Clinton IAGenWeb

The more we share the more we have to share

The Patin Family of New Orleans

By Page Dew
(Many of these photos are smaller images of the original, simply click to view full size as submitted)

INTRODUCTION

Around 1970, I became interested in the subject of family history when I began to focus on our “mystery man” ancestor, Paul T. Patin. At the time, my mother, Anna Patin Dew and my aunt, Shirley Patin Dessauer, had already passed away, I was working in Baton Rouge and I had little contact with my uncle, Clay Patin. Over the past forty years I picked up bits and pieces of information on family history and just put them into a box, planning one day to colate them into something literate and logical. Later the advent of computer genealogy programs ( Family Tree Maker) allowed me to do a better job of organizing what I have and to find on-line resources.

I am not a genealogist and am certainly not “into” the subject like others I have met. My interest was and is simply based on a personal curosity in history and our most mysterious ancestor. What I have developed is not necessarily totally accurate and certainly is not complete. Others may want to take up the quest for new information on our family and to correct my errors. I urge others to take up the torch and to share.

My first cousin, Harold C. Patin, has done extensive genealogical exploration. Harold is a wonderful resource in this area. He has even employed a professional genealogist to help him develop accurate family information.

Patin is a French word that means:

A. Footwear, usually worn with wooden soles

B. Sports equipment that is worn on the feet to enable the wearer to glide along on wheels or blades and to be propelled by the alternate actions of the legs.

Examples:

1. Patin a roulettes or roller skates 2. du patin a glace or ice skate.

The history of our branch of the Patin family could best described by the words of Winston Churchill, who referred to the Soviet Union as a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an engima;” tracing our Patin lineage can be just as confusing.

PAUL T. PATIN

Who was Paul T. Patin? Paul was born in New Orleans, fought in the Civil War, worked a series of jobs after the War, married, had a son, was divorced, married again, had a daughter and then disappeared from history around 1880. Paul was my great grandfather. There are no known photographs of him, but there are pictures of some of the Confederates soldiers who fought with him. (See example)

 

Example of New Orleans  Washington Artillery Soldiers

Those are the basics of his life, but I have some ideas about who he was as a person I would like to share with my children, grandchildren, cousins and others.

Our common ancestor, Paul T. Patin, was born September 9, 1846 in New Orleans, the second child of Louisa or Louise Bouche (also spelled Bouchi) Patin and John (also spelled Jean) M. E. Patin. John (Jean) M.E. Patin and Louisa/Louise were apparently one or both music teachers.

In 1844 their oldest child, Wilhelmina, was born and in 1850 another son, John C. Patin, arrived. Both Wilhelmina and John are listed as born in Louisiana. I assume their births occurred in New Orleans.

The only death date for any of the Patins listed above is for Louisa or Louise and I do not have a birth date or death date for John M. E. Patin or a death date for Wilhelmina or John C. (A John Patin died in New Orleans on May 16, 1849 but I do not know if he is one of the John Patins listed above or not. See Daily Delta May 17, 1849 Page 2, col 6 and Daily Picayune, May 17, 1849, Page 2 col 6.) I have not looked at either of these newspapers.

A Jean Baptiste Patin is listed in the 1860 census as living in the 4th Ward of New Orleans.

A John C. Patin married Carrie C. Dalton on June 17, 1874 in New Orleans.

Louisa/Louise Bouche (also spelled-Bouchi) Patin—was born May 22, 1817 in Berlin, Prussia. (Now Germany)

In the 1870 census under the spelling “Patton” there is a Louisa, age 53, Carrrinie (That is the way it is spelled) age 26, Paul, age 24 and John, age 20 listed. I am certain these are our Patins.

