Bilbo, Coward, Perkins, Ryan & Sallier - Early Settlers Calcasieu Parish, LA Contributed by Margaret Rentrop Moore Source: Southwest Louisiana Biographical & Historical by William Henry Perrin; published 1891 page 123-124. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ 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 Cornow, Hiram Ours, Dempsey Ile, Hardy Coward and John, his brother, William and Archibald Smith, Elias Blunt, David Choate, Philip Deviers, Joshua Johnson, John Gilchrist, George Ower, Isaac Foster, Joseph Clark, Mitchell Neal, John Henderson and a man named Self; perhaps others. These all came here prior to 1824, for the purpose of getting the benefit of the Rio Honda claims. Reese Perkins was one of the most prominent of these early settlers. He was the first justice of the peace, and his courts were administered with more backwoods justice than with fine legal points. He once sent a man to the penitentiary for five years 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, 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 a 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 peniten- tiary. He met Bell on the outskirts of the 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 no right to sentence him to the penitentiary, and if some of the Opelousas lawyers get hold of the story they will give you trouble. So, the best thing you can do is to get back home as quick as possible and release your prisoner." The. boy took him at his word and went back. The prisoner was released and the matter was hushed up. A son of Squire Perkins, also Reese Perkins, now seventy years old, lives about twenty miles from Lake Charles. Allen Perkins, of Westlake, is a grandson of the old pioneer. HARDY COWARD was also very prominent among the pioneers. He was the next justice of the 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 them his blessing and sent them away happy as clams. 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 Vermilion. He came here in 1817, where he died some years later. He has a son, Jacob Ryan, now an old man, living in Lake Charles, who is a perfect walking encyclopedia on matters pertaining to the early settlement of this country. Henry Moss and Pierre Vincent were son-in-laws of Mr. Ryan, Sr., came with him and settled in the same neighborhood. Both are dead. Charles Sallier came from Italy and settled near the mouth of the Calcasieu River. The town of Lake Charles was named for him. The LeBlues there were three brothers of them, Arcen, Martin and Macey and they settled about seven miles east of the present town of Lake Charles, on English Bayou. The three brothers who came here first are all dead, but they still have numerous descendants. These settlers were scattered all along the river for a considerable distance. Immediately subsequent to 1824, came John Bryan, Richard West, William Praither, Abel Lyons, Thomas Bilbo, William Neeler, Nevel Barnet, etc. They formed a settlement to themselves. The old ones are all dead, but most of them have descendants living. Capt. Bryan, long editor of the "Echo," is a son of John Bryan, mentioned above. THOMAS Bilbo died only it few years ago. He was it 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 quite a respectable house notwithstanding its great age.