Born in Scotland, he crossed an ocean and settled in Massachusetts only to die in a steamboat explosion near the village of St. Francisville. The local priest kindly buried him and 10 other victims in Pointe Coupee Parish, which is across the river from St. Francisville.
I came across the burials in the Diocese of Baton Rouge’s published records, and they reminded me of reading long ago about the perils of steamboat traveling. Sometimes captains would recklessly push a steamboat boiler beyond its limits by racing another steamboat. It was drag racing on the river.
The passengers aboard the Constitution were at breakfast in 1817 when the crew tried to outsail another steamboat from the same company. The race didn’t end well. The Constitution’s boiler burst, scalding to death 11 people.
Besides Mr. Brown, who was just 27, the dead were:
James Carpenter, 36.
Eliphaler Frazer, 41, who was born in New Jersey but had a wife and family in Franklin, Ohio.
Peter Hebert, a 27-year-old engineer from Mantz, France.
John Larkin, a Natchez silversmith.
A Mr. McFarland, 26, of Pittsburgh.
Alexander Phillpot, 22, of Henry County, Va.
Robert Robinson, 18.
William Steel, a 25-year-old Montana merchant.
George Wilson, 28, who was born in Virginia.
William Yowell, 30, who was born in Virginia but lived in Washington County, Ky.
An archway leads to a bench and a grouping of graves in Historic Highland Cemetery.
Highland Cemetery isn’t one of those flashy graveyards with giant mausoleums or serene statues. The graves here are crumbling and lie tucked away in a neighborhood near the roar of Tiger Stadium. The veterans buried here tend to have fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. By the time the Civil War swept into Louisiana, Highland Cemetery had been forgotten.
Today, the cemetery soldiers on with the help of history enthusiasts who are giving it the due it deserves as Baton Rouge’s oldest cemetery. The cemetery sits on the Highland Ridge, an area settled by Germans and Acadians through Spanish land grants (according to a helpful sign in the cemetery). The settlers’ surnames included Adams, Anglehart, Babin (related!), Daigre (related!), Garig, Hillen, Landry (related!), Kleinpeter (as in the dairy people, I assume) and Sharp (as in Sharp Road, I assume).
Few of the graves are legible. Someone’s added markers to some of them to explain who’s buried there.
The cemetery dates to 1813, when a landowner named George Garig gave a piece of his property to the community. This was common for settlers with an abundance of land. People had to be buried somewhere, and George had all that property and he wasn’t even farming all of it (which is how I’d imagine the gentle prodding went). The fact that it wasn’t consecrated must have weighed on George’s mind because less than a decade later he asked the Catholic Church to take ownership of the cemetery. In 1825, George would be laid to rest in the now consecrated cemetery that he carved out for the community.
Although technically owned by the Catholic Church, the little cemetery was always too far from the nearest place of worship to be tended to or even used much by the church. The cemetery was a family affair with relatives and friends attending to the loved ones buried there.
Look! A marker I can actually read.
The cemetery’s religious issues didn’t end with Garig’s death. Half of his plantation was purchased by a Protestant named Robert Penny. Penny took a piece of land adjacent to the cemetery and turned it into a Protestant cemetery since it wouldn’t do to get buried in land consecrated for Catholics. Now a corner of the cemetery is known as the Protestant section.
Newspaper articles reveal other notables buried in the cemetery:
Josephine Favrot, whose sweetheart, Louis de Grand Pre, who was the only casualty when the Fort of Baton Rouge fell in 1810. Josephine never married and became a poet.
Jean Baptiste Kleinpeter, who served with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.
Charles Daniel Comeaux, who had the great misfortune of flinging his cap onto his bedpost after coming home from the battle at Port Hudson. A stray bullet hit the cap, ricocheted and killed him while he slept.
This gazebo was built in memory of the lost graves.
A huge change for the cemetery came in the 1920s, when the College Town neighborhood was built. Someone conveniently forgot to include the cemetery on the subdivision plans. Of the 280 people buried in the cemetery, 100 are underneath a sprawling house.
The cemetery once extended all the way to Amherst Avenue.As houses were built, half of the cemetery disappeared.
A 1940 survey map shows the cemetery is half the size it was nearly a century ago. The cemetery once stretched all the way to Amherst Avenue. Oops.
Today, the cemetery is a pleasant place to spend a spring afternoon. There are benches for sitting, trees for shade and a gazebo for an impromptu concert. You can be Catholic or Protestant to enjoy the peace before venturing back into the insanity that is Baton Rouge traffic.
