John Charlton Beatty
John Charlton Beatty Died 1808-1856 ORANGE GROVE PLANTATION, TERREBONNE PARISH Background Beattie and his wife Charlotte Reid were born in Kentucky. Beattie’s ancestors were originally from Scotland, settling in the United States as early as 1690. Job/Occupation John Carlton Beatty was a lawyer and sugar planter. Why On The Island John and his wife Charlotte were vacationing with their two young children. Storm Experience One of Beatty’s slaves on the Star who was at the Muggah Hotel when it began to shutter in the storm, saved one of Beatty’s children and Dr. Thomas Bryan Pugh, who was three years old at the time. The slave had pleaded with Beatty to follow him to higher ground, and when Beatty refused, he pleaded to take at least one child to safety. Beatty adamantly refused demanding his child to be put down, and that’s when the slave fled the hotel. The entire Beatty family perished, but the slave was able to save a child. During this escape, he had also managed to “pluck Pugh’s three-year-old son, Thomas, from the waves.” Interesting Fact Beatty’s son Taylor Beattie was a sugar cane planter, Lafourche Parish Judge, Confederate Army colonel as well as a candidate for governor of Louisiana in 1879 and Congress in 1882. His grandson, Carlton Reid Beattie, was a federal trial judge appointed by President Calvin Coolidge. Memory “My little girl [most probably the 3-year-old Francis Harriet] gave a scream and jumped and caught me around the neck and held fast, as if to choke the life out of me,” Schlatre recalled. Stay on Beatty’s Property Orange Grove Plantation, built for J.C. Beatty and his family in 1840, still exists near Houma, Louisiana. A Cajun cottage on the historic property can be rented through airbnb. airbnb
Rev. Robert Samuel McAllister
Rev. Robert Samuel McAllister Survived 1830 – 1892 Thibodaux, Louisiana Background Born in Abbeville, South Carolina, McAllister was serving as the third minister of the Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux from 1856-1859. Job/Occupation Presbyterian minister. Storm Experience Rev. McAllister left one of the most detailed accounts of the storm: August 10, 1856“On Sunday, Aug. 10, the weather got worse and by noon, it was dark outside with rain coming in torrents. The noon meal was served as usual but there was no talking at the table. “For while we all had a certain measure of misgiving, no one was yet willing to give expression to his fears.” Everyone sat and ate dinner as normal, but they all knew something tragic was going to occur. “At 3 p.m. the wind was howling. Lightning illuminated the sky and thunder rocked the island to its core. He likened it to the sound of distant guns. “We were shut up with no possibility of flight, on a narrow neck of land with two unbounded seas. In a strife of the elements like this, there would have been disaster even in midland; here on this sea-grit sand-bank it would be tame to say that we were in extreme jeopardy.” At this point, the weather was horrific and no one had a way to escape it. McAllister describes it as…”on a narrow neck of land with two unbounded seas…” Then the water stopped rising and stabilized for what Rev. McAllister said seemed like forever. “To my excited imagination it seemed that the elements were sitting in solemn council and engaged in debate as to what should be done with us.” Then the water level started to fall. It was as if “the angel of the waters brought a reprieve from the high court of Heaven, and with a shout which echoed throughout the dark, unfathomed caves of oceans commanded the release of the prisoners.” Interesting Fact In 1862, McAllister traveled two thousand miles in a buggy on a missionary tour of the South. Memory “If we could have been conscious that we were about to die for adherence to some great principle, then we would have been upheld by the thought that we were leaving footprints on the sands of time, for the encouragement of some forlorn and shipwrecked brother. But alas, not one of us was at the post of duty; not a soul on the island had any business there.”
Michael Schlatre
Survived 1819 – 1900 Enterprise Plantation, Plaquemine Background Michael Schlatre was born on April 10, 1819 on Homestead Plantation in Plaquemine, Louisiana. Job/Occupation Michael worked on his father’s sugar plantation; during this time, he learned carpentry work and blacksmithing; later he became the owner of Enterprise Plantation. Why On The Island The Pughs had been staying at Muggah’s hotels with Dr. John Carlton Beattie (1808 – 1856, Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court), his wife Mary Foley Beattie, and their two children from Bayou Lafourche. Storm Experience Schlatre survived the storm, but his wife and 7 children. He, suffering with a broken leg, and Thomas Mille floated for almost a week. “From my injuries I accepted that I would be the first to die,” Schlatre conceded. “Were you ever this near death, dearest reader? My children [seven] flocked around their father, some crying, some quiet, my wife facing the Gulf, the negro women crying, old Hannah with the baby sitting close to me.” Interesting Fact After breaking his leg during the storm, he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. He lost 7 children in the Great Storm and then went on to remarry and have more than 7 children after the storm. Memory “My little girl [most probably the 3-year-old Francis Harriet] gave a scream and jumped and caught me around the neck and held fast, as if to choke the life out of me,” Schlatre recalled.
Modeste G. Rentrop
Died 1822 – 1856 Belle Rivière, Louisiana Background After her husband, D.L. Rentrop, died in 1853, Modeste and their daughter Marguerite, born in 1851 who also died in the hurricane, continued their family plantation. Job/Occupation Sugar planter. Storm Experience Unknown. Interesting Fact Her husband, Dorsino Louis (D.L.) Rentrop, died of yellow fever on October 25, 1853, in Berwick’s Bay, Louisiana. Wealth After her death, her landed estate and slaves in Assumption Parish were sold. The slaves sold at an average of $1,157 (about $35,000 today) and her land and stock sold for $50,600 ($1.5 million today).
Emma Mille Duperier
Survived 1837 – 1936 Plaquemine, Louisiana Background Zoe Emma Mille was born in Plaquemine, Iberville Parish, Louisiana on October 10, 1837, to sugar planter and French native Pierre Thomas Mille and his wife, Marie Pauline Dupuy. Job/Occupation None. Why On The Island Her family owned a summer cottage and spent summers vacationing at Isle Dernière. Storm Experience Emma was struck in the head by a piece of timber as her home collapsed and blew away. She fell asleep floating, resting on the same piece of timber that struck her head. When she awoke, she was on the sand, naked and badly injured surrounded by the dead and entangled in debris. Some slaves nearby recognized her as Thomas Mille’s daughter, so they found Richard, her father’s servant, in the hull of the Star. Hurt and weak, Richard carried Emma back to the boat so she could receive medical attention. Dr. Alfred Duperier sewed up a big gash on her head and left side. She then learned that her brother, Homer, his wife, Althee, and their baby were dead; her guest, maid, and parents were also lost. Interesting Fact Emma and Dr. Alfred Duperier, who cared for her injuries from the storm, fell in love and married just months later in December 8, 1856. She was also the last survivor of the Great Storm of 1856 to die. Memory “After our house gave away, there was no human voice. I drifted in that black swell all night clinging to the very piece of the house that had fallen on my head. Logs struck against me with the force of battering rams. It was then I heard Altea call, ‘Mamma. Look at Mamma.’ And there was my mother standing on wreckage. Someone was throwing her a rope. This was my imagination, of course. A vision. For I was paralyzed and totally alone in the gulf. You may think it strange, but I felt no fear. It never occurred to me that any of us could be killed. It was then I fell asleep with my face and chest on that piece of timber.”
Thomas Mille
Died 1800 – 1856 Plaquemine, Louisiana Background Born on January 11, 1800, in Cassis, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France. He married Pauline Dupuy in Saint Gabriel, Louisiana. Job/Occupation Sugar plantation owner. Why On The Island Owned a summer cottage and vacationed at Isle Dernière with his family. Storm Experience Sugar planter Thomas Mille’s slaves fled their timber shack as it began to blow apart, and they ran to Mille’s house. One slave, Richard, tried to convince Mille to move his family and slaves into a stable built with sturdy, deeply driven pilings. Mille refused. Mille’s slave Richard hid out in the stable, the only building the storm didn’t level. After the storm, he was missing and presumed dead, but Michael Schlatre and Thomas Mille were separated from the others on the Last Island and were able to reach New Orleans after five days on a makeshift raft. They were found by Captain Charles W. Brien’s crew, who loaded the men onto Brien’s boat and took them back to his home. Mille died four days after he was taken to safety. Interesting Fact Mille was rescued by a passing ship five days after the storm, but died two days later due to dehydration and starvation.
Capt. Abraham Smith
Survived 1831 – 1890 Born in Proctorville, Ohio Background Born in 1831 at Quaker Bottom near Proctorville, Ohio. He assisted his father on his farm until he was 17 when he accepted an offer of a captain on a merchant vessel to go to sea. Job/Occupation Captain of the steamer The Star that made a round trip three times a week to Isle Dernière. Why On The Island Abraham came to Louisiana in 1854 and was placed in command of the steamer Texas, engaged in lower coast trade. In 1856 he became captain of The Star, which connected the Opelousas Railroad and plied through waters of St. Mary Parish, the Atchafalaya, Four League and Caillou Bays to Last Island. Storm Experience Capt. Smith battled the winds and guided the Star through the storm all Saturday night to get to back near the Louisiana mainland in Caillou Bay on Sunday (the day the storm hit). “Sunday morning, crew on The Star, a steamboat ferry, debated whether to turn back inland after losing its bearing in the storm, “but Captain Abraham Smith, concerned about the fate of those left on the island, insisted on returning amid the hurricane – a decision that saved many lives.” Guests formed a human chain arm-to-arm from the hotel to The Star to reach shelter on the steamboat. Captain Smith moved all passengers into the cargo hull beneath the cabin Monday morning and The Star wedged into the earth in the place of Muggah’s Hotel. The Star’s top decks were ripped off, but the hull stayed afloat and saved 160 people. Pirates swarmed the island to search through the carnage looting for valuables and when they attempted to get on board the wreck from The Star, Capt. Smith prevented it. Interesting Fact Capt. Smith was a hero twice in his life. After becoming a captain again, in 1876, he saved all 40 passengers aboard the Minnie Avery when the boat hit a snag and sank in the Atchafalaya bay. He was reported to be 6 feet 6 inches tall. The average height, according to Time was 5 feet 10 inches for an American male in the 1800s.
Richard
Survived unknown – unknown Plaquemine, Louisiana Background Unknown Job/Occupation A slave of the Thomas Mille family. Why On The Island Came with the Mille family as a slave to serve while they were on the island. Storm Experience Richard tried to convince Mille to move his family and slaves into a stable building with sturdy, deeply driven pilings. But Mille refused. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “Richard hid out in the stable, the only building the storm didn’t level. Emma Mille, the planter’s 18-year-old daughter, was one of several survivors who grabbed pieces of wood as they were swept out to sea, then held on until the storm shifted and cast them back onto the island. Richard found Emma on the beach, deeply wounded, and brought her to Alfred Duperier, a doctor who had survived the storm by tying himself to an armoire and floating on it for 20 hours.” Interesting Fact Richard brought his owner’s daughter, Emma, who was badly injured in the storm to a doctor. While treating her for her injuries, the 30-year-old widower, Dr. Alfred Duperier, and Emma fell in love and married that December.
John Muggah
Died 1812 – 1856 Saint Martinville, Louisiana Background Son of James Milne Muggah, a Scottish immigrant, and Julianna Robbins. The family, including sons John, Henry and David R. lived in Patterson in St. Mary Parish. John was married to Mary A. Patterson and had two sons, Edward and Frances. Job/Occupation Muggah was a businessman/merchant. He owned The Star steamship and the Muggah Hotel. Why On The Island John owned a summer home and, along with his brothers, owned the hotel and steamship. Storm Experience John, his wife, their two sons and five servants all died in the storm. Specifics are unknown. Interesting Fact John, along with his brothers, partnered with a consortium of other planters and bankers to triple the size of the Muggah Hotel. Construction was set to begin at the close of the 1856 summer season.
Cyprien August Barrilleaux
Died 1825 – 1856 Plattenville, Louisiana Background Son of Francois Barrilleau from France. C.A. was living with his father and siblings in Assumption Parish in 1850 where his father’s real estate was worth $35,000 in 1850 ($1.17 million in 2020 dollars), according to the 1850 US Census. Job/Occupation Justice of the Peace. Storm Experience In a newspaper clipping from 1856, it said “Mr. C.A. Barrilleaux particularly distinguished himself at this time, and finally fell a victim to his bravery and resolution. He had rescued nearly all of Mr. Pugh’s family, and went back to render assistance to that of Mr. Beatty, when the exertion proved too much for him, and he sank with a lady whom he had in his arms endeavoring to save, and they rose no more, all attempts to reach them proving utterly fruitless.” Legacy Barrilleaux’s wife, Pauline, was 5 months pregnant when he died. His son, Cyprian Arthur Barrilleaux was born in December of 1856.