1876 New Orleans City Directory, Louisa/Louise is listed as living at 463 Chippewa Street

1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, & 1886 New Orleans City Directory, listed as living at 77, Sixth Street

1888, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893 New Orleans City Directory, listed as living at 566 Pyrtania Street

1895 New Orleans City Directory, listed as living at 153 Grand Route St. John

Louisa/Louise Bouche Patin died January 1, 1898 in New Orleans, see New Orleans Times Democrat January 2, 1898 page 2C6 and January 9, 1898 Page 2C7; Daily Picayune, January 2, 1898, Page 2 col. 6, Daily Picayune January 9, 1898 Page 4 col. 7.

Paul T. Patin-Little is known of the personality or history of Paul T. Patin, yet in my mind, he remains an intriguing character. I believe the Civil War traumatized him and caused him to be reckless in his marriage and to be inconsistent as an employee. He may have even had a drinking problem. Today many of our soldiers who return home from battle exhibit these same characteristics, but today we call it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD) Perhaps he is interesting because of the very fact that I know so little about him.

The American Civil War had a great effect on New Orleans early on. The City was the largest in the Confederacy and one of the largest ports in the country at the time. It had a population of 168, 675 in 1860. The city was diverse in race and ethnic makeup.

The African-American poplulation was divided into slave and free individuals: Slave-13,385-or 8% of the total population and Free-10,688-or 6% of the total population

Irish, 24,398-or 14% of the total population

German-19,675 or 12% of the total population

French-10,564 or 6%, of the total population

British-3,849 or 2% of the total population

Spanish-1,390 or 1% of the total population

Italian-1,019 or 1% of the total population

Other immigrants-3,373 or 2% of the total population

Native born Americans consisted of about 78,000 and immigrants numbered about 66,000.

The “French” section of New Orleans was below Canal Street, while the “American” part of the city was uptown in what is known as the Garden District. In the middle part of Canal Street was a large median separating the French and American districts this median was called the neutral ground. The term neutral ground is still used throughout the City to describe a median. The Uptown Section also housed Germans, French and other European immigrants and their descendants. It was as well the preferred place of residence for many Jews. Jewish merchants were especially numerous along Dryades Street and have played an important part in the City’s history for generations.

Paul T. Patin is listed as living in the 11th Ward of New Orleans in the 1860 census. The 11th Ward was formerly part of the old Lafayette Fauboug that was annexed by New Orleans in the 1850s. It is part of Uptown New Orleans. The 11th Ward is bounded by the River, First Street, Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Toledano Street. (Remember, Jefferson Parish once encompased most of Uptown New Orleans, but Jefferson gradually ceded territory to Orleans Parish during the 1800s. Any study of the history or genealogy of families in New Orleans in that period should remember that the Jefferson Parish line was originally Felicity Street and small communities such as Lafayette, Jefferson City, Greenville, Hurstville, Bloomingdale, Burtheville and Carrollton were part of Jefferson Parish. The present Jefferson Parish line was established in 1870 and the Parish seat was moved from Carrollton to Gretna. (See Wikipedia-Uptown New Orleans History)

New Orleans fell early in the War during the period from April 25 to May 1, 1862 because of the aggressive action of Union Admiral David Farragut. (The Farraguts once lived in New Orleans and Pascagoula, Mississippi) I was told one time that there is a possibility one of our ancestors helped Farragut pilot his ships up the Mississippi River. I do not know if this is true, but if someone wishes to research this they might want to see if the name Stiffler emerges. It is not out of the realm of possibility. Could Harry Stiffler been a captain of a steamship on the Mississippi River and have been familiar with navigating the River? (Over 3,000 steamships visited New Oreans yearly during the 1850s)

The Union Army commander of troops in New Orleans was General Benjamin “Spoons” Butler. The nickname was given to him by the locals who claimed he stole as much silverware as he could to enrich himself. He is also remembered for executing someone for tearing down the American flag and for declaring that any woman who treated a Union soldier without respect would be in turn treated as a “woman of the town plying her advocation.” (A prostitute) I’m sure Butler and his actions did not go over well with the now teenaged Paul Patin. I recall as a child in the late 1940s an 85 or 90 year old Ms. Addie Hasty, really disliked the Yankees. Ms Hasty once reside with the Harry Patins in the 1920s and around the corner from us when we lived at 3610 Camp from 1945 to 1950.