Here’s a list of burials and possible burials from the History Highland Cemetery Inc.:
Confirmed Burials
Aubin, Aurelius Victorin, s/o Victorin, 1850 – 1885, no marker Aubin, Elizabeth, w/o Victorin, 1825 – 1858, no marker Aubin, Victorin, s/o Francois, 1825 – 1880, no marker Aucoin, Albert Florestin, C.S.A., s/o J. Florentin, 1821 – 1863, no marker Aucoin, J. Florentin, s/o Pierre Firmin, 1798 – 1847, no marker Aucoin, Julia Zeolide Doiron, w/o A.F., 1831 – ___, no marker Babin, Balthazar, s/o Gregoire, 1814 – 1884, no marker Babin, Martha Buckner, 1824 – 1884, w/o Balthazar, no marker Brackin, “Nettie” Brunetta Stokes, w/o Albert D., 1868 – 1894, no marker Buckner, George W., s/o Lewis, h/o Margaret Phillips, 1822 – 1855, no marker Buckner, Susannah, d/o Margaret Buckner, ? – 1857, no marker Comeaux, Charles Daniel, 1817 – 1892, no marker Comeaux, Charles Daniel, War of 1812, 1787 – 1850, no marker Daigre, Alfred Huguet, s/o Denis Daigre, Junior, 1880 -1891, no marker Daigre, Benjamin M., hsb/o Pauline Daigre, 1836 -1914, no marker Daigre, Carmelite Daigre, d/o Paul, w/o Olivier Francois, 1796 – 1855, no marker Daigre, Denis Olivier, s/o Olivier Francis, 1820 – 1875, no marker Daigre, Denis Olivier, Jr., 1853 – c1917, no marker Daigre, Genevieve Buckner, w/o Denis O., Sr. 1821 – ?, no marker Daigre, Gordon, s/o Benjamin M., ? – 1912, no marker Daigre, Josie Huguet, d/o John S. Huguet, 1860 – 1884, no marker Daigre, Mary Martha, d/o Denis & Genevieve, 1855 – 1858, no marker Daigre, Olivier Francois, s/o Francois, 1793 – 1843, no marker Daigre, Pauline Daigre, w/o Benjamin M., ? – 1886, no marker Daigre, Victor Templet, s/o Denis O. Sr., 1857 – ?, no marker Davis, Elizabeth Sharp, w/o Ersin Slaughter & Wm. Davis, ? – 1825, no marker Doiron, Henrietta Malvina, d/o J.V., 1847 – 1887, no marker Doiron, John Villeneuve, s/o John Remi, 1821 – 1879, no marker Duke, William Ensley, infant of Wiley, 7 mo., 1921 – 1921, no marker Duplantier, Armand Allard, Continental Army, War of 1812, 1753 – 1827, marker Duplantier, Augustin, s/o Armand, 1806 – 1860, no marker Duplantier, Constance Rochon, w/o John Joyce & Armand Duplantier, 1766 – 1841, marker Duplantier, Didier, s/o Armand, 1809 – 1834, marker Duplantier, Fergus, War of 1812, s/o Armand, 1783 – 1844, marker Duplantier, Guy, War of 1812, s/o Armand, 1790 – 1835, no marker Duplantier, Joseph, s/o of Alberic, 1844 – 1884, no marker Duplantier, Josephine Joyce, w/o Fergus, 1791 – 1859, marker Duplantier, Matilda Brown, 2nd w/o Alberic, 1844 – ?, no marker Duplantier, Nicholas Alberic, s/o Armand, 1806 – 1891, no marker Edmonston, Lillie E. Aucoin, w/o J. Walter, 1861 – 1893, no marker Favrot, (unnamed), s/o Louis, 1824 -1824, marker Favrot, Augustine Eulalie Duplantier, w/o Louis, 1799 – 1864, marker Favrot, Aurore, d/o Bouvier & Aurora, 1832 – 1911, marker Favrot, Eulalie Pulcherie, d/o Pierre, 1803 – 1846, no marker Favrot, Francoise Gerard, w/o Pierre, 1763 – 1842, marker Favrot, Henri Bouvier, s/o Pierre, War of 1812, 1799 – 1881, marker Favrot, Henry Neuville, s/o Bouvier, 1835 – 1847, marker Favrot, Josephine, d/o Bouvier, 1840 – 1913, marker Favrot, Josephine, d/o Pierre, 1785 – 1836, marker Favrot, Louis Stephen, s/o Pierre, War of 1812, 1788 – 1872, marker Favrot, Marie Aurora Villers, w/o Bouvier, 1809 – 1877, marker Favrot, Octavine, d/o Bouvier, 1848 – 1939, marker Favrot, Octavine C., d/o Pierre, 1795 – 1868, marker Favrot, Philogene Bernard, s/o Bouvier, 1845 – 1852, marker Favrot, Philogene Joseph, s/o Pierre, USA: War of 1812. 1791 – 1822 ( His government marker is mislabeled “T.R. Favrot”), marker Favrot, Pierre Joseph, Galvez Expedition of 1779, LA Legislature, 1749 – 1824, marker Foreman, John C., hsb/o Nancy Garig, 1806 – 1870, marker Foreman, John M., infant s/o Oscar H., 1862 – 1870, marker Foreman, John M., s/o John C. & Nancy, C.S.A., 1838 – 1905, no marker Foreman, Linda F., d/o Oscar H., 1863 – 1866, marker Foreman, Nancy Garig, d/o George Garig, w/o John C., 1812 – ?, no marker Foreman, Oscar Heady, Jr., 1868 – 1872, marker Foreman, Oscar Heady, Sr., 1833 – 1905, no marker Foreman, Therese Addie Rowley, w/o Oscar H., 1840 – 1913, no marker Fortin, Adele Duplantier, w/o Joseph J.G. George Fortin, no dates, no marker Garig, George, s/o Adam, h/o Mary Barbara Thomas, ? – 1825, no marker Garig, Guilliame, s/o George, 1815 – ?, no marker Garig, Henrique, s/o George, 1798 – ?, no marker Garig, Juan, s/o George, 1795 – ?, no marker Garig, Maria, d/o George, 1801 – ?, no