(transcribed by Leora White, June 2007)

A THESIS
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY
OF THE
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
AND
AGRICULTURAL AND HISTORICAL COLLEGE
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS
 BY

MRS. LETHER EDWARD FRAZAR
DERIDDER, LOUISIANA

1933

I wish to express my thanks and deepest gratitude to Dr. W. A. Reed, Professor of English, for all his very valuable and helpful suggestions in my work. At all times has he been a kind inspiration.

I wish to thank Mr. Robert Jones, resident of DeRidder, Louisiana, in this work; without his information it would have impossible for me to assemble this thesis.

Abstract

Introduction

Events Prior to Making of Parish Proper

Early Settlers and Happenings

Creation of Beauregard Parish

Pictures of the Past

Towns and Villages

Biographical Sketches

Educational Progress

Story of a Lost Mine

Bibliography

Biography

The object of this thesis is threefold:

To give interesting and valuable information on the years before Beauregard was made a parish.

To unfold legends and facts concerning the settlers and places.

To relate important history of the parish proper.

Most of the legends have been handed down in much the same way as ballads and facts have made their way into the works of famous Louisiana writers.

The important history of the parish proper concerns people, incidents, and places.

This undertaking is one similar to the many undertakings that have been made, but with the completion of this work there will only be one completely assembled copy of The Early Annals of Beauregard Parish.

The annals of a single parish should be very important because it requires the little parish to make the state just as much as it takes the separate states to form our great republic.

Year after year, students of the present parish of Beauregard are required to gather and use material on the history of the parish. Printed material is almost entirely inaccessible to them; hence it becomes necessary for them to obtain first-hand information. A large amount of this information is embodied in this work.

Considerable space, in the first chapters, is devoted to the history of Saint Landry parish and Imperial Calcasieu parish, but I do not think it inappropriate to begin at the beginning. The fact that some of the first settlements west of the Rio Honda (Hondo) river were made in Saint Landry parish and Imperial Calcasieu parish, of which Beauregard was formerly a part, makes the settlers and incidents, even in brief, very pertinent to this work.

In relating the early annals of the parish since settlers came in 1812, I have received much valuable information from one pioneer in particular and I have given credit in the proper place. The data pertaining to places and people was taken from books, but it was a difficult task to get this matter in order, and it is very possible that errors may be found, however earnest has been my endeavor to present everything accurately and interestingly.

I shall first picture Imperial Calcasieu Parish to you because it is the "Mother" of our own Beauregard Parish. Without this depiction the study loses a bit of its glamour, due to the relative newness of Beauregard Parish. When, etc. the surgical operation, so to speak, was made will be taken up later.

It is difficult to realize as we walk the streets of our beautiful towns, and see the blocks of residences, business establishments, factories, the busy mills and ceaseless hum of busy people gaining their bread by the sweat of their brow, that less than one hundred years ago the land, forests, rivers and bayous were the possession of wandering savages and formed a part of one large wilderness.

Here the pioneer pitched his tent and staked his all beside the Rio Hondo river, now called the Calcasieu. His existence was made possible as the savages had made theirs and as time elapsed, grounds were broken, rude homes were built and another population was begun.

Calcasieu is the westernmost parish of those embraced in the southwestern part of the state. It extends 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: (1)

Calcasieu parish is bounded on the north by Vernon parish, north and east by Rapides and St. Landry parish, 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 acres; hence is larger than either the State of Rohde Island or Delaware, and larger than the Kingdom of Belgium. Its principal streams are the Calcasieu and Houston Rivers; Beckworth, Hickory, Whiskey-Chitto, Bundicks, Ten Mile, Six Mile, Barnes, Sugar and Dry Creeks, and Serpent Schoupique, Dinde (D’Inde), Lacassine, and English Bayous. All of which, except the Lacassine, 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 rapidly increasing. The influx is principally from the Northern and Western States, and is generally of that class of individuals that add wealth to any country.

The principal industry up to several years ago was that of lumbering. The immense pinery, which covered about sixty percent of our territory, has been almost entirely depleted. The most important industry at the present time is that of stock raising. Rice, corn, cotton, peas, potatoes, and cane are the principal field crops, while garden vegetables of all kinds are raised in abundance. Fruit raising until recently was not considered 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.

The following is from the correspondence of The American Wool, Cotton and Financial Reporter, Boston, Massachusetts, and is further descriptive of topography and general features: (2)

The Settlement of Calcasieu. - This parish, like most of the others in Southwest Louisiana, has quite a mixed population, consisting of Creoles, Acadians, Americans, from half a dozen different States, a few Indians, etc. The Lake Charles Echo of October 24, 1890, says of the peopling of Calcasieu: (3) "In the early days 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 Montezuma’s, and the other having its center in the valley of the wooded banked father of waters, the great continent-draining Mississippi, 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 country, and as the Lone State severed her connection with Mexico, our section remained the outskirt between Louisiana and Texas. Calcasieu River was then known as the Rio Hondo. The lands lying between it and the Sabine River was a disputed territory claimed by the two great colonies.

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 others for many years constituted the entire population of Calcasieu, attached to St. Landry, from which it was separated about the year 1840, and designated the parish of Calcasieu. Later a part was taken from it in forming the parish of Vernon; and again, a part was taken in creating the parish of Cameron; and many, many years later the parish of Beauregard was formed; which three parishes are now united in the judicial district. The Rio Honda (Hondo) lost its Indian name and acquired that of Quelque Shout, from which again, by those strange changes which time effect without the reason being retained, it passed into the euphonious name of Calcasieu, whence may be attributed the pronunciation, "Calcashu," yet given it by many 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. West of the river were among others, Joseph Cornon, Hiram Ours, Dempsey Iles, Hardy Coward, John, his brother, William and Archibald Smith, Elias Blunt, David Choate, Philip Deviers, Joshua Johnson; many others also.

These all came here prior to 1824, for the purpose of getting the benefit of the Rio Honda (Hondo) Claims. Reese Perkins was one of the most prominent of these early settlers. He was the first justice of peace, and his courts were administered with more backwoods justice then with fine legal points. An interesting account of his courts is told in chapter 5.

The Pioneers. - Hardy Coward was also very prominent among the pioneers. He was the next Justice of Peace after Perkins and did a great deal of business in that particular line. He married nearly everybody in the settlement in those days, for ministers were scarce then. Squire Coward married them without money and without price, gave then his blessing and sent them on their way. 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 Vermillion. He came here in 1817, where he died some years later. He had a son Jacob Ryan, living in Lake Charles, who was a perfect walking encyclopedia on matters pertaining to the early settlement of this country. Henry Moss and Pierre Vincent were sons-in-law of Mr. Ryan Senior, who came with him and settled in the same neighborhood. Both are dead now.

Charles Sallier came from Italy and settled near the mouth of the Calcasieu River. The town of Lake Charles was named for him.

Thomas Bilbo died only a few years ago. He was a surveyor, and surveyed 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 a quite respectable house notwithstanding its age.

Organization of Parish. - While settlements were not made so early in the parish 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. This settlement has been followed until we find it spread out over a large section of country, and the people began to think of being organized into a parish themselves. They had been for years going to Opelousas to attend court and vote, if they voted at all, and they determined on better accommodations. This resulted in the organization of a new parish.

The Seat of Justice. - The first seat of Justice or court house was some six miles from Lake Charles on an air line, but about twenty-five by way of the Calcasieu River. It was called Marion, but was a small place, and had been used as a stopping or resting place for drovers passing with their herds of cattle from Texas to the New Orleans market. It is now known as Old Town, and but for the name no one would suspect its being a town at all, or of even having been the parish seat. After a few years (about 1851-1852) the parish seat was moved to Lake Charles, and the glory of Marion departed as a "tale 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 watch-song in her towers." (4) The court house and jail were moved from Marion to Lake Charles in 1852 by Jacob Ryan and Samuel A. Kirby. In 1872 a new court house was built by Mr. Ryan, a two-story frame, which served its duty until the new one, a handsome brick, costing $20,000 was built. The present brick jail standing in the corner of the public square next the lake was built in 1873 at a cost of $12,500.

