,  and  the  present  beautiful  temple  of 
justice  was  erected  in  1886,  and  is  one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  State. 

Opelousas. — The  town  of  Opelousas  is  one  of  the  oldest  places  in  Southwest- 
ern Louisiana.  The  date  of  its  birth  as  a  town  is  unknown.  Its  records  run 
back  into  the  last  centur}',  and  whether  it  was  ever  laid  off  as  a  town,  or,  like 
Topsj-,  "just  grovved"  no  one  can  tell.  It  was  originally  a  military  post,  where 
soldiers  were  stationed  to  overawe  the  Indians  and  protect  the  white  settlers  in 
the  vicinity.  As  people  settled  near  the  protectmg  walls  of  the  station,  it  soon 
became  a  sort  of  trading  post  for  furs  and  pelts  from  the  Indians  and  white  hunt- 
ers and  trappers.  As  this  trade  increased  stores  were  opened,  and  the  station 
began  to  assume  the  airs  and  attributes  of  a  town.  Mr.  Alfred  Louaillier  states 
that  within  his  recollection  there  were  more  Indians  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of 
Opelousas  than  there  are  negroes  at  the  present  day. 


53  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

The  first  merchant  in  Opelousas  was  believed  to  have  been  Mr.  J.  J.  Lou- 
aillier,  who  opened  a  store  while  the  place  was  still  a  military  post.  He  fol- 
lowed the  business  for  many  years  and  amassed  a  fortune.  Col.  Francois  Neda, 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  parish,  who  has  been  extensively  mentioned 
among  the  early  settlers,  was  also  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  Opelousas. 
So  was  Col.  William  Moore,  and  also  John  Merimond.  Pierre  Wastelle  was  an 
early  merchant.  Antoine  King  was  among  the  pioneer  merchants,  and  sold 
goods  in  Opelousas  early  in  the  present  century.  He  has  a  son,  now  seventy- 
two  years  old,  living  in  the  town,  with  a  memory  clear  as  a  bell,  wlio  was  also  a 
merchant  for  many  years. 

Thus,  as  the  population  increased,  business  in  all  its  branches  increased 
proportionally,  until  at  present  Opelousas  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  wealthy 
towns  in  this  section  of  the  State.  There  are  no  extensive  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments in  the  town,  and  the  business  is  confined  principally  to  mercantile,  and 
the  buying  of  the  products  of  the  farms  and  the  selling  of  farm  machinery  to  the 
planters,"  which  annually  amounts  to  from  $50,000  to  $100,000.  Nothing  shows 
more  conclusively  the  improvements  in  modern  farming  than  the  increase  in  the 
sale  of  agricultural  implements  in  Opelousas  and  other  points  in  the  parish. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Opelousas  was  organized  last  year,  of  which 
Mr.  A.  Levy  is  president,  Mr.  S.J.  Wilson,  vice  president  and  Mr.  J.  T.  Skipper,  _ 
cashier.  It  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  town  and  the  parish,  and  has  given 
them  important  financial  advantages  by  securing  the  people  and  the  planters 
against  the  extortions  of  the  professional  moneylenders. 

The  Southwestern  Louisiana  Land  Company  is  an  institution  located  in 
Opelousas  that  has  probably  done  as  much  toward  developing  the  resources  of  this 
rich  country  as  anything  tliat  has  been  brought  to  bear  in  t])at  direction.  It  has 
been  the  means  of  bringing  Inmdreds  and  hundreds  of  immigrants  to  the  parish, 
and  of  securing  them  good  lands  and  desirable  locations.  Its  prime  object  is  to 
induce  immigration,  and  thus,  by  inducing  immigration,  to  develop  the  vast  re- 
sources of  the  country.  And  the  company  has  struck  the  proper  metliod  to 
attain  that  end. 

Another  wonderful  improvement  to  the  town  and  parish,  and  a  great  factor 
in  their  development,  is  the  railroad.  It  was  a  great  triumph  for  Opelousas  when 
the  road  was  completed  and  she  found  herself  connected  with  New  Orleans  by 
rail.  The  people  doubtless  wonder  how  they  got  along  without  a  railroad  as  long 
as  they  did.  The  advantages  resulting  from  plenty  of  railroads  is,  they  bring 
every  market  of  the  world  to  our  very  doors.  We  read  that  it  used  to  take  from 
two  to  six  weeks  to  make  a  trip  from  St.  Martinsville,  in  the  adjoining  parish,  to 
New  Orleans  and  return.  That  was  well  enough  for  the  "  good  old  times  before 
the  war,"  but  this  is  an  age  of  improvement  and  invention,  and  he  who  would 
not  be  left  behind  must  march  with  the  procession.     It  is  energy  and  enterprise 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  hi 

that  has  made  this  great  country  of  ours  what  it  is.  Opelousas  and  St.  Landry 
are  better  off  than  some  of  the  other  parishes  of  the  Attakapas  country,  for  St. 
Landry  has  two  railroads,  while  some  of  the  others  have  but  one,  and  yet  others 
none.  The  Morgan  division  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  and  the  Texas 
&  Pacific  road  afford  fine  accommodations  for  travel  and  transportation  and  con- 
nection with  the  outside  world. 

The  town  of  Opelousas  is  governed  in  its  municipal  affairs  by  a  Board  of 
Trustees,  composed  of  seven  members,  who  are  elected  by  the  people.  The 
board  elects  one  of  its  members  mayor,  who  presides  over  the  meetings  and  has 
judicial  powers;  sits  as  a  magistrate  in  the  trial  of  police  matters,  and  in  the  vio- 
lations of  the  town  laws  and  ordinances.  The  board  at  present  is  composed  of 
the  following:  Robert  O.  Chachere,  mayor,  and  J.  B.  Sandoz,  J.  T.  Stuart,  E. 
J.  Clements,  E.  Latrayet,  George  Pulford  and  Frank  E.  Bailey,  trustees. 

Bench  and  Bar. — In  writing  of  the  early  bar  of  St.  Landry  parish,  the 
historian  must  go  elsewhere  than  to  the  old  people  of  the  parish  for  his  data  for 
sketches  of  the  oldest  practitioners.  Many  of  them  are  dead  and  forgotten,  and 
the  old  dust-stained  records  are  the  only  history  of  them  left  behind.  Hence, 
there  can  be  little  given  of  them  except  their  names. 

Hon.  Seth  Lewis  was  judge  of  the  court  in  this  district  for  many  years. 
In  the  sketch  of  tlie  bar  of  St.  Martin,  an  extended  sketch  of  Judge  Lewis  is 
given.  He  was  born  in  1764,  and  died  here  long  ago.  He  was  the  grandfather 
of  Hon.  E.  T.  Lewis,  the  present  judge. 

George  King  was  the  first  parish  judge,  a  very  prominent  man  and  es- 
teemed by  every  one  who  knew  him.  He  was  an  able  lawyer,  a  wise  and  just 
judge,  and  the  father  of  Hon.  George  R.  King,  who  was  elected  district  judge 
and  afterward  elevated  to  a  Supreme  Court  judgeship.  Judge  John  H.  Overton, 
judge  here  for  many  years,  a  stanch  Democrat  and  an  active  politician,  was  a 
son-in-law  of  Judge  King. 

Judge  Henry  Adams  BuUard,  whom  many  of  the  old  citizens  of  Opelousas 
will  remember,  was  an  early  citizen  of  St.  Landry,  and  settled  about  half-way 
from  Opelousas  to  Washington.  He  was  an  able  lawyer  and  for  years  a  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  Wm.  Ward  Bowen  was  a  prominent  lawyer 
at  the  early  bar  of  St.  Landry  and  died  years  ago.  Benjamin  F.  Linton  was 
from  South  Carolina.  He  was  a  polished  gentleman,  a  profound  lawyer  and  a 
good  citizen. 

Among  other  pioneer  lawyers  of  Opelousas  may  be  mentioned  Edward  H. 
Martin,  who  died  here  in  1865;  Wm.  Bowen,  who  died  many  years  ago;  Thos. 
H.  Lewis;  Taj'ler  Bell  Savage,  an  old  lawyer,  who  died  in  Opelousas  many 
years  ago;  Judge  James  Porter,  who  also  died  here;  Judge  Moore  who  died 
here  near  the  close  of  the  year  1890,  and  Lucius  Dupre,  who  died  before  the  war. 
All  these  were  prominent  lawyers,  able  men,  and  most  of  them  wealthy  citizens. 


5i  SO UTIi WES T  LO UISIA NA  : 

Judge  B.  A.  Maitel  was  a  character  in  tlie  pioneer  bar  of  the  parisli.  He 
had  important  "  friends  at  court,"  which  went  a  great  way  toward  "  boosting  " 
him  into  office.  He  was  born  in  France,  and  had  made  pretensions  to  the 
studying  of  law  there.  He  was  a  man  of  eccentric  habits;  was  somewhat  iUit- 
erate,  but  not  ignorant,  and  a  regular  poHtical  hustler.  His  famil}'  and  »elativ("s 
were  numerous  as  the  "  leaves  upon  the  trees,"  and  through  them  he  managed 
to  ride  into  political  offices,  among  which  was  that  of  district  judge.  In  tliat 
office  lie  gained  the  distinction  of  having  more  of  his  decisions  "  reversed  by 
the  Supreme  Court  than  any  judge,  perhaps,  that  ever  sat  upon  the  bench  in 
the  State."' 

Jacques  Dupre,  though  not  a  practicing  lawyer,  was  quite  a  statesman  and 
politician,  and  it  is  appropriate,  perhaps,  to  mention  him  here.  He  served  man\' 
years  in  the  Legislature  and  State  Senate  and  was  an  active  and  energetic  worker. 
He  was  not  a  polished  scholar,  having  received  but  little  mental  cultivation  in  his 
youth,  but  what  was  better  for  tlie  times  in  which  he  lived,  he  was  a  man  of  sound 
practical  sense  and  sterling  honest}-.  He  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  tlie 
General  Assembly  in  1816,  to  represent  the  parish  of  St.  Landry,  and  was  twice 
re-elected.  In  1828  he  was  elected  to  the  Stale  Senate,  and  remained  a  member 
of  tliat  body  until  his  death  in  1846.  He  became  Lieutenant  Governor  January 
14.  1830.  through  a  combination  of  circumstances.  Hon.  Pierre  Derbigny  was 
Governor,  and  died  from  an  accident  wliich  he  met  with  October  5,  1829,  less 
tlian  a  year  from  the  time  of  taking  his  seat  as  Governor.  He  was  driving  from 
his  residence  to  the  city,  wlien  his  horses  took  friglit  and  ran  away,  throwing  him 
from  the  carriage,  inflicting  injuries  from  which  he  died.  Lieutenant  Governor 
Armand  Beaiivais  succeeded  him  as  Governor,  and  being  by  virtue  of  his  office 
President  of  the  Senate,  left  that  place  vacant.  Mr.  Dupre  was  elected  to  fill  it, 
which  made  him  ex  officio  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  which  position  he  held  to 
the  close  of  Gov.  Beauvais'  term. 

Gov.  Dupre  was  a  native  of  St.  Landrj-  parish  and  born  at  a  time  when  the 
parisli  bore  the  name  of  County  of  Opelousas.  He  was  reputed  to  be  tlie  largest 
stock  raiser  in  the  State  of  Louisiana.  A  granddaughter  of  Gov.  Dupre  mar- 
ried Gov.  Alexander  Mouton.  It  is  related  of  Gov.  Dupre  that  he  spelled  his 
name  without  a  "c"  in  Jacques,  which  gave  rise  to  a  current  joke  among  the 
French  portion  of  the  population,  who  first  called  him  "/e  Gotiverneiir  sans  c," 
which,  from  his  good  common  sense,  was  changed  to  "/<;  Gouverneur  sense." 

Guy  H.  Bell  was  a  character  who,  perhaps,  might  also  be  mentioned  with 
the  bar.  He  came  here  at  a  time  when  he  was  most  needed  to  hold  all  the  offices. 
He  was  justice  of  the  peace,  postmaster  and  a  militia  officer,  and  had  there  been 
more  offices  he  would  probably  have  had  them  too.  It  was  in  the  latter  position, 
perhaps,  that  he  shone  most  brilliantly.  As  on  training  days  he  got  into  his 
gorgeous  uniform,  with  a  long  red  plume  in  his  hat,  a  sword  belted  around  him 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  55 

like  unto  the  broadsword  of  Rhoderick  Dhu,  and  mounted  his  prancing  steed 
(a  broncho  pony)  that  "snuffed  the  battle  from  afar,"  then  it  was  he  rode  in 
front  of  his  lines  with  a  Napoleonic  air,  giving  his  orders  in  tones  that  would 
have  put  to  shame  Beauregard  or  Stonewall  Jackson.  Ah!  these  old  militia 
displays  had  to  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  But  Squire  Bell  was  a  fine  man.  He 
did  a  great  deal  of  good  and  but  little  harm  in  the  world.  He  was  a  Scotchman, 
warm-hearted,  sociable,  whole-souled  and  a  very  popular  man  with  everybody — 
could  have  been  elected  President  of  the  United  States  had  the  vote  depended 
alone  on  St.  Landry  parish. 

The  present  bar  of  the  parish  is  as  follows:    Hon.  Henrj-  L.  Garland,  Judge 

Edward  Estellette, Baillio,  Judge  E.  N.  Cullom,T.  H.  Lewis,  E.  T.  Lewis 

(present  judge),  L.  J.  Dupre,  G.  L.  Dupre,  E.  P.  Veazie,  DuRoy,  Lee 

Garland,  Charles  Garland,  W.  C.  Perault, Gill,  Wm.  Frazer  and  John  N. 

Ogden;  the  latter  is  the  present  district  attorney.  This  list  comprises  an  able 
bar,  many  of  the  members  being  among  the  most  prominent  lawyers  in  South- 
western Louisiana.  Sketches  of  them  are  omitted  here,  but  will  be  found  in  the 
biographical  department  of  this  work. 

Pioneer  Physicians. — The  early  phj'sicians  of  the  parish,  like  the  early  law- 
yers, are  many  of  them  almost  wholly  forgotten,  and  little  more  can  be  given  of 
them  than  their  names.  Among  the  names  collected  are  the  following:  Dr. 
Grolet,  Dr.  Archer,  Dr.  Thos.  A.  Clark,  Dr.  Louis  DeBion,  Dr.  Robert  C. 
Smith,  Dr.  Moses  Littell,  Dr.  Marsden  Campbell,  Dr.  Beauchamp  and  Dr.  James 
Ray. 

Dr.  Ray  is,  perhaps,  the  oldest  practising  physician  in  the  parisli,  and  is 
sketched  in  the  biographical  department.  His  father  was  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  parish  and  died  here  long  ago.  Dr.  Beauchamp  was  from  Kentucky  and 
died  in  Baton  Rouge.  Dr.  Campbell  was  from  Wilmington,  N.  C,  and  came 
hei'e  with  his  father,  who  was  an  early  settler,  a  large  slave  holder  and  a  wealthy 
citizen.  Dr.  Campell  died  in  1857  ;  he  was  a  prominent  physician.  Dr.  Littell 
was  one  of  the  oldest  practitioners  and  died  in  1837.  Dr.  Smith  died  in  Grand 
Coteau  many  years  ago.  Dr.  DeBion  lives  out  in  Flat  Prairie  and  is  now  eighty- 
five  years  old.  Dr.  Clark  died  in  the  town  of  Washington  many  years  ago.  Dr. 
Archer  died  in  Opelousas,  as  also  did  Dr.  Grolet. 

The  Catholic  church  of  Opelousas,  as  remarked  in  a  preceding  page,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  in  Southwestern  Louisiana,  and  dates  its  organization  back  to  1777, 
though  the  Cathohc  church  of  St.  Martinsville  claims  to  have  been  established  in 
1765.  The  church  was  moved  from  Washington  to  Opelousas,  having  received 
a  donation  of  land  from  Michel  Prud'homme.  The  first  church  erected  on  this 
land  was  a  wooden  building.  Many  j'ears  later  the  present  magnificent  brick 
church  was  erected.  Originally  this  church  (St.  Landry's)  belonged  to  the 
bishopric  of  Havana,  but  in  1791  it  was  transferred  to  the  diocese  of  St.  Louis. 


56  SOUT/IU'ESy  LOi'/S/A\A  : 

The  present  rector  of  St.  Landry's  church  is  Father  Armand   Duboury,  a  most 
affable  and  courteous  priest  and  gentleman. 

The  convent  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  at  Opelousas,  is  a  tirst-class 
school  for  girls,  and  is  well  attended.  It  is  in  connection  with  St.  Landry's 
church.  There  is  also  a  school  for  boys  under  the  patronage  of  tliis  church  in 
which  English  is  taught. 

After  the  Catholic  churcli,  the  next  denomination  in  Opelousas  was  the 
Methodists.  They  established  a  church  some  seventy-five  years  or  more  ago, 
and  have  probably  the  strongest  Protestant  church  in  the  parish.  The  Episco- 
palians followed  ne.xt,  and  had  a  church  here  before  the  war.  They  have  a 
verv  handsome  church  building.  The  Presbyterians  organized  a  church  just 
after  the  war,  and  the  Baptists  some  years  ago.  In  addition  to  these  churches 
the  colored  people  have  two  or  three  churches. 

Washington,  situated  on  the  Morgan  railroad  about  six  miles  above  Ope- 
lousas, is  a  live  and  wide-awake  town,  with  something  like  a  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. The  place  was  originally  called  Niggerville.  A  rich  old  negro  named 
Antoine  Lemel  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  about  the  place  and  a  great  number 
of  slaves,  so  the  place  became  rather  an  extensive  colored  settlement,  and  was 
dubbed  Niggerville  by  its  white  neighbors.  It  was  finally  laid  off  as  a  town, 
and  in  1830  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Washington.  It  is  the  most 
important  place  in  the  parish  next  to  Opelousas,  and  has  about  a  thousand 
inhabitants,  several  fine  stores,  factories,  warehouses,  etc.,  and  does  a  large 
business  in  shipping  cotton  and  rice,  and  other  products  of  the  country.  A 
large  number  of  agricultural  implements  are  sold  annually.  There  are  several 
churches,  the  principal  one  being  Catholic,  a  Catholic  school  and  a  public 
school,  and  a  newspaper,  noticed  elsewhere  in  this  chapter. 

Grand  Coteau,  situated  on  the  railroad,  about  eight  miles  south  of  Opelousas, 
ranks  next  in  importance  to  Washington.  It  has  several  stores  and  other  busi- 
ness houses.  Specially  is  it  noted  for  its  fine  Catholic  church,  and  its  college 
and  convent.  The  college  is  one  of  the  most  eminent  institutions  of  learning 
in  Southwestern  Louisiana.  Rev.  Francois  Abadie,  long  rector  of  the  church  at 
Grand  Coteau,  and  who  died  recently,  received  the  following  touching  notice 
from  the  editor  of  the  St.  Landry  Democrat,  soon  after  his  decease  : 

"  AVz'.  Francois  Ahadie. — In  our  last  issue  we  noticed  the  death  of  this  pious 
man,  but  at  the  time  of  writing  it  we  were  not  in  possession  of  any  data  upon 
which  to  base  any  further  observations.  Since  then  a  friend  has  furnished  us 
with  some,  and  we  now  incorporate  them  in  this  little  sketch. 

"  Father  Francois  Abadie  was  born  in  France,  A.  D.  1802,  and  was  88  years 
old  when  he  passed  away.  For  fifty-five  years  he  officiated  as  a  priest,  having 
united  himself  with  the  Society  of  Jesus,  ten  years  before  he  preached.  He 
left  France  and  came  to  Grand  Coteau    about  the  vear  1835,  and  exerted  himself 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  57 

in  tlie  incorporation  and  establishment  of  the  grand  old  college  at  that  place. 
The  entire  time,  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  was  devoted  to  the  best  interest  of  that 
institution.  Full  of  energy  and  zeal  for  his  church,  he  labored  continuously  in 
the  great  cause  of  learning  and  religion  down  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  had 
passed  the  three  score  years  and  twenty,  by  nearly  twenty  years,  but  he  kept  on  the 
armor  of  the  mihtant  Christian  soldier,  and  stood  like  a  faithful  sentinel  on  the  walls 
oi  Zion  until  a  few  hours  before  the  vital  spark  went  out.  The  hand  of  afflic- 
tion was  not  laid  upon  him.  God  saw  proper  not  to  prostrate  him  through  the 
instrumentaHty  of  disease,  but  took  him  hence  when  age  had  exhausted  the  oil 
in  his  lamp.  He  never  courted  the  applause  of  men,  but  contented  himself  by 
the  consciousness  of  duty  to  God.  We  may  justly  say  he  was  an  Ionian 
column  under  both  the  church  and  the  college,  which  we  fear  will  be  much  missed 
in  the  future  history  of  both,  at  Grand  Coteau." 

Other  towns  and  villages  of  the  parish  are  Armandville,  in  the  southern  part 
on  the  Bayou  Teche,  Leonville  and  Belleview,  also  on  the  Teche,  Notlej-^dlle 
and  Garland,  on  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad,  Goshen,  on  the  same  road;  also, 
Rosa,  Whitesville  and  Morrow.  Big  Cane  is  situated  in  the  north  part  of  the 
parish,  Barbreak,  on  the  Morgan  railroad,  also  in  the  north  part  of  the  parish, 
and  Vilie  Platte  in  the  west  central  part.  Most  of  these  are  small  places,  somJ 
of  them  nothing  but  a  post  office,  or  a  post  office  and  a  small  store;  and  some  of 
them  a  post  office,  a  store,  a  church  and  school. 

''War  and  Rumors  of  W^ar."— The  military  history  of  St.  Landry  is 
interesting  and  highly  creditable  to  her  citizens.  Quite  a  number  participated 
m  the  war  of  181 2,  particularly  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  several  had 
been  soldiers  in  the  old  country,  and  had  fought  under  the  first  Napoleon,  and 
in  the  armies  of  the  Spanish  King.  Such  men,  and  the  descendants  of  such, 
would  not  be  found  in  the  "rear  rank"  in  such  a  war  as  that  between  the  States 
in  1861-65.  They  left  the  store,  the  counting  room,  the  office,  and— 
"  The  plow  was  in  mid-furrow  stayed." 

They  hurried  to  the  place   of  rendezvous   ready,   willing  and  anxious  to   serve 
their  country  in  such  a  trying  emergency. 

As  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  people  of  St.  Landry  we  give  the  companies 
and  their  officers,  from  the  parish,  or  that  drew  a  number  of  men  from  the  par- 
ish. First  is  the  "Opelousas  Guards,"  made  up  entirely  in  St.  Landry,  and 
was  the.  first  troops  to  leave  for  the  seat  of  war.  The  facts  are  taken  from  the 
Opelousas  Courier: 

The   Opelousas  Guards.— It   will  be  interesting  to  many  of  our  readers  to 

know  who  composed  this  company— the  first  that  left  Opelousas  for  the  seat  of 

war  in  1861.     After  having  been  mustered    in  the    Confederate  service  and  sent 

.to  Camp  Moore,  they  left  the    latter  place  on  the  24th  of  June,   1861,  for  Rich- 


5g  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

mond,  Va..  as  Company  F,  Eighth  regiment,  Louisiana  vohmteers,  and  remained 
rn  Virginta  taking  L  active  and  honored  part  in  the  many  terr.ble  engagemen 
haToc'curr'ed  thefe  up  to  the  close  of  the  war,  :8.5,  -"^^^^l^l^^^'^t 
crnllant  company  returned  home.  The  Opelousas  Gua.ds  of  1886  cauies  on  t. 
f^  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  veterans  and  several  of  the  descendants  of  the 
Guards  0:^86.  The  following  is  the  roll  of  the  Opelousas  ^uar^  a  .ua..- 
ofacenlurv  a^o.  Officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  James  C.i.au, 
eltain  Dr  ^ohn  Taylor,  first  lieutenant;  Geo.  W.  Hudspeth,  second  lieuten- 
ant Tiber  D^ean,  tiird  heutenant;  Thos.  D.  Cook,  first  sergeant;  Aaron 
P  esftt  cond  sergeant;  John  P.  Offutt,  third  sergeant;  Clinton  B.  Andrus, 
Lth  sergeant  ;Jol^iWalci;um,  first  corporal;  E.  Sumter  Taylor  second  cor- 
pora •  Kad  E.  Hoy,  third  corporal;  John  T.  Healy,  fourth  corporal. 


PRIVATES. 


Jas.  D.  Allen,  Seth  Andrus,  Albert  D.  Andrus  Robert  M.  ^ndru^,  A^K. 
Anselm,  Geo.  Anselm,  Joseph  P.  Bay,  O.  Bourgeat,  S  H  B"ley,F.  a  Caiue,^, 
Louis  Carriers,  Gilbert  H.  Cochran,  S.  S.  Cole,  B.  E.  Cla.k  J.  E  Clark,  A.  b. 
CracherTja  A.  Demaret,  Oscar  Dawson,  Andre  Derosier,  Lucius  Dav  d 
E  L  EsVette,  Rosemond  Fisette,  Louis  Fisette,  ^^^^^f ''"f  A  Frem^ott' 
.„  F  Fo<rleman  A  T.  Fontenot,  L.  Fontenot,  Onile  Forest,  A.  F.emont, 
Xsse  Fr^g  ITs'tic  Fruge,  Ernest  Fruge  W.  E.  Gay,  Edmond.  P.  Gui  ry. 
Arcade  GuiLv,  Aristide  Guillory,  A.  Greffil,  E.  Harmon,  Benjamn.  Hemy, 
B^dHenr/ Charles  S.  Hollier,  Richard  Hightower^Thos.  H'gg.n^o^ian  , 
S  D  Hill  Uriah  Hayes,  John  P.  Hudson,  E.  Jenner,  Wm.  H.  Judge  W^  1. 
^■..l^r   T  OS    Kelley  Wm.  C.  Lewis,  C.  F.  Lutz,  Wm.  H.  Mayo,  L.  J.  Mont- 

ffleton,   Tohn  Sherwood,  K.   tl.  csiaugniei ,   n.  j  »  «;.,:„    t    T 

borne  SmUh,  David  Smith,  Antoine  Soileau,  Benoit  Soileau,  Jules  Sit  tig,  J.  T. 
SrothrSi^on  Taylor,  H.  B.  Taylor,  Jewell  J.  Taylor  Adam  Tate,  J.  A. 
Taylor.    H.    H.    Umphries,    T.    Vidrine,    Elmus    West,    James    West,    H.    J. 

^^  We  copy  the  following  from  the  Opelousas  Courier  of  September  .7.  1862, 
>vhich  shows  the  condition  of  the  company  at  the  time  of  writing. 

C.\MP  Near  Gordonsville,  Va.,  August  2,  1862. 

Messrs    Editors:   Knowing  that  an  account  of  the  condition  of  our  com- 

pany'touM  be  interesting  to  the^  good  people  of  ^^  ^^l^^^^^^l^'t^Z, 

have  relatives  and  friends  in  the   "Opelousas   Guards,     I  send   by  ^Ir-    ™^ 

who  leaves  for  St.  Landry  to-morrow,  a  statement  of  our  present  condition,  witk 


•  «s»-\^ 


Vfl^/r 


^  nf^^z 


^//l^ 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  (Il 

the  changes  that  ha\-e  taken  place  since  our  first  organization,  which  I  hope  you 
may  find  it  convenient  to  publish  in  the  columns  of  your  paper.  By  complying 
in  this  you  will  very  much  oblige,  yours,  etc.,  John  Taylor,     * 

First  Lieutenant  "Opelousas  Guards." 

A    LIST    SHOWING    THE    ORIGIX.VL    ORG.\NIZATION  AND    PRESENT  CONDITION    OF  THE 
OPELOUSAS  GU.\RDS,   COMPANY  F,  EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   LOUISIANA  VOLUNTEERS. 

Jas.  C.  Pratt,  captain,  not  reelected  at  reorganization  of  the  company. 
Discharged  the  service. 

John  Taylor,  first  lieutenant,  present,  well. 

Geo.  W.  Hudspeth,  second  lieutenant,  not  reelected  at  reorganization  of 
compan}-.      Discharged  the  service. 

Albert  Dejean,  second  junior  lieutenant,  elected  captain  at  reorganization 
of  the  compan}^  April  24,  1862. 

First  Sergeant  Thos.  D.  Cook,  elected  second  junior  lieutL-nant.  Jane  14, 
1862. 

Second  Sergeant  Aaron  Prescott,  elected  lieutenant  in  an  artiller}-  com- 
jiany  and  transferred. 

Tiiird  Sergeant  John  P.  Offutt,  killed  while  gallantl}'  charging  the  enemj- 
at  Gaines  Mills,  June  27,  1862. 

Fourth  Sergeant  Clint.  B.  Andrus,  private  since  reorganization  of  compan\'. 

Fifth  Sergeant  Albert  G.  Moore,  elected  lieutenant  April  24,  1862:  fell 
leading  his  company  on  the  enemy's  batteries  at  Port  Republic,  June   9,  1862. 

First  Corporal  John  Waldrum,  transferred  to  Calhoun  batter}-;   since   died. 

Second  Corporal  E.  S.  Taylor,  elected  lieutenant  April  24,  1862. 

Third  Corporal  Karl  E.  Hoy,  discharged  honorably. 

Fourth  Corporal  John  Healey,  private  since  April  24,  1862. 

Privates  Jas.  D.  Allen,  present,  well. 

Albert  S.  Andrus,  absent,  sick. 

Robt.  M.  Andrus,  present,  well. 

Seth  Andrus,  made  fifth  sergeant  at  reorganization.  Killed  vvliilst  bravely 
fighting  at  the  battle  of  Port  Republic,  June  9,  1862. 

A.  K.  Anselm,  present,  well. 

Geo.  Anselm,  honorably  discharged. 

W.  Abbott,  hospital  steward,  since  dead. 

O.  Bourgeat,  absent  on  account  of  injury  received  whilst  returning  to  Vir- 
ginia to  rejoin  company. 

F.  H.  Brilej',  detailed  as  doctor's  orderl}'. 

J.  P.  Bay,  died  at  Camp  Pickens,  Manassas  Junction,  Virginia,  last  fall. 

Gilbert  H.  Cochran,  present,  well. 


62  S0i'7Vn\'ES'r  LOUISIANA : 

BeiinLtt  Clark,  lionorably  discharged. 

J.  E.  Clark,  present,  well.  His  coat  \\as  riddled  with  bullets  at  the  battle 
(?f  Malvern  Hill. 

A.  B.  Chaciicre,  elected  ordinance  sergeant  at   reorganization. 
Sol.  S.  Cole,  honorably  discharged. 

F.  C.  Carriere,  present,  well. 
Louis  Carriere,  present,  well. 

T.  Chachere,  first  hospital  steward:  after  appointed  assistant  surgeon.  Re- 
signed on  account  of  ill  health. 

Lucius  David,  present,  well. 

S.  D.  Dill,  detailed  as  hospital  wagoner  well. 

A.  Derosier,  present,  well. 

O.  Dawson,  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Mah'ern  Hill.  Jul}'  i,  whilst  gallant- 
l}-  fighting:    died  since. 

Jas.  A.  Demaret,  wounded  at  Malvern  Hilh  July  i,  whilst  gallanllv  light- 
ing; since  died. 

E.  L.  Estilette,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Valle_y. 

R.  Fisette,  present,  well. 

L.  Fisette,  w^as  made  prisoner  at  Winchester. 

G.  Fogleman,  left  sick  at  Front  Royal:  captured. 
J.  Fogleman,  present,  well. 

E.  Fogleman,  present,  well. 

T.  Fontenot,  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gaines  Mills.  Has  returned  for 
duty. 

A.  J.  Fontenot,  detailed  as  brigade  wagoner;  well. 

A.  Fremont,  captured  near  Winchester. 

U.   Fruge,  present,  well. 

E.  Fruge,  absent,  sick. 

L.  Fruge,  absent  on  account  of  injury  received  by  being  run  over  by 
ambulance. 

O.  Forest,  absent  wiihout  leave. 

W.  E.  Gay,  received  appointment  as  cadet  in  \'irginia  Military  Institute, 
and  discharged  from  the  compan}'. 

E.  P.  Guidry,  wounded  severely  at  the  battle  of  Wincliester.  May  25.  1862. 
In  Lynchburg. 

A.  Guillory,  detailed  as  brigade  wagoner,  well. 

Aristide  Guillorv,  detailed  as  brigade  wagoner,  well. 

A.  Greffil,  present,  well. 

Benj.  Henry,  present,  well. 

Bernard  Henrv,  honorablv  dischaiged. 

Chas.  S.  HoUier,  present,  well. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  63 

Thos.  Iligginbotham,  present,  well. 

J.  P.  Hudson,  wounded  at  ihe  battle  of  Port  Republic,  charging  the  enemy's 
batteries. 

U.  Hayes,  present,  well. 

R.  H.  Highlower,  honorably  discharged. 

E.  P.  Jenner,  was  cut  off  from  the  regiment  in  its  retreat  up  tlie  \'alley, 
and,  after  dodging  the  Yanks  for  nearlv  two  months,  returned  safelv.  Present, 
well. 

Wm.  H.  Judge,  honorablv  discharged. 

Wm.  M.  Keller,  absent,  sick. 

Thos.  Kelhs  absent  at  hospital. 

Wm.  H.  Lewis,  present,  well. 

W.  C.  Lewis,  present,  well. 

C.  F.  Lutz,  absent,  sick. 
Wm.  H.  Mayo,  present,  well. 
Thos.  J.  Montgomery,  present,  well. 
Wm.  Montgomerv',  present,  well. 

B.  Molbach,  present,  well. 

B.  ]\L  Morrow,  honorably  discharged. 

T.  J.  McGinty,  detailed  as  brigade  wagoner. 

J.  McBride,  died  in  Richmond  last  spnng. 

Wm.  O.  Moss,  honorably  discharged. 

Chas.  Moss,  absent,  sick. 

Wm.  Mitcheltree,  present,  well. 

Wm.  J.  Offutt,  made  second  sergeant  at  reorganization.      Absent,  sick. 

Wm.  F.  Perrj',  present,  well. 

Arthur  Perrault,  honorably  discharged. 

D.  H.  Quirk,  honorably  discharged. 
VV.  P.  Quirk,  honoral>ly  discharged. 

John  O.  Richard,  elected  lieutenant  in  another  company  whilst  home  on 
furlough.     Transferred. 

Wm.  Rhelburg,  taken  prisoner  near  Winchester. 

T.  S.  Robin,  elected  lieutenant  in  Captain  Robin's  company.    Transfeired. 

R.  A.  Rowe,  present,  well. 

Louis  Ro}',  present,  well. 

Louis  Rousseau,  captured  in  the  \^allev. 

J.  W.  Sandefer,  present,  well. 

T.  K.  Singleton,  present,  well. 

Arthur  L.  Singleton,  honorably  discharged. 

Q.  Sayant,  present,  well. 

A.  J.  Smith,  present,  well. 


C4  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

C.  Smith,  present,  well. 

D.  Smith,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Vallej'. 

A.  Soileau,  honoraby  discharged. 

B.  Soileau,  honorably  discharj^ed. 
Arist  Soileau^  honorably  discharged. 

John  Sherwood,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Valley. 

Jules  Sittig,  present,  well. 

Leonce  Sandoz,  honorably  discharged  at  Camp  Moore,  June,  1861.  Again 
joined  the  companj'  in  the  Vallej',  in  May,  1862,  and  was  captured  near  Win- 
chester. 

H.  B.  Taj'lor,  present,  well. 

J.J.Taylor. 

J.  A.  Taylor,  was  slightly  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Port  Republic  in  the 
charge  on  the  Yankee  batteries. 

S.  H.  Taylor,  died  at  Culpeper  Courthouse  last  fall. 

R.  II.  Umphries,  present,  well. 

T.  Vidrine,  present,  well. 

John  Welsh,  detailed  as  hospital  nurse,  well. 

J.  West,  present,  well. 

H.  J.  Wynn,  absent,  sick. 

RECRUITS  ENLISTED  IN  THE  COJIPANY  IN  THE  SPRING  OF    1 862. 

A.  T.  Andrus,  died  at  hospital  in  Richmond. 

B.  T.  Andrus,  present,  well. 

L.  L.  Boutte,  captured  at  Winchester,  paroled. 
B.  A.  Boutte,  wounded  at  battle  of  Port  Republic. 
A.  Bertrand,  present,  well. 
George  Baskin,  absent,  sick. 
Thomas  Bacon,  present,  well. 
J.  D.  Bernard,  absent,  sick. 
Jos.  Chachere,  home  on  furlough. 

L.  L.  Chanin,  killed  whilst  gallantly  charging  the  enemy's  batteries  at  Port 
Republic. 

Jules  David,  present,  well. 

E.  Dardeau,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Valley. 
Oran  Elliot,  absent,  sick. 

Isaac  M.  Eves,  present,  well. 

Denis  Fontenot,  present,  well. 

Ilorthere  Fontenot,  absent,  sick. 

Rodolphe  Fontenot,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Valley. 

Hypolite  O.  Fontenot,  present,  well. 


JIISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  05 

G.  Forrest,  absent,  sick. 

D.  Guillor}-,  absent,  sick. 

O.  Guiilor}',  accidental!}'  shot  liimself  tiiroiigli  tlie  hand  at  New  Market; 
present,  well. 

A.   Guillorj-,   absent,  sick. 

Wm.  H.  Harris,  was  cut  off  from  the  Regiment  in  the  \'alley;  after  seven 
weeks  of  adventure  among  the  enenu',  escaped  and  returned  to  his  company; 
well. 

M.   Hebert,  present,  well. 

A.  Lavergne,  taken  prisoner  in  the  X'allev. 

A.  Lague,  present,  well. 

A.  Lebleu,  absent,  sick. 

E.  McDaniel,  absent,  sick. 

13.  McDaniel,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Valley. 

C.  A.  Morphis,  honorably  discharged. 

Robert  McLin,  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Port  Republic:  recovered  and 
detailed  at  brigade  wagon  yard. 

E*  D.  Parker,  present,  well,  ^\'as  \\ouiided  in  ihe  head  at  the  battle  of 
Malvern  Hill. 

O.   D.   Raulin,  present,  well. 

J.   D.   Richardson,  taken  prisoner  in  the  ^'alley. 

Victor  Sittig,  present,   well. 

H.   Savant,  taken  prisoner  in  the  Valley. 

L.   Speirer,  died  at  hospital  in  Richmond. 

C.  C.  Swaj-ze,  wounded  at  battle  of  Gaines'  Mills,  whilst  charging  the 
enemy.     L'atel}'  returned  to  the  regiment,  but  is  vet  until  lor  duly. 

C.  Saulter,  absent,  sick. 

In  the  next  issue  of  the  Courier.  October  4,  186^,  which  is  in  mourning" 
for  tlie  death  of  its  junior  editor.  Major  Wm.  H.  Spencer,  killed  at  the  second 
battle  of  Manassas,  while  gallantly  leading  his  regiment  (the  roth  Loui.-i ma)  to 
the  charge,  we  find  the  following  list  of  killed  and  wounded,  among  the  Opelou- 
sas  Guards,  in  that  bloody  engagement:  the  gallant  writer  of  the  foregoing- 
correspondence  being  himself  a  victim,  having  bravely  j-ielded  up  his  young  life 
on  the  field  of  honor  but  a  few  da3's  after  it  was  written : 

Liit  of  Killed  and  Wounded  in  Company  F,  Slh  Louisiana  Regiment. — 
Sherwood,  wounded  in  leg;  E.  P.  Jenner,  wounded  in  spine;  Wm.  Rhetberg, 
slightly  in  the  arm  :  James  Conner,  slighth'  in  the  arm;  Lieut.  John  Ta3lor, 
killed,  shot  in  body,  lived  four  da3's,  was  buried  at  Buckner  hospital,  about  ten 
miles  from  Aldee,  Va.  :  Derosier,  killed:  Baskin.  wounded :  Dardeau,  wounded; 
Perry,  wounded. 

Calcasieu  Invincibles. — Next  is  the    Calcasieu   Invincibles,  of    which    the 


€6  SOLTJIWJ^ST  LOUISIANA. 

officers,  or  most  ot  them,  were  from  St.  Laiuliv  :  Warren  W.  Johnson,  captain  ; 
Jolin  A.  Spence,  first  lieutenant;  Sims  M.  Pilhron,  second  lieutenant;  J.  W. 
Wagnon,  third  lieutenant;  R.A.Parker,  orderh'  sergeant;  E.  L.Cole,  sec- 
ond sergeant;  Zephirin  Lebleu,  third  sergeant;  Jacob  Seigler,  fourth  ser- 
geant; E.  R.  Seigler,  fifth  sergeant;  H.  D.  Clark,  first  corporal;  Martin 
Lebleu,  second  corporal;  John  B.  Lebleu,  third  corporal,  and  Joshua  Hug- 
gins,  fourth  corporal. 

Of  the  St.  Landry  Volunteers,  only  the  following  names  were  obtained: 
llenr\'  L.  Garlind,  captain;  Charles  D.  Bullard,  first  lieutenant;  Jacob  An- 
selm,  second  lieutenant: ,  and  Adolph  Debaillon,  third  lieutenant. 

Opclousas  Volunieeis. — Louis  Lastrapes,  captain;  James  G.  Ha3's,  first 
lieutenant;  Adolph  Brpussard,  second  lieutenant;  Willis  Prescott,  third  lieu- 
tenant; Ferredie  Perrodin,  first  sergeant;  William  Hall,  second  sergeant;  V. 
S.  Bonoque,  third  sergeant;  William  Reeves,  fourth  sergeant;  Rabie  Adams, 
fifth  sergeant;  Robert  Sloan,  first  corporal;  Elphege  D.  Daigle,  second  cor- 
poral; Joseph  Higginbotham,  third  corporal,  and  Aurelien  Richard,  fourth 
corporal. 

The  Confederate  States  Rangers  were  organized  with  the  following  officers : 
W.  H.  Spencer,  captain;  M.  S.  Prud'homme,  first  lieutenant;  E.  D.  Seato.n, 
second  lieutenant;  Mat.  G.  Davis,  ensign;  A.  Perrodin,  first  sergeant;  Joseph 
Lebleu,  second  seigeant ;  Isaac  Ryan,  third  sergeant;  Paul  Lambert,  fourth 
sergeant;  J.  F.  Monelle,  fifth  sergeant;  James  McKinney,  first  corporal ;  Isaac 
Reeves,  second  corporal:  Wm.  L.  Plutchins,  third  corporal,  and  Henry  Miller, 
fourth  corporal. 

St.  Landry  Li^ht  Guards — N.  Offult,  Jr.,  captain;  J.  C.  Hickman,  first 
lieutenat;  H.  Bain  Ritchie,  second  lieutenant;  S.  D.  McCauUey,  junhjr  second 
lieutenant;  A.  Desbrest,  ensign;  L.  A.  Corinier,  orderly  sergeant;  P.  Scott, 
second  sergeant ;  J.  O.  Trainer,  third  sergeant;  A!  L.  Meterier,  fourth  ser- 
geant; C.  P.  Gordon,  fifth  sergeant;  E.  J.  Goring,  first  corporal;  E.  O'Reil- 
1\-,  second  corporal ;  A.  Pfeil,  third  corporal;  F.  M.  Drinkard,  fourth  corporal ; 
D.  A.  Titah,  fifth  corporal,  and  A.  Winkler,  honorary  member. 

So  far  as  could  he  obtained  the  foregoing  is  a  list  of  the  commissioned  and 
non-commissioned  officers  from  Opelousas  and  the  parisli  of  St.  Landr}*.  It  is 
a  prett}^  long  list  for  a  single  .parish,  and  shows  the  patriotism  of  the  people  in 
those  times  "  of  war  and  rumors  of  war." — Perrin. 


CHAPTER    111. 

Parish  of  St.  Martin — I.ntkoductoky  and  Desctuptive — Early  History — 
Its  Territory  Lopped  Off  to  Form  Other  Civil  Divisions — The 
Civil  War — Soldiers  of  St. Martin — Dark  Days  of  Reconstrlctiox 
— Crop  Statistics — Resources,  Etc. — Parish^Goverxment  Schools 
from  i8ii  to  i86i — Calamities  that  Visited  the  Town — Manufac- 
turing Statistics — Fire  Department — Stores,  Etc. — Catholic 
Church — The  Story  of  Evangeline — Pioneer  Bar  of  St.  Martin — 
.So:me  Prominent  Lawyers — Breaux  Bridge. 

"  Non  loin  de  la,  an  siid,  les  villages  de  St.  Maur  et  St.  Martin,  sont  situes  sur  les  rives  dii  Teclie. 
Le  pays  est  admirable  avec  ses  prairies  ses  foiets  d'aibor  fruitiers  ceux  qui  I'habitent  I'ont  nomnie 
I'Eden  de  l.i  Louisiane,  avec  son  tapis  de  verdure  emailM  de  fleur^,  et  son  ciel  des  plus  azures  qui 
s'incliije,  et  dont  le  dome  s'appuie  sur  les  murailles  des  forets. — Lotigfello-'f  s  Evangeline. 

^-  TMMEDL\TELY  after  the  cession  of  Louisiana  to  the  United  States,  it  was 
rj  or<ranized  as  the  Territory  of  Orleans.  The  population  of  the  Attakapas 
c"  district  amounted  then  to  7369  souls.  Numerous  farms  were  in  success- 
ful operation,  and  its  pasturage  grounds  were  covered  with  immense  vacheries, 
constituting  the  wealth  of  n;iost  of  the  inhabitants,  and  abundant  crops  of  cotton, 
corn,  rice  and  tobacco  were  raised  yearly  and  shipped  to  the  New  Orleans  market. 
Stock  and  cattle  raising  had  been  eminently  successful,  and  countless  droves 
of  cattle  stocked  the  city  market  every  year,  and  were  sold  at  high  prices.  The 
money  market  was  easy,  and  it  may  truly  be  said  that  these  were  the  halc3-on 
days  of  the  Attakapas  region. 

In  1824  the  territory  of  the  parish  of  St.  Martin  was  again  curtailed  by  the 
formation  of  the  parisli  of  Lafaj'ette.  This  division  did  not,  however,  check 
its  prosperous  career,  as  its  wealth  and  population  were  now  increasing  rapidl}'. 
In  the  year  iS44the  parish  of  Vermilion  was  formed,  and  again  tlie  parish  of  St. 
Martin  was  deprived  of  a  large  and  valuable  part  of  its  territory. 

Notwithstanding  the  successive  curtailments  of  its  domain,  the  parish  of  St. 
Martin,  now  thickly  peopled,  held  a  distinguished  rank  among  the  richest  par- 
ishes of  the  State.  The  banks  of  the  Teche  were  embellished  with  the  elegant 
residences  of  its  planters,  whose  large  estates  yielded  enormous  and  most  valuaT 
ble  crops  of  sugar  and  cotton.  Magnificent  boats  ploughed  its  water  courses 
and  an  easy  means  of  communication  was  now  opened  with  the  Citj'-  of  New 
Orleans.  The  value  of  the  lands  had  increased  tenfold.  Such  was  the  pros- 
perous condition  of  tlie  parish  in  1S61  when  the  great  civil  war  broke  out.     The 


Cs  SOUTHWEST  L  OVISIAXA  : 

citizens  ot  tlie  parish  displayed  a  patriotism  worthy  ot  their  aiicesir\',  and  flocked 
to  tlie  standards  of  tlie  Confederate  army. 

One  of  tiie  first  companies  organized  in  the  South  left  this  inirish  early  in 
June,  1861,  for  the  seat  of  war  in  Virginia,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Alcibiades  DeBlanc,  and  was  incorporated  in  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment  as 
Company  C.  Its  captain  was  subsequently  promoted  to  the  colonelc}'  of  the  leg- 
iment  for  meritorious  service  on  the  battle  field.  That  company  took  part  in  all 
the  bloody  battles  tliat  were  fought  in  Virginia  under  the  leadership  of  Stonewall 
Jackson  and  Robert  E.  Lee. 

Another  company,  incorporated  in  the  battalion  ot  the  Orleans  Guards,  won 
gieat  distinction  in  a  memorable  charge  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  led  by  First 
Lieut.  Alfred  Voorhies — others  enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth  and  Twenty-sixth 
T^ouisiana  regiments.  The  former  was  commanded  by  Col.  Alfred  Mouton,  who 
was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General  for  his  braver}'  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  and 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Mansfield,  won  by  his  superior  generalship.  The 
Yellow  Jackets,  Valsin  A.  Fournet,  colonel,  and  Dupeire's  battalion  of  cavalry, 
Mai.  St.  Leon  Dupeire  commanding,  were  also  organized  in  the  parish. 

During  the  four  long  years  that  the  civil  war  was  lasted,  the  lands  remained 
untilled,  and  the  destruction  of  property  in  the  parish  by  the  enemy  was  simply 
appaUing.  The  war  closed,  and  the  gallant  Confederate  soldiers  returned  only 
to  witness  the  desolation  of  their  homes,  with  ruin  and  poverty  staring  them  in 
the  face.  The  dark  da3's  of  reconstruction  added  their  gloom  to  this  alread}' 
gloomy  state  of  affairs,  and  i.i  186S,  St.  Martin  was  again  deprived  ot  a  part  of 
its  territory  by  the  formation  ot  the  parish  of  Iberia. 

Cro/>  Statistics  and  /Resources. — -The  peoph;  of  tlie  parish  of  St.  Martin 
were  not  disheartened  by  these  many  reverses  and  misfortunes,  and  displayed  a 
remarkable  energy  under  the  trying  circumst  mces.  Men  who  had  led  the  easy 
life  of  the  gentleman  before  the  war  became  tillers  of  the  soil.  New  industries 
sprang  up,  and  by  degrees  the  parish  became  once  more  prosperous  and  wealthy. 
Its  vast  territory  of  yore  has  dwindled  to  the  proportions  of  those  of  a  sm  ill 
parish,  and  yet  its  population  now  numbers  18,381  souls.  Its  total  area  is  448,- 
000  acres,  183,000  of  which  were  culti\'ated  as  follows,  in  1S90,  to-wit: 

In  cane,  6000;  in  cotton,  30,000;  in  corn,  55,ooo;in  rice,  700;  in  oats,  500; 
in  liav,  9000;  in  sweet  potatoes,  6000;  in  Irish  potatoes,  1000.  The  \ield  has 
been:  sugar.  7,000,000;  pounds;  molasses,  168,000  gallons;  cotton.  14.000 
bales:  corn,  500,000  bushels;  hay  20,000  bales;  sweet  potatoes,  250,000  bar- 
rels;  Irish  potatoes,  6000  bushels;   rice,  30,000  barrels. 

Its  commerce  in  eggs  and  poultry  is  also  important.  Seventj'-five  thousand 
acres  of  its  tillable  lands  remained  uncultivated  in  1890,  whilst  its  264,800  of 
swamp  lands,  out  of  which  thousands  of  trees  were  floated,  have  produced  an 
enormous  revenue  to  their  owners. 


IIISIORRAL   AXl)  lUOGRAPniCAL.  6!) 

The  parish  of  vSt.  Martin  is  one  of  the  alluvial  parishes  of  tlie  Stale,  beint;- 
situated  in  the  Atchafalaya  basin.  The  lands  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers  and 
bayous  are  generally  high  lands  that  slope  gently  toward  the  back  lands,  which 
are  several  feet  lower.  The  soil  is  of  unsurpassed  fertilitj-,  and  its  timbered 
lands  are  classed  among  tRe  most  valuable  of  the  State.  The  Teche  runs  through 
the  parish  from  north  to  south.  It  lakes  its  source  near  the  Courtableau,  in  tiie 
parish  of  St.  Landry,  and  is  the  main  channel  through  which  the  products  of  the 
land  are  shipped  to  the  New  Orleans  market.  It  is  navigable  the  year  round  to 
St.  Martins\ille,  and  during  the  high  stage  of  the  waters  is  navigable  for  small 
boats  as  far  up  as  LeonvilJe,  sixty  miles  further  up.  Its  banks  average  from 
sixteen  to  twenty  feet  above  low  water  mark,  but  are  not  steep  or  precipitous, 
sloping  gently  to  the  water's  edge.  Stately  oaks  and  gi-aceful  magnolias  line  its 
bank,  and  the  green  foliage  and  snowy  blossoms  of  the  latter  add  their  fresh- 
ness to  the  beauty  of  its  scenerj-  and  landscapes.  Although  quite  narrow  at  St. 
Martinsville,  its  width  not  exceeding  eighty  feet  when  low,  it  widens  by  degrees 
until  it  becomes  a  noble  stream  from  Franklin  to  Pattersonville,  where  it  loses 
itself  in  the  Atchafalaya  River.  The  parish  is  washed  on  the  east  by  a  chain  of 
lakes,  some  of  which  by  their  size  and  depth  are  small  inland  seas. 

Parish  Government. — The  parish  of  St.  Martin  is  administered  by  a  Police 
Jury  composed  of  one  member  from  each  one  of  its  five  wards,  and  which  is  a 
political  corporation  with  powers  clearly  defined  by  the  Legislature.  The  or- 
dinances are  enforced  by  the  courts  when  they  do  not  clash  with  the  provisions  of 
the  State  laws.  Their  police  powers  are  extensive.  The  raising  of  the  parish  tax  is 
a  part  of  their  attributes  and  .duties,  but  the  collection  of  the  tax  is  made  by  (he 
sheriff,  who  is  ex  officio  the  State  tax  collector.  When  the  tax  is  collected  the 
amount  is  turned  over  to  the  parish  for  disbursement  under  the  orders  of  the  Police 
Jur}'.  Police  Jurors  receive  as  emoluments  of  office  $5  a  da}',  besides  mileage, 
whilst  they  are  holdiug  their  sessions.  Police  Juries  throughout  the  State  are 
constituted  boards  of  revision  to  revise  and  correct  the  assessment  lists  of  State 
parish  assessors. 

Public  Scliooh. — Our  system  of  public  schools,  remai  kable  for  its  simplicity, 
has  given  an  impetus  to  education  in  Louisiana  which  has  been  productive  of 
the  best  results.  There  is  a  marked  amelioration  in  the  organization  of  our 
schools  and  in  the  manner  of  conducting  them.  The  selection  of  teachers  has 
been  most  happy,  and  the  school  facilities  afforded  to  the  people  for  the  diffusion 
of  knowledge  among  them  and  for  the  enlightenment  and  cultivation  of  their 
minds  are  greater  now  than  the}'  have  ever  been  in  the  State. 

The  State  Board  of  Education  is  composed  of  the  Governor,  the  Lieutenant 
Governor,  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  Attorney  General,  the  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Education,  and  two  citizens  of  the  United  States  who  have  resided 
two  years  in  the  State.  The  Governor  appoints  the  two  citizens.  Thus  constituted, 


70  S0C77IWES7'  L O UJSI. YNA  : 

tlie  State  Scliool  Board  is  a  practical  corporation  possessing  all  the  rights,  pie- 
rogatives  and  powers  which  are  the  attributes  of  such  corporations.  It  makes 
all  needful  rules  and  regulatiDns  for  the  government  of  free  public  schools,  and 
for  the  examination  and  employment  of  teachers.  It  selects,  chooses  and 
recommends  series  of  text  books  and  apparatus,  which  shall  be  used  in  the 
schools.  It  prescribes  forms  for  all  statistical  reports  of  an}'^  kind  required  of 
officers  connected  with  the  administration  of  the  free  public  schools;  appoints 
parish  School  Boards,  to  be  composed  of  five  and  not  more  than  nine  members. 

The  parish  School  Boards  are  political  corporations,  with  the  right  of  select- 
ing their  own  presidents, and  to  appoint  parish  school  superintendents,  which  are 
ex  ojficio  secretaries  of  the  boards.  Their  duty  is  to  divide  the  parishes  into  school 
districts,  and  to  apportion  the  schoolfunds  among  the  several  districts  in  propor- 
tion to  the  number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  six  and  eighteen  3-ears.  To 
require  from  each  member  a  quarterly  report  to  the  board  of  the  actual  condition, 
prospects  and  needs  of  the  schools  of  the  ward  in  which  he  resides.  To  appoint 
committees  to  examine  personally  all  candidates  for  teacherships  in  the  schools. 
To  i^rovide  school  houses,  furniture  and  apparatus  for  the  schools.  To  adjust 
and  fix  the  salaries  of  teachers.  To  dismiss  any  pupils  from  the  free  public 
schools  for  gross  immorality,  or  persistent  violation  of  the  regulations  of  the 
school.  To  appoint  all  the  teachers  of  the  public  schools,  and  lastlj^  to  make  to 
the  State  a  yearly  report  containing  a  full  and  complete  statement  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  scliools,  and  the  number  of  pupils  in  attendance  during  the  }'ear. 

The  general  exercises  in  the  public  schools  are  conducted  in  the  English 
language,  and  also  the  elementary  branches  taught  therein.  The  school  fund 
consists  of  (i)  an  annual  poll  tax  of  one  dollar  per  capita  upon  every  male  in- 
liabitant  in  the  State  over  twenty-one  j^ears.  (2)  The  interest  on  the  proceeds 
of  all  public  lands  heretofore  granted  by  the  United  States  for  school  purposes, 
or  (3)  which  may  be  granted,  bequeathed  or  donated  hereafter  for  that  purpose. 
(4)  All  funds  or  property  other  than  unimproved  lands  bequeathed  or  granted  to 
the  State,  not  designated  for  other  purposes.  (5)  The  proceeds  of  vacant  estates 
falling  under  the  law  to  tlie  State  of -Louisiana.  (6)  A  certain  amount  set  apart 
frcun  the  amount  of  State  taxes  collected;  besides  (7)  a  certain  amount  set  apart 
from  the  amount  of  parish  taxes  collected.  The  number  of  schools  in  the  parisli 
is  as  follows:  white  schools,  twelve;  colored  schools,  twelve.  There  are  no 
mixed  schools  in  the  parish. 

St.  Martinsville  from  iSii  to  1S61. — St.  Martinsville,  the  seat  of  justice, 
had  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  prosperity  of  the  parish.  From  the  obscure 
Poste  des  Attakapas  it  had  grown  to  be  a  town  of  some  importance  in  181 1.  Its 
population  increased  steadily  until  the  year  1S43,  when  it  was  incorporated.  Its 
situation  at  the  head  of  na\'igation  on  the  Teche  made  it  the  commercial  mart,  not 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  71 

only  of  the  parish,  but  also  of  the  adjoining  parishes,  which  then  did  not  possess 
the  railroad  facilities  of  to-day. 

Tiie  refinement  of  its  people,  their  politeness  and  sociabilit}-,  had  won  for  it 
the  name  of  "  Le  petit  Paris,"  by  wliich  it  was  known  throu<![hout  the  State.  It 
possessed  a  branch  of  the  Louisiana  Stale  Bank,  and  had  the  neatness  of  a  town 
and  the  appearance  of  a  city.  Hither  the  best  Creole  families  of  the  State  re- 
paired every  3'ear,  attracted  by  the  gaieties  of  the  place.  Here  also  the  artists 
of  the  New  Orleans  French  Opera  spent  their  vacations,  regaling  their  audiences 
with  selections  from  the  best  operas,  and  delighting  them  with  the  performance 
of  the  witty  comedies  of  the  French  Repertoire.  It  was,  in  those  times,  a 
fashionable  summer  resort,  and  during  the  entire  season  there  was  a  succession 
of  amusements,  the  equal  of  which  are  seen  only  in  great  cities. 

Its  prosperous  condition,  the  great  commercial  advantages  of  its  situation, 
every  thing  seemed  to  point  to  a  bright  future  for  the  rising  cit}',  but  these 
promises  soon  vanished,  and  its  prosperous  career  was  checked  and  its  com- 
merce crippled  b}''  a  series  of  disasters  which  brought  it  to  the  very  brink 
of  ruin  and  of  desolation.  In  1S55  it  was  visited  by  a  yellow  fever  epidemic 
which  decimated  its  population.  The  gloom  of  this  calamity  was  scarcely  being 
dispelled  when  a  most  disastrous  fire  swept  away  the  entire  business  portion  of 
the  town.  To  complete  the  horror  of  the  scene,  fourteen  persons  perished 
miserably  in  the  flames.  The  year  following,  on  the  loth  of  August,  a  hurricane 
of  untold  violence  destro3'ed  the  crops  of  the  parish  and  scattered  ruin  and 
desolation  in  its  path.  Shortly  afterward  the  civil  war  broke  out.  Alter- 
nately occupied  by  Federal  and  Confederate  troops,  during  that  eventful  period 
its  commerce  was  completely  paralyzed.  The  bridge  that  spanned  the  Teche 
was  burnt  down  b}'^  the  Federal  soldiers  and  the  wanton  destruction  of  the  prop- 
erty of  its  inliabitants  was  the  finishing  blow  to  its  prosperity. 

Since  the  war  it  has  recovered  slowly  from  these  successive  calamities. 
Although  its  growth  has  not  been  as  rapid  as  that  of  the  neighboring  towns,  it 
has  progressed  steadily  and  has  more  than  doubled  in  size  and  population.  Its 
commerce  is  increasing,  and  the  branch  road  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  which  taps 
the  Teche,  has  made  it  the  shipping  point  of  all  the  freight  of  the  parish.  Its 
population  now  numbers  2000  souls.  Besides  the  court  house  and  other  public 
buildings,  there  are  in  the  town  a  public  market,  two  private  markets,  seventy- 
eight  stores,  and  two  drug  stores.  Its  lodge  of  Knights  of  Honor  is  prosperous, 
and  there  are  besides  two  colored  benevolent  associations.  Its  high  school 
house  is  a  substantial  two  story-buildiug  with  a  large  attendance  of  pupils.  The 
convent  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  has  an  attendance  of  over  three  hundred  child- 
ren and  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  most  important  educational  institutions  of 
the  State. 

Vigilance  Coiiiniittees. — Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  event   that  occurred 


1-2  SOUT/nVESl'  L  OUISIANA  : 

in  ante-bellum  clays,  in  the  Teche  region,  was  the  upiisiiig"  of  the  people,  their 
organization  as  vigilance  committees,  and  the  absolute  power  exercised  b}'  them 
over  the  district  during  six  months,  despite  the  interference  of  the  Governor  of 
the  State, whose  proclamation  they  heeded  not,  and  whose  orders  they  spurned. 
The  causes  which  led  to  that  revolution  must  have  been  grave  ones  indeed. 
A  people  will  not  resort  to  measures  so  extreme  as  to  subvert  the  State  govern- 
ment, and  to  constitute  themselves  a  sovereign  power  w'ith  judicial  and  executive 
prerogatives,  unless  driven  to  this  rash  act  b}'  reasons  of  the  most  weighty  na- 
ture. Without  discussing  those  reasons,  we  will  now  attempt  to  chronicle  the 
occurrences  of  that  revolution,  occurrences  with  a  part  of  which  we  are  familiar, 
having  been  an  eye  witness  of  their  happening  in  tliose  days  of  trouble  and  of 
turmoil.  The  following  pages  will  contain  the  dark  side  of  tlie  picture  that  we 
have  drawn  of  the  Teche  region. 

The  rapid  increase  of  tlie  population  in  tiie  Teche  region  was  clue,  in  a 
great  measure,  to  an  active  immigration  from  the  other  States  of  the  Union,  as 
well  as  from  the  old  European  countries,  principally  France,  Spain  and  Ger- 
many. These  emigrants  were  mostly  poor,  but  as  a  general  rule  they  proved 
a  A'aluable  accession  to  the  population,  being  either  good  mechanics  or  hard 
working  and  honest  laborers.  As  much,  however,  can  not  be  said  of  all  these 
emigrants.  Some  of  these  new  comers,  socialists  of  the  worst  type,  had  brouglit 
along  with  them,  across  the  Atlantic,  those  pernicious  theories  and  principles 
which  rendered  their  living  impossible  in  tlie  mother  country.  Having  ingrati- 
ated themselves  with  the  poor  and  ignorant  element  of  the  population,  they  were 
soon  at  work,  inculcating  in  the  minds  of  those  people  the  beauties  and  advan- 
tages of  socialism,  the  main  principle  of  which  is  the  elimination  of  the  mine 
and  ihine  from  the  vocabularv  of  moralit}-,  and  the  substitution  of  the  word  ours 
in  lieu  thereof. 

Among  the  poor  and  ignorant  class  were  men  who  bore  the  name  of  the 
most  respected  and  withal  respectable  families  of  the  Slate;  but  their  hearts 
were  demoralized  by  the  withering  influence  of  poverty  and  want,  and  they  lent 
but  too  willing  an  ear  to  these  poisonous  theories.  The  bad  instincts  of  their 
hearts  were  roused.  They  were  singularly  taken  up  with  the  principle  that  all 
things  should  be  l>eld  in  common.  The  diffusion  of  this  pernicious  doctrine 
among  them  produced  the  most  disastrous  effects.  They  began  to  look  with 
distrust  and  jealousy  on  their  more  wealthy  neighbors.  They  familiarized  them- 
selves, by  degrees,  to  the  idea  that  they  were  justified  in  taking  their  neighbor's 
property,  provided  they  could  avoid  detection.  Between  so  flattering  a  theory 
and  the  carrjdng  it  out,  there  is  but  a  step,  an  imaginar}-  line.  This  line  was 
soon  obliterated. 

.Small  marauding  parties  were  formed — the  thieving  was  carried  out  on  a  small 
scale  at  fiist — a  few  cattle  were  stolen  at  niglit  and  either  slain  or  sold  to  parties 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  73 

residing  in  the  neighboring  parishes.  But,  as  the  marauders  grew  bolder  by 
success,' tiie  thefts  and  robberies  increased  rapidly  in  number  and  magnitude. 
Other  marauding  parties  were  formed,  their  membership  increased  steadily, 
until  b^'  consolidating  themselves  together,  they  created  an  organization,  whose 
ramifications  extended  over  the  whole  Attakapas  region.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  mili- 
tary organization,  with  its  grand  chief  and  subordinate  officers.  Thus  equipped 
and  disciplined,  the  marauders  became  more  daring  and  aggressive.  Although  thev 
prowled  at  night  like  wolves,  sweeping  the  Attakapas  prairies,  they  took  no 
measures  to  avoid  detection — whole  herds  of  cattle  were  corraled,  and  driven  to 
the  market  in  broad  daylight. 

Tlie  people  of  the  district  became  alarmed  at  this  state  of  affairs.  Tlie  law 
had  become  powerless  to  check  the  evil,  and  things  had  assumed  a  most  threat- 
ening aspect.  Marauders  detected  in  the  act,  and  prosecuted  criminally,  had 
been  acquitted  by  the  jury,  although  the  evidence  of  their  guilt  had  been  estab-' 
lished  be3-ond  peradventure.  The  following  anecdotes  are  illustrative  of  the  sit- 
uation in  the  district  at  that  period:  A  planter  came  suddenly  upon  a  thief,  a 
neighbor  of  his,  who  had  slain  a  cow,  and  who  was  in  the  act  of  carrying  away 
the  meat. 

"Tills  is  m}'  cow."'  said  the  planter,    "  I  shall  prosecute  you  for  larceny."' 

"  Pshaw!  "  said  the  thief,  "3-ou  are  too  intelligent  to  do  that." 

"  Too  intelligent!  Whj',  do  you  mean  to  say  this  is  not  my  cow?" 

••  It  may  have  been  once,"  answered  the  neighbor,  "  but  it  is  mine  now." 

'•  What,"  said  the  planter,  "  this  is  j'our  cow?" 

"  Certainly  it  is;  you  have  sold  her  to  me,  and  I  have  paid  you  the  price,  in 
the  presence  of  witnesses." 

"  Monstrous !  Your  witnesses  will  swear  to  a  lie  I  You  know  that  this  cow 
belongs  to  me!     I  will  prosecute  all  the  same." 

"  Do  just  as  you  please,"'  said  the  neiglibor,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  as  he 
went  away  with  the  meat.  He  was  prosecuted,  but  true  to  his  word,  he  produced  in 
court  seven  witnesses,  who  swore  tliat  he  had  purchased  the  cow  and  h  id  paid 
the  price  in  their  presence.      He  was  acquitted. 

The  favorite  cow  of  a  planter  missing  one  morning,  he  walked  over  the  prai- 
rie surrounding  his  farm,  in  quest  of  her.  Having  gone  as  far  as  a  little  store 
kept  by  a  Frenchman  on  the  highway  four  or  five  miles  distant  from  his  planta- 
tion, to  his  great  surprise  he  found  the  hide  of  the  cow,  freshly  skinned  hanging 
on  the  fence. 

"  Where  did  3'ou  get  that  hide?"   said  he  to  the  merchant. 

"  I  have  just  bought  it." 

"From   whom?     It    is   the   hide   of   my   cow   that   was  stolen  last  night." 

"  Had  you  come  a  little  sooner,  you  would  have  seen  j-ourself  the  person 
who  sold  it  to  me;  he  has  just  left,  but  I  can  not  give  his  name." 


74  SOTTHWEST  L  OUISIAXA  : 

"  Be  careful,"  said  the  planter.  "  The  hide  is  in  your  possession.  This  is 
a  pretty  strong  presumption  that  you  have  stolen  tliat  cow;  the  more  so  that  3'ou 
refuse  to  give  the  name  of  him  that  sold  the  hide  to  you." 

"  I  can  not  give  his  name,"  repeated  the  merchant. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  planter,  "  the  grand  jury  will  investigate  this  matter." 

The  Frenchman  was  indicted  for  larcenj'.  He  was  warned  by  his  attorney 
to  disclose  tlie  name  of  the  thief,  to  avoid  being  convicted.  He  stubbornly 
refused  to  speak.  The  case  was  tried,  the  evidence  was  direct  and  conclusive, 
and  3'et  he  was  acquitted.  During  the  whole  trial  he  had  sho\\n  no  nervousness, 
and  his  acquittal  seemed  to  be  no  matter  of  surprise  to  him.  Being  asked  by  his 
counsel  to  explain  how  the  jury  could  have  rendered  such  a  verdict,  he  smiled 
and  said:  "  I  can  speak  now,  although  I  will  give  no  names.  The  man  that  sold 
me  the  hide  was  on  that  jury,  and  there  was,  besides  him,  five  others  who  belong 
'  to  his  gang.  I  was  sure  of  an  acquittal.  Had  I  given  his  name,  my  store  would 
now  be  a  mass  of  ashes,  and  I  would  probabh'  be  dead.  I  thought  it  more 
prudent  to  take  mj'  chances." 

These  two  anecdotes,  well  authenticated,  serve  to  show  the  exact  state  of 
affairs  in  the  Teche  region  in  1859-  The  courts,  although  presided  over  by 
honest  and  able  judges,  were  powerless  to  reach  the  violators  of  the  law,  pro- 
tected as  they  were  by  perjured  witnesses  and  corrupt  jurors,  and  crime,  parad- 
ing its  ugliness  in  broad  daylight,  went  unwhipped  of  justice.  The  people,  to 
tlieir  great  disma}^,  had  found  that  they  were  encompassed  b}^  an  organization 
composed  of  bandits  of  the  worst  type,  extending  over  the  five  Attakapas  par- 
islies,  and  having  affiliations  even  in  the  ranks  of  the  best  societv.  This  state 
of  affairs  demanded  immediate  and  energetic  action — unless  checked,  this  grow- 
ing evil  might  pervade  the  whole  body,  politic  and  social,  and  be  productive  of 
the  most  disastrous  results.  In  this  emergency  tlie  people  did  not  hesitate,  but 
rose  in  a  bodj'  for  self-protection,  as  well  as  to  wage  a  merciless  war  upon  the 
bandits  who  had  thrown  the  gauntlet  to  society.  They  decided  that  henceforth 
no  violator  should  be  subjected  to  the  judicial  farce  of  a  criminal  trial  before  the 
State  courts,  but  that  these  trials  should  be  carried  before  the  tribunals  of  the 
sovereign  people.  A  code  of  laws,  as  short  and  almost  as  severe  as  the  Dra- 
conean  code,  was  adopted.  Its  provisions  were  easy  of  interpretation,  and  tlie 
penalties  provided  for,  of  easj-  application.     Tlie  lash  I     Exile  !     The  rope  I 

The  people  had  now  organized  as  vigilance  committees,  to  carr}-  out  their 
plan,  and  issued  the  following  proclamation,  in  which  their  objects  and  purposes 
are  concisely  and  clearl}'  set  forth.  We  translate  from  the  original  documents 
in  our  possession  : 

PROCLAMATION. 

Fellow  Citizens!  Having  organized  ourselves  as  vigilance  committees,  that 
is,  having  constituted  ourselves  as  a  tribunal,  entirely  independent  of  the  other 


\ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  lb 

tribunals  created  by  the  law,  we  owe  it  to  ourselves,  as  well  as  to  3'ou,  to  give  tlie 
reasons  that  have  driven  us  into  the  revolutionary  movement  that  we  have  inauf- 
urated.  We  address  ourselves  to  the  honest  people  of  the  State,  our  peers  in 
integril\',  and  who,  hke  us,  bow  in  sweet  reverence  to  the  laws  enacted  for  the 
protection  of  society.  We  would  blush  to  give  any  explanation  either  to  the 
bandits  who  infest  this  district  or  to  their  frieads  and  accomplices.  We  incline 
ourselves  before  that  justice — that  saintly  justice  that  shields  the  innocent  and 
strikes  the  yuilty;  we  look  in  her  face  .without  fear,  fellow  citizens,  because  we 
have  violated  none  of  those  duties  that  society  imposes  on  its  members.  This 
being  premised,  we  veil  her  statue  so  often  insulted  and  spat  upon  bj-  the 
bandits,  and  we  sa}-  to  those,  who,  like  us,  have  at  heart  the  prosperity  of  their 
native  State:  Fellow  citizens,  we  have  been  subjected  to  a  system  of  rapine  and 
plunder  without  parallel  in  the  history  of  this  country;  our  property  is  destroyed 
daily  and  hourly;  our  houses  are  burglarized  and  rifled  of  their  contents;  crime 
has  its  army  in  our  midst,  with  its  generals,  officers  and  soldiers.  We  will  tell 
}ou  bluntly  how  it  is  that  crime  holds  its  high  carnival  in  our  midst.  The  jury 
has  failed  most  miserabh"  in  its  mission.  It  has  been  guilty  in  the  face  of  God 
and  of  society  of  the  abominable  crime  of  perjury — for  when  jurors  acquit 
those  whose  guilt  is  established  beyond  peradventure  they  commit  the  crime  of 
perjur\-,  and  place  themselves  on  a  level  with  those  they  have  acquitted.  Is  it 
not  to  3'our  knowledge,  fellow  citizens,  thatsucli  verdicts  are  of  daily  occurrence 
in  our  courts  of  justice?  If  t1ais  criminal  indulgence  of  the  jury  had  no  other 
effect  than  tiiat  of  saving  a  few  miscreants  from  the  penitentiary,  we  wDuld 
qualify  it  merelv  as  a  weakness  without  a  name.  But  verdicts  rendered  con- 
trar}'  to  tlie  most  convincing  evidence  find  an  echo  in  the  hearts  of  the  corrupt 
people  of  the  district;  the  acquittal  of  a  bandit  is  a  premium  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  vice,  and  opens  a  new  field  for  the  perpetration  of  crime.  •'  He  that 
sows  the  wind  shall  reap  the  whirlwind,"  says  tlie  Scripture.  Our  district  is  an 
eloquent  proof  of  this.  As  soon  as  the  law  became  powerless  for  the  repres- 
sion-of  crime,  what  have  we  seen?  The  boldest  robberies  committed  at  night; 
in  the  daytime,  everywhere  and  at  all  times.  We  have  seen  tlie  assassin  and 
the  incendiary  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  thief  and  of  the  robber;  we 
have  seen  corruption  festering  in  our  midst  and  extending  its  pestilential  stench 
to  the  very  core  of  society.  Do  we  exaggerate,  fellow  citizens?  The  bandits  have 
a  numerous  and  intelligent  army,  with  chieftains,  shrouded  in  the  dark,  but 
issuing  orders  that  are  obeyed  without  hesitation  b}^  the  soldiers.  It  is  a  mixing 
of  whites  and  blacks,  a  confused  mass  of  thieves  and  assassins,  standing 
shoulder  to  shoulder  in  their  programme  of  rapine,  of  plunder  and  of  incen- 
diarism, each  one  concurring  to  the  ultimate  success  of  the  organization — crops, 
cattle,  everything  in  fact  that  constitutes  the  riches  and  welfare  of  our  laborious 
population  is  exposed  to  the  depredations  of  these  bandits. 


7(;  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIAXA  : 

In  this  cruel  emergenc}'  were  we  to  await  supinely  for  the  action  of  the 
courts  to  check  this  growing  evil,  when  every  one  knows  that  our  courts  are 
powerless  to  protect  us  with  jurors  who  acquit  the  worst  criminals,  although 
there  be  superabundance  of  proof  of  their  guilt?  No!  We  have  banded 
together  for  self-protection,  and  the  law  of  self-protection  is  supreme  —and 
armed  henceforth  with  the  sword  of  justice,  we  have  organized  temporarih'  as 
a  tribunal  for  the  trial  of  bandits  and  of  violators  of  the  law.  We  have  called 
ourselves  vigilance  committees,  and  our.  programme  contains  but  one  word: 
chastisement.  The  lash  and  the  rope  shall  be  our  arms — both  terrible  and 
dishonorable  chastisements.  Our  organization  is  that  of  honest}'  against  dis- 
honesty, of  society  against  crime,  and  we  fear  neither  the  censure  of  men  nor 
the  wrath  of  our  enemies. 

Now,  fellow  citizens,  if  you  still  hope  to  save  from  rapine  and  plunder  that 
which  j'ou  have  earned  by  your  labor,  if  you  wish  to  restore  our  corrupt  society 
to  a  healthy  standard  bj'  branding  with  the  infamy  of  exile  or  of  the  lash  the 
men  whose  presence  in  our  midst  is  an  insult  to  public  morality  and  a  danger  to 
our  families,  follow  our  example;  fellow  citizens,  join  us  in  our  holy  crusade 
against  vice  and  immorality,  against  rapine  and  incendiarism,  and  let  us,  with 
the  lash,  print  on  the  back  of  those  wretches  a  catalogue  of  their  crimes. 

]\Iarch  i6,  iSjg.  By  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  effect  produced  by  the  issuance  of  this  proclamation  was  immense, 
and  it  created  a  stir  in  the  whole  State.  The  action  of  these  men  was  discussed 
by  the  whole  press,  which  went  wild  on  the  question.  The  vigilants  found 
warm  supporters  in  the  city  press  and  to  a  large  extent  in  the  country  press,  but 
heeding  neither  friends  nor  foes  they  did  not  allow  themselves  to  be  deterred 
from  the  object  they  had  in  view.  The  proclamation  struck  terror  in  the  ranks 
of  the  organized  banditti,  and  many  of  them,  without  awaiting  the  action  of  tlie 
vigilants,  sought  their  safety  in  flight. 

The  step  taken  by  the  people  was  a  bold  one,  and  savored  of  revolution, 
but  they  must  not  be  judged  too  harshly  and  with  too  much  levity — a  revolution, 
whether  on  a  small  or  on  a  large  scale,  has  alwa3's  a  parent  cause,  and  that 
parent  was  certainly  set  forth  in  the  proclamation  issued  by  the  vigilants.  The 
investigations  made  by  them  developed  startling  facts,  on  which  our  restricted 
space  does  not  allow  us  to  comment.  Enough  of  evidence  was  collected, 
however,  to  trace  the  disastrous  fire  that  swept  awa}-  the  business  portion  of  St. 
Martinsville  in  1855,  ^"^  ^"  which  fourteen  persons  perished  miserably,  to  the 
parties  who  subsequently  assumed  the  names  of  anti-viyalants. 

Vigilance  committees  were  organized,  not  onlj^  in  the  parishes  of  St.  Mar- 
tin and  of  Lafayette,  but  also  in  Vermilion,  St.  Landry  and  Calcasieu.  The 
uprising  was  so   great,    that    the  organization    could  marshal  from  three  to  four 


HISTORICAL   AXn  B IOC, KAPlflCAL.  77 

thousand  men,  well  armed  and  disciplined.  The  most  prominent  citizens  in 
those  parishes  took  the  lead  in  the  movement,  and  the  work  of  regeneration 
progressed  rapidly.  Many  of  the  marauders  underwent  the  penalty  of  the  lash  ; 
others  were  driven  away  into  exile,  and  during  six  months  the  whole  Teche  re- 
gion was  on  a  war  footing  and  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement. 

The  bandits  were  demoralized,  but  the  indiscreet  zeal  of  certain  officials, 
and  the  interference  of  the  Governor  of  the  State,  infused  new  life  in  their 
ranks;  a  quasi  civil  war  ensued,  which  might  have  been  productive  of  the  most 
serious  results  had  not  the,  bandits  lacked  in  manhood  what  the}'  possessed  in 
low  and  degrading  instincts.  On  the  28th  of  Ma}',  1859,  the  following  procla- 
mation was  issued  by  the  Governor  of  Louisiana  : 

PROCLAMATION. 

Whereas,  oflicial  information  has  been  conveyed  to  us  by  tlie  District  Attor- 
ney of  the  Fourteentli  Judicial  District  of  Louisiana,  that  a  certain  number  of 
persons  of  the  parishes  of  Vermilion  and  of  St.  Martin,  organized  as  vigilance 
committees,  have  in  violation  of  the  law  committed  sundry  outrages  on  persons, 
and  have  been  guilty  of  depredations  on  the  property  of  citizens  of  these 
parishes,  and  have  resisted  the  officers  of  the  law  who  have  attempted  to  put  a 
stop  to  their  illgal  proceedings;   and 

Whereas,  it  appears  that  the  officers  of  courts  of  justice  have  been  unable 
to  bring  these  violators  of  the  law  before  the  courts,  with  the  means  within  their 
reach.  Now,  therefore,  I  have  thought  proper  to  issue  this  my  proclamation  to 
invite  these  committees  to  disband  and  disperse,  and  I  call  on  all  the  good  citi- 
zens of  the  State  to  lend  their  assistance  for  the  arrest  and  prosecution  of  these 
violators  of  the  law. 

Gi\'en  under  our  signature  and  the  seal  of  the  State  at  Baton  Rouge,  this  28th 
dav  of  May,  A.  D.  1859,  and  the  eighty-third  year  of  the  independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America.  By  the   Governor: 

Andrew  S.  Herron,  Secretary  of  State.  Robert  C.  Wickliffe. 

TJie  people  heeded  not  this  proclamation,  wliich  had,  however,  a  most  disas- 
trous effect  on  that  class  of  people  who  were  in  opposition  to  the  vigilance  com- 
mittees. It  was  received  by  them  with  applause  aud  rejoicings.  Imagining  that 
the  Governor  was  preparing  to  advance  to  their  rescue  with'  the  State  militia, 
they  threw  aside  all  reserve,  and  banding  themselves  together  as  anti-vigilants, 
prepared  openly  for  an  aggressive  campaign  against  the  vigilants.  For  this 
purpose,  they  collected  a  large  quantity  of  arms  and  ammunition  on  the  farm 
ot  one  Emilien  Lagrange  on  Bavou  Queue  Tortue  in  the  parish  of  St.  Landry, 
this  being  also  the  place  assigned  for  their  rendezvous.  Over  eighteen  hundred 
anii-vigilants,  well  armed  and  equipped,  assembled  tlie're  on  the  3d  of  Septem- 
ber. 1859,  ft^-'dy  tor  their  onward  march  to  the  town  of  Lafayette,  which  was  to 


78  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

be  burnt  to  ashes  after  having  been  abandomed  to  pillage  and  to  all  the  hor- 
rors of  a  captured  town  in  time  of  war. 

But  while  the  antis  were  thus  caressing  fondly  their  dream  of  vengeance, 
the  vigilants  had  been  on  the  alert,  and  had  watched  their  movements  closel}'. 
On  the  third  of  September  the  \igilants,  five  hundred  strong,  sallied  out  of  the 
town  of  Lafaj'ette  in  three  columns,  under  the  leadership  of  Alfred  Mouton,  a 
graduate  of  West  Point,  he  who  subsequentl}-  died  so  gloriously  on  the  battje 
field  of  Mansfield.  They  had  with  them  a  twenty-four  brass  pounder  and  one 
hundred  rounds  of  ammunition.  This  little  army  \\'as  composed  of  detachments 
from  the  various  companies  of  the  organization,  the  chiefs  having  decided  that 
this  force  was  sufficient  for  the  emergenc}'.  This  gallant  little  band  had  sallied 
out  before  day,  and  had  received  orders  to  advance  with  the  least  possible  noise, 
to  avoid  detection,  as  the  plan  was  to  take  the  antis  by  surprise.  On  its  way  it 
was  reinforced  by  two  hundred  men  from  St.  Landry,  and  the  whole  force  now 
numbered  seven  hundred  men.  Owing  to  unavoidable  delavs  on  the  road,  it 
was  broad  da3light  when  Bajou  Queue  Tortue  was  reached,  the  antis,  drawn 
up  in  battle  array,  seemingly  ready  to  withstand  the  assault  of  their  eneni}-. 

A  deadly  silence  prevailed  and  a  battle  was  imminent,  when,  for  the  purpose 
of  avoiding  a  useless  effusion  of  blood,  Governor  Alexander  Mouton  proposed 
to  hold  a  parle}'  with  the  chiefs  of  the  antis.  This  was.  acceded  to,  and  Governor 
Mouton,  with  Major  St.  Julien,  Captain  Valmont  Richard  and  Lieutenant  Steak, 
advanced  toward  the  antis,  walking  up  to  the  fence  which  enclosed  Lagrange's 
house.  This  was  a  one-story  house,  surrounded  by  a  shed.  It  was  "  cat  and 
claj-ed,"  and  pierced  with  loop  holes.  The  shining  barrels  of  guns  could  be 
seen  pointed  toward  the  new  comers,  read\'  to  be  fired  at  any  morrient.  La- 
grange and  Jones,  two  anti  chieftains,  came  to  the  fence  — 

"  What  do  )^ou  wish,  gentlemen?"  said  Lagrange. 

"We  have  come,"  said  the  Governor,  '-to  find  out  the  object  of  j'our 
meeting." 

"It  is  nothing  but  a  political  meeting,"  answered  Lagrange. 

"A  political  meeting!  Wh}',  we  have  no  elections  this  year.  But  I  see  that 
j'ou  are  armed  to  the  teeth.  Political  meetings  are  generally  held  without  guns. 
It  may  be  that  you  have  cannons  also?  " 

"We  are  too  poor  to  buy  cannons,"  answered  Jones;  "  we  meet  here  to-da\' 
because  we  have  a  constitutional  right  to  do  so." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Governor,  "  but  you  liave  among  you  *  *  *  * 
men  that  have  received  orders  to  leave  the  State  ;  men  that  we  intend  to  chastise 
severely  for  their  disobedience  to  our  orders." 

"We  know  not  these  men,"  answered  Jones. 

"Then  you  refuse  to  deliver  them  up?"     Lagrange  answered  evasively. 

"  Governor,"  said  St.  Julien,  "  what  is  the  use  of  parleying  with  these  men. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  7» 

since  they  refuse  to  deliver  tlieir  friends;  let  us  return  to  our  post  and  open 
fire  at  once.'" 

"  Lagrange,"  said  the  Governor,  "  it  were  well  that  you  should  send  away 
the  women  and  children  I  see  in  your  yard;  we  have  come  to  fight  men,  and  not 
children:  '"  and  then  he  added,  "  the  responsibility  of  what  follows  is  yours,  not 
ours."" 

The  Governor  and  his  escort  returned  to  their  posts,  the  little  army  was 
deployed  for  action,  the  cannon  was  unmasked,  and  when  the  lighted  match  was 
about  to  be  applied  to  it  there  followed  in  the  camp  of  the  antis  a  scene  of  con- 
fusion which  beggars  description.  Panic  stricken  the  antis  fied  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  their  army  had  melted  away  in  the  air  ;  the  sight  of  the  cannon  had  produced 
that  most  unexpected  result.  The  battle  had  been  won  without  shedding  a  drop 
of  blood.  Then  a  helter-skelter  race  took  place  in  the  prairie,  in  the  wood,  along 
the  bayou,  between  the  panic  stricken  antis  and  the  vigilants,  who  captured  over 
two  hundred  prisoners,  and  over  a  thousand  small  arms,  guns  and  revolvers. 
The  battle  was  over,  and  excepting  eight}'  prisoners,  the  balance  of  the  antis 
were  released  and  allowed  to  return  to  their  homes. 

Tlie  prisoners  were  closely  examined  separately  and  the  testimony  of  each 
one  of  them  coincided  with  that  of  the  others,  and,  being  condensed,  established 
the  fact  that  their  plan  was  to  overrun  the  parish  of  Lafayette,  to  incite  the  ne- 
groes to  revolt  against  their  masters,  to  burn  and  sack  all  the  plantations  on  their 
way  to  Lafaj'ette,  and  plunder  the  safes  of  Alexander  Mouton,  Emile  Mouton, 
"V.  A.  Martin,  Gerassin  Bernard,  Alexandre  Latcolais,  Camille  Doucet,  Francois 
D'Aigle  and  others,  all  of  whom  were  doomed,  besides,  to  a  cruel  death;  and 
lastly  to  plunder  the  town  of  Lafayette  and  reduce  it  to  ashes  after  having  aban- 
doned it  to  all  the  horrors  of  a  town  taken  by  assault. 

The  vigilants,  not  wishing  to  use  extreme  measures  against  deluded  men 
who  had  made  a  clean  breast  of  their  guilt,  condemned  them  to  the  penalty  of 
the  lash,  and  then  ordered  them  to  leave  the  State. 

The  battle  of  Queue  Tortue,  as  this  battle  of  the  spurs  is  called,  was  a  de- 
cisive blow  to  the  pretensions  of  the  antis,  and  secured  forever  the  supremacy 
of  the  law  in  the  Teche  region.  The  end  aimed  at  by  the  vigilance  committees 
had  been  attained  ;  the  bandit  organization  had  been  scattered  to  the  four  winds  : 
peace  and  quiet  had  been  restored:  life  and  property  were  now  protected,  and 
these  men,  who  had  spurned  the  interference  of  the  Governor  in  this  crusade  of 
virtue  against  crime,  disbanded  ot  their  own  accord. 

Manufacturing  Induslries. — Its  oil  mill  and  refinery  of  St.  Martin  is  the  largest 
in  the  state  outside  of  the  citj'  of  New  Orleans.  It  runs  da}'  and  night  during  eight 
months  of  the  year  and  presses  daily  thirty  five  barrels  of  cotton  seed  oil,  which 
are  immediately  clarified,  whilst  an  immense  quantity  of  oilcake  and  cotton  seed 
meal  is  shipped  to  Liverpool  and  other  foreign   markets.      There  is  also  a  steam 


so  S  O  UTII  WES  T  LO  UISIA  NA  : 

cotton  gin  and  a  steam  mill  in  successful  operation  in  the  town.      The  fire    de 
partment  is  well  organized  and  effective.      There  are  three  volunteer    fire  com- 
panies, and  the  the  town  possesses  a  first-class  fire  engine,  "Evangeline." 

The  town  council  is  composed  of  five  trustees,  elected  yearly  by  the  people. 
The  meetings  are  presided  over  by  the  mayor.  The  mayor  has  judicial  powers 
and  sits  as  a  magistrate  on  the  trial  of  all  police  matters,  and  of  violations  of  the 
town  laws  and  ordinances. 

There  are  four  practising  physicians  in  the  town.  Travelers  find  neces- 
sary accomodations  in  its  three  large  and  commodious  hoteb.  There  are  four 
churches  in  the  town — a  Catholic  church,  an  Episcopalian  church,  these  two 
belonging  to  white  congregations,  and  a  colored  Methodist  and  a  colored  Baptist 
church. 

Brcaitx  Bridge. — Breaux  Bridge,  the  one  other  town  of  importance  in  the 
parish  of  St.  Martin,  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Teche,  fifteen  miles  above 
St.  Martinsville.  Since  the  war  it  has  increased  rapidly  in  population  and  wealth. 
It  is  located  in  a  highlj'  cultivated  and  productive  section  of  the  parish,  and  is 
noted  for  the  energy,  politeness  and  hospitality  of  its  inhabitants,  who  are 
mostly  of  French  origin.  Its  school  facilities  are  good,  and  the  fondness  of  its 
people  for  theatrical  performances  and  social  gatherings  bespeaks  their  refine- 
ment and  sociability.  There  are  two  dramatic  and  literar}'  associations  in  the 
town,  each  one  possessing  a  large  and  capacious  hall,  with  an  elegant  stage  for 
the  performance  of  their  amateur  theatricals.  Its  race  track  attracts  sportsmen 
from  the  surrounding  parishes,  and  a  vast  concourse  of  people  assembles  there 
to  witness  the  races  which  take  place  several  times  during  the  3ear. 

The  commerce  of  Breau.x  Bridge  is  extensive,  and  its  merchants  are  noted 
for  tlieir  enterprise  and  steadmess  in  business.  Its  municipal  affairs  are 
administered  by  trustees  elected  by  the  people.  The  ma3-or  exercises  powers 
similar  to  those  of  the  mayor  of  St.  Martinsville.  There  are  four  practising 
]ih\-sicians  living  in  the  town.  A  wooden  bridge  spans  the  Teche,  which  is  not 
navigable  at  this  point  during  the  low  stage  of  the  water.  This  is  a  -great 
drawback  to  the  prosperity  of  the  town.  There  is,  however,  a  scheme  on  foot 
to  build  locks  at  some  points  lower  down  the  Teche  for  the  purpose  of  im- 
proing  its  navigation.  It  is  claimed  that  a  system  of  locks  would  maintain  five 
feet  of  water  in  the  bayou  tlie  whole  year  round.  Should  this  plan  be  carried 
out  successfully,  it  would  have  the  effect  of  enhancing  greatly  the  value  of  the 
lands  on  the  upper  Teche,  by  affording  great  shipping  facilities. 

Although  the  population  amounts  now  to  only  800  inhabitants,  there  is  a 
bright  future  in  store  for  this  neat  and  thriving  little  town. 

The  Catholic  Church. — This  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  State.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  1765  b\' Rev.  Jean Frangois,  aCapuchin  priest  and  missionary.    We  read 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  81 

in  the  American  state  papers  that  the  land  on  whicli  the  church  was  built  had 
been  donated  by  one  Dauterive  as  his  share  or  portion  of  the  contribution  for 
tiie  construction  and  edification  of  the  church  and  priest's  house.  Tlie  land 
donated  was  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Teche  and  had  a  front  six  arpents  by 
a  depth  of  forty  arpents.  From  1765  to  1794  the  following  is  a  list  of  the 
names  of  the  officiatingpriests :  1765,  Jean  Frangois;  1782,  Rev.  Gcneveau.x;  1783, 
Rev.  Gcfrotain ;  1787,  Joseph  Antoine  ;  17S8,  Bernard  de  Deva;  1789,  Gjorge 
Murphy;  1794.  Father  Viel.  Father  Viel,  whose  family  name  was  D  irby,  was 
born  in  St.  Martin,  and  was  a  lilteraleur  of  the  first  order.  His  translation  of 
Fenelon's  masterpiece,  Telemachus,  in  Latin  verse,  places  him  at  tlie  head  of 
modern  Latin  poets.  His  verse  has  the  sweetness  and  melody  of  that  of  Virgil, 
and  Louisiana  may  indeed  be  proud  of  Viel,  her  gifted  son,  for  he  certainly  was 
a  man  of  genius.      lie  died  at  Paris  in  the  early  part  of  this  century. 

From  1794  to  1836  the  following  were  the  officiating  priests  of  the  St.  Mar- 
tin ciiurch  :  1795,  Rev.  Barriere ;  1804,  Rev.  Isabey,  a  Dominican,  whose  mem- 
or\- was  long  cherished  in  the  colony;  1823,  Rev.  Marcel  Borella.  The  church 
now  standing  owes  its  existence  to  his  liberality.  He  willed  the  whole  of  his  for- 
tune to  be  used  in  its  construction.  His  tomb,  long  neglected,  has  lately  been 
transferred  into  the  church,  where  his  remains  now  rest  in  the  chancel  in  front 
of  the  main  altar.  From  1836  the  officiating  priests  were  :  1836,  Rev.  Jean 
Brasseur;  1840,  Henri  de  St.  Aubin  ;  1842,  Rev.  Martin,  who  consecrated  the  new 
church  building;  1844,  Rev.  R.  L.  Lucas;  1845,  Rev.  L.  Dufour,  a  most  talented 
orator;  1848,  Rev.  Jacques  F"onbonne;  1851,  Rev.  Felix  A.  i\L  Jan.  During  the 
thirty-six  years  of  his  ministry,  his  many  virtues  and  sterling  qualities  endeared 
him  to  the  people,  who  venerated  him  as  their  spiritual  father.  After  his  death, 
to  commemorate  his  virtues,  and  as  a  testimony  of  the  love  which  they  bore  him, 
his  parishioners  have  raised  a  bronze  statue,  which  now  graces  the  green  in  front 
of  the  church  and  which  is  an  ornament  to  the  town.  His  successor.  Rev. 
Barthelemy  Langlois,  is  a  worthy  priest  and  a  man  of  scientific  attainments.  He 
is  reputed  to  be  the  best  botanist  of  America. 

In  1765  and  in  the  succeeding  3'ears  the  burial  ground  at  the  Poste  des  Att ak- 
apas  was  adjoining  to  the  little  church  built  by  Rev.  Jean  Francois.  There  is 
hardly  any  vestige  left  of  the  old  graves,  and  almost  nothing  remains  of  the  old 
burial  ground  except  the  sweet  memor}-  of  Evangeline,  wliose  earthly  remains 
were  there  entombed.  Her  modest  grave  under  the  large  oak  tree  is  no  more 
seen,  having  been  leveled  with  the  ground  by  the  hand  of  time.  Who  Evan- 
geline was  we  may  learn  from  the  lips  of  one  who  knew  her;  who  wept  over  her 
when  dea'.h  had  closed  her  eyes,  and  who  kept  her  grave  green  until  she  herself 
fell  in  turn  under  the  scythe  of  relentless  death.  We  here  give  in  full  the  story 
of    Evangeline   as  related   bv  Mrs.   Bordat,   an   Acadian   exile,    to  her   grand- 


82  SOrjV/Jl'EST  LOriSlAXA  : 

children.      We    quote,  and    in   her  own  words,  from  the  "  Reminiscences  of  ;in 
Old  Acadian." 

The  Story  of  Eniinclinc  (Evaii^xline)  Labiche. — "  Emmeline  Labiche, 
petiots,  was  an  orphan  girl,  whose  parents  had  died  when  she  was  quite  a  child. 
I  had  taken  her  to  my  house  and  raised  her  as  my  own  daughter.  How  sweet  tem- 
pered !  how  loving  she  was  !  She  had  grown  to  womanhood  with  all  the  attractions 
of  her  sex,  and  although  not  a  beauty,  in  the  sense  usually  given  to  this  word,  she 
■was  looked  upon  as  the  handsomest  girl  of  St.  Gabriel.  Her  fine,  transparent  hazel 
eyes  mirrored  faithfull}'  her  pure  thoughts.  Her  bewitching  smile ;  her  dark 
brown  hair  waved  in  graceful  undulations  on  her  intelligent  forehead  and  fell 
in  ringlets  on  her  shoulders  ;  her  symmetrical  shape,  all  contrived  to  make  her 
an  attractive  picture  of  maiden's  loveliness. 

"  Emmeline  had  just  completed  her  sixteenth  year  and  was  on  the  eve  of 
marr3-ing  a  deserving,  laborious  and  well-to-do  young  man  of  St.  Gabriel,  named 
Louis  Arceneaux.  Their  mutual  love  dated  back  to  their  earliest  years  and  was 
concealed  from  no  one.  All  agreed  that  Providence  willed  their  union  as  man 
and  wife — she  the  fairest  young  maiden,  he  the  most  deserving  youth  of  St. 
Gabriel.  Their  bans  had  been  published  in  the  village  church;  ihe  nuptial  da)- 
was  fixed  and  their  long  love  dream  was  about  to  be  realized  when  the 
barbarous  scattering  of  our  colony  took  place.  Our  oppressors  had  driven  us 
toward  the  seashore,  where  their  ships  rode  at  anchor,  and  Louis,  resisting  with 
rage  and  despair,  was  wounded  by  them.  Emmeline  witnessed  the  whole  scene. 
Her  lover  was  carried  on  board  of  one  of  the  ships;  the  anchor  was  weighed 
and  a  stiff  breeze  soon  drove  the  ship  out  of  sight. 

'•Emmeline,  tearless  and  speechless,  stood  fixed  to  the  spot,  motionless  as  a 
statue ;  and  when  the  white  sails  vanished  in  the  distance  she  uttered  a  wild  and 
piercing  shriek  and  fell  fainting  to  the  ground.  When  she  recovered  her  senses 
she  clasped  me  in  her  arms,  and  in  an  agon}'  of  grief  she  sobbed  piteously. 
'Mother,  mother,'  said  she,  in  broken  words,  'he  is  gone;  they  have  killed  him; 
what  will  become  of  me?'  I  soothed  her. grief  with  caresses  and  endearing  names 
until  she  wept  freely,  which  relieved  her  anguish.  By  degrees  the  violence  of 
her  grief  subsided,  but  the  sadness  of  her  countenance  betokened  the  sorrow 
that  preyed  on  her  heart.  Henceforward  she  lived  a  quiet  and  retired  life, 
mingling  no  more  with  her  young  companions,  and  taking  no  part  in  their 
amusements.  The  remembrance  of  her  lost  love  remained  enshrined  in  her 
heart,  never  to  be  contaminated  by  her  love  for  another.  Thus  she  lived  in  our 
midst,  always  sweet  tempered,  with  such  sadness  depicted  on  her  countenance 
and  with  smiles  so  sorrowful  that  we  had  come  to  look  upon  her  as  not  of  this 
earth,  but  rather  as  our  guardian  angel,  and  it  was  for  this  that  we  called  her  no 
longer  Emmeline,  but  Evangeline,   or  God's   little  angel.     The  sequel  of    her 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  83 

story  is  not  gay,  petiots,  and  my  poor  old  heart  breaks  whenever  I  recall  the 
misery  of  her  fate;  and  while  our  grandmother  spoke  thus  her  whole  figure  was 
tremulous  with  emotion. 

"  Emmeline,  petiots,  had  been  exiled  to  Maryland  with  us.  She  was,  as  I 
have  tokl  you,  my  adopted  child,  and  I  loved  her  with  a  mother's  love.  She 
dwelt  with  me  and  followed  me  in  my  long,  weary  overland  route  from  Maryland 
to  Louisiana.  Wlien  we  reached  the  Teche  country,  at  the  Paste  dcs  Attakupcti,, 
we  found  the  whole  population  congregated  there  to  welcome  us.  As  we  landed 
from  the  boat,  Emmeline  walked  by  my  side,  but  seemed  not  to  admire  the 
beautiful  landscape  extending  on  all  sides.  Alas  !  it  was  of  no  moment  to  her, 
\\hether  she  strolled  on  tlie  poetical  banks  of  the  Teche  or  rambled  in  the  pic- 
turesque sites  of  hospitable  Mar\lr.nd.  She  lived  in  the  past,  and  her  soul  was 
absorbed  in  her  mournful  regrets.  For  her,  the  universe  had  lost  the  prestige 
of  its  beauties,  of  its  splendor,  of  its  freshness.  The  radiancy  of  her  dreams 
was  dimmed,  and  she  breathed  in  an  atmosphere  of  darkness  and  of  desolation. 
She  walked  beside  me  with  a  measured  step  and  grave  countenance.  Suddenly 
she  grasped  my  hand,  and,  as  if  fascinated  by  a  vision,  she  stood  rooted  to  the 
spot.  Her  very  heart's  blood  suffused  her  cheek  with  a  crimson  flush, and  then, 
with  the  silvery  tones  of  a  voice  vibrating  with  jo\' :  'Mother,  mother,'  she 
cried,  'it  is  he,  it  is  Louis !'  pointing  to  the  tall  figure  of  a  man  reclining  be- 
neath a  large  oak.  That  man  was  Louis  Arceneaux.  With  the  rapidity  of 
lightning  sheflew  to  his  side,  and,  in  an  ecstacy  of  joy  and  love,  cried  :  'Louis, 
Louis,  I  am  your  Emmeline,  your  long  lost  Emmeline.  Have  you  forgotten 
me?'    Louis  turned  ashy  pale  and  hung  down  his  head,  without  uttering  a  word. 

"  'Louis,'  she  said,  painfully  impressed  by  her  lover's  silence  and  coldness, 
'  why  do  you  turn  your  eyes  away  from  mine?  I  am  still  your  Emmeline,  your 
tjethrothed,  and  have  kept  pure  and  unsullied  my  plighted  faith  to  you!  Not  a 
word  of  welcome,  Louis,'  she  said,  as  the  tears  started  to  her  ej'es,  'tell  me, 
do  tell  me,  that  you  love  me  still,  and  that  joy  and  surprise  at  meeting  me  have 
overcome  you  and  stopped  your  utterance."  Louis  Arceneaux,  with  quivering 
lips  and  trembling  voice,  answered:  'Emmeline,  speak  not  so  kindh^  to  me, 
for  I  am  unworthy  of  3'ou.  I  can  love  you  no  longer  ;  I  have  pledged  mv  faith  to 
another.  Tear  from  your  heart  the  remembrance  of  the  past,  and  forgive  me.' 
With  a  quick  step  he  walked  away  and  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

"  Poor  Emmeline  stood  trembling  like  an  aspen  leaf.  I  took  her  hand;  it 
was  icy  cold ;  a  deadly  pallor  had  overspread  her  countenance  and  her  eye  had  a 
vacant  stare.  Emmeline,  mj'  dear  girl,  come,  said  I;  and  she  followed  me  like 
a  child  without  resistance.  I  clasped  her  in  my  arms  and  I  wept  bitterly:  'Em- 
meline, my  dear  child,  be  comforted  ;  there  may  3'et  be  happiness  in  store  for 
_\()U.'  '  Emmeline,  Emmeline,'  she  muttered  in  an  undertone,  as  if  to  recall  that 
name  :  then,  looking  in  m\'  face  with  fearfully  shining  e3'es  that  made  me  shudder. 


S4  SOUTHWEST  LOriSlANA  : 

she  said  in  ii  strange,  unnatural  voice:  'Who  are  you?'  and  turned  away  from 
me.  Her  mind  was  unhinged.  This  last  shock  had  been  too  much  for  her 
bioken  heart;  she  was  hopelessly  insane. 

"  Ah,  petiots,  how  strange  that  beings  like  Emmeline,  so  pure  and  celestial, 
should  be  the  sport  of  fate  and  be  thus  exposed  to  the  shafts  of  adversity.  Is  it 
true,  then,  that  the  beloved  of  God  are  always  visited  by  sore  trials?  Was  it 
tliat  our  Evangeline  was  too  ethereal  a  being  for  the  world,  and  that  God  would 
liave  her  in  His  sweet  paradise.' 

"Emmeline  never  recovered  her  reason, and  deep  melinchol}-  possessed  her. 
Her  beautiful  countenance  was  fitfully  lighted  by  a  sad  smile,  which  made  lier 
all  the  fairer.  She  never  recognized  any  one  but  me,  and,  nestling  in  my  arms 
like  a  spoiled  child,  she  would  bestow  on  me  the  most  endearing  names  and 
fondle  me  lovingly.  As  sweet  and  amiable  as  ever,  everybod}'  loved  and  pitied 
her.  When  she  strolled  on  the  banks  of  the  Teche,  plucking  the  wild  flowers  that 
strewed  her  pathway,  singing  in  an  undertone  some  Acadian  song,  those  that  met 
her  wondered  wh}"  a  being  so  fair  and  gentle  should  have  been  visited  with  God's 
wrath . 

"  She  spoke  of  Acadia  and  of  Louis  in  such  loving  tones  that  one  could  not 
listen  to  her  words  without  shedding  tears.  She  fancied  herself  to  be  still  the 
sweet  girl  of  sixteen,  on  the  eve  of  marrying  her  chosen  one,  whom  she  loved 
with  so  much  devotion  and  constancy,  and  listened  with  emotion  to  the  tolling 
of  the  marriage  bells  from  the  village  church  tower,  her  countenance  brighten- 
ing and  her  frame  trembling  with  ecstatic  joy.  In  a  sudden  transition  from  joy 
to  despair  her  countenance  changed;  she  trembled  convulsivel}',  gasping  and 
struggling  for  utterance,  and  pointing  her  finger  at  some  invisible  object;  in  shrill 
and  piercing  accents  of  agony,  she  would  crj' out,  '  Mother,  he  is  gone;  they 
have  killed  him;  what  will  become  of  me?'  and,  uttering  a  wild  and  unnatural 
shriek,  she  would  fall  senseless  in  my  arms.  Sinking  at  last  under  the  ravages 
of  her  mental  disease,  she  e.xpired  in  my  arms  without  a  struggle,  and  with  an 
angelic  smile  on  her  lips.  She  sleeps  in  her  quiet  grave,  shadowed  by  the  tall 
oak  near  the  little  [church  at  the  Poste  des  Attakapas,  and  that  grave  his  been 
kept  green  as  long  as  your  grandmother  has  been  able  to  visit  it.  Ah  !  petiots, 
how  sad  was  the  fate  of  '  Evangeline,  God's  little  angel?'  and  grandmother  buried 
her  face  in  her  hands  and  wept  and  sobbed  bitterly.  Our  hearts,  too,  swelled 
with  emotion,  and  sympathetic  tears  rolled  down  our  cheeks — we  crept  softly 
away,  and  left  dear  old  grandmother  alone,  to  think  of  and  weep  for  her 
Evangeline,  God's  little  angel." 

Pioneer  Members  of  the  Bar. — Prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  Louisian  i  Code 
of  iSoS,  the  practice  of  the  law,  although  somewhat  complicated,  offered  no 
material   difficult)'  to   tiie  practitioner,  who  had  a  long  string  of   precedents   on 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  85 

whicli  to  rely  for  the  solution  of  the  most  knotty  questions.  After  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  to  Spain,  the  Spanish  law  had  superseded  the  French  law,  but  had 
caused  no  inconvenience  in  the  colon}',  as  the  onl}-  change  brought  about  by  its 
introduction  related  almost  exclusively  to  municipal  arrangements  and  to  the  titles 
to  real  estate.  Contracts  of  a  social  nature,  being  more  or  less  interwoven  with 
the  customs  of  the  people  and  modified  by  them,  were,  to  a  certain  extent,  still 
governed  1)}'  the  French  laws.  Besides,  the  Spanish  and  French  laws  had  a  com- 
mon origin,  the  R  >man  law.  The  rules  governing  matrimonial  rights  and  the 
settlement  of  estates,  whether  testamentary  or  otherwise,  were  alike,  and  the 
transition  from  the  French  to  the  Spanish  law  had  hardl}'  been  felt  in  the  colon\-. 

But  the  change  operated  in  the  practice  of  the  law  by  the  adoption  of  the 
Louisiana  Code  of  1808  was  most  material.  It  had  been  to  a  large  extent  copied 
almost  verbatim  from  the  Napoleon  Code,  but  lately  promulgated  in  France,  and 
which  had  abrogated  its  droit  coiitumier  (law  of  customs)  for  the  purpose  of  har- 
monizing its  wiiole  system  of  laws  by  a  code  of  positive  or  written  laws. 

The  Louisiana  Code  of  1808,  better  known  as  "a  digest  of  ilie  civil  laws  of 
the  territory  of  Orleans,  with  alterations  and  amendmints  adapted  to  the  present 
govenmient,'"  had  been  prepared  with  the  idea  of  simplif3-ing  all  legal  proceed- 
ings by  divesting  them  of  unnecessary  proli.xity,  and  in  this  wise  to  save  costs  to 
the  litigants ;  liut  it  failed  of  its  purpose  and  had  the  contrary  effect.  It  repealed 
none  of  the  laws  that  did  not  conflict  with  its  provisions,  and  most  of  the  laws  and 
customs  contained  in  the  Spanish  Partidas,  Recopilaciones,  Huero  viejo,  etc., 
remained  in  full  force  in  the  State. 

The  contusion  resulting  from  the  blending  of  the  two  S3-stems  of  law 
together  may  be  better  imagined  than  explained.  The  uncertainty  of  the  law 
served  to  complicate  legal  mattei-s,  as  the  organization  and  working  of  the  courts 
of  justice  under  that  system  were  faulty  and  cumbersome  in  the  extreme.  Judge 
Martin,  speaking  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  territory  of  Orleans,  of  which  he 
was  one  of  tlie  judges,  saj's  in  the  preface  to  the  first  volume  of  his  reporls dated- 
October  30,  A.  D.  1811  :  "  No  one  could  more  earnestl)' deplore,  forno  one  felt 
more  distressing!}-  the  inconvenience  of  our  judicial  system.  From  the  smallness 
of  the  number  of  judges  of  the  Superior  Court, the  remoteness  of  the  places  where 
it  sits  and  the  multiplicity  of  business,  it  has  become  indispensable  to  allow  a  quorum 
to  consist  of  a  single  judge,  who  often  finds  himself  compelled,  alone  and 
unaided,  to  determine  the  most  intricate  and  important  questions,  both  of  law  and 
fact,  in  cases  of  greater  magnitude  as  to  the  object  in  dispute  than  are  generally 
known  in  the  State  courts.  While  from  the  jurisprudence  of  this  newly  acquired 
territory,  possessed  at  different  periods  by  different  nations,  a  number  of  foreign 
laws  are  to  be  examined  and  compared,  and  their  compatibility  with  the  general 
constitution  and  laws  ascertained — an  arduous  task  anywhere,  but  rendered 
extremely  so  here  from  the  scarcity  of  works  of  foreign  jurists." 


86  SO  urn  WEST  LO  UISIA NA  : 

As  remarked  by  Judge  Martin,  the  jurisprudence  of  the  newly  acquired  ter- 
riiory,  possessed  as  it  had  been  at  different  periods  by  different  nations  ;  the 
number  of  foreign  laws  to  be  examined  and  compared,  with  a  scarcity  of  the  text 
books  of  these  laws;  the  stud)' necessary  to  reconcile  seeming  contradictions, 
all  of  this  opened  a  wide  field  for  the  speculations  and  researches  of  the  law3^er. 
To  seek  the  spirit  of  those  laws  he  had  to  grope  his  way  in  a  maze  of  conflicting 
questions  without  a  precedent  as  guide  for  their  solution.  These  had  to  be 
reconciled;  rules  of  practice  for  the  future  determination  of  cases  similar  or 
analogous  to  those  that  were  being  passed  upon  had  to  be  fixed  to  serve  as  beacon 
I'ghts  to  the  practitioners  at  the  bar;  in  fact,  the  entire  jurisprudence  of  the  State 
was  to  be  created. 

The  amount  of  labor,  of  study,  of  researches  required  to  attain  this  result 
was  simply  appalling,  and  such  was  the  task  imposed  on  our  pioneer  bar  and 
judiciary;  in  the  early  days  of  Louisiana.  This  evil  called  for  a  corrective,  and 
the  Civil  Code,  promulgated  in  1825,  was  adopted  for  tliat  purpose.  It  abro- 
gated in  a  sweejiing  manner  all  the  civil  laws  in  force  in  Louisiana  before  its 
promulgation.  But  this  abrogation,  sweeping  as  it  was  meant  to  be,  repealed 
none  but  the  positive  and  written  statutes  of  France  and  Spain,  and  left  intact 
those  principles  of  law  which  had  been  ingrafted  on  our  jurisprudence  by  the 
decisions  of  our  courts.* 

It  followed  from  this  that  the  decisions  of  our  courts  were  the  rules  by  which 
the  bar  was  to  be  governed  in  the  interpretation  and  application  of  the  laws,  and 
that,  in  the  absence  of  a  judicial  decision,  the  courts  and  the  practitioners  were 
to  rely  solely  on  the  general  principles  of  the  civil  law. 

It  is  true,  also,  that  shortly  afterward  a  Code  of  Practice,  remarkable  for 
its  simplicity  and  clearness,  had  been  promulgated,  but  this  did  not,  neverthe- 
less, simplify  the  law  questions  which,  for  the  reasons  given  by  Judge  Martin, 
remained  unusualh^  difficult  and  important.  NotVy-ithstanding  the  promulgation 
of  the  Code  of  Practice  in  1825,  grave  and  complicated  litigation  continued  in 
our  courts,  where  the  practice  bristled  with  difficulties  without  precedents  to  ex- 
plain them  away.  It  required  the  judicious  labors  of  the  judges  of  the  Superior 
Court  to  brush  off  the  law  quibbles  and  fallacies  which  are  the  necessarj-  result 
of  this  state  of  things.  It  required  incessant  work  and  stud}'  to  harmonize  our 
system  of  laws,  to  elucidate  what  appeared  obscure  in  the  body  of  those  laws, 
and  to  rear  bj-  degrees  the  noble  structure  of  the  jurisprudence  which  remains  an 
imperishable  monument  of  the  talents,  learning  and  integrity  of  our  Supreme 
judges.  Their  decisions  are  complete  commentaries  on  almost  every  article  of 
the  Civil  Code  and  Code  of  Practice  ;  and  the  questions  of  law  which  arise  in 
the  practice  are  now  easily  solved,  as  precedents  are  not  wanting  in  our  law 
books. 

*Tliiiteenlli  Louisi:>na  Reports  vp.  123). 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  87 

Our  pioneer  lawyers  were  active  participants  in  the  good  results  effected  by 
the  judicious  labors  of  our  Superior  Court.  To  their  disquisitions  on  the  law, 
to  their  researches,  industry  and  talents,  are  due  the  solution  of  the  important 
questions  which  have  been  settled  with  so  much  distinction  b}'  our  pioneer 
judges. 

The  St.  Martin  bar,  at  that  early  period,  was  composed  of  men  eminent  for 
their  learning  and  \vlio  enjoyed  a  widespread  reputation.  Prominent  among  its 
members  we  must  mention  Alexander  Porter.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
was  born  near  Omagh,  county  Tyrone,  in  1786.  In  1801  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  and  settled  in  the  Tcche  region  in  1810,  having  previously  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Tennessee.  lie  was  a  scholar,  and  had  that  ready  wit 
which  characterizes  the  Irish  people.  With  a  glowing  imagination,  graceful 
■diction  and  learned  eloquence,  he  soon  attained  high  eminence  in  his  profession 
and  was  reputed  the  best  lawyer  of  the  St.  Martin  bar.  He  Was  promoted  to 
the  Supreme  judgeship  in  1821,  and  held  that  position  during  twelve  years,  when 
he  resigned,  having  been  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate.  He  died  in  1844. 
As  a  judge,  Alexander  Porter  has  had  no  superior  in  Louisiana.  His  decisions 
are  remarkable  for  their  clearness,  depth  of  reasoning,  and  for  purity  and  beaut}- 
■of  style.  They  have  been  several  times  quoted  by  the  highest  tribunal  of  France 
as  authority  in  civil  matters. 

It  is  related  of  him  that,  W'hile  he  was  a  practising  member  of  the  St. 
Martin  bar,  his  services  were  retained  b}'  a  prisoner  charged  with  passing  coun- 
terfeited bank  notes.  'J'lie  party  accused  was  well  educated,  and  his  manners 
and  good  breeding  were  those  of  one  who  seemed  to  have  moved  in  the  high 
circles  of  society.  His  story,  as  related  by  himself,  was  touching,  and,  withal, 
so  truthful  apparently,  that  Judge  Porter  was  convinced  of  his  innocence.  The 
case  was  tried  before  a  jury  and  he  was  acquitted.  The  prisoner  wept  for  joy, 
and,  as  a  mark  of  his  gratitude  for  the  valuable  services  of  his  attorney,  he 
begged  of  him  to  accept  $500  instead  of  the  $250  that  had  been  agreed  upon 
for  a  fee.  The  amount  was  paid  and  the  discharged  prisoner  left  for  his  home 
in  Texas. 

A  few  weeks  afterward  Judge  Porter  went  to  the  cit}-  of  New  Orleans,  his 
purse  well  stocked  with  the  bank  notes  of  his  friend,  the  Texan.  Having  pur- 
chased some  merchandise  in  a  store  on  Chartres  street,  he  handed  over  to  the 
merchant  one  of  these  bank  notes.  The  merchant,  discovering  that  the  bank 
note  was  a  counterfeit,  called  in  a  police  officer,  who  arrested  Judge  Porter  for 
passmg  counterfeit  bills.  Despite  his  protests,  he  had  to  follow  the  officer  to 
the  station,  where  his  incarceration  lasted  only  a  few  minutes.  Having  ascer- 
tained that  all  the  bank  notes  he  had  received  from  his  client  were  counterfeit, 
he  related  his  experience  with  the  Te.xan  to  the  great  merriment  of  the  by- 
standers. 


88  SOUT/nVEST  LOUISIANA  : 

Edward  Simon  and  Cornelius  Voorhies  became  members  of  the  St.  Martin 
bar  a  few  years  after  the  promotion  of  Alexander  Porter  to  the  Supreme  bench. 
]Mr.  Simon  was  a  native  of  Belgium,  and  settled  in  the  Teche  region  when  quite 
a  youth.  He  was  well  educated,  of  prepossessing  appearance.  He  mastered  the 
English  language,  and  was  no  sooner  admitted  to  the  bar  than  he  became  one  of 
its  leading  members.  His  eloquence,  added  to  his  profound  knowledge  of  the 
law,  made  him  a  powerful  debater,  and  no  one  knew  better  than  he  how  to 
address  and  capture  a  jury.  He  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  maintained  in  that  high  position  the  reputation  he  had  acquired  at  the  bar. 
His  decisions  are  noted  for  clearness  and  for  soundness  of  reasoning. 

Cornelius  Voorhies  had  to  contend  in  his  youth  with  the  disadvantages  of 
an  insufficient  education.  By  dint  of  study  he  oveFcame  all  difficulties,  and  his 
grasping  mind  had  soon  mastered,  not  only  the  English  language,  his  vernacu- 
lar, but  also  the  French  language,  which  he  spoke  elegantly  and  with  a  pure 
accent.  His  knowledge  of  the  civil  law  was  profound,  and  his  eloquence  was  of 
that  kind  which  sways  the  masses.  His  practice  was  very  lucrative.  He  was 
exceedingly  popular,  and  never  experienced  a  defeat  whenever  he  consented  to 
become  a  candidate  before  the  people.  He  was  successively  elected  district 
attorney,  district  judge,  and  finally  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court 
under  the  Constitution  of  1852.  He  was  succeeded  on  the  bench  by  his  son, 
Albert  Voorhies.  His  decisions  denote  great  learning,  and  his  style  is  elegant 
and  simple. 

Iskac  E.  Morse,  another  member  of  that  earl}'  bar,  became  Attorney  Gen- 
eral of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  filled  that  position  with  honor  to  himself  and 
to  the  State.  He  once  had  a  suit  pending  before  the  Supreme  Court,  It  was  a 
case  of  some  importance,  and  had  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  in  the  dis- 
trict. Judge  Cornelius  Voorhies  was  the  adverse  counsel.  On  the  da}'  of  the 
trial  Mr.  Morse  rose  from  his  seat  to  address  the  court,  when  Judge  Martin 
remarked:  "  Mr.  Morse  it  is  unnecessary ;  the  court  is  with  3'ou.  We  will  hear 
the  adverse  counsel."  Mr.  Morse  bowed  graciously  to  the  court  and 
resumed  his  seat,  with  a  beam  of  complacenc}'  on  his  countenance.  Nothing 
daunted  by  the  opinion  expressed  so  freel}'  and  openly  by  the  court.  Judge 
Voorhies  argued  his  case  with  great  fervor,  ability  and  eloquence.  To  the  great 
dismay  of  Attorne\'  General  Morse  the  court  the  next  day  brought  in  a  decision 
in  favor  of  Judge  Voorhies'  client.  The  year  after,  being  about  to  argue  one 
of  his  cases  in  the  Supreme  Court,  he  was  again  interrupted  by  the  court, 
Judge  Martin  again  remarking;  '•  Mr.  Morse,  it  is  unnecessarj^;  the  court  is 
with  5'ou.""  "  Please  the  court,"'  answered  Mr.  Morse,  "  last  year  the  court 
was  with  me  in  the  Broussard  case,  and  the  decision  went  against  my  client.  I 
•^refer  to   aryue  mv   case  if  the  court  will  allow  it.""     This  retort  excited   the 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  89 

merriment  of  the  bar  in-attendance.     He  was  allowed  to  proceed  witli  his  argu- 
ment, and  this  time  the  court  decided  in  his  favor. 

John  Bronson  was  a  civilian  of  no  mean  oider,  and  accumulated  great 
wealth  as  a  lawyer.  He  was  a  leading  attorney  in  all  land  suits,  which  were 
then  of  grant  importaoce  by  the  frequent  recurrence  of  disputed  claims.  Most 
of  the  land  owners  held  their  titles  from  the  Spanish  government,  and  errors  of 
location  occasioned  a  great  deal  of  litigation. 

William  Brent,  also  one  of  the  pioneer  lawyers  of  the  St.  Martin  bar,  was  a 
man  of  great  ability  and  withal  a  powerful  logician.  His  practice  was  large  and 
lucrative,  and  he  lived  in  affluence.  He  was  a  native  of  Maryland  and  had  set- 
tled in  the  Teche  region,  which  presented  then  a  fine  opening  to  the  lawyer  and 
a  wide  field  for  success.  He  descended  from  the  Brent  family  that  had  ex 
tended  such  a  generous  and  noble  hospitality  to  the  poor  Acadian  exiles  cast 
away  on  the  shores  of  Maryland  by  their  British  oppressors,  and  who  had  subse- 
quently emigrated  to  Louisiana.  These  Acadians  had  always  felt  the  deepest 
gratitude  for  the  kindness  of  the  Brent  family,  and  the  name  of  Brent  had  been 
kept  in  particular  veneration  and  esteem  b}'  their  descendants.  No  wonder  that 
the  popularity  of  William  Brent  should  have  been  so  great  with  the  Acadian 
population  of  the  Teche  Bayou. 

Edward  Heard,  Alexander  Derbes,  Joseph  Parrot  of  tiie  firm  of  Brent  & 
Parrot,  Augustus  Magill,  Thomas  C.  Nichols  and  Cesare  Delahoussaye  were 
also  pioneer  members  of  the  St.  Martin  bar,  and  men  of  ability,  coping  with  dis- 
tinguished honor  with  the  several  members  of  the  bar  of  whom  passing  notice 
has  been  given.  Tht-y  were  mostly  men  of  means  who  relied  not  on  their  pro- 
fession for  a  living. 

The  St.  Martin  bar  ha?  held  a  dislinguished  rank  in  the  legal  fraternity  of 
tlie  State,  and  five  of  its  membeis  have  successively  occupied  the  Supreme 
Bench  of  Louisiana,  to-wit:  Alexander  Porter,  Edward  Simon,  Sr.,  Cornelius 
Voorhies,  Albert  Voorhies  and  Alcibiades  DeBlanc. 

The  St.  Martin  bar  is  now  composed  of  C.  H.  Mouton,  Edward  Simon,  Jr., 
Felix  Voorhies,  Robert  Martin,  Raphael  DeBlanc,  Dan.  W.  Voorhies,  Louis  J. 
Voorhies,  James  Simon  and  James  E.  Mouton,  who  is  now  the  judge  of  the 
district. — Felix    Voorhies. 


l^^^^^W^ 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Parish   of   Iberia — Generai.   Description — Water  Courses,    Etc. — Resi- 
dences    AND     PLANT.VriONS PrAIRIE     AU     LaRGE GrAND     Co'IT.     AND 

Petit  Anse  Islands — A  Pisgah  View — The  Avery  Salt  Mines — 
Indian  Relics — Joe  Jefferson's  Island — Lake  Peigneur — A  Land 
Flowing  with  Milk  .\nd  Honkv — Early  Settlers — First  Aimericans 
— The  Acadians — Organiz.\tion  of  Parish — First  Court  Housf — 
Public  Improvement.s — The  Medical  Profession — Yellow  Fever 
Epidemics  —  (Jld  "Felicity" —  Lawyers  —  Educational —  Public 
Schools — New  Iberia  Laid  Out — Maxuf.-vcturing  Industries — The 
Oil  Mill — Churches,  Neavsp.\pers,  Etc. — Military — Jeannerette 
AND  Other  Towns  of  Smaller  Note,  Etc.,  Etc. 

"Away  back  in  the  by-gone  times, 
_  Lost  'mid  the  rubbish  of  forgotten  things." 

HISTORICALLY,  Iberia  parish  is  a  paft  of  the  A..ttakapas  distiiet.  It  is 
.^  ^  an  ohl  settled  parish.  Of  those  who  first  saw  it  in  its  primitive  beautv, 
o'^  tiie  young  men  have  grown  old,  and  the  old  are  in  their  graves.  The 
country  is  still  beautiful,  though  its  virgin  beaut}'  iias  been  despoiled  bv  the 
hand  of  the  husbandman. 

The  parish  of  Iberia  is  rather  rough  and  ragged  in  its  geographical  bound- 
aries. It  may  be  called  a  gulf  parish,  though  the  parish  proper  lies  some 
distance  from  the  gulf,  but  Marsh  Island,  which  belongs  lo  Iberia,  is  on  the 
gulf  coast.  The  parish  of  Iberia  is  bounded  on  the  north  b.y  St.  Martin's 
parish,  on  the  east  by  Assumption  parish,  on  the  south  by  St.  Mary's  parish 
and  Cote  Blanche  Bay,  and  on  the  west  by  Vermilion  parish.  Much  of  its 
eastern  portion  is  water  and  cypress  swamp.  The  tillable  land  along  the  west 
side  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  and  the  Teche,  from  the  parish  line  below 
Jeannerette  to  New  Iberia,  called  the  "Prairie  au  Large,"  has  a  vvidtli  of  about 
si.x  miles,  and  it  is  a  little  wider  above,  between  the  railroad  and  Lake  Peigneur: 
the  land,  from  the  line  where  the  railroad  enters  the  parish  below  Jeannerette  to 
the  line  where  it  leaves  it  west  of  Lake  Tasse,  is  about  twenty  miles  in  extent. 
All  the  land  is  tillable  between  Lake  Peigneur  and  Lake  Tasse,  and  in  the  great 
bend  of  the  Teche  northeast  of  New  Iberia.  And  there  is  some  fine  tillable 
and  grazing  land  south  of  Lake  Peigneur. 

The  Teche  is  lined  with  plantations  nearly  the  entire  distance  from  its 
entrance  into  the  parish  east  of  Lake  Tasse  to  the  line  where  it  leaves  the  parish 
below  Jeannerette.     The  portion  of  the  parish   that  borders  on  Grand  Lake  is 


92  .S-  O  Uril  J I  'ES  T  L  O  CIS  I  A  XA  : 

a  dense  cypress  swamp,  and  bordering  on  this  swamp  there  is  a  growtli  of  gum, 
ash,  oak  and  other  timber.  Around  the  great  bend  of  the  bayou,  called  Fausse 
Pointe,  the  tillable  land  has  a  width  of  several  miles.  The  lands  of  the  parish 
are'all  rich.  On  the  west  side  of  the  bayou  there  is  a  scarcit}-  of  woodland;  on 
the  east  side  there  is  an  abundance  of  fine  cypress  and  wood  for  sugar  making.  " 
From  the  point  where  the  Teche  enters  the  parish,  about  five  miles  below 
St.  Martinsville  bj'  its  winding  course,  the  distance  to  New  Iberia  is  about  twenty- 
five  miles.  Tiie  scenery  here  is  extremely  beautiful  and  picturesque.  The  banks 
are  generally  about  eighteen  feet  above  the  water  and  they  slope  gentlj'to  it  at  an 
angle  of  less  than  thirty  degrees.  The  bayou  around  the  bend,  in  the  low  water 
season  is  about  ninety  feet  wide  and  hss  a  depth  on  its  most  shallow  bars  of 
about  3J^  feet.  Forest  trees  and  water  willows  line  both  banks  most  of  the 
distance.  There  are  many  live  oaks,  pecans  and  other  noble  forest  trees  grow- 
ing on  both  banks  of  the  ba30u,  and 

"Over  tlieir  luads  the  towering  and  tenebrous  boughs     *     *     * 
Meet  in  a  dusky  arch,  and  trailing  mosses  in  inid  air 
.    Wave  like  banners  that  hang  on  the  walls  of  ancient  cathedrals." 

The  houses  of  the  planters  and  small  farmers  are  generally  situated  not  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  edge  of  the  bayou.  "  Most  of  tlie  houses  are  plain  but 
coiufortable,  and  the  improvements  are  plain,  but  the  proprietors  are  quite  inde- 
pendent. Below  New  Iberia  the  Teche  is  broader  and  deeper  than  above,  the 
plantations  are  larger,  the  houses  and  improvements  finer,  and  there  are  fewer 
trees  growing  on  its  banks.  Here  are  palatial  residences,  grand  sugar  houses 
with  chimneys  towering  skyward,  plantation  villages  called  'the  quarters,'  orange 
groves,  groves  of  the  mespilus,  flower  gardens  and  beautiful  shrubber}',  floating 
bridges,  and  the  general  paraphernalia  of  wealth  and  lordly  possessions."* 

Prairie  an  Large. — This  is  the  beautiful  body  of  land  lying  south  and 
west  of  the  town  of  New  Iberia.  It  is  as  fine  prairie  land  as  can  be  found  any- 
v\'hefe.  The  following  sketch  of  it  was  compiled  by  Mr.  Dennett  some  twentj'- 
five  years  ago:  "This  prairie  has  natural  drains,  which,  by  being  opened  a 
little,  would  relieve  the  whole  country  from  surface  water  after  rains.  Leading 
natural  ditches  penetrate  parts  of  the  prairie,  and  into  these  the  ravines  may  be 
opened  at  small  expense.  This  fertile  prairie  must,  at  no  distant  day,  be  put 
in  a  high  stale  of  cultivation  by  small  farmers.  Though  there  are  many  thrifty 
little  fields  now  under  fence,  we  doubt  if  a  tenth  part  of  the  prairie  is  cultivated. 
Small  tracts  from  forty  to  two  hundred  acres  can  be  bought  for  ten  dollars  per 
acre,  and  even  less.  Large  planters  can  not  come  into  this  prairie  and  put  up 
new  and  expensive  inachiner\^  with  an}'^  show  of  success.  A  small  farmer  can 
start  with  cheap  improvements,  tuake  ten,  twenty,  or  fifty   hogsheads   of  sugar 


^-^^^<rt^c<_  '-<J  I 


c<_  ^J  <i%-c-<: 


^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  hlOGRAPIIICAL.  05 

yearly  with  a  certainty  of  success.  His  coal  may  be  haul;d  from  the  banks  of 
the  Teche  at  his  leisure  at  anv  season  of  the  3'ear  in  dry  weather.  A  ton  of 
coal,  at  a  cost  of  six  dollars  and  fifty  cents  on  the  bayou,  will  boil  a  hogshead  of 
sugar.  In  addition  to  the  sugar  crop  the  small  farmer  could  raise  milch  cows 
for  sale,  and  make  butter  and  cheese  for  the  New  Orleans  market;  and  poultr}-, 
eggs,  garden  vegetables,  fresh  pork,  broom  corn,  corn,  ha}',  potatoes,  melons, 
fruits  and  other  productions  may  all  be  sold  for  ready  money  or  goods  at  New 
Iberia  or  in  New  Orleans. 

"It  is  a  lovely  and  wonderful  countr}'.  Its  bayous,  lakes,  prairies  and 
woodlands  are  all  beautiful.  Its  soil  is  ricli,  deep  and  inexhaustible.  Sea 
breezes  roll  over  it,  and  give  health  and  long  life  to  its  inhabitants.  Its  climate 
is  a  medium  between  the  tropical  and  the  north  temperate,  combining  most  of 
the  advantages  of  both  and  the  evil  of  neither.  Steamers  from  New  Orleans 
and  vessels  from  the  ocean  penetrate  to  its  very  center,  and  the  cars  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  connecting  New  Orleans  and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  a 
few  years  (do  now)  will  pass  over  it." 

Grand  Cote  Island  in  this  parish  is  a  beautiful  place.  It  is  some  two  miles 
in  diameter  and  nearly  round.  On  one  of  the  bluffs  there  is  a  fine  view  of  the 
■Surrounding  country  of  hillsides,  valleys,  ravines  and  level  plains,  timber  and 
open  lands,  cane  brakes  and  pastures.  In  one  direction  is  a  bold  elevation  cov- 
ered with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  and  hillsides  almost  as  steep  as  mountains. 
In  another  direction,  away  down  below,  between  steep  elevations,  a  fine,  fresh 
water  lake  is  spread  out,  with  water  lilies  upon  its  surface,  the  brandies  of  mag- 
nificent forest  trees  extending  far  out  over  the  water.  It  needs  but  a  few  white 
swans  to  complete  the  picture,  and  make  it  perfectly  enchanting. 

Mr.  Dennett  thus  describes  a  residence  on  this  island:  A  dwelling  is  on  a 
handsome  bluff  of  regular  shape,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  gulf.  Beautiful  shade  trees  and  the  sea  breeze  keep  the  yard  and 
the  house  cool,  even  in  the  hottest  summer  days.  The  yard  all  around  is  well 
set  in  Bermuda  grass.  In  front,  the  sea  marsh  extends  out  a  hundred  yards, 
and  beyond  this  the  water  of  the  gulf  spreads  out  under  a  blazing  sun.  To  the 
right  is  a  baj^ou  twenty  feet  deep,  with  five  feet  of  water  on  the  bar  at  its  mouth. 
Any  of  the  bayou  steamers  can  run  up  to  the  landing,  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
the  dwelling.  Redfish  and  many  other  fine  fish  are  found  in  abundance  in  the 
bayou.  There  are  oj'ster  reefs  not  far  off.  In  the  garden  there  is  a  splendid 
arbor  of  scuppernong  grape  vines,  about  thirty  feet  square,  roof  nine  feet  high, 
the  vines  flowing  down  to  the  ground  on  all  sides,  making  a  complete  room, with 
fruit  walls  and  ceiling.  These  vines  produce  a  bountiful-  crop  of  grapes  every 
year.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  chain  of  islands  is  admirably  adapted  to  grape 
culture,  and  will,  at  some  future  da}',  become  as  celebrated  for  its  wines  as 
the  islands  of  any  portion  of  Europe.     Fruit,  also,  appears  to  do  well  on  all  these 


96  SOI  'TH U ^ES T  L  O UISIA  AVI  ; 

islands.  Grand  Cote  Island  contains  a  surface  of  about  two  thousand  arces, 
.  six  hundred  acres  of  which  are  in  timber,  the  balance  in  pasture,  or  under  culti- 
vation. Any  one  may  visit  Grand  Cote,  Cote  Blanche  or  Petit  Anse  Islands  in 
a  buggy,  and  when  not  too  wet,  this  road  will  be  found  pretty  good,  and  alwa\s 
entireh'  safe. 

At  \-arious  localities,  all  over  the  island,  tine,  thrifty  forest  trees  may  be 
seen,  which  add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery.  The  island,  viewed  from 
the  highest  pinnacle,  is  picturesque  and  beautiful  beyond  anything  in  the  State. 
Its  gentle  undulations,  its  peaks,  hills,  valleys,  ponds,  its  towering  magnolias  and 
/  n(>ble  oaks,  its  ash  and  cypres?,  its  fields  of  blooming  cotton  and  waving  cane — 
all  inspire  the  most  pleasant  emotions  in  the  breast  of  any  beholder  who  loves  to 
look  on  nature  when  she  puts  on  her  finest  robes  and  appears  in  her  most 
bewitching  mood. 

The  plantation  known  as  Weeks  p'aiitation, under  aliigh  state  of  cultivation  on 
this  island,  has  on  it  all  the  buildings  and  improvements  common  to  the  largest  and 
most  successful  sugar  estates  in  Attakapas;  a  large  brick  sugar  house,  slate  roof 
and  powerful  engine  and  sugar  mill,  capacity  for  taking  off  and  saving  six  or 
eight  hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar  j-early;  the  plantation  is  in  fine  condition,  the 
soil  is  of  unsurpassed  fertility,  and  the  estate  has  always  been  one  of  the  most 
productive  and  successful  in  this  section   of  Louisiana. 

Petit  Ai/se  Island. — This  island  has  a  vaiiety  of  names,  and  is  one  of  the 
interesting  spots  in  Iberia  parish.  It  is  called,  besides  the  name  at  the  head  of 
this  paragraph,  Avery's  Island,  Salt  Island,  etc.,  as  suits  the  person's  taste  who 
speaks  of  it  or  writes  about  it.  It  contains  about  twentj'-two  hundred  arpents  of 
upland  and  twelve  hundred  arpents  of  timber,  cypress,  gum,  magnolia,  oak,  etc. 
It  is  about  ten  miles  in  diameter,  and,  like  Grand  Cote,  is  nearly  round.  It  is 
composed  of  hills,  valleys,  ravines,  ponds,  woodlands,  open  fields  and  pas^tures, 
the  whole  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  sea  marsh,  which,  in  the  distance,  has  the 
appearance  of  dry,  level  prairie. 

In  an  article  written  for  Harper's  Magazine  (Februar_y  number,  1887),  en 
titled  "  The  Acadian  Land,"  Mr.  Charles  Dudley  Warner  thus  particularizes 
Iberia  parish  : 

•'From  New  Iberia  southward  toward  Vermilion  Bay  stretches  a  vast  prai- 
rie;  if  it  is  not  absolutely  flat,  if  it  resembles  the  ocean,  it  is  the  ocean  when  its 
long  swells  have  settled  nearly  to  a  calm.  This  prairie  would  be  monotonous  were  ' 
it  not  dotted  with  small  round  ponds,  like  hand-mirrors  for  the  flitting  birds  and 
sailing  clouds,  were  its  expanse  not  spotted  with  herds  of  cattle  scattered  or  clus 
tered  like  fishing  boats  on  a  green  sea,  were  it  not  for  a  cabin  here  and  there, 
afield  of  cane  or  cotton,  a  garden  plot,  and  were  it  not  for  the  forests  which 
break  the  horizon  line  and  send  out  dark  capes  into  the  verdant  plains.  On  a 
gray  day,  or  when  storms  and  fogs  roll  in  from  the  gulf,  it  might  be   a  gloomy 


HISTORICAL   AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  97 

region,  but  under  the  sunlight  and  in  the  spring  it  is  full  of  life  and  color;  it  has 
an  air  of  refinement  and  repose  that  is  very  welcome.  Besides  tlie  uplift  of  the 
spirit  that  a  wide  horizon  is  apt  to  give,  one  is  conscious  here  of  tlie  neighbor- 
hood of  the  sea,  and  the  possibilities  of  romantic  adventure  in  a  coast  intersected 
by  ba3'ous  and  the  presence  of  novel  forms  of  animaland  vegetable  life,  and  of  a 
people  with  habits  foreign  and  strange.  There  is  also  a  grateful  sense  of  free- 
dom and  expansion. 

The  Salt  Mine. — "  Soon,  over  the  plain,  is  seen  on  the  horizon,  ten  miles 
from  New  Iberia,  the  dark  foliage  of  Petit  Anse,  on  Averj-'s  Island.  Tliis 
unexpected  upheaval  from  the  marsh,  bounded  by  the  narrow  circling  Petit 
Anse  Bayou,  rises  into  the  sky  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  and  has  the  effect 
in  the  flat  expanse  of  a  veritable  mountain,  comparatively  a  surprise,  like  Pike's 
Peak  seen  from  the  elevation  of  Denver.  Perhaps  nowhere  else  would  a  hill  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  make  such  an  impression  on  ihe  mind.  Crossing 
the  baj'ou,  where  alligators  sun  themselves  and  eye  with  affection  the  colored 
people  angling  at  the  bridge,  and  passing  a  long  causewaj-  over  the  marsh,  the 
firm  land  of  the  island  is  reached.  This  island,  which  is  a  sort  o^  geological 
puzzle,  has  a  very  uneven  surface,  and  is  some  two  and  a  half  miles  long  by 
one  mile  broad.  It  is  a  pretty  little  kingdom  in  itself,  capable  of  producing  in 
its  soil  and  adjacent  waters  nearh'  ever\thing  one  desires  of  the  necessaries  of 
life.  A  portion  of  the  island  is  devoted  to  a  cane  plantation  and  sugar  works; 
a  part  of  it  is  covered  with  forests  ;  and  on  the  lowlands  and  gentle  slopes, 
besides  thickets  of  palmetto,  are  gigantic  live-oaks,  moss-draped  trees  monstrous 
in  girth,  and  towering  into  the  sky  with  a  vast  spread  of  branches.  Scarcely 
anywhere  else  will  one  see  a  nobler  growth  of  these  stately  trees.  In  a  depression 
is  the  famous  salt  mine,  unique  in  qualit}'  and  situation.  Here  is  grown  and  put 
up  the  Tobasco  pepper;  here  amid  fields  of  clover  and  flowers  a  large  apiary 
flourishes.  Stones  of  some  value  for  ornament  are  found.  Indeed  I  should  not 
be  surprised  at  anj'thing  turning  up  there,  for  I  am  told  that  good  kaoline  has 
been  discovered ;  and  aboiit  the  residences  of  the  hospitable  proprietors  roses 
bloom  in  abundance,  the  china  tree  blossoms  sweetly,  and  the  mocking  bird 
sings  all  the  day  long. 

"  But  better  than  all  these  things  I  think  I  like  the  view  from  the  broad  cottage 
piazzas,  and  I  like  it  best  when  the  salt  breeze  is  strong  enough  to  sweep  away 
the  coast  mosquitoes — a  most  undesirable  variet}'.  I  do  not  know  another  view 
of  its  kind  for  extent  and  color  comparable  to  that  from  this  hill  over  the  waters 
seaward.  The  expanse  of  luxuriant  grass,  brown,  golden,  reddish,  in  patches, 
is  interested  by  a  net-work  of  bayous,  which  gleam  like  silver  in  the  sun,  or  trail 
like  dark  fabulous  serpents  under  a  cloudy  sk}'.  The  scene  is  limited  only  by 
power  of  the  eye  to  meet  the  sky  line.  Vast  and  level,  it  is  constantly  chang- 
ing, almost  in  motion  with  life;  the  lone  crrass  and  weeds  run    like  waves   when 


08  SO  UTH 1 1  'ES  T  LO  UIS7A  XA  : 

the  wind  blows,  great  shadows  of  clouds  pass  on  its  surface,  alternating  masses 
with  vivid  ones  of  sunlight;  fishing  boats  and  the  masts  of  schooners  creep 
along  the  threads  of  water;  when  the  sun  goes  down,  a  red  globe  of  fire  in  the 
gulf  mists,  all  the  expanse  is  warm  and  rudd}',  and  the  waters  sparkle  like 
jewels ;  and  at  night  under  the  great  field  of  stars  marsh  fires  here  and  there  give  a 
sort  of  lurid  splendor  to  the  scene.  In  the  winter  it  is  a  temperate  spot,  and  at 
all  times  of  the  year  it  is  blessed  by  an  invigorating  sea  breeze.  Those  who 
have  enjoyed  the  charming  social  life  and  the  unbounded  hospitalit}'  of  the  fam- 
ily who  inhabits  this  island  may  envy  them  their  paradise,  but  they  would  be 
able  to  select  none  others  so  worthy  to  enjoy  it. 

"  It  is  said  the  Attakapas  Indians  are  shy  of  this  island, ;having  a  legend  that 
it  was  the  scene  of  a  great  catastrophe  to  their  race.  Whether  tliis  catastrophe 
has  any  connection  with  the  upheaval  of  the  salt  mountain  I  do  not  know. 
Many  stories  are  current  in  this  region  in  regard  to  the  discovery  of  this  deposit. 
A  little  over  a  quarter  of  a  centur}-  ago  it  was  unsuspected.  The  presence  of  salt  in 
the  water  of  a  small  spring  led  somebody  to  dig  in  the  place,  and  at  a  depth  of 
sixteen  feet  below  the  surface,  solid  salt  was  struck.  In  stripping  awa}'  the  soil 
several  relics  of  human  workmanship  came  to  light,  among  them  stone  imple- 
ments and  a  woven  basket,  exactly  such  as  the  Attakapas  make  now.  This 
basket,  found  at  the  depth  of  sixteen  feet,  lay  upon  the  salt  rock,  and  was  in  a 
perfect  preservation.  Half  of  it  can  now  be  seen  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  late  war  great  quantities  of  salt  wei-e  taken  from  this 
mine  for  the  use  of  the  Confederacy.  But  this  supply  was  cut  off  by  the  Unionists, 
who  at  first  sent  gun-boats  up  the  bayou  within  shelling  distance,  and  at  length 
occupied  it  with  troops. 

"The  ascertained  area  of  the  mine  is  several  acres;  the  depth  of  the 
deposit  is  unknown.  The  first  shaft  was  sunk  a  hundred  feet  ;'below  this  a 
shaft  of  seventy  feet  fails  to  find  any  limit  to  the  salt.  The  excavation  is  already 
large.  Descending,  the  visitor  enters  vast  cathedral-like  chambers;  the  sides 
are  solid  salt,  sparkling  with  crj'stals;  the  floor  is  solid  salt;  the  roof  is  solid 
salt,  supported  on  pillars  of  salt,  left  by  the  excavators,  forty  or  perhaps  sixty 
feet  square.  When  the  interior  is  lighted  by  dynamite  the  effect  is  superbly 
weird  and  grotesque.  The  salt  is  blasted  by  dynamite,  loaded  into  cars,  which 
run  on  rails  to  the  elevator,  hoisted  and  distributed  into  the  crushers,  and  from 
the  crushers  directly  into  the  bags  for  shipment.  No  bleaching  or  cleansing 
process  is  needed ;  the  salt  is  almost  absolutely  pure.  Large  blocks  of  it  are  sent 
to  the  western  plains  for  '  cattle  licks.'  The  mine  is  connected  by  rail  with  the 
main  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  at  New  Iberia." 

In  addition  to  the  relics  found  at  the  salt  mine  mentioned  in  the  foregoing 
article,  the  miners  have  found  others  that  have  attracted  the  attention  of  scientists. 
The  bones  of  the  mastadon,  have  been  found  there,  and    scientists    agree,  that 


IIISrORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  91) 

tlie  mastadon  disappeared  from  ihe  earlli  many  centuries  ago.  How  long 
these  bones  and  relics  have  been  lying  side  by  side  in  the  salt  formation  of 
Petit  Anse  Island  is  unknown,  and  can  only  be  conjectured  by  the  geologist 
from  a  geological  standpoint.  Some  of  these  scientific  gentlemen  have  reckoned 
that  the  mastadon,  or  mammoth,  was  here  witli  the  mound  builders,  and  tliese 
peculiar  people,  of  wiiom  we  know  nothing,  but  conjecture  a  great  deal,  from 
the  relics  found  in  the  mounds  they  heaped  up,  must  have  passed  away  a 
thousand  years  or  more  ago.  That  the  mastadon  and  mound  builder  were  here 
contemporaneously  has  been  demonstrated  by  finding  pipes  and  pottery  ware  in 
the  mounds  with  images  of  the  mastadon  engraved  upon  them.  As  the  mound 
builders  had  no  written  language,  they  could  know  nothing  from  having  read  of 
the  mastadon  but  must  have  gained  their  information  from  a  personal  acquaintance 
with  his  majesty.  And,  as  touching  the  mound  bi  ilders,  the  Indians  had  not  the 
faintest  tradition  of  them,  or  the  mounds  they  erected  in  a  continuous  line  from 
•our  northern  lakes  down  the  Mississippi  Valley  into  Mexico,  and  thence  into 
South  America. 

Oroiige  Island. — This  beautiful  island  is  on  a  line  with  Petit  Anse,  Grand 
Cote  and- Cote  Blanche  Islands,  and  each  is  separated  from  the  neighboring 
island  b}'  a  distance'of  about  si.x  miles.  Orange  IsUind  rises  above  Lake  Peigneur 
and  the  surrounding  prairie  as  the  other  islands  rise  above  and  overlook  the  sur- 
rounding sea  marsh.  The  island  is  about  eight3'-four  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
gulf.  It  has  hills,  valleys,  level  and  inclined  planes,  and  from  its  bluff  banks  in 
places  the  branches  of  the  trees  hang  out  over  the  waters  of  Lake  Peigneur. 
A  constant  sea  breeze  renders  the  spot  healthy  and  delightful  as  a  place  of 
residence. 

Tliere  were,  j-ears  ago,  some  six  thousand  orange  trees  on  this  island,  bear- 
ing an  immense  crop  of  oranges  yearly.  Most  of  them  are  still  in  fine  condition, 
some  of  them  having  bodies  more  than  a  foot  in  diameter.  There  were  two 
thousand  bearing  pecan  trees,  a  large  number  of  the  better  kinds  of  cherries,  and 
some  fig,  peach,  quince,  lemon  and  palm  trees;  several  avenues  of  live-oak  and 
other  growth,  and  a  grove  of  stately  magnolias.  Seen  from  the  summit  of  the 
bluff,  Lake  Peigneur  spreads  out  almost  beneath  the  feet  of  the  observer,  while 
the  gleam  of  the  silvery  surface  closes  the  vista  of  the  principal  avenues  leading 
from  the  house. 

The  owner  of  this  beautiful  and  valuable  pro,)erty  is  Mr.  Joseph  Jefferson, 
the  great  and  world-renowned  actor,  the  hero  of  Rip  Van  Winkle.  He  has 
spent  large  sums  of  money  in  improving,  until  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
valuable  estates  in  Southwest  Louisiana.  Mr.  Jefferson  frequently  visits  it  and 
remains  weeks  and  months  in  fishing  and  enjo3'ing  a  quiet  vacation. 


100  SOrTIIWESJ'  LOUISIAXA  : 

Lake  Peigncur. — Tliis  beautiful  lake,  sometimes  called  Lake  Simonette, 
is  one  of  ihe  finest  sheets  of  water  in  the  Attakapas  countiy,  or  in  the  State,  for 
that  matter.  It  is  about  nine  miles  west  of  New  Iberia,  about  ten  miles  north  of 
Vermilion  Bay  and  about  six  miles  from  the  salt  mines  on  Petit  Anse  Island.  It 
is  about  three  miles  long  and  one  mile  wide,  and  its  greatest  depth  thirty-two  feet. 
It  is  fed  by  numerous  springs  that  break  out  of  the  ground  around  the  margin  of 
the  lake.  Fish  of  all  kinds  found  in  the  waters  of  this  region  of  the  country 
abound  in  Lake  Peigneur,  and  nni}-  be  caught  in  profusion  any  season  of  the 
year.  The  supply  is  inexhaustible.  Tlie  country  around  this  lake  is  verj'  beauti- 
ful and  picturesque. 

Lake  Tasse,  or  Spanish  Lake,  more  commonly  called  by  tlie  latter  mme 
among  the  people,  lies  within  two  miles  of  the  town  of- New  Iberia.  It  is  some 
five  miles  long  and  nearl}-  oval  in  shape.  Its  greatest  depth  is  about  twenty  feet; 
its  margin  mostly  fringed  with  grass  and  water  lilies.  This  lake,  like  Lake 
Peigneur,  swarms  with  fishes  of  every  kind  found  an\'where  in  this  region,  from 
the  sardine  to  trout  and  perch.  Some  of  the  trout  are  said  to  be  two  and  a  half 
feet  long.  The  lake  is  fed  b^-  springs  that  break  out  around  the  margin.  There 
is  a  large  boiling  spring  in  the  middle  of  the  lake  that  is  supposed,  from  its  boil- 
ing proclivity,  to  come  directly  up  from  "sheol,"  as  its  depth  has  never  been 
readied.  The  Teclie  is  ab jut  seven  hundred  yards  from  Lake  Tasse  at  the 
nearest  point,  and  its  surface  is  about  eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ba\ou. 

The  Planter's  Banner  thus  describes  a  trip  of  its  editor  made  in  1S69 
through  Iberia  parisii.  Though  it  was  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  it  illustrates 
the  resources  of  the  country  as  well  as  if  made  last  year.  "  In  company  with 
Dr.  Shaw  we  called  atthe  sugarhouse  of  Ducleon  Bonin,  across  tlie  bayou,  twelve 
miles  from  New  Iberia.  The  sugar  house  was  made  of  pieux  and  rough  plank, 
dirt  floor,  everything  rough  and  cheap.  The  sugar  house  and  mill  house  cost 
$650;  tlie  mill,  second-hand, 32-inch  cylinder,  cost$5oo;  the  kettles,  capacity  for 
two  hogsheads  in  twenty-four  houi\s,  cost  $i.SO,  second-hand  ;  the  whole  cost  of 
all,  $1200.  They  will  make  forty-five  hogsheads  of  sugar  and  sixty  barrels  of 
molasses,  worth  over  $5000.  They  have  made  two  hogsheads  to  the  acre  from 
stubble  cane;   they  make  si.\  hundred  barrels  of  corn. 

"  The  three  Bonin  brothers  were  raised  in  Fausse  Pointe,  served  through 
the  civil  war  in  the  Confederate  arm}',  lost  all  their  slaves  and  nearly  all  their 
other  property  but  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land,  where  they  now  live. 
Last  year  they  went  into  the  swamp,  cut  the  timber  and  floated  it  out  with  their 
ownhands,  made  their  pieux,  and,  tenora  dozen  neighboring  Creoles  joining  them, 
they  put  up  tlieir  pieux  sugar  house  in  one  daj'.  The  sugar  house  entire  cost  no 
money,  except  for  a  keg  of  nails  ;  the  house  has  a  dirt  floor ;  the  molasses  drains 
so  as  to  catch  it  in  an  old  sugar  kettle,  and  from  this  it  is  barreled  for  market. 
These  three  brothers  will  this  vear  make  thirty  hogsheads  of  sugar.     They  are 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  101 

now  making  two  liogsheads  to  the  acre,  and  they  will  have  two  hundred  barrels 
of  corn  to  sell.  They  cultivated  their  crop  with  Creole  horses  of  tlieir  own. 
This  is  a  sami>le  of  what  white  Creole  labor  can  do  in  the  cultivation  of  sugar." 
From  all  tliese  flattering  descriptions  of  the  lands  of  Iberia  parish,  it  is  a 
fact  evident  to  any  one  that  if  the  Garden  of  Eden  was  not  here,  there  was  a 
mistake  in  the  place  of  its  location,  for  certainly  these  are  the  lands,  of  which 
the  poets  sings — 

"Tneir  rocks  and  hills  and  brooks  and  vales 
With  milk  and  honey  flow." 

Well,  it  is  a  fin?  country,  there  is  no  gainsaying  that,  if  rich  lands,  favorabl}^ 
located,  and  having  a  salubrious  and  healthful  climate,  make  a  fine  country.  A 
man  who  would  not  be  satisfied  with  it,  would  not  be  satisfied  with  a  section  of 
the  "Promised  Land."  Appropriate  to  the  above  is  an  extract  from  Hon. 
Charles  Gayarre's  "Poetr}'  of  theHistory  of  Louisiana."  Speaking  of  the  title 
of  liis  book,  he  says:  "I  am  prepared  to  sliow  that  her  history  is  full  of  poetry 
of  the  highest  order,  and  of  the  most  varied  nature.  I  have  studied  the  subject 
con  ciniorc,  and  with  such  reverential  enthusiasm,  and  I  may  saj'  with  sucli  filial 
piety,  that  it  has  grown  upon  my  heart,  as  well  as  upon  my  mind.  To  support 
tlie  assertion  tliat  the  history  of  Louisiana  is  eminently  p3etical,  it  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  give  sliort,  graphical  descriptions  of  tliose  interesting  events  which  con- 
stitute her  annals.  Bright  gems  they  are,  enriching  her  brow,  diadem-like,  and 
worth}-  of  that  star  which  has  sprung  from  her  forehead  to  enrich  the  American 
constellation  in  llie  firmament  of  liberty." 

Early  Settlements. — The  early  settlements  in  the  parish  of  Iberi.i  date 
back  as  far  as  in  St.  Landry  or  St.  Martin.  Tiie  first  settlers  were  Spaniards. 
Among  them  were  the  Seguras,  the  Romeros,  the  Viators,  Miguez,  Domi- 
niques,  etc.  Next  came  the  Acadians,  descendants  of  the  French,  who  had  long 
before  settled  in  the  peninsula  of  Nova  Scotia.  These  were  the  Decuirs,  Brous- 
sards,  Breaux,  Moutons  and  others.  The  story  of  their  expulsion  from  Nova 
Scotia  by  the  English  is  already  told  in  the  chapters  on  St.  Landr}'  and  St. 
Martin  parishes.  The\'  were  exiled  to  different  sections  on  the  Atlantic  border 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  from  whence  many  of  them  sought  the  wilds  of  Louis- 
iana undei"  tiie  guidance  of  Father  Marquette,  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers.  A  large  number  of  them  drifted  down  the  Atlantic  coast  as  far  as 
Maryland  and  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  then  made  their  waj'  across  the 
countrj'  to  Louisiana.  They  plunged  into  the  wilderness,  with  their  faces  turned 
westward,  and  they  did  not  burn  the  bridges  behind  them,  because  there  were 
none  to  burn.  The}'  were  of  that  hardy  race  of  men  and  women  to  whom  tlie 
perils  of  the  wilderness  was  as  nothing,  if  a  home — a  home  free  and  untram- 
meled — stood  at  the  end  of    their    journe}-,  \Yhere  the}'  could  "  worship  God 


102  SO UTH WEST  LO UISIA XA  : 

according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience."  witli  none  "  to  molest  or 
make  them  afraid." 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Iberia  who  came  directly  from  France  were  the 
DeBlancs,  the  Delahoussayes,  the  Gonsoulins — one  of  the  original  surveyors  of 
the  country — the  Devezins,  the  Oliviers,  the  St.  Clairs  and  the  Declouets. 
There  are  still  to  be  found  in  this  and  the  surrounding  country  descendants  of 
these  old  aristocratic  families,  manj'  of  them  with  the  blood  of  the  Frencli  no- 
bility in  their  veins.  Their  settlement  in  what  is  now  the  parish  of  Iberia,  was 
long  the  nucleus,  and  great  spot  of  attraction  of  French  emigrants.  During  the 
French  occupancy  of  Louisiana,  DeBlanc,  the  ancestor  of  this  distinguished 
family  in  America,  was  the  commandant  of  Western  Louisiana. 

The  first  American  settlers  came  here  soon  after  the  battle  of  New  Orleans, 
an  event  that  seemed  to  open  up  this  rich  countrj^  to  settlement  from  the  States. 
The  most  prominent  of  these  were  John  G.  Wilkins,  Governor  Baker,  and  the 
Smiths  and  Youngs.  Wilkins  was  from  ^"il•ginia.  He  was  ver}-  wealthy,  and 
brought  a  number  of  slaves  here  with  him,  and  became  an  extensive  sugar 
planter.  He  reared  a  large  famil}',  and  has  many  descendants  in  the  State. 
Governor  Baker  was  a  prominent  man,  and  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812 
he  was  appointed  Military  Governor  of  Louisiana.  The  Smiths  and  Youngs 
came  from  Maryland,  and  have  scores  of  descendants  still  living  to  perpetuate 
tliese  good  old  American  names.  A  few  Irish  followed  about  this  time,  promi- 
nent among  whom  vvas  Judge  Alexander  Porter.  He  was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  elected  from  the  bench,  upon  which  he  had  served  twelve  years,  to 
the  United  States  Senate,  where  he  was  a  compeer  of  Clay  and  Webster  and 
Calhoun.  He  is  flatteringly  noticed  in  the  St.  Martinsville  pioneer  bar  by  one 
who  knew  him  well. 

The  Pioneers. — Dr.  Alfred  Duperier,  in  a  newspaper  article  written  a  few 
vears  ago,  saj-s  of  tlie  pioneers:  "  We  see  as  early  as  1788  the  census  shows  the 
coljny  of  Ibenato  number  one  hundred  and  ninet)' souls.  The  different  nationalities 
not  being  detailed  in  the  census  referred  to,  it  is  difhcult  to  determine  who  were  the 
pioneers  of  this  immediate  post  or  settlement.  Whilst  the  majority  of  them  were, 
no  doubt,  Spaniards,  they  must  have  been  preceded,  if  not  by  the  French  colonists 
under  St.  Denys  and  Bernard  de  la  Harpe,  who  settled  Natchitoches  and  Alex- 
andria from  1715  to  1719,  by  the  Acadian  French,  who  flocked  to  Louisiana  after 
the  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  in  1759.  The  writer  inclines  to  the  belief  that  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  this  section  were  originally  from  France.  That  they  ac- 
companied the  grantees  to  lands,  made  under  the  regime  of  Bienville,  isjconfirm- 
ed  by  names  transmitted  to  the  present  generation.  Among  the  descendants  of 
the  original  French  we  find  at  Opelousas  tlie  Lastrapes,  the  Louailliers,  the 
Martels;  at  the  Cote  Gelee,  where  one  of  the  earliest  trading  posts    was    estab- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  103 

lished  at  the  present  site  of  Broiissardville,  we  find  the  Lassalles  and  the  Si. 
Juliens;  at  this  place  (New  Iberia)  and  at  St.  Martins  we  find  tlie  DeBhincs,  De)- 
ahoussayes,  Declouets  and  Fusehers.  One  of  the  earhest  among  tlie  Frencii 
commandants  was  the  Chevaher  DeBlanc.  Of  the  first  Acadians  we  have  the 
INIoutons,  Dupres,  Guidrys,  Broussards,  Dugas,  Breaux,  Bernards  and  Decuirs." 

The  Aciidiaui. — Tliese  people,  perliaps,  outnumbered  any  other  one  brancli 
of  the  earl}'  settlers  of  Iberia  parisJi;  therefore  everytliing  pertairing  to  them  will 
be  found  of  interest  to  the  general  reader.  The  following  newspaper  article 
contains  some  interesting  historical  facts  of  the  early  Acadians: 

"  The  province  of  Acadia,  in  the  peninsula  of  Nova  Scotia,  was  ceded  b}' 
France  to  England  in  1713.  The  inhabitants,  however,  continued  to  expect  and 
desire  reunion  with  France.  In  1755  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  sailed  for  Nova  Scotia,  May  20  of  that  year,  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Moncton,  and  landed  in  JBne,  and  soon  conquered  the  whole  of  the  pen- 
insula. The  Acadians  doubtless  sympathized  with  their  countrj^men  of  French 
descent,  and  gained  thereby  the  enemity  of  the  British  governor,  who  required 
every  one  of  them  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and  at 
the  same  time  renounce  allegiance  to  France.  This  the  Acadians  refused  to 
•do.  The  British  general  then  ordered  them  to  instantly'  go  on  board  the  British 
ships  and  be  transported  to  other  climes.  They  were  driven  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet  from  their  homes,  and  transported  in  British  ships  to  Louisiana,  which 
then  belonged  to  France,  settled  along  the  coast,  the  bayous, -rivers  and  lakes  of 
Sjuthwest  Louisiana.  In  the  hurrj^  of  embarkation,  friends  and  relatives  were 
separated,  and  never  saw  each  other  again  until  they  found  each  other  in  their 
new  home;   and  perhaps  some  were  never  united  again  on  earth. 

"  The  story  of  'Evangeline,'  by  Longfellow,  was  true  as  to  its  main  fea- 
tures. Last  summer  we  were  shown  the  tree  under  which  Evangeline  is  said 
to  have  rested  while  she  was  engaged  in  hunting  for  her  lover.  It  stands  upon 
Jhe  banks  of  the  beautiful  Teche,  and  forms  part  of  a  picturesque  grove  of 
live-oaks. 

"  The  Acadians,  who  were  brouglit  to  this  country  against  their  wills,  were 
descendants  of  French  people,  who  emigrated  from  France  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  Their  education,  opinions  and  principles  where  provincial  rather 
than  French,  by  reason  of  their  long  absence  from  the  Mother  country.  Hence 
thev  brought  with  them  to  Louisiana  ideas  and  habits  formed  after  the  provin- 
cial pattern.  Being  so  different  in  many  respects  from  those  inhabitants 
of  Louisiana  who  came  to  this  country  direct  from  France,  they  did  not 
mingle  with  tiiem  to  any  considerable  extent,  but  formed  communities  of  their 
own,  and  lived  a  quiet,  peaceful,  and  uneventful  life.  The  name  Acadians,  by 
vvjiich  they  w'ere  first  known,  was  soon    contracted    or   corrupted  into    the  term 


104  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

'  Cajan,"  by  which  tliey  are  frequently  known.  For  some  reason  unknown 
to  us  many  of  these  people  object  to  tlie  name  Cajan.  There  is  certainly 
no  disgrace  in  being  a  descendant  of  the  innocent  people  who  were  driven  from 
their  iiomes  in  Acadia  and  settled  in  this  coutitry;  and  we  can  see  no  reason 
for  being  ashamed  of  the  name,  or  of  its  contracted  form,  Cajan.  The  Aca- 
dians  who  are  still  in  this  region  are  a  quiet,  hospitable  and  accommodating 
people.  They  are  entirely'  distinct  from  the  descendants  of  those  who  came  to 
this  country  directly  from  France;  but  they  haVe  some  of  the  Franch  character- 
istics, among  which  are  politeness,  vivacity,  hospitality,  etc.  Their  educational 
opportunities  being  v^ery  meagre,  many  of  them  are  uneducated;  but  they  show 
commendable  zeal  in  availing  themselves  of  the  improved  and  increasing  facili- 
ties for  educational  advantages.  They  also  readily  adopt  the  new  methods  and 
nev/  machinery  introduced  bj'  the  Nortliern  immigration  of  the  last  few  years, 
and  are  rapidly  accumulating  wealth  and  increasing  in  intelligence. 

The  pioneer  histor\'  of  Iberia  parish  is  somewhat  short,  on  account  of  the 
3'oulhfulness  of  the  parish,  which  as  a  municipality  dates  back  to  iS6S  only. 
Thus,  much  that  pertains  to  the  earh'  settlement  here  is  given  in  St.  Martin. and 
St.  Mary  parishes.  This  was  unavoidable.  When  the  fii-st  settlements  were 
made  in  what  is  now  Iberia,  and  for  long  j-ears  afterward,  it-  was  a  part  of  St. 
Martin  parisli.  Another  reason  of  its  abridged  pioneer  history  is  its  small 
dimensions.  On  the  State  maps  it  is  not  much  larger  than  a  man's  thumb  nail. 
Though  small,  it  is  ver}'  ricli,  on  the  principle,  perhaps,  that  "fine  goods  are  put 
up  in  small  packages."  All  these  together  contribute  to  curtail  the  pioneer 
historj'  of  Iberia  parisli. 

Orgcniization  of  Parish. — Iberia  was  established  as  a  parish  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature,  approved  October  30,  1868.     The  act  is  as  follows  : 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  b}'  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  State  of  Louisiana,  in  General  Assembly  convened.  That  from  and  after  the 
passage  of  this  act,  there  shall  be  a  new  parish  formed  from  a  portion  of  the 
south  part  of  the  parish  of  St.  Martin  and  from  a  portion  of  the  north  part  of  St. 
Mary,  to  be  called  and  known  b}'  the  name  of  the  parish  of  Iberia. 

Skc.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  following  shall  be  the  boundaries 
of  the  parish  of  Iberia,  viz:  Beginning  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  at  the  entrance 
to  the  southwest  or  Vermilion  Pass;  thence  along  the  middle  of  the  main  chan- 
nel of  said  pass  to  the  entrance  to  Vermilion  Bay ;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to 
the  mouth  of  Petit  Anse  Baj'ou;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  western 
shore  of  Lake  Peigneui';  thence  along  the  western  shore  of  said  lake,  and  along 
the  line  dividing  the  parishes  of  St.  Martin,  Vermilion  and  Lafayette,  to  a  point 
intersected  by  a  line  running  east  and  west  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the 
township  line  between  townships  11  and  12  south,  in  range  5  east;  thence  due  east 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  105 

to  the  township  line  between  ranges  5  and  6  east;  thence  southeast  to  the  upper 
Hne  of  lands  now  belonging  to  S.  M.  Darby  (originally  confirmed  to  J.  Fontenot, 
commonly  represented  as  number  59);  thence  northeastward  along  said  upper 
line  to  Lake  Tasse ;  thence  southeastward  through  the  middle  of  said  lake  in  a 
direct  line  to  the  upper  line  of  lands  now  owned  by  Jno.  F.  Wyche,  following 
said  upper  line  to  the  depth  of  forty  arpents:  thence  following  the  rerfr  conces- 
sion of  lands  lying  south  of  J.  F.  Wyche,  and  fronting  Bayou  Teche  at  a  dis- 
tance of  forty  arpents  from  said  bayou  to  the  south  line  of  Onezephore  Dela- 
houssaye  ;  thence  circumscribing  the  lands  of  said  Onezephore  Delahoussaye  to 
Coulee  Porlage,  following  said  coulee  to  Baj'ou  Portage ;  thence  along  the  middle 
of  said  bayou  to  Lake  Fausse  Point, and  through  the  middle  of  said  lake  to  a  point 
intersected  by  tlie  township  line  between  townships  11  and  12  south;  thence 
east  along  said  line  to  the  eastern  limits  of  the  parish  of  St.  Martin  on  Grand 
River;  thence  southward!}'  with  said  limits  to  the  line  between  townships  12  and 
13  south;  thence  westwardly  in  a  direct  line  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  lands 
of  Charles  Grevenberg;  thence  southeastwardly  across  the  Bayou  Teche  along 
the  upper  line  of  said  lands  of  Charles  Grevenberg,  and  in  a  direct  line  to  the  sea 
marsh  ;  thence  through  said  sea  marsh,  midwa\'  between  the  liighlands  of  Cypre- 
mortand  Grand  Cote  to  Vermilion  Bay;  thence  through  said  bay  to  the  southeast 
l^ass  of  Cote  Blanche  Buy,  and  thence  along  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
the  point  of  beginning,  including  Petit  Anse  Island. 

Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duly  of  the  Governor 
immediately  after  the  passage  of  this  act,  to  nominate,  and  by  and  with  the  ad- 
vice and  consent  of  the  Senate,  to  appoint  for  the  said  parish  a  judge,  a  sheriff, 
a  recorder,  and  all  other  officers  that  may  be  necessary  therefor,  etc. 

There  are  several  other  sections,  but  they  are  not  material  to  this  sketch. 
The  act  is  signed  by  Charles  W.  Lowell,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, Oscar  J.  Dunn,  Lieutenant  Governor  and  President  of  the  Senate,  and  H. 
C.  Warmoth,  Governor;  attested  by  George  E.  Brown,  Secretary  of  State.  The 
requisite  parish  officers  were  appointed  as  required  in  the  act,  and  the  parish 
was  formally  organized,  and  started  on  its  way  in  the  full  tide  of  successful  ex- 
periments. 

The  first  court  house  after  the  parish  was  organized  was  a  temporary  build- 
ing used  for  the  purpose,  which  was  burned  in  1870.  Otiier  temporary  build- 
ings were  used  until  a  spirit  of  enterprise  infected  the  good  people  of  the  town 
and  parish,  and  they  determined  to  have  a  court  house  that  none  would  be 
ashamed  of,  and  so  thej'went  to  work  while  the  fever  was  on  lest  if  it  cooled  the 
project  would  drop.  Mr.  Dominique  Ulger  Broussard  was  the  moving  spirit, 
and  but  for  his  enterprise  they  probably  would  still  be  without  a  court  house. 
The  beautiful  building  that  now  graces  the  public  square  of  New  Iberia  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  $22,000,  and  finished  in  1884.     The  people  are  justly  proud  of 


106  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIAXA : 

it,  as  it  is  entire!}-  the  result  of  home  production  and  enterprise.  It  is  built  of 
brick  and  is  two  stories  high,  besides  the  mansard  roof.  The  internal  arrange- 
ments of  the  building  are  as  excellent  as  the  exterior  is  comely  to  the  eye. 

The  parish  offices  'are  on  the  first  floor,  the  court  room,  a  very  tasty  and 
handsome  one,  is  in  the  second  story,  while  in  the  third  story,  under  the;  man- 
sard roof,  is  tlie  armory,  where  the  three  local  military  companies  keep  their 
arms  and  equipments.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  the  square  is  the  jail,  a  sub- 
stantial two-story  brick  building. 

On  the  first  floor  of  the  court  house  in  the  center  hall  is  a  beautiful  memo- 
rial tablet  of  polished  marble  placed  in  the  wall,  upon  which  is  inscribed  the 
following:  "  In  memory  of  Dominique  Ulger  Broussard,  born  August  4,  1838, 
died  Jatmary  28,  1885.  Erected  by  Iberia  parish  in  grateful  recognition  of  his 
unselfish  and  distinguished  public  service."" 

Public  Improzcmciits. — Iberia  parish  has  few  public  improvements  besides 
railroads  and  a  few  bridges,  outside  of  the  parish  capital.  The  main  line  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  traverses  the  parish  through  the  eastern  side,  a  little 
west  of  north.  A  histor}-  of  this  great  road  is  given  elsewhere.  A  branch 
extends  from  New  Iberia  to  the  salt  mines,  and  another  bianch  will  be  built 
during  the  coming  j-ear  from  New  Iberia  to  Abbeville,  the  capital  of  Vermilion 
parish.  When  it  is  finished  it  will  make  New  Iberia  quite  a  railroad  center,  and 
having  excellent  navigation  by  means  of  Ba\ou  Teche,  Iberia  parish  is  well 
provided  with  means  of  travel  and  transportation. 

On  the  subject  of  the  improvement  of  water  vva^s,  Dr.  Dupericr  said  in  an 
article  written  in  1887  and  published  in  The  Sugar  Bowl:  "Since  the  closing 
of  the  Bayou  Plaquemine  there  has  been  an  increased  demand  for  cheap  water 
transportation  to  carry  the  agricultural  products  of  the  Teche  to  our  nearest  home 
markets.  The  arbitrary  closing  of  the  Bayou  Plaquemine,  the  natural  river  inlet 
and  outlet  to  and  from  the  Mississippi  River,  was  allowed  without  protest  or 
injunction  from  the  only  proper  tribunal — the  United  States  Courts.  Those 
interested  (the  people  at  large)  have  supinely  waited,  are  still  waiting,  and  will 
continue  to  wait,  until  congressional  legislation  orders  the  opening,  deepening 
and  locking  of  Bayou  Plaquemine.  When  will  that  be?  What  have  the  mer- 
chants of  Galveston,  Texas,  done?  Can't  the  New  Orleans  and  the  entire  Teche 
trade  do  as  much  for  themselves?  Until  such  time  as  the  Bayou  Plaquemine  is 
opened,  deepened  and  made  permanently  navigable  by  congressional  enact- 
ment, or  by  an  order  from  the  United  States  Court,  obtained  by  a  chartered  com- 
pany, organized  for  works  of  public  improvements,  can  not,  I  say,  the  merchants 
of  New  Orleans,  the  Teche  planters  and  merchants  by  combined  action,  do. what 
the  Galveston  merchants  have  done  to  secure  the  growing  and  immense  traffic  of 
the  Teche?" 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BlOGRArillCAL.  107 

In  another  article  written  for  the  same  paper.  Dr.  Duperier  says  further  of  liis 
pet  scheine  of  improved  water  transportation:  "The  first  commercial  impetus 
given  to  New  Iberia  was  the  introduction  in  the  waters  of  the  Teche,  in  1840, 
by  Capt.  Gillet,  a  yankee  sea  captain,  of  the  steam  propeller,  Tomachichi.  The 
arrival  of  this  vessel  was  an  eventful  day,  and  the  result  of  tliis  venture  brought 
the  following  j-ear  the  John  Morrisett,  a  steamer  of  much  larger  proportions,  to 
take  the  place  of  the  Tomachichi.  The  success  of  Capt.  Gillet,  aroused  tlie 
ambition  and  induced  Capt.  Cheney  Johnson,  of  Franklin,  to  build,  in  quick  suc- 
cession, three  side-wheel  sea-going  vessels  of  large  carrj-ing  capacity,  and 
adapted  to  the  trade — the  Belle  of  Attakapas,  the  Agricole  Fuselier,  and  the 
Mamie  Burt.  The  business  management  which  characterized  the  enterprise 
contributed  largely  to  its  succes'^.  In  addition  to  the  cargoes  brought  by  this 
line  of  steamers  to  New  Iberia  for  distribution,  it  was  the  terminus  of  naviga- 
tion for  such  sailing  craft  as  came  from  the  gulf  and  Atlantic  ports.  New  Ibe- 
ria was  made  the  entrepot  for  the  lumber  trade  of  Pensacola  and  Mobile. 
Strange  to  say,  at  that  time  not  a  smgle  saw-mill  was  to  be  found  on  the 
banks  of  the  Teclie  or  lower  Alchafalaya,  the  nearest  and  only  saw-mill' in 
operation  being  that  of  Capt.  Curry,  on  Baj'ou  Portage,  leading  to  Lake  Fausse 
Pointe.  The  first  saw-mill  erected  on  the  lower  Atchafa!a3'a  was  owned  by 
Joseph  Gall.  Schooners  coming  from  the  Atlantic  ports  would  bring  lime, 
cement,  fire  bricks,  potatoes,  onions,  codfish,  oak  staves,  etc.  The  return  car- 
goes of  these  vessels  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Charleston,  Savan- 
nah and  Mobile  consisted  in  sugar,  molasses,  hides,  horns,  bones,  all  of  which 
was  consigned  to  merchants  in  those  cities,  or  bought  by  agents  representing 
firms  doing  business  at  the  different  seaports." 

It  is  a  fact,  patent  to  every  business  man,  that  water  ways  and  water  trans- 
portation are  greatly  beneficial  to  any  agricultural  community,  but  it  does  not 
follow,  no  difference  how  complete  and  extensive  they  are,  that  they  relieve  the 
necessity  for  railroads.  The  railroad  has  become  a  necessity,  and  a  country 
without  railroads,  in  this  age  of  enterprise,  is  almost  without  civilization.  The 
more  a  countr}'  has  of  both  water  and  railroad  transportation,  the  better  it  is  for 
that  country  and  its  people.  The  competiiion  between  them  prevents  monopoly 
and  gives  to  the  shipper  much  more  favorable  freight  rates  for  his  products  or 
his  goods. 

The  Medical  Profession. — One  of  the  early  physicians  of  what  is  now  Iberia 
parish,  was  Dr.  Solenge.  a  native  of  Province  Dauphine,  France.  He  was  a 
man  of  generous  impulses,  humane  and  charitable;  a  man  of  letters  and  an 
accomplished  and  highly  educated  ph3^sician.  He  married  a  rich  heiress, 
amiable  but  an  invalid.  Her  name  was  Pellerin,  and  among  other  possessions 
she  inherited  a  large  number  of    slaves,  many  of  whom  were  natives  of  Afric  a 


108  SOL'VVflVEST  L  OV/SIAXA  : 

and  with  devotion  cliaracteristic  of  the  African  race  when  they  set  tlieir  lieart, 
upon  an3-thing,  tliey  adored  their  youn<f  mistress.  They  conceived  an  idea  that 
the  doctor  was  treating  his  wife  in  a  way  to  take  her  life,  that  he  miglit  gain  her 
propert}',  and  they  formed  a  conspiracy  to  kill  him.  One  stormy  night,  as  lie 
was  returning  home  fi'om  a  professional  visit  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  fired 
on  and  killed.  When  the  murder  was  discovered  the  slaves  were  drawn  up  in 
a  line,  and  a  near  relative  of  Mrs.  Solenge  slowly  passed  along  and,  without 
asking  a  single  question,  would  occasionabl}'  tell  one  to  step  aside:  when  lie  had 
scrutinized  all  he  declared  they  were  the  murderers.  There  were  seven  of 
them  ;  five  confessed  to  the  crime,  and  were  executedon  the  spot  wliere  they  had 
committed  the  deed.     The  other  two  were  finally  pardoned. 

Dr.  Raphael  Smith  was  a  young  physician  of  great  promise.  lie  located 
here,  but  afterward  went  toPlaquemine,  where  he  died  in  1839,  of  j-ellow  fever. 

Another  early  physician  was  Dr.  Hacker.  After  practising  here  a  few 
years,  he,  also,  removed  to  Plaquemine.  He  lost  his  life  on  the  ill-fated  steamer 
Gypsy,  the  burning  of  which,  on  the  Mississippi  River  some  years  ago,  is  still 
remembered  b}' many  of  the  citizens  of  New  Iberia.  He  and  a  daughter  were 
victims  of  the  disaster,  and  were  burned  to  death  on  the  fatal  boat. 

Dr.  Jerome  Mudd  came  from  Maryland.  He  was  a  graduate  of  George- 
town College,  D.  C,  and  an  excellent  phj'sician.  After  practising  here  some 
years,  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  died. 

Drs.  Benoni  Neal,  Blanchet,  and  Mestayer  were  among  the  early  physicians 
of  New  Iberia.  Dr.  Mestayer  practised  many  years  and  died  some  half  a  dozen 
years  ago.  Dr.  Blanchet  was  a  native  of  this  parish  and  died  only  a  few  years 
ago.     Dr.  Neal  was  from  Baltimore,  and  is  also  dead. 

Dr.  Alfred  Duperier  is  the  oldest  physician  in  practice  in  the  parish.  He 
has  practised  constantly  since  1847,  except  five  or  six  j^ears,  just  after  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  was  born  and  raised  here.  His  father  was  the  original  propri- 
etor of  the  town  of  New  Iberia,  and  owned  the  land  upon  which  it  was  laid  out. 
The  doctor  studied  medicine,  graduated,  commenced  practice  here,  and  here  is 
still  following  the  path  he  chose  nearly  half  a  century  ago. 

Within  the  memory  of  those  still  living,  there  have  been  two  epidemics  in 
New  Iberia  from  yellow  fever.  One  of  these  occurred  in  1839,  the  other  in 
1867.  That  of  1839,  '^^^  the  severest  epidemic  the  town  ever  experienced  ; 
nearly  one  half  of  the  population  died.  There  were  scarcely  enough  left  to  bury 
the  dead  and  care  for  those  down  with  the  dreadful  disease. 

In  connection  with  this  reign  of  terror,  there  is  one  whose  name  should  not 
be  allowed  to  drop  into  oblivion,  and  a  more  appropriate  place  to  record  it  can 
not  be  found  than  in  this  sketch  of  the  yellow  fever  scourge.  She  was  only  an 
old  colored  woman  known  by  the  name  of  "Felicitv-."  She  did  an  angel's 
part,  and    no   doubt   she   now   wears   a   crown,  bright  with    man)-  jewels.     She 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL.  109 

nursed  the  sick,  administered  to  the  dying,  closed  the  eyes  of  the  dead,  and 
wept  over  their  graves.  From  that  year  (1839)  to  '^'^*^  time  of  her  death  slie 
was  never  forgotten  or  allowed  to  want  by  the  sufferers  of  that  dreadful  period. 
Her  picture  adorned  the  parlors  of  a  number  of  her  white  friends,  and  annualh', 
on  the  1st  of  January,  many  substantial  tokens  of  the  love  and  friendship  they 
cherished  for  her  found  their  wa}'  to  her  humble  cabin.  The  day  of  her  death,  in 
February,  1852,  was  one  of  general  mourning  in  New  Iberia.  By  common 
request  her  body  lay  in  state  in  the  home  of  her  former  owner.  The  funeral 
rites  were  of  the  most  solemn  and  imposing  character.  Every  business  house 
in  New  Iberia  was  closed,  and  ever}'  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  town  followed 
her  to  the  last  resting  place. 

In  1867  there  was  another  epidemic  of  yellow  fever  throughout  this  section 
of  the  State.  In  New  Iberia  two  hundred  and  eighty  died  ;  in  LafaN'ette  one  huii- 
died  and  bixt3--nine  whites  died,  and  other  parishes  suffered  in  proportion.  Dr. 
Hilliard,  a  native  of  Virginia,  living  in  New  Iberia,  died,  also  Dr.  Mattingly  from 
the  District  of  Columbia.  Dr.  Duperier  was  the  only  physician  that  escaped. 
Physicians  came  out  from  New  Orleans  to  assist  him. 

Early  Lazvycrs. — There  were  no  resident  lawyers  in  what  is  now  the  parish 
of  Iberia  until  after  its  organization  in  1868.  Prior  to  that  all  litigants  had  to  go 
to  St.  Martinsville  and  Franklin  for  justice,  and  to  have  their  little  differences 
adjusted.  The  first  lawyer  to  locate  in  New  Iberia  was  Judge  Joseph  Breaux.  He 
came  here  upon  the  formation  of  the  parish,  indeed,  before  the  organization  was 
completed,  and  continued  to  practise  in  the  courts  here  until  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Supreme  Bench.  For  3'ears  before  the  parish  of  Iberia  was  formed  he 
had  practised  in  Abbeville,  Vermilion  parish. 

Judge  Robert  Perry,  at  present  judge  of  the  circuit  court,  was  the  next 
lawyer  to  locate  in  the  town.  Judge  Perry  was  born  in  Vermilion  parish,  edu- 
cated at  Bardstown,  Kentuck}^  and  graduated  from  the  law  school  at  Louisville 
when  that  eminent  jurist  Judge  Henry  Pirtle  was  at  its  head.  After  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  he  practised  for  a  while  at  St.  Martinsville,  where  he  was  a 
partner  of  Judge  DeBlanc.  Judges  Perry  and  Breaux  held  the  principal  part  of 
the  practice  here  until  they  were  appointed,  one  to  the  Circuit  and  the  other  to 
the  Supreme  Bench. 

Judge  Frederick  Gates  is  a  regularly  licensed  lawyer  and  practised  for  a 
number  of  j'ears  at  St.  Martinsville  and  at  Franklin.  He  was  the  tirst  District 
Judge  of  Iberia  parish  after  it  was  organized,  and  made  a  good  one,  but  the 
practice  of  law  was  too  slow  a  business  for  the  judge,  and  he  threw  away  his  law 
books,  changed  his  office  into  an  oil  mill,  and  is  now  jogging  along  the  high 
road  to  fortune.  He  is  making  money  enough  every  year  to  pay  the  interest  on 
the  national  debt,  and  expects  soon  to  pay  off  the  debt  itself. 


110  SOr'nnVEST  LOi'ISIAXA: 

A  number  of  lawyers  came  to  the  parish,  but  did  not  remain  long  owing  to 
a  lack  of  business.  There  was  little  litigation  in  the  early  legal  life  of  the  parish, 
and  the  first  two  or  three  lawyers  who  settled  here  succeeded  in  holding  most  of 
that  over  all  new  comers.  Among  the  names  of  the  present  bar  may  be  found 
Foster,  Broussard  and  Renoudt,  Waller  Burke,  Judge  Castillanos,  Delaney,  the 
Fontelieus,  Weeks,  Hasse,  etc.  As  these  have  sketches  in  the  biographical 
department,  further  mention  is  omitted  here, 

Education.— The  public  schools  of  the  parish  are  of  a  rather  poor  quality 
in  the  rural  districts,  but  in  New  Iberia  a  very  excellent  school  is  mamtained. 
The  people  have  not  been  wont  to  take  the  interest  in  common  school  education 
here  that  its  importance  demands,  and  that  the  people  do  in  other  sections  of  the 
country.  There  are  too  many  who  look  on  common  schools  as  pauper  schools. 
This  is  not  the  light  in  which  to  view  the  matter.  The  schools  are  common  in 
the  same  sense  in  which  we  speak  of  the  common  law,  the  common  weal,  the 
commonwealth.  Some  of  the  best  men  this  country  has  known  received  their 
education  in  the  common  schools,  and  but  for  them  would  have  received  very 
little  anywhere.  But  thanks  to  the  perfect  system  of  free  education  prevailing 
in  many  of  the  States,  a  man  may  fit  himself  in  the  common  schools  for  any 
station  or  position  in  life. 

The  negroes  here  take  much  interest  in  public  education.  They  supple- 
ment the  bonus  received  from  the  treasury  of  the  State  by.  special  taxes  levied  to 
continue  their  schools  longer  than  the  public  funds  alone  will  carry  them.  The 
colored  school  of  New  Iberia  is  in  charge  of  a  Miss  Mitchell,  an  intelligent  and 
well  educated  colored  woman  who  came  from  the  New  England  States,  where 
she  had  received  the  full  benefit  of  the  excellent  system  of  common  schools  of 
that  land  of  schools,  academies  and  colleges,  free  to  all. 

The  town  of  New  Iberia  has  an  excellent  public  school,  with  the  best  of 
teachers,  and  a  magnificent  school  building,  complete  in  all  its  appointments. 
It  is  held  up  as  a  model  school  throughout  the  surrounding  country,  and  it  well 
deserves  the  credit  and  popularity  it  has  attained.  Mr.  W.  R.  Burke,  one  of 
the  most  energetic  and  enthusiastic  men  on  the  subject  of  common  schools  in 
the  town,  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  School  Board  and  Parish  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  in  1877,  and  since  that  time  has  devoted  himself  to  improving  and 
perfecting  the  school  system.  When  Mr.  Burke  took  charge  of  the  superin- 
tendent's office,  the  schools  were  in  a  deplorable  condition,  but  under  his  effi- 
cient management  they  have  attained  their  present  high  standard,  which  is 
second  to  none  among  the  parishes  of  Southwest  Louisiana. 

The  Parish  Cafita/.—New  Iberia  is  the  capital  of  the  parish,  and  the  prin- 
cipal town  on  the  Bayou  Teche,  is  situated  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  out  from  New  Orleans,  and   at  the  head  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  HI 

steam  navigation  on  the  Teche.  The  streets  are  of  good  width  and  well  laid  off, 
and  the  town  lias  shown  its  good  sense  and  enterprise  and  its  rapid  strides 
toward  metropolitan  grandeur  by  lighting  itself  on  the  way  to  the  goal  with 
electricity.  Some  of  the  finest  residences  are  surrounded  with  rare  and  fragrant 
flowers  and  rose  gardens,  and  beautiful  shrubbery,  and  shaded  with  grand  old 
trees,  that  look  as  if  they  might  have  been  of  goodly  size  when  DeSoto  discov- 
ered the  Mississippi  River.  The  town  is  rapidly  shaking  off  its  slothfulness 
after  a  Rip  Van  Winkle  sleep,  and  has  become  imbued  with  the  progressive  pace 
of  the  period.  And  Ihe  result  of  this  new  spinl  of  enterprise  is  many  hand- 
some public  buildings.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  court  house,  built 
at  a  cost  of  $22,000;  opera  house,  $26,000:  Catholic  church,  including  rectory 
etc.,  $40,000;  public  hall,  $Sooo;  public  school  building,  $4000,  and  many  new 
and  handsome  modern  residences.  In  manufacturing  enterprises  it  is  the' lead- 
ing town  in  the  Teche  country,  and  does  business  of  this  kind  amountin--  to 
over  $300,000  annually.  '^ 

A  distinguished  writer  luis  this  to  say  of  New  Iberia: 

••  New  Iberia,  the  thriving  mart  of  the  region,  which  has  drawn  away  the 
lite  trom  St.  Martinsville,  ten  miles  further  up  the  bayou,  is  a  village  mainly  of  . 
small  frame  houses,  with  a  smart  court  house,  a  livelv  business  street,  a  few.'pretty 
houses  and  some  old-time  mansions  on  the  bank  of  the  bayou,  half  smothe'red  in 
old  rose  gardens,  the  ground  in  the  rear  sloping  to  the  water  under  the  shade  of 
gigantic  oaks.  One  of  them,  which,  with  the ,  outside  staircases  and  pillared 
gallery,  suggests  Spanish  taste  on  the  outside  and  in  the  interior  the  arrangement 
of  connecting  rooms  a  French  chateau,  has  a  self-keeping  rose  garden  where  one 
might  easily  become  sentimental;  the  vines  disport  themselves  like  holiday 
children,  climbing  the  trees,  and  reveling  in  an  abandon  of  color  and  perfume. 
The  population  is  mixed— Americans,  French,  Italians,  now  and  then  a  Spaniard 
and  even  a  Mexican,  occasionally  a  basket-making  Attakapas,  and  thr-  all-per- 
vading person  of  color.  The  darkey  is  a  born  fisherman,  in  places  where  fishin^ 
requires  no  exertion,  and  one  may  see  him  any  hour  seated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Teche.  especially  the  boy  and  the  sun-bonneted  woman,  placidly  holding  their 
poles  over  the  muddy  streams,  and  can  study,  if  he  like,  the  black  face  In  ex- 
pectation of  a  bite.  There,  too,  are  the  washerwomen,  with  their  tubs  and  a 
plank  thrust  into  the  water,  and  a  handkerchief  of  bright  colors  for  a  turban. 
These  people  somehow  never  fail  to  be  picturesque,  whatever  attitude  they 
take,  and  they  are  not  at  all  self-conscious."* 

New  Iberia  was  laid  out  in  1835,  and  the  original  survev  made  under  the 
the  supervision  of  Mr.  Frederick  H.  Duperier,  the  father  of  Dr.  Alfred  Duper- 
ler^one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  the  town.     The  elder  Duperier  had  been 

♦Charles  Dudley  Warner,  in  Haiper's  Magazine. 


112  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

engaged  in  sugar  farming  at  Isle  Pivert,  and  acting  under  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
Agricole  Fuselier  and  Dr.  Solenge,  two  personal  friends,  he,  for  the  first  time 
conceived  the  project  of  building  a  town  upon  a  lot  of  land  he  owned  on  the 
banks  of  the  Teche,  ''  fronting  three  arpents  on  the  bayou  and  .running  back 
forty  arpents."  This  plat  comprised  that  portion  of  the  town  between  Iberia 
and  Corinne  streets,  and  extending  back  from  the  banks  of  the  Teche  to  the 
property  owned  by  the  late  Thomas  Johnson.  The  services  of  a  surveyor  by 
the  name  of  Dow  were  obtained  to  lay  off  so  much  of  the  tract  as  would  include 
ten  arpents  in  dcptli  by  the  whole  frontage  on  the  bayou,  reserving  undivided 
the  plat  comprised  between  Main  street,  then  known  as  the  public  road,  the 
Teche  and  the  streets  now  known  as  Corinne  and  Iberia  streets ;  this  constituting 
the  old  Pintard  and,  subsequently,  Duperier  homestead.  Out  of  the  lots  sur- 
veyed, the  square  fronting  St.  Peter  street  between  Iberia  and  Corinne  appear 
on  the  plan  for  the  purpose  of  a  church.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  plans 
of  the  owner.  In  1836  the  ground  reserved  was  formall}-  donated  to  a 
board  of  rectors,  regularly  authorized  to  construct  on  the  ground  thus  donated 
a  Catholic  church. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  pretty  little  town  of  New  Iberia.  It  has  not 
grown  rapidly,  but  it  has  grown  substantially,  and  to-daj'  stands  on  a  foundation 
that  no  financial  storms  can  shake.  It  is  not  like  many  western  towns  that  spring 
up  in  a  night  like  a  mushroom,  then  pass  away  as  suddenly  as  they  rose,  leaving 
not  a  trace  behind  to  tell  where  or  when  or  how  they  sunk.  Her  merchants  are  wide- 
awake, live  business  men;  her  manufacturers  energetic,  pushing  and  go-ahead, 
while  her  professional  men  are  ready  at  all  times  to  join  hands  with  them  for^ 
what  will  best  promote  the  interests  of  all. 

Manufacturing  Industries. — The  most  extensive  manufacturing  enterprise 
in  New  Iberia  is  the  oil  mill  and  soap  factory  of  Judge  Fred.  Gates,  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Teche  in  the  lower  end  of  the  town.     It  was  commenced  in 
1878,  but  only  a  shed  was  put  up,  with  the  necessary  machinery  for  making  oil 
in  a  rather  small  way.     Mr.  Gates  has  continued  to  add  to  it,  until  it  is  now  well ' 
nigh  perfect;    probably  there  is  not  another  mill  of  the  kind  in  this  section  so 
admirably  arranged  and  so  complete  in   all  its  details  as  this.     It  is  valued  at: 
$30,000,  including  machinery,  boats,  soap  factory,  etc.,  and  exclusive  of  such  1 
things  as  bags,  tools,  barrels,  etc.     It  is  what  is  called  a   12-ton  mill;   and  it  is  j 
lighted  with  electricity,  which  is  manufactured  in  the  mill.     The  mill  runs  about  j 
ten  months  of  the  year,  employs  regularly  eighteen  hands,  aside  from  "  roust-J 
about"  labor  for  loading  and  unloading  boats  on  the  ba3rou,  and  consumes  two! 
hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  cotton   seed  per  month.     It  makes  annually  sixteen! 
hundred  barrels  of  oil — worth  $11  per  barrel:   about  nine  hundred  tons  of  meal] 
— worth  $17  per  ton,  besides  linters  amount   to   considerable.     In  connection] 


HISTORICAL  Ayn  BIOGRAPHICAL.  113 

with  the  oil  mill  is  a  soap  factory,  where  soap   is   made  from  cotton  seed,  which 
IS  a  valuable  adjunct. 

As  to  the  value  of  cotton  seed  oil,  and  the  manv  purposes  for  which  it  cm 
be  used.  Judge  Gates  writes  to  the  Manufacturer's  Record  as  follows  •  -  In  mv 
household  refined  cotton  seed  oil  has  nearly  taken  the  place  of  lard  For  all 
frymg  purposes  the  refined  oil  is  preferable  to  the  best  home  made  lard,  for  the 
reason  :t  is  clean,  healthy  and  pure,  and  for  the  additional  reason  that  it  can  not 
come  from  diseased  sources,  and  is  cheaper  by  far  than  the  cheapest  lard 
Two-thirds  of  a  gallon  of  refined  oil  at  thirty-five  cents  will  do  more  work  than 
one  gallon  of  lard  at  seventy  cents.  The  oil  in  which  fish  is  fried  is  strained  off 
and  used  to  fry  potatoes;  strained  again  it  is  used  to  fry  steak,  beef  or  mutton 
and  yet  it  leaves  no  trace  or  taste  of  the  one  in  the  other.  It  gives  to  evervthinc^ 
cooked  m  it  a  nutty  flavor  that  no  other  grease  will  impart.  The  great  secret  of 
using  this  oil,  a  secret  that  managers  of  households  have  not  vet  discovered  is 
to  have  It  just  as  hot  as  fire  can  make  it  widiout  burning  befor^  putting  anvthina 
in:  to  fry.  I±  it  is  necessary  to  replenish,  take  out  of  the  pan  whatever  is 
cookmg,  put  m  fresh  oil  and  let  it  get  hot.     Never  put  anything  to  cook  in  .old 

Oil. 

••  I  would  like  to  tell  you  of  a  circumstance  that   took  place  at  my  mill       It 
sounds   very  much    like   a  fish  story,  yet   on   my   word  it  is  true.     A  phvsician 
friend  of  mine,  hving  in  a  town  some  forty  miles  from  here,  sent  a  youn<r  man  to 
me  with  a  note  requesting  that  I  would  give  him  employment  where  he  could  ^et 
as  much  oil  as  he  wanted.   He  stated  that  he  had  done  all  he  could  for  him  with- 
out ava.l,  and  as  a  last  resort,  sent  him  to  me,  with  instructions  to  live  on  cotton 
seed  o,L     The  boy  was,  to  my  mind,  pretty  far  gone  with   lung  and  throat  dis- 
ease.    He  was  feeble,  had  a  severe  cough,  and  expectorated  freely.     In  fact  he 
was  consumptive,  and  I  did  not  think  he   would   live  six  months.      I  put  him  in 
the  mill  at  some  light  work,  and   told   him  to  eat  all  the  oil  he  wanted       In  the 
course  of  a  fevv  weeks  I  noticed  a  great  change  in  him.     He  had  brightened  up 
wonderfully  and  gained  strength  enough  to  do  heavier  work.     He  had  increased 
in  weight,  so  that  he  began  to  fill  his  clothes,  which  were,  when  he  came  to  me 
hanging  on  h.m  as  on  a  pole.     In  a  word,  that  boy  worked   with  me  the  season 
tlH-ough,  and  was  at  that  time,  to  all  appearances,  a  well  man.     I  saw  him  about 
a  year  later,  strong  and  healthy." 

^  In  a  letter  to  the  Chattanooga  Tradesman  last  summer,Judge  Gates  cives  the 
following  statistics  of  the  cost  of  production,  profit,  etc.,  of  cotton  seed  oil  ■ 

•  -My  experience  of  ten  years'  close  attention  to  the  business  in  its  smallest 
details  tells  me  that  one  and  a  half  tons  of  good  sound  seed  will  make  a  barrel 
of  crude  oil,  say  fifty-six  gallons-an  average  of  about  eighteen  to  twenty  pounds 
bnlers  and  loSo  pounds  cake  or  meal.  I  figure  the  seed  at  $8  per  ton.  We 
say  therefore : 


114  SO UTH W 'ES T  LOl  'IS/ A NA  : 

One  and  a  half  tons  cotton  seed $12  oo 

Labor 3  00 

One  barrel i   40 

Refining 50 

Lights,  oil  and  press  cloth 50 

Centals  for  meal 50 

Freights,  cooperage,  brokerage,  drayage,  commissions,  etc.,  to  put  the 

oil  on  the  market  and  realize 2   25 

Total.  . ^20  15 

YIELD. 

48  gallons  refined  oil $14  40 

25  pounds  linters i    25 

1080  pounds  cake  or  meal 10  80 

1200  pounds  hull i   80      $28  25 

Leaving  the  manufacturer  a  profit  of .  .  $  8  10 

On  one  and  a  half  tons  of  seed,  which  is  $5.40  per  ton. 

Then  this  $5.40  on  one  ton  must  cover  the  interest  on  capital  invested,  in- 
surance at  si.x  per  cent.,  the  loss  and  destruction  of  sacks,  extra  labor,  losses  re- 
sulting from  damaged  seed  and  loss  of  weight,  tools,  ties  and  bagging,  wear  and 
tear  of  machinery,  yearly  repairs,  etc.,  always  necessary,  and  many  other 
small  and  inconsiderable  items  which  cost  something.  These  items  of  expense 
are  not  mentioned  by  Col.  J.  O.  Waddill,  in  the  Tradesman,  November  i,  1890J 
page  31,  and  yet  no  matter  how  much  attention  is  given  to  the  business  they  are 
unavoidable,  and  must  figure  in  the  expense  account.  Put  a  fair  estimate  or 
these,  and  the  profit  of  $5.40  per  ton  is  very  materially  reduced. 

"The  above  calculation  is  based  on  the  supposition  that  the  seed  is  sounc 
and  the  oil  and  cake  will  class  as  '  prime.'  But  make  a  little  '  off '  oil  and  cake^ 
which  no  mill  can  avoid,  and  you  have  a  still  further  reduction  of  the  $5.40 
profit.  Ours  is  a  twelve-ton  mill,  and  we  require  some  50,000  '  Dundees '  fot 
seed.  These  cost  from  nine  to  eleven  cents — say  an  average  of  ten  centsJ 
which  would  make  $5000.  Do  the  best  we  can,  we  yearly  lose  about  fifteer 
per  cent,  of  our  bags,  which  amounts  to  $700.  At  the  end  of  the  season,  we 
can  not  clean  up  and  repair  and  renew  for  the  next  season's  work  for  less  thai 
$500,  and  if  we  take  out  and  put  in  improved  machinery,  the  expense  is  still 
greater.  So  that  when  we  come  to  strike  balances,  we  generally  find  our  profia 
of  $5.40  reduced  to  about  $3,  or  less,  giving  us  not  more  than  six  per  centi 
on  our  investment." 

This  extended  notice  is  not  given  as  an  advertisement  for  the  owner  of  thd 
mill,   but  as    matter  of    interest  to  the  general  reader,   as  showing  one  of  th« 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  115 

great  sources  of  industry  of  this  wonderful  countr}-,  that  has  grown  out  of  mod- 
ern research  and  practical  investigation.  A  few  years  ago  cotton  seed  was  de- 
stroyed or  thrown  away  as  valueless.  Now,  it  has  become  a  source  of  wealth 
and  an  industry  second  to  few  of  the  industries  of  the  country. 

Other  manufacturing  industries  of  New  Iberia  consist  of  saw-mills  and  lum- 
ber yards,  sash,  door  and  blind  factory,  cistern  factories,  brick  yards,  an  electric 
light  plant,  ice  factory,  etc.  These  all  do  a  large  business,  and,  as  stated  else- 
where in  these  pages,  the  manufacturing  industries  of  the  town  do  an  annual 
business  of  over  $300,000.     Not  only  this — it  is  increasing  every  year. 

So  wonderfully  has  New  Iberia  grown  and  spread  out,  that  long  ago  it 
crossed  the  Teche  and  established  quite  an  addition  to  its  territory  over  there. 
An  elegant  and  substantial  iron  bridge  spans  the  dark  watei's  of  the  bayou  and 
connects  east  and  west  Iberia,  thus  making  them  one  town,  under  one  municipal 
government.  There  are  some  beautiful  places  "  beyond  the  river,"  including 
the  old  convent,  shaded  in  trees  and  overhanging  with  vines,  and  almost  enr 
veloped  in  shrubbery  and  flowers. 

Churches,  Newspapers,  Etc. — The  Catholic  church  of  New  Iberia  dates 
back  to  1S36.  In  the  original  survey  of  the  town,  a  lot  was  set  apart  for  a 
church,  and  formally  donated  to  a  Board  of  Rectors,  who  were  -luthorized  to 
construct  a  church  thereon.  Therefore,  in  1837,  a  brick  church  was  erected, 
which  served  as  a  place  of  worship  until  a  few  years  ago,  when  the  present  mag- 
nificent church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  $40,000,  including  inside  furnishings, 
rectory,  etc.  It  is  a  handsome  structure.  It  was  designed  I13'  Mr.  Freret, 
supervising  architect  of  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington  City,  under 
President  Cleveland's  administration.  A  ver}'  elegant  rectory  has  been  built  in 
connection  with  the  church. 

The  only  church  building  outside  of  the  Catholic  church  is  the  Episcopal, 
a  handsome  modern  brick  edifice.  The  Methodists  have  a  flourishing  congrega- 
tion, but  their  church  was  lately  burned.  They  design  putting  up  a  handsome 
church,  however,  duri__ng  the  present  year.  There  are  also  two  or  three  colored 
churches  in  the  town. 

The  advantages  of  New  Iberia,  and  the  parish  bearing  the  latter  half  of  the 
city's  name,  are  kept  pretty  well  before  the  world  by  their  enterprising  news- 
papers. This,  of  itself,  is  commendatory  enterprise.  To-day,  a  countr}'  with- 
out newspapers  is  no  country  at  all.  Horace  Greeley  said:  "  A  history  which 
takes  no  account  of  what  was  said  by  the  press  in  memorable  emergencies 
befits  an  earlier  age  than  this." 

The  New  Iberia  Enterprise  is  the  leading  and  official  paper  of  the  parish. 
It  was  estabhshed  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Lawton,  its  present  enterprising  publisher  and 
editor  in  18S3.     For   two  years  the  Enterprise  made    semi-weekly  visits    to  its 


11(5  SOUTHWESl^  L  OUISIANA  : 

friends,  but  it  then  l)ecame  so  large  and  unwield}'  tliat  it  took  it  a  wliole  week 
to  make  its  round.  It  is  now  a  twelve-page  weekly,  and  is  zealously  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  the  Attakapas  parishes  generally  and  Iberia  parish  particularly. 

The  Enterprise  has  accomplished  much,  but  it  is  young  and  vigorous,  and 
its  work  is  just  begun — it  has  a  great  deal  more  to  accomplish  before  it  can  sit 
down  and  fold  its  hands  to  rest.  It  and  its  editor,  and  a  few  kindred  spirits, 
have  made  the  town  of  New  Iberia,  while  old  fogies  and  fossils  have  stood  off 
and,  with  a  lugubrious  shake  of  the  head,  have  croaked.  Mr.  Lawton  is  a 
newspaper  man.  reared  in  a  printing  office,  spent  his  whole  life  in  one,  and 
knows  the  true  value  of  printers'  ink.  All  you  that  have  the  interest  of  your 
town  and  parish  at  heart,  stand  by  him  in  his  good  work,  and  as  the  constant 
dropping  of  the  water  will  wear  away  the  hardest  rock,  so  will  the  sturdy  blows 
of  the  Enterprise  sooner  or  later  tell. 

The  Enterprise  purchased  the  press  and  types  of  the  Star,  the  first  paper 
printed  in  New  Iberia,  and  which  was  established  just  after  the  close  of  the  late 
war  by  a  young  man  named  Simpson.  Its  career  was  checkered,  and  its  life 
was  fitful,  capricious  and  uncertain.  It  became  extinct,  was  revived  again  about 
1880,  and  published  for  a  few  years,  but  finally  died  a  natural  death. 

The  Sugar  Bowl  was  a  paper  originally  established  in  Franklin  as  the 
Planters'  Banner,  by  Daniel  Dennett,  who  has  recently  died.  In  the  sketch  of 
St.  Mary's  parish,  more- is  said  of  Mr.  Dennett  and  the  Planters'  Banner. 

The  New  Iberia  Democrat  is  the  latest  journalistic  effort  of  the  town.  The 
Democrat  is  a  four-page  weekly  paper,  neatly  printed,  and  edited  by  Mr.  H. 
Milliard,  but  is  owned  by  a  stock  company.  It  was  established  early  in  1890, 
to  fight  the  Louisiana  Lottery,  and  though  it  has  an  army  contract  on  hand,  it 
pours  in  its  broadsides  with  great  vigor,  regardless  of  who  stands  in  the  way. 

The  military  history  of  Iberia  parish,  so  far  as  the  late  war  is  concerned,  is 
given  in  that  of  the  parishes  of  St.  Martin  and  St.  Mary,  as  Iberia  parish  was 
not  then  organized,  and  it  could  not  very  well  be  separated  from  the  history  of 
■those  parishes.  One  old  gentleman  informed  the  writer  that  the  war  history  of 
the  parish  outside  of  the  town  was  not  very  creditable  to  a  majority  of  the 
people,  who  took  to  the  woods  and  became  jayhawkers.  It  would  have  been 
much  better,  he  said,  if  some  of  them  could  have  been  forced  into  the  army, 
where  they  could  have  been  civilized.  This  is,  however,  applicable  to  only  a 
few  of  a  certain  class.  Many  a  good  soldier  went  from  what  is  now  Iberia 
parish,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  military  history  of  the  neighboring  parishes. 

New  Iberia  has  quite  a  formidable  military  force  on  the  peace  establish- 
ment— a  company  of  infantry,  a  company  of  cavalry  and  a  company  of  artillery. 
Their  armory  is  in  the  upper  story  of  the  court  house,  where  their  arms, 
uniforms  and  equipments  are  kept  in  the  most  perfect  order  and  with  the  great- 
tes  neatness. 


Ills 'ronn  . i /,  .  i xn  biograi'ji/c.  i /. .  117 

The  First  National  Bank,  of  New  Iberia  is  a  sound  banking  institution,  and 
has  been  of  vast  benefit  to  the  financial  interests  of  the  town,  but  is  not  adequate 
to  suppl}'  the  growing  business  demands.  A  new  bank  has  been  lately  organ- 
ized and  will  begin  business  in  a  ver}' short  time.  Nothing  more  aptljMllustrates 
the  growing  importance  and  wealth  of  a  town  than  extended  banking  facilities. 

Few  little  cities  anywhere  have  been  more  unfortunate  in  fires,  and  yet  none 
of  them  have  been  exceedingly  disastrous.  The  frequency  of  fires  led  some 
years  ago  to  the  organization  of  a  most  excellent  volunteer  fire  department. 
The  town  has  three  companies — two  steam  fire  engine  companies,  and  one  hook 
and  ladder  company.  There  are  not  many  towns  of  New  Iberia's  dimensions 
tliat  have  a  better  equipped  fire  department,  and  the  people  are  justly  proud 
of  it. 

The  Mechanics  and  Traders  Exchange  is  a  kind  of  Board  of  Trade.  All 
the  merchants,  manufacturers  and  business  men  belong  to  it,  and  are  regularlv 
organized,  with  president,  secretary  and  board  of  directors.  The}'  have  ex- 
cellent rooms  in  the  second  story  of  the  new  brick  building  on  Main  street. 
abo\'e  the  Alma  House,  where  all  the  leading  newspapers  of  the  countr}'  are  kept 
on  file.     This  is  genuine  enterprise. 

The  Teche  Club  is  a  social  organization  which  lias  a  large  membership 
among  the  best  people.  Then  there  is  a  lodge  of  Freemasons,  and  a  lodge  of 
Knights  of  Honor  and  other  social,  charitable  and  benevolent  organizations, 
not  the  least  of  which  is  the  "  Unsectarian  Aid  Societ\^  of  New  Iberia."  The 
object  of  this  society  is  to  ''  provide  food  and  clothing  for  the  deserving  poor 
and  destitute,"  of  the  Caucasian  race,  and  "medicine  and  medical  attendance, 
when  sick."  The  society  is  confined  to  no  particular  religious  denomination, 
but  embraces  in  its  membership  every  '-kindred,  tribe  and  tongue."  except  the 
African. 

Jeannerette,  the  most  important  town  in  the  parish,  outside  ot  New 
Iberia,  is  situated  near  the  parish  line  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  about 
ten  miles  below  New  Iberia.  It  is  comparatively  a  new  town,  and  owes  its  ex- 
istence, perhaps,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  building  of  the  railroad.  In  1870 
the  site  where  it  now  stands,  with  its  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants,  was  part  of  a 
large  sugar  plantation.  The  erection  of  a  saw-mill,  by  Mr.  Joseph  S.  Whit- 
worth  and  others,  was  partly  the  cause  of  building  up  Jeannerette.  It  gave  a 
great  impetus  to  the  town,  brought  a  number  of  families  to  the  place,  and  caused 
several  stores  to  be  opened.  Whitworth  &  Co.  own  a  large  saw  and  planing 
mill  in  Jeannerette,  which  has  a  capacity  ot  cutting  some  30,000  feet  of  lumber 
daily.     To  this  is  added  a  shingle  mill,  which  cuts  about  20,000  shingles  dailv. 

Milmo,  ytokes  &  Co.  also  carr}-  on  a  lumber  and  shingle  mill  in  the  town. 

The  Vauffrey  Refinery  is  a  large  establishment,  and  is  an  enterprise  in- 
augurated by  Mr.  A.  L.  Monnot.     He  commenced  it  as  a  sugar  house  some  ten  or 


lis  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

twelve  years  ago,  and  in  1883  erected  the  Vauffiey  Refinei'y,  which  he  still  coti- 
ducts,  and  which  has  a  capacity  of  six  Inindred  tons  every  twenty-four  hours,  or 
150,000  pounds  of  sugar  daily. 

Mr.  W.  F.  Hudson  may  be  termed  the  Father  of  Jeannerette.  He  was  the 
first  merchant  in  the  place  of  any  importance,  and  continued  merchandizing 
there  until  he  turned  over  his  business  to  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  A.  L.Monnot. 
But  in  many  of  the  enterprises  established  for  the  benefit  of  Jeannerette,  Mr. 
Hudson  took  a  prominent  part,  and  was  greatl\'  instrumental  in  making  tiie  town 
what  it  is  to-day. 

Tliere  are  several  churches  in  Jeannerette,  the  strongest  and  principal  of 
which  is  St.  John  the  Evangelist's  Catholic  church.  It  was  organized  in  1879, 
and  a  small  chapel  was  used  temporarily,  until  finally  blown  down.  In  i88t 
the  present  church  vvas  built  under  the  charge  of  Father  John  Flankinger,  now 
rector  of  the  church  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  in  New  Orleans.  The  church 
was  finished  in  1886  by  Rev.  Father  M.  Bardy,  the  present  rector.  When  this 
church  was  organized,  it  had  about  eight  hundred  communicants  ;  it  has  in- 
creased until  it  now  has  about  sixteen  hundred.  A  temporary  parochial  school 
is  attached  for  white  children,  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy,  but  during  the 
present  year  a  convent  and  large  school  building  will  be  erected. 

There  are  also  Baptist  and  Methodist  churches  in  the  town,  and  perhaps  a 
Presbyterian  and  Episcopalian.  These  have  Sunday  schools,  and  the  usual 
auxiliary  societies  common  to  those  denominations. 

A  newspaper  was  established  in  Jeannerette  some  four  years  ago,  called  The 
Hornet.  It  had  a  rather  precarious  existence,  alternating  for  some  four  years 
between  life  and  death — standing,  as  it  were,  with  one  foot  upon  the  shores  of 
dull  mortality,  and  the  other  of  the  great  Unknown,  until  in  the  early  part  of 
December,  1890,  it  passed  away  among  the  things  that  were.  The  last  issue  of 
the  paper  contained  a  valedictory,  couched  in  rather  sarcastic  terms,  by  its 
editor,  Mr.  Percy  W.  Roane,  in  which  The  Hornet  executed  its  last  sting  upon 
an  unappreciative  public.     It  then  died.     Requiescat  in  face. 

There  are  several  other  small  places  in  the  parish,  but  they  amount  to 
little  outside  of  shipping  stations,  a  store  or  two,  a  post-office,  blacksmith  shop, 
etc.  Among  them  are  Olivier,  Burkeville,  Cade,  Patonville,  Belle  Place, 
Derouen,  Loreauville,  etc.  Belle  Place  and  Loreauville  are  situated  on  the 
Teche,  around  the  big  bend  above  New  Iberia.  Olivier  is  on  the  railroad,  about 
five  miles  below  New  Iberia.  Cade  is  in  the  very  north  part  of  the  parish,  and 
IS  the  junction  of  the  St.  Martinsville  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  with  the 
main  line.  Burkeville  is  on  the  railroad,  a  short  distance  below  Cade.  Paton- 
ville is  in  the  southern  part  of  the  parish,  near  the  line  of  St.  Mary.  ,  Derouen 
is  about  five  miles  west  of  New  Iberia. — Perrin. 


CHAPTER   V.  , 

Calcasieu  Parish — Introductory — Topography  and  Description — Settle- 
ment— Reese  Perkins — His  .  Magisterial  Services — An  Incident — 
The  Pioneers — Organization  of  the  Parish — The  Seat  of  Justice — 
Di:\elopment  of  Resources — Fruit  Culture — Figs — Rice  Growing 
— Lumber  Interests — Evening  on  the  Calcasieu — Railroads — The 
Watkins  Road — Churches  and  Schools — Lake  Charles  College — 
Lawyers  and  Doctors — Lake  Charles  Settled — Incorporated — A 
Go-ahead  Town — A  Rice  Mill — Saw  Mills  and  Lumber — The  Press 
— Country  Towns — The  Sulphur  Mine  —  Many  Things  of  Many 
Kinds- 

"The  axe  rang  sharply  'mid  those  forest  trees 
Which  from  creation  toward  the  sky 
Had  towered  in  unshorn  beauty." — Mrs.  Sigourney. 

cx^y  is  difficult  to  realize  as  we  walk  the  streets  of  our  beautiful  towns,  and 
^j  note  the  squares  of  built  up  houses  and  mansions,  the  factories,  the  busy 
S'  mills  and  the  ceaseless  hum  of  industry  where  the  bulk  of  a  busy  population 
"  gains  its  bread  by  the  sweat  of  its  brow,"  that  less  than  a  century  ago 
these  blooming  prairies,  grand  old  forests  and  enchanting  water  courses  and 
lakes  were  the  possessions  of  wandermg  savages  and  formed  a  part  of  one  vast 
wilderness,  which  gave  no  sign  of  promise  of  the  multitudes  of  a  strange  race 
by  which  it  is  now  peopled,  or  the  mighty  developments  in  science  and  art  which 
should  make  their  lives  so  different  from  that  of  their  rude  predecessors. 

Here  the  bold  immigrant  pitched  his  lent  and  staked  all  beside  the  deep- 
rolHng  Calcasieu  or  near  some  lake  of  sparkling  water,  and  beneath  those  tall 
foVest  pines,  where  erst  the  untamed  children  of  nature  had  so  long  roamed 
unmolested,  at  one  time  in  search  of  food,  and  again  engaged  in  the  wild  pleas- 
ures which  seemed  the  only  occupation  of  their  existence.  The  sound  of  the 
woodman's  axe  sang  out  amid  this  mighty  solitude,  frightening  the  denizens  of 
the  forests  from  their  peaceful  slumbers,  and  starting  reverberations  whose  last 
reecho  has  changed  into  the  screech  of  the  iron  horse,  and  into  the  hum  of 
varied  industries  which  now  occupy  the  busy  men  and  women  who  have  been 
born  and  reared  under  a  civilization  which  had  its  first  beginnings  in  the  rude 
log  cabins  of  those  sturdy  pioneers.  • 

A  pleasanter  task  could  scarcely  be  found  than  that  which  devolves  upon 
the  chronicler  of  our  early  history.  Could  he  but  reproduce  the  scenes  of  less 
than  a  century  ago,  with  all  their  natural  surroundings,  that  the  reader  in  imag- 
ination might  see  the  unhewn  log  hut,  its  crevices   tilled  with  mud;    the  adobe 


120       •  SOUT/IW'ESl' LOriSIAXA: 

cliimney,  the  broad  fireplace,  and  rougli,  unseeml}-  lurniture:  that  he  might  see 
tlie  small  clearing;  could  the  historian,  we  repeat,  picture  all  these  scenes  in 
their  wild  but  natural  beaut)-,  he  would  bring  before  many  a  reader  similar 
senes,  whose  impress  ha\e  been  left  in  the  mind  by  oft-repeated  stories  of  these 
olden  times  long  past. 

Topography  and  Dcscriplioii. — But  wit  must  reluctantly  recall  the  reader 
from  these  general  recollections  to  the  more  prosy  subject  of  our  work. 
Calcasieu  is  the  westernmost  parish  of  those  embraced  in  this  volume,  extending 
to  the  Sabine  River,  which  separates  it  from  the  State  of  Texas.  The  following 
on  the  topographical  and  geographical  features  of  Calcasieu  is  from  the  Lake 
Charles  Echo  of  September  14.  1888: 

The  geographical  situation  of  Calcasieu  parish  brings  to  it  more  advantages 
of  a  varied  character  than  any  other  parish  in  the  vState.  Its  climate  is  even 
and  salubrious,  being  toned  b}-  gulf  breezes  during  the  four  seasons,  thus  obviat- 
ing the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  felt  b}'  the  other  sections  of  our  countr}'. 

Calcasieu  parish  is  bounded  on  the  north  b}-  Vernon  parish,  north  and  east 
"by  Rapides  and  St.  Landry  parishes,  Bayou  Nez  Pique  and  the  Mermentau 
River;  on  the  south  by  Cameron  parish,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Sabine  River, 
embracing  a  total  area  of  nearly  2,000,000  acres;  hence  is  larger  than  either  the 
State  ot  Rhode  Island  or  Delaware,  and  larger  than  the  Kingdom  of  Belgium. 
Its  principal  streams  are  the  Calcasieu  and  Houston  Rivers;  Beckworth,  Hickory, 
Whiskey-chitto,  Bundick's,  Ten  Mile,  Six  Mile,  Barnes,  Sugar,  and  Dry 
Creeks,  and  Serpent,  Schoupique,  Dinde,  Lacasine,  and  English  Bayous.  All 
of  which,  except  the  Lacasine,  flow  into  the  Calcasieu  River,  and  furnish  about 
two  hundred  miles  of  navigable  water.  Small  streams  are  too  numerous  to 
mention.  The  Calcasieu  River  furnishes  an  outlet  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  at  a 
distance  of  fifty  miles  from  Lake  Charles,  the  parish  site.  The  promised  increase 
in  the  South  American  trade  makes  this  an  item  of  no  small  consideration. 

The  soil  of  Calcasieu  parish,  while  not  so  fertile  as  that  of  some  of  our 
eastern  parishes,  still  the  greater  part  of  it,  with  proper  drainage  and  cultivation, 
is  made  to  produce  all  kinds  of  field  crops  in  paying  quantities.  The  soil  is  rich 
in  vegetable  mould,  and  the  application  of  stimulating  fertilizers  is  attended 
with  the  best  results.  The  population  of  the  parish  aggregates  about  30,000,  and 
is  rapidl}'  increasing.  The  influx  is  principallj'  from  the  Northern  and  Western 
States,  and  is  generallv  of  that  class  of  individuals  that  add  wealth  to  any 
country. 

The  principal  industry  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  that  of  lumbering. 
The  immense  pinery,  which  covers  about  sixty  per  cent,  of  our  territory,  is  an 
almost  inexhaustible  source  of  the  very  best  quality  of  yellow  pine  timber.  The 
next  most  important  industry  is  that  of  stock  raising,  which  is  developing  rapidly 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPNICAL.  !21 

and  promises  in  a  few  years  to  rival  our  timber  interest.  Improved  stock  is 
being  introduced,  as  well  as  improved  methods  of  handling  it,  and  no  doubt  in 
a  very  few  years  we  will  compete  with  Kentuck}'  in  this  direction.  Rice,  corn, 
cotton,  peas,  potatoes  and  cane  are  the  principal  field  crops,  while  garden  vege- 
tables of  all  kinds  are  raised  in  abundance.  Our  agricultural  interests  are  being 
rapidly  developed.  Fruit  raising  until  recentl}^  was  not  coiisidered  profitable 
except  in  the  northern  part  of  the  parish,  but  recent  developments  prove  that  it  is 
rather  owing  to  a  want  of  knowledge  than  to  the  management  of  fruit  trees  as  to 
any  fault  of  soil  or  climate.  Those  experienced  in  horticulture  find  no  trouble 
in  making  it  a  success. 

The  following  is  from  the  correspondence  of  The  American  Wool,  Cotton 
and  Financial  Reportf^r,  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  is  further  descriptive  of 
topograph}'  and  general  features: 

Lake  Charles,  Louisiana,  October  30,  1890. — We  are  at  present  in  the 
growing  little  city  of  Lake  Charles,  in  Southwestern  Louisiana.  Haying  heard 
and  read  so  much  of  this  section  of  country,  termed  the  "  Italy  of  America,"  we 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  in  our  trip  through  the  "New  South"  we  would  ex- 
amine this  section  personally  and  ascertain  what  the  attraction  is,  for  people 
from  ever}'  direction  are  moving  in  and  filling  up  the  country.  As  evidence  of 
the  fact,  one  parish  alone,  Calcasieu,  has  added  over  8000  to  its  population  since' 
the  last  census,  and  most  of  this  has  been  added  during  the  last  five  years. 
There  has  been  no  boom  such  as  the  Oklahoma  rush,  and  the  old  citizens,  and 
in  fact  a  large  portion  of  those  who  have  recently  come,  know  nothing  of  the 
value  of  land.  Men  often  part  with  their  land  at  from  $2  to  $5  per  acre,  when 
the  probabilities  are  that  it  may  increase  in  value  tenfold  in  a  very  few  years. 
Tell  these  p"eople  the  chances  are  largely  in  favor  of  these  lands  bringing  $50 
per  acre  in  a  few  years,  and  they  look  at  you  with  astonishment,  and  yet  what 
are  lands  worth  that  will  yield  from  $40  to  $60  per  acre  in  rice,  or  more  in 
sugar  cane? 

Where  is  this  country?  On  the  map,  followed  westward  from  New  Orleans 
a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  twent}'  miles  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road. This  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  consists  of  alluvial  land,  or  that  por- 
tion of  Louisiana  subject  to  overflow  from  the  Mississippi  River.  West  of  this 
alluvial  portion  is  "terra  firma,"  land  that  is  not  subject  to  overflow  under  any 
circumstances;  and  this  land,  to  the  Texas  line,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  miles  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  extending  from  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  about  seventy-five  miles  north,  is  called  Southwestern  Louisiana. 

"It  would  require  a  whole  book,  instead  of  an  article  or  two,  to  do  justice  to 
this  wonderland.  It  contains  some  beautiful  rivers  and  lakes  whose  waters  come 
from  springs,  and  are  as  clear  as  crystal.  What  a  marvellous  contrast  between 
tlie  waters  of  these  rivers  and  those  called  bayous  in  the  overflowed  region,  the 


122  SO UTHWEST  L  O UJSIANA : 

latter  being  sluggish  and  having  a  dingy  appearance.  One  from  the  east  can 
scarcely  realize  after  seeing  it  that  there  is  such  a  country  in  the  State  of  Louis- 
iana. First  impressions  are  lasting,  and  the  first  impression  of  the  average 
eastern  man,  before  coming  here,  is  that  Louisiana  is  one  vast  hot-bed  of 
malaria.  One  may  come  and  see  for  himself  that  it  is  untrue,  as  regards  this 
part  of  the  State,  for  there  is  not  a  more  beautiful  sight  to  behold  than  this  vast 
table  prairie  land,  and  any  one  with  common  judgment,  without  making  any 
inquiry,  would  at  once  pronounce  it  a  land  of  health  as  well  as  of  beauty:  and 
statistics  prove  the  correctness  of  such  an  opinion. 

In  order  to  gain  all  the  information  we  could,  we  talked  with  a  number  of 
the  oldest  citizens  and  mingled  with  the  new  comers.  Being  a  newspaper  man, 
of  course,  welookedafter  that  profession.  We  found  a  newspaper  pubHshed  here 
far  above' the  average;  in  fact,  few  papers  north  or  south  equal  it,  all  things  con- 
sidered. It  is  the  Lake  Charles  American,  a  sixteen-page  weekly.  We  made 
ourselves  quite  at  home  in  this  office,  and  while  we  wish  to  write  more  partic- 
ularly of  other  things,  because  of  the  good  treatment  we  received,  we  must 
make  mention  of  it.    We  asked  the  editor  among  other  things  about  the  climate. 

"  The  climate"  said  he,  "is  delightful.  The  temperature  ranges  from  forty 
to  seventy  degrees  in  winter  and  from  eighty  to  ninety-six  in  summer,  seldom 
reaching  the  latter  point.  All  north  to  the  Missouri  and  a  number  of  miles  west- 
ward is" timber  land,  and  much  of  this  is  the  finest  timber  land  in  the  world. 
'•This'"  said  he,  "is  our  protection  from  the  winter  winds;  then  south  to  the 
gulf  is  prairie,  and  thus  we  get  the  unobstructed  gulf  breeze.  On  one  side  is  the 
forest,  as  a  check  against  the  cold  that  would  come  upon  us  from  the  north,  and 
on  the  other  side  is  the  gulf  breeze  tempering  the  heat  of  summer.  All  this 
combined  produces  this  wonderful  cHmate,  which  has  been  called  by  some  the 

Italy  of  America."  ,       •,•      -i,  .  j 

The  rainfall  is  fifty  inches  per  annum,  and  is  about  evenly  distributed 
throughout  the  year,  the  rain  seldom  interfering  with  farm  work  more  than  a  day 
or  two  at  a  time.  The  land  is  level,  having  natural  drains  that  leads  to  the  main 
rivers  or  direct  into  the  gulf .  The  soil  varies,  in  some  places  a  deep,  rich, 
black  clay  loam  ;  in  others  a  brownish,  and  in  others  a  sandy  loam,  the  latter  more 
particularly  adapted  to  fruit. 

From  observation  and  all  the  information  we  can  gather,  we  suppose  almost 
any  farm  or  vegetable  crop  can  be  raised  in  this  section  that  can  be  raised  in  the 
United  States.  Besides  many  things  flourish  here  that  can  not  be  successtully 
cultivated  elsewhere.  The  sweet  potato  produces  from  one  hundred  to  two 
hundred  barrels  per  acre.  Sugar  cane  grows  to  perfection,  and  $ioo  per  acre 
can  easily  be  made  on  this  crop.  Rice  culture  is  an  industry  that  has  come 
wonderfully  to  the  front  in  the  last  two  years.  By  the  use  of  machinery  in  har- 
vesting, it  is  now  possible  for  large  fortunes  to    be    made    raising   rice.     Cotton 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  123 

grows  well  here,  and  tobacco,  the  latter  producing  two  crops  a  year,  and  is  said 
by  tobacconists  to  be  a  very  superior  article. 

This  is  the  home  of  the  fig,  and  it  is  said  never  fails  to  bear  a  crop. 
Oranges  do  well,  and  the  golden  fruit  on  the  trees  now  in  Lake  Charles  is  a 
beautiful  sight.  Pears  of  several  varieties,  and  especially  the  Leconte  and 
Keiffer,  and  many  varieties  of  peaches,  plums  and  other  fruits  grow  here  and 
come  to  great  perfection. 

The  Settlement  of  Calcasieu. — This  parish,  like  most  of  the  others  in 
Southwest  Louisiana,  has  quite  a  mixed  population,  consisting  of  Creole^., 
Acadians,  Americans,  from  half  a  dozen  or  a  dozen  different  States,  a  few 
Indians,  etc.  The  Lake  Charles  Echo  of  October  24,  1890,  says  of  the  peo- 
pling of  Calcasieu:  "  In  the  early  da3's  of  America,  when  the  Spaniards  were 
settling  Louisiana  and  Mexico,  while  Texas  was  a  wild  prairie  region,  the  land 
unknown  on  the  outskirts  or  confines  of  two  great  colonies,  one  having  its  seat 
in  the  famed  palaces  of  the  Montezumas,  and  the  other  having  its  center  in  the 
valley  of  the  wooded  banked  father  of  waters,  the  great  continent-draining  Mis- 
sissippi, the  present  region  of  Calcasieu  was  the  home  of  a  few  tribes  of 
Indians  and  the  wild  deer.  When  Texas  loomed  up  into  a  great  countr}-,  and 
as  the  Lone  Star  Slate  severed  her  connection  with  Mexico,  our  section  remained 
the  outskirt  between  Louisiana  and  Texas.  Calcasieu  River  was  then  known  as 
the  Rio  Honda.  The  lands  lying  between  it  and  the  Sabine  River  was  a  disputed 
territor}'  claimed  by  the  two  great  colonies.  And  while  a  few  adventurous  pioneers 
came  into  the  section  east  of  the  river  under  what  are  known  as  Spanish  grants 
from  the  Louisiana  colonial  authorities,  a  few  others,  perhaps  two  hundred 
and  fifty,  settled  in  the  western  region  under  what  were  termed  Rio  Honda 
claims. 

"  Among  the  Indians  in  the  western  region  afterward  conceded  to  the  United 
States  as  a  part  of  Louisiana,  from  an  unknown  origin,  sprung  a  race  of  people 
of  mixed  ancestry,  known  as  Red  Bones.  These  and  a  few  others  for  man}^  years 
constituted  the  entire  population  of  Calcasieu,  attached  to  St.  Landr}-,  from 
which  it  was  separated  about  the  3'ear  1840,  and  designated  the  parish  of  Calca- 
sieu. Later  a  part  was  taken  from  this  territory  in  forming  the  parish  of  Ver- 
non ;  and  again,  a  part  was  taken  in  creating  the  parish  of  Cameron:  which  two 
parishes  are  now  united  with  Calcasieu  in  the  judicial  district.  The  Rio  Honda 
lost  its  Indian  name  and  acquired  that  of  Quelque  Shoue,  from  which  again, 
b)'  those  strange  changes  which  time  effects  without  the  reason  being  retained, 
it  passed  into  the  euphonious  name  of  Calcasieu,  whence  may  be  attributed 
the  pronunciation,  '  Culcashu,'  yet  given  it  by  man}-  old  inhabitants." 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Calcasieu  parish  were  the  LeBlues,  Charles 
Sallier,  Reese  Perkins,  Jacob  Ryan,  on  the  east    side    of    the    Calcasieu    river. 


124  SO  UTH  WES  T  LO  UlSIA  NA  : 

West  of  the  river  were,  among  others,  Joseph  Cornow,  Hiram  Ours,  Dempsey 
lie,  Hardy  Coward  and  John,  his  brother,  William  and  Archibald  Smith,  Elias 
Blunt,  David  Choate,  Philip  Deviers,  Joshua  Johnson,  John  Gilchrist,  George 
Ower,  Isaac  Foster,  Joseph  Clark,  Mitchell  Neal.  John  Henderson  and  a  man 
named  Self ;   perhaps  others. 

These  all  came  here  prior  to  1824,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  benefit  of 
the  Rio  Honda  claims.  Reese  Perkins  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  these 
early  settlers.  He  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  and  his  courts  were  admin- 
istered with  more  backwoods  justice  than  with  fine  legal  points.  He  once  sent  a 
man  to  the  penitentiary  for  five  years  for  harboring  a  runaway  negro  belonging  to 
John  Henderson.  Elias  Blunt  was  the  culprit's  name,  and  the  negro  had  a  wife 
at  Blunt's  house.  One  morning  the  negro  was  seen  very  early  leaving  Blunt's, 
and  upon  this  meager-evidence  Blunt  was  arrested  and  tried  before  Perkins,  and 
for  this  heinous  offence  received  a  sentence  of  five  years  in  the  penitentiar\-. 
Blunt  attempted  to  plead  with  the  'squire  for  a  mitigation  of  the  punishment,  as 
he  was  a  poor  man  and  had  a  large  family,  etc.,  when  Perkins  thundered  out — 
"Shut  your  mouth,  or  Fll  make  it  ten  years." 

Perkins  started  his  son  with  Blunt  to  the  penitentiar}-  and  gave  him  a  note  to 
Mr.  Bell  at  Opelousas,  to  assist  the  boy  in  landing  the  prisoner  at  the  peniten- 
tiary. He  met  Bell  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  handed  him  his  father's 
letter.  When  Bell  read  it  he  inquii-ed  of  the  young  man  where  the  prisoner  was. 
"  Here  he  is,"  said  the  j'oung  man,  pointing  to  Blunt.  "Young  man,"  said 
Bell,  stepping  aside  with  him  and  speaking  low  that  Blunt  might  not  hear  him, 
"  you  had  better  take  that  man  back  and  turn  him  loose.  Your  father  had  no 
right  to  sentence  him  to  the  penitentiary,  and  if  some  of  the  Opelousas  lawyers 
get  hold  of  the  stor}'  they  will  give  you  trouble.  So,  the  best  thing  you  can  do 
is  to  get  back  home  as  quick  as  possible  and  release  your  prisoner."  The  boy 
took  him  at  his  word  and  went  back.  The  prisoner  was  released  and  the  matter 
was  hushed  up.  A  son  of  Squire  Perkins,  also  Reese  Perkins,  now  seventy 
years'old.  lives  about  twenty  miles  from  Lake  Charles.  Allen  Perkins,  of  West- 
lake,  is  a  grandson  of  the  old  pioneer. 

Hardy  Coward  was  also  very  prominent  among  the  pioneers.  He  was  the 
next  justice  of  the  peace  after  Perkins,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  business  in  that 
particular  line.  He  married  nearl)'  everybodj'  in  the  settlement  in  those  days, 
for  ministers  were  scarce  then.  Squire  Coward  married  them  without  money 
and  without  price,  gave  them  his  blessing  and  sent  them  away  happy  as  clams. 
He  was  a  kind,  good  man,  and  well  thought  of  by  everybody. 

Jacob  Ryan  was  originally  from  Georgia,  but  had  settled  some  time  before 
in  the  present  parish  of  Vermilion.  He  came  here  in  1S17,  where  he  died  some 
years  later.      He   has   a   son,    facob    Ryan,    now   an    old    man,    living    ni    Lake 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  125 

Charles,  who  is  a  perfect  walking  encyclopedia  -on  matters  pertaining  to  the 
early  settlement  of  this  country.  Henry  Moss  and  Pierre  Vincent  were  son-in-laws 
of  Mr.  Rvan,  Sr..  came  with  him  and  settled  in  liie  same  neighboriiood.  Both 
are  dead. 

Ch.vrles  Sai.lier  came  from  Ital}'  and  settled  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cal- 
casieu River.  The  town  of  Lake  Charles  was  named  for  him.  The  LeBlues, 
there  were  three  brothers  of  them,  Arcen,  Martin  and  Macey,  and  they  settled 
about  seven  miles  east  of  the  present  town  of  Lake  Charles,  on  English  Bayou. 
The  three  brothers  who  came  here  first  are  all  dead,  but  they  still  have  numer- 
ous descendants.  These  settlers  were  scattered  all  along  the  river  for  a  con- 
siderable distance.  Immediately  subsequent  to  1824,  came  John  Br\'an,  Richard 
West,  William  Prailiier,  Abel  Lyons,  Thomas  Bilbo,  William  Neeler.  Nevel 
Barnet,  etc.  They  formed  a  settlement  to  themselves.  The  old  ones  are  all 
dead,  but  most  of  them  have  descendants  living.  Capt.  Br3an,  long  editor  of 
tiie  '•  Echo,"  is  a  son  of  John  Bryan,  mentioned  above. 

Thcaias  Bilbo  died  only  a  few  j'ears  ago.  He  was  a  surveyor,  and  sur- 
veyed a  great  deal  of  the  land  in  this  section.  His  wife  is  still  living,  and  the 
house  in  which  they  lived  is  still  standing.  It  has  been  repaired  and  modernized 
and  is  still  quite   a  respectable  house  notwithstanding  its  great  age. 

T.lie  Pioneers. — Under  this  head.  The  American  thus  moralizes  on  the 
settlement  of  the  country:  "Let  us  call  back  a  few  years,  and  notice  the  set- 
tling up  of  our  country  from  the  East  westward  to  the  Pacific,  a  distance  of 
three  thousand  miles.  Comparatively  speaking,  only  a  few  years  ago  a  few 
hardv  pioneers  gathered  in  Western  New  York  and  in  Pennsylvania  and,  bidding 
their  neighbors  good-b}',  set  out  with  their  springless,  rough  wagons,  tor  the 
great  beyond — Iowa  and  Michigan.  The  distance  was  truly  great,  the  trail  they 
traveled  rough,  and  the  good-by  forever,  so  far  as  this  world  was  concerned. 
The  great  city  of  Chicago  was  not  in  their  wa}' with  her  million  of  inhabitants. 
They  may  have  passed  over  the  public  dornain  where  this  great  city  now  rests 
without  driving  down  a  stake,  hunting  for  a  more  desirable  spot.  They  dotted 
down  here  and  there  in  the  great  prairie  region  before  reaching  the  Missouri 
and  in  the  Michigan  timber,  but  the  great  American  Desert  reaching  out 
beyond,  where  Kansas  and  Nebraska  now  stand  as  States,  was  regarded  as 
risky  for  settlement,  a  great  waste  of  country,  fit  only  for  wild  tribes  of  Indians 
and  the  buffalo. 


'■  Look  at  it  later  on.  Witliin  the  age  of  a  man  we  see  this  trackless  region 
settled  up,  great  cities  built,  and  the  east  and  west  brought  together  almost  as 
neighbors    by  the   buildinij  of   ureat  railroad  lines.     We  have  but  to  reflect  a 


126  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

moment  to  see  how  rapidly  this  has  been  done.  Onl}'  thirty-five  years  ago 
Davenport  and  Iowa  City  was  tied  together  by  rail,  and,  if  we  are  correctly 
informed,  this  was  the  first  iron  track  laid  west  of  the  great  Mississippi  River. 
During  this  time,  in  the  South  the  movement  was  from'  South  Carolina  and  Vir- 
ginia, westward,  but  the  progress  was  not  so  rapid  for  two  reasons.  First,  the 
system  of  slave  labor  operated  against  it :  second,  the  foreign  immigration  con- 
stantly pouring  into  the  country  through  New  York  Cit}'  read  the  words  on  every 
hand,  '  Go  West,'  and  they  went.  Now,  everything  isturned,and  the  '  Go 
West,'  which  rang  into  the  ears  of  the  immigrant  for  so  many  years,  has  been 
changed  to  '  Go  South.'  The  eyes  of  the  world  to-day  are  on  the  Soutli. 
Figures  which  we  have  given  from  time  to  time  and  have  been  published  in  all 
the  leading  journals  of  the  land  testify  that  the  capitalists  have  found  out  the  true 
value  of  the  South  and  have  already  invested  largely  in  lands  and  various  enter- 
prises. Immigration  has  turned  southward,  and  the  north  and  south  railroad 
lines  are  hurrying  through  for  their  accommodation.  The  work  of  settling  up 
the  South  has  rapidly  started.  The  people  north  and  south  have  been  thrown 
together  in  business.  The  social  relation  developed,  marrying  and  intermar- 
r3nng,  and  these  ties  making  them  more  than  ever  one  people." 

Judge  G.  A.  Fournet  thus  congratulated  the  parish  and  the  town  of  Lake 
Charles,  upon  their  rapid  strides  toward  prosperity,  in  a  speech  made  on  the 
28th  of  October,  1S90,  at  the  la3'ing  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  new  court-house 
in  Lake  Charles:  "There  can  be  no  fitter  occasion  than  the  present  to  recall  the. 
changes  that  have  brought  about  the  ne.cessitj'  of  erecting  the  new  court  houseJ 
the  corner  stone  of  which  is  now  being  laid.  Without  having  recourse  to  sta^ 
tistics,  I  will  simply  state  that  within  the  life  and  recollection  of  the  youngest  among 
you,  the  population  of  the  parish  of  Calcasieu  was  the  smallest  in  the  State  oj 
Louisiana.  Although  the  largest  in  territorj-,  it  was  the  last  opened  to  settlement! 
Its  immense  prairies,  traveled  b}'  no  roadway,  save  here  and  there  the  tracks 
the  huntsman  and  the  stock-gatherer,  had  not  yet  been  startled  by  the  shriek 
the  locomotive  or  the  roar  of  the  railroad  train.  The  tasseled  corn,  the  rippling 
wave  of  the  sugar  cane  and  the  loaded  crests  of  the  mellow  rice  field  were  ur 
known  from  the  Mermentau  to  the  Sabine  swamp.  Our  wealth  and  timbef 
the  finest  and  the  best  in  the  world;  pine  unequaled  in  usefulness  and  cypres! 
unrivaled  in  durabilit}',  inviting  the  wants  of  mankind  and  courting  the  industrj 
of  man,  covered  our  virgin  forests  with  giants  of  their  kind,  from  the  30th  par-j 
allel  to  the  limits  of  Rapides  and  Vernon.  Age,  winds  and  storms  alone  tumblec 
their  giant  frames,  while  the  steel  destined  to  fell  them  laid  as  yet  entombed  it 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  undiscovered  and  unforged." 

We  had  then  neither  cities  nor  incorporated  towns.'  This  very  city,  of  whicb 
you  are  all  so  proud,  I  am  sure,  which  now  rests  so  gracefully  basking  in  thij 
glory  of  our  own  Southern  sun,  like  a  thing  of  "  beauty  and   of  life,"  on  thi 


''"■'**!?^S?i^i. 


■*#^    jfe'^' 


■P- 


>¥ 


I 
I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


129 


ed.c;e  of  this,  the  loveliest  and  most  picturesque   hike  that  ever    c^reeted  the  eve 
ot  man,  was  nothing  but  a  mere  hamlet. 

Jennings,  Esterly,  Welsh,  Iowa  City,  Westlake,  twin  sister  of  Lake  Charles 
Sulphur  C:ty,  Edgerly,  Vinton,  Jacksonville,  Crown  Point  and  Lakeside  all 
growmg  and  promising  towns,  were  not  even  on  the  maps,  and  had  not  yet  dr'awn 
he  breath  o  activity  and  life.  In  a  few  short  years  the  magic  hand  of  progress 
has  accomplished  the  wonderful  transfiguration  in  the  aspects  of  nature  and 
works  of  mdustry  and  art  we  contemplate  to-day.  We  have  now  before  us  and 
around  us  a  busthng  and  prosperous  young  city,  teeming  with  a  busy  population 
of  over  tour  thousand  inhabitants  of  all  classes  and  of  all  trades  and  professions 
Thnvmg  towns,  with  the  bright  and  comfortable  residences  and  business  houses! 
hll  places  where  only  two  or  three  years  since  there  was  nothing  but  the  wilder- 
ness of  uncurbed  nature,  unbroken  and  untrained  to  meet  the  wants  and  bend 
itselt  to  the  commands  of  civilized  society. 

Numberless  farms  now  dot  the  landscape  where  there  was  no  object  within 
the  scope  of  vision  in  the  measureless  waste,  except  the  flowering  immensitv  of 
the  praine  meeting  with  the  boundless  azure  of  the  sky  in  the  distant  horizon. 
Hither  have  come  the  sturdy  yeomen  from  the  South,  fleeing  from  overflows  and 
^e  competition  of  an  inferior  race,  and  hither  have  come  the  farmers  from  the 
Northwest  driven  from  their  inhospitable  plains  by  the  scorching  drought  of  sum- 
mer and  the  snow-mantled  blizzard  of  winter,  to  seek  refugeln  the  solitude  of 
our  prairies ;  and  they  have  made  our  empty  places  smile  with  pleasant  homes  and 
pregnant  nelds. 

Orgamzation  of  Parish. -\^\^^\^  settlements  were  not  made  so  eariy  in  the 
pans^  of  Calcasieu  as  in  some  other  portions  of  Southwest  Louisiana,  we  have 
seen  that  white  People  came  here  about  1815  and  formed  settlements  along  the 
Calcasieu  River.  We  have  followed  that  little  settlement  until  we  find  it  spread 
out  over  a  large  section  of  country,  and  the  people  began  to  think  of  bein<. 
organized  into  a  parish  to  themselves.  .They  had  been  for  years  going  to  Opet 
lousas  to  attend  court  and  vote,  if  they  voted  at  all,  and  they  determined  on 

t':tiirr:et:""^-  ^'^^  --''''  -  ^-  -^-^^  -•  ^  --  ^--^  -^er 

An  act  to  create  a  new  parish,  to  be  called  the  parish  of  Calcasieu 

the  stt^rr  '■  •   ^^  "  ^"T^  ^^  ''"  ^^"'^^  ^"^  "°"^^  °f  Representatives  of 
Passt'eof   h  ;"  n'  ?  ""'  Assembly  convened,  That  from  and  after  the 

fovv  nfh        ."  '     '  "'  '"'■"'"'■^  ^"  '^^  P^"^^  °^  St.  Landry,  within  thefol- 

ouing  boundaries,  to-wit:  Commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Mermentau 
hence  up  said  rwer  to  the  mouth  of  the  Bayou  Nez  Pique,  thence  up  said  bavou 
to  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek,  thence  due  north  to  the  dividing  line  between'the 


^30  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

parishes  of  St.  Landry  and  Kapides,  thence  along  said  line  to  the  Sabine  River 
thente  down  the  said  river  to  the  mouth,  thence  along  the  sea  coast  to  the  place 
of  beginning,  shall  form  and  constitute  a  new  parish,  to  be  called  the  pansh  of 


Calcasieu 


Calcasieu.  .        ,         ,111 

The  act  contains  eighteen  other  sections,  all  of  whicli  it  takes  to  egalU 
consltie  the  parish  an!  provide  for  its  legal  machinery,  and  place  it  on  foot  as 
iZZnZl  municipalUv.  The  act,  when  it  finally  reaches  the  end,  is  s,gnea 
bvWilL  Debuvs,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives;  Fehx  Gaicia, 
Seulenr  Governo'r,  Tnd  President  of  the  Senate,  and  A.  B.  Roman  Gover  on 
It  is  approved  March  24,  1840.  The  necessary  steps  were  taken  at  once  and 
the  new  parish  set  to  work. 

The  Seat  of  Justice. -^\^^  first  seat  of  justice  or  court  house  was  some  six 
n.ilesf.-oniLak-e  Charles  on  an  air   line,  but  about  twenty-f^ve  by   way  of  the 
CakaieTRiver.     It  was  called  Marion,    but  was    a    small  place    and  had  been 
used  a;  a  stopping  o.  resting  place  for  drovers  passing  wUh  ^1-^^-^ ^j  ^^"^^ 
from  Texas  to  the  New  Orleans    market.     It  is  now  known  as  Old  Town,  and 
bTfoT  th    name  no  one  would  suspect  its  being  a  town  at  all,  or  of  ever  having 
be  nth    parish  seat.     After  a  few  years  (about  X85X-52)  the   Pa-h  -at   - 
moved    to    Lake  Charles,   and  the  glory  of  Marion  departed  as  "  a  tale  that  is 
told         The  finger  of  time  has  written  "  Ichabod  "   above  her   gates     and   like 
Ancient  Rome  "the  spider  weaves  its  web  in   her  palaces,   the  owl   sings    his 
ltd  Ing  in  her  towers."     The  court  house  and  Pil  were  moved  from  Ma 
to  Lake  Qiarles  in  1852  by  Jacob  Ryan  and  Samuel  A.  Ku-by        ^  ^^72  a  new 
court  house  was  built  by  Mr.  Ryan,  a  two-story  frame,  which  ,s  stil    doing  dutj 
Tacurt  house,  but  a  new  onef  a  handsome  brick,  to  cost  $20,000  is  in  process 
of  construction  and  will  be  finished  during  the  year,     ^he    P-ent   b  -^  Pd 
standing  in  the  corner  of  the  pubhc  square  next  the  lake   was  built  m  187. 

'"'  At  fhe  faying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  court  house  in  October,  1890 
Hon    GeorceH    Wells,  in  an  address  delivered  on  that  occasion,  said.      Our 
"res;nt  poUce  jury  was  the  first  to  take   any  practical  action  toward  furnishing 
our  pa  ish  with  thfs  new  court  house,  the  first  to  advertise  tor  plans   and  sp  cifi- 
Ii:::  for  the  bunding,  the  first  to  advertise  forbids  and  -ntract  or  its  consU-uc 
tion,and  the   first  to  appropriate    *«  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^Ht^ilnd  it  nec'ess^^r3    t^^ 
evidence  of  Calcasieu  parish,  that  our  pohce  jury  f f  "°' ^^^'//^^.'^^^^^^^ey 
lew  1  special  tax  for  the  construction  of  the  new  court  house,  and  that  the  monej 
eouired'lor   hat  purpose  will  come  from  the  general  and  ordmary  --enues  of 
theTa  is       Indeed  the  parish  tax  of  the  present  year  ( 1890)  levied  on  the  p.   p- 
er  y  of  non-residents,  though  equal  and  uniform  with  parish  tax    e-ed    «      h 
.ame  kind  of  property  owned  by  residents  of  the  par.sh,  is  consideiabh  moie 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  131 

than    enough    to    defray  the  expenses   of   the    construction    of   our  new   court 
house." 

The  following  figures  show  pretty  clearly  the  growth  of  the  parish  since 
1S40,  the  time  of  its  organization:  The  first  record  book  opened  in  the  parish 
was  in  1840,  a  very  small  book,  and  which  contained  all  the  transactions  of  the 
parish  up  to  1862.  Four  deeds  of  land  from  1840  to  1863.  Book  B  commenced 
1862  and  closed  in  1868.  Book  C  closes  in  1873.  Book  E  closes  in  1876. 
Book  F  closed  in  1880.  The  books  all  the  time  getting  larger,  containing  more 
pages  and  deeds.  G  closed  in  1882,  with  over  600  deeds.  H  closed  in  1S83, 
running  508  days,  with  a  record  of  492  deeds.  I  closed  in  April,  1855,  with  651 
deeds  in  503  days.  J  runs  until  December,  n;885,  with  a  record  of  428  deeds 
in  226  days.  K  numbers  523  in  189  days  and  closes.  L  closes  in  January, 
1SS7,  431  deeds  in  206  days.  M  records  462  in  197  days.  N  goes  462  in  171 
days  and  closes.  O  ends  May,  1888,  making  a  record  of  521  deeds  in  107 
days.  P  ends  October,  3,  1888,  123  days  and  556  deeds.  Q  ends  March  21, 
18S9,  with  a  record  of  531  deeds  in  167  days.  R  goes  550  deeds  in  166  days, 
ending  September  3,  1889.  S  ended  January  16.  1890,  making  a  record  of 
589  deeds  in  134  days.     This  is  genuine,  solid  growth. 

Development  and  Resources. — The  resources  of  Calcasieu  parish  probably 
interest  more  people  than  anything  else  that  could  be  written  in  this  book.  It  is 
but  proper  that  it  should  be  so.  Naturally  every  man  likes  to  see  that  country 
he  calls  his  own  flourish  above  all  other  countries.  With  proper  energy  and 
enterprise  exercised  by  the  people  of  Calcasieu,  there  is  nothing  with  the  vast 
capabilities  of  the  parish  to  prevent  it  from  becoming  the  very  garden  spot  of 
Louisiana. 

The  American,  of  Lake  Charles,  has  spent  much  time  in  investigating  -the 
resources  of  Calcasieu,  and  has  carefully  compiled  some  statistics  as  the  result 
of  its  investigations,  which  may  be  here  given  as  matter  of  interest  to  the  gen- 
eral reader.  There  is  no  guess  work  about  it,  but  they  are  compiled  from  prac- 
tical observation  and  personal  investigation: 

Time  and  the  turn  of  things  have  established  beyond  a  doubt  that  this  is 
one  of  the  finest  sections  of  country  in  the  South  for  farming,  stock  raising  and 
fruit  growing.  There  are  few  places  where  as  large  herds  can  be  wintered  with 
as  little  expense  as  in  this  section.  Cattle  may  be  raised  here  and  carried 
through  the  short  winters  without  feeding  on  hay  or  grain,  although  it  is  better 
to  provide  a  small  amount  of  hay  to  be  used  during  the  latter  part  of  the  winter. 
There  never  was,  perhaps,  a  more  promising  outlook  for  any  country.  Sugar 
cane,  rice,  corn,  oats,  grasses,  fruits  and  vegetables  of  almost  endless  variety 
may  be  produced  here  in  quantity.  In  whatever  locality  the  settler  has  broken 
the  soil,  planted  seeds  and  cultivated  them,  nature  has  done  her  part  in  the 
beauty  of  growth  and  fruitage. 


132  SO  UTH  WE  ST  LO  UISIA  NA  : 

Tlie  situation  here  is  unsurpassed.  We  have  all  the  characteristics  neces- 
sary to  produce  a  good  country.  Climate,  soil  and  water.  The  climate,  the 
most  even  on  the  Southern  border  of  the  Union  ;  the  soil  rich  ;  and  the  rain  about 
rightly  distributed.  No  blizzards  in  winter,  nor  droughts  in  summer  to  contend 
with.  Here  we  can  distance  our  more  northerly  neiglibors  in  placing  fruits  and 
vegetables  in  the  Northern  markets  earlier.  There  are  hundreds  of  ways  in 
which  we  possess  advantages  over  others,  while  we  have  the  consolation  of 
knowing  that  none  can  go  south  of  us  and  reap  an  advantage  over  us  in  early 
production.  The  warm  gulf  water  in  winter  and  the  invigorating  gulf  breeze 
in  summer  makes  it  a  delightful  place  to  live,  and  thus  we  can  make  money  and 
enjoy  health  at  the  same  time.  With  all  the  advantages  this  country  possesses 
by  nature  we  have  it  a  hundred,  yea,  a  thousand  fold,  increased  by  the  building 
of  the  Kansas  City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railwaj'.  The  building  of  this  road 
makes  it  possible  for  this  country  to  become  one  vast  garden  spot  in  a  few  years' 
time. 

The  natural  course  of  exchange  of  products  is  North  and  South.  From 
here  we  can  send  daily  train  loads  of  lumber,  sugar,  rice,  hay,  fruits  and  vege- 
tables and  bring  back  in  return,  coal,  marble,  stone,  corn,  flour,  etc.  The  rice 
industry  is  at  present  in  the  lead,  although  it  is  in  its  infanc}-.  From  thirty  to- 
sixty  bushels  per  acre  may  be  easily  grown  and  it  is  a  cash  crop,  every  bushel 
of  which  is  needed  and  will  find  its  way  to  the  Northern  markets  by  way  of  the 
North  and  South  road.  The  sugar  industry  has  not  as  yet  come  prominent!}' 
to  the  front  for  the  reasons  that  it  requires  a  greater  outlay  of  capital  for  seed 
and  machinery  with  which  to  make  the  juice  into  sugar.  The  fact  has  been 
ascertained,  however,  that  cane  makes  an  excellent  growth  here  and  a  superior 
quality  of  sugar,  and  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  the  central  sugar  factory 
will  be  established,  and  then  almost  every  other  industry  will  give  place  to  this 
industry.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  $200  per  acre  can  be  made  by  manu- 
facturing into  syrup  on  the  small  evaporators. 

The  shipment  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  it  is  believed,  will,  at  no  distant  day, 
occupy  a  large  space;  indeed  it  is  now  commanding  the  attention  of  many  who 
are  planting  and  preparing  for  the  future.  When  we  view  our  country  with  all  its 
bright  prospects,  with  a  flow  of  immigration  from  the  North,  not  equaled  any- 
where in  the  South,  it  is  no  wonder  we  are  proud  of  it. 

The  parish  of  Calcasieu  has  an  area  of  nearly  four  thousand  square  miles, 
about  2,500,000  acres.  In  climate,  resources  and  all  things  that  lead  to  the  high- 
est material  prosperity,  it  possesses  advantages  far  superior  to  any  portion  of  the 
North,  Over  two-thirds  of  this  area  is  timber,  mostly  long-leaved  yellow  pine 
of  superb  quality.  This  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  woods  known.  li  is  not  the 
common  hard  pine  known  to  the  commerce  of  the  North,   but   a  finer  grainedr 


I 


HISTORICAL    AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  133 

harder  and  more  durable  variety.  The  soil  upon  which  it  grows  is  like  oak, 
maple  and  beech  soil,  and  all  that  prevents  the  growth  of  these  trees  everj^where 
is  the  fires.  The  long-leaved  pine  tree  is  immensely  tall,  straight,  of  nearly  uni- 
form size  from  bottom  to  top  and  with  but  few  limbs,  just  at  the  top  ;  no  under- 
brush. This  tall,  thin  shade  enables  the  grass  to  grow  abundantly,  affording  the 
best  of  grazing  for  stock.  It  is  but  little  labor  to  bring  this  land  into  cultivation, 
as  compared  with  ordinary  timber  lands.  Many  claim  that  it  is  more  productive 
than  the  prairie.   Certainly,  excellent  crops  of  cotton  and  corn  are  raised  upon  it. 

The  trees  do  not  mature  like  the  pine  forests  of  the  North,  where,  when  cut, 
the  land  is  a  waste  for  many  j^ears.  Here  the  timber  matures  a  portion  at  a 
time.  In  good  timber  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  feet  of  mature  trees  can  be 
cut  per  acre.  In  ten  years  as  much  more  can  be  cut,  and  so  on,  possibly  in  per- 
petuity. The  present  selling  price  is  one  dollar  per  thousand  for  stumpage. 
With  more  railroads  and  a  better  knowledge  of  the  value  of  this  timber  by  the 
markets  of  the  world,  stumpage  will  just  as  readily  bring  four  to  five  dollars  per 
thousand. 

It  is  not  difficult  from  this  statement,  which  can  be  easily  verified,  to  deter- 
mine the  value  of  this  timber  as  an  investment.  It  is  advancing  every  week,  and 
still  it  is  very  low.  Fine  tracts  can  be  purchased  at  five  dollars  per  acre. 
Equally  good  tracts,  with  not  quite  so  much  ripe  timber,  can  be  bought  for  three 
dollars  per  acre.  In  addition  to  the  pine  there  are  large  quantities  of  oak,  c}'- 
press,  gum,  ash,  beech  and  magnolia,  all  valuable  woods. 

The  southern  border  of  the  parish  is  prairie.  A  magnificent  expanse  of 
land,  fringed  upon  the  north  by  stately  forests  and  bordered  upon  the  south  by 
the  blue  waters  of  the  gulf,  fertile,  traversed  everywhere  by  navigable  streams 
and  fanned  by  cooling  breezes  of  the  purest  air,  tempering  and  mellowing  the 
climate  to  the  perfection  of  comfort  and  spreading  over  mankind  the  benison  of 
health.  It  is  unique  and  seductive,  and  when  once  enjoyed  allows  of  no  com 
parisons. 

Here  agriculture  thrives,  the  cereals  and  fruits  come  to  perfection;  here  the 
stock  demand  nothing  but  the  carpeted  earth  and  the  vaulted  heavens.  The 
most  gorgeous  foliage,  the  most  lovely  flowers,  with  the  delicate  tints  and  the 
richest  perfumes,  the  sunniest  daj's,  the  superb  and  glorious  evenings,  and  the 
most  refreshing  slumbers  are  among  the  common  enjoyments  of  a  contented 
people.  Coming  to  the  practical  matters  of  life,  production  is  varied  and  abun- 
dant. Here  and  there  the  tame  grasses  have  taken  hold,  showing  that  clover, 
red  top,  orchard  grass,  timothy  and  blue  grass  will  ultimately  be  produced  in 
abundance.  Horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep  and  swine  do  well.  At  the  Hawkeye 
ranch  good  butter  has  been  made  all  summer.  It  was  golden  yellow  without 
coloring,  and  stood  firmly,  though  made  without  ice. 

Mr.  Langley,  just  north  of  Bayou  Serpent,  raised  eighty-five  husliels  of  oats 


134  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

per  acre  last  spring.  This  was  machine  measure,  by  weight  there  were  nearly 
one  hundred  bushels.  James  Maund,  of  Jennings,  raised  this  season  as  good 
corn  as  we  ever  saw  at  any  fair.  Abner  Cole  last  season  produced  in  the  pine 
woods  six  barrels  of  syrup  and  sugar  from  one-half  acre  of  cane.  It  was  crushed 
in  a  common  cane  mill  and  made  in  open  potash  kettles.  Mr.  Nelson,  east  of 
Lake  Charles,  has  a  crop  of  tobacco  that  will  make  four  thousand  pounds  per 
acre.  Thomas  Walton,  from  prairie  land,  sold  his  Irish  potatoes  at  the  rate  of 
one  hundred  and  fift}^  dollars  per  acre.  Mr.  Clark  produced  last  year  one  hun- 
dred and  fift}'  barrels  of  sweet  potatoes  per  acre,  and  Mr.  Adams  one  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  barrels.  Five  thousand  cabbages  have  been  produced  by  a  gar- 
dener in  Lake  Charles  on  one  acre,  and  four  other  crops  of  vegetables  on  the 
same  land  in  that  }'ear.  The  farmers  are  cutting  one  ton  and  a  half  of  hay  per 
acre  on  the  prairie.  The  average  crop  of  rice  per  acre  is  from  ten  to  twenty 
barrels,  worth  from  three  to  four  dollars  per  barrel  in  the  rough;  and  it  costs  to 
produce  it  no  more  than  wheat. 

No  warm  country  has  so  few  insects.  All  through  the  pine  woods  a  mosquito 
bar  is  not  used.  Flies  are  rarely  troublesome.  For  stock  in  this  particular  a 
most  favorable  comparison  may  be  drawn  with  the  best  grazing  districts  in  the 
world.  The  woods  are  filled  with  game,  and  the  coast  marshes  and  bayous  are 
everywhere  fringed  with  a  motley  gathering  of  the  feathered  tribes.  The  streams 
abound  with  fish,  and  the  coast  furnishes  the  best  of  oysters. 

This  coast  prairie  is  destined  in  a  short  time  to  become  densely  populous  by 
reason  of  its  subterraneous  wealth.  Ai^ery's  Island,  near  New  Iberia,  covers  a 
quarry  of  solid  rock-salt  as  white  as  marble,  containing  more  than  ninetj'-nine 
one-hundredths  of  sodium  chloride,  and  hence  is  almost  absolutely  pure  salt. 
The  deposit  is  supposed  to  be  inexhaustible.  The  mining  of  this  salt  is  in  suc- 
cessful operation.  Ten  miles  west  of  Lake  Charles  is  a  bed  of  pure  sulphur 
sixty  feet  thick.  A  wealtliy  company  commenced  mining  operations  and  dis- 
continued, but  it  is  rumored  they  will  soon  resume  operations.  [They  have 
alread)'  commenced  operations  again  with  a  large  force  and  are  pushing  ahead 
with  great  energy. — Ed.]  In  boring  for  the  sulphur,  petroleum  of  excellent 
quality  for  lubricating  was  struck  in  large  quantities.  The  oil  region  extends 
over  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land.  On  the  coast  some  thirty 
miles  from  the  sulphur  borings,  petroleum  is  poured  out  upon  the  gulf  waters  in 
quantities  suflicient  to  cover  several  square  miles. 

On  the  subject  of  stock  raising,  the  Lake  Charles  Echo  had  this  to  say  of 
some  of  the  ranches  of  this  parish : 

Among  the  largest  ranclies  of  Calcasieu  are  those  of  Aladin  Vincent,  Oscar, 
David,  Malachi  and  Madison  Lyons,  in  the  western  portion  of  the  parish.  Mr. 
Aladin  Vincent  says  he  has  turned  three-year-old  steers  into  the  market,  weigh- 
ing from  eight  to  nine  hundred  pounds,  which  he  considered  all  profit  to  him, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  13& 

except  the  expense  of  branding  and  gatliering  for  market.  Tlie  Perr3-s  also,  in 
this  section,  are  large  cattle  owners.  The  most  of  these  are  also  raising  horses,, 
some  merely  for  their  own  use,  others  for  the  market.  North  of  these  may  be 
found  other  large  cattle  owners ;  perhaps  the  largest  north  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  are  the  Hon.  Wm.  M.  Perkins,  Mr.  W.  E.  Gill  and  the  lies. 

Coming  east  of  the  Calcasieu  River,  we  find  Watkins"  ranch.  This  ranch 
embraces  several  ranches  of  bygone  days.  His  purchase  in  1884  for  the  English 
syndicate  embraced  a  large  tract  of  land  on  which  several  ranchmen  kept  large 
herds  of  cattle  and  ponies.  After  the  purchase  was  made,  the  ranchmen  either 
sold  out  bodily  to  Mr.  Watkins  or  moved  their  stock  to  other  fields.  Besides 
these  are  a  number  of  smaller  ranches,  such  as  the  Hawkeye  ranch  north  of 
Welsh.  There  are  also  quite  a  number  in  various  portions  of  the  parish  engaged 
in  sheep  raising,  and  report  their  flocks  in  healthy  condition.  One  gentleman 
from  Waxeyland,  in  Texas,  saj's  this  section  has  largely  the  advantage  over 
Waxe3'land  for  sheep  raising,  as  the  land  here  has  sufficient  sand  in  it  to  keep 
the  dirt  from  accumulating  around  the  feet,  thereby  causing  foot  rot. 

Fruit  in  Calcasieu. — The  following  on  fruit  culture  is  drawn  from  the 
editorials  of  The  American :  Much  has  been  written  and  talked  about  fruit  raising 
in  this  countr}^,  and  yet  we  are  convinced  that  not  one-half  the  citizens  of  this 
region,  nor  one-twentieth  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  even  dream  of  the 
wonderful  possibilities  we  hope  to  see  realized  in  the  near  future. 

Tlie  climate  of  Southwest  Louisiana  is  well  adapted  to  all  semi-tropical 
fruits,  and  to  most  of  tiiose  of  the  temperate  zones.  Oranges,  figs  and  pome- 
granates do  splendidly  here  and  yield  large  returns.  Olives  will  thrive  and  yield 
enormous  incomes  for  a  lifetime.  For  peaches,  pears,  plums,  grapes,  blackber- 
ries, dewberries  and  strawberries,  this  climate  can  not  be  excelled  on  the  conti- 
nent. Apples,  especially  of  the  summer  and  fall  varieties,  when  grafted  on 
quince,  mayhaw  or  Leconte  roots,  do  as  well  as  they  do  in  any  country.  .  Mr. 
Derouen,  on  the  Lacasine,  has  as  fine  success  with  apples  as  any  one  can  wish, 
and  there  are  many  other  examples  of  success  in  raising  apples  in  this  region^ 
We  are  convinced  that  it  will  pay  to  plant  apples  largely,  but  would  advise  that 
they  be  grafted  on  quince,  mayhaw  or  Leconte  roots.  We  think  it  a  good  plan 
to  graft  pears  of  all  kinds  on  the  same  roots.  The  mayhaw,  which  is  itself  a 
valuable  fruit,  gives  us  one  of  the  best  stocks  for  grafting  that  we  have.  Horti- 
culturists are  beginning  to  discover  the  value  of  the  mayhaw  in  this  respect, 
and  we  expect  to  see  it  more  largely  used  in  the  futue  than  in  the  past. 

Trees  bear  very  young  in  this  climate.  Peaches  will  bear  the  second  year 
from  the  seed;  plums  about  the  same.  Apples  will  bear  the  third  year  from  the 
grafting.  Figs  sometimes  produce  ripe  fruit  the  first  year  from  cuttings.  Oranges 
bear  in  about  four  years  from  grafts. 


136  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

As  to  profits  it  is  hard  to  over-estimate.  Peaches  will  j-ield  $1000  worth  of 
fruit  per  acre  three  years  after  planting  tlie  budded  trees,  if  well  cultivated  and 
cared  for.  Oranges  will  do  still  better  when  they  come  into  full  bearing,  which 
they  do  in  about  six  or  seven  years  after  setting  out.  Pears  have  produced  at  the 
rate  of  $2500  per  acre  when  the  tree  was  seven  years  old.  There  is  no  telling 
what  an  acre  of  large  fig  trees  well  cared  for  will  produce,  but  it  will  be  enormous. 
Fortunes  can  be  made,  as  soon  as  we  have  communication  north  by  rail,  raising 
dewberries,  blackberries  and  strawberries. 

In  order  to  succeed  in  raising  fruits,  however,  the  ground  must  be  prepared 
for  the  trees.  It  must  be  thoroughly  drained,  and  should  be  fertilized  to  secure 
the  best  results,  although  a  measure  of  success  may  be  obtained  without.  There 
is  no  need  of  irrigation  here.  In  this  respect  we  have  the  advantage  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  in  our  opinion  we  will  soon  eclipse  the  famed  Southern  California 
region  in  fruit.     We  undoubtedl}'  have  a  grand  future  before  us. 

* 
-*     * 

After  reading  this  article  you  will  certainly  be  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
this  section  of  country  is  particularly  adapted  to  fruits.  There  are  no  great  ex- 
tremes of  heat  or  cold,  and  the  rainfall  is  just  about  what  it  should  be  for  suc- 
cessful fruit  growing.  The  trees  grow  to  enormous  size  when  properly  cared 
for,  and  the  fruits  are  delicious.  Varieties  of  pears  that  are  considered  in  some 
sections  as  hardly  third  rate,  when  grown  here  are  considered  first  class.  The 
flavor  of  the  peach  is  considered  as  good  here  as  those  grown  in  any  part  of  the 
United  States.  Plums  of  various  kinds,  including  the  Japan  plum,  ripening  usu- 
ally in  Februar}',  grow  to  great  perfection.  This  is  the  home  of  the  fig,  and  the 
profits  likely  to  accrue  in  a  few  years  from  fig  culture  will  be  large ;  indeed,  by 
the  evaporating  process  it  is  possible  to  make  enormous  profits  out  of  this  indus- 
tr}-.  There  are  many  others,  but  we  will  only  notice  the  orange.  If  the  oranges 
grown  by  the  natives  here  for  many  years  past  are  a  success,  what  can  we  say 
of  the  Oonshiu  under  intelligent  cultivation?  Every  variety  of  Japanese  fruits 
that  has  been  tried  here  succeeds  remarkably  well.  The  horticulturists  of  Japan 
of  all  others  lead  the  world.  The}-  have  arrived  nearer  to  perfection  in  the  fruit 
industry  there,  perhaps,  than  in  any  other  place  on  the  habitable  globe.  They 
have  schools  of  horticulture,  in  which  the  natives  receive  the  highest  training  in 
tree  culture.  Persons  attending  the  world's  fair  at  Paris  report  seeing  pine  and 
cedar  trees  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  and  mere  box  plants;  apple  and 
pear  trees  more  than  a  hundred  years  old,  two  feet  high  and  laden  with  fruit. 
It  is  here  that  the  Oonshiu  orange  has  been  improved  on  for  ages,  until  it  is  now 
next  to  perfection.  The  orange  in  its  natural  or  wild  state  was  full  of  thorns, 
the  fruit  was  of  a  bitter  sour,  full  of  seed,  and  the  pulp  and  rind  clinging  closely 
together.  After  ages  of  study  and  toil  a  tree  has  been  perfected  without  thorns, 
a  fruit  without  seed,  with  pulp  and  rind  parting  readily,  and  of  a  most  delicate 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  137 

taste.  After  all  these  excellent  qualities  had  been  perfected,  they  succeeded  in 
bringing  it  into  bearing  pretty  fair  crops  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Finally  they 
brought  it  up,  by  a  slow  process  of  grading,  until  it  could  be  successfully  grown 
in  a  climate  of  six  months  winter. 

This  is  the  celebrated  Oonshiu  orange,  said  to  be  the  most  perfect  orange 
now  in  cultivation.  But  few  have  as  yet  been  introduced  into  our  country,  but, 
like  the  other  fruits  of  Japan,  it  has  shown  itself  true  to  name.  One  writer  says 
it  stood  the  cold  with  him  where  barrels  of  water  were  frozen  to  soHd  ice,  and 
where  the  thermometer  must  have  gone  to  ten  degrees  below  zero.  It  is  reported 
that  a  number  of  trees  passed  through  the  cold  in  Texas  with  the  thermometer 
as  low  as  zero.  Horticulturists  in  Texas  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they 
can  make  this  fruit  a  success  almost  all  over  the  State.  This  being  the  case, 
what  will  it  be  in  our  section  of  country,  where  it  is  peculiarly  suited  and  where 
we  alread}'  grow  such  perfect  fruit  out  of  the  old  native  varieties? 

•  With  lands  here  now  at  five  to  ten  dollars  per  acre,  a  north  and  south  railway 
from  here  to  Kansas  Cit)%  and  the  possibility  of  shipping  this  fruit  in  September 
and  October  (as  it  ripens  earlier  than  other  varieties),  where,  we  ask,  is  there 
a  better  place  to  drive  down  a  stake  for  a  home  in  the  beautiful,  delightful  Sunny 

South  ?  , 

*     * 

The  Fig. — We  regard  the  fig  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  fruits  of  this  or 
any  other  country.  In  their  fresh  state,  when  fully  ripe,  there  is  no  other  fruit 
that  we  know  of  that  is  so  delicious  and  at  the  same  time  so  healthful.  There  is 
no  other  fruit  we  know  of  upon  which  human  beings  can  live  so  well  without  any 
other  food.  A  person  can  not  onl\-  live,  but  will  grow  fat  upon  a  diet  composed 
exclusively  of  fresh  figs. 

There  is  another  thing  about  figs  different  from  most  other  fruits,  and  that 
is,  that  the  more  a  person  uses  them  the  more  he  wants.  The  first  time  a  person 
unaccustomed  to  figs  tastes  them  he  may  not  relish  them  very  well,  but  let  him 
continue  to  eat  them  a  few  days  and  he  will  soon  get  so  he  will  prefer  them  to 
any  other  fruit.  They  are  not  only  a  first-class  food  fruit,  but  also  possess  med- 
ical virtue.  We  verilj'  believe  that  there  is  not  much  danger  of  sickness  to  any 
one  who  will  eat  all  the  fresh,  ripe  figs  they  can  every  day,  and  will  be  prudent 
in  other  things. 

But  figs  are  not  onlj-  \aluable  in  their  fresh  state,  but  can  be  prepared  in 
various  ways  for  food.  The}'  are  excellent  canned  in  self-sealing  glass  jars. 
The}'  make  splendid  preserves.  They  are  delicious  when  prepared  by  drying  and 
pressed  into  boxes.  But  perhaps  the  cheapest  way  in  which  figs  can  be  prepared 
for  keeping  is  by  drying  them  by  means  of  an  evaporator.  They  can  be  pre- 
pared in  this  way  cheaply  and  speedily,  and  make  the  most  delicious  dried  fruit 
in  existence.     In  preparing  them  in  this  way  they  should   not  be  kept  in    the 


138  SOUTHWEST  L OUISIANA : 

evaporator  too  long,  but  when  partially  dry  should  be  pressed  into  boxes  or 
buckets  and  permitted  to  go  through  a  kind  of  sweat,  when  they  are  ready  for  use. 
Southwestern  Louisiana  is  especially  adapted  to  figs.  Perhaps  no  country 
in  the  world  can  excel  us  in  the  production  of  this  valuable  fruit,  and  but  few  can 
equal  us  We  had  the  pleasure  of  showing  a  Californian  around  a  few  days  ago 
and  among  other  things  we  examined  the  fig  trees,  loaded  with  their  enormous 
crop  of  young  figs.     Our  California  friend  said,  "  You  can  undoubtedly  beat  us 

in  figs." 

Perhaps  there  is  no  other  fruit  that  will  produce  as  many  barrels  of  fruit 
per  acre  as  figs,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  fruit  line  more  easily  raised  than  fig 
trees.  All  tliat  is  necessary  is  to  cut  limbs  from  the  trees  and  stick  them  mto 
the  ground  where  you  want  your  trees,  and  they  will  nearly  every  one  grow. 
By  planting  the  different  varieties  it  is  possible  to  have  an  abundance  of  this  lus- 
cious fruit  from  the  latter  part  of  June  until  December. 

We  verily  believe  that  one  acre  of  fig  trees  five  years  old  will  make  a  com- 
fortable support  for  an  ordinary  family.  We  believe  an  acre  of  figs  will  pro- 
duce more  food  for  man,  beast  or  fowl  than  an  acre  of  almost  any  other  produce 
grown.     Let  us  plant  figs  and  plant  them  largely. 

This  is  the  home  of  the  fig.  There  is  no  place  in  the  South  where  they 
grow  to  greater  perfection  than  in  Southwestern  Louisiana.  The  question  has 
often  been  asked:  "  What  will  you  do  with  them  after  you  raise  them,  as  they 
will  not  bear  transportation  to  any  great  distance?"  Some  have  recommended 
canning,  but  the  last  and  seemingly  the  best  is  to  evaporate  them.  Mr.  C.  G. 
Pageot,  of  our  city,  conceived  the  idea  last  summer  that  with  an  evaporator  he 
could  in  a  few  hours'  time  produce  a  fig  equal  to  the  dried  figs  put  up  in  other 
sections.  He  made  the  experiment  and  showed  us  the  fig  after  it  had  been 
through  the  evaporator.  We  thought  then,  as  he  did,  that  it  was  a  success.  He 
pressed  these  figs  in  two-pound  boxes  and  put  them  away,  and  they  are  keeping 
as  perfectly  as  when  they  were  put  up.  These  figs  were  dried  without  any  sugar 
added.  The  family  now  who  has  a  fig  orchard  can,  without  an  outlay  for  an 
evaporator,  put  up  their  own  figs,  which  will  certainly  be  very  profitable. 

Rice  Culture.— li  is  reported  by  the  last  census  that  Louisiana  raised 
500,000  pounds  of  rice;  South  Carolina,  100,000  pounds:  Georgia,  50,000; 
North  Carolina,  41,500;  and  Alabama,  Florida,  Mississippi  and  Texas,  all  told, 
285  000  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Louisiana  produces  more  rice  than  all  the 
other  States  of  the  Union  put  together.  This  is  doubtless  true,  or  the  census 
would  not  say  so.  It  is  a  truthful  body  (unless  it  be  in  regard  to  the  population 
of  large  cities),  and  its  statistical  facts  may  be  regarded  as  substantially  correct. 
Calcasieu  is  the  banner  parish  of  Louisiana  in  the  cultivation  of  rice.  Much  of 
its  lands  are  specially  adapted  to  rice. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


139 


The  editor  of  the  Jennings  Reporter  gives  some  figures  on  the  acreage  of 
nee  planted  in  that  part  of  the  parish.  He  estimates  that  between  Lake  Arthur 
on  the  south  to  China  post-office  north  of  Jennings,  and  between  the  Mermentau 
River,  the  Nezpique  and  Grand  Marias,  there  will  be  about  nine  thousand  acres 
planted  in  rice,  which,  at  ten  barrels  per  acre,  will  give  90,000  barrels  of  rice, 
and  of  this  amount  he  expects  60,000  barrels  at  least  or  about  four  hundred  car 
loads  to  be  shipped  from  Jennings.  Two  years  ago  only  twenty-six  car  loads 
were  shipped  from  Jennings ;  last  year,  one  hundred  car  loads.  All  this  rice, 
should  Jennings  not  get  a  rice  mill,  would  eventually  find  its  way  to  Lake 
Charles  and  be  shipped  northward  on  the  Kansas  City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  Rail- 
way. This  is  only  a  small  portion  of  the  rice  acreage  of  this  parish,  and  everv 
bushel  raised  in  the  parish  should  be  hulled  on  mills  here  instead  of  beino-  shipped 
to  the  New  Orleans  mills.  "^ 

Says  the  American  on  the  same  subject :  There  is,  perhaps,  no  section  of 
country  better  adapted  to  rice  culture  than  the  lands  of  Calcasieu.  Rice 
culture  is  now  attracting  more  attention  than  any  other  field  crop.  The  cultiva- 
tion is  simple,  consisting  principally  of  planting  and  flooding,  and  the  profits  are 
large.  Had  we  the  space,  we  could  give  numerous  instances  of  persons  making 
enormous  profits. 

Mr.  R.  Hall,  of  Cherokee,  Iowa,  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  for  $800.  Paid  out  for  improvements  about  $450.  Total  cost  of  land 
and  improvements,  $1250.  He  rented  the  land  for  one-third,  which  was  planted 
in  rice,  and  reahzed  for  his  third  of  the  rice  $1500. 

J.  W.  Rosteet  reports  on  twenty-one  acres  of  land  planted  in  rice.  He  gives 
the  expense  of  ditching,  levees,  fencing,  planting  and  harvesting  at  $457.68.  He 
sold  his  rice  for  $860,  leaving  a  balance  of  $462.32. 

We  give  these  two  instances,  not  that  they  are  exceptions,  for  there  are  in- 
stances where  much  greater  profits  have  been  made,  but  because  Mr.  Rosteet  is 
a  native  of  this  parish,  and  Mr.  Hall  a  resident  of  Cherokee,  Iowa,  and  a  gen- 
tleman well  known  in  many  States  in  the  North. 

*  * 
The  American  has  from  its  beginning  told  of  the  possibilities  of  Calcasieu 
parish  as  a  rice  growing  country,  and  of  the  great  profits  to  the  farmer  to  be  de- 
rived therefrom.  It  has  furthermore  shown  that  there  is  great  wealth  in  sugar, 
fruits  and  many  other  products  of  the  farm.  It  is  now  beginning  to  realize°thJ 
fulfilment  of  its  dreams.  For  years  it  was  the  universal  opinion  that  rice  could 
not  be  harvested  by  machinery;  four  years  ago  a  rice  machine  was  brought  to  the 
parish  and  tried  with  success.  It  is  only  three  years  since  William  Deering  & 
Co.  started  to  improve  their  harvesters  to  adapt  them  to  the  rice  farmer's  use. 
At  that  time  Mr.  E.  S.  Center  advised  his  firm  to  enter  this  field,  but  they  said  to 
him,«'You  might  as  well  send  cotton  presses  to  Manitoba  as  harvesters  to  Louis- 


140  SO  UTHWEST  L  O  UTS  I  AX  A  : 

iana."  Not  discouraged,  however,  he  persevered  until  he  was  successful,  and 
now  he  says  he  can  cut  rice  in  eighteen  inches  of  mud,  and  to  back  up  his  guar- 
antee he  has  shipped  into  Southwest  Louisiana  a  train  load  of  the  William  Deer- 
ing  harvesters;  a  train  load  of  twenty-two  cars  containing  three  hundred  ma- 
chines. This  is  a  grand  demonstration  of  the  development  of  Southwest  Louis- 
iana during  the  past  three  years. 

The  train  left  Chicago  on  the  8th  inst.,  and  was  beautifull}'  decorated  with 
flags  and  flowers,  and  it  is  said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  freight  train  that  ever 
entered  the  Southern  States.  At  every  station  along  the  route  it  was  met  by  large 
crowds,  who  hailed  it  with  cheers  and  speeches  of  welcome.  Among  these  crowds 
the  representative  of  The  American  looked  for  the  old  croaker,  who  always 
said,  "You  can't  make  a  living  on  a  farm  in  this  country,"  "but  where,  oh  where 
was  he?"  "  gone  where  the  woodbine  twineth,"  or  dead  with  throat  disease  Irom 
overmuch  croaking.  When  the  train  arrived  at  Lake  Charles,  over  a  thousand 
people  were  at  the  depot  to  welcome  the  representatives  of  the  Deering  Company 
and  the  representatives  of  the  press. 

Prof.  Knapp,  of  Lake  Charles,  and  Mr.  Carj-,  of  Jennings,  made  short 
addresses  to  the  people  on  behalf  of  the  Deering  Companj-.  which  was  followed 
by  three  rousing  cheers  for  the  compan}'. 

Mr.  H.  C.  Drew  read  an  invitation  from  the  citizens  of  Lake  Charles  to  the 
representatives  of  the  company  and  the  press  inviting  them  to  a  banquet  to  be 
given  at  the  Hotel  Howard  in  honor  of  the  occasion. 

Since  this  train  left  Chicago,  another  consignment  of  the  machines  has  been 
shipped  and  is  on  its  way  to  Southwest  Louisiana,  and  the  agents  are  now  receiv- 
ing orders  ever\'  Aay.  This,  we  will  add,  is  the  work  of  only  one  company. 
The  Osborne  Company  is  also  in  the  field,  and  while  we  do  not  know  the  amount 
of  their  sales  they  have  no  doubt  been  large.  So  that  not  less  than  five  or  six 
hundred  machines  will  be  sold  this  year.  The  estimated  crop  of  Calcasieu  par- 
ish is  600,000  barrels,  and  if  the  increase  next  year  should  be  as  circumstances 
now  indicate  she  will  ship  one  million  and  a  half  barrels  next  ^"ear. 

Lumber  Interests. — Upon  the  lumber  interests  of  the  South,  and  which  seem 
to  center  in  Calcasieu  parish.  The  American  has  this  to  say:  Lumber  is  now  one 
of  the  South's  greatest  resources,  and  stands  very  prominent  in  Southwest  Lou- 
isiana. We  have  time  and  again  treated  on  this  subject,  but  an  industry  of  such 
vast  possibilities,  making  such  a  rapid  progress,  can  not  be  laid  before  the  peo- 
ple too  often. 

We  have  in  the  South  a  greater  variety  of  timbers  than  the  North,  and  the 
advantages  of  manufacturing  are  far  superior  to  those  of  the  North.  These 
facts  have  been  recognized  long  ago,  and  the  timber  lands  have  largelj^  increased 
in  value  in  the  last  few  years.     The    timber   here   is  adapted    to  almost  every 


HISl^ORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  141 

branch  of  manufacture  into  which  wood  enters.  For  buildincr  material  our 
Southern  timber  stands  par  excellent.  Car  building,  furniture,  ship  building, 
railroad  ties  and  bridge  timbers,  and  lastly  for  paving. 

It  is  claimed  that  there  are  more  than  two  hundred  varieties  possessing  valu- 
able qualities.  Among  the  many  varieties  stands  the  famous  yellow  pine,  the 
cheapest,  the  most  abundant  and  best  known  of  all  the  woods.  The  Calcasieu 
yellow  pine  has  found  its  way  to  the  Northwest,  South  America,  Europe,  and 
large  quantities  are  shipped  to  Me.xico,  and  its  superiority  is  admitted  by  all. 
Next  to  the  yellow  pine  is  our  cypress,  which  is>sed  now  principally  for  shin- 
gles and  cistern  building.  The  curly  pine  of  this  section,  with  one  variety  of 
cypress,  makes  the  finest  finishing  material  for  inside  work.' 

When  we  come  to  consider  the  number  of  valuable  timbers  which  can  be 
handled  so  cheaply  in  the  South,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  the  extent  to  which 
the  industry  has  been  developed  within  the  past  few  years.  The  wonder  is  that 
it  did  not  come  sooner.  The  first  shipment  of  yellow  pine  to  the  Chicago  mar- 
ket was  considered  coarse  and  was  not  desirable.  The  Northern  lumbermen, 
however,  recognizing  its  value,  began  about  ten  years  ago  to  invest  in  yellow 
pine  lands,  smce  which  time  they  have  obtained  about  ten  million  acres  from 
the  government  and  perhaps  as  much  more  from  private  parties.  In  some  in- 
stances the  investments  have  been  made  for  speculative  purposes ;  in  others  it 
has  been  developed  and  has  added  largely  to  the  weahh  of  the  South. 

Here  in  C'alcasieu  the  industry  has  so  developed  that  we  now  produce  more 
lumber  than  the  entire  State  did  about  ten  years  ago,  and  we  are  sadly  in  need 
of  the  opening  of  Calcasieu  Pass,  that  our  mills  may  be  enabled  to  fill  the  orders 
for  millions  of  feet  that  are  wanted  annually  in  South  America. 

Mr.  A.  G.  Van  Shack,  editor  of  the  "Mississippi  Valley  Lumberman," 
published  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  after  a  three  weeks'  tour  through  the  lumber 
regions  of  the  South,  went  home  and  wrote  as  follows  of  what  he  had  seen  : 

"  The  South  presents  better  opportunities  for  making  money  in  the  lumber 
lines  than  any  other  section.  I  have  just  returned  from  a  three  weeks'  trip 
through  the  principal  lumber  regions  and  am  greatly  surprised  at  the  rapid  im- 
provements that  have  taken  place  the  last  three  3-ears.  The  cotton  crop  brings 
the  Southerners  in  a  large  amount  of  money,  as  the  bulk  is  exported.  The  money 
is  being  spent  on  improvements  and  new  buildings  are  to  be  seen  in  process  of" 
erection  on  every  hand.  The  consumption  of  lumber  there  is  very  large,  but  the 
export  trade  is  greater  than  few  have  any  idea  of.  We  made  a  thorough  examina- 
tion of  the  timber  lands  and  the  management  and  workings  of  the  saw  mills  at 
all  the  leading  points.  The  Southern  mill  men  have  a  better  market  for  their 
common  lumber  than  the  Northern  mills  and  make  a  larger  profit  on  it.  At  the 
same  time,  however  the  Southerners  do  not  get  as  high  a  figure  for  their  good 
lumber  as  we  do.     After  we  get  out  of   good  lumber  the   situation  will  change. 


142  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

and  the  Southern  mills  will  have  a  chance  to  sell  their  good  lumber  to  better  ad- 
vantage. The  common  lumber  will  not  bring  as  much  profit  as  now.  Northern 
logs  that  cost  four  dollars  in  the  tree  do  not  produce  as  much  as  Southern  logs 
that  cost  fifty  cents  per  one  thousand  feet  more  at  the  mill  than  it  does  in  the 
North.  Northern  lumbermen  would  be  fools  to  invest  in  pine  lands  in  the  North 
at  four  dollars  an  acre  when  they  can  buy  land  that  is  as  good  in  the  South  for 
one-tenth  the  price.  Southern  lumber  cuts  out  two  and  one-half  per  cent,  below 
merchantable,  while  Northern  logs  cut  seven  to  ten  per  cent. 

"  Let  me  show  }ou  the  difference  between  the  Southern  and  the  Northern 
prices  at  mill.  Three  inch  joist,  sixteen  feet  in  length,  are  sold  in  lots  of  500,- 
000  to  1,000,000  feet  for  export  to  load  in  vessels  at  $10  at  the  mill.  The  same 
retails  here  at  $12.50,  or  at  $9  net  at  the  mills  in  Michigan.  Common  inch  sells 
at  $8  to  $10,  while  the  same  only  brings  $7.50  at  Manistee. 

"The  Southern  lumbermen  have  all  the  advantages  of  the  Northern  lumber- 
men. They  can  profit  by  the  rapid  development  of  the  country  by  railroads, 
which  enable  tjjiem  to  market  their  product  very  rapidly.  They  have  a  demand 
for  it  which  the  Michigan  men  did  not  have  in  the  early  da3-s.  In  the  way  of 
machinery,  they  have  the  advantage  of  the  great  improvements  made  during  the 
past  fifty  years.  More  money  will  be  made  in  lumber  in  the  South  than  there 
ever  was  in  the  North,  there  being  about  double  the  amount  of  timber  that  there 
was  in  the  States  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota  fift}' years  ago.  It  does 
not  cost  more  to  handle  logs  in  the  South.  White  men  and  negroes  work  side 
by  side.  A  strong  point  in  favor  of  the  Southern  mills  is  that  they  can  cut  more 
lumber  in  the  same  space  of  time  with  their  circular  saws,  and  cut  it  as  good  as 
any  mill  in  the  North.  For  instance,  they  will  cut  60,000  feet  a  day  of  eleven 
hours  with  a  single  circular,  while  we  can  not  cut  45,000  to  50,000  in  ten  hours. 
The  South  is  the  coming  lumber  countr}-." 

With  all  these  advantages  of  climate,  resources  of  so  many  kinds,  from  a 
toothsome  fig  and  a  luscious  orange  to  a  pine  log  and  the  Chinaman's  favorite 
dish  (rice),  it  would  seem  that  Calcasieu  parish  is  the  land  of  the  blest.  So 
enraptured  became  the  editor  of  the  Lake  Charles  Echo  that  he  tuned  his  harp 
one  beautiful  September  day,  in  the  year  of  grace  18SS,  and  throwing  himself 
back  on  an  inverted  n;iil  keg,  which  he  dubbed  his  editorial  chair,  he  sung  as 
follows  to  an 

EVENING    ON  THE   CALCASIEU. 

Tlie  day  is  done; 

The  setting  sun, 
Growing  red,  sinks  out  of  view; 

The  lowing  lierds 

And  twitt'ring  birds — 
I  hear  them  on  the  Calcasieu. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  143 

The  old  saw  mill 

As  death  is  still, 
Save  sundry  hissings  now  and  then; 

'Neath  the  sky  blue 

Gathers  the  dew, 
Glittering  in  the  sunlight  sheen. 

The  Calcasieu 

Reflects  the  blue 
And  beauteous  sky  that  bows  above, 

And  from  afar 

A  little  star, 
Reflected,  seems  to  speak  of  love. 

What  is  that?     Hush! 

I  hear  a  slush! 
I  look;   I  see  a  little  boat; 

A  maiden  fair, 

With  golden  hair, 
Sweetly,  softly  sings  afloat! 

She  glides  along; 

I  hear  her  song. 
It  dies  away  upon  the  river; 

Soft,  rippling  waves 

Behind  she  leaves, 
That  make  the  shadows  dance  and  quiver! 

'Neath  starry  beam. 

On  down  the  stream. 
The  lovely  maiden  fades  away; 

The  zephyrs  sigh 

For  her  gone  by ;  — 
I  bid  farewell  her  gentle  lay. 

'Tis  calm  once  more; 

The  days  of  yore 
Crowd  past  me  with  their  wondrous  store; 

And,  ere  we  knew, 

I  wonder  who 
Dwelt  on  this  beauteous  Calcasieu? 

Perhaps  this  mound 

Upon  the  ground 
Was  built  by  some  old  chieftain  who. 

With  his  Red  Men 

Made  his  bed  then 
Upon  the  banks  of  Calcasieu! 

Those  Indian  men 

No  doubt  have  been 
Often  on  our  river's  sheen — 

The  rough  canoe 

And  arrow  true 
Borne  on  our  lovely  Calcasieu. 


144  SOUTHWEST  L  O LTSIANA  : 

But  what,  unseen, 

The  mirrored  sheen. 
Breaks  into  nnyriad  ripples,  bright? 

The  zephyrs  stir, 

I  think  of  her. 
Who  passed  away  into  the  night! 

The  pine's  weird  voice, 

That  low,  sweet  noise, 
It  makes  me  sad,  yet  I  rejoice! 

The  wild  winds  swell 

And  break  the  spell — 
I  rise  to  go;  sweet  scene,  farewell! 

Railroads. — Calcasieu,  until  the  building  of  the  Louisiana  Western  Rail- 
road, now  a  link  in  the  Southern  Pacific  system,  was  without  railroads,  and  was 
dependent  entirely  on  water  transportation.  But  the  railroad  has  given  it  an 
importance  abroad  that  it  did  not  before  possess.  The  completion  of  the  Kansas 
City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railway  now  being  constructed  from  Lake  Charles 
north  to  Alexandria,  where  it  will  make  most  advantageous  northern  connection, 
will  give  Calcasieu  parish  railroad  facilities  not  excelled  by  any  parish  in  the 
State.  The  road  is  already  graded  to  Alexandria,  and  track-laying  has  com- 
menced. Thus,  it  will  be  seen,  it  is  only  a  question  of  a  short  time  when  the 
products  of  Kansas  and  the  great  Northwest  will  find  their  way  to  the.  markets 
of  the  world  through  this  deep-water  port.  For  when  the  improvements  are 
made  already  ordered  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  of  deepening  Cal- 
casieu Pass,  then  Lake  Charles  becomes  one  of  the  safest  and  most  important 
seaports  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Watkins,  of  what  is  known  as  the  Watkins  Syndicate,  is  doing 
a  great  thing  for  this  country  in  building  this  new  railroad.  The  American  says 
very  truly  of  it  and  the  great  benefit  it  will  be  to  this  section : 

The  Kansas  City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railway,  now  being  built  from  this  city 
in  a  northerly  direction,  is  progressing  as  rapidly  as  could  be  expected.  The 
winter  has  been  very  favorable  for  railroad  building,  and  the  contractors,  Messrs. 
Kennedy  and  Stone,  have  made  excellent  headwa}'.  The  building  of  this  road 
will  do  more  for  this  section  of  country  than  anything  else.  Already  the  coun- 
try along  the  line  is  fast  being  settled  by  the  thrifty  Northern  and  Western  farm- 
ers, who  know  that  with  the  completion  of  this  North  and  South  road  this  will  be 
one  of  the  most  inviting  sections  of  country  in  the  South  for  the  fruit  grow-er. 
We  are  informed  by  a  reliable  gentleman  that  the  lands  along  the  line  and  near 
it  are  being  taken  up  very  fast,  all  seeing  the  great  future  of  this  country  in 
fruits.  This  gentleman  says  there  are  excellent  rice  lands  and  fruit  lands  along 
the  line  for  some  distance,  but  his  opinion  is  the}'  will  not  last  long,  as  they  mean 
money  to  every  one  who  owns  them. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  Uh 

Mr.  J'lhn  Speer.  writing  to  the  Daily  Globe,  Council  Bluff,  Iowa,  thus 
expresses  !iis  opinion  of  the  Calcasieu  Pass  as  a  deep  water  seaport  and  as  a 
terminal  point  for  a  railroad  from  the  Northwestern   States: 

Two  railroads  are  already  projected  between  Kansas  City  and  that  point, 
and  one  of  them,  the  Kansas  City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  road,  is  alread\^  constructed 
lor  about  sixty  miles.  The  route  from  Kansas  City  passes  over  an  almost  level 
country,  with  an  average  decline  of  about  one  foot  to  the  mile.  On  this  route 
is  the  best  forest  of  timber  for  two  hundred  and  fift}-  miles  to  be  found  in  the 
United  States.  Much  of  the  land  is  subject  to  pre-emption  and  settlement.  The 
timber  consists  largely  of  the  long  leaf  pine,  so  marked  in  its  superiority  that  it  is 
known  at  Galveston  and  New  Orleans  as  the  Calcasieu  pine,  and  is  used  for 
ornamental  work,  such  as  wainscoting,  car  finishing,  etc.  The  other  varieties 
are  cypress,  ash.  all  kinds  of  oak,  hickory,  pecan,  white  gum,  magnolia,  etc. 
Coal,  iron  and  other  mineral  abound.  In  fact  it  is  rich  in  all  that  will  go  to 
build  up  a  countr\'  and  sustain  railroads.  The  land  is  suitable  for  corn^  cotton, 
rice,  oats,  potatoes,  apples,  peaches,  pears,  plums,  and  everywhere  small  fruits. 
The  advantages  of  this  route  are  six  hundred  rniles  less  railroad  haul  tlirough 
an  almost  level  country,  avoiding  the  resistance  of  nature  in  crossing  the  divides 
of  the  continent,  including  the  Allegheny  and  Cumberland  Mountains.  To  this 
mav  be  added  that  most  important  factor,  competition  between  marts  of  business 
on  the  gulf  and  the  Atlantic. 

The  new  negotiations- now  pending  in  tlie  congress  of  all  American  nations 
are  destined  to  afford  opportunities  for  trade  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  tlie 
countr}-.  Blaine,  Carlisle  and  other  statesmen  fully  appreciate  it.  These  States 
are  in  the  direct  line  of  it  and  have  but  to  seize  the  opportunity  to  secure  it.  The 
farmeis  of  Iowa  do  not  want  to  know  how  to  raise  more  corn  and  wheat,  but  how 
to  get  rid  of  them,  as  of  other  productions.  The  saving  of  the  cost  of  transpor- 
tation, as  well  as  the  advantages  of  competition,  is  the  remedy. 

The  Sitlphiir  Mine. — Sulphur  and  petroleum  have  been  found  in  Calcasieu, 
some  twelve  miles  from  Lake  Charles.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  a  com- 
pany was  formed,  who  commenced  boring  in  search  of  oil,  where  for  years  it 
had  appeared  at  the  surface.  Petroleum  has  never  been  found  in  paying  quan- 
tities, but  sulphur  was  discovered,  and  in  sufhcienllv  large  quantities  to  pav  for 
working. 

The  otficial  report  of  the  boring:  Soil,  two  feet;  solid  cla}-,  intercepted  with 
two  strata  of  quicksand  twent3--two  and  fifteen  feet  thick,  one  hundred  and  sixt}-- 
three  feet;  quicksand,  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet:  crumbling  marl,  two 
and  one  half  feet;  calcareous  sand,  303^  feet;  calcareous  marl  with  pebbles,  4 
feet;  hard,  compact,  calcareous  stem,  5  feet;  pure,  white,  saccharoid,  calcareous 
10 


14G  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

substance,  42  feet;  sulphur  (77  per  cent,  pure  sulphur),  112  feet;  total,  540  feet,. 
and  g}psum,  700  feet,  entire  total  1240  feet. 

The  writer,  in  company  with  Capt.  Bryan,  of  Lake  Chailes,  visited  the  sul- 
phur mine  last  winter,  but  learned  little  beyond  what  he  could  see  for  himself, 
as  the  superintendent  seemed  a  little  reticent  as  to  the  intentions  of  the  company 
However,  he  seems  to  be  making  extensive  preparations  for  something — proba- 
bly for  working  the  mines. 

Churches  and  Schools. — The  Baptists  were  the  pioneers  of  religion  in  Cal- 
casieu. They  established  their  first  church  on  the  Calcasieu  River  in  the  midst  of 
the  earliest  settlement.  It  was  called  Antioch  church,  and  some  years  after  it  was 
removed  to  the  Big  Woods,  about  ten  miles  from  the  original  site.  It  is  still  used 
as  a  church,  and  still  bears  the  name  of  Antioch.  Since  its  removal  to  Big 
Woods,  a  number  of  the  members  withdrew  and  formed  a  church,  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity,  of  the  Freewill  Baptist  or  Hardshell  persuasion. 

Ne.xt  after  the  Baptists  came  the  Methodists.  Their  first  church  was  called 
Ryan's  Chapel,  and  was  located  about  eight  miles  from  where  Lake  Charles 
now  stands,  on  the  West  Fork  of  the  Calcasieu  River.  After  Lake  Charles  was 
laid  out  as  a  town,  other  denomin  itions  organized  churches.  The  first  church 
in  the  town  was  a  Methodist,  and  for  some  time  its  building  was  used  both  as 
church  and  school  house.  Then  came  the  Catholics,  the  German  Methodists, 
Episcopalians,  Lutherans,  Presbyterians,  Methodist  Episcopal  and  Congrega- 
tionalists  in  the  order  named.  The  churches  of  Lake  Charles  are  supplied  with 
spiritual  advisors  at  present  as  follows:  The  Baptist,  Rev.  G.  B.  Rogers,  pastor; 
Methodist  Episcopal  South,  Rev.  T.  J.  Upton,  pastor;  First  Presbj'terian,  Rev. 
George  Frazer,  D.D.,  supply;  Methodist  Episcopal,  Rev.  C.  A.  King,  pastor; 
Catholic  church.  Rev.  Father  Fallon,  rector;  Lutheran,  Rev.  S.  Hoernicke, 
pastor;  First  Congregationalist,  Rev.  Henry  L.  Ilubbell,  pastor;  Episcopalian, 
no  rector  at  present;  the  last  one  was  Rev.  E.  J.  Hammond.  Churches  of  the 
different  denominations  have  edifices  throughout  the  parish.  Most  of  the  vil- 
lages have  one  or  more  church  organizations. 

The  first  school  in  the  parish  was  taught  at  the  house  of.  the  old  pioneer, 
Jacob  R3'an,  who  hired  a  man  named  Thomas  Rigneaden  to  teach  his  children 
and  those  of  his  sons-in-law.  Moss  and  Vincent.  The  first  school  house  was 
built  on  Bayou  Dend,  six  or  eight  miles  from  Lake  Charles.  The  next  school 
house  in  the  parish  was  perhaps  at  Lake  Charles,  after  it  was  laid  out  as  a  town. 
The  parish  now  has  a  good  sj'stem  of  public  schools,  and  in  Lake  Charles  an 
excellent  grarfed  school,  second  to  none  in  the  country.  The  editor  of  the- 
American,  in  a  recent  issue  of  his  paper,  thus  describes  a  visit  to  the  different 
educational  institutions  of  Lake  Charles: 

First    we    visited   the  public  school.      We  found   the   fine  building,  which 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  147 

has  been  recentl}^  erected  by  the  school  board,  in  first-class  order.  It  is  an 
imposing  structure,  42x78  feet,  two  stories  high,  containing  eight  school  rooms. 
20x30  feet  each,  with  wide  corridors,  cloak  room,  etc.  Prof.  O.  S.  Dolby,  B. 
S.,  is  tlie  efficient  principal,  and  has  charge  of  the  highest  grade.  He  is  an, 
experienced  teacher.  Born  in  Ohio,  reared  in  Michigan,  graduated  from  Hills- 
dale College,  Michigan,  in  1882.  He  has  taugiit  continuously  since  then  in- 
Michigan  and  Louisiana.  Miss  M.  J.  Crossmun,  B.  S.,  a  graduate  of  Ames*^ 
Scientific  and  Mechanical  College,  in  Iowa,  and  a  native  of  Virginia,  has  charge 
of  the  second  department.  She  is  also  an  experienced  and  accomplished  teacher, 
having  taught  in  Iowa,  Virginia  and  Louisiana.  The  third  department  is  under 
the  temporary  charge  of  Mr.  Vincent,  who  will  teach  until  a  permanent  teacher 
is  secured.  The  fourth  department  is  presided  over  by  Miss  M.  A.  Jenkins, 
who  is  a  native  Louisianian  and  a  graduate  of  the  Girls'  High  School,  of  New 
Orleans.  She  has  taught  the  last  three  years,  with  great  success  and  accepta- 
bilit}',  the  school  in  Westlake,  and  needs  no  recommendation  to  the  people  of 
Lake  Cliarles.  The  primary  department  is  under  the  care  of  Miss  Louise 
Leveque,  a  recent  graduate  of  the  St.  Charles  x\cademy,  of  Lake  Charles. 
Although  tills  is  Miss  Leveque's  first  experience  as  a  teacher,  she  is  thoroughly 
qualified  for  her  work  and  is  giving  splendid  satisfaction.  She  has  her  little 
bo3's  and  girls  under  thorough  training  and  is  popular  with  them.  There  are 
enrolled  and  in  attendance  in  the  various  departments  of  the  public  school  two 
hundred  and  three  students,  and  the  probability  is  that  the  number  will  be 
largely  increased  in  the  next  few  months. 

Next  in  our  route,  we  visited  the  Lake  Charles  College.  This  institution, 
which  is  destined  to  be  the  leading  college  of  the  State  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
is  domiciled  in  a  beautiful  and  commodious  building  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
city.  The  main  building  is  55x85  feet,  three-stories,  16,  14  and  12  feet  high, 
respectively,  and  contains  fourteen  rooms  and  capacious  corridors.  The  addi- 
tion, which  is  to  be  built  in  the  near  future,  is  to  be  40x60  feet,  two  stories  high. 
This  imposing  structure  is  situated  in  the  center  of  a  large  campus,  which  is 
being  graded,  fenced  and  fronted  with  a  splendid  sidewalk.  In  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  campus,  Mr.  Frank  Siling,  builder,  is  just  completing  for  the  col- 
lege a  splendid  cottage  for  boarding  purposes.  The  main  building  is  72x40, 
three  stones  high,  and  the  L  is  20x32,  two  stories  high,  and  contains  twenty- 
seven  rooms.  It  is  a  marvel  of  beauty  and  convenience,  and  reflects  credit 
upon  both  architect  and  builder. 

Lake  Charles  College  was  first  opened  for  students  October  i,  1S90,  with 
an  eflicient  faculty  of  five,  but  onlv  three  of  them  as  yet  have  arrived  on  the 
ground,  but  will  come  on  later.  There  are  three  departments — academic,  pre- 
paratory and  collegiate — but  there  are  no  students  in  tlie  collegiate  department  this 
term.     Rev.  Henry  L.  Hubbe'l,  D.  D.,  is  the  efficient  president.     He  is  a  native 


148  SOrrilWEST  LOVISIAXA : 

of  Connecticut,  and  lias  resided  for  several  years  in  Amherst,  Mas?.,  as  pastor  of 
the  Congregalionalist  church.  lie  is  a  graduate  of  Yale  College.  Rev.  A.  R. 
Jont-s.  A.  M.,  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College  of  the  class  of  iS8o,  is  professor 
in  tlie  college.  Mrs.  C.  W.  Little,  a  graduate  of  Fox  Lake  Seminary,  Iowa,  is 
profes.sor  of  music. 

The  college  has  enrolled  thirty-nine  this  first  month,  and  this  inimher  will 
be  largely  increased  when  the  cottage  is  opened  for  boarders,  as  it  will  be  in  the 
near  future.  The  faculty  will  be  increased  as  rapidly  as  required,  and  the  cur- 
riculum and  instruction  will  be  equal  to  the  best  colleges  in  the  nation.  The 
institution  gives  a  fine  opportunity  to  Northern  parents  to  come  and  spend  the 
winter  in  a  genial  climate,  and  at  the  same  time  send  their  children  to  a  first- 
class  college  while  they  are  still  under  the  care  of  their  parents. 

The  St.  Charles  Academy,  under  the  supervision  and  instruction  of  the  Sis- 
ters Marianites  of  the  Holy  Cross,  has  been  in  operation  eight  years.  It  is  a 
chartered  academy  and  gives  diplomas  to  its  graduates.  It  has  literature,  art 
and  music  in  its  course  of  study.  The  discipline  is  good,  although  corporal 
punishment  is  never  resorted  to.  It  has  seven  teachers  and  sixtj-giils  and  thirty- 
seven  bo\"S  in  attendance. 

Tlie  Glendale  Institute  has  been  running  six  years  in  Lake  Charles,  under 
the  etiicient  management  of  Miss  Ella  R.  Usher,  a  native  of  Baton  Rouge  and 
a  graduate  of  the  schools  of  that  cit}'.  She  has  one  assistant,  and  teaches 
Engl'sh  and  French.     There  are  thirt3'-six  in  attendance  at  tliis  institution. 

Miss  Mollie  Burt  claims  the  honor  of  having  the  oldest  school  in  the  city. 
It  is  needless  for  us  to  speak  in  high  terms  of  her  as  a  teacher,  for  her  work 
speaks  for  itself.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  New  Orleans  Giils'  High  School,  and 
has  taught  continuously  in  Lake  Charles  for  a  number  of  years.  She  has  all  the 
students  she  can  take  care  of  properlv.  The  present  number  is  twenty-five, 
but  as  soon  as  she  secures   an  assistant  a  number  of  othei^s  will  attend. 

Rev.  S.  Hoernicke  is  conducting  a  school  in  German  and  English,  with  good 
success.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  graduate  of  a  college  in  Springfield,  111. 
His  school  numbers  thirt3'-six,  and  is  increasing.  Besides  these  schools,  which 
are  for  whites,  there  are  also  several  schools  for  colored  children  conducted  in 
our  titv. 

The  correspondent  of  the  American  Wool,  Cotton  and  Financial  Reporter, 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  the  great  educational  center  of  the  United  States,  the 
very  Athens  of  America,  had  this  to  say  of  the  college  at  Lake  Charles: 

"  The  Lake  Charles  College  was  established   by  the   Congregationalists,  of 
the  New  England  States   principally,    a   number  of  the   wealthier  citizens  here 
aiding  in  the  enterprise.     They  ha\e,  in  a  well  situated  portion  of  the  citj',  six- 
teen acres  of  ground  and  a  magnificent  building  erected  thereon.     This  college- 
opened  October  i,with  Rev.  H.  L.  Hubbell,  D.  D.,  of  Amherst,  Massachusetts, 


niSTORlCAL   AXD  JiJOdRAri/JCAL.  \Vj 

as  presidf  nt,  and  Rev.  A.  R.  Jones,  a  graduate  of  Anilierst  College,  as  principal 
of  the  preparatory  and  academical. departments.  We  were  present  last  Sunday 
niglit  in  the  Baptist  chui'ch  in  this  city  and  listened  to  an  able  sermon  from  Dr.. 
Ilubbell,  who  preached  by  invitation  of  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  G.  R.  Rogers,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  sermon  INIr.  Rogers  also  introduced  Prof.  Jones,  and  made  a 
few  excellent  remarks,  encouraging  his  congregation  to  stand  b\'  and  help,  bv 
word,  deed  and  patronage,  these  Christian  gentlemen  in  establishing  and  main- 
taining this  college.  JNIr.  Rogers  is  a  Southern  man.  and  this  shows  the  feeling 
that  exists  between  the  Northern  and  the  Southern  people  liere,  and  shows  that 
the  efforts  made  here  by  the  Northern  people  are  appreciated.  This  is  thouglit 
to  be  a  far-reaching  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  people  of  the  East. 
There  are  a  great  many  people  from  the  North  here  alread}-,  but  not  a  great 
many  from  the  New  England  States.  Tiie  most  of  them  settle  in  tlie  prairie  and 
along  the  line  of  the  new  railroad.  We  will  endeavor  to  see  a  number  of  the 
Northern  people  who  have  resided  here  a  j-ear  or  more  and  relate  in  our  next, 
article  some  of  their  experiences." 

The  colored  people  have  a  number  of  schools  and  churches  in  tlie  parish,, 
and  a  very  excellent  graded  school  in  Lake  Charles.  The3-are  manifesting  con- 
siderable interest  in  educational  matters. 

Doctors  and  I^cnuyers. — Not  much  is  known  of  the  earl}'  physicians  of 
Calcasieu;  the  old  pioneers  in  the  healing  art,  who  have  passed  away,  and  the 
present  practitioners  are  mostly  noticed  in  the  biographical  department  of  tliis 
volume.  Dr.  J.  B.  Saunders  is  one  of  the  first  physicians  remembered  in  the 
parish.  He  was  originally  from  Virginia,  but  came  here  from  North  Louisiana. 
Next  Dr.  Hardy  came  over  from  Opelousas,  remained  a  few  years  and  returned 
whence  he  came.  Dr.  Kirkman  was  also  an  early  physician  here,  but  died  a  few 
years  ago.  His  family  still  resides  here.  He  was  a  prominent  man  and  a  popu- 
lar pliysician.  Dr.  Gray  came  here  from  the  north  part  of  the  State  and  prac- 
tised here  until  his  death  in  May,  1881.  Few  names  in  Louisiana  are  more 
widely  known  or  more  gratefully  remembered  than  that  of  Dr.  Gray.  He  was 
a  man  of  generous  impulses,  of  wide  benevolence,  and  a  heart  overflowing  with 
S3'mpathy  for  the  woes  of  others.  When  he  died  hundreds  wept  tears  of 
sympathy  for  his  bereaved  family.  There  are  a  number  of  able  and  experi- 
enced physicians  in  the  parish,  and  in  Lake  Charles,  for  sketches  of  whom  the 
reader  is  referred  to  Part  \1  of  this  work. 

The  first  lawyer  of  the  parish  was  Samuel  L.  Kirb}-.  He  came  here  from 
Claiborne  parish,  but  was  originally  from  the  Green  Mountains  of  Vermont. 
He  was  a  man  of  considerable  legal  prominence,  and  for  some  time  held  the 
practice  of  Calcasieu  alone.  A  daughter  now  keeps  the  Hotel  Howard.  The 
next  lawyer  was  a  Mr.  Parsons,  and  the  next  a  Mr.  Ewing.  These  two  gentle- 
men were  both  killed  near  the  public  square  by  a  man  named  LeBUie,  a  rather 


ToO  SO(T//ir£S7'  L  Oi'/SIAXA  : 

desperate  character,  it  is  said,  and  who  finally  met  his  own  death  with  his  boots 
on.  A  lawyer  named  Sorwell  was  the  next  practitioner  at  the  Calcasieu  bar. 
He  and  his  wife  were  drowned  at  Calcasieu  Pass  many  3-ears  ago. 

Judge  Kearney  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar  of  C.ilcasieu,  and  was 
District  Attorney  at  the  time  of  his  decease  a  short  time  since.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded as  District  Attorney  by  Mr.  Joseph  C.  Gibbs,  whose  accidental  death  a 
few  months  ago,  while  out  hunting,  cast  a  gloom  over  the  whole  country.  The 
lawyers  of  the  present  bar  are  Hon.  Geo.  H.  Wells,  Hon.  G.  A.  Fournet,  Col. 
A.  R.  Mitchell,  D.  B.  Gorham,  W.  F.  Schwing,  R.  Odom,  R.  P.  O'Brien,  A. 
Pujo,  E.  D.  Miller  and  John  McNeese. 

The  parish  is  divided  into  eight  jury  wards,  with  a  representative  from  each 
ward,  who  constitute  the  municipal  government  of  the  parish.  The  present 
police  jurors  are — for  the  first  ward,  Emile  Buller;  for  second  ward,  D.  D. 
Andrus;  for  third  ward,  Adolph  Meyer  and  J.  W.  Rosteet;  for  fourth  ward, 
Charles  Miller;  for  fifih  ward,  Reese  Perkins;  for  sixth  ward,  T.  J.  Carroll; 
for  seventh  ward,  Levi  A.  Miller;  for  eighth  ward,  Ivan  A.  Perkins.  Adolph 
Meyer  is  president  of  the  board;  Dosite  Vincent,  clerk,  and  W.  L.  Hutchins, 
treasurer.  Secretary  of  the  parish  School  Board  is  John  McNeese;  Thomas 
Kleinpeter  is  parish  surveyor;  Dr.  A.  J.  Perkins,  coroner;  C.  M.  Richard, 
assessor;  R.  J.  O'Brien,  district  attorne}-;  D.  J.  Reed,  Jr.,  sheriff;  Thad. 
IMajo,  clerk  of  court;  Hon.  S.  D.  Reed,  judge  of  District  Court;  Hon.  S.  O. 
Shattuck,  member  of  Legislature.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  for  the 
parish  since  and  including  1S85  is  as  follows:  For  1885,  $3,018,570;  for  [886, 
$3,191,125;  for  1887,  $3,476,003;  for  1888,  $4,060,735;  for  1889,  $4,300,330; 
for  1890,  $5,738,550,  an  increase,  it  will  be  observed,  from  18S9  to  1890,  of 
considerably  over  a  million  dollars. 

Lake  Charles  SeUled.—L.7Kk.&  Charles  was  settled — it  was  never  regularly- 
surveyed  and  laid  out  as  a  town — about  1852.  It  was  incorporated  about  1857, 
under  the  name  of  Charleston,  for  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  place  named 
Charles  Sallier.  It  then  had  a  population  of  from  three  to  five  hundred  souls, 
and  about  the  same  time  it  became  tlie  parish  seat.  In  1867  it  was  incorpoiated 
under  the  name  of  Lake  Charles,  and  still  retaining  the  name  of  the  old  pioneer, 
■Charles  Sallier.     The  following  is  the  act  of  incorporation: 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  State  of  Louisiana,  in  General  Assembly  convened.  That  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  of  Lake  Charles  in  the  parish  of  Calcasieu,  and  the  same  are  hereby 
made  a  body  corporate  and  politic  by  the  name  of  the  Town  Council  of  Lake 
Charles,  and  as  such  can  sue  and  be  sued,  implead  and  be  impleaded,  shall 
possess  the  right  to  establish  a  common  seal,  and  the  same  to  annul,  alter  or 
change  at  pleasure. 

Sec.   2.     Be  it  further  enacted,  etc..  That  the  limits  of  said  town  of  Lake 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  151 

Charles  sliall  be  laid  out  in  the  following  manner,  to-wit :  Beginning  north  on  the 
east  bank  of  Lake  Charles,  ten  acres  above  the  residence  of  Joseph  L.  Bilbo, 
thence  southward  along  the  bank  of  said  lake  to  and  including  the  lands  of 
Michael  Pithon ;  thence  eastward  on  a  line  parallel  with  the  line  of  lands  of  W. 
Hutchins,  and  so  as  to  include  the  residence  of  J.  V.  Moss,  to  the  line  which 
intersects  the  lands  of  J.  V.  Fouchey  and  W.  Hutchins;  thence  on  a  parallel 
line  with  said  intersection  line  of  J.  V.  Fouchey  and  W.  Hutchins  as  for  north 
as  to  intersect  an  east  and  west  line  from  the  place  of  beginning  and  comprising 
all  property  therein  situated. 

Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  etc..  That  the  municipality  of  said  town  of 
Lake  Charles  shall  consist  of  a  mayor  and  five  aldermen,  three  of  whom, 
together  with  the  mayor,  shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  transact  business.  No  per- 
son shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  mayor  or  aldermen  who  does  not  reside 
within  the  limits  of  said  corporation  and  is  above  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  ; 
the  said  mayor  and  aldermen  shall  be  chosen  by  the  qualified  voters  hereinafter 
provided  fc^r  in  this  act;  said  mayor  and  aldermen  to  be  elected  on  the  first 
Monday  in  June  each  and  every  year. 

The  remaining  sections  up  to  ten  define  the  duties  of  the  different  officers 
of  the  town,  etc.     The  act  is  signed  by — 

Duncan  S.  Cage, 

Speaker  House  of  Representatives. 
Approved  March  16,  1867.  Albert  Voorhies, 

A  true  copy.  Lieut.  Governor  and  President 

J.  H.  Hardy,  J.  Madison  Wells,  ''f'"^  Senate. 

Secretary  of  State.  Governor  of  the  State  of  Louisiana. 

A  writer  thus  speaks  of  the  incorporation  of  Lake  Charles;  ''Up  to  ten 
years  since  its  population  had  not  reached  more  than  eight  hundred.  About  that 
time  the  Louisiana  Western  Railroad  was  constructed,  and  communication  being 
established  with  the  cities  of  Texas  on  the  west  and  New  Orleans  on  the  east,  the 
citizens  were  no  longer  dependent  upon  schooners  coming  up  the  Calcasieu  River, 
and  new  people  came  in,  new  enterprises  were  started,  the  town  began  to  grow, 
and  the  limits  were  found  too  small.  Under  a  general  law  of  the  State  the  cor- 
porate limits  were  enlarged,  and  the  little  stopping  place  of  cattlemen  bloomed 
into  the  beautiful  town  we  now  have,  with  a  summer  population  of  three  thousand 
six  hundred,  at  least  four  thousand  winter  residents,  containing  seven  hotels,  two 
banks,  an  ice  factory,  two  machine  shops,  one  large  opera  house,  nine  verj'  large 
saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  around  it." 

Following  is  the  municipal  government:  Hon.  A.  L.  Reid,  mayor;  E.  D. 
Miller,  secretary;  W.  A.  Knapp,  treasurer  ;  C.  B.  Richard,  collector;  and  coun- 
cilmen:   J.  C.  Munday,  E.  J.  Lyons,  Sol  Blocli,  Robert  King  and  J.  T.  Brooks. 


U-2  SOUTHWEST  L OUISIAXA  : 

A  Go-ahead  Tinvn. — That  Lake  Charles  is  a  live,  go-ahead  town,  is  vouched 
for  by  that  able  advocate  of  its  advantages  and  capabilities,  the  American,  as  lol- 
lovvs  :  Lake  Charles  is  situated  on  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railro.id, 
two  hundred  and  seventeen  miles  west  of  New  Orleans,  one  hundred  and  sixl}' 
miles  east  of  Houston,  Texas,  and  at  the  terminus  of  the  Kansas  City,  Watkins 
lS:  Gulf  Railroad,  soon  to  be  completed.  The  city  is  situated  upon  the  eastern 
bank  of  a  beautiful  lake.  Upon  the  north  an  immense  virgin  forest  of  long  leaf 
yellow  pine  e.'itends  hundreds  of  miles.  On  the  south  the  great  coast  prairie 
stretches  to  the  gulf,  and  eastward  for  more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles, 
an  expanse  of  surpassing  grandeur,  witii  soil  of  marvelous  fertility  and  a 
climate  the  most  genial  upon  this  continent.  Hon.  W.  H.  Harris,  Commissi  mer 
of  Immigration  for  Louisiana,  says  of  the  country  about  the  town:  "The 
climate  of  the  prairie  is  admirable — breezy  and  cool  in  summer,  mild  in  winter, 
and  healthy  at  all  times.  Altogetlier  this  region  may  be  regarded  as  the  loveliest 
in  Louisiana."  With  such  reasonable  care  as  intelligent  people  exercise  in  all  • 
countries,  this  climate  has  been  found  to  be  generally  healthy  and  very  bene- 
ficial to  pulmonary,  bronchial  and  rheumatic  troubles.  Every  winter  people 
come  to  Lake  Charles  as  a  health  resort.  Lake  Ciiarles  is  the  largest  town  in 
Southwestern  Louisiana.  Previous  to  the  war  it  was  only  a  village  of  one  or 
two  stores,  a  rude  form  of  court  house  and  a  log  jail.  New  stores  were  added 
after  the  war,  and  as  the  superior  merits  of  the  Calcasieu  timber  became 
known,  it  began  to  assume  importance  as  a  business  center,  and  to-day  has  a 
population  somewhere  between  four  and  five  thousand  souls.  They  are  ener- 
getic, live  people,  and  are  engaged  in  milling,  merchandising  and  all  other  pur- 
suits that  man  follows  for  a  livelihood.  Northern  capital  in  the  last  few  years 
has  found  out  that  here  is  a  good  place  to  invest  its  surplus  capital,  and  Lake 
Charles  numbers  among  her  stanchest  citizens  to-da^'  Northern  men  who  were 
attracted  here  by  the  superior  location  and  soil  for  which  this  parish  is  noted. 
Lake  Charles  has  ten  large  saw  mills,  three  shingle  mills,  an  ice  factory,  two 
shipyards  and  about  fifty  miles  of  narrow  gauge  tram  road  that  is  used  in  carry- 
ing logs  to  the  lake  and  river.  All  lines  of  merchandise  are  represented 
here. 

Lake  Charles  can  boast  among  her  business  men,  men  of  money  and  enter- 
prise, who  have  confidence  in  her  future,  and  having  confidence,  they  are  willing 
to  risk  tiieir  money.  Prof.  S.  A.  Knapp  is  the  local  agent  and  general  manager 
of  the  Southern  Real  Estate,  Loan  and  Guarantee  Company.  The  company 
commands  unlimited  capital,  and  is  composed  of  men  both  here  and  in  the 
Northern  office  who  are  thoroughly  acquainted  with  their  business,  and  parties 
who  desire  either  to  buy  or  sell  should  not  fail  to  call  on  them.  They  bu}'  and 
sell  real  estate  in  large  quantities.  To  sell  blocks  to  actual  settlers  is  their 
special  hobby,  as  they  are  determined  to  settle  up  Calcasieu  parish  and  make  it 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  103 

the  small  farmers'  paradise.  This  company  is  composed  of  leading  capitalists  ol 
England,  and  is  cooperative  in  its  action.  The  president  is  a  prominent  member 
of  parliament. 

The  Watkins  Banking  Company,  another  large  moneyed  institution  of 
this  country,  has  an  office  here,  and  is  a  leader  in  settling  up  this  parish 
with  the  hardy  yeomanry  from  the  Northwestern  States.  The  company  owns 
large  bodies  of  land  in  this  and  adjoining  parishes,  besides  which  they  are  build- 
ing a  railroad  to  Kansas  City.  The  Kansas  City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railway, 
now  being  built  from  this  city  in  a  northerly  direction,  is  progressing  as  rapidly 
as  could  be  expected.  The  winter  has  been  very  favorable  for  railroad  building, 
and  tiie  contractors,  Messrs  Kenedy  &  Stone,  have  made  e.xcellent  headway. 
The  building  of  this  road  will  do  more  for  this  section  of  country  than  anything 
else.  Already  tlie  country  along  the  line  is  fast  being  settled  up  by  the  thrifty 
Northern  and  Western  farmers,  who  know  that  with  the  completion  of  this  north 
and  south  road  this  will  be  one  of  the  most  inviting  sections  of  country  in  the 
Soutli  for  the  fruit  growers.  We  are  infoimed  b\-  a  reliable  gentleman  that  tlie 
lands  along  the  line  and  near  it  are  being  taken  up  very  fast,  as  all  are  seein^f  the 
great  future  of  this  country  in  fruits.  This  gentleman  says  there  are  excellent 
rice  lands  and  fruit  lands  along  the  line  for  some  distance,  but  his  opinion  is  that 
they  will  not  last  long,  as  they  mean  money  to  everyone  wlio  owns  them.  Tiiis 
company  has  lately  laid  off,  inside  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city,  two  hundred 
and  sixtjf  acres  of  land  in  addition,  and  has  graded  tifteen  miles  of  streets. 

Lake  Charles  Adapted  to  Manufactories. — Lake  Charles  has  the  bejt  of 
facilities  for  becoming  a  manufacturing  town.  It  has  one  trunk  line  railroad, 
and  will  soon  have  another.  These  will  cause  local  roads  to  be  built  to  other 
points.  Even  now  there  is  one  contemplated  from  the  Sulphur  Mine  to  tap  the 
Southern  Pacific  some  dozen  miles  or  so  west  of  the  mine.  Lake  Charles  has 
alread}'  pretty  good  water  transportation,  and  when  Calcasieu  Pass  is  improved 
and  deepened  as  designed,  it  will  have  the  advantages  of  both  railroad  and  water 
transportation.  These  combined  advantages  must  result  in  great  benefit  and 
wealth  to  the  town  if  her  people  continue  to  exert  themselves  as  they  are  now 
doing,  and  "keep  the  ark  moving."  With  her  vast  lumber  interests,  now  ag- 
gregating millions  of  dollars  annually,  and  to  which  should  be  added  rice  mills, 
sugar  refineries,  cotton  gins  and  presses,  oil  mills  and  other  factories  that  will 
necessarily  follow,  then  will  the  hum  of  industry  echo  and  reecho  across  your 
beautiful  httle  lake.  When  you  hear  of  a  firm  or  company  who  are  desirous  of 
starting  a  manufacturing  enterprise  in  your  town,  don't  put  your  heads  together 
and  figure  on  how  much  you  can  squeeze  out  of  them  for  a  location  for  their 
establishment,  but  donate  five,  ten,  or  twenty  acres  if  that  will  secure  it.  If  a 
manufacturing  enterprise  is  established  in  the  town,  employing  a  hundred  hands. 


154  ^Y^  ^  '77/  U'EST  LO 1 73/ A  A  'A  : 

^vith  a  monthi;,-  pay  roll  of  saj'  $5000,  who  will  be  more  benefited  than  the  busi- 
ness men  of  Lake  Charles?  Why,  the  matter  is  so  plain  that  "even  a  fool 
should  not  err  therein."  The  editor  of  the  American  strikes  the  key  note  to  the 
situation  when  he  sa3's : 

Facts  and  figures  continue  to  show  and  prove  wliat  we  have  before  repeated, 
that  right  in  tlie  South,  in  the  midst  of  the  cotton  fields,  is  the  place  for  success- 
ful cotton  manufacturing.  Experience  has  proven  this  beyond  question.  There 
is  not  a  factory  in  the  South,  where  it  is  properly  managed,  but  what  is  pa3'ing  a 
good  per  cent,  on  the  investment.  Ex-Governor  Lowry,  of  Mississippi,  makes 
the  statement,  that  the  product  of  Mississippi  mills  at  Wesson  is  sold  in  Boston 
in  competition  with  goods  of  all  grades  manufactured  within  forty  miles  of  Bos- 
ton. It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  these  mills  are  so  situated  that  the}'  have 
but  one  line  of  shipment  and  have  no  chance  of  competition  in  freights.  This 
experience  is  in  line  with  that  of  other  mills  in  Georgia  and  Alabama.  With 
such  experience  there  is  no  wonder  that  factories  in  the  North  are  hunting  up 
good  situations  in  the  South  where  they  can  move  their  mills. 

When  we  read  that  a  manufacturing  establishment  up  North,  employing,  per- 
haps, one  thousand  hands,  desires  to  move  South,  we  conclude  at  once  that  the 
principal  owners  of  the  factory  have  investigated  the  matter,  and  the  informa- 
tion obtained  led  to  this  conclusion.  The  time  is  now  upon  us  when  the  cotton 
must  be  manufactured  in  or  near  the  great  cotton  region,  if  done  for  profit.  Al- 
ready the  foothold  of  Southern  mills  is  so  firm  that  the  New  England  mills  can 
not  compete  with  them.  The  Southern  mills  have  no  long  stretches  of  freight  to 
meet;  they  have  a  climate  which  favors  the  work,  making  it  a  less  cost  for  living 
and  a  less  cost  for  manufacturing.  This  is  shown  in  the  per  cent,  of  profits 
which  is  told  annually  to  the  world,  and  which  reveals  the  fact  that  the  Southern 
mills  have  largely  the  advantage  over  those  of  the  North. 

The  business  men  of  manufacturing  interests  up  North  are  alive  to  the  times, 
and  are  trying  to  keep  pace  with  the  changes  that  are  being  made.  He  sees  that  he 
can  now  make  favorable  terms  with  some  live  3'oung  Southern  citj'  by  getting  a 
bonus  to  remove  his  mill,  and  he  seizes  the  opportunity,  recognizing  the  fact  that 
the  day  may  not  be  far  distant  when  such  opportunities  will  not  come. 

The  moving  of  mills  South  and  the  building  of  new  ones  and  enlarging 
others  has  created  a  demand  for  this  kind  of  machinery,  and  this  will  lead  to  the 
moving  of  iron  mills  South,  as  there  will  doubtless  be  advantages  held  by  .such 
mills  because  of  their  nearness  to  the  cotton  mills.  There  must  be  mills  for  the 
manufacturing  of  this  machinery-,  right  near  the  Southern  cotton  mills,  where  it 
is  wanted.  The  advantage  that  one  such  mill  will  have  over  those  far  distant 
will  be  so  great  that  other  factories  will  follow  or  new  ones  be  built.  Just  so 
with  the  great  machine  works  that  are  manufacturing  machinery  for  the  saw-mills 
that  have  so  largely  increased  in  the  South  during  the  last  few  years.     It  is   evi- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  155 

dent  these  machine  shops  must  come  nearer  the  mills.  Time  in  this  fast  age  has 
much  to  do  with  these  matters,  as  well  as  the  long  haul  of  freights.  We  noticed 
the  arrival  in  our  city  on  the  17th  of  April  of  the  machinery  for  the  new  ice  fac- 
tory in  this  city.  This  machinery  was  shipped  on  February  26  from  New  York, 
and  shows  the  result  of  long  distance.  There  is  to-day  not  a  more  inviting  field 
in  the  South  for  factories  than  in  Lake  Charles. 

The  following  timely  hints  are  from  the  same  source  as  quoted  above,  and 
are  worthy  of  earnest  consideration:  We  have  mentioned  the  subject  of  a  rice 
mill  in  a  former  issue,  but  we  look  upon  it  as  so  important  that  we  again  call  at- 
tention to  this  subject.  We  believe  there  is  no  other  city  in  the  United  States 
where  a  rice  mill,  on  a  large  scale,  would  paj'  as  well  as  in  the  cit}'  of  Lake 
Charles. 

In  the  first  place  it  could  be  built  cheaper  here  than  in  almost  an}' otherplace. 
We  have  the  finest  building  material  in  the  world,  cheaper  than  in  almost  any  other 
place.  We  have  the  finest  building  material  in  the  world,  cheaper  than  in  almost 
anj'  other  place.  Our  lumber  is  of  the  best  and  cheapest.  Our  brick  will  bear 
^'.omparison  with  any  brick  on  the  continent,  and  can  be  furnished  on  thegronnd  in 
an)'  quantity  as  cheap  as  an}'  place.  The  cost  of  operating  a  mill  will  be  cheaper 
than  in  most  other  places,  by  reason  of  the  cheapness  of  fuel.  Our  saw-mill 
men  will  furnish  fuel  free  to  any  factor}'  or  mill  that  will  operate  here. 

Then,  in  the  next  place,  rougli  rice  can  be  delivered  here  cheaper  than  in 
any  other  city  where  large  rice  mills  are  now  in  operation.  It  is  estimated  that 
Calcasieu  parish  will  produce  at  least  four  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  rough 
rice  this  year,  and  the  industry  is  but  fairly  begun.  It  can  be  delivered  here  for 
about  eighty-five  cents  per  barrel  less  than  it  can  in  New  Orleans.  Then  the 
milled  product  can  be  shipped  from  here  to  the  consumer  as  cheap  or  cheaper 
than  from  any  other  rice  mills  in  the  South.  When  the  K.  C,  W.  &  G.  Rail- 
way reaches  Alexandria,  which  it  will  undoubtedly  do  this  fall,  rice  can  be 
-shipped  from  here  direct  to  St.  Louis  and  nearly  direct  to  Kansas  City.  Then, 
in  the  next  place,  the  bran  and  the  polish  would  find  a  ready  market  at  the  mill 
to  the  farmers  and  stock  men.  Taking  all  these  things  into  consideration,  it 
looks  to  us  as  if  a  rice  mill  on  a  large  scale — say  of  the  capacit}'  of  five  hundred 
barrels  per  day — would  pay  enormous  profits  at  once.  Where  is  the  man  with 
capital  who  is  willing  to  engage  in  this  enterprise?  We  feel  sure  that  our  citizens 
are  ready  to  encourage  this  enterprise  heartily,  for  it  will  be  admitted  by  all  that 
while  a  mill  would  be  greatly  profitable  to  its  owners,  it  would  at  the  same  time 
be  valuable  to  the  city  and  the  country.  It  would  give  us  an  increase  of  popu- 
lation and  wealth.  It  would  give  us  a  market  for  our  rough  rice  at'  home.  It 
would  give  us  cheap  feed.  It  would  add  to  our  resources  in  many  ways,  and 
benefit  us  for  all  time  to  come.     Let  us  have  a  rice  mill. 


150  socyv/ir/is'r  loi7s/.ia\i  .■ 

Ltmiber  Mills. — These  lire  by  far  tlie  most  valuable  industry  about  Lake 
Charles.  Nothing  is  attracting  more  attention  in  the  South  than  the  famous  pine 
lumber.  C.ipitalistsfrom  the  North,  and  even  from  England,  are  seeking  pine 
lands,  and  in  many  places  are  endeavoring  to  obtain  interest  in  the  large  lumber 
mills  already  established,  or  erecting  new  mills.  No  place  is  more  favorably 
adapted  to  the  lumber  business  than  Lake  Charles;  no  place  so  well  adapted  t(» 
the  handling  of  logs.  The  streams  north  of  the  town  are  so  well  distributed 
through  the  Calcasieu  pine  region  that  it  makes  it  an  easy  and  cheap  way  to 
place  the  logs  in  floating  water.  These  streams  come  together  just  north  of  the 
town,  and  it  is  this  that  gives  it  an  advantage  over  most  places  in  the  South,  as 
an  unlimited  number  ot  cheap  logs  can  be  obtained  the  entire  year.  To  give 
some  idea  of  tlie  lumber  business  of  Lake  Cliarles,  it  is  onh-  necessary-  to  give 
a  brief  svnopsis  of  the  mills  and  their  business. 

M.  T.  Jones  &  Co.'s  mill  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  tlie  lake,  just  south 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  has  a  capacity  of  from  seventy-five  thous- 
and to  ninet}'  thousand  feet  of  lumber  daily.  The  sizer  and  planer  have  a  ca- 
pacit}'  of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  to  two  hundred  thousand  feet 
daily.  The  mill  has  cut  as  high  as  one  hundred  and  six  thousand  feet  in  one 
day. 

The  Bradle3'-Ramsey  Lumber  Company  is  located  on  the  Calcasieu  River, 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  Southern  Pacific  depot.  The  first  mill  established  here 
was  in  1853,  by  Captain  D.  J.  Goos.  It  was  a  small  affair  then,  but  with  enter- 
prise and  perseverance,  improvements  were  made  and  new  machinerj' was  added 
until  a  number  of  lumber  men,  with  confidence  in  the  future  of  the  Calcasieu 
pine,  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of  pine  lands,  and  shorth-  after 
purchased  the  Goos  mill  and  organized  the  Calcasieu  Lumber  Compan}-.  In 
1887  the  present  Bradley-Ramsey  Company  was  organized.  Their  mill  is  well 
nigh  perfect,  and  has  a  capacity  of  from  sixty  thousand  to  sev:;nt\--five  thousand 
feet  daily.     In  connection  is  a  planer  and  a  Axy  house. 

Perkins  &  Miller's  mill  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake  and  was  es- 
tablished in  1870.  It  has  been  greatly  improved  in  all  these  years,  and  now  has 
a  capacity  of  from  sixt}'  to  seventy  thousand  feet  dai!}'.  Some  four  hundred 
yards  from  the  mill  is  the  planer,  which  has  a  capacity  of  nearly  fift_y  thousand 
feet  daily.  One  of  the  planers  will  take  a  piece  of  lumber  6  x  18  inches  and 
dress  the  four  sides  by  passing  once  through  the  mill. 

A  great  deal  of  this  machinery  is  new.  The  mill  has  added  in  imp'rovement 
in  the  last  thirteen  months  about  $13,000  and  are  still  improving.  A  contract 
made  a  few  da3-s  ago,  to  place  a  40,ooo-gal!on  tank  fift}-  feet  high,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  waterworks  lor  the  protection  of  the  mills  and  lumber,  has  been  com- 
pleted. 

In  the  rear  of  the  mill  is  a  marshy  place  running  back  some  distance.     Saw. 


HISTORICAL   AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  157 

dust  has  been  piled  on  tliis  to  a  depth  of  perliaps  eight  or  ten  feet,  and  on  tliis 
saw  dust  is  a  hirge  himber  yard  with  a  stock  on  hand  of  from  three  to  four  mil- 
lion feet.  It  is  claiined,  and  with  good  reasoning,  that  the  dampness  is  taken 
up  by  the  saw  dust,  and  lumber  may  be  piled  and  seasoned  on  this  saw  dust  free 
from  mould  spots.  The  lumber  is  shipped  by  schooner  and  rail  to  Mexico, 
Texas,  Colorado  and  Kansas. 

The  logs  used  in  this  mill  are  brought  from  the  C.  &  V.  R.  R.  The  firm  of 
A.  J.  Perkins  &  Co.,  of  Galveston,  Texas,  own  a  half  interest  in  this  road,  and  the 
firm  of  Perkins  &  Miller  get  one-half  the  logs  and  Lock,  Moore  &  Co.,  the 
other  half.  The  road  puts  into  tide  water  over  five  hundred  logs  per  day,  wh.ich 
are  towed  by  a  tug  boat  to  the  booms  at  these  mills. 

The  Norris  mill  was  established  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Norris  in  1866,  at  what  is  called 
Norris'  Point.  This  is  where  the  Calcasieu  River  runs  into,  or  rather  by  the  nonh- 
west  corner  of.  Lake  Charles.  The  mill  when  first  established  was  small,  but 
was  kept  steadily  running  until  1872,  when  the  demand  on  Mr.  Norris  for  lumber 
'became  so  great  he  tore  down  the  little  mill  and  erected  in  its  stead  a  large, 
-double  mill,  running  two  circulars.  This  mill  was  burned  in  1873,  and  was  re- 
built the  same  year,  from  which  time  until  Januar}^  18S8,  it  run  almost  without 
interruption,  except  from  an  occasional  repair  or  putting  in  new  machinery,  and 
during  all  this  time  ^^r.  Norris  was  seldom  up  with  his  ordei's,  so  great  was  the 
demand. 

Li  Januar}-,  1888,  this  mill  burned,  and  almost  before  the  ashes  became  cold 
the  debris  was  cleared  away,  and  in  less  than  six  months'  time  another  large 
mill  was  erected  ;  in  this,  however,  was  placed  a  band  saw  and  a  finishing  cir- 
cular saw,  instead  of  a  circular  alone.  The  band  saw  is  supposed  to  cut  about 
two-thirds  that  of  a.  circular;  the  band  saw  and  finisliing  circidar  together  be- 
ing about  equal  to  the  circular  saw. 

Mr.  Norris  was  the  lirst  man  on  this  river  to  put  in  a  phuu'r,  and  the  first 
and  onlv  one  yet  to  put  in  a  band  saw.  He  put  in  the  planer. in  1868,  and  has 
had  tliem  in  constant  use  ever  since.  In  the  new  mill  is  entire  new  machinerv 
-of  the  latest  improvements.  There  are  also  two  [ilaners  and  a  molder,  a  sticker 
and  a  resaw.  Just  across  the  river  is  the  Slurtevant  dry  kiln,  just  completed, 
with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  feet. 

Drew's  mill  is  the  propertj'  of  H.  C.  Drew,  and  is  situated  on  the  lake  front 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  Several  years  ago  the  mill  was  burned,  but  was, 
soon  rebuilt.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  about  thirt}'  thousand  feet  per  da^^. 
The  shipments  are  largely  by  water  on  schooners,  of  which  Mr.  Drew  is  the 
owner,  to  ports  in-  Texas  and  Mexico.  There  is  no  switch  to  it  from  the  rail- 
road, and  all  shipments  by  rail  from  this  point  are  carried  to  Westlake,  where 
the  lumber  is  placed  on  cars.  He  runs  a  planer,  and  also  near  by  is  a  shingle  mill, 
with  a  capacity  of   twenty-five  thousand  per  day,   and    hoop    and  stave  factor}'. 


158  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

The  Mount  Hope  mill  is  the  property  of  W.  L.  Hutchings,  the  parish  treas- 
urer, and  is  located  on  the  Calcasieu  River,  within  the  corporate  limits,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  town.  It  is  a  good  mill,  with  a  cutting  capacity  of  about 
forty  thousand  feet  per  day,  and  has  a  planer  in  operation.  It  has  been  almost 
entirely  remodeled  within  the  last  twelve  months. 

Besides  these  mentioned  there  are  a  number  of  others  in  and  around  Lake 
Charles  and  Westlake,  and  in  the  parish,  most  of  which  are  in  operation. 
Among  these  the  Hampton  mill,  the  "Waller  &  Greeves,  Lock,  Moore  &  Co., 
Burleson  Brothers,  the  Hansen  mill,  Rj-an  &  Geary,  etc.  Some  of  these  are 
only  shingle  mills,  but  most  of  them  are  lumber,  and  some  of  them  lumber  and 
shingles.  It  is  probably  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  inills  of  Lake  Charles 
and  immediate  vicinity  cut  upon  an  average  at  least  half  a  million  feet  of  lumber 
daily,  and  shingles,  well,  "  more  than  any  man  can  number." 

Tlic  Press. — The  newspaper  is  an  important  factor  in  the  development  of 
any  country.  It  can  do  more  for  good,  and  even  for  evil,  if  it  was  to  turn  its 
great  pow'er  in  that  direction,  than  an3'otherone  influence  that  can  be  exercised 
in  a  communi:)^ 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  this  parish  was  the  Calcasieu  Press,  founded 
in  June,  1S55,  ^Y  ]^^8^  ^-  ^-  Martel  and  John  A.  Spence,  of  Opelousas.  Mr. 
Spence  was  editor  and  publisher.  It  continued  until  about  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  at  its  discontinuance  was  in  its  si.xth  volume,  which  shows  that  from  its  com- 
mencement to  its  suspension  it  had  been  issued  but  little  more  than  h:ilf  of  the 
time.  Probably  this  was  caused  by  the  derangement  of  all  business  matters 
during  the  civil  war. 

The  Lake  Charles  Echo  is  the  oldest  paper  in  the  parish,  and  one  of  the 
ablest  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  It  was  established  February  16,  1868,  by 
Judge  J.  D.  Reed  and  Louis  Leveque.  Both  of  its  founders  are  now  dead. 
The  paper  was  not  published  regularly,  and  only  completed  two  volumes  in  three 
years.  After  passing  through  some  of  the  vicissitudes  incident  to  countr}'  news- 
papers in  country  towns,  and  changing  ownership  a  time  or  two,  it  was,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1871,  bought  by  Captain  J.  W.  Bryan.  He  improved  it  in  many  respects 
and  soon  put  it  on  a  firm  basis.  He  conducted  it  successfully  until  in  March, 
1890,  when  he  sold  it  to  a  stock  company,  and  it  is  still  in  successful  operation, 
edited  by  W.  F.  Schwing. 

The  New  Orleans  Picayune  thus  "boosted"  Capt.  Br}  an  at  the  time  he  sold 
the  Echo:  "Great  creditand  much  is  awarded  him  (J.  W.  Br3'an)  for  tlie  able 
manner  in  which  he  built  it  up  and  edited  its  columns.  Lake  Charles  was  at  that 
time  but  a  hamlet,  the  parish  seat  of  the  poorest  parish  in  the  State,  now  ranking 
among  the  very  first  in  wealth  and  population." 

The  American  is  a  flourishing  weekly  paper  of  sixteen  pages,  well  filled 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  lo'J 

with  news,  miscellany  and  matters  of  interest  to  the  parish.  November  12,  1890, 
it  entered  upon  its  sixth  volume.  It  was  established  in  New  York  City,  but  in 
1887,  was  removed  to  Lake  Charles,  and  commenced  its  publication  in  this  city 
in  September  of  that  year.  It  is  devoted  to  tiie  interests  of  Southwest  Louisiana 
generally,  and  Lake  Charles  and  Calcasieu  parish  particularl}',  and  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Kansas  City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railroad.  It  is  published  by 
the  Lake  Charles  Publishing  Company,  and  ably  edited  by  Mr.  Z.  L.  Everett, 
assisted  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Kline,  who  attends  to  the  gathering  up  of  facts  on  the 
resources  and  development  of  the  country.  But  for  the  well  tilled  columns  of 
the  American,  the  task  of  writing  up  Calcasieu  parish  for  this  work  would  have 
been  a  much  greater  labor  than  it  has.       The  business  department  is  under  the 

management  of  Mr. Marshall,  and  the  affable  and  courteous  Miss  Delia 

Neal  attends  to  the  clerical  work  of  the  office.  Once  a  month  the  American 
publishes  forty  thousand  copies  of  its  paper,  devoted  principally  to  the  resources 
and  advantages  of  this  section,  which  are  sent  broadcast  over  the  countr}-,  par- 
ticularly through  the  Nortliwest;  it  also  publishes  a  patent  side  for  a  number  of 
country  papers. 

The  Lake  Charles  Commercial  is  midway  in  its  tenth  volume.  John  Mc- 
Corniick  is  its  editor  and  publisher,  and  C.  M.  McCormick  is  its  genei  al  manager. 
It  is  a  live  and  enterprising  paper  of  four  pages,  seven  columns  to  a  page,  and 
strongly  anti-lotter}'. 

The  Christian  Visitor  was  established  by  Rev.  G.  B.  Rogers,  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  conducted  about  a  j-ear  and  a  half,  when  it  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  American. 

Country  Tozi'iis. — Jennings  is  the  most  important  town  in  Calcasieu  parish, 
outside  of  Lake  Charles.  It  is  situated  on  the  Southein  Pacific  Railroad,  near 
the  line  between  Calcasieu  and  Acadia  parishes,  and  is  a  new  town  compara- 
tively. In  1880  it  was  rated  at  only  twenty-five  inhabitants.  Now  it  has  some 
four  or  five  hundred.  Jennings  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  shipping  section, 
where  rice  is  the  principal  crop,  and  the  Reporter  estimates  that  not  less  than 
four  hundred  car  loads  of  that  product  alone  was  shipped  from  that  point  last 
year.  Many  Northwestern  people  live  around  the  town  of  Jennings — in  fact, 
the  community  is  principally  settled  by  those  enterprising  and  pushing  people, 
who  have  come  here  to  enjoy  the  healthful  climate  and  rich  lands.  The  place 
has  a  church  or  two,  several  stores,  a  post-office,  a  newspaper,  the  Jennings 
Reporter,  edited  and  published  by  Messrs.  Cary  &  Son,  now  entered  upon  its 
third  volume;  a  new  and  elegant  school  house,  in  which  is  taught  for  the  usual 
term  a  graded  school.  To  sum  up,  it  is  a  live,  wide-awake  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness town. 

Welsh  is  a  nourishing  town  on  tlie  Southern  Pacific   Railroad,   twenty-three 


1 1!0  .9 O IJTII  ]\  ^ES  T  L  O  UISIA  NA  : 

milfS  east  of  Luke  Chark-s,  and  containing  at  present  abcait  three  hundred  in- 
habitants, many  of  wliom  are  Western  people.  Tlie  situation  of  the  town  is  all 
that  could  be  desired,  beiny  half  a  mile  from  the  Lacassine,  a  wooded  stream 
flowing  south  to  the  gulf.  With  the  exxeption  of  the  Lacassine  it  is  surrounded 
by  a  vast  expanse  of  prairie,  reaching  to  the  Mermentau  River  on  the  east,  antl 
to  the  long  leaf  pine  on  the  Calcasieu  River  on  the  north  and  west. 

The  town  of  Welsh,  surve)^ed  and  platted  in  1884,  did  not  begin  to  build  up 
rapidly  until  July.  1887.  In  April,  1887,  the  Messrs.  Jasinsky  and  Reever,  of 
Guthrie  count}',  Iowa,  and  George  D.  Moore,  Mitchelville,  of  same  State,  visited 
Welsh  and,  being  captivated  with  its  splendid  location  and  superior  surround- 
ings, purchased  lands  in  and  near  town,  and  in  Jul}'  of  the  same  year  there  was 
witnessed  a  veritable  boom  in  the  construction  of  several  good  business  houses 
and  residences.  This  town  certainly^  has  a  bright  future  before  it,  btnng  in  the 
midst  of  a  splendid  agricultural  country. 

The  following  are  the  shipments  from  this  place:  13,840  barrels  rough  rice, 
worth  here  $350  per  barrel;  69,840  pounds  of  wooI,Vorth  18  cents  per  pound: 
954  tons  of  hay,  worth  here  about  $5.50  per  ton;  1520  head  beef  cattle,  worth 
about  $17.90  per  head.  Rice  and  hay  are  the  principal  farm  products,  though 
sugar  cane,  cotton,  Irish  potatoes  and  sweet  potatoes,  oats  and  corn  are  grown, 
and  it  is  only  a  question  of  a  few  years  when  many  of  these  products  will  be 
raised  for  export.  The  Welsh  Crescent,  edited  byH.Duggett,  attends  to  ad\'er- 
tising  the  interests  of  the  town. 

About  two  hundred  families  of  Western  and  Northern  people  have  settled  in 
and  around  Welsh  from  almost  every  State  in  the  Union  from  Texas  to  New 
York.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  April,  1888,  and  Hon.  Henry  Welsh  elected 
lirst  mayor,  an  honor  appropriately  conferred,  he  having  been  founder  of  the 
town.  He  is  a  gentleman  known  and  respected  throughout  Soutliwestern  Louisi- 
ana, his  hospitable  home  having  been  for  many  years  the  principal  stojiping  place 
for  travelers  before  the  railroad  was  built. 

Welsh  can  boast  of  its  location,  good  houses,  a  number  of  energetic  public- 
spirited  business  men  and  many  worthy  citizens.  Tiiere  are  at  present  three  good 
hotels,  six  general  stores,  one  restaurant,  livery  stable,  lumber  yard,  drug  store, 
market,  barber  shop,  two  physicians  and  two  real  estate  agents. 

Vinton  is  situated  upon  the  western  border  of  Calcasieu  parish  some  six- 
miles  east  of  Sabine  river.  The  traveler  upon  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  will 
note  a  charming  belt  of  prairie,  picturesque,  deep  soiled  and  rolling.  Here 
Messrs.  Horrige,  Eddy  and  Stevinson,  of  Benton  county,  Iowa,  have  located  the 
pretty  town  of  Vinton,  and  nicely  graded  its  broad  streets.  It  has  a  position 
of  commanding  commercial  importance,  only  six  miles  to  the  Sabine,  navigable 
for  three  hundred  miles,  and  with  the  bar  at  the  mouth  improved  for  the  passage 
of  ocean  steamers,  and  nine  miles  southeasterly  to  tide  water  on  Bayou  Choupique, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  16? 

which  flows  into  the  Calcasieu  river.  North  is  avastforest  of  yellow  pine,  which 
can  best  be  penetrated  by  a  railroad  from  Vinton.  C.  P.  Hampton  has  erected  a 
large  saw-mill  at  this  place,  and  will  build  a  railroad  to  his  timber.  This  town 
presents  special  attraction  to  Northern  settlers.  Good  lands  can  be  purchased 
in  the  vicinit}'  at  from  three  to  five  dollars  per  acre. 

Sabine  Station  is  located  near  the  western  boundary  of  the  State.  It  is  a 
very  pretty  and  pleasant  location,  with  timber  and  prairie  interspersed.  Why  it 
has  not  a  good  school  and  church  facilities,  with  all  other  necessary  business 
houses,  seems  to  be  an.  unanswerable  question.  Near  by  is  a  church  house 
about  thirty  by  forty  feet,  well  ventilated  and  partially  seated  with  very  good,  sub- 
stantial, homespun  benches.  Near  half  a  mile  east  from  the  station,  but  on  the  rail- 
way line,  is  the  neighborhood  post-office,  kept  by  M.  Fairchilds,  where  is  also  kept 
a  small  stock  of  dry  goods,  groceries  and  many  otherneeded  articles.  The  an- 
cient village  of  Niblett's  Bluff,  of  thirty  or  more  years  ago,  as  a  landing  and  busi- 
ness point,  is  now  a  wreck  and  ruin,  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  and  its 
stations  having  taken  away  its  business  and  its  life. 

Sugartown,  or  the  seventh  ward,  is  about  twenty-five  miles  square,  bounded 
south  b}'  Barnes  Creek  and  north  by  Vernon  parish.  It  is  heavily  timbered  with 
long  leaf  pine,  except  on  the  creek  bottoms,  which  are  covered  with  a  heavy 
growtli  of  oak,  beech,  hickor}',  maple,  magnolia  and  other  hard  wood,  suitable 
for  the  manufacture  of  furniture,  wagons,  farm  implements,  etc.  Numerous 
creeks  of  pure,  clear  water,  abounding  in  trout,  cat,  buffalo  and  other  fresh 
water  fish,  run  through  this  section  and  empty  into  the  Calcasieu  River,  which 
runs  south  through  the  parish  into  the  gulf.  On  these  creeks  lumbering  business 
is  carried  on.  The  timber  is  cut,  hauled  to  the  banks  and  dumped  into  the- 
water,  and  run  into  the  river,  thence  to  the  mills  at  Lake  Charles,  where  it  is 
sawed  into  lumber  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  soil  is  a  sandy 
loam,  very  easy  to  cultivate,  and  on  the  creek  bottoms  very  fertile.  The  pine 
lands  are  not  so  rich  in  vegetable  mould,  but  are  susceptible  of  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  by  a  very  little  fertilizing.  The  crops  are  corn,  cotton,  rice,  tobacco, 
sugar  cane,  sorghum,  peas,  oats,  Irish  and  sweet  potatoes,  all  kinds  of  garden 
vegetables  in  perfection,  and  fruits  of  nearly  every  varietj'.  The  country  is  very 
level,  and  the  finest  kind  of  grass  grows  all  through  the  pine  woods,  on  which 
cattle  get  very  fat  during  the  summer,  and  the  winters  are  so  short  and  mild  that 
they  go  through  with  very  little  feed.  Sheep  are  more  profitable  to  keep,  from 
the  fact  that  they  get  their  living  the  year  round  in  the  woods  with  very  little  at- 
tention. Hogs  get  fat  nearly  every  fall  in  the  bottoms  on  the  beech  and  oak 
mast.  Lands  for  farming  purposes  can  be  bought  at  from  $1.25  to  $5  per  acre. 
West  Lake  Charles  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  lake.  It  contains 
the  Perkins  &  Miller  mill,  the  store  of  A.  J.  Perkins,  store  of  W.  B.  Norris,  and 
saloon  of  H.  Escubas.  It  has  a  Baptist  church,  and  a  school  of  about  thirty 
11 


164  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIAXA  : 

scholars.  Tliere  are  several  nice  lesidences  in  the  place,  and  quite  a  number 
of  comfortable  cottages.  Mr.  Escubas  is  building  a  very  handsome  hotel  of 
about  twenty  rooms,  which  will  be  completed  in  the  course  of  three  or  four 
weeks,  and  he  is  also  building  a  livery  stable.  From  the  upper  porch  of  the 
hotel  maybe  seen  the  Lake  Charles  College  building,  the  Baptist  church,  the 
Convent,  Opera  Plouse,  and  other  buildings  on  the  east  side.  Mr.  Escubas  and 
Mr.  Norris  own  each  a  square  or  two  of  land  there,  and  there  may  be  one  or 
two  others  owning  lots,  but,  with  these  exceptions,  Mr.  A.  J.  Perkins  is  the 
sole  owner,  and  owns  almo'st  continuously  for  three  miles. 

Goosport  is  a  small  village  just  north  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  at 
Lake  Charles.  It  is  situated  on  the  Calcasieu  River,  and  is  the  seat  of  the 
Bradley-Ramsey  Saw  Mill  and  Lumber  Company,  already  noticed  in  this 
chapter. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  small  villages  in  the  parish,  among  which  are 
Esterly,  Iowa  Cit}',  Crown  Point,  Lakeside,  Edgerly,  Sulphur  City,  Evange- 
line, Chloe,  Lacassine,  Rose  Bluff,  Calcasieu,  Lake  Arthur,  China,  Serpent, 
Killinger,  Meadow,  Barnes'  Luck,  etc.  Some  of  these  are  merely  post-offices, 
kept  at  the  house  of  some  farmer,  others  are  post-office  and  store,  and  some- 
times a  school  house.  Lake  Arthur  begins  to  consider  itself  a  town,  and  started 
a  newspaper  last  year  (May  22,  1890),  the  Lake  Arthur  Herald,  by  P.  M. 
Kokanour. 

The  parish  of  Calcasieu  has  a  number  of  most  beautiful  little  lakes,  the 
principal  of  which  are  Lake  Calcasieu,  Lake  Arthur  and  Lake  Charles.  Lake 
Calcasieu  is  about  fifteen  miles  in  length,  and  lies  mostly  in  Calcasieu  parish, 
extending  to  within  five  or  si.x  miles  of  the  gulf.  Lake  Arthur  lies  in  the  south- 
east part  of  the  parish,  while  Lake  Charles  is  at  the  parish  capital,  and  gives 
name  to  the  town,  or  the  town  to  the  lake,  as  the  case  may  be.  As  the  lake  is 
the  older  of  the  two  places,  perhaps  the  town  w'as  named  for  the  lake,  and  both 
were  named  for  old  Charles  Sallier,  the  pioneer. 

Lake  Charles  is  a  beautiful  little  sheet  of  water,  and  has  often  been  com- 
pared to  Lake  Geneva  in  Switzerland.  It  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  about  three 
miles  long  and  two  miles  wide.  The  Calcasieu  River  runs  through  the  lake,  and 
by  the  course  of  the  river  it  is  fifty-«ve  miles  to  the  gulf,  and  the  stream  is  said 
to  be  from  forty  to  one  hundred  feet  deep,  except  at  the  Pass,  and  to  deepen  it 
Congress  has  appropriated  $75,000.  When  this  is  accomplished  the  largest 
ocean  steamers  can  ascend  to  Lake  Charles.  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  the 
town  of  Lake  Charles  from  becoming,  as  alread}'  stated  in  these  pages,  a  great 
business  and  manufacturing  place,  and  also,  a  fine  winter  resort.  The  climate  is 
fine  in  the  winter  season,  and  the  lake  presents  a  place  for  boat  riding  and  for 
fishing  at  all  seasons. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  165 

Many  Things  of  Many  Kinds. — x\n  enthusiast  on  the  future  of  Lake  Charles 
writes  thus  on  the  glory  of  the  town's  worldly  possessions:  "  Lake  Charles  has 
nine  large  saw-mills,  three  large  shingle  mills,  an  ice  factor}-,  machine  shop  and 
foundry,  four  ship  yards,  a  large  brick  and  tile  factor}^  cheap  building  material, 
a  large  number  of  stores  of  general  merchandise,  four  drug  stores,  one  fine  hard- 
ware store,  energetic  merchants,  several  carpenter  shops,  one  agricultural  imple- 
ment store,  sash,  door  and  blind  factory,  an  artesian  well,  four  newspapers,  able 
lawyers,  skilful  physicians,  excellent  preachers,  wise  editors,  commodious 
churches,  fine  schools,  a  handsome  college  building,  an  excellent  public  school 
building,  a  fine  opera  house,  palatial  residences,  two  banks,  hustling  real  estate 
agents,  wide-awake  citizens,  one  railroad  in  operation — another  building — sev- 
eral others  contemplated,  communication  by  water  with  the  outside  world,  fine 
orange  orchards,  excellent  vegetable  gardens,  rich  farming  lands  around,  cheap 
fuel,  handsome  women,  fine  looking  men,  and  the  prettiest  sheet  of  water  in  the 
world."     Nothing  else? 

Additional  to  the  above  may  be  given  her  social,  benevolent  and  charitable 
organizations,  as  follows: 

Lake  Charies  Lodge,  No.  165,  F.  and  A.  INL,  S.  O.  Shattuck,  Master;  W. 
M.  Elliott,  Senior  Warden  ;  R.  J.  Gunn,  Junior  Warden,  and  E.  H.  Dees,  Secre- 
tary. 

Peace  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  J.  E.  La  Besse,  C.  C;  C.  Bunker,  K.  of  R.  and 
S.  ;  W.  A.  Knapp,  G.  Reporter. 

Reliance  Lodge,  No.  3278,  K.  of  H.,  W.  A.  Knapp,  Dictator,  and  J.  A. 
Reed,  Reporter. 

Hope  Council,  No.  1112,  A.  L.  of  H.,  AL  D.  Kearney,  Commander,  and 
L.  Hirscli,  Secretary. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Prof.  W.  W.  Daves,  President;  A.  JNL 
INLayo,  Secretar}-. 

Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Maj-o,  President,  and 
Miss  Jennie  Marsh,  Secretary. 

Friendship  Lodge,  No. '26,  L  O.  O.  F.,  L.  H.  Moses,  W.  C.  T. ;  Miss 
Mary  Siling,  W.  V.  T. ;  Miss  Laura  Siling,  Recording  Secretary,  and  Miss  Ida 
Marsh,  Financial  Secretary 

Lake  Charles  Farmers'  Union,  No.  5S7,  J.  C.  LeBlue,  President,  and  D. 
H.  Reese,  Secretary. 

Confidence  Lodge,  No.  17,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  L.  Hirsch,  M.  W. ;  Frank  Has- 
kell, Secretary. 

German  Benevolent  Association,  Peter  Platz,  President;  Auguste  Seken- 
dorf.  Secretary. 

Lake  Charles  Steam  Fire  Company,  No.  i,  A.  P.  Pujo,  President;  L.  Kauf- 
man, Vice  President;   M.  J.  Rosteet,  Treasurer,  and  J.  E.  Reente,  Secretary. 


166  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

Young  America  Fire  Company,  No.  2,  C.W.  Meyer,  President,  and  D.  M. 
Foster,  Secretary. 

Pelican-Babcock  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  S.  O.  Shattuck,  President; 
E.  T.  George,  Vice  President,  and  W.  D.  Andrus,  Secretarj'. 

Phoenix  Hook  and  Ladder  Compan\%  Jesse  Hagar,  President,  and  Mack 
Cantin,  Foreman. 

Bagdad. — Not  the  Bagdad  rendered  famous  by  the  gilded  stories  of  Sinbad 
the  Sailor  in  Arabian  Night's  Entertainments,  but  the  puny  village  that  once  was 
at  the  ferry  west  of  Lake  Charles.  A  ferry  was  established  there  in  the  olden 
time  by  Reese  Perkins,  and  was  an  important  institution.  It  was  the  great 
crossing  place  for  cattle  drovers  from  Texas  to  New  Orleans  with  fat  beeves  for 
market  at  the  latter  place.  Old  citizens  say  they  can  remember  when  as  many 
as  1500  and  2000  crossed  there  in  a  single  day. 

The  following  incident  is  related  of  the  place  :  Reese  Perkins  sold  the 
ferry  and  the  land  around  it  to  a  man  named  James  H.  Buchanan.  He  allowed 
a  man  named  Holt  to  lay  out  a  town,  and  they  would  go  partners  in  the  enter- 
prise. Holt  laid  out  his  town  and  called  it  Lisbon;  sold  all  the  lots  he  could, 
and  at  any  price  he  could  get,  pocketed  the  money  and  left — perhaps  joined  the 
American  colony  in  Canada — leaving  Mr.  Buchanan  with  the  bag  to  hold  and 
both  ends  open.  Even  to  this  day  claimants  turn  up  now  and  then  and  say  they 
own  a  lot  in  Lisbon,  and  ask  to  have  it  pointed  out  to  them. 

The  name  of  Lisbon  was  now  changed  to  Bagdad,  but  still  it  has  prospered 
little.  The  ferry,  two  or  three  houses,  a  shingle  mill,  is  about  all  there  is  of  the 
town.  The  American  thus  deals  out  its  views,  which  are  sound  as  the  •'  Dollars 
of  the  Fathers  "  on  the  subject  of  ferries  generally: 

The  ferry  question  is  one  that  interests  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  of  Cal- 
casieu parish,  and  especially  interests  every  one  who  is  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  city  of  Lake  Charles.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  a  large  portion  of 
the  produce  of  the  northern  part  of  our  parish,  which  ought  to  be  marketed 
in  Lake  Charles,  is  hauled  to  Lecomte,  in  Rapides  parish,  simply  because 
of  the  high  charges  made  by  the  ferries  of  the  parish.  Because  of  this, 
the  profits  arising  from  the  traffic  in  produce,  and  in  supplying  the  farmers  with 
their  necessaries,  are  lost  to  the  citizens  of  our  parish;  and,  of  course,  the  taxes 
on  these  profits  are  lost  by  our  parish,  and  go  to  swell  the  revenues  of  Rapides. 
Then  why  not  have  free  ferries,  or  at  least  cheap  ferries?  Why,  says  one,  we 
can't  afford  it;  we  want  to  raise  a  revenue  from  the  public  to  help  pay  our  par- 
ish expenses.  And  we  are  sorry  to  say  that  the  short-sighted  and  suicidal 
policy  of  driving  trade  from  our  parish  to  another,  and  thus  ultimately  diminish- 
ing our  parish  revenues  by  a  much  greater  sum  than  it  would  require  to  main- 
tain free  ferries  at  every  crossing,  has  been  adopted  and  carried  out  in  the  past. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  167 

In  order  to  raise  a  few  hundred  dollars  from  the  sale  of  public  ferries,  the 
authorities  of  our  parish  have  permitted  ferries  to  tax  tiie  traveling  public  at  so 
high  a  rate  that  farmers  haul  their  produce  two  or  three  times  as  far  as  otherwise 
necessar}',  in  order  to  avoid  tlie  enormous  expense  of  ferriage.  Can  this  parish 
afford  the  enormous  and  continuous  loss  of  trade  this  involves?  We  think  the 
people  of  the  parish  will  speedily  demand  of  their  servants  a  radical  change  in 
this  thing.     Something  must  be  wrong  somewhere. 

A'ermilion  parish  has  about  three-fourths  the  population  of  Calcasieu,  and 
the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  parish  would  be  at  least  three-fourths  as  great  as 
Calcasieu.  The  revenue  of  Vermilion  parish  last  year  was  a  little  more  than 
sixteen  thousand  dollars  for  taxes.  All  of  her  bridges  and  ferries  are  free,  and 
her  script  is  worth  one  hu-ndred  cents  on  the  dollar.  Calcasieu's  revenue  from 
ta.xes  is  over  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  yet  our  authorities  find  it  necessary,  or 
think  they  do,  to  raise  an  additional  revenue  from  the  traveling  public  by  selling 
the  right  to  run  monopoly  ferries  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  then  have  not  enough 
money  to  pay  the  jurors  summoned  to  the  district  court.  This  system  of 
monopoly  ferries  works  beautifully,  indeed  I 

We  are  credibly  informed  that  a  responsible  party  offered  to  enter  into  bonds 
to  run  a  ferry  at  a  certain  point  in  this  parish,  and  obligate  himself  to  cross 
wagons  and  teams  for  ten  cents  a  round  trip,  each.  The  ferrj'  was  made  a  mo- 
nopoly, and  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  the  price  was  limited  to  eighty  cents 
per  round  trip  for  wagon  and  team.  It  must  be  a  great  pleasure  for  the  poor 
farmers  and  log  men  to  pay  eight  times  as  much  as  necessary  in  order  to  cross 
the  stream.  We  are  informed  that  the  party  above  referred  to  is  ready  to  enter 
into  an  agreement  yet  to  give  a  cheap  ferry. 

Now,  we  are  not  charging  any  one  in  particular  with  the  wrong  of  establish- 
ing these  monopolies.     If  it  is  the  State  law  that  does  it,  let  us  agitate  until  the 
law  is  changed.     If  it  is  the  fault  or  mistake  of  the  police  jurj',  let  us  hammer 
awa}^  until  the  mistake  is  remedied.     Let  the  people  come  to  the  front  and  de 
mand  justice,  and  they  will  get  it. — Pcrrin. 


a\ 


■^^vj 


I 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Parish  of  Cameron — Boundary  and  Description — The  Coast  Marsh 
— Future  Develop5ient  of  Cameron — Organization  of  the  Parish 
— Legislative  Act  for  its  Creation — A  Correspondent's  Impres- 
sion OF  THE  Country  and  its  Capabilities — Orange  Culture — A 
Fruit  Country  Unsurpassed — What  the  People  May  Make  It — 
Climate,  Etc — The  Medical  and  Legal  Professions — Churches 
and  Schools — A  Parish  Well  Supplied  with  Moral  Influences, 
Etc. 

"  Time  was  not  }'et." — Dante, 

qJ^^HE  parish  of  Cameron  as  a  body  politic  is  comparatively  young,  it  hav- 
c/HK>  ing  been  created  in  1870  from  portions  of  Calcasieu  and  Vermilion 
G^^  parishes.  It  partakes  somewhat  of  the  nature  of  both — small  bits  of  the 
Calcasieu  prairies  being  interspersed  with  a  good  deal  of  the  sea  marshes  of  Ver- 
milion. It  has  about  twelve  hundred  square  miles,  nearly  three-fourths  of  which, 
perhaps,  is  sea  marsh.  From  a  pamphlet  issued  by  the  Commissioner  of  Immi- 
gration of  Louisiana,  the  following  extract  is  taken:  "  Cameron  has  not  yet  had 
her  day.  She  must  await  the  future  and  abide  her  time  in  patience.  She  will 
doubtless,  at  some  near  day,  be  a  busy  place  in  canning  fish,  oysters  and  shrimp. 
Her  parish  seat,  Leesburg,  is  right  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Calcasieu  River,  and  it  must  be  that  in  the  development  that  awaits  that  country 
Cameron  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  a  situation  that  now  seems  like  isolation. 
If  deep  water  ever  comes  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  Leesburg  will  be  a  great 
place  by  reason  of  that  alone.  When  the  immigrant  takes  hold  of  the  coast  marsh 
(as  he  will  before  the  next  quarter  of  a  century),  with  its  prodigeousl}'^  fertile 
soil,  then  Cameron  parish  will  come  to  the  front.  Great  will  be  the  crops  of 
sugar  cane,  rice,  sea-island  cotton,  oranges,  vegetables,  etc.,  while  the  gulf  will 
afford  cheap  and  delicious  food  for  the  agriculturist  and  an  inexhaustible  sup- 
ply for  manufacturing  or  preserving  canned  goods.  So  the  sea  and  the  land  will 
both  pour  out  their  bounteous  treasures  to  this,  thus  far,  disregarded  parish. 
This  coast  marsh  country  ought  to  have  more  said  about  it  than  has  been.  The 
entire  front  of  Louisiana  is  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Her  south  boundary  is 
water,  and  her  whole  lengthy  from  east  to  west  is  gulf  coast." 

Boundaries,  Etc. — The  parish  of  Cameron  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Calcasieu  parish,  on  the  east  by  Vermilion  parish,  on  the  south  by  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  and  on  the  west  by  the  Sabine  River  and  lake  of  the  same  name.     The 


170  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

principal  water  courses  in  the  parish  are  tlie  Calcasieu  and  Mermentau  Rivers. 
The  latter  flows  through  Grand  Lake  about  ten  miles  before  it  falls  into  the 
gulf,  and  the  former  flows  through  Calcasieu  Lake  before  it  reaches  the  gulf. 
Calcasieu  Lake  is  some  fifteen  miles  in  length  and  about  six  or  seven  miles  wide 
in  the  widest  place.  When  the  Calcasieu  Pass  is  deepened,  for  which  $75,000 
have  alread}^  been  appropriated  by  the  National  Congress,  and  a  deep  channel 
cut  through  the  lake,  then  the  largest  ocean  steamers  can  ascend  the  Calcasieu 
River,  which  is  a  deep  stream,  to  the  town  of  Lake  Charles,  some  fifty-five 
miles  from  the  gulf.  Grand  Lake  is  nearl}'  square,  and  seven  or  eight  miles 
across  each  wa3^ 

The  Lake  Charles  Echo  of  September  14,  1888,  has  the  following  of  this 
parish :  Cameron  parish  is  just  south  of,  and  was  once  a  part  of,  Calcasieu 
parish;  it  lies  directly  on  the  coast.  Leesburg  is  the  parish  site,  and  contains  a 
court  house,  jail,  and  one  or  two  stores,  but  not  a  saloon  in  the  parish.  There 
is  not  a  lawjer  in  the  parish,  and  you  may  think  there  is  no  need  of  one  when 
we  tell  you  that  last  July  was  the  regular  Grand  Jury  term  of  the  District  Court, 
and  the  first  they  had  had  for  a  year,  and  after  a  careful  investigation,  adjourned 
without  finding  a  true  bill. 

In  interviewing  Mr.  D.W.  Donahoe,  who  resides  on  Johnson's  Bayou,  in 
this  parish,  \\e  obtained  some  information  of  this  section.  In  September,  1886, 
the  same  time  that  Sabine  Pass  was  blotted  out  of  existence  by  the  storm  and 
overflow,  all  of  Johnson's  Bayou  was  overflowed,  which  was  the  first  time  for  a 
space  of  eighty  years  back.  That  portion  of  the  bayou  which  lies  next  to  Sabine 
Pass  is  lower  than  the  eastern  portion,  and  there  sixty-seven  lives  were  lost,  and 
all  the  stock,  and  the  principal  part  of  the  houses  swept  awa}'.  The  eastern 
portion  of  the  bayou  lost  little  stock  and  no  lives.  Mr.  Donahoe  says  Johnson's 
Bavou  is  rebuilt  and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Their  corn  will  average  thirty 
bushels  per  acre,  and  cotton,  one  bale.  The  cotton  is  shipped  in  the  seed  by 
schooners,  principall}'  to  Orange,  Texas,  some  to  Galveston. 

The  country  is  fine  for  cattle  and  sheep.  Their  fattest  beeves  are  shipped 
from  tiie  range  in  Januar}-.  They  have  cattle  giving  from  two  to  three  gallons 
of  milk  per  day,  from  the  range  alone  during  the  winter.  The  winter  season  is 
better  for  milk  and  butter  than  summer.  The  orange  trees  have  made  remarka- 
ble growth,  especially  since  the  overflow,  as  that  served  to  enrich  the  land.  In 
January,  1886,  the  orange  trees  were  killed  there,  as  here.  They  will  gather  a 
pretty  fair  crop  of  oranges  another  season. 

The  health  was  never  better — in  fact,  was  alwaj'S  good.  There  was  not  a 
physician  in  the  parish,  unless  there  was  one  on  the  eastern  border,  and  he  was 
making  his  living  by  farming.  Mr.  Joseph  Jones,  of  Grand  Chenier,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  parish,  says  the  island  is  about  th.irty  miles  long  and  two  or 
three  wide,  containing  perhaps  more  tlian  two  hundred  families.    There  is  almost 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  171 

one  continuous,  unbroken  farm  on  the  island  from  one  end  to  the  other.  They 
raise  what  corn  is  necessary,  making  about  thirty  barrels  per  acre,  and  making 
about  one  bale  of  cotton  per  acre.  They  had  gathered  over  two  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  of  cotton  by  the  first  week  in  September  ;  ship  by  schooner  to  Gal- 
veston. Their  orange  trees  were  injured,  like  other  sections,  but  will  make 
some  shipments  this  j^ear.  The  trees  are  in  flourishing  condition;  no  bugs  of 
any  kind,  and  a  handsome  yield  is  expected  another  year.  They  also  raise  a 
good  quality  of  sugar  and  molasses. 

It  is  a  range  for  stock,  and  they  keep  fat  winter  and  summei .  This  is  a  fine 
place  for  game,  especially  in  the  winter  season ;  ducks,  brant,  geese,  etc.  There 
is  not  a  doctor  on  the  island.  ** 

Early  Settlement. — Cameron  parish  is  not  thickly  settled,  owing  to  the  vast 
area  of  marsh  lands  in  the  parish.  The  settlements  are  confined  to  the  high 
lands  above  overflow.  From  Mr.  E.  D.  Miller,  of  Lake  Charles,  a  native  of 
Cameron  parish,  however,  the  following  of  the  early  settlers  was  obtained: 

Among  the  first  families  who  setded  in  Cameron  parish  were  those  of  John 
M.  Smith  and  Millege  McCall.  They  settled  in  Grand  Chenier,  and  were  the 
only  two  families  in  that  immediate  section  for  several  years.  McCall  was  quite 
a  noted  man  for  the  period.  He  was  an  old-time  doctor  and  practised  consider- 
abl}'  in  an  old-fashioned  way ;  was  also  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  only  one  in 
Grand  Chenier  prior  lo  the  organization  of  the  parish.  He  was  a  good  man, 
and  well  liked  by  ever3'body.     Both  he  and  Smith  have  been  dead  many  j^ears. 

George  W.  Wakefield  was  one  of  the  proverbial  "  Ohio  men.''  He  came 
from  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  settled  in  the  parish  in  1840,  about  a  mile  from  where 
Leesburg,  the  parish  capital,  is  located.  He  reared  a  large  family  and  is  still 
living  but  getting  quite  old  and  feeble.  When  he  came  here,  he  says,  there  was 
plenty  of  game,  that  there  were  more  deer  than  cattle  to  be  seen  then  on  the 
range.     Mr.  Wakefield  has  a  fine  orange  grove. 

William  Doxey  was  from  North  Carolina,  and  came  to  the  parish  about  the 
same  time  with  Wakefield.  He  brought  a  number  of  negroes  with  him,  and  was 
quite  an  extensive  sugar  planter.  He  and  Wakefield  are  the  two  oldest  settlers 
now  living.  A  son  of  Mr.  Doxey,  John  A.,  has,  it  is  said,  the  finest  orange  grove 
in  the  parish,  and  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State.  Game  was  plenty  when  Mr- 
Doxey  settled  here,  and  still  considerable  small  game  is  found. 

James  Hall  and  James  Root  were  early  settlers  in  the  west  part  of  the  parish, 
and  both  are  long  since  dead. 

A  man  named  Griflith  came  about  1850,  and  settled  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood. 

John  M.  Miller  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of 
the  parish.     He  was  born  in  Germany,  but  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  America 


172  SOUl^HWESr  LOUISIANA : 

when  but  an  infant,  and  they  settled  in  St.  Landry  parish.  Mr.  Miller  located  in 
Cameron  parish  in  1847,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  his 
wife  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He  was  the  father  of  Mr.  E.  D.  Miller,  a 
practising  lawyer  of  Lake  Charles. 

This  comprises  a  list  of  what  may  be  called  old  settlers,  and  brings  the 
settlement  of  the  parish  up  to  about  1850,  a  period  when  people  were  coming  in 
more  rapidly.  The  small  area  of  uplands  or  prairies  attracted  agriculturists,  and 
the  great  profusion  of  game  brought  the  hunter  and  sportsmen.  Fifty  j'ears  or 
more  ago,  when  the  first  settlers  came  to  Cameron,  there  were  no  productive 
farms,  no  pleasant  homes  here;  no  churches,  no  school  houses,  with  their  refining 
influences,  but  on  every  hand,  and  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  a  wild  waste  of 
wilderness,  uninhabited,  save  by  wild  beasts  and  an  occasional  band  of  Indian 
hunters.     The  population  of  the  parish  is  now  about  three  thousand  souls. 

In  1870,  the  population  had  increased  sufficiently  to  awaken  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  the  idea  of  organizing  themselves  into  a  parish  of  their  own.  The 
seat  of  justice  was  too  far  out  of  reach — at  Lake  Charles  or  at  Abbeville.  So 
at  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1870,  the  following  act  was  framed: 

Cameron  Parish. — An  Act  for  its  formation,  etc. 

Section  i  .  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana,  in  General  Assembly  convened,  That  a  new  parish  in  the 
State  of  Louisiana  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  created  out  of  the  southern  portion 
of  Calcasieu  and  the  southwestern  portion  of  Vermilion,  to  be  called  and  known 
by  tlie  name  of  Cameron. 

Sec.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That  the  following  shall  be  the  bound- 
aries of  the  parish  of  Cameron,  viz:  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  Sabine 
River,  on  the  township  line,  dividing  the  townships  eleven  and  twelve  south; 
thence  east  on  said  township  line  to  the  range  line,  between  ranges  numbered 
two  and  three  west;  thence  south  on  said  range  line  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico; 
thence  along  the  coast  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sabine  River,  and  thence  up  the 
Sabine  River  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

There  are  fifteen  other  sections  of  the  act,  and  the  entire  act  is  printed  both 
in  French  and  English,  and  when  the  end  is  finally  reached  it  is  signed: 

Mortimer  Carr, 

Speaker  House  Representatives. 
Oscar  J.  Dunn, 

Lieut.  Governor  and  President 
Approved  March  15,  1870.  of  the  Senate. 

Geo.  E.  Brown,  H.  C.  Warmoth, 

Secretary  of  State.  Governor  of  the  State  of  Louisiana. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  173 

The  necessary  officers  were  appointed,  and  the  parish  was  set  to  work 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  commonwealth.  The  parish  seat  was  established 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Calcasieu  River,  and  is  called  Leesburg,  but  it  is  a  town  in 
little  else  except  the  name.  It  consists  of  a  court  house,  one  small  store,  and, 
perhaps,  half  a  dozen  other  buildings.  The  post-office  name  of  place  is  Cameron, 
though,  as  stated,  the  town's  name  is  Leesburg.  The  parish  has  no  jail,  and  but 
one  lawyer.  Neither  is  much  needed,  as  there  is  but  little  litigation  among  the 
people.  What  little  there  is,  Mr.  Miller,  of  Lake  Charles,  who  was  raised  in 
the  parish,  is  usually  employed  on  the  one  side  or  the  other. 

A  writer  *  in  the  Lake  Charles  American  thus  gives  his  opinion  of  Cameron 
parish  and  its  citizens  : 

With  a  threefold  object  that  of  health,  business,  and  a  tour  for  the  pur- 
pose of  describing  the  productions,  scenery  and  attractiveness  of  our  parish, 
a  father  and  his  daughter  left  home,  on  horseback,  last  week.  We  traveled  a 
distance  of  about  forty-five  miles  along  the  sea  coast,  bordering  the  ridges  under 
cultivation,  as  far  to  the  east  as  Cow  Island,  stopping  at  Mr.  P.  V.  Miller's  for 
the  first  night,  where  we  found,  as  at  all  other  places,  a  hearty  welcome  and 
generous  hospitality.  Mr.  Miller  is  engaged  in  both  stock  raising  and  agricul- 
ture. He  and  his  family  own  about  a  thousand  head  of  fine  stock,  more  or  less 
graded,  and  the  farm  includes  orange  groves,  peach  orchards,  and  a  number  of 
large  pecan  trees.  Crops  of  cotton,  corn  and  cane  remarkably  good.  This 
gentleman  is  one  of  our  oldest  settlers  and  influential  citizens.  Cow  Island, 
extending  about  twelve  miles,  and  the  ridge,  averaging  one-half  mile  wide,  are 
closely  settled. 

The  next  of  our  stopping  places  was  at  the  Widow  Valcent  Miller's,  whose 
farm  is  in  a  remarkably  good  state* of  cultivation,  considering  that  it  has  been 
managed  and  worked  by  the  lady,  assisted  only  b}'  her  two  daughters.  After 
this,  a  place  some  distance  farther  on,  owned  by  Mr.  Thos.  Bosnal,  where  we 
admired  sugar  cane  growing,  with  at  least  eight  joints,  and  looking  both  vigorous 
and  promising.     This  is  a  new  enterprise. 

Leaving  Cow  island  and  homeward  tending,  we  paid  a  visit  to  our  old  friend, 
Mr.  Geo.  Mayne,  where  we  found  an  orange  grove  containing  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  trees,  of  which  a  number  measured  eighteen  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence and  about  twenty-five  feet  high.  A  majority  of  the  trees  were  bearing, 
some  as  many  as  seventy-five  oranges. 

Another  grove  farther  on,  at  Dr.  Carter  Sweeney's,  looked  equally  as  fine 
and  vigorous,  as  we  rode  along.  The  next  place  was  owned  by  Mr.  J.  D. 
Mc  Call,  our  respected  uncle,  and  who  also  is  president  of  our  police  jury.  On 
his  land  are  about  five  hundred  fine  trees;  on  one,  at  least,  three  hundred  of  the 
desirable   fruit.     Adjoining,    Mr.  Thos.  Dolan,    of   like    flourishing   property. 


174  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Next  Mr.  John  Wetlierill,  whose  sloping  garden  in  front,  home,  orchard  and 
grove  beyond,  tempted  us  to  remain. 

Passing  onward,  the  places  of  Messrs.  Jones  and  Stafford,  also  with  fine 
orange  groves.  Next,  the  beautiful  residence  of  Messrs.  Doxey  and  son,  where, 
as  stated  last  year,  there  has  been  closest  and  skilled  cultivation  of  the  fruit  trees, 
and  scrutin}'  of  the  diseases  which  infest  orange  trees  and  have  puzzled  horti- 
culturists for  a  long  period.  Mr.  Andrew  Doxey  thinks  he  has  discovered  a  pre- 
ventative against  the  ravages  of  the  scale  insect,  and  is  sanguine  of  success  in 
orange  culture.  This  grove  contains  about  fifteen  hundred  trees,  some  eight 
inches  in  diameter — probably  the  largest  on  our  route.  Close  below  is  Mr.  An- 
deal  Miller,  who  has,  perhaps,  five  hundred  trees  of  excellent  promise  and  varie- 
ty. Some  three  miles  further  on  again,  delightfully  situated  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mermentau  River,  is  the  now  named  village  of  '"Riverside,"'  as  suggested,  at 
request  of  the  inhabitants  and  complimentary,  by  your  correspondent.  At  this 
point  are  three  stores  and  several  residences,  post-office  and  shipping  post.  We 
were  informed  by  the  respective  merchants  that  there  were  at  least  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  business  transacted  there  during  the  year,  including 
shipments  of  cotton,  oranges,  hides,  melons,  poultry,  eggs,  etc.  About  a  mile 
further  on  is  the  ferry  across  the  Mermentau,  where  we  were  taken  across  by 
Mr.  WilHe  Stafford,  son  of  our  esteemed  aunt,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Stafford,  who  has 
been  in  charge  of  this,  the  principal  and  only  ferry  on  the  lower  river,  for  some 
years.  Remained  all  night,  and  with  pleasant  recuperation  and  rest,  besides 
finding  our  aged  grandmother,  now  eighty  odd  years  of  age,  hale,  hearty  and  as 
vivacious  as  probably  she  was  at  eighteen.  On  again  next  morning,  two  miles,  and 
reached  the  home  of  Capt.  James  Welsh,  where  was  a  hearty  welcome.  An  exten- 
sive stock  owner,  a  flourishing  farm,  orange  grove,  and  erecting  a  new  residence. 

Rutherford  Jones  and  others  were  passed  in  succession,  the  first  of  whom 
has  availed  himself  of  many  of  the  latest  improvements  in  agricultural  machinery, 
and  is  cultivating  his  land  with  the  skill  of  advanced  knowledge.  Mr.  Jones, 
also,  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  sagacious  of  stock  raisers  and  farmers, 
whose  genial  hospitality  many  friends  are  pleased  to  remember  and  where  we 
frequently  visit  in  his  family.  A  few  miles  fartlier,  and  reached  home  much  im- 
proved in  health  and  good  nature. 

Your  readers  will  perceive  that  all  this  section  is  prolific  in  cotton,  corn, 
oranges,  peaches,  grapes,  vegetables  of  every  description,  and  last,  though  not 
least,  in  gigantic  melons,  perhaps  the  largest,  earliest  and  best  that  can  be  pro- 
duced in  our  Southern  country.  It  is  safe  to  surmise  that  at  this  point,  above 
Leesburg,  there  could  be  delivered,  as  raised  within  a  radius  of  eight  miles,  say, 
six  hundred  thousand  melons  annually,  and  ready  for  shipment  from  the  last  of 
May  on  to  the  end  of  July.  If  they  want  early  melons  in  Kansas,  or  as  far  north 
as  St.  Louis,  let  there  be  transportation  and  they  will  be  grown. 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  175 

Orange  Cullnrc. — Another  correspondent  *  of  the  American  gives  its  read- 
ers the  following  on  orange  culture,  which  is  a  large  and  profitable  business  in 
Cameron  parish : 

Last  year  you  published  an  able  and  instructive  article  on  "  Orange  Culture 
in  Southwest  Louisiana,"  from  the  pen  of  Hon.  James  Welsh,  of  Cameron 
parish.  He  wrote  from  thirty  years'  experience  in  growing  and  handling  oranges 
on  the  gulf  coast  of  Cameron  parish,  and  the  object  of  this  article  is  not  to 
differ  with  his  views,  but  rather  to  mention  some  additional  facts. 

Orange  seed  should  be  planted  when  removed  from  the  fruit,  or  soon  after- 
ward;  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  become  shriveled.  As  Mr.  Welch  says, 
they  should  be  the  largest  seed  from  the  best  fruit,  and  should  be  covered  by 
three  inches  of  soil.  The  seed  bed  can  hardly  be  too  highly  fertilized.  Mr. 
Welsh  says  the  trees  when  three  years  old  may  be  transplanted  from  the  nursery  . 
to  the  orchard.  That  age  is  perhaps  the  best  for  that  purpose,  yet  a  tree  six  or 
seven  years  old  may  be  transplanted  without  injury.  Victor  Touchy,  the  veteran 
orange  culturist,  of  Lake  Charles,  can  transplant  in  January  an  orange  tree  seven 
years  old,  which  will  bloom  the  next  month  and  bear  fruit  the  same  year.  I 
have  known  him  to  do  it,  and  he  will  guarantee  to  do  it. 

Mr.  Welsh  says  that  sixty-four  trees  on  one  acre  of  land,  at  seven  3-earsfrom 
planting,  will  afford  sufficient  fruit  for  domestic  purposes.  I  know  that  seven 
years  from  planting  the  seed  is  the  generally  accepted  period  in  Southwest  Louis- 
iana for  an  orange  tree  to  commence  bearing,  yet  there  are  numerous  instances 
in  Calcasieu,  Vermilion,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  Cameron,  parishes  where  orange 
trees  have  borne  well  developed  fruit  at  five  years  from  the  seed.  The  late  Dr. 
Wm.  H.  Kirkman,  of  Lake  Charles,  informed  me,  some  twelve  years  ago,  that 
the  largest  orange  tree  he  ever  saw  in  Calcasieu  parish,  and  which,  when  he  first 
saw  it,  was  bearing  at  least  three  thousand  oranges,  was  on  the  left  shore  of 
Prien's  or  Little  Lake,  about  four  miles  in  an  air  line  below  Lake  Charles;  and 
that  its  owner,  well  known  as  a  highly  respectable  and  truthful  resident  of  Cal- 
casieu parish,  assured  him  that  it  was  then  only  five  years  old  from  the  seed; 
that  the  seed  came  up  in  a  deserted  hog  pen,  and  the  tree  grew  so  rapidl}'  and 
luxuriantly  that  he  protected  it  by  fence  rails  from  his  farm  animals.  Mj^  friend 
Desire  Hebert,  of  Lake  Arthur,  which  is  bordered  by  Calcasieu  and  Vermilion 
parishes,  tells  me — and  I  have  seen  newspaper  communications  from  Lake  Ar- 
thur to  the  same  effect — that  orange  trees  at  Lake  Arthur  frequently  bear  at  five 
years  from  the  seed.  These  instances  prove  that  in  an  exceptionally  rich  soil, 
in  a  favorable  locality,  with  careful  culture,  a  man  may  have  on  one  acre  of  land 
oranges  for  market  as  well  as  for  domestic  use  at  five  and  six  years  from  the  seed. 

I  mention  this  because  Mr.  Welsh  says  that  from  sixty-four  trees,  on  one 
acre  of  land,  there  maybe  expected,  at  ten  years,  four  hundred  oranges  per  tree -, 

*George  H.  Wells. 


176  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

at  twenty  years,  three  thousand  oranges  per  tree;  and  at  thirty  years,  five  thou- 
sand oranges  per  tree.  His  estimate  was  probably  basedon  the  ordinary  methods 
of  orange  culture  on  tracts  of  land  embracing  several  acres  devoted  to  that  pur- 
pose. It  seems  evident  that  on  exceptionally  rich  land,  with  exceptionally  care- 
ful culture,  largely  better  results  may  be  obtained  in  much  less  time. 

Few  persons  except  orange  growers  have  any  idea  of  the  value  of  orange 
trees.  About  fifteen  years  ago  a  New  Orleans  newspaper  stated  that  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  bearing  orange  trees,  a  few  miles  below  New  Orleans,  refused  an 
offer  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  them,  and  sold  his  orange  crop  that  year  for 
seven  thousand  dollars.  Afterward  that  statement  was  verified  by  a  gentleman 
who  informed  me  he  had  visited  that  orange  grove,  and  knew  its  owner  person- 
ally. Again,  few  persons  are  aware  of  the  great  age  to  which  orange  trees  will 
,  continue  bearing.  In  Friedle3''s  Practical  Treatise  on  Business,  it  is  said  that 
there  is  a  bearing  orange  tree  in  Rome,  Italy,  known  to  be  over  three  hundred 
years  old.  The  orange  tree  has  great  vitality.  The  unprecedented  freezing 
weather  of  two  weeks'  duration  in  the  winter  of  1886-87  killed  to  the  ground  all 
the  orange  trees  in  Calcasieu  and  Cameron  parishes,  yet  in  both  parishes  hun- 
dreds of  trees  which  have  since  grown  up  from  the  roots  of  those  frozen  trees 
are  now  in  bloom,  and  some  of  them  bore  a  few  oranges  last  year,  though  many 
of  them  have  received  scarcely  any  cultivation. 

In  1868  I  was  informed  by  a  Galveston  dealer  that  Galveston  fruit  dealers 
alwaj's  paid  much  more  for  Calcasieu  than  for  other  oranges,  because  they 
were  larger,  more  juicy,  of  better  flavor,  and  better  endured  transportation 
and  exposure  in  open  market.  At  that  time  Calcasieu  embraced  all  of  what  is 
now  Cameron  parish  lying  between  the  Sabine  and  Mermentau  Rivers.  In  the 
winter  of  1866  I  gathered  from  trees  in  Lake  Charles,  and  at  the  Kayough  place, 
a  few  miles  below  Lake  Charles,  one  hundred  oranges,  nearly  all  of  which 
averaged  fifteen  inches  in  circumfrence. 

It  is  a  popular  idea,  and  Mr.  Welsh  holds  it,  that  an  orange  grove  should 
be  near  a  wide  river,  lake,  or  other  large  body  of  water.  Without  expressing 
an  opinion  on  that  point,  I  know  that  orange  and  other  fruit  trees  on  the  open 
prairie,  from  a  half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Charles,  were  always  less  affected  by  extremel}'  cold  weather  than  similar  trees 
on  the  banks  of  Lake  Charles  and  of  the  Calcasieu  River  ;  and  I  have  little  doubt 
that,  barring  very  hard  freezes,  which  rarely  occur  in  this  latitude,  the  orange 
may  be  cultivated  on  all  the  highlands  of  the  Calcasieu  and  Cameron  prairies, 
and  on  all  their  marsh  lands  when  reclaimed,  as  they  will  be,  as  far  as  from 
thirty  to  thirt\^-five  miles  in  an  air  line  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  early  completion  of  the  Kansas  Cit}',  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railroad,  now 
assured,  will  open  up  Northern  markets  for  Calcasieu  and  Cameron  oranges, 
accessible  in  two   and  three  days  from  shipment,  and  will  result  in  dotting  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  177 

Calcasieu  and  Cameron  prairies  with  orange  groves.  Purchasers,  as  generallj- 
heretofore,  will  buy  the  crop  on  the  trees,  months  before  it  ripens,  and  the 
grove  owners  will  save  the  time,  labor  and  expense  of  gathering  and  marketing 
the  fruit.  I  am.  confident  the  next  ten  years  will  witness  wonderful  progress 
in  orange  culture  in  Calcasieu  and  Cameron  parishes. 

The  cultivation  of  fruits  in  Cameron  is  one  of  its  great  industries,  and  per- 
haps always  will  be.  When  the  marsh  lands  are  reclaimed,  then  it  will  become 
also  a  great  rice-growing  region.  But  it  will  always  be  a  fruit  country.  When 
its  marsh  lands  are  reclaimed,  and  brought  into  market;  when  their  great  fer- 
tility and  healthfulness  are  made  known  to  the  outside  world,  then  will  the  tide 
of  immigration  be  turned  hitherward,  and  the  countr}'  become  thickly  settled. 
Pertinent  to  these  predictions,  a  great  writer,  with  vast  and  varied  experience  in 
settling  the  Western  country — and  the  same  applies  as  well  to  Southwest  Louis- 
iana— has  said : 

Whenever  a  new  country  comes  into  notice  and  available  occupancy,  there 
is  always  a  rush  of  people  made  up  of  three  classes.  Among  the  first  to  start 
are  many  uneasy,  visionary  people,  Micawber's  progeny,  who  instead  of  sitting 
still  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up,  keep  on  the  move,  expecting  to  find, 
somewhere,  something  already  turned  up,  fully  fitted  for  their  easy  and  com- 
fortable occupancy.  These  people  take  one  superficial  look  at  any  new  country, 
and  turn  right  about  homeward,  or  start  for  some  other  just  heard-of  region,  to 
be  in  like  manner  disappointed.  There  were  many  thousands  of  such  among 
the  early  visitors  to  the  rich  but  then  undeveloped  prairies  of  Illinois  and  Iowa. 
These  are  the  croakers  who  return  from  every  new  country  and  ventilate  their 
own  inefficiency  and  lack  of  pluck  in  the  newspapers. 

A  second  numerous  class  is  made  up  of  hard  working,  industrious  persons, 
anxious  to  improve  their  own  condition  and  that  of  their  families;  but  from  lack 
of  economy,  skill  or  judgment,  they  will  be  "ne'er-do-wells"  anywhere.  They 
stay  here  awhile,  there  awhile,  but  keep  on  the  move,  seldom  remaining  long  in 
any  place.  There  were  many  of  these  among  the  first  comers  in  all  the  best 
States  west  of  the  AUeghanies.  Large  numbers  of  both  the  above  classes  were 
waiting  on  the  borders  of  Oklahoma,  and  in  many  other  newly  developing  re- 
gions when  about  to  be  opened.  The  whole  Western  countrj^  was  overrun  by 
them  when  the  free  Homestead  Act  went  into  operation ;  they  are  mostl}^  worthy 
people  ;  the  trouble  is  in  their  inherited  make-up. 

The  genuine  pioneers  forming  the  third  class  have  not  only  ambition,  enter- 
prise, skill  and  economy,  but  faith  and  persistence.  When  such  people  came 
to  Illinois,  for  example,  and  found  blank  prairies,  a  tough  sod  to  be  broken, 
fuel  scarce,  supply  points  only  to  be  reached  by  days  of  pilgrimage  over  soft 
roads,  no  markets  for  their  products,  everything  forbidding  except  what  faith 
saw  underground,  they  buckled  down  to  work,  undismaj'ed  b}-  an}-  difficulties 


178  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

or  deprivations,  resolved  to  "turn  up  something"  wherever  they  chanced  to 
locate.  Tliese  or  their  children  are  largely  the  present  occupants  of  the  grand 
farming  regions  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Min- 
nesota, Missouri,  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Dakota.  They  are  thickly  scattered 
in  all  the  States  and  Territories  westward  to  the  Pacific.  There  is  plenty  of 
room  yet  for  scores  of  millions  of  this  class,  despite  all  the  evil  reports  constantly 
coming  back  from  the  class  of  pioneers  first  above  described. 

There  are  on  this  continent  no  natural  Arcadias — no  places  were  the  pioneer 
will  not  find  many  sacrifices  and  deprivations,  and  much  hard  work  to  be  done. 
There  are  few  places  where  persistent  effort  and  stick-to-it-iveness  will  not 
succeed,  if  combined  with  a  reasonable  amount  of  what  may  be  called  "calcula- 
tion." There  is  no  place  where  the  earlier  settlers  will  not  meet  with  many 
disappointments  in  the  first  years,  with  bad  seasons,  droughts  and  prolonged 
storms,  poor  crops  alternating  with  the  good  ones,  or  with  swarms  of  destructive 
insects,  etc.  It  was  so  in  Eastern  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  now  fertile  garden 
farms;  it  was  so  even  in  Illinois  and  Iowa;  it  was  so,  and  still  is  partly  so,  in 
Minnesota  and  Dakota,  in  Montana,  and  in  all  the  region  westward.  Noplaces 
will  ever  be  found  perfect.  But  those  who  stick  their  stakes  deeply  down 
almost  anywhere,  except  in  actual  natural  deserts,  and  keep  at  it,  will  in  the  end 
be  victors.  ^ 

Tlie  completion  of  the  Kansas  Cit}^  Watkins  &  Gulf  Railroad  will,  doubt- 
less, have  a  great  effect  on  the  development  of  Cameron  parish.  Mr.  J.  B. 
Watkins,  who  is  building  the  road,  has  bc*ight,  it  is  said,  most  of  the  marsh 
lands,  and  when  his  road  is  completed,  will  then  turn  his  attention  to  developing 
and  bringing  them  into  market.  Mr.  Watkins  is  doing  a  great  work  for  this 
particular  section  of  the  country,  as  well  as  for  all  Southwest  Louisiana,  and 
should  be  supported  and  assisted  by  the  people  in  his  work. 

Upon  the  advantages,  climate  and  capabilities  of  this  wonderful  countr}', 
an  enthusiast  on  the  subject  thus  sings  its  praises:  "Where  have  we  the  most 
even  climate  and  the  cheapest  protection  against  extremes?  I  answer,  confi- 
dently, the  coast  line  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  One  season  merges  almost  imper- 
ceptibly into  another;  extreme  heat  and  cold,  about  seventy  degrees,  and  climatic 
changes  very  gradual,  about  twenty  degrees,  covers  the  changes  of  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  five  to  ten  degrees  from  month  to  month.  Corn  can  be  planted 
from  February  to  July,  and  gardens  made  from  January  to  November,  and  fuel 
and  lumber  at  nominal  prices;  wool  and  cotton  at  lowest  price,  stock  of  all 
kinds  roam  over  the  prairies  at  will,  and  are  never  fed  by  the  hand  of  man. 

"The  cereals  here  require  the  same  labor  as  further  north,  but  at  a  more  sea- 
sonable time.  Fall  sown  crops  mature  and  are  harvested  in  May,  while  sugar, 
cotton,  hay  and  rice  are  harvested  from  August  to  Januarj*.     There  is  Httle  to  do 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


179 


during  the  heated  term.  And  for  fruits,  delicious  fruits,  luxuries  of  Hfe,  neces- 
sities of  health,  solace  of  our  leisure  hours.  Where  are  our  orchards  to-day? 
Follow  the  coast  line  and  you  will  see  nearly  all.  The  peach  king  of  the  world, 
Parnell,  of  Georgia;  and  for  pears,  Thomasville,  of  same  State;  for  tropical  and 
semi-tropical  fruits  the  coast  line  alone,  while  figs,  apricots,  prunes,  olives, 
grapes,  pomegranates  and  berries  are  in  abundance.  Go  to  the  coast  for  fish, 
oysters,  game,  sugar,  rice,  cotton,  corn,  tobacco  and  textile  fabrics.  Walnuts, 
pecans,  almonds  and  most  nut  bearing  trees.  It's  eminently  a  tree  bearing 
country — a  prairie  only  by  accident." 

The  professions  in  Cameron  parish  have  but  a  brief  history  Physicians 
do  not  like  to  stay  long  in  the  parish;  the  people  are  too  much  scattered,  and  it 
requires  too  much  riding,  and  that  over  a  marsh  country  to  visit  them.  Besides, 
the  population  is  sparse  and  the  climate  extremely  healthy,  or  as  a  gentleman 
expressed  it — "The  country  is  distressingly  healthful."  At  present  there  are 
two  practising  physicians  in  the  parish,  and  only  one  lawyer. 

The  religious  and  educational  facilities  of  the  parish  are  excellent.  There 
are  four  churches.  One  Catholic  church;  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
South,  has  buildings,  and  the  Baptist  church  has  one.  These  are  all  sup- 
plied with  ministers  and  regular  services  are  held  in  them. 

There  are  ten  public  school  houses  in  the  parish,  and  schools  are  taught  for 
the  usual  length  of  time  each  year.  There  are  several  schools  carried  on  in 
private  buildings  each  year,  in   addition  to  the  public  schools. — Perrin. 


12 


CHAPTER  Vil. 

Lafayi^tte  Parish — General  Description— Darby's  Opinion — Geology 
AND  Soils — Beau  Basin — The  Cote  Gelee  Hills — Products,  Etc. — 
Stock  Raising — Health  of  the  Parish — Early  Settlement — The 
MouTONS — Other  Pioneers — A  Character — An  Incident  —  Lafay- 
ette Parish  Created — Characteristics — Lafayette  vs.  Vermil- 
lONviLLE — The  Acadians — Railroads — Schools,  Etc. —  Bench  and 
Bar — District  and  Parish'Judges — Present  Bar — Medical  Profes- 
sion— Board  of  Health — War  Record — The  Town  of  Lafayette 
— Railroad  Shipments — Carencro — Other  Towns — Queue  Tortus 
Section — General  Summary,  Etc. 


JT^/OAFAYETTE  PARISH,  the  smallest  of  what  are  known  as  the  Attakapas 
($f  parishes,  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  lies  just  north  of  the  thirtietli  degree  of 
c/  latitude  and  on  the  fifteenth  meridian  of  longitude  west  from  Washing- 
ton—  its  southern  boundary  being  within  thirty  miles  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
It  measures  twenty-four  miles  at  it  widest  by  sixteen  miles  at  its  narrowest  limits 
and  has  an  area  of  tliree  hundred  square  miles.  The  entire  surface  of  the  parish, 
excluding  the  forest  growth  along  its  streams,  is  prairie;  and  except  where  it  is 
under  cultivation  is  covered  with  a  rich,  luxuriant  and  highly  nutritious  grass 
that  affords  abundant  food  for  the  hundreds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses  that  feed 
upon  it  the  year  round.  The  prairies  are  everywhere  beautifully  interepersed 
with  large,  round  ponds,  or  natural  pools  of  clear,  wholesome  water,  that  furnish 
an  unfailing  supply  for  stock  at  all  seasons. 

The  homes  of  the  inhabitants  are  marked  bj-  beautiful  groves  or  "islands" 
of  shade  and  ornamental  trees  of  se\'eral  acres  in  extent,  that  furnish  shade  and 
firewood  to  the  owners,  and  give  to  the  prairie  a  mottled  appearance  that  is 
exceedingly  picturesque  and  attractive.  The  Vermilion  River,  a  stream  navi- 
gable for  steamboats  the  year  round,  running  north  and  south,  divides  the 
parish  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  while  the  railroad  from  New  Orleans  to 
Houston,  Texas,  running  from  east  to  west,  makes  a  second  or  subdivision,  thus 
rendering  ready  and  convenient  transportation  to  every  section  of  the  parish. 
East  of  the  Vermilion  River  and  along  Morgan's  Louisiana  &  Texas  Railroad 
the  surface  of  the  country  is  quite  rolling,  often  culminating  in  hills  of  consider- 
able size,  which  are  locally  known  as  "Cote  Gelee"  hills;   southward  the  surface 


182  SOUTHWEST  L  OVJSIANA 

gradually  undulates  into  the  broad  level  prairies  that  extend  to  the  gulf.  The 
greater  portion  of  these  hills  is  devoted  to  agriculture  and  is  exceedingly 
productive,  while  the  level  lands,  though  no  less  fertile,  are  used  principally 
for  stock  raising.  Immediately  west  of  the  Vermilion  River  and  along  Mor- 
gan's Railroad  to  Opelousas  and  northward,  lies  a  section  of  country 
which,  for  picturesque  beauty,  magnificent  scenery  and  exhaustless  fer- 
tility, is  perhaps  not  surpassed  by  any  other  section  of  equal  extent,  either  in 
this  or  in  any  other  State.  This  is  known  as  "Beau  Basin,"  and  embraces  an 
area  of  a  score  or  more  square  miles  of  as  desirable  lands  as  ever  Providence 
provided  for  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  man.  The  surface  is  high  and  beauti- 
fully undulating,  merging  by  gentle  gradation  westward  into  the  vast  level 
prairies  that  reach  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  parish.  South  of  the  Louisiana 
Western  Railroad  and  west  of  the  Vermilion  River,  to  the  Queue  Tortue  Bayou, 
the  western  boundary  of  the  parish,  lie  the  great  pasture  lands  of  the  parish; 
nearly  level,  and  covered  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  with  a  luxuriant  grass  that 
seems  as  exhaustless  as  it  is  nutritious.  This  section  offers  inducements  to  men 
of  moderate  means  for  profitable  stock  raising  not  equaled  by  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  State.* 

Mr.  Darby,  in  his  historj'  of  Louisiana,  written  in  1S17,  has  this  to  say  of 
the  Vermilion  River  and  the  lands  through  which  it  flows: 

"  The  two  vast  prairies,  known  by  the  names  of  the  Opelousas  and  Attaka- 
pas,  extend  themselves  on  each  side  of  the  Vermilion,  through  its  whole  traverse, 
from  its  entrance  into  Attakapas  to  its  egress  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  miles.  Wood  is  much  more  abundant  on  the  Vermilion 
than  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Teche,  and  though  the  soil  may  be  inferior  in 
fertility,  it  is,  nevertheless,  excellent,  and  the  quantity  greater  on  an  equal  extent 
of  river.  There  are  at  least  eighty  miles  of  the  banks  of  the  Vermilion,  which 
have  an  e.xtension  backward  two  miles,  which  afford  three  hundred  and  twenty 
superficial  miles,  or  two  hundred  and  four  thousand  and  eight  hundred  acres. 

"Some  of  the  most  beautiful  settlements  yet  made  in  Attakapas  are  upon 
this  river.  From  the  diversity  in  soil  and  elevation  there  is  no  risk  in  giving 
the  preference  in  beauty  of  appearance  to  the  banks  of  the  Vermilion  over  any 
other  river  in  Louisiana  south  of  Bayou  Boeuf .  If  situations  favorable  to  health, 
united  to  the  most  agreeable  prospects,  which  are  bounded  by  the  horizon, 
should  be  sought  after;  were  taste  to  select  sites  for  buildings,  its  research  would 
here  be  requited,  and  be  gratified  by  the  breezes  which  come  direct  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  Fancy  itself  could  not  form  a  more  delightful  range  than  the 
Carencro  and  Cote  Gelee  settlements.     On  leaving  the  dead  level  of  the  Teche, 

•  Lafayette  Advertiser. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  183 

or  the  almost  flat  extension  of  the  Opelousas  prairie,  the  eye  is  perfectly  en- 
chanted. 

"  If  a  bold  extent  of  view  can  give  vigor  to  the  imagination;  if  the  increase 
of  the  power  of  the  intellect  bear  any  proportion  to  the  sweep  of  the  eye,  upon 
one  of  those  eminences  ought  a  seat  of  learning  to  be  established.  There  the 
youthful  valetudinarian  of  the  North  wouJd,  in  the  warm,  soft,  and  vivifying  air 
of  the  South,  find  his  health  restored  and  his  soul  enlarged.  Astonishing  as  it 
may  sound  to  many,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  this,  together  with  the  range 
of  hills  from  Opelousas,  rs  the  most  healthy  and  agreeable  near  the  alluvial 
lands  of  Louisiana." 

About  one-eighth  of  the  surface  of  Lafaj^ette  is  swamp  and  timbered  land; 
the  balance  is  prairie  and  is  highly  productive.  Fields  which  have  been  in 
cultivation  for  more  than  seventy  years,  principally  in  cotton  and  corn,  are  still 
fertile.  The  geological  description  of  the  soil  in  Lafayette  parish  is  that  it  is 
light,  loamy,  mixed  with  sand.  It  is  generally  about  twelve  inches  deep.  It 
rests  on  a  cla\'  subsoil,  which  is  rich  in  plant  food,  like  all  the  other  parishes  in 
Southwest  Louisiana.  The  fertile  properties  of  the  subsoil  are  only  developed 
by  exposure  to  the  sun  and  mixing  with  surface  soil.  By  ploughing  in  a  crop 
of  pease  occasionally,  the  richness  of  this  soil  would  be  perpetual.  Two 
"Creole  ponies"  (small  native  horses)  are  sufficient  to  "break  up"  the  lands 
and  one  will  do  the  subsequent  cultivation.  Indeed  this  is  the  general  custom 
among  the  farmers,  the  team  meanwhile  subsisting  almost  entirely  on  the  native 
grasses.  The  lands  do  not  "wash,"  as  is  so  often  the  case  in  other  localities, 
'  thus  rendering  them  susceptible  of  unlimited  improvement.  Some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  -permanence  of  the  soil  when  it  is  stated  that  many  farms  in  this 
parish  have  been  in  cultivation  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  consecutively — 
some  even  for  fifty  years — without  rest,  rotation  or  recuperation,  and  are  yet 
yielding  remunerative  crops.  While  this  system  of  cultivation  is  greatly  to  be 
deprecated,  the  statement  serves  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
lands  if  put  under  a  judicious  system  of  cultivation. 

Beau  Basin. — This  place,  called  by  the  earlj^  Acadian  settlers  "  Pritty 
Basin,"  is  a  beautiful  spot,  where  a  stream  forms  nearly  a  circle,  surrounded  by 
hills  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  and  the  whole  studded  with  magnificent 
live-oaks.  Says  the  late  Mr.  Dennett  in  his  book:  "  It  is  twelve  miles  from 
Vermilionville  (Lafayette),  to  the  Carencro  crossing,  and  about  four  miles  from 
the  road  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  parish.  The  lands  near  Vermilionville 
are  nearly  level,  but  produce  well.  A  few  miles  north,  between  the  roads  and 
the  bayous,  the  surface  becomes  beautifully  rolling. 

"The  gentle    slopes    and    long,  tortuous  ravines   maybe   ranked  with    the 


184  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

most  beautiful  landscape  scenery  in  Attakapas.  Here  we  find  some  of  the 
pleasantest  building  sites  in  this  enchanting  country.  The  swells  are  like  the 
heaving  bosom  of  the  ocean  after  a  storm.  Descending  into  the  ravines,  one 
feels  as  though  he  was  in  a  trough  of  the  sea,  soon  to  rise  up  again  on  the 
mountain  wave  and  look  out  on  the  green  ocean.  The  cottages  of  the  farmers 
are  many  of  them  neat  and  comfortable.  The  green  pastures,  fat  cattle  and 
fine  fields  of  cotton  and  corn,  in  their  proper  season,  indicate  a  rich  soil  and  a 
prosperous  population.  Shade  trees  and  clumps  of  timber  add  greatly  to  the 
beauty  of  the  scenery.  The  fields  are  generally  enclosed  with  nice  fencing  of  cy- 
press and  the  lands  were  formerly  pretty  well  ditched.  The  country  is  airy  and 
pleasant  and  it  is  extremely  healthful,  as  will  be  shown  further  on." 

The  Cote  Gelee  hills  form  a  rather  picturesque  spot  in  this  parish.  They 
form  a  section  about  twelve  miles  across,  lying  on  the  road  from  Vermilionville  to 
New  Iberia  and  between  the  Bayou  Tortue  and  Vermilion  River.  The  soil  is  rich 
and  productive,  the  country  beautifully  rolling  and  undulating,  with  deeper  ravines 
and  higher  swells  than  in  Beau  Basin.  The  farmers  are  thrifty.  Pretty  dwell- 
ing houses  are  seen  in  every  direction,  almost  hidden  in  groves  of  lelima  trees, 
and  many  of  the  landscape  views  are  beautiful.  The  country  is  open,  airy  and 
healthful.  It  is  admirably  drained  ;  the  soil  is  rich  and  mixed  with  enough  sand 
and  vegetable  loam  to  make  it  easy  of  cultivation.  No  portion  of  the  South  en- 
joys better  health  than  this  immediate  section. 

The  Cote  Gelee  hills  received  their  name  from  the  following  circumstance: 
Cote  Gelee,  in  English,  means  frozen,  and  it  is  related  that  the  neighborhood 
took  that  name  from  the  scarcity  of  timber  growing  there  when  first  known  to 
the  whites,  and  in  consequence  of  which  the  early  settlers  sometimes  suffered 
with  cold.     Hence,  Cote  Gelee,  or  Frozen  Hills. 

Products  of  the  Parish. — On  the  subject  of  the  products  of  this  parish  the 
Lafayette  Advertiser  descants  as  follows: 

The  staple  products  of  the  soil  are  cotton,  corn,  cane  and  rice,  while  pota- 
toes, peas,  pumpkins,  melons,  etc.,  are  produced  in  greatest  abundance.  Vege- 
tables of  all  kinds  grow  remarkably  well  and  of  enormous  size.  Indeed,  a  very 
profitable  business  could  be  established  almost  anywhere  along  the  lines  of  rail- 
roads through  this  parish  in  raising  vegetables  for  the  New  Orleans  and  Houston 
markets.  Irish  potatoes  especially  could  be  thus  raised  most  profitably,  as  they 
are  grown  here  in  the  greatest  perfection,  making  two  full  crops  annually,  and 
are  not  subject  to  any  known  disaster. 

Owing  to  indifferent  cultivation  the  average  yield  of  cotton  is  not  more 
than    half  a  bale  to  the  acre,   but  there  is  no  reason  why  twice  that  amount 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  \%b 

should  not  be  raised  on  every  acre  planted — some  farmers  making  even  more 
than  that  amount  in  propitious  seasons.  The  average  production  of  corn  can 
safely  be  put  down  at  twenty  bushels  to  the  acre,  while  many  planters  double 
this  quantity  annually. 

This  is  the  proper  latitude  for  cane,  and  but  for  the  scarcity  of  fuel,  away 
from  the  water  courses,  would  be  the  leading  staple  product  of  the  soil.  Cane  is 
as  easily  cultivated  as  Indian  corn,  but  owing  to  this  scarcity  of  fuel,  its  cultiva- 
tion, to  the  present  time,  has  been  confined  mostly  to  lands  adjacent  to  timber; 
though  many  farmers  raise  enough  to  make  their  sugar  and  syrup  for  family  use> 
after  deducting  one-half  as  toll  for  its  manufacture.  Since  the  advent  of  rail- 
roads, however,  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  central  mills  will  be  erected  soon  by 
capitalists  in  different  sections  of  the  parish,  for  the  manufacture  of  sugar  on 
equitable  terms  to  small  farmers,  and  thereby  in  a  few  years  develop  this,  the 
most  remunerative  crop  grown  on  our  soil.  One  and  a  half  hogsheads  of  sugar 
per  acre  is  considered  an  average  yield. 

Owing  to  the  enormous  cost  of  machinery  for  preparing  rice  for  market 
it  has  not  been  cultivated  heretofore  for  exportation.  An  abundance  is  raised- 
for  home  consumption  without  the  labor  of  cultivation,  the  practice  being  with 
a  small  ditch  to  drain  any  convenient  j^pnd  that  happens  to  be  within  one's 
enclosure,  plough,  sow  the  seed,  and  close  the  drain  to  retain  subsequent  rains 
and  gather  what  is  needed  for  family  use  at  harvest  time.  In  this  simple  and  inex- 
pensive way  every  farmer's  table  is  abundantly  supplied  with  as  good  and 
wholesome  rice  as  can  be  found  in  the  markets  of  the  world.  A  first  class  rice 
mill  located  at  the  parish  site  would  stimulate  this  industry  into  marvelous  pro- 
portions, and  at  the  same  time  prove  a  safe  and  lucrative  investment  to  the 
capital  thus  invested.  Twenty-five  bushels  of  rough  rice  per  acre  might  be 
relied  on  as  an  average  yield.  It  is  confidentl}'  predicted  that  this  branch  of 
agriculture  will  in  the  near  future  become  a  source  of  immense  revenue  to  the 
parish. 

The  following  is  given  as  the  crop  raised  by  a  single  white  man  in  Lafay- 
ette parish  in  one  year:  "He  cultivated  fourteen  arpents  and  made  eight  and 
a  half  bales  of  cotton  and  450  bushels  of  corn.  He  paid  but  $17  for  help 
during  the  season.  Two  negroes  on  the  same  plantation  the  same  year  made 
five  bales  of  cotton  apiece  and  about  300  bushels  of  corn  apiece.  Francis. 
Como  made  nine  bales  of  cotton  and  plenty  of  corn  for  all  domestic  purposes, 
and  almost  entirel}-  without  help.  Three  men  cultivated  eighty  arpents  of  land, 
with  four  Creole  mules  and  two  Creole  ponies.  Nearly  half  of  the  field  labor 
of  the  parish  is  now  performed  by  white  men.  Before  the  war  about  seven- 
eighths  was  performed  by  slaves.  The  best  yield  of  corn  per  acre  is  about  sixty 
bushels ;  of  sweet  potatoes,  about  300  bushels." 


186  SO UTH  WEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

Upon  stock,  raising  in  the  parish,  the  Advertiser  has  this  to  say: 

Thus  far  in  the  history  of  the  parish,  stock  raising  has  been  more  certain, 
satisfactory  and  profitable  than  any  other  pursuit — cattle  and  horses  being  the 
principal  stock  raised  for  market.  These  are  raised  with  little  risk  and  no 
expense  to  owners,  save  the  labor  of  branding  and  marking — being  kept  the 
year  round  on  native  grasses  upon  open  lands,  without  a  dollar's  expense  for 
feeding  or  pasturage.  Nearly  every  farmer  owns  a  herd  of  cattle,  that  furnish 
him  not  only  milk  and  meat,  for  family  use,  but  quite  a  revenue  also,  in  the 
annual  sales  of  calves  and  yearlings,  which  bring  good  prices  on  the  prairies, 
for  the  New  Orleans  market. 

Good  and  durable  horses  are  raised  without  expense  or  trouble  in  the  same 
way.  These  horses,  though  small  and  inferior,  are,  nevertheless,  very  hard 
and  durable — serving  all  the  purposes  of  the  farm — and  can  be  bouglit  in  any 
numbers  at  very  moderate  prices. 

Hogs  also  thrive  well  here,  but,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  curing  and  saving 
^acon,  little  attention  is  paid  to  them,  further  than  keeping  enough  to  furnish 
lard,  and,  occasionally,  fresh  pork  for  home  consumption. 

Sheep  husbandry  is  still  in  its  infancy;  though  enough  has  already  been 
done  to  take  the  business  out  of  the  domain  of  experiment  and  place  it  safely 
upon  the  basis  of  an  established  industr}';  and  is  already  paying  the  few  thus 
engaged  in  it  handsome  and  remunerative  returns. 

A  judicious  system  of  crossing  imported  stock  on  the  native  breeds  of  all 
kinds  would  add  greatly  to  the  wealth  of  this  business.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, little  attention  has  been  bestowed  in  this  direction  heretofore  by  owners,  and 
the  stock  of  the  country,  in  consequence,  is  much  inferior  in  grade  to  what  the 
natural  advantages  and  conditions  justify. 

The  market  price  of  stock  cattle,  in  herds,  is  about  ten  dollars  per  head, 
including  calves  under  one  year  old,  not  counted.  Cows  with  calves  can  be 
really  bought  for  fifteen  dollars  to  twenty  dollars,  according  to  quality — the  latter 
figure  being  the  ruling  price  for  choice  animals.  Beeves  sell  for  twelve  dollars 
to  twenty  dollars.  Work  oxen,  well  broken  to  field  or  road,  demand  forty  dol- 
lars to  fifty  dollars  per  yoke. 

Stock  horses,  in  droves,  can  be  had  for  eight  dollars  to  twelve  dollars. 
Well  broke  horses  sell  for  twenty  dollars  to  fifty  dollars — while  a  few  that  are 
choice  for  the  saddle  or  harness  command  a  higher  figure. 

Hogs  have  little  market  value,  being  plentiful  and  cheap. 

Sheep  can  be  bought  at  one  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  and  a  half  per 
head,  in  sufficient  numbers  to  begin  the  business  on  a  small  scale — not  being 
many  for  sale. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  187 

Before  closing  this  subject,  it  might  serve  to  demonstrate  the  profitableness 
of  stock  raising,  to  give  a  simple  illustration  of  what  is  being  done  here  con- 
stantly by  stockmen :  A  good  brood  cow  is  bought  for  twelve  dollars  to  fifteen 
dollars,  which  yields  almost  certainly  a  calf  annually.  This  calf,  at  six  or  eight 
months  old,  brings  just  as  certainly  five  dollars  to  eight  dollars  on  the  prairie, 
without  one  dollar  of  expense. 

These  prices  are  based  on  actual  sales  made  throughout  the  parish  and  may 
be  verified  at  any  time  by  those  seeking  investment. 

The  good  health  of  Lafayette  parish  is  shown  in  stock  as  well  as  in  the  peo- 
ple. Horses,  cattle,  mules,  hogs,  etc.,  are  generally  healthy;  no  blind  staggers, 
murrain  or  hog  cholera.  Bees  thrive  well  in  the  parish.  The  China  and  Catalpa 
trees  grow  rapidly,  make  fine  shade  trees  and  excellent  firewood  from  the  yearly 
trimmings  of  the  China  groves.  Close  pruning  does  not  injure  these  trees. 
Limbs  grow  out  ten  feet  long  and  as  large  as  a  man's  arm  in  a  single  year.  They 
are  easily  propagated  from  seed. 

The  healthfulness  of  this  section  is  no  matter  of  wonder  when  we  come  to 
consider  the  wonderful  climate,  which  is  here  exceedingly  temperate,  the  ther- 
mometer rarely  going  below  freezing  in  winter,  and  snow  is  seldom  seen.  The 
evidence  of  the  mildness  of  our  winters  is  the  fact  that  cattle  which  run  at  large 
over  the  prairies,  unfed  and  unprotected,  remain  fat  and  marketable  all  winter. 
In  summer  the  thermometer  seldom  goes  above  ninety  degrees,  and  the  heat  is 
always  tempered  by  the  cool,  refreshing  breezes  from  the  gulf,  rendering  the 
climate  altogether  free  from  that  sultriness  so  much  complained  of  in  other  local- 
ities, even  of  the  same  latitude.  The  nights  here  in  summer  are  truly  delightful, 
being  always  cool  and  invigorating  and  requiring  a  light  covering  for  the  sleeper's 
comfort.  This  is  a  wonderful  as  well  as  agreeable  surprise  to  those  accustomed 
to  spending  their  summers  in  the  interior. 

Early  Settlements. — The  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  Lafayette  parish  were 
Acadians,  and  came  with  the  first  influx  of  those  people  from  Nova  Scotia  to 
Louisiana.  An  historical  sketch  is  given  of  the  Acadians  in  a  preceding  chapter 
of  this  work,  and  to  it  the  reader  is  referred.  With  the  ancient  Acadians  were 
mingled  a  few  immigrants  direct  from  France.  The  first  white  settlers  here  lo- 
cated in  the  Carencro  district,  and  in  the  Cote  Gelee  Hills,  along  the  Vermilion 
River.  As  early  as  1770  Andrew  Martin  took  up  land  in  what  is  now  the  third 
ward  of  this  parish,  though  he  had  been  in  the  country  several  years  before. 
There  is  not  much  doubt  but  that  he  was  the  first  white  man  in  this  immediate 
section.  He  was  a  strange  compound  of  white  man  by  birth  and  Indian  by 
adoption,  so  far  as  living  among  them  and  of  hiring  them  to  herd  his  cattle.  He 
was  an  exile  from  his  native  Acadia.     He  hunted  in  the  Indian  chase,  talked  in 


188 


SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 


their  dialect,  and  when  they  attempted  too  much  familiarity  he  slew  them,  and 
his  good  wife  was  as  brave  a  man  as  himself,  as  the  following  incident  will 
show : 

Mr.  Martin  was  a  large  stock  raiser,  his  flocks  covering  thousands  of  acres 
of  the  prairie  lands,  and  he  often  hired  Indians  to  herd  them.  Once  when  he 
was  sick  in  bed,  attended  by  his  good  wife,  an  Indian  came  to  his  cabin  and 
asked  for  "Tafia,"  meaning  whiskey.  Mrs.  Martin  refused  to  let  him  have  it, 
but  he  swore  by  the  "graves  of  his  fathers"  that  he  would  have  Tafia  or  he  would 
kill  the  sick  man,  and,  drawing  a  large,  ugly-looking  knife,  made  at  him.  But 
the  "pale  faced  squaw"  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  She  seized,  from  the  mortar 
standing  near,  the  heavy  pestle  used  to  crack  the  corn  for  their  coarse  bread, 
and  struck  the  savage  a  terrific    blow,  which 'crushed  his  skull,  killing  him  on 

the  spot. 

Mr.  Martin  has  left  many  descendants  in  the  parish  where  he  lived  out  a 
long  fife,  who  are  among  the  most  respectable  people.  Hon.  M.  C.  Martin,  who 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Legislature  several  terms,  and  also  the  present  clerk 
of  the  court,  are  descendants  of  the  old  pioneer. 

John  and  Marin  Mouton  settled  in  Carencro  district  during  the  decade,  per- 
haps, of  1760.  They  were  the  sons  of  Salvator  Mouton,  an  exiled  Acadian, 
who  settled,  it  is  thought,  in  Pointe  Coupee  parish,  about  1737.  John  Mouton 
had  been  trading  with  the  Indians  and  was  greatly  beliked  by  them,  as  he  always, 
dealt  fairly.  He  wore  a  homespun  Cafuchon  (cap)  made  of  wool,  of  a  yellow 
color  and  knit  by  hand.  His  brother  wore  a  chapeau  (hat),  and  his  descend- 
ants to  this  day  are  called  "  Chapeaux  Moutons." 

John  Mouton  wag  a  remarkable  man  in  many  respects,  large  of  stature, 
good-natured,  never  got  angry,  and  treated  everybody  well.  He  was  iUiterate, 
but  not  ignorant,  but  of  a  very  philosophical  turn  of  mind,  never  allowed  any- 
thing to  disturb  his  social  or  mental  equilibrium.  It  is  said  he  never  whipped  a 
"  nicfger"  in  his  life,  something  that  could  be  said,  perhaps,  of  few  of  his  con- 
temporaries, though  he  owned  many  slaves.  He  used  to  buy  all  the  negroes 
that  ran  away  from  their  owners  and  took  refuge  in  the  swamps.  As  soon  as 
they  learned  he  had  bought  them  they  immediately  would  come  out  to  him. 
When  the  parish  was  organized  he  donated  land  for  various  purposes,  both  pub- 
lic and  private.  He  left  a  large  family,  and  among  them  are  many  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  professional  men  of  the  country. 

The  Babineaux  were  also  early  settlers  in  Carencro  district.  The  Breaux 
settled  near  where  Lafayette  stands.  The  Thibodeaux  settled  in  the  Frozen 
Hills,  also  Gaurhept  Broussard  dit  BeausoHel.  He  attained  the  appellation  of 
"  Beausoliel"  on  account  of  his  smiling  face  and  tlie  genial  expression  with 
which  he  met  everybody.  He  was  commissioned  Captain  Commandant  of  the 
Attakapas  district  in  1765.     Following  is  a  copy  of  his  original  commission: 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


189 


COMMISSION  DE  CAPITAINE  COMMAN- 
DANT DE  MILICE  POUR  LE  NOMME 
GAURHEPT  BROUSSARD,    DIT 
BEAUSOLEIL. 

Charles  Philipe  Aiibry,  Chevalier  de  L'ordre 
Royale  et  Militaire  de  St.  Louis,  Comman- 
dant pour  le  Roy  de  la  Province  de  la  Lou- 
isiane. 

Attendu  les  preuves  de  valeur,  de  fidelite  et 
d'attachement  pour  le  service  du  Roy  que  le 
nomme  Gaurhept  Broussard,  dit  Beau  Soleil, 
Acadien,  a  donne  dans  differentes  occasions, 
et  les  t^moignages  honorahles  que  Mr.  le 
Marquis  de  Vaudreuil,  et  autres  gouverneurs- 
generaux  du  Canada  luy  ont  accorde  en  consi- 
deration de  ses  blessures,  et  de  son  courage 
dont  il  a  donn6  des  preuves  autentiques  dans 
differentes  affaires  centre  les  ennemis  de  sa 
majeste.  Nous  I'etablissons  Capitaine  de  Mi- 
lice  et  Commandant  des  Acadiens  qui  sont 
venu  avec  lui  d'Angleterre  et  qui  vont  s'etablir 
sur  la  terre  des  Acutapas,  ne  doutant  point  qu'il 
ne  se  corrporte  toujours  avec  le  meme  z&le,  et 
la  meme  fidelity  pour  le  service  du  Roy,  et  etant 
persuade  qu'il  montrera  toujours  il  ses  compa- 
triotes  le  bon  exemple  pour  la  sagesse,  la  vertu, 
la  religion,  et  I'attachement  pour  son  prince. 
Enjoignons  aux  susdits  habitants  Acadiens  de 
luy  obeir,  et  entendre  S,  tout  ce  qu'il  leurs  com- 
mandera  pour  le  service  du  Roy  sous  peine  de 
desobeissance. 

Mandons  aux  officiers  des  troupes  entretenus 
en  cette  province  de  faire  reconnaitre  le  dit 
Gaurhept  Broussard,  dit  Beau  Soleil,  en  la  dite 
qualite  de  Capitaine  Commandant  des  Acadiens 
qui  vont  s'etablir  aux  Acutapas  de  tous  ceux 
et  ainsy  qu'il  appartiendra.  En  foy  de  quoy 
nous  avons  signe  ces  presentes  et  a  celle  fait 
opposer  le  sceau  de  nos  armes  et  contresigne 
par  notre  secretaire,  3,  la  Nouvelle-Orl^ans  en 
notre  hotel,  le  S  avril,   1765. 

[S'gne]  AUBRY.    ,  ,— -— v , 

Consignee  par  J  Sceau  \ 

MONSEIGNEUR  JoUKIE.  ^  > r~^  ' 

Copii  far  y.  O.  Broussard. 


COMMISSION  OF   CAPTAIN  COMMAND- 
ANT  OF   MILITIA  FOR  THE   HERE 
NAMED  GAURHEPT  BROUSSARD 
SURNAMED  BEAU   SOLEIL. 
Charles    Philipe    Aubry,    Knight  of  the  Royal 
and  Military  Order  of  St.  Louis,  Command- 
ant for  the  King  of  the  Province  of  Louis- 
iana: 

In  view  of  the  proofs  of  valor,  fidelity  and 
attachment  in  the  service  of  the  King  which 
the  herein  named  Gaurhept  Brous»ard,  sur- 
named  Beau  Soleil,  Acadian,  has  given  on  dif- 
ferent occasions,  and  of  the  honorable  testi- 
monials which  the  Marquis  of  Vaudreuil  and 
other  Governors  General  of  Canada,  have  ac- 
corded him  in  consideration  of  his  wounds 
and  of  the  courage  which  he  has  given  proof  of 
in  different  affairs  against  the  enemies  of  his 
Majesty.  We  appoint  him  Captain  of  Militia 
and  Commandant  of  the  Acadians,  who  have 
come  with  him  trom  England  to  settle  on  the 
land  of  the  Acutapas;  having  no  doubt  that 
he  will  always  comport  himself  with  the  same 
zeal,  and  the  same  fidelity,  in  the  service  of  the 
King;  and  being  persuaded  that  he  will  always 
show  his  fellow  countrymen  a  good  example 
in  wisdom,  virtue  and  religion,  and  attachment 
for  his  Prince.  We  enjoin  on  the  herein  men- 
tioned Acadian  inhabitants  to  obey  him,  and 
lend  an  ear  to  all  which  he  will  command  them 
in  the  service  of  the  King,  under  penalty  of 
disobedience. 

We  direct  the  officers  of  the  troops  kept  in 
this  Province  to  have  the  said  Gaurhept  Brous- 
sard, surnamed  Beau  Soleil,  recognized  in 
designated  capacity  of  Captain  Commandant 
of  the  Acadians,  who  are  going  to  establish 
themselves  among  the  Acutapas,  and  of  all 
those  as  of  right  shall  appertain.  In  faith  of 
which  we  have  signed  these  presents,  and  to 
them  have  affixed  the  seal  of  our  arms,  and  our 
secretary  has  countersigned  the  same  in  New 
Orleans,  at  our  hotel,  April  S,  176V 

[Signed]  AUBRY.    ,  ,— ^— v  , 

Countersigned  by  ;   seal.   \ 

MONSEIGNEUR  JOUKIE.  "■  ' . '  ' 

Copied  by  y.  O.  Broussard. 


Commandant  Broussard  was  the  progenitor  of  the  Broussard  family  in  South- 
west Louisiana.  He  has  left  a  large  representation  of  descendants  to  perpetuate 
his  name. 


1 90  SOUTHWEST  L  O UlSIANA  : 

A  Chm'acter. — About  this  time  came  to  the  settlement  one  Leon  Latiolais, 
who  became  a  large  stock  raiser.  He  familiarized  himself  with  the  country, 
and  it  was  said  lie  knew  ever\'  acre  of  land  between  here  and  New  Orleans,  as 
most  men  knew  the  ground  in  their  dooryards.  He  was  a  strange  character. 
Could  trace  his  course  over  the  prairies  by  the  stars,  or  through  the  forests  by 
the  bark  of  the  trees,  with  as  perfect  and  unerring  accuracy  as  the  mariner  fol- 
lows his  compass  over  the  trackless  ocean. 

He  was  shrewd,  active,  alert,  and  rich  in  animal  life  and  vigor,  with  most 
of  his  natural  faculties  cultivated  almost  to  the  perfection  of  the  smell  of  the 
Siberian  bloodhound.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  at  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans  General  Jackson  wanted  a  man  acquainted  with  the  country  to  carry  an 
important  message  (written)  to  one  of  his  officers  across  the  tangled  swamp. 
His  comrades  recommended  Latiolais  to  the  general  and  the  latter  sent  for  him. 
Jackson  scrutinized  him  from  head  to  foot,  and  asked:  "Can  you  carry  it?" 
"Yes,"  answered  Latiolais.  Said  Jackson:  "If  the  enemy  catch  you  will 
you  give  them  the  message?"  "If  they  get  it,"  said  Latiolais,  "  they  will 
have  to  take  it  out  of  my  belly,"  meaning  that  he  would  eat  it  before  he 
would  let  them  have  it.  He  was  entrusted  with  it  and  delivered  it  safely  to  the 
officer. 

The  following  incident  of  Latiolais  is  related  by  an  old  citizen.  On  one  of 
his  trips  to  New  Orleans  Latiolais  was  accompanied  by  a  Frenchman  of  noble 
blood  but  of  very  dark  skin.  A  merchant  with  whom  Latiolais  had  some,  deal- 
ings asked  him  where  he  got  that  handsome  mulatto.  Latiolais,  seeing  a  good 
chance    for   a  practical  joke,  answered  that  he  had  raised  him  from  a  boy,  but, 

said  he,  "  the cuss  thinks  I  am  his  father,  and  has  got  so  saucy  I  would  like 

to  get  rid  of  him."  "What  will  you  take  for  him?"  asked  the  merchant. 
"  Eight  hundred  dollars,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  will  give  it,"  said  the  merchant. 
The  money  was  paid  over,  and,  cautioning  the  merchant  not  to  say  anything  to 
the  "nigger"  until  next  morning,  he  went  away  presumably  to  attend  to  some 
business.  That  night  Latiolais  left  for  home.  The  next  morning  the  merchant, 
armed  with  a  policeman,  went  to  the  Frenchman's  "  tavern  "  and  knocked  at 
his  door.  Surprised  at  being  aroused  at  so  early  an  hour,  he  got  up  and  ad- 
mitted his  visitors,  when  the  merchant  ordered  him  peremptorily  to  dress.  The 
Frenchman  demanded  wherefore  he  should  dress,  and  the  merchant  told  him  he 
was  his  (the  merchant's)  property,  as  he  had  bought  him  from  Latiolais  and  paid 
for  him.  The  Frenchman  sent  for  Latiolais,  but  only  to  find  he  was  gone.  It 
was  several  days  before  the  Frenchman  found  a  voucher  who  could  satisfactorily 
identify  him.  As  soon  as  he  was  liberated  he  set  out  for  Lafayette  with  blood 
in  his  eye,  determined  to  kill  Latiolais.  He  arrived  in  a  great  rage  and  proceeded 
at  once  to  Latiolais'  cabin  with  a  small  park  of  artillery,  but  Latiolais  peeped  out 
through  a  crack  and  laughed  at  the  titled  son  of  a  nobleman,  armed^as  he  was, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  191 

until  he  laughed    him  into  a  good  humor.     He  then  invited  him  into  his  cabin 
and  they  both  partook  of  a  bountiful  breakfast  together. 

Other  settlers  came  in  soon  after  from  France,  and  after  the  transfer  of 
Louisiana  to  the  United  States  a  number  of  American  settlers  located.  After 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  in  1815,  settlers  from  the  States  came  in  and  settle- 
ments rapidly  increased. 

Characteristics. — The  general  history  of  the  parish  has  been  peaceable  and 
moral  in  a  high  degree.  But  back  before  the  war,  along  in  the  fifties,  a  lot  of 
lawless  characters  banded  together  and  depredated  upon  the  people  until  patience 
ceased  to  be  a  virtue,  and  the  law-abiding  men  formed  themselves  into  a  vigi- 
lance committee  for  the  purpose  of  ridding  themselves  of  the  bandits.  The 
people  organized  under  Gov.  Mouton  and  otlier  prominent  leaders.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1859,  a  battle  was  fought  on  the  Bayou  Queue  Tortue,  which  fortunately 
proved  bloodless,  which  routed  the  bandits  so  completely  they  never  rallied 
again,  a  full  account  of  which  is  given  in  the  chapter  on  St.  Martin. 

Organization  of  Parish. — The  parish  of  Latayette,  as  a  municipal  body, 
dates  back  to  1823.  It  then  embraced  within  its  limits  the  present  parish  of 
Vermilion.  The  act,  dated  January  17,  1823,  for  the  formation  of  Lafayette  is 
as  follows  : 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  State  of  Louisiana,  in  General  Assembly  convened.  That  the  parish  of  St. 
Martin  is  and  shall  be,  by  the  present  act,  divided,  and  a  new  parish  be 
formed  out  of  the  western  part  of  the  said  parish,  which  shall  be  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  the  parish  of  Lafayette. 

Sec.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  division  line  between  the  par- 
ish of  St.  Martin  and  Lafayette  shall  commence  at  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
county  of  Attakapas,  at  the  junction  of  the  Bayou  Carencro  with  the  Bayou 
Vermilion;  thence  down  said  Bayou  Vermilion  with  its  meanderings  to  the  lower 
line  of  lands  formerly  claimed  by  Leclerc  Fusilier  ;  thence  along  the  lower  line 
of  said  tract  of  land,  forty  French  arpents;  thence  along  the  back  lines  of  the 
tracts  of  land  fronting  on  the  left  or  east  bank  of  the  Bayou  Vermilion,  to  a 
point  marked  G  on  the  division  line  run  by  William  Johnson,  parish  surveyor  of 
the  parish  of  St.  Martin,  and  now  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State ;  thence  east  to  the  west  or  back  boundary  line  of  lands  claimed  by  the 
heirs  of  Alexander  Chevalier  Declouet;  thence  in  a  direct  line  till  it  intersects 
the  northwestern  boundary  of  lands  formerly  claimed  by  Francois  Ledu,  at  a 
point  marked  I  on  the  plan  of  the  division  line  run  by  William  Johnson  afore- 
said; thence  along  said  Ledu's  boundary  to  the  Bayou  Vermilion;  thence  as 
the  Bayou  Vermilion  meanders  to  the  junction  of  the    Bayou  Tortue  with  the 


192  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

Bayou  Vermilion ;  thence  up  the  Bayou  Tortue  as  it  meanders  to  the  bridge 
over  said  ba3'ou  near  the  plantation  of  Louis  St.  Julien;  thence  along  the  line 
run  by  William  Johnson  aforesaid  to  Lake  Peigneur;  thence  south  nine  de- 
grees, ten  minutes  east  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  the  part  of  the  country  of  At- 
takapas,  west  of  the  line  described  in  the  second  section  of  the  present  act,  shall 
form  the  parish  of  Lafayette,  and  the  remainder  of  the  space  formerly  compre- 
hended in  the  parish  of  St.  Martin  shall  compose  the  parish  of  St.  Martin. 

Sec  8.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  parish  of  Lafayette  shall  form 
a  part  of  the  fifth  judicial  district,  and  that  a  District  Court  shall  be  held  there 
on  the  last  Monday  of  November  of  the  present  year  (1823)  and  on  the  last 
Monday  of  May  and  November  of  every  subsequent  year. 

When  Lafayette  was  organized  the  parish  seat  was  established  at  a  place  called 
Pin  Hook,  at  the  present  bridge  across  the  Vermilion  River,  about  two  miles  south 
of  the  town  of  Lafayette.  It  remained  there,  however,  but  a  short  time  when  it 
was  removed  to  Lafayette,  where  it  has  since  remained.  The  land  upon  which 
the  court  house  stands  was  donated  to  the  parish  by  John  M.  Mouton.  A  court 
house  was  built  on  the  lot  thus  donated  soon  afterward,  and  in  1859  ^'^  ^^^ 
replaced  by  the  present  one.  In  1886  fire-proof  vaults  for  the  preservation  of  the 
records  were  built  at  a  cost  of  forty-five  hundred  dollars.  The  parish  jail  is  on 
the  court  house  lot,  and  is  a  $12,500  building. 

The  present  town  of  Lafaj'ette  was  incorporated  as  Vermilionville,  after  the 
regular  preliminaries  of  laying  out,  etc.,  b}'  act  of  the  Legislature,  dated  March  11, 
1836.  The  act  required  that  on  the  first  Monday  in  May  of  each  year  there 
should  be  elected  five  councilmen,  who  should  form  a  municipal  government,  and 
that  to  be  eligible  to  that  position  they  must  be  twenty-one  years  old  and  the 
bona  fide  owners  of  at  least  three  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  real  estate  within  the 
limits  of  the  town,  and  that  voters  should  possess  the  same  qualifications  in  order 
to  be  legalized  voters  in  such  elections.  The  act  of  1836  was  annulled  by  an 
amended  act  passed  March  9,  1869,  and  among  other  provisions  was  one  requir- 
ing the  city  council  to  consist  of  a  mayor  and  seven  members.  The  following 
gentlemen  have  served  as  mayors  since  that  time:  Alphonse  Neven,  1869-70; 
W.  O.  Smith,  1870-71;  Wm.  Brandt,  1871-72;  W.  O.  Smith,  1872-73; 
Auguste  Monnier,  1873-75;  John  O.  Mouton,  1875-76;  G.  C.  Salles,  1876-77; 
John  O.  Mouton,  1877-79;  John  Clegg,  1879-81 ;  M.  P.  Young,  1 88 1-84  ;  W- 
B.  Bailey,  1884  to  the  present  time. 

In  1884  that  section  in  the  old  charter  of  1869,  relating  to  the  name  of  the 
town  and  its  boundaries,  was  abolished  and  a  new  charter  adopted.  The  name 
of  the  town,  among  other  changes  made,  was  changed  from  Vermilionville  to 
Lafayette,  in   order  that  the  name  of  the  capital  might  agree  with  the  name  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  193 

the  parish.  In  1833,  the  first  notary  public  was  appointed  for  the  parisli  by  act 
of  the  Legislature. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  parish  is  divided  by  the  Vermilion  River,  and  the 
northern  part  of  it  is  known  as  the  Carencro  district.  The  name  of  Carencro 
comes  down  from  Indian  tradition.  They  had  a  legend  in  their  tribes  that  at 
Beau  Basin,  a  beautiful  place  described  in  a  preceding  page,  there  died  a 
mammoth  or  mastadon,  and  although  an  almost  innumerable  number  of  carrion 
crows  (buzzards)  came  to  the  feast,  it  took  them  so  long  to  devour  the  huge 
beast  that  the  surrounding  country  took  the  romantic  name  Carencro.  The 
town  of  Carencro  takes  its  name  from  the  Carencro  district. 

Many  of  the  people  of  Acadian  descent  have  progressed  little  since  their 
ancestors  left  their  old  homes  in  Nova  Scotia,  but  are  just  as  primitive  as  they 
were  in  that  cold,  sterile  country.  Their  financial  condition  makes  little 
difference;  they  are  still  primitive  and  simple.  A  late  writer*  thus  describes 
them  from  actual  observation : 

"  An  Acadian  farmer,  with  his  land,  his  two  hands,  a  plow,  a  spinning 
wheel  and  a  home-made  loom  is  independent  of  the  world.  It  often  happens 
that  the  only  money  he  spends  during  the  year  is  for  coffee,  but  oftener  than 
not  he  pays  even  for  this  indispensable  in  eggs  or  moss.  I  have  many  times  of 
late,  in  some  country  store,  seen  a  farmer's  wife  come  in  and  exchange  three  or 
four  eggs  for  an  equivalent  in  green  coffee. 

"  I  went  the  other  day  to  one  of  these  sweet  and  simple  country  homes,  and 
was  received  with  the  somewhat  solemn,  dignified  and  courtly  hospitality  that 
characterizes  the  native  French  farmer  when  his  castle  is  invaded.  Soon  after 
entering  we  were  handed  a  cup  of  black  coffee.  The  pot  is  always  on  the 
hearth.  There  are  many  such  homes  in  the  State.  Thej'  are  a  part  of 
Louisiana  as  it  is.  In  the  fields  around  the  house  were  small  crops  of  cotton, 
cane,  rice,  corn,  sweet  potatoes,  and  a  row  of  tobacco,  and  flanking  the  field 
was  a  strip  of  swamp,  furnishing  the  familj'  with  fuel  and  lumber.  The  rice  the 
farmer  threshes  and  cleans  himself,  the  corn  is  pounded  for  meal  in  a  wooden 
mortar,  the  sweet  potatoes  are  stored  in  a  bin  for  the  winter,  the  cotton  is  picked 
and  ginned  by  the  wife,  seeding  it  with  her  fingers.  It  is  she  who  spins  it  and 
weaves  it  into  cloth,  which  she  dyes  with  peach  tree  leaves  and  indigo,  and  of  this 
she  makes  clothing  for  her  family,  blankets  for  her  beds,  curtains  for  her 
windows,  and  a  covering  for  her  floor.  The  patch  of  cane  gives  the  family 
sugar  and  molasses.  From  his  stock  of  horses  the  farmer  cuts  hair  from  their 
manes  and  tails  and  weaves  it  into  ropes,  horse  collars  and  harness.  His  beds 
he  makes  of  the  moss  gathered  in  the  swamp;  and  his  wife  milks  her  cows  and 
makes  an  occasional  pat  of  butter  by  shaking  the  cream  in  a  bottle  or  gourd. 
The  man  cures  his  own  tobacco,  and  if  you  visit  his  little  home  made  of  cypress 

*  Catherine  Cole,  in  New  Orleans  Picayune. 


194  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

logs  and  a  mud  plaster  mixed  with  moss  and  kneaded  by  the  feet  of  himself  and 
his  neighbors,  he  will  offer  you  all  these  home-made  hospitalities.  Yet  this  is 
the  man  who  is  said  to  be  unprogressive.  But  while  his  crops  prosper,  his  fruit 
and  nut  trees  yield,  his  cattle  remain  fat,  and  his  young  family  healthy,  who  can 
wonder  that  he  is  content?  The  only  good  this  family  lack  is  education  and 
books.  As  for  pictures  they  are  in  the  sky  that  smiles  above  them,  repeated  in 
the  lake  at  their  feet.  In  a  simple  way  he  lives  in  peaceful  plenteousness,  and 
life  is  sweet  to  him." 

Lafayette  parish  is  about  as  well  supplied  with  railroads  as  any  parish  in 
Southwest  Louisiana.  Says  the  Advertiser  of  a  few  years  ago:  There  are  two 
lines  of  railroads,  viz:  Morgan's  Louisiana  &  Texas,  running  from  New  Orleans, 
passes  through  the  parish,  and  is  completed  and  equipped  to  Opelousas,  about 
twentj'-five  miles  north  of  Vermilionville.  The  northern  terminus  of  this  road 
will  be  at  Shreveport  via  Alexandria.  This  road  is  in  the  hands  of  contractors 
and  is  being  pushed  forward  with  much  speed.  The  other  line  of  road  is  known 
as  the  Louisiana  Western,  having  its  eastern  and  western  termini  at  Vermilion- 
ville, in  this  parish,  and  Orange,  Texas,  respectively.  At  the  latter  place  it  is  in 
connection  wit"h  the  road  to  Houston.  Both  of  these  roads  are  now  included  in 
the  Southern  Pacific  sysem. 

By  a  judicious  and  equitable  system  of  tariffs  both  these  roads  are  destined 
to  be  among  the  most  profitable  railways  in  the  South. 

There  is  at  present  but  one  line  of  steamboats  plying  in  the  Vermilion  River, 
making  weekly  trips  to  and  from  Morgan  City.  Under  an  act  of  Congress  ap- 
propriating funds  for  the  improvement  of  this  stream,  the  United  States  engineers 
are  preparing  to  begin  the  work,  and  when  completed,  will  doubtless  invite  other 
lines  uf  steamers  into  the  trade. 

Schools  and  Population. — A  writer  on  the  subject  of  population,  school 
and  church  facilities,  says: 

The  population  of  the  parish,  according  to  the  census  of  1880,  is  7185 
whites  and  61 15  blacks.  Total,  13,300.  A  majority  of  the  white  population 
are  Creoles;  being  descendants  of  French  ancestry.  There  are  many  Ameri- 
cans, who  are  also  natives  of  the  soil,  and  a  few  have  moved  here  since  the 
war.  The  Creoles  are  generally  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  living 
strictly  within  their  means,  in  a  plain,  unostentatious  style,  and  independent  of 
the  outside  world.  They  have  for  the  most  part  eschewed  education,  have 
been  indifferent  to  progress  and  averse  to  innovations  upon  ancestral  customs; 
but  withal,  peaceable,  law-abiding  and  proverbially  hospitable.  There  are 
many  of  them,  however,  who  are  not  only  highly  educated  and  adorning  the 
various  professions  and  trades,  but  who  are  also  laboring  for  the  development 
of  the  educational  interests,  the  sciences  and  arts,  and  the  opening  up  of  our 
common  country. 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  197 

The  masses  of  the  native  born  American  here  are  contented  with  the 
merest  rudiments  of  education,  and  have  been  more  loth,  if  anything,  to  move 
forward  upon  the  scale  of  human  progress  than  their  Creole  brethren. 

When  it  is  considered,  however,  that  this  entire  country  has  been  almost 
wholly  isolated  from  the  outside  world  for  many  generations — far  avva}'  from 
the  great  highways  of  travel — in  addition  to  a  rich  soil  and  a  bountiful  Provi- 
dence, administering  to  all  their  material  interests,  with  little  exertion  on  their 
part,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  such  circumstances  thus  combined  should 
beget  an  indifference  to  outside  progress,  or  moral  and  mental  advancement. 
It  is  but  just  to  state,  in  this  connection,  that  a  new  era  is  beginning  to  dawn 
upon  us.  The  liberal  views  now  entertained  and  manifested  by  all  classes  on 
State  education  and  internal  improvements;  the  advent  of  railroads,  with  their 
accompanying  industries  and  civilizing  influences,  certainly  augur  an  early  and 
radical  change  in  the  customs  and  manners  of  a  people  every  wa}'  endowed  by 
nature  and  ancestry  for  higher  and  nobler  attainments. 

We  have  a  few  private  schools,  taught  by  competent  teachers,  that  are 
open  ten  months  in  the  year,  while  the  public  schools  at  the  present  are  only 
open  about  half  that  length  of  time.  The  educational  interest,  as  previously 
foreshadowed,  is  3-et  in  its  incipiency,  but  bids  fair  to  be  fully  developed  at  an 
early  day. 

There  are  some  twenty  public  schools  in  the  parish.  They  are  in  charge 
of  a  parish  school  board,  of  which  H.  E.  Toll  is  clerk  and  superintendent. 
The  convent  at  La  Fayette,  in  charge  of  the  Catholic  sisters,  is  an  excellent 
school  for  young  ladies.  There  are  other  select  schools  in  the  town  and  the 
parish. 

The  prevailing  religious  denominations  are:  Roman  Catholics,  Methodists 
and  Presbyterians,  with  a  few  Baptists  and  Episcopalians  yet  unorganized. 
There  is  no  spirit  of  intolerance  ever  manifested,  and  every  one  may  worship 
God  after  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience  without  fear  or  molestation. 

Bench  and  Bar. — Under  the  Constitution  in  force  in  1823,  when  the  parish 
of  Lafayette  was  formed,  the  corps  of  parish  officers  consisted  of  a  parish 
judge  and  a  sheriff.  The  judge  had  jurisdiction  over  all  matter  in  the  parish, 
both  civil  and  criminal.  The  first  parish  judge  was  Brashear.  He  served  a 
number  of  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  C.  M.  Olivier,  who  filled  the 
place  until  the  law  was  changed  to  district  judges.  The  first  judge  whose  name 
occurs  on  the  records  is  that  of  Henry  Brice,  in  1841.  Although  of  different 
districts  Judge  Brice  and  Judge  George  R.  King  seem  to  have  presided  over  the 
court  at  Lafayette  alternately  until  1852.  Judge  J.  H.  Overton  was,  in  that  year, 
elected  judge  of  the  fifteenth  judicial  district,  and  presided  here  until  1854. 
Overton  was  a  man  of  fine  qualities  and  a  good  judge. 
13 


198  SOUTH  WEST  L  O I  'I  SI  ANA  : 

Hon.  Lucius  Dupre  was  elected  judge  in  1854.  ^^^  ^^''*s  '^  brilli  int  attorney, 
an  able  advocate,  and  had  few  equals  as  a  public  speaker.  He  was  afterward  a 
member  of  the  Confederate  Congress.  In  1857  Hon.  Barthelmy  A.  Martel  was 
elected,  and  served  until  1864.  He  had  climbed  up  from  the  bottom  through 
considerable  difficulties,  and  although  in  many  ways  illiterate,  yet,  through  his 
sense  of  the  law,  he  filled  the  position  with  general  satisfaction. 

Ex-Gov.  Mouton  was  elected  judge  in  1864,  but  his  term  was  cut  short  b}' 
the  civil  war.  He  held  his  last  term  in  1S65.  Court  was  t!ien  suspended  in  the 
parish  until  1866,  when,  at  the  November  term,  we  find  Judge  Adolph  Bailey 
on  the  bench  of  the  Lafayette  court.  He  died  in  office  in  1868.  Judge  Bailc}' 
was  a  native  of  the  parish,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  withal,  one  of 
the  most  learned  men  this  part  of  the  countr}'  ever  produced.  Judge  J.  M. 
Porter  was  elected  judge  in  1868,  and  served  until  his  death,  when  George  E. 
King  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Porter,  but  never 
held  court  in  this  place.  Eraste  Mouton  was  appointed  judge  in  1871,  and 
afterward  elected,  and  served  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1878.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  judges  that  ever  sat  on  the  bench  of  this  district.  E.  E. 
Mouton  was  appointed  in  1879  ^°  '^  o^*-  *^^  unexpired  term,  and  was  subse- 
quently elected  to  the  office,  which  he  held  until  his  death.  Judge  John  Clegg 
was  then  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  1884,  C.  Debaillion  was  elected 
judge,  and  was  reelected  in  1888.  He  resigned,  and  N.  N.  Edwards  was 
appointed  to  serve  until  an  election  could  be  held.  In  1890  the  present  judge, 
Orther  C.  Mouton,  was  elected. 

There  seems  to  have  been  something  of  a  fatality  among  the  judges  of  this 
judicial  district,  that  so  many  of  them  died  in  the  harness.  It  would  have  been 
but  human  nature  had  it  created  a  superstitious  feeling  and  excited  a  reluctance 
in  others  to  accept  a  place  which  indicated  an  almost  certain  doom  to  the 
acceptant. 

The  former  practitioners  of  the  bar  of  Lafayette,  and  who  have  passed 
away,  were  M.  E.  Girard,  R.  C.  Crow,  Wm.  Mouton,  V.  Cornier,  and  Gov. 
Mouton.  The  following  compose  the  present  bar,  Ex-Judge  Debaillion,  L.  J. 
Tans}-,  Charles  D.  Caffre}',  Julian  Mouton,  Edward  G.  Voorhies,  and  William 
Campbell. 

In  politics,  the  parish  has  heretofore  been  Democratic,  and  ever}-  voter 
casts  his  vote  at  the  polls  \\ith  as  much  freedom  as  can  be  done  an\-where  in 
the  world. 

Medical  Profession. —  Among  the  early  physicians  of  Lafayette  parish  were 
G.  W.  Mills,  \\ho  died  in  1856;  N.  B.  Erwin,  died  in  1867;  Dr.  Drouin, 
died  1S63;  Dr.  Gonzet,  died  in  1872.  It  has  been  rather  difficult  to  obtain 
data  sufficient  to  compile  a  length}-  sketch  of  these  early  practitioners.     Among 


i 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  199 

the  present  medical  profession  are  Drs.  J.  D.  Trahan,  Thos.  B.  Hopkins,  A. 
Gladu,  D.  Berand,  H.  D.  Guidry,  N.  P.  Moss,  Franklin  Mouton,  and  Dr. 
Mudd.  Most  of  these  gentlemen  are  sketched  in  the  biographical  department 
of  this  volume.  The  Board  of  Health  is  composed  of  Dr.  J.  D.  Trahan  and  the 
police  jury,  which  at  present  are  as  follows:  Alfred  A.  Delhomme,  first  ward; 
Ford  Huffpauir,  second  ward;  C.  P.  Alpha,  third  ward,  and  president;  O. 
Thriat,  fourth  ward:  J.  G.  St.  Julien,  fifth  ward;  C.  C.  Brown,  sixth  ward;  R. 
C.  Landry,  seventh  ward:  A.  D.  Landry,  eighth  ward,  and  R.  C.  Grieg, 
clerk. 

War  Record. — -The  war  history  of  Lafayette  parish  was  highl}' creditable  to 
the  people  of  the  parish.  The  first  body  of  troops  that  went  from  Lafayette 
consisted  of  about  twenty-five  men,  who  went  to  St.  Martinsville,  and  joined 
Capt.  Alcibiades  DeBlanc's  comm  md.  The  first  full  company  from  here  bore 
the  name  of  the  Acadian  Guards,  and  were  officered  as  follows:  Alfred  Mouton, 
captain;  Wm.  Mouton,  first  lieutenant;  Polk  Bailey,  second  lieutenant,  and 
Thelismar  Comeaux,  third  lieutenant.  Upon  the  formation  of  the  Eighteenth 
Louisiana  Regiment,  the  Acadian  Guards  became  Company  L  and  Alfred 
Mouton  was  promotsd  to  colonel.  The  regiment  received  its  baptism  of  fire  at 
Shiloh,  where  Gen.  Mouton  was  wounded.  He  afterward  was  promoted  to 
brigadier  general,  and  transferred  with  his  brigade  to  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Department,  where  it  became  part  of  Gen.  Dick  Ta3'lor's  division.  Gen.  Mouton 
was  afterward  killed  in  the  battle  of  Mansfield. 

The  next  company  organized  in  the  parish  was  under  Capt.  Eraste  Mouton  ; 

Eastin,  first  lieutenant;   Wm.  Campbell  second   lieutenant,    and  Ernest 

Matrin,  third  lieutenant. 

The  next  company  was  organized  by  Capt.  W.  C.  Crow;  A.  Moss,  first 
lieutenant;  Pancross  Rein,  second  lieutenant,  and  Joseph  Louvier,  third  lieuten- 
ant. The  two  last  companies  mentioned  were  attached  to  the  Twenty-sixth  Regi- 
ment, and  Capt.  Crow  became  its  Lieutenant-Colonel.  No  other  full  companies 
were  raised  in  the  parish,  but  a  number  of  recruits  went  to  fill  up  companies 
elsewhere. 

To-Mii  of  Lafayette. — When  Lafayette,  or  VermiHonville,  as  the  town  was 
originally  known,  was  laid  out  is  not  known.  It  has  been  a  town  for  three- 
quarters  of  a  centur}',  or  perhaps  longer.  Its  situation  near  the  center  of  the 
parish,  at  the  junction  of  the  Alexandria  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road and  the  main  line.  It  is  one  of  the  growing  towns  of  the  State.  Its  pop- 
ulation is  not  far  from  three  thousand  souls  and  is  steadily  increasing.  It  has 
railroad  connections  and  advantages  enjoyed  by  few  towns.  It  is  situated  on  the 
Southern  Pacific,  one  hundred  and  fort3'-four   miles  from  New  Orleans  and  two 


200  .V O UTH  WEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

hundred  miles  from  Houston,  whicli  gives  it  most  excellent  advantages  in  matters 
of  transportation.  The  projected  Louisiana  Central  Road  will  connect  the  town 
with  Baton  Rouge.  The  distance  to  Port  Allen,  opposite  the  capital,  is  fifty- 
seven  miles.  Two  regular  passenger  trains  each  way  a  day  on  the  main  line  from 
Lafayette,  and  besides  four  or  more  freights  and  the  trains  on  the  Alexandria 
brancli. 

Tlie  railroad  company  here  have  an  extensive  round  house,  coal  bins, 
tanks,  etc.,  and  the  number  of  employes  exeeed  fifty  men.  An  excellent 
hotel  and  eating  house,  perhaps  one  of  the  most  commodious  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  is  located  here.  The  Southern  Pacific  handles  a  vast  amount 
of  stock,  which  necessitates  stock  pens  for  resting  at  different  points,  and  Lafay- 
ette has  the  most  extensive  pens  for  this  purpose. 

Lafayette  is  the  natural  center  of  a  large  and  rich  agricultural  district,  re- 
gardless of  parish  lines.  Lands  as  fertile  as  any  in  Louisiana  or  in  the^world  lie  all 
around  it.  The  prosperous  parish  of  Vermilion  on  the  south  is  tributary  to  it, 
and  doubtless,  at  no  distant  day,  will  have  a  branch  railroad  from  Lafayette  to 
Abbeville.  The  town  of  Lafayette  is  advantageously  situated  for  manufacturing 
enterprises,  but  capitalists  have  not  yet  discerned  its  capabilities  in  this  regard. 
It  ma}^  be  said  that  three  railroads  radiate  from  Lafaj^ette,  north  east  and  west. 
A  cotton  seed  oil  mill,  or  a  cotton  compress  or  a  rice  mill,  or  planing  mill,  sash 
and  blind  factor)^  together  with  many  other  enterprises,  would  remunerate  the 
investors.  There  are  within  the  corporate  limits  two  brick  yards,  and  within  a 
mile  of  the  court  house  is  probably  the  largest  and  most  complete  cotton  gin 
in  Southwest  Louisiana,  which  is  owned  and  operated  by  Grace  Brothers  & 
Pellerin. 

The  town  is  well  supplied  with  churches  of  the  various  denominations,  num- 
bering three  white  and  three  colored.  The  Catholic  church  is  the  largest  in 
members  and  wealth:  the  ground  belonging  to  it  was  donated  by  John  M.  Mou- 
ton,  and  the  first  building  was  erected  in  1822.  Father  Peyrette  was  rector  from 
1824  to  1840;  Father  Pgbeuprez,  from  1840  to  1842  ;  Father  A.  D.  Migret,  1842 
to  1853;  Father  Dechaignon,  1853  to  1856;  Rev.  S,  G.  Fattier,  1856  to  1865; 
Rev.  Gustave  Roussel,  1865  to  1872;  Father  Gonelle,  1872  to  1881.  Father 
Fourge  located  here  in  1881  and  is  the  present  rector.  He  is  just  completing 
the  handsome  church.  The  three  altars  were  shipped  from  Belgium,  and  the 
beautiful  bell,  weighing  three  thousand  and  ninety  pounds,  was  placed  in  the 
church  through  his  influence.  The  congregation  numbers  about  seven  thousand. 
The  pastor.  Father  Fourge,  is  a  native  of  France,  and  has  done  much  for  the 
church  and  congregation. 

The  town  is  also  well  supplied  with  schools,  public  and  private,  secular  and 
sectarian.  The  Mt.  Carmel  Convent  is  a  large  and  handsome  building,  and  would 
ornament  any  town.     It  is  considered  one  of  the  best  schools  for  young  ladies  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  201 

the  State.  There  are,  likewise,  in  the  town  lodges  of  Masons,  Kniglits  of  Honor, 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Knights  of  Labor. 

A  special  to  the  New  Orleans  Picayune,  from  Lafayette,  dated  January  29, 
1891,  says: 

A  short  time  since  Mr.  Israel  Falk  discovered  near  the  surface  of  the  earth 
a  small  deposit  of  petroleum  on  his  property  near  the  railroad  depot  and  within 
the  city  limits.  In  hopes  of  finding  the  oil  in  paying  quantities  he  has  been  drill- 
ing down  to  considerable  depth,  and  yesterday,  having  bored  some  fifty  feet,  was 
rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  a  solid  bed  of  coal  equal  in  quality  to  the  best  sold. 
Mr.  Falk  v\'ill  immediately  sink  a  shaft  and  fathom  the  extent  of  the  deposit.  He 
is  certain  that  he  has  made  a  valuable  find  of  coal  if  not  of  oil.  The  latter  still 
comes  to  the  surface  in  small  quantities  and  tests  about  sixty  per  cent,  kerosene 
and  small  particles  of  naphtha. 

Railroad  Shipments. — The  following  shipments  were  made  at  Lafayette  by 
rail  from  September  i,  1886,  to  August  31,  1887.  These  have  increased  rapidly 
since  then : 

Bales  of  cotton 2.41  r 

Car  loads  of  cotton  in  seed 66 

or  660  tons,  or  pounds 1.320,000 

Cotton  seed,  ten  car  loads,  or  pdunds 200,000 

Hides,  pounds 40,300 

Corn,  car  loads 3 

Brick,  car  loads 23 

Barrels  of  honey yi/^ 

Barrels    of  tallow 9 

Barrels  of  potatoes 100 

Barrels  of  molasses 7 

Bales  of  moss 25 

Sacks  of  wool 11 

Sacks  of  paper  junk 12 

Barrels  of  pecans 4 

Eggs,  dozens 108,710 

Poultry,  dozens 29,392 

Scrap  iron,   pounds 42,655 

Scrap  brass,  pounds 4>3-5 

Empty  oil  barrels 401 

Empty  bottles,  barrels 154 

Mattress  moss,  bundles 10 

Freight  Received — Lumber,  316  carloads;  stock  received,  fed  and  watered, 
3517.     Shipped  from  Vandenbaumer's  switch  :    cotton  in  seed,   504,254  pounds. 


202  SOUTHWEST  LOVJSTANA : 

From  Gerac  Brothers'  gin:  930,150  pounds.     From  J.  E.  Mouton's  switch,  (Al- 
exandria switch):  cotton  in  seed,  609.000. 

Bronssard  Village. — Another  of  the  important  centers  of  the  parish  is 
Broussard,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  six  miles  from  Lafayette. 
It  is  the  shipping  point  for  a  large  section  of  country,  and  the  center  of  the  Cote 
Gelee  Hills  section.  It  is  beautifully  and  attractively  laid  out,  with  broad  streets, 
and  lots  are  worth  from  thirty-five  to  fifty  dollars.  The  depot  grounds  are  shaded 
by  handsome  live-oaks,  and  are  ample  for  all  purposes.  There  are  several  gen- 
eral stores  at  Broussard,  as  extensive  and  complete  as  ordinarily  found  in  country 
towns.  The  leading  business  men  are:  Ray  &  Son,  Ed.  St.  Julien,  F.  B. 
Grevanberg  and  Ulysses  Bernard.  It  is  furnished  with  a  town  hall,  drug  store, 
wheelright  shop,  lumber  j-ard,  and  the  usual  businesses  to  be  found  in  a  live, 
wide-awake  business  town.  There  is  also  a  cotton  gin  in  the  town,  and  three 
others  within  a  mile. 

Land  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  place  is  worth  from  twenty  to  thirt}" 
dollars,  and  there  is  little  for  sale  at  that  price — very  few  are  willing  to  sell  at  all. 
It  is  noticeable  that  some  of  the  most  successful  planters  in  the  parish  live  in 
close  proximity  to  tliis  point.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Valsin  Broussard, 
J.  G,  St.  Julien,  Martial  Billaud,  A.  A.  Lobbe,  ^Albert  Landry,  R.  C.  Landry, 
Joseph  Girouard,  Therence  Girouard,  Demas  Bernard,  and  others.  The  people 
around  Broussard  are  universally  prosperous  and  contented.  They  not  only 
make  their  crops  of  cotton  and  abundant  supplies  of  corn,  but  they  reap  no  small 
profit  from  eggs,  chickens  and  turkeys,  and  other  produce  of  that  character. 
Thev  are  industrious,  thrifty  and  happy,  and  well  do  they  deserve  it.  The  fol- 
lowing table  of  shipments  for  the  past  year  from  this  point  speaks  for  itself:  3842 
bales  cotton,  48  car  loads  cotton  in  seed,  69  hogsheads  of  sugar,  30  barrels  of 
molasses,  184  sacks  of  rice,  57,785  pounds  hides,  5472  pounds  wool,  59,653 
dozen  eggs,  312  coops  chickens.  Also  shipped  from  Oak  Hill  and  Landry's 
plantations,  on  Cote  Gclee,  150  bales  cotton  and  70  hogsheads  sugar;  and  from 
Martial  Billaud's  plantation,  74  hogsheads  sugar. 

Carencro. — The  town  of  Carencro  is  an  incorporated  village,  situated  on 
the  Alexandria  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  seven  miles  from  Lafayette. 
There  is  no  prettier  site  for  a  town  nor  one  with  more  solid  advantages  than  com- 
prised in  this  place.  The  name  Carencro,  originally  applied  to  this  entire  sec- 
tion of  the  country,  as  stated  in  a  preceding  page. 

Carencro  is  the  shipping  point  for  a  large  scope  of  country,  nearly  all  of 
which  is  cultivated  in  corn,  cotton,  cane,  etc.,  and  there  can  be  no  question  as 
to  the  quality  of  the  land;  indeed,  much  of  it  is  above  the  average.  Among  the 
leading  merchants  are  the  Brown  Brothers,  Jacob  Mitchell,  D.  Daret,  A.  G.  Guil 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  203 

beau,  G.  Schumler,  C.  Micou  and  J.  C.  Martin.  It  lias  a  good  hotel,  town  hall 
and  all  the  other  appurtenances  of  a  first-class  country  town,  including  a  cotton 
gin  and  two  good  lumber  3-ards  ;  also  a  well  organized  hook  and  ladder  com- 
pan}-.  There  are  two  private  schools  in  the  town,  and  two  public — one  white 
and  one  colored — and  a  Catholic  church. 

Under  the  management  of  a  good  mayor  and  council,  the  peace  and  quiet 
of  the  town  is  well  maintained,  and  the  streets  are  kept  in  good  condition.  Lots 
are  worth  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  dollars,  and  the  land  in 
the  vicinity  is  worth  from  fifteen  to  thirty  dollars  per  acre,  according  to  improve- 
ments. Among  those  near  the  town  owning  large  plantations  are  Mrs.  Z. 
Broussard,  Dr.  R.  J.  Frances,  Mrs.  O.  C.  Mouton,  Louis  Roger,  Mrs.  F.  Aba- 
die,  C.  C.  Brown,  St.  Clair  Kilbrist,  V.  C.  Dupois.  L.  J.  Arceneaux,  etc. 
Tributary  to  Carencro  is  the  section  of  country  known  as  the  Beau  Basin  neigh- 
borhood, which  is  described  in  a  preceding  page. 

The  following  is  a  table  of  shipments  given  by  the  railroad  compan)' : 

POUNDS.  WORTH. 

Cotton 10.335 $85,081   25 

Seed    cotton 12,230 29,767  50 

Cotton   seed 5,880 i)47o  00 

Sugar 50.000 I  "625  00 

Green  hides 51,900 2,895   00 

Dr}'  hides 5,000 500  00 

Wool    9,000 900  00 

Moss 28,000 475  00 

Corn ;, 840  00 

Eggs 7,000  00 

Chickens 1,250  00 

Scott  Village. — This  is  exclusiveh'  a  railroad  town,  having  sprung  into  ex- 
istence since  the  building  ot  the  railroad.  It  is,  however,  a  vigorous  youngster, 
with  a  promising  future  '"anent"  it.  There  are  sevei'al  wide  awake  business 
men  to  be  seen  about  the  depot,  and  a  large  number  of  neighboring  planters  make 
their  headquarters  there.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  Alex.  Delhomme, 
A.  D.  Beaudreaux,  L.  G.  Breaux,  Robert  Thomas,  D.  Ca3-ret,  Nathan  Foor- 
man,  Ambroise  Chasson,  Severin  Duhon,  N.  M.  Dugat,  Hugh  Hutchinson. 
The  land  around  Scott  is  all  susceptible  of  cultivation  and  is  highly  fertile. 
Shipments  from  this  point  consist  of  rice,  corn,  wool,  chickens,  eggs,  etc. 
The  leading  merchants  are  Alciade  Judice,  Jules  Gendry,  Marcel  Sonnier, 
Martin  Begraud,  all  of  whom  seem  to  be  prosperous.  Looking  out  from  Scott 
in  an}'  direction  the  eye  will  be  greeted  by  lovel}'  groves  of  shade  trees,  con- 
sisting of  oak  and  China  trees.  About  a  mile  south  of  this  place  is  Isle  Navarre,. 


204  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

a  grove  of  live-oaks  of  stately  proportions  and  venerable  in  appearance,  unsur- 
passed in  the  South,  excepting  perhaps  those  of  the  Exposition  grounds  at  New 
Orleans.  The  most  disconsolate  people  around  this  thriving  place  are  the  doc- 
tors, who  have  literally  nothing  to  do,  it  is  so  exceedingly  healthy. 

The  Queue  Tortue  is  a  section  of  Lafa3-ette  parish  that  is  thickly  settled. 
There  are  many  fine  farms  and  stock  pastures,  and  many  blooded  horses, 
cattle  and  hogs  are  raised  by  the  planters.  Alexander  Huffpauer,  Isaac  For- 
man,  Benj.  Spell,  Vital  Cormier,  Ford  Silas  Hines,  Preston  and  Golden  Huff- 
pauer have  fine  farms  there.  Dr.  M.  L.  Lyons,  Dr.  A.  O.  Clark,  and  Mr. 
Ford  Huffpauer  are  engaged  in  stock  raising. 

On  the  Bayou  Vermilion,  south  of  the  bridge,  are  some  sturdy  and  indus- 
trious planters.  Most  of  them  ship  by  boat,  and  at  the  various  landings  of 
Whittington,  Trahan,  D.  Broussard  and  O.  Broussard.  There  was  a  total  ship- 
ment of  two  thousand  five  hundred  bales  of  cotton  during  the  past  season,  and 
also  a  large  quantity  of  poultry  and  eggs,  hides,  etc. 

Royville  is  situated  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  parish.  The  name  of  its 
post-office  is  Youngville,  and  it  is  twelve  miles  from  Lafayette.  It  is  happily 
situated,  in  that  a  large  number  of  prosperous  planters  resort  there  for  business, 
religious  worship  and  other  purposes.  It  is  located  but  two  or  three  miles  from 
the  Vermilion  line,  and  nearer  still  to  Iberia  and  St.  Martin  parishes,  and  draws 
a  great  portion  of  its  business  from  those  parishes.  It  enjoys  the  advantage  of 
having  two  shipping  points,  the  Bayou  Vermilion  and  the  Southern  Pacific  at 
Broussard,  being  four  miles  from  each  place.  It  has  a  very  pretty  Catholic 
church,  at  which  worship  a  congregation  more  numerous  than  at  an}-  other 
church  in  this  part  of  the  State.  There  are  several  excellent  stores,  two  drug 
stores,  a  large  hotel  and  hall,  private  and  public  schools,  three  wheelwright 
and  blacksmith  shops,  etc.  There  are  three  large  cotton  gins  near  the  town. 
There  are  many  well-to-do  planters  in  this  neighborhood.  The  extensive  plan- 
tation of  Mrs.  M.  M.  Cade  is  within  a  mile  of  this  point.  Other  large  plan- 
ters and  land  owners  are  P.  B.  Ro}',  E.  Prineaux,  Mrs.  D.  Roy,  Martin 
Veret,  Ros  LeBlanc,  Ed.  Faber,  B.  F.  Flanders,  Mrs.  Olivier  Blanchet,  O. 
Theriot,  Alex.  Langhnais,  Charles  Dorby,  etc.  The  last  named  is  a  colored 
man,  working  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  he  cultivates  to  good  advantage. 
There  is  probably  more  wealth  represented  in  this  town  than  any  place  of  the 
same  population  in  the  State.  Town  lots  are  worth  from  $50  to  $60;  lands  are 
worth  from  $20  to  $30  per  acre. 

Lafayette  has  two  excellent  newspapers  for  a  town  of  this  size,  wliich  is  a 
good  sign  of  the  enterprise  and  progressiveness  of  the  people.  Nothing  does 
more  for  a  community  than  a  live,  wide-awake  newspaper.  Printers'  ink  judi- 
ciously bestowed  is  the  very  best  advertisement  a  country  can  have. 

The  oldest  paper  is  the  Lafayette  Advertiser,  which  was  established  Sep- 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


205 


tember,  22,  1865.  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Baily,  the  present  editor  and  proprietor,  became 
connected  with  the  paper  as  a  partner  during  the  next  year,  and  three  years  later 
he  became  sole  owner.  He  has  edited  and  published  it  from  that  time  to  the 
present.  The  Advertiser  is  a  live,  energetic  weekly  paper,  conservative,  though 
strictly  Democratic.  It  is  especially  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  section  of 
countr}^  in  which  it  circulates. 

The  Attakapas  Vindicator  made  its  bow  to  the  public  on  the  27th  of  March, 
1890.  It  was  established  by  Mr.  Oscar  L.  Alpha,  and  is  a  four-page  weekly 
paper,  Democratic  in  politics  and  progressive  in  its  views.  Mr.  Alpha  is  also 
owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Acadia  Sentinel,  which  is  published  in  the  town  of 
Raj'ne,  of  which  more  in  the  chapter  on  Acadia  parish. — Perrin. 


S^' 


^00^<^ 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Parish  of  St.  Mary — Topography,  Etc. — Belle  Isle — Geological — 
La.nds  Overflowed  and  Not  Overflowed — Sketch  of  Daniel 
Dennett — Resources  of  the  Parish — Crop  Statistics — In  the 
Good  Old  Times,  Etc. — Number  of  Slaves — Rice — Fruit  Culture 
— Strawberries — Tobacco — Climate  and  Health — Cote  Blanche 
Island — Early  Settlement — Moralizing  on  the  Pioneers — Char- 
acteristics— An  Incident — Another — Organization  of  the  Parish 
— Police  Jurors — "Nigger"  Rule — The  Early  Courts— Bar — 
Military — The  Town  of  Franklin — Manufacturing  Industries — A 
Port  of  Entry — Morgan  City,  Etc. 

"  Swinging  from  its  great  arms,  the  trumpet-flower  and  the  grape-vine 
Hung  their  ladder  of  ropes  aloft  like  the  ladder  of  Jacob, 
On  whose  pendulous  stairs  the  angels  ascending  and  descending, 
Were  the  swift  humming  birds,  that  flitted  from  blossom  to  blossom. 
Such  was  the  vision  Evangeline  saw  as  she  slumbered  beneath  it." — LoiigfelU-nv. 

p^J^T^HE  parish  of  St.  Mary  is  small  in  extent,  but  its  lands  are  of  the  richest. 
c(4-\  Perhaps  some  of  the  finest  sugar  lands  and  plantations  in  Louisiana  are 
G""  "'  in  this  parish.  It  is  said  there  is  not  an  acre  of  poor  land  in  the  parish, 
and,  better  still, the  lands  never  wear  out;  although  cultivated  constant!}' for  a  cen- 
tury or  more  without  manure  of  anj^  kind,  they  still  produce  most  excellent  crops. 
It  is  about  fifty  miles  across  the  parish  by  the  main  public  highway,  from  south- 
east to  northwest,  and  perhaps  twent3'-five  miles  in  the  widest  place.  The 
boundaries  are  northwest  b}'  the  parish  of  Iberia,  northeast  by  Grand  and 
Palourde  Lakes,  on  the  southeast  b\'  the  parish  of  Terrebonne,  from  which  it  is 
separated  by  the  Atchafala3-a  Bayou,  and  on  the  southwest  by  the  Atchafalaya 
and  Cote  Blanche  Ba3-ous.     It  has  something  over  20,000  inhabitants. 

Tofografhy,  Etc. — The  parish  of  St.  Mary  is  rather  low,  level  lands,  with 
considerable  swamp,  or,  perhaps,  what  had  as  well  be  called  sea  marsh.  Indeed, 
the  highest  point,  except  Belle  Isle  and  Cote  Blanche  Island,  is  not  more  than 
fifteen  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  daily  tides  from  the 
gulf  of  from  one  to  two  feet  in  all  the  lakes  and  bayous.  The  land  around  Ber- 
wick Bay  has  an  elevation,  in  the  highest  point,  reaching  to  about  ten  feet,  and 
from  the  bay  to  Pattersonville,  and  three  or  four  miles  up  the  Teche,  the  eleva- 
tion is  but  httle  above  that  around  the  bay  and  on  the  Bceuf .  At  Franklin  the  west 
bank  of  the  Teche  is  about  thirteen  feet    above  tide  water;   the    east  bank  is  a 


208  SOUTHWEST  L  O  UTS  I A  NA  : 

little  lower.  The  two  islands,  Cote  Blanche  and  Belle  Isle,  at  their  highest  points 
are  more  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  gulf.  Most  of 
the  sea  marsh  is  under  water  during  gulf  storms  when  the  wind  blows  toward 
the  land. 

The  geological  features  of  St.  Mary  are  that  it  is  principally  an  alluvium 
soil,  rich  as  mother  earth  can  very  well  be  made,  and  so  deep  that  the  work  of 
man  has  not  yet  penetrated  its  depth.  Should  the  farming  land  ever  fail  in  pro- 
ductiveness, a  good,  thick,  covering  of  swamp  mulch  will  restore  it  to  its  former 
richness.  And  the  supply  of  this  exxellent  fertilizer  is  just  simply  inexhausti- 
ble. 

As  low  as  is  the  general  level  of  St.  Mary  but  little  of  the  parish,  and  rare- 
ly any  of  the  farming  lands,  have  ever  overflowed.  Some  of  the  lands  have  never 
been  overflowed  within  the  memory  of  the  "oldest  inhabitant."  This  may  be 
said  of  the  west  bank  of  the  Teche  from  a  point  five  or  six  miles  below  Centre- 
ville  to  its  source  in  St.  Landry  parish.  The  lands  in  the  lower  part  of  the  par- 
ish, and  on  the  east  side  of  the  Teche,  were  overflowed,  according  to  history, 
in  1788,  1828  and  1867.  When  the  levees  on  the  Mississippi  River  stand  firm, 
St.  Mary  need  have  no  fear  of  overflow. 

Of  the  agricultural  products  of  the  parish,  Mr.  Daniel  Dennett,  who  has 
done  such  excellent  work,  and  who  has  wdtten  so  much  for  Southwest  Louisi- 
ana, gives  interesting  statistics.  For  years  Mr.  Dennett  studied  this  country, 
collected  data  of  its  resources  and  wealth,  and  published  the  same  for  its  benefit. 
The  country  owes  much  to  him  and  his  arduous  labors.  And  as  this  writer  is 
indebted  to  him  for  many  valuable  and  important  facts,  he  incorporates  in  this 
volume  an  /«  Memoriam  published  in  the  New  Orleans  Picayune,  and  written 
by  Mr.  T.  D.  Richardson: 

Daniel  Dennett. — Died  Januarj- 5,  1891,  in  Brookhaven,  Mississippi,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  He  was  born  in  Saco,  Maine,  of  poor  parentage,  with  a 
name  "  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches."  Up  to  manhood  he  went  through 
the  usual  rugged  routine  of  farm  life,  there  offset  by  the  advantages  of  their 
good  common  schools.  His  natural  endowments  must  have  been  m.uch  above 
the  ordinary,  as  shown  in  the  various  positions  of  his  checkered  life.  There 
was  too  much  of  the  brain  material  in  him  to  be  buried  up  in  a  New  England 
rocky  farm,  and  he  felt  it  so.  His  first  step  was  from  one  extreme  to  the  other, 
and  we  find  him  in  the  Teche  country  of  Louisiana,  in  the  famous  sugar  region 
of  Bayou  Sale.  Here  he  began  life  in  the  almost  universal  toddling  paths  of 
genius  and  greatness  as  a  school  teacher,  and  soon  had  a  good  record  in  his  vo- 
cation. To  this  he  added  the  role  of  lecturer  on  temperance  and  kindred  sub- 
jects, the  outcroppings,  no  doubt,  of  his  early  Presbyterian  training.  And  here, 
too,  he  found  that  "pearl  of  great  price,"  in   the   daughter  of  Joshua  Garrett, 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


209 


I 


and  a  happy  lite  followed  him  and  his  Mary  till  he  was  left  to  finish  his  iournev 
alone  in  1880,  away  down  near  the  foot  of  the  hill.  Of  their  six  children  a  son 
and  two  daughters  survive  him.  Mr.  Dennett's  strong  proclivity  was  for  farm 
hfe  in  all  its  phases,  and  to  be  the  editor  of  an  agricultural  journal  was  in  har- 
mony with  his  nature.  In  1842  he  bought  the  St.  Mary  parish  newspaper  of 
Robt.  Wilson,  and  the  Planters'  Banner  was  born,  which  in  its  way  was  a  power 
in  Louisiana,  and  took  the  highest  rank  as  an  agricultural  paper. 

He  ransacked  every  nook  and  corner  for  items  of  interest,  often  too  regard- 
less of  personal  expense.     If  sometimes  he  was  a  little  too  reckless  in  his  on- 
slaught on  what   he  thought    injurious  to  the  best  interest  of  the  community  in 
morals    and    money,  he  always  charged  it  to  the  head,  never  to  the  heart      In 
politics  he  was  a  Whig,  strong,  but  conservative  as  he  saw  it,  and  firm  after  the 
manner  of  the  Whigs  in  those  daj-s.     We  have  often  heard  it  said  that  if  his  life- 
work  in  Louisiana  had  been  done  in  some  other  State,  it  would  have  placed  him 
in  the  senate  or  executive  chair.     Here  then   agriculture  and  journalism   had  a 
•hard    row  to  hoe,"  when  half  the  wealth  of  the  State  took  little  or  no  interest 
in  Enghsh  literature.     When  "dust  to  dust"  was  said  over  the  "grand  old  party" 
common  consent  placed  him  among  the  pall  bearers.     During  our  four  years 
night  of  gloom  no  native  born  was  truer  to  our  cause  than  Daniel  Dennett    ever 
ready  for  any  post  of  danger  they  gave  him.     Peace  came  nine  years   after  the 
war  closed,  and  all  through  the  period  of  reconstruction  his  sturdy  blows  will  be 
remembered.     But  the  fields  of  journalism,  like  those  of  the  old  plantations,  did 
not  respond  to  the  tiller's  toil,  and  the  old   Planter's   Banner  had  to  go  down 
Then  Mr.  Dennett  was  for  some  time  in  Texas,  but  said  he  always  felt  like  an 
exile  from  home.     Returning  to  Louisiana  he  became  associated  with  the  Pica- 
yune, and  finally  its  agricultural  editor.     And  here,  in  the  files  of  that  old,  time- 
honored  journal,  may  now  be  seen  his  mature  life  work.    At  his  beautiful  home 
near  Brookhaven,  Miss.,  his  time  was  divided  between  editorials,  field,  fruits  and 
flowers  and  here  closed  his  long  and  useful  life.    It  is  all  spread  out  now  before 
the  world      Well  done,  good   and  faithful,  will  be  the  common  verdict,  and  in 
fancy  we  hear  the  echo  around  the  great  white  throne. 

Resources  of  the  Parish.-To  quote  from  Mr.  Dennett's  statistical  record  of 
the  agricultural  products  : 

"  Cotton  is  cultivated  in  St.  Mary,  but  is  not  considered  profitable  Su^ar 
cane  is  the  proper  crop  of  the  parish.  Much  of  the  land  is  adapted  to  rice  The 
sea  marsh,  by  local  levees  and  draining  machines,  make  rich  lands,  which  are 
excellent  nee  lands.  This  soil  consists  principally  of  a  vegetable  deposit  of 
great  depth.  Swamp  lands,  or  any  of  the  reclaimable  wet  lands,  are  fine  for 
nee,  corn,  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes;  pumpkins,  peas,  beans,  indigo,  arrow  root 
ginger,  castor  oil  beans,  tobacco,  hay,  cabbage  and   turnips  do  well  in  this  soil 


.^ ^Q  SO UTH  WES r  LO UISIANA  : 

and  climate,  though  a  part  of  this  list  of  arfcles  has  never  been  cultivated  except 
toavervhn.  itedextent  Sealsland  cotton  does  well  on  the  islands  along  the  coast. 
Garden  vegetables  grow  the  year  round.  Nearly  all  kinds  of  vegetables  grow 
^e  same  here  as  in  the  North  and  West.  Of  cane,  the  yield  per  acre,  on  an 
avera^  is  about  a  hogshead  of  sugar  and  fifty  or  sixty  gallons  of  -lasses  ;^n 
an  ex^a  good  crop  year  double  that  amount.  Cane  :s  cultivated  nearl,-  the  same 
as  corn,  and  is  laid  by  before  July.  Sugar  making  begms  in  the  latte.  part  of 
October  or  early  in  November." 

NUMBER    OF    ACRES    IN    CULTIVATION    IN    189I  : 

30,000 

In  cane 2, 500 

In  rice !!.....!.  T. . 18,000 

In   corn 200 

In  oats ■  ■  ■  ■  ■ 2  000 

In  pasture 

56,700 

576,000 

Total  acreage  of  parish 519,300 

Swamp,  wood  and  sea   marsh 

PRODUCTS    RAISED    IN    1 889  : 

18,000  barrels 

^"^^^^"^ .' 32,500,000  pounds  or  loo.ooo  barrels 

Sugar 33,500  barrels 

^'^^^ 144,000  barrels 

Corn 

Male.  Female.  Total. 

White  children,  ages  16  to  18 ^'^52  1,2^^  -,^i^ 

Colored  children,  ages  16  to  18 ]2^_         "^ 

3,803         3.818       — - 

7,621 

Total  children   for  1690 

The  crop  of  1890  will  be  about  as  follows: 

70,000,000  pounds 

'^^o'"' .... 35,000  barrels 

Mol'^sses .'......... 144,000  barrels 

Corn 

In  the  good  old  times  before  the  war  there  were  about  thirteen  thousand 
slaves  owned  in  St.  Mary  parish,  valued  at  six  miUion  dollars.  Some  hfteen 
amers  then  were  engaged  in  the  bayous,  lakes  and  bays  conti-ous  d  "g 
the  busy  season  of  the  year,  and  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  v  es.els 
have  left  Franklin  in  a  single  vear  for  northern  and  southern  ports,  freighted 
t  ;    str   Ind  molasses  ^and^ive-oak.     Of  course,  this  is   all  changed   now. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  211 

The  "fortunes  of  war'"  liberated  the  slave  and  elevated  him  to  the  dignity  (?) 
of  statesmanship,  and  the  railroad,  in  a  measure,  has  superseded  the  steamboat 
and  the  schooner. 

Rice  is  grown  considerably  in  St.  Mary,  but  not  to  the  extent  that  cane  is. 
The  time  is  coming,  however,  when  rice  will  be  more  extensively  cultivated 
perhaps  than  cane,  because  it  can  be  more  easily  done.  Rice,  in  this  parish, 
grows  pretty  well  without  flooding,  but  on  the  flooded  lands  the  crop  is  nearly 
double  that  of  lands  not  flooded.  Further  west  the  growing  of  rice  is  fast 
becoming  the  leading  crop.  In  Calcasieu,  Acadia,  Lafayette  and  Cameron 
parishes,  it  is  grown  to  a  large  extent.  The  method  of  ploughing,  sowing,  har- 
vesting and  threshing  in  rice  culture  is  almost  precisely  as  in  wheat,  with  the 
same  machinery.  Rice  culture  differs  from  wheat  in  the  flooding  of  the  fields 
with  water  during  the  growing  season— a  very  simple  process.  The  chief 
advantages  of  rice  farming  over  wheat  are: 

1.  The  long  period  during  which  preparations  and  sowing  mav  be  con- 
tinued. 

2.  The  greater  value  of  the  product. 

Preparations  can  be  carried  on  from  October  till  June,  and  sowing  from 
March  till  July.     Har^-esting  continues  from  August  till  November. 

In  the  season  of  1889  the  average  yield  of  rice  in  some  of  the  western  par- 
ishes was  twelve  barrels  per  acre,  worth  $36;  in  1890  the  average  yield  is  con- 
siderably greater,  in  many  cases  averaging  twenty  barrels  per  acre,  worth  $70. 
A  few  fields  have  reached  thirty  barrels  per  acre.  Many  farmers  have 
■acquired  large  wealth  in  a  few  years  in  rice  farming. 

Fruit  Culture. — The  cultivation  of  fruits,  the  finer  fruits  particularly,  like 
■oranges,  figs,  etc.,  is  becoming  a  more  and  more  extensive  industry  every  year. 

Mr.  Dennett  says:  "The  yield  of  oranges  per  acre  is  enormous.  It  is 
impossible  to  make  any  estimate  that  is  reliable,  aswe  have  not  the  acres  oryield 
of  any  one  orchard  ;  but  below  New  Orleans  single  orchards  sometimes  yield 
from  $10,000  to  $30,000,  at  a  dollar  a  hundred  oranges."  A  full  grown, 
healthy  orange  tree,  fifteen  or  twenty  j'ears  old,  in  a  good  season,  will  produce 
five  thousand  oranges.  It  takes  from  three  to  four  hundred  oranges  to  fill  a  flour 
barrel.  So  the  largest  orange  trees  produce  from  forty  to  fifty  bushels  of  fruit 
of  a  favorable  season. 

The  latitudes  in  which  the  temperature  is  the  most  exempt  from  extremes 
of  heat  and  cold  are  the  most  favorable  for  the  development  of  the  fruits.  This 
is  why  Southern  Italy  is  so  noted  for  perfection  in  fruits  and  vegetables.  It  is 
there  that  the  orange  and  citron  display  such  great  growth.  The  day  is  certainly 
not  far  distant  when  Southwest  Louisiana  will  be  known  as  the  Italy  of  the 
United  States. 


212  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Below  we  give  an  extract  from  tlie  Missouri  Farmer,  on  fruits  of  Southern 
Italy  and  there  no  reason  wh}-  Louisiana  should  not  do  as  well: 

There  are  two  methods  of  propagating  the  orange  and  citron.  The  first  of 
these  is  technically  called  by  the  Italians  "teste"-  that  is,  "from  the  head."' 
This  consists  in  planting  out  the  young  branches  of  the  orange  or  citron,  care 
having  been  taken,  before  severing  them  from  the  tree,  to  make  them  put  forth 
their  roots  in  a  kind  of  vase  of  earth,  which  is  bound  around  them  at  the  junc- 
tion where  they  are  to  be  separated.  But  experience  has  proved  that  trees  thus 
propagated  are  never  strong  and  long-lived,  like  those  produced  from  the  seed 
of  a  tree  which  has  not  been  propagated  by  cutting.  The  best  mode  of  propa- 
gating, therefore,  is  to  take  the  young  plant  produced  from  the  seed  of  a  wild 
orange  or  citron  tree. 

An  orange  tree  is  always  wild,  and  produces  in  its  natural  state  only  sour 
fruit,  until  a  scion  of  a  cultivated  tree — one  bearing  sweet  fruit,  which  happens 
to  be  a  tree  originally  wild,  only  after  years  of  cultivation — has  been  grafted 
upon  it. 

The  process  of  grafting  orange  trees  is  a  science  of  itself,  of  which  it  is 
necessary  to  have  a  practical  knowledge.  In  Sorrento,  even  old  and  e.xperienced 
cultivators  do  not  attempt  it  themselves,  but  always  have  recourse  to  a  class  of 
men  whose  avocation  it  is  to  go  from  plantation  to  plantation  to  perform  the 
process  of  grafting  upon  the  trees;  and  to  do  it  successfully,  one  must  first  learn 
it  practically  from  an  experienced  grafter. 

When  a  considerable  number  of  young  trees  are  to  be  planted  permanently, 
the  general  method  is  to  plant  two  orange  trees  and  two  citron  trees  at  regular 
distances,  forming  a  square,  and  in  the  center  of  this  square  to  place  an  olive 
tree,  or  a  nut  tree,  or  any  other  fruit-bearing  tree  whose  presence  will  not  inter- 
fere with  the  culture  of  the  acid  fruits.  The  Italians  call  this  planting 
colquariro. 

The  Sorrentines  have  a  sort  of  basket  which  is  used  as  a  measure  for  the 
fruit.  This  is  called  the  eolletta,  which  will  hold  about  one  hundred  oranges  or 
citrons.  This  is  used  in  gathering  the  fruit.  When  the  fruit  of  one  tree  fills 
the  basket,  that  tree  is  considered  full  grown,  usually  at  its  sixth  year.  From 
that  time  the  yield  continually  increases,  until  the  tree  gives  ten  basketfulls — 
that  is  to  say,  one  thousand  oranges — when  it  is  considered  at  the  height  of  its 
fruit-bearing  capacity.  This  usually  occurs  at  about  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  its 
age. 

All  kinds  of  fruits  grow  in  St.  Mary  parish.  Pears  of  a  superior  quality 
are  grown,  particularly  on  the  Bayou  Teche.  Olives  do  well,  but  little  or  no 
attention  has  ever  been  paid  to  them.  Bananas,  lemons  and  pineapples  may  be 
raised  with  a  very  little  protection.  Plums  seem  almost  indigenous  to  this  sec- 
tion.    Nearly  a  dozen  different  kinds  of  plums  are  grown  here.     The  Mcspilus, 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  213 

or  Japan  plum,  is  one  of  the  finest,  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful.  This  tree 
is  a  beautiful  evergreen.  It  blossoms  in  the  fall,  the  fruit  grows  during  the 
winter  and  gets  ripe  in  March.     The  fruit  is  excellent. 

Strawberries,  blackberries  and  dewberries  grow  wild  in  the  greatest  pro- 
fusion. Strawberries,  when  properly  cultivated,  are  extremely  prolific  and  con- 
tinue bearing  six  or  eight  weeks.  The  dewberries  are  very  large  and  abun- 
dant and  grow  wild.  They  are  very  much  like  the  blackberry,  both  in  taste  and 
appearance.  It  is  not  meant  that  all  the  fruits  enumerated  are  to  be  found  here 
in  plentiful  profusion,  but  experience  has  proven  that  they  may  be  produced  in 
abundance  with  proper  cultivation  and  care.  "Fruit  culture  here  is  yet  in  its 
infancy,  but  when  the  same  attention  and  skill  are  given  to  it  as  in  other  portions 
of  the  countr}^  then  will  it  become  a  paradise  in  all  except  the  forbidden  fruit."'* 

Tobacco. — This  crop  grows  well  in  St.  Mary,  but  it  requires  so  much  care 
to  produce  it,  that  it  is  not  considered  a  profitable  crop.  Great  fortunes, 
however,  have  been  made  in  tobacco  in  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  Virginia 
and  Kentucky,  and  the  article  can  be  produced  here  with  much  less  work  than 
in  these  States.  Besides  there  is  always  a  ready  cash  market  for  what  is  pro- 
duced. The  tobacco  grown  in  Louisiana  is  said  to  be  superior  to  any  grown 
in  the  United  States.  There  is  a  great  foreign  demand  for  it,  and  it  is  espe- 
cially noted  for  the  superior,  excellent  snuff  it  makes.  While  Louis  Phillippe 
was  King  of  France,  he  is  said  to  have  sent  agents  to  Louisiana  to  buy  tobacco 
for  his  court,  choosing  it  in  preference  to  any  other.  An  old  gentleman  of  this 
state  informed  the  writer  that  he  had  seen  tobacco  raised  in  Virginia,  Tennes- 
see and  Georgia,  and  had  raised  it  largely  in  Louisiana.  He  said  that  the 
tobacco  raised  in  Louisiana  was  superior  in  quality  to  that  of  any  other  State, 
and  that  the  first  crop  was  equal  in  quantity  to  that  of  any  other  State,  while 
the  second  crop  in  the  same  year  was  fully  equal  to  the  first  in  both  quality  and 
quantity.  This  makes  tobacco  twice  as  productive  here  as  in  the  other  tobacco 
raising  States. 

There  is  but  little  raised  here  now,  but  enough  to  show  what  can  be  done. 
Before  the  war  there  were  some  large  tobacco  plantations,  but  since  then  the 
farmers  have  only  tried  to  raise  enough  for  home  consumption.  The  famous 
perique  tobacco,  the  kind  used  by  Louis  Phillippe,  King  of  France,  can  only 
be  produced  in  Louisiana. 

Climate  and  Health. — The  following  statement  of  climate  and  rainfall  of 
this  section  was  carefully  made  by  one  who  had  made  a  study  of  the  matter: 

That  portion  of  Louisiana  between  the  Atchafalaya  river  on  the  east,  the 
Sabine  on    the  west,  the    gulf    of    Mexico  on    the  south,  and    north  to  the  pine 

♦Dennett. 

14 


214  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

hills,  is  known  as  Southwestern  Louisiana.  This  region  possesses  the  most  mar- 
vellous combination  of  beautiful  prairies,  valuable  woodlands,  navigable  rivers 
and  charming  lakes,  with  one  of  the  healthiest  and  most  genial  climates,  upon 
the  globe,  and  a  soil  superlative  in  every  element  of  production. 

The  climate  is  soft  and  mellow,  ranging  from  40  to  70  degrees  in  winter  and 
from  80  to  96  in  summer,  rarely  reaching  the  latter  point.  The  rapid  evapora- 
tion from  the  gulf  cools  the  atmosphere  to  about  80  degrees.  At  this  tempera- 
ture it  is  driven  over  the  land  by  the  atmospheric  currents,  becoming  slightly 
elevated  by  the  higher  temperature  of  the  earth.  It  is  thus  always  cool  and  de- 
lightful in  the  shade,  even  in  the  warmest  weather.  Northern  men  can  work  on 
the  farm  all  summer  as  safely  as  in  Iowa.  The  rainfall  is  about  60  inches,  distri- 
buted quite  evenly  through  the  year.  It  is  as  pure  as  crystal, requiring  no  filtering. 
In  summer  it  falls  in  showers  of  short  duration,  seldom  interfering  with  continu- 
ous field  labor.  Farm  work  is  not  interrupted  by  the  winter,  except  occasion- 
ally by  excessive  moisture,  and  that  for  a  short  time.  If  the  same  care  were 
exercised  in  Louisiana  to  keep  the  system  in  order  as  in  the  Northern  States,  the 
average  health  of  the  family  would  be  much  better  here  than  there.  There  is 
very  little  malaria  in  the  prairie  region  of  Southwestern  Louisiana,  and  that  is 
easily  managed  by  ordinary  care.  The  rolling  pine  timber  lands  are  very  favor- 
able for  health.  The  climate  operates  most  beneficially  in  cases  of  rheumatism, 
neuralgia,  catarrh,  weak  lungs,  nervous  prostration,  etc.  There  is  scarcely  any 
danger  from  yellow  fever.  Before  there  was  any  effective  quarantine  estab- 
lished in  Louisiana  there  were  a  few  cases  of  yellow  fever— none  since  in  the 
rural  districts.     The  last  case  was  thirteen  years  since. 

The  Bayou  Cypremort  is  lined  with  beautiful  forests,  of  which  the  stately 
magnolia  predominates.  Many  of  them  are  over  fifty  feet  high.  Their  foliage 
and  magnificent  white  blossoms  are  excelled  by  few  forest  trees  to  be  found  any- 
where in  the  world.  The  magnolia  well  merits  the  title  that  has  been  given  it 
of  the  "queen  of  the  forest."  But  mingled  with  the  magnoHa  along  Cypremort 
are  oak,  ash,  black  walnut,  hickory,  sweet  gum,  pecan,  elm,  etc.,  with  a  rank 
growth  of  underbrush  and  grape  vines.  There  is  nothing  very  beautiful  and  en- 
chanting in  the  bayou  as  a  stream,  it  being  filled  with  weeds,  rushes  and  wil- 
lows, a  seeming  haunt  for  snakes  and  other  water  reptiles.  It  is  its  forests  that 
constitute  its  beauty. 

Cote  Bhiuche  Island. — This  island  rises  out  of  the  marsh  to  an  elevation  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  some 
ten  miles  from  Franklin  as  the  crow  flies,  but  twentv-five  miles  by  way  of  tlie 
wagon  road.  It  is  a  beautiful  place  and  has  a  fine  climate— a  climate  in  which 
people  never  get  sick,  but  live  always.  The  pure  sea  breeze  from  the  gulf  cools 
the  air  in  summer  and  tempers  the  wintry  winds,    making  a  pleasant   resort  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  215 

3'ear  round.       It  is  susceptible  of  being  made   one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  at- 
tractive resorts  on  the  gulf  coast. 

Since  the  memorable  days  of  1849,  when  the  discover}^  of  gold  on  the 
Pacific  slope  set  all  the  world  agog,  the  pioneers,  the  men  who  skirt  the  outer 
confines  of  civilization  on  this  continent,  have  entirely  changed  in  their  charac- 
teristics. They  are  now,  in  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century,  perhaps 
the  most  cosmopolitan  people  in  the  world.  But  the  old  Californians  were  the 
best  practicall}'  educated  people  of  any  of  the  pioneers,  for  they  were  suddenly 
gathered  together  in  large  numbers,  representing  every  civilized  people  of  the 
globe — many  of  the  half  civilized,  and  even  some  of  the  totally  barbarous.  This 
heterogenous  gathering  of  such  varieties  of  people  resulted  in  the  world's  won- 
der of  a  public  school.  It  rapidly  educated  men  as  they  never  had  been 
educated  before.  It  was  not  perfect  in  its  moral  symmetry,  but  it  was  wholly 
powerful  in  its  rough  strength,  vigor  and  swiftness.  It  taught  not  of  books,  but 
of  mental  and  physical  laws — the  only  fountain  of  real  knowledge,  of  commerce, 
of  cunning  craft — it  was  iron  to  the  nerves  and  a  sleepless  energy  to  the  resolu- 
tion. This  was  its  field  of  labor,  its  free  university.  Here,  every  people,  every 
national  prejudice,  all  the  marked  characteristics  of  men,  met  its  opposite  when 
there  was  no  law  to  restrain  or  govern  either,  except  that  public  sentiment  that 
was  crj-stallized  into  a  resistless  force  in  this  witch's  caldron.  This  wonderful 
alembic,  where  were  fused  normal  and  abnormal  humanities,  thoughts,  false  ed- 
ucations, prejudices  and  pagan  follies,  into  a  molten  stream  that  glowed  and 
scorched  ignorance  along  its  way  as  the  volcanic  eruption  does  the  debris  in  its 
pathway.  It  was  the  untrammeled  school  of  attrition  of  every  mind  with  mind — 
the  rough  diamond  that  gleams  and  dazzles  with  beauty  only  when  rubbed  with 
diamond  dust.  The  best  school  in  the  world  for  a  thorough,  practical  educa- 
tion. Universal  education — we  mean  real  education  and  not  "learned  ignorance," 
as  Locke  has  aptly  termed  it — is  a  levelerof  the  human  mind.  It's  Hke  the  strug- 
gle for  life,  when  only  "the  fittest  survive"  and  the  unfit  perish.  But  its  ten- 
dency is  to  lift  up  the  average,  to  better  mankind,  to  evolve  the  truth  and 
mercilessly  gibbet  ingrained  ignorance  and  superstitious  follies. 

The  school  life  of  the  pioneers  of  Southwest  Louisiana  was  spent  in  a 
totally  different  one  from  that  just  named.  Their  surroundings  differed  radi- 
cally from  that  of  the  California  "  fortj^-niners."  They  did  not  come  to  Louis- 
iana in  great  rushing  crowds,  but  in  meagre  squads.  They  had  abandoned 
home,  some  of  them  driven  away  at  the  point  of  English  bayonets,  and  plunged 
into  these  vast  solitudes  to  live,  where  the  luxuries  of  life  were  among  the  lost 
arts.  These  sturdy,  lone  mariners  of  the  desert  were  men  of  action  and  nerve. 
They  whetted  their  instincts  for  existence  against  the  wild  game,  the  ferocious 
beasts,  and  the  murderous  savages. 


210  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

Settlement  of  the  Parish. — The  early  settlers  of  Southwest  Louisiana,  as 
ah'eady  stated,  were  very  different  from  the  western  pioneers  of  1849,  when  the 
gfold  fever  raged  so  intensely  on  the  Pacific  coast.  They  were  descendants  of 
the  best  families  of  France  and  Spain,  some  of  them  with  the  blood  of  kings 
coursing  through  their  veins.  One  of  the  first  settlers  in  St.  Mary  parish  was 
Louis  le  Pelletier  de  la  Houssaye,  a  descendant  of  Claude  de  la  Houssaye,  the 
Prime  Minister  of  Louis  XV  of  France.  The  de  la  Houssaye  family  is  one  of 
the  oldest  and  noblest  families  in  Louisiana,  and  boasts  of  descent  from  royalty. 
There  is  a  dissimilarity  in  spelling  the  name  in  this  section.  Some  members 
of  the  family  spell  it  de  la  Houssaye,  while  others  spell  it  Delahoussaye,  but 
both  run  back  to  the  same  source.  Louis  le  Pelletier  de  la  Houssaye  was  sent 
here  by  Louis  XVL  successor  to  the  fifteenth  Louis,  as  an  official,  and  lived 
here  in  St.  Mary  parish.  He  has  many  descendants  still  living  in  the  parish. 
He  had  a  brother,  A.  de  la  Houssaye,  who  came  to  Louisiana  at  the  same  time 
with  himself. 

Other  early  settlers  in  this  parish  were  the  Sigures,  DeVals,  Coners,  Dar- 
b3's,  DeClouets,  Dubuelet,  Verret,  Grevenberg,  Peocot,  Oliv'ier,  Bienvenue, 
etc.  They  were  of  the  most  respectable  French  families,  and  were  among  the 
very  early  settlers.  Also  the  Laestrapes,  Gerbeans,  Charpentiers,  Demarests, 
Pellerins,  Dubuclets,  Dejean,  Duclozel,  Bryants,  and  Arensbourg. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  a  few  Spaniards.  Of  these  were  the 
Navarros,  Moros,  and  others.  They  also  have  descendants  still  in  the  parish. 
Just  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  a  number  of  immigrants  of  Ameri- 
can or  English  blood  came,  among  whom  were  J.  Y.  Sanders,  from  South  Caro- 
lina, who  was  a  cousin  to  the  father  of  Senator  Wade  Hampton. 

Characteristics  of  the  Early  Settlers. — Among  these  early  settlers  of  St. 
Mary  parish,  the  most  unbounded  confidence  prevailed.  No  such  thing  as 
giving  a  note  for  money  due  from  one  to  another  was  thought  of  or  known 
among  them.  The  following  instance  will  illustrate  this  phase  of  their 
character:  A  Frenchman  named  Pellerin  used  to  loan  mone}^  but  would  never 
take  a  note  for  it.  With  him  a  man's  word  was  good  as  his  bond.  An  early 
settler  here.  Col.  Baker,  who  held  some  position  over  the  Indians,  once  went 
to  Mons.  Pellerin,  to  borrow  two  thousand  dollars,  and  upon  asking  the  question 
if  he  could  have  it,  "Yes,  yes,"  answered  Pellerin,  in  his  quick,  jerky  way  of 
speaking,  and  called  to  his  son,  a  youth,  in  the  next  room,  to  bring  him  the  box 
from  under  the  bed.  When  the  box  was  brought  the  two  thousand  dollars  was 
counted  out  in  gold  by  the  old  man,  who  pushed  it  over  to  Baker,  remarking, 
"There  is  your  money."  Col.  Baker  hesitated,  and  asked  for  pen  and  ink, 
(scarce  articles  in  those  days),  "Well,"  said  the  Frenchman,  "I  guess  I  could 
find  pen  and  ink  if  necessary,  but  what  do  you  want  them  for?"     "Why,"   said 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  217 

Col.  Baker,  "for  fear  sometliing  might  liappen — you  or  I  might  die,  then  it 
would  be  best  for  you  to  have  a  note  for  this  money  to  show  that  I  got  it  from 
you."'  "A  note,  a  note!"  exclaimed  Pellerin,  "If  a  man's  word  is  not  good 
his  bond  is  not  good.  When  you  go  home  tell  your  wife  you  got  two  thousand 
dollars  from  me,  payable  the  first  of  Jaruar}%  and  I  tell  my  wife  you  got  it,  that 
is  enough  evidence."  "A  note,  a  note,"  he  again  exclaimed,  and  swept 
the  gold  back  into  his  strong  box  and  would  not  let  Baker  liave  it.  This 
occurred  back  in  the  twenties. 

Sucli  dealings  probablj^  worked  well  in  tlie  primitive  days  of  this  cointry, 
among  the  primitive  inhabitants,  but  would  scarcely  hold  good  in  these  degen- 
erate times  even  in  Louisiana. 

Another  incident  occurred  about  this  time  still  further  illustrating  the  simplic- 
ity and  confidence  of  the  early  inhabitants.  A  man  named  Elliot,  a  brawn}'  old 
Scotchman,  was  operating  a  distillery  in  the  parish.  He  wanted  some  money, 
and  went  to  an  old  Creole  lady  and  borrowed  from  her  $2000.  When  the  ist 
of  January  came  around  he  went  back  to  pay  her.  He  counted  out  the  $2000 
in  a  pile  and  then  counted  out  $200  in  a  smaller  pile,  which  he  told  her  was 
''interest."  "Interest,"  said  she,  "what  is  interest?"  "Why,  since  I  had  your 
money  that  big  pile  has  made  the  little  pile,  and  that  is  called  interest  and  it  is 
all  yours."  As  soon  as  Elliott  left  the  old  lady  mounted  her  horse  and  went 
straight  to  the  country  school  house,  where  an  ancient  Hibernian — 

"Teddy  O'Rourke  kept  a  bit  of   a  school — " 

was  teaching  her  sons,  among  a  few  others  of  her  neighbors,  and  called  him 
out — "Schoolmaster,"  said  she,  "teach  my  boys  interest,  nothing  but  interest," 
and  away  she  went  back  home  leaving  the  schoolmaster  in  much  bewilderment 
as  to  what  she  really  meant.  He  heeded  her  advice,  however,  and  her  sons  be- 
came honorable  citizens  and  among  the  finest  commercial  men  in  the  parish. 

Formation  of  Parish. — As  will  be  seen  in  the  introductory  chapter  of  this 
work,  in  a  sketch  written  by  Col.  Voorhies,  of  St.  Martin,  descriptive  of  the  At- 
takapas  District,  St.  Mary  is  one  of  the  two  parishes  into  which  that  district  was 
divided  soon  after  1800.  Following  is  the  act  of  division  accompanied  by  an 
act  to  form  the  parish  of  St.  Mary : 

An  Act  entitled  an  Act  to  divide  the  country  of  Attakapas  into  two 
parishes.     Approved  April  17,  1811  : 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Council  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  Territory  of  Orleans,  in  General  Assembly  convened.  That 
the  county  of  Attakapas  shall  be  divided  into  two  parishes,  to  be  called  the 
parish  of  St.  Martin  and  the  parish  of  St.  Mar}'. 

Sec.   2.  The  parish  of  St.  Mary  shall  contain  all  that  part  of  said  county 


218  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

north  of  a  line  running  east  from  the  upper  line  of  tlie  plantation  of  Francis 
Boutte,  on  the  Bayou  Teche,  to  the  Great  Lake,  and  west  from  the  said  Francis 
Boutte  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  bayou  of  the  Petite  Anse,  on  the  bay;  and  the  parish 
of  St.  Mary  shall  contain  all  the  remainder  of  the  said  county,  that  is  to  say,  all 
ihat  is  south  or  below  the  said  line. 

An  Act  to  explain  an  act  entitled  "An  Act  to  divide  tlie  county  of  Attaka- 
pat  into  two  parislies:" 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  S.ate  of  Louisiana,  in  General  Assembly  convened,  That  a  straight  line  be 
run  from  the  westward^  corner  of  the  upper  line  of  the  plantation  of  Francis 
Boutte,  where  he  now  lives,  to  the  head  of  the  canal  leading  to  the  Petite  Anse 
island;  thence  down  the  canal  to  the  Petite  Anse  bayou,  and  down  the  same  by 
the  bay,  commonly  called  theVermilion  Bay  ;  thence  southeastwardly  with  the  bay 
and  the  line  of  the  State  to  the  entrance  into  the  Bayou  Teche,  thence  up  the  bay 
of  the  same  to  include  all  the  settlements  on  the  bayou  that  intersect  with  the 
bay  on  the  east  side  of  what  is  commonly  called  Berwick's  Bay,  and  not  in- 
cluded in  either  of  the  parishes  of  Lafourche  ;  thence  up  the  middle  of  the  Grand 
Lake  to  the  place  where  a  line  running  east  from  the  aforesaid  Francis  Boutte's 
pLi.ntation  shall  strike  the  said  lake,  shall  belong  to  the  parish  of  St.  Mar}'. 
Approved  March  20,  1813. 

The  earl}-  parish  records  are  very  meagre,  and  some  of  them  missing  en- 
tirely, so  we  must  draw  on  our  seven-league  boots  and  step  down  to  the  police 
jury  records  of  1866.  At  the  meeting  of  tlie  Police  Jurors,  held  on  May  27th  of 
the  above  years,  the  following  members  were  present:  Frank  Thompson,  first 
ward;  Jolin  A.  Smith,  second  ward  ;  Samuel  L.  Randall,  third  ward;  Wm. 
H.  Cook,  fourth  ward;  One  member  seemed  to  have  been  absent,  as  the  four 
named  above  presented  their  certificates  of  election  under  the  act,  reducing  the 
number  of  wards  to  five.  After  taking  the  required  oath  they  organized,  and 
Mr.  S.  L.  Randall  was  elected  president  for  one  year. 

The  first  business  transacted  b}-  the  board  was  the  adoption  of  a  resolution 
to  cooperate  with  the  governor  in  rendering  assistance  to  the  sufferers  from  a 
recent  overflow.  At  the  July  term,  Mr.  John  Tarleton  presented  his  certificate 
of  election  to  represent  the  fifth  ward  in  the  board.  At  August  meeting  the  par- 
ish was  redivided  into  school  districts,  and  a  School  Board  consisting  of  H.  C. 
Smith,  Dr.  C.  M.  Smith  and  P.  Pecot  were  appointed  a  board  to  examine  school 
teachers. 

An  election  was  held  on  the  9th  of  May,  1870,  and  the  following  jurors  were 
elected:  Etriene  Meynard,  first  ward;  Dolze  Bodine,  second  ward;  T.  J.  Fos- 
ter, third  ward  ;  Henry  J.  Saunders,  fourth  ward;  J.  P.  Wallers,  fifth  ward. 
This  board  recorded  its  last  minutes  October  2,  1871,  from  which  date  there  is 
a  skip  in  the  records  to  the  6th  of  April,    1876,   covering  the   period   of  Negro- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  219 

carpetbag  rule.  After  a  long  series  of  abuses,  the  people,  the  intelligent  masses, 
arose  in  their  might,  just  as  they  did  in  the  November  election,  1890,  and  just  as 
they  always  do,  when  patience  ceases  to  be  a  virtue,  hurled  the  plunderers  from 
power,  who  had  so  long  trodden  under  foot  all  decency,  and  through  ignorance, 
or  "malice  prepense  and  aforethought,"  had  ruined  the  financial  standing  and 
bankrupted  the  parish  treasury.  From  1876,  until  the  adoption  of  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1879,  requiring  the  appointment  of  Police  Jurors,  enough  good  men  were 
elected  or  were  made  members  of  the  board  to  very  much  better  the  condition 
of  things.  At  the  time  tne  "rump"  board  was  dethroned,  it  was  found  that  the 
parish  was  $13,000  in  debt,  the  treasurj-  empty,  and  parish  warrants  selling  at 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  cents  on  the  dollar.  The  gentlemen  appointed  under 
the  new  regime  from  the  respective  wards  were:  T.  J.  Foster,  J.  Y.  Sanders, 
Phillippe  Patout,  Louis  Grevenberg  and  T.  Bellissim.  They  held  their  first 
meeting  January,  7,  18S0,  and  at  the  end  of  three  3'ears  they  had  paid  off  the 
parish  indebtedness,  all  the  outstanding  warrants,  running  the  county  on  a  purely 
cash  basis,  and  their  vouchers  were  worth  100  cents  on  the  dollar.  A  state- 
ment was  made  by  the  board,  February  i,  1891,  of  the  financial  condition  of  the 
parish,  showing  a  balance  in  the  treasury  of  $8564,  and  that  much  of  the  last 
year's  tax  is  still  unmolested.  During  the  prosperous  decade  of  1880-1890,  manv 
needed  improvements  were  made.     The    present   board    are    as   follows,    viz: 

Milliard  M.  Bosworth,  first  ward;  (the  second  ward  has  been  made  vacant 
by  the  death  of  its  representative);  Tlios.  J.  Fastin,  third  ward  (and  President 
of  the  Board);  Thos.  E.  Kennedy,  fourth  ward;  Frank  B.  Williams,  fifth  ward; 
George  G.  Zeno,  sixth  ward;  Stephen  B.  Roane,  seventh  ward;  Thos.  J.  Hein, 
is  secretary  of  the  board,  a  place  he  has  filled  for  more  than  twenty  j-ears,  a  sure 
sign  that  he  is  the.  right  man  in  the  right  place. 

The  legislative  representatives  are  Hons.  Placide  P.  Sigure,  and  Joseph  A. 
Loret.  Sheriff  of  the  parish — Alexander  G.Frere;  Clerk — Francis  P.  Perret; 
Assessor — Henry  S.  Palfrey;  Surveyor — Alfred  A.  Fusilier;  Coroner — Dr. 
Chas.  M.  Smith. 

The  Early  Courts. — The  first  court  records  show  Henry  Johnson  to  be  the 
first  Parish  Judge.  The  first  court  seems  to  have  been  held  in  a  frame  house 
belonging  to  Meathen  Nimmo,  on  the  27th  of  August,  181 1.  Johnson  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Hon.  Seth  Lewis  as  Judge,  whose  first  court  was  held  in  June,  1813. 
Upon  retiring  from  the  parish  judgeship,  J(jhnson  became  Judge  of  the  Attakapas 
District. 

An  incident  that  occurred  at  ihe  term  of  court.  July  4,  1814.  will  have  a 
rather  peculiar  sound  to  us  after  three-quarters  of  a  century,  viz:  "John  Harmon 
was  confined  in  the  stocks  one  hour  for  contempt  of   court." 

Among  the  practising  attorne\'s  in  the  St.   Mar\-  courts  in    those   davs    were 


220  S0UTI/WES7'  LOUIS/ANA : 

J.  Bronson,  Isaac  Baker,  Richard  Humphrey,  Josliua  Baker  ( afterward  judge ), 
W.  W.  Bowen  and  R.  N.  Ogden,  and  John  Wilkinson  was  judge  of  the  parish 
court.  In  1826,  J.  A.  Overton  was  judge;  in  1828,  H.  A.  Buiiard  was  judge; 
1829-30,  Joshua  Baker  was  judge. 

District  and  parish  courts  were  held  from  the  formation  of  the  parish  in  181 1 
until  the  adoption  of  the  new  constitution  in  1879,  when  the  district  court  was 
abolished  and  the  circuit  court  instituted  in  its  stead. 

Later  judges  of  the  parish  were:  Hon.  F.  S.  Goode,  who  was  judge  for 
eight  years,  Judge  Fontelieu,  Judge  Fred.  C  Gates,  B.  F.  Winchester,  etc. 
Among  the  present  members  of  tiie  bar  are  Don  Caffrey,  M.  J.  Foster,  P.  H. 
Mentz,  W.  J.  Suthon,  W.  N.  K.  Wilson,  J.  S.  Martel,  Henry  Mayce  and 
Placide  P.  Sigure. 

Alilitary  History. — How  man}-  soldiers  were  in  the  war  of  181 2  from  St. 
Mary  is  not  known,  but  there  was  one  company  from  the  parish  participated 
in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  under  General  Jackson.  In  the  Mexican  war,  a 
compan}'  was  organized  under  Captain  Stuart.  So  far  there  are  but  four  Mexican 
war  veterans  known  to  be  living  in  the  parish  ;  one  of  these  is  Mr.  Benj.  F. 
Harris.  He  served  under  Captain  G.  S.  Rousseau.  Mr.  Harris  was  also  in  the 
civil  war,  in  Captain  Cornay's  St.  Mary  Cannoneers.  He  is  now  sixty-nine  years 
old  and  still  quite  active.  For  sketch  of  the  civil  war,  see  chapters  on  St. 
Martin  and  St.  Landry  parishes. 

Tozvn  of  J^ranklin.—¥v3,-nkY\n  was  laid  out  as  a  town  about  1800.  It  was 
founded  by  a  man  named  Guinea  Lewis,  from  the  good  old  Quaker  State  of 
Penns3'lvania,  which  accounts  for  its  bearing  the  name  of  Franklin,  the  great 
philosopher  of  that  State  in  its  infancy.  The  first  house  built  where  Franklin 
now  stands  was  put  up  by  a  Mr.  Trowbridge,  and  has  long  since  crumbled  into 
dust.  Mrs.  Trowbridge,  his  widow,  is  still  living,  and  is  about  the  oldest  resi- 
dent of  the  town.  Franklin  became  the  capital  in  181 1,  upon  the  organization 
ef  the  parish.  Its  growth  has  been  slow  but  steady,  afid  it  now  has  a  population 
of  about  two  thousand  souls,  and — about  the  same  number  of  bodies.  The  town 
has  two  public  schools,  one  white  and  one  colored,  a  Catholic  school  and  a  select 
school  besides.  The  public  schools  continue  about  five  months  during  each 
j'ear.  There  are  two  Methodist  churches,  one  white  and  one  colored,  and  two 
Baptist  churches,  all  of  which  have  good,  large  memberships.  It  has  a  large 
number  of  business  houses,  large  and  strong  financially,  live,  wide-awake  busi- 
ness men,  three  hotels  and  two  liver}'  stables,  and  all  classes  of  business  that  go 
to  make  up  a  prosperous  town.  The  St.  Mary  Herald  is  the  official  journal  of 
the  parish.  It  is  a  four-page  paper,  seven  columns  to  a  page,  and  full  of  enter- 
prise. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  221 

Franklin  was  formerly  a  port  of  entry  for  theTeche  district,  and  did  a  large 
trading  and  shipping  business  with  the  cities  of  the  North.  This  has  been  mate- 
rially lessened  by  the  railroad  enterprise  of  this  fast  age,  which  has  changed  the 
route  of  travel  to  New  Orleans  and  Galveston.  Franklin  was  a  large  market  up 
to  184S  for  cattle. 

The  following  are  the  present  officials  of  the  town:  Nilson  McKessal, 
mayor;  Michael  B.  Gordy,  marshal;  E.  M.  Walker,  treasurer,  and  Frank 
Harris,  constable.  Councilmen — Arthur  A.  de  la  Houssaj^e,  Henderson  Morris, 
Edward  Kreshnel,  Matthew  Bell  and  James  K.  Fouray. 

The  parish  has  had  several  court  houses,  temporary  and  permanent.  In 
1858,  a  two-story  brick  court  house  was  built,  with  ten  rooms,  offices  tire-proof. 
A  substantial  brick  jail  was  built,  in  1854,  by  Franklin  Harris.  The  brick  court 
house  was  burned  a  few  years  before  the  building  of  the  present  one,  which  is 
a  two-stor}'  brick,  with  large  Corinthian  columns  in  front. 

Tliere  are  a  number  of  manufacturing  enterprises  in  and  around  Franklin, 
such  as  saw-mills,  sugar  mills  and  refineries,  sash,  door  and  blind  factories, 
shingle  mills,  etc. 

Morgan  City. — This  place  was  formerly  called  Brashear  City,  and  is  situ- 
ated on  Berwick  Bay,  and  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the  parish.  It  has 
from  two  to  three  thousand  inhabitants,  mostly  foreigners  and  negroes,  and  fish- 
ing and  oyster  gathering  is  the  principal  business.  The  site  of  the  town  was 
originally  a  sugar  plantation,  owned  by  Mr.  Brashear,  for  whom  the  town  was 
originally  named.  It  was  incorporated  in  i860  as  Brashear  City,  and  Thomas 
Brashear  became  the  first  mayor.  The  first  business  house  was  built  by  Mr. 
Brashear  on  his  plantation. 

When  Morgan's  Louisiana  railroad  line  was  built  the  town  was  incorporated 
as  Morgan  Cit}^  which  name  it  still  retains.  The  first  mayor  of  the  new  town 
was  Charles  Smith.  In  1870  the  Teche  Collection  District  was  changed  from 
Franklin  to  Morgan  City  and  R.  W.  MuUin  was  the  first  collector.  He  held  the 
position  six  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  E.  W.  Hubbard  for  four  years,  then 
came  James  H.  Jolly  for  eight  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Carrington 
for  four  years,  until  the  incoming  of  the  Harrison  administration,  when  Mr.  Jolly 
was  reappointed  and  now  holds  the  office. 

The  town  has  some  fifteen  business  houses,  four  hotels  and  two  newspapers. 
The  Morgan  City  Review  is  a  weekly  Democratic  paper,  edited  by  H.M.  Mayo, 
a  prominent  young  Democrat  of  the  town.  The  other  is  a  monthly  journal, 
owned  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Gray,  who  is  an  old  newspaper  man.  He  has  a  very  com- 
plete and  valuable  job  office  in  connection  with  his  paper. 

Morgan  City  is  the  03'ster  depot  for  Southwest  Louisiana,  and  large  quantities 
are  shipped  from  this  place  annually,  both  to  the  home  and  foreign  trade.     The 


222  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

catching,  packing  and  shipping  of  fish  is  also  an  important  interest.  Mr.  J.  H. 
Lehman  is  the  great  fish  king  of  the  town,  in  fact  he  is  a  whale. 

Berwick,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay  from  Morgan  Cit)-,  is  a  small  village 
of  some  six  hundred  inhabitants.  Tt  is  an  important  lumbering  town.  A  large 
amount  of  excellent  lumber  and  an  innumerable  quantit\-  of  shingles  are  shipped 
annually  to  all  parts  of  the  country. 

Other  villages    in  the    parish     are    Baldwin.  Patterson,    Glencoe,  Acklen, 

Ricohoc,  Grand  Woods,  etc.     Most  of  these  are  small  places,  consisting  of  but 

a  post-office,  store,  etc.     Patterson  is  quite  a  village,  with  five  or  six  hundred 

inhabitants,  and  Baldwin  is  the  junction  of  a  branch  railroad  over  to  Cypremort. 

he  other  villages  are  places  of  little  consequence. — Per^'in. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

"A  Tale  of  Acadia" — Introductory — A  Glance  at  Acadia  Parish — 
Prairie  on  Fire — Resources — A  Western  Editor's  Impressions  of 
Southwestern  Louisiana — Early  Settlement — A  German  •Col- 
ony— Joseph  Fabacher — An  Ode  to  the  German  Emigrant — In- 
troduction OF  Rice  Culture — Making  Hay — Organization  of  the 
Parish — Act  of  the  Legislature  Incorporating  It — Parish 
Officials — Court  Houses  and  Jails — The  Town  of  Crowley — 
Laying  Out  of  Same — Other  Towns — Schools  and  Churches — 
The  Acadia  College— General  Summary,  Etc. 

"  O,  Country!   rich  in  everything,  in  all  that  makes  a  people  great; 

We  hail  thee,  queen  of  'Cadian  soil,  and  fling  our  challenge  to  the  State, 
We  hail  thee,  queen,  whose  beauty  won  our  fathers  in  their  golden  years; 
A  shout  for  greater  days  begun,  a  sigh  for  sleeping  pioneers." 

fi^HE  past,  with  all  its  momentous  changes,  has  ever  been  regarded  as  im- 
>  portant  and  deserving  of  record.  Long  before  letters  were  invented, 
legendary  tales  and  traditions  were  emplo3ed  to  perpetuate  importantevents 
and  transmit  the  same  to  succeeding  generations.  Hieroglyphics  were  afterward 
used  for  the  same  purpose.  But  all  these  forms  of  memorial  have  long  since  given 
place  to  the  pen  and  types  among  civilized  nations.  The  introduction  of  modern 
alphabets  made  writing  less  difficult,  and  the  invention  of  the  art  of  printing 
afforded  facilities  for  publishing  books  before  unknown.  The  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge produced  by  the  press  and  the  Reformation,  and  the  growing  taste  for 
history  created  by  the  latter,  brought  out  a  host  of  historians,  rendered  their 
works  voluminous  and  scattered  them  broadcast  over  the  world.  Many  of  them 
read  in  the  light  of  civilization  have  all  the  fascinations  of  a  romance,  which  but 
increases  in  interest  as  time  rolls  on. 

The  papyrus  roll  of  ancient  Egypt,  containing  mysterious  records,  and  the 
ponderous  folios  of  Confucius,  that  antedate  tradition  itself,  were  not  more  val- 
uable to  the  sages  and  philosophers  of  old  than  the  printed  page  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  is  to  the  scholarly  and  enlightened  individual  of  the  present  day. 
And  of  all  historical  records  there  are  none  more  interesting  and  valuable  than 
local  annals.  Interesting  because  prepared  by  those  who  enact  them,  and  val- 
uable because  the  future  and  actual  historian  without  them  could  not  write  a 
true  history  of  the  country. 


224  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  ■ 

This  chapter  of  our  work  is  devoted  to  the  parish  of  Acadia — the  youngest 
parish  in  the  State.  Indeed,  Acadia  is  a  very  j'oung  lady,  still  in  short  dresses, 
and  scarcely  of  a  sufficiently  mature  age  to  be  entrusted  from  home  vs'ithout  a 
body  guard.  Although  her  growth  has  been  so  rapid,  and  she  has  developed  so 
wonderfully,  no  one  would  suspect  that  her  fifth  birthday  is  yet  half  a  year  dis- 
tant— rather  a  youthful  age  for  a  young  lady  to  set  up  housekeeping  for  herself. 
This  gloriously  salubrious  climate  brings  out  the  bestthere  is  in  us  without  the 
lea.st  delay. 

Acadia  Parish. — The  parish  of  Acadia  was  created  in  1886,  from  the  south- 
west part  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  has  an  area  of  six  hundred  and  thirty-four 
square  miles.  It  is  diversified  with  prairie  and  woodland,  and  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  the  parish  of  St.  Landry;  on  the  east  by  the  parish  of  Lafayette;  on  the 
south  by  the  parish  of  VermiHon,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  bayou  of 
Queue  Tortue,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Bayou  Nez  Pique  and  Mermentau  River, 
separating  it  from  the  parish  of  Calcasieu.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  but 
the  fall  is  sufficient  to  afford  good  drainage  into  the  creeks  and  rivers,  of  which 
there  are  quite  a  number.  The  streams  are  generally  deep,  with  high  banks, 
which  are  covered  with  fine  timber.  The  water  supply  is  ample  for  all  pur- 
poses, the  creeks  affording  an  abundant  supply  for  stock,  and  wells  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  twenty  to  thirty  feet  afford  an  unfailing  quantity  for  all  domestic 
purposes. 

The  prairies  are  almost  monotonously  level.  In  summer  they  are  covered 
with  tall,  luxuriant  grass  from  two  to  four  feet  high,  which,  when  waving  in  the 
wind,  resemble  ocean  billows  in  a  storm.  They  are  often  overtopped  with 
fragriint  blossoms,  presenting  a  scene  of  picturesque  beauty  that  must  be  seen  to 
be  appreciated.  One  beautiful  afternoon  of  a  balmy  Indian  summer  day  lastfall, 
the  writer,  in  coming  over  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  from  the  west,  saw  in 
this  parish,  a  prairie  on  fire.  The  line  of  fire  extended  for  miles,  and,  as  the 
dark  cloud  of  smoke  rolled  upward,  like  a  mourning  pall,  almost  veihng  the  face 
of  the  sun,  it  recalled  the  sublime  lines  of  Milton  : 

"The  sun, 
In  dim  eclipse,  disastrous  twilight  shed 
O'er  half  the  nations." 

The  writer  heaved  a  sigh  that  he  possessed  not  the  pencil  of  an  artist  to 
paint  the  scene  as  he  saw  it. 

A  Western  Editor' s  Opinion.— L.2ii\.  fall,  a  company  of  Kansas,  Missouri  and 
Nebraska  editors  visited  Southwest  Louisiana  and  remained  several  days,  mak- 
ing the  acquaintance  of  leading  people  throughout  this  portion  of  the  State,  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  225 

seeing  for  themselves  its  wonderful  resources  and  capabilities.  When  they  re- 
turned home  the}'  wrote  their  impressions  of  the  country  for  their  respective 
papers.  Selecting  one,  which  is  a  fair  t3'pe  of  the  others,  we  make  the  following 
extracts  : 

The  New  South  was  to  the  writer  of  this  a  New  World.  He  had  met 
some  of  the  Southern  people,  as  all  Northern  people  have,  and  thought  that  he 
was  acquainted  with  them,  with  their  country  and  with  their  resources.  With 
a  limited  ten  days'  experience  he  is  willing  to  acknowledge  that  he  knows  but 
little  now,  and  that  he  never  dreamed  before  he  saw  them,  of  the  possibilities 
and  tlie  undeveloped  resources  of  the  South.  It  is  true  that  the  view  was  super- 
ficial; it  is  true  that  only  a  very  small  portion  of  the  country  was  traversed, 
and  that  the  advantages  were  limited.  But  in  the  time  that  was  spent  there 
many  ideas,  preconceived  and  long  established,  were  overthrown.  The  people 
of  the  South  were  not  as  we  expected  to  find  them.  The  country  was  not  what 
our  geography  had  taught  us;  the  States  were  not  as  history  pictures  them.  In 
short,  we  were  disappointed  in  the  South.  That  it  was  an  agreeable  disappoint- 
ment we  are  more  than  willing  to  acknowledge.  That  there  is  in  the  heart  of 
the  writer  a  better,  a  kindlier,  a  more  brotherly  feeling  toward  the  country  and 
the  people  who  inhabit  it  than  there  was  before,  we  say  without  reservation. 

In  the  first  place  our  idea  was  that  the  immense  appropriations  made  each 
year  for  the  "improvement  of  the  Mississippi,"  went  into  the  hands  of  lobbyists 
and  was  a  part  of  the  general  "divy"  made  by  the  congressmen  when  they  put 
up  their  annual  schemes.  When  we  saw  the  great  levees,  the  banks  that  hold 
the  powerful  waters  of  the  whole  of  the  central  part  of  the  continent,  and  when 
we  learned,  when  we  sazv,  that  the  millions  of  acres  of  land,  as  rich  and  pro- 
ductive as  the  sun  shines  upon,  would  but  for  these  levees  be  swamps 
and  a  wilderness,  then  we  went  right  over  to  the  enemy  and  became  an 
ardent  advocate  of  the  theor}'  of  General  Rice,  and  a  supporter  of  the 
schemes  for  the  "improvement  of  the  Mississippi."  And  when  we  saw  the 
great  fields,  lands  as  rich  as  the  Delta  of  the  Nile  can  furnish,  lying  uncultivated 
and  barren,  selling,  if  the}'  sell  at  all,  for  prices  as  low  as  western  land  sells, 
when  we  learned  that  such  lands  when  cultivated  yielded  the  owners  from  $50 
to  $100  an  acre,  we  could  but  pause  in  astonishment  and  ask  why  they  were  not 
utilized.  The  Southerner  has  not  yet  learned  the  lesson  that  his  Northern 
brother  learned  in  his  cradle.  The  Southern  man  does  not  yet  earn  his  bread 
by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  but  he  still  depends  upon  the  sweat  of  some  other 
man's  brow.  This  is  not  said  in  disparagement  of  the  Southern  man,  but  such 
lessons,  hard  and  bitter,  are  not  learned  in  the  lifetime  of  a  man.  There  are 
two  things  that  can  redeem  the  South:  The  first  is  that  it  have  instilled  into  its 
veins  the  energetic,  restless  blood  of  the  North ;  the  next  that  it  change  its  own 
plans,  its  own  life,  and  do  that  which  the  North  has  always  done.     The  first  is 


226  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

perhaps  the  better  of  the  two,  but  a  combination  is  the  best  of  all.  There  is 
scarcely  a  foot  of  land  in  the  whole  South  country  but  can  be  made  productive. 
The  swamps  that  discourage  the  Southern  man  may  be  made  to  yield  fortunes. 
The  uplands  have  already  proved  their  worth.  Cane,  cotton,  corn,  anything, 
can  be  raised  there.  And  the  crops  do  not  fail.  Why,  could  the  farmer  of 
Kansas  have  the  soil  and  the  climate  that  the  planter  of  Louisiana  has,  he  would 
make  a  fortune  every  year,  and  be  elected  to  Congress  in  the  fall.  It  is  not  the 
desire  of  the  Journal  to  make  any  man  leave  Kansas,  but  whenever  a  man  here 
has  made  up  his  mind  to  go  we  advise  him  to  write  to  Captain  F.  M.  Welch,  at 
New  Iberia,  Louisiana,  and  he  will  find  that  down  in  that  country  there  is  as 
good  a  chance  to  make  a  home  and  some  money  as  he  will  find  in  any  part  of 
the  country.  And  by  the  way,  one  thing  learned  while  there  was  that  those 
lands,  unoccupied  but  excellent,  can  be  had  for  from  $8  to  $15  an  acre. 


Climate,  soil,  natural  advantages  of  every  kind,  all  unite  in  making  parts  of 
Louisiana  the  poor  man's  paradise.  Here  one  man  can  thoroughly  cultivate 
twenty  or  twenty-five  acres  of  ground  and  force  from  a  friendly  soil  more  good 
hard  dollars  annually  than  in  any  other  locality  this  writer  has  ever  visited. 
Whether  the  small  farmer  turns  his  attention  to  either  cane  or  rice  the  result  is 
the  same,  and,  under  the  latter-day  and  rapidly  developing  system  of  central 
plants  for  the  treatment  of  either,  his  outlay  is  but  trifling  as  compared  with  that 
of  the  Northern  and  Western  farmer.  If  he  raises  cane  the  planting  recurs  but 
once  in  three  years,  the  two  remaining  seasons  being  given  over  to  volunteer 
crops,  which  almost,  if  not  quite,  equal  the  first  trial.  There  is  practically  no 
end  to  the  time  in  which  he  may  save  his  crop,  lor  should  frost  visit  his  fields  it 
but  augments  the  yield  of  sap  and  makes  the  working  the  easier.  During  the 
hoeing  or  working  season  he  must  be  diligent  if  he  would  prosper,  for  vegetation 
which  blights  and  hinders  and  retards  the  growth  of  the  cane  is  more  rank  and 
devastating  than  anj'thing  we  know  of  in  this  part  of  the  country.  After  the 
cane  is  cut  and  laid  in  "windrows"  he  can  then  at  his  leisure  haul  it  to  one  of 
the  many  mills  whose  smokestacks  dot  every  eminence  and  have  it  converted 
into  the  finest  sugar  known  to  commerce.  In  the  meantime  there  are  no  climatic 
rigors  known  which  make  living  a  burden  and  the  raising  of  stock  a  hazardous 
enterprise.  This  is  in  fall  and  winter  and  early  spring,  the  reader  must  re- 
member. What  the  summers  would  develop  in  the  way  of  disease,  insects  or 
lasting  and  pitiless  heat  remains  to  be  seen,  though  the  inhabitants  sa}'  the  ther- 
mometer never  goes  higher  than  eight^'-five  or  ninety. 

In  the  Teche  country,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  southwest  of 
New  Orleans,  they  have  what  in  their  pretty  ignorance  the  inhabitants  call  "prai- 
ries and  hills,"  but  it  makes  a  Kansas  man  smile  in  the  palm  of  his  hand  to  hear 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  227 

those  little  patches  of  grass  called  "prairies."  What  would  they  call  our  be- 
wildering distances,  stretching  further  than  eye  can  reach,  unbroken  by  tree  or 
shrub,  and  all  waving  in  succulent  blue-stem?  Then  their  hills  rise  sheer  from 
the  plains  to  a  height  of  sometimes  thirty  feet.  A  great  country  for  "  prairies 
and   hills." 

The  ladies  never  become  weary  of  admiring  the  beautiful  flowers  which 
grow  in  almost  every  dooryard.  Roses  more  perfect  than  any  ever  seen  in  this 
country  were  blooming  out  of  doors,  apparently  forgetful  that  the  month  was 
December  rather  than  May.  Nearly  every  morning  some  kind  friend  or  casual 
acquaintance  made  during  the  journey  furnished  flowers  by  the  arm  load,  purify- 
ing the  air  in  the  car  and  filling  it  with  delightful  perfume. 


Within  the  space  of  a  newspaper  article  it  is  altogether  impossible  to  dwell 
at  any  length  upon  the  many  interesting  features  of  this  Louisiana  Eden.  Of 
the  ancient  town  of  St.  Martin's,  the  Spanish  Lake,  St.  John's,  the  floating 
island,  the  great  salt  mines,  etc.,  only  mere  mention  can  be  made.  Each  con- 
tributed no  slight  measurement  to  the  pleasure  of  the  Kansas  tourists,  and  con- 
cerning which  volumes  might  be  written  with  profit  to  the  reader. 

New  Iberia  and  the  thrifty  towns  of  the  Teche  country  are  the  forerunners 

of  what  the  New  South  is  to  be.     The   tendency  of  immigration  for  years  has 

been  westward.    But  comparatively  few  people  have  heretofore  thought  of  going 

south,  notwithstanding   the  fact  that  many  of  the  Southern  States  offer  more 

alluring  inducements  to  agriculturists.     Heretofore,  however,  but  little  effort  has 

been  put  forth  by  the  Southern  people  to  change  the  tide  of  immigration  in  their 

direction,     Hence  the  thousands  of  foreigners,  as  well  as  our  own  people,  have 

climbed  over  each  other  in  their  mad  scramble  to  settle  upon  the  bleak,  barren, 

and  often  unproductive  prairies  of  the  northwestern  territories,  where  droughts 

have  annually  blighted  their  crops  and  the  rigors  of  winter  have  resulted  in  loss 

of  live  stock,  while  gaunt  hunger  is  too  frequently  found  sitting  beside  the  hearth 

of  the  settler's  dug-out. 

• 
»     « 

Why  should  intelligent,  reasonable  people  hasten  to  occupy  a  country 
where  irrigation  must  be  depended  upon  almost  entirely  for  a  necessary  water 
supply,  and  where  the  winters  are  so  severe  that  even  the  moderately  well-to-do 
farmer  finds  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  get  through  from  one  season  to  another 
without  serious  losses,  when  Texas,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Ten- 
nessee, and  other  Southern  States  have  millions  of  acres  of  as  productive  soil  as 
can  be  found  out  of  doors,  and  that  can  be  had  almost  for  the  mere  asking? 
The  reason  is  apparently  plain.     While  the  West  and  Northwest  have  been  In 


228  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

the  "  booming"  business  for  j-ears,  the  South  has  been  pegging  along  at  her 
usual  slow  pace,  putting  forth  little  or  no  effort  to  arouse  the  public  to  a  proper 
appreciation  of  her  many  natural  advantages. 

But  a  change  is  gradually  taking  place.  The  tide  of  immigration  is  surely 
setting  in  toward  the  Sunny  South,  and  the  next  few  years,  perhaps,  w.ll  witness 
another  northern  invasion  of  that  region-an  invasion  by  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, bearing  with  them  peace  and  good  will  instead  of  mahce  ;  agncultural  imple- 
ments instead  of  implements  of  warfare-capital,  enterprise  and  ingenuity  will 
with  them-and  the  old  waste  places,  the  long-neglected  and  deserted  planta- 
tions and  the  dismal  cypress  swamps,  will  be  made  to  bud  and  blossom  with 
ripening  crops. 

Then  will  that  new  era  of  peace,  plenty  and  contentment  that  all  good 
people  have  so  long  wished  for,  hoped  for,  prayed  for,  dawn  upon  Dixie  s  land, 
and  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line  be  blotted  out  forever.     So  be  it. 

Early  Settlement. -Th^  early  settlement  of  the  parishes  of  St  Landry, 
Lafayette  and  Calcasieu  includes  the  early  settlement,  principally,  of  Acadia, 
as  it  was  not  made  into  an  independent  parish  until  so  very  recently  Itis  there- 
fore useless  to  go  into  the  full  details  of  the  settlement  of  the  parish,  but  will  re- 
fer the  reader  to  the  surrounding  parishes  for  the  early  settlement  of  this, 
the  youngest  in  the  State. 

Pertinent  to  the  settlement  of  the  parish,  however,  the  following  will  be 
found  of  interest:  Mr.  Joseph  Farbacher,  of  New  Orleans,  conceived  the  idea 
some  years  ago,  about  1870-71,  of  colonizing  this  portion  of  the  country  with 
German  immigrants.  Mr.  Farbacher  had  amassed  a  fortune  before  the  war  op- 
erating a  distillery.  Some  years  after  the  war,  when  the  agitation  of  building  a 
railroad  (the  Louisiana  Western)  through  this  section  commenced,  Mr.  har- 
bacher,  with  the  keen  foresight  characteristic  of  his  people,  saw  nnmense  tor- 
tunes  for  energetic  husbandmen  in  the  undeveloped  resources  of  this  rich  do- 
main, whenever  brought  into  cultivation  and  subjected  to  the  uses  of  man.  Un- 
der this  belief  he  came  here  and  entered  a  vast  amount  of  land,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  putting  a  colony  of  German  farmers  on  it.  He  built  a  large  saw-miU 
upon  his  lands,  and  spent  a  great  deal  of  money,  with  the  expectation  of  getting 
the  projected  railroad  through  them.  Finally,  when  the  road  wasbuilt,  itmissed 
his  lands  some  distance,  which  very  materially  upset  his  plans.  Once  when  he 
was  out  here  he  witnessed  some  of  the  Acadian  farmers  planting  rice  in  the  mud, 
and  upon  making  inquiries  in  regard  to  raising  rice  he  determined  to  turn  his 
attention  to  rice  culture,  and  carry  out  his  original  intention  of  planting  a  Ger- 
man colony  here.  With  this  end  in  view  he  set  to  work,  and  in  a  short  time  had 
some  dozen  or  more  German  families,  direct  from  the  "Faderland,      located 


C^,     C-  /\yt^-t^^^-'=^^'<^ 


HiSTOnrCAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


2;n 


upon  his  possessions  in  what  is  now 
the  following  lines : 

"Sav!  why  seek  yea  distant  land? 

The  nectar  vale  has  wine  and  corn; 
Dark  pines  in  your  Black  Forest  stand, 

In  Spessert  sounds  the  Alpine  horn. 
"  How,  when  in  distant  woods  forlorn, 

Ye  for  jour  naiive  hills  will  pine, 
For  De-itschland's  golden  fields  of  corn, 

And  verdant  hills  of  clustering  vine. 

"  How  will  the  image  of  the  past, 

Through  all  your  dreams  in  brightness  roll. 
And  like  some  pious  legends  cast 

A  vail  of  sadness  o'er  your  soul. 

"The  boatmen  beckons — go  in  peace! 

May  God  preserve  you,  man  and  wife 
Your  fields  of  rice  and  maize  increase, 

And  with  his  blessings  crown  your  life!" 


Acadia  parish.     Appropriate  to  them   are 


"O,  sprecht!   warum  zogt  ihr  von  dannen? 

D.)s  nt-ckarthal  hat  Wein  und  Korn; 
Der  Schwarzwald  steht  voll  finstrer  Tannen, 

Im  Spessart  klingt  des  Alplers  Horn. 

"  Wie  wird  es  in  den  fremden  Waldern, 
Euch  nach  der  Heimathberge  Griin, 

Nach   Deutschland's   gelben  Weizenfeldern, 
Nach  seinen  Rebenhiigeln  ziehn. 

"  Wie  wird  das  Bild  der  alten  Tage, 

Durch  eure  Traume  glanzend  wehn! 

Gleich  einer  stillen,  frommen  Sage 
Wird  es  euch  vor  der  Seele  Stehn. 

"DerBootsmann  winkt — Zieht  hin  in  Frieden  ! 

Gottscliiitz'  euch,  Mann  und  Weib  undGries- 
Sei  Freude  eurer  Brust  beschieden, 

Und  euren  Feldern  Reis  und  Mais!" 


Tearing  themselves  away  from  their  friends,  they  crossed  "the  rolling 
deep"  for  a  home  in  "the  land  of  the  free,"  as  thousands  and  thousands  of  their 
countrymen  hud  done  before  them.  They  are  now  among  the  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  Acadia  parish,  and  rank  among  the  leading  rice  growers  of  Southwestern 
Louisiana. 

Introduction  of  Rice  Culture. — -To  Mr.  Farbacher,  therefore,  is  due  the 
credit  of  introducing  rice  culture  into  this  section  of  the  State,  and  carrying  it 
through  to  success.  He  himself  cultivated  the  first  large  field  of  rice  ever 
grown  in  Southwestern  Louisiana.  He  brought  here  the  first  machine  for 
threshing  rice.  It  was  of  the  primitive  class,  drawn  from  place  to  place  by 
oxen,  and  the  power,  when  it  was  in  operation,  was  furnished  by  oxen.  From 
this  small,  insignificant  beginning  has  grown  the  present  successful  industry — 
rice  culture.  The  writer  called  on  Mr.  Farbacher  in  New  Orleans,  and  from 
his  own  mouth  learned  the  above  facts,  which  he  has  liere  transcribed  as  a  mat- 
ter of  interest  in  the  history  of  the  parish. 

A  recent  writer  says  of  this  section  as  a  rice-growing  country:  Southwest 
Louisiana  is  a  natural  rice  country  by  climate  and  peculiar  nature  of  soil,  with 
hard  cla\'  subsoil,  almost  impervious  to  water,  solid  enough  for  the  best 
machinery  (rainfall  enough  for  the  crop  if  gathered  as  it  can  be,  and  in  most 
cases  without  machinery).  Attention  is  called  to  the  practicability  of  a  system  of 
canals  for  drainage  and  irrigation,  beginning  at  the  headwaters  and  running 
south  through  our  prairies,  furnishing  channels  for  drainage  and  water  for  irri- 
gation. The  possible  yield  of  rice  is  over  thirty  barrels  or  one  hundred  and 
twenty  bushels  per  acre,  at  an  average  value  of  $3  per  barrel.  An  average  yield 
15 


232  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

is  ten  barrels,  value  $30,  raised  at  a  cost  of  $1  per  barrel,  leaving  $20,  or  five 
cent,  upon  $400  per  acre.  With  a  fair  system  of  irrigation  and  thorough  culti- 
vation tliere  will  be  an  average  profit  of  $40  to  $50  per  acre,  or  5  per  cent,  upon 
$800  to  $1000  per  acre.     In  1888  the  State  averaged  fifteen  barrels  per  acre. 

To  show  the  value  of  machinery  to  this  crop,  six  acres  can  be  harvested  at 
even  less  expense  than  one  acre  by  hand.  Four  years  ago,  without  machinery, 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  car  loads  were  shipped  to  New  Orleans  between 
Lake  Charles  and  Lafayette.  Last  year  (machinery  used  in  harvesting)  there 
were  shipped  nearly  one  thousand  cars  from  the  same  points,  and  a  conservative 
estimate  for  the  present  season  is  that  more  than  two  thousand  cars  will  be 
moved  between  these  points. 

Hay  Making. — But  rice  is  not  the  only  crop  worthy  of  attention  in  South- 
west Louisiana.  It  is  certainlj'  about  as  valuable  as  any  that  can  be  grown  here, 
but  there  are  others  that  may  be  made  profitable  with  a  little  exertion  and  slight 
expense.  For  instance,  hay  farming  is  becoming  a  valuable  industry.  Few 
crops  can  be  handled  more  easily.  A  writer  upon  this  subject  thus  gives  his 
experience  in  cutting  ha}-  from  the  prairies:  "  Previous  to  the  year  1885  it  ap- 
pears there  was  no  attempt  made  to  put  any  of  this  hay  on  the  market.  In  looking 
over  these  prairies,  in  the  spring  of  that  year,  for  a  new  home  for  myself  and 
family,  I  was  surprised  to  find  such  a  bulk  of  grass  lying  and  rotting  on  the 
ground.  Thinking  there  must  be  some  value  in  it  (the  following  summer)  I  de- 
cided, with  the  help  of  my  two  sons,  to  cut  some  of  it  for  hay  and  put  it  on  the 
market.  Having  procured  some  necessary  implements  we  cut  and  stacked  about 
eighty  tons.  At  first  sight  things  did  not  look  very  encouraging.  Hay  not  known 
on  the  market,  no  baling  press  within  perhaps  hundreds  of  miles,  no  rate  fixed 
on  railway,  and  other  drawbacks.  Fortunately  another  mnn  came  along  looking 
up  a  home,  and  seeing  what  we  were  doing  decided  to  come  back  and  bring  a 
bailing  press  with  him.  This  enabled  us  to  put  this,  our  first  hay,  ready  for 
shipment. 

After  this  a  rate  was  applied  for  to  New  Orleans  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
road,  but  none  came  until  the  first  car  was  loaded  and  billed  to  that  city,  when  a 
telegram  arrived,  giving  a  rate  of  $40  per  car.  This  rate  was  reduced  on  sub- 
sequent shipments  to  $30.  And  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  the  railway  officials, 
this  rale  is  now  reduced  to  $25. 

The  returns  for  this  first  car  load  was  anxiously  looked  for,  not  only  b}'  our- 
selves, but  by  a  great  many  of  the  people  in  and  around  Jennings,  who  did  not 
look  upon  this  project  or  new  enterprise  with  much  favor.  At  length  tlie  returns 
came,  giving  the  price  made  in  New  Orleans,  $11  50  per  ton.  Now  for  the  cost. 
Baling,  $2  50;  freight,  $4;  weighing,  inspecting  and  commission,  $1  50;  total, 
if  8:  leaving  $3  50  for  our  labor  to  cut,   stack  and  deliver  on  car.     Taking  all 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  233 

things  into  consideration,  tins  may  be  called  a  fair  beginning.     Other  car  loads 
the  same  season  gave  about  the  bame  results. 

As  it  has  often  been  said  that  nothing  succeeds  Hke  success,  we  determined 
to  try  again  the  following  season,  having  induced  some  neighbors  to  join  in  with 
us.  We  put  in  some  of  the  best  machinery  to  cut,  gather  and  stack  our  hay; 
also  a  baling  press.  We  cut  and  stacked  upward  of  200  tons.  Other  parties 
began  cutting  and  stacking,  making  within  a  radius  of  four  miles  some  600  tons 
for  shipment.     Another  baling  press  was  brought  in,  making    three    altogether. 

This  hay,  where  put  up  with  care  and  judgment,  has  found  a  ready  sale 
at  $7.50  to  $10.  Now,  let  us  see  the  results.  Cutting  and  stacking,  $1.25; 
baling,  $2;  delivering  on  board  cars,  75  cents.;  total,  $4;  leaving  a  net  profit 
of  $4  per  ton.  Putting  this  hay  at  the  low  average  of  one  and  three  quar- 
ter tons  per  acre,  this  will  give  a  net  profit  of  $7  per  acre.  This  is  keeping 
well  within  the  mark,  as  the  greater  part  of  these  prairies  will,  without  doubt- 
cut  two  tons  and  upward  per  acre.  As  this  hay  becomes  better  known,  it  will 
no  doubt  command  a  much  higher  price.  There  is  no  fear  of  these  grasses  dy- 
ing out  either  from  mowing  or  grazing,  as  there  are  upward  of  thirty  different 
species  that  propagate  themselves,  either  from  seeds,  joints  or  roots,  some  of 
the  best  varieties  from  each  source.  These  prairies  being  perfectly  smooth  and 
level,  no  obstructions  whatever,  reduces  the  wear  and  tear  of  machinery  to  the 
lowest  minimum  point. 

The  season  for  haying  is  so  prolonged,  extending  from  June  to  November, 
giving  ample  time  to  secure  it.  The  weather  (speaking  from  the  two  last  sea- 
sons) is  all  that  can  be  desired.  The  fall  and  winter  months  are  dry  and  cool 
for  baling  and  shipping,  and  will  give  profitable  employment  for  many  hands. 

We  have  said  so  much  in  this  volume  of  the  climate,  resources  and  capa- 
bilities of  Southwestern  Louisiana  that  it  seems  almost  superfliuous  to  say  an)'- 
thing  further.  We  have  endeavored  to  demonstrate  that  this  is  a  wonderful 
country,  a  productive  and  healthy  country  and  a  pleasant  country  in  which  to 
live.  In  this  parish  and  the  adjoining  one  of  Calcasieu  are  many  people  who 
came  here  from  the  North  and  Northwest  for  various  reasons — mostly  for  the  rich 
lands  and  mild  climate,  and  are  doing  well.  They  are  well  satisfied  with  the 
change  they  have  made,  and  few  of  them,  perhaps,  could  be  hired  for  a  reason- 
able sum  to  return  to  the  land  of  the  snow  and  the  blizzard.  One  more  brief 
extract,  and  we  will  pass  to  the  other  points  of  interest.      We  quote  as  follows: 

"  This  country,  partly  prairie,  partly  heavily  timbered,  lies  directly  on  the 
line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  in  a  climate  of  the  most  even  temperature; 
therefore,  it  is  one  of  the  healthiest;  and,  as  it  is  conceded  that  three-fourths  of 
all  diseases  originate  from  taking  cold,  we  are  happily  free  from  those  diseases 
and  ailments  peculiar  to  the  variable  climate  of  most  of  the  Northern  States. 
There  are  no  diseases  peculiar  to  this  country.       Malaria  is  in  a  very  light  form 


234  SO  U77/ 1 1  JiS  T  LO  UISIA  NA  : 

iiloiij;  rivers,  but  ihe  prairies  are  tree  from  it,  owing  to  the  gulf  breezes  and  ex- 
cellent water.  Water,  generally  soft,  is  found  in  quantities  throughout  this  en- 
tire section,  in  wells  twelve  to  twenty  feet  in  depth.  These  lands  are  high 
above  overflow — sixty  or  more  feet  above  the  gulf,  and  forty  feet  above  the 
river  Mermenteau.  This  is  the  best  country  for  roads  we  ever  lived  in.  The 
land,  thickly  set  with  best  native  grasses,  is  easily  broken  up,  easy  to  cultivate, 
as  tools  polish  or  scour  readily  ;  soil,  a  clay  loam  with  clay  subsoil.  The  prai- 
ries are  too  high  to  overflow  and  too  flat  to  wash. 

"  Stock-raising  is  now  a  leading  industry,  and  all  stock  came  through  the 
past  winter  with  a  loss  not  exceeding  one  per  cent.  Twelve  thousand  sheep, 
sixteen  thousand  horses  and  eighty  thousand  cattle  were  wintered  in  Calcasieu 
parish  alone.  They  are  never  fed  or  cared  for,  and  are  better  than  the  scrub 
stock  of  the  North,  and  winter  better  than  Northwestern  stock,  which  is  housed 
and  fed  for  six  months.  We  have  had  fresh  beef  off  this  prairie  every  week 
during  the  winter.  Fruit  raising  will  be  one  of  the  leading  industries  in  two 
years'  time.  Peaches  bear  at  two  years,  and  have  been  known  to  bear  almost 
consecutively  for  forty  years,  varieties  maturing  from  May  to  November.  The 
stump  of  a  peach  tree,  eight  years  old,  three  feet  in  circumference,  was  taken 
from  this  parish  to  the  American  Exposition,  New  Orleans.  Quinces,  figs,  pears, 
nectarines,  olives,  plums  and  pomegranates  do  equally  as  well.  California  raises 
the  same  fruits  on  high-priced  lands,  with  expensive  irrigation,  and  ships  them 
past  our  doors  and  to  our  markets,  with  the  freights  largely  against  them. 
There  is  a  settlement  of  five  thousand  Iowa  people,  who  have  taken  part  of 
Calcasieu  prairie  forty  miles  square,  all  of  which  was  United  States  and  State 
lands;  and  there  are  government  lands,  besides  Spanish  grants,  along  the 
streams,  on  sale,  at  from  $3  to  $7  per  acre.  We  think  there  are  fifty  thousand 
acres  of  State  lands  for  sale  and  subject  to  homestead  claims  in  Calcasieu  and 
St.  Landry  counties  (or  parishes,  as  called  here),  with  United  States  and  State 
land  oflices  located  at  New  Orleans  and  Baton  Rouge. 

"The  climate  is  justly  called  perpetual  spring.  We  will  give  in  brief  the 
advantages:  We  have  even  and  sufficient  distribution  of  rain  (about  fifty 
inches)  during  the  entire  year.  We  are  entirely  surrounded  with  heavy  timber, 
except  south  to  the  gulf:  have  very  light  northers;  the  most  delicate  fruits 
amply  protected;  soil  easily  worked  and  broken:  seaboard  markets;  cheap 
lumber;  wood  at  nominal  price,  and  little  needed;  lumber  five  to  twenty  dollars 
per  thousand;  plenty  of  water  for  stock  and  easily  obtained  everywhere  in  wells 
and  running  streams.  The  country  is  well  adapted  to  a  division  into  small  farms, 
thereby  making  the  locations  for  churches  and  schools  as  easily  accessible  as 
may  be  desired.  Each  scholar  is  entitled  to  two  dollars  monthly  from  public 
fund.  Mosquitoes,  flies  and  reptiles  are  not  more  numerous  and  troublesome 
than  North.     Mr.  Carv,  is  first  of    the  settlement :  came  March  31,  1S83.     The 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  235 

rest  came  scattering  over  tlie  entire  season.  Nearly  all  have  been  improved 
in  health;  many  invalids  came;  kidney  and  lung  diseases  have  been  bene- 
fited; almost  all  diseases  arising  from  frequent  colds  are  relieved  at  once; 
catarrh  never  originated  here,  and  most  cases  from  the  North  have  been 
btnented  or  cured.  The  death  rate,  siv  to  one  thousand,  is  the  lowest  in  the 
States.  We  were  well  received  by  the  natives,  who  are  better  off  than  the 
same  number  of  farmers  North,  being  quite  general!}'  out  of  debt,  and  have  land 
or  stock.  Any  man  who  works  with  judgmentgets  rich.  Northern  men  become 
more  ambitious  here,  and  work  with  safety  and  comfort  the  year  round.  July 
4,  1883,  thermometer  88°  here;  St.  Paul  90;  in  Decorah,  Iowa,  104°;  Beards- 
town,  Illinois,  107°.  Ninety-two  is  extreme  heat  here;  tvvent\- degrees  above, 
extreme  cold.  Invalids  should  come,  and  old  folks  also.  It  is  a  land  of  easy 
conditions.  Five  hundred  dollars  will  make  a  family  more  comfortable  than 
two  thousand  dollars  in  Dakota  or  in  the  '  Golden  Northwest.'  It  is  an  esti- 
mate of  a  good  stock  man  here  that  a  four-year-old  steer  costs  one  dollar  and 
sells  for  twenty  dollars.  Horace  Greeley  said:  'It  costs  less  to  raise  a  steer 
in  Texas  than  a  hen  in  Massachusetts.'  We  are  out  of  the  storm  belt;  have 
few  storms,  less  lightning  and  no  cyclones.  The  winds  leave  the  pole  and  here 
at  the  same  time  and  meet  in  Kansas  and  lovva,  have  a  fierce  battle,  and  each 
returns  and  rests  up  for  a  new  fight.  The  principal  crops  now  are  sweet  and 
Irish  potatoes,  corn  and  rice.  Rice  is  raised  at  about  the  same  expense  as  wheat 
in  the  North;  can  be  sown  and  harvested  with  same  machinery,  and  the  average 
value  of  the  crop  is  more  than  double.  Average  yield  twelve  and  one-half  bar- 
rels per  acre  ;  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  pounds  per  barrel,  valued  at  three 
dollars  per  barrel,  rough.  Expense  of  raising,  ten  dollars  per  acre.  Health 
heads  a  long  list  of  good  things  here." 

Organization  of  the  Parish. — An  act  to  create  the  parish  of  Acadia,  etc. : 
Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Louis- 
iana, that  a  new  parish  in  the  State  of  Louisiana  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
created  out  of  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  parish  of  St.  Landry,  to  be 
called  and  known  as  the  parish  of  Acadia;  that  the  said  parish  of  Acadia  shall 
be  composed  of  all  that  territory  of  the  said  parish  of  St.  Landr3%  comprised 
within  the  following  boundaries,  to-wit:  All  that  portion  of  territory  lying  and 
being  south  and  west  of  a  line  beginning  on  the  west  boundary  of  St.  Landry 
parish,  at  its  intersection  with  the  township  line  between  townships  6  and  7  south  ; 
thence  in  an  easterly  direction  on  township  lines  between  townships  6  and  7  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  section  3  in  township  7  south,  range  2  east;  thence 
in  a  southerly  direction  on  section  lines  about  three  miles  to  the  corner  common 
to  sections  14,  15,  22,  23;  thence  in  an  easterly  direction  about  four  miles  to  a 
point  in  section  29,  in  township  7  south,  range  3  east,  where  the  section  lines,  if 


236  SOl'TH  WEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

run,  would  make  the  corner  common  to  sections  i6,  17,  20,  21  ;  thence  in  a 
soutl-.erly  direction  across  section  29  and  following  section  lines  about  six  miles 
to  the  corner  common  to  sections  16,  17,  20,  21  in  township  18  south,  range  3 
east,  thence  in  an  easterly  direction  between  sections  16  and  20  one  mile  ;  thence 
two  miles  in  a  westerly  direction  on  section  lines  between  sections  21  and  22  and 
between  sections  27  and  28  ;  thence  one  mile  in  an  easterly  direction  to  the  cor- 
ner common  to  sections  26,  27,  34,  35;  thence  about  two  miles  in  a  southerly 
direction  to  the  di\ision  line  between  the  parishes  of  Lafayette  and  St.  Landry: 
thence  following  the  division  line  as  now  established  between  the  parishes  of 
St.  Landr)'  and  Lafayette  and  St.  Landry  and  Vermilion  to  the  existing  bound- 
ary between  the  parishes  of  St.  Landry  and  Calcasieu;  thence  on  existing  west 
boundary  of  St.  Landry  parish  to  the  starting  point  aforesaid. 

Sec.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  etc.,  That  the  seat  of  tlie  parish  of  Acadia 
shall  be  and  remain  at  a  point  to  be  determined  upon  by  an  election  to  be  held 
for  that  and  other  purposes  after  this  act  shall  have  become  a  law;  that  the 
parish  of  Acadia  shall  form  a  part  of  the  Thirteenth  Judicial  District;  that  the 
judge  of  said  district  shall  hold  regular  terms  of  his  court  for  said  parish  of 
Acadia;  shall,  until  otherwise  provided,  form  a  part  of  the  Twelfth  Senatorial 
and  the  Sixth  Congressional  Districts  of  the  State,  etc.,  and  so  on  through  thir- 
teen sections,  which  are   not   material. 

H.  W.  Ogden, 

Approved:  Speaker  House  of  Representatives. 

January  30,  1886.  Charles  Knobloch, 

A  copy.  Lieut.  Gov.  and  President  of  Senate. 

Oscar  Arroyo,  S.  D.  McEnery, 

Secretary  of  State.  Governor  of  the  State  of  Louisiana. 

Under  the  above  act  the  parish  was  organized,  the  requisite  machinery  was 
set  in  motion  and  it  was  started  on  its  journey  as  an  independent  municipality. 
It  is  still  moving  on,  gathering  force  and  vitality  as  it  goes,  and  will  overtake 
some  of  its  older  sisters  yet  unless  they  wake  up  and  stir  themselves. 

Parish  Officers. — The  following  are  the  civil  officers  of  Acadia  parish  at 
the  last  report  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  There  may  have  been  some  change 
since,  as  the  report  is  issued  biennially  : 

Raymond  T.  Clark,  clerk  of  the  district  court;  Eldridge  W.  Lyon,  sheriff; 
George  E.  Brooks,  coroner;  David  B.  Lyons,  tax  assessor:  Louis  R.  Deputy, 
inspector  of  weights  and  measures;  Leon  V.  Fremaux.  surveyor;  H.  W. 
Anding,  treasurer. 

Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  first  ward  :  E.  O.  Burner  and  Joseph 
Falion;   second  ward,  Westley  F.  Stokes:    third    ward,    Henry  D.  McBride; 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  237 

fourth  ward,  Sam.  Cart;  fifth  ward,  Andrew  Henr}-:  sixth  ward,  S.  W.  Young: 
seventh  ward,  Alex.  C.  Larinand  ;   eighth  ward,  J.  W.  Spears. 

The  Constables  are  :  A.  N.  Lyon  and  M.  Arceneaux,  first  ward;  Milton  F. 
Laughlin,  second  ward;  E.  J.  Daigle,  third  ward;  Samuel  Cart,  fourth  ward; 
John  Dahon,  fifth  ward ;  S.  M.  Hundley,  sixth  ward;  Louis  Morris,  seventh 
ward;    Gerrasin  Meche,  eighth  ward. 

The  Police  Jurors  are  as  follows:  For  first  ward,  Benson  J.  Harmon;  sec- 
ond ward,  Paul  E.  Fremaux;  third  ward.  Melors  J.  Doucet;  fourth  ward, 
Homer  Barouse;   fifth  ward,  Bennett  E.  Clark,  president. 

Notaries  Public  are:  Charles  A.  Beroddin,  R.  H.  Bull,  P.J.  Chappus, 
Samuel  Cart,  John  Wesley  Young,  W.  W.  Duson.  John  O.  Levayne,  H.  D. 
McBride,  William  Clarin,  Joseph  Hops. 

Terms  of  court  are  held — jury  terms — in  April  and  November;  civil  terms 
to  begin  January  i6  and  end  January  21  of  each  year. 

Post-offices  are  Cartville,  Churcli  Point,  Crowley,  Evangeline,  Farbacher. 
Mermenteau,  Millersville,  Plaquemine  Brulee,  Prud'homme  and  Rayne. 

The  court  house  of  Acadia  parish  is  a  handsome,  two-story  brick  structure, 
recently  built,  containing  offices,  court  rooms,  etc.  It  cost  twelve  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  is  an  ornament  to  the  parish  and  a  monument  to  the  people  and  their 
enterprise.  The  parish  jail  cost  four  thousand  dollars,  and  is  a  commodious  and 
substantial  building. 

Parish  Seat. — Crowley  is  a  new  town,  which  has  sprung  into  existence  since 
the  formation  of  the  parish.  It  is  already  well  known  throughout  the  State,  and 
in  many  other  places  that  are  not  in  the  State,  and,  perhaps,  never  will  be.  Its 
business  men  are  public  spirited  and  are  united  on  all  questions  of  public  im- 
portance. The  town  was  incorporated  in  1888,  under  the  laws  of  the  State,  and 
within  the  last  year  or  two  has  made  five  thousand  feet  of  plank  sidewalk.  The 
Methodist  church,  completed  in  1889,  is  a  fine  building,  and  cost  about  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  Ground  was  donated  for  a  school  house,  and  a 
good,  substantial  building  has  been  erected  on  it.  An  excellent  graded  school  is 
taught  for  the  usual  term  each  year. 

The  situation  of  Crowley  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  gives  it  advan- 
tageous communication  with  the  outside  world,  and  the  distance  it  is  from 
Lafayette  (about  twenty-five  miles)  and  Lake  Charles  (about  fifty  miles)  must 
necessarily  make  it  a  heavy  shipping  point.  It  being  also  about  the  centre  of 
the  parish  greatly  adds  to  its  business  interests.  A  great  many  Northern  and 
Western  people  have  settled  in  and  around  Crowley  and  their  push  and  enter- 
prise are  being  seen  and  felt  in  the  entire  community. 

Acadia  College  is  situated  at  Crowley,  the  parish  seat  of  Acadia  parish. 
In  addition  to  its  natural  beauty,  healthfulness  and  accessibility  from  all  parts  of 


•2.1.S  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

the  countrv.  which  make  it  so  desirable  as  u  location  for  a  college,  it  has  all  the 
quiet  and  retirement  ot  the  country,  while  the  whole  atmosphere  of  the  place 
favors  honest,  thorough  educational  work. 

The  college  has  six  excellent  buildings,  sufficient  for  the  accommodation  of 
a  large  number  of  students.  The  main  building  is  two-story,  50x120  feet,  with 
two  wings,  one  of  which  is  two-story,  24x36  feet,  and  the  other  24x48  feet. 
This  building  is  pleasantly  located  and  divided  into  convenient,  well  ventilated 
and  liglUed  rooms,  amply  supplied  with  good  furniture.  The  upper  story  of 
this  building  will  be  used  exclusively  for  the  accommodation  of  the  m.itron,  lady 
teachers,  and  the  girls  of  the  boarding  department.  A  large  two-story  building 
of  twenty  rooms,  now  under  process  of  erection,  will  be  occupied  exclusively  by 
the  male  boarders.  These,  with  the  other  buildings  mentioned,  will  furnish 
excellent  accommodations  for  the  various  departments  of  the  college  and  for 
a  large    number  of  boarders. 

Boai'ding  in  College. — Parents  and  tutors  can  not  very  easily  overestimate 
the  importance  of  boarding  their  children  and  wards  in  the  college.  Here  they 
are  not  exposed  to  inclement  weather,  they  lose  no  time  on  account  of  rainy 
days,  they  entertain  no  company,  are  under  the  constant  care  of  judicious  teach- 
ers and  are  subjected  to  regulations  that  are  conducive  to  good  health,  diligent 
study  and  regular  and  systematic  habits.  Upon  entering  the  school  they  become 
members  of  the  president's  family,  and,  under  his  supervision,  the  care  of  their 
domestic  life  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  look  after  their 
manners  and  habits,  to  secure  from  them  faithfulness  in  the  performance  of  dut}' 
and  to  maintain  an  oversight  over  all  their  interests.  We  seek  to  provide  for 
our  boarders  a  bright,  happy.  Christian  home,  where  "teachers  and  pupils  may- 
sit  at  the  same  table,  worship  at  the  same  altar  and  mingle  in  the  same  social 
circle,"  and  where  everything  is  made  to  contribute  to  the  faithful  performance 
of  every  school  duty.  While  a  close  and  disagreeable  system  of  espionage  will 
not  be  enforced,  assiduous  care  will  be  exercised  over  the  manners,  habits  and 
language  of  the  pupils.  Young  ladies  will  not  be  permitted  to  receive  private 
visits  from  young  gentlemen;  but  such  society  and  agreeable  entertainment  will 
be  afforded  them  as  a  proper  regard  for  the  circumstances  and  aims  of  school 
life  and  the  best  interests  of  the  pupils  may  demand.  A  generous  table,  sup- 
plied with  wholesome,  well  prepared  food,  will  be  kept  at  all  times.  The  rooms 
are  furnished  with  all  that  may  be  necessary  for  the  comfort  and  proper  care  of 
the  student.  In  sickness  students  will  be  assigned  to  a  room  reserved  for  the 
sick,  where  they  can  receive  the  constant  and  faithful  care  of  the  matron,  and 
where  they  will  be  free  from  disturbances  and  intrusions.  Meals  will  be  served 
them  there,  but  will  not  be  sent  to  private  bedrooms. 

As  our  patronage  is   drawn  from  the  best  families  of  the  land,   the  associa 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  239 

tions  of  our  pupils  are  of  a  most  pleasant  and  desirable  character.  In  addition 
to  the  special  lessons  in  Etiquette,  every  effort  will  be  made  on  the  part  of  the 
Faculty,  by  precept  and  example,  to  mould  the  character  of  our  pupils  into  a 
Jiigh  type  of  social  manhood  or  womanhood.  Such  discipline  will  be  used  with 
our  girls  as  tends  to  develop  tlie  true  womanliness  which  makes  a  young  lady 
an  ornament  to  society  and  a  blessing  to  the  household. 

A  most  excellent  system  adopted  is  that  of  uniforms.  It  promotes  economy 
and  prevents  extravagance  and  rivalry  in  dress.  Hence  all  the  students  are  re- 
quired to  wear  the  college  uniform  on  public  occasions.  The  military  uniform 
for  boys  consists  of  navy  blue  coat  and  cap  and  gray  pants  with  blue  stripe.  In 
a  wreath  oa  the  front  of  the  cap  are  letters  "A.  C."  These  suits  are  furnished 
at  actual  cost.  All  male  students  must  provide  themselves  with  this  uniform, 
•unless  excused  by  the  president  for  good  cause. 

The  uniform  for  girls  must  conform  to  the  following  requirements: 

1.  For  winter — Dress  of  navy  blue  cashmere,  with  trimmings  of  light  blue 
surah  silk.  For  the  neck,  plain  linen  collar.  A  heavy  black  wrap  or  cloak  for 
cold  weather.  Cap,  dark  navy  blue.  Style  of  dress:  Directory  coat,  with  vest, 
collar  and  cuffs  of  light  blue  silk.     Front  of  skirt  accordion  or  knife  pleated. 

2.  For  Spring  —  Dress  of  white  cross-barred  muslin,  trimmed  with  the 
same  material,  full  skirt  and  blouse   waist  and  sailor  collar. 

Co-Ediication  —  The  co-education  of  the  sexes  is  a  question  of  interest, 
and  of  recent  years  has  provoked  wide  discussion.  It  is  still  a  question  that  is 
not  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  Acadia  College,  in  its  last  catalogue,  thus 
presents  its  views  on  the  subject: 

"Co-education  is  no  longer  an  experiment.  Its  superiority  over  the  old 
•monastic  system  of  separating  the  sexes  is  an  established  fact.  He  who  said 
'It  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone,'  has  associated  the  sexes  together  in  families 
and  in  communities.  The  effort  to  contravene  God's  appointment  in  the  organi- 
zation of  our  schools  must  fail  of  success,  and  leading  educators  have  come  to 
realize  this  fact  and  are  fast  adjusting  themselves  to  the  situation.  Less  than 
twenty-five  years  ago  there  were  only  three  co-education  colleges  in  the  world; 
now  there  are  over  two  hundred,  while  the  very  large  majority  of  the  public 
schools  are  co-educational.  President  Robinson,  of  Brown  University,  one  of 
the  oldest  and  best  colleges  in  the  United  States,  after  a  careful  consideration  of 
the  reasons  for  and  against  co-education,  concludes  that  the  arguments  urged 
against  it  are  'mere  prejudices  against  co-education,'  and  advises  the  trustees  of 
the  university  as  follows :  'In  view  of  both  sides  of  the  question,  therefore,  I 
would  recommend  that  some  kind  of  provision  be  made  for  the  education  of 
young  women  by  Brown  University,'  etc.  Dr.  J.  B.  Gambrell  of  Mississippi, 
speaking  of  the  proposition  before  the  trustees  of  Vanderbilt  University  to  admit 


240  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

girls  to  the  course  of  study,  sa3-s,  'Why  not?  God  has  placed  the  bo3's  and  girls 
together  in  the  same  families,  and  we  respectfully  submit  that  the  Creator  has 
made  no  mistake.'  The  president  of  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School,  whose 
matriculations  number  over  two  thousand  students  a  year,  says,  'A  true  educa- 
tion is  accomplished  more  fully  by  co-education  of  the  sexes.'  President  Hol- 
brook,  of  national  reputation  as  a  teacher  and  author,  says:  'A  true  education  of 
both  sexes  is  accomplished  more  vigorously,  harmoniously  and  certainly  by  their 
mutual  stimulus  and  sympathy  during  the  course  of  study."  He  gives  the  result 
of  ten  years'  test  trial  in  these  words:  'The  result  fully  justifies  the  experiment. 
It  is  in  every  way  a  success.'  Dr.  R.  C.  Burleson,  the  venerable  president  of 
Baylor — Waco  University,  says  :  'I  am  confident  in  ten  years  more  there  can  not 
be  found  a  well-informed  man  in  Tex.is  who  will  oppose  co-education.'  These 
opinions  from  our  best  and  most  experienced  educators  could  be  extended 
almost  indefinitely,  but  we  have  not  space  for  more.  No  reputable  educator 
who  has  tested  it  will  question  the  superiority  of  co-education." 

*     * 

The  American,  of  Lake  Charles,  January  15.  1890,  says  this  of  the  Acadia 
College : 

Here,  then,  is  an  institution  of  learning  which  first  saw  the  dawn  of  light 
September  21,  enrolling  a  fair  number  of  pupils,  and  ere  the  first  term  had 
closed  it  had  increased  twofold.  Knowing,  as  we  do,  of  the  features  which  so 
predominate  in  the  college,  viz:  culture,  refinement,  mental  and  moral  training, 
success  can  not  but  attend  its  efforts.  And  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  coming  term,  December  31,  will  open  under  the  most  favorable  auspices. 
Christmas,  robed  in  her  gaudy  plumage,  carrying  her  tina  lina  heavenward,  has 
brought  to  our  people  this  year  joy  more  substantial  and  happiness  more  com- 
plete than  ever  before. 

Education,  having  asserted  its  rights,  and  in  commemoration  of  its  victory, 
seeing  a  fitness  in  the  locality  and  surroundings  of  Crowley,  has  established  a 
seat  of  learning  from  which  the  highest  type  of  culture  and  exalted  standard  of 
requirements  will  radiate  over  this  favored  domain  of  Louisiana.  We  want  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  this  fair  land  to  drink  deep  of  the  Pyerian  spring  now 
open  to  them,  and  join  us  in  oppressing  ignorance  which  arises  on  every  side. 
Glorious  as  is  our  Republic,  there  is  yet  one  dangerous  element,  viz:  the  ignor- 
ance of  so  large  a  number  of  its  masses.  Under  a  free  government,  among  an 
ignorant  population  there  will  always  be  abuses.  If  we  wait  until  a  garrison  has 
been  placed  against  every  possible  abuse  we  shall  wait  until  eternity  engulfs  us 
within  its  bosom. 

What  that  was  which  attracted  the  sagacious  eye  of  him  who  looked  into 
the  future  with  a  wise  and  discerning  glance,  and  what  was  his  object,  may  be 
fully  demonstrated  now  by  one  who  will  visit  this   place.     The  verdict  of  stu- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  241 

dents,  visitors  and  professors  bears  evidence  of  the  sagacity  of  tlie  founder  of 
this  seat  of  learning,  viz:  President  W.  M.  Reese,  Ph.  D.  Patrons  and  friends 
who  have  visited  this  college  and  had  occasion  to  be  present  at  recitations  in  the 
several  departments  are  loud  in  their  praise  of  the  progress  of  the  pupils,  and 
the  complete  corps  of  teachers  composing  its  faculty.  We  realize  that  there  is 
now  a  responsibility  placed  upon  us  more  sacred  in  character  than  ever  before. 
Why  can  not  our  children,  under  the  auspices  of  institutions  like  this,  so  im- 
prove the  present  that  in  some  distant  day  it  may  be  said  that  they  have  attained 
tliat  noble  elevation  of  mind.  Happy  are  we  who  can  look  forward  with  hope 
and  inward  assurance,  can  see  glimpses  of  the  green  fields  opening  beyond  for 
them.  Geology,  which  has  been  sobered  into  wisdom  by  the  present  age  and 
experience,  whose  noblest  and  truest  professor  was  Moses,  is  still  reveling  amid 
her  flora  and  deciphering  by  the  Rosetta  Stone  of  Revelation  the  hieroglyphic 
symbols  of  God,  proud  amid  the  ruins  of  her  temple,  at  the  same  time  bids  us 
throw  aside  the  veil  of  ignorance  and  dive  into  her  profound  truths.  Geograph}- 
has  thrown  open  her  vast  domain  of  earth  and  ocean.  So,  to  investigate  care- 
fully God's  material  universe,  which  he  has  proffered  to  man  as  a  perpetual 
study,  the  mind  must  be  developed.  Let  us,  then,  rally  to  the  maintenance  of 
this  institution  of  learning,  and  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Reese,  one  of  our 
brainiest,  most  active  and  practical  of  Southern  educators,  Acadia  College  will 
be  second  to  none  in  the  South. 

As  a  conclusion  to  this  sketch  of  Acadia  College,  the  following  from  the  pen 
of  the  present  president.  Prof.  T.  C.  Cherry,  is  here  given  :  The  first  term 
of  Acadia  College  opened  September  24,  1891,  with  Dr.  W.  M.  Reese  president. 
and  wiih  an  attendance  of  only  forty  pupils.  In  January,  1890,  Dr.  Reese 
resigned  the  presidency  of  the  college,  and  Prof.  T.  C.  Cherry  was  unanimous- 
ly elected  by  the  board  to  fill  the  vacancy.  At  the  time  Doctor  Reese  resigned 
his  position  the  school  was  greatly  in  debt  and  it  seemed  upon  the  verge  of 
destruction.  Through  the  timely  assistance  of  several  liberal,  enterprising  men, 
it  was  given  another  tooting,  and  since  that  time  has  made  marvelous  strides 
toward  a  grand  success.  It  sustains  ten  departments  and  has  a  present  patron- 
age of  165  pupils.  New  and  magnificent  buildings  are  to  be  erected  by  the 
opening  of  the  fall  session  of  1891.  The  school  is  now  figuring  as  one  of  the 
prominent  educational  institutions  in  Southwestern  Louisiana,  and  bids  fair  at 
no  distant  day  to  take  the  lead  as  a  school  of  extraordinary  merit.  It  is  beau- 
tifully located  in  a  healthful  and  fertile  district.  It  is  coeducational  and  non- 
sectarian.     Its  courses  are  very  thorough  and  practical. 

Rayne,  situated  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  is  perhaps  a  larger  town 
than  Crowley  ;  it  is  an  older  one,  having  been  founded  long  before  the  parish 
was  created.  It  has  schools,  churches,  a  number  of  hotels,  stores  and  business 
houses,  etc.,  and  is  a  shipping  point  for  a  large   scope  of  rich  country.     It  also 


•242  S()r7'II\Vj:ST  LOUIS/. WA: 

has  a  spn<;htly  newspaper — Tlie  Acadia  Sentinel — published  by  Mr.  Oscar  L. 
Alpha,  whicli  is  an  evidence  of  its  thrift  and  prosperitv.  There  are  several 
other  small  villages  in  the  parish. 

There  are  so  many  erronous  impressions  prevailing  among  Northern  people 
as  to  the  status  of  the  negro  in  the  South,  that  we  feel  disposed  to  give  an  in- 
stance or  two,  hoping  tliey  rnay  find  their  way  North,  which  will  serve  to  show 
that  the  negroes  are  not  hunted,  shot  down  and  scalped,  as  once  was  the  custom 
among  the  American  pioneers  and  the  Indians,  but  on  the  contrary,  the  relations 
between  the  races  are  quite  amicable.  The  instances  referred  to  are  those  of 
negroes  owning  and  working  the  lands  upon  which  they  once  labored  as  slaves, 
and  supporting  their  former  masters  and  mistresses  free — "without  money  and 
without  price,"  having  built  them  small  houses  in  which  to  pass  in  ease  their 
few  remaining  years.  The  writer  was  informed  by  a  Catholic  priest  in  this 
section  that  several  such  instances  could  be  given  within  the  compass  of  his 
acquaintance,  where  the  old  people  were  supported,  if  not  in  luxury,  in  comfort 
by  their  former  slaves.  There  is  no  shotgun  policy  in  that.  It  is  free  and 
voluntary  on  the  part  of  the  negroes.  But  there  are  those  in  the  North  who 
would  hardly  believe  these  things  if  they  saw  them.  They  are  like  the  sinners 
of  old,  who  had  "Moses  and  the  prophets,  and,  as  they  heeded  not  them,  would 
not  be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the  dead." — Perrin. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Parish  of  Vermilion — Topography  and  Description — Soils  and  Crops — 
Agricultural  Statistics — Fruit  Culture  —  Pecan  Island  — 
Shadowy  Traditions  Concerning  Tr  —  Opinion  of.  an  Ex-Gov- 
ernor—Settlement of  the  Parish — Act  Organizing  the  Parish 
— Town  of  Abbeville — Change  of  Parish  Seats — The  Catholic 
Church — The  Seat  of  Justice  Finally  Located — Abbeville  In- 
corporated— Business  Men's  Directory — Perry's  Bridge — Mili- 
tary History — The  War  of  1812 — Soldiers  in  the  Late  War — 
Schools — The  Bench  and  Bar — Benevolent  Societies,  Etc. 

"Like  gladsome  gales  on  Orient  seas, 
With  odors  blown  from  isle  and  coast, 
From  fragrant  shores  we  felt  the  breeze 
That  whispered  of  the  Eden  lost." — Southern  Poetess. 


ECURRENCES  of  the  past,  with  the  recollections  and  associations  whicli 
make  it  pass  in  life-like  review  before  our  mental  vision,  especially 
when  they  connect  themselves  with  incidents  reflected  back  from  our 
own  experiences.  These  reminders  vanish  with  the  life  of  the  participants, 
where  no  landmarks  remain  to  save  us  the  pictures  faintly  delineated  in  the 
tablets  of  memory.  To  preserve  these  from  forgetfulness  before  they  have  lost 
their  distinguishing  originality  is  the  work  devolved  upon  the  historian. 
History  fails  in  its  great  mission  when  it  fails  to  preserve  the  life  features  of  the 
subjects  committed  to  its  trust. 

Local  history,  more  than  anv  other,  commands  the  most  interested  attention, 
for  the  reason  that  it  is  a  record  of  events  in  which  we  have  a  peculiar  interest, 
as  many  of  the  participants  traveled  the  rugged  and  thorn\-  pathway  of  life  as 
our  companions,  acquaintances  and  relatives.  The  parish  of  Vermilion  is  the 
last  one  sketched  in  this  volume,  though  it  is  by  no  means  least  in  wealth  and 
importance.  It  comes  last  in  the  list  perhaps  because  it  is  written  in  "the  book 
of  the  law  and  testimony  "  that  "the  last  shall  be  first  and  the  first  shall  be  last." 
Vermilion  is  one  of  the  richest  parishes  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  though  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  it  is  sea  marsh.  Even  that,  when  reclaimed  by  tlie  proper 
drainage,  will  make  the  very  finest  of  rice  lands.  It  lies  on  the  gulf  coast,  with 
the  parish  of  Cameron  bounding  it  on  the  west,  Acadia  and  Lafayette  parishes 
on  the  north,  and  with  Iberia  parish,  Vermilion  Bay  and  Marsh   Island  on  the 


•244  S0UTHWES7'  L  O UISIANA  : 

east.     It  has  about  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles,  and  some  ten  tliou- 
sand  inhabitants. 

Topogra-phy  and  General  Descriflion. — Vermilion  parish  is  generally  level 
of  surface,  with  considerable  prairie  and  sea  marsh.  Not  more  than  four  or  five 
hundred  square  miles  is  tillable  woodland,  prairie  and  cypress  swamp.  About 
one  quarter  of  the  tillable  land  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  Vermilion  River,  and  about 
three-quarters  on  the  west  side,  extending  to  Lake  Arthur  and  the  Vermilion.  The 
timbered  land  is  principally  on  the  Vermilion  River,  extending  on  both  banks 
from  the  Lafayette  line  nearly  to  Vermilion  Bay.  The  timber  is  narrow  above 
Abbeville,  but  it  becomes  broader  below  the  town,  extending  out  a  mile  and  a 
half  on  each  side  in  places.  Below  Abbeville  there  is  a  creek  on  the  west  of 
the  river  lined  with  a  heavy  body  of  timber,  and  there  is  another  on  the  east 
side,  the  line  of  forest  trees  extending  across  the  New  Iberia  and  Abbeville 
ro;ul.  There  is  a  line  of  cypress  timber  on  land  a  little  higher  than  the  prairie 
at  the  edge  of  the  sea  marsh,  north  of  Marsh  Lake,  twelve  miles  long  and  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  wide.  And  there  are  islands  of  timber  in  the  edge  of  the  sea 
marsh  east  of  Vermilion  River. 

Soil  and  Crops. — The  soil  of  this  parish  is  a  dark  vegetable  mould,  with  a 
large  proportion  of  sand,  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  deep.  This  rests  on  a 
subsoil  of  gra3'ish  cla3^  The  soil  along  the  Vermilion  River  has  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  sand  than  that  further  back;  this  gives  the  soil  a  lighter  color.  On 
account  of  the  larger  proportion  of  sand  here  than  in  the  Teche  lands  these  fields 
are  more  easily  cultivated,  and  the  roads  need  but  little  working — in  most  in- 
stances none  at  all — to  keep  them  good  the  year  round.  The  bottom  of  ponds 
and  ditches  are  not  boggy.  One  may  pass  over  any  of  them  on  horseback 
without  any  inconvenience  to  the  horse  or  rider.  There  are  natural  ponds  in  all 
these  prairies,  where  the  stock  cattle  are  supplied  with  water.  These  ponds  are 
from  twenty  to  fift}'  yards  in  diameter. 

Being  forciblv  struck  with  the  convenience  of  those  natural  ponds,  as  they 
are  called  by  the  residents,  I  made  inquiry  as  to  whether  they  had  been  made  for 
reservoirs  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  supply  for  the  stock  during  the  dry 
season.  The  only  answer  I  received  was,  "  they  had  no  recollection  of  any  of 
them  being  made  by  the  hand  of  man."  Prairie  Gregg,  which  lies  next  to  the 
sea  marsh  southeast  of  Abbeville,  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  land,  level  and  rich,  the 
soil  darker  than  that  east  of  Abbeville.  The  gulf  breezes  sweep  over  it  unin- 
terrupted by  forest  trees.  There  are  but  few  of  the  old  inhabitants  here  who 
cultivate  their  land  to  any  extent,  relying  principally  on  fruits,  poultry  and 
stock  raising,  which  yield  them  a  revenue  with  which  they  seem  to  be  perfectly 
satisfied. 

Viewed  from  an  elevated  position  of  the  Queue  Tortue,   half  way   between 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  245 

the  Vermilion  and  Lake  Arthur,  the  scenery  is  the  most  perfect  of  its  kind  that 
fancy  can  describe.  Facing  the  south,  one  may  here  turn  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  there  is  one  vast  extent  of  natural  meadow. 
Here  and  there  may  be  seen  a  herd  of  cattle  or  horses,  almost  hidden  in  some 
places  by  the  tall  natural  grass.  The  prairies  east,  west  and  south  are  dotted  with 
little  groves  of  trees,  which  shade  the  cottages  of  the  resident  population,  who 
live  principally  by  hunting,  fishing  and  stock  raising. 

The  soil  is  good  for  sugar  cane,  cotton,  rice,  potatoes,  and  all  the  products 
of  the  Attakapas  parishes.  The  yield  of  cotton  is  not  as  large  per  acre  as  in 
higher  latitudes.  The  parish  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  rice.  It 
may  become  the  leading  rice  parish  in  the  State.  Large  yields  of  sugar  have 
been  grown  in  the  parish;  as  large  as  three  thousand  pounds  have  been  pro- 
duced; from  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand  pounds  of  rice.  The  capacity  of 
the  soil  is  strong,  but  has  been  neglected  on  account  of  the  great  attention  paid 
to  stock  raising.  Oxen  are  generally  used  in  breaking  up  new  ground,  and  Cre- 
ole or  native  horses  in  cultivating  it.  They  are  not  put  to  work  until  the  grass 
rises  in  March,  since  but  few  of  them  are  fed  on  hay  or  corn. 

It  is  surprising  to  see  so  little  attention  paid  to  making  hay,  when  it  could  be 
gathered  in  great  abundance.  Millions  of  tons  are  trampled  under  foot  and  go 
to  waste,  for  the  number  of  cattle  that  are  raised  in  this  section  can  not  consume 
the  great  quantity  of  grass  in  the  growing  season.  Agriculture  has  received  less 
attention  here  than  in  the  other  parishes.  Good  well  water  can  be  had  in  this 
section  at  a  depth  varying  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  A  large  quantity  of  poultry 
and  eggs  are  shipped  to  the  New  Orleans  market  from  this  section.  This  parish 
abounds  in  wild  game,  such  as  duck,  geese,  brent,  quail,  wild  hogs,  prairie  hen 
and  deer 

Agricultural  statistics  from  the  assessor's  books,  given  below,  will  be  found 
of  interest  to  the  reader  for  1885:     Acres  of  land  in  the  parish,  677,667;   un- 
cultivated, 653,732;   cultivated,  23,955;   acres  in  cane,  1675;   in  cotton,  6830 
in  rice,  930;  in  corn,  13,840;    in  potatoes,  660.     Yielding  the  following  prod- 
ucts:    462  barrels  of  molasses,  462  hogshead  of  sugar,  1082  bales  of  cotton 
303  barrels  of  rice,  121,269  bushels  of  corn,  17,700  bushels  of  sweet  potatoes 
In  1889  there  was  produced  2755  bales  of  cotton,  1962  barrels  of  rice,  287,696 
bushels    of    corn,    14,540    bushels     of    potatoes.      In    1890:      2600    barrels    of 
molasses,  1500  hogsheads  of  sugar,  2750  barrels  of  sugar,  2750  bales  of  cotton 
3924  barrels  of  rice,  32,151  bushels  of  corn,  14,600  bushels  ot  sweet  potatoes 
Value  of  live  stock  in  parish  in  1890,  $360,371;    total  assessment  of  property  in 
parish,  $1,805,662. 

F'ruit  Culture. — Vermilion  parish  grows  fine  peaches.  The  soil  on  the 
banks  of  most  of  the  bayous  and  in  much  of  the  prairie,  is  admirably 
adapted  to  this  fruit.     And  the  general  appearance  of  the    peach  trees  justifies 


2  Ifi  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

this  conclusion.  Oranges  and  the  mespilus  do  well  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
parish.  This  section  of  country  as  yet  is  in  its  infancy  as  regards  the  planting, 
fertilizing,  pruning  and  cultivation  of  fruit  trees.  It  is  evident  to  our  mind  that 
the  past  year's  experience  has  benefited  every  one  in  Southwest  Louisiana  in 
fruit  culture.  One  fact  has  been  demonstrated,  we  think,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
every  one — the  planting  of  fruit  trees  of  every  variety  on  perfectly  drained 
soil.  This  is  the  first  thing  to  be  looked  after  when  you  determine  to  plant  an 
orchard.  The  drainage  should  be  perfect,  and  if  tile  is  used,  so  much  the 
better,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  give  warmth  to  the  soil  to  the  depth  of  the  tile. 
The  next  thing  is  tlie  cultivation  and  fertilization.  The  cultivation  should  be 
principally  to  keep  down  weeds;  a  growth  of  peas  that  will  shade  the  land  dur- 
ing the  months  of  July  and  August  is  a  good  crop  to  grow  in  a  young  orchard, 
as  it  serves  to  shade  the  land,  and  at  the  same  time  acts  as  a  mulch  and  a 
fertilizer.  As  winter  approaches,  everything  should  be  done  to  stop  growth. 
Whatever  fertilizer  is  used  should  be  used  in  spring  after  the  blooming  of  the 
trees.  The  less  growth  during  the  winter  months,  the  less  liable  is  the  tree  to 
be  injured  in  any  way  by  cold. 

Sa3's  Catherine  Cole  in  the  New  Orleans  Picayune:  "  Ever3'thing  that  is 
here  has  been  placed  here  within  a  twelvemonth.  The  vines,  fruit  trees,  young 
groves  of  China  trees — the  future  shade  and  fuel  of  the  home — the  luxurious 
gardens  and  flowers,  all  are  less  than  a  year  old.  The  vineyard  is  planted  as  it 
is  done  in  France,  Germany  and  California,  and  the  vines  are  already  at  the 
lops  of  their  poles.  In  the  gardens  are  magnificent  melons,  egg-plants,  cucum- 
bers, tomatoes,  and  what  not.  These  fruits  and  vegetables  equal  in  size  and 
surpass  in  quality  the  best  California  products.  The  wells  on  the  place  give  cold 
and  delicious  water  at  a  uniform  depth  of  twelve  or  fourteen  feet.  The  pretty 
porches  are  shaded  by  vines,  and  the  garden  is  gay  with  the  glory  of  marigolds, 
zimnias,  petunias,  and  crysanthemums.  All  about  is  the  prairie,  with  its  roaming 
herds  of  cattle,  its  silver  coolees  that  never  go  dry,  and  its  islands  of  trees 
showing  where  some  settler  has  made  him  a  home.  New  settlers,  mostly  from 
the  west,  are  coming  into  this  parish,  and  are  settling  up  those  small  farms  that 
are  to  be  the  nucleus  of  a  new  civilization,  of  education,  and  of  a  truer  pros- 
perity than  the  State  lias  ever  known.  A  prosperitj'  builded  on  the  substantial 
foundation  of  small  farms  will  endure  forever.  The  small  farmer  never  goes  to 
the  wall,  and  between  his  iiedges  and  his  well-kept  fields,  churches,  schools 
and  factories  are  certain  to  spring  up.  The  great  fertilizers  of  the  new  South 
will  be  the  small  farm. 

«      • 

"  A  prairie  home  is  like  an  oasis.  Riding  across  the  level  lands  toward  a 
hanging  garden.  The  gray  roof  and  red  chimney  floating  its  blue  flag  gleam 
cheerfully  under  the  deep  shade  of  the  grove  of  umbrella  China  trees  that  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  1^1 

settler  has  planted  as  shade  for  himself  and  cattle  and  for  his  fuel  in  the  future. 
His  crops  of  cotton,  corn,  rice  and  cane  stretch  away  in  a  wondrous  mosaic  of 
luxuriant  color.  The  oranges  hang  heavy  on  the  trees  about  the  house  and 
pigeons  are  pluming  themselves  by  the  gray  rim  of  the  well.  About  the  front 
door  are  banana  trees  and  pink-plumed  myrtles.  The  cattle  stand  belly-deep  in 
the  lakes  that  are  scattered  here  and  there  in  opulent  profusion,  as  if  riotous 
nature  had  flung  down  with  generous  hand  so  many  huge  silver  coins.  They 
are  linked  over  the  tawny  breast  of  this  prairie  like  a  necklace  of  silver  coins 
strung  over  the  bosom  of  an  Indian  princess,  making  her  beautiful  and  pictur- 
esque. The  dreamy  crooning  of  the  pigeons,  the  buzzing  of  the  bees  in  the 
alder  bushes,  the  faint  low  of  the  cattle  or  neigh  of  a  young  tilly  in  her  field, 
the  sweet  smell  of  the  hay  fields,  the  burnished  gold  on  the  heavy  corn,  the 
wondrous  bottomless  depths  of  the  blue  sky — who  that  has  seen  and  heard  and 
felt  all  these  can  forgot  how  sweet  is  Louisiana  as  it  is?" 

Pecan  Island. — In  the  southern  part  of  the  parish  in  the  sea  marsh,  is 
Pecan  Island.  It  is  situated  about  six  miles  from  the  coast,  and  is  sixteen  miles 
in  length,  covered  with  pecan  and  live-oak  trees.  This  island  presents  the 
novel  feature  of  an  island  surrounded,  not  by  water,  but  by  land,  or  rather  by 
sea  marsh.  It  is  inhabited  by  hogs,  cattle  and  people,  and  it  is  said  that  the 
latter  know  little  more  than  the  animals  with  which  they  live. 

There  are  many  stories  and  traditions  and  legends  concerning  this  island. 
One  is,  it  has  been  supposed  that  it  was  the  resort  of  pirates  for  centuries,  and 
that  there  is  untold  wealth  buried  upon  the  island,  if  it  could  be  found.  Located 
as  the  island  is,  it  is  difficult  of  approach  by  the  stranger,  as  well  as  dangerous, 
and  hard  to  find.  Another  tradition,  that  two  men  presented  themselves  here 
once  with  a  map  of  the  country,  which  showed  the  island  with  the  best  ap- 
proaches to  it,  and  employing  a  guide  made  their  way  to  the  island  for  the  pur- 
pose of  seeking  for  the  buried  treasure.  But  the  people  living  on  the  island 
showed  such  hostility  they  were  glad  to  get  away  with  whole  skins.  Another 
tradition  still  is  that  the  people  living  on  the  island  are  descendants  of  the  pirates 
that  once  infested  the  island,  and  have  multiplied  to  their  present  numbers. 

The  island  is  said  to  be  like  unto  the  valley  of  dry  bones,  or  a  veritable 
golgotha,  and  that  great  quantities  of  human  bones  are  to  be  found  here,  which 
has  given  rise  to  the  legend  that  the  pirates  brought  their  prisoners  here  to  mur- 
der them;  also  that  the  Attakapas  Indians,  who  had  the  reputation  of  eating 
their  prisoners,  and  hence  were  known  as  man-eaters,  which  is  Attakapas  ren- 
dered into  English,  brought  their  prisoners  here,  where  they  butchered  them, 
cooked  them  up  with  clams  and  other  products  of  the  sea,  and  feasted  to  their 
hearts',  or,  rather,  their  stomachs',  content.  This  is  all  given  for  what  it  is 
worth.  Much  of  it  is  legend  and  tradition,  and  as  such  it  is  given  to  the  reader, 
16 


248  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

It  is  understood  that  the  land  embraced  in  Pecan  Island  is  soon  to  he  put  upon 
the  market,  and,  when  it  is,  then  perhaps  some  of  the  traditions  may  be  unrav- 
eled. Who  will  live  upon  this  island,  however,  for  the  ghosts  of  the  murdered 
ones  doubtless  haunt  the  island,  at  least  in  the  minds  of  the  superstitious?  If  the 
island  is  filled  witli  the  ghosts  of  slaughtered  men,  who  will  want  to  make  it  his 
home? 

Opinion  of  an  Ex-Govcnior. — Ex-Governor  Riddle,  of  Kansas,  after  a 
visit  to  Southwestern  Louisiana,  wrote  and  published  his  views,  as  follows: 

Under  the  old  system  it  took  a  mint  of  money  to  run  a  sugar  plantation. 
There  was  a  vast  bodj'  of  land  to  buy,  a  sugar  house  costing  from  $40,000  to 
$100,000  to  build,  quarters  for  the  negroes,  etc.  Then  would  come  the 
cost  of  planting,  cultivation  and  manufacture,  all  of  which  had  to  be  borne  by 
the  planter,  without  a  cent  of  returns  until  he  marketed  his  crop.  There  are 
numerous  instances  where  men  have  purchased  plantations  on  credit  and  paid 
for  them  in  a  year  or  two,'  and  there  are  instances  where  a  single  disaster  has 
swept  away  the  accumulations  of  years.  The  dangers  attendant  upon  the  busi- 
ness of  sugar  planting  were  mostly  to  the  planter  under  the  levees  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, where  his  crops  were  ruined  hy  floods.  These  the  planters  in  Southwest 
Louisiana  escape. 

Nevertheless,  the  future  of  the  sugar  business  seems  to  be  in  the  new  system, 
which,  in  brief,  is  to  separate  the  agricultural  part  of  it  from  the  manufacturing 
part.  They  speak  of  it  in  Louisiana  as  the  Central  System.  A  man  or  a  com- 
pany puts  up  a  sugar  house  in  some  convenient  center  and  bu3's  the  cane  brought 
to  him.  This  enables  the  planter  to  farm  on  either  a  large  or  small  scale.  Land 
can  be  purchased,  when  unreclaimed,  for  seventy-five  cents  to  $1.50  per  acre. 
Land  with  improvements  and  under  cultivation  can  be  bought  for  from  $4  to 
$10  per  acre,  or  may  be  rented  for  either  a  cash  rent  or  share  of  the  crop. 
An  acre  of  good  land  will  produce  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  tons  of  cane,  and 
the  cane  will  sell  from  $3  to  $5  per  ton,  according  to  the  season.  It  is  selling 
this  season  for  $5  per  ton. 

It  was  further  provided  that  a  mayor  and  four  aldermen  should  form  a  town 
council,  and  the  ten  oldest  citizens,  voters,  of  the  town  should  preside  over  the 
first  election.  At  a  meeting,  Maj'  17,  1866,  H.  C.  Read,  mayor,  councilmen: 
Stephen  Hall,  Leo  Landrj',  Voorhies  Trahan,  Leon  Broussard,  and  E.  Guegnon, 
secretary.  He  was  also  made  the  public  printer  of  the  council,  and  for  his 
services  he  was  to  receive  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  payable  monthly. 
George  Caldwell  was  elected  city  constable  for  one  year  at  three  hundred  dol- 
lars for  his  services,  and  also  one-half  of  all  fees.  At  the  same  meeting  it  was 
ordered  that  all  persons  bringing  beef  to  town  for  sale  must  bring  along  the 
hides  and  brands,  that  they  might  be  inspected  by  the  constable  to  see  that  they 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  249 

were  the  rightful  owners.  A  fine  of  fifty  dollars  was  the  result  of  non-compli- 
ance with  this  order. 

The  present  council:  James  B.  Petty  Ophehas  Bourque,  Mozerolie,  C.  J. 
Edwards,  and  J.  J.  Abadie,  secretary;  Euphemon  Leblanc,  town  marshal. 

The  town  has  two  fire  companies :  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  and  Fire 
Company  No.  2.  A  social  club  has  been  in  existence  two  years,  called  the 
■'  Merry  Boys." 

Business  Directory. — Joseph  Labit,  post-master;  Ulyses  Abadie,  wines, 
liquors  and  billiards;  Aphelius  Bourque,  general  merciiandise  :  Miss  Lorenzo 
Blanc,  millinery;  Heirs  of  David  Beer,  general  merchandise;  Jean  Boyance, 
baker  and  confectioner;  J.  M.  Banxis,  groceries;  W.  H.  Chevis,  blacksmith; 
Lucius  Theophile,  merchandise;  Lucius  Duteil,  liquors:  Ferdy  &  Wall,  lum- 
ber; Lero}- J.  Feray,  groceries:  A.  J.  Godard,  drugs;  Godchau.v  &  Co.,  gen- 
eral merchandise  ;  J.  C.  Lege,  saloon;  E  Montine,  surveyor  and  grocer;  R.  H. 
Miles,  druggist;  Felix  Romero  saloon;  Fraban  &  Romero,  livery;  Louis  Thi- 
beaux,  stock  dealer  ;  Louis  Leoland,  saloon;  A.  Mouton,  saloon ;  F.  L.  Mil- 
lerbrock,  merchandise;  Joseph  Caldwell,  grocer;  A.  Labord,  grocer; 
George  Schells,  shoe  shop;  J.  A.  Brookshire,  cotton  gin;  Solomon  Hise, 
general  merchant;  E.  G.  Lemaire,  general  store;  P.  D.  Dupuy,  general 
merchandise;  Lege  &  Guydoy,  grOcei-s;  Madam  Abadie,  hotel;  Sylvanie 
Preljin,  hotel;  Ernst  Mouton,  livery;  Ernest  Trahan,  oyster  saloon:  Ayman 
Bourque,  barber,  and  one  hundred  and  thirtj'-eight  tax  payers. 

Perry's  Bridge. — Perry's  Bridge,  or  the  town  of  Perry,  is  situated  in 
Vermilion,  three  miles  from  Abbeville.  Its  business  is  as  follows:  J.  S.  Ham- 
let, druggist  and  physician;  J.  Meguier,  general  merchandise  ;  M.  Boudin,  gen- 
eral merchandise;  Arthur  Derouin,  E.  P.  Putnam,  cotton  compress;  Martin  & 
Timothy  Baley,  etc. 

Slock  Jfa/sino-. —  Horses,  cattle  and  sheep  in  large  numbers  have  grazed 
upon  the  prairies  of  Southwestern  Louisiana  for  many  \^ears,  receiving  no  care 
from  their  owners  except  the  annual  round-up.  Where  more  care  has  been 
given,  better  stock  has  been  produced.  By  paying  some  attention  to  the  im- 
provement of  the  stock,  and  feeding  a  few  weeks  in  the  winter,  valuable  animals 
could  be  raised,  for  which  there  are  ready  markets  at  remunerative  prices.  The 
chief  difficulty  in  improving  cattle  lies  in  acclim  iting  Northern  cattle.  Import- 
ing Northern  cattle  is  so  unsafe  that  we  advise  against  it  in  all  cases.  It  is  safe 
to  bring  mules  and  horses  if  care  be  exercised. 

There  are  several  large  stock  raisers  in  the  parish  of  Vermilion.  Among 
them  may  be  noted  J.  P.  Guydon.     He  owns  about  forty-six  thousand   acres  of 


250  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA . 

land,  twent3'-nine  thousand  acres  in  a  single  pasture.  Adrian  Nunez  is  said  to 
be  the  largest  stock  raiser  in  tlie  parish.  He  is  on  Vermilion  Bayou.  Frank 
Minston  and  Felix  Broussaid  are  also  stock  dealers,  togetlier  with  many  others 
on  a  smaller  scale. 

Military  History  — The  patriotism  of  this  section  was  shown  for  the  Ameri- 
can government  in  the  war  of  1812.  A  large  number  of  men  from  what  is  now 
Vermilion  parish  took  part.  Two  companies  were  largely  made  up  among  the 
people  here.  The  following  names  have  been  collected  as  having  served  in 
those  companies:  Jean  F.  Bourque,  Pierre  Desormeaux,  Charles  Harrington, 
Wni.  Harrington,  John  B.  Theall,  P.  P.  Thibodeaux,  Abram  Abshire,  Pierre 
Laponte.  Vidal  Laponte,  Zepherin  Trahan. 

Of  the  two  companies  named  here,  they  were  commanded  by  Capt.  Robert 
Perry  and  Capt.  Shadrach  Porter.  Two  of  the  widows  df  these  old  soldiers 
are  known  to  be  living  and  are  drawing  pensions;  Zepherin  Trahan  is  also  liv- 
ing and  enjo3ing  good  health.  Of  the  Mexican  war  we  have  no  data  on  this 
parish. 

The  war  between  the  States  comes  next.  Of  all  the  wars  that  have  ever 
disturbed  the  peace  of  the  world,  a  civil  war  is  the  most  direful.  The  rival 
houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  with  their  emblems  of  "White"  and  "  Red," 
shook  old  England  to  her  center,  filling  her  houses  with  mourning,  her  fields  with 
carnage,  and  wasting  blood  of  her  bravest  and  best;  but  compared  to  our  "war 
between  the  States"  it  is  dwarfed  into  insignificance.  A  perfect  history  of 
our  late  civil  war  has  never  been  written;  it  never  can  be  written.  Were  the 
"  pen  dipped  in  the  gloom  of  earthquake  and  eclipse,"  it  could  not  write  a  true 
history  of  those  four  long  years  of  strife.  All  the  evils  of  war,  and  all  the 
horrors  of  civil  war  crowded  into  them.  But  as  in  the  union  of  "the  roses," 
was  found  the  germ  of  England's  future  greatness  and  resplendent  glory,  so  in 
the  harmonious  blending  of  the  Blue  and  Gray — well,  who  shall  dare  limit  the 
greatness  and  glory  of  America. 

The  first  company  for  the  late  war  from  this  parish  was  that  of  Capt.  White. 
They  were  stationed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mermentau  River,  with  two  pieces  of 
cannon,  six  and  twenty-four  pounders.  They  served  only  six  months,  and  as 
their  time  was  then  up,  they  disbanded  and  returned  home. 

Many  of  Vermilion's  heroes  left  and  went  to  other  parts  and  enlisted  there 
for  tlie  war.  A  company  was  raised  by  Capt.  A.  Berard,  L.  M.  Bernard,  first 
lieutenant,  and  G.  S.  Nunez,  second  lieutenant,  and  joined  Fournet's  Battalion. 
Besides  this  one  or  two  companies  of  Home  Guards  were  raised,  which  did  duty 
in  the  parish. 

The  public  schools  of  the  parish  are  in  charge  of  a  regular  school  board, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  divide  the  parish  into  school  districts,  and  to  apportion  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  251 

school  funds  among  the  several  districts  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  chil- 
dren between  the  ages  of  six  and  eighteen  years  ;  to  provide  sciiool  houses, 
furniture,  etc.,  for  the  schools.  The  board  has  a  president  and  secretary;  the 
latter  is  ex-officio  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  parish.  In  1889  there 
were  in  the  parish  3364  white  children;  1736  males  and  1628  females.  Colored 
children — males  320,  and  females  315.  The  present  school  board  are:  N.  C. 
Young,  president;  Ambrose  La  Cour,  secretary;  James  M.  Williams,  super- 
intendent, and  Guy  Hays,  Eloi  Harrington,  Henry  Harrington  and  Desire 
Maux.  The  schools  have  been  built  up  principally  in  the  last  five  years,  and 
are  now  held  about  ten  months  yearly. 

The  Press. — The  first  paper  in  the  parish  was  the  Independent.  It  was 
started  about  1852,  by  Val.  Veazey,  who  was  its  editor  and  publisher,  and 
printed  it  both  in  English  and  French.  He  sold  it  in  December,  1856,  and 
the  Meridinal  was  published  in  its  place;  the  first  issue  making  its  appear- 
ance January  i,  1857,  under  the  management  of  E.  I.  Guegnon,  who  con- 
ducted it  until  1862,  when  he  died.  His  son,  Eugene  Guegnon  then  assumed 
control  of  it,  and  published  it  until  1877,  when  he  too  died,  and  his  widow, 
Mrs.  Ursule  Guegnon,  continued  to  publish  it  until  1879,  when  she  sold  it  to 
E.  J.  Addison,  the  present  owner.  It  is  Democratic  in  politics,  is  a  livelv 
and  enterprising  journal,  and  wields  considerable  influence. 

The  Vermilion  Star  was  established  in  April,  1890,  by  Mr.  S.  P.  Watts, 
a  brilliant  and  wide-awake  young  newspaper  man.  It  is  a  sprightly  and  in- 
teresting sheet,  and  from  its  first  issue  it  took  rank  among  the  best  papers 
in  this  section  of  the  State.  The  best  we  can  say  of  it  is  to  quote  Rip 
Van  Winkle's  toast — "May  it  live  long  and  prosper." 

Benevolent  Associations. — Abbeville  Lodge,  No.  192,  F.  &  A.  M,  was 
chartered  in  1868.  Among  the  charter  members  were  Capt.  W.  D.  White, 
Elijah  Ewing,  J.  F.  Morgan,  C.  Remick,  John  Ellis,  L.  Rogers,  J.  F.  Labit, 
J.  Plonsky,  etc.     The  present  officers  are  J.  F.  Labit,  Master;   A.  F.  Marfield, 

Senior    Warden; ,  Junior  Warden,    and    Gus    Godcheaux, 

Treasurer. 

Acadian  Lodge,  No.  3240,  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  was  instituted  at  Abbe- 
ville, January  30,  1886.  The  charter  members  were:  Joseph  T.  Labit,  Albert 
T.  Galloway,  James  M.  Williams,  John  T.  Hamblet,  Wm.  P.  Miller,  W.  G. 
Kibbe,  A.  N.  Neal,  G.  Godchaux,  Horace  Robinson,  G.  B.  Shaw,  R.  H.  Mills, 
Wm.  D.  White,  Oliver  C.  Kibbe,  J.  A.  Brookshire,  Adolph  F.  Maxfield,  Chas. 
L.  Cullison  and  Joseph  M.  Frazer. 

The  present  officials  of  the  lodge  are:  Past  Dictator,  D.  N.  Wall; 
Dictator,  S.  P.  Watts;  Vice  Dictator,  W.  D.  White;  Assistant  Dictator,    J.    N. 


252  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA : 

Williams;  Chaplain,  W.  L.  Vanslyke;  Reporter,  O.  H.  O'Bryan;  Financial 
Reporter,  J.  L.  Feray;  Treasurer,  L.  Sakolsky:  Guide,  Joseph  T.  Labit; 
Guardian,  S.  Isaacs;  Sentinel,  J.  Ben.  The  lodge  has  forty-two  members  in 
good  standing.  The  lodge  is  having  a  prominent  growth  and  meditates  the 
erection  of  a  hall  in  the  near  future. 

Branch  No.  597,  St.  Mary  Magdelane  Lodge  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of 
Honor,  was  cliartered  here  November  30,  1889.  It  wasorganized  February  10, 
1890.  Charter  members  were:  Lastie  Broussard,  O.  Bourque,  Lewis  Laporte, 
T.  S.  Abshire,  M.  D.,  John  Abshire,  Jr.,  Adonis  LeBlanc, Felix  Broussard  and 
A.  J.  Golden.  This  lodge  is  in  a  prosperous  condition  and  constantly  receiving 
new  members.  Its  competent  and  attentive  corps  of  officers  are:  President,  O. 
Bourque;  Vice  President,  Lastie  Broussard;  Secretary,  Adonis  LeBlanc;  Med- 
ical Examiner,  J.  T.  Abshire,  M.  D. ;  Financial  Secretary,  J.  A.  Villien.  This 
lodge  is  constantly. receiving  accessions  of  new  members  and  bids  fair  to  become 
one  of  the  strongest  in  the  parish  in  the  near  future. 

The  Abbeville  Literary  Society  was  organized  about  1874  by  Doctor 
White,  W.  A.  White  and  L,  Broussard.  The  membership  became  good  and 
the  society  purchased  quite  a  library  for  a  town  of  this  size,  and  wliich  is  still  in 
existence. 

The  Eclectic  Club  was  organized  in  1889.  It  is  a  debating  and  literary 
club,  and  is  well  attended  and  supported. 

Doctors  and  Lawyers. — Among  the  earl}-  physicians  of  Vermilion  parish 
who  have  passed  from  the  stage  of  action  may  be  mentioned  Doctors  Wm. 
Mills,  Wm.  R.  Mudd,  John  Chevis,  Henry  T.  Chevis,  R.  J.  Epperson,  F.  D. 
Young,  H.  Abadie,  T.  T.  Solon  and  Doctor  Dabrun.  These  pioneer  ph3'sicians 
of  the  parish  have  gone  to  that  land  where  there  is  no  sickness,  nor  disease,  nor 
death. 

The  present  "medicine  men"  are  Doctors  W.  D.  White,  W.  G.  Kibbe,  F. 
F.  Young,  R.  J.  Young,  C.  J.  Edwards,  J.  F.  Hamlet  (lives  at  Perry's  Bridge), 
J.  T.  Abadie,  P.  L.  Leblanc  (lives  in  the  country).  E.  Tillie,  Joseph  A.  Villien, 
M.  R.  Cushman  and  J.  B.  Ramsey  all  live  in  the  country. 

The  Vermilion  Medical  Societ}^  was  organized  in  1887  and  holds  quarterly 
meetings.  To  become  members  of  the  society,  physicians  must  be  regularly 
graduated  from  a  regular  medical  college,  and  in  good  standing.  Doctor  J.  T. 
Abshire  is  at  present  president  of  the  society.  Doctor  W.  D.  White  was  one  of 
the  prime  movers  in  organizing  the  society  and  was  its  first  president. 

Legal. — The  State  Conslitution  of  1845  abolished  the  office  of  parish  judge  ; 
so  the  first  parish  judge,  William  Kibbe,  served  only  one  year,  or  thereabout. 
The  constitution  of  1868  reestablished  the  office  of  parish  judge  and  E.  Guegnon 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  253 

served  from  1868  till  1874,  at  which  time  William  Kibbe  was  again  elected,  and 
served  till  his  death  in  1878.  Kibbe  was  an  old  Vermonter.  He  had  served  in 
the  war  of  Texas  and  Mexico,  and  was  left  wounded  upon  the  field,  which  was 
in  possession  of  ihe  Mexicans.  His  life  was  spared  because  of  the  whiteness  of 
his  hair,  the  Mexicans  having  taken  iiim  to  be  an  old  man. 

Among  the  judges  of  this  district  were  Henry  Boise,  G.  R.  King,  Thomas 
Nicholls,  Cornelius  Voorhies,  Edward  Simon,  C.  A.  Mouton,  Adolph  Bailey, 
James  M.  Parton,  E.  Mouton,  Edward  Mouton,  John  Clegg,  Conrad  Debaillion, 
W.  M.  Edwards,  and  C.  C.  Mouton,  the  present  incumbent. 

The  early  lawyers  of  the  parish  were.  Philander  Taft,  Joseph  N.  Walker, 
Daniel  Oprine,  R.  F.  Patton,  died  here  of  yellow  fever  in  1867,  R.  S.  Perry, 
present  incumbent  of  the  court  of  Iberia. 

The  present  bar  numbers  among  its  members,  W.  M.  Edwards,  W.  H. 
White.  Lastie  Broussard,  W.  B.  White,  M.  J.  Goody,  S.  L.  Bourgues,  Felix 
O'Nile.  master  tirst  district  court,  Robt.  F.  Patton,  A.  J.  Kearney,  P.  D. 
Lupuy,  Lastie  Broussard  served  from  1865  to  1888,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Alcide  LeBlaiic. 

The  sheriffs  since  the  organization  of  the  parish  have  been  :  J.  M.  Miles, 
Nathan  Perry,  N.  A.  Hebert,  L.  Y.  LeBlanc,  Jr.,  Alexander  Lege,  Sr.,  A. 
Berard,  G.  B.  Shaw,  L.  C.  Lyons,  J.  S.  Nunez,  N.  N.  Belling  and  A.  Le 
Blanc.  The  civil  officers  of  the  parish  at  present,  as  reported  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  State,  are:  Alcide  LeBlanc,  clerk  district  court;  A.  S.  LeBlanc,  sheriff; 
W.  D.  White,  coroner;  D.  M.  Lyons,  assessor;  E.  Montague,  Jr.,  parish  sur- 
veyor; Eli  Wise,  parish  treasurer;  H.  B.  Lyons,  inspector  of  weights  and 
measures. 

Justices  of  the  peace — First  ward,  Louis  A.  Laurance;  second  ward,  Joseph 
Trahan;  thn-d  ward,  Gilbert  Labauve,  Henry  Petrj';  fourth  vvard,Remy  Brous- 
sard; fifth  ward,  William  Shepherd;  sixth  ward,  E.  W.  Gaspard;  seventh 
ward.  Felix,  A.  O'Neil. 

Constables — First  ward,  Charles  Broussard;  second  ward,  Andrew  Moss: 
third  ward,  Thomas  Flowers,  Alexis  Tranan;  fourth  ward,  Aristides  Picard; 
fifth  ward,  Oliver  Landrw;  sixth  ward,  A.  B.  Faulk;  seventh  ward,  J.  B. 
Mills. 

Police  jurors — First  ward,  J.  Alcide  LeBlanc;  second  ward,  Thomas 
Morgan;  third  ward,  William  L.  Van  Slyke;  fourth  ward,  J.  Treville  Brous- 
sard; fifth  ward,  Howard  Hoffpauer,  president;  sixth  ward,  Robert  Green, 
seventh  ward,  Henry  Bartell. 

Notaries  public — William  Shepherd,  Robert  P.  O" Bryan,  Joseph  Trahan 
Alcide    LeBlanc,     F.    Onezime    LeBlanc,    William    B.    White,     Robert   Cade 
Smedes.  Leo  Perret. 
17 


254  SO  urn  WES  T  L  O  LI  SI  A  NA  : 

Terms  of  Court. — Jury  terms,  second  Monday  of  January  and  first  Mon- 
day of  September.     Civil  terms,  first  Tuesday  in  April  and  November. 

Post  Offices. — Abbeville  C.  II.,  Gregg,  Indian  Bayou,  Pegneur,  Perry, 
Ramsey. 

Bridges. — The  bridge  across  the  Vermilion  River  in  Abbeville  cost  between 
$5000  and  ;f6ooo,  and  is  a  substantial  iron  structure.  Another  excellent  bridge 
spans  the  river  at  Perry;  henci-  the  name  of  the  town — Perrjr's  Bridge. 

The  improvement  of  the  southwest  pass  of  the  Vermilion  River,  so  as  to 
admit  vessels  in  Veamilion  Bay,  would  be  worth  a  great  deal  to  this  country.  In 
fact,  it  is  much  needed  ;  and  were  it  located  somewhere  up  in  New  England  or 
Pennsylvania  it  would  have  been  improved  years  ago.  But  the  time,  doubtless, 
is  not  tar  distant  when  the  streams  of  the  South  will  receive  the  attention  that 
the  importance  of  them  and  the  country  actually  demad.  When  it  is  known 
the  valuable  lands,  rich  as  can  be  found  anywhere,  lying  wild  in  this  country  for 
lack  of  facilities  to  develop  them,  and  to  market  their  products  after  being  de- 
veloped, then  may  the  South  expect  to  get  what  she  so  much  needs. 

Settlement  of  the  Parish  — He  who  attempts  to  present  with  unvarying  ac- 
curacy the  annals  of  a  single  neighborhood  or  parish,  whose  history  reaches  back 
through  nearly  a  century,  imposes  upon  himself  a  task  beset  with  many  difficul- 
ties. These  difficulties,  manifold  and  perplexing  in  themselves,  are  often  aug- 
mented by  conflicting  statements,  and  varying  data  furnished  by  well-meaning 
descendants  of  early  settlers,  as  material  from  which  to  compile  a  true  and  faith- 
ful record  of  past  events.  To  give  facts,  and  facts  only,  should  be  the  aim  of 
him  who  proposes  to  deal  with  the  past.  But,  with  the  ever  changing  geo- 
graphical lines  of  civil  divisions,  it  is  very  hard  to  confine  those  from  whom  the 
writer  must  obtain  his  information  to  certain  localities.  Hence  settlers  some- 
times get  a  little  mixed  as  to  the  place  of  location. 

Among  the  first  settlers  in  this  parish  may  be  mentioned  Marin  Mouton, 
G.  Mouton,  Levi  Campbell,  Bartlett  Campbell,  Charles  Harrington,  John  Mer- 
mion,  Samuel  R.  Rice,  Auguste  Broussard,  Louis  Laugemais,  Olivier  Blanchett, 
Joseph  LeBlanc,  John  Lahan,  Robert  Perry,  John  Gregg,  Joseph  Trahan,  Jean 
R.  LeBlanc,  J.  F.  Bourque,  Pierre  Desorneaux,  Wm.  Harrington,  John  B. 
Theall,  P.  P.  Thibodeaux,  Abram  Abshire,  Pierre  Laponte,  Vital  Laponte,  Z. 
Trahan,  Shadrick  Porter,  etc. 

The  Moutons  originally  settled  in  the  present  parish  of  Lafayette,  where 
they  are  most  particularly  mentioned.  The  Campbells,  settled  on  the  lower 
Vermilion  bayou.  Harrington  settled  near  Cow  Island ;  Mermion  was  a  native 
of  England  and  a  very  early  settler.  After  this  settlers  came  in  so  rapidly  it  was 
hard  to  keep  trace  of  them. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  255 

The  parish  was  organized  in  1844,  and  was  incorporated  under  the  follow- 
ing act: 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in 
General  Assembly  convened,  That  all  that  part  of  the  parish  of  Lafayette,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  following  described  line,  to-wit :  starting  at  the  point  where 
the  line  dividing  the  parishes  of  Lafayette  and  St.  Martin  crosses  the  Bayou 
Park  Perdu;  from  said  point  in  a  direct  line  to  the  first  woods  on  the  coulee 
known  by  the  name  of  Dalbj^'s  Coulee;  from  thence  down  said  coulee  to  the 
Ba3rou  Vermilion;  thence  along  said  coulee  to  the  mouth  of  Grange's  Coulee  to 
the  last  timber  thereon;  thence  in  a  direct  Hne  to  the  first  timber  on  the  Indian 
Point  Coulee;  thence  down  said  coulee  to  the  mouth  or  its  junction  with  the 
Bayou  Queue  Tortue;  thence  down  along  the  line  now  fronting  the  boundary  of 
the  parish  of  Lafayette  to  the  place  of  starting,  and  all  the  territorj^  within  said 
boundary  line  to  be  known  by  and  called  the  parish  of  Vermihon. 

Toivn  of  Abbeville. — Upon  the  organization  of  the  parish,  the  next  question 
was  to  establish  the  parish  seat.  This  was  not  easily  done  in  Vermilion.  Two 
points  were  pitted  against  each  other,  viz:  the  present  town  of  Abbeville  and 
Perry  post-office,  better  known  as  Perry's  Bridge,  a  little  town  three  miles  south 
of  Abbeville.  And  for  several  years  it  changed  first  to  the  one  and  then  to  the 
other  place.  Indeed,  the  changes  were  so  fast  and  frequent,  that  half  the  time 
people  had  their  breeches  on  hindpart  before,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  business  men  when  they  met  on  a  morning  to  accost  each  other  with — 
"Well,  where  is  the  parish  seat  to-day,  at  Abbeville  or  at  Perry's  Bridge?" 
There  were  another  place  or  two  that  entered  into  the  contest  for  it,  but  they  had 
little  chance  to  succeed  and  soon  dropped  out  of  the  race. 

Perry's  Bridge  was  at  first  victorious,  a  vote  of  the  people  giving  it  the 
capital.  But  another  election  being  called  the  next  year  Abbeville  was  victorious. 
Thus  it  went  on  until  1852,  election  after  election  being  held,  and  changing 
the  seat  back  and  forth  from  one  place  to  the  other.  But  the  people  at  last 
grew  tired  of  a  vacillation  that  was  proving  detrimental  to  public  interest  and 
fatal  to  public  improvement,  and  at  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1S52,  passed 
an  act  establishing  Abbeville  as  the  parish  seat,  and  so  it  has  since  remained. 

The  land  upon  which  Abbeville  was  laid  out  was  purchased  by  Father 
A.  D.  Megret,  from  Joseph  LeBlanc,  and  the  first  structure  built  thereon  was  a 
chapel  for  Roman  Catholic  service.  This  chapel  was  formed  out  of  the  old- 
fashioned,  spacious  mansion  of  Mons.  LeBlanc.  Father  Megret  had  solicited 
from  the  proprietors  of  Perry's  Bridge  ground  on  which  to  build  a  church,  but 
the  only  lot  offered  him  was  of  a  swampy  character,  which  he  would  not  have. 
So  he  went  three  miles  north  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land.   Upon  this  he  estab 


256  SOUTH  WES7'  L  OUISIANA  : 

lished  a  church  and  hud  out  a  part  of  it  in  lots  and  streets,  and  finally  it  became 
the  town  of  Abbeville. 

A  church  was  built,  whicli  served  tlie  congregation  several  years  and  was 
blown  down  in  1856.  In  1884  the  present  church  was  built,  which  is  large  and 
commodious.  About  four-fifths  of  the  people  are  Catholics.  The  convent  was 
built  in  1885,  and  an  excellent  school  is  conducted  in  it  by  the  Sisters  of  Mount 
Carmel.     About  five  hundred  children  are  baptized  yearly  in  this  church. 

The  first  business  house  was  a  store  built  by  Hilaire  Davide  and  Emile 
Boudin.  They  carried  on  a  store  for  some  time,  and  also  built  the  first  resi- 
dence in  the  new  town.  Messrs.  A.  Spalding,  J.  P.  Guydon  and  B.  Cavailliez 
were  also  early  business  men  of  the  town. 

Court  was  first  held  at  Perry's  Bridge  in  an  old  store  house,  and  it  was  not 
until  after  the  seat  of  justice  was  permanently  established  at  the  town  of  Abbe- 
ville that  a  court  house  was  erected.  It  was  burnt  in  1887,  and  the  parish  is 
just  finishing  a  court  house,  which,  when  finally  completed,  will  be  one  of  the 
finest  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  and  will  cost  about  $23,000.  It  is  a  handsome 
brick  edifice  and  an  honor  to  the  town  and  parish. 

The  first  jail  was  an  old  log  structure,  and  to  prevent  prisoners  from  escap- 
ing they  were  chained  to  the  floor.  This  served  the  purpose  until  the  present 
brick  prison  was  built  some  five  3'ears  ago. 

Abbeville  was  incorporated  under  act  of  the  Legislature  approved  March 
13,  1850,  as  follows:  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly,  etc,  that  the 
tract  of  land  lying  and  being  on  the  east  side  or  Bayou  Vermilion,  in  the  parish 
of  Vermilion,  having  eight  hundred  and  forty- eight  on  said  bayou  with  a  depth 
of  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
the  lands  of  Victor  Boete,  and  on  the  east  by  the  lands  of  A.  D.  Megret  and 
on  the  south  by  the  family  of  Blanchett's,  as  laid  off  by  Augustine  D.    Megret, 

for  a  town in  the  parish  of  Vermilion,  shall  continue  to  be  known  as 

the  town  of  Abbeville,  and  the  inhabitants  shall  constitute  a  body  corporate. — 
Per?- in . 


APPENDIX. 


NOTE  I. 


^TT^VANGELINE. — The  story  of  Evanfjeline,  as  told  in  the  "  Reminiscences 
'4— '  of  an  Old  Acadian,''  will  be  found  in  Chapter  III  of  this  volume.  As  the 
U  scenes  upon  which  Longfellow's  poem — "  A  Tale  of  Acadia  "    (Evange- 

line)— are  founded  are  laid  in  the  Attakapas  countr}',  it  is  deemed  that  everj'- 
thing  pertaining  to  Evangeline  will  be  of  interest  to  the  readers  of  this  sketch, 
so  that  part  of  the  poem,  the  scenes  of  which  are  laid  in  Southwest  Louisiana, 
are  given  in  this  connection.      It  is  as  follows: 

It  was  the  month  of  May.      Far  down  the  beautiful  river, 

Past  the  Ohio  shore,  and  past  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash, 

Into  the  golden  stream  of  the  broad  and  swift  Mississippi, 

Floated  a  cumbrous  boat,  that  was  rowed  by  Acadian  boatmen. 

It  was  a  band  of  exiles;    a  raft,  as  it  were,  from  the  shipwrecked 

Nation,  scattered  along  the  coast.  nov\'  floating  together. 

Bound  by  the  bonds  of  a  common  belief  and  a  common   misfortune  ; 

Men  and  women  and  children,  who,  guided  by  hope  or  by  hearsay, 

Souglit  for  their  kitli  and  their  kin  among  the  few-acred  farmers 

On  the  Acadian  coast,  and  the  prairies  of  fair  Opelousas. 

'With  them  Evangeline  went,  and  her  guide,  the  Father  Felician. 

Onward  o'er  sunken  sands,  through  a  wilderness  sombre  witli  forests. 

Day  after  day  they  glided  adown  the  turbulent  river; 

Night  after  night,  by  their  blazing  fires,  encamped  on  its  borders. 

Now  through  rushing  chutes,  among  green  islands,  where  plumelike 

Cotton  trees  nodded  their  shadowy  crests,  the}^  swept  with  the  current. 

Then  emerged  into  broad  lagoons,  where  silvery  sand  bars 

Lay  in   the  stream,  and  along  the  vvimpling  waves  of  their  margin. 

Shining  witii  snow  white  plumes,  large  flocks  of  pelicans  waded. 

Level  the  landscape  grew,  and  along  tlie  shores  of  the  river. 

Shaded  b\'  china  trees,  in  the  midst  of  luxuriant  gardens. 

Stood  the  houses  of  planters,  with  negro  cabins  and  dove  cots. 

They  were  approaching  the  region  where  reigns  perpetual  summer. 

Where  through  the  Golden  Coast,  and  groves  of  orange  and  citron. 

Sweeps  with  majestic  curve  the  river  away  to  the  eastward. 

They, too, swerved  from  their  course, and, entering  the  Bayou  of  Plaquemine, 

Soon  were  lost  in  a  maze  of  sluggish  and  devious  waters, 


258  SO UTH WES T  LO UISIA NA : 

Which,  like  a  network  of  steel,  extended  in  every  direction. 

Over  their  heads  the  towering  and  tenebrous  boughs  of  the  cypress 

Met  in  a  dusk}'  arch,  and  trailing  mosses  in  mid-air 

Waved  like  banners  that  hang  on  the  walls  of  ancient  cathedrals. 

Deathlike  the  silence  seemed,  and  unbroken,  save  by  the  herons 

Home  to  their  roosts  in  the  cedar  trees  returning  at  sunset, 

Or  by  the  owl,  as  he  greeted  the  moon  with  demoniac  laughter. 

Lovely  the  moonlight  was  as  it  glanced  and  gleamed  on  the  water. 

Gleamed  on  the  columns  of  cypress  and  cedar  sustaining  the  arches, 

Down  through  whose  broken  vaults  it  fell  as  through  chinks  in  a  ruin. 

Dreamlike,  and  indistinct,  and  strange  were  all  things  around  them; 

And  o'er  their  sjiirits  there  came  a  feeling  of  wonder  and  sadness, — 

Strange  forebodings  of  ill,  unseen  and  that  can  not  be  compassed. 

As,  at  the  tramp  of  a  horse's  hoof  on  the  turf  of  the  prairies, 

Far  in  advance  are  closed  the  leaves  of  the  shrinking  mimosa, 

So,  at  the  hoof  beats  of  fate,  with  sad  forebodings  of  evil. 

Shrinks  and  closes  the  heart,  ere  the  stroke  of  doom  has  attained  it. 

But  Evangeline's  heart  was  sustained  by  a  vision,  that  faintly 

Floated  before  her  eyes,  and  beckoned  her  on  through  the   moonlight. 

It  was  the  thought  of  her  brain  that  assumed  the  shape  of  a  phantom. 

Through  those  shadowy  aisles  had  Gabriel  wandered  before  her. 

And  every  stroke  of  the  oar  now  brought  him  nearer  and  nearer. 

Then  in  his  place,  at  the  prow  of  the  boat,  rose  one  of  the  oarsmen 

And,  as  a  signal  sound,  if  others  like  them  peradventure 

Sailed  on  those  gloomy  and  midnight  streams,  blew  a  blast  on  his  bugle. 

Wild  through  the  dark  colonnades  and  corridors  leafy  the  blast  rang. 

Breaking  the  seal  of  silence  and  giving  tongues  to  the  forest. 

Soundless  above  them  the  banners  of  moss  just  stirred  to  the  music. 

Multitudinous  echoes  awoke  and  died  in  the  distance. 

Over  the  watery  floor,  and  beneatii  the  reverberant  branches  ; 

But  not  a  voice  replied;    no  answer  came  from  the  darkness; 

And  when  the  echoes  had  ceased,  like  a  sense  of  pain  was  the  silence. 

Then  Evangeline  slept;   but  the  boatmen  rov^'ed  tiirough  the  midnight. 

Silent  at  times,  then  singing  familiar  Canadian  boat-songs. 

Such  as  they  sang  of  old  on  their  own  Acadian  rivers. 

While  through  the  night  were  heard  the  mysterious  sounds  of  the  desert, 

Far  off — indistinct — as  of  wave  or  wind  in  the  forest, 

Mixed  with  the  whoop  of  the  crane  and  the  roar  of  the  grim  alligator. 

Thus  ere  another  noon  they  emerged  from  the  shades;  and  before  them 

Lay,  in  the  golden  sun,  the  lakes  of  the  Atchafalaya. 

Water-lilies  in  myriads  rocked  on  the  slight  undulations 

Made  by  the  passing  oars,  and,  resplendent  in  beauty,  the  lotus 

Lifted  her  golden  crown  above  the  heads  of  the  boatmen. 

Faint  was  the  air  with  the  odorous  breath  of  magnolia  blossoms. 

And  with  the  heat  of  noon  ;  and  numberless  sylvan  islands, 

Fragrant  and  thickly  embowered  with  blossoming  hedges  of  roses. 

Near  to  whose  shores  glided  along,  invited  to  slumber. 

Soon  by  the  fairest  of  these  their  wear}'  oars  were  suspended. 

Under  the  boughs  of  Wachita  willows,  that  grew  by  the  margin. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  259 

Safely  their  boat  was  moored;   and  scattered  about  on  the  greensward, 

Tired  with  their  midnight  toil,  the  weary  travelers  slumbered. 

Over  them  vast  and  high  extended  the  cope  of  a  cedar. 

Swinging  from  its  great  arms,  the  trumpet-flower  and  the  grapevine 

Hung  their  ladder  of  ropes  aloft  like  the  ladder  of  Jacob, 

On  whose  pendulous  stairs  the  angels  ascending,  descending, 

Were  the  swift  humming-birds,  that  flitted  from  blossom  to  blossom. 

Such  was  the  vision  Evangeline  saw  as  she  slumbered  beneath  it. 

Filled  was  her  heart  with  love,  and  the  dawn  of  an  opening  heaven 

Lighted  her  soul  in  sleep  with  the  glory  of  regions  celestial. 

Nearer,  ever  nearer,  among  the  numberless  islands, 
Darted  a  light,  swift  boat,  that  sped  away  o'er  the  water, 
Urged  on  its  course  by  the  sinewy  arms  of  hunters  and  trappers. 
Northward  its  prow  was  turned,   to  the  land  of  the  bison  and  beaver. 
At  the  helm  sat  a  youth,  with  countenance  thoughtful  and  careworn. 
Dark  and  neglected  locks  overshadowed  his  brow,  and  a  sadness 
Somewhat  beyond  his  years  on  his  face  was  legibl}'  written. 
Gabriel  was  it.  who,  weary  with  waiting,  unhappy  and  restless. 
Sought  in  the  Western  wilds  oblivion  of  self  and  of  sorrow. 
Swiftly  they  glided  along,  close  under  the  lee  of  the  island, 
But  by  the  opposite  bank,  and  behind  a  screen  of  palmettos; 
So  that  they  saw  not  the  boat,  where  it  lay  concealed  in  the  willows; 
All  undisturbed  by  the  dash  of  their  oars,  and  unseen,  were  the  sleepers  ; 
Angel  of  God  was  there  none  to  awaken  the  slumbering  maiden. 
Swiftly  they  glided  away,  like  the  shade  of  a  cloud  on  the  prairie. 
After  the  sound  of  their  oars  on  the  tholes  had  died  in  the  distance, 
As  from  a  magic  trance  the  sleepers  awoke,  and  the  maiden 
Said  with  a  sigh  to  the  friendl}'  priest,   "  O  Father  Felician ! 
Something  says  in  my  heart  that  near  me  Gabriel  wanders. 
Is  it  a  foolish  dream,  an  idle  and  vague  superstition? 
Or  has  an  angel  passed  and  revealed  the  truth  to  my  spirit?" 
Then,  with  a  blush,  she  added,  "  Alas  for  my  credulous  fancy  ! 
Unto  ears  like  thine  such  words  as  these  have  no  meaning."' 
But  made  answer  the  reverend  man,  and  he  smiled  as  he  answered, — 
'  Daughter,   thy  words  are  not  idle ;  nor  are  they  to  me  without  meaning 
Feeling  is  deep  and  still:  and  the  word  that  floats  on  the  surface 
Is  as  the  tossing  buoy,  that  betrays  where  the  anchor  is  hidden. 
Therefore  trust  to  thj^  heart,  and  to  what  the  world  calls  illusions. 
Gabriel  truly  is  near  thee;  for  not  far  away  to  the  Southward, 
On  the  banks  of  the  Teche,  are  the  towns  of  St.  Maurand  St.  Martin.     ' 
There  the  long-wandering  bride  shall  be  given  again  to  her  bridegroom. 
There  the  long-absent  pastor  regain  his  flock  and  his  sheepfold. 
Beautiful  is  the  land,  with  its  prairies  and  forests  of  fruit  trees; 
Under  the  feet  a  garden  of  flowers,  and  the  bluest  of  heavens 
Bending  above,  and  resting  its  dome  on  the  walls  of  the  forest. 
They  who  dwell  there  have  named  it  the  Eden  of  Louisiana." 

With  these  words  of  cheer  they  arose  and  continued  their  journey. 
Softly  the  evening  came.     The  sun  from  the  western  horizon, 


260  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA- 

Like  a  magician,  extended  his  golden  wand  o'er  the  landscape; 

Twinkling  vapors  arose;    and  sky  and  water  and  forest 

Seemed  all  on  fire  at  the  touch,  and  melted  and  mingled  together. 

Hanging  between  two  skies,  a  cloud  with  edges  of  silver 

Floated  the  boat,  with  its  dripping  oars,  on  tlie  motionless  water. 

Filled  was  Evangeline's  heart  with  inexpressible  sweetness. 

Touched  b}-  the  magic  spell,  the  sacred  fountains  of  feeling 

Glowed  with  the  light  of  love,  as  the  skies  and  waters  around  her. 

Then  from  a  neighboring  thicket  the  mocking  bird,  wildest  of  singers. 

Swinging  aloft  on  a  willow  spray  that  hung  o'er  the  water. 

Shook  from  his  little  throat  such  floods  of  delirious  music 

That  the  whole  air  and  the  woods  and  tlie  waves  seemed  silent  to  listen. 

Plaintive  at  first  were  the  tones  and  sad  ;   then,  soarin^r  to  madness, 

Seemed  the}'  to  follow  or  guide  the  revel  of  frenzied  Bacchantes. 

Single  notes  were  then  heard,  in  sorrowful,  low  lamentation; 

Till,  having  gathered  them  all,  he  flung  them  abroad  in  derision. 

As  when,  after  a  storm,  a  gust  of  wind  through  the  tree-tops 

Shakes  down  the  rattling  rain  in  a  crystal  shower  on  the  branches. 

With  such  a  prelude  as  this,  and  hearts  that  throbbed  with  emotion, 

Slowh'  they  entered  the  Teche,  where  it  flows  through  the  green  Opelousas, 

And,  through  the  amber  air,  above  the  crest  of  the  woodland. 

Saw  the  column  of  smoke  that  arose  from  a  neighboring  dwelling;  — 

Sounds  of  a  horn  they  heard,  and  the  distant  lowing  of  cattle. 

I. 

Near  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  o'ershadowed  by  oaks,  from  whose  branches 

Garlands  of  Spanish  moss  and  of  mystic  mistletoe  flaunted. 

Such  as  the  Druids  cut  down  with  golden  hatchets  at  Yule-tide, 

Stood,  secluded  and  still,  the  house  of  the  herdsman.     A  garden 

Girded  it  round  about  with  a  belt  of  luxuriant  blossoms, 

Filling  the  air  with  fragrance.     The  house  itself  was  of  timbers 

Hewn  from  the  cypress-tree,  and  carefully  fitted  together. 

Large  and  low  was  the  roof;  and  on  slender  columns  supported, 

Rose-wreathed,  vine-encircled,   a  broad  and  spacious  veranda. 

Haunt  of  the  humming-bird  and  the   bee,   extended  around  it. 

At  each  end  of  the  house,  amid  the  flowers  of  tlie  garden. 

Stationed  the  dove-cots  were,  as  love's  perpetual  symbol. 

Scenes  of  endless  wooing,  and  endless  contentions  of  rivals. 

Silence  reigned  o'er  the  place.     The  line  of  shadow  and  sunshine 

Ran  near  the  tops  of  the  trees;   but  the  house  itself  was  in  shadow. 

And  from  its  chimney-top,  ascending  and  slowly  e.xpanding 

Into  the  evening  air,  a  thin  blue  column  of  smoke   rose. 

In  the  rear  of  the  house,  from  the  garden  gate,  ran  a  pathway 

Through  the  great  groves  of  oak  to  the  skirts  of  the  limitless  prairie, 

Into  whose  sea  of  flowers  the  sun  was  slowly  descending. 

Full  in  his  track  of  light,  like  ships  with  shadow}- canvas 

Hanging  loose  from  their  spars  in  a  motionless  calm  in  the  tropics, 

Stood  a  cluster  of  trees,  with  tangled  cordage  of  grapevines. 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  261 

Just  where  the  woocUands  meet  the  flowery  surf  of  the  prairie, 

Mounted  upon  his  horse,  witii  Spanisli  saddle  and  stirrups,  , 

Sat  a  herdsman,  arrayed  in  yaiters  and  doublet  of  deerskin. 

Broad  and  brown  was  the  face  that  fronn  under  the  Spanish  sombrero 

Gazed  on  the  peacefnl  scene,  with  the  lordly  look  of  its  master. 

Round  about  him  were  numberless  lierds  ot  kine  that  were  grazing 

Quietly  in  the  meadows,  and  breathing  the  vapory  freshness 

That  uprose  from  the  river,  and  spread  itself  over  the  landscape. 

Slo  "'I3'  lifting  the  horn  that  hung  at  his  side,  and  expanding 

Fully  his  broad,  deep  chest,  he  blew  a  blast,  that  resounded 

Wildly  and  sweet  and  far,  through  the  still  damp  air  ot   the  evening.. 

Suddenly  out  ot  the  grass  the  long  white  horns  of  the  cattle 

Rose  like  flakes  of  foam  on  the  adverse  currents  of  ocean. 

Silent  a  moment  they  gazed,  then  bellowing  rushed  o'er  the  prairie, 

And  the  whole  mass  became  a  cloud,  a  shade  in  the  distance. 

Then,  as  the  herdsman  turned  to  the  house,  through  the  gate  of  the|[garden 

Saw  he  the  forms  of  the  priest  and  the  maiden  advancing  to  meet  him. 

Suddenly  down  from  his  horse  he  sprang  in  amazement,  and  forward 

Pushed  with  extended  arms  and  exclamations  of  wonder; 

When  they  beheld  his  face,  the}-  recognized  Basil  the  blacksmith.  , 

Hearty  his  welcome  was,  as  he  led  his  guests  to  the  garden. 

There  in  an  arbor  of  roses  with  endless  question  and  answer 

Gave  they  vent  to  their  hearts,  and  renewed  their  friendly  embraces, 

Laughing  and  weeping  by  turns,  or  sitting  silent  and  thoughtful. 

Thoughtful,  for  Gabriel  came  not ;  and  now  dark  doubts  and  misgivings 

Stole  o'er  the  maiden's  heart;   and  Basil,  somewhat  embarrassed, 

Broke  the  silence  and  said,  "  If  you  came  b}'  the  Atchafalaj'a, 

How  have  you  nowhere  encountered  my  Gabriel's  boat  on  the  ba3'ous?" 

Over  Evangeline's  face  at  the  words  of  Basil  a  shade  passed. 

Tears  came  into  her  eyes,  and  she  said,  with  a  tremulous  accent, 

'Gone?  is  Gabriel  gone?'"   and  concealing  her  face  on  his  shoulder. 
All  her  o'erburdened  heart  gave  way,  and  she  wept  and  lamented. 
Then  the  good  Basil  said, — and  his  voice  grew  blithe  as  he  said  it, — 

■  Be  of  good  cheer,  mj'  child;  it  is  only  to-day  he  departed. 
Foolish  boy!   he  has  left  me  alone  with  my  herds  and  my  horses. 
Moody  and  restless  grown,  and  tried  and  troubled,  his  spirit 
Could  no  longer  endure  the  calm  of  this  quiet  existence. 
Thinking  ever  of  thee,  uncertain  and  sorrowful  ever, 
Ever  silent,  or  speaking  only  of  thee  and  his  troubles. 
He  at  length  had  become  so  tedious  to  men  and  to  maidens, 
Tedious  even  to  me,  that  at  length  I  bethought  me,  and  sent  him 
Unto  the  town  of  Ada\-es  to  trade  lor  mules  with  the  Spaniards. 
Thence  he  will  follow  the  Indian  trails  to  the  Ozark  Mountains, 
Hunting  for  furs  in  the  forests,  on  rivers  trapping  the  beaver. 
Therefore  be  of  good  cheer,  we  will  follow  the  tugitive  lover; 
He  is  not  far  on  his  way,  and  the  Fates  and  the  streams  are  against  him 
Up  and  away  to-morrow,  and  through  the  red  dew  of  the  morning. 
We  will  follow  him  fast,  and  bring  him  back  to  his  prison  " 


262  SOirTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  ■ 

Then  glad  voices  were  heard,  and  up  from  the  banks  of  the  river. 
Borne  aloft  on  his  comrades'  arms,  came  Michael  the  fiddler. 
Long  under  Basil's  roof  hud  he  lived  like  a  god  on  Olympus, 
Having  no  other  care  than  dispensing  music  to  mortals. 
Far  renowned  was  he  for  his  silver  locks  and  his  fiddle. 
*'Long  live  Michael,"  they  cried,  "our  brave  Acadian  minstrel!" 
As  they  bore  him  aloft  in  triumphal  procession ;  and  straightway 
Father  Felician  advanced  with  Evangeline,  greeting  the  old  man 
Kindly  and  oft,  and  recalling  the  past,  while  Basil,  enraptured. 
Hailed  with  hilarious  jo}'  his  old  companions  and  gossips, 
Laughing  loud  and  long,  and  embracing  mothers  and  daughters. 
Much  the}^  marveled  to  see  the  wealth  of  the  cidevant  blacksmith. 
All  his  domains  and  his  herds,  and  his  patriarchal  demeanor  ; 
Much  they  marveled    to  hear  his  tales  of  the  soil  and  the  climate, 
And  of  the  prairies,  whose  numberless  herds  were  his  who  would  take  them; 
Each  one  thought  in  his  heart,  that  he,  too,  would  go  and  do  likewise. 
Thus  they  ascended  the  steps,  and,  crossing  the  breezy  veranda. 
Entered  the  hall  of  the  house,  where  already  the  supper  of  Basil 
Waited  his  late  return ;  and  they  rested  and  feasted  together. 

Over  the  joyous  feast  the  sudden  darkness  descended. 
All  was  silent  without,  and,  illuminating  tlie  landscape  with  silver. 
Fair  rose  the  dewy  moon  and  the  myriad  stars:  but  within   doors. 
Brighter  than  these,  shone  the  faces  of  friends  in  the  glimmering  lamplight. 
Then  from  his  station  aloft,  at  the  head  of  the  table,  the  herdsman 
Poured  forth  his  heart  and  his  wine  together  in  endless  profusion. 
Lighting  his  pipe,  that  was  filled  with  sweet  Natchitoches  tobacco, 
Thus  he  spake  to  his  guests,  who  listened,  and  smiled  as  they  listened:  — 
^'Welcome  once  more,  mj^friends  who  long  have  been  friendless  andhomeless, 
Welcome  once  more  to  a  home,  ihat  is  better  perchance  than  the  old    one  I 
Here  no  hungry  winter  congeals  our  blood  like  the  rivers ; 
Here  no  stony  ground  provokes  the  wrath  of  the  farmer. 

Smoothly  the  ploughshare  runs  through  the  soil,  as  a  keel  through  the  water, 
All  the  year  round  the  orange  groves  are  in  blossom  ;  and  grass  grows 
More  in  a  single  night  than  a  whole  Canadian  summer. 
Here,  too,  numberless  herds  run  wild  and  unclaimed  in  the  prairies. 
Here,  too,  lands  may  be  had  for  the  asking,  and  forests  of  timber 
With  a  few  blows  of  the  axe  are  hewn  and  framed  into  houses. 
After  your  houses  are  built,  and  your  fields  are  yellow  with  harvests, 
No  King  George  of  England  shall  drive  you  away  from  your  homesteads, 
Burning  your  dwellings  and  barns,  and  stealing  your  farms  and   your   cattle." 
Speaking  these  words,  he  blew  a  wrathful  cloud  from  his  nostrils, 
While  his  huge,  brown  hand  came  thundering  down  on  the  table, 
So  that  the  guests  all  started;  and  Father  Felician,  astounded, 
Suddenly  paused,  with  a  pinch  of  snuff  half-way  to  his  nostrils. 
But  the  brave  Basil  resumed,  and  his  words  were  milder  and  gayer: 
"Only  beware  of  the  fever,  my  friends,  beware  of  the  fever ! 
For  it  is  not  like  that  of  our  cold  Acadian  climate. 
Cured  by  wearing  a  spider  hung  round  one's  neck  in  a  nutshell !" 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  263 

Then  there  were  voices  heard  at  the  door,  and  footsteps  approaching 

Sounded  upon  the  stairs  and  the  floor  of  the  breezj'  veranda. 

It  was  the  neighboring  Creoles  and  small  Acadian   planters, 

Who  had  been  summoned  all  to  the  house  of  Basil  the  herdsman. 

Merry  the  meeting  was  of  ancient  comrades  and  neighbors ; 

Friend  clasped  friend  in  his  arms;  and  they  who  before  were  as  strangers. 

Meeting  in  exile,  became  straightway  as  friends  to  each  other. 

Drawn  by  the  gentle  bond  of  a  common  countr}?  together. 

But  in  the  neighboring  hall  a  strain  of  music,  proceeding 

From  the  accordant  strings  of  Michael's  melodious  fiddle, 

Broke  up  all  further  speech.     Away,  like  children  delighted. 

All  things  forgotten  beside,  they  gave  themselves  to  tlie  maddening 

Whirl  of  the  dizzy  dance,  as  it  swept  and  swa3-ed  to  the  music, 

Dreamlike,  with  beaming  eyes  and  the  rush  of  fluttering  garments. 

Meanwhile,  apart,  at  the  liead  of  the  hall,  tlie  priest  and  the  herdsman 

Sat,  conversing  together  of  past  and  present  and  future  ; 

While  Evangeline  stood  like  one  entranced,  for  within  her 

Olden  memories  rose,  and  loud  in  the  midst  of  the  music 

Heard  she  the  sound  of  the  sea,  and  an  irrepressible  sadness 

Came  o'er  her  heart,  and  unseen  she  stole  forth  into  the  garden. 

Beautiful  was  the  night.     Behind  the  black  wall  of  the  forest. 

Tipping  its  summit  with  silver,  arose  the  moon.     On  the  river 

Fell  here  and  there  through  the  branches  a  tremulous  gleam  of  the  moonlight, 

Like  the  sweet  thoughts  of  love  on  a  darkened  and  devious  spirit. 

Nearer  and  round  about  her,  the  manifold  flowers  of  the  garden 

Poured  out  their  souls  in  odors,  that  were  their  prayers  and  confessions 

Unto  the  night,  as  it  went  its  way,  like  a  silent  Carthusian. 

Fuller  of  fragrance  than  they,  and  as  heavy  with  shadows  and  night-dews, 

Hung  the  heart  of  the  maiden.     The  calm  and  the  magical  moonlight 

Seemed  to  inundate  her  soul  with  indefinable  longings. 

As,  through  the  garden  gate,  and  beneath  the  shade  of  the  oak-trees. 

Passed  she  along  the  path  to  the  edge  of  the  measureless  prairie. 

Silent  it  lay,  with  a  silvery  haze  upon  it,  and  fire-flies 

Gleaming  and  floating  away  in  mingled  and  infinite  numbers. 

Over  her  head  the  stars,  thoughts  of  God  in  the  heavens. 

Shone  on  the  eyes  of  man,  who  had  ceased  to  marvel  and  worship. 

Save  when  a  blazing  comet  was  seen  on  the  walls  of  that  temple, 

As  if  a  hand  had  appeared  and  written  upon  them,   "Upharsin." 

And  the  soul  of  the  maiden,  between  the  stars  and  the  fire-flies. 

Wandered  alone,  and  she  cried,  "O  Gabriel!   O  my  beloved! 

Art  thou  so  near  unto  me,  and  yet  I  can   not  behold  thee? 

Art  thou  so  near  unto  me,  and  yet  thy  voice  does  not  reach  me? 

Ah !  how  often  thy  feet  have  trod  this  path  to  the  prairie ! 

Ah!   how  often  thine  eyes  have  looked  on  the  woodlands  around  me  ! 

Ah!   how  often  beneath  this  oak,  returning  from  labor, 

Thou  hast  lain  down  to  rest,  and  to  dream  of  me  in  thy  slumbers! 

When  shall  these  eyes  behold,  tliese  arms  be  folded  about  thee?" 

Loud  and  sudden  and  near  the  note  of  a  whippoorwill  sounded 

Like  a  flute  in  the  woods  ;  and  anon,  through  the  neighboring  thickets, 


264  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA . 

Farther  and  fnrther  away  it  floated  and  dropped  into  silence. 
"Patience!"  whispered  the  oaks  from  oracular  caverns  of  darkness; 
And,  from  the  moonlit  meadow,  a  sigh  responded,  "To-morrow." 

Bright  rose  the  sun  nextdaj':    and  all  the  flowers  of  the  garden 
Bathed  their  shining  feet  with  their  tears,  and  anointed  his  tresses 
With  the  delicious  balm  that  they  bore  in  their  vases  of  crystal. 

"  Farewell!"  said  the  priest,  as  he  stood  at  the  shadowy  threshold; 

"  See  that  you  bring  us  the  Prodigal  Son  from  his  fasting  and  famine. 

And,  too,  the  Foolish  Virgin,  who  slept  when  the  bridegroom  was  coming. 

"  Farewell!"  answered  the  maiden,  and,  smiling,  with  Basil  descended 
Down  to  the  river's  brink,  where  the  boatmen  already  were  waiting. 
Thus  beginning  their  journey  with  morning,  and  sunshine,  and  gladness, 
Swiftly  they  followed  the  flight  of  him  who  was  speeding  before  them, 
Blown  by  the  blast  of  fate  like  a  dead  leaf  over  the  desert. 
Not  that  day,  nor  the  next,  nor  3-et  the  day  that  succeeded, 
Found  they  trace  of  his  course,  in  lake  or  forest  or  river. 
Nor,  after  many  days,  had  they  found  him;  but  vague  and  uncertain 
Rumors  alone  were  their  guides  through  a  wild  and  desolate  country; 
Till,  at  the  Httle  inn  of  the  Spanish  town  of  Adaj-es. 

Weary  and  worn,  they  alighted,  and  learned  from  tlie  garrulous  landlord. 
That  on  the  day  before,  with  horses  and  guides  and  companions, 
Gabriel  left  the  village,  and  took  the  road  of  the  prairies. 

II. 

Far  in  the  West  there  lies  a  desert  land,  where  the  mountains 

Lift,  through  perpetual  snows,  their  lofty  and  luminous  summits. 

Down  from  their 'jagged,  deep  ravines,  where  the  gorge,  like  a  gateway. 

Opens  a  passage  rude  to  the  wheels  of  the  emigrant's  wagon. 

Westward  the  Oregon  flows  and  the  Walleway  and  Owjdiee. 

Eastward,  with  devious  course,  among  the  Windriver  Mountains, 

Through  the  Sweet-water  Valley  precipitate  leaps  the  Nebraska  ; 

And  to  the  south,  from  Fontaine-qui-bout  and  the  Spanish  sierras. 

Fretted  with  sand  and  rocks,  and  swept  by  the  wind  of  the  desert. 

Numberless  torrents,  with  ceaseless  sound,  descend  to  the  ocean, 

Like  the  great  chords  of  a  harp,  in  loud  and  solemn  vibrations. 

Spreading  between  these  streams  are  the  wondrous,  beautiful  prairies. 

Billowy  bays  of  grass  ever  rolling  in  shadow  and  sunshine. 

Bright  with  luxuriant  clusters  of  roses  and  purple  amorphas. 

Over  them  wandered  the  buffalo  herds,  and  the  elk  and  the  roebuck; 

Over  them  wandered  the  wolves,  and  herds  of  riderless  horses; 

Fires  that  blast  and  blight,  and  winds  that  are  weary  with  travel; 

Over  them  wandered  the  scattered  tribes  of  Ishmael's  children. 

Staining  the  desert  with  blood ;  and  above  their  terrible  war  trails 

Circles  and  sails  aloft,  on  pinions  majestic,  the  vulture, 

Like  the  implacable  soul  of  a  chieftain  slaughtered  in  battle. 

By  invisible  stairs  ascending  and  scaling  the  lieavens. 

Here  and  there  rise  smokes  from  the  camps  of  these  savage  marauders : 


HlSrORIGAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  265 

Here  and  there  rise  groves  from  tlie  margins  of  swift-running  rivers  ; 
And  the  grim,  taciturn  bear,  the  anchorite  monk  of  the  desert, 
CHmbs  down  their  dark  ravines  to  dig  for  roots  by  the  brook-side. 
And  over  all  is  the  sky,  tlie  clear  and  cryst-iiline  heaven, 
Like  the  protecting  hand  of  God  inverted  above  them. 

Into  this  wonderful  land,  at  the  base  of  the  Ozark  Mountains, 
Gabriel  far  had  entered,  with  hunters  and  trappers  behind  him. 
Day  after  day,  with  their  Indian  guides,  the  maiden  and  Basil 
Followed  his  flying  steps,  and  thought  each  day  to  o'ertake  him. 
Sometimes  they  saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  the  stnoke  of  his  camp-fire 
Rise  in  the   morning  air  from  the  distant  plain;  but  at  nightfall. 
When  they  liad  reached  the  place,  they  found  only  embers  and  ashes. 
And,  though  their  hearts  were  sad  at  times  and  their  bodies  were  weary, 
Hope  still  guided  them  on,  as  the  magic  Fata  Morgana 
Showed  them  her  lakes  of  light,  tiiat  retreated  and  vanished  before  them. 
Once,  as  they  sat  by  their  evening  fire,  silently  entered 
Into  the  little  camp  an  Indian  woman,  whose  features 
Wore  deep  traces  of  sorrow,  and  patience  as  great  as  her  sorrow. 
She  was  a  Shawnee  woman  returning  home  to  her  people. 
From  the  far-off  hunting-grounds  of  the  cruel  Camanches, 
Where  her  Canadian  husband,  a  Coureur-des-Bois,  had  been  murdered. 
Touched  were  their  hearts  at  her  stor}',   and  warmest  and   friendliest   wel- 

[come 
Gave  they,  with  words  of  cheer,  and  she  sat  and  feasted  among  them 
On  the  buffalo-meat  and  the  venison  cooked  on  the  embers. 
But  when  their  meal  was  done,  and  Basil  and  all  his  companions. 
Worn  with  the  long  day's  march  and  the  chase  of  the  deer  and  the  bison. 
Stretched  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  slept  where  the  quivering  fire-light 
Flashed  on    their    swarthy  cheeks,    and  their    forms    wrapped   up  in    their 
Then  at  the  door  of  Evangeline's  tent  she  sat  and  repeated  [blankets, 

Slowly,  with  soft,  low  voice,  and  the  charm  of  her  Indian  accent, 
All  the  tale  of  her  love,  with  its  pleasures,  and  pains,  and  reverses. 
Much  Evangeline  wept  at  the  tale,  and  to  know  that  another 
Hapless  heait  like  her  own  had  loved  and  had  been  disappointed. 
Moved  to  the  depth  of  her  soul  by  pity  and  woman's  compassion. 
Yet  in  her  sorrow  pleased  that  one  who  had  suffered  was  near  her, 
Slie  in  turn  related  her  love  and  all  its  disasters. 
Mute  with  wonder  the  Shawnee  sat,  and  when  she  had  ended 
Still  was  mute;    but  at  length,  as  if  a  mysterious  horror 
Passed  through  her  brain,  she  spake,  and  repeated  the  tale  of  the  Mowis; 
Mowis,  the  bridegroom  of  snow,  who  won  and  wedded  a  maiden. 
But,  when  the  morning  came,  arose  and  passed  from  the  wigwam. 
Fading  and  melting  away,  and  dissolving  into  the  sunshine, 
Till  she  beheld  him  no  more,  though  she  followed  far  into  the  forest. 
Then,  in  those  sweet,  low  tones  that  seemed  like  a  weird  incantation. 
Told  she  the  tale  of  the  lair  Lilanau,  who  was  wooed  by  a  phantom. 
That,  through  the  pines  o'er  her  father's  lodge,  in  the  hush  of  the  twilight. 
Breathed,  like  the  evening  wind,  and  whispered  love  to  the  maiden, 


266-  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

Till  she  followed  his  green  and  waving  plume  through  the  forest, 
And  never  more  returned,  nor  was  seen  again  bv  her  people. 
Silent  with  wonder  and  strange  surprise,  Evangeline  listened 
To  the  soft  flow  of  her  magical  words,  till  the  region  around  her 
Seemed  like  enchanted  ground,  and  her  swarthy  guest  the  enchantress. 
Slowly  over  the  tops  of  the  Ozark  Mountains  the  moon  rose, 
Lighting  the  little  tent,  and  with  a  mysterious  splendor 
Touching  the  sombre  leaves,  and  embracing  and  filling  the  woodland. 
With  a  delicious  sound  the  brook  rushed  by,  and  the  branches 
Swayed  and  sighed  overhead  in  scarcely  audible  whispers. 

Filled  with  the  thoughts  of  love  was  Evangeline's  heart,  but  a  secret. 

Subtile  sense  crept  in  of  pain  and  infinite  terror. 

As  the  cold,  poisonous  snake  creeps  into  the  nest  of  the  swallow. 

It  was  no  earthly  fear.     A  breath  from  the  region  of  spirits 

Seemed  to  float  in  the  air  of  night;    and  she  felt  for  a  moment. 

That,  like  the  Indian  maid,  she,  too,  was  pursuing  a  phantom. 

With  this  thought  she  slept,  and  the  fear  and  the  phantom  had  vanished. 

Early  upon  the  morrow  the  march  was  resumed,  and  the  Shawnee 

Said,  as  they  journeyed  along, — "  On  the  western  slope  of  these  mountains 

Dwells  in  his  little  village  the  Black  Robe  Chief  of  the  Mission. 

Much  he  teaches  the  people,  and  tells  them  of  Marj-  and  Jesus  : 

Loud  laugh  their  hearts  with  joy,  and  weep  with  pain  as  they  hear  him." 

Then  with  a  sudden  and  secret  emotion,  Evangeline  answered, 

'*  Let  us  go  to  the  Mission,  for  there  good  tidings  await  us !"' 

Thither  they  turned  their  steeds  ;  and  behind  a  spur  of  the  mountains. 

Just  as  the  sun  went  down,  they  heard  a  murmur  of  voices. 

And  in  a  meadow  green  and  broad,  by  the  bank  of  a  river. 

Saw  the  tents  of  the  Christians,  the  tents  of  tlie  Jesuit  Mission. 

Under  a  towering  oak,  that  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  village, 

Knelt  the  Black  Robe  chief  with  his  children.     A  crucifix  fastened 

High  on  the  trunk  of  the  tree,   and  overshadowed  by  grapevines. 

Looked  with  its  agonized  face  on  the  multitude  kneeling  beneath  it. 

This  was  their  rural  chapel.     Aloft,  through  the  intricate  arches 

Of  its  aerial  roof,  arose  the  chant  of  their  vespers, 

Mingling  its  notes  with  the  soft  susurrus  and  sighs  of  the  branches. 

Silent,  with  heads  uncovered,  the  travelers,  nearer  approaching, 

Knelt  on  the  swarded  floor,  and  joined  in  the  evening  devotions. 

But  when  the  service  was  done,  and  the  benediction  had  fallen 

Forth  from  the  hands  of  the  priest,  like  seed  from  the   hands  of  the  sower, 

Slowly  the  reverend  man  advanced  to  the  strangers,  and  bade  them 

Welcome;    and  when  the}^  replied,  he  smiled  with  benignant  expression. 

Hearing  the  homelike  sounds  of  his  mother-tongue  in  the  forest, 

And,  with  words  of  kindness,  conducted  them  into  his  wigwam. 

There  upon  mats  and  skins  they  reposed,  and  on  cakes  of  the  maize-ear 

Feasted,  and  slaked  tlieir  thirst  from  the  water-gourd  of  the  teacher. 

Soon  was  tlieir  story  told;    and  the  priest  with  solemnity  answered  : — 

"  Not  six  suns  have  risen  and  set  since  Gabriel  seated 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  267 

On  this  mat  bj'  my  side,  where  now  the  maiden  reposes, 

Told  me  this  same  sad  tale;   then  arose  and  continued  his  journey!" 

Soft  was  tlie  voice  of  the  priest,  and  lie  spake  with  an  accent  of  kindness; 

But  on  Evangeline's  heart  fell  his  words  as  in  winter  the  snow  flakes 

Fall  into  some  lone  nest  from  which  the  birds  have  departed. 

"  Far  to  tlie  North  he  lias  gone,'"  continued  the  priest;    ''  but  in  autumn, 
"When  tlie  chase  is  done,  will  return  again  to  the  Mission."' 
Then  Evangeline  said,  and  her  voice  was  meek  and  submissive, 

"  Let  me  remain  with  thee,  for  my  soul  is  sad  and  afflicted." 

So  seemed  it  wise  and  well  unto  all;    and  betimes  on  the  morrow. 
Mounting  his  Mexican  steed,  with  liis  Indian  guides  and  companions. 
Homeward  Basil  returned,  and  Evangeline  stayed  at  the  Mission. 

Slowly,  slowly,  slow!}'  the  days  succeeded  each  other — 

Days  and  weeks  and    months  ;  and  the  fields    of  maize  that  w^ere  springing 
Green  from  the  ground  when  a  stranger  she  came,  now  waving    above  her, 
Lifted  their  slender  shafts,  with  leaves  interlacing,  and  forming 
Cloisters  for  mendicant  crows  and  granaries  pillaged  by  squirrels. 
Then  in  the  golden  weather  the  maize  was  husked,  and  the  maidens 
Blushed  at  each  blood  red  ear,  for  that  betokened  a  lover, 
But  at  the  crooked  laughed,  and  called  it  a  thief  in  the  corn  field. 
Even  the  blood  red  ear  to  Evangeline  brought  not  her  lover. 
"  Patience  I"  the  priest   would   sa}' ;   "  have  faith,  and  th}-  prayer  will  be  an- 
Look  at  this  vigorous  plant  that  lifts  its  head  from  the  meadow,       [swered  ! 
See  how  its  leaves  are  turned  to  the  north,  as  true  as  the  magnet; 
It  is  the  compass-flower,  that  the  finger  of  God  has  planted 
Here  in  the  houseless  wild,  to  direct  the  traveler's  journey 
Over  the  sea-like,  pathless,  limitless  waste  of  the  desert. 
Such  in  the  soul  of  man  is  faith.     The  blossoms  of  passion, 
Gaj'  and  luxuriant  flowers,  are  brighter  and  fuller  of  fragrance. 
But  they  beguile  us,  and  lead  us  astray,  and  their  odor  is  deadl}^ 
Onl}'  this  humble  plant  can  guide  us  here,  and  hereafter 
Crown  us  with  asphodel  flowers,  that  are  wet  with  the  dews  of  nepenthe.' 

So  came  the  autumn,  and  passed,  and  the  winter — 3'et  Gabriel  came  not; 

Blossomed  the  opening  spring,  and  the  notes  of  the  robin  and  bluebird 

Sounded  sweet  upon  wold  and  in  wood,  yet  Gabriel  came  not. 

But  on  the  breath  of  the  summer  winds  a  rumor  was  wafted 

Sweeter  than  song  of  bird,  or  hue  or  odor  of  blossom. 

Far  to  the  north  and  east,  it  said,  in  the  Michigan  forests, 

Gabriel  had  his  lodge  by  the  banks  of  the  Saginaw  River. 

And,  with  returning  guides,  that  sought  the  lakes  of  St.  Lawrence, 

Saying  a  sad  farewell,  Evangeline  went  from  the  Mission. 

When  over  weaiy  ways,  by  long  and  perilous  marches. 

She  had  attained  at  length  the  depths  of  the  Michigan  forests. 

Found  she  the  hunter's  lodge  deserted  and  fallen  to  ruin  ! 

Thus  did  the  long  sad  years  glide  on,  and  in  seasons  and  places 
Divers  and  distant  far  was  seen  the  wandering  maiden; — 


368  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Now  in  the  Tents  of  Grace  of  the  meek  Moravian  Missions, 

Now  in  the  noisy  ciimps  and  the  battle  fields  of  the  army, 

Now  in  secluded  hamlets,  in  towns  and  populous  cities. 

Like  a  phantom  she  came,  and  passed  away  unremembered. 

Fair  was  she  and  voun^r,  when  in  hope  began  the  long  journey  ; 

Faded  was  she  and  old,  when  in  disappointment  it  ended. 

Each  succeeding  year  stole  something  away  from  her  beauty, 

Leaving  behind^it",  broader  and  deeper,  the  gloom  and  the  shadow. 

Then  there  appeared  and  spread  faint  streaks  of  gray  o'er  her  forehead, 

Dawn  of  another  life,  that  broke  o'er  her  earthly  horizon, 

As  in  the  eastern  sky  the  first  faint  streaks  of  the  morning. 

m. 

In  that  delightful  land  which  is  washed  by  the  Delaware's  waters. 

Guarding  in  sylvan  shades  the  name  of  Penn  the  apostle, 

Stands  on  the  banks  of  its  beautiful  stream  the  city  he  tounded. 

There  all  the  air  is  balm,  and  the  peach  is  the  emblem  of  beauty, 

And  the  streets  still  reecho  the  names  of  the  trees  of  the  forest, 

As  if  they  fain  would  appease  the  Dryads  whose  haunts  they  molested. 

There  from  the  troubled  sea  had  Evangeline  landed,  an  exile. 

Finding  among  the  children  of   Penn  a  home  and  a  country. 

There  old  Rene  Leblanc  had  died;   and  when  he  departed, 

Saw  at  his  side  only  one  of  all  his  hundred  descendants. 

Something  at  least  there  was  in  the  friendly  streets  of  the  city. 

Something  that  spake  to  her  heart,  and  made  her  no  longer  a  stranger; 

And  her  ear  was  pleased  with  the  Thee  and  Thou  of  the  Quakers, 

For  it  recalled  the  pist,  the  old  Acadian  country, 

Where  all  men  were  equal,  and  all  were  brothers  and  sisters. 

So,  when  the  fruitless  search,  the  disappointed  endeavor. 

Ended,  to  recommence  no  more  upon  earth,  uncomplaining, 

Thither,  as  leaves  to  the  light,  were  turned  her  thoughts  and  her  footsteps 

As  from  a  mountain's  top  the  rainy  mists  of   the  morning 

Roll  away,  and  afar  we  behold  the  landscape  below  us, 

Sun-illum"ined,  with  shining  rivers  and  cities  and  hamlets. 

So  fell  the  mists  from  her  mind,  and  she  saw  the  world  far  below  her, 

Dark  no  longer,  but  all  illumined  with  love;    and  the  pathwaj; 

Which  she  had  climbed  so  far,  lying  smooth  and  fair  in  the  distance. 

Gabriel  was  not  forgotten.     Within  her  heart  was  his  image.  _ 

Clothed  in  the  beauty  of  love  and  youth,  as  last  she  beheld  him, 

Only  more  beautiful  made  by  his  deathlike  silence  and  absence. 

Into  her  thoughts  of  him  time  entered  not,  for  it  was  not. 

Over  him  years  had  no  power;   he  was  not  changed,  but  transfigured; 

He  had  become  to  her  heart  as  one  who  is  dead,  and  not  absent: 

Patience  and  abnegation  of  self,  and  devotion  to  others. 

This  was  the  lesson  a  life  of  trial  and  sorrow  had  taught  her. 

So  was  her  love  diffused,  but,  like  to  some  odorous  spices. 

Suffered  no  waste  or  loss,  though  filled  the  air  with  aroma. 

Other  hope  had  she  none,  nor  wish  in  life,  but  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  269 

Meekly  follow,  vvitli  reverent  steps,  the  sacred  feet  of  her  Savior. 

Thus  many  years  she  lived  as  a  Sister  of  Mercy:   frequenting 

Lonely  and  wretched  rool's  in  the  crowded  lanes  of  the  city, 

Where  distress  and  want  concealed  themselves  from  the  sunli<fht. 

Where  disease  atid  sorrow  in  garrets  languished  neglected. 

Niglit  after  night  when  the  world  was  asleep,  as  the  watchman  repeated 

Loud,  through  the  dusty  streets,  that  all  was  well  in  the  city, 

High  at  some  lonely  window  he  saw  the  light  of  her  taper. 

Day  afterday  in  the  gray  of  the   dawn,  as  slow  through  the  suburbs 

Plodded  the  German  farmer,  with  flowers  and  fruits  for  the  market. 

Met  he  that  meek,  pale  lace,  returning  home  from  its  watchings. 

Then  it  came  to  pass  that  a  pestilence  fell  on  the  city. 

Presaged  Ijy  wondrous  signs,  and  mostly  by  flocks  of  wild  pigeons, 

Darkening  the  sun  in  their  flight,  with  naught  in  their  craws  but  an   acorn. 

And,  as  the  tiaes  of  the  sea  arise  in  the  month  of  September, 

Flooding  some  silver  stream,  till  it  spreads  to  a  lake  in  the  meadow. 

So  death  flooded  life,  and,  o'erflowing  its  natural  margin, 

Spread  to  a  brackish  lake,  the  silver  stream  of  existence. 

Wealth  had  no  power  to  bribe,  nor  beauty  to  charm,  the  oppressor; 

But  all  perished  alike  beneath  the  scourge  of  his  anger;  — 

Only,  alas!   the  poor,  who  had  neither  triends  nor  attendants. 

Crept  away  to  die  in  the  almshouse,  home  of  the  homeless. 

Then  in  the  suburbs  it  stood,  in  the  midst  of  meadows  and  woodlands;  — 

Now  the  city  surrounds  it ;  but  still,  with  its  gateway  and  wicket 

Meek,  in  the  midst  of  splendor,  its  humble  walls  seem  to  echo 

Softl}'  the  words  of  the  Lord  :    "The  poor  ye  always  have  with  you." 

Thither,  by  night  and  by  day,  came  the  Sister  of  Mercy.     The  dying 

Looked  up  into  her  face,  and  thought,  indeed,  to  behold  there 

Gleams  of  celestial  light  encircle  her  forehead  with  splendor. 

Such  as  the  artist  paints  o'er  the  brows  of  saints  and  apostles. 

Or  such  as  hangs  by  night  o'er  a  city  seen  at  a  distance. 

Unto  their  eyes  it  seemed  the  lamps  of  the  city  celestial. 

Into  whose  shining  gates  erelong  their  spirits  would  enter. 

Thus,  on  a  Sabbath  morn,  through  the  streets,  deserted  and  silent, 
Wending  her  quiet  way,  she  entered  the  door  of  the  almshouse. 
Sweet  on  the  summer  air  was  the  odor  of  flowers  in  the  garden. 
And  she  paused  on  her  way  to  gather  the  fairest  among  them, 
That  the  dying  once  more  might  rejoice  in  their  fragrance  and  beauty. 
Then,  as  she  mounted  the  stairs  to  the   corridors,  cooled   by  the  east  wind, 
Distant  and  soft  on  the  ear  fell  the  chimes  from  the  belfry  of  Christ  Church, 
While,  intermingled  with  these,  across  the  meadows  were  wafted 
Sounds  of  psalms  that  were  sung  by  the  Swedes  in  their  church  at  Wicaco. 
Soft  as  descending  wings  fell  the  calm  of  the  hour  on  her  spirit; 
Something  within  her  said,  "At  length  th}^  trials  are  ended;" 
And.  with  light  in  her  looks,  she  entered  the  chambers  of  sickness. 
Noiselessly  moved  about  the  assiduous,  careful  attendants. 
Moistening  the  feverish  lip  and  the  aching  brow,  and  in  silence 
Closing  the  sightless  ejes  of  the  dead,  and  concealing  their  faces, 
18 


270  SO UTH  WEST  LO  UlSIA XA  : 

Where  on  their  pallets  they  lay,  like  drifts  ot  snow  by  the  roadside. 

Many  a  languid  head,  upraised  as  Evangeline  entered, 

Turned  on  its  pillow  of  pain  to  gaze  while  she  passed,  for  her  presence 

Fell  on  their  hearts  Hke  a  ray  of  the  sun  on  the  walls  of  a  prison. 

And,  as  she  looked  around,  she  saw  how  Death,  the  consoler, 

Laying  his  hand  upon  man\'  a  heart,  had  healed  it  forever. 

Many  familiar  forms  had  disappeared  in  the  night-time: 

Vacant  their  places  were,  or  filled  alreadj-  bj-  strangers.  , 

Suddenlv,  as  if  arrested  by  fear  or  a  feehng  of  wonder, 
Still  she  stood,  with  her  colorless  lips  apart,  while  a  shudder 
Ran  through   her  frame,  and,  forgotien,  the  flowerets  dropped   from  her 
And  from  her  eves  and  cheeks  the  light  and  bloom  of  the  morning.       [fingers, 
Then  there  escaped  from  her  lips  a  cry  of  such  terrible  anguish. 
That  the  dving  heard  it,  and  started  up  from  their  pillows. 
On  the  path  before  her  was  stretched  the  form  of  an  old  man. 
Long,  and  thin,  and  gray  were  the  locks  that  shaded  his  temples  : 
But,  as  he  lay  in  the  morning  light,  his  face  for  a  moment 
Seemed  to  assume  once  more  the  forms  of  its  earlier  manhood; 
So  are  wont  to  be  changed  the  faces  of  those  who  are  dying. 
Hot  and  red  on  his  lips  still  burned  the  flush  of  the  fever. 
As  if  life,  like  the  Hebrew,  with  blood  had  besprinkled  its  portals. 
That  the  Angel  of  Death  might  see  the  sign,  and  pass  over. 
Motionless,  senseless,  dying,  he  lay,  and  his  spirit  exhausted 
Seemed  to  be  sinking  down  through  infinite  depths  in  the  darkness, 
Darkness  of  slumber  and  death,  forever  sinking  and  sinking. 
Then  through  the  realms  of  shade,  in  multiplied  reverberations. 
Heard  he  that  cvy  of  pain,  and  through  the  hush  that  succeeded 
Whispered  a  gentle  voice,  in  accents  tender  and  saint-like, 
"  Gabriel  I   O  mv  beloved  I  "   and  died  away  into  silence. 

Then  he  beheld,  in  a  dream,  once  more  the  home  of  his  childhood: 

Green  Acadian  meadows,  with  svlvan  rivers  among  them, 

Village,  and  mountain,  and  woodlands;   and,  walking  under  their  shadow, 

As  in  the  days  of  her  youth,  Evangeline  rose  in  his  vision. 

Tears  came  into  his  eyes;   and  as  slowly  he  hfted  his  eyelids. 

Vanished  the  vision  away,  but  Evangeline  knelt  by  his  bedside. 

Vainly  he  strove  to  whisper  her  name,  for  the  accents  unuttered 

Died  "on  his  lips, and  their  motion  revealed  what  his  tongue  would  have  spoken. 

Vainly  he  strove  to  rise  ;   and  Evangeline,  kneeling  beside  him. 

Kissed  his  dving  lips,  and  laid  his  head  on  her  bosom. 

Sweet  was  the  hght  of  his  eyes:   but  it  suddenly  sank  into  darkness, 

As  when  a  lamp  is  blown  out  by  a  gust  of  wind  at  a  casement. 

All  was  ended  now,  the  hope,  and  the  fe^r,  and  the  sorrow. 
All  the  aching  of  heart,  the  restless,  unsatisfied  longing, 
All  the  dull,  deep  pain,  and  constant  anguish  of  patience  I 
And,  as  she  pressed  once  more  the  hfeless  head  to  her  bosom, 
Meeklv  she  bowed  her  own,  and  murmured,  "Father,  I  thank  thee!" 


N 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  271 

Still  stands  the  forest  primeval;  but  far  away  from  its  shadow, 
Side  by  side,  in  their  nameless  graves,  the  lovers  are  sleeping, 
Under  the  humble  walls  of  the  little  Catholic  churchyard, 
In  the  heart  of  the  city,  they  lie,  unknown  and  unnoticed. 
Daily  the  tide  of  life  go  ebbing  and  flowing  beside  them. 
Thousands  of  throbbing  hearts,  where  theirs  are  at  rest  and  forever. 
Thousands  of  aching  brains,  where  theirs  no  longer  arc  busy, 
Thousands  of  toiling  hands,  where  theirs  have  ceased  from  their  labors, 
Thousands  of  wear}'  feet,  where  theirs  have  completed  their  journey! 

Still  stands  the  forest  primeval;  but  under  the  shade  of  its  branches 
Dwells  another  race,  with  other  customs  and  language. 
Only  along  the  shore  of  the  mournful  and  misty  Atlantic 
Linger  a  few  Acadian  peasants,  whose  fathers  from  exile 
Wandered  back  to  their  native  land  to  die  in  its  bosom. 
In  the  fisherman's  cot  the  wheel  and  the  loom  are  still  busy: 
Maidens  still  wear  their  Norman  caps  and  their  kirtles  of  homespun, 
And  by  the  evening  fire  repeat  Evangeline's  story. 
While  from  its  rocky  caverns  the  deep-voiced,  neighboring  ocean 
Speaks,  and  in  accents  disconsolate  answers  the  wail  of  the  forest. 


NOTE  II. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1879. 


We,  the  people  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  in  order  to  establish  justice, 
insure  domestic  tranquillity,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  bless- 
ings of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  acknowledging  and  invoking  the 
guidance  of  Almighty  God,  the  author  of  all  good  government,  do  ordain  and 

establish  this  Constitution.  „ 

*     * 

Article  I.  All  government  of  right  originates  with  the  people,  is  founded 
on  their  will  alone,  and  is  instituted  solely  for  the  good  of  the  whole,  deriving 
its  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed.  Its  only  legitimate  end  is  to 
protect  the  citizen  in  the  enjoyment  of  life,  liberty  and  property.  When  it 
assumes  otlier  functions  it  is  usurpation   and  oppression 

Art.  2.  The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons,  houses, 
papers,  and  effects  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures  shall  not  be 
violated,  and  no  warrant  shall  issue,  except  upon  probable  cause,  supported 
by  oath  or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to  be  searched 
and  the  persons  or  things  to  be  seized. 

Art.  3.  A  well-regulated  militia  being  necessary  to  the  security  of  a  free 
State,  the  right  of  the  people  to  keep  and  bear  arms  shall  not  be  abridged. 
This  shall  not  prevent  the  passage  of  laws  to  punish  those  who  carry  weapons 
concealed. 

Art.  4.  No  law  shall  be  passed  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion,  or 
prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof,  or  abridging  the  freedom  of  speech,  or 
of  the  press,  or  the  right  of  the  people  peaceably  to  assemble  and  petition 
the  government  for  a  redress  of  grievances. 

Art.  5.  There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  this 
State,  otherwise  than  for  the  punishment  of  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall 
have  been  duly  convicted.  Prosecutions  shall  be  by  indictment  or  information; 
■provided,  that  no  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital  crime,  unless  on 
a  presentment  or  indictment  by  a  grand  jury,  except  in  cases  arising  in  the 
militia  when  in  actual  service  in  time  of  war  or  public  danger,  nor  shall  an}- 


274  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

person  be  twice  put  in  jeopardy  of  life  or  liberty  for  the  same  offence, 
except  on  his  own  application  for  a  new  trial,  or  where  there  is  a  mistrial, 
or  a  motion  in  arrest  of  judgment  is  sustained. 

Art.  6.  No  person  shall  be  compelled  to  give  evidence  against  himself  in 
a  criminal  case,  or  in  any  proceeding  that  may  subject  him  to  criminal  prose- 
cution, except  where  otherwise  provided  in  this  constitution,  nor  be  deprived 
of  life,  liberty,  or  property  without  due  process  of  law. 

Art.  7.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the  right  to  a 
speedy  public  trial  by  an  impartial  jury,  except  that,  in  cases  where  the  penalty 
is  not  necessarily  imprisonment  at  hard  labor  or  death,  the  General  Assembly 
may  provide  for  the  trial  thereof  by  a  jury  less  than  twelve  in  number;  fro- 
vided,  that  the  accused  in  every  instance  shall  be  tried  in  the  parish  wherein 
the  offence  shall  have  been  committed,  except  in  cases  of  change  of  venue. 

Art.  8.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accused  shall  enjoy  tlie  right  to 
be  informed  of  the  nature  and  cause  of  the  accusation,  to  be  confronted  with 
the  witnesses  against  him,  to  have  compulsory  process  for  obtaining  witnesses 
in  his  favor,  and  to  defend  himself,  and  have  the  assistance  of  counsel,  and  to 
have  the  right  to  challenge  jurors  peremptorily,  the  number  of  challenges  to  be 
fixed  by  statute. 

Art.  9.  Excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines  be  im- 
posed, nor  cruel  and  unusual  punishments  inflicted.  All  persons  shall  be 
bailable  by  sufficient  sureties,  unless  for  capital  offences  where  the  proof  is 
evident  or  the  presumption  great,  or  unless  after  conviction  for  any  crime  or 
offence  punishable  with  death  or  imprisonment  at  hard  labor. 

Art.  10.  The  privilege  of  the  writ  oi  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  suspended, 
unless  when  in  case  of  rebellion  or  invasion  the  public  safety  may  require  it. 

Art.  II.  All  courts  shall  be  open,  and  every  person  for  injury  done  him 
in  his  rights,  lands,  goods,  person,  or  reputation  shall  have  adequate  remedy 
by  due  process  of  law  and  justice  administered  without  denial  or  unreasonable 
delay. 

Art.  12.     The  miHtary  shall  be  in  subordination  to  the  civil  power. 

Art.    13.     This  enumeration  of  rights  shall  not  be  construed  to    den}'   or 

impair  other  rights  of  the  people  not  herein  expressed. 

» 
*     * 

Art.  14.  The  powers  of  the  government  of  the  State  of  Louisiana  shall  be 
divided  into  three  distinct  departments,  and  each  of  them  be  confided  to  a  sep- 
arate body  of  magistracy,  to-wit:  Those  which  are  legislative  to  one,  those 
which  are  executive  to  another,  and  those  which  are  judicial  to  another. 

Art.  15.     No  one  of  these  departments,    nor  any  person  or  collection  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  275 

persons  holding  office  in  one  of  them,  shall  exercise  power  properly  belonging 
to  either  of  the  others,  except  in  the  instances  hereinafter  expressly  directed  or 

permitted.  » 

«     * 

Art.  i6.  Representation  in  the  House  of  Representatives  shall  be  equal  and 
uniform,  and  shall  be  regulated  and  ascertained  by  the  total  population.  Each 
parish  shall  have  at  least  one  Representative.  The  first  enumeration  to  be  made 
by  the  State  authorities  under  this  constitution  shall  be  made  in  the  3'ear  eighteen 
hundred  and  ninety,  and  subsequent  enumerations  shall  be  made  every  tenth  year 
thereafter,  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  law,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  total  population  and  the  number  of  qualified  electors  in  each 
parish  and  election  district.  At  its  first  regular  session  after  each  enumeration 
the  General  Assembly  shall  apportion  the  representation  among  the  several 
parishes  and  election  districts  on  the  basis  of  the  total  population  as  aforesaid. 
A  representative  number  shall  be  fixed,  and  each  parish  and  election  district 
shall  have  as  many  representatives  as  the  aggregate  number  of  its  population 
will  entitle  it  to,  and  an  additional  representative  for  any  fraction  exceeding  one- 
half  the  representative  number.  The  number  of  representatives  shall  not  be 
more  than  ninety-eight  nor  less  than  seventy. 

Art.  17.  The  General  Assembly,  in  every  year  in  which  they  shall  appor- 
tion representation  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  shall  divide  the  State  into 
senatorial  districts.  No  parish  shall  be  divided  in  the  formation  of  a  senatorial 
district,  the  parish  of  Orleans  excepted.  Whenever  a -new  parish  shall  be  created, 
it  shall  be  attached  to  the  senatorial  district  from  which  most  of  its  territory  was 
taken,  or  to  another  contiguous  district,  at  the  discretion  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, but  shall  not  be  attached  to  more  than  one  district.  The  number  of  Senators 
shall  not  be  more  than  thirty-six  nor  less  than  twenty-four,  and  they  shall  be 
apportioned  among  the  senatorial  districts  according  to  the  total  population  con- 
tained in  the  several  districts. 

Art.  18.  Until  an  enumeration  shall  be  made  in  accordance  with  Articles  16 
and  17,  the  State  shall  be  divided  into  the  following  senatorial  districts,  with  the 
number  of  Senators  hereinafter  designated  to  each  district: 

The  First  Senatorial  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  eighth  and  ninth 
wards  of  Orleans,  and  of  the  parishes  of  St.  Bernard  and  Plaquemines,  and  shall 
elect  two  Senators. 

The  Second  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh 
wards  of  Orleans,  and  shall  elect  two  Senators. 

The  Third  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  third  ward  of  Orleans,  and 
shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Fourth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  second  and  fifteenth  wards 
(Orleans  right  bank)  of  Orleans,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 


276  SOUTH  WEST  LOUISIANA  : 

The  Fifth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  first  and  tenth  wards  of  Orleans, 
and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Sixth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  eleventh,  twelfth,  thirteenth, 
fourteenth,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  wards  of  Orleans,  and  shall  elect  two  Sen- 
ators. 

The  Seventh  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Jefferson,  St. 
Charles  and  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Eighth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  St.  James  and 
Ascension,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Ninth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Terrebonne,  La- 
fourche and  Assumption,  and  shall  elect  two  Senators. 

The  Tenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  St.  Mary,  Vermil- 
ion, Cameron  and  Calcasieu,  and  shall  elect  two  Senators. 

The  Eleventh  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  St.  Martin, 
Iberia  and  Lafayette,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Twelfth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parish  of  St.  Landiy,  and 
shall  elect  two  Senators. 

The  Thirteenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Avoyelles  and 
Pointe  Coupee,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Fourteenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Iberville  and 
West  Baton  Rouge,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Fifteenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  East  and  West 
Feliciana,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Sixteenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parish  of  East  Baton 
Rouge,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Seventeenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  St.  Helena, 
Livingston,  Tangipahoa,  Washington  and  St.  Tammany,  and  shall  elect  one 
Senator. 

The  Eighteenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Rapides  and 
Vernon,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Nineteenth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Natchitoches, 
Sabine,  DeSoto  and  Red  River,  and  shall  elect  two  Senators. 

The  Twentieth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parish  of  Caddo,  and  shall 
elect  one  Senator. 

The  Twenty-first  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Bossier, 
Webster,  Bienville  and  Claiborne,  and  shall  el°ct  two  Senators. 

The  Twenty-second  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Union, 
Morehouse,  Lincoln  and  West  Carroll,  and  shall  elect  two  Senators. 

The  Twenty-third  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Ouachita, 
Richland,  Caldwell,  Franklin  and  Jackson,  and  shall  elect  two  Senators. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  277 

The  Twenty-fourth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Catahoula, 
Winn  and  Grant,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Twenty-fifth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  East  Car- 
roll and  Madison,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

The  Twenty-sixth  District  shall  be  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Tensas  and 
Concordia,  and  shall  elect  one  Senator. 

Thirty-six  (36)  Senators  in   all. 

And  the  Representatives  shall  be  apportioned  among  the  parishes  and  rep- 
resentative districts  as  follows : 

For  the  parish  of  Orleans — 

First  Representative  District,  first  ward,  one  Representative. 

Second  Representative  District,  second  ward,  two  Representatives- 
Third  Representative  District,  third  ward,  three  Representatives. 

Fourth  Representative  District,  fourth  ward,  one  Representative. 

Fifth  Representative  District,  fifth  ward,  two  Representatives. 

Si.xth  Representative  District,  sixth  ward,  one  Representative. 

Seventh  Representative  District,  seventh  ward,  two  Representatives. 

Eighth  Representative  District,  eighth  ward,  one  Representative. 

Ninth  Representative  District,  ninth  ward,  two  Representatives. 

Tenth  Representative  District,  tenth  ward,  two  Representatives. 

Eleventii  Representative  District,  eleventh  ward,  two  Representatives. 

Twelfth  Representative  District,  twelfth  ward,  one  Representatise. 

Thirteenth  Representative  District,  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  wards,  one 
Representative. 

Fourteenth  Representative  District,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  wards,  one 
Representative. 

Fifteentth  Representative  District,  fifteenth  ward,  one  Representative. 

The  parishes  of  Ascension,  West  Baton  Rouge,  Bienville,  Bossier,  Calca- 
sieu, Caldwell,  Cameron,  East  Carroll,  West  Carroll,  Catahoula,  Concordia, 
West  Feliciana,  Franklin,  Grant,  Iberia,  Jackson,  Jefferson,  Lafayette,  Lincoln, 
Livingston,  Morehouse,  Ouachita,  Plaquemines,  Pointe  Coupee,  Red  River, 
Richland,  Sabine,  St.  Bernard,  St  Charles,  St.  Helena,  St.  James,  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  St.  Martin,  St.  Tammany,  Tangipahoa,  Union,  Vermilion,  Vernon, 
Washington,  Webster  and  Winn,  each  one  Representative. 

The  parishes  of  Assumption,  Avoyelles,  East  Baton  Rouge,  Caddo,  Clai- 
borne, DeSoto,  East  Feliciana,  Iberville.  Lafourche,  Madison,  Natchitoches, 
Rapides,  St.  Mary,  Tensas,  Terrebonne,  each  two  Representatives. 

The  parish  of  St.  Landry,  four  Representatives. 

This  apportionment  of  Senators  and  Representatives  shall  not  be  changed 
or  altered  in  any  manner  until  after  the    enumeration    shall  have   been  taken    by 


278  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISlANA  : 

the  State  in  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety,  in    accordance  with  tlie   provisions  of 

Articles  i6  ana  17.  » 

*     * 

Art.  19.     The   legislative  power  of  the   State  shall  be  vested   in  a  General 
Assembly,  which  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and  a  House  of  Representatives. 
Art.  20.     The  style  of  the  laws  of  this  State  shall  be: 
"Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Louisiana." 

Art.  21.  The  General  Assembly  shall  meet  at  the  seat  of  government  on  the 
second  Monday  of  May,  1882,  at  12  o'clock,  noon,  and  biennially  thereafter. 
Its  first  session  under  this  Constitution  may  extend  to  a  period  of  ninety  days, 
but  any  subsequent  session  shall  be  limited  to  a  period  of  sixty  da3's.  Should  a 
vacancy  occur  in  either  house,  the  Governor  shall  order  an  election  to  fill  such 
vacancy  for  the  remainder  of  the  term. 

Art.  22.  Every  elector  under  this  constitution  shall  be  eligible  to  a  seat  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  and  every  elector  who  has  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years  shall  be  eligible  to  the  Senate  ;  provided,  that  no  person  shall 
be  eligible  to  the  General  Assembly  unless  at  the  time  of  his  election  he  has 
been  a  citizen  of  the  State  for  five  years  and  an  actual  resident  of  the  district  or 
parish  from  which  he  may  be  elected  for  two  years  immediately  preceding  his 
election.  The  seat  of  any  member  who  may  change  his  residence  from  the  dis- 
trict or  parish  which  he  represents  shall  thereby  be  vacated,  any  declaration  of 
a  retention  of  domicile  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  and  members  of  the 
General  Assembly  shall  be  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years. 

Art.  23.  Each  house  shall  judge  of  the  qualifications,  election,  and  returns 
of  its  own  members,  choose  its  own  officers  (except  President  of  the  Senate), 
determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  and  may  punish  its  members  for  disor- 
derly conduct  and  contempt,  and,  with  the  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  all  its 
members  elected,  expel  a  member. 

Art.  24.      Either  house,  during  the  session,    may   punish  by  imprisonment  ■ 
any  person  not  a  member  who  shall  have  been  guilty  of  disrespect  by  disorderly 
or  contemptuous  behavior,  but  such  imprisonment  shall  not  exceed  ten  days  for 
each  offence. 

Art.  25.  No  Senator  or  Representative  shall,  during  the  term  for  which  he 
was  elected,  nor  for  one  year  thereafter,  be  appointed  or  elected  to  any  civil 
office  of  profit  under  this  State  which  may  have  been  created  or  the  emoluments 
of  which  may  have  been  increased  by  the  General  Assembly  during  the  time 
such  Senator  or  Representative  was  a  member  thereof. 

Art.  26.  The  members  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  in  all  cases,  except 
treason,  felon)r,  and  breach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their 
attendance  at  the  sessions  of  their  respective  houses,  and  in  going  to  and  return- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  279 

ing  from  the  same  ;  and  for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either  house  they  shall  not 
be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

Art.  27.  The  members  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  receive  a  compensa- 
tion not  to  exceed  four  dollars  per  day  during  their  attendance,  and  their  actual 
traveling  expenses  going  to  and  returning  from  the  seat  of  government;  but  in 
no  instance  shall  more  than  thirty  dollars  each  way  be  allowed  for  traveling 
expenses. 

Art.  28.  Each  house  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings,  and  cause  the 
same  to  be  published  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  session;  when  practica- 
ble, the  minutes  of  each  day's  session  shall  be  printed  and  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  members  on  the  day  following.  The  original  journal  shall  be  preserved, 
after  publication,  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  ;  but  there  shall  be  re- 
quired no  other  record  thereof. 

Art.  29.  Every  law  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  shall  embrace  but 
one  object,  and  that  shall  be  expressed  in  the  title. 

Art.  30.  No  law  shall  be  revived  or  amended  by  reference  to  its  title;  but 
in  such  cases  the  act  revived  or  section  as  amended  shall  be  reenacted  and 
published  at  length. 

Art.  31.  The  General  Assembly  shall  never  adopt  any  system  or  code  of 
laws  by  general  reference  to  such  system  or  code  of  laws;  but  in  all  cases  shall 
recite  at  length  the  several  provisions  of  the  laws  it  may  enact. 

Art.  32.  Not  less  than  a  majority  of  the  members  of  each  house  of  the 
General  Assembly  shall  form  a  quorum  to  transact  business ;  but  a  smaller  num- 
ber may  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  and  shall  have  power  to  compel  the  attendance 
of  absent  members. 

Art.  33.  Neither  house  during  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly  shall, 
without  the  consent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  three  days,  nor  to  any 
other  place  than  that  in  which  it  may  be  sitting. 

Art.  34.  The  yeas  and  nays  on  any  question  in  either  house  shall,  at  the  de- 
sire of  one-fifth  of  the  members  elected,  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

Art.  35.  All  bills  for  raising  revenue  or  appropriating  money  shall  originate 
in  the  House  of  Representatives ;  but  the  Senate  may  propose  or  concur  in 
amendments,  as  in  other  bills. 

Art.  36.  No  bill,  ordinance,  or  resolution,  intended  to  have  the  effect  of  a 
law,  which  shall  have  been  rejected  by  either  house,  shall  be  again  proposed  in 
the  same  house  during  the  same  session,  under  the  same  or  any  other  title,  with- 
out the  consent  of  a  majority  of  the  house  by  which  the  same  was  rejected. 

Art.  37.  Every  bill  shall  be  read  on  three  different  days  in  each  house,  and 
no  bill  shall  be  considered  for  final  passage  unless  it  has  been  read  once  in  full, 
and  the  same  has  been  reported  on  by  a  committee.     Nor  shall  any  bill  become 


280  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

a  law  unless,  on  its  final  passage,  tlievote  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  the  names 
of  the  members  voting  for  or  against  the  same  be  entered  on  the  journal,  and  a 
majority  of  the  members  elected  to  each  house  be  recorded  thereon  as  voting  in 
its  favor. 

Art.  38.  No  amendment  to  bills  by  one  house  shall  be  concurred  in  by  the 
other,  except  by  a  vote  of  a  majority  of  the  members  elected  thereto,  taken  by 
yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  those  voting  for  or  against  recorded  upon  the 
journal  thereof.  And  reports  of  committees  of  conference  shall  be  adopted  in 
either  house  only  by  a  majority  of  the  members  elected  thereto,  the  vote  to  be 
taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  those  voting  for  or  against  recorded 
upon  the  journal. 

Art.  39.  Whenever  a  bill  that  has  been  passed  by  both  houses  is  enrolled 
and  placed  in  possession  of  the  house  in  which  it  originated,  the  title  shall  be 
read,  and,  at  the  request  of  any  five  members,  the  bill  shall  be  read  in  full,  when 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  or  the  President  of  the  Senate,  as 
the  case  may  be,  shall  act  at  once,  sign  it  in  open  house,  and  the  fact  of  signing 
shall  be  noted  on  the  journal;  thereupon  the  Clerk  or  Secretar}'  shall  imme- 
diately convey  the  bill  to  the  other  house,  whose  presiding  officer  shall  cause  a 
suspension  of  all  other  business  to  read  and  sign  the  bill  in  open  session  and 
without  delay;  as  soon  as  bills  are  signed  by  the  Speaker  of  the  House  and 
President  of  the  Senate,  they  shall  be  taken  at  once,  and  on  the  same  day,  to 
the  Governor  by  the  Clerk  of  the  House  or  Secretary  of  the  Senate. 

Art.  40.  No  law  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  except  the  general  ap- 
propriation act,  or  act  appropriating  money  for  the  expenses  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, shall  take  effect  until  promulgated.  A  law  shall  be  considered 
promulgated  at  the  place  where  the  State  journal  is  published  the  day  after  the 
publication  of  such  law  in  the  State  journal,  and  in  all  other  parts  of  the  State 
twenty  days  after  such  publication. 

Art.  41.  The  clerical  officers  of  the  two  houses  shall  be  a  Secretary  of  the 
Senate  and  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  with  such  assistants  as  may 
be  necessary;  but  the  expenses  for  the  clerks  and  employes  shall  not  exceed 
sixty  dollars  daily  for  the  Senate  nor  seventy  dollars  daily  for  the  House. 

Art.  42.  All  stationery,  printing  paper,  and  fuel  used  in  the  legislative  and 
other  departments  of  government  shall  be  furnished,  and  the  printing,  binding, 
and  distributing  {of  the  laws,  journals,  and  department  reports,  and  all  other 
printing  and  binding,  and  the  repairing  and  furnishing  the  halls  and  rooms  used 
for  the  meetings  of  the  General  Assembly  and  its  committees,  shall  be  done 
under  contract,  to  be  given  to  the  lowest  responsible  bidder  below  such  maximum 
price  and  under  such  regulations' as  shall  be  prescribed  by  law;  provided,  that 
such  contracts  shall  be  awarded  only  to  citizens  of  the  State.  No  member  or 
officers   of  any  of  the   departments   of  the  government    shall    be  in   any   way 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  281 

interested  in  such  contracts;  and  all  such  contracts  shall  be  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Governor,  the  President  of  the  Senate,  and  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  or  of  any  two  of  them. 


Art.  43.  No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  except  in  pursuance 
of  specific  appropriation  made  by  law;  nor  shall  any  appropriation  of  money  be 
made  for  a  longer  term  than  two  years.  A  regular  statement  and  account  of 
receipts  and  expenditures  of  all  public  moneys  shall  be  published  every  three 
months,  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  prescribed  b}'  law. 

Art.  44.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  contract,  or  to 
authorize  the  contracting,  of  any  debt  or  liability,  on  behalf  of  the  State,  or  to 
issue  bonds  or  other  evidence  of  indebtedness  thereof,  except  for  the  purpose  of 
repelling  invasion  or  for  the  suppression  of  insurrection. 

Art.  45.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  grantor  to  authorize 
any  parish  or  municipal  authority  to  grant  any  extra  compensation,  fee,  or 
allowance  to  a  public  officer,  agent,  servant,  or  contractor,  nor  pay,  nor 
authorize  the  payment  of,  any  claim  against  the  State,  or  any  parish  or  munici- 
pality of  the  State,  under  any  agreement  or  contract  made  without  express 
authorit}'  of  law;  and  all  such  unauthorized  agreements  or  contracts  shall  be 
null  and  void. 

Art.  46.  The  General  Assembly  shall  not  pass  any  local  or  special  law  on 
the  following  specified  objects: 

For  the  opening  and  conducting  of  elections,  or  fixing  or  changing  the  place 
of  voting. 

Changing  the  names  of  persons. 

Changing  the  venue  in  civil  or  criminal  cases. 

Authorizing  the  laj'ing  out,  opening,  closing,  altering,  or  maintaining  roads, 
highways,  streets,  or  alleys,  or  relating  to  ferries  and  bridges,  or  incorporating 
bridge  or  ferry  companies,  except  for  the  erection  of  bridges  crossing  streams 
which  form  boundaries  between  this  and  any  other  State. 

Authorizing  the  adoption  or  legitimation  of  children  or  the  emancipation  of 
minors. 

Granting  divorces. 

Changing  the  law  of  descent  or  succession. 

Affecting  the  estates  of  minors  or  persons  under  disabilities. 

Remitting  fines,  penalties  and  forfeitures,  or  refunding  moneys  legally  paid 
into  the  treasury. 

Authorizing  the  constructing  of  street-passenger  railroads  in  aii}'  incorpor- 
ated town  or  cit}'. 

Regulating  labor,  trade,  manufacturing,  or  agriculture. 


282  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

Creating  corporations,  or  amending,  renewing,  extending,  or  explaining  the 
charter  ihereoi ;  provided,  that  this  shall  not  apply  to  the  corporation  of  the  city 
of  New  Orleans,  or  to  the  organization  of  levee  districts  and  parishes. 

Granting  to  any  corporation,  association,  or  individual  any  special  or  exclu- 
sive right,  privilege  or  immunity. 

Extending  the  time  for  the  assessment  or  collection  of  taxes,  or  for  the 
relief  of  any  assessor  or  collector  of  taxes  from  the  due  performance  of  his 
official  duties,  or  of  his  securities  from  liability;  nor  shall  any  such  be  passed 
by  any  political  corporation  of  this  State. 

Regulating  the  practice  or  jurisdiction  of  any  court,  or  changing  the  rules 
of  evidence  in  any  judicial  proceeding  or  inquiry  before  courts,  or  providing  or 
changing  methods  for  the  collection  of  debts,  or  the  enforcement  of  judgments, 
or  prescribing  the  effects  of  judicial  sales. 

Exemption  of  propertj^  from  taxation. 

Fixing  the  rate  of  interest. 

Concerning  any  civil  or  criminal  action. 

Giving  effect  to  informal  or  invalid  wills  or  deeds,  or  to  any  illegal  disposi- 
tion of  property. 

Regulating  the  management  of  public  schools,  the  building  or  repairing  of 
school  houses,  and  the  raising  of  money  for  such  purposes. 

Legalizing  the  unauthorized  or  invalid  acts  of  any  officer,  servant,  agent 
of  the  State,  or  of  any  parish  or  municipality  thereof. 

Art.  47.  Tlie  General  Assembly  shall  not  indirectly  enact  special  or  local 
laws  by  the  partial  repeal  of  a  general  law  ;  but  laws  repealing  local  or  special 
laws  may  be  passed. 

Art.  48.  No  local  or  special  law  shall  be  passed  on  any  subject  not  enumerated 
in  Article  46  of  this  Constitution,  unless  notice  of  tiie  intention  to  apply  therefor 
shall  have  been  published,  without  cost  to  the  State,  in  the  locality  where  the 
matter  or  thing  to  be  affected  may  be  situated,  which  notice  shall  state  the  sub- 
stance of  the  contemplated  law,  and  shall  be  published  at  least  thirty  days  prior 
to  the  introduction  into  the  General  Assembly  of  such  bill,  and  in  the  same 
manner  provided  by  law  for  the  advertisement  of  judicial  sales.  The  evidence 
of  such  notice  having  been  published  shall  be  exhibited  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly before  such  act  shall  be  passed,  and  every  such  act  shall  contain  a  recital 
that  such  notice  has  been  given. 

Art.  49.     No  law  shall  be  passed  fixing  the  price  of  manual  labor. 

Art.  50.  Any  member  of  the  General  Assembly  who  has  a  personal  or 
private  interest  in  any  measure  or  bill  proposed  or  pending  before  the  General 
Assembly  shall  disclose  the  fact  to  the  house  of  which  he  is  a  member,  and  shall 
not  vote  thereon. 

Art.  51.     No   money  shall   ever  be  taken  from  the  public  treasury,  directly 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


283 


or  indirectly,  in  aid  of  an\-  church,  sect  or  denomination  of  religion,  or  in  aid  of 
any  priest,  preacher,  minister,  or  teacher  thereof,  as  such,  and  no  preference 
shall  ever  be  given  to,  nor  any  discrimination  made  against,  any  church,  sect, 
or  creed  of  religion,  or  any  form  of  religious  faith  or  worship;  nor  shall  any 
appropriation  be  made  for  private,  charitable,  or  benevolent  purposes  to  any 
person  or  community ;  provided,  this  shall  not  apply  to  the  State  asylums  for 
the  insane,  and  deaf,  dumb  and  blind,  and  the  charity  hospitals  and  public 
charitable  institutions  conducted  under  State  authority. 

Art.  52.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  increase  the 
expenses  of  any  office  by  appointing  assistant  officials. 

Art.  53.  The  general  appropriation  bill  shall  embrace  nothing  but  appro- 
priations for  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  government,  interest  on  the  public 
debt,  public  schools  and  public  charities,  and  such  bill  shall  be  so  itemized  as 
to  show  for  what  account  each  and  every  appropriation  shall  be  made.  All 
other  appropriations  shall  be  made  by  separate  bills,  each  embracing  but  one 
object. 

Art.  54.  Each  appropriation  shall  be  for  a  specific  purpose,  and  no  appro- 
priation shall  be  made  under  the  head  or  title  of  contingent ;  nor  shall  any  officer 
or  department  of  government  receive  any  amount  from  the  treasury  for  contin- 
gencies, or  for  a  contingent  fund. 

Art.  55 .  No  appropriation  of  money  shall  be  made  by  the  General  Assembly 
m  the  last  five  days  of  the  session  thereof;  all  appropriations,  to  be  valid,  shall 
be  passed  and  receive  the  signatures  of  the  President  of  the  Senate  and  Speaker 
of  the  Flouse  of  Representatives  five  full  days  before  the  adjournment  sine  die 
of  the  General  Assembly. 

Art.  56.  The  funds,  credit,  property,  or  things  of  value  of  the  State,  or  of 
any  political  corporation  thereof,  shall  not  be  loaned,  pledged,  or  granted  to  or 
for  any  person  or  persons,  association  or  corporation,  public  or  "private  ;  nor 
shall  the  State,  or  any  political  corporation,  purchase  or  subscribe  to  the  capital 
or  stock  of  any  corporation  or  association  whatever,  or  for  any  private  enter- 
^prise.  Nor  shall  the  State,  nor  any  political  corporation  .thereof ,  assume  the 
labilities  of  any  political,  municipal,  parochial,  private,  or  other  corporation  or 
association  whatsoever;  nor  shall  the  State  undertake  to  carry  on  the  business  of 
any  such  corporation  or  association,  or  become  a  part  owner  therein;  provided, 
the  State,  through  the  General  Assembly,  shall  have  power  to  grant  the  right  of 
way  through  its  public  lands  to  any  railroad  or  canal. 

Art.  57.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  no  power  to  release  or  extin- 
guish, or  to  authorize  the  releasing  or  extinguishing,  in  whole  or  in  part,  the 
indebtedness,  liability,  or  obligation  of  any  corporation  or  individual  to  this 
State,  or  to  any  parish  or  municipal  corporation  therein  ;  provided,  the  heirs  to 


284  .V O UTH WEST  L  O UISIA NA  : 

confiscated    property  may    be  released  of    all  taxes  due  thereon  at  the  date  of 

its  reversion  to  them.  , 

»     • 

Art.  58.  The  Executive  Department  shall  consist  of  a  Governor,  Lieuten- 
ant Governor,  Auditor,  Treasurer,  and  Secretary  of  State. 

Art.  59.  The  supreme  executive  power  of  the  State  shall  be  vestedin  a  chief 
magistrate,  who  shall  be  styled  the  Governor  of  Louisiana.  He  shall  hold  his 
office  during  four  years,  and,  together  with  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  chosen  for 
the  same  term,  sliall  be  elected  as  follows:  The  qualified  electors  for  Represen- 
tatives shall  vote  for  a  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  at  the  time  and  place 
of  voting  for  Representatives. 

The  returns  of  every  election  for  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  shall 
be  sealed  up  separately  from  ttie  returns  of  election  of  other  officers,  and  trans- 
mitted by  the  proper  officer  of  every  parish  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  who  shall 
deliver  them,  unopened,  to  the  General  Assembly  then  next  to  be  holden.  The 
members  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  meet  on  the  first  Thursday  after  the  day 
on  which  they  assemble,  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  to  examine  and  count 
the  votes.  The  person  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  Governor  shall 
be  declared  duly  elected;  but  in  case  two  or  more  persons  shall  be  equal  and 
highest  in  the  number  of  votes  polled  for  Governor,  one  of  them  sliall  be  imme- 
diately chosen  Governor  by  the  joint  vote  of  the  members  of  the  General 
Assembly.  The  persons  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  Lieutenant 
Governor  shall  be  Lieutenant  Governor;  but  if  two  or  more  persons  shall  be 
equal  and  highest  in  number  of  votes  polled  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  one  of 
them  shall  be  immediately  chosen  Lieutenant  Governor  b}' joint  vote  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Assembly. 

Art.  60.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  ottice  of  Governor  or  Lieutenant 
Governor  who  shall  not  have  attained  the  age  of  thirty  years,  been  ten  j'ears  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  resident  of  the  State  for  the  same  space  of  time 
next  preceding  his  election,  or  who  shall  be  a  member  of  Congress,  or  shall  hold 
office  under  the  United  States  at  the  time  of  or  within  six  months  immediately 
preceding  the  election  for  sucli  office. 

Art.  61.  The  Governor  shall  enter  on  the  discharge  of  his  duties  the  first 
Monday  next  ensuing  the  announcement  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  result 
of  the  election  for  Governor,  and  shall  continue  in  office  Until  the  Monday  next 
succeeding  the  day  that  his  successor  shall  have  been  declared  dul}'  elected  and 
shall  have  taken  the  oath  or  affirmation  required  by  this  Constitution. 

Art.  62.  In  case  of  the  impeachment  of  the  Governor,  his  removal  from 
office,  death,  refusal  or  inability  to  qualify,  disability,  resignation,  or  absence 
from  the  State,  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  office  shall  devolve  upon  the  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  for  the  residue  of  the    term,  or   until    the    Governor,  absent  or 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  285 

impeached,  shall  return  or  be  acquitted,  or  the  disability  be  removed.  In  the 
event  of  the  removal,  impeachment,  death,  resignation,  disability  or  refusal  to 
qualify  of  both  the  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor,  the  President  fro  iem- 
fore  of  the  Senate  shall  act  until  the  disability  be  removed,  or  for  the  residue  of 
the  term. 

Art.  63.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  or  otlicer  discharging  the  duties  of  Gov- 
ernor shall,  during  his  administration,  receive  the  same  compensation  to  which 
the  Governor  would  have  been  entitled  had  he  continued  in  office. 

Art.  64.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  shall,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  be  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate,  but  shall  have  only  a  casting  vote  therein.  Tlie  Senate  shall 
elect  one  of  its  members  as  President /re;  tempore  of  the  Senate. 

Art.  65.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  receive  for  his  services  a  salary 
which  shall  be  double  that  of  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  no  more. 

Art.  66.  The  Governor  shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves  for  all  offenses 
against  the  State,  and,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment  or  treason,  shall,  upon 
the  recommendation,  in  writing,  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  Attorney  General, 
and  presiding  judge  of  the  court  before  which  conviction  was  )iad,  or  of  any 
two  of  them,  have  power  to  grant  pardons,  commute  sentences,  and  remit  fines 
and  forfeitures  after  conviction.  In  cases  of  treason,  he  may  grant  reprieves 
until  the  end  of  the  next  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  which  body  the 
power  of  pardoning  is  vested. 

Art.  67.  The  Governor  shall  receive  a  salar}-  of  four  thousand  dollars  per 
annum,  payable  monthly  on  his  own  warrant. 

Art.  68.  He  shall  nominate,  and,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
Senate,  appoint,  all  officers  whose  offices  are  established  by  this  Constitution, 
and  whose  appointments  or  elections  are  not  herein  otherwise  provided  for; 
provided,  however,  that  the  General  Assembly  shall  have  the  right  to  prescribe 
the  mode  of  appointment  or  election  to  all  offices  created  by  it. 

Art.  69.  The  Governor  shall  have  the  power  to  fill  vacancies  that  majr 
happen  during  the  recess  of  the  Senate,  in  cases  not  otherwise  provided  for  in 
this  Constitution,  by  granting  commissions,  which  shall  expire  at  the  end  of  the 
next  session ;  but  no  person  who  has  been  nominated  for  office  and  rejected 
shall  be  appointed  to  the  same  office  during  the  recess  of  the  Senate.  The 
failure  of  the  Governor  to  send  into  the  Senate  the  name  of  any  person  appoint- 
ed for  office,  as  herein  provided,  shall  be  equivalent  to  a  rejection. 

Art.  70.  He  may  require  information  in  writing  from  the  officers  in  the 
Executive  Department  upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their  respective 
offices.  He  shall  be  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  militia  of  the  State,  except 
when  the}'  shall  be  called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  United  States. 

Art.  71.  He  shall,  from  time  to  time,  give  to  the  General  Assembly  in- 
19 


286  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  . 

formation  respecting  the  situation  of  the   Stale,  and  recommend  to  its  consider- 
ation such  measures  as  he  may   deem  expedient. 

Art.  72.  He  shall  take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed,  and  he 
may,  on  extraordinar}-  occasions,  convene  the  General  Assembly  at  the  seat  of 
government,  or,  if  that  shouVl  have  become  dangerous  from  an  enemy  or  from 
an  epidemic,  at  a  different  place.  The 'power  to  legislate  shall  be  limited  to  the 
objects  enumerated  specifically  in  the  proclamation  convening  such  extraordi 
nary  session;  therein  the  Governor  shall  also  limit  the  time suchsession  vi\z.yj  cox\- 
tinue;  provided,  it  shall  not  exceed  twenty  days.  Any  legislative  action  had 
after  the  time  so  limited,  or  as  to  other  objects  than  those  enumerated  in  said 
proclamation,  shall  be   null  and  void. 

Art.  73.  Every  bill  which  shall  have  passed  both  houses  shall  be  presented 
to  the  Governor;  if  he  approve,  he  shall  sign  it:  it  not,  he  shall  return  it,  with 
his  objections,  to  the  house  in  which  it  originated,  which  house  shall  enter  the 
objections  at  large  upon  the  journal  and  proceed  to  reconsider  it.  If,  after  sucli 
reconsideration,  two-thirds  of  all  the  members  elected  to  that  house  shall  agree 
to  pass  the  bill,  it  shall  be  sent,  with  the  objections,  to  the  other  house,  by  which 
likewise  it  shall  be  reconsidered,  and  if  passed  by  two-thirds  of  the  members 
elected  to  that  house  it  shall  be  a  law:  but  in  such  cases  the  votes  of  both  houses 
shall  be  taken  bv\eas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  the  members  voting  for  and 
against  the  bill  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal  of  each  house  respectively.  If 
any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by  the  Governor  within  five  days  after  it  shall  have 
been  presented  to  him,  the  same  shall  be  a  law,  in  like  manner  as  if  he  had 
signed  it,  unless  the  General  Assembly  b}'  adjournment  shall  prevent  its  return, 
in  which  case  it  shall  not  be  a  law. 

Art.  74-  The  Governor  shall  have  power  to  disapprove  of  any  item  or  items 
of  any  bill  making  appropriations  of  mone}-,  embracing  distinct  items,  and  the 
part  or  parts  of  the  bill  approved  shall  be  law,  and  the  item  or  items  of  appro- 
priation disapproved  shall  be  void,  unless  repassed  according  to  the  rules  and 
limitations  prescribed  for  the  passage  of  other  bills  over  the  executive  veto. 

Art.  75.  Every  order,  resolution,  or  vote  to  which  the  concurrence  of  both 
houses  may  be  necessary,  except  on  a  question  of  adjournment,  or  on  matters 
of  parliamentary  proceedings,  or  an  address  for  removal  from  ofl?ice,  shall  be 
presented  to  the  Governor,  and  before  it  shall  take  effect  be  approved  by  him, 
or,  being  disapproved,  shall  be  repassed  by  two-thirds  of  the  members  elected 
to  each  house. 

Art.  76.  The  Treasurer,  Auditor,  Attorne\'  General,  and  Secretary  of 
State  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  State  for  the  term  of  four 
years;  and  in  case  of  vacancy  caused  by  death,  resignation,  or  permanent 
absence  of  either  of  said  officers,  the  Govereor  shall  fill  such  vacancy  bj^  ap- 
pointment, with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate;  provided,  however,  that 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  287 

notwithstanding  such  appointment,  such  vacancy  shall  be  filled  by  election  at  the 
next  election  after  the  occurrence  of  the  vacancy. 

Art.  77.  The  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  shall  receive  a  salary  of  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars  per  annum;  the  Treasurer  shall  receive  a  salary  of 
two  thousand  dollars  per  annum;  and  the  Secretary  of  State  shall  receive  a 
salary  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  Each  of  the  before, 
named  officers  shall  be  paid  monthlv,  and  no  fees  or  perquisites  or  other  com- 
pensation shall  l)e  allowed  to  said  officers;  provided,  that  the  Secretary  of  State 
mav  be  allowed  fees  as  may  be  provided  by  law  for  copies  and  certificates  fur- 
nished to  private  persons. 

Art.  78.  Appropriations  for  the  clerical  expenses  of  the  officers  named  in 
the  preceding  article  shall  specify  each  item  of  such  appropriations;  and  shall 
not  exceed  in  anj-  one  year,  for  the  Treasurer,  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars; 
for  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  sum  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars;  and 
for  the  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  the  sum  of  four  thousand  dollars. 

Art.  79.  All  commissions  shall  be  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana,  and  shall  be  sealed  with  the  State  seal,  signed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  countersigned  b\-  the  Secretary  of  State. 

»     » 

Art.  80.  The  judicial  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  Supreme  Court,  in  courts 
of  appeal,  in  district  courts,  and  in  justices  of  the  peace. 

Art.  81.  The  Supreme  Court,  except  in  cases  hereinafter  provided,  shall 
have  appellate  jurisdiction  only,  which  jurisdiction  shall  extend  to  all  cases  when 
the  matter  in  dispute,  or  the  fund  to  be  distributed,  whatever  may  be  the  amount 
thertin  claimed,  shall  exceed  one  thousand  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest;  to  suits 
for  divorce  and  separation  from  bed  and  board,  and  to  all  cases  in  which  the 
constitutionality  or  legality  of  any  tax,  toll,  or  impost  whatever,  or  of  any  fine, 
forfeiture,  or  penalty  imposed  by  a  municipal  corporation,  shall  be  in  contesta 
tion,  whatever  may  be  the  amount  thereof,  and  in  such  cases  the  appeal  on  the 
law  and  the  fact  shall  be  directly  from  the  court  in  which  the  case  originated  to 
the  Supreme  Court ;  and  to  criminal  cases  on  questions  of  law  alone  whenever 
the  punishment  of  death  or  imprisonment  at  hard  labor  maybe  inflicted  or  a  fine 
e.xceeding  three  hundred  dollars  ($300)  is  actually  imposed. 

Art.  82.  The  Supreme  Court  shall  be  composed  of  one  Chief  Justice  and 
four  x\ssociate  Justices,  a  majority  of  whom  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  The 
Chief  Justice  and  Associate  Justices  shall  each  receive  a  salary  of  five  thousand 
dollars  ($5000)  per  annum,  payable  monthly  on  their  own  warrants.  They 
sh.dl  be  appointed  by  tlie  Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
Senate.  The  first  Supreme  Court  to  be  organized  under  this  Constitution  shall 
be  appointed  as  follows:  The  Chit^f  Justice  for  the  term  of  twelve  years ;  one 
Associate   Justice   for   the   term   of  ten  years;   one  for  the   term  of  eight  years ; 


288  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA . 

one  for  the  term  of  six  }-ears  ;  one  for  the  term  of  four  years;  and  the  Governor 
shall  designate  in  the  commission  of  each  the  term  for  which  such  judge  is  ap- 
pointed. In  case  of  death,  resignation,  or  removal  from  office  of  any  of  said 
judges,  the  vacancy  shall  be  filled  by  appointment  for  the  unexpired  term  of 
sucli  judge,  and  upon  expiration  of  the  term  of  any  of  said  judges  the  office 
shall  be  filled  by  appointment  for  a  term  of  twelve  years.  They  shall  be  citizens 
of  the  United  States  and  of  the  State,  over  thirty-five  years  of  age,  learned  in 
the  law.  and  shall  have  practised  law  in  this  State  for  ten  years  preceding  their 
appointment. 

Art.  83.  The  State  shall  be  di\ided  into  four  Supreme  Court  Districts,  and 
the  Supreme  Court  shall  always  be  composed  of  judges  appointed  from  said 
districts. 

The  parishes  of  Orleans,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  St.  Charles,  St.  Bernard, 
Plaquemines,  and  Jefferson  shall  compose  the  first  district,  from  whicli  two 
judges  shall  be  appointed. 

The  parishes  of  Caddo,  Bossier,  Webster,  Bienville,  Claiborne,  Union, 
Lincoln,  Jackson,  Caldwell,  Ouachita,  Morehouse,  Richland,  Franklin,  West 
Carroll,  East  Carroll,  Madison,  Tensas  and  Catahoula,  shall  compose  the 
second  district,  from  which  one  judge  shall  be  appointed. 

The  parishes  of  DeSoto,  Red  River,  Winn,  Grant,  Natchitoches,  Sa- 
bine, Vernon,  Calcasieu,  Cameron,  Rapides,  Avoyelles,  Concordia,  Pointe 
Coupee,  West  Baton  Rouge,  Iberville,  St.  Landry,  Lafayette,  and  Vermilion 
shall  compose  the  third  district,  from  which  one  judge  shall  be  appointed. 

And  the  parishes  of  St.  Martin,  St.  Mary,  Terrebonne,  Lafourche,  As- 
sumption, St.  James,  Ascension,  East  Baton  Rouge,  East  Feliciana,  West 
Feliciana,  St.  Helena,  Livingston,  Tangipahoa,  St.  Tammany,  and  Washing- 
ton shall  compose  the  fourth  district,  from  which  one  judge  shall  be  appointed. 

Art.  84.  Tlie  Supreme  Court  shall  hold  its  sessions  in  the  city  of  New 
Orleans  from  the  first  Monday  in  the  month  of  November  to  the  end  of  the 
month  of  Maj-  in  each  and  every  year.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have 
power  to  fix  the  sessions  elsewhere  during  the  rest  of  the  year.  Until  other- 
wise provided,  the  sessions  shall  be  held  as  heretofore.  The}^  shall  appoint 
their  own  clerks,  and  femove  them  at  pleasure. 

Art.  85.  No  judgment  shall  be  rendered  by  the  Supreme  Court  with- 
out the  concurrence  of  three  judges.  Whenever  three  members  can  not  con- 
cur, in  consequence  of  the  recusation  of  any  member  or  members  of  the  court, 
the  judges  not  recused  shall  have  authority  to  call  upon  any  judge  or  judges  of 
the  district  courts,  whose  dut}'  it  shall  be,  when  so  called  upon,  to  sit  in  the 
place  of  the  judge  or  judges  recused,  and  to  aid  in  the  determination  of  the 
case. 

Art.  86.     All  judges,  by  virtue  of  their  office,  shall  be   conservators  of  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  289 

peace  throughout  the  State.  The  style  of  all  process  shall  be,  "The  State  of 
Louisiana."  All  prosecutions  shall  be  carried  on  in  the  name  and  by  the  au- 
thority of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  conclude:  "Against  the  peace  and  dignity 
of  the  same." 

Art.  87.  The  judges  of  all  courts,  whenever  practicable,  shall  refer  to  the 
law  by  virtue  of  whicli  every  definitive  judgement  is  rendered;  but  in  all  cases 
they  shall  adduce  the  reasons  on  which  their  judgment  is  founded. 

Art.  88.  There  shall  be  a  reporter  of  the  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
who  shall  report  in  full  all  cases  which  he  may  be  required  to  report  by  law  or 
by  the  court.  He  shall  publish  in  the  reports  the  title,  numbers,  and  head  notes 
of  all  cases  decided,  whether  reported  in  full  or  not. 

In  all  cases  reported  in  full  he  shall  make  a  brief  statement  of  the  principal 
points  presented  and  authorities  cited  by  counsel. 

He  shall  be  appointed  by  a  majority  of  the  court,  and  hold  his  office  and  be 
removable  at  their  pleasure. 

His  salary  shall  be  fixed  by  the  court,  and  shall  not  exceed  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  per  annum,  payable  monthly  on  his  own  warrant. 

Art.  80.  The  Supreme  Court,  and  each  of  the  judges  thereof,  shall  have 
power  to  issue  writs  of  habeas  corpus  at  the  instance  of  all  persons  in  actual 
custod}^  in  cases  where  it  may  have  appellate  jurisdiction. 

Art.  90.  The  Supreme  Court  shall  have  control  and  general  supervision  over 
all  inferior  courts.  They  shall  have  power  to  issue  writs  of  certiorari,  prohibi- 
tion, mandamus,  quo  warranto,  and  other  remedial  writs. 

Art.  91.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  for  appeals  from  the  district 
courts  to  the  Supreme  Court  upon  questions  of  law  alone,  when  the  party  or 
parties  aggrieved  desire  only  a  review  of  the  law. 

Art.  92.  Except  as  herein  provided,  no  duties  or  functions  shall  everbe  at- 
tached by  law  to  the  Supreme  Court,  courts  of  appeal,  or  district  courts,  or  the 
several  judges  thereof,  but  such  as  are  judicial;  and  the  said  judges  are  pro- 
hibited from  receiving  any  fees  of  office  or  other  compensation  than  their  sala- 
ries for  any  official  duties  performed  by  them.  No  judicial  powers,  except  as 
committing  magistrates  in  criminal  cases,  shall  be  conferred  on  any  officers  other 
than  those  mentioned  in  this  title,  except  such  as  may  be  necessary  in  towns  and 
cities,  and  the  judicial  powers  of  such  officers  shall  not  extend  further  than  the 
cognizance  of  cases  arising  under  the  police  regulations  of  towns  and  cities  in 
the  Slate. 

Art.  93.  The  judges  of  all  courts  shall  be  liable  to  impeachment  for  crimes 
and  misdemeanors.  For  any  reasonable  cause  the  Governor  shall  remove  any 
of  them  on  the  address  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  elected  to  each  house  of  the 
General  Assembly.     In  every  case  the  cause  or  causes  for  which   such  removal 


290  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

may  be  required  shall  be  stated  at  lengtli  in  the  address,  and  inserted  in  the 
journal  of  each  house. 

Art.  94.  There  shall  be  an  Attorney  General  for  the  State,  w.ho  shall  be 
elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  State  at  large  every  four  3'ears.  He  shall 
be  learned  in  law,  and  shall  have  actually  resided  and  practised  law  as  a  licensed 
attorney  in  the  State  five  years  next  preceding  his  election.  He  shall  receive  a 
salary  of  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  payable  moiitlily  on  his  own  war- 
rant. 

Art.  95.  The  courts  of  appeal,  except  in  cases  hereinafter  provided,  shall 
have  appellate  jurisdiction  only,  which  jurisdiction  shall  extend  to  all  cases,  civil 
or  probate,  when  the  matter  in  dispute  or  the  funds  to  be  distributed  shall  ex- 
ceed two  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest,  and  shall  not  exceed  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  exclusive  of  interest. 

Art.  96.  The  courts  of  appeal  shall  be  composed  of  two  circuit  judges, 
who  shall  be  elected  by  the  two  houses  of  the  General  Assembly  in  joint  session. 
The  first  jndges  of  the  courts  of  appeals  under  this  constitution  shall  be  elected 
for  the  following  term?  :  One  judge  for  each  court  for  the  term  of  four  years, 
and  one  judge  for  the  term  of  eight  years. 

They  shall  be  learned  in  the  law,  and  shall  have  resided  and  practised  law 
in  this  State  for  six  3'ears,  and  shall  have  been  actual  residents  of  the  circuit 
from  which  thej^  shall  be  elected  for  at  least  two  3'ears  next  preceding  tlieir  elec- 
tion. 

Art.  97.  The  State,  with  the  exception  of  the  parish  of  Orleans,  shall  be 
divided  into  five  circuits,  from  each  of  which  two  judges  shall  be  elected.  Until 
otherwise  provided  by  law,  the  parishes  of  Caddo,  Bossier,  Webster,  Bienville, 
DeSoto,  Red  River,  Claiborne,  Union,  Lincoln,  Natchitoches,  Sabine,  Jackson, 
Winn  and  Caldwell  shall  compose  the  First  Circuit. 

The  parishes  of  Ouachita,  Richland,  Morehouse,  West  Carroll,  Catahoula, 
Franklin,  Madison,  East  Carroll.  Concordia  and  Tensas  shall  compose  the 
Second  Circuit. 

The  parishes  of  Rapides,  Grant,  Avoyelles,  St.  Landry,  Vernon,  Calcasieu, 
Cameron,  Lafa3^ette,  Vermilion,  St.  Martin  and  Iberia  shall  compose  the  Third 
Circuit. 

The  parishes  of  East  Baton  Rouge,  West  Baton  Rouge,  Iberville,  East 
Feliciana,  St.  Helena,  Tangipahoa,  Livingston,  St.  Tamman3-,  Washington, 
Pointe  Coupee  and  West  Feliciana  shall  compose  the  Fourth  Circuit. 

And  the  parishes  of  St.  Mar3-,  Terrebonne,  Ascension,  Lafourche,  Assump- 
tion, Plaquemine,  St.  Bernard,  Jefferson,  St.  Charles,  St.  John  the  Baptist  and 
St.  James  shall  compose  the  Fifth  Circuit. 

Art.  98.     The  judges  of  the  courts  of  appeal,  until  otherwise  provided  by 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  291 

law,  shall  hold    two   tt-rms  annually   in    each  parish   composing  their  respective 
circuits. 

Art.   99.     Until  otherwise  jirovided  by  law,  the  terms  of  the    circuit   courts 
of  appeal  shall  be  as  follows : 

I. 

Caddo — First  Mondays  in  January  and  June. 
Bossier — Third  Mondays  in  Januar}'  and  June. 
Webster — First  Mondays  in  Februar}?  and  Juh'. 
Bienville — Second  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
Claiborne — Third  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
Union — First  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
Lincoln — Second  ]Monda3's  in  March  and  October. 
Jackson — Third  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
Caldwell — Fourth  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
Winn — First  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
Natchitoches — Second  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
Sabine — Fourth  Monda3"S  in  April  and  November. 
DeSoto — First  Mondays  in  May  and   December. 
Red  River — Third  Mondays  in  Ma}'  and  December. 


Ouachita — First  ]Monda3-s  in  January  and  June. 
Richland — Fourth  Mondays  in  January  and  June. 
Franklin — First  Mondays  in  Februar}-  and  July. 
Catahoula — Second  Monda3'S  in  February  and  July. 
Concordia — Fourth  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
Tensas — Second  Mondaj'S  in  March  and  October. 
Madison — Fourth  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
East  Carroll — Second  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
West  Carroll — Fourth  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
Morehouse — First  Mondays  in  May  and  December. 

III. 

St.  Landry — First  Mondays  in  January  and  June. 
Avoyelles — Fourth  Mondays  in  January  and  June. 
Rapides — Second  Mondays  in  February  and  Jul}'. 
Grant — Fourth  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
Vernon — First  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
Calcasieu — Second  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
Cameron — Fourth  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
Vermilion — First  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 


292  SO UTH WEST  L  O UISIANA : 

Lafayette — Second  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
Iberia — Fourth  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
St.  Martin — Second  Mondays  in  May  and  December. 

IV. 

East  Baton  Rouf^je — First  Mondays  in  Januar}'  and  June. 
West  Baton  Rouge — Fourtli  Mondays  in  January  and  June. 
Livingston — First  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
Tangipahoa — Second  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
St.  Tammany — Fourth  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 
Washington — First  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
St.  Helena — Second  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
East  Feliciana — Fourth  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 
West  Feliciana — Second  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
Pointe  Coupee — Fourth  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 
Iberville — Second  Mondays  in  May  and  December. 

V. 

St.  Mary — First  Mondays  in  Januar}'  and  June. 

Terrebonne — Third  Mondays  in  January  and  June. 

Assumption — First  Monda3S  in  February  and  July. 

Lafourche — Third  Mondays  in  February  and  July. 

St.  Charles — First  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 

Jefferson — Second  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 

St.  Bernard — Fourth  Mondays  in  March  and  October. 

Plaquemines — First  Monda3's  in  April  and  November. 

St.  John  the  Baptist — Second  Monda3's  in  April  and  November. 

St.  James — Third  Mondays  in  April  and  November. 

Ascension — Second  Mondays  in  May  and  December. 

Art.  loo.  Whenever  the  first  day  of  the  term  shall  fall  on  a  legal  holiday, 
the  court  shall  begin  its  sessions  on  the  first  legal  day  thereafter. 

Art.  loi.  Whenever  the  judges  composing  the  courts  of  appeal  shall  con- 
cur, their  judgment  shall  be  final. 

Whenever  there  shall  be  a  disagreement,  the  judgment  appealed  from  shall 
stand  affirmed. 

Art.  I02.  All  causes  on  appeal  to  the  courts  of  appeal  shall  be  tried  on 
the  original  record,  pleadings  and  evidence  in  the  district  court. 

Art.  103.  The  rules  of  practice  regulating  appeals  to  and  proceedings  in 
the  Supreme  Court,  shall  apply  to  appeals  and  proceedings  in  the  courts  of  ap- 
peal, so  far  as  they  may  be  applicable,  until  otherwise  provided  by  law. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  293 

Art.  104.  The  judges  of  the  courts  of  appeal  shall  have  power  to  issue 
writs  of  habeas  corpus  at  the  instance  of  all  persons  in  actual  custody,  within 
their  respective  circuits.  The}'  shall  also  have  authority  to  issue  writs  of  man- 
damus, prohibition  and  certiorari  in  aid  of  their  appellate  jurisdiction. 

Art.  105.  The  judges  of  the  courts  of  appeal  shall  each  receive  a  salary  of 
four  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  payable  monthly  on  their  respective  warrants. 

The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  the  trial  of  recused  cases 
in  the  courts  of  appeal. 

Art.  106.  The  sheriff  of  the  parish  in  which  sessions  of  the  court  are  held 
shall  attend  in  person  or  by  deputy  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  court. 

VI. 

Art.  107.  The  State  shall  be  divided  into  not  less  than  twenty  nor  more 
than  thirty  judicial  districts,  the  parish  of  Orleans  excepted. 

Art.  108.    Until  otherwise  provided  bylaw,  there  shall  be  twenty-six  districts. 

The  parish  of  Caddo  shall  compose  the  First  District. 

The  parishes  of  Bossier,  Webster  and  Bienville  shall  compose  the  Second 
District. 

The  parishes  of  Claiborne,  Union  and  Lincoln  shall  compose  the  Third 
District. 

The  parishes  of  Jackson,  Winn  and  Caldwell  shall  compose  the  Fourth 
District. 

The  parishes  of  Ouachita  and  Richland  shall  compose  the  Fifth  District. 

The  parishes  of  Morehouse  and  West  Carroll  shall  compose  the  Sixth 
District. 

The  parishes  of  Catahoula  and  Franklin  shall  compose  the  Seventh  District. 

The  parishes  of  Madison  and  East  Carroll  shall  compose  the  Eighth  District. 

The  parishes  of  Concordia  and  Tensas  shall  compose  the  Ninth  District. 

The  parishes  of  DeSoto  and  Red  River  shall  compose  the  Tenth  District. 

The  parishes  of  Natchitoches  and  Sabine  shall  compose  the  Eleventh  Dis- 
trict. 

The  parishes  of  Rapides,  Grant  and  Avoyelles  shall  compose  the  Twelfth 
District. 

The  parish  of  St.  Landry  shall  compose  the  Thirteenth  District. 

The  parishes  of  Vernon,  Calcasieu  and  Cameron  shall  compose  the  Four- 
teenth District. 

The  parishes  of  Pointe  Coupee  and  West  Feliciana  shall  compose  the  Fif- 
teenth District. 

The  parishes  of  East  Feliciana  and  St.  Helena  shall  compose  the  Sixteenth 
District. 

The  parish  of  East  Baton  Rouge  shall  compose  the  Seventeenth  District. 


294  SO  U7  H  JVBS7'  L  O UISIA NA  : 

The  parishes  of  Tangipal)oa,  Liviiifrston,  St.  Tammany  and  Washington 
shall  compose  the  Eighteenth  District. 

The  parishes  of  St.  Mary  and  Terrebonne  shall  compose  the  Nineteenth 
District. 

The  parishes  of  Lafourche  and  Assumption  shall  compose  the  Twentieth 
District. 

The  parishes  of  St.  Martin  and  Iberia  shall  compose  the  Twenty-first 
District. 

The  parishes  of  Ascension  and  St.  James  shall  compose  the  Twenty-second 
District. 

The  parishes  of  West  Baton  Rouge  and  Iberville  shall  compose  the  Twenty- 
third  District. 

The  parishes  of  Plaquemines  and  St.  Bernard  shall  compose  the  Twent)^- 
fourth  District. 

The  parishes  of  Lafayette  and  Vermilion  shall  compose  the  Twenty-hfth 
District. 

And  the  parishes  of  Jefferson,  St.  Charles  and  St.  John  the  Baptist  shall 
compose  the  Twenty-sixth  District. 

Art.  109.  District  courts  shall  have  original  jurisdiction  in  all  civil  matters 
where  the  amount  in  dispute  shall  exceed  fifty  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest. 

They  shall  have  unHmited  original  jurisdiction  in  all  criminal,  probate,  and 
succession  matters,  and  when  a  succession  is  a  party  defendant. 

The  district  judges  shall  be  elected  by  a  plurality  of  the  quahfied  voters 
of  their  respective  districts,  in  which  the}'  shall  have  been  actual  residents  for 
two  years  next  preceding  their  election. 

They  shall  be  learned  in  the  law,  and  shall  have  practised  law  in  the  State 
for  five  years  previous  to  their  election. 

They  shall  be  elected  for  the  term  of  four  years.  All  elections  to  fill  va- 
cancies occasioned  by  death,  resignation  or  removal  shall  be  for  the  unexpired 
term,  and  the  Governor  shall  fill  the  vacancy  until  an  election  can  be  held. 

The  judges  of  the  district  courts  shall  each  receive  a  salary  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum,  payable  monthly  on  their  respective  warrants. 

Art.  no.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  power  to  increase  the  number 
of  district  judges  in  any  district  whenever  the  public  business  may  require. 

Art.  III.  The  district  courts  shall  have  jurisdiction  of  appeals  from  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  in  all  matters  where  the  amount  in  controversy  shall  exceed 
ten  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest. 

Art.  112.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  the  trial  of  re- 
cused cases  in  the  district  courts  by  the  selection  of  licensed  attorneys  at  law, 
by  an  interchange  of  judges,  or  otherwise. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  295 

Art.  113.  Wherever  in  this  Constitution  the  qualification  of  any  justice  or 
judge  shall  be  the  previous  practice  of  the  law  for  a  term  of  years,  there  shall 
be  included  in  such  term  the  time  such  justice  or  judge  shall  have  occupied  the 
bench  of  any  court  of  record  in  this  State  ;  provided,  he  shall  have  been  a 
licensed  attorney  for  five  years  before  his  election  or  appointment. 

Art.  114.  No  judge  of  any  court  of  the  State  shall  be  affected  in  his  term 
of  office,  salary,  or  jurisdiction  as  to  territory  or  amount  during  the  term  or 
period  for  which  he  was  elected  or  appointed.  Any  legislation  so  affecting  any 
judge  or  court  shall  take  effect  only  at  the  end  of  the  term  of  office  of  the  judge 
or  judges,  incumbents  of  the  court  or  courts  to  which  such  legislation  may  appl}' 
at  the  time  of  its  enactment.  This  article  shall  not  affect  the  provisions  of  this 
Constitution  relative  to  impeachment  or  removal  from  office. 

Art.  115.  The  district  judges  shall  have  power  to  issue  writs  of  habeas 
corpus  at  the  instance  of  all  persons  in  actual  custody  in  their  respective  dis- 
tricts. 

Art.  116.  The  General  Assembl}-  at  its  first  session  under  this  Constitution 
shall  provide  b}-  general  law  for  the  selection  of  competent  and  intelligent  jurors, 
who  shall  have  capacity  to  serve  as  grand  jurors,  and  try  and  determine  both 
civil  and  criminal  cases,  and  may  provide  in  civil  cases  that  a  verdict  be  ren- 
dered by  the  concurrence  of  a  less  number  than  the  whole. 

Art.  117.  In  those  districts  composed  of  one  parish  there  shall  not  be  less 
than  six  terms  of  the  district  court  each  year. 

In  all  other  districts  there  shall  be  in  each  parish  not  less  than  four  terms  of 
the  district  court  each  year,  except  in  the  parish  of  Cameron,  in  which  there 
shall  not  be  less  than  two  terms  of  the  district  court  each  year. 

Until  provided  by  law,  the  terms  of  the  district  court  in  each  parish  shall 
be  fixed  by  a  rule  of  said  court,  which  shall  not  be  changed  without  notice  by 
publication  at  least  thirty  days  priorto  such  change. 

There  shall  be  in  each  parish  not  less  than  two  jury  terms  each  year,  at 
which  a  grand  jury  shall  be  impaneled,  except  in  the  parish  of  Cameron,  in 
which  there  shall  not  be  less  than  one  jury  term  each  year,  at  which  a  grand 
jury  shall  be  impaneled. 

At  other  than  jury  terms  the  General  Assembly  shall  provide  for  special 
juries  when  necessary  for  the  trial  of  criminal  cases. 

VII. 

Art.  118.  There  shall  be  a  sheriff  and  coroner  elected  by  the  qualified 
voters  of  each  parish  in  the  State,  e.xcept  the  parish  of  Orleans,  who  shall  be 
elected  at  the  general  elections,  and  hold  office  for  four  years. 

The  coroner  shall  act  for  and  in  place  of  the  sheriff  whenever  the  sheriff 


296  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

shall  be  a  party  interested,  and,  whenever  there  shall  be  a  vacancy  in  the  office 
of  sheriff,  until  such  vacancy  shall  be  filled ;  but  he  shall  not  during  such 
vacancy  discharge  the  duties  of  tax  collector. 

The  sheriff,  except  in  the  parish  of  Orleans,  shall  be  cx-ojfficio  collector  of 
State  and  parish  taxes. 

He  shall  give  separate  bonds  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty  in  each 
capacity.  Until  otherwise  provided,  the  bonds  shall  be  given  according  to 
existing  laws. 

The  General  Assembly,  after  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  shall  pass  a 
general  law  regulating  the  amount,  form,  condition,  and  mode  of  approval  of 
such  bonds,  so  as  to  fully  secure  the  State  and  parish,  and  all  parties  in  in- 
terest. 

Sheriffs  elected  at  the  first  election  under  this  Constitution  shall  comply 
with  the  provisions  of  such  law  within  thirty  days  after  its  pronr.ulgation,  in 
default  of  which  the  office  shall  be  declared  vacant,  and  the  Governor  shrill 
appoint  for  the  remainder  of  the  term. 

Art.  119.  Sheriffs  shall  receive  compensation  from  the  parish  for  their 
services  in  criminal  matters  (the  keeping  of  prisoners,  conveying  convicts  to  the 
Penitenriary,  insane  persons  to  the  Insane  Asj-lum,  and  service  of  process  from 
another  parish,  and  service  of  process  or  the  performance  of  any  duty  beyond 
the  limits  of  his  own  parish  excepted),  not  to  exceed  five  hundred  dollars  per 
annum  for  each  Representative  the  parish  may  have  in  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives. 

The  compensation  of  sheriffs  as  tax  collectors  shall  not  exceed  live  per 
cent,  on  the  amount  collected  and  paid  over;  provided,  that  he  shall  not  be  dis- 
charged as  tax  collector  until  he  makes  proof  that  he  has  exhausted  the  legal 
remedies  to  collect  the  taxes. 

Art.  120.  The  coroner  in  each  parish  shall  be  a  doctor  of  medicine, 
regularly  licensed  to  practise,  and  cx-officio  parish  physician ;  ^roz^/^erf,  this 
article  shall  not  apply  to  any  parish  in  which  there  is  no  regularly  licensed 
physician  who  will  accept  the  office. 

VIII. 

Art.  121.  There  shall  be  a  clerk  of  the  district  court  in  each  parish,  the 
parish  of  Orleans  excepted,  who  shall  be  ex-officio  clerk  of  the  court  of  appeal. 

He  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  parish  every  four  years, 
and  shall  be  ex-officio  parish  recorder  of  conveyances,  mortgages,  and  other 
acts,  and  notary  public. 

He  shall  receive  no  compensation  for  his  services  from  the  State  or  the 
parish  in  criminal  matters. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  297 

He  shall  give  bond  and  security  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duties, 
in  such  amount  as  shall  be  fixed  by  the  General  Assembly. 

Art.  122.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  power  to  vest  in  clerks  of 
courts  authority  to  grant  such  orders  and  to  do  such  acts  as  may  be  deemed 
necessary  for  the  furtherance  of  the  administration  of  justice;  and  in  all  cases 
powers  thus  vested  shall  be  specified  and  determined. 

Art.  123.  Clerks  of  district  courts  may  appoint,  with  the  approval  of  the 
district  judge,  deputies,  with  such  powers  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  law;  and 
the  General  Assembly  shaU  have  power  to  provide  for  continuing  one  or  more 
of  them  in  office,  in  the  event  of  death  of  clerk,  until  his  successor  shall  have 
been  appointed  and  duly  qualified. 

IX. 

Art.  124.  There  shall  be  a  district  attorney  for  each  judicial  district  in  tlie 
State,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  judicial  district.  He 
shall  receive  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  payable  monthly  on 
his  own  warrant,  and  shall  hold  his  office  for  four  years.  He  shall  be  an  actual 
resident  of  the  district,  and  a  licensed  attorney  at  law  in  this  State. 

He  shall  also  receive  fees;  but  no  fees  shall  be  allowed  in  criminal  cases, 
except  on  conviction. 

Any  vacancy  in  the  ofiice  of  district  attorney  shall  be  filled  by  appointment 
by  the  Governor  for  the  unexpired  term.  There  shall  be  no  parish  attorney  or 
district  attornej^  fro  tempore.  (This  article  shall  not  apply  to  the  parish  of 
Orleans. ) 

X. 

Art.  125.  In  each  parish,  the  parish  of  Orleans  excepted,  there  shall  be  as 
many  justices  of  the  peace  as  may  be  provided  by  law. 

The  present  number  of  justices  of  the  peace  shall  remain  as  now  fixed  until 
otherwise  provided.  They  shall  be  elected  for  the  term  of  four  years  by  the 
qualified  voters  within  the  territorial  limits  of  their  jurisdiction. 

They  shall  have  exclusive  original  jurisdiction  in  all  civil  matters  when  the 
amount  in  dispute  shall  not  exceed  fift}-  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest,  and 
original  jurisdiction  concurrent  with  the  district  court,  when  the  amount  in  dis- 
pute shall  exceed  fifty  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest,  and  shall  not  exceed  one 
hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest. 

They  shall  have  no  jurisdiction  in  succession  or  probate  matters,  or  when  a 
succession  is  a  defendant.  They  shall  receive  such  fees  or  salary  as  may  be 
fixed  by  law. 

Art.  126.  They  shall  have  criminal  jurisdiction  as  commiltmg  magistrates, 
and  shall  have  power  to  bail  or  discharge  in  cases  not  capital  or  necessarily 
punishable  at  hard  labor. 


298  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA . 

XI. 

Art.  127.  There  sliall  be  a  constable  for  the  court  of  each  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  several  parishes  of  the  State,  the  parish  of  Orleans  excepted,  who  shall 
be  elected  for  the  term  of  four  years  by  the  qualified  voters  within  the  territorial 
limits  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  several  justices  of  the  peace. 

The  compensation,  salaries,  or  fees  of  constables  and  the  amount  of  tlieir 
bonds  shall  be  fi.xed  by  the  General  Assembly. 

XII. 

Art.  128.  There  shall  be  in  the  parish  of  Orleans  a  court  of  appeals  for 
said  parish,  with  exclusive  appellate  jurisdiction  in  all  matters,  civil  or  probate, 
arising  in  said  parish,  when  the  amount  in  dispute  or  fund  to  be  distributed  ex- 
ceeds two  hundred  dollars,  interest  excluded,  and  is  less  than  one  thousand 
dollars,  exclusive  of  interest.  Said  court  shall  be  presided  over  by  two  judges, 
who  shall  be  elected  by  the  General  Assembly  in  joint  session ;  they  shall  be 
residents  and  voters  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  possessing  all  the  qualifications 
necessary  for  judges  of  circuit  courts  of  appeals  throughout  the  State.  They 
shall  each  receive  an  annual  salary  of  four  thousand'  dollars,  pa3'able  monthly 
upon  their  respective  warrants. 

Said  appeals  shall  be  upon  questions  of  law  alone  in  all  cases  involving  less 
than  five  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest,  and  upon  the  law  and  the  facts 
in  other  cases. 

It  shall  sit  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  from  the  first  Monday  of  November 
to  the  last  Monday  of  June  of  each  year. 

It  shall  have  authority  to  issue  writs  of  mandamus,  prohibition,  certiorari, 
and  habeas  corpus  in  aid  of  its  appellate  jurisdiction. 

Art.  129.  The  provisions  of  this  Constitution  relating  to  the  term  of  office, 
qunlifications  and  salary  of  the  judges  of  the  circuit  courts  of  appeal  throughout 
the  State,' and  the  manner  of  proceeding  and  determining  causes  as  applicable 
to  such  circuit  courts  of  appeals,  shall  apply  to  this  court  and  its  judges  in  so  far 
as  such  provisions  are  not  in  conflict  with  the  provisions  specially  relating  to  said 
court  and  its  judges. 

Said  court  of  appeals  shall  have  jurisdiction  over  all  causes  now  pending  on 
appeal  from  the  parish  of  Orleans  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  where 
the  amount  in  dispute  or  fund  to  be  distributed  is  less  than  one  thousand  dollars, 
exclusi\'e  of  interest,  and  the  Supreme  Court  shall  at  once  transfer  said  causes 
to  the  court  of  appeals. 

Art.  130.  For  the  parish  of  Orleans  there  shall  be  two  district  courts,  and 
no  more.  One  of  said  courts  shall  be  known  as  the  Civil  District  Court  for  the 
parish  of  Orleans,  and  the  other  as  the  Criminal  District  Court  for  the  parish  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  299 

Orleans.  The  former  shall  consist  of  not  less  than  five  judges,  and  the  latter 
not  less  than  two  judges,  having  the  qualifications  prescribed  for  district  judges 
throughout  the  State.  The  said  judges  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Governor,  by 
and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  for  the  term  of  eight  years.  The 
first  appointments  shall  be  made  as  follows:  Three  judges  of  the  Civil  District 
Court  for  four  years  and  two  for  eight  years;  one  judge  of  the  Criminal  District 
Court  for  four  years,  and  one  for  eight  years,  the  terms  to  be  designated  in  their 
commissions. 

The  said  judges  shall  receive  each  four  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  Said 
Civil  District  Court  shall  have  exclusive  and  general  probate  and  exclusive  civil 
jurisdiction  in  all  causes  where  the  amount  in  dispute  or  to  be  distributed  exceeds 
one  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest.  All  causes  filed  in  said  court  shall 
be  equally  alotted  and  assigned  among  said  judges  in  accordance  with  rules  of 
court  to  be  adopted  for  that  purpose.  In  case  of  recusation  of  any  judge  in  any 
cause,  such  cause  shall  be  reassigned  to  some  other  judge.  In  case  of  vacancy, 
there  shall  be  a  reassignment  in  accordance  with  rules  of  court.  Previous  to  re- 
assignment, or  in  case  of  absence  from  the  parish,  sickness,  or  other  disability 
of  tlie  judge  to  whom  an}'  cause  may  have  been  assigned,  any  judge  of  said 
court  may  issue  or  grant  conservatory  writs  or  orders.  In  other  respects  each 
judge  shall  have  exclusiv^e  control  over  every  cause  assigned  to  him  from  its  in- 
ception to  its  final  determination  in  said  court.  The  Criminal  District  Court 
shall  have  general  criminal  jurisdiction  only.  All  prosecutions  instituted  in  said 
court  shall  be  equally  apportioned  between  said  judges  by  lot.  Each  judge  or 
his  successor  shall  have  e.xclusive  control  over  evtny  cause  falling  to  him  from 
its  inception  to  final  determination  in  said  court.  In  case  of  vacanc}'  or  recusa- 
tion, causes  assigned  shall  be  reassigned  under  order  of  court. 

Art.  131.  The  General  Assembly  may  increase  the  number  of  judges  of 
the  Civil  District  Court,  not,  however,  to  exceed  nine  judges,  and  the  number 
of  the  criminal  judges  not  to  exceed  three. 

Art.  132.  The  Court  of  Appeals  and  Civil  and  Criminal  District  Courts 
for  the  parish  of  Orleans  shall  respectively  regulate  the  order  of  preference 
and  tiial  of  causes  pending,  and  adopt  other  rules  to  govern  the  proceedings 
therein,  not  in  conflict  with  the  provisions  of  law. 

Art.  133.  The  Civil  District  Court  for  the  parish  of  Orleans  shall  select  a 
solvent  incorporated  bank  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans  as  a  judicial  depository. 
Therein  shall  be  deposited  all  moneys,  notes,  bonds  and  securities  (except  such 
notes  or  documents  as  may  be  filed  with  suits  or  in  evidence,  which  shall  be 
kept  by  the  clerk  of  court),  so  soon  as  the  same  shall  come  into  the  hands  of 
any  sheriff  or  clerk  of  court;  such  deposits  shall  be  removable,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  only  upon  order  of  court.  The  officer  making  such  deposits  shall  make 
immediate  and  written  return  to  the  court  of  the  date  and  particulars  thereof,  to 


300  SOUTHWEST  L OUISIANA : 

be  filed  in  the  cause  in  which  the  matter  is  pending,  under  penaUies  to  be  pre- 
scribed by  law. 

Art.  134.  There  shall  be  a  district  attorney  for  the  parish  of  Orleans,  who 
shall  possess  the  same  qualifications  and  be  elected  in  the  same  manner  and  for 
the  same  period  of  time  as  the  district  attorneys  for  other  parishes,  as  provided 
by  tliis  Constitution. 

He  shall  receive  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  such  fees 
as  may  be  allowed  by  law;  but  no  fee  shall  be  allowed  in  criminal  cases,  except 
on   conviction. 

He  may  appoint  an  assistant,  at  a  salary  not  to  exceed  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars per  annum. 

Art.  135.  There  shall  be  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  three  city  courts, 
one  of  which  shall  be  located  in  that  portion  of  the  city  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  presided  over  by  judges  having  all  the  qualifications  required 
for  a  district  judge,  and  shall  be  elected  b}'  the  qualified  voters  of  the  parish  for 
the  term  of  four  years.  They  shall  have  exclusive  and  final  jurisdiction  over 
all  sums  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest.  The  Gen- 
eral Assembly  shall  regulate  the  salaries,  territorial  division  of  jurisdiction,  the 
manner  of  executing  their  process,  the  fee  bills,  and  proceedings  which  shall 
govern  them.  They  shall  have  authority  to  execute  commissions,  to  take  testi- 
monj',  and  receive  therefor  such  fees  as  may  be  allowed  by  law. 

The  General  Assembly  may  increase  the  number  of  city  courts  for  said 
parish,  not  to  exceed  eight  in  all.  Until  otherwise  provided  by  law,  each  of  the 
said  courts  shall  have  one  clerk,  to  be  elected  for  the  term  of  four  years  by  the 
qualified  voters  of  the  parish,  who  shall  receive  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  dol- 
lars per  annum,  and  no  more,  and  whose  qualifications,  bonds,  and  duties  shall 
be  regulated  by  law. 

Art.  136.  The  General  Assembly  may  provide  for  police  or  magistrate's 
courts;  but  such  courts  shall  not  be  vested  with  jurisdiction  beyond  the  enforce- 
ment of  municipal  ordinances  or  as  committing  magistrates. 

Art.  137.  There  shall  be  one  clerk  for  the  Civil  District  Court,  and  one 
for  the  Criminal  District  Court,  of  the  parish  of  Orleans.  The  former  shall  be 
ex-ojicio  clerk  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  said  parish.  Said  clerks  shall  be 
removable  in  the  manner  provided  for  the  removal  of  the  sheriffs  of  said  parish. 
The  clerk  of  said  Civil  District  Court  shall  receive  an  annual  salary  of  three 
thousand  six  hundred  dollars,  and  no  more;  and  the  clerk  of  the  Criminal  Court 
an  annual  salary'  of  three  thousand  dollars,  and  no  more,  both  paN-able  quarterl}' 
on  their  warrants.  They  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  parish 
for  the  term  of  four  years. 

The  amount  and  character  of  the  bonds  and  qualification  of  the  sureties  to 
be  furnished  by  said  clerks  shall  be  prescribed  by  law. 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL.  301 

Art.  138.  The  Court  of  Appeals  and  each  judge  of  the  Civil  and  Criminal 
District  Courts  of  the  parish  of  Orleans  shall  appoint  a  minute  clerk,  at  an 
annual  salary  of  not  more  than  eighteen  hundred  dollars,  whose  duties  shall 
be  regulated  bv  law.  Each  clerk  of  court  shall  appoint,  by  and  with  the  consent 
of  the  district  court  of  which  he  is  clerk,  such  deputies  as  may  be  necessary  to 
perform  efficiently  the  duties  of  said  office,  at  salaries  to  be  fixed  by  law.  He 
shall  be  responsible  for  the  said  deputies,  and  may  require  from  each  such 
security  as  he  may  deem  sufficient  to  secure  himself;  and  said  deputies  shall  be 
removable  at  his  pleasure. 

Art.  139.  There  shall  be  a  civil  and  criminal  sheriff  for  the  parish  of 
Orleans.  The  civil  sheriff  shall  be  the  executive  officer  of  all  the  civil  courts, 
except  city  courts,  and  the  criminal  sheriff  shall  be  the  executive  officer  of  the 
Criminal  District  Court. 

They  shall  attend  the  sittings,  execute  the  writs  and  mandates  of  their 
respective  courts.  They  shall  be  elected  by  the  voters  of  the  parish  of  Orleans 
every  four  years.  They  shall  be  citizens  of  the  State,  residents  and  voters  of 
the  city  of  New  Orleans,  at  least  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  shall  be  removable, 
each  by  the  district  court  of  which  he  is  the  executive  officer,  upon  proof,  after 
trial  without  jury,  of  gross  or  continued  neglect,  incompetency,  or  unlawful 
conduct,  operating  injury  to  the  court  or  any  individual.  The  two  district  courts 
for  the  parish  of  Orleans  shall  immediatelly  upon  organization  under  this  Con- 
stitution, in  joint  session,  adopt  rules  governing  the  lodging  of  complaints  against 
and  trials  of  such  officers;  and  such  rules  once  adopted  shall  not  be  changed, 
except  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  all  the  judges  composing  the  said  courts. 

Art.  140.  The  civil  sheriff  of  the  parish  of  Orleans  shall  receive  such  fees 
as  the  General  Assembly  may  fix.  He  shall  render  monthly  accounts,  giving 
amounts  and  dates,  number  and  title  of  causes  wherein  received  or  paid  out,  of 
all  sums  collected  and  disbursed  by  him,  which  shall  be  filed  in  the  Civil 
District  Court  of  said  parish,  and  form  a  part  of  its  public  records. 

He  shall  be  responsible  to  the  State  for  all  profits  of  said  office  over  ten 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  shall  settle  with  the  State  at  least  once  a  year 
in  such  manner  as  the  General  Assembly  may  provide. 

The  criminal  sheriff  shall  receive  an  annual  salary  of  thirty-six  hundred 
dollars,  and  no  more.  He  shall  receive  no  other  compensation.  He  shall 
charge  and  collect  for  the  State  from  parties  convicted  such  fees  and  charges 
as  may  be  fixed  by  law,  and  shall  render  monthly  accounts  of  the  same. 

Art.  141.  Said  slieriffs  shall  appoint,  each  with  the  consent  and  approval 
of  the  district  court  which  he  serves,  such  a  number  of  deputies  as  the  said 
court  may  find  necessary  for  the  proper  expedition  of  the  public  business,  at 
such  salaries  as  may  be  fixed  by  law.  Each  sheriff  shall  be  responsible  for  his 
deputies,  may  remove  them  at  pleasure,  and  fill  vacancies  with  the  approval  of  the 
20 


302  SOUTHIVEST  LOUISIAX. I  ; 

court,  and  ma}'  exact  from  all  deputies  security  in  such  matiner  and  amount  as 
such  sheriff  may  deem  necessarx'. 

Art.  142.  The  civil  sheriff  for  said  parish  shall  execute  a  bond,  with  sure- 
ties, residents  of  said  parish,  conditioned  for  the  lawful  and  faithful  perform- 
ance of  the  duties  of  his  office,  in  the  sum  of  $50,000.  The  sureties  shall  be 
examined  in  open  court  by  the  judges  of  the  Civil  District  Court  for  the  parish 
of  Orleans,  and  the  questions  and  ansu'ers  shall  be  reduced  to  writing  and  form 
a  portion  of  the  records  of  said  court. 

A  similar  bond  shall  be  executed  by  the  criminal  sheriff  of  said  parish  in 
the  sum  of  $10,000,  vvith  sureties  to  be  examined  and  approved  as  to  solvency 
by  the  Criminal  District  Court  of  said  parish,  as  herein  directed  for  the  Civil 
District  Court  of  said  parish  in  the  case  of  the  civil  sheriff. 

Art.  143.  There  shall  be  one  constable  for  each  city^  court  of  the  parish 
of  Orleans,  who  shall  be  the  executive  officer  of  such  court.  He  shall  be  elected 
by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  parish  of  Orleans  for  the  term  of  four  years.  The 
General  Assembly  shall  define  his  qualifications  and  fix  his  compensation  and 
duties,  and  shall  assimilate  the  same  so  far  as  practicable  to  the  provisions  of 
this  Constitution  relating  to  the  civil  sheriff  of  said  parish.  The  judges  of  the 
city  courts  shall  sit  en  banc  to  examine  such  bonds,  try  and  remove  constables, 
and  adopt  rules  regulating  such  trial  and  removal.  They  shall,  in  such  pro- 
ceedings, be  governed  so  far  as  practicable  by  the  provisions  of  this  Constitution 
regulating  the  proceedings  of  the  district  courts  of  the  parish  of  Orleans,  in  the 
case  of  the  sheriffs  of  said  parish. 

Art.  144.  There  shall  be  a  register  of  conveyances  and  a  recorder  of 
mortgages  for  the  parish  of  Orleans,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified 
voters  of  said  parish  every  four  years.  The  register  of  conveyances  shall 
receive  an  annual  salary  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  and  no  more,  and 
said  recorder  of  mortgages  an  annual  salary  of  four  thousand  dollars,  and 
no  more.  The  General  Assembly  shall  regulate  the  qualifications  and  duties 
of  said  officers  and  the  number  of  employes  they  shall  appoint,  and  fix  the 
salaries  of  such  employes,  not  to  exceed  eighteen    hundred  dollars  for  each. 

Art.  145.  The  General  Assembly,  at  its  first  session  after  the  adoption  of 
this  Constitution,  shall  enact  a  fee-bill  for  the  clerks  of  the  various  courts, 
including  the  city  courts,  sitting  in  New  Orleans,  and  for  the  civil  and  crimi- 
nal sheriffs,  constables,  register  of  conveyances,  and  recorder  of  mortgages 
of  said  parish.  In  the  same  act  provision  shall  be  made  for  a  system  of 
stamps  or  stamped  paper  for  the  collection  by  the  State,  and  not  by  said 
officers,  of  such  fees  and  charges,  so  far  as  clerks  of  courts,  register  of 
conve3'ances,  and  recorder  of  mortgages  are  concerned. 

Art.   146.     All   fees  and  charges  fixed  by  law  for  the  various  courts  of  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  303 

parish  of  Orleans,  and  for  the  register  of  convej'ances  and  recorder  of  mort- 
gages of  said  parish,  shall  enure  to  the  State,  and  all  sums  realized  there- 
from shall  be  set  aside  and  held  as  a  special  fund,  out  of  which  shall  be 
paid  by  preference  the  judicial  expenses  of  the  parish  of  Orleans;  -provided, 
that  the  State  shall  never  make  any  payment  to  any  sheriff,  clerk,  register 
of  conveyances,  or  recorder  of  mortgages  of  the  parish  of  Orleans,  or  anv 
of  their  deputies,  for  salary  or  other  expenses  of  their  respective  offices, 
except  from  the  special  fund  provided  for  by  this  article;  and  any  appro- 
priation  made   contrar}-  to  this  provision  shall  be  null  and   void. 

Art.  147.  There  shall  be  one  coroner  for  the  parish  of  Orleans,  who  shall 
be  elected  every  four  years  by  the  qualified  electors  of  said  parish,  and  whose 
duties  shall  be  regulated  by  law.  He  shall  be  ex-officio  city  physician  of  the  city 
of  New  Orleans,  and  receive  an  annual  salary  of  $5000,  and  no  more.  He 
shall  be  a  practising  physician  of  said  city,  and  a  graduate  of  the  medical  de- 
partment of  some  university  of  respectable  standing.  He  may  appoint  an 
assistant  having  the  same  qualifications  as  himself,  at  an  annual  salary  not  ex- 
ceeding $3000.  The  salaries  of  both  coroner  and  assistant  to  be  paid  by  the 
parish  of  Orleans. 

The  maintenance  and  support  of  prisoners  confined  in  the  parish  of  Orleans, 
upon  charges  or  conviction  for  criminal  offences,  shall  be  under  the  gontrol  of 
the  city  of  New  Orleans.  , 

Art.  148.  No  person  shall  hold  any  office,  State,  parochial,  or  municipal, 
or  shall  be  permitted  to  vote  at  any  election,  or  act  as  a  juror,  who,  in  due  course 
of  law,  shall  have  been  convicted  of  treason,  perjury,  forgery,  bribery,  or  other 
crime  punishable  by  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary,  or  who  shall  be  under 
interdiction. 

Art.  149.  Members  of  the  General  Assembly  and  all  officers,  before 
they  enter  upon  the  duties  of  their  offices,  shall  take  the  following  oath  or 
affirmation: 

"I  (A  B)  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  support  the  Constitu- 
tion and  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  this  State; 
and  that  I  will  faithfully  and  impartially  discharge  and  perform  the  duties  in- 
cumbent on  me  as according  to  the  best  of  my  ability  and  understanding. 

So  help  me   God." 

Art.  150.  The  seat  of  government  shall  be  and  remain  at  the  cit}'  of  Baton 
Rouge. 

The  General  Assembly,  at  its  first  session  after  the  adoption  of  this  Consti- 
tution, shall  make  the  necessary  appropriations  for  the  repair  of  the  State  House, 
and  for  the  transfer  of  the  archives  of  the  State  to  Baton  Rouge;  and  the  city 
council  of  Baton  Rouge  is  hereby  authorized  to  issue  certificates  of  indebtedness, 


304  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA. 

in  such  manner  and  form  as  to  cover  the  subscription  of  $35,000  tendered  by 
the  citizens  and  the  city  council  of  said  city  to  aid  in  repairing  the  Capitol  in 
said  city;  provided,  the  city  of  Baton  Rouge  shall  pay  into  the  State  treasury 
said  amount  of  $35,000  before  the  contract  for  the  repair  of  the  State  House  be 
finally  closed. 

Art.  151.  Treason  :\gainst  the  State  sliall  consist  only  in  levjing  war 
against  it,  or  adhering  to  its  enemies,  giving  them  aid  and  comfort.  No  person 
shall  be  convicted  of  treason,  except  on  tht^  testimony  of  two  witnesses  to  the 
same  overt  act,   or  on  his  confession  in  open   court. 

Art.  152.  All  civil  officers  shall  be  removable  by  an  address  of  two-thirds 
of  the  members  elected  to  each  house  of  the  General  Assembly,  except  those 
whose  removal  is  otherwise  provided  for  bj'  this  Constitution. 

Art.  153.  No  member  of  Congress  or  person  holding  or  exercising  any 
office  of  trust  or  profit  under  the  United  States  or  either  of  them,  or  under  any 
foreign  power,  shall  be  eligible  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly,  or  hold 
or  exercise  any  office  of  trust  or  profit  under  the  State. 

Art.  154.  The  laws,  public  records,  and  judicial  and  legislative  written 
proceedings  of  the  State  shall  be  promulgated,  preserved,  and  conducted  in  the 
English  language;  but  the  General  Assembly  may  provide  for  the  publication  of 
the  laws  in  the  French  language,  and  prescribe  that  judicial  advertisements  in 
certain  designated  cities  and  parishes  shall  also  be  made  in  that  language. 

Art.  155.  No  ex  post  facto  law,  or  anj'  law  impairing  the  obligations  of 
contracts,  shall  be  passed,  or  vested  rights  be  divested,  unless  for  purposes  of 
public  utility  and  for  adequate  compensation  previously  made. 

Art.  156.  Private  property  shall  not  be  taken  or  damaged  for  public  pur- 
poses without  just  and  adequate  compensation  being  first  paid. 

Art.  157.  No  power  of  suspending  the  laws  of  this  State  shall  be  exer- 
cised, unless  by  the  General  Assembly  or  its  authority. 

Art.  158.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  change  of  venue 
in  civil  and  criminal  cases. 

Art.  159.  No  person  shall  hold  or  exercise,  at  the  same  time,  more  than 
one  office  of  trust  or  profit,  except  that  of  justice  of  the  peace  or  notary  public. 

Art.  160.  Tlie  General  Assembly  may  determine  the  mode  of  filling  vacan- 
cies in  all  offices  for  which  provision  is  not  made  in  this  Constitution. 

Art.  161.  All  officers  shall  continue  to  discharge  the  duties  of  their  offices 
until  their  successors  shall  have  been  inducted  into  office,  except  in  cases  of  im- 
'peachment  or  suspension. 

Art.  162.      The  militaiy  shall  be  in  subordination  to  the  civil  power,  and  no 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  305 

soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace,   be  quartered  in  any  house  without   the    consent 
of  the  owner. 

Art.  163.  The  General  Assembly  shall  make  it  obligatory  upon  each  parish 
to  support  all  infirm,  sick,  and  disabled  paupers  residing  within  its  limits  :  -pro- 
vided, that  in  ever}'  municipal  corporation  in  a  parish  where  the  powers  of  the 
police  jury  do  not  extend,  the  said  corporation  shall  support  its  own  infirm,  sick, 
and  disabled  paupers. 

Art.  164.  No  soldier,  sailor,  or  marine  in  the  military  or  naval  service  of 
the  United  States  shall  hereafter  acquire  a  domicile  in  this  State  by  reason  of 
being  stationed  or  doing  duty  in  the  same. 

Art.  165.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  General  Assembl}'  to  pass  such  laws 
as  may  be  proper  and  necessary  to  decide  differences  by  arbitration. 

Art.  166.  The  power  of  courts  to  punish  for  contempt  shall  be  limited 
by  law. 

Art.  167.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  authority  to  grant  lottery 
charters  or  privileges ;  provided,  each  charter  or  privilege  shall  pay  not  less  than 
forty  thousand  dollars  per  annum  in  money  into  the  treasury  of  the  State  ;  and 
provided,  further,  that  all  charters  shall  cease  and  e.xpire  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1895,  from  which  time  all  lotteries  are  prohibited  in  the  State. 

The  forty  thousand  dollars  per  annum  now  provided  by  law  to  be  paid  by 
the  Louisiana  State  Lotter}'  Compan}-,  according  to  the  provisions  of  its  charter, 
granted  in  the  year  1868,  shall  belong  to  the  Charity  Hospital  of  New  Orleans, 
and  the  charter  of  said  company  is  recognized  as  a  contract  binding  on  the 
State  for  the  period  therein  specified,  except  its  monopoly  clause,  which  is 
hereby  abrogated,  and  all  laws  contrary  to  the  provisions  of  this  article  are 
liereby  declared  null  and  void ;  -provided,  said  company  shall  file  a  written  re- 
nunciation of  all  its  monopolv  features  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State 
within  sixt}'  days  after  the  ratification  of  this  Constitution. 

Of  the  additional  sums  raised  by  licenses  on  lotteries,  the  hospital  at 
Shreveport  shall  received  ten  thousand  dollars  annually,  and  the  remaining  sum 
shall  be  divided  each  year  among  the  several  parishes  in  the  State  for  the  benefit 
of  their  schools. 

Art.  168.  In  all  proceedings  or  indictments  for  libel,  the  tru  h  thereof 
may  be  given  in  evidence.  The  jur}'  in  all  criminal  cases  shall  be  judges  of  the 
law  and  of  the  facts  on  the  question  of  guilt  or  innocence,  having  been  charged 
as  to  the  law  applicable  to  the  case  by  the  presiding  judge. 

Art.  169.  No  officer  whose  salary  is  fixed  by  the  Constitution  shall  be 
allowed  any  fees  or  perquisites  of  office,  except  where  otherwise  provided  for 
by  this  Constitution. 

Art.  170.     The  regulation    of  the  sale   of  alcoholic  or  spirituous  liquors  is 


306  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  . 

declared  a  police  regulation,  and  the  General  Assembly  may  enact  laws  regu- 
lating their  sale  and  use. 

Art.  171.  No  person  who,  at  any  time,  ma}'  have  been  a  collector  of  taxes, 
whether  State,  parish,  or  municipal,  or  who  may  have  been  otherwise  intrusted 
with  public  money,  or  any  portion  thereof,  shall  be  eligible  to  the  General 
Assembly  or  to  any  office  of  honor,  profit,  or  trust  under  the  State  Government, 
or  any  parish  or  municipality  thereof,  until  he  shall  have  obtained  a  discharge 
for  the  amount  of  such  collections  and  for  all  public  moneys  with  which  he  may 
have  been  intrusted. 

Art.  172.  Gambling  is  declared  to  be  a  vice,  and  the  General  Assembly 
shall  enact  laws  for  its  suppression. 

Art.  173.  Any  person  who  shall  directly  or  indirectly  offer  or  give  any 
sum  or  sums  of  money,  I  ribe,  present,  reward,  promise,  or  any  other  thing,  to 
any  officer.  State,  parochial,  or  municipal,  or  to  any  member  or  officer  of  the 
General  Assembly,  with  the  intent  to  induce  or  influence  such  officer  or  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  to  appoint  any  person  to  office,  to  vote,  or  exercise 
any  power  in  him  vested,  or  to  perform  any  duty  of  him  required,  with  partial- 
ity or  favor,  the  person  giving  or  offering  to  give,  and  the  officer  or  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  so  receiving,  any  money,  bribe,  present,  reward,  prom- 
ise, contract,  obligation,  or  security,  with  the  intent  or  for  the  purpose  or  con- 
sideration aforesaid,  shall  be  guilty  of  bribery,  and  on  being  found  guilty 
thereof  by  any  court  of  competent  jurisdiction,  or  by  either  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  which  he  may  be  a  member  or  officer,  shall  be  forever  disqualified 
from  holding  any  office,  State,  parochial,  or  municipal,  and  shall  be  forever 
ineligible  to  a  seat  in  the  General  Assembly;  provided,  that  this  shall  not  be  so 
construed  as  to  prevent  the  General  Assembly  from  enacting  additional  penalties 

Art.  174.  Any  person  may  be  compelled  to  testify  in  any  lawful  proceed 
ing  against  any  one  who  may  be  charged  with  having  committed  the  offence  of 
bribery,  and  shall  not  be  permitted  to  withhold  his  testimony  upon  the  ground 
that  it  may  criminate  him  or  subject  him  to  public  infamy;  but  such  testimony 
shall  not  afterward  be  used  against  him  in  any  judicial  proceedings,  except  for 
perjury  in  giving  such  testimony. 

Art.  175.  The  General  Assembly  shall,  at  its  first  session,  pass  laws  to 
protect  laborers  on  buildings,  streets,  roads,  railroads,  canals,  and  other  similar 
works,  against  the  failure  of  contractors  and  sub-contractors  to  pay  their  cur- 
rent wages  when  due,  and  to  make  the  corporation,  company,  or  individual  for 
whose  benefit  the  work  is  done  responsible  for  their  ultimate  payment. 

Art.  176.  No  mortgage  or  privilege  on  immovable  property  shall  affect 
third  persons,  unless  recorded  or  registered  in  the  parish  where  the  property  is 
situated,  in  the  manner  and  within  the  time  as  is  now  or  may  be  prescribed  by  1 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  307 

law,  except  privileges  for  expenses  of  last  illness  and  privileges  for  taxes,    State 
parish,  or  municipal;  -provided,  such  privileges  shall  lapse  in  three  years. 

Art.  177.  Privileges  on  movable  property  shall  exist  without  registration 
for  the  same,  except  in  such  cases  as  the  General  Assembly  may  prescribe  by 
law  after  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution. 

Art.  178.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  for  the  interest  of  State 
medicine  in  all  its  departments,  for  the  protection  of  the  people  from  unquali- 
fied practitioners  of  medicine;  for  protecting  confidential  communications  made 
to  medical  men  by  their  patients  while  under  professional  treatment,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  such  treatment;  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a  State 
Board  of  Health. 

Art.  179.  The  General  Assembly  shall  create  a  Bureau  of  Agriculture, 
define  its  objects,  designate  its  offices,  and  fix  their  salaries,  at  such  time  as  the 
financial  condition  of  the  State  may  warrant  them,  in  their  judgment,  in  making 
such  expenditures  ;  provided,  that  such  expenditures  never  exceed  ten  thousand 
dollars  per  annum.  , 

*      * 

Art.  180.  The  New  Basin  Canal  and  Shell  Road  and  their  appurtenances 
shall  not  be  leased  nor  alienated. 

The  General  Assembly,  at  its  first  session  after  the  ratification  of  this  Con- 
stitution, shall  provide  by  law  for  a  superintendent,  to  be  appointed  by  the 
Governor,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  captains  and  owners  of  vessels 
plying  in,  and  of  merchants  doing  business  on,  said  canal,  to  manage  the  same; 
and  shall  enact  laws  for  the  regulation,  maintenance,  and  management  of  said 
canal  and  shell  road ;  provided,  dues  shall  not  exceed  ten  cents  per  ton  on  the 
measurement  tonnage  of  all  vessels  entering  therein.  The  depth  of  water  in  the 
canal  basin  and  on  the  bar  at  the  mouth,  shall  be  kept  at  the  depth  of  at  least 
eight  feet;  provided,  that  all  expenses  of  improving  and  maintaining  said  canal, 
shell  road,  and  appurtenances,  including  the  wages  and  salaries  of  employes, 
shall  be  paid  out  of  the  revenues  thereof,  and  not  otherwise. 

»      * 

Art.  181.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  authority  to  provide  by  law 
how  the  militia  of  this  State  shall  be  organized,  officered,  trained,  armed,  and 
equipped,  and  of  whom  it  shall  consist. 

Art.'  182.  The  officers  and  men  of  the  militia  and  volunteer  forces  shall 
receive  no  pay,  rations,  or  emoluments  when  not  in  active  service  b}'  authority 
of  the  State. 

Art.  183.  The  General  Assembly  may  exempt  from  military  service  those 
who  belong  to  religious  societies  whose  tenets  forbid  them  to  bear  arms ; 
provided,  a  money  equivalent  for  these  services  shall  be  exacted.     The  Gov- 


308  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

ernor  shall  have  power  to  call  the  militia  into  active  service  for  the  preservation 
of  law  and  order,  and  when  the  public  service  may  require  it;  provided,  that 
the  police  force  of  any  city,  town,  or  parish  shall  not  be  organized  or  used  as  a 
part  of  the  State  militia. 

Art.  184.  In  all  elections  by  the  people  the  electors  shall  vote  by  ballot; 
and  in  all  elections  by  persons  in  a  representative  capacity  the  vote  shall  be 
vi'z'a  voce. 

An.  185.  Every  male  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  every  male  person 
of  foreign  birth  who  Jias  been  naturalized,  or  who  may  have  legally  declared  his 
intention  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  before  he  offers  to  vote,  who 
is  twenty-one  years  old  or  upward,  possessing  the  following  qualifications,  shall 
be  an  elector,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  any  election  by  the  people,  except 
as  hereinafter  provided: 

1.  He  shall  be  an  actual  resident  of  the  State  at  least  one  year  next  pre- 
ceding the  election  at  which  he  offers  to  vote. 

2.  He  shall  be  an  actual  resident  of  the  parisli  in  which  he  offers  to  vote 
at  least  six  months  next  preceding  the  election. 

3.  He  shall  be  an  actual  resident  of  the  ward  or  precinct  in  which  he  offers 
to  vote  at  least  thirty  days  next  preceding  the  election. 

Art.  186.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  the  proper 
enforcement  of  the  provisions  of  the  foregoing  article  ;  provided,  that  in  the 
parish  of  Orleans  there  shall  be  a  supervisor  of  registration,  who  shall  be 
appointed  by  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
whose  term  of  office  shall  be  for  the  period  of  four  years,  and  whose  salary, 
qualifications  and  duties  shall  be  prescribed  by  law.  And  the  General  Assembly 
may  provide  for  the  registration  of  voters  in  the  other  parishes. 

Art.  187.  The  following  persons  shall  not  be  permitted  to  register,  vote  or 
hold  an)'  office  or  appointment  of  honor,  profit  or  trust  in  this  State,  to-wit: 

Those  who  shall  have  been  convicted  of  treason,  embezzlement  of  public 
funds,  malfeasance  in  office.,  larceny,  briberj%  illegal  voting,  or  other  crime  punish- 
able by  hard  labor  or  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary,  idiots  and  insane  persons. 

Art.  188.  No  qualification  of  any  kind  for  suffrage  or  office,  nor  any 
restraint  upon  the  same  on  account  of  race,  color  or  previous  condition;  shall  be 
made  by  law. 

Art.  189.  Electors  shall,  in  all  cases  except  for  treason,  felon}',  or  breach  of 
the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their  attendance  on  elections  and  in 
going  to  and  returning  from  the  same. 

Art.  190.     The  General  Assembly  shall  by  law  forbid  the  giving  or  selling 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  309 

of  intoxicating  drinks,  on  the  day  of  election,  within  one  mile  of  precincts,  at  any 
election  held  within  this  State. 

Art.  191.  Until  otherwise  provided  by  law,  the  general  State  election  shall 
be  held  once  every  four  years,  on  the  Tuesday  next  following  the  third  Monday 
in  April. 

Presidential  electors  and  members  of  Congress  shall  be  chosen  or  elected  ia 
the  manner  and  at  the  time  prescribed  by  law. 

Art.  192.  Parochial  and  the  municipal  elections  in  the  cities  of  New 
Orleans  and  Shreveport  shall  be  held  on  the  same  day  as  the  general  State 
election,  and  not  oftener  than  once  in  four  years. 

Art.  193.  For  the  purpose  of  voting,  no  person  shall  be  deemed  to  have 
gained  a  residence  by  reason  of  his  presence,  or  lost  it  by  reason  of  his  absence, 
while  employed  in  the  service,  either  civil  or  militarj^  of  this  State  or  of  the 
United  States,  nor  while  engaged  in  the  navigation  of  the  waters  of  the  State  or 
the  United  States,  or  of  the  high  seas,  nor  while  a  student  of  any  institution  of 
learning. 

Art.  194.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  the  trial  and 
determination  of  contested  elections  of  all  public  officers,  whether  State,  judicial, 
parochial  or  municipal. 

Art.  195.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  any  office,  State,  judicial,  parochial, 
municipal  or  ward,  who  is  not  a  citizen  of  this  State  and  a  duly  qualified  elector 
of  the  State,  judicial  district,  parish,  municipality  or  ward  wherein  the  functions 
of  said  office  are  to  be  exercised.  And  whenever  any  officer,  State,  judicial, 
parochial,  municipal  or  ward,  may  change  his  residence  from  this  State  or  from 
the  district,  parish,  municipality  or  ward  in  which  he  holds  such  office,  the  same 
shall  thereby  be  vacated,  any  declaration  of  retention  of  domicile  to  the  contrary 

notwithstanding.  , 

*     » 

Art.  196.  The  Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  Audi- 
tor, Treasurer,  Attorney  General,  Superintendent  of  Public  Education,  and  the 
judges  of  all  the  courts  of  record  in  this  State,  shall  be  liable  to  impeachment 
for  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  for  non-feasance  or  malfeasance  in  office, 
for  incompetency,  for  corruption,  favoritism,  extortion,  or  oppression  in  office, 
or  for  gross  misconduct  or  habitual  drunkenness. 

Art.  197.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  have  the  sole  power  of 
impeachment.  All  impeachments  shall  be  tried  by  the  Senate;  when  sitting  for 
that  purpose  the  Senators  shall  be  upon  oath  or  affirmation,  and  no  person  shall 
be  convicted  without  the  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  the  Senators  present. 
When  the  Governor  of  the  State  is  on  trial,  the  Chief  Justice  or  the  Senior  Asso- 
ciate Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  shall  preside. 


310  SOUTHWEST  LOLISIANA : 

Judgment  in  cases  of  impeachment  shall  extend  only  to  removal  from  office, 
and  disqualification  from  holding  any  office  of  honor,  trust,  or  profit  under  the 
State;  but  the  party,  whether  convicted  or  acquitted,  shall,  nevertheless,  be 
liable  to  prosecution,  trial,  and  punishment,  according  to  law. 

Art.  198.  All  officers  against  whom  articles  of  impeachment  may  be  pre- 
ferred shall  be  suspended  from  the  exercise  of  the  functions  of  their  office  dur- 
ing the  pendencj'  of  such  impeachment,  and,  except  in  case  of  the  impeachment 
of  the  Governor,  the  appointing  power  shall  make  a  provisional  appointment  to 
replace  any  suspended  officer  until  the  decision  of  the  impeachment. 

Art.  199.  For  any  reasonable  cause  the  Governor  shall  remove  any  officer 
on  the  address  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  elected  to  each  house  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  In  every  such  case,  the  cause  or  causes  for  which  such  removal 
may  be  required  shall  be  stated  at  length  in  the  address,  and  inserted  in  the 
journal  of  each  house. 

Art.  200.  For  any  of  the  causes  specified  in  Article  196,  judges  of  the 
courts  of  appeal,  of  the  district  courts  throughout  the  State,  and  of  the  citj-  courts 
of  the  parish  of  Orleans  may  be  removed  from  office  by  judgment  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  this  State  in  a  suit  instituted  by  the  Attorney  General  or  a  district  attor- 
ney in  the  name  of  the  State,  on  his  relation.  The  Supreme  Court  is  hereby 
vested  with  original  jurisdiction  to  try  such  causes;  and  it  is  hereby  made  the 
duty  of  the  Attorne}'  General  or  of  any  district  attorney  to  institute  such  suit  on 
the  written  request  and  information  of  fifty  citizens  and  tax  payers  residing 
within  the  territorial  limits  of  the  district  or  circuit  over  which  the  judge  against 
whom  the  suit  is  brought  exercises  the  functions  of  his  office.  Such  suits  shall 
be  tried,  after  citation  and  ten  days'  delay  for  answering,  in  preference  to  all 
other  suits,  and  wherever  the  court  may  be  sitting;  but  tlie  pendency  of  such 
suit  shall  not  operate  a  suspension  from  office.  In  all  cases  where  the  officer 
sued,  as  above  directed,  shall  be  acquitted,  judgment  shall  be  rendered  jointly 
and  /;/  solido  against  the  citizens  signing  the  request  for  all  costs  of  the  suit. 

Art.  201.  For  any  of  the  causes  enumerated  in  Article  196,  district  attor- 
neys, clerks  of  court,  sheriffs,  coroners,  recorders,  justices  of  the  peace,  and  all 
other  parish,  municipal,  and  ward  officers,  shall  be  removed  by  judgment  of  the 
district  court  of  the  domicile  of  such  officer  (in  the  parish  of  Orleans  the  Civil 
District  Court) ;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  district  attorney,  except  when 
the  suit  is  to  be  brought  against  himself,  to  institute  suit  in  the  manner  directed 
in  Article  200,  on  the  written  request  and  information  of  twent\-five  lesident  cit- 
izens and  tax  payers  in  the  case  of  ward  officers.  Such  suit  shall  be  brought 
against  a  district  attorney  by  the  district  attorney  of  an  adjoining  district,  or  by 
counsel  appointed  by  the  judge  for  that  purpose.  In  all  such  cases  the  defend- 
ant, the  State,  and  the  citizens  and  tax  payers  on  whose  information  and  at  whose 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  311 

request  such  suit  was  brought,  or  anyone  of  them,  shall  have  the  right  to  ap- 
peal both  on  the  law  and  the  facts  from  the  judgment  of  the  court.  In  all  cases 
where  the  officer  sued,  as  above  directed,  shall  be  acquitted,  judgment  shall  be 
rendered  jointly  and  in  solido  against  the  citizens  signing  the  request  for  all  costs 
of  the   suit. 

In  cases  against  district  attorneys,  clerks,  sheriffs,  and  recorders,  the  appeal 
sliall  be  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and  incases  against  all  other  officers  the  appeal 
shall  be  to  the  court  of  appeals  of  the  proper  circuit. 

Such  appeals  shall  be  returnable  within  ten  days  to  the  appellate  court, 
wherever  it  may  be  sitting,  or  wherever  it  may  hold  its  next  session,  and  may 
be  transferred  by  order  of  the  judges  of  said  court  to  another  parish  within  their 
circuit,  and  such  appeals  shall  be  tried  by  preference  over  all  others.  In  case 
of  the  refusal  or  neglect  of  the  district  attorney  or  Attorney  General  to  institute 
and  prosecute  any  suit  provided  for  in  this  and  the  preceding  article,  the  citizens 
and  tax  payers  making  the  request,  or  any  one  of  them,  shall  have  the  right  by 
mandamus  to  compel  him  to  perform  such  duty. 

*      « 

Art.  202.  The  taxing  pov^'er  may  be  exercised  by  the  General  Assembly 
for  State  purposes,  and  by  parishes  and  municipal  corporations,  under  authority 
granted  to  them  by  the  General  Assembly,  for  parish  and  municipal  purposes. 

Art.  203.  Taxation  shall  be  equal  and  uniform  throughout  the  territorial 
limits  of  the  authority  levying  the  tax,  and  all  property  shall  be  taxed  in  propor- 
tion to  its  value,  to  be  ascertained  as  directed  by  law;  -provided,  the  assessment 
of  all  property  shall  never  exceed  the  actual  cash  value  thereof ;  and  -provided, 
further,  that  the  tax  payers  shall  have  the  right  of  testing  the  correctness  of  their 
assessments  before  the  courts  of  justice.  In  order  to  arrive  at  this  equality  and 
uniformit}-,  the  General  Assembly  shall,  at  its  first  session  after  the  adoption  of 
this  Constitution,  provide  a  system  of  equality  and  uniformity  in  assessments, 
based  upon  the  relative  value  of  property  in  the  different  portions  of  the  State, 
The  valuation  put  upon  property  for  the  purpose  of  State  taxation  shall  be  taken 
as  the  proper  valuation  for  purposes  of  local  taxation  in  every  subdivision  of  the 
State. 

Art.  204.  The  taxing  power  shall  be  exercised  only  to  carry  on  and  main- 
tain the  govern-ment  of  the  State  and  the  public  institutions  thereof,  to  educate 
the  children  of  the  State,  and  to  pay  the  principal  and  interest  of  the  public 
debt,  to  suppress  insurrection,  repel  invasion,  or  defend  the  State  in  time  of  war, 
to  supply  the  citizens  of  the  State  who  lost  a  limb  or  limbs  in  the  military  service 
of  the  Confederate  States  with  substantial  artificial  limbs  during  life,  and  for 
levee  purposes,  as  hereinafter  provided. 

Art.  205.  The  power  to  tax  corporations  and  corporate  property  shall 
never  be  surrendered  by  act  of  the  General  Assembly. 


312  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  ■ 

Art.  206.  The  General  Assembly  may  levy  a  license-tax,  and  in  such  case 
shall  graduate  the  amount  of  such  tax  to  be  collected  from  the  persons  pursuing 
the  several  trades,  professions,  vocations,  and  callings.  All  persons,  associa- 
tions of  persons,  and  corporations  pursuing  any  trade,  profession,  business,  or 
calling  may  be  rendered  liable  to  such  tax,  e.xcept  clerks,  laborers,  clergymen, 
school  teachers,  those  engaged  in  mechanical,  agricultural,  horticultural,  and 
mining  pursuits,  and  manufacturers,  other  than  those  of  distilled  alcoholic  or 
malt  liquors,  tobacco  and  cigars,  and  cotton-seed  oil.  No  political  corporation 
shall  impose  a  greater  license-tax  than  is  imposed  by  the  General  Assembly  for 
State  purposes. 

Art.  207.  The  following  property  shall  be  exempt  from  taxation,  and  no 
other,  viz:  All  public  property,  places  of  religious  worship  or  burial,  all  chari- 
table institutions,  all  buildings  and  property  used  exclusively  for  colleges  or 
other  school  purposes,  the  real  and  personal  estate  of  any  public  library  and 
that  of  any  other  literary  association  used  by  or  connected  with  such  library, 
all  books  and  philosophical  apparatus,  and  all  paintings  and  statuary  of  any 
company  or  association  kept  in  a  public  hall ;  provided,  the  property  so  ex- 
empted be  not  used  or  leased  for  purposes  of  private  or  corporate  profit  or  in- 
come. There  shall  also  be  exempt  from  taxation  household  property  to  the 
value  of  five  hundred  dollars.  There  shall  also  be  exempt  from  taxation  and 
license  for  a  period  of  ten  years  from  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution  the  capi- 
tal, machinery,  and  other  property  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  textile 
fabrics,  leather,  shoes,  harness,  saddlery,  hats,  flour,  machinery,  agricultural 
implements,  and  furniture,  and  other  articles  of  w'ood,  marble  or  stone;  soap, 
stationery,  ink  and  paper,  boat  building  and  chocolate  :  provided,  that  not  less 
than  five  hands  are  employed  in  any  one  factory. 

Art.  208.  The  General  Assembly  shall  levy  an  annual  poll-tax,  for  the 
maintenance  of  public  schools,  upon  every  male  inhabitant  in  the  State  over  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  which  shall  never  be  less  than  one  dollar,  nor  exceed 
one  dollar  and  a  half  per  capita,  and  the  General  Assembly  shall  pass  laws  to 
enforce  payment  of  said  tax. 

Art.  209.  The  State  tax  on  property  for  all  purposes  whatever,  including 
expenses  of  government,  schools,  levees,  and  interest,  shall  not  exceed  in  any 
one  year  six  mills  on  the  dollar  of  its  assessed  valuation,  if  the  ordinance  regard- 
ing the  bonded  debt  of  the  State  is  adopted  and  ratified  by  the  people  ;  and 
if  said  ordinance  is  not  adopted  and  ratified  by  the  people,  said  State  tax  for  all 
purposes  aforesaid  shall  not  exceed  in  any  one  year  five  mills  on  the  dollar  of 
the  assessed  valuation  of  the  property;  and  no  parish  or  municipal  tax  for  all 
purposes  whatsoever  sliall  exceed  ten  mills  on  the  dollar  of  valuation;  provided, 
that  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  and  constructing  public  buildings,  bridges,  and 
works  of  public  improvement  in  parishes   and   municipalities,  the  rates  of  taxa- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  313 

tion  herein  limited  may  be  increased  when  the  rate  of  such  increase  and  the 
purpose  for  which  it  is  intended  shall  have  been  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
property  tax  payers  of  such  parish  or  municipality  entitled  to  a  vote  under  the 
election  laws  of  the  Slate,  and  a  majority  of  same  voting  at  such  election  shall 
have  voted  therefor. 

Art.  2IO.  There  shall  be  no  forfeiture  of  propertj-  for  the  non-payment  of 
ta.xes,  State,  levee  district,  parochial,  or  municipal;  but  at  the  expiration  of  the 
year  in  whicli  they  are  due  the  collector  shall,  without  suit,  and  after  giving  no- 
tice to  the  delinquent  in  the  manner  to  be  provided  by  law  (which  shall  not  be 
by  publication,  except  in  case  of  unknown  owner),  advertise  for  sale  the  prop- 
erty on  which  the  taxes  are  due  in  the  manner  provided  for  judicial  sales,  and 
on  the  day  of  sale  he  shall  sell  such  portion  of  the  property  as  the  debtor  shall 
point  out,  and,  in  case  the  debtor  shall  not  point  out  sufficient  property,  the  col- 
lector shall  at  once  and  without  further  delay  sell  the  least  quantit}'  of  property 
which  any  bidder  will  bu}'  for  the  amount  of  the  taxes,  interest,  and  costs.  The 
sale  shall  be  without  appraisement,  and  the  property  sold  shall  be  redeemed  at 
any  time  for  the  space  of  one  year,  by  paying  the  price  given,  with  twenty  per 
cent,  and  costs  added.  No  sale  of  property  for  taxes  shall  be  annulled  for  anj' 
informality  in  the  proceedings  until  the  price  paid,  with  ten  per  cent,  interest, be 
tendered  to  the  purchaser.  All  deeds  of  sale  made,  or  that  may  be  made,  by 
collectors  of  taxes  shall  be  received  by  courts  in  evidence  as  prima  facie  valid 
sales. 

Art.  211.  The  tax  shall  be  designated  by  the  year  in  which  it  is  collectible, 
and  the  tax  on  movable  property  shall  be  collected  in  the  year  in  which  the  as- 
sessment is  made. 

Art.  212.  The  Legislature  shall  pass  no  law  postponing  the  payment  of 
taxes,  except  in  case  of  overflow,  general  conflagration,  general  destruction  of 
the  crops,  or  other  public  calamity. 

Art.  213.  A  levee  system  shall  be  maintained  in  the  State,  and  a  tax  not  to 
exceed  one  mill  may  be  levied  annually  on  all  property  subject  tu  taxation,  and 
shall  be  applied  exclusively  to  the  maintenance  and  repairs  of  levees. 

Art.  214.  The  General  Assembly  may  divide  the  State  into  levee  districts, 
and  provide  for  the  appointment  or  election  of  levee  commissioners  in  said  dis- 
tricts, who  shall,  in  the  method  and  manner  to  be  provided  by  law,  have  super- 
vision of  the  erection,  repairs,  and  maintenance  of  the  levees  in  said  districts; 
to  that  effect  it  may  levy  a  ta.x  not  to  exceed  five  mills  on  the  taxable  property 
situated  within  the  alluvial  portions  of  said  districts  subject  to  overflow. 

Art.  215.  The  provisions  of  the  above  two  articles  shall  cease  to  have 
effect  whenever  the  Federal  Government  shall  assume  permanent  control  and 
provide  the  ways  and  means  for  the  maintenance  of  levees  in  fhis  State.     The 


314  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA : 

Federal  Government  is  authorized  to  make  such  geological,  topographical,  hy- 
drographical  and  hydrometrical  surveys  and  investigations  within  the  State  as 
may  be  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  the  act  of  Congress  to  provide  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  Mississippi  River  Commission  for  the  improvement  of  said  river, 
from  the  head  of  the  Passes  near  its  mouth  to  the  head  waters,  and  to  construct 
and  protect  such  public  w£)rks  and  improvements  as  may  be  ordered  by  Con- 
gress under  the  provisions  of  said  act. 

Art.  216.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  power,  with  the  concurrence 
of  an  adjacent  State  or  States,  to  create  levee  districts  composed  of  territory 
partly  in  this  State  and  partly  in  such  adjacent  State  or  States,  and  the  levee 
commissioners  for  such  district  or  districts  shall  possess  all  the  powers  provided 
b}^  Article  214  of  this  Constitution. 

Art.  217.  Corporations,  companies,  or  associations  organized  or  domiciled 
out  of  this  State,  but  doing  business  herein,  may  be  licensed  by  a  mode  differ- 
ent from  that  provided  for  home  corporations  or  companies;  provided,  said  dif- 
ferent mode  of  license  shall  be  uniform,  upon  a  graduated  svstem,  as  to  ail  such 
corporations,  companies,  or  associations  that  transact  the  same  kind  of  business. 

Art.  218.  All  the  articles  and  provisions  of  this  Constitution  regulating 
and  relating  to  the  collection  of  State  taxes  and  tax  sales  shall  also  apply  to  and 
regulate  the  collection  of  parish,  district,  and  municipal  taxes. 

*     » 

Art.  219.  There  shall  be  exempt  from  seizure  and  sale  by  any  process 
whatever,  except  as  herein  provided,  the  "  homestead  "  bona  fide  owned  by  the 
debtor  and  occupied  by  him,  consisting  of  lands,  buildings,  and  appurtenances, 
whether  rural  or  urban,  of  every  head  of  a  family,  or  person  having  a  mother 
or  father,  a  person  or  persons  dependent  on  him  or  her  for  support;  also,  one 
work  horse,  one  wagon  or  cart,  one  yoke  of  oxen,  two  cows  and  calves,  twenty- 
five  head  of  hogs,  or  one  thousand  pounds  of  bacon  or  its  equivalent  in  pork, 
whether  these  exempted  objects  be  attached  to  a  homestead  or  not:  and  on  a 
farm  the  necessary  quantity  of  corn  and  fodder  for  the  current  year,  and  the 
necessary  farming  implements  to  the  value  of  two  thousand  dollars. 

Provided,  that  in  case  the  homestead  exceeds  two  thousand  dollars  in  valu? 
the  beneficiary  shall  be  entitled  to  that  amount  in  case  a  sale  of  the  homestead 
under  any  legal  process  realizes  more  than  that  sum. 

No  husband  shall  have  the  benefit  of  a  homestead  whose  wife  owns  and  is 
in  the  actual  enjoyment  of  property  or  means  to  the  amount  of  two  thousand 
dollars. 

Such  exemptions  to  be  valid  shall  be  set  apart  and  registered  as  shall  be  pro- 
vided by  law.  The  benefit  of  this  provision  may  be  claimed  by  the  surviving 
spouse  or  minor  child  or  children  of  a  deceased  beneficiary  if  in  indigent  cir- 
cumstances. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  31o 

Art.  220.  Laws  sliall  be  passed  as  early  as  practicable  for  the  setting  apart, 
valuation,  and  registration  of  property  claimed  as  a  homestead.  Rights  to  home- 
steads or  exemptions  under  laws  or  contracts,  or  for  debts  existing  at  the  time 
of  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  shall  not  be  impaired,  repealed,  or  affected 
by  any  provision  of  this  Constitution,  or  any  laws  passed  in  pursuance  thereof. 
No  court  or  ministerial  officer  of  this  State  shall  ever  have  jurisdiction  or  au- 
thority to  enforce  any  judgment,  execution,  or  decree  against  the  propert}'  set 
apart  for  a  homestead,  including  such  improvements  as  may  be  made  thereon 
from  time  to  time;  provided,  the  property  herein  declared  to  be  exempt  shall 
not  exceed  in  value  two  thousand  dollars.  This  exemption  shall  not  apply  to  the 
following  cases,  to-\vit: 

1.  For  the  purchase  price  of  said  property  or  any  part  thereof. 

2.  For  labor  and  material  furnished  for  building,  repairing,  or  improving 
homesteads. 

3.  For  liabilities  incurred  by  any  public  officer  or  fiduciary  or  an\'  attor- 
ney at  law  for  money  collected  or  received  on  deposit. 

4.  For  lawful  claims  for  taxes  or  assessments. 

Art.  221.  The  owner  of  a  homestead  shall  at  any  time  have  the  right  to 
supplement  his  exemption  by  adding  to  an  amount  already  set  apart  which  is 
less  than  the  whole  amount  of  exemption  herein  allowed  sufficient  to  make  his 
homestead  and  exemption  equal  to  the  whole  amount  allowed  by  this  Consti- 
tution. 

Art.  222.  The  homestead  shall  not  be  susceptible  of  mortgage,  except  for 
the  purchase  price,  labor  and  material  furnished  for  the  building,  repairing  or 
improving  homestead  ;  nor  shall  any  renunciation  or  waiver  of  homestead  rights 
or  exemptions  be  valid.  The  right  to  sell  any  property  which  shall  be  recorded 
as  a  homestead  shall  be  preserved,  but  no  sale  shall  destroy  or  impair  any  rights 
of  creditors  therein. 

Art.  223.  Equitable  laws  shall  be  passed  for  the  protection  of  creditors 
against  the  fraudulent  claims  of  debtors,  for  the  punishment  of  fraud,  and  for 
reaching  property  and  funds  of  the  debtor  concealed  from  the  creditor. 

» 

Art.  224.  There  shall  be  free  pub'ic  schools  established  by  the  General 
Assembly  throughout  the  State  for  the  education  of  all  the  children  of  the  State 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  eighteen  years;  and  the  General  Assembly  shall 
provide  for  their  establishment,  maintenance  and  support,  by  taxation  or  other- 
wise. And  all  moneys  so  raised,  except  the  poll-tax,  shall  be  distributed  to  each 
parish  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
eighteen  years. 

Art.   225.     There  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified   electors   of  the  State,  a 


316  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

Superintendent  of  Public  Education,  who  shall  hold  his  office  for  the  term  of 
four  years,  and  until  his  successor  is  qualified.  His  duties  shall  be  prescribed 
by  law,  and  he  shall  receive  an  annual  salary  of  two  thousand  dollars.  The  ag- 
gregate annual  expenses  of  his  office,  including  his  salary,  shall  not  exceed  the 
sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  for  the 
appointment  of  parish  boards  of  public  education  for  the  different  parishes. 

The  parish  boards  may  appoint  a  parish  superintendent  of  public  schools 
in  their  respective  parishes,  who  shall  be  ex-offcio  secretary  of  the  parish  board, 
and  whose  salary  for  his  double  functions,  shall  not  exceed  two  hundred  dollars 
annually,  except  that  in  the  parish  of  Orleans  the  salary  of  the  parish  superin- 
tendent shall  be  fixed  by  the  General  Assembly,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  public 
school  fund  accruing  to  each  parish,  respectively. 

Art.  226.  The  general  exercises  in  the  public  schools  shall  be  conducted 
in  the  English  language,  and  the  elementary  branches  taught  therein  ;  provided, 
that  these  elementary  branches  may  be  also  taught  in  the  French  language  in 
those  parishes  in  the  State  or  localities  in  said  parishes  where  the  French  lan- 
guage predominates,  if  no  additional  expense  is  incurred  thereb}'. 

Art.  227.  The  funds  derived  from  the  collection  of  the  poll-tax  shall  be 
applied  exclusively  to  the  maintenance  of  the  public  schools  as  organized  under 
this  Constitution,  and  shall  be  applied  exclusively  to  the  support  of  the  public 
schools  in  the  parish  in  which  the  same  shall  be  collected,  and  shall  be  accounted 
for  and  paid  by  the  collecting  officers  directly  to  the  competent  school  authori- 
ties of  each  parish. 

Art.  228.  No  funds  raised  for  the  support  of  the  public  schools  of  the 
State  shall  be  appropriated  to  or  used  for  the  support  of  any  sectarian  schools. 

Art.   229.     The  school  funds  of  this  State  shall  consist  of: 

1.  The  proceeds  of  taxation  for  school  purposes,  as  provided  in  this  Con- 
stitution. 

2.  The  interest  on  the  proceeds  of  all  public  lands  heretofore  granted  by 
the  United  States  for  the  use  and  support  of  the  public  schools. 

3.  Of  lands  and  otherproperty  which  mav  hereafter  be  bequeathed,  granted 
or  donated  to  the  State,  or  generally  for  school  purposes. 

4.  All  funds  or  property,  other  than  unimproved  lands,  bequeathed  or 
granted  to  the  State,  not  designated  for  other  purposes. 

5.  The  proceeds  of  vacant  estates  falling  under  the  law  to  the  State  of 
Louisiana. 

The  Legislature  may  appropriate  to  the  same  fund  the  proceeds,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  of  public  lands  not  designated  for  any  other  purpose,  and  shall  pro- 
vide that  ever}^  parish  may  levy  a  tax  for  the  public  schools  therein,  which  shall 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  317 

not  exceed  the  State  tax;   provided,  that  with    such    tax    the    whole  amount  of 
parish  taxes  shall  not  exceed  the  limits  ot  parish  taxation  fixed  bj'  this  Constitution. 


Art.  230.  The  University  of  Louisiana,  as  at  present  establislied  and 
located  at  New  Orleans,  is  hereby  recognized  in  its  three  departments,  to-wit: 
the  law,  the  medical,  and  the  academical  departments,  to  be  governed  and  con- 
trolled b\'  appropriate  faculties. 

The  General  Assembh'  shall,  from  time  to  time,  make  such  provision  for 
the  proper  government,  maintenance,  and  support  of  said  State  University  of 
Louisiana,  and  all  the  departments  thereof,  as  the  public  necessities  and  well- 
being  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Louisiana  may  require,  not  to  exceed  ten 
thousand  dollars  annually. 

The  Louisiana  State  Uni\ersity  and  Agiicultural  and  Mechanical  College, 
now  established  and  located  in  the  city  of  Baton  Rouge,  is  hereby  recognized, 
and  all  revenues  derived  and  to  be  derived  from  the  sales  of  land  or  land  scrip,' 
donated  by  the  United  States  to  the  State  of  Louisiana,  for  the  use  of  a  seminay  of 
learning  and  mechanical  and  agricultural  college,  shall  be  appropriated  exclusively 
to  the  maintenance  and  support  of  said  Universit}'  and  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College,  and  the  General  Assembly  shall  from  time  to  time  make  such  additional 
appropriations  for  the  maintt nance  and  support  of  said  Louisiana  State  Univer- 
sity and  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  as  the  public  necessities  and  well- 
being  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Louisiana  may  require,  not  to  exceed  ten 
thousand  dollars  annually. 

Art.  231.  The  General  Assembly  shall  also  establish  in  the  city  of  New 
Orleans  a  university  for  the  education  of  persons  of  color,  provide  for  its  proper 
government,  and  shall  make  an  annual  appropriation  of  not  less  than  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  nor  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars,  for  its  maintenance  and  support. 

Art.  232.     Women  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  shall  be  eligible  to  any 

office  of  control  or  management  under  the  school  laws  of  this  State. 

* 
»     »  " 

Art.  233.  The  debt  due  b}'  the  State  to  the  free  school  fund  is  hereby 
declared  to  be  the  sum  of  one  million  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  and  51-100  dollars  in  principal,  and  shall  be  placed  on 
the  books  of  the  Y\uditor  and  Treasurer  to  the  credit  of  the  several  townships  en- 
titled to  the  same;  tiiesaid  principal  being  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  lands  here- 
tofore granted  by  the  United  States  for  the  use  and  support  of  free  public  schools, 
which  amount  shall  be  held  by  the  State  as  a  loan,  and  shall  be  and  remain  a 
perpetual  fund,  on  which  the  State  shall  pay  an  annual  interest  of  four  per  cent, 
from  the  first  day  of  Januar}-,  18S0,  and  that  said  interest  shall  be  paid  to  the 
21 


318  socrinvEsi'  Louisiana: 

severrl  townsliips  in  the  State  entitled  to  the  same,  in  accordance  with  the  act  of 
Congress,  No.  68,  approved  February  15,  1843;  and  the  bonds  of  the  State 
heretofore  issued,  belonging  to  said  fund  and  sold  under  act  of  the  General 
Assembl}',  No.  81  of  1872,  are  hereby  declared  null  and  void,  and  the  General 
Assembl}'  shall  make  no  provision  for  their  payment,  and  maj-  cause  them  to  be 
destroyed. 

The  debt  due  by  the  State  to  the  seminary  fund  is  hereby  declared  to  be 
one  hundred  and  thirt3--si.\-  tliousand  dollars,  being  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of 
lands  heretofore  granted  by  the  United  States  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  a  semi- 
nary of  learning,  and  said  amount  shall  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  said  fund  on 
the  books  of  the  Auditor  and  Treasurer  of  the  State  as  a  perpetual  loan,  and  the 
State  shall  pay  an  annual  interest  of  four  per  cent,  on  said  amount  from  January 
I,  1880,  for  the  use  of  said  seminar}'  of  learning;  and  the  consolidated  bonds  of 
the  State  now  held  for  use  of  said  fund  shall  be  null  and  void  after  the  first  day 
of  Januar}',  1880,  and  the  General  Assembly  shall  never  make  any  provision  for 
their  payment,  and  they  shall  be  destroj'ed  in  such  manner  as  the  General 
Assembly  may  direct. 

The  debt  due  by  the  State  to  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  fund 
is  hereby  declared  to  be  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  thousand  three 
hundred  and  thirteen  and  3-100  dollars,  being  the  proceeds  of  tlie  sales  of  lands 
and  land  scrip  heretofore  granted  by  the  United  States  to  this  State  for  the  use 
of  a  college  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts;  said  amounts 
shall  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  said  fund  on  the  books  of  the  Auditor  and 
Treasurer  of  the  State  as  a  perpetual  loan,  and  the  State  shall  pay  an  annual 
interest  of  five  per  cent,  on  said  amount  from  January  i,  1880,  for  the  use  of 
said  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College;  the  consolidated  bonds  of  the  State 
now  held  by  the  State  for  the  use  of  said  fund  shall  be  null  and  void  after  the 
first  day  of  January,  1880,  and  the  General  Assembly  shall  never  make  any 
provision  for  their  paj-ment,  and  they  shall  be  destroyed  in  such  manner  as  the 
General  Assembly  may  direct. 

The  interest  provided  for  by  this  article  shall  be  paid  out  of  any  tax  that 

may  be  levied  and  collected  for  the  general  purposes  of  public  education. 

* 
*      » 

Art.  234.  The  General  Assembly  shall  not  remit  the  forfeiture  of  the  char- 
ter of  any  corporation  now  existing,  nor  renew,  alter,  or  amend  the  same,  nor 
pass  any  general  or  special  law  for  the  benefit  of  such  corporation,  except  upon 
the  condition  that  such  corporation  shall  thereafter  hold  its  charter  subject  to 
the  provisions  of  this  Constitution. 

Art.  235.  The  exercise  of  the  police  power  of  the  State  shall  never  be 
abridged,  nor  so  construed  as  to    permit   corporations  to  conduct  their   business 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  319 

in  such  manner  as  to  infringe  the  equal  rights  of  individuals  or  the  general  well 
being  ot  the  State. 

Art.  236.  No  foreign  corporation  shall  do  any  business  in  this  State  with- 
out having  one  or  more  known  places  of  business,  and  an  authorized  agent  or 
agents  in  the  State  upon  whom  process  may  be  served. 

Art.  237.  No  corporation  shall  engage  in  any  business  other  than  that 
expressly  authorized  in  its  charter  or  incidental  thereto,  nor  shall  it  take  or  hold 
any  real  estate  for  a  longer  period  than  ten  years,  except  such  as  maj'  be  neces- 
sary and  proper  for  its  legitimate  business  or  purposes. 

Art.  238.  No  corporation  shall  issue  stock  or  bonds,  except  for  labor  done 
or  mone}'  or  property  actually  received,  and  all  fictitious  issues  of  stock  shall 
be  void,  and  any  corporation  issuing  such  fictitious  stock  shall  forfeit  its  charter. 

Art.  239.  The  stock  shall  not  be  increased,  except  in  pursuance  of  general 
laws,  or  without  consent  of  persons  holding  the  larger  amount  in  value  of  the 
stock,  first  obtained  at  a  meeting  of  stockholders  to  be  held  after  thirty  days' 
notice  given  in  pursuance  of  law. 

Art.  240.  The  term  corporation  as  used  in  this  Constitution,  shall  be  con- 
strued to  include  all  joint  stock  companies  or  associations  having  any  power  or 
privileges  not  posse.«sed  by  individuals  or  partnerships. 

Art.  241.  It  shall  be  a  crime,  the  nature  and  punishment  of  which  shall 
be  prescribed  by  law,  for  any  president,  director,  manager,  cashier,  or  other 
officer  or  owner  of  any  private  or  public  bank  or  banking  institution,  to  assent 
to  the  reception  of  deposits,  or  the  creation  of  debts,  by  such  banking  institu- 
tion, after  he  shall  have  had  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  it  is  insolvent  or  in  fail- 
ing circumstances;  any  such  officer,  agent,  or  manager  shall  be  individually 
responsible  for  such  deposits  so  received  and  all  such  debts  so  created  with  his 
assent. 

Art.  242.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  power  to  enact  general  laws 
authorizing  the  parochial  or  municipal  authorities  of  the  State,  under  certain 
circumstances,  by  a  vote  of  the  majority  of  the  property  tax  payers  in  numbers 
and  in  value,  to  levy  special  taxes  in  aid  of  public  improvements  or  railway 
enterprises;  provided,  that  such  tax  shall  not  exceed  the  rate  of  five  mills  per 
annum,  nor  extend  for  a  longer  period  than  ten  years. 

Art.  243.  Any  railroad  corporation  or  association  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose shall  have  the  right  to  construct  and  operate  a  railroad  between  any  points 
within  this  State,  and  connect  at  the  State  line  with  railroads  of  other  States. 
Every  railroad  company  shall  have  the  right  with  its  road  to  intersect,  connect 
with,  or  cross  any  other  railroad,  and  shall  receive  and  transport  each  the  other's 
passengers,  tonnage,  and  cars,  loaded  or  empty,  without  dela}'  or  discrimination. 

Art.   244.     Railways  heretofore  constructed,  or  that  may  hereafter  be  con- 


320  SOC'7V/ir£S7'  L  OilS/AAA  .- 

strucled.  in  Uiis  State,  are  hereby  declared  ]'»ul)lic  highways,  and  railroad  com- 
panies common  carriers. 

Art.  245.  Ever}'  railroad  or  other  corporation,  organized  or  doing  busi- 
ness in  this  State  under  the  laws  or  autliority  tliereof,  shall  have  and  maintain  a 
public  oflice  or  place  in  this  State  for  the  transaction  of  its  business,  where 
transfers  of  stock  shall  be  made,  and  where  shall  be  kept  books  for  public  in- 
spection, in  which  shall  be  recorded  the  amount  of  capital  stock  subscribed, 
the  names  of  owners  oi  stock  paid,  and  by  whom,  the  transfers  of  said  stock, 
with  the  date  of  transfer,  the  amount  of  its  assets  and  liabilities,  and  the  names 
and  places  of  residence  of  its  officers. 

Art.  246.  If  any  railroad  company,  organized  under  the  laws  of  this  State, 
shall  consolidate,  by  sale  or  otherwise,  with  any  railroad  companj'  organized 
under  the  laws  of  any  other  State  or  of  the  United  States,  the  same  shall  not 
thereb}'  become  a  foreign  corporation,  but  the  courts  of  this  State  shall  retain 
jurisdiction  in  all  matters  which  may  arise,  as  if  said  consolidation  had  not  taken 
place.  In  no  case  shall  any  consolidation  take  place,  except  upon  public,  notice 
of  at  least  sixtv  days  to  all  stockholders,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  provided  by 
law. 

Art.  247.  General  laws  shall  be  enacted  providing  for  the  creation  of  pri- 
vate corporations,  and  shall  therein  provide  full}'  for  the  adequate  protection  of 
the  public  and  of  the  individual  stockholder. 

Art.  248.  The  police  juries  of  the  several  parishes  and  the  constituted  au- 
thorities of  all  incorporated  municipalities  of  the  State  shall  alone  have  the  power 
of  regulating  the  slaughlering  of  cattle  and  other  live  stock  within  their  respective 
]\m\ts;  provided,  no  monopoly  or  exclusive  privilege  shall  exist  in  this  State,  nor 
such  business  be  restricted  to  the  land  or  houses  of  any  individual  or  corpora- 
tion; fj-ovided,  the  ordinances  designating  the  places  for  slaughtering  shall  ob- 
tain the  concurrent  approval  of  the  board  of  health  or  other  sanitary  organiza- 
tion. 

* 
»     * 

Art.  249.  The  General  Assembly  may  establish  and  organize  new  parishes, 
^which  shall  be  bodies  corporate,  with  such  powers  as  maybe  prescribed  by  law; 
but  no  new  ]:iarish  shall  contain  less  than  six  hundred  and  twenty-tive  square 
miles,  nor  less  than  seven  thousand  inhabitants;  nor  shall  any  parish  be  reduced 
below  that  area  or  number  of  inhabitants. 

Art.  250.  All  laws  changing  parish  lines  or  removing  parish  seats  shall, 
before  taking  effect,  be  submitted  to  the  electors  of  the  parish  or  the  parishes  to 
be  effected  thereby,  at  a  special  election  held  for  that  purpose,  and  be  adopted 
by  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  each  parish  cast  at -such  election. 

Art.   251.     Any  parish  maybe  dissolved  and  merged  by  the  General  Assem- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  321 

bly  into  a  continuous  parish  or  parishes,  two-thirds  of  the  quahfied  electors  of  the 
parish  proposed  to  be  dissolved  voting  in  favor  thereof,  at  any  election  held  for 
that  purpose;  provided,  that  each  of  the  parishes  into  which  the  dissolved  par- 
ish proposes  to  become  incorporated  consents  thereto  by  a  majority  of  its  qual- 
ified electors  voting  therefor. 

Art.  252.  Whenever  a  parish  shall  be  enlarged  or  created  from  territory 
contiguous  thereto,  it  shall  be  entitled  to  a  just  proportion  of  the  property  and 
assets  and  liable  for  a  just  proportion  of  the  existing  debts  or  liabilities  of  the 
parisli  or  parishes  from  which  such  territory  shall  be  taken. 

» 

Art.  253.  The  citizens  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  or  any  political  cor- 
poration which  may  be  created  within  its  limits,  shall  have  the  right  of  appoint- 
ing the  several  public  officers  necessary  for  the  administration  of  the  police  of 
said  city,  pursuant  to  the  mode  of  election  which  shall  be  provided  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembl}'. 

Art.  254.  The  General  Assembly,  at  its  next  session  after  the  adoption  of 
this  Constitution,  shall  enact  such  legislation  as  maybe  proper  to  liquidate  the 
indebtedness  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  apply  its  assets  to  the  satisfaction 
thereof.  It  shall  have  authority  to  cancel  the  charter  of  said  city,  and  remit  its 
inhabitants  to  another  form  of  government,  if  necessary.  In  anv  such  new  form 
of  government  no  salary  shall  exceed  $3,500. 

Art.  255.  The  General  Assembly  shall  pass  necessary'  laws  to  prevent 
sailors  or  others  of  the  crew  of  foreign  vessels  from  working  on  the  wharves 
and  levees  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans  :  -provided,  there  is  no  treaty  between  the 
United  States  and  foreign  powers  to  the  contrary. 

Art.  256.  Propositions  f6r  the  amendment  of  this  Constitution  may  be 
made  by  the  General  Assembly  at  any  session  thereof,  and  if  two-thirds  of  all 
the  members  elected  to  each  house  shall  concur  therein,  after  such  proposed 
amendments  have  been  read  in  such  respective  houses  on  three  separate  days, 
such  proposed  amendment  or  amendments,  together  with  the  yeas  and  nays 
thereon,  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal,  and  the  Secretary  of  State  shall  cause 
the  same  to  be  published  in  two  newspapers  published  in  the  parish  of  Orleans, 
and  in  one  paper  in  each  other  parish  of  the  State  in  which  a  newspaper  is  pub- 
lished, for  three  months  preceding  the  next  election  for  Representatives,  at 
which  time  the  said  amendment  or  amendments  shall  be  submitted  to  the  electors 
for  their  approval  or  rejection;  and  if  a  majority  voting  on  said  amendment  or 
amendments  shall  approve  and  ratify  the  same,  then  such  amendment  or  amend- 
ments so  approved  and  ratified  shall  become  apart  of  the  Constitution. 

When  more  than  one  amendment  shall  be  submitted  at  the  same  time,  they 


322  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

shall  be  so  submitted  as  to  enable  the  electors  to  vote  on  each  amendment  sepa- 
rately.    The  result  of  said  election  shall  be  made  known  b}-  the  proclamation  of 

the  Governor.  » 

»     » 

Art.  257.  The  Constitution  of  this  State,  adopted  in  1868,  and  all  amend- 
ments thereto,  is  declared  to  be  superseded  by  this  Constitution,  and,  in  order 
to  carry  the  same  into  effect,  it  is  hereby  declared  and  ordained  as  follows: 

Art.  258.  All  rights,  actions,  prosecutions,  claims  and  contracts,  as  well  of 
individuals  as  of  bodies  corporate,  and  all  laws  in  force  at  the  time  of  the 
adoption  of  this  Constitution,  and  not  inconsistent  therewith,  shall  continue  as  if 
said  Constitution  had  not  been  adopted.  But  the  monopoly  features  in  the  char 
ter  of  an}^  corporation  now  existing  in  the  State,  save  such  as  may  be  contained 
in  the  charters  of  railroad  companies,  are  hereby  abolished. 

Art.  259.  In  order  that  no  inconvenience  may  result  to  the  public  service 
from  the  taking  effect  of  this  Constitution,  no  office  shall  be  superseded  thereby, 
but  the  laws  of  the  State  relative  to  the  duties  of  the  several  officers — executive, 
judicial  and  military — shall  remain  in  full  force,  though  the  same  be  contrary  to 
this  Constitution,  and  the  several  duties  shall  be  performed  by  the  respective 
officers  of  the  State,  according  to  the  existing  laws,  until  the  organization  of  the 
government  under  this  Constitution  and  the  entering  into  office  of  the  new  officers 
to  be  appointed  or  elected  under  said  government,  and  no  longer. 

Art.  260.  Appointments  to  office  by  the  Executive  under  this  Constitution 
shall  be  made  by  the  Governor  to  be  elected  under  its  authority. 

Art.  261.  All  causes  in  which  appeals  have  been  or  may  be  hereafter  taken 
or  are  now  pending  in  the  Supreme  Court  under  the  Constitution  of  1868,  and 
of  which  jurisdiction  has  been  vested  by  this  Constitution  in  the  courts  of 
appeal,  shall,  after  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  be  transferred  for  trial  to 
the  court  of  appeal  of  the  circuit  from  which  the  appeal  has  been  01  may  be 
taken. 

All  other  causes  that  may  be  pending  in  the  Supreme  Court,  under  the  Con- 
stitution of  1868,  shall  be  transferred  to  the  Supreme  Court  created  by  this  Con- 
stitution as  soon  as  it  shall  be  organized. 

All  causes  that  ma}-  be  pending  in  all  other  courts,  under  the  Constitution 
of  1868,  upon  the  adoption  of  tliis  Constitution  and  the  organization  of  the 
courts  created  by  this  Constitution,  shall  be  tiansf erred  to  the  courts  respec- 
tively having  jurisdiction  thereof  under  this  Constitution. 

Art.  262.  Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  this  convention,  the  Gov- 
ernor shall  issue  his  proclamation,  directing  the  several  officers  of  the  State, 
authorized  by  law,  to  hold  elections  for  members  of  the  General  Assembly  to 
open  and  holdapoll  in  every  parish  in  the  State,  at  the  place  designated  by  law, 


i 


HISTORICAL  A\D  BIOGRAPHICAL.  323 

upon  the  first  Tuesday  in  the  month  of  December  next,  1879,  *or  the  purpose 
of  taking  the  sense  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  in  regard  to  the  adoption  or 
rejection  of  this  Constitution;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  oflicers  to  receive 
the  votes  of  all  persons  entitled  to  vote  under  the  Constitution  of  1868. 

Each  voter  shall  express  his  opinion  by  depositinir  in  the  ballot  box  a 
ticket,  whereon  shall  be  written  or  printed,  "For  the  Constitution,"  or  "Against 
the  Constitution,"  or  some  such  words  as  will  distinctly  convey  the  intention  of 
the  voter. 

It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  Governor  in  his  said  proclamation  to  direct 
the  said  officers  authorized  by  law  to  hold  elections  to  open  and  hold  a  poll  at 
the  above  stated  time  and  places,  for  the  election  of  Governor,  Lieutenant 
Governor,  members  of  the  General  Assembly,  Secretary  of  State,  Attorney 
General,  State  Auditor,  and  Superintendent  of  Pubhc  Education,  and  of  all  other 
officers  whose  election  by  the  people  is  provided  for  in  this  Constitution;  and 
the  names  of  the  persons  voted  for  shall  be  written  or  printed  on  the  same 
ticket  and  deposited  in  the  same  box  as  the  votes  "For  or  against  the  Constitu- 
tion." 

And  the  said  election  for  the  adoption  or  rejection  of  the  Constitution  and 
for  the  said  officers  shall  be  conducted  and  the  returns  thereof  made  in  con- 
formity with  existing  laws  upon  the  subject  of  State  elections. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  the  said  returns,  or  on  the  last  Monday  in  December, 
1879,  i*  the  returns  be  not  sooner  received,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Governor, 
the  Lieutenant  Governor,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  the  Attorney  General,  in 
the  presence  of  all  such  persons  as  may  choose  to  attend,  to  compile  the  votes 
given  at  the  said  polls  for  ratification  and  rejection  of  this  Constitution;  and  if 
it  shall  appear  from  said  returns  that  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  given  on  the 
question  of  adoption  and  rejection  of  the  Constitution  is  for  ratif\'ing  this  Con- 
stitution, then  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Governor  to  make  immediate  proc- 
lamation of  that  fact,  and  thenceforth  this  Constitution  shall  be  ordained  and 
established  as  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  the  General 
Assembly  elected  in  1878  shall  thereupon  be  dissolved.  Whether  this  Constitu- 
tion be  adopted  or  rejected,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Governor  to  cause  to  be 
published  in  the  official  paper  of  the  convention  the  result  of  the  polls,  showing 
the  number  of  voles  cast  in  each  parish  for  and  against  the  said  Constitution. 

If  ihe  Constitution  be  ratified,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  ot  State 
to  examine  and  compile  the  returns,  and  publish  the  result  of  the  election  of 
officers  herein  ordained,  and  in  the  manner  provided  by  existing  laws. 

Art.  263.  The  General  Assembly  first  elected  under  this  Constitution 
shall  convene  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  upon  the  second  Monday  in  January 
ne.xt,  1S80,  after  the  election,  and  the  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  elected 


324  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

shall  be  dul}'  installed  in  office  during  the  first  week  of  the  session,  and  before 
it  shall  be  competent  for  the  said  General  Assembl}''  to  proceed  with  the  trans- 
action of  business  beyond  their  own  organization. 

Art.  264.  The  State  Auditor,  Attorney  General,  Secretary  of  State,  and 
Superintendent  of  Public  Education,  elected  at  the  first  election  herein  provided 
for,  shall  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices  on  the 
second  Monday  of  January,  1880,  after  complying  with  the  requisites  of  exist- 
ing laws;  and  all  other  officers  whose  election  or  appointment  is  provided  for 
by  this  Constitution  shall  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  their  respec- 
tive offices  on  the  first  Monday  of  April,  1880,  after  complying  with  the  require- 
ments of  existing  laws;  until  which  period  all  officers  under  the  Constitution 
of  1868  shall  receive  the  pay  and  emoluments  provided  for  under  said  Constitu- 
tion;  -provided,  that  the  pay  of  the  officers  elected  or  appointed  utider  this  Con 
stitution  shall  not  commence  until  after  their  induction  into  office.  The  State 
Treasurer  elected  in  November,  1878,  shall  continue  in  office  as  if  elected  at 
the  election  to  be  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  December,  1879;  b^*^  ^^^  salary 
of  said  officer  shall  be  established  by  this  Constitution  from  and  after  the  second 
Monday  in  January,  18S0. 

Art.  265.  The  time  of  service  of  all  officers  chosen  by  the  people  at  the 
first  election  under  this  Constitution  shall  terminate  as  though  the  election  had 
been  holden  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  April,  1880. 

Art.  226.  The  judges  of  the  courts  of  appeal,  district  judges,  city  judges, 
district  attorney,  coroner,  clerks  of  courts,  sheriffs,  recorder  of  mortgages,  and 
register  of  conveyances,  all  of  whose  election  and  appointment  are  provided  for 
by  this  Constitution,  in  the  parish  of  Orleans,  shall  only  enter  on  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices  on  the  first  Monday  of  August,  1880,  and 
the  present  incumbents  shall  continue  until  then  in  the  performance  of  the  duties 
of  their  respective  offices  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  emoluments  thereof  as  now 
prescribed  by  law. 

Art.  267.  The  General  Assembly  is  required  to  make  provision  lor  paying 
J.  H.  Cosgrove,  Printer  of  the  Convention,  for  the  balance  due  him  for  work 
done  previous  to  adjournment,  and  for  all  work  that  may  be  done  by  him  after 
adjournment  of  the  Convention  by  its  direction,  and  shall  make  a  special  appro- 
priation to  liquidate  the  debt  which  this  Convention  has  contracted,  authorizing 
the  Fiscal  Agent  of  the  State  to  negotiate  a  loan  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars; 
and  also  for  the  payment  of  such  vouchers  as  may  be  issued  by  the  chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Contingent  Expenses,  under  the  authorit}'  of  this  Convention, 
in  excess  of  the  foregoing  appropriation,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  this  Con- 
vention to  complete  its  work ;  frovidcd,  said  vouchers  are  approved  by  the 
President  of  the  Convention. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


325 


Art.  268.  There  shall  not  be  any  municipal  election  in  the  cities  of  New 
Orleans  and  Shreveport  in  December,  1879;  ^^^  General  Assembly  shall  pro- 
vide for  a  municipal  election  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  or  such  municipal  cor- 
porations as  may  be  created  within  the  territorial  limits  of  the  parish  of  Orleans 
during  the  year  1880.  The  General  Assembly  mixy  fix  the  time  for  a  municipal 
election  in  the  city  of  Shreveport  before  April,  1884. 


p-ip%  ysif^:^^^ 


■j: 


.irfe^ 


'fett^^^ 


NOTE  111. 


THE  ACADIANS. 


.(  lA  S  the  Acadians  were  among  the  original  settlers  of  the   country   embraced' 

Aph     in  this  work,  so  everything  pertaining  to    them    are    of   interest    to    our 

^^      readers.     To  that  end  we  make  some  extracts  from  Bancroft's    History 

of  the  United  States,  historical  of  that  persecuted  people,  which,  doubtless,  will 

be  found  of  interest  to  the  reader. 

The  colony  of  Acadia,  or  Nova  Scotia,  as  now  called,  was  the  oldest 
French  colony  in  North  America,  dating  back  sixteen  years  previous  to  the- 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims  from  the  deck  of  the  Mayflower  on  Plymouth  Rock.  * 
*  •  The  treaty  of  Utrecht  (1755)  conceded  Acadia  to  Great  Britain.  Yet 
the  name  of  Annapolis,  the  presence  of  a  feeble  English  garrison,  and  the  emi- 
gration of  hardly  five  or  six  English  families,  were  nearly  all  that  marked  the 
supremacy  of  England.  The  old  inhabitants  remained  on  the  soil  which  they 
had  subdued,  hardly  conscious  that  they  had  changed  their  sovereign.  They 
still  loved  the  language  and  the  ways  of  their  forefathers,  and  their  religion  was 
graven  upon  their  souls.  They  promised  submission  to  England,  but  such  was 
the  love  with  which  France  had  inspired  them,  they  would  not  fight  against  its 
standard  or  renounce  its  name.  Though  conquered,  they  were  French  neutrals. 
For  nearly  forty  j'ears  from  the  peace  of  Utrecht  they  had  been  forgotten  or 
neijlected,  and  had  prospered  in  their  seclusion.  No  tax  gatherers  entered  their 
folds,  no  magistrates  dwelt  in  their  hamlets.  The  parish  priest  made  their 
records  and  regulated  their  successions.  Their  little  disputes  were  settled 
among  themselves,  with  scarcely  an  instance  of  appeal  to  English  authority  at 
Annapolis.  The  pastures  were  coveted  with  their  herds  and  flocks,  and  dykes, 
raised  by  extraordinary  efforts  of  social  industry,  shut  out  the  rivers  and  the 
tide  from  alluvial  marshes  of  exuberant  fertility.  The  meadows  thus  reclaimed 
were  covered  by  richest  grasses,  or  fields  of  wheat,  that  yielded  thirty  and  fifty- 
fold  at  the  harvests.  Their  houses  were  built  in  clusters,  neatly  constructed 
and  comfortably  furnished,  and  around  them  all  kinds  of  domestic  fowls 
abounded.  With  the  spinning-wheel  and  the  loom,  their  women  made  of  flax 
from  their  own  fields,  of  fleeces  from  their  own  flocks,  coarse  but  suflicient 
clothing.     *     *     * 


328  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Tlius  were  the  Acadians  happy  in  their  neutrality  and  the  abundance  which 
the}'  drew  from  their  native  land.  They  formed,  as  it  were,  one  great  family. 
Their  morals  were  of  unaffected  purit}'.  Love  was  sanctified  and  calmed  by 
the  universal  custom  of  early  marriage.  The  neighbors  of  the  community  would 
assist  the  new  couple  to  raise  their  cottage,  while  the  wilderness  offered  land. 
Their  numbers  increased,  and  the  colony,  which  had  begun  only  as  the  trading 
station  of  a  company  with  a  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade,  counted,  perhaps,  six- 
teen or  seventeen  thousand  inhabitants.  When  England  began  rigorously  to 
colonize  Nova  Scotia,  the  native  inhabitants  migh  tfear  the  loss  of  their  independ- 
ence. The  enthusiasm  of  their  priests  was  kindled  into  fervor  at  the  thought 
that  heretics,  of  a  land  which  had  disfranchised  Catholics,  were  to  surround,  and 
perhaps  overwhelm,  the  ancient  Acadians.  "  Better,"  said  the  priests,  "  sur- 
render your  meadows  to  the  sea,  and  your  liouses  to  the  flames,  than,  at  the 
peril  of  your  souls,  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  government."  And 
they,  from  their  very  simplicity  and  anxious  sincerity,  were  uncertain  in  their 
resolves  ;  now  gathering  courage  to  flee  beyond  the  isthmus,  for  other  homes  in 
New  France,  and  now  yearning  for  their  own  homes  and  fields,  their  herds  and 
pastures. 

The  haughtiness  of  the  British  officers  aided  the   priests  in  their  efforts  to 
foment  disaffection.     The  English  regarded  colonies,  even  when  settled  bjr  men     : 
from  their  own  land,  only,  as  sources  of  emolument  to  tlie  mother   country;   col- 
onists as  an   inferior  caste.     The  Acadians   were  despised  because   they  were 
helpless.     Ignorant  of  the  laws  of  their  conquerors,  they  were  not  educated  to 
the  knowledge,  the  defence,  and  the  love  of  English  liberties;   they  knew  not  the 
way  to  the   throne,  and,  given  up  to   military   masters,  had   no  redress  in  civil 
tribunals.     Their  papers  and  records,  the  titles  to  their  estates  and  inheritances, 
were  taken  away  from  them.     Was  their  property  demanded  for  the  public  ser- 
vice?    "  They  were  not  to  be  ■bargained  with  for  the  pa\'ment."     The  order    ■ 
may  still  be  read  on  the  Council  records  at  Halifax.     They  must  comply,  it  was 
written,  without  making  any  terms,  "immediately,"  or  "  the  next  courier  would 
bring  an   order  for  military    execution   on  the  delinquents."      And,  when  they 
delayed   in   fetching  firewood   for  their  oppressors,  it  was  told  them  from  the 
Governor,  "  If  tliey  do  not  do  it  in  proper  time,  the  soldiers  shall  absolutely  take 
their  homes  for   fuel."     The    unoffending   sufferers    submitted  meekly  to  the 
tyranny.     Under  pretence   of  fearing  that  they  might  rise  in  behalf  of  France, 
or  seek  shelter  in  Canada,  or  convey  provisions  to  the  French  garrisons,  they 
were  directed  to  surrender  their  boats  and  their  firearms;   and,  conscious  of  inno- 
cence, they  gave  up  their  barges  and   their  muskets,  leaving  themselves  without 
the  means  of  flight  and  defenceless.     Further  orders  were  afterward  given  to 
the  English  officers,  it  the   Acaidans  beliaved  amiss,  to  punish  them  at  discre- 
tion ;  if  the  troops  were  annoyed,  to  mflict  vengeance  on  the  nearest,  whether 
the  guilty  one  or  not — "  taking  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth." 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  329 

The  French  had  yielded  their  sovereignt}-  over  no  more  thantlie  peninsula. 
They  established  themselves  on  the  isthmus  in  two  forts — one,  a  small  stockade 
at  tlie  mouth  of  little  river  Gaspereaux,  near  Bay  Verde ;  the  other,  the  more 
considerable  fortress  of  Beau  Sejour,  built  and  supplied  at  great  expense,  upon 
an  eminence  on  the  north  side  of  the  Messagouche,  on  tlie  Bay  of  Fundy.  The 
isthmus  is  here  hardly  fifteen  miles  wide,  and  formed  the  natural  boundary 
between  New  France  and  Acadia.  The  French  at  Beau  Sejour  had  passed  the 
previous  winter  in  unsuspecting  tranquillity,  ignorant  of  the  preparations  of  the 
crowns  for  war.  As  spring  approached  suspicions  were  aroused;  but  DeVerger, 
the  inefficient  commander,  took  no  vigorous  measures  for  strengthening  his  works, 
nor  was  he  fully  aroused  to  his  danger  till,  from  the  vvalls/of  his  fort,  he  himself 
beheld  the  fleet  of  the  English  sailing  fearlessly  into  the  bay  and  anchoring 
before  his  eyes.  The  provincial  troops,  about  fifteen  hundred  in  number, 
strengthened  b}'  a  detachment  of  three  hundred  regulars  and  a  train  of  artiller}^ 
were  disembarked  without  difficulty  A  day  was  given  tp  repose  and  parade: 
on  the  fourth  of  June  (1755)  they  forced  the  passage  of  \  the  Messagouche,  the 


;eV;  no 


intervening  river.  No  sally  was  attempted  by  DeVerger;  no  earnest  defence 
was  undertaken.  On  the  twelfth,  the  fort  at  Beau  Sejour,  weakened  by  fear, 
discord  and  confusion,  was  invested,  and  in  four  days  it  surrendered.  By  the 
terms  of  the  capitulation,  the  garrison  was  to  be  sent  to  Louisburg;  for  the 
Acadian  fugitives,  inasmuch  as  they  had  been  forced  into  the  service,  amnesty 
was  stipulated.  The  place  received  an  English  garrison,  and,  from  the  brother 
of  the  King,  then  the  soul  of  the  regency,  was  named  Cumberland. 

The  petty  fortress  near  the  river  Gaspereaux,  on  Bay  Verde,  a  mere  palisade, 
flanked  by  four  block  houses,  without  mound  or  trenches,  and  tenanted  by  no 
more  than  twenty  soldiers,  though  commanded  by  the  brave  De  Villerai,  could 
do  nothing  but  capitulate  on  the  same  terms.  Meantime  Captain  Rous  sailed, 
with  three  frigates  and  a  sloop,  to  reduce  the  French  fort  on  the  St.  John's. 
But  before  he  arrived  there,  the  fort  and  dwellings  of  the  French  had  been 
abandoned  and  burned,  and  he  took  possession  of  a  deserted  countr}'.  Thus 
was  the  region  east  of  the  St.  Croix  annexed  to  England,  with  a  loss  of  but 
twenty  men  killed,  and  as  many  more  wounded.  No  further  resistance  was  to 
be  feared.  The  Acadians  cowered  before  their  masters,  hoping  forbearance ; 
willing  to  take  an  oath  of  fealty  to  England;  in  their  single-mindedness  and 
sincerity,  refusing  to  pledge  themselves  to  bear  arms  against  France.  The 
English  were  masters  of  the  sea,  were  undisputed  lords  of  the  country,  and 
could  e.xercise  clemency  without  apprehension.  Not  a  whisper  gave  warning  of 
their  purpose  till  it  was  ripe  for  execution. 

But  it  had  been  determined  that  the  French  inhabitants  of  Acadia  should  be 
carried  away  into  captivity  to  other  parts  of  the  British  dominions.  '*  They 
have  laid  aside  all  thoughts  of  taking  the  oaths  of  allegiance  voluntarily,"  thus, 


M 


330  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

in  August,  1754,  Laurence,  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Nova  Scolia,  had 
written  of  them  to  Lord  Halifax.  "  They  possess  the  best  and  largest  tract  of 
land  in  this  province  ;  if  they  refuse  the  oaths  it  would  be  much  better  that  they 
were  away."  The  Lords  of  Trade  in  reply  veiled  their  wishes  under  the 
decorous  form  of  suggestions:  "By  the  tre^^ty  of  Utrecht,"  said  they  of  the 
French  Acadians,  "  their  becoming  subjects  of  Great  Britian  is  made  an  express 
condition  of  their  continuance  after  the  expiration  of  a  year;  they  can  not 
become  subjects  by  taking  the  oaths  required  by  subjects;  and,  therefore,  it 
mav  be  a  question  whether  their  refusal  to  take  such  oaths  will  not  operate  to 
invalidate  their  titles  to  their  lands.  Consult  the  Chief  Justice  of  Novia  Scotia 
upon  that  point:   his  opinion  may  serve  as  foundation  for  future  measures." 

France  remembered  the  descendants  of  her  sons  in  the  hour  of  their  afflic- 
tions, and  asked  that  they  might  have  time  to  remove  from  the  Peninsula  with 
their  effects,  leaving  their  lands  to  the  English;  but  the  answer  of  the  British 
minister  claimed  them  as  useful  subjects  and  refused  them  the  liberty  of  trans- 
migration. 

The  inhabitants  of  Minas  and  the  adjacent  country  pleaded  with  the  British 
otficers  for  the  restitution  of  their  boats  and  their  guns,  promising  fidelity,  if 
they  could  but  retain  their  liberties,  and  declaring  that,  not  the  want  of  arms, 
but  their  consciences,  should  engage  them  not  to  revolt.  "The  memorial," 
said  Lawrence  in  council,  "is  highly  arrogant,  insidious  and  insulting."  The 
memorialists,  at  his  summons,  came  submissively  to  Halifax.  "  You  want  your 
canoes  for  carrying  provisions  to  the  enemy,"  said  he  to  them,  though  he  knew 
no  enemy  was  left  in  their  vicinity.  "  Guns  are  no  part  of  your  goods."  he 
continued,  "as  by  the  laws  of  England  all  Roman  Catholics  are  restrained  from 
having  arms,  and  are  subject  to  penalties  if  arms  are  found  in  their  houses.  It 
is  not  the  language  of  British  subjects  to  talk  of  terms  with  the  crown  or  capit- 
ulate about  their  fidelity  or  allegiance.  What  excuse  can  you  make  for  your 
presumption  in  treating  tlie  government  with  such  indignity  as  to  expound  to 
them  the  nature  of  fidelity?  Manifest  your  obedience  by  immediately  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance  in  the  common  form  before  the  council." 

The  deputies  replied  that  they  would  do  as  the  generality  of  the  inhabitants 
should  determine;  and  they  merely  entreated  leave  to  return  home  and  consult 
the  body  of  the  people.  The  next  day  the  unhappy  men,  foreseeing  the  sorrow 
that  menaced  them,  offered  to  swear  allegiance  unconditionally;  but  they  were 
told  that,  by  a  clause  in  a  British  statute,  persons  who  had  once  refused  the  oath 
can  not  afterward  be  permitted  to  take,  but  are  to  be  considered  as  popish  re- 
cusants, and  as  such  they  were  imprisoned. 

The  chief  justice,  on  whose  opinion  hung  the  fate  of  so  many  hundreds  of 
innocent  families,  insisted  that  the  French  inhabitants  were  to  be  looked  upon 
as  confirmed  "rebels;"  who  had  now  collectively  and  without  exception  become 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  331 

"recusants."  Besides,  they  still  counted  in  their  villages  "eight  thousand' 
souls,  and  the  English  not  more  than  "three  thousand;"  they  stood  in  the  way 
of  "the  progress  of  the  settlement;"  "by  their  non-compliance  with  the  condi- 
tions of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  they  had  forfeited  their  possessions  to  the  crown  ;" 
after  the  departure  of  the  fleet  and  the  troops  the  province  would  not  be  in  a 
condition  to  drive  them  out.  "Such  a  juncture  as  the  present  might  never 
occur;"  so  he  advised  "against  receiving  any  of  the  French  inhabitants  to  take 
the  oath,"  and  for  the  removal  of  all  of  them  from  the  province. 

That  the  cruelty  might  have  no  palliation,  letters  arrived,  leaving  no  doubt 
that  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  were  entirely  in  the  possession  of  the 
British;  and  yet  at  a. council,  at  which  Vice  Admiral  Boscawen  and  the  Rear 
Admiral  Mostyn  were  present  by  invitation,  it  was  unanimously  determined  to 
send  the  French  inhabitants  out  of  the  province;  and  after  mature  considera- 
tion it  was  further  unanimously  agreed  that,  to  prevent  their  attempting  to  return 
and  molest  the  settlers  that  may  be  set  down  on  their  lands,  it  would  be  most 
proper  to  distribute  them  amongst  the  several  colonies  on  the  continent. 

To  hunt  them  into  the  net  was  impracticable;  artifice  was.  therefore,  re- 
sorted to.  By  a  general  proclamation,  on  one  and  the  same  day,  the  scarcely 
conscious  victims,  "both  old  men  and  3'oung  men,  as  well  as  all  the  lads  of  ten 
years  of  age,"  were  peremptorily  ordered  to  assemble  at  their  respective 
posts.  On  the  appointed  fifth  of  September  they  obeyed.  At  Grand  Pre,  for 
example,  four  hundred  and  eighteen  unarmed  men  came  together.  They  were 
marched  into  the  church  and  its  avenues  were  closed,  when  Winslow,  the 
American  commander,  placed  himself  in  their  center,  and  spoke: 

"  You  are  convened  together  to  manifest  to  you  his  majesty's  final  resolu- 
tion to  the  French  inhabitants  of  this  province.  Your  lands  and  tenements, 
cattle  of  all  kinds,  and  live  stock  of  all  sorts,  are  forfeited  to  the  crown,  and  you 
yourselves  are  to  be  removed  from  this  province.  1  am,  through  his  majesty's 
goodness,  directed  to  allow  you  liberty  to  carry  off  your  money  and  household 
goods,  as  many  as  you  can,  without  discommoding  the  vessels  you  join."  And  he 
then  declared  them  the  king's  prisoners.  Their  wives  and  families  shared  their 
lots;  their  sons,  five  hundred  and  twenty-seven  in  number,  their  daughters, 
five  hundred  and  seventy-six;  in  the  whole,  women  and  babes  and  old  men  and 
children  all  included,  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty-three  souls.  The  blow  was 
sudden ;  they  had  left  home  but  for  the  morning,  and  they  never  were  to  re- 
turn. Their  cattle  were  to  stay  unfed  in  the  stalls,  their  fires  to  die  on  the 
hearths.  They  had  for  that  first  day  even  no  food  for  themselves  or  their 
children  and  were  compelled  to  beg  for  bread. 

The  tenth  of  September  was  the  day  for  the  embarkation  for  a  part  of  the 
exiles.  They  were  drawn  up  six  deep,  and  the  young  men,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one  in  number,  were  ordered  to  march  first  on  board  the  vessel.  They  could 


332  SOUTH  WEST  L  OUISIANA : 

leave  their  farms  and  cottages,  the  shady  rocks  on  wliich  the}'  had  rechned, 
their  herds  and  their  garners,  but  nature  yearned  within  them,  and  they  would 
not  be  separated  from  tlieir  parents.  Yet  of  what  avail  was  the  frenzied  despair 
of  the  unarmed  youth?  They  had  not  one  weapon:  the  bayonet  drove  them  to 
obey ;  and  they  marxhed  slowly  and  heavily  from  the  chapel  to  the  shore, 
between  women  and  children,  who  kneeMng  prayed  for  blessings  on  their  heads, 
they  themselves  weeping  and  praying  and  singing  hymns.  The  seniors  went 
next ;  the  wives  and  children  must  wait  until  other  transport  vessels  arrive.  The 
delay  had  its  horrors.  The  wretched  people  left  behind  were  kept  together 
near  the  sea,  without  proper  food,  or  raiment,  or  shelter,  until  other  ships  came 
to  take  them  awa)';  and  December,  with  its  appalling  cold,  had  struck  the  shiver- 
ing, half-clad,  broken-hearted  sufferers  before  the  last  of  them  were  removed. 
"  The  embarkation  of  the  inhabitants  goes  on  but  slowly,'.'  wrote  Moncton  from 
Fort  Cumberland,  near  which  he  had  burned  three  hamlets;  "the  most  of  the 
wives  of  the  men  we  have  prisoners  are  gone  off  with  their  children,  in  hopes  I 
would  not  send  off  their  husbands  without  them."  Their  hope  was  vain.  Near 
Anna|iolis  a  hundred  heads  of  families  fled  to  tlie  woods,  and  a  party  was' 
detached  on  the  hunt  to  bring  them  in.  "  Our  soldiers  hate  them,'"  wrote  an 
officer  on  this  occasion,  and  if  they  can  but  find  a  pretext  to  kill  them,  they 
will."     Did  a  prisoner  seek  to  escape,  he  was  shot  down  by  a  sentinel. 

Yet  some  fled  to  Quebec:  more  than  three  thousand  had  withdrawn  to 
Miramichi,  and  the  region  south  of  the  Ristigourche ;  some  found  rest  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  John's  and  its  branches;  some  found  a  lair  in  their  native  for- 
ests; some  were  charitably  sheltered  from  the  English  in  the  wigwams  of  the 
savage.  But  seven  thousand  of  those  banished  people  were  driven  on  board 
ships,  and  scattered  among  the  English  colonies  from  New  Hampshire  to 
Georgia;  one  thousand  and  twenty  to  South  Carolina  alone.  Tliey  were  cast 
ashore  without  resources,  hating  the  poor  house  as  a  shelter  for  their  offspring, 
and  abhorring  the  thought  of  selling  themselves  as  laborers.  Households,  too, 
were  separated  :  the  colonial  newspapers  contained  advertisements  of  members 
of  families  seeking  their  companions,  of  sons  anxious  to  reach  and  relieve  their 
parents,  of  mothers  mourning  for  their  children. 

The  wanderers  sighed  for  their  native  country ;  but  to  prevent  their  return 
their  villages,  from  Annapolis  to  the  isthmus,  were  laid  waste;  their  old  homes 
were  but  ruins.  In  the  district  of  Minas,  for  instance,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
of  their  homes,  and  more  than  as  many  of  their  barns,  were  consumed.  The 
live  stock  which  belonged  to  them,  consisting  of  great  numbers  of  horned 
cattle,  hogs,  sheep  and  horses,  were  seized  as  spoils  and  disposed  of  by  the 
English  officials.  A  beautiful  and  fertile  tract  of  country  was  reduced  to  a  sol- 
itude. There  were  none  left  round  the  ashes  of  the  cottages  of  the  Acadians 
but  the  faithful  watch  dog,   vainly  seeking  the  hand  that  fed  him.     Thickets  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


333 


forest  trees  choked  their  orchards;  the  ocean  broke  over  their  neglected  dykes 
and  desolated  their  meadows. 

Relentless  misfortune  pursued  the  exiles  wherever  they  fled.  Those  sent 
to  Georgia,  drawn  by  a  love  for  the  spot  where  they  were  born  as  strong  as  that 
of  the  captive  Jews  who  wept  by  the  side  of  the  rivers  of  Babylon  for  their  own 
temples  and  land,  escaped  to  sea  in  boats,  and  went  coasting  from  harbor  to  har- 
bor; but  when  they  had  reached  New  England,  just  as  they  would  have  set  sail  for 
their  native  fields," they  were  stopped  by  orders  from  Nova  Scotia.  Those  who 
dwelt  on  the  St.  John's  were  torn  once  more  from  their  new  homes.  When 
Canada  surrendered,  hatred,  with  its  worst  venom,  pursued  the  fifteen  hundred 
who  remained  south  of  the  Ristigourche.  Once  those  who  dwelt  in  Pennsyl- 
vania presented  an  humble  petition  to  the  Earl  of  Loudon,  then  the  British 
Commander-in-Chief  in  America,  and  the  cold  hearted  peer,  offended  that  the 
prayer  was  made  in  French,  seized  their  five  principal  men,  who  in  their  own 
land  had  been  persons  of  dignity  and  substance,  and  shipped  them  to  England, 
with  the  request  that  they  might  be  kept  from  ever  becoming  troublesome,  by 
being  consigned  to  service  as  common  sailors  on  board  ships  of  war.  No 
doubt  existed  of  the  King's  approbation.  The  Lords  of  Trade,  more  merciless 
than  the  savages  and  than  the  wilderness  in  winter,  wished  very  much  that  every 
one  of  the  Acadians  should  be  driven  out;  and  when  it  seemed  that  the  work 
was  done,  congratulated  the  King  that  "the  zealous  endeavors  of  Lawrence  had 
been  crowned  with  entire  success."  I  know  not  if  the  annals  of  the  human 
race  keep  the  record  of  sorrows  so  wantonly  inflicted,  so  bitter  and  so  perennial 
as  fell  upon  the  French  inhabitants  of  Acadia,.  "We  have  been  true,"  they 
said  of  themselves,  -"to  our  religion  and  true  to  ourselves;  yet  nature  appears 
to  consider  us  only  as  the  objects  of  public  vengeance."  The  hand  of  the 
English  oflicial  seemed  under  a  spell  with  regard  to  them,  and  was  never  up- 
lifted but  to  curse  them. 


22 


-~ti 


^ 


i'/^'fe 


V 


NOTE   IV. 


LAFITTE    THE     PIRATE. 


oJ^^HE  island  of  Grand  Terre.  the  rendezvous  of  Lafitte  the  Pirate,  is  now, 
z/^y.  says  Mr.  Walker,  the  author  of  The  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  of  January- 
'^  ■-  8,  1815,*  occupied  and  cultivated  by  a  Creole  family  as  a  sugar  planta- 
tion, producing  annually  four  or  five  hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar.  At  tlie 
western  extremity  of  the  island  stands  a  large  and  powerful  fortification,  which 
has  been  quite  recenth-  erected  b}'^  the  United  States,  and  named  after  one  of  the 
distinguished  benefactors  of  Louisiana,  Edw.ard  Livingston.  This  fort  com- 
mands the  western  entrance,  or  strait,  leading  from  the  gulf  into  the  Lake  or 
Ba}'  of  Barataria.  Here,  safely  sheltered,  some  two  or  three  miles  from  the 
gulf,  is  a  snug  little  harbor,  where  vessels  drawing  from  seven  to  eight  feet 
water  may  ride  in  safety  out  of  reach  of  the  fierce  storms  that  so  often  sweep 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Here  may  be  found,  even  now,  the  foundations  of  houses,  the  brick  work 
of  a  rude  fort,  and  other  evidences  of  an  ancient  settlement.  This  is  the  spot 
which  has  become  so  famous  in  the  poetry  and  romances  of  the  Southwest  as 
the  "Pirates'  Home,"  the  retreat  of  the  dread  corsair  of  the  gulf.  But  authen- 
tic history  dissipates  the  poetry  and  romance  and  deals  in  solid  facts  alone. 

Jean  Lafitte,  the  so-called  corsair  and  pirate,  was  a  blacksmith  from 
Bordeaux,  France,  who,  within  the  recollection  of  those  living,  kept  his  forge 
at  the  corner  of  Bourbon  and  St.  Philip  street,  New  Orleans.  He  had  an 
older  brother,  Pierre,  who  was  a  seafaring  character,  and  had  served  in  the 
French  nav}'.  Neither  were  pirates,  and  Jean  knew  not  enough  of  the  art  of 
navigation  to  manage  a  joll_v  boat.  But  he  was  a  man  of  good  address  and  ap- 
pearance, of  considerable  shrewdness,  of  generous  and  liberal  heart  and  ad- 
ventuous  spirit. 

To  understand  more  properly  the  operations  of  the  Lafittes,  a  few  words  of 
explanation  are  necessar}^  Shortly  after  the  cession  of  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States,  a  series  of  events  occurred  which  made  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  the  arena  of 
the  most  extensive  and  profitable  privateering.  First  came  the  war  between  France 
and  Spain,  whicb  afforded  the  inhabitants  of  the  French  islands  a  good  pretence 

•A  work  writlen  during  the  decade  of  18501S60. 


330  S0U7HWES7'  LOUISIANA  : 

to  depredate  upon  the  rich  commerce  of  the  Spanish  possessions,  the  most  valu- 
able and  productive  in  the  New  World.  The  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Caribbean 
Sea,  swarmed  with  privateers,  owned  and  employed  by  men  of  all  nations,  who 
obtained  their  commissions  (by  purchase)  from  the  French  authorities  at  Mar- 
tinique and  Guadeloupe.  Among  these  were  not  a  few  neat  and  trim  crafts 
belonging  to  the  staid  citizens  of  New  England,  who,  under  the  tri-color  of 
France,  experienced  no  scruples  in  perpetrating  acts  which,  though  not  con- 
demned by  the  laws  of  nations,  in  their  spirit  as  well  as  in  their  practical  results, 
bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  piracy.  Tlie  British  capture  and  occupation  of 
Guadeloupe  and  Martinique,  after  iSo6,  in  whicli  expeditions.  Col.  Edward 
Pakenham,  who  distinguished  himself  and  received  a  severe  wound,  broke  up 
a  favorite  retreat  of  these  privateers.  Shortly  after  this,  Columbia  declared  her 
independence  of  Spain,  and  invited  to  her  port  of  Carthagena  the  patriots  and 
adventurers  of  all  nations,  to  aid  her  struggle  against  the  mother  country. 
Thither  flocked  all  the  privateers  and  buccaneers  of  the  gulf.  Commissions 
were  promptly  given  or  sold  to  them,  to  sail  under  the  Columbian  flag,  and  to 
prey  upon  the  commerce  of  Spain,  who,  invaded  and  despoiled  at  home,  had 
neither  means  nor  spirit  to  defend  her  distant  possessions. 

Tlie  success  of  the  privateers  was  brilliant.  It  is  a  narrow  line,  at  the  best, 
which  divides  piracy  from  privateering,  and  it  is  not  at  all  wonderful  that  the 
reckless  sailors  of  the  gulf  sometimes  lost  sight  of  it.  The  shipping  of  other 
countries  was,  no  doubt,  frequently  mistaken  for  that  of  Spain.  Rapid  fortunes 
were  made  in  this  business.  Capitalists  embarked  their  means  in  equipping 
vessels  for  privateering.  Of  course  they  were  not  responsible  for  the  excesses 
which  were  committed  by  those  in  their  employ,  nor  did  they  trouble  themselves 
to  inquire  into  all  the  acts  of  their  agents.  Finally,  however,  some  attention 
was  excited  by  this  wholesale  system  of  legalized  pillage.  The  privateers  found 
it  necessary  to  secure  some  safe  harbor,  into  which  they  could  escape  from  the 
ships  of  war,  where  they  could  be  sheltered  from  the  northers,  and  where,  too, 
they  could  establish  a  depot  for  the  sale  and  smuggling  of  their  spoils.  It  was  a 
sagacious  thought  which  selected  the  little  bay  or  cove  of  Grand  Terre  for  this 
purpose.  It  was  called  Barataria,  and  several  huts  and  store  houses  were  built 
there  and  cannon  planted  on  the  beach.  Here  rallied  the  privateers  of  the  gulf, 
with  their  fast-sailing  schooners,  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  manned  by  fierce  look- 
ing men,  who  wore  sharp  cutlasses  and  might  be  taken  anywhere  for  pirates 
without  offence.  They  were  the  desperate  men  of  all  nations,  embracing  as 
well  those  who  had  occupied  respectable  positions  in  the  naval  or  merchant 
service  who  were  instigated  to  the  present  pursuits  by  the  love  of  gain,  as  those 
who  had  figured  in  the  bloody  scenes  of  the  buccaneers  of  the  Spanish  Main. 
Besides  its  inaccessibility  to  vessels  of  war,  the  Bay  of  Barataria  recommended 
itself    by    another  important    consideration  ;  it  was  near  to  the  city  of  New  Or- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  337 

leans,  the  mart  of  the  growing  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  from  it  the  lakes  and 
bayous  afforded  an  easy  water  communication  nearly  to  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, within  a  short  distance  of  the  city.  A  regular  organization  of  the  pri- 
vateers was  established,  officers  were  chosen  and  agents  appointed  in  New  Or- 
leans to  enlist  men  and  negotiate  the  sale  of  goods. 

Among  the  most  a'ctive  and  sagacious  of  these  town  agents,  was  the  black- 
smith, Jean  Lafitte,  who  embarked  in  the  lawless  and  more  adventurous  career 
of  smuggling  and  privateering.  Gradually  by  his  success,  enterprise  and 
address,  he  obtained  such  ascendancy  over  the  lawless  congregation  at  Bara- 
tana,  that  they  elected  him  their  captain  or  commander.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  this  choice  gave  great  dissatisfaction  to  some  of  the  more  war- 
like of  the  privateers,  and  particularly  to  Gambio,  a  savage,  grim  Italian, 
who  did  not  scruple  to  prefer  the  title  of  "Pirate,"  to  the  puling,  hypo- 
critical one  of  "Privateer."  But  it  is  said  that  Lafitte  found  it  necessary  to 
sustain  his  authoritj'  by  some  terrible  example,  and  when  one  of  Gambio's  fol- 
lowers resisted  his  orders,  he  shot  him  through  the  heart  before  the  whole  band. 
Whether  this  story  be  true  or  not,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  the  year  1813, 
when  the  association  had  attained  its  greatest  prosperity,  Lafitte  held  undisputed 
authority  and  control  over  it.  He  certainly  conducted  his  administration  with 
energy  and  ability.  A  large  fleet  of  small  vessels  rode  in  the  harbor,  besides 
others  that  were  cruising.  The  store  houses  were  filled  with  valuable  goods. 
Hither  resorted  merchants  and  traders  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  purchase 
goods  which,  being  cheaply  obtained,  could  be  retailed  at  a  large  profit.  A 
number  of  small  vessels  were  emplo3'ed  in  transporting  goods  to  New  Orleans, 
just  as  oysters,  fish  and  game  are  now  brought. 

In  the  city  they  had  many  agents,  who  disposed  of  these  goods.  By  this 
jirofitable  trade,  several  citizens  of  New  Orleans  laid  the.  foundation  of  their 
fortunes.  But  though  profitable  to  individuals,  this  trade  was  evidently  detri- 
mental to  regular  and  legitimate  commerce,  as  well  as  to  the  revenue  of  the 
Federal  Government.  Accordingly,  several  efforts  were  made  to  break  up  the 
association,  but  the  activity  and  influence  of  their  city  friends  generally  enabled 
them  to  hush  up  such  designs. 

Legal  prosecutions  were  commenced  on  the  7th  of  April,  181 3,  against  Jean  and 
Pierre  Lafitte,  in  the  United  States  District  Court  for  Louisiana,  charging  them 
with  violating  the  Revenue  and  Neutrality  Laws  of  the  United  States.  Nothing 
is  said  about  piracy — the  gravest  offence  charged  being  simply  a  misdemeanor. 
Even  these  charges  were  not  sustained,  for  although  both  the  Lafittes,  and 
many  others  of  the  Baratarians,  were  captured  by  Capt.  Andrew  Holmes,  in  an 
expedition  down  the  bayou,  about  the  time  of  filing  these  informations  agamst 
them,  j'et  it  appears  they  were  released,  and  the  prosecutions  never  came  to 
trial,  the  warrants  for  their   arrests  being  I'eturned  "not    found."     These  abor- 


338  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

live  proceedings  appear  to  have  given  encouragement  and  vigor  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Baratarians.  Accordingly,  we  find  on  the  28th  of  July,  1814,  the  grand 
jury  of  New  Orleans  making  the  following  terrible  exposure  of  the  audacity  and 
extent  of  these  unlawful  transactions:  "The  grand  jury  feel  it  a  duty  the\' 
owe  to  society  to  state  that  piracy  and  smuggling  has  been  so  long  established 
and  so  systematically  pursued  by  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  State,  and 
jiarticularl}'  in  this  city  and  vicinity,  that  the  grand  jury  find  it  difficult  legally 
to  establish  facts  even  where  the  strongest  presumptions  are  afforded.  Tiie  grand 
jury,  impressed  with  a  belief  that  the  evils  complained  of  have  impaired  public 
confidence  and  individual  credit,  injured  the  honest  fair  trader,  and  contributed 
to  drain  our  country  of  the  specie,  corrupted  the  morals  of  many  poor  citizens, 
and  finally  stamped  disgrace  on  our  State,  deem  it  a  duty  incumbent  on  them, 
by  this  public  presentation,  again  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  public  to  this 
serious  subject,  calling  upon  all  good  citizens  for  their  most  active  exertions  to 
suppress  the  evils,  and  by  their  pointed  disapprobation  of  every  individual  who 
may  be  concerned,  directly  or  indirectly  in  such  practices,  in  some  measure  to 
remove  the  stain  that  has  fallen  on  all  classes  of  society  in  the  minds  of  the  good 
people  of  our  sister  States."  The  report  concludes  vvitii  a  severe  reproof  of 
the  executive  of  the  State,  and  of  the  United  States,  for  neglecting  the  proper 
measures  to  suppress  these  evil  practices. 

The  tenor  of  this  presentment  leads  to  the  belief  that  the  "pirac}',"  as  used 
by  the  grand  jury,  was  intended  to  include  the  more  common  offences  of  fitting 
out  privateers  in  the  United  States,  to  operate  against  the  ships  of  nations  with 
with  which  they  were  at  peace,  and  that  of  smuggling, certainly  the  grave  fathers 
of  the  city  would  not  speak  of  a  crime, involving  murder  and  robbery, in  such  mild 
and  measured  terms, as  are  "calculated  to  impair  public  confidence, and  injure  pub- 
lic credit,  to  defraud  the  fair  dealer, to  drain  the  country  of  specie  and  to  corrupt 
the  morals  of  the  people."'  Such  language,  applied  to  the  enormous  crime  of 
piracy,  would  appear  quite  inappropriate,  not  to  say  ridiculous.  It  is  for  this, 
as  well  as  other  proofs,  that  the  respectable  citizens,  several  of  wliom  now  sur- 
vive, who  made  this  report,  had  in  view  the  denunciation  of  the  offence  of  smug- 
gling into  New  Orleans,  goods  captured  on  the  high  seas,  by  privateers,  which, 
no  doubt,  seriously  interfered  with  legitimate  trade  and  drew  off  a  large  amount 
of  specie. 

However,  indictments  for  piracy  were  found  against  several  of  the  Bara- 
tarians. Pierre  Lafitte  was  charged  as  aider  and  abettor  in  these  crimes  before 
and  after  the  fact,  as  one  who  did,  "upon  land,  to-wit:  in  the  city  of  New  Or- 
lans,  within  the  district  of  Louisiana,  knowingly  and  willingly  aid,  assist,  pro- 
cure, counsel  and  advise  the  said  piracies  and  robberies."  He  was  arrested  on 
these  indictments.  An  application  for  bail  was  refused,  and  he  was  incarcerated 
in  the  calaboose,  or  city  prison,  now  occupied  by  the  Sixth  District  Court  of 
New  Orleans. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  339 

These  transaction  betokening  a  vigorous  determination  on  the  part  of  the 
authorities  to  break  up  the  establishment  at  Barataria,  Jean  Lafitte  proceeded 
to  that  place  and  was  engaged  in  collecting  the  vessels  and  property  of  the  asso- 
ciation, with  a  view  of  departing  to  some  more  secure  retreat,  when  an  event 
occurred,  which  he  thought  w^ould  afford  him  an  opportunity  of  propitiating  the 
favor  of  the  Government,  and  securing  for  himself  and  his  companions  a  pardon 
for  their  offences. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  tlie  second  of  September,  1S14,  that  the  settle- 
ment of  Barataria  was  aroused  by  the  report  of  cannons  in  the  direction  of  the 
gulf.  Lafitte  immediately  ordered  out  a  small  boat,  in  which,  rowed  by  several 
of  his  men,  he  proceeded  toward  the  mouth  of  the  strait.  Here  he  perceived 
a  brig  of  war  lying  just  outside  the  inlet  with  the  British  colors  flying  at  the 
masthead.  As  soon  as  Lafitte's  boat  was  perceived  the  gig  of  the  brig  shot  off 
from  her  side  and  approached  him.  In  this  gig  were  three  officers,  clad  in 
naval  uniform,  and  one  in  the  scarlet  of  the  British  army.  They  bore  a  white 
signal  in  the  bow,  and  the  British  flag  in  the  stern  of  their  boat.  The  officers 
proved  to  be  Captain  Lockyer,  of  his  Majesty's  navy,  with  a  lieutenant  of  the 
same  service,  and  Captain  McWilliams,  of  the  army.  On  approaching  the 
Baratarians  Captain  Lockyer  called  out  his  name  and  style,  and  inquired  if 
Mr.  Lafitte  was  at  home  in  the  bay,  as  he  had  an  important  communication  for  him. 
Lafitte  replied  that  the  person  they  desired  could  be  seen  ashore,  and  invited  the 
officers  to  accompany  him  to  their  settlement.  They  accepted  the  invitation,  and 
the  boats  were  rowed  through  the  strait  into  the  bay  of  Barataria.  On  their  way 
Lafitte  confessed  his  true  name  and  character,  whereupon  Capt.  Lockyer  de- 
livered to  him  a  paper  package.  Lafitte  enjoined  upon  the  British  officers  to 
conceal  the  true  object  of  their  visit  from  his  men,  who  might,  if  they  suspected 
their  design,  attempt  some  violence  against  them.  Despite  these  cautions,  the 
Baratarians,  on  recognizing  the  uniform  of  the  strangers,  collected  on  the  shore 
in  a  dauntless  and  threatening  manner,  and  clamered  loudly  for  their  arrest. 
It  required  all  Lafitte's  art,  address,  and  influence  to  calm  them.  Finally, 
however,  he  succeeded  in  conducting  the  British  to  his  apartments,  where  they 
were  entertained  in  a  st3'le  of  elegant  hospitalit}'  which  greatly  surprised  them. 

The  package  directed  to  Mr.  Lafitte  was  then  opened  and  the  contents  read. 
It  consisted  of  a  proclamation  addressed  by  Col.  Edward  Nichols,  in  the  service 
of  his  Britannic  Majesty,  and  commander  of  the  land  forces  on  the  coast  of  Flor- 
ida, to  the  inhabitants  of  Louisiana,  dated,  Headquarters,  Pensacola,  29th  of 
August,  1814;  also  a  letter  from  the  same,  directed  to  Mr.  Lafitte,  as  the  com- 
mander of  Barataria;  also  a  letter  from  the  Honorable  Sir  W.  H.  Percy,  captain 
of  the  sloop  of  war  Hermes,  and  commander  of  the  naval  forces  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  dated  September  i,  1814,  to  Lafitte:  and  one  from  the  same  Captain 
Percy,  written  on  the  30th  of  August,  on  the  Hermes,  in  the  Bay  of   Pensacola, 


340  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA . 

to  Captain  Lockyer,  of  tlie  Sophia,  directing  him  to  proceed  to  Barataria,  and 
attend  certain  affairs  there  vvliich  aie  tully  explained. 

The  originals  of  these  letters  may  now  be  seen  in  the  records  of  the  United 
States  District  Court  in  New  Orleans,  where  they  were  filed  by  Lafitte.  They 
contained  the  most  flattering  offers  to  Lafitte,  on  the  part  of  the  British  officials, 
if  he  would  aid  them,  with  his  vessels  and  men,  in  their  contemplated  invasion 
of  the  State  of  Louisiana.  Capt.  Lockyer  proceeded  to  enforce  the  offers  by 
manj^  plausible  and  cogent  arguments.  He  stated  that  Lafitte, his  vessels  and  men, 
would  be  enlisted  in  the  honorable  service  of  the  British  navy, that  he  would  receive 
the  rank  of  captain  (an  offer  which  must  have  brought  a  smile  to  the  face  of  the 
unnautical  blacksmith  of  St.  Philip  street),  and  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars; that  being  a  Frenchman,  proscribed  and  persecuted  by  the  United  States, 
with  a  brother  then  in  prison,  he  should  unite  with  the  English,  as  the  English 
and  French  were  now  fast  friends ;  that  a  splendid  prospect  was  now  open  to 
him  in  the  British  navy,  as  from  his  knowledge  of  the  gulf  coast  he  could  guide 
them  in  their  expedition  to  New  Orleans,  which  had  already  started:  that  it 
was  the  purpose  of  the  English  government  to  penetrate  the  upper  country  and 
act  in  concert  with  the  forces  in  Canada ;  that  everything  was  prepared  to  carry 
on  the  war  with  unusual  vigor;  that  they  were  sure  of  success,  expecting  to 
find  little  or  no  opposition  from  the  French  and  Spanish  population  of  Louisiana, 
whose  interests  and  manners  were  hostile  to  those  of  the  Americans ;  and,  finally, 
it  was  declared  by  Captain  Lockyer  to  be  the  purpose  of  the  British  to  free  the 
slaves  and  arm  them  against  the  white  people  who  resisted  their  authority  and 
progress. 

Lafitte,  affecting  an  acquiescance  in  these  propositions,  begged  to  be  per- 
mitted to  go  to  one  of  the  vessels  lying  out  in  the  bay,  to  consult  an  old  friend 
and  associate,  in  whose  judgment  he  had  great  confidence.  Whilst  he  was 
absent,  the  men  who  had  watched  suspiciously  the  conference,  many  of  whom 
were  Americans,  and  not  the  less  patriotic  because  they  had  a  taste  for  priva- 
teering, proceeded  to  arrest  the  British  officers,  threatening  to  kill  or  deliver 
them  up  to  the  Americans.  In  the  midst  of  this  clamor  and  violence  Lafitte 
returned,  and  immediately  quieted  the  men  by  reminding  them  of  the  laws  of 
honor  and  humanit}',  which  forbade  any  violence  to  persons  who  came  among 
them  wtth  a  flag  of  truce.  He  assured  them  that  their  honor  and  rights  would 
be  sacred  in  his  charge.  He  then  escorted  the  British  to  their  boats,  and  after 
declaring  to  Captain  Lockyer,  that  he  only  required  a  few  days  to  consider 
the  flattering  proposals,  and  would  be  ready  in  a  certain  time  to  deliver  his  final 
reply,  took  a  respectful  leave  of  his  guests,  keeping  them  in  view  until  they  were 
out  of  reach  of  the  men  on  shore. 

Immediately  after  the  departure  of  the  British,  Lafitte  sat  down  and  ad- 
dressed a  long  letter  to  Mr.  Blanque,  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  341 

lives  of  Louisiana,  which  he  commenced  by  declaring  that  "though  proscribed 
in  my  adopted  country,  I  will  never  miss  an  occasion  of  serving  her  or  proving 
that  she  has  never  ceased  to  be  dear  to  me."  He  then  details  the  fact  of 
Captain  Lockyer's  arrival  in  his  camp,  and  encloses  the  letters  to  him.  He  then 
proceeds  to  say:  "I  ma}'  have  evaded  the  payment  of  duties  to  the  Custom- 
house, but  I  never  ceased  to  be  a  good  citizen,  and  all  the  offences  I  have  com- 
mitted have  been  forced  upon  me  by  certain  vices  in  the  laws."  He  then  ex- 
presses the  hope  that  the  service  he  is  enabled  to  render  the  authorities,  by  de- 
livering the  enclosed  letters,  "may  obtain  some  amelioration  of  the  situation  of 
an  unhappy  brother,"  adding  with  considerable  force  and  feeling,  "our  enemies 
have  endeavored  to  work  upon  me  by  a  motive  which  few  men  would  have  re- 
sisted. They  represented  to  me,  a  brother  in  irons,  a  brother  who  is  to  me 
very  dear,  whose  deliverer  I  might  become,  and  I  declined  the  proposal,  well 
persuaded  of  his  innocence.  I  am  free  from  apprehension  as  to  the  issue  of  a 
trial,  but  he  is  sick,  and  not  in  a  place  where  he  can  receive  the  assistance  he 
requires."  Through  Mr.  Blanque,  Lafitte  addressed  a  letter  to  Governor 
Claiborne,  in  which  he  stated  very  distinctly  his  position  and  desires.  He 
says: 

"I  offer  to  you  to  restore  to  this  State  several  citizens,  who,  perhaps,  in 
your  eyes,  have  lost  that  sacred  title;  I  offer  you  them,  however,  such  as  you 
could  wish  to  find  them,  ready  to  exert  their  utmost  efforts  in  defence  of  the 
country.  This  point  of  Louisiana  which  I  occupy  is  of  great  importance  in  the 
present  crisis.  I  tender  my  services  to  defend  it,  and  the  only  reward  I  ask  is 
that  a  stop  be  put  to  the  prosecutions,  against  me  and  my  adherents,  by  an  act 
of  oblivion  for  all  that  has  been  done  hitherto.  I  am  the  stray  sheep  wishing  to 
return  to  the  sheepfold.  If  you  are  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  my 
offences,  I  should  appear  to  you  much  less  guilty,  and  still  worthy  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  a  good  citizen.  I  have  never  sailed  under  any  flag  but  that  of  the  Re- 
public of  Carthagena,  and  my  vessels  are  perfectly  regular  in  that  respect.  If  I 
could  have  brought  my  lawful  prizes  into  the  ports  of  this  State  I  should  not 
have  employed  the  illicit  means  that  have  caused  me  to  be  proscribed.  Should 
your  answer  not  be  favorable  to  my  ardent  desires,  I  declare  to  you  that  I  will 
instantly  leave  the  country  to  avoid  the  imputation  of  having  cooperated  toward 
an  invasion  on  that  point,  which  can  not  fail  to  take  place,  and  to  rest  secure  in 
the  acquittal  of  my  own  conscience." 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  Governor  Claiborne  convoked  a  council  of 
the  principal  officers  of  the  army,  navy  and  militia,  then  in  New  Orleans,  to 
whom  he  submitted  the  letters,  asking  their  decisions  on  these  two  questions: 
I.  Whether  the  letters  were  genuine?  2.  Whether  it  was  proper  that  the 
governor  should  have  intercourse  or  enter  into  any  correspondence  with  Mr. 
Lafitte  and  his  associates?     To  each  of  these  questions   a   negative   answer  was 


342  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

given,  Major  General  Villere  alone  excepting,  this  officer  (as  well  as  the  gov- 
ernor, who,  presiding  in  the  council,  could  not  give  his  opinion),  not  only  sat- 
isfied as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  letters  of  the  British  officers,  but  believing 
that  the  Baratarians  might  be  employed  in  a  very  effective  manner  in  case  of  an 
invasion. 

The  onl}'  resvilt  of  this  council  was  to  hasten  the  steps,  which  had  been  pre- 
viously commenced,  to  fit  out  an  expedition  to  Barataria  to  break  up  Lafitte's 
establishment.  In  the  meantime,  the  two  weeks  asked  for  by  Lafitte,  to  con- 
sider the  British  proposal,  having  expired,  Captain  Lockyer  appeared  off  Grand 
Terre,  and  hovered  around  the  inlet  several  days,  anxiously  awaiting  his  approach. 
At  last,  his  patience  being  exhausted,  and  mistrusting  the  intentions  of  the  Bara- 
tarians, he  retired.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  spirit  of  Lafitte  was  sorely 
tried  by  the  intelligence  that  the  constituted  authorities,  whom  he  had  supplied 
with  such  valuable  information,  instead  of  appreciating  his  generous  exertions  in 
behalf  of  his  country,  were  actually  equipping  an  expedition  to  destroy  his  es- 
tablishment. This  was  truly  an  ungrateful  return  for  service  which  may  now 
be  justly  estimated.  Nor  is  it  satisfactorily  shown  that  mercenary  motives  did 
not  mingle  with  those  which  prompted  some  of  the  parties  engaged  in  this  ex- 
pedition. 

The  rich  plunder  of  tiie  "  Pirates'  Retreat,"  the  valuable  fleet  of  small  coast- 
ing vessels  that  rode  in  the  Bay  of  Barataria,  the  exaggerated  stories  of  a  large 
amount  of  treasure,  heaped  up  in  glittering  piles  in  dark,  mysterious  caves,  of 
chests  of  Spanish  doubloons  buried  in  the  sand,  contributed  to  influence  the  im- 
agination and  avarice  of  some  of  tiie  individuals  who  were  active  in  getting  up 
this  expedition.  A  naval  land  force  was  organized  under  Commodore  Patterson 
and  Col.  Ross,  which  proceeded  to  Barataria,  and,  with  a  pompous  display  of 
military  power,  entered  the  bay.  The  Baratarians  at  first  thought  of  resisting 
with  all  their  means,  which  were  considerable.  They  collected  on  the  beach 
armed,  their  cannons  were  placed  in  position,  and  matches  were  lighted,  when 
lo !  to  their  amazement  and  dismay,  the  stars  and  stripes  became  visible  through 
the  mist.  Against  the  power  which  that  banner  proclaimed,  they  were  unwill- 
ing to  lift  their  hands.  They  then  surrendered,  a  few  escaping  up  the  bayou  in 
small  boats.  Lafitte,  conformably  to  his  pledge,  on  hearing  of  the  expedition, 
had  gone  to  the  German  Coast — as  it  is  called — above  New  Orleans.  Commo- 
dore Patterson  seized  all  the  vessels  of  the  Baratarians,  and,  filling  them  and  his 
own  with  rich  goods  found  on  the  island,  returned  to  New  Orleans  laden  with 
spoils.  The  Baratarians,  who  were  captured,  were  ironed  and  committed  to 
the  calaboose.  The  vessels,  money  and  stores  taken  in  this  expedition,  were 
claimed  as  lawful  prizes  by  Commodore  Patterson  and  Col.  Ross.  Out  of  this 
claim  grew  a  protracted  suit,  which  elicited  the  foregoing  facts,  and  resulted  in 
establishing  the  innocence  of  Lafitte  of  all  other  offences  but  those  of  privateer- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  345 

ing,  or  employing  persons  to  privateer  against  the  commerce  of  Spain  under  tlie 
commission  from  the  Republic  of  Columbia,  and  bringing  his  prizes  to  the 
United  States  to  be  disposed  of,  contrary  to  the  provisions  of  the  Neutrality  Act, 

The  charge  of  piracy  against  Lafitte,  or  even  against  the  men  of  the  asso- 
ciation of  which  he  was  the  chief,  remains  to  this  day  unsupported  by  a  single 
particle  of  direct  and  positive  testimon\'.  All  that  was  ever  adduced  against 
them,  of  a  circumstantial  or  referential  character,  was  the  discovery  among  the 
goods  taken  at  Barataria,  of  some  jewelr}',  which  was  identified  as  that  of  a 
Creole  lady  who  had  sailed  from  New  Orleans  seven  years  before  and  that  was- 
never  heard  of  afterward. 

Considering  the  many  ways  in  which  such  property  might  have  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Baratarians,  it  would  not  be  just  to  rest  such  a  serious  charge 
against  them  on  this  single  fact.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable — though  no  fact  of 
that  character  ever  came  to  light— that  among  so  many  desperate  persons 
attached  to  the  Baratarian  organization,  there  were  not  a  few  who  would,  if  the 
temptation  were  presented,  "scuttle  a  ship,  or  cut  a  throat"  to  advance  their 
ends,  increase  their  gains,  or  gratify  a  natural  bloodthirstiness.  But  such  deeds 
can  not  be  associated  with  the  name  of  Jean  Lafitte,  save  in  the  idle 'fictions  by 
which  the  taste  of  the  youth  of  the  country  is  vitiated,  and  history  outraged  and 
perverted.  That  he  was  more  of  a  patriot  than  a  pirate,  that  he  rendered  ser- 
vices of  immense  benefit  to  his  adopted  countr}',  and  should  be  held  in  respect 
and  heard,  rather  than   defamed   and   calumniated,  will,    we   think,   abundantly 

appear  in  the  chapter  which  follows. 

» 
*     * 

Lcijitle  the  Patriot. — Repudiated  and  prosecuted  by  the  authorities  of  the 
State  and  Federal  Government,  Jean  Lafitte  did  not  cease  to  perform  his  duties 
as  a  citizen,  and  to  warn  the  people  of  the  approaching  invasion.  The  people, 
as  is  often  the  case,  were  more  sagacious  on  this  occasion  than  their  chief 
officials.  They  confided  in  the  representation  of  Lafitte,  and  in  the  authenticity 
of  the  accounts  forwarded  by  him  to  Gov.  Claiborne.  One  of  the  first  mani- 
festations of  these  feelings  was  the  convocation  of  the  people  at  the  City 
Exchange  on  St.  Louis  street.  This  was  after  the  tenor  of  Lafitte's  documents 
and  the  character  of  his  developments  had  become  known,  to-wit:  on  the  i6th 
of  December,  1814.  This  assembly  was  numerous  and  enthusiastic.  It  was 
eloquently  addressed  bj-  Edward  Livingston,  who,  in  manly  and  earnest  tones, 
and  with  telling  appeals,  urged  the  peoplfe  to  organize  for  the  defence  of  their 
city,  and  thus  in  a  conspicuous  manner  refute  the  calumnies  which  had  been 
circulated  against  their  fidelity  to  the  new  republic,  of  which  they  had  so 
recently  become  part  and  parcel. 

These  appeals  met  a  warm  response  from  the  people.     Nor  did  the  enthu- 


3t4  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

siasm  which  they  excited  vent  itself  in  mere  applause  and  noisy  demonstrations. 
They  produced  practical  results.  A  committee  of  public  safety  was  formed  to 
aid  the  authorities  in  the  defence  of  the  cit}-  and  supply  those  deficiencies 
which  the  exigenc}'  should  develop  in  the  organization  of  the  government  as 
well  as  in  the  character  of  those  charged  with  its  administration.  The  com- 
mittee was  composed  of  the  following  citizens:  Edward  Livingston,  Pierre 
Fourcher,  Dussau  de  la  Croix,  Benjamin  Morgan,  George  Ogden,  Dominique 
Boulignj^  J.  A.  Destrehan,  John  Blanque  and  Augustin  Macarte.  The}'  were 
all  men  of  note  and  influence. 

The  leading  spirit  of  the  committee  was  Edward  Livingston,  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  once  mayor  of  that  great  city.  He  had  emigrated  to  New 
Orleans  shortly  after  the  cession  and  organization  of  the  territory.  Of  profound 
learning,  various  attainments,  great  sagasity  and  industry,  possessing  a  style  of 
earnest  eloquence  and  admirable  force  which  even  now  renders  the  productions 
of  his  pen  the  most  readable  of  the  effusions  of  any  of  the  public  men  who  have 
figured  largely  in  the  political  or  professional  spheres  in  the  United  States, 
Edward  Livingston  could  not  but  be  a  leading  man  in  any  community. 

The  talents  vvhich  many  years  afterward  adorned  some  of  the  highest 
officers  under  the  Federal  Government,  and  reflected  such  distinction  on  Louis- 
iana in  the  United  States  Senate,  were  eminently  conspicuous  and  serviceable  in 
rallying  the  spirits  and  giving  confidence  and  harmon}'  of  action  to  the  people  of 
New  Orleans  during  the  eventful  epoch  to  which  the  sketches  relate.  He  was 
abl}'  supported  by  his  associates.  Destrehan  was  a  native  of  France,  a  man  of 
science,  resolution  and  intelligence,  though  somewhat  eccentric.  Benjamin 
Morgan  was  one  of  the  first  and  most  popular  of  the  class  of  American  merchants 
then  composing  a  rising  party  in  the  State. 

P.  Fourcher  was  a  Creole  of  Louisiana,  of  great  ardor  and  activity  in  de- 
fence of  his  native  soil.  Dussau  de  la  Croix  was  a  Frenchman  of  the  ancien 
regime,  an  exile,  who  found  in  Louisiana  the  only  sovereignty  and  tlie  only 
soil  which  he  deemed  worth  fighting  for.  A.  Macarte  was  a  planter  of  spirit, 
patriotism  and  energ}'.  George  M.  Ogden  was  a  leader  of  the  Young  America 
of  that  day,  and  possessed  great  zeal,  activity  and  influence  among  the  new  pop- 
ulation. John  Blanque  was  an  intelligent,  industrious  and  prominent  member  of  the 
State  Legislature.  Dominique  Bouligny  represented  the  old  Spanish  and  French 
colonists,  who  in  turn  had  possessed  Louisiana,  his  family  having  been  one  of 
the  oldest  in  the  State.  He  was  a  staid,  solid  and  true  man,  who  afterward 
filled  a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senatfe,  and  held  other  offices  of  dignity  and 
trust  in  the  State. 

Such  was  the  composition  of  the  committee  of  public  safet3'in  New  Orleans. 
The  first  act  of  the  committee  was  to  send  forth  an  address  to  the  people. 
This  document  bears  unmistakably  the  imprint  of  Edward   Livingston's  genius. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  345 

It  is  a  fervent  and  thrilling  appeal,  which  produced,  wherever  it  was  read  among 
the  excitable  population  of  Louisiana,  the  effect  of  a  trumpet  blast,  rallying  the 
people  to  the  defence  "of  their  sovereignty,  their  property,  their  lives,  and  the 
dearer  existence  of  their  wives  and  children." 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  highly  important  announcement  and 
effective  address  were  induced  by  the  information  supplied  by  Lafilte.  Edward 
Livingston,  the  chief  in  the  movement,'  had  been  the  confidential  adviser  and 
counsellor  of  Lafitte  since  1811.  His  intercourse  with  that  much  maligned  in- 
dividual had  dispelled  all  doubts  as  to  his  honorable  purposes.  The  date  of 
the  address  being  about  the  time  of  Lafitte's  retirement  from  Barataria,  and  the 
absence  of  other  information  of  the  designs  of  the  British,  whose  army  had  not 
then  left  the  Chesapeake  and  England,  all  tend  to  the  conclusion  that  Lafitte's 
representations  aroused  the  people  to  take  the  defence  of  the  city  into  their 
own  hands.  But  the  value  of  Lafitte's  intelligence  did  not  end  there. 
Claiborne,  preserving  his  reliance  in  the  verity  of  these  documents  dispatched 
to  him  by  Lafitte,  sent  copies  of  them  to  General  Jackson,  who  was  then 
stationed  at  Mobile,  watching  the  movements  of  the  Spanish  and  British  at 
Pensacola. 

The  perusal  of  these  letters,  under  the  popular  impression  as  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  parties  from  whom  they  were  obtained,  drew  from  the  stern  and 
ardent  Jackson  a  fiery  proclamaiion,  in  which  he  indinnantly  denounced  the 
British  for  their  perfidity  and  baseness,  and  appealed  in  fervid  language  to  all 
Louisianians  to  repel  "the  calumnies  which  that  vainglorious  boaster.  Col. 
Nicholl,  had  proclaimed  in  his  insidious  address."  The  calumnies  referred  to 
were  the  assertions  that  the  Creoles  were  crushed  and  oppressed  by  the 
Yankees,  and  that  they  would  be  restored  to  their  rightful  dominion  by  the 
British.  Here  we  may  observe  the  germ  of  that  feeling  which  led  even  Jack- 
son into  some  errors,  and  the  British  into  the  most  ridiculous  delusions.  It 
was  the  apprehension  or  doubt  as  to  the  fidelity  and  ardor  of  the  French  set- 
tlers and  Creoles  of  Louisiana  in  the  defence  of  the  State.  Subsequent  events 
will  show,  despite  the  grossest  misrepresentations  of  ignorant  or  designing  per- 
sons that  in  no  part  of  the  United  States  did  there  exist  greater  hostility  to 
the  British  or  more  earnest  determination  to  resist  the  approach  to  the  city  than 
among  the  descendants  of  that  race  which  had  been  from  time  immemorial 
England's  national  if  not  natural  enemy. 

It  is  remarkable  that  while  making  use  of  the  information  furnished  by 
Lafitte,  General  Jackson  indulged  in  the  strongest  language  of  denunciation  of 
the  "pirates  of  Barataria,"  styling  them  a  "hellish  banditti."  It  would  not  be 
consistent  with  the  acknowledged  generosity  and  manly  frankness  of  Jackson, 
as  well  as  with  subsequent  events,  to  suppose  he  knew  at  the  time  this   languai,'e 


346  •  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

was  used  how  great  a  debt  was  due  to  the  chiet  of  that  "hellish  banditti"'  for 
the  very  information  upon  which  his  energetic  measures  were  based.  Though 
severe  and  violent  against  evil  doers,  and  especially  against  those  who  were  im- 
plicated in  transactions  having  the  aspect  of  cruelty,  of  lawless  violence  and  op- 
pression, Jackson  was  at  the  same  time  remarkable  for  the  prompt  magnanim- 
ity which  would  extend  justice,  protection,  and  even  generous  forbearance  to 
all  brave  and  sincere,  but  guilty  and  erring,  men. 

* 

The  magnaminity  displayed  by  Jackson  on  more  than  one  occasion  would 
have  revolted  at  the  application  of  terms,  "hellish  banditti"  to  men  whose 
leaders  had,  at  such  great  sacrifice  of  personal  advancement  and  interest,  sup- 
plied the  information  of  the  design  of  the  British  against  New  Orleans,  fur- 
nishing the  key  b}'  which  Jackson  was  enabled  to  arrange  and  prepare  his  un- 
paralleled and  glorious  defence.  Much  more  satisfactory  is  the  conclusion  that 
Jackson  was  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  means  by  which  this  intelligence  was  ob- 
tained, and  knew  only  the  fact,  that  propositions  had  been  made  to  the  Bara- 
tarians,  whom  vulgar  and  prevalent  reports  characterized  as  vulgar  and  blood- 
thirsty pirates.  Thus  conspicuous  and  valuable  were  the  services  which  Jean 
Lafitte  rendered  to  the  State  of  Louisiana. 

The  long  agony  was  now  over.  The  suspense  and  doubt  which  had  agita- 
ted the  whole  country  were,  for  the  first  time,  dissipated.  The  designs  of  the 
British  were  laid  bare.  Their  vast  preparations  were  understood.  The  point 
upon  which  they  were  to  throw  themselves,  with  the  powerful  force  which  was 
now  hurr3ing  toward  the  West  Indies,  was  clearly  perceived.  The  deep-laid 
scheme  of  the  British  cabinet,  b}'  which  all  disasters  of  the  war  were  to  be  re- 
deemed in  a  blaze  of  glory,  was  exposed  to  the  world.  In  the  confidence  that 
secrecy  had  preserved,  the  politicians  of  Great  Britain,  at  home  and  on  the 
continent,  boldly  proclaimed  the  conquest  and  occupation  of  New  Orleans  as 
fait  accompli.  "I  expect  at  this  moment,"  remarked  Lord  CasteJreagh,  at 
Paris,  about  the  middle  of  December,  1814,  "that  most  of  the  large  seaport 
towns  of  America  are  by  this  time  laid  in  ashes;  tliat  we  are  in  possession  of 
New  Orleans  and  have  command  of  all  the  rivers  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and 
lakes,  and  that  the  Americans  are  but  little  better  than  prisoners  in  their  own 
country." 

It  has  been  asserted  by  British  writers  that  the  secret  of  the  expedition 
transpired  through  the  carelessness  and  blundering  of  one  of  their  own  naval 
officers,  who  communicated  the  tenor  of  his  instructions  to  a  Jew  trader  whilst 
a  portion  of  the  fleet  lay  off  the  West  Indies.  This  is  the  English  stor}-,  but  it 
is  an  error.  Before  the  fleet  arrived  near  Jamaica,  Lafitte  had  transmitted  the 
documents  already  referred  to,  which  developed  the  design  of  the  British  on 
New  Orleans  and  led  to  the  measures  which  were  set  on  foot  for  its  defence. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  347 

Had  Lafitte  assented  to  the  proposal  of  the  British  authorities,  and  permitted 
them  to  occupy  his  port  at  Barataria,  giving  them  the  use  of  his  fleet  of  small 
vessels,  they  would  have  been  able  to  transport  their  army  with  rapidity  and 
ease  to  the  Mississippi  River,  at  a  point  above  New  Orleans.  Thus  having 
means  of  cutting  off  reinforcements  and  supplies  from  the  West,  the  capture  of 
the  city  would  have  been  inevitable.  By  examining  the  map  of  Louisiana,  it 
will  be  seen  that  there  is  no  easier  access  to  the  city  from  the  gulf  than  through 
the  bay  and  baj'ou  of  Barataria,  a  circumstance  which  has  induced  the  general 
government  to  expend  so  large  a  sum  on  the  fortifications  of  Grand  Terre  tliat 
command  the  entrance  of  the  bay. 

Let  the  truth  now  be  told.  Time  scatters  the  mist  of  prejudice  and  pas- 
sion and  patient  inquirv  dissipates  the  gaudy  and  ingenious  web  of  poetry  and 
romance.  The  truthful  history  of  Jean  Lafitte  must  ever  occupy  a  conspicuous 
position  among  the  gallant  spirits  of  1814  and  1815,  for  the  brilliancy  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  services  which  he  rendered  his  adopted  country,  whose  authorities 
destroyed  his  fortunes,  blasted  his  prospects,  and  handed  his  name  down  to 
posterity  as  that  of  a  blood-thirsty  corsair  and  outlaw.  The  hero  of  numerous 
fictions,  written  to  inflame  youthful  imaginations  and  satisfy  a  morbid  appetite 
for  scenes  of  blood,  of  murder,  of  reckless  daring  and  lawless  outrage.  A  name 
which  he  had.  b}^  such  honorable  self-abnegation,  hoped  to  redeem  from  all 
dishonor  and  connect  with  conspicuous  and  patriotic  services,  became  the 
favorite  nom  de  guerre  of  every  desperate  adventurer  and  roving  corsair  of  the 
gulf./ 

Less  cruel  was  that  terrific  Norther,  which,  a  few  years  after  the  years  we 
have  described,  when  misfortune  had  crushed  his  spirit,  bowed  his  manly  form, 
dimmed  the  lustre  of  his  eye  that  once  possessed  such  power  to  threaten  or 
command,  and  sprinkled  with  premature  snows  those  raven  locks  that  once  gave 
so  much  effect  to  his  handsome  face — more  merciful  indeed  was  that  relentless 
hurricane  which,  sweeping  over  the  gulf  in  the  fall  of  1817,  struck  the  little 
schooner,  laden  with  all  that  remained  of  the  once  princely  fortune  of  Jean 
Lafitte,  which  he  was  bearing  to  some  distant  land,  where  the  odious  epithet  of 
pirate  would  not  follow  him — where  he  might  end  his  days  in  peace  and  con- 
tentment. Amid  the  shrieks  of  the  storm-birds,  the  roar  of  the  elements,  the 
crash  of  thunder,  and  the  screams  for  mercy  of  erring  men,  Jean  Lafitte,  with 
all  his  worldly  goods,  found  in  a  watery  tomb  that  oblivion  and  rest  which  was 
denied  to  him  in  this  life.     Peace  to  his  soul!     Justice  to  his  memory! 

Barataria,  once  so  busy  a  scene,  where  roystering  freebooters  held  their 
noisy  wassails,  where  sharp-e3'ed  peddlers  were  wont  to  gather  as  to  a  fair  to 
purchase  great  bargains  from  traders,  more  skilful  in  handling  a  pike  and  cut- 
lass than  in  higgling  over  silks  and  jewelry;  and  where  notinfrequentl}'  might  be 
seen  some  of  the  chief  men  of  New  Orleans,  who,  from  the  profit  of  their  trans- 


348  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA . 

actions  with  the  unsophisticated  but  very  successful  privateers,  became  million 
aires  in  full  time  to  repent  of  their  irregularities,  and  established  for  themselves 
high  reputations  as  punctilious  merchants  and  law-abiding  citizens;  where  floated 
a  gallant  httle  fleet  of  fast  sailors,  trim,  arrow-like  crafts,  armed  to  the  teeth  ; 
where,  on  the  low  coast,  quite  a  formidable  battery  of  cannon  stood  ready  to 
defend  the  valuable  stores  and  dispute  the  passage  through  the  narrow  strait  by 
which  New  Orleans  could  be  reached  in  the  shortest  distance  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  the  scene  of  all  this  life,  jollity  and  lawless  adventure,  is  now  one  of 
the  most  solitary,  dreary  and  desolate  along  the  whole  low,  flat  coast  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  Barataria,  no  longer  a  doubtfully  disputed  territory,  has  long  since 
passed  from  the  possession  of  the  freebooters  into  that  of  the  Republic  of  the 
United  States,  which  now  proclaims  and  enforces  its  title  by  a  powerful  fortifica- 
tion that  completely  commands  the  bay,  from  whose  ramparts  the  eye,  following 
the  widening  strait,  can  discern  the  quiet  little  cove,  now  restored  to  its  original 
desolation  and  solitude,  and  the  dreary,  storm-beaten  shore,  where  a  few  dark 
mounds  and  crumbling  heaps  afford  the  only  vestiges  of  the  brief  but  brilliant 
reign  of  Jean  Lafitte,  the  blacksmith  of  St.  Philip  street,  New-Orleans,  mis- 
called the  Pirate  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 


NOTE  V. 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 


l^jT^EW  events  in  the  history  of  Louisiana  are  of  more  vital  importance  to  its 
iTh9  citizens  than  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  of  January  8,  1815.  Space, 
C^  however,  can  not  be  devoted  to  all  the  details  preliminarj'  to  the  great 
battle,  but  the  most  that  can  be  given  are  a  few  extracts  from  Walker's  History, 
to  the  most  important  points,  in  that,  up  to  that  time,  the  greatest  battle  ever 
fought  on  the  American  Continent.  The  first  extract  describes  the  battle  of  the 
23d  of  December,  1814: 

The  intruders  disappeared  from  view,  and  solitude  again  resumed  its  sway 
over  the  broad  field  in  which  the  British  were  bivouacked.  The  soldiers  re- 
paired to  their  agreeable  repast  and  slumbers.  Darkness  began  to  gather  over 
the  camp.  The  sentinels  were  doubled,  and  the  officers  walked  the  rounds 
with  restless  anxiety.  But  the  thoughtless  and  careless  men, intent  only  on  present 
comfort  and  enjoyment,  trimmed  their  fires,  so  as  to  give  cheerfulness  to  the 
scene,  and,  reproducing  the  remnants  of  their  midday  feast,  began  to  make  good 
use  of  their  kettles  and  pans,  in  preparation  for  a  comfortable  supper.  Many, 
too  exhausted  to  eat,  lay  down  to  sleep.  They  were  not,  however,  without 
anxiety,  and  for  better  security  their  arms  were  kept  within  reach,  ready  for 
instant  use.  About  seven  o'clock,  the  attention  of  several  officers  was  given  to 
a  vessel  which  was  stealing  slowly  down  the  river.  Then  from  the  bold  and 
careless  manner  in  which  she  approached  their  camp,  many  of  the  British 
thought  that  she  was  one  of  their  own  cruisers,  which  had  passed  the  forts,  and, 
after  proceeding  a  short  distance  up  stream  to  observe  the  enemy,  had  now 
arrived  most  opportunely  to  cover  their  left  flank  in  their  advance  upon  the  city. 
They  hailed  her — no  answer  was  returned.  Several  muskets  were  fired,  of 
which  she  took  not  the  slightest  notice. 

With  amazing  audacity  the  men  on  board  were  seen  quietly  fastening  the 
sails,  and  the  vessel  continued  to  sheer  in  close  ashore,  swinging  her  starboard 
right  abreast  of  the  camp.  Then  her  anchor  was  let  loose — a  slight  movement 
was  observed  on  board — lighted  matches  were  discerned  through  the  darkness, 
and  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  and  of  a  spectacle,  which  b}'  its  mysterious 
character  had  made  the  British   speechless  with  astonishment,  a   loud  voice  was 


:350  SOUTH  WEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

heard  from  the  sliip,  exclaiming,  "Give  this  for  the  honor  of  America."  The 
words  were  followi-d  by  a  simultaneous  flash  from  a  score  of  cannon  and  fire- 
arms, and  a  peifect  tornado  of  grape  shot  and  musket  balls,  which  swept  the 
levee  and  the  camp  in  the  field,  killing  and  wounding  many  men,  some  of  whom 
were  asleep  when  struck,  and  scattering  their  fire  and  camp  utensils  in  every 
direction.  The  havoc  was  more  terrible  from  its  suddenness.  For  some  minutes 
the  British  were  struck  with  consternation.  Disorder  prevailed  through  the 
camp.  One  of  the  officers  saj's  "they  were  driven  into  the  most  dire  confusion, 
which  cause  a  ten-fold  panic.  The  scene  beggared  all  description.  No  mob 
could  be  in  a  more  utter  state  of  disorganization."  They  vve:re  mowed  down  by 
an  unseen  and  unknown  enemy.  Nor  did  the  Carolina — for  it  was  tiiat  vessel, 
with  Commander  Patterson,  Captain  Henley  and  efficient  crew,  which  had  drop- 
ped down  inapportunely  on  the  British  camp — give  them  much  time  to  collect 
their  senses.  She  continued  her  fire  with  amazing  rapidity  and  accuracy,  em- 
bracing in  range  the  whole  area  of  the  field, in  which  the  British  soldiers  ran  wildly 
to  and  fro,  in  pursuit  of  shelter.  The  rocketers  on  the  levee  made  a  feeble  effort 
to  bring  their  weapons  to  bear  upon  the  schooner,  but  they  produced  no  effect, 
and  only  elicited  the  jeering  laughter  of  the  sailors  on  board  the  Carolina.  Finally 
the  intrepid  Thornton  came  to  the  rescue  of  his  affrighted  men,  and  ordered 
them  to  leave  the  open  fields  and  shelter  themselves  under  the  levee.  Never 
was  an  order  more  quickly  obeyed.  Reaching  the  levee,  the  men  lay  down  at 
full  length,  listening  in  painful  silence  to  the  pattering  of  grape  shot  in  their 
camp,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded  in  the  field,  who,  unable  to  gain  cover, 
were  knocked  and  tossed  about  like  logs  of  wood  by  the  remorseless  schooner. 
It  was  now  so  dark  that  the  men  could  not  discover  an  object  of  any  size, 
more  than  a  few  feet  off.  The  Carolina  slackened  her  fire  and  the  prostrate 
British  began  to  breathe  freer,  when  a  new  cause  of  alarm  arose.  It  was  the 
firing  at  their  outposts.  First,  there  were  a  few  isolated  reports,  evidently  of 
the  sentinel.  Then  came  volleys  of  the  pickets.  These  increased  every  second 
and  came  from  every  part  of  the  field.  Finally,  a  blaze  of  fire  seemed  to  en- 
circle the  camp.  It  was  evident  they  were  surrounded.  Here  was  apparent 
confirmation  of  the  wisdom  of  Keane's  conduct.  There  must  be  at  least  twelve 
thousand  men  to  justify  such  an  attack  upon  a  camp  of  Peninsula  veterans,  to 
cover  and  outflank  so  large  a  front.  But  there  was  no  lime  for  reflection  or 
speculation.  They  were  surrounded  and  must  fight  or  yield.  The  latter  was 
never  thought  of.  With  his  usual  boldness,  Thornton  ordered  the  Eighty-fifth 
and  Ninety-fifth  to  move  from  under  the  levee  and  rush  to  the  support  of  the 
pickets,  whilst  the  Fourth,  stealing  under  cover  of  the  levee,  formed  on  the 
right  bank  of  Villere's  Canal,  in  front  of  the  headquarters,  so  as  to  act  as  a  re- 
serve and  protect  their  communications  with  the  lake.  Major  Gubbins  led  the 
Eighty-fifth  on  the  right,  and  Major  Mitchell  the  Ninety-fifth  on  the  left,  whilst 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BlOGRArHICAL.  351 

Colonel  Tiiornton  directed  the  movements  of  the  whole  force.  They  were  soon 
engaged  in  one  of  the  fiercest,  most  severely,  and  evenly  contested  night  com- 
bats that  ever  occurred.  To  comprehend  the  order  of  the  battle,  we  must  fol- 
low the  movements  of  the  attacking  party. 

Marching  his  men  to  Rodriguez  Canal,  about  two  miles  from  the  British 
camp,  Jackson  made  this  ditch,  running  perpendicularly  from  the  river  to  the 
swamp,  the  base  of  his  operations.  Coffee,  with  eight  hundred  men,  including 
his  mounted  gunmen.  Hinds'  dragoons,  and  Beale's  rifles,  was  dispatched  to 
the  left,  with  orders  to  ^advance  along  the  edge  of  the  swamps  until  he  reached 
the  boundary'  line  between  Lacoste's  and  Laronde's;  and  dismounting  his  men, 
then  to  leave  his  horses  and  push,  boldly  forward,  so  as  to  gain  the  enemy's 
riglit,  turn  his  position,  break  up  his  communications  and  destroy  him.  Wait- 
ing for  a  few  minutes,  until  he  could  hear  the  broadside  of  the  Carolina,  which 
was  to  be  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  the  battle,  and  when  these  joyful 
notes,  a  little  before  the  appointed  hour,  fell  upon  his  ear,  delaying  for  a  few 
minutes  longer,  until  they  could  produce  their  full  effect  upon  the  enemy,  Jack- 
son gave  orders  to  advance. 

The  right  division,  consisting  of  the  regulars,  the  two  battalions  of  volun- 
teers, the  artillery  and  the  marines — in  all  114 7  muskets — and  two  six- 
pounders,  and  led  by  Jackson  himself,  advanced  by  heads  of  companies  as  near 
the  river  aspossible.  The  battle  was  opened  by  a  company  of  the  Seventh,  under 
Lieutenant  McClelland,  which,  however,  was  led  by  that  gallant  staff  officer, 
Col.  Pyatt.  This  company  being  on  the  extreme  right,  filing  through  the  gate 
of  Laronde's  plantation,  advanced  as  far  as  the  boundary  of  Lacoste's,  when  it 
was  received  with  a  brisk  discharge  from  one  of  the  outposts  of  the  enemy 
established  near  the  road,  and  lying  under  the  cover  of  a  fence.  This  outpost  con- 
consisted  of  eighty  men  of  the  ninety-fifth,  commanded  by  Capt.  Hallem.  Their 
resistance  to  a  single  company  of  the  seventh  infantry  has  been  exaggerated  by  one 
of  the  British  historians  into  "an  achievement  to  which  neither  ancient 
nor  modern  history  can  produce  a  parallel,"  as  Capt.  Hallem  says  this 
veracious  writer,  "was  opposed  to  Jackson's  whole  army,  three  thousand 
strong."  The  truth  is  the  gallant  Capt.  Hallem  and  his  eighty  men  were 
posted  in  a  ditch  and  behind  a  fence,  where  he  was  attacked  by  the  right  com- 
pany of  the  seventh,  calling  to  them  to  come  out  and  fight  like  men  in  the  open 
ground.  Pyatl  attacked  them  with  great  vigor,  and  forced  them  to  retire,  occu- 
pying the  ground  they  had  abandoned. 

The  British,  however,  being  reinforced,  returned  to  regain  their  lost  posi- 
tion and  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  Pyatt's  detachment,  who  as  briskly  replied. 
For  some  minutes  the  firing  was  very  severe  and  destructive,  the  combatants 
being  but  a  few  yards  apart.  Pyatt  received  a  bullet  in  the  leg,  McClelland  and 
a  sergeant  were  killed,  and  several  of  the  men  were  wounded.     Meantime  the 


362  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA . 

artillery  advanced  up  the  road,  covered  by  the  marines  under  Lieutenant 
Bellevue,  and  began  to  blaze  away  at  the  enemy's  outpost  with  great  vigor.  Col- 
lecting a  strong  force  the  British  made  a  bold  push  for  the  guns.  Their  heavy 
fire  caused  a  recoil  of  tha*  marines,  and  some  of  the  horses  being  wounded  one 
of  the  pieces  was  upset  in  the  ditch.  Jackson  and  his  staff  being  near  rode 
swiftly  to  the  point  of  danger,  and,  indifferent  to  the  shower  of  bullets  which 
whistled  around  him,  Jackson  called  out:  "  Save  the  guns,  my  boys,  at  every 
sacrifice!"  Aided  by  Captain  Butler  and  Captain  Chotard  of  his  staff,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  repairing  the  momentary  disorder  and  rallying  the  marines,  and  the 
company  of  the  Seventh  soon  had  the  guns  safely  protected. 

These  events  all  transpired  in  a  few  minutes;  meantime  the  other  companies 
of  the  Seventh  advanced  briskly,  and,  forming  in  battalion  apptiyc  on  the  river, 
opened  a  brisk  fire  on  the  British,  who  in  a  like  manner  had  strengthened  their 
lines.  The  Forty-fourth,  forming  on  the  left  of  the  Seventh,  soon  joined  in  the 
fire.  The  eng;igement  now  became  general  and  the  fire  was  kept  up  on  both  sides 
with  great  steadiness.  Both  lines  extended  perpendicular  from  the  river  some 
distance  out,  being  embraced  within  an  old  levee  and  the  new  levee.  In  such  a 
state  of  affairs  both  became  liable  to  be  outflanked  and  turned,  the  British  on  the 
right  and  the  Anjericans  on  the  left.  The  British  line  was  rapidly  extending 
beyond  that  of  the  Americans,  and  a  strong  force  had  begun  to  file  off  behind  the 
old  levee  toward  the  rear  of  the  left  of  the  Fortj^-fourth,  and  that  regiment  was 
compelled  to  oblique  to  the  left,  being  forced  back  when  Plauche  and  D'Aquin 
fortunately  came  into  line,  and  forming  under  a  severe  fire  at  pistol  shot  advanced 
in  close   column. 

Just  as  Plauche's  battalion  was  wheeling  into  line  on  the  left  of  the  Fort}- 
fourth,  some  of  his  platoons  on  the  right,  lapping  those  of  the  Forty-fourth, 
mistook  them  for  the  enemy  and  fired  a  volley  at  them,  which  wounded 
several  men.  Plauche  quickly  repaired  the  unfortunate  error,  and  lead  his 
battalion  into  the  very  face  of  the  enemy,  who  gave  way  rapidlv.  D'Aquin's 
battalion  followed  Plauche,  and  the  two  very  soon  reinstated  the  Foity-fourth 
in  its  rectilinear  position;  then  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  enemy,  which 
caused  them  to  give  way  still  more.  Seeing  the  effect  of  his  fire,  the  men 
called  to  charge  bayonets,  and  Plauche  was  about  to  give  the  order  for  the 
charge  when  Col.  Ross,  who  had  command  of  the  volunteer  battalions,  coun- 
termanded the  order  and  directed  him  to  hold  his  position.  This  was  for  the 
Americans  the  most  unfortunate  event  of  the  affair,  as  was  shown  afterward 
when  the  situation  of  tlie  British  became  known.  If  the  charge  had  been  made, 
a  large  portion  of  the  British  army,  including  a  whole  regiment  would  have 
been  cut  off  from  the  rest,  and  compelled  to  surrender.  Finally,  however, 
the  British,  being  so  vigorously  pressed,  deemed  it  prudent  to  retire  and  re- 
sume their  original  position  on  the  boundary  line  of  Lacoste  and  Villere's.      In 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  353 

this  movement  they  were  favored  by  a  heav\-  fog,  which  arose  about  half- 
past  eight  o'clock. 

So  much  for  the  operation  on  the  right.  Meantime  Coffee  was  not  idle. 
Dismounting  his  men  at  the  ditch,  which  forms  the  boundar}'  line  of  Laronde 
and  Lacoste,  and  leaving  one  hundred  men  in  charge  of  the  horses,  he  advanced 
rapidl}'  with  Beale's  rifles  on  the  left  in  extended  order,  skirting  the  swamp. 
When  he  had  reached  the  boundary  line  of  Villeres,  and  believed  that  he  had 
gained  the  enemy's  right,  he  wheeled  his  column  to  the  right  and  advanced  with 
front  face  to  the  river.  The  rifles  on  the  left  spread  themselves  over  Villere's, 
and  penetrated  the  verj"  center  of  the  British  camp — killing  many  of  the  enemy 
and  taking  several  prisoners. 

While  advancing,  Coffee  ordered  his  men  to  be  sure  of  their  mark  in  tiring, 
not  to  lose  a  shot,  and  to  fire  at  short  distance.  They  were  soon  engaged  with 
the  outposts,  and  the  quick-sightfd  Tennesseeans  had  picked  off  several  senti- 
nels before  their  approach  was  known,  so  noiseless  and  wily  did  the\'  move. 
Soon,  however,  the  British  Eighty-Fifth  rushed  forward  to  meet  them,  and  the 
two  lines  became  warmly  engaged.  Both  sides  were  remarkable  for  their  sharp 
shooting;  the  Eighty-Fifth  were  light  infantry  and  had  long  enjoyed  a  high 
reputation  for  the  efficient  manner  in  which  they  handled  their  guns.  But  the 
Tennesseeans  were  more  than  a  match  for  them.  They  fired  faster  and  with 
greater  accuracy.  The  British  suffered  severely,  losing  several  officers,  among 
others  Major  Harris,  the  Brigade  Major. 

For  some  time  the  battle  waged  fiercely  in  this  part  of  the  field,  but  with- 
out much  order  or  system.  It  was  a  war  of  detachments  and  duels.  The  offi- 
cers would  hastily  collect  small  bodies  of  men  as  they  could  find  them,  and, 
starting  out  in  pursuit  of  a  hostile  detachment,  would  rush  at  them  and  soon  be 
mingled  in  a  hand-tothand  conflict.  Owing  to  the  darkness  friends  could  not 
be  distinguished  from  foes,  and  not  a  few  fell  by  the  bullets  of  their  companions 
and  fellow  soldiers.  Approaching  within  a  few  yards  of  one  another,  the}'  would 
shout  some  vague  name  or  call,  beating,  as  it  were,  around  the  bush,  to  ascer- 
tain who  their  neighbors  were  before  delivering  fire.  The  manceuvers,  as  each 
party  should  disguise  his  character  to  get  nearer  his  enemies.  Many  lamenta- 
ble mistakes  were  made  on  botli  sides,  by  which  several  brave  men  lost  their 
lives. 

Among  Lacoste's  negro  cabins  several  parties  of  the  British  rifles  were 
posted,  who  kept  up  a  running  fire  on.  Coffee's  right  companies. 

The  Tennesseeans,  however,  recognizing  the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle,  gave 
these  parties  the  preference  and  directed  their  particular  attention  to  them. 

It  required  severe  fighting  to  dislodge  the  rifles;  but  they  were  soon  beaten 
with  their  own  weapons.  The  short  rifle  of  the  English  seivice  was  not  equal 
to   the    long   and   deadl}'    instrument   of   the    western   hunter  and  Indian  fighter. 


354  SO UTH WES T  LO UISIANA  ■ 

For  many  years  after  the  huts  of  Lacoste  bore  striking  proofs  of  the  accuracy 
of  the  aim  of  the  Tennesseeans  and  of  the  severity  of  the  combat  in  that  part  of 
the  field.  Concealing  themselves  behind  the  huts,  the  British  waited  until  the 
Tennesseans  got  into  the  midst  of  them.  Then  they  rushed  forward  and 
engaged  with  them  hand  to  hand.  Neither  party  having  bayonets  they  were 
forced  to  club  their  guns,  and  thus  man}'  fine  rifles  where  ruined.  But  the 
more  cautious  of  the  Tennesseeans  preferred  their  long  knives  and  tomahawks 
to  thus  endangering  that  arm  which  is  their  chief  reliance  in  war,  their  inseper- 
able  companion  in  peace.  Many  a  British  soldier  who  was  found  dead  on  the 
field,  with  heavy  gashes  on  his  forehead,  or  deep  stabs  in  his  bosom,  and  who 
was  buried  under  the  conviction  that  he  came  to  his  death  by  that  military  and 
chivalric  weapon,  the  sword,  fell,  in  fact,  beneath  those  more  barbarous  instru- 
ments, which  the  Tennesseeans  had  learned  from  the  savages  to  wield  with  deadly 
skill — the  tomahawk  and  hunting  knife.  After  being  driven  from  the  grove  at 
Lacoste's  the  rifles  fell  back  before  Coffee's  steady  advances,  rallying,  how- 
ever, as  they  were  joined  by  fresh  reinforcements,  and  keeping  up  a  continuous 
fire  on  the  Tennesseeans. 

At  last  they  gained  the  old  levee  not  far  from  the  road,  and,  preferring  for  a 
time  the  peril  of  the  Carolina's  broadsides  to  the  unerring  rifles  of  the  Tennes- 
seeans, they  took  post  behind  the  levee  on  the  river  side.  This  position  was 
deemed  too  strong  by  Coffee  to  be  carried;  besides  he  did  not  care  to  expose 
his  men  to  the  unceasing  fire  of  the  Carolina.  Accordingly  he  sent  a  dispatch 
to  Jackson  acquainting  him  with  his  position,  and  received  in  return  an  order  to 
join  the  right  division. 

If  the  design  of  Plauche  of  charging  the  already  retreating  line  of  the 
British  had  not  been  prevented  by  Col.  Ross  the  two  divisions  would  have 
united,  and  thus  the  British  left  would  be  inevitably  cut  off.  But  in  the  mean- 
time the  right  column  of  Jackson,  finding  the  fog  too  thick,  had  fallen  back  to 
its  original  position,  and  Coffee  following  it  at  last  took  a  position  near  the  old 
levee,  where  the  battle  had  commenced,  from  which  he  kept  up  an  irregular 
fire  on  the  British  regulars  and  outposts.  It  was  while  moving  in  this  direction 
Col.  Mitchell,  commanding  the  British  Ninety-fifth  (an  officer  who  had  won 
great  distinction  in  leading  the  storming  party  at  Ciudad  Rodrigo  and  in  other 
actions  in  the  Peninsular  war),  advanced  toward  the  British  right  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining  the  character  of  the  men  who  were  approaching.  As  the 
Ninety-third  Highlanders  were  expected  every  moment  to  reach  camp.  Major 
Mitchell  was  strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  Coffee's  men,  who  wore 
hunting  shirts,  which  in  the  dark  were  not  unlike  the  Highland  frock,  were  the 
men  of  the  Ninety-third,  and,  greatly  needing  their  aid,  he  eagerly  advanced^ 
calling  out,  "Are  those  the  Ninety-third?" 

"Of  course,"  shouted  the  Tennesseeans,  who  had  no  particular  number. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  355 

Mitchell  thereupon  pushed  boldly  forward  within  a  few  feet  of  the  men,  when 
Captain  Donaldson  stepped  in  front  and,  slapping  the  astonished  Briton  on  the 
shoulder,  called  out,  "You  are  my  prisoner,"  and  requested  the  Major's  sword. 
This  request  was  enforced  by  half  a  dozen  long  rifles  which  covered  his  body. 
With  infinite  mortification  the  gallant  major  surrendered,  and,  with  several  other 
prisoners,  were  borne  off  by  the  Tennesseeans.  Though  at  the  moment  of  his 
capture,  and  subsequently,  Major  Mitchell  was  treated  with  the  kindness  and 
generosity  due  to  a  gaUant  foe,  he  never  recovered  his  good  humor,  and  em- 
braced every  opportunity  of  exhibiting  his  spleen  and  disgust.  The  oblique 
movement  of  Coffee's  brigade  to  the  right  produced  some  disasters  which  were 
sorely  lamented  by  the  Americans. 

In  the  last  charge  of  Coffee,  just  before  he  received  the  order  to  retire,  the 
left  of  his  line,  including  two  hundred  Tennesseeans  and  Beale's  Rifles,  under 
Colonels  D3-er  and  Gibson,  got  separated  from  that  portion  which  moved  under 
Coffee's  immediate  command.  The  British  perceived  the  gap,  and  immediately 
pushed  into  it,  forming  a  strong  line  of  troops  between  Coffee  and  Dj^er.  To 
this  line  Dyer  hastened,  trusting  it  was  Coffee's.  On  approaching,  they  were 
hailed  by  the  British  to  stop  and  report  who  they  were.  Dyer  and  Gibson  ad- 
vanced and  called  out  that  they  were  the  Second  Division  of  Tennesseeans. 
Observing  that  this  answer  was  not  understood,  he  ordered  his  men  to  wheel 
and  retire  toward  the  swamp.  As  they  were  retiring,  the  British  opened  a  heav\' 
fire  upon  them,  and  then  charged.  In  the  retreat  Gibson  stumbled  and  fell,  and 
a  British  soldier,  more  active  than  iiis  companions,  reached  him  before  he  could 
rise  and  jiinned  him  to  the  ground  with  his  bayonet.  Fortunately',  the  bayonet 
only  pierced  his  flesh,  and  Gibson,  who  was  an  active  and  powerful  man,  seized 
the  musket,  forcing  it  from  his  assailant,  knocked  him  down  and  then  escaped 
to  his  coiupaiiions. 

Col.  D\'er  had  retreated  but  fifty  3'ards  when  his  horse  was  shot  and  him- 
self wounded,  both  falling,  he  becoming  entangled  under  tlie  animal.  At  this 
moment,  wlien  his  capture  or  death  seemed  inevitable,  he  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  order  his  men  to  halt  and  return  the  fire.  They  did  so,  and  the  British 
were  checked,  and  tlie  colonel  was  enabled,  with  the  aid  of  some  of  his  men, 
to  release  himself.  Finally  the  whole  pari)-  of  Tennesseeans  succeeded  in  reach 
ing  Coffee.  There  was  a  portion  of  Dyer's  command  which  was  not  so  fortu- 
nate. On  the  extreme  left  of  the  Tennesseeans  were  Beale's  Rifles,  extendinn- 
for  some  distance  across  Lacoste's  and  into  Villere's  field.  Fighting  singly  or 
in  small  squads,  they  h  id  penetrated  into  the  very  center  of  the  British  camp, 
and  gave  such  annoyance  to  the  enemy  as  to  lead  to  the  belief  that  they  com- 
posed the  whole  regiment.  Whilst  pressing  forward  the  Rifles  became  sepa- 
rated into  two  parties  by  the  fence  and  the  ditch  of  Lacoste's,  and  when  Coffee 
moved  toward  tlie   right,  the  party  of  the   Rifles  on   the    extreme   left  did   not 


:3o6  SOC'T/ZU'ES?'  L  OVISIANA  : 

observe  the  movement  and  followed  it.  The  consequence  was  that  they  were 
cut  off  by  the  British  closing  in  between  them  and  the  first  division  of  the  com- 
pany. Finding  themselves  thus  cut  off  the  Rifles  separated  and  endeavored  to 
escape  by  starting  in  different  directions.  One  party  of  them  retreated  in  the 
direction  of  the  swamp,  and  had  nearly  reached  it  when  they  observed  a  line  of 
men  advancing  fi-om  the  swamp  toward  them.  Deceived  in  the  same  manner 
in  which  Mithell  had  been,  they  concluded  from  the  dress  of  the  men  that  they 
were  Coffee's  "Hunters,"  and  eagerly  pressed  forward,  calling  out:  "  Where's 
the  first  division?"  "  Here  they  are,''  was  the  repl}',  with  a  broad  Scottish 
a-.-cent,  and  the  line  closed  in  upon  them  at  a  charge,  and  the  gleaming  bayo- 
nets produced  the  sad  conviction  on  the  minds  of  the  Rifles  that  they  had  been 
entrapped  and  must  surrender.  They  were  immediateU'  taken  in  charge  by  a 
detachment  of  the  British  and  hurried  toward  the  canal,  where  they  arrived  just 
in  time  to  be  placed  in  the  boats  which  had  brought  their  captors,  who  proved 
to  be  the  Grenadier  Company  of  the  Ninety-Third  Highlanders.  These  pris- 
oners were  taken  down  the  bayou  to  the  fleet. 

Those  who  were  thus  captured  embraced  several  of  the  most  respectable 
citizens  of  New  Orleans.  Among  them  were  Benjamin  Storey,  Esq.,  long  one 
of  the  most  respected,  wealtliy  and  prosperous  merchants  and  bankers  in  the 
city,  and  for  many  years  president  of  the  Bank  of  Louisiana;  William  Flower, 
one  of  the  oldest  merchants  of  New  Orleans.  These  two  gentlemen  had  been 
badly  wounded.  There  were  also  among  the  prisoners  the  late  John  Lynd  and 
that  wild,  rollicking  citizen  of  Irish  birth,  famous  for  his  wit  and  valor,  Kenney 
Lavertv.  Others  of  the  Rifles  attempted  to  escape  b}'  the  river,  and  a  few 
succeeded.  Two  of  them,  however,  were  not  so  fortunate.  They  were  Denis 
Prieur,  at  one  time  collector  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans  and  several  times 
mayor,  and  one  of  the  most  sagacious,  enlightened  and  intelligent  public  officers 
whom  the  city  and  State  had  ever  emplo3'ed,  and  a  Scotchm  m  by  the  name  of 
McGillvray. 

After  remaining  together  for  some  time,  these  two  gentlemen  agreed  to 
separate.  McGillvray  was  to  endeavor  to  escape  by  the  river,  and  Prieur 
through  Lacoste's  field.  Accordingly  they  parted.  Prieur  advanced  toward  the 
right,  keeping  under  cover  of  a  fence  until  he  thought  he  was  beyond  reach, 
and  then  started  in  full  run  across  the  field.  He  had  not  gone  far  before  om- 
ing  to  a  ditch  ;  he  leaped  it,  and  suddenly  found  himself  surrounded  b\'  twi-nty 
British  soldiers,  to  whom  he  surrendered.  McGillvray  was  captured  after 
being  wounded.  These  were  the  last  captures  of  the  British.  Prieur,  who 
was  a  Creole,  was  taken  to  Gen.  Keane's  headquarters,  where  the  General  held 
a  long  conversation  with  him,  and  endeavored  to  impress  upon  his  mind  the 
idea  that  the  British  did  not  come  to  Louisiana  to  wage  war  against  the  ancient 
population,  but   to   oust    the  Yankees,  who  had   no  right  to  the    country,   and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  357 

ought  not  to  be  tolerated  by  the  Creoles.  The  General,  however,  had  moie 
than  his  match  in  Prieur,  than  whom  there  are  few  more  astute  and  sagacious 
men.  He  parried  the  General's  interrogatories  very  adroitly,  e.\cept  the  one 
relative  to  Jackson's  force,  which,  of  course,  h"  was  too  shrewd  not  to  exag- 
trerate.  Satisfied  that  he  had  made  a  very  deep  impression  upon  the  unsophisti- 
cated Creole,  Keane  ordered  him  to  be  released  on  his  parole.  Accordingly, 
early  next  morning,  Piieur  had  the  pleasure  to  rejoin  Jackson's  army  at  Rod- 
riguez Canal. 

Keane  subsequently  complained  very  savagely  of  the  bad  faith  of  the 
Creoles,  who,  not  appreciating  his  kindness,  had  been  the  most  active  and 
sagacious  enemies  of  the  British,  from  the  commencement  to  the  close  of  the 
campaign.  He  should  have  remembered  that  he  who  endeavors  to  tamper  with 
the  loyalty  and  patriotism  of  a  free  people  offers  the  most  serious  provocation 
and  insult,  and  justifies  a  greater  bitterness  of  hostility  and  severer  punishment 
than  were  dealt  out  to  the  British  on  the  pLiins  of  Villere. 

The  other  captive  Rifles  did  not  fare  so  well.  They  were  taken  to  the 
British  fleet,  then  lying  off  Ship  Islind,  and  subjected  for  some  time  as  prison- 
ers of  war  10  many  hardships.  We  have  mentioned  among  the  names  of  the 
prisoners  those  of  John  Lynd  and  Kenney  Laverty.  Lynd  was  a  notary 
public,  a  quaint,  sedate  and  solemn  visaged,  but  very  shrewd  and  sagacious 
person.  Upon  the  strength  of  his  profession,  having  been  connected  with  the 
administration  of  law,  the  British  founded  the  humorous  conceit,  which  has 
been  recorded  in  several  publications,  that  in  the  capture  of  the  twenty-two  mem- 
bers of  Beale's  Rifles,  they  had  actually  taken  prisoners  all  the  lawyers  and  nota- 
ries of  New  Orleans.  Such  a  capture  would  have  deprived  Jackson -of  no  less 
tlian  five  aids  who  were  the  leading  members  of  the  bar  of  the  city,  to-wit: 
Edward  Livingston,  John  R.  Grimes,  Abner  L.  Duncan,  Devezac  and  P.  L. 
B.  Duplessis.  Lynd  and  Laverty,  the  latter  on  account  of  a  most  alarmingly 
treacherous  brogue,  the  former  for  his  sanctimonious  gravity,  became  frequent 
butts  for  the  gibes  of  the  British  officers.  Unfortunately,  however,  for 
their  reputation  as  wits,  they  obtained  but  few  victories  in  tlieir  encounters 
with  the  dry,  solemn  and  quaint  notary  and  the  quick-witted  Irishman.  Many 
instances  of  their  discomfiture  are  related  by  the  old  people,  who  cherish  with 
much  devotion  the  stories  and  the  witticisms,  however  simple,  of  the  times  in 
which  they  played  their  parts.  On  one  occasion  the  prisoners  being  taunted 
with  a  want  of  hospitality  and  generosity  toward  their  visitors,  who  had  been 
led  to  believe  that  they  would  be  received  with  much  pomp,  and  entertained  with 
dinners  and  balls,  the  read}'  Irishman  replied,  "And  faith  we  did  receive  you 
with  balls;  and  as  for  the  dinners,  from  what  we  have  heard  of  ye,  we  thought 
3-ou  could  provide  for  yourselves."  This  was  a  delicate  allusion  to  the  hen 
roost  robbing  reputation   which  the  British    brought   from  the   Chesapeake,  and 


358  SOUTHWEST  L  OLISIANA  : 

probably  to  the  threat  of  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane,  to  eat  his  Christmas  dinner 
in  New  Orleans. 

During  their  detention  in  tlie  fleet,  the  prisoners,  as  well  as  the  sailors,  were 
placed  on  half  rations.  Tliis  was  a  sore  trial  to  Americans,  and  especially  Or- 
leanians,  who  were  accustomed  to  an  abundance  of  the  luxuries  and  comforts  of 
life.  One  day,  as  some  of  the  officers  of  the  fleet  were  amusing  themselves 
by  catching  sharks,  near  Cat  Island,  where  they  abound,  Sir  Alexander  Coch- 
rane remarked  that  he  never  saw  fisli  bite  so  greedily. 

"Probably,  yer  honor,  they  are  like  myself,  prisoners  on  half  rations,"  re- 
spectfully suggested  Laverty,  with  a  face  an  ell  long.  When  it  was  suggested 
in  allusion  to  his  "rich  Irish  brogue,"  that  the  British  government  might  treat 
him  as  a  deserter,  whose  allegiance  had  never  been  surrendered,  Laverty,  with 
an  air  of  great  gravity,  asserted  that  he  had  "drawn  his  first  breath  in  a  pretty 
little  village  in  the  good  old  State  of  Pennsylvania,  which  declaration  he  subse- 
quently justified  by  the  ingenious  explanation  that  no  man  breathed  at  all  before 
he  breathed  the  air  of  liberty.  Strongly  contrasted  with  Laverty's  light  hearted 
jollity  was  the  oracular  solemnity  of  his  sedate  companion,  who  never  omitted 
an  opportunity  of  warning  the  British  of  the  gloomy  fall  which  awaited  them  when 
Gen.  Jackson  should  get  thoroughly  aroused.  When  the  British  would  boast  of 
their  achievements  on  the  23d  of  December, they  would  be  awe-stricken  by  the  mys- 
terious and  doleful  expression,  the  ominous  shaking  of  the  head  and  rolling  of  the 
eyeballs  with  which  the  American  seer  would  accompany  his  invariable  and  phro- 
phetic  reply — "Oh,  the  end  has  not  come  yet."  The  ship  on  which  the  prison- 
ers were  detained  was  the  Royal  Oak.  At  the  time  they  were  taken  aboard  the 
captain  was  absent.  On  his  return  to  his  ship  what  was  the  captain's  surprise 
to  recognize  in  Mr.  Pollock,  one  of  the  prisoners,  a  bosom  friend  who  had  offi- 
ciated as  groomsman  for  him  at  iiis  marriage,  which  event  had  occurred  in  New 
York  previous  to  the  war.  Of  course  the  friends  forgot  that  they  were  national 
enemies  and  soon  became  as  cordial  and  happy  as  if  the  two  nations  which  they 
were  respectively  serving  were  living  on  the  best  of  terms.  Id  consequence  of 
this  recognition  the  captain  of  the  boat  caused  a  very  elegant  dinner  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  prisoners,  which  was  attended  by  all  the  officers  of  the  Royal  Oak 
and  several  other  ships.  The  dinner  was  quite  a  jovial  and  protracted  one. 
There  was  an  abundance  of  good  old  wine,  of  which  the  Americans  partook  with 
such  gusto  as  might  be  expected  of  men  who  had  been  on  "short  commons"  for 
several  days.  The  indulgence  came  near  destroying  the  harmony  of  the  occa- 
sion, as  some  political  allusion  having  been  dropped  by  some  of  the  British  of- 
ficers, several  of  the  Americans  fired  up  and  declared  that  they  could  whip  the 
British,  man  to  man,  Kenney  Laverty  offering  to  take  for  "his  share"  two  of  the 
"brawniest  chaps  in  the  fleet."  But  the  ill  feeling  and  exaltation  passed  with 
the  fumes  of  the  liquor,  and  thenceforward  the  relations  of  the  parties  were 
pleasant  and  amicable. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  359 

From  this  elevated  position,  Jackson  perceived,  on  the  evening  of  the  27th 
of  December,  the  formidable  preparations  to  overwhelm  him  the  next  day.  He 
comprehended,  at  a  glance,  the  plan  of  Pakenham,  and  set  to  work  to  resist  and 
defeat  it.  This  was  a  busy  night  in  Jackson's  quarters.  Officers  were  seen 
galloping  in  every  direction  for  cannon  and  artillerists  to  strengthen  their  lines. 
When  the  British  commenced  their  advance,  Jackson  had  only  the  two  six- 
pounders,  which  had  made  such  a  narrow  escape  on  the  night  of  the  23d.  These 
had  been  established  on  the  levee.  On  the  night  of  the  27th,  a  twelve-pounder 
howitzer  was  planted  so  as  to  command  the  road,  and  shortly  after  a  twenty- 
four-pounder  on  the  left  of  the  twelve. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  another  twenty-four  pounder  was  established 
under  the  fire  of  the  British  battery  on  the  levee.  These,  together  with  the  bat- 
tery of  the  Louisiana,  presented  quite  a  formidable  display  of  artiiler}-.  The  in- 
fantry also  were  strengthened.  The  First  Regiment  of  Louisiana  militia  was 
ordered  to  position  on  the  right  of  the  lines,  and  the  Second  regiment  to  reenforce 
the  extremity  of  the  left,  which  had  not  yet  been  placed  in  a  safe  and  reliable 
condition,  though  Coffee's  Tennesseeans  were  kept  incessantly  at  work  upon  it. 
Other  precautions  had  not  been  neglected.  The  levee  was  cut  below  the  lines 
in  order  to  flood  the  road  and  drown  the  British  or  render  their  advance  difficult. 
But  fate  did  not  favor  this  inglorious  mode  of  destroying  an  enemy,  who  was  des- 
tined to  be  overcome  with  his  own  weapons  and  by  mortal  valor.  The  river  fell 
and  the  road  remained  undamaged.  Meantime  Carroll  had  marched  his  men, 
who  were  ill  armed,  many  being  supplied  with  fowling-pieces  and  discarded 
guns,  to  Canal  Roderiguez,  and  set  them  to  work  on  the  entrenchments  on  the 
extreme  left. 

Jackson  now  had  a  force  of  over  four  thousand  men  and  twenty  pieces  of 
artillery.  How  he  ever  collected  such  a  body  of  men  and  established  them  in 
so  strong  a  position  in  so  short  a  time,  is  far  more  astounding  than  the  results 
wliich  were  subsequently  achieved.  Pakenham  had  at  least  eight  thousand  men 
of  all  arms — all  veteran  soldiers,  well  armed  and  equipped,  and  supplied  with 
all  the  engines  of  destruction  known  to  the  science  of  modern  warfare. 

The  morning  of  the  28th  was  one  of  those  beautiful,  bracing,  life  and  joy- 
giving  days  peculiar  to  Louisiana  in  the  winter  season.  In  its  brightness,  clear- 
ness and  temperate  mildness  it  was  a  delicious  novelty  to  the  British,  accustomed 
to  fogs,  clouds,  inky  skies  and  oppressive  vapors.  The  air  was  just  frosty 
enough  to  give  it  purity,  elasticity  and  freshness.  A  sparkling  mist  veiled  the 
beauty  of  the  waking  morn.  The  evergreens  which  dotted  and  encircled  the 
dusky  plain  with  emerald  glistened  with  the  diamond  drops  from  heaven. 

All  nature  seemed  to  be  animated  by  these  bright  influences.  The  trees 
were  melodious  with  the  noisy  strains  of  tlie  rice  birds,  and  the  bold  falsetto  of 
that  pride  of  Southern  ornithology,  the  mocking  bird,  who,  here  alone,  continues 


360  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

the  whole  year  round  his  unceasing  notes  of  exulting  mocker}'  and  vocal  defi- 
ance. •  *  *  At  break  of  day,  or  as  soon  as  the  mist  had  melted  into  tlie 
purple  that  spread  over  the  horizon,  to  form,  as  it  were,  a  carpet  on  which  the 
king  of  day  might  strut  forth  upon  the  world,  both  armies  stood  to  arms.  Pickets 
were  called  in.  Drums  were  beat.  The  blast  of  bugles  rang  far  along  the 
banks  of  the  old  Father  of  Waters.  All  the  hum  and  buzz  of  some  great  move- 
ment were  observable  in  both  camps.  Jackson  occupied  his  old  position,  vvatcli- 
ing  from  the  window  of  his  headquarters  every  movement  of  his  enemy  with  the 
eye  of  a  lynx  and  the  heart  of  a  lion.  His  countenance  wore  that  same  expres- 
sion of  stern  determination  and  dauntless  courage,  communicating  to  all  around 
a  fearless  and  undoubting  confidence.  Often  would  he  cast  anxious  glances  up 
the  road  to  the  city,  as  if  in  expectation  of  some  new  reinforcement. 

He  was  not  permitted  to  remain  long  in  doubt  as  to  the  intention  of  the  British. 
Their  army  was  soon  perceived  to  be  in  motion.  It  advanced  in  two  steady 
columns.  Gibbs,  with  the  Fourth,  the  Twenty-first,  Forty-fourth  and  one  Black 
Corps,  hugging  the  wood  or  swamp  on  the  right  with  the  Ninety-fifth  Rifles, 
extending  in  skirmishing  order  across  the  plain  and  meeting  the  right  of  Keane's 
column,  which  consisted  of  the  Eighty-fifth,  the  Nmety-fifth  and  one  Black 
Corps.  The  artillery  preceded  the  latter  in  the  main  road.  Keane  held  his 
column  as  near  the  levee  as  possible,  and  under  the  protection  of  Bienvenu's 
and  Chalmette's  quarters.  Detached  from  Gibbs'  column  was  a  party  of  skir- 
mishers and  light  infantry,  under  the  command  of  that  active  and  energetic 
officer.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Robert  Rennie,  whose  orders  were  to  turn  the 
American  left  and  gain  the  rear  of  tlieir  camp.  In  this  order  the  British  moved 
forward  in  excellent  spirits  and  brilliant  array.  Pakenham,  with  his  staff  and 
a  guard  composed  of  the  Fourteenth  Dragoons,  rode  nearly  in  the  center  of  the 
line,  so  as  to  command  a  view  of  both  columns.  The  American  scouts  retired 
leisurely  before  the  British,  firing  and  shouting  defiance  at  them  The  Louisiana 
now  weighed  anclior  and  floated  down  the  stream,  and  then  anchored  again  in 
a  position  which  commanded  the  road  and  the  whole  field  in  front  of  the  Ameri- 
can lines.  Jackson  had  ordered  McRea,  of  the  artillery,  to  blow  up  Chalmette's 
and  Bienvenu's  houses.  By  some  accident  this  order  was  only  partially  executed 
— a  fortunate  circumstance — as  these  buildings  served  to  mask  the  American  lines 
at  the  strongest  point,  and  to  precipitate  Keane's  column  with  perilous  sudden- 
ness upon  Jackson's  guns.  Chalmette's,  the  house  nearest  to  Jackson's  lines, 
was  blown  up  just  as  the  British  passed  Bienvenu's.  This  had  been  ever  since 
the  23d  the  headquarters  of  Hind's  troops,  whence  they  were  in  tlie  habit  of 
coming  hourly  in  detachments  to  harass  the  enemy  and  reconoiter  his  position. 
Now,  for  the  first  time,  Keane  beheld  through  his  glass  the  mouths  of  several 
large  cannon  protruding  from  Jackson's  lines,  and  completely  covering  the  head 
of  his  column.     These  guns  were  manned  as  guns  are  not  often  manned  on  land. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  361 

Early  in  the  morning  Jackson's  anxious  glances  toward  the  city  had  been 
changed  into  expressions  of  satisfaction  and  confidet)ce  by  the  spectacle  of  sev- 
eral straggling  bands  of  red-shirted,  bewhiskered,  rough  and  desperate-looking 
men,  all  begrimed  with  smoke  and  mud,  hurrying  down  the  road  toward  the 
lines.  These  proved  to  be  tlie  Baratarians  under  Dominique,  Yeou  and  Bluche, 
who  had  run  all  the  way  from  the  Fort  St.  John,  where  they  had  been  stationed 
since  their  release  from  prison.  They  immediately  took  charge  of  one  of  the 
twenty-four-pounders.  The  Baratarians  were  followed  by  two  other  parties  of 
sailors  of  the  crew  of  the  Carolina,  under  Lieutenants  Crowley  and  Norris. 
These  detachments  were  ordered  to  man  the  howitzer  on  the  right  and  the  other 
twenty-four-pounder,  which,  being  on  the  left  of  Plauche's  battalion,  had  been 
in  charge  of  St.  Geme's  dismounted  dragoons. 

Thus  prepared,  Jackson  waited  the  approach  of  the  British.  Forward  they 
came,  in  solid  column,  as  compact  and  orderly  as  if  on  parade,  under  cover  of 
a  shower  of  rockets,  and  a  contmual  fire  from  their  artiller}'  in  front  and  their 
batteries  on  the  levee.  It  was  certainly  a  bold  and  imposing  demonstration,  for 
such,  as  we  are  told  by  British  officers,  it  was  intended  to  be.  To  new  soldiers, 
like  the  Americans,  fresh  from  civic  and  peaceful  pursuit,  who  had  never  wit- 
nessed any  scenes  of  real  warfare,  it  was  certainly  a  formidable  display  of  mili- 
tary power  and  discipline.  These  veterans  moved  as  steadily  and  closely 
together  as  if  marching  in  review  instead  of  "  in  the  cannon's  mouth."  Their 
muskets  catching  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  nearly  blinded  the  beholder  with 
their  brightness,  whilst  their  gay  and  varied  uniforms,  red,  gray,  green  and 
tartan,  afforded  a  pleasing  relief  to  the  winter-clad  field  and  the  sombre  objects 
around. 

On,  on  came  the  glittering  array,  scarcely  heeding  the  incessant  fire  which 
tliat  cool  veteran,  Humphrey,  poured  into  their  ranks  from  the  moment  they 
were  visible.  But  as  they  approached  nearer,  they  were  suddenly  brought  to  a 
sense  of  their  danger  and  audacity  \)y  the  simultaneous  opening  of  the  batteries 
of  Morris  and  the  Baratarians,  and  by  a  terrible  broadside  from  the  Louisiana, 
whicii  swept  the  field  obliquely  to  tlie  line  of  march  of  the  British  column. 
Never  was  there  a  more  effective  and  destructive  fire.  For  several  hours  it  was 
maintained  with  incessant  vigor  and  pitiless  fury.  More  than  eiglit  hundred 
shots  were  fired  b}'  the  Louisiana  alone,  with  most  deadly  effect.  One  single  dis- 
charge of  this  most  admirably  managed  battery — for  it  hardly  deserved  the  name 
of  ship,  killed  and  wounded  fifteen  men. 

Under  such  an  incessant  and  galling  fire,  there  was  no  safety  for  the  British 
except  in  retreat,  or  in  a  supine  position,  as  it  is  called  in  militarj^  phrase,  but 
as  it  would  be  styled  in  American  parlance,  "  taking  to  the  ditch."  For  some 
time  Keane's  solid  column  withstood  with  great  firmness  this  terrific  storm;  but 
it  was  a  vain  display  of  valor.      Soon   were  the  battalions  ordered  to  deploy  into 


362  SOUTH  WEST  LOUISIANA  : 

line  and  seek  a  covet"  in  the  ditches.  In  a  few  minutes  the  heavy  column  was 
diluted  into  a  thin  line,  and  the  men  scrambled  pell  mell  into  every  convenient 
ditch,  or  behind  every  elevated  knoll  which  presented  itself.  Gaining  the 
ditches,  in  which  they  sank  to  their  middle,  tliey  leaned  forward,  concealing 
themselves  in  the  rushes  which  grew  on  the  banks  of  the  canal. 

The  artillery  could  not  be  so  easily  removed  or  covered.  The  guns  of  the 
Americans  were  now  concentrated  on  tlie  British  battery.  The  two  field  pieces, 
which  had  been  advanced  on  the  road  and  levee,  quite  near  to  the  American 
lines,  were  soon  dismantled,  many  of  tlie  gunners  were  killed,  and  those  who 
escaped  destruction  finally  abandoned  their  useless  pieces,  leaving  them  on  the 
road  to  be  knocked  and  tossed  about,  the  sport  of  Humphrey's  unerring  twelve- 
pounders.  Thus,  disastrously  and  ignominously,  was  Keane's  column  broken 
by  the  American  artillery.  The  melancholy  and  pensive  countenance  of  Paken- 
ham  grew  dark  and  gloomy  indeed,  as  he  perceived  his  brilliant  battalions 
melt  into  the  earth  as  suddenly  and  magically  as  the  clansmen  of  Rhoderick 
Dhu— 

"  It  seemed  as  if  the  mother  earth 

Had  swallowed  up  her  warlike  birth." 

Keane  uttered  curses,  both  loud  and  deep,  upon  the  cruel  fate  which  had 
cast  his  lot,  hitherto  so  brilliant,  upon  so  dreary  a  field  of  military  enterprise — a 
field  fertile  in  everything  but  British  laurels. 

How  fared  it  with  Gibbs  on  the  right?  Here  the  prospect  opened  brighter, 
as  the  head  of  the  column  approached  the  American  lines.  In  the  view  of 
Gibbs,  who  had  led  the  storming  party  against  Fort  Cornelius,  defended  by  one 
hundred  guns,  and  of  his  men,  who  had  scaled  the  parapets  of  Badajoz,  the 
walls  of  St.  Sebastian  and  a  hundred  other  places  of  equal  strength,  nothing 
could  be  more  contemptible  than  "the  mere  rudiments  of  an  entrenched  camp," 
as  they  were  styled  by  British  writers.  The  whole  works  consisted  of  a  low 
mound  of  earth  with  a  narrow  ditch  in  front,  not  too  wide  to  be  leaped  by  a  man 
of  ordinar}'  agility.     So  it  remained  through  the  whole  campaign. 

As  this  mound  came  in  view,  Gibbs  halted  his  main  column,  whilst  the 
skirmishers  were  thrown  forward,  and  the  detached  part  under  Rennie  dashed 
into  the  woods,  closely  pursuing  the  American  outposts,  and  advancing  to  a  po- 
sition within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  lines,  behind  which  Carroll  was  posted 
with  his  Tennesseeans.  That  prompt  and  ready  officer  immediately  ordered 
Colonel  Henderson,  with  two  hundred  Tennesseeans,  to  steal  through  the 
swamp,  gain  the  rear  of  Rennie's  party  and  then  oblique  to  the  right  so  as  to 
cut  them  off  from  the  main  body.  It  was  a  rash  adventure,  such  as  General 
Jackson  would  not  have  sanctioned  had  he  been  present  in  that  part  of  the  lines. 
Henderson's  movement  might  have  succeeded  if  he  had  not  advanced  too  far  to 
the  right,  and  thus  brought  his  men  under  the  heavy  fire  of    a    strong    body  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  363 

British,  who  wei^e  posted  beiiind  a  fence,  nearly  concealed  by  grass  and  weeds. 
The  Colonel,  a  gallant  and  promising  officer,  and  five  men  were  killed  b\'.  the 
fire,  several  were  wounded,  and  the  others  seeing  the  object  of  tlie  movement 
defeated,  retired  behind  the  lities.  This  was  the  only  success  achieved  by  the 
British  that  day.  *  •  *  On  that  day  the  Americans  lost  nine  men  killed  and 
eight  wounded.  Of  the  British  loss  there  are  no  precise  or  reliable  accounts. 
We  conjecture  from  general  statements  it  reached  nearly  two  hundred  killed  and 
wounded.  Such  was  the  ignominious  conclusion  of  the  imposing  demonstration 
or  feint  of  the  British  on  the  28th  of  December,  1814,  just  fifteen  days  before 
the  decisive  battle  was  fought.  ^ 

*      » 

Preparations  for  the  Great  Battle. —  Jackson's  artillery  force  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows:  Four  sixes  (including  those  in  the  redoubt),  three  twelves, 
two  eighteens,  three  twenty-fours,  one  thirty-two,  one  six-inch  howitzer  and  one 
small  brass  carronade.  There  was  also  a  mortar,  which  remained  for  some  lime 
in  the  camp,  of  no  use,  because  no  person  could  be  found  in  the  army  who  knew 
how  to  plant  it.  This  task  was  at  last  performed  by  a  French  veteran  of  the 
name  of  Lefebver,  but  it  did  not  prove  a  very  effective  weapon.  Jackson's  artil- 
lery consisted  of  sixteen  pieces,  of  various  caliber.  The  heaviest  of  the  artillery 
was  placed  on  the  right,  to  resist  the  British  batteries  and  repel  the  attack  in 
that  quarter.  As  a  part  of  his  defence,  the  marine  battery  on  the  right  bank, 
under  Patterson,  consisting  or  three  twenty-fours  and  six  twelves,  which  that 
active  officer  had  placed  in  battery  between  the  3d  of  December  and  6th  of  Jan- 
uary, and  which  flanked  the  enemy  on  the  left  bank,  must  not  be  forgotten. 
This  would  swell  Jackson's  artillery  force  to  twenty-five  pieces — quite  a  formid- 
able proportion  of  artillery  to  so  small  a  force  of  infantry.  The  latter  were  dis- 
tributed as  follows:  The  redoubts  on  the  extreme  right  were  occupied  by  a 
company  of  the  Seventh  Infantry,  under  Lieutenant  Ross.  The  two  sixes  were 
served  by  a  detachment  of  the  Forty-fourth,  under  Lieutenant  Marant.  Tents 
were  pitched  in  this  redoubt.  On  the  extreme  right,  between  Humphrey's  bat- 
tery and  the  river,  were  stationed  Beale's  Rifles,  thirty  in  number.  From  their 
left  the  Seventh  Infantry  extended  to  Battery  No.  3,  covering  Humphrey's  and 
Morris'  guns,  taking  in  the  powder  magazine,  built  since  ist  January. 

This  regiment  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  strong,  under  that  active  young 
Creole,  Major  Peire.  Between  the  two  guns  of  Battery  No.  3  (Yeou's  and 
Bluche's)  the  company  of  the  Carbineers  were  stationed,  and  the  remainder  of 
Plauche's  battalion  of  Orleans,  and  Lacoste's  battalion  of  free  men  of  color — 
the  former  numbering  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine,  the  latter  two  hundred  and 
eighty — filled  up  the  interval  from  No.  3  to  No.  4  (Crawley's  thirty-two)  cover- 
ing the  latter  gun.  Daquin's  battalion  of  free  men  of  color,  one  hundred  and 
fift}-,  and  the  Forty-fourth,  under  Captain  Baker,  two  hundred    and    forty,  ex- 


364  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

tended  to  Perry's  battery  No.  5;  two-thirds  of  the  remaining  length  of  the 
line  was  guarded  by  Carroll's  command,  who  was  reinforced  on  the  7th  by 
one  thousand  Kentuckians  under  General  Adair,  consisting  of  six  hundred 
men  under  Colonel  Slaughter,  and  four  hundred  under  Major  Harrison,  who 
were  all  of  Major  General  Thomas'  Kentucky  division  of  twenty-two  hundred 
and  fifty  for  whom  arms  could  be  obtained. 

On  the  right  of  Battery  No.  7  (Spott's)  five  liundred  marines  were  stationed 
under  Lieutenant  Bellevue.  The  extreme  left  was  held  by  Coffee,  whose  men 
were  compelled  to  stand  constantly  in  the  water,  and  had  no  other  beds  than  the 
floating  logs  which  tliey  could  make  fast  to  the  trees.  Coffee's  command  was 
five  hundred.  Ogden's  horse  troops,  fifty  strong,  were  stationed  near  head- 
quarters; Cauveau's  thirty,  near  him;  and  Hines'  squadron,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  strong,  was  encamped  in  the  rear,  on  Delery's  plantation.  Detachment  of 
Colonel  Young's  regiment  of  Louisiana  militia  were  stationed  in  the  rear,  near 
Pierna's  canal,  to  prevent  the  enemy  coming  into  the  camp  in  that  direction,  and 
also  to  prevent  any  person  from  leaving  the  lines.  Outposts  were  thrown  out 
five  hundred  yards  to  the  front.  Jackson's  whole  force  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  amounted  to  four  thousand  men,  but  his  lines  were  occupied  by  only  three 
thousand  two  hundred,  of  which  less  than  eight  hundred  were  regular  troops, 
and  those  mostl}-  fresh  recruits  commanded  by  young  officers.  The  con- 
solidated report  gave,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1815,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
a  force  of  five  thousand  and  forty-five,  in  which,  however.  Major  Harrison's 
Kentucky  battalion  is  not  included. 

Jackson's  army  was  divided  into  two  divisions.  The  troops  from  the  right 
to  the  left  of  the  forty-fourth  were  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Ross,  acting 
Brigadier  General,  and  the  left  of  the  line  under  Carroll  and  Coffee,  the  former 
as  Major  General  and  the  latter  as  Brigadier  General. 

How  grossl}'  and  shamefully  untrue  is  the  statement  of  nearl\'  all  the  British 
historians,  that  Jackson  had  an  army  of  twelve  tliousand.  Allison,  in  his  fourth 
volume  of  the  history  of  Europe,  says:  "Including  seamen  and  mariners  about 
six  thousand  combatants  on  the  British  side  were  in  the  field;  a  slender  force 
to  attack  double  their  number,  entrenched  to  their  teeth  and  loaded  with  heavy 
artilery.  *  *  *  *  General  Jackson,  an  ofiicer  since  become  celebrated, 
both  in  the  military  and  political  history  of  the  country,  commanded  a  military 
force  destined  for  the  defence  of  the  city  which  amounted  to  about  twelve 
thousand  men."  It  will  be  seen  that  this  great  standard  historian  quadruples 
Jackson's  force,  and,  by  the  vagueness  of  his  terms,  conveys  the  idea  that  the 
British  were  but  six  thousand,  which  was  the  number  of  their  storming  columns, 
exclusive  of  their  reserves,  of  Thointon's  detachment  and  the  sailors  and 
marines. 

So  Bissett,   in  his  "History  of  the  Reign   of  George  III,"    states  that  the 


HISTORICAL  A. YD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  365 

Ameriran  force  collected  for  the  defence  of  New  Orleans  consisted  of  thirty 
thousand  men.  The  author  of  the  narrative  of  the  British  Arni}^  at  Washing- 
ton, Baltimore  and  New  Orleans,  an  actor  in  the  events  he  describes,  after 
mentioning  the  conflicting  estimates  of  the  American  foixe,  varying  from 
twenty-three  thousand  to  thirty  thousand,  chooses  a  middle  course  and  supposes 
the  whole  force  to  be  about  twenty-five  thousand.  Baines,  in  his  "History  of 
the  French  Revolution,"'  approaches  the  truth,  and  sets  down  the  force  on  each 
side  at  about  ten  thousand  men. 

Besides  the  arrangements  for  defence  mentioned,  tliere  is  another  charac- 
teristic precaution  of  Jackson.  He  had  directed  another  entrenchment  to  be 
thrown  up  a  mile  and  a  half  in  the  rear  of  that  which  he  occupied  with  his  army, 
in  which  were  posted  all  those  of  his  army  who  were  not  well  armed  or  regarded 
as  able-bodied.  With  rare  exceptions,  the  men  in  charge  of  this  line  were 
armed  with  only  spades  and  pickaxes.  Should  the  enemy  succeed  in  carrying 
his  main  works  by  escalade,  Jackson  intended  to  throw  forward  his  mounted 
force  and,  under  their  protection,  fall  back  to  and  rally  upon  his  second  line. 
A  third  line  had  also  been  drawn  still  nearer  the  cit}',  upon  which  the  men  had 
commenced  working  quite  vigorously. 

On  the  6th  it  was  well  understood  by  Jackson  that  the  British  intended  to 
cross  the  river,  but  whether  for  the  purpose  of  concentrating  their  force  on  the 
weak  defences  on  the  right  bank,  or  for  a  simultaneous  and  concerted  advance 
on  both  banks,  could  onl}'  be  conjectured  by  the  American  commander.  To 
obtain  some  information  on  this  point  Jackson  sent  his  intelligent  and  sagacious 
aid,  Col.  John  R.  Grimes,  across  the  river  to  observe  the  movements  of  the 
enemy  at  Villere's,  and  report  upon  the  condition  of  Morgan's  defences.  Col. 
Grimes  executed  this  order  in  a  prompt  and  efficient  manner.  He  saw  at  a 
glance  that  the  enemj'  was  preparing  to  throw  a  detachment  across  the  river, 
and  he  advised  Gen.  Morgan  to  marcli  his  whole  force  down,  under  cover  of  tiie 
levee,  take  post  opposite  Villere's,  and,  when  the  enemjr  approached  in  their 
boats,  to  open  fire  upon  them.  Completely  protected  by  the  levee,  a  better 
entrenchment  than  that  which  Jackson  had  thrown  up  on  the  left,  there  is  little 
doubt  that,  if  this  advice  had  been  adopted,  Morgan  would  have  destroyed  the 
British  detachment,  which  might  attempt  to  cross  the  river,  or  at  least  driven  it 
back.  But,  instead  of  pursuing  this  sensible  and  practicable  plan,  Morgan  sta- 
tioned his  advance,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  militia  of  Maj. 
Arnaud's  battalion,  under  Maj.  Tessier,  armed  with  fowling  pieces  and  musket 
cartridges,  on  Maj-hew's  canal,  in  front  of  his  own  position,  and  several  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  place  where  the  British  would  probably  land.  Of  course, 
this  small  force  could  cover  but  a  small  portion  of  a  position  so  illy  chosen. 

On  the  night  of  the  7th  Commodore  Patterson   and  his  volunteer  aid,  R.  D. 
Shepherd,  proceeded  down  the  right  bank    of   the  river,  and,  arriving  at  a  point 
23 


3GG  SO UTH  WES T  L  O UISIA NA  : 

opposite  the  scene  of  the  British  jireparations,  where  they  appeared  to  be  most 
actively  engaged,  observed  closely  their  proceedings.  They  could  hear  a  con- 
siderable commotion  in  the  enemy's  camp — the  sound  of  men  pulling  and 
dragging  boats,  as  if  in  great  haste;  the  splash  of  boats  as  they  fell  into  the 
river;  the  orders  of  officers,  and  tlie  expressions  of  relief  and  satisfaction  of 
the  laborers  as  some  work,  appeared  to  be  finished.  They  could  even  discover, 
by  the  camp  fires,  a  long  line  of  soldiers  drawn  up  on  the  levee.  They  hastened 
back  to  Patterson's  batter}-.  On  their  return  Patterson  observed  the  very  weak 
and  insecure  position  of  Morgan,  and,  after  consulting  with  that  officer,  directed 
Mr.  Shepherd  to  cross  the  river  and  inform  Gen.  Jackson  of  the  state  of  affairs, 
and  beg  him  to  reinforce  Morgan,  who  had  not  men  enough  to  occupy  his  lines. 
Shepherd  crossed  the  river  and  arrived  at  Jackson's  headquarters  about  one 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  8th.  He  informed  the  sentinel  on  guard  that  he  had 
important  intelligence  to  communicate  to  the  General,  and  was  accordingly 
ushered  into  tlie  room  where  Jackson  lay  on  a  sofa,  snatching  a  few  moments  of 
rest  from  the  fatigues  of  the  day.  Around  the  General  lay  his  aids  on  the  floor, 
all  asleep.  On  Shepherd's  entering,  Jackson  raised  his  head  and  asked: 
"  Who's  there?"" 

Mr.  Shepherd  gave  his  name,  and  added  that  he  had  been  sent  over  bv 
Commodore  Patterson  and  Gen.  Morgan  to  inform  him,  Gen.  Jackson,  that  the 
appearances  in  the  British  camp  indicated  that  the  main  attack  was  to  be  made 
on  the  right  bank,  and  that  Morgan  required  more  troops  to  maintain  his  position. 
"  Hurry  back,"  replied  the  General,  rising  from  his  recumbent  position,  "  and 
tell  Gen.  Morgan  that  he  is  mistaken.  The  main  attack  will  be  made  on  this 
side,  and  I  have  no  men  to  spare.  He  must  maintain  his  position  at  all 
hazards."  Then  looking  at  his  watch,  and  observing  that  it  was  past  i  o'clock, 
he  exclaimed  aloud,  addressing  his  sleeping  aids:  "  Gentlemen,  we  have  slept 
enough.  Arise.  The  enemy  will  be  upon  us  in  a  few  minutes;  I  must  go  and 
see  Coffee."  The  aids  arose  hastily  and  commenced  buckling  on  their  swords, 
when  Mr.  Shepherd  departed,  and,  recrossing  the  river,  delivered  the  reply  of 
Jackson  to  Morgan. 

Jackson  did  not,  however,  neglect  Morgan,  but  ordered  Gen.  Adair  to 
send  a  detachment  of  five  hundred  Kentuckians  to  the  lines  on  the  right  bank. 
This  detachment  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Davis.  It  was  very 
badly  armed  and  was  greatly  delayed  in  crossing  the  river.  At  the  naval 
arsenal,  on  the  right  bank,  the  Kentuckians  received  some  old  muskets,  but 
when  they  commenced  their  march  to  join  Morgan,  there  were  but  two  hundred 
and  sixty  of  them  armed,  and  some  of  these  had  common  pebbles  instead  of 
flints  in  their  locks.  They  were,  however,  hurried  forward  without  rest  or  food, 
and  after  a  fatiguing  march  of  five  or  six  miles,  arrived  at  Morgan's  lines:  thence 
they  were  ordered  forward  to  the  advanced  position  already  occupied  by  Tessier. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  367 

They  arrived  here  greatly  fatigued,  and  formed  on  Tessier's  left  but  a  few 
moments  before  the  enemy  appeared  in  sight. 

Morgan's  whole  force  consisted  of  eight  hundred  and  twelve  men,  all  mi- 
litia, and  but  poorly  armed.  On  his  left  he  had  two  six-pounders,  which  were 
placed  in  charge  of  Adjutant  John  Mixon,  of  the  Louisiana  militia,  and  a  twelve- 
pounder  under  Lieutenant  Philibert,  of  the   navy. 

Patterson's  battery,  being  in  the  rear  of  and  masked  by  Morgan's  lines. 
could  not  be  used  in  defence  of  the  same.  The  guns  were  turned  so  as  to  flank 
the  front  of  Jackson's  lines  on  the  left  bank.  Such  were  the  arrangements  of 
the  two  armies  for  the  expected  final  contest. 

There  was  little  sleeping  in  the  American  lines  on  the  night  of  the  ^\\\. 
The  men  were  all  engaged  in  cleaning  their  pieces,  preparing  cartridges  and 
performing  various  duties  of  preparations  for  the  conflict.  The  outposts  and 
scouting  parties  were  all  alive,  as  usual,  watching  ever}'  movement  in  the  British 
camp  with  characteristic  American  curiosit}'.  They  could  hear  very  distinctly 
corresponding  notes  of  preparation  on  the  enemy's  side,  among  which  was  the 
noise  of  the  workmen  in  reconstructing  the  redoubts,  near  the  Chalmette  build- 
ing, wiiich  had  been  destroyed  on  the  ist  of  January. 

There  was  intense  anxiety,  but  no  fear,  in  Jackson's  little  army.  The  citi- 
zen soldiers  had  now  grown  to  be  veterans.  They  had  learned  confidence  in 
their  general,  and  in  themselves,  and  if  these  were  not  sufficient  to  nerve  their 
arms  for  the  struggle,  the  recollection  of  those  dear  ones  who  then  reposed  in 
the  city  behind  them,  with  so  much  confidence  in  their  devotion  and  heroism, 
inspired  every  heart  with  heroic  courage   and  determination. 

Battle  of  Neiv  Oi'lcaus. — By  the  same  conveyance  which  brought  reenforce- 
ment  to  Lambert,  the  British  soldiers  received  a  most  acceptable  addition  to 
their  comforts,  in  the  shape  of  a  supply  of  fresh  provisions.  A  refreshing  sup- 
per on  the  evening  of  the  7th  produced  no  little  vivacity  in  the  camp,  and  after 
packing  their  knapsacks,  burnishing  their  arms,  filling  their  cartridge  boxes, 
and  arranging  their  modest  toggerj,  that  they  might  appear  before  the  famous 
beauties  of  New  Orleans  to  greater  advantage, the  soldiers  destined  to  storm  Jack- 
son's lines  lay  down  to  refresh  their  bodies  for  the  coming  struggle.  At  the  same 
time  Thornton,  with  his  command,  moved  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  the 
men  were  drawn  up  and  kept  waiting  for  the  boats  which  were  to  pass  them  to 
the  opposite  side.  The  patience  of  Thornton  was  sorelj^  tried  by  the  delay  in 
the  arrival  of  the  boats.  After  the  British  had  excavated  a  canal  of  sufficient 
depth,  the  banks  began  to  cave  in  just  as  they  were  dragging  the  boats  through 
the  water,  and  their  progress  was  greatly  impeded.  The  providential  and  quite 
unexpected  falling  of  the  river  was  the  cause  of  this  obstacle.     The  sailors  were 


368  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

at  last  compelled  to  drag  the  boats  throu<;h  tlio  mud,  and  were  thus  enabled  to 
launch  upon  the  river  about  one-fourth  of  the  boats  needed. 

Thornton  ordered  his  own  regiment,  a  division  of  sailors  and  a  compan}  of 
marine*,  to  crowd  into  the  boats,  making  about  seven  hundred  men,  and  then  the 
flotilla,  under  Captain  Roberts,  pushed  off  from  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  This 
was  not  Thornton's  onl}-  unexpected  obstacle.  Deceived,  as  all  strangers 
are,  by  the  quiet,  smooth  current  of  the  Mississippi,  Captain  Roberts  imagined 
that  tiie  oars  of  the  sailors  could  keep  the  boats  right  ahead  and  enable  them  to 
disembark  at  a  point  opposite  that  of  his  departure.  He  was  grievously  mistaken. 
The  Mississippi  current  at  this  point  runs  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour.  The 
barges  of  the  British,  instead  of  holding  up  against  the  current,  were  swept  by 
it  a  mile  and  a  half  down  the  stream.  Thus  it  happened  that  before  Thornton's 
detachment  could  step  asliore,  the  eastern  sky  began  to  streak  with  the  light  of 
coming  day. 

Long  after  the  men  in  the  British  camp  had  fallen  asleep,  full  of  hope, 
confidence,  of  bright  dreams  of  wealth,  luxury,  and  spoils  of  "booty  and 
beauty,'"  the  officers  kept  awake  their  little  circles,  discussing  the  chances  of 
the  morrow's  combat. 

The  older  and  more  experienced  commanders,  to  whom  the  delav  in 
bringing  up  the  boats  was  known,  were  gloomy  and  desponding.  Some  of  them 
openly  expressed  their  belief  that  t'ne  ensemble  of  their  plan  was  lost,  and  it 
would  have  to  be  gone  over  again.  Col.  Dal}-,  of  the  Ninet3--tliird  Highlanders, 
a  brave  and  thoughtful  officer,  being  asked  for  his  opinion,  turned  to  Dr. 
Dempster  of  liis  regiment,  and  giving  him  his  watch  and  a  letter  said:  "Deliver 
these  to  my  wife — I  shall  die  at  the  head  of  my  regiment."  The  conduct  of 
Col.  Mullens,  of  the  Forty-fourth,  was  even  more  desponding,  and  far  less 
heroic.  His  wife,  an  elegant  lad}',  was  then  in  the  fleet,  and  had 
come  over  to  gi-ace  the  fashionable  circles  of  New  Orleans.  She  had 
been  the  life  of  the  squadron,  contributing,  by  her  fascinating  manners 
and  vivacity,  to  brighten  many  of  the  dull  and  gloornj'  hours  of  the  long  voyage. 
But  her  husband  was  far  from  being  the  soul  of  the  army.  Son  of  a  lord, he  had  ob- 
tained his  promotion  more  by  influence  than  merit. 

Among  the  officers  who  have  carved  out  their  names  and  commissions  by 
their  own  good  swords,  the  designation  of  Mullens  to  lead  the  advance  of  the 
storming  parly  was  ascribed  to  the  natural  csfirit  de  corps  of  their  aristocratic 
commander,  himself  the  son  of  an  earl.  Perhaps  they  were  correct,  but  Paken- 
ham  and  Mullens  took  very  different  views  of  the  privileges  of  the  sons  of  peers. 
Pakenham  regarded  that  an  honor  and  distinction  which  he  frequently  enjoyed, 
never  without  glory,  and  never  without  grievous  wounds,  which  Mullens  looked 
upon  as  a  death  sentence.  He  had  received  one  honorable  wound  at  Alvuera, 
and  that  sufficed  to  fill  the   measure   of  his  ambition.     Besides,  Col.  Mullens, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  369 

whether  prompted  by  a  regard  for  his  own  safety,  or  his  good  sense,  had  the 
sagacit}'  to  perceive  the  hopelessness  of  the  enterprise,  and  to  declare  that  con- 
viction in  the  hearing  of  both  officers  and  men.  He  stated  that  his  regiment 
had  been  ordered  to  execution — that  their  dead  bodies  were  to  be  used  as  a 
bridge  for  the  remainder  of  the  army  to  march  to  a  like  fate.  The  30ung 
officers  were  in  better  spirits.  Tliej^  had  no  doubt  of  their  success,  and,  in  a 
ga}-  and  jovial  manner, discussed  their  individual  chances  in  the  battle,  speculated 
on  tlie  results  of  tlie  campaign — on  the  prospect  of  accumulating  fortunes — 
where  they  would  be  quartered  in  the  city — what  frolics  they  would  have — what 
distinction  they  would  enjoy  in  the  ga}'  city  of  New  Orleans — what  jolly  letters 
they  would  write  home,  and  what  handsome  presents  they  would  send  to  the 
girls  they  "left  behind  them,"  not  'forgetting  mothers,  wives,  sisters  and 
cousins. 

About  the  hour  when  Jackson  aroused  his  aids,  Pakenham,  having  refreshed 
himself  with  a  short  slumber,  repaired  from  his  headquarters  to  Villere's  man- 
sion, at  the  mouth  of  the  canal,  and  there  discovered  the  mortifying  delay  in 
transporting  Thompson's  detachment  across  the  river. 

A  cooler-headed  commander  would  have  perceived  the  serious  interruption 
which  this  accident  made  in  his  plan  of  operations  and  conformed  his  other 
movements  to  it.  In  other  words,  he  would  have  countermanded  the  advance 
on  the  left  bank,  which  it  was  now  certain  must  follow  that  on  the  right,  but 
which,  if  executed  under  the  orders  that  had  been  issued,  should  precede  it.  But 
Pakenham  was  a  self-willed,  gallant  and  somewhat  reckless  man,  who  believed 
that  courage  and  daring  were  the  chief  reliance  in  all  military  operations,  who 
never,  like  Lysander,  eked  out  the  lion's  skin  with  the  fox's.  The  orders  of  the 
Seventh  were  therefore  adhered  to. 

Before  day  Gibbs'  and  Keane's  men  were  aroused  from  their  lairs,  and, 
forming,  advanced  in  line  some  distance  in  front  of  the  pickets,  about  four  hun- 
dred or  five  hundred  yards  from  the  American  lines.  Here  the}'  remained,  lis- 
tening in  anxious  suspense  for  the  firing  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Not  a 
sound  could  be  heard  across  the  calm  surface  of  the  great,  silent  Mississippi.  A 
thick  fog  involved  the  armj^  and  shut  out  all  in  front  and  in  rear  from  view. 
The  minutes,  the  hours  flew  rapidl}-  by,  and  not  a  sound  of  Thornton  could  be 
heard.  The  truth  was  that  gallant  officer  had  not  even  landed  his  men  when 
Gibbs  began  to  form  his  column  for  the  advance.  The  mist  was  now  breaking. 
The  American  flag,  on  its  loft}-  staff,  in  center  of  Jackson's  lines,  began  to 
wave  its  striped  and  starry  folds  above  the  vapory  exhalations  from  the  earth, 
within  full  view  of  the  British  lines,  and  the  dark  mound,  behind  which  the 
guardians  of  that  standard  stood,  with  arms  at  rest,  became  faintly  visible.  On 
the  mound  stood  many  a  sharp-eyed  soldier,  painfully  stretching  his  vision  to 
catch  the  first  glance  of  the  enemy,  that  might  be  announced  by  his  approach. 


370  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

or  have  the  first  fire  at  him.  This  honor  was  reserved  for  Lieutenant  Spotts, 
who,  perceiving  a  faint  red  line  several  hundred  yards  in  front,  discharged  his 
heavy  gun  at  it.  Slowly  the  fog  rolled  up  and  thinned  off,  revealing  the  whole 
British  line,  stretching  across  two-thirds  of  the  plain.  At  the  same  moment  a 
rocket  shot  up  near  the  river;  another  on  the  right,  near  the  swamp;  and  then 
the  long  line  seemed  to  melt  awaj'  suddenly,  puzzling  the  American  gunners, 
who  were  just  bringing  their  pieces  to  bear  upon  it.  But  the  British  had  only 
changed  their  position  and  then  deployed  into  column  of  companies. 

Forming  this  column  of  attack  in  admirable  order,  Gibbs  now  advanced 
toward  the  wood,  so  as  to  have  its  cover,  the  Forty-fourth  in  front  followed  by 
the  Twenty-first  and  Fourth.  The  column  passed  the  redoubt  on  the  extreme 
right  of  the  British,  near  the  swamp,  wh'ere  the  men  of  the  Forty-fourth  were 
directed  to  pack  the  ladders  and  fascines,  at  the  same  time  stacking  their 
muskets.  The  batteries  of  Spotts'  Number  6  and  Garrique's  Number  7,  and  the 
Howitzer  Number  8,  now  began  to  plaj'  upon  the  column  with  some  effect. 
There  was  no  time  to  spare.  The  Forty-fourth  with  the  rest  of  the  column 
rushed  past  the  redoubt,  some  of  the  men  picking  up  a  few  fascines  and  ladders 
as  they  marched,  and,  fronting  toward  the  American  lines,  advanced  steadily  in 
compact  columns,  bearing  their  muskets  at  a  shoulder.  In  his  advance,  Gibbs 
obliqued  toward  the  woods,  so  as  to  be  covered  by  the  projection  of  the  swamp. 
But  he  could  not  elude  the  fire  of  the  batteries,  which  began  to  pour  round  and 
grape  shot  into  his  lines  with  destructive  effect.  It  was  at  this  moment  whispered 
through  the  columns  that  the  Forty-fourth  had  not  brought  the  ladders  and  fas- 
cines. Pakenham  hearing  it,  rode  to  the  front  and  discovered  it  was  but  too  true. 
He  immediately  called  out  to  Colonel  Mullens,  who  was  at  the  head  of  his  regi- 
ment, "  File  to  the  rear  and  proceed  to  the  redoubt,  execute  the  order  and 
return  as  soon  as  possible  with  your  regiment."  The  execution  of  this  order 
produced  some  disorder  in  the  column,  and  some  delay  in  its  advance.  Gibbs, 
indignant  at  this  disturbance,  and  at  the  disobedience  of  Mullens,  and  perceiv- 
ing his  men  falling  around  him,  exclaimed,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Let  me  live  until 
to-morrow  and  I'll  hang  him  to  the  highest  tree  in  that  swamp." 

But  the  column  could  not  stand  there  exposed  to  the  terrible  fire  of  the 
American  batteries,  waiting  for  the  Fort3^-fourtli,  and  so  Gibbs  ordered  them 
forward.  On  they  went,  the  Twenty-first  and  Fourth,  in  solid,  compact  column, 
the  men  hurraing  and  the  rocketers  covering  their  front  with  a  blaze  of  their 
combustibles.  The  American  batteries  we  have  named  were  now  playing  upon 
them  with  awful  effect,  cutting  great  lanes  through  the  column  from  front  to 
rear,  and  huge  gaps  in  their  flanks.  These  intervals  were,  however,  quickly 
filled  up  by  the  gallant  red  coats.  The  column  advanced  without  pause  or  re- 
coil steadily  toward  Spott's  long  eighteen,  and  Cheauveau's  six  (No.  9). 
Carroll's  men  were  all  in  their  places,  with  guns  sighted  on  the  summit  of  the 


HISTORICAL  A.\D  BIOGRAPHICAL.  371 

parapet,  while  the  Kentuckians,  in  two  lines,  stood  behind,  ready  to  take  the 
places  of  the  Tennesseeans  as  soon  as  their  pieces  were  discharged,  thus  making 
four  lines  in  this  part  of  the  entrenchment. 

There  they  stood,  alias  tirm  as  veterans,  as  cool  and  calculating  as  American 
frontiersmen.  All  the  batteries  in  the  American  line,  including  Patterson's  ma- 
rine battery,  on  the  right  bank,  began  now  to  join  those  on  the  left  in  hurling  a 
tornado  of  missiles  into  that  serried,  scarlet  column,  which  shook  and  oscillated 
like  a  huge  painted  ship  tossed  on  an  angry  sea. 

■'  Stand  to  your  guns,"  cried  Jackson,  as  he  glanced  along  the  lines;  "don't 
waste  3'our  ammunition — see  that  every  shot  tells." 

Again  he  exclaimed.  "Give  it  to  them,  bo3-s ;  let  us  finish  the  business  to- 
day." 

The  confused  and  reeling  army  of  red  coats  had  approached  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  ditch,  when  the  loud  command  of  Carroll  "Fire  I  Fire  !" 
rang  through  the  lines.  The  order  was  obe3'ed,  not  hurriedly,  excitedly  and 
confusedly,  but  calmly-  and  deliberatel}',  by  the  whole  of  Carroll's  command, 
commencing  on  the  left  of  the  Forty-fourth.  The  men  had  previously  calculated 
the  range  of  their  gims,  and  not  a  shot  was  thrown  away.  Their  bullets  swept 
through  the  British  columns,  cutting  down  the  men  by  scores,  and  causing  its 
head  and  flanks  to  melt  away  like  snow  before  a  torrent.  Nor  was  it  one  or 
several  discharges  followed  by  pauses  and  intervals,  but  the  fire  was  keot  up 
without  intermission,  the  front  men  firing  and  falling  back  to  load.  Thus  the 
four  lines,  two  Tennesseean  and  two  Kentuckians,  sharing  the  labor  and  glory 
of  the  most  rapid  and  destructive  fusilade  ever  poured  into  a  column  of  soldiers. 

For  several  minutes  did  that  terrible,  incessant  fire  blaze  along  Carroll's 
front,  and  that  rolling,  deafening,  prolonged  thunder  fill  the  ears  and  confuse 
the  sense  of  the  astounded  Britons.  Those  sounds  will  never  cease  to  reverberate 
in  the  ears  of  all  who  survived  the  merciless  fire. 

The  roar  of  tlie  cannon,  the  hissing  of  the  shells,  the  rumbling  growl  of  the 
musketry,  the  wild  scream  of  the  rockets,  the  whizzing  of  round  shot,  the 
sweeping  blast  of  chain  shot  and  the  crash  of  grape  formed  a  horrid  concert. 

Then  was  seen  the  great  advantage  which  the  Americans  possess  in  the 
skill  with  which  they  handle  firearms,  the  rapidity  with  which  they  load,  the  ac- 
curac}^  of  their  calculation  and  the  coolness  of  their  aim,  qualities  developed  by 
their  frontier  life  and  their  habit  of  using  arms  from  their  boyhood. 

There  were  scarceh'  more  than  fifteen  hundred  pieces  brought  to  bear  on 
the  British  column, but  in  the  hands  of  Tennesseeans  and  Kentuckians  the}-  were 
made  as  effective  as  ten  times  the  number  fired  by  regulars  of  the  best  armies  of 
Europe.  Against  this  terrible  fire,  Gibbs  boldl}'  led  his  column.  It  is  no  re- 
flection upon  those  veterans    to    say  that  they   halted,  wavered  and   shrank  at 


372  SO UTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

times  when  the  crash  of  bullets  became  most  terrible,  when  they  were  thus 
shot  down  by  a  foe  whom  they  could  not  see.  But  the  gallant  peninsular  officers 
threw  themselves  in  front,  inciting  and  arousing  their  men  by  every  appeal,  and 
b};-  the  most  brilliant  examples  of  courage.  The  men  cried  out,  "Where  are  the 
Forty-fourth.  If  we  get  to  the  ditch  we  have  no  means  of  scaling  the  lines!"  "Here 
come  the  Foi'ty-fourth  !  here  come  the  Forty-fourth  !"  shouted  Gibbs.  This  assur- 
ance restored  order  and  confidence  in  the  ranks.  There  came  at  last  a  detachment 
of  the  Forty-fourth,  with  Pakenham  himself  at  their  head,  rallying  and  inspiring 
them  by  appeals  to  their  ancient  fame — reminding  them  of  the  glory  they  had 
acquired  in  Egypt  and  elsewhere,  and  addressing  them  as  his  "countrymen" 
(the  Forty-fourth  were  mostly  Irish.)  The  men  came  up  gallantly  enough, 
bearing  their  ladders  and  fascines,  but  their  colonel  was  far  in  the  rear,  being 
unable  even  with  the  assistance  of  a  servant  to  reach  his  post  over  the  rough 
field. 

Pakenham  led  them  forward,  and  they  were  soon  breasting  the  storm  of 
bullets  with  the  rest  of  the  column.  At  this  moment  Pakenham's  bridle  arm 
was  struck  b}'  a  ball  and  his  horse  killed  by  another.  He  then  mounted  the 
small  black  pony  of  his  aid,  Capt.  McDougall,  and  pressed  forward.  But  the 
column  had  advanced  now  as  far  as  it  could  get.  Most  of  the  regimental  offi- 
cers were  cut  down.  Patterson,  of  the  Twenty-first,  Brooks,  of  the  Fourth, 
and  Debbiege  of  the  Forty-fourth,  were  all  disabled  at  the  heads  of  their  regi- 
ments. There  were  not  officers  enough  to  command,  and  the  column  begap 
now  to  break  in  two  detachments,  some  pushing  foi^ward  to  the  ditch,  but  the 
greater  part  falling  back  to  the  rear  and  to  the  swamp  until  the  whole  front  was 
cleared.  They  were  soon  rallied  at  the  ditch,  were  reformed,  and,  throwing 
off  their  knapsacks,  advanced  again. 

Keane,  judging  very  rashly  that  the  moment  had  arrived  for  him  to  act, 
now  wheeled  his  line  into  column  (it  had  been,  as  we  have  seen,  intended  as  a 
reserve  to  threaten,  without  advancing  upon  the  American  lines),  and,  with  the 
Ninety-third  in  front,  pushed  forward  to  act  his  part  in  the  blood}'  tragedy. 
The  gallant  and  stalwart  Highlanders,  nine  hundred  strong,  strode  across  the 
ensanguined  field,  with  their  heavy,  solid,  massive  front  of  a  hundred  men,  and 
their  bright  muskets  glittering  in  the  morning  sun,  which  began  now  to  scatter 
a  few  rays  over  the  field  of  strife.  Onward  pressed  the  Tartan  warriors, 
regardless  of  the  concentrated  fire  of  the  batteries,  which  now  poured  their 
iron  hail  into  their  ranks  at  a  more  rapid  pace  than  the  other  column,  the 
Ninety-third  rushed  forward  into  the  very  maelstrom  of  Carroll's  musketry, 
which  swept  the  field  as  with  a  huge  scythe.  The  gallant  Daly  fulfilled  his 
prophecy,  and  fell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  a  grape  shot  passing  through 
his  body.  Major  Creagh  then  took  the  command.  Incited  by  the  example  of 
the  Ninety- third,  the  remnant  of  Gibbs'  brigade  again  came  up,  with  Pakenham 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  373 

on  their  left,  Gibbs  on  their  right.  They  had  approached  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  hnes. 

At  this  moment  the  standard  bearer  of  the  Ninet3--third,  feehng  something 
rubbing  against  his  epaulette,  turned,  and  perceived  through  the  smoke  a  small 
black,  horse  which  Paker.ham  now  rode.  It  was  led  by  his  aid,  as  he  seemed 
to  have  no  use  of  his  right  arm;  in  his  left  hand  he  held  his  cap,  which  he  waved 
in  the  air  crying  out:  "  Hurrah  I  brave  Highlanders."  At  this  instant  there 
was  a  terrible  crash,  as  if  the  contents  of  one  of  the  big  guns  of  the  Americans 
had  fallen  on  the  spot,  killing  and  wounding  nearly  all  who  were  near.  It  was 
then  the  ensign  of  the  Ninety-third  saw  the  horse  of  Pakenham  fall,  and  the 
General  roll  from  the  saddle  into  the  arms  of  Capt.  McDougall,  who  sprang 
forward  to  receive  him.  A  grape  shot  had  struck  the  General  on  the  thigh  and 
passed  through  his  horse,  killing  the  latter  immediately.  As  Capt.  McDougall  and 
some  of  the  men  were  raising  the  General,  another  ball  struck  liim  in  the  groin 
which  produced  immediate  paralysis. 

It  is  an  interesting  coincidence  that  Captain  McDougall  was  the  same  of- 
ficer into  whose  arms  General  Ross  had  fallen  from  his  horse  in  the  advance  on 
Baltimore. 

The  wounded  and  d3Mng  General  was  borne  to  the  rear  and  laid  down  in 
the  shade  of  a  venerable  live-oak,  standing  in  the  shelter  of  the  field  and  be- 
yond the  reach  of  the  American  guns.  A  surgeon  was  called,  who  pronounced 
his  wound  mortal.  In  a  few  minutes  the  gallant  young  officer  breathed  his  last, 
and  his  faithful  aid  had  to  lament  the  death  of  another  heroic  chief,  who,  after 
winning  laurels  that  entitled  him  to  repose  and  glory  enough  for  life,  perished 
thus  gloriously  in  a  war  of  unjust  invasion  against  his  own  race  and  kindred. 
The  old  oak  under  which  Pakenham  yielded  up  his  soul  still  stands,  bent  and 
twisted  by  time  and  many  tempests — a  melancholy  monument  of  that  great  dis- 
aster of  the  British  arms. 

Gibbs  fared  even  worse  than  Pakenham,  for,  desperately  wounded  shortly 
after  the  fall  of  the  general-in-chief,  he,  too,  was  borne  to  the  rear,  and 
lingered  many,  man}-  hours  in  horrible  agony  until  the  day  after,  when  death 
came  to  his  relief.  Keane  also  fell  badh'  wounded,  being  shot  through  the 
neck,  and  was  carried  off  the  field.  There  were  no  more  field  officers  to  com- 
mand or  rally  the  broken  column.  Major  Wilkinson,  brigade  major,  shouted 
to  the  men  to  follow,  and  pushed  forward. 

Followed  and  aided  by  Lieutenant  Lovack  and  twenty  men,  he  succeeded  in 
passing  the  ditch,  and  had  clambered  up  the  breastwork,  when,  just  as  he 
raised  his  head  and  shoulders  over  its  summit,  a  dozen  guns  were  brought  to 
bear  against  him,  and  the  exposed  portions  of  his  body  were  riddled  with  bul- 
lets. He  had,  however,  strength  to  raise  himself,  and  fell  upon  the  parapet. 
Here  his  mutilated  form  was  borne  with  every  expression  of  pit}-  and  sympathy 


374  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

by  the  generous  Kentuckians  and  Tennesseeans  to  a  place  of  shelter  in  the  rear 
of  the  camp. 

Here  the  gallant  Briton  received  every  attention  which  could  be  rendered 
to  him.  Major  Smile}',  of  the  Kentuckians,  a  kind-hearted  gentleman,  endeav- 
ored to  cheer  the  spirits  of  the  dying  soldier,  saying:  "  Bear  up,  my  poor  fel- 
low; you  are  too  brave  a  man  to  die."  "  I  thank  you  from  my  heart,"  faintly 
murmured  the  young  officer.  "It  is  all  o\er  with  me.  You  can  render  me  a 
favor;  it  is  to  communicate  to  my  commander  that  I  fell  on  your  parapet,  and 
died  like  a  soldier  and  a  true  Englishman."  In  two  hours  the  gallant  Wilkinson 
was  a  corpse,  and  his  body  was  respectfully  covered  with  one  of  the  colors  of 
the  volunteers. 

After  the  fall  of  Wilkinson  the  men  who  followed  him  threw  themselves 
into  the  ditch,  some  made  feeble  efforts  to  climb  up  the  parapet,  but  it  was  too 
slippery,  and  they  rolled  into  the  fosse.  The  majority,  however,  were  satisfied 
to  cower  under  the  protection  of  the  entrenchment,  where  they  were  allowed  a 
momentar}'  respite  and  shelter  from  the  American  fire.  The  remainder  of  the 
column,  broken,  disorganized  and  panic-stricken,  retired  in  confusion  and  ter- 
ror, each  regiment  leaving  two-thirds  of  its  men  dead  or  wounded  on  the  field. 
The  Ninety-third,  which  had  advanced  with  nine  hundred  men  and  twenty-five 
officers,  could  muster  but  one  hundred  and  thirty  men  and  nine  officers,  who  now 
stole  rapidly  from  the  bloody  field,  their  bold  courage  all  changed  into  wild 
dismay.  The  other  regiments  suffered  in  like  manner,  especially  the  Twenty- 
first,  which  had  lost  five  hundred  men.  The  fragments  of  the  two  gallant  bri- 
gades fell  back  precipitately  toward  the  rear. 

At  this  moment  Lambert,  hearing  of  the  death  of  Pakenham  and  the  severe 
wounds  of  Gibbs  and  Keane,  advanced  slowly  and  cautiously  forward  with  the 
reserve.  Just  before  he  received  his  last  wound  Pakenham  had  ordered  Sir  John 
Tyndell,  one  of  his  staff,  to  order  up  the  reserve.  As  the  bugler  was  about  to 
sound  the  "advance,"  by  order  of  Sir  John,  his  right  arm  was  struck  by  a  ball 
and  his  bugle  fell  to  the  ground.  The  order  was,  accordingly,  never  given,  and 
the  reserve  only  marched  up  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  broken  column  of  the 
two  other  brigades. 

Thus,  in  less  than  twent3--five  minutes  was  the  main  attack  of  the  British 
most  disastrously  repelled,  and  the  two  brigades  nearly  destroyed.  On  their 
left  the}'  had  achieved  a  slight  success,  which  threatened  serious  consequences 
to  the  American  lines.  Here  the  advance  of  Keane's  brigade,  consisting  of  the 
Ninety-fifth  Rifles,  the  light  infantry  company  of  the  Seventh,  Ninety-third  and 
Forty-third,  and  several  companies  of  the  West  India  regiments,  in  all  nearly  a 
thousand  men,  under  the  gallant  and  active  officer.  Colonel  Rennie,  of  the 
Twenty-first,  had  crept  up  so  suddenly  on  the  Americans  as  to  surprise  their 
outpost  and  reach  the  redoubt  about  as  soon  as  the  advance  guard  of  the  Amer- 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  375-. 

icans,  which  was  threatened  by  Gibbs'  advance,  had  fallen  back  from  their  left 
and  was  now  hurrying  into  their  lines.  The  British  were  so  close  upon  their  re- 
tiring guard  that  the  Americans  were  unable  to  open  their  batteries  upon  them, 
fearing  that  they  would  kill  some  of  their  own  men. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  Humphre}'  could  keep  his  gunners  from  applying  the 
match  to  his  pieces  that  completel}-  commanded  the  road  down  which  the  Ameri- 
cans, mingled  with  the  pursuing  British,  were  retiring.  At  last,  reaching  the  redoubt, 
the  Americans  clambered  over  the  embankment  and  the  leading  files  of  the  Brit- 
isii  following,  succeeded  in  also  gaining  the  interior,  where,  being  supported  by 
ctiiers,  they  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  the  soldiers  of  the  infantry, 
whom  they  drove  out  into  the  lines,  which  were  reached  by  a  plank  across  the 
ditch,  separating  the  redoubt  from  the  main  line.  But  thej-  did  not  hold  the  re- 
doubt long,  for  now  the  Seventh  Infantry  began  to  direct  the  whole  fire  upon 
the  interior  of  the  redoubt,  which  very  soon  made  it  too  hot  for  the  British ;  the 
detachment  advanced  in  two  columns,  one  on  the  road  and  the  other  filing 
along  the  river,  under  cover  of  the  levee.  The  Seventh  Infantry  and  Humph- 
rey's batteries  poured  into  the  column  on  the  road  a  most  destructive  fire. 
Those  on  the  river  bank  were  protected  by  the  levee  from  the  fire  of  the  bat- 
teries and  troops  in  the  lines,  hut  attracted  the  attention  of  the  hawk-eyed  Pat- 
terson on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  who  gave  them  scattering  volleys  of  grape,, 
whicli  strewed  the  river  bank  with  the  dead  and  wounded. 

* 
*      » 

Whilst  this  terrible  slaughter  was  being  enacted  on  the  extreme  right  and 
left  of  the  American  lines,  the  center  remained  inactive.  A  few  men  on  the  right 
of  Plauche's  battalion  fired  without  orders  when  the  Seventh  Infantry  com- 
menced their  fire,  but  they  were  quickly  silenced  by  their  officers,  as  the  enem)^ 
were  too  far  off  and  they  only  wasted  their  ammunition.  From  Plauche's, 
Daquin's  and  Lacoste's  battalions  and  the  Forty-fourth,  at  least  eight  hundred  men, 
not  a  gun  was  fired  save  a  few,  which  were  discharged  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees 
in  order  that  the  bullets  might  fall  into  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  and  a  few  scat- 
tering shots  by  the  left  company  of  the  Forty-fourth,  which,  however,  were 
instantl}'  suppressed.  The  gallant  volunteers  chafed  with  impatience  at  the 
restraints  to  which  they  were  thus  subjected  in  being  compelled  to  look  on,  idle 
spectators,  of  so  glorious  a  conflict.  They  could  with  difficulty  be  prevented 
from  stealing  from  their  posts  to  the  right  or  left,  to  have  a  shot  at  the  captes 
rogues.  If,  however,  they  did  not  contribute  to  the  predominant  music  of  the 
conflict,  the  roar  of  the  cannon  and  the  rattling  of  musketry,  they  served  to 
enliven  and  xa.vy  the  monotony  of  those  sounds,  and  offered  an  additional 
stimulant  to  tlie  courage  and  ardor  of  the  men  b}'  the  inspiring  melody  of  their 
fine  band. 

It  is  a  rare  circumstance  in  a  battle,  that  martial  music   can   be   sustained 


376  SOUTHWEST  LOUfSlANA: 

throughout  the  action.  In  the  American  army,  such  an  occurrence  was  a 
phenomenon,  never  before  observed  in  any  battle.  The  moment  the  British 
came  into  view  and  their  signal  rocket  pierced  the  sky  with  its  fiery  flame,  the 
band  of  the  battalion  D'Orleans  struck  up  "  Yankee  Doodle  " — and  thenceforth 
throughout  the  action  it  did  not  cease  to  discourse  all  the  national  and  military 
airs  in  which  it  had  been  instructed.  The  British  had  not  this  incentive.  Their 
musical  instrument  had  never  been  taken  from  the  box  in  which  they  were  after- 
ward found  by  the  Americans.  They  advanced  with  no  blasts  of  trumpet,  with 
no  stirring  roll  of  drums  and  lively  notes  of  tlie  piercing  fife — with  not  even 
the  monotonous  martial  screams  of  the  bagpipe,  arousing  the  pride  and  heroism 
of  the  Highlanders.  A  few  buglers  in  the  light  infantry  regiments  contributed 
the  onl}^  musical  sounds  to  relieve,  on  their  side,  the  awful  din  and  tumult  of  tlie 
battle. 

Subtracting  the  center  of  Jackson's  lines  already  enumerated,  at  least  one 
half  of  Coffee's  men,  who  never  fired  a  gun,  and  a  large  number  of  Kentuckians, 
whose  pieces  were  so  defective  as,  according  to  the  testimony  of  some  persons,  to 
place  the  Tennesseeans  in  more  danger  from  their  friends  and  supporters  in  the 
rear  than  from  their  enemies  in  front,  there  were  actually  less  than  hVlf  of  Jack- 
son's old  force  engaged  in  the  battle.  There  is  no  instance  in  history  where  so 
small  a  force  achieved  so  great  a  success.  It  is  true  the  batteries  contributed 
largetyto  these  results,  but  not  to  the  extent  that  is  generally  estimated,  as  the 
heaviest  of  Jackson's  guns  were  kept  quite  busy  returning  the  fire  of  the  two 
batteries  which  the  British  had  thrown  up  on  the  night  of  the  7th,  in  the  center 
of  the  field  and  near  the  road  on  the  ruins  of  Chalmette's  establishment,  from 
which  they  maintained  a  continuous  fire  during  and  after  the  advance  of  the 
storming  parties.  Morris',  Crawly's,  You's  and  Bluche's  batteries  gave  their 
particular  attention  to  these  batteries,  and  succeeded  in  silencing  them  shortly 
after  the  general  retrogade  movement  of  the  British  lines  into  the  swamp  on  the 
extreme  right.  The  British  had  thrown  out  a  detachment  of  skirmishers  under 
Lieut.  Col.  Jones,  of  the  Fourth.  They  succeeded  in  getting  quite  near 
Coffee's  men,  but,  becoming  mired,  were  either  killed  or  captured  by  the  Ten- 
nesseeans, who  astonished  the  Britons  b};^  the  squirrel-like  agility  with  which 
they  jumped  from  log  to  log,  and  their  alligator-like  facility  of  moving  through 
the  water,  bushes  and  mud.  Some  of  the  prisoners  taken  in  the  swamp  were 
of  the  West  India  Regiment,  who  were  greatly  comforted  in  their  forlorn 
position  by  the  idea  that  they  were  captives  of  men  of  their  own  color  and  blood, 
>  deceived  by  the  appearance  of  the  Tenneseeans,  who,  from  their  constant 
■  exposure,  their  familiarity  with  gunpowder,  and  their  long  unacquaintance  with 
ithe  razor,  or  any  other  implement  of  the  toilet,  were  certainly  not  fair  representa- 
rtions  of  the  pure  Caucasian  race.  The  unfortunate  red-coated  Africans  soon 
discovered  their  error,  when  they  were  required  by  their  facetious  captors  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  377 

"dance  Juba"  in  the  mud  a  foot  deep.  It  was  eight  o'clock — two  hours  since 
the  action  commenced- — -before  the  musketry  ceased  firing.  As  long  as  there 
was  a  British  soldier  visible,  though  at  a  distance  which  rendered  it  quite  futile 
to  endeavor  to  reach  him  with  musket  or  rifle,  a  cartridge  would'be  wasted  in 
the  vain  attempt.  At  last  the  order  was  passed  down  the  lines  to  "cease  firing," 
and  the  men,  panting  with  fatigue  and  excitement,  rested  on  their  arms.  At 
this  moment  Jackson,  who,  during  the  whole  aclion.  had  occupied  a  prominent 
position  near  the  right  of  Plauche's  battalion,  where  he  could  command  a  view 
of  the  whole  entrenchment,  now  passed  slowly  down  the  lines,  accompanied  by 
his  staff,  halting  about  the  center  of  each  command,  and  addressing  to  its  com- 
mander and  the  men  words  of  praise  and  grateful  commendation.  His  feeble 
body  now  stood  erect  and  his  face,  relaxing  its  usual  sternness,  glowed  with 
the  fire  of  a  proud  victor  in  the  noblest  of  all  causes,  the  defence  of  his  countr3''s 
flag,  the  protection  of  the  lives,  propertj'  and  honor  of  a  free  people,  and  as  he 
passed,  the  band  struck  up  "Hail,  Columbia,"  and  the  whole  line,  now  for  the 
first  lime  facing  to  the  rear,  burst  forth  in  loud  and  prolonged  hurras  to  the 
chief,  by  whose  indomitable  heroism  and  energy  they  had  been  enabled  to  inflict 
so  awful  a  punishment  upon  the  enemy  who  had  invaded  their  homes  and  sought 
to  dishonor  their  flag.  But  these  notes  of  exultation  died  away  into  sighs  of  pity 
and  exclamations  of  horror  and  commiseration  as  soon  as  the  ariillery^ 
which  had  kept  up  their  fire  at  intervals,  after  the  muskets  ceased,  being 
silenced,  the  smoke  ascending  from  the  field  revealed  a  spectacle  which 
sent  a  thrill  of  horror  along  that  whole  line  of  exultant  victors.  The 
briglit  column  and  long  red  lines,  a  splendid  arm}^  which  occupied  the  field 
where  it  was  last  visible  to  the  Americans,  had  disappeared  as  if  by. some 
supernatural  agency.  Save  the  hundreds  of  miserable  creatures  who  rolled 
over  the  field  in  agonj'  or  crawled  and  dragged  their  shattered  limbs  over  the 
luuddy  plains,  not  a  living  foe  could  be  seen  by  the  naked  eye.  The  com- 
manders with  their  telescopes  succeeded  with  some  difficuly  in  discovering,, 
far  in  the  rear,  a  faint  red  line,  which  indicated  the  position  of  General  Lambert 
with  his  reserve,  stationed  in  a  ditch  in  what  that  officer  designated  in  his 
dispatch,  a  supine  position,  meaning  that  the  men  after  falling  into  the  ditch, 
which  covered  them  to  the  waist,  leaned  over  on  their  faces  and  thus  escaped 
the  cannon  balls  of  the  Americans.  These  were  the  only  live  objects  visible 
in  tlie  field,  but  with  the  dead,  it  was  so  thickh'  strewn,  that  from  the  American 
ditch  3'ou  could  ha\'e  walked  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  front  on  the  bodies 
of  killed  and  disabled.  The  space  in  front  of  Carroll's  position,  for  an- 
extent  of  two  hundred  yards,  was  literally  covered  with  the  slain. 
The  center  of  the  column  could  be  distinctly  traced  in  the  broad  red 
line  of  the  victims  of  the  terrible  batteries  and  unerring  guns  of  the  Ameri- 
cans.       They    fell   in    their   tracks;    in    some     places    whole    platoons    lay   to- 


•378  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

gether  as  if  killed  by  the  same  discharge.  Dressed  in  tlieir  gay  uniforms, 
cleanly  shaved,  and  attired  for  the  promised  victorj-  and  triumplial  entry 
into  the  city,  these  stalwart  men  lay  on  the  gory  field,  frightful  examples 
of  the  horrors  of  war.  Strangely  indeed  did  they  contrast  with  those  ragged, 
unshorn,  begrimed  and  untidy,  strange-looking  men,  who,  crowding  the  Amer- 
ican parapet,  coolly  surveyed  and  commented  upon  the  terrible  destruction  they 
had  caused.  There  was  not  a  private  among  the  slain  whose  aspect  did  not  pre- 
sent more  of  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  war  than  any  of  the  commanders 
of  the  victors.  In  the  ditch  there  were  not  less  than  forty  dead,  and  at  least  a 
hundred  who  were  wounded,  or  who  had  thrown  themselves  into  it  for  shelter. 
•On  the  edge  of  the  woods  there  were  many  who,  being  slightly  wounded,  or 
unable  to  reach  the  rear,  had  concealed  themselves  under  the  brush  and  in  the 
trees.  It  was  pitiable,  indeed,  to  see  the  writhing  of  the  wounded  and  mutil- 
ated,and  to  hear  their  terrible  cries  for  help, water, which  arose  from  every  quarter 
•of  the  plain.  As  this  scene  of  death,  desolation,  bloodshed  and  suffering  came 
into  full  view  of  the  American  lines  a  profound  and  melancholy  silence  pervaded 
the  victorious  army.  No  sounds  of  exultation  or  rejoicing  were  now  heard. 
Pit)^  and  sympathy  had  succeeded  to  the  boisterous  and  savage  feelings,  which  a 
-few  minutes  before  had  possessed  their  souls.  They  saw  no  longer  the  pre- 
sumptuous, daring  and  insolent  invader,  who  had  come  four  thousand  miles  to 
lay  waste  a  peaceful  country;  they  forgot  their  own  suffering  and  losses,  and  the 
barbarian  threats  of  the  enemy,  and  now  only  perceived  humanity,  fellow  creat- 
ures in  their  own  form,  reduced  to  the  most  helpless,  miserable  and  pitiable  of 
conditions  of  suffering. desolation  and  distress,  Promptedby  this  motive, many  of 
the  Americans  stole  without  leave  from  their  positions,  and  with  their  canteens 
•proceeded  to  assuage  the  thirst  and  render  other  assistance  to  the  wounded.  The 
latter,  and  those  who  were  captured  in  the  ditch,  were  led  into  the  lines,  where 
■the  wounded  received  prompt  attention  from  Jackson's  medical  staff.  Many  of 
the  Americans  carried  their  disabled  enemies  into  the  camps  on  their  backs,  as 
;the  pious  .^^neas  bore  his  feeble  parent  from  burning  Troy.  Some  of  the  British 
soldiers  in  the  ditch,  not  understandmg  the  language  of  the  freemen  of  color, 
who  went  to  their  assistance,  but,  thinking  that  their  only  object  was  to  murder 
or  rob,  fired  upon  them.  This,  at  least,  is  the  only  apology  for  conduct  which 
was  regarded  as  ver}^  atrocious,  and  produced  considerable  excitement  in  the 
American  lines. 

The  Americans  thus  killed  and  wounded  were  unarmed,  and  engaged  in  the 
duty  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  attending  the  wounded  and  relieving  the  distressed. 
It  has  been  charged  that  they  were  fired  upon  by  order  of  the  British  officers, 
out  of  chagrin  and  mortification  for  the  defeat.  If  this  be  true  it  is  a  pity  that 
the  names  of  such  officers  could  not  be  known,  that  they  might  be  separated 
ifrom  those  whose  conduct  throughout  the  campaign  proved  them  to  be  honor- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  379 

able  and  gallant  soldiers  and  high-toned  gentlemen.  In  this  manner  several 
Americans  were  killed  and  wounded.  Indeed  more  causalties  occurred  to  the 
Americans  after  the  battle  than  in  the  principal  action.  The  British  evidently 
mistook  the  humane  purposes  of  the  Americans,  and  even  when  there  was  no 
other  alternative  manifested  a  disposition  to  resist  capture.  One  officer,  who 
was  slightly  wounded,  declined  surrendering  to  one  of  the  Tennesseeans, 
whose  appearance  was  not  very  impressive,  and  disregarding  his  call  was  walk- 
ing off,  when  the  Tennesseean,  drawing  a  bead  on  him,  cried  out:  "  Halt, 
Mr.  Redcoat;  one  more  step  and  I'll  drill  a  hole  through  your  leather,"  where- 
upon the  officer  surrendered,  exclaiming  at  the  same  time :  "What  a  disgrace 
for  a  British  officer  to  have  to  surrender  to  a  chimney  sweep." 

Of  course  there  was  a  general  desire  among  the  Americans  to  procure 
some  lawful  troph}- — some  memento  of  their  great  victory — and  many  of  the 
men  wandered  over  the  field  in  pursuit  thereof.  They  were  quite  successful  in 
securing  several  such  mementoes,  among  which  were  the  field  glasses  of  Paken- 
ham,  and  an  elegant  sword,  believed  to  be  Pakenham's,  but  which  was  after- 
ward claimed  by  Gen.  Keane,  and  delivered  to  him  by  order  of  Jackson. 

Pakenham's  glass  was  identified  and  remained  in  the  possession  of  Colonel, 
afterward  General,  Garrique  Flaujac,  who  commanded  one  of  the  batteries  on 
the  left.  The  trumpets  of  Gibbs  and  Keane  were  also  picked  up  on  the  field, 
and  became  the  property  of  Coffee's  brigade.  At  least  a  thousand  stand  of 
arms  were  gatliered  by  the  Americans  from  the  scene  of  the  slaughter.  The 
prisoners  and  wounded  being  now  collected  within  the  lines,  were  placed  in 
carts  or  formed  into  detachments  to  be  sent  up  to  the  city.  Ever\'  attention 
was  given  to  their  relief  and  comfort.  Many  of  the  prisoners  seemed  not  at  all 
disheartened  by  their  capture,  but  indeed  gave  manifestations  of  joy  and  satis- 
faction, especially  the  Irish,  who  declared  that  they  did  not  know  whither  they 
were  bound  when  they  left  the  old  country — that  they  never  wanted  to  fight  the 
Americans.  "Why,  then,"  asked  some  of  the  American  guards,  "  did  you  march 
up  so  boldly  to  our  lines  in  the  face  of  such  a  fire?"  "And  faith,  were  we  not 
obliged,  with  the  officers  behind,  sticking  and  stabbing  us  with  their  swords?" 
There  were  unmistakable  proofs  of  the  truth  of  this  remark  on  the  bodies  of 
many  of  the  men,  whose  clothes  and  flesh  were  cut  evidently  with  sharp  instru- 
ments. 

Some  distance  in  the  rear  of  Jackson's  lines  the  greater  part  of  the  adult  popu- 
lation of  New  Orleans,  not  connected  with  the  army,  were  gathered  in  anxious 
suspense  observing  the  progress  of  the  battle,  and  receiving  with  the  most  greedy 
zest  and  intense  anxiety  ever}-  fact  or  rumor  which  passed  from  the  front  to  the 
rear  sentinels.  For  toward  the  swamp  a  number  of  boys,  eager  to  see  what  was 
going  on,  climbed  the  trees,  and  thus  commanded  a  distant  but  rather  confused 
view  of  the  battle.     When  the    guns  ceased  firing,  and  after  the  terrible  tumult 


380  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

of  the  battle,  which  could  be  distinctly  heard  far  to  the  rear  and  even  in  the  city, 
had  settled  into  silence  and  quiet,  only  broken  by  the  loud  hurras  of  the  Amer- 
icans, the  anxious  spectators  and  listeners  in  the  rear,  quickly  comprehending  the 
glorious  result,  caught  up  the  sounds  of  exultation  and  echoed  them  along  the 
banks  of  the  river,  until  the  glad  tidings  reaching  the  city  sent  a  thrill  of  joy 
throughout  its  limits  and  brought  the  whole  population  into  the  streets  to  give 
full  vent  to  their  extravigant  joy.  The  streets  resounded  with  hurras.  The  only 
military  force  in  the  city,  the  veterans,  under  their  indefatigable  commander, 
the  noble  old  patriot  soldier,  Captain  DeBuys,  hastily  assembled  and,  with  a  drum 
and  fife,  paraded  the  streets  amid  the  salutes  and  hurras  of  the  people,  the 
waving  of  snowy  handkerchiefs  of  the  ladies,  and  the  boundless  exultation  and 
noisy  joy  of  the  juveniles.  Every  minute  brought  forth  some  new  truth  of  the 
great  and  glorious  victory.  First,  there  came  a  messenger,  whose  horse  had 
been  severeH'  taxed,  who  inquired  for  the  residences  of  the  physicians  of  the 
city,  and  dashed  madl}'  through  the  streets  in  pursuit  of  surgeons  and  apothe- 
caries. All  of  the  profession,  whether  in  practice  or  not,  were  requested  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  lines,  as  their  services  were  needed  immediately.  "For  whom?" 
was  the  question  which  agitated  the  bosom  of  many  an  anxious  parent  and  de- 
voted wife,  and  for  a  moment  clouded  and  checked  the  general  hilarity.  Soon, 
it  was  known,  however,  that  this  demand  for  surgeons  was  on  account  of  the 
enemy.  All  who  possessed  any  knowledge  of  the  curative  art,  who  could 
amputate  or  set  a  limb,  or  take  up  an  artery,  Imrried  to  the  camp.  Next  there 
came  up  a  message  from  the  camp  to  dispatch  all  the  carts  and  other  vehicles  to 
the  lines.  This  order,  too,  was  fully  discussed  and  commented  on  hy  the  crowd 
which  gathered  on  the  streets  and  in  all  public  resorts.  But,  like  all  Jackson's 
orders,  it  was  also  quickly  executed. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  before  the  purpose  of  this  order  was  clearly-  per-, 
ceived,  as  a  long  and  melancholy  procession  of  these  carts,  followed  by  a  crowd 
of  men,  was  seen  slowly  and  silently  wending  their  way  along  the  levee  from 
the  field  of  battle.  They  contained  the  British  wounded;  and  those  who  fol- 
lowed in  the  rear  were  the  prisoners  in  charge  of  a  detachment  of  Carroll's 
men.  Emulating  the  magnanimity  of  the  army,  the  citizens  pressed  forward  to 
tender  their  aid  to  their  wounded  enemies.  Their  hospitals  being  all  crowded 
with  their  own  sick  and  wounded,  these  vmtortunate  victims  of  English  ambi- 
tion were  taken  in  charge  by  the  citizens,  and  by  private  contributions  were 
supplied  with  mattrasses  and  pillows,  with  a  large  quantity  of  lint  and  old  linen, 
for  dressing  their  wounds,  all  of  which  articles  were  then  exceedingly  scarce  in 
the  city.  Those  far-famed  nurses,  the  quadroon  women  of  New  Orleans,  whose 
services  are  so  conspicuously  useful  when  New  Orleans  is  visited  by  pesti- 
lence, freely  gave  their  kind  attention  to  the  wounded  British,  and  worked  at 
their   bedsides   night  and  day.     Several   of   the  officers  who  were    grievously 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  381 

wounded,  were  taken  to  private  residences  of  the  citizens,  and  there  provided 
with  every  comfort.  Such  acts  as  these  ennoble  humanity,  and  obscure  even 
the  horrors  and  excesses  of  war. 

From  the  city  tlie  news  of  Jackson's  triumph  flew  rapidly  tlirough  the 
neighboring  countr3^  It  soon  reached  a  gloomy  detachment,  which,  under 
Jackson's  orders,  had  been  condemned  to  mortifying  and  disgusting  inactivity  at 
the  little  fort  of  St.  John.  Here,  on  the  placid  Pontchartrain,  the  roar  of  Jack- 
son's batteries  on  the  morning  of  the  Sth  could  be  distinctly  heard.  It  was 
known  that  this  was  the  great  attack — the  last  effort  of  the  British.  Their 
absence  from  the  scene  of  such  a  great  crisis  was  humiliating  beyond  all 
expression  to  the  gallant  men  ot  this  detachment.  One  of  them,  an  officer,  the 
late  venerable  Nicholas  Sinnott,  a  stalwart  and  determined  veteran,  who  had 
wielded  a  pike  at  Vinegar  Hill,  bore  this  disappointment  with  ill  grace  and  little 
philosophy.  In  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  he  could  with  difficulty  be 
restrained  from  heading  a  detachment  to  proceed  to  the  lines,  and  expressed  his 
disgust  in  words  which  were  not  forgotten  to  tlie  day  of  his  death  by  his  intimate 
friends  and  associates.  "  Oh  !  there  are  the  bloody  villains,  murdering  mv  coun- 
trymen, and  myself  stuck  down  in  this  infernal  muddy  hole." 

The  general  rejoicing  and  exultation  in  the  American  camp,  and  in  tlie 
citv,  which  had  been  interrupted  by  the  calls  of  humanity  and  pity  excited  by 
the  disaster  of  tlie  enem\-,  were  destined  to  receive  another  serious  shock,  and 
was  suddenly  changed  into  intense  anxiet}^,  as  the  news,  which  had  been  in 
possession  of  the  commander  in  chief  from  an  early  hour,  leaked  out,  that  all 
had  not  gone  well  on  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  and  the  British  actually  com- 
manded their  lines  and  had  advanced  to  the  rear.  It  may  be  better  imagmid 
than  described,  how  profoundly  the  camp  was  agitated  by  this  alarming  intelli- 
gence. It  was  but  too  true.  The  British  attack  had  been  as  successful  on  the 
right,  as  it  had  been  disastrous  on  the  left  bank.  Jackson  might  safely  have 
said,  as  Napoleon,  with  far  less  truth,  remarked,  when  he  heard  of  the  defeat  of 
his  fleet  at  Twifalgar — "I  cannot  be  everj^where."  There  can  belittle  doubt 
that  if  he  iiad  commanded  on  the  right  bank,  the  only  disgrace  which  sullied 
the  glorjr  of  the  campaign  would  have  been  avoided. 

We  have  seen  how  Morgan  sent  forward  his  advance,  consisting  of 
less  than  tliree  hundred  ill-armed  and  fatigued  men,  to  occupy  a  line  a 
mile  in  front  of  his  own — a  line  stretching  from  the  levee  to  the  swamp — 
which  could  not  have  been  manned  by  less  than  a  thousand  men  and 
several  pieces  of  artillery.  Had  even  these  three  hundred  men  been  sent 
to  the  point  were  the  British  landed,  and  stationed  behind  a  landing,  Thorn- 
ton's crowded  boats  could  not  have  reached  the  river's  bank.  They  would 
have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  daylight,  for  it  was  half  past  four  when 
2-i 


382  .9 O  UTH  WEST  L  O  UISIA NA  : 

Thornton  stepped  ashore — a  mile  further  down  the  stream  than,  the  Forty-third 
calculated.  His  men  were  formed  into  columns  just  as  the  rockets,  ascend- 
ing on  the  other  bank,  announced  the  commencement  of  the  attack  in  that 
quarter.  This  landing  had  been  effected  without  the  slightest  interruption. 
Covering  his  flank  by  three  gun-boats,  each  bearing  a  carronade  in  the  bows, 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  Roberts,  Thornton  pushed  rapidly  forward  up 
the  road,  until  he  reached  Morgan's  advanced  position.  Here,  dividing  his 
force,  he  moved  a  detachment  of  the  Eight3'-fifth  against  Tessier's  position, 
while,  with  the  remainder  of  his  regiment,  he  held  the  road  against  Davis.  As 
Thornton  advanced,  Roberts  opened  his  carronades  on  Davis'  command.  The 
detachment  of  the  Eighty-fifth  rushed  on  Tessier's  party  with  great  vigor  and 
put  them  to  flight, -at  the  firing  of  a  few  scattering  shots.  Tessier  and  his  men 
being  on  the  extreme  right,  and  unable  to  reach  the  road  before  the  British  had 
occupied  it,  were  compelled  to  fly  into  the  swamps,  where  many  of  them  suffered 
great  distress,  and  were  unable  to  reach  the   camp  in  the  rear  for  many  hours. 

Meantime,  Thornton,  pushing  forward  with  his  main  body,  consisting  of  the 
Eightj^-fifth,  the  sailors  and  marines  soon  put  Davis'  detachment  to  flight, 
closely  following  on  their  heels.  The  Kentuckians,  being  raw  troops,  did  not 
of  course,  retreat  in  ver}' good  order.  As  they  fell  back  in  great  confusion  on 
Morgan's  lines,  the  general  rode  out,  and  meeting  Col.  Davis,  directed  him  to 
form  his  men  within  his  lines  on  the  right  of  the  Louisiana  militia.  Davis  obeyed 
the  order,  but  instead  of  the  five  hundred  men  Jackson  had  ordered  across  the 
river,  there  were  but  one  hundred  to  cover  lines  of  three  or  four  hundred  yards. 
They  were  stationed  some  distance  apart,  so  as  to  present  to  the  enemy  rather 
the  appearance  of  a  line  of  sentinels  than  of  a  continuous  body  of  troops,  to  de- 
fend a  small  ditch  and  rude  parapet.  Insignificant  as  these  works  were,  if  Mor- 
gan had  received  the  necessar}^  reinforcements,  he  would  have  been  able  to 
maintain  his  position.  Instead  of  six  hundred,  his  real  force,  he  would  then 
have  had  nearly  one  thousand  men  and  three  pieces  of  artillery 

There  was  no  lack  of  courage  and  determination  on  the  part  of  Morgan  and 
his  command.  They  stood  firmly  at  their  posts  and  prepared  to  »epel  the  enemy 
with  nerve  and  resolution.  Thornton,  as  he  gained  the  open  field  in  front  of  Mor- 
gan's works,  extended  the  files  of  the  Eightj'-fifth  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  field, 
and,  with  the  sailors  formed  in  columns  on  the  road  and  the  marines  in  reserve, 
advanced  steadily  on  Morgan's  lines.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Gubbons  commanded 
the  Eighty-fifth,  Major  Adair  the  marines  and  Captain  Money  the  seamen.  The 
bugler  sounded  a  shiill  and  animating  charge,  and  amid  a  shower  of  rockets,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Major  Mitchell  of  the  artillery,  the  British  tars  rushed  for- 
ward. They  were  received  by  a  crashing  discharge  of  grape  from  Phillibert's 
twelve-pounder,  and  two  sixes  under  adjutant  John  Nixon  of  the  First  Louisiana 
Militia,  and  gunner  James  Hosmer,  and  John  Botigue.     The  seamen  recoiled 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  383 

from  this  fire.  There  was  another  and  anotlier  hre  from  the  batteries,  which 
killed  and  wounded  several  of  the  seamen.  Among  the  wounded  was  their  gallant 
commander,  Captain  Money,  who  had  been  distinguished  in  the  operations  in  the 
Chesapeake,  and  in  tlie  attack  on  Washington  City.  He  fell  at  the  head  of  his 
men.  At  this  the  Americans  began  to  hurrah  and  ply  their  pieces  more  briskly. 
But  Thornton,  seeing  the  hesitation  and  recoil  of  the  seamen,  rushed  forward 
with  the  Eighty-fifth  under  a  fire  of  musketry  from  Morgan's  lines,  and,  despite 
a  severe  wound  received  by  him  in  the  advance,  succeeded  in  obliquing  the 
storming  party  toward  the  center  of  Morgan's  line  and  strengthening  it  by  a 
division  of  the  Eighty-fifth  under  Captain  Shaw,  whilst  two  other  divisions 
of  the  Eiglity-fifth  advanced  briskly  against  the  center  and  extreme  right 
of  Davis'  position.  Thus  Thornton,  showing  a  skill  and  judgment  superior  to 
that  which  had  been  displayed  on  the  left  bank,  occupied  the  whole  front  of  the 
American  lines,  while  Roberts  opened  upon  the  Fifty-third  batteries  of  Morgan's 
extreme  left  with  his  caronades.  As  Thornton  closed  upon  Davis'  command, 
the  Kentuckians,  perceiving  they  were  about  to  be  hemmed  in  between  the  divi- 
sion of  the  enemy,  one  penetrating  the  center  and  the  other  the  extreme  right, 
fired  one  volley,  and  then,  abandoning  their  position,  began  to  fall  back  in  great 
confusion  toward  the  road  in  the  rear. 

General  Morgan  made  to  the  right,  and  called  out  to  Colonel  Davis  to  hold 
his  men.  Davis  replied  that  it  was  impossible.  "Sir,"  exclaimed  Morgan,  in  an 
angrv' tone,  "I  have  not  seen  you  try,"  and  then,  turning  to  the  fleeing  Ken- 
tuckians, he  shouted  to  them — "Halt,  halt,  men,  and  resume  your  position."  At 
the  same  moment  Adjutant  Stephens,  a  brave  Kentuckian  who  had  been  badly 
wounded,  cried  out  "Shame,  shame!  Boys  stand  by  your  General."  But  the 
men  were  already  panic-stricken  and  unnerved,  and  moved  rapidly  and  disor- 
derly^ from  the  right  toward  the  roads,  Morgan  following  them  on  horse- 
back and  endeavoring  in  every  way  he  could  to  rally  them.  He  succeeded 
in  bringing  back  some  of  the  fugitives,  but  a  shower  of  rockets  falling 
in  their  midst  revived  their  alarm,  and  now  they  scattered,  run- 
ning as  fast  as  they  could  toward  Morgan's  left.  Meantime 
the  Louisiana  militia  kept  up  a  brisk  fire  on  the  advancing  British,  discharging 
eight  volleys  with  great  effect.  But,  their  right  being  now  uncovered,  the  Brit- 
ish hastened  to  rush  over  the  ditch,  and,  scaling  the  parapet,  gained  the  inside 
of  Morgan's  line.  The  Louisiana  troops  being  now  in  danger  of  being  inter- 
cepted— their  batteries  having  discharged  their  last  cartridge,  of  which  they  had 
but  twelve — they  were  compelled  also  to  abandon  their  position,  which  they  did 
in  tolerable  order  and  under  fire  of  the  enemy,  after  spiking  their  guns  and 
tumbling  them  into  the  river.  Patterson's  battery  on  the  levee,  some  three  hun- 
dred yards  in  Morgan's  rear,  had  been  constructed  to  operate  on  the  other  bank 
of  the  river,  and  had  been   engaged  since   daylight  in   an   incessant  fire  at  the 


384  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

Briiish  in  front  of  Jackson's  position.  Seeinfj  that  Morgan's  line  was  forced, 
Patterson  had  wheeled  his  guns  around  so  as  to  command  the  road,  wlien,  per- 
ceiving Davis'  men  running  in  wild  disorder  right  upon  a  battery  so  as  to  cover 
the  advance  of  the  British,  and  General  Morgan  so  vainly  striving  to 
rally  them,  the  gallant  commodore,  greatly  incensed  at  his  country- 
men, cried    out    to    the    commander    of  a    twelve-pounder,     which     liad     been 

brought    to  bear  in  that  direction,  to  fire  his  piece  into    the  "  d d   cowards." 

The  midshipman,  a  half-grown  youth,  raised  the  match  to  apply  it  to  the  piece, 
when  the  order  was  countermanded  ;  and  the  comomdore,  perceiving  that  his  bat- 
tery was  unmasked  and  exposed,  having  recovered  his  calmness,  directed  the 
guns  to  be  spiked  and  the  powder  thrown  into  the  river.  He  then  abandoned 
his  position  and  retired  by  the  road,  walking  with  Mr.  R.  D.  Shepherd,  his 
volunteer  aid,  in  the  rear  of  his  men,  only  thirty  in  number,  and  alternately 
denouncing  the  British  and  Kentuckians.  Patterson  was  followed  bj-  the  Louis- 
iana militia,  who  fell  back  in  good  order  until  they  reached  the  Louisiana,  which 
had  been  moved  about  three  hundred  yards  behind  Patterson's  battery.  The 
sailors  being  unable  to  get  her  off,  the  militia  halted,  and,  by  fastening  a  hawser 
and  foreline,  succeeded  in  having  her  tovved  out  into  the  stream  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  enemy,  who  would  have  been  too  happy  to  destroy  this  great  plague, 
which  had  so  continuously  harassed  their  camp. 

Finally  the  Louisiana  militia  rallied  at  Casselard's,  and  forming  on  Boisge- 
veau's  Canal  prepared  to  make  a  stand  there,  but  the  British  never  reached  this 
position.  After  advancing  in  excellent  spirits,  with  a  full  belief  tliat  all  had 
gone  well  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  they  had  barely  reached  Patterson's 
batter}^  when  Col.  Dickson  of  the  artillery  arrived  direct  from  General  Lambert, 
with  the  crushing  intelligence  of  the  terrible  disasters  which  had  crowned  their 
efforts  on  the  left  bank.  Previous  to  Dickson's  arrival  Thornton  had  been 
reinforced  by  several  companies  of  sailors  and  marines,  and  he  felt  quite  strong 
in  his  position,  but  Dickson  now  declared  that  it  could  not  be  maintained;  and 
hurrying  back  to  Lambert  so  reported,  whereupon  orders  were  transmitted  to 
Tliornton  to  retire  from  his  position,  recross  the  river  and  join  the  main  body. 
The  execution  of  these  various  orders  consumed  the  greater  part  of  the  day. 
Meantime  Jackson,  greatly  concerned  at  the  state  of  affairs  produced  b}'  the 
events  on  the  right  bank,  busied  himself  in  reorganizing  a  force  to  throw  across 
the  river  to  Morgan's  relief.  That  force  was  placed  under  the  command  of 
General  Humbert,  who,  but  for  the  unworthy  jealousy  of  some  militia  officers 
toward  a  distinguished  military  hero  of  foreign  origin,  would  no  doubt  have 
recovered  the  lost  ground  and  wiped  off  the  disgrace  of  Morgan's  defeat.  But 
the  disinclination  of  the  American  militia  to  serve  under  Humbert,  and  their 
lack  of  zeal  in  preparing  to  execute  his  orders,  produced  a  delay  which  was  not 
less  mortifying  to  the  gallant  Frenchman  than  unworthy  of  the  Americans  who 
displayed  these  petty  feelings. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  385 

After  the  wounded  in  front  of  Jackson's  line  had  all  been  brought  into 
his  camp,  and  provided  wilh  proper  attendance,  the  men  in  Jackson's  lines  were 
ordered  to  resume  their  position,  stand  to  their  arms,  and  be  ready  to  repel 
another  attack.  Jackson  was  not  the  man  to  be  carried  awa}^  by  exultation  and 
joy,  so  as  to  neglect  the  necessary  precautions  to  secure  his  victory.  Indeed, 
he  was  as  prudent  as  heroic. 

About  noon  on  the  8th,  several  Americans,  who  had  advanced  some  dis- 
tance in  front  of  the  lines,  announced  the  approach  of  a  part}'  from  the  British 
camp.  It  consisted  of  an  officer  in  full  uniform,  a  trumpeter  and  a  soldier  bear- 
ing a  white  flag.  The  three  advanced  on  the  levee  to  a  position  within  three 
hundred  yards  of  Jackson's  lines,  when  the  trumpeter  blew  a  loud  blast  and 
the  standard  bearer  waved  the  white  flag.  The  whole  army  now  gathered  on 
the  summit  of  the  parapet,  and  looked  on  in  anxious  suspense  and  curiosity. 
Jackson  ordered  Major  Butler  and  two  other  officers  to  proceed  to  the  British 
party  and  receive  any  message  it  might  bear.  The  officer  courteously  received 
Major  Butler,  and  delivered  to  him  a  written  communication,  which  that  oflicer 
hastened  to  present  to  General  Jackson,  at  his  headquarters  at  Macarte's. 
The  message  contained  a  proposition  for  an  armistice  to  bury  the  dead.  It  was 
signed  "  Lambert,"  without  anj'  title  or  designation  of  rank.  General  Jackson 
directed  Major  Butler  to  state  to  the  officer  bearing  the  message  that  he  would 
be  happy  to  treat  with  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  army,  but  that  the 
signer  of  the  letter  had  forgotten  to  designate  his  authority  and  rank,  which  was 
necessary  before  any  negotiations  could  be  entered  upon.  General  Lambert 
had  erred  in  thinking  that  a  militia  general  and  Indian  fighter  might  be  imposed 
upon  by  so  shallow  a  device,  employed  to  conceal  the  fact  of  the  death  of  the 
commander-in-chief.  The  delegation  with  the  flag  of  truce  returned  to  the 
British  headquarters,  and  in  half  an  hour  appeared  again  before  the  American 
lines,  with  propositions  now  signed  by  "John  Lambert,  commander-in-chief  of 
the  British  forces." 

The  first  proposition,  as  a  basis  for  the  armistice,  offered  by  Jackson, 
embodied  an  admirably  sagacious  stroke  of  policy.  It  was  on  these  terms: 
That  although  hostilities  should  cease  on  the  left  bank,  where  ^he  dead  lay 
unburied,  until  12  o'clock  on  the  9th,  yet  it  was  not  to  be  understood  they  should 
cease  on  the  right  bank;  but  that  no  reinforcement  should  be  sent  across  till  the 
expiration  of  that  day.  Such  conditions  produced  the  expected  result:  Lambert 
asked  until  10  o'clock  on  the  9th  to  consider  the  proposition.  In  the  meantime 
he  sent  orders  to  Thornton  to  retire.  That  officer  covering  the  movement  by  an 
advance  toward  the  American  position,  set  fire  to  the  several  saw  mills  in  his  rear, 
and,  after  destroying  the  ammunition  and  stores  which  he  had  captured,  retired 
in  good  order,  his  rear  guard  being,  however,  pressed  by  an  advance  part}-  of 
Americans,    upon    which  they  kept  up    a  running  fire.      It    was   dark   before 


386  SOUTHWEST  L O UISIANA . 

Thornton  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river.  That  night  the  Americans  gained 
their  lines  on  the  right  bank,  and  by  early  morn  Patterson  had  placed  his 
battery  in  a  more  advantageous  position  than  it  had  previously  occupied, 
announcing  the  gratifying  fact  to  Jackson  at  daybreak  by  a  discharge  of  sev- 
eral large  pieces  against  British  outposts. 

Disgraceful  as  the  defeat  on  the  left  bank  was,  it  is  due  to  the  Kentuckians 
who  were  the  chief  actors  in  the  affair,  to  remind  the  reader  of  the  hard  usage 
to  which  they  had  been  subjected  and  their  long  and  fatiguing  march  during 
the  dajf,  and  to  their  ill-armed  condition.  Whether  these  facts  will  be  sufficient 
to  acquit  them  of  all  blame,  or  to  mitigate  the  censure  freely  bestowed  on  them 
for  their  conduct,  are  questions  we  feel  no  desire  to  discuss.  It  should  not  be 
forgotten,  however,  with  what  promptitude  and  self  sacrificing  patriotism  these 
men  had  abandoned  their  distant  homes  and  huiTied  at  an  inclement  season  of 
the  year  to  the  defence  of  this  remote  settlement.  It  is  hardlj'  conceiveable  that 
such  men  should  be  faithless  to  duty  and  honor,  and  the  conclusion  that  their 
retreat  was  an  unavoidable  necessity  is  more  reasonable  as  well  as  more  con- 
sonant to  the  pride  and  feeling  of  Americans.  The  Americans  achieved  glory 
enough  that  day  to  bear  with  generosity  the  mortification  inflicted  by  this  event. 

To  complete  our  narrative — not  aggravate  the  shame  of  this  disaster — it  is 
necessary  to  state  that  Morgan  had  but  one  man  killed  and  five  wounded.  The 
British  loss  was  much  more  serious.  The  Eiglity-fifth  had  two  killed  and 
thirty-nine  wounded,  including  their  colonel,  and  the  sailors  and  marines  had 
four  killed  and  forty-nine  wounded,  including  Capt.  Money.  Several  of  the 
wounded  died  before  the  detachment  recrossed  the  river.  The  dead  were 
buried  in  the  plain  in  front  of  Morgan's  line.  It  was  in  this  action  the  British 
acquired  the  trophy  which  is  their  sole  reward  of  achievements  on  this  day.  It 
is  a  small  flag,  which  now  hangs  amid  the  trophies  of  the  Peninsular  w-ar  in 
White  Hall,  London,  with  this  description:  "Taken  at  the  Battle  of  New 
Orlean.s,  Januar}-  8,  1815."  There  is  as  much  appropriateness  in  such  a  record 
as  there  would  be  in  the  French  arraying  in  pubfica  British  regimental  standard 
captured  at  Waterloo. 

General  Lambert  consented  to  Jackson's  proposition,  early  on  the  morning 
of  the  9th.  A  line  was  staked  off  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  Ameri- 
can entrenchments,  and  detachments  of  soldiers  marched  from  both  camps,  who 
were  stationed  from  this  line  but  a  few  feet  apart,  to  carry  out  the  object  of  the 
armistice — the  burial  of  the  dead.  The  dead  bodies,  which  were  strewn  so 
thickly  over  the  field,  were  then  brought  by  tlie  Americans  to  the  lines,  where 
the}^  were  received  b}^  the  British  and  borne  to  a  designated  spot  on  Bienvenu's 
which  had  been  marked  off  as  the  cemetery  of  "the  Army  of  Louisiana."  In 
carrying  the  dead  the  Americans  used  the  clumsj'  and  unwieldy  ladders  intended 
by  the  British  to  be  employed  in  scaling  the  American  parapet.     Many  British 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  387 

officers  assembled  to  witness  the  ceremony.  It  was  to  them  one  of  deep  morti- 
fication and  sorrow.  These  feelings  were  increased  by  the  presence  of  several 
American  officers,  whose  r\.A\.\x<c'a\.  sang  froid  was  misinterpreted  into  untimely 
exultation.  This  misconception  led  the  British  officer  from  whom  we  have  al- 
ready derived  so  much  information  into  the  following  burst  of  feeling  : 

"An  American  officer  stood  by  smoking  a  cigar  and  apparently  counting  the 
slain,  with  a  look  of  savage  exultation,  and  repeating,  over  and  over,  to  each 
individual  that  approached  him  that  their  loss  amounted  to  eight  men  killed  and 
fourteen  wounded.  I  confess  that  when  I  beheld  the  scene  I  hung  down  mj-  head, 
half  in  sorrow,  half  in  ang(!r.  Witli  my  officious  informant  I  had  every  inclination 
to  pick  a  quarrel;  but  he  was  on  dut}',  and  an  armistice  existed,  both  of  which 
forbade  the  measure.  I  could  not,  however,  stand  by  and  repress  my  choler; 
and  since  to  give  it  vent  would  have  subjected  me  to  a  more  serious  inconven- 
ience, I  turned  my  horse's  head  and  galloped  back  to  the  camp."  The  bearing 
'of  General  Lambert's  secretary,  Major  H.  C.  Smith,  of  the  Ninety-fifth  Rifles, 
who  met  a  soldier's  death  at  Waterloo,  was  more  manly  and  philosophic,  if  less 
honest  and  sincere.  Entering  into  a  conversation  with  Captain  Maunsel  White, 
a  respected  and  honored  planter  and  patriot,  living  on  his  magnificent  estate 
(Deer  Range)  in  the  parish  of  Plaquemine,  Major  Smith  coolly  remarked,  look- 
ing very  calmly  upon  the  scores  of  dead  around  him:  "Oh!  it  is  a  mere  skir- 
mish— a  mere  skirmish."  "One  more  such  skirmish,"  replied  Captain  White, 
••and  devilish  few  of  you  will  ever  get  back  to  tell  the  stor\'." 

The  bodies  of  the  officers  were  first  delivered  to  the  British.  Those  of 
Colonel  Rennie,  Major  Whittaker,  Captain  Henly  and  Majors  Williamson  and 
King,  being  familiar  to  both  officers  and  men,  were  received  with  sorrowful 
and  tearful  silence.  They  were  chiefs  and  heroes  in  the  army  who  left  behind 
no  superiors  in  that  band  of  veterans,  who  had  signalized  their  valor  in  many 
combats  and  were  ever  among  the  foremost  in  all  most  perilous  enterprises. 
Rennie  was  particularly  lamented,  for  throughout  the  operations  on  the  Chesa- 
peake and  in  Louisiana  he  had  proved  to  be  the  most  efficient  light  artillery 
officer,  next  to  Thornton,  in  the  army.  The  dead  officers  were  carried  to  head- 
quarters and  such  as  had  friends  to  attend  to  the  sacred  duties  of  securing  them 
Christian  burial  were  interred  at  night,  in  Vlllere's  garden,  by  the  light  of 
torches,  with  appropriate  religious  ceremonies.  Others  were  disemboweled  and 
their  bodies  deposited  in  casks  of  rum,  to  be  carried  to  England.  Such  was  the 
disposition  of  the  bodies  of  Pakenham  and  Gibbs,  and  we  believe  of  Colonels 
Daly  and  Rennie.  But  the  remainder  of  the  dead,  including  hundreds  of  officers 
and  men,  were  hastilj'  and  imperfectly  buried  in  the  rear  of  Bienvenu's  planta- 
tion. The  spot  thus  consecrated  has  never  been  invaded  b}'  the  plow  or  spade, 
but  it  is  regarded  to  this  day  with  awe  and  respect  by  the  superstitious  Africans 
and  is  now  occupied  by  a  grove  of  stunted  cypress,  strikingly  commemorative  of 
the  disasters  of  this  ill-fated  expedition. 


388  SO UTHWES T  LO UISIA NA  : 

In  establishing  the  loss  of  the  British  in  this  disastrous  affair,  we  are  met  by 
several  contacting  statements.  Between  these  various  estimates  it  is  not,  how- 
ever, difficult  to  form  an  approximate  calculation,  which  will  not  fall  far  short  of 
the  reality.  That  estimate  will  show  that  the  loss  sustained  in  the  attack  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Mississippi  was  the  severest  ever  sustained  in  any  battle  by  the 
British  army.  Deducting  the  reserve,  Lambert's,  which  was  not  under  fire,  the 
Fourteenth  Dragoons  who  guarded  the  camp  and  hospital, 'and  Thornton's  com- 
mand, there  could  not  have  been  more  than  six  thousand  men  engaged  in  the 
attack  on  Jackson's  line.  Of  those,  according  to  the  estimate  of  Colonel  Hayne, 
who  was  designated  by  Johnson  for  this  duty,  there  were  at  least  twenty-si.x 
hundred  placed  /lors  de  combat,  to-wit :  killed  seven  hundred,  wounded  fourteen 
hundred,  prisoners  five  hundred.  The  British  reports  do  not  vary  essentially 
from  this  report,  except  in  the  statement  of  the  killed,  which,  in  the  regular 
British  returns,  only  embraced  those  who  were  killed  on  the  field,  and  not  those 
who  died  shorth'  after  being  carried  off. 

Closing  Incidents  of  the  Great  Battle. — Our  task  is  almost  finished.  The 
great  battle  has  been  fought,  the  dead  have  been  buried,  and  gloom  and  silence 
have  setded  over  the  field  now  forever  classic  in  American  history.  In  sorrow, 
misery,  shame  and  dejection  the  British  have  withdrawn  further  off  from  the 
scene  of  the  most  dismal  disaster  their  arms  had  ever  encountered.  Every 
house  within  miles  along  the  river  is  occupied  with  their  wounded,  and  the  la- 
bors of  their  surgeons  incessant  and  herculean.  But  worse  even  than  wounds, 
physical  agony  and  sickness  is  that  torment  of  "  the  mind  diseased,"  for  which 
there  is  no  minister — the  consciousness  of  defeat  and  disgrace  that  has  entered 
the  soul  of  those  hitherto  victorious  veterans.  These  feelings  alternately  pros- 
trate the  victims  into  a  deep,  silent  gloom,  or  break  out  in  fierce  and  fiery  de- 
nunciation of  those  whom  tlieir  passions  selected  as  the  scapegoat,  of  their  dis- 
grace. 

The  poor  Forty-Fourth  came  in  for  the  chief  share  of  the  malediction.  It 
had  failed  in  its  duty.  It  had  not  brought  up  the  ladders  and  fascines.  And 
even  when  the  heroic  Pakenham  at  last  took  the  regiment  out  of  the  hands  of  its 
imbecile  colonel,  it  had  flinched.  So  great  was  this  indignation  that  the  other 
regiments  would  not  associate  with  any  officer  or  private  wearing  the  uniform  of 
the  Forty-fourth.  Was  this  just  or  honorable?  That  Colonel  Mullens  should 
have  obeyed  at  all  sacrifices  the  orders  given  to  him,  there  can  be  no  question; 
but  this  disobedience  was  not  even  a  cause,  much  less  a  prominent  one,  of  their 
defeat.  The  order  was  neither  a  just  or  wise  one.  To  require  a  whole  regi- 
ment to  stack  its  arms  and  bear  ladders  for  the  rest  of  the  command  was  unusual 
and  inequitable.  This  duty  ought  to  have  been  imposed  upon  detachments  from 
the  various  corps,  as  the  forlorn  hope  is  organized.      But  of  what  avail  would 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  389 

have  been  the  prompt  execution  of  this  order?  The  ladders  and  fascines  were 
not  necessary  to  pass  the  paltry  ditch  and  scale  the  insignificant  parapet  of  the 
Americans.  A  robust  man  could  have  nearly  leaped  from  the  field  to  the  mound 
behind  which  the  Americans  stood. 

The  British  must  have  imagined  that  they  had  walls  to  mount  like  those  of 
Badajoz  and  St.  Sebastian.  Their  great  difficulty  was  to  reach  the  ditch;  they 
could  never  have  used  their  ladders  and  fascines;  if,  instead  of  the  Forty- 
fourth,  every  private  in  their  army  had  borne  them.  They  were  shot  down 
before  reaching  the  ditch.  The  fascines  and  ladders  only  impeded  and  har- 
rassed  them.  With  their  heav}-  knapsacks,  these  unwield}'  articles  only  made 
them  surer  game  for  the  Tennessee  marksmen.  Colonel  Mullens  and  the  Forty- 
fourth  were  not,  therefore,  the  cause  of  their  repulse;  the  true  cause  was  the 
skilfulness  of  the  American  militia  in  the  use  of  fire-arms  ;  such  was  the  saga- 
cious conclusion  of  an  eminent  French  soldier  who  visited  the  field  many  j^ears 
after.  It  was  the  Marshal  Count  Bertrand  Clausel,  the  same  who  had  com- 
manded the  French  division  at  Salamanca,  which  Pakenliam  had  routed.  Settling 
in  Mobile,  Alabama,  this  distinguished  soldier,  who  figured  so  conspicuously  on 
so  prominent  an  arena,  who  had  commanded  at  Bordeaux  during  the  hundred 
days  and  to  whom  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  surrendered  as  prisoner;  now,  with 
the  characteristic  philosophy  of  Frenchmen,  became  an  humble  gardener, 
who  furnished  the  market  of  Mobile  with  vegetables,  driving  his  cart  himself. 
Conceiving  a  desire  to  behold  the  field  of  the  defeat  and  death  of  his  old  and 
victorious  foe,  he  visited  New  Orleans  in  1820,  in  company  with  the  celebrated 
Count  Desnoeltes,  Napoleon's  faithful  companion  in  the  retreat  from  Moscow, 
the  same  whom  the  Emperor  selected  on  his  affecting  departure  from  Fontaine- 
bleau,  as  the  dearest  of  all  his  friends. 

These  gallant  and  distinguished  Frenchmen,  being  escorted  to  the  battle 
field  of  the  8th  of  January,  1815,  by  some  of  their  countrymen  who  had  partici- 
pated in  that  affair,  were  puzzled  to  know  how  such  good  soldiers  as  the  Eng- 
lish could  be  repulsed  by  so  weak  a  force  from  such  trifling  fortifications. 
"Oh!"  exclaimed  Marshal  Clausel,  after  some  moments  of  reflection,  "  I  see 
how  it  all  happened.  When  these  Americans  go  into  battle  they  forget  that 
they  are  not  hunting  deer  or  sliooting  turkeys,  and  they  try  to  never  throw 
away  a  shot."  And  there  was  the  whole  secret  of  the  defeat  which  the  British 
have  ascribed  to  so  many  different  causes.  It  is  the  agility  with  which  the 
Americans  wield  every  species  of  fire-arms,  and  the  habit  of  cool,  steady  aim, 
which  renders  them  so  destructive  in  battles  where  they  are  not  restrained  or 
confused  by  any  military  manoeuvre  or  exigenc}'. 

It  is  no  part  of  our  design  to  give  all  the  details  of  the  events  which  fol- 
lowed the  battle  of  the  8th ;  nor  shall  we  turn  aside  to  engage  in  those  unprofit- 
able discussions  growing  out  of  subsequent  events,  to  which  some  writers  and 


390  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA . 

politicians  have  assigned  prominent  places  in  the  drama.  They  will  be  barely 
glanced  at. 

The  British  were  not  left  long  to  their  gloomy  reflections  and  bad  pas- 
sions. The  American  batteries  again  resumed  their  task  of  incessanth'  annoy- 
ing the  hostile  camp,  firing  at  every  knot  of  men  that  could  be  discerned  in  the 
British  camp,  and  keeping  their  sentinels  and  outposts  constantly  on  the  guard, 
dodging  and  ducking  as  the  balls  flew  round  them.  Prominent  among  those, 
who  were  most  active  and  earnest  in  this  annoj'ance  to  the  British  was  Com- 
modore Patterson,  who  relieved  himself  of  the  disgust  and  indignation  which 
had  been  created  in  his  bosom  by  an  uninterrupted  fire  at  the  British  camp  from 
a  new  battery  he  had  thrown  up  in  advance  of  Morgan's  position. 

Save  those  regular  and  customary  salutes  of  the  British  camp  by  the  various 
batteries  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  nothing  of  great  interest  occurred  until  the  nth, 
when  the  curiosity  of  the  Americans  was  aroused  by  the  distant  rumbling  of  artillery 
far  down  the  river.  It  was  soon  understood  that  this  was  the  expected  attack 
on  Fort  St.  Philip,  a  fortification  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about  eighty 
miles  below  the  city  and  some  thirty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The 
fort,  which  was  a  rude,  irregular  work,  stood  in  the  bend  of  the  river  so  as  to 
have  a  long  sweep  above  and  below  it.  It  was  surrounded  by  an  impenetrable 
morass,  and  on  the  lower  side  by  the  Bayou  Mardi  Gras.  There  were  twent}-- 
nine  guns  mounted  in  the  fort,  of  which  there  were  two  thirty-twos  established 
in  the  curtain  of  the  fort,  on  a  level  with  the  river.  The  others  were  twenty- 
fours,  one  thirteen-inch  mortar,  and  several  hovvitzers.  The  fort  had  been 
in  preparation  some  months  before  Jackson  visited  it  in  December,  perceiving 
its  vast  importance  and  great  strength,  he  gave  orders  to  have  certain  addi- 
tions made  to  it.  Several  detachments  of  troops  were  sent  down  to  reinforce 
the  garrison. 

A  number  of  negroes  were  employed  to  bring  in  timber  and  perform  other 
work  necessary  to  the  solidity  and  strength  of  the  fort.  Among  other  sagacious 
preparations,  the  magazine  was  completely  disguised,  and  several  smaller  ones 
estabUshed  in  various  places.  The  garrison  consisted  of  two  companies  of 
United  States  artillerv,  one  hundred  and  seventeen,  under  Captains  Wolstoncraft, 
Murray  and  Walsh  ;  two  companies  of  the  Seventh  Infantry,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-three,  under  Captains  Brontin  and  Waide;  Lagan's  Louisiana  Volunteers, 
fift3'-four;  and  Listeau'sfree  men  of  color,  thirty ;  in  aU  three  hundred  and  six- 
•  ty-six.  To  those  are  to  be  added  the  crew  of  the  gun-boat.  No.  8,  which  had 
been  hauled  into  the  bayou.  The  whole  force  made  four  hundred  and  six  effec- 
tive men,  under  that  stanch  and  able  officer,  Major  Overton,  of  the  rifle  corps. 
Below,  a  guard  was  estabhshed,  to  watch  and  announce  the  approach  of  the 
enemy. 

It  manifests  a  palpable  want  of  combination  and  military  skill  in  the  British 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  391 

general  that  their  plan  of  advance  upon  the  city  was  not  so  arranged  as  to  se- 
cure possession  of  the  river  before  their  land  troops  occupied  its  banks.  It 
ought  to  have  occurred  to  them  that  their  flank  would  be  exposed  in  case  that 
the  Americans  had  command  of  the  river,  as  they  must  necessarily  have  vessels 
which  could  be  easily  converted  into  floating  batteries  to  harass  and  impede,  if 
not  to  arrest,  their  advance.  This  error  was  brought  home  to  them  very  pain- 
fully by  the  sudden  and  destructive  volley  of  fire  into  their  camp,  on  the  night  of 
the  23d,  by  the  Carolina.  Whether  orders  had  been  issued  to  the  vessels, 
which  undertook  to  ascend  the  river  to  cooperate  with  the  army,  or  they 
were  proceeding  on  their  own  account,  we  are  unable  to  say.  But  it  is  certainly 
true  that  these  vessels  did  not  appear  off  the  Balize,  where  the  British  had  pre^ 
viously  established  themselves,  until  the  8th,  and  did  not  come  within  sight  of  the 
obstacle  to  their  progress  up  the  stream  until  nobn  of  the  9th.  Overton's  guard 
boat  hastened  to  announce  the  arrival  to  the  fort.  The  vessels  consisted  of 
two  bomb-ships,  the  Herald,  sloop  of  war,  the  Sophia,  a  brig,  and  a  tender. 
Small  as  this  squadron  was,  had  it  arrived  at  Pakenham's  camp  and  in  time  to 
cooperate  in  the  attack  on  Jackson's  line,  or  even  had  it  arrived  after  that  event 
and  before  the  evacuation  by  the  British,  the  consequences  might  have  been 
very  serious  to  the  American  arms.  But  they  were  not  destined  to  surmount  so 
easily  the  obstacle  then  in  their  path.  Overton  prepared  to  give  them  a  warm 
reception. 

Cunningham,  of  the  gun-boat,  with  his  sailors,  took  command  of  the 
Thirty-second:  Walsh  commanded  the  right  position,  Wolstoncroft  the  center, 
and  Murray  the  left.  The  infantry  under  Brontin  stood  in  the  rear  of  the  curtain 
to  support  the  batteries,  and  act  as  occasion  might  require. 

At  three  r.  3i.  the  bomb-vessels,  approaching  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
fort,  as  if  to  sound  the  left  battery,  opened  on  them;  the}' then  retired  beyond 
the  range  of  the  fort's  guns,  and,  anchoring  behind  a  point  of  land  three  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  sixty  yards  from  the  fort,  turned  broadside  toward  it,  and 
running  up  their  flags  commenced  the  action.  Their  first  shell  fell  short.  The 
next  went  over  the  fort,  and  the  other  which  followed  fell  into  the  soft  earth, 
bursting  so  deep  in  the  ground  as  to  create  only  a  tremulous  motion. 

The  vessels-remained  some  distance  below  the  bombs.  The  bomb-ships 
threw  their  shells  all  night — one  shell  every  two  minutes — at  the  fort,  but  with- 
out effect.  At  night  they  reconnoitered  in  small  boats,  and  came  so  near  that 
their  men  could  be  heard  talking.  The  wind  was  then  blowing  up  the  river.  The 
garrison  were  too  intent  upon  the  vessels  to  have  noticed  these  boats.  During 
the  loth  and  nth  the  bombardment  was  continued,  the  fort  firing  a  few 
shots  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  men,  but  without  effect.  On  the  nth  the 
flag  staff  was  struck  by  several  fragments  of  shell  and  the  flag  was  nailed  to  the 
halyards;  another  shell  severed  them  and  down  it  came.  An  hour  was  consumed 


392  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

in  restoring  the  flag,  which  was  gallantly  done  by  a  sailor,  over  whose  head  sev- 
eral shells  burst  while  sitting  on  the  cross-tree  making  fast  the  flag.  The  con- 
tractor's house  was  mistaken  for  the  magazine  and  struck,  killing  one  man  and 
wounding  another.  On  the  I2th,  13th  and  14th  the  firing  was  kept  up  inces- 
santlv,  many  shells  bursting  over  the  fort,  killing  one  man  and  wounding  several 
others,  and  damaging  one  of  the  thirty-seconds.  The  men  in  the  fort  were 
busily  employed  and  much  exposed  in  repairing  these  damages  and  strengthen- 
ing the  fort.  In  the  meantime  heavy  rains  fell  daily,  and  the  interior  of  tlie  fort 
was  a  sheet  of  water,  and  the  men  were  constanth'  wet  and  almost  frozen. 

On  the  13th,  having  received  shells  and  ammunition  from  New  Orleans,  the 
fort  opened  its  fire  and  threw  several  shells  over  the  bomb-ship.  One  of  these 
took  effect  and  created  much  confusion  on  board.  But  on  the  17th  they  began 
firing  on  the  fort  \vith  more  accuracy  and  lodged  several  shells  in  the  parapet, 
one  of  which  burst  in  passing  through  the  ditch  into  the  angle  of  the  center  of 
the  basin.  This  was  their  farewell  shot.  The  next  day  at  early  dawn  their 
ships  were  observed  descending  the  river  with  all  sail  set.  The  garrison  gave 
three  cheers  and  fired  a  volley  as  a  salute  to  their  foiled,  mortified  foe.  This 
bombardment  had  been  incessant  from  the  9th  to  the  i8th  of  January,  during 
which  they  fired  one  thousand  shells,  being  seventy  tons  of  iron  and  twenty 
thousand  pounds  of  gunpowder,  besides  small  shells.  At  least  a  hundred  shells 
fell  within  the  fort,  damaging  and  battering  the  shops  and  stores  and  tearing 
up  the  earth  within  and  many  j^ards  around  the  fort. 

Here  was  another  able  and  decisive  repulse  of  the  British,  which  constitu- 
ted an  important  link  in  the  defence  of  the  city  and  reflected  the  highest  credit 
upon  the  garrison  and  its  gallant  commander,  who,  as  General  Overton,  long  re- 
sided in  the  northwestern  part  of  Louisiana,  one  of  its  most  esteemed  and  hon- 
ored citizens.  There  were  other  detached  operations,  which  were  attended  by 
like  success. 

Purser  Shields,  of  the  navy,  a  well  known  citizen  of  New  Orleans,  and  Dr. 
Morrell,  an  esteemed  physician,  headed  a  brilliant  little  affair  against  the  British 
lines  of  communication  on  the  lake.  It  will  be  remembered  that  these  gentle- 
men had  been  sent,  after  the  battle  of  the  gun-boats,  to  the  succor  of  the 
American  wounded  who  were  captured  on  the  occasion.  Arriving  at  the  time 
the  British  were  preparing  to  land  their  troops,  the  vice  admiral,  Cochrane, 
thought  proper  to  detain  them  until  the  armj-  had  executed  the  design  in  which 
it  was  then  engaged. 

These  gentlemen  protested  that  they  had  come  under  a  flag  of  truce,  and  that 
their  detention  was  a  breach  of  the  rules  of  war,  but  it  was  in  vain.  Finally, 
when  the  British  had  been  repulsed,  they  were  released  on  January  12,  and 
.arrived  in  the  American  camp.  During  their  detention  by  the  British,  those 
gentlemen  were  very  badly  treated ;    their  flag    was    not   respected ;    they  were 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  393 

robbed  of  their  clothes  and  other  property  ;  they  were  not  permitted  to  see  their 
wounded  countrymen;  and  the  sailors  of  the  boat  that  brought  them  to  the  fleet, 
were  compelled  to  work  on  the  British  boats.  Such  conduct  was  characteristic 
of  Vice  Admiral  Cochrane,  who  was  a  rough,  brutal  and  overbearing  officer.  It 
may  well  be  conceived  that  high-spirited  gentlemen,  like  Mr.  Shields  and  Dr. 
Morrell,  did  not  bear  ver}-  patiently  the  remembrance,  of  the  indignities 
to  which  they  had  been  subjected  in  the  British  fleet.  Hence,  on  their  arrival 
in  Jackson's  camp,  they  busied  themselves  in  getting  up  an  expedition  by  which 
they  miirht  obtain  some  little  satisfaction  for  their  injuries  and  some  compensa- 
tion for  tlieir  exclusion  from  the  honors  and  glories  of  the  defence  of  the  city. 
Organizing  a  little  band  of  volunteers,  they  proceeded  with  four  boats,  one 
having  a  carronade  in  its  bows,  out  of  the  Bayou  St.  John  into  the  lake,  and 
tlience  to  the  fort  and  encampment  at  Petites  Coquilles.  Here,  being  reinforced 
by  two  other  boats,  they  glided  stealthily  along  the  shoals  of  Lake  Borgne,  to- 
ward the  Rigolets,  in  pursuit  of  any  stray  boats  of  the  enemy.  On  the  aotb 
they  perceived  a  large  barge,  full  of  soldiers,  on  its  way  from  the  Bayou  Bien- 
venu,  and  immediately  the  boats  commenced  pursuit.  The  carronade  being 
brought  to  bear  on  the  barge,  she  quickh'  surrendered,  the  men  on  board 
throwing  their  arms  into  the  lake.  It  proved  to  be  a  British  barge,  having  on 
board  thirty-seven  British  soldiers  of  the  Fourteenth  Dragoons,  under  Lieut. 
Brydges  and  Cornet  Hammond,  who  were  on  their  way  to  the  British  squadron. 
These  prisoners  were  placed  in  charge  of  five  armed  men,  and  were  con- 
ducted to  the  American  camp  at  Chef  Menteur.  Shields  and  Morrell  then 
made  another  sortie  and  captured  several  boats,  a  schooner  and  sixt3--three 
prisoners,  but,  owing  to  a  vvind  and  high  currents,  their  boats  became  separated 
and  the  schooner  unmanageble,  and  their  prisoners  refractory.  So  they  con- 
cluded to  set  fire  to  the  schooner.  The  fire  having  attracted  the  notice  of  the 
British  boats,  several  of  them  approached  her.  Shields  and  Morrell  landed 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Rigolets.  The  British  attempted  to  cut  them  off  by 
landing  a  party  above  them,  but  Morrell,  with  a  party  of  twenty  men,  having 
approached,  suddenly  opened  upon  them  from  the  high  reeds,  and  after  three 
volleys  caused  them  to  leave  in  haste,  finally,  the  party  being  in  great  danger 
of  capture  from  the  British  boats,  which  several  times  attacked  them,  but  were 
beaten  off.  Dr.  Morrell,  was  sent  over  to  Petites  Coquilles  for  reinforcements. 
Shields,  left  alone  with  the  prisoners  and  a  small  guard,  seeing  a  gun-boat  in 
the  distance  bearing  up  toward  him,  concluded  that  he  would  retire,  and  so,, 
discharging  his  prisoners  on  parole,  hurried  to  meet  Morrell  and  Newman,  who 
were  preparing  to  join  him  with  a  reinforcment  at  Petites  Coquilles,  where  he 
arrived  safely  with  twenty-two  prisoners.  The  results  of  this  brilliant  little 
enterprise  shows  how  much  the  British  could  have  been  annoyed  if  our  gun- 
boats   could    have    got    under    the  fort  of  Petites   Coquilles,    on  the   14th  ol 


394  SO UTH WES T  LO UISIANA  : 

December.  There  were  other  exploits  performed  by  detached  parties. 
The  glory  and  splendor,  which  many  less  brilliant  campaigns  would  have 
secured  to  those  participating  in  them,  are  lost  in  the  superior  radiance 
■of  those  greater  events  that  have  rendered  the  defence  of  New  Orleans,  in 
1814-15,  the  most  complete  and  brilliant  campaign  in  modern  historj". 

On  the  17th  of  January  a  cartel  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners  having  been 
agreed  upon,  the  i8th  was  fixed  for  the  pleasing  ceremony  of  receiving  some  of 
the  best  citizens  of  New  Orleans,  whose  long  detention  in  the  British  fleet  had 
produced  much  anxiety  among  their  friends.  The  ceremony  was  a  joyous 
and  exciting  one;  a  detachment  of  Plauche's  battalion  and  the  whole  of  Beale's 
Rifles  were  formed  in  column,  and,  preceded  by  the  splendid  brass  band  of  the 
volunteers,  marched,  under  Capt.  Roche,  to  the  line  indicated  near  the  British 
outposts,  where  they  were  formed  as  if  for  review.  Presently  the  American 
prisoners  were  escorted  by  a  detachment  of  the  British  Ninety-fifth  Rifles,  and 
the  officers  in  command,  saluting  Captain  Roche,  delivered  to  him  a  roll  of  the 
prisoners,  which,  being  called  out,  all  answered  to  their  names.  Roche  then 
called  out,  "Forward,  Americans!  "  and  the  whole  line  advanced  down  the  line 
of  the  battalion  under  a  salute.  Open  column  was  then  formed,  and  the  ex- 
prisoners,  being  placed  in  front,  the  procession  moved  toward  the  American 
lines,  the  band  playing  a  lively  air.  As  they  approached  the  lines  there  was  a 
simultaneous  shout  of  joy  from  the  whole  American  army,  and  when  they  got 
within  the  entrenchment,  there  were  hundreds  of  personal  friends  who  rushed 
forward  to  embrace  and  welcome  them.  Most  of  these  ex-prisone"rs  were  lead- 
ing gentlemen  of  the  city,  who  had  been  captured  on  the  night  of  the  23d. 
Jackson  sent  for  them,  and  on  their  arrival  at  headquarters  congratulated  and 
complimented  them  in  very  warm  terms. 

Though  it  had  been  a  source  of  great  gratification  to  these  gallant  men  to  be 
absent  from  the  army  during  its  great  trial,  their  detention  in  the  fleet  had  been 
rendered  quite  tolerable,  if  not  pleasant,  bj-  the  kindly  and  courteous  conduct 
of  the  British  naval  commander  of  the  Royal  Oak,  on  which  ship  most  of  the 
prisoners  had  been  detained,  and  by  other  naval  officers.  We  pass  over  many 
minor  incidents  of  the  campaign,  in  order  to  approach  the  great  event  which  re- 
lieved Louisiana  of  the  presence  of  the  foe  that  had  so  long  desecrated  her  soil 
and  threatened  her  honor  and  safety. 

After  the  battle  of  the  8th,  Lambert  was  not  long  in  arriving  at  the  con- 
clusion that  the  expedition  had  signally  failed,  and  all  that  was  left  to  him  was 
to  collect  the  fi-agments  of  the  army  and  return  as  speedily  as  possible  from  the 
scene  of  so  manj-  sad  disasters  and  painful  associations.  With  this  view  he 
proceeded  with  great  prudence  and  caution  in  making  the  necessar}-  arrange- 
ments for  the  withdrawal  of  the  army.  As  scores  of  his  men  were  dail}- 
deserting,   he  had  reason  to   apprehend  that  his  watchful  foe  would  harass  iiis 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  395 

retreat  and  omit  no  opportunity  to  inflict  further  injury  upon  him.  To  retire  as 
they  had  come,  in  boats,  was  impracticable.  There  were  not  boats  enough, 
and  it  would  not  be  safe  to  divide  the  army  in  the  presence  of  an  army  embold- 
ened by  recent  victories.  To  meet  this  exigency,  lie  directed  the  engineers  to 
extend  the  road,  which  ran  for  some  distance  along  the  bayou,  through  the 
swamp  to  the  lake  shore,  keeping  as  .  near  as  possible  to  the  bank  of  the 
bayou. 

This  was  a  very  severe  and  difficult  task,  which  occupied  the  engineers  and 
strong  working  parties  for  nine  days.  It  was  finally  completed,  and  an  appar- 
entl}'  good  road  was  made  along  the  baj^ou,  crossing  it  by  bridges  of  boats  from 
the  right  to  the  left  bank,  until  it  reached  an  elbow  of  the  bayou,  when  the  road 
took  a  direct  course  through  the  prairie,  until  it  terminated  on  the  lake  shore, 
near  the  Fisherman's  village.  This  road  was  made  of  weeds,  made  up  into 
bundles  and  stamped  down.  But  for  the  continued  rains  it  would  have  been  a 
very  good  way.  At  the  confluence  of  Bienvenu  and  Jumonville,  and  of  the 
former  with  Mazant,  small  works  were  thrown  up  to  recover  the  retirement  of 
the  army.  Having  completed  this  road,  the  whole  of  the  wounded,  except  those 
which  could  not  be  removed,  were  placed  in  boats,  then  all  the  civil  officers, 
the  contractors,  surveyors,  etc.,  together  with  all  the  field  artillery,  stores,  etc., 
followed,  and  were  dispatched  to  the  fleet.  The  large  ship  guns  were  spiked, 
their  cordages  broken  and  then  left  on  the  field. 

And  now  all  that  were  left  were  the  infantry.  Having  relieved  himself  of 
all  his  encumbrances,  Lambert  prepared,  on  the  night  of  the  i8th,  to  steal  off 
with  his  army.  Accordingly,  the  whole  army  was  silently  and  stealthily  formed 
in  column  ;  the  engineer,  sappers  and  miners  in  front.  The  camp  fires  were 
lighted  anew;  the  pickets  were  all  stationed  as  usual;  each  sentinel  was  pre- 
pared with  a  paddy  to  place  in  his  stead  ;  the  pickets  were  directed  to  form,  as 
the  column  reached  the  bayou,  into  a  rearguard,  and  follow  the  army.  Thus, 
while  darkness  covered  the  field,  the  army  took  up  its  line  of  march  in  silence 
and  dread  ;  not  a  cough  or  sneeze  could  be  heard  in  the  whole  column,  and  even 
their  steps  were  so  planted  as  to  create  no  sound.  Thus  they  proceeded  for 
some  distance  along  the  bayou  in  a  pretty  good  road;  but  when  they  began  to 
diverge  from  the  banks  into  the  swamp,  the  continual  tramping  made  the  road 
very  bad,  and  the  rear  of  the  column  had  to  march  up  to  their  knees  in  mud, 
with  no  other  light  but  the  faint  twinkle  of  the  stars.  This  fine  army,  which 
but  a  few  weeks  ago  had  advanced  along  the  same  road  so  full  of  pride  and 
hope,  now  stealthily  slunk  through  the  dark,  damp  swamp,  full  of  alarm,  shiver- 
ing with  cold,  and  depressed  \)j  defeat,  hunger  and  exposure.  They  marched 
all  night,  and  just  as  the  break  of  day  began  to  relieve  the  surrounding  darkness 
by  a  faint  glimmer  of  light,  they  reached  the  desolate  shores  of  Lake  Borgne, 
and  drew  up  on  its  banks  exposed  to  a  keen  western  wind  that  came  across  the 


396  SOUTH  WES  T  LO  UISIA  NA  : 

broad  surface  of  the  lake.  Nor  did  their  arrival  here  improve  the  spirits  or 
prospects  of  the  men.  They  were  now  sixty  miles  from  the  fleet;  suppose,  from 
high  winds  or  other  causes,  the  boats  should  not  arrive.  They  might  starve 
there  for  want  of  provisions,  or  die  from  cold,  for  there  was  no  fuel  but  the  dry 
weeds,  that  burnt  up  like  tinder. 

Here  the  army  remained  in  this  desolate  situation  until  the  29th,  when  the 
whole  reembarked  and  finally  reached  the  fleet,  with  a  few  casualties  and  after 
much  suffering  and  distress.  This  retreat  was  the  ablest  feature  of  the  cam- 
paign, and  reflected  great  credit  upon  the  commander  of  the  British  and  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  army.  „ 

»      * 

Sir  Edward  Pakenham. — A  sketch  of  this  ill-fated  Englishman,  whose 
hitherto  brilliant  life  went  out  on  the  field  of  Chalmette,  must  be  of  interest  in 
every  description  written  of  the  famous  battle  of  January  8,  1815,  and  is,  there- 
fore, given  as  a  conclusion  to  this  article. 

The  British  army  destined  to  capture  New  Orleans  had  been  landed  below 
tlie  cit\-,  under  command  of  Gen.  Keane,  then  quite  a  30ung  officer.  He  had 
been  sent  to  America  second  to  Gen.  Ross,  whose  disgraceful  and  barbarous 
mode  of  warfare  a  short  time  previous,  on  the  Atlantic  border  and  at  Wiishing- 
ton  and  Baltimore,  had  cost  him  his  life.  This  clearly  evinced  that  it  was  not 
the  intention  of  the  British  Cabinet  to  entrust  Keane  with  so  important  an  enter- 
prise. Some  greater  personage  was  hourly  expected,  and  there,  on  the  bleak 
and  cheerless  plain,  the  army  would  be  detained  until  he  arrived  to  lead  them 
into  the  city.  It  would  be  fortunate  for  the  military  reputation  of  Gen.  Keane 
if  this  suggestion  of  his  friends  were  founded  on  fact.  It  would  relieve  him  of 
a  heavy  load  of  censure,  which  has  always  attached  to  his  military  character 
from  the  apparent  want  of  decision,  promptitude  and  military  sagacity  displayed 
in  his  failure  to  advance,  on  his  arrival  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  in 
his  inactivity  after  the  battle  of  the  23d.  These  blunders  were  felt,  acknowledged 
and  discussed  by  every  soldier  in  tlie  English  camp,  and,  though  excused  and 
palliated  by  the  patriots  alluded  to,  they  produced  a  want  of  confidence  in  the 
General  and  a  desire  for  some  more  experienced  and  renowned  chief  to  lead 
them. 

Such  a  chief  appeared  in  the  British  camp  quite  suddenly  on  the  morning 
of  that  glorious  Christmas,  and  by  his  presence  communicated  relief,  hope  and 
even  vivacity  to  the  dejected  spirits  of  the  army.  This  personage  was  no  other 
than  the  Honorable  Sir  Edward  M.  Pakenham,  Lieutenant  General  and  Colonel 
of  the  Seventh  Foot  (Royal  Fusiliers),  the  brother-in-law  of  Wellington  and 
one  of  his  most  trusted  commanders  and  bravest  officers  in  the  Peninsular  cam- 
paigns. He  was  a  son  of  the  Earl  of  Longford,  of  the  county  Antrim,  Ireland. 
The  family  had  always  been  noted  for  military  ardor  and  heroism,  and  had  con-. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  397 

tributed  several  distinguished  and  able  commanders  to  both  the  army  and  the 
navy  of  Great  Britain.  *  *         *         * 

Pakenham  did  not  owe  his  advancement  to  the  influence  of  family  and 
friends.  He  had  fought  his  way  up,  round  by  round,  and  marked  each  grade 
with  some  honorable  wound,  so  that  ere  he  had  reached  the  meridian  of  life 
and  of  military  advancement  his  body  was  scrolled  over  with  such  insignia  of 
gallantry  and  good  conduct.  Few  officers  had  encountered  more  perils  and 
hardships,  suffered  from  more  wounds.  Entering  the  army  as  lieutenant  of  the 
Twenty-third  Light  Dragoons,  he  soon  rose  to  the  rank  of  major.  In  the  storm- 
ing of  the  fort  on  the  island  of  St.  Lucie,  West  Indies,  in  1896,  Major  Paken- 
ham volunteered  to  lead  the  attacking  columns.  The  charge  was  a  brilliant  and 
successful  one,  but  the  }'Oung  leader  was  badly  wounded,  receiving  a  wound 
through  the  neck.  In  the  same  neighborhood,  in  the  expedition  to  Martinique, 
in  1806,  having  been  promoted  to  the  command  of  that  renowned  regiment,  the 
Seventh  Fusiliers,  he  was  again  badly  wounded  at  the  head  of  the  Fusiliers. 
During  the  Peninsular  war  he  was  in  constant  service  by  the  side  of  Wellington 
and  General  Picton.  Toward  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  Adjutant 
General  at  the  request  of  Wellington.  Througliout  the  army  of  the  Peninsula 
he  was  admired  and  beloved  by  both  officers  and  men.  Space  will  not  admit 
of  a  record  of  all  the  brilliant  actions  in  which  Pakenham  participated,  but  a 
few  of  the  principal  incidents  in  his  career  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  those 
who  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  him  with  hostility  and  prejudice  as  the 
leader  of  an  expedition  which  was  neither  honorable  in  its  design  nor  glorious 
in  its  conclusion. 

The  brilliant  courage  of  Sir  Edward  Pakenham  was  never  more  conspicu- 
ously displax'ed  than  in  the  horrible  and  bloody  night  attack  of  the  British  on  the 
strongly  defended  walls  and  fort  of  Badajos.  On  that  occasion,  the  storming 
party  was  for  some  time  mowed  down  in  merciless  severity  before  an}'  one  of  the 
soldiers  could  reach  the  walls.  At  last  a  few  scattered  men,  who  had  escaped,  suc- 
ceeded in  planting  their  ladders  against  the  walls.  As  fast  as  the  men  mounted 
these  ladders  they  would  be  shot  down  by  the  French  soldiers  on  the  parapet.  In 
some  cases  the  ladders  broke,  and  many  of  the  British  soldiers  were  precipitated 
below  and  impaled  upon  the  bayonets  of  their  companions.  Pakenham  was  the 
second  man  to  mount  one  of  the  ladders,  being  preceded  by  a  gallant  High- 
lander, Lieutenant  McPherscn,  of  the  Forty-fifth.  Both  arrived  unharmed 
within  a  few  rounds  of  the  top,  when  McPherson  discovered  that  the  ladder 
was  about  three  feet  too  short..  Still  undaunted,  the  gallant  young  man  called 
loudly  to  those  below  to  raise  the  ladders  more  perpendicular.  While  he  with 
great  exertion  pushed  it  from  the  fall  at  the  top,  the  men  with  a  loud  cheer 
brought  it  quickly  nearer  to  the  base.  This  was  so  suddenly  done  that  McPherson 
was  on  a  level  with  the  rampart  before  he  could  prepare  for  defence.     He  saw 


398  SO  UTHWEST  L  O  LIS  I  ANA  : 

a  French  soldier  deliberately  point  his  musket  against  his  body,  and,  without 
power  to  strike  it  aside,  he  had  to  receive  the  fire.  The  ball  struck  one  of  the 
Spanish  silver  buttons  on  his  waistcoat,  which  it  broke  in  half.  This  changed 
its  direction  and  caused  it  to  glance  off,  not,  however,  before  it  had  broken  two 
ribs,  the  fractured  part  of  one  being  pressed  in  on  his  lungs  so  as  to  almost  stop 
respiration.  Still  he  did  not  fall,  but  continued  to  hold  on  by  the  upper  round 
of  the  ladder,  conceiving  that  he  was  wounded,  but  ignorant  to  what  extent. 
He  could  not,  however,  advance.  Pakenham  strove  to  pass  him,  but  in  the 
effort  was  also  badly  wounded,  a  French  soldier  firing  a  musket  into  his  body 
at  a  distance  of  tliree  or  four  feet.  Almost  at  the  same  time  the  ladder  cracked 
beneath  them.  Destruction  seemed  inevitable.  Before  them  on  the  ramparts 
stood  a  line  of  French  soldiers  presenting  their  muskets ;  beneath,  their  own 
friends,  crowded  together,  formed  a  chevaux  defrise  of  bayonets.  Even  at  such 
a  perilous  and  awful  moment,  the  presence  of  mind  of  these  brave  men  did  not 
desert  them.  Pakenham,  grasping  the  hand  of  the  wounded  McPherson, 
said,  "  God  bless  j'ou,  my  dear  fellow,  we  shall  meet  again."'  They  did  meet 
again,  but  not  as  Pakenham  meant,  for  they  marvelously  escaped,  and,  recover- 
ing from  their  wounds,  were  enabled  to  perform  many  acts  of  conspicuous  gal- 
lantry in  the  events  which  followed. 

The  command  of  the  old  "fighting  third,"  the  division  of  Wellington's  army 
so  famous  for  its  bearing  under  the  lead  of  Picton,  owing  to  the  sickness 
of  the  chief,  devolved  upon  Packham  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Sala- 
manca. When  Picton  heard  who  was  to  command  his  division,  he  observed, 
"I  am  glad  he  is  to  lead  my  brave  fellows;  the}'^  will  have  plenty  of  their  favorite 
sport."  In  this  battle  Wellington  opened  the  fight  by  riding  up  to  Pakenham  at 
the  head  of  the  third  division,  ordering  him  to  move  forward,  take  the  heights  in 
front  and  drive  everything  before  him.  "Give  me  one  grasp  of  that  all-conquer- 
ing hand,"  exclaimed  the  enthusiastic  Pakenham,  who  entertained  for  his  chief 
a  most  chivalric  and  ardent  attachment,  "and  I  will."  How  he  i^edeemed  this 
pledge  is  thus  vigorously  and  graphically  described  by  Alison:  "It  was  five 
o'clock,  when  Pakenham' fell  on  Thormiere,  who,  so  far  from  being  prepared 
for  such  an  onset, had  just  reached  an  open  hill,  the  last  of  the  ridge  over  which 
he  had  extended,  from  which  he  expected  to  see  the  allied  army  in  full  retreat 
to  Ciudad  Rodrigo  and,  closely  pursued  by  Marmon,  defiling  in  the  valley 
before  him.  To  effect  a  change  of  front,  under  such  circumstances,  was 
impossible.  All  that  could  be  done  was  to  resist  instantly,  as  they  stood. 
The  British  columns  formed  into  line  as  they  marched,  so  that  the 
moment  they  came  in  sight  of  the  enem}',  they  were  ready  to  charge.  In 
an  instant  the  French  gunners  were  at  their  pieces,  and  a  cloud  of  light 
troops  hastened  to  the  front  and  endeavored  by  a  rapid  fire  to  evade  the 
formation     of    the     troops     behind.     Vain     attempt;    right     onward    through 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  399 

the  storms  of  bullets  did  the  British,  led  by  the  heroic  Pakenhnm,  advance; 
he  light  troops  are  dispersed  before  them,  like  chaff  before  the  wind;  the  half- 
formed  lines  are  broken  into  fragments;  Durbon's  Portuguese  cavalrv,  supported 
by  Howey's  English  Dragoons  and  Arenschild's  German  horse,  turned  their 
tright  flank,  scrambled  up  the  steep  sides  of  a  bush-fringed  stream,  which  flowed 
behind  the  ridge,  yet  not  at  first  in  confusion,  but  skilfully,  like  gallant  veterans, 
seizing  every  successive  wood  and  hill  which  offered  the  means  of  arresting  the 
enemy.  Gradually,  however,  the  reflux  and  pressing  together  of  so  large  a 
body,  by  enemies  at  once  in  front  and  in  flank,  threw  their  array  into  confusion; 
these  were  routed  and  driven  among  the  fort.  Thormiere  himself  was 
killed  whilst  striving  to  stem  the  torrent;  the  allied  cavalry  broke  like  a  flood 
into  the  opening  of  the  infantry,  and  his  whole  division  was  thrown  back,  and 
entirely  routed  on  Clausel's,  which  was  hurrying  up  to  its  aid,  with  the  loss  of 
three  thousand  prisoners."  Of  this  brilliant  action,  Pakenham  was  emphati- 
cally the  hero,  and  for  his  reward  on  this  occasion  was  knighted. 

Nor  was  Sir  Edward  Pakenham  less  distinguished  for  his  honor,  chivalry, 
and  humanity  than  for  his  courage  and  daring.  As  his  name  has  been  associated 
with  the  imputed  design  of  sacking  New  Orleans  and  perpetrating  upon  its  peace- 
able population  the  most  brutal  and  infamous  excesses,  which  design  was  em- 
bodied in  the  alleged  war  cry  of  the  British  army — "beauty  and  booty" — a  cry 
not  inconsistent  with  the  character  which  a  portion  of  the  army  had  acquired  on 
the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  in  the  Peninsular  war,  we  take  pleasure  in 
referring  to  the  antecedents  of  Pakenham  to  refute  all  presumption  that  he  was 
cognizant  of,  or  would  have  given  the  slightest  sanction  to,  such  disgraceful  pur- 
poses. How  he  would  have  acted  toward  any  of  his  command  who  might  have 
been  implicated  in  such  outrages  may  be  inferred  from  his  conduct  in  Spain, 
when,  entering  a  town  in  which  certain  French  citizens  had  been  outraged  by 
some  British  soldiers,  he  caused  the  latter  to  be  hung  on  the  spot,  "thereby," 
says  Napier,  "nipping  the  wickedness  in  the  bud,  but  athis  own  risk,  for  legally 
he  had  not  the  power."  Napier  has  thought  proper  to  add,  with  the  commend- 
able feeling  of  a  soldier  defending  a  brother  in  arms:  "This  general  whose  gen- 
erosity, humanity  and  chivalric  spirit  excited  the  admiration  of  every  honorable 
person  who  approached  him,  has  been  foully  traduced  by  American  writers.  He 
who  was  preeminently  distinguished  for  his  detestation  of  inhumanity'  and  out- 
rage has  been,  with  astounding  falsehood,  represented  as  instigating  his  troops 
to  the  most  infamous  excesses." 

Napier  evidently  is,  in  assuming  for  the  commander  a  charge  against  many 
of  his  subordinates,  who,  as  may  be  proved  by  documents  now  e.xtant,  freely 
declared  the  predatory  purposes  of  the  expedition.  Besides,  the  circumstances 
of  the  enterprise,  undertaken  as  it  was  whilst  the  commissioners  of  both  nations 
were  engaged  in  negotiation  to  establish  peace  between    the  two  countries  on  a 


400  6' O  UTHWEST  L  O UISIANA : 

permanent  and  satisfactory  basis,  will  ever  give  it  a  questionable  character  and 
lead  all  impartial  persons  to  believe  that  its  main  purpose  was  truly  the  ap- 
propriation of  the  fifteen  millions  of  tlie  produce  of  the  peaceful  industry  of  the 
country,  to  the  enrichment  of  rude  soldiers  whose  lives  had  been  devoted  to  the 
destruction  rather  than  to  the  increase  of  the  wealth  of  the  world.  Gallant, 
generous  and  high-minded  as  he  personally  was,  Packenham's  name  and  fame 
can  not  be  considered  as  entirely  free  from  the  reproach  which  must  have 
been  attributed  to  all  those  who  were  associated  in  an  expedition  prompted  by 
such  motives.  Certainly  Sir  William  Napier  would  not  deny  what  the  pages  of 
his  now  incomparable  history  so  abundantly  proves,  that  the  British  soldiers 
were  not  only  capable  of,  but  prone  to,  the  excesses  which  it  has  so  often  been 
charged  were  to  follow  the  capture  of  New  Orleans.  Frequently,  in  the 
towns  in  the  Penisula,  the  Spaniards  found  better  protection  from  their  enemies, 
the  French,  than  from  their  allies,  the  British  soldiers.  The  actors  in  the 
scenes  at  Cumberland  Island,  at  Hampton,  Alexandria  and  Washington  City: 
the  incendiaries  of  libraries,  of  printing  presses,  of  private  property  of  every  de- 
scription;  the  mutilators  of  public  monuments,  conld  hardly  complain  if  sus- 
pected of  too  strong  an  appetite  for  the  rich  booty  which  was  heaped  up  in  the 
great  depot  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

This  charge  against  the  originators  and  projectors  of  the  expedition  to  New 
Orleans,  as  one  for  plunder  and  spoil,  is  too  well  established  now  to  be  ques- 
tioned. British  testimony  alone  is  sufficient  to  prove  the  truth  of  these  allega- 
tions. This  may  not  be  an  inappropriate  place  to  quote  a  few  authorities  from 
that  source.  Major  Cook,  of  the  British  Forty-third,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
expedition  to  New  Orleans,  and  has  written  a  lively  work  on  this  campaign, 
which  has  been  well  received  in  England,  says:  "Notwithstanding  all  these 
natural  drawbacks  the  city  of  New  Orleans  with  its  valuable  booty  of  mer- 
chandise was  craved  by  the  British,  and  they  planned  to  grasp  the  prize  by  a 
coii-p  de  main."  In  another  place  he  remarks;  "  The  warehouses  of  the  city 
were  amply  stored  with  cotton  to  avast  amount,  and  also  sugar,  molasses,  tobacco 
and  other  products  of  this  prolific  soil. 

The  author  of  the  campaigns  of  the  British  at  Washington,  Baltimore  and 
New  Orleans  says:  "And  it  appears  that  instead  of  a  trifling  affair,  more  likely 
to  fill  our  pockets  than  to  add  to  our  renown,  we  had  embarked  in  an  under- 
taking which  presented  difficulties  not  to  be  surmounted  without  patience  and 
determination." 

A  letter  from  Colonel  Malcom,  at  Cumberland  Island,  to  his  brother  the 
Rear  Admiral  in  the  fleet,  under  Cochrane,  which  was  intercepted  by  an  Ameri- 
can cruiser,  expressing  the  hope  that  the  writer  would  soon  hear  of  the  capture 
of  New  Orleans,  adds:  "It  will  repay  the  troops  for  all  their  trouble  and  fatigue." 
Mr.  Glover,  a  British  employe,  in  a  letter  found  in  the  same  package,    to  Capt. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  401 

Westphall,  mingles  prescience  and  avarice  in  the  following  apprehension:  "My 
forebodings  will  not  allow  me  to  anticipate  either  honor  or  profit  to  the  expedi- 
tion." 

History,  however,  must  acquit  Sir  Edward  Pakenham  of  any  motives  or 
design  of  plunder  or  brutality  in  accepting  this  command.  It  was,  doubtless,  in 
the  discharge  of  what  he  deemed  his  duty,  and  to  gratify  what  he  regarded  an 
honorable  ambition,  that  he  came  to  assume  the  governorship  of  Louisiana,  and 
with  it  the  earldom  that  was  to  reward  this  conquest  of  a  province  which  Great 
Britain  had  long  entertained  an  ardent  desire  to  possess.  We  do  not  believe 
that  the  English  government  would  have  allowed  Sir  Edward's  modesty  or  chiv- 
alry to  prevail  over  the  necessity  of  supporting  this  new  earldom  by  some 
moneyed  allowance ;  nor  that  they  would  have  regarded  it  as  at  all  improper  to 
apply  to  that  object  a  large  share  of  the  fifteen  millions  of  cotton  and  sugar 
then  in  the  warehouses  in  New  Orleans.  If  one  of  "the  greatest  soldiers,  En- 
glishmen and  Christians  that  ever  lived,"  asSir  William  Napier  has  styled  his  dis- 
tinguished relative,  the  conqueror  of  Scind,  in  a  funeral  oration  delivered  at  the 
burial  of  that  heroic  soldier  (no  less  remarkable  for  its  extravagance  than  its 
terseness),  did  not  sully  his  laurels  by  enriching  himself  out  of  the  spoils,  the 
treasures,  the  jewels  and  precious  metals  of  the  subjugated  Ameers,  certainly 
this  historian  will  not  include  us  in  the  class  of  American  writers  who  have 
"traduced"  Ihe  memory  and  fame  of  Pakenham  for  intimating  that  his  suc- 
cessful entrance  into  the  city  of  New  Orleans  would  have  supplied  all  those  de- 
ficiencies of  fortune  which  too  often  mark  the  condition  of  meritorious  5rounger 
sons  of  the  nobility  of  Great  Britain. 

With  Sir  Edward  came  as  second  in  command,  Maj.  General  Samuel 
Gibbs,  colonel  of  the  Fifty-ninth  Foot,  a  very  active  and  experienced  officer. 
He  had  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  the  East,  and  particularly  in  the  storm- 
ing of  Fort  Cornelius,  on  the  Island  of  Java,  and  in  the  Peninsular  war.  There 
were  also  several  distinguished  staff  and  artillery  officers,  who  came  with  Sir 
Edward  Pakenham. 

It  has — since  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  the  publication  of  his 
letters — come  to  light,  that  the  project  was  seriously  discussed  in  the  British 
Cabinet  of  placing  Wellington  at  the  head  of  the  expedition  to  New  Orleans, 
and  that  he  manifested  no  reluctance  to  undertake  the  enterprise.  In  one  of  his 
letters  published,  he  refers  to  the  subject,  saying  he  would  cheerfully  accept 
the  duty  if  it  was  imposed  upon  him ;  gives  some  very  crude  views  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  war  should  be  conducted,  and  declares  his  belief  that  the 
troops  he  had  seen  embark  for  Amei"ica  at  Bordeaux,  in  the  summer  of  1814, 
must  be  verj^  badly  handled  if  they  did  not  prove  victorious  in  any  contest  in 
which  they  might  engage.  Fortunate  decision  of  the  British  Cabinet!  Welling- 
ton  was    retained   at  home.     The  ministr)^  however,  sent  some  of  his  ablest 


402  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

lieutenants,  upon  whose  brows  the  laurels  of  Spain  were  destined  to  be  supplanted 
by  the  cypress  of  Louisiana,  to  execute  the  plans  of  operations  of  their  great 
chief.  Ross  had  fallen  on  the  banks  of  the  Patapsoc,  and  Pakenham  was 
sent  to  take  his  place. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  British  camp  over  the  arrival  of  Paken- 
ham. Loud  cheers  rent  the  air.  Even  salutes  of  artillery  were  fired  in  honor 
of  the  event.  This  joy  and  commotion  were  quite  perceptible  to  the  American 
outposts,  who  soon  ascertained  the  cause  and  communicated  it  to  Jackson.  The 
next  day  the  news  flew  through  the  American  lines  that  a  famous  British  Gen- 
eral— some  had  it  the  Duke  of  Wellington  himself — had  arrived  in  the  British 
camp.  Henceforth,  it  was  said,  the  operations  of  the  British  would  be  con- 
ducted with  much  more  vigor  and  power,  and  with  more  efficient  forces  and 
appliances  than  had  been  employed  heretofore.  These  stories,  with  all  their 
exaggerations,  did  not  appal  the  spirit  or  weaken  the  energies  of  Jackson. 
Indeed, the  only  visible  effect  they  produced  was  to  communicate  greater  acti\ity 
and  resolution  to  all  his  movements  and  measures  for  the  maintenance  of  his 
position.  Without  dismounting,  for  hours  and  hours  he  paced  along  the  line  of 
the  Rodriguez  Canal,  encouraging  and  inciting  his  men  by  every  influence  which 
he  could  use  to  labor  in  the  rude  intrenchment  which  his  engineers  had  drawn 
along  the  canal.  "  Here,"  he  remarked  to  them  in  the  frontier  style,  "  we  shall 
plant  our  stakes,  and  not  abandon  them  until  we  drive  these  red  coat  rascals  into 
the  river  or  the  swamp." 

Pakenham,'who  had  the  e3'es  of  a  soldier,  was  not  pleased  at  his  first  glance 
at  the  position  of  his  armj-.  It  did  not  take  much  time  for  him  to  comprehend 
all  the  perils  and  embarrassments  that  environed  him.  Concealing"  his  feeling 
and  impressions,  he  assembled  the  chief  officers  at  Villere's  house,  where  he 
established  his  headquarters. 

There,  in  the  parlor  of  the  patriotic  planter,  who  was  then  but  a  few  miles 
off  aiding  in  the  organization  of  the  militia,  who  were  daily  dispatched  to  rein- 
force Jackson,  met  a  score  or  more  of  the  most  distinguished  veteran  officers  of 
the  Peninsular  war  to  deliberate  upon  tlie  means  of  resisting  and  defeating  a 
militia  General,  at  the  head  of  a  force  of  raw  militia,  inferior  in  number  to  their 
own  gallant  array  of  veteran  and  practised  warriors.  Many  of  them  had  not 
seen  their  associates  since  they  had  parted  in  Spain;  many,  like  the  officers  of 
the  Ninety—third,  newly  arrived  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  had  not  met  for 
eight  or  ten  years. 

But  there  was  no  time  for  congratulations  or  the  interchange  of  friendh^ 
conversation.  The  business  before  them  was  serious  and  pressing.  Their 
consultation  extended  far  into  the  night.  What  then  and  there  occurred  must 
ever  be  a  mystery,  but  enough  leaked  out  to  convince  the  younger  officers  that 
Sir  Edward  was  greatly  dissatisfied  with  the  aspect  of  affairs,  and,  after  re- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  403 

ceiving  a  full  report  of  Keane's  operations,  entertained  but  little  hope  of  achiev- 
ing the  object  of  the  expedition.  He  perceived  and  lamented  the  original  error 
of  not  advancing  on  the  23d.  It  is  even  said  that  he  thought  of  withdrawing 
the  army  and  attempting  a  landing  in  another  quarter.  But  that  sturdy  veteran, 
Sir  Alexander  Cochrane,  who  attended  the  council,  was  of  sterner  stuff,  and 
regarded  the  expedition  as  far  from  being  defeated  or  foiled.  If  the  army 
shrank  from  the  task,  he  would  bring  up  the  sailors  and  marines  from  the  fleet, 
and  storm  the  American  lines,  and  march  into  the  city;  "the  soldiers  could 
then,"  added  the  bitter  old  Scotchman,  ''bring  up  the  baggage." 

The  confidence  of  the  old  tar  was  happily  illustrated  by  an  authentic  anec- 
dote. One  of  the  British  prisoners  captured  on  the  23d  of  December  stated  to 
General  Jackson  that  the  Admiral  had  sworn  he  would  eat  his  Christmas  dinner 
in  the  city.  Jackson  promptly  replied,  "Perhaps  so;  but  I  shall  have  the  honor 
of  presiding  at  that  dinner." 

It  was  finally  determined  to  advance  and  carry  the  enemy's  entrenchments 
at  the  point  of  the  ba3-onet.  The  original  error  with  regard  to  the  number  of 
the  American  force  still  clung  to  them.  Even  then,  when  they  had  had  the  op- 
portunit}'  for  observation,  which  their  position  afforded,  and  when  the  Ameri- 
cans had  but  two  small  artillery  pieces,  and  their  entrenchments  were  but  just 
commenced,  they  neglected  to  advance  with  an  army  which  exceeded  by  two  or 
three  thousand  that  of  Jackson's  command.  This,  for  the  Americans,  fortunate 
remissness,  was  all  due  to  the  impression  which  Jackson  had  made  on  the  minds 
of  the  British  by    his  extraordinary  and  brilliant  attack  on  the  23d. 

Pakenham,  on  assuming  command  of  the  army,  changed  its  organization 
b}-  forming  two  organizations,  or  brigades,  under  the  command  of  Generals 
Gibbs  and  Keane.  How  these  brigades  were  composed  will  appear  hereafter. 
Earl}'  the  next  day,  the  26th  of  December,  Pakenham  rode  out  with  his  staff 
and  generals  to  reconnoitre  the  American  lines.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
along  the  plains  which  lay  before  him,  he  could  perceive  no  evidence  of  any  reg- 
ular force  opposed  to  him.  The  only  living  objects  he  could  observe  were 
bodies  of  horsemen,  galloping  over  the  field  in  very  unmilitary  fashion,  appar- 
ently watching  every  movement  in  the  British  camp,  and  now  and  then  crack- 
ing away  with  their  long  rifles  at  the  outposts  and  sentinels.  Then  these 
stragglers  would  return  leisurely  to  an  old  chateau,  about  long  musket  shot  from 
the  British  sentries,  which  appeared  to  be  their  general  rendezvous.  These 
scouts  presented  more  the  appearance  of  snipe  and  rabbit  hunters,  beating  the 
bushes  for  their  game,  than  of  soldiers  seeking  opportunity  to  annoy  their  enemy. 
It  was  a  novel  sight  to  Pakenham,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  formal  and 
regular  mode  of  conducting  warlike  operations  of  the  French  and  British 
armies. 

Beyond    these,  there   was   no   other   evidence  of  the  presence  of  a  hostile 


■% 


404  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  ■ 

army.  This  mysterious  aspect  in  front  served  to  increase  the  anxiety  and  em- 
barrassment of  the  Britisli  general.  The  movement  of  the  irregular  troops 
indicated  the  confidence  of  a  powerful  force  strongly  posted  in  the  rear  as  well 
as  the  audacity  of  the  men  who  had  been  under  fire  and  had  tested  the  horrors 
of  war.  They  were  no  timid  militiamen,  like  those  who  had  offered  so  feeble 
a  resistance  at  Washington,  or  rather,  in  justice  to  the  latter,  many  of  whom 
were  personally  as  brave  as  any  who  ever  shouldered  a  musket,  we  shall  say 
there  was  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  presence  among  them  of  a  chief,  who 
inspired  confidence,  courage  and  determination  of  all  under  his  command. 

This  observation  satisfied  Pakenham  that  he  had  but  one  course  to  pursue, 
and  that  was  to  carry  the  enemy's  lines,  wherever  they  were,  by  storm.  As 
soon  as  this  resolution  was  taken,  all  anxiety  and  care  disappeared  from  his 
countenance.     He  immediately  set  to  work  to  prepare  for  the  advance. 

But  before  this  could  be  done  a  serious  obstacle  had  to  be  removed. 
Those  terrible  floating  batteries,  the  Carolina  and  Louisiana,  still  retained  their 
position,  anchored  near  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  and  kept  up  a  continuous 
cannonading  on  the  British  camp.  Wherever  a  knot  of  British  could  be  seen, 
a  shower  of  "grape  would  be  thrown  at  them,  with  such  accuracy  that  they 
would  be  quickty  dispersed  and  compelled  to  take  shelter.  Even  those  who 
took  retuge  in  the  houses  were  not  safe.  Many  a  social  party  who  met 
stealthily  in  some  quiet  little  negro  hut,  behind  the  chimnej'S,  or  in  some  nook 
of  the  larger  houses,  to  enjoy  a  few  comforts  and  relieve  the  distress  and 
tedium  of  their  situation  by  a  little  conviviality,  would  suddenly  be  intruded 
upon  by  cannon  balls  sent  from  one  of  Patterson's  vessels,  producing  ver}'  pre- 
cipitate scattering  of  the  part}'.  It  was  impossible  to  form  a  column  under  the 
fire  of  these  vessels.  Orders  were,  therefore,  issued  to  hurry  up  all  the  large 
cannon  which  could  be  spared  from  the  fleet,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  them 
to  bear  upon  the  two  formidable  little  vessels.  By  incredible  exertions,  the 
chief  labor  being  performed  by  the  sailors,  under  Cochrane  and  Malcolm,  a 
powerful  battery  of  twelve  and  eighteen  pounders  was  brought  up  on  the  night 
of  the  26th  and  planted  on  the  levee,  so  as  to  command  the  Carolina  and  Louis- 
iana.    See  account  of  the  battle. 


^^^^^^^^^  i^^.^ 


Biographical  Sketches 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER  1. 


PARISH  OF  ST.   LANDRY. 

^  C.  B.  ANDRUS,  Opklousas.— C.  B.  Andrus,  merchant  and  planter,  was 
born  in  St.  J^andry  parish  in  1842.  He  is  tlie  son  of  Elisha  and  Maiy  A. 
(Hayes)  Andrus.  Botii  were  natives  of  Louisiana.  Elisha  Andrus  was  a 
mechanic  by  occupation,  but  after  locating  in  St.  Landry  he  became  a  cotton 
planter.  He  occupied  what  is  known  as  Oak  Plantation,  wliich  is  now  the  home 
of  our  subject.     Mr.  Andrus  died  at  the  age  of  70  years  in  1882. 

C.  B.  Andrus  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children  and  was  educated  at  Char- 
lottesville, Va.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  returned  home  and  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Eiglith  Louisiana  Regiment.  He  served  under  Stonewall  Jackson. 
He  participated  in  the  first  battle  of  ^Linassas,  Stone  Bridge,  Harper's  Ferry, 
seven  days'  fight  around  Richmond,  and  at  Getl3'sburg.  At  the  last  place  he 
was  taken  prisoner  and  confined  in  prison  at  Fort  Delaware.  He  was  detained 
there  for  fourteen  months,  suffering  untold  hardships.  During  this  time  he  with- 
stood a  severe  attack  of  small-pox.  He  was  finally  paroled  and  returned  home 
to  recuperate,  during  which  time  the  war  closed.  After  the  war  Mr.  Andrus 
entered  the  mercantile  business  in  Opelousas,  where  he  has  since  continued.  His 
plantation  is  a  valuable  one  of  eight  hundred  acres,  six  hundred  of  which  are 
under  cultivation.  He  was  married  December  10,  1870,  to  Miss  Cecelia  C.  Gar- 
rigues,  daughter  of  Judge  Adolph  Garrigues,  who  was  one  of  St.  Landry's  most 
prominent  citizens,  and  the  son  of  Gen.  Garrigues.  To  them  have  been  born 
four  children,  viz:    Adolph,  Anna,  Frances,  Maithe.  all  of  whom  have  i-eceived  the 

best  educational  and  social  advantages. 

* 
*     « 

^    WM.  R.   ASHFORD,  Chataigniek.  -Mr.     Ashford  is  a    native    of    St. 

Landry  parisli,   born  in  1S49.      He   is    the  son  of    Butler  J.  and  Sara  (Barker) 

Asliford,  the  former  a  native  of  Wilmington,  N.  C,  the  latter  of  South  Carolina. 

Mrs.  Ashford's  grandfather,  Col.  Barker,  was  an  otiicer  in  the  revolutionary 

war. 

Tiie  subject  of  our  sketch  is  one  of  a  famih'  of  two  brothers.     When  he 

was   about  five  years  of  age  his  father  died,   and  his  mother  married  the  second 


4  SOLn^HWEST  LOUISIANA: 

time.  He  began  life  teaching  in  the  pubhc  schools.  In  this  he  was  engaged  for 
a  period  of  about  four  .3'ears,  when  he  took  charge  of  a  stock  farm  and  was 
engaged  in  that  business  for  about  eight  3-ears.  During  this  period  he  kept  a 
ferry  on  the  Nepizcupez.  Since  that  time  he  has  conducted  his  plantation,  and 
taught  private  school.  He  has  a  plantation  of  over  three  hundred  acres,  on  which 
he  raises  principally  rice.  Mr.  Ashford  was  married  in  1852  to  Miss  D.  Hebert, 
a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  daughter  of  Joisin  and  Devine  Fontenot. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  six  children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters. 

*  » 
^  CAPT.  WALTHALL  BURTON,  Elba.— Capt.  Walthall  Burton  was, 
before  the  war,  one  of  the  most  successful  and  largest  planters  on  the  Atchafa- 
laya  River.  He  has  resided  here  since  1849.  He  was  born  in  Nelson  county, 
Ky.,  March  28,  1807,  and  is  the  son  of  Wilson  and  Eleanor  (Bruce)  Burton, 
both  natives  of  Kentuckj-.  He  resided  in  that  State  with  his  parents  until  1811, 
at  which  lime  they  removed  to  Wilkinson  county.  Miss.  His  father  died  in  1825, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-two.     His  widow  survived  until  1864. 

Capt.  Burton  is  the  third  of  six  children.  He  received  his  chief  education 
in  Wilkinson  county.  Miss.,  and  when  nmeteen  years  of  age  he  became  over- 
seer of  a  plantation  near  his  home,  which  occupation  he  followed  until  1827, 
when  he  married  and  went  into  business  for  himsi  If .  In  1833  he  removed  to 
St.  Helena  parish,  where  he  resided  until  1849. 

Capt.  Burton  has  always  been  a  progressive  and  successful  planter.  After 
the  war  he  spent  some  time  in  steamboating  on  the  Atchafalaya  River,  and  was 
the  captain  of  several  vessels,  viz:  Anna  Wagl}*,  Blackford,  Bertha  and  Lizzie 
Taylor,  and  others.     In  1883  he  abandoned  the  river. 

Capt.  Burton  has  taken  quite  an  active  part  in  political  affairs;  in  1846  he 
was  elected  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  from  St.  Helena  parish.  In 
1847  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  to  represent  St.  Helena,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Secession  Convention  from  St.  Landry;  in  1879  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  from  St.  Lanthy  parish.  Since  that  time  he  has 
retired  from  political  life.  The  captain's  plantation  consists  of  a  large  tract  of 
some  very  fine  land. 

In  1837  he  was  married  to  Miss'Theresa  A.  Terrel,  of  Mississippi;  to  this 
union  was  bor-n  six  children,  only  one  is  now  living,  Mrs.  Dr.  Hartman. 

Capt.  Burton  and  his  venerable  wife  have  been  united  in  matrimony  for 
sixty-four  years.     She  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Cliurch. 

^  »  GEORGE  E.  BROOKS,  M.  D.,  Fort  Barre.— Dr.  Brooks  was  born 
in  Chicksaw  county,  Mississippi,  July  23,  1S62.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  John  G. 
and  Martha  (Reid)  Brooks,  buth  of  whom  are  natives  of  Mississippi.  Dr.  John 
G.  Brooks  graduated  with  honors  at  the  University  of  Louisville.      During  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  b 

war  he  resided  in  Washington  and  Jackson  counties,  Texas.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  sheriff  of  St.  Landry  parish.  He  was  a  prominent  Mason. 
He  died  in  1869,  while  on  a  journe}'-  in  Virginia,  at  the  age  of  47  jears.  His 
wife  is  now  a  resident  of  Opelojsas. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  fourth  of  a  familv  of  seven  children. 
During  his  youth  he  attended  school  at  Opelousas.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Haas.  In  the  years  1883-4-5  he 
attended  Louisville  Medical  College,  Kentucky,  graduating  in  1885.  He  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  Calcasieu  parish.  One  year  after,  he  removed  to 
MiJlerville,  Acadia  parish,  where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  located  at 
Port  Barre. 

The  doctor  was  married,  January,  23,  1S89,  to  Miss  Annie,  daughter  of  T. 
C.  Chachere,  Prudhomme  City,  La.  They  became  the  parents  of  one 
son,  J.  G. 

The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  While  in  Acadia  parish 
he  was  elected  to  till  the  position  of  coroner.      He  stands  high  in  his  profession. 

^  JONAS  W.  BAILEY,  Washington.— Jonas  W.  Bailey,  one  of  St.  Lan- 
dry's largest  sugar  planters,  cultivates  what  is  known  as  the  Nangeroy 
plantation,  formerly  owned  by  Dr.  Taylor,  located  about  four  miles  east  of 
Washington.  He  is  a  native  of  Norfolk,  England,  and  was  born  November  23, 
182S.  His  parents,  Samuel  and  Mary  A.  Bailey,  came  to  this  country  from 
England  and  resided  for  a  short  while  in  New  York.  In  1853  they  removed  to 
Toronto,  Canada,  where  they  resided  until  1857.  Sumuel  Bailey  was  a  skilled 
architect,  and  worked  botli  in  England  and  Toronto.  Many  of  his  edifices  stand 
as  living  monuments  of  his  workmanship. 

Jonas  W.  Bailey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  Norfolk,  Eng- 
land, and  Elmira,  New  York.  Early  in  life  he  adopted  his  father's  profession, 
and  for  many  years  followed  this  vocation.  In  1S58  he  removed  to  New  Orleans, 
where  he  remained  only  one  year,  removing  to  Ascension  parish,  where  he  be- 
came interested  in  sugar  planting;  subst-quently  he  removed  to  this  place  and, 
in  partnership  with  Raymond  Bros.,  owns  tlie  large  plantation  where  he  resides. 
His  partners  residing  in  New  Orleans,  ilie  entire  charge  of  ihe  plantation  is 
under  his  control  and  management.  In  1S68  Mr.  Bailey  was  married  to  Miss 
Hunter,  a  native  of  Loui.'^iana,  and  daugliter  of  Colonel  Hunter,  of  the  United 
Stales  army.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  Jonas  W.,  Jr.  Mr.  Bailev  is 
a  member  of  the  K.  of  H.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  * 

'^  E.  S.  BARRY,  M.  D.,  Gr.vnd  Cotkau. — Dr.  Barry  was  born  in  the  town 
in  which  he  resides,  in  1853.     He  is  a  son  of  S.  J.  and  Emerite  (Guidry)  Barry, 


6  SO  urii  H  'Es  r  l  o  uisia  na  .- 

both  n:ili\es  of  Louisiana.  Tiiev  became  the  parents  of  six  children.  S.  J. 
Barry  was  for  twenty-five  years  a  member  of  the  town  council,  and  was  one  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  the  place.  He  died  in  1882.  Mrs.  Barry  died  in 
18S1.     Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

The  Doctor  had  good  educational  facilities  when  a  boy,  having  been  a  stu- 
dent in  the  best  schools  in  the  State  from  the  time  when  he  was  old  enough  to 
attend  school.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  St.  Ciiarles  College  at  this  place.  In 
1875  he  matriculated  in  the  medical  department  of  what  is  now  the  Tulane  Uni- 
versity, New  Orleans,  graduating  in  1878.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion during  the  same  3'ear,  choosing  as  his  location  his  native  town. 

The  Doctor  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  practice  ;  and  being  a  haid 
student,  and  of  the  strictest  moral  integrity,  he  bids  fair  to  be  one  of  the  leading 
physicians  of  this  section.  He  has  a  fine  plantation  of  about  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  near  Opelousas.  He  also  owns  some  valuable  property  in  Grand 
Coteau.  He  conducts  a  drug  and  general  mercantile  business  here  in  connection 
with  his  practice.  The  Doctor  is  a  liberal  contributo'r  to  all  public  enterprises, 
and  takes  a  lead  in  any  mov'e  for  the  advancement  of  the  community. 

He  was  married,  in  1882,  to  Miss  Cordelia  Arceneaux,  daughter  of  Francois 
and  Amelia  (Thibodeaux)  Arceneaux.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children : 
Isabella,  Sylvester  J.,  Lilian,  and  Lawrence. 

* 

*  * 

R.  H.  BARRY,  Grand  Coteau. — R.  H.  Barry,  planter,  is  tlie  son  of 
John  C.  and  Mary  (Dunbar)  Barry.  He  was  born  in  1853.  His  parents  are 
natives  of  Louisiana  and  f^Iississippi  respectively.  J.  C.  Barry  was  a  planter. 
He  represented  St.  Landry  parish  in  the  Legislature  at  one  time.  He  died  in 
1877  at  Grand  Coteau.     His  wife  still  survives  him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  near  where  he  now 
resides.  He  has  alwaj's  been  a  planter.  He  owns  a  plantation  of  about  three 
iiundred  acres  one  mile  north  of  Grand  Coteau.  Cotton  and  corn  are  the  chief 
products. 

He  married,  in  1875,  Miss  Lelia  Hebert,  daughter  of  Theogene  and  Julia 
(Richard)  Hebert.  The}'  are  the  happy  parents  of  five  children,  John,  Richard, 
Patrick  and  Irene:    one  died  in  infancy.     Mr.  Barr}' and  wife  are   members  of 

the  Catholic  church.  » 

*  * 

^  F.  G.  BRINKHAUS,  Grand  Coteau.— Mr.  Brinkhaus  is  a  Louisianian 
by  birth,  though  his  parents,  Herman  Brinkhaus  and  Anna  M.  Koch,  were 
natives  of  Prussia,  who  moved  to  Louisiana  about  1S50.  They  were  married 
in  New  Orleans  in  1854. 

F.  G.  Brinkhaus  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  six  children.  He  began  life- as 
a  shoemaker  in  Grand  Coteau,  and   in  this  business  he  has  continued  until  tlie 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  7 

present  time.     In  connection  with  this  he  carries  a  full  line  of  boots  and  shoes, 
and  has  also  a  millinery  department,  which  is  conducted  by  his  wife. 

He  was  married,  in  1879,  to  Odele  Hebert,  daughter  of  Theogene  and  Julia 
(Richard)  Hebert.  To  them  liave  been  born  one  daughter — Odelia.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church 


A.  J.  BERCIER,  D.  D.  S.,  Oi-elousas.— A.  J.  Bercier,  D.  D.  S.,  is  a 
native  of  Louisiana,  born  October,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Eugene  and  Louisa 
(King)  Bercier,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  was  engaged  principally 
in  steamboating  during  his  life.     He  died  in  1858,  at  the  age  of  thirt3r-six  }^ears. 

Dr.  Bercier's  paternal  grandparents  both  came  from  France,  and  his  ma- 
ternal from  German}-.  The  Doctor  was  reared  in  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  prii^ate  schools  of  Opelousas,  which,  owing  to 
liaving  been  deprived  of  his  father  at  the  age  of  fifteen  months,  necessitating  his 
remaining  with  his  widowed  mother  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  was  quite 
limited;  though  Dr.  Bercier  is  an  educated  man,  from  his  association  with 
others  and  private  study. 

In  1881  he  entered  the  Baltimore  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  and  graduated 
with  second  honor  in  1883.  He  located  in  the  practise  of  his  profession  in 
Opelousas,  and  has  been  successful  in  bulldingup  a  good  practise.  He  married, [in 
1884,  Miss  Eleanor  Hardy,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Pliney  Hardy,  a  native 
of  Louisiana.  Mr.  Hardy  was  a  scholar  and  refined  gentleman,  a  graduate  of 
Grand  Coteau  College ;  also  a  graduate  of  a  law  school.  Shortly  after  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  he  was  elected  District  Attorney.  At  the  age  of  twenty -five 
years  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  State,  and  refused  a  second  term,  pre- 
fermg  to  live  among  his  friends.     He  died  at  the  age  of  thirtj'-six  j'ears  in  1858. 

Professionally,  Dr.  Bercier  has  few  superiors,  and,  socially,  he  is  one  of 
the  most  jovial  and  entertaining  of  gentlemen. 

^  JOSEPH  BLOCH,  Opelousas. — Joseph  Bloch,  one  of  the  largest  mer 
chants  in  Opelousas,  is  a  native  of  France,  born  in  1833.  He  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  tvvent3'-one  years.  He  was  first  located  in  Ascension  parish,  Louis- 
iana, where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  until  i860,  at  which  time 
he  removed  to  Opelousas,  where  he  has  since  been  located.  Mr.  Bloch  lost 
heavily  from  the  effects  of  the  war,  but  with  persistent  energy  he  kept  up  his 
business  until  he  attained  a  solid  standing.  Prior  to  1879  he  liad  been  associated 
in  business  with  other  parties,  but  since  that  time  ha-^  conducted  an  indej^endent 
business. 

Mr.  Bloch  has  served  for  a  period  as  President  of  the  Parish  School  Board, 
and   in  this  capacity  was  untiring  in  his  efforts    to  improve  the  public  school 


8  SOUTHWEST  L  OVJSIANA : 

sj'Stem.  Mr.  Bloch  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and  lias  served  as  Master  of  his 
Lodge,  and  is  at  present  its  treasurer.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
American  Legion  of  Honor,  Benai  Brith,  and  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which  he  has 
served  several  times  as  presiding  officer.  He  is  at  present,  and  has  been  for 
years,  President  of  the  Hebrew  congregation  at  this  place.  Mr.  Bloch  married 
in  New  Orleans,  December  27,  1865,  Miss  Bertha  Kaufman,  a  native  of  Ger- 
man}-,  who  came  here  with  her  parents  while  j'et  an  iafant.  They  became  the 
parents  of  six  children:  Albert  J.,  now  resident  student  of  the  Charity  Hospital 
at  New  Orleans;  Eugene  S.,  in  charge  of  Mr,  Bloch's  business;  Julia,  Edgar 
H.,  student  in  Tulane  Universit}',  New  Orleans  ;  I^icile,  and  Percy  Argail. 

Mr.  Bloch  does  quite  an  extensive  business — one  of  the  largest  in  this  section, 
amounting  to  upward  of  $50,000  annuall}-.     His  place  of  business  is  a   model 

of  modern  convenience.  * 

*     * 

^  JAMES  BURLEIGH,  Grand  Coteau.— James  Burleigh,  a  successful 
planter  of  St.  Landry  parish,  was  born  where  he  resides,  September  29,  1830. 
His  parents,  James  and  Adelaide  (Boudreaux)  Burleigh,  were  also  natives  of  St. 
Landr}'  parish.  Tiie}'  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased.    James  Burleigh  died  in  1861. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  and  received  liis  education  here.  He 
was  married  in  May,  i85i,toMiss  Frances  Cason,  daughter  of  William  L.  Cason, 
of  Georgia.  They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children — five  bo3's  and  seven  girls, 
viz:  James  AL,  Frances  A.,  wife  of  Charles  Willis;  Elizabeth  (deceased); 
Sarah  L.,  wife  of  JohnM.  Bailej-;  WilliamL.  (deceased).  Fountain  D.,  and  Susan 
E.  (deceased).  Mr.  Burleigh  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  in  1862,  and  was 
at  the  battles  of  Vicksburg  and  Chickasaw.  At  the  latterplace  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner and  exchanged  at  Vicksburg,  after  which  he  came  to  Alexandria,  La.,  and 
remained  there  until  the  war  was  over.  When  he  enlisted  he  was  sergeant  of  Com- 
pany' K,  of  the  Twent3--eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  and  he  was  subsequently  pro- 
moted to  first  lieutenant.  After  the  war  he  resumed  farming,  and  he  now  owns 
a  plantation  of  about  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  adjoining  the  village  of 
Grand  Coteau.  His  plantation  is  one  of  the  finest  in  St.  Landr}'  parish. 
Besides  raising  varied  products  he  is  making  a  specialty  of  stock  raising.  He  is 
one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the  parish  and  is  highl)'  respected.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

JOSEPH  BURLEIGH,  St.  Lanurv.— Joseph  Burleigh  was  born  in  St. 
Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  1828.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Adelaide  (Bou- 
dreaux) Burleigh,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish,  where  they 
were  reared  and  married.  The  Burleigh  family  is  of  direct  English  descent, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject  having  been  born  there.  He  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Lord  Burleiiih. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  !) 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  a  gfood  business  education  in  the  schools 
of  this  section.  He  chose  as  his  vocation  planting,  which  he  has  closely  fol- 
lowed fiom  his  youth.  He  owns  a  plantation  of  tliree  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  on  which  he  raises  principall}'  cotton.  For  a  number  of  years  he  gave 
his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  sugar,  but  when  sugar  became  so  reduced  in 
price  that  it  was  no  longer  profitable,  he  abandoned  the  business,  and  has  since 
given  his  attentionto  cotton  planting.  Mr.  Burleigh  has  upon  his  plantation  a 
number  of  tenant  houses,  and  gives  employ mentto  al)out  fifteen  families.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catliolic  churcli. 

^  EDWARD  BOAGNI,  Opelousas.— Edward  Boagni,  a  native  of  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  Louisiana,  was  born  in  Opelousas  in  i860.  Mr.  Boagni  at  an  earlv 
age  entered  the  Jesuit  College  at  Grand  Coteau,  La.,  and  remained  tliere  until 
within  a  few  months  of  graduating. 

After  leaving  school,  Mr.  Boagni  pursued  the  study  of  law  under  the  Hon. 
Kenneth  Ballio,  of  the  Opelousas  bar.  This,  liowever,  was  not  done  with  the 
view  of  being  admitted  to  the  practice,  but  to  gain  a  practical  idea  of  law 
sufficient  to  enable  him  to  successfully  undertake  the  management  of  his  father's 
business.  Mr.  Boagni  and  his  father  being  the  largest  propert}^  holders  in  the 
parish,  lie  found  it  expedient  to  be  both  lawyer  and  financier.  Combined  with 
his  other  qualifications  Mr.  Boagni  gained  some  knowledge  of  civil  engineering. 
In  iSSS  lie  became  a  member  of  the  police  jurjs  and  though  the  youngest 
member  of  the  board  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Police  Jur}-  immediately 
after  taking  his  seat,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  this  responsible  posiiion. 

»  » 
*^  C.  F.  BURR,  Opelousas. — C.  F.  Burr  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish, 
January  26,  1850.  The  Burr  famil}'  are  originally  from  Springfield,  Massacli- 
usetts.  and  relations  of  Aaron  Burr.  Freeman  Burr,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  iSoS.  He  followed  something  of  a 
roving  life,  having  traveled  over  nearly  the  whole  of  the  United  States.  He 
studied  dentistry,  and  about  1837  he  came  to  Louisiana,  where  he  practised  his 
profession  until  1S59.  He  was  married  in  Opelousas  to  Miss  Eugenia  Thomp- 
son, daugliter  of  John  ThiMiipson,  a  native  of  Kentucky. 

jolin  Thompson  was  for  man}'  years  an  ofiicial  under  tlie  different  admin- 
istrations of  Louisiana.  He  was  a  large  property  owner,  the  present  Burr  estate 
being  a  part  of  his  domain.  He  married,  in  St:  Landry  parish,  Miss  S3-dalyse 
De  Lachesse,  of  Acadian  French  ancestry.  Mrs.  Thompson  was  a  woman  of 
rare  intellectual  att;iinments.  Having  led  an  exemplary  life,  slie  died  in  New 
Orleans  at  the  advanced  age  of  nin<;t\ -eight  Mrs.  Eugenia  Burr,  her  daughter, 
was  born  in  the  place  where  the  family  now  reside.     She  became   the  mother  of 


10  sorrnwEST  l ocisiana  -. 

six  children,  three  of  wliom  are  living;  MaiT,  Williain  and  C.  F.,the  subject  of 
our  sketcli,  and  reside  on  the  old  home  plantation.      Mrs.  Burr  died  in  1882. 

