Highland Cemetery, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana File prepared by Sherry Sanford Louisiana Genealogical Register, Volume XXXIX, No. 2, June 1992 The Register is the quarterly publication of the Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society. The LaGenWeb Archives thanks them for contributing this information. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** TIPS FOR SEARCHING RECORDS ON THE INTERNET Netscape & Ms Explorer users: If searching for a particular surname, locality or date while going through the records in the archives or anywhere....try these few steps: 1. Go to the top of the report you are searching. 2. Click on EDIT at the top of your screen. 3. Next click on FIND in the edit menu. 4. When the square pops up, enter what you are looking for in the FIND WHAT ___________blank. 5. Click on DIRECTION __DOWN. 6. And last click on FIND NEXT and continue to click on FIND NEXT until you reach the end of the report. This should highlight the item that you indicated in "find what" every place it appears in the report. You must continue to click on FIND NEXT till you reach the end of the report to see all of the locations of the item indicated. Historic Highland Cemetery, Baton Rouge, La. Established ca. 1815, restored 1976-1978 Contributed by Evelyn Thom A thicket, a shambles, that's what the old Highland Cemetery was in 1968 when someone snipped a path into its shroud and found historical treasure. In 1978 its restoration was completed, and it is an historical park now sought out for its order, peace and beauty. Old stones from dismembered ancient mausoleums have become useful once again as benches, tombstones, burial borders and stepping stones, and the early history of the area is recounted in historic markers and plaques alongside old tombs and rebuilt brick walls. The transformation of this old burial ground came about through the cooperation of a number of civic groups, such as the volunteer group that termed itself the Trustees of Historic Highland Cemetery, the Foundation for Historical Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Bicentennial Commission, Community Gardners, Daughters of the American Revolution, Louisiana Colonials, Civil Beautification Council of Clubs, high school Key Clubs, University Circle K Club, and fraternities. Boy Scouts have had many projects here of a special nature. Bicentennial funds and Community Development funds have aided the restoration, as have private contributions. An endowment fund has been established to insure future maintenance. Once long ago springs abounded on the highland ridge just back of the flood plains of the Mississippi River in East Baton Rouge Parish. For that reason the early settlers gave the highlands the name "Hill of the Fountains." These German and Acadian folk who found safety here from the inundations of the big river established themselves on land granted to them by the Spanish government ( 1779-1810), and they worked industriously to make them productive first in cotton, later in sugarcane. Back in 1779 when Bernardo de Galvez, Louisiana's dynamic young Spanish governor, made the famous march with troops from New Orleans to Baton Rouge to take the British forts of Bute at Manchac and New Richmond at Baton Rouge, and ran the British also from Natchez and the rest of the Mississippi River valley, it is believed that he used the Indian trail on the highlands, the same which has evolved into the Highland Road in use today. Accompanying this expedition was Pierre Joseph de Favrot (1749-1824), a French creole officer, then a recent transfer to Spanish colonial service. He was appointed