Railroads. - Calcasieu, until the building of Louisiana Western Railroad, now a link in the Southern Pacific system, was without railroads, and was dependent entirely on water transportation. But the railroads have given it an importance abroad that it did not before possess. The completion of the Kansas City Watkins and Gulf Railway will make most advantageous northern connection, and will give Calcasieu parish railroad facilities not excelled by any parish in the State.

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

Churches and Schools. - The Baptists were the pioneers of religion in Calcasieu. 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.

Next 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 denominations organized churches.

The first school in the parish was taught at the house of the old pioneer, Jacob Ryan, who hired a man named Thomas Rigmaiden to teach his children and those of his sons-in-law, Moss and Vincent. The first school house was built on Bayou Dend (D’Inde), six or eight miles from Lake Charles, after it was laid out as a town. The parish now has a good system of schools.

Doctors and Lawyers. - Not much is known of the early physicians of Calcasieu. Dr. J. B. Saunders is one of the first physicians remembered in the parish. Next came Dr. Hardy, who was from Opelousas. He remained a few years and returned whence he came. Dr. Kirkman was also an early physician here, but died a few years ago. Dr. Gray came here from the north part of the State and practiced here until his death in May 1881. Few names in Louisiana are more widely known or more gratefully remembered than that of Dr. Gray.

The first lawyer of the parish was Samuel L. Irby. He was a man of considerable legal prominence, and for some time held the practice of Calcasieu alone. The next lawyer was a Mr. Parsons, and the next was a Mr. Ewing. These two gentlemen were both killed near the public square by a man named LeBlue, a rather desperate character, it is said and who finally met his death with his boots on. A lawyer named Sorwell was the next practitioner at the Calcasieu bar.

Judge Kearney was a prominent member of the bar of Calcasieu, and was District Attorney at the time of his decease.

Lake Charles Settled. - Lake 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 settlers of the place named Charles Sallier. It then had a population from three to five hundred souls, and about the same time it became the parish seat. In 1867 it was incorporated under the name Lake Charles and still retained the name of the old pioneer, Charles Sallier.

The 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 were to turn its great power in that direction, than any other one influence that can be exercised in a community.

The first newspaper published in this parish was the Calcasieu Press, founded in June, 1885 (should be 1855) by Judge Nortel and John A Spence of Opelousas. It continued until about the close of the war.

The Lake Charles Echo was the oldest paper in the parish, and one of the ablest in this portion of the State. It was established February 16, 1868.

The American was a flourishing weekly paper in the parish, sixteen pages, well filled with news, miscellany and matters of interest to the parish.

The Lake Charles Commercial was another paper.

The Christian Visitor was established by Reverend G. H. Rogers, pastor of the Baptist Church, and conducted about a year and a half, when it was consolidated with the American.

Country Towns. - Jennings was the most important town in Calcasieu parish outside of Lake Charles. The town is located in the midst of a fine shipping section.

Welsh is a flourishing town on the Southern Pacific Railroad, twenty-three miles east of Lake Charles. The situation of the town is all that could be desired, being half a mile from the Lacassine, a wooded stream flowing south to the Gulf.

Vinton is situated upon the western border of Calcasieu parish some six miles east of Sabine River. It has a position of commanding commercial importance.

Sabine Station is located near the western boundary of the State. It is a very pretty and pleasant location, with timber and prairie interspersed.

Sugartown, or the seventh ward, is about twenty-five square, bounded south by Barnes Creek and north by Vernon parish. It is heavily timbered and on its many creeks lumbering business is carried on.

West Charles is situated on the west bank of the lake.

Goosport is a small village just north of the Southern Pacific Railroad at Lake Charles.

There are a number of other small villages in the parish among which are Esterly, Iowa City, Crown Point, Lakeside, Edgerly, Sulphur City, Evangeline, Chloe, Lacassine, Rose Bluff, etc. Some of these are merely post-offices, kept at the house of some farmer, other are post-office and store, and sometimes a school house.

The parish of Calcasieu has a number of most beautiful 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 six miles of the gulf. Lake Arthur lies in the southeast part of the parish, while Lake Charles is at the parish capital, and gives the 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 was named from the lake, and both were named for Sallier, the pioneer.

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. An interesting incident of it is told in chapter 5.

This chapter is in part a continuance of the preceding one; yet in this I shall deal almost entirely with early settlers and happenings of what now comprises only the present parish of Beauregard.

Prior to the coming of permanent settlers is about 1820, and while the territory between the Sabine River and the Rio Honda (Hondo), later called the Calcasieu, was known as "No Man’s Land," robbers and desperadoes held sway. A band known as the Murrel clan operated in this territory during the period from 1820 to 1836. This clan was the most cruel and blood-thirsty that ever operated in the United States. They had a secret code by which they could communicate with one another and no one could find out their plans or get any information about them without deciphering their code, which was difficult. Their "hideout" was a cave on an island in the Mississippi River, just below Vicksburg. Later this island became the home of Joe Davis, brother to Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. The operation of this clan covered some ten or twelve states in the union, but like all such clans of this kind, was broken up when five of the leaders were captured, confessed their numerous crimes and were hanged in the State of Mississippi. Their leader, Murrel, escaped by posing as a minister of the gospel; he died in the State of Tennessee after serving a long term in the penitentiary. After the United States was recognized as owner of this territory, most of the remaining ones of the clan moved on.

Of those who came to what is now Beauregard parish, and who now have descendants in this parish, tradition says that Saddler Johnson was the first. His name was not "Saddler" but being a saddle maker by trade, as well as an all around mechanic for his day and generation, he became known as "Saddler" Johnson. He built a shack on the bluff bank of Whiskey Chitto Creek where the Palestine Baptist Church now stands. This is in what is now known as Allen Parish, but he later moved to what is now known as Beauregard parish, and most of his work was done around the present settlement of Sugartown, in this parish. There are many descendants of this man living in Beauregard parish, and among them is the Nelson family at the Singer community.

When the first Anglo-Saxons settled in the country west of the Calcasieu River, the present eight parishes comprising the Seventh Congressional District were know as St. Landry parish. Opelousas was the parish seat. All the territory between the Sabine River and Opelousas was either a wilderness or prairie. There were no roads, bridges, or ferries. Wild game and animals were plentiful. There were many Indians, but they gave the settlers very little trouble. There were four Indian villages in what is now Beauregard Parish, possibly more; one six or seven miles south of Sugartown, on Indian Branch, near the home of J. J. Young, another just across from the old W. B. Welborn home on Bundicks Creek; another near the mouth of Anacoco Creek and another at Merryville on the Frazar farm, just across the street where Merryville High School now stands.

The first permanent settlement was made in the vicinity of the present community of Sugartown about 1825. Prominent among the settlers were the following: Edward Escoubas, Dempsey Iles, of whom more will be said later, John L. Lyons, Joseph W. Moore, E. Sherley, James Simmons, William B. Welborn, Ezra Z. Young, and G. W. Corkran.

Among the next settlers were William Iles, George Smith, and William Thompson. Soon after these came Bill Bundicks, after whom Bundicks Creek was named; and Joe Beckwith, after whom Beckwith Creek took its name. Of these settlers William Iles and George Smith later moved to Rapides parish.

There are many of the descendents of these families and especially of the Dempsey Iles now living in this and adjoining parishes. There are quite a few of the Thompsons also. Tradition says that W. F. Thompson, father of Dempsey Thompson, and grandfather of D. A. Thompson of the present Jones C. O. D. Grocery in DeRidder, was the first white child born in Beauregard parish. The second community to be settled was that of Dry Creek by Thomas W. Williams.