C.  F.  Burr  received  a  fair  education  in  the  schools  of  his  locality.  With 
the  exception  of  the  time  given  to  official  duties  he  has  devoted  himself  almost 
entirel)'  to  planting.  He  fir:-t  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  St.  Landry  parisli  in 
1871.  He  has  served  in  this  capacit}'  at  intervals  ever  since.  He  is  a  most  vigi- 
lant odlcer;  and  the  efficient  manner  in  which  he  has  performed  his  official 
duties  has  gi\-en  him  sometliing  of  a  local  reputation.      He  has  never  married. 

V^  FRANK  E.  BAILEY,  Opelous.\s. — Frank  E.  Bailey,  druggist,  is  a  native 
of  Lafayette  parish,  Louisiana,  born  in  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Abijah  and  Susan 
Bailey,  both  natives  of  Louisiana. 

Mr.  Bailey's  father  was  a  printer  in  Lafayette.  He  died  during  the  war. 
His  mother  is  still  living  in  Lafayette  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  bo3hood  days  in  Lafa3'ette  parish,  and 
■  received  such  education  as  the  public  and  private  school  afforded.  When  quite 
young  he  entered  a  drug  store  and  learned  the  business.  He  married,  in  18S3, 
Miss  Nina  Hebrard,  daughter  of  P.  Leonce  Hebrard,  of  Opelousas. 

Mr.  Baile}'  began  conducting  a  drug  store  on  his  own  account,  first,  as  man- 
ager for  M.  T.  Young  &  Co.,  of  Opelousas,  in  which  he  continued  until  1887, 
when  he  purchased  the  stock,  and  has  since  conducted  the  business  with  marked 
success.     He  is  an  energetic  business  man,  and  is  esteemed  by  those  with  whom 

he  has  cast  his  lot.  * 

*      » 

LEWIS  BIHM,  St.  Landry. — Mr.  Bihm  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish, 
born  in  1859.  He  is  the  son  of  M.  and  I.  (  Lovt- 11 )  Bihm,  both  natives  of 
Louisiana. 

Young  Lewis  had  limited  opoortunilies  for  an  education  as  abov,  but  made 
the  best  of  them.  He  chose  as  his  vocation  farming,  which  he  has  followed  up 
to  the  present  time.  He  has  a  nice  little  plantation  of  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  prairie  and  woodland,  on  which  he  has  good  improvements  and 
raises  cotton  and  corn.  He  married,  December  29,  1879,  Leda  McCleunon,  a 
native  of  St.  Landi'v.  To  this  union  has  been  born  tliree  children,  James,  Iso- 
line  and  Jewel. 

Mr.  Bihm  operates  in  connection  wiih  his  plantation  a  cotton  gin  and  corn 
mill. 

V  JOHN  BOUDREAUX,  St.  Landry.— John  Boudieaux,  is  a  native  of 
St.  Landry  parish,  and  the  son  ot  Syphrian  and  Marie  Boudreaux,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  had  very  limited 
educational  facilities,  Imving  onlj*  attended  school  a  few  months.  He  has,  how- 
vCver,    by  contact  with    the    business    world,     acquired    a    practical    business 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  11 

education.  In  November,  1872,  he  married  Cedonia  Pregen,  11  native  of  St. 
Landry  parish,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  ten  children,  of  whom  eight 
are  now  living:  Arthur,  James,  Paul,  Abraham,  Sara,  George,  John  and 
Blanche.  In  iS73our  subject  purchased  a  small  plantation  of  unimproved  land, 
on  which  he  erected  a  good  building  and  storehouse.  In  1887  he  opened  a 
family  grocery  store,  and  in  this  he  has  been  quite  successful. 

Mr.  Boudreaux  has  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  planting  during  the  whole  of 
his  lifetime,  and  is  one  of  the  successful  planters  of  this  section.  His  elder 
brothers  were  engaged  in  tlie  Confederate  States  service  during  the  war,  one  of 
whom  died  while  in  service.  Mr.  Boudreaux.  was  too  young  at  that  time  to 
serve  as  soldier.  » 

'^  HON.  E.  NORTH  CULLOM,  Opelousas.— Among  tlie  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  bar  of  Southwest  Louisiana  few  surpass  in  profound  legal  attainments 
him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He  is  a  brilliant  and  forcible  speaker,  an 
excellent  judge  of  law,  and  a  faithful  and  conscientious  attorne}  .  Strength  of 
mind  and  purity  of  purpose  are  his  leading  traits.  These  in  his  profession  have 
made  him  a  great  lawj'er.  In  that  branch  of  the  law  practice  that  sometimes 
requires  scheming  and  cunning  diplomacy  he  is  neither  great  nor  successful,  a 
proof  that  his  nature  is  faithful  and  just.  Judge  Cullom  was  born  in  Opelousas, 
September  14,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Francis  and  Maria  (Prewett)  Cullom;  the 
former  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  at  Monticello,  in  1793,  and  the  latter  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  and  died  in  Louisiana  in  1829.  She  was  the  mother  of  three 
children,  of  whom  Judge  Cullom  is  the  eldest.  Francis  Cullom  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade.  He  emigrated  to  Louisiana  in  1S20,  and  located  in  Opelousas.  He 
continued  to  work  at  his  tradeuntil  1845,  when  he  commenced  the  practice  of 
law,  which  he  followed  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1S55,  at  the  age  of  62 
j-ears. 

Judge  Cullom  received  but  a  limited  school  education,  but  through  private 
study  and  tutorship  attained  a  thorough  literary  education,  being  an  excellent 
Latin  and  French  scholar,  with  considerable  knowledge  of  Greek.  He  studied 
common  law  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  cit\', 
March  9,  1849.  ^^  was  not  his  intention,  however,  to  locate  there,  and  he  re- 
turned to  Louisiana,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the  civil  law  of  this  State 
under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father.  He  taught  a  school  at  intervals,  mean- 
while pursuing  his  studies,  and,  September  7,  1850,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  be- 
fore the  Supreme  Court  of  Louisiana  in  Opelousas. 

He  at  once  entered  into  practice  with  his  father,  and  was  his  partner  until 
the  latter's  death  in  1855.  Ju<^ge  Cullom  arose  quickly  to  distinction  and  soon 
acquired  a  lucrative  practice.  His  ability  as  a  speaker  brought  him  into  general 
notice,  and  made  him  a  leader  in  all  matters  for  the  public  good.       He  became 


12  SO  VTIl  W  'EST  L  O UlSIA NA  : 

one  of  the  most  active  agitators  of  the  project  known  as  the  New  Orleans,  Ope- 
lousas,  &  Great  Western  Railway,  now  known  as  Morgan's  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad.  He  remained  in  Opelousas  until  the  latter  part  of  May,  1865,  when 
he  removed  to  Avoyelles  parish,  practising  his  profession  until  1858,  when  he 
was  elected  by  the  popular  vote  Judge  of  the  Thirteenth  Judicial  District,  com- 
posed of  the  parishes  of  Rapides  and  Avoyelles.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and 
and  at  the  close  of  his  term  he  found  considerable  opposition  to  his  reelection 
in  1861.  But  notwithstanding  the  boundaries  of  the  district  had  been  changed, 
he  was  reel  xted  by  a  large  majority.  He  was  again  elected  in  1865,  this  time 
without  opposition.  During  the. last  two  terms  the  district  was  composed  of  the 
jiarishes  of  Avoyelles,  Pointe  Coupee,  and  West  Feliciana.  During  his  last  term 
he  was  forced  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Confederate  States  Govern- 
ment, and,  when  Federal  authorit}^  was  restored,  he  wis,  of  course,  decapitated 
for  "sympathy  with  the  Confederacy."  He  immediately  filed  application  before 
Congress  to  have  his  disabilit}'  removed,  and  through  the  influence  of  Thaddeus 
Stevens  was  restored  July  20,  1868,  to  full  citizenship.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  resumed  practice  in  Avoyelles,  Rapides,  and  Pointe  Coupee  parishes.  In 
February,  1869,  he  opened  a  law  office  in  New  Orleans,  and  was  active  in  getting 
up  what  was  known  as  the  Liberal  Part)'  at  that  time,  and  afterward  as  the 
Fusion  Party. 

By  this  party  he  was  nominated  in  the  convention  for  Judge  of  the  Fifth 
District  Court  of  the  parish  of  Orleans,  and  was  elected,  serving  four  3'ears.  As 
he  would  not  become  the  tool  of  factions — too  honest  to  descend  from  ihe  dig- 
nitv  belonging  to  the  high  position  he  held — he  was  forced  to  retire  from  the 
bench,  and  again  he  resumed  his  law  practice.  In  1877  he  was  the  chief  at- 
torney in  the  noted  returning  board  case,  defending  the  Hon.  J.  Madison  Wells 
in  that  interesting  matter.  In  1878  he  was  nominated  bj'^  the  Working  Men's  and 
the  Greenback  parties  for  Congress  in  the  Second  District,  but  was  defeated. 
In  the  fall  of  1882  he  was  appointed  assistant  attorney  of  the  United  States  on 
the  French-American  Claims  Commission,  vice  Judge  Taylor  Beattie.  In  1883, 
his  interests  calling  him  back  to  the  countr}' ;  he  settled  on  his  farm  in  Avoyelles 
parish,  on  the  bank  of  the  Bayou  Boeuf,  and  remained  there  until  1889,  when  he 
removed  to  Opelousas,  with  the  intention  of  practising  law.  In  September,  1890, 
he  became  editor  of  the  St.  Landry  Democrat,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
until  January  4,  1891.  In  1853  and  1854  ''^  edited  the  St. Landry  Whig  at  Ope- 
lousas. All  through  his  life  Judge  CuUom  has  been  a  constant  contributor  10  all 
the  leading  journals  of  Louisiana.  Judge  Cullom  was  married  February  28, 
1848,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Gilmore  of  Danville,  Ky.  They  have  had  three  children. 
The  eldest,  Robert  L.,  died  in  1884.  leaving  four  children,  three  of  whom  are 
bt'uvjr  reared  bv  Judge  Cullom  ;  thesecond  is  William  M.,an(l  the  third,  Edward, 
is  practising  law  at  Marksville,  La. 


HISTORIC AL   AXn  BIOCnAPHICAL.  IH 

Such  in  brief  is  the  record  of  Judge  CuUom.  The  foundation  of  his  active 
hfe  was  laid  here  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  and  the  people  who  have  known  him 
long  and  well  will  ever  entertain  for  him  the  highest  regard  and  admiration  as  a 
man,  a  lawyer  and  a  jurist.  In  every  position  of  life  to  which  he  was  elevated, 
he  gained  distinguished  honors.  Firm  and  conscientious  in  all  his  views,  and 
bold  and  fearless  in  their  enunciation,  he  always  commanded  the  respect  of 
those  who  differed  from  him  in  his  political  faith.  His  personal  experience,  his 
education  and  his  reason  taught  him  the  fallibility  of  human  judgment,  and  the 
liability  of  honest  and  wise  men  to  disagree  upon  almost  every  question  of 
political  philosophy  in  a  government  constituted  as  ours  is,  and  he  claimed  no 
charity  for  himself  that  he  did  not  cordiall}'  extend  to  others.  In  all  his  public 
acts  a  sense  of  duty  accompanied  him,  and  disregarding  selfish  and  personal 
considerations,  he  Unflincliingly  obeyed  its  behests. 

^  ROBERT  CHACHERE,  Opelousas.— Robert  Chachere,  the  present 
maj'or  of  Opelousas,  was  born  in  Opelousas,  La.,  December  9,  1855.  He  is  the 
son  of  Theodore  and  Clementine  (Bengeruel)  Chachere,  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  this  place.  They  reared  a  large  family.  The  Chacheres  are  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  respected,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  numerous  families 
of  the  State.     Their  history  began  with  the  history  of  Louisiana. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  educated  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Cot- 
eau.  He  was  trained  to  plaatation  and  mercantile  pursuits;  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  3'ears  began  business  for  himself.  He  had  been  successful;  and  his 
mercantile  business  at  this  place  is  large  and  flourishing.  Mayor  Chachen5  is 
an  active  participant  in  local  affairs  and  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of 
the  town.  Tiie  zeal  he  manifests  in  matters  for  the  promotion  of  the  public  in- 
terest is  recognized  by  the  citizens  of  the  place,  and  in  1890  they  entrusted  him 
with  the  responsible  position  of  mayor  of  the  town.  In  this  capacity  his  efforts 
to  improve  the  place  have  been  untiring. 

He  married,  in  1876,  Miss  Emma  Deput}',  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish. 
They  are  the  parents  of  fi\'e  children,   Lapear   iM.,    Eloise,   Clementine,    Paul, 

and  Celine.  » 

*     * 

''  THEOG.  CHACHERE,  M.D.,OpELOL-SAS.-Dr.Chachere  is  a  native  of  Lou- 
isiana, born  in  St.  Landr\'  parish  about  six  miles  from  his  present  home,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1835.  He  is  the  son  of  Vailland  and  Heloise  (Lavergne)  Chachere, 
both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Landry.  The  father  is  a  son  of  Louis  and 
Catharine  Vauchere,  the  former  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter  of  Canada. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  twelve  of 
whom  lived  to  maturit)\  He  received  the  rudiments  of  his  education  in  the 
public  schools,  afterward  attending  school  at  Opelousas.     At  the  age  of  twentv- 


14  SOr7V/U'/:.S7'  L  OUISIANA  : 

two  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  D.  Warren  Brickell,  and  afterward 
attended  the  New  Orleans  School  of  Medicine,  receiving  his  degree  in  1861.  In 
1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  service  as  a  private,  but  was  subse- 
quently promoted  to  Assistant  Surgeon  with  the  rank  of  Captain,  serving  four 
years,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  second  battle  of  Manassas,  the 
battles  of  Port  Royal,  Winchester,  Fredericksburg  and  Richmond,  and  in  nianv 
of  the  minor  engagements.  After  the  war  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  St.  Landry  parish, where  he  has  built  up  a  lucrative  practice,  which  he  has  cen- 
tralized as  much  as  possible,  not  desiring  to  extend  it  over  a  great  area  on  ac- 
count of  his  health.  He  married,  in  1867,  Miss  Mary  Guidr}',  a  native  of  Acadia 
parish  and  daughter  of  Placide  and  Eliza  (McClelland)  Guidry.  In  1874  Dr. 
Chachere  purchased  the  plantation  upon  which  he  now  resides,  erecting  thereon 
a  palatial  residence  and  otherwise  improving  it.  Dr.  Chachere  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing spirits  of  his  section.  He  represented  his  parish  in  the  Legislature  in  1871  and 
1872,  and  in  this  capacit}'  he  was  identified  with  the  leading  measures  that  came 
before  that  body.  * 

^  JOSEPH  CHACHERE,  St.  Landry.— Joseph  Chachere  is  a  successful 
farmer,  residing  ten  miles  south  of  Opelousas.  He  is  a  native  of  the  parish, 
born  June,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  V.  and  Eloise  fLoving)  Chachere,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  was  a  planter  b\' occupation.  He 
is  still  living,  being  now  eighty-nine  A'ears  old.  He  is  hale  and  hearty  for  one 
of  his  j^ears. 

Joseph  Chachere  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and  wlien  he  began  business 
for  himself  he  chose  farming  as  his  vocation. 

He  was  married  in  1861,  to  Elide  Pitre,  and  to  the  union  have  been  born 
three  children,  viz  :  Josephine,  wife  of  Jno.  Andrews;  Amint,  wife  of  Leon 
Lavoring;  Amelia,  wife  of  Jno.  M.  Andrews.  Mrs.  Chachere  died  at  her 
home  in  St.  Landry  parish  in  1873.  In  1874  Mr.  Chachere  married  Lucinda 
Bacon,  daughter  of  Joseph  Bacon.  They  became  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Nale,  Rosa  and  Irene. 

Mr.  Chachere  owns  a  good  plantation  of  about  three  hundred  acres,  upon 
which  he  raises  a  variety  of  products,  chiefly  corn  and  cotton.  He  also  raises 
considerable  stock,  to  which  his  farm  is  especially  adapted. 

* 
•     • 

^       JAMES  R.  COTTINGHAM,  Opelousas.— James  R.  Cottingham,  planter 

and  stock  raiser,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in   1S40.     He  is  a  son  of  Ucal 

and  Anne  (Portham)  Cottingham,  both  natives  of  South    Carolina,   reared  and 

married  there.       Later,  in   1844,   they  removed  to  Caldwell    parish,   Louisiana, 

where    Ucal  Cottingham  engaged   in  planting.      Mrs.  Cottingliam  died  in  1856. 

Ucal  Cottingham  is  still  living,  and  resides  with  his  son,  our  subject. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  15 

James  R.  Cottingliam  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Caldwell 
parish,  and  began  life  as  a  planter.  In  this  he  was  engaged  in  Caldwell  parish 
until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  St.  Landr}^  parish,  where  he  has  since  had  the 
control  of  an  extensive  cotton  plantation  in  partnership  with  Captain  Blanks,  of 
Caldwell  parish. 

I\[r.  Cottingliam  is  considered  one  of  the  most  methodical  and  successful 
planters  of  the  parish.  He  also  gives  especial  attention  to  the  raising  of  a  fine 
grade  of  stock. 

Mr.  Cottingham  lias  married  three  times;  his  first  wife,  Molly  Neighbors, 
he  married  in  1867.  She  died  four  years  after  marriage,  having  become  the 
mother  of  two  children:  Anna,  wife  of  Frank  Wilson,  Birmingham,  Alabama; 
Russell,  Birmingham,  Alabama.  In  1875  ^^  married  Miss  Laura  Mafield,  who 
died  in  18S7,  the  mother  of  two  children;  and  in  18S8  Mr.  Cottingham  married 
?*rrs.  Ritzell,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  N.  M.  Davis. 

*     * 

H.  P.  COMEAU,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Comeau  was  born  in  Opelousas,  July, 
1S66.  He  is  the  son  of  Clophas  and  Estelle  (Roy)  Comeau,  both  natives  of 
Louisiana.  His  father,  who  is  an  extensive  dealer  in  live  stock,  was  born  in  St. 
Landry  parish  in  1837.  He  was  reared  here  and  educated  in  St.  Charles  Col- 
lege, Grand  Coteau,  Louisiana.  He  has  been  a  planter  and  stock  raiser  all  his 
life.  He  was  colonel  of  a  regiment  from  this  parish,  and  served  all  through  the 
civil  war  in  the  Confederate  arm}^  He  operated  east  of  the  Mississippi,  chiefly 
in  Virginia.  The  whole  Comeau  famihr  are  Roman  Catholics.  His  great-grand- 
father was  one  of  the  exiled  Acadians  who  located  in  Louisiana.  Mrs.  Comeau 
died  in  1868. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  began  life  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  as  a 
butcher,  in  Opelousas.  In  this  business  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Comeau  owns  and  operates  the  Opelousas  Meat  Market  at  this  place,  which 
was  built  in  1880,  at  a  cost  of  seven  thousand  dollars.  He  is  now  acting  as 
deputy  sheriff  of  St.  Landrj^  parish,  having  been  appointed  by  T-  S.  Fontenot. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  energy  and  enterprise.     He  married,  in  1890,  Miss  Felicia 

Durio,  dauohter  of  D.  and  E.  Durio.  * 

'^^  »     » 

^  CLIFFORD  H.  COMEAU,  Opelous.\s.  — C.  H.  Comeau  was  born  in  St. 
Landry  parish  in  1864.  His  father  and  mother  were  both  natives  of  St.  Landry 
parish.  The  family  is  of  direct  French  origin,  his  grandfather  Comeau  being 
born  in  France.  Mr.  Comeau  is  the  oldest  of  the  family.  He  began  life  as 
a  dealer  in  live  stock.  Since  his  mariage  in  1889,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Boagni,  he 
has  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  his  plantation  interests.  He  has  a  fine  plantation 
of  nearly  one  thousand  two  hundred  acres  near  Opelousas.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  Comeau  is  a  man  of  the  day,  and  is  full  of   business,  push  and  \\m. 


16  SOrVV/Jl 'EST  L  OUISIAXA  : 

V  THEODORE  COREIL,  Ville  Platte  —Theodore  Coreil,  a  leading 
merchant  and  citizen  of  Viile  Platte,  is  a  native  of  the  parish  where  he  now 
resides.  He  was  born  in  1852.  His  father  B.  M.  Coreil,  was  a  native  of  France, 
and  his  mother,  H.  J.  Soileau  Coreil,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  of  French  extrac- 
tion. B.  M.  Coreil  was  for  manj'  years  a  citizen  of  St.  Landr}-  parish.  He 
served  as  mavor  of  Ville  Platte  for  a  period  aggregating  fifteen  years.  He  died 
in  1873.  Mrs.  Coreil  died  in  1865.  Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

Theodore  Coreil  was  married  in  St.  Landr\-  parish,  November  25,  1873,  to 
Miss  Mary  D.  Fontenot,  of  this  parish. 

He  began  the  mercantile  business  in  1874  ^^  this  place.  He  does  a  large 
business.     He  is  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  a  progressive  citizen. 

JOHN  D.  CURRIE.  Vii.le  Platte.— Mr.  Currie  is  a  native  of  Missis- 
sippi, born  in  Adams  county,  February  28,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  Rev.  Daniel 
and  Elizabeth  (Hosea)  Currie.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and 
his  mother  of  Mississippi.  Thej'  were  married  in  Mississippi  and  became  the 
parents  of  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  only  surviving 
member  of  the  familv.  Rev.  Daniel  Currie  was  a  minister  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  and  a  school  teacher.  He  died  in  Mississippi  in  1850,  and  his  wife 
died  the  same  year. 

John  D.  Currie  was  married  in  St.  Landry  parish,  April,  1875,  to  Miss 
Amelia  Grinn,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  the  daughter  of  George  and  Christina 
Grinn,  natives  of  Switzerland  and  Bavaria,  respectively.  George  Grinn  emi- 
grated from.  Europe  to  Indiana,  and  from  there  to  Louisiana,  where  he  resided 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran   church. 

Upon  first  going  into  business  for  himself  Jno.  D.  Currie  was  book-keeper 
for  Hajes  &  Co.  He  entered  the  mercantile  business  at  Ville  Platte  in  j£>nu- 
ary.  1884,  and  he  now  carries  a  stock  of  goods  of  about  $5000.  In  connection 
with  his  mercantile  business  he  operates  a  large  cotton  gin. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Currie  are  the    parents    of    five    children,  viz:    Christina,  Currie, 

''deceased)  Hosea.  Lizzie,  Carria.  » 

*     * 

^  J.  B.  CLEMENTS,  Opelousas. — J.  B.  Clements,  of  the  insurance  firm 
of  Clements  &  Bros.,  was  born  in  New  Orleans  In  1849.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  in  this  city.  He  was  for  several  years  on  the 
road  as  traveling  solicitor  for  a  stationery  establishment  of  New  Orleans.  Some 
time  since  he  came  to  Opelousas  where  he  associated  himself  in  the  insurance 
business   with  Judge  Morris :    and  upon   his   death   he   continued  the  business  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  19 

his  own  name.  He  represents  the  following  well-known  companies:  Liverpool, 
London  and  Globe  Insurance  Company,  Mechanics  and  Traders  Insurance 
Company,  Sun  Mutual,  St.  Paul,  Securit}%  and  other  companies. 

He  married  Nina,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  T.  H.  Lewis,  of  Opelousas. 

To  them  have  been  born  four  children,  Henry.  Florence,  Lilian  and  Ethel. 

* 
*     » 

"^  W.  F.  CLOPTON,  Morrow.— Dr.  Clopton  is  a  native  of  Avoyelles 
parish,  Louisiana.  His  father  was  William  Clopton,  a  native  of  Virginia;  and 
his  mother,  Evelina  Griffin,  who  was  of  an  old  Louisiana  famil}'.  William 
Clopton  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in  Virginia,  and  removed 
to  Avo3'elIes  parish  when  comparatively  ayoung  man.  Here  he  located,  married, 
and  devoted  himself  to  planting.  He  died  in  1872  at  an  advanced  age.  Mrs. 
Clopton  died  in  1S73  at  the  age  of  forty-fiv^e  years.  Both  were  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Clopton's  family  is  of  the  old  English  cavalier 
stock  which  has  made  Virginia  "  the  mother  of  states  and  statesmen." 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and  received  his 
education,  principally,  at  Bethel  College,  Russellville,  Kentucky.  Shortly  after 
leaving  school  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University-  of  Louisiana 
(now  Tulane  Universitj'),  and  graduated  in  1872.  After  completing  his  course 
he  practised  his  profession  for  a  short  while  in  Hines  county,  Mississippi,  when 
he  returned  to  Louisiana  and  located  in  St.  Landry  parish,  since  which  time  he 
has  practised  his  profession  in  this  place.  Previous  to  the  year  1889,  the  Doctor 
was  located  at  Big  Cane,  Louisiana,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  this  place. 
He  married,  in  1874,  Miss  Julia  Foote,  of  West  Carroll,  Louisiana,  the  accom- 
plished daughter  of  William  and  Sallie  (Parker)  Foote.  The  Doctor  takes 
quite  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  although  he  is  not  an  office  seeker.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.     They  are  the  parents  of  four 

children — two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

* 

^  WM.  CHILDS,  M.  D.,  Opelous.\s.— Dr.  Childs  is  a  native  of  Arkansas, 
born  in  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  Nathan  M.  and  Charlotte  R.  (BeHn)  Childs  ; 
the  former  a  native  of  Alabama,  and  the  latter  of  Florida.  Dr.  Childs  is  one  of 
a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living.  The  Doctor  had 
rather  limited  educational  advantages,  though  he  is  a  scholar.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  attairted  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  when  he  began 
teachmg  in  the  public  schools,  at  the  same  time  pursuing  a  literary  and  medical 
course.  In  1877  he  entered  the.  office  of  Dr.  Young,  where  he  pursued  a 
course  of  study,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  the  University  of  Louis- 
iana, being  compelled  to  sacrifice  what  little  personal  property  he  had  in  order 
to  pay  the  e.xpensesof  his  first  course  of  lectures. 

He  graduated  and  received  his  degree  in  1879.  after  which  he  began  the  prac- 


20  SOrT/nrBST  LOTIS/AXA: 

tice  of  his  profession  in  St.  Landry  parisli.  In  April,  1S79,  ^^^  removed  to  Port 
Barre,  where  he  remained  until  April  i,  1882,  when,  on  account  of  the  overflow,  he 
had  to  remove  his  famil}'.  He  sold  his  propert}'  there  and  removed  to  his  pres- 
sent  location,  where  he  had  previously  purchased  a  tract  of  prairie  land,  to  which 
he  has  added,  until  he  now  owns  a  fine  plantation  of  from  six  to  seven  hundred 
acres.  In  1887  he  erected  the  finest  residence  in  this  portion  of  St.  Landry. 
He  had  previously  paid  his  chief  attention  to  raising  cotton  and  corn  on  his 
plantation;  but  of  recent  years  he  has  turned  his  attention  chiefly  to  stock  raising, 
in  order  that  it  may  interfere  as  little  aspossible  with  liis  professional  work.  He 
married,  December  23,  1879,  Mary  C.  Young,  a  native  of  St.  Landry,  and  a 
daughter  of  Stephen  W.  and  Marj'  A.  (Richards)  Young.  To  this  union  there 
have  been  born  six  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living.  In  October,  1888, 
Dr.  Childs  began  a  mercantile  business,  which  he  has  since  conducted  with  suc- 
cess. He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  of  which  he  is  clerk.  The 
doctor  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  practice,  which  pays  him  a  hand- 
some income.  * 

V  MARTIN  CARRON,  Seeleyville.— Mr.  Carron  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry 
parish,  born  near  Washington,  November,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Elienne  and 
Artmease  (Chartran)  Carron,  both  natives  of  St.  Landr}'.  Our  subject  is  one 
of  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  at  Washington,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  George  McCann,  of  New  Orleans,  where  he  learned  the  machinist's 
trade.  He  remained  with  Mr.  McCann  about  two  years,  and  completed  his 
apprenticeship  on  the  river. 

In  1880  he  opened  a  shop  on  his  plantation,  and  now  makes  and  repairs  all 
kinds  of  machinery.  He  also  conducts  an  agency  for  the  sale  of  farm  imple- 
ments. 

He  married,  in  1S67,  Elizabeth  Chachere,  daughter  of  Constance  and 
Celestine  (Lavergne)  Chachere,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Landry,  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  here.  Mr.  Carron  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  two 
daughters;  Zoe  E.,  wife  of  R.  V.  Richards;  and  Minerva  E.  In  1862  Mr.  Car- 
ron enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  service,  first  in  Fuller's  Company,  after- 
ward assigned  to  duty  with  the  Crescent  Regiment.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Bisland  and  Mansfield,  and  was  in  many  other  minor  engagements. 
During  his  service  with  Captain  Fuller,  he  was  on  gun-boats  and  took  part  in  a 
number  of  marine  engagements.  He  received,  during  his  service,  two  or  three 
slight  wounds,  but  was  never  seriously  injured.  He  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1874,  ^"*^  ^"  ^^^^  capacity 
served  four  years.  In  1879  '^"^  ^^''^^  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
afterward    a    member   of  the  Constitutional  Convention,  in    1880.       In    1SS7  he 


niSrORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  21 

was  appointed  member  of  the  Police  Jury.  lie  is  a  member  of  tlie  Farmers' 
Alliance  and  has  been  President  of  Union  No.  47S.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  Carron  lias  a  beautiful  plantation  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
acres,    which    is    located    in   St.  Landry  and  the    adjoining    parish    of    Acadia, 

upon  which  he  raises  rice,  corn,  and  various  other  cereals. 

* 

•^  E.  J.  CONWAY,  St.  Landrv. — Edward  J.  Conwaj-  is  probably  the  most 
extensive  stock  raiser  in  St.  Landr}'  parish.  His  beautiful  prairie  plantation, 
consisting  of  a  largfe  tract  of  land,  is  well  stocked,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
desirably  located  places  in  this  section.  Mr.  Conway  is  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  in  St.  James  parish  in  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  Captain  Thomas  and 
Clementine  Conway.  Capt.  Thos.  Conway  is  a  native  of  Alexandria,  Va.,  and 
received  his  education  at  that  place,  removing  to  Louisiana  in  1855,  where  he 
married,  and  was  for  many  years  engaged  as  captain  on  a  Mississippi  steam- 
boat. He  now  resides  in  New  Orleans,  and  is  Marine  Inspector  for  the  Crescent 
and  Teutonia  Insurance  Companies  of  that  cit\-.  There  is  a  romance  connected 
with  the  origin  of  the  Conway  family  in  America,  which  may  be  interesting  to 
briefly  relate. 

Our  subject's  grandfather,  Robert  Conway,  was  a  native  of  Wales,  and_ 
located  in  \'irginia  when  a  young  man.  The  first  of  the  Conway  family,  on  the 
mother's  side,  of  whom  we  have  an}'  account  in  America,  was  Maurice  Conway, 
who  came  from  Ireland  to  act  as  Secretar}^  of  State  for  Mr.  O'Reilley,  who  was 
then  Governor  General  of  Louisiana  under  the  Spanish  regime.  He  came  to 
Louisiana  at  the  solicitation  of  Governor  General  O'Reilley,  whohad  previously 
arranged  that  he  should  marry  some  lad}'  whom  he  had  selected  in  New  Orleans, 
but  in  this  he  was  disappointed,  as  Mr.  Conway  brought  with  him  a  wife  and 
two  children.  Seeing  the  great  displeasure  which  he  had  unwittingly  incurred 
in  not  being  able  to  act  according  to  the  Governor's  desires,  lie  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  Mississippi  River  from  the  Homer  Indians,  on  which  he 
located.  Here  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  To  him  the  Conway  family 
of  Louisiana  traces  its  ancestr}-. 

Edward  J.  Conway  was  reared  and  principally  educated  in  New  Orleans. 
He  completed  his  education  at  St.  Mary's  College  in  that  city.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  studies,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  was  for  some  time 
engaged  with  different  wholesale  grocery  houses  there.  In  the  y6ar  1884  he 
removed  to  St.  Landry  parish  and  began  planting.  In  1886  he  married  Miss 
Adella  Dai  re,  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  a  daughter  of  Prosper  and 
Lucia  (Fontenot)  Daire. 

Mr.  Conway  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  planters  and  stock  raisers  of  his 
section.     He  has  on  his  land  from  five  to  six  thousand  head  of  c»ttle,  besides 


22  SOUTHWEST  L  OLTS/AXA  : 

quite  a  number  of  horses  and  mules.  lie  is  a  tliorougli-going  business  man,  and 
his  success  in  life  is  greatly  due  to  the  push  and  energy  which  characterizes  all 
his  efforts.  * 

^  HENRY  MAYS  CAGE,  Washington.— Henry  Hays  Cage  is  a  native  of 

Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana,  born  in  the  J'ear  iS6o.  His  father,  Albert  G. 
Cage,  was  a  native  of  Louisiana  and  an  extensive  sugar  planter.  He  was  quite  a 
prominent  man  in  Terrebonne  parish;  served  at  different  times  as  sheriff  of  his 
parish,  and  represented  it  twice  in  the  State  Senate.  He  died  in  1870  at  tlie 
age  of  foity-three  j-ears. 

H.  H.  Cage  is  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  six  children,  three  brotheis  and  three 
sisters.  He  was  reared  and  received  his  preparatory  education  in  Louisiana, 
and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  entered  the  Virginia  Militar}'  Institute,  at  Alexan- 
dria, where  he  took  a  three  years"  course.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  educa- 
tion he  returned  to  Louisiana  and  embarked  in  a  mercantile  business  at  Homer. 
In  this  pursuit,  however,  he  was  not  successful ;  and,  aft'er  following  it  for  about 
three  years,  he  gave  it  up  and  became  manager  of  an  extensive  sugar  plantation, 
which  he  operated  for  about  two  years.  After  this  he  spent  about  three  jears 
in  New  Mexico,  where  he  had  large  stock  interests.  In  1889  he  came  to  this 
place  (Pleasant  Hill  plantation)  and  took  charge  as  manager.  The  plantation 
is  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  valuable  in  this  section,  and  under  his  manage- 
ment it  pa3's  a  handsome  dividend.  Mr.  Cage  is  a  refined  and  cultured  gentle- 
man, and  is  an  ornament  to  the  social  circles  in  which  he  moves. 

* 

^  HON.  C.  C.  DUSON,  Opelousas.— Hon.  C.  C.  Duson,  State  Senator] 
from  the  Twelfth  Senatorial  District,  composed  of  St.  Landry  and  Acadia,  wasi 
born  on  the  Mermentau  River,  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  August  31,  1846. 
The  history  of  C.  C.  Duson's  father,  Cornelius  Duson,  as  he  was  known  inj 
Louisiana,  and  the  m^'stery  so  long  thrown  around  his  real  family  name,  soundsl 
more  like  a  legend  culled  from  the  days  of  romance,  or  of  knight  errantry,  than 
the  actual  life  of  a  citizen  in  this  prosaic  nineteenth  century.  He  was  born 
at  Point  Levis,  opposite  the  city  of  Quebec,  Canada,  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River, 
June  8,  1819.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the  family  of  si.x  sons,  and  when  the 
French  rebelled  against  the  English  government,  in  1837,  all  his  familjs  except 
himself,  were  found  to  be  ultra  English  loyalists.  But  our  3'oung  hero  of 
seventeen  years  had  a  bosom  friend  and  companion,  one  S.  Lombert,  whom, 
he  had  learned  to  love  from  childhood.  Through  Lombert's  influence  he 
was  induced  to  join  the  French  revolutionists  :  and  as  soon  as  this  fact  reached 
the  ears  of  his  family,  Cornelius  Duson  was  called  before  a  family  council, 
consisting  of  his  father  and  five  brothers.  They  remonstrated  with  and  begged 
him  not  to  disgrace  their  time-honored  family  name  by  joining  in  an  attempt  to 


p 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  23 

overthrow  liis  government.  They  stated  to  him  that  if  not  killed  during  the  in- 
surrection, if  the  French  cause  was  lost,  he  would  be  forced  to  suffer  capital 
punishment  for  treason;  further,  that  his  oldest  brother,  John,  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  watch  for  all  persons  suspected  of  treasonable  designs  and  report 
them  to  the  officials,  and  that  if  he  did  not  change  his  course  his  brother  would 
be  forced  to  take  him  in  surveillance.  But  Cornelius  Duson  had  his  course 
mapped  out,  and  his  convictions  were  too  strong  to  be  changed.  He  stated  to 
his  people  that  if  the  French  cause  was  lost  they  should  never  hear  of  him  till 
the  grass  grew  green  over  his  grave.  Having  thus  delivered  himself,  Corne- 
lius Duson,  his  companion,  S.  Lombert,  and  eight  comrades  started  from  their 
homes  on  an  expedition  far  up  the  Ottawa  River,  to  preach  rebellion  and  raise 
forces  among  the  woodmen  and  trappers.  This  adventure  was  cut  short  b}' 
eight  of  the  ba^id  of  ten  being  captured  by  the  English  soldiers.  Cornelius  Du- 
son, however,  escaped,  and  went  far  up  the  tributaries  of  the  Ottawa  River. 
He  soon  learned  that  his  comrades  were  imprisoned  at  the  town  of  Ottawa, 
and  that  the  jailer  was  an  Irishman.  Going  to  Ottawa,  then  a  small  town, 
he  formed  the  jailer's  acquaintance,  thinking  to  engage  him  in  a  "  drinking 
bout."'  The  wily  jailer  indulged  only  moderately,  and  would  taste  not  a  drop 
around  the  jail.  After  thev  had  returned  from  a  dram  shop  to  the  jail,  he  sus- 
pected evil  designs  in  his  new  acquaintance  and  ordered  him  away.  Corne- 
lius Duson  had  thrown  his  large  hunter's  cap  on  a  heap  of  wood  in  the  jail  on 
entering,  and,  when  ordered  away,  ostensibl}'  reaching  for  his  cap,  he  picked  up 
a  stick,  knocked  the  jailer  down,  and  secured  the  keys  from  his  person,  and 
helped  his  companions  to  make  their  escape. 

The}-  then  at  once  decided  to  make  their  way  to  tlie  United  States  as  quickly 
as  possible.  With  this  in  view,  they  went  to  Kingston,  which  was  then  simply 
a  ferrj-.  The  ferry  boat  was  run  by  Duson's  cousin.  He  utilized  every  avail- 
ing argument  and  means  in  the  attempt  to  engage  him  to  ferry  them  over  to  the 
United  States  shore  ;  but  fear  of  the  English  government  prevented  him  from 
doing  so.  As  a  last  resort  the  party  cut  the  boat  loose,  and  ferried  it  across 
themselves,  reaching  the  opposite  shore  far  below  the  usual  landing.  They  were 
pursued  by  the  soldiers,  and  some  of  the  partj' killed.  Cornelius  Duson  escaped, 
though  severel}'  wounded  from  a  musket  ball,  shot  through  his  thigh.  He 
secreted  himself  in  the  hut  of  a  woodman  until  he  recovered  from  his  wound, 
after  which  he  made  liis  way  to  Boston,  Mass.  There  he  found  that  a  reward  was 
offered  for  him  by  the  English  government.  Upon  hearing  this  he  determined 
to  travel  further  south,  finally  landing  on  the  Mermentau  River,  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  Louisiana,  near  Lake  Arthur.  He  here  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a 
seafaring  captai/i  by  the  name  of  John  Webb,  a  native  of  Essex,  England, 
and  a  pioneer  on  the  Mermentau.  He  lo\'ed  and  married  John  Webb's  daughter, 
when    she    was    but    fifteen    years    of  age.     The  union    was  blessed  with  five 


24  sorvv/WEsr  LOrVS/.LVA: 

children,  of  whom  Hon.  C.  C.  Duson  is  tlie  eldest.  Cornelius  Duson  afterward 
followed  the  trade  of  tanner  and  saddler,  and  lived  his  latter  days  in  St.  Martin's 
parish.  He  often  related  the  story  of  his  j'outhful  experiences  to  his  famil}',  and 
how,  among  other  things,  his  brother  Michael  broke  an  engagement  to  marry  his 
boon  companion's  (S.  Lombert)  sister,  because  of  the  loyalty  of  the  family  to  the 
French  cause.  He  gave  his  famih-  the  full  history  of  his  people,  of  where  they 
lived  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River  ;  of  their  having  established  large  lumber  interests 
and  saw-mills,  which  had  been  in  the  family  for  so  man}-  long  yearl,  but  of  the 
mystery  of  the  name  he  bore  he  breathed  not  a  word.  He  had  often  told  his  wife 
that  when  he  died,  he  desired  her  to  send  his  sons  to  visit  those  from  whom  he 
had  separated  himself  through  his  loyalty  to  a  cause  he  believed  to  be  right. 
When  he  was  ill  he  would  tell  his  ph3-sician  that  he  could  not  afford  to  die  with- 
out knowing  of  it  beforehand:  so  it  was  evident  that  he  had.  something  of 
moment  to  reveal,  but  what  that  sometliing  was  could  be  judged  with  no  degree 
of  certainty  until  recent  j-ears,  as  Cornelius  Duson  died  suddenl\-— away  from 
home — in  the  3'ear  1857. 

Things  remained  in  this  condition  until  1SS4,  when,  at  his  mother's  solicita- 
tion, and  to  fulfill  his  father's  request,  Hon.  C.  C.  Duson  and  his  brother,  W. 
W.  Duson,  made  a  visit  to  Canada  and  hunted  out  the  places  of  which  they  had 
so  often  heard  their  father  speak.  They  first  went  to  the  old  sweetheart  of  their 
father's  brother  Michael,  having  secured  her  marriage  name.  Senator  Duson 
asked  her  if  she  did  not  once  have  a  lover  by  the  name  of  Michael  Duson,  and 
related  the  incident.  She  said  she  had  never  before  heard  that  name  ;  but  that 
she  was  once  engaged  to  Michael  McNaughton,  with  whom  she  fell  out.  Thus 
baffled,  the  Senator  and  his  brother,  proceeded  to  the  house  of  S.  Lombert, 
the  companion  of  their  father's  earlier  3'ears,  certain  they  would  at  once 
learn  all ;  but  when  they  mentioned  the  name  Duson  he  said  he  was  sure 
he  had  never  heard  it  before.  Senator  Duson  insisted  that  Lombert  and 
his  father  had  often  rowed  together  the  same  boat  and  played  at  the  same  games 
when  boys,  and  that  when  on  the  verge  of  manhood  they  had  enlisted  in  the  politi- 
cal scheme  which  was  the  cause  of  their  separation.  But  still  the  old  man  insisted 
that  he  had  never  before  heard  the  name  Duson.  Senator  Duson  then  repeated 
the  story  of  liis  father's  political  adventure,  and  how  Lombert  had  induced  him 
to  join  the  French,  repeating  the  christian  names  of  his  father's  brothers.  'Tvvas 
then  the  feeble  old  man  burst  into  tears,  and  with  an  effort  rose  to  his  feet  and 
said  "No,  no!  I  see  it  all  now;  you  are  Con's  children"  (Con,  abbreviation  for 
Cornelius).  "Your  name  is  not  Duson,  but  McNaughton;  let  me  lead  you  to 
your  people."  The  Duson  brothers  were  thunderstruck.  Senator  Duson,  with 
his  characteristic  readiness,  retorted,  "No,  if  my  father  has  had  sufficient  reason 
to  change  his  name,  and  there  is  something  dark  in  the  background,  I  will  never 
see  my  people !"     But  the  old  man  soon   assured  him  that   the   rebels  of  1837 


///S'rOKJCAL  AXD   BIOGRAPJIICAL.  25 

were  the  patriots  of  1884;  that  tlie  McNaughton  famil}-  had  long  since  procured 
a  pardon  from  the  English  government  for  their  brother  Cornelius  Duson  Mc- 
Naughton, and  had  sent  agents  to  Boston  and  elsewhere  and  advertised  for  him 
in  all  directions,  but  all  in  vain. 

The  Dusons  spent  several  months  visiting  their  people  in  Canada,  whom 
they  found  to  be  wealthy-  and  among  the  most  cultured  people  in  Canada.  They 
returned  home  with  the  intelligence  that  they  are  McNaughtons,  and  not 
Dusons,  and  that  instead  of  being  of  French  blood  they  are  purely  Irish-Scotch 
Canadians  ;  their  grandfather,  William  McNaughton,  having  been  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  settled  in  Canada.  As  subsequently  ascertained,  the  father  of  the 
Duson  family  dropped  the  McNaughton  part  of  his  name  on  leaving  Boston, 
Mass.  It  was  further  learned  that  he  had  a  confidential  friend  in  St.  Martins 
parish,  who  repeatedly  visited  the  neighborhood  in  Canada  where  the  Mc- 
Naughtons lived,  and  that  under  a  pledge  to  Cornelius  Duson  he  kept  him 
always  informed  of  all  particulars  concerning  the  McNaughton  famil}'  in 
Canada,  but  never  divulged  his  secret  to  them.  Cornelius  Duson  McNaughton 
knew  of  his  people  advertising  for  him,  and  of  their  securing  the  pardon  from 
the  English  government :  but  with  terrible  determination  he  kept  his  vow,  and 
his  people  never  did  hear  of  him  till  *•  green  grew  the  grass  over  his  grave." 

Hon.  C.  C.  Duson  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  common  school 
education.  lie  commenced  his  official  career  as  deput}'  sheriff  of  St.  Landry 
parish  under  Sheriff  Hayes,  in  1866,  and  served  until  1873,  when  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  St.  Landry,  and  served  for  fourteen  consecutive  years,  when  he 
resigned  the  office  to  accept  the  position  of  State  Senator.  The  appreciation  of 
these  long  years  of  service  by  the  people  of  St.  Landry  is  shown  in  the  fact 
that  the  last  time  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  office,  Mr.  Duson  received,  in  a  total 
of  six  thousand  two  hundred  votes,  a  majority  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  forty-three  over  a  strong  candidate.  No  other  man  in  the  same  capacity  in 
the  State  of  Louisiana  ever  gained  the  reputation  that  Mr.  Duson  did  during 
iiis  fourteen  years'  service  as  sheriff. 

One  of  the  first  things  he  accomplished  was  the  breaking  up  of  organized 
bands  of  outlaws  who  had  for  years  scourged  the  country  and  baffled  all  attempts 
to  execute  the  law.  In  doing  this  he  has  followed  criminals  to  the  border  of 
Mexico,  into  the  mountains  of  the  Indian  Territory,  and  as  far  north  as  Illinois. 
He  had  three  desperate  fights  in  his  attempts  to  capture  fugitives  from  justice; 
he  was  at  different  times  the  target  for  the  bullets  of  those  whose  only  chance 
of  escape  from  their  just  deserts  lay  in  his  removal  from  their  path.  A  recital 
of  some  of  his  accomplishments  in  tins  capacity  will  prove  interesting.  When 
he  was  acting  deput)'  under  Sheriff  Hayes,  1872,  with  two  other  deputies  lie 
tracked  the  Guilroy  brothers,  noted  criminals,  who  had  long  defied  the  law,  to 
Catahoula  parish.     There  a  fight  ensued,  in  which  eight  shots  were  fired— three 


-2r,  so UTIIW 'ES T  L  O  L  VS/.1  A'A  : 

by  the  Guilrb3's  and  five  by  the  deputies,  terminating  in  tlie  deatli  of  botli  of  the 
Guilroy  brothers.  August  3,  1875,  Mr.  Duson  captured  Louis  Rosseau,  guilty 
of  murder,  in  the  Creek  nation.  August  10,  1875,  a  requisition  was  placed  in 
his  hands  for  the  a[iprehension  of  John  Slane,  for  a  heinous  crime.  After  a 
pursuit  of  twenty-nine  days,  he  caught  Slane  in  Western  Texas,  near  San  Saba. 
In  1879,  '^^  pursued  two  horse  thieves,  and  captured  them,  after  fifteen  days' 
search,  at  Bonham,  Texas.  One  of  the  men  was  guiltj-  of  murder  in  Texas, 
and  indicted  in  Arkansas  for  mail  robber}-.  The  other  had  just  been  tried  in 
Rapides  parish  for  the  murder  of  a  negro.  In  March,  1S80,  a  requisition  was 
issued  for  the  arrest  of  one  John  Sonnier,  wlio  had  been  indicted  for  murder  in 
St.  Landry  and  Calcasieu,  and  wlio  liad  been  a  fugitive  since  Jul)',  187 1.  Man}' 
fruitless  efforts  had  been  made  to  capture  him,  as  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  wily  and  dangerous  men  that  ever  lived  in  Southwest  Louisiana.  Through 
diligent  and  persistent  inquiry  Mr.  Duson  finally  learned  that  he  was  in  Brazoria 
county,  Texas.  He  at  once  started  for  that  place  to  capture  him,  dead  or  alive. 
In  company  with  Sheriff  Noble  and  Deputy  Sheriff  Faut.  of  Harris  county, 
Texas,  he  traced  him  to  a  convict  camp,  where  Sonnier  was  guarding  prisoners 
under  the  name  of  Miller.  He  was  only  captured  alive  by  grappling  with  him 
before  he  could  use  his  arms.  Sonnier  is  now  serving  a  life  sentence  inthepen- 
tenliarv  at  Baton  Rouge. 

In  March,  1881,  a  requisition  was  issued  by  Gov.  McEnery  on  the  governor 
of  Illinois  for  one  John  Fahey,  who,  in  February,  1881,  had  murdered  and 
robbed  his  fellow-workman  on  the  Payne  plantation  in  this  parish.  Duson,  with 
his  usual  detective  skill,  had  traced  out  John  Fahey's  whereabouts,  and,  armed 
with  his  proper  papers,  went  for  his  man  and  captured  him.  Fahey  is  now  serv- 
in'f  a  life  sentence  in  the  Louisiana  penitentiary.  In  April,  1881,  Gov.  McEnery 
issued  a  requisition  for  the  arrest  of  one  Rhett  Clark,  charged  with  murder. 
Within  fifteen  days  Duson  had  Clark  a  prisoner  at  Fort  Graham,  in  Northwest 
Texas,  and  he  was  brought  back  to  answer  the  charge.  The  last  but  not  least 
important  arrest  made  by  our  champion  sheriff  was  that  of  Lane  and  Brown  for 
the  murder  of  old  man  -Nuby  on  the  Payne  plantation  a  few  years  ago,  when  a 
terrible  fight  ensued,  during  which  thirty- two  shots  were  exchanged,  Duson 
receiving  two  shots  from  Lane's  pistol,  and  killing  Lane  in  a  hand-to-hand  con- 
flict. Brown  was  captured  and  is  now  serving  a  life  sentence  in  the  State  prison 
of  Mississippi.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  tracing  down  and  arresting 
those  noted  criminals  a  rare  detective  skill  and  a  vast  amount  of  energy  and 
courage  was  necessary  to  successfully  carry  them  out. 

Aside  from  his  active  official  life,  Senator  Duson  has  been  a  leading  spirit 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  material  interests  of  this  section  of  the  State.  He 
is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Southwest  Louisiana  Land  Company,  of 
which  mention  is  made  elsewhere,  and  the  organization  of   Acadia  parisli  is  due 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  27 

<Treatly  to  his  influence.  He  and  liis  brother.W.  W.  Duson,  are  among  the  large 
tand  owners  of  Southwest  Louisiana  and  are  the  hirgest  rice  growers  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river. 

Hon.  C.  C.  Duson  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Isora  A.  Andrus,  who  was 
born  in  this  parish.  To  this  union  liave  been  born  eight  children,  viz:  Morton 
E.,  Walter  W..  Rodney  R.,  Clayton  C,  Jesse,  Meta,  Lola  and  George. 

^  \DDISON  DIMMICK.  Opelousas.— Mr.  Dimmick  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
ylvania,  born  in  Susquehanna  county,  July,  1829.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of 
even  children  born  to,  Marshall  and  O.  (Smith)  Dimmick,  natives  of  Connec- 
icut  and  Rhode  Island,  respectively.  Marshall  Dimmick  was  asuccessful  farmer 
"       of  Susquehanna  county.     His  parents   were    pioneer  settlers  ot  this  section  ot 

^"  Thl'subiect  of  our  sketch  was  reared  in  the  county  of  which  his  father  was 
a  native  and  received  his  primary   education  in  the  neighboring  schools        He 
■     completed  his  education  in  1851,  graduating  from  Harford  University      In  1853 
he  n.arried,  in  Susquehanna  county,  Penn.,  Miss  Louisa  Carpenter,  daughter  ot 
Gen     Amherst   Carpenter,    of  the    same    State.     Mr.    Dimmick  removed  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Nebraska  in  1856,  and  in  1857  he  removed  from  there  to  Iowa. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders.of  the  town  of  Onawa,   the  county  seat  of  Monona 
county   Iowa.      In  1861  he  returned  with  his  family  to  Pennsylvania  on  a  visit; 
while    there  he  enlisted  in   the  Army  of  the  Potomac,   under  Gen     Geo.    B. 
McClellan.       He  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  Fan- 
Oaks  and  the  seven  days'  fight  at  Malvern  Hill.     He  became  Second  Lieutenant 
of  Co.  I,  57th  Pennsylvania  .infantry.       He  was  taken  sick  soon  after  the  battle 
of  Fair  Oaks,  and  was  sent  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  from  thence  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.     In  1862  he  returned  with  his 
familv  again  to  his  home  in  Iowa.       Here  he   remained,   engaged  in    farming. 
Prioi- to  The  war  he  had  practised  law  in   this  place,  having  been  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Woodstock,  111.,  in  1855.       He  for  a  while  was  editor  of   a  newspaper  m 
Nebraska,  known  as  the   "  Nebraska  Pioneer,"   and  in    Monona  he  was  editor 
of  the  only  paper  published  in  that  county  for  several  years.       He  removed  to 
S     Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  in  November  of  1875,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  he  now  has  under  cultivation.  His  plan- 
tation is  situated  seven  miles  south  of  Opelousas,  and  is  one  of  the  hues   in  ^le 
parish        Mr.  Dimmick  also  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  mising  of  stock 
He    owhas  on  his  plantation  from  two  to  three  hundred  head  of  cattle   and 
about  seventy-five  head  of  horses  and  mules.     He  is  a  member  of   the  masonic 
fraternity  and  is  government  statistician  for  the  parish  ot  St.  Landry. 


28  SO  irjil  WES  T  LO  UISIA  XA  : 

^  HON.  GILBERT  L.  DUPRE,  Opelousas.— Gilbert  L.  Dupiv,  repre- 
sentative of  St.  Landry  parish  in  the  State  House  of  Representatives,  and  a 
successful  attorney  of  Opelousas,  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry,  born  September  ::o. 
1S58.  His  great-grandfather,  Jacques  Duprc,  was  a  pioneer  of  St.  Landry 
parish,  and  a  man  of  extensive  influence  and  wealth.  He  was  Governor  of 
the  State  about  the  year  1830;  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  in  the  forties, 
and  was  at  one  time  Presidential  Elector  from  his  district.  He  was  a  cattle 
king  and  extensive  cotton  planter.  His  grandson,  Lucius  J.  Dupre,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  a  graduate  of  belles  lettres  from  the  University  of  Vircrinia. 
and  also  a  law  graduate  from  the  University  of  Louisiana.  He  became  one 
of  the  most  prominent  attorneys  of  the  State,  and  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
then  Fifteenth  Judicial  District;  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conyention 
of  1861;  entered  the  Confederate  States  service  as  a  private  in  the  Ei'^hteenth 
Louisiana  Regiment,  but  was  transferred  by  the  votes  of  the  people  to  the  Con- 
federate States  Congress,  where  he  served  with  distinction  for  a  period  of  four 
years.  He  died  in  the  maximum  of  his  usefulness  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  fortv- 
seveii  years. 

Gilbert  L.  Dupre  was  ten  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  and. 
having  a  highly  educated  and  refined  mother,  he  was  not  forced  to  pay  strict  at- 
tention to  schooling,  and  his  only  education  was  received  at  home;  but  he  always 
had  a  taste  for  literature  in  a  high  degree,  and  has  acquired  quite  a  literary  educa- 
tion. At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  became  an  employe  in  the  office  of  the  parish 
clerk,  where  he  remained  until  1880.  During  this  time  he  pursued  a  course  of 
law  study,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  Orleans  in  i88r.  After  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  E.  D.  Estilette,  of  the 
Opelousas  bar,  and  there  began  his  practice.  In  June.  1S71,  he  married  the  only 
daugiiter  of  Judge  Estilette.  The  result  of  his  iiappy  union  is  four  children : 
Fannie  Estilette,  Marie  Lucile,  Ethel  May,  and  Gilbert  L..  Jr.  In  1888  Mr. 
Dupre  was  made  the  regular  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for  the  State  Leg- 
islature from  his  parish,  and  his  popularity  is  evinced  in  that  he  received  more 
than  the  party  vote.  He  has  served  with  distinction  in  the  Legislature  and  was 
identified  with  the  leading  measures  of  that  body  during  its  deliberations.  Mr. 
Dupre  is  characterized  by  his  candor  andthe  earnestness  with  which  he  expresses 
his  convictions.  Whatever  political  differences  may  exist,  even  those  opposed 
to  him  admit  that  Mr.  Dupre  acts  from  purely  unselfish  motives  on  all  public 
questions.  As  an  attorney  he  has  a  high  standing.  He  is  at  present  eno-ao-ed  as 
the  attorney  for  the  Southwestern  Louisiana  Land  Company  tind  also  for  the 
New  Orleans  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 

•^  *     * 

CAPT.  LYMAN  J.  DODGE.  Melville.— Capt.  Lyman  J.  Dodge,  the 
oldest   railroad  man  in  the  State,  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,   December  30, 


HISTORICAL   AXn  BIOGRAPHICAL.  29 

1825.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Bullen)  Dodge,  botli  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts. They  were  married  in  New  York  and  removed  to  Kenosha,  Wisconsin, 
where  they  resided  the  remainder  of  tlieir  lives.  John  Dodge  was  an  architect. 
Fie  built  a  great  many  structures  in  Western  New  York.  He  retired  from  business 
when  our  subject  was  a  boy. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  the  youngest  of  four  sons  and  tlirec  daughters, 
lie  graduated  from  a  private  school  near  home.  After  the  completion  of  his 
literary  education  he  commenced  the  study  of  law.  Although  prepared,  he  did 
not  apply  for  admittance  to  the  bar,  but  gave  his  attention  to  railroad  construc- 
tion. In  1849  h^  came  to  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  in  1853  was  superintendent 
of  crib  work  for  the  Jackson  &  New  Orleans  Railroad  Company.  He  was 
afterward  employed  by  the  New  Opelousas  &  Great  Western,  now  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in  the  capacit}- of  road  master:  he  was  connected  with 
the  above  named  railroad  compans*  for  a  period  of  seventeen  vears.  During  its 
occupancy  by  Confederate  troops  he  was  its  Military  Superintendent.  He  also 
commanded  an  engineering  corps  with  the  rank  of  captain.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  nearly  every  road  in  the  State.  His  place  of  residence,  until  18S2. 
was  New  Orleans,  when  he  removed  to  Melville,  St.  Landry  parish,  and 
located.  He  assisted  in  building  the  celebrated  bridge  across  the  ^Vtchafalaya 
River  at  this  place.  Through  his  instrumentality  a  post-office  was  established 
here  and  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  position  he  has  since  filled.  He 
was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Elizabeth  F.  Brantley.  Mrs.  Dodge  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church.     Our  subject  is  a  Knight  Templar,  with  a  membership 

in  New  Orleans.  * 

»     * 

•^  CAPT.  G.  V.  DODEZ,  St.  L.vndrv.— Capt.  G.  V.  Dodez  was  born  in 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  January  S,  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Catharine 
(Jonte)   Dodez,  natives  of  Switzerland  and  France,  respectively. 

Daniel  Dodez  came  to  the  United  States  when  quite  a  boy,  and  some  j'ears 
after  was  married  to  the  above  mentioned  lady  in  the  cit\'  of  Philadelphia. 
They  first  located  in  Lewiston,  Pennsylvania,  whei'e  they  resided  for  about  a 
year;  the}' then  removed  to  Wayne  count}',  Ohio,  in  1849,  and,  while  on  a  visit 
to  New  Orleans,  he  died.  Mrs.  Dodez  survived  him  till  1S86:  both  were  members 
of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Our  subject,  the  youngest  of  nine  children,  spent  his  early  school  days  at 
Mt.  Eaton,  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  and  completed  a  thorough  academic  education  in 
the  high  schools  of  that  State.  He  came  to  New  Orleans  in  1859,  with  the 
idea  of  studying  law  under  C.  V.  Jonte.  but  the  war  interfered,  and  in  1861 
he  joined  the  Confederate.  Guards,  and  was  in  active  service  during  the  whole 
war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  came  to  this  place,  where  he  began  planting, 
and  he  now  owns  an  admirable  plantation  of  seven  hundred  acres,  partially  under 
cultivation. 


;;()  SOr'riIWEST  I.  OVISIAJS'A  : 

He  married,  in  1868,  Martha  M.  Gordon,  daughter  of  Ezekiel  and  M.  M. 
Gordon,  both  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Mrs.  Dodez  died  in  1873.  She 
was  the  mother  of  two  sons,  George  T.  and  LucienG.  Both  are  thoroughly  edu- 
cated and  intelligent  j^oung  men.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  and  also  an  active  Mason. 

/  II.  II.  DESHOTELS,  Washington. —  Mr.  Deshotels  is  an  extensive  planter 

and  merchant,  twelve  miles  west  from  Washington.  He  is  a  native  of  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Ilildevert  and 
Brigette  (Delafosse)  Deshotels,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  was  en- 
gaged during  his  life  as  a  planter.  He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  ser- 
vice, and  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  His  mother  is  still  living. 
The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  his  education  in  this  parish,  completing  his 
course  at  St.  Mary's  Academy,  at  Opelousas.  After  leaving  school  he  was  for  a 
short  wliile  engaged  as  a  clerk  on  the  steamer  "Cleona,"  running  from  Washing- 
ton to  New  Orleans.  After  this  he  was  for  a  period  of  two  years  engaged  in 
planting,  when  he  served  for  a  period  of  three  years  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile 
establishment.  He  married,  in  1868,  Miss  ZeHma  Speyrer,  of  this  parisli,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Speyrer.  In  1877  Mr.  Deshotels  permanently 
located  here,  and  began  planting  and  merchandising,  in  which  he  has  con- 
tinued with  good  success.  He  owns  a  fertile  plantation  and  does  a  good  mer- 
cantile business.  He  is  a  representative  citizen,  and  has  done  much  for  the 
advancement  of  his  communit}-. 
|,  *     » 

ARTHUR  DEJEAN,  Opei.ous.\s. — Arthur  Deje^in  constable  of  Opelousas, 
was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  1852.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  and  U.  (Roy) 
Dejean,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  this  parish.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  was 
reared  here.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  place.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  the  old  home  plantation  near  Opelousas  until  1890, 
when  he  was  elected  town  constable.  He  also  served  as  ex-officio  town  tax 
collector. 

Mr.  Dejean  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  St.  Landry  par- 
ish, his  family  being  of  the  banished  Canadian  french  settler. 

Mr.  Dejean  has  never  married.     He  is  a  devoted  Roman  Catholic-. 
J  »     * 

NOTLEY  C.  DEVILLIERS,  Noti.kyvii.li:.  —  Notley  C.  Devillers,  a 
prominent  citizen  and  representative  of  an  old  and  distinguished  family,  was 
born  near  where  he  now  resides,  February  14,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Antoine 
C.  and  Melicaire  (Bordelon)  Devilliers,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Landr}- 
parish.  Antoine  C.  DeviUiers  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years :  his  wife 
.survived  him  until  1868,  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  j-ears. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  31 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  spent  his  school  days  in  St.  Landry,  and  received  a 
good  classical  education.  In  September,  iS6i,  he  enlisted  at  Opelousas,  Louisi- 
ana, in  Capt.  L.  H.  Garland's  company  of  the  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry,  in 
which  he  served  until  May,  1865,  as  an  orderly  in  the  ranks.  He  was  at  the 
battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Camp  Bisland.  At  Natchitoches  he  was  taken 
prisoner  and  retained  a  short  time  at  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  paroled.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Devilliers  saw  the  necessity  of  going  to  work,  his  es- 
tate having  suffered  heavily  from  the  depredations  of  the  war.  His  father  left 
him  a  patrimony  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  dollars,  which  he  expended  for 
live  stock.  By  Mr.  Devilliers'  practical  management,  economy  and  enterprise, 
he  has  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  considerable  amount  of  propert}-.  In  1881 
he  opened  a  store  in  the  town  of  Notleyville,  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  His' 
plantation  on  Bayou  Teche  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  section.  Mr.  Devilliers  was 
married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Amyrithe  Devilliers,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  seven 
liviner  children. 


'■^  LUCIUS  DAVID,  St.  Landry.— Lucius  David,  a  son  of  J.  B.  and  Elmire 
(Breaux)  David,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  as  were  his  paients.  J.  B.  David  was 
a  prominent  citizen  of  S.  Landry  parish,  and  at  different  times  filled  the  position 
of  justice  of  the' peace,  assessor,  and  was  sheriff  of  the  parish  f6r  four  years. 
He  died  in  1867,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  186S.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Catholic  church. 

Young  Lucius  received  an  education  such  as  the  schools  of  his  section 
afforded,  and  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  lie  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Eighth 
Louisiana  Infantiy,  and  served  during  the  war  in  the  division  which  Stonewall 
Jackson  commanded.  He  was  in  some  of  the  most  closely  contested  engage- 
ments of  the  war,  among  which  were  first  and  second  Manassas,  and  the  battles 
around  Richmond.  He  was  severely  wounded  in  the  latter  part  of  the  war, 
from  which  he  was  rendered  unable  for  active  service. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  St.  Landry  parish,  where  he  was 
in  the  huckster  business  for  about  one  jear,  and  subsequently  be  began  farming, 
which  business  he  has  since  continued.  He  was  married,  in  1869,  to  Miss 
Agnes  Barousse.  Mr.  David  has  for  a  number  years  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.     He  is  now  president  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  at  West  Bellevue. 


L.  J.  DOSSMANN.  Ville  Platte.— L.  J.  Do.ssmann,  Police  Juror 
from  Ward  7,  is  a  native  of  the  parish,  born  May  29,  1862.  He  is  one  of  a 
family  of  seven  children  born  to  Charles  and  Eleanor  (Fontenot)  Dossmann. 
His    father   was    a    native  of   France,    and    his    mother  of  Louisiana.      Charles 


32  socvv/irBsy /.or/syAA'A: 

Dossman  was  for  several  years  engaged  in  the  liunber  business  and  followed 
steamboating  for  some  time.  He  is  now  an  active  mercliant  of  Dossmann,  this 
parish.     Mrs.  Dossmann  died  in  1S79. 

L.  J.  Dossmann  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Landry  parish,  lie  was 
married,  in  1883,  to  Miss  Octavie  Dardeau,  of  St.  Landry-  parish.  Thev  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  viz  :   Charles  A.,  Eva  and  Lawrence. 

Mr.  Dossmann  began  merchandising  in  iS88on  his  plantation  about  one  mile 
from  Ville  Platte,  and  has  an  e.xtensive  business.  He  carries  a  stock  of  over 
$25,000  worth  of  goods.  He  also  operates  a  grist  mill  and  cotton  gin.  He  owns 
two  hundred  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  raises  corn  and  rice.  He  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  police  jury  in  1888  from  the  Seventh  Ward,  and  is  at  present 
tlie  incumbent  of  that  position.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic 

church.  * 

*      * 

^  ERASTE  DURIO,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Durio,  a  planter  residing  four  miles 
west  of  Opelousas,  was  born  March  i,  1851.  He  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children  born  to  Simon  and  Malene  Durio,  both  natives  of  Louisiana. 
When  Eraste  Durio  was  eight  years  of  age  his  mother 'died,  and  he  was 
reared  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirteen  by  his  brother-in-law,  Pierre 
Mauellire.  At  this  age  he  began  work  for  himself  as  a  farm  hand,  which  he 
followed  for  about  two  j'ears.  He  attended  the  common  schools  and  received  a 
good  business  education.  At  the  age  of  about  eighteen  he  became  an  employe 
in  his  brother's  store,  wliere  he  remained  for  three  years,  when  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Emma  Pitre,  daughter  of  Francois  and  Eliza  (Joubert)  Pitre.  Since  his 
marriage  Mr.  Durio  has  given  his  attention  exclusivel}'  to  planting.  He  has  a 
good  plantation,  upon  which  he  raises  grain  and  stock.  When  it  is  recollected 
that  Mr.  Durio  began  life  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  without  even  a  good  suit  of 
clothes,  his  success  in  life  will  be  more  appreciated.  He  is  certainly  a  self-made 
man.  Mrs.  Durio  died  in  March,  1S76;  and  in  1885  our  subject  married  Delia 
Lauerne.    Two  children,  Octave  and  Lyda,  were  the  result  of  his  first  marriage. 

To  tiie  last  union  liave  been  born  three  children:   May,  Fey  and  Minnie. 

* 

DIOMEL  DURIO,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Durio  is  a  planter  living  near  Opelou- 
sas.     He  is  a  native  of  the  parish  in  which  he  resides,  born  June,  1843. 

Mr.  Durio  received  tlie  best  educational  advantages  in  the  schools  of  the 
neighborhood  in  which  he  was  reared.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  j'ears  he  enlisted 
in  the  Confederate  service.  Compan)'  B,  First  Louisiana  Artillery,  in  which 
regiment  he  served  for  two  years.  In  1S63  he  organized  a  company  of  home 
guarils  in  St.  Landry  parish,  for  defence  against  "bushwhackers."'  After  the  war 
was  over  he  purchased  the  land  where  he  now  resides  and  engaged  in  planting. 

He  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Louisa  Pitre,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Arelel 
(Joubert)  Pitre.     TIu-a'  ha\'e  four  children. 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  3:3 

Mr.  Durio  has  for  four  3^ears  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  ward,  and 
for  lour  years  succeeding  1873  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  in  St.  Landry  par- 
ish.    He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Cathohc  church. 


ADLIN  DURIO,  Arnaudville. — Adlin  Durio  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin 
parish,  born  November  12,  1838.  His  parents,  Alexander  Durio  and  Adline 
(Chautin)  Durio,  were  natives  of  St.  Landry  and  St.  Martin  parishes  respec- 
tively. Alexandria  Durio  was  a  successful  planter  of  St.  Martin  parisli,  was 
prominent  in  local  affairs  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  member  of 
the  police  jury  for  a  number  of  3'ears.  He  died  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four 
years.  Mrs.  Durio  died  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five.  There  were  born  to 
them  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second. 

Adlin  Durio  spent  his  school  days  in  St.  Martin  and  St.  Landrj^  parishes, 
and  received  a  good  practical  education.  Upon  his  father's  death  he  gave  his 
attention  to  planting,  making  a  specialty  of  cotton  and  corn.  In  January  of  1862 
he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service,  and  served  as  Lieutenant  in  Company  G, 
Yellow  Jacket  Battalion,  which,  two  years  later,  was  consolidated  with  the 
Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry.  His  regiment  disbanded  in  Alexandria  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Durio  was  in  many  active  engagements,  among  which 
were  Pleasant  Hill,  Norwood  Plantatioo  and  Mansfield.  At  the  last  named  bat- 
tle he  received  a  gun  shot  wound  in  the  right  limb,  from  which  he  was  disabled 
for  some  time. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  his  capital  consisted  of  a  Confederate  uniform  and 
tliree  hundred  dollars  in  old  debts.  In  1866  he  commenced  planting  on  Bavou 
Teche,  in  St.  Martin's  parish.  The  first  3'earhis  crop  was  destrojed  and  he  was 
compelled  to  sell  his  plantation.  In  1868  he  commenced  a  mercantile  business  with 
a  small  stock  of  goods.  In  this  he  w-as  more  successful,  and  his  efforts  since 
that  time  have  been  attended  with  abundant  success.  His  business  amounts 
annuall}-  to  more  than  $20,000.  Some  years  after  opening  his  mercantile  busi- 
ness he  bought  a  plantation  in  St.  Landrj^  parish,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
until  he  now  owns  twent3'-five  hundred  acres  of  land  on  Ba3'0u  Teche.  In  1888 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  the  town  of  Arnaudville.  He  has  never  aspired  to 
political  honor,  but  has  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in  political  workings.  He 
was  united  in  marriage,  in  1866,  with  Miss  Anis  Giiilbeau,  of  St.  Martin's  parish. 
She  died  in  1881,  having  become  the  mother  of  seven  children,  viz:  Dr.  A.  C. 
of  this  place;  Clara,  Emma,  Ida,  Marie,  Lucie  Regenald,  Lucy.  In  1882  Mr. 
Durio  was  married  a  second  time,  to  Miss  Lizzie  L.  Gilbeau,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  four  children  Aldin,  Jr.,  Carrie,  Anis  and  Henr3'.  Mr.  Durio  and 
family  are  members  of  the  St.  Joseph  Catholic  church  of  this  place. 


34  SO  UTIl  WES  r  L  O  U I  SI  ANA  : 

y  LOUIS  DEBAILLON,  M.  D.,  Villk  Platte.— Dr.  Louis  Debaillon  is  a 
retired  physician  of  Ville  Platte.  He  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  born  Oc- 
tober 4,  i8to.  His  father,  G.  M.  Debaillon,  was  a  native  of  France,  born  in 
Paris  in  1783.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  and  located  in  St.  Landry  parish  when 
a  young  man,  where  he  became  a  leading  citizen.  He  represented  St.  Landry 
parish  in  the  Legislature  for  a  number  of  terms.  Before  he  came  to  America  he 
had  served  in  the  French  Navy.  He  became  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
wealthy  planters  of  St.  Landry  parish  before  his  death,  in  1838.  The  mother  of 
Dr.  Debaillon  died  in  1834. 

Dr.  L.  Debaillon  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  was  for  live 
years  a  student  of  Emmetsburg  College,  Maryland,  and  subsequent!}'  pursued  a 
course  of  medicine  in  the  Medical  College  of  Paris,  from  which  institution  he 
received  his  degree.  He  began  his  professional  career  in  St.  Landr}-  parish,  in 
1836,  and  was  engaged  in  active  practice  until  1889,  when,  feeling  the  weight 
of  his  years,  he  retired  from  his  professional  duties. 

Dr.  Debaillon  was  married  in  1838,  to  Miss  Amy  Toledano,  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  born  in  New  Orleans,  1822.  They  became  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  eight  sons  and  four  daughters. 

The  doctor  has  prospered  financially,  and  owns  considerable  propertx'  in 
St.  Landry  parish. 

The  sub-ject's  maternal  grandfather,  Fontenot,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  the  only  man  at  that  time  who  spoke  English.  lie 
also  spoke  the  Indian  language  fluentl}'. 

Mrs.  Dr.  Debaillon  died  in  this  parish  in  1S57.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church. 

v^  CHRISTOPHER  DIETLEIN,  Opelousas.— Mr.  Dietlein  is  a  native  of 
Bavaria,  German)',  born  in  the  year  1826.  His  father,  John  T..Dietlein,  and  his 
mother,  Christina  Hilbert,  were  both  natives  of  North  Germany.  By  occupa- 
tion, his  father  was  a  farmer.     He  lived  and  died  in  Germany. 

Mr.  Dietlein  was  reared  in  Germany.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  emi- 
grated to  America,  landing  in  New  York,  August  10,  1845.  He  spent  two  years 
in  Pennsylvania  and  then  removed  to  Louisiana.  He  located  permanently  in 
Opelousas  in  1843,  where  he  was  for  many  years  engaged  as  a  cooper. 

In  1847  he  was  married  to  Mary  Christina,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and 
removed  with  her  parents  to  America.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  mercantile 
business  offering  better  inducements  for  the  use  of  his  capital  than  that  in  which 
he  had  formerly  been  engaged,  in  this  Mr.  Dietlein  embarked  and  has  since  con- 
tinued. He  has  one  of  the  largest  mercantile  businesses  in  the  place;  he  owns 
two  stores,  and  he  and  his  son  are  large  stock  holders  in  the  First  National  Bank 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  35 

of  Opelousas.  Mr.  Dietlein  begaa  business  on  a  very  limited  capital,  and  his 
business  capacity  has  manifested  itself  in  the  extensive  business  which  lie  now 
co'nducts. 

He  is  the  father  of  five  children — three  sons  and  two  daughters.  His  eldest 
son,  Antoine  Dietlein,  is  associated  with  his  father  in  business. 

Mr.  Dietlein  and  his  family  are  all  Catholics. 

WALTER  S.  DURKE,  Washington.— Mr.  Durke,  of  the  firm  of  Blake 
&  Durke,  druggists,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  the  year  1861.  He  is  the 
son  of  Michael  Durke  and  Octavia  Lee.  Michael  Durke  was  a  native  of  B;ivaria. 
He  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  that  country  and  removed  to  Louis- 
iana when  a  young  man,  where  he  married  our  subject's  mother.  Mrs.  Durke 
is  of  the  old  Virginia  family  of  Lees,  though  a  native  of  Louisiana.  Her  grand- 
mother was  an  aunt  of  Zachery  Taylor.    Mrs.  Durke  is  still  living  in  Lafayette. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  Louis- 
iana. He  began  active  business  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  in  New  Iberia.  In 
1883  he  came  to  Washington,  where  he  began  a  drug  business  in  partnership  with 
J.  A.  Lee.  Mr.  Lee  subsequently  retired  from  business  and  Thomas  N.  Blake, 
the  present  member  of  the  firm  of  Blake  &  Durke,  took  his  place  in  the  firm. 
Their  business  is  large,  and  demonstrates  the  business  push  and  energy  which 
characterizes  the  individual  members  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Durke  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  progressive  and  energetic  business  men  of  Washington. 

* 

^  JUDGE  E.  D.  ESTILETTE,  Opelousas.— Judge  Estilette  was  born  in 
St.  Landry  parish,  December  19,  1833.  At  an  early  age  he  entered  St.  Charles 
College,  at  Gi-and  Coteau,  where  he  remained  six  years.  He  then  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  after  going  through  the  preparatory  department,  entered  Yale 
College,  taking  a  thorough  classical  course,  and,  in  1857,  graduated,  with  the 
title  of  A.  B. 

He  married  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  Miss  Fannie  T.  Bacon,  of  that 
place.  He  then  returned  with  his  wife  to  his  native  parish,  and  engaged 
m  school  teaching,  at  the  same  time  stud3'ing  law.  In  i860  Judge  Estilette 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  For  a  while  after  returning  from  college  he 
edited  a  paper  known  as  the  "  Opelousas  Patriot,"  an  independent  organ, 
but  favoring  what  was  known  as  the  Cooperative  Party.  This  paper  was  de- 
stro}-ed  by  the  first  invasion  of  the  Federals  in  the  spring  of  1863.  He  then 
turned  his  entire  attention  to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  until  his  appointment, 
in  1865,  as  District  Attorney  of  the  Eighth  Judicial  District,  composed  of  the 
parishes  of  St.  Landrj-,  Calcasieu,  Lafayette  and  Vermilion.  He  succeeded 
himself  in  office,  holding  the  same  position  until  1868.     In  1872  he  was  elected 


3'5  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  St.  Landry,  and  reelected  in  1874.  At  this 
time  Judge  Estilette  took  a  prominent  part  in  what  was  known  as  the  Wheeler 
Compromise,  and,  on  its  adoption,  was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House,  wiiich  re- 
sponsible position  he  held  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office.  He  then 
resumed  the  practice  of  law  and,  in  1887,  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Thirteenth 
Judicial  District,  composed  of  the  parishes  of  St.  Landry  and  Acadia.  In  188S 
he  resumed  his  practice,  which  he  has  closely  followed  since  that  time.  During, 
the  period  of  his  lengthy  practice,  Judge  Estilette  has  been  associated  with  the" 
following  legal  lights:  Late  Judge  John  E.  King,  late  Judge  A.  Bailey,  and  since 
the  year  1880  with  his  son-in-law,  Gilbert  L.  Dupre,  a  promising  lawjer  and  at 
present  member  of  the  Legislature  from  St.  Landry  parish. 

^  H.  E.  ESTORGE,  Opelousas.— H.  E.  Estorge,  Deputy  Clerk  of  the 
District  Court,  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  January  17,  1859.  He 
is  the  son  of  G.  E.  and  Augustine  (Chanin)  Estorge.  G.  E.  Estorge,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish  in  1823.  He  was  educated  in  France 
and  graduated  from  the  school  at  Cahor.  After  completing  his  education  he  re- 
turned to  America  and  became  a  successful  merchant  in  Opelousas,  where  he 
was  engaged  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  entered  the  Confederate 
States  army  and  served  through  the  whole  of  the  struggle.  Like  many  others 
■of  those  who  fought  for  the  "  lost  cause,"  he  returned  home  broken  in  fortune. 
He  accepted  a  position  as  book-keeper,  and  in  this  he  was  engaged  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  in  1872.  The  grandfather  of  H.  E.  Estorge,  Jean  Estorge,  was  a 
native  of  France,  and  emigrated  to  America  and  located  at  Grand  Coteau.  where 
he  was  engaged  in  business  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1836.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Marie  Therese  Cestellie,  and  their  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  five 
children,  of  whom  G.  E.  Estorge,  the  subject's  father,  was  the  oldest.  Our 
subject's  maternal  grandfather,  Gustave  Chanin,  was  also  a  native  of  France. 
He  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Louisiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
business  until  his  death,  in  1870.  His  wife,  our  subject's  grandmother,  Phelo- 
nise  Wyble,  was  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana.  She  died  in  1882. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  the  eldest  child. 

H.  E.  Estorge  was  educated  in  the  local  schools  of  St.  Landry  parish.  The 
first  business  in  which  he  engaged  was  that  of  a  book-keeper.  Mr.  Estorge's 
sterling  ability  was  recognized  by  the  people  of  Opelousas,  and  in  1884  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  town  council,  and  was  reelected  in  1886.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Opelousas.  In  this  office  Mr.  Estorge 
exhibited  his  excellent  executive  power  and  his  administration  as  Mayor  was  a 
satisfactory  and  popular  one.  In  1888  he  accepted  a  more  remunerative  po- 
sition as  deputy  clerk  of  the  District  Court.     He  was  made   clerk  of  the   pofice 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  37 

jury  of  St.  Landry  parish  in  1889,  which  position  he  now  fills  in  conjunction 
with  the  deputy  clerkship.  Mr.  Estorge  is  looked  upon  as  a  rising  man  in  St. 
Landrv  parish  and  the  subject  of  future  honor  at  the  hands  of  the  people.  He 
was  married  January  23,  1879,  ^o  Miss  M.  A.  Robin.  To  them  have  been  born 
four  children,  viz:  Julia  P.,  Mathilde  C,  Mary,  Nita.  He  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

*  * 
^  CHAS.  N.  EALER,  Opelousas.— Chas.  N.  Ealer,  jeweler,  is  a  native  of 
AUentown,  Pennsylvania,  born  January  8,  1S23.  The  farthest  back  that  there  is 
anything  extant  on  the  history  of  the  Ealer  family  are  facts  concerning  Peter 
Ealer,  a  druggist,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  who  was  of  German  extraction, 
probably  born  in  Baltimore.  Peter  Ealer's  son,  John,  was  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject. 

John  Ealer  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  1793,  and  there  he  learned 
the  trade  of  jeweler  and  watch  maker.  He  remained  in  Baltimore  until  about 
1812  or  1813,  when  he  removed  to  AUentown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  entered 
business  for  himself.  In  1815  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catharine  Weis,  born 
1779,  died  1866.  There  were  born  to  this  marriage  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity:  William,  Joseph,  Henry  A.,  Charles  N.  (the  subject  of  this 
sketch),  Mary  and  George.  Of  these,  three  are  living.  John  Ealer  remained 
in  AUentown,  Pennsylvania,  until  1829,  when,  with  his  family,  he  returned  to 
Baltimore,  and  followed  his  business  there  until  1834.  I"  this  year  he  removed 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  died  in  1848.  At  this  place  Joseph,  the  second 
son,  and  Charles  N.,  our  subject,  learned  the  trade  of  their  father. 

Charles  N.  Ealer  alternately  went  to  school,  steamboated,  and  worked  in 
his  father's  store  until  1840.  He  was  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  Missis- 
sippi from  the  head  of  navigation  to  New  Orleans ;  on  the  Illinois,  as  far  as  Peru ; 
on  the  Missouri,  as  far  as  Charieston ;  and  on  the  Ohio  as  far  as  Louisville. 
From  1840  to  1843  Charles  N.  Ealer  worked  at  his  Irade  in  St.  Louis,  and  be- 
came proficient  in  it.  In  1843  he  went  to  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  was  en- 
"■ao-ed  as  a  journeyman  until  1S45,  when  he  removed  to  Opelousas,  and  has  since 
been  in  business  at  this  place.  Mr.  Ealer  was  married,  in  1846,  to  Miss  Helen, 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Chisholm)  MacDonald,  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  Scotland,  born  about  the  year  1790.  John  McDonald  was  for  many 
years  a  seafaring  man,  and  was  aboard  the  "John  Adams"  when  she  ran  the 
blockade  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  1812.  He  was  also  a  civil  engineer,  and  during  a 
portion  of  his  life  gave  his  attention  to  this  calling.  He  and  his  wife  spent  their 
declining  years  in  Opelousas,  dying  in  1870  and  1876  respectively.  Mrs.  Chas. 
N.  Ealer  was  born  in  Cheraw,  S.  C,  1828,  and  was  reared  in  Covington,  Louis- 
iana. She  died  in  Opelousas,  1886.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ealer  became  the  parents 
of  two  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living — Effie — who  is  now   a    resident  of 


38  SO UTII WEST  L  O UISIA NA  : 

this  place.  Helen  Perkins,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Ealer,  was  reared  by  them.  She 
was  a  brilliant  and  accomplished  lady.  She  married  George  L.  Pitate,  only 
living  about  three  months  after  the  birth  of  her  first  child.  From  1863  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  Charles  N.  Ealer  was  Confederate  States  assessor  for  St.  Lan- 
dry parish.  Mr.  Ealer  has  been  especially  active  in  building  up  the  public 
schools  of  St.  Landry  parish.  He  has  been  for  thirteen  consecutive  years  on 
the  board  of  school  directors,  and  is  still  one  of  its  most  active  members.  He 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  highest  authorities  on  all  parish  matters,  being  in 
possession  of  a  remarkably  full  fund  of  accurate  information    pertaining  to   the 

different  departments  of  the  parish. 

* 

*  » 

^  W.  EVANS,  Plaisance.! — Mr.  Evans,  a  successful  merchant  of  Plaisance, 
is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  1863.  He  is  the  son  of  W.  S.  and  Arta  B. 
(Haynes)  Evans,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Kentucky,  where  they  were  raised, 
married  and  became  the  parents  of  ten  children.  They  now  reside  in  Acadia 
parish,  Louisiana. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  removed  to  St.  Landr}^  parish,  Louisiana,  1840, 
locating  in  the  town  of  Plaisance.  Here  he  engaged  in  merchandising,  in  which 
lie  has  prospered.  He  also  owns  and  operates  a  large  combined  cotton  gin  and 
gristmill  at  this  place.  He  is  one  of  the  most  successful  and  influential  business 
men  of  his  neighborhood.  Since  1886  Mr.  Evans  has  been  post-master  at  this 
place. 

He  married,  1886,  Miss  Mamie L.,  daughterofE.  L.andElmira  Blockshea. 
They   are  the  parents    of  two  children — E.  B.  andTheo.  W. 

« 

*  « 

^  T.  S.  FONTENOT,  Opelousas.— Mr.  Fontenot  xvas  born  in  St.  Landry 
parish  in  1S47.  He  is  the  son  of  Simeon  and  Pauline  (DeRouen)  Fontenot. 
The  Fontenot  family  is  one  of  the  historic  Creole  famihes  of  the  State.  They 
have  become  very  numerous  in  this  section,  so  much  so  that  their  number  is 
almost  inestimable. 

Sheriff  Fontenot  was  reared  on  a  plantation  and  educated  in  the  local 
schools.  He  began  mercantile  business  and  planting  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
j-ears.  Although  young,  he  made  his  dual  undertaking  a  success  frmo  the  be- 
ginning, and  has  arisen  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  well-to-do  citizens  of 
St.  Landry  parish.  He  still  owns  his  plantation,  but  has  ceased  to  conduct  the 
mercantile  business.  Although  he  conducted  his  own  business  with  the  most 
minute  preciseness,  he  has  found  time  to  devote  to  public  interests  as  well.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  police  jury  from  1871  to  1874,  ^n<^  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1S78,  where  he  served  until  February  i,  1886,  when  he  re- 
signed.    He  served  during  the  term  that  called  the   Constitutional  Convention, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  39 

for  the  purpose  of  abolishing  the  Louisiana  State  Lotter}',  and  is  one  of  the  most 
uncompromising  opposers  of  the  proposition  to  re-charter  it.  He  acted,  during 
his  long  period  in  the  Senate,  in  concert  with  such  men  as  Cunningham,  Foster, 
Newton,  Parlange,  B.  W.  Marston  and  J.  C.Vance.  The  official  career  of  Mr. 
Fontenot  was  eminently  satisfactory  to  his  constituents,  and  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  St.  Landry  parish  in  the  April  election  of  1888;  his  term  will  expire  in 
1892.  Mr.  Fontenot  was  married,  in  St.  Landry  parish,  to  Miss  Marie  C. 
ITebert,  a  native  of  St.  Landry.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  living  children, 
four  sons  and  four  daughters:  Bertha,  Bathilde,  Ludovic,  Beatrice,  Darius, 
Rhea,  Ariel  and  Joel.  Mr.  F.,  and  his- family  are  stanch  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church.  In  the  contest  for  sheriff,  Mr.  Fontenot  announced 
his  name  only  five  days  prior  to  the  primary  election,  and  although  the  field  had 
already  been  closely  canvassed  by  competing  candidates,  he  received  the  nomina- 
tion bv  acclamation. 

*  * 
V  OZEME  FONTENOT,  Washington. — Ozeme  Fontenot,  planter  and  mer- 
chant, eight  miles  west  from  Washington,  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and 
was  born  where  he  now  resides  in  1846.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexandre  Fontenot 
and  Hyacinthe  Jaubert,  both  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish.  His  father  was  a  mer- 
chant and  planter  on  quite  an  extensive  scale.  He  purchased  and  operated  during 
his  lifetime',  the  plantation  where  his  son  Ozeme  Fontenot  now  resides.  He  was 
one  of  St.  Landry's  most  prominent  citizens,  and  died  in  185 1,  at  the  age  of 
forty-six  years.     Mrs.  Fontenot  survived  him  until  18S1. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  and  received  an  academical  education 
in  St.  Landrj'  parish.  In  1S62,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  left  school  and  enlisted  in 
the  Confederate  States  service,  joining  Company  A,  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry. 
His  field  of  operations  was  principally  in  Louisiana,  and  he  was  in  all  the  chief  bat- 
tles in  which  his  department  was  engaged.  He  surrendered  at  Washington,  Louis- 
siana.  After  the  war  he  returned  home  and  took  charge  of  his  mother's  plantation, 
which  he  purchased  in  1881,  and  has  since  operated  with  success.  He  married, 
in  November,  1865,  Miss  Ernestine  Debaillon,  daughter  of  Dr.  Louis  Debaillon, 
oneof  St.  Landry's  oldest  and  most  honored  citizens.  Mr.  Fontenot,  though  active 
in  political  affairs,  has  never  chosen  to  accept  any  position  of  trust,  preferring  to 
live  a  retired  hfe.  He  is  the  father  of  one  child.  Alma,  wife  of  Dr.  James  H. 
Parker,  of  Ville  Platte,  this  parish.  He  and  his  family  are  all  Catholics.  Mr. 
Fontenot  has  a  beautiful  and  fertile  plantation  of  over  a  thousand  acres  of  land, 
which  he  cultivates  in  cotton.  Mrs.  Fontenot  c^ied  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
eight  vears. 

* 
»     * 

^      O.  B.  FONTENON,  Villk  Plattk.— O.  B.  Fontenon,  a  planter  residing 

in  Ward  7  of  St.  Landry  parisli,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana.     He  was  born    in  St. 


40  6'  O  UTHWES  T  LO  III  SI  A  NA  : 

Landry  parish,  November  28,  1829,  and  is  tlie  son  of  Joseph  and  Genevieve 
Fontenon,  both  natives  of  St.  Landrj^  parish.  Joseph  Fontenoii  was  a  phinter. 
He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  St.  Landry  parish. 
He  died  in  1865.  His  wife  died  about  1853.  Both  were  members  of  the  Cath- 
ohc  church. 

O.  B.  Fontenon  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Landry  parish.  He  has 
been  a  planter  all  his  life.  He  has  a  pUmtation  of  six  hundred  acres,  which  he 
cultivates  principally  in  cotton  and  corn. 

Mr.  Fontenon  was  married,  in  1848,  to  Miss  Elodie  Liton.  They  became  the 
parents  of  three  children,  to-wit :  Gustave,  Laura  and  Enostine.  Mrs.  Fontenon 
died  in  1857,  and  Mr.  Fontenon  married  a  second  time,  in  1858,  Miss  Lilia  B. 
Fontenot.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children:  Thiogene,  Rai- 
mond,  Onoria,  Eugenie,  Lisa,  Gilbert  and  Onazine.  Mr.  Fontenon  and  famil}- 
are  all  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

»     * 
V         PAUL  FOSTER,  M.  D.,  Opelousas.— Dr.  Foster  is  a  native  of  Louisi- 
ana, born  in  Avoyelles  parish,   December  11,  1857.       His  father  was  Dr.  David 
Walker  Foster,  and  his  mother  Malissa(Sperlack)  Foster;  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  born  about  1824,  the  latter  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  in  1839. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  five  sons 
and  seven  daughters,  of  whom  six  are  now  living.  The  doctor's  educational 
advantages  during  his  boyhood  days  were  quite  limited.  Lnmediately  after  the 
war  his  father  emigrated  to  Central  America,  where  he  remained  for  a  short 
period,  endeavoring  to  establish  a  colony  in  British  Honduras.  Returning  to 
the  United  States,  he  stopped  at  New  Orleans,  from  thence  removing  to  Hous- 
ton, Texas,  and  from  thence  to  Harrisburg,  thence  back  to  Opelousas.  He  sub- 
sequently located  at  Ville  Platte,  where  he  remained  for  about  four  years,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  location.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  our  subject 
began  the  study  of  medicine  in  his  father's  office,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
matriculated  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Louisville,  graduat- 
ing at  the  age  of  twent3'-one.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  associa- 
tion with  his  father  atPlaquemine  Ridge,  where  he  remained  for  about  two  3'ears, 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  location.  In  the  winter  of  1S84  he  purchased  a 
small  prairie  plantation  to  which  he  has  since  added,  until  he  now  has  quite  a 
nice  plantation.  In  1881  the  Doctor  married  Miss  Emma  Daniel,  a  native  of  St. 
Landry,  and  daughter  of  J.  \V.  and  Mary  E.  Daniel,  the  former  a  native  of 
Alabama  and  the  latter  of  Mississippi.  To  them  have  been  born  two  children. 
Robert  and  Marion  H.  From  the  time  Dr.  Foster  began  his  practice,  in  1882, 
he  has  had  a  large  practice,  and  at  the  present  time  has  as  much  as  he  can  attend 
to.  Both  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  are  devout  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  is  a  steward. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  41 

*^  GEORGE  N.  FITZHUGH,  Washington.— George  N.  Fitzhugh  was  born 
in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  October  29,  1873.  The  Fitzhugh  family  is  an  old 
and  prominent  one  in  the  United  States.  The  first  of  the  family  in  this  country 
were  tw»  bi^otliers  of  that  name  (wealthy  lawyers)  who  came  from  England  to 
Virginia  in  Cromwell's  time;  and  all  the  Fitzhugh  family  in  America,  so  far  as 
known,  are  their  descendants.  George  N.  Fitzhugh's  paternal  grandmother 
(who  was  a  Diggiy  was  a  full  cousin  of  William  H.  Harrison's  father.  His  pa- 
ternal grandmother  was  a  niece  of  George  Washington. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Henrietta  Fitzhugh,  both  nati\-es  of 
Virginia.  He  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  Virginia.  He  has  a 
brother  and  a  sister  who  now  own  a  part  of  the  original  estate  of  George  Wash- 
ington, at  Ravensworth,  now  West  Virginia.  Colonel  Fitzhugh's  father  was 
a  farmer.  He  was  an  unassuming  although  a  very  worthy  citizen.  He  died 
on  his  estate  at  Ravensworth  at  an  advanced  age.  His  mother  died  in  the  year 
1S82,  at  Charleston,  West  Virginia,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  has  followed  farming 
during  most  of  his  lifetime.  He  married,  in  1849,  Miss  Sarah  Kemp,  of  Fauquier 
count}',  Virginia.  In  June,  1861,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  Twent\'-si.\th  Virginia  Infantrj',  and  was  appointed  by  General 
Wise,  quartermaster,  which  position  he  only  held  a  short  while,  resigning 
and  taking  his  former  place  in  his  regiment,  where  he  served  about  eighteen 
months,  when,  as  his  health  was  so  impaired  that  he  was  unfitted  for  active 
service,  he  was  again  appointed  quartermaster,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until 
1S64,  when,  being  of  the  proper  age,  he  was  granted  an  honorable  discharge. 
His  duties  were  so  faithfully  discharged  that  General  Sam.  Jones  said  of  him 
that  he  was  the  most  competent  quartermaster  in  the  whole  army.  After  leav- 
ing the  army  he  was  for  about  a  year  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Blacksburg,  Virginia,  in  which  he  was  very  successful.  Had  the  currency  been 
of  current  value,  instead  of  Confederate  States  mone}',  he  would  have  been 
wealthy.  In  the  year  J870,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  T.  B.  Fitzhugh,  he 
purchased  a  large  sugar  plantation  near  St.  Martinsville,  but  unfortunately  lost 
it  through  a  defective  title.  Since  that  time  he  has  resided  in  St.  Martinsville, 
New  Iberia,  and,  in  1887,  he  removed  to  Washington,  where  he  has  lived  a  retired 
life,  his  circumstances  being  such  as  to  render  an  active  business  life  unneces- 
sary to  one  of  his  advanced  age.  He  is  the  father  of  one  child,  Kate,  the  wife 
of  Mr.  P.  J.  Russell.    Mr.  Fitzhugh  and  family  are  all  members  of  the  Episcopal 

church.  » 

*     « 

^  A.  H.  GENERES,  Opelousas. — A.  H.  Generes,  hotel  and  Hvery  proprie- 
tor in  Opelousas,  was  born  in  Avoyelles  parish,  1851.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  L.  and 
L.  (Taylor)  Generes.  J.  L.  Generes  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated,  fitting  himself  for  the  profession  of  law.     He  early  in  life 


42  SOUTHWEST  L  OUJSIANA  : 

removed  to  San  Antonio,  Texas,  where  he  practised  for  some  time.  Later  he 
located  in  Avoyelles  parish,  Louisiana,  and  became  an  official  of  the  parish.  He 
now  resides  in  New  Iberia.  Our  subject's  grandfather  was  from  the  island  of  San 
Domingo.  His  great-grandfather  was  masacred  in  a  negro  insurrection  at  that 
place.  His  grandfather  was  at  that  time  in  a  school  in  Paris.  Our  subject's 
great-uncle  escaped  massacre  b)^  being  secreted  in  a  sack  and  carried  to  the  ship 
by  family  servants.  The  remainder  of  the  family  escaped  to  a  ship  and  came 
to  America,  locating  in  Maryland. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  educated  in  the  commonschools  and  colleges 
near  his  home.  After  leaving  school,  he  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  clerk  in 
New  Orleans.  For  some  time  subsequent  to  this  he  gave  his  attention  to  sugar 
planting.  Later  he  entered  his  present  business  at  this  place.  In  this  he  has 
been  very  successful,  and  his  business  is  one  of  the  best  of  itskindin  Opelousas. 
Mr.  Generes  was  married  in  Plaquemine,  Louisiana,  to  Miss  Louise  Gaudet. 
They  are  the  parents  of  five  children  :  Walter,  Eloise,  Allen,  Hazel  and  Gaudet. 
Mr.  Generes  and  family'  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

^  S.  J.  GOSSELIN,  Opelousas. — S.  J.  Gosselin  was  born  in  Opelousas,  Ma}^ 
21,  1859.  He  is  the  son  of  Pierre  N.  and  Virginia  (Greffil)  Gosselin.  Pierre 
N.  Gosselin  is  a  native  of  France,  born  Januar\-  2,  1S24.  He  came  to  America 
in  1S45,  first  locating  in  Iberville  parish,  where  he  remained  until  1848,  when  he 
removed  to  Opelousas,  at  which  place  he  has  since  followed  the  trade  of  wheel- 
wright. Here  he  married  our  subject's  mother,  who  is  of  French  extraction, 
born  1834.  There  have  been  born  to  them  six  children,  all  boys,  of  whom  four 
are  living:  Albert  P.  (born  1853,  now  a  resident  of  Marksville,  Louisiana),  S. 
J.  (subject  of  this  sketch),  Arthur  L.  (born  1870,  now  a  resident  of  Opelousas), 
and  Louis  (born  1872).  Those  deceased  are  Victor  and  Lucien.  Pierre  Gos- 
selin still  works  at  his  trade  in  Opelousas. 

S.  J.  Gosselin,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  grew  to  manhood  in  Opelousas, 
and  was  educated  in  St.  Marj^'s  Academy  of  this  place.  'At  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  entered  his  uncle's  blacksmith  shop  in  Opelousas,  where  he  served  a  three 
j^ears  apprenticeship.  He  then  removed  to  Plaquemine  Ridge,  six  miles  west  of 
Opelousas,  where  he  located,  and  still  resides.  He  has  successfully  operated  a 
blacksmith  and  repairing  shop  since  1879.  He  owns  a  plantation  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  cultivates  corn,  cotton 
and  rice.  He  is  a  successful  business  man  and  a  worthy  citizen.  He  married, 
September  30,  1884,  Mrs.  Wilson  Bihm,  daughter  of  V.  and  Julienne  (Legere) 
Bordelon.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children :  Octavie  (born  June  13, 
1886),  Virginia  (born  October  22,  1887),  Ida  (born  November  14,  1888),  and 
Marie  (born  November  16,  1890).  Mr.  Gosselin  and  family  are  all  members  of 
the  Catholic  church. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  43 

CARLOS  GREIG,  Washington. — Carlos  Greig,  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  Washington  Advocate,  Washington,  Louisiana,  was  born  in  St.  Martins- 
ville, Louisiana.  The  Greig  family  prides  itself  in  being  able  to  trace  its  an- 
cestry to  Charles  Dayme  de  Noailles,  who  married,  1715,  Marie  Le  Maret,  to 
whom  were  born  four  children.  'One  of  the  daughters,  Catharine  Dayme, 
married  Pierre  Harpin  de  la  Gautrais.  To  them  was  born  one  son,  Pierre 
Rene  Harpin,  who  married  three  times,  his  third  wife  being  Le  Bienvenu. 
They  had  one  daughter,  Marie  Louise  Celeste  Harpin,  who  married,  1779, 
Gonsoulin  De  Beaumelle.  They  became  the  parents  of  thirteen  cliildren,  among 
whom  was  Marguerite  Adelaide  Gonsoulin,  who  married  William  Greig.  This 
union  was  blessed  with  several  children,  William  Greig,  Jr.,  being  one  of  the 
number.  Wm.  Greig,  Jr.,  was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  was  during  most  of  his 
lifetime  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  Teclie,  from  St.  Martinsville  to  New 
Orleans.  During  the  war  he  served  as  Sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  mar- 
ried when  a  young  man  Miss  Emelie  LeBlanc,  and  to  them  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, Carlos,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  of  the  number. 

Young  Carlos  spent  his  boyhood  da3's  at  the  place  of  his  birtli,  receiving 
his  principal  education  at  Judice  College,  St.  Martinsville,  Louisiana.  He  began 
life  as  a  book-keeper  in  a  general  mercantile  house  in  St.  Martinsville.  This, 
however,  did  not  prove  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and  after  following  it  a  short  time 
he  began  a  mercantile  business  for  himself.  In  1884  he  withdrew  from  this  and 
founded  "The  St.  Martinsville  Reveille,"  a  weekly  newspaper,  which  he  pub- 
lished until  1888,  when  he  removed  to  Washington  and  founded  the  "  Washing- 
ton Advocate,"  a  local  weekly  newspaper  of  merit. 

Mr.  Greig  has  devoted  much  of  his  leisure  time  to  music,  and  some  of  his 
compositions  are  well  and  favorably  known.  He  has  organized  and  instructed 
several  brass  bands  at  different  places  in  the  State.  He  married,  1879,  Miss 
Laura,  daughter  of  Colonel  Valsin  Fournet,  a  former  prominent  citizen  of  St. 
Martinsville.  Mr.  Fournet  was  Colonel  in  the  Confederate  States  service.  He 
was  for  thirt}^  years  Clerk  of  the  Court  in  St.  Martin's  parish.  He  died  1879, 
at  the  age  of  fift^^-eight  years,  revered  b}'  all  who  knew  him. 


CAPTAIN  THOMAS  C.  GIBBENS,  Washington.— Captain  Thomas  C. 
Gibbens,  a  large  saw-mill  owner  and  planter,  is  a  native  of  Henderson,  Ken- 
tucky, born  in  the  year  1831.  He  is  a  son  of  William  B  and  Elizabeth  (Hath- 
away) Gibbens,  both  natives  of  Kentuck}-.  His  father  was  a  mechanic,  and  was 
for  man}-  years  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  implements.  He  removed  to 
Louisiana  in  the  year  1830,  and  died  at  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  in  1849,  at  the 
age  of  about  forty-four  years.     His  mother  died  in  1886,  aged  sixtj'-five  years. 

Captain  Gibbens  was  chiefly  reared  and  educated  in  Louisiana.   He  began  life 


44  SO  urn  WES  t  lol  'is /a  na  .■ 

as  an  engineer  in  sugar  mills,  and  subsequently  was  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the 
Teche.  In  the  year  1855  he  began  the  operation  of  a  saw-mill  at  Port  Vincent, 
Louisiana,  in  which  he  engaged  until  the  war.  He  married,  in  1S60,  Miss  Agnes 
Scivique  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Vincent  and  Celestes  Briniact,  of  Liv- 
ingston parish,  Louisiana.  Captain  Gibbens  was  exempt  from  war  service 
owing  to  disablement  from  a  broken  limb,  consequently  did  not  enlist  in  the 
service.  The  captain's  family' have  nearly  all  been  of  a  mechanical  turn  of 
mind,  and  he  exhibits  a  remarkable  tendency  in  this  direction.  He  is  now  chief 
engineer  in  a  large 'sugar  manufacturing  establishment  at  Washington.  He  is 
the  father  of  one  child,  Lizzie,  the  wife  of  James  Nicholson,  who  is  a  partner 
with  Captain  Gibbens  in  his  saw-mill  interests. 


V  COL.  JOHN  CRAWFORD  GILLESPIE,  Opelousas.— Col.  Gillespie  is 
one  of  St.  Landry  parish's  most  progressive  and  successful  planters.  The 
Colonel  is  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Virginia,  born  January  8,  1816.  He 
is  the  son  of  Samuel  P.  V.  and  Polly  (Crawford)  Gillespie,  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  Virginia.  Samuel  P.  V.  Gillespie  was  a  Methodist  minister  of  ability. 
He  at  times  presided  over  churches  in  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Alabama 
and  Mississippi.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkably  robust  constitution,  weighing 
two  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  and  being  six  feet  and  four  inches  in  height.  In 
1842  he  removed  to  Trinitj',  Louisiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  his  ministerial 
labors  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1850.     His  wife  survived  him  until  i860. 

Both  our  subject's  maternal  and  paternal  grandparents  were  natives  of 
\'irginia,  and  both  his  grandfathers  were  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Col.  Gillespie  was  educated  in  Tennessee  and  Kentuck}-.  He  received  his  first 
tutorage  under  ex-Senator  William  Gwin,  of  California.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
vears,  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Livingston,  Alabama.  Here  he  served  at 
different  times  as  Coroner,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Deputy  Sheriff,  Clerk  of 
Probate  Court,  and  "Deputy  United  States  Marshal. 

In  1873  ^^  emigrated  to  Bryan,  Texas,  where  he  served  as  clerk  of  the 
district  four  }'ears.  He  married,  in  1842,  Miss  Evalina  N.  Foard,  the  daughter 
of  Major  Francis  Foard,  who  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  but  long  a  resi- 
dent of  Alabama.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  promise,  and  was  an  officer 
in  the  war  of  1812.  Mr&.  Gillespie  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  and  Col.  Gillespie  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  a  family  of  two 
children.  He  is  the  father  of  two  daughters,  viz  :  Ella  and  Bettie.  The  former 
married  F.  M.  Hale.  Bettie  married  Johnson  C.  Williams,  and  they  became 
parents  of  two  children.  Bdth  Mrs.  Hale  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  now  deceased. 
Col.  Gillespie  came  to  Opelousas  in  1880  to  take  charge  of  his  wife's  estate,  since 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  45 

which  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  the  operation  of  the  same.     He    is    a    devout 

member  ot  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.     He  is  an  atlable,  hospitable  gentleman, 

and  liis  life  is  a  reflection  of  usefulness. 

* 
^  *     * 

JAS.  L.  GUILBEAU,  Grand  Cotkau. — Mr.  Guilbeau  is  a  successful 
planter  living  near  Grand  Coteau.  He  was  born  near  this  place  on  the  nth  day 
of  INIarch,  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  Lucien  and  E.  (Maj'er)  Guilbeau,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  Lucien  Guilbeau,  in  the  earlier  years  of  his 
life,  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  but  later  gave  his  attention  to  planting. 
He  died  in  1850.     His  wife  survived  him  until  1869. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  a  liberal  education ;  and  began  business 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  j-ears  as  a  farmer.  He  v\'as  married  in  1869  to  Mary  L. 
Smith,  daughter  of  B.  A.  Smith.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz  : 
Frank  L.,  Edward  J.,  Henr}^  A.,  Leo,  Lucius  B.,  Clothilda,  Nita. 

Mr.  Guilbeau  owns  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  a  good  portion  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  The  principal  products  are  cotton  and  corn,  and 
some  sugar  cane.  He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,in  1864,  under  Col.  Thomp- 
son of  the  Home  Guards.  He  afterward  joined  the  Twentj'-eighth  Louisiana 
Infantry,  and  served  there  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  for  a  number  of 
years  member  of  the  town  council  of  Grand  Coteau.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church.  * 

^  CAPT.  S.  J.  C.  GORDON,  Bayou  Cuukent.— Capt.  Gordon  was  born 
in  Amite  county.  Miss.,  October  i,  1826.  He  is  the  son  of  James  R.  and 
Martha  L  (Cassels)  Gordon,  natives  of  North  Carolina  and  Mississippi  respec- 
tively. 

James  R.  Gordon  was  a  young  man  on  going  to  Mississippi,  and  when  our 
subject  was  a  child  he  removed  to  East  Feliciana  parish,  Louisiana.  After 
having  lived  there  for  some  time  he  returned  to  St.  Helena,  where  he  resided  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.     He  was  quite  a  successful  planter. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  in  East  Feliciana  parish,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  education.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  com- 
menced to  work  without  having  any  particular  occupation.  In  1849  ^^  began 
farming,  and  the  same  year  removed  to  his  present  location  on  the  Atchafalava 
river,  where  he  has  now  a  valuable  plantation. 

He  married,  in  1841,  Miss  Mary  J.  Scott,  of  East  Feliciana  parish.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  four  children,  viz  :  Mar}-  E.,  Ella  E.,  Marv  Scott, 
and  S.  J.  C,  Jr. 

Capt.  Gordon  is  perhaps  the  oldest  resident  on  this  side  of  the  Atcliafalaya 
River:  he  has  seen  the  countr\-  develop  from  its  original  wild  state  to  the  hi<rh 
state  of  cultivation  in  which  it  is  now  found. 


4(;  SOUTHVVESl'  LOr/SIANA  : 

^  HON.  HENRY  L.  GARLAND,  Opelousas.— There  is  no  name  connected 
with  the  history  of  Opelousas  that  is  more  honored  than  that  of  Henry  L.  Garland. 
Me  \vas  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  September  27,  1836.  He  received  a  liberal 
education  in  Franklin  College  and  the  University  of  Virginia,  He  studied  law 
in  the  office  of  Caleb  L.  Swayze,  subsequently  attending  law  lectures  in  the  city 
of  New  Orleans.  In  1848  he  began  practising  law  in  Opelousas,  and  has 
always  made  liis  home  in  this  place.       He  still  owns  and  resides  in  the  house  in 

■  which  he  was  born. 

At  the  beginning  of  hostiUties  in  tlie  late  civil  war,  Mr.  Garland  organized  a 
company  from  St.  Landry  parish  for  the  Confederate  States  service,  of  which 
he  was  made  captain.  Their  field  of  operation  was  chiefly  in  Tennessee.  In 
the  first  day's  battle  of  Shiloh,  two-thirds  of  his  men  were  killed  or  wounded. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Garland  returned  home  and  resumed  his  practice,  in 
which  he  has  since  been  actively  engaged.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature from  liis  parish  and  has  held  other  positions  of  trust.  In  his  practice  he 
has  never  prosecuted  a  criminal.  He  was  married  in  St.  Landry  parish  to  Miss 
Julia  L.  Bullard,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children,  Marie,  Charles  F., 
Virginia,  Henry  L.,  Jr.,  and  Robert  Lee  Garland.  Henry  L.,  Jr.,  is  an  attorney 
in  New  Orleans;  Robert  Lee  Garland  is  a  graduate  of  the  huv  department  of 
Tulane  University,  New  Orleans,  and  is  connected  with  his  father  in  liis 
practice  and  general  business  at  this  place.  He  is  but  a  young  man  and  has  a 
a  promising  future.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Manhattan  College,  New  York 
Citv.  liavino-  taken  a  literarv  coui'se  there. 


•  CAPTAIN  S.  HAx\S,  Bavou  Chicot.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
native  of  France,  born  about  the  year  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Har- 
riet Haas,  who  are  natives  of  France.  There  are  few  men  in  the  history  of  St. 
Landry  parish  whose  life  affords  a  better  example  of  the  self-made  man  tlian 
that  of  Captain  Haas.  He  began  life  penniless,  and  whatever  he  has  accom- 
plished has  been  directly  attributable  to  his  own  efforts.  His  educational  facili- 
ties were  somewhat  limited,  though  he  has  received  in  the  higher  school  of 
experience  the  training  which  has  eminently  fitted  him  for  the  responsible  part 
he  has  taken  in  business  life.  Captain  Haas  was  principallj^  raised  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  Louisiana.  Merchandising  and  farming  have  been  his  principal  occupa- 
tion during  his  life.  He  began  merchandising  before  the  war  at  Bayou  Chicot, 
St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  with  a  stock  of  about  $3000.  He  now  owns  and 
controls  hundreds  of  acres  of  land;  in  fact,  he  is  one  among  the  largest  land 
owners  in  this  section  of  Louisiana,  his  possessions  being  distributed  over  four 
parishes.  He  conducts  one  among  the  largest  mercantile  establishments  in  St. 
Landry  parish.     When  his  adopted  country  called  for  help  to  free  herself  from 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  47 

the  wrongs  impost'd  upon  her,  Captain  Haas  was  not  slow  in  responding  to  tiiat 
call.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Third  Louisiana 
Cavalry  Regiment,  of  which  company  he  afterward  became  captain.  In  this 
capacity  he  did  gallant  service.  In  1861  he  v^ias  married  to  Miss  Martha  A. 
Cole,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  1845.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Lavinia 
(Hudson)  Cole.  Mrs.  Haas'  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  her  mother 
of  Louisiana.  Captain  and  Mrs.  Haas  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  four  sons 
and  one  daughter,  John  A.,  Hattie,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  D.  Haas;  Charles  E.,  A. 
AL  and  Leon  S. 

Captain  Haas  has  for  thirteen  consecutive  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
police  jury  from  his  ward.  He  is  an  important  factor  in  all  proceedings,  both 
political  and  social,  in  this  section. 

*     * 
l^      J.  A.  HAAS,  M.  D.,  ViLLE  Platte. — Dr.  Haas  is  a  practising  physician  of 
Mile  Platte.  He  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  born  January  2,  1863.  His  father, 
Samuel  Haas  is  a  native  of  Alsace,  and  his  mother,  Martha  Cole,  is  a  native  of 
Louisiana.     (For  sketch  of  parents  see  biographj-  of  Capt.  Samuel  Haas). 

Dr.  Haas  was  principally  educated  at  Auburn,  Kentucky,  and  Opelousas, 
Louisiana.  He  began  the  stud}'  of  medicine  in  1878,  attending  lectures  at  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College  in  18S0-1-2.  He  graduated  in  1S82,  and  upon  the 
completion  of  his  course  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  W.  E.  Hawkins.  In  1884  they  dissolved  partner- 
ship, and  in  1888  Dr.  Haas  removed  to  Ville  Platte,  and  has  since  practised  his 
profession  in  this  place.  In  1890  he  became  associated  with  Dr.  A.E.Arnold 
in  his  professional  practice. 

Dr.  Haas,  though  young  in  years,  has  had  a  very  successful  experience,  and 
he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  his  profession. 

"^  E.  C.  HAWKINS,  Opelousas.— E.  C.  Hawkins,  planter,  St.  Landry 
parish,  Louisiana.  Mr.  Hawkins  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  April  8,  1853. 
He  is  the  son  of  Austin  R.  and  Heloise  (Dejean)  Hawkins.  His  father  is  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  his  mother  of  Louisiana.  His  father  removed  to  Louisiana  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  and  shortly  afterward  began  a  drug  business;  subsequently 
was  engaged  in  dry  goods  business  in  Opelousas.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war 
he  was  a  major  in  the  State  militia,  and  helped  to  organize  and  send  out  com- 
panies for  Confederate  service.  He  was,  during  the  war,  elected  a  member  of 
the  Legislature,  and  served  to  its  close.  He  was  a  cotton  planter  after  the  war. 
He  died  about  1874.  ^"i"  subject's  paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  his  maternal  of  France. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  spent  his  jouthful  days  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  Louisiana.     Having  been   reared  on  a  plantation,  he  has  chosen  this  as 


4.S  SOi'TIIWESl^  LOUISIANA : 

liis  vocation,  and  now  operates  a  large  and  lurtile  plantation  near  Opelousas. 
Me  is  considered  one  of  the  most  successful  planters  of  his  section.  He  is  a 
public  spirited  citizen,  and  though  he  has  never  taken  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs,  at  the  request  of  his  friends  he  has  filled  several  parish  offices  with 
efficiency.  In  1889  he  married  Mrs.  Lizzy  Fahey,  a  daughter  of  I.  II.  Kouns, 
who  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  (I.  H.  Kouns)  was  for  many  years  a  steamboat 
captain  on  Red  River,  and  now  resides  in  Kansas. 

« 

DR.  J.  E.  HAWKINS,  Bayou  Chicot.— Dr.  Hawkins  is  a  native  of 
Georgia,  born  in  the  year  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Lorena  (Miller) 
Hawkins,  who  are  both  natives  of  Virginia.  Our  subject's  father's  principal  oc- 
cupation in  life  was  farming.  Both  his  father  and  mother  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

Dr.  Hawkins  began  business  for  himself  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  His 
educational  facilities  were  very  limited,  and  what  he  has  accomplished  in  the 
literary  line  is  due  to  his  own  efforts.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1857, 
attending  lectures  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  in  1858,  and  in  1859  attended  lectures  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  for  a  period  of  about  six  months.  Subsequently,  in  1865  and 
1866,  he  took  a  course  in  the  medical  department- of  Tulane  University,  New 
Orleans.  In  the  )'ear  1872  he  went  to  Connecticut,  where -he  graduated, 
and  the  same  year  he  returned  home  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
this  place.  He  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Charity  E.  Alford,  who  was  a  native 
of  Georgia  and  the  daughter  of  T.  J.  and  Emile  Alford,  who  are  also  natives  of 
that  State.  Dr.  Hawkins  is  one  of  St.  Landry's  most  prominent  men.  In  his 
section  there  is  nothing  that  comes  up  in  which  he  is  not  called  upon  to  take  the 
lead.  Professionally  he  stands  high.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.      Dr.  Hawkins  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  four  children. 

*  » 
^  MRS.  M.  M.  HAYES.  Opelousas.— Mrs.  M.  M.  Hayes,  to  whom  tlie 
Opelousas  Female  Institute  owes  its  origin,  was  born  in  Franklin,  Tennessee. 
She  first  attended  the  Soule  Female  College  at  Murfieesboro,  Tennessee,  and 
later  graduated  from  the  Tennessee  Female  College,  185 1.  During  the  war  she 
taught  in  private  schools.  In  1868  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  Capt.  James 
Hayes,  whose  death  occurred  in  1871. 

After  his  death,  in  the  fall  of  1871,  Mrs.  Ha\'es  opened  a  school,  the  out- 
growth of  which  is  the  Opelousas  Female  Institute.  This  institution  has 
steadily  increased  in  prosperity  and  usefulness  up  to  the  present  da}^  It  has  a 
fine  local  patronage,  and  is  growing  in  favor  away  from  home.  The  buildings 
have  been  enlarged  and  remodeled,  and  can  accommodate,  comfortably,  a  ftiuch 
larger  number  of  boarders  than  ever  before.  The  school  is  chartered,  and 
diplomas  are  conferred  on  all  young  ladies  who  satisfactorily    complete  the  pre- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  4;. 

scribed  course  of  study,  which  is  one  of  the  most  thorouoh  of  any  institution  of 
learning  in  the  South.  The  methods  of  instruction  are  of  the  most  approved. 
As  to  location,  no  more  favorable  place  than  Opelousas  could  be  found.  Health- 
ful and  picturesque,  one  will  scarcely  find  a  more  pleasant  place.  Mrs.  Hayes, 
although  assisted  by  an  eflicient  corps  of  teachers,  superintends  the  whole' 
school  in  person.  Her  judgment  is  assisted  from  time  to  time  by  the  counsel 
of  the  following  board  of  advisors:  Thos.  H.  Lewis,  President;  Judge  E.  N 
Cullom,  J.  W.  Jackson,  C.  C.  Duson,  James  White,  C.  L.  Hayes,  Judge  J.  M. 
Moore,  R.  S.  Wilkins,  John  N.  Ogden,  Leonce  Sandoz,  Tudcre  E.  D  Estilette 
Jos.  Bloch.  ^  J      =  ■ 

^  THOMAS  A.  HICKS,  RosA.-Mr.  Hicks  was  born  in  Dariington,  South 
Carolina.  April  27,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  James  E.  and  Mary  Anna  (Thomas) 
Hicks,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  South  Carolina.  James  E.  Hicks  was  a 
planter  by  occupation.  His  mother  died  when  Thomas  was  a  boy;  he  removed 
with  his  father  to  Alabama  in  1852,  where  his  father  died  in  1857. 

Thomas  is.  the  oldest  of  five  children,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  South  Carohna  and  Alabama.  On  the  death  of  his  father,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  farming.  In  i860  he  located  in  Mississippi.  Early  in  1863  he 
loined  the  First  Mississippi  Infantry,  in  which  he  swerved  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  at  Port  Hudson,  and  in  the  Atlanta  campaign;  at  the  former 
place  he  was  taken  prisoner.  When  peace  again  was  declared  he  located  on 
the  Atchatalaya  River,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1876,  when  he 
removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence,  where  he  operates  a  plantation. 
He  owns  from  about  five  hundred  to  six  hundred  acres,  upon  which  lie  raises 
chiefly  cotton. 

As  a  planter  and  business  man,  Mr.  Hicks  has  been  very  successful.  He 
has  been  for  a  short  while  engaged  in  merchandise  at  Negro  Foot,  and  sub- 
sequently at  Rosa.  In  1870  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  position 
he  filled  with  efliciency.  He  has  also  served  for  two  years  as  a  member  of  the 
police  jury. 

In  187 1,  he  married  Miss  Cordeha  A.  Richard,  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born   five  sons  and  two  daughters,   viz:      Arthur  L.,  John,  Willery,  Mansil 
Elgee,  Julia  and  Bessie.  ' 

Our  subject  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and  has  served  as  representative  in  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  this  State.  Mr.  Hicks  e.xpresses  himself  of  the  opinion,  that 
this  IS  the  garden  spot  of  the  worid,  and  believing  as  he  does  he  intends  making 
this  place  his  permanent  place  of  abode.  ^ 

"  *  * 

JOHN  H.  HUMBLE,  WASHiNOTON.-Mr.  Humble  was  born  in  St.  Landrv 
parish,  Louisiana,  in  the  year  1857.     He  is  the  son  of  Henderson    Humble  and 


50  SOUTIIWEST  LOCVS/A.Y.l  : 

Eliza  J.  Biles,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  devoted  his 
whole  life  to  plantin{(.  He  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of  sixty  j'ears.  Our  subject's 
grandfather  Humble  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  located  in  Louisiana  when 
a  30ung  man.  Young  John  H.  Humble  had  fair  educational  facilities  as  a  boy, 
receiving  the  benefit  of  private  tutorage,  and  later  completing  his  education  at 
Franklin  College,  Opelousas.  He  chose  the  same  vocation  that  his  father  fol- 
lowed— planting,  and  is  now  the  manager  of  an  extensive  sugar  plantation  near 
this  place.  He  expects  to  manufacture  from  the  products  of  this  plantation  tliis 
year  not  less  than  one  million  pounds  of  yellow  clarified  sugar.  Mr.  Humble 
is  one  of  the  successful,  whole-souled  business  men  who  have  made  Washington 
what  it  is. 

*  * 

1/  S.  HOWELL,  Opelousas. — S.  Howell,  manager  of  the  E.  H.  Vorden- 
baumen  Lumber  Yard,  and  agent  for  Water's  Pierce  Oil  Company,  is  a  native 
of  Union  City,  Tennessee,  born  October  10,  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  S.  and 
Fann}'  (Crooks)  Howell,  theformer  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  removed  to 
Tennessee  while  a  young  man,  and  there  married  our  subject's  mother.  While 
in    Tennessee  he  served  as  clerk  of  the  court  for  many  years. 

S.  Howell  was  reared  in  Tennessee  and  Louisiana,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  these  States.  He  was  for  several  years  engaged  with  his 
uncle  in  nursery  business  in  Dallas,  Texas.  In  1887  he  took  charge  of  E.  H 
Vordenbaumen's  lumber  interest  at  Lafayette,  as  manager.  In  the  same 
capacity  he  came  to  Opelousas  in  1889,  and  has  charge  of  Mr.  Vordenbaumen's 
interests  here.  Mr.  Howell  is  a  young  man  of  strict  business  habits  and  is 
worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 

*  * 

^  V.  K.  IRION,  D.  D.  S.,  Opelousas.— The  Irion  family  is  quite  a  distin- 
guished one.  Dr.  Irion's  father,  Judge  A.  B.Irion,  Eola,  Louisiana,  has  acted 
an  important  part  in  the  political  affairs  of  his  section  of  the  State.  He  is  by 
profession  a  lawyer — a  graduate  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Louisiana  and  has  at  different  times  practised  his  profes- 
sion; served  as  Circuit  Judge,  and  has  represented  his  district  in  Congress.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  considerable  literary  ability  and  some  of  his  writings  are  well 
known. 

Dr.  Irion  was  reared  in  Avoyelles  parish.  He  is  a  yojiing  man,  having  been 
born  July  31,  1862.  He  prepared  for  college  in  the  private  schools  of  Avoyelles 
parish,  and  subsequently,  in  1885,  graduated  from  the  State  University  at  Baton 
Rouge.  After  completing  his  education  he  w-ent  to  Switzerland,  where  he  pur- 
sued a  course  of  study  under  the  renowned  dental  surgeon  Edward  P.  Doremus, 
with  whom  he  remained  two  vears.     In  1886  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and 


/^^^^/^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  53 

entered  the  dental  school  of  the  University  of  Maryhuid,  Baltimore,  remaining- 
one  year.  After  completing  his  dental  studies,  he  practised  in  Marksville,  Lou- 
isiana, one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Opelousas,  and  has  here  since  practised 
his  profession.  His  efficiency  as  a  dental  surgeon  is  demonstrated  in  the  lucra- 
tive practice  which  he  has  built  up.  His  superior  advantages  eminently  fit  him 
for  the  profession  he  has  chosen,  and  his  abundant  success  is  assured. 

The  doctor  married,  September,  1888,  Helen  Lastrapes,  daughter  of  L.  F. 
and  Mary  (King)  Lastrapes,  both  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

V/  PHILIP  KNIGHT,  Washington.— Philip  Knight,  superintendent  of 
the  Courtableau  River  Cotton  Mills,  limited,"  was  born  in  Manchester,  England. 
He  is  the  son  of  Philip  Knight  and  Jane  Knight,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of 
England.  His  father  was  an  extensive  cotton  manufacturer  of  Manchester 
and  Leeds.  He  removed  to  the  United  States  in  the  year  i860,  where 
he  died  in  1872.  Young  Philip  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  schools  of 
x\ccrington,  England.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  became  an  apprentice 
in  the  cotton  machinery  works  of  the  noted  firm  of  Howard  &  Boullough, 
Accrington.  Here  he  remained  several  \ears  after  his  apprenticeship  had 
been  served.  From  the  year  1878  to  1887  he  represented  this  firm  in  the 
United  States.  In  1888  he  accepted  a  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Orleans 
Cotton  Rope  Manufacturing  Company  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  In  1889 
he  resigned  this  position  to  accept  the  one  which  he  now  holds.  He  is  also 
one  of  the  chief  stock  holders  in  the  concern  of  which  he  is  the  superinten- 
dent. The  factory,  which  is  in  course  of  construction,  is  to  be  quite  extensive, 
and  is  to  be  built  on  English  principles.  It  will  be  fitted  up  with  the  best 
machinery  that  England  and  America  can  supply.  The  capital  invested  is  about 
$125,000.  The  company  proposes  to  have  the  mill  in  operation  bj'  April  i, 
1891.  This  enterprise  bespeaks  the  business  qualifications  prominent  in  Mr. 
Knight.  He  has  traveled  over  the  greater  portion  of  the  United  States,  and  has 
been  in  active  business  in  many  sections;  but  he  is  so  favorably  impressed  with 
Washington  that  it  is  his  intention  to  make  this  his  permanent  home.  Though 
an  Englishman  by  birth,  reared  and  educated  in  England,  lie  is  a  thorough 
American  in  his  views,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  section  in  which 
he  has  cast  his  lot.  ^ 

^"'  ROBERT  M.  LITTELL,  M.  D.,  Opelousas.— The  ancestry  of  the 
Littell  family  is  remote,  and  can  be  traced  to  the  time  when  George  Littell,  a 
merchant  of  London,  came  to  Newburg,  Essex  county,  Massachusetts,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  Benjamin.  Here  he  married,  and  to  the  union  were  born 
two  sons.  Samuel  married  Lydia  Bonnel,  and  to  them  was  born  a  son,  Benjamin, 
who  married  Susan  Tucker.  Their  son  Moses  married  Abigail  Thompson, 
•fa 


54  SO UTH  WEST  L  O UISIANA : 

Isaac  married  Hannah  Frazee,  to  wliom  were  born  two  sons,  one  of  whom  was 
Moses,  who  married  Constance  Collins,  to  whom  was  born  six  children. 
Elakin,  the  second  son,  born  July,  1791,  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was 
Anne  Findlejs  to  whom  were  born  three  children.  Dr.  R.  H.  Littell,  the  father 
of  Robert  M.  Littell,  being  the  second  son. 

Robert  was  born  in  Opelousas,  and  received  his  education  at  the  Louisiana 
Militar3^,  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College.  Here  he  pursued  his  course  to 
within  six  .months  of  graduation.  After  leaving  college,  in  1876,  he  con- 
ducted a  drug  business,  at  the  same  time  pursuing  a  private  course  of  medical 
instruction  under  his  father. 

In  1880  he  entered  the  Medical  School  of  Tulane  Universit}-,  and  graduated 
in  1884.  During  this  time  he  was  for  one  year  a  resident  student  in  Cliarity 
Hospital.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  collegiate  course  he  located  in  Opelousas 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

In  1885  the  Doctor  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Littell,  daughter  of  Isaac  Littell, 
who  was  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  an  extensive  planter.  Dr.  Littell  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  in  this  section  of  the  State. 
His  practice  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  office  and  town.  He  is  a  gentleman  of 
more  than  ordinary  intellectual  ability,  culture  and  refinement.  He  is  a  distin- 
guished member  of  both  the  State  and  Attakapas  Medical  Societies. 

*  » 

BENJ.  A.  LITTELL,  M.  D.,  Opelousas,— Benj.  A.  Littell,  M.  D., 
is  a  Louisianian  by  birth,  having  been  born  in  Opelousas,  May  13,  1866.  He  is 
a  son  of  Robert  H.  and  Arietta  (Campbell)  Littell. 

Dr.  Littell  prepared  for  college  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  Ope- 
lousas; subsequently  he  took  a  two  years'  course  in  Vanderbilt  University. 
After  completing  his  literarj'  education.  Dr.  Littell  studied  medicine  for  one  j'ear 
under  the  tutorage  of  his  father,  when  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
Tulane  University,  graduating  in  1888.  Immediatel}'  upon  the  completion  of 
his  course  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Opelousas,  where  he  has 
since  continued  with  success.  He  married,  in  18S8,  Miss  Altha  Reynolds, 
daughter  of  E.  W.  Reynolds,  a  resident  of  Opelousas. 

* 

*  * 

Li.  E.  LITTELL,  Opelousas. — L.  E.  Littell  was  born  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  August,  1854.  He  is  of  Welsh  descent  on  his  father's  side,  his  grand- 
father Littell  having  emigrated  from  Wales.  He  is  the  son  of  R.  H.  and  A. 
(Campbell)  Littell,  natives  of  Louisiana  and  New  York,  respectivel3^ 

L.  E.  Littell,  through  force  of  circumstances,  was  at  an  early  age  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources,  and  he  gave  his  attention  to  planting.  He  was  for  six 
years  manager  of  a  plantation.     Although  he   had  not  had  the  advantages  of  a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  55 

high  graded  school,  he  acquired  an  excellent  knowledge  of  mathematics.  He 
taught  school  for  a  period,  and  in  1885  began  work  as  a  practical  surveyor. 
He  was  appointed  surveyor  of  St.  Landry  in  1S88.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Parish  School  Board  for  four  years,  and  is  the  secretary  of  that  body.  He 
also  does  a  lar<je  abstracting  and  real  estate  business.  He  is  at  present  under- 
taking the  laborious  task  of  enrolling  the  unassessed  lands  of  the  parish.  Mr.  Lit- 
tell  has  worked  his  way  up  against  adverse  circumstances,  and  being  possessed 
of  a  determined  disposition  and  thrift}'  integrity  he  has  risen  above  all  obstacles. 
Mr.  Littell  was  married  in  1SS7  to  Miss  Lizzie  Gibbs,  and  to  them  has  been 
born  one  child.  » 

V 

ALPHONSE  LEVY,  Opelousas — Mr.  Levj-  is  one  of  the  most  progres- 
sive and  successful  business  men  of  Opelousas.  He  is  a  native  of  France,  and 
came  to  America  at  an  early  age.  After  a  short  stay  elsewhere,  he  located  per- 
manently in  Opelousas.  He  served  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  mercantile  establish- 
ment until  1877,  with  the.  exception  of  one  j'ear,  during  which  period  he  kept  a 
countr}'  store.  In  1877  he  became  a  partner  in  a  mercantile  business  with  Julian 
Meyers;  of  which  firm  he  is  still  a  member.  This  firm  is  one  of  the  largest 
business  houses  in  the  State.  They,  with  a  few  other  extensive  houses  in  the 
South,  support  a  bureau  in  New  York  City,  through  which  they  purchase  all  their 
goods  at  greatly  reduced  rates.  The  business  of  Julian  Mej'ers  &  Co.  is 
greatly  on  the  increase  and  they  will  do  a  business  of  over  $200,000  this  year. 
They  carry  from  fifty  to  seventj'-five  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stock ;  occupy 
two  floors  of  a  large  building  with  their  mercantile  business,  proper,  besides 
numerous  implement  and  carriage  warehouse  rooms;  also  have  a  large  shipping 
depot  from  which  they  ship  more  cotton  and  rice  than  any  other  firm  in  St. 
Landry  parish.  Recognizing  the  necessitj'  of  a  healthy  Southern  emigration, 
Mr.  Lev}'  became  connected  with  the  Southwestern  Louisiana  Land  Compan}-, 
of  which  he  was  elected  president.  It  is  due  to  this  company  and  its  enterpris- 
ing members  that  hundreds  of  home  seekers  have  located  in  Southwestern 
Louisiana.  Mr.  Levy  is  also  president  and  one  of  the  chief  stock  liolders  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Opelousas.  In  fact,  he  has  become  identified  with 
nearly  every  move  that  has  advanced  the  interest  of  St.  Landry  and  adjoining 
parishes.  He  is  yet  a  young  man,  popular  in  social  circles,  a  member  of  tlie 
Opelousas  Social  Club,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  this  place. 

»  * 
*^  SOL.  LOEB,  Opelous.\s. — Mr.  Loeb,  a  merchant  and  planter  of  this  place, 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  near  the  river  Rhine,  December  8,  1838.  His 
father,  Aaron  Loeb,  died  when  our  subject  was  an  infant,  and  when  about  ten 
years  of  age  young  Sol  came  to  New  York,  where  some  of  his  relatives  had  pre- 
ceded him.    He  remained  in  New  York  for  sometime,  afterward  attending  school 


66  SOUTHWESl^  L  OUISIANA  : 

in  Hartford,  Connecticut;  after  whicii  he  was  located  in  Woodville,  Mississippi, 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  Though  anativ^e  of  a  foreign  land,  and 
partially  reared  among  those  against  whom  he  afterward  fought,  Mr.  Loeb  was 
intensely  southern  in  sentiment,  and  at  the  first  call  of  his  adopted  Southland,  he 
shouldered  his  musket,  and,  enlisting  in  the  first  company  Wilkinson  Rifles,  Six- 
teenth Mississippi  Regiment,  he  went  out  "to  conqueror  be  conquered."  During 
the  time  of  his  service  he  operated  in  Virginia  under  Robert  E.  Lee  and  Stonewall 
Jackson.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Cross  Keys,  Winchester,  Harper's  Ferry,  Port 
Republic,  the  seven  days'  fight  around  Richmond  and  the  second  battle  of 
Manassas,  in  which  he  received  a  severe  flesh  wound,  from  the  effect  of  which 
he  laj"  in  Richmond  two  months,  when,  his  general  health  being  greatly  impaired, 
he  received  his  final  discharge.  He  shortlj'  afterward  went  to  Mexico  and  en- 
gaged in  business.  While  there,  in  1864,  he  met  and  married  Miss  Jennnetle 
Marks,  of  New  Orleans,  who,  like  himself,  had  gone  to  Mexico  to  escape  the 
turbulent  effects  of  the  war.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  removed  to  New 
Orleans  an-d  here  embarked  in  business.  During  the  yellow  fever  scourge  of 
1867,  Mrs.  Loeb  died,  and  our  subject  removed  to  Opelousas  and  located  in  busi- 
ness. In  1876  he  married  the  second  time.  Miss  Sarah  Feibelman,  of  New 
Orleans. 

Mr.  Loeb  is  the  happy  father  of  seven  children;  first,  Mrs.  Jacob  Frankel. 
the  issue  of  the  first  marriage.  Three  sons  and  three  daughters  have  been  born 
to  the  second  union.     Mr.  Loeb  is  a  thorough,  progressive  American  citizen. 

* 
*     * 

E.  LATREYTE,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Latreyte  is  a  native  of  France,  born 
December  26,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  L.  and  Marguerite  (Lagrave)  Latrevte, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  France.     His  father  was  a  merchant. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in 
France.  In  1861  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  for  eighteen  years 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store.  Pie  began  a  commission  business  in 
1878,  in  which,  however,  he  only  continued  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to 
Opelousas  and  embarked  in  a  general  mercantile  business.  That  he  has  been 
amply  successful  in  his  business  career  is  demonstrated  in  the  fact  that  he  began 
business  on  a  capital  of  about  four  thousand  dollars  and  now  carries  a  stock  of 
about  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  does  a  very  large  business;  also  operates  about 
one  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  owns  over  two  thousand  acres.  He  is  one  of  the 
chief  stock  holders  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Opelousas.  He  is  also  a 
member  and  stock  holder  in  St.  Landry  Home  Association. 

Mr.  Latreyte  married,  in  1S74,  Miss  Maria  Anglade,  of  New  Orleans.  He 
has  four  children,  all  daughters.  Mr.  Latreyte  and  his  family  are  all  devout 
Catholics.  Few  men  in  Opelousas  have  been  more  successful  or  done  more  for 
the  general  advancement  of  the  place  than  Mr.  Latretye. 


I 


HISTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.     .  57 

JOSEPH  LASSALLE,  Opelousas.— Mr.  Lassalle  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
boin  in  St.  Paul  of  L'Assomption.  1844.  His  father,  Joseph  Lassalle,  Sr.,  was  a 
native  of  Canada,  and  was  a  dealer  in  grain  in  St.  Paul.  He  died  December 
9,  1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

Our  subject's  mother  was  Sarah  Asselin,  also  a  native  of  Canada.  She  died 
in  March  of  1853,  at  the  age  of  thirt\'-three  years.  The  family  are  of  purely 
French  descent. 

Young  Joseph  was  reared  in  Canada,  and  received  the  best  education  its 
schools  afforded.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Joiliette  College.  He  was  educated  for  a 
priest,  but  not  being  inclined  that  way,  did  not  pursue  that  calling.  Canada  not 
affording  the  field  for  the  operations  his  ambitious  nature  craved,  Mr.  Lassalle, 
December  14,  1871,  started  for  Opelousas,  Louisiana.  He  came  on  the  ocean 
via  New  York  to  New  Orleans,  arriving  in  Opelousas  in  January,  1872.  He 
was  for  five  years  succeeding  this  deputy  tax  collector  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

In  1877  he  began  a  mercantile  business,  starting  with  a  capital  of  $900.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  business,  and.  besides  the  large  business  interest 
which  he  conducts,  he  owns  considerable  town  property. 

Mr.  Lassalle  was  married,  January  6,  1876,  to  Therese  Goldman,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Goldman,  who  was  a  former  resident  of  Opelousas. 


T.  JAY  LACY,  Mount  Hope  Nursery,  Washington. — The  subject  of 
this  sketch  began  life  at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  an  apprentice,  learning  a  carpen- 
ter's trade  in  New  York.  In  1858  he  removed  lo  Washington,  Louisiana, 
where  he  began  growing  a  nursery.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  enlisted 
in  the  Confederate  service,  and  was  detailed  to  do  commissar}'  duty.  At' the 
close  of  the  war  he  had  as  a  capital  with  which  to  start  business  four  dollars. 
He  returned  to  Washington  and  bought  the  place  where  he  now  resides. 
Since  that  time  he  has  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  horticulture;  and  there  are  no 
finer  pear  orchards  to  be  found  anywhere  than  this.  He  also  has  a  general  nur- 
sery stock,  and  is  conducting  a  flourishing  business  in  fruit  trees  that  are 
adapted  to  the  climate  of  the  Gulf  States. 

* 

\ .  D.  LEDOUX,  Opelousas. — V.  D'.  Ledoux,  a  planter  living  eight  miles 
west  of  Opelousas,  was  born  September,  1840.  He  is  the  son  of  Dalicourt  and 
Eliza  (McDaniel)  Ledoux,  both  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Our  subject's 
paternal  grandfather  was  Eugene  Ledoux,  a  native  of  Canada  of  French 
parentage. 

Mr.  Ledoux  is  tlie  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  was  reared  in 
St.  Landrj-  parish  and  received  such  an  education  as  the  schools  of  the  parish 


58  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

afforded.  In  September,  1870,  he  married  Elizabeth  Boudreaux,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  five  children,  viz  :  Mary,  wife  of  Thomas  Fontenot;  Joseph  M., 
Eliza,  (died  August  4,  1881),  Valsain,  and  Leopold  D. 

From  1870  to  1875  he  operated  in  connection  with  his  plantation  a  mercan- 
tile business,  but  finding  that  his  plantation  required  his  full  attention  he 
abandoned  his  store  and  has  since  given  his  full  attention  to  the  plantation. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  CathoHc  church. 


WM.  ROBERTSON  LASTRAPES,  M.  D.,  Opelousas.— Dr.  Lastrapes 
was  born  in  Washington,  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  March  12,  1S69.  His 
father,  Henry  Lastrapes,  is  among  the  largest  planters  of  St    Landry  parish. 

Dr.  Lastrapes  is  tlie  fourth  in  the  order  of  their  birth  of  eight  living  children. 
The  Doctor,  from  his  boyhood  days,  had  the  most  excellent  educational  facihties, 
having  attended  the  best  schools  of  the  parish  up  to  the  time  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  Manhattan  College,  New  York  City,  graduating 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  1S87,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  second  in  a  class  of 
twenty-five  graduates.  The  same  year  he  entered  the  medical  school  of  Tulane 
University,  New  Orleans,  graduating  from  this  institution  in  April,  1890.  He 
has  practised  in  Opelousas  about  three  months,  and  accepting  his  reception  by  the 
people  thus  early  in  his  professional  career  as  an  index,  his  success  is  assured. 

*     * 

MARK  LAZARO,  Ville  Platte. — Mr.  Lazaro,  a  successful  planter  of 
St.  Landry  parish,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana.  He  was  born  February  10,  1847. 
His  father,  Alexandre  L.,  was  a  native  of  Russia.  His  mother,  EHzabeth 
Vidrene,  of  Louisiana,  of  French  extraction.  Alexandre  Lazaro  came  to 
America  in  1838,  and  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Mobile,  Ala.  In  the  early 
part  of  his  life  he  took  an  active  part  in  politics.  For  twenty  years  he  was  a 
sailor.  He  was  married  in  St.  Landry  parish,  and  became  the  father  of  three 
children,  Mark  (the  subject  of  our  sketch)  being  the  only  surviving  member  of 
the  family.  Alexandre  Lazaro  died  in  1884.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Greek 
Catholic  church.  His  wife  died  from  yellow  fever  in  St.  Landry  parish,  in  1867. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  CathoHc  church. 

Mark  Lazaro  was  educated  partially  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau, 
having  taken  a  three  years'  course  in  that  institution.  In  the  latter  part  of  1864 
he  joined  the  State  Militia,  and  in  1865  the  artillery  in  the  regular  army.  He 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  a 
mercantile  establishment  in  New  Orleans.  He  has  for  a  number  of  years  been 
planting  where  he  now  resides,  and  owns  a  tract  of  about  eighteen  hundred  acres 
of  land,  with  six  hundred  acres  under  cultivation.  He  also  conducts  a  mercan- 
tile business  on  his  plantation. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  59 

Mr.  Lazaro  was  married  November  8,  1886,  to  Miss  Amelie  Fontenot,  of 
St.  Landry  parish.  Tiiey  are  the  parents  of  five  living  children:  Joseph,  Amelie 
(wife  of  R.  G.  Stagg),  J.,  Luke,  Evangeline.  Mrs.  Lazaro  died,  and  Mr. 
Lazaro  married  a  second  time,  in  1883,  Miss  Agnes  Francis.  To  them  two 
children  have  been  born :   Lilliss  and  Mary. 

* 

-^  DORSIN  P.  LEFLEUR,  Chataignier.— Dorsin  P.  Lafleur  is  a  success- 
ful planter  and  merchant  living  in  the  seventh  ward  of  St.  Landry  parish.  He 
is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  August  27, 1853.  He  is  the  son  of  John  P.  and 
Delphine  (Rosas)  Lafleur,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  John  P.  Lafleur  was 
a  planter  and  merchant  and  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the  police  jury. 
He  died  in  1886,  at  the  mature  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  wife  died  in  1858. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Dorsin  P.  Lafleur  was  reared  on  his  father's  plantation  in  this  parish  and 
received  a  good  business  education  in  the  neighboring  schools.  '  He  was  married, 
in  1869,  to  Miss  Amelia  Miller,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
viz:  Dorville,  Joseph  D.,  John  P.,  Dorestant,  Dorsina,  wife  of  Oliver  Lafleur; 
Dolvina,  wife  of  Laurent  Aadoin,  Doremus  (deceased),  Dora. 

Mr.  Lafleur  began  merchandising  in  1853,  and  since  that  time  has  continued 
in  the  business.  He  also  operates  a  steam  power  grist  mill  and  cotton  gin.  He 
owns  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  seventh  ward,  about  two  hundred  of  which 
are  under  cultivation. 

His  wife  died  in  1884.  The  family  are  all  Catholics.  Mr.  Lafleur  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  citizens  of  St.  Landr^'  parish. 

*  * 
^  ERTEMON  LAFLEURE,  Opelousas.— Mr.  Lafleure  was  born  in  the 
parish  in  which  he  now  resides,  in  August,  1850,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  six- 
teen children  born  to  John  B.  and  Domelise  B.  (Fontenot)  Lafleure,  natives  of 
St.  Landry  parish.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  Lafleure,  was  a  native  of  France, 
and  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Louisiana.  John  B.  Lafleure  is  still 
living,  being  in  his  seventy-second  vear.  He  has  married  twice.  His  first  wife, 
our  subject's  mother,  died  in  1884. 

Ertemon  Lafleure  began  life  as  a  farmer.  He  bought  a  tract  of  land  consist- 
ing of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  located  nine  miles  west  of  Opelousas,  where 
he  now  resides,  and  to  which  he  has  since  added  one  hundred"  and  thirty  acres. 
He  has  been  successful  as  a  planter,  and  his  plantation  is  one  of  the  best 
improved  in  this  section.  He  has  also,  in  connection  with  his  plantation,  a  store, 
in  which  he  does  a  good  business. 

Mr.  Lefleure  was  married,  in  1870,  to  Miss  Estelle  P.  Pitre,  daughter  of 
Francois   P.  and  Ozelure  C.  Pitre,  their  family  consisting  of  ten  children,  viz  ; 


€0  .s' o irrn ii 7i\9 r  l  o uisia na  .■ 

Alide,  Eiiiar,  Olivia.  Aladie,  Lena,  Lydia,  Omar,  Real,  Ertemon,  and  Maese. 
Mr.  Lefleurc  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  Second  Justice's  Ward  in 
i88S,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that  office.     He  and  family  are  Catholics. 

» 

)/  *     * 

\i.  F.  MEGINLEV.  Oi-klolsa.s.— B.  F.  Meginley,  Clerk  of  the  Supreme 

Court  at  Opelousas,  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  born  October  2,  1859. 
He  is  the  son  of  W.  R.  and  Louise  (Chachere)  Meginley.  The  Meginley  family 
is  of  Irish.  Scotch  and  English  extraction,  the  families  having  been  settlers  of 
the  New  England  States.  The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  died  at 
an  advanced  age  in  Pliiladelphia,  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  W.  R.  Meginley, 
was  born  in  Rhode  Island  and  reared  in  Philadelphia:  he  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  builder,  serving  several  tedious  years'  apprenticeship,  and  when 
quite  a  young  man  came  South  and  located  in  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana. 
Here  he  became  a  leading  contractor  and  builder,  and  many  of  the  most  impos- 
ing structures  in  this, section  of  the  State  still  stand  as  monuments  to  attest  the 
efficiency  that  he  had  attained  in  his  vocation.  He  was  the  architect  and  builder 
of  the  old  court  house  in  Opelousas,  which  was  burned  down  in  recent  years; 
also  many  of  the  largest  sugar  factories  in  this  section  of  the  State  are  of  his 
workmanship.  After  a  life  of  usefulness  he  was  called  to  judgment  in  1888,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 

Our  subjects's  mother's  family,  Chachere.  is  one  of  the  old  and  leading 
Creole  families  of  the  State.  The  descendants  of  this  family  have  become 
so  numerous  in  St.  Landiy  parish  that  it  is  impossible  to  give  a  fair  estimate 
of  its  actual  numbers.  It  has  been  the  custom  for  years  among  them  to  hold 
an  annual  family  meeting,  which  is  attended  by  from  five  to  eight  hundred 
of  its  members.  In  honor  of  this  ancient  custom,  the  family  has  recently  pur- 
chased a  five-acre  tract  of  land,  located  ten  miles  west  of  Opelousas,  which 
the}'  have  commenced  to  improve,  and  intend  to  adorn  witli  ail  that  art  can 
afford  or  taste  suggest,  as  the  annual  meeting  place  of  the  family.  As  the  day, 
August  25,  is  the  one  chosen, and  as  the  celebration  of  high  mass  upon  the  scene  is  a 
part  of  the  ceremony,  this  spot  will  become  the  Mecca  of  the  family,  and  gene- 
rations yet  unborn  ma}'  have  just  reason  to  breathe  with  pride  and  veneration 
the  names  of  their  thoughtful  ancestr}'  who  have  selected  and  adorned  the  spot. 
The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  of  French 
parentage,  in  1801,  and  is  still  alive.  He  is  fresh  for  his  years  and  still  hitches 
his  own  horse  and  drives  out  for  exercise  and  business. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  B.  F.  Meginley,  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  ap- 
pearance, being  remarkably  robust  and  healthy.  His  energj-  and  candor  bespeak 
his  Irish,  Scotch  and  English  blood,  while  he  is  also  possessed  of  that  manly 
politeness  and  suavity  of  temperament  characteristic  of  the  Frenchman.  Though 
his  parents  were  in  comfortable  circumstances,  while  yet  a  child  young  Benjamin 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  Gl 

evinced  a  desire  to  accomplish  something  for  himself,  and  at  the  tender  age  of 
thirteen  he  became  an  employe  of  the  post-master  at  Opelousas.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  became  the  regular  deputy  post-master  and  worked  in  that  capacity, 
with  the  exception  of  a  short  period,  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  tried 
farming  for  a  season  and  clerking  for  a  short  spell,  but  was  not  satisfied  with 
either,  and  returned  to  his  place  in  the  post-office.  Although  he  was  constantl}' 
engaged  in  business  he  was  a  hard  student  and  used  all  his  leisure  moments  in 
acquiring  a  literary  as  well  as  a  practical  education.  Looking  around  for  some 
position  where  there  was  a  possibility  of  promotion,  he  secured  a  desk  as  a  copyist 
in  the  ofHce  of  District  Court  in  March.  1880.  Here  his  persistent  energy  re- 
commended him  as  a  most  efficient  clerk,  and,  in  February.  1881,  he  was  given 
charge  of  the  office.  He  held  this  position  until  June  i,  1888.  when  he  resigned 
to  accept  the  appointment  of  Supreme  Court  clerk,  which  position  he  now 
holds.  In  the  office  of  the  District  Court  he  labored  early  and  late,  until  he 
became  recognized  as  one  of  the  highest  possible  authorities  to  be  found  on 
records  and  land  titles.  Probably  there  is  no  one  in  this  section  of  Louisiana 
who  is  more  familiar  with  them  than  Mr.  Meginley.  In  1885  he  qualified  as  a 
land  attorney  to  practise  before  the  United  States  and  State  land  offices.  On 
leaving  the  office  of  the  District  Court  he  opened  a  land  and  notarial  office,  and 
has  done  one  of  the  largest  land  practices  in  the  State  since  that  time.  In  con- 
nection with  his  official  business  Mr.  Meginley  conducts  a  flourishing  grocery 
establishment  in  Opelousas.  He  married,  November  22,  1882,  Miss  Lena  Fon- 
tenot.  He  is  the  happy  father  of  three  daughters,  Constance  Louisa.  Louise 
Aline  and  Wilda  Octavia.  Mr.  Meginlej'  is  certainly  an  instance  of  a  self-made 
man.  He  has  never  received  a  dollar's  patrimon}',  and  is  in  independent  cir- 
cumstances. He  says  he  has  tried  everything  but  blacking  boots,  and  believes 
he  could  do  that  successfully  if  necessary.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  truly 
American  idea  that  the  man  lends  dignity  to  the  occupation,  not  the  occupation 
to  the  man.  He  is  identified  witli  all  the  public  matters  of  interest  and  never 
fails  to  do  his  part  in  all  piojects  that  tend  to  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of 
his  section.  , 

•^  E.  C.  MILBURN,  Whiteville.— E.  C.  Milburn,  planter  and  Police  Juror, 
Ward  5.  is  a  native  of  St.  Landr}'  parish,  born  in  the  year  1836.  He  is  the  son  of 
Henry  B.  and  Minerva  A.  (Ferguson)  Milburn,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Mis- 
sissippi, but  removed  to  Louisiana  with  their  parents  when  children.  Henry  B. 
Milburn  was  principally  reared  and  educated  in  Louisiana.  He  married  here 
when  a  young  man  and  devoted  himself  to  planting  on  Bayou  Bceuf,  Avoyelles 
parish.  Louisiana.  He  was  accidentally  killed  by  his  gin  in  1852.  at  the  age  of 
about  fifty-three  years.  E.  C.  Milburn's  grandfather,  Henr\-  Milburn,  was  a 
native  of  England,  but  removed  to  the  United  Stales    when  a  voung  man.     He 


62  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

had  only  one  son,  our  subject's  father.  Ilis  maternal  grandfather,  James  Fergu- 
son, was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  He  married  when  young  Miss  Ellizabeth 
Curry,  of  Georgia,  moving  to  Louisiana  in  1812,  where  he  engaged  in  planting. 
He  participated  in  the  war  of  1812,  but  was  not  engaged  in  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninet3'-five,  outliving  all  of  his  children  except 
the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  now^  living  and  is  eighty-two 
years  old. 
\^'  E.  C.  Milburn  began  life  as  a  merchant  at  Holmesville,  Louisiana,  marry- 
ing, shortly  after  beginning  business,  Miss  Anna  INL  Leigh,  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
F.  Leigh,  of  Baltimore,  Mar3land. 

In  1862  Mr.  Milburn  enlisted  in  the  First  Battalion  of  State  troops,  in  which 
he  served,  operating  in  Louisiana,  one  year,  when  he  joined  the  Eighth  Battalion 
of  the  Heavy  Artillery;  and  a  few  months  before  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  detailed  for  the  purpose  of  raising  provisions  for  the  Confederate  States'  use. 
After  the  war  he  devoted  himself  to  the  operation  of  his  plantation  at  this  place, 
where  he  had  removed  in  i860.  He  has  an  excellent  plantation,  upon  which 
he  raises  cotton  and  corn.  Mr.  Milburn  also  raises  a  fine  grade  of  stock  on 
his  plantation.  In  the  year  1888  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Police  Jury 
from  the  Fifth  Ward,  and  has  served  in  this  capacity  with  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  the  people.  It  is  not  Mr.  Milburn's  desire  to  identify  himself  with 
political  affairs,  and  he  has  refused,  on  different  occasions,  to  accept  nomina- 
tions to  the  Legislature.  He  is  the  father  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter.      His   oldest  son.  Dr.   H.   C.    Milburn,    is  a  practising  physician    of 

Whiteville,  Louisiana.  » 

«     « 

A.  H.  MOUTON,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Mouton  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born 
January  27,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  C.  H.  and  C.  Celinine  (Dupre)  Mouton,  the 
former  a  native  of  Lafayette,  Louisiana,  born  in  1825,  and  the  latter  of  St. 
Landry  parish,  born  May  29,  1831,  died  December  17,  1864.  Mrs.  Mouton  is 
a  daughter  of  Lastie  Dupre,  a  former  prominent  citizen  of  this  parish. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  liv- 
ing. He  was  educated  in  Opelousas  and  New  Orleans.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  began  business  for  himself  as  a  farmer  on  his  plantation  located  near 
Lafayette.  Here  he  continued  to  operate  his  plantation  for  a  period  of  about  two 
years,  when  he  removed  to  St.  Landry  parish  and  engaged  in  stock  trading. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Opelousas,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and  in  1887 
engaged  in  the  merdantile  business,  at  the  same  time  operating  a  plantation,  upon 
which  he  raises  cotton  and  rice.  He  has  a  beautiful  prairie  farm  near  Rougeau. 
C.  H.  Mouton,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  States 
service.  It  is  enough  to  say  of  our  subject  that  he  is  one  of  St.  Landry's 
respected  citizens  and  successful  planters. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  63 

^  JUDGE  JOSEPH  MURTAUGH  MOORE,  Opelousas.— The  late  Judge 
]\Ioore,  of  Opelousas,  Louisiana,  was  born  in  Opelousas,  September  23,  1824. 
The  Moores  were  an  old  Virginia  family,  and  the  ancestral  residence  still  stands 
in  Berkley  county  of  that  State.  Judge  Lewis  Moore  was  a  major  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  He  married  a  Virginia  lady  by  the  name  of  Henshaw.  There 
were  born  to  the  marriage  four  sons,  one  of  whom,  J.  Andrew,  was  the  father  of 
our  subject.  Judge  Lewis  Moore  settled  near  Berwick's  Bay,  and  there  became 
a  wealth}'  planter  and  property  owner.  J.  Andrew  Moore,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  educated  at  the  Transylvania  School  of  Medicine  in  Pennsylvania,  but  never 
practised  his  profession.  He  became  a  merchant,  and  afterward  a  planter  in  St. 
Mary's  parish.  He  married,  and  became  the  father  of  fourteen  children,  twelve 
of  whom  grew  to  matuint}'.  The  late  Judge  Joseph  Murtaugh  Moore  was  the 
oldest  of  the  family.  He  received  his  literary  education  in  Jefferson  College, 
Pennsylvania;-  after  which  he  returned  home  and  read  law  in  the  office  of  Caleb 
L.  Swayze,  subsequently  becoming  the  law  partner  of  his  preceptor.  This  part- 
nership existed  until  the  time  of  Mr.  Swayze's  death.  He  then  became  senior 
partner  of  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Morgan.  He  continued  in  the  active  practice  of 
law  until  he  was  elected  senior  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  1880.  This 
position  he  filled  with  distinction  for  eight  consecutive  years.  He  was  a  man  of 
culture  and  refinement,  and  of  deep  research  as  a  jurist.  He  represented  St. 
Landry  parish  in  the  Legislature  before  the  war,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
federate States  Legislature  during  the  war.  He  was  again  elected  representative  in 
1879,  and  helped  frame  the  present  State  constitution.  He  never  aspired  to  office, 
but  was  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice,  no  matter  how  great,  when  his  principles 
and  the  people  demanded  it.  In  the  da3'S  of  reconstruction  he  became  a  candi- 
date for  Congress,  when  he  and  his  friends  knew  there  was  not  one  ray  of  hope. 
But  he  reduced  the  republican  majority  so  materially  that  his  work  paved  the 
way  to  future  democratic  success.  He  died  December  15, 1890.  Judge  Moore's 
first  wife  was  Annette  Wartelle.  After  her  death  lie  married  a  daughter  of  Judge 

Overton,  who  still  survives  him. 

* 
*     * 

J.  M.  MORRIS  &  CO.,  Opelousas.— J.  M.  Morris  &  Co.,  the  enterpris- 
ing general  insurance  agents  of  this  place,  are  the  successors  of  J.  L.  Morris. 
J.  L.  Morris  located  in  Opelousas  in  1882  and  was  the  only  insurance  agent  in 
Opelousas  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  September  19,  1890.  He  was  a  man  of 
energy  and  push  and  extended  his  business  over  a  broad  area  of  the  State.  H. 
A.  Irion,  of  the  present  firm,  had  previously  been  associated  with  J.  L.  Morris.. 

J.  M.  Morris  was  reared  and  educated  in  this  State,  and  since  a  boy  has  been 
keeping  books  and  clerking.  He  spent  nearly  three  years  in  the  West,  and  has 
had  a  considerable  amount  of  experience. 

H.  A.  Irion  was  reared  and  educated  in  Avo3-elles  parish.     He  is  the  son  of. 


C.4  SOUIV/W'EST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Judge  Irion,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Louisiana.  These  two  young  men  are 
distinguished  for  their  energy,  and  their  business  has  so  far  been  a  success. 
They  express  themselves  as  being  permanently  located  in  this  place.  There  seems 
no  reason  to  doubt  that  their  success  is  assured.  Among  the  insurance  companies 
which  tliey  represent  are  the  following:  The  Fire  Insurance  Association,  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.  ;  the  Union  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  San  Francisco,  California; 
the  Southern  Insurance  Company,  of  New  Orleans;  the  Pelican  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  New  Orleans;  the  Shreveport  Fire  Insurance    Company-,  and  the  New 

Orleans  Insurance  Company.  ^ 

•     ♦ 

V  J.  B.  McCOY,  Opelousas. — J.  B.  McCoy  is  a  native  of  West  Virginia, 
born  at  Wheeling  in  1829.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Bushfield) 
McCoy,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  twelve  miles  from  Edinburgh  in 
1 791,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1793.  When  J.  B. 
McCoy  was  five  years  old  his  father  died,  his  mother  surviving  him  only  two 
years,  thus  leaving  him  an  orphan  at  the  tender  age  of  seven  years.  He  is  one 
of  a  family  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  three 
are  now  living.  Thus  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early  age  and  having 
to  work  for  the  support  of  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  he  entered  a  foundry 
at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  doing  the  most  menial  service  for  small  pa}'.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  foundry  three  years,  when,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  lie  went  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  tiiere  engaged  in  farming  and  attending  school  alternately — 
running  the  farm  in  the  working  season  and  attending  school  winters.  In  this 
way  he  obtained  a  thorough  Englisli  education  and  received  a  good  knowledge 
•of  the  classics.  He  was  offered  a  collegiate  education  but  preferred  depending 
upon  his  own  resources  to  receiving  help  from  any  one,  and  lie  faced  life  for  him- 
self, with  the  determination  that  whatever  lie  should  accomplish  would  be  through 
his  individual  efforts.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  removed  from  Penns3'lvania 
to  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  began  clerking  in  the  store  of  Barton  T.  David,  which 
position  he  held  for  a  period  of  about  two  years,  when  the  store  was  removed  to 
Henderson  county,  Illinois,  where  our  subject  was  given  the  entire  manage- 
;ment.  Here  he  remained  for  about  three  years.  In  tlie  autumn  of  i860,  lie 
removed  to  Louisiana  and  stopped  with  T.  C.  Chachere,  making  that  his 
home  for  some  time.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  carpentering,  which  trade  he  had 
learned  in  Illinois.  About  three  j-ears  subsequent  to  this  he  purchased  a  small 
plantation,  upon  which  he  erected  a  residence,  where  he  has  since  lived,  devoting 
himself  exclusively  to  planting.  Mr.  McCoy,  through  the  adverse  circumstances 
from  which  he  has  arisen,  has  been  eminently  fitted  for  a  business  life,  and  to 
his  untiring  energy  is  due  what  he  has  accomplished.  He  married,  in  1867,  Mrs. 
Odelia  Anders,  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish  and  daughter  of  .  Jno.  B.  and 
Mary  L.  BijThm.     To  this  union  has  been  born  one  son.  Allen. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  65 

^  MRS.  VIRGINIA  INIcPHERSON,  Grand  Coteau.— Mrs.  Virginia  B. 
McPherson  is  a  daughter  ol  William  H.  Bassett,  of  Charles  City  county,  Vir- 
ginia. She  was  married  to  Samuel  Chapman  McPherson,  of  Maryland,  who 
had  emigrated  to  this  State,  in  1836.  Mr.  McPherson  was  one  of  the  most  highly 
respected  citizens  of  the  section  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  active  and  energetic, 
and  alwa3's  took  a  leading  part  in  political  and  local  affairs.  He  died,  universally 
regretted,  at  his  residence  near  Grand  Coteau,  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years. 

Mrs.  McPherson  still  occupies  the  old  homestead  that  her  father  purchased 
in  1836.  The  surviving  children  of  S.  C.  McPherson  are  :  Mrs.  Dr.  James 
Ware,  of  Lake  Charles,  Louisiana;   Mrs.  Dr.  C.  P.  Smith,  of  Grand   Coteau, 

and  Mrs.  Martial  Cass,  of  New  Orleans. 

* 

MRS.  ELEANOR  A.  MILLARD,* Grand  Coteau.— Mrs.  Millard  is  a 
native  of  St.  Landr}^  parish.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Moses  and  Constance 
(Collins)  Littell,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Louisiana. 
They  married  in  St.  Landry  parish,  and  became  the  parents  of  five  children, 
three  daughters  and  two  sons.  Dr.  Littell  died  in  1837  of  yellow  fever.  Mrs. 
Littell  died  in  1864. 

Mrs.  Millard  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  familj'.  She  was  married 
in  April.  1840,  to  Dr.  Edward  N.  Millard,  a  native  of  Maryland,  who  came  to 
Louisiana  in  1836.  He  was  a  practising  ph3'sician  of  ability.  He  died  in  1882. 
Mrs.  Millard  still  resides  on  the  plantation,  near  Grand  Coteau,  where  she 
owns  a  good  plantation,  also  considerable  town  property.  Having  no  chil- 
dren of  her  own,  she  has  reared  several  nieces  and  nephews.  Mrs.  Dr. 
Robert  Littell,  one  of  her  nieces,  has  lived  with  Mrs.  Millard  since  she  was  four 
years  of  age  until  her  marriage,  in  Februarj^  1885.  Miss  Eleanor  Haw,  whom 
Mrs.  Millard  had  at  her  home  for  eight  years,  was  married  in  October,  1S90,  to 
Robert  E.  Smith,  son  of  Frank  G.  Smith  and  Marcehte  (Gilbeau)  Smith.  Dr. 
Robert  E.  Smith  was  a  practising  physician  and  resided  for  manj-  years  at 
Grand  Coteau.  Young  Mr.  Smith  and  his  wife  now  reside  with  Mrs.  Millard. 
Mrs.  Millard  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  schools,  churches,  and  all  laudable 
enterprises.  Her  ancestors  were  among  Louisiana's  oldest  settlers,  having  been 
residents  here  under  the  Spanish  Government.  Gilbert  Leonard,  Mrs.  Millard's 
gi'and  uncle,  held  an  ofiice  of  high  distinction  under  the  Spanish  Government. 

* 

GREGORY  W.  MARTIN,  Arnaudville.— Dr.  Martin  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  in  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  Omar  and  Elise  (Estillette)  Martin, 
both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Omar  Martin  is  a  notarj' public  and  a  planter 
in  St.  Martin  parish. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven   children.     He 


66  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

attended  school  as  a  bo}-  in  St.  Martin  parish,  subsequently  pursuing  a  course  at 
the  University  of  Louisiana,  at  New  Orleans,  and  afterward  at  the  Military, 
Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at  Baton  Rouge  as  a  cadet  at  large 
from  the  State.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  the,  study  of  medicine  under 
Dr.  Gilbeau,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  attended  a  medical  college  in  1875-6, 
and  again  in  1878-9,  in  which  year  he  graduated.  Upon  the  completion  of  his 
medical  course  he  located  at  this  place,  where  he  has  a  large  practice. 

Dr.  Martin  owns  a  large  amount  of  land  on  Ba3'ou  Teche  and  the  surround- 
ing country,  upon  which  he  raises  cotton. 

In  1880  the  doctor  married  Miss  Ida  Gilbeau,  daughter  of  his  preceptor.  To 
them  were  born  five  children,  viz:  Gregory  AV.,  Jr.  :  Wade  Omar,  Jane,  Jeffrey 
(deceased),  Jeffrey  Edwin.  The  doctor  and  his  famil}-  are  all  members  of  the 
Catholic  church. 

Besides  his  professional  duties  and  the  operation  of  his  plantation  Dr.  Mar- 
tin also  conducts  a  mercantile  business  at  Breaux  Bridge.  The  doctor  is  an  en- 
terprising citizen  and  skilful  phj'sician. 

»     * 

JOHN  INI.  OGE,  Grand  Coteau. — John  M.  Oge  is  the  onh-  son  of  Louis 
Eugene  Oge  and  Elizabeth  Ward.  He  was  born  on  the  21st  da}-  of  February,  1867. 
Louis  Eugene  Oge  was  a  native  of  Paris,  France;  Elizabeth  (Ward)  Oge,  of 
Queen's  county,  Ireland.  They  emigrated  to  America  when  young,  and  in  1865 
were  married  at  Lake  Charles,  Louisiana.  Louis  E.  Oge  was  an  architect,  for  a 
number  of  years  engaged  in  ship  building  at  Rockland,  Maine,  and  in  New  Or- 
leans.   He  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1867.     Mrs.  E.  Oge  died  in  Opelousas  in  1884. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  by  the  Misses  Alice  and  Ellen  Duff}', 
of  Grand  Coteau.  Up  to  the  time  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  young  John  M. 
Oge  attended  the  private  schools  of  Grand  Coteau,  at  which  age  he  entered  St. 
Charles  College  at  this  place,  graduating  in  1887.  February  12,  1889,  he  mar- 
ried Marie  Annette  Petetin,  daughter  of  Eugene  Petetin  and  Onegia  Gilbeau. 

Mr.  Oge  is  at  present  studying  law,  with  the  intention  of  entering  the  legal 
profession  in  the  near  future.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church.     Their  little  son  Archie  was  born  on  the  29th  December,  1890. 

The  Misses  Duffy,  by  whom  our  subject  was  reared,  were  born  in  Armaugh, 
county  of  Monaghan,  Ireland.  They  came  to  America  with  their  parents  and 
three  brothers,  Patrick,  Michael  and  Peter,  in  1835,  and  settled  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  where  they  bought  a  large  tract  of  land.  Their  father,  Peter  Dufty,  died 
soon  after  the}'  came  to  this  place,  in  1836.  Mrs.  Duffy  survived  him  until  1S63. 
Peter  died  soon  after  finishing  school;  Michael  died  in  1S66,  and  Patrick  in 
1870.  The  latter  was  noted  as  a  successful  planter.  Alice  and  Ellen  are  the 
only  members  of  the  family  now  living.  They  are  still  on  the  old  plantation 
where  the  remainder  of  the  familv  have  resided. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  67 

"  T.  L.  POSEY,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Posey  is  a  successful  druggrist  of 
Opelousas.  He  is  a  native  of  the  place  and  was  born  in  1855.  Some  of  the 
members  of  the  Posey  family  have  figured  prominently  in  political  affairs  of  the 
United  States.  Of  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  the  International  Cyclo- 
pedia says:  "  Thomas  Posey  was  born  in  Virginia,  1750,  and  settled  in  West 
Virginia,  1769.  He  became  quartermaster  of  Lord  Dunmore's  army,  and  was 
engaged  in  a  battle  with  the  Indians  at  Point  Pleasant  in  1774.  The  next  year 
he  assisted  in  the  defeat  of  Dunmore  at  Gwynn's  Island.  He  afterward  joined 
Morgan's  riflemen,  and  fought  with  a  force  of  British  light  infantr_v  in  New 
Jersey.  Entering  the  army  under  Gates  he  was  at  the  battle  of  Bemis'  Heights, 
and  Stillwater  in  1777;  and  the  same  j^ear  conducted  an  expedition  against  the 
Indians.  In  1779  he  commanded  a  battalion  under  Wayne,  was  prominent  at 
the  assault  of  Stony  Point,  and  served  with  '  Mad  Anthony  '  until  the  evacuation 
of  Savannah.  He  was  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  and  was  appointed  briga- 
dier general  in  1793  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Washington.  Moving  into  Kentucky 
he  became  senator,  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  Major  General  of  Militia.  He 
was  United  States  Senator  from  Louisiana  in  181 2-13,  and  Governor  of  t-he  Indian  c 
Territorj^  from  1813  to  1816,  when  he  became  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs." 
His  commission  as  brigadier  general  was  kept  in  the  family  until  taken  by  the 
Federals  during  the  civil  war. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  T.  L.  Posey  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  came 
to  Louisiana  early  in  life,  where  he  married  and  resided  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  But  little  of  his  history  has  been  preserved.  As  gleaned  from  his  autobio- 
graphy, John  Posey,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  August  4,  1819,  in  Opelousas. 
He  was  the  youngest  child  of  Lloyd  and  Eleanor  (Collins)  Posey,  to  whom  were 
born  four  children.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Louisiana  and  died  in  1824. 
His  father  died  in  1S21.  Being  thus  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age  he  was  reared 
by  his  maternal  aunt,  Mrs.  Constance  Littell.  He  speaks  of  her  in  the  most 
affectionate  terms,  and  says  that  a  mother  could  have  given  him  no  more  atten- 
tion than  she.  He  received  a  good  education.  From  1834  to  1838  he  was  at 
the  St.  Louis  University.  The  year  1839  he  spent  in  Kentucky  visiting  his 
numerous  relatives.  Afterward  he  entered  the  mercantile  business,  but  lost  by  the 
credit  system.  He  then  became  deputy  clerk  of  St.  Landry,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  until  1846.  After  a  short  interval,  which  he  spent  in  Kentucky,  he 
determined  to  study  medicine,  and  this  he  did,  for  about  a  year,  in  the  office  of 
his  uncle  Alexander  Posey.  He  married  in  March,  1848,  and  the  following 
July  purchased  a  stock  of  drugs  and  opened  a  drug  business  in  Opelousas.  In 
this  he  continued  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  18S6. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch,  T.  L.  Posey,  succeeded  his  father  in  business  and 
is  now  a  popular  druggist  of  Opelousas.  He  was  educated  at  the  Jesuit  schools 
at  Grand  Coteau,  Louisiana,  and  at  Spring  Hill  College,  near  Mobile,  Alabama. 


,68  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

He  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Marie  Ferrer,  of  New  Orleans.  To 
them  have  been  born  six  children,  viz:  John  F.,  Mary  T.,  Theophilus  (died  in 
infancy),  Julia  Ferrer,  Thomas  A.  and  Charles.     Mr.  Posey  and  family   art: 

Catholics.  » 

♦     • 

K  CHARLES  PITRE.  Opej-ousas. — Mr.  Pitre  is  a  successful  farmer  who 
resides  four  miles  west  of  Opelousas.  He  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish, 
November,  1865.  His  parents,  Charles  Pitre  and  Adele  Joubert,  were  both 
natives  of  St.  Landry,  where  they  were  reared,  married  and  spent  most  of  their 
lives.  To  them  were  born  eight  children,  live  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
Charles,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  youngest. 

He  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  St.  Landry  parish.  Having 
made  farming  a  practical  study  he  adopted  this  as  his  lifetime  vocation,  and  has 
been  successful  in  his  attempts  thus  far.  He  owns  a  plantation  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land,  where  he  cultivates  cotton  and  corn.  Mr.  Pitre  married, 
in  1885,  Miss  Ophelia  Comeaux,  daughterof  C.  Comeaux.  They  became  the 
parents  of  three  children,  viz  :  Estelle  (  deceased),  Laurent.  The  first  child  died 
in  infancy.     Both  Mr.  Pitre  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


^  LANDRY  ROUGEAU,  Opelousas.— Landry  Rougeau  was  born  in  St, 
Landry  parish  in  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  Francois  and  ApoHne  (  Bordelon  ) 
Rougeau,  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Francois  Rougeau  was  quite  a  promi- 
nent citizen,  and  held  various  offices.  During  the  civil  war  he  was  in 
service  from  its  beginning  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1863.  Being  disabled 
shortly  after  enlisting,  he  was  rendered  unfit  for  service  in  the  field,  and  was  de- 
tailed to  the  commissary  department,  and  here  he  was  in  service  when  he  died. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living,  and  resides  with  her  daughter.  Mrs. 
Henry  P.  Fontenot. 

Landry  Rougeau  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children:  Celeste,  wife  of  Henry 
Fusilier;  John  B.,  Landry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  one  deceased.  Mr. 
Rougeau  received  a  common  school  education  in  the  schools  of  St.  Landry  par- 
ish, and  began  life  as  a  planter.  This  occupation  he  has  closely  followed  during 
the  whole  of  his  life,  and  in  it  has  met  with  flattering  success.  His  piesent 
plantation,  situated  in  Prairie  Momou,  consists  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres,  about  sixty  of  which  he  cultivates  in  corn,  cotton  and  rice  principallv. 
During  the  civil  war  Mr.  Rougeau  served  the  Confederate  States  through  its  en- 
tire duration.  He  married,  in  1869,  Miss  Margaret  Frauge,  daughter  of  Auguste 
F.  and  Celeste  (West)  Frauge,  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  six  children:  Celesta,  Arthur,  Arnald,  Zepherin,  Alma  and 
Alice. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  0!) 

VIRGIL  C.  REYNOLDS,  M.  D.,  Morrow.— Dr.  Reynolds  is  a  native  of 
St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1867,  November  7.  Me 
is  the  son  of  Dr.  W.  B.  and  Mar}'  (Buchanan)  Reynolds.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Georgia  and  his  mother  of  Louisiana.  Dr.  \V.  B.  Re3-nolds  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Georgia  State  Institute,  and  also  a  graduate  in  Medicine  from  the' 
IMedical  College  of  Georgia,  at  Augusta.  Soon  after  completing  his  medical 
course  he  removed  to  Big  Cane,  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  married 
twice.  Here  he  practised  his  profession  until  his  demise  in  18S6,  at  the  age  of 
forty^-seven  }'ears.  Mrs.  Reynolds  followed  him  in  the  year  1S87,  '^'^  the  age  of 
fort3'-two  years.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  spent  his  bo3'hood  days  in  St.  Landrv 
parish,  and  received  his  education  principally  in  Joe  Brown  University,  Dalton, 
Georgia,  although  he  completed  his  studies  in  Keachi  College,  Keachi,  Louisi- 
ana, graduating  in  1887  with  the  degree  of  A.  M.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same 
3'ear  lie  entered  the  Louisville  Medical  College,  completing  his  studies  and 
leceiving  his  diploma  in  1889.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  course,  he  located 
at  Morrow,  Louisiana,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  has 
lieen  very  successful,  having  built  up  a  lucrative  practice.  Dr.  Reynolds  is  a 
young  man  of  more  than  ordinary  natural  resources  and  intellectual  culture,  and 
is  destined  to  become  a  shining  light  in  his  profession. 

V  JAMES  RAY,  M.  D.,  Opelousas. — James  Ray,  J\L  D.,  was  born  in 
Opelousas,  January  6,  1825.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Amelia  (Humphreys) 
Ray.  The  forrher  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Louisiana. 
His  father  was  a  notary  public  in  Opelousas.  He  died  in  1836,  at  the  age  of 
fort3--six  years.    His  mother  died  in  1851,  at  about  fift3'-three  3'ears  of  age. 

Dr.  Ray  prepared  for  college  in  the  Thinemann  school  at  Opelousas,  and 
afterwards  graduated  from  Franklin  College  in  1842.  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  literary  education  he  entered  the  medical  school  of  the  Universitv  of  Louis- 
iana, now  Tulane  University,  New  Orleans.  He  graduated  in  1850.  He  chose 
;;s  the  location  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  Opelousas,  where  he  still  resides. 

Dr.  Ray  is  the  oldest  physician  of  the  place,  and  stands  high  in  the  esteem 
of  those  with  whom  he  has  spent  the  best  3^ears  of  his  life.  Though  now  ad- 
vanced in  age,  he  does  quite  a  large  office  practice;  he  is,  however,  retiring  as 
rapidly  as  possible  from  the  work.  He  married,  in  1853,  Magaret  M.  Hill, 
daughter  of  Dr.  George  Hill,  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  subsequently  a  resident 
of  Louisiana.  Dr.  Ra3'- has  three  chilrden:  James  O.  Ra3',  M.  D.,  who  suc- 
ceeds his  father  in  his  medical  practice,  Amelia,  wife  of  John  Mornhinveg.  Dr. 
William  H.  Ray.  ^ 

■^  JAMES  O.  RAY,  M.  D.,  Opelousas.— James  O.  Ray,  M.  D.,  of  Ope- 
lousas, IS  a  native  of  this  place.     He  is  quite  a  3'oung  man,  having  been  born 


70  .S-  O I  'THU  'ES  T  L  O  UISl.  I A  A  : 

December,  1S56.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  James  Ra}',  whose  sketch  appears  above. 
The  Doctor  was  reared  in  Opelousas,  and  received  his  literary  education  in  its 
schools.  In  1885  he  graduated  from  Louisville  Medical  College,  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  He  returned  to  Opelousas  after  having  completed  his  medical  course, 
and  located  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  is  connected  with  and  will 
succeed  his  father  in  his  practice.     His  future  is  promising. 


A.  A.  RICHARD,  B.wou  Currknt.— A.  A.  Richard,  one  of  St.  Lan- 
dr\''s  leading  citizens,  was  born  in  what  is  now  Acadia  parish,  Louisiana,  June 
8,  18391,  and  is  the  son  of  Eugene  and  Catherine  (Harmon)  Richards,  natives 
of  St.  Landry  parish.  Eugene  Richard  was  a  very  successful  planter  in  St. 
Landry,  and  died  when  his  son  was  onl\-  a  boy,  thus  leaving  him  to  a  mother's 
care  at  this  early  age. 

A.  A.  is  one  of  seven  children  now  living.  He  spent  his  school  days  in  St.  Lan- 
dry parish.  In  1861,  early  in  the  year,  he  joined  the  Sixteenth  Louisiana  Infantr\', 
and  was  in  many  of  the  most  active  engagements  of  the  war,  viz  :  Shiloh,  Farm- 
ington,  Perryville,  Kentucky,  Murfreesboro,  Chickamauga,  Jackson.  Miss.. and 
Missionary  Ridge;  at  the  last  named  place  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  consigned 
to  Rock  Island,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned 
to  Big  Cane  and  commenced  the  operation  of  his  mother's  plantation,  which  he 
has  continued  up  to  the  present  time.  During  this  time  he  has  greatly  increased 
his  plantation  until  he  now  o\\  ns  3500  acres  on  the  Atchafalaya  River.  In  186S 
he  commenced  a  mercantile  business,  which  has  increased  until  at  present  he 
he  does  quite  an  extensive  business.  It  was  through  his  instrumentalit}'  that  the 
Bayou  Current  post-ofRce  was  organized  in  1878,  and  he  has  served  as  post- 
master nearly  all  the  time  since  its  location  at  this  place.  Mr.  Richard  is  one  of 
the   most  progressive  citizens  of  his  section. 

^  DR.  HENRY  O.  READ,  Chataigmer.— Dr.  Read  is  a  native  of  Avoy- 
elles parish,  born  in  1833.  ^^  '^  the  son  of  Stephen  D.  and  Pvlizabeth  (Sim- 
mons) Read.  Dr.  Read  is  one  of  a  famil}-  of  nine  children,  of  whom  only  him- 
self and  Stephen  D.  Read,  Judge  of  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  District,  are  living. 
The  Doctor  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  St.  Landr}'  parish. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1851,  under  Dr.  C.  T.  Putnam,  lately  de- 
ceased. He  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Louisiana  in  1852,  graduating  and 
receiving  his  degree  in  1854.  -^^  '^  °"'^  '^^  ^'''^  oldest  graduates  of  the  uni\-ersitv 
now  living.  Dr.  Read  first  began  practising  the  year  succeeding  his  graduation, 
at  Morgan  City,  where  he  remained  some  years,  when  he  removed  to  Abbeville. 
In  1863  he  enlisted  in  the  Louisiana  State  troops  as  surgeon,  in  which  capacity 
he    served    one    j-ear.      Prior    to   this   time,   in    i860,  he  married  Miss  Mary  E. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  lUOGRAPIIICAL.  71 

Gueii^nom.  of  Lafaj'ette.  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  IC.  J.  Gueignom.  Mrs. 
Gueignom  is  a  half  sister  to  Judge  Bell,  who  seived  in  Congress  from  iS66  to 
1S70.  To  them  have  been  born  four  sons:  Henry  E.,  Sallust  G.,  William  A. 
and  Francis  S.  In  1S67,  while  the  Doctor  was  practising  in  Abbeville  as  a  part- 
ner with  Dr.  White,  he  treated  the  first  case  of  yellow  fever  in  the  State  in  that 
memorable  year.  By  constant  vigilance  he  succeeded  in  confining  the  disease 
to  this  one  patient. 

The  Doctor  was  twice  elected  mavor  of  Abbe\ille.  lie  now  operates, 
in  connection  with  his  practice,  a  plantation  of  about  two  hundred  and-  forty 
acres.  In  Cameron  parish  he  has  a  plantation  upon  which  is  situated  one  of  the 
finest  residences  in  that  vicinit\-.  Dr.  Read  has  been  until  within  the  past  few 
months  a  regular  contributor  to  the  New  Orleans  Medical  Journal,  and  many  of 
his  articles  are  of  value  to  the  profession.  The  Doctor's  age  and  state  of  health 
renders  a  very  extensive  practice  impractical,  and  he  confines  his  practice  to  a 
select  number  of  families  in  his  communitv. 


JOS.  N.  ROBIN,  Leoxville. — Joseph  N.  Robin,  merchant  and  sugar 
planter,  living  on  the  Bayou  Teche,  Leooville,  was  born  near  where  he  now 
resides  May  14,  1843.  His  parents,  Francois  and  Eleonore  (Stelley)  Robin,  are 
both  natives  of  St.  Landr}-.  Francois  Robin  is  still  living  and  resides  with  his 
son.  our  subject,  being  nearly  eighty  years  of  age.  He  was  before  the 
war  a  merchant  of  Grand  Coteau,  since  which  time  lie  has  been,  engaged  in 
planting  interests  on  the  Bayou  Teche,  where  he  owns  a  tract  of  seven  thousand 
acres  of  land,  as  fine  a  piece  of  land  as  can  be  found  in  this  section.  He  has 
served  on  the  police  iurv,  represented  his  parish  in  the  legislature,  and  held 
other  important  positions  of  trust.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  third  of  a  family  of  six  children.  He 
received  his  education  in  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  hostilities  he  was  in  the  second  class,  and  at  this  time  he  left  college  and 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  service.  After  the  war  he  ga^•e  his  attenion 
to  planting.  In  1870  he  opened  a  mercantile  establishment  near  where  he 
now  does  business.  Five  j'ears  later  he  removed  his  business  to  his  present 
location,  where  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  business,  amounting  at  the  present 
tmie  to  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  dollars  annually.  He  owns  a  magnfi- 
cent  plantation  consisting  of  twentj'-seven  hundred  and  fift\-  acres.  He  has 
served  as  post-master  at  Leonville  for  four  j-ears.  In  1868  he  married  Miss 
Alzire  Saizan  of  this  parish.  There  have  been  born  to  them  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  still  living,  viz:  Arthur,  Amelia.  Octavian.  Louis,  Numa, 
f)sc,ir,  Charles,  Maria,  and  Aleda,  (deceased.) 


72  SOmnVEST  L  OUISIAXA  : 

E.  C.  ROGER,  Arnauuvilt.e. — E.  C.  Roger,  of  the  lirm  of  Roger  Bros., 
w;is  born  in  St.  Martin  parish  in  1845.  He  spent  his  school  days  and  received 
a  fair  education  in  this  parisli.  In  1857  he  commenced  a  mercantile  business  at 
Breaux  Bridge,  where  he  was  engaged  until  1861 .  Subsequently  he  was  engaged  in 
the  same  business  at  Attenue  until  1863.  In  the  spring  of  this  year  he  joined  Cap- 
tain Hardroger's  company  of  the  7th  Louisiana  Cavalry  in  which  he  served 
until  the  close  of  tlie  war  as  orderly  sergeant.  His  regiment  served  in  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Department.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  relurnedhome  and  entered  the 
employ  of  Judge  A.  L.  Durio,  with  whom  he  remained  two  j'ears,  and  was,  sub- 
sequently, for  a  similar  length  of  time,  engaged  with  U.  A.  Gilbeau,  at  Arnaud- 
ville.  One  3'ear  later  he  removed  to  Abbeville,  Vermilion  parish,  and  after 
three  years  he  returned  to  Breaux  Bridge  and  entered  the  mercantile  business 
with  J.  Plonsky;  afterward  lie  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Melason  & 
Roger,  at  Breaux  Bridge.  During  the  time  he  was  there  he  served  twice  as 
alderman  and  once  as  ma3-or  of  the  town.  In  1874  '^^  removed  to  this  place 
and,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  began  a  mercantile  business,  wliich  thev 
have  since  continued.  lie  has  here  served  as  mayor  and  alderman,  and  is  one 
of  the  leading  spirits  in  all  public  matters.  He  was  appointed  post-master  in 
1S74  *""^  '"  '-'^'s  capacity  lias  since  served.  Besides  their  large  mercantile 
interests  at  this  place,  Messrs.  Roger  Bros,  own  a  large  amount  of  land  in  St. 
Landry  and  adjoining  parishes.  E.  C.  Roger  was  married,  in  1872.  to  Miss 
Anna  Hinckley,  of  Washington.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Frank  M.  and  George  L.,  both  of  whom  are  now  in  Centenary  College,  Jackson, 

Louisiana.  » 

«     * 

*^  L.  M.  ROGER,  Arnaudville. —  L.  M.  Roger,  a  prominent  merchant 
of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  a  member  of  the  firm  Roger  Bros.,  is  a  native  oi  St. 
Martin  parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Francois  and  M.  (Thibodeaux) 
Roger,  natives  of  Louisiana.  He  was  born  in  1843,  and  spent  his  school  days 
in  St.  Martin  parish.  During  the  war,  before  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  lie  joined 
the  Orleans  Guards  Battalion  and  was  subsequently  transferred  to  the  Third 
Louisiana  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  until  the  regiment  disbanded.  He  was 
in  many  of  the  active  engagements  in  which  his  department  participated.  At 
Spanish  Fort,  near  Mobile,  he  received  a  flesh  wound  which  disabled  him  until 
the  time  of  the  surrender.  On  coming  home  after  the  war  he  began  a  mercan- 
tile business  as  sub-manager  for  U.  A.  Gilbeau,  of  this  place,  and  was  in  his 
employ  for  some  time.  He  w'as  subsequently  emploj-ed  at  Breaux  Bridge, 
Abbeville,  and  there  became  the  partner  of  Joseph  Plonsk}'  in  a  mercantile  bus- 
iness. In  1875  lie  removed  to  St.  Landr}-  parish,  where  he  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile business,  in  partnership  with  his  brother.  In  July,  1885,  he  was  married  to 
MissD.  .v.  Hincklev.  of  St.  Landrv  parish.      He  is  a  prominent  Mason. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  7:5 

^  JUDGE  M.  ROBERIA,  Washington.— Judge  Roberia  is  a  native  of  this 
State,  born  in  St.  Landry  parish  in  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  K.  and  Celesie 
(  Vidrine )  Roberia.  Dr.  Roberia  was  a  native  of  France  and  was  for  man\-  3-ears 
a  practising  ph\'sician  of  St.  Landry  parisli.  Here  he  married  our  subject's  mother, 
who  was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  to  them  were  born  three  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest.  Dr.  Roberia  died  in  this  parish  in  1S82. 
Judge  Roberia  was  married  in  this  parish,  in  1886,  to  Miss  Clarissa  Stephens, 
a  native  of  Louisiana.  They  became  the  parents  of  five  daughters  and  five  sons. 
The  judge  of  late  3'ears  has  attended  to  his  plantation  exclusively.  He  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. .  He  is  also  member  of  the  Farmers" 
Alliance.  * 

J.  T.  SKIPPER,  Opei.ousas. — Mr.  Skipper,  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Dank  of  Opelousas,  was  born  in  Stephenville,  Erath  count}',  Texas.  He  attended 
school  at  Grandberr)',  Texas,  and  subsequently  entered  the  emploj'ment  of  the 
Wolf  City  Bank,  Wolf  City,  Texas,  and  afterward  was  engaged  with  the  National 
Exchange  Bank,  Dallas,  Texas.  His  close  attention  to  business  soon  rendered  him 
highly  eflicient  in  all  departments  of  the  banking  business,  and  opened  to  him  places 
of  preferment  above  older  employes  ot  the  bank.  But  Mr.  Skipper  was  not  sat- 
isfied to  remain  as  an  employe:  consequently,  in  looking  around  for  an  opening, 
and  the  necessities  for  a  bank  at  Opelousas  being  patent,  he  came  here  and  suc- 
cejsfullv  centered  the  attention  of  the  leading  business  men  upon  the  question, 
and  the  result  of  his  efforts  was  the  organization  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Opelousas,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  Of  this  institution  iNIr.  Alphonse 
Levy  is  President  and  S.  Joseph  Wilson,  \'ice  President.  The  bank  is  in  the 
most  flourishing  condition  and  supplies  a  long  felt  want  to  the  business  men  in 
Opelousas.  Mr.  Skipper  understands  all  the  intricacies  of  the  banking  business, 
and  the  people  of  Opelousas  could  have  secured  no  one  who  would  have  been 
more  fitted  for  the  position  he  occupies.  Although  of  an  intensely  business 
predilection.  Mr.  Skipper  enjoys  the  pleasures  of  the  social  circle  and  is  one  of 
the  leaders  in  Opelousas  societ}-.     He  is  a  member  of  the  K/iights  of  P^-thias. 

LEONCE  SANDOZ,  Opelousas. — Leonce  Sandoz,  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Opelousas  Courier,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  March  15,  1844.  He 
is  tlie  son  of  Joel  H.  and  Ann  (Wiiburn)  Sandoz.  Joel  H.  Sandoz  ^^■as  a  nJietive 
of  Switzerland,  born  1818.  He  removed  to  America  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
locating  in  St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  printing  business 
until  1843,  when  he  removed  to  Opelousas  and  became  connected  with  the  Ope- 
lousas Gazette.  He  founded  the  Opelousas  Courier  December  11,  1852,  and 
conducted  it  until  December  17,  1870,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his 
brother,  L.  A.,  assumed  active  charge,  though  he  was  still  connected  with  the  paper 


74  soryyjwEST  LOriS/.\.\A: 

at  the  lime  of  his  de.uli,  January  4, 1S7S.  Leonce  andL.  A.  Sandoz  condi:cled  the 
paper  jointly  until  January  i,  1S91,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  L. 
A.  assumed  charge,  as  editor  and  publisher  of  the  St.  Landry  Democrat. 

Leonce  Sandoz  left  school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  enlisted  in  the 
Confederate  army.  He  was  in  active  service  and  served  during  the  whole  of 
the  war.  He  was  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  under  Stonewall  Jackson 
until  October,  1862,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Trans-Mississippi  Depart- 
ment, and  served  the  remainder  of  the  war  in  the  famous  Bull  Battery,  Capt. 
Fuller  commanding.  He  was  captured  in  Virginia  on  Jackson's  retreat  from 
Harper's  Ferr}',  June,  1862,  and  sent  to  Fort  Delaware,  where  he  was  exchanged 
in  Auoust  of  the  same  year.  He  participated  in  the  second  battle  of  Manassas, 
and  the  fi<>-ht  at  Winchester,  Maj-,  1862.  In  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department 
he  was  em^aged  in  the  battle  at  Camp  Bisland,  on  board  of  gun-boat  John  A. 
Coiton:  and  he  was  again  captured  at  Fort  DeRussy,  and  held  prisoner  at  New 
Orleans  for  tive  months.  He  was  near  Nachitoches  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
After  the  war  he  returned  to  Opelousas  and  entered  the  printing  business  in  the 
office  of  the  Courier,  and  to  this  he  has  given  his  undivided  attention  since  that 
time.  The  favor  with  which  this  paper  has  been  received  is  ample  evidence  of 
the  able  manner  in  which  it  has  been  conducted  during  the  thirty-eight  years  of 
its  e-tistence.  A  full  history  of  the  paper  will  be  found  in  the  History  of  the 
Press,  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

Mr.  Sandoz  was  married,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Helen  L.  Reynolds,  a  native  of 
liaton  Rouge.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children;  H.  H.,  Fred,  Allen  T., 
May,  Estelle  and  Peyton.     Mr.  Sandoz  and  family  are  Catholics. 

»     « 

J.  T.  STEWART,  Opelousas. — Mr.  Stewart,  an  enterprising  citizen  and 
lumber  merchant  of  Opelousas,  was  born  in  Alabama,  November  4,  1S54.  His 
father,  A.  Stewart,  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  His  mother,  Martha  Bass, 
was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  While  young  they  moved  to  Alabama,  where 
their  children  were  born,  six  in  number,  all  of  whom  now  reside  in  Louisiana. 
They  subsequently  moved  to  Mississippi  in  1864.  They  now  are  residents  of 
Chicot,  Louisiana. 

J.  T.  Stewart  was  reared  partly  in  Alabama  and  partly  in  Mississippi.  He 
received  a  limited  education,  but  has  always  kept  himself  well  informed.  He 
gave  his  attention  to  saw-milling  until  1881,  when  he  located  in  Opelousas.  and 
opened  the  business  in  which  he  is  now  engaged.  Mr.  Stewart  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  citizens  of  the  new  and  growing  town  of  Crowley,  Acadia  parish, 
Louisiana,  in  which  he  owns  considerable  property.  After  residing  there  two 
years  he  moved  back  to  Opelousas  and  began  his  present  business.  He  is  a 
man  of  good  judgment  and  has  met  with  success. 

He  married  Miss  Amanda  Sunerlin,  also  a  native  of  Alabama.      They  are 


inSTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  75 

the  parents  of  two  children :    Jimmie,  Willie,   and   they  are    rearing  them    with 
ever_v  possible  advantage.  .  ^ 

J.  P.  SAIZAN,  M.  D.,  Opelousas. — Dr.  Saizan  is  a  native  of  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  a  son  of  D.  P.  and  Phekite  (Robin)  Saizan,  of 
whom  a  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Dr.  Saizan,  at  an  early  age,  entered  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau, 
Louisiana,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  afterward  graduated  in  the  com- 
mercial department  of  Manhattan  College,  New  York  City,  at  the  head  of  his 
class. 

In  iSS6  he  received  from  this  college  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and 
subsequently  that  of  Master  of  Arts.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  medical 
department  of  Tulane  University.  While  there  he  stood  a  successful  competi- 
tive examination  for  entrance  into  the  Charity  Hospital  as  resident  student. 
Desiring  to  receive  the  practical  benefits  derived  from  his  position,  he  served 
until  iS9oin  this  institution  as  interne  and  ambulance  surgeon. 

Immediately  upon  leaving  here  Dr.  Saizan  located  in  Opelousas,  where  he 
has  since  practised.  He  has  succeeded  in  ingratiating  himself  in  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has  cast  his  lot.  The  future  holds  much  in 
store  for  him. 

He  married,  September  30,  1890,  one  of  Opelousas'  most  accomplished 
ladies,  Miss  Bessie,  daughter  of  Thomas  H.  Lewis,  a  prominent  attorney  of  this 
plice.  ^ 

DAVID  P.  SAIZAN,  Port  Barre. — Mr.  Saizan  is  a  native  of  St.  Ljin- 
dry,  born  March  9,  1828.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexis  and  Serephine  Saizan,  natives 
of  Pointe  Coupee  and  St.  James  parishes  respectively.  Alexis  Saizan  died  in 
St.  Landry  in  1834,  when  about  fifty  years  of  age,  his  wife  surviving  him  several 
years.     The  Saizan  family  have  most  of  them  been  planters. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  spent  his  school  days  in  St.  Landr\',  residing  with 
his  mother  until  her  death.  When  but  a  boy  he  commenced  planting,  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  business  pursuits 
and  now  ow'ns  seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  nearly  all  of  which 
is  under  cultivation;  also  considerable  town  property.  Since  1865  he  has 
alternately  devoted  his  attention  to  merchandising  and  planting.  In  1872 
he  removed  to  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  receiving  and  forwarding  merchandise.  In  addition  to  this,  in 
1875,  be  opened  a  general  mercantile  establishment,  in  which  business  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  became  post-master  of  Port  Barre  in  1874. 
He  now  owns  nearly  all  the  property  in  this  place.  He  has  served  as  member  of 
the  police  jur^-  for  a  period  of  eight  \  ears  and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for 


TC  SOUTHWEST  L  O UlSIAXA : 

two  years.  Although  sixty  years  of  age,  he  is  hale  and  hearty  and  looks  man)' 
vears  j'ounger  than  he  reallv  is.  In  1847  he  married  Felicite  Robin,  daughter  of 
Otto  Robin,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  They  are  tlie  parents  of  four  living  ciiil- 
dren,  viz:  Dr.  J.  P.,  Alozire,  Arsene  and  Bertha.  Mr.  Saizan  is  a  gentleman 
of  a  most  charitable  and  magnanimous  disposition.  He  has  reared  and  started 
in  life  eight  orphan  children,  and  at  the  present  time  has  charge  of  three. 


CAPTAIN.  JONES  P.  SMITH,  Opelousas.— Captain  Smith  was  born  in 
Troop  count}',  Georgia,  February  15,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  Simon  and  Sarah 
(Persons)  Smith,  both  natives  of  Georgia.  They  were  married  in  this  Stale,  and 
removed  to  Alabama  in  1847.  Simon  Smitli  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
died  in  Alabama  in  1870,  his  wife  surviving  him  until   1883. 

The  subject  of  our  sketcli  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  the  re- 
spective States  in  which  his  pai^ents  resided.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1853, 
and  located  in  Claiborne  parish,  where  he  remained  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war.  At  its  beginning  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  B,  Twelfth  Louisiana 
Infantry,  and  in  the  organization  of  the  company  he  was  elected  its  captain. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  at  Belmont,  Missouri';  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Mississippi, 
and  Vicksburg,  and  was  with  Hood  in  his  Tennessee  campaign.  He  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  aild  was  with  General  Hood  in  South  Carolina  at  the 
time  of  the  surrender.  When  the  war  closed  Captain  Smith  returned  to  his 
home  in  Claiborne  parish  and  devoted  himself  to  his  plantation  interests.  He 
removed  to  St.  Landry  parish  in  1867,  where  he  now  owns  thirteen  hundred 
acres  of  land,  nine  hundred  acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  chiefly  in 
cotton  and  corn.  Captain  Smith  was  married  in  1858  to  Mattie  E.  Boring, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sicily  (Wafer)  Boring.  To  them  was  born  one  son — 
Theo.  S.,  who  is  now  practising  medicine  in  Acadia  parish.  Mrs.  Smith  died 
in  1859,  at  Homer,  Louisiana.  The  Captain  subsequently  married  Laura  A. 
Sassiter.  She  died  in  1884.  Captain  Smith  has  been  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  since  1854. 

*     * 

C-APT.  E.  W.  SYLVESTER,  Palmetto.— Capt.  E.  W.  Sylvester  was 
born  in  Waldo  county.  Maine,  in  1S39.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Lydia 
vSylvester,  who  were  both  natives  of  Maine.  Daniel  W.  Sylvester  was  a  mill- 
wright b}^  occupation  ;  he  died  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  His 
mother  died  when  Capt.  E.  W.  Sylvester  was  an  infant.  He  was  the  only  child, 
and  had  the  best  educational  advantages.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  on  account  of 
ill  health,  he  left  school,  went  to  Europe,  and  for  several  years  followed  a  sv;a- 
man's  life. 

At  the   breaking  out  of  the  war  he  entered  the  Sixth  Maine  Infantr}-,  and 


HISrORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  I't 

was  in  active  service  during  the  whole  war.  He  entered  as  a  private,  but  was 
afterward  promoted.  Mis  field  of  operation  was  wholly  in  Virginia.  He  was 
wounded  several  times. 

After  the  war  he  operated  a  canning  factory  in  Portland,  rtlaine,  until  com- 
ing South  in  1867,  when  he  located  where  he  now  resides.  Here  he  purchased 
about  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  upon  which  cotton  and  sugar  are  cultivated. 
He  has  taken  quite  an  interest  in  raising  a  fine  grade  of  stock,  and  has  now  the 
finest  stock  to  be  found  in  this  section  of  the  country.  In  tlie  overflow  of  1882 
he  lost  heavily  from  loss  of  stock  and  otherwise. 

Capt.  S3-lvester  was  married,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Mary  Simpson,  of  Kennebec 
countv,  Maine.  Their  family  is  composed  of  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
dau:^"hters.     The  Captain  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Unitarian  churcli. 

*      * 

V  I.  E.  SHUTE,  M.  D.  Shut]:stox. — Dr.  I.  E.  Shute  is  a  native  of  Lawrence 
couTity,  Ohio,  born  in  November,  1S50.  His  parents.  Captain  J.  G.  Shute  and 
Sarah  Smith,  were  both  natives  of  the  same  countv.  They  were  reared  and 
married  here,  and  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  our  subject  being  the 
eldest.  J.  G.  Shute  was  a  steamboat  captain,  and  was  killed  in  the  explosion  of 
the  "David  Wiiite,"  in  1867,  at  Greenville.  His  wife  died,  in  iS54,at  her  home 
in  Lawrence  county,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Shute  had  good  educational  facilities  as  a  boy,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Ashland,  Kentuck\-,  in 
partnership  with  Dr.  J.  W.  Martin,  in  which  business  he  continued  for  about 
two  vears,  when  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  store  and  removed  to  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  He  studied  medicine  in  Louisville,  at  the  same  time  practising  in 
the  Charit}^  Hospital  there.  Here  he  remained  until  1873,  in  which  year  he 
graduated.  He  located  in  Bo3-d  count}',  Kentucky,  and  practised  medicine  for 
two  years,  when  he  removed  to  his  old  home  in  Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  prac- 
tising his  profession  there  during  the  year  1876,  when  he  removed  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  bought  an  interest  in  the  "Col.  A.  P.  Kouns,"  of  which  he  was  clerk 
for  two  years.  The  "Kouns"  sunk  in  1878,  thirty  miles  below  Alexandria,  on 
Red  River.  After  this  unfortunate  event  he  again  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  at  the  same  time  operating  a  plantation  near  Opelousas.  In  1883  he 
sold  his  plantation  and  returned  to  Ashland,  Boyd  county,  Kentucky,  where 
he  bouglit  a  home  and  practised  his  profession  for  about  twelve  months,  when 
he  sold  his  property  there.  In  the  spring  of  1884  he  again  returned  to  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  Louisiana,  locating  seven  miles  south  of  Opelousas,  where  he  now 
resides  and  practises  medicine.  In  connection  with  his  professional  duties,  he 
has  an  interest  in  a  mercantile  business  conducted  on  his  premises  by  C.  V.  De- 
jan.     The  doctor  was  married  during  his  travels  in  Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  in 

1874,  to  Georgia  Kouns,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Captain  I.  H.  Kouns.    They 


78  SOCTJ/jrEST  LOr/S/A.VA  : 

have  liad  born  to  tliem  four  children:  James  I.,  Frank  C,  Irene  E.,  and  Mattie 
K.  After  his  extended  travels,  the  doctor  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  Louisiana 
is  the  garden  spot  of  the  world,  and  is  satisfied  to  make  it  his  home.  He  has 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  remunerative  practice,  and  stands  high  in  the  medi- 
cal profession  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

* 

*     * 

"'  JUDGE  ARTHUR  SIMON,  Opelousas.— Judge  Simon,  a  successful 
planter,  resides  on  his  plantation  about  four  miles  southwest  of  Opelousas.  He 
was  born  in  New  Orleans  on  the  15th  March,  1841,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of 
ten  children  born  to  Edward  and  Eugenie  (Zerban)  Simon.  Edward  Simon  is 
a  native  of  Belgium  and  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  His 
wife  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin's  parish,  Louisiana,  and  descendant  of  the  old 
Fuselier  family. 

Edward  Simon  was  an  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Louisi- 
ana under  the  administration  of  Governor  Roman',  from  1841  to  1849.  He  died 
in  1867  at  St.  Martinsville,  Louisiana,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  1880.  All 
of  the  Simon  family  are  Catholics. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  most  of  his  education  at  the  Louisiana 
College  (the  old  Jefferson)  in  St.  James  parish,  and  graduated  at  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Tulane  University  of  Louisiana.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Con- 
federate States  service  and  was  made  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Yellow  Jacket  Battalion, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Fournet,  which  was  afterward  consolidated  with  the 
Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry.  In  1864  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major. 
He  was  in  many  of  the  active  engagements  in  which  his  regiment  participated, 
and  was  with  General  Kirby  Smith  at  the  time  of  the  surrender. 

After  the  war  he  determined  to  study  law,  but,  after  pursuing  his  studies  a 
short  while,  was  forced  to  abandon  it  and  take  charge  of  his  father's  sugar  plan- 
tation in  St.  Mar\'  parish.  In  1874  '^^  I'emoved  to  St.  Landry  parish,  where  he 
was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Marie  Dejean.  To  them  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren, one  son  and  four  daughters:  Rita,  wife  of  E.  V.  Barry,  of  Grand  Coteau, 
Louisiana;  Lelia,  Mary,  Sidonie  and  Leopold.  Mrs.  Simon  died  in  1879.  Judge 
Simon  subsequently  married  Miss  Mathilda  Dejean,  sister  of  his  first  wife. 

Judge  Simon  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Opelou- 
sas in  1876.  He  practised  law  until  1888  in  Opelousas,  where  for  four  years 
he  was  justice  of  the  peace.  Since  that  time  he  has  given  his  entire  attention 
to  the  operation  of  his  plantation,  which  is  one  of  about  three  hundred  acres, 
highly  improved  and  of  unsurpassed  fertility. 

J.  P.  SAVANT,  G.\RLAND.  —Mr.  Savant  is  an  example  of  what  an  ener- 
getic 3-oung  man  can  accomplish.  He  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisi- 
ana, and  is  yet  a  young  man,  being  only  in  his  twenty-second  year.     He  is  a  son 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  79 

of  Adol|)h  and  Mary  (McDaniel)  Savant,  both  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish. 
I  lis  father  was  a  very  successful  planter  and  owned  one  of  the  finest  plantations 
of  Bayou  Bceuf ,  near  Whiteville.  He  lived  a  quiet  and  unassuming  life,  devoting 
liimself  exclusively  to  his  plantation  interests.  He  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  vears.  Mrs.  Savant  is  still  living,  in  Avoj-elles  parish,  near  Eola. 
Young  J.  P.  Savant  was  reared  in  his  native  parish  and  received  the  benefit  of  a 
thorough  academic  education.  He  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and  began  life  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  mercantile  establishment  at  White- 
ville, in  which  he  was  engaged  for  a  period  aggregating  four  years.  During 
this  time  he  saved  sutScient  money  to  begin  business  on  a  small  scale  for  himself, 
and,  in  1888,  he  began  the  mercantile  business  at  Garland,  and  subsequently  he 
became  a  partner  in  a  large  mercantile  house  in  Whiteville.  There  are  few 
young  men  in  this  section  who  have  accomplished  more  than  Mr.  Savant  at  his 
age.  He  has  been  abundantly  successful  in  his  business  thus  far,  and,  accept- 
ing this  as  an  index  to  his  future,  in  addition  to  having  a  knowledge  of  his  strict 
business  habits,  we  may  predict  that  the  first  chapter  in  a  continued  storv  of 
success  has  but  ended.  ^ 

^  CHARLES  R.  STEELE,  Opelousas.— Mr.  Steele  is  a  planter  Hving  four 
miles  south  of  Opelousas.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  Peter 
Steele  and  Catherine  Fresh.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Sweden  and  his  mother 
of  Madison,  Indiana.  His  father  was  for  many  years  captain  of  an  ocean  steamer 
on  the  Atlantic.  He  subsequently  ran  a  tow-boat  line  from  New  Orleans  to  the 
gulf  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  in  New  Orleans  in  1867.  His  wife  still 
survives  him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
He  served  a  five  3'ears'  apprenticeship,  learning  the  trade  of  ship  builder  at  New 
Orleans.  In  186S  he  was  appointed  Deputy  U.  S.  Marshal.  In  this  capacity  he 
served  for  about  fifteen  years,  when  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Collector  of  In- 
ternal Revenue,  in  which  capacity  he  served  four  years,  when  he  removed  to  the 
plantation  on  which  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Steele  has  a  plantation  consisting  of 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  the  most  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  highh* 
improved.  He  was  married,  in  1873,  in  Mobile,  Alabama,  to  Miss  Laura  \. 
Jones,  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  E.  Jones,  of  Ocean  Springs,  Mississippi.  There  has 
been  born  to  them  nine  children:  William, Charles,  Frank,  Vemelle  (deceased), 
Charles  Peter  (deceased),  Wharton,  Alfred  P.,  Laura  V.  and  Charles  Emmett. 
Mr.  Steele  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  and  his  wife  of  the  Baptist  church. 

,  *     « 

^  GEORGE  S.  SINGLETON,  Bayou  Chicot.— Mr.  Singleton  is  a  native 
of  Louisiana,  born  in  1859.  ^^  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in 
the    city   of   New   Orleans.     He  is  the  son  of  C.  B.  and  Anna  E.  Singleton, 


80  S0l'77I]]ES7'  LOriSIAXA: 

natives  of  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  and  Min^vland,  respectively.  C.  B. 
Singleton  is  an  active  lawyer  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  has  practised  his  pro- 
fession for  a  number  of  j-ears. 

Young  George  S.  Singleton  received  the  best  educational  advantagt-s 
afforded  in  the  schools  of  Louisiana,  and,  in  1867,  he  went  to  Europe,  where  he 
pursued  his  studies  until  1871,  when  he  returned  to  New  Orleans,  and  was  there 
engaged  in  business  until  1875,  wlien  he  removed  to  St.  Landry  parish  to  take 
charge  of  his  father's  plantation,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  producti\-e 
in  the  parish. 

Mr.  Singleton  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clementine  Phelps,  a  native 
of  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  and  daugliter  of  N.  H.  and  Clementine  Phelps. 
Her  father  is  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  her  mother  of  Louisiana. 

Mr.  Singleton  is  undoubtedh'  one  of  the  busiest  men,  as  well  as  the  most 
successful,  in  St.  Landry  parish.  The  operation  of  his  immense  plantation  requires 
his  full  attention,  and  his  success  is  due  to  the  untiring  energy  which  he  manifests 
in  its  management.  Mr.  Singleton  and  wife  arg  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Chas.  F.,  Ellen  C  William  E.,  Ellen  H.,  Clementine  G.  and  George  L. 

*  * 

^  VALENTINE  SAVOY,  Ciiataignier.— Mr.  Savoy  is  a  native  of  St. 
Landr}-  parish,  born  in  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Valcour  and  Eugenia  (Reyder) 
Savoy,  the  former  a  native  of  St.  Landry,  and  the  latter  of  Rapides  parisli.  \'al- 
cour  Savoy  is  a  son  of  Placide  Savoy,  also  a  native  of  St.  Landry. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
St.  Landry  parish.  He  began  life  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  and  was  first  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  spinning  wheels,  which  he  followed  until  186S,  when 
he  began  a  mercantile  business  in  Chataignier,  at  the  same  lime  operating  a  plan- 
tation. This  dual  business  he  conducted  successfully  until  1879,  since  which  time 
he  has  given  his  attention  chiefly  to  his  plantation.  He  is  also  operating  in  con- 
nection with  this  a  large  gin,  and  for  a  portion  of  the  time  a  saw-mill.  Mr.  Savoy 
has  a  fine  plantation  of  about  six  hundred  acres,  and  cultivates  rice  and  cotton 
principally. 

He  was  married,  in  18S5,  to  Denise  Fruger,  a  native  of  St.  Landr}-  parish, 
born  in  1838,  and  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  parish.  To  them  have 
been  born  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz:  Agelas,  Catherine, 
wife  of  Francois  Savoy;  Valentine,  wife  of  Alexander  Agelar;  Clara,  wife  of 
Numa  Agelar;  Arras  and  Louis.  Mr.  Savoy  has  filled  different  positions  of 
trust  with  efficiency.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

* 

*  » 
■/ 

J.  J.  THOINIPSON,  Opelousas. — J.  J.  Thompson,    familiarly  known    as 

Jack  Thompson,  Treasurer  of  St.  Landr}'  parish,  is  a  native  of  this  parish,  born 


HISrORlCAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  81 

March  lo,  1S52.  He  is  the  son  of  Colonel  James  M.  and  Celestine  (Dupre) 
Thompson.  Colonel  James  M.  Thompson  was  born  in  i8i8on  the  ocean,  under 
an  Englisli  Hag,  while  his  parents  were  on  their  way  as  immigrants  to  America. 
His  parents  settled  in  Illinois,  near  Shawneetown,  where  they  lived  and  died. 
Life  at  Shawneetown  grew  monotonous  to  Colonel  Thompson,  and  at  an  early 
age  he  left  his  paternal  roof  and  went  out  to  face  the  world  for  himself.  When 
the  war  broke  out  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  it  afforded  an  inviting 
field  of  excitement  to  his  restless  disposition.  As  a  consequence  of  this,  he 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  service  and  served  through  the  whole  of  the  strug- 
gle. At  its  close  he  came  to  Louisiana,  studied  medicine  in  New  Orleans  and 
became  a  successful  practitioner  in  St.  Landry  parish.  At  the  breaking  out 
of  war  between  the  States,  in  1861,  he  entered  the  Confederate  States  ser- 
vice as  captain  of  a  company  which  he  had  organized.  His  company  was 
assigned  to  the  Second  Louisiana  Regiment.  He  was  subsequently  commis- 
sioned major  and  afterward  colonel.  He  was  acting  in  the  latter  capacity  at  the 
cessation  of  hostilities.  The  hardships  of  the  war  at  liis  age  told  upon  his  phy- 
sical manhood,  and  as  a  result  of  this  he  did  not  resume  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fession after  the  war.  He  sold  his  plantation,  located  in  Opelousas,  opened  a 
drug  store  and  gave  his  attention  to  general  business.  He  conducted  a  large 
mercantile  business;  was  interested  in  a  steamboat;  and,  subsequently,  was 
appointed  slieriff  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  finally  was  elected  recorder  of  the 
parish,  in  which  latter  capacity  he  served  four  3^ears.  He  died  in  1885,  after  a 
life  full  of  exciting  events  and  general  usefulness. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  this  parish  of  French  parentage. 
She  became  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  which  J.  J.  Thompson  is  the  fourth 
in  the  order  of  their  birth. 

J.  J.  Thompson  was  educated  at  the  Louisiana  State  University,  but  owing 
to  the  delicate  state  of  his  health  he  was  unable  to  remain  at  college  long  enough 
lo  complete  his  course.  At  an  early  age  he  was  employed  in  the  sheriff's  office, 
and  was  subsequently  appointed  executive  deputy  in  the  tax  collector's  ofiice. 
He  was  afterward  appointed  superintendent  of  registration  for  the  parish,  and 
in  this  capac;ity  served  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  New 
Orleans  and  studied  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  practised  in  Opelou- 
sas a  short  period.  In  1S85  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rosa  Boagni,  the  daughter 
of  a  wealthy  physician  of  St.  Landrj'  parish.  Finding  the  freedom  of  a  plan- 
tation life  more  congenial  to  his  taste  than  that  of  an  attorney's  office,  Mr. 
Thompson  abandoned  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  he  has  become  one  of  the 
thrifty  and  successful  planters  and  stock  raisers  of  St.  Landry  parish.  During 
a  part  of  the  time  in  which  he  had  control  of  the  plantation  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  culture  of  sugar  cane,  but  for  the  last  eight  j-ears  cotton  planting  and 
stock  raising  has  been  his  principal  vocation.      His   success   in    the   breeding   of 


82  SOL'THW'Esr  I.OUISIAN'A: 

fine  slock  has  lieen  marked,  as  is  attested  \i\  the  fine  grade  of  horses  and  cattle 
which  lie  now  has  on  his  place.  Although  not  an  aspirant  for  office,  Mr.  Thomp- 
son was  appointed  returning  officer  for  St.  Landr}'  parish  in  1874  '^y  Governor 
McEnerVi  and  was  retained  by  Governor  NichoUs,  and  is  the  present  incum- 
bent of  that  office.  He  was  elected  treasurer  of  St.  Landry  parish  in  June, 
1S88,  and  performs  the  duties  of  that  office  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's wife  was  an  accomplished  lady  and  highly  educated.  She  became  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Adela  and  Jennie.'  In  the  bloom  of  womanhood  and 
just  when  life  had  gained  its  strongest  grasp,  she  was  called  to  eternity  on  June 

2,  1888, 

*  * 

E.  SUMTER  TAYLOR.  Opelousas.— E.  Sumter  Taj-lor,  assessor  of  St. 
Landrj-  parish,  is  a  native  of  the  parish,  born  1841.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Military  Institute,  formerly  located  at  Alexandria,  Louisiana,  and  was  at  this 
institution  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  This  cut  short  his  schooling,  and  lie 
entered  the  Confederate  service  in  1861,  enlisting  in  the  Opelousas  Guards, 
which  belonged  to  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  of  which  Governor  Francis 
T.  Nicholls  was  lieutenant  colonel.  This  regiment  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  and  Mr.  Taj-lor  was  here  in  active  service  for  four 
years,  with  the  exception  of  the  period  when  he  was  a  prisoner  at  Johnson's 
Island.  Here  he  suffered  untold  hardships.  Man}-  of  his  companions  died  of 
starvation  while  in  prison.  After  the  war  Mr.  Ta3'lor  located  in  Marksville, 
Louisiana,  where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business.  He  married  there  Miss  Ellen 
S.  Taylor.  To  this  union  has  been  born  one  child,  Constance.  Mrs.  Taylor 
died  in  1872,  and  Mr.  Taylor  subsequentlj^  married  Miss  Allice  E.  Satterfield. 
To  them  have  been  born  five  children.  Mar}-,  Estelle,  Margeiy,  Helen  and 
Edward  S. 

Mr.  Taylor  returned  to  St.  Landry  parish  in  1873,  locating  in  Washington » 
where  he  engaged  in  a  drug  business.  He  subsequently  came  to  Opelousas, 
and  was  for  some  time  emplo3'ed  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store.  He  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Opelousas  in  1881,  and  served  three  years,  when 
he  was  appointed  parish  assessor,  and  is  the  present  efficient  incwmbent  of  that 

office.  * 

*  * 

*^  T.  T.  TARLTON,  M.  D.,  Grand  Cotkau.— Dr.  Tarlton  is  a  native  of 
St.  Mary's  parish,  born  April  10,  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Frances  A. 
(Caller)  Tarlton.  John  Tarlton  was  married  twice;  our  subject  being  the  son 
of  the  second  wife.  John  Tarlton  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  at  different 
times  resided  in  South  Carolina,  Texas  and  Louisiana. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Charles  College,  Grand 
Coteau.     He  was  there  from  1863  to  1869,  in  which  year  he  graduated.     He  was 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  83 

a  student  at  the  ^[edical  College  of  Alabama,  located  at  Mobile,  from  which  in- 
stituticn  he  is  a  graduate.  He  began  practice  near  Washington,  St.  Landry  par- 
ish. In  1872  he  removed  to  Pattersonville,  St.  Mary  parish,  and  in  1873  to  Ellis 
county,  Texas,  where  he  practised  eight  years.  In  1883  he  returned  to  Grand 
Coteau,  where  he  has  practised  his  profession  since  that  time. 

He  married,  in  1881,  Miss  Constance  Littell,  daugliter  of  Isaac  and  Mary 
(Ha\\)  Littell,  of  Grand  Coteau.  To  them  have  been  born  five  children — two 
sons  and  three  daughters. 

The  Doctor  owns  two  plantations  of  about  three  hundred  and  seventy -five 
acres,  near  Grand  Coteau,  on  which  he  cultivates  cotton  and  corn.  Dr.  Tarlton 
is  a  successful  physician  and  useful  citizen.      Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 

of  the  Catholic  church.  ^. 

*  * 

^  WILLIAM  M.  THOMPSON,  M.  D.,  Opelousas.— Dr.  William  M. 
Thompson  is  a  native  of  the  State,  born  in  Opelousas,  December  25,  1849.  He 
is  tlie  son  ot  A.  J.  Thompson. 

Dr.  Thompson  was  reared  in  his  native  State,  and  received  his  cliief  literary 
education  in  Franklin  College,  this  State.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  en- 
tered the  medical  department  of  Tulane  University,  New  Orleans.  Here  he 
evinced  not  only  his  superior  intellect,  but  his  disposition  in  applying  it.  In  the 
competitive  examination  for  the  position  of  resident  student  in  the  Charity  Hos- 
pital, a  much  coveted  honor,  he  was  successful;  and  for  nearly  three  years  he 
occupied  that  position.  He  graduated  and  received  his  diploma  in  April,  1872. 
Immediately  upon  the  completion  of  his  course.  Dr.  Thompson  returned  to  his 
home  in  Opelousas,  and  here  he  located  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Here 
he  continued  to  practise  until  1876,  in  which  year  he  married  Miss  Kate  R3'an, 
daughter  of  Judge  M.  Ryan,  ot  Alexandria,  Louisiana.  After  his  marriage  he 
practiced  his  profession  in  Alexandria  for  about  two  years,  when  he  returned  to 
Opelousas  and  resumed  his  practise  at  that  place. 

Dr.  Thompson  is  a  skilled  physician,  and  highly  distinguished  in  his  pro- 
fession. He  has  a  large  practice  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  physicians  in 
this  section.  He  is  eminently  a  man  of  progressive  views  and  ever  ready  to 
^^uppo^t  a  deserving  cause.  He  has  for  eight  years  filled  the  office  of  parish 
coroner. 

Dr.  Thompson's  happy  home  is  gladdened  with  seven  children,  three  sons 
and  four  daughters,  to   whom   he   proposes  to  extend  the  best  educational  and 

social  facilities. 

*  * 

EDWARD  THOMPSON,  M.  D.,  Ville  Platte.— Dr.  Tliompson  is  a 
native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  born  in  1853.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren born  to  Thomas  H.  and  Nancy  (Griffith)  Thompson.    Both  were  natives  of 


84  HISTORICAL  AXD  lUOGRAnilCAL. 

Louisiana.  His  father  has  foUovved  the  occupation  of  school  teaclier  durini,^lhe 
greater  part  of  his  life.  He  was  police  juror  from  his  ward  for  a  period  of  eiijht 
years,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

Dr.  Thompson  was  principally  educated  at  Opelousas.  He  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  in  1872,  attending  lectures  at  Tulane  University  in  1872-73. 
He  then  went  to  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1S75.  He 
began  to  practise  his  profession  at  Whileville,  in  this  parish,  and  subsequently 
removed  to  this  place. 

The  doctor  was  married,  in  1876,  to  Miss  Sarah  McMillan,  a  native  of 
Georgia.  Dr.  Thompson  has  devoted  his  whole  time  to  his  profession  since  the 
completion  of  his  course.     He  has  prospered. 

Dr.  Thompson  is  a  beneficent  and  public-spirited  gentleman.  He  and  wife 
are  the  parents  of  six  children,  viz  :  Madeline  A.,  Florence  E.,  Nancy  A.,  D;ivid, 
Chester  A.,  Ollie.  * 

t^  C.  ]\L  THOMPSON,  Oi'Eloisas.— C.  M.  Thompson  was  born  in  St. 
Landr}-  parish  in  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  J.  and  Lucretia  Thompson.  A.  J. 
Thompson  came  South  with  his  parents  before  he  attained  his  majority,  and 
ocated  at  Opelousas.  Here  he  opened  a  drug  store,  but  he  lost  ever\-thing 
bv  the  war.  Shortly  after  this  he  received  a  sunstroke,  which  rendered  him 
an  invalid  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  he  died  in  1879.  Mrs.  Lucretia  Thompson 
is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Her  father  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
her  grandfatl-.er  was  a  native  of  Canada. 

C.  M.  Thompson's  education  and  opportunities  for  material  advancement 
were  restricted  by  the  necessities  of  his  widowed  mother  and  a  large  famil\-  of 
younger  brothers  and  sisters.  He  supported  the  family  b}'  his  own  earnings  and 
saved  monej' enough  to  enter  the  livery  business.  He  was  elected  first  constable 
of  Ward  i  in  1884,  and  held  the  position  for  one  term.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master at  Opelousas  by  President  Grant  in  1S76,  and  held  the  position  until  1S7S, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  a  candidate  for  sheriff  of  St.  Landry  parish,  but 
was  defeated.  He  was  appointed  register  of  the  parish,  and  later  was  elected 
marshal,  and  held  that  position  until  1879.  He  was  elected  district  clerk,  1888, 
and  is  the  present  efficient  incumbent  of  that  office. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  V.  S  Garland.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Lodge  and  tlie  American  Legion  of  Honor. 

*  * 
EDWARD  P.  VEAZIE,  Opelousas.— Mr.  Veazie,  one  of  the  oldest  mem- 
bers of  the  Opelousas  bar,  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish  in  1850.  He  is  the 
son  of  Philip  Veazie  and  Anne  C.  Foley.  Philip  Veazie  was  born  in  Portland, 
Maine,  and  was  by  occupation  a  ship  builder.  He  came  south  early  in  life,  and 
settled  in  Louisiana,  where  he   married  in  1S48.     He  was  a  victim  of  the  gold 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  87 

fever  of  '48,  and  in  the  year  1849  went  to  San  Francisco,  leaving  his  family  in 
Opelousas.     There  he  died  in  the  latter  part  of  1850. 

E.  P.  Veazie  was  reared  in  St.  Landrj-  parish  by  Judge  G.  E.  Iludspetii, 
and  was  educated  in  the  University  of  Louisiana.  On  beginning  active  business 
life  he  first  worked  for  a  period  of  two  years  in  the  district  clerk's  office.  He 
then  studied  law  under  his  foster  father  at  Baton  Rouge,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1874.  Up  to  1879  ^^  ^^^  justice  of  the  peace,  when  he  began  a  regular 
practice.  He  does  the  largest  criminal  practice  at  the  bar  of  Opelousas  at  this 
time. 

Mr.  Veazie  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Corinne  Hebrard.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  children — Annie  and  Ailene. 

\y  »      * 

YVES  VIDRINE,  Ville  Platte. — Mr.  Vidrine  is  a  successful  merchant 
of  Ville  Platte.  He  is  a  native  of  the  parish,  born  December  23,  1833.  He  is 
the  son  of  John  B.  and  Domelise  (Guillory)  Vidrine,  natives  of  Louisiana.  John 
B.  Vidrine  was  a  successful  planter.  He  died  in  St.  Landrj'  parisli  in  1837. 
His  wife  died  in  1886. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  in  St.  Landry  parisli,  in  1852,  to 
Miss  Leontine  Ortego,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  July  16,  1838.  Seven  sons 
and  six  daughters  were  born  to  this  union,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  E.  E., 
L.  G.,  Mary  C.  (wife  of  Alfred  Stagg),  Alice  (wife  of  Clinton  Reed;,  Martha, 
Helena,  and  AmelieAdele.  The  following  are  deceased:  John  B.,  Cleophas 
J.,  Josephine,  Jos.  E.,  and  Henry  J. 

Yves  Vidrine  commenced  a  drug  business  at  Ville  Platte  in  1866,  and  in 
this  continued  until  1880,  when  he  began  a  general  mercantile  business,  which 
he  has  followed  up  to  the  present  time.  He  does  a  good  business,  and  i.s^ 
prosperous. 

During  the  late  war  Mr.  ^'idrine  was  in  active  service  for  the  greater  part  of 
its  duration.  He  enlisted  as  a  private,  in  1862,  in  Companjr  H.,  under  Miles 
Legion  ;  and  was  afterward  promoted  to  Sergeant  Major  in  Weatherly  Battalion. 
At  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson  he  was  taken  prisoner,  but  was  soon  paroled  and 
exchanged.     He  served  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

Five  years  previous  to  1861,  he  had  served  as  post-master  of  Ville  Platte. 
In  1866  he  was  reappointed,  and  served  until  1871.  In  1875  he  was  sent  to  tlie 
Legislature  as  representative  of  St.  Landry  parish.  He  was  again  sent  in  1879, 
and  served  with  distinction.  He  has  held  various  oflices,  amongst  others  that  of 
justice  of  the  peace,  assessor  and  auctioneer.  Bj'hard  working  he  has  qualified 
himself  as  an  apothecary  and  holds  a  certificate  as  such,  signed  b}-  the  Medico 
Surgical  Association  of  St.  Landry  parish,  dated  April  15,  1872.  He  is  now, 
and  lias  been  since  1872,  a  notar}'  public.  His  son,  E.  E.  Vidrine,  is  associated 
with  him  in  business. 
Ca 


«8  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

^  AURELIE  VIDRINE,  Ville  Platte.— Mr.  Vidrine,  a  planter  of  ward 
7,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana.  He  was  born  in  the  parish  in  which  he  now  resides, 
February,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of  H.  N.  Vidrine.  (For  sketch  of  father  see 
biograpliy  elsewiiere.) 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  received  his  education  near  where 
he  now  resides.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Twelfth  Louisiana  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he  returned  home  and 
engaged  in  planting,  which  has  been  his  principal  occupation  all  his  life.  In 
1871-72  he  conducted  a  mercantile  business  on  his  plantation.  101889  '"^  erected 
a  steam  grist  mill  and  cotton  gin,  which  he  still  operates.  He  owns,  in  all,  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  the  principal  products  of  which  are  cotton 
and  corn.     His  plantation  is  well  improved,  and  is  arranged  in  modern  st3'le. 

Mr.  Vidrine  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Zoe  Fusulier,  of  St.  Landrj-  par- 
ish.    Ten  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

* 
*     • 

"^        ALCIN  VIDRINE,  Washington.— Mr.  Vidrine  is  a  native  of  St.  Landry 

parish,  born  October  21,  1S45.     He  is  the  son  of  Antoine  and  Josephine  (Or- 

tego)  Vidrine,  natives  of  Louisiana,  where  they  were  married  and  became  the 

parents  of  sixteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living. 

Alcin  Vidrine  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  St.  Landry  parish. 
In  1861, he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Sixteenth  Louisiana  Regiment,  and  was  in 
many  of  the  active  engagements  of  the  war.  At  Glasgow,  Kentucky,  he  was 
taken  prisoner,  1S62.  Next  year  he  was  paroled,  and  recaptured  at  Chickamauga 
and  kept  prisoner  for  twenty  months,  until  May,  1865.  After  the  war  he  was 
engaged  in  planting  and  merchandising,  which  he  continued  for  seven  years. 
■Since  1882  he  has  given  his  mercantile  business  his  chief  attention,  though  he 
owns  a  plantation  of  about  five  hundred  acres,  which  is  cultivated  by  tenants. 

Mr.  Vidrine  was  married  in  St.  Landry  parish,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Thompson,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  1S48.  Mr.  Vidrine  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  clnirch.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance. 

* 

JOHN  M.  WARE,  Shuteston. — Mr.  Ware  is  a  native  of  Texas,  born 
August  17,  1857.  His  parents,  Henry  W.  and  Martha  A.  (Everett)  Ware,  are 
natives  of  Georgia,  where  they  were  reared  and  married.  The  family  is  of 
English  extraction  on  both  sides.  Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine 
children.  His  father  removed  from  Texas  to  New  Orleans  in  1866,  having  been 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Texas.  Here  he  engaged  in  a  brokerage  and  com- 
mission business.  After  a  few  years  he  abandoned  this  and  devoted  himself  to 
the  culture  of  sugar  cane  in  Iberville  parish,  Louisiana.  He  owned  what  is  known 
as  the  "Belle  Grove"  plantation,   \\hich   contained    about  twenty-one   hundred 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  89 

acres  of  land.*  He  was  engaged  in  sugar  culture  until  1878,  when  he  sold  the 
plantation  to  his  two  sons,  John  ]M.  and  James  A.  Ware.  The  latter  now  owns 
and  operates  the  plantation.  John  M.  Ware  sold  his  interest  in  the  plantation  in 
1879.  Their  father  was  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  the  mother  of  our 
subject.  She  died  at  Long  Beach,  Mississippi,  in  1878.  The  father  now  resides 
at  Pass  Christian. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  good  educational  advantages,  having  at- 
tended the  Homer  College,  Louisiana,  and  the  University  of  East  Tennessee, 
Knoxville.  He  began  life  for  himself,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  as  a  planter. 
He  removed  to  St.  Landry  parish,  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Opelousas,  in  1882, 
where  he  bought  what  is  known  as  the  "Dixon  Grove"  plantation,  which  con- 
tains nearly  one  thousand  acres  of  very  fertile  land.  Mr.  Ware  has  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  stock  raising,  and  has  on  his  plantation  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  head  of  graded  cattle,  besides  horses,  mules,  etc.  The  principal  prod- 
ucts of  his  plantation  are  cotton  and  rice. 

INIr.  Ware  commenced  the  artesian  well  business  in  1887.  He  purchased  a 
steam  outfit,  and  did  his  first  work  on  "Evergreene"  plantation,  three  miles 
below  the  town  of  Plaquemine,  the  first  well  sunk  in  Louisiana  above  New 
Orleans.  He  has  since  done  work  on  the  Mississippi  River,  on  the  Teche,  on 
Ba}'ou  Lafourche  and  Bayou  Cypremort  and  in  St.  Landry  parisii.  He  organ- 
ized the  John  M.  Ware  Well  Company,  1889,  and  they  now  take,  contracts  in 
different  sections  of  the  country.     Mr.  Ware  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

MAJOR  M.  R.  WILSON,  Opelousas.— Major  M.  R.  Wilson  is  a  native 
of  Harris  county.  Miss.,  born  1838.  His  parents,  Joel  Wilson  and  Sicily  Rod- 
gers,  were  both  natives  of  the  same  state.  Joel  Wilson  was  bj'  occupation  a 
farmer.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Alabama  Legislature  from  Russel 
county,  where  he  removed  in  1S53.  He  then  moved  to  Arkansas,  where  he 
died,  at  Hamburg,  in  1878. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  began  life  for  himself  in  1855,  as  a  farmer.  He 
married  Miss  Martha  Driskill,  daughter  of  Peter  Driskill,  of  Macon  county, 
Alabama,  and  in  185S  he  moved  to  Arkansas,  where  he  bought  land  in  Ashle3' 
county,  and  was  for  several  years  engaged  in  farming.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the 
Confederate  service,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  time  he  was  in  prison,  he  was 
in  active  service  during  the  whole  war.  He  was  in  the  battle  at  Corinth,  Miss., 
and  at  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana ;  at  the  latter  place  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and 
was  moved  from  place  to  place  until  1864,  wlienhe  was  sent  to  Morris  Island. 
He  was  subsequently  removed  to  different  places;  at  the  time  of  his  release,  in 
1865,  he  was  at  Fort  Delaware.  He  returned  to  his  home  in  Arkansas,  and  from 
there  removed  to  St.  Landrj'  parish,  in  1867,  where  he  bought  land  and  began 


90  SOUTHWEST  LOUISJ ANA: 

farming.     His   plantation,  whicli  is  in  a    high  state  of    cultivation,  consists  of 
about  six  hundred  and  fort}'  acres. 

Mrs.  Wilson  died  in  1857,  and  Major  Wilson  afterward  married  Miss 
Georgia  Williamson,  of  New  Orleans.  To  them  have  been  born  seven  child- 
ren, viz:  Elias  (deceased),  Catherine  (deceased),  Sicily  (deceased),  James 
(deceased).  Micajah  R.,  George  C.  and  Robert  Lee. 

* 

»     » 

FERDINAND  M.  WARTELLE,  Washington. — Ferdinand  Wartelle,  one 
of  the  successful  planters  of  St.  Landry  parish,  was  born  in  this  place  in  the 
year  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Pierre  G.  and  Louisa  (King)  Wartelle.  Pierre  G. 
Wartelle  is  a  native  of  France;  was  educated  in  that  country  in  the  military 
schools,  and  was  an  officer  in  Napoleon's  army.  He  served  ten  or  twelve  years 
and  was  in  many  of  the  active  engagements.  When  Napoleon  was  banished  he 
came  to  New  Orleans  where  he  was  for  a  short  time  engaged  in  a  mercantile 
business.  Subsequently  he  was  engaged  in  the  same  business  in  Opelousas. 
In  1829  he  purchased  the  plantation  on  which  Ferdinand  M.  Wartelle  now  resides 
and  devoted  himself  to  sugar  culture.  Louisa  (King)  Wartelle  was  a  daughter 
of  Judge  George  King,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  one  of  the  first  American 
settlers  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  principally  reared  in  St.  Landrj'  parish.  He 
was  educated  in  North  Carolina  and  Virginia.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he 
returned  home  and  took  charge  of  his  father's  plantation.  For  many  years  he 
was  thus  engaged,  and,  subsequently,  bought  the  plantation,  and  has  since  that 
time  devoted  his  whole  time  to  its  operation.  He  raises  on  his  plantation,, 
which  is  a  finel}'  located  one  of  about  two  thousand  acres,  chiefly  cotton. 
Mr.  Wartelle  married, .in  1873,  Miss  Valerie  Lastrapes,  daughter  of  Louis  and 
Irma  (Garrigues)  Lastrapes,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  Mrs., 
Wartelle's  grandfather,  General  Garrigues,  was  a  native  of  France  and  an  offi- 
cer of  Napoleon's  army.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  participated  in  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier  General. 

Mr.  Wartelle  is  the  father  of  ten  living  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters. 
He  and  his  family  are  all  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  There  are  few  men 
in  St.  Landry  parish  who  take  more  active  interest  in  everything  that  is  for  the 
promotion  of  the  public  good  than  Mr.  Wartelle.  He  is  an  intelligent  and  refined 
gentleman,  and  his  life  has  been  a  reflection  of  usefulness. 

* 

S.  P.  WARD,  M.  D.,  i3iG  Cane. — Dr.  Ward,  a  prominent  physician  of 
St.  Landry  parish,  was  born  in  Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  August  28,  1825.  He  is 
a  son  of  Aaron  and  Martha  Ward,  natives  of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  They  were 
married  in    Newark,  and  resided    there  for  a  number  of  3-ears,.when  they  re~ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  91 

moved  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  A  few  j-ears  later  they  removed  to  Rising 
Sun,  Indiana.  After  residing  there  about  two  years  they  removed  to  Canton, 
Illinois,  where  they  both  died.  Aaron  Ward  was  in  his  younger  days  a  mer- 
chant. After  he  removed  to  Illinois  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  in  which 
he  was  very  successful,  leaving  at  his  death  his  children  a  competency  on  wliich 
to  begin  life. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  youngest  of  a  famil}'  of  seven  children. 
He  received  his  early  training  in  the  schools  of  Canton,  Illinois,  subsequently 
taking  a  collegiate  course.  He  afterward  pursued  a  course  of  medicine  at  Cin- 
cinnati, graduating  after  having  taken  three  courses  of  lectures.  He  holds,  also, 
a  diploma  from  the  Medical  Lyceum  of  Cincinnati.  Wiiile  in  Cincinnati,  during 
the  cholera  scourge,  he  made  this  disease  a  special  study.  In  1848  he  came  to 
Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Here 
he  remained  eight  years.  In  i860  he  located  in  St.  Landry,  where  he  has  since 
liad  a  very  extensive  practice.  Though  he  devotes  his  time  almost  exclusively  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Ward  also  superintends  the  operation  of  a  large 
plantation  which  he  owns  at  this  place.  He  is  a  distinguished  member  and 
•corresponding  secretary  of  the  State  Medical  Societ}';  also  a  member  of  other 
medical  societies  in  the  State.  He  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order  since  1853,  having  held  some  office  in  the  lodge  during  the  whole 
'of  this  time.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  chapter. 

The  Doctor  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  using  his 
influence  at  all  times  to  place  in  oflice  the  best  men. 

In  1856  he  married  Harriet  A.  Waters,  daughter  of  Capt.  Wm.  Waters,  of 
Alexandria,  to  whom  were  born  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Both  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  he  is  steward  and  Sunday-school  superintendent. 

* 

ROBERT  ZERNOTT,  Washington.— Robert  Zernott  is  a  native  of  Prus- 
sia, born  January  22,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  August  and  Anistena  (Falk)  Zer- 
nott, both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Prussia. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  Prussia,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Prussian  army,  and  served  in  the  Italian  war.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  War  he  came  to  New  York,  and  shortly  after  arriving  enlisted  in  the 
Second  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  and  served  in  this  and  the  Third  Rhode  Island 
during  the  whole  of  the  war.  His  field  of  operations  was  principall}^  in  Louis- 
iana. He  enlisted  as  a  private  and  subsequently  was  rnade  sergeant.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  stationed  at  Washington,  where  he  remained  a  short 
time  after  the  war  closed;  his  stay  embracing  in  all  a  period  of  about  six  months. 
During  this  time  he  was  so  favorably  impressed  with  the  country  and  the  people 
that,  at  the  earnest  request  of  many  of  the  good  citizens,  he  located  here  perma- 


92  *  .S  O  UTHWEST  L  O  UISIA  NA : 

nently.  He  first  began  business  as  a  planter,  but  the  first  3"ear  he  was  unfor- 
tunate in  suffering  a  loss  of  everything  invested  from  an  overflow,  and  he  subse- 
quently embarked  in  livery  business  and  carriage  manufacturing.  Mr.  Zernott 
is  a  man  of  remarkable  genius  for  mechanism,  and  has  never  attempted  any- 
thing in  that  line  that  he  has  not  accomplished.  From  being  thrown  from  a 
horse  he  lost  his  lef-t  arm,  but,  notwithstanding  this,  he  conducted  his  business 
and  did  most  of  llie  fine  work  himself. 

During"  the  time  he  was  engaged  in  carriage  manufacluriiig  he  built  up  an 
extensive  trade  over  Louisiana,  and  the  demand  for  his  work  was  greater  than 
he  could  suppl}-.  From  a  partial  loss  of  eyesight,  he  was  forced  to  retire  from 
the  business  in  18S7,  since  which  time  he  has  devoted  himself  to  constructing 
and  building  bridges,  buildings,  etc.  He  married  in  1S69,  Miss  Emma  Millspaugh, 
a  native  of  Washington.  She  died  four  years  after  their  marriage,  having  be- 
come the  mother  of  three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  Mr.  Zernott 
married,  in  1871,  Miss  Grace  Millspaugh,  sister  of  his  former  wife.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Washington  has  never  had  an  enterprise  since  Mr.  Zernott  has  resided  there 
in  which  he  has  not  been  an  active  participant. 

V  *     * 

S.  JOS.  WILSON,  Opelousas.— S.  Jos.  Wilson,  vice  president  of  the  First 

National  Bank,  Opelousas,  and  member  of  the  enterprising  mercantile  firm  of 

Clements  &  Wilson,  is  a  young  man,  being  only  in  his  twenty-fourth  j^ear.     Mr. 

Wilson's    grandparents,   on  his  father's    side,    were   natives    of  Ireland.      His 

maternal  grandparents  were  natives  of  England.     His  father  was  born  in  New 

Orleans,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  a  wholesale  house  of  that  place.     His 

mother    was    a  Miss  Waldw3'n,  a  great-grandaughter  of  Sir  James  Waldwyn, 

of  the  English  nav}'.     She    now  resides  in  Opelousas.     The    subject's    father 

died  in  1880. 

S.  Jos.  Wilson  was  reared  and  educated  in  New  Orleans.  At  an  early  age 
he  entered  mercantile  pursuits  as  a  clerk.  He  rose  quickly  in  the  esteem  of  his 
employers,  and  soon  held  the  highest  position  of  trust  in  the  establishment.  He 
here  made  himself  familiar  with  all  the  departments  of  mercantile  business;  and 
when  he  embarked  in  trade  at  this  place,  he  was  fully  equipped  in  mature  ex- 
perience ;  and,  indeed,  to  this  is  due  the  almost  phenomenal  success  which  has 
attended  his  undertakings.  The  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  one  of  the  first  of 
Opelousas.  They  do  a  large  advancing  business,  and  handle  a  vast  amount  of 
cotton  and  other  plantation  products. 

Mr.  Wilson  is  abreast  of  tlie  times,  and  is  a  thoroughly  progressive,  modern 
business  man.  He  married  a  Miss  Lastrapes,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


CHAPTER  II. 


PARISH  OF    IBERIA. 

^  JOHN  DORVILLE  BROUSSARD,  Loreauville.— John  D.  Broussard 
was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish  in  1832 .  He  is  the  son  of  Don  Louis  and  Adelaide 
Broussard,  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  The  former  is  the  son  of  Don 
Louis  Broussard  and  Cleonise  Broussard,  born  1S12.  Adelaide  Broussard  was 
the  daughter  of  Sj'lvester  Broussard,  born  181 2.  The  families  are  among  the 
oldest  in  Louisiana. 

John  Dorville  Broussard  received  his  education  in  the  home  schools  of  his 
nati\-e  parish,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  planta- 
tion vvliich  he  conducted  until  1850.  In  185 1  he  became  captain  of  a  steamboat 
phing  between  St.  Martinsville  and  Breaux  Bridge.  In  1852  he  married  Anas- 
tasie  Gonsoillin,  daughter  of  Luzincourt  Gonsoulin  and  Cj'dalise  Bonin.  His 
mother  died  seven  years  previous  to  this  time.  After  the  death  of  his  father  Mr. 
Broussard  became  the  heir  to  his  plantation,  where  he  now  resides,  known  as  the 
Marie  Louise  plantation,  which  has  descended  from  father  to  son  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years.  It  consists  of  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  four  hundred 
of  which  are  under  cultivation,  the  principal  products  being  cane  and  corn.  In 
1874  ^I^'-  Broussard  erected  on  his  plantation  a  large  sugar  house,  which  he  has 
since  operated.  From  1856  until  1865  Mr.  Broussard  was  assessor  of  St.  Mar- 
tin parish  ;  two  years  succeeding  this  he  was  recorder.  For  the  past  ten  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Police  Jury,  having  been  appointed,  in  1880,  by 
Gov.  Willz.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Broussard  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  viz:  Louis  Dorville,  manager  of  the  plantation;  Robert  F., 
atlorne}'  at  law,  in  New  Iberia;  Albert  J.,  book-keeper,  at  the  Avery  Salt 
Mines;  Marie  Blanche,  Marie  Louise,  Edwin  S^-dney,  cadet  at  the  Louisiana 
State  University  and  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College. 

In  1862  Gov.  Moore  commissioned  Mr.  Broussard  Captain  of  Co.  B,  St. 
Martins  Regiment,  Sixth  Brigade,  Confederate  Armj-.  In  1880  Gov.  Wiltz  ap- 
pointed him  Colonel  of  the  "Special  Militia  Force,''  L.  S.  N.  G.,  Fourth 
Military  District.  „ 

^  *     * 

ROBERT  F.  BROUSSARD,  New  Iberia.— Robert  F.  Broussard,  a  rising 
young  attorney  of  the  New  Iberia  bar,  is  a  native  of   Louisiana;  born  in  Iberia 


fl4  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  . 

parisli  in  1S64.  He  is  a  son  of  John  D.  Broussard,  wliose  sketch  appears  above. 
Robert  F.  is  the  second  of  sixHving  chilch-en.  He  was  educated  at  Georgetown 
University,  Washington,  D.  C.  After  leaving  college,  in  1883,  Mr.  Broussard 
took  charge  of  the  export  desk  of  tlie  Statistics  Department  in  the  Custom  House 
at  New  Orleans,  under  the  Cleveland  administration.  He  subsequently  pursued 
a  course  of  law  in  tlie  law  school  at  Tulane  University,  graduating  from  that  in- 
stitution in  1889.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and  immediately 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  Iberia,  as  a  member  of  the  law  firm 
of  Foster  &  Broussard,  now  the  firm  of  Renoudet,  Foster  &  Broussard.  Mr. 
Broussard  is  rapidly  rising  in  his  profession  and  promises  to  become  one  of  the 
first  members  of  the  bar  of  New  Iberia. 

* 
»      * 

V'  C.  BROUSSARD,  Patoutville. — Cimile  Broussard  was  born  May  20, 
183S,  in  Iberia  parish.  He  is  the  son  of  Raphael  and  Susan  (Prance)  Brous- 
sard. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  Iberia  parish  and  attended  the 
public  schools  of  the  place.  He  was  engaged  with  his  father  on  his  own  plantation 
until  he  was  twenty-one,  when,  the  war  having  just  begun,  he  enlisted  in  the  Con- 
federate service  and  served  its  whole  duration.  Returning  home,  he  engaged  in 
planting  in  Iberia  parish.  Two  years  later  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lezima 
•Savoy,  daughter  of  Emile  and  Palmalee  (Bourell)  Savojs  of  this  parish.  Mr. 
Broussard  has  given  his  whole  attention  to  planting,  and  has  been  fairly  success- 
ful. He  has  a  small,  fertile  plantation,  upon  which  he  raises  chiefly  cotton,  cane 
and  corn.  Mr.  Broussard  is  a  leader  in  local  affairs  and  takes  active  interest  in 
politics.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Police  Jury  since  1888  from  the  second 
ward,  having  been  appointed  by  Gov.  Nicholls.  His  family  consists  of  eleven 
children,  five  sons  and  six  daughters. 


'^  N.  BROUSSARD,  Loreauville. — N.  Broussard  was  born  in  Iberia  parish, 
1840.  His  father,  Lucine  Broussard,  was  engaged  in  "  swamping."'  He  owned 
large  tracts  of  timber  land  in  this  section.  He  died  in  1888.  His  widow,  Elise 
DeBlanc,  still  survives  him  and  now  resides  with  her  son,  our  subject. 

N.  Broussard  received  a  public  school  education  in  tiie  French  language. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  sugar  plantation,  which  he 
•continued  to  operate  until  1882,  since  which  time  he  has  given  his  chief  attention 
to  cotton  raising.  He  has  a  good  plantation,  consisting  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  He  also  operates  a  large  gin  house  on  his  plantation.  Mr.  Brous- 
sard has  never  married.  » 

*     » 

A.  C.  BERNARD  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Lafourche,  August  12,  1837. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  95 

He  is  the  son  of  Onezime  Bernard  and  Rosalie  Hebert,  both  natives  of  the  parish 
of  Lafourche.  Onezime  Bernard  died  on  the  12th  of  Februar\',  1890;  his  wife 
still  survives  him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  days  in 
his  native  parish  attending  the  public  schools,  from  which  he  received  his  primary 
education.  He  subsequently  attendeH  for  a  period  of  a  year  St.  Vincent  Col- 
lege, Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri,  and  afterward  pursued  his  studies  at  George- 
town College,  Scott  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  for  two  3'ears. 
Returning  home  in  July,  1859,  '^^  ^^^^  engaged  in  teaching  public  school  until 
the  war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  as  sergeant  in  Company  B,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Charles  De  LaBretine.  He  served  for  about  two  years,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  discharge  he  was  orderlj'  sergeant.  On  his  return  home  he  married  Miss 
Amanda  Deslatte,  and  engaged  in  planting  in  the  parish  of  Lafourche.  In  1866 
he  moved  to  the  parish  of  St.  Mary,  and  two  years  later  Mrs.  Bernard  died, 
and  our  subject  was  married  the  second  time  to  Miss  Silvana  Walker,  daughter 
of  James  H.  Walker  and  Azelima  Patin.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine  living 
children:  Amanda,  Rosa,  Alice,  Adolph  C,  Cora,  Sidonie,  Spasie,  Aristide  C. 
and  £ffa,  and  three  deceased :  Mary,  Alexander  Charles  and  Andrew.  Mr. 
Bernard  has  filled  several  local  offices  with  efficiency.  In  1876  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  of  the  first  ward  of  the  parish  of  Iberia, ^vhich  office  he  held 
for  two  years.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  police  juror  from  the  first  ward.  In 
1888  he  was  reappointed,  and  he  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that  office.  Mr. 
Bernard  is  a  successful  planter  on  a  small  scale;  on  his  plantation  he  raises  cane 
and  corn.     It  is  a  fertile  one  and  yields  him  a  good  income. 

« 
•     • 

ALFRED  G.  BARNARD,  New  Iberia.— Alfred  G.  Barnard,  sheriff  of 
Iberia  parish,  is  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  born  August  21,  1854. 
He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Cornelia  (Gates)  Barnard,  the  former  a  native  of 
Vermont,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Louisiana,  of  Welsh  and  French  extraction, 
respectively. 

Sheriff  Barnard  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish,  and  completed  his  educa- 
tion at  the  Louisiana  State  University,  at  Baton  Rouge.  After  leaving  college 
he  began  life  as  a  planter  in  St.  Mary  parish,  which  vocation  he  followed 
four  years,  when  he  removed  to  Iberia  parish,  1878,  and,  in  partnership  with 
his  uncle.  Judge  Fred  Gates,  he  operated  a  cotton  seed  oil  mill.  Subsequently 
he  withdrew  from  this  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  T.  A.  Hebert  & 
Co.,  druggists.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  Iberia  parish  in  1888.  His  term 
will  expire  in  1892. 

Mr.  Barnard  married,  in  1878,  Miss  Martha  D.  Valcourt,  of  New  Ibtria. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  and  A.  M., 
Aurora  Lodge,  No.  39,  also  of  the  K.  of  P.,  of  New  Iberia. 


96  SO UTH  WEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

"^  WALTER  J.  BURKE,  New  Iberia.— Waller  J.  Burke,  a  rising  young 
attorne}'  of  New  Iberia,  is  a  native  of  the  place.  He  was  lx)rn  October  20,  1866. 
His  parents,  James  L.  and  Pamela  (Cannon)  Burke,  are  natives  of  New  Jersey 
and  Louisiana  respectively.  James  L.  Burke  came  to  Louisiana  with  his  parents 
when  quite  young,  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  place. 
He  was  engaged  in  business  here  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  18S6.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  when  a  young  man. 

Young  Walter  was  prepared  for  college  in  the  schools  of  New  Iberia,  com- 
pleting his  literary  education  in  Spring  Hill  College,  Mobile.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  R.  S.  Perry  at  this  place, 
where  he  remained  for  two  j^ears.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  law  school  of 
Tulane  University,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1889.  The  same 
year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  Orleans,  and  immediately  afterward  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  Iberia.  Mr.  Burke,  though  young,  is 
considered  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  New  Iberia  bar,  and  his  future  is 
ver}'  promising.  He  was  married,  February  4,  1890,  to  Miss  Bertha  Perry,  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Robert  Perry. 

*     » 

^  W.  R.  BURKE,  New  Iberia.— William  R.  Burke,  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  Iberia  parish,  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  New  Iberia,  born 
February  14,  1839. 

His  parents,  William  Burke  and  Ellen  Lee,  were  both  natives  of  Ireland, 
reared  in  the  city  of  Waterford,  where  they  married.  While  young  and  am- 
bitious, with  hope  of  future  reward  in  the  new  world,  they  bid,  in  1833,  a  lasting 
farewell  to  the  home  of  their  childhood.  After  a  tedious  vo3'age  of  three  months 
across  the  Atlantic,  they,  with  the  few  emigrant  friends  who  had  accompanied 
them,  and  who  were  also  seeking  "  the  land  of  the  free  and  home  ot  the  brave," 
made  their  first  landing  at  Quebec,  Canada.  They  subsequently  removed  to 
New  Jersey. 

Hearing  of  great  inducements  offered  to  emigrants  to  go  to  Texas,  they  got 
Iheir  little  crowd  together  and  started  for  the  promised  land.  It  was  about  the 
year  1834  ^^^^^  *'^^  small  band  landed  at  Corpus  Christi.  They  were  soon  en- 
listed in  the  Texas  militia  and  given  a  league  of  land  each,  which  was  selected 
in  Refugio  county,  where  they  built  their  homes  and  surrounded  themselves 
with  such  comforts  as  the  wilds  of  Texas  could  then  afford.  But  they  were  not 
to  enjoy  it  long,  as  they  were  ruthlessly  driven  from  their  homes  at  night  by  In- 
dian hostilities.  It  was  not  on  the  order  of  going,  but  go  at  once.  They  only 
escaped  and  saved  their  lives  b}'  the  skin  of  their  teeth.  Their  Texas  home 
they  saw  no  more. 

On  their  march  through  Texas  and  into  Louisiana  their  first  stop  was  at  the 
town  of  Opelousas,  St.  Landr}'  parish,  where  they  remained  a  short  while  doing 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  97 

a  few  odd  jobs.  Next  they  turned  their  faces  toward  the  hmd  of  EvangeHne — 
the  country  of  the  Teche.  They  first  located  in  the  town  of  St.  Martinsville, 
and  from  thence  they  drifted  down  to  the  town  of  New  Iberia,  where,  in  the 
year  1836,  the}*  permanently  located,  and  where  the  remainder  of  their  lives  was 
spent.  William  Burke  died  of  j'ellow  fever  in  October,  1839,  '^'^  ^'^^  '^gs  of 
thirt3'-two.  Mis  wife  survived  him  until  1865,  when  she  died  in  the  city  of  New 
Orleans,  on  the  21st  of  May,  where  she  had  gone  to  settle  losses  she  had  sus- 
tained by  the  ravages  of  war,  claiming  rights  as  an  English  subject. 

William  R.  Burke  began  business  as  a  liveryman,  in  association  with  his 
mother  and  two  brothers.  Having  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  he  also  gave 
some  attention  in  his  eai'ly  years  to  this  business.  He  received  a  primary 
education  at  the  public  schools  of  New  Iberia.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war,  in 
1S61,  he  enlisted  as  a  sergeant  in  Company  D,  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantrj', 
General  Mouton's  regiment,  and  served  during  the  war.  He  was  first  lieutenant 
wlien  the  war  closed.  His  field  of  operations  was  chiefly  in  Tennessee,  Missis- 
sippi and  Louisiana.  He'participated  in  the  battles  of  Pittsburg,  Shiloh,  Bisland 
and  Texana.  At  the  last  named  place  he  was  taken  prisoner,  witli  his  whole 
compan}',  by  General  Weitzel's  brigade,  and  was  paroled  the  next  da3^  Three 
months  later  he  was  exchanged  and  reassigned  to  his  command.  He  was  at 
Natchitoches  at  the  time  of  the  surrender.  After  the  war  Mr.  Burke  resumed 
charge  ot  the  li\erv  stable  business,  in  which  he  continued  until  November,  1886. 
He  has  always  been  an  active  participant  in  the  local  affairs  of  the  town  and 
parish.  From  1879  to  1887  he  was  treasurer  and  collector  of  New  Iberia,  and 
was  President  of  the  Police  Jury  from  1877  to  1879.  ^"  1^77  he  was  elected 
secretary  and  parish  superintendent  of  the  public  schools.  Mr.  Burke's  untiring 
efforts  for  the  improvement  of  the  public  school  sj'stem  of  Iberia  parish  will 
long  be  rememljered.  When  he  took  possession  of  the  office  the  schools  were 
in  a  most  deplorable  condition, and  under  his  supervision  they  have  attained  their 
present  standard. 

Mr.  Burke  was  united  in   marriage  with  Miss  Elise  Bonin,  of  New  Iberia, 

on  the  28th  of  October,  1867.     Both  he  and  his  wife  are  Cathohcs. 

* 
*     * 

ERNEST  BERARD,  New  Iberia.— Ernest  Berard  was  born  in  St.  Mar- 
tin parish,  Louisiana,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Berard  and  Orelia  (Huval) 
Berard,  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Our  subject's  great-grandfather 
gave  the  grounds  and  built  the  Catholic  church  at  St.  Martinsville. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  business  life  in  1865  as  a  planter.  He  now 
owns  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Iberia  parish,  which  he 
cultivates  chiefly  in  cane  and  corn.  Mr.  Berard  has  made  a  study  of  planting, 
never  having  given  his  attention  to  anj'  other  business.  He  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful planters  of  this  section.     In  1865  he  married  Miss  Amilda  Ross,  a  native 


98  .S-  O  UTHWES  T  LO  UISIA  NA  : 

of  Louisiana,  daughter  of  David  F.  and  Bahain  Ross.     They  are  the  parents  of 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  hving. 

» 

*  * 

REV.  M.  BARDY,  Jeannerette. — Rev.  M.  Bardy  was  born  on  June  iS, 
1845,  in  Varenncs,  Canton  Villebrumier,  Carn  et  Garonne,  France.  He  is  the 
second  son  of  John  and  Phillippi  (Rossieres)  Bardy.  He  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  education  at  the  Christian  Brothers'  College,  and  later  studied  at  Moessac 
Seminary.  He  came  to  America  in  1S67,  and  began  his  theological  studies  at 
St.  Mary's  Seminary,  Baltimore,  Maryland.  He  removed  to  New  Orleans  in 
1870,  completing  his  studies  there,  and  was  ordained  June  18,  1871,  by  Most 
Rev.  Joseph  N.  Perche,  Archbishop  of  New  Orleans.  Rev.  M.  Bardy  went  to 
Opelousas,  St.  Landry  parish,  and  remained  there  for  two  years  as  assistant  to 
Rev.  C.  E.  Raj-mond.  He  was  afterward  appointed  parish  priest  at  PortBarre. 
On  June  11,  1885,  he  was  appointed  to  Jeannerette,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
He  completed  tlfe  building  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist  church  at  that  place,  for  a 
sketch  of  which  see  the  history  of  Iberia  parish. 

* 

*  * 

J.  C.  BUSSEY,  Jeannerette. — J.  C.  Busse3*is  a  native  of  Clark  count}', 
Indiana,  born  in  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Harvey  and  Marj- (  Rader)  Bussejs 
the  form.er  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Kentuck}-.  Dr.  H.  Bussey,  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Indiana,  was  a  practising  physician  and  merchant.  He  re- 
moved from  Indiana  to  Iowa  and  was  afterward  located  in  different  states, 
finally  settling  in  Louisiana,  about  1868,  where  he  operated  the  plantation  upon 
which  J.  C.  Bussey  now  resides.     He  died  December  21,  1880. 

J.  C.  Bussey  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
viz:  Florence,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  A.  McGowen;  John  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Ellen,  wife  of  H.  B.  Hughes;  Mary,  wife  of  E.  R.  Jackson;  Jesse,  Maud.  J. 
C.  Bussey  received  a  limited  education,  and  after  his  father's  death  took  charge 
of  the  plantation,  having  prior  to  this  time  been  field  manager.  His  plantation 
consists  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  located  two  miles  northwest 
of  Jeannerette.  About  seven  hundred  acres  are  under  cultivation,  the  chief  prod- 
uct being  cane.  Mr.  Bussey  gives  employment  to  from  sixteen  to  twenty  men  in 
the  field  and  from  about  fori}'  to  fifty  in  the  mill  during  the  cane  season.  He 
employs  about  thirty  men  m  making  the  crop.  Mr.  Bussey  is  a  judicious  man- 
ager, and  probably  to  this  more  than  anything  else  is  attributed  his  success. 

* 

*  • 

^  HENRY  T.  BOUTTE,  Derouen.— Mr.  Boutte  is  a  native  of  Iberia  par- 
ish, born  June  22,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Terrac  and  Delonie  (Romero) 
Boutte.     Both  father  and  mother  are  natives  of  Iberia  parish. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  Iberia  parish,  where,  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  he 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  99 

entered  a  private  school  at  New  Iberia.  Here  he  remained  for  some  time,  after- 
ward attending  school  in  New  Orleans  for  about  nine  months.  Upon  leaving 
school,  he  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  New 
Iberia.  Me  only  remained  here  one  year,  however,  when  he  purchased  a  small 
plantation,  and  began  planting.  His  plantation  is  well  improved,  and  on  it  Mr. 
Boutte  has  erected  a  sugar  mill  and  made  other  substantial  improvements. 
There  are  few  more  successful  planters  in  this  section  than  he.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  January,  1880,  to  Mathilde  Robichaux,  a  daughter  of  Valery  and  Zoalea 
(Arceneau.x)  Robichaux,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Iberia  parish.  To 
Mr.  BoiUte  and  wife  have  been  born  one  son  and  four  daughters:  Edward, 
born  20th  December,  1880;  Daisy,  born~-3ist  May,  1882:  Lilly,  23d  November, 
1883  ;  Marie,  ist  January,  1884,  and  Lillian,  25th  June,  1887. 

SASTHENE  V.  BOURQUE,  Gregg.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
native  of  Assumption  parish,  born  September  28,  1859.  He  is  the  son  of  Nar- 
cisse  and  Melanare  (Landr}-)  Bourque,both  natives  of  Assumption  parish. 

S.  V.  Bourque  was  reared  in  the  parish  of  Iberia,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  its  private  schools.  He  was  for  some  time  after  leaving  school  with  his 
father  on  his  plantation.  He  subsequently  engaged  in  the  construction  of  rail- 
roads. He  was  for  one  year  emploj'ed  in  the  construction  of  the  New  Orleans, 
City  &  West  End  Railroad,  after  which  he  worked  on  the  Southern  Pacific  for 
eight  years.  For  a  time. he  conducted  a  dray  business  in  New  Orleans.  In  1870 
he  purchased  a  plantation  in  Iberia  parish,  and  has  given  his  attention  to  planting 
since  that  time.  The  chief  products  of  his  plantation  are  cotton,  corn  and  cane. 
Mr.  Bourque  married,  1877,  Miss  Cora  French,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Lisa 
(Labonne)  French  ;  the  former  a  native  of  England,  the  latter  of  Iberia  parish, 
Louisiana.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children.  Mr.  Bourque  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

» 

J.  B.  BOURQUE,  NE\y  Iberia. — Mr.  Bourque  was  born  near  Duchamp 
station,  St.  Martin  parish,  in  1849.  He  was  reared  in  this  parish,  and  received 
his  education  in  its  schools.  He  began  life  as  aplanter,  and  to  this  has  devoted  his 
chief  attention  thus  far  in  life.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  progressive  ideas,  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  successful  planters  in  his  neighborhood.  He  was 
married,  in  1S71,  to  Miss  Celestine  Romero,  of  Iberia  parish.  As  aresultof  this 
union,  nine  children  have  been  born:  Felix,  Elia,  Calis,  Edmie,  Eloi,  Altez, 
Geantie,  Amvis,  and  Emerite.  In  politics  Mr.  Bourque  is  a  staunch  Democrat, 
believing  the  principles  of  that  party  to  be  conducive  to  the  advancement  of  those 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  especially.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church. 


100  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

MADAME  EMILIEJ.  (HOFFIIERR)  LABAU  CYR,  Jeannerette.— 
Madame  Labau  Cyr  is  a  native  of  France,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated. 
She  removed  to  this  country  and  located  in  Louisiana  in  1859.  In  1866  slie 
married  Justin  Labau,  also  a  native  of  France,  who  had  removed  to  Louisiana 
in  1857.  Mr.  Labau  after  locating  in  Louisiana,  was  for  some  time  engaged  as 
salesman  in  W.  F.  Hudson's  general  mercantile  store.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  he  joined  an  independent  company  of  cavalry  organized  by  Capt.  D.Kerr,  and 
afterward  commanded  by  Capt.  A.  A.  Pecot,  which  was  afterward  consolidated 
with  Gen.  Harrison's  command.  Mr.  Labau  was  a  gunsmith  by  occupation, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  during  a  portion  of  the  war.  He  was,  however,  in 
active  service  during  the  Red  river  and  Mississippi  campaigns.  He  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Before  coming  to  America  he  had  served  seven  3'ears  as 
a  soldier  in  the  French  arm)'.  The  same  year  of  his  marriage  he  opened  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store  in  Hubertville,  about  a  mile  above  Jeannerette,  on  the  Bayou 
Teche.  In  this  he  was  engaged  at  the  time  his  death,  in  1870.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Labau  were  the  parents  of  a  son,  George  J.,  born  1868.  Four  years  after  Mr. 
Labau's  death  Madame  Labau  married  Joseph  Cyr,  a  native  of  Canada,  who 
conducted  the  store  until  his  death,  1880.  To  this  union  were  born  three  sons: 
Albert  Joseph,  Louis  Felix,  Paul  Narciste.  Since  1883  Madame  and  her  son 
Labau  have  carried  on  the  business  successfully.  Though  a  native  of  a  for- 
eign country,  Madame  Cyr  has  become  very  much  attached  to  her  adopted  State, 
and  although,  through  the  distinguished  services  of  her  husband  in  France, 
she  is  entitled  to  a  pension  and  her  son  to  a  free  education  in  any  college  in  that 
country,  she  feels  that  she  can  not  accept  it  at  the   cost  of  removing   from   her 

adopted  State.  ^ 

*     » 

REV.  JULIEL  CHARLES,  Patoutville.— Rev.  Juliel  Charles  was  born 
in  France,  June  i,  185 1.  His  parents,  Antoine  and  Catherine  (Eaquet) 
Charles,  were  both  natives  of  the  same  countr}'.  Rev.  Charles  was  reared 
and  educated  in  France.  At  tlie  age  of  five  }ears  he  entered  the  school 
of  the  Christian  Brothers,  where  he  remained  until  he  attained  the  age  of  thir- 
teen. He  pursued  the  study  of  the  classics  under  the  direction  of  a  private  tutor 
for  about  three  years  subsequent  to  this,  after  which  he  attended  Little  Seminary, 
of  Cellude,  France,  for  five  j^ears.  He  was  there  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Franco-Prussian  war,  and  leaving  college  he  served  in  the  arm\'  of  France  for 
about  four  months.  Subsequently  he  further  pursued  his  studies  at  Great  Sem- 
inary for  four  years,  the  latter  two  of  which  he  devoted  to  the  study  of  theology. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  education  he  emigrated  to  Louisiana,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  theological  studies  under  Revs.  F.  and  G.  Raymond  and  Archbishop 
Dubuois,  of  Galveston,  Texas.  He  received  hoi}-  orders  and  was  made  sub- 
deacon    and    ordained    priest    in    1876.     Tlie   sime  year   he  was    sent   to   Lake 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  101 

Charles,  Louisiana,  where  he  occupied  the  position  of  parish  priest  of  both  Cal- 
casieu and  Cameron  parishes.  He  here  remained  for  about  two  years, when,  his 
health  giving  way,  he  spent  some  time  recuperating  in  New  Orleans.  After  re- 
gaining his  health,  his  cousin,  Rev.  G.  Raj'mond,  who  was  at  the  time  V.  G.  and 
administrator  of  the  diocese,  returning  to  France  on  a  visit,  Father  Charles  filled 
his  position  until  his  return.  He  was  subsequently^  appointed  assistant  priest  at 
Donaldville,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He  afterward  spent  some  time  in 
Cameron  parish,  and  in  1885  came  to Patoutville,  where  he  has  charge  of  the  Cote 
Blanche,  Grand  Cote  and  Cypemore  countries.  Father  Charles  is  deservedly 
popular  among  those  with  whom  he  has  so  earnestly  labored. 

*  * 

''  GEORGE  T.  COLGIN,  Bui;ke  Station.— George  T.  Colgin  is  a  native 
of  Alabama,  born  in  1852.  He  is  the  son  of  George  J.  and  Caroline  E.  (Taylor) 
Colgln.  George  J.  Colgin  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  1820,  died  1882. 
Caroline  Taylor  Colgin  was  a  native  of  Alabama,  born  1S34.  ^^"^  "°^'^'  resides 
in  New  Iberia. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  fair  education  and  began  farming  in 
1S72.  He  owns  four  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land  in  Iberia  parish,  which  he 
cultivates  chiefly  in  cotton.  By  able  management  and  industry  the  plantation 
yields  Mr.  Colgin  a  good  income.  He  was  married  in  1S75  to  Miss  Celina  M. 
Segura,  a  native  of  Iberia  parish,  born  1856.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Raphael 
and  Celina  (Bonin)  Segura.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz: 
Gearge  R.,  Edward  D.,  Celina  V.,  John  R.,  James  T.,  Celina  Madison,  Dolores. 

1^  T.  A.  DEROUEN,  New  Iberia. — Mr.  Derouen  is  a  native  of  Iberia  parish, 
Louisiana;  born  184S.  He  is  the  son  of  EI03'  Derouen  and  M.  Landr}',  who 
are  also  natives  of  Iberia  parish.  E.  Darouen  is  an  extensive  planter  of  this 
parish.  T.  A.  Darouen  began  life  as  a  planter  and  merchant,  in  which  occupa- 
tions he  has  continued  ever  since.  He  owns  a  plantation  of  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  very  fertile  land  in  Iberia  parish. 

He  married,  in  1879,  Miss  Eliza  Dwyer,  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
daughter  of  M.  Dwyer  and  Anne  Doyle.  To  this  union  have  been  born  six 
children:  George  M.,  Julia,  Walter  C,  Minnie  J.,  H.  Wiltz  and  Lily.  Mr. 
Derouen  and  famii-\'  are  Catholics. 

*  * 

CESAIRE  DARBY,  New  Iberia. — Cesaire  Darby  was  born  in  Iberia  par- 
ish, 1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Francois  and  Euzeide  (De  Blanc)  Darby.  Fran- 
cois Darby  was  a  native  of  Louisiana;  born  1813,  died  1877.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  born  in  1819,  and  is  now  residing  with  him. 

Mr.  Darby  attended  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  La.     He  began 


102  SO  6*77/  J I  -£3  T  LO  UlSIA  NA  : 

life  as  a  planter,  and  to  tbis  lie  has  given  his  wliole  attention,  He  has  a  good 
plantation  about  three  miles  northwest  of  New  Iberia.  In  1863,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Confederate  service,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  married, 
in  1872,  to  Miss  Emma  Debaillon,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Jules,  Fernand,  Bertha,  Camille  and  Louise.  INIr.  Darby  and 
famil}'  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*  » 
^  GUSTAVE  DELAHOUSSAYE,  Burke  Station.— Gustave  Delahoussaye 
was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish,  August  10,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  Edward  and 
Desire  (Decuir)  Delahoussaye,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish. 
Edward  Delahoussaye  was  born  in  1814,  and  died  in  1868.  The  subject's 
mother  was  born  in  1816,  and  now  resides  near  Cade. 

Gustave  Delahoussaye  received  a  good  business  education,  and  began  plant- 
ing in  1867,  to  which  he  lias  given  his  full  attention  since  that  time.  He  owns  and 
controls  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  of  land  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and  raises 
annually  about  two  hundred  bales  of  cotton.  Me  married,  in  1861,  Miss  Philo- 
mine  Decuir,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  daughter  of  Ovid  Decuir  and 
Adille  Ozeme.  To  them  have  been  born  nine  children :  Aliza,  Gaston,  Francois, 
Adolphe,  Cecile,  Constance,  Gustave,  Leonce  and  Hirinne.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  New  Iberia. 


^  T.  L.  DULANY,  New  Iberi.\.— T.  L.  Dulany,  attorney,  of  New  Iberia, 
was  born  in  Avo3'elles  parish  in  1852.  He  was  educated  in  the  local  schools 
and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Rj'an,  of  Alexandria,  Louisiana.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Opelousas,  at  the  July 
session  of  1885.  Immediately  on  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  located  in  New 
Iberia.  Mr.  Dulan}^  has  succeeded  in  working  "up  a  lucrative  practice  in  this  and 
the  adjoining  parishes.  He  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  C.  Dulany,  M.  D.,  who 
was  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Fle  practised  for  a  wliile  in 
Kentucky,  came  South  and  located  in  Louisiana.  During  the  war  he  served  as 
surgeon  under  Jackson.  After  the  war  he  located  in  Avoyelles  parish  and  then 
removed  to  Alexandria,  Louisiana,  where  he  still  resides. 

The  Dulany  family  are  of  English  origin,  the  first  known  in  America  being 
Daniel  Dulan}',  who  became  the  father  of  two  sons,  Benjamin  -and  Daniel.  The 
latter  returned  fo  England.  Benjamin  reared  a  family  of  several  sons,  one  of 
whom  was  Benjamin  T.,  of  V^irginia.  He  was  the  father  of  three  sons,  of  whorri 
our  subject's  father  is  one.  Rebecca  Dulan}',  of  England,  recently  left  an  im- 
mense estate  in  England.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel  Dulan}'  who  returned 
to  that  country,  and  granddaughter  of  Bishop  Hunter  of  England. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  103 

^  B.  D.  DAUTERIVE,  Iberia  Parish.— Mr.  Dauterive  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  born  in  1S33.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  B.  and  Celestine  (Darby) 
Dauterive,  botli  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  The  former  was 
a  prominent  planter,  owning  St.  Rose  de  Lima  plantation  on  Lake  Dauterive 
(now  Fausse  Point  Lake),  which  is  owned  at  present  by  Mr.  Hoffman,  of  New 
Orleans,  and  named  by  him  Caroline  plantation.  A.  B.  Dauterive  was  born  in 
1806,  and  died  atthfc«age  of  sixty-one  of  )'ellow  fever.  His  widow  is  }-et  living, 
and  resides  with  her  son,  our  subject,  who  is  her  onl}'  child.  The  Dauterive 
family  is  of  French  descent,  the  name  being  formerly  spelled  D'Hauterive,  and 
the  old  members  of  it  were  nobles  in  France  and  held  various  offices  of  honor. 
The  Darby  family  is  of  English  extraction,  and  descended,  in  America,  from  an 
officer  commanding  a  vessel  that  attacked  New  Orleans  in  the  war  of  1812. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  recei\ed  his  early  education  in  St.  Charles  Col- 
lege, Grand  Coteau,  where  he  remained  for  five  years.  He  was  then  sent  to  the 
military  school  at  Drennon  Springs,  Ky.,  and  here  he  remained  two  years. 
After  leaving  school,  he  engaged  with  his  father  in  sugar  planting,  in  which  he 
continued  until  the  war.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  raised  a  company-  of 
cavalry,  known  as  the  "  Hussards  of  the  Teche,"  of  which  he  was  elected  cap- 
tain. This  company  was  attached  to  Fournett's  battalion,  and  served  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi  River.  He  was  engaged  in  the  fights  at  Camp  Bisland, 
Bayou  Lafourche,  and  Mansfield,  beside  other  smallerengagements.  He  served 
for  three  years,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  peace  w'as  declared  he  engaged 
in  planting,  receiving  upon  his  father's  death  his  plantation.  He  continued  agri- 
culture until  1S75,  when  he  purchased  property  in  Loreauville,  disposed  of  his 
plantation,  and  engaged  in  merchandising.  He  has  about  fifty  acres  of  land  Iving 
along  the  Bayou  Teche,  near  Loureauville.  In  1868  our  subject  was  elected  justice 
of  the  peace,  which  position  he  held  until  1872,  when  he  resigned. 

He  married  in  1858  Mathilde  Lebeau,  a  native  of  St.  Bernard  parish,  where 
she  was  reared  and  educated.  She  was  the  daughter  of  F.  B.  Lebeau,  a  planter, 
and  president  of  the  Lower  Cotton  Press.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren: J.  G.,  L.  G.,  Marie  (wife  of  E.  Ribec),  Noemis,  Alice,  Mathilde,  Rosa 
and  Robert.     Their  two  oldest  sons  are  married,  and  reside  in  Loreauville. 

»  * 
^  A.  J.  DECUIR,  New  Iberia. — A.  J.  Decuir  was  born  in  Iberia  parish  in 
1847.  He  is  the  son  of  F.  A.  Decuir  and  Alfoncine  Broussard,  both  natives  of 
Iberia  parish.  A.  J.  Decuir  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  and  was  attending 
school  there  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reserve 
Corps  of  Louisiana,  and  was  not  engaged  in  active  service  during  the  war.  Mr. 
Decuir  began  active  life  in  the  mercantile  business,  in  which  he  was  engaged 
in  New  Orleans  until  1867,  at  which  time  he  moved  to  Jeannerette,  where  he  was 


104  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

engaged  in  business  until  1870.  From  1870  to  1876  he  was  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising in  St.  Mary  parish.  In  1876  he  began  the  operation  of  a  saw-mill  in 
New  Iberia.  He  does  an  extensive  business  and  employs  in  his  mill  about  forty 
hands.  Mr.  Decuir  was  married,  in  1870,  to  Miss  Aurelia  Pecot,  of  St.  Mary 
parish.      The}'  are  the  jiarents  of  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living. 

*  * 
"^  ZENON  DECUIR,  New  Iberia. — Mr.  Decuir  condufts  one  of  the  largest 
mercantile  businesses  in  New  Iberia.  He  is  a  native  of  what  is  now  Iberia  par- 
ish, and  was  born  August  27,  1834.  He  is  the  son  of  Zenon  Decuir  and  Eliza- 
beth Hebert,  botii  of  wliom  were  natives  of  Louisiana  and  of  French  descent. 
His  father  was  an  extensive  planter  in  this  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  having  been  left  an  orphan  when  but  a  bov,  he 
was  reared  and  educated  by  his  uncle,  Alexander  Hebert.  He  attended  the  private 
schools  of  this  parish  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  then  entered  the  Mt. 
St.  Mary's  College  at  Emmetsburg,  Marj-land,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
After  returning  home  from  college  he  engaged  with  his  uncle  on  liis  plantation 
and  stock  farm  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  After  this  he  took  charge  of 
his  brother-in-law's  lumber  }'ard,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  the  beginning 
of  the  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eighth  Louisiana  Infantry,  which 
was  the  first  company  organized  from  this  section.  His  regiment  was  in  the 
service  of  the  Armj-  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Decuir  participated  in  many  of  tlie  active 
battles  in  which  his  division  was  engaged.  The  year  before  the  close  of  the  war 
he  was  taken  prisoner,  but  was  paroled  and  returned  home,  where  he  was  at  the 
time  of  the  surrender. 

In  1868,  in  partnership  with  a  gentlemen  by  the  name  of  Soulier,  he  opened 
a  mercantile  business  under  the  firm  style  of  Soulier  &  Decuir,  in  which  they  con- 
tinued until  the  death  of  Mr.  Soulier.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Decuir  has  conducted 
the  business  in  his  own  name.  Few  men  in  New  Iberia  have  been  more  success- 
ful in  their  business  undertakings  than  Mr.  Decuir,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to 
state  that  his  business  is  one  of  the  first  of  the  place.  Mr.  Decuir  was  married, 
in  1869,  to  Miss  Rosa  Mesta3-er,  of  Iberia  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
cliildren,  four  daughters  and  two  sons. 

TOUSSAIN  DUPLANTIAS,  Patoutville.— Toussain  Duplantias  was 
born  Nov.  i,  1841,  in  Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
D.  and  Frances  Charpentier  Duplantias,  the  former  a  native  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist  and  the  latter  of  Lafourche  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  Terrebonne.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  began  work  for  himself  and  was  engaged  in  various  occupations 
until  1S64,  when  he  engaged  with  Jules  Guidry  on  his  plantation  as  a  farm  hand. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  105 

where  he  worked  and  attended  a  night  school,  receiving  what  education  lie  has. 
He  was  subsequently  engaged  for  a  short  while  with  his  uncle,  after  which  he 
worked  on  a  flat  boat.  He  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  planting  in  Iberia 
parish.  In  1868  he  married  Miss  AimyPellegram,  daughter  of  F.  and  Elizabeth 
(Lolioff)  Pellegram,the  former  a  native  of  Louisiana  and  the  latter  of  Strasburg, 
Germanv.     To  them  were  born  ten  children. 

*^  LOUIS  N.  DROUET,  New  Iberia.— Louis  N.  Drouet  was  born  in  Jeffer- 
son parish,  February  19,1860.  He  is  the  son  of  John  L.  and  Marie  A.  (Trouard) 
Drouet,  both  natives  of  Jefferson  parish,  born  1824  and  1830,  respectively.  They 
were  married  August  2,  1S46,  and  to  this  union  were  born  six  sons  and  seven 
daughters,  viz  :  Pierre  August,  Felicite  Nais  (deceased),  Joseph  Prosper,  Mary 
Adele,  Louis  Numa  (our  subject),  Louis  Ferdinand,  Joseph  Frank  (deceased), 
Mary  Pauline, Mary  Leocadie  (deceased),  Joseph  (deceased),  Mary  (deceased), 
Jeanne  Mar}',  Sophie.     John  L.  Drouet  died  January  10,  1889. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  chiefly  in  Iberia  parish. 
After  leaving  school  he  assisted  his  father  in  running  the  plantation  and  subse- 
quently he  was  engaged  in  the  Lhote  Sash  Manufacturing  Company  of  New  Or- 
leans for  a  period  of  five  years,  when  he  returned  to  Iberia  parish  and  engaged 
with  his  father  in  his  plantation  and  mercantile  business.  Since  the  death  of 
his  father  he  and  his  elder  brother  have  assumed  charge   of  the   business   and 

operate  it  successfully.  , 

*     » 

E.  H.  DARBY,  Patoutville. — Ernest  H.  Darby  was  born  May  15, 
1S58,  in  Iberia  parish.  He  is  the  son  of  Viel  and  Elodie  (De  Blanc)  Darby, 
both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Iberia. parish. 

Mr.  Darby  was  reared  in  Iberia  parish,  and  received  a  primary  education 
in  its  schools.  He  was  subsequently  in  Jefferson  College,  St.  James  parish, 
for  a  period  of  five  years.  Upon  leaving  college,  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  By  an  accident  in  a 
saw-mill,  he  was  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  left  hand,  and  he  resumed  teaching, 
in  which  he  was  engaged  for  four  years  at  different  places  in  Iberia  parish.  He 
subsequently  formed  a  partnership  with  H.  Patout,  and  they  conducted  a  large 
mercantile  business  at  Patoutville  for  about  three  years,  at  which  time  our  sub- 
ject bought  the  interest  of  his  partner,  and  has  since  been  sole  proprietor  of 
the  business,  in  which  he  has  been  eminently  successful.  Mr.  Darby  married, 
in  1888,  Miss  Blanche  Delahoussaye,  daughter  of  Pelitier  Delahoussaye  and 
Emma  Mestayer.  Mr.  Darby  has  served  as  member  of  the  parish  school 
board,  and  is  now  post-master  at  Patoutville,  which  position  he  has  held  for  eight 


106  SOn'NWEST  LOUISIANA: 

/  LEOPOLD  DEBLANC,  Deroukn.— Mr.  DeBlanc  is  a  native  of  Iberia 
parish,  born  January  31,  1853.  He  is  tlie  son  of  Louis  Cajsar  and  Alix  (Decuir) 
DeBlanc,  both  natives  of  Louisiana. 

Mr.  DeBlanc  received  a  liberal  education  in  the  private  schools  of  Iberia 
parish  and  in  New  Orleans.  After  leaving  school  he  was  engaged  for  a  period 
of  one  year  in  the  wholesale  grocery  of  Louis  Reder.  He  afterward  became 
connected  with  DeBlanc  cS:  Beer  in  the  commission  business  as  book-keeper. 
Here  he  remained  until  1872,  when  he  returned  to  Iberia  parish  and  engaged  in 
planting.  Mr.  DeBlanc  married,  in  1879,  Mi'^s  Ida  Mesteyer,  of  Iberia  parish, 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Thilomene  (Dugas)  Mesteyer.  In  his  agricultural 
pursuits  Mr.  DeBlanc  has  prospered,  and  is  the  possessor  of  five  hundred  acres 
of  fertile  land  in  the  fourth  and  seventh  wards  of  this  parish.  He  plants  a 
variety  of  products,  such  as  cotton,  cane,  potatoes  and  rice.  Mr.  DeBlanc  has 
served  as  justice  of  peace  for  the  seventh  ward  since  1874.  He  is  also  one  of 
the  commissioners  appointed  on  drainage.  He  and  wife  are  the  parents  of 
three  sons  and  four  daughters,  Paul,  Mary,  Allene,  Frederick,  Thomas,  Felicie 

and  Sophie.  » 

»     * 

V  THEOGENE  DELAHOUSSAYE,NewIberia.— Theogene  Delahoussaye 
is  a  native  of  Iberia  parish,  born  in  1S57.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Estelle  Delahoussaye.  His  father  was  one  of  the  largest  planters  of  St. 
Martin  parish.  Mr.  Delahoussaye  received  a  good  education  in  the  French 
language.  He  commenced  business  life  as  a  merchant  and  planter,  and  in  this 
dual  business  he  has  been  occupied  until  the  present  time.  He  has  a  plantation  of 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  three  miles  northeast  of  New  Iberia.  This,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  mercantile  business,  yields  him  a  good  income.  Mr.  Delahoussa3'e 
was  married,  in  1883,  to  Gabrielle  Delahoussaye,  of  St.  Mary  parish.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Octave  and  Laura  (Ohvier)  Delahoussaye,  of  St.  Mary 
parish.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delahoussaye  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz: 
Estelle  and  Edna.      He  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholich  cliurch. 

*     * 
^        FRANK  DELAHOUSSAYE,    Burke    Station. —  Frank    Delahoussaye 
was  born  in  Iberia  parish,  1866.     He  is  the  son  of  Gustave  and  Emily  (Decuir) 
Delahoussaye,  of  this  parish. 

As  a  bo}'  Mr.  Delahoussaj'e  received  the  advantages  of  a  good  educa- 
tion. He  commenced  business  for  himself  in  1889.  He  is  a  young  man  of  en- 
ergy and  business  thrift,  and  his  success  in  life  is  assured.  Mr.  Delahoussaye 
was  married,  November  21,  1889,  to  Miss  Theresa  Romero,  daughter  of  Devisin 
Romero  and  Mary  Decuir,  of  Iberia  parish.  Politically  Mr.  Delahoussaye  is  a 
Republican.     Both  he  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  107 

E.  F.  DARBY,  New  Iberia. — E.  F.  Darby  is  a  native  of  Iberia  parish, 
born  185S.  He  is  the  son  of  V.  and  Elodie  (DeBUmc)  Darby,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  Iberia  parish.  V.  Darby  was  born  in  1818,  and  died  in  1890. 
His  wife  still  survives  him  and  is  now  in  her  seventy-second  j-ear. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  fair  education  and  has  been  a  farmer 
since  he  began  business  for  himself.  He  has  given  his  full  attention  to  his  plan- 
tation and  has  been  successful.  Mr.  Darby  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1879,  with 
Miss  Corine,  daughter  of  Chas.  and  Aspasia  (Decuir)  Corine.  Mr.  Darby  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  in  New  Iberia. 


•^  NARCISSE  DRUELHET,  Jeannerette,  Iberia  Parish.— N.ircisse  Druel- 
hetis  a  native  of  St.  James  parish,  born  1826.  He  is  the  son  of  Alfred  and  Ce- 
leste (Poclie)  Druelhet.  His  father  was  born  in  San  Domingo,  and  his  mother 
in  the  parish  of  St.  James. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  private  schools  of 
St.  James  parish,  which  he  attended  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen.  At 
the  age  of  tv\enty  he  engaged  as  a  salesman,  in  whicii  emplovment  he  continued 
for  five  3-ears.  After  this  he  was  for  thirty  years  overseer  of  the  following  plan- 
tations: Valcour-Aime,  St.  James  parish;  Pinkland,  St.  Charles  parish ;  Sarpy 
and  LeBlanche,  St.  John  parish  ;  A.  &  G.  Granerberg,  Fusilier  and  Charles 
Walker  plantations,  St.  Mary  parish.  After  conducting  a  plantation  for  him- 
self for  two  or  three  years,  Mr.  Druelhet,  in  1887,  opened  a  general  mercantile 
store  in  Jeannerette,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  carries  a  well  selected 
stock  of  goods,  worth  about  si.x  thousand  dollars.  His  business  amounts  annually 
to  about  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  He  also  owns  considerable  town  propertj^. 
Mr.  Druelhet  was  married,  Jul_v  3I)  1849,  to  Miss  Emily  Roussel,  a  native 
of  St.  James  parish,  born  1836.  Mrs.  Druelhet  is  the  daughter  of  Valeiy  and 
Celeste  (Chenet)  Roussel.  both  natives  of  St.  James  parish.  They  are  the 
parents  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz:  Narcisse,  Jr.,  Gaston,  Frederick, 
Celeste.  Mr.  Druelhet  and  family  are  strict  Catholics.  He  takes  great  interest 
in  educational  matters,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  school  board. 

* 

AUG.  ERATH,  New  Iberia. — Aug.  Erath,  one  ot  New  Iberia's  most 
successful  business  men,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  March  18,  1843.  He  re- 
ceived a  public  school  education  and  came  to  America  in  1S60,  landing  in 
New  Orleans,  October  31,  of  this  year,  being  then  seventeen  years  of  age.  In 
1862  he  returned  to  Europe,  and  in  1866  he  again  crossed  the  ocean  and  located 
in  New  Orleans.  He  was  book-keeper  in  the  principal  breweries  of  New  Or- 
leans until  the  spring  of  1876,  when  he  removed  to  New  Iberia  and  erected  a 
brewer}',  and  later  added  a  soda  and  seltzwater  factory,  in  both  ot  which  he  was 


108  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

successful.  In  1884  he  entered  the  hardware  trade  at  this  place  and  since  that 
time  has  carried  on  a  successful  business.  His  business  at  the  present  is  the 
largest  of  the  kind  between  New  Orleans  and  Houston,  Texas.  Mr.  Erath  has 
been  at  the  head  of  many  of  the  public  enterprises  of  this  place,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  the  prominent  part  he  took  in  the  building  of  the  opera  house 
and  Masonic  Hall,  both  of  which  are  ornaments  to  the  town.  He  has  just  con- 
tracted for  the  construction  of  an  ice  factory  of  the  latest  improved  pattern, 
which  he  hopes  to  have  in  operation  b}'  April,  1891.  The  factory  is  to  be  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  supply  llie  wants  of  the  people  from  Opelousas  to  Morgan 
City. 

Fiom  1885  to  1887  Mr.  Erath  served  as  a  member  of  the  town  council.  Re- 
elected in  1887  he  was  honored  by  his  fellow  councihnen  in  being  unanimously 
chosen  mayor.*  During  his  administration  the  streets  of  the  town  were  put  in 
first-class  order,  new  ones  opened,  and  other  substfintial  improvements  made. 
On  his  retirement,  in  18S9,  the  finances  of  the  town  were  in  a  sound  and  healihv 
state. 

Mayor  Eratii  organized  the  first  regular  Board  of  Health  in  New  Iberia,  which 
has  been  instrumental  in  the  accomplisliment  of  much  good.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Teche  Club, 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  the  Mutual  Benevolent  Society  of  this  place. 

Mr.  Erath  was  married  in  New  Orleans,  January,  1874,  ^^  Catherine  Becht, 
of  that  cit}'.     They  are  the  parents  of  three  children — all  girls. 

* 

T.  D.  FOSTER,  New  Iberia.— T.  D.  Foster,  District  Attorney,  is  the  son 
of  T.  J.  Foster,  an  extensive  sugar  planter  of  St.  Mary  parish.  His  mother's 
family,  the   Murphys,  were  among  the  pioneers  of  that  parish. 

T.  D.  Foster  received  a  literary  education  in  the  Washington-Lee  Univei;s- 
it)',  Va.  He  studied  law  in  Franklin,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the 
Supreme  Court  in  Opelousas  in  18S0.  He  first  located  at  Alexandria,  Louisiana, 
and  was  for  three  years  engaged  as  attorney  for  the  Texas  Pacific  Railway. 
He  removed  to  New  Iberia  in  1885,  where  he  has  become  one  of  the  leading 
attorneys.  Mr.  Foster  is  the  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Foster  & 
Broussard.  ^ 

^  OTTO  FRITSCHE,  Avery.— Otto  Fritsche  was  born  in  Germany,  Feb- 
ruary iS,  1859.  H^  ^^  t'^^  SO"  °^  Frederick  and  Ida  (Held)  Fritsche,  both  of 
whom  were  natlVes  of  Germany. 

Otto  Fritsche  was  reared  in  Germany,  and  received  a  good  common  school 
education.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  engaged  in  mining,  which  he  followed  for 
a  period  of  fifteen  years.     In  1882  he  came  to  Iberia  parish,  where  he  was  shortly 

*  The  town  council  elect  the  m.iyor  from  their  own  number  in  New  Iberia. 


I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  109 

afterward  married  to  Miss  Blanche  Derouen,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Alphonsene 
Derouen,  natives  of  Iberia  parish.  Since  he  came  to  Louisiana  Mr.  Fritsche 
has  given  his  attention  to  planting.  He  owns  a  good  plantation  in  Iberia  parish 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which  he  cultivates  in  cotton  and  corn.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fritsche  are  the  parents  of  one  son  and  two  daughters:  Robert,  Ida  (de- 
ceased) and  Maria.  * 

^  J.  A.  FAGOT,  New  Iberia. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  born  in  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  V^irginia 
(Bienvenu)  Fagot.  Charles  Fagot  was  born  in  1792,  and  was  a  successful  plan- 
ter.    He  died  in  1872. 

J.  A.  Fagot  received  a  limited  education,  being  prevented  from  attending 
school  while  j-oung  on  account  of  delicate  health.  He  was  for  twelve  j-ears  a  clerk 
in  the  courts  of  New  Orleans.  During  the  war  he  was  in  the  Confederate  service, 
from  1862  until  its  close.  The  year  'following  his  return  from  the  army,  Mr. 
Fagot  engaged  in  steamboating,  and  continued  in  this  for  a  period  of  two  years. 
He  has  always  been  prominent  in  the  local  affairs  of  his  parish,  and  is  at  present 
police  -juror  from  his  ward.  He  is  president  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  of  Iberia 
parish.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic,  fraternity  of  New  Iberia.  Mr. 
Fagot  twice  married;  first,  in  1859,  Sophie  Buisson,  of  New  Orleans.  She  died 
in  1864,  having  become  the  mother  of  one  son,  Edwin.  Mr.  Fagot  married  a 
second  time,  in  1868,  Miss  Ida  DeBlanc,  daughter  of  Louis  C.  and  Alix  (Decuir) 
DeBlanc.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Albert,  Sophie,  Louis, 
Louise,  Conrad,  Camille,  Frances  and  Edwin. 

LEONARD  S.  FRERE,  New  Iberia. — Leonard  S.  Frere  is  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  born  1S65.  His  father,  A.  G.  Frere,  is  also  a  native  of  Louisiana. 
His  mother,  Lodoiska  Smith,  is  a  native  of  Maryland,   born  1845. 

Leonard  Frere,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  an  only  child.  A.  G.  Frere 
served  during  the  whole  war.  He  entered  as  captain  of  his  company,  and  was 
subsequently  promoted  to  major.  He  is  now  conducting  a  large  drug  business  in 
Franklin,  and  is  also  sheriff  of  St.  Mar}'  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  fair  education,  and  began  life  steam- 
boating.  Later,  in  partnership  with  Captain  Cade,  he  embarked  in  the  stock 
business — raising  and  dealing  in  stock,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  has 
charge  of  a  plantation,  consisting  of  four  thousand  acres  of  land.     Mr.  Frere  is 

a  successful  business  man.  ^  ' 

*     » 

GEORGE  FRANCIS,  New  Ibeuia.— George  Francis,  architect  and 
builder,  is  a  native  of  Richmond,  Kentucky,  born  August  18,  1868.  He  is  the 
son  of  William  Francis   and  Mary  (Kerridge)   Francis;    both   are  English  by 


1 10  so  UTH  WEST  L  O  CI  SI  AN  A  : 

birth.  Geor^fe  Francis  received  a  good  common  school  education  and  served 
an  apprenticesiiip  in  Louisville,  and  later  in  Cincinnati,  as  an  architect  and 
builder.  To  this  business  he  has  devoted  his  wliole  life,  and  his  achievements 
show  that  he  pursued  the  proper  course  in  life.  He  is  the  architect  and  builder 
of  man}-  of  the  finest  residences  in  this  section  of  Louisiana,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  residence  of  Joseph  Jefferson,  and  numerous  others  in  this 
section.  He  has  for  thirteen  years  been  a  resident  of  Louisiana;  prior  to  that 
time  having  lived  for  a  short  while  in  Vicksburg,  Mississippi.  Mr.  Francis  was 
married  in  1886  to  Miss  Sallie  Sylis,  of  Mississippi.  They  are  the  parents  of 
five  living  children,  all  of  whom  are  daughters. 

JUDGE  FRED.  L.  GATES,  New  Iberia,— Judge  Gates  is  a  native 
of  Syracuse,  New  York,  liorn  in  1827.  He  is  the  son  of  Alfred  and  Amoret 
(Kossith)  Gates,  both  natives  of  New  York.  Alfred  Gates  came  to  Louis- 
iana, locating  at  Baton  Rouge,  when  F.  L.  was  a  boy.  He  operated 
the  first  saw-mill  erected  on  the  Teche,  at  Franklin.  When  a  young 
man,  before  leaving  New  York,  he  was  the  first  captain  of  the  first  passenger 
boat  on  the  Erie  Canal.  His  father  served  under  Gen.  Gates,  of  whom  he  was 
a  kinsman,  during  the  revolution'ar}-  war.  Amoret  Kossith  Gates,  our  subject's 
mother,  was  of  French  descent.  Her  grandfather  was  the  first  man  in  S3'ra- 
cuse  who  manufactured  salt  by  the  evaporation  process.  He  owned  the  land 
near  Syracuse  that  has  since  become  so  valuable. 

Judge  F.  L.  Gates  was  reared  at  Baton  Rouge,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation. He  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  Orleans,  having 
graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the  State  Universit}'  in  185 1.  He  was 
the  classmate  of  J.  B.  Eustis,  ex-Senator  Jonas  and  ex-Gov.  John  McEnery, 
and  was  subsequently  a  colleague  of  these  gentlemen  in  the  State  Legislature 
during  the  extra  session  of  1865,  called  bj-  ex-Gov.  J.  Madison  Wells.  Judge 
Gates,  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil  strife,  was  in  Texas,  where  he  had  removed 
in  1859.  When  Texas  seceded  he  entered  the  Sixteenth  Texas  Cavalry,  went 
to  Little  Rock,  joined  Van  Dorn,  and  operated  in  the  line  of  Missouri,  Arkan- 
sas and  Kansas.     He  was  in  the  engagements  to  repel  Banks  from  Louisiana. 

After  the  war  Judge  Gates  located  in  New  Iberia,  and  was  immediately  after- 
Avard  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  He  was  shortl}'  afterward  appointed 
judge  of  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  District,  comprising  the  parishes  of  St.  Mar}-, 
St.  Martin,  Lafourche  and  Terrebonne.  He  served  until  he  was  deprived  of 
the  ofiice  by  the  reconstructionists.  During  the  time  he  served  as  judge  he 
resided  in  Franklin.  In  1878  he  removed  to  New  Iberia,  erected  and  began  the 
operation  of  a  cotton  seed  oil  mill,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  successful  of  the 
kind  in  this  section.      Mention  of  the  mill  is  made  in  the  history  of  New  Iberia. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  Ill 

In  1884  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  district  composed  of  the  parishes  of  Iberia 
and  St.  Martin,  and  served  two  3^ears  and  resigned. 

Judge  Gates  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  New  Iberia.  He  is  president 
of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association,  which  has  a  capital  of  $300,000.  He  is 
also  president  of  the  Electric  Light  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the 
establishing  The  People's  National  Bank,  at  this  place.  The  judge  is  united 
in  marriage  witli  Miss  M.  L.  Mosely,  of  Virginia.  Thej^  are  the  parents  of 
four  sons  and  two  daughters.  * 

^  E.  C.  GENEUX,  Jeannerette. — E.  C.  Geneux  was  born  in  St.  Croix, 
Switzerland,  in  1854.  H*^  ^^  ^^  ^°"  o^  Alphonse  Geneux,  manufacturer  of 
watch  cases,  who,  about  1852,  invented  the  first  stem  winding  attachment  for 
watches.  From  this,  however,  he  only  made  about  twentj'-five  thousand  dollars, 
being  unable  to  obtain  a  patent  in  Switzerland.  He  was  renowned  as  champion 
long  range  rifle  shot  of  Switzerland.     He  died  in  1870.     His  wife  died  in   1861. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  only  four  of 
whom  are  now  living;  two  in  Louisiana,  one  in  Switzerland,  and  one  in  Russia. 
Mr.  Geneux  received  his  education  in  the  District  College  of  Neueville,  Canton 
Berne,  Switzerland.  He  came  to  America  in  1874,  locating  first  in  St.  Louis, 
whence  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  and  subsequently  to  Jeannerette,  where  he 
has  since  been  conducting  a  repairing  shop.  By  dint  of  earnest  effort  and  hard 
work  he  has  amassed  a  considerable  stock  of  jewelry,  and  in  1880  he  opened  a 
small  store  of  plated  ware.  Next  year  he  increased  the  stock,  and  for  two  years 
subsequent  to  this  he  was  located  in  Franklin,  upon  the  expiration  of  which  time 
he  returned  to  Jeannerette,  and  has  since  increased  his  stock  as  trade  demands, 
until  he  now  carries  a  complete  assortment  of  watches,  etc.,  and  every  line  of 
jewelry. 

Mr.  Geneux  married  in  1880  Miss  Katie  Sallinger,  a  native  of  Jeannerette, 
born  in  1857.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Geo.  Sallinger.  To  them  have  been  born  four 
children;  Marie  Louise,  Arthur  L.,  Mathilde  Melanie,  and  one  deceased. 
Mr.  Geneux  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Knights  of  Honor,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  dictator,  and  represented  the  organization  in  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Jeannerette  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  served  as  first 
master  of  tlie  exchequer  of  Teche  Lodge,  51. 

ADRJEN  GONSOULIN,  Loreauville. — Adrien  Gonsoulin  was  born  in 
Iberia  parish  in  1849.  ^^  ^^  ^^  ^°"  o^  S'^-  Clair  Gonsoulin  and  Marcilite  Bour- 
geois, both  natives  of  Iberia  parish,  Louisiana.  To  them  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Adrien  is  the  youngest.  St.  Clair  Gonsoulin  was  a  large  planter 
of  Iberia  parish.     He  died  in  1850;   his  widow  died  two  3'ears  later. 

Tiie    subject  of  this    sketch  attended  the  public  schools,  and  later  took  a 


112  S0UTHWES7'  LOUISIANA : 

course  in  Alcie  Judice  College,  St.  Martinsville,  Louisiana.  He  began  business 
in  1867,  conducting  a  coffee  house  and  bakery.  In  this  he  only  continued  for 
about  two  years,  when  he  opened  a  general  mercantile  store.  Beginning  with  a 
very  limited  capital,  he  has  been  quite  successful,  and  now  carries  on  a  large 
business.  In  1881  he  erected  a  fine  two-story  brick  store,  which  he  occupies 
with  his  business.  He  carries  a  stock  of  about  $8000.  He  also  owns  consider- 
able land  in  this  parish,  which  he  has  under  cultivation,  principally  in  cane  and 
corn.  Mr.  Gonsoulin  is  one  of  the  largest  planters  and  most  successful  business 
men  of  his  neighborhood.  He  was  for  about  twelve  years  post-master  at  Loreau- 
ville.  He  has  twice  married.  In  1869  he  married  Miss  Lucie,  daughter  of  Ovid 
Dugas,  of  Iberia  parish.  She  only  lived  three  years  after  marriage,  leaving  one 
child,  a  son — Gibert.  In  1874  ^^''-  Gonsoulin  married  Miss  Anette  Broussard, 
of  this  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  viz:  Thomas,  Lydia, 
Adrien,  Jr.,  Silvia,  Delia,  Bertha,  Ella,  Celina,  Adolph.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church.  » 

*  * 

JACOB  GUTH,  New  Iberia. — Jacob  Guth  was  born  in  Germany,  1839. 
and  came  to  Louisiana  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  His  parents,  Jacob  Guth  and 
Mary  Richard,  were  both  natives  of  Germany.  They  removed  to  this  country  in 
1857.  The  father  died  in  1S66  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  They  became 
the  parents  of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  child. 

Jacob  Guth,  Jr.,  spent  his  school  daj's  in  German\-,  where  he  received  a  fair 
education.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wheelwright  when  young,  and  for  a  while 
followed  this  after  coming  to  this  country.  For  many  years  he  has  conducted  a 
mercantile  business  at  this  place.  Since  1887  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Meyer  &  Guth.  Mr.  Guth  served  during  the  war  in  Companj^  A,  Fourth 
Louisiana  Regiment,  under  Gen.  Gibson.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  but  after  one 
year  was  made  sergeant.  The  latter  two  years  of  the  war  he  served  as  a  musi- 
cian.    Mr.  Guth  has  twice  married,  his  last  wife  being  Mary  Reynolds.     They 

are  the  parents  of  one  child.  » 

*  * 

S.  R.  GAY,  M.  D.,  Jeannerette. — -Stephen  Ross  Gay  was  born  in  Pike 
county,  Illinois,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Stephen  and  Elizabeth  M.  Gay,  and  is 
the  second  of  a  family  of  six  children:  John,  S.  R.  (our  subject),  Florence, 
Elizabeth,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy,  Ulysse  and  Mary. 

Mr.  Gay  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Pike  count}-, 
Illinois,  and  afterward  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  the  instruction  of  a  private  teacher. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of  St.  Louis,  under  Dr. 
J.  F.  Hodgin,  one  of  the  foremost  physicians  of  his  locality,  graduating  and  re- 
ceiving his  degree  in  1861.     He  then  took  a  post  graduate  course,  receiving  his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  113 

second  degree  in  1862.  After  leaving  college  the  Doctor  was  engaged  in  the  St. 
Louis  Hospital  as  assistant  surgeon.  Afterward  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Federal  government  as  contract  surgeon,  where  he  served  until  1864,  when  he 
began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  St.  Louis,  remaining  there  until  the  latter  part 
of  1866.  Later  he  moved  to  Iberia  parish,  and,  with  his  father,  purchased  the 
Belle  Grove  plantation,  which  is  situated  on  Bayou  Teche,  a  half  mile  from 
Jeannerette.  Belle  Grove  plantation  comprises  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  of 
which  six  hundred  are  cultivated  in  sugar  cane.  In  1868  Dr.  Gay  rebuilt  his 
sugar  house,  which  had  been  partially  destroyed  during  the  war,  and  in  1885  ^t; 
built  a  refinery,  with  a  capacity  for  manufacturing  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  sugar 
per  day.  He  refines  on  an  average  three  hundred  thousand  pounds  per  annum 
for  himself,  and  about  one  million  pounds  for  other  planters. 

Dr.  Gay  married,  18S6,  Miss  Agnes  Whitworth,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and 
daughter  of  George  W.  Whitworth,  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  in  this  work.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  two  children:  Florence  (deceased)  and  Delphine.  Dr. 
Gay  is  fully  alive  to  the  interest  of  his  communit}'.  He  is  at  present  president  of 
the  Jeannerette  Building  Association,  and  he  is  identified  witht  he  leading  enter- 
prises of  the  place.  ^ 

ROBERT  HOGSETT,  New  Iberia.— Robert  F.  Hogsett  was  born  in 
Carroll  county,  Mississippi,  in  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  George  A.  Hogsett  and 
Maria  McCarroll.  George  A.  Hogsett  is  a  native  of  Virginia;  his  wife  of 
Mississippi.  They  became  the  parents  of  five  children, of  whom  Robert  F.  is  the 
third.  Robert  F.  Hogsett  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Mississippi, 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  began  life  as  a  telegraph  operator.  In  1862,  he  en- 
listed at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  in  Company  A,  Withers  Artillery  Regiment, 
under  Col.  W.  T.  Withers.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the 
war  he  resumed  telegraphy  and  was  for  some  time  engaged  at  Holly  Springs, 
Mississippi.  He  was  subsequentl}'  engaged  in  the  same  business  in  different 
places  in  Louisiana  until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  New  Iberia,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  and  is  owner  of  a  telegraph  and  telephone  line  be- 
tween New  Iberia,  Abbeville  and  St.  Martinsville.  Mr.  Hogsetl's  first  wife 
died  December  3,  1870,  and  in  1881  he  married  Miss  Laura  Culpepper, 
daugher  of  J.  E.  Culpepper,  of  Mississippi,  who  is  descended  from  the  Culpepper 
family  of  Virginia.     Her  father's  family  came  to  this  country  in  1800  and  settled 

in  Mississippi.  ^ 

»      * 

JNO.  F.  HOFFMAN,  Lore.a.uville. — ^Jno.  F.  Hoffman  was  born  in 
Augusta,  Georgia,  December,  1841.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  New 
Orleans.  His  parents,  Chas.  F.  and  Caroline  Hoffman,  are  both  natives  of 
Baltimore,  Maryland. 


114  S0r77I\VESr  L  OUISIANA  : 

The  sul)ject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  lamil}'  of  eiglit  children,  five  of  whom 
are  Hving:  C.  F.,  Jno.  F.,  Wilhehnine,  Inez  and  RosaHe.  Mr.  Hoffman,  dur- 
ing the  war,  was  in  service  from  1862  until  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  in  the  Thirtieth 
Louisiana  Regiment.  He  was  captured  near  Vicksburg  and  paroled.  After 
the  war  he  removed  to  Southern  Illinois,  where  he  remained  about  eighteen  }-ears 
and  engaged  in  fruit  raising. 

In  1875  he  married  Miss  Ellen  Tweed}-,  a  native  of  Illinois.  She  died  in  1880, 
leaving  one  son  and  two  daughters:  Carrie,  Cliarlie  and  Maggie.  Mr.  Hoffman 
afterward  married  Miss  Nora  Smith,  a  native  of  Union  count}',  Illinois,  whose 
parents  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  State.  In  1SS4  Mr.  Hoffman 
removed  to  Iberia  parish  and  took  cha'rge  of  Caroline  plantation,  formerly  known 
as  St.  Rose  de  Lima,  which  had  been  purchased  by  his  brother,  C.  E.  Hoffman, 
formerly  a  private  banker  of  New  Orleans,  residing  now  in  New  York.  The  place 
under  Mr.  Hoffman's  good  management  has  been  greatly  improved.  Formerly  it 
was  one  of  the  finest  plantations  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  but  when  Mr.  Hoff- 
man took  charge  of  it,  it  was  in  a  rather  dilapidated  condition.  It  is  situated 
five  miles  East  of  Loreauville,  on  Lake  Fausse  Point,  formerly  known  as  Dau- 
terive  Lake,  from  an  earlier  owner  of  the  plantation.  The  soil  is  of  unusual 
fertility,  and  the  plantation  on  the  whole  is  as  fine  as  can  be  found  in  this  section. 
Mr.  Hoffman  cultivates  on  it  chiefly  cane,  which  he  manufactures  into  sugar  and 
molasses  in  a  large  sugar  house  on  the  place. 

There  is  a  large  section  of  the   most  fertile   land  in  the  world  in  this  region 

known  as  "  Fausse  Point."  * 

»     * 

WILLIAM  F.  HUDSON,  Jeannerette. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  St.  Mary  parish,  1825.  He  is  the  son  of  Turner 
and  Isabella  (Kemper)  Hudson,  natives  of  Virginia  and  Louisiana  respectively. 

William  F.  Hudson  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four  children.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  five  years  of  age  and  he  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  Benjamin 
Hudson,  by  whom  he  was  educated.  He  first  attended  private  school  at  Frank- 
lin, Louisiana,  and  afterward  went  to  the  college  at  Opelousas,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk 
in  a  commission  house  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  until  1846,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  service  and  engaged  in  the  Mexican  War.  Feb- 
ruary, 1848,  he  married  Miss  Elodie,  daughter  of  Theodore  Fay,  a  native  of 
France,  and  Heloise  (Segur)  Fav,  a  native  of  Louisiana.  'To  this  union  were 
born  two  children,  Arthur  T.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and  Heloise, 
wife  of  A.  L.  Monnot,  a  prominent  sugar  planter  and  refiner  of  Jeannerette, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  In  1850  Mr.  Hudson  erected  a 
large  store  building  in  Franklin,  Louisiana.  He  purchased  a  stock  of  goods  and 
was  engaged  in  merchandise  in  that  place  until  1854,  when  he  removed  to  Jean- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  115 

nerrette  and  opened  the  first  store  of  anj'  importance  in  tliis  now  thriving  town. 
In  his  business  at  this  place  he  was  very  successful,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  had  accumulated  considerable  property,  nearly  all  of  which  was  swept  away 
b}-  the  war.  In  1861  Mr.  Hudson  enlisted  in  the  Third  Louisiana  Cavalry  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Returning  to  Jeannerette  in  1865,  he  turned 
over  his  business  to  his  son-in-law',  A.  L.  Monnot,  under  whose  supervision  it 
has  prospered.  Before  the  war  Mr.  Hudson  was  a  Whig,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  post-master  at  Jeannerette  under  the  Whig  administration.  Since  the  dis- 
solution of  that  party  he  has  been  a  Democrat,  and  was  appointed  by  President 
Cleveland's  administration  storekeeper  at  United  States  Mint,  New  Orleans, 
which  he  held  for  three  years.  Mr.  Hudson  has  alvva\'s  taken  great  interest  in 
all  local  affairs,  and  especially  in  the  growth  of  Jeannerette.  He  has  been  in- 
strumental in  bringing  about  many  of  the  improvements  of  the  place,  and  to  him, 
to  a  great  extent,  is  due  the  honor  of  making  the  town  what  it  is.  Indeed,  so 
generally  is  this  recognized  that  he  has  been  termed  "The  Father  of  Jeannerette." 
In  1870  he  started  the  tirst  sugar  house,  which  led  to  the  present  large  establish- 
ment back  of  Jeannerette.  Mr.  Hudson  now  leads  a  quiet  life,  refusing  to  be 
the  recipient  cf  any  political  honors,  which  have  been  often  tendered  him. 

*     « 

•  E.  KISSACK,  New  Iberia. — E.  Kissack  is  a  native  of  England,  born  1836. 
He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Fell)  Kissack,  both  of  whom  are  natives 
of  England.     The  former  was  born  1766,  and  died  1S40. 

E.  Kissack  came  to  Louisiana  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  was  a  me- 
chanic, and  worked  in  this  line  until  the  war.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he 
organized  a  company  at  Paincourtville,  on  Bayou  Lafourche,  but  Gov.  Moore, 
refusing  to  give  the  company  transportation,  it  was  disbanded,  and  the  individual 
members  enlisted  in  different  other  companies.  Mr.  Kissack  was  detailed  at 
Corinth  to  duty  in  the  Columbus,  Miss.,  Iron  Works.  Since  the  war  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  planting.  He  now  owns  seven  hundred  acres  of  good 
sugar  land  in  Iberia  parish.     Mr.  Kissack  has  never  married. 

HENRY  A.  KING,  M.  D.,  New  IisEiiiA.— Henry  A.  King  was  born  at 
Fausse  Point,  Louisiana,  in  1S66.  He  is  a  son  of  E.  T.  King  and  Margaret  A. 
Marsh.  The  former  is  a  native  of  Alabama,  born  in  Maringo  county  in  1823, 
the  latter  was  born  in  1834.  They  were  married  in  1858,  and  became  the  par- 
ents of  two  children,  both  boys,  our  subject  being  the  younger.  E.  T.  King 
served  for  a  period  of  four  years  in  the  late  war  with  the  rank  of  captain.  He 
was  at  one  time  a  sugar  planter,  but  is  now  eng'aged  in  the  manufacture  of 
bricks.      His  wife  is  still  living. 

Henry  A.  King    received    his    education    at    the    University    of   Alabama. 


116  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

(,'radiiating  from  that  institution  in  1886.  He  thereupon  began  reading  medicine 
under  Dr.  T.  J.  Wolf,  after  which  he  attended  lectures  in  New  Orleans,  receiv- 
ing his  diploma  in  1889,  and  has  been  practising  here. 

* 

*  * 

JULIUS  KOCH,  New  Ibhria. —  Julius  Koch,  a  successful  druggist  of  New 
Iberia,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  Ijorn  in  1859.  ^^  '^  the  son  of  Charles  Koch  and 
Mary  Meyer.  Charles  Koch  was  born  in  Germany  in  1824.  He  died  in  1880. 
Mary  Meyer  Koch  is  a  native  of  New  Orleans. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  business  education  and  began 
life  as  a  druggist.  He  studied  pharmacj^  at  the  Tulane  University,  graduating 
from  this  department  in  1879.  Immediately  after  completing  his  studies  he 
opened  a  large  drug  store  in  New  Iberia,  which  he  has  since  conducted.  Mr. 
Koch  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  was  the  organizer  of  the 
society  in  this  place.  He  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
Mr.  Koch  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Louella  Fislier,  of  Iberia  parish. 
The}'  are  the  parents  of  two  children. 

* 

*  * 

PIERRE  LeBRON,Ne\v  Iberia. — Mr.  LeBron  is  a  native  of  France,  born 
1835.  He  came  to  Louisiana  in  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  P.  LeBron  and  Marie 
Pages,  both  natives  and  lifetime  residents  of  France.  They  became  the  parents 
of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  was  eldest. 

Mr.  LeBron  spent  his  school  days  in  his  native  countrj-,  and  began  liis  first 
active  business  life  in  Houma,  Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana,  as  a  merchant.  In 
1870  he  removed  to  New  Iberia,  and  for  two  j'ears  traveled  and  sold  goods.  In 
1872  he  began  a  mercantile  business  at  this  place.  He  has  prospered,  and  is 
doing  a  flourishing  business.  He  owns  about  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  all 
under  cultivation,  upon  which  he  raises  cotton.     Mr.  LeBron  has  never  married. 

# 

»/  A.  L.  LAGARDE,  Jeannerette,  Iberia  Parish. — A.  L.  Lngarde  was 
born  in  Lafourche  parish  in  i860.  He  is  the  son  of  Adrienne  and  Zeolide 
(Toups)  Lagarde,  both  natives  of  Lafourche  parish  of  French  extraction.  Mr. 
Lagarde  attended  Thibodeaux  college  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
began  the  study  of  pharmacy  under  Joseph  T.  Thibodeaux,  the  founder  of  the 
Louisiana  Pharmaceutical  Association;  here  he  remained  five  years.  In  1886, 
in  partnership  with  T.  P.  Caillou,  he  opened  up  a  drug  store  in  Jeannerette.  After 
a  year,  Mr.  Lagarde  purchased  the  entire  stock  and  continued  the  business  alone. 
In  the  same  year  he  married  Miss  Ada  Parker,  daughter  of  Capt.  William  and 
Amanda  (Dodrich)  Parker,  natives  of  New  York  and  Ohio  respectively.  In 
18S6  Mr.  Lagarde  entered  the  Chicago  National  Institute  of  Pharmacy,  gradu- 
ating from  there  in  1888.     In  the  same  year  he  purchased  and  took  charge   of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  117 

the  Southern  Pliarmacy,  corner  of  Magazine  and  Josephine  streets,  New  Or- 
leans. His  business  in  Jeannerette  is  still  continued,  under  the  management  of 
his  nephew,  Mr.  Smyth.  Mr.  Lagrade  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Attakapas 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  president  of 
that  organization.  He  was  appointed  by  the  Louisiana  Pharmaceutical  Associa- 
tion, ot  which  he  is  also  a  member,  a  delegate  to  Washington,  to  revise  the  United 
States  Pharmacopreia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lagarde  are  the  parents  of  two  cliildren, 
both  sons,  viz:    Everett  and   Huder. 

Devoted  to  his  family  and  business,  Mr.  Lagarde  cares  nothing  for  political 
prestige,  finding  in  his  business  more  congenial  emploj'ment  than  in  politics. 
Mr.  Lagarde  and  family  are  consistent  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America. 

* 
»     * 

^  J.  B.  LAWTON,  New  Iberia. — J.  B.  Lawton,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
New  Iberia  Enterprise,  is  a  native  of  St.  Charles  parish,  born  in  iS6o.  He  was 
reared  in  St.  James  parish,  and  at  an  early  age  became  an  apprentice  in  the  print- 
ing office  of  Le  Louiiianais,  a  weekly  paper  published  by  J.  Gentil,  prominent 
as  a  journalist  and  poet.  The  paper  was  printed  in  the  French  language.  Mr. 
Gentil  was  a  contributer  to  most  of  the  French  dailies  of  New  Orleans  and  New 
York.  He  is  still  engaged  in  editorial  work.  J.  B.  Lawton  remained  in  this 
printing  office  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  when  he  removed  to  St.  John  parish, 
and  engaged  with  the  Aleschacebe,  where  he  remained  for  three  3-ears.  He  was 
subsequently  engaged,  for  a  brief  period,  in  the  composing  rooms  of  the  New 
Orleans  Times  and  States. 

After  severing  his  connection  with  these  papers  he  came  to  New  Iberia,  and 
took  charge  of  the  local  department  of  the  Louisiana  Sugar  Bowl,  in  which  he 
was  engaged  for  four  years.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time,  he  established  the 
New  Iberia  Enterprise,  which  he  conducted  as  a  semi-weekly  for  about  two 
years,  since  which  time  he  has  given  the  people  an  enlarged  twelve-page 
weekly.  The  paper  is  in  politics  Democratic,  and  is  especially  devoted  to  the 
interest  of  the  Attakapas  parishes.  This  paper  has  accomplished  much  in  the 
origin  and  promotion  of  enterprises  for  public  good,  and  has  received  quite  a 
liberal  support  from  the  people. 

Mr.  Lawton  is  the  son  of  William  H.  and  Mathilde  (Delhommer)  Lawton, 
the  former  a  native  of  Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  the  latter  of  St.  Charles 
parish,  Louisiana.  Mr.  William  H.  Lawton  came  South  early  in  life,  and  was 
subsequently  manager  of  a  large  sugar  plantation  in  St.  Charles  parish.  He 
was  in  active  service  during  the  whole  of  the  war,  and,  at  its  close,  served  a 
term  in  the  State  Senate.  He  was  twice  married,  our  subject's  mother  being  his 
second  wife.     He  died  in  1884.     His  wife  still  survives  him. 


118  SOUTH  WES  7  LOUISIANA: 

J.  B.  Lawton  is  united  in  marriage  witli  Miss  Laura  Cestia,  of  New  Iberia. 
They  are  tlie  parents  of  three  children,  Cestia,  Rita  and  J.  B.,  Jr. 

* 
«     » 

^      J.  B.  LOBDELL,  Olivier.— J.  B.  Lobdell  was  born  in  West  Baton  Rouge, 

July  31,  1858.     He  is  the  son  of  James  L.  and  Angelina  A.  (Bird)  Lobdell,  both 

natives  of  West  Baton  Rouge. 

James  L.  Lobdell  was  a  prominent  planter  of  the  parish,  and  during  the 
years  succeeding  the  war,  1866, 1867  and  1868,  he  was  a  cotton  merchant  in  New 
Orleans,  and  member  of  the  firm  of  Vose  &  Lobdell.  During  the  administration 
of  Gov.  McEnery  he  was  registrar  of  the  State  land  office ;  and  was  elected 
twice  to  the  Legislature  during  the  reconstruction  period,  but  returning  boards, 
like  in  all  other  cases,  canceled  his  election.  He  was  a  very  prominent  Mason, 
having  held  every  responsible  position  in  that  order.  He  was  twice  elected 
"■rand  master,  and  held  the  position  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-two,  in  his  home;  at  Baton  Rouge.  Mrs.  Lobdell  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  West  Baton  Rouge.  Her  father,  J.  A.  Bird,  was  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent planters  in  the  State.  She  is  still  living  on  her  Belle  Vale  plantation  in 
West  Baton  Rouge. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  a  familj'  of  ten  children,  three 
sons  and  seven  daughters,  viz:  John  B.,our  subject;  Belle,  James  L.,  Caroline, 
Angelina,  Pearl,  Eva,  Lavinia,  William  A.  and  Jennie.  He  spent  his  boyhood 
days  until  the  age  of  fourteen  in  West  Baton  Rouge,  where  he  received  his 
primary  education.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  Roanoke  College,  Roan- 
oke, Virginia,  from  which  institution  he  returned  home,  at  theageof  nineteen,  and 
engaged  as  manager  of  his  father's  plantation,  and  during  this  lime  he  was 
instrumental  in  organizing  the  Young  Delta  Rifles,  of  which  organization  he  was 
elected  captain,  which  position  he  held  for  four  years.  In  18S6  he  removed  to 
Baton  Rouge,  and  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  land  office  and  book-keeper  for 
the  Knox  saw-mill.  While  there  he  was  elected  first  lieutenant  of  the  Baton 
Rouge  Fencibles.  During  the  strike  of  1887  his  company  was  sent  to  Houma, 
under  Col.  Price,  to  quell  the  disturbance.  In  1888  Mr.  Lobdell  removed  to  St. 
Mary's  parish,  and  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  manager  of  the  Fusilier 
plantation.  Here  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  purcha-sed  the  Olive  Branch 
plantation,  in  Iberia  parish,  and  has  since  that  time  been  engaged  in  planting 
cane.  His  plantation  is  situated  five  miles  below  New  Iberia,  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Teche.  Two  hundred  acres  of  the  plantation  are  cultivated  in  cane  and 
corn.  It  is  protected  from  overflow  by  a  back  levee,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  plantations  in  this  section.  In  1881  Mr.  Lobdell  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth H.  Randolph,  a  native  of  Pointe  Coupee  parish.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Peter  Randolph,  a  planter  and  prominent  physician  of  the  parish.  Mrs.  Lob- 
dell was  educated  in  New  Orleans,  in  Miss  Prentiss'  Private  Seminary.     Mr.  and 


i 


H.  W.  ANDING 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  121 

Mrs.  Lobdell  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz:     Josephine,  Elizabeth  and 

John  Randolph.  « 

*     * 

LEON  LOZES,  New  Iberia. — Mr.  Lozes  was  born  in  France,  1840.  He 
came  to  Louisiana  at  the  age  of  twenty-tive  years.  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  his  mother  tongue  in  France.  Since  locating  in  Louisiana  Mr.  Lozes  has 
been  engaged  in  planting.  He  now  operates  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land,  in, the  fifth  ward  of  Iberia  parish,  about  eleven  miles  west  of  New  Iberia. 
This  he  cultivates  chiefly  in  cotton,  which  he  gins  on  his  own  plantation,  having 
a  large  cotton  gin  for  the  preparation  of  his  own  and  of  his  neighbor's  cotton  for 
market.  Mr.  Lozes  is  a  successful  planter.  He  was  married,  1869,  to  Mrs. 
Landrjr.     He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

* 

r  ALPHONSE  LANDRY,  New  Iberia. — Mr.  Landry  was  born  in  Lafay- 
ette parish  in  1843.  He  is  the  son  of  Terville  and  Irma  (Segura)  Landiy. 
Terville  Landry  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish  in  1815,  and  died  in  1869.  Our 
subject's  mother  was  a  native  of  Iberia  parish,  born  in  1820,  and  died  in  1853. 
Alphonse  Landry  received  a  good  education,  and  in  1867  began  planting.  He 
has  a  plantation  of  two  hundred  acres,  on  which  he  has  erected  a  gin  house,  and 
otherwise  improved  his  place  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  valuable  plantations  in 
this  section.  Mr.  Landry  has  given  most  of  his  time  to  his  plantation  interest. 
Though  active  in  local  affairs,  he  has  never  held  an  office. 

Mr.  Landry  married,  in  i860.  Miss  Clara  Cormeaux,  a  native  of  Lafayette 
parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  two  boys  and  two  girls,  viz : 
Irma,  Ida,  Gabriel  and  Anthony.  Mr.  Landry  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church.  » 

^  JOSEPH  T.  LABOVE,  Derouen.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  March  19,  1854,  ^"  S*-  Martin  parish.  He  is  the  son  of  Adolph 
Labove  and  Poupan  Labove,  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  They  became 
the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz  :  Alphonsene,  Pierre,  Joseph 
(our  subject),  Constance  (deceased),  Eugene,  Eugenie,  and  Damonville. 

J.  T.  Labove  was  reared  in  the  parish  of  St.  Martin,  and  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation. His  father  being  an  invalid,  caused  b}' a  stroke  or  paralysis,  our  subject  was 
compelled  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  to  begin  work  for  the  support  of  his  parents, 
accepting  anything  for  which  he  received  a  remuneration.  He  continued  work 
as  a  farm  hand  until  1862,  when  he  married  Miss  Pauline  Robichaux,  of  Iberia 
parish.  For  some  time  after  his  marriage  he  was  engaged  in  planting,  and  sub- 
sequently spent  a  short  while  in  Texas.  From  an  attack  of  sickness  his  health 
was  impaired,  and  he  spent  some  time  in  Jefferson  parish,  on  the  gulf,  recuper- 
ating. In  1887  he  removed  to  Texas,  where  he  remained  for  the  period  of  a 
8a 


122  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIAXA  : 

year,  during  wliich  time  he  engaged  in  farming;  but  lieing  convinced  that  Lou- 
isiana afforded  better  advantages  for  planting  than  Texas,  he  returned  to  Iberia 
parish  and  is  now  engaged  as  manager  of  an  orange  grove  owned  by  Charles 
AValker,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Labove  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  viz. :  Felician,  Lathilda,  Eugene,  Eugenia  Ermine,  Duchias,  Joseph, 

Jr.,  and  Clemence.  » 

*  * 

Jx\MES  F.  MARTIN,  Nfav  Iberia. — James  F.  Martin  was  born  in 
Ramsbottom,  Lancashire,  England,  April  30,  1823.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1836,  and  to  Louisiana  in  1854.  ^^"^  twentj'-one  years  he  was  engaged 
in  sugar  culture  in  Cuba  and  Louisiana.  In  1880  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Mr.  Henry  Childs,  and  they  were  the  establishers  of  the  first  central  sugar  factory 
in  Louisiana.  In  this  they  were  engaged  for  nine  j'^ears,  when  Mr.  Martin  pur- 
chased Mr.  Childs'  interest,  and  continued  the  business  on  his  own  account. 
The  "Vida  "  refinery  is  located  at  Fausse  Point,  on  the  Teche,  about  one  mile 
south  of  Loreauville,  on  some  of  the  richest  sugar  lands  of  Louisiana.  Among  the 
patrons  of  the  refinery  are  over  thirty  small  planters.  The  "Vida"  receives  syrup 
and  raw  juice  from  several  neighboring  mills.  The  capacity  of  the  refinery  is 
about  sixty  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  per  day. 

Mr.  Martin  was  married,  in  1872,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  White,  of  New  Orleans, 
the  issue  of  said  marriage  being  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Robert  A.  and  Vida  O. 

« 

*  * 

/  THEOMILE  MEQUEZ,  Derouen.— Mr.  Mequez  was  born  in  Iberia  par- 
ish, October  12,  1835.  He  is  the  son  of  Antoine  and  Marguerite  (Derouen) 
Mequez,  both  natives  of  Iberia  parish.  Mr.  Mequez  has  given  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  planting  since  he  began  business  for  himself.  At  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war,  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  Company  A,  Fournet  Battalion,  and  served 
until  its  close.  He  owns  a  small  plantation  at  this  place,  upon  which  he  raises 
corn  and  cotton  chiefly.  Mr.  Mequez  married,  in  1S55,  Miss  Colastie  Landry, 
daughter  of  Maximilian  and  Marcelite  (Trahan)  Landry-,  both  natives  of  Louis- 
iana^ To  this  union  a  daughter  was  born,  Elonid. 
»  * 

^  DROZEN  MEQUEZ,  Derouen.— The  subject  pi  this  sketch  was  born 
May  20,  1844,  in  Iberia  parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  a  son  of  Antoine  and  Mar- 
guerite (Derouen)  Mequez,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Theomile 
Mequez. 

Drozen  Mequez  was  reared  in  Iberid  parish,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  place  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  work  on  a  plan- 
tation.    He  now  owns  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  tliree  hundred  of  which  are 


i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  123 

under  cultivation,  tlie  chief  products  being  corn  and  cotton.  He  has  a  large  steam 
gin  on  his  plantation,  from  which  lie  turns  out  about  five  hundred  bales  of  cotton 
a  3'ear. 

Mr.  Mequez  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Celestine  LeBlanc,  daughter  of 
Cemouet  and  Celeste  (Dupre)  LeBlanc,  both  natives  of  Lafourche  parish.  As 
a  result  of  this  union  they  are  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  viz: 
Odias,  Cimouet,  Adolph,  Avina.  During  the  civil  war  Mr.  Mequez  served  in 
Compan}'  A,  Fournet  Battalion,  for  three  years.  He  has  since  given  his  attention 
exclusivel}'  to  planting,  and  has  made  a  success  of  his  chosen  calling. 

* 

"  ANDREW  MEYERS,  Olivier.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native 
of  Vermilion  parish,  born  in  November,  1819.  He  is  the  son  of  Henr}^  Meyers 
and  Delphine  Boudoin,  the  former  a  native  of  Holland,  and  the  latter  of  Laf- 
ayette parish,  Louisiana.  Andrew  Meyers  grew  to  manhood  in  Vermilion  par- 
ish, where  he  received  his  chief  education.  He  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and, 
at  an  earh'  age,  married  Miss  Carmelite  Louviere,  of  Iberia  parish.  He  began 
planting  the  same  year  in  Iberia  parish,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  a  period 
of  seven  years.  He  then  removed  to  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  same  business  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years.  He  recently  removed  to 
Iberia  parish,  where  he  now  resides.  Mrs.  Meyers  died,  and  two  years  after 
her  death  Mr.  Me3^ers  married  Miss  Belgiere,  daughter  of  Antoine  and  Mar- 
guerite (Hebert)  Trahan.  As  a  result  of  the  first  union  twelve  children  were 
born,  viz;  Mar}-  Delphine,  Josephine,  Deserie,  Henry,  Marguerite,  Alvia,  Ed- 
ward, Alcide,  Jenny,  Andrew,  Jr.,  Felix    and    Bruce.     Mr.  Meyers    has    sixtj-- 

nine  grandchildren.  ^ 

*      * 

DR.  C.  A.  McGOWEN,  Jeannerette. — Dr.  McGowen  was  born  in  Henry 
count}',  Mississippi,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Hugh  and  Gabrielle  (Bracy)  Mc- 
Gowen. Hugh  McGowen  was  a  nati\-e  of  South  Carolina,  born  in  Sumpter 
county,  1799.  He  removed  to  Mississippi  at  an  early  age  and  married  Gabrielle 
Bracy,  a  native  of  thatState.  Locating  in  Columbia,  which  at  that  time  was  the 
capital  of  the  State,  he  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  general  mercantile  business. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  was  always  prominent  in  the  manipulation  of 
party  affairs,  and  represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1S35.  He 
died  in  1858,  his  widow  surviving  him  until  i860. 

Dr.  McGowen  attended  the  schools  at  Colu.mbia  until  he  was  thirteen  years 
of  age.  His  father  having  died  the  year  previous,  he  entered  the  Confederate 
army  and  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Mississippi  Cavalry.  Under  Chalmers  and  For- 
rest he  served  during  the  whole  war.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  matriculated 
in  the  Ohio  Dental  College  at  Cincinnati,  w'here  he  remained  for  two  years. 
After  completing  his  course    he  removed    to    Northern  Louisiana,    where   he 


1 24  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

practised  his  profession  successfully.  After  a  year  lie  returned  to  his  plantation 
in  Mississippi.  A  year's  experience  as  a  planter  satisfied  Dr.  McGowen  that  he 
could  achieve  more  success  in  his  profession.  He  located  in  Summit,  Mississippi, 
where  he  succeeded  in  building  up  a  lucrative  practice.  In  1876  he  married. 
Miss  Florence  Bussej',  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Harvey  Bussey, 
the  noted  surgeon  in  the  Federal  service  during  the  war.  In  1877  Dr.  McGowen 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  Summit,  and  in  1879  ^^  removed  to  Jeannerette,. 
where  he  has  since  practised  his  profession,  in  connection  with  which  he  has  a 
drug  and  stationery  store.     He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  business. 

The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge,  No.  93.  He  assisted  in 
organizing  the  Knights  of  Pj^thias  organization  in  Jeannerette,  of  which  he  is  a 
charter  member. 

Dr.  McGowen  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz:  Alice  Lee, 
Alfred  Bussey,  and  Mary  Florence. 

»      * 
^        A.  L.  MONNOT,  Jeannerette. — A.  L.  Monnot  is  a  native  of  Assump- 
tion parish,  Louisiana,  born  1842.     He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Charles  and  Josephine 
(Bourgeois)  Monnot,  natives  of  France  and  Assumption  parish,  Louisiana,  re- 
spectively. 

A.  L.  Monnot  attended  college  at  Bardstovvn,  Kentucky,  and  from  there 
went  to  France  to  complete  his  studies  in  the  Lycee,  after  which  he  went  to 
Strasburg,  where  he  studied  medicine.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  he 
returned  home,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  entered  the  Confederate  army,  enlisting 
in  Company  H,  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry.  He  participated  in  all  the  engage- 
ments in  Louisiana.  Shortly  after  his  return  home,  in  1865,  he  married  Miss 
Heloise,  daughter  of  William  F.  Hudson,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  In  October,  1865,  Mr.  Monnot  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Jeannerette, 
succeeding  his  father-in-law  in  the  business.  He  began  business  on  a  capital  of 
three  thousand  dollars,  and  has  steadily  increased  his  business  until  it  reached  its 
present  proportions.  In  1877  he  engaged  in  sugar  planting,  continuing,  how- 
ever, to  conduct  his  mercantile  business.  In  1883  he  erected  the  Vaufrey  Re- 
finery in  Jeannerette.  Meeting  with  reverses  in  business  he  was  compelled,  in 
1S84,  to  ask  for  an  extension  by  his  creditors  of  $110,000.  Three  years  later  he 
had  liquidated  the  amount,  principal  and  interest.  Mr^  Monnot  has  steadily  im- 
proved his  place,  his  expenditure  for  improvements  alone  in  1887  amounting  to 
fifty-five  thousand  dollars.  Vaufrey  Refinery  is  an  extensive  one,  with  a  ca- 
pacity for  manufacturing  six  hundred  tons  of  cane  per  twenty-four  hours,  or  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  per  da}'. 

Mr.  Monnot  is  active  in  local  affairs,  and  has  for  seven  years  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  police  jury,  and  for  four  years  has  been  the  president.  He  has,  for 
six  years,  been  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  was  for  some  time  a  member 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  Vlh 

of  the  town  council  of  Jeannerette.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners of  tiie  Grand  Marais  levee  district,  appointed  by  Governor  NichoUs. 
He  was  for  several  years  post-master  of  Jeannerette. 

Mr.  Monnot  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  a  son,  Charles  L., 
and  a  daugliter,  Louise  M.  , 

PAUL  NELSON,  Burke  Station. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  na- 
tive of  Iberia  parish,  born  January  25,  1855.  He  is  the  sonof  Wm.  and  Theresa 
(Darden)  Nelson,  both  natives  of  St.  Mary  parish.  Mr.  Nelson  had  a  lim- 
ited education.  He  began  life  as  a  planter,  and  has  since  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising. He  is  one  of  the  successful  business  men  of  Iberia  parish,  and  his  business 
yields  him  a  good  income.  Mr.  Nelson  was  married,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Antoinair, 
daughter  of  John  B.  and  Antoinair  (Segura)  Breaux,  of  Iberia  parish.  They 
are  the  parents  of  four  cliildren,  Adieskey,  Dairnill,  William,  Albany.  Mr. 
Nelson  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*      * 

ROBERT  A.  OLIVIER.  Olivier.— R.  A.  Olivier  was  born  in  Iberia  par- 
ish in  1858.  He  is  the  sim  of  Eugene  and  Laura  T.  (Dalcour)  Olivier.  The 
former,  is  a  native  of  St.  Mar}-  (now  Iberia)  parish,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
Cuba.  Thev  became  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  si.x  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz:  Theresa,  Mary,  Lucy,  Robert  Alfred,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  Louise.  Eugene  B.  Olivier  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  1845,  and  member  of  the  Senate  of  1858.  He  was  for  some  time  president 
of  the  Police  Jury,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  president  of  the  school 
board.     To  him  is  due  a  great  deal  in  building  up  of  the  parish  schools. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  limited  educational  advantages,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  there  were  few  schools  in  the  parish  within  his  reach.  He  attended 
private  school  for  a  short  period,  but  his  education  has  been  chiefly  acquired  by 
association  and  private  study.  He  began  railroading  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years; 
and  was  for  five  years  succeeding  this  engaged  in  the  freight  department  of  the 
Morgan  Railroad.  He  was  subsequently  agent  for  the  Wells  Fargo  Express 
Company,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  two  years.  At  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  in  1882,  he  took  charge  of  the  plantation.  Orange  Grove,  which  is  sit- 
uated five  miles  southeast  of  New  Iberia,  on  the  bank  of  the  Bayou  Teche.  The 
plantation  consists  of  six  hundred  acres  of  land, three  hundred  and  fifty  of  which 
is  cultivated  in  cane  and  corn.  The  plantation  was  sold  in  1888,  and  purchased 
jointh'  b}'  Mr.  Olivier,  Mr.  Farmer  and  Mr.  Abraham.  They  have  greatly  im- 
proved tlie  place  and  it  is  now  in  perfect  order.  They  have  a  large  six-roller 
sugar  mill  with  steam  train.  Besides  the  manufacture  of  their  own  product  they 
purchase  and  work  up  the  cane  from  about  fift}-  small  planters  near  them.  In 
1890  they  manufactured  over  a  million  pounds  of  sugar. 


126  SOi'TIIWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

In  1S82  Mr.  Olivier  was  appointed  member  of  the  police  jury  ;  about  the 
same  time  he  became  a  member  of  the  school  board,  which  office  he  now  holds. 
In  1889  he  was  appointed  parish  assessor,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that 
position.     Mr.  Olivier  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


s/  H.  PATOUT,  Patoutville. — Mr.  Patout  was  born  in  Iberia  parish,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Hippohte  and  Mar}' A.  (Schwing)  Patout, 
both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana. 

The  subject  ot  this  sketch  was  reared  on  a  plantation  in  Iberia  parish,  and 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  neighboring  schools.  He  afterward  pur- 
sued a  three  years"  course  of  study  in  Holy  Cross  College,  at  New  Iberia. 
After  leaving  school  he  assisted  his  father  in  managing  his  plantation  in  this 
parish  until  his  father's  death  in  1884,  when  he  assumed  control  of  the  planta- 
ion,  to  the  operation  of  which  he  has  since  given  his  attention.  The  place  is  a 
valuable  one,  containing  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  one  thousand  ot 
which  are  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Patout  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  sugar 
culture.  His  sugar  mill  is  an  extensive  one,  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  not 
less  than  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Patout  is  one  of  the  wide-awake  busi- 
ness men  of  this  section.  He  married,  in  1877,  Miss  Clelie  Romero,  daughter 
of  Devesin  Romero,  of  Iberia  parish.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
four  sons  and  three  daughters,  L^-dia,  Ory,  Annie,  Bessie,  Eunice,  Sebastian 
and  Oswell.  ^ 

JUDGE  ROBERT  S.  PERRY,  New  Iberia.— Robert  S.  Perry,  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  Third  Louisiana  Circuit,  is  a  native  of  Lafayette 
parish,  born  December  5,  1834.  ^^  '^  '^  ^on  of  Robert  and  Ezemely  (Booth) 
Perr}'.  Robert  Perry,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  When  a  boy  he  removed  to  Kentucky  with  his  parents,  where  he 
received  his  education.  When  nineteen  j-ears  of  age  he  came  to  Louisiana, 
where  he  married  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Judge  Robert  S.  Perr}-  received  the  best  education  the  schools  of  Louisiana 
afforded,  and  subsequently  graduated  from  the  Kentucky  Military  Institute,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years.  After  completing  his  literary  education  he  entered 
the  law  school  at  the  Universitj^  of  Louisville,  where  he  took  a  course  of  lec- 
ti.ires,  and  afterward  entered  a  law  office  in  Anderson,  Texas,  where  he  pur- 
sued the  study  of  law  for  about  a  year.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  place.  He  never  practised  there,  however,  and 
returned  shortly  afterward  to  Vermilion  parish,  where  he  remained  until  the  war 
broke  out.  Since  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  the  four  years  of  the  war 
and  the  time  he  has  held  official  positions,  he  has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAnilCAL.  127 

his  profession.  In  iS66  he  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish  and  from  thence,  in 
1871,  to  Iberia. 

When  Louisiana  cast  her  fortune  with  the  seceding  States,  Judge  Perry- 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  of  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  and  in 
August  of  the  same  year  was  made  first  lieutenant.  He  served  during  the  whole 
war  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  November  7,  1863,  he  was  captured 
at  Rappahannock,  and  held  a  prisoner  at  Johnson  Island  for  nineteen  months, 
where  he  was  at  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  Judge  Perrj^  resumed  his 
practice.  In  1879  ^^  ^"^^  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  served 
until  1884.  During  the  time  of  his  service  he  was  active  in  all  measures  that 
came  before  that  body  for  consideration.  He  introduced  the  first  bill  providing 
for  the  regulation  of  railroads  in  Louisiana.  In  1888  he  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  Third  Circuit  of  Louisiana. 
Judge  Perry  is  a  thoroughly  progressive  gentleman  and  a  man  of  ability.  He 
is  identified  with  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  advancement  of  New  Iberia. 

The  Judge  is  peculiarly  adapted  for  the  important  trust  which  he  holds,  be- 
ing a  gentleman  of  deep  learning,  and  having  made  a  close  study  of  his  profes# 
sion.  His  public  services  have  been  well  received,  and  he  enjoys  the  confidence 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

Judge  Perry  has  twice  married;  first,  in  1870,  Miss  Bertha  Gary,  of  St. 
Martinsville,  who  died  in  1878,  having  become  the  mother  of  three  children, 
one  son  and  two  daughters.  On  January  i,  1883,  he  married  Miss  Camille 
Vedrines,  of  New  Iberia.     She  died  the  October  succeedincr  their  marriage. 

* 
*     » 

^     JOSEPH  A.  PROVOST,  Jeannerette.— Joseph  Alcide  Provost  comes  from 

an  old  famil}'.     His  paternal  grandfather,  Nicholas  Provost,  was  born  in  one  of 

the  English  colonies,  and  emigrated  to  Louisiana  in  1780.     His  wife  was  Mary 

Jeanne  Provost,  a  native  of  San  Domingo,  where  they  were  married.     To  them 

ten  children  were  born,  one  of  whom,  Ursin  Provost,  married  Julia  Prevost,  a 

native  of  Louisiana.     They  became  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters: 

Nicliolas  L.,  Coralie,  Phijenie,  Ursin  and  Antoinette.     Ursin  married  Josephine 

Bodin,  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish.     To  them  were  born  a  daughter  and  two 

sons,  Joseph  A.  being  the  oldest. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  June  6,  1847,  in  what  is  now  the  parish 

of  Iberia,  then  a  part  of  St.  Mary.     Here  he  was  reared  and  educated.     In  1865 

he  entered  the  army,  enlisting  in  Company  I,  Third  Louisiana  Cavalry,  Liddell's 

Brigade.    After  the  war,  Mr.  Provost  began  cotton  planting,  under  the  direction  of 

his  stepfather,  and  during  the  time  attended  night  school,  where  he  completed  his 

education.     He  continued  with  his  stepfather  until   1S67,  when  on  November 

26,  1868,  he  married  Emih'  Druilhet,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Celestine  (Poche) 

Druilhet,  of  St.  James  parish.     She  died  the  year  following  her  marriage,  July 


128  SOUTHWEST  L  OLTSIANA  : 

26,  1869.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Provost  gave  his  attention  to  sugar  raising. 
Beginning,  in  1871,  with  only  si.xty-three  acres  of  land,  and  that  heavily  tim- 
bered, he,  with  his  own  hands,  commenced  the  work  of  preparing  his  place  for 
cultivation.  In  1872,  with  the  aid  of  his  younger  brother,  he  made  liis  first  crop 
of  cane,  and  to  such  good  purpose  had  he  labored  that  his  net  profit  was  over 
twelve  liundred  dollars. 

February  29,  1872,  Mr.  Provost  married  Eleanor  Lyon,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Hortense  (Hebert)  Lyon.  In  1873  '^^  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  upon  this  raised  a  crop  of  cane.  The  second  j'ear,  with  the  aid  of 
two  workmen,  he  raised  a  sufficient  amount  of  cane  to  net  him  eighteen  hundred 
dollars.  Since  that  time  he  has  constantly  improved  his  plantation,  clearing  out 
more  land  and  erecting  new  buildings.  In  1875  he  erected  a  large  sugar  house 
on  his  plantation.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  uniforml}^  successful.  In  1888 
he  made  manj'  improvements  in  his  sugar  house,  and  manufactured  four  hundred 
and  ninet}'  thousand  pounds  of  sugar,  from  which  he  cleared  sixteen  thousand 
dollars.  Mr.  Provost  now  owns  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  of  which  he  cul- 
tivates three  hundred  and  fifty.  His  crop  this  year  will  amount  to  about  seven 
hundred  thousand  pounds.  Mr.  Provost  contemplates  during  the  next  year 
adding  a  refining  apparatus  to  his  already  very  complete  plant.  He  takes  a 
just  pride  in  what  he  has  accomplished,  and  Right  Way  plantation  stands  an 
illustration  of  how  an  indomitable  will  may  achieve  success.  In  1884  Mr. 
Provost  first  employed  an  overseer,  having  personally  supervised  his  plantation 
prior  to  this  time.  He  still  assumes  general  control,  and  to  this  ascribes  the 
fact  of  his  unvarying  success  in  sugar  planting.  Mr.  Provost  first  took  an  active 
part  in  politics  in  1869.  In  1874  ^^  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in 
1877  was  appointed  Police  Juror,  succeeding  himself  in  office  for  three  consecu- 
tive times.  He  resigned  in  1884  to  become  candidate  to  the  State  Legislature, 
to  which  he  was  elected  by  an  overwhelming  majority.  He  is  the  first  Democrat 
elected  to  that  office  from  his  district  since  the  reconstruction  period.  The  pop- 
ularity of  his  service  is  evinced  in  that  his  constituents,  in  1888,  reelected  him 
by  a  majority  of  fifteen  hundred.  Mr.  Provost  is  the  unrelenting  foe  of  monopo- 
lists, and  in  the  session  of  1890  used  all  his  influence  against  the  rechartering  of 
the  Louisiana  State  Lottery.  He  is  the  author  of  several  bills  tending  to  the 
promotion  of  the  general  good,  notably  the  bill  amending  the  laws  regarding  the 
adulteration  of  sugar  and  molasses,  the  bill  for  draining  the  low  lands  of  Iberia, 
known  as  the  Grand  Marais,  and  the  bill  amending  the  law  to  more  fully  protect 
the  fish  in  the  rivers  and  lakes. 

Mr.  Provost  resides  in  the  town  of  Jeannerette,  of  which  place  he  has  twice 
served  as  mayor,  refusing  a  third  term  in  1886,  to  accept  the  office  of  council- 
man. He  was  reelected  in  1888.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners of  the  Atchafalaya  basin  levee  district.     Mr.  Provost's    wife    died 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  129 

September  29,  1886,  having  become  the  mother  of  seven  children:  Emily 
Antoinette,  Hortense  Louise,  Antoinette  Julia,  Rita  Marie,  Joseph  Alcide,  Jr., 
Albert  Sidney  and  Horatio  Leo,  the  fourth  and  last  having  died  in  infancy. 

GEORGE  MARSH  ROBERTSON,  New  Iberia.— George  Marsh 
Robertson  was  born  in  New  Iberia,  December  11,  185 1.  He  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam Robertson  and  Eliza  A.  Marsh,  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born 
1819,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Iberia  parish,  born  September  26,  1825.  Wil- 
liam Robertson  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  was  a  classmate  at  that  place 
with  U.  S.  Grant.  After  leaving  West  Point  he  was  for  a  time  engaged  as 
recruiting  officer  in  New  York  Cit)^  From  there  he  was  sent  to  Pensacola, 
Florida,  and  was  there  engaged  in  what  is  known  as  the  Florida  War.  He  died 
February  17,  1890.     Mrs.  Robertson  died  in  1878. 

George  Marsh  Robertson  was  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  was 
educated  in  Iberia  parish,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk 
in  the  general  superintendent's  office  of  the  Mississippi  &  Tennessee  Railroad  in 
Memphis  ;  there  he  learned  telegraphy,  and  soon  became  the  superintendent's 
operator  and  depot  ticket  agent,  which  position  he  jheld  until  the  Memphis  & 
Little  Rock  Railroad  was  finished,  and  went  on  the  first  passenger  train  from 
Memphis  to  Little  Rock  to  take  the  position  of  store  and  time-keeper  of  that 
road,  which  positions  he  held  for  about  a  year,  when  the  general  manager  of 
the  road  appointed  him  auditor  of  accounts  in  the  general  office  at  Little  Rock, 
and  he  remained  in  that  position  until  1879,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in 
New  Iberia,  and  has  since  then  been  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  business  with 
his  father,  who  established  the  business  in  1846.  Mr.  Robertson  married  Miss 
Belle  Tate  Oliver,  of  Memphis,  Tennessee.  Mr.  Robertson's  mother  is  a 
daughter  of  John  C.  Marsh,  the  one  who  operated  first  the  salt  wells  of  Iberia 
parish,  from  which,  many  years  after  his  death  was  discovered  the  salt  mines 
which  have  since  been  so  noted. 

*      * 

MILLARD  F.  SMITH,  New  Iberia.— Millard  F.  Smith  was  born  in 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  July  27,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  T.  B.  and  Mar}-  A. 
Smith;  the  former  a  native, of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1812  ;  the  latter  of  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  born  in  1821.  His  father  located  in  New  Orleans,  and  there 
became  a  large  commission  merchant. 

Our  subject  received  his  schooling  at  Jefferson  College,  Jefferson  county, 
Kentuckjs  wherehe  received  a  classic  education.  He  began  business  life  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  a  clerk  on  the  steamboat  J.  T.  Moore,  which  pHed 
between  New  Orleans  and  Shreveport.  He  then  accepted  a  position  in  the  clothing 
store  of  Sprowl  &  McCown,  New  Orleans.  Next  he  became  a  clerk  and  col- 
lector for  the    cotton   house  of  Foster  &  Gwyn,  of  the  same  city,  and  subse- 


130  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

quently  removed  to  Houma,  Louisiana,  where  he  was  engaged  as  book-keeper, 
paymaster  and  storekeeper  for  H.  C.  Minor.  After  this  he  turned  his  attention  to 
sugar  planting,  in  which  he  continued  for  three  years,  when  he  opened  a  first-class 
livery  stable  and  saloon  at  Houma,  Louisiana.  Locating  at  New  Iberia  in  1888, 
he  established  a  large  hotel — the  finest  in  the  city.  He  also  conducts  the  "bon- 
ton"  drinking  saloon  of  New  Iberia.  Mr.  Smith  was  married,  November,  1878, 
to  Miss  Emma  J.  Westphal.  To  them  have  been  born  three  children:  Alma, 
Dot  and  Birdie,  all  living.  ^ 

V/  JUNIUS  SAMPSON,  Belle  Place. — Junius  Sampson  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  in  1849.  His  father,  Calvin  C.  Sampson,  was  a  prominent  merchant 
of  New  Orleans,  but  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  where  he  married  our  subject's 
mother,  Hannah  Harlow,  a  native  of  the  same  State.  Junius  Sampson  is  one  of 
a  family  of  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  Chandler,  Frank,  Olive, 
Calvin,  Thomas  Harlow  and  our  subject. 

Junius  Sampson  was  reared  and  received  his  early  education  in  Boston. 
He  subsequently  graduated  from  Harvard  in  the  class  of  '71.  He  came  to 
Louisiana  in  1872,  and  engaged  in  sugar  planting.  In  1873  he  purchased  Marsh- 
field  plantation,  consisting  of  twenty-five  hundred  acres,  cultivated  chiefly  in 
sugar  cane,  to  which  it  is  especially  adapted.  His  mill  has  a  capacity  for  mak- 
ing twenty  thousand  gallons  per  day. 

In  1879  ■'^''-  Sampson  married  Miss  Ella  Rose,  daughter  of  Wm.  and  Eliza 
beth  (Moss)  Rose,  both  natives  of  Iberia.  Mr.  Rose  was  one  of  the  larges 
and  most 'successful  planters  of  Iberia  parish;  he  was  born  and  spent  his 
early  days  at  Avery's  Salt  Island,  a  portion  of  which  his  mother  owned.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sampson  have  been  born  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  Anna  H., 
Thos.  R.,  Ella  Margaret  and  Calvin  C. 

*     * 

W.  E.  SATTERFIELD,  New  Iberia.— W.  E.  Satterfield,  an  extensive 
planter  and  merchant  of  New  Iberia,  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  Eden- 
ton,  1851.  He  is  the  son  of  G.  B.  and  Mary  A.  (Reddick)  Satterfield,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  the  "Old  North  State."  G.  B.  Satterfield  was  a  lawyer 
and  merchant.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1854,  where  he  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture. He  had  accumulated  quite  a  fortune  before  the  war,  but  like  many  other 
Southern  planters  lost  nearly  the  whole  of  it.  He  died  in  187S.  Mrs.  Satter- 
field died  in  1858. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  as  chief  clerk  in  a  large  country  store 
in  Pointe  Coupee  parish.  In  this  he  was  engaged  from  1867  to  1871 ;  after  which 
he  took  a  commercial  course  in  Jefferson  College,  on  the  completion  of  which  he 
resumed  his  duties  in  the  same.establishment.  In  1874  he  was  made  juniormem- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  131 

bei"  of  the  firm  with  which  he  was  engaged,  and  assumed  the  active  control  of 
the  business.  In  1881  he  removed  to  New  Iberia  and  purchased  a  plantation 
about  one  mile  from  the  city.  His  plantation  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Iberia  parish. 
There  are  few  more  practical,  successful  planters  than  Mr.  Satteifield.  He  also 
conducts  a  large  mercantile  business  in  New  Iberia,  and  is  largely  interested  in 
town  property.  He  is  a  stock  holder  in  the  New  Iberia  National  Bank,  and  the 
cashier  and  a  large  stock  holder  in  the  People's  National  Bank  at  New  Iberia. 

Mr.  Satterfield  is  a  self-made  man.  Whatever  he  has  accomplished  has  been 
entirely  through  his  own  efforts.  The  first  position  he  held,  in  compliance  with 
his  own  request,  he  was  on  trial,  with  the  understanding  that  if  his  services  were 
not  perfectly  satisfactory    he  was  to  receive  no  remuneration  for  them. 

He  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eloise  Francisa  deGeneres,  of  Avoyelles 

parish. 

« 

*  * 

V.  A.  SOUATHE,  Loreauville. — Mr.  Souathe  was  born  in  the  South 
of  France,  in  1851.  He  was  educated  partly  in  Batherren  College,  France, 
and  in  the  private  schools  of  Louisiana.  Leaving  France  in  1865,  he 
arrived  in  St.  Martinsville  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  where  he  remained  for  six- 
years,  engaged  as  a  clerk.  He  then  removed  to  New  Iberia,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  continued  it  for  six  j'ears.  In  1887  he  opened 
a  store  in  Loreauville,  beginning  with  a  general  stock  of  goods  valued  at  two 
Imndred  dollars.  He  now  carries  a  stock  of  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  dollars  ; 
his  business  increases  annually,  and  now  amounts  to  about  thirt3'-six  thousand 
doll^s. 

Mr.  Souathe  married,  in  1879,  Ernestine  Muller,  a  native  of  Iberia  parish. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Felice  (Hebert)  Muller;  the  former  a 
native  of  France  and  a  prominent  planter  of  Iberia  parish,  the  latter  a  member 
of  one  of  the  old  Louisiana  families.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz  : 
Rosa,  Marie,  Felice,  Rita. 

*  * 

GEORGE  SIMON,  New  Iberia. — George  Simon  is  a  native  of  the  Black 
Forest,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in  1866.  He  is  the  son  of  George 
Simon,  who  was  in  the  revenue  department  in  Germany  nearly  all  of  his  life. 

George  Simon  received  his  education  from  one  of  the  best  institutions  of 
his  native  place.  After  coming  to  this  country  in  1866  he  traveled  for  some  time 
in  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  and,  in  1876,  located  in  New  Iberia,  and 
became  manager  of  the  foundry  business  of  F.  S  Lutzenburger,  fifteen  years 
after  which  he  took  charge  of  the  business  on  his  own  account.  Mr.  Simon  is  one 
of  the  energetic  men  of  this  place.  He  was  married  in  187310  Miss  Julia  Lutz- 
enberger.     They  are  the  parents  of  six  children. 


132  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

"•''  J.  C.  SANGUINETT,  Jeannerette.— J.  C.  Sanguinett  was  born  in  New 
Orleans,  in  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Angel  (Campbell)  Sanguinett,  the 
former  a  native  of  Italy  and  the  latter  of  New  Orleans.  They  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  viz:  Caroline,  Angel,  Cora,  Harriet,  Joseph  C.  (our 
subject),  Philip,  Jacob.  The  father  died  when  J.  C.  was  only  seven  years  of 
age;  his  mother  married  a  second  time,  and  Joseph  was  taken  b}'  his  uncle,  who 
lived  in  the  parish  of  St.  James.  He  was  sent  to  the  public  schools  in  New  Or- 
leans. At  the  age  of  fourteen  his  uncle  took  him  on  his  plantation  and  he  en- 
gaged in  business  there,  in  which  he  continued  until  the  opening  of  the  war.  In 
September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Cavalry, 
serving  until  January,  1864.  He  was  captured  at  Bayou  Lafourche  and  paroled. 
After  some  months  he  joined  the  Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  In  1867  he  married  Hermina  Butaud,  daughter  of  A.  and 
Irena  (Lange)  Butaud.  A.  Butaud  was  a  native  of  France  and  his  wife  of  St. 
Mary  parish.  After  marriage  Mr.  Sanguinett  was  engaged  in  planting  for  a 
period  of  two  3'ears.  In  1871  he  began  a  general  mercantile  business  in  Iberia 
parish.  In  1881  he  removed  to  Rayne,  Acadia  parish,  where  he  was  in  business 
for  a  year.  He  located  in  Jeannerette,  June,  1890,  and  here  engaged  in  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Sanguinett,  though  taking  a  deep  interest  in  political  matters,  has 
never  been  an  aspirant  for  office.  He  is  a  modern  Democrat  and  stands  with 
his  party  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  at 
Franklin,  La.  He  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  viz:  Angel,  Amiel, 
(wife  of  D.  Etiet),  Septine,  Joseph,  Electa,  Rita,  Julia,  Mary,  Denis,  Noelie. 
Mr.  Sanguinett  takes  great  interest  in  educational  matters,  and  he  is  giving  his 
children  the  best  educational  advantages. 

* 
*      » 

^  P.  H,  SEGURA,  New  Iberia. — P.  H.  Segura  was  born  in  Iberia  parish, 
in  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Raphael  and  Celima  (Bonin)  Segura.  His  father 
was  born  in  1794,  and  is  still  living  near  Spanish  Lake.  He  is  one  of  the 
oldest  citizens  of  the  parish.  His  life  would  furnish  a  histor}' within  itself.  His 
long  life  has  been  full  of  usefulness,  and  in  his  old  age  he  is  revered  bj-  all  who 
know  him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  fair  education,  and  began  planting  in 
1875.  He  was  elected  clerk  of  the  court  of  Iberia  parish  in  1876  and  held  this 
office  until  1884.  Since  that  time  he  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  planting. 
Mr.  Segura  is  a  thoroughly  wide-awake  gentleman,  and  keeps  abreast  of  the 
times.  He  is  always  identified  with  measures  which  tend  to  promote  the  public 
interest.  His  plantation  consists  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  on  which  he 
resides.  He  raises  a  variety  of  products,  and  from  them  he  receives  a  good  in- 
come. Mr.  Segura  was  married,  in  1879,  '^o  Miss  Cora,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  (Hathen)  Smith,  of  New  Orleans.     They  are  the  parents  of  six  children. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  133 

three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.     Mr.  Segura  and  family  are  strict  adherents    to 

the  Catholic  faith.  » 

»     • 

JOHN  T.  WHITE,  Jeannerette.— John  T.  White  is  a  native  of  Troy, 
New  York,  born  in  1842.  He  was  reared  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  which  place 
his  parents  had  removed  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  pul)lic  schools  of  Cincinnati,  and,  early  in  1862,  entered  Harrison 
College  ;  but  in  August  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Company  D.  Eighty- third  Regi- 
ment Ohio  Volunteers.  He  served  principally  in  the  Gulf  Department.  In  1S64 
he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant,  and  was  transferred  to  the  Provost  Mar- 
shall office  and  stationed  at  New  Iberia,  Louisiana.  Here  he  remained  until  he 
was  mustered  out  of  active  service.  During  his  stay  here  he  was  so  favorably 
impressed  with  this  section  of  Louisiana  that  he  purchased  a  plantation  and 
engaged  in  sugar  planting,  in  which  he  still  continues.  His  plantation,  Ba}- 
Side,  formerly  owned  by  Col.  Frank  D.  Richardson,  consists  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  acres  of  land,  about  nine  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 
The  sugar  mill  erected  before  the  war  has  been  entirely  remodeled  from  the  old 
style  open  kettle  to  the  double  mills,  with  saturation  and  steam  trains.  The  Bay 
Side  and  Alice  plantations  combined,  in  1890,  erected  a  refinery  fully  equipped 
'for  the  manufacture  of  four  million  pounds  of  sugar. 

Mr.  White  married,  in  1870,  Miss  Sarah  Hull,  a  native  of  Pittsfield,  Illinois, 
and  daugher  of  John  Hull,  a  prominent  land  owner  and  banker  of  Pike  count}-, 
Illinois.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Junius  H.,  born  in  Illinois  in 
1873,  now  in  college  in  Alabama;  Lizzie,  born  in  1874,  in  Louisiana.  Although 
he  has  been  several  times  solicited  to  do  so,  Mr.  White  has  never  allowed 
his  name  to  appear  in  the  role  for  political  honor.  In  national  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  In  1868  he  entered  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fraternities,  and 
has  filled  various  offices  of  these  lodges.  Mr.  White  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  his  wife  of  the  Presbj-terian.  Mr.  White  realizes  the 
advantages  of  his  adopted  State,  and  firmly  believes  in  the  possibilit}- of  its  future 
greatness.  \, 

LUKE  TRAINOR,  New  Iberia.— Luke  Trainor,  of  the  firm  of  Trainor 
Sons,  was  born  in  Franklin,  Louisiana,  in  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  O.  J.  Trainor,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  born  1S28.  O.  J.  Trainor  came  to  this  country  in  1840,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  large  door,  blind  and  sash 
factory.  Our  subject's  mother,  Emily  Wexem,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  of 
French  descent.     She  now  resides  in  New  Iberia. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  school  days  in  Franklin,  Louisiana, 
receiving  his  chief  education  at  Bryant  College.  He  was  engaged  with  his 
father  in  business  until  his  death,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  member,  and 


13-t  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

general  manager,  of  the  firm  of  Trainor  Sons,  in  the  operation  of  their  large 
sash,  door  and  blind  factor}-  at  this  place,  in  which  he  employs  about  twenty 
men.  Their  business  is  extensive,  and  the  firm  is  one  of  the  best  known  in 
Louisiana.  , 

^  G.  W.  WHITWORTII,  Jeannerette.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  Posey  county,  Indiana,  June  6,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
S.  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Hatfield,  a  descendant  of  the  ancient  Hetzfeldt 
family  of  Germany.  They  were  married  about  1810.  To  them  were  born 
seven  children:  Wesley,  James,  Lewis  (deceased  in  1884),  Benjamin,  Thomas, 
Henry  and  George  W.,  our  subject.  The  paternal  great-grandfather  of  George 
W.  Whitworth,  Abraham  Whitworth,  about  1750,  in  company-  with  two  brothers 
and  a  sister,  Ferdal,  Thomas  and  Narcissus,  emigrated  from  England  to  Vir- 
ginia. Abraham  settled  on  the  French  Broad  River,  near  the  line  ot  North 
Carolina,  marrying  an  American,  Miss  Gawltney,  who  had  been  reared  by  Gen- 
eral John  Morgan,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  To  this  marriage  was  born  four 
sons,  Isaac,  Ferdal,  Joseph  S.  and  Samuel.  Joseph  S.  was  born  on  the  French 
Broad  River,  1790.  His  marriage  and  children  we  have  noted  above.  After 
marrying  he  removed  to  what  is  known  as  Cotton  Grove  Postoffice,  Tennessee, 
where  Wesley,  James  and  Lewis  were  born.  In  1814  Joseph  S.  Whitworth 
volunteered  in  Andrew  Jackson's  army,  under  Captain  Weekley,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  January  8,  1815.  In  1818  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Posey  county,  Indiana,  and  settled  in  New  Harmony,  where  he  re- 
mained about  two  years.  Then  purchasing  a  section  of  land  six  miles  east  of 
New  Harmony,  he  engaged  in  farming  on  an  extensive  scale.  There  the  four 
N'ounger  children  were  born,  among  them  being  our  subject.  Mr.  Whitworth 
sold  his  farm  in  1842,  and  removed  to  Mount  Vernon,  Indiana.  In  1849  he 
came  to  Centreville,  St.  Mary  parish.  Louisiana,  locating  in  1870  in  Jeanner- 
ette, which  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  was  a  plantation,  there  being  but  five 
iiouses  in  the  place.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  building  a  large  saw 
mill,  from  which  enterprise  has  sprung  the  flourisliing  town  of  Jeannerette. 
Joseph  S.  Whitworth  died  in  Jeannerette,  December  29,  1871,  his  widow  sur- 
viving him  until  June,  1876. 

George  W.  Whitworth,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  vi^as  educated  at  Green- 
castle,  Indiana,  in  the  Asbury  University,  now  Depau  University.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  he  went,  in  1856,  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  engaged 
himself  as  a  clerk.  He  remained  there  until  1861,  when,  with  his  family,  he 
removed  to  Indiana,  and  in  1863  entered  the  United  States  service  as  regimental 
quartermaster  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry. 
He  did  no  dutj^  with  this  regiment,  however,  but  served  as  commissary  of  sub- 
sistence on  the  staff  of  Gen.   O.   B.  Wilcox.      After   his    term  of  service  had 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  135 

e-xpired  lie  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Greencastle,  Indiana,  whence  he 
removed  to  MinneapoHs,  Minnesota.  In  1S79  ^e  removed  to  Jeannerette,  and 
engaging  with  liis  brother  in  the  saw-mill  business.  He  assisted  his  brother  in 
building  up  the  enterprises  of  the  town  up  to  the  time  of  the  latter's  death  in 
1884.  He  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  saw-mill  business,  which  is  conducted 
under  the  name  of  Whitworth  &  Co.,  the  firm  being  composed  of  the  subject,  G.  G. 
Walker,  and  Walter  B.  and  Jos.  E.  Whitworth.  Their  mill  is  located  in  the  town  of 
Jeannerette,  and  has  a  capacity  of  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  feet  per  day.  The 
Company  owns  about  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  virgin  swamp  timber  land, 
and  employs  about  sixty  men  throughout  the  year.  The  Company  dresses  its 
own  lumber,  making  shingles  to  use  up  waste  tiniber,  and  using,  in  doing  so, 
only  one  machine,  with  a  capacity  of  about  twenty  thousand  shingles  per  day. 
In  1854  ^^  subject  married  Sarah  M.  Kercheval,  a  native  of  Greencastle, 
Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Edward  R.  Kercheval,  one  of  the  prominent  men  of 
Putnam  count}',  Indiana,  whose  great  grandfather  was  a  Huguenot  who  came 
to  this  country  during  the  persecution  in  France.  She  was  born  in  1836.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  Walter  B.,  Joseph  E.,  Agnes  S.  (wife 
of  Dr.  S.  R.  Gay),  Florence  and  Alice  K.  Walter  B.  and  Joseph  E.  are  inter- 
ested with  their  father  in  the  saw-mill  business.  Both  are  married;  the  former 
to  Miss  Medora  Allen,  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  latter  to  Miss  Rachel  E. 
Stewart,  of  Wilmot,  Nova  Scotia.  In  1856  our  subject  became  a  Master  Mason 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  He  is  a  member  of  Jacques  de  Molay  Commandery 
of  Knights  Templars,  of  New  Orleans.  In  religion  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and 
an  elder  in  that  church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  was  one  of  the 
prime  movers  in  the  white  Republican  party  in  this  locality. 

»      * 

WM.  F.  WEEKS,  New  Iberia.— William  F.  Weeks,  a  successful  planter 
of  Iberia  parish,  was  born  in  1825.  His  father,  David  Weeks,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  born  1780.  Removing  to  Louisiana  in  1812  he  became  an  extensive 
planter.  He  died  in  this  State  in  1834.  O"'"  subject's  mother,  Mary  C.  Con- 
rad, is  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  1845  and  died  1862.  They  became  the  parents 
of  six  childrent,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  oldest  son. 

He  spent  his  school  days  in  Louisiana  and  Virginia  and  received  a  liberal 
education.  Mr.  Weeks  has  given  nearly  his  whole  attention  to  planting,  and  he 
is  one  of  the  largest  land  holders  and  most  successful  sugar  planters  in  Iberia 
parish.  His  plantation  consists  of  over  seven  thousand  acres.  He  also  gives  special 
attention  to  raising  a  fine  grade  of  stock.  '  He  is  the  possessor  of  Grand  Cote 
Island,  which  contains  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
Weeks  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  I.  Palpry,  a  native  of  this  State. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters. 


CHAPTER  III. 


PARISH  OF  CALCASIEU. 


'  D.  D.  ANURUS,  Jenninus. — D.  D.  Andrus,  planter,  was  born  near  wliere 
he  now  resides  on  October  7,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  H.  and  Lisima 
(Guidry)  Andrus.  His  parents  are  natives  of  Calcasieu  and  St.  Martin  parish, 
Louisiana,  respectively.  They  belong  to  the  oldest  families  of  the  State.  Charles 
H.  Andrus  is  still  living,  and  is  a  resident  of  this  parish.  He  has  alvva3-s  been  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  is  now  owner  of  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
where  he  resides.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  November  21.  18S9,  at  the  age 
of  seventj'-six  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children .  He  began  life 
as  a  planter,  and  now  owns  eleven  hundred  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  raises  a 
variety  of  products  and  a  great  amount  of  stock.  He  has  at  the  present  time  on 
his  plantation  more  than  three  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  one  hundred  and  fiftj' 
horses.  Mr.  Andrus  has  also  an  interest  in  a  large  mercantile  business  at  Jen- 
nings and  Lake  Arthur,  in  partnership  with  D.  Derouen.  Mr.  Andrus  is  prom- 
inent in  local  politics,  as  well  as  all  other  public  affairs.  He  has  served  as  police 
juror  from  his  ward  since  1874,  '^^^  ^°'"  ^  number  of  years  was  notary  public. 

He  was  married  in  1855  to  Miss  Aurelie  Arceneaux,  daughter  of  Orelienand 
^Liry  (Andrus)  x\rceneaux,  and  natives  of  Lafayette  and  Calcasieu  parishes, 
respectivelv.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrus  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  sons 
and  four  daughters:  Isaac  E.,  Morgan  D.,  Martin  J.,  Felix  D.,  Jules  A.,  Clara 
A.,  wife  of  John  Castex,  Jr. ;  Laura,  wife  of  Arthur  A.  Hebert;  Mary  and 
Alice,  of  whom  the  last  two  died  in  1S61  and  1S62,  respectively.  Mr.  Andrus 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*      * 
B.  C.  ANDRUS,  Jexnix(;s. — B.  C.  Andrus,  planter,  was  born  where  he  now 
resides,  in  1856.     He  is  the  son  of  Charles  H.  and  Lisimia  (Guidry)  Andrus.  of 
whom  mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  D.  D.  Andrus: 

B.  C.  Andrus  was  reared  in  Calcasieu  parish  on  the  place  where  he  now  re- 
sides.    He  has  given  his  chief  attention    to    stock  raising,  which,   by  raising  a 
good  grade  of  stock,  yields  him  a  good  income.     Mr.   Andrus  was   married  in 
1S76  ^  Theodocia,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ellen  (Andrus)   Reed,  natives  of 
Oa 


138  SOrTJ/WEST  L  Ol  ISIAXA  . 

Calcasieu  parish.  To  this  union  have  been  born  eight  children,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters,  live  of  whom  are  living,  viz  :  Emilie,  Mary  E.,  Ophelia,  Cora  G.., 

Izora.  , 

*  * 

JOSEPH  A.  ANDERSON,  Welsh.— Joseph  A.  Anderson,  planter,  was 
born  in  Atlantic  county,  New  Jersey,  September  3,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Achas  (Alien)  Anderson,  natives  of  Virginia  and' New  Jersey,  respec- 
tively. Th.ey  were  married  in  New  Jersey,  and  became  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz:  Joseph  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Elizabeth  L.,  wife  of  Walter  Balfour,  of  Pocahontas  county,  Iowa;  Achas  A., 
wife  of  Samuel  Bowell,  of  Pocahontas  county,  Iowa;  Moranda.  William  An- 
derson, with  his  family,  removed  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  in  1857.  He  was  by 
occupation  a  glass  blower.     After  removing  to  Illinois  he  engaged  in  farming. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  business  education  in  the  schools 
of  New  Jersey  and  Illinois.  He  has  been  a  farmer  since  beginning  business  life 
tor  himself.  In  1863  Mr.  Anderson  enlisted  in  the  United  States  army,  Com- 
pan\-  A,  Ninth  Iowa  Cavahy,  in  which  company  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming 
until  1SS8,  when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Calcasieu  parish,  Louisiana,  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land.  He  has  given  his 
principal  attention  to  rice  culture,  in  which  he  has  been  successful.  Mr.  Ander- 
son was  married,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Carrie  L.  Robbins,  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Louvincia  (Prentiss")  Robbins.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
her  motlier  of  Ohio.     Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 

*  * 

V/  CAPT.  J.  W.  BRYAN,  Lake  Charles.— Capt.  J.  W.  Bryan  is  descended 
from  good  old  Irish  ancestr\',  but  the  family  has  been  so  long  in  this  country, 
and  become  so  thoroughl}'  Americanized,  that  few  of  the  Irish  traits  now  appear 
upon  the  surface.  One  characteristic  that  remains,  however,  is  that  of  sterling 
honest}-.  His  great-grandfather -( O'Brien)  emigrated  to  America  when  a  boy 
and  settled  in  Virginia;  married  and  raised  a  family  there.  Luke  Br\-an,  one  of 
his  sons,  and  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch  came  to  Louisiana 
early  in  life  and  married  Miss  Rebecca  W.  Berwick,  in  1S02:  from  her  family 
Berwick's  Bay  derives  its  name.  One  of  the  sons  born  to  them  was  John  Bryan, 
the  father  of  Capt.  Bryan,  who  was  reared  and  educated  there.  In  earl)-  man- 
hood he  married  Miss  Nancy  A.  Lyons,  and,  about  1832,  settled  in  Calcasieu 
parish.  In  1839  he  removed  to  Texas,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  in  1844, 
when  the  family  returned  to  Calcasieu  parish.  Here  Mrs.  Bryan  was 
married  a  second  time,  to  Mr.  Jacob  E.  Harmon,  b}'  whom  slie  had  three 
children. 

Capt.  Brj-an,  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  this  par- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  139 

ish,  December  28,  1834.  ^'^  early  educational  facilities  were  limited,  and  he 
belongs  to  that  very  numerous  class  of  prominent  men  who  owe  their  education  to 
their  own  aspirations  and  unaided  exertions  to  rise  above  the  station  in  which  they 
were  born  to  one  of  greater  exertions  and  more  extensive  and  higher  uselulness. 
Up  to  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  young  Br3'an  spent  his  time  farming  and 
attending  the  country  schools,  when  here  were  any  to  attend,  which  in  his  early 
days  were  few  and  far  between.  Not  content  with  an  occupation  in  which  his 
chances  for  development  and  usefulness  were  so  restricted,  he  determined  to 
obtain  a  mental  discipline  which  would  fit  him  for  literary  pursuits. 

In  "this  good  republican  country  of  ours,  where  organic  laws  denounce 
hereditar}'  patents  to  nobilitjs  most  men  indulge  the  vanit}'  of  pride  at  achieve- 
ments so  marked  and  great  as  those  which  lead  and  direct  a  Clay  or  a  Lincoln 
from  the  humblest  walks  of  life  to  the  highest  position  in  the  councils  of  the 
nation.  The  great  ambition  of  }'^oung  Bryan  was  to  fit  himself  for  literary 
work.  To  this  end  he  attended  school  and  pursued  a  literary  course,  teaching 
and  studying  alternately,  until  he  attained  the  age  of  twentj^-five  \ears.  His 
course  had  not  yet  been  completed  when  the  civil  war  came  on  and  caused  such 
confusion  and  derangement  in  all  the  affairs  of  life.  Laying  aside  all  selfish 
claims  and  personal  desires,  that  he  might  serve  his  country-  unfettered,  he  quit 
school  and  in  1861  organized  the  militia  of  Calcasieu  parish,  for  the  purpose  of 
home  protection.  Early  in  1862,  being  called  on  for  four  companies,  he  organ- 
ized the  four  volunteer  companies,  and  within  twenty  days  from  the  time  of  re- 
ceiving the  requisition,  he  was  on  the  march  to  Opelousas  with  these  companies 
to  report  for  duty,  from  whence  the  command  proceeded  to  New  Orleans,  and 
thence  to  Camp  Moore,  and  it  was  there  that  the  Twenty-eighth  Louisiana  In- 
fantry, under  Col.  Allen  Thomas,  which  distinguished  itself  in  the  battle  of 
Chickasaw,  and  the  memorable  siege  of  Vicksburg,  which  began  on  the  21st  of 
■Ma}'  and  was  raised  on  the  4th  of  July,  was  organized.  During  the  siege  Capt. 
Bryan,  being  the  ranking  officer  of  his  regiment,  commanded  it.  Col.  Thomas 
having  been  promoted  to  brigadier  general. 

Capt  Bryan  sheathed  his  sword  when  the  cause  was  lost,  returned  liome  and 
cast  about  him  for  "  ways  and  means  ""  to  repair  the  ravages  of  the  war.  He  re- 
sumed teaching, which  he  continued  for  about  four  years,  the  last  three  in  tlie  town 
■of  Lake  Charles,  studying  and  improving  his  mind  in  the  meantime.  In  1869116 
opened  a  mercantile  business  in  the'  town,  which  he  followed  up  to  1884.  In 
1871  he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Lake  Charles  Echo,  which  he  con- 
ducted with  great  ability  until  the  14th  of  March,  1890,  when  he  sold  the  paper 
and  retired  from  its  editorship.  Under  his  management  the  Echo  became 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  popular  countrv  weeklies  in  Louisiana  and  contrib- 
uted greatly  to  the  building  up  and  development  of  Lake  Charles  and  Calcasieu 
parish.     For  some  time  Capt.  Bryan  has  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 


140  .S0[J'rH\VES7'  LOCISIAXA  : 

ness.  lie  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  local  affairs  of  the  town  and 
parish,  and  he  is  especially  noted  for  the  interest  he  has  manifested  in  school 
work.  To  him,  perhaps,  more  than  any  one  man  is  due  the  credit  of  the  elli- 
cient  school  s3-stem  of  Lake  Charles.  At  different  times  Capt.  Bryan  has  served 
as  ma3-or  and  councilman  of  the  town,  and  several  times  has  represented  his  par- 
ish in  the  board  of  police  jurors,  as  well  as  Gener^il  Assembly  of  the  State. 

Capt.  Bryan  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  K.  Singleton,  September  9,  1869. 
They  have  three  promising  sons  and  five  bright  and  lovely  daughters.  The 
eldest  of  the  latter  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  F.  Kyger.  President  of  the  Commercial 
College,  of  the  Baylor  University,  Waco,  Texas. 

* 

*  * 

^  THOMPSON  BIRD,  Lake  Charles.— Thompson  Bird  is  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  J.  A.  Landry  &  Co.,  who  own  and  operate  an  extensive  ice  factory 
in  Lake  Charles.  This  factory  was  originated  in  1S90,  and  is  equipped  with  the 
latest  improved  ice  machinery.  It  has  a  capacit}'  of  manufacturing  ten  tons  of 
ice  per  day.  They  supply  the  demand  of  the  whole  of  Southwest  Louisiana, 
including  Opelousas,  Lafayette,  New  Iberia  and  Morgan  Cit}^  The  firm  is 
composed  of  J.  A.  and  T.  Bird  and  D.  J.  Landr3',3'oung  men  and  full  of  energ}-. 
It  is  due  to  them  that  Lake  Charles  will  soon  be  lighted  by  electricity. 

Thompson  Bird  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  September  23,  1854.  ^'^^  '^  the  son 
of  Abel  T.  and  Julia  (Vonphule)  Bird.  His  father  is  a  native  of  Bird's  Point, 
Missouri,  this  place  having  belonged  to  the  Bird  family  for  many  generations. 
The  parents  of  our  subiect  removed  to  New  Orleans,  and  from  New  Orleans  to 
WestBaton  Rouge,  in  1872,  where  the  father  was  engaged  in  sugar  planting.  Prior 
to  coming  to  Louisiana  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Vonphule  Sons  & 
Co.,  wholesale  grocers,  in  St.  Louis.  He  still  resides  on  his  plantation  in  West 
Baton  Rouge  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  He 
received  his  education  in  St.  Louis  and  at  Spring  Hill  College,  Mobile,  Alabama. 
After  leaving  school  Mr.  Bird  entered  a  machine  shop  foundiy  in  New- Orleans, 
with  the  intention  of  becoming  a  machinist.  Here  he  served  an  apprenticeship 
for  three  years,  after  which  he  was  engaged  on  his  father's  sugar  plantation  in 
erecting  machinery  and  managing  the  mechanical  part  of  the  work.  In  the  year 
1880  he  came  to  Lake  Charles,  and  has  here  been  engaged  in  business  since  that 
time.  Mr.  Bird  married,  in  1878,  Miss  Regina  Landry.  They  are  the  parents 
of  two  sons,  Fred  and  Frank.      Both  Mr.  Bird  and  wife    are   members   of    the 

Catholic  church.  ^ 

*  * 

DENNIS  E.  BAGGETT,  Dry  Creek,  Calcasieu  Parish.— Dennis  E. 
Baggett  was  born  in  Harrison  count}',  Mississippi,  in  1847.  He  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  and  received  his  education  in  Mississippi.     At  the  age  of  seventeen 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  141 

j^ears  he  moved  to  Louisiana  and  located  in  Calcasieu  p;irish,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Florida  and  his  mother  of 
Mississippi.  The  father  moved  to  Mississippi  earh-  in  life,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  lumbering.  He  died  August,  i86i,and  his  widow  survived  liim  only 
a  \-ear. 

Dennis  E.  Baggett  was  married,  in  1S67,  to  Miss  Ellen  Nicolas,  a  native  of 
Calcasieu  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.  , 

E.  H.  BURLESON,  Lake  Charles. — E.  H.  Burleson,  a  large  saw-mill 
owner  on  Priens  Lake,  is  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  1845.  He  is  the  son  of 
Eljas  and  Sarali  (Goff)  Burleson.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born 
1813,  and  his  mother  of  Mississippi,  born  1818.  Thej-were  married  in  Jackson 
county,  Mississippi,  and  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five 
daughters,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living.  Elias  Burleson  w-as  a  planter  in 
Mississippi.  He  died  in  1S65,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  1S74.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  Jackson  county,  Mis- 
sissippi. At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Compan}-  L, 
Twent3'-seventh  Mississippi  Infantrj',  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga, 
]Missionar3'  Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain.  At  the  last  named  place  he  was 
taken  prisoner  and  kept  in  confinement  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

He  removed  from  Mississippi  to  Texas  in  1S68  and  came  to  Louisiana  in 
1S79,  and  embarkted  in  the  saw-mill  business  with  his  brother  in  1881.  \n  1889 
his  brother  sold  out  his  interest  to  C.  Granger.  He  died  in  1890,  having  been 
connected  with  the  business  for  one  year  prior  to  1S90.  He  was  succeeded  bj' 
Joseph  V.  Duhon.  The  present  firm  are  energetic  business  men,  and  their 
business  is  large.  Their  mill  has  a  capacity  for  cutting  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  thousand  feet  of  lumber  per  day.     Mr.  Burleson  has  never  married. 

»  * 
1/  J.  M.  COLEY,  M.  D.,  Welsh  P.  O.,  Calcasieu  Parish.— J.  M.  Coley  is  a 
native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  1831.  His  father,  John  Coley,  a  native  of  France, 
was  a  farmer  and  carpenter.  He  married  Cynthia  Perr}^,  of  Newton  count}', 
Georgia.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  pf  whom  are  living:  C. 
C,  W.  S.,  Martha  J.  (wife  of  John  Hendreck),  Mary  E.  (wife  of  B.  Hubard), 
Cynthia  A.  (wife  of  John  Simpson),  and  J.  M.  (subject  of  this  sketch).  Mrs. 
Coley  died  in  O.xford,  Georgia,  in  1840.  John  Coley  married  again,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  four  children:  Thomas,  George  and  Frances  (twins),  and 
Samuel.  Mr.  Coley  lost  his  life  in  a  storm  in  18^3.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
1S81. 

Our  subject  received   his   education  in  the    common  and  higli  schools  of 


U->  S  O  i  '77/ J<  ^ES  T  LO  UISI.  1 NA  : 

Oxford,  Georgia.  He  began  tlie  study  ot  medicine  in  1854,  attending  lec- 
tures at  the  Piiiladelphia  Medical  College  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1S57. 
Immediately  thereafter  he  began  to  practise  in  Randolph  county,  Ala.  Soon  after 
he  emigrated  to  Texas,  where  he  remained  until  1859,  when  he  came  to  Louisi- 
ana and  located  in  the  parish  of  Calcasieu,  where  he  has  since  remained.  He 
was  married  in  1851  to  Miss  Amy  Dennis,  a  native  of  Georgia.  To  them  has 
been  born  one  son — John  \V.  In  i860  he  again  married,  selecting  as  his  \\ife 
Mrs.  Eran  Hay.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Isabella,  Alcide,  Onezer,  Tebitha,  Triphena  and  Cynthia.  In  1862  our 
subject  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service,  joining  Company  E,  Daly's  battalion 
of  cavalry.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  only  in  one  serious 
engagement,  the  battle  of  Vermilion,  but  was  in  a  number  of  skirmishes.  x\fter 
the  war  he  returned  to  Calcasieu  parish  and  engaged  in  farming  and  the  practice 
of  medicine.  He  has  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  of  tine  land,  a  small  portion 
of  which  he  cultivates.  He  devotes  considerable  attention  to  fruit  raising.  Dr. 
Coley  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Chapel  Hill  Lodge,  No.  117.  He  has  always 
been  prominent  in  the  order,  and  has  served  his  lodge  as  vice  grand  secretary 
and  warden.  He  has  a  large  professional  business,  a  host  of  friends,  and  is  one 
of  the  prominent  men  of  his  community. 


JOSEPH  COOPER,  LoRETTA,  Calcasieu  Parish. — Joseph  Cooper  is  a 
native  of  Alabama,  born  in  1845.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina, 
born  in  1819,  and  here  he  was  reared,  educated  and  married.  His  vocation  was 
that  of  a  farmer.  He  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Our  subject's  grandparents  were  also  natives  of  South 
Carolina,  where  they  lived  and  died.  ' 

Joseph  Cooper  removed  from  Alabama  to  Texas  in  185 1,  and  to  Louisiana 
in  1858.  He  has  since  that  time  given  his  full  attention  to  farming,  in  which  he 
has  done  well.     He  has  never  married. 


'*  CHARLES  CARBELLO,  Lake  Charles.— Charles  Carbello  is  a  native 
of  Louisiana,  born  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  Alphonse  and  Antoine  Carbello,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Emilie  Carbello.  Charles  Carbello  was 
married  in  1871  to  Miss  Marie  Laumreaux.  They  are  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Carbello  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  has  a  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  raises  corn,  rice  and  cotton 
and  some  stock.  His  farm,  located  on  English  Baj-ou,  is  well  improved.  Mr. 
Carbello  is  giving  his  children  the  benefit  of  the  best  educational  advantages. 
He  and  family  are  Catholics. 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  143 

(/ 

EMILE  CORHELLO,  Lake  Charles. — Eniile  Corbello,  an  extensive  and 

prominent  planter,  living  in  Ward  3,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  June  12,  1837.  ^e  is  the  son  of  Alphonse  and  Antoine  ( Lama- 
reaux  )  Corbello.  His  father  was  a  native  of  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and  his  mother 
of  Louisiana.  Both  were  of  French  extraction.  To  them  ten  children  were 
born,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  seven  of  whom  are  now  livingi  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  being  the  oldest  child.  Alphonse  Corbello  was  a  planter  and 
stock  dealer.  He  died  in  Calcasieu  parish  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  fift3--three 
years.  Our  subject's  mother  died  in  1882.  Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

Emile  Corbello  has  devoted  his  whole  life  to  planting.  In  1S63  he  enlisted 
in  the  cavalry  seivice,  but  was  soon  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health.  He 
returned  home  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Davis  Reed  in  the  timber  and 
rice  growing  industries.  They  were  engaged  in  the  business  for  fifteen  years. 
Mr.  Corbello  owns  two  thousand  acres  of  land,  the  principal  products  being 
rice  and  corn.  His  plantation  is  located  five  miles  northeast  of  Lake 
Charles  on  Englisli  Bayou,  He  also  owns  a  ferry  boat  which  he  controls  at 
this  place.  His  plantation  is  well  improved.  His  residence  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest in  Calcasieu  parish,  and  his  barn  and  out  buildings  bespeak  the  thrift 
and  energy  of  which  he  is  characteristic.  He  takes  an  especial  pride  in  the 
raising  of  a  fine  breed  of  horses  and  cattle.  His  orchard  is  a  good  one,  and 
consists  of  a  variety  of  oranges,  peaches,  figs,  etc.  Mr.  Corbello  was  married 
in  Lisle  county,  Texas,  1865,  to  Miss  Anne  McQueen,  a  native  of  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  the  daughter  of  Melvin  and  Susan  Simmons  McQueen,  natives  of 
Tennessee.  They  emigrated  to  Texas  in  1841,  where  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McQueen  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corbello  are  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
six  sons  and  six  daughters,  viz:  Mary,  John,  Ophelia,  Amanda,  Susan,  Sarah, 
William,  George,  Rosalie,  Edward.  James  died  April  18,  1889,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  and  six  months.  He  was  an  unusually  bright  bo}',  and  his  death 
was  a  great  shock  to  his  parents.  * 

'^  JOHN  F.  CLONEY,  Lake  Charles.— John  F.  Cloney  was  born  in  St. 
John,  Newfoundland,  October  14,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary 
(INIurphy)  Cloney,  natives  of  Kilkenny  and  Wickford  counties,  Ireland,  respec- 
tively. They  were  married  in  Newfoundland  and  resided  there  until  1S49, 
when  the}'  removed  to  Prince  Edward  Island,  where  they  resided  until  1870,  at 
which  time  they  removed  to  Yeolu  county,  California.  Here  the  father  died  in 
1S74,  ^*  th^  ^g^  oi  eighty- four,  and  the  mother  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  eighty  3-ears. 
James  Cloney  was  a  carpenter,  and  worked  at  his  trade  until  he  moved  to  Cali- 
fornia, when  he  gave  his  attention  to  farming.  He  was  very  successful,  and 
before  his  death  he  had  accumulated  quite  a  fortune. 


141  soi^rnu'EST  l ouisiana .■ 

Our  subject  is  tlie  oldest  of  a  family  of  five  children  now  livint^.  He 
received  liis  education  in  the  schools  of  Newfoundland  and  Prince  Edward 
Island.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  work  under  his  father,  learning  the  car- 
penter trade.  He  subsequently  became  engaged  in  a  ship3-ard  on  Prince 
Edward  Island,  and  here  became  familiar  with  ship  building.  He  was  after- 
ward engaged  in  the  Boston  shipyards,  and  later  in  New  York  City.  During 
the  war  he  was  at  Alexandria,  working  in  tlie  government  j-ards.  He  was  after- 
ward engaged  for  a  short  while  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  In  1865  he 
came  to  New  Orleans,  and  was  here  engaged  working  for  a  short  period  at  his 
trade.  Later  on  he  engaged  in  the  government  shipyards  at  Galveston,  Texas. 
In  1886  he  returned  to  New  York  City,  and  afterward  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
remained  for  a  short  while,  and  again  went  to  Galveston,  soon  after  coming  to 
this  place,  where  he  engaged  in  ship  building.  He  makes  on  an  average  thirty- 
six  ships  yearly,  besides  doing  an  immense  amount  of  repairing,  etc.  Mr. 
Cloney  has  seen  considerable  of  the  word  for  one  of  his  age.  When  a  boy 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  shipped  on  a  fishing  excursion  to  Labrador,  going  as 
far  north  as  fishermen  travel. 
''  Mr.  Cloney  was  married,  in  1S71,  to  Miss  Mary  Keough,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Keough,  a  ship  carpenter,  who  learned  his  trade  with  the  celebrated 
Webb  &  Bell.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Florida  war  aird  in  the  struggle  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cloney  are  the  parents  of  six 
living  children,  viz:  James,  Thomas,  Margaret,  John,  Julia  and  Agnes.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cloney  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Cloney  owns  a 
thousand  acres  of  land  bordering  on  Lake  Charles,  with  four  miles  river  front. 
He  is  extensively  engaged  in  stock  raising,  and  also  has  a  fine   orange  grove  of 

f^^•e  hundred  trees.  * 

*  * 

G.  W.  CORKRAN,  Sugartowx. — G,  W.  Corkran  was  born  in  Calcasieu 
parish  in  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  Lewis  and  Elizabeth  Corkran,  both  natives  of 
Louisiana.  His  father  was  a  prominent  planter  and  stock  raiser.  They  are  both 
deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  devoted  his  whole  attention  since  beginning 
business  life  to  planting  and  stock  raising,  in  which  he  has  prospered.  He  gives 
special  attention  to  sheep  raising.  Mr.  Corkran  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Miss 
Mary   A.    Sleighton.     They   have   no    children,    but    are    rearing    an    adopted 

daughter.  * 

*  » 

A.  L.  COLE,  West  Lake. — Abson  L.  Cole  isanative  of  Calcasieu  parish, 
born  in,  1862.  His  parents  were  both  Louisianians.  His  father  was  a  successful 
planter.     He  died  in  1865.     Our  subject's  mother  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Cole  <rrew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in  Calcasieu  parish. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  145 

He  is  now  and  has  been  since  be^'inning  business  life  a  planter  and  stock  raiser. 
He  owns  a  plantation  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  well  improved 
and  fertile.     Mr.  Cole  married  in  1880,  and  is  the  father  of  three  children. 


F.  R.  CURTIS,  Thompson.— F.  R.  Curtis  is  a  native  of  South  Carolina, 
born  Juh'  2u,  1S46.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  Maria  Boyd  (D3'att) 
Curtis,  natives  of  South  Carolina  and  Pennsylvania,  respectivel}'.  Dr.  Curtis 
was  a  prominent  physician  and  planter.  He  married  in  Philadelphia  and  sub- 
sequently removed  to  South  Carolina,  and,  later,  in  1869,  to  St.  James  parish, 
Louisiana,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1888.  tlis  wife  died  in  1876. 
Both  were  strict  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Dr.  Curtis  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Maria  L,  wife  of 
Joseph  Wildeson,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

F.  R.  Curtis  began  life  for  himself  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  years.  He 
was  first  engaged  with  Mitchell,  Bury  &  Tansy,  of  St.  Louis,  in  buying  grain. 
He  was  engaged  with  them  for  about  eighteen  months  when,  in  1869,  he  re- 
moved to  this  parish,  and  in  conjunction  with  his  father  engaged  in  sugar  plant- 
ing. Subsequent!}'  he  engaged  in  the  timber  business,  and  in  this  he  has  been 
principally  engaged  since.  He  now  owns  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good 
land  in  Calcfisieu  parish ;  he  also  has  the  contract  for  carrying  the  mail  from 
Iowa  station  to  Tliompson  post-ofiice.  Mr.  Curtis  has  never  married.  He  is 
a  gentleman  of  fine  business  qualifications. 

*      * 

S.  L.  CARY,  Jennings. — S.  L.  Car}-,  Northern  Immigration  Agent  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  was  born  in  Boston,  Erie  county,  New 
York,  February,  1827.  He  is  the  son  of  V.  R.  and'  Sophia  (Streeter)  Cary, 
natives  of  New  York,  whence  they  removed  to  Freeport,  111.,  in  1852,  where 
Mr.  Cary  engaged  in  farming.  From  that  place  he  removed  to  Iowa,  1S58, 
locating  in  Howard  county,  where  he  purchased  land  and  farmed  for  a  short 
while.  In  1S63  he  returned  with  his  wife  to  Freeport,  111.,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death,  1888.  Mrs.  Cary  died  in  Cresco,  Iowa,  18S7.  Both  were  ac- 
tive members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  three  children.  His 
brother,  John  W.,  is  now  a  resident  of  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  and  his  sister  Udoria, 
wife  of  H.  C.  Vanlouven,  editor  of  the  Vidette;  of  Spring  Valley,  Minn.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  received  a  good  business  education,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  began  a  mercantile  business  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York. 
He  was  here  engaged  for  four  years.  He  married,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two. 
Miss  Sally  J.  Medberry,  daughter  of  David  J.  Medberry,  of  New  York.  They 
became  the  parents  of  one  son  and  one  daughter.       Both  died  in  infancy.       In 


110  SOCT/fU'EST  LGLVSfANA: 

1S53  Mr.  Gary  sold  his  mercantile  interests  in  New  York  and  removed  to  Free- 
port,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  clerking  until  1856,  when  he  went 
to  Forest  City,  Iowa,- and  resumed  the  mercantile  business.  Here  he  remained 
until  18S3,  when  he  removed  to  Jennings,  La.,  and  took  a  homestead  and  tree 
claim  where  the  town  of  Jennings  is  now  situated.  He  now  owns  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  near  this  place,  three  hundred  of  which  are  improved  and 
one  hundred  cultivated  in  rice.  He  has  been  Northern  Immigration  Agent  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  with  an  office  at  Manchester,  Iowa,  for 
several  years.  Mr.  Cary  had  charge  of  the  two  exhibits  at  Sioux  City  Corn 
Palace,  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  He  is  now  doing  all  in  his  power  to  get  up  a  credita- 
ble exhibition  of  Louisiana  products  for  the  World's  Exposition  at  Chicago, 
Mr.  Cary  has  been  instrumental  in  inducing  much  of  the  immigration  to  this 
place,  and  has  been  known  as  the  Joshua  of  the  Iowa  colony,  he  being  the  first 
Northern  settler  in  this  location,  where  there  are  now  ten  thousand  people, 
nearl}'  all  from  the  North.  Mr.  Cary's  first  wife  died  in  Freeport,  111.,  1S53. 
He  afterward  married  Clara  F.  Daniels,  of  Dearborn,  Mich.,  by  whom  he  has 
had  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 


WILLIAM  CARY,  Jennings. — William  Cary,  editor  of  the  Jennings  Re- 
porter, was  born  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  February  2,  1833.  He  "is  the  son  of 
Daniel  M.  and  Darcus  (Price)  Cary,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  the 
latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Daniel  M.  Car}-  removed  to  Ohio  earl}-  in  life,  and  in 
1853  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  in  1879.  four  months 
after  the  death  of  his  wife. 

William  Cary  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  five  boys  and  three 
girls.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  began  business  life 
on  a  farm.  In  1887  he  removed  to  Jennings,  Louisiana,  where  he  engaged  in 
real  estate  and  land  agency  for  two  years.  In  January,  1S89,  he  founded  the 
Jennings  Reporter,  the  only  paper  published  in  the  place.  It  is  principally  de- 
voted to  the  advancement  of  Southwest  Louisiana,  and  Calcasieu  parish  in  partic- 
ular. The  paper  has  met  with  a  hearty  reception,  and  under  its  able  manage 
ment  it  is  destined  to  become  a  power  for  the  accomplishment  of  much  good. 
In  politics  it  is  Republican,  though  not  partisan.  Mr.  Cary  was  married,  in  1856. 
to  Miss  Lucy  E.  O'Hara,  daughter  of  Major  O'Hara,  of  Chockton.  Ohio.  To 
this  union  there  have  been  born  five  sons:  Eldridge.  Francis  P.,  Charles  A., 
Wilford  P.  and  Walter  E.  The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Cary  being  unpleasant,  it 
was  dissolved  by  divorce  in  1887.  Mr.  Cary  was  afterward  married,  in  1890,  to 
Miss  Mary  C.  Kistner,  daughter  of  Charles  Kistner,  proprietor  of  the  Kistner 
Hotel,  of  Jennings,  La. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  147 

ISAIAH  DRURY,  Wklsh. — Isaiah  Drury  was  born  ia  Indiana,  July, 
1S27.  He  is  tlie  son  of  Isaac  and  Hannah  (Reese)  Drury,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Isaac  Drury  removed  to  Mercer  county,  Illinois,  in  1S38,  where 
he  bought  land  and  engaged  in  farming.  Later  he  removed  to  Putnam  county, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  also  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  in  1870.  His 
wife  died  at  the  same  place  in  1875. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  five  brothers  and  four 
sisters,  viz:  William,  Jesse  R.,  Paris,  James  M.,  Celica,  wife  of  David  DutTield, 
of  Illinois;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  James  Robbins  ;  Emilie,  wife  of  James  Boner; 
Vashti,  wife  of  Mr.  Campbell,  of  Putnam  county,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Duflield  is 
deceased.  Until  1885  Isaiah  Drury  was  a  farmer  in  Marshall  county,  Iowa.  In 
this  year  he  removed  to  Calcasieu  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  seventy  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  He 
raises  on  his  farm  a  variety  of  products,  and  by  industry  and  careful  management 
Mr.  Drury  has  been  ver}'  successful. 

He  was  married  in  1847  to  Miss  Margaret  J.  Leech.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz:  Samuel,  now  a  resident  of  Iowa; 
Reese,  of  Iowa  :  Albert,  of  Iowa,  and  William,  of  Lafayette,  Nebraska;  Manala, 
wife  of  James  Daughtery,  of  Iowa;  Ella  N.,  wife  of  John  Cline,  of  this  parish; 
Clara,  of  Lake  Charles,  Louisiana.  Mrs.  Drury  died  in  1880  in  Marshall 
county,  Iowa,  and  Mr.  Drury  afterward  married  Mrs.  Marv  A.  Cline,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.     Mr.  Drury  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

THOMAS  P.  DAVIES,  Jennings.— Thomas  P.  Davies  was  born  in  Wales, 
October  25,  1817.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Price)  Davies,  both 
natives  of  Wales,  where  they  both  resided  until  the  time  of  their  death.  The 
father  died  in  1841  and  the  mother  in  1867. 

Thomas  P.  Davies  is  one  of  a  familjr  of  seven  children,  viz:  our  subject; 
John  (deceased),  Reese,  Anne  (deceased),  Betsy  (deceased),  Mary  (deceased). 
Mr.  Davies  came  to  America  in  1835,  landing  in  New  Orleans  December  10. 
He  was  here  engaged  in  a  commission  business  for  three  years,  the  first  year  in 
partnership  with  Nathan  Smith.  After  this  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
worked  in  the  mayor's  (Col.  Samuel  Davies)  office  for  five  years.  From  there, 
in  1843,  he  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in  the  town 
of  Janesville  for  three  years.  While  here  he  married,  in  1847,  Mrs.  Maria  J.  G. 
Grandy,  born  in  181S,  widow  of  Horton  Grandy  and  daughter  of  Dr.  Leonard 
Gibbs,  of  New  York.  While  in  Wisconsin  Mr.  Davies  was  for  a  time  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  removed  to  Iowa  in  1856,  where  he  became  commissioner  of 
State  lands  and  notary  public.  In  1883  he  removed  from  Iowa  to  Jennings, 
where  he  now  resides.  He  owns  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  twenty- 
five  being  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town,  well  improved  and  with  good 


14S  SOUT/IWEST  LOUISIANA: 

orchaids.     Mr.  Davies  at  present  is  doing  a  large  real  estate  business.     Both  he 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

»     » 

J.  V.   DUIION,  Lake   Charlics. — J.  V.  Duhon  is  a  native  of   Calcasieu  . 
parish,  Louisiana,  born   in   1S44.     He  is  the  son   of  C.    and   A.    Duhon,   both 
natives  of   this   State.     His    father   was  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.      He    was 
reared,  married,  and  spent  his  whole  life  in  Calcasieu  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  in  Calcasieu  parish,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  this  place.  In  1862  he  entered  the  Con- 
federate service  and  enlisted  in  company  A,  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Regiment,  in 
which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Mansfield, 
besides  numerous  other  hotly  contested  engagements.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
lie  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1869  he  married  INIiss  Eliza 
Benoit,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  they  having  become  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  living.  i\Ir.  Duhon  is  one  of  the  successful  planters  and  stock 
raisers  of  this  section;  heownsfrom  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land — only  a 
portion  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  raises  principal!}-  stock.  He  has  recently 
become  interested  in  a  saw-mill  in  partnership  with  Mr.  E.  H.  Burleson,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  work.  Mr.  Duhon  also  carries  a  general  stock  of  merchan- 
dise in  connection  with  the  mill  in  which  lie  is  interested.     He  is  a  prosperous 

business  man.  , 

*      * 

ELLY  H.  DEES,  Lake  Charles. — Elly  H.  Dees,  dealer  in  real  estate 
and  fire  insurance,  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Mississippi,  October  i, 
1863.  He  is  the  son  of  Calvin  E.  and  Marj-  C.  (Tippin)  Dees.  Calvin  Dees 
died  when  our  subject  was  four  3'ears  of  age.  His  mother  has  just  recently 
died.  Calvin  E.  Dees  was  engaged  in  saw-milling  for  manj- years.  Tiie  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  j^oungest  of  a  large  family.  He  receiv^ed  his  education 
chiefly  in  Jackson  county,  Mississippi,  and  later  took  a  commercial  course  at 
Soule's  Commercial  College  in  New  Orleans,  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated in  1880.  After  leaving  school  he  removed  to  Mobile  count}^  Alabama, 
where  he  was  for  some  time  engaged  with  his  brother  in  a  saw-mill  and  timber 
business.  After  having  remained  there  for  a  short  while,  he  came  to  Lake 
Charles  and  became  a  book-keeper  for  L.  C.  Dees  &  Co.,  op*!rators  of  a  large 
saw-mill  at  this  place.  Two  3-ears  later  he  embarked  in  the  liver\-  business,  in 
which  he  continued  for  two  years.  After  this  he  took  a  course  in  short-hand, 
type-writing  and  telegraphy.  Returning  to  Lake  Charles,  he  was  for  a  short 
time  engaged  as  book-keeper  for  D.  Block  &  Bro.  He  was  appointed  deputy 
sheriff  and  tax  collector  in  1885,  and  served  in  this  capacit}^  until  1888. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  as  deputy  tax  collector,  which  office  he 
has  recently  resigned.      In  1890  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Joseph  C.   Gibbs 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  149 

in  real  estate  and  insurance  agency,  and  llie  business  of  this  firm  has  assumed 

such  proportions  that  Mr.  Dees  gives  liis  whole  attention  to  it.     He  was  married 

March  2,  1887,  to  Miss  Lottie  Mayo,  daughter  of  Thad.  Mayo.     They  are  the 

parents  of  one  child,  Laura  C.     Mr.  Dees  was  secretary  of  the  F.  and  A.  M. 

Lodge  at  this  place  in  1S90.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P. 

• 
»     » 

''  EDWARD  ESCOUBAS,  Sugartowx,  Calcasieu  Parish.— Edward 
Escoubas,  a  planter  and  merchant  of  Sugartown,  is  a  native  of  Calcasieu  parish, 
born  February  8,  1S52.  He  is  the  son  of  Adolph  and  Mar}'  (Rigmaider) 
Escoubas.  His  father  was  a  native  of  France,  born  1832,  and  his  mother  of 
Louisiana,  born  1835.  Adolph  Escoubas  came  to  this  parish  in  1842  ;  he  is  now 
a  prosperous  planter,  hotel  keeper  and  liveryman  of  West  Lake  Charles. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  Calcasieu  parish  and 
began  life  as  a  planter,  to  which  he  has  since  given  his  full  attention,  until  18S5, 
when  he  opened  a  general  mercantile  store  at  Sugartown.  Mr.  Escoubas  is  an 
energetic  business  man  and  his  business  undertaking  has  proven  a  success.  He 
was  married,  in  this  parish  in  1870,  to  Miss  Heps}',  daughter  of  Maranda  and 
Lydia  (Foreman)  Perkins.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  two  sons 
and  five  daughters,  six  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Ebenezer,  Livonia,  Delphine, 
Lvdia,  Emma,  Ray,  Adolph  (deceased). 

* 

LEWIS  C.  FOSTER,  Edgerlv. — Lewis  C.  Foster  was  born  in  Texas  in 
1S53.  He  came  to  Louisiana  with  his  parents  when  about  five  3ears  of  age. 
Here  he  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  parish,  and,  when 
a  young  man,  began  farming.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  removed  to 
Texas  early  in  life,  and  from  there  to  Louisiana,  where  he  resided  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  in  1878.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  planters  of  this  parish, 
a  man  of  benevolence  and  public  spirit,  revered  hy  all  who  knew  him.  Our 
subject's  mother  is  a  native  of  Georgia.  She  is  yet  living  and  is  a  resident  of 
this  State. 

Lewis  C.  Foster  has  been  fairly  successful  in  his  chosen  vocation,  and  is 
one  of  Calcasieu's  promising  farmers.  Mr.  Foster  was  married,  in  1883,  to 
Miss  Adelia  Perkins.     They  are  the  parents  of  four  children. 

GEORGE  W.  FOSTER,  Pine  Hill.— George  W.  Foster  is  a  native  of 
Texas,  born  1847.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  his  mother  of  Georgia. 
They  were  married  in  Newton  county,  Texas.  His  father  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  lumbering. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  Texas,  and  began  life 
as  a  farmer.     He  is  now  a  successful  planter  and    stock   raiser   of   this    parish. 


150  SO UTH  WEST  L  O UISIA NA  : 

During  the  civil  war  iMr.  Foster  served  for  a  short  period  in  the  Home  Corps, 
but  was  never  in  active  service.  He  was  married,  May  21,  1871,  to  Miss  Orinda 
Isabelle  Coehren.  They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Mr.  Foster  is  a  member  of  tlie  Missionary  Baptist  church.  Both  he  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  Millertown  Lodge. 

* 

*     * 

ULYSSE  FRUGE,  Lake  Charles. — Mr.  Fruge  is  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  August  7,  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Lastie  and  Arsene  (Fusilier)  Fruge, 
both  natives  of  Louisiana,  the  former  born  in  1805,  and  the  latter  in  1811. 
Lastie  Fruge  was  a  prosperous  stock  dealer  and  planter.  He  married  in  St. 
Landr}'  parish  in  1826.  To  this  union  sixteen  children  were  l^orn,  eight  sons 
and  eight  daughters,  of  whom  six  are  now  living,  viz :  Lastie,  H.  L.,  Clara,  wife 
of  Andrew  Jackson;  Mary,  wife  of  H.  L.  Harold;  Ultimer,  wife  of  John 
Dunavent.     The  father  died  in  1882,  and  the  mother  in  1S53. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  parisli.  He 
began. life  as  a  planter,  to  which  he  has  given  his  attention  since  that  time.  He 
was  married  in  1S67  to  Miss  Emilie  Corbello,  a  native  of  Louisiana.  They  are 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  eight  sons  and  four  daughters.  During  the 
late  war  Mr.  Fruge  served  in  Company  F,  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  in  which 
he  enlisted  in  the  beginning.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Port  Royal,  First 
IManassas,  Charleston,  Middletown,  Winchester,  Port  RepubHc,  Seven  Days' 
Fight  around  Richmond,  and  the  battle  at  Fredericksburg.  He  was  captured  on 
the  Rappahannock  and  was  taken  prisoner  to  Point  Lookout,  where  he  was  con- 
fined for  four  months,  when  he  was  exchanged.  He  then  returned  to  Richmond, 
where  he  was  granted  a  furlough  for  sixty  days.  He  returned  home,  and  before 
the  expiration  of  the  furlough  the  war  closed.  Mr.  Fruge  has  been  quite  suc- 
cessful as  a  planter.  His  place  consists  of  two  hundred  acres,  well  cultivated 
and  under  good  improvement.  , 

DENNIS  M.  FOSTER,  Lake  Charles.— Dennis  I\L  Foster,  post-master 
of  Lake  Charles,  -was  born  in  Summerset  county,  Maine,  Januar}'  23,  1S44. 
He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Lucy  Foster.  D.  M.  Foster  was  educated  in 
Alton,  Maine.  In  July,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  service.  Com- 
pany A,  Twentieth  Regiment  of  Maine  Volunteers,  as  a  private.  He  was  after- 
ward promoted  to  captain  of  the  Eighty-First  United  States  Colored  Regiment 
and  brevet  major  of  United  States  Volunteers.  He  pardcipated  in  the  battles 
at  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Sharpsburg,  Ball's  Bluff,  Shepardstown  Ford, 
Fredericksburg  and  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  war 
he  was  in  New  Orleans.  Shortly  afterward  he  began  a  mercantile  business  at 
Gretna,  Louisiana,  in  which  he  continued  one  year.  Soon  after  he  went  to 
Pointe    Coupee    parish,  and   was    occupied    in    cotton   planting  during  the  year 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  151 

1S67,  when  all  his  properly  being  destro\-ed  by  overflow,  he  removed  from  there 
in  1869  and  came  to  Lake  Charles.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  timber  business  on 
the  Calcasieu  River,  in  which  he  has  been  interested  more  or  less  until  recently. 
For  the  past  few  years  he  has  given  his  attention  to  mercantile  business  at  this 
place.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  post-master  at  Lake  Charles.  Mr.  Foster  was 
married  in  1865  to  Miss  Martha  B.  Shattuck,  daughter  of  Benj.  T.  Shattuck. 
To  them  nine  children  have  been  born,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  six  of 
whom  are  living.  ^ 

*      « 

(^  REUBEN  FLANAGAN  GRAY,  M.  D.,  Lake  Charles.— Dr.  Reuben 
F.  Gray  was  born  in  Abbeville  district.  South  Carolina,  August  12,  iSii.  He 
received  the  benefit  of  a  thorough  collegiate  education,  and  was  a  graduate  of 
tiie  University  of  Maryland,  Baltimore.     After  completing  his  literary  education 

I  he  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Geddings.  Later  he  pursued  a  course  in  med- 
icine at  the  medical  college  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  received  his  degree.  He 
was  married  in  South  Carolina,  in  1S39,  '^°  Miss  F.  C.  Chiles,  a  native   of  that 

1  State.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Bienville  parish,  Louisiana,  and  there  remained 
uptil  1867,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  St.  Landry  parish,  and  two  years  later 
to  Lake  Charles,  where  lie  was  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  1867  Dr.  Gray 
made  a  visit  to  British  and  Spanish  Honduras,  where  he  remained  several 
months  during  the  cholera  scourge  of  "67,  administering  to  those  who  needed 
his  services.      He  had  three   sons  in   the  Confederate  service.     While  in  South 

>      Carolina  Dr.  Gray  acquired  a  brilliant  reputation  as  a  physician  and  surgeon. 

I  After  locating  in  Lake  Charles  he  practised  his  profession  here  until  within  a 
few  months  of  his  death,  when  age  and  failing  health  compelled  Iiim  to  suspend 
the  active  labors  of  his  long  and  useful  life.  Few  names  in  Louisiana  are  more 
w  idely  known  or  will  be  more  gratefull}-  remembered  than  Dr.  Gra}''s.  With 
a  mind  vigorous  and  highly  cultivated,  he  joined  superior  skill  and  great  expe- 
rience in  the  medical  .profession,  and  to  these  he  added  a  most  kindl}"  and 
generous  disposition,  and  a  heart  throbbing  with  benevolent  and  charitable 
impulses.  When  suffering  humanity  came  his  way  he  never  passed  b}'  on  the 
other  side:  and  the  fact  that  a  sufferer  was  poor  and  friendless  was  a  guarantee 
that  he  might  rel_v  on  Dr.  Gray  for  his  sympathy  and  relief.  He  has  been 
known,  in  Lake  Charles,  to  take  a  sick  railroad  laborer  from  the  roadside  to  his 
own  house  and  give  him  a  room,  to  the  serious  inconvenience  of  his  own  famity, 
and  to  minister  to  his  wants  for  weeks  until  health  was  full}'  restored,  of  course 
without  a  hope  of  other  compensation  than  the  gratitude  of  the  sufferer.  Before 
the  war  his  eminent  skill  and  reputation  in  his  profession  gave  him  a  practice  so 
highl\-  lucrative  that,  notwithstanding  his  large  charity  practice  and  his  indispo- 
sition to  ask  any  one  for  payment  of  his  services,  he  was  enabled  to  surround 
himself  and  his    large  family  with    the    appliances  of  ease    and  comfort.     Like 


152  SOL'J'inVEST  LOriSIANA: 

thousands  of  others  he  lost  all  his  means  b)'  the  war,  and  the  exhausting-  labors 
of  many  years  left  him  ill  prepared  to  renew  life's  battles.  His  kindly  dispo- 
sition was  not,  however,  soured  by  his  reverses,  and  he  quietly  took,  up  and 
bravely  carried  the  heavy  burdens  of  an  active  physician's  life  until  exhausted 
nature  could  carr\-  them  no  further. 

*  * 
^  JOHN  G.  GRAY,  Lake  Chari.es.— John  G.  Gray  is  a  native  of  Winston 
countv,  Mississippi,  born  February  8,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Keuben  F. 
Gray,  whose  sketch  appears  above.  He  was  reared  in  Bienville  parish,  Louis- 
iana, and  received  his  primary  education  in  that  parish.  He  subsequenth'^ 
attended  Soule's  Commercial  College  at  New  Orleans,  from  which  institution 
he  graduated.  When  but  a  boy  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  plantation,  which 
he  continued  to  operate  until  the  death  of  his  father.  After  leaving  the  planta- 
tion he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  lumber,  and  saw-milling  in  all  its 
branches,  including  steamboating  on  the  Calcasieu  River.  He  is  a  practical 
surveyor,  and  has  for  many  years  been  connected  with  the  land  bureau.  Since 
he  has  been  living  in  Lake  Charles  he  has  tilled  the  unexpired  term  of  clerk  of 
the  district  court  in  Calcasieu  parish ;  besides  which  he  has  occupied  several 
positions  of  trust  with  credit.  Mr.  Gra}'  is  a  successful  business  man,  and  has 
accumulated  considerable  property.  He  owns  a  plantation  in  Calcasieu  parish 
of  over  seven  thousand  acres  of  land;  besides  land  which  he  owns  in  other 
parishes.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  member  of  Chapter  32,  also  a  member 
of  the  Lake  Charles  Lodge,  No.  165.  He  was  married,  June  7,  1880,  to  Miss 
Mary  Kirkman,  of  Lake  Charles.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz: 
William  Kirkman,  Mabel  AL.  Henry,  John  G.,  Jr. 

»  » 
JOSEPH  C.  GIBBS,  Lake  Charles.— Joseph  C.  Gibbs,  the  lately  de- 
ceased attorney  of  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  District,  was  born  in  Opelousas,  Lou- 
isiana, and  died  in  Lake  Charles,  December  3,  1890,  at  the  age  of  thirt3--four 
years.  Mr.  Gibbs  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  July,  1884,  and  practised  in  Ope- 
lousas for  a  short  while,  when  he  located  in  Lake  Charles  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Judge  Kearney.  After  Judge  Kearney's  death  Mr.  Gibbs  was  ap- 
pointed district  attorney  to  fill  the  unexpired  term.  He  was  afterward  elected  to 
fill  the  same  position,  and  was  one  of  the  most  popular  attorneys  who  has  ever 
occupied  that  responsible  position.  His  death  at  such  an  untimely  age  was  a  great 
shock  to  his  numerous  friends,  and  was  sincerely  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him. 

»      * 
*^      A.  M.   GAUTHIER,  Jennings.- A.  RL   Gauthier,  planter,  was  born  and 
reared  in  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana.     He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  ALu-celite 
''Cormier)  Gauthier.     diaries  Gauthier  is  a  native  of  New  York,  but  removed 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  155 

with  his  parents  to  New  Orleans  when  ten  j-ears  of  age.  He  became  a  prosper- 
ous planter  in  St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  died,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
in  187S.     The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Louisiana.     She  died  in 

1844-  _  _  .       .  ■. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  in  i86r,  enlisted  in 
the  Confederate  States  service,  New  Orleans  Defenders,  and  was  in  active  ser- 
vice. He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Baton  Rouge,  siege  of  Port 
Hudson  and  Mansfield.  At  Port  Hudson  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  was  con- 
fined for  nine  months,  after  which  he  returned  home.  It  was  not  long  before  he 
again  entered  service,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then 
returned  to  St.  Martin  parish,  and  in  December,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Mary 
T.  Andrus,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Lazeme  (Guidry)  x\ndrus,  natives  of  Louis- 
iana. Mr.  Gauthier  removed,  in  1869,  to  Calcasieu  parish,  where  he  purchased 
land,  and  he  has  given  his  chief  attention  since  to  planting.  He  has  a  good 
farm  at  this  place  of  eight  hundred  acres,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  whicli  he 
cultivates,  principally  in  rice.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  ten  cliildren, 
sc\en  of  whom 'are  now  living:  Orelien,  Aurelia,  AngelinCvCornelius,  Valerie, 
Overton  and  Edward  B.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gauthier  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  ^ 

^  JOSEPH  GOODMAN,  Lake  Charles.— Joseph  Goodman  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  February  15,  1829.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  and  Francisca  (Consel- 
mon)  Goodwin,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  was  a  car- 
penter, and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Germany,  where  he  and  our  subject's  motl-.er 
both  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  America  in  1S53,  and  settled  in  Halifax. 
From  there  he  removed  to  St.  Joe,  British  America,  and  from  the  last  place  to 
Boston,  Massachusetts, and  later  still  to  New  York.  He  was  afterward  located  lor 
a  short  while  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  Lawrence,  Kansas.  He  came  to  New 
Orleans  in  1856,  where  he  remained  until  1S58,  w'hen  he  located  in  Lake  Charles, 
and  here  he  has  resided  since  that  time.  Mr.  Goodman  was  married,  in  186S, 
to  Catherine  Hubert,  a  native  of  Germany.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Daniel,  Julius  and  Rudolph.  Mr.  Goodman  served  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  Civil  War  in  the  artillery  service.  Since  his  return  from  the  War  he  has 
given  his  attention  exclusively  to  planting.  He  owns  a  good  plantation,  where 
he  resides,  and  on  which  he  raises  rice  and  corn  principallv-  He  also  has  an 
orange  grove  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  trees,  besides  other  fruit  trees.  ]\Ir.  Good- 
man and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*     * 
REV.   IL    GELLERT,  Jennings.— Rev.   H.   Gellert  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  April  27,  1S51.      His  father.  Edward   Gellert,  was  also   a   native  of 
lOii 


156  SOUTIIW  EST  L  OVISIAXA  : 

Germany,  wliere  lie  died  in  1855.      Our  subjecl's  motlier  came  to  Louisiana  and 
resided   near  Jennings  until  her  death. 

Rev.  II  Geliert  came  to  New  Orleans  in  1871.  He  was  educated  in 
Germany,  where  he  pursued  a  theological  course.  He  also  received  a  medi- 
cal education  in  German\-.  After  a  few  j'cars  of  ministerial  work  he  began 
in  addition  to  this  Ihe  praciice  of  medicine.  He  resided  in  New  Orleans  until 
1874.  ^O'^'  two  jears  preeeding  1S74  he  was  engaged  in  ministeriiil  labors 
in  Pittsburg,  Penns\lvania.  For  eight  j'ears  following  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  same  kind  of  work  at  Newport,  Kentuckj-.  During  tliis  time  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  Indretrant,  of  Newport.  From  Newport  he  was  called  to 
Dayton,  Ohio,  under  appointment  as  chaplain  of  the  National  Soldiers'  Home 
at  tliis  place.  He  was  appointed  in  18S5  by  the  Educational  Board  of  Managers 
at  Washington.  He  served  in  this  capacity  for  three  years,  and  received  a  letter 
of  the  highest  commendation  from  those  in  charge  of  the  Soldiers'  Home,  and 
from  his  congregation.  His  partialitj-  to  Louisiana  as  place  of  residence  caused 
him  to  return  to  this  State,  and  he  is  now  engaged  in  his  clerical  duties  in  Jen- 
nings, Crowley,  and^many  German  congregation  in  the  adjoining  parishes.  Mr. 
Gellen's  ministerial  labors  are  all  gratis.  He  receives  his  income  from  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  and  the  rents  from  his  plantations,  eleven  in  number,  aggregat- 
ing se^en  thousand  acres,  upon  which  he  has  tenants,  who,  this  year,  raised  over 
three  thousand  sacks  of  rice,  and  he  expects  to  double  the  increase  in  the  future. 


T.  E.  GEORGE,  Lake  Charles.— T.  E.  George,  of  the  firm  of  George 
&  Swift,  was  born  in.Springfield,  Limestone  county,  Texas,  October  18,  1859. 
He  is  tlie  son  of  Edgar  B.  George  and  Susan  Aurelia  Sorrelle,  natives  of  Missis- 
sippi and  Penns3-lvania,  respective!}'.  Edgar  B.  George  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  iNIobile,  Alabama,  and  later  in  life  moved  to  Marshall,  Texas,  at  which  place 
lie  pursued  his  vocation  with  marked  success.  He  subsequently  located  in 
Springfield,  and  through  an  unfortunate  accident  met  his  death  in  1859. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  after  reaching  the  age  of  ten  had  no  advantages 
of  school,  and  his  success  later  in  life  is  to  be  attributed  solely  to  his  own  exer- 
tions. When  fourteen  he  began  work  in  the  saw-mills  of  Orange,  Texas,  where 
he  remained  from  1872  to  1883.  In  1885  he  moved  to  Lake  Charles  and  formed 
a  partnership  with  D.  R.  Swift,  at  which  place  they  engaged  in  the  liver}'  busi- 
ness on  a  small  scale,  opening  in  connection  therewith  a  blacksmith  shop,  and 
their  present  large  business  is  the  outgrowth  of  this  humble  beginning.  Mr. 
George  is  a  llioroughl)'  progressive  citizen,  and  is  never  found  wanting  in  an}- 
thing  that  tends  to  the  material  advantage  of  his  section.  He  has  served  two 
terms  as  member  of  the  city  council.  In  18S3  he  married  Miss  Mollie  E.  Price, 
of  Calvert,  Texas.     The  mother  of  our  subject  still  resides  in  Orange,  Texas. 


HISTORICAL   AXn  BIOGRAPHICAL.  157 

^  W.  H.  HASKELL,  Lake  Charles-. — William  Haskell,  who  was  born  in 
England,  1617,  and  removed  with  his  two  brothers  to  Beverly,  Massachusetts, 
1632,  and  from  thence  to  Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  1643,  where  he  died  in 
1693,  is  the  ancestor  from  which  the  whole  famih-  is  descended.  Our  subject's 
mother  is  still  livingin  Boston,  Massachusetts,  being  ninet3--four  years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  seven  children.  He  spent  his 
school  days  in  Newburyport,  and  the  last  year  in  Winthrop,  Maine,  receiving  a 
thorough  academic  education.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  left  school  and 
went  to  sea.  He  gradually  rose  from  sailor  to  commander  of  vessels,  and  visited 
ports  in  Europe,  South  America  and  tlie  W\'stLidies.  In  1848  he  settled  in  New 
Orleans  (having  abandoned  seafaring  life)  and  went  into  business.  In  1851  he 
went  to  Lake  Charles,  and,  finaH\-,  in  1852,  settled  there,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  In  1855  he  was  elected  recorder  and  notary  and  held  that  office 
several  years.  At  tire  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  engaged  as  a  saw-mill 
hand.  He  was  in  tl^e  Confederate  service  for  a  short  time,  and  was  honorably 
discharged,  when  General  Butler  captured  New  Orleans,  b}-  the  breaking  up  of 
the  battalion  to  which  he  was  attached  as  quartermaster,  and  returned  home, 
\\here  he  soon  after  received  the  appointment  of  deput}'  collector  of  customs  for 
the  district  of  the  Teche,  which  office  he  held,  together  with  deputy  Confeder- 
ate marshal  for  said  district,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he  resumed 
operation  as  a  saw-mill  hand  for  a  short  time,  when  he  received  the  appointment 
cf  parish  recorder  and  notary  ex-officio,  in  which  capacity  he  served  several 
\'ears.  In  1869  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  from  the  parish,  and  served  one 
term.  In  1872  he  was  appointed  sheriff  of  the  parish,  which  office  he  held  for 
two  years.  In  1874  '^^  ^^"^^  again  appointed  deputy-  collector  of  customs  for  the 
district  of  the  Teche,  which  office  he  held  two  j^ears.  In  1876,  accompanied  by 
all  his  famil\-  except  Frank  E.  and  Hallie  L.,  Mr.  Haskell  returned  to  his  native 
home  on  a  visit,  it  having  been  twenty-six  j-ears  since  his  last  visit. 

He  subsequently,  in  1879,  engaged  as  hotel  proprietor,  in  which  business  he 
continued  about  three  years.  After  that,  for  a  period  of  several  years,  he  was 
not  engaged  in  any  business. 

He  again,  in  company'  with  Ids  wife,  in  1885,  visited  his  native  home,  and  in 
1886  visited  California  and  New  Mexico.  In  1888  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  and  in  1890  added  the  business  of  insurance  agency,  in  which  business 

he  is  still  engaged.  , 

*     « 

'^  A.  P.  HEBERT,  Lake  Arthur.  —A.  P.  Htbert  was  born  in  Calcasieu 
parish.  Louisiana,  April,  1838.  He  is  the  son  of  Placide  and  Evelyn  (Richard) 
Hebert,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Placide  Hebert  was  a  planter  all  his  life. 
He  died,  in  1884,  on  his  farm  near  Lake  Arthur.  His  widow  still  sur^•ives  liim 
and  is  seventy-seven  years  of  age. 


158  SOUTHIVEST  L  OUJSIANA  : 

A.  P.  Hebert  is  one  of  a  family  of  three  children.  His  sisters,  Louisa,  wife 
of  Telesphore  Landry,  and  Hortense,  wife  of  D.  Derouen,  both  reside  in  Cal- 
casieu parish.  Mr.  Hebert  has  been  chiefly  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising,  though  for  the  last  two  years  he  has  been  in  charge  of  a  store  at  Lake 
Arthur  for  the  firm  of  Derouen  &  Andrus.  He  owns  a  farm  near  Lake  Arthur, 
which  he  operates  chiefly  as  a  stock  farm.  Mr.  Hebert  served  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  late  war,  his  field  of  duty  being  Texas.  He  was  married,  in  1867, 
to  Charlotte  Lacour,  of  Vermilion  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  one  daughter — Arthur,  Cora,  Jules. 

*  * 
V  PIERRE  A.  HEBERT,  Welsh  P.  O.— Pierre  A.  Hebert  was  born  in 
Assumption  parish,  Louisiana,  June  28,  1828.  He  is  a  son  of  Eli  and  Azeli 
(Pytre)  Hebert,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  They  had  born  to  them  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  three  of  whom  are  living.  Eli  Hebert  was  a 
successful  planter.  '  He  died  in  1844  and  his  wife  in  1S78. 

Pierre  A.  Hebert  is  one  of  the  pioneer  planters  of  Calcasieu  parish.  Tq 
ai;ricultural  matters  he  has  given  his  attention  all  his  Hfe.  His  plantation  con- 
sists of  three  hundred  and  twentjr  acres  of  land,  well  improved  and  with  a  good 
orchard.  Mr.  Hebert  was  married,  in  1855,  to  Miss  Melina  Robichot,  a  native 
of  Louisiana,  born  1828.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Domi- 
thilde,  wife  of  Alfred  Bourgouis,  and  Octavie,  wife  of  O.  A.  Roussond. 

* 

"^  DOSSILEE  H.  HEBERT,  Iowa  Station.— D.  H.  Hebert,  a  successful 
planter  of  Ward  3,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  June  4,  1844.  He  is  the 
son  of  Laslie  and  Lucy  (Augustine)  Hebert,  natives  of  Louisiana.  His 
father  was  a  planter,  and  was  reared,  married  and  spent  his  whole  life  in  Cal- 
casieu parish.  There  were  born  to  this  union  ten  children,  four  sons  and  six- 
daughters,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch-  being  the 
oldest  son.  Lastie  Hebert  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  from  1S61  until 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1864.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  and  now  resides 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Alice  Lazie. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  parish.  He 
was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Mary  Haze,  who  died  in  1S83,  having  become  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  viz':  Leoneze,  Adam, Daniel,  Michael,  Margaret,  James. 
Mr.  Hebert,  in  1861,  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Twenty-eighth  Louisiana  Regiment, 
serving  until  the  close  of  the  war.  When  the  war  was  over  he  returned  home 
and  engaged  in  planting.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  most  successful  planters 
of  his  neighborhood,  ;\nd  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  of  which  are  under  cultivation .  The  principal  products  of  his 
plantation  are  rice  and  sweet  potatoes.    His  farm  is  located  fifteen  miles  northeast 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPIITCAL.  15<1 

of  Lake  Charles  and  fiv^e  miles  north  of  Iowa  Station.  It  is  well  improved  and 
bears  evidence  of  good  management.  Mr.  Hebert  is  a  public-spirited  man,  and 
is  foi^most  in  all  efforts  that  tend  to  the  promotion  of  his  section.  In  1883  he 
married  a  second  time,  Miss  Eliza  Mither ;  to  this  union  have  been  born  four 
children,  Amelia,  Mar}'  D.,  David,  Paul.  Mr.  Hebert  is  giving  to  each  of  his 
children  a  good,  practical,  business  education. 

D.  HKBERT,  L.\ke  Arthur. — D.  Hebert  was  born  October,  1S36,  near 
where  he  resides.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Clarisse  (Broussard)  Hebert, 
natives  of  what  was  then  Lafaj'^ette  parish,  Louisiana.  The  Hebert  famih-  is 
purely  of  French  extraction.  Alexander  Hebert  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Calcasieu  parish,  having  located  there  when  a  young  man.  He  was  a  large  land 
holder  and  an  extensive  stock  raiser;  he  died  August,  1865,  his  widow  surviving 
him  until  December,  1890,  being  eiglit}'-six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
Tiie\-  reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  eight  sons  and  two  daughters,  only  three 
of  wiiom  are'  now  living,  tlie  subject  of  this  sketch  and  two  daughters,  viz: 
Aspasie,  wife  of  Napoleon  Broussard,  and  Carmelite,  wife  of  Gustave  Laurent. 

D.  Hebert  owns  over  six  tliousand  acres  of  land  in  this  section  and  gives 
his  attention  chiefly  to  stock  dealing.  During  the  late  war  Mr.  Hebert  was  on 
duty  in  Texas,  from  1862  until  its  close.  Mr.  Hebert  is  a  liberal  contributor  to 
all  laudable  enterprises.  He  is  a  progressive  and  a  good  business  man.  He 
has  twice  married,  his  first  wife  was  Miss  Euphemie  Hebert,  whom  he  married 
in  1S62.  Mrs.  Hebert  died  in  1890,  and  Mr.  Hebert  afterward  married  Miss 
Osite  Ledoux,  of  this  parish.  ^ 

U  WILLIAM  L.  HUTCHINS,  Lake  Charles.— William  L.  Hutchins, 
treasurer  of  Calcasieu  parish,  and  a  prominent  merchant  of  Lake  Cliarles,  was 
born  in  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  September  19,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of 
William  and  Eulalie  D.  (Autreuil)  Hutchins,  the  former  a  native  of  St.  Landry, 
and  the  latter  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana.  They  removed  to  Lake 
Charles  in  185S,  where  Wm.  Hutchins  died  in  1865,  his  widow  surviving  him 
until  1890. 

William  Hutchins  was  a  journalist,  and  was  editor  of  the  first  paper  published 
in  Calcasieu  parish — The  Calcasieu  Gazette.  During  the  war  he  was  parish 
recorder. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  and  learned  the  printer's  trade  with  his  father,  with  whom  he 
he  was  afterward  engaged  in  publishing  the  Gazette  at  this  place.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Tenth  Louisiana  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  until  discharged  in  1862.  In  June  of  the  same  year  he 
joined    Company  A,  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  three  years, 


ICO  sory-jJU'EST  Lor/syAAA  .■ 

when  he  was  transferred  to  the  marine  department,  on  llie  vessel  "Wave," 
wliich  the  Confederate  government  had  captured.  He  was  afterward  trans- 
ferred to  the  steamer  "Cora,"  which  was  captured  by  the  Federal  gun-boat 
"Quaker  City,"  between  Rio  Grande  and  Point  Isabelle.  He  was  made 
prisoner  and  taken  to  New  Orleans.  He  was  subsequently  engaged  in  the  battle 
at  Franklin,  Louisiana,  where  he  was  made  prisoner  and  sent  to  New  Orleans 
and  remanded  to  prison.  After  remaining  there  for  six  months  lie  made  iiis 
escape  by  boring  a  hole  through  the  brick  wall  of  the  piison  and  made  his  way 
to  Bayou  Sara,  on  the  steamer  "Empii-e  Parish"  as  a  deck  hand.  From  there 
he  went  to  Tunica  Landing,  where  he  crossed  the  river  and  made  his  way 
through  the  Atchafalaya  Swamps  to  Morgan's  Ferry.  From  there  he  went  to 
WashingtOH,  Louisiana,  thence  home, 'on  board  the  gunboat  previously  men- 
tioned. At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Hutchins  was  engaged  as  salesman  in 
a  mercantile  house  at  Lake  Charles  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  He  afterward 
became  the  partner  of  James  Munn  in  large  saw-milling  interests  at  this  place. 
This  partnership  was  subsequently  dissolved,  and,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  John 
W.  O'Neil,  continued  business  for  eleven  years  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lake 
Cliarles.  Several  years  since  he  sold  his  milling  interests  and  opened  a  mer- 
cantile business  in  Lake  Charles.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the 
parish  of  Calcasieu,  and  in  this  capacity  he  has  served  since  that  time.  Prob- 
ably no  other  man  in  the  State  has  held  this  office  for  a  similar  length  of  time. 
Mr.  Hutchins  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Eugenia  Reid, daughter  of  D.  J. 
Reid.  She  died  in  1880,  having  become  the  mother  of  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  In  1883  Mr.  Hutchins  married 
again.  Miss  Lizzie  M.  Hennington,  of  Mississippi.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters.  Mr.  Hutchinson  is  Vice  Chancel- 
lor of  the  K.  of  P.  organization  of  this  place. 

» 

CAPT.  THOMAS  HANSEN,  Lake  Charles.— Capt.  Thomas  Hansen, 
the  proprietor  of  a  large  shingle  manufactory  of  Lake  Charles,  was  born  in  Hol- 
stein,  Prussia  (then  Denmark),  November  12,  1831.  He  was  educated  in  Hol- 
stein,  where  he  learned  ship  building.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  came  to 
New  Orleans,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  the  opening  of  the  war.  During 
this  period  he  was  engaged  in  the  Confederate  States  service  in  building  gun-boats. 
He  was  m  New  Orleans  when  it  was  taken  possession  of  by  Federal  troops, 
on  which  event  he  went  to  Me.xico,  and  was  located  at  Matamoros  when  the  war 
closed.  He  was  afterward  the  owner  and  master  of  a  schooner,  which  plied 
between  the  Mississippi  and  Mexico.  While  master  of  this  schooner,  Capt. 
Hansen  penetrated  all  the  bayous,  bays  and  rivers  of  Southwest  Louisiana.  In 
1867  he  located  at  Lake  Charles,  where  he  continued  in  ship  building.  In  1SS2, 
in   partnershi])  with  Jacol:)  Ryan,  he  erected   a   shingle   manufactory   at   Lake 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  IHI 

Charles,  wliicli  he  lias  operated  since  that  time.  This  mill  has  a  capacit}-  for 
the  manuf;icture  of  seventy  thousand  shingles  per  day.  The  timher  from  wliich 
they  are  manufactured  is  obtained  from  cypress  swamps,  and  rafted  down  the 
Calcasieu  River  to  Lake  Charles.  The  business  has  grown  until  the  firm  lia/e 
a  large  demand  from  different  sections  of  the  country  for  their  shingles.  Capt. 
Hansen  was  married,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Peetz,  a  native  of  Denmark,  but 
at  the  time  a  resident  of  New  Orleans.  The}^  became  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  two  daughters.  Capt.  Hansen  has  been  several  times  a 
member  of  the  town  council,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  municipal  and  parish 
affairs.     He  is  a  Mason  and  a  K.  of  H. 


A.  P.  HEWETT,  Welsh.— A.  P.  Hewett,  planter,  was  born  in  Ohio,  No- 
vember, 1S39.  H*^  '^  ^'^^  ^0"  o^  Charles  and  Philoxana  (Parker)  Hewett, 
natives  of  New  York.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  five  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Ira  C,  deceased;  Charles  C,  Coryden,  A.  P.,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  William  H.  H.,  deceased;  Sally  J.,  deceased,  and  Clarissa,  deceased. 
Charles  Hewett,  with  his  family,  removed  from  New  York  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
day,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  Thence  he  removed  to  Wisconsin,  in  1S43, 
where  he  died  in  i860.     The  mother  of  our  subject  died  in  1862. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  schooling  in  Ohio  and  Wisconsin. 
He  enlisted  in  the  United  States  army  in  1861,  Third  Wisconsin  Infantry,  under 
Col.  Hamilton,  and  was  assigned  to  service  in  Virginia  and  Maryland.  He  only 
served  for  one  year,  being  discharged  owing  to  disability.  Mr.  Hewetf,  when 
young,  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  wheelwright,  which  occupation  he  fol- 
lowed in  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin.  After  the  war  he  located  in  Hovyard  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade  for  a  number  of  years.  He  came 
to  Calcasieu  parish,  Louisiana,  in  1887,  and  engaged  in  farming.  His  farm 
consists  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  seventy-five  of  which  are  under  cultiva- 
tion and  well  improved.  He  raises  a  variety  of  products,  principally  rice  and 
corn.  Mr.  Hewett  is  a  member  both  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fraterni- 
ties. He  was  married  in  Madison,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Kate  Knowlton,  of  New 
York.  To  them  have  been  born  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters: 
•Frank,  Ada  (deceased),  Edith,  wife  of  John  White,  of  Minnesota;  Nettie  A., 
Charles,  Lulu  (deceased)  and  Harry  (deceased). 

« 

*     * 

^  CAPT.  GREEN  HALL,  Lake  Charles.  — Capt.  Green  Hall  died 
November  18,  1890,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  j^ears.  He  was  born  on  the  Teche, 
in  Terrebonne  parish.  Louisiana.  His  father,  John  Hall,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
reared  and  mairied  there.  He  came  to  Louisiana  when  comparatively  a  young 
man  and  followed  the  trade  of.  blacksmith. 


u>-2  sorvv/ii  Bsy  /. oc/sy.i.y.i .■ 

Capt.  Green  Hall  was  hut  a  boy  when  his  parents  died.  He  was  reared 
in  Hamilton,  Louisiana,  wliere  he  received  a  common  school  education. 
When  quite  young  he  began  steamboating,  and  was  for  some  time  captain  of  the 
steamboat  Elephant,  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers.  Before  the  war  he 
went  to  Texas  and  was  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  Trinity  River.  He 
was  here  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  struggle 
he  joined  the  Confederate  marine  department  and  was  made  captain  of  a 
gunboat  on  the  Calcasieu  River.  During  his  service  in  this  capacit}'  he  was 
in  everv  river  west  of  the  Mississippi  that  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Some  of  his  expeditions  were  very  daring,  but  nearly  al\va3-s  successful.  He 
was  at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Pass  in  1863,  and  was  in  command  of  the  ves- 
sel when  J.  H.  Bell  was  captured.  One  of  his  most  successful  feats  was 
running  the  blockade  on  the  Calcasieu,  alone,  with  a  cotton  cargo,  when 
fifteen  Federal  gun-boats  guarded  the  river.  Jle  was  subsequenth-  taken  prisoner 
and  detained  at  New  Orleans  for  six  months.  After  the  war  he  was  at  Mata- 
moros  for  a  short  while  and  returned  to  Lake  Charles,  where  he  married  Miss 
Ernestine  Nettleroad,  and  here  permanently  located.  He  was  for  man}'  years 
engaged  in  the  timber  business,  and,  in  1875,  he  opened  a  hotel  in  Lake  Charles. 
His  first  wife  died  in  1876,  and,  in  1878,  he  married  Miss  Sophia  Winterhaulder, 
of  New  Orleans.  By  the  first  marriage  he  became  the  father  of  three  children, 
viz:  Lily,  Emma  and  Charles  H.  The  last  marriage  resulted  in  the  birth  of 
three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Ludie  Wickie  and  Mary.  Mrs. 
Hall  is.  a  native  of  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  and  removed  with  her  parents  to  this 
country  when  quite  young.  Capt.  Hall  was  a  most  liberal  hearted  gentleman, 
and  a  revered  citizen.  Though  leaving  a  competency  to  his  family,  he  was  not 
considered  wealthv. 


C.  P.  HAMPTON,  Edgerlv.— C.  P.  Hampton  is  a  native  of  Texas,  born 
in  1844,  ^"  ^^^^  '-''•y  '-'^  Marshall,  of  which  his  grandfather  was  the  founder. 

C.  P.  Hampton  came  to  Louisiana  in  1856  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Cal- 
casieu parish  for  sixteen  years,  having  resided  in  Rapides  parish  previous  to  lo- 
cating in  Calcasieu.  In  1861  Mr.  Hampton  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  and 
was  in  the  Army  of  Tennessee,  serving  during  the  whole  war.  Mr.  Hampton 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs.  He  was  elected  State  Senator  in  18S4 
and  reelected  in  188S.  During  his  term  of  service  he  has  been  active  in  all 
measures  to  promote  the  interests  of  this  section.  Mr.  Hampton  deals  largely 
in  lumber  and  has  a  mill  at  Vinton.  He  is  also  a  successful  farmer  and  has  a 
plantation  of  two  thousand  acres,  eight  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 
Mr.  Hampton  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Louvinia  Perkins.  They  are  the 
parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 


i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  103 

W.  M.  HOLIDAY,  Lorettk. — W.  M.  Holidaj-  is  a  nativeof  Jones  county, 
Georgia,  born  in  1841.  He  removed  from  Georgia  to  Texas,  and  from  that 
place  in  1857  to  Vernon  parish,  Louisiana,  and  thence  to  Calcasieu  parish  in 
18S5.  His  parents  were  both  nativesof  Georgia,  where  his  lather  wasengnged  in 
planting.  During  the  late  civil  war  his  father  was  in  the  Confederate  service 
from  1862  until  his  death  in  1863.  He  served  under  Capt.  Bryan,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Lake  Charles. 

Oui  subject  was  also  a  soldier  in  that  struggle.     He  enlisted  in  March,  1862, 

and  served  till  the  surrender.  He  was  in  manj^  of  the  active  engagements.  After 

the  war  he  returned  home,  and  has  since  been  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.     Mr. 

Holiday  has  twice  married  ;  first,  in  December,  1866,  to  Miss  Louisa  Miller,  who 

died  in  18S3.     He  afterward  married  Miss  Julia  Fentrel.     Mr.  Holiday  has  held 

various  offices,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  political  affairs.      He  has  at  different 

times  served  as  police  juror   and  constable.     Mr.    Holiday  and  wife  are  both 

members  of  the  Baptist  church.     They  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  all  of 

whom  are  living. 

* 

«      * 

"^  J.  F.  HANCHEY,  Dry  Creek.— J.  F.  Hanchey  is  a  native  of  Alabama, 
born  in  Pike  county,  May  30,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Frances 
(Letlow)  Hanchey.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  boi-n  Novemljer 
15,  1806,  and  his  mother  of  Jones  county,  Georgia,  born  Januarv  9,  1812.  They 
were  married  in  Dallas  county,  Alabama,  October  i,  1829.  There  was  born  to 
this  union  eleven  children,  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  eight  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz  :  John  W.,  James  W.,  M.  E.,  Joseph  AL,  Lucinda,  wife  of  Samuel 
Pates;  Frances,  wife  of  George  Thielman  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  James  Heard.  Those 
deceased  are  :  Eliza,  Nanc}-,  William.  William  Hanchey  was  a  successful  planter 
of  Alabama,  and  removed  from  there  to  Florida,  and  was  engaged  in  the  Flor- 
ida Indian  war.  In  1859  '^^  removed  to  Louisiana,  where  he  purchased  land  and 
resided  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1883.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  being 
now  in  her  seventy-ninth  year. 

The  subject  of  tliis  sketch  came  to  Louisiana  with  his  parents,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  education  in  this  parish.  Mr.  Hanchey  gave  his  full 
attention  to  planting  until  1889,  when  he  erected  a  cotton,  grist  and  saw  mill, 
which  he  operates  in  connection  with  his  plantation.  He  was  married  in  Cal- 
casieu parish,  in  1S65,  to  Miss  Nancy  Ford,  a  nativeof  Louisiana,  and  daughter 
of  J.  B.  Ford.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz:  James  E.,  Grace 
F.,  Joseph  J.,  John  L.,  Sarah  N.,  Robert  D.,  Lucinda  N.,  Jefferson. 


J.  E.  M.  HENNIGAN,  Merryville.— J.  E.  M.  Hennigan  is  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  born  in  Calcasieu  parish,  1853.     His  father  and  mother  were  natives 


164  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

of  Georgia,  removing  to  Calcasieu  parisli  in  1856.  His  fallier  is  a  successt'iil 
planter. 

J.  E.  I\r.  Hennigan  received  a  common  school  education,  and  adopted  as 
his  vocation  farming,  which  he  has  exclusively  followed.  He  was  married  in 
1871  to  Miss  Louise  J.  Eaves.     They  are  the  parents  of  fovir  children.     Mrs. 

Hennigan  died  in    1880.  , 

*      » 

^  DEMCY  ILES,  Suuartown. — Demcy  lies  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born 
in  Calcasieu  parish,  May  7,  1831.  He  is  the  son  of  Demcy  and  Sarah  (Cherry) 
lies,  both  natives  of  South  Carolina,  born  February  1,  1796  and  May  10,  1805, 
respectively.  Demcy  lies,  Sr.,  was  a  planter  and  stock  dealer.  He  came  to 
Louisiana  when  quite  a)'Oungman,  where  he  married  our  subject's  mother,  July 
26,  1821.  His  father,  Wm.  lies,  was  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  and  served  tor 
seven  years.  Demcy  lies,  Sr.,  died  in  Calcasieu  parish  in  1871.  Our  subject's 
mother  died  in  1880.     Both  were  members  of  the  Baptist  cliurch. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  eiglit  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz:  John  S.,  Howell  W.,  J.  T.,  Sarah,  wife  of  D.  C. 
Singleton;  Ellen,  wife  of  J.  J.  Davis;  Susan,  wife  of  James  Perkins;  Catherine, 
wife  of  T.  T.  Singleton.  Those  deceased,  are  William,  George,  Aaron,  Joseph, 
Elizabeth,  Clarinda. 

•  Demc}'  lies  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in  Calcasieu 
parish.  During  the  late  civil  war  he  was  in  the  cavalry  service,  having  enlisted 
in  1862,  in  the  Second  Louisiana  Regiment.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Mansfield, 
Berwick's  Bay  and  numerous  other  skirmishes.  He  was  paroled  at  Alexandria. 
After  the  war  he  returned  home,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
to  which  he  has  given  his  full  attention  since.  He  has  a  good  farm  of  four  hun- 
dred acres,  a  small  portion  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  has  on  his  place 
a  large  number  of  cattle  and  sheep  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  stock  rais- 
ers in  this  section.  Mr.  lies  was  married,  in  1850,  to  Miss  Martha  Perkins,  a 
native  of  this  parish,  born  in  1832.  To  this  union  have  been  born  twelve  chil- 
dren, seven  sons  and  five  daughters,  viz:  Catherine,  wife  of  A.  J.  L.  Andrus; 
William,  Susan,  wife  of  Wm.  Harper;  Franklin  P.,  Jefferson,  Samuel  J.,  Lou- 
vicy,  wife  ol"  Ed.  Fairchild;  Deller,  Demcv  C,  Martha.  Mr.  lies  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order.     He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

^  HON.  THOMAS  KLEINPETER,  Lake  Charles.— Thomas  Kleinpeter 
was  born  in  East  Baton  Rouge  in  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  George  Kleinneter 
and  Harriet  E.  Laws,  of  Louisville,  Kentuck}-.  George  Kleinpeter  was  a 
physician  and  planter  of  East  Baton  Rouge  parish.  His  father  and  mother  were 
natives  of  Germany  and  came  to  Louisiana  many  j-ears  since. 

Thomas   Kleinpeter  spent  his  school  days  at  Drennon  Springs,  Kentucky, 


JU^JORICAL  A  XL)  BIOGRAPHICAL.  Ifi5 

graduating  in  llie  class  of  1852.  After  leaving  college  he  read  law  in  the 
office  of  Zeno  Labauve,  who  was  afterward  Associate  Justice  of  tlie  Supreme 
Court  of  Louisiana.  Being  especially  proficient  as  a  civil  engineer,  and  partial 
to  this  calling,  he  has  given  most  of  his  attention  to  this  business.  He  was  one 
of  the  chief  assistant  engineers  of  what  is  now  the  Morgan  Railroad.  He  was 
afterward  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  Mobile  Railroad,  on  which  he  was 
emplo3-ed  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war.  Being  commissioned  as  lieutenant 
of  the  engineering  corps  in  Texas,  he  was  present  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Galveston,  and  built  the  Sabine  Pass  fort,  at  which  place,  it  will  be 
remembered,  thirty-seven  men  within  the  fortifications  successfullv  repelled  the 
attack  of  fifteen  thousand.  Subsequently  he  was  captain  and  later  bre\et 
major  of  the  corp  of  engineers  who  had  charge  of  the  fortification  of  the 
Texas  coast,  principally  those  of  Galveston  harbor.  His  command  disbanded 
in  May,  1865,  when  he  returned  to  his  home  in  New  Orleans,  and  resumed 
•civil  engineering.  In  1872  Mr.  Kleinpeter  assumed  charge  of  the  Sulphur 
Mining  Company's  interest  in  Calcasieu  parish,  Louisiana,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  a  resident  of  Lake  Charles.  To  Mr.  Kleinpeter  and  his  facile  pen  is 
due  ill  a  great  degree  the  credit  of  making  this  magnificent  country  known  to 
the  outside  world.  In  this  capacity  he  has  probably  done  more  than  anv  other 
one  man.  Mr.  Kleinpeter  is  the  pioneer  railroad  civil  engineer  of  this  section 
of  Louisiana.  He  served  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  while  a  resident  of 
Iljerville  parish,  as  Assistant  State  Engineer,  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  has 
been  surveyor  of  Calcasieu  parish.  He  has  also  for  a  similar  length  of  time 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

He  was  married  October  30,  1856,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Lucy  Bundv,  one  of 
New  Orleans'  Creole  families.  The}'  are  the  parents  of  three  interesting 
children,  Thos.  G.,  Noelie  and  Napoleon  B. 

*  • 

*     * 

^  DR.  W.  A.  KNAPP,  Lake  Charles.— Dr.  W.  A.  Knapp  was  born  in  New 
Orleans,  June  21,  1846.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Frances  (Piroth)  Knapp, 
the  former  a  native  of  Bavaria  and  the  latter  of  France.  They  were  married  in 
France,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1838  or  1839,  located  in  New  Orleans, 
where  Mr.  Knapp  was  engaged  as  a  merchant.  He  died  in  1S76,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  j-ears;  his  wife  died  in  1874. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  two  children,  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  New  Orleans.  In  1850  he  began  the  drug 
business  at  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana,  with  Dr.  A.  P.Brown,  and  was  engaged  in 
this  business  until  1861,  when  he  left  the  quiet  of  home  for  the  "  tented  field." 
Joining  the  Ogden  Battalion,  he  was  in  service  for  four  years,  three  yeafs  of 
which  was  spent  in  hospital  service  in  Clinton,  Louisiana,  Port  Hudson  and  Bran- 
don, Mississippi,  under  Drs.  A.  P.  ]5rown  and  Thomas  J.  Bulfington.     After  the 


100  SOU'J inVEST  LOUISIANA  : 

close  of  tlic  war  lie  a<;aiii  entered  the  drug  business  at  Clinton,  Louisiana,  where 
he  remained  until  the  winter  of  1S82,  a  portion  of  which  time  he  served  as  a 
clerk.  From  1874  ^'^  1880  he  practised  dentistr}-.  In  1882  he  came  to  Lake 
Charles  and  opened  a  drug  business,  in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged.  In 
1S71  Dr.  Knapp  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  D'Armond,  daugiiter  of  Hon.  J.  G. 
D'Armond,  of  Clinton,  Louisiana.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz  : 
W.  A.,  Jr. :  Lilian  D.  and  Ethel  S.  Dr.  Knapp  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  is 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  having  organized  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  at  this  place;  he  is  at  present  district  deputy  of  this 
organization;  he  is  a  past  officer  of  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  K.  of  P.,  K.  of  H., 
American  Legion  of  Honor,  A.  O.  L'^.  W.,  and  Commander  of  the  Uniform  Di- 
vision K.  of  P.  and  K.  of  H.  Commander}-  and  fire  department  of  Lake  Charles, 

Louisiana.  „ 

»     * 

V  J.  A.  LANDRY,  West  Lake  Charles. — J.  A.  Landry,  of  the  firm  of  J.  A.- 
Latidrv  &  Co.,  was  born  in  West  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  Jul}'  17,  1859.  He  is 
the  son  of  J.  A.  Landry  and  Aloysia  (Leveque)  Landry,  both  natives  of  West 
Baton  Rouge.  J.  A.  Landry,  Sr.,  was  a  practising  physician.  He  received 
his  education  at  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  and  pursued  a  medical  course  at  Tulane 
University.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  course  he  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  West  Baton  Rouge  parish,  in  which  he  continued  until  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1870.     Our  subject's  mother  now  resides  in  West  Lake  Charles. 

J.  A.  Landry  was  the  second  of  a  familv  of  six  children.  He  received  his 
education  in  West  Baton  Rouge  and  began  life  as  a  planter.  Li  1877-78  he  con- 
ducted a  drug  business  in  partnership  with  Dr.  J.  C.  Munday,  and  from  this 
time  until  1880  he  was  employed  in  a  general  mercantile  business.  In  18S1  he 
became  business  mangger  for  the  firm  of  Perkins  &  Miller,  and  has  since  occu- 
pied this  position.  In  February  1890,  in  conjunction  with  others,  of  whom  men- 
tion has  been  made  in  another  part  of  this  work,  he  began  the  erection  of  an  ice 
factory  in  Lake  Charles.  Mr.  Landry  is  a  progressive  business  man,  and  under 
his  management  the  business  in  which  he  has  embarked  will  no  doubt  flourish. 
In  1885  Mr.  Landry  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  W.  E.  Stanton,  of  Lake 
Charles.     Both  he  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*     * 

Z.  LEBLEU,  Lake  Charles. — Zepheren  Lebleu,  planter,  is  a  son  of 
Simeon  and  Amelia  (Hebert)  Lebleu,  both  natives  of  this  State.  His  father 
was  a  planter  and  married  in  this  parish.  He  became  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  third.  Simeon 
Lebleu  died  in  1884,  his  wife  surviving  iintil  1888.  Both  w'ere  members  o 
the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Calcasieu   parish,  October  4,  1865. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  I(i7 

He  has  resided  here  his  entire  life,  and  in  1S85  he  married  Miss  Mary  Corbello, 
a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  1S68.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
viz:  Ladjs  Lily,  Frederick.  Mr.  Lebleu  is  s  successful  planter;  he  owns  260 
acres  of  land,  where  he  resides.  He  raises  principally  sweet  potatoes  and  rice. 
His  farm  is  located  five  miles  east  of  Lake  Charles.  Mr.  Lebleu  is  an  indus- 
trious, worthy  young  man,  and  has  made  a  fair  start  on  the  road  to  prosperit}-. 
He  and  wife  are  members   of  the  Catholic  cliurch. 

-  WAL  F.  LYLE,  Crown  Point. — Wm.  F.  Lyle  was  born  in  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  Louisiana,  184S.  He  came  to  Calsasieu  parish  just  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  planting  at  this  place.  Mr.  Lyle's  parents 
were  natives  of  Virginia  and  Louisiana,  respectively.  His  father  removed  to 
Louisiana  early  in  life,  and  became  a  prosperous  farmer. 

Wm.  F.  Lyle  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clendenan.  .He  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  though  he  never  takes  an  active  part  in  political  affairs. 

*     * 

JOSEPH  C.  LeBLEU,  Lake  Charles. — Joseph  C.  LeBleu,  one  of  the 
pioneer  planters  of  Calcasieu  parish,  who  resides  at  English  Bayou,  Ward  3,  is^ 
a  native  of  the  parish,  born  April  8,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Arsine  and  Eliza 
(Milhomme)  LeBleu,  natives  of  Louisiana,  born  1783  and  1800,  respectively. 
Arsine  LeBleu  emigrated  to  California  in  1849;  he  died  in  Sacramento  in  1850. 
His  wife  died  in  1883.  By  occupation  Arsine  LeBlue  was  a  planter  and  stock 
raiser. 

Our  subject  is  the  3-oungestof  a  family  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are 
now  living.  Mr.  LeBleu  spent  his  youthful  daj's  in  Calcasieu  parish.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  civil  struggle  he  entered  Company  K,  Eighteenth  Louisiana 
Regiment,  under  Captain  A.  B.  Spencer.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Williamsburg, 
Seven  Pines,  Mansfield,  Pleasant  Hill,  and  numerous  other  minor  engagements. 
He  was  paroled  at  Natchitoches,  Louisiana.  After  the  war  he  returned  home 
and  resumed  farming,  which  he  has  closel}' followed  ever  since.  He  owns  a  good 
plantation  where  he  resides,  and  upon  which  he  raises,  principally,  rice.  He  is 
president  of  the  Lake  Charles  Farmers'  Union,  587,  and  was  the  organizer  of 
tlie  Union  in  Calcasieu  parish.  Mr.  LeBleu  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Leoneze 
Hebert,  a  native  of  Louisiana.  They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  sons 
and  five  daughters,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Beatrice  (widow  of  Arthur  Rosteet), 
Grace  (wife  of  J.  W.  Rosteet).  Polignac,  Evelina,  Farrel  and  Ella. 

»     * 
E.  J.  LYONS,  ]\L   D.,  Lake  Charles. — Dr.  E.  J.  Lyons  was  born  in 
Lake   Ch;irles  in    1839.       His  father,  John  Lyons,  was  a  native  of  St.  Landr}' 
parish   and   removed   to  Lake   Charles   at  an  early  date.     Here  he  eng.iged  in 


1(;8  SOl'7IIlVES7^  L  OLVS/.LVA  : 

plantin<j  and  slock  raising,  and  became  one  of  Calcasieu's  most  successful  plan- 
ters. Our  subject's  mother,  Amanda  Staunton  Lyons,  is  still  living  and  resides 
at  this  place.     The  father  is  deceased. 

Ur.  Lyons  was  educated  in  Texas,  and  in  iS6i  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Louisiana,  now  Tulane,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1863.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  he  served  as  assistant 
surgeon  in  the  Confederate  States  army.  Since  that  time  he  has  given  his  full 
attention  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  has  been  ver\'  successful.  The 
doctor  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  T.  K.  Robinson,  of  St.  Landry  parish. 
Thev  are  parents  of  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters.  David  E. 
is  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of  Tulane  L^niversity,  and  J.  C.  is  a 
student  in  the  same  department. 

Dr.  Lvons  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternities,  also  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  H(5nor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  political  affairs. 

*     * 

^  J^^O.  L.  LYONS.  SriJARTOWx.  —  Jno.  L.  Lyons  is  a  native  of  Calcasieu 
parish,  born  November  23,  1S43.  He  is  the  son  of  Jno.  and  Arnald  (Stanton) 
Lyons,  both  natives  of  St.  Landiy  parish,  Louisiana.  The  former  was  born  1806, 
the  latter  1812.  Jno.  Lyons  was  a  successful  planter  of  St.  Landry  parish.  He 
became  the  father  of  twelve  children,  eight  sons  and  four  daughters,  eight  of 
whom  are  now  living,  Adola,  wife  of  Thos.  J.  Lyons;  Augustus,  Oscar,  Earnes- 
tine,  wife  of  L  A.  Perkins;  Dr.  E.  J.,  J.  L.,  subject  of  this  sketch,  Ambrose 
and  Albert.  Those  deceased  are,  Emil}^  Amandadia,  Osbornand  Malac}'.  Jno. 
Lyons  was  post-master  at  Sabine,  this  parish,  and  for  a  number  of  years  occujiied 
the  same  position  at  Bigwood.  He  died  April,  1886.  His  widow  still  survives 
him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  the  benefit  of  a  good  common  school 
education  and  began  life  as  a  farmer.  In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Compan\-  K,  Six- 
teenth Louisiana  Regiment,  Confederate  States  troops,  and  served  until  tlie  close 
of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Perryville,  Murfrefisboro  and 
Chickamauga.  At  the  last  named  battle  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  right 
arm  and  returned  home  on  a  furlough.  Shortly  after,  he  reported  to  Gen.  Tay- 
lor, and  served  the  remainder  of  the  war  in  the  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry.  Since 
the  war  he  has. been  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering.  He  operates  a  steam 
cotton  gin,  grist,  rice  and  saw  mill,  combined.  He  owns  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  most  of  which  is  timbered.  Mr.  Lyons  was  married  in  Calcasieu  parish, 
1S65,  to  Miss  Martha,  daughter  of  E.  W.  Perkins.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Lola,  wife  of  Webb 
Deere,  \'iana,  R.,  J.  L.  and  George  S.     The  deceased  are  Oscar  and  Evan. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  169 

''  COL.  A.  R.  MITCHELL,  Lake  Ciiari.es.— Col.  A.  R.  Mitchell,  one  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  Lake  Charles  bar  was  born  in  Winchester,  Franklin 
county,  Tennessee,  February  22.  1817.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  T.  and  Mar}- W. 
(Shropshire)  Mitchell,  the  former  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  the  latter  of 
Georgia.  Robert  T.  Mitchell  was  a  graduate  of  Columbia  College,  Columbia, 
South  Carolina.  He  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  l)ar  at  Rogersville,  Ten- 
nessee, wliere  he  practised  his  profession  at  tlie  time  Gen.  Jackson  was  Circuit 
Judge  of  that  district.  He  afterward  located  in  Winchester,  Tennessee,  where 
he  remained  for  a  short  time,  and  then  removed  to  DeSoto  parish,  Louisiana, 
wliere  he  gave  his  attention  to  planting.  In  this  he  was  successful,  and  before 
his  death  had  accumulated  considerable  propert}-. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  elder  of  'two  children.  He  spent  his 
school  daj's  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  graduating  from  the  State  University  at 
that  place.  Immediately  after  completing  his  education  he  began  the  study  of 
.  law',  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Winchester,  Tennessee,  in  1839.  Shorth' 
after  this  he  came  to  Louisiana,  and  in  T840  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law 
at  Monroe.  He  practised  his  profession  in  Mansfield  for  a  number  of  j'ears. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war,  Col.  Mitchell  organized  a  company,  of 
which  he  became  captain.  He  joined  Gen.  Taylor  in  the  army  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  he  and  his  company  served  gallantly  through  tliis  whole  struggle. 
The  first  of  his  service  was  in  the  Fifth  Louisiana  Regiment,  but  he  was  after- 
ward transferred  to  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  United  States  troops,  and  in  this 
regiment  he  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  was  mustered  out 
of  service  as  brevet  captain.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Col.  Mitchell  returned 
home  and  resumed  his  law  practice.  In  this  he  was  sedulously  engaged  until  the 
late  struggle  between  the  States  again  demanded  that  he  should  leave  the  quiet 
of  home  and  defend  his  native  land  against  the  wrongs  imposed  upon  her.  He 
organized  a  company  and  entered  the  Confederate  States  cavahy  service.  His 
company  was  afterward  attached  to  the  Third  Louisiana  Cavalry,  of  which  regi- 
ment he  afterward  became  lieutenant  colonel,  and  was  in'  command  of  tire 
regiment  until  its  dissolution.  When  the  war  closed  Col.  Mitchell  again  resumed 
his  law  practice  and  was  earnest  in  his  efforts  to  extinguish  sectional  strife ;  but 
during  the  well-remembered  days  of  reconstruction,  he  left  the  tumultuous  scene 
and  resided  in  different  places  in  Texas.  After  the  election  of  a  Democratic  gov- 
ernor he  returned  to  Louisiana  and  located  at  Lake  Charles,  where  he  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  his  profession.  As  a  lawyer  Col.  Mitchell  has  few  equals 
in  his  section.  He  is  an  accomplished  orator  and  a  gentleman  of  deep  learn- 
ing. Few  men  are  favored  with  as  remarkable  a  memor}-  as  he  possesses,  and  to 
this  he  ascribes  to  a  great  extent  his  success  as  a  lawyer.  Col.  Mitchell  has 
always  been  more  or  less  prominent  in  political  affairs  of  the  State.  While  a 
resident  of  DeSoto  parish  he  was  district  attorney  and  represented  the  parish  in 


170  SOUTBWES'J'  L  OUISJANA  : 

the  Legislature  for  lour  consecutive  terms.  Col.  Mitchell  was  married  in  1S50, 
to  Miss  Amanda  .Toupes,  of  Iberville  parish,  Louisiana.  She  died  in  1S60, 
having  become  thS  mother  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  Col.  Mitchell  mar- 
ried again,  in  1865,  Mrs.  Kate  A.  Campbell.  They  are  the  parents  of  a  son  and 
a  daughter.  The  Colonel  has  always  been  a  staunch  democrat  and  still  adheres 
with  devotion  to  this  part}'.  , 

JOHN  McNEESE,  Lake  Charles. — John  McNeese,  attorney  at  law  and 
parish  superintendent  of  schools,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  July  4,  1843.  He 
is  the  son  of  W.  and  Mary  (Beecham)  McNeese,  both  natives  of  Scotland. born, 
educated  and  married  there.  They  came  to  the  United  States  when  young,  lo- 
cating in  New  York  City,  where  the}'  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Wm. 
McNeese  was  connected  with  building  steamboats.  He  died  when  our  subject 
was  a  boy,  as  also  did  his  mother. 

John  McNeese  spent  his  school  days  in  New  York  City  and  Baltimore,  INLiry- 
land,  receiving  a  liberal  education.  Afterthe  death  of  his  parents  he  removedto 
Maryland  with  relatives,  and,  in  1861,  he  joined  the  First  Maryland  Infantry  of 
Federal  troops  and  served  for  nearly  the  fouryears  of  the  war.  He  was  in  many 
of  the  hottest  engagements  in  which  his  division  participated.  i\t  the  close  of 
the  war  he  removed  to  the  frontier  of  Texas  and  spent  some  time  on  a  ranch,  being 
largelv  interested  in  stock  raising.  In  1873  he  came  to  Lake  Charles,  and  short- 
ly afterward  located  here.  He  began  the  stud\'  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
Fournett,  and,  after  graduating  in  the  law  department  of  Tnlane  Universit\-,  was 
admitted  to  the  practice  in  1886,  at  Lake  Charles,  since  which  time  he  has  prac- 
tised his  profession.  In  1883-84  he  was  connected  with  the  school  board,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  parish  superintendent  of  schools.  Mr.  Mc- 
Neese was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Susan  Bilbo,  of  this  parish.  They  are  the 
parents  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  Mr.  McNeese  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  churches,  respectively. 

THAD.  MAYO,  Lake  Charles.— Thad.  Mayo,  Clerk  of  the  District  Court 
of  Calcasieu  parish,  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  January  26,  1835. 
He  is  the  son  of  Capt.  William  and  Eliza  (Smith)  Mayo,  natives  of  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  and  Louisiana,  respectivel}'.  Capt.  Wm.  Mayo  was  a  seafaring- 
man  in  his  younger  days.  He  came  to  Louisiana  in  1832  or  1833,  and  engaged 
in  steamboatingonthe  Atchafayala  and  Courtableau,  and  was  in  the  State  service 
on  these  streams  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  engaged  with  Captains 
Gordon,  Hinkley  and  Carrie  in  steamboating  and  navigating  the  Atchafayala  and 
Its  tributaries.  He  died  January  25,  1849,  when  Hfty  years  and  one  month  of 
age.  He  went  to  sea  with  his  uncle,  Thomas  Mayo,  captain  of  a  merchant  ves- 
.sel  between  Liverpool  and  New  York,  when   six  years   of  age.     When    about 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  171 

eighteen  years  of  age  he  went  on  a  whaling  expedition  as  mate.  The  captain  of 
the  vessel  died,  and  Captain  Ma3'o  was  appointed  to  fill  his  position,  and  con- 
ducted the  vessel  back  to  Connecticut  from  the  South  Seas.  He  lost  several  boats 
in  the  rivers  and  bayous  of  Louisiana.  One,  in  command  of  Captain  Gordon, 
was  blown  up.  Captain  Ma\-o  was  an  old  time  whig,  and  it  is  thought  he  was  a 
Mason.  Mr.  Mayo's  father's  family  is  of  Irish  and  Spanish  descent,  and  his 
mother's  family  French  and  German.  His  mother  is  still  living,  and  resides  with 
her  son  in  Lake  Charles;  she  is  seventy-six  years  of  age.  Her  father,  John 
Smith,  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight  years;  her  mother  when  ninety-two. 

Thad.  Mayo  was  the  oldest  of  si.x  children,  five  boys  and  one  girl.  At  his 
father's  death  he  attended  to  the  duties  of  ferryman  at  the  mouth  of  Bayou 
Plaquemine.  After  several  months  he  went  to  New  Orleans  as  salesman,  and  re- 
mained there  for  two  years.  He  returned  to  Plaquemine, where  he  found  employ- 
ment with  Bissell  «&  Williams  as  salesmen.  Then  he  went  to  Opelousas,  where 
he  learned  the  drug  business  with  John  Pose}-,  remaining  two  years.  He  subse- 
quently engaged  in  business  for  himself  at  Washington,  Louisiana.  He  was 
burned  out,  and  returned  to  the  employment  of  Mr.Poseyfor  a  time.  He  next  took 
charge  of  a  drug  business  at  New  Iberiafor  James  A.  Lee,  in  which  he  continued 
one  year.  After  this  he  turned  his  attention  to  railroading,  and  found  employ- 
ment with  the  New  Orleans,  Opelousas  &  Great  Western  Railroad.  He  remained 
in  this  business  a  few  months,  when  he  engaged  in  school  teaching  at  Plaquemine 
Brusle  and  Hickory  Flat.  In  1861  he  entered  the  army,  enlisting  in  the  Eighteenth 
Louisiana  Regiment  of  Volunteers,  under  Captain  H.  L.  Garland.  He  was 
hospital  steward  at  Camp  Moore,  Corinth  and  other  places.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Shiloh,  Farmington  and  Corinth,  and  in  the 
engagements  in  the  retreat  from  the  last  mentioned  place.  In  the  Trans-Missis- 
sippi department  he  was  in  the  battles  of  Bayou  Lafourche,  Berwick  Bay,  Bis- 
land,  Mansfield  and  Pleasant  Hill.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  for  some  time 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  logging  on  the  Calcasieu.  Subsequently  he  was 
engaged  in  carrj-ing  mail  from  Lake  Charles  to  Opelousas  on  horseback.  While- 
thus  employed  he  was  elected  parish  assessor,  in  which  he  served  until  1867. 
From  this  time  until  1872  he  was  engaged  in  conducting  a  drug  store  in  Ope- 
lousas. He  then  returned  to  Lake  Charles  and  became  proprietor  of  the  Lake 
House,  in  which  he  was  engaged  three  years.  He  afterward  made  several  voy- 
ages to  the  K-io  Grande,  Brazos,  San  lago  and  Tuxpan,  Mexico.  Later  he  served 
as  city  marshal  of  Lake  Charles  for  a  time,  when  he  was  appointed  deputy  sher- 
iff, in  1876.  He  was  next  appointed  superintendent  of  registration.  He  took 
charge  of  the  clerk's  office  of  Asa  Ryan  in  1876,  and  at  Ryan's  death,  in  1878, 
was  appointed  clerk.  In  1879  '^^  ^''^  elected  to  the  office  which  he  has  held 
ever  since.  In  association  with  John  H.,  his  nephew,  and  J.  T.  Hewitt,  of  Lake 
Charles,  he  organized  the  Calcasieu  Shingle  Company. 
11a 


172  SO  urn  WES  T  LO  UISIA  NA  : 

Our  subject  married,  June,  1859,  Miss  Malina  Langley,  of  Hickory  Flat. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  six  children,  five  daughters  and  one  son.  The 
subject  is  a  staunch  democrat.  He  was  a  whig,  and  has  a  great  affection  for 
the  old  party  and  its  principles. 

*     « 

CHARLES  MILLER,  Westlake.— Charles  Miller,  of  the  firm  of  Perkins 
&  Miller,  was  born  in  Sweden,  October  15,  1846.  He  is  the  son  of  James  Miller, 
who  was  a  ship  blacksmith,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  the  place  of  his  nativity. 

Clias.  Miller  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Sweden.  When  four- 
teen j-ears  of  age  lie  entered  a  machine  shop  at  Stockholm,  Sweden,  where  he 
worked  until  twent}^  years  of  age.  For  four  j-ears  subsequent  to  this,  he  was 
engineer  on  merchant  steamers  and  visited  many  foreign  ports,  aniong  which 
were  those  of  the  East  Indies  and  China.  In  1870  he  came  to  Lake  Charles 
and  engaged  with  W.  B.  Norris,  witli  whom  he  remained  for  five  years.  In 
1875  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  J.  Perkins,  and  thej^  have  since  that  time 
conducted  a  large  saw  and  planing  mill  business  at  this  place.  The  mill  has  a 
capacity  of  seventy-five  thousand  feet  per  day.  They  have  an  extensive  demand 
for  the  products  of  iheir  manufactor}',  and  ship  a  great  amount  of  lumber  to 
Mexico  and  several  of  the  Southern  States,  besides  supplymg  a  large  home  de- 
mand. They  have  a  lumber  j'ard  in  Galveston,  Texas,  from  which  they  supply 
their  Western  trade.  Mr.  Miller  assumes  general  control  of  the  business  as  su- 
perintendent. Heis  a  thorough  business  man.  The  firm  also  has  a  large  inter- 
est in  the  Calcasieu,  Vernon  &  Shreveport  Railroad,  over  which  all  their  timber 
is  transported.  Mr.  Miller  takes  an  active  part  in  all  local  affairs ;  he  is  at  pres- 
ent a  member  of  the  police  jury,  from  Ward  4. 

He  was  married  in  1873,  to  Miss  Mathilda  Bohnsen,  a  native  of  Germany. 
Tiiey  are  the  parents  of  four  living  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  the  oldest,  a  charming  young  lady  of  sixteen,  is  at  present  attending 
college  at  Mansfield,  La.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  He  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  German  Mutual 
Benevolent  Association,  of  Calcasieu.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Democrat. 
«  * 

LEVI  A.  MILLER,  Dry  Creek.— Levi  A.  Miller  is  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  born  September  18,  1830.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children 
born  to  John  and  Samantha  (Payne)  Miller.  His  parents  w^ere  both  natives 
of  South  Carolina,  born  1803  and  1802,  respectively.  John  Miller  was  a  suc- 
cessful planter  in  Marion  county,  where  he  married  in  1824.  He  emigrated  from 
South  Carolina  to  Mississippi  in  1852,  and  here  he  resided  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1878.     His  wife  died  in  1865. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Marion 


J 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  173 

county,  South  Carolina.  He  began  life  as  a  planter  in  Mississippi,  wliich  occu- 
pation he  has  followed  all  his  life.  He  emigrated  from  Mississippi  to  Louisiana 
in  1861,  first  locating  at  Buny's  Creek,  where  he  resided  until  1866,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Miller  served  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  Civil  War  in  Company  B,  Ragsdale  Battalion,  Confederate  States  Arm)-. 
He  now  owns  three  hundred  and  sixty-four  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of  which 
is  under  cultivation  and  well  improved.  He  raises  a  variety  of  products,  and, 
by  careful  management  and  business  tact,  his  farm  }'ields  him  a  good  income. 
Mr.  Miller  is  prominent  in  local  affairs.  He  is  the  present  member  of  the 
police  jury  from  Ward  7.  He  is  also  master  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  No.  182; 
he  is  president  of  the  Farmers'  Union  of  this  place.  Mr.  Miller  is  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Jones,  daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  (Wilson) 
Jones,  the  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  the  latter  of  South  Carolina.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  eleven  children,  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  one 
of  whom  is  deceased.  They  are:  George,  Minerva,  wife  of  J.  M.  Robinson; 
Emberri,  Samantha,  wife  of  George  Merval;  Blanche,  John,  Delphine,  Hul- 
dat,  Nathan,  Lj^dia,  and  Jeremiah,  deceased.  Mr.  Miller  is  an  active  member 
of  the  AL  E.  Church  South,  and  his  wife  of  the  Baptist  church. 

» 

rf-  *     * 

E.  D.  MILLER,  Lake  Chari.es. — Edmund  D.  Miller,  a  prominent  law- 
yer of  Lake  Charles,  was  born  in  Cameron,  then  Vermilion  parish,  January  27, 
1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Peter  V.  and  Emilia  (Broussard)  Miller,  natives  of  St. 
Landry  and  Vermillion  parishes,  respectively.  Our  subject's  mother  died  in 
1875.  His  father  is  a  large  planter  and  stock  raiser  of  Cameron  parish.  Dur- 
ing the  late  war  he  was  in  active  service,  having  joined  the  Seventh  Louisiana 
Infantry  in  1861.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Vicksburg  and  paroled,  and  after- 
ward exchanged.  He  again  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  heavy  artillery.  His 
father,  John  Miller,  was  a  native  of  Germany. 

Edmund  D.  Miller,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  second  of  a  family  of 
ten  children.  He  attended  private  school  in  Cameron  parish,  and  began  life  as 
a  sugar  planter  and  stock  raiser,  in  which  lie  was  engaged  for  three  years.  In 
1879  1^^  ^^'^^  elected  sheriff  and  collector  of'Cameron  parish,  and  was  reelected 
in  1884.  He  resigned  in  August,  1886.  During  his  service  as  sheriff  he  pur- 
sued a  course  of  law  stud\-,  and  in  1887-88  attended  law  lectures  at  Tulane 
University,  in  New  Orleans,  graduating  from  that  institution  in  1888.  The 
same  y^ar  he  was  admittd  to  the  bar  in  New  Orleans  before  the  supi'eme 
court  of  the  State.  He  located  in  Lake  Charles,  July,  18S8,  and  began  to  prac- 
tise his  profession.  He  practises  in  the  local  and  supreme  courts,  and  is  one  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  Lake  Charles  bar.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  of  this  place.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in  September,  1883, 
with  Miss  Louella  May  Clark,  of  Lake  Charles. 


174  SO UTH WES T  LO UISIA NA  : 

ELIAS  MIERS,  Beckworth. — Elias  Miers  is  a  native  of  Calcasieu  parisli, 
born  1854.     ^'^  father  and  mother  were  both  natives  of  this  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  always  been  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.  He 
was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Prudence  Slayderas  ;  they  are  the  parents  of  five 
children.  Both  Mr.  Miers  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  He 
is  the  president  of  the  Farmers"  Alliance,  Pleasant  Hill  Lodge. 

*  * 

WILLIAM  MIERS,  Beckworth. — WiUiam  Miers  is  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  1852.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  By  occupationi 
his  father  was  a  farmer.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  many  years  since,  where 
he  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  common  school  education,  and  since 
beginning  business  he  has  given  his  attention  to  farming.  In  this,  at  present, 
he  is  successfully  engaged.  Mr.  Miers  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  having 
enlisted  in  1863  and  served  until  its  close.  He  was  married  in  the  year  1850  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Pierce.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children.  Both  Mr. 
Miers  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

JNO.  F.  MIERS,  Beckworth. — Jno.  F.  Miers,  a  successful  planter  and 
stock  raiser,  is  a  native  of  Calcasieu  parish.  He  received  the  benefit  of  a  good 
common  school  education,  and  early  in  life  embarked  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing, and  has  given  to  this  business  his  undivided  attention  tlius  far  in  life.  That 
he  has  succeeded,  is  attested  in  the  fact  that  his  well  stocked  farm  is  one  of 
the  best  improved  in  his  section.  He  is-,  an  active  member  of  the  Farmers' 
Alliance. 

.Mr.  Miers  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss  Sophia  Miers,  and  their  union  has 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  four  children. 

*  # 

^  WILLIAM     MEYER,    Lake    Charles.— William    Meyer   was  born    in 

France,  near  the  River  Rhine,  in  1^6.  He  is  the  son  of  WilHam  and  Josephine 
(Leichl)')  Meyer,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  biographj'  of  Adolph 
Meyer. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  Texas,  where  he 
studied  pharmacy,  and  since  beginning  business  life  has' conducted  a  drug  store. 
Mr.  Meyer  served  for  eleven  years  as  mayor  of  Lake  Charles,  and  was 
recently  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Adolph  Meyer.  Mr.  Meyer  also  for  some 
time  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Emma  Mettlerode,  of  Lake  Charles.  They-  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, viz:    E.  W.  and  Katie.      The  famil}-  are  Catholics. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  175 

\r 

ADOLPH  MEYER,  Lake  Charles. — Adolph  Meyer,  president  of  the 
police  jury  of  Calcasieu  parish,  and  a  successful  business  man  of  Lake  Charles, 
is  a  native  of  Liberty  county,  Texas,  born  August  14,  1854.  ^^'^  '^  the  son  of 
William  and  Josephine  (Leichl}-)  Meyer,  natives  of  France,  where  they  were 
married.  In  1848  they  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Liberty,  Texas. 
Wm.  Me)-er  studied  pharmacy  in  France,  and  upon  his  location  in  Liberty 
county  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  in  which  he  was  occupied  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  1867.  During  the  war  he  was  captain  of  a  company  of  Home 
Guards.  He  was  a  prominent  mason.  Our  subject's  mother  died  when  he  was 
a  child. 

Adolph  Meyer  is  one  of  a  famil}'  of  five  children.  He  spent  his  school  days 
in  Europe,  where  he  devoted  seven  years  to  study,  chiefly  at  Strasburg.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he  was  for  some  time  engagd  as  clerk  in  a  cotton 
house  in  Galveston.  In  1875  he  came  to  Lake  Charles,  and  began  the  drug 
business  in  partnership  with  his  brother  William,  with  whom  he  was  connected 
until  1889,  since  which  time  he  has  been  conducting  an  independent  business. 
In  1S88  Mr.  Meyer  was  elected  mayor  of  Lake  Charles,  and  served  one  j'ear, 
on  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  was  appointed  member  of  the  police  jury, 
and  shortly  afterward  elected  president. 

Mr.  Me}'er  was  united  in  marriage  on  December  4, 1880,  with  Miss  Florence 
S.  Munn,  of  Calcasieu  parish.  As  the  result  of  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  Lodge  at  this  place,  and  is  the  present  M.  E.  of  the  lodge.  He  is 
also  a  K.  of  M.,  and  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

*  * 
•^  •  JOSEPH  W.  MOORE,  Sugartow^x.  —  Joseph  W.  Moore,  a  prosperous 
merchant  of  Sugartown,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  September  29,  1835.  He 
is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Winifred  (Meloy)  Moore,  both  natives  of  Ireland. 
Daniel  Moore  was  a  hotel  proprietor,  and  married  in  Mayo  county,  Ireland.  The 
union  was  blessed  with  six  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
only  living  ciiild.  Daniel  Moore  and  wife  spent  their  whole  lives  in  Ireland,  the 
former  having  died  there  in  1863  and  the  latter  in  1842. 

Joseph  W.  Moore  came  to  America  in  1853.  He  was  in  New  Orleans  five 
months  after  his  arrival  in  Louisiana.  During  the  latter  part  of  1853  and  the 
first  part  of  1854,  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  on  a  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi 
river.  January,  1856,  he  went  to  Alexandria,  Louisiana,  and  was  for  a  short 
time  engaged  as  book-keeper  in  the  Washington  Hotel  at  that  place.  Later  he 
taught  school  at  Spring  Hill  Academy.  In  1858  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Cava- 
raught,  a  native  of  Alabama.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  C.  Cavaraught.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Moore  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters,   eight  of    whom    are    living,  viz:   AdeHne,  wife  of   William    lies;   Mavo, 


1 76  SOUTHWEST  L  O UJSTANA  : 

Daniel,  Joseph,  Patrick  E.,  Isadra,  May,  Dennis.  Mr.  Moore  served  during 
the  late  war,  from  1862  until  its  close,  in  Company  C,  Twenty-seventh  Louis- 
iana Regiment.  He  was  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  numerous  other  skir- 
mishes. After  the  war  he  returned  home  and  was  shortly  afterward  elected 
recorder  of  deeds  of  Rapides  parish  and  held  this  office  for  two  years.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Leesville,  Vernon  parish.  lie  only 
remained  here  a  year,  however,  and  then  removed  to  West  Port,  where  he 
opened  a  store,  and  was  engaged  in  business  until  1882.  From  there  he  removed 
to  this  place  and  opened  his  present  business.  Mr.  Moore  does  a  flourishing 
business  and  carries  a  large  stock  of  goods.  He  was  appointed  member  of  the 
police  jury  of  Rapides  parish  in  1887,  and  occupied  that  position  for  two  years. 
He  served  as  Tax'Coliector  of  Vernon  parish  for  a  similar  length  of  time.  He 
has  also  taken  an  active  part  in  locnl  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
lodge,  Order  1S2,  and  has  served  as  master  of  the  lodge.  Mr.  Moore's  eldest 
son  is  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of  the  Tulane  Universit}-,  and  is  a 
popular  young  phj'sician  of  tliis  place. 

*     » 
v^  L.  H.  MOSS,  M.  D.,  Lake  Ch.\rles.— L.  H.  Moss,  M.  D.,  was  born  in 

St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  1867.  He  removed  to  Calcasieu  parish  with  his 
father  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  an  infant.  Both 
his  parents  were  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  is  now  a  resident  of  Califor- 
nia, where  he  is  a  practising  physician. 

Our  subject  comes  from  a  family  of  physicians,  his  father,  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather  all  having  been  members  of  this  profession.  Dr.  Moss  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  schools  of  Lake  Charles.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  entered  Washington-Lee  University,  and  graduated  in  1887.  After 
completing  his  literary  course,  Dr.  Moss  entered  the  medical  school  of  Vander- 
bilt  University,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1889.  He  located  in  Lake  Charles 
and  "here  built  up  a  good  practice.  The  Doctor  is  a  distinguished  member  of  the 
Calcasieu  Medical  Association.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  following  secret 
orders  :  K.  of  H.,  in  which  he  is  an  officer;  L  O.  G.  T.  and  K.  of  P.,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member.  Mr.  Moss  has  gained,  during  his  short  practice  at 
this  place,  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  his  section. 

y  *      » 

J.  V.  MOSS,  Lake  Charles. — J.  V.  Moss,  is  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  oldest  families  of  this  place.  He  was  born  on  the  Calcasieu  river, 
in  this  parish  (then  St.  Landry),  September  13,  1825,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Anna  (Ryan)  Moss,  natives  of  Georgia  and  Louisiana,  respectively.  Henry 
Moss  came  to  Louisiana  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  with  his  father,  Nathaniel 
Moss,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia,   and    removed  to   Georgia    when   a  young 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  \11 

man.  He  and  his  wife  died  in  Lafayette  parish,  Louisiana.  Our  subject's 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  but  did  not  participate  in  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans.  He  with  others  were  stationed  as  a  guard  at  the  mouth  of 
Vermilion  Bayou  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war.  He  died  in  Januarj-,  1875, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  j'ears,  having  accumulated  a  moderate  fortune 
before  his  death,  much  of  which  was  lost  by  emancipation.  He  was  a  man 
of  some  prominence,  and,  though  urged  to  do  so,  he  never  held  anj'  office  of 
importance.  He  was  one  of  the  ffrst  white  settlers  of  this  section  of  Louisiana, 
his  place  of  residence  was  ten  miles  west  of  Lake  Charles.  A  portion  of  the 
land  is  now  the  property  of  one  of  his  heirs.  Our  subject's  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Ryan,  Sr.,  whose  son,  Jacob  Ryan,  is  now  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Calcasieu  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  living  member  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  who  grew  to  maturity.  He  spent  his  school  days  in  Calcasieu  parish 
and  in  eastern  Texas,  receiving  a  fair  common  school  education.  After  leaving 
school  he  engaged  with  his  father  on  his  plantation,  where  he  remained  until 
1845,  and  was  for  a  period  subsequent  to  this  engaged  in  school  teaching.  He 
was  afterward  appointed  clerk  of  district  court  in  1851.  In  1S53  he  was 
elected  to  this  position  and  was  the  incumbent  of  it  until  after  the  war.  His 
total  term  of  service  aggregated  fifteen  years.  He  was  deprived  of  the  office 
because  he  refused  to  take  the  "  Ironclad  oath.''''  In  1867  he  was  again  elected 
clerk,  and  served  one  3'ear  until  the  reconstruction  period  set  in.  Since  that 
time  he  has  given  his  full  attention  to  the  operation  of  his  little  farm,  being  the 
owner  of  considerable  land  within  the  corporation  of  the  city.  Mr.  Moss  was 
married  in  1845  to  Miss  Jane  Coward,  a  daughter  of  Richard  Coward.  She 
died  in  1854,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years.  As  a  result  of  this  union  four 
children  were  born,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Eleanor  L.,  wife  of  David 
H.  L3-ons  ;  Ametia  J.,  Joseph  V.  Jr.,  who  resides  near  Sulphur  Cit}'.  Richard 
C.  died  when  quite  young.  Mr.  Moss  married  in  1856  Miss  Amelia  Cormier,  a 
native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  She  died  in  1874,  having  become  the  mother  of 
nine  children.  ^ 

*      * 

L.  N.  MIMS,  Pine  Hill. — Dr.  L.  N.  Mims  was  born  in  South  Carolina, 
1812.  At  the  age  often  years  he  removed  with  his  father  to  Florida,  and  thence 
to  Alabama,  where  they  remained  until  1835.  While  a  resident  of  Alabama  Dr. 
Mims  participated  in  the  Creek  war,  serving  its  entire  duration.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Mississippi,  where,  however,  he  only  remained  a  short  time,  when  he 
located  in  Honey  Island  in  the  year  1843.  Here  he  resided  for  several  years. 
He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  War,  having  enlisted  in  1846,  and  served  for  about 
three  months.  In  1850  Dr.  Mims  removed  to  Rapides  parish,  Louisiana,  and 
here  practised  his  profession  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.     During  the  war  he 


178  SOUTHWEST  LOUISTANA: 

served  as  a  sergeant  in  the  Confederate  States  army.  Shortly  after  the  surrender 
Dr.  Mims  removed  to  Calcasieu  parish ;  here  he  has  since  resided  and  practised 
his  profession.  He  hns  a  good  plantation  and  stock  farm,  where  he  resides, 
which  3'ields  him  a  comfortable  income.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Louisiana.  The  Doctor  lias  twice  married,  and  is  tlie 
father  of  ten  children.  ^ 

V  A.  D.  McFARLAIN,  Jennings. — A.  D.  McFarlain,  merchant,  farmer 
and  stock  raiser,  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Abigail  (Hayes)  McFarlain.  James  McFarlain  was  born  in  Ireland. 
His  parents  removed  to  Virginia  when  he  was  an  infant,  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated. 

When  a  young  man  he  removed  to  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he 
became  a  successful  planter.  Later  he  removed  to  Calcasieu  parish,  where  be 
purchased  the  farm  which  our  subject  now  owns.  Mrs.  McFarlain  died  in  1855. 
James  McFarlain  afterward  married  Miss  Mary  B.  Guidry,  of  Calcasieu  parish. 
The  first  marriage  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter, viz  :  William  Lee,  Andrew  D.,the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Jerome,  Mary  A., 
wife  of  E.  Venable,  now  deceased.  Four  children  were  also  born  to  the  second 
marriage,  three  daughters  and  one  son,  viz:  Clamonse,  wife  of-  Nerville  Cart; 
Velerie,  wife  of  Joseph  Beard;   Columbus  and  Victoria,  wife  of  C.  A.  Guillard. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  at  the  age  of  thirteen  as  a  farm  hand. 
At  this  he  onl}-  worked,  however,  for  a  year,  when  he  engaged  in  saw  milling, 
and  in  this  continued  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  during  which  time  he  accu- 
mulated sufficient  capital  to  begin  a  mercantile  business.  He  erected  tlie  first 
store  in  what  is  now  the  flourishing  town  of  Jennings.  He  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  business  at  this  place,  and  may  be  termed  the  founder  of  the  town. 
Mr.  McFarlain  has  succeeded  well  in  his  business  and  is  now  one  of  the  largest 
property  holders  of  the  place.  His  business  amounts  to  over  twenty  thousand 
dollars  annually.  His  store  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  af  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  and  he  owns  fifteen  residences  in  the  town  and  about  four  hundred  lots, 
besides  four  thousand  acres  of  farm  land.  He  also  owns  and  operates  a  large 
saw  and  shingle  mill,  with  a  capacity  of  manufacturing  thirty-five  thousand  shin- 
gles per  day.  On  his  plantation,  Mr.  McFarlain  gives  special  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  rice,  planting  about  one  thousand  and  fifty  acres  annual]}-. 

He  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Margaret  Humphries,  daughter  of  Jefferson  and 
Mary  (Hebert)  Humphries,  of  Calcasieu  parish.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz:  Claud  D.,  Durell,  deceased; 
Durelia,  James,  Mar}'-  A.,  deceased;   William, lAndrew  D.,  Jerome. 

Mr.  McFarlain  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  citizens  of  this  section 
of  Louisiana.      Whatever  success  he  has  attained  in  life  is  wholly  due  to  liis  own 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  .  179 

efforts.  He  is  prominent  in  local  affairs,  both  social  and  political.  He  served 
fouryearsas  deputy  sheriff,  and  for  a  similar  length  of  time  as  constable,  though 
he   has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 


V  JOHN  McCORMICK,  Lake  Charles. — John  McCormick  was  born  in 
St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  1835.  He  is  the  son  of  Michael  McCormick  and 
Mary  A.  Lee.  Both  parents  are  dead;  the  father  having  died  in  1839,  the  mother 
in  i860. 

The  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  and  the  only  son.  He  spent 
his  school  days  in  Opelousas.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  left  school  and  entered 
the  office  of  the  St.  Landry  Whig,  where  he  served  three  years  as  an  apprentice, 
after  which  he  was  connected  with  the  same  paper  for  six  years.  In  1877  he 
came  to  Lake  Charles,  and  here  he  engaged  in  a  printing  office  until  1881,  when 
he  founded  the  Commercial,  which  he  has    since  conducted. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  married,  in  Januarj',  i860,  to  Miss  Mary  C.  David,  of 
St.  Landr}'  parish,  Louisiana.  The}^  are  the  parents  of  ten  living  children,  five 
sons  and  fivedaughters.  The  eldest  son,  Charles  ^L,  is  connected  with  his  father 
in  the  newspaper  business. 

»     « 

WILLIAM  N.  NELSON,  Lake  Charles.— William  Nelson  is  a  native 
of  Sweden,  born  April,  2,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  John  G.  and  Elise  A.  (Nielson) 
Nelson.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Newcastle  on  Tyne,  and  his  mother  of 
Sweden.  John  G.  Nelson  was  a  stone^iason  and  builder.  He  located  in  Swe- 
den in  1833.  Five  children  were  born  to  this  union,  two  sons  and  three  daugli- 
ters,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family. 
Both  his  father  and  mother  died  in  Sweden,  the  former  in  1889  and  the  latter 
in  186S. 

William  Nelson  came  from  Sweden  to  New  York  in  1866,  removing  from 
there  to  Mexico,  and  thence  to  Texas,  and  from  there  to  Louisiana  in  1869. 
The  same  year  he  married  Miss  Anna  L.  Johnson,  a  resident  of  St.  Mary  par- 
ish, but  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four  sons 
and  three  daughters,  of  whom  five  are  living,  viz:  Jesse  J.,  Paul  J.,  Harry  W., 
Rosalee,  and  Frederick  N.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  prosperous  planter,  and  has  a  plan- 
tation of  four  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  eight}^  of  which  are  under  cul- 
tivation. On  it  he  raises  a  variety  of  products,  the  principal  of  which  are  rice, 
corn  and  sugar  cane.  He  also  owns  twelve  acres  of  orchard,  in  which  he  has 
two  thousand  orange  trees,  pears  of  several  choice  varieties,  a  fine  variety  of 
peaches  and  grapes.  His  farm  is  located  two  and  a  half  miles  by  railroad  east 
of  Lake  Charles.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  member  of  the  following  named  orders  : 
Masonic,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  .Honor,  Independent 


180  SO UTHWES T  LO UISIANA 

Order  of  Good  Templars.     He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  « 

J.  M.  NEELY,  Merrvvim.e. — J.  M.  Neely  was  born  in  Jackson  parish. 
Louisiana,  1850.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  his  mother  of 
North  Carolina.     The  father  died  in  1858  and  his  mother  is  still  living. 

J.   M.   Neely  is  an  active  business  man.     In  connection  with  his  farm  he 

operates  a  saw  mill,  grist  mill,  and  cotton  gin.     He  was  married  in  1868,  to  Miss 

Elizabeth  Watson.     They  are  the   parents  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are 

living.       Both    Mr.    Neely    and   wife  are  members   of   the   Missionary  Baptist 

church.  « 

«      » 

ISAAC  NICHOLS,  Loretta. — Isaac  Nichols  is  a  native  of  Alabama: 
removed  to  Louisiana  in  1845.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and 
his  mother  of  Georgia.  Isaac  Nichols  received  the  benefit  of  a  good  school 
education,  and  since  engaging  in  business  for  himself  has  followed  the  vocation 
of  farming,  as  also  did  his  father.  Mr.  Nichols  has  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  public  affairs,  both  political  and  social.  He  was  for  eight  years  police  juror 
from  his  ward.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  at  this  place, 
in  which  he  holds  the  office  of  lecturer.  Mr.  Nichols  married,  in  1865,  Miss 
A.  E.  Holliday.     They  are  the  parents  of  six  living  children. 

»     * 

^  ROBERT  P.  O'BRYAN,  Lake  Charles.— Robert  P.  OBryan,  Attorney 
for  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  District  of  Louisiana,  is  a  native  of  Vermilion  par- 
ish, born  April  20th,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  A.  (Perry) 
O" Bryan,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Vermilion  parish,  Louisiana.  The 
father  died  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six,  and  the  mother  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven.  Daniel  O'Bryan  was  an  attorney  of  VermiHon  parish.  He  read 
law  with  J.  W.  Walker,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1850.  Prior  to  this  he 
had  been  for  some  time  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Lafayette  parish.  He 
served  for  a  period    of  several  years  as  clerk  of  the  court  of  Vermilion  parish, 

'  and  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1845:  also  a  member  of 
the  Secession  Convention  in  1S61.  During  the  war  he  was  enrolling  officer 
for  the  Confederate  Government. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  tlie  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  He 
spent  his  school  days  chiefly  at  Grand  Coteau,  in  St.  Charles  College.  He 
was  m  school  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war;  and  in  August,  1865,  he  joined 
the  Eighth  Louisiana  Infantry,  and  served  for  a  period  of  six  months,  when  he 
received  his  discharge.  He  was  afterward  drill  master  at  Camp  Pratt,  and  was 
subsequently  transferred  to  Spaight's  Battalion  of  Texas  Volunteers.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1864,  he  was  promoted  to  second  heutenant.       At  the  close  of  the  war  he 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  181 

turned  his  attention  to  steamboating,  and  was  for  several  months  engaged  as 
steamboat  clerk  on  the  Vermilion  River.  He  was  later  engaged  as  purser  on 
a  gulf  steamer,  from  Morgan  City  to  Aransas  Pass.  Subsequently  he  studied 
law,  and  in  1871  was  admitted  to  practice  at  Opelousas,  He  located  at  Abbe- 
ville, and  practised  his  profession  at  that  place  until  1889,  when  he  removed  to 
Lake  Charles,  and  has  since  practised  there.  While  a  resident  of  Abbeville, 
he  represented  Vermilion  parish,  1879  ^^^  1886,  in  the  Legislature.  He  has 
recently  been  appointed  Attorney  for  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  District  of  Louisi- 
ana, to  fill  the  unexpired  term  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  J.  C.  Gibbs. 
Though  conservative  in  his  political  views,  Mr.  O'Bryan  is  an  ardent  Democrat. 
He  married,  1866,  Miss  Sue  O'Neil,  of  Vermilion  parish.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  nine  children — four  sons  and  live  daughters.  Mr.  0"Bryan  and 
family  are  Catholics. 

*     « 

E.  M.  POWERS,  Welsh.— E.  M.  Powers  is  a  native  of  Maine,  born 
November  23,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of  Ambrose  and  Hulda  (Frost)  Powers, 
natives  of  Maine.  Ambrose  Powers  removed  from  Maine  to  Wisconsin  in  1845, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  soon  after  locating  in  the  State.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1873. 

E.  M.  Powers  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  two  brothers  and  four 
sisters:  George,  Laura,  Ann,  wife  of  Abraham  Pierce;  Arvilla,  wife  of 
John  Horn;  Emantha,  wife  of  Hiram  Sweet;  and  Hannah,  wife  of  Charles 
Stoddard. 

Mr.  Powers  received  a  common  school  education  and  began  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  was  married  in  Mississippi,  in  1868,  to  Juliet  Bancroft,  daughter 
of  John  Bancroft,  of  New  York.  From  1870  to  1884  Mr.  Powers  was  engaged 
in  farming  in  Iowa.  In  1884  he  removed  to  C<ilcasieu  parish,  Louisiana,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm,  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to  stock  raising  and 
acriculture.     Mr.  Powers  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternitv. 


C.  T.  PERKINS,  Vinton. — C.  T.  Perkins  was  born  in  Calcasieu  parish, 
1859.  His  parents  are  both  natives  of  Louisiana,  and  are  now  residing  in  Lake 
Charles. 

Mr.  Perkins  is  a  prosperous  merchant  at  Vinton.  The  success  which  has 
attended  his  business  demonstrates  his  superior  ability  and  tact.  He  was  mar- 
ried, November,  1880,  to  Miss  Nancy  Kirkman,  a  native  of  Lake  Charles.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Louisiana,  respectively.  Both  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Perkins  has  served  as  constable  for  one  term,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs,  though  he  does  not  claim  to  be  a  politician. 


182  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

ARSINE  P.  PUJO,  Lake  Charles.— A.  P.  Pujo  was  bore  in  Calcasieu 
parish,  December  i8,  1861.  He  is  the  son  of  Paul  and  Eloise  L.  (LeBIeu) 
Pujo;  the  former  a  native  of  France,  and  the  latter  of  Calcasieu  parish,  Louis- 
iana, of  French  parentage.     Paul  Pujo  came  to  Louisiana  in  1840. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  in  a  family  of  four  children.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Lake  Charles.  He  read  law  under 
Judge  G.  A.  Fournet  at  Lake  Charles,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  December 
3,  1888^  He  has  since  that  time  practised  his  profession  in  this  place,  having  re- 
cently formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  G.  A.  Fournet.  Mr.  Pujo  is  a  promising 
j'oung  attorney.  He  has  already  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  practice  and 
bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  his  section.  Mr.  Pujo  was 
married,  December  18,  1889,  to  Miss  Gussie,  daughter  of  Dr.  S.  M.  Brown,  of 

Texas.  » 

*     * 

A.  J.  PERKINS,  M.  D.,  Lake  Charles. — Dr.  Perkins  was  educated  at 
Southwest  University,  Georgetown,  Texas,  graduating  1886.  The  same  year  of 
his  graduation  he  matriculated  in  the  medical  class  of  Tulane  University,  and 
in  1888  received  his  degree.  He  immediately  afterward  located  at  Lake  Charles, 
and  has  since  practised  his  profession  at  this  place.  Dr.  Perkins  is  the  present 
coronor  of  Calcasieu  parish. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  1889,  with  Miss  Pearl  Snj-der,  of  Georgetown, 
Texas.     They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  ValReece.     The  Doctor  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  organization  of  this  place. 
*  * 

^  NATHANIEL  PRENTICE,  Welsh.— Nathaniel  Prentice,  planter,  was 
born  in  Vermont,  February,  1823.  He  is  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  (Stanle}') 
Prentice,  both  natives  of  Vermont.  Isaac  Prentice  removed  to  New  York  at  an 
early. day,  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he 
removed  to  Wisconsin  and  gave  his  attention  to  the  same  vocation.  He  spent  the 
latter  days  of  his  life  in  Sac  county,  Iowa,  where  both  he  and  our  subject's 
mother  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  famih'  of  seven  children,  five  brothers 
and  two  sisters.  He  was  engaged  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  reached 
his  majority. 

Mr.  Prentice  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Wisconsin  and  Iowa  until  1886, 
when  he  removed  to  Calcasieu  parish  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  containing 
thirty-seven  hundred  acres,  known  as  the  "  Hawkeye  Ranch."  Two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  this  land  is  cultivated  in  rice,  to  which  it  is  well  adapted.  Mr.  Pren- 
tice has  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Maria  West,  to  whom  he  was 
married  in  1844,  in  New  York.  They  became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children, 
eight  sons  and  five  daughters,  viz:  Charles  Rile}',  Elias  (deceased),  Hosea,  James, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  183 

Orrin,  Horatio  and  Isaac  (died  in  infancy)  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  M.Wiseman;  Pru- 
dence, wife  of  R.  P.Willard;  Nettie  E.,  wife  of  James  Harriman ;  Rose,  wife 
of  A.  N.  Kelly;  Maria,  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Prentice  died  in  1871,  in  Sac 
count}',  Iowa,  and  Mr.  Prentice  afterward  married,  in  1874,  Miss  Sarah  Ban- 
croft, of  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons: 
Mark,  and  Baby  (died  in  infancy).  Mr.  Prentice  has  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  local  affairs,  and  when  a  resident  of  Sac  county,  Iowa,  for  eight  j'ears  served 
as  county  supervisor.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

* 

JOHN  H.  POE,  Lake  Ch.\rles. — John  H.  Poe  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Mayo  &  Poe  Shingle  Co.,  shingle  manufacturers,  of  Lake  Charles.  This  com- 
pany has  an  extensive  manufactory  at  the  head  of  Ryan  street.  Lake  Charles,  with 
a  capacity  for  manufacturing  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  shingles  per 
day.  The}'  own  their  own  timber  lands,  consisting  of  large  bodies  of  the  best 
Louisiana  cypress,  sufficient  to  last  them  for  many  years.  They  do  a  large 
business,  and  it  extends  over  several  of  the  Southern  and  Western  States,  Mexico 
and  the  Indian  Territory. 

Mr.  Poe,  of  this  firm,  is  a  native  of  Calcasieu  parish,  born  near  Lake 
Charles,  November  16,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Augustus  T.  Poe,  who  was  a 
cousin  of  the  poet,  Edgar  A.  Poe,  and  Amanda  Mayo,  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
Louisiana,  respectively.  Augustus  Poe  was  an  architect,  and  was  at  different 
times  located  at  Opelousas  and  Baton  Rouge.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service,  and  while  in  Kentucky  was  mortally 
wounded,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  in  the  hospital.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  until  1872.  Our  subject  was  the  only  son  in  a  family  of  four  children. 
Being  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  he  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  Thad  Mayo, 
who  was  his  guardian.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Opelousas  and  Lake  Charles,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  work  in  the 
saw-mills  of  Calcasieu  parish.  Beginning  as  a  common  laborer,  by  strict  atten- 
tion to  business,  and  interest  manifested  in  the  work,  he  quickly  rose,  until  he 
soon  held  the  most  responsible  position  of  trust  within  the  gift  of  his  employer, 
and  now  owns  valuable  city  property  and  several  thousand  acres  of  valuable 
lands  throughout  the  parishes  of  Calcasieu  and  Vernon.  Mr.  Poe  has  made  a 
study  of  timber  and  milling  business,  having  given  this  his  undivided  attention 
since  he  began  business  life. 

In  December,  1879,  M'"-  P^^  married  Miss  Ella  Cooper,  of  Lake  Charles. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter.  Our  subject 
is  a  strong  advocate  of  public  schools,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  ever  since  he  attained  his  majority.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.     He  has  held  important  offices  in  each  of  these  lodges. 


184  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

J.  V.  RICHARD,  Lake  Charles. — Joseph  V.  Richard  was  born  in  St. 
Landry  parish,  March  13,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  B.  V.  and  Genevieve 
(Zerinque)  Richard,  natives  of  St.  Landry  parish.  J.  B.  V.  Richard  was  a 
large  planter  of  St.  Landr}' parish.  He  died  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years;  his  widow  still  survives  him  and  is  a  resident  of  Opelousas.  The  Rich- 
ard family  have  resided  in  St.  Landry  parish  for  generations. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children.  He  received 
his  education  in  Opelousas  and  was  attending  school  at  that  place  at  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war.  In  the  first  of  the  struggle  he  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
Twent}^-eighth  Louisiana  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  war  closed.  Enlisting 
as  a  private  he  was  promoted,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  second  lieuten- 
ant. After  the  war  he  engaged  as  a  salesman  in  a  mercantile  establishment  at 
Opelousas,  where  he  remained  until  1883,  when  he  came  to  Lake  Charles  and 
was  for  a  short  while  engaged  as  a  salesman  in  a  mercantile  house  in  tliis  place, 
when  he  opened  a  business  of  his  own  and  has  conducted  it  with  success  since 
that  time. 

He  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Alice  Hollier,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  She 
died  in  1879,  having  become  the  mother  of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  In  1881  Mr.  Richard  married  again,  Miss  Aurelia  Hollier,  a  sister 
of  his  former  wife.     Mr.  Richard  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H.,  and  is  one  of 

the  trustees  of  the  lodge.  # 

*     # 

^  J.  L.  RYAN,  Lake  Charles. — J.  L.  Ryan,  a  prosperous  planter  of  the 
third  ward,  is  a  native  of  Calcasieu  parish,  born  December  24,  1842.  He  is 
the  son  of  Jacob  and  Rebecca  (Bilbo)  Ryan,  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  in  this 
work. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now 
living.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Calcasieu  parish,  and  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Tenth  Louisiana  Regiment,  serving  during 
its  whole  duration.  He  participated  in  the  Seven  Days'  Fight  around  Richmond, 
Malvern  Hill,  Cedar  Mountain,  and  second  Manassas;  at  the  last  named 
place  he  was  wounded,  and  returned  home  on  a  furlough.  Returning,  in  1863, 
to  Shreveport,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry,  in  which  command 
he  was  at  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he  engaged  in  saw-milling  and 
followed  it  for  fourteen  years,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  farmer.  He  has 
a  good  farm,  and  it  is  well  improved,  beside  owning  considerable  timber  lands. 
Mr.  Ryan  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance.  He  served  for  a  term  succeed- 
ing 1S74  ^s  ^  poHce  juror  from  his  ward.  Mr.  Ryan  was  married,  in  1870,  to 
Miss  Mary  L.  Sallier,  a  native  of  Louisiana.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  one  son  and  eight  daughters,  viz:  Josette,  Rosalee,  wife  of  Martin 
Leblue  ;  J    L.,  Catherine,  Laura,  Maud,  Mabel,  Estella,  Ann. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  185 

JUDGE  STEPHEN  D.  READ,  Lake  Charles.— Stephen  D.  Read, 
Judge  of  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  District  of  Louisiana,  is  a  native  of  Avoyelles 
parish,  born  January  17,  1835.  ^^  ^^  ^^  ^°"  °f  Stephen  and  Mary  (Simmons) 
Read,  natives  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  respectively.  Stephen  Read,  Sr., 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Mississippi  when  a  boy,  and  later  to  Louisiana,  lo- 
cating in  Avoyelles  parish.  He  was  in  the  cavalry  service  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  participated  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  He  died  in  St.  Landry  parish  in 
1845,  at  the  age  of  fifty  four  3'ears.  He  had  accumulated  considerable  property 
before  his  death,  having  been  a  large  and  successful  planter.  The  subject's 
mother  died  in  1839  o''  1840. 

Judge  Read  is  the  seventh  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  received  his 
education  in  Centenary  College,  where  lie  pursued  a  course  to  within  one  year  of 
graduation.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Hempstead,  Texas,  where  he  pursued  a 
course  of  law  stud}^,  and  in  1858  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Washington,  Texas, 
shorth'  after  graduating  from  the  law  department  of  Bajdor  Uni\-ersit3^  He 
practised  in  Hempstead  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  Twenty-fourth  Texas  Infantrj'.  He  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Texas  Cavalry,  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  department,  and  participated  in 
the  battlesof  Mansfield,  Pleasant  Hill,  Yellow  Bayou  and  Galveston  Bay,  besides 
numerous  minor  skirmishes.  After  the  war  Judge  Read  practised  his  profes- 
sion in  Montgomer)^,  Texas,  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  Cameron  parish, 
Louisiana,  on  account  of  health.  In  January,  1887,  he  located  in  Lake  Chailes. 
In  December,  1879,  '^^  ^'^'^^  elected  District  Judge,  and  has  since  that  time 
served  in  tliat  capacity. 

Judge  Read  married  in  Montgomery,  Texas,  February,  1861,  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Mitchell,  daughter  of  Jas.  H.  Mitchell, "a  prominent  planter  of  Montgomery 
county,  Texas.  Judge  Read  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  six  of  whom  are  living.  The  judge  is  a  member 
and  senior  deacon  of  the. First  Baptist  church  of  this  place. 

*  * 
'•^  JACOB  RYAN, Lake  Charles. — Jacob  R3'an  was  born  at  Perry's  Bridge, 
on  the  Vermilion  River,  1816.  He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Ann  (Hart- 
grove)  Ryan.  Jacob  R3^an,  Sr.,  was  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.  He  removed 
to  Calcasieu  parish  at  an  early  date,  1817,  and  here  he  remained  until  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Mr.  Rj'an  began  life  as  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.  This  business  he 
closely  followed  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising, 
and  continued  in  this  for  a  period  of  six  years.  He  served  as  sheriff  of  this 
parish  for  six  years,  and  represented  the  parish  in  the  legislature,  1866-67.  He 
was  tax  collector  of  the  parish,  1874  ^'^  1878.    In  1861  he  engaged  in  saw-milling, 


186  SOUTH  WEST  L  OUISIANA : 

which  he  pursued  up  to  the  present  year,  when  he  was  burned  out,  making  the 
third  mill  he  has  lost  by  fire.  Otherwise  he  was  always  very  sucessful  in  his 
business. 

Mr.  Ryan  was  twice  married;  first  to  Miss  Rebecca  Bilbo,  of  Louisi- 
ana, by  whom  he  had  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  among 
them  being  J.  L.  Ryan,  whose  sketch  appears  in  another  part  of  this  work.  His 
second  wife  was  Miss  Emma  Platts,  a  native  of  German}'.  They  are  the 
parents  of  one  living  daughter,  Daisy. 

*^  FRANCIS  M.  ROWE,  Jennings. — Francis  M.  Rowe  is  a  native  of  Newton 
count}^  Georgia,  born  in  1825.  His  father,  Mathew  Rowe,  is  a  native  of 
Georgia,  of  Scotch  descent.  He  was  married  twice,  his  first  wife,  Mary  Gainer, 
being  the  mother  of  our  subject.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Joiner,  to  whom 
was  born  a  son — Mathew.  Mathew  Rowe,  Sr.,  died  of  yellow  fever  in  Gal- 
veston, Te.xas,  1847. 

Francis  M.  Rowe  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  three  children  born  to  Mathew 
Rowe  and  Mary  Gainer,  viz:  Dr.  Stephen,  D.,  deceased;  Sarah  M.,  wife  of 
Hugh  Nunn,  who  emigrated  with  his  family  in  1849  to  California,  where  he  died. 
Mrs.  Nunn  is  now  living  in  Zacatecas,  Mexico.  Francis  M.  Rowe  received  a 
good  common  school  education  in  Georgia  and  removed  to  Louisiana  with  his 
parents  in  1838.  Beginning  business  life  for  himself,  he  was  for  a  short  while 
engaged  in  farming,  subsequently  he  prepared  himself  for  surveyor  and  civil 
engineer,  and  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  Texas  as  a  civil  engineer.  He  after- 
ward read  law,  but  did  not  become  a  practitioner.  Under  President  Buchanan 
he  was  a  United  States  revenue  officer,  with  his  headquarters  in  New  Orleans. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  the  State  service  as  second  lieuten- 
ant in  Company  I,  First  Artillery.  In  1862  he  entered  the  regular  service  of  the 
Confederate  States  army.  He  was  for  some  time  in  active  service  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  was  on  detail  duty  in  the  treasury  agency  at  Marshall,  Texas. 
Mr.  Rowe  has  resided  in  this  place  since  1870.  He  is  at  present  notary,  attorney, 
surveyor  and  land  agent.  He  has  always  been  active  in  local  affairs  and  served 
for  a  number  of  years  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Rowe  was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Joiner;  they  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz:  Edward  F., 
deceased;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Z.  Gallup,  of  Jennings,  La.;  Ida,  wife  of 
Robert  B.  Moos ;  Jennings,  Sarah,  Adah  and  Samuel  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.    Rowe  and   wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

*     » 
M.  J.  ROSTEET,  Lake  Charles. — M.  J.  Rosteet,  the  oldest  merchant 
of  Lake  Charles,  was  born  near  Donaldsonville  on  the  Lafourche,  September 


^.^. 


y 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  189 

15,  1S36.  He  is  the  son  of  M.  J.  and  Marguerite  (Hernandez)  Rosteet,  the 
former  a  native  of  the  Island  of  Majoca  and  the  latter  of  Louisiana.  M.  J. 
Rosteet,  Sr.,  died  before  the  birth  of  our  subject,  and  but  little  of  his  history  is 
known.  Early  in  life  he  was  a  seafaring  man,  and  later  gave  his  attention  to 
sugar  and  cotton  raising. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  fair  business  education  and  began 
business  life  at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  a  saw-mill,  as  a  laborer,  and  subsequently 
was  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment.  Afterward  he  became 
clerk  in  the  sheriff's  office  under  Jonathan  H.  Cole,  of  Calcasieu  parish. 
During  the  latter  part  of  the  war  he  served  in  Ragsdale  Battalion  of  Texas 
Cavalry,  and  was  in  New  Orleans  when  the  city  was  taken  by  the  Federals. 
After  the  v^^ar  he  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  clerk's  office,  and  in  1870  began 
business  on  his  own  account.  Since  1883  he  has  been  associated  with  others 
in  business,  and  the  present  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member  does  a  flourishing 
business.  Mr.  Rosteet  has  been  very  successful;  having  begun  life  penniless 
he  has  acquired  his  present  comfortable  fortune.  He  was  at  one  time  elected 
assessor  of  the  parish,  but  lie  did  not  fill  the  position.  He  was  treasurer  of 
the  citj'  for  sixteen  years. 

In  i860  Mr.  Rosteet  married  Miss  Mary  J.  Church.  She  died  in  1872, 
having  become  the  mother  of  four  children.  Januar}',  1875,  Mr.  Rosteet  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  Miss  Mary  T.  McCormick,  sister  of  Jno.  McCormick, 
editor  and  proprietor  of  Lake  Charles  Commercial.  Thej'  are  the  parents  of 
two  children.     He  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*     * 
•^       J.  W.  ROSTEET,  Lake  Charles.— J.  W.  Rosteet  is  a  native  of  Louis- 
iana, born  in  Calcasieu  parish  August  11,  1861.     He  is  the  son  of  M.  J.  Rosteet, 
whose  biography  is  printed  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

J.  W.  Rosteet  was  reared  and  educated  in  Calcasieu  parish.  He  was  mar- 
ried, September  30,  i860,  to  Miss  Grace  LeBleu,  a  native  of  this  parish.  Mr. 
Rosteet  is  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  local  affairs  of  his  section.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  police  jury  from  Ward  3.  He  owns  sixteen  hundred  acres  of 
land,  a  great  amount  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Rosteet  is  quite  largely 
engaged  in  stock  raising.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  and  is  pub- 
lic-spirited, enterprising  and  progressive.  Mr.  Rosteet  and  wife  are  the  parents 
of  two  children:    Maud  S.  and  Harry. 

* 

M.  W.  RYAN,  West  Lake. — M.  W.  Ryan  is  a  native  of  Maine:  born  in 

Augusta,    1814.     He  is  of  Irish  and  English  blood,  his  father  having  been   a 

native    of  Ireland,  his  mother  of  England.     He    was  reared    and  educated  in 

Philadelphia.     While  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Ryan  learned  the  trade  of  machinist 

12a 


190  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

and  engineer,  and  for  many  years  he  followed  this  vocation.  He  served  in  the 
Confederate  States  army  from  1861  until  the  close  of  the  war.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  he  raised  two  companies,  an  infantry  and  a  cavalry.  He  was 
made  captain  of  the  former,  and  his  company  served  gallantly  during  the  whole 
of  the  struggle.  Capt.  Ryan  is  also  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war,  through  the 
whole  of  which  he  served  with  Jefferson  Davis. 

*  * 
V  JOHN  H.  ROBERTS,  Jennings.— John  H.  Roberts,  post-master  of  Jen- 
nings, was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  October,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of  David  and 
Theresa  (Gaenlich)  Roberts,  the  former  a  native  of  Chester  county,  Pennsj-1- 
vania,  and  the  latter  of  Germany.  David  Roberts  removed  with  his  family 
from  Penns3dvania  to  Illinois  in  1870.  He  was  a  blacksmith.  He  and  wife  are 
now  living  in  Wayne,  Dupage  county,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Theresa  Gaenlich  Roberts 
came  to  America  with  her  parents  when  she  was  eight  j'ears  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  four 
brothers  and  seven  sisters.  He  received  a  common  school  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  locality,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  served  through  the  whole  of  the  Civil  War,  in  Company  K, 
Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Regiment.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  River,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  was  disabled,  and  retired  from  active 
service.  He  was  detailed  to  duty  as  clerk  in  the  Adjutant  General's  office  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  was  also  in  the  military  detective  service  at  the  same 
place,  where  he  was  at  the  close  of  the  war.  For  several  years  after  the  war  he 
traveled  in  different  sections  of  the  United  States. 

In  1870  he  was  married  to  Miss  Minta,  daughter  of  Perry  Hearwood,  of 
Jefferson,  Texas.  She  died  in  Biloxi,  Mississippi,  1886,  from  yellow  fever. 
For  several  years  prior  to  1882  Mr.  Roberts  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Georgia.  From  here  he  removed  to  Northern  Louisiana,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years,  then  located  in  Jennings  in  1S84,  where  he  engaged 
as  clerk  in  the  store  of  A.  B.  McFarlain.  He  was  married,  in  1888,  to  Mrs. 
M.  L.  Evarts,  daughter  of  K.  Freeman.  Mrs.  Roberts  is  the  mother  of  two 
children  as  a  result  of  her  first  marriage,  viz:  Charles,  and  Maud.  The  former 
resides  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan.- 

Mr.  Roberts  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Jennings;  he  was  its  tirst 
mayor,  and  in  1889  was  appointed  post-master,  and  is  now  serving  in  that 
capacity.  He  is  commandant  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post  at  Jennings,  and  is  a 
prominent  member  of  'the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  has  been  quite  successful 
since  locating  at  this  place,  and  now  owns  seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land,  one  hundred  being  under  cultivation  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  in 
the  corporate  limits  of  the  town. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  191 

/ 

D.  J.  REID,  Jr.,  Lake  Charles. — D.  J.  Reid,  Jr.,  the  present  sheriff  of  Cal- 
casieu parish,  is  a  native  of  Lake  Charles,  born  August  14,  1857.  He  is  the  son 
of  D.  J.  and  Matilda  (Veazie)  Reid,  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louis- 
iana. D.  J.  Reid,  Sr.,  was  a  carpenter.  He  located  in  Lake  Charles,  1855. 
He  was  for  twenty-six  years  in  office  ;  first,  for  a  number  of  years  as  sheriff,  and 
later  as  judge,  which  office  he  held  to  within  one  year  of  his  death  in  1881.  The 
Reid  family  is  of  Scotch  descent.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  John  Reid,  was  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  located  in  Louisiana.  Our  subject's  maternal  grand- 
father was  a  native  of  France. 

D.  J.  Reid,  Jr.,  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children:  Joseph  F.,  a  resident 
of  Lake  Charles;  Alexander  L.,  present  mayor  of  the  city;  David  J.,  our 
subject;  Andrew  J.,  a  large  brick  manufacturer  of  Lake  Charles);  Samuel  J., 
and  two  sisters.  Our  subject,  in  partnership  with  his  uncle,  J.  M.  Reid,  for 
some  time  conducted  an  extensive  meat  market  in  Lake  Charles,  furnishing 
dressed  meat  to  many  of  the  surrounding  towns.  Subsequent  to  this,  for 
four  years  he  was  manager  of  a  large  saw-mill  and  mercantile  business. 
He  was  afterward  appointed  assessor  of  Calcasieu  parish,  and  served  as  such 
until  the  fall  of  1883,  when  he  resigned  and  became  a  candidate  for  the  sheriff's 
office.  He  was  elected  in  1888,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office. 
Mr.  Reid  has  gained  great  popularity  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties. 

In  December,  1884,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Helm,  of  New  Orleans. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Maud  and  Kinney  Eugene.  Mr.  Reid 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  also  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  of  this  place. 
Li  politics  he  has  always  been  a  staunch  democrat. 

* 

Li\STIE  REON,  Lake  Charles. — Lastie  Reon,  a  planter  residing  in 
Ward  4,  is  a  native  of  Lake  Charles,  born  1826.  He  is  the  son  of  Louis  and 
Artemie  (R3'an)  Reon,  natives  of  Louisiana.  Louis  Reon  was  a  planter  in  this 
parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  two  sons  and 
four  daughters.  The  father  died  in  1836,  and  the  mother  in  1865.  Lastie  Reon 
was  reared  in  his  native  parish  and  began  life  as  a  planter.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  late  war,  and  enlisted  in  1863  in  the  cavalry  service,  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  Returning  to  his  home  he  resumed  planting  and  stock  raising, 
in  which  he  has  continued.  His  farm  consists  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land; 
the  principal  products  are  corn  and  sweet  potatoes.  Mr.  Reon  was  married  in 
Calcasieu  parish  in  1845,  to  Miss  Adeline  Benwal.  Six  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Reon  died  in  1857,  and  our  subject 
married  again,  Mss  Zemma  Le  Bleu..  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living.  His  second  wife  died  in  1873,  and  in  1S75  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Leona  Miller.     The}'  are  the  parents  of  four  children. 


192  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  • 

'■'  E.  R.  SHANKLAND,  Jennings.— E.  R.  Shankland  was  born  in  Lewis, 
Delaware,  April  7,  1819.  He  is  the  son  of  William  L.  and  Elizabeth  Shankland, 
both  natives  of  Delaware.  His  grandfather  Shankland  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  located  in  Delaware  at  an  early  day.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were 
reared  and  married  in  Delaware,  where  the}-  resided  until  the  time  of  their 
death.    William  L.  Shankland  was  a  seafaring  man,  the  captain  of  a  vessel. 

His  parents  died  when  our  subject  was  a  small  boy,  after  which  he  went  to 
Philadelphia,  and  was  there  taken  care  of  until  the  age  of  twelve  years,  by  a 
man  whom  he  had  previously  known.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began 
work  on  the  canal  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for 
five  years.  At  this  time  the  Seminole  war  broke  out  and  he  enlisted  in  the  army 
under  Colonel  Zacher\^  Taylor,  and  was  in  active  service  for  two  years.  After 
this  he  learned  the  plasterer's  trade,  in  Pittsburg,  and  followed  that  for  a  number 
of  years.  Mr.  Shankland  removed  to  Dubuque,  Iowa,  in  1856,  where  he  opened 
a  seed  and  implement  house,  the  first  house  of  that  character  in  the  State.  In 
the  financial  panic  of  1857,  like  many  others,  he  was  financially  ruined.  He 
was  afterward  engaged  in  farming  and  horticulture  in  Iowa.  He  was  for  ten 
years  director  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  and  for  two  terms  president  of 
the  society.  He  served  four  3'ears  as  Deputy  United  States  Marshal  for  the 
northern  district  of  Iowa,  the  first  term  under  President  Johnson's  administration 
and  the  second  under  President  Grant.  In  1885  he  removed  to  Jennings,  Louisiana, 
and  has  here  been  engaged  in  agriculture  and  horticulture.  He  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Southwestern  Horticultural  Society  since  its  organization  in  1884. 

Mr.  Shankland  has  married  three  times;  his  first  wife  was  Miss 
Martha  Neville,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1839,  in  Pittsburg.  She  died  in 
1851,  having  become  the  mother  of  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Mr.  Shankland  married  in  1882  Miss  Emeline  F.  Clapp.  To  this  union  four 
children  were  born,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Emeline  F.,  of  Chicago, 
Ralph  and  Edward,  both  of  whom  are  architects  in  Chicago,  engaged  with 
Burnham  &  Root,  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  buildings  for  the  World's 
Fair.  Mr.  Shankland's  second  wife  died  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  in  1865.  In  1884 
he  married  Miss  Olivia,  daughter  of  ex-Governor  Hemstead,  of  Iowa. 

* 

WILLIAM  F.  SCHWING,  Lake  Ch.\rles.— WiHam  F.  Schwing,  a 
prominent  attorney,  and  editor  of  the  Lake  Charles  Echo,  was  born  in  Assump- 
tion parish,  December  20,  1837.  He  received  his  education  in  Centenary  Col- 
lege, graduating  with  first  honors  in  a  class  of  eighteen  graduates  in  1858. 
After  leaving  school  he  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  teaching  in  Feliciana 
parish.  At  the  opening  of  the  war  he  assisted  in  organizing  a  company,  which 
was  afterward  commanded  by  Capt.  Keep.  He  assisted  this  company  in  captur- 
ing the  barracks  at  Baton  Rouge.     From  there  he  went  to  Faj-ette,  Mississippi, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  193 

and  took  charge  of  the  Phoenix  Academy.  He  only  remained  here  a  short 
while,  however,  when  he  joined  the  "Thomas  Hinds  Guards,"  whicli  after- 
ward became  Company  D,  Nineteenth  Mississippi  Regiment.  The  last  two 
j-ears  of  the  war  he  was  captain  of  the  company  in  which  he  had  enlisted. 
During  service  he  was  wounded  four  times;  the  first  time  at  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness  ;  second,  Seven  Days'  Fight  around  Richmond,  in  which  he  was 
severely  wounded  from  the  explosion  of  a  shell;  third,  the  evening  after  Gen. 
Jackson  was  killed,  and  near  the  same  spot;  and  fourth,  at  the  battle  of  Antietam. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Schwing  returned  to  Mississippi,  and  re- 
sumed charge  of  the  Phoenix  Academ}^  until  1870.  During  this  time  he  had 
pursued  a  course  of  law  study,  and  in  1870  removed  to  New  Iberia  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  continued  until  1881,  when  he 
removed  to  St.  Landry  parish  and  established  an  oil  mill,  which  was  burned 
down  in  1882,  but  rebuilt  the  same  year.  By  an  accident  in  his  mill,  in  1885, 
Mr.  Schwing  lost  an  arm.  He  retired  from  the  oil  mill  in  1887  and  removed  to 
Lake  Charles,  where  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1876  Mr. 
Schwing  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  from  Iberia  parish,  but  was 
unseated  b}-  "  powers  that  zuere.'^ 

He  was  married,  in  1876,  to  Miss  Alma  C.  Knight.  Mrs.  Schwing  died 
in  Lake  Charles  in  1889,  having  become  the  mother  of  six  children,  five  of 
whom  survive  her,  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  Since  locating  in  Lake 
Charles  Mr.  Schwing  has  given  his  exclusive  attentionto  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  until  the  spring  of  1S90,  when  he  assumed  charge  of  the  Lake 
Charles  Echo  as  manager  and  editor,  still,  however,  continuing  the  practice  of 

the  law.  „ 

*     » 

JAMES  D.  STANDFIELD,  Vinton.— James  D.  Standfield  is  a  native  of 
Mississippi.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1855  and  located  in  Calcasieu  parish. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  1802,  died  1872.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  Mississippi.     She  died  in  1868. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  the  benefit 
of  a  good  common  school  education.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer.  At  one 
time  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  but  resigned  the  office,  and  has  never 
since  held  a  public  position.  Mr.  Standfield  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mar}'  Clark,  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

»  * 
HON.  S.  O.  SHATTUCK,  Lake  Charles.— Hon.  S.  O.  Shattuck  is  a 
native  of  Miami  county,  Ohio,  born  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and 
Eleanor  (Manson)  Shattuck.  Before  the  war  Benjamin  F.  Shattuck  was  a  sugar 
planter,  but  since  that  time  until  his  death  in  1884,  he  was  engaged  in  the  timber 
business  at  Lake  Charles.     Mrs.  Shattuck  is  still  living.     She   is  the  sister  of 


194  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

Gen.Manson,  of  Indiana,  who  was  a  distinguished  Federal  soldier,  a  nd  later 
Lieutenant  Governor  of  Indiana. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  New  Orleans.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  left  school  and  was  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  timber  busi- 
ness until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  Subsequently  he  taught  school  at  Lake 
Charles,  and  different  places  in  Calcasieu  parish;  1880-84  ^^  ^^^  ^  member 
of  the  parish  school  board.  In  18S4  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature 
from  Calcasieu  parish,  and  since  that  time  has  represented  his  parish  in  that 
body.  During  his  term  of  service  he  has  at  different  times  been  a  member 
'  of  the  educational  committee,  committees  on  fish  and  fishery,  and  claims  ;  he  is 
at  present  chairman  of  the  committee  on  corporations.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
five  other  committees,  among  which  is  the  committee  on  ways  and  means.  Mr. 
Shattuck's  services  in  the  Legislature  have  given  him  a  State  reputation.  He  is 
the  originator  of  the  measure  providing  for  the  rechartering  of  the  Louisiana 
State  Lottery. 

Mr.  Shattuck  married  in  1872  Miss  Huldah  Rion  of  this  parish.  They  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  Mr.  Shattuck  is  a 
prominent  Mason  and  has  been  master  of  the  lodge.  He  is  C.  C.  of  the  K.  of 
P.  lodge  of  this  place.  He  is  the  the  Dictator  in  the  K.  of  H.,  and  Past  Master 
Workman  in  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  also  Vice  Commander  in  the  American  Legion 
of  Honor,  and  Past  Chief  Templar  of  the  I.  O.  G.  T. 

E.  SHERLEY,  Sugartown. — E.  Sherley  is  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born 
in  1845.  He  came  to  Calcasieu  with  his  parents  when  a  small  boy,  and  has  re- 
sided here  ever  since.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Mississippi,  where  they 
were  married.  Since  coming  to  Louisiana,  his  father  has  been  engaged  in  plant- 
ing in  this  parish.     Our  subject's  mother  died  when  he  was  eleven  years  of  age. 

E.  Sherley  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  in 
this  he  has  met  with  fair  success.  He  served  during  the  whole  of  the  war.  Mr. 
Sherley  married   in    1870   Miss  Sarah  Cole.     They  are  the  parents  of  seven 

children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  , 

»     » 

M.  Q.  SWILLEY,  Sugaktown. — M.  Q.  Swilley,  planter,  living  in  Ward  7, 
is  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  in  Capor  count}',  in  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  Sut- 
lif  and  Matilda  (Little)  Swilley.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Georgia,  his  mother 
of  Mississippi.  They  were  married  in  Mississippi,  and  became  the  parents  of 
six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  three  of  whom  are  now  living  :  Marion, 
Monroe  and  M.  Q.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  S.  Swilley  was  a  prosperous 
planter,  and  to  this  vocation  gave  his  full  attention  during  his  whole  life.  He 
died  in  1858,  his  widow  surviving  him  until  1862  or  1863.  They  were  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church. 


HISTORICAL   AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  195 

M.  Q.  Swilley  came  to  Louisiana  in  1879.  He  bought  a  farm,  and  has  given 
his  undivided  attention  to  its  cultivation.  He  was  married,  in  1881,  to  Miss  Per- 
kins, a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  Calcasieu  parish,  1865.  He  and  his  wife 
are  the  parents  of  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living:  Ida  C.  and  Susan;  the 
other  three  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Swilley  owns  a  nice  little  farm  consisting  of 
about  one  hundred  acres,  a  portion  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  well  improved, 
with  a  good  orchard  of  a  variety  of  fruits.  Mr.  Swilley  is  a  Freemason,  a 
member  of  Sam  Todd  Lodge,  No.  1S2. 

»  » 
W.  H.  SIMPSON,  Gay. — W.  H.  Simpson  was  born  in  Calcasieu  parish  in 
1861.  His  father  is  a  native  of  Louisiana  and  his  mother  of  Georgia.  Mr. 
Simpson  has  been  a  planter  since  he  embarked  in  business.  He  has  done  well, 
and  has  a  good  farm  well  improved.  Mr.  Simpson  has  twice  married.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

»     » 

W.  C.  SABIN,  Welsh. — W.  C.  Sabin,  planter,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
October,  1863.  He  is  the  son  of  Nathaniel  C.  and  Octavia  D.  (Rudd)  Sabin, 
tfie  former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts. 

Nathaniel  C.  Sabin  removed  with  his  familj'  from  Ohio  to  Delaware  county, 
Iowa,  in  1870,  where  he  became  a  prosperous  farmer. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  brothers 
and  three  sisters.  He  received  bis  education  principally  in  Iowa,  and  at  an  early 
day  began  farming.  In  1884  he  came  to  Calcasieu  parish,  where  he  now  owns 
eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation  and 
well  improved,  the  principal  products  being  rice  and  corn.  Mr.  Sabin  is  a 
young  man  full  of  energy,  and  the  success  he  has  thus  far  attained  in  his 
business  undertakings  justifies  the  prediction  that  he  will  make  a  thorough 
success  of  life.  , 

DAVID  R.  SWIFT,  Lake  Charles.— David  R.  Swift,  of  the  firm  of 
George  &  Swift,  was  born  in  Belgrade,  Newton  county,  Texas,  June  2,  1858. 
He  is  the  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Frazer)  Swift,  natives  of  Massachusetts 
and  Mississippi,  respectively.  George  Swift  was  six  years  of  age  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Texas.  He  became  an  extensive  and  successful  merchant  in 
Belgrade.  He  died  in  1863  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years.  His  father,  Seth 
Swift,  was  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Texas.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  in  1870.     Our  subject's  mother  is  still  living  and  resides  in  Jasper,  Texas. 

David  R.  Swift  received  his  chief  education  in  Burkeville.  When  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  commenced  logging  on  the  Sabine  River.  In  this  he  was  en- 
gaged until  1884,  when  he  began  business  with  Swift,  Miller  &Co.,  in  their  lum- 
ber interest,  and  in    1885  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  George,  and  they 


196  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

have  since  conducted  a  flourishing  Hvery  and  undertaking  business  at  this  place. 
Mr.  Swift  has  charge  of  the  office,  while  his  partner  manages  the  outside  affairs 
of  the  firm.  Their  business  consists  of  a  well  equipped  livery  stable,  agricul- 
tural implements,  wagons,  buggies,  coal  and  wood.  Thej' also  conduct  a  black- 
smith and  wood  workman's  shop.     Mr.   Swift  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  at 

Lake  Charles.  , 

*     * 

V  C.  ST.  GERMAIN,  Lake  Arthur.— C.  St.  German,  planter,  was  born 
in  St.  Martinsville,  Louisiana,  1854.  ^^^  i^  ^^  ^o"  °*  Charles  and  Aurelia 
(Gauthier)  St.  Germain,  the  former  a  native  of  France,  the  latter  a  native  of 
Louisiana.  Charles  St.  Germain  came  to  Louisiana  when  3-oung,  and  for  forty 
years  was  a  merchant  in  St.  Martinsville.  He  died  in  1879.  The  mother  of 
our  sketch  is  still  Hving  in  St.  Martin  parish. 

C.  St.  Germain  is  one  of  a  family  of  three  children.  His  brother,  Raymond, 
is  a  planter  of  St.  Martin  parish.  His  sister,  Marcelite,  resides  with  her 
mother.  He  was  reared  in  St.  Martinsville,  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  that 
place.  He  was  for  a  period  of  eleven  3rears  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in 
St.  Martinsville,  which  he  discontinued,  however,  on  account  of  failing  health. 
Afterward  he  moved  to  where  he  now  resides  in  1882,  and  has  since  given  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  St.  Germain  was  married,  in  1879,  'o  Ludivine  Ledoux,  daughter  of 
Vallery  Ledoux.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Charles,  Lucien,  Anatole,  Henry  and  Aimee.  Mr.  St.  Germain  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


JAMES  SIMMONS,  Sug.\rtown,  Calcasieu  Parish. — ^James  Simmons 
was  born  in  Calcasieu  parish  in  1833.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Mississippi, 
and  his  mother  of  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana.  His  father  is  now  a  planter 
in  this  parish. 

Tiie  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  Calca- 
sieu parish.  He  has  been  a  planter  and  stock  raiser  all  his  life.  Mr.  Simmons 
has  twice  married,  first  Miss  Jemima  Cole.  His  last  wife  is  Miss  Eliza  Barren- 
tine.  He  is  the  father  of  nine  children.  In  politics  Mr.  Simmons  is  a  Demo- 
crat, though  he  takes  no  special  part  in  political  affairs.     He  is  a  member  of  the 

Baptist  church.  , 

»     * 

E.  A.  SLAYDON,  Suoartown. — E.  A.  Slaydon  was  born  in  1864.  His 
parents  are  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  was  a  planter  and  stock  raiser. 
His  mother  died  when  our  subject  was  but  an  infant.  His  father  still  resides  in 
this  parish. 

Mr.  Slaydon's  occupation  since  he  began  business  for  himself  has  been  that 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  197 

of  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.     In  this  he  has  been  very   successful.     He    was 
married  in  1887,  and  is  the  father  of  six  children. 

*      * 

REV.  STEPHEN  SMITH,  Loretta.— Rev.  Stephen  Smith  is  a  native  of 
Mississippi.  His  father  and  mother  are  both  natives  of  the  same  State.  They 
are  both  living  and  reside  with  the  subject. 

Rev.  Stephen  Smith  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  five  boys  and  one 
girl.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  when  young,  where  he  received  his  principal 
education.  Rev.  Smith,  aside  from  his  ministerial  duties,  superintends  the 
operation  of  a  farm  at  this  place.  He  is  a  minister  of  the  primitive  Baptist  per- 
suasion. He  was  married  in  1S81  to  Miss  Martha  Miller.  They  are  the  parents 
of  four  children.  ,. 

ALEXANDER  VERRET,  Welsh.— Alexander  Verret,  merchant  and 
farmer,  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish,  December,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Victor 
and  Clementine  (Arceneaux)  Verret,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana 
Victor  Verret  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he  was  engaged  during  the 
most  of  his  life  in  planting.  He  died  in  1882.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died 
in  1868.  They  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters, 
Victor  v.,  Alexander,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Joseph  A.,  Alcide,  Victorine, 
wife  of  A.  Carbello;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Julius  Derouen ;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Isma 
Forman,  and  Clara,  wife  of  Julius  Fontenot. 

Alexander  Verret  began  business  life  as  a  farmer.  This  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed for  a  few  years,  and  in  1884  he  engaged  in  merchandising  at  this  place. 
He  now  conducts  a  flourishing  business,  carr3nng  a  stock  of  about  $8000,  and 
is  well  patronized.  He  also  owns  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  which  he  has 
cultivated  chiefly  in  rice.  Mr.  Verret  was  married,  in  1887,  to  Miss  Cornelia 
Mandoza,  daughter  of  Samuel  Mandoza,  of  St.  Mary  parish.  Tliey  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  two  of  whom  are  living. 
Mr.  Verret  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

* 

WILLIAM  B.  WELBORN,  Sugartown.— William  B.  Welborn  is  a  native 
of  Calcasieu  parish.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  his  mother 
of  Louisiana.     The  former  died  in  1840  and  the  latter  in  1862. 

William  B.  Welborn  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  has  given  his  attention  to 
planting  since  the  beginning  of  business  life.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  enlisted  in 
the  Confederate  States  service  and  served  under  Johnson  and  Bragg  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  married,  in  1866,  to  Miss  Louisa  Lee,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Welborn's  father 
was  English  by  birth  and  her  mother  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  She  is  a 
native  of  Louisiana.     Her  father  died  in  1870  and  her  mother  in  1880. 


198  SOL THWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

''^  FELIX  K.  WELSH,  Welsh. — F.  K.  Welsh  was  born  near  where  he  now 
resides  April  lo,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  J.  (Simmons)  Welsh, 
both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Our  subject's  grandfather  Welsh  was  a  native  of 
Penns}'lvania.  He  located  here  si.xty-five  years  ago.  Henry  Welsh,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Calcasieu  parish.  He 
devoted  most  of  his  life  to  planting  and  stock  raising,  and  at  different  times 
served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  the  parish  and  police  juror.  He  took  a  distinguished 
part  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  for  some  time  acting  adjutant  general.  During  his 
service  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and  confined  in  New  Orleans  for  one  year.  He 
died  in  November,  1888,  at  his  home  in  Welsh.  Sarah  J.  S.  Welsh  was  also  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Calcasieu  parish.     She  died  in  1886. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  received  a  good  busi- 
ness education  in  schools  of  his  locality.  He  was  married  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
to  Miss  M.  David,  daughter  of  Francois  David,  of  Iberia  parish.  Mrs.  Welsh 
died  December  17,  1883,  having  become  the  mother  of  one  son,  Austin  E. 

Mr.  Welsh  has  been  principally  engaged  as  stock  dealer  and  rice  planter. 
He  has  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  yield  an  average  of  fifteen  barrels  of 
per  acre.  Mr.  Welsh  has  for  a  number  of  years  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Calcasieu  parish.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

* 

JAMES  L.  WEST,  Davis  Mills. — James  L.  West  was  born  in  Claiborne 
parish,  Louisiana,  1848.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Mississippi,  and  was  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser;  he  died  in  1887.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and  now 
resides  in  Vernon  parish.  ' 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  farmer.  He  has  a  plantation  of  about  three 
hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  where  he  resides.  Mr.  West  is  one  of  the  successful 
planters  of  this  section.     He  was  married,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Julia  Lewis;   the}-  are 

the  parents  of  four  children.  ^ 

*  * 

JOSEPH  A.  WHITMAN,  Pine  Hill.— Joseph  A.  Whitman  is  a  native  of 
Calcasieu  parish,  as  were  also  his  parents.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser. 

Joseph  A.  Whitman  received  a  common  school  education,  and  has  been  a 
farmer  since  beginning' business  life.  He  takes  an  active  part  in  politics  and  all 
public  affairs,  although  he  is  not  an  aspirant  for  political  honors. 

* 

*  » 

^  HON.  GEORGE  H.  WELLS,  Lake  Charles.— A  leading  member,  not 
only  of  the  Calcasieu  bar,  but  of  that  of  Southwest  Louisiana,  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was  born  September  11,  1833,  at  Schenect- 
ady, New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  Joel  and  Susan  (Bellows)  Wells,  natives  of 
Massachusetts. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  199 

George  H.  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
State.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  left  school  and  came  to  Louisiana.  This 
was  in  1852,  and  December  18,  1854,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  New  Or- 
leans, and  located  at  Harrisonburg,  Catahoula  parish,  where  he  practised  law 
until  1861.  He  was  District  Attorney  in  1859  by  appointment,  and  then  by 
election,  and  held  the  position  until  he  resigned  it  for  the  "tented  field"  in  the 
stormy  period  of  '61.  When  the  war  commenced  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  G,  Eleventh  Louisiana  Infantry.  He  was  soon  made  sergeant-major 
and  then  promoted  to  lieutenant.  When  the  Eleventh  was  mustered  out  Lieu- 
tenant Wells  joined  Shelly's  battalion.  Afterward  he  united  with  the  Houston- 
City  (Texas)  battalion  as  its  major.  During  Major  Wells'  army  experience  he 
volunteered  four  times,  and  was  discharged  three  times  on  account  of  ill  health. 
After  the  war  was  over  he  laid  aside  his  sword,  and  reopened  his  law  office. 
He  located  at  Lake  Charles,  Calcasieu  parish,  in  1866,  where  he  has  since 
practised  law.  His  practice  is  large  and  lucrative,  and  as  a  criminal  lawyer  he 
has  few  equals  in  this  part  of  the  State.  He  is  a  finished  orator  upon  almost  any 
topic.  Although  his  educational  training  was  wholly  in  the  common  schools, 
3'et  so  thorough  it  was,  coupled  with  his  voluminous  reading,  that  he  speaks  with 
the  chosen  language  and  fluency  of  a  classic  scholar. 

Mr.  Wells  is  democratic  in  his  political  views,  but  does  not  claim  to  be  a 
politician.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1878,  from  the  district  com- 
posed of  the  parishes  of  Calcasieu,  Cameron,  Vermilion  and  St.  Mary,  and  in 
the  session  which  followed  his  course  was  marked  by  the  same  high  ability  which 
has  given  him  such  eminence.  This  closed  his  political  career,  and  he  has 
since  devoted  himself  sedulously  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Maj.  Wells  was  married  in  Ma}',  1861,  to  Miss  Ellen  C.  Lewis,  of  Rapides 
parish.  She  died  in  April,  1886,  leaving  seven  children,  five  daughters  and  two 
sons.  In  1889  he  married  Miss  Jessie  Barden,  of  Lake  Charles.  Mr.  Wells  is 
a  member  of  theM.  E.  Church  South,  and  is  president  of  its  board  of  stewards. 
He  is  a  Free  Mason,  and  is  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  Eighteenth 
Masonic  District  of  Louisiana. 


EZRA  Z.  YOUNG,  Sugartown. — E.  Z.  Young,  planter;  was  born  in 
Calcasieu  parish,  Louisiana,  August  19,  1852.  He  is  the  son  of  Julian  and 
Ehza  Young,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  was  a  planter,  and  married 
in  St.  Landry  parish.  He  became  the  father  of  thirteen  children,  seven  girls 
and  .six  boys.  Of  these  eight  are  living:  Jefferson,  Stephen,  Austin,  Oscar, 
Julian,  E.  Z.,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  Emily  E.,  wife  of  Alexander  Stives; 
Susan,  wife  of  W.  M.  Morrow.  JuHan  Young  and  family  removed  to  Calcasieu 
parish  about  six  years  ago.     He  was  born  in  1808  and  is  yet  living  in  Calcasieu 


20(1  soir/ //WEST  /: ouisiana  .- 

parish.     Our  subject's  mother  was  born  1815,  and  died  1868.     She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  engaged  in  farming  since  beginning 
business  for  himself.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  his 
home  place,  besides  about  two  hundred  in  other  portions  of  the  parish.  The 
principal  products  which  he  raises  are  corn,  cotton  and  sugar  cane.  The  place 
is  well  improved,  and  he  has  on  it  a  small  orchard,  consisting  of  a  select  variety 
of  fruits.  Mr.  Young  was  married  in  Calcasieu,  1872,  to  Miss  Sidney  Simmons, 
daughter  of  Valentine  and  Anna  Simmons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  are  the 
parents  of  eight  ctiildren,  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  Mr.  Young  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

R.  M.  ZAWADZKY,  M.  D.,  Welsh.— Dr.  R.  M.  Zawadzky  was  born 
in  the  Province  of  Poland,  July  25,  1828.  His,  father.  Major  Charles  Zawadzky, 
was  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  Prussian  army.  Both  he  and  wife  were  natives 
of  Poland.  The  former  died  in  1832  and  the  latter  in  1842.  They  were  the 
parents  of  sixteen  children,  twelve  daughters  and  four  sons,  of  whom  Dr.  Zawad- 
zky is  the  only  living  son. 

Having  left  his  home  and  kindred  wlien  quite  young,  Dr.  Zawadzky  has  no 
knowledge  of  the  famil}'  at  the  present  time.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  country,  and  graduated  from  Warsaw  Medical  School. 
Shortly  after  completing  his  education,  the  Hungarian  war  broke  out,  and  he 
enlisted  in  the  army,  serving  until  the  cause  for  which  he  fought  was  lost,  and 
then  came  to  America  to  escape  punishment.  He  landed  in  Richmond,  Virginia, 
and  has  practised  his  profession  in  different  States.  He  resided  for  fifteen  years 
in  Kansas,  and  has  been  in  Calcasieu  parish  since  1S88.  He  practised  in  Lake 
Charles  until  September,  1890,  when  he  removed  to  Welsh.  Dr.  Zawadzky  is 
a  physician  of  acknowledged  ability,  and  he  has  been  well  received  among  the 
people  with  whom  he  has  cast  his  lot.  Dr.  Zawadzky  was  married  in  Newton, 
Kansas,  1876,  to  Miss  Julina  Mathewson,  daughter  of  Jesse  A.  and  Julina 
Mathewson,  natives  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  respectively.  Jesse  Mathewson 
died  in  Lake  Charles,  1890.  Mrs.  Zawadzky's  mother  died  in  1885,  at  Newton, 
Kansas. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Zawadzky  have  no  children,  but  are  rearing  two  newphews 
of  Mrs.  Zawadzky's,  viz:  Orvin  N.  and  George  W.  Mathewson.  The  Doctor 
is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


PARISH    OF  LAFAYETTE. 


OSCAR  L.  ALPHA,  Lafayette. — Oscar  L.  Alpha,  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Attakapas  Vindicator,  Lafayette,  and  of  the  Arcadia  Sentinel,  of  Rayne, 
Louisiana,  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish,  October,  1857.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
typographical  artist  in  Franklin,  where  for  three  years  he  edited  and  published 
the  St.  Mary  Herald.  Disposing  of  his  interest  at  that  place  he  established  the 
Attakapas  Vindicator,  the  first  copy  of  which  appeared  on  March  27,  1S90. 
The  Vindicator  is  a  weekly  newspaper,  democratic  in  politics  and  progressive 
in  its  views.  February  16,  1890,  Mr.  Alpha  purchased  the  Acadia  Sentinel, 
which  he  edits  and  publishes  at  Rayne.  Mr.  Alpha  has  an  excellently  equipped 
office  at  Lafayette,  which  is  well  patronized. 

»     * 

C.  P.  ALPHA,  Lafayette. — C.  P.  Alpha,  president  of  the  police  jurj'  of 
Lafayette  paiish,  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish,  in  1846.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Indiana,  who  came  South  and  located  in  Louisiana  in  1832,  where  he 
married  the  mother  of  our  subject.  The  grandfather  of  C.  P.  Alpha  served  in 
the  war  of  i8i'.i,  and  was  a  participant  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  He  after- 
ward located  in  Washington  City,  and  was  subsequently  appointed  chief  justice 
of  the  State  of  Indiana. 

C.  P.  Alpha  grew  to  maturit}^  and  received  his  education  in  St.  Mary 
parish.  He  learned  tlie  trade  of  carpenter,  and  after  locating  in  Lafayette 
parish,  in  1871,  became  an  extensive  constructor  and  builder.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  town  council  of  Lafajette  and  served  six  years.  He  was  after- 
ward justice  of  the'  peace  and  returning  officer,  and  is  also  a  notary  public.  He 
has  served  the  parish  faithfully,  and  as  executive  officer  of  the  police  jury  has 
few  superiors.  In  1886  Mr.  Alpha  became  engaged  with  the  Waters  Price  Oil 
Compan}',  and  is  now  their  agent  at  this  place.  He  was  married  in  Lafayette 
to  Miss  M.  I.  McBride.     Thev  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  girls  and 

three  bo3'S.  ^  , 

*     » 

WILLIAM  B.  BAILEY,  Lafayette.— William  B.  Bailey,  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Lafayette  Advertiser,  was  born  in  this  place  July  29,  1839.  ^^^ 
father  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  his  mother  of  St.  Landr}'  parish,  Louisiam. 


202  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

William  B.  Bailey  served  an  apprenticeship  in  a  printing  office,  and  at  the 
opening  of  the  civil  war  enlisted  in  the  Girard  Artillery,  Confederate  States 
service,  June  i8,  1861.  His  field  of  operations  was  chiefly  in  Virginia.  In  the 
following  engagements  he  was  a  participant:  Seven  Days'  Fight  around  Rich- 
mond, Harper's  Ferry,  Second  Bull  Run,  Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg,  and 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  September  9,  1863.  Mr.  Bailey  was  captured  and 
held  prisoner  until  the  following  June,  when  he  joined  Lee's  army  just  before 
the  battle  at  Appomattox  Court-house.  He  was  present  at  Lee's  surrender. 
When  the  war  closed  Mr.  Bailey  found  himself  in  the  condition  characteristic 
of  the  Southern  soldier,  penniless  and  far  away  from  home.  He  walked  through 
portions  of  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  finally  reaching 
home  in  Lafayette  parish,  June  26,  1865.  Shortly  after  his  return  home  he 
became  partner  in  the  management  of  his  present  newspaper,  the  first  copy  of 
which  was  issued  September  22,  1865.  Three  years  later  Mr.  Bailey  became 
the  sole  proprietor  of  the  paper,  and  has  edited  and  published  it  up  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  The  Advertiser  is  a  weekl}'  paper  well  patronized.  In  politics  it  is 
conservative,  though  strictly  democratic.  The  paper  is  especially  devoted  to 
the  interest  of  the  section  of  the  countr}'  in  which  it  circulates.  Mr.  Bailey 
was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Wella  Queene.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
daughters.     Mr.  Bailey  is  a  Free  Mason.     He  and  family  are  members  of  the 

Catholic  church.  ^ 

»      » 

"^  PAUL  D.  BERAUD,  M.  D.,  Lafayette.— Dr.  Beraud  was  born  in  St. 
Martinsville,  Louisiana,  in  1854.  He  is  the  son  of  Desere  and  Corine  (De 
Blanc)  Beraud.  His  parents  are  both  natives  of  Louisiana,  and  are  of  French 
extraction. 

Dr.  Beraud  was  left  an  orphan  when  but  a  bo\-,  and  was  reared  by  his 
uncle,  Alcibiade  DeBlanc,  who  was  at  one  time  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Louisiana.  The  Doctor  received  his  education  in  St.  Martinsville  and 
New  Orleans.  After  leaving  school,  he  was  engaged  for  a  short  while  as  civil 
engineer.  This,  however,  he  followed  only  as  a  medium  through  which  to  earn 
money  to  pursue  the  study  of  his  chosen  profession.  He  entered  the  medical 
department  of  the  Tulane  University,  and  graduated  March,  1879.  In  his 
observation  of  the  different  treatments  made  use  of  in  the  Charity  Hospital,  and 
in  general  practice  during  the  j-ellow  fever  scourge  of  1878,  in  this  disease,  as 
well  as  others.  Dr.  Beraud  became  an  adherent  to  the  principles  of  homre- 
opathjr,  and,  after  graduating,  remained  one  year  in  New  Orleans,  and  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  its  study.  After  this  he  located  in  Lafa3'ette,  where  he 
successfully  introduced  homoeopathy.  Dr.  Beraud's  success  may  be  more 
appreciated  when  the  obstacles  he  had  to  overcome  are  understood.  That  he 
has  succeeded  is  acknowledged  by  all.     He  married,  in  1S83,   Miss  C.  A.,  onl}- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  203 

daughter  of  Hon.  M.  E.  Girard,  of  Lafayette.     They  are  the  'parents  of  two 

children,  Ashton  and  Maxim.  , 

*     * 

^  I.  A.  BROUSSARD,  Lafayette. — L  A.  Broussard,  who  has  gained  an 
extended  and  enviable  reputation  as  sheriff  of  Lafayette  parish,  is  a  young  man, 
having  been  born  in  Calcasieu  parish,  1S57.  He  is  the  son  of  Dosety  and 
Elvina  (Lyons)  Broussard.  His  father  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish,  but  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  j^ears  removed  tg  Calcasieu  parish, where  he  subsequently  married, 
and  where  he  became  a  large  stock  raiser.  He  died  in  Calcasieu  parish  at  the 
age  of  fifty  year.s.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  of  an  old  Louisiana 
famil}',  and  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  when  L  A.  was  thirteen  years  of  age, 
she  returned  with  her  family  to  Lafaj^ette  parish.  Here  L  A.  Broussard  received 
his  education.  From  almost  a  child  he  had  assisted  his  father  in  stock  raising; 
so,  at  the  death  of  his  father,  he  became  early  in  life  engaged  in  that  vocation, 
which  he  continued  until  he  was  elected  sheriff  in  188S.  Mr.  Broussard's 
popularity  was  evinced  in  that  he  received  a  majority  of  the  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  sixty-four  votes  over  his  opponent.  Since  his  instalment  in  office 
there  has  been  nothing  which  Sheriff  Broussard  believed  to  be  in  the  line  of  his 
duty  that  he  has  not  attempted,  however  improbable  the  success  may  have  ap- 
peared. With  what  success  he  has  performed  his  official  duty,  his  record  will 
speak  for  itself.  By  the  radical  course  which  he  has  pursued,  Mr.  Broussard  has 
received,  from  those  who  considered  themselves  injured  by  him,  sharp  censure; 
but,  that  he  has  performed  his  official  duties  with  the  greatest  vigilance  and  most 
strict  conscientiousness  no  one  denies,  and  many  of  those  who  were  at  the  time 
disposed  to  censure  the  course  pursued  by  him  are  now  his  stanchest  friends. 
Sheriff  Broussard  has  hunted  down  criminals  with  remarkable  precision,  and 
has  made  captures  of  fugitives  from  justice  who  had  long  evaded  the  law.  For  one 
so  unwavering  he  is  possessed  of  a  generous  and  mild  disposition,  and  he 
possesses  those  prerequisites  so  necessary  to  one  of  his  position.  Mr.  Broussard 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Debbie  Doughtery,  November  13,  1890. 

JOSEPH  ZENO  BROUSSARD,  Lafayette.— Joseph  Zeno  Broussard 
died  March  2,  18S1,  at  his  home  in  Lafaj^ette  parish,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  The  Broussard  family  are  well  known  in  this  section  of  Louisiana,  being 
among  the  most  respected  and  largest  families  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  In 
a  financial  sense  they  have  without  almost  an  exception  been  successful. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Broussard,  also  a  native  of 
what  was  then  Vermilion  parish.  Mr.  Broussard  was  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  successful  planters  of  Lafayette  parish;  his  plantation,  which  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  his  heirs,  is  an  excellent  one  and  under  his  management  was  made  to 
yield  a  handsome  income.     He  was  agentleman  of  remarkable  business  capacity-. 


204  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

and  W.1S  characterized  b}'  his  energ}-.  As  a  citizen  he  was  benevolent  and  pub- 
lic spirited,  and,  though  uneducated  in  the  high  books,  he  had  acquired,  b}' 
reading  and  contact  with  the  business  world,  an  education  which  fitted  him  for 
an  active  business  life.  He  married,  early  in  life.  Miss  Cleonise  Savoie,  also  a 
native  of  this  parish.  Mrs.  Broussard  died  recently,  being  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  There  were  born  to  this  marriage  five  children,  viz  :  Ophelia,  Onezphore, 
who  died  in  1880,  at  the  ege  of  forty-two  years;  Edmonia,  wife  of  Joseph 
DugaG,  a  planter  of  St.  Landry  parish;  Joseph.,  died  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  years.  All  tlie  children  received  the  benefits  of  a  good  education. 
Onezphore  Broussard  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  C.  S.  A.,  and  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  received  a  wound,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  was  disabled,  and  was 
unfitted  for  active  service.  He  had  served  as  member  of  the  police  jury  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  Ophelia  Broussard  resides  (mother  dead)  on  theold  home 
plantation. 

*     » 

J.  O.  BROUSSARD,  Brous.sardville. — J.  O.  Broussard  was  born  in 
Lafayette  parish  in  1847.  The  Broussard  family  traces  its  origin  to  Gaurhept 
Broussard  dit  Beausoleil.  This  name  was  given  him  by  his  superior  officers 
because  of  the  cheerfulness  with  which  he  always  received  their  orders.  His 
commission  as  captain,  commandant  of  the  Attakapas  district,  under  the  old 
French  regime,  a  copy  of  which  appears  on  page  189,  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  J.  O.  Broussard.  This  commission  bears  the  date  of  1765.  He  was  the 
great  ancestor  from  whom  the  whole  Broussard  family  in  Louisiana  is  descended. 
He  became  a  wealthy  land  owner  and  stock  raiser  in  what  is  now  Lafayette 
parish.  J.  O.  Broussard  is  the  son  of  Ursin  Broussard,  who  is  the  great-great- 
grandson  of  Gaurhept  Broussard,  above  mentioned.  Ursin  Broussard  was  an 
extensive  and  successful  planter  during  his  lifetime.  Our  subject's  mother  was 
Eurasie  Broussard,  a  daughter  of  Isidor  Broussard. 

J.  O.  Broussard  is  the  youngest  son  of  seven  children.  He  received  a  com 
mon  school  education  in  the  neighboring  schools.  He  began  life  as  a  merchant, 
and  this,  in  connection  with  farming  later  as  he  acquired  propert}',  he  has  fol- 
lowed until  the  present.  He  commenced  merchandising  near  Broussardville 
since  1877.  His  plantations  consist  of  three  hundred  acres  of  very  fertile  land, 
which  he  cultivates  principally  in  cotton.  He  has  on  one  of  his  plantations  a 
large  cotton  gin,  and  also  a  blacksmith  and  repair  shop  near  his  store.  Mr. 
Broussard  is  one  of  Lafayette's  most  active  and  successful  business  men.  He 
was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Clemence  Labbe,  of  the  parish  of  St.  Martin.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage,  a  son  and  two  daughters,  his  little  son 
bearing  the  name  of  the  old  soldier.  Gaurhept,  and  the  only  one  known  of  that 
name  in  the  Broussard  family. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  205 

'  VALSIN  BROUSSARD,  Broussardville. — Valsin  Broussard,a  prosper- 
ous sugar  planter  of  Lafnyette    parish,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  1826. 

He  is  one  of  Lafayette's  old  landmarks  who  still  survive.  He  is  the  fa- 
ther of  the  little  town  of  Broussardville,  and  was  its  first  post-master.  In  local 
public  affairs,  Mr.  Broussard  has  always  been  prominent,  though  he  does  not 
claim  to  be  a  politician.  In  a  business  sense,  as 'Well  as  otherwise,  Mr.  Brous- 
sard's  life  has  been  a  success.  He  has  always  giveA  his  chief  attention  to  plant- 
ing and  merchandising;  and  now  owns  and  controls  four  hundred  acres  of  fine 
land  in  Lafayette,  besides  large  tracts  in  other  parishes.  For  the  past  twenty 
years  he  has  conducted  a  flourishing  mercantile  business. 

JOSEPH  S.  BROUSSARD,  Broussardville. — Joseph  S.  Broussard  was 
born  in  1862.  He  is  the  only  son  of  D.  and  Clemence  (Toubody)  Broussard. 
D.  Broussard  was  a  planter  of  Lafayette  parish,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
late  war. 

Joseph  S.  Broussard  is  a  cotton  planter  on  a  small  scale.  His  plantation 
consists  of  fifty  acres  of  land,  well  improved.  He  is  one  of  those  successful 
agriculturists  who  believe  in  cultivating  less  land,  and  bj'  the  use  of  improved 
methods  causing  it  to  give  a  greater  yield.  He  was  married,  in  1883,  to  Odiel 
Dupies.     They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter. 

^  LEONARD  BROUSSARD,  Broussardville.— Leonard  Broussard  is  a 
■native  of  Louisiana,  born  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  Jules  W.  Broussard  and  Mary 
Leyda  Bonin.  Jules  W.  Broussard  is  a  successful  planter  of  Lafayette  parish. 
He  served  the  latter  two  years  of  the  civil  war  as  a  Confederate  soldier. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  prosperous  merchant  of  Broussardville.  He 
married,  in    1888,   Miss   Mary  Landrj'.       To  them  have  been  born  one  child,  a 

daughter.  , 

»     » 

-  ALCEE  BROUSSARD,  Carencro.— Alcee  Broussard  was  born  in 
Carencro,  March  2,  1859.  He  is  the  son  of  Neuville  and  Amelia  (Richard) 
Broussard.  Neuville  Broussard  was  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish.  He  was  by 
occupation  a  planter  and  stock  raiser;  he  was  also  engaged  for  eighteen  years  in 
business  at  Carencro,  and  served  as  post-master  at  this  place  during  Grant's 
administration.  He  served  during  the  whole  civil  war.  His  father,  Jean  O. 
Broussard,  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  Our  subject's  grandmother,  Victoria  Vabsneau,  was  the  mother  of 
twenty-two  children,  twelve  sons  and  ten  daughters.  At  the  time  of  her  death 
her  children  and  grandchildren  numbered  two  hundred  and  fifty.  Neuville 
Broussard  died  in  18S2.  His  wife  died  in  1861. 
13a 


206.  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Tlie  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  at  St.  Charles  College, 
Grand  Coteau,  and  was  for  three  years  subsequent  to  leaving  college  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  his  mercantile  business  at  this  place.  He  began  plant- 
ing in  1877,  which,  however,  he  only  followed  a  short  while,  and  since  that 
time  until  1SS4  ^^'^^  **  clerk,  in  different  mercantile  establishments  at  this  place. 
In  1SS4  he  was  appointed  constable  and  deputy  sheriff,  in  which  capacity  he 
serves  at  present.  He  was  married  July  15,  1886,  to  Miss  Erenly  Elia  Guil- 
beau,  daughter  of  Adolph  Guilbeau,  of  this  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children — Grover  and  Edna.  Mr.  Broussard  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers' 
Alliance,  also  of  the  K.  of  P.  order.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

^  A.  CLEOPHAS  BROUSSARD,  Lafayette.— A.  Cleophas  Broussard, 
planter  and  butcher,  living  in  Ward  3,  is  a  native  of  Vermilion  parish,  born  Sep- 
tember 25,  1846.  He  is  the  son  of  Edward  T.  and  B.  (Broussard)  Broussard, 
both  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  grandparents  were  natives  of  Acadia.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  a  planter  and  stock  raiser,  and  dealt  very  heavily  in  cat- 
tle. He  was  also  a  large  slave  owner  before  the  war.  He  married  our  subject's 
mother  in  St,  Martin  parish,  and  became  the  father  of  fifteen  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Mr.  Broussard  and  wife  died  of  yellow  fever  the  same 
year  in  Vermilion  parish.     They  were  both  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  business  education  at  St.  Charles 
College,  Grand  Coteau.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  army  and 
served  for  eight  months  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  this  he  returned  home 
and  engaged  in  farming,  which  occupation  he  has  followed  since.  In  December, 
1887,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  butcher  business,  in  which  he  has  continued 
until  the  present  time.  He  owns  a  plantation  of  one  hundred  and  sevent3'-five 
acres  of  land,  ninety  of  which  he  cultivates,  the  principal  products  being  cotton, 
corn  and  sweet  potatoes.  His  plantation  is  situated  near  Lafayette,  and  is  well 
improved.  At  present  he  and  his  brother-in-law  are  preparing  a  race  track  with 
a  view  of  having  the  parish  fair  there  in  the  near  future.  The  track  is  two-thirds 
of  a  mile  in  circumference. 

Mr.  Broussard  married,  in  1872,  Miss  Arsene  Guidry,  a  native  of  Lafayette 
parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  four  sons  and  eight  daughters, 
of  whom  eight  are  now  living.     Mr.  Broussard  and  famil}'  are  Catholics. 


CHARLES  C.  BROWN,  Carencro.— Charles  C.  Brown,  merchant  and 
planter,  was  born  at  Breaux  Bridge,  St.  Martin  parish,  August  3,  1850.  He  is 
the  son  of  Dr.  William  E.  and  Margaret  (Claudel)  Brown,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and   France,   respectively.     Dr.  William  E.  Brown   was  a  graduate  from 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  207 

Jefferson  College,  Philadelphia.  He  practised  his  profession  for  some  time  in 
Tennessee,  and  in  1846  or  1847  he  removed  to  Breaux  Bridge,  St.  Martin  parish, 
where  he  practised  for  many  years.  Several  yeais  prior  to  his  death,  in  1859, 
he  was  a  resident  of  New  Orleans.  Our  subject's  mother  is  still  living  at 
Breaux  Bridge. 

Charles  C.  Brown  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  five  children.  He  spent  his 
school  days  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  when  but  a  boy  of  ten  years  he  be- 
came a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  house.  In  1870,  in  partnership  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Jules,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  on  his  own  account.  In 
1875  '1^  removed  to  Carencro,  where  he  has  since  conducted  his  business  with 
marked  success.  Mr.  Brown  now  owns  about  one  thousand  acres  of  land  near 
Carencro,  which  he  cultivates  chiefly  in  cotton.  He  is  also  quite  a  large  stock 
raiser  and  dealer.  While  a  resident  of  Breaux  Bridge,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
council,  and  he  has  served  for  some  time  in  this  capacity  at  Carencro.  Since 
1887  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  police  jury,  and  is  the  chairman  of  the 
parish  Democratic  Executive  Committee,  of  Lafayette  parish. 

Mr.  Brown  married,  in  1874,  Miss  Andrea  Ynojoso,  of  Lafayette  parish. 
To  this  union  three  children  have  been  born  :  SamueljP.,  William  E.  and  Sarah  W. 
George  E.,  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Brown  Brothers,  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  Louisiana.  He  was  educated  at  Breaux  Bridge,  and  early  in  life 
married  Miss  Genevieve  Milaudon,  a  native  of  Paris,  France.  She  was  a 
highly  accomplished  lady.      She  died  in  1890,  having  become  the  mother  of  one 

son,  Thomas  Weston. 

» 
»     » 

B.  A.  BOUDREAUY,  Lafayette. — B.  A.  Boudreauy  was  born  and 
reared  in  the  parish  where  he  now  resides.  His  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  the  parish.  His  father  is  a  planter  of  Lafayette  parish.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana.     She  is  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Baudreauy  is  a  prosperous  planter  and  stock  raiser,  and  this  he  has 
closely  followed  since  the  beginning  of  his  business  life.  His  farm  is  a  good 
one  and  well  improved.  He  cultivates  about  thirty  acres  in  cotton  and  corn, 
but  gives  his  chief  attention  to  stock  raising.  Mr.  Boudreauy  is  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Cora  Duocet.  To  them  have  been  born  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  Mr.  Boudreauy  is  not  a  politician,  but  in  principle  he  is  a 
staunch  democrat.      In  religion  he  is  a  Catholic. 


O.  BERTR AND,  Lafayette. — O.  Bertrand  was  born  in  Scott,  Lafayette 
parish,  Louisiana.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  and  in  later  years 
was  a  merchant  in  New  Orleans.  He  died  in  that  city  in  1S75.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  is  also  deceased. 


208  J9  O  inil  WES  T  LO  LIS  I  ANA  : 

O.  Bertiand  is  a  planter  and  stock  raiser  by  occupation,  and  in  this  he  has 
prospered,  and  is  one  of  Lafayette's  well-to-do  farmers.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church.  Thou<rh  not  active  in  political  affairs  he  takes  an  in- 
terest in  tiie  manipulation  of  local  matters. 

J.  G.  BPJRTRAND,  Duson.— J.  G.  Bertrand  is  a  native  of  Lafayette 
parish,  born  July  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  L.  G.  and  Celestine  (DeValcourt) 
Bertrand,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  L.  G.  Bertrand  was  a  stock  raiser  and 
planter  during  the  whole  of  his  life.  Several  years  prior  to  his  death  he  was 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  New  Orleans,  in  which  place  he  died  from 
yellow  fever  in  1879.     His  wife  died  the  same  year. 

J.  G.  Bertrand  was  married   at  the   age   of  eighteen  yt-ars    to   Miss  Azelie 

Arcenaux.     Since  his  marriage  Mr.  Bertrand  has  followed  the  dual  business  of 

merchant   and   farmer.     His   store   at  Duson  Station  is  well  patronized.      Mr. 

Bertrand  has  a  good  farm  of  a  hundred   acres   of  land  at  this  place,  which  he 

cultivates  principally  in  cotton   and  corn.     Mr.  Bertrand  is  an  active  business 

man,  as  the  success  which  has  attended  his  business  undertakings  through  life 

attests.     He  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz  :     Ella  M.,  Claud  J., 

Leo,  Edward  and  Daisy.      The  family  are  all  Catholics. 

« 
»      * 

ERNESBT  ERNARD,  Lafayette. — ErnestBernard,  a  prosperous  planter 
and  merchant  of  ward  three,  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  born  April  13,  1839. 
He  is  the  son  of  Gerassin  and  Eugenie  (Mouton)  Bernard,  both  natives  of 
Louisiana.  Gerassin  Bernard  was  a  successful  planter  of  Lafayette  parish.  He 
died  1867.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living.  Ernest  Bernard  is  the  fourth 
of  a  family  of  seven  living  children,  viz :  Athenaise,  Numa,  Clemence,  Alzina,  Al- 
cide,  Blanche.  Mr.  Bernard  received  a  common  school  education  in  Lafayette 
parish.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  1862  in  Com 
pany  A,  Twenty-sixth  Louisiana  Infantry.  He  participated  in  the  battle  at 
Vicksburg,  and  was  in  a  number  of  skirmishes.  He  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  1865.  He  has  always  been  a  planter,  and  in  this  vocation  he  has  pros- 
pered. He  owns  one  thousand  acres  of  land  where  he  resides,  four  hundred  of 
which  he  cultivates.  His  plantation  is  well  improved  and  he  has  a  combined 
cotton  gin  and  corn  mill. 

Mr.  Bernard  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Laure  Missonnie,  of  Lafayette 
parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz  :  Clara,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  P. 
Francez;  and  Philomene,  wife  of  D.  Cayret  Yuner.  Mrs.  Bernard  died  October 
29, 1889. 

PIERRE  BERNARD,  Caren-cro.— Pierre  Bernard,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Lafayette  parish,  living  three  miles  east  of  Carencro,  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRArHICAL.  209 

born  in  the  parish  April  8,  1837.  ^^  ^^  '^e  son  of  Louis  H.  and  Eliza  Bernard, 
natives  of  the  parish.  Lewis  H.  Bernard  was  born  April  4,  1805,  and  died 
November  29,  1852.  His  wife  was  born  October  3,  1814,  and  died  November 
29,  1890.  They  were  married  in  Lafayette  parish,  and  made  this  their  home 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Louis  F.  Bernard  was  a  successful  planter, 
and  at  his  death  left  an  estate  valued  at  $100,000.  His  father,  Jean  Bernard, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
There  were  born  to  the  marriage  of  Louis  H.  and  Eliza  Bernard  ten  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living,  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  Our  subject  was 
the  fourth  child. 

Pierre  Bernard  spent  his  school  days  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  attending  to 
his  father's  business  and  plantation,  and  in  this  he  continued  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war.  In  1861  he  joined  General  Mouton's  Cavalry,  and  soon  after 
enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth  Infantry,  Capt.  Smith's  company,  under  the  same 
general.  He  participated  in  many  battles,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
Bisland,  Lafourche,  Mansfield  and  Pleasant  Hill.  He  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Mansfield,  receiving  a  minnie  ball  in  the  right  leg.  After  the  war  he 
began  farming,  in  which  occupation  he  has  continued  ever  since.  He  owns  a 
plantation  a  few  miles  east  of  Carencro.  In  1862  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Ameranthe  Bernard,  daughter  of  Vilsia  Bernard,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  She 
died  March  14,  1865,  having  become  the  mother  of  one  daughter,  Feliciana, 
wife  of  A.  Breaux.  In  November,  187 1,  Pierre  Bernard  married  again.  Miss 
Augustine  Carmouche,  of  Pointe  Coupee  parish.     She  died  May  i,  1874. 

Our  subject  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter's  Catholic  church  at  this  place.  In 
politics  he  is  a  democrat.  Pierre  Bernard's  brother,  Jean,  was  also  a  Con- 
federate soldier.  He  was  on  General  Ruggles'  staff,  and  was  afterward  lieu- 
tenant in  the   Eighteenth   Louisiana  Infantry.      He   died  in  1884,  leaving  a  large 

estate.  , 

*     » 

LEON  BILLAUD,  Lafayette. — Leon  Billaud,  a  planter  of  Ward  3,  is 
a  native  of  France,  born  May  25,  1831.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Rosalee 
(Grizau)  Billaud,  both  natives  of  France.  John  Billaud  was  a  wheelwright  by 
occupation.  He  married  in  France  in  1829,  and  became  the  father  of  five 
children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  four  of  whom  are  now  living,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  being  the  eldest.  John  Billaud  emigrated  from  France  to 
Louisiana  in  1840,  arriving  in  New  Orleans  Januar}'  8.  Shortly  afterward  he 
located  in  Lafayette,  and  there  followed  his  trade  until  his  death  in  1879.  The 
subject's  mother  died  in  1849.  Both  were  devout  members  of-  the  Catholic 
church. 

Leon  Billaud  was  but  a  boy  when  his  parents  came  to  Louisiana.     He  was 


2 10  SOUTH  WEST  L  OUISlANA  : 

educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Lafayette  parish,  and  when  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of 
years.  His  chief  vocation,  however,  has  been  planting.  He  owns  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  under  cultivation.  The  princi- 
pal products  of  his  farm  are  cotton  and  sweet  potatoes.  The  place  is  a  beauti- 
ful one  and  fertile,  and  is  located  a  mile  west  of  Lafayette.  In  connection  with 
his  plantation  Mr.  Billaud  operates  a  steam  cotton  gin,  with  a  capacity  for 
ginning  fourteen  bales  of  cotton  a  day.  Mr.  Billaud  was  a  Confederate  soldier 
during  the  civil  war.  Enlisting  in  the  infantry  in  1862,  he  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  has  married  twice;  first  in  1853  to  Miss  Malvina  Landr\-,  a 
native  of  Lafaj-ette  parish,  to  which  marriage  were  born  six  children,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Mrs.  Billaud  died  in  1S67,  and  Mr.  Billaud  married  again 
in  1869,  Mrs.  Emma  Landry,  widow  of  Desire  Landry.     One  son,  Joseph,  has 

been  born  to  this  union.  , 

*  • 

^  MARTIAL  BILLAUD,  Lafayette.— Martial  Billaud  was  born  in  France, 
August  25,  1834.  His  father  and  mother  were  both  natives  of  that  countr}'. 
The}'  emigrated  to  America  in  1836. 

Martial  Billaud  is  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  five  children.  He  was  married 
in  1857  to  Miss  Lucy  St.  Julian.  To  them  have  been  born  five  children,  three 
boys  and  two  girls.  He  entered  the  Confederate  army  in  1863,  and  served  dur- 
ing the  whole  war  in  the  Twentj'-sixth  Louisiana  regiment,  Major  Legarde  com- 
manding. The  subject  is  a  planter,  owning  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land.  He 
cultivates  principally  sugar  and  cotton.  He  has  a  large  sugar  mill,  and  employs 
more  than  one  liundred  men  on  his  place.  He  is  the  importer  of  the  first  Hol- 
stein  cattle  brought  here,  and  is  giving  much  attention  to  their  domestication. 

* 

*  * 

y  JOSEPH  C.  BREAUX,  Lafayette.— Joseph  C.  Breaux,a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  the  eighth  ward,  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Lafayette,  where 
he  was  reared  and  educated.  Mr.  Breaux  has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to 
the  business  in  which  he  is  at  present  engaged.  Since  starting  out  in  life  for 
himself,  he  has  succeeded,  and  is  comfortably  situated  as  regards  finances.  Mr. 
Breaux  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Donlese  Bertrand.  Eight  bright  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them.  Mr.  Betrand  and  family'  are  Catholics.  His 
political  views  accord  with  the  present  principles  of  democracy. 


NUMA  BREAUX,  Carencro. — Numa  Breaux  was  born  in  Lafayette 
parish,  February  21,  1838.  He  is  the  son  of  Pierre  R.  and  Calice  (Arceneaux) 
Breaux,  both  natives  of  Lafayette  parish.  Pierre  R.  Breaux  died  in  1S64  at  the 
age  of  sixty-two    years.     He  was  during  his  lifetime  a   large  planter  and   stock 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  211 

raiser.  He  amassed  a  considerable  fortune,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned 
three  thousand  acres  of  land,  a  large  amount  of  stock,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  slaves.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living,  being  now  eighty- 
six  years  of  age.  She  is  well  preserved  and  in  good  health,  and  boasts  of 
never  having  taken  medicine. 

The  subject  is  the  third  child,  and  the  onl}'  son  now  living  of  a  family  of 
eight  children.  His  other  brother,  William,  was  killed  during  the  war.  He  en- 
listed in  1861  in  the  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry, Confederate  States  Army,  and 
was  killed  in  Hentleyville  in  1863.  He  had  been  a  participant  in  twent-eight 
active  engagements  prior  to  his  death. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  Cape  Girardeau,  where  he  pur- 
sued a  three  j'ears'  course.  Upon  his  return  home  from  college,  he  served  as 
deputy  clerk  for  four  years.  October  2,  1861,  he  joined  the  Second  Louisiana 
Cavalry,  C.  S.  A.,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Bisland,  Berwick  Bay,  Bayou  Lafourche,  Mansfield  and 
Pleasant  Hill.  He  was  on  picket  duty  from  Berwick  Baj'  to  Mansfield.  His 
regiment  was  disbanded  at  Alexandria,  Louisiana.  After  his  return  from  the  war, 
Mr.  Breaux  located  where  he  now  resides  and  began  stock  raising.  He  at 
present  owns  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  situated  three  miles  west  of 
Carencro,  which  he  cultivates  principally  in  cotton.  His  plantation  is  a 
beautiful  one,  and  well  improved.  There  are  on  it  two  mineral  springs — 
the  only  springs  of  the  kind  in  this  section.  The  house  in  which  Mr.  Breaux 
resides  is  an  old  mansion  of  truly  Southern  architecture,  built  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago. 

Mr.  Breaux  has  been  active  in  local  public  affairs  of  his  section,  and 
served  for  a  while  as  police  juror  from  his  ward.  He  was  married,  in 
1861,  to  Miss  Marthe  C.  Mouton,  daughter  of  Louis  V.  Mouton,  a  planter  and 
member  of  the  distinguished  Mouton  famih',  a  histor}?  of  which  appears  in  this 
work.  Mr.  Mouton  died  in  1861,  and  his  wife  in  March,  1890.  Her  children 
and  grandchildren  at  the  time  of  her  death  numbered  one  hundred  and  sixty. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breaux  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  Esdras,  a  planter  of  La- 
fayette parish,  and  Eloise.     The  family  are  Catholics. 

* 
*     » 

J.  E.  BONIN,  Broussardville. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of 
Lafayette  parish,  as  were  both  his  parents.  His  father  died  in  1S79,  and  his 
mother  in  1861. 

Mr.  Bonin  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Lafayette  par- 
ish. He  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and  since  he  has  been  in  business  for  him- 
self he  has  followed  the  vocation  of  planting  exclusively.  His  farm  consists  of 
one  hundred  and  fift}-  acres  of  excellent  land,  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
well   improved.        Mr.    Bonin    was    united  in  marriage,    in    1861,    with    Miss 


212  SOUTHWES7'  LOUISIANA : 

Landry.      They  are  tlie  parents  of  seven   children,   all    living.      Mr.  Bonin  is    a 
member  of  the  Catholic  ciuirch. 


WILLIAM  CAMPBELL,  Lafayette. — William  Campbell,  attorney  at 
law,  is  a  native  of  Lafa3-ette  parish,  born  October,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of 
William  and  Alida  (Guidry)  Campbell.  Wm.  Campbell,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of 
Pittsburg,  Penns3'lvania,  but  removed  with  his  parents  to  Lafayette  when  a  boy. 
His  father,  John  Campbell,  was  a  surveyor  and  school  teacher,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  served  as  deput}'  government  surveyor  of  Southwest  Louisiana. 
Perhaps  no  man  waslpetter  acquainted  with  this  section  of  the  State  than  he.  It 
was  chiefly  under  his  tutorage  that  William,  our  subject's  father,  received  his 
education.  William  Campbell,  Sr.,  was  a  merchant  of  Lafayette  during  the 
■whole  of  his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Senate  immediately  after  the  war. 
He  died  in  1884.     The  mother  of  our  subject  died  when  he  was  an  infant. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  primary  education  in  the  schools  of 
Lafayette  ;  later  he  attended  St.  Charles  College,  at  Grand  Coteau,  where  he 
remained  for  five  years.  Immediately  after  leaving  school  he  became  deputy 
sheriff  of  the  parish,  and  afterward  served  for  one  term  as  sheriff.  He  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  M.  E.  Girard,  of  the  Lafayette  bar,  and  in  1889  he  grad- 
uated from  the  law  school  of  the  Tulane  University.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
practice  in  New  Orleans  and  immediately  afteward  located  in  Lafayette,  where 
he  has  since  practised  his  profession.  Mr.  Campbell  does  a  good  practice  and 
is  a  rising  atttorney.      He  is  a  married  man. 

*  * 

EMILE  CREIGHTON,  Lafayette.— Emile  Creighton  was  born  in  Lou- 
isiana, 1849.  His  father,  John  R.  Creighton,  was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  as  was 
also  his  mother,  Eupheme  Mouton.  His  parents  were  married  in  Lafayette  par- 
ish, 1835,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  Mr.  Creighton  entered  the  Confederate  service, 
enlisting  in  1864,  in  the  Twenty-sixth  Louisiana  Regiment,  under  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Crow,  and  served  until  the  war  closed.  Mr.  Creighton  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  planting  since  the  war.  He  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  which 
he  cultivates  chief!}'  in  cotton.  He  also  Operates  a  large  cotton  gin.  Mr. 
Creighton  was  married,  in  1890,  to  Miss  Elizabeth   Louiel. 

» 

•  • 

JUDGE  JOHN  CLEGG,  Lafayette.— Judge  John  Clegg,  judge  of  the 
court  of  appeals  for  the  third  circuit  of  Louisiana,  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
born  1852.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Louisiana  in  1859.  J'^'^g^  d'^go 
is  the  son  of  Baxter  and  T.  L.  (Collins)  Clegg,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  213 

His  father  is  of  Welsh  and  Irish  parentage,  and  his  mother  of  English.  Rev. 
Baxter  Clegg  was  a  prominent  minister  of  the  Methodist  church.  For  a  period 
of  years  Rev.  Clegg  was  president  of  the  board  of  education  of  North  Carolina. 
He  founded  a  school  of  high  grade  in  that  State,  which,  with  a  competent 
corps  of  teachers,  he  conducted  for  a  number  of  years  with  success.  In  1859 
he  was  made  president  of  Homer  College,  Homer,  Louisiana,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  in  1SS4.  Judge  Clegg's  mother 
died  in  1886. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  wholly  educated  under  the  tutorage  of  his 
father.  In  1872  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  M.  E.  Girard, 
of  Lafayette.  He  subsequently  pursued  a  course  of  law  study  in  Tulane 
University,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1874.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  before  the  supreme  court  at  Opelousas,  June,  1874,  ^^^  immediately 
after  he  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Lafayette.  He  was  secretary  of  the 
Senate  from  1877  until  1881,  inclusive,  when  he  was  made  district  judge  and 
served  three  years.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term.  Judge  Clegg  was  elected 
by  the  General  Assembly  judge  of  the  court  of  appeals,  for  the  third  circuit, 
comprising  the  parishes  of  Grant,  Rapides,  Avoyelles,  St.  Landry,  Lafayette, 
Iberia,  Vermilion,  Cameron,  Calcasieu,  Acadia  and  Vernon.  His  term  of  office 
will  expire  in  1892.  Judge  Clegg  was  married  in  1S82  to  Miss  Mary  Cage,  the 
accomplished  daughter  of  Albert  G.  Cage,  of  Terrebonne  parish. 

»     » 

HON.  OVERTON  CADE,  Youngsville. — In  the  early  days  of  Louisiana, 
when  this  section  of  the  country  w;is  comparatively  a  vast  wilderness,  Robert 
Cade,  father  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch, 
located  near  where  Hon.  Overton  Cade  now  resides.  Robert  Cade  was  a  native 
of  South  Carolina.  His  name  was  well  known,  as  he  figured  prominently  in  the 
political  affairs  of  Louisiana,  having  been  in  active  political  life  until  within  a 
few  years  of  his  death.  He  was  elected,  in  1840^  representative  of  Lafayette 
parish,  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature.  In  1852  he  was  elected  State 
Senator.     His  death  occurred  in  1859.     ^i^  wife  and   three  sons  survived  him. 

Hon.  Overton  Cade,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  the  year  1852, 
and  was  educated  at  the  University  of  the  South.  Mr.  Cade  has  been  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  since  embarking  in  business  until  the  present  time.  His 
plantation  near  Youngsville  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  section  of  the  country. 
It  consists  of  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  one-half  of  which  is  under  cultiva- 
tion, and  the  remainder  he  uses  as  a  pasture  for  grazing  a  large  amount  of 
stock.  Mr.  Cade  has  also,  in  partnership  with  his  brothers,  C.  T.  and  W. 
Cade,  a  large  ranch  in  Texas. 

Mr.  Cade  has  always  been  an  active  participant  in  public  affairs  and  is 
well  informed  on  all  the  issues  of  the  da}-.       He  was  elected,  in   1879,   Demo 


214  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

cratic  Representative  to  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  from  Lafayette 
parish,  and  was  reelected  in  1888.  His  services  as  a  legislator  have  been  highly 
appreciated,  and  few  men  enjoy  a  more  united  cooperative  constituency  than 
he.  In  1879  ^''-  Cade  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Smedes,  a  native  of 
Mississippi.     The}'  are  the  parents  of  three  children. 

»  • 
•^  A.  O.  CLARK,  M.  D.,  Ridge.— Dr.  A.  O.  Clark  was  born  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  Louisiana,  September  9,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Valentine  and  Frances 
(McCleland)  Clark,  natives  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana  respectively.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eleven  brothers  and  three 
sisters,  six  of  whom  are  now  living.  Our  subject's  mother  died  when  he  was  a 
small  boy,  and  his  father  married  a  second  time.  Miss  Catharine  Clark;  to  this 
marriage  were  born  three  children.  Valentine  Clark  died  in  1870.  He  had 
been  a  planter  and  stock  dealer  the  whole  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Clark  received  his  earl}'  education  in  Opelousas,  and  subsequently 
became  a  student  at  Blackman's  College,  New  Orleans,  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1878.  Shortly  after  leaving  college  Dr.  Clark 
embarked  in  a  mercantile  business  in  partnership  with  Messrs.  Hoffpauir  & 
Green.  In  this  he  was  engaged  for  a  short  while,  when  he  disposed  of  his  inter- 
est and   engaged  in  stock   dealing,  in   which   he  continued  for  five    years. 

In  1878  he  married  Miss  Alice  Lambert,  daughter  of  David  and  Elmire 
(Andrus)  Lambert,  of  this  parish.  In  1885  Dr.  Clark  entered  the  medical 
school  of  the  Tulane  University,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1887. 
Immediately  upon  the  completion  of  his  studies  Dr.  Clark  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law.  Dr.  Lyons.  The 
doctor  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  lucrative  practice,  and  he  is  a  gentle- 
man who  keeps  well  up  with  his  profession.  As  a  practitioner  he  ranks  de- 
servedly high.  In  connection  with  his  profession  the  Doctor  also  superintends 
his  plantation,  which  yields  a  handsome  income.  Dr.  Clark  and  wife  are  the 
parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz:  Oran,  Mattie,  Lelia,  Michael. 

* 
«     » 

ERNEST  CONSTANTIN,  Lafayette.  —Ernest  Constantin,  livery 
man,  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish,  April,  1846.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  A. 
(Richard)  Constantin,  natives  of  Lafayette.  John  Constantine  was  quite  an 
extensive  planter  and  stock  raiser.  He  died  in  Lafayette  parish  in  1877.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living. 

Ernest  Constantin  is  one  of  a  family  of  three  children,  one  daughter  and 
two  sons.  He  is  now  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Lafayette  parish.  Until  within  the  last 
few  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.    At  present  he  conducts 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  215 

a  liver}'  business  in  Lafayette.  Mr.  Constantin  has  been  successful  financially. 
He  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  good  land  in  Lafaj-ette  parish,  besides  business 
houses  and  lots  in  the  town.  He  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Alice  Begnaud.  To 
them  were  born  one  son  and  one  daughter,  Alcee  (deceased)  and  Mar}'.  Mrs. 
Constantin  died  in  1868,  and  ten  years  later  Mr.  Constantin  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Eugenie  Billaud,  daughter  of  John  BiUaud.  Mr.  Constantin  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church.     He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H. 

*  * 

P.  A.  CHIASSON,  Scott. — P.  A.  Chiasson,  planter  and  merchant,  was 
born  in  Lafayette  parish,  April,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  John  B.  and  Eline 
(Begnaud)  Chiasson,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  John  B.  Chiasson  was  a  pros- 
perous stock  raiser  and  farmer  in  Lafayette  parish.  He  died  November  26, 
1867;  his  wife  survived  until  1S87.  They  reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  five 
sons  and  five  daughters. 

P.  A.  Chiasson  received  the  benefit  of  a  good  common  school  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  locality.  His  parents  removed  to  Texas  when  he  was  five 
years  of  age,  returning  to  Lafayette  after  having  resided  there  for  seven  years. 
With  this  exception,  Mr.  Chiasson  has  spent  his  whole  life  where  he  now  resides. 
He  began  life  as  a  planter,  and  subsequently  added  a  general  stock  of  merchan- 
dise, which  business  he  now  conducts.  His  plantation  consists  of  four  hundred 
acres,  three  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  the  principal  products  being 
rice  and  cotton.  Mr.  Chiasson's  mercantile  business  amounts  to  about  eight 
thousand  dollars  annuall}'. 

He  was  married,  in  1876,  to  Miss  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Leon  and  Melvina 
(Landry)  Billeaud,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
viz:   Paul  A.,  John  L.,  Eli  G.,  Joseph  M.,  Mary  L. ;   one  died  in  infancy. 

» 

*  * 

^  PAUL  L.  DE  CLOUET,  Lafayette.— Paul  L.  De  Clouet,  a  planter  of  the 
third  ward,  was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish  July,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Gen- 
eral Alexandre  De  Clouet  and  Marie  Louise  de  St.  Clair. 

General  De  Clouet  died  in  Lafayette  parish  June  26,  1890.  He  was  born 
June  9,  181 2,  in  St.  Martin  parish.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  but  an  infant, 
and  his  aunts,  Mesdames  Chas.  Lastrapes  and  Chevalier  Dellomme,  and  his 
grandfather  and  grandmother  Fuselier  took  charge  of  him  and  raised  him. 

General  De  Clouet  w-as  educated  at  Bardstown,  Kentuck}',  and  George- 
town College,  Washington,  D.  C.  He  graduated  from  the  first  named  in- 
stitution in  1829  with  high  honors,  receiving  his  diploma  from  the  hands  of 
Henry  Clay,  who  presided  over  the  exercises  of  the  closing  year.  After 
leaving  school  General  De  Clouet  made  an  extended  tour  through  Europe, 
where    he   visited    relatives    and    completed   his    education.       Upon    his    return 


216  SOUllIWEST  LOUISIANA : 

home  he  studied  huv  in  the  office  of  Judj^e  Edward  Simon,  an  eminent  jurist; 
but  a<^ricultural  pursuits  were  seemingl}^  more  congenial  to  his  taste,  and  he 
abandoned  the  study  of  law  and  became  a  planter.  In  this  he  was  remarkably 
successful,  and  he  accumulated  quite  a  large  fortune.  Though  well  qualified 
for  political  life  by  his  birth,  talents,  and  education.  General  De  Clouet  was  too 
fondly  attached  to  the  quiet  of  home  to  forego  his  enjoyments.  He  had  little 
ambition  for  political  favor,  but  by  those  who  knew  him  he  was  so  highly  re- 
vered that  his  public  services  were  demanded  at  their  hands.  He  was  soon 
drawn  into  political  life,  and  became  one  of  the  boldest  and  most  effective  cham- 
pions of  the  Whig  party.  He  first  appeared  in  politics  in  1837,  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature.  Subsequently  he  served  in  the  Senate  and  House 
for  several  terms.  In  1849,  during  the  exciting  period  when  the  Democratic 
and  Whig  parties  were  contending  for  supremacy  in  the  State,  General  De 
Clouet  was  honored  with  the  charge  of  standard  bearer  of  the  Whig  party  in  the 
gubernatorial  campaign  of  that  x'ear.  These  were  the  halcyon  days  of  the  Re- 
public. In  Congress  Clay,  Calhoun,  Webster  and  Hayne  met  in  heated  de- 
bate in  defending  their  respective  causes,  wliile  in  Louisiana  her  gifted  sons  of 
that  day  were  not  wanting  in  their  efforts  to  obtain  the  balance  of  power.  Gen- 
eral De  Clouet  was  a  most  attractive  speaker,  and  the  campaign  was  a  ver}'  in- 
.teresting  one.  The  election  resulted  in  the  seating  of  General  Joseph  Walker 
of  Rapides  parish,  in  the  gubernatorial  chair.  General  De  Clouet  was  not  re- 
tarded, however,  in  his  earnest  efforts  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  partv  or  the 
State,  and  he  clung  with  devotion  to  the  Whig  party  till,  overwhelmed  with  de- 
feat, it  passed  out  of  existence.  From  that  time  he  advocated  the  principles  of 
Democracy  with  the  same  fervent  zeal. 

He  was  elected,  in  1852,  one  of  senatorial  delegates  to  the  convention 
which  framed  the  constitution  of  that  year.  In  1861  he  was  chosen  member 
of  the  Secession  Convention.  lie  soon  after  represented  the  State  at  large 
in  the  Confederate  Congress,  and  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  constitution 
of  the  Confederate  States. 

At  the  close  of  the  war.  General  De  Clouet  returned  to  his  plantation  near 
St.  Martinsville  and  devoted  himself  to  retrieving  the  fortune  which  had  been 
severely  shattered  by  the  war.  But  his  life  of  quiet  happiness  was  only  of  short 
duration.  The  turbulent  state  of  affairs  in  Louisiana  demanded  his  services. 
General  De  Clouet  strained  every  nerve  to  meet  and  defeat  the  threatening 
issues,  and  foremost  among  the  names  of  those  to  whose  wisdom  these  great 
results  are  to  be  attributed,  may  be  placed  that  of  General  Alexandre  De  Clouet. 

Upon  the  installation  of  General  NichoUs  as  governor  of  Louisiana,  Gen- 
eral De  Clouet,  without  asking  recognition  for  the  many  services  which  he  had 
rendered  to  the  people  of  his  State,  withdrew  from  public  life,  and,  secluded  in 
his  home,  he  retired  to  the  domestic  quiet  that  had  been  his  life's  dream.     Here 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  217 

he  lived  on  his  plantation — a  lovely  spot  near  Bayou  Vermilion — with  his  happy 
family  and  surrounded  by  admiring  friends,  to  whom  he  dispensed,  as  in  by-gone- 
days,  the  hospitality  of  his  roof.  Age  crept  upon  him  with  its  attending  train  of 
physical  infirmities, though  it  left  unimpaired  his  bright  intellect.  The  evening  of 
his  life  was  thus  spent  in  resignation  to  a  decree  that  was  higher  than  his 
own  will. 

General  De  Clouet  had  married  early  in  life,  and  became  the  fatlier  of 
thirteen  children,  six  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Of  these  six  are  now  living. 
His  widow  died  on  January  i8,  1891,  in  Lafayette  parish,  where  she  resided 
with  her  son,  Paul,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Paul  L.  De  Clouet  took  a  collegiate  and  military  course  in  the  University  of 
Virginia  and  the  Virginia  Military  Institute.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War. 
having  enlisted, in  1861,  in  Company  G,  Fifty-ninth  Virginia  Infantry,  in  wliich  he 
served  during  six  months,  as  sergeant,  in  Virginia,  and  afterwards  became  first 
lieutenant  of  an  infantry  company,  raised  in  St.  Martin  parish  and  attached 
to  the  Orleans  Guard  Battalion.  He  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  and  was  consigned  to  prison  at  Johnson's  Island,  where  he  was 
confined  for  six  months.  He  afterward  joined  Capt.  Corney's  Artillery,  First 
Louisiana  Field  Battery,  and  here  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Department.  He  was  in  the  battles  at  Bisland,  Mansfield,  Pleasant 
Hill,  Simmsport,  Yellow  Bayou,  and  numerous  skirmishes  in  Virginia. 

Paul  De  Clouet  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Jane  Roman,  of  St.  Jam.es 
parish,  Louisiana ;  born  1842.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  union,  four  sons  and 
two  daughters,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz  :  George  H.,  Edwidge,  Lizima.  Mr. 
De  Clouet,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  Alexander,  and  sisters,  owns  four 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  two  plantations,  located,  one  in  Lafayette  and  one  in 
St.  Martin  parishes.  He  is  an  extensive  stock  dealer, and  now  has  on  his  planta- 
tion a  large  number  of  a  fine  grade  of  cattle,  horses,  and  hogs. 

Mrs.  De  Clouet,  an  accomplished  and  most  estimable    lady,  died  July    24, 

1878.     Paul  De  Clouet  has  inherited  many  noble  traits  of  character    prominent 

in  his  father,  and  is  a  polished  and  scholarly  gentleman. 

* 
t/  »      * 

JUDGE  C.  DEBAILLON,  L.\f.\yette. — One  of  the  leading  attorneys  ot 
this  section  of  Louisiana  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  sketch.  Judge  Debaillon  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana.  Both 
paternal  and  maternal  grandparents  were  French  Royalists,  who  fled  from  their 
native  land  and  came  to  America,  settling  near  Opelousas,  Louisiana,  at  which 
place  many  of  their  descendants  are  still  to  be  found.  Judge  Debaillon's  pater- 
nal grandfather  held  a  commission  in  the  French  marine ;  and  when  the  Royalists 
regained  control  he  returned  to  his  native  land. 


218  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

^  C.  Debaillon  was  reared  in  St.  Landry  parish,  and  received  his  literary  ed- 
ucation in  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  graduating  therefrom  in  1863. 
Subsequently  he  studied  law  under  Judge  Eraste  Mouton,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  before  the  supreme  court  at  Opelousas,  in  1870.  Judge  Debaillon  is  a 
man  of  marked  characteristics  and  superior  attainments,  and  he  rose  quickly  to 
a  distinguished  place  in  the  Louisiana  bar.  He  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Twenty- 
fifth  Judicial  District  in  1884,  and  was  reelected  without  opposition  in  1888.  The 
pressure  of  his  practice  caused  him  to  resign  this  office  in  June,  188S.  Since 
that  time  he  has  aimed  rather  to  retire  from  than  to  increasfe  his  labors.  But 
his  ability  as  an  attorney  secures  him  a  choice  and  remunerative  practice  un- 
solicited. , 

»      ♦ 

V  D.  A.  DIMITRY,  Carencro. — Dracos  A.  Dimitry,  railroad  and  express 
agent  at  Carencro  station,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  New  Orleans  in  1859. 
He  is  the  son  of  M.  D.  and  Caroline  (Powers)  Dimitry,  natives  of  New  Orleans, 
Louisiana,  and  Waltham,  Mass.,  respectively.  M.  D.  Dimitry  was  a  principal 
of  the  New  Orleans  Female  Academy  for  a  number  of  years.  He  afterward 
became  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Gulf,  Western  Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  which  position  he  filled  for  some  time.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Seven  Wise  Men  and  of  the  L  O.  O.  F.  He  died  in  1873;  his  widow  still  sur- 
vives him  and  now  resides  in  New  Orleans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dimitry  were  the 
parents  of  fourteen  children,  seven  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Three  sons  and 
two  daughters  are  now  living,  viz:  Theodore  J.,  Alexander  J.,  Mary  C,  wife 
of  J.  T.  Block;  Clino  S.,  wife  of  Capt.  J.  Gale. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  at  the  Lusher  High  School, 
New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  He  was  married  in  that  city  in  1882,  to  Miss  Lizzie 
Ruth,  a  native  of  Washington,  D.  C,  daughter  of  Capt.  Fenwick  Ruth.  Capt. 
Ruth  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  there  obtained  his  title  of  captain.  To 
Mr.  Dimitry  and  wife  have  been  born  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  viz  : 
Dracos  and  Lizzie.  Our  subject  has  been  connected  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  for  fourteen  years,  acting  as  agent  and  day  operator.  He 
formerly  had  charge  of  the  Southern  Pacific  signal  station  at  Shell  Island,  for 
eight  years,  and  in  1888  took  charge  of  his  present  position.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Legion  of  Honor,  St.  Mary's  Council,  1161.  He  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.       Mr.  Dimitry  has  always  been  a  staunch 

democrat.  « 

*     » 

•^  VICTOR  E.  DUPUIS,  Carencro.— Victor  E.  Dupuis,  a  successful  sugar 
planter  and  manufacturer,  lives  a  mile  north  of  Carencro.  He  removed  to  the 
place  of  his  present  residence  twenty-two  years  ago,  from  New  Orleans.  In 
1882  he  erected  a  sugar  house,  and  since  that  time  has  given  his  chief  attention 
to  the  manufacture  and  cultivation  of  sugar. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  219 

Mr.  Dupuis  was  born  in  Havre,  France,  June  13,  1S31.  He  is  the  son 
of  Francois  and  Arthemise  (Armant)  Dupuis.  Francois  Dupuis  was  born  in 
Havre,  France,  February  28,  1796,  and  removed  to  Natchitoches,  Louisiana,  in 
1822.  There  he  married  tlie  mother  of  our  subject,  and  returned  with  his  wife 
to  France,  in  1829.  In  1840  he  returned  to  Louisiana,  and  this  time  located  in 
New  Orleans,  where  he  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  3'ears.  While 
in  New  Orleans  he  conducted  a  vermicelli  and  macaroni  factory.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  Both  were  members 
of  the  Catholic  church.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  child. 

Victor  E.  Dupuis  received  his  education  in  New  Orleans,  and  was  engaged 
with  his  father  in  business  until  1864,  when  he  became  engaged  in  engineering 
in  New  Orleans.  After  removing  to  Carencro,  until  1882  he  was  engaged  in 
farming.  Mr.  Dupuis  was  married,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Celeste  Magnon,  of  New 
Orleans.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  living  children,  five  sons  and  two 
daughters,  viz:  Victoria,  widow  of  E.  V.  Guidray;  Edmond,  Charles,  Mathilde, 
wife  of  Harry  Barrenger,  a  painter  in  Houma,  La;  George,  Leonie  and  Sidney. 
Mr.  Dupuis  is  president  of  the  Farmers'  Union  at  Carencro.  He  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


ALFRED  A.  DELHOMME,  Scott.— A.  A.  Delhomme,  planter,  was 
born  in  Lafayette  parish,  March,  1852.  He  is  one  of  eleven  children,  seven 
brothers  and  four  sisters,  born  to  Alexander  and  Olive  (Breaux)  Delhomme. 
Both  of  his  parents  are  natives  of  Lafayetle  parish.  Alexander  Delhomme  has 
made  farming  his  exclusive  vocation,  and  in  this  he  has  been  remarkably  suc- 
cessful. His  plantation  consists  of  six  hundred  acres  of  fertile  land,  well  im- 
proved. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married,  in  1879,  '^^  Eleline  Mouton,  daugh- 
ter of  Alfred  and  Zellia  Mouton.  Mr.  Delhomme  has  been  a  planter  during  the 
whole  of  his  business  career.  He  owns  a  good  plantation  of  one  hundred  acres, 
where  he  resides.  He  was  appointed  police  juror  from  Ward  i,  in  1887,  and  is 
the  present  incumbent  of  that  office.  He  is  a  prosperous  planter  and  a  worthy 
citizen.  Mrs.  Delhomme  died  in  1882,  having  become  the  mother  of  one  daugh- 
ter, Eleline  Z.  In  1886  Mr.  Delhomme  was  married  to  Euchuriste  Mouton. 
To  them  has  been  born  one  son,  Wilfred  Francois. 

* 
*      » 

VIOR  DUHON,  Scott.  — Vior  Duhon  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish ,  Louisi- 
ana, in  June,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of  Placide  and  Arsene  (Guidry)  Duhon ; 
both  natives  of  Louisiana.  To  them  were  born  four  children;  Vior,  the  only 
son  and  three  daughters. 


220  SOU! HWEST  LOUISIANA: 

Our  subject  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  S.  Guidry.  He  began  life  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  twenty-one  as  a  hired  hand  on  a  farm.  When  twenty- 
four  years  of  age  he  was  married  to  Elvira  Foreman.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Mr.  Duhon  owns 
five  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  twenty-five  of  which  are  cultivated,  chiefly 
in  cotton  and  corn.  Mr.  Duhon  is  one  of  Lafaj-ette's  most  highly  respected 
citizens  and  successful  farmers.  He  is  a  generous  contributor  to  schools, 
churches  and  all  enterprises  for  the  public  good. 

v^  ALEAXNDER  L.  DURIO,  CARE^•CRo.— Alexandre  L.  Durio,  planter,  liv- 
ing in  the  sixth  ward,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  St.  Martin  parish,  October 
30,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexandre  and  Adeline  (Chautin)  Durio  both 
natives  of  Louisiana.  Alexandre  Durio,  Sr.,  was  a  planter.  He  married  in  St. 
Martin  parish  and  became  the  father  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  four  are  now  living,  our  subject  being  the  oldest  son.  Mr. 
Durio  was  justice  of  the  peace  of  St.  Martin  parish  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  died  in  1841.  His  wife  died  in  1839.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Calliolic  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  in  St.  Martin  parish,  1859,  to  Miss 
Azelie  David,  a  native  of  Louisiana.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
six  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Durio  died  in 
1884.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Durio  married  again, 
in  1889,  Miss  Aurelia  Guidry. 

Mr.  Durio  was  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  States  service,  having,  in  1861, 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Regiment,  of  which  he  was  first 
lieutenant.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Mansfield  and  numerous 
skirmishes.  After  the  war  he  returned  home  and  was  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing at  Arnaud  ville,  Louisiana,  from  1866  to  1889,  when  he  sold  out  his  store,  and 
now  gives  his  attention  to  farming  and  dealing  in  live  stock.  Mr.  Durio  has  been 
prominent  in  politics  for  many  years.  While  a  resident  of  St.  Landry  parish  he 
represented  the  parish  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  He  keeps  himself  well 
informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He  owns  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land,  one  hundred  of  which  he  cultivates  principal^  in  corn,  cotton  and  sweet 
potatoes.  His  plantation  is  located  near  Carencro  Bayou,  has  a  fine  dwelling 
upon  it,  and  is  well  improved  generally. 

* 

»     * 

HOMER  DURIO,  Carencro. — Homer  Durio  was  born  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  Louisiana,  August  16,  1863.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  L.  Durio,  whose 
sketch  appears  above. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  223 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  of  a  large  family  of  children.  He 
received  his  education  in  St.  Landry  parish,  and  in  1883  engaged  with  his  uncle, 
Adelin  Durio,  as  a  clerk  at  Carencro.  A  5'ear  later  he  purchased  the  business, 
and  has  since  conducted  it  with  good  success.  His  business  of  the  present  year 
( 1890),  will  amount  to  $35,000.  Mr.  Durio  was  married,  February  25,  1884,  to 
Miss  Irma  Voorhies,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
all  living,  viz:  Paul,  Frank.  Homer,  Jr. 

»     « 

CLEOBULE  C.  DOUCET,  Lafayette.— Cleobule  C.  Doucet  was  born 
in  the  parish  of  Lafayette,  July  8,  1841.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  La- 
favette  parish.  The  father  was  born  in  1804  ''^"^  died  in  1867.  His  mother 
(lied  in  1862  at  an  advanced  age. 

Cleobule  C.  Doucet,  as  was  his  lather,  is  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.  He 
was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Amile  Guidry,  and  to  them  have  been  born  seven 
children,  all  living.  Mr.  Doucet  has  always  been  active  in  political  affairs, 
though  he  is  not  a  politician  for  personal  aggrandizement. 

* 

t^  E.  L.  ESTILETTE,  Carencro. — E.  L.  Estilette,  parish  assessor,  was  born 
at  Grand  Coteau.  St.  Landry  parish,  August  7,  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Edward 
Estilette.  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Edward  Estilette  was  a  merchant  and 
hotel  proprietor  at  Grand  Coteau.  He  died  at  Grand  Coteau  in  1847,  when  E. 
L.  was  but  a  bo}'.  His  widow  still  survives  him,  and  is  now  eighty-five  years  of 
age.  E.  L.  Estilette's  grandfather,  Vital  Estilette,  was  probabl}'  a  native  of 
France,  who  came  to  America  early  in  life.  He  participated  in  the  War  of 
1812. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  brothers 
and  two  sisters.  He  spent  his  school  da3's  at  Grand  Coteau,  and  received  a  liberal 
education.  In  June,  1861,  Mr.  Estilette  joined  the  Confederate  cause,  enlisting 
first  for  twelve  months  in  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  and  served  through 
the  whole  war.  His  field  of  operation  was  in  Virginia,  and  he  was  a  participant 
in  many  hotly  contested  engagements  of  the  campaigns  in  that  State.  In  the 
Battle  of  the  Wilderness  he  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  hand  which  ren- 
dered him  unfit  for  active  service.  At  his  own  request  he  was  detailed  to  an- 
ticipate deserters,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  He  remained  in  this  service  until 
the  war  closed.  He  was  taken  prisoner  near  Winchester  and  carried  to  Harris- 
burg.  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  detained  for  a  short  while,  and  afterward  con- 
fined in  prison  at  Fort  Delaware  for  many  months. 

Ater  the  war  Mr.  Estilette  opened  a  mercantile  business  in  Grand  Coteau. 
In  1867,  having  been  made  deputy  sheriff  of  St.  Landry  parish,  he  retired  from 
his  business.  For  several  years  subsequent  to  this  he  was  engaged  as  sales- 
14a 


224  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

man  in  a  mercantile  house  in  Opelousas,  and  later  he  conducted  a  business 
there  on  his  own  account.  He  was  also  engaged  for  a  short  while  in  farming 
near  Opelousas.  After  a  brief  period  he  was  made  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
later  appointed  assessor  of  Lafayette  parish,  having  removed  to  Carencro  in 
1887.  Mr.  Estilette  was  married,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Blanche  Bernard,  a  native  of 
Lafayette.     To    this  union  si.x    children    have  been  born.     Mr.  Estilette    is    a 

democrat  in  politics.  , 

«     • 

"^  JEAN  PIERRE  FRANCEZ,  M.  D.,  Carencro.— Jean  Pierre  Francez, 
M.  D.,  was  born  in  Carencro,  June  30,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  R.  J.  and 
Adele  (Bernard)  Francez.  Dr.  R.  J.  Francez  was  born  near  Terbes, 
France,  March  12,  1817.  He  received  his  literary  education  in  his  native  town, 
and  is  a  graduate  of  a  medical  college  at  Toulouse.  Immediately  after  his  gradu- 
ation, 1839,  ^""^  removed  to  East  St.  Louis,  IlHnois,  where  he  practised  his  pro- 
fession until  his  removal  to  Carencro,  in  1844,  since  when  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  to  his  profession  at  this  place.  During  the  Civil  War  hewas  for  a  time 
attached  to  the  Twent3'-eighth  Louisiana  Infantry  as  surgeon.  Dr.  Francez  has 
been  successful,  not  only  as  a  physician,  but  as  a  business  man.  He  owns  in  Lafa- 
yette parish  about  1000  acres  of  land.  He  twice  married;  first,  1847,  to  the 
mother  of  our  subject.  She  died  in  1853,  and  in  1855  Dr.  Francez  married 
Miss  Athenaise  Bernard,  a  cousin  of  his  former  wife.  To  the  first  union  there 
were  born  three  children,  Dr.  J.  P.,  Joseph,  and  a  younger  child,  which  only 
Hved  to  be  three  years  of  age.  To  the  latter  marriage  were  born  thirteen 
children,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living.  Dr.  Francez  has  given  to  each  of  his 
children  a  good  education.  Three  of  them  are  at  present  attending  college  in 
New  Orleans. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  University  of 
Louisiana,  now  Tulane,  New  Orleans,  graduating  from  that  institution  March 
18,  1871.  Desiring  to  receive  the  benefits  of  foreign  travel,  and  the  finished 
education  which  only  the  schools  of  the  Old  World  afford,  Dr.  Francez  imme- 
diately after  graduating  went  to  Paris,  France,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  in 
the  Medical  Facult}^  for  a  period  of  twenty-two  months.  Subsequently  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  Montpelier  and  Toulouse  for  a  similar  length  of  time.  He 
returned  to  Lafayette  parish  in  1875,  and  the  same  year  commenced  the  practice 
of  medicine  at  Carencro,  to  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  whole  atteniion. 
He  has  a  very  e.xtensive  practice. 

July  27,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Abbedie,  of  Lafayette  parish.  She 
died  April  27,  1881,  having  become  the  mother  of  three  children,  two  daugh- 
ters, Grazellia  and  Adele,  and  a  son,  Laennec,  who  died  in  infancy.  The 
Doctor  married  a  second  time,  in  1881,  Miss  Clara  Bernard,  daughter  of  Ernest 
Bernard.     They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  Laennec  Henri. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  225 

Dr.  Francez  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  citizens  of  Lafayette  parish,  and 
is  a  leader  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  development  of  his  section.  Upon 
the  organization,  in  1878,  of  the  Emigration  Society,  he  was  elected  president, 
and  served  for  one  year  in  that  capacity.  He  has  been  since  1882  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Attakapas  Medical  Association,  and  has  served  as  its  vice 
president.  He  has  been  for  several  years,  and  is  now,  a  member  of  the  parish 
school  board,  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  educational  matters.  Dr.  Francez, 
in  politics,  is  an  ardent  democrat,  and  active  in  the  manipulation  of  party  affairs. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Gubernatorial  Convention  in  Baton  Rouge,  in  1888, 
which  nominated  Francis  T.  Nicholls  for  Governor.  He  was  elected  the  first 
mayor  of  the  town  of  Carencro,  August  10,  1882. 


''  ROMAN  FRANCEZ,  Carencro. — Roman  Francez  was  born  in  Lafayette 
parish,  August  5,  1S56.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  R.  J.  Francez,  of  whom  mention 
is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Francez. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  large  family  of  children.  He  received 
his  education  at  Grand  Coteau,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  began  life  as  a 
civil  engineer.  He  was  first  employed  by  the  Morgan  railroad  and  had  charge 
of  the  engineering  from  New  Orleans  to  Lafayette.  Mr.  Francez  has  served  as 
parish  surveyor  since  1878.  He  has  been  a  surveyor  in  the  employ  of  the  United 
States  Government,  and  is  now  the  oldest  deput}'  surveyor  in  the  State.  He  is 
also  special  timber  agent  for  the  district  of  Louisiana.  He  owns  about  twelve 
hundred  acres  of  excellent  land,  a  portion  of  which  is  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  Carencro.  He  began  dealing  in  timber  in  1890,  and  is  doing  a  good  business 
in  this  line. 

Mr.  Francez  was  married,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Ita  Estilette,  of  Lafa5-ette  parish. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz:  Zacharie,  Madeleine,  Henry,  Alda. 
Mr.  Francez  is  a  Free  Mason,  member  of  the  Lafayette  Lodge  145,  Hope 
chapter.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knight  Templars  of  New  Orleans,  K.  of 
P.,  K.  of  H.,  and  K.  of  L.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Carencro  Fire  Department 
and  of  the  Loan  and  Buildinjr  Association. 


PHINAS  FOREMAN,  Duson.— Phinas  Foreman  was  born,  in  1S63,  in 
Lafayette  parish,  Louisiana.  He  i^  the  son  of  Ralph  and  Civerine  (Duhon) 
Foreman,  natives  of  Louisiana.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children. 
Ralph  Foreman  was  a  successful  farmer  of  this  parish.  He  died  in  1865.  His 
wife  still  survives  him  and  lives  with  our  subject. 

Phinas  Foreman  was  married  to  Olive  Nevar,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  three  daughters,  viz:  Pearl,  Effie,  Clodie  (deceased).  Mrs.  Foreman  died 
August,   1890.     Mr.  Foreman  owns  one    hundred  and    twenty  acres   of   land. 


22f.  SO  UTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

eighty  of  them  being  under  cultivation  in  cotton  and  corn.  He  is  a  thorough 
business  man  and  stands  high  in  the  community.  He  and  family  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

^  HON.  M.  E.  GIRARD.— Hon.  Michel  Eloi  Girard  was  born  at  Baigne, 
France.  September  14,  1828,  and  died  in  Lafayette,  Louisiana,  April  15,  1889. 
He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Michel  Girard,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  who  came  to  La- 
fayette parish  more  than  half  a  centur}'  since.  M.  E.  Girard's  mother  was  a 
native  of  Louisiana.  He  was  an  infant  when  his  parents  came  to  Louisiana. 
Young  M.  E.  at  an  earl}'  age  was  sent  to  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  ten  3ears  of  age,  when  his  father  returning  to 
France,  young  Girard  completed  his  education  in  the  Royal  College  of  Angou- 
leme,  graduating  when  eighteen  years  of  age.  As  a  student  young  Girard  was 
noted  for  his  retentive  memory,  and  the  zeal  and  industry  which  were  always 
characteristic  of  him,  aided  materially  in  making  him  the  eminent  lawyer  he 
became. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Mr.  Girard  returned  to  Louisiana,  to  which 
he  had  become  much  attached  as  a  boy.  On  his  return  voyage  the  vessel 
on  which  he  was  a  passenger  was  wrecked,  and  he  was  one  of  the  few  on 
board  who  were  rescued.  He  arrived  in  New  Orleans  penniless.  From 
there  he  came  to  Lafayette  parish,  where  he  found  man}'  friends  of  his 
father,  and  numerous  relatives  of  his  mother's.  Among  them  he  determined 
to  make  his  home.  He  soon  entered  the  law  office  of  Basil  C.  Crow,  whose 
youngest  daughter,  Maxime,  he  subsequently  married.  As  a  law  student 
young  Girard  was  characterized  by  the  same  untiring  energy  that  he  exer- 
cised in  college,  and  this,  aided  by  his  excellent  memory,  soon  made  him 
well  versed  in  the  lore  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the 
supreme  court  at  Opelousas,  1S49,  and  shortly  after  formed  a  copartnership 
with  his  preceptor.  Devoted  to  his  profession,  industrious,  punctual,  and  at- 
tentive to  business,  he  soon  became  one  of  the  first  lawyers  of  his  district.  He 
was  an  able  advocate,  and  combined  with  his  knowledge  of  civil  law  a  patient 
earnestness  and  pertinacity.  His  skill  is  evidenced  in  that  he  rarely  ever  lost  a 
case  before  the  supreme  court.  The  perfect  confidence  of  his  clients  was  the 
tribute  to  his  faithfulness  as  a  counsellor.  Mr.  Girard  never  sought  political 
preferment,  though  when  liis  services  were  demanded  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  was  never  forfeited. 

Before  and  during  the  war  he  served  as  district  attorney.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Louisiana  seceding  convention;  and  again,  in  1879,  when  her  best 
talent  was  so  much  needed,  he  was  called  to  the  service  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Girard  was  a  Mason  of  great  prominence.  He  was  made  a  member  of 
the  order  at   Franklin,  Louisiana,  in   1855.     In  1856  he  was  appointed  senior 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  227 

warden  of  Hope  Lodge,  Lafayette,  and  in  the  year  following  he  was  elected  wor- 
shipful master,  which  position  he  filled,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  until  1873, 
and  was  afterward  at  various  times  reelected.  He  was  high  priest  of  Gordy 
Chapter,  at  Opelousas,  1S68  and  1869.  He  organized  Hope  Chapter  at  La- 
fayette, 1870,  and  was  high  priest  until  his  death — nineteen  j-ears.  He  was  emi- 
nent commander  of  Girard  Commandery  for  six  consecutive  years;  he  was 
elected  a  life  member  of  the  Orleans  Commander}'  by  resolution  ;  was  senior 
warden  and  deput}'  grand  commander;  was  grand  high  priest  of  the  Grand 
Chapter  1871-72,  and  was  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  1873—74.  ^^^  "'''-'' 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Masonic  Law  and  Jurisprudence  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  from  1S76  to  18S7,  and  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Work  in  the 
same  lodge  from  1876  until  his  deatli.  June  12,  1879,  ^^  reached  the  liigliest 
degree  of  Masonry, — 33°  A.-.A.-.S.-.R.,  S.-.J.-.U.-.S.-.A. 

Socially,  Mr.  Girard  was  one  of  the  most  genial  and  companionable  of  men. 
His  home  was  the  haven  of  his  ht-art,  and  a  happy  one  it  was.  He  became 
the  father  of  four  children:   Dr.  P.  M.  Girard,  Mrs.  Dr.  P.  D.   Beraud,  Crow 

Girard  Esq.,  and  Feli.x  Girard.  5^ 

»      » 

CROW  GIRARD,  Lafayette. — Crow  Girard,  attorney,  of  Lafayette,  is 
a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  born  July  27,  1861.  He  is  a  son  of  M.  E.  and 
Maxime  (Crow)  Girard. 

Mr.  Girard  received  his  literarj'  education  in  Tennessee,  after  the  comple- 
tion of  which  he  pursued  a  course  of  law  study  in  the  law  department  of 
Tulane  University,  from  which  institution  lie  graduated.  Upon  the  completion 
of  his  course  Mr.  Girard  located  in  Lafa3-ette,  and  has  here  since  given  his 
entire  attention  to  his  law  practice.  During  the  session  of  1888  he  served  as 
assistant  secretary  of  the  State  Senate. 

*     * 
^    P.  GER.\C,  L.\FAYETTE. — P.  Gerac,  of  the  firm  of  Gerac   Bros.,   general 
merchants,  is  a  native  of  France,  born    1837.      He   is   the    son   of  P.    and    Mary 
f  Bellau)  Gerac.     His  father  was  a  planter  in  France. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  France.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
removed  to  New  Orleans,  in  company  with  his  brother,  and  was  there  engaged 
in  business  until  1855,  when  he  removed  to  Lafayette  parish.  Here  he  began 
merchandising,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  in  which  he  has  continued  ever 
since.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-second  Louis- 
iana Infantr}',  and  served  eight  months.  He  married  in  Mexico,  1868,  Frances 
Chavez,  a  native  of  that  country.  Outside  of  his  mercantile  business  Mr.  Gerac 
does  a  large  business  on  his  plantation.  He  owns  a  large  amount  of  land  in  La- 
fayette parish,  and  also  gives  a  part  of  ins  attention  to  the  operation  of  an  exten- 
sive gin.      He  is  the  father  of  eight  children,  five  sons  and    three  daughters,  and 


228  SOUTHWEST  L  O UlSIANA  : 

is  giving  them  the  benefit  of  a  good  education.     He  and  famil}'  are  members  of 

the  Catholic  church.  , 

»      » 

'''  H.  D.  GUIDRY,  M.  D.,  Laf.wette.— Dr.  H.  D.  Guidry,  practising 
physician  and  planter,  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  born  1846.  He  is  the 
son  of  Alexander  and  Carmelite  (Broussard)  Guidry.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  Lafayette  parish,  where  his  father  became  a  successful  planter. 
Ale.xander  Guidr\'  died  in  1862,  and  his  wife  in  1848.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Catholic  church. 

Dr.  Guidry  received  his  chief  literary  education  at  St.  Charles  College, 
Grand  Coteau.  He  attended  the  medical  college  of  the  Universit}^  of  Virginia 
in  1864-65,  and  subsequently  pursued  his  medical  studies  in  the  University  of 
Louisiana  at  New  Orleans,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1871.  Dr. 
Guidry  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  in  the  Seventh  Louisiana  Cavalry.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  studies  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  where  he 
now  resides.  He  represented  Lafayette  parish  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
in  1879,  and  has  served  for  six  years  as  parish  coroner.  The  Doctor  owns  and 
resides  on  the  old  home  place  of  Colonel  Mouton.  The  plantation  is  a  good 
one,  and  under  his  management  it  is  made  to  yield  a  handsome  income. 

Dr.  Guidry  was  married,  in  1859,  ^^  Miss  M.  IMouton,  daughter  of  the 
late  Ex-Governor  Mouton.     To  this  union  eleven  children  have  been  born,  ten 

of  whom  are  now  living.  , 

*      * 

LEONARD  GUIDRY,  Lafayette. — Leonard  Guidry  is  a  native  of  the 
parish  of  Lafayette,  born  May  24,  1857.  His  father,  a  prosperous  farmer,  was 
also  a  native  and  lifetime  resident  of  Lafayette  parish,  as  also  is  his  mother. 

Mr.  Guidry  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  locality.  He 
has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  plantation  interests.  His  plantation  is 
a  fine  one  and  well  improved,  and  it  bespeaks  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  its 
owner. 

Mr.  Guidry  was  married,  in  1S85,  to  Miss  Ella  Higginbotham.  Mr.  Guidry 
in  religion  is  a  Catholic,  in  politics  a  democrat. 

» 

PROF.  A.  L.  GUILBEAU,  Carencro.— Professor  A.  L.  Guilbeau,  a  res- 
ident of  Ward  6,  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  born  August  3,  1839.  He  is 
the  son  of  Placide  F.  and  Julie  (Cormier)  Guilbeau,  natives  of  St.  Landry  and 
Lafa}'ette  parishes,  respectively.  His  father  was  a  planter  and  stock  raiser,  which 
occupation  he  followed  all  his  life.  During  the  war  of  181 2  he  served  as  a  pri- 
vate. He  was  married  in  St.  Landry  parish  in  1817,  and  became  the  father  of 
eleven  children,  eight  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  four  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  now  living,  viz:  Valery,  Alphonse,  Honore,  Adolph,  Edmonia,  wife 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  229 

of  Dr.  A.  F.  Broussard,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Guilbeau  died  Oc- 
tober 31,  1865,  his  wife  surviving  him  till  December,  18S2.  Both  were  members 
of  the  Catholic  church. 

/  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  at  St.  Charles  College  and 
at  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri.  He  was  married,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Alzina  Bernard, 
a  nati^■e  of  Louisiana.  The}^  are  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  eight  sons  and 
seven  daughters,  nine  of  whom  are  now  living,  six  sons  and  three  daughters, 
viz;  Edouard,  Elia,  wife  of  Alcee  Broussard ;  Macenas, Eugenia,  wife  of  Robert 
Cormier;  Placide,  Alfred,  Gaston,  Nita,  Edgard.  The  others  died  in  infancy. 
Professor  Guilbeau  served  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  1S62  in  the  Confederate 
States  service,  Company  E,  Twenty-sixth  Louisiana  Infantry,  in  which,  in  1863, 
he  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Chickasaw  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  w^hich  lasted  fortj'-eight  days.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  the 
last  named  place,  and  was  confined  in  prison  for  nine  months.  After  being  re- 
leased he  returned  to  Louisiana  and  reentered  the  service  under  General  Thomas, 
serving  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  teaching  school.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  eight}-  arpents  of  land, 
situated  near  Carencro,  upon  which  he  raises  corn  and  cotton.  He  and  family 
are  Catholics.  » 

'-  A.  C.  GUILBEAU,  Caeencro. — Alphonse  C.  Guilbeau,  mayor  of  Caren- 
cro, was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish,  November  29,  1859.  He  is  the  son  of  Al- 
phonse I.  and  Ophelia  (Dugas)  Guilbeau,  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Mr. 
Guilbeau  is  a  resident  of  Carencro,  Louisiana.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died 
in  1864. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  received  his  primar}-  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  locality,  and  later  entered  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  From 
1874  to  1881,  he  was  engaged  in  photography  in  Lafayette  and  the  adjoining 
parishes.  In  1S81  he  began  a  mercantile  business  at  Carencro,  to  which  he 
added,  in  1887,  a  large  gin  house.  G.  H.  Guilbeau  was  associated  with  him  in 
his  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Guilbeau  has  either  served  as  councilman  or 
mayor  ever  since  the  town  of  Carencro  was  incorporated.  He  was  married,  in 
18S2,  to  Miss  Armide  Lague,  of  New  Iberia.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  viz:    Delpher,  Deirie,  Siedly,  Mabel. 

* 
»     » 

^  ANTOINE  GUIDRY,  Lafayette. — Antoine  Guidry  was  born  in  Lafay- 
ette parish,  Louisiana,  in  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  Antoine  and  Horlense 
(Broussard)  Guidr}',  both  natives  of  Lafayette  parish,  where  they  were  married, 
and  became  the  parents  of  seven  children.  Hortense  Guidry  was  a  planter  by 
occupation.      He  died  in  1S70.      Mrs.   Guidry,  his  wife,  died  in    1875. 


230  SOl'T/JWIiS/-  L  or /S/ ANA  : 

Our  subject  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  as  a  farmer, 
and  has  followed  this  occupation  ever  since.  He  was  married  in  iS66  to  Miss 
Matilda  Foreman,  daughter  of  Natiian  Foreman.  Mrs.  Guidr)-  died  in  1875, 
leaving  one  daughter,  Mary  E.,  who  lived  to  be  three  years  old,  when  she  died. 
He  then  married  Martha  Singleton,  in  1878.  To  them  have  been  born  eight 
daughters  and  one  son:  Anna,  Hortense,  Corinne,  Cora,  Mamie,  Effie,  Eunice, 
Walter,  deceased,  and  Agnes,  deceased.  Mr.  Guidry  owns  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  which  he  cultivates,  principally  in 
cotton  and  corn.  He  also  carries  on  a  mercantile  busines  on  liis  plantation, 
established  in  1878,  which  is  flourishing  and  lucrative.  Mr.  Guidry  is  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  and  farmer.  He  has  always  been  a  liberal  contributor 
to  schools,  churches,  and  all  laudable  public  enterprises. 


^  ALBERT  GUIDRY,  Carencro.— Albert  Guidry  was  born  in  St.  Landry 
parish,  April  22,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Azelia  (Breaux) 
Guidry.  Alexander  Guidry  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  principally  in  St.  Landry.  He  was,  before  the  war,  a  merchant  at 
Washington,  Louisiana,  and  later  was  engaged  in  planting.  During  the  war  he 
served  in  the  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry,  C.  S.  A.,  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Shiloh,  Pittsburg  Landing,  Bisland,  Pleasant  Hill  and  Mansfield. 
From  a  wound  which  he  received  at  Shiloh,  he  was  disabled  and  rendered  unlit 
for  service  for  a  considerable  length  of  time.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  St.  Lan- 
dry parish.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  the  daughter  of  A.  Breaux,  from 
whom  Breaux  Bridge,  St.  Martin  parish,  takes  its  name.  Mr.  Guidry  died  in 
1846,  when  Albert  was  but  a  boy. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  parish  and  was 
educated  principally  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  left  college  and  joined  the  Confederate  army,  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry, 
in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Just  before  the  battle  of  Mansfield, 
he  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  confined  for 
some  time.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  engaged  in  pi  mting.  He  now  owns  a 
considerable  amount  of   land  in  this  and  the  adjoining  parishes. 

Mr.  Guidrj' was  appointed  a  member  of  the  police  jury  in  1873,  and  served 
in  this  capacity  for  fourteen  consecutive  years,  eight  of  which  he  has  been  presi- 
dent. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  St.  Landry  parish  since 
1884.  His  services  in  that  body  have  been  eminently  satisfactory  to  his  con- 
stituents, and  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  those  he  represents.  Since  April, 
1890,  Mr.  Guidry  has  conducted  a  mercantile  business  in  Carencro.  He  was 
married,  in  i860,  to  Miss  Alice  Savoie,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  To  this  union 
eight  children  have  been  born,  five  sons  and  three  daughters. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  231 

J.  O.  GIROUARD,  Lafayette. — J.  O.  Girouard  is  u  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  1839.  He  received  a  common  school  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
locality.  Since  embarking  in  business  he  has  chiefly  been  engaged  in  planting. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  civil  war,  having  enlisted  in  1861,  and  served  as  a  private 
in  the  Seventh  Louisiana  Cavalry  for  three  jears. 

Mr.  Girouard  was  married,  in  i860,  to  Miss  Cecil  Brogue.  They  are  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Mrs.  Girouard  is  a 
native  of  Louisiana,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in  Galveston,  Texas.  Mr.. 
Girouard  is  giving  his  children  the  best  educational  advantages  the  schools  of 
this  section  afford.  He  owns  five  hundred  acres  of  land  where  he  resides^ 
which  he  cultivates  in  cotton.  Through  his  judicious  management  it  yields  a 
good  income.  , 

^  PRESTON  HOFFPAUIR,  Duson.— Preston  Hoffpauir,  a  farmer,  living 
twelve  miles  west  of  Lafayette,  was  born  in  Vermilion  parish,  May  4,  1839. 
He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  B.  (Faulk)  Hoffpauir,  both  natives  of  Louis- 
iana. The  former  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  the  latter  in  Vermilion. 
They  were  married  in  Vermilion  parish,  and  became  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  six  sons  and  five  daughters:  Erasco,  Thomas  J.,  George,  Preston,  the 
subject;  Naaman,  Adalaska,  deceased;  Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  John  Morgan; 
Theresa,  wife  of  William  Sarver;  Salania,wife  of  Levi  Sarver;  Melienen,  wife 
of  Benjamin  Avant,  and  Ecepliony,  wife  of  Alvin  Morgan.  James  Hoff 
pauir  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  died  in  Vermilion  parish,  in  1882,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four.  His  wife  died  in  the  same  parish,  in  1885,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two.     Both  were  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

Our  subject  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  tw^enty  as  farmer,  at  the 
place  where  he  now  resides.  Li  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  be- 
coming first  lieutenant  in  the  Lafayette  Guards,  State  militia.  He  afterward  was 
appointed  first  sergeant  of  the  Louisiana  tieavy  Artillery.  For  some  time  he 
was  with  General  Logan's  mounted  infantry  in  Mississippi.  Returning  to 
Louisiana,  he  volunteered  in  the  Twenty-sixth  Louisiana  Infantry,  under  General 
Thomas,  at  Alexandria,  and  was  orderly  sergeant  of  Company  D.  He  con- 
tinued in  service  until  the  army  was  disbanded  near  Pleasant  Hill,  Louisiana, 
in  the  spring  of  1865.  After  this  event  he  returned  home,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  He  owns  a  place  of  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  one  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  being  under  cultivation,  principally  in  corn,  cotton  and  rice. 
Mr.  Hoffpauir  has  lived  on  this  farm  ever  since  1858,  and  has  been  very  success- 
ful in  its  management. 

He  was  married  in  1S57,  to  Amelia  Stuts,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Foreman)  Stuts.  To  them  liave  been  born  eleven  children,  five  sons  and 
six  daughters.     Four  of  these  died  in  infancy,  those  living  being:  Mary  L.,  wife 


■232  SOUTHWES7  LOUISIANA: 

of  Francies  Foreman;  Martha  F.,  wife  of  Columbus  Spell;  Paul  F.,  who  was 
accidently  killed  January  i,  1886,  while  attending  school  at  Rayne,  by  a  pistol 
in  the  hands  of  a  friend;  Robert  F.,  Cunningham,  John  P.,  Eula  J.  and  Ida 
Blanche.  Mr  Hoffpauir  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  this  parish  from  1877  to 
18S8,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  four  years.  In  politics  he 
is  a  democrat. 


y  FORD  HOFFPAUIR,  Lafayette.— Ford  Hoffpauir,  a  planter  of  ward 
3,  was  born  in  Vermilion  parish,  October,  1834.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  nine  brothers  and  three  sisters,  born  to  Nathan  and  Lucinda 
(Spell)  Hoffpauir.  The  parents  were  both  natives  of  Louisiana,  where  they  re- 
sided during  the  whole  of  their  lives  Nathan  Hoffpauir  was  a  successful 
farmer.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Vermilion  parish. 

Mr.  Hoffpauir  has  devoted  his  whole  life  to  planting.  His  plantation  in 
Lafayette  parish,  located  twelve  miles  west  of  Lafayette,  consists  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  land,  one  liundred  of  which  are  cultivated,  the  principal 
products  being  corn,  cotton  and  rice.  In  local  affairs  Mr.  Hoffpauir  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  and  is  a  leader.  He  has  for  a  number  of  years  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  is  at  present  police  juror  from  the  second  ward  of  La- 
fayette parish.  During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Hoffpauir  served  in  the  State  militia, 
from  1862  until  its  close. 

He  was  married,  at  tlie  age  of  twentv-one,  to  Miss  Stuts,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (Foreman)  Stuts.  This  union  lias  been  blessed  with  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  viz:  Nathan  O.,  deceased;  Lemia,  deceased;  Elizabeth, 
deceased;  Mathilda,  deceased;  Adams  F.,  John  R.,  Joseph  E.,  James  A., 
Clara  J.,  deceased.  Mr.  Hoffpauir  and  family  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  South. 

»     • 

^  HUGH  HUTCHINSON,  Duson.— Hugh  Hutchinson,  a  planter,  living  ten 
miles  west  of  Lafayette,  was  born  in  Ireland,  1839.  ^^  '^  ^'""^  ^o"^  °^  Hugh  and 
Jane  (Adair)  Hutchinson,  natives  of  Ireland,  where  they  lived  and  died.  Hugh 
Hutchinson,  Sr.,  in  his  younger  days  was  a  weaver  by  occupation,  he  afterward 
became  captain  of  the  police  force  of  the  city  of  Londonderry.  He  was  the 
father  of  nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  with  three  of  his  brothers,  emigrated  to  America 
in"May,  1857.  He  stopped  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  en- 
gaged in  Mone  &  Tascond's  Iron  works.  In  1865  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  was 
on  the  police  force  for  a  year.     The  following  year  he  moved  to  New  Orleans, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  233 

and  was  there  engaged  in  various  emplo^'ments.  For  a  time  he  was  on  the  police 
force.  He  next  located  in  McComb  City,  Miss.,  where  he  worked  in  the  rail- 
road shops.  In  May,  1875,  he  removed  to  Lafayette  parish,  Louisiana,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  the  place  he  now  owns.  The  plantation  is  a  good  one  and 
consists  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Hutchinson  was 
married,  in  1881,  to  Miss  Albertine  Shear.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, viz:  James,  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  Jonas,  William.  Mr.  Hutchinson  is  one 
of  the  most  successful  planters  in  this  section. 

»     * 

G.  LACOSTE,  Lafayette. — G.  Lacoste,  of  the  firm  of  L.  Lacoste  & 
Brother,  dealers  in  farm  implements;  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  Lafayette 
parish,  October  7,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Antoine  Lacoste,  who  was  a  native 
of  France,  and  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  man.  He  was  for  many 
years  engaged  as  a  blacksmith  in  Lafayette. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Lafay- 
ette, and  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  Louisiana,  and  began  business 
in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Leopold,  in  a  blacksmith  and  repair  shop.  In 
1886  they  added  to  their  business  a  complete  stock  of  farm  implements, 
vehicles,  etc.,  and  theyare  now  doing  a  flourishing  business  in  this  line.  Messrs. 
Lacoste  are  energetic  business  young  men. 

*     * 

ALONZO  LACY,  Scott. — Alonzo  Lacy  was  born  in  Rankin  county, 
Mississippi,  December  13,  1856.  He  is  the  son  James  M.  and  Ellen  (Gates) 
Lacy.  Both  parents  were  natives  of  Mississippi,  where  they  were  married,  and 
had  born  to  them  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  viz:  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  Beauregard,  deceased,  and  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Anderson  Vincent, 
of  Calcasieu  parish.  The  mother  died  in  Mississippi,  in  1861 ;  and  the  father 
of  our  subject  married  a  second  time.  Miss  Rebecca  Singleton.  He  served 
during  the  Civil  War  and  was  a  gallant  soldier;  his  field  of  operation  being  in 
Tennessee.  He  was  captured  in  Tennessee,  and  was  not  released  until  after  the 
war  closed.  Supposing  him  to  be  dead,  his  wife  married  again.  Returning 
home,  Mr.  Lacy  obtained  a  divorce,  and  with  his  two  children  removed  to 
Louisiana,  where  he  again  married.  Miss  Talitha  Semar.  He  is  now  a  resident 
of  Calcasieu  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  given  almost  his  entire  attention  to  planting, 
and  now  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  four  acres,  which  he  cultivates 
in  corn  and  cotton.  He  also  gives  some  attention  to  stock  raising.  Mr.  Lacy 
was  married,  in  1876,  to  Mar}*  West.  To  them  have  been  born  seven  children: 
Nellie,  Lacy,  Joseph,  Ellen,  Cesseal,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Lacy 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


234  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

t/  A.  A.  LABBE,  Lafayette. — A.  A.  Labbe  was  born  in  Louisiana  in  1841. 
His  father,  Cesaire  Labbe,  married  Miss  Celimene  Gondras,  and  to  them  were 
born  six  children,  A.  A.  Labbe  being  the  third  child. 

Our  subject  received  the  major  part  of  his  education  in  St.  Martinsville.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and  served  until 
its  close,  in  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Infantry,  under  General  Hayes  and  General 
Taylor.  He  married,  in  1868,  Miss  Zulma  St.  Julien.  They  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  three  boys  and  two  girls:  Albert,  Gaston,  Eugene,  Cecile  and 
Lucy.  Mr.  Labbe  owns  four  nundred  acres  of  fine  land,  upon  which  he  raises 
cotton  principally.      Mr.  Labbe  in  his  religious  views  is  a  Roman  catholic.     In 

politics  he  is  a  democrat.  , 

»     » 

i/  SIMONET  LeBLANC,  Youngsville. — Simonet  LeBlanc  is  of  the  large 
Louisiana  LeBlanc  family,  originally  descended  from  Acadian  ancestors.  He 
is  a  native  of  Iberia  parish,  as  also  were  his  parents.  His  father  was  a  planter 
of  Iberia;   he  died  in  1881.     His  mother  died  in  1867. 

Mr.  LeBlanc  had  very  limited  educational  facilities,  and  what  education  he 
possesses  has  been  gained  by  private  study  and  contact  with  the  business  world. 
He  has  been  engaged  principally  in  mercantile  pursuits  since  starting  out  in 
business  life,  and  his  success  is  attested  in  that  from  a  very  humble  beginning 
he  has  built  up  his  business  until  it  has  assumed  its  present  health}'  proportions. 
Mr.  LeBlanc  was  united  in  marriage,  m  1881,  with  Miss  Elia  Ro}',  and  to  them 

have  been  born  four  children.  ,( 

•      « 

V  AURELLIN  LeBLANC,  Carencro. — Aurellin  LeBlanc  was  born  in  La- 
fayette parish,  March,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  Ognie  and  Adeline  (Richard) 
LeBlanc,  both  natives  of  Lafayette  parish.  Ognie  LeBlanc  was  an  extensive 
planter  of  Lafayette  parish;  he  died,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  in  1887.  The 
LeBlanc  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Louisiana  ;  the  particular  branch  of  the 
family  of  which  our  subject  is  a  member  owned  in  their  turn  for  generations  the 
estate  which  is  now  in  possession  of  the  heirs  of  Ognie  LeBlanc. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Lafayette 
parish.  When  a  boy  seventeen  3-ears  of  age  he  began  farming  for  himself,  and 
in  this  he  has  been  exclusively  engaged  since.  Mr.  LeBlanc  owns  a  farm  near 
Carencro,  which  he  cultivates  in  cotton.  In  1872  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elodie 
Hebert,  of  Lafayette  parish.     They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children. 

* 
»     » 

G.  A.  LaNEUVILLE,  Youngsville. — G.  A.  LaNeuville  was  born  in 
New  Orleans,  September  17,  1817.  He  was  educated  in  Clermont  Academy, 
Frankfort,  near  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  During  the  Mexican  war  Mr.  La- 
Neuville served  as  receiving  clerk  in  the  quartermaster's  department  at  Vera 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  235 

Cruz.  Subsequent  to  this  lie  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  New  Or- 
leans, as  Master  of  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry. 

At  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  Secession  Mr.  LaNeuville  was  a 
resident  of  New  Orleans,  and  with  many  others  of  the  best  New  Orleans  families, 
he  was  banished  from  the  city  when  it  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Federals 
because  he  would  not  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, he  preferring  to  leave  his  home,  propert}',  and  their  attending  pleasures  to 
being  a  traitor  to  his  State.  In  company  with  many  others,  he  departed  for 
schooner  which  they  had  chartered  for  the  purpose,  with  their  arms  Mobile  in  a 
and  two  miniature  Confederate  States  flags  which  he  had  never  surrendered, 
and  which  are  still  in  the  possession  of  friends.  On  the  first  alarm  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  enemy  at  Mobile,  Mr.  LaNeuville,  with  all  his  banished  compan- 
ions, rallied  to  a  post  of  honor  designated  to  them  on  the  river  side,  under  tiie 
fortifications. 

Mr.  LaNeuville's  father,  Alexander  H.  LaNeuville,  was  first  lieutenant  in 
the  regular  United  States  army,  and  was  appointed  brigadier  and  inspector  gen- 
eral of  the  State  militia.  He  died  in  New  Orleans,  1844,  leaving  a  widow  and 
four  children.     Of  these  only  two  nov\^are  living. 

G.  A.  LaNeuville  was  married  in  New  Orleans  to  Miss  Antoinette  Marie 
DuBrusson,  of  a  high  New  Orleans  family.     Mr.  LaNeuville  now  resides  on  his 

farm  with  his  wife  and  only  brother. 

» 

R.  C.  LANDRY,  Lafayj;tte. — R.  C.  Landry  is  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  1838.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Lafavette  parish,  born  1781.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  Joseph  Landry,  was  by 
birth  a  Canadian.  He  came  to  Louisiana  and  located  in  Lafayette  parish  in 
1780. 

R.  C.  Landry  served  for  three  years  in  the  Confederate  States  army  during 
the  civil  war.  He  enlisted  as  a  private,  and  was  subsequently  made  corporal. 
Mr.  Landry  is  a  successful  sugar  and  cotton  planter  and  owns  a  plantation  of 
four  hundred  acres  of  fertile  land,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  well  im- 
proved. Mr.  Landry  has  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Irma  Bernard, 
of  Louisiana.  To  this  union  three  children  were  born.  His  first  wife  died  and 
Mr.  Landry  married  the  second  time.  Miss  Doucet.  of  Lafayette  parish.  They 
are  the  p  irents  of  four  children. 

«      » 

^^  ALCEE  LANDRY,  Lafayette. — Alcee  Landry  is  a  native  of  Lafayette 
parish  and  was  reared  and  educated  here,  as  was  also  his  father,  J.  B.  Landry. 
J.  B.  Landry  was  one  of  Lafayette's  sterling  citizens  and  a  successful  planter. 


J36  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

He  married  earl}'  in  life  Miss  Anna  Landry,  also  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish. 
They  spent  their  whole  lives  in  this  parish.    J.  B.  Landry  died  in  1877. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  resided  in  this  parish  the  whole  of  his  life 
and  received  such  educational  advantages  as  were  obtained  from  the  schools 
of  his  locality.  He  began  life  as  a  planter,  in  which  he  is  at  present  successfully 
engaged.  Mr.  Landry  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cora  Broussard.  He  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


M.  L.  LYONS,  M.  D.,  Ridge. — Dr.  Lyons  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish, 
October,  1834.  ^^  '^  ^'^"^  ^^'^  °^  Abel  and  Mary  Ann  (Bryan)  Lyons,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Louisiana.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
six  sons  and  five  daughters,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  next  to  the  oldest  of 
the  family.  Mr.  Lyons  was  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Calcasieu  parish.  His 
first  wife  was  a  Miss  Merriman;  she  died  leaving  no  children.  Mr.  Lyons  died 
in  1868  at  his  home  in  Calcasieu  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 
He  read  medicine  in  i860,  and  attended  what  is  now  the  Tulane  University.  The 
war  breaking  out  at  that  time  he  enlisted,  in  1861,  in  the  Confederate  States 
army  in  the  Texas  brigade,  and  went  to  Virginia,  where  he  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Seven  Pines  and  West  Point.  From  Virginia  he  was  sent  to  Vicks- 
burg  as  second  lieutenant,  remaining  at  that  place  until  its  surrender  to  Grant. 
He  was  there  taken  prisoner  and  paroled.  Returning  to  New  Orleans  he  again 
entered  the  service,  and  before  the  fall  of  Vicksburghe  was  promoted  to  captain. 
After  the  war  he  resumed  his  studies,  and  attended  the  now  Tulane  University 
in  1S70-71,  graduating  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  3'ear.  He  immediately  there- 
after began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  his  farm,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Cora  J.,  sister  of  Dr.  Clark,  with  whom  he  is 
associated  professionally.     He  is  a  member  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

*     » 

A.  J.  MOSS,  Lafayette. — Anderson  Joseph  Moss  is  a  native  of  La- 
fayette parish,  born  1825.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  H.  and  Claire  (Thibo- 
deaux)  Moss.  Joseph  H.  Moss  was  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  came  to  Louisi- 
ana in  1810,  when  five  years  of  age,  with  his  father.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Lafayette  parish,  and  became  a  successful  planter,  to 
which  he  devoted  his  whole  attention.  He  had  succeeded  in  accumulating 
quite  afurtune  atthe  time  of  his  death  in  184S.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died 
in  1889,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Nathaniel  Moss,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  died  in  1826,  aged  seventy-four 
years. 

A.  J.   Moss  received  his  preparatory  education  in  the  schools  of  Louisiana, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  237 

and  later  pursued  a  course  at  Center  College,  Danville,  Kentucky.  After 
leaving  school  he  read  law,  but  upon  the  death  of  his  father  it  devolved 
upon  him  to  manage  the  plantation,  and  he  gave  up  his  law  studies.  Early 
in  life  Mr.  Moss  became  indentified  with  public  affairs.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature,  and  of  the  Constitutional  Conveution  of  1852.  From 
1853  to  i860,  he  was  in  the  custom  house  in  New  Orleans.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  army.  Company  A,  Twenty-sixth  Louisiana 
Regiment.  Shortly  after  entering  the  army  he  was  appointed  assistant  com- 
missary of  subsistence,  with  rank  of  captain.  In  this  capacity  he  served  dur- 
ing the  whole  war.  After  the  war  he  returned  home  completely  broken  up  as 
regards  finances. 

During  the  existence  of  that  office,  Mr.  Moss  was  nine  years  judge  of 
Lafaj^ettep  arish.  He  also  for  a  number  of  3'ears  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  notary  public,  and  is  now  a  leading  member  of  the  town  council. 

For  the  past  few  years  Judge  Moss  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the 

lumber  trade  at  tliis  place.     He  was  married  in  1S56  to  Miss  Octavie  Cornay,  of 

St.  Mary  parish.     The}-  are  parents  of  six  living  children,  four  sons   and   twO' 

daughters,  viz:    Dr.  N.  P.,  of  Lafayette;   C.  P.,  merchant,  New  Iberia;   F.  E., 

merchant,  Lafayette;  James  A.,  cadet  at  the  U.  S.   Military  Academy,  West 

Point;  Emily  and  Adah. 

» 
♦     * 

^  NATHANIEL  P.  MOSS,  M.  D.,  Laf.^vette.— Dr.  Nathaniel  P.  Moss 
is  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  born  April  19,  1864.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  J. 
and  Octavie  (Cornay)  iMoss. 

Dr.  Moss  received  his  education  principally  in  the  schools  of  Lafayette,  and 
from  private  tutorage.  By  close  application  to  his  studies  as  a  youth,  coupled 
with  subsequent  voluminous  reading,  the  doctor  has  a  finished  education.  He 
began  business  life  early,  becoming  a  merchant  at  about  the  age  of  eighteen  in 
this  place.  He  left  his  interest  in  the  hands  of  his  brothers,  and,  after  having 
pursued  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  E.  S.  Mudd,  he  entered  the  medical 
department  of  Tulane  University,  graduating  in  the  spring  of  1S87.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  medical  education  he  returned  to  Lafayette  and  began  prac- 
tice, at  the  same  time  conducting  the  business  which  he  had  previously  estab- 
lished. Though  Dr.  Moss  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  his  business  has  also  been  under  his  general  management,  and  under 
it  has  flourished  until  it  has  assumed  the  present  mammoth  proportions — the 
leading  in  Lafayette.  This  has  been  accomplished  wholly  by  what  Americans 
term  "business  push."  Professionally  Dr.  Moss  ranks  high.  Although  his 
business  is  at  present  in  a  condition  in  which  he  can  not  give  his  exclusive  time 
to  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  he  proposes  in  the  near  future  to  be  able 


238  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

to  do  so.   Dr.  Moss  is  a  distinguislied  member  of  the  Slate  and  Attakapas  Medical 
Associations,  and  also  of  the  State  Pharmaceutical  Association. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Nov-ember,  1887,  with  Miss  Annie  L.  Parkerson, 
daughter  of  J.  G.  and  Elizabeth  (Sterling)  Parkerson. 

»     * 

F.  S.  MUDD,  M.  D.,  L.\fayette. — Dr.  Mudd  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Kentucky,  March  12,  1829.  He  is  the  son  of  John  D.  and  Louisa 
(Robertson)  Mudd,  the  former  a  native  of  Maryland,  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
The  family  of  our  subject's  mother  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  John  D.  Mudd 
was  a  farmer  in  Kentucky  during  the  whole  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1832.  Dr. 
Mudd's  mother  died  in  1841. 

F.  S.  Mudd  received  his  primary  education  in  the  schools  of  his  locality 
and  completed  his  literary  course  in  St.  Rose  College,  Springfield,  Kentucky. 
Shortl}'  after  leaving  college  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  John  H. 
Polin.  of  Springfield.  Subsequent  to  this  he  pursued  a  course  in  the  medical 
school  of  Transylvania  University,  Lexington,  Kentucky.  In  1850  he  removed 
to  Vermilion  parish,  where  he  practised  his  profession  for  a  period  of  seven  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Lafayette,  and  has  since  practised  at  that  place.  In  1882- 
1883,  wishing  to  refresh  himself  in  his  medical  studies,  he  took  a  course  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  Tulane  University,  from  which  institution  he  received 
his  diploma.  Dr.  Mudd  has  been  eminently  successful  as  a  practitioner  and  has 
for  many  years  stood  at  the  head  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  both 
the  State  and  Attakapas  associations.  He  was  twice  married — first,  in  1854,  to 
Miss  S.  T.  Rice,  and  in  1872  to  Miss  Martha  Greig.  The  doctor  is  a  devoted 
Presbyterian  and  an  elder  of  that  church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M., 
Hope  Lodge,  No.  145;  also  of  Hope  Chapter,  No.  32.  Until  its  dissolution  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Girard  Commandery. 

» 

^  JULIAN  MOUTON,  L.'^fayette. — Julian  Mouton,  attorney  at  law,  was 
born  in  Opelousas,  St.  Landry  parish,  August  7,  i860.  He  received  the  advan- 
tages of  a  good  common  school  education,  and  studied  law  under  his  father,  ex- 
Lieutenant  Governor  Mouton.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  Supreme  Court 
in  Opelousas.  After  leading  the  life  of  a  planter,  and  being  engaged  in  other 
general  business,  for  a  period  aggregating  about  four  years,  Mr.  Mouton  began 
the  practice  of  law  and  has  met  with  much  success.  He  is  a  hard  student  and 
well  learned  in  his  profession.  Mr.  Mouton  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rosa 

Castille. 

• 

V  ALEXANDER  MOUTON.— The  name  that  heads  this  sketch  ,is  well 
known,  not  only  in  Louisiana,  but  throughout  the  United  States.  Alexander 
Mouton  was  born  November  19,  1804,  in  what  was   then  Attakapas,   on   Bayou 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  239 

Carencro,  which  was  the  dividing  line  between  Attakapas  county  and  count}?  of 
Opelousas,  on  the  road  now  leading  from  the  present  townof  Lafayette  to  Grand 
Coteau.     He  died  February  12,   1S85. 

Mr.  Mouton  was  the  ninth  Governor  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  the  first 
Democrat  to  occupy  the  executive  chair.  He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  an  early- 
Acadian  family,  and  was  proud  of  his  origin.  His  mother,  Marthe  Bordat,  was 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Antoine  Bordat,  e.x-surgeon  of  the  French  army,  and  Mar- 
guerite Martin,  who  was  first  married  in  Acadia,  now  Nova  Scotia,  to  a  gen- 
tleman named  Robichaux,  who  came  to  New  Orleans  with  many  other  refugees 
who  were  driven  from  their  country  by  the  British  government  on  account  of 
their  allegiance  to  France,  which  had  possessed  and  controlled  it  prior  to  Eng- 
land's conquest  of  Canada.  Mrs.  Robichaux  married  a  second  time,  in  New 
Orleans,  Dr.  Bordat  of  that  citjs  who  subsequently  removed  to  the  birthplace 
of  Governor  Mouton.  Governor  Mouton's  father  was  a  son  of  Salvator  Mou- 
ton, who  was  also  an  Acadian  refugee. 

Educational  advantages  in  the  section  of  Louisiana  in  which  Governor 
Mouton  spent  his  youthful  days  were  at  that  time  very  limited,  a  few  indif- 
ferent country  schools  affording  the  only  opportunities  for  instruction  of  the 
rising  generation.  The  population  consisted  nearly  solelv  of  Acadian  descend- 
ants, and  the  French  language  was  universally  spokenand  for  many  }?ears  the 
only  language  taught  in  the  schools  of  that  locality,  so  that  it  was  difficult  for 
one  to  obtain  a  thorough  English  training.  Governor  Mouton  was,  however, 
a  precocious  youth,  and  he  proved  himself  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  ac- 
quired, unaided,  a  good  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  and  from  the 
fluency  with  which  he  spoke  he  might  have  been  considered  a  thorough  class- 
ical scholar. 

The  da3-s  of  his  boyhood  were  uneventful,  and  consisted  in  the  regular  routine 
of  events  attending  the  3'^outhful  days  of  a  country  boy.  At  an  early  age  young 
Mouton  evinced  a  great  interest  in  public  affairs,  and,  probabh',  to  this  is  due 
the  fact  that  he  chose  as  his  vocation  law,  as  the  entrance  to  the  political  arena 
has  been,  in  the  United  States,  chiefly  through  the  doors  of  this  profession. 

In  1821  Governor  Mouton  went  to  St.  Martinsville,  the  seat  of  the 
parochial  government  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Charles  Antoine,  an. attorney  of  St.  Martinsville.  Charles  Antoine  died  shortly 
after  Governor  Mouton  entered  his  office,  and  young  Mouton  finished  his  law 
stud}'  with  Edward  Simon,  a  distinguished  jurist,  who  was  atone  time  Associate 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Louisiana. 

Being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1825,  Mr.  Mouton  commenced   the   practice  of 
his  profession  in  Lafa3'ette  parish,  wliich  had  been  incorporated  in  1823.    He  onl}' 
practised  a  short  while,  however,  when  he  retired  to  his  country  home,  seemingly 
15a 


240  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA : 

preferring  the  freedom  and  ease  of  a  country  life  to  the  tedious  routine    of  an 
attorney's  duties. 

In  1826  the  citizens  of  Lafayette  parish,  looking  around  for  a  man  of  energy 
and  ability  to  represent  them  in  the  State  Legislature,  chose  Mr.  Mouton.  His 
services  were  eminently  satisfactory,  and  he  succeeded  himself  in  that  body  for 
three  consecutive  terms,  and  was  Speaker  of  the  House  during  the  sessions  of 
1831-32.  From  1832  until  1836  Governor  Mouton  resided  on  his  plantation. 
He  was  on  the  Presidential  Electoral  ticket  during  the  presidential  campaigns 
of  1828,  1832  and  1836.  In  the  latter  part  of  1836  he  was  elected  for  the  fourth 
time  to  the  lower  house  of  the  State  Legislature.  In  January,  1837,  he  was 
elected  by  that  body  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Porter  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  and  succeeded  himself  for  the  long  term.  While  in  Congress  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Private  Land  Claims  and  Patents. 

Mr.  Mouton  was  nominated  for  Governor  of  his  State  in  1842,  and  he  re- 
signed his  seat  in  the  Senate  March  i,  of  that  year,  and,  being  elected,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  executive  duties  January  30,  1843.  Commenting  upon  the  con- 
dition of  public  affairs  in  the  State  at  the  time,  Governor  Mouton  in  his  first 
message  to  the  Legislature  remarked:  "We  can  justly  attribute  the  evils  we 
suiifer  to  no  other  cause  than  to  ourselves.  Louisiana,  under  a  good  government, 
and  poised  on  her  own  resources,  would  leave  nothing  to  be  wished  for  by  her 
sons.  It  is  but  too  common  to  look  abroad  for  causes  which  are  to  be  found 
immediately  among  ourselves.  It  is  too  customary  to  look  to  thegeneral  govern- 
ment for  relief  in  distress,  whilst  that  relief  should  have  been  sought  at  home. 
By  the  manly  exercise  of  our  own  faculties,  availing  ourselves  of  our  own  ad- 
vantages, and  calling  to  our  aid  the  sovereign  power  of  the  State,  we  could  over- 
come all  our  difficulties."  His  public  utterances  were  noted  for  their  strength 
and  wisdom.  The  Governor's  remarks  upon  the  fearful  condition  of  the  State 
Treasury,  its  cause  and  remedy,  are  full  of  facts  and  suggestions.  He  recom- 
mended as  a  remedy  for  this  great  evil  legislative  prevention,  as  far  as  possible, 
of  the  revival  of  a  banking  system  as  heretofore  organized. 

A  new  constitution  for  the  State  having  been  adopted  May  14,  1S45,  involv- 
ing a  complete  change  of  officers,  Governor  Mouton's  term  was  brought  to  a  close 
at  the  expiration  of  his  third  year.  Leaving  the  executive  chair,  Governor 
Mouton  again  retired  to  private  life  and  never  again  participated  activt-ly  in 
political  affairs. 

January,  1852,  he  was  chairman  of  the  great  Southwestern  Railroad  Con- 
vention. He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  held  in  Cincinnati, 
1856.  In  1858  he  was  selected  president  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  for  the 
Attakapas  country,  which  was  organized  to  rid  that  section  of  the  country  from 
an  organized  band  of  marauders  who  set  the  laws  at  defiance.  In  i860  he  was 
a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  held  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  for  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  241 

nomination  of  President  of  the  United  States.  In  1861  he  was  a  delegate  and 
president  of  the  Secession  Convention  that  met  in  Baton  Rouge.  This  may  be 
said  to  have  ended  his  public  career,  although  he  was  afterward  a  candidate  for  a 
seat  in  tlie  Confederate  States  Congress. 

The  latter  daj's  of  Governor  Mouton's  life  were  spent  on  his  plantation  in  La- 
fayette parish.  There  he  lived  a  retired  life,  rarely  leaving  his  home,  save  occa- 
sionally making  a  trip  to  New  Orleans,  since  the  extension  of  the  Morgan  Railroad, 
which  afforded  the  traveling  facilities  which  he  could  not  previoush'  command,  for 
which  he  had  a  peculiar  partialit}',  railroads  being  confessedly  his  hobby.  Age 
pressed  more  heavily  upon  the  governor  in  consequence  of  the  severe  loss  he 
sustained  in  the  war,  by  the  death  of  his  gallant  son,  General  Alfred  Mouton,  at 
Mansfield,  Louisiana,  through  the  treachery  of  a  body  of  Federal  soldiers,  who, 
after  surrendering,  fired  upon  and  killed  him.  The  devastation  of  his  native 
place  also  added  to  the  misfortunes  which  seemed  to  accumulate  at  that  period 
of  lile  when  he  was  least  able  to  sustain  himself  under  the  burden. 

Governor  Mouton  was  a  man  of  remarkably  prepossessing  appearance  ;  tall 
and  commanding  in  figure,  every  feature  of  his  countenance  plainly  expressed 
the  great  courage  and  resolution  characteristic  of  his  nature.  Dignified  and 
courteous  in  his  manner,  slow  and  deliberate  in  conversation,  Governor  Mouton 
laid  no  claim  to  oratorical  power,  preferring  to  listen  to  others  rather  than  express 
his  own  views  and  opinions.  He  had  that  happy  faculty  of  setting  at  ease  those 
whom  he  entertained,  and  was  a  most  congenial  host. 

Governor  Mouton  was  married,  in  1826,  to  Miss  Zelia  Rousseau,  the  daughter 
of  Jaquez  Dupre,  the  most  wealthy  stock  raiser  in  "  Opelousas  county"  in  his 
time.  He  was  also  prominent  m  public  affairs,  and  acted  as  President  pro  tern. 
of  the  Slate  Senate  and  ex-officio  Lieutenant  Governor,  subsequently  becoming 
acting  Governor  in  1830 ;  succeeding  A.  Beautias,  who  was  acting  Governor 
after  the  death  of  Governor  Derbigny.  By  his  first  marriage  Governor  Mouton 
had  five  children:  General  Alfred  Mouton,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who  was 
killed  at  Mansfield,  1864;  Mathilde,  who  married  Frank  Gardner,  the  defender 
of  Port  Hudson;  Idieda,  who  married  J.  S.  Mouton,  a  sugar  planter  of  Lafay- 
ette parish  ;  Cecilia,  who  died  unmarried.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  the 
governor  married,  while  a  Senator  in  Washington  City,  1842,  Miss  Emma  K. 
Gardener,  daughter  of  Colonel  Charles  K.  Gardener,  officerin  the  United  States 
army.  To  the  latter  union  four  sons  and  two  daughters  were  born:  Charles, 
Paul,  George,  Rufus,  Ann  Eliza  and  Marie. 

/  * 

"  »     • 

JUDGE  ORTHER  C.  MOUTON,  Lafayette.— Judge  OrtherC.  Mou- 
ton was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish,  October  5,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles 
H.  and  C.  (Dupre)  Mouton,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Charles  H.  Mouton 
was  reared  here  and  received  his  education  in  St.  Charles   College,  Grand  Co- 


242  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

teau.  He  is  now  a  practising  attorney  at  St.  Martinsville.  During  the  war  he 
was  district  judge,  and  he  afterward  acted  as  district  attorney.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  died  in  1865.  The  Mouton  family  is  of  direct  Acadian-French  ances- 
try, the  great-grandfather  of  Orther  C.  having  removed  from  Acadia  to  Louis- 
iana. 

Judge  Orther  C.  Mouton  was  reared  in  his  native  parish.  What  education 
he  possesses  he  has  chiefly  acquired  bj'  private  study.  He  never  attended  col- 
lege, owing  to  the  financial  circumstances  of  his  father  after  the  war.  At  the 
age  ot  eighteen  years,  Judge  Mouton  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  Debail- 
lon,  of  Lafayette,  wiiere  he  pursued  the  study  of  the  profession  he  has  adopted. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Opelousas.  Upon 
his  admission  to  the  bar,  Judge  Mouton  located  in  Lifayette,  where  he  has  since 
practised  his  profession.  In  the  spring  of  1890  he  was  elected  district  judge, 
to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Dehaillon,  made  vacant  by  his  resignation. 
Judge  Mouton  married,  in  1886,  Miss  Ella  Martin,  of  Lafayette.  He  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


J.  E.  MOUTON,  Lafayette. — J.  E.  Mouton  is  a  native  of  Lafayette 
parish,  born  August  16,  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  Jean  S.  and  Celestine  (Vanas- 
seur)  Mouton,  natives  of  Louisiana.  Jean  S.  Mouton  was  reared  in  Lafaj'ette 
parish,  where  he  married  and  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  eldest.  Jean  Mouton  died  in 
1863;  his  widow  survived  him  until  18S3.  Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

J.  E.  Mouton  was  in  the  Confederate  States  service  during  the  war.  He 
enlisted  in  Squires'  BattaHon,  1863.  Mr.  Mouton  was  educated  in  St.  Charles 
College,  Grand  Coteau,  where  he  took  a  tliree  years'  course,  having  entered  in 
i860.  Since  the  war  he  has  given  his  attention  to  farming.  He  has  a  farm  of 
about  two  hundred  acres,  one  hundred  and  forty-five  of  which  he  cultivates  in 
corn  and  cotton.  Mr.  Mouton  was  married  in  1871  to  Miss  Emerite  Voorhies, 
a  native  of  Lafaj-ette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  viz:  Horace,  Gaston,  Arthur,  Idea,  Louise,  Carmen,  Ida.  Mr. 
Mouton  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor  at  Lafayfette. 

•     » 

"  JACQUES  D.  MOUTON,  Lafayette.— J.  D.  Mouton,  a  prominent 
planter  of  Ward  3,  was  born  in  Lafa3'ette  parish  February  15,  1855.  He  is  the 
son  of  Gen.  Alfred  Mouton,  a  history  of  whose  lite  appears  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Mouton  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children  now  living.  He  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  received  a  good  education  in  the  neighboring  schools.     He  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  24S 

married  in  1880  to  Mary  J.  Voorhies,a  native  of  St.  Martinsville,  Louisiana,  and 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Euphrosine  (Oliver)  Voorhies,  Alfred  Voorhies  was  a 
prominent  citizen  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  was  a  representative  of  that  parish 
in  the  Legislature,  1885-1888.  He  removed  to  Lafayette  parish  in  1889  and  is  at 
present  a  notary  public  in  this  parish.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mouton  are  the  parents  of 
six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living — Mary,  Rousseau,  Daniel,  Alice,  Zelia, 
(deceased),  and  Voorhies.  Mr.  Mouton  has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to 
farming.  His  plantation,  located  one  mile  east  of  Lafayette,  is  well  improved, 
and  bespeaks  the  thrift  of  its  possessor.  In  connection  with  his  plantation  Mr. 
Mouton  gives  special  attention  to  raising  a  good  grade  of  stock.  Though  he 
takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  he  has  never  held  an  office.  He  and 
family  are  Catholics. 

•     * 

^  J.  S.  MOUTON,  Lafayette. — J.  S.  Mouton  was  born  in  Lafayette  par- 
ish, Louisiana,  1835.  He  was  an  active  participant  in  the  late  Civil  War,  having 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  in  1861,  on  Gen.  Mouton's  staff.  He  served 
during  the  whole  of  the  war.  Mr.  Mouton  has  a  good  plantation,  where  he 
resides,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  devotes  himself  en- 
tirely to  its  cultivation.  As  a  planter  he  has  been  successful,  and  few  planta- 
tions of  this  section  are  better  conducted  than  his.  Mr.  Mouton  married  in  1852 
Miss  Odeida,  daughter  of  ex-Governor  Alexander  Mouton.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters. 


ALCIDE  V.  MOUTON,  Lafayette.— Alcide  V.  Mouton,  a  planter  of 
Ward  3,  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish  January  5,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  L.  U. 
and  C.  (Dugas)  Mouton.  Both  parents  were  natives  of  Louisiana  of  French 
descent.  Our  subject's  grandparents  were  among  the  Acadian  families  who 
settled  in  Lafayette  parish.  Louis  U.  Mouton  was  born  in  1813,  and  was  reared 
and  married  in  St.  Martin  parish.  He  was  the  father  of  twelve  children.  He 
died  in  1877.  Our  subject's  mother  died  Mai-ch  25,  1890.  Both  were  members 
of  the  Catholic  church. 

Alcide  V.  Mouton  received  a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
locality  and  began  life  as  a  planter.  He  served  in  the  Confederate  States  army 
the  last  year  of  the  war,  having  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Second  Louisiana  Regi- 
ment. He  was  paroled  at  Alexandria.  In  1869  Mr.  Mouton  married  Miss 
Clemence  Breaux,  daughter  of  Rossemon  Breaux,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children.  Mr.  Mouton  owns  a  good  farm  about  five 
miles  north  of  Lafayette,  which  he  cultivates  in  cotton  and  corn.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church. 


244  ^ O V'l II WEST  L  OUISIA  A' A  : 

SIDNEY  MARTIN,  Lafayette. — Sidney  Martin,  planter,  was  born  in 
St.  Martin  parisli,  Louisiana,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Valerien  and  Angeline 
(Mouton)  Martin,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  fattier  is  a 
planter,  living  in  St.  Martin  parish.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a 
family  of  seven  children;  Auguste,  Edmond,  Emile,  Alfred,  Elodie,  Isinine  and 
Angele. 

Sidney  Martin  has  been  engaged  in  planting  since  starting  in  business  for 
himself.  He  was  married  in  1S75  ^°  Miss  Zilia  Mouton,  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  in  1857,  and  daughter  of  General  Mouton.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters:  Sosthene,  Luc,  Henry,  Bertha,  and 
Lucie.  Mr.  Martin  has  a  good  plantation  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  with 
ninety  acres  under  cultivation,  on  which  he  raises  principally  corn,  cotton  and 
sweet  potatoes.  The  place  is  well  improved,  and  has  on  it  a  fine  orchard.  Mr. 
Martin  is  a  systematic,  progressive  planter,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
successful  business  men  in  his  neighborhood.  He  gives  special  attention  to 
breeding  a  superior  grade  of  stock,  and  now  has  on  his  plantation  some  fine 
specimens.     Both  he  and  wife  are  members  of  tlie  Catholic  church. 

»     » 
^      J.  E.  MARTIN,  Lafayette. — Mr.  Martin  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish, 
born    1859.     He   is   the  son   of  F.  and  Ellen  (Eastin)  Martin,  both  natives  of 
Louisiana.      His  father  held  the  office  of  sheriff  and  tax  collector  for  many  years. 
Both  parents  died  in  1883. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lafa3'ette.  He  took  a  three  years' 
course  in  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  Louisiana,  and  began  business 
life  in  Lafaj'ette,  as  clerk  in  a  general  mercantile  establishment,  subsequentl}- 
working  two  years  in  the  custom  house  of  New  Orleans;  and  in  1881  began 
business  where  he  is  now  located  as  general  merchant.  In  this  undertaking  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  married,  in  1886,  Miss  Julie,  daughter  of  F. 
Bourges,  of  Lafa3fette.  Mr.  Martin  was  for  a  lime  treasurer  of  the  parish.  He 
and  wife  are  Catholics.  ^ 

V  A.  M.  MARTIN,  Lafayette.— A.  M.  Martin,  Clerk  of  the  District 
Court  at  Lafaj^ette,  is  a  native  of  the  place,  born  185 1.  He  is  the  son  of 
Charles  and  Catherine  (Deagle)  Martin.  Charles  Martin  was  a  native  of 
Lafayette  parish  and  a  successful  planter.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  still 
living,  being  in  her  eighty-fifth  3-ear.  She  is  the  mother  of  eleven  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  youngest. 

Mr.  Martin  early  in  life  became  identified  with  public  affairs.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  was  made  deputy  assessor  of  the  parish,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  was  appointed  one  of  the  enrolling  clerks  in  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, where  he  remained  for  nearly  five  years,  and  was  a  witness  to  the  great 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  245 

Wheeler  Compromise.  His  public  experience  thus  far  had  well  qualified  him 
for  public  lite,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  was  elected  district  clerk 
which  office  he  has  filled  for  sixteen  consecutive  years.  Mr.  Martin's 
length  of  service  for  one  so  young,  and  his  influence  in  Lafayette  parish 
bespeak  of  themselves  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held.  He  was  married 
in  Lafayette  parish  to  Miss  S.  McBride,  a  native  of  tliis  parish.  There  have 
been  born  to  this  marriage  six  children,  viz:  Clara,  Nella,  Cora,  Amy, 
Charles    and    Agnes.     Mr.    Martin    and    famil)'  are    members    of    the    Roman 

Catholic  church. 

* 

PAUL  A.  AL\RTIN,  Scott. — Paul  A.  Martin,  justice  of  the  peace  of 
the  first  ward,  was  born  April,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  Marius  and  Zulme 
(Deuvignert)  Martin.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  Island  of  Martinique,  and 
his  mother  of  Bordeaux,  France.  They  were  married  on  the  Island  of  Mar- 
tinique, from  whence  they  came  to  New  Orleans,  in  184S.  Marius  Martin  was 
by  occupation  a  jeweler,  and  worked  at  this  trade  in  New  Orleans  for  a  period 
of  twenty-one  years.  He  was  also  an  artist,  and  did  the  first  daguerreotype 
work  in  Louisiana.  His  removal  to  New  Orleans  w^as  caused  b}-  the  insur- 
rection of  slaves.  He  was  only  saved  by  the  timely  warning  of  a  faithful 
servant,  who  had  nursed  him  in  his  infancy.  With  his  wife  and  child  he 
secretly  made  his  escape  from  the  island,  and  arrived  safely  in  New  Orleans. 
His  land  on  the  Island  of  Martinique  has  never  been  disposed  of  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  his  heirs — the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  brother  of  New  Orleans. 
Marius  Martin  died  in  New  Orleans,  1853. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  at  the  age  of  nineteen  as  a  cook  in 
New  Orleans.  This  he  followed  for  about  six  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Lafayette  parish  in  1873,  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  18S8  he  opened  a  hotel 
at  Scott  Station,  and  in  this  he  is  at  present  engaged.  Mr.  Martin  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  in  1887,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office.  He  has 
served  as  notary  public  for  the  past  six  years.  Mr.  Martin  is  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emma  Comeau,  daughter  of  Francois  and  Clara  (Sonnier)  Comeau. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter:  Alexander  B.,  and 
and  Ainee,  deceased.  Mr.  Martin  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

»     * 

URSIN  PREJEAN,  M.  D.,  CAREXCRO.—Ursin  Prejean,  M.  D.,  was  born 
in  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  September  27,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Ursin 
T.  Prejean,  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish.  Ursin  T.  was  a  successful  planter 
otSt.  Landry  parish.  He  served  during  the  Civil  War  in  the  Eigliteenih  Lou- 
isiana Infantry,  Confederate  arm\-,  and  was  in  manv  of  the  active  campaigns. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 


246  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand 
Coteau.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Moss,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  In  1874  he  matriculated  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  now  Tulane  Universit}',  graduating  in  1877.  He  then 
began  practice  in  St.  Landry  parish,  where  he  was  located  until  1S80,  when  he 
removed  to  Carencro,  and  has  since  here  resided.  His  practice  is  large  and  ex- 
tends over  a  considerable  area  of  Lafayette  and  St.  Landry  parishes.  The 
Doctor  has  been,  though  he  is  not  at  present,  a  member  of  the  Attakapas  Med- 
ical Association.  He  was  married,  in  1877,  to  Miss  Breaux,  of  Lafaj'ette  parish. 
Mrs.  Prejean  died,  and  the  Doctor  afterward  married  Miss  Maria  Matthieu. 

» 
*      » 

P.  B.  ROY,  YouNGSviLLE. — p.  B.  Roy,  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most 
prominent  planters  and  merchants  of  Lafayette  parish,  was  born  near  the  place 
where  he  now  resides  in  1840.  He  received  his  education  at  St.  Charles  Col- 
lege, Grand  Coteau.  His  parents  were  botli  natives  of  this  State,  and  died  in 
1848  and  1852,  respectively. 

Young  Roy  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died  and  he  was 
reared  bv  his  elder  brother  Desire,  who  was  accidently  killed  by  the  explosion 
of  a  boiler  in  his  gin  in  1S67.       Another  brother  died  in  1S66. 

P.  B.  Roy  was  a  soldier  in  the  C.  S.  A.  from  1862  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  served  in  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Cavalry.  Mr.  Roy  has  been  remarka- 
bly successful  in  life.  He  is  the  owner  of  twelve  plantations  in  Lafayette  parish, 
aggregating  about  twenty-one  hundred  acres;  four  in  St.  Martin  parisii,  con- 
sisting of  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  and  four  in  Vermilion,  aggregat- 
ing twelve  hundred  acres.  All  are  under  cultivation  except  the  last  three.  Mr. 
Roy  also  conducts  a  large  mercantile  business  at  Royville  and  one  at  Broussard- 

ville,  Louisiana.  , 

»     « 

G.  W.  SCRANTON,  M.  D.,  Youngsville.— Dr.  Scranton,  a  popular  phy- 
sician of  Youngsville,  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  Louisiana,  born  in  1851. 
His  father.  Dr.  G.  W.  Scranton,  was  born  in  New  Haven  county,  Conn.,  July 
20,  1812.  He  graduated  in  medicine  in  Yale  College,  1834,  '"'"^  '"  i837'  with 
the  degree  of  B.  L.,  from  the  Michigan  University,  Grand  Rapids,  and  was 
made  attorney  general  for  the  county  of  Ottawa,  Mich.,  1838. 

He  located  in  Lafayette  parish,  Louisiana,  1840,  and  resumed  the  practice 
of  medicine.  He  was  elected-to  the  State  Senate  in  1846,  and  served  one  term. 
He  died  February  28,  1853. 

He  was  progressive  and  public-spirited  in  a  remarkable  degree.  To  him  is 
due  the  credit  of  inaugurating  the  public  school  system  of  Lafayette.  His 
widow  is  still  a  resident  of  Lafayette. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  247 

Dr.  Scranton  received  his  classical  education  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  medicine  of  the  medical  school  of  the  Tulane  University.  While  attend- 
ing that  university  he  was  a  resident  student  of  the  Charity  Hospital.  He 
graduated  in  1874.  Immediately  after  completing  his  course,  he  began  practice 
in  Lafayette,  where  he  remained  two  years;  at  the  expiration  of  which  time,  he 
removed  to  Youngsville,  and  there  he  has  since  given  his  exclusive  attention  to 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  conducting  a  drug  business.  It  is  not  exaggerating 
to  state  that  Dr.  Scranton  has  the  largest  practice  in  this  section  of  the  parish. 
As  a  practitioner  he  ranks  deservedly  high.  He  has  accumulated  a  comfortable 
fortune.  Besides  his  other  business  interests,  he  has  six  fine  plantations  in  La- 
fayette parish.  He  was  married  in  1S75  ^'^  Nina  Dupleix,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  four  children. 

»     » 

J.  G.  ST.  JULIEN,  Lafayette. — J.  G.  St.  Julien  is  a  native  of  Louisi- 
ana, born  1844.  His  father  was  an  extensive  planter  of  Lafayette  parish.  He 
died  in  1867,  of  yellow  fever. 

J.  G.  St.  Julien  received  the  benefit  of  a  good  education  as  a  boy.  In  1863, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  service,  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Regiment, 
General  Mouton's  brigade  and  General  Taylcr'^  division.  Mr.  St.  Julien  is  a 
planter,  and  in  flourishing  circumstances.  His  plantation  consists  of  fifteen 
hundred  acres  of  land,  and  is  a  model  one.  In  former  years  Mr.  St.  Julien 
gave  his  exclusive  attention  to  stock  raising,  and  has  only  recently  combined 
with  this  the  raising  of  cotton.  Mr.  St.  Julien  is  a  member  of  the  police  jury 
of  Lafayette  parish,  and  as  a  member  of  the  executive  board,  he  leaves 
nothing  in  his  power  undone  for  the  general  improvement  and  development  of 
his  parish.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers' Alliance,  and  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics.     In  religion  he  is  a  Catholic. 

*  » 
^  F.  R.  TOLSON,  M.  D.,  Lafayette. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  practis- 
physician  at  Lafayette,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  T.  T.  and  Ann 
(Tribble)  Tolson.  His  father  was  born  in  Alabama,  1830,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  university  of  that  State.  He  was  married  June  5,  1S49,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  six  children — three  sons  and  three  daughters — our  subject 
being  the  eldest.  Dr.  T.  T.  Tolson  was  a  successful  practitioner.  During  the 
war  he  served  as  surgeon  in  the  Confederate  army  and  had  charge  of  a  hos- 
pital. 

Dr.  E.  R.  Tolson  was  educated  in  the  parish  schools  of  Lafayette,  Louis- 
iana. His  medical  education  was  received  at  the  medical  department,  University 
of  Louisiana,  New  Orleans,  from  which  he  received  his  diploma.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  he  located  in  Lafayette  parish,  where  he  has  met  with 
deserved  success.     He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Attakapas  Medical  Asso- 


248  SOUTHWEST  L  O  U J  SI  ANA  : 

ciation.     Dr.  Tolson  was  married  in   1S77  to  Miss  Martha  Young.     They  are 
the  parents  of  five  children — Louisa,  John,  Julia,  Challie,  Thomas. 


V  H.  THEALL,  Youngsville. — H.  Theall  was  born  in  Lafayette  parisli  in 
1843.  His  father  was  a  planter  of  Lafayette  parish.  He  died  in  1853.  His 
mother  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Theall  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Lafayette.  For  the  past  four- 
teen years  he  has  given  his  attention  entirely  to  his  mercantile  interests  at 
Youngsville,  in  which  he  has  prospered,  and  now  does  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
nesses of  the  place.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1865,  with  Miss  Elodie 
Longlinae.     To  them  has  been  born  a  daugliter. 

»     » 

E.  G.  VOORHIES,  Lafayette. — E.  G.  Voorhies,  attorney  at  law.  Lafay- 
ette, is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  born  October  24,  1861.  He  is 
the  son  of  Felix  Voorhies,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  this  work. 

E.  G.  Voorhies  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  St.  Martinsville.  He  began 
life  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment  in  St.  Martin  parish.  In  this  he  con- 
tinued until  1886,  when  he  entercsd  the  law  office  of  his  father.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  before  the  the  Supreme  Court  at  Opelousas  in  1887.  Immedi- 
ately thereafter  he  located  in  Lafayette,  where  he  has  since  practised  his  pro- 
fession. Mr.  Voorhies  also  does  an  abstracting  and  notar}'  business.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  fine  intellectual  qualifications  and  is  a  rising  member  of  the 
Lafayette  bar.  „ 

A.  D.  VEROT,  Youngsville. — A.  D.  Verot  was  born  in  1850.  His 
father,  M.  Verot,  was  a  native  of  France,  born  1812.  He  devoted  himself  to 
school  teaching  in  his  early  life,  in  Louisiana,  where  he  removed  when  quite 
young.  He  married,  in  1847,  Miss  Hermine,  the  mother  of  our  subject.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  father 
died  in  1868;  his  widow  still  survives  him.  A.  D.  Verot  is  by  occupation  a 
blacksmith  and  wheelwright,  though  at  present  he  is  engaged  in  planting.  He 
owns  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  tillable  land,  which  he  partly  culti- 
vates and  partly  uses  as  a  pasture  for  a  fine  grade  of  Jersey  and  Devonshire 
cattle,  of  which  he  is  the  importer  and  raiser.  The  principal  products  of  his 
plantation  are  cotton,  corn  and  rice.     Mr.  Verot  has  never  married. 

* 

JEAN  VIGNEAUX,  Lafayette. — ^Jean  Vigneaux,  United  States  marshal 
for  the  western  district  of  Louisiana,  is  a  native  of  France,  born  in  1853.  He 
came  to  America  in  1867,  and  was  engaged  in  business  in  New  Orleans  until 
1870,  when  he  located  in  Lafayette.     Here  with  characteristic  energy  he  began 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  2« 

business,  first  as  a  baker,  and  in  fact  applied  iiimself  assiduously  to  any  labor 
from  which  by  industry  and  business  tact  he  could  coin  money.  Since  1876 
he  has  conducted  a  large  livery  business  in  this  place.  Mr.  Vigneaux  was 
elected  marshal  of  the  town  of  Lafayette,  and  served  in  this  capacit}^  for  a 
period  of  eight  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  town  council  of  Lafaj^ette  for 
two  years,  and  in  June,  18S7,  he  was  appointed  United  Slates  marshal  of  the 
western  district  of  Louisiana,  of  which  position  he  is  the  present  incumbent.  Mr. 
Vigneaux  is  prosperous  in  his  business,  and  now  owns  a  considerable  amount  of 
property  in  Lafayette.  He  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emele  Oueilhe, 
They  are  the  parents  of  tliree  children  :   Elia,  August  and  Lucie. 

*  * 
^  S.  R.  WALLIS,  Lafayette. — S.  R.  Wallis  was  born  in  Terrebonne 
parish,  Louisiana,  in  1843.  His  father,  J.  C.  Wallis,  was  born  in  Maryland, 
1805.  and  removed  to  Louisiana  early  in  life,  where  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
R.  Creighton,  1836.  Seven  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  the  subject  of 
our  sketch  being  the  youngest  living.  J.  C.  Wallis  was  an  extensive  sugar 
planter  at  the  time  of  his  deatli  in  Terrebonne  . 

S.  R.  Wallis  grew  to  maturity  in  Lafayette  parish,  and  received  a  fair 
education.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  enlisting,  1861,  in  Company  C, 
Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment  of  Volunteers,  Confederate  army.  He  served  dur- 
ing the  whole  war  and  received  but  one  slight  wound.  Mr.  Wallis  is  the  owner 
of  two  liundred  arpents  of  land  where  he  i-esides,  and  which  he  cultivates  in 
cotton  and  corn.  He  gives  a  part  of  his  attention  to  his  plantation  interests.  He 
is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Josephine  Dyer,  of  Lafayette  parish.  The}' 
are  tlie  parents  of  three  living  children:   Robert  L.,  Ruby  and  Hugh  C. 

»     » 

REV.  MAURIUS  WELTE,  Carencro.— Rev.  Maurius  Welte,  pastor  of 
St.  Peter's  Catholic  church  at  Carencro,  was  born  in  Lyons,  France,  1852. 
He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Jane  (Rey)  Welte,  both  natives  of  Alsace,  then 
France.  Both  are  now  deceased.  Charles  Welte  was  a  book-keeper  and  was 
engaged  in  commercial  pursuits  all  his  life.  Seven  children  born  to  our  sub- 
ject's parents  are  still  Hving. 

Rev.  Maurius  Welte  when  but  a  bo}',  1867,  came  to  the  United  States  with 
Bishop  Odin.  He  attended  St.  Charles  College,  Baltimore,  and  subsequently 
graduated  in  New  Orleans.  Later  he  pursued  his  studies  in  Cincinnati,  and 
after  their  completion  he  had  charge  of  the  church  at  Napoleonville,  Louisiana, 
for  over  four  years.  In  1883  Rev.  Welte  came  to  Carencro,  and  through  his 
exertions  St.  Peter's  church  building,  which  had  been  destroyed  in  1881,  was 
rebuilt.  A  history  of  the  foundation  ot  St.  Peter's  church  will  be  found  in  the 
historical  part  of  this  work. 


250 


SOO THWEST  LOUISIANA . 


^'  REV.  THOMAS  F.  WEBB,  Lafayette.— Rev.  Thomas  F.  Webb  is  a 
native  of  England,  born  1823.  His  father,  Thomas  A.  Webb,  was  a  prosperous 
merchant  on  the  east  coast  of  England;  early  in  life  he  married  Miss  Susan 
Grinsby,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  seventeen  children,  only  two  of  whom 
are  now  living,  our  subjects  and  his  elder  brother,  the  Rev.  Edward  Webb, who 
resides  at  Oxford,  Pennsylvania.  Thomas  A.  Webb  died  in  1836;  his  widow 
survived  him  until  1855.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Congregational 
church. 

Rev.  Thomas  F.  Webb  was  principally  educated  in  Massachusetts.  He 
married  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1848,  Miss  Sophia  Stephens,  of  New  York, 
daughter  of  Gideon  Stephens.  Rev.  Webb  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  Meth- 
odist church  in  1872,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  performance  of  his  minis- 
terial duties  since  that  time.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  from  St.  Louis  in  1S69 
and  located  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  a  beautiful  and  fertile  plantation 
consisting  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Lafayette.  Rev.  Webb  has  pros- 
pered as  regards  worldly  goods  and  his  plantation  is  one  of  the  most  success- 
fully operated  in  this  section.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Hope 
Lodge  23.  He  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  six  children.  His  two  sons,  T.  F. 
and  Wm.  G.,  are  foreign  missionaries.  Mary  G.,  Edward,  Lizzie  and  Anna  are 
at  home. 


^f^r^> 


CHAPTER  V. 


PARISH    OF  ACADIA. 


HENRY  W.  ANDING,  Rayne.— Henry  "W.  Anding  was  born  in  Missis- 
sippi in  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  W.  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Furr)  Anding.  W.  H. 
Anding  was  born  in  South  Carolina  in  1816.  He  enlisted  in  the  Black  Hawk 
and  Seminole  wars  in  1836,  and  served  under  General  Scott  until  its  close  as  a 
private.  He  removed  from  South  Carolina  to  Mississippi  in  1848,  and  to  Louis- 
iana in  i860.  Our  subject's  mother  was  born  in  Mississippi  in  1823,  and  mar- 
ried in  1843.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  four  of  whom  are 
still  living. 

H.  W.  Anding,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  St.  Landry  par- 
ish. He  was  elected,  in  1S87,  the  first  treasurer  of  Acadia  parish,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  occupies.  He  has  been  in  the  mercantile  business  for  eighteen  years 
at  this  place,  and  conducts  one  of  the  largest  businesses  of  the  town.  Mr. 
Anding  was  united  in  marriage  in  1S74  with  Miss  Susan  Arenas.  They  are  the 
parents  of  one  child,  a  daughter,  Josephine. 

* 

REV.  J.  ANTHONOIZ,  RayxXe.— Rev.  J.  Anthonoiz,  pastor  of  St.  Jo- 
seph church  at  this  place,  was  born  in  Savoy,  France,  Ma}'  10,  1822,  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  his  native  town,  later  studying  philosophy  and  theology 
in  Vals,  near  LePuy  (St.  Soire),  France,  and  was  tliere  ordained  priest  in  1855. 
He  came  to  America  the  same  year,  locating  at  Baton  Rouge,  where  he  filled  a 
chair  of  mathematics  for  some  time.  He  was  thence  transferred  to  Alabama, 
where  he  again  filled  a  chair  of  mathematics  for  several  years.  Later  he  was 
sent  to  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  where  he  remained  until  he  removed 
to  Rayne. 

Father  Anthonoiz  is  a  man  of  high  personal  qualities,  and  is  revered  b}'  his 

flock.     His  labors  as  a  priest  have  been  of  the  most  meritorious  character.     St. 

Joseph  church  building  at  this  place,  which  was  finished  in  1876,  is  one  of  the 

finest  in  this  part  of  tlie  st^te. 

* 

MATHIAS  ARENAS,  Rayne.— The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in 
Havana,  in  1828.     He  is  the  son  of  Catulo  and  Dolores  (Orduna)  Arenas.     To 


•>52  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

them  were  born  thirteen  children,  Mathias  being  the  eldest.  Catulo  Arenas  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  with  his  family  when  Mathias  was  young. 

Mathias  Arenas  during  the  war  was  a  member  of  the  State  militia,  but  was 
never  called  out  in  active  service.  In  1880,  he  established  one  of  the  first  mer- 
cantile houses  in  Rayne,  to  which  he  has  given  his  attention  until  very  recently. 
His  business  was  the  largest  of  the  kind  at  the  place.  He  was  married  in  Louis- 
iana, 1856,  to  Miss  Leonar  Martin.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  both 
daughters,  Mrs.  Anding  being  the  elder.  Mr.  Arenas  is  now  retired  from  active 
business,  his  circumstances  being  such  as  to  render  the  worry  of  business  un- 
necessary to  one  of  his  age. 

* 
»     » 

E.  O.  BRUNER,  Rayne.— E.  O.  Bruner  was  born  in  what  was  then  St. 
Landry  parish,  now  Acadia,  in  the  year  1858-  He  is  the  son  of  Francis  J. 
Bruner,  who  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  came  to  Louisiana  in  1849,  where 
he  has  since  been  engaged  in  planting,  in  Plaquemine  Brulee,  a  distance  of 
ten  miles  from  Rayne,  with  the  exception  of  the  three  years  he  spent  in  Cali- 
fornia during  the  gold  excitement. 

E.  O.  Bruner,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  principally  in 
Pontiac,  Illinois,  under  the  instruction  of  his  uncle,  John  W.  Bruner,  where  he 
lived  with  his  father  three  years  during  his  stay  in  Illinois.  Previous  to  going 
to  lUinois,  in  1875,  he  spent  one  year  in  Texas,  where  he  was  engaged  in  a 
shingle  manufactory.  In  1S79  he  returned  from  Illinois,  and  married  Lela 
Hampton,  daughter  of  T.  H.  Hampton,  and  a  relative  of  General  Wade 
Hampton.  In  the  winter  of  1879  ^^  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  in 
Coulie  Crouche.  Becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  business  and  the  locality,  he 
removed  to  Rayne,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
and  farming,  somewhat  extensively.  He  owns  four  farms.  He  is  a  justice  of 
the  peace  of  the  first  ward,  to  which  office  he  has  been  twice  elected.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  member  of  the  local  school  board. 
He  has  one  child,  a  bright  boy,  nine  years  old,  Howard  E.  Bruner.  Mr. 
Bruner' s  future  is  bright. 

•     * 

''  HOMER  BAROUSSE,  Church  Point.— Homer  Barousse,  planter  and 
merchant,  living  at  Church  Point,  in  Acadia  parish,  Louisiana,  was  born  in  that 
parish  September,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Caroline  (Fontenot)  Ba- 
rousse, the  former  a  native  of  France,  the  latter  of  Louisiana.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  five  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing: Euphrosine,  wife  of  William  McBride ;  Homer,  the  subject;  Anise,  wife 
of  Lucius  David;  Edgar,  and  Ora,  wife  of  L.  Franques.  Their  father  is  one 
of  the  old  settlers  of  the  country,  having  lived  in  the  State  for  fifty-one  years.  He 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  253 

is  one  of  Acadia's  most  highly  respected  citizens,  and  successful  planters  and  busi- 
men.  He  is  now  associated  with  the  subject  in  a  mercantile  business  at  Church 
Point,  where  the}^  carry  a  stock  of  ten  thousand  dollai^s  and  do  an  annual  busi- 
ness of  fifty  tliousand  dollars.  John  Barousse  owns  eight  hundred  acres  of  land, 
two  hundred  of  which  are  in  cultivation.  During  the  war  he  was  assessor  of 
the  southern  part  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

Homer  Barousse  obtained  his  education  at  Washington,  Louisiana.  He 
was  married  in  1869  to  Emily  Daigle,  daughter  of  T.  Daigle.  To  them  have 
been  born  nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters:  Oscar,  Homer,  Maurice, 
Lorant,  Felix,  Bertrand,  Fernando,  Lydia  and  Lelia.  Our  subject  was  elected 
police  juror  for  his  ward  in  1887,  and  is  still  an  incumbent  of  that  office.  He 
owns  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  St.  Landry  and  Acadia,  two  hundred  of 
which  he  cultivates.  Mr.  Barousse  is  a  man  of  good  business  qualifications, 
and  is  highly  respected  and  well  known  throughout  this  section.  He  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  lias  been  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
Executive  Committee  of  the  parish  of  Acadia  since  it  was  first  organized,  and  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  District  Executive  Committee  of  St.  Landry  and 
Acadia. 

*     *  '" 

HON.  JOSEPH  D.  BERNARD,  R.vyxe.— Hon.  Joseph  D.  Bernard,  rep- 
resentative of  Acadia  parish  in  the  Stale  House  of  Representatives,  was  born  in 
St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  November  15,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Francois 
and  Euphrasie  Bernard,  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Francois  Bernard 
was  an  extensive  planter  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
181 2,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  He  died  when  Joseph  D. 
was  but  five  years  of  age. 

Our  subject  received  his  primary  education  in  the  local  schools  of  St.  Mar- 
tin parish,  later  attending  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  On  leaving  col- 
lege he  engaged  as  salesman  in  a  mercantile  house  at  Breaux  Bridge,  St.  Martin 
parish.  Locating  in  Rayne,  he  opened  the  first  mercantile  business  in  that  sec- 
tion. Since  that  time  Mr.  Bernard  has  conducted  a  flourishing  business  at  this 
place,  in  connection  with  his  plantation.  He  was  elected,  in  1882,  mayor  of 
Rayne,  in  which  capacity  he  served  four  years.  In  1888  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  House  of  Representatives  from  Acadia  parish,  and  during  his 
term  of  service  in  that  bod}'  he  has  been  a  member  of  several  important  com- 
mittees, and  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  leading  measures.  Mr.  Bernard 
was  a  soldier  during  the  whole  of  the  Civil  War,  serving  in  the  Army  of  Virginia. 
He  was  taken  a  prisoner  in  1863,  and  confined  at  Point  Lookout  until  March, 
1864.  Being  more  fortunate  than  many  of  his  fellow  prisoners,  Mr.  Bernard 
was  in  possession  of  sufficient  means  to  bribe  those  in  charge,  and  consequently 
did  not  suffer  the  hardships  common  to  prison  life.     After  his  release  from  im- 


254  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

piisonment  he  returned  home  and  did  not  reenter  into  active  service.  Mr.  Ber- 
nard is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Susan  Chachere,  of  St.  Landry  parish, 
Louisiana.     They  are  the  parents  of  tliree  children:  Anna,  Agatha  and  Frank  G. 


^  WELMAN  BRADFORD,  Rayne.— Welman  Bradford  was  born  in  Ascen- 
sion parish  October,  1869.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children,  two  brothers 
and  two  sisters,  born  to  Robert  H.  and  Rosa  (Welman)  Bradford.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  his  mother  of  New  Orleans.  Robert  H. 
Bradford  was  a  prominent  lawyer.     He  practised  for  some  time  in  Washington, 

D.  C,  and  later  in  New  Orleans.  The  last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in 
Florida,  where  he  died  in  September,  1888.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Bradford  is 
still  living  with  him. 

Welman  Bradford  receivedthe  benefit  of  a  liberal  education,  and  since  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  has  given  his  principal  attention  to  surveying  and  civil  engi- 
neering. For  the  past  two  }'ears  Mr.  Bradford  has  been  experimenting  in  rice 
culture  with  good  results.  He  has  a  plantation  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land 
where  he  resides,  one  hundred  of  which  he  cultivated  in  rice  this  year  (1890). 
Mr.  Bradford  also  practises  in  the  Land  Court.  He  is  the  present  treasurer  of 
the  town  of  Rayne.  He  is  a  young  man  of  energy  and  thrift  and  is  always 
identified  with  laudable  public  measures.     He    is  a    member  of    the    Episcopal 

church.  , 

»      • 

W.  H.  GARY,  Mermenteau. — W.  H.  Cary,  in  partnership  with  J.  J. 
Bibbins,  operates  one  of  the  largest  rice  plantations  in  Louisiana.  The  product 
of  their  plantation  in  1889  was  thirty-five  hundred  barrels  of  rice.  The  planta- 
tion consists  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
which  are  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Gary  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  St. 
Mary  parish  in  1843.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  B.  and  Eleanor  (Gordy)  Gar}-.  J.  B. 
Cary  was  a  native  of  New  York.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  early  in  life,  where 
he  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade.  He  married  our  subject's  motlier  in  St. 
Mar}^  parish,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  W.  H.  is 
the  third  in  order  of  birth.      Only  three  of  the  family  are  living,  viz:   W.  H.,  R. 

E.  and  J.  B.  The  father  died  in  1855,  and  the  mother  in  1887.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Cary  is  an  enterprising  young  business  man,  and  has  made  a  good  start 
in  life.  His  farm  is  a  model  one  and  well  improved;  he  has  on  it  a  small  orange 
grove,  besides  other  fruit  trees.  His  partner,  Mr.  Bibbins,  is  a  young  man  of 
high  standing  in  business  and  social  circles.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1854,  and 
is  the  son  of  J.  J.  and  Mary  (Fish)  Bibbins,  of  New  York.  J.  J.  is  the  second 
of  a  familv  of  three  children  born  to  them.     He  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1870, 


'^^^-^-Cy-T^ 


^y^^l^^^^ 


1^ 


'-^^ 


"^f^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  257 

and  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  at  this  place,  which  he  has  since 
well  improved.  By  trade  he  is  a  carpenter,  but  devotes  most  of  his  time  to 
planting. 


WILLIAM  C.  CHEVIS,  Rayne.— William  C.  Chevis  was  born  in 
Vermilion  parish,  Louisiana,  February  8,  1862.  Dr.  John  W.  Chevis,  the 
father  of  William  C,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  1S22.  He  removed  to 
Louisiana  in  1850,  where  he  became  a  successful  sugar  planter  before  the  war. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Martha  Hayes,  was  born  in  what  is  now  Acadia 
parish,  Louisiana,  in  1832. 

The  subject  is  the  third  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  three  brothers  and 
four  sisters.  He  received  Lis  preparatory  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Acadia  parish,  and  later  pursued  a  course  of  stud}'^  at  the  University  of  Ken- 
tucky, at  Lexington,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1S84.  After 
leaving  school  he  was  for  some  time  engaged  as  book-keeper,  and  later  as  a 
school  teacher.  Subsequently  he  became  editor  of  the  Acadia  Sentinel,  one  of 
the  first  papers  published  in  Acadia  parish.  In  1889,  he  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Nicholls  assessor  of  Acadia  parish,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He 
was  the  special  correspondent  of  the  "New  Delta,"  at  Baton  Rouge,  during 
the  legislative  session  of  1890,  in  which  capacity  he  enjoyed  the  distinction  of 
representing  at  the  State  capitol  the  only  anti-lottery  daily  published  in  New 
Orleans.  Mr.  Chevis  is  a  gentleman  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  the  future 
holds  much  in  store  for  him. 

PROFESSOR  T.  C.  CHERRY,  Crowley.— Prof.  T.  C.  Cherry  was 
born  in  Kentuck}^  April  24,  1862.  His  father,  G.  W.  Cherry,  was  a  native  of 
that  State,  as  was  also  his  mother,  Martha  Stahl. 

T.  C.  Cherry  is  one  of  a  familj'  of  nine  children.  His  father  being  a 
planter,  he  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  kinds 
of  farm  work.  He  received  his  education  principally  at  Bowling  Green, 
Kentucky.  Later  he  took  a  business  course  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  at 
Glasgow,  Kentucky.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  Prof.  Cherry  began 
school  teaching,  and  has  been  engaged  in  this  chiefly  since  that  time.  He  first 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Warren  county,  Kentucky.  Later  he  taught  for 
one  year  in  the  Woolwine  High  School,  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  came  here 
as  commercial  teacher,  and  was  the  main  factor  in  the  founding  of  Acadia 
Commercial  and  Literary  College,  at  Crowley.  Prof.  Cherry  is  thoroughly, 
practical  and  energetic,  and  his  extensive  knowledge  in  educational  matters 
will  go  far  in  making  the  college  at  Crowley  one  of  the  most  flourishing  in 
Louisiana. 

IGa 


258  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

/  RAYMOND  T.  CLARK,  Crowley.— Raymond  T.  Clark,  clerk  of  the 
district  court  and  ex-ofRcio  recorder  and  notary  public  for  Acadia  parish,  was 
born  in  what  is  now  Acadia  parish,  April  23,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Valentine 
C.  and  Frances  (McClelland)  Clark,  both  natives|of  this  parish,  where  they  died. 
Valentine  C.  Clark  was  a  stock  raiser  and  planter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  school  days  in  Lake  Charles  and  Opel- 
ousas.  Beginning  business  for  himself,  he  was  first  engaged  in  stock  raising 
near  Rayne.  This  he  followed  until  quite  recently.  When  Acadia  parish  was  a 
part  of  St.  Landry,  Mr.  Clark  was,  for  three  years,  justice  of  the  peace, and,  on  the 
organization  of  the  parish  of  Acadia,  he  was  elected  clerk  of  court  and  ex-oflicio 
recorder  at  a  special  election  held  for  that  purpose,  and  was  reelected  at  the 
first  regular  election.  He  held  the  position  of  town  councilman  while  a  resident 
of  Rayne.  Mr.  Clark  married,  December,  1874,  Miss  Laura  L.  Duson,  daugh- 
ter of  Cornelius  Duson,  and  sister  of  the  Hon.  C.  C.  Duson,  State  Senator  from 
Opelousas,  and  W.  W.  Duson,  of  Crowley.  To  them  eight  children  have  been 
born,  two  sons  and  six  daughters.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  In  politics  he  is  an  unwavering  democrat.  He  is  a  K.  of  P.,  and  he 
has  represented  his  order  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  K.  of  H.  , 

#     * 

^  A.  S.  CHAPPUIS,  Rayne. — Anselm  Chappuis,  one  of  the  most  successful 
business  men  of  Acadia  parish,  was  born  in  Thibodeaux,  Lafourche  parish, 
November  5,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Louisa  (Sourd) 
Chappuis,  natives  of  Lorraine,  France.  They  both  removed  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  when  young,  where  they  married  and  resided  until  1840,  at  which  time 
they  removed  to  Thibodaux,  Louisiana,  where  the  father  of  our  subject  died,  in 
1862,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three,  and  the  mother,  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  He 
attended  the  schools  of  Lafourche  parish.  The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War 
prevented  him  from  obtaining  a  collegiate  education.  He  remained  with  his 
mother  until  nineteen  j^ears  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  learned 
the  tinner's  trade  with  his  uncle.  Here  he  remained  for  three  years,  when  he 
returned  to  Louisiana,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Bayou  Lafourche  for  about 
five  years.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Napoleonville,  where  he  established  a  busi- 
ness which  he  conducted  for  a  year  and  a  half.  Looking  around  for  a  more 
desirable  place,  he  loca-ted  at  Rayne,  where  he  has  since  followed  his  trade,  and 
conducts  a  general  hardware  business,  in  connection  with  which  he  carries  a 
stock  of  building  materials.  His  stock  in  the  above  goods,  together  with  an 
assortment  of  improved  agricultural  implements  and  wagon  and  buggy  mate- 
rials, is  the  largest  in  Southwest  Louisiana.  Mr.  Chappuis  has  demonstrated  his 
business  abilitv  in  the  success   which    has  attended    his   undertakings.     He  is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  259 

probabl}'  at  present  the  wealthiest  business  man  in  Acadia  parish.  On  starting 
out  in  life  for  himself  he  was  compelled  to  borrow  money  to  buy  the  necessary 
implements  with  which  to  carry  on  his  business.  Mr.  Chappuis  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  since  his  location  in  Rayne.  On  the  organiza- 
tion of  Acadia  parish  he  was  made  clerk  of  the  police  jury,  but  soon  resigned  his 
charge.  Mr.  Chappuis  was  instrumental  in  the  erection  of  the  rice  mill  at  this 
place,  and  was  elected  president  and  manager  of  the  company  on  its  organiza- 
tion. He  is  foremost  in  all  matters  that  tend  to  the  promotion  of  the  public 
welfare.  Through  his  influence  and  money,  assisted  by  a  few  other  public- 
spirited  citizens,  the  present  commodious  two  and  one-half  story  brick  academy 
was  built  and  the  school  supported. 

Mr.  Chappuis,  with  a  keen  eye  to  business,  has  invested  largely  in  real 
estate,  feeling  confident  that  within  a  short  while  it  will  be  greatly  enhanced  in 
value.  He  has  recently  purchased  a  farm  one  and  one-half  miles  from  town, 
upon  which  he  proposes  erecting  a  fine  residence  and  make  it  his  future  home. 

He  was  married,  in  1872,  to  Miss  Emma  Bergenon.  She  died  the  year  fol- 
lowing her  marriage,  having  become  the  mother  of  a  son,  Eugene  L.,  who  is  at 
present  book-keeper  in  his  father's  business  at  this  place.  Mr.  Chappuis  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  in  1882,  Miss  Josephine  Christman,  of  Opelousas.  They 
are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz:   Ferdinand,  Abner,  Lawrence,  Archibald. 

»     * 

PHILIP  J.  CHAPPUIS,  Crowley,  is  a  native  of  Lafourche  parish,  born 
September  26,  1865.  He  is  the  son  of  Julius  and  Josephine  (Toups)  Chap- 
puis. The  former  was  born  in  Lafourche  parish  in  1836,  and  the  latter  in 
the  same  parish  in  1846.  Julius  Chappuis  was  a  wealthy  planter  of  this 
parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  of  three  children.  He 
was  educated  at  Thibodeaux  college,  Louisiana,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1883.  He  then  read  law  under  L.  P.  Caillouet,  of  Thibodeaux, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  supreme  court  at  Opelousas,  Jul}-  9, 
1887.  Mr.  Chappuis  has  practised  in  Crowley  since  that  time,  and  judging 
from  his  present    popularity  as    an    attorney,  the   future  holds  much  in  store 

for  him.  ^ 

«      * 

JEAN  CASTEX,  Meumenteau. — Jean  Castex,  a  prosperous  merchant, 
was  born  in  France,  March  18,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Andres  Castex  and 
Sturline  de  Captdeville,  both  natives  of  France.  Andres  Castex  was  a  tanner 
by  occupation.  He  married  in  France,  and  to  their  union  were  born  four 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  oldest  of  the  three  now  living. 
Andres  Castex  died  in  France  in  1843.     His  wife  died  December  26,  1890. 

Jean  Castex,  the  subject  of  this  sketcli,  emigrated  from  France  to  Louisiana 


260  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

in  1854.  H*^  landed  in  New  Orleans  June  3  of  that  year,  and  from  there  he 
went  to  Lafayette,  where  he  engaged  in  carpentering,  and  afterward  conducted 
a  bakery.  After  about  two  years  he  moved  to  Acadia  parish,  where  he  now 
resides.  In  1859  '^^  opened  a  mercantile  business  where  he  now  resides,  and 
his  business  has  grown  until  he  now  carries  a  stock  of  about  four  thousand  dol- 
lars' worth  of  goods.  He  also  owns  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  portion 
of  which  he  cultivates  in  cotton  and  rice.  The  place  is  well  improved,  and  has 
on  it  a  steam  cotton  gin,  which  was  erected  in  i860.  Mr.  Castex  was  appointed 
post-master  at  Mermenteau  in  1867,  and  was  reappointed  in  1890,  and  is  the  pres- 
ent efficient  post-master  of  the  place.  He  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice 
Landry,  a  native  of  Louisiana.  Thej^  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz: 
Jean,  Jr.,  Alice,  Rosedale  and  Rose.  The  subject  is  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  is  active  in  his  efforts  to  improve  the  public  school  S3'stem  of  this 
parish.     As  a  business  man  he  is  abundantly  successful. 


•^  H.  W.  CARVER,  Crowley. — Hiram  W.  Carver,  clerk  of  the  police  jury, 
Acadia  parish,  was  born  in  Assumption  parish,  May,  4,  1862.  He  is  the  oldest 
of  a  family  of  ten  children  born  to  Hiram  H.  and  Emma  (Bourg)  Carver,  the 
former  a  native  of  Virginia,  the  latter  of  Assumption  parish,  Louisiana.  Hiram 
H.  Carver  removed  to  Louisiana  when  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  a  Virginia  college.  He  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
that  State.  After  removing  to  Louisiana  he  located  in  Assumption  parish,  where 
he  served  as  district  attorney  for  a  time.  Later  he  was  made  parish  judge, 
which  office  he  held  for  several  years.  Mr.  Carver  served  during  the  whole  of 
the  war  in  a  Louisiana  regiment  of  cavalry.  He  was  a  commissioned  officer. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Lafourche  parish,  Louisiana.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject is  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  school  at  Napoleonville,  Louisiana.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  3'ears  he  left  school  and  began  active  life  for  himself.  He  first 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Iberville  parish.  In  1886  Mr.  Carver  came 
to  this  place  and  opened  a  general  store,  and  in  1887  formed  a  partnership  with 
J.  Frankel,  with  whom  he  is  at  present  associated.  His  business  is  flourishing, 
and  this  year  (1890)  will  amount  to  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Both  are  active  busi- 
ness men,  and  have  great  hopes  for  the  future  prospects  of  this  country.  They 
deal  extensively  in  rice,  and  do  the  largest  business  in  that  line  in  this  place. 
Mr.  Carver  was  one  of  the  first  councilmen  of  the  town  of  Crowley,  and  was 
afterward  elected  mayor.  In  1887  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  police  jury,  of 
which  position  he  is  the  present  incumbent.  He  married,  in  1885,  Miss  Jose- 
phine Sigur,  of  Iberville  parish.  To  them  three  children  have  been  born:  James 
A.,  Emma  A.  and  Leon  E. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  261 

W.  W.  DUSON,  Crowley. — W.  W.  Duson,  the  efficient  business  manager 
of  the  Southwest  Louisiana  Land  Company,  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish, 
Louisiana,  October  5,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Cornelius  Duson,  a  history  of 
whose  life  appears  in  the  sketch  of  Hon.  C.  C.  Duson,  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

W.  W.  Duson  was  reared  in  this  section  of  the  State,  and  was  educated  in 
the  local  schools  of  the  day.  He  began  business  life  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  mercantile  store  of  James  Webb  at  Plaquemine 
Brulee.  He  subsequently  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Freeman  &  Duson, 
successors  to  James  Webb.  When  Acadia  parish  was  founded,  Mr.  Duson 
retired  from  this  business  and  removed  to  Rayne.  In  May,  1884,  he  removed 
to  Crowley,  and  assumed  charge  of  the  business  of  the  Southwest  Louisiana 
Land  Compan}^  in  which  capacity  he  continues  to  act.  Since  assuming  man- 
agement Mr.  Duson  has  bought  and  sold  over  200,000  acres  of  land  for  the 
companj'. 

The  business  of  the  land  company  has  assumed  enormous  proportions  and 
requires  much  attention,  but  besides  this  Mr.  Duson  operates  the  largest  rice 
plantation  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Mr.  Duson  is  the  founder  of  Acadia 
College,  the  buildings  of  which  he  erected  at  a  cost  of  $15,000.  He  founded 
and  has  since  edited  and  published  the  "Acadia  Signal"  at  Crowley.  He  was 
married  Januarj-  2,  1879,  to  Miss  M.  McClelland.  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
living  child,  Mamie.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Duson  was  married 
to  Miss  Julia  Clark,  the  daughter  of  a  well  known  citizen  of  Acadia  parish. 

* 
*      * 

^  LOUIS  ALPHONSE  DUCLOS,  Rayne.— Louis  Alphonse  Duclos,  post- 
master and  druggist,  was  born  in  France,  February  16,  185 1.  His  parents, 
Michael  and  Susanne  Duclos,  were  both  natives  of  France. 

After  having  followed  a  full  course  of  studies,  both  in  literature  and  chem- 
istry, at  Bordeaux,  and  at  the  "  Lj'cee  Imperial  Bonaparte,"  Paris,  France,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  the  United  States  in  1865,  and  opened  a  drug  store 
in  1866,  at  Labadieville,  Louisiana,  where  he  married  Miss  Evelina  Gebelin,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  influential  families  of  that  place.  To  their 
marriage  two  children  have  been  born,  Alphanse  J.  Duclos,  a  graduate  of 
Soule's  College,  of  New  Orleans,  and  a  registered  pharmacist  of  Louisiana,  and 
Noemie  Duclos,  now  a  pupil  of  Mt.  Carmel  Convent,  Lafayette,  Louisiana. 

In  1883  Mr,  Duclos  came  to  Rayne,  as  a  clerk  for  M.  P.  Young  &  Co., 
then  the  only  druggist  of  this  place.  The  fact  that  in  1886  he  was  appointed  post- 
master, which  office  he  has  kept  under  different  administrations  to  the  general 
satisfaction  of  the  public;  and  also  the  fact  that  from  a  simple  clerk,  Mr.  Du- 
clos has  become  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  finest  and  most  prosperous  drug 
stores  in  Southwest  Louisiana,  are  witnesses  to  his  popularity  and  business 
capacity.     Mr.  Duclos  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


262  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

\/ 

HOMER  DAVID,  Church  Point. — Homer  David,  a  planter    living    near 

Church  Point,  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish  in  October,  1848.     He  is  the  son 

of  J.  B.  and  Elmier  (Breaux)  David,  natives  of  Louisiana.     To  them  were  born 

seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters.     The  father  was  a  planter  by 

occupation.     He  died  In  1856,  and  our  subject's  mother  in   1872. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  farmer,  which  he  has  made  the  business  of 
his  life.  He  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  150  of  which  are  in  cultivation, 
the  principal  products  being  cotton  and  corn. 

Mr.  David  was  married  in  187 1  to  Miss  Azeline  Guidry.  They  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  five  daughters  and  two  sons.  Mr.  David  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*     » 

V  MARTIN  DOUCET,  Crowley.— Martin  Doucet,  a  planter  of  Ward  5, 
is  a  native  of  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Carmelite  (Richard) 
Doucet,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  To  them  thirteen  children  were  born,  twelve 
of  whom  are  living.  The  father  died  in  1872,  and  the  mother,  in  1878.  Both 
were  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  1862  in  the  C.  S.  A.,  and 
was  an  active  participant  in  that  struggle  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
first  in  the  infantry  and  later  in  the  cavalry  service.  After  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Louisiana  and  engaged  in  farming.  This  he  has  continued  on  a 
small  scale  with  success.  Mr.  Doucet  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  seven  of  whom  are  living. 

»     *  ■ 

MELON   DOUCET,   Cartville. — Melon  Doucet,  planter,  is  a  native  of 

this  parish,  born  in  1834.     ^^^  father,  Melon  Doucet,  Sr.,  was  also  a  planter. 

He  died  in   i860.     His  mother,  a  native  of  the  parish,  died  in  1864. 

Our  subject  gives  his  chief  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.    The  principal 

products  of  his  farm   are  rice  and  corn.     He  is  also  a  successful  stock  raiser, 

and  has  on  his  place  a  good  number  of  both  cattle  and  horses.     In  his  religious 

views,  Mr.  Doucet  is  a  Roman  Catholic. 

* 
»      » 

'^  JOSEPH  FABACHER,  Canal.— Joseph  H.  Fabacher,  planter  and  mer- 
chant, living  twelve' miles  north  of  Crowley,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  Or- 
leans, August  24,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Magdalene  (Frey)  Fabacher, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  To  them  were  born  eleven  children,  nine  sons  and 
two  daughters. 

Our  subject,  when  but  a  small  boy,  emigrated  alone  to  America,  landing  at 
New  Orleans  in  1837.  He  turned  his  hand  to  different  occupations  until  he  ar- 
rived at  man's  estate      In  1870  lie  removed  from  New  Orleans  to  Acadia  parish, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  263 

and  engaging  in  the  rice  industry.  It  was  through  his  exertions  that  rice  culture, 
which  is  now  Acadia's  best  paying  industry,  was  introduced  into  the  parish.  In 
1879  h^  ^o\^  his  plantation  and  returned  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  restaurant  business,  and  in  this  he  is  still  interested.  Mr.  Fabacher  owns 
two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  this  parish,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  of  which 
are  in  cultivation,  the  principal  product  being  rice.  He  also,  on  a  less  extensive 
scale,  raises  corn  and  oats.  He  has  a  stock  of  general  merchandise  on  his  farm, 
in  value  about  one  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars,  and  is  doing  a  good  business. 
Mr.  Fabacher  is  the  post-master  of  Canal. 

He  was  married,  in  1880,  to  Dora  Ginkel,  daughter  of  Abraham  Ginkel. 
To  them  have  been  born  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Andrew, 
Frank(deceased),  Lawrence,  Magdalene  and  Joseph;  one  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Fabacher  and  wife  are  members  of  tlie  Catholic  church. 

»     » 

THEODORE  FLASH,  Cartville.— Theodore  Flash  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  1825,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1847.  He  was  first  located  in  New 
Orleans,  where  he  remained  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  place 
of  residence. 

Mr.  Flash  received  a  good  business  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land.  His  father  and  mother  were  both  natives  of  German}^  and  removed  to 
America,  where  they  spent  the  latter  days  of  their  life.  Since  his  location  at 
this  place  Mr.  Flash  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  in  which 
he  has  prospered,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stockmen  in 
this  section  of  Acadia  parish.  He  has  twice  married,  first  in  1864,  and  again  in 
1875.     In  religion  Mr.  Flash  is  a  Catholic,  and  in  politics,  though  not   partisan, 

he  is  a  Democrat.  , 

*     » 

l/*  D.  B.  HAYES,  Crowley. — D.  B.  Hayes,  deputy  clerk  and  recorder  of 
Acadia  parish,  was  born  in  what  is  known  in  Southwest  Louisiana  as  Hayes' 
Prairie,  this  parish,  December  14,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  Bosman  and  Eliza  E. 
(Simmons)  Hayes,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Bosman  Hayes  was  killed  in 
1864,  by  Jayhawkers,  in  his  own  yard,  while  attempting  to  protect  his  prop- 
erty. He  was  a  very  extensive  planter  and  stock  raiser,  and  before  the  war 
he  owned  no  less  than  seventy-five  slaves.  He  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  six- 
ty-six years  of  age.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  in  1858,  when  about  fifty- 
four  years  of  age.     Both  were  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

Dallas  B.  Hayes,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  eighth  of  a  family  of 
nine  children,  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  localit}-.  He  en- 
tered the  Confederate  service  in  1863,  enlisting  in  the  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry,  in 
which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  participated  in  many  of  the  skir- 
mishes ;  was  taken  prisoner  near  Alexandria,  Louisiana,  and  sent  to  New  Orleans, 


■26i  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

where  he  was  confined  for  four  months,  after  which  he  was  exchantfed  and 
again  entered  the  service.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Hayes  opened  a  mer- 
cantile business  at  Plaquemine  Brulee,  where  he  was  located  for  ten  years,  when 
he  returned  to  his  farm  and  engaged  in  stock  raising  and  farming,  until  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  recorder's  office,  by  the  clerk  of  court,  in  March,  1887. 
Previous  to  this  he  had  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years.  The 
faithfulness  with  which  he  has  discharged  the  public  trust  reposed  upon  him 
has  made  him  popular  as  a  public  officer.  Mr.  Hayes  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Louisa  S.  Guidry,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of 
nine  livino-  children,  fouf  sons  and  five  daughters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  South  and  is  also  a  Mason,  with  his  membership  at  Opelousas.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  staunch  democrat.  « 

*  * 

W.  E.  HOCKADAY,  Plaquemine  Brulee. — W.  E.  Hockaday  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  in  1868.  He  is  the  younger  of  two  children  born  to  Eugene  and 
Anna  (Lake)  Hockaday.  Eugene  Hockaday  was  educated  at  Shelbyville, 
Kentuck}',  and  removed  to  Louisiana  early  in  life,  where  he  became  a  prosper- 
ous planter  and  merchant. 

W.  E.  Hockaday,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  education  princi- 
pally in  Illinois.  He  is  one  of  the  most  successful  planters  and  stock  raisers  in 
this  section  of  Louisiana.  He  has  charge  of  three  thousand  acres  of  very 
fertile  land.  He  gives  special  attention  to  the  breeding  and  importing  of  a  fine 
grade  of  Herford  and  short-horned  cattle.  Mr.  Hockaday  is  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Beatrice  Lyon,  a  daughter  of  Crawford  Lj^on  of  this  State. 

* 

*  * 

ZENO  HUBER,  Fabacher. — Zeno  Huber  was  born  in  1836  in  Germany. 
He  is  the  son  of  Martin  and  Mary  (Fromnerz)  Huber,  both  natives  of  Germany, 
where  they  were  reared,  married  and  became  the  parents  of  three  children,  one  son 
and  two  daughters,  viz:  Caroline,  Mary,  and  Zeno,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  inn-keeper;  he  died  1846.  Mrs.  Huber  after- 
ward married  Conrad  Baumgarten,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two  children, 
Frederick  and  John.  Mrs.  Baumgarten  and  family  removed  to  America  in  1850, 
landing  in  New  Orleans  the  5th  of  November,  having  been  ninety-six  days  in 
making  the  trip.  In  the  yellow  fever  epidemic  of  1853  the  whole  of  the  family 
died  with  the  exception  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Remaining  in  New  Orleans  until  1870,  he  engaged  in  a  grocery  and  retail 
liquor  business.  At  this  time  he  removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence, 
where  he  owns  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  two  hundred  of  which  are  under 
cultivation.  Mr.  Huber  gives  his  principal  attention  to  rice  culture,  though  he 
also  raises  some  corn  and  potatoes.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  experiment  in 
rice  culture.     Mr.  Huber  served  as  post-master  at  Fabacher  from  187S  to  1889. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  265 

With  this  exception  he  has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  plantation  inter- 
ests. He  was  married  in  i860  to  Mrs.  Anna  Mees  Lote,  widow  of  Martin 
Lote,  a  native  of  Germany.  During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Huber  served  for  five 
months,  1861,  in  Company  I,  Col.  Girard's  regiment.  Returning  to  New  Or- 
leans at  the  expiration  of  this  time  hedid  not  again  enter  the  service. 

*  » 

^  ANDREW  HENRY,  Mermenteau. — Andrew  Henry,  an  extensive  rice 
planter  of  Ward  5,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  September  13,  1840.  He  is 
the  oldest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children  born  to  Lewis  and  Emma  (Marsh) 
Henry.  The  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  He  was  a  successful  planter 
of  St.  Landry  parish,  where  he  married.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  when  a 
small  boy,  and  here  he  died  in  1865.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  and  is  at  present  a  resident  of  Acadia  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
St.  Landry  parish.  He  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  States  army  in 
Company  A,  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Regiment,  and  served  until  November,  1864, 
when  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health.  Returning  home  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  since  that  time.  His  present 
plantation  consists  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
of  which  are  under  cultivation,  the  principal  productsbeingrice,  corn  and  sweet 
potatoes.  Mr.  Henry  was  elected,  in  1888,  justice  of  the  peace  of  justice  ward 
No.  5.  He  served  as  deputy  sheriff  from  1S69  until  1887  inclusive.  During 
this  long  period  of  service,  by  the  vigilance  and  promptness  with  which  he  exe- 
cuted his  duties,  he  gained  a  host  of  friends.  He  was  married  in  St.  Lan- 
dry parish,  1868,  to  Miss  Amelia  Landry,  To  this  union  have  been  born  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  viz:   Alcee,  Emma,  Andrew,  Albert,   Ida  and 

Alice.  «. 

*  * 

'^  D.  P.  JANUARY,  M.  D.,  Crowley.— Dr.  D.  P.  January  was  born  near 
Natchez,  Mississippi,  August  3,  1837.  ^'^  i^  ^^^  ^on  of  B.  P.  and  Drusilla 
(Fontleroy)  January,  natives  of  Mississippi  and  Kentucky,  respectively.  B.  P. 
January  is  now  a  resident  of  Natchez,  and  is  over  seventy-seven  years  of  age. 
His  wife  died  November,  1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  B.  P.  January 
was  a  successful  planter  in  Mississippi  and  Louisiana  before  the  war.  In  the 
Civil  War  he  was  commissioned  by  the  Confederate  government,  and  stationed 
in  Mississippi  to  transfer  prisoners  across  the  river. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  He 
received  his  literary  education  at  the  Kentucky  Militar)'  Institute,  at  Frankfort, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1857.  In  1858  Dr.  January  entered  the  medical 
school  of  the  then  Universit}'  of  Louisiana,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1S60. 
He  then  practised  in  Houston,  Texas,  and  was  here  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 


266  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

war,  when,  abandoning  his  lucrative  practice,  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Con- 
federate arn\y.  He  Vvas  assigned  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Army  of  Tennessee, 
and  during  the  Geofgia  campaign  was  stationed  at  Auburn,  Alabama.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  located  at  St.  Joseph,  Louisiana,  where  he  practised  until 
1887,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Crowley,  where  he  opened  a  drug  store.  Dr. 
January  was  married,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Josephine  Reeves,  of  Tensas  parish, 
Louisiana.  They  are  the  parents  of  a  son,  D.  R.,  who  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  drug  business  at  Crowley,  and  a  daughter,  Josephine,  wife  of  Frank 
Burt.  Dr.  January  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  in  religion  is  an 
Episcopalian.  , 

^  W.  T.  JENKINS,  M.  D.,  Prudhomme  City.— W.  T.  Jenkins  was 
born  in  Mississippi,  February,  1839.  ^^  '^  '^^e  son  of  Rev.  David  B.  and  Susan 
(Gordon)  Jenkins,  natives  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  respectively.  His 
parents  were  married  in  Georgia,  and  removed  from  there  to  Mississippi  in  1820, 
where  Mr.  Jenkins  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  Baptist 
church.     He  died  in  1835,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  1876. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  brothers 
and  three  sisters.  He  received  the  benefits  of  a  good  literary  education,  and 
graduated  in  the  medical  schooVof  the  University  of  Louisiana,  in  1850.  He 
began  practice  in  1852  in  Mississippi.  He  was  married  the  same  year  to  Miss 
E.  A.  Dodds.  The  Doctor  removed  from  Mississippi  to  Louisiana  in  1866, 
and  located  on  Bayou  Teche,  where  he  practised  medicine  for  five  years,  when 
he  removed  to  Prudhomme  City,  in  1871.  Here  he  has  practised  his  profession, 
and  has  also  conducted  a  large  plantation,  consisting  of  about  one  thousand 
acres  of  land,  three  hundred  of  which  he  cultivates  in  rice  and  other  products.  ' 
The  Doctor  raised  this  year  (1890)  four  thousand  barrels  of  rice.  He  and  wife 
are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and  four  daughters,  five  of  whom 
are  living:  William  D.,  Dr.  W.  A.,  Emma,  wife  of  Benjamin  Stagg;  Dora,  and 
Ida,  wife  of  C.  J.  Hundley.     Mr.  Jenkins  and  wife  are  Baptists. 

^  W.  A,  JENKINS,  M.  D.,  Church  Point,  was  born  at  Crystal  Springs, 
Mississippi,  March,  i860.  He  is  the  son  of  William  T.  Jenkins,  of  whom  a 
sketch  appears  in  another  part  of  this  work.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  Louisville  Medical  College  in  1885- 
86-87,  graduating  with  high  honors  in  the  last  year.  Immediately  after  grad- 
uating he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Prudhomme  City ;  from  there 
he  removed  to  Church  Point  in  the  fall  of  1887,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  good  practice,  and  is  a  man  of  much  ability  in 
his  profession.     He  was  married,  in  1887,  to  Miss  Mattie  L.  Hundley,  daughter 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  267 

of  J.  C.  and  Mary  (Stevens)  Hundley.     The  Doctor  owns  residence  property 

at  Church  Point.  , 

•  • 

J.  W.  KENESON,  Crowley.— J.  W.  Keneson,  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  was  born  in  1848.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  mother 
of  New  York,  of  Scotch  descent.  The  former  is  deceased,  and  the  latter  is  at 
present  a  resident  of  Kansas,  being  about  sixty  years  of  age.  His  father  was  a 
sailor  for  about  sixteen  years  of  his  life.  In  his  latter  da3'S  he  gave  his  attention 
to  farming.  He  served  three  years  during  the  Civil  War  in  the  command  of 
Col.  Meyer  and  later  under  Colonel  Walker,  in  the  Sixteenth  Kansas  Regiment, 
in  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  J.  W.  Keneson,  was  also  a  soldier.  He  en- 
listed in  1863  and  served  until  the  war  closed.  J.W.  Keneson  has  been  engaged 
in  planting  since  his  location  at  this  place.  His  plantation  consists  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty  of  which  he  cultivates  in 
rice  principally.  In  this  industry  he  has  been  successful.  Mr.  Keneson  was 
married    in    1876    and  is    the  father    of  seven  children,  four    sons    and   three 

daughters .  , 

*  • 

^  J.  C.  LYONS,  Plaquemine  Brulee. — J.  C.  Lyons  was  born  in  what  is  now 
Acadiaparish,Louisiana,  July  26,  1842.  His  father,  Gabriel  Lyons,  was  born  near 
the  birthplace  of  our  subject  in  1812.  He  was  reared  and  spent  his  whole  life  in 
Louisiana.  He  married  when  young  the  mother  of  our  subject, Louise  Johnson, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of 
whom  J.  C.  is  the  youngest. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  lo- 
cality. Planting  has  been  his  lifetime  vocation.  His  plantation  consists  of  six 
hundred  acres  of  land,  under  fence,  the  principal  products  being  corn  and  cot- 
ton. Mr.  Lyons  was  married,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Clara  Arceneaux.  They  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 

• 

E.  W.  LYONS,  Crowley. — Eldridge  W.  Lyons,  sheriff  of  Acadia  parish, 
was  born  within  what  is  now  Acadia  parish  on  Prairie  Hayes,  October  11,  1856, 
He  is  the  son  of  Elisha  and  Sophie  (Hayes)  Lyons,  both  natives  of  Louisiana. 
Elisha  Lyons  was  a  prosperous  planter  of  this  parish.  He  served  during  the 
late  war  in  the  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry,  his  field  of  operations  being  chiefly 
in  Louisiana.  He  died,  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  while  home  on  a 
furlough.     The  mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living  in  Acadia  parish. 

E.  W.  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four  children.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  this  parish,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Sheriff  Hayes  in  the  sheriff's  office,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  several  months. 
Subsequent  to  this  he  was  for  four  years  engaged  in  farming,  and  from  that  time 


2G8  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

until  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Acadia  parish,  at  a  special  election  held  after  its 
organization,  he  gave  his  attention  to  stock  raising.  Sheriff  Lyons  is  popular  as 
an  official. 

He  was  married,  in  1874,  ^°  Miss  Alice  Harmon,  daughter  of  Joseph  Har- 
mon. To  them  have  been  born  four  children,  all  living,  viz:  Hiram  H.,  Zoula 
L.,  Ira  A.,  Martin  J.  Mr.  Lyons  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South.     He    is    a    member    of  the    Knights   of  Pythias  and 

Knights  of  Honor.  * 

*     • 

^  R.  R.  LYONS,  M.  D.,  Crowley. — Raphael  Lyons,  physician  and  surgeon, 
was  born  at  Plaquemine  Brulee,  now  Acadia  parish,  April  3,  1840.  He  is  the 
son  of  Crawford  and  Azelie  (Johnson)  Lj^ons,  natives  of  this  State.  Crawford 
Lyons  was  an  extensive  planter;  he  died  in  1853,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years. 
His  wife  still  survives  him  and  is  a  resident  of  this  parish.  There  were  born 
to  them  six  children,  our  subject  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

Dr.  Lyons  spent  his  school  days  in  Opelousas,  completing  his  studies  m 
1858.  Immediately  thereafter  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  with  Dr.  J.  J. 
Lyons  as  his  preceptor.  From  i860  to  1862  he  attended  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Louisiana,  at  New  Orleans.  Upon  his  graduation  in 
1862  he  joined  the  Confederate  States  army  as  a  private  in  the  Second  Louisi- 
ana Cavalry,  soon  after  being  detailed  as  assistant  surgeon  of  this  regiment.  He 
served  throughout  the  war  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department.  He  was  in  the 
battles  of  the  Teche  and  Morganzie,  and  was  twice  taken  prisoner,  but  retained 
as  such  only  two  or  three  months  each  time.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
practised  medicine  at  Plaquemine  Brulee  until  December,  1889,  when  he  came  to 
Crowley,  where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  with  T.  J.  Toter.  Dr.  Lyons 
has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  agricultural  pursuits,  making  a  specialty  of  cotton. 
In  1868  he  married  Miss  Johanne  Clark,  daughter  of  V.  C.  Clark.  Four 
children  hav.e  been  born  to  them,  viz:  Leona  M,  Leonce  L.,  Lucille  M.,  Leo. 
Dr.  Lyons  is  a  member  of  the  M.E.  Church,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  religious 
matters  at  this  place  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School. 

^^  J.  A.  McMillan,  M.  D.,  Bourque  point.— Dr.  J.  A.  McMillan  was 
born  in  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  and  reared  in  Alabama.  He  is  the  son  of 
Neill  and  Agatha  (Ford)  McMillan,  both  natives  of  North  Carohna.  His  par- 
ents removed  to  Texas  m  1850,  where  his  father  was  engaged  in  planting  and 
stock  raising.  Both  he  and  our  subject's  mother  died  in  that  State,  the  former 
in  1888,  the  latter  in  1883. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  Hfe  for  himself  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  as 
a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Oxford,  Mississippi.  Here  he  was  married,  in  1845,  to 
Mrs.  Gillie  (Alston)  Moore,  the  widow  of  Arthur  Moore,  of  Mississippi.     The 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  269 

Doctor  always  had  a  decided  predilection  lor  tlie  study  of  medicine,  and  in  1852 
he  entered  the  medical  school  of  the  University  of  Louisiana,  New  Orleans, 
and  in  the  same  year  he  began  practice  at  Jacksonport,  Arkansas,  in  association 
with  Dr.  Jones.  He  only  remained  here  a  short  while,  however,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Houston,  Texas,  and  at  that  place  practised  for  two  3-ears.  He  located 
in  Washington,  Louisiana,  in  1859,  where  he  remained  until  1869,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Texas,  remaining  there  one  year.  In  1870,  returning  to  Louisiana,  he 
located  at  Church  Point,  but  now  resides  near  Crowley,  at  Bourque's  Point. 
Dr.  McMillan  is  a  progressive  citizen,  as  well  as  a  phj^sician  of  high  rank.  He 
has  at  different  times  served  as  membtr  of  the  parish  school  board,  and  is  at 
present  deputy  coroner.  The  Doctor's  first  wife  died  in  1856.  He  afterward 
married  Miss  Cleophine  Lambert,  who  died  in  1S69,  having  become  the  mother 
of  one  son.  Cook.  As  a  result  of  the  first  union,  four  children  were  born,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  Doctor  is  now  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Louise 
Bourque.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, four  of  whom  are  now  living:    Malcomb,  Viola,  Mav  and  Una. 


JAMES  F.  MORRIS,  M.  D.,  Rayxe.— Dr.  James  F.  Morris,  a  prominent 
physician  of  this  place,  was  born  in  Harden  county,  Tennessee,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Emily  (Scott)  Morris,  both  natives 
of  Tennessee,  where  the}'  both  died,  the  former  in  1873,  "^^  the  age  of  forty-two, 
and  the  latter  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six.  John  H.  Morris  was  a  Methodist 
minister  belonging  to  the  West  Tennessee  Conference,  and  preached  to  nearly 
all  the  congregations  in  that  State. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five  children.  He 
received  his  education  at  Purd}'  College,  Tennessee.  He  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  1876  at  Paris,  Texas,  Dr.  McCristin  being  his  preceptor.  In  1878-79 
he  graduated  at  the  American  Medical  College  of  St.  Louis ;  later  he  continued  his 
studies  in  Memphis,  making  surgery  and  gynaecology  his  specialties,  and  grad- 
uated there  in  1884,  also  taking  a  course  of  lectures  at  Keokuk,  Iowa.  He  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  1877.  In  1886,  however,  he  again  took  a  course  of 
medical  study  in  the  various  hospitals  and  colleges  of  San  Francisco.  In  1887 
Dr.  Morris  married  Miss  Emma  Hill,  of  New  Orleans.  The}'  are  the  parents 
of  four  children:  James  B.,  Bascom  F.,  May  and  Lillian.  The  Doctor  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Knights  of  Honor.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  town  council  since  the  organization  of  the  town.  He  is  also  cor- 
oner of  Acadia  parish. 

»     * 

V.  MAIGNAUD,  Mermexteau. — V.  Maignaud  is  a  native  of  France, 
born  1831.     He  is  the  son  of  Louis  and   Mary  (Dubos)  Maignaud,  both  natives 


270  SO UTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

of  France.     The  father  was  born  in  1806,  and  the  mother  in    181 1  ;  and  died  in 
1849  and  1880,  respectively. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  of  a  family  of  three  brothers. 
He  came  to  Louisiana  in  1847,  and  for  nineteen  years  was  a  resident  of  New 
Orleans.  He  was  for  a  while  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  later  in 
conducting  a  dairy  and  bakery.  In  1866  he  came  to  what  is  now  Acadia  parish 
as  a  dry  goods  and  notion  peddler.  In  1870  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  this  place,  in  which  he  has  continued  until  the  present  time.  For  several 
years  he  operated  a  saw-mill  in  connection  with  his  other  business.  In  1890 
he  became  a  partner  in  a  rice  mill.  Mr.  Maignaud  owns  1200  acres  of  well 
improved  land,  which  he  cultivates  principally  in  rice.  He  was  married  in 
New  Orleans,  in  1885,  to  Miss  Caroline  Hinn,  of  that  city.  Eight  children 
have  been  born  to  this  marriage,  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  Mr.  Maignaud 
has  served  as  post-master  at  Mermenteau  for  twenty  years.     He  is  an  energetic 

and  progressive  citizen.  , 

•     • 

DENNIS  MILLER,  Millersville. — Dennis  Miller,  a  native  of  this  State, 
was  born  in  1845.  His  father,  Lufroy  Miller,  was  born  in  t8io  and  died  in  1872, 
and  was  a  prosperous  planter  and  stock  raiser  of  this  parish.  His  mother  was 
also  a  native  of  this  place.     She  died  in  1870. 

What  education  Mr.  Miller  has  acquired  has  been  principally  by  observa- 
tion and  private  application,  he  never  having  had  the  facilities  of  a  literary 
education.  Mr.  Miller  is  engaged  in  the  dual  occupation  of  planter  and  mer- 
chant, in  both  of  which  he  is  very  successful.  He  owns  in  this  parish  about  one 
thousand  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  three  hundred  of  which  he  cultivates.  He 
also  gives  special  attention  to  stock  raising.  His  general  mercantile  store  at 
Millersville  is  well  patronized  and  is  flourishing.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  leader  in  local 
affairs,  and  at  present  represents  his  ward  in  the  police  jur3^  He  is  also  post- 
master at  this  place,  which  position  he  has  filled  for  two  years. 

»     * 

DANIEL  ROSE,  Fabaciier. — Daniel  Rose  was  born  in  Ashtabula  county, 
Ohio,  November,  1823.  He  died  in  Acadia  parish,  Louisiana,  February,  1890. 
He  was  the  son  of  Abner  and  Cynthia  A.  (Simons)  Rose,  both  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  Rose  family  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Western  Reserve  of  Ohio.  The  famil}'  is  of  English  descent.  Abner 
Rose,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He 
was  a  cooper  and  farmer  b}'  trade,  and  followed  this  in  Ohio. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
seven  sons  and  four  daughters.  The  father  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
two  years,  and  the  mother  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Congregational  church.     The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  271 

at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  as  the  advance  agent  of  Robinson's  circus.  In  this 
he  was  engaged  for  thirty-four  years,  not  this  full  time,  however,  with  one 
circus.  March  9,  186S,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  Ginett,  a  lady  of  English 
birth,  who  came  to  America  in  1863.  Becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  life  of  a 
traveler,  and  longing  for  the  comforts  of  a  quiet  home,  Mr.  Rose,  in  1877, 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Acadia  parish,  Louisiana,  and  locating  there, 
engaged  in  rice  culture.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  one  thousand  acres 
of  land,  with  three  hundred  and  fifty  in  cultivation.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  Rose  was  a  gentleman  much  honored 
by  those  who  knew  him  well,  and  in  his  death  the  parish  sustained  the  loss  of  a 
good  citizen.     To  him  and  wife  was  born  one  daughter,  Chattie,  an  accomplished 

young  lady.  ^ 

•     « 

^  CHRISTIAN  RUPPERT,  Fabacher,  was  born  in  Germany,  October, 
1854.  He  is  the  son  of  M.  and  Barbara  (Wagraman)  Ruppert,  who  were  also 
natives  of  Germanjr,  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  viz:  Jasph,  Christian  (the  subject  of  this  sketch),  Elizabeth,  Peter 
(deceased),  Mary,  Frank  (deceased).  Their  mother  died  in  Germany  in 
1874.  '^^'^  father  came  to  America  in  1882,  and  died  at  the  home  of  our  sub- 
ject.    He  was  a  farmer  b}' occupation. 

Christian  Ruppert  came  from  Germany  to  Louisiana  in  1870,  and  settled 
in  Acadia  parish,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  married,  in  1875,  to 
Miss  Mary  Wilfert.  To  this  union  were  born  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  viz:  Joseph,  Rosa,  George,  John,  Mary,  Anthony,  Barbara,  Agnes. 
Mr.  Ruppert  owns  nine  hundred  acres  of  land,  three  hundred  of  which  are 
under  cultivation,  the  principal  product  being  rice.  He  operates  a  saw-mill  on 
his  farm.  Mr.  Ruppert  is  a  well-known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  this 
parish.  ^ 

»     « 

ROBERT  B.  SLOANE,  Rayne,  was  born  in  Acadia  parish,  Louisiana, 
in  1840.  He  is  the  son  of  David  Sloane,  who  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died 
between  1840  and  1845. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  Acadia  parish.  In  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  the  C.  S.  A.,  under  Gen.  Moulon,  serving  four  years.  He  was 
first  in  the  infantry  service,  and  afterward  transferred  to  the  cavalry  service. 
Since  the  war  he  has  given  his  attention  to  planting,  and  now  owns  five  hundred 
and  sixty-one  acres  of  land,  part  of  which  is  fertile  and  tillable,  and  the  other, 
thickly  wooded  with  timber,  such  as  pine,  oak  and  gum.  The  principal  products 
of  his  place  are  corn  and  rice.  He  also  manages  a  stock  farm.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1866,  to  Miss  Margaret  Laughlin,  a  native  of  Acadia  parish.  .  To  them 
have  been  born  nine  children,  four  boys  and  five  girls. 


272  SOUTH  WEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

V  FERGUSON  B.  SLOANE,  Rayne,  was  born  February  26,  1831,  in 
Acadia  parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  David  Sloane  and  Catharine 
(Harmon)  Sloane.  They  became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  three  boys  and 
four  girls,  our  subject  being  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Ferguson  Sloane  is  a  planter  by  occupatioa.     He  owns  one  liundred  and 

twenty  acres  of  good,  tillable  land,  on  which  he  cultivates  rice.     He  is  united 

in  marriage  with  Miss  Martha  A.  Bryan,  a  native  of  Louisiana.     They  are  the 

parents  of  eleven  children,  four  girls  and  seven  boys. 

* 
*     « 

V  FELIX  SIMON,  Mermenteau. — Felix  Simon,  a  merchant  of  Mermenteau, 
is  a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  born  March  18,  1868.  He  is  the  son 
of  Duplissis  and  Marcelite  (Sellers)  Simon,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  His 
father  was  a  planter  of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  served  as  a  private  in  the  Confed- 
erate States  army  during  the  whole  of  the  war.  He  died  February  17,  1873. 
To  him  and  wife  were  born  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  an  ordinary  education,  and  in  1887  en- 
gaged in  merchandising.  Previous  to  embarking  in  business  for  himself  he  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  A.  Dupuis  and  Edward  C.  Fremeaux,  merchants.  Mr. 
Simon  has  been  successful  in  his  undertakings,  and  is  a  young  gentleman  of 
strict  business  habits.  He  owns  a  hundred  arpents  of  land  in  Vermilion  parish, 
and  three  hundred  acres  in  Calcasieu.  Mr.  Simon  was  married,  August  13,  1880, 
to  Miss  Olympe  Duhon,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  this  parish  March    27, 

1873- 

» 

«     « 

"^  FRANCOIS  SAVOY,  Church  Point,  was  born  December,  1839,  i"  Aca- 
dia parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Valcour  and  Eugenie  (Rider)  Savoy, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Louisiana.  Valcour  Savoy  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  Valcour  Savoy  died  in  1842  and 
Mrs.  Savoy  afterward  married  Thomas  H.  McGee.  To  them  one  child  was 
born. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  common  school  education  in  St. 
Landry,  now  Acadia,  parish.  He  began  life  as  a  planter,  and  this,  in  connection 
with  a  mercantile  business  which  he  has  conducted  for  several  years  past,  he  has 
been  engaged  to  the  present  time.  He  owns  quite  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Aca- 
dia parish  and  his  mercantile  business  is  flourishing.  Mr.  Savoy  has  on  his 
plantation  a  gin  which  he  operates.  He  also  buys  and  sells  cotton  and  rice  in  a 
considerable  amount.  Mr.  Savoy  has  served  as  member  of  the  police  jury  from 
his  ward  when  Acadia  was  a  portion  of  St.  Landry  parish.  In  politics  he  is  a 
democrat,  though  he  takes  no  active  part  in  political  affairs.  He  and  his  wife 
are  catholics. 


HJSTiiRICAL   AXn  lilOirRArillCAL.  27S 

CAPT.  JOHN  M.  TAYLOR.  Church  Point.— The  subject  of  our  .sketch 
was  born  October  31.  1840,  in  Holmes  county,  Mississijipi.  He  is  the  son  of  Job 
Ta\loi-.  an  eminent  physician  of  Richland,  Mississippi,  and  Mathilda  ;  Cotton) 
'ra\l(>r.  Dr.  Job  Taylor  was  a  natiye  of  South  Carolina,  and  his  wife  of  North  . 
Carolina.  '\  lic\-  were  married  in  North  Caiolina,  and  removed  from  there  to 
Alabama,  where  thev  onl\-  remained,  howeyer,  a  short  while,  locating  in  Mis- 
sissipjii.  where  the  Doctor  engaijed  in  planting  and  practising  his  profession. 
Tlu'i-e  were  horn  to  them  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  dau<;hters.  Mrs. 
^ra\loi-  died  in  1874.  ^^"''  '^^''  husband  in  18S5.  At  the  lime  of  their  death  they 
wei-e  residing  at  Longview,  Texas,  where  they  had  removed  several  years  previous. 

The  subject  of  tiiis  sketch  enlisted  in  the  C.  S.  A.  in  1S61.  His  field  of 
ojier.ition  was  chielh'  in  \'irginia.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Second 
Manassas.  Seven  Pines  'ind  \arious  others.  In  1863  he  was  discharged  on 
account  of  ilisability.  He  returned  to  Texas,  remaining  there  only  a  short  time, 
however,  when  he  enlisted  again  in  the  army,  joining  the  First  Texas  Rangers, 
uiuier  Col.  W.  P.  Lane.  At  this  time  he  was  second  lieutenant  of  the  compan\', 
and  was  soon  afterward  promoted  to  captain  and  assigned  to  post  dut\-  the  last  six 
months  of  the  war  in  Opelousas,  Louisiana.  After  the  war.he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Opelousas  and  subsequently  became  a  school  teacher,  in 
which  occupation  he  still  continues  in  connection  with  farming.  He  is  a  corre- 
spondent of  the  Times-Democrat,  Opelousas  Courier  and  the  Crowle\'  Signal. 
He  has  acquired  considerable  local  distinction  as  a  writer.  He  was  married  in 
January.  1865,  to  Miss  Delia  Garrigues,  daughter  of  Judge  Adolphe  and  Delia 
(  Webb  )  Garrigues.  To  them  have  been  born  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five 
daughters,  viz:  George  (L,  printei"  in  the  Signal  office  at  Crowley :  Delia,  a 
public  school  teacher  in  Acadia  parish;  John  jNL,  Helen,  Liso,  Henry,  Paul, 
CeceHa  and  .Mary  L  Their  mofiier  died  in  1887,  near  Opelousas.  She  was  a 
men.ber  of  the  Catholic  church.  The  Captain  owns  thirty-two  acres  of  land  in 
the  \icinity  of  Oiielousas.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  During 
Gov.  Nicholls'  first  administrati<")n  he  was  elected  Superintendent  of  Instruction 
of  St.  Landry:  Acadia  at  tliat  time  not  being  a  parish.  He  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  improvement  of  the  public  school  sj'stem  in  the  State  by  the  con- 
tribution oi  many  articles  to  the  parochial  newspapers,  urging  an  efficient  school 
system  and  the  establishment  of  a  liberal  and  ample  school  fund.  He  will  con- 
tinue liis  labors  in  behalf  of  popular  education  in  the  future  and  endeavor  to 
place  the  school  system  on  a  solid  basis  in  Acadia  parish. 

JOHN  WELCH,   Crowlkv. — John  Welch  is  a  native  of  what  is  now  Aca- 
dia  parish,  born  1835.      His   father  was   also  a  native  of  St.  Landrv  parish,  and 
was    by   occupation   a   planter.      He   died    about  1836,  and  his  wife  in  1871.      In 
religion,  they  were  both  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 
f7;i 


274  SOr-77/ll7£sy  L  OVISIANA  : 

Mr.  Welch  has  followed  the  vocaiioii  ol  liis  father — plaining.  He  owii.s  a 
plantation  in  the  parish,  on  which  he  raises  principally  rice,  corn  and  potatoes. 
He  was  married  in  1850,  his  wife  being  a  native  of  Acadia  parish.  Five  chil- 
dren born  to  their  union  are  now  living.  Mr.  Welch  is  a  recent  acquisition  to 
the  citizenship  of  Crowley,  having  come  hither  only  about  two  years  ago. 

^  RUFUS  C.  WEBB,  M.  D.,  R.\yne.— Dr.  Rufus  C.  Webb  was  born  in 
Acadia  parish  in  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (Laughlin)  Webb. 
The  subject  is  the  oldest  of  three  children.  James  Webb,  the  present  manager  of 
a  large  rice  mill  in  Rayne,  is  a  native  of  what  is  now  Acadia  parish.  In  former 
years  he  was  an  extensive  planter. 

Dr.  Rufus  C.  Webb  was  educated  at  \^anderbilt  University,  both  in  the 
literary  and  medical  schools.  Later  he  took  a  special  course  of  lectures  at  the 
medical  school  of  Tulane  University.  The  Doctor  has  been  practising  his  pro- 
'fession  at  Rayne  since  completing  his  medical  course.  He  is  popular  as  a  prac- 
titioner, and  keeps  well  abreast  with  his  profession.  Dr.  Webb  is  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Susan  Clark,  daughter  of  Dr.  Clark,  president  of  the  police 
jury  of  Acadia  p'arish.  ^ 

^  COL.  JAMES  WEBB,  Rayne. — Col.  James  Webb,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Raj-ne  and  the  operator  of  the  rice  mill  at  this  place,  was  born  in  what  is  now 
Acadia  parish,  February  21,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Anne  ( Myers  j 
Webb,  natives  of  England  and  Mississippi,  respectively.  John  Webb  came 
to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  and  for  a  time  traveled  in  Texas  and 
through  portions  of  the  country,  and  early  in  the  twenties  located  in  what  is  now 
Acadia  parish,  Louisiana.  He  came  to  the  United  States  as  a  sailor,  and  was 
on  board  the  ship  of  which  Nelson  was  in  command  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar, 
in  which  Nelson  fell.  After  coming  to  Louisiana  he  learned  the  tanner  and 
saddler  trade,  at  which  he  worked  during  most  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1857,  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England.  Col. 
Webb's  mother  was  born  in  Mississippi  in  1792.  She  was  of  L-isli  ancestry. 
She  died  in  1874  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  3'ears. 

Col.  James  Webb  and  his  two  sisters,  Sarah  A.,  widow  of  Cornelius  Duson, 
now  wife  of  W.  W.  Burton,  of  Acadia  parish,  and  Mary  E.  (deceased),  wife  of 
C.  Larmand,  composed  the  family  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Col.  Webb  spent 
his  school  days  in  this  section,  obtaining  his  education  in  the  neighboring  schools 
and  from  private  tutorage.  He  first  began  business  as  a  saddler,  and  later  turned 
his  attention  to  stock  raising,  in  which  he  was  engaged  until  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  He  enlisted,  in  1862,  in  Col.  Biangie's  regiment.  Seventh  Louisiana 
Cavalr}',  Compan}'  D,  and  was  in  service  during  the  whole  war.  After  his  return 
from  the  army  Col.  Webb  gave  his  attention  to  saw-milling  and  merchandising, 
in   which   he   continued  until  the  last  four  vears.     He  sold  his  mill  interests  in 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  -'T--. 

1886,  and  upon  the  erection  of  the  rice  mill  at  Rayne  he  took  charge  of  it  as 
nvxna.rer  Col.  Webb  also  owns  a  plantation  on  Plaquemine  Brulee  and  a  cattle 
ran<re\est  of  Rayne  upon  which  he  grazes  about  six  hundred  head  of  stock.  Col.^ 
Webb  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  local  public  affairs  since  being  engaged  in 
business  at  this  place.  Before  the  war  he  served  for  fourteen  years  as  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  in  1874  was  a  State  representative  of  St.  Landry  parish  in  the  lower 
house  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  at  St.  Louis  in  1888  that 
nominated  Grover  Cleveland  for  President.  Col.  Webb  married,  in  1S53,  Miss 
Nancv  Laucrhlin,  of  St.  Landry  parish.  To  them  four  children,  three  of  whom 
arelivin.^,  have  been  born,  viz :  Rufus  C,  M.  D., Rayne  ;  Hines  C,  M.  D.,  Crow- 
ley Laura  Bertha,  at  home.  John  (deceased)  was  a  merchant  ot  Plaquemine 
Brulee  He  died  in  1881.  Col.  Webb  has  given  each  of  his  children  a  thorough 
collegiate  education.      His  family  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

"f  FRANCIS  D.  YOUNG.  M.  D..  R.vyxe.— Dr.  Francis  D.  Young  was  born 
in  Vermilion  parish,  Louisiana,  March  i,  1835-  He  is  the  son  of  Notley  and 
Frazelie  (De  Villiere)  Young.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Maryland  until  181 1,  when  he  removed  to  Louis- 
iana, and  located  in  St.  Landry,  then  Vermilion  parish,  where  he  became  an 
extensive  sucrar  planter.  In  185 1  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Kentucky,  where 
he  died  about  the  close  of  the  war.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  ot 
Louisiana  of  French  extraction,  her  ancestors  having  been  of  the  French  nobility, 
who  fled  from  their  native  country.     She  died  when  Francis  D.  was  a  child. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  He 
received  his  literary  education  at  St.  Joseph  College,  Perry  County,  Ohio. 
Soon  after  leaving  college  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Mont- 
gomery, of  Springfield,  Kentucky.  In  1854-5S  he  was  a  student  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York.  In  1855-56  he  attended  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Louisiana,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  lat- 
ter year.  He  practised  his  profession  in  Lafayette  for  one  year,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Abbeville.  Vermilion  parish,  and  practised  until  1887,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  this  place.  Dr.  Young  is  a  representative  man  of  his  profession, 
and  his  ability  as  a  physician  is  attested  in  the  large  practice  which  he  has  at  this 
place.  Theboctor  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Jemima  Campbell,  a  native  ot 
Vermilion  parish,  Louisiana.  Mrs.  Young  died  December  25,  i860,  having 
become  the'motherof  a  son— Notley  C.-who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
at  Abbeville.  October,  1862,  Dr.  Young  married  Miss  Mary  M.  Guegon,  ot 
Vermilion  parish.  To  this  union  have  been  born  ten  children,  six  sons  and  tour 
daughters.  Mrs.  Young  died  in  1886.  The  Doctor  and  family  are  Catholics. 
Dr  Youn^r  has  an  exceptional  family,  three  sons  physicians,  and  a  son-in-law, 
Drs.  F.  F.  Young,  B.  I.  Young  W.  G.  Young  and  C.  I.  Edwards,  all  ot  whom 
have  made  bright  marks  in  their  profession. 


K^ 


rL,     '^J^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 


PARISH  OF    VEl?MILION. 


E.  I.  ADDISON,  Abekvilke. — E.  I.  Addison,  editor  of  the  Meridional, 
was  born  in  Opelousas,  Louisiana,  December  30,  1S37.  He  is  the  son  of 
George  W.  and  Arthemise  (Richard)  Addison.  George  W.  Addison  was  a 
native  of  Georgetown,  South  Carohna.  He  removed  tg  Louisiana  early  in  life, 
where  he  married.  He  was  for  manv  years  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Opelousas  Gazette,  at  Opelousas,  one  of  the  tirst  papers  published  in  that  part 
of  the  State.  He  died  in  1852.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  St. 
Landry  parish,  Louisiana.      She  died  in  1845. 

E.  T  Addison  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  locality,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  printer  at  Abbeville.  Louisiana,  in  the  office  of  tlie  Merid- 
ional, then  owned  and  edited  by  E.  L  Guegnon,  of  which  he  had  charge  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  In  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Fournet's  Yellow  Jacket 
Battalion,  and  ser\ed  through  the  entire  war.  After  the  surrender  he  returned 
home  and  resumed  charge  of  the  Meridional,  which  he  has  published  up  to  the 
present  time.  In  Januar}',  1891,  Di\  C.  J.  Edwards  acquired  an  interest  in 
the  business.  The  Meridional  is  a  local  weekly  newspaper.  Democratic  in 
politics,  and  de\oted  to  the  interests  of  Vermilion  parisli  in  general.  Mr. 
Addison  was  married  in  December,  1S60,  to  Miss  Marie  A.  Blanchet.  To 
them  liave  been  born  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz:  Joseph 
F.,  deceased;  P.  Gilbert,  George  C  Adolph  G.,  E.  I.,  Jr.,  deceased:  Maria 
C,  Marie  M.   and  Marie  Augustine.      Mrs.  Addison  died  April  16,    1890. 

^  JOHN  ABSHIRE,  Jr.,  Abbii:vili.k. — Jolni  Abshire,  Jr.,  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Ward  5,  was  born  near  his  present  place  of  residence,  August  17, 
1S43.  He  is  the  second  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  born  to  John  Abshire. 
John  Abshire,  Sr.,  was  a  nati\e  of  \"ermilion  parish,  whose  grandfather  was 
directly  from  England. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  sciiools  of  Vermilion 
parish  and  from  private  tutorage.  When  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  1S61,  he 
joined  the  Confederate  army,  enlisting  in  Fournet's  Battalion.       He  was  after- 


i>7x  ^I'l  '//liiESJ'  Lul  /SJAXA: 

waru  L..ui>iciicn  iu  the  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry,  in  uuic;!  nc  ^c^\e(.l  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Bayou  Lafourche,  Camp  Bis- 
land.  Mansfield  and  Pleasant  Hill.  After  the  war  Mr.  Abshire  returned  to  Ver- 
milion parish,  and  commenced  farming  and  stock  raising,  which  has  been  his 
principal  occupation  since  that  time.  In  1S79  he  opened  a  mercantile  business, 
which  he  still  conducts.  He  is  the  owner  of  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
which  he  cultivates  in  cotton  and  corn.  Mr.  Abshire  is  a  successful  business 
man.  He  was  married  September,  1S65,  to  Bclzire  Broussard.  Thev  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  to-wit:  Joseph  T.,  Olita  and 
John  Allison.  The  other  died  in  infancy.  In  politics  Mr.  Abshire  adheres 
strictly  to  the  principles  of  Democracy.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church. 

• 

JOS.  T.  ABSHIRE.  M.  D.,  Abbeville. — Dr.  Abshire  was  bom  in  \'er- 

milion  parish,  October,  1S6S.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Abshire,  Jr.  Dr.  Abshire 
has  received  the  highest  possible  educational  advantages  from  his  earliest  years. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  had  made  considerable  progress  at  the  school  of  St. 
Stanislaus,  at  Bay  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Grand  Coteau,  where 
he  attended  St.  Charles  College,  graduating  in  the  literar\"  course  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  1SS7. 

His  parents  were  in  affluent  circutnstances  and  he  might  well  have  returned 
home  to  his  plantation  and  lived  an  easy  life,  but  his  professional  ambitions 
would  not  permit  him  to  idle  any  time  and  he  at  once  entered  upon  the  study  of 
medicine,  studpng  for  a  short  period  under  a  preceptor,  when  he  entered  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1SS9.  In  tiie  studv  of  his  profession,  as  well  as  that  of  uie  literary  course, 
he  was  remarkabh*  thorough.  He  made  a  special  study  of  the  eye,  ear  and 
throat.  Immedialeh  after  having  graduated  he  located  on  his  plantation,  close 
to  Abbeville,  where  he  remained  until  a  few  months  since,  when,  finding  his  pro- 
fession largely  on  the  increase,  he  moved  to  Abbe\-ille.  in  order  to  be  more  cen- 
trally- located. 

Dr.  Abshire  is  an  enthusiast  in  his  profession  and  still  pursues  his  studies 
on  all  studies  tending  to  the  advancement  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Vermilion  Parisii  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  president.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Attakapas  Medical  SocietA".  Dr.  Abshire  is  not  only  popular 
among  the  people  for  whom  he  does  practice,  but  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of 
the  best  physicians  in  this  section  of  the  State.  In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  demo- 
crat. He  is  medical  examiner  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America  at  this  place. 
Dr.  Abshire  married  Miss  Ophelia  Bourque,  a  native  of  AbbeA-ille.  October. 
1SS9.     They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Robert  LeRoy. 


IlISl'ORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHIC AL.  27'.t 

"  HEXRV  H.  BARTELS,  Abbeville.— Henry  H.  Bartels,  a  planter  ol 
ward  seven,  is  a  native  ot  German}-,  born  December  23,  1828.  He  is  the  onl\- 
son  of  Frederick  G.  and  Catherine  A.  (Brickweaden)  Bartels,  both  natives  of 
Germany.  Frederick  G.  Bartels  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1842,  and  located  in 
what  is  now  Vermilion  parish,  where  he  resided  until  the  time  ot  liis  death,  in 
1862.     His  widow  survived  him  until  1880. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
German}-.  He  began  business  life  as  a  planter  and  has  closely  followed  this 
until  the  present  time.  In  partnership  with  Solomon  Wise,  he  owns  seventeen 
hundred  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  which  they  cultivate,  princi- 
pally in  corn  and  sugar  cane.  Thej-  have  a  large  sugar  house  on  their  planta- 
tion, also  a  cotton  gin  and  grist  mill,  and  also  conduct  a  general  mercantile  bu:?i- 
ness  at  their  place  on  Vermilion  Bayou. 

Mr.  Bartels  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  having  enlisted  in  1861,  in  Com- 
panv  C,  Eighth  Louisiana  Infantrv,  and  served  as  a  private  until  1S64,  when  he 
received  a  wound  which  rendered  him  unable  for  further  service  and  he  was 
discharged.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  police  juror  of  the  seventh  ward  and  is 
the  present  incumbent  of  that  position.  JMr.  Bartels  married,  in  1865,  INIiss 
Elizabeth  A.  Petry,  of  Vermilion  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  five  daughters,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  yiz :  Catherine, 
wife  of  William  Morgan  ;  Elijah  E.,  Alice  E.,  Herman  F.,  Adplph  G.,  Maggie, 
MaryE.  Mr.  Bartels  is  a  prosperous  business  man  and  a  worthy  citizen.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  South. 

«  » 
^  LASTIE  BROUSSARD,  Abbeville. — Lastie  Broussard,  attorney  at  law, 
was  born  in  Vermilion  parish,  December  15,  183S.  He  is  the  son  of  Augustine' 
A.  and  Marie  Coralie  Broussard,  both  natives  of  Lafayette  parish,  and  both  of 
Acadian  ancestry.  To  them  were  born  eleven  children,  five  sons  and  six 
daughters,  only  live  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz:  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Numa  A.,  a  resident  of  Vermilion  parish;  Marie  Estelle.  wife  of  Thogene 
Thibodeaux:  Hortense,  wife  of  Dolze  Le  Blanc,  and  Emma  Bi-oussard,  wife 
of  Adolphe  Le  Blanc.  Augustin  A.  Broussard  was  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser; 
he  was  also  for  a  number  of  3-ears  police  juror.  He  died  in  1885,  on  his  farm 
in  Vermilion  parish.  His  wife  still  .'survives  him,  being  now  about  seventj'-eight 
years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  tiiis  sketch  began  life  for  himself  at  tiie  age  of  twenty-one, 
as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store,  alter  which  he  was  made  deputv  sheriff  for  a  period 
of  two  years.  He  was  also  assessor  and  parish  treasurer  for  three  years.  Later 
he  held  the  position  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  mayor  of  Abbeville,  and  for 
twenty-three  years  he  was  clerk  ot  the  court.  In  1879  '^^  ^^''**  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  since  188S.      In  1889 


280  SOr/JIU'EST  L  oris  J.  \XA  : 

lie  L-nlered  in  jiarUiersliip  witli  Walter  A.  White,  and  he  is  now  one  ol  the  lead 
in^  uttorne}-s  of  Abbeville.  He  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Perpetue  Mayard. 
To  tliein  have  been  born  filteen  children,  six  sons  and  nine  daughters,  \iz: 
Odile  and  Odelia,  twins;  Odalie,  deceased ;  Olive,  Ophe'ia,  deceased;  Lastie 
Odelin.  Oliver.  Octavia,  Ovide.  Onesia.  Olita.  Otto,  Otis.  Omca,  deceased,  and 
Opta.  .Mr.  Ijroiissaul  owns  twentv-tive  hundred  acres  of  land  in  \'ermilion 
])arish,  two  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation:  the  principal  products 
beins^  cane,  corn,  and  rice.  He  also  owns  a  considerable  amount  of  property  in 
Abbeville,  Louisiana.  Mr.  Brousard  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  ^ 

"  TIMOTHY  BAGLEY,  Ra.msicv. — Timothy  Bagley,  a  prosperous  sugar 
planter  and  manufacturer,  of  the  Hrm  of  M.  &  T.  Bagley,  was  born  in  Kings 
count\-,  Ireland,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Bagley.  of  whom  mention  is 
made  in  the  sketch  of  Martin  Bagle}'. 

Young  Timothy  attended  the  schools  of  Ireland  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  that  country  until  1867,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Lafourche  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  engaged  in  planting.  In  1875  ^^*^ 
came  to  \'ermilion  parish,  and,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Martin  Bagley, 
purchased  a  sugar  plantation  in  \'ermi!ion  parish  of  from  tl-^ree  to  four  hundred 
acres,  in  connection  with  which  he  now  conducts  a  mercantile  business.  The 
Bagley  Brothers  are  characterized  by  their energv,  and  their  success  since  com- 
ing to  Louisiana  has  been  marked.  Mr.  Bagley  was  married,  in  1884,  to  Miss 
Anna  Fitzsimmons,  a  native  of  Ireland.  To  their  union  four  children  have 
been  born.  ^ 

*      * 

V  MARTIN  BAGLEY,  Ramsey.— Martin  Bagley.  of  the  firm  of  M.  &  T. 
Bagley,  sugar  refiners,  was  born  in  Kings  county,  Ireland,  March  14,  1850. 
His  parents  came  to  America  at  an  early  day,  but  after  a  few  years  returned  to 
Ireland,  where  young  Martin  received  his  education.  John  Bagley,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  died  in  Ireland,  1852.  He  was  the  father  of  seven  sons,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this   sketch   is  the  youngest. 

Martin  Bagle}',  in  company  with  his  brother,  Timoth}-,  came  to  America  in 
1866.  They  were  first  engaged  in  planting  in  Lafourche  parish,  and  in  1874 
came  to  Vermilion  parish,  since  which  time  the\'  ha\e  given  their  attention  to 
sugar  planting  and  merchandising.  Tlie}'  own  in  Vermilion  parish  eighteen 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  raise  enormous  crops  of  cane  and  corn.  Their  refin- 
ery is  fitted  up  with  the  latest  improved  machinery  and  has  the  capacity  for 
manufacturing  about  two  hundred  barrels  of  sugar  per  day.  The  plant  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  Besides  this,  thev  also  have  a  refinery  for  the 
manufacture  of  clarified  sugar,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  Tlie  present  year. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  2x1 

1890,  Baglev  Brothers  ha\e  maiiufacuired  five  thousand  barrels  ot  sugar.  Tlieir 
business  is  rapidly  increaisng  and  the\-  contemplate,  in  the  near  future,  enlarg- 
ing their  mill  and  placing  in  machinery  with  the  capacity  for  a  more  extensive 
manufacture.  Martin  Bagley  has  spent  a  good  deal  of  his  time  in  travel  and 
has  been  engaged  in  various  vocations.  lie  was  contractor  on  the  Rock  Island 
&  St.  Louis  Railroad.  Since  his  location  at  this  place,  he  has  given  his 
attention  exclusively  to  his  planting  interests.  He  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss 
Rosa  Lyon,  daughter  of  David  Lyon,  of  Abbeville.  The}-  are  the  parents  of 
five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz:  John  J.,  Katie  A.,  Mary  R., 
LIugh  M.,  Bessie.  Mrs.  Bagley  was  a  lady  of  high  culture;  she  died  Januaiy  i, 
1881.     She  as  is  her  husliand  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Chatholic  church. 

*  * 

JOHN  M.  BEAUXIS,  Abbevii.le. — ^John  M.  Beauxis  was  born  in  France, 
September,  1849.  He  emigrated  to  x\merica  in  1866,  landing  in  Mexico,  where 
he  remained  for  six  months  as  interpreter  for  the  French  government  custom 
house  at  Zacatecas.  He  was  driven  from  there  by  the  Juarez  government,  after 
the  battle  of  Queretaro.  He  thereupon  came  to  Eagle  Pass,  Texas,  and  was 
employed  at  this  place  for  three  months  in  a  saloon.  In  1867  he  located  in  New- 
Orleans  and  withstood  a  se\ere  attack  of  yellow  fever,  which  was  then  carrying 
off  from  three  to  four  hundred  people  a  day.  Later  Mr.  Beauxis  was  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business  in  New  Orleans,  until  1870,  when  he  located  in  Abbeville, 
at  which  place  he  has  resided  up  to  the  present  time.  He  was  appointed  deput}' 
tax  collector  and  served  for  three  years,  1873-74-75,  and  then  clerk  in  the  as- 
sessor's office  for  three  years,  during  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  Mr.  Beauxis  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  fine  land  and  about  thirt}- 
town  lots.  He  has  the  most  extensive  grocery  business  in  the  town.  He  was 
married  in  1873  to  Miss  Marie  Trahon.  To  them  two  children  were  born,  a 
son  and  a  daughter,  Fernand  and  Leontine.  His  wife's  family  were  among  the 
first  settlers  of  the  parish.  Her  grandfather  came  to  Louisiana  in  1792.  Mr. 
Beauxis  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Oriental  Lodge,  also  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

» 

*  * 

^  JOHN  BAPTIST  BECKER,  Abbeville.— John  Baptist  Becker,  a  large 
sugar  planter  and  manufacturer,  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  1840.  He  is  the  son 
of  Peter  and  Ellen  (Moore)  Becker.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  Ger- 
man}-,  and  came  wath  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  he  was  about  twelve 
3'ears  of  age.  Several  3'ears  prior  to  his  death  he  was  a  grocer  in  New  Orleans. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  is  also  a  native  of  'Alsace.  She  removed  with  her 
parents  to  New  York  Cit)^  and  from  thence  to  New  Orleans.  She  died  in  that 
city.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  brother,  Nicholas,  are  the  only  two 
survivinir  members  of  the  familv. 


■js-2  SOU7'HU'ES7'  L0L7S/A.VA  : 

John  Biiplist  Becker  spent  his  school  cla\'S  in  New  Orleans,  and  received  a 
good  business  education.  At  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war  lie  joined  the 
Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry  and  served  during  the  whole  war.  His  field  of 
operations  was  in  Louisiana,  and  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Camp  Bisland, 
Mansfield  and  Pleasant  Hill.  After  the  war  he  engaged  in  planting,  which  he 
has  since  followed  with  good  success.  He  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Rosalin 
Lecour,  of  Vermilion  parish.  The}'  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  eight 
sons  and  three  daughters.      He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  churcli. 

^  J.  A.  BROOKSHIER,  Abbeville. — J.  A.  Brookshier  is  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  born  in  1845,  as  were  his  parents,  Benjamin  L.  and  Margaret  A. 
(McCall)  Brookshier.  They  removed  from  North  Carolina  to  Green  county, 
Indiana  in  1846,  where  Benjamin  L.  worked  at  the  blacksmith  trade.  In  1872 
the}'  removed  to  Vermilion  parish,  and  Mr.  Brookshier  here  engaged  in  planting. 
He  ser\ed  as  registrar  of  Vermilion  parish  for  a  period  of  two  years,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1878,  he  was  a  resident  of  Morgan  City.  His  wife  died  in 
Abbeville  in  1848.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Eliza  Ewing,  of  New  Iberia,  are  the  only 
surviving  members. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Indiana, 
and  learned  the  blacksmith  trade  with  his  father.  Since  locating  in  Abbeville 
he  has  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop;  also  a  cotton  gin,  witli  a  capacity  for  baling 
twenty  bales  of  cotton  per  day.  Mr.  Brookshier  has  served  as  tax  collector  of 
Vermilion  parish  for  two  years,  and  was  inspector  of  customs  at  Redfish  Point 
from  1870  to  1S75.  He  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  president  of  the  parish 
school  board,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  education. 

He  married,  in  1868,  Miss  Emeline  Mimms,  of  Abbeville.  Mrs.  Brookshier 
died  in  1872,  having  become  the  mother  of  a  son,  Claude  O.  Mr.  Brookshier 
married  again.  Miss  Zerida  Harrington,  daughter  of  Joseph  W.  Harrington,  of 
Vermihon  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  living  son,  John  A.  Mr. 
Ijrookshier  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Order  K.  of  H.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  chairman  of  the  parish  Republican 
committee,  of  which  he  is  the  present  secretary. 

'^  ADAM  BOUDREAU,  Abbeville.— Adam  Boudreau  was  born  at  Roy- 
ville,  Lafayette  parisli,  Louisiana,  April  27,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Marie  Eulalie  (Nufiez)  Boudreau,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Joseph  Boudreau 
died  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  In  his  younger  days  he  gave  his  at- 
tention to  planting,  and  later  in  life  engaged  in  merchandising;  but  the  chief 
business  in  which  he    engaged    during  the  whole  of  his  life  was  stock  raising,  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  28:5 

which  he  was  abundantly  successful.  He  removed  from  Roy\ille,  Lalayette 
parish,  to  \^ermihon  in  iSSS,  and  to  Abbeville  in  18S2.  He  was  a  heavy  loser 
by  the  war,  but  before  his  death  had  accumulated  quite  a  fortune.  He  was 
active  in  the  manipulation  of  party  affairs  and  was  alwaj'S  a  staunch  democrat. 
During  the  late  war  he  was  in  the  Confederate  States  senice,  and  was  detailed 
to  duty  on  board  a  steamboat  plving  on  the  Teche  and  Vermilion  Bayous.  He 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  JNIarie  S.  Bourke,  of  Lafayette  parish;  she  died, 
and  he  afterward  married  the  mother  of  our  subject,  who  is  the  only  surviving 
member  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  this  union. 

Adam  Boudreau  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Royville  and  La- 
f:i3'ette.  He  subsequently  pursued  a  course  of  book-keeping  at  Soulc's  Busi- 
ness College,  New  Orleans.  He  was  engaged  with  his  father  in  business  until 
tiie  time  of  the  latter's  death;  since  which  time  he  has  conducted  a  business  on 
his  own  account.  That  Mr.  Boudreau  is  a  business  man  of  high  qualifications, 
is  attested  by  the  success  which  has  attended  his  business  undertakings. 

He  was  married  in  18S2  to  Miss  Farzalie  Mouton,  daughter  of  Onezime 
Moutor>,  of  \"ermilion  parish.  To  this  union  have  been  born  five  children, 
■four  sons  and  a  daughter.  Mi".  Boudreau  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church.     In  politics  lie  is  a  conservative  democrat. 

»*  WILLIAM  CADE,  Ramsey. — William  Cade  is  a  native  of  Lafayette  par- 
ish, Louisiana,  born  June  7,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Martha 
(Marsh)  Cade,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Hon.  Overton  Cade, 
of  Lafaj-ette. 

Wm.  Cade  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing: William,  Charles  T.,  Overlon,the  present  representative  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature from  Lafayette  parish.  Those  deceased  are  Charles  and  Bancker. 
William  Cade  was  reared  on  a  plantation,  and  received  the  benefit  of  the 
best  education  the  neighboring  schools  afforded.  He  has  given  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  planting,  and  in  this  he  has  been  successful.  He  owns  seventeen  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  with  about  two  hundred  under  cultivation,  the  principal 
products  being  cotton  and  cane.  His  plantation  is  situated  on  Bayou  Vermilion, 
eight  miles  south  of  Abbeville.  In  connection  with  his  plantation  Mr.  Cade 
operates  a  large  combined  cotton  and  grist  mill.  He  was  married  in  Vermilion 
parish,  in  18S2,  to  Miss  Margaret  Broussard.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  liv- 
ing children,  viz:  Edith  L.,  Bancker,  Walter,  Margaret  O.;  John  T.  is 
deceased.     Mr.  Cade  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H.,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 

Episcopal  cliurch.  , 

*     * 

^        NEWTON  R.  CAMPBELL,  Abbeville.— Newton    R.  Campbell,  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  ward  7,  was  born,  near  his    present  place  of    residence, 


2JS4  sor'/7/u y:.sy  j.urj.siAXA: 

Marcli  9,  1S36.  He  is  the  son  of  Levi  Hampton  and  Delciiia  (Landiy)  Camp- 
bell. J^evi  H.  Campbell  was  born  in  Georgia,  iSoi.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  and  removed  to  Georgia  early  in  life.  Young  Levi  II.  was  about  four 
vearb  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  what  is  now  Vermilion  parish,  thev 
being  among  the  first  English  families  who  located  in  this  section.  Here  Levi 
H.  Campbell  received  a  meagre  education,  married  and  became  a  successful 
planter.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  Newton  R.  Campbell's  mother 
died  in  this  parish  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  sixth  of  ten  ciiildren.  He  received  his 
education  principally  in  the  home  schools,  which  was  quite  limited,  as  he  was 
about  nine  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  and  it  devolved  upon  him  at  an 
early  day  to  labor  for  the  support  of  the  family.  Mr.  Campbell  has  gi\en  his 
entire  attention  to  planting  through  his  whole  life,  and  in  this  occupation  he  has 
been  fairly  successful.  His  plantation  consists  of  five  hundred  acres  of  valua- 
ble land,  which  he  cultivates  principally  in  cotton,  corn  and  potatoes.  Campbell 
prairie,  near  this  place,  is  the  property  of  our  subject.  Early  in  1862  Mr.  Camp- 
bell joined  Fournet's  Battalion,  then  the  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry,  in  which 
he  served  until  discharged.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Camp  Bisland.  and  was 
there  severely  wounded,  from  which  he  was  rendered  unfit  for  further  service. 
July  12,  1S65,  Mr.  Campbell  married  Mrs.  Silina  Shaw.  To  this  union  five 
children  have  been  born,  viz:  Don  A.,  Daisy  J.,  Dora  D..  Oralind  B.  and  New- 
ton G.  ^ 

EUGENE  DEMARY,  Abbeville. — Eugene  Demary  was  born  in  France. 
in  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Nicholas  Demary  and  Mary  Verio,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  France.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1837,  locating  first  in  New- 
Orleans,  and  afterward  in  Franklin,  St.  Mary  parish.  Here  Nicholas  Demary 
became  a  successful  merchant  and  sugar  planter.  After  residing  there  for  a  few 
years,  he  removed  to  Vermilion  parish,  and  built  the  first  house  erected  in  Abbe- 
ville. For  a  number  of  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  promi- 
nent in  all  local  proceedings.  He  was  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  He  died  in  1S61.  Our  subject's  mother  died  in  1844.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Catholic  church.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  and  a  sister  are  the 
onl}'  living  members  of  the  family. 

Eugene  Demary  was  married,  in  1854,  to  Miss  Josephine  Boudreaux.  They 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters;  P.uiiela 
(deceased),  Felix  W.  (deceased),  Leon  (deceased),  Leopold,  Paula,  Paolitas, 
and  Albert  N.  Mr.  Demary  owns  one  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Abbeville, 
where  he  has  resided  thirty-four  years.  He  has  given  his  attention  exclusively 
to  planting.  Mr.  Demar}'  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  having  enHsted  in  1S61 
and  served  until  May,  1865.     He  has  at  different  times  held  the  positions  of 


lUSlXlRICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHTCAL.  2S5 

deputy  sheriff,  constable,  and  treasurer,  of  the  town  of  Abbeville,  and  is  one  of 
\'ermilion's  most  progressive  and  energetic  citizens. 

« 

^  JUDGE  W.  W.  EDWARDS,  Abbeville.— Judge  Wakeman  W.Edwards, 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Abbeville  bar,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  New 
York,  September  13,  1826.  His  grandfather,  Edwards,  was  born  on  Long 
Island,  of  English  parentage.  Our  subject  is  the  oldest  of  a  familv  of  three 
children  born  to  Henr\-  and  Betsy  (Rogers)  Edwards,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  New  York.  Henr)' Edwards  was  a  prosperous  farmer.  He  died  in  Xrw 
York  in  1S52.      His  wife  died  in  1856. 

Judge  Edwards  received  his  education  at  Union  College,  Scheiiectadv,  Xew 
York,  of  which  institution  he  is  a  graduate.  After  leaving  college  young  Ed- 
wards emigrated  to  Mississippi,  where  he  was  engaged  in  school  teaching  for 
five  years,  at  the  same  time  pursuing  a  course  of  stud}'.  He  was  admitted  to 
tliL-  bar  in  Canton.  Mississi]ipi,  1855,  and  began  practice  tlie  following  year  in 
Conwax  county.  Arkansas.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from 
1S5S  to  i860.  In  1S59  Judge  Edwards  removed  to  Lake  Village,  Chicot  county, 
Arkansas,  where  he  practised  law  until  1863,  when  lie  entered  the  Confederate 
Slates  army,  and  served  during  the  latter  two  years  of  the  war.  After  the  war 
he  located  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  until  1875,  in  which  year  lie 
came  to  xAbbeville  and  practised  law,  and  was  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Ver 
milion  Banner.  He  abandoned  the  Banner  after  one  year,  and  since  tiiat  time 
lias  piactissd  his  profession.  Mr.  Edwards  was  appointed  district  judge  in  1889 
to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  C.  Debaillon.  He  was  president  of  the  parish 
school  board  tor  several  years;  and  for  two  years  served  as  United  States  Com- 
missioner of  the  western  district  of  Louisiana.  Judge  Edwards  ranks  high  as  a 
law\'.r,  and  as  a  citizen  he  is  public-spirited,  and  is  always  identified  with  meas- 
ures originated  for  tlie  promotion  of  the  public  good. 

* 

^  C.  J.  EDWARDS.  M.  D.,  Abbeville.— Dr.  Edwards  was  born  near  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas,  October  13.  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Judge  W.  W.  Edwards, 
whose  sketch  appears  above.  Dr.  Edwards  was  reared  and  educated  in  New 
Orleans  and  first  engaged  in  business  in  1876  at  Abbeville  in  the  publication  of 
the  Vermilion  Banner  in  conjunction  with  his  father.  In  1881  he  entered  the 
Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  remaining  there  one  year.  In  1882-S3  he  at- 
tended the  University  of  Louisville,  from  whicli  he  graduated  in  1883  at  the 
head  of  his  class.  Tlie  same  j-ear  he  began  die  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Chicot  county,  Arkansas,  whence  he  went  to  New  Iberia,  remaining  one  year, 
and  tiien  removed  to  Abbeville,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  F.  F. 
Young,  and  with  him  he  was  associated  until  January,  1888.     Dr.  Edwards  has 


286  SOUy-H]  VES  T  LOL  IS  I A  NA  : 

a  lucrative  practice.  He  wa.s  married  Oclol)er  7,  1SS7,  to  Miss  Kale  M.  Yount;-, 
daughter  of  Francis  D.  Young,  M.  D.,  and  Mathilde  Gut-goii.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  sons,  Harold  G.  and  Mark  H.  Dr.  Edwards  is  prominent  in 
local  affairs  and  is  identified  with  the  leading  interests  of  his  localit\-.  He  is 
president  of  the  local  fire  department,  member  of  the  town  council,  and  one  ot 
the  directors  of  the  Abbeville  Loan  Association.  He  is  health  officer  ot  \Y'r 
milion  parish.  In  1891  he  became  associated  with  E.  I.  Addison  in  the  propri- 
etorship of  The  Meridional. 

GUS  GODCHAUX,  Abbeville. — Gus  Godchaux,  a  prosperous  merchant 
and  planter,  was  born  at  Franklin,  Louisiana,  October  17,  1853.  He  is  the  son 
of  David  and  Brunet  (Block)  Godchaux,  both  natives  of  France.  They  moved 
to  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  in  the  the  forties,  where  they  reared  a  family  of 
ten  children,  si.x  sons  and  four  daughters;  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the 
only  one  of  the  children  now  living.  His  father  has  for  many  years  been  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  at  Franklin,  where  he  and  his  wife  still  reside. 

Gus  Godchaux  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  in 
which  capacity  he  worked  for  several  years  in  New  Orleans,  Morgan  City,  and 
other  places.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  3'ears  he  opened  a  mercantile  business 
in  Abbeville  and  has  here  been  engaged  since  that  time.  He  has  prospered  and 
owns  a  considerable  amount  of  property  in  Vermilion  parish.  He  has  four 
hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  land  near  Abbeville,  and  is  the  possessor  of  twenty- 
three  town  lots,  some  of  which  are  improved.  His  mercantile  business  is  large 
and  under  Mr.  Godchaux's  judicious  management  is  constantly  increasing.  He 
is  a  large  shipper  of  cotton,  cotton  seed  and  sugar,  tie  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  and  K.  of  H.,  and  has  held  high  offices  in  both  lodges  of  which 
he  is  a  member. 

JOSEPH  T.  GUIDRY,  Abbeville. — Joseph  T.  Guidry  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  December  22,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  T. 
Guidry,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Joseph  T.  Guidry,  Sr.,  was  a  successful 
planter  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  possessed  a  large 
fortune,  but  as  it  consisted  of  slaves  and  personal  property  to  a  great  extent,  he 
lost  nearl}-  everything  by  the  war.  He  died  about  1S75,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years. 

Joseph  T.  Guidr}',  Jr.,  was  the  second  of  a  family  of  six  children,  and  the 
only  one  now  living.  He  received  his  education  in  St.  Martin  p  irish,  in  the 
common  schools,  and  remained  with  liis  father  on  his  plantation  until  he  was 
wenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Vermilion  parish,  and  located 
where  he  now  resides.  His  plantation  is  situated  three  miles  west  of  Abbeville, 
and  is  noted  for  its  beauty  and  fertilitv.      Shortly  after  locating  at  this  place  Mr. 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  iWl 

Giiitlry  married  Miss  Marie  Nunez,  a  sister  of  Adrien  Nunez,  whose  sketch  ap- 
pears elsewhere.  To  this  union  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Rose  Belle,  wife  of 
E.  C.  Kibbe.  Since  beginning  business  in  Vermilion  parish  Mr.  Guidry 
lias  been  a  stock  raiser  and  planter,  and  being  possessed  of  the  energy  which 
characterizes  the  family  he  has  been  abundantly  successful.  Mr.  Guidry  was  a 
soldier  in  the  late  Civil  War,  having  joined  Fournet's  Battalion  in  1862.  Later 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  until 
tlie  war  closed.  .^ 

•^  HOWARD  MOFFPAUIR,  Inuiax  Bayoi.— Edward  Iloftpauir.  one 
of  Vermilion's  best  known  citizens,  was  born  near  where  he  now  resides, 
March  21,  1841.  He  is  the  second  of  a  family-  of  six  children  now  living  born 
to  Isaac  and  Eliza  (Perry)  Hoffpauir.  His  father  is  a  nati\e  of  Vermilion 
parish,  and  his  mother  of  St.  Landry.  Isaac  Hoffpauir  is  a  planter  of  Ver- 
milion parish.  He  is  of  direct  German  descent.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South. 

Howard  Hoffpauir,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  recei\-ed  his  education  in  the 
schools  ol  hislocalit}-.  During  the  war  he  was  in  the  heavy  artillery  service, 
C.  S.  A.,  at  Vicksburg,  then  again  in  cavalry  service  in  Louisiana.  Immediatety 
after  the  war  he  began  business  as  a  stock  man  and  merchant  in  Vermilion 
parish.  In  the  latter  occupation  he  only  continued  for  the  period  of  one  year.  To 
former  he  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  the  present  time.  Of  recent  years, 
also,  Mr.  Hoffpauir  has  been  quite  extensively  engaged  in  planting.  He  has 
about  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  the  greater  portion  of  which  he  cultivates 
in  rice,   cotton,  and  sugar  cane. 

Soon  after  the  war  Mr.  Hauffpauir  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
held  the  ofKce  for  man\-  3'ears,  the  last  time  he  was  elected  refusing  to  accept 
the  position.  He  has  served  as  police  juror  from  his  ward  for  eighteen  years, 
and  the  greater  portion  of  this  time  has  been  its  president.  The  present  sound 
financial  condition  of  Vermilion  parish  attests  the  efficiency  with  which  they 
have  been  controlled.  Mr.  Hoffpauir  married,  December  19,  1868,  Ada  Spell, 
of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  five  daughters.  The 
subject  and  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  of  which  Mr.  Hoff- 
pauir is  a  steward  and  active  worker. 

J.  T.  HAMBLET,  M.  D.,  Perry's  Bridge.— Dr.  J.  T.  Hamblet  was  born 
in  Lafayette  county,  Mississippi,  May  i,  1847.  His  parents,  Samuel  and  Malissa 
(Beevers)  Hamblet,  were  both  natives  of  Georgia,  but  removed  to  Mississippi 
early  in  life,  where  they  reared  a  family  of  fifteen  children,  of  whom  Dr.  J.  T. 
is  the  eldest.  Mrs.  Hamblet  died  in  1885,  and  Samuel  Hamblet  married  a 
second  time,   December,  1890,  a  Miss  Cobb. 


•i-^.s  SOCTinVES'J'  L  OUISIANA  ■ 

Dr.  J.  T.  Ilamblel  received  the  benefits  of  a  good  business  education.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  vears  he  was  engaged  as  overseer  on  a  phuitation  in  Missis- 
sippi, in  which  capacity  he  served  for  about  a  year,  when  lie  accepted  a  position 
a-*  clerk  in  a  drug  store  at  Water  Valley,  Mississippi,  where  he  remained  lour 
\ears.  From  there  he  went  to  INIemphis,  Tennessee,  and  was  for  a  numbci-  of 
vears  engaged  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  drug  house.  In  1872-73  lie  attended 
the  Memphis  Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  latter  \ear.  He 
liegan  practice  in  Delav.  Mississippi,  May.  1874- 

Dr.  llamblet  was  married  in  Oxford,  Mississippi,  1875,  to  Miss  Augusta  K. 
Robertson,  daugliter  of  G.  W.  and  Mary  ( Winfield)  Robertson.  Mrs.  llamblet 
died  October  31,  1886.  at  Perry's  Bridge.  Louisiana,  where  the  Doctor  had  lo- 
cated the  vear  previous.  Dr.  llamblet  was  married  a  second  time,  1887.  to  Mrs. 
Kate  Nourse.  widow  of  Hiram  L.  Xourse.  of  New  Orleans. 

Dr.  llamblet  has  a  large  jiractice  and  conducts  a  drug  business  at  Pei'ry's 
Bridge.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South.  The  Doctor 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  K.  of  H.,  in  botli  of  which  orders  lie  is  a 
prominent  worker.  ^ 

^  JOSEPH  \V.  HARRINGTON,  Abbevillk.— Joseph  \V.  Harrington,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Ward  6.  was  born  in  \'ermilion  parish,  on  Cow  Island, 
March  4.  1S32.  He  is  the  son  of  William  antl  Sarah  (Faulk)  Plarrington. 
AVilliam  Harrington  was  a  native  of  Alabama,  but  his  parents  removed  to  Bavfiu 
Teche,  Louisiana,  when  he  was  about  three  j-ears  of  age,  being  the  first  English 
speaking  settleis  who  located  on  the  Teche.  Mr.  Harrington  died  February  9, 
1882,  at  a  ver\"  atlvanced  age — probably  from  one  hundred  and  one  to  one  hun- 
dred and  nine  vears.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  on  his  way 
to  New  Orleans  to  participate  in  that  celebrated  battle,  lut  did  not  arrive  on  the 
scene  of  conllict  uniil  after  the  battle  was  over.  Ilis  principal  occupation  in  life 
was  planting  and  stock  raising,  lie  was  one  of  the  most  methodical  of  men,  and 
in  his  habits  was  strictly  temperate,  and  to  this  he  ascribed  the  extraordiiiar\' 
age  to  which  he  attained.  In  politics  he  was  a  whig,  and  after  that  part}'  was  de- 
funct he  voted  the  republican  ticket.  As  a  planter  and  stock  raiser  he  had  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  successful  in  the  section  in  which  he  lived, 
but  owing  to  extreme  liberality  he  iiex'er  amassed  a  fortune,  though  he  was  com- 
fortabh-  situated.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  \-ears. 
Joseph  W.  Harrington,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  sixth  of  a  family  of 
tliirteen  children.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  locality,  and, 
at  twenty-one  vears  of  age,  began  life  as  a  planter  and  stock  raiser  on  the  planta- 
tion where  he  now  resides,  which,  at  that  time  was  wild  prairie  laiul.  His 
plantation  is  a  beautiful  one.  well  improved  and  favorably  located.  In  1S62 
Mr.  Harrington  joined  Fournels   Battalion,  in  which  he  served  until  he  was  dis- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  28!) 

cliargt'd.  jusl  before  the  battle  of  Camp  Bisland.  By  the  war  he  lost  lieavil)v 
but  with  patient  energy  soon  regained  a  solid  standing.  In  1852  he  married 
Miss  Aitha  Faulk,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Faulk.  To  them  have  been  born  five 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Augustus,  planter  and  stock  raiser  of 
Vermilion  parish:  Zerilda,  wife  of  John  Brookshier,  of  Abbeville;  Robert  C.,. 
farmer  and  merchant  of  Vermilion  parish.  Mr.  Harrington  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  of  Abbeville,  and  is  president  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  at  this 
place- 


^  \V.  G.  KIBBE,  M.  D.,  Abbkvii-i.e. — Dr.  W.  G.  Kibbe  is  a  native  of  what 
is  now  Vermilion  parish,  born  January  25,  1842.  His  father,  William  Kibbe, 
was  a  native  of  Minehead,  Vermont,  born  in  1813.  When  a  boy  his  parents 
removed  to  Louisiana,  where  Wm.  Kibbe  married  Miss  Louise  S.  Campbell. 
They  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  Frances  L.,  wife  of  Delmas  Dubois,  now  residing  in  Houston,  Texas,  are 
the  only  surviving  members.  Mrs.  Kibbe  died  in  1844,  and  the  Doctor's  father 
afterward  married  Miss  Kisiah  Campbell,  a  cousin  of  his  former  wife.  There 
were  born  to  their  marriage  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  William  Kibbe  was  a 
well-known  attorney,  and  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death   in  1878,  parish  judge. 

Dr.  W.  G.  Kibbe  received  a  good  business  education  in  the  schools  of  the 
locality  in  which  he  was  reared.  He  pursued  a  medical  course  at  the  medical 
school  of  what  is  now  Tulane  University  from  which  he  graduated.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  Army,  and  was  in  the 
first  battle  of  Fort  Jackson,  in  which  he  received  a  slight  wound.  From  that 
time  until  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  engaged  in  hospital  service,  principally 
in  New  Iberia  and  Shreveport.  After  the  war,  in  1865,  Dr.  Kibbe  located  at 
Lake  Charles.  Louisiana,  where  he  practised  medicine  for  five  years.  He  mar- 
ried ill  1863  Miss  Sophie  Walker,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Though  her  parents 
moved  to  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  when  she  was  a  child.  At  the  time  of  her 
marriage,  she  was  a  resident  of  Nacogdoches,  Texas,  where  her  parents  had 
removed  as  refugees  during  the  war.  To  this  union  nine  children  were  born, 
five  sons  and  four  daughters,  six  of  wiiom  are  living,  viz:  Joseph  E.,  M.  D.  ; 
Mary  Lou,  Nora  Lee,  Fannie  E.,  M.  U.  Payne.  Charles  W.  Dr.  Kibbe  moved 
from  Lake  Charles  to  Perry's  Bridge  in  1870,  and  in  1878  to  Abbeville,  where 
he  has  practised  his  profession  since. 

WILLIAM  W.  KUEHLING.  Abbkvillk.— William  W.  Kuehling.  planter, 
ot  Ward  2,  was  born  in  Virginia,  October  8,  1S49.  He  is  the  son  of  John  N.  and 
Anna  C.  Kuehling.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Strasburg,  Germany,  and  re- 
moved to  America   when  a  young    man.      He  married  in  Washington   Citv,  and 


2!)(J  .S O UTIl WES T  LO UISIA NA  : 

afterward  removed  to  Virginia,  wliere  he  became    a  prosperous    planter.      Mrs. 
Kuehling  is  still  living  and  is  a  resident  of  Fairfax  county,  Virginia. 

William  Kuehling  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  now  living.  In  1872, 
he  removed  from  Virginia  to  Louisiana,  locating  in  Vermilion  parish.  Here  he 
married,  October  16,  1881,  Miss  Leonline  Loquex,  a  native  of  New  Orleans. 
Mr.  Kuehling  was  appointed  sheriff  of  Vermilion  parish  in  1882,  and,  under 
President  Cleveland's  administration,  served  as  inspector  of  customs  for  this 
section  of  Louisiana.  Since  1881  he  has  conducted  a  mercantile  business  at 
Bayou  Ligre.  He  also  owns  nine  hundred  acres  of  land,  sixty  of  which  lie 
cultivates  in  cotton  and  corn.  His  place  is  well  improved,  and  he  has  on  il  an 
orange  grove  of  one  hundred  and  tift}'^  trees,  besides  a  variety  of  other  fruit. 
Mr.  Kuehling  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H.,  at  Abbeville,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  South.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  tlie  the  Catholic  church. 
They  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz  :  Bertha, 
Warren  W.,  Esther.      Those  deceased  are,  William  W.,  Lionel.  Leloa. 


^  SEVERIN  LeBLANC,  Abbeville. — Severin  LeBlanc,  merchant  and 
planter,  resides  about  ten  miles  northeast  of  Abbeville.  He  is  a  native  of 
Vermilion  parish,  born  within  a  short  distance  of  where  he  now  resides, 
February,  1833.  ^^^  parents,  Joseph  and  Clarisse  (Trahon)  LeBlanc  were 
natives  of  Lafayette  parish.  His  father  died  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  fort3'-six 
3'ears,  and  his  mother,  in  i860,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years.  Joseph  LeBlanc 
was  an  extensive  planter.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen,  and  prior  to  his  death 
served  for  ten  years  as  member  of  the  school  board.  He  was  the  father  of 
eleven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

Severin  LeBlanc,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  pursued  his  studies  in  the  local 
schools  of  Vermilion  parish,  acquiring  a  good  English  and  French  education. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  he  assumed  charge  of  the  plantation,  and  in  this, 
and  a  mercantile  business,  he  has  been  engaged  during  the  whole  of  his  life. 
His  plantation  in  Vermilion  parish  consists  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixteen  arpents  of  land.  In  1882  Mr.  LeBlanc  opened  a  store  at  his  present 
place  of  residence,  and  since  has  conducted  a  flourishing  business  in  that  line. 
Mr.  LeBlanc  has  never  sought  political  preferment,  and,  in  fact,  has  steadfastly 
refused  to  be  the  recipient  of  any  political  honor.  He  was  married,  Jul}',  1853, 
to  Miss  Leontine  Blanchet,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  eleven 
living  children,  eiglit  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  family  are  catholics. 
Mr.  LeBlanc  in  politics  is  a  conservative  democrat.  He  was  a  soldier  through 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  war,  having  joined,  in  1862,  Fournet's  Battalion.  Com- 
pany F,  of  which  he  afterward  became  first  lieutenant. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL.  -ii)! 

Y 

LUCIUS  LkBLANC,   M.  D.,  Gregg. — Dr.  Lucius  LeBlanc  was  born   in 

this    parish,   February   i6,    1861.      He    is   the  son   of  Severin   LeBlanc,   above 

mentioned. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch   received  his  literary   education  at  Holy  Cross 

Collejje,  New  Iberia.    On  leaving  school  he  conducted  a  drug  business  at  Royville 

and  New  Iberia,  in  the  meanwhile  devoting  his  time  to  the  study  of  medicine. 

From   1883  to  1885  he  attended  the  Tulane  University  at  New  Orleans,  from 

which    institution    he    graduated    in    April    of   the    latter  year.       He  thereupon 

located  at  this  place  and  has  succeeded  in  building  up  an  extensive  practice.     At 

one   lime   he  was   post-master  of  Gregg.      Dr.  LeBlanc   married,   in    1887,   Miss 

Emma  Broussard.      Dr.  LeBlanc  is  a  democrat. 


JOSEPH  ALCEE  LeBLANC,  Abbeville.— Joseph  Alcee  LeBlanc, 
police  juror  from  ward  i,  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana,  December 
16,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Baptiste  LeBlanc,  both  natives  of  this 
parish,  where  they  were  reared  and  married.  They  lived  for  some  time  after 
their  marriage  in  St.  Mary  parish,  but  subsequently  returned  to  Vermilion 
parish,  where  they  have  since  resided.  Mr.  John  LeBlanc  has  been  a  planter 
the  whole  of  his  life.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  in  Four- 
net's  Battalion  as  sergeant  of  his  compan}-,  and  afterward  was  transferred  to 
the  Eighteenth  Louisiana  Infantry,  and  later  was  an  officer  in  the  Fourth 
Louisiana  Cavalry. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  school  da3S  in  St.  Mary  and 
Vermilion  parishes,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  He  has  given  his 
attention  entirely  to  his  planting  interests  since  engaging  in  business  and  is 
one  of  the  well-to-do  planters  of  Vermilion  parish.  He  was  appointed  member 
of  the  police  jury  in  1S84,  and  in  1S88  was  reappointed.  Mr.  LeBlanc  mar- 
ried, in  1872,  Miss  Broussard,  of  Vermilion  parish.  To  this  union  four  sons 
and  five  daughters  have  been  born,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Politically  Mr. 
LeBlanc  is  an  unwavering  Democrat. 

A.  L.  LeBLANC,  Abbeville. — A.  L.  LeBlanc,  sheriff  of  Vermilion 
parish,  was  born  in  this  parish,  September  10,  1855.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children  born  to  Richard  and  Ida  (Moore)  LeBlanc.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  this  State.  His  father  was  a  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  The 
LeBlanc  family  is  one  of  the  first  of  Louisiana,  being  descendants  from  French 
noblemen  who  sought  refuge  from  the  turbulent  scenes  of  the  old  country  in 
Louisiana.      Richard  LeBlanc  is  a  successful  planter  of  Vermilion  parish. 

A.  L.  LeBlanc,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  school  in  Jefferson  county, 
Texas,  for  a   period   of  five  vears.      After   returning  liome   he   was   engaged  in 


292  SOUTHWES7   LOUISIANA: 

farming  with  his  father  for  a  number  of  years.  He  married,  in  1878,  Miss 
Louise  Bourque,  daughter  of  Ulger  Bourque.  Mrs.  LeBlanc  died  in  1880.  Mr. 
LeBhinc  afterward  married  Mathilda  LeBlanc,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
five  children,  four  daughters  and  a  son,  viz:  Louise,  Louis,  Lelia.  Clara, 
Aiphonsine. 

A.  L.  LeBlanc  has  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Vermilion  parish  for  a 
period  aggregating  fourteen  years,  and  was  elected  sheriff  of  Vermilion  parish  in 
1888,  of  which  office  he  is  the  present  efficient  incumbent.  He  is  a  prosperous 
planter  and  owns  considerable  town  property  in  Abbeville.  Having  been  so  long 
engaged  in  public  services  there  are  few  men  more  competent  to  perform  the 
official  duties  incumbent  upon  one  occupying  his  responsible  position  than  Mr. 
LeBlanc.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

» 

^  ALCIDE  LeBLANC,  Abbeville. — Alcide  LeBlanc  was  born  in  Ver- 
milion parish,  Louisiana,  September,  1840.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Clarisse 
(Trahon)  LeBlanc,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Joseph  LeBlanc  was  a  planter 
of  Vermilion  parish.  To  him  and  wife  were  born  seven  children,  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.     Mr.  LeBlanc  died  in  1861  and  his  wife  in  i860. 

Alcide  LeBlanc  began  business  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  as  a  merchant  in 
Abbeville,  in  which,  however,  he  only  continued  for  a  short  time.  He  was  a 
soldier  during  the  late  war,  having  enlisted  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Mansfield,  Bisland,  and 
numerous  other  minor  engagements.  His  command  was  at  Natchitoches  at  the 
time  they  received  their  discharge.  Mr.  LeBlanc  was  appointed  deputy  clerk 
of  the  district  court  January,  1883,  and  elected  clerk  in  April,  1883,  of  which 
office  he  is  the  present  incumbent.  Mr.  LeBlanc  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss 
Eliza  Bernard.  To  them  eight  children  have  been  born,  five  sons  and  three 
daughters,  viz:    Editha,    Leonie,    Bernard,  Gabriel,  Lucy,  Eli,  Joseph,  Arthur, 

deceased.  , 

»     * 

L.  LEOTAUD,  Abbeville. — L.  Leotaud  was  born  in  Harrison  county, 
Texas,  1859.  He  is  the  son  of  Anthony  and  Maudeline  V.  (Ruddy)  Leotaud, 
the  former  a  native  of  Marseilles,  France,  and  the  latter  of  Germany.  To  them 
were  born  five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  was 
the  youngest.  Anthony  Leotaud  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  Galves- 
ton up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  earlier  days  he  had  been  captain  of  a  vessel 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  in  Texas  in  1871.  His 
wife  died  in  i860. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  principally  in  Abbeville.  At  the  age 
of  thirteen  years  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Abbeville,  Louisiana,  and  fol- 
lowed this  occupation  for  a  number  of  years.      He  owns    residence    property  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  l'!)S 

Abbtville,  and  a  drinking  saloon,  which  gives  him  a  good  income.  Mr.  Leotaud 
was  married,  in  1882,  to  Miss  Louise  Veazy,  of  Abbeville,  daughter  of  Theo- 
phile  Veazy.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  daughters  and  a  son. 
viz:  Lily,  Anita  and  Sidney.  Mr.  Leotaud  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic church.  „ 

»      » 

\y  MARTIN  V.  LAMPMAN,  Abbeville. — Martin  V.  Lampniaii,  a  farmer. 
living  about  a  mile  east  of  Abbeville,  was  born  in  Columbia  county.  New  York, 
Juhe  18,  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  C.  J.  and  Lydia  Lampman,  both  natives  of 
New  York.  The  father  was  a  farmer,  which  occupation  he  followed  until  the 
time  of  his  deatli  in  1867.  After  his  death  liis  wife  and  children  removed  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  she  died  in  1872. 

The  subject  of  ihis  sketch  is  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  five  sons  and  one 
daugliter.  He  came  to  Louisiana  in  1873,  being  the  only  member  of  his  family 
who  came  to  this  countrj'.  He  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land  under  fence,  on  which  he  raises  corn,  cotton  and  cane.  He  also  keeps  a 
dairy  and  furnishes  milk  to  the  town  of   Abbeville. 

He  was  married  in  New  Orleans  in  1864,  while  in  the  United  States  army, 
to  Miss  Hannah  Leckert.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons 
and  a  daughter,  viz:  Charles  A.,  Martin,  Edgar  and  Jennie.  Mrs.  Lampman 
died  in  1880,  and  Mr.  Lampman  was  married  a  second  time,  to  Miss  Pauline 
Stephen.  To  them  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  have  been  born. 
Mr.  Lampman  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  a  number  of  j'ears, 
and  has  been  commissioner  of  election  ever  since  he  removed  to  this  parish.  He 
was  president  of  the  first  Farmers'  Union  that  was  organized  in  this  parish,  and 
was  vice  president  of  the  union  for  a  3'ear.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association  of   Abbeville.      In  religion  he  is  a  Methodist. 

«  • 
REV.  A.  M.  MEHAULT,  Abbeville.— Rev.  Father  A.  M.  Mehault, 
parish  priest  of  Vermilion,  was  born  in  France,  June,  1843.  He  was  educated 
for  the  priesthood  in  France,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  1865,  landing 
at  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  ordained  priest  in  1867.  The  same  year  he 
was  located  at  Opelousas  as  vicar,  and  was  also  vicar  at  Abbeville  for  one  year 
and  a  half,  where,  in  December,  1868,  he  was  sent.  He  became  parish  priest 
in  1870,  and  in  that  capacity  has  continued  till  the  presenttime.  Father  Mehault 
is  known  throughout  the  parish  as  a  high  minded  Christian  gentleman.  Under 
his  abfe  administration,  his  parochial  affairs  have  been  in  excellent  condition. 
A  large  $13,000  church  house  and  $15,000  convent  have  been  erected,  the 
latter  of  wliich  is  attended  by  a  great  number  of  children.  Rev.  Father 
Mehault  was  one  of  the  heaviest  contributors  to  the  building  of  these  institu- 
tions, which  by  his  untiring  energy  and  perseverance  are  free  from  debt. 


204  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  ■ 

The  immense  parish  of  which  he  has  charge  is  soon  to  be  divided  into  three  or 
four  different  ecclesiastical  parishes.  The  new  church  is  now  entirely  too  small 
and  inadequate  to  the  growing  population — population  growing  up  from  children 
born  there.  ^ 

ELI  MONTAGNE,  Abbeville. — Eli  Montagne  was  born  in  Iberia  parish, 
Louisiana,  Februar)'  20,  1834.  He  is  a  son  of  Eli  and  Arthemise  (LeBlanc) 
Montagne.  His  father  was  a  native  of  France,  who  came  to  America  when 
young.  Our  subject's  maternal  grandparents  removed  to  Louisiana  from  Canada 
at  a  very  early  dav,  and  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Louisiana.  Here  they 
reared  a  family  of  children,  amongst  whom  was  the  mother  of  our  subject.  She 
is  still  living.  The  father  died  in  18SS,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Eli 
Montaone  received  a  common  school  education.  The  first  business  in  which 
he  embarked  was  merchandising,  in  which  he  was  engaged  up  to  the  beginning 
of  the  war.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  States  army  as  second 
lieutenant  in  Captain  Fuller's  Independent  Company  of  Fournet's  Battalion. 
At  the  battle  of  Bisland,  and  in  two  subsequent  engagements,  Mr.  Montagne  re- 
ceived serious  wounds,  from  which  he  was  rendered  unfit  for  active  service,  and 
was  detailed  to  contract  the  manufacture  of  clothing  for  the  Confederate  States 
armv.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  war  he  conducted  a  tan  yard  at  Natchitocnes  for 
a  short  period,  and  was  afterward  engaged  in  steamboating  on  Bayou  Teche 
for  some  time.  He  subsequently  opened  a  commission  business  in  New  Orleans, 
but  was  not  successful;  and  after  conducting  it  for  a  few  years  he  removed  to 
New  Iberia  and  engaged  in  merchandising,  in  which  he  was  more  successful. 
In  1874  he  removed  to  Vermilion  parish  and  purchased  at  tax  Sctles  a  large  tract 
of  land.  He  has  served  as  surveyor  since  1878.  Mr.  Montague  conducts  a 
grcjcery  store  in  Abbeville.  He  was  married,  in  1856,  to  Odilie  Segura,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  original  settlers  of  the  Spanish  colony  at  Iberia.  To  this  union 
ten  children  have  been  born,  five  of  whom  are  living,  viz  :   Fernand.  Paul.  Eli  U., 

Henry,  Elmira.  ^ 

«      » 
/ 

ALEXANDER  MOSS,  Abbeville. — Alexander  Moss  was  born  in  La- 
fayette parish,  near  Royville,  in  1831.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Clara 
(Thibodeaux)  Moss.  Joseph  Moss  was  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  came  to  Louis- 
iana with  his  parents  when  3'oung,  locating  in  Vermilion  parish,  they  being 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  section.  Joseph  Moss  afterward  located  in 
Lafayette  parish,  where  he  became  a  prosperous  planter.  He  died  in  the  prime 
of  his  life. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  of  ten  children,  of  whom  A.  J 
Moss,  of  Lafayette,  whose  sketch  appears  in  another  part  of  this  work,  is  a 
brother.     Young  Alexander  worked  on    his   father's    plantation    and    attended 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  •>!).> 

school  alternately  until  he  attained  his  majority.  At  his  father's  death  he  re- 
moved to  Vermilion  parish  and  assumed  charge  of  the  sugar  plantation  which 
his  father  possessed  in  that  parish.  He  located  permanently  in  his  present  phice 
of  residence  in  1868,  where  he  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  under 
the  best  of  improvement,  the  principal  product  of  his  plantation  being  sugar  cane. 
Mr.  Moss  has  also  a  fine  orange  grove  of  from  one  thousand  to  twelve  liundred 
trees,  with  a  variety  of  other  fruits.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  having 
enlisted  in  1862,  in  Fournet's  Yellow  Jacket  Battalion,  afterward  being  trans- 
ferred to  the  Eighteenth  Louisiana.  He  participated  in  the  battles  at  Bisland, 
Yellow  Bayou  and  in  other  minor  engagements.  At  Bisland  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner, and  detained  a  short  while  at  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Moss  was  united  in 
marriage,  in  1861,  with  Miss  Martha  Rice,  daughter  of  Samuel  R.  Rice.  They 
are  the  parents  of  eight  living  children,  seven  daughters  and  a  son.  Our  sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  and  is  an   ardent  democrat. 

V  *       * 

HENRY  J.  MOSS,  Abbevii.le. — Henr\'  J.  Moss  is  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  in  what  is  now  Vermilion  parish,  1835.  ^^  '^  one  of  a  famih'  of  seven 
children  born  to  Alfred  and  Joanna  (Hartley)  Moss.  Alfred  Moss  was  born 
in  Georgia,  removing  to  Louisiana  with  his  parents  when  a  boy,  and  here 
received  his  education.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War.  During  the 
whole  of  his  life  he  gave  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died  in 
Vermilion  parish  in  1845,  his  widow  surviving  him  until  1853. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  localitv  in  which 
he  was  reared,  and  on  beginning  business  life  engaged  in  farming,  to  which  he 
has  devoted  himself  during  the  whole  of  his  life.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  the  infantry  service.  He  only  served  a  short 
while,  when  he  was  wounded  and  was  disabled  for  active  service  and  received  his 
discharge.  Mr.  Moss  owns  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Vermilion  parish,  three 
hundred  of  which  he  cultivates,  principally  in  corn,  rice  and  cane.  In  1858  he 
married  Miss  Jane  Primeaux,  of  Vermilion  parish.  Thev  are  the  parents  of 
sixteen  children,  fifteen  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Maticia,  x\nna,  Clarence, 
Franklin,    Henrietta,    Laura,   Carrie   INL,    Hartlev,   Oliver,   Howard,  Cornelius, 

Clifton,  Lih',  Lilian  and  Walter.  ^ 

*      * 

THOMAS  J.  MORGAN,  Henry.— Thomas  J.  Morgan  is  a  native  of 
Alabama,  born  Januarj'  i.  1830.  He  is  the  son  of  James  S.  and  Susan  G. 
(Lloyd  )  Morgan.  His  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  born  December 
30,  1804.  His  mother  was  born  January  10,  1808.  James  S.  Morgan  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  in  South  Carolina  in  1829,  and  became  the 
father  of  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  two  of  whom  are  living,  our 
subject  being  the  elder.     Thos.  J.  was  reared  and  educated  in  Alabama,  where  he 


iiiif,  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  . 

resided  until  1S67,  when  he  removed  to  Vermilion  parish,  and  has  here  since 
been  engaged  in  planting.  He  served  in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil 
War,  having  enlisted  in  1861  in  Company  A,  Third  Alabama  Infantry.  He  was 
in  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Murfreesboro,  and  numerous  other  engagements.  Mr. 
Morgan  is  prominent  in  local  affairs.  He  was  appointed  member  of  the  police 
jury  from  the  second  ward  in  1884,  and  served  in  this  capacity  for  four  years. 
He  is  one  of  Vermilion's  successful  planters,  and  has  amassed  a  comfortable 
fortune.  The  principal  products  of  his  plantation  are  corn,  cotton  and  rice. 
Mr.  Morgan  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  at  Abbeville. 

He  was  married  in  Ringold  county,  Alabama,  September  16,  1867,  to  Miss 
Mary  L.  Jones,  a  native  of  Wilcox  county,  Alabama,  daughter  of  Gray  B.  and 
Elizabeth  (Kennedy)  Jones,  nativesof  South  Carolina  and  Alabama,  respectively. 
Ten  children  have  been  born  to  their  union,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  nine 
of  whom  are  now  living,  viz:  Elizabeth  M.,  wife  of  S.  M.  Henr}';  William  J., 
Thomas  J.,  Jr.,  Luke  L.,  John  G.,  Mattie  A.,  wite  of  Clarence  Moss;  Susan 
G.,  Eddie  K.,  and  Mary  R.  Mrs.  Morgan  died  October  26,  1888.  She.  as  is 
her  husband,  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.   Church  South. 


^  ALBERT  G.  MAXWELL,  Ramskv.— Albert  G.  Maxwell,  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  what  is  now  Vermilion  parish,  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  born 
in  Chestertown,  Kent  county,  October  6.  1815.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Rebecca  (Coats)  Maxwell.  John  Maxwell  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  as 
a  m^ber  of  the  Light  Horse  Company.  He  was  in  the  battle  near  Chester- 
town,  Maryland,  where  Sir  Peter  Parker  was  killed :  and  also  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Calksfield.  Early  in  life  he  pursued  a  medical  course,  in  which  he  gradu- 
ated, but  the  practice  of  medicine  not  proving  congenial  to  his  taste,  he  after- 
ward studied  law,  though  he  was  never  admitted  to  the  bar;  and  tinally  planting 
became  his  lifetime  occupation.  He  was  an  extensive  and  prominent  planter, 
and  was  a  large  slave  holder.  He  was  the  first  slave  owner  in  Marjland  who 
emancipated  his  slaves.  This  he  did  bv  giving  the  young  ones  their  freedom  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  the  old  ones  were  liberated  at  his  death.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years,  Albert  G.  being  at  the  time  ten  3'ears  old. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  an  active  worker.  In  politics 
he  adhered  strictly  to  the  principles  of  the  whig  party.  Rebecca  Coats  Maxwell 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Coats,  of  Easton,  Maryland.  He  was  aprominent  Mason, 
and  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  first  worshipful  master  in  the  Stale  Grand 
Lodge.  He  was  a  sergeant  in  the  division  that  Arnold  commanded  during  the 
Revolutionary  War.  After  the  war  in  recognition  of  his  services  the  government 
bestowed  upon  him  grants  of  land  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio.  He  was  an  inti- 
mate friend  and    associate  of    Jolin    Knox,    of   revolutionary  fame.      Dr.    Coats 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  297 

never  amassed  a  fortune,  though  his  income  was  large.  He  was  generous  almost 
to  a  fault. 

Albert  G.  Maxwell,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  one  of  a  family  of  four 
children,  only  two  of  whom  are  living — himself  and  Sophia,  widow  of  Dr.  Henry 
M.  Robertson,  of  Huntsville.  Susan  Henrietta  married  J.  C.  Wallis,  of  Mary- 
land. She  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  John  M.  was  a  merchant  in 
New  Brunswick,  who  came  to  Louisiana  in  1851,  and  located  in  Lafayette  par- 
ish, where  he  was  married,  and  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  forty-nine  years. 

Albert  G.  Maxwell  received  a  thorough  academic  education.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  j'ears,  he  removed  to  Louisiana,  and  was  for  some  time  engaged  as 
a  book-keeper  for  Smith  &  Sons,  of  Franklin,  Louisiana.  Two  years  after  en- 
tering their  employ,  he  opened  an  establishment  on  his  own  account,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  business  for  a  period  of  several  years.  Subsequent  to  this  he 
was  for  twelve  years  occupied  in  planting  in  Lafaj-ette  parish,  when  he  removed 
to  this  parish,  and  has  given  his  attention  since  to  conducting  his  plantation.  In 
18S7  he  purchased  the  Pecan  Grove  plantation,  which  consists  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  fertile  land  near  Abbeville.  Mr.  Maxwell  v^'as  married  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years  to  Miss  Martha  Nixon,  of  Lafayette  parish.  Slie  died 
in  1875.  He  afterward  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Tilden,  of  Kent  county,  Mary- 
land, a  cousin  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  Mrs.  Maxwell  died  in  1880.  Before  the 
dissolution  of  that  part}',  Mr.  Maxwell  was  a  Whig.      He  is  a  prominent  member 

oi  the  Masonic  fraternity.  ^ 

*      » 

^  MARCUS  L.  MORTON,  xAbbeville.— Marcus  L.  Morton  was  born  in 
Vermilion  parish,  December  11,  1848.  His  father,  John  W.  Morton,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  on  his  way  to  join  the  United  States  army  during  the  Mexican 
war  he  stopped  in  Louisiana,  remaining  for  some  time.  While  here  he  married  Miss 
Adelaide  Mouton,  our  subject's  mother.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Jefferson 
county,  Texas.  He  became  sheriff  of  Jefferson  county,  and  in  185 1  was  killed  in 
an  attempt  to  make  an  arrest. 

Marcus  L.  Morton  received  his  education  in  the  public  school.s  of  Vermilion 
parish.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  joined  the  State  Guards  and  was  afterward 
transferred  to  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  dismounted  cavalry,  and  with  his 
regiment  was  a  participant  in  the  battles  of  Mansfield,  Pleasant  Hill,  and  the 
skirmislies  on  Lafourche  bayou  and  the  Mississippi  river 

Since  the  war  Mr.  Morton  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising.  His  place,  located  fifteen  miles  southwest  of  Abbeville,  consists 
of  four  hundred  acres  of  land  on  Cow  Island  and  two  hundred  acres  on  Pine 
Island.  Mr.  Morton  married,  in  1870,  Miss  Begir  Mouton.  To  this  union  five 
children  have  been  born,  viz:     Augustus  A.,  Adams  O.,  Adelaide.  Agnes    and 


298  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

Joseph  A.     Mr.  Morton  and  familx'  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.     He  is 
a  Mason  and  a  member  ot  the  Farmers"  Alliance.      He  is  a  Democrat. 


^  HON.  ADRIEN  NUNEZ,  Abbeville.— Hon.  Adrien  Nuiiez  was  born  in 
what  is  now  Vermilion  parish,  October  22,  1829.  He  is  the  oldest  son  of  a 
family  of  five  children  born  to  Joseph  and  Mary  (Loups)  Nunez,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Louisiana.  His  father  was  a  large  planter  and  stock  dealer  of 
Lafayette  parish.  He  died  in  this  parish  in  1887  at  the  age  of  eight3r-seven 
years.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish  in  1806 and  died 
in  1874.      ^^  '^^'^  '^^^  children  born  to  them  four  are  now  living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Vermil- 
ion parish.  Since  engaging  in  business  he  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  plant- 
ing and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Nuiiez  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs, 
and  was  elected  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Vermilion  parish  in  185 1,  serv- 
ing for  one  term.  He  was  again  elected  in  i860,  and  reelected  in  1862.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house,  and  served  until  1877.  In  iSSo  he  was 
elected  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  served  four  years.  His  public  services 
have  been  marked  by  their  conservatism,  and  the  vigilance  with  which  he  has 
represented  the  interest  of  his  constituency.  Mr.  Nunez  enjoys  an  enviable  popu- 
larity, and  if  he  chooses  to  accept  them,  he  is  looked  upon  as  the  subject  of  high 
future  honors.  In  a  financial  sense  Mr.  Nunez  has  been  remarkably  successful. 
He  owns  fourteen  thousand  acres  of  excellent  land,  bounded  on  the  south  bvthe 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  on  the  west  by  Vermilion  Bayou.  Three  hundred  acres 
are  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the  principal  products  being  rice,  corn  and 
cane.  He  also  deals  extensively  in  a  fine  grade  of  stock,  and  has  on  his  planta- 
tion a  number  of  Durham  cattle,  and  a  superior  grade  of  horses,  sheep,  and 
hogs.  Mr.  Nunez  was  married  in  1848  to  Miss  Olivia  Guidry,  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  born  1832,  and  daughter  of  Oliver  Guidry.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  two  sons  and  seven  daughters,  eight  of  whom  are  living.  His  wife 
died  in  1874.  Mr.  Nunez,  in  1876,  married  Miss  Lillie  Breaux,  of  Vermilion 
parish.     They  are  the  parents  of  four  children:    Nellie,  C.  B.,  Maud  and  Olgar. 

>/  .  .      *     * 

ADRIEN  HEBRARD  NUNEZ,  Abbeville.—  Adrien  H.  Nunez,  a  suc- 
cessful stock  raiser,  was  born  at  Spring  Hill,  June  6,  1859.  He  is  the  son  of 
Adrien  Nunez,  whose  sketch  appears  above.  He  was  but  an  infant  when  his 
father  removed  to  what  is  now  Nufiez  Island,  where  he  was  reared.  He  received 
his  education  at  Thibodeauxville  and  Lafayette,  graduating  from  Thibodeaux- 
ville  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Mr.  Nuiiez  educated  himself  with  the  view 
of  becoming  a  physician,  but  changed  his  mind  and  gave  his  attention  to  stock 
raising  and  planting.      He  is  probably  the  most  extensive  stock  dealer  in  this  sec- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  29!> 

tion  of  the  country.  He  has  on  his  place  a  huge  number  of  a  tine  jfrade  of 
horses  and  cattle.  His  plantation  consists  of  three  thousand  acres  of  land,  finely 
located  and  well  improved. 

Mr.  Nunez  married,  February  19,  1884,  Miss  Mary  LeonaKibbe,  daughter 
of  Levi  Kibbe,  of  Vermilion  parish.  The}'  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  a 
son  and  a  daughter.  Both  Mr.  Nunez  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  He  has  taken  quite  an  active  part  in  the  local  affairs  of  his  parish,  and 
has  served  as  deputy  sheriff  and  tax  collector.  In  politics  he  is  an  uncompro- 
mising democrat.  ^ 

'^  HON.  OLIVER  H.  O'BRYAN,  Abbeville.— Mr.  O'Bryan,  assessor  of 
Vermilion  parish,  was  born  in  this  parish,  Februarj^  20,  1862.  He  is  the  son 
of  Daniel  O'Bryan,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere. 

Mr.  0'Br3'an  spent  his  school  days  in  Lafayette  and  Abbeville,  and  was 
eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  At  an  earl}'  age  he 
entered  agricultural  pursuits,  and  successfully  pursued  it  until  twenty  years  old; 
when,  seeking  a  more  active  vocation,  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which, 
however,  he  abandoned  for  that  of  cooper,  working  at  the  last  mentioned  trade 
for  the  manufacturers  of  sugar  in  the  vicinity  for  a  period  of  two  years.  He 
then  became  a  salesman,  and  for  four  years  was  justice  of  the  peace.  Having 
grown  well  acquainted  with  the  parish,  and  established  a  reputation  for  his  re- 
liability, he  secured  the  deputy  clerkship  of  the  district  court  under  Lastie 
Broussard,  and  served  for  a  considerable  period,  during  which  time  he  became 
well  acquainted  with  the  business  of  the  parish.  In  January,  1S89,  he  was 
appointed  assessor  of  Vermilion  parish,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that 
office.  Mr.  O'Bryan  is  a  young  man  of  prepossessing  appearance,  and  the  con- 
fidence which  he  has  established  between  himself  and  the  citizens  of  Vermilion 
parish  makes  him  their  probable  subject  of  the  future  honors  of  her  people. 
He  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ruth  Abigail  Nourse,  a  native  of  New 
Orleans.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  John  Winford  and  Edwin 
Paul.  Mr.  O'Bryan  and  wife  are  stanch  members  of  the  Catholic  church, 
and  he  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  K.  of  H.,  being  reporter  of  his  lodge  at 
this  place. 

"^  LEVI  S.  RICE,  Abbeville. — Levi  S.  Rice  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish 
on  what  was  then  known  as  Rice's  Island,  January  6,  1820.  He  is  the  son  of 
Samuel  Rice,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  removed  to  Louisiana  when  he 
was  a  young  man,  while  Louisiana  belonged  to  France.  He  resided  on  Rice's 
Island  until  1828,  when  he  removed  to  what  is  now  Vermilion  parish,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 
His  wife  died  in  1839,  '^'  about  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years. 


;{(iO  SOUTH  WEST  LOUISIANA  : 

The  subiect  of  lliis  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  He 
spent  his  school  days  in  St.  Mary  and  Vermilion  parishes.  He  remained  with 
his  father  until  his  death,  when  he  assumed  charge  of  the  plantation,  and  later 
beg;in  planting  for  himself.  Early  in  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Rice  was  appointed 
quartermaster  of  the  Vermilion  Regiment,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  a 
short  while,  subsequently  engaging  as  department  agent  at  Lafayette.  After 
the  war  he  taught  school  several  years,  when  he  again  resumed  planting,  in 
which  he  is  at  present  engaged.  Mr.  Rice  was  married,  in  184S,  to  Miss  Elmira 
Campbell,  a  native  of  Vermilion  parisli,  Louisiana.  To  them  ten  children  have 
been  born,  four  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Ella  C,  Olive,  Reese  and  Weeta. 
Mr.  Rice  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  and  has  served  as  president  of 

this  union.  • 

»      • 

CORNELIUS  L.  RICE,  Ramsey. — CorneHus  L.  Rice  was  born  in  what  is 
cow  Vermilion  parish,  August  15,  1835.  He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  Rice,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  in  his  sketch  of  Levi  Rice. 

Young  Cornelius  L.  received  his  education  in  his  native  parish,  and  through 
the  whole  of  his  life  has  been  a  planter  and  stock  raiser.  In  1861  he  joined  the 
Eighth  Louisiana  Infantry,  C.  S.  A.,  in  which  he  served  for  two  years,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned  to  service 
in  the  Trans-Mississippi  department.  While  in  the  Eighth  Louisiana,  his  field 
of  operation  was  principally  in  Virginia,  and  he  participated  in  many  engage- 
ments of  the  Virginia  campaign.  After  he  was  transferred  to  the  Trans-Missis- 
sippi department,  Mr.  Rice  was  on  duty  principally  as  a  scout  and  a  guide. 
The  regiment  disbanded  on  Red  River;  Mr.  Rice,  at  that  time,  being  home  on 
a  furlough.  He  married,  in  1862,  Miss  Laura  Perr}-,  who  lived  three  years  after 
her  marriage.  Mr.  Rice  married  again  in  1867,  Miss  Nancy  O'Brien.  To 
them  thirteen  children  have  been  born,  five  sons  and  eight  daughters,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  Politically  Mr.  Rice  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Farmers'  Alliance,  of  which  he  has  been  vice  president.  He  owns  six  hundred 
acres  of  very  fertile  woodland,  a  small  portion  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 

V'  LORENZO  C.  RICE,  Ramsey. — Lorenzo  C.  Rice,  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  the  seventh  ward,  was  born  in  V^ermilion  parish.  June  9, 
1828.     He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  R.  Rice,  mentioned  elsewhere. 

Our  subject  spent  his  school  days  in  this  parish,  receiving  a  fair  education. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Mr.  Rice  began  farming  and  stock  raising,  in 
which  he  has  been  constantly  engaged  since  that  time.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Confederate  States  service  during  the  late  Civil  War,  enlisting,  in  1861,  in 
Fournet's  Battalion.  He  was  atterward  transferred  to  the  Eighth  Louisiana 
Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  the  remainder  of  the  war.      He  was  in  the  battles  at 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  ;W1 

Camp  Bisland  and  Donaldsonville.  At  the  former  place  lie  only  escaped  being 
captured  by  accepting  the  prerogative  of  untold  hardships,  having  gone  for  eight 
days  without  food  and  with  little  water.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Rice  re- 
turned home  and  resumed  planting.  He  owns  three  hundred  and  ninety  acres 
of  land  of  the  greatest  fertility,  a  portion  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 


^  JAMES  B.  RAMSEY,  M.  D.,  Ramsey.— James  B.  Ramsey  was  born  in 
Chatham  county,  N.  C,  August  27,  1820.  He  is  the  son  of  Ambrose  Knox 
Ramsey  and  Nancy  Yancey,  of  Yanceyville,  N.  C.  natives  of  North  Carolina. 
Ambrose  K.  Ramsey  was  a  wealthy  farmer  and  mill  owner  and  North  Carolina 
legislator.  Wlien  James  B.  was  but  a  boy,  his  parents  removed  to  Alabama 
where  his  mother  died.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years  in  Meri- 
dian, Miss.  James  B.  Ramsey's  grandfather  and  two  of  his  great-uncles  were 
soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War — true  whigs. 

James  B.  is  the  second  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  seven  now  living.  He  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  at  the  University  of  Alabama,  at  Tuscaloosa. 
Later  he  matriculated  in  the  medical  school  of  Transylvania  University,  Lexington, 
Ky.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1843.  He  first  practised  medicine  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Alabama,  and  subsequently  in  Mississippi.  In  1871  he  removed 
to  Iberia  parish,  Louisiana,  and  in  1872  located  at  his  present  place  of  residence. 
During  the  late  war  he  was  surgeon  of  Harrison's  Regiment.  He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Secession  Convention  in  Mississippi,  and  signed  the  Secession 
Ordinance.  Doctor  Ramsey  has  given  his  attention  to  planting  since  1847.  He 
now  owns  four  hundred  acres  of  veiy  fertile  land  where  he  resides,  which  he 
conducts  to  the  best  advantage.  He  was  married  in  1846  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A. 
Cole,  daughter  of  a  prominent  planter  of  Mississippi,  and  representative  in  North 
Carolina  and  Mississippi  Convention  in  1851.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven 
living  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  Doctor  Ramsey  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  Master  of  Royal  Arch  Mason.  He  is  a  whole-souled 
democrat  and  takes  an  active  part  in  the  manipulation  of  part)'  affairs.  Ramsey 
postoffice,  at  his  place  of  residence,  is  named  in  his  honor  or  from  his  former 
residence  at  the  place.  He  is  opposed  to  the  Louisiana  letter)'  and  all  lotteries, 
and   is  using  his  influence  to  prevent  a  recharter. 

* 

*     * 

"/  H.  J.  STANSBURY.  Pkrrv's  Bridgp:.— H.  J.  Stansbury,  of  the  firm  of 
S.  Stansbur}'  &  Son,  was  born  on  the  plantation  where  he  now  lives,  December 
2,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Summerfield  and  Rachael  (Stakes)  Stansbury. 
Summerfield  Stansburj'^  is  yet  living  and  a  resident  of  this  parish,  born  on  the 
plantation  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  about  fifty-si.K  years  of  age.  He  has 
been  a  ver\-    successful  planter  all  his  life.      In  1868  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 


302  SO  UTH  WEST  L  O  UlSIA NA  : 

ture  of  sugar  and  syrup  on  a  limited  scale.  In  iSSi  he  erected  a  more  exten- 
sive plant.  For  a  while  before  the  war  he  was  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
New  Iberia.  On  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities,  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate 
armj',  his  field  of  operation  being  on  the  east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  where 
he  participated  in  many  hard-fought  battles.  He  was  taken  prisoner,  but  only 
held  in  captivity  one  month.  His  wife  is  still  living.  Siie  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  South.  He  is  a  Mason,  with  his  membership  at  Abbeville,  and 
has  alvvaj's  been  a  stanch  democrat. 

Our  subject  is  tlie  oldest  of  three  sons,  and  the  second  of  eight  children. 
He  spent  his  school  days  at  Abbeville,  later  attending  the  Normal  School  of 
Chicago,  Illinois,  in  1875  and  1876.  On  leaving  school  he  immediately  com- 
menced farming  on  his  father's  plantation.  In  1882  he  was  engaged  on  Mr. 
Putnam's  plantation  for  the  period  of  two  years  as  overseer,  later  becoming  a 
partner  in  the  culture  of  sugar  cane.  In  1886  he  took  charge  of  his  father's 
sugar  house  and  in  1888  became  his  partner.  In  this  he  has  been  since  engaged. 
His  management  is  most  effective  and  able,  and  his  repeated  successes  have  be- 
come proverbial.  In  1876  Mr.  Stansbury  married  Miss  Rosa  Feray,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Feray,  of  this  parish.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Dora  M., 
Francis  V.,  Benny  H.  and  Leon.  The  subject  is  a  Mason,  holding  the  posi- 
tion of  secretary  of  Abbeville  Lodge,  No.  192,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  K.  of  H.,  Lodge  No.  3240.     Politically  he  is  a  democrat. 

» 
»     » 

^  HON.  GRANVILLE  B.  SHAW,  Abbeville.— Hon.  Granville  B.  Shaw, 
Representative  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  from  Vermilion  parish, 
was  born  in  what  is  known  as  Nunez  Island,  August  14,  1848.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  Shaw  and  Rebecca  Merriman.  John  Shaw  was  born  in  Raleigh,  North 
Carolina,  and  came  to  Louisiana  when  a  young  man.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1S12.  After  locating  in  Louisiana  Mr.  Shav\'  became  a  large  sugar 
planter,  and  operated  the  place  now  owned  b}'  Adrien  Nuiiez.  He  died  in  what 
is  now  Vermilion  parish,  in  1867.  The  subject's  grandfatlier  was  Commodore 
John  Shaw,  of  the  United  States  Nav}',  a  native  of  England,  who  removed  to 
Ireland,  and,  later,  to  the  United  States. 

Granville  B.  Shaw  is  one  of  seven  children.  He  received  his  education  in 
Orange,  Texas,  in  Dr.  Houston's  school,  and  was  in  attendance  at  this  place 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Leaving  school  in  1862  he  joined  Company  B, 
Selby's  Brigade,  and  was  in  active  service  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Mansfield,  Pleasant  Hill,  Yellow  Bayou,  and  other 
engagements  in  Louisiana.  In  one  of  these  engagements  he  was  slightly  wound- 
ed, though  not  rendered  unable  for  active  service.  After  the  war  Mr.  Shaw 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  in  186S  came  to  Abbeville  and  engaged  in 
mercantile  puisuits.      In  1870    he  was   elected  sheriff  of  Vermilion   parish    and. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  303 

with  the  exception  of  the  years  1873-74,  occupied  the  office  until  1883.      In  1888 

he  became  an   independent   candidate   for  the  lower  house    of    the  Legislature 

and  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority  over  the  regular  democratic  nominee. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  married,  August  8,  1870,  to  Miss  Zulma  Marie  Bernard.     They 

r.re  the  parents  of  three  living  children:    Daisy  J.,  born   August  2,    1871 ;    Jolin 

Berwick,  born  August  7,  1873,  and  Mercedes,  born  March  30,  1878. 

* 
*      * 

MARTIN  SARVER,  Indian  Bayou. — Martin  Sarver  was  born  in  Ver- 
milion parish  September  17,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Denice 
(Rolen)  Sarver.  His  father  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  removed 
to  Louisiana  when  a  j^oung  man.  He  located  in  Vermilion  parish,  where  he 
married  our  subject's  mother.  He  afterward  removed  to  St.  Landry  parish,  and 
was  connected  with  a  tan-3^ard.  In  this  he  was  engaged  until  the  lime  of  his 
death  in  1870.  His  wife  died  in  1878.  Mrs.  Sarver  was  a  lad}'  of  Frencli  de- 
scent, lier  parents  having  been  natives  of  France. 

Martin  Sarver  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  St.  Landry  parish,  where  he  resided  until  185 1 
or  1S52.  when  he  removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence  in  Vermilion  parisli, 
which  was  then  a  wild  prairie.  He  has  always  given  his  attention  chiefly  to 
farming  and  has  been  successful.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  police  jury 
before  the  war  and  served  in  this  capacity  for  seventeen  consecutive  years,  a 
portion  of  which  time  he  was  the  president.  He  also  served  for  many  years  as 
justice  of  the 'peace  from  his  ward.  He  is  the  present  post-master  at  Indian 
Bayou,  which  position  he  has  held  since  18S2.  Mr.  Sarver  served  the  latter 
two  3'ears  of  the  Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  the  Shreveport  Battalion,  or  Sev- 
enth Louisiana  Regiment,  as  sergeant,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  Two  of  his  brothers  were  [)rivates  in  the  same  regiment.  Mr.  Sarver 
was  married  July  4,  1S51,  to  Miss  Altha  Z.  Morgan,  of  Vermilion  parish.  Thev 
are  the  parents  of  six  living  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  in  which  he  is 
steward.  , 

^  JOSEPH  THEALL,  Abbeville. —  Joseph  Theall,  planter  and  stock 
raiser,  was  born  at  Perry's  Bridge,  Vermilion  parish,  July  19,  1847.  He  is  the 
son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Marie  (Nunez)  Theall,  both  natives  of  what  is  now  Ver- 
milion parish.  Andrew  J.  Theall  was  a  successful  planter  of  this  parish.  He 
was  for  several  years  parish  assessor,  and  was  a  well  known  and  respected 
citizen. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  of  tive  children.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  Lafayette  high  school.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  late  war  he 
joined  the  Eleventh  Louisiana  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  until  the  surrender. 


;i04  SOUTHWEST  LOU/S/ANA: 

After  the  war  he  again  entered  school,  only  remaiiiiiiy;,  liovvever,  a  short  while. 
On  leaving  school  he  took  charge  of  a  stock  farm.  Farming  and  stock  raising 
has  been  his  principal  occupation  through  life;  and  by  industry  and  judicious 
management  he  has  been  quite  successful,  being  now  one  of  Vermilion's  well- 
to-do  farmers.  He  owns  over  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  situated  twelve  miles 
south  of  Abbeville.  In  1870  Mr.  Theall  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mathilde 
Guidry,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  four 
dauofhters. 


