Michel B. Becnel,  St. John the Baptiste Parish

Submitted for the LA GenWeb Archives by Mike Miller, Dec 1997


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Michel A. Becnel
        St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
     Michel A. Becnel, a prominent planter and merchant of Wallace, St.
John Baptist parish, La., was born July 23, 1838, in St. John Baptist
parish.  He is a son of Peter and Josephine (Lennen) Becnel, natives of
Louisiana.  The parents of our subject were married about 1834 in St.
John Baptist parish, and soon located on the plantation where he now
lives.  He followed planting all of his life.  The mother of Michel
Becnel died in 1844.  She was a devout member of the Catholic church.
In 1846 the father of the subject married Miss Fannie De Baconnais, a
native of France, who came to Louisiana about 1840.  She died about
1848, her husband died in 1856.  Both were members of the Catholic
church.  To the last union no children were born; by the first there
were two children born; Peter L., born in 1836, April 3, and was killed
in the campaign of Atlanta, Ga.; the subject of this notice is the
younger of the two children.  He was sent to Paris, France, in 1850, and
remained there until 1857, graduating from Rollin college with the
degree of A. B.  He then returned to his old home and enlisted in the
confederate army in 1861, in the Washington artillery, Company E, under
the command of Buck Miller. of New Orleans, as a private.  He soon
changed and was elected captain of Company J, of the Tenth Louisiana
regiment, then at Yorktown.  He was in the battle of Yorktown, the Seven
Days Fight around Richmond, Chickahominy and others of more or less
importance.  He was discharged at the last named place and came to
Louisiana and there raised another company.  In 1862 he went to Port
Hudson, and was there during the siege.  In the early part of 1863 he
was taken sick, and went to the house of a friend, Dr. J. H. Weindhal,
then in Point Coupee parish, and there remained about four months, very
near to the point of death.  While there he became acquainted with Miss
Leonie Provosty, who afterward became his wife.  She was a native of
Louisiana, born in 1843, and a daughter of Judge August and Eliska
(Labry) Provosty, both natives of Louisiana.  Mr. Becnel was married
November 18, 1863.  To our subject and his wife were born fifteen
children--two daughters and thirteen sons-and only five of them are now
living:  Lionel, Henry, Mary, Gaston and Otto.  Lionel married, January
5, 1891, Miss Leonie Dayries, who was born November, 1866.  She is a
daughter of Leon Dayries and wife, natives of Louisiana.  Politically,
Mr. Becnel is a democrat, and cast his first vote for Breckinridge.  He
has been a member of the police jury since 1876.  With his family, he is
a member of the Catholic church.  He owns about 600 acres of fine land,
upon which he raises sugar and rice.  He has a sugar mill and does a
very lucrative business.  He also runs a general merchandise store,
which pays him well.  He has lived on his present place since 1844,
which is the same plantation which his father owned.  He is a liberal
supporter of schools, churches, and all other public enterprises of
worth.

 From Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, volume 2, pp.
278-279.
Submitted by Mike Miller

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