by Galvez to remain at Baton Rouge as commandant of the former British fort, and here "Don Pedro" filled that position until 1781 when he went on to serve at Mobile, Natchez, and Fort St. Philip below New Orleans. In 1803 Favrot retired to plantation life in West Baton Rouge, giving service in an early Louisiana legislature. He and his family are buried in old Highland Cemetery not far from a plantation he owned on the highlands. France, as well as Spain, came to the aid of the American colonies during the American Revolution, and in 1782 the tide turned in America's favor. A French cavalry officer, Gabriel Armand Allard du Plantier (1753-1827) of Voiron, the Dauphine, was among the French military men who came. He was General Lafayette's aide-de-camp ( by statement of General James Wilkinson) in the war. An injury caused Duplantier's release fro duty in March 1782, and he came to Louisiana to spend time at his Uncle Trenonay's plantation in Pointe Coupee. Because of Duplantier's friendship with Lafayette, Duplantier in 1803 became agent for the general in the choice of lands which Congress voted to give Lafayette in Louisiana. The general's visit to Baton Rouge in 1825 showed his regard for Duplantier. In 1827 it was with military honors that Duplantier was laid to rest in Highland Cemetery as one of the "Fathers of our Independence." Favrot and Duplantier in the 1780's married the Gerard sisters of Pointe Coupee. The girls' father, surgeon at the Pointe Coupee fort, died when they were very young, and their mother married Trenonay, the Duplantier uncle. In 1792 the uncle was assassinated by a slave on his plantation, an act of violence which was a prelude to the plot for a mass slave uprising in the parish in 1795, which was discovered and aborted by the alert commandant of Pointe Coupee fort. Yellow fever took Duplantier's wife in 1799, and in 1802 he married Constance Rochon, widow of John Joyce of Mobile, builder of Magnolia Mound plantation house at Baton Rouge. This house became the home of the Duplantiers for many years. It is now restored to the period of the Duplantier occupancy. By 1810 Spanish control over West Florida waned after thirty years, and a strong faction pushed for extension of democratic government here. It was a time of mixed loyalties and intrigue. Spanish West Florida Governor Carlos de Grand Pre was suspected of pro-French leanings by his superior officer and was summoned to face a tribunal in Havana in 1809, but he died there before he had a chance to clear himself of the charges. He left behind several sons in Spanish military service, one of whom was Lieutenant Luis Antionio de Grand Pre. Luis was engaged to marry Josephine, eldest daughter of Don Pedro Favrot, now residing in West Baton Rouge. The night that the West Florida rebels seized the Baton Rouge fort in 1810, Luis was in command and was mortally wounded in defending his post. Sensitive to the unmerited dishonor brought upon his father, he did what his sense of honor demanded at that crucial time. The "rebels" regretted the unfortunate death of the young officer and buried him with military honors. Josephine was grief stricken and never married. But this was not her only grief. In 1822 her brother, Philogene, judge of West Baton Rouge Parish, was slain in a duel fought with sabres. In poetry she expressed her musings about life and death. That poem is on a plaque in the cemetery close to the spot where she is buried near her brother. There were other tragic deaths which will be noted in old Highland, among them that of a young lawyer who died from the stab of a poignard, and a young soldier hit by a stray bullet