Paul’s next appears as a soldier in the Confederate Army. He apparently slipped out of New Orleans and traveled to Mobile, Alabama to meet recruiters for the famed New Orleans based Washington Artillery. At his enlistment at the age of 16 on July 28, 1863 he listed his occupation as student. (For more information read
 

Paul Patin’s enlistment certification. (Click for larger view)

“In Camp and Battle with the Washington Artillery of New Orleans” by William Miller Owen, L.S.U. Press 1999, originally published in 1885; Paul T. Patin is listed on page 453, 3rd Company)
 
During his time of service in the CSA Army he was a Courier, that is, he served officers of his unit by carrying mail or messages. I think it is logical to believe he was sent to artillery positions with information on where to direct their fire. His record of service is available through the National Archives. It must have been a horrible experience for one so young.

The following engagements were part of Paul Patin’s CSA record:

New Bern, North Carolina, February 1864, absent on detail or duty by order.

Drewry’s Bluff May 14 and 15, 1864

Petersburg, Virginia, June 1864 through February 1865, listed as present.

Paul was listed as a prisoner of war at Farmville, Virginia between April 11, 1865 and April 21, 1865.

 

New Orleans City Directories:
1867- P. T. Patin-Clerk for Max Aronstein, fancy goods and notions, 431 Dryades Street, lived at 586 and 588 Magazine Street, 4th District. (Not sure why two addresses; specualtion: he lived at one address and his mother at the other.

1870-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for A. Braselman and Company, lived at 463 Chippewa 1872-1872-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for Joseph Miller, Jr., lived at 463 Chippewa

1873-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for H. Daspit, lived at 463 Chippewa

1874-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for McGibbon, Allyn and Dubois, lived at 302 Girod St.*

1875-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for Max Braun, lived at 232 &1/2 Eighth Street.

1876-Paul T. Patin-Clerk (business not listed) lived at 77 Sixth Street

1878-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for M.L. Byrne and Company, lived at 256 Third Street

1879-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for M.L. Byrne and Company, lived at 256 Third Street

1880-Paul T. Patin-Clerk for M. Aronstein, lived at 452 Josephine Street, 4th Dist.

Paul T. Patin is listed as living at 256 Third Street, 11th Ward, in the 1880 census; this is the last record I can find on Paul Patin; he then disappeared from history.

*The 302 Girod Street address where Harry Hill Patin was born is located near the Convention Center at the corner of Peters and Girod, a few blocks from the Mississippi River. (You can Google the address to look at the location)

Paul’s Marriages, Children and Divorce

Paul T. Patin first married Jennie Stiffler at Trinity Episcopal Church*1329 Jackson Avenue on December 11, 1872. The marriage was preformed by The Reverand Samuel S. Harris and they were divorced shortly thereafter. A copy of their divorce records are in my files. According to my father, Jennie went to New York or somewhere up North to visit family and when she returned found out that Paul had been unfaithful. I do not know when they actually separated. Harry Hill Patin, their son and my grandfather, was born on October 8, 1873 at 302 Girod Street and baptised by Rev. Harris on February 4, 1874 at Trinity. His Godparents were Horace T. and Beulah Hill, most probably the origin of his middle name.

*Trinity Episcopal Church was the home church of “The Fighting Bishop” Leonidas Polk. Polk was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana at the start of the Civil War and was commissioned a General in the Confederate Army. A second cousin to former U.S. President James Knox Polk, he was killed at the Battle of Atlanta.