Between the years 1830 and 1835 there came from Sumpter, South Carolina, four Mims brothers; namely, Dr. L. M. Mims, P. D. Mims, Sumpter Mims, and another that I could not find what his given name or initials were. Two of the brothers settled in what is now Beauregard parish, and the other two in Calcasieu parish. The old Mims’ farm site can be located today near Dewitts Eddy; the old field is now covered with a large growth of pine timber. The mother of these boys came with them and as stated before they came from near Fort Sumpter of Civil War fame; and if you will notice, one of them was named after this fort. If the proper examination is made of a map one will find that near Fort Sumpter there is a fort named Fort Mims, named in honor of the ancestors of these four brothers. The Mims family was distantly related to the Frazar family, one of the pioneer families of Beauregard parish. Miss Mary Mims, of state club work, is probably a descendant of this same family, as I have been told that she traces her ancestry back to near Fort Sumpter. Her people, however, settled in north Louisiana. The fact that the naming of Fort Sumpter belongs also to her ancestors shows that they were originally of the same stock. There are a few of the descendants of this pioneer family in this, and adjoining parishes, however many have gone into the state of Texas. Two brothers went to British Honduras many years ago; one of them returned to this country and the other died in British Honduras, and his mother went to the country and brought back his body for burial. He was buried near old Bagdad, which has been written of.

In the late 30’s or early 40’s another settlement was made about six or seven miles south of the present town of Leesville. This settlement was known as Petersburg, taking its name from Pete Eddleman, one of the settlers. These people came from South Carolina and Florida. Among them were the Words, Knights, Eddlemans, and McCranies. Many of the descendents of these families reside in Beauregard and adjoining parishes.

A little later there came three more men from South Carolina: William Sanders, Pink Cain, and Tyce Roberts. A settlement named for Mr. Sanders was known as Sandersville. The old place is on or near the paved highway (1), some seven miles from Leesville; the town of Petersburg was probably a half mile of the road. From the above three pioneer families came the present principal of the DeRidder High School, J. W. Sanders, and the present sheriff, Henry Cain.

About 1840 a settlement was made on the lower Anacoco Creek. (2) This settlement was made in part by the following families: Welborns, McGees, Crafts, Eaves, Hennigans Gores, and Hickmans. There are many of the descendants of these families now residing in Beauregard parish. About the same time there came to the Sabine River country some fifteen or twenty miles south of Merryville, the Colemans and McCorquadales and others that I was not able to learn the names of.

In 1840 the present five parishes of Allen, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, and Beauregard were severed from St. Landry and christened Calcasieu, taking its name from the Calcasieu River, whish ran through it.

Between the years 1848 and 1851, quite a colony from Hancock County, Mississippi, came to this Sabine River country. A number of them settled in what is now Beauregard parish. Among these people were the Wingates, Frazars, Spikes, Mitchells, and Slaydons. The leader was Robert Wingate, who had three sons and three daughters. The descendents of this pioneer family today in Louisiana and Texas number more than a thousand people. Among them residing in DeRidder at the present time are Dr. J. D. Frazar, W. H. Frazar, L. W. Cooper, Mrs. Robert Jones, and the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Mr. J. E. McMahon.

In 1849 David Lyles settled a few miles south of the present community of Dry Creek and Hiram Lyles, parish assessor is a grandson of this pioneer. There are others who also trace their ancestry back to Mr. Lyles.

About 1850 there came to what is now known as Beauregard parish a man by the name of Alston, Jack, some say his given name was. He was married and had seven children. They settled on Beckwith Creek in the southern part of the parish. One of his sons was named P. M. Alston, but familiarly known to the other settlers as Cooley Alston. He died a few years ago at the age of eighty-five. The descendants of this man are living in Beauregard today.

In 1852 one Joseph Nichols came to this country, first settling in Vernon parish, but later moving to the present parish of Beauregard. There are many descendants of this pioneer settler in this and adjoining parishes. Among the more outstanding ones might be named Mr. Lee Nichols, present president of the Fair Association of Beauregard parish, and Mr. Clyde Nichols, cashier of the First National Bank of DeRidder. These two were great grandsons of Joseph Nichols.

From 1850 to 1861 this country settled rapidly. There were approximately one hundred fifty families living within ten miles of the present community of Sugartown, and possibly a population of three or four thousand in the present parish of Beauregard. During the four years of the Civil War some of these migrated north.

In 1860 William Hanchey settled in the Dry Creek community, and the present parish superintendent of education, K. R. Hanchey, is his great-grandson. About the same time as Mr. Hanchey settled, D. E. Baggett, J. F. Hanchey, the Millers, Heards, Lindseys, and Kents came to Dry Creek.

All or practically all of the settlers told about so far were of Anglo-Saxon origin; but, there were a few French settlers who should be mentioned. Julian Lejeune, who came here from near Opelousas, at a very early date, was one of the first settlers in the Sugartown settlement. He had six sons and one daughter. There are many of Lejeune’s descendants in this and adjoining parishes. A little later, after Lejeune, there came from the same part of St. Landry parish, John Fruge, now written Frusha, who settled near where the village of Longville now stands. One of his sons lives on the home place at the present time.

I have already mentioned the fact that there were no communication facilities between the years 1830 and 1870, hence all of the settlers in the western part of the parish had to get their mail at Belgrade, a small town in Texas, on the west side of the Sabine River, across from the mouth of Old River, on the Louisiana side, and not far from a settlement made by one of the Frazars in 1849. The people living in the eastern part of the parish received their mail either at Opelousas or Alexandria; however, there was very little mail at that time. Figures would show that there is more mail coming into DeRidder in one day now then came to all of the early settlers in a year.

Tradition says that a star mail route was granted form Lake Charles to Petersburg by way of Sugartown during the year 1841. The mail was weekly; three days to Petersburg and three for the return. Alexander Varneel was the First post-master at Sugartown, and the post-office was about one and a half miles form the present location.

These settlers lived in log houses with floors made of puncheons. The roofs were almost flat, covered with boards three to four feet in length, and weighted down with long heavy poles. The reason for the roof being so constructed was that nails were not to be had in this part of the country at the time.

A large majority of the people of what is now Beauregard parish were opposed to the secession of Louisiana from the Federal Union; but when the act was passed in the convention, as loyal citizens, a large majority enlisted in the service and served until the close of the war.

During the war, about 1863, when the Federal troops captured New Orleans and blockaded the mouth of the Mississippi River, Taylor’s army being in Central Louisiana at the time, retreating, it was necessary to furnish Taylor’s army with provisions and ammunition. For this purpose a military road was hastily cut out from Niblett’s Bluff, (3) to Alexandria. The Confederate Government assigned as follows the man to build the road: Reverend William Perkins of Big Woods, Alexander Frazar of Merryville, and W. J. Slaydon of near Singer. They were to complete the road from Niblett’s Bluff to Sugartown and then another crew would take charge from there on. Among this crew was Irion Davis, an uncle of C. C. Davis, an ex-mayor of Deridder. This crew constructed the road to near Hineston in Rapides parish where still a third group of men took charge and finished the road to Alexandria. All of the work was done chiefly by soldiers, but the few slave owners who lived near the road furnished their male slaves to help in work. All of the parties mentioned in the above have descendants and relatives in Beauregard and adjoining parishes.

For many years after the war this military road was the only road in Beauregard parish. It entered the parish near the southwest corner and ran diagonally through the parish, entering what is now known as Allen parish less than a mile from the northeast corner of the Beauregard line.

From the first settlement in this part of the State until after the close of the Civil War, everything that was used as clothing, food, and farm implements was made entirely at home. Cotton mills, syrup mills, grist mills, rope works and hide tanning concerns were common. One hide tanning yard was located about two miles southeast of Sugartown on the bank of Sugar Creek; it location is visible today. It was operated by two Pollard brothers. Both of them have descendants in this parish today. Every farm house had a spinning wheel and a loom for weaving cloth. The women had a system they called ‘single slaying’ which they used when manufacturing goods to be used for special wear. All cooking was done on an open fireplace with skillets, pots, and ovens; there were no cook stoves at this time. About the year 1870 the merchants began to get a few conveniences, such as material for clothing and cooking purposes.

In the pioneer days there were artificial ways of lighting the homes, other than a pine knot fire or tallow candle. There was no such thing as matches. Fire was kept burning all the time, and if by chance the fire was allowed to go out it was rekindled by striking a large flint with a piece of steel, the sparks falling on scorched cotton and gun powder, which was kept in all homes. There were other methods but the above method was the most common.

The first Masonic Lodge in all the territory west of the Calcasieu River was organized at Shiloh, where the Shiloh Baptist Church now stands. It was organized about the year 1868. It was later moved to Sugartown.

In the year 1868 Cameron parish was carved out of Imperial Calcasieu. This was during the Carpet Bag Regime.

Years rolled on and the country gradually took on new life. The settlers were now permanent residents and towns were formed. I leave these now to be discussed in their respective chapters.

In the year 1908 a movement was started to create the present parish of Beauregard. A group of business men from the towns of DeRidder, Sugartown, and Merryville went to Baton Rouge while the regular session of legislature was meeting. They were going to present the necessary bill for the creation of a parish. They saw the many difficulties they were going to have to overcome and worked faithfully on them for several days. The bill came up for passage but was voted down by a small majority. The group returned home defeated but not discouraged, knowing at a future session they would renew their efforts.

It was not until the year 1912 that the people decided to try again to obtain a division from Imperial Calcasieu. A meeting was called for interested citizens to come to the town of DeRidder. A body of men was delegated to go to Baton Rouge and present for a second time the bill for creating a parish.

The bill was properly introduced and passed at the regular session of the year 1912. The bill was not effective until the first day of January 1913.

A name to be decided on and a group of women instigated the feeling that it should be called Beauregard, after the illustrious General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard.

The majority of people wanted the name and hence Beauregard took its place among the other fifty some odd parishes of the State.

Incidentally I want to add here that Beauregard parish was one of the last parishes to be created. Due to its comparative newness there is very little collected printed material on the people, incidents, and happenings, of the parish. The main interest lies in the territory that was made into Beauregard parish.

Owing to the fact that the parish was named for General Beauregard I shall here sketch the most interesting and important facts of his life. There was nothing connected with his life that caused the people to want to name the parish for him other than he was one of the noted generals of the Confederate Army.

General Beauregard was born in Saint Bernard parish Louisiana, May 28, 1818, his ancestors on both sides having been members of distinguished French families. On July 1, 1834, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1838, standing second in a class of forty-five. He entered the army as second lieutenant in the first artillery, but was soon attached with the same rank of corps of engineers. He assisted in the construction of Fort Adams, Newport Harbor, R. I., and the defenses of Pensacola, Florida, and in June 1839, was promoted to first lieutenant. In this capacity he was engaged in the survey of Barataria bay; the repair of Fort Jackson; was superintending engineer in the construction of Tower Dupre, the repair of the defenses on the eastern passes to New Orleans and the repairs of Fort McHenry, Maryland. In the Mexican war he won considerable fame as a strategist and engineer, by his construction of the defenses of Tampico and in the siege of Vera Crus, and on August 20, 1847, was brevetted captain "for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle of Conteras and Churubusco." At the battle of Chapultepec and the capture of the City of Mexico he distinguished himself, being wounded in the storming of the "Causeway battery" and again at the Belen gate. From that time until 1861 he was engaged as captain, corps of engineers, in the construction and repair of various forts and defenses.

On February 20, 1861, he resigned his commission in the United States service, having just been appointed superintendent of the military academy at West Point on January 23. He was placed in command of the Confederate works and forces at Charleston, South Carolina, and it was by his order that the first shot of the great Civil War was fired, at 4:30 a. m. on April 12, 1861. At the first battle of Manassas July 21, 1861, he was practically in command of the Confederate troops, though he was superseded by General J. N. Johnson during the progress of the engagement. At Shiloh, April 6, 1862, after the death of General Albert Sidney Johnson, Beauregard assumed command and forced the Federal troops back at all points, being master of the field at dark. The arrival of General Buell’s army of the Ohio during the night turned the tide of battle the next day, when the Confederates fell back in good order to Corinth, Mississippi. This place he successfully defended until May 28, when he destroyed all his stores and again withdrew in good order from the presence of an overwhelming enemy. Ill health then forced him to retire from active service for a time, but he was again placed in command of Charleston which place he held against all attempts of DuPont’s fleet and Hunter’s army for nearly two years. In April, 1864 he was ordered to Richmond, where he organized a little army, defeated General Butler and held the works at Petersburg. In October 1864, he was assigned to the command of the division of the West, and in December his department was enlarged to include South Carolina and the Coast of Georgia. In February 1865, he was relieved by General J. E. Johnston, whom he assisted during the closing days of the struggle and surrendered with him in April 1865. In 1866 he was tendered the chief command of the armies of Roumania, but declined and spent the remainder of his life in civil pursuits, his only military service being that of adjutant-general of Louisiana. He served as president of two important railroad companies, and died on February 20, 1893, the last survivor of the Confederate army. (1)

During the year 1912 after the bill had been passed making Beauregard a parish but before the time that it was effective, a temporary set of police jurors were appointed by the governor; they were: W. W. Farque, Harold Iles, J. I. Nichols, T. N. Hyatt, and J. W. Tooke. They divided the parish into wards.

Next it was necessary to select a parish seat of justice and there were two candidates: DeRidder and Singer. An election was held and DeRidder received a majority of votes.

A temporary courthouse had to be had so the present blacksmith shop of E. L. London’s was used until the Long-Bell Lumber Company donated a site. The present courthouse was built on this ground. On the site donated by the lumber company stood the Methodist Church. The parish bought this corner on which the church stood and the building with it. The first temporary courthouse was abandoned and the church building was used in its stead until the present structure was completed. There was no jailhouse so the prisoners of the parish were either taken to Leesville in the adjoining parish of Vernon or to Lake Charles in Calcasieu parish. The present courthouse and jailhouse were begun in 1914.

After regular police jurors were elected and a courthouse was available the providing of a government of the new parish was immediately begun. The first parish officers were:

Sheriff, W. A. Martin

Assessor, T. W. Stewart

Clerk of Court, J. H. McMahon

Coroner, Dr. J. D. Frazar

Mr. Frank Powell was elected to represent the parish in the state legislature and Mr. L. D. McCollister was elected parish superintendent of Education.

All of the above men served until January 1916 when a new tern of office began. Their term was shorter than the full four years due to the time the parish was made effective.

There are many interesting stories which are told of people, places and incidents of Beauregard parish before and after it was created. Some of these you will find here.

When Imperial Calcasieu was carved out of St. Landry there were four aspirants to the parish seat of justice: Marion, Shell Bank, Lake Charles, and Bagdad. (1) Marion received the largest number of votes and was declared the parish seat. Immediately a log courthouse was erected. It became necessary to have lumber for the doors, ceiling, facings, and floors. Thomas M. Williamson, who was the first police juror of Dry Creek and Sugartown and also one of the first settlers of the parish, agreed to build a saw mill and cut and float the lumber down the river. The mill was erected near the mouth of Dry Creek, less than a mile from the present Dry Creek High School, and I am told that the mill can now be seen. A cross-cut saw that Mr. Williams used to cut the logs for the lumber is now in possession of a member of the family of whom there are many in this section of the State and many other states. Among the descendants in this part of the State is Dr. J. A. Crawford, a baby specialist, now residing in Lake Charles. A great grandson, Mitchell Wood, former deputy sheriff of Beauregard parish, and Jeff Wood of Fields, Louisiana (2) are two other descendants that are well known.

Before leaving the subject of the courthouse I would like to tell of the first recording instrument that was used in it. On July 23, 1840, the instrument was used for the first time and the first Conveyance Record was not finished until April 7, 1862. I mention this because of the contrast in the use of the same records at the present time. As a rule it now takes two books a year while formerly one was used over a period of twenty years.

One of the Frazar family came to the Calcasieu River country before 1821. He and four companions built a large skiff about forty feet long and floated it down the Calcasieu River to the Gulf of Mexico and down the coast of the mouth of the Brazos River. In 1821 they joined the first immigrants of the Stephen F. Austin colony at that place.

The Frazar man was evidently in the Texas-Mexican war in 1836 and likely killed in battle. His widow, Susan Frazar, and son Joe, crossed the Sabine River at Nixes Ferry in 1836 to get away from a Mexican army invasion of East Texas, just a few days before the battle of San Jacinto. This information is from John Hoozier who operated the ferry at that place. He died a few years ago at the age of a hundred or more.

