PEOPLE  OF WEST BATON ROUGE                                                  

FRANCOIS ALLAIN, a native of Brittany, was the first of his family to come to America. He had been an officer in the French Army and had fought in 1745 at the Battle of Fontenoy. Why he left his country for Louisiana is not known nor why he selected a home in Baton Rouge, "le poste des Attakapas," as it was called. He brought with him two daughters and two sons, one of whom, Augustin, Captain of Grenadiers, founded the branch of the family known in New Orleans. Two sons were Valorien and Soathene. Valorien, the better known of the two, married Celeste Duralde, the daughter of Martin Duralde, a Spanish officer stationed at the Poste de Attakapas. Of the three Duralde sisters, one married John Clay, the brother of Henry Clay; another, Soniat du Fossat; and the third (Clarisse), C. C. Claiborne, Governor of Louisiana. The mother of the Duraldes was a Perrault. She was from Canada and a descendant of Charles Perrault, the immortal author of the Fairy Tales. Val6rien and Celeste Duralde had one son, Valorien, born and baptized in 1799, and three daughters, who became Mesdames Ursin Soniat, Valorien Dubroca, and George Eustis. Mrs. Eustis was the mother of Allain Eustis, who married Anais de Saint Manat. Her sons were James Eustis, late Ambassador to France; and George Eustis, in his day the " Beau Brummell" of New Orleans, who married Louise Corcoran, daughter of the Washington philanthropist. The daughters of this last couple were Mathilde, who married an Englishman and lived abroad; and Celestine, still living, who is to-day cited as the "fine fleur" of what ante-bellum New Orleans could produce in the way of a grande dame. To the grace of the Creole she adds the intellect of a woman of letters, and she is the author of several books connected with the life of her family in New Orleans, the profits of whose sale she has given in charity. Val6rien, the son, was sent to France to complete his education. He spent some ten years abroad, most of the time in Paris, where he frequented the society of men of letters and indulged his cult for the stage. It is not surprising that, on his return to Louisiana, he found life on his father's plantation insupportably dull and resolved to live in the city, where he married Armantine Pitot, the daughter of Jacques Pitot de Beaujardidre, the first American Mayor of New Orleans. It was the day in Paris when gastronomy was an intellectual pleasure, and a good cooking a fine art. Gayarre' used to say that the nearest approach to Parisian dinners that he had seen out of Paris were given by Valorien Allain. Fortunately he lived at a period when the old French market in the city and his father's plantation could supply the viands necessary. He seldom came home without two or three chosen friends to dine with him ; and his wife, not to be taken unaware, was in the habit of stationing her butler in an advanced post of observation to give warning how many guests were with his master. During the meal, Allain, following the brilliant examples he had known in Paris, would rise from the table and, tucking his napkin under his vest, would proceed to the kitchen where, with the most perfect taste and skill, he would prepare such a chef d'oeuvre of culinary art as Dumas himself (Gayarre' says) would have been proud of. His wines were all imported direct from France. His cook was the celebrated Gazoue, an African who had been the slave of Valorien's father on the plantation. Gazoue was sent to the best restaurants to finish him off in the art of cooking a dinner fit for gastronomes, and thus he contributed as much and even more, very likely, than his master to the success of the Parisian dinners. Among the guests were such men as Victor Burhte, a poet as well as a good talker; John R. Grymes, a colossus of wit and learning; Etienne Mazureau, the finished orator who, it has been said by those who had heard both, surpassed even Henry Clay in eloquence — and always Gayarr6, the host's intimate friend and schoolmate. When his daughters grew up Allain gave a yearly grand ball, and every Thursday a small reception for intimate friends, following the custom of Paris again. The balls were ordered with the same fastidious regard to the Paris standard as his dinners; a full orchestra for the music, professional decorators for the rooms, and a supper that his guests thought could have set the standard for Paris. Valorien was ruined by the Civil War and never recovered fortune, health or spirits afterwards. In the meantime, his uncle, Soathene, lived on his great sugar plantation near Baton Rouge in the extravagantly generous style in force, at that time, among Louisiana sugar planters, until he was ruined. Ludicrously enough, he is remembered principally by the remarkable reputation achieved by one of his slaves; the bright, intelligent, good-looking mulatto born on his place, who was named Theophile, but called by his master "Soulouque," after the Haytien hero. He was his master's factotum, accompanying him everywhere. After emancipation, Soulouque, as his talents demanded, quit menial service and entered the brilliant arena of politics, at that tune opened to the negro. He rose easily above his contemporaries, whom he dominated by his intellect and fine address. He was elected State Senator; and, at Baton Rouge, further distinguished himself as a parliamentarian and a speaker. A gentleman of the Allain family, with whom Soulouque remained always on the best of terms, went to Baton Rouge out of curiosity to hear him, and, astounded, asked him where he had learned to make such fine speeches. Soulouque answered magnificently: "Did I not stand behind Mr. Allain's chair for years listening to the most brilliant men of Louisiana express themselves on public affairs? Hearing such talkers as Grymes, Hunt, Gayarre' and Pitot, why should I not be able to speak better than these carpetbaggers up here?". source: Creole Families of New Orleans By Grace Elizabeth King