St. Martin, Pierre Edward

Submitted by Mike Miller

St. Martin, Pierre Edward, of 7933 Spruce street, New Orleans, was born in St. John the Baptist parish, La., May 18, 1842, and is the son of Pierre August and Louise (Perret) St. Martin, both of whom were born in St. Charles parish; the former, Feb. 26, 1808, and the latter in the year 1806. The paternal grandfather, P. B. St. Martin, also was born in the last-named parish. He was a planter and an attorney, and during a number of years served on the bench as judge of the district composed of St. John the Baptist, St. Charles and Jefferson parishes, enjoying the reputation of being an able, faithful, just jurist. Later he was elected to the first general assembly of Louisiana, and served as the speaker of the house. He passed his last days in retirement at his plantation home. The maternal grandparents, Charles and Louise (Darensbourg) Perret, were natives of the same vicinity as was P. B. St. Martin. The ancestors of the St. Martin family in Louisiana went from France to Canada, and later came from the last-named country to Louisiana. The maternal ancestors, the Perrets, came from Dauphiné, France, directly to this state, in the early part of the 18th century. Pierre August St. Martin was twice married. Gestavie Darensbourg, his first wife, bore 3 daughters, two of whom are deceased. Aimee, one of these, died of yellow fever at the age of 18 years. Gestavie died about 1902. Mathilde, first-born of the first marriage, is now the widow, of Theophile Perret, living at Whitney plantation, St. John the Baptist parish, and the mother of 2 children, one of whom, Leonie, died about The other, Mathilde, is the wife of Henry Tassin, who has occupied the office of assessor of St. John the Baptist parish, more than 20 years. Some years after the death of his first wife, Pierre August St. Martin married the widow of Drausin Perret, and 5 children, as follows, were born to this union: Amelle, who died in infancy; Pierre Edward, the subject of this sketch; Alfred, died in 1866: Felix, Amelie (the second of that name), died in 1910. She, in association with a Miss Vienne, and assisted by Archhishop Perché, founded St. Philomene convent, on Bayou Lafourche. Pierre Edward St. Martin received his earlier education from a private tutor--a political refugee from France at his home. Later he attended St. Joseph's college, Bardstown, Ky., and afterward entered Jefferson college, St. James parish, where his studies were interrupted by the beginning of the Civil war. Just prior to the time for his graduation with the late lamented martyr, Michel Fortier, his beloved and only class companion. In March, 1862, he left college to enlist in Capt. Lezin Becnel's infantry company, which became attached to the 30th Louisiana volunteer infantry, under Col. Gus. A. Breaux. After the fall of New Orleans, owing to the useless disorder in the evacuation of that city by the Confederates, Capt. Becnel's company was disbanded, but St. Martin reënlisted as sergeant of a company organized to stop the pillaging of plantations in West Louisiana, and was present at the capture of Des Allemands by the Confederates the first Confederate success in Louisiana after the fall of New Orleans. Later he joined the signal corps at Port Hudson and was some time afterward captured there, and, with his command, imprisoned at Ship Island, where he remained many months. In 1865 he was paroled and exchanged, and was en route from Vicksburg to his command when news of the surrender came. A particularly saddening incident connected with this exchange of prisoners, and one that deeply affected Mr. St. Martin at the time, was the loss of the lives of 1,200 Federal troops as a result of the explosion of the boilers of a river boat upon which they were being transported home after being exchanged. After the surrender, Mr. St. Martin returned to the plantation home and assisted his father until the old home property was finally sold. In 1866 he was appointed deputy collector of internal revenue under Gens. Benton and Steadman, and occupied that office 2 years. Afterward, in 1879, he purchased his father-in-law's plantation, in St. Charles parish, and during some years served as a member of the police jury of that parish. This place was later sold, and in 1880, associated with his brother, Theophile Ferret, he bought the Whitney plantation, consisting of about 1,200 acres, which has been kept in successful cultivation to this time, producing rice and sugar cane. In 1883, Mr. St. Martin, with his partner, Mr. T. Ferret, bought the Almeda plantation, also in St. Charles parish. Meeting with little success there, they sold the place in 1891. In June 1870, Pierre Edward St. Martin was married to Isabel Devenport, daughter of Charles Devenport of New Orleans and St. Charles parish. Mr. Devenport was born in Iberville parish in 1816, his ancestors being from Virginia. His wife, Coralie Bernard, a native of -East Baton Rouge parish, was a daughter of Gen. Joseph Bernard de Montgery, a veteran of the war of 1815. Four of their sons, Charles, Edward, Arthur and Armand Devenport, served in the Confederate army throughout the Civil war. Four daughters were also born to Mr. and Mrs. Devenport: Kate, now Mrs. Howard Wailes of Memphis, Tenn.; Isabelle, the wife of the subject of the sketch Emma, widow of R. B. Montgomery, and Eugenie, who died in childhood. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. St. Martin namely: Armand Edward, who, after the completion of his education, began commercial life as bookkeeper for H. D. McKown, New Orleans. After 2 years this business changed hands and he became cashier for H. B. Stephens & Co., where he remained 2 years. Thereafter he filled the position of bookkeeper for S. G. Kreeger 6 years, but then found it necessary to give up office work, on account of failing health, and became manager of Whitney, his father's plantation, which he has administered with great success, and where he has remained to this time. In 1911, he married Bertha, youngest daughter of the late Louis St. Martin, so well and favorably known in this city and throughout Louisiana, which he represented many years most honorably in the congress of the United States, prior and since the war. No children have been born to them. Joseph Preston, the second son, began life as a clerk in the Whitney Central National bank, and at this time is the well-known and faithful manager of the Carrollton branch of this great and well patronized southern institution. He is married to Daisy Patten of New Orleans, whose father served in the Federal army during the Civil war, and 5 children have been born to their union: Isabelle, Ruth, Hilda, Preston, Jr., and Maurice St. Martin. In 1905, when the New Orleans home of Pierre Edward St Martin was built, for his occupancy, the contiguous territory in Carrollton was entirely unimproved, but that region has long since been solidly built up and has become one of the most attractive parts of the up-town portion of New Orleans.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 661-663. Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.