Susan Frazar is said to have died in the vicinity of Sugartown. The son Joe has been lost sight of. He was reported to have gone to the State of Michigan from Louisiana. It is said that several thousands of dollars have been spent in trying to locate him, or his heirs, as his parents had large land grants from the Texas government and a part of it became very valuable due to the finding of oil on it.

There was also one of the Wingate family, Edward by name, who came to the parish of Calcasieu prior to 1836. When the Texas-Mexican war began to brew he went to Texas and joined the Texas army. He was with General Fannin at Goliad and with the other 131 who were massacred by the Mexican army after having surrendered and turned over their arms to the Mexican soldiers. This was just a few days after the fall of Alamo at San Antonio.

Edward Wingate owned large land grants from the Texas government among which was the battle field of San Jacinto and a large part of the present city of Houston and the Barber Hill oil field. His heirs have never received a penny for this land.

Judge D. R. Wingate built the first saw mill in Texas at Sabine Pass in 1850. He also built one of the first ones on the Mississippi.

An interesting tale is told of how marriages were made and consummated in the early days of Beauregard parish. I have already told of the lack of communication facilities so it is easy to see the logic in the following. As the young people grew up and wished to be married they found it practically impossible to obtain marriage licenses, etc. Hence John would pay attention to Mary as he does now and if he were lucky enough to gain the parent’s consent, he immediately selected a nice location, built a cabin and at the appointed time the neighbors were invited to attend a supper which was followed by a dance until the early hours of the morning. After the guests had gone John and Mary began living in their new cabin as happy as could be. In 1931 the legislature passed a bill by which the children of these unions could be made legal heirs.

The following is told of Reese Perkins who was the first justice of the peace of Calcasieu parish: He once sent a man to the penitentiary 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 house, 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 penitentiary. Blunt attempted to plead with the squire for mitigation of the punishment, as he was a poor man and had a large family, etc., when Perkins thundered out: "Shut your mouth, or I’ll make it ten years."

Perkins started his son with Blunt to the penitentiary and gave him a note to Mr. Bell at Opelousas, to assist the boy in landing the prisoner at the pen. He met Bell on the outskirts of town, and handed him his father’s letter. When Bell read it he inquired of the young man where the prisoner was. "Here he is," said the young 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 not right to sentence him to the pen, and if some of the Opelousas lawyers get hold of the story they will give you trouble. So, the best thing you can do it to get home as quick as possible and release your prisoner." The boy took him at word and went back home. The prisoner was released and the matter was hushed up. (3)

The following incident is told of the ferry that Reese Perkins managed at one time: He sold the ferry and land around it a man named James H. Buchanan. He allowed a man named Holt to lay out a town, and they would go partners in the enterprise. 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 Dr. 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 space in Lisbon, and ask to have it pointed out to them. The name of Lisbon was changed to Bagdad but that did not change its prosperity.

This incident was told to Mr. Robert Jones, pioneer and resident of Beauregard parish. Mrs. Dempsey Iles, wife of the prominent pioneer already told of, was at her home one night alone except for her three small children. Nothing disturbed them during the night but about daylight Mrs. Iles looked out the bedroom window and saw a large number of Indians standing in a corner of the yard. She was frightened for the safety of her children and decided to speak the little Indian language that she knew in order to find out what they wanted. She dressed and went out on the front porch and in her way tried to talk to them. She soon discovered that they spoke another Indian language that she did not know but she also sensed that they did not wish to harm her, that there was something they wished. She went in the house and brought out any number of commodities as sugar, flour, bacon, etc. This still was not what they were looking for. It dawned on her that maybe it was salt they wanted because it was one of the rarest commodities in those days. Sure enough this was what they wanted and on seeing it they raised her to their shoulder and carried her to a cut-off stump in the yard and put her on it and began to dance around her. Of course she thought they were going to burn her or something to offer a sacrifice. They did not harm her though. In a short time they left and from then on they would return at intervals and bring gifts of all sorts in thanks for the salt.

She also tells of the time she strapped one of her children to her back and swam the Sabine River because there was no other way of getting across.

Mystic, located in Ward I on Bearhead Creek where Reese Perkins lives.

Duetts Eddy, also in Ward I about two miles north of the parish line on old place of the Mim’s family.

Woodburg, also in Ward I on river where Jeff Young lives.

Bivens, also in Ward I near the N. J. Cooper residence.

Loretta, located in Ward 2 at the old Cannon place, one mile south of Kern’s Filling Station.

April, also in Ward 2 near Paul McMillians’ place.

Meadows, also in Ward 2 on Cypress Creek near Sud Arledge’s place.

Ennis, located in Ward 4 at the Barentine place, north of Longville.

Bear, located in Ward 6 at the place where the Andrus family now lives.

Everett, also in Ward 6 a short distance from Bear.

Turps, also in Ward 6 at the old S. R. Kingerey place near parish line on the Lake Charles and Northern Railway.

Rena, located in Ward 7 near Cole Central School, near Vernon line on Whiskey Chitto Creek.

Kipling, also in Ward 7 at Will Stracerner’s place.

Bundick, located in Ward 8 at the old J. E. Parker home about three miles from W. P. Iles.

Pearl, also in Ward 8 on Barnes Creek at Joe Kingerey’s place about ten miles south of Dry Creek.

Ludington, a still small village.

Bon Ami, a few people bought the mill houses and rebuilt them

Carson, very few living in this vicinity.

Newell, known as Stranges Mill.

Juanita, almost completely deserted.

(The above five were located on the Kansas City Southern Railroad.)

W.A. Brown Lumber Company, Bannister, Louisiana.

Ragley, Ragley, Louisiana.

(The above three mills were located on the Lake Charles and Northern Railroad.)

Anacoco Lumber Company, Grabow, Louisiana.

Lyons Lumber Company, Kernan, Louisiana.

Lutcher and Moore at Old Fields, Fields, Louisiana.

Miller-Link at Bunker Hill.

Bancroft, near Henry Travis’s place.

Hoy, near Sugartown, Sugartown, Louisiana.

White Onion, near Dry Creek.

Walla, near Dry Creek.

Cam Curtis, near Ragely.

Seven Hundred, near Carson.

Sweetville, between DeRidder and Longville.

Camp Delta.

Clines, at the mouth of Anacoco.

Terrys, one-fourth of a mile north of highway bridge between Merryville and Bon Weir.

Starks, west of the present Jeff Cagle place.

Whitmans, near the N. J. Cooper place.

Duetts Eddy.

Nixes.

The post offices named were discontinued because of better roads, rural routes, and in some cases because there was no one to accept the postmaster ship.

The lumber mills, logging camps, and turpentine camps were abandoned because the timber was cut away.

The ferries were abandoned for the reason that traffic bridges were built to take their places.

The discontinuing and abandoning of these various enterprises have not depleted the parish because the natural increase has been in proportion.

There are many old and interesting places in what is now known as Beauregard parish. I shall not try to give all the information that could be given on and about them but shall endeavor to give the most valuable as to interest and history.

Sugartown

I shall begin with the first settlement which was known as Sugartown in its beginning and is still called the same. It is one of the places that has an interesting legend told of its naming, which goes like this: Bob Martin, one of the old settlers, had obtained a few stalks of sugar cane from St. Mary parish which he preceded to plant. He saved the crop from year to year and by the end of the third year he had a crop of about one-eighth of an acre. He remarked to his neighbor, Saddler Johnson, that if he had some way of getting the juice out of the cane he could make some nice syrup. Mr. Johnson, being a skilled mechanic, told him, "Bob, let’s make a mill by taking two short sections of a big gum tree and turning them with a lathe until they are uniform. Then we will fit cogs into them so they can be turned with a lever and thus squeeze the juice out of the cane." This was done; also a small furnace was built using wash kettles instead of sugar kettles. Neither of them were familiar with the fine points of making syrup so they let it boil too long and when the mess cooled they had two or three kettles of sugar.