as he slept once again in his home bed. Highlanders were being buried on George Garig's plantation as early as 1813. In 1819 Garig deeded the burial ground to the Catholic congregation of Baton Rouge, and it became the official burial ground of the families of the highlands. Robert Penny owned the plantation 1837 to 1849 and added his own family cemetery. It was enlarged by later plantation owners even further. Its last burial was in 1939. Urbanization of the surrounding area led to the decline of the cemetery, the loss of many graves and markers and shrunken boundaries. Its restoration in 1968-1978 is a tribute to its historical value. It is open daily for visitors. Historical Inscriptions Designed for Highland Cemetery George Garig This was in 1794-1825 the 800 arpent plantation of George Garig, a German settler from Maryland, "A resident of well known honesty and one of the most skillful builders of cotton gins and presses in this territory". Because families had been burying on this high spot for years, in 1819 he donated the one arpent graveyard under fence to the Catholic congregation. He was buried here himself in 1825. Cemetery was enlarged by later plantation owners. Last burial in 1939. Restored 1976. Albert Florestan Aucoin 1821 -1863 Confederate soldier, Bynum's Co., 9th La. Battallion. Survived the rigors of siege of Port Hudson only to return to home on the Highlands and to be killed by a stay bullet while asleep on his bed. Gravesite lost. John Stephen Huguet 1825 - 1912 Doctor of Medicine, member of LA Legislature, son of Baton Rouge hardware merchant Juan Huguet. Born in Cataluna, Spain in 1800. Planter of the Highlands. Gravesite lost. Onieda Lopez 1845 - 1896 Descendant of Alfonso I of Spain and of Don Manuel Andres Lopez Y Armesto, influential secretary of Spanish colonial governors for 20 years. Sent by Spanish king to set up schools in Colonial Louisiana. John Baptiste Kleinpeter 1797 - 1861 Planter, bank president, community leader. Grandson of German pioneer Johan Georg Kleinpeter, who settled on these Highlands in 1784. Friend of fellow farmer, Zachary Taylor, with whom he swapped portraits. Pierre Joseph De Favrot 1749 - 1824 French Creole soldier 42 years in service of France and Spain in Louisiana. On Galvez Expedition, 1779. Commandant of Spanish Fort at Baton Rouge, 1779-1781. Later at Mobile, Natchez and Plaquemines. Member of early Louisiana Legislature, 1814. Planter of West Baton Rouge. In Memory of Mathilda and Robert Penny Whose name has long been associated with this cemetery as resident owners of a plantation here 1837-1849. She died 1846. He 1849. Gardere and Riviere Francois Gardere, Treasurer of Louisiana from 1828-1843, owned this plantation in 1826. Buried here in 1849 ws Madame Riviere, his wife's mother, a brilliant member of Orleans society that included Gov. Carondelet and Baron Pontalba. Benjaim Parker Thomas 1782 - 1835 In September 1810 a group of West Floridians on horseback, led by General Philemon Thomas and his son-in-law aide, Benjamin Parker Thomas, seized the Baton Rouge fort ending thirty years of Spanish control of West Florida. Benjamin and wife Elizabeth were buried in this cemetery 1835 and 1841. The sites are now lost. Josephine Favrot 1785 - 1836 Poet, writer, artist. Financee of Lieutenant Luis de Grand Pre, officer in command of Spanish Fort at Baton Rouge on the fateful night of its capture by West Floridans in 1810 and the only one receiving fatal wounds. She never married. Philogene Joseph de Favrot 1791 - 1822 First Lieutenant, 24th Infantry, U.S. Army, 1812-1815. Judge of West Baton Rouge Parish. Killed in a duel with sabres at