marker Germany, Aurelia Ann Foreman, w/o Henry James, 1833 – 1898, marker Hodges, Aurelius B., s/o I.B.A. Hodges, 1832 – 1854, marker Huguet, John Stephen, M.D., s/o Juan, C.S.A., 1825 – 1891, no marker Huguet, Mary Elvira Kleinpeter, w/o John S., 1832 – 1899, no marker Huguet, William Pike, s/o John S., 1852 – 1853, no marker Joyce, William, s/o John, c 1790 – 1846, marker fragment Kleinpeter, Andrew, s/o Joseph, 1801 – 1853, marker Kleinpeter, Benjamin Franklin, s/o John Bapt. & Rose, 1845 – 1858, memorial marker Kleinpeter, John Baptiste, s/o George, 1797 – 1861, no marker Kleinpeter, John J., infant s/o Andrew, 1847 -1847, marker Kleinpeter, John L., s/o Joseph, c 1797 – 1837, no marker Kleinpeter, Mary Rose Bouillion, w/o John Baptist, 1805 – 1878, no marker Kleinpeter, Oscar Andrew, s/o Andrew, 1844 – 1858, marker Kleinpeter, Zachary Pinckney, s/o Andrew, 1849 – 1857, no marker Lener, Mary, 1887 – 1888, no marker Lopez, Anna Euphemie, d/o Joseph Onieda, 1879 – 1884, no marker Lopez, Henri, s/o Joseph Onieda, 1875 – 1876, no marker Lopez, Joseph Onieda, s/o Joseph Adonis, 1845 – 1896, no marker Lundquest, William, no dates, no marker Lundquest, John, no dates, no marker Maurison, Mary V., 1871 – 1885, no marker McGehee, Ann Scott, d/o Abraham & Mary C., 1831 – 1836, marker McGehee, Mary C., 1809 – 1836, marker Neilson, Capt. John James, s/o James, U.S.A., ? -1813 at Baton Rouge Fort, no marker (1st husband of Pauline Gras) Neilson, James, h/o Elizabeth, f/o Capt. John, ? – 1831, no marker Parker, Nan Pecue, d/o John Pecue, w/o Mack Parker, no dates, no marker Pecue, (Picou, Picaud), John Baptiste Jr., h/o Odile & Victoria Aucoin, 1829 – 1905, no marker Pecue, Odile Elizabeth Aucoin, w/o John, 1835 – 1865, no marker Peniston, Anthony, hsb/o Euphemie Duplantier, c 1800 – 1826, marker Peniston, Euphemie Duplantier, w/o Anthony, 1804 – 1826, marker Penny, Matilda G., w/o Burns & Robert Penny, ? – 1846, no marker Penny, Robert H., s/o James, ? – 1849, no marker Phillips, Isabella Foreman, w/o Albert, no dates, no marker Phillips, Plaisant, Jr., 1838 – 1859, no marker Phillips, Plaisant, Sr., husb/o Elizabeth Babin, ? – 1845, no marker Phillips, Theodore, s/o Plaisant Sr., 1845 – 1861, no marker Piker, Fluvia, d/o John F., c 1864 – ?, no marker Piker, John F., s/o Frederick, 1817 – 1869, partial marker Piker, Mary C. Foreman, w/o John F., 1830 – 1903, memorial marker Pilant, George Zitzman, s/o Wm. Jr., 1912 – ca 1920, no marker Pilant, Sarah Clair, d/o Wm. Jr., 1909 – ca 1920, no marker Pilant, Marie Julia LeBlanc, w/o Wm. Sr., 1837 – 1920, no marker Pilant, William Sr., ? – 1899, no marker Randolph, Catherine Kleinpeter, w/o John, 1786 – 1847, marker Randolph, Ellen M. Smith, w/o George, 1834 – 1856, marker Randolph, John, s/o John, 1818 – 1856, marker Randolph, John, War of 1812, 1777 – 1837, marker Riviere, Anne Marie Renee Aime Douezan, w/o Jean Baptiste Riviere, 1766 – 1849, marker Roberts, Constance Kleinpeter, w/o Gilbert Comeaux & Stephen Roberts, d/o George Kleinpeter, ? – 1851, no marker Kleinpeter, George, ? – 1851, no marker Smith, Jacob, 1814 – 1857, no marker Smith, Mary Barbara Thomas, w/o Jacob, 1813 – 1872, no marker Staring, Kathryn J. Hillman, 1st w/o George H. Staring, 1870 – 1898, memorial marker Stokes, James, s/o William & Nettie, 1872 – 1903, marker Stokes, Sidney, s/o William & Nettie, 1878 – 1896, marker Stokes, William, s/o Alexander & Virginia, 1873 – 1912, C.S.A., marker Stokes, Willie F., s/o William & Nettie, 1870 – 1896, marker Thomas, Antoinette Caroline, d/o Jefferson P., ? – 1857, marker Thomas, Buffington J., s/o Jefferson P., no date, marker Thomas, Elizabeth, widow/o Benj. Parker Thomas, d/o Gen. Philemon Thomas, mother/o Jefferson P., ? – 1841, no marker Thomas, Florence, d/o Jefferson P., ? – 1857, marker Thomas, William E., s/o Jefferson P., no dates, marker Trousdale, Kleinpeter, Randolph, Mary Catherine, w/o Andrew Kleinpeter, 1822 – abt. 1874
Unconfirmed And Possible Burials