It was not long afterwards that a name was to be selected for this particular community and someone present, having Bob Martin’s in mind, said, "Let’s call it Sugartown." It was thus petitioned and named and has remained Sugartown to the present time. It is a money order post-village situated three miles south of the northern boundary of the parish. (1)

Schovall, DeKidder, and DeRidder

The small settlement of Schovall was named for M. L. Schovall of Shreveport, Louisiana, who was one of the railroad officials of the Kansas City Southern Railway. It was known by this name for a number of years until it was changes to DeKidder after another one of the railroad officials. For several years it kept this title until it was again changed to its present name DeRidder.

It is situated near the northern border of the parish and until some five years ago was one of the most important and prospering lumbering towns of western Louisiana. It is located at the junction of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, Kansas City Southern, and the Louisiana and Pacific Railroads, in the heart of what used to be known as the western long leaf yellow pine district. (2) It has a complete system of waterworks, obtaining the water from artesian wells, an ice plant, electric lights, a fine public school system with buildings that cost $10,000, a number of fine churches, two banks, and international money order post office, express office, telegraph station, telephone facilities, and numerous fine mercantile establishments. The manufacture of lumber was the principal business until a few years ago but the mills have cut their timber and now there is only a flooring plant in DeRidder. As much as 150,000 feet of lumber was cut in a day and the plants ran night and day employing hundreds of workers. The country has rapidly developed into a fine agricultural country since the mills have cut the timber and cattle and sheep are raised and exported in large numbers. Thousands of pounds of wool are shipped out of DeRidder every year from all over the parish. The town was laid out in 1897 and has had a steady growth, the population being estimated at 2,500 - 3000 in 1932. Its cotton shipments mount into the thousands of bales.

Dry Creek

The post-village in the eastern part of the parish is situated on the creek of the same name, about three miles southwest of Red Buck, the nearest railroad station. As far as I could learn the village took its name from the creek on which it is situated. The population is about 150. There is a public school and several small stores and filling stations which make up the most of the settlement. The Baptist people have built what they term the Dry Creek Encampment grounds here and each year in the middle of the summer they hold their church meeting. Delegates are sent from churches in the whole State to participate in the worship. This has made Dry Creek know more than any other factor. The people of the community farm and raise cattle and sheep and much money is made of these. (3)

Merryville

The naming of this town is unknown to me. It is a town and station in Beauregard parish situated on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, about fifteen miles west of DeRidder, and forty miles northwest of Lake Charles. It was in the western long leaf yellow pine and had important lumbering industries until the timber was cut. At the present the majority of people have only a meager existence off of their farms. Some raise cattle and sheep while a few have paying pecan orchards. It is a money order post office and is the trading section for miles around. Its population is around 1,000. (4)

Hall City

I merely mention this place because it used to be the railroad station that served the town of Merryville. There is not any land marker here at the present.

Longville

This post-village has always been known as Longville, taking its name from one of the officials in the Long-Bell Lumber Company by the name of R. A. Long. It is situated on the Lake Charles and Northern Railroad about twenty-five miles north of Lake Charles and eighteen miles south of DeRidder. At one time this town was the pride of the Long-Bell Lumber Company as a saw mill but the timber was cut away several years ago. A few people live in the mill houses but for the most they live on farms in the country surrounding what was known as the mill town, where is located a post office, store, filling station, and a public school. The shipping of wool is the main item of a living. (5)

Ludington

This is another village which was built on account of one of the Long-Bell’s mills being there. It is situated on the Kansas City Railroad about three miles north of DeRidder. It was named for a Mr. Ludington of the Ludington, Wells, and Van Schoiek Lumber Co. It has never been changed to any other name. At the present time there is very little of interest to see in this little village because the mills were abandoned years ago.

Bon Ami

This small town has always been balled Bon Ami, meaning in French, "good friend." It was a very lively little town at one time but is only inhabited by those who bought homes when the mill cut out. It is situated in the northwestern part of the parish on the Kansas City Southern Railroad. (6) There is not a station any more.

Carson

This mill town took its name from some official in the lumber company which built it but I was unable to find out the name of the man. It has always been known as Carson. It is situated on the Kansas City Southern Railroad about five miles south of DeRidder. It had an international money order post office, an express office, telegraph and telephone facilities at one time. It was also the eastern terminus of a short line of railroad called the Missouri and Louisiana, which ran east to Carson mill.

Singer

This town is in the central part of the parish and was the contender for the parish seat when it was made. It is on the Kansas City Southern and was comparatively new when the railroad was built. It is about twenty-eight miles northwest of Lake Charles, and handled more piling then any three towns in the pine region. There were several large saw mills near the town that furnished a large amount of finished timber. It was the shipping point for a large tract of lumbering and farming country that produced some cotton, hogs and other farm products. It too had decreased in wealth and people since the mills are gone but there is still a large brick school building and a nice enrollment of students. The name has been the same since the town was laid out. (7)

Pujo

This small village was named for Congressman A. P. Pujo of Lake Charles. It remains the same at the present.

Pleasant Hill

The community of Pleasant Hill has always been known by this name. There was a school at one time in the community but was discontinued and the children were enrolled in DeRidder High School. There is not much of the village except a filling station on the Lake Charles-DeRidder highway.

Grabow

This village took its name from a Mr. Grabow of the Grabow Lumber Company and retains the same title.

Fields-Hyatt

The post office bears the name of Fields, the railroad the name of Hyatt. Both are for people of the settlement, as far as I could ascertain.

Dennis E. Baggett, Dry Creek, Beauregard Parish.

Dennis E. Baggett was born in Harrison County, Mississippi, in 1847. He spent his boyhood days and received his education in Mississippi. At the age of seventeen years he moved to Louisiana and located inn what is now Called Beauregard parish, where he engaged in farming. His father was a native of Florida and his mother of Mississippi. The father moved to Mississippi early in life, where he was engaged in lumbering. He died August 1861, and his widow survived only a year.

Mr. Baggett was married in 1867, to Miss Ellen Nicolas a native of Calcasieu parish. They were the parents of nine children.

Joseph Cooper, Loretta, Beauregard Parish.

Joseph Cooper was 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 his wife became the parents of nine children. Our subject’s grand parents were also natives of South Carolina where they lived and died.

Joseph Cooper removed from Alabama to Texas in 1851 and to Louisiana in 1858. He gave his full attention to farming, in which he did well. He never married.

G. W. Corkran, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish.

G.W. Corkran was born in Calcasieu parish in 1844, 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 devoted his whole attention to planting and stock raising. Mr. Corkran was married in 1875, to Miss Mary A. Sleighton. They reared an adopted daughter.

Edward Escaubas, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish.

Edward Escaubas, a planter and merchant of Sugartown, was a native of Calcasieu parish, born February 8, 1857. He was the son of Adolph and Mary (Rignaider) Escoubas. His father was a native of France, born 1832 and his mother of Louisiana born 1835. Edward Escoubas came to this parish in 1842.

The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in Calcasieu parish and began life as a planter, to which he gave his full attention, until 1885, when he opened a general mercantile store at Sugartown. Mr. Escoubas was an energetic man and his business undertaking proved a success. He was married in this parish in 1870, to Miss Hepsey, a daughter of Maranda and Lydia (Foreman) Perkins. They were the parents of seven children, two sons and five daughters.

J. F. Hanchey, Dry Creek, Beauregard Parish.

J. F. Hanchey was a native of Alabama, born in Pike County, May 30, 1845. He was the son of William and Frances (Letlow) Hanchey. His father was a native of South Carolina, born November 15, 1806, and his mother of Jones County, Georgia, born in January 1812. In 1859 William Hanchey removed to Louisiana, where he purchased land and resided until the time of his death in 1883. His widow survived him several years.

The subject of this sketch came to Louisiana with his parents where he received a common school education in this parish. Mr. Hanchey gave his full time to planting until 1889 when he erected a cotton, grist, and saw mill, which he operated in connection with his plantation. He was married in Calcasieu parish, in 1865, to Miss Nancy Ford, a native of Louisiana, and daughter of J. B. Ford. They were the parents of eight children.

J. E. M. Hennigan, Merryville, Beauregard Parish.

J. E. M. Hennigan was a native of Louisiana, born in Calcasieu parish, 1853. His father was a native of Georgia, as well as his mother. They removed to Calcasieu parish in 1856. His father was a successful planter.

Mr. Hennigan received a common school education, adopted as his vocation farming, which he exclusively followed. He was married in 1871 to Miss Louise J. Eaves. They were the parents of four children.

Demcy (Dempsey?) Iles, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish.

Demcy Iles was a native of Louisiana, born in Calcasieu parish, May 7, 1831. He was the son of Demcy and Sarah (Cherry) Iles, both natives of South Carolina. Demcy Iles, Senior, was a planter and stock dealer. His father, William Iles, was in the Revolutionary War.

The subject of this sketch was one of a family of fourteen children.

Demcy Iles grew to manhood and received his education in Calcasieu parish. During the Civil War he was in Calvary service, having enlisted in 1862, in the Second Louisiana Regiment. After the war he returned home, where he engaged in farming and stock raising. He had on his place a large number of cattle and sheep and was one of the most successful stock raiser in this section. Mr. Iles was married, in 1850, to Miss Martha Perkins, a native of the parish. To this union there were born twelve children.

John L. Lyons, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish.

John L. Lyons was a native of Calcasieu parish, born November 23, 1843. He was the son of John and Arnald (Stanton) Lyons, both natives of St. Landry parish, Louisiana. J. L. Lyons was a successful planter. He became the father of twelve children.

The subject of this sketch received the benefit of a good education and began life as a farmer. He operated a steam cotton gin, grist, rice and saw mill, combined. He owned five hundred acres of land, most of which were timbered. He married Miss M. Perkins and to this union six children were born.

Levi A. Miller, Dry Creek, Beauregard Parish.

Levi A. Miller was a native of South Carolina, born September 18, 1830. He was educated in the common schools of Marion County, South Carolina. He began life as a planter in Mississippi, which occupation he followed all his life. He emigrated from Mississippi to Louisiana in 1861. He was very prominent in local affairs and served as a police juror from Ward 7. He was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Jones. To this union were born eleven children.

Joseph W. Moore, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish.

Joseph W. Moore, a prosperous merchant of Sugartown, was a native of Ireland, born September 29, 1835. His parents were both natives of Ireland.

Mr. 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 a bookkeeper in a hotel in that place. In 1858 he married Miss Eliza Cavaraught, a native of Alabama. To this union were born eleven children.

J. W. Neely, Merryville, Beauregard Parish.

J. W. Neely was an active business man. In connection with his farm he operated a saw mill, grist mill, and cotton gin. He was married in 1868 to Miss Elizabeth Watson. They were the parents of nine children. He was born in Jackson parish, Louisiana 1850. His father was a native of South Carolina and his mother of North Carolina.

Isaac Nichols, Loretta, Beauregard Parish.

Isaac Nichols was a native of Alabama; removed to Louisiana in 1845. He received the benefit of a good education, and engaged himself in the business of farming. Mr. Nichols always took an active part in public affairs, both political and social. He was for eight years police juror from his ward. He was a charter member of the Farmer’s Alliance at this place, in which he held the office of lecturer. Mr. Nichols married in 1865, Miss A. E. Holliday. They were the parents of six children.

E. Sherley, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish.

E. Sherley was a native of Mississippi, born in 1845. He came to Calcasieu with his parents when a small boy, and remained here.

E. Sherley gave his entire attention to farming and stock raising, and this met with fair success. He served during the whole of the war. Mr. Sherley married in 1870 Miss Sarah Cole. They were the parents of seven children.

James Simmons, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish

James Simmons was born in Calcasieu parish in 1833. He was reared and received his education in Calcasieu. He was a planter and stock raiser all of his life. He was twice married.

E. A. Slaydon, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish

E. A. Slaydon was born in 1864. His parents were both natives of Louisiana. Mr. Slaydon’s occupation was that of a farmer and stock raiser. He was married in 1887, and was the father of six children.

Reverend Stephen Smith, Loretta, Beauregard Parish

Reverend Smith was a native of Mississippi and one of a family of six. He received his education in Louisiana. He was a minister of the Primitive Baptist Church. He married Miss Martha Milton and was the parent of four children.

William B. Welborn, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish

William B. Welborn was a native of Calcasieu parish. His father was a native of South Carolina and his mother of Louisiana.

Mr. Welborn was reared on a farm and gave his attention to planting from the beginning of his business life. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate State service and served under General Johnson and Bragg until the close of the war. He was married in 1866 to Miss Louise Lee, and to them were born seven children.

Ezra Z. Young, Sugartown, Beauregard Parish

Ezra Z. Young, a planter, was born in Calcasieu parish, August 19, 1852. He was the son of Julian and Eliza Young, both natives of Louisiana.

The subject of this sketch was engaged in farming from the time be began business for himself. He owned 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 raised were corn, cotton, and sugar cane. The place was well improved, and had on it a small orchard with a select variety of fruits. Mr. Young was married in Calcasieu, 1872, to Miss Sidney Simmons. Mr. and Mrs. Young were the parents of eight children.

Until about the year 1880 very little had been done in the way of educating the residents of the present parish of Beauregard. At this time people began to think of education seriously. They had thought of it but the Civil War had caused them to discontinue their plans and together with all sections of the South, practically everything had been destroyed. The impoverishment of the people had caused them to forget everything except to try and obtain the bare necessities of life. Therefore the education of the boys and girls had been delayed about twenty years.

In December 1879 there came to the present parish of Beauregard Mr. W. H. Baldwin, formerly of Columbia University, who established what was know as the Sugartown Male and Female Academy, which he taught for two years. The length of the school term was ten months. This school was the beginning of the present educational system of Southwest Louisiana. In this school were enrolled many pupils from adjoining parishes and many from East Texas. Some of the students came from Lake Charles, Alexandria, Sulphur, and even a far north as Mansfield. From Texas they came as far as Liberty and Angelina counties.

During the two years that this school was operated more young people were sent out to teach, etc. that have made good than any other one-room school in the State. But for this man’s weakness for strong drink there is no telling what he would have accomplished in the way of education.

I will here mention a few who went out from this school and made their place in life. Most of the ones to be told about did not receive and additional education after leaving this one-room school.

In addition to the above holder of office and professional men I shall add a few successful business men, farmers, and stockmen:

J. L. Lyons, retired lumberman of Beaumont, Texas.

E. J. Fairchild, Vinton, Louisiana.

Edward Pringle of Cheneyville, Louisiana.

Burrell Cooley of Singer, Louisiana.

Jeff Cagle of Merryville, Louisiana.

J. M. McDonald, capitalist of DeRidder, Louisiana.

Henderson Perkins, deceased, connected with the Union Sulphur Company, Sulphur, Louisiana.

In addition to the successful and prominent men who received their education at this one-room school there were several women teachers qualified. Prior to the time of this particular school no woman had ever taught in the parish. Mrs. Mollie Iles was one of the first to engage in the teaching profession in the parish of Beauregard.

In contrast to this one-room school system of education in Beauregard parish we now find a system of high schools and grade schools equal to any in the United States.

There are accredited high schools in the towns of Longville, Merryville, DeRidder, Singer, Sugartown, Hyatt, and Dry Creek.

Another title could be "Story of a Lost Mexican or Indian Silver and Lead Mine Supposed to be Located in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, Near the Mouth of Bayou Anacoco."

The legend is to the effect that about one hundred and forty years ago the Mexicans of that part of Mexico now known as the State of Texas operated this mine; that it was almost pure silver and lead, and that there were immense quantities of the metal. It further states that more than one hundred years ago this same mine was being operated by the Indians. So far there is no historical evidence of the truth of this.

It is well known that nearly one hundred years ago the early settlers made spurious Mexican money and also that these same people used quantities of crude lead from this mine. There is no question as to the truth of this; however, it is possible that the lead and silver in question may have been bought from a band of trading Indians who brought it from far west and sold it to the white settlers for whiskey and trinkets. There are some of the opinion that a steamboat plying the Sabine River and with large quantities of silver and lead was sunk in the river near the mouth of Anacoco. The reason for this was that the people could only obtain it when the river was very low.

Mr. Robert Jones, who is a native of this vicinity, and who has resided in this vicinity practically all of his life, and who served sixteen years as Clerk of Beauregard parish, vouches for the following:

Mr. Jones had a brother-in-law who was in the Confederate army with a son of one of the brothers who had a large knife made after the fashion of a Bowie knife. He told this brother-in-law of Mr. Jones that his father made the knife out of a piece of steel and that the silver handle was silver from the mine in question. One of the brothers was known to have died from the effects of fumes from melting the ore.

Mr. Jones knew twin brothers, John and Jim Stamps, who at an early age lost their father and they were reared by a man named Palmer, who lived very near the mouth of Anacoco a part of the time in Louisiana and the other part on the Texas side. Both John and

Jim said that they had molded hundreds of bullets with which they shot small game. The material for the bullet evidently came from the mine because when the lead supply began to get scarce Mr. Palmer would say, "Well boys, the lead is getting low and I must go and get some more." Then he would saddle his horse and be gone for some two hours and return with a piece (chunk) of lead weighing several pounds. The only difference in this and commercial lead that came on the market a few years later was that it was a little harder to melt than the commercial product.

Mr. Henry Carter, a friend of Mr. Jones and now deceased, told that he had shot hundreds of bullets from lead that a neighbor had given his father at intervals. He would not show where he got the lead because he had taken a solemn oath not to do so.

Mr. Jones said, "I knew another man whom everyone knew worked the mine. He has a son living now with whom I am very well acquainted and he showed me a part of the mold used by his father in making spurious Mexican money. I told this man that he should destroy it because of the trouble it could cause him if government officials heard of it being in his possession. This man also told me that his father told him of his inability to tell him and his brothers the location of the mine because it would endanger his life. He had taken an oath never to divulge the secret by showing it to anyone. After the old man was past eighty years old however he took them to the place but would not show them the exact spot. He was in hopes they would discover it without his telling them. They went several times but look as closely as they could they never saw anything to give the location away."

In the late seventies Mr. Jones’s father-in-law, M. C. Frazar, and his brother Alexander Frazar were engaged in cutting, rafting, and floating timber down the Sabine River to Orange, Texas (formerly Greens Bluff). They not only cut and floated timber but they bought from their neighbors who could not afford to float it to market. On one occasion they bought a number of sticks of cypress timber cut by one Jessie Gore. This timber was cut about two miles south of the mouth of Anacoco and floated into the river through a small stream known as Jordan’s Branch. This timber was worth several hundred more and was floated to Orange, Texas and sold to Judge D. R. Wingate, a large saw mill operator, and an uncle of the Frazar brothers. This same D. R. Wingate had, in 1851, built about the first saw mill in Texas at Sabine Pass. He operated a fleet of schooners along the Gulf Coast to carry his products and to freight on their return trips.

Mr. Jones digresses from his original story here to add something of interest in connection with this same D. R. Wingate. Mr. Wingate built among the first saw mills in the State of Mississippi, if not the first for commercial purposes; this mill was at Logtown, Mississippi on the identical spot where the H. H. Western Lumber Company’s mill now stands. The Western brothers were relatives of Judge Wingate. When the timber in question was sold and delivered in the log boom of the D.R. Wingate Lumber Company, it became the duty of Hugh Ochiltree, the scaler for the mill, to scale the timber; in doing so he discovered a bright substance in the end of the log. He cut it out and sent it to the judge who sent it to the New Orleans mint where it assayed $3.64 in gold and a trace of silver. This Hugh Ochiltree was a brother of Tom Ochiltree of Galveston, Texas, an Irishman who represented the Galveston District in the U. S. Congress during the late seventies and was the wit of the House at the time.

There is no way of telling whether the nugget was picked up where the tree was cut or whether it was picked up on the bank of the river on its way down the river. There is not any way of knowing whether it was the only piece of its kind in the vicinity.

About the year 1875 there came to the Merryville country a man who called himself Dr. Brazile. He was apparently of Spanish or Mexican descent and remained in that country for some six or eight years. Until his death he had no settled place of residence but moved from place to place camping the majority of the time. It was whispered around that he had a large quantity of money for that time and that he practiced his profession in a small way. He let it be known to a few people with whom he became well acquainted that he was looking for a mine. Judge E. L. Canwell, one of his confidants, on one occasion asked him about the silver mine and he told Cannon, so Cannon told Mr. Jones, that he was not wasting his time with silver, that he knew where it was in large quantities but that it was not worth enough to work with.

A man by the name of Aaron Terry, an ex-Confederate soldier and also an ex-Mexican soldier, who knew Dr. Brazile well and who lived on the Texas side of the river, told Mr. Jones that while Dr. Brazile was camped on the Texas side of the river that he was looking for stray cattle and one day happened upon Dr. Brazile’s camp. Before he could turn his horse away Dr. Brazile called to him to came and drink coffee with him. As he drew near the camp he saw that Dr. Brazile was working over a crude forge and scattered all around were pieces of silver that looked like dollars. He sat and talked for half and hour but no explanation was given for the silver. Mr. Terry said there was no doubt in his mind that Dr. Brazile was making spurious money.

Later there came two men to the community and on one occasion Dr. Brazile was called to the home of one and was shot and killed. Mrs. Brazile moved away but in the late nineties she returned and asked M. C. Frazar to show her where her husband’s old camp site was. She said that her husband had a quantity of money buried there. Mr. Frazar went to show her the place but on looking around she said she could not remember the exact spot and abandoned the search.

Some six or eight months later Mr. Frazar happened to be near the old camp site and found a square hole about four feet in width which had apparently been dug several months. There was nothing to tell whether the searchers had found anything or not.

Several dozens of people have visited the vicinity and made some hundreds of excavations but with no success. Mr. Jones says that if there is a mine that it was located in the Sabine River and as the river has changed it course in many places in the last one hundred years the mine may be covered under many feet of sand and likely will never be located again. Miners have told him that there are no geological indications of mineral in the vicinity of the Lost Mine.

Brown, Samuel R., Western Gazetter. Auburn, New York, 1817.

Dannett, Daniel, Louisiana As It Is. New Orleans, 1876.

Darby, William, A. Geographical Description of the State of Louisiana. New York, 1817.

Darby, William, Louisiana. New York.

___________, Emigrant’s Guide. New York, 1818.

Fortier, Alcee, A History of Louisiana. Atlanta, 1909.

___________, Louisiana. Atlanta, 1909.

Goodspeed Publishing Company, Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Louisiana. I. Chicago, 1892.

Marver, Allen, Problems of Place-Name Study. Cambridge, 1879.

Perrin, William H. Southwest Louisiana. New Orleans, 1891.

Mrs. Lether Edward Frazar, subject of this sketch, was born in Pollock, Louisiana, December 12, 1905. She received her schooling from the first grade through the tenth at the Leesville High School, Leesville, Louisiana. For her eleventh grade work she entered DeRidder High School and received her high school diploma from this school.

In the fall of 1922 she entered Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, Ruston, Louisiana, and on February 26, 1926, received her Bachelor of Science degree.

For five summers - from 1929 through 1933 - she has attended the Louisiana State University, where she will be graduated in August, 1933, with the degree of Master of Arts.

Approved:

__________________________________

Dr. W. A. Reed, Major Professor

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Dr. C. W. Pipkin, Dean of the Graduate School.

Thesis Examination Committee:

______________________________________

_______________________________________

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Chapter 1

1. William Perrin, Southwest Louisiana, p. 120.

2. Ibid., p.121.

3. Ibid., p.123.

4. Ibid., p.130.

Chapter 2

1. Highway which connects Leesville and DeRidder, La.

2. On old maps written Bayou Lan Acoco.

3. Historically important.

Chapter 3

1. Alcee Fortier, A History of Louisiana, pp. 78-79.

Chapter 4

1. Now known as West Lake, Louisiana.

2. In Beauregard parish.

3. William Perrin, Southwest Louisiana, p.124.

Chapter 5

1. Alcee Fortier, Louisiana, II, p. 515.

2. Ibid., I, 345-46.

3. Ibid., I, 358.

4. Ibid., II, 146.

5. Ibid., II, 86.

6. Ibid., I, 114.

7. Ibid., II, 453.