Pinckneyville, Mississippi. Gabriel Armand Allard Du Plantier French Cavalry Officer who served as Aide-de-Camp to General Lafayette in Continental Army, 1781. Agent in selection of lands in Louisiana given by Congress to Lafayette and host to the general on his 1825 visit to Louisiana. Burials in Highland (Penny) Cemetery Because records were poorly kept by Catholic Church priests, and Protestant burials were not listed at all, the following list has been compiled from probates, funeral notices, family records and recollections, tombstone inscriptions and newspaper notices. There are still many omissions, so an unconfirmed list of possible burials follows the known ones. Aubin, Aurelius Victorin, s/o Victorin, 1850 - 1885, no marker Aubin, Elizabeth, w/o Victorin, 1825 - 1858, no marker Aubin, Victorin, s/o Francois, 1825 - 1880, no marker Aucoin, Albert Florestin, C.S.A., s/o J. Florentin, 1821 - 1863, no marker Aucoin, J. Florentin, s/o Pierre Firmin, 1798 - 1847, no marker Aucoin, Julia Zeolide Doiron, w/o A.F., 1831 - ___, no marker Babin, Balthazar, s/o Gregoire, 1814 - 1884, no marker Babin, Martha Buckner, 1824 - 1884, w/o Balthazar, no marker Brackin, "Nettie" Brunetta Stokes, w/o Albert D., 1868 - 1894, no marker Buckner, George W., s/o Lewis, h/o Margaret Phillips, 1822 - 1855, no marker Buckner, Susannah, d/o Margaret Buckner, _____ - 1857, no marker Comeaux, Charles Daniel, 1817 - 1892, no marker Comeaux, Charles Daniel, War of 1812, 1787 - 1850, no marker Daigre, Alfred Huguet, s/o Denis Daigre, Junior, 1880 -1891, no marker Daigre, Benjamin M., hsb/o Pauline Daigre, 1836 -1914, no marker Daigre, Carmelite Daigre, d/o Paul, w/o Olivier Francois, 1796 - 1855, no marker Daigre, Denis Olivier, s/o Olivier Francis, 1820 - 1875, no marker Daigre, Denis Olivier, Jr., 1853 - c1917, no marker Daigre, Genevieve Buckner, w/o Denis O., Sr. 1821 - ___, no marker Daigre, Gordon, s/o Benjamin M., ____ - 1912, no marker Daigre, Josie Huguet, d/o John S. Huguet, 1860 - 1884, no marker Daigre, Mary Martha, d/o Denis & Genevieve, 1855 - 1858, no marker Daigre, Olivier Francois, s/o Francois, 1793 - 1843, no marker Daigre, Pauline Daigre, w/o Benjamin M., ____- 1886, no marker Daigre, Victor Templet, s/o Denis O. Sr., 1857 - ____, no marker Davis, Elizabeth Sharp, w/o Ersin Slaughter & Wm. Davis, ___- 1825, no marker Doiron, Henrietta Malvina, d/o J.V., 1847 - 1887, no marker Doiron, John Villeneuve, s/o John Remi, 1821 - 1879, no marker Duke, William Ensley, infant of Wiley, 7 mo., 1921 - 1921, no marker Duplantier, Armand Allard, Continental Army, War of 1812, 1753 - 1827, marker Duplantier, Augustin, s/o Armand, 1806 - 1860, no marker Duplantier, Constance Rochon, w/o John Joyce & Armand Duplantier 1766 - 1841, marker Duplantier, Didier, s/o Armand, 1809 - 1834, marker Duplantier, Fergus, War of 1812, s/o Armand, 1783 - 1844, marker Duplantier, Guy, War of 1812, s/o Armand, 1790 - 1835, no marker Duplantier, Joseph, s/o of Alberic, 1844 - 1884, no marker Duplantier, Josephine Joyce, w/o Fergus, 1791 - 1859, marker Duplantier, Matilda Brown, 2nd w/o Alberic, 1844 - ___, no marker Duplantier, Nicholas Alberic, s/o Armand, 1806 - 1891, no marker Edmonston, Lillie E. Aucoin, w/o J. Walter, 1861 - 1893, no marker Favrot, (unnamed), s/o Louis, 1824 -1824, marker Favrot, Augustine Eulalie Duplantier, w/o Louis, 1799 - 1864, marker Favrot, Aurore, d/o Bouvier & Aurora, 1832 - 1911, marker Favrot, Eulalie Pulcherie, d/o Pierre, 1803 - 1846, no marker Favrot, Francoise Gerard, w/o Pierre, 1763 - 1842, marker Favrot, Henri Bouvier, s/o Pierre, War of 1812, 1799 - 1881, marker Favrot, Henry Neuville, s/o Bouvier, 1835 - 1847, marker Favrot, Josephine, d/o Bouvier, 1840 - 1913, marker Favrot, Josephine, d/o Pierre, 1785 - 1836, marker Favrot, Louis Stephen, s/o Pierre, War of 1812, 1788 - 1872, marker Favrot, Marie Aurora Villers, w/o Bouvier, 1809 - 1877, marker Favrot, Octavine, d/o Bouvier, 1848 - 1939, marker Favrot, Octavine C., d/o Pierre, 1795 - 1868, marker Favrot, Philogene Bernard, s/o Bouvier, 1845 - 1852, marker Favrot, Philogene Joseph, s/o Pierre, USA: War of 1812. 