Paul’s second wife was Louise A. Seymour. They applied for a marriage license on July 9, 1878 in New Orleans. Their daughter, Edna W. Patin, was born August 17, 1879 and died August 11, 1956 in New Orleans. Edna Patin, age 32, is listed in the 1910 census as living at 320 Cherokee Street in New Orleans; occupation secretary in a doctor’s office. Living at the same address was Carrie Hill, female, age 54. My father told me he met Edna once, but I failed to ask when and where. Could it have been at the funeral for her half brother Harry Hill Patin in 1931? Could the W. in Edna Patin’s name have stood for Wilhelmina? Don’t know! What happened to Louise A. Seymour is also a mystery!

	Paul Patin and Jennie Stiffler’s marriage license.

I do know something about Jennie Stiffler Patin and that she always dressed in black and was not as personable as her son. She never remarried and always described herself as a widow. Once when my Aunt Marie Patin asked Jennie her age, Jennie’s reply was “a lady never tells her age.”

Well, that was the end of that convesation!

According to the New Orleans City Directories of the late 1800s Jennie S. Patin lived at the following addresses:

1879, 1880 and 1881 she lived at 322 Laurel Street in the 11th Ward

Also in 1881 she resided at 119 Pleasant Street

1886, Delachaise, between Camp and Coliseum Street

1889, 135 Delachaise Street

1891, 1892, 1893 and possibly 1894, lived at 165 Delachaise Street, with Harry H. Patin, who was listed as a collector for the City-Item newspaper

1895, listed as living at 1223 Delachaise Street with Harry H. Patin

 

L-R believed to be Sarah A. Barr, Harry Hill Patin and Jennie Stiffler Patin. Circa 1890.

1896, listed as living at 1223 Delachaise Street with Sarah A. Barr, widow of Peter Barr

Jennie S. Patin lived for many years with the Evans family on the Lake side of Camp Street near Louisiana Avenue. (Clara Evans, Lilly Evans and their nephew, Hugh North Evans) Hugh North Evans was an early scientific mentor to my cousin, Dr. Herbert C. Dessauer.

The 1880 census of New Orleans recorded Jennie S. Patin as being 25, estimated birth date as 1855, born in Ohio, daughter of Sarah A. Barr, father’s birth place New York, marital status-widowed; Sarah A. Barr was 45, Jennie 25 and Harry 6.

(I think Jennie may have been born in Steubenville, Ohio)

 

The mystery of Harry H. Patin’s three grandmothers!

Obviously, Louise(a) Bouche Patin was Harry Patin’s paternal grandmother, but what about Mary Nugent Stiffler and Sarah A. Barr? Which one was his maternal grandmother?

I have Harry (His actual name could have been Henry, but he was called Harry) Stiffler and Mary Nugent Stiffler as Jennie’s parents. (Mary Stiffler, nee Nugent signed Jennie and Paul’s wedding certificate as Jennie’s mother) You have already seen in the 1880 census Sarah A. Barr listed as the mother of Jennie and later in this report you will see when Sarah A. Barr died, she is named as Harry H. Patin’s grandmother. I tend, however, to think Sarah Barr was a surrogate mother and assumed the title, but I just don’t know. This is another research project for someone else!

In my notes I have some additional information on the Nugents, so they must have been important to someone.

The Nugent line:

I don’t have a date or place of death, nor birth date for Harry Stiffler or Mary Nugent Stiffler, but strangely enough, I have more detailed information on some past ancestors within the Nugent line. Go figure!

Mary Nugent’s parents were Aaron S. Nugent and Nancy Mathews. Aaron Nugent was born September 10, 1810 in Smithville Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. He died December 23, 1864. (Place unknown)

Nancy Mathews Nugent was born February 9, 1802 in New Castle, Delaware and died September 21, 1863. (Place unknown) Nancy Mathews’ parents were Thomas and Margaret Mathews. Margaret’s maiden name is unknown.

Aaron and Nancy Mathews Nugent had at least six children:

1. Mary Nugent Stiffler-Our direct ancestor it seems (Vital statistics unknown)
2. William Mathews Nugent-born, April 24, 1832 in Washington County, Pennsylvania; died, December 21, 1893 in Clinton, Iowa.
3. Thomas Harