Cusachs, Gaspar

Submitted by Mike Miller

Cusachs, Gaspar, son of Joaquin G. and Marie Cora (Cavaroc) Cusachs, was born in New Orleans, March 3, 1855. The father was born in Barcelona, Spain, where he became a cotton spinner. He came to this country in the forties to buy cotton for a Spanish firm, but after a short time established a business in the importation of drugs from all Spanish countries and sold them to Philadelphia chemists and others. The business Mr. Cusachs worked up in cotton and other lines, was so large that it became necessary for him to take a business trip to Europe every year. His home was in New Orleans for some years and he died at a summer resort in Mandeville, in Oct., 1858. Marie Cora Cavaroc was born in New Orleans of French extraction, but she had lived in Spain also and spoke the Spanish language. Gaspar Cusachs being left without a father's care was sent to France when 5 years old to be educated. He attended school in that country for about 7 years, most of the time at a military school in Bordeaux, but some of the time in Paris. In 1867, when 12 years old, he returned to the United States in the reconstruction days. He went to Pass Christian and attended a school conducted by Alexander Dimitry who was an unusual man and an educator who spoke 12 languages. Young Cusachs remained in that location until 1871 or 1872, when he came to New Orleans and his uncle gave him employment in the banking house of Cavaroc & Son. He pursued this work until about 1878 when he started for himself as a dealer in building material on the old basin and followed that for a decade. He built the locks in what was then called the Mexican and Ship Island Canal, but which is now the Lake Borgne Canal. In the '90s he went to Beaumont, Tex., just after oil was discovered there. At that place he built the Beaumont electric road and the water works. After spending 2 years in Texas and making considerable money, he returned to New Orleans, where he has since resided. Mr. Cusachs was one of the original members of the Bell R. R. and for a time was a member of the school board. For 25 years he was an officer in the Mechanics, Dealers & Lumbermen's Exchange and was formerly a member of several social clubs. He is independent in politics always following his own conscience and never went with the crowd in order to secure favors. He calls himself a free thinker whose creed is to do good. In his home may be found one of the most valuable collections of curios to be seen anywhere in the country. Nov. 3, 1887, Mr. Cusachs married Marie Barnett, daughter of Louis Barnett, of New Orleans, who was then secretary of the Hope Insurance Co. Mr. and Mrs. Cusachs are the parents of the following children: Joaquin, Barnett, Gaspar, Jr., Louis and Maurice. All of these are living at home and 3 youngest are attending school.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 606-607. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.