Philemon Guidry - Overseer of Michel Bernard Cantrelle Plantation

by Martin Guidry

The article “Michel Cantrelle - Commandant of the First Acadian Coast” in the Summer 2009 issue (Vol. 7 No. 3) of “Generations” discussed the public service of Jacques Cantrelle, his son Michel B. Cantrelle and two of his sons -in-law Louis Judice and Nicolas Verret. The latter three all served as Commander or Commandant along the First and Second Acadian Coasts. ¹ The article also describes the 1762 land grant and subsequent plantation of Jacques Cantrelle just south of the present-day St. James Catholic Church in St. James Parish, LA. ^{1 , 2} Michel Bernard Cantrelle, the second to youngest child of Jacques Cantrelle and his wife Marie Marguerite Larmusiau and baptized 24 March 1750 at St. Louis Catholic Church in New Orleans, LA, lived his early life in Captain Guinault’s military district in New Orleans. About 1765 Michel’s father Jacques established an indigo plantation on his Mississippi River land grant - calling it Cabahanoce. ^{1 , 3 , 4} In the late 1760s Michel Cantrelle along with his mother and younger brother Jacques moved from New Orleans to Cabahanoce Plantation along the First Acadian Coast of the Mississippi River. ^{5 , 6}

In November 1775 Michel Bernard Cantrelle became Commandant of the Acadians in the district extending from Front Vacherie to the present Ascension Parish line.7 He continued to live at Cabahanoce Plantation with his parents and siblings when in late October 1777 his father Jacques died. ^{8 , 9} Jacques Cantrelle inadvertently had built his home slightly to the south of his land grant property line and within the northern edge of the 1765 land grant of Nicolas Verret. ² About 1780 Michel Cantrelle obtained ownership of the Verret land grant and the mislocated Cantrelle home; however, Michel did not take formal possession of the home until after his mother’s death in 1785. He and his family continued to live in the family home Cabahanoce with his mother during this time. ^{2 , 10}

Shortly after becoming Commandant, Michel Cantrelle married Magdelaine Croiset, daughter of François Croiset and Marie Anne Trepagnier, at St. James Catholic Church in 1777. ^{11 , 12} Shortly after their marriage, Magdelaine died during childbirth in September 1778 and was buried in St. James Catholic Cemetery. ^{8 , 13} A year later Michel married Madeleine Celeste Andry, daughter of Louis Antoine Andry and Marie Jeanne Lapierre, at St. Louis Catholic Church in New Orleans on 20 November 1779. ^{14 , 15} In the ensuing years as Michel and Celeste watched their family grow, they continued to live at Cabahanoce with his mother Marie Marguerite Larmusiau. In 1785, when his mother died, Michel acquired formal ownership of the home. Upon Michel Cantrelle’s death in late October 1814, his son Michel Bernard Cantrelle Jr. took over ownership and operations of Cabahanoce Plantation. ^{16 , 17 , 18} By this time Cabahanoce Plantation had acquired a new name - Michel Bernard Cantrelle Plantation, which was frequently shortened by the local folks to M.B.C. Plantation.

M.B.C. Plantation fronted the Mississippi River for 7 arpents and was 40 arpents deep. It was located approximately one mile south of the St. James Catholic Church. ¹⁸ An arpent is both a linear and an area measurement. As a linear measure, the arpent is approximately 192 feet. As an area measure, it is approximately 0.85 acres.

Michel Cantrelle Jr. was born on 3 January 1788 in St. James Parish ^{19 , 20} and married Josephine Caroline Fabre, daughter of Joseph Laurent Fabre and Marie Croizet, in St. James Parish on 1 October 1810. ^{21 , 22}

Michel Cantrelle Jr. hired Philemon Guidry to be overseer of M.B.C. Plantation. ¹⁸ Philemon, the son of Jacques Guédry and Marie Bonvillain, was born in St. James Parish on 27 May 1795. ^{23 , 24} Philemon married Eulalie Rodrigues, daughter of Louis Rodrigues and Tonte Claireaux, on 27 November 1815 at Convent, LA. ^{25 , 26} Their eldest son, Philemon Guidry Jr., was born at St. James Parish on 8 February 1817. ^{27 , 28}

On 28 November 1844 at noon Michel Bernard Cantrelle Jr. died at his home on the M.B.C. Plantation. He left his widow and several children. ^{29 , 30} On Michel’s death Josephine Fabre, his widow, continued to run M.B.C. Plantation with the assistance of her overseer Philemon Guidry. ¹⁸ When Josephine Fabre died in New Orleans in 1872, Philemon Guidry Jr. purchased the M.B.C. Plantation from the estate. He purchased the property in the name of his son Philemon Guidry, for him and his siblings on equal shares. ¹⁸

Philemon Guidry Jr. first married Louisa Matherne, daughter of Michel Matherne and Claris Oubre, at St. James on 10 January 1844. ^{31 , 32} Louisa Matherne died in 1865 and Philemon Guidry Jr. remarried on 15 October 1868 at Convent, LA to Josephine Landry, daughter of Joseph Landry and Anastasia Poche and widow of Michel Poirier. ^{33 , 34}

