Ascension County Louisiana Archives Biographies.....Duffel, Henry L. July 27, 1821 - March 13, 1906 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mary K. Creamer marykcreamer.00@gmail.com November 22, 2021, 3:23 am Source: Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Louisiana; Chicago; The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1892 Author: transcribed by Kim Mohler DUFFEL , Henry L. - A plain, untarnished statement of the facts embraced in the life of JUDGE HENRY L. DUFFEL, a man well known to the people of Ascension parish, is all that we profess to be able to give in this history, and yet, upon examination of those facts, there will be found the career of one whose entire course through the world has been marked with great honesty and fidelity of purpose, as well as sincere and effective service to those whom he has been called upon to represent in different capacities. His birth occurred in Ascension parish July 27, 1821, and his schooldays were spent at St. Mary's college, in Perry county, Mo., Johnson college, D.C., and Lynchburg, Va., where he attended a private school under William Reed, who was a graduate of Princeton. Judge Duffel was married in the Old Dominion to Miss Dunnington in 1842. He was admitted to the bar three years later at New Orleans, passing his examination before the judges of the supreme court, and afterward practiced law in Ascension, St. James and Assumption parishes. He was first appointed judge of the Fourth Judicial district by Governor Nichols in 1878, and in 1884 he was elected to the Second Judicial district. That district was divided, and in 1888, he was re-elected judge, which position he holds at the present time. Of the six children born to Judge Duffel's marriage, two died in infancy, one, Alfred, died in the confederate army, Henry also served in the army, and is now living on the home plantation, "Woodstock," which consists of 500 acres. This was a sugar plantation until 1880, when Judge Duffel began to cultivate rice. His eldest daughter is a sister of charity at Los Angeles, Cal., and the youngest daughter is the wife of Dr. L.E. Duffel. Our subject was a member of the legislature in 1866, served one term and then resigned. He has also held the position of parish recorder, justice of the peace and notary public. He is a member of the Catholic church. His father, Edward Duffel, was born in Philadelphia in 1786, and went with his parents to Virginia when young. He came to Louisiana, in 1816, and was holding the position at that time of surgeon in the United States navy, being stationed at the forts below New Orleans. He was judge of Ascension parish for eighteen years, or until 1845, when the constitution abolished that office. He died on his plantation in this parish in 1859. In 1810 he married Miss Celeste Landry, daughter of Joseph Landry, commander of the county of Acadia under the Spanish and French government. Our subject's grandfather, Edward Duffel, Sr., was in the Revolutionary war under General Washington, and died in Virginia. His father was a native of Londonderry, Ireland, and married a daughter of Richard Steel, who was private secretary for the two sons of William Penn. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/ascension/bios/duffel206gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb