TOUPS, (Hon.) Prosper, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************
 


************************************************

Hon. Prosper Toups, Thibodeaux, La., assessor of La Fourche parish and a
prominent sugar planter, is a native-born resident of this parish, his birth
occurring near where he now lives, 8 miles below the town of Thibodeaux, on
the 1st of March, 1845.  His father, Thelesfor Toups, was also a native of
this parish and died in 1867 of yellow fever, when forty-eight years of age. 
He was an extensive sugar planter.  The Toups family were among the first
settlers of the parish and were probably of German descent.  Prosper Toups was
the eldest of seven children, five sons and two daughters, one of the
daughters dying on the same day and of the same fell disease as the father. 
Prosper was educated in the schools of his parish and in 1861 joined the
Twenty-sixth Louisiana infantry company, in which he served until captured at
the siege of 
Vicksburg.  He then came home on parole and remained there until
cessation of hostilities.  He was in the battle of Chickasaw Bayou and the
entire siege of Vicksburg.  He was married in 1864 to Miss J. Folse, of La
Fourche parish, and to this union have been born four sons and a daughter, all
at home.  Returning home after the war he commenced overseeing with Oskar
Lepine of this parish and in 1869 he bought land.  He then commenced planting
for himself and in 1885 he purchased Ariel plantation, which he has since been
improving in every possible manner.  He has 800 acres and raises sugar cane,
corn, potatoes and. general produce, selling a great deal to the town.  By
energy, excellent business ability, and good management he has been very
successful and is respected and esteemed throughout the parish.  He is
interested in progress and development and takes an active part in all worthy
enterprises.  He was appointed assessor of this parish by Governor Nicholls
and fills that position in a very satisfactory manner.  lie is a democrat in
politics, and the family are members of the Catholic church.  He takes an
active part in trying to put to an end the Louisiana state lottery.  He can be
classed a hot anti-lottery member of La Fourche.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 424-425. 
Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.