Philemon Guidry Jr. , his second wife Josephine Landry and the thirteen children from their previous marriages lived in the beautiful old M.B.C. Plantation home from 1872 until 1884. ¹⁸ The lovely home, typical of the plantation style of its day, had sixteen rooms, a square roof and a porch wrapped all around the house with square columns. It rested on pillars about five steps off the ground. Detached from the house was a brick oven and an outdoor kitchen. In 1898 it was razed due to seepage from the Mississippi River. ¹⁸

Philemon Guidry Jr. and his first wife Louisa Matherne had a son Philemon born in St. James Parish on 15 September 1849. ^{35 , 36} There is considerable confusion in the genealogical literature as this son is often confused with his father Philemon Guidry Jr. since both were called Philemon Guidry Jr. His father apparently adopted the appellation Philemon Guidry Sr. after his father died. On 13 February 1878 Philemon Guidry, son of Philemon Guidry Jr. and Louisa Matherne, married Adele Poirier, daughter of Michel Poirier and Josephine Landry, at St. James, LA. ^{37 , 38} A week later on 20 February 1878 Philemon’s brother Valmont married Adele’s sister Josephine at St. James, LA. ^{37 , 38} Philemon Guidry, his wife Adele Poirier and their children lived in the garconniere on the M.B.C. Plantation. ¹⁸

Two interesting and related court cases resulted from transactions involving these properties. ^{46 , 47} Apparently Philemon Guidry Jr. had sold and/or given some of his land to his children before his death in 1884. In 1873 Philemon Guidry, son of Philemon Guidry Jr. and Louisa Matherne and future husband of Adele Poirier, made a gratuitous donation of a tract of land to his father Philemon Guidry Jr. In 1881 Philemon Guidry Jr., being indebted to two of his sons, Philemon and Valmont, gave them a special mortgage on the same land. In 1883 Philemon Guidry and others, holding notes secured by the mortgage, foreclosed on the mortgage and caused the sale of the property.

The property was sold to J. E. Poche for $18,000. Subsequently, Poche resold the property to Philemon Guidry, Valmont Guidry and Joseph Guidry for $20,000 with the first two having a 5/12 interest each and Joseph having a 2/12 interest. In the sale the brothers paid $3,925 cash with the remainder in notes secured by a special mortgage held by Jean Tessier. In 1887 Jean Tessier foreclosed on the mortgage and secured the property. In February 1888 Jean Tessier and Octave Roussel entered into an agreement in which Roussel would purchase the property from Tessier. Roussel subsequently learned of the 1873 gratuitous donation of the property from Philemon Guidry to his father Philemon Guidry Jr. and he refused to execute the agreement. Tessier sued to compel him to honor the agreement.

At the time of the donation Philemon Guidry, son of Philemon Guidry Jr. and Louisia Matherne, was not married, but he did marry later and in 1888 had five minor children. At this time he was insolvent. Also, by 1888 Philemon Guidry Jr. had died and left no estate.

Interestingly, in Louisiana Civil Code a parent must leave a portion of their estate to their children and, if they have three or more children, they must leave two-thirds of their estate to these children. The estate includes what the parent has at the time of death plus any donations he made during his lifetime. If the value of his holdings at the time of his death cannot cover the required two-thirds distribution, then the children can force that the needed portion of the donation be returned to them as part of the estate. Since both Philemon Guidry Jr. and his son Philemon were insolvent, Roussel knew that the children could reacquire a significant portion of the property at no cost to them - thus his reason for declining to complete the agreement. The court found in Roussel’s favor and upheld the “donation clause”.

The second case in 1935 by Wilfred P. Guidry and his six brothers and sisters, all children of Philemon Guidry and Adele Poirier, against Etienne Joseph Caire and Jean B. C. Graugnard to recover two-thirds of the property that their father had donated to his father Philemon Guidry Jr. Caire and Graugnard had purchased the property in 1898. The court agreed with the Guidry children.

Over time all of the property of M.B.C. plantation passed from the Guidry family - either being lost due to indebtedness or being sold. The last major piece to be sold was that of Aimee Guidry Paille. Her heirs sold all, but a small piece of the estate of Aimee Guidry Paille in 1954 to J. Fernand Falgoust. That small piece, the northeastern most part of the property, measuring 72 feet on the road by 12.5 arpents deep, belonged to her son-in-law James E. Landry. On this property he operated a store for many years and eventually the store and property were sold in 1980. Today there is little left at the M.B.C. Plantation to remind us of its heyday. The old home was demolished in 1898 due to seepage from the Mississippi River. The garconniere was moved closer to the River Road and was being used as a home in 1967, but has since disappeared. The M.B.C. Plantation property is approximately one mile south of St. James Catholic Church on Louisiana Highway 18. Its northern boundary begins at approximately 6335 LA Highway 18, which is the former James E. Landry property.

At the Cajun Village in Sorrento, LA (intersection of LA Highways 22 and 70) is a building, dating from ca. 1845, stated to have come from the Michel Bernard Cantrelle Plantation in St. James Parish, LA. It currently houses the business C & C Treasures. Although it is listed as the Commandant’s House, it appears more likely to be an overseer’s house.