1791 - 1822 ( His government marker is mislabelled "T.R. Favrot"), marker Favrot, Pierre Joseph, Galvez Expedition of 1779, LA Legislature, 1749 - 1824, marker Foreman, John C., hsb/o Nancy Garig, 1806 - 1870, marker Foreman, John M., infant s/o Oscar H., 1862 - 1870, marker Foreman, John M., s/o John C. & Nancy, C.S.A., 1838 - 1905, no marker Foreman, Linda F., d/o Oscar H., 1863 - 1866, marker Foreman, Nancy Garig, d/o George Garig, w/o John C., 1812 - ___, no marker Foreman, Oscar Heady, Jr., 1868 - 1872, marker Foreman, Oscar Heady, Sr., 1833 - 1905, no marker Foreman, Therese Addie Rowley, w/o Oscar H., 1840 - 1913, no marker Fortin, Adele Duplantier, w/o Joseph J.G. George Fortin, no dates, no marker Garig, George, s/o Adam, h/o Mary Barbara Thomas, __- 1825, no marker Garig, Guilliame, s/o George, 1815 -___, no marker Garig, Henrique, s/o George, 1798 - ___, no marker Garig, Juan, s/o George, 1795 - ___, no marker Garig, Maria, d/o George, 1801 - ___, no marker Germany, Aurelia Ann Foreman, w/o Henry James, 1833 - 1898, marker Hodges, Aurelius B., s/o I.B.A. Hodges, 1832 - 1854, marker Huguet, John Stephen, M.D., s/o Juan, C.S.A., 1825 - 1891, no marker Huguet, Mary Elvira Kleinpeter, w/o John S., 1832 - 1899, no marker Huguet, William Pike, s/o John S., 1852 - 1853, no marker Joyce, William, s/o John, c 1790 - 1846, no marker Kleinpeter, Andrew, s/o Joseph, 1801 - 1853, marker Kleinpeter, Benjamin Franklin, s/o John Bapt. & Rose 1845 - 1858, no marker Kleinpeter, John Baptiste, s/o George, 1797 - 1861, no marker Kleinpeter, John J., infant s/o Andrew, 1847 -1847, marker Kleinpeter, John L., s/o Joseph, c 1797 - 1837, no marker Kleinpeter, Mary Rose Bouillion, w/o John Bapt., 1805 - 1878, no marker Kleinpeter, Oscar Andrew, s/o Andrew, 1844 - 1858, marker Kleinpeter, Zachary Pinckney, s/o Andrew, 1849 - 1857, no marker Lener, Mary, 1887 - 1888, no marker Lopez, Anna Euphemie, d/o Joseph Onieda, 1879 - 1884, no marker Lopez, Henri, s/o Joseph Onieda, 1875 - 1876, no marker Lopez, Joseph Onieda, s/o Joseph Adonis, 1845 - 1896, no marker Lundquest, William, no dates, no marker Lundquest, John, no dates, no marker Maurison, Mary V., 1871 - 1885, no marker McGehee, Ann Scott, d/o Abraham & Mary C., 1831 - 1836, marker McGehee, Mary C., 1809 - 1836, marker Neilson, Capt. John James, s/o James, U.S.A., ___-1813 at Baton Rouge Fort, no marker (1st husband of Pauline Gras) Neilson, James, h/o Elizabeth, f/o Capt. John, ___- 1831, no marker Parker, Nan Pecue, d/o John Pecue, w/o Mack Parker, no dates, no marker Pecue, (Picou, Picaud), John Baptiste Jr., h/o Odile & Victoria Aucoin, 1829 - 1905, no marker Pecue, Odile Elizabeth Aucoin, w/o John, 1835 - 1865, no marker Peniston, Anthony, hsb/o Euphemie Duplantier, c 1800 - 1826, marker Peniston, Euphemie Duplantier, w/o Anthony, 1804 - 1826, marker Penny, Matilda G., w/o Burns & Robert Penny, ___- 1846, no marker Penny, Robert H., s/o James, ___- 1849, no marker Phillips, Isabella Foreman, w/o Albert, no dates, no marker Phillips, Plaisant, Jr., 1838 - 1859, no marker Phillips, Plaisant, Sr., husb/o Elizabeth Babin, ___- 1845, no marker Phillips, Theodore, s/o Plaisant Sr., 1845 - 1861, no marker