AURELIEN  THEALL,  Abbeville.— Aurelien  Theall  was  born  in  Ver- 
milion parish,  February,  185 1.  His  father,  Andrew  Jackson  Theall  died  wlien 
Aurelien  was  but  three  years  of  age.     His  mother  is  still  living. 

Aurelien  Tlieall  spent  his  school  days  in  Vermilion  parish  and  recei\'ed  a 
fair  education.  At  an  early  age  he  accepted  a  position  as  salesman  in  a 
mercantile  business  in  this  parish,  which  he  followed  for  some  time,  sub- 
sequently turning  his  attention  to  farming.  This  he  pursued  for  several  years, 
when  he  entered  the  store  of  V.  Broussard  as  clerk,  with  whom  he  remained 
three  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  removed  to  his  present  place  of 
residence,  in  1880,  and  opened  a  store  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Joseph. 
In  connection  with  this  Mr.  Theall  owns  six  hundred  arpents  of  land,  which  he 
concucts  as  a  stock  farm  principally.  He  was  mgrried,  April  25,  187 1,  to  Miss 
Eusiede  Guidry,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  son  and  five 
dauirhters.      The  familv  are  all  Catholics. 


MAURICE  VILLIEN,  Milton. — Maurice  Villien,  a  successful  and  ener- 
getic merchant  and  planter  of  Ward  4,  is  a  native  of  Savoie,  France,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  when  a  3'oung  man,  locating  in  Louisiana.  He  first  was 
engaged  in  business  in  New  Orleans,  later,  Iberia,  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Vermilion  parish.  In  all  these  places  he  has  been  engaged  in  merchandising. 
Maurice  Villien  has  two  living  children,  Joseph  A.,  M.  D.,  and  John.  Dr.  Joseph 
Villien  was  born  in  Vermilion  parish,  and  received  his  literary  education  at  St. 
Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  graduating  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in  1887. 
Immediateh^  after  his  graduation  Joseph  A.  Villien  began  the  study  of  medicine 
under  the  direction  ot  Dr.  M.  R.  Cushman.  In  18S7  lie  matricul.ited  in  the 
medical  college  of  the  Tulane  University,  of  Louisiana,  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  in  1890-  He  is  a  member  ot  Attakapas  Medical  Association,  also 
a  member  of  tlie  C.  K.  of  A.,  at  Abbeville,  of  which  he  was  financial  secretary 
in  1891.  John  \'illien  is  now  attending  school  in  Grand  Coteau.  All  the  family 
are  practical  Roman  Catliolics. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  305 

W.  L.  VANSLYKE,  Abbeville. — W.  L.  Vanslyke,  a  successful  planter, 
who  resides  about  two  miles  and  a  half  south  of  Abbeville,  was  born  in  Green 
county,  Indiana,  in  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Harriet  (Leonard)  Van- 
slyke, the  former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  They  reared 
a  family  of  nine  children,  two  sons  and  seven  daughters,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  the  third.  The  parents  both  spent  their  whole  lives  in  Green 
county,  where  Mr.  Vanslyke  was  a  successful  farmer.  He  died  in  1887  and  his 
wife  in  1873.  The  children  are  all  living  and  are  scattered  over  the  different 
states,  Mr.  W.  L.  Vanslyke  being  the  onl}'  member  of  the  family  in  Louisiana. 
Removing  to  his  present  place  of  residence  in  1870  he  engaged  in  farming,  in  which 
he  has  continued  with  success.  He  owns  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land, 
mostly  under  cultivation  and  well  improved.  He  has  on  his  place  a  sugar-mill, 
in  which  he  manufactures  his  own  product.  He  raises  about  a  hundred  acres  of 
cane  annually,  manufacturing  a  hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar  besides  raising  a 
large  amount  of  corn.  He  is  a  methodical  and  successful  business  man.  He 
was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Margaret  Vanslyke.  To  them  have  been  born  seven 
children,  a  son  and  six  daughters,  viz :  Beulah,  Ira,  Neosha,  Daisy,  Birdie, 
Nita  (deceased).  Hazel.  Mr.  Vanslyke  has  served. for  three  years  as  member 
of  the  police  jury  and  is  an  active  participant  in  public  matters.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South.  ^ 

•      * 

THOS.  S.  WINSTON,  Ramsey.— T.  S.  Winston  was  born  in  Louisa 
county,  Virginia,  July  20,  1826.  He  is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Demarias 
(Campbell)  Winston.  The  Winston  family  came  from  England  and  Scotland. 
They  have  always  been  noted  for  their  longevity  and  handsome  appearance. 
John  H.  Winston  was  by  occupation  a  tanner  and  farmer,  and  in  this  was  very 
successful.  In  politics  he  was  a  whig.  He  died  in  1853,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.   His  wife  died  in  1845,  at  the  age  sixty  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  eldest  of  five  brothers,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  He  was  educated  partly  in  Virginia  and  partly  in  the 
schools  of  his  locality.  AH  of  his  brothers  are  graduates  of  the  University  of 
Virginia.  Early  in  life  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and  in  1845  he  left 
his  home  in  Virginia  and  came  to  Louisiana,  locating  in  St.  Mary  parish,  and 
resided  there  seven  years,  when  he  returned  to  Virginia.  Here  he  remained, 
however,  only  a  short  while,  when  he  again  came  to  Louisiana,  and  located  in 
Vermilion  parish.  Soon  afterward  he  bought  a  part  of  the  plantation  which  he 
now  owns,  consisting  of  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  there  is  to  be 
found  in  the  State.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  culture  of  sugar  cane,  and 
in  1855  he  erected  a  sugar  house,  and  since  then  has  manufactured  sugar  every 
year.  During  the  late  war  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Confederacy,  and  was 
19a 


306     .  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

detailed  to  furnisli  tlie  government  with  supplies.  In  1S55  he  married  Miss 
Mary  C.  Moss,  of  St.  Mary  parish.  The}-  are  the  parents  of  three  living 
children,  viz:  Frank  E.,  of  this  parish,  planter  and  stock  raiser;  Mrs.  Mar}'  C. 
Boiling,  of  Virginia;  Rosa,  at  home.  Those  deceased  are  John  H.,  wlio  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  a  student  at  King's  College,  Bristol,  Tennessee : 
Beulah  and  James.     Mr.  Winston  is  a  Presbyterian.     In  politics  he  is  a  democrat. 

^  W.  D.  WHITE,  M.  D.,  Abbeville.— Dr.  W.  D.  White  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin. Williamson  county,  Tennessee,  August  31,  1836.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of 
nine  children  born  to  Benj.  R.  and  Eliza  M.  (Kenny)  White.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  North  Carolina.  He  removed  to  Tennessee,  where  he  received  his 
education  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1859  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Opelou.«as,  where  he  died  in  1870. 

The  mother  of  Dr.  White  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  She  died  in 
Opelousas  in  1S73. 

Dr.  White  received  his  literary  training  at  Shelbyville  University.  He 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  after  leaving  school  and  worked  at  this  for  a  short 
while.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  entered  the  medical  school  of  the 
University  of  Nashville,  from  which  he  graduated  in  i860.  He  first  practised  his 
profession  in  Franklin  county,  Tennessee,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Ver- 
milion parisli,  and  the  last  twenty  years  has  resided  in  Abbeville.  He  has 
served  as  parish  coroner  for  fifteen  consecutive  years.  Dr.  White's  experience 
coupled  with  his  extended  learning  make  him  a  physician  of  high  merit.  The 
Doctor  has  been  successful  in  a  financial  sense  and  owns  considerable  propert}' 
in  Vermilion  parish.  He  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  L.  R.  Lyons,  daughter  of 
A-  and  Elizabeth  (Reeves)  Lyons.  To  this  union  fourteen  children  have  been 
born,  seven  sons  and  seven  daughters,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  James 
E.,  Mary  E.,  Carrie,  H.  Bascom,  Elizabeth,  Rosa,  Thomas,  Milton.  Dr. 
White  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Knights  Templar  and  K.  of  H. 

* 
*     » 

J.  N.  WILLIAMS,  Ramsey. — J.  N.  Williams,  a  planter  of  ward  2,  is  a 
native  of  Mississippi,  born  in  Yazoo  county,  June  24,  1846.  He  is  the  son  of 
B.  and  Anne  (Newton)  Williams.  His  father  was  a  successful  farmer.  Early 
in  life  he  removed  to  Mississippi,  and  in  1858  to  Louisiana,  locating  in  what  is 
now  Vermilion  parish.      He  died  in  1877. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  three  sons  'and 
three  daughters, two  of  whom  are  now  living, James  N.  and  Anna, wife  of  Sidney 
Border,  of  Austin,  Texas.  James  N.  Williams  received  his  education  in  Missis- 
sippi and  Louisiana.  He  began  life  as  a  planter,  to  which  he  has  devoted  his  full 
attention  the  whole  of  his  life.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war, enlisting  in  1862, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  307 

in  the  heavy  artillery,  and  was  one  of  the  first  who  fired  a  cannon  in  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg.  Soon  after  entering  the  service  he  was  discharged  on  account  of 
being  under  age.  June  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  cavalry  service,  Company  A, 
Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After 
the  war  he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1S77  Mr.  Williams  was 
appointed  member  of  the  parish  school  board,  which  position  he  has  held  since 
that  time.  He  is  also  clerk  of  the  police  jury  and  member  of  K.  of  H.,  3240. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance.  Mr.  Williams  was  married,  March  5, 
1874,  ^o  Miss  Sarah  A.  Burt,  daughter  of  Henry  A.  and  Minerva  (Brooks) 
Burt,  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Mississippi,  respectively.  To  them  have 
been  born  six  children,  five  sons  and  a  daughter,  viz:  Francis  B.,  Newton  P., 
Thomas  H.,  James  H.,  Herbert  O.  and  Henrietta. 

« 
*     • 

SOLOMON  WISE,  Abbeville. — Solomon  Wise  was  born  in  Russia,  May 
26,  1824.  He  emigrated  to  America  in  1854,  locating  at  Perry's  Bridge,  Ver- 
milion parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  became  an  itinerant  merchant  in  the  dry  goods 
line.  In  1859  1^*^  located  in  Abbeville  and  opened  a  store  with  a  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise.  In  this  business  he  has  continued  until  the  presenttime.  Mr. 
Wise  came  to  Vermilion  parish  when  it  was  sparsely  settled  and  has  been  largely  in- 
strumental in  building  up  the  country.  He  is  ver}'  successful  in  his  business  af- 
fairs. Beginning  with  a  very  small  capital  he  has  added  to  it  until  now  he  is  the 
most  extensive  dealer  and  the  largest  business  man  in  the  town  of  Abbeville. 
His  stock  of  general  merchandise  is  worth  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  He  has  also 
two  thousand  acres  of  land,  besides  a  sugar  plantation  of  about  seventeen  hun- 
dred acres.  He  owns  a  residence  and  business  propert}'  in  Abbeville  assessed 
at  forty  thousand  dollars.  He  was  married  in  Europe  before  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, in  1849,  to  Miss  Fanny  Truskalaski.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children, 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz:  Anna,  wife  of  J.  A.  Bergman;  Isaac,  Harriet, 
wife  of  L.  Sakaloski;   Eli.  , 

^  S.  P.  WATTS,  Abbeville.— S.  P.  Watts,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Vermilion  Star,  of  Abbeville,  was  born  in  Georgia,  December  29,  1854.  He  is 
the  son  of  S.  B.  and  Anna  (Pendleton)  Watts,  who  were  also  natives  of  Georgia. 
They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters.  S. 
B.  Watts  was  a  merchant  and  planter  at  Palmetto,  Georgia.  He  died  in  1846 
and  his  wife  in  1857,  being  at  the  time  of  their  death  residents  of  Georgia. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen  as  a 
farm  hand.  After  working  for  a  year  he  engaged,  in  1880,  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug 
store  at  Shreveport,  Louisiana.  In  1881  he  was  a  student  in  the  law  department 
of  the  Tulane  University,  of  New  Orleans,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1884.     Hs  began  the  practice  of  his  profession   the  same  year   in  Shreveport, 


308  5  O  UTH  WES  T  LO  U IS  I  ANA  : 

being  thus  engaged  until  April,  1890,  when  he  removed  to  Abbeville  to  take 
charge  of  his  present  business.  Mr.  Watts  obtained  some  knowledge  of  the 
newspaper  business  by  doing  editorial  work  on  the  Louisiana  Advance,  pub- 
lished in  Acadia  parish  in  1880.  Becoming  interested  in  newspaper  work  he 
moved  to  Abbeville  and  took  charge  of  the  Vermilion  Scar,  to  which  he  now  gives 
almost  his  entire  attention.  He  is  also  agent  for  a  loan  and  insurance  company. 
Mr.  Watts  was  married  in  De  Soto  parish,  Louisiana,  in  1884,  to  Miss  Adele  Wil- 
Hams.  She  died,  January,  1886,  in  Shreveport.  Mr.  Watts  next  married, 
October,  1887,  Mrs.  Jodie  Moraland,  widow  of  L.  E.  Moraland.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  a  son,  Lovice  A.,  and  a  daughter,  Anna  May. 
Mr.  Walts  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  being  dictator  of  Acadia 
Lodge  3240.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  democracy,  to  the  interest  of  which 
his  newspaper  is  devoted. 

»     » 
/ 

N.  C.  YOUNG,  Abbeville. — N.  C.  Young,  druggist,  was  born  in  Ver- 
milion parish,  Louisiana,  January,  i860.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  F.  D.  Young,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  the  Acadia  biographies. 

Mr.  Young  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Vermilion  parish,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  entered  a  drug  store  in  Abbeville  as  clerk.  In  1880, 
in  partnership  witli  F.  R.  Tolson,  he  opened  a  drug  store  in  Abbeville  and  the 
business  was  conducted  jointly  until  1883,  when  Mr.  Young  purchased  the 
interest  of  his  partner  and  has  since  that  time  conducted  an  independent 
business. 

Mr.  Young  is  a  thorough  business  man  and  is  public  spirited.  He  was  for 
two  years  treasurer  of  Vermilion  parish,  and  is  now  president  of  the  parish 
school  board.  He  was  married,  in  1881,  to  Miss  Pipillia  Abadie,  of  Abbeville. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter.  Mr.  Young 
and  wife  are  members  of  tlie  Catholic  church. 

*  * 
'^  R.  J.  YOUNG,  M.  D.,  Abbeville.— Dr.  R.  J.  Young  was  born  in 
VermiHon  parish,  Louisiana,  October  10,  1865.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  F.  D. 
Young,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work.  He  studied  medicine  with  his 
father  and  subsequently  attended  the  medical  school  of  Tulane  University.  In 
1885-86  he  attended  the  Hospital  College,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  from  which 
he  graduated  with  high  honors.  Immediately  after  graduating  he  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  at  Abbeville  and  is  now  recognized  to  be  one  of  the  leading 
physicians  of  the  parish.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1887,  with  Miss  Olive 
Broussard,  daughter  of  Laslie  and  Perpetue  (Mayer)  Broussard.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  May  and  Mabel.  Dr.  Young  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PARISH    OF    ST.    MARTIN. 


J.  B.  ANGELE,  La  Place. — Mr.  Angele  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish, 
born  April,  1843.     He  is  the  son  of  A.  Ancrele,  also  a  native  of   Louisiana. 

Mr.  Angele  received  a  limited  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  began 
life  on  a  plantation  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  He  served  during  the  Civil 
War  as  a  private  in  the  Confederate  service.  After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr. 
Angele  returned  to  St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  began  farming.  Of  recent  years 
he  has  conducted  a  mercantile  business  in  connection  with  his  plantation.  He 
is  a  successful  business  man  and  a  respected  citizen.  Mr.  Angele  is  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Arith  Dupuis,  daughter  of  Leon  and  Adelaide  (Angele) 
Dupuis,  of  St.  Martin  parish.     They  are  the  parents  of    seven  children. 

^  JUDGE  CARTER  BASSETT,  St.  Martinville.  — Judge  Bassett  was 
born  in  Washington,  D.  C,  1822.  He  is  the  son  of  Wm.  H.  and  Eleanor 
(O'Neill)  Bassett.  Judge  Bassett's  father  was  for  many  years  the  captain  of  a 
vessel  on  the  Atlantic.  After  the  year  1834,  ^^  was  engaged  in  planting.  The 
subject's  mother  died  in  1852  and  his  father  in  1873. 

Judge  Bassett  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  Planting  has 
been  his  principal  occupation  in  life.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  en- 
listed in  the  Confederate  service,  serving  in  the  Second  Louisiana  Regiment. 
He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  three  times  within  the  space  of 
as  many  seconds,  though  not  seriously.  He  enlisted  as  a  private,  but  was  sub- 
sequently promoted  a  captain,  with  staff  appointment.  He  removed  to  St.  Martin 
parish  in  1870 ;  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1871,  which  office  he  shortly 
after  resigned,  to  accept  an  appointmeni  as  parish  surveyor.  He  was  elected 
judge  of  St.  Martin  parish  in  1876,  and  reelected  in  1878.  In  this  capacity 
he  served  until  the  office  was  abolished  by  the  constitution  of  1879. 

Judge  Bassett  married  in  1868,  Miss  Eugenie  Richard,  daughter  of  G.  and 
Cora  (Delahoussaye)  Richard.  They  became  the  parents  of  seven  children  : 
Ameiie,  Eleanor,  Coralie,  Eugene,  Virginia,  Wm.  J.  and  Alice.  Judge  Bassett 
has  always  been  a  conservative  in  politics,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  all  public 
affairs.     He  and  his  family  are  Catholics. 


y  10  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  ■ 

^  MONROE  BAKER,  St.  Martinville. —  Mr.  Baker  is  an  enterprising 
citizen  and  successful  planter  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  is  a  native  of  St. 
Mary  parish,  born  in  1S24.  He  is  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Margaret  Baker,  both 
of  whom  are  natives  of  Nashville,  Tenn.  They  moved  to  St.  Mary  parish  at  an 
early  date,  and  later  to  St.  Martinville.  Isaac  Baker  was  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  St.  Martinville  bar.      He   died  in  the  prime  of   his  manhood  in  1832. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  an  only  child.  His  father  had  accumulated 
quite  a  fortune  before  his  death,  and  left  his  widow  and  son  a  competenc}-.  He 
had  good  educational  advantages,  and  improved  them. 

Mr.  Baker  was  married  in  1S45  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Barrier,  of  St.  Martin- 
ville, daughter  of  Felix  and  Harriet  Barrier.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
twelve  children:  Gustave,  Samuel,  Rosa,  Emily,  Felix,  Narinska,  Anthony, 
Joseph,  Gualbert,  Valmort,  Lanc}'  and  Anne. 

Mr.  Baker  has  considerable  property  in  St.  Martinville,  and  has  given  all 
his  children  a  good  start  in  life.      He  and   his  family  are  Catholics. 

»  * 
LOUIS  G.  BERNARD,  Jr.,  St.  Martinville.  — The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  is  the  son  of  Louis  and  Pilina 
(Broussard)  Bernard.  Mr.  Bernard  commenced  business  as  a  planter  in  St. 
Martin  parish.  He  has  prospered,  and  is  one  of  St.  Martin's  most  successful 
planters  and  stock  raisers.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat,  though  he  is  not  active 
in  political  affairs.      He  and  his  family  are  Catholics. 

»     * 

LOUIS  BERNARD,  St.  Martinville.  — Mr.  Bernard  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  in  1821.  He  is  the  son  of  Francois  and  Constance  CLeblanc) 
Bernard.  Both  were  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Francois  Bernard  was  a 
wealthy  and  influential  planter  and  owned  a  large  amount  of  land  in  the  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  business  education  and  began 
life  as  a  planter,  in  which  business  he  is  still  engaged.  He  now  owns  and 
operates  a  valuable  plantation  in  St.  Martin  parish  of  four  hundred  acres  of 
land.     He  is  one  of  St.  Martin's  most  successful  planters. 

Mr.  Bernard  has  been  married  five  times,  and  is  the  father  of  nine  children. 
He  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

* 

«      * 

CARLOS  BERNARD,  St.  Martinville  —Carlos  Bernard  is  a  native  of 
St.  Martin  parish  and  is  the  son  of  Francois  Bernard. 

Mr.  Bernard  received  but  a  limited  education  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and 
began  business  life  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  as  a  planter.  He  has  a  fine 
plantation  four  miles  east  of  St.  Martinville  and  is  a  prosperous  planter.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  311 

ARTENARDBENARD,  Arnaudville.— Mr.  Benard  is  the  son  of  Valsin 
and  Madeline  (Nezat)  Benard.  lie  was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish  in  1837.  He 
was  reared  in  this  parish  and  received  a  fair  education  in  the  schools  of  the 
place.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  farming,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
married  Miss  Marie  Dignaud,  of  St.  Martin  parish,  daughter  of  Goesen  Dignaud 
and  Josephine  Guilbeau,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Mr.  Benard  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  planting,  and  has  a  good  plantation,  on  which  lie  raises  cotton  and 
corn.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  only 
one  of  whom  is  living. 

*      * 

BERTRAND  BELLNICE,  St.  Martinville.  —  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  native  of  France,  born  in  1837.  ^^  emigrated  from  France  in  1839, 
locating  in  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  shortly  after  arriving  in  the  state. 
When  young  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  to  which  he  has  given  his  chief 
attention  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  Bellnice  was  married,  in  1S71,  to  Miss  Inez  Shakesn^-der.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  nine  children.  Mr.  Bellnice  is  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
and  is  never  called  on  in  vain  to  support  laudable  enterprises.     He  and  family 

are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

•  * 

AMAZAN  BECNEL,  St.  Martinville. —  Mr.  Becnel  was  born  in  the 
parish  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  1824.  He  is  the  son  of  Florestan  and  Josephine 
(Haydel)  Becnel,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Louisiana.  Mr.  Becnel  received 
a  good  business  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  parish.  When  young  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  has  followed  up  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Becnel  was  married,  in  1844,  to  Miss  Clara  Borne,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  A.  (Laurent)  Borne,  of  this  State.  Ten  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union,  five  sons  and  five  daughter.s,  all  of  whom  but  one  are  married  and  doing 
for  themselves.     Mr.  Becnel  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


^  R.  J.  BIENVENU,  St.  Martinville.  —  Mr.  Bienvenu  was  born  in  St. 
Martinville,  March  4,  1863.  He  is  the  son  of  Alphonse  and  Angelina  Bienvenu, 
both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Alphonse  Bienvenu  was  for  many  years 
deputy  sheriff  of  the  parish.  He  is  now  retired  from  active  life  and  is  spending 
his  declining  days  amongst  his  children.  The  mother  died  September  22,  1890. 
The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Martinville".  His 
education  was  rather  limited,  as  he  entered,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  a  mercantile 
store,  where  he  remained  for  nine  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he 
opened  a  mercantile  business  for  himself,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  two 
years.     He  was  for  several  years  employed   as  agent  for  the  Southern  Pacific 


312  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Railroad  Company  at  Eola  and  Chene3ville.  He  is  now  traveling  agent  for  the 
Singer  Sewing  Machine  Company  in  this  section. 

In  1883  he  married  Miss  Gabrille  Ratier,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Mrs.  Bien- 
venii  is  a  highly  accomplished  and  educated  lad}'.  She  attended  school  at  the 
convent  at  Grand  Coteau,  Sacred  Heart,  of  St.  James  and  New  Orleans,  and 
completed  her  education  at  Maryville  and  at  Natchitoches,  Louisiana,  in  a 
school  of  the  same  faith.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bienvenu  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, one  son  and  three  daughters,  viz:  Bernadette,  Sj'dney,  Helen,  Angelina 
(died  in  infancy).      Mr.  Bienvenu  and  family  are  Catholics. 

• 

*  * 

«^  ALBERT  BIENVENU,  St.  Martinville.— Albert  Bienvenu  was  born 
in  St.  Martinville  in  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  Martial  and  Elodie  (Broussard) 
Bienvenu.  Martial  Broussard  was  born  in  St.  Martinville  in  1836.  Elodie 
Bienvenu  is  also  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  They  were  married  in  1853  and 
became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Albert  Bienvenu  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He 
opened  up  mercantile  business  for  himself  in  1881.  He  also  owned  a  tele- 
graph line  from  St.  Martinsville  to  New  Iberia.  He  owned  the  telegraph  line 
for  nine  years  and  the  store  for  five  years.  He  was  appointed  assistant  post- 
master in  1886,  which  position  he  now  fills.  He  founded  a  weekly  newspaper 
in  St.  Martinsville  in  1886 — the  Messenger — which  he  now  owns  and  which  has 
an  excellent  local  circulation. 

Mr.  Bienvenu  was  married,  in  1878,  to  Miss  Emma  Eastin,  of  St.  Martin- 
ville. There  were  born  to  their  marriage  four  children,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Bienvenu,  Judge  R.  T.  Eastin,  was  judge  of  the 
court  here  for  a  number  of  years  and  also  a  heavy  sugar  planter.  He  died  in 
1873- 

*  * 

^  HIPOLITE  BARRAS,  St.  Martinville. —  H.  Barras  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  in  1825.  He  is  a  son  of  H.  and  Sarah  Barras,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  H.  Barras,  Sr.,  was  a  planter  and  stock 
raiser. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  followed  the  same  business.  He  owns  and  con- 
trols about  1000  acres  of  land.  He  gives  his  chief  attention  to  the  raising  of 
stock.  Mr.  Barras  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clementine  Barras.  To  them 
have  been  born  six  children.  Five  of  tlie  children  are  married,  and  all  reside  on 
our  subject's  plantation.     Mr.  Barras  and  family  are  Catholics. 

* 

^  ALBERT  BARRAS,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Barras  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish,  in  1862.     He  is  the  son  of   H.  and   Clementine   Barras,  who   are 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  313 

natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.      Mr.    Barras   is    a   large  planter  and    stock   raiser 
of  St.  Martin  parish.     Our  subject's  mother  died  December  i,  1S90. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Martin  parish. 
Brought  up  on  the  plantation  he  has  chosen  planting  as  the  business  of  his  life, 
and  he  is  now  a  successful  planter.  Mr.  Barras  was  married,  in  1880,  to  Miss 
Belle  Launchen,  daughter  of  Wm.  and  Margaret  Launchen,  natives  of  Louisiana. 
They  are  the  parents  of  six  children.     All  the  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 

church.  * 

«      * 

WM.  BOUCNALT,  St.  Martinville. —  Mr.  Boucnalt,  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  was  born  in  St.  Martinsville,  November  24,  1849.  He  is  the 
son  of  Alphonse  and  Eliza  (Frye)  Boucnalt.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Louis- 
iana of  French  descent.  He  died  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1862,  while  in 
the  Confederate  service,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years.  Eliza  (Frye)  Boucnalt, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  is  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  in  1825.  Having  lost 
her  father  when  quite  young,  she  removed  with  her  mother  to  Louisiana,  where 
she  was  reared  and  married.  She  is  still  living  in  the  town  of  St.  Martin- 
ville, and  is  the  mother  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  William  is  the  eldest. 

William  Boucnalt  was  reared  in  St.  Martinville,  where  he  received  a  com- 
mon school  education.  Being  left  fatherless  when  quite  young  he  began  active 
business  life  ere  his  childhood  days  were  past.  At  the  age  of  eight  he  com- 
menced to  work  at  such  labor  as  he  was  able  to  secure  and  perform,  and  all 
he  has  accomplished  in  his  life  is  due  to  his  own  individual  effort.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  retail  liquor  business. 

In  February,  1880,  lie  married  Miss  Albertine  Horrent,  daughter  of  Charles 
Horrent,  whose  parents  were  natives  of  France  and  resided  in  New  Orleans  at 
the  time  of  their  death. 

Mr.  Boucnalt  is  conservative  in  political  affairs,  taking  very  little  interest 
in  such  matters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Crescent  City  Association,  a  benevolent 
order.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


^  FELIX  BERARD,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Berard  is  the  descendant  of 
one  of  the  oldest  Louisiana  families.  His  father,  Rosamond  Berard,  was  a  native 
of  St.  Martinville,  born  1807,  died  1867.  The  subject's  mother,  Odile  Hubel, 
was  also  a  native  of  the  parish.     She  died  in  1857- 

Feli.x  Berard  was  born  September,  1847.  He  was  reared  in  St.  Martin 
parish,  and  received  his  education  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  where 
he  was  in  attendance  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  being  at  the  time  seventeen 
years  of  age.  He  entered  as  a  volunteer  Company  C,  Second  Louisiana  Cavalry. 
He  was  a  gallant  soldier,  and  fought  for  the  cause  which  he  believed  to  be  right 


y  1 1  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA  : 

until  the  close  of  the  war;  after  which  lie  returned  to  Louisiana,  and  in  associa- 
tion with  his  father  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Upon  the  death  of  the 
father  the  care  of  the  family  devolved  upon  him.  He  was  thus  brought  to  face 
the  realties  of  life  when  quite  young.  He  now  resides  upon  the  old  homestead 
plantation,  which  he  operates  with  success. 

In  1872,  he  was  married,  in  St.  IMaitlnville,  Louisiana,  to  Miss  O'Rouke, 
daughter  of  James  and  Juliet  Bienvenu.  Her  parents  have  been  dead  a  number 
of  years.  To  tliis  union  have  been  born  five  cliildren,  Marie,  Therese,  Alma, 
Anita  and  Rosamond.     Mr.  Berard  and  family  are  all  Catholics. 

* 

^  ULGER  BOURQUE,  St.  Martinville.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  St.  James  parish,  Louisiana,  in  1827.  He  received  a  fair  education 
and  began  life  as  a  planter.  He  now  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  fine  su- 
gar land  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and  is  one  of  St.  Martin's  prosperous  plant- 
ers. In  1848  he  married  Miss  Aglas  Pettavin,  a  native  of  St.  James  parish, 
Louisiana.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children,  all  of  whom 
are  residents  of  this  parish.     Mr.  Bourque  and  family  are  Catholics. 

* 

*  « 

"^  LUDJUR  BOURQUE,  St.  Martinville.—  Mr.  Bourque  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  in  1864.  He  is  the  son  of  Ulger  and  Aglas  (Pettavin)  Bourque, 
whose  sketch  appears  above. 

Mr.  Bourque  received  a  common  school  education  and  began  life  as  a 
farmer,  in  which  business  he  has  since  continued.  He  married,  in  1885,  Miss 
Eliza  LeBlanc,  daughter  of  Oglus  and  Mary  LeBlanc.  They  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  viz:  Oglus  and  Nulla.  Mr.  Bourque  and  family  are  members 
of  St.  Martinville  Catholic  church. 

•  * 

"^  JULES  BOURQUE,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Bourque  is  a  native  of  the 
parish  in  which  he  resides,  and  was  born  in  1874.  ^^  '^^  ^'^  ^°"  °^  J*  '^'^^  ^• 
Bourque,  also  natives  of  Louisiana.  J.  Bourque  died  in  June,  1874,  ^^  ^^  '^S^ 
of  seventy-four  years.  His  wife  still  survives  him,  and  resides  with  our  sub- 
ject. 

Jules  Bourque  married  Miss  Ailene  Girard,  a  native  of  Lafayette  parish,  and 
daughter  of  Dominique  and  Eusid  (Valet)  Girard.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
six  children,  viz:  Ellis  K.,  Joseph,  Calles,  Jules,  Felix  Belsil. 

Mrs.  Bourque  died  in  1886,  and  in  1887  Mr.  Bourque  married  Miss  L.  Mail- 
lot, daughter  of  Dominique  and  Christina  (Blaze)  Maillot,  of  Lafayette  par- 
ish. They  have  one  child,  Alena.  Mr.  Bourque  owns  and  operates  a  caneplan- 
tation.     He  and  famil}'  are  Catholics.  v 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  315 

ALADIN  BROUSSARD,  Cade.— Mr.  Broussard  was  born  in  Calcasieu 
parish  in  1854.  ^'^  father,  Napoleon  Broussard,  is  a  native  of  Iberia  parish, 
born  in  1813.  Asp.isie  Broussard,  his  mother,  was  born  in  Lafayette  parish. 
His  parents  now  reside  near  Lake  Arthur,  Louisiana. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children.  He  began 
business  for  himself  in  1877  as  a  merchant,  and  this  has  been  his  business  since. 
He  married  in  1886  Miss  Augusta  Tenney,  daughter  of  John  P.  and  Anna 
Tenney,  natives  of  this  State.  They  became  the  parents  of  two  children.  Mr. 
Broussard  and  family  are  Catholics. 

SAVIQUE  BROUSSARD,  Bkeaux  Bridge.— Savique  Broussard  is  a 
successful  planter,  residing  near  Breaux  Bridge.  He  is  the  son  of  Z.  and  Car- 
melite (Martin)  Broussard,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  this  parish.  Z. 
Broussard  was  for  six  years  sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  was  a  successful 
sugar  planter.      He  died  in  1878.      His  wife  died  in  1859. 

Savique  Broussard  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  three  children.  He  received 
his  education  in  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  After  leaving  school  he 
engaged  as  clerk  for  a  period  of  two  years  in  a  mercantile  establishment  in  St. 
Martinville.  Later  he  removed  to  his  plantation,  and  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits.  Upon  his  plantation  he  raises  principally  cotton, 
to  which  the  land  is  specially  adapted. 

Mr.  Broussard  married,  October,  1850,  Miss  Alice  Mouton,  a  native  of  Lafay- 
ette, born  1835,  and  daughter  of  Edmund  and  Eulalie  Mouton.  They  became 
the  parents  of  seven  children:    Edmund,  Albert,  Paul,  Louise,  Alice,  Elise  and 

Angel.  , 

»     * 

A.  G.  BROUSSARD,  Breaux  Bridge.— Mr.  Broussard  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish,  February  21,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Z.  and  Carmelite 
(Martin)  Broussard,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  the  parish.  Mr.  Broussard 
received  a  liberal  education,  having  attended  St.  Charles  College  for  a  period  of 
three  years,  afterward  completing  his  education  in  the  West  Military  Institute, 
of  Kentucky.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  Hterar}'  studies,  Mr.  Broussard 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  Tulane  University,  New  Orleans,  where  he 
pursued  a  course,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  St.  Martinville.  He  practised 
his  profession  at  St.  Martinville  for  a  period  of  three  years,  when,  finding 
plantation  lite  more  congenial  to  his  taste,  he  retired  from  his  profession,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  planting  and  school  teaching. 

During  the  "  late  unpleasantness  "  he  was  in  active  service.  He  entered 
the  army  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  as  sergeant  in  the  New  Orleans  Guards. 
He  dien  volunteered  in  the  regular  service  for  three  months,  and  engaged  in  the 
battle  of  Shiloh;   after  which  he  had  an  attack  of  sickness,  which  so  disabled 


316  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

him  as  to  unfit  him  for  service,  and  he  received  his  discharge  and  returned 
home. 

Mr.  Broussard  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cecile  Mouton,  daughter  of 
Edmund  and  Eulalie  (Voorhies)  Mouton,  of  Lafayette  parish.  They  are  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living. 

»  * 
'^  JOHN  A.  BOYD,  M.  D.,  Breaux  Bridge.— Dr.  Boyd  was  born  in 
Newbur}'  district,  South  Carolina.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Boyd  and  Mary 
Wilson,  both  natives  of  South  Carolina.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  county 
and  attended  the  schools  of  that  place,  from  which  he  received  a  thorough 
academic  education,  chiefly  at  Beaver  Dam  Academy.  After  completing  his 
literary  studies  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  William  G.  Dierson, 
of  Franklin,  Tennessee,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  four  years,  when  he 
entered  the  medical  college  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and,  after  attending  one 
session,  received  his  diploma.  He  began  practice  in  Giles  county,  Tennessee, 
and  removed  after  a  short  while  to  Hines  county,  Mississippi.  After  practising 
in  this  place  for  three  years,  he  emigrated  to  Breaux  Bridge,  St.  Martin  parish, 
Louisiana,  where  he  continued  to  practice.  The  Doctor  stands  high  in  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  a  large  practice  at  this  place.  He  is  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Belzere  Ledoux, daughter  of  August  and  Ludsin  (Cormier)  Ledoux,  of  St. 
Martin  parish.     They  have  two  living  children,  John  L.,  and  Boyd. 

» 

•  * 

^  N.  A.  CORMIER,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  Cormier  was  born  in  St.  Mar- 
tin parish,  July  6,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  N.  and  E.  (Ledoux)  Cormier.  He 
received  a  good  education  and  began  business  for  himself  as  a  planter  and  stock 
raiser.  He  has  a  good  plantation  of  nine  hundred  acres  in  this  parish  which 
he  has  operated  with  success.  Mr.  Cormier  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Josette  Olivier,  daughter  of  C.  M.  and  Aminlhe  (Berard)  OHvier.  They  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  viz:   Anna,  Joseph,  and   Louise.     Mr.  Cormier 

and  family  are  Catholics.  # 

*  » 

V  ANATOLE  CORMIER,  St.  Martinville.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  N.  and  E.  (Le- 
doux) Cormier,  mentioned  elsewhere. 

Anatole  Cormier  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three  children.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  parish,  and  received  fair  educational  advantages.  He  has 
been  a  planter  since  he  began  business  for  himself,  and  has  prospered  in  his 
vocation.  He  married,  in  1882,  Miss  Aminthe  Oliver,  daughter  of  C.  M.  and 
Aminthe  (Berard)  Oliver,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  To  them  have  been  born  two 
children,  Isabella  and  Jane.     Mr.  Cormier  and  family  are  Catholics. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  317 

^  NUMA  CORMIER,  Breaux  Bridge. — Mr.  Cormier  is  a  successful  planter 
and  merchant  of  this  place.  He  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  was  born 
near  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  the  son  of  Emile  and  Julie  (Broussard)  Cor- 
mier, both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish. 

Mr.  Cormier  was  born  in  1850,  and  was  reared  on  the  homestead  where  he 
now  resides.  He  attended  private  school  at  this  place,  where  he  received  a 
good  education,  principally  in  his  parent  tongue — French.  Completing  his 
studies,  he  engaged  with  his  father  in  carrj'ing  on  the  plantation,  in  which  occu- 
pation he  still  continues. 

In  1874  ^^  ^'^^  united  in  marriage  with  Cecile  Domengeaux,  daughter  of 
A.  F.  and  Julia  (Guidry)  Domengeaux,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  six  children,  one  son  and  five  daughters:  Corinne,  Lota,  Julie,  Ar- 
thur, Edith  and  Magda.  Mr.  Cormier  is  a  prosperous  planter.  He  has  a  planta- 
tion of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  cultivates  in  a  variety  of  products, 
chiefly  in  cotton  and  corn.  He  also  operates  a  large  cotton  gin  on  his  plantation. 
Of  recent  vears  he  has  added  to  his  business  a  grocery  on  his  plantation. 
Beginning  witti  a  very  small  stock  he  has  increased  his  business  until  he  now 
carries  a  large  stock  of  general  merchandise,  and  does  an  annual  business  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

Mr.  Cormier's  father  is  still  living  witii  him,  being  about  sixty-seven  years 
of  age.     His  mother  died  in  1850,  at  about  thirty  years  of  age. 

# 
*     * 

LAURENT  CULKIN,  M.  D.,  St.  Martinville.— By  birth,  Dr.  Culkin  is 
a  Mississippian,  but  by  adoption  a  Louisianian.  He  was  born  in  Yazoo  (now 
Sharkey)  county,  Mississippi,  November  i,  1839.  ^^'^  father,  Edward  Culkin, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  but  removed  to  America  when  a  boy.  After  attaining  the 
years  of  manhood  he  located  in  Yazoo,  Mississippi,  where  he  began  planting, 
and  was  very  successful,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  operated  a  large 
and  valuable  plantation.  By  the  war  he  lost  nearly  everytliing  he  possessed. 
But,  accepting  the  decree  of  fate,  he  began  with  determined  zeal  to  amend  his 
fallen  fortune,  but  ere  he  attained  his  hope  he  died,  in  1866.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  Miss  Mary  Conley;  she  became  the  mother  of  five  sons  and  two 
daughters,  the  Doctor  being  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

Dr.  Culkin  was  reared  in  Mississippi,  where  he  received  good  educational 
advantages.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  Trinity  Medical  College, 
Dul)lin,  Ireland,  where  he  remained  four  years,  graduating  with  honors.  Return- 
ing to  his  native  State  with  the  intention  of  practising  his  profession,  he 
entered  the  Confederate  service,  and  was  surgeon  in  the  command  of  Bedford 
Forrest  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he  resumed  his  practice  in 
Mississippi.  In  1871  he  removed  to  Louisiana,  and  first  located  in  New  Orleans 
in    1882.      He  then  removed  to  this  place,  where  he  has  since  practised  and 


318  SOUTHWES7'  L  OUISIANA  : 

become  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  pliysicians  of  his  section.  Dr.  Culkin 
married  quite  early  in  life  Miss  Dorothea  Owen,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  though 
reared  and  educated  in  Mississippi.  To  this  union  were  born  two  sons;  one  died 
in  infancy  tlie  other  when  just  on  the  verge  of  manhood. 

* 

E.  G.  CROWSON,  St.  Martinville  — Mr.  Crowson  is  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. He  is  the  son  of  Hucal  and  Nanc)'  (Morris)  Crowson,  natives  of  North 
Carolina.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  large  land  holder  in  Kentucky,  where 
he  had  removed  early  in  life. 

E.  G.  Crowson  received  his  early  education  in  Kentucky,  and  began  busi- 
ness for  himself  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  Since  living  in  St.  Martin  par- 
ish he  has  been  engaged  in  conducting  a  mercantile  and  lumber  business.  He 
has  a  good  plantation  of  about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  in  St.  Martin 
parish.  Mr.  Crowson  has  been  married  twice,  first  in  1855,  and  a  second  time, 
in  1864,  to  Miss  Gabrille  Lafountian,  daughter  of  Jules  and  Amelia  (Tenneson) 
Lafountian.     Mr.  Crowson  is  one  of  St.  Martin's  successful  business  men. 

*     » 

J.  U.  CHAMPAGNE,  Breaux  Bridge. — Mr.  Champagne,  a  merchant  of 
Breaux  Bridge,  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  September  27,  1863.  He  is  the 
son  of  O.  and  Pilama  (Thibodeaux)  Champagne,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of 
Lafourche  parish,  Louisiana. 

J.  U.  Champagne  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lafourche  parish.  He  began  business 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  as  a  clerk  in  the  mercantile  establishment  of  F.  M.  Sey- 
mour, of  Abbeville,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  when  he  removed  to  St. 
Martin  parish,  and  engaged  in  merchandise  at  Breaux  Bridge.  He  began  busi- 
ness on  a  capital  of  $250  in  a  rented  building.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
his  business  undertakings,  and  now  carries  a  stock  of  $3000  worth  of  goods,  and 
does  an  annual  business  of  from  $15,00010  $18,000.  He  owns  his  own  business 
property,  having  agood  two-story  building,  eighteen  by  sixty  feet.  Mr.  Champagne 
is  a  thorough-going,  energetic  business  man.  He  was  married.  May  18,  1890, 
to  Miss  Hebert,  daughter  of  A.  Hebert,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Both  Mr. 
Champagne  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Breaux  Bridge  Dramatic  Association, 
and  he  of  the  Breaux  Bridge  brass  band. 

/ 

F.  D.  D.  DeLaCROIX,  St.  Martinville. —  The   subject  of   this  sketch 

was  born  in  Jefferson[parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  Dusuan  De- 
LaCroi.v,  and  Estelle  D.  DeBlanc,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Joseph  Dusuan 
DeLaCroix  was  at  one  time  a  ver}'  extensive  planter  and  land  holder  of  St. 
Martin   parish.       He  died  in    1841,  his    wife  surviving  him  until  1885.     The 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  319 

/ 
DeBlanc    family  has  been  in    this  country  since    1696;    and    the    DeLaCroix 

since   1740.     The  ancestor  of  the  DeBlanc  family  was  Jussereau  DeBlanc  de 
St.   Denis,  who  founded  the  city  of  Natchitoches  in   1703. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  education,  and  is  a  gentle- 
man of  culture  and  intelligence.  He  has  been  planting  a  great  part  of  his 
life,  and  now  operates  in  this  parish  a  plantation  of  thirteen  hundred  acres, 
belonging  to  his  sister.  Miss  Elizabeth  D.  DeLiCroiv.  In  the  beginning 
of  hostilities,  Mr.  DeLaCroix  enlisted  in  tlie  Confederate  army  and  served 
for  three  years.  He  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Frankford,  of 
New  Orleans.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz:  Albert,  Eliza- 
beth, Georgiana.     Mr.   DeLaCroix  and  family  are  Catliolics. 

* 
f  *     * 

O.  J.  DURAND,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  Durand  is  a  successful  planter 
of  the  third  ward  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  is  a  native  of  the  parish,  born  in 
1846.  His  father,  Charley  J.  Durand,  is  a  native  of  France,  but  removed  to 
Louisiana  when  a  young  man,  where  he  married  and  became  a  successful  and 
extensive  planter.  He  was  twice  married  and  became  the  father  of  twenty- 
four  children.  He  died  in  1876  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Our  subject's 
mother  is  a   native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  born  in  1832,  and  died  in  1882. 

O.  J.  Durand  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Landry  parish,  and  com- 
menced active  business  life  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  as  manager  of  his 
father's  plantation.  Planting  has  been  Mr.  Durand's  chtef  occupation.  He 
now  owns  a  plantation  of  430  acres,  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
yields  him  a  handsome  income.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  Mr.  Durand  is 
one  of  the  most  successful  planters  of  this  section.  He  married  in  1867  Miss 
Felicie  DeBlanc,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  thir- 
teen children,  viz:  Louise,  Gilbert,  Agnes,  Blanche,  Felicie,  Oscar,  Albert, 
Stella,  Osward,   Therese,    Eveline,    Corinne    and    Marcel.     Mr.   Durand    and 

family  are  Catholics.  « 

«     * 

RENE  M.  DURAND,  St.  Martinville. — Rene  Durand  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  in  1855.  He  spent  his  early  school  days  in  New  Orleans,  and  subse- 
quentl}'^  attended  school  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri.  He  entered  the  mercantile 
business  as  a  clerk,  and  subsequently  followed  planting  until  1882,  when  he 
entered  the  employment  of  the  Morgan  Railroad  Company,  in  whose  employment 
he  still  remains.  He  was  married  in  the  year  of  1875  to  Miss  A.  Bienvenu,  of 
St.  Martinsville.  To  them  have  been  born  seven  children,  of  whom  four  are 
living,  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Mr.  Durand  is  a  most  efficient  employe,  standing  well  with  the  company, 
to  wliose  business  he  attends  assiduousl}'.  He  also  gives  general  satisfaction  in 
dealing  with  the  public. 


S 20  SO UTN IVES 7'  L  O UISIA NA  : 

DANIEL  DeBLANC,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  DeBlanc,  telegraph  oper- 
ator at  St.  Martinville,  was  born  April  5,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Alcibiade  and 
Mathilde  (Bryant)  DeBlanc,  who  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  our  subject 
being  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth. 

Daniel  DeBlanc  spent  his  school  days  in  Bloomington,  Indiana,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  education.  On  leaving  school  he  entered  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Morgan  Railway  Company,  and  is  now  a  telegraph  operator. 
He  has  been  in  their  employment  about  ten  years,  and  has  been  stationed  at  the 
following  places:    Sunset,   Garland,   Carencro,  Broussardville,  and  is  at  present 

in  St.  Martinville.  , 

•  * 

^  A.  DUPUIS,  Jr.,  Arnaudville. — Mr.  Dupuis  was  born  in  St.  Martin 
parish,  September  21,  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  Dupuis,  Sr.  His  parents 
were  both  natives  of  Louisiana,  and  his  father  a  successful  planter. 

A.  Dupuis,  Jr.,  was  reared  in  the  parish  in  which  he  was  born  and  now  re- 
sides. He  attended  the  public  schools,  from  whicli  he  received  a  good  education. 
Early  in  life  he  engaged  in  farming,  to  which  he  has  given  his  full  attention 
since.  He  now  owns  a  good  plantation  of  one  hundred  and  sixt}'  acres  of  land, 
upon  which  he  raises  corn  and  cotton  chiefly.  He  also  conducts  a  flourishing 
mercantile  business  in  connection  with  his  plantation.  Mr.  Dupuis  served  for 
three  years  as  post-master  of  Leonville,  and  is  the  captain  of  the  Breaux  Bridge 
militia.  Mr.  Dupuis  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Em'ilise  Cormier,  a  native 
of  St.  Landry  parish,  and  daughter  of  Z.  Cormier.  They  are  the  parents  of 
five  children,  viz:    Adolphena,  Adolph,  Celeine,  Leonce  and  Eugenie. 

* 

*  » 

JOS.  V.  DUGAS,  Breaux  Bridge. — Mr.  Dugas  was  born  in  St.  Martin 
parish  in  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  Valerian  and  Victois  (Guidry)  Dugas;  the 
former  is  a  native  of  Lafaj-ette  parish,  the  latter  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  at  the  age  of  thirteen  entered  St.  Charles  Col- 
lege, attending  two  sessions,  when  he  entered  the  Confederate  service,  and 
served  for  a  period  of  two  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  St.  Martin  parish, 
and  was  shortly  afteward  married  to  Miss  Josephine  Thibodeaux,  daughter  of 
Olive  and  A.  (Melangon)  Thibodeaux,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Jos.  Dugas  is  a 
planter,  and  to  this  vocation  he  has  given  his  whole  attention.  He  has  a  small 
fertile  plantation  near  Breaux  Bridge,  which  he  has  operated  with  success.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dugas  are  parents  of  eight  children. 

» 
/  »     * 

EUGENE  D.  DUCHAMP,  Cade.— Mr.  Duchamp  is  a  native  of  the  par- 
ish and  was  born  in  .1863.  He  is  the  son  of  E.  A.  and  Emily  Duchamp,  natives 
of  New  Jersey,  but  who  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish  early  in  life.  They  have 
reared  a  large  family  and  now  reside  near  St.  Martinville. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  323 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in 
St.  Martin  parish.  He  has  been  a  planter  since  he  began  business,  and  now 
owns  and  controls  a  fine  plantation  seven  miles  west  of  St.  Martinsville,  where 
he  cultivates  sugar  cane.  He  was  married  in  1883.  Mr.  Duchamp  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

♦     » 

E.  A.  DUCHAMP,  St.  Martinville. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
native  of  New  Jersey;  born  in  Morns  county  in  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  G.  B. 
and  Emily  (Sandoz)  Duchamp.  G.  B.  Duchamp  is  a  native  of  the  West  Indies; 
born  on  the  Island  of  Martinique.  He  removed  to  Morris  county,  New  Jersey 
in  1830.  After  remaining  here  thirteen  years, lie  returned  to  the  home  of  his  youth 
on  a  visit  in  1846,  remaining  about  four  years.  After  his  arrival  in  the  United 
Siates  he  removed  to  New  Orleans.  Our  subject's  mother  was  a  native  of  New 
York;  born,  1809;  died,  1848. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish  in  1853,  wliere  he 
began  the  operation  of  the  plantation  wliere  he  now  resides,  three  miles  west  of  St. 
Martinsville.  This  plantation  consists  of  about  one  tliousand  five  hundred  acres 
of  as  fine  land  as  there  is  in  the  parish.  He  also  owns  a  large  plantation  in  Iberia 
parish  of  more  than  three  thousand  acres.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  Duchamp  married,  in  i860.  Miss  Emily  Sandoz,  daughter  of  David  and 
Claire  C.  (Labbe)  Sandoz.  Mrs.  Duchamp's  father  was  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land ;  her  mother,  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana.     Mr.  Duchamp  and  family 

are  Catliolics.  , 

«     » 

^  LOUIS  C.  DUCHAMP  De  CHASTAIGNE,  St.  Martin  Parish.— Mr. 
Duchamp  is  a  native  of  Morris  county,  New  Jersey,  born  February  8,  1842. 
He  is  the  son  of  J.  B.  Eugene  Duchamp  de  Chastaigne  and  Marie  Louise  Jose- 
phine Sophie  Merope  Martin  de  Lamartiniere,  both  from  the  Island  of  Marti- 
nique. 

At  the  age  of  three  years  Mr.  Duchamp's  parents  left  New  Jersey  for  Mar- 
tinique, in  1845,  and  at  the  age  of  eight  years  left  Martinique  (in  the  year  1850) 
for  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  thence  for  St.  Martinville,  in  1853,  where  he 
attended  school.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  a  druggist,  assisting  his  father 
in  that  capacity.  He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  on  the  5th  of  May,  but 
left  for  active  service  with  his  two  brothers  on  June  5,  i86i,in  Company  C,  Eighth 
Louisiana  Regiment,  First  Louisiana  Brigade,  under  the  command  of  General 
Dick  Taylor,  and  made  the  campaign  under  Stonewall  Jackson.  He  was  severely 
wounded  on  the  27th  of  June,  1862,  at  Cold  Harbor  (Seven  Days'  Fight  before 
Richmond),  and  was  detailed  intheTrans-Mississippi  department,  as  druggist,  for 
a  few  months.  After  recovering  frorii  his  wound  he  reenlisted  for  active  service 
20a 


324  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

and  assisted  at  the  battles  of  Mansfield  and  Pleasant  Hill,  Louisiana.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  went  back  to  his  family  and  occupation.  September  i8, 
1866,  he  married  Miss  Marie  Philomene  Emma  Voorhies,  daughter  of  Edgar 
Voorhies,  a  prominent  lawyer,  and  Marie  Eugeide  Martin,  of  this  parish.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  six  children:  Theobald  E.,  Marie  Louise  (wife  of 
Eugene  Olivier),  Louis  Joseph,  Marie  Emma,  Marie  Cidalise  and  Francis  T. 
Mr.  Duchampis  a  successful  planter,  and  owns  a  sugar  plantation  of  five  hundred 
acres  in  St.  Martin  parish,  which  he  cultivates  principally  in  sugar  cane.  Mr. 
Duchamp  and  family  are  Catholics. 

J.  ARTHUR  DOMENGEAU,  Breaux  Bridge.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  October  11,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  S. 
Domengeau  and  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish. 

Young  Arthur  received  a  good  preparatory  education  in  the  public  schools, 
and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  entered  the  St.  Charles  College  at  Grand  Coteau, 
where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  six  years.  He  began  life  as  a  merchant  in 
partnership  with  his  father.  In  1874  he  retired  from  this  business,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  the  time  he  has  given  to  his  official  duties,  he  has  given  since  his 
chief  attention  to  planting.  In  1874  ^"<^  1879  ^^  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
from  his  ward.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  was  elected  assessor  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1884.  In  1885  he  was  appointed 
notary  public  under  Governor  S.  D.  McEnery,  and  was  again  elected  as  justice 
of  the  peace  in  1888,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  this  position.  His  strict 
attention  to  business  and  the  faitlifulness  with  which  he  has  discharged  his 
official  duties  has  gained  for  Mr.  Domengeau  something  of  a  local  reputation. 
He  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Emily  D.  Gallagher,  the  daughter  of  F.  W.  and 
Emily  Gallagher,  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Louisiana. 
They  are  the  parents  of  nine  children — ^J.  Randolph,  Frank,  Azele,  Dora, 
John,   Zachery,   Arthur,   Etta   and    Ward.     Mr.    Domengeau    and    family    are 

Catholics.  , 

*     » 

A.  F.  DOMENGEAUX,  Bre.\ux  Bridge. — Mr.  Domengeaux  is  a  merchant 
of  Breaux  Bridge.  He  was  born  in  1855,  in  St.  Martin  parish.  His  parents 
were  F.  A.  and  Julie  (Guidry)  Domengeaux,  both  being  natives  of  the  same 
parish.  A.  F.  Domengeaux  received  his  education  in  the  public  and  private 
schools  of  this  parish.  He  began  business  life  at  the  age  of  seventeen  as  clerk 
in  the  store  of  O.  Broussard,  Breaux  Bridge,  with  whom  and  other  mercantile 
firms  he  remained  for  a  period  of  four  years,  when  he  opened  business  for  him- 
self. Beginning  with  a  small  stock  of  merchandise,  he  has  increased  it  by  care- 
ful management  and  business  tact,  until  he  now  does  one  of  the  chief  businesses 
of  the    place.     His   business    amounts    to    about    $20,000   annually.     He  is  an 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  325 

extensive  cotton  buyer  and  shipper.  He  also  owns  and  operates  a  steam  cotton 
gin  and  grist  mill.  Mr.  Domengeaux  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  political 
affairs  of  St.  Martin  parish.  In  1884  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district  court, 
but  he  did  not  serve.  He  has  represented  his  party  in  the  last  three  guber- 
natorial conventions,  and  has  been  a  member  of  numerous  congressional  and 
judicial  conventions.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Breaux  Bridge  Literary  and 
Dramatic  Association,  and  the  Breaux  Bridge  Turf  Association,  of  which  organ- 
ization he  was  first  president  and  is  now  one  of  the  directors. 

Mr.  Domengeaux  was  married,  January  i,  1883,  to  Miss  Edmie  Ledoux, 
a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Leta  L., 
Louise  L.,  and  Henry  Clay.  , 

^  JEAN  DOMEC,  Arnaudville. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of 
France,  born  February  9,  1848.  His  father,  John  Louis  Domec,  was  a  native 
of  France  and  spent  his  whole  life  in  that  country.  Our  subject's  mother  was 
Miss  Jennie  Frechen,  also  a  native  of  France. 

John  Domec  was  reared  in  his  native  country  and  received  his  education 
from  good  private  schools.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer  and  was  for  nine  years 
engaged  on  his  father's  farm  in  France.  He  was  subsequently  engaged  in  the 
same  business  for  himself  for  two  years,  at  which  time  he  emigrated  to  America 
and  located  in  St.  Landry  parish,  near  Grand  Coteau,  where  he  purchased  a 
plantation  and  began  planting,  which  he  continued  for  a  period  of  eighteen 
years.  He  then  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  of 
eighteen  hundred  acres,  eight  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  He 
raises  cotton  chiefly.  Mr.  Domec  was  married  to  Miss  Ozemia  Lier,  of  St. 
Landry  parish.  To  them  have  been  born  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz: 
Firmin,  Jean,  Louis,  Hypolite,  Alice,  Clara. 

Mr.  Domec  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  successful  planters  in  this  sec- 
tion. , 

»     * 

1/  HERVILLIEN  DAVID,  Jr.,  BreauxBridge.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  September  12,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  H. 
David  and  Elise  Guidry,  of  Louisiana.  H.  David,  Jr.,  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  private  schools  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  began  life  as  a  planter.  His 
father  having  died  while  he  was  a  boy,  the  responsibility  of  the  family  devolved 
upon  him;  and  he  remained  upon  his  mother's  plantation  until  she  died.  Since 
that  time  he  has  operated  the  plantation  with  success,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  progressive  planters  in  his  native  parish. 

Mr.  David  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Miss  Cecelia  Babin  of  this  parish.  She 
only  lived  for  a  short  while  after  her  marriage;  and  in  1881  Mr.  David  married 
a  second  time.  Miss  Azelie  Martin,  daughter  of  Balthazar  and  Julie  (LeBlanc) 
Martin.     To  them  have  been  born  one  daughter,  Elise. 


326  SO UTH WEST  LO UISIA NA  : 

WILLIAM  B.  EASTIN,  St.  Martinville.— William  B.  Eastin,  chief 
deputy  clerk  of  the  court  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  was  born  in  St. 
Martinsville,  July  4,  1849. 

lie  is  the  son  of  Richard  T.  and  Octavia  (Fontenette)  Eastin.  Richard  T. 
Eastin  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  and  afterward  first  lieutenant  in  the 
Mexican  war  by  President  James  K.  Polk.  Octavia  Eastin  was  born  in  St.  Mar- 
tinsville, Louisiana,  184S.  Ten  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  the  oldest.     His  mother  is  still  living. 

William  B.  Eastin  spent  his  earlier  school  days  in  Grand  Coteau  College, 
Louisiana,  and  subsequently  attended  St.  Johns  College,  Fordham,  New  York, 
where  he  completed  his  classical  course. 

On  his  return  home  he  read  law  for  two  years  in  the  office  of  Jules  Gray  in 
St.  Martinsville.  lie  preferred  the  freedom  of  the  plantation,  however,  to  the 
confinement  of  the  office,  and  at  this  period  turned  his  attention  to  planting,  at 
which  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  was  then  appointed  justice  of  the  peace 
and  served  two  years,  after  which  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  recorder  of 
St.  Martin  parish,  which  position  he  held  until  1880,  at  which  the  recorder's 
and  clerk's  offices  were  consolidated  into  one.  He  was  appointed  chief  deputy 
clerk  of  the  court,  1881,  and  still  occupies  that  position. 

He  was  married  in  December,  1882,  to  Miss  Gabrielle  Guereniere.  She 
was  born  in  St.  Martinsville,  1851.  Nine  children  were  born  to  this  marriage, 
seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  which  are  now  alive. 

Mr.  W.  B,  Eastin   stands   high  in  public  favor  and   is  looked  upon   as   a 

rising  man  of  St.  Martin  parish.  , 

*     • 

"  ALEXANDER  V.  FOURNET,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Fournet,  clerk 
of  the   court  at  St.  Martinville,  was  born  in   St.  Martin  parish,  August  2,  1849. 

He  is  the  son  of  Valsin  A.  Fournet,  who  was  born  at  Breaux  Bridge,  St. 
Martin  parish,  in  1818.  He  enlisted  for  the  war  with  Mexico,  but  on  reaching 
the  City  of  New  Orleans  found  that  the  City  of  Mexico  had  been  captured 
and  that  there  was  no  necessity  for  going  further. 

Alexander  V.  Fournet  received  excellent  educational  advantages.  He 
attended  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  from  1861  till  1863,  and  was  then 
sent  for  a  short  period  to  St.  Mary's  College,  Montreal,  Canada,  after  which 
he  attended  St.  Johns  College,  Fordham,  New  York,  uniil  1868.  Having 
completed  his  course  of  mental  discipline  he  I'eturned  to  his  home  at  St. 
Martinville  and  engaged  in  planting  until  187 1,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed 
assessor  of  St.  Martin  parish  by  Governor  Nicholls.  He  served  until  the  con- 
stitutional convention  of  1879,  when  he  tendered  his  resignation  to  Governor 
L.  A.  Wiltz  and  returned  to  his  plantation,  where  he  remained  until  he  became 
deputy  clerk  of  the  court  at  St.  Martinville,  1881.       In  18S2  he  was  appointed 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  337 

clerk  of  the  court  by  Gov.  McEnery,  and  has  been  elected  to  the  same  position 
twice  since  that  time  by  the  people  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  still  fills  the  office 
in  a  most  efficient  and  satisfactory  manner. 

Mr.  Fournet  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Monge,  in  May,  1S70,  and  there 
has  been  born  to  this  marriage  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  alive. 

Mrs.  A.  V.  Fournet  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Edmond  Monge,  a  prominent 

citizen,  who  was  recorder  of  St.  Martin  parish  for  a  number  of  years. 

* 
»     » 

"^     L.  P.  FOURNET,  Cade.— Mr.  Fournet  is  a  native  of  this  parish,  born 

1843.     He  is  the  son  of  A.  V.  and  Pauline  Fournet,  both  of  whom   are   natives 

of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  of  the  early  settlers  of  this   section.     A.  V.  Fournet 

was  quite  a  prominent  man  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and  for  a  number  of  years  prior 

to  his  death  was  clerk  of  the  district  court  of  this  place.     He   was  an  extensive 

planter.     He  died  in  1879.     Mrs.  Fournet  died  in  1863. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  early  days  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and 
received  the  benefit  of  such  schools  as  then  existed.  At  twenty  years  of  age,  in 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  commenced  active  business  life  for  himself  in  1865,  upon  his  return 
from  the  army.  He  has  given  his  whole  attention  since  that  time  to  planting. 
He  now  owns  a  plantation  of  six  hundred  acres  in  St.  Martin  parish,  which 
yields  a  handsome  income. 

Mr.  Fournet  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Edmie  Morge,  of  this  parish. 
They  became  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Michael,  Alfred,  Leon,  Lee,  Paul, 
Charles,  Walter,  Darcaine  and  Andin.     Mr.  Fournet  and  family  are    members 

of  the  Catholic  church.  , 

*     • 

^  ALFRED  FUSELIER,  St.  Martinville.— Alfred  Fuselier  was  born  in 
St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  December  22,  1848.  He  is  the  son  of  Alcide 
Gabriel  and  Auron  (Gadenego)  Fuselier.  The  father  was  born  in  St.  Martin 
parish,  Louisiana,  in  1816,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  this  parish.  He  has  occu- 
pied many  official  positions  in  the  parish,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  social  and 
pohtical  affairs.  The  mother  was  born  in  Italy  about  1828,  and  died  in  Louis- 
iana in  1855.  There  have  been  born  to  them  fourteen  children,  nine  sons  and 
five  daughters.     Of  these  nine  are  living,  the  oldest  being  fifty-two  years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  in  Louisiana,  and  educated  at  St. 
Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  He  received  a  liberal  education,  which  has 
fitted  him  for  a  successful  business  life.  He  entered  the  Confederate  army  in 
1863,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Eighth  Louisiana  Infantrj^  and  with  them 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war;  upon  whicli  event  he  returned  to  his  home 
and  engaged  in  the  sugar  industry. 

In  1884  he  married  Miss  Elouido  Beraud,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  the 


338  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

daughter  of  a  prominent  and  highly  respected  planter  of  this  parish.  Both  of 
her  parents  are  dead.  The  result  of  this  marriage  is  three  children:  Amelia, 
Loranzo  and  Philomene. 

Mr.  Fuselier  is  deputy  sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  has  performed  the 
duties  of  his  office  with  the  greatest  vigilance.     He,  as  were  his  ancestors,  is  of 

the  Catholic  religion.  , 

*  « 

L.  FOURGEAUD,  M.  D.,  Breaux  Bridge. — Dr.  Fourgeaud  is  a  native 
of  France,  born  in  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  A.  S.  Fourgeaud.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  literary  education  at  Bordeaux  and  his  medical 
in  the  Faculte  de  Medicine  of  the  same  place,  of  which  institution  he  is  a  grad- 
uate. Upon  the  completion  of  his  course  he  emigrated  to  Louisiana  in  i88l. 
In  1883  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Tulane  Universit}'.  He  first 
practised  at  Rockport,  Bayou  Lafourche,  remaining  there  until  1885,  when  he 
came  to  Breaux  Bridge,  where  he  has  since  practised. 

The  Doctor  married  in  June,  1880,  Isabelle,  daughter  of  J.  M.  Lawson,  a 
prominent  business  man  of  New  Orleans.     Dr.  Fourgeaud  has  an  extensive  and 

remunerative  practice.  , 

«     • 

J.  A.  GUERRIN,  St.  Martinville. — J.  A.  Guerrin  was  born  in  New 
Orleans,  i860.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  and  Amelia  (Fonrugu)  Guerrin.  A.  Guerrin 
was  born  in  New  Orleans  1822,  and  Amelia  Guerrin  was  also  born  in  New 
Orleans,  1845.  They  became  parents  of  thirteen  children,  our  subject  being  the 
youngest  boy.  A.  Guerrin  was  a  hatter  by  trade  and  lived  in  New  Iberia.  He 
was  a  Confederate  soldier  during  the  war  and  served  first  as  a  private  and  sub- 
sequently in  the  tin  shop.  He  spent  his  school  days  in  New  Iberia.  He  worked 
in  his  father's  tin  shop  till  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  when  he  married 
Miss  Eva  Bonin,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  She  is  the  daughter  of  A.  Bonin,  a 
large  planter  in  St.  Martin  parish,  who  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1867. 

J.  A.  Guerrin  is  father  of  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mr. 
Guerrin  is  now  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  St.  Martinville. 

•  » 

LOUIS  C.  GAUTHIER,  St.  Martinville.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish  in  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  C.  and  Mary 
(Lebert)  Gauthier.  A.  C.  Gauthier  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1796 
and  died  in  1878.  He  was  an  extensive  planter  and  stock  jraiser  of  St.  Martin 
parish. 

Louis  Gauthier,  as  a  boy,  had  good  educational  opportunities,  and  obtained 
a  good  practical  business  education.  He  began  business  in  1875  as  a  planter 
and  stock  raiser,  in  which  he  has  since  continued  with  marked  success.  He 
now  own  a  plantation   of  six    hundred  acres  of  land,  five  miles  north   of    St. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  829 

Martinville.  He  has  on  his  place  about  $5000  worth  of  hve  stock.  His  plan- 
tation is  chiefly  cultivated  in  sugar,  cane  and  cotton.  Mr.  Gauthieralso  operates 
a  cotton  gin.  He  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Mary  Locker,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Leontine  (Billeaud)  Locker,  natives  of  France.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gauthier  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz:  Leona,  Angelina,  Charles, 
George,  Francis,  Henry,  Lorenza,  Amelia.  Mr.  Gauthier  js  giving  his  children 
the  best  educational  advantages,  having  employed  a  teacher  who  gives  them 
instructions  at  their  home.     Mr.  Gauthier  and  family  are  Catholics. 

»     * 

^  A.  GAUTHIER,  St.  Martinville. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  St.  Martin  parish  in  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  A.  C.  Gauthier,  mentioned 
above. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  j'outhful  daj's  in  St.  Martin  parish. 
He  received  his  education  at  St.  Charles  College.  He  has  followed  the  same 
business  in  which  his  father  was  engaged,  and  is  now  a  prosperous  planter  and 
stock  raiser.  His  plantation,  six  miles  northwest  of  St.  Martinville,  consists  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  valuable  land  on  the  Teche. 

Mr.  Gauthier  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lucy  Thimecourt  Bienvenu. 
She  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  E.  and 
Eliza  (Potier)  Thimecourt  Bienvenu.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gauthier  are  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  viz  :  Edgar  A.,  Regina  M.,  Lucy,  Virginia  E.,  Helen,  Syd- 
ney, Cornillie.     Mr.  Gauthier  and  family  are  Catholics. 

» 
«      • 

^      C.  M.  GAUTHIER,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.   Gauthier  was  born  in  St. 

Martin    parish   in    1830.     He  is  the  son  of  Charles   and  Marselite  (Cormier) 

Gauthier,    natives    of    France    and    St.    Martinville,    Louisiana,    respectively. 

Charles  Gauthier  died  in  1878.     His  wife  died  in  1844. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  C.  M.  Gauthier  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer, 
and  to  this  he  has  given  his  chief  attention  since  that  time.  He  is  also  quite  an 
extensive  stock  raiser.  Mr.  Gauthier  has  a  fine  plantation  in  this  parish  of 
about  twelve  hundred  acres,  on  which  he  cultivates  principally  sugar  and  corn. 
He  is  considered  one  of  the  most  successful  planters  of  this  section. 

Mr.  Gauthier  was  married  in  1859  ^°  Miss  Alice  Andrus,  a  native  of  Cal- 
casieu parish,  and  daughter  of  Hiram  Andrus,  of  Louisiana.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  six  children.     Mr.  Gauthier  and  family  are   members    of  the 

Catholic  church  of  St.  Martinsville. 

* 
*     » 

GABRIEL  GARDEMAL,  St.  Martinville.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  was  born  February  18,  1858.  His  father,  Titus 
Gardemal  was  a  native  of  French  Island,    Guadeloupe.     He  was  partly  reared 


330  SOUTHWEST  L  O  ITS  J  ANA : 

and  educated  in  Guadeloupe.  He  attended  college  in  Paris,  France,  where  he 
completed  his  education.  After  leaving  college  he  emigrated  to  America  in 
1848  and  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  Teche  and  the  Missis- 
sippi. During  this  time  he  was  a  resident  of  New  Orleans.  For  many  )'ears 
before  his  death  in  1864,  he  was  a  resident  of  St.  Martinville.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  Miss  Eu^olie  Josephine  Fontenette,  died  December,  1883,  having 
become  the  mother  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Both  father  and 
mother  were  devoted  Catholics.  Mrs.  Gardemal  gave  much  of  her  attention 
and  means  to  the  furtherance  of  the  interest  of  the  church. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Martinville,  subsequently  pur- 
suing a  business  course  in  New  Orleans.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  quite 
a  boy,  he  was  thrown  entirely  upon  his  own  resources  and  compelled  to  map  out 
his  own  course  in  life.  Beginning  at  the  age  of  fifteen  as  a  common  laborer,  he 
devoted  all  his  leisure  time  to  the  study  of  telegraphy,  which  he  soon  mastered, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  became  operator  at  Vermilionville  (now  Lafayette).  For 
many  years  he  was  engaged  as  agent  at  different  points  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad.  Desiring  a  change,  he  removed  to  Texas,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  same  business.  In  1884  he  returned  to  his  home  to  attend  his  mother  in  her 
dying  hours.  After  her  death  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  in  St. 
Martinville.  The  success  which  has  attended  his  business  undertaking  is  en- 
tirely due  to  his  tact  and  energy,  of  which  he  possesses  a  large  amount.  Dur- 
ing four  years  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  this  business,  he  served  as  deputy 
sheriff,  and  in  1887  he  was  elected  mayor  of  St.  Martinville.  In  18S8  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish,  of  whicli  position  he  is  the  present  incum- 
bent. Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  While  taking  an  active  interest  in  his 
respective  party,  he  is  by  no  means  a  partisan.  Indeed,  so  conservative  is  he  in 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  that  he  enjoys  the  utmost  respect  even  of  his 
strong  political  opponents.  He  was  married,  in  1884,  t°  MissMalvina  Faurries, 
a  native  of  New  Orleans,  but  a  resident  of  St.  Martinsville  at  that  time.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Pierre  and  Mary  (Wolf)  Faurries.  Her  father  is  of  French 
descent,  and  her  mother  German.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three  children, 
viz:  Louise  Eudolie,  Volina  Marie,  Mozella  Jeanne. 

»     » 

PROFESSOR  ALBERT  GABRIEL,  St.  Martinville.— Professor 
Gabriel  is  a  native  of  France;  born  near  Marseilles,  April,  1846.  His  father, 
Antoine  Gabriel,  was  a  native  of  the  same  place;  he  died  at  Marseilles  in  1881. 
He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  ability  and  culture.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
College  of  Langues,  of  Lyons,  and  was  president  of  a  college  at  Marseilles  for 
thirty-six  years.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Miss  Isabelle  Coer,  was  also  a 
native  of  Marseilles.    She  died  in  1854. 

Professor  Gabriel  was   reared   and  educated  in  his  native  land.     Attending 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  331 

school  at  Marseilles,  he  graduated  from  one  of  the  best  institutions  of  that  city 
with  high  honors.  He  chose  as  his  profession  teaching,  and,  with  this  in  view, 
he  attended  the  Normal  School  at  Aix,  of  which  he  is  a  graduate.  After  leaving 
school  he  became  secretary  to  one  of  the  government  engineers,  and  during  the 
four  years  he  was  engaged  in  this  capacity  he  visited  Africa  and  other  foreign 
countries.  He  entered  the  army  in  1866,  enlisting  in  the  Third  Regiment  Zou- 
aves. Here  he  remained  for  seven  years,  as  was  made  compulsory  by  the 
laws  of  France  at  that  date.  He  was  in  many  of  the  hard-fought  battles  in  the 
Franco-German  war.     Two  of  his  brothers  fell  in  service. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home,  where  he  remained  for  two  years, 
when  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  in  March,  1873, 
He  procured  a  position  as  teacher  and  remained  there  for  nine  years.  With  a 
view  to  being  located  in  a  milder  climate  he  removed  to  Louisiana  and  located 
in  St.  Martinville,  where  he  resumed  school  teaching,  which  he  still  follows. 
In  1884  he  married  Miss  Emily  M.  Griswold,  an  accomplished  young  lady  of 
New  York.  Like  her  husband,  she  is  a  teacher  of  high  standing.  The  Pro- 
fessor has  prospered  and  now  owns  considerable  property  in  this  parish. 

» 
•     * 

^     CHAS.  GUTEKUNST,  Bayou  Chene.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 

born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  January  14,    1848.     His  father,  Jno.  G.  Gute- 

kunst,  was  a  native  of  the  province  of   Wurtemberg.     He  was  born  1820 ;  and 

gave  his  chief  attention  to  his  milling  interests  in  this  province.     He  enlisted  as 

a  soldier  during  the  French   Revolution  of  '48,   and  fell  in  one  of  the  battles. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  Fredrica  Gans,  was  also  a  native    of  Wurtemberg, 

where  she  now  resides.     The  whole  family  are  Lutheran  in  religion. 

Charles  Gutekunst  is  one  of  a  family  of  two  children.  His  father  died 
before  he  was  born.  Young  Charles  was  reared  and  educated  in  Germany. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  Heidenheim  College,  receiving  his  diploma  in  1868.  While 
in  college  he  gave  special  attention  to  the  study  of  civil  engineering,  in  which 
he  has  become  practically  proficient. 

Believing  that  the  New  World  offered  better  inducement  to  a  young  man, 
and  more  scope  for  the  exercise  of  his  ambition,  Charles  emigrated  to  America 
in  1870.  He  located  in  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  soon  found 
profitable  employment.  He  entered  the  timber  industry,  in  which  he  has  since 
been  more  or  less  interested.  Since  1878  he  has  devoted  considefable  of  his 
time  to  civil  engineering.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1882.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  poHce  jury  from  this  ward.  Many  beneficent  measures 
owe  their  origin  to  his  efforts  as  a  representative  of  the  people's  interests. 

In  March,  1874,  Mr.  Gutekunst  married  Miss  Eloise  J.  Mendoza,  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  Spanish  famil}'.  She  is  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  the 
daughter   of   Jos.   and   Mary    Mendoza,   who   are  now   residents    of  St.  Mary 


332  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

parish.  To  this  marriage  have  been  born  three  children,  one  son  and  two 
daughters,  to-wit :  Octave  Orto,  Charlotte  and  Laura. 

Mr.   Gutekunst  has    prospered,    and   owns    considerable    property    in  this 

parish.  , 

«     • 

^  CHAS.  GUERINIERE,  St.  Martinville.— Chas.  Gueriniere,  a  planter 
of  St.  Martin  parish,  was  born  in  St.  Martinville,  January  21,  1848.  He  is 
the  son  of  Chas.  and  Hersilie  (Delahoussaye)  Gueriniere,  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Chas.  Gueriniere,  Sr.,  was  a  planter  and  miller 
by  occupation.     He  died  in  1883.     His  wife  died  in  1856. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  schooling  in  his  native  parish. 
When  only  fourteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Gueriniere  enlisted  in  the  Confederate 
service,  and  served  two  years.  He  began  business  for  himself  as  a  merchant 
and  miller,  in  which  occupations  he  has  been  chiefly  engaged  ever  since.  In 
1876  Mr.  Gueriniere  was  elected  sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  was  reelected 
in  1878.  He  was  married,  in  1870,  to  Miss  Pearl  Oliver,  a  native  of  St.  Mar- 
tin parish,  and  daughter  of  Chas.  O.  and  Elodie  (Mouton)  Oliver.  To  them 
have  been  born  seven  children:  Elodie,  Hersilie,  Charles,  Oliver,  Pearl,  Laure, 
Blanche  and  Gaston.  Mr.  Gueriniere  has  given  his  children  good  educational 
advantages.     He  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

»     » 
^       EDWIN  GUERINIERE,  St.  Martinville.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  St.  Martinville,  born  in  1855.     He  is  the  son  of  Chas.  and  Her- 
silie (Delahoussaye)  Gueriniere. 

Mr.  Gueriniere  received  a  liberal  education.  He  is  the  manager  of  a  large 
saw-mill,  of  this  place,  and  is  a  progressive,  thoroughly  wide-awake  business 
man  He  married,  in  1874,  Miss  Darcin  Bienvenu,  of  St.  Martinville,  the 
daughter  of  Numa  Bienvenu,  of  St.  Martinville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gueriniere  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Adrinin,  Edwin,  James  and  Darcum.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  St.  Martinville. 

» 
•     « 

LEON  F.  GILLARD,  Breaux  Bridge. — Mr.  Gillard  was  born  in  Rapides 
parish,  Louisiana,  January  5,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  G.  B.  Gillard  and  Celes- 
tine  Robin,  natives  of  Louisiana. 

Leon  F.  Gillard  at  the  age  of  nine  years  entered  St.  Charles  College,  Grand 
Coteau,  where  he  pursued  a  course  of  study  for  a  period  of  four  years;  after- 
ward pursuing  a  private  course,  until  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  entered  a 
general  mercantile  store  at  Washington,  Louisiana,  as  a  clerk.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  four  years,  when  he  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish  and  engaged  in 
planting,  in  which  he  continued  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  en- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  333 

listed  in  the  Confederate  service,  Company  A,  Fournet  Battalion.  On  the  or- 
ganization of  the  compan}'  he  was  elected  second  lieutenant.  After  having  served 
for  a  short  period,  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health.  After  recruiting 
for  awhile,  he  again  volunteered  in  the  cavalry  service,  and  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  was  over  he  resumed  the  operation  of  his  plan- 
tation at  this  place.  He  now  alternately  gives  his  time  to  school  teaching  and 
the  management  of  his  plantation. 

Mr.  Gillard  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alzima  David,  of  St.  Martin 
parish.     They  are  the  parents  of  nine  children. 

» 
»     » 

ERNEST  J.  GILLARD,  Arnaudville.— Ernest  Gillard,  a  planter  resid- 
ing near  Arnaudville,  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  and  was  born  March  i8, 
1837.  His  parents,  Joseph  B.  Gillard  and  Celestine  Robin,  are  natives  of  Lou- 
isiana, the  former  of  Avoyelles  and  the  latter  of  St.  Landry  parish. 

Ernest  Gillard  was  attending  school  at  St.  Charles  College  when  the  war 
broke  out,  and  he  left  school  to  enlist  in  the  Confederate  service.  He  enlisted 
as  a  private  and  was  in  the  service  for  about  fourteen  months.  After  his  return 
home  he  was  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  this  place.  After 
having  been  engaged  in  this  business  for  a  short  period  he  married  Miss  Aspasie, 
daughter  of  Valsin  and  Madeline  Benard,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Since  that  time 
he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Mr.  Gillard  owns  and  controls  a 
plantation  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  arpents  of  land,  on  which  he  raises  a 
variety  of  crops.  He  has  never  taken  any  special  part  in  politics,  but  is  inter- 
ested in  all  public  affairs.     Mr.  Gillard  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  ten  children. 

» 

*  « 

^  G.  ARISTA  GUILBEAU,  La  Place.— Mr.  Guilbeau  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  December  28,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Alphonse  Guilbeau  and 
Ophelia  Dugas,  natives  of  Louisiana. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  principally  in  Lafayette 
parish,  where  he  married  Miss  Mary  Rose  Bernard,  daughter  of  Odile  and  Car- 
melite (Broussard)  Bernard.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Breaux  Bridge, 
St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  resided  for  two  years.  Since  that  time  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  planting  and  merchandising,  in  which  he  has  pros- 
pered. Mr.  Guilbeau  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz  :  Ophelia, 
Desamon,  Mary,  Rita,  Carmene,  Carmelite,  G.  Arista,  Jr.,  Blanche. 

* 

*  » 

JOHN  GILLESPIE,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Gillespie  is  a  native  of 
North  Louisiana,  born  January  i,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Preston  Gillespie, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania.     John  Preston  Gillespie  removed  to  Louisiana  early  in 


334  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

life,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.     He  died  from  yellow  fever 
in  1855. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  children.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  parish,  and  received  his  education  in  the  Jesuit  College  of 
New  Orleans.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  engaged  in  planting,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to  this  business,  in  which 
he  has  been  fairly  successful.  He  was  married,  December20, 1881 ,  to  Miss  Marie 
Amelia  Melancon  of  St.  Martin  parish.  To  them  have  been  born  two  children, 
Marie  Rose  and  M.  Theresa.     Mr.  Gillespie  and  family   are    members    of    the 

Catholic  church.  , 

»     » 

EDGARD  HARDY,  Arnaudville. — Mr.  Hardy  was  born  in  St.  Martin 
parish  January  4,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  J.  Hardy  and  Ehza  Broussard,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  Orleans  and  the  latter  of  St.  Martin  parish. 

Young  Edgard  Hardy  attended  school  in  St.  Martin  parish  until  seventeen 
years  of  age,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Confederate  service  and  served 
for  a  period  of  one  year.  Immediately  upon  his  return  home  he  married  Miss 
ErminieLeBlanc,  daughter  of  J.  B.  LeBlanc  and  Adrienne  Guilbeau,  now  of  St. 
Martin  parish.  Mr.  Hardy  is  a  planter  and  has  alwa3's  followed  that  vocation, 
in  which  he  is  successful.  He  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  four 
sons  and  five  daughters,  six  of  whom  are  living.     Mrs.  Hardy  died  July  29,  1890. 

» 
*     • 

FREDERIC  W.  HART,  M.  D.,  St.  Martinville.— Dr.  Hart  is  a  native 
of  Canada  and  was  born  November  22,  1814.  His  father,  Benjamin  Hart,  was 
also  a  Canadian  and  a  prominent  merchant  of  his  province.  He  died  in  1884. 
Our  subject's  mother,  Harriet  Hart,  was  a  native  of  New  York.  To  this  union 
were  born  seven  sons  and  seven  daughters. 

Dr.  Hart  was  reared  and  educated  in  Canada.  He  pursued  a  thorough 
classical  and  scientific  course  at  McGill's  College,  of  which  institution  he  is  a 
graduate.  He  studied  medicine  in  Montreal,  after  leaving  college,  graduating 
in  1835.  In  1836  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Grand  Gulf, 
Mississippi,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Yazoo 
county,  and  two  years  later  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  for  nine  years. 
Tiring  of  the  constant  labors  connected  with  his  professional  duties,  the  Doctor 
purchased  a  plantation  in  Iberville  parish  and  removed  to  that  place,  where  he 
attended  to  his  agricultural  interests.  In  1857  he  went  to  Colorado  and  invested 
in  the  mining  interests;  remaining  there  for  three  years.  Being  a  strong  South- 
ern sympathizer,  he  moved  to  Mississippi  and  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  ser- 
vice, Regiment  6,  Mississippi  Cavalry.  He  was  assigned  to  the  staff  of  Gen. 
Witherspoon,  and  served  with  him  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Since  that  time 
he  has  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  his  profession.     The  Doctor  is  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  335 

author  of    several  essa3'S  on  difierent  medical  subjects  which  have  been  of  much 
benefit  to  the  profession.     He  has  been  thrice  married  and  is  now  a  widower. 


JAMES  O.  HALPHEN,  St.  Martinville.— James  O.  Halphen  was 
born  October  7,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Michael  and  Fanny  D.  (De  La  Croix) 
Halphen,  both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Michael  Halphen  was  born  and  reared  in 
Natchitoches  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  deau.. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  four  sons 
and  three  daughters,  four  of  whom  are  living,  to-wit :  Zalina,  wife  of  Albert 
Gillaud ;   James  O.,  the  subject,  Dussnan  and  Zoe. 

James  O.  Halphen  was  educated  in  Paris,  France.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
■years  he  accepted  a  position  as  steamboat  clerk.  This  he  followed  for  some 
time,  and  since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  various  occupations.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  he  is  deputy  sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Mr.  Halphen  possesses 
superior  business  qualities,  and  has  made  a  success  of  whatever  he  has  under- 
taken. He  was  married,  March,  1859,  t*'  Mary  Zalina  Chretien,  of  St.  Mary 
parish,  a  daughter  of  D.  and  Ruth  Chretien.  Mrs.  Halphen  died  May  i,  1881, 
having  become  the  mother  of  ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters, 
seven  of  whom  are  living;  Francis,  Ferdinand,  Joseph  O.,  Robert  Albert,  Mary 
Teresa,  Fanny  and  Nolle.  Those  deceased  are,  Andrew,  Achille  and  Zaline. 
Mr.  Halphen  married  a  second  time.  Miss  Harmonia  Fuise,  of  New  Orleans. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children  ;  a  son,  Garbriel,  and  a  daughter,  Louise. 
Mr.  Halphen  and  family  are  Catholics. 


■^  J.  O.  HALPHEN,  Jr.,  St.  Martinville.— J.  O.  Halphen,  Jr.,  is  a  son 
of  J.  O.  Halphen,  whose  sketch  appears  above.  He  was  born  in  Opelousas, 
St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  March  28,  1861.  He  received  a  fair  education 
in  early  life  and  began  business  as  a  salesman  in  a  general  mercantile  store  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  a  short  period.  He  has 
been  engaged  in  various  occupations  since  that  time  and  is  at  present  the 
constable  and  deputy  sheriff  of  St.  Martin  parish.  As  a  public  official  Mr. 
Halphen  has  been  strictly  attentive  to  the  interests  of  the  people  and  is  a  popular 
officer. 

He  was  married,  January  9,  1885,  to  Miss  Emilie  DeBlanc,  a  daughter  of 
Louis  DeBlanc,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Mrs.  Halphen  is  a  highly  educated  lady 
and  a  graduate  of  the  college  of  Mobile,  Alabama.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Halphen  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  viz:  James  F.,  Conrad  F.,  Fabio.  The  family 
are  all  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  In  politics  Mr.  Halphen  is  a  Republi- 
can, though  conservative  in  his  views. 


336  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA : 

JNO.  ALFRED  HITTER,  St.  Martinville.— The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  in  St.  Martinville,  November  4,  1848.  His  father,  Sebastian 
Hitter,  is  a  native  of  France.  His  ancestors  were  prominent  in  the  French  Rev- 
olution. He  came  to  America  in  1848.  While  on  the  journey  across  the  ocean, 
cholera  broke  out  among  the  passengers,  and  of  the  twenty-eight  sufferers  from 
this  dreadful  disease  he  was  the  only  survivor.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  New 
Orleans  he  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  now  resides.  Louise  (Gei- 
ger)  Hitter,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  also  a  native  of  France,  and  ra«Jkved 
to  Louisiana  when  a  child. 

John  A.  Hitter  was  reared  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and  received  his  chief  edu- 
cation at  St.  Martinville.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  accepted  the  position 
of  salesman  in  a  mercantile  establishment  in  New  Orleans,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  four  years,  when  he  returned  to  St.  Martinville  and  entered  a  mercantile 
business  on  his  own  account,  in  which  he  was  engaged  until  1882.  In  this, 
however,  he  was  not  successful,  and  he  retired  from  busmess,  embarking  in 
other  pursuits,  which  were  attended  with  better  success.  He  soon  accumulated 
sufficient  capital  to  put  up  a  manufacturing  and  repairing  establishment,  where 
he  manufactures  and  repairs  buggies,  harness,  etc. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1873,  he  married  Miss  Marie  Broussard,  of  St 
Martin  parish.  To  them  have  been  born  six  children:  Josephine,  Joseph, 
Louise,  Celonine,  Alphonse  and  Beatrice.  Mr.  Hitter  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church.  , 

ROBERT  HUGHES  IRVIN,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Irvin  is  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  born  October  19,  1S69.  His  father.  Col.  Wm.  J.  Irvin,  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  though  reared  and  educated  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  gal- 
lant soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  a  colonel  in  the  Sixth  Indiana  Regiment. 
He  was  severely  wounded  during  sen'ice,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  subse- 
quently died,  December  3,  1875.  R.  H.  Irvin's  mother,  Eliza  O'Neil,  was 
of  Scotch  parentage.  She  was  reared  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  she  married 
the  subject's  father  in  1853.  To  them  were  born  three  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  third.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Louisiana. 
He  completed  his  education  at  St.  John's  College.  After  leaving  school  he  took 
a  course  of  civil  engineering  in  Cincinnati,  serving  as  an  apprentice  for  five 
years.  On  the  completion  of  his  apprenticeship  he  became  engineer  fer  the  F. 
O.  &  I.  M.  Railroad,  where  he  was  engaged  for  the  period  of  one  year.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  engaged  on  different  roads,  until  recently,  when  he  became 
identified  with  the  timber  business  of  this  parish. 

Mr.  Irvin  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  has  figured  prominently  in  the  local 
politics  of  the  parish.  He  was  appointed  census  enumerator  for  the  second 
ward,  in  St.  Martin,  parish,  1890. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  337 

JULES  JEANMARD,  Breaux  Bridge. — Mr.  Jeanmard  was  born  in  St. 
Martin  parish  January  15,  1840.  He  is  the  son  of  Francois  and  Eulalie  (Artache) 
Jeanmard,  the  former  a  native  of  Italy  and  the  latter  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Lou- 
isiana. Francois  Jeanmard  removed  to  Louisiana  when  quite  a  3^oung  man,  and 
resided  here  until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1S64.  His  wife  died  in  1845.  At 
the  age  of  ten  years  Jules  Jeanmard  removed  to  Texas,  where  he  remained  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Beaumont;  during  this  tmie  he  alternately  went  to  school  and  tended  a  stock 
farm.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  came  to  Louisiana  and  joined  the  De- 
clouet  Guards,  which  was  afterward  attached  to  the  New  Orleans  Guard  Bat- 
talion. He  was  in  the  engagements  at  Shiloh  and  Vicksburg,  where  he  was 
prostrated  with  measles  and  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Jackson,  Mississippi.  Having 
recuperated  he  went  to  Camp  Moore  and  received  his  discharge.  Later  he  en- 
tered the  Thirteenth  Louisiana  Regiment,  Company  A,  and  participated  in  the 
battles  at  Baton  Rouge  and  Port  Hudson.  With  his  division  he  was  ordered 
back  to  Vicksburg,  where  they  were  detained  until  the  4th  of  July,  and  re- 
ceived orders  to  return  to  Jackson,  Mississippi.  Here  they  were  engaged  in  the 
ten  days'  bombardment.  They  were  then  dispatched  to  Mobile,  Alabama,  and 
attached  to  Longstreet's  division  to  assist  in  the  Tennessee  campaign,  and  were 
in  the  retreat  from  Atlanta.  At  Jonesboro,  Tennessee,  Mr.  Jeanmard  was  se- 
verely injured  and  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Montgomery,  Alabama.  He  was  at 
home  on  a  furlough  when  the  war  ended.  He  suffered  a  complete  loss  of 
property  from  the  effects  of  the  war  and  had  to  begin  life  anew.  Shortly  after 
the  war  was  over  he  entered  an  employment  as  ferryman  for  the  parish  of  St. 
Martin,  for  which  he  received  five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  He  was  subsequent- 
ly engaged  in  running  a  private  ferry  for  a  short  period.  He  then  removed  to 
New  Orleans,  and  was  engaged  in  an  ice  factory  there  for  one  year,  when  he  re- 
turned to  St.  Martin  parish,  and  was  there  engaged  as  a  mail  carrier  from 
Breaux  Bridge  to  New  Iberia.  Shortly  after  this  he  began  a  mercantile  business 
with  his  brother-in-law,  C.  C.  Brown.  In  this  they  were  not  successful,  and 
after  conducting  business  for  a  short  while  dissolved  partnership.  He  was  assist- 
ed by  Levi  Loeb  &  Co.,  and  our  subject  reopened  a  store  in  which  he  has  been 
remarkably  successful.  He  also  owns  a  store  in  West  Melville,  St.  Landry  par- 
ish. Mr.  Jeanmard  is  the  father  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz:  Joseph  R., 
Rosa,  Charles,  Frank,  George,  Jules,  Jr.,  Anna,  Henry. 

*  • 
FRANK  L.  JEWELL,  M.  D.,  St.  Martinville.— Dr.  Jewell  is  a  native 
of  Louisiana,  and  was  born  in  St.  Landry  parish  January  16,  1839.  He  is  the 
son  of  John  M.  Jewell,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  reared  and  educated 
there,  but  removed  to  Louisiana  when  quite  a  young  man.  He  located  in  St. 
Landry  where  he  married  our  .subject's  mother,  Miss  Clarissa  Lewis,    a    native 


338  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

of  this  State  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  prominent  families  of  St.  Landry.  The 
issue  of  this  marriage  was  four  children — two  sons  and  two  daughters.  John 
M.  Jewell  was  killed  in  1845  in  a  duel  fought  with  a  man  b}-  the  name  of 
Marshal. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  left  his  parental  roof  at  the  age  of  about  seven- 
teen and  entered  the  Centenary  College.  He  afterward  studied  medicine  in 
the  Medical  College  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated with  high  honors  in  i860.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  course  in  medicine 
he  began  to  practise  his  profession  in  St.  Bernard,  Louisiana,  but  not  being  sat- 
isfied with  the  location  he  removed  after  a  few  months  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
practised  for  eleven  years.  Tiring  of  his  arduous  professional  duties,  he  re- 
moved from  the  cit}'  and  gave  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  for  two  years. 
Not  being  as  successful  as  he  anticipated,  he  removed  to  New  Iberia,  where  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Twelve  years  later  he  removed  to  St. 
Martin  parish,  locating  in  the  town  of  St.  Martinville,  where  he  now  resides 
and  practices  his  profession. 

The  Doctor  has  been  thrice  married,  his  last  wife  being  Mrs.  Corinne  Four- 
net,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish. 

Dr.  Jewell  is  a  gentleman  of  fine  literary  attainments  and  superior  profes- 
sional ability.  He  has  had  a  large  amount  of  experience  in  his  profession  and 
enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has  cast  his  lot. 

* 
*     » 

Mrs.  EDWIN  KNIGHT,  St.  Martinville.— Mrs.  Edwin  Knight  was 
born  in  St.  Martinville,  September  2,  1842.  She  is  the  daughter  of  George 
and  Evelina  (Armstrong)  Foster.  George  Foster  was  a  native  of  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  he  received  his  education.  He  was  born  April  22,  1818,  and 
was  the  son  of  Thomas  Foster,  an  early  settler  of  Massachusetts.  Evelina 
Armstrong  Foster  is  a  native  of  St.  Martinville,  born  July  20,  1820.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Agnes  McCormick  Armstrong.  She  is  still  alive,  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  There  were 
two  children  born  to  this  marriage,  both  girls — Agnes,  born  October  17,  1839, 
and  our  subject. 

Mrs.  Edwin  Knight  received  her  education  at  St.  Martinville  and  Franklin, 
and  has  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  English  and  French  languages.  She  was  married 
at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years  to  Edwin  Knight,  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, born  December  27,  1844.  His  death  occurred  July  31,  1887.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz:  George  B.,  born  Ma}'  17,  1870.  Ella  E., 
born  June  17,  1871;  Samuel  R.,  born  June  12,  1872;  Percy,  born  February  4, 
1874;  Mary  A.,  born  January  24,  1876,  died  November,  1882;  Lizzie  R.,  born 
August  24,  1877;  Edwin  R.,  born  June  12,  1879;  Isabella  E.,  born  November 
14,  1880;  Lee,  born   August  25,  1882.    'George  B.,  the  oldest  son,  is  a  worthy 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  330 

young  man  just  entering  manhood,  and  has  a  good  business  (Education.  He  is 
at  present  engaged  as  salesman  in  a  general  store  in  East  St.  Martinville,  where 
he  was  born  and  reared.  By  his  upright  and  manly  conduct  he  has  obtained 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  those  with  whom  he  has  associated.     He  is   full 

of  energy  and  integrity.  * 

*     * 

Mrs.  a.  p.  LASTRAPES,  St.  Martin  Parish.— Mrs.  A.  P.  Lastrapes, 
born  December  30,  1859,  is  a  native  of  St.  Martm  parish.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  P.  D.  D.  DeLaCroix  and  Rosa  Dt.  DeBlanc. 

Mrs.  Lastrapes  was  reared  in  this  parish.  She  entered  the  Convent  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  at  New  Orleans  at  an  early  age,  where  she  remained  for  live  years, 
after  which  she  returned  to  her  home  and  was  shortly  afterward  married  to 
Andre  P.  Lastrapes.  They  became  the  parents  of  one  son,  Andre.  Her 
husband  only  lived  two  years  after  their  marriage.  Shortly  after  his  death  Mrs. 
Lastrapes  was  appointed  post-mistress  of  LaPlace  post-office,  which  position 
she  has  occupied  since  that  tim'^,  discharging  the  duties  with  eminent  satisfac- 
tion.    She  also  teaches  a  private  school  at  this  place. 

» 

^  W.  H.  LIVINGSTON,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Livingston  was  born  in 
St.  Martin  parish  in  1854  ^""^  ''^  '^^  ^°"  °^  George  and  Caroline  Livingston. 
George  Livingston  was  a  native  of  Ewson,  Indiana;  born  1829  and  died  1864. 
He  moved  to  Louisiana  in  1844  and  was  engaged  in  what  is  known  as  "  swamp- 
ing, "  or  getting  out  cypress  from  the  swamps  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Confederate  army  in  1862  and  served  for  two  years,  but  owing  to  physi- 
cal inability  he  was  discharged. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  limited  education  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  timber  business  from  the  time  of  his  boyhood  until  1890,  when  he 
began  a  mercantile  business  in  St.  Martinville.  He  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss 
Louise  Cozine.  To  this  union  have  been  born  six  children,  viz:  George  H., 
Percy  M.,  Charles  G.,  Lilian,  John  E.,  William  E.  Mr.  Livingston  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  church.  * 

"^  THEOBALD  J.  LABBE,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  Labbe,  a  prominent 
young  business  man  of  St.  Martinville,  was  born  in  St.  Martin  parish,  Novem- 
ber 6,  1867.  His  father,  Arthur  Labbe,  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  He 
was  born  near  St.  Martinville  about  1845,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock  raising. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  is  a  native  of  the  Island  of  Martinique.  She  came 
to  Louisiana  while  a  child,  where  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  our  subject's 
father  in  1866.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  six  of  whom  are  living. 
21a 


340  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  the  family.  He  received  the  best 
educational  advantages  the  schools  of  the  parish  afforded  and  entered  the 
State  University  of  Baton  Rouge,  but  on  account  of  ill  health  he  was  compelled 
to  leave  college  before  having  completed  his  course  of  stud}'.  After  leavin"' 
school  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  pharmac}'  at  the  National  Institute  of 
Pharmac}'  at  Chicago.  Two  years  later  he  passed  his  examination  before  the 
State  Pharmaceutical  Board  of  Alabama,  there  being  no  examining  board  of 
pharmac}-  in  Louisiana  at  that  time.  He  entered  the  drug  business  in  associa- 
tion with  his  father  at  about  the  time  he  began  the  stud}^  of  pharmac}'.  The 
business,  under  the  firm  st3'le  of  Labbe  &  Son,  was  continued  for  two  5-ears  :  at 
the  expiration  of  which  our  subject  purchased  his  father's  interest  and  became 
the  sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  business.  He  has  the  leading  drug  business 
of  the  place.  Mr.  Labbe  has  also  taken  a  thorough  course  in  stenography,  and 
hopes  to  be  able  to  facilitate  his  business  by  its  use. 

He  married,  May  24,  1889,  Miss  Corinne  Fleming,  a  native  of  St.  Martin 
parish,  the  daughter  of  August  and  Alice  (Broussard)  Fleming. 

Both  Mr.  Labbe  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Labbe  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  has  occupied  the  office  of 
dictator  of  the  lodi-e. 


^  S.  V.  MARTIN,  St.  Martinville. — There  are  few  families  of  St.  Martin 
parish  that  occupv  a  higher  social  standing  than  the  Martin  famil)-.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  a  son  of  Placide  Martin  and  Eroisie  Bernard,  both  natives  of 
St.  Martin  parish.  Placide  Martin  was  a  successful  sugar  planter  of  St.  Martin 
parish  in  the  earlier  days  of  that  industry.  Both  he  and  wife  were  of  French 
descent  and  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Martin  died  from  injuries 
received  irom  being  thrown  from  a  horse  in  1846.  Mrs.  Martin  died  in  1832. 
Three  sons  and  one  daughter  were  born  to  tiiis  union. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  near  the  home  of  his 
birth.  He  was  married  early  in  life  to  Miss  Celima  DeBlanc,  the  daughter  of 
Aspasie  Caslille  and  Derneville  DeBlanc,  one  of  the  prominent  families  of  St. 
Martin  parish.  Mr.  Martin  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz: 
Louise,  who  is  the  mother  superior  at  the  convent  at  Charenton,  Louisi- 
ana, Agnes,  Robert,  Marie,  Aspasie,  Bertha,  Lucie.  Philomene  and  Joseph. 
Mr.  Martin  is  by  occupation  a  civil  engineer,  and  to  this  profession  he  has 
devoted  most  of  his  life  and  made  a  success  of  it.  He  has  been  parish  survej'or 
for  twenty  years  and  is  the  present  parish 'assessor.  He  and  his  family  are 
Catholics.  All  his  children  have  received  a  classical  education  in  academies  of 
Louisiana.  The  last  son,  Joseph,  is  now  at  Georgetown  College,  Washington, 
D.  C. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  341 

F.  R.  MARTIN,  M.  D.,  Breaux  Brid(;e.— Dr.  F.  R.  Martin  is  a  native 
of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  June  15,  1859.  ^^^  ^®  '''^  ^^"^  °^  Omer  and  Elise 
(Estilette)  Martin.  Omer  Martin  was  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish, born  in 
1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Placide  Martin.  Elise  Estilette  is  also  a  native  of  this 
parish,  and  was  born  in  1S36.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Alexander  Estilette.  a 
native  of  St.  Landrj-  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  viz:  Dr.  William  Martin,  of  Arnaudville  ;  Francis  R.  Martin, 
Dr.  George  A.  Martin,  of  Breaux  Bridge  ;  Joseph  A.  Martin,  student  at  Louisi- 
ana State  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  ;  Eva  Martin,  Theolinde,Juanita, 
student  at  the  Mount  Carmel  Convent  at  Lafa3'ette,  Louisiana.  His  father  hav- 
ing lost  nearl}'  everything  from  the  war.  Dr.  Martin  was  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  for  obtaining  an  education.  He  attended  the  common  schools  at  Breaux 
Bridge  until  the  age  of  twelve  j'ears  when  he  engaged  as  a  workman  in  the 
fields  until  he  secured  sufficient  means  to  attend  college.  He  pursued  a  ht- 
erarv  course  at  Hiwasse  College,  Tennessee,  from  which  institution  he  graduated 
in  1878  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  office  of 
Dr.  N.  Betournay,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of  medicine  for  four  years,  when 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  Tulane  University,  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  in  1885.  Returning  to  Breaux  Bridge,  he  immediately  began  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  has  succeeded,  and  he  now  has  one  of  the  largfist 
practices  in  this  section.  As  a  surgeon  the  Doctor  has  been  especialh'  success- 
ful, and  lias  performed  many  diflicult  and  intricate  surgical  operations.  His 
practice  extends  over  the  parishes  of  St.  Martin,  Lafayette  and  St.  Landry. 
Dr.  Martin  is  a  close  thinker  and  a  hard  student;  he  has  a  fine  library  and 
keeps  well  posted  on  everything  pertaining  to  his  profession.  Subsequent  to 
1886  Dr.  Martin  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  partnership  with  A. 
H.  Vander  Cruyssen  until  recently.  The  Doctor  is  now  associated  with  his 
brother  in  the  business.  Though  Dr.  Martin  gives  his  chief  time  to  his  profes- 
sional work,  he  is  also  interested  in  all  the  affairs  of  this  section  and  is  a  leading 
citizen.  The  Doctor  owns  a  plantation  located  east  of  Breaux  Bridge,  which  is 
cultivated  in  cotton.  He  also  owns  a  sugar  plantation  and  stock  farm  near  this 
place. 

He  has  been  president  of  the  Literar}-  and  Gymnastic  Association  since  its 
organization.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Breaux  Bridge  Turf  Association, 
which  was  organized  in  1889.  He  is  the  local  president  of  the  Columbus, 
Georgia,  Building  and  Loan  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Attakapas 
Medical  Association,  and  is  the  parish  correspondent  for  the  experimental  sta- 
tion at  Baton  Rouge.  He  is  also  a  member  of  tlie  Public  School  Board  of  St. 
Martin,  appointed  by  Governor  Nicholls.  In  October,  1878,  Dr.  Martin  mar- 
ried Miss  Constance  Thibodeau,  daughter  of  Hypolite    and    Elise    (Zeringue) 


342  SOUrj/WEST  L  OCJSIA.YA  : 

Thibodeau,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  The}'  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz: 
Joseph  Aimes,  Anna,  Lewis,  Francis,  George  (deceased).  The  Doctor  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

CYP.  MfiLANCON,  Breaux  Bridge.— Mr.  Melancon  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  born  in  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Marcelin  and  Scholastic  (Guidry) 
Melancon,  who  were  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish. 

C.  Melancon  is  one  of  a  family  of  sixteen  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now 
living.  He  began  planting  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged until  the  war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  and 
served  until  the  latter  part  of  1864,  when  he  was  discharged  as  unfit  for  duty  on 
account  of  ill  health.  After  recovering  he  again  enlisted  in  the  service  for  about 
six  months,  when  his  health  gave  way,  and  he  was  again  discharged.  January, 
1866,  Mr.  Melancon  opened  a  mercantile  business  at  Breaux  Bridge,  beginning 
with  a  small  capital;  he  has  since  increased  his  business  until  he  now  carries  a 
large  stock  and  does  a  good  business.  He  carries  a  general  stock  of  merchan- 
dise, and  deals  in  cotton  extensively.  He  also  owns  four  plantations  in  this  par- 
ish, aggregating  about  eight  hundred  acres,  upon  which  he  raises  cotton  and 
corn.  In  politics  Mr.  Melancon  is  a  Democrat,  though  not  partisan.  In  1S66 
he  filled  the  office  of  constable,  and  was  afterward  post-master  at  Breaux  Bridge 
eighteen  years,  and  since  that  time  has  refused  to  accept  public  positions.  He 
was  married  in  1853  to  Miss  Fclicie  Broussard,  .daughter  of  Sasthine  and  Mar- 
celite  (Begnaud)  Broussard.  Two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  are  the  re- 
sult of  this  union.  , 

*      » 

JOS.  MALONSO,  St.  Martin  Parish.— Mr.  Malonso  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  born  in  1841.  He  had  very  poor  educational  advantages  as  a 
boy,  and,  consequently,  his  literar}-  education  is  limited.  He  is  a  successful 
planter  of  St.  Martin  parish,  owning  a  good  plantation  near  St.  Martinsville. 

Mr.  Malonso  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emilice  Savoy,  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children.  Mr.  Malonso  and 
family  are  consistent  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

»  * 
^  JULES  J.  MOUTON,  Cade.— Mr.  Mouton  was  born  in  Lafayette 
parish  in  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  Eraste  and  Corinne  Mouton,  natives  of  Lafa- 
yette and  St.  Landry  parishes,  respective!)'.  Eraste  Mouton  was  an  attorney  of 
Lafayette  parish,  and  served  for  a  period  as  judge  of  the  Sixteenth  Judicial 
District,  embracing  the  parishes  of  Lafayette,  Vermilion  and  Calcasieu.  He 
also  edited  for  a  time  a  newspaper  in  Lafayette.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  the  place.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  captain  of  his 
company. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  343 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  liberal  education,  and  early  in  life 
engaged  in  a  mercantile  business,  and  lately  has  undertaken  planting.  He 
was  married  in  18S4  to  Widow  F.  Oliver,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  The)- 
are  tlie  parents  of  four  living  children,  viz  :  Alice,  Anna,   Pauline  and  Daniel. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mouton  are  communicants  of  the  Catholic  church  of  St. 
Martinville.  , 

H.  M.  NIBLETT,  M.  D..  Biieaux  Bkidge.— Dr.  Niblett  was  born  in 
Petersburg.  Virginia,  in  183S.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Sttrling  Niblett  and  Anne 
(McFarland)  Niblett,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  Dr.  Sterling  Niblett  was 
prominent  in  political  affairs  of  the  State,  though  he  never  held  an  office.  Prior 
to  his  death  he  had  accumulated  an  immense  fortune  of  over  a  million  of  dollars. 
He  was  interested  in  many  of  the  banks  of  Louisiana  before  the  war.  Profes- 
sionally he  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  surgeons  in  the  State. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz  :  William, 
Robert,  Sterling,  James,  Collins,  Norman  and  Nannie,  of  whom  the  Doctor  is 
the  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  He  received  his  primar}^  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  count}'.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  remained  four  \-ears.  Three  years  of  this  time  he  devoted  to 
literar}'  studies,  and  the  fourth  year  to  the  studj'  of  medicine.  He  subsequently 
attended  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia  and  graduated  from  there 
in  1861.  The  same  year  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  as  assistant  sur- 
geon of  the  Ninth  Virginia  Cavalry.  With  this  division  he  was  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Williamsburg,  Five  Forks  and  many  others.  He  was  twice 
wounded.  Three  days  before  the  surrender  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to 
Washington,  where  he  was  kept  for  about  a  month,  when  he  was  sent  to  John- 
ston Island,  where,  after  being  confined  for  five  weeks,  he  was  paroled. 
After  the  war  he  returned  to  \'irginia,  where  he  practised  his  profession  until 
1868.  He  then  removed  to  St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  took  charge  of  his 
father's  plantation  near  this  place,  and  on  the  death  of  his  father  he  became  heir 
to  1200  acres  of  valuable  land.  Since  that  time  he  has  devoted  his  chief  atten- 
tion to  planting  and  stock  raising.  His  plantation  is  well  improved  and  he  has  a 
large  sugar  mill,  which  manufactures  a  capacity  of  ten  hogsheads  of  sugar  a  day. 
Dr.  Niblett  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Annie  Wilkins,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Wilkins,  a  noted  physician  of  Virginia,  and  Sadie  Overton. 

* 
*      * 

^  P.  D.  OLIVIER.  M.  D.,  St.  Martinville.— Dr.  Olivier  was  born  in 
Lafayette  parish  November  26.  1840.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  same 
place  and  was  for  many  years  recorder  of  the  parish.  He  filled  with  distinction 
the  office  of  parish  judge  for  nearl}'  six  years.  He  was  also  sent  to  the  Legis- 
lature from  St.  Martin  parish.     His  name  is  well  and  favorably  known.     Our 


344  SOUTHWEST  L  O UISIANA  : 

subject's  mother  was  Miss  Amyntha  Berard,  is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parisii, 
where  she  now  resides  and  has  spent  most  of  her  useful  hfe. 

Dr.  Olivier  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  was  educated  at  St. 
Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  3-ears  he  determined 
to  study  dentistry  and  went  to  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Dental  Surgery, 
where  he  graduated  in  iS6i.  Soon  after  his  return  he  enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment.  He  was  with  the  Hayes  Brigade  and  under  Stone- 
wall Jackson's  command.  He  was  made  lieutenant  of  his  company  and  was  in 
the  most  hotly  contested  engagements  of  the  war,  viz:  Front  Roj'al,  first  and 
second  battles  of  Winchester,  Cross  Keys,  Port  Republic,  Cold  Harbor,  Mal- 
vern Hill,  both  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  second  battle  ot  Bristow  Station, 
Manassas,  Harper's  Ferry,  Sharpsburg,  Gett3-sburg.  He  was  captured  at  Rap- 
pahannock, and  consigned  to  Johnston  Island  and  there  endured  all  the  hard- 
ships of  prison  life.  In  June,  1865,  he  was  discharged,  and,  returning  liome, 
found  all  that  he  had  possessed  lost. 

In  1S66  he  married  Miss  Corinne  Bossier,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Diogene  Bossier  and  Corralie  Weber.  Her  parents  are 
dead.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  six  children — four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  viz:  Eugene,  George,  Henry,  Louise,  Andre,  Eliza.  He  and  familj- 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  In  1878-79  Dr.  Olivier  was  tax  collector 
of  St.  Martin  parish.  He  is  now  engaged  in' the  improvement  of  the  public 
schools,  and  the  people  of  the  place  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  excellent  condi- 
tion in  which  they  are  now  in.  ^ 

''  C.  M.  OLIVIER,  Jr.,  Cadj;.— Mr.  Olivier  was  born  in  this  parish  in  1851. 
He  is  the  son  of  C.  M.  and  Amanthe  (Briard)  Olivier.  Both  were  natives  of 
St.  Martin  parish.  C.  INI.  Olivier  was  judge  of  the  Sixteen  Judicial  District  for 
several  years  before  his  death.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  refinement. 
He  died  in  1876.  His  wife  still  survives  him  and  is  a  resident  of  St.  Martins- 
ville.    They  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  has  devoted  his  full  attention  to  planting,  in  which 
he  has  been  quite  successful, .and  now  owns  a  fertile  plantation  of  over  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  St.  Martin  parish.  He  was  married,  in  1S79,  '^°  Miss 
Josephine  Cormier,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Emilie  (Kedoux)  Cormier.  Tliey 
are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz:    Maurice   and   Amelie.     Mr.  Olivier  and 

family  are  devoted  Catholics.  * 

*     * 

FELIX  Y.  POWER,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  Power  was  born  in  New 
Orleans  in  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  Philip  and  Mathilda  Power,  both  natives  of 
New  Orleans.  Philip  Power  is  in  the  tax  and  mortgage  department  at  New  Or- 
leans.    He  is  also  clerk  of  the  court  in  that  city. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  345 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  educated  in  the  pubhc  schools  of  New  Or- 
leans, and  was  prepared  to  enter  the  graduating  class  when  he  left  school  to  be- 
gin busness.  He  began  life  as  a  merchant,  in  which  business  he  has  since  been 
principally  engaged.  He  now  conducts  a  good  mercantile  business  in  St.  Mar- 
tinsville. Mr.  Power  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Louise  Durand,  daughter 
of  O.  J.  and  Felicie  Durand.  Mr.  Power  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catho- 
lic church  at  St.  Martinville.  ^ 

*  * 

^  CHAS.  POTIER,  Jr.,  St.  Martinville.  —  Mr.  Potier  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  born  August  25,  1828.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Marcelete 
Potier,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  this  parish.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
Mr.  Potier  entered  a  private  school,  where  he  pursued  a  four  years'  course  of 
study,  upon  the  completion  of  which  he  engaged  with  his  father  in  phmting until  ■ 
the  latter's  death,  after  which  event  he  managed  the  estate  for  twenty-five  years. 
In  1876  he  bought  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  one  hundred  and 
eighty  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to  its  op- 
eration. He  raises  corn,  cotton,  potatoes  and  cane.  His  plantation  is  a  pro- 
ductive one  and  yields  him  a  good  income. 

Mr.  Potier  was  married,  1855,  to  Miss  A.  Berard,  a  native  of  St.  Martin 
parish,  born  1S39.  ^^^  '^  '^  daughter  or  Hjpolite  and  Canence  (Barras)  Be- 
rard, both  of  whom  are  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  Clemence,  Benjamin,  Hypo- 
lite  (deceased),  Cecile,  Corinne,  Lora,  Laurent,  Rene  and  Charles.  Mr.  Potier 
served  in  the  latter  j-ear  of  the  war  as  sergeant  under  Captain  Holland  Hayes, 
in  the  Foiirnet  Battalion. 

*  * 

^  J.  ROUSSEAU,  Breaux  Bridge. — Mr.  Rousseau  is  a  merchant  of  this 
place,  born  in  1847.  His  parents,  Jules  and  Felician  (Martin)  Rousseau,  are 
both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana.  Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  two 
sons  born  to  this  union.  He  received  his  education  at  St.  Charles  College, 
which  he  entered  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  remained  until  1864,  when  he 
left  school  and  enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Louisiana  Cavalry,  remaining  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  St.  Martin  parish  for 
about  two  years,  when  he  removed  to  New  Orleans  and  was  employed  in  a 
wholesale  shoe  store  for  a  similar  period.  Returning  to  St.  Martin  parish  he 
opened  a  store  in  partnership  with  M.  Boudier,  in  which  business  he  was 
engaged  for  about  six  years.  From  1874  ^^  1880  he  was  engaged  in  the  sugar 
industry.  In  1880  he  again  engaged  in  merchandising,  in  which  he  has  pros- 
pered. Mr.  Rousseau  married,  February  12,  1877,  Miss  Clemence  Buillard,  a 
native  of  St.  Martin  parish.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four 
boj'S  and  three  girls,  viz:  Joseph  Jules,  Gaston  Laurent,  Henry  Gabriel,  Joseph, 


34C  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

Jean  Martin,  Marie,  Anna  and  Agnes.  Mr.  Rousseau,  in  1884,  was  appointed 
parish  treasurer,  which  office  he  still  holds.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  Breaux 
Bridge  Turf  Association,  also  treasurer  and  secretary  of  the  Literary  and 
Dramatic  x^ssociation.  He  is  secretary  of  the  local  branch  of  the  Columbus, 
Georgia,  Building  and  Loan  Association.     He  and  family  are  Catholics. 

*     * 

J.  A.  RESEWEBER,  St.  Martinville. — J.  A.  Reseweber  was  born 
in  New  Orleans  in  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Antoine  and  Mary  Reseweber,  both 
natives  of  France. 

Mr.  Reseweber  received  a  fair  education  ana  commenced  business  as  a 
merchant,  in  which  he  has  been  occupied  during  the  whole  of  his  business  life. 
He  is  at  present  doing  a  good  mercantile  business,  and  owns  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  raises  principally  cotton  and  corn. 
He  was  married,  in  1876,  to  Miss  Nativa  Lasseigne,  of  St.  Martin  parish.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  seven  children. 

»     * 
^         ADRIEN  F.  ROY,  Arnaudville. — The  subject  of    this  sketch  is  a  native 
of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  June  27,  i860.      He  is    the    son   of    Ceprien  Roy  and 
Adolphena  Guilbeau,   both  of  whom  are  natives  of  this  parish. 

i\drien  F.  Roy  was  reared  in  St.  Martin  parish,  and  at  the  age  of  filteen 
entered  a  private  school,  which  he  attended  for  a  period  of  two  years,  when  he 
began  planting.  He  owns  a  good  little  plantation,  where  he  raises  corn  and 
cotton  chiefl}-. 

He  was  married,  in  1883,  to  Azema  Trahan,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  one  son  and  three  daughters,  Adolphine,  Ema- 
rant,  Louis  and  Bettina.  * 

^  A.  D  ROY,  Arnaudville. — Mr.  Roy  is  a  native  of  St.  INLirtin  parish, 
born  July  6,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexander  Roy  and  A.  Bernard,  the 
former  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  the  latter  of  Lafayette.  Alexander  died  in 
1873:  his  wife  in  1867.  Thus  left  an  orphan  at  an  earl}-  age,  young  A.  D.  Ro}- 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  After  his  father's  death  he  lived  with  his 
uncle,  with  whom  he  remained  five  years,  when  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  mer- 
cantile establishment  at  Arnaudville,  Louisiana,  where  he  remained  three  years. 
While  there  he  improved  the  plantation  which  had  been  left  him  by  his  father 
and  superintended  its  operation.  Since  this  time  he  has  been  entirely  engaged 
in  agriculturtU  pursuits. 

Mr.  Roy  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Kidder,  the  daughter  of  A.  Kidder 
and  O.  Bergeron,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  this  parish.  To  them  have  been 
born  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  347 

Mr.  Roy  has  prospered  in  his  agricultural  pursuits  and  now  possesses 
six  hundred  arpents  of  land,  a  good  portion  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  101890  Mr. Roy  was  appointed  police  juror  from  the  fifth  ward 
and  is  at  present  the  incumbent  of  the  position. 

*  * 
^  R.  N.  ST.  GERMAIN,  Breaux  Bridge. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  St.  Martin  parish,  185 1.  He  is  the  son  of  Chas.  P.  and  Aurelie  (Gau- 
thier)  St.  Germain,  the  former  a  native  of  France,  born  1814;  the  latter  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  born  1833.  Chas.  P.  St.  Germain  was  a  merchant  in  St.  Mar- 
tinsville, where  he  had  removed  when  young.  He  was  engaged  in  business  at 
this  place  for  thirty-five  years  prior  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1878.  His  widow 
still  survives  him. 

R.  N.  St.  Germain  is  one  of  a  family  of  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. He  was  educated  in  St.  Martinsville,  and  began  business  life  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  as  a  clerk  in  liis  father's  store.  Here  he  remained  for  two  years, 
when  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  sugar  plantation,  and  continued  to  control 
it  for  about  five  years. 

December  9,  1873,  he  married  Miss  Corinne  Ledoux,  daughter  of  August 
and  Annis  (Begnaud)  Ledoux,  of  this  parish.  After  retiring  from  his  sugar  in- 
dustry, Mr.  St.  Germain  was  on  the  road  for  about  a  \  ear  as  commercial  tourist. 
After  the  death  of  his  father,  1878,  he  took  charge  of  his  mercantile  business, 
in  which  he  continued  till  1883,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  cotton  planter. 
He  has  also  in  charge  a  cotton  gin,  and  will  gin  this  season  (1890-91)  about  one 
thousand  bales.  He  has  a  good  plantation  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  In  1888  Mr.  St.  Germain  was  appointed  police  juror  fiom  the  fourth 
ward  of  St.  Martin  parish  and  now  serves  in  that  capacit}-. 


J.  A.  SCHLESINGER,  Breaux  Bridge.— Mr.  Schlesinger  is  a  native  of 
St.  Martin  parish,  born  January  29,  1852.  He  is  the  son  of  Edward  and 
Adveline  Schlesinger,  the  former  a  native  of  Bradford,  Yorkshire,  England, 
born  1809,  the  latter  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  1822.  Edward 
Schlesinger  was  a  school  teacher  in  Louisiana  and  Texas  for  man}'  \'ears;  he 
now  resides  in  New  Orleans. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early  education  in  New  Orleans. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  custom  house,  where 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  seven  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  taught  school 
in  the  parishes  of  Orleans,  Vermilion,  St.  Tamman}'  andSt.  Martin.  He  married, 
June  14,  1873,  Miss  Agatha  Navarro.  To  this  union  were  born  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz:  Edward  Albert,  Frank  T.,  Charles  Louis. 
In  January,    1886,   he   married   Miss   Mathilde  Palonabo,  of  Vermilion  parish. 


348  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz:  Frederic  and  Charles.  In  1867, 
Mr.  Schlesinger  was  appointed  United  States  cotton  weigher,  which  position  he 
held  for  eighteen  months.  In  1S70-71  he  held  the  position  of  deputy  collector 
and  inspector  of  customs  at  Calcasieu  parish.  During  the  year  1872  he  served 
as  deput}'  coroner.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  of  Plaquemine 
parish,  and  in  1881  was  post-master  at  Pilot  Town  in  the  same  parish.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  teaching  school. 

*     * 

GEO.  SILLAN,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  Sillan  is  of  French  nativity. 
He  was  born  in  Paris  in  i860,  and  is  the  son  of  Emile  Sillan,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Southwest  Louisiana.  At  the  age  of  thirtj'-five  Emile  Sillan  emigrated  to 
Louisiana  and  located  in  the  parish  of  St.  Mary,  where  for  many  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  sugar  industrj^  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Baldwin,  St,  Mary  par- 
ish. The  subject's  mother,  Zeido  (Sorrell)  Sillan,  is  a  native  of  St.  Mar}'  par- 
ish, Louisiana,  and  is  of  French  extraction.  She  became  the  mother  of  three 
children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated  in  Paris,  France.  His 
early  educational  advantages  were  good.  He  graduated  from  one  of  the  best 
schools  of  Paris.  He  removed  with  his  father  to  Louisiana  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  and  began  the  publication  of  the  Reveille,  a  weekly  Democratic  newspaper, 
at  St.  Martinville.  The  paper  is  published  in  French,  and  has  a  good  local 
circulation.  ^ 

^  WILLIAM  D.  TxALLEY,  Breaux  Bridge.— Mr.  Talley  is  a  native  of  St. 
Martin  parish,  and  was  born  October  3,  1827.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Hartach)  Talley,  the  former  a  native  of  Georgia  and  the  latter  of 
Havana. 

William  D.  Talley  was  reared  in  St.  Martin  parish,  where  he  received  an 
excellent  education  in  the  French  language.  He  has  since  acquired  a  good 
English  education  and  speaks  it  in  preference  to  his  native  tongue.  Mr. 
Talley  began  the  mercantile  business  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  on  the 
Atchafalaya  river,  in  this  parish,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  about  nine  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  cutting  and  selling  timber  from  the  swamps  for  about  ten 
years.  Since  that  time  he  has  devoted  his  full  attention  to  planting.  His  plan- 
tation is  six  miles  northeast  of  Breaux  Bridge,  and  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-six  acres  of  valuable  land,  upon  which  he  raises  cotton  and  cane.  In  1861 
Mr.  Talley  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service,  and  served  in  the  engineer 
corps  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  batdes  of  Fort  Bisland,  Fort 
Donelson,  Mansfield,  Yellow  Bayou  and  Bayou  Fordoche.  Mr.  Talley  has 
twice  married.  January  19,  1S49,  he  married  Miss  Anais  Guilbeau.  They  be- 
came the  parents    of   four  children,  viz:    Gideon,   John,  Mary  and  Hyacinth. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  349 

Mrs.  Talle}'  died  in  1863,  and  Mr.  Talley  married  the  second  time,  Miss  Mary 
Hill,  of  West  Baton  Rouge.  They  are  the  parent's  of  two  sons  and  four 
daughters,  viz:    Julia,  Ida,  Ahda,  Emma,  Wilfred  and  David. 

"^  VALERY  THIBODEAU,  Bre.\ux  Bridge.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish,  born  October  20,  1828.  He  is  the  son  of  Nar- 
cisse  Thibodeau  and  Lucy  Potier,  both  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  As  a  boy- 
he  attended  the  public  schools  of  this  parish  and  afterward  attended  a  private 
school  at  Breaux  Bridge  for  about  two  j-ears.  He  began  life  as  a  planter, 
first  on  his  father's  plantation  and  subsequently  on  a  plantation  which  he  pur- 
chased himself.  Mr.  Thibodeau  owns  a  plantation  of  about  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  raises  chiefly  cotton  and  corn.  He  has  also 
on  his  place  a  saw-mill  which  he  has  operated  for  many  years.  In  i860  Mr. 
Thibodeau  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  notar}- public  of  the  fnurth  ward, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  for  fourteen  j'ears.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Companjr 
A,  of  the  Fourteenth  Louisiana  Battalion,  of  which  company  he  became  lieu- 
tenant and  after  a  3'ear  captain.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1852 
Mr.  Thibodeau  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Thibodeau,  of  St.  Martin  parish. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Treville  Thibodeau  and  Aspasie  LeBlanc.  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  St.  Martin  parish.  Treville  Thibodeau  was  one  of  St.  Martin's 
most  successful  planters   and  prominent  citizens. 

^  COL.  FELIX  VOORHIES,  St.  Martinville.— Without  a  sketch  of  the 
Voorhies  family,  a  history  of  Southwest  Louisiana  would  be  incomplete.  Mem- 
bers of  this  family  have  figured  prominently,  not  only  in  local  affairs,  but  in  the 
history  of  the  nation.  The  family  is  of  direct  Holland  ancestry,  the  first  mem- 
ber in  America,  Corte  Alberts  Van  Voor  Hies,  having  been  a  native  of  Holland. 
He  located  in  New  Jersey  about  the  year  1600.  The  latter  part  of  the  name, 
signifying  "  near  the  town  of  Hees,"  has  only  been  retained  by  the  descendants 
of  this  ancestor.  Cortc  Alberts  Van  Voor  Hies  was  twice  married  ;  first  in  Holland, 
and  the  second  time  in  New  Jersey.  He  became  the  father  of  ten  children, 
most  of  whom  were  born  in  Holland.  They  located  in  different  States  of  the 
Union,  a  son,  Cornelius,  becoming  domiciled  in  Kentucky.  He  was  the  father 
of  three  children,  of  whom  Cornelius,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  one. 

Cornelius  Voorhies  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  Kentucky. 
He  removed  to  St.  Lar.dry  parish,  Louisiana,  early  in  life,  where  he  married 
Aimee  Gradenigo,a  descendant  of  the  distinguished  Gradenigo  family  of  Venice. 
Cornelius  Voorhies  afterward  removed  to  Avoyelles  parish,  where  he  served  as 
sheriff  and  parish  judge.     He  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  to-wit:    William, 


3oO  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA : 

Cornelius,  father  of  our  subject;  Clarissa,  Horace  F.,  Gradenigo  P.,  and 
Eulalie.  Cornelius  Voorhies,  the  father  of  Felix  Voorhies,  was  born  in  1803,  in 
Avoyelles  parish.  He  received  a  limited  education,  and  at  an  early  age  began 
the  study  of  law  in  St.  Martinsville,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1825.  He 
first  located  in  Lafayette  parish,  where  he  practised  for  four  or  five  years,  when 
he  located  in  St.  Martinville,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  law  practice  for  several 
years.  He  was  elected  district  attorney,  in  which  capacitj*  he  served  for  some  time, 
and  was  afterward  elected  State  Senator.  Subsequent  to  this  he  served  for  a  period 
as  district  judge,  and  in  1853  he  was  elected  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  in  which  position  he  served  until  within  a  short  while  before  his  death, 
August,  1859.  Mr.  Voorhies  was  noted  for  his  firmness  and  the  closeness  with 
which  he  adhered  to  his  principles.  Further  mention  is  made  of  him  in  the 
history  of  the  bench  and  bar  of  St.  Martin  parish. 

Col.  Felix  Voorhies  was  educated  at  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau; 
Spring  Hill,  Alabama;  and  completed  his  studies  at  the  Jesuits'  College,  New 
Orleans.  He  studied  law  in  St.  Martinville,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before 
the  Supreme  Court  in  Opelousas  in  1S60,  since  which  time  he  has  practised  in  St. 
Martinville.  Mr.  Voorhies  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  in  1861  in  Company 
C,  Eighth  Louisiana  Regiment,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  Virginia.  He  was 
in  active  service  until  the  latter  part  of  1862,  when  he  was  discharged  on  account 
of  disabilit}-.  After  recuperating  he  again  entered  service  as  captain  of  the 
Independent  Cavahy  Company'  in  the  latter  part  of  1863,  and  was  stationed  in 
Louisiana  for  about  a  year.     Later  he  was  detailed  to  bureau  duty. 

After  the  war  Col.  Voorhies  returned  home  and  resumed  his  law  practice. 
In  1874  '^^  ^'^^  elected  representative  of  St.  Martin  parish  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture, and  served  one  term.  Col.  Voorhies,  as  have  been  his  ancestors,  is  an  ar- 
dent Democrat,  though  he  does  not  take  an  exceedingl}'  prominent  part  in  local 
affairs.  Since  his  service  in  the  Legislature  he  has  never  held  any  public  office. 
The  Colonel  has  devoted  much  of  his  leisure  time  to  literature,  and  is  a  writer 
of  recognized  merit.  He  has  written  a  number  of  comedies  in  French,  some  of 
which  have  received  high  commendation.  His  "  Blanche  Duvart."  or  "A  Louisi- 
ana Romance,"  was  reprinted  in  both  Canada  and  France.  Col.  Voorhies  has 
for  many  j'ears  been  a  regular  contributor  to  the  leading  French  papers  in  the 
United  States,  and  his  "Louisiana  Sketches"  in  the  New  York  Independent 
have  been  widely  read  and  admired.  His  "  Reminiscences  of  an  Old  Acadian  " 
is  his  onl\'  attempt  in  English.  Col.  Voorhies  has  largely  contributed  to  local 
papers,  and  was  for  four  years  editor  of  the  Observer,  now  the  Reveille,  of  St. 
Martinville. 

He  was  married  in  October,  1859,  to  Miss  Modeste  Potier,  of  St.  Martin 
parish.  To  them  have  been  born  twelve  children:  Edward  G.,  attorney,  of  La- 
fayette;  Felix  E.,  engineer  and  mechanic,  of  St.  Martin  parish;   Dan.  W.,  at 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  351 

torney,  at  St.  Martinville ;  Charles  L.,  engineer  and  mechanic,  of  St.  Martin- 
ville;  Robert  E.,  druggist,  at  Thibodeauxville;  Albert  P.,  who  is  at  present  a 
student  in  dentistry- ;    Cecile,  Paul  E.,  Walter,  Lucie,  J.  Sasthene  and   Modeste. 


L.  C.  VAUTIER,  St.  Martinville. — Mr.  Vautier  was  born  in  New 
Orleans,  October  6,  1867.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Louise  (Klar)  Vautier, 
both  natives  of  Louisiana.  Charles  Vautier  is  engaged  in  the  cotton  trade  in 
New  Orleans. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  business  education,  and  began 
life  as  a  planter  in  1883,  to  which  vocation  he  has  since  given  his  full  time.  He 
owns  and  controls  a  good  plantation  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in 
St.  Martin  parish,  near  St.  Martinville,  upon  which  he  raises  principally  sugar 
cane.  Mr.  Vautier  was  married,  in  1888,  to  Miss  Bertha  Bienvenu,  of  St.  Mar- 
tinsville.     He  and  wife  are  strict  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

* 

^  H.  A.  VANDERCRUYSSEN,  Breaux  Bridge.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  Ghent,  Belgium.  He  is  the  son  of  Licvinand  Seraphin  (Van  de  Putted 
Vander  Cruj-ssen  ;  the  former  a  native  of  Bruges,  the  latter,  of  Eecloo.  Our 
subject  was  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  four  are  now  living: 
Luc}',  Alphonse,  Ida  and  himself,  Mr.  Vander  Cruyssen's  father  was  a  prom- 
inent manufacturer  of  Ghent.  He  gave  employment  to  a  large  number  of  men, 
and  was  prominent  in  political  and  social  affairs.  He  was  three  times  President 
of  the  Third  Board  of  Elecdons  of  Ghent,  and  refused  the  position  of  Mayor 
of  Hevst.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1875,  he  w.is  very  wealthy.  His  widow 
still  survives,  and  resides  in  Ghent. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  in  America. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  Alost  in  the  college  of  Freres  des  Ecoles 
Chreiennes.  Subsequently  he  attended  the  Jesuit  college  of  St.  Barbe  at 
Ghent,  where  he  remained  for  some  time,  when  he  matriculated  in  the  Academy 
of  St.  Luke  at  Ghent,  a  school  of  art  and  design,  completing  his  studies  with 
an  architect  (Van  Assche)  at  Ghent.  After  his  study  of  architecture,  he  was 
engaged  as  supervising  architect  and  builder.  He  also  made  a  special  study 
of  chemistry  and  drugs  in  the  Ecole  Industrielle,  afterward  serving  with  a 
druggist.  Mr.  Vander  Cruyssen  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Alice 
de  Wulf,  died  two  years  after  their  marriage.  In  August,  1884,  Mr.  Vander 
Cruyssen  came  to  New  Orleans,  and  engaged  in  the  drug  business.  Two  years 
later,  at  the  solicitation  of  Dr.  Martin,  he  removed  to  Breaux  Bridge,  and  enter- 
ing into  partnership  with  the  Doctor,  has  conducted  the  drug  business  of  this 
place  since  that  time.  The  Breaux  Bridge  Union  being  about  to  discontinue 
publication,  Mr.  Vander  Cruyssen  was  solicited  by  the  patrons  of  the  paper  to 


352  SOUTHWEST  LOUIS/ANA. 

take  charge,  which  he  did  in  1889.  Under  his  management  the  paper,  which 
is  Democratic  in  sentiment,  has  increased  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  circulation. 

In  October,  1S88,  Mr.  Vander  Cruyssen  married  a  second  time,  Miss  Con- 
stance, the  eldest  daughter  ot  Oliver  Broussard,  of  St.  Martin  parish,  born 
October  26,  1870.  One  child,  Alice,  is  the  result  of  this  union.  Iler  death 
occurred  in  the  year  of  her  birth. 

Mr.  Vander  Cruyssen  has  never  held  public  office,  but  has  served  his  party 
in  various  ways  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  political  affairs.  He  is  one 
of  the  founders,  and  the  first  manager  and  director,  of  the  literary  and  gymnastic 
association  of  Breaux  Bridge,  and  is  secretary  of  the  Breaux  Bridge  brass 
band.  He  is  also  local  agent  of  the  Columbus,  Georgia,  Building  &  Loan 
Association.  He  and  his  wife  are  communicants  of  the  St.  ]3ernard  Catholic 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Vander  Cruyssen  is  organist. 

« 

*  * 

v^  CHARLES  H.  VOORHIES,  St.  Martinville.— Mr.  Voorhies  is  a  native 
of  Louisiana,  born  in  the  town  of  St.  Martinville,  in  St.  Martin  parish.  He  is 
the  son  of  Alfred  Voorhies,  who  was  also  a  native  of  St.  Martinville,  where  he 
resided  until  the  time  of  his  death.  His  mother,  Euphrosine  (Olivier)  Voorhies 
was  born  in  St.  Martinville,  where  she  was  reared  and  married.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Diflonville  and  Enoine  Olivier. 

Charles  Voorhies  was  reared  in  St.  Martinville,  where  he  obtained  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  began  life  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  as  a  manual 
laborer.  In  1886  he  was  elected  chief  constable,  which  position  he  has  held 
since. 

He  married  Miss  Amelia  Campbell,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Almide  (Landry) 
Campbell.  She  is  a  native  of  St.  Martinville,  and  was  born  Ma}'  8,  i860.  Her 
mother  is  still  living  in  St.  Martinville.  Her  father  has  been  dead  for  a  number 
of  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Voorhies  are  the  parents  of  three  living  children,  viz:  Erme, 
Charles,  Birdie.  In  politics  Mr.  Voorhies  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  Mr.  Voorhies 
is  descended  from  an  old  and  highly  honored  family    of  the  Acadian   pioneers, 

and  is  proud  of  his  descent.  ^ 

*  * 

PERLEY  POORE  Wx^RD,  St.  Martinville.— Prominent  among  the 
rising,  thorough-going,  business  young  men  of  St.  Martin  parish  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Ward  is  a  native  of  Louisiana.  He  was  born  in  East 
Feliciana,  November  29,  1856.  His  father,  Frederic  W.  Ward,  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  iu  Dutchess  county,  near  the  city  of  Poughkeepsie,  about  the 
year  1814.  He  removed  to  Louisiana  in  1846.  Here  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  daj'S.  By  occupation  he  was  a  merchant  tailor.  He  prospered  in  his  voca- 
tion, and  at  the  breaking  out  of   the  Civil  War  he  had  accumulated  considerable 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


353 


property;  but  by  the  war  he  lost  it  all.  He  died  August  15,  1876.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother  was  a  native  of  Germany,  though  reared  and  educated  in  Amer- 
ica.    She  died  in  i860. 

The  subject  is  one  of  six  children.  He  at  an  early  age,  being  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources,  entered  the  printing  office  of  the  Clinton  Patriot-Democrat, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  His  health  failing  he  removed  to  Amite, 
Miss.,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  school  teaching  alternately 
for  a  period  of  four  years.  February',  1866,  he  removed  to  Iberia  parish,  Lou- 
isiana, where  he  engaged  in  ihe  timber  business.  Subsequentl}'  he  located  in 
St.  Martinsville,  where  he  still  conducts  his  timber  interests. 


SASTHEN  ZERINGUE,  LaPlace.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  na- 
tive of  St.  Martin  parish  and  was  born  October  7,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Z. 
and  Mar}'  (Suderic)  Zeringue,  the  former  a  native  of  St  Landry  parish  and  the 
latter  of  St.  Martin  parish,  Louisiana:  they  are  both   deceased. 

Sasthen  Zeringue  had  very  limited  educational  advantages  and  at  an  early 
age  began  work  on  a  plantation.  After  having  attained  his  majority  he  began 
planting  for  himself,  in  which  he  has  since  continued  with  more  or  less  success. 
He  owns  a  plantation  of  about  one  hundred  and  fift}'  acres  in  this  parish,  on 
which  he  raises  cotton  and  corn  chiefly.  His  land  is  fertile  and  his  plantation  is 
one  of  the  best  in  this  section.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Zeringue  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clemence  Guidry,  a  native  of  St.  Martin  parish, 
and  daughter  of  Edmond  and  Joset  (Sanier)  Guidry.  They  are  the  parents  of 
five  children. 


^iJ'-J^J^ 


CHAPTER  VI 11. 


PARISH  OF    ST.    MARY. 


ALBERT  C.  ALLEN,  Franklin.— Albert  C.  Allen  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin, Louisiana,  1847.  His  father,  Wm.  P.  Allen,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born 
in  Gallatin,  in  1806.  He  removed  to  St.  Mary  parish  early  in  life  and  became 
an  extensive  contractor  and  builder.  Many  of  the  extensive  sugar  houses  of 
St.  Mary  parish  are  his  architecture  He  died  in  1889.  Our  subject's  mother, 
Caroline  P.  Nixon,  was  a  native  of  Arkansas,  born  in  Helena,  181S.  She  died 
December,  1879. 

Albert  C.  is  the  eighth  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  spent  the  years 
of  his  minority  in  Tennessee,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  the  pro- 
fession of  teacher  in  the  common  schools.  He  subsequently  attended  the  law 
department  of  Tulane  University,  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  graduating  there- 
from in  1871.  He  practised  as  an  attorney  in  the  Nineteenth  Judicial  District  till 
he  was  elected  judge  in  1886.  He  was  reelected  in  1S88,  and  now  fills  that 
position.  He  was  married  in  1874  ^'^  Miss  Katie  E.  Johnson,  of  Franklin, 
Louisiana.     There   have  been  born  to  their  marriage  six  children,  four  sons  and 

two  daughters.  * 

*      * 

^  INDEPENDENCE  ALPHA,  Franklin,  an  old  and  estimable  citizen  of 
Franklin,  was  born  in  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  July  4,  1821. 

He  is  the  son  of  P.  and  Claria  (Cissna)  Alpha.  P.  Alpha  was  born  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  1780.  They  were  married  in  1820,  and  our  subject 
is  their  third  child  in  order  of  birth  and  the  only  one  now  living.  Mr.  Alpha 
was  one  of  General  Jackson's  staff  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  1S15.  He  also 
served  as  circuit  judge,  of  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  which  appointment  he 
received  from  Jackson  while  President  of  the  United  States.  He  held  the 
position    from    1830   until  1832,  when  he   resigned  to  emigrate   to   Louisiana. 

Independence  Alpha  received  a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  day.  He  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
and  immediately  entered  tlie  office  of  the  Franklin  Republic,  wiiere  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  as  a  tvpesetter.      His  fidelity  to   business   soon   placed    him   in 


358  SOCTZ/UESr  LOUISIANA: 

charge  ol  llie  journal,  and  in  1S40,  on  the  death  of  Phil.  Parrett,  he  practically 
assumed  its  control  and  held  the  position  until  1844,  when  he  removed  to 
Mobile,  Alabama,  where  he  entered  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder,  in  which 
he  remained  three  years.  He  linall}^  returned  to  Franklin  and  reentered  the 
printing  business,  which  he  followed  for  a  series  of  years.  During  the  last  few 
years,  having  retired  from  the  publishing  business,  he  opened  a  wagon  shop, 
and  this  business  now  engages  his  attention. 

Independence  Alpha  was  married  in  Franklin,  1842,  to  Miss  Caroline  C 
Campbell,  of  Franklin,  Louisiana,  and  there  were  born  to  this  marriage  twelve 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  now  livinjj. 


V  NARCISSE  ALLEMAN.  Centrevii.le. — Narcisse  Alleman  was  born  in 
Assumption  parish.  Louisiana.  August  10,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Jean  B.  and 
Angelina  (Trahan)  Alleman,  both  natives  of  Assumption  parish,  Louisiana. 

Narcisse  Alleman,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  entered  the  privates  chools 
of  his  parish  and  pursued  his  studies  for  a  period  of  two  years,  when  he  left  the 
school  room  for  the  farm.  He  gave  his  attention  to  farming  for  several  years, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  engaged  in  merchandising,  in  which  he  continued 
until  1875  at  that  place.     That  year  he  removed  to  Centre\ille,  St.  Mary  parish, 

^where  he  again  engaged  in  merchandising,  in  which  he  has  continued  until  the 
present,  and  does  a  flourishing  business.  He  carries  a  stock  worth  eight  thous- 
and dollars  and  his  annual  sales  are  twent3'-five  thousand  dollars.  The  success 
which  has  attended  Mr.  Alleman  is  due  to  his  business  tact  and  judicious 
management.  The  comfortable  circumstances  which  Mr.  Alleman  has  attained 
is  the  result  of  his  own  efforts. 

He  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Orela  Simoneaux,  daughter  of  Joseph  A. 
and  Angelina  (Landry)  Simoneaux,  both  of  Assumption  parish,  Louisiana. 
They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  viz:  Lawrence 
S.,  Robert,  Alcee  J.,  Lenesse  J.,  Avella  C  Stella  N.,  Laura  S.,  Lucj'  O., 
Corine  E..  and  Charles  J.  Lawrence  S.  and  Robert  are  associated  with  their 
father  in  his  mercantile  interests  in  Centreville,  while  Lawrence  S.  is  also 
interested  with  his  father  in  a  sugar  plantation  adjoining  the  above  town. 

»      » 

WILLIAM  II.  ADAMS,  Baldwin.— William  H.  Adams,  blacksmith  and 
carriage  maker,  was  born  in  Mississippi.  He  is  the  son  of  James  A.  and  Mar- 
garet (Floyd)  Adams,  natives  of  South  Carolina. 

Our  subject  grew  to  maturity  in  Mississippi,  where  he  received  his  educa- 
tion. He  learned  tiie  blacksmitli  trade  with  his  father,  at  which,  on  his  own 
account,  he  worked  for  a  number  of  years.     He  then  left  Mississippi,  and  made 


HISTORICAL    AXI)  BIOG RAPIl IC AL.  3o& 

a  tour  through  eiglit  ditterent  States,  alter  which  he  located  in  the  town  of 
Baldwin,  wliere  he  has  since  worked  at  his  trade — bhicksmithing  and  carriage 
making,  his  being  the  only  estabhshment  of  the  kind  in  Baldwin  March  24, 
1873,  he  married  Julia  Forbes,  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  in  1854,  '^"^ 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Forbes.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  have  a  family  of  four 
children:  Minnie,  Medora,  William  Albert  and  John  Quincy.  Our  subject 
was  at  one  time  constable  of  Leberton,  Mississippi,  and  held  the  position  for 
the  period  of  one  vear. 

K         * 

^  \V.  S.  BORAH,  M.  D.,  Baldwin.— Dr.  W.  S.  Borah,  of  St.  Mary  parish. 
was  born  in  Fairfield,  Illinois,  February  18,  1849.  He  is  the  son  of  William  N. 
and  Eliza  (West^  Borah,  who  were  also  natives  of  Illinois. 

W.  S.  Borah  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  eighteen  years,  when  he  was  sent  to  Michigan,  where  he  attended  a  commer- 
cial college  for  a  short  period.  He  then  returned  to  Illinois  where  he  married 
Miss  Martha  Creighton,  a  daughter  of  John  M.  and  Mar}'  Ann  (Crews)  Creigh- 
ton,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  June  22,  1851.  Dr.  Borah  and  wife  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz:  Carrie  Lee,  Ernest 
L.,  Tom  G.,  William  C.  Dr.  Borah  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Illinois 
lor  a  \ear  but  desiring  to  engage  in  commercial  business  of  some  character  he 
.sold  his  farm  and  entered  the  grain  business,  which  he  follow-ed  for  three  years 
but  meeting  witii  heavy  losses  was  obliged  to  retire  from  that  pursuit.  He  then 
determined  to  study  medicine,  and  for  a  year  and  a  half  read  medicine  under  a 
preceptor  and  opened  practice  in  Arkansas,  where  he  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess for  three  vears,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  emigrated  to  Louisiana,  where 
he  had  long  desired  to  make  his  home.  He  practiced  medicine  here  and  still 
has  a  very  remunerative  practice.  When  the  Doctor  came  to  Louisiana  his 
circumstances  were  not  affluent,  but  he  now  owns  a  drug  store  at  Baldwin  and 
carries  a  stock  of  six  hundred  dollars.  He  is  also  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable 
in  which  he  has  invested  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  In  these  two  businesses  he  is 
in  co-partnership  with  his  brother.      Dr.  Borah  is  an  energetic  business  man. 


PHILIP  BODENHEIMER,  Glencoe,  partner,  and  manager  of  the  firm 
of  Bodenheimer  &  Bro.,  is  a  native  of  German}-,  born  November  24,  1865. 
He  is  the  son  of  Lazarus  and  Therese  (Mendelbaum)  Bodenheimer,  both  na- 
tives of  Germany.  Philip  Bodenheimer  was  reared  in  his  native  country,  and  at 
the  age  of  five  entered  school,  attending  constantly  until  he  had  attained  the  age 
of  sixteen  years,  when  he  left  school  and  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  factory,  in 
which  he  served  for  two  years.  Later  he  became  traveling  agent  for  this  fac- 
tory, and  was  employed  in  this  capacity  for  a   similar  length   of  time.      In  1884 


SfU)  SOCri/HJiS'/'  L  O/VS/AA'A  : 

lie  removed  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  located  for  a  period  of  five  months. 
In  1885  he  removed  to  Glencoe,  St.  Mar\'  parish,  and  has  since  conducted  suc- 
cessfully at  that  place  a  large  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Bodenheimer  is  a 
shrewd  manager,  and  his  business  is  continually  growing.  The  firm  carries  a 
stock  of  about  eight  to  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  does  an  annual  business  of 
forty  thousand  dollars.  The  firm  is  conducted  in  partnership  with  Mrs.  B.  Bo- 
denheimer, under  the  Hrni  name  of  Bodenheimer  &  Bro. 


L^  J.  M.  BURGUIERES,  Louisa. — Jules  Martial  Burguieres  was  born  April 
17,  1850,  in  Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son  of  Eugene  Dennis 
Burguieres  and  Marie  M.  Verret.  Eugene  D.  Burguieres  was  born  in  Paris, 
France,  and  removed  to  Louisiana  early  in  life,  where  he  married  in  1836.  To 
his  union  three  sons  and  four  daughters  were  born:  Ernest  Dennis,  Pauline 
Camila,  Jacqueline  Annette,  Marquerite  Annette,  Jules  M.  and  Lenfro}-.  all  of 
whom  were  reared  in  Terrebonne  parish.  Jules  M.  Burguieres  attended  private 
and  public  schools  in  Terrebonne  parish,  principally  in  Houma,  and  received  a 
good  business  education.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  began  work  in  the 
Clerk's  office  under  the  well  known  Herry  Newell,  one  of  Terrebonne's  most 
honored  citizens.  Young  Burguieres  continued  work  in  the  clerk's,  record- 
er's, and  sheriff's  offices  of  Terre'oonne  parish  until  the  year  1874,  when  he 
leased  a  plantation  near  Chacahoula,  in  Terrebonne  parish,  and  embarked  in 
planting.  His  crop  was  destroyed  by  the  overflow  of  that  year,  and  he  suffered 
a  loss  of  ^3.000.  The  same  year  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  a  plantation  on 
Bayou  Cypremort,  which  a  few  years  afterward  he  sold,  and  purchased  Cjpre- 
mort  plantation  for  $90,000,  upon  which  he  spent  a  large  amount  of  money  and 
made  substantial  improvements,  among  which  was  the  erecting  of  a  refiner^-, 
and  five-rolier  sugar  mill  of  large  capacit}'.  In  June,  1889,  he  bought  Scalh' 
place,  now  known  as  Florence  plantation.  This  plantation  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  State,  and  its  soil  is  of  inexhaustible  fertility.  It  was  purchased  at  a  cost 
of  $80,900.  The  combined  sugar  capacity  of  Cypremort  and  Florence  plantations 
amounted  in  1890  to  3,300,000  pounds.  Mr.  Burguieres  is  the  possessor  of  a 
comfortable  fortune,  which  he  has  amassed  by  his  own  unaided  efforts,  not  hav- 
ing inherited  a  dollar  of  propert}-,  and  constantly  having  to  help  others  less  for- 
tunate than  himself  in  their  business  undertakings.  Mr.  Burguieres  in  the 
summer  of  1890  employed  the  J.  M.  Ware  Well  Company  to  sink  an  artesian  well 
on  C3'premort  plantation,  which  has  proved  an  entire  success.  Our  subject 
was  married  April  21,  1873,  to  Miss  Marie  Corinne  Patout.  They  are  the 
parents  of  eight  living  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters  :  J.  P.  Dennis, 
Joseph  E.,  Marie  Louise,  Florence  Clolhilde,  Jules  M.,  Jr..  Ernest  I., 
Henrv  S.  and  Charles  Patout  P)ur!'uieres. 


niSTORlCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  :!(jl 

LENFROY  BURGUIERES,  Baldwin.— Lenfroy  Burguieres  was  born  in 
Louisiana,  April  27,  1S52.  He  is  tlie  son  of  E.  D.  and  M.  M.  (Verret)  Bur- 
guieres, natives  of  France  and  Louisiana,  respectively. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  Terrebonne  parish,  where  he  entered  a  private 
school  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  remained  until  he  had  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  engaged  in  merchandising,  which,  however,  he  abandoned 
later,  and  turned  his  attention  to  planting.  From  Terrebonne  parish  he  removed 
to  St.  Mary,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  this  place.  By  energy  and  industry  Mr. 
Burguieres  has  achieved  the  highest  success.  His  plantation  consists  of  four 
hunih-ed  and  fifty  acres  of  fine  land,  three  hundred  of  them  being  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  raises  principally  corn  and  cane.  That  his  plantation  products  might 
be  more  remunerative  our  subject  erected  a  fine  sugar  house,  which  manufac- 
tures syrup  and  sugar.  He  was  for  seventeen  months  recorder  of  Terrebonne 
parish.  He  married,  December  30,  1885,  Elodie  Bonin,  a  native  of  this  parish, 
born  August  5,  1843. 

O.  D.  BERWICK,  Foster. — O.  D.  Berwick  is  a  native  of  St.  Mary  par- 
ish, born  in  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  David  and  Louise  (Garrett)  Berwick,  both 
natives  of  this  parish.  David  Berwick  was  an  extensive  planter  and  owned  and 
conducted  three  plantations  on  Bayou  Sale.  He  died  in  1874,  and  his  wife  in 
1865.  Joseph  Berwick,  father  of  David  and  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  the 
first  settler  in  the  vicinity  of  the  bay  which  bears  his  name. 

O.  D.  Berwick  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
viz:  Louisa,  widow  of  Dr.  S.  Allen  ;  Oscar  Dudley,  our  subject ;  Addie,  wife  of 
N.  K.  Todd,  Mary,  wife  of  J.  D.  Capon.  O.  D.  Berwick  was  educated  in 
Hanover  College,  Virginia.  In  1861  he  entered  St.  Mary  Cannoneers  and 
served  during  the  whole  of  the  war  in  the  department  of  Louisiana.  After  the 
he  engaged  in  planting  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  he  being  among  the 
very  few  planters  who  occupy  the  same  plantation  they  did  before  the  war. 
His  place  is  located  on  Bayou  Sale,  six  miles  west  of  Foster.  It  consists  of 
fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  four  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  the 
remainder  being  swamp  land.  He  grows  chiefly  sugar  cane,  and  averages  two 
thousand  pounds  per  acre.  Its  yield  in  1890,  was  over  three  thousand  pounds 
per  acre.  Mr.  Berwick  married,  in  1866,  Miss  Virginia  A.  Dungan,  of  St. 
Mary  parish  ;  she  died  in  1888,  leaving  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, viz:  James  D.,  Louis,  Oscar  D.  Jr.,  Joseph  W.,  Virginia,  David,  Walter 
and  Edward.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H.,  and  was  police  juror  for  two  years, 
having  been  appointed  by  Gov.  NichoUs.  In  1889  he  married,  again.  Miss  Eve- 
line Dungan,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jas.  B.  Dungan,  a  prominent  physician  of  this 
parish. 


0t!2  SOVrilWES-J-  1.  ()(  IS/ANA  : 

DOLZE  HODIN,  Baldwin. — ^Dolzc  Bodiii  was  born  in  Si.  Maiy  parish, 
Februaiy  4,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Gregoire  and  IVlagie  (LeBlanc)  Bodin, 
natives  of  Acadia  and  Lafayette,  respectively- 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parisli,  attending  schools  in  the  neigli- 

borhood.     At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  an  overseer,  and  for  three  years 

was  engaged  in  that  business.     He    married   Celeste   Langlinay,  a  native  of  St. 

Mary  parish,  born  August  10,  1834,  ^"'^'   daugher  of  Alexander  Langlinay.     To 

this  marriage  five  sons  and  three  daughters  have  been  born:   Emma,  Celestine, 

Jules  O.,  John  U.,  Esparie,  Joseph  B.,  Alexander  and  Gregoire.     Our  subject 

owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  of  which  are  in 

cultivation,  principally  in  corn,   potatoes  and  sugar  cane.     On  his  place  he  has 

erected  a  four-foot,  three-roller  sugar  mill. 

* 
*      * 

'■^  EMILE  BODIN,  Cypremort. — Emile  Bodin  was  born  December  i,  1834, 
in  Vermilion  parish.  He  is  the  son  of  Gregory  and  Pelagie  (LeBlanc)  Bodiii, 
the  former  a  native  of  Acadia  parish  and  the  latter  of  Lafayette. 

Emile  Bodin  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he  received  a  limited 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  locality.  Since  beginning  business  life 
he  has  given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  which  occupation  he  still  con- 
tinues. He  was  married  to  Miss  Celestine  Bourque,  daughter  of  Jean  T.  and 
Josephine  (Tebeau)  Bourque,  both  natives  of  Vermihon  parish.  Mrs.  Bodin 
died  December,  1888,  having  become  the  mother  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  viz:  Emile,  Jr.,  Naurbert,  Celestine,  Joseph,  Desire,  Cecelia,  Albert. 
Josephine,  wife  of  Arthur  Prevost;  they  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz: 
Arthur.  Celestine,  Clara,  Olivia  (deceased),  Eurcile.  Mr.  Bodin  owns  one 
thousand  acres  of  land,  two  hundred  being  under  cultivation,  principal!}'  in  cot- 
ton and  sugar  cane.      He  lias  a  steam  power  roller  mill  on  his  place. 

JAMES  B.  BROWN,  LorisA. — James  B.  Brown  was  born  in  Terrebonne 
parish,  Louisiana,  February  8,  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  Simon  and  Elmira 
(StoufHet)  Brown.  He  was  educated  in  tlie  common  schools  of  the  parish  and 
afterward  in  the  University  at  Baton  Rouge,  where  he  was  for  a  period  of 
eighteen  months  State  cadet.  On  leaving  school  he  engaged  as  an  overseer  of  a 
plantation  and  served  in  this  capacity  for  different  parties  at  various  times.  He  was 
engaged  in  1887  as  overseer  of  the  Ivanhoe  plantation, south  of  Bayou  Cypremort 
and  north  of  C3'premort  branch  railroad,  owned  by  Mrs.  E.  D.  Burguieres.  Upon 
this  place  Mr.  Brown  resides  with  his  family.  He  was  married  in  1879  to  Miss 
Bridget  Burguieres,  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish  and  daughter  of  Ernest  D.  Bur- 
guieres, of  Lower  Cypremort.  The}'  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz: 
Robert  L.,  Joseph  Clifford  and  James  ^E.,  Jr.     Mrs.    Brown  stands  high  as    a 


His'roRn:AL  and  biograi'UIcal.  ;5r,» 

planter  and  his  success  is  due  to  tlie  intelligent  care  whicli   he  pursues   in  grow- 
ing cane.  , 

C.  P.  BINNINGS,  Jr.,  Baldwin. — C.  P.  Binnings,  Jr.,  was  born  in 
Thibodeaux,  Louisiana,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  C.  P.  and  S.  A.  (Lawless) 
Binnings.  C.  P.  Binnings,  Sr..  was  a  native  of  London  and  his  wife  of 
Kentucky.  He  was  a  painter,  and  died  in  1S72:  his  widow  is  living  and  resides 
in  Thibodeaux. 

C.  P.  Binnings,  Jr..  received  a  common  school  education  when  quiet  young, 
and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  entered  business  on  his  own  account  by  learning- 
sugar  refining,  and  continued  in  this  until  1878,  when  he  engaged  in  planting  in 
Iberville  parish,  where  he  remained  for  about  four  years.  He  then  took  charge  of 
Capt.  Nolan's  plantation  on  Bayou  Lafourche,  where  he  remained  for  about  a  year 
and  a  half.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  steamboating,  and  gave  his  attention  to 
this  in  the  summer  and  during  the  winter  months  boiled  sugar.  In  September, 
1886,  he  took  charge  of  the  Des  Lignes  and  Saule  plantations,  where  he  now 
resides.  That  year  they  made  four  hundred  and  fifty-one  thousand  pounds  of 
sugar,  and  in  1890,  on  the  same  property,  made  three  million  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  pounds  of  sugar.  Mr.  Binnings  was  married,  April,  1S90,  to 
Mrs.  Lily  B.  Hamilton  (nee  Sharp),  a  native  of  Ascension  parisli. 

^  MILLARD  BOSWORTII,  Cvprkmort.— Millard  Bosworth  was  born  in 
New  Orleans  in  1850.  His  father,  A.  W.  Bosworth,  was  a  native  of  Maine, 
and  his  mother,  Matilda  Weir,  was  of  English  extraction,  and  was  born  in  the 
West  Indies.  A.  W.  Bosworth  was  an  ice  manufacturer  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  served  during  the  entire  Civil  War,  starting  out  as  a  major  of  tlie  Crescent 
Regiment:  he  was  promoted  to  colonel,  and,  upon  the  death  of  General  Mouton. 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  that  command.  He  served  as  alderman  in  New  Or- 
leans both  before  and  after  the  war.  He  was  vice  president  of  the  Mutual 
National  Bank,  of  New  Orleans.  He  died  October  9,  1886,  his  widow  sur- 
viving him  two  years. 

Millard  Bosworth  is  the  second  son  of  a  famil}- of  five  children:  C.  H., 
Millard,  the  subject,  W.  S.,  Emily,  and  Anna  B.  C.  S.  Bosworth  occupies  a 
position  in  the  post-office  in  New  Orleans.  Millard  Bosworth  in  his  boyhood 
attended  schools  in  New  Orleans,  and  afterward  was  sent  to  college  at  Belle 
View,  Virginia.  Upon  leaving  college  he  was  engaged  as  clerk,  afterward 
entering  the  ice  business.  He  married  in  1875  Miss  Lucy  Moore,  of  New  Or- 
leans. In  1876  Mr.  Bosworth  disposed  of  his  ice  business  and  became  interested 
in  sugar  planting,  purchasing  Matilda  plantation,  which  consists  of  seventeen 
hundred  acres  of  land  lying  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Teche.  Over  one 
thousand  of  the   seventeen   hundred    acres    are  susceptible  of  cultivation.       He 


364  SOUTH  WEST  L  O  UISIANA  : 

grows  chiefly  sugar  cane.  The  soil  on  his  place  is  very  fertile  and  yields  an 
average  of  three  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  per  acre.  Mr.  Bosworth's  refiner}' 
is  operated  on  the  central  system,  and  has  a  capacity  of  fifty  thousand  pounds  of 
sugar  per  da}'.  It  uses  the  products  of  over  forty  different  plantations.  The 
refinery  is  equipped  with  large  vacuum  pans  and  first-class  machinery  through- 
out. The  products  of  this  refinery  are  classed  as  high  as  those  of  any  other  of 
the  State.  In  his  refinery  as  well  as  on  his  plantation,  Mr.  Bosworth  is  his  own 
manager,  and  to  this  fact  is  due,  no  doubt,  the  superior  results  of  his  enterprises. 
Mr.  Bosworth  is  not  a  politician  in  the  sense  that  he  desires  public  oflice.  He 
was  appointed  police  juror  of  the  first  ward  in  1882,  and  has  held  the  position 
ever  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Legion  of  Honor,  a  mutual 
benevolent  association.  He  is  the  father  of  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three 
daughters— RachaelW.,  Millard  M.,  Nannie  M.,  Mary  W.,  Albert  S..  Abel  W., 
Charles  A.,  Lawrence  S.  » 

M.  BLOCK  is  a  thrifty  merchant  of  Franklin,  Louisiana.  He  is  the  son 
of  Isaac  and  Fannie  (Tugenheim)  Block. 

Isaac  Block  was  born  in  France,  1799,  and  never  came  to  America.  He 
was  by  occupation  a  merchant.     Fannie  Block  was  born  in  France,  1793. 

Our  subject  received  a  fair  elementary  education  in  France,  and  after  hav- 
ing left  school  and  served  as  a  clerk  in  mercantile  business  for  a  short  period, 
he  came  to  America,  1848.  He  landed  at  New  Orleans  and  soon  located  in 
Franklin.  His  first  experience  here  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  gents'  furnishing  goods 
store.  He  quit  this  business  and  went  on  the  road  as  a  peddler  till  1856.  He 
then  opened  business  for  himself  at  Berwick  City,  where  he  remained  till  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  removed  to  New  Orleans  and  remained  till 
the  war  closed,  when  he  removed  to  Franklin  and  opened  business  for  himself, 
and  in  this  still  remains  and  has  been  highly  successful. 

He  was  married  in  1871  to  Miss  Annette  Levy.  Eight  children  were  born 
to  this  marriage — six  sons  and  two  daughters. 

His  wife  is  a  native  of  France,  but  came  to  this  country  at  the  age  ot  four- 
teen years.  ^ 

Z.  T.  COOK,  Bkrwick. — Z.  T.  Cook  was  born  in  Louisiana,  March  24, 
1848.  He  is  the  son  of  William  H.  and  Marcelite  (Hayes)  Cook,  the  tormer 
a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Louisiana. 

Z.  T.  Cook  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish,  where,  at  the  age  of  si.x  years, 
he  entered  a  private  school,  attending  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  ten  years, 
after  which  time  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  continued  up  to  the 
present  time.  He  was  married  in  1873  to  Mrs.  Aleda  Salvo,  a  native  of 
Louisiana,    and    daughter   of   A.    J.    Stansbury  and    Florence  Boudreau.  botk 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  ?^<^h 

natives  of  this  State.  To  this  union  eight  children  have  been  born,  viz:  Alden 
Andrew,  Allen,  Horace,  Allison,  Alonzo,  Albert  (deceased),  Alfred  and  Z.  T., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Cook  operates  the  Glenwild  plantation,  which  is 
located  on  the  Teche,  about  six  miles  below  Pattersonville,  in  St.  Mary  parish. 
It  consists  of  six  hundred  acres,  all  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  principally  in 
cane  and  corn.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  very  great,  one  of  the  vacuum  pans 
having  a  capacity  for  fifteen  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  in  six  hours,  and  the 
other  twelve  thousand  pounds  in  the  same  time.  In  1890  they  grew  fifteen 
thousand  tons  of  sugar  cane,  and  three  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  sugar. 


■^  LOUIS  CALLERY,  Glencoe. — Louis  Gallery  was  born  in  St.  Mar}-  par- 
ish, Louisiana,  March  14,  1861.  He  is  the  son  of  Gustave  A.  and  Clara  Emilie 
(Sigur)  Callery,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Iberville  parish,  Louisiana.  Gus- 
tave Callery  was  born  July  28,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Dulreil  A.  and  Adele 
(Sigur)  CallerV,  the  former  a  native  of  Paris,  France,  and  the  latter  of  Louis- 
iana. Gustave  Callery  was  reared  in  Iberville  parish  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau,  and  at  Bardstown,  Kentucky. 
Afterleaving  school  he  returned  to  his  home,  and  five  years  later  he  married  our 
subject's  mother.  To  this  union  were  born  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz  : 
G.  Ambroise,  died  November  5,  1882;  Louis  Emile,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Edward  J.,  Charles  H.,  John  A.,  Bertha  Rosa.  Later  in  life  Mr.  Callery  re- 
moved to  St.  Mary  parish  where  he  purchased  a  plantation  of  twenty-four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  on  Bayou  Cypremort,  upon  which  he  erected  a  sugar  mill  and 
engaged  in  the  sugar  culture,  in  which  he  continued  until  recent  years  when  he 
retired  from  business  and  placed  the  plantation  under  the  control  of  his  sons. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  neighboring  schools.  Later  he  attended  St. 
Charles  College  for  six  years.  Afterleaving  college  Mr.  Callery  assumed  charge 
as  manager  of  his  grandmother's  plantation,  which  he  at  present  conducts.  The 
plantation  consists  of  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  is  cultivated  chiefly  in 
cane  and  corn.  Mr.  Callery  was  married  September  18,  1S89,  to  Miss  Mary 
Lambremont,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  P.  M.  Lambremont.  of  Iberville  parish.  To 
this  union  a  daughter  has  been  born,   Louise. 


JOHN  T.  DUNESNIL,  Baldwin.— John  T.  Dunesnil  was  born  in  St. 
Mary  parish,  January  7,  1834.  ^^  ^^  ^^*^  ^o"  °f  Theodore  and  Adele  (Ten- 
hold)  Dunesnil,  the  former  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter  of  Lafourche  parish. 

John  T.  Dunesnil  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  years 
he  entered  a  private  school  and  received  a  good  education.  He  began  business 
life  as  a  planter,  which  he  followed  until  1886,  when  he  engaged  in  the  butcher 


:;(■,(;  SOUT/JWESy  L  OUISIANA  : 

business  and  followed  it  for  four  }'ears.  He  then  engaged  in  planting  and  nier- 
cliandising  for  eight  years  and  subsequently  gave  his  whole  attention  to  planting, 
lie  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  thirt\'  being 
under  cultivation.  He  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Emma 
Butand,  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish  and  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Emma  Butand, 
natives  of  France.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  His  first  wife  died 
after  having  been  married  twenty-two  3'ears,  and  our  subject  married  the  follow- 
ing year  Mrs.  A.  Bernard,  a  sister  of  his  former  wife,  and  six  years  .subsequent 

to  this  she  died. 

* 

ALEXANDER  DOTY,  Scai.i.ey. — Alexander  Doty  was  born  in  the  par- 
ish of  St.  Mary,  September  24.  1835.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  Doty,  who  was 
also  a  native  St.  Mary  parish,  born  about  1827.  Robert  Doty  was  a  successful 
planter,  and  had  accumulated  quite  a  fortune  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1867. 
He  served  as  a  soldier  through  the  entire  Civil  War,  and  two  of  his  brothers  fell  in 
the  battle  of  Port  Hudson,  one  killed,  the  other  mortalty  wounded,  and  died  soon 
after. 

Alexander  Doty  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living: 
Oscar,  planter  of  St.  Mary  parish;  Alexander,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Hen- 
derson, planter  of  St.  Mary  parish ;  Alice,  wife  of  Abnel  Dary  ;  Frank,  and  Mar}-, 
wife  of  Alfred  Tonson.  Alexander  Doty  was  reared  in  St.  Marj'  parish  and 
received  a  limited  education  in  its  schools.  His  father  having  died  when  our 
subject  was  but  ten  years  of  age,  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  enter  active 
business  early  in  life.  Thus  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  he  became  a 
laborer  on  the  farm,  and  in  this  he  has  since  continued.  Mr.  Doty  has  always 
used  the  greatest  business  tact  in  the  management  of  his  plantation,  and  has 
become  one  of  the  successful  planters  of  his  section.  He  and  his  brother  own  a 
good  plantation,  which  they  cultivate  in  cane  and  corn.  The  place  is  also  well 
stocked.  Mr.  Dot\^  was  married  August  16,  1889,  to  Miss  Anna  Idell,  of  St. 
Marv  parish. 

*      * 

R.  D.  ETIE,  Bai,ij\s'in. — R.  D.  Etie  was  born  in  New  Iberia.  April  8, 
1865.  He  is  the  son  ot  R.  1).  and  Leontine  (  Broussard  )  Etie,  natives  of  Iberia 
parish. 

Our  subject  entered  the  schools  of  New  Iberia  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
remaining  two  sessions.  On  leaving  school  he  engaged  in  farming  with  his 
brother  until  1884,  wlien  he  matriculated  in  St.  Stanislaus  College,  Mississippi, 
staying  at  this  place  for  one  year.  He  then  found  employment  as  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  St.  Mary  parish,  removing  two  years  later  to  Galveston,  Texas, 
where  he  engaged  in  clerking  in  the  grocery  store  of  L.  Harris  &i  Co.,  for 
nine  months.     After  this  he  came  to  Baldwin,  and    clerked   for  some   time  with 


mSTORJCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  ■•!«7 

E.  D.  Martin,  eventually  becoming  manager  of  the  store,  which  position  he 
still  holds.  He  was  married,  August  22,  1888,  to  Miss  Aimee  Sanguinette  of  St. 
Mary  oarish,  the  daughter  of  J.  R.  and  Hetmina  (Bertrand)  Sanguinette.  One 
daughter  has  been  born  to  them.  April  26,  1890,  named  Hida. 


J.  W.  FOOTE,  Irish  Bend. — J.  W.  Foote  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish. 
Louisiana,  in  1849.  ^^^  *^  ^'^^  ^"^^  °*  J-  ^-  ''"*^  CaroHne  (Dunesnil)  Foote. 
J.  M.  Foote  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  removed  to  Louisiana  earl}-  in  life, 
where  he  married  and  enged  in  sugar  planting.  He  died  in  1863,  and  his  widow 
still  survives  him. 

The  subject  is  one  of  a  family  born  to  the  above  union,  six  of  whom  are 
living;  A.  J.,  Mrs.  Catherine  Queen,  J.  W.,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Mary  Moffitt,  N.  J.  and 
F.  T.  J.  W.  Foote  received  a  limited  education,  and  when  young  learned  the 
carpenter  trade,  which  he  followed  until  i88.[,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
chiefly  engaged  in  planting.  He  took  charge  of  the  Oak  Lawn  plantation  in 
1887.  and  under  his  management  it  has  been  extremely  successful. 


^  W.  B.  GRAY,  MoKGAX  City.— W.  B.  Gray,  Morgan  City,  was  born  in 
Boston.  Massachusetts,  in  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Wm.  Howard  and  Mary  Ann 
(Capen)  Graj'.  Mr.  Howard  Gray  was  born  in  Andover,  Massachusetts,  1824. 
Mary  Ann  Gray  was  born  in  Maine.  They  were  married  in  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, 1844.     Two  children  were  born  to  their  marriage,  W.  B.  and  C.  S. 

Wm.  H.  Gray  died  in  1S90,  and  his  wife,  Mary  Ann,  is  still  living  in 
Maine,  and  is  a  remarkably  stout  person  for  her  years.  Wm.  B.  Gray  lived 
for  a  period  at  Morgan  City,  where  he  became  a  successful  ph\'sici:in,  finally 
retiring  and  going  to  Maine,  where  he  spent  his  last  years. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  belongs  to  the  Dustin  Capen  family,  one  member 
of  which  figured  so  prominently  in  the  earh-  New  England   Indian  troubles. 

Mr.  W.  B.  Gray  spent  his  school  days  at  South  Acton.  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. His  education  was  limited,  the  last  school  he  attended  was  a  night 
school  taught  by  John  G.  WHiittier,  the  poet.  Having  his  spirits  all  aroused  by 
the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  on  April  19,  1861,  he  got  in  a  box  car  and 
rode  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  he  climbed  up  a  lightning-rod  to  get  into 
a  room  to  join  Capt.  Prescott's  Company  G,  Concord  Artillery,  Fifth  Regiment 
of  Volunteers.  During  three  months'  service  he  and  his  regiment  participated 
in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Subsequent  to  this  he  was  for  a  short  while 
engaged  in  the  hospital  service.  November  3,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  as  duty  sergeant.  They  went  to 
Annapolis.  Maryland,  and  joined  General  Burnside's  expedition  to  the  Carolinas. 


368  SOUTJIWESI^  LOUISIANA: 

Mr.  Gray  was  engaged  in  the  following  battles:  Roanoke  Island,  Nevvburn, 
N.  C,  Planters'  Creek,  Kingston,  White  Hall,  Goldsboro.  He  also  took  part 
in  the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner  and  lead  the  grand  charge  that  captured  the  fort 
September  6,  1863.  He  was  a  commander  of  one  of  the  boats  that  made  the 
night  attack  on  Fort  Sumter  September  8,  1863.  He  was  afterward  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  the  Tog  at  Fort  Darling  under  General  Butler.  July  4,  1864, 
he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  in  First  N.  S.  C.  C,  and  commanded 
the  first  squadron  that  went  into  Richmond  on  the  north  side  upon  the  fall  of 
that  city.  He  served  throughout  the  entire  war  and  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice in  New  Orleans.     After  the  war  until  the  year  1878  he  was  an  actor. 

Louisiana  has  been  practically  his  home  since  the  war.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  publishing  business  for  a  great  many  years.  He  founded  the 
Morgan  City  Free  Press,  which  he  conducted  till  1890.  He  is  at  present  editor 
of  the  Commonwealth,  a  monthl}'^  journal,  and  is  also  doing  printing  for  the 
State. 

Mr.  Gray  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Marie  Louise  Markstein  of  New 
Orleans.     They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Wm.  Howard,  Leroy  Capen 

and  Leonard  Wise. 

* 

F.  R.  HABERT,  Franklin. — F.  R.  Habert  is  a  native  of  St.  Mary 
parish,  born  in  Franklin,  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  Augustin  and  Adeline  Habert. 
both  natives  of  France.  Augustin  Habert  became  a  merchant  of  Franklin,  and 
died  in  France  in  1871.  His  widow  survived  him  until  1883.  She  was  one  of 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  parish. 

F.  R.  Habert  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents  now  living.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  Franklin,  and  in  1864  he  went  with  his  parents  to  France,  where 
he  remained  until  1872.  During  that  time  he  attended  college.  In  1S73  he  re- 
turned to  France,  and  completed  his  studies  in  the  Lyceum  of  Poitiers.  He 
then  returned  to  his  native  State  and  engaged  in  merchandising.  In  1879  he 
married  Miss  Sidonie  DelaHoussaye,  of  St.  Mary  parish.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Arthur  DelaHoussaye,  a  merchant  of  Franklin.  In  i8Sohegave 
up  his  mercantile  business  and  engaged  in  planting.  His  plantation,  known  as 
Central  Park,  is  located  on  the  west  bank  of  Bayou  Teche,  four  miles  from 
Franklin.  It  consists  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  two  hundred  of  which  he 
has  put  in  cultivation  since  he  owned  it.  He  grows  principally  sugar  cane  and 
corn.  He  averages  about  three  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  per  acre,  and  uses  a 
single  mill  and  open  kettle  process.  He  raises  eighteen  barrels  of  corn  per 
acre.  His  land  is  well  improved,  and  all  his  buildings  are  first  class.  He  is  the 
father  of  si.x  children,  viz:  Rene,  Arthur,  Adeline,  Sidonie,  Edouard  and 
Lucie. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  3(59 

R.  HAUF,  Glencoe. — R.  Haul,  a  successful  merchant  of  Glencoe,  St. 
Mary  parish,  was  born  in  Germany,  February  26,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  Isi- 
dore and  Rachael  (Levy)  Hauf,  both  natives  of  Germany. 

R.  Hauf  was  reared  and  educated  in  Germany,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  emigrated  to  America, locating  at  New  Orleans, where  he  entered  business 
as  a  clerk, in  which  capacity  he  served  for  a  period  of  five  years.  He  then  went  to 
Glencoe  and  engaged  in  a  general  mercantile  business.  Since  that  time  he  has 
been  very  successful  and  his  business  has  rapidly  increased.  He  is  now  sole 
proprietor  of  the  store  in  which  he  carries  a  stock  of  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  does  an  annual  business  amounting  to  about  twentj'-five  thousand 
dollars.  He  owns  ten  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  has  built  tenement  houses. 
He  was  married  in  1870,  to  Miss  Lena  Seligman,born  October  3,  1847,  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  daughter  of  Gustave  Seligman.  To  this  union  was  born  a 
daughter,  Annie.  Mr.  Hauf  has  taken  an  active  part  in  social  affairs,  at  the 
same  time  giving  strict  attention  to  business.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace 
of  the  second  ward  of  St.  Mary  parish  since  1888,  and  in  1880  was  appointed 
member  of  the  parish  school  board.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
Parish  Committee. 


"^  XAVIER  R.  HALBERT,  Baldwin.— Xavier  Halbert  a  native  of 
France,  was  born  Febfuary  20,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Pierre  and  Mary 
(Herve)  Halbert,  both  natives  of  France.  Xavier  Halbert  was  one  of  a  family 
of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  born  to  this  union,  viz:  John,  born 
1827:  Xavier,  the  subject  of  this  sketch:  Philomene,  born  1835,  and  Emile, 
born  1837. 

Xavier  Halbert  was  reai-ed  in  France,  where  he  received  a  liberal  education. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  came  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  for 
a  short  while,  removing  to  St.  Charles  parish,  Louisiana,  where  he  engaged  in 
coopering,  in  which  he  was  employed  for  two  years.  From  there  he  went  to 
St.  John  the  Baptist  parish  and  for  two  years  conducted  a  bakery.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  time  he  located  in  St.  James  parish,  where  he  continued  to 
conduct  a  bakery  business  for  twelve  years.  Later  he  ran  a  freight  boat 
betwt  en  New  Orleans  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  a  j-ear,  when  he  came  to  Char- 
ington,  Louisiana,  and  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  continued  his  business 
at  this  place  for  nineteen  years,  since  which  time  he  has  conducted  a  flourisliing 
mercantile  business  at  Baldwin.  He  carries  a  stock  of  seven  thousand  dollars 
and  his  annual  business  amounts  to  about  twelve  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Halbert 
was  married  in  Lafourche  parish,  August  30,  1875,  to  Miss  Rosine  Cascarine, 
daughter  of  Charles  F.  DeZanche,  a  native  of  France  and  for  many  years  a 
resident  of  New  Orleans.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Halbert  are  the  parents  of  three  sons 


370  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA  : 

and  three  daughters,  viz:  Mary  Emilie,    Heloise  Anne,   Xavier  Cliarles,   Einile, 

Eugenie  Elodie,  Andrew  G.  « 

*      » 

^  JOSEPH  P.  JOHNSON,  Franklin.— Joseph  P.  Johnson  was  born  in 
New  Orleans,  September  i6,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  H.  and  Eloise 
(Dulany)  Johnson.  Charles  H.  Johnson,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  came  to 
America  during  one  of  the  political  disturbances  in  France,  he  being  a  resident 
of  that  country  at  the  time,  and  settled  in  New  Orleans.  He  was  a  civil  engineer 
by  occupation.  He  prospered  financiall}-  and  left  his  widow  and  children 
well  provided  for  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Eloise  Johnson  was  a  native  of 
France,  born  in  1820.  .She  was  married  in  1840  to  the  father  of  our  subject, 
and  to  them  four  children  were  born,  three  son.s  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  two 
sons  are  living,  Charles  H.  and  Joseph  P.,  the  former  a  marble  engraver  and 
stone  cutter  of  Philadelphia,  the  latter  a  liquor  dealer  of  Frankhn,  Louisiana. 
Alfred  died  young,  and  Eloise  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  both  deaths  occuring  in 
New  Orleans.     The  mother  died  in  the  same  city  in  1877. 

Our  subject  began  business  in  New  Orleans  as  salesman,  and  was  tluis  en- 
gaged for  three  j'ears,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  railroading,  which  he  fol- 
lowed twelve  years.  In  1884  '^'^  settled  in  St.  Mary  parish,  at  the  town  of 
Baldwin,  where  he  entered  the  retail  liquor  business.  In  this  he  was  engaged 
for  five  years,  and  made  money  very  rapidly.  He  established  himself  then  at 
Franklin,  though  he  did  not  discontinue  his  business  in  Baldwin,. and  now  has 
interests  at  both  places.  He  is  doing  well,  and  has  gained  by  his  thrift  and  in- 
tegrity the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens.  In  religion  he  is  a  Catholic,  and  in 
politics  a  Democrat.  » 

^  W.  W.  JOHNSON,  Franklin. — Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish 
in  1833,  son  of  J.  A.  and  Mary  (Nickelson)  Johnson.  J.  A.  Johnson  was  born 
in  1806,  in  Virginia,  and  moved  to  Louisiana,  locating  in  St.  Mary  parish  in 
1828,  where  he  resides  at  present.  Mrs.  J.  A.  Johnson  was  born  in  St.  Mary 
parish. 

W.  W.  Johnson  is  a  graduate  of  Brown  University,  Rhode  Island.  He 
became  especially  proficient  in  mathematics  and  has  made  civil  engineering  his 
chief  occupation.  He  has  been  successful  in  an  eminent  degree  in  most  of  his 
undertakings  and  owns  an  excellent  sugar  plantation  close  to  the  town  of 
Franklin. 

W.  W.  Johnson  was  married  to  his  first  wife,  Miss  L.  Smith,  in  1866.  She 
is  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  born  in  1837,  ^■'"^  there  were  born  to  their  mar- 
riage three  children,  viz:  W.  B.,  born  in  1867;  Ella,  born  in  1869;  Simeon, 
bornini87i.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  these  children,  died  in  1874.  ^" 
1878  Mr.  Johnson  married  Miss  Mary  Anderson,   daughter  of    Hiram  and  Mary 


If/STORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL.  371 

(Carson)  Anderson.      Our  subject  and  family  are  of  strong  religious  conviction 
and  live  in  pure  and  moral  atmosphere. 

•  * 
**'  MRS.  WILLIAM  P.  KEMPER,  Glencoe.— Mrs.  William  P.  Kemper  is 
a  native  of  Maine,  born  November  8,  1835.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Elizabeth  (Reynolds)  Rogers,  both  natives  of  New  York.  Mrs.  William 
P.  Kemper  was  reared  by  Stephen  Young,  of  Gardiner,  Maine.  She  received 
the  best  educational  advantages  and  came  south,  locating  in  Louisiana  in  1856 
In  1858  she  was  married  to  William  P.  Kemper,  who  was  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
born  June  26,  1826,  and  the  son  of  William  P.  Kemper,  Sr.,  and  Eliza  Hulick, 
the  former  a  native  of  Louisiana  and  the  latter  of  New  Jersey.  William  P. 
Kemper  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz:  Stephen  Y.,  who 
died  October  i,  1859;  Eliza  B.,  William  B.,  Kate  G.,  Mary  J.,  James  P., 
Walter  Y..  Charles  D.  William  P.  Kemper  was  one  of  the  most  highly  re- 
spected and  prominent  citizens  of  the  State.  He  died  very  suddenly  at  his 
home,  Glencoe  plantation,  on  Wednesday,  November  26,  1890.  Mr.  Kemper 
had  been  for  many  years  the  only  planter  in  St.  Mary  parish  who  owned  after 
the  war  the  same  plantation  on  which  he  resided  before  that  period.  Mrs. 
Kemper  owns  two  plantations,  Glencoe  and  Patagonia;  the  former  consists  of 
one  thovisand  three  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres  of  land,  eight  hundred  and 
forty  of  which  are  under  cultivation  in  sugar  cane  and  corn.  The  cane  yields 
twentj'-seven  tons  per  acre  and  the  corn  fifteen  barrels.  In  Glencoe  sugar  house 
there  is  a  three-roller  sugar  mill  and  refinery  which  cost  about  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  with  a  capacity  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  sugar  cane  per  day.  They 
manufacture  three  grades  of  sugar.  Patagonia  plantation  is  used  as  a  stock 
farm.  ^^ 

HON.  J.  A.  LORET,  Patterson. — Hon.  J.  A.  Loret  is  a  native  of  Louisi- 
ana, born  1S61.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  of  Norman  French  descent, 
while  his  maternal  grandparents  were  natives  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Loret's  father. 
Captain  Loret,  was  a  successful  planter  of  the  State.  During  the  late  Civil 
War  he  served  as  captain  of  the  home  militia. 

Hon.  J.  A.  Loret  received  a  liberal  education  in  Assumption  parish,  where 
he  spent  his  youthful  days.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Patterson,  at  which  place 
he  has  since  engaged  in  business.  When  quite  young  he  embarked  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  to  which  he  has  given  liis  chief  attention  in  business  life.  His  business 
in  Patterson  is  one  of  the  leading  of  the  place.  Mr.  Loret  has  for  many  years 
taken  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  and  in  1878  he  was  elected  represen- 
tative in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  from  St.  Mary  parish,  of  which 
body  he  is  still  a  member.  As  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  Mr.  Loret  has 
been    noted   for  the   firmness  with  which  he  adheres  to  his  convictions.      In  the 


373  SOU7  'II H  7iV>  T  I.  O  (IIS  I A  NA  : 

recent  lottery  issue,  which  so  much  agitated  the  people  of  the  State,  he  was  one 
of  the  most  unwavering  opponents  to  a  recharter.  Mr.  Loret  is  still  a  single  man. 

*      * 

ELAIRE  LONCEON,  Louisa. — Elaire  Lonceon  was  born  in  Terrebonne 
parish,  1851.  He  is  the  son  of  Polete  and  Armena  (Arceneaux)  Lonceon,  both 
natives  of  Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana. 

Elaire  Lonceon  was  reared  in  his  native  parish  and  lived  with  his  father 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  left  his  home  and  came  to 
St.  Mar}'  parish,  where  he  married  Miss  Elodie  Bonvillain,  also  a  native  of 
Terrebonne  parish  and  the  daughter  of  Marcelin  and  Amalie  (Thibodeau) 
Bonvillain,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  parish.  Mr.  Lonceon  and  wife 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Lonceon  entered 
business  as  a  planter,  working  on  shares  for  five  years.  He  then  accepted  a  po- 
sition as  overseer  on  a  plantation,  which  position  he  held  for  seven  j'ears,  after 
which  time  he  purchased  a  plantation  consisting  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land,  seventy  of  which  were  under  cultivation  when  he  bought  it.  He  raises 
sugar  cane  and  corn,  and  has  succeeded  in  putting  it  all  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. * 
/*                                                                   *     * 

THOMAS  C.  LAWLESS.  Franklin.— Thomas  C.  Lawless  was  born  in 
Thibodeaux,  Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana,  February  8,  1855.  His  father, 
Solomon  C.  Lawless,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  about  1815.  He  removed 
to  Big  Cane,  St.  Landry  parish,  Louisiana,  in  1856,  where  he  became  a  suc- 
cessful planter.  The  mother  of  Thomas  C.  Lawless,  Harriet  Cheny  Lawless,  is 
a  native  of  St.  Landry  parish,  born  in  1834,  and  now  a  resident  of  Mobile.  Ala- 
bama.    She  married  a  second  time  in  Big  Cane,  Mr.  A.  B.  Haskins. 

Thomas  C.  Lawless  was  reared  in  St.  Landry  and  St.  Mar}-  parishes, 
Louisiana,  and  received  a  limited  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  vicinities 
in  which  he  resided.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  an  apprentice  to  the 
blacksmith  trade,  working  at  this  a  short  while,  when  he  learned  the  carpenter 
trade,  and  in  this  was  employed  for  a  period  aggregating  ten  3'ears.  In  1S82 
Mr.  Lawless  engaged  as  a  sawyer  for  Wm.  A  Hansen  and  served  as  such  for  a 
term  of  seven  years.  In  1889  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  as  a  partner 
with  Capt.  Wm.  Kyle.  Their  success  demonstrates  the  business  tact  and  energy 
characteristic  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Lawless  was  married,  November  13,  1883,  to 
Miss  Margaret  A.  Hanson,  a  daughter  of  Albert  and  Anna  Hansen,  both  natives 
of  Europe,  who  removed  to  Louisiana  early  in  fife.  As  a  result  of  this  uiiinn  two 
children  ha\'e  been  born:    Alberta  and  Willie. 

* 

*''       AUGUSTE  LESSEPS,  Jr.,  Cvpremort. — Auguste  Lesseps  is  a  native  of 
Piaquemine    parish,  born    in    1855.      He   is    the    son    of    Auguste    and   Carmen 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  373 

(Ribas)  Lesseps,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Orleans,  the  latter  of  Spain.  They 
were  married  in  New  Orleans,  where  they  now  reside.  Mr.  Lesseps,  Sr.,  was 
for  tort}'  years  a  sugar  planter  in  Plaquemine  parish,  and  was  for  a  number  of 
years  treasui'er  of  that  parish.  During  the  war  he  was  a  Union  man,  but  took  no 
active  part  in  the  contest.  He  is  a  cousin  of  DeLesseps  of  Panama  canal  fame. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Mississippi,  at  Trinit}-  High  School,  Pass 
Chrislian,  where  he  rem;iined  four  years.  After  leaving  school  he  engaged  in 
sugar  planting,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  went  to  Plaquemine  parish, 
remaining  there  eight  years,  when  he  removed  to  St.  Landry,  at  whieli  pi. ice  he 
resided  one  year.  Then  he  returned  to  Plaquemine,  and  lived  therefor  a  period 
ol  three  years.  He  married,  in  1882,  Miss  Augusta  Story,  a  native  of  St.  Ber- 
nard parish,  and  daughter  of  Clement  and  Amelia  (Lesseps)  Story.  She  was 
reared  and"  educated  in  New  Orleans.'  Auguste  Lesseps  removed  from  Plaque- 
mine to  St.  Charles,  where  he  remained  a  _\ear,  when  he  returned  to  Plaquemine 
and  there  lived  two  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Avoyelles,  staying  there 
two  years,  when  he  located  in  St.  Mar}'  parish  in  December,  1889.  There  lie  took 
charge  of  a  plantation.  He  is  the  father  of  four  children:  Hamilton,  Mnrguerite", 
Edgar  and  an  infant.   Our  subject  and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

« 
#      » 
/ 

H.   M.   MAYO,  Morgan  City. — H.  M.  Mayo,    the    efficient    editor    and 

proprietor  of  the  Morgan  City    Review,  was  born   in    London,  England,  1862. 

He  is  the  son  of  H.  AL  Mayo,  Sr.,  and  Emma  Wood,  who  were  married  in  1851. 

Three  sons  weie  born  to  this  marriage,  of  which  our  subject  is  the  oldest.      H. 

M.  Mayo,  Sr.,  was  born  in  England,  and  was  a  seafaring    man.     He  was  a  bold 

navigator, and  snved  a  crew  in  the  British  Channel  at  his  own  personal  risk.     For 

this  brave  deed  he  had  the  "Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor"  bestowed  upon  him. 

He  finally  located  at  Morgan  City,  where, in  the  employment  of  the  Morgan  Line, 

he  had  charge  of  the  wharf    at    Morgan    City.      He    subsequently  entered  hotel 

business,  and  continued  in  it  till  his  death  in    1876. 

Our  subject  spent  his  school  days  in  Morgan  City.  He  was  for  eight  years 
in  the  stationery  business,  after  which  he  was  appointed  post-master  of  Morgan 
City,  in  1884,  ''"'^  \^v\di.  the  position  six  years.  He  took  charge  of  the  Morgan 
City  Review,  July  i,  1890,  and  subsequently  purchased  the  Free  Press,  which 
two  papers  he  has  consolidated.  His  paper  now  is  well  edited  and  published, 
and  in  the  front  ranks  of  progressive  journals  of  the  State. 

Our  subject  was  married,  in  1885,  to  Miss  Jennie  Shannon,  and  two  children 
have  been  born  to  this  marriage:    Ara  Lilian,  Kenneth. 


JOHN  W.  MORRIS,  Louisa.— John  W.    Morris  was  born    in  St.    Mary 
parish,  January  II,  1840.     He    is  the  son  of  B.   and  Hanna  (Herran)  Morris, 
•23a 


3  74  SO  urn  WES  T  L  O  (7/ SI  A  NA  : 

both  of  vvhoin   were  reared  and  married  in   Mar^-land,   and  immigrated   early  in 
life  to  St.  Mary  parish,  Louisiana. 

John  W.  Morris,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish, 
where  lie  attended  school  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  car- 
penter trade.  After  working  continuously  at  this  for  lifteen  years,  he  became 
an  overseer,  which  business  he  has  followed  up  to  the  present  time.  Our  sub- 
ject has  been  married  three  times.  First  to  Amanda  Presler,  a  native  of  Texas; 
one  son,  John,  being  born  to  them,  who  died  in  infancy.  His  second  wife  was 
Miss  Adelide  Chapman,  of  Mississippi.  One  daughter  was  the  result  of  this 
union,  Lovenia  Ellen,  now  the  wife  of  D.  Breaux.  Our  subject's  last  marriage 
was  with  Julia  Edgerly,  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  daughter  of  Samuel  S. 
Edgerly.  Four  sons  have  been  born  to  them:  Henderson  D.,  Samuel 'S.,  Jr., 
Ernest  J.,  and  John  W.,  Jr.  Mr.  Morris  is  at  present  overseer  on  Alcide  B. 
plantation,  which  is  located  on  the  north  side  of  Bayou  Cypremort,  and  is  his 

permanent  place  of  residence.  ^ 

*      * 

WILSON  McKERALL,  Franklin.— Wilson  McKerall,  mayor  of  Frank- 
lin, was  born  at  Hyde  Park,  New  York,  August  19,  1847.  His  father,  Wilson 
McKerall,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  born  1813.  The  latter  daysof  his 
life  he  spent  in  St.  Mary  parish,  having  come  there  a  carpenter.  He  became 
one  of  St.  Mary's  most  prominent  and  substantial  citizens  and  amassed  a  large 
fortune.  He  held  various  positions  of  public  trust,  among  which  was  that  of 
parish  assessor  and  ma3for  of  Franklin.  The  latter  position  he  resigned  some 
time  before  his  death,  in  1881,  on  account  of  failing  health. 

Wilson  McKerall's  mother,  Emily  Whitcomb,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut. 
She  died  in  Franklin  in  1861. 

Wilson  McKerall  was  an  only  child.  He  spent  his  school  days  at  Harrods, 
Kentucky',  and  received  a  fair  business  education.  He  left  school  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years  and  began  life  for  himself.  In  1861  he  engaged  as  engineer  on 
the  steamboat  T.  D.  Hine,  which  was  in  the  Confederate  service,  engaged  in 
transporting  troops.  Shortly  afterward  Mr.  McKerall  accepted  a  similar  posi- 
tion on  the  steamer  St.  Mary,  plying  between  Morgan  City  and  New  Iberia. 
In  1862  he  went  aboard  the  gun-boat  Diana,  which  was  burnt  above  Franklin 
shortl}'  afterward.  Afterward  Mr.'  McKerall  was  on  the  government  transport 
boat  A.  G.  Brown,  engaged  in  transporting  government  supplies  and  troops  on 
the  Bayou  Teche  and  to  New  Orleans  via  the  gulf,  and  from  New  Orleans  to 
Mobile  Bay.  The  A.  G.  Brown  was  in  the  engagement  at  the  Spanish 
Fort,  Mobile.  From  her  Mr.  McKerall  was  transferred  to  the  steamer  St. 
Charles,  which  was  in  the  Confederate  States  service  transporting  troops  from 
New  Orleans  to  Montgomery,  Alabama. 

For  a  number  of  years  antecedent  to  1880  Mr.  McKerall  was  engaged  on 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  375 

the  United  States  mail  boat  Anna  E.     Since   1880  he  has  jiiven  his  attention  to 

his  banking  and  real  estate  business  at   Franklin.     As   a  citizen  Mr.  McKerall 

is  identified  with   everjthing  tending   to  the  promotion  of   his   town  and  parish. 

Recognizing  his  public-spiritedness   his  fellow  townsmen    have  honored  him  by 

electing  him  mayor  of  this  thriving  little  city,  and  in  this  capacity  Mr.  McKerall 

has  demonstrated  liis  executive  ability. 

He  was  married,  January  27,   1S68,  to  Miss  Frances  E.  Gordy.     To  them 

have  been  born  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

* 
»      * 

•^S.  C.  MELANCON,  Baldwin. — S.  C.  Melancon,  merchant,  was  born 
January  6,  1856,  in  Assumption  parish.  He  is  the  son  of  S.  J.  and  C.(Boudreau) 
Melancon,  natives  of  Assumption  parish. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  his  native  parish  and  there  spent  his  school  days, 
after  which  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  for  a  period  of  four  years,  when  he  turned 
his  attention  to  carpentering,  and  this  he  followed  for  fifteen  years.  In  1880 
sugar  boiler  became  his  chief  occupation,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  bought 
in  1S86,  one-third  interest  in  the  Baldwin  Saw  Mill  Company,  and  acted  as  its 
manager  for  two  years.  In  1887  he  purchased  the  property  and  mercantile  stock 
of  E.  Dosher,  worth  five  thousand  dollars,  and  is  doing  therewith  a  large  and 
increasing  business.  He  married,  February  8,  1877,  Matilda  Ohlmeyer,  a  native 
of  Assumption,  born  February  19,  1854,  ^"'i  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Nobe)  Ohlmeyer,  natives  of  Hanover  and  Oldenberg,  Germany,  respectivel}^. 
To  them  have  been  born  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters:  Mary,  de- 
ceased ;  NichoUs,  Delia,  Lydia,  deceased;  Henry,  deceased;  Frank,  deceased ; 
Edward,  Stella,  George,  and  Sidney,  deceased.  Mr.  Melancon  is  the  treasurer 
of  the  Baldwin  Dramatic  and  Social  Club  at  this  place. 

» 

E.  D.  MARTIN,  Baldwin. — E.  D.  Martin  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born 
March  15,  1841.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Marceline  (Lucier)  Martin,  both 
natives  of  Canada,  who  afterward  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
Illinois. 

E.  D.  Martin  received  his  preparatory  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Illinois  and  afterward  entered  St.  Anne's  College,  where  he  completed  his  course 
of  mental  discipline.  After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  mercantile  business 
as  a  clerk.  After  having  served  in  that  capacity  for  two  years,  the  war  broke  out, 
and  as  a  patriotic  soldier  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventy-sixth  Illinois  Volunteers,  serv- 
ing throughout  the  whole  of  the  struggle.  After  the  war  he  reiurned  to  his 
home  and  then  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  married  Miss  Fannie  Harper,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Harper,  one  of  the  earlj'  settlers  of 
Ohio.     Mr.  and  Mrs,  Martin  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz:   Edward 


a  76  so  IJTII H  EST  L  O  VI  SI  A  NA  : 

S.,  Carrie,  Marceline,  Johnnie.  In  1878  they  moved  to  Louisiana,  locating 
at  Baldwin,  where  Mr.  Mariin  became  the  overseer  of  a  plantation  in  this  State. 
He  was  for  eight  years  engaged  in  that  capacity,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Baldwin.  He  commenced  business  with  a  capital  of 
about  $1000,  and  has  steadily  increased  his  business  until  now  he  does  a  hirge 
business  and  carries  a  stock  of  $13,000,  and  his  annual  sales  is  $25,000. 

JAMES  C.  MAHON,  Foster.— Jamrs  C.  Mahon  is  a  native'of  the  British 
West  Indies,  born  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  William  E.  and  Christian  (Clarke) 
Mahon,  natives  of  Ireland  and  Scotland,  respective!}'.  They  were  married  in 
Barbadoes,  British  West  Indies,  where  each  emigrated  when  young.  William 
Mahon  was  aplanter,  and  followed  that  business  all  his  life.  He  died  in  1869. 
His  widow  survives  liim  and  is  still  a  resident  of  Barbadoes.  She  is  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  seven  of  wliom  are  living,  James  Malion  being  the  onlv  one 
in  America. 

James  C.  Mahon  received  his  early  education  in  Barbadoes  and  subse- 
quently in  England.  After  having  completed  his  literary  studies  in  England  he 
returned  to  Barbadoes  and  engaged  in  a  dr}'  goods  business,  and  after  one  \ear's 
experience  in  that  line  became  a  planter,  in  which  business  he  continued  for 
seven  years,  when  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Illinois,  and  be- 
gan farming.  This  did  not  suit  his  tastes;  so  he  entered  an  insurance  business 
in  which  he  remained  until  1872,  when  he  removed  to  St.  Mary  parish,  Louis- 
iana, where  he  engaged  in  sugar  planting  for  four  years.  From  '80  to  '86  he 
served'as  man;'ger  of  a  plantation  and  then  purchased  South  Bend  plantation  on 
Bayou  Sale,  consisting  of  three  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  eight 
hundredof  which  is  arable  land,  live  hundred  swamp  and  two  thousand  and 
sixt}' sea  mar^h.  On  this  extensive  tract  of  land  he  has  been  engaged  in  sugar 
making  and  slock  raising.  He  has  over  five  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  makes 
a  ton  and  a  half  of  cane  per  acre.  He  has  an  efficient  sugar  mill,  with  a  capac- 
ity of  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  in  twenty-four  hours,  which  heintends  increas- 
ing to  a  greater  capacity.  Mr.  Mahon  married  in  1876  Miss  Florence  Hud- 
son, a  native  of  this  parish.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Hudson,  a  promi- 
nent plantfer  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  families  of  St.  Mary  parish. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahon  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  daughters  and  one 
son,  viz:  Anna,  Beatrice,  Hubert.  Mr.  Mahon  is  a  charter  member  of  tlie  K. 
of  P.  Lodge  of  St.  Mary  No.  44,  of  Franklin. 

*     * 
PIERRE  MAILLARD,  Cypremort.— Pierre  Maillard  was  born  February 
4,  1841.      He    is   a   native   of  Switzerland,  and  is  the    son   of   Pierre  and  Mary 
Maillard,  the  former  a  native    of  Switzerland,  who  is  still  living  and  a    resident 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  377 

of  his  native  country,  and  tlie  latter  a  native  of  France,  born  1805  and  died  1886. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Kate 
Louisa,  Francois  Xavier  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Pierre,  Jr. 

Pierre  Maillard  was  reared  and  educated  in  Switzerland.  He  came  to 
America  in  1855,  locating  at  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  taken  sick  with  the 
yellow  fever.  After  having  recovered  he  went  to  St.  Mary  parish  and  lived 
with  his  uncle  until  1859.  At  this  period  he  went  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  there 
engaged  in  keeping  a  restaurant,  and  remained  there  until  1861,  when  he  joined 
the  Federal  army,  in  which  he  served  until  1864  in  the  First  Kentucky  Regi- 
ment of  Volunteers.  He  was  discharged  at  Covington,  Ky.,  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  then  went  to  Cincinnati,  and  thence  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  general  laborer,  and  remained  there  until  1882,  during  which  time  he 
engaged  in  tool  repairing  for  himself.  He  came  to  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he 
engaged  with  his  uncle  as  a  clerk  for  three  years,  and  then  in  copartner- 
ship with  Nicholas  Cerl,  opening  a  mercantile  store  and  operating  a  planta- 
tion, and  this..business  they  are  pursuing  with  success.  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried in  1865,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  to  Miss  Mary  King,  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ire- 
land. She  died  in  1875,  and  he  married  two  years  later  Miss  Annie  Hotter,  a 
native  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  of  German  extraction.  Her  brother,  Henry 
Hotter,  is  secretary  of  the  Cotton  Exchange  at  Memphis,  and  one  of  the  young- 
est men  in  the  United  States  acting  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Maillard  has  no  chil- 
dren of  his  own,  but  he  having  made  a  trip  to  Europe  in  1886,  adopted  a 
girl,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  Mary  Louisa.  When  she  came  to  Louisiana  she 
was  only  able  to  speak  French,  but  she  has  now  mastered  English,  French 
and  German.  She  was  born  in  1878.  In  politics  Mr.  Maillard  is  ati  active  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  New  Iberia.  He  and 
lamily  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

*  » 
^  WALTER  A.  O'NIELL,  B.\ldwin.— Walter  A.  O'Niell  was  born  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  September  22,  1855.  His  father,  John  A.  O'Niell,  is  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  came  to  New  York  when  quite  young.  He  married 
Isabella  Burnham,  who  at  an  early  age  emigrated  from  England  to  New  York. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are  now  living,  viz: 
Walter  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  R.  Emmett,  Florence,  wife  of  Judge 
Smith;  Annie,  wife  of  David  Todd,  of  Iberia;  Bella,  wife  of  C.  E.  Schrenk; 
John,  Charles  and  George.  Of  these,  Bella  and  Annie  are  twins.  When  Walter 
O'Niell  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Louisiana,  stopping  first  at 
Morgan  City,  from  whence  they  removed  to  Franklin,  where  his  lather  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business,  i-n  which  he  is  still  interested,  his  store  being  the 
largest  establishment  in  Franklin.  He  was  formerly  sheriff,  and  now  hold  the 
position  of  treasurer  of  St.  Mary  parish.      During  the  war  he  served  four  years 


37S  SOUTHWEST  L  O  UISIANA : 

in  the  Confederate  States  army.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Franklin,  and,  after  coinpleting  his  studies,  engaged  for 
several  years  in  business  with  his  father.  He  was  married,  January  i,  i8So,  to 
Miss  Carrie  Lienicke,  a  native  of  New  Orleans.  She  is  the  daughteV  of  Conrad 
Lienicke,  a  i-etired  manufacturer,  of  New  Orleans.  In  1882,  Mr.O'Niell 
retired  from  his  mercantile  business,  purchased  Linwood  plantation  and  engaged 
in  sugar  raising.  His  place  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Bayou  Teche  and 
consists  of  one  thousand  acres;  three  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation  in 
cane  and  corn.  He  averages  about  twenty-five  hundred  pounds  of  sugar  per 
acre  and  twenty  bushels  net  corn  per  acre.  In  addition  to  his  own  plantation 
he  leases  Oxford  plantation,  nineteen  hundred  acres,  on  the  east  bank  of  Bayou 
Teche,  upon  which  he  cultivates  eight  hundred  acres  of  rice  and  corn,  and 
makes  an  average  of  twelve  barrels  of  rice  per  acre.  The  sugar  house  at  Lin- 
wood is  open  kettle  process,  he  makes  only  syrup,  which  is  shipped  on  barges 
down  the  Teche  to  the  Baldwin  refinery,  where  it  is  granulated.  Mr.  O'Niell 
gives  employment  to  from  forty  to  seventy-five  hands  at  different  periods  of  the 
year,  and  is  the  largest  producer  of  rice  in  St.  Mary  parish. 

He  is  the  father  of  three  children,  viz:  Laura  Isabelle,  Herbert  Edwin  and 
Conrad  Lienicke.  Mr.  O'Niell  is  an  enterprising  planter  and  is  fully  alive  to 
the  interests  of  his  section  of  the  country.  He  gives  his  assistance  in  furthering 
any  worthy  project. 

^  FRANCIS  PLACIDE  FERRET,  Franklin.— Francis  Palcide  Perret  was 
born  in  St.  John  the  Baptist  parish  October  4,  1834.  ^^  ^^  the  son  of  Placide  and 
Mathilde  C.  (Darenbourg)  Perret,  both  natives  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  parish,  and 
the  latter  of  French  and  Swede  origin.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject's  mother 
was  Chevalier  Darensbourg,  who  emigrated  to  Louisiana  in  June,  1722,  at  the 
head  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  Germans  to  colonize  Louisiana.  The  father  and 
mother  of  our  subject  became  the  parents  of  seven  children:  Helene  L., 
Mathilde,  Isabelle  Emma,  Francois  Placide,  Irene  Eleanore,  Philomene  and 
Anne  Heloise.     Isabelle  Emma  and  Philomene  are  now  deceased. 

Francis  Placide  Perret,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  school  in  his 
native  parish  till  he  was  fifteen  3'ears  of  age,  when  he  entered  college  at  Bards- 
town,  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1851.  He  began  life  for 
himself  in  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he  had  removed  with  his  parents  in  1848,  as  a 
druggist,  in  which  he  continued  for  some  time.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  dep- 
uty clerk  of  the  court  at  Franklin,  and  in  1888  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district 
court,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that  office.  He  was  married  November, 
1858,  to  Miss  Fannie  Perret,  a  native  of  this  parish,  born  May  19,  1836.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Ursin  and  Fannie  (Pain)  Perret,  the  former  born  in  St.  James 
parish,  1795,  and  died  in  1877,  and  the  latter  born  in  St.  Charles  parish,   1803, 


HISTORICAL  AND  'BIOGRAPHI'CAL.  379 

and  is  still  living.  Mr.  Perret  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz: 
Helen  Emma,  Marie,  Fannie,  Corinne,  Mathilde,  SylvainUrsin,  Frank  Placide, 
deceased.  Mr.  Perret  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  tie  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  and  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  Mr.  Perret  has 
worked  assiduously  during  his  life,  and  holds  the  confidence  of  many  of  the  best 
people  of  St.  Mary  parish. 

'^  HENRY  PENN,  Baldwin. — Henry  Penn  was  born  in  St.  Mary  parish, 
September  i6,  1839-  ^^  '^  '^^  ^°"  °^  Henry  and  Eugenie  (Detice)  Penn,  both 
natives  of  St.  Mary  parish.  Our  subject  was  reared  in  his  native  parish,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  After  completing  Ins 
studies  he  became  an  overseer,  and  was  engaged  at  this  for  four  years,  when, 
the  war  breaking  out,  he  volunteered  in  Pecot's  company.  Third  Louisiana  Regi- 
ment, of  Harrison's  brigade,  and  served  four  years,  until  the  close  of  the  war.. 
Returning  home,  he  engaged  in  planting,  which  has  been  his  principal  occupa- 
tion until  the  present  time.  He  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  being  under  cultivation.  He  married,  July  26,  1859,  Azama  Bodin,  a 
native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  born  September  11,  1841.  To  this  union  were  born 
seven  sons  and  four  daughters:  Anette,  Henry,  Jr.:  William,  Alice,  Eugenie, 
Felicity.  Charles,  Tice,  Robert,  Gregois  and  Clara. 


'^  CAPT.  A.  A.  PECOT,  Cypremort. — The  story  of  the  Pecot  family  is  an 
interesting  one,  and  complete  in  its  detail  would  constitute  a  history  of  itself. 
The  first  of  the  name  of  whom  we  have  any  definite  information  was  Francois 
Pecot,  an  Acadian.  Upon  the  occupancy  of  Acadia  by  the  British,  he  was  ex- 
iled to  San  Domingo,  where  he  accumulated,  in  after  years,  considerable  prop- 
erty. Among  his  fellow  exiles  was  Madame  Marie  Prejean  Dupuis,  widow  of 
Jean  Baptiste  Dupuis.  Shortly  after  locating  on  the  Island,  Francois  Pecot 
married  Madame  Dupuis,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz : 
Luc,  Jacques,  Marie  Rose,  Marie  Antoinette,  Charles,  Marie  Louise,  Marie 
Anne.  Luc  Pecot  was  a  soldier  during  the  Revolution  of  San  Domingo  an-d 
fought  under  the  French  flag,  as  was  also  his  brother,  Jacques.  Though  under 
age  he  entered  the  service  in  order  that  his  father,  who  was  at  that  time  an  aged 
man,  might  be  spared  the  hardships  incident  to  a  soldier's  life.  In  this  revolu- 
tion Francois  Pecot  and  his  sons,  Luc  and  Jacques,  were  captured  and  con- 
demned to  death,  and  the  lives  of  the  whole  family  placed  in  jeopardy.  But  by 
the  assistance  of  a  negro,  a  family  slave,  they  escaped,  and  the  family  removed 
to  Jamaica,  and  from  thence  for  a  time  to  New  Orleans.  Luc,  the  eldest  son  of 
Francois  Pecot,  died  without  leaving  any  children.  Jacques  became  the  father 
of  four  sons,  viz:   Pierre,  Edward,  Aglae,    Octave.     Marie    Rose  married  Jean 


380  SO UTHWEST  L  O UISIA NA . 

Armelin  and  became  the  mother  of  ten  children,  viz :  Jean,  Josephine,  Coralie, 
AspasieE.,  Charles,  Theodore,  Aristide,  Ulysses,  Adele,  Joseph. 

Marie  Antoinette  married  Gabriel  Bouillet  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
a  son,  Joseph  Sully,  and  a  daughter,  Hermina,  who  maried  Balthazar  Martel, 
to  whom,  assisted  by  her  son,  J.  Sully  Martel,  we  are  indet)ted  for  the  sketch 
of  the  Pecot  family. 

Charles  Pecot  married  Felicity  Sigur  about  1817  or  '18.  They  became  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz:  Alexander  Al- 
cide,  Ernest,  Denis  Mozart,  Cornelie.  Marie  Louise  married  Alexander 
Frere  and  Marie  Anne  married  Frederick  Pellerin. 

Alexander  Alcide  Pecot  was  born,  1822,  in  St.  Mary  parish.  He  was 
educated  entirely  at  home,  and  while  yet  a  youth  engaged  as  secretary  and 
assistant  to  his  older  brother,  who  was  manager  of  his  father's  plantation. 
After  the  death  of  his  brother,  young  Pecot  took  charge  of  the  plantation, 
and  after  his  mother's  death  became  administrator  of  the  succession.  Under 
his  able  management  the  estate  has  been  greatly  increased  in  extent  and 
value.  In  the  late  war  Mr.  Pecot  was  an  active  participant,  and  when 
Louisiana  called  for  volunteers  for  home  defence,  he  organized  an  indepen- 
dent company  of  cavalry,  of  which  lie  was  first  lieutenant,  and  afterward 
was  captain.  Capt.  Pecot  has  served  in  many  responsible  official  positions 
and  always  with  satisfaction.  In  1858  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate. 
He  was  appointed  by  Francis  T.  Nicholls  tax  collector  of  St.  Mary  par- 
ish, and  in  this  capacity  served  four  years.  Capt.  Pecot  is  a  life-long  Dem- 
ocrat, and  it  may  safely  be  said  that  he  is  a  leader  of  that  party  in  St.  Mary 
parisli.  Capt.  Pecot  is  a  man  of  marked  abilit}-  and  broad  views.  Being  pos- 
sessed of  a  remarkably  keen  perception,  he  is  not  slow  in  reaching  a  con- 
clusion, and  after  it  has  been  -reached  is  firm  in  his  adherence  to  it.  With- 
out a  family  of  his  own,  he  never  having  married,  the  Captain  labors  for  the 
benefit  of  others,   and  there  are   many  who   t:an   testify  to  his  beneficence. 

*  * 
LOUIS  PELERINjCypremort — Louis  Pelerin,  sugar  planter,  is  the  son 
of  Nicholas  and  Eufaula  (Dartey)  Pelerin.  He  w.is  born  in  St.  Mary  parish 
in  1843,  where  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when 
his  father's  death  occurred.  Soon  after  this  he  joined  Captain  Murphy's  com- 
pan}?  of  Louisiana  Volunteers,  in  which  he  fought  bravely  and  served  with 
honor  until  the  close  of  the  war,  wlien  he  commenced  planting,  which  is  his 
present  avocation.  Soon  after  ilie  close  of  the  war  he  married  Josena  Goula, 
of  St.  Mary  parish.  To  them  nine  children  have  been  born:  Filamon,  Louis, 
Jr.,  Mar}",  Nicholas,  Julia,  Baltliazar,  Eugenia,  Eufamia  and  Antoinette.  Mr. 
Pelerin  owns  a  fine  plantation  on  which  he  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  corn 
and  cane. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  381 

^  FRITZ  RODE,  Glencoe. — Fritz  Rode,  merchant  and  planter,  was  born 
in  Germany,  November  22,  1849.  ^^  '^  ^^^  ^*^"  ^^  Charles  and  Caroline  Rode. 
At  the  age  of  four,  and  thereafter  for  eleven  years,  he  attended  private  school, 
when  he  turned  his  attention  to  general  merchandising  as  salesman.  In  1867  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Galveston,  Texas,  in  which  place  he  was 
engaged  in  a  confectionery  store  for  a  short  time,  when  he  removed  to  New 
Orleans.  A  few  months  later  he  took  up  his  abode  in  St.  Mary  parish,  turning 
his  attention  to  planting,  in  which  he  continued  for  eight  years,  then  entered  the- 
mercantile  business,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged,  and  is  meeting  with  much  suc- 
cess. He  owns  different  plantations,  aggregating  five  hundred  and  forty  acres,. 
on  one  of  which  he  has  established  a  large  store.  He  also  has  an  interest  in  a 
branch  store.  Mr.  Rode  is  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eufenile  Roderiges,. 
a  native  of  Louisiana,  born  in  1856,  and  daughter  of  Rustache  Roderiges.  To- 
them    six   children  have  been  born:   Alma,  Charles,  Anna,  Jean,  Caroline  and.' 

Sasthene. 

* 

CHARLES  STEINACKER,  Franklin.— Cliarles  Steinacker  was  born  in 
New  Orleans,  February  22,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  Frank  Steinacker,  who  was 
born  in  Bavaria  in  1810.  Francis  Steinacker  was  lieutenant  in  the  Bavarian 
arm}^  and  served  as  a  patriotic  soldier  for  several  years.  He  emigrated  to 
America  in  1841  and  landed  in  New  York  City,  where  he  remained  until  1843, 
wlien  he  came  south,  locating  in  New  Orleans.  Here  he  was  married,  in  1843, 
to  Miss  Roch,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  two  children — our  subject,  Charles 
Steinacker,  and  a  daughter,  Elizabeth.      Frank  Steinacker  died  in  1850, 

Charles  Steinacker  was  reared  in  New  Orleans,  and  received  a  good  busi- 
ness and  literary  education.  He  then  served  an  apprenticeship  as  a  blacksmith, 
and  subsequently  entered  the  employ  of  a  large  retail  mercantile  house  in  New 
Orleans,  with  whom  he  remained  as  salesman  for  eleven  3'ears.  He  came  to 
Franklin  in  1885,  and  accepted  an  engagement  in  one  of  the  largest  mercantile 
houses  there.  Desiring  to  enter  business  for  himself,  he  opened  a  general  mer- 
cantile house  on  his  own  account  in  1889,  where  his  efforts  have  been  attended 
with  the  greatest  success.  He  is  now  doing  one  of  tiie  most  active  and  paying 
businesses  in  St.  Mar\'  parish.  Mr.  Steinacker  is  a  natural  salesman,  and  is  in 
his  element  when  handling  goods  and  dealing  with  the  public.     He  is  a  member 

of  the  Catholic  churcli. 

« 

V  GEORGE  B.  SHEPHERD,  Franklin.— George  B.  Shepherd  is  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  born  July  10,  1824.  He  is  the  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Mary 
(Whelden)  Shepherd,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Massachusetts.  Nathaniel 
Shepherd  was  a  jeweler  by  occupation  and  was  a  successful  business  man;  in 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat.     Our  subject's  mother  was  born  in   1804  and    was 


382  SO  UTII  WES  T  LO  VIS  I A  NA  : 

married  in  Massachusetts.     She  became  the  mother  of  one  child,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

George  B.  Shepherd  received  an  excellent  academic  education,  and  in  1845 
came  to  Louisiana  from  Massachusetts  and  engaged  as  a  salesman  for  Cyrus  B. 
Whelden,  in  which  capacity  he  was  employed  for  three  years.  After  this  he 
devoted  his  time  to  civil  engineering,  and  in  1857  became  editor  of  the  Attakapas 
Register,  a  weekly  Democratic  paper  published  in  Franklin.  He  was  thus  engaged 
until  i860,  when  he  was  appointed  register  of  the  State  land  office,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  C.  S.  A.  under  General  Miles, 
Louisiana  Volunteers,  in  which  command  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
After  the  war  he  became  a  notary  public,  and  in  1870  he  turned  his  attention  to 
law.  In  1872  he  was  chief  clerk  of  the  McEnery  House  of  Representatives, 
and  in  1887  was  appointed  post-master  by  President  Cleveland,  and  held  this 
office  until  July,  1890,  when  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  married, 
March,  1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  McMillan,  a  daughter  of  Robert  McMillan  and 
Janet  Douglas,  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  1833  and  died  in  1882.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shepherd  are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Emma,  Georgie,  Edwin,  George 
and  Robert.     Mr.  Shepherd  and  famil}^  are  members  of  the  Episcopal    church. 

He  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  » 

*     * 

'^  THOMAS  SHAFFER,  Franklin.— Thomas  Shaffer  is  a  native  of  Terre- 
bonne parish,  born  October  9,  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  William  A.  and  Emilie 
(Bourgeois)  Shaffer.  William  A.  Shaffer  was  a  planter  by  occupation,  and  was 
first  engaged  in  his  pursuit  in  Lafourche  parish  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Terrebonne  parish,  where  he  established  what  is  known  as  the  Crescent  Farm. 
He  died  at  a  ripe  old  age  in  1886.  His  wife  died  in  1875.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz:  John  J.,  W.  R.,  Lizzie  H.,  wife  of 
T.  T.  Brooks ;  Belle  W.,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Sanders  of  St.  Mary  parish  ;  Thomas 
J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Benjamin  F.  died  at  the  age  of  25  years,  in  Texas, 
in  1871. 

Thomas  Shaffer  received  his  early  education  in  the  private  schools  of  Terre- 
bonne parish,  and  in  1854  went  to  Shelby  College,  Kentucky.  He  returned 
home  in  the  fall  of  1858  and  then  went  to  the  Centenary  College,  at  Jackson, 
Louisiana,  where  he  remained  until  the  war,  when  he  left  school,  and  going  to 
Richmond,  Va.,  joined  the  First  Louisiana  Battalion,  under  General  Magruder, 
and  after  having  served  about  a  year  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  Lieu- 
tenant of  the  Twenty-sixth  Louisiana  Regiment,  a  command  of  volunteers  from 
Southwest  Louisiana,  composed  mostly  of  Creoles.  The  command  was  organ- 
ized at  Berwick  City,  under  Alexander  Declouet,  and  numbered  about  eleven 
hundred  strong.  This  regiment  was  engaged  in  the  fall  of  New  Orleans,  and 
was  then  ordered   to  Vicksburg  with  the  Army   of  Mississippi.     This  regiment 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  383 

participates  in  many  of  the  engagements  on  the  Yazoo  River,  Deer  Creek  and 
Battle  of  "Chickasaw,  and  went  into  Vicksburg  before  the  siege,  where  he 
(Shaffer)  was  made  Inspector  General  under  General  N.  L.  Smith.  July  4, 
1863,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  shortly  after  was  paroled  by  General  Grant. 
He  then  went  home  and  remained  inside  the  Federal  lines  until  1864.  He  took 
passage  on  a  boat  to  attend  a  camp  of  reorganization  at  Alexandria,  but  only 
went  as  far  as  Natchitoches,  where  he  remained  for  some  time  and  then  returned 
home.  After  the  war  he  engaged  in  planting  on  his  father's  place,  and  after  re- 
maining here  for  a  year  he  engaged  with  T.  T.  Brooks  and  Charles  Taenant  in 
a  mercantile  business  at  Houma.  April  23,  186S,  he  married  Miss  Anna  P.  Pel- 
ton,  a  native  of  Terrebonne  parish,  born  1846.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late 
John  M.  Pelton,  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  successful  planters  of  Terrebonne 
parish  and  the  owner  of  the  celebrated  Du  Lac  plantation,  of  which  our  subject 
took  charge-  in  1868.  The  same  year  he  purchased  his  present  plantation,  known 
then  as  Cherokee  Edge  and  now  as  Anna  plantation.  Since  that  time  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  the  growing  of  sugar  cane  and  rice.  His  plantation  lies 
on  both  sides  of  the  Teche,  between  the  famous  Oak  Lawn  and  Bellevue  plan- 
tations. Mr.  Shaffer  is  the  father  of  five  children,  viz  :  Susan  Margaret,  Will- 
iam A.,  Katie  L.,  Ben  F.,  Edna,  Our  subject  was  for  three  years  president  of 
the  police  jury.  He  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor  and  of  the  American  Legion  of  Honor.  He  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 


J.  Y.  SANDERS,  Franklin. — J.  Y.  Sanders  is  a  native  of  St.  Mary  par- 
ish, born  January  29,  1869.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  Y.  Sanders,  Sr.,  and  Bessie 
Wafford  Sanders.  J.  Y.  Sanders  was  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  and  was  a 
planter  by  occupation.  He  married,  in  1867,  our  subject's  mother,  a  daughter 
of  James  M.  and  Diana  (Coco)  Wafford.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject,  J.  Y.  Sanders,  Jr., 
is  the  eldest.  The  other  children  are:  Mary,  S.  K.,  B.  W.,  J.  W.,  H.  L., 
Thomas  ;  those  deceased  are  Francis,  Leila  R. 

J.  Y.  Sanders,  Jr.,  received  a  limited  education,  and  began  business  in  a 
mercantile  house  at  Franklin,  where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  turned  his 
attention  to  overseeing,  in  which  business  he  contmued  until  1S89.  He  then 
moved  to  Texarkana,  Arkansas,  where  he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  a 
weekly  newspaper.  In  March,  1890,  he  became  editor  of  the  St.  Mary  Banner, 
a  weekly  paper  published  in  Franklin.  Mr.  Sanders  is  a  gentleman  of  high 
mental  discipline  and  excellent  ability  as  an  editor.  His  editorials  always 
reach  the  point,  and  he  is  one  of  the  best  informed  young  men  in  St.  Mary- 
parish. 


384  SOUTHWEST  L  OUISIANA : 

EDWARD  A.  SANDERS,  Franklin.— Edward  A.  Sanders  was  born 
in  New  York,  July  2,  1817.  He  received  a  meagre  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood.  He  started  doing  for  himself 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  as  a  brick  maker  and  bricklayer,  and  has  been 
thus  engaged  most  of  his  life.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Geff,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1820.  There  were  born  to  this  marriage  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living:  Delicia,  wife  of  George  Howard;  Flora,  Helena,  wife  of 
Jules  Meyeret;  John  H.  and  Gordan.  Those  dead  are:  Anna,  died  1861 ;  Cyrus, 
died  1873;   Borena,  died  1854.     The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1866. 

Our  subject  has  had  a  checkered  career.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was 
pressed  into  service  (though  neutral)  by  the  Federal  authorities.  They  also 
destroyed  a  great  amount  of  property  in  the  way  of  boats  and  stock  for  him. 
They  also  appropriated  twenty-four  bales  of  cotton  belonging  to  him.  In  recent 
years  all  his  property  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Notwithstanding  that,  he  still  has 
a  comfortable  house  in  Franklin.  He  also  has  160  acres  of  limber  land  in  St. 
Marj^  parish,  and  some  interests  in  Virginia. 

Our  subject  is  a  Methodist  in  belief,  though  not  a  communicant.  The  rest 
of  the  family  are  Roman  Catholics. 

^  JOSEPH  O.  SIGUR,  ScALLY.— Joseph  O.  Sigur  was  born  in  St.  Mary 
parish,  Louisiana,  September  18,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of  Hermogene  and 
Louise  E.  (Decuir)  Sigur,  natives  of  Iberia  parish. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  St.  Mary  parish.  He  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  private  schools  of  St.  Mar\'  parisli,  and  pursued  a  three  3'ears". 
course  in  St.  Charles  College,  Grand  Coteau.  Prior  to  this  he  had  been  a 
student  in  Spring  Hill  College,  Alabama.  After  leaving  school  Mr.  Sigur 
returned  to  St.  Mary  parish,  and  was  engaged  with  liis  grandfather  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  plantation  until  the  time  of  the  hitter's  death.  By  his  grand- 
father's will  he  was  made  heir  to  one-half  of  the  estate,  consisting  of  eight 
hundred  acres  of  land,  two  hundred  oi  them  being  in  a  state  of  cultivation. 
Mr.  Sigur  since  that  time  has  given  his  entire  attention  to  conductmg  his  planta- 
tion, and  has  become  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  the  section.  Mr.  Sigur 
was  married,  December  26,  1886,  to  Miss  Mary  Emma  Gravenberg,  of  St. 
Mary  parish.     They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Edward  and  George;. 

*  » 
^  J.  F.  SHAW,  Franklin. — J.  F.  Shaw  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  Febru- 
ary 15,  1859.  ^^  ^^  ^^^^  son  of  J.  F.  Shaw,  Sr.,and  was  reared  in  New  Orleans 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  He  began  life  as  a  clerk  for 
Taylor  &  Logan,  commission  merchants  in  that  cit}',  and  remained  in  their 
employ  for  eight  months,  when  he  engaged  with  John    Calder  &  Son,  as  clerk. 


HIS  TO  RICA  L  A  ND  BIO  GRA  PHICA  L.  385 

and  was  in  their  employ  for  three  j'ears.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and,  after  remaining  with  them  for  seven 
years,  resigned  his  position  and  returned  to  the  employ  of  Calder  &  Son,  iis  agent 
of  two  separate  plantations  in  St.  Mar)-  parish,  the  Alice  E.  and  Choupique.  He 
has  held  this  position  since  1885.  Mr.  Sliaw  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Nel- 
lie Riley,  a  native  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  a  daughter  of  Cornelius  Riley. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughtt-r,  viz:  Catlierine  R. 
and  Cornelius  D.  ^ 

N.  K.  TODD,  Foster. — N.  K.  Todd  is  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  born 
in  1842.  His  father,  James  Todd,  was  born  in  Xenia,  Ohio,  the  son  of  John 
Todd,  a  farmer  and  resident  of  Madison,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventj'-five  years.  James  Todd  received  his  education  at  night  schools,  labor- 
ing on  a  farm  during  the  day.  He  became  a  man  of  considerable  prominence 
ill  St.  Mary  parish,  where  he  h.ad  located  in  1841.  He  was  a  distinguisiied 
Mason,  receiving  every  degree  conferred  in  that  order.  He  married,  in  1842, 
Nancy  Kemper,  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  daughter  of  Nathan  Kemper,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  who  removed  to  St.  Mar)'  parish  early  in  life,  where  he 
became  an  extensive  sugar  planter.  Mrs.  Todd  died  of  j^ellow  fever  in  1854. 
James  Todd  afterward  married  Mrs.  E.  H.  Rice,  and  to  them  were  born  five 
children:  Lee,  James,  Helen,  Henry  and  Mar)'.  James  Todd  died  in  1887  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  four  children  born  to  James  and  Nancy 
Todd,  only  two  of  whom  lived  to  maturity:  John  R.  and  N.  K.  N.  K.  Todd 
received  his  early  education  in  Franklin,  and  completed  his  studies  at  North 
Hampton,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  pursuing  a  course  preparatory  to  enter- 
ing Yale  College,  when  the  war  breaking  out  prevented  him  from  carrying  out 
his  intentions.  He  entered  the  Confederate  service  in  1862,  and  served  until 
tlie  close  of  the  war  as  a  corporal  in  St.  Marys  Artillery,  participating  in  the 
battles  of  Bisland,  Franklin,  Yellow  Bayou,  Mansfield,  and  a  number  of  other 
minor  engagements.  In  connection  with  this  may  be  mentioned  the  fact  that 
Admiral  Porter,  in  his  report  of  the  fight  of  Cane  River,  makes  the  statement 
that  there  were  eighteen  pieces  used  by  the  enemy,  and  every  shot  fired  struck 
a  vessel.  Instead  of  eighteen  pieces  there  were  but  two  twelve-pounders, 
smooth-bore,  and  two  howitzers  supported  by  only  200  riflemen,  who  after 
firing  began  withdrew,  leaving  the  battery  without  support.  Mr.  Todd  served 
as  No.  4  on  one  of  the  twelve-pounders.  The  guns  mentioned  belonged  to 
Nims'  famous  Boston  battery,  which  were  captured  at  Mansfield,  and  afterward 
used  as  we  have  seen  above  with  such  telling  effect  in  the  hands  of  the  victors 
as  to  cau>e  Admiral  Porter  to  believe  them  more  than  four  times  their  real  num- 
ber.    After  the  war  Mr.  Todd  was  for  some  time  engaged  as  clerk   in  a  mer- 


386  SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA: 

cantile  establishment,  and  later  conducted  a  mercantile  business  for  a  period  of 
about  fifteen  years  in  Centerville.  In  1878  he  engaged  in  planting,  but  still 
continued  his  mercantile  business  until  18S2,  since  which  time  he  lias  devoted 
his  entire  attention  to  planting.  Garrett  plantation,  located  five  miles  southwest  of 
of  Centerville  on  Bayou  Sale,  consists  of  about  one  thousand  acres,  of  which  350 
are  cultivated  principally  in  cane  and  corn.  Mr.  Todd  was  married  in  1869,  to 
Miss  Addie  Berwick,  daughter  of  David  Berwick,  of  St.  Mary  parish.  To 
them  have  been  born  seven  children,  of  whom  si.x  are  living :  James,  Louise, 
Lizzie,  Kate,  Nannie,  Addie,  and  Mary,  deceased.  Mr.  Todd  was  reared  in 
the  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  and  his  family  are  members.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  and    under  Gov.  McEnery  served  two  years  as  police  juror  from  his 

ward.  » 

»     » 

^  J.  R.  VERRET,  Louisa. — J.  R.  Verret  was  born  in  Lafourche  parish, 
March  28,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  J.  R.  and  Charlotte  (Romagosa)  Verret.  the 
former  a  native  of  Terrebonne  and  the  latter  of  Lafourche  parish. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  Houma,  where  his  par- 
ents removed  when  he  was  quite  young.  He  began  life  as  a  deputy  in  the 
clerk's  office  at  Houma,  where  he  remained  for  about  two  years.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  a  grocer}'  business,  and  in  this  he  continued  until  1877,  after  which 
time  he  was  appointed  registration  clerk,  and  held  this  office  for  two  months, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  removed  to  St.  Mary  parish,  Februar}',  1879, 
where  he  took  charge  and  managed  the  plantation  store  of  Mrs.  E.  D.  Bur- 
guieres.  In  March,  1883,  ^^  was  married  to  Miss  Elodie  Bodin,  a  native  of 
Terrebonne  parish,  born  February  5,  i860.  She  is  the  daughter  of  N.  Bodin 
and  Emma  Bonvillain,  both  natives  of  St.  Mary  parish.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Verret 
are   the    parents   of  four  children,     viz:    Louise   Elodie,   Emma  Cecile,   John 

Robert,  Mary  Beatrice.  , 

»     » 

FRANK  C.  VIGNERIE,  Louisa.— Frank  C.  Vignerie  was  born,  February, 
1856,  in  Terrebonne  parish,  Louisiana.  His  father,  D.  P.  Vignerie,  was  a  native 
of  France,  whence  he  removed  when  a  young  man  to  America,  locating  in  St. 
Mary  parish,  where  he  married  and  became  a  planter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  St.  Charles  College, 
Grand  Coteau,  and  at  the  University  of  Louisiana.  After  completing  his  studies 
he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  mercantile  establishment  of  J.  P.  Viguer  &  Co.,  at 
Houma,  Louisiana.  Subsequent  to  this  he  conducted  a  mercantile  business 
on  Waterproof  plantation.  He  later  retired  from  mercantile  business  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Terrebonne  parish.  Here  he  remained 
until  1885,  when  he  became  manager  of  the  Alice  B.  plantation  at  this  place,  in 
which  capacity  he  is  still  engaged.   Mr.  Vignerie  was  married,  January  13,  1885, 


IIlSrORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPIIJCAL.  387 

to  Miss  Ernestine  L.  Burguieres,  daugiiter  of  E.  D.  Burguieres,  Terrebonne 
parish.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vignerie  are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter, 
Frank  C,  Jr.,  Ernest  D.  and  Rose  M.  Mr.  Vignerie  is  an  active  participant 
in  local  affairs;  and  while  a  resident  of  Terrebonne  parish  he  served  for  three 
years  as  deputy  tax  collector. 

«     • 

ALCIDE  VEEDER,  Charenton.— Alcide  Veeder  was  born  in  St.  Mary 
parish  in  1851.  He  is.  the  son  of  John  and  Felician  (Ward)  Veeder.  John 
Veeder  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  came  to  St.  Mary  parish  when  young. 
He  was  a  bricklayer  by  occupation.  He  died  in  1854.  Felician  Veeder  is 
a  native  of  St.  Mar}-  parish.     She  married  a  second  time,  Frederick  Wolford. 

Alcide  Veeder  is  the  only  living  member  of  a  family  of  tliree  children.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and 
has  been  working  on  his  own  account  since  sixteen  years  of  age  as  a 
planter  and  cooper.  His  plantation  consists  of  one  hundred  acres,  and 
lies  on  the  east  side  of  the  Teche,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  above  Charenton. 
Its  principal  products  are  sugar  cane  and  rice.  His  carpenter  shop  is  located 
on  his  plantation  and  gives  employment  to  four  men.  In  January,  1S90,  our 
subject  entered  into  partnership  with  Hubert  Delaj-e,  in  a  general  mercantile 
business,  carrying  an  average  stock  of  about  five  thousand  dollars.  He  married, 
in  1871,  Anna  Minderman,  a  native  of  St.  Mary  parish,  bornin  1852,  and  daughter 
of  Leander  Minderman.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children:  John,  Ida, 
Winifred,  George,  Ella,  Lena  and  Aimie.  Mr.  Veeder  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church. 

*     * 

^  ANATOLE  WALFORD,  Charenton.— Anatole  Walford  was  born  in  St. 
Mary  parish,  February  17,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Feliciane 
(Mora)  Walford,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  the  latter  of  St.  Mary  parish. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  3'ears  our  subject  commenced  the  cooper's  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  for  seven  years.  During  that  time  he  married  Miss  Louisa  A.  Bien- 
venu,  a  native  of  Iberia  parish,  born  September  30,  1858,  and  daughter  of  Ar- 
mantel  and  Clelie  (Megney)  Bien\enu,  both  of  Iberia  parish.  To  them  were 
born  two  sons  and  five  daughters:  Louise  (deceased),  Martha,  Barnadette, 
Louise,  Anatole,  Antonia  and  Paul.  After  working  at  his  trade  for  a  number 
of  )'ears  Mr.  Walford  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  at  Charenton,  but 
with  limited  means  at  his  disposal.  Since  that  time  his  stock  has  continuously 
increased,  until  he  now  carries  about  six  thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods,  and 
does  an  annual  business  of  eigliteen  tliousand  dollars.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
post-master  at  this  place,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  has  also  an  interest 
in  a  saw-mill  in  this  localit)-. 


3»e 


SOUTHWEST  LOUISIANA , 


G.  G.  ZENOR,  Patterson. — G.  G.  Zenor  is  a  native  of  Adams  county, 
Mississippi,  born  October  i8, 1833.  He  is  the  son  of  M.  and  S.  M.  (Waller )  Zenor, 
the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Louisiana.  They  removed  to 
Concordia  parish,  Louisiana,  when  G.  G.  Zenor  was  a  child.  He  received  his 
finishing  education  in  the  High  School  of  Natchez,  Mississippi,  after  which  he 
assisted  his  father  in  planting  until  1868.  He  then  removed  to  St.  Mary  parish 
and  enoaged  in  sugar  planting  on  his  own  account,  and  has  become  one  of  the 
most  successful  sugar  growers  of  the  State.  He  has  seventeen  hundred  acres  of 
land  under  cultivation,  two-thirds  of  which  is  in  cane  and  the  rest  in  corn.  He 
has  a  five-roller  mill,  made  by  the  Reading  Iron  Works,  of  Pennsylvania,  which 
is  the  same  mill  thai  was  on  exhibition  at  the  E.vposition  at  New  Orleans.  He 
can  grind  four  hundred  tons  ot  cane  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  has  one  vacuum 
pan  with  a  capacity  for  fifteen  thousand  pounds  of  white  clarified  sugar,  or 
ei'feteen  thousand  pounds  of  yellow  sugar  at  a  strike,  which  requires  about  four 
hours.  He  operates  the  centrifugal  process — has  four  Weston  and  six  German 
centrifugals.  Mr.  Zenor  was  married  in  St.  Mary  parish,  in  1855,  to  Miss  Lu- 
cretia  Robbins,  a  native  of  this  parish.  They  aix*  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
viz:  Webb,  Sallie,  Inez  (deceased),  Mollie,  Lulu,  Oscar,  George. 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Abadie,  Red  Francis 56 

Abbeville,  the  Town  of 255 

Acadia,  A  Tale  of 357,  223 

College 237 

Sentinel,  The 242 

Parish  of 224,  223 

Farm,  An 193 

Lodge 257 

Acadians,  The 103,  17 

Historical  Sketch  of  the 327 

Academy,  St.  Charles 148,  147 

Act  Creating  Calcasici:  Parish 129 

Advertiser,  The 204 

Advocate,  The 51 

Agassiz,  Prof g 

Agriculture 42 

Agricultural  Resources 29 

Alpha,  Oscar  L 242,  205 

American,  The 139,  131 

American,  Cotton  and  Financial  Reporter....  148 

Andrews,  Joseph 34 

Anself,  Lieutenant  Jacob 66 

Attakapas  County,   The 12 

Indians,  The 13 

Atchison,  Topeka  Si  Santa  Fe  Railroad 21 

Avery's  Island 96 

Bagdad,  Town  of 166 

Bailey,  Wm.  B 205,192 

Adolph 198 

Bar,  The  Present .'...  55 

The  Pioneer §4 

Bayou  Cypremort 214 

Beau  Basin „ 183,  182 

Bell,  Guy  H 54 

Bench  and  Bar,  Tile 53 

Benevolent  Associations 251 

Bervvick,  The  Town  of 222 

Bilbo,  Thomas... 125 

Bradley-Ramsey  Company 164,  156 

Brashear,  Judge 199 

Brandt,  William 192 

Creaux  Bridge  80 

Brent,  William 89 

Brier,  Judge 197 

Bronson,  John 89 

Broussard,  Lieut 66 

Village  of 202 

Gaupert 188 

Broussard's  Commission,  Gaupert 1S9 

Bridges 254 

Perry's .55 

Brown,  George  C 172 

Bryan,  Capt.  J.  W 158 

Boarding  in  College 238 

Bonin  Brothers too 

BoundarieSi  etc 169 


Page, 

Bullard,  Henry  A 53 

Lieutenant  C.  D 66 

Buchanan,  J.  H 166 

Bunker,  C 165 

Burke,  W.  R no 

Business  Directory 249 

Burt,  Miss  Mollie 148 

Caffrey,  C.  D 202 

"Cajans,"  The 104 

Calcasieu   Parish 119 

"    The  soils  of 120 

Invincibles,  The 65 

The  Settlement  of 123 

The  Pine  of 132 

Ranches 134 

The  Towns  of 164 

The  Bar 150 

River,   The 163 

Cameron  Parish 169 

"      Organization   of 172 

Campbell,  William 198 

Canadians,  The 14 

Carencro  Tradition,  A 193 

Carr,  Mortimer 172 

Town  of 202 

Catherine  Cole 246 

Catholic  Church,  The 200,  So,  55 

Capital,  The  Parish no 

Central  Pacific  Railroad 20 

Chattanooga  Tradesman,  The 113 

Character,  A 190 

Characteristics 216,  191 

Churches 179,  146,  1 15,  44 

Clarion,    The 51 

Climate 234,  213, 122,  10 

Clegg,    John 198,192 

Code   of  Practice 86 

Co-Education  239 

College,  The  Lake  Charles 148,146 

College  Uniforms 239 

Commercial,  The 159 

Confederate  States  Rangers 66 

Confidence  Lodge,  No.  17 165 

Cote  Gelee   Hills 184,181 

Blanche  Island 214 

Cotton  Seed  Oil  as  Medicine 113 

Constitution  of  1S79 273 

Cormier,  V 198 

Country  Towns 159 

Courier,  The 49 

Court  House,  The 105 

Cow,  A  Stolen 73 

Coward,  Hardy 124 

Christian   Visitor,  The 159 

Creoles,  The 37 

Crop  Statistics 68 


390 


INDEX. 


P«ge. 

Grossman,  Miss  M.  J 147 

Crow,  R.  C 19S 

Culloni,  Judge  E.  North 50 

Cullom,  Judge  E.  North fSecond  Part) 11 

-Darby,  Prof 1S2 

Davis,  W.  W 165 

DebaUion,  C 19S 

Deblanc,  Capt.  A 68 

Raphael 89 

Dees,  E.  H 164 

Delahoussaye,  C 89 

Claude 216 

Louis  Le 216 

Democrat,  The 50 

The  New  Iberia 116 

Dennett,  Col.  Daniel 95 

Sketch  of 208 

Derbes,  Alexandre 89 

Description  and  Topography 120 

Development,  etc 131 

Devillier,  Louis 35 

Francois 35 

Doctors,  The 253,  149 

Dolau, Thomas 173 

Dolby,  Prof.  O.  S 147 

Donahue,  D.  W 170 

Doxey,  William 171 

Drew,  Andrew 174 

H.C 1571,  40 

Dunn,  Oscar  J 172 

Duperier,  Frederick iii 

Dr.  Alfred 108,  iii,  102 

Duperier's  Battalion  of  Cavalry 174,  68 

Major  St.  Leon 68 

Dupre  Family,  The 36 

Hon.  Jaques 54 

Lucius 53 

Early  Settlements 228,  171,  33 

Courts 219 

Echo,  The  Lake  Charles 170,  158 

Eclectic  Club,  The 252 

Eden  of  Louisiana,  The 14 

Education,  Early no 

Edwards,  N.  N 198 

Elliott,  W.  M 165 

Enterprise,  The  New  Iberia 115 

Evangeline,  The  Story  of -103,  82 

The  Poem  of 257 

Evening  on  the  Calcasieu,  An 142 

Everett,  Z.  L 159 

Fabacher,  Joseph 228 

Fallon,  Rev.  Father 146 

Farmers  Should  Understand  their  Soils 9 

Farmers  Union,  No.  5S70 185 

Ferry  Question,  The 166 

Fig,  The 137 

First  National  Bank,  The  (Opelousas) 52 

The  (New  Iberia) 117 

Fontenots,  The 36 

Formation  of  Parish 217 

Fournett,  Col.  V.  A 68 

Judge  G.  A 126 

Frazer,  D.  D.,  Rev.  George 146 

Franklin,  The  Town  of 220 


Page. 

Friendship  Lodge,  G.   T 165 

Freight  Received 200 

Fruit  Culture 245,  211 

in  Calcasieu  Parish 135 

Fusilier,  Agricole 112 

Gant's  Experience,  Elbert 30 

Garland,  Capt.  H.  L 66 

Garrique,  Gen 39 

Gales,  Judge  Fred 112,  106 

General  Description 244 

Geology,  etc 9 

German  Poem,  A 231 

Benevolent  Association 16^ 

Girard,  M.  E 189 

Glendale  Institute,  The 148 

Globe,  The  Council  Bluff 145 

Go-Ahead  Town,  A 152 

Government,  The  Parish 69 

Governor's  Proclamation,  The  77 

Grand  Cote  Island 95 

Grand  Coteau  51 

Chenire 170 

Gray,  Dr 149 

Grieg  Carlos 56 

Goospcrt,  Village  of ..164 

Guegnon,  E.  J 251 

Eugene 251 

Gunn,  R.  J 165 

Hall,  James 171 

R 139 

Hammond,  R.  E.  J 146 

Hardy,  Dr 149 

Harper's  Magazine 96 

Haskell,  Frank 165 

Hays,  Lieutenant  J.  G 66 

Hay  Making 232 

Herron,  Andrew  S 77 

Hirsch,  L 165 

Hickman,  Lieutenant  J.  C 66 

Highways,  etc 41 

Hoernicke,  Rev.  S 148,  146 

Hornet,  The 118 

Hope  Council  No.  1112 165 

House,  The  Court 247 

Hubbell,  Rev.  H.  L 149,  147,  146 

Hudson,  W.  F 118 

Iberia,  the  parish  of , 91 

Parish,  organization  of 104 

Independent,  The 251 

Indian  Legend,  An 13 

Indians,  The 37 

Incident,  An 217,  190 

Jackson,  Stonewall 68 

Japan  Plum,  The 136 

Jeannerette,  The  Churches 118 

The  Town 117 

Jefferson,  Joseph 99 

Jenkins,  Miss  M.  A 147 

Johnson,   Capt.  Wm.  M 66 

Jones,   Rev.  J.  R 148,  119 

Joseph 170 

Mill,  M.  T 156 

Jurors,  Police 237,  150,  69 


Page. 

Justice,  The  Seat  of 130 

Of  the  Peace 236 

Kansas  City  &  Gulf  Railway..i8i,  178,  176,  153 

14s.  144 

Kaufman,  L 165 

Kirby,  Samuel  L 149 

Kearney,  M.  D 165 

King,  Rev.  C.  A 146 

of  France 15 

George S3 

G.  R - 197.  S3 

Kline,  Rev.  W.  H 159 

Knapp,  Prof 140 

W.  A 165 

Knights,  The  Catholic 252 

LaBesse,    J.  C 165 

Lafayette  Incorporated 192 

Mayors 192 

Parish 118 

Lafayette,  Town  of 199 

LaGrange  Emilien 77 

Lake  Arthur 164 

Calcasieu 164 

Charles 164 

Settled 150 

Municipal   Government.. 151 

The  City   of 121 

Lastrapes,  Captain  Louis 66 

Latiolas,  Leon 190 

LaVergier,  Celestin 34 

Lawton,  J.  B 115 

Lawyers,  The 2^2,  149,  109 

LeBiue,  L.  C .,..: 16^ 

Lee,  Robert  E  68 

Leesburg,  The  Town  of 173 

Legal 252 

Leveque,  Miss  Louise 147 

Levy,  Adolph 52 

Lewis,  Hon.  Seth 53 

E.  T S3 

Little,  Mrs.  C.  W 148 

Literary   Society 2S2 

Lisbon,  The  Town  of 166 

Longevity 36 

Louaillier,  J.    J 52 

Louisiana,  the  State  of 85 

Louis   XV,   King 2i6 

Lumber  Interests,  The 140 

Mills,  The 156 

Magill,  Augustus 89 

Many  Things  of  Many  Kinds 165 

Manufacturing  Industries 153,  112,  89 

Manufacturers'  Record,  The 113 

M»rtel,  Judge  B.  A 19S,  158,  54 

Andrew 187 

Martin,  E.  H 59 

Robert 89 

Marsh,  Miss  Ida 165 

Miss  Jennie i6s 

Mayne,  George 173 

Mavo,  Mrs.Thad 165 

Mctall,  Millege 171 

McCauley,  Lieutenant  S.  D 66 

McCormick,  John 159 


INDEX.  391 

I'age. 

McCormick,  C.  M 159 

Mechanics'  and  Traders'  Exchange 117 

Medical  Profession 198,  107 

Methodists,  The 45 

Meridional,  The 251 

Military  History,  The 250,  229,  116 

Milmo,  Stokes  &  Co 117 

Miller,  John  M _ 171 

E.  D 171 

Mississippi  Valley  Lumberman,  The 141 

Monnier,  Aug 192; 

Moore,  Judge s3 

Morgan  Railroad,  The 194,  41 

City 221 

Morse,  Isaac  E 88 

Moses,  L 165 

Monnot,   A.  L 117 

Mouton,  Gen.  Alfred 78,  68 

Gov.  Alexander iq8,  78,  54 

Chapeaux 188 

C.  H 89 

E 198 

Julian 198 

Mouton,  J.  E S9 

John  and  Marin 188 

John   O 19S 

O.  C  198 

Salvator 188 

William  198 

Mount  Hope   Mill 158 

Carmel  Convent 200 

Mudd,   Dr.  Jerome 108 

Neal,  Dr.  Benoni 108 

Miss  Delia 159 

Neda,  Col.  Francis 35 

New  Iberia,  Advantages  of 115 

Fires  in 117 

Laying  Out  of iii 

New  Orleans,  A  Trip iS 

Newspapers,  The 115,  48 

Nicholls,  Thomas  C 89 

Norris,  W.  B 163,  157 

Mill,  The 157 

Northern  and  Southern  Lumber 142 

Offutt,  William 35 

Nathaniel 35 

Jr.,  Capt.  N 66 

Ollivier,  C.  M 197 

Oonshiu  Orange,  The 136 

Opelousas,  The  County  of 40 

Guards,  The 57 

"         Killed  and  Wounded  of 

the 65 

The  Town  of 51 

Volunteers,  The 66 

Opinion  ot  an  Ex-Governor 248 

Orange  Island 99 

Culture 197 

Organization  of  Parish 235,  191 

Orleans  Guards,  The 68 

Territory _ _ 40 

Oveiton,  Hon.  J.  H 197,  53 

Paris,  Le  Petit 71 

Parish  Seat,  The ly 


892 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Parish  of  St.  Landry 27 

of  St.  Martin 67 

Officers 253,  236 

Parker,  R.  A 66 

Parrot,   Joseph 89 

Peace  Lodge  of  K.  of  P 165 

Pecan  Island 247 

Peigneur,  Lake 100,  99 

Pelican  Hook  and  Ladder 166 

Perkins  &  Miller 163 

Reese 163,  156 

"       An  Incident  of 124 

A.T 163 

Petit  Anse  Island 96 

Perry,  Judge  Robert 109 

Perry's  Bridge 249 

Phoenix  Hook  and  Ladder  Company 165 

Physicians,  Early 55 

Pioneers  History,  More  of 3S 

The 125, 102 

Pilleron,  Lieut.  S.  M 66 

Pinhoop  Village 192 

Population,  The  Increase  of 18 

The 194 

Porter,  Judge  James 53 

"       Alexander 89,  §7 

Poste  des  Attakapas 14 

Poem,  A....  142 

Police  Jurors 253,  237 

Post-Offices 254,  237 

Planters'  Banner 100 

Platz,  Peter 165 

Prairie  Au  Large 92 

Prescott,  Maj.  William 35 

Lieut.   Willis ^ 66 

Preston,  Gen.  John 34 

Press,  The 251,  15S,  23 

Proclamation,  A 74 

Products  of  the  Parish 184 

Professions,  The 179 

Promised  Land,  The ici 

Prudhomme,  Michael 55,  34 

Lieut.  M.  S 66 

Public  Improvements 106 

School,  The 22 

Pujo,  A.  P 165 

Queue  Tortue,  Bayou 1S2,  77 

The  Battle  of 79 

Railroads,  etc 144,  41,  19 

More   about 52 

Shipments - 20 

Ray,  Dr.   James 55 

Rayne,  The  Town  of 241 

Reese,  D.  H 165 

Reed,  J.  A 165 

J.  D 158 

Reliance  Lodge  3278 165 

Reporte  r,  The  Jennings 139 

Richart,  Capt.  V 78 

Ritchie,  Lieut.  H.  B 66 

Riverside,   Village  of 174 

Rivers  and  Bayous 22 

Rio  Honda  Claims,  The 124 

Rip  Van   Winkle 99 

Ri'e  Culture 231,  13S 


Page. 

Rice  Train,  A 140 

Roane,  Percy  W 118 

Rogers,  Col.  Benjamin 35 

Rev.  G.   6 149,  146 

Rosteet,  J.   W 139 

M.J 165 

Root,  James 171 

Ryan,  John 124 

Sabine  Station 163 

Sallier,   Charles .T 125 

Salles,  G.  C 192 

Salt  Mines,   The ,. 97 

Sanders,  Dr.  J.  B 149 

Sandoz,  J.  H 49 

Savage,  T.  B 53 

Science  of  Geology 9 

School  Board,  The 10 

Fund,  The 70 

Schools,  The  Public 194,  146,  69,  44 

Scott  Village 203 

Schwing,  W.  F 159 

Seaton,  Lieut.  E.  D 66 

Settlers,  The  Earliest 123 

Settlement,  Early 254,216,  187,  loi,  33 

Sekendorff,   Aug 165 

Silling,    Frank 147 

Mary 165 

Laura  165 

Sisters  of  Mercy,  Convent  of iiS 

Simms,  Judge  Edward 88 

Jr.,  Edward 89 

Skipper,  J.  T 52 

Solenge,  Dr _ 112 

Sketch    of : 107 

South  Before  the  War,  The 10 

Southerc  Pacific  Railway,  The 19 

Southwestern  Land  Co.,  The 52 

Soil  and  Crops 244 

South,  The  New 225 

Spanish  Occupancy 15 

Emigrants 17 

Veil,  Marriage  under  the 16 

Spence,  Lieut.  J.  A 66 

John 145 

John  A 15S 

Spencer,  Death  of  W.  H 65 

St.  Charles  Academy-,  The 14S 

St.  Landry,  Crops  of 31,  10 

Fruits  in 31 

Light  Guards 66 

Parish,  Organization  of 39 

"      Towns  of 59 

Volunteers  of 66 

St.  Mary,  Parish  of 207 

Geology  of 20S 

Agricultural  Resources  of 208 

Products  of 209 

St.  Martinsville,  from  iSii  to  1861 70 

St.  Julien,   Maior 98 

State  Board  of  Education 69 

Steam  Navigation  on  the  Teche ill 

Statistics  of  Crops 210,  39,  32 

Stafford,  Wm 174 

E.  A 174 

Stock  Raising 349,  234,  181 

Steam  Fire  Company « .'...165 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Shattuck,  S.  O 165 

Smith,  John  M _ 171 

W.  0 192 

Dr.  Raphael 108 

Sugar  Bowl,  The : 116 

Sugartown 163 

Sulphur  Mines,  The 145 

Sweeney,  Dr.  Arthur 173 

Tasse,    Lake 100 

T.nylor,  Lieut.  John 61 

Killed,  Lieut.  John 65 

Teche  Club,  The 117 

Temperature  of  Southwestern  Louisiana 12 

Territory  of  Orleans,  The 40 

Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad 41 

Tobacco 213 

Toll,  H.  E „ 197 

Tx)pography 207,  204 

Usher,  Miss  Ella  R 


141 

^'an  Shaack,  A.  G 14S 

Vauttrey  Refinery,  The 117 

Vermilion  River,  The iSi 

Parish  of 243 

Vigilance  Committee,  The 71 

Vindicator,  The   Attakapas 205 

Voorhies,    Lieut.  Alfred 68 

Judge  Cornelius 71 

Dan  VV 89 

Felix 89,    12 


393 

Page. 


Voorhies,   E.  G i 

L-   J 89 

Waddill,  Col.  J.  O 114 

Wagnou,  Lieut.  J.  W 66 

War  Record igg,  ^y 

Warner,  Charles  Dudley g6 

Warmoth,  Hon.  H.  C 172 

Washington,  The  Town  of 56 

Water  Courses 29 

Ways,  etc \a 

Watkins,  J.  B 144 

Banking  Company 153 

Wakefield,  Geo.  W 171 

Walsh,  Hon.  Henry 160 

Western  Editor's  Opinion,  A 224 

Western  Company,  The 15 

Westlake,  Tlie  Town  of 113 

Wetherill,  John : 174 

Welsh,  Capt.  James 174 

Whitworth  &  Co 117 

Joseph  S 117 

Wickliffe,  Gov.  R.  C -.77 

Willis,  Rev.  Joseph ,. 44 

Wilson,  S.  J 52 

Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union 165 

Yellow  Jackets,  The 68 

Yellow  Fever   Epidemics 108,71 

Young  America  Fire  Co 166 

Young  M.  P 192 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association 165 


PART    II. 


Page. 

Abshire,  John,  Jr 277 

Abshire,  Joseph  D.,  M.  D 37S 

Adams,  William  H 35S 

Addison,  E.  1 277 

Alpha,  Oscar  L 201 

Alpha,  C.  P 201 

Alpha,  Independence 357 

Allen,  Albert  C 357 

Alleman,  Narcisse 358 

Aiigele,  J.  B 309 

Anding,  Henry  W 251 

Anthonoiz,  Rev.  J 251 

Andrus,  C.  B 3 

.\ndrus,  D.  D 137 

Andrus,  B.  C 137 

Anderson,  Joseph  \ 138 

Arenas,  Mathiag 251 

Ashford,  Wm.  R 3 

Bailey,  William  B 201 

Bailey,  Frank  E 10 

Bailey,  Jonas  W 5 

Bagley,  Timothy 2S0 

Bagley,  Martin 2S0 

Baggett,  Dennis  E 140 

Baker,  Monroe 310 


Page. 

Bardy,  Rev.  M 98 

Barnard,  Alfred  G 95 

Barousse,   Homer 253 

Barry,  E.  S.,  M.  D 5 

Barry,  R.  H 6 

Barras,  Hipolite 312 

Barras,  Albert 312 

Bartels,  Henry  H 279 

Bassett,  Judge  Carter 309 

Beauxis,  John  M 281 

Becker,  John  Baptist 2Sr 

Becnel,  Amazan 311 

Bellnice,  Bertrand 311 

Benard,  Artenard _..._..3ii 

Berard,  Felix 313 

Berard,  Ernest 97 

Btiraud,  M.  D.,  Paul  D 202 

Bercier,  A.  J.,D.D.S 7 

Bernard,  A.  C 94 

Bernard,  Hon.  Jos.  D 253 

Bernard,  Pierre 20S 

Bernard,  Louis  G.,  Jr 310 

Bernard,  Louis 310 

Bernard,  Carlos 310 

Bertrand,  O 207 

Bertrand,  J.  G 208 


394 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Bertrand,  Ernest 208 

Berwick,  O.  0 361 

Bihin,   Lewis 10 

Billatid,  Leon 209 

Billaud,  Martial 210 

Bienvenu,  R.   J 311 

Bienvenu,  Albert 312 

Binnings,  C.  P.,  Jr 363 

Bird,  Thompson 140 

Bloch,  Joseph 7 

Block,  M 364 

Boagni,  Edward 9 

Bodenheimer,   Philip 359 

Bodin,  Doize 362 

Bonin,  J.  E 21 1 

Bosworth,  Millard 363 

Borah,  W.  S.  M.  D 359 

Boucnalt,  Wm 313 

Boudreaux,  John 10 

Boiidreau,  Adam... 2S2 

Boudreaiiy,  B.  A 207 

Boutte,  Henry  T 98 

Bourque,  Sasthene  V 99 

Bourqui?,  J.  B 99 

Bourque,  Ulger 314 

Bourque,  Ludger 314 

Bourque,  Jules 314 

Boyd,  John  A.,  M.  D 316 

Bradford,  Wei  man 254 

Breaux,  Joseph  C 210 

Breaux,   Numa 210 

Brinkhaus,  F.  G 6 

Broussard,   Aladin 315 

Broussard,  Savique 315 

Broussard,  A.  G 315 

Broussard,  John  Dorville 92 

Broussard,  Robert  F 93 

Brousard,  C 94 

Broussard,  N 94 

Broussard,  Lastie 279 

Brou.'^sard,  L  A 203 

Broussard,  Joseph  Zeno 203 

Broussard,  J.  0 204 

Broussard,  Valsin 205 

Broussard,  Joseph  S 205 

Broussard,  Leonard 205 

Broussard,  Alcee 205 

Broussard,  A.  Cleophas .......206 

Brown,  Chas.  C. 206 

Brown,  James  B 362 

Brookshier,  J.  A 2S2 

Brooks,  George  E.,  M.  D 4 

Bruner,  E.  O.    252 

Bryan,  Captain  J.  W :6S 

Bussey,  J.  C 98 

Burke,  Walter  J 96 

Burke,  W.  R 96 

Burleigh,  James 8 

Burleigh,  Joseph 8 

Burleson,  E.  H 141 

Burguieres,  J.  M 360 

Burguieres,  Lenfroy 361 

Burton,  Captain  Walthall 4 

Burr,  C.  F 9 

Cade,  William 283 

Cade,  Hon.  Overton 213 


Page. 


Cage,  Henry  Hays 

22 

Gallery,   Louis 

36s 

Campbell,    Wm 

212 

Campbell,  Newton  R 

28} 

Gary,  W.  H 

254 

Gary,  S.   L 

"45 

Gary,  Wm.. 

146 

Carver,  H.  W 

260 

Carron,     Martm 

20 

Carbello,  Chas 

142 

Carbello,  Emile 

145 

Castex,  Jean 

259 

Chappuis,  Philip  J 

259 

Chappuis,  A  b 

258 

Chachere, 'Iheog,  M.  D 

ij 

Ghachere,  Joseph 

14 

Chachere,  Robeit 

15 

Champagne,  J.    U 

318 

Charles,    Rev    Julee   L 

100 

Cherry,  Prof   1    C 

25/ 

Chiasson,  P     A 

215 

Chi  Ids,  W.  M  ,  M   D 

'9 

Chevis,  Wm    C 

2S7 

Clark,  Raymond  T 

2^8 

Clark,  A.  0  ,  M.  D 

214 

Clegg,  Judge  John 

212 

Clements,  J    B 

16 

Clopton,  W     F  ,  M   D 

J9 

Gloney,  John  Y 

143 

Golev,  J.  M  ,  M    D 

14' 

Cole,  A.  L 

144 

Colgin,  Geoige  T 

10 1 

Gottingham,  James  R 

'4 

Gorkran,  G.  W 

144 

Coreil,  Theodore 

16 

Cook,  Z.  T 

364 

Gonstantin  Ernest 

214 

Conway,  E.  J 

2t 

Comeau,  H     P 

15 

Comeau,  Cliftord  H 

15 

Cormier,   N    A 

3>6 

Cormier,  Anatole 

3>6 

Cormier,  Nu-na 

3'7 

Cooper,  Joseph 

14s 

Creightoii,    Lmile 

212 

Crowson,  E    G 

3<8 

Gurrie,  John  D 

16 

Culkin,  Laurent,  M.  D 

3>7 

Curtis,   F.  R 

■45 

Cullom,  Hon   E   North 

It 

Gyr,  Madame  Emilie  (iloffherr) 

100 

Darby,  Gesaire 

lOI 

Darby,  E.  H 

105 

David,  Her\illien,  Ji 

525 

David,  Homei 

262 

David,  Lucius 

31 

Davies,  Thos   P 

147 

Dauterive,  B    D 

105 

DeBlanc,  Leopold 

106 

DeBaillon,  Louis,  M   D 

3^ 

DeBaillon,  Judge  C 

217 

DeBlanc,  D  iniel 

320 

DeClouet,  Paul  L 

215 

Dees,  Elly  H 

148 

Decuir,  A.  J 

lOJ 

Decuir,  Zenon 

-104 

INDEX. 


395 


Delahoussayc,  Gustave 

Delahoussaye,  Ihtogene 

Delahoussave,  Frank 

Dulanv,  T.'l 

Delhome,  All  red  A 

Deshotels,  H    II 

Dejean,  Arthur 

De  La  Croix,  TDD 

DeMary,  Eugene 

Derouen,  T.  A 

Devilliers,  Notle^  C 

Dietlein,  Christopher 

Dimmick,  Add^^on 

Dimitry,  D.  A 

Dodge,  Capt-  L\inan  J 

Dodez,  Capt.  G'V 

Domengeau  J    Arthur  C 

Doniengeaux,  A    F 

Domec,  Jean 

Dossmann,  L    J 

Doty,   Alexandci 

Doucet,    Clebule   C 

Doucet,  Marlm 

Doucet,  Melon 

Drouet,  Louis  N 

Druelhet,  Narcisse 

Diury  Isaiah. 

Duplantias,  Toussain 

Duchamp,  Eugene   D 

Duchamp,  E.    \ 

Duchamp,  De  Chastaigne   Louis 

Duclos,  Louis  Alphonse 

Dugas,  Joseph  V 

Duhon,  Vior. 

Duhon,  J.  V. 

Dunesnil,  John  T 

Dupre,  Hon.  Gilbert  L 

Dupuis,  Victor  E 

Dupuis,  A.,  Jr 

Durand,  O.  J 

Durand,  Rdne  M 

Durio,   Erasti 

Durio,  Diomel 

Durio,  Adlin 

Durio,  Alexander  L 

Durio,    Homer 

Durke,  Walter  S 

Duson,  Hon.  C.C 

Duson,  W.  W 


P»ge. 
I02 

io6 
1 06 
102 
219 
30 
30 
318 
2S4 

lOI 

30 

34 

27 

21S 

28 

29 

V-\ 

V-^ 

325 

31 

366 

23^ 
262 
262 

^^S 
107 

174 
104 
320 
323 
323 

261 
320 
219 

148 
34'; 

28 

218 

320 

319 

319 

32 

32 

33 
220 


35 
....22 
..261 


Ealer,  Charles  N 

Eastin,  William  B 

Edwards,  Judge  W.W.. 
Edwards,  C.  J.,  M.  D.. 

Eltie,  R.   D 

Erath,  August 

Estilette,  Judge  E.  D.... 

Estilette,  E.   L 

Escoubas,  Edward 

Estorge,  H.  E 

Evans,  W 


-  37 
.326 
..28s 
.,28s 
.366 
.107 

-  3.'; 
■223 
.149 
..  36 
..38 


Faggot,  J.  A  

Fabacher,  Joseph- 
Flash,  Theodore 

Foote,  J.  W 

Foster,  Paul,  M.  D  . 


263 
■367 
•    40 


Page. 

Foster,  T.  D 108 

Foster,  Lewis  C 147 

Foster,  George  W 149 

Foster,  Dennis  M 150 

Fourgeaud,  L.,  M.  D 328 

Fournet,  Alexander  V 326 

Fournet,    L.  P 377 

Fontenot,  T.  S 38 

Fontenot,  Ozeme 39 

Fontenon,  O.  B : 39 

Foreman,   Phineas 225 

Francis,  George 109 

Francez,  Jean  Pierre 224 

Francez,   Roman 225 

Frere,  Leonard  .S log 

Fritsche,    Otto loS 

Fruge,  Ulysse 150 

Fuselier,  Alfred 327 

Fitzhugh,  Geo.  N 41 

Gabriel,  Prof.  Albert 330 

Gates,  Judge  Fred .  L 1 10 

Gardernal,  Gabriel 329 

Gauthier,   Louis  C 32S 

Gauthier,    A 329 

Gauthier,  C.  M 329 

Gauthier,  A.  M 152 

Gay,  S.  R.,  M.  D 112 

Garland,  Hon.  Henry  L 46 

Gellert  Rev.  H 155 

George,  T.  E 156 

Girac,    P 227 

Generes,  A.  H 41 

Geneux,  E.  C in 

Gibbs,  Joseph  C 152 

Gibbens,  Capt.  Thos.  C 43 

Gillespie,  Col.  Jno.  Crawford 44 

Gillespie,  John 333 

Gillard,  Leon  F 332 

Gillard  Ernest  J  - 333 

Girouard,  J.  0 231 

Godchaux,  Gus 286 

Gonsoulin,   Adrian HI 

Gordon,  Capt.  S.  J.  C 45 

Go&selin,  S.  J 42 

Goodman,  Joseph 155 

Gray,  W.  B 3^7 

Gray,  Reuben  Flanagan,  M.  D 151 

Gray,  John  G 152 

Greig,   Carlos 43 

Guilbeau,  James  L 4? 

Guilbeau,  Prof.  A.  L 22S 

Guilbeau,  A.  C 229 

Guilbeau,  G.   Arista 335 

Guidry,  Joseph  T 286 

Guidrv,   Antoine 229 

Guidrv,  H    D 228 

Guidry,  Albert ,-.230 

Guidry,  Leonard 228 

Guerrin,  J.  A 328 

Gueriniere,   Edwin 332 

Gueriniere,  Charles 332 

Guterkunst,  Charles 331 

Guth,    Jacob iia 

Haas,  Capt.  S 46 

Haas,  J.  A.,  M.  D 47 


396 


INDEX. 


I'agc. 

Habert,  F.  R 366 

Hall,  Capt.  Greene 161 

Halbert,  Xavier  R 369 

Halphen,  J.  () 335 

Halphen,  Jr.,  J.  O 335 

Hamblet,  J.  T.,  M.  D 287 

Hansen,  Capt.  Thos 160 

Hampton,  C.P ,....  162 

Harrington 288 

Hanchev,  J.  F 163 

Hart,  Fred  W.,  M.  D 334 

Hardv,  Edgard 334 

Haskell,  \V.  H 157 

Hawkins,  E.  C 47 

Hawkins,  Dr.  J.  E 48 

Hauf,  R 369 

Hayes,  D.  B 263 

Haves,  Mrs.  M.  M 4S 

He'berl,  A.  P 157 

Hebert,  Pierre  A 158 

Hebert,  Dossillee  H. 158 

Hebert,  D 1^9 

Hennigan,  J.  E.  M 163 

Henrv,  Andrew 265 

Hewett,  A.  P  161 

Hicks,  Thos.  H 49 

Hitter,  Joiin  Alfred 336 

Hockadaj,  W.  E 264 

Holliday,  Wm 163 

"tloltman,  John  F 113 

Iloftpauir,  Howard 2S7 

Holipauir,  Preston 231 

Hortpauir  Ford 232 

Howell,  S 50 

Hogsett,  R0I11  113 

Huber,  Zeno  264 

Hudson,  Wn\  I  ,  114 

Humble,  John   U 49 

Hutchins,  Wm.  L 159 

Hutchinson,    Hugh 232 

lies,  Demcy 164 

Irion,  V.  K.,  D.  D.  S 50 

Irvin,  Robert  Hughes 336 

January,  D.  P.,  M.  D 265 

leanmard,  Jules 337 

■(enkins,  W.  T.,   M.  D 266 

J.;i,kins,  W.  A.,  M.  D 266 

Jewell,  Frank  L.,  M.  D 337 

Johnson,  Joseph  P 370 

Johnson,  W.  VV 370 

Kemper,  Mrs.  Wm.  P 371 

Keneson,  J.  W 267 

Kibbe,  W.  G.,  M.  D 2S9 

King,  Henry  A.,  M.  D 115 

Kissock,  E 115 

Kleinpeter,  Hon.  Thos 164 

Knapp,  W.  A.,  M.  D 165 

Knight,   Philip  53 

Knight,  Mrs.  Edwin 33S 

Kock,  Julius 116 

Kuehling,  William  W 289 

Labbe,  A.  A 234 

Labbe,  Theobald  J 339 


Page 


Labove,  Joseph  T 121 

Lacoste,   G 233 

Lacy,  T.  Jay 57 

Lacy,  Alonzo 235 

Lafleure,    Ertemon 59 

Lefleur,  Dorsin  P 59 

Legarde,  A.  L 116 

LaNeuville,  G.  A 234 

Landry,  J.  A 166 

Landry,  Alphonse 121 

Landry,  R.    C 235 

I^andry,  Alcee , 235 

Lampman,  Martin  V 293 

Lassalle,   Joseph ...  57 

Lastrapes,  Mrs.  A.  P 339 

Lastrapes,  Wm.   Robertson,  M.  D 58 

Latreyte,     E 56 

Lawless,  Thomas  C 372 

Lawton,  J.  B 117 

Lazaro.     Mark 58  . 

LeBlanc,  Severin 290 

LeBlanc,  Lucius,  M.   E) 291 

LeBlanc,  Joseph  Alcee 291 

LeBlanc,  A.  L .- 291 

LeBlanc,  Alcide 292 

LeBlanc,    Simonet 234 

LeBlanc,   Aurellin 234 

LeBleu,  Joseph  C '. 167 

LeBleu,    Z 166 

LeBron,    Pierre 116 

Ledoux,  V.    D 57 

Leonce,  Elaire 372 

Leota,ud,  L 292 

Lesseps,  Auguste  Jr 372 

Levy,  Alphonse 55 

Littell,  Robt.  M.,  M.  D .53 

Littell,  Benj.  A.,  M.  D ^4 

Littell,  L.  E 54 

Livingston,  W.  H 339 

Lobdell,  J.  B uS 

Loeb,  Sol 55 

Loret,  Hon.  J.  A 371 

Lozes,  Leon 121 

Lyle,  Wm.  F 167 

Lyons,  M.  L 236 

Lvons,  J.  C 267 

Lyons,  E.  W 267 

Lyons,  R.  R.,  M.  D 268 

Lyons,  E.  J.,  M.  D 167 

Lyons,  John  L 16S 

Maignaud,  V 269 

Mail  lard,  Pierre 376 

Malonso,  Joseph 342 

Martin,  James  F 122 

Martin,  George  W 65 

Martin,   E.  D 375 

Martin,  J.    E 244 

Martin,  J.  M 244 

Martin,  Paul  A 245 

Martin,  S.  V 340 

Martin,  F.  R.,  M.  D 341 

Martin,  Sidney 244 

Maxwell ,  Albert  G 296 

Mayo,  Thad 170 

Mayo,  H.  M 373 

McCormack,  John  179 


Page. 

'  -Cov,  J.  B 64 

.Farlain,  A.  D 178 

cGowen,  C.  A.,  M.  D    ~ 123 

iKerall,  Wilson 374 

^IcMillan,  J.  A 268 

'IcXeese,  John 170 

M-Pherson,  Mrs.  Virginia 65 

Me,;inlev,  B.  F 60 

M-'h.urlt^  Rev.  A.  M 203 

Melar.con,  -S.  C 375 

Melan  con,  Cyp 342 

Mrquex,,  Theomilc 122 

Mtquex,  Drozen 122 

Mevers,  Andrew 123 

Mever,  VVm 174 

M"'"*".!,  Adolph 174 

Mi  I'burn,  E.  C 61 

I^Ii'trs,  Elias 174 

Mi  ;rs,  Wm 174 

Mi.frs,  John  F 174 

Mi|l  lard,  Mrs.  Elanora  A 65 

j^jl  ler,  Dennis 270 

I^mi'er,   Chas 172 

J^lil;  er,  Levi  A 172 

Min",  E.  D 173 

Mit  '5>  '-  '^ '77 

Mr    hell,  Col.  A.  R i(x) 

,t  tagne,  Eli 294 

Morgan,  Thomas  J 295 

Morris,  James  F.,  M.  D 269 

Mor  is,  John  W 373 

Morris,  J.  M.  &  Co 63 

Mor  on,   Marcus  L 297 

Moore,  Joseph  \V 175 

Moo.e,  Judge  Joseph  Murtaugh 63 

Mon  lot,  A.   L 124 

Mosi,  L.  H 176 

Mos, ,  J.  V 176 

Most..  Alexander 294 

Moss ,  Henry  J 295 

Moss.  A.  J 236 

Mos^s,  Nathaniel  P.,  M.  D 237 

Mouton,  A.  K 62 

Mouton,  Jules  J 342 

MoiiDn,    Julian 238 

Mout  )n,  Alexander 238 

Mouton,  Judge  Orthee  C 241 

Mouton,  J.  E 242 

Mouton,  Jacques  D 242 

Mouton,  J.  S 243 

Mouton,  Alcide  V 243 

Mudd,  F.  S.,  M.  D 238 

Neely,  J.  M 100 

Nelson,  Wm.  N 179 

Nelsor,  Paul 125 

Niblett,  H.  M.,  M.  D 343 

Nichols,  Isaac :8o 

Nunez,  Hon.  Adrien 298 

Nunez,  Adrien  Hebrard 29S 

O'Brvan,  Hon.  Oliver  H 299 

O'Brvan,  Robt.  P iSc 

Olivier,  P.  D.,  M.  D_ 343 

Olivier,  C.  M.Jr  , 344 

Olivier,  Robt.  A , 1 2 1, 

O'Niell,  Waller  A 377 

25a 


INDEX.  397 

I'age. 

Oge,  John  M 66 

Patout,  H 126 

Pelerien,  Louis 380 

Penn,  Henry 379 

Pecot,  Capt.  A.  A 379 

Perrv,  Judge  Robt.  S 126 

Perkins,  A.  J.,  M.  D 182 

Ferret,  Francis  Placide 378 

Perkins,  C.  T 181 

Pitre,  Chas 68 

Poe,  John  H 183 

Posev,  T.  L 67 

Powers,  E.  M 181 

Power,  Felix  Y 344 

Potier,  Charles,  Jr —  345 

Prentice,  Nathaniel 1S2 

Prejean,  Ursin,  M.  D 245 

Provost,  Joseph  A 129 

Pujo,  Arcene  P 182 

Ramsey,  James   B.,  M.  D 301 

Ray,  James,  M.  D 69 

Ray,  lames  O.,  M.  D 69 

Read,"  Dr.  Henry  0 70. 

Read,  Stephen  D.,  Judge ....*  185' 

Reid,   E.  J.,  Jr 191 

Reon,     Lastie 191 

Reseweber,  J.  A 346 

Reynolds,  Virgil  C.,M.  D 69 

Rice,  Levi  S 299 

Rice,  Cornelius  L 300 

Rice,  Lorenzo 300 

Richard,  A.  \ 70 

Richard,   J.  V 184 

Roberia,  Judge  M 73 

Rpberts,    John    H 190 

Rode,    Fritz 3S1 

Robertson,  George  M 127 

Robin,  Joseph  N   71 

Roger,    E.     C 72 

Rogei ,    L.  N 72 

Rose,  Daniel 270 

Rosleet,    M.  J 1S6 

Rosteet,  J.  W 189 

Rougeau,    Landry 68 

Rousseau,  J 34S 

Rov,  Adrien  F 346 

Roy,  A.  D 346 

Roy,  P.  B 246 

Rovve,  Francois  M  186 

Ruppert,  Christian 271 

Ryan,  T-   L 184 

Ryan,  M.  W ....189 

Ryan,  Jacob 185 

Sabin,  W.  C .-  19S 

Saizan,  J.  P.,  M.  D 75 

Saizan,  David  P 7.^ 

Sampson,  Junius 130 

Sanguinett,  J.  C 132 

Sandoz,  Leonce 73 

Sanders,  J.  Y 383 

Sanders,  Edward  A 384 

Sarver,  Martin... 303 

Salterfield,  W.  E 130 

Savant,  J.  P 78 


398 


INDEX 


Page. 

Savoy,  Valentine 80 

Savoy,  Francois 272 

Scranton,  G.  W.,  M.  D 246 

Schwing,  Win.  F 192 

Schlessinger;  J.  A 347 

Segura,  P.  H 132 

Shattuck,  lion.  S.  O 193 

Shaffer,  Thomas 382 

Shankland,  E.  R 192 

Shaw,  Hon.  Granville  B 302 

Shaw,  J.  F 304 

Shepherd,  George  B 381 

Sherlev,  E i94 

Shute.'l.  E.,  M.  D 77 

Sisur,  Joseph  O • 384 

Sillan,    George 368 

Simon,  Felix : 272 

Simon,  George 131 

Simon,  Judge  Arthur 78 

.Simmons,  James 196 

Simpson,  W.   H 195 

Singleton,  George  S 79 

Skipper,  |.  T ...'. 73 

Slaydon,  E.  A 196 

Standfield,  James  D  193 

Sloane,  Robert  B  271 

Sloane,  Ferguson  272 

Smith,  Millard  F 129 

Smith,  Rev.  Stethen 197 

Smith,  Capt.  Jones  P 76 

Souathe,  V.  A 131 

Stansbury,  H.  J 301 

Steele,  Charles  R 79 

Steinacker,   Charles 381 

Stewart,  J.  T 74 

St.  Germain,   C ,. 196 

St.  Germain,  R.  M < '. 347 

St.  lulien,  J.  G 247 

Swillev,  M.  Q •. 194 

i5>vift,'Dav:d  R 195 

Sylvester,  Capt.  E.   W 76 

Talley,  William   D 348 

Tavlor,  E.  Sumter 82 

Ta'vlor,  Capt.  John  M 273 

Tarleton,  T.  T.,  M.  D 82 

Theall,  H 248 

Thibodeau,  Valery 349 

Theall,  Joseph 303 

Theall,  Aurelien —-304 

Thompson,  J.  J So 

Thomp»on,  Wm.  M.,  M.D 83 

Thompson,  Edward,  M.  D S3 

Thompson,  C.   M..1 84 

Todd,  N.  K 385 

Tolson,  F.  R.,  M.  D 247 


P«Et. 

Trainer,  Luke 13- 

Vautier,  L.  C 3. 

Vander  Cruyssen,  H.  A 3_ 

Vanslyke,  W.  L 30, 

Veazie,  Edward  P ?+ 

Terret,  Alexander "97 

Verot,  A.  D 248 

Verret,  J.  R 306 

Veeder,  Alcide ••  3^7 

Vidrine,  Yves 87 

Vidrine,  Aurelie 88 

Vidrine,  Aloin 88 

Vigneaux,  Jean 248 

Vignerie,  Frank  C 3^6 

Villien,  Maurice  3'M 

Voorhies,  Col.  Felix ,i49 

Voorhies,  Charles  H J.-ii 

\'oorhies,  E.  G 248 


3.52 
<» 

S8 

90 

307 


Walford,  Anatole 387 

Wallis,  S.  R 

Ward,  Perley  Poore 

Ward,  S.  P.,  M.  D 

Ware,  John   M 

Wartelle,  Ferdinand  M 

Watts,  S.   P 

Webb,  RufusC 274 

Webb,  Col.  James 274 

Webb,  Rev.  Thos.  F 250 

Weeks,  Wm.  F 135 

Welborn,  Wm.  B 197 

Welch,    John 273 

Welch,  Felix  K 198 

Wells,  Hon.  George 'I99 

West,  James  L 198 

Wilson,  Major  M.  R 89 

Williams,  J.  N 306 

Wise,  Solomon 307 

Winston,  Thos.  S 305 

Whitman,  Joseph  A i^ 

Wilson,  S.  Jos 92 

Welte,    Rev.    Marius 349 

White,  John  T 133 

White,   W.  D.,  M.  D 306 

Whitworth,    G.  W 134 

Young,  Francis  D , 27% 

Young,  N.  C 3C^ 

Young,  R.  J.,  M.  D 308 

Zawadsky,  R.  M.,  M.  D 200 

Zeringue,  Sasthen 353 

Zernott,  Robt 91 

Zenor,  G.  G 388 


r 


p