Aucoin, Elizabeth Verdon, w/o J. Florentin, no dates Bills, John A., husb/o Mary Garig, ? – 1841 Bills, Mary Garig, w/o John A., c. 1812 – 1860 Comeaux, Florestine Sylvannie Tullier, w/o Chas. D. Jr., 1825 – ? Comeaux, Mary Carmelite Hebert, w/o Chas. D. Sr. Daigre, Francis Paul, s/o Denis O. Daigre, Sr., 1850 – 1892 Daigre, Jean Baptiste Bouvier, s/o Olivier, c 1810 – 1840 Daigre, Mrs. Mary C., w/o Gilbert, ? – 1879 Davis, William, War of 1812, h/o Elizabeth Sharp, ? – c.1825 Doiron, Alzie Daigle, w/o Francis G., ? – c.1910 Duplantier, Marguerite Mary Lopez, w/o Augustin, 1815 – ? Edmonston, J. Walter, C.S.A., husb/o Lillie E. Aucoin Fulton, Helene de Grand Pre, d/o Gov. Carlos de Grand Pre, 1782 – 1855 Fulton, Col. Samuel, husb/o Helene, ? – c.1827 Garig, Elizabeth, d/o George & Mary B., c.1809 – ? Garig, George, s/o George & Mary B., 1807 – 1868, C.S.A. McDonald, Mary Barbara Thomas, w/o Joshua McDonald & Geo. Garig, 1777 – 1852 Neilson, Elizabeth, widow of James Neilson who d. 1831 Neilson, William, s/o James & Elizabeth, ? – c.1833, bachelor Parker, Mack, husb/o Nan Pecue Pecue, Victoria Coralie Aucoin, w/o John Pecue, 1842 – 1921 Penny, Marian A., d/o Robert & Matilda, c. 1840 – 1846 Penny, Ann W., d/o Robert & Matilda, 1835 – 1850 Penny, Lucy Ann, d/o Robert & Matilda, c 1839 – c 1846 Phillips, Elizabeth Babin, w/o Plaisant, Sr. Randolph, George, husb/o Ellen M. Smith, (m. 5-13-1852) Randolph, John, 17?? – 1822, father of John (1777 – 1837 ) Sharp, Joseph, husb/o Pauline Gras, Widow Neilson, ? – 1820 Sheppers, Pauline Gras, widow of Neilson & Joseph Sharp, w/o Louis Sheppers who survived her and m. Her sister, Olympia, 1796 – 1822 Thomas, Benjamin Parker, husb/o Elizabeth Thomas, son-in-law of General Philemon Thomas, 1782 – 1835 Thomas, Caroline E. Trager, w/o Jefferson Plummer Thomas, d/o John Trager & Julia Kleinpeter, c 1827 – c.1871 Thomas, Jefferson Plummer, grandson of General Philemon Thomas, s/o Benjamin Parker Thomas, father of 4 children buried in Highland
In 1717, Captain De Lauze died just a year after being commissioned for service in Louisiana, which belonged to France at the time. De Lauze didn’t die without setting his affairs in order. He left a will, bequeathing a pot of butter to the Jesuits. The rest of his estate was to go to his sister in France, which meant debts had to be settled and possessions sold.
Fortunately for his sister in France, there was a plan in place to drum up attention for the liquidation. Literally. A man named La Croix was hired to beat his drum and advertise the estate sale. Think of La Croix as a walking, beating billboard.
We know about La Croix the Drummer because he filed a receipt with De Lauze’s estate to be compensated for his labor. The request is part of a treasure trove of colonial documents scanned and put online by the Louisiana State Museum.
Wondering how much it cost to hire a drummer in colonial Louisiana? The answer is 10 livres. A livre was the equivalent of a pound of silver.
The museum holds the records for New Orleans’s French Superior Council (1714-1769) and Spanish Judicial Records (1769-1803). They tell the story of New Orleans’ infancy. And they’re helpfully indexed in English in case you don’t read Spanish and French.
You’ll find deaths, murders, slavery and pirates in these records.
The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries may not sound like the coolest website in the world, but it’s actually pretty nifty.
Current county boundaries – in Louisiana we call them parishes because we’re tres French once you’re a few miles south of Alexandria – evolved over the years. You may think your ancestor always lived in a particular county or parish. But their county/parish probably was carved out of another county/parish.
Louisiana, for example, didn’t always have 64 parishes. After the Louisiana Purchase and statehood, we slowly started divvying up our boot. Before that, parts of Louisiana were known as the German Coast and Attakapas – terms that have largely been lost to time.
This was the predecessor to the grand cathedral that now stands in New Orleans’ Jackson Square.
In 1785, seven ships arrived in New Orleans carrying Acadians from France to Louisiana. Not every Acadian arrived in Louisiana via these seven ships, but a lot of them did. Not surprisingly, after a long sea voyage, there were babies to baptize and couples to marry.
The records of those baptisms and marriages can be found in the records for St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Best of all, they’re available online! Here’s the handy dandy link: https://nolacatholic.org/publication
A word of advice: The spellings are inaccurate. Louisiana was under Spanish control at the time, which meant the priests were Spanish. They didn’t make much of an attempt to use the French spelling of names. As you’ll see below, Marie became Maria even though it was most decidedly Marie. The Acadians didn’t step off the boats and start eating tapas. So, please correct the names to the French version.
The Acadians found in the cathedral’s records include:
BROT Maria Josefa (Josef, Acadian, and Maria Helena JAMETON, native of England), b. Feb. 10, 1790, bn. Dec. 30, 1789, s. Bartholome JAMETON and Sister Maria Josefa, O.S.U., ~bsent, p. Maria Theresa JAMETON (SLC, Bll, 92)
DANTEIN
Juana (Luis and Maria, native of St. Malo) married Martin Pitre, Jan. 21, 1786 (SLC, M5, 45)
DUGAT Eulalia Martina (Abrosio and Maria PITRE), b. Aug. 3, 1785, bn. Jun. 3, 1785, s. Martin NAVARRO, intendant of this province, and Eulalia LIVOAUDAYS VILLARS (SLC, B9, 382)
Joseph (Joseph and Anastasia ANRRY), native of St. Malo in France, m. Isavel LANDRY, Oct. 23, 1785, w. Josef MARTINEZ, Vicente LLORCA (SLC, M5, 41)
EBER (HEBERT)
Maria (Josef and Margarita RlCHAR), native of St. Malo, m. Juan Pedro CULER, Oct. 23, 1785 (SLC, M5, 41)
Sofia (Josef and Maria BENOl), native of St. Malo, m. Maturino COMO, Oct. 23, 1785 (SLC, M5, 41)
FORE/FOREST
Servana Juliana (Victor and Juliana RUSURU), native of San Servando, Diocese of St. Malo in France, m. Jacobo VI LGEMENOL , May 24, 1787 (SLC, M5, 53)
GODREAU/GAUTREAUX
Josef Benoit (Charles and Magdalena MELANZON), native of Be1is1e-en-Mar in France, m. Francisca MONTE, May 3, 1789, w. Charles GAUTRO [@GODREAU], [the groom’s father], A[ntonio] [XIMENEZ], Josef Benoit GODREAU (SLC, M5, 63)
Juan (A1exandro and Margarita HEBERT), native of St. Malo in France, m. Magdalena PITRE, Jan. 21, 1786, w. Vicente LLORCA, Josef MARTINEZ (SLC, M5, 45)
HACHE
Mariana (Pedro and Ana Dumond), native of St. Malo, married Luis Antonio Charrier, Dec. 1, 1785 (SLC, M5, 42)
HEBERT
[0 – masc.], tender age, i. Mar. 1, 1787 (SLC, F2, 9)
Cecilia (Estevan and Maria LAVERGNE), native of Normandy in France, m. Vicente NEVEAU, Dec. 2, 1 7 8 5 ( SLC, M5, 4 2 )
Francisco (Pedro and Susana PITRE), native of Pruva1e, Diocese of St. Malo in France, m. Angela ENRRIQUE, Jan. 3, 1786, w. Vicente LLORCA, Josef MARTINEZ (SLC, M5, 44)
Maria (Pedro and Susana PITRE), native of St. Malo in France, m. Pedro OCUIAN, Jan. 14, 1786 ( SLC, M5, 4 5 )
Martin ([], of Malaga and Ana DUGAS), b. Oct. [2?] 5, [1785], s. Gilberto LEONARD and [] (SLC, B9, 3 9 0 )
LANDIER
Jean Baptiste (Maturino and Juana [Rosalia?] DUPONT), native of St. Malo in the province of Brittany in France, m. [* – Marie?] LEONARD, Oct. 7, 1787, w. Francisco BROUTIN, Gilberto LEONARD, Andres [*] ARMESTO (SLC, M5, 54)
LANDRY
Bonne Maria Adelaide (Germano and Cecilia LAGARELLE), native of Normandy in France, m. Josef LEGEUNE, Nov. 24, 1785 (SLC, M5, 43)
Felipe Ursino (Josef and Ana BUSE), b. Dec. 13, 1789, bn. May 25, 1788, s. Felipe LARRO and Arrieta ROCHE (SLC, Bll, 87)
Isavel (Juan Bautista and Isavel DUGAT), native of St. Malo, m. Joseph DUGAT, Oct. 23, 1785 (SLC, M5, 41)
Maria Magdalena (Renato and Margarita BABIN), native of Sudanton in England, m. Juan RAFFREY, Dec. 22, 1785 (SLC, M5, 44)
Maturin (Estevan and Brigida TRAJAN), 7 yr., i. Nov. 14, 1790 (SBSB, Fl, 9)
LEBLANC Margarita (Carlos and Magdalena GOD[*]), native of St. Malo, m. Agustin DUN, Dec. 4, 1785 (SLC, M5, 42)
Maria Angela (Josef and Julia TRAHANT), bcs. Nov. 5, 1790, b. previously, bn. Jan. 30, 1790, s. Simon DOURAICHER and Maria Francisca ROBERT (SLC, B11, Ill)
LONGUEPE
Maria (Juan and Maria Francisca BOURQUE), native of St. Malo in France, m. Pedro HENRRY, Jan. 12, 1786 (SLC, M5, 44)
MICHEL
Maria (Francisco and Ana DAIGLE), native of St. Malo, m. Jacobo DUBOIS, Nov. 24, 1785 (SLC, M5, 43 )
OCUIAN/OCUYAN/AUCOIN
Pedro (Carlos and Ma[*] TRAHANT), native of Acadia, ffi. Maria HEVERT [@HEBERT], Jan. 14, 1786, w. Vicente LLORCA, Josef MARTINEZ (SLC, M5, 45)
Alexos (? and Maria HIBERT), native of St. Malo, ffi. Francisca ENRRIQUE[?], Jan. 3, 1786, w. Vicente LLORCA, Josef MARTINEZ (SLC, M5, 44)
PITRE
[], m. [] BOUDREAU, [Oct.] 7, 1787 (SLC, M5, 54)
Magdalena (Bachemein and Margarita BUDROT), native of St. Malo, m. Juan GODREAU, Jan. 21, 1786 (SLC, M5, 45)
Maria Francisca (Anselmo and Isavel DUGA) , native of St. []0 in France, m. [ – Carlos?] GODRO, Jun. 5, 1789 (SLC, M5, 64)
Maria (Claudio and Maria RICH[]), native of Pledian in France, m. Josef BOUDREAU, Jan. 28, 1786 (SLC, M5, 45) Martin (Pablo and []), native of St. Malo, m. Juana DANTEIN, Jan. 21, 1786, w. Vicente LLORCA, Josef MARTINEZ (SLC, M5, 45)
Martina (Tranquilo and Ysavel [*]), b. Aug. 29, 1785, bn. May 31, 1785, s. Josef ~ntonio DE HOA, first official of the treasury ot the army in this province, and Margarita BROUTIN (SLC, B9, 382)
PUDREAU (BOUDREAUX?)
