The real signature of Pierre Gassies, from a letter written in 1824
The Story of Pierre Gassies
Synopsis
Our Pierre is known to have arrived in New
Orleans on the ship Jerome in February 1823. Records suggest
that Pierre was about 25 or 26 years of age at the time. It is not known
at this time if Pierre had visited Louisiana prior to that trip. It is
known, however, that his father Jean Gassies "Ballon" was selling wine and dry goods as a
merchant who settled in New Orleans some time prior to 1819. It is
unknown at what time Jean first arrived in Louisiana. Jean became blind
sometime during or before 1819, and went back to France in order to "find the means to
discover his sight." Jean left his son Pierre in charge of the
properties he owned in Louisiana. Records do not indicate that any of the
properties include land of any sort, but merchandise was definitely involved.
Pierre eventually settled in West Baton Rouge. In February of 1827,
Jean returned to Louisiana and at some point stayed in the house of his son Pierre.
In 1829, Jean filed a legal complaint against his son in order to receive money for merchandise
Pierre was given by his father. Much of the documentation found on this site centers
around this legal battle, a battle that eventually found it's way to the
United States Supreme Court in 1832. Without this documentation, there are many facts
that would have still remained unknown to this day regarding the history of this
particular Gassie family.
For a list of key events in the life of Pierre, check out the Timeline page!
This site is undergoing renovations. Your patience is appreciated!