Piker, Fluvia, d/o John F., c 1864 - ___, no marker Piker, John F., s/o Frederick, 1817 - 1869, no marker Piker, Mary C. Foreman, w/o John F., 1830 - 1903, marker Pilant, George Zitzman, s/o Wm. Jr., 1912 - ca 1920, no marker Pilant, Sarah Clair, d/o Wm. Jr., 1909 - ca 1920, no marker Pilant, Marie Julia LeBlanc, w/o Wm. Sr., 1837 - 1920, no marker Pilant, William Sr., ___- 1899, no marker Randolph, Catherine Kleinpeter, w/o John, 1786 - 1847, marker Randolph, Ellen M. Smith, w/o George, 1834 - 1856, marker Randolph, John, s/o John, 1818 - 1856, marker Randolph, John, War of 1812, 1777 - 1837, marker Riviere, Anne Marie Renee Aime Douezan, w/o Jean Baptiste Riviere, 1766 - 1849, marker Roberts, Constance Kleinpeter, w/o Gilbert Comeaux & Stephen Roberts, d/o George Kleinpeter, ___- 1851, no marker Kleinpeter, George, ___- 1851, no marker Smith, Jacob, 1814 - 1857, no marker Smith, Mary Barbara Thomas, w/o Jacob, 1813 - 1872, no marker Staring, Kathryn J. Hillman, 1st w/o George H. Staring, 1870 - 1898, marker Stokes, James, s/o William & Nettie, 1872 - 1903, marker Stokes, Sidney, s/o William & Nettie, 1878 - 1896, marker Stokes, William, s/o Alexander & Virginia, 1873 - 1912, C.S.A., marker Stokes, Willie F., s/o William & Nettie, 1870 - 1896, marker Thomas, Antoinette Caroline, d/o Jefferson P., __- 1857, marker Thomas, Buffington J., s/o Jefferson P., no date, marker Thomas, Elizabeth, widow/o Benj. Parker Thomas, d/o Gen. Philemon Thomas, mother/o Jefferson P., ___- 1841, no marker Thomas, Florence, d/o Jefferson P., ___- 1857, marker Thomas, William E., s/o Jefferson P., no dates, marker Unconfirmed And Possible Burials In Highland Cemetery Aucoin, Elizabeth Verdon, w/o J. Florentin, no dates Bills, John A., husb/o Mary Garig, __- 1841 Bills, Mary Garig, w/o John A., c. 1812 - 1860 Comeaux, Florestine Sylvannie Tullier, w/o Chas. D. Jr. 1825 - Comeaux, Mary Carmelite Hebert, w/o Chas. D. Sr. Daigre, Francis Paul, s/o Denis O. Daigre, Sr., 1850 - 1892 Daigre, Jean Baptiste Bouvier, s/o Olivie, c 1810 - 1840 Daigre, Mrs. Mary C., w/o Gilbert, ___- 1879 Davis, William, War of 1812, h/o Elizabeth Sharp, ___- c 1825 Doiron, Alzie Daigle, w/o Francis G., ___- c 1910 Duplantier, Marguerite Mary Lopez, w/o Augustin, 1815 - Edmonston, J. Walter, C.S.A., husb/o Lillie E. Aucoin Fulton, Helene de Grand Pre, d/o Gov. Carlos de Grand Pre, 1782 - 1855 Fulton, Col. Samuel, husb/o Helene, ___- c 1827 Garig, Elizabeth, d/o George & Mary B., c 1809 - Garig, George, s/o George & Mary B., 1807 - 1868, C.S.A. McDonald, Mary Barbara Thomas, w/o Joshua McDonald & Geo. Garig, 1777 - 1852 Neilson, Elizabeth, widow of James Neilson who d. 1831 Neilson, William, s/o James & Elizabeth, ___- c 1833, bachelor Parker, Mack, husb/o Nan Pecue Pecue, Victoria Coralie Aucoin, w/o John Pecue, 1842 - 1921 Penny, Marian A., d/o Robert & Matilda, c. 1840 - 1846 Penny, Ann W., d/o Robert & Matilda, 1835 - 1850 Penny, Lucy Ann, d/o Robert & Matilda, c 1839 - c 1846 Phillips, Elizabeth Babin, w/o Plaisant Sr. Randolph, George, husb/o Ellen M. Smith, (m. 5-13-1852) Randolph, John, 17?? - 1822, father of John (1777 - 1837 ) Sharp, Joseph, husb/o Pauline Gras, Widow Neilson, __- 1820 Sheppers, Pauline Gras, widow of Neilson & Joseph Sharp, w/o Louis Sheppers who survived her and m. Her sister Olympia, 1796 - 1822 Thomas, Benjamin Parker, husb/o Elizabeth Thomas, son-in-law of General Philemon Thomas, 1782 - 1835 Thomas, Caroline E. Trager, w/o Jefferson Plummer Thomas, d/o John Trager & Julia Kleinpeter, c 1827 - c 1871 Thomas, Jefferson Plummer, grandson of General Philemon Thomas, s/o Benjamin Parker Thomas, father of 4 children buried in Highland