Maria (Josef and Margarita RICHARD), native of St. Malo, m. Juan COSET, [* – cir. Dec.] 28, 178 5 (SLC, M5, 4 4)
TERRIOT
Martina (Olivero and Maria Aucoin), b. Sep. 27, 1785, s. Martin NAVARRO, intendant of this provice, and Maria LEONARD (SLC, B9, 386) (marginal note: this family belongs to the Acadian families who came here this very year).
Rosa (Carlos and Maria Budrot), native of St. Malo in France, married Juan Mallet, Apr. 29, 1786 (SLC, M5, 47)
If you look very closely, you can see Fort Balize marked in the lower right.
La Balize (The Balize) hasn’t existed since the 1860s, when a hurricane swept it away once and for all. It was probably never a good idea to build a settlement where the Mississippi River pours into the Gulf of Mexico, but sometimes you have to learn things the hard way.
Balize once stood as the first port of entry in the Mississippi Valley. The Gulf tends to reclaim land at the deepest end of Louisiana, and that’s what happened to Balize.
Hurricanes battered the settlement until it was finally abandoned for good in the 1860s.
The last resident was a woman named Mrs. C. Laurie, who remembered a time when the town had three grocery stores, a dry goods store, a town hall and a fine church. Laurie called the town home from 1844 to 1862. She said she stayed three days longer than anyone else because her husband was looking for a good home for their relocation.
Only the dead stayed behind for good in a cemetery that now lies under the Gulf of Mexico. Balize was once home to 800 people. People were born there and died there. Others came from the East Coast or as far away as Ireland to find their final resting place at the tip Louisiana.
This drawing of Balize in 1804 was in the New Orleans Item.
By 1921, all that remained of Balize were a few markers (the rest were lost in the marsh). One bore the name Joseph, son of Captain Joseph and Jemima Preble, died September 2, 1852, aged eight months, 25 days. That tomb probably has also slipped under the water.
We know about baby Joseph’s tomb because the New Orleans Item (a newspaper that no longer exists) sent someone to find the little cemetery in the marsh and record what remained.
The reporter also found markers for:
William Holliday, born June 3, 1837. Died March 30, 1841. Son of Robert and Mary Holliday.
Mary Holliday (young William’s mother) died in the 25th year of her age in the 5th day of April, 1844. Wife of Robert.
Susan Mitchell, wife of John Perrin. Born August 14, 1825. Died Sept. 7, 1843. Aged 18 years and 18 days. Remembered as someone loved who was snatched away.
Evelina Lemont, wife of Thomas Ruiz. Born at the Balize, Louisiana. Died Nov.30, 1860, aged 19 years, five months and four days.
Jourdan Yarborough, born Jan. 25, 1826. Died July 19, 1857. (a newspaper report from 1857 indicates he was a branch pilot who died suddenly of what appeared to be yellow fever).
John Parker, died on the 8th day of October 1848. Aged 37. A native of Boston, Mass.
Edward Taylor, son of Asa and Eliza S. Payson. Died March 5, 1818. Age 16 months and 21 days.
Margaret McNulty. Born August 7, 1817. Died July 19, 1842. In 1921, a bright crimson oleander bush adorned her grave.
Julia Glenon, consort of William Ellis. A native of County Westmeath, Ireland. Died at The Balize July 18, 1847, aged 58 years.
Josephine Barbara Ross, only child of James Baag and Adrionna Beaulard Ross. Born in the city of Savannah, Georgia, on the 15th day of June 1833, and died at The Balize, Louisiana, August the sixth, 1844.
Charlotte Webster, consort of H.B. Webster. Died Sept. 24, 1843, aged 38 years. A native of New York.
Other newspaper articles reveal others buried there:
Sarah Taboo, died at Balize in 1845.
Mary Jane Lamont, died in 1848.
Cyrus Lamont, a native of France and a branch pilot in New Orleans, who died in 1852.
Henry Johnson
John Sprigg, died in a steamboat explosion in 1840.
Anna Maria, daughter of Joseph and Jemima Preble. Died Nov. 2, 1859, aged 3 years, 3 months, 5 days.
John Bennett, died in 1857 during a voyage from New York onboard the Rebecca.
Paul Lucie (son of Francois Lucie and Catherine Cap Chedome). Born May 5, 1800. Died June 11, 1841. (This is taken from church records, which note he died as a result of wounds received at Bayou Lime-Klim by the troops of Gen. Smith. There seemed to have been some debate on whether he was a pirate).
Finally, the following were probably buried at Balize since they died there. Diocese of New Orleans records are unclear:
Joseph Rios (son of Juan Rios and Agueda Carballo). A native of Palma in the Canary Islands. 46 years old. A sailor. A bachelor. Died April 20, 1791.
Antonio de la Ossa (son of Balthasar de la Ossa and Magdalena de la Ossa). Native of Granada. 77 years old. A sailor. A bachelor. Died Oct. 11, 1791.
Juan Garcia. A sailor. Died April 17, 1794.
Miguel Nabarro (son of Joseph Nabarro and Maria del Rosario De Roxas). A native of Cuba. 53 years old. A sailor. A bachelor. Died May 6, 1795.
Early maps capture a moment in time. It’s amazing how quickly things disappear. Not one of my mother’s childhood homes still exists. One of my own childhood homes was reduced to rubble not long ago. Outdated maps will show that they once existed.
Maps can tell you a lot of things. Historical, rural maps sometimes denoted landowners.
The maps below are of Fort Balize/Balise, an old Spanish fort that once existed at the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. I like the color of the first map and the detail of the second map. You get a sense of just how exposed to the elements this fort was – and why it’s no longer in existence.
Look closely (to the right of the map), and you’ll see the French fort that once sat near the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Did you know that a French fort used to sit at the mouth of the Mississippi River? That’s not terribly surprising given the French and Spanish history of Louisiana. It’s also not terribly surprising that you won’t find a trace of it today given Louisiana’s ever shifting and disappearing coast.
La Balize disappeared for the first time around 1740 but resurfaced more than once. Hurricanes kept knocking it down, and it kept being rebuilt. It was important to control the mouth of the river — and to guide ships.
A few years ago, we went on a cruise that took us from New Orleans to Mexico (and back). We set off from New Orleans, and everyone got out their phones to pull up Google Maps and track the progress past Plaquemines Parish and into the Gulf. We hadn’t gotten too far when a small boat pulled up alongside the giant cruise ship. A man jumped from the boat through an open door in the side of the cruise ship. He was a river pilot, arriving to guide us out the mouth of the river just as his predecessors did hundreds of years ago.
But back to La Balize … today, it’s completely gone. Pilottown is several miles from the original site of La Balize.
La Balize was substantial enough that the Catholic Church established a parish there in 1722. That got me wondering about what the church records could tell me about the little settlement.
I learned a few things. First, there was never a church at La Balize. The priest must have just visited from time to time. Also, the parish only lasted 30 years before those pesky hurricanes prompted the Catholic Church to scrap it.
Wikipedia (I know – not the most reputable of sources) gives a good timeline for the fort’s history:
1740 – La Balize was destroyed in a hurricane. A new island arose which was called San Carlos. The village was built again on San Carlos.
October 7-10, 1778 – La Balize was destroyed, but was rebuilt at this location.
July 25-28, 1819 – Ships anchored near La Balize suffered through a 24-hour gale, but only three were grounded.
1831 – La Balize suffered major damage.
April 3-4, 1846 – This was the most damaging storm since that of 1831. It was a hurricane-like storm but likely not of tropical origins, given the time of year. It cut a new channel between Cat Island and its lighthouse.
By 1853 La Balize had been relocated to the Southwest Pass, where it was built on the western bank about five miles (8 km) northwest of its first location.
September 15-16, 1855 – At Cat Island the lighthouse keeper’s house was destroyed and the lighthouse imperiled. Almost everything else was swept away in the storm surge.
August 11, 1860 – In the first hurricane of the season, trees were uprooted and up to 10 feet (3.0 m) of water flooded the region of La Balize.
September 14-15, 1860 – The second hurricane struck at the mouth of the Mississippi and destroyed La Balize. Tides were six feet above the high-water mark. The village was abandoned and rebuilt upriver at what became Pilottown.
October 2-3, 1860 – In the third hurricane of the season, there was widespread damage as far inland as Baton Rouge.
September 13, 1865 – Although La Balize had been abandoned since 1860, this hurricane destroyed the last traces of the village.
Benjamin LaTrobe designed the U.S. Capitol but wasn’t impressed by La Balize in Louisiana.
In 1819 architect Benjamin LaTrobe visited Balize and was less than impressed.
He wrote: “The building gives its name to one of the most wretched villages in the country … The regular population consists of 90 men and 11 women. The tavern, which is the principal building and a few other houses are built on the United States land … There is nowhere a more convenient spot from which smuggling may be carried on and connived at.”
In 1858, a steamboat left New Orleans every Tuesday and Friday for Balize.
I turned to census records for a more thorough telling of La Balize’s story.
In 1727, La Balize was home to:
Father Gaspard, commander at Balize Capuchin.
St. Michel, a storekeeper.
Baldie, a surgeon.
Francois Friou, chief pilot with a wife and two children.
Pierre Triet, second pilot with a wife.
Pinault, second pilot.
Mathurn Lebas, a carpenter.
Resin Delauriers, a knacker.
Francois Ligny, a knacker.
Jean Bureau
Joseph Gay
Vincent Baugremont, a knacker.
Next, I turned to the records of the New Orleans Diocese for hints about the people who once lived at La Balize. Here’s what I found:
Marie Chaterine De Monlion, daughter of Henry and Marie Elizabeth De Gauvery De Monlion, was a native of La Balize. She married Charles August De Lachaise on Feb. 4, 1765, at St. Louis Cathedral.
Baltazard Ricard de la Chevalleray, son of Sieur De Villier and Marie Jouarist, was the commandant of the Fort of La Balize. He married Francoise Voisin on Aug. 12, 1760 at St. Louis Cathedral.
Heleine Charlotte Voisin, daughter of Jacque and Francoise Bonaventure, was born at La Balize on Dec. 18, 1757. Ten months later, she was christened at St. Louis Cathedral.
From death and mayhem, I thought I’d visit some of Shreveport’s lovely old homes. Most of them are gone now, but I enjoy looking at pictures of the grand old ladies that once were found in and near downtown. The landscape changes so quickly.
Houses burn down. They’re torn down. They simply disappear until ghosts get lost trying to revisit home.
The Zeigler house
On a bluff overlooking the Red River, the S. J. Zeigler house once stood. How beautiful is it? I can imagine standing on the widow’s walk and taking in the river views.
The Zeiglers apparently bought the house in 1881 from W. P. Ford. Ford had purchased the property from the Leonards. It seems likely that the Leonards built the house.
In 1901, Louie Ogden and her cousin Helen Kendall were driving in a trap with a couple of gentleman when the rear seat collapsed just outside the Zeigler home. Poor Helen was knocked unconscious. Fortunately, she recovered. She and Louie were guests of Mrs. W. C. Vance on Fannin street.
Interestingly, the 1900 census lists the Zeiglers as boarders. They also liked going by initials. They’re listed as S.J. and H.M. with sons Sam and Howell and someone named Vinnie.
In reality, S.J. was Samuel Jacob. He and his wife, Sarah, had five children. Only two lived to maturity.
Their daughter Sadie died age 9 at the Zeigler house in 1891. Another daughter, Susie, died aged two years, one month and 23 days in 1917. The family later made its way back to South Carolina.
If you visit the house site today, you’ll find the Chateau Hotel.
1608 Fairfield Ave. back in the day
If you go to 1608 Fairfield Ave. today, you’ll find a rundown office building. A century ago, you would have found this fabulous mansion. I would have wanted a room in the tower.
John and Toinette Scott lived here. John was listed as a planter in the 1917 Shreveport telephone directory. Census records show them living in that giant house without any live-in servants or children. John’s sister married into the Youree family and lived nearby so they wouldn’t have been too lonely.
The home was demolished in 1947 after becoming a funeral home. An advertisement was placed in the newspaper for anyone interested in beautiful woodwork, mantels, bevel plate, glass doors, stained glass windows, oak, wainscoating or inlaid flooring.
The shell hints at the planned grandeur
One of the saddest houses to stand in Shreveport was a shell of a building that was never completed. Walter Page started to build an enormous house on Jefferson-Paige Road. He stopped work on it when his son John died. A storm hit the property in 1917 and the shell later was razed.
The house was known as Page’s Castle. The Shreveport Journal described it as “two stories with a four story octagonal rotunda, surmounted by a dome and observation deck. From the hilltop house spread a sweeping lawn with thousands of rose bushes.”
Page came from a wealthy family that moved from Tennessee to Louisiana and bought tremendous acreage for cotton. Supposedly, in an attempt to lure his son from the drinking and fast cars of Nashville, Page began work on Page’s Castle. He envisioned a resort similar to Delmonico’s with ducks, roses, a fish pond and race horses. A storm heavily damaged the dream project in 1917. Then news of John Page’s death quickly followed, and the dream died entirely.
More likely, the storm created problems with the construction, and the rest of the story is just romantic nonsense. It appears that John Page died long before construction on Page’s Castle even began.
The Howell house stood at 819 Spring St. It was built by John Howell and evolved from mansion to apartment building before a fire destroyed it in the 1930s.
This picture doesn’t do the Hicks mansion justice.
My personal obsession is the Hicks home that stood at 416 Travis St. This antebellum mansion endured for years as modern structures rose around it.
It was built at the conclusion of the Civil War with logs shipped from St. Louis. The original owner was Daniel Smith, but the deed soon passed to Col. F. M. Hicks. Hicks lived there until moving to Texas for his health. His son Samuel B. Hicks then moved into the home with his bride Mamie.
The home came down in the 1950s to pave the way for a skyscraper.
One of my ancestor’s homes now sits not far from where I live in Baton Rouge. It is believed to be one of the oldest surviving Acadian homes in Louisiana.
Jean Charles Germain Bergeron and his wife, Marie Madeleine Doiron, had 11 children. Their son, Jean Baptiste, is my direct ancestor. This house has a large front room and two small rooms at the back. The ladder leads to a loft.
The home is at the LSU Rural Life Museum – which is a really cool place to visit if you have a free morning or afternoon. Lots of old houses set up to resemble a little town.
A plaque explains the Bergeron house’s history. The house used to sit on the banks of Bayou Lafourche near Labadieville in Assumption Parish.
The Zeiglers apparently bought the house in 1881 from W. P. Ford. Ford had purchased the property from the Leonards. It seems likely that the Leonards built the house.
The Howell house stood at 819 Spring St. It was built by John Howell and evolved from mansion to apartment building before a fire destroyed it in the 1930s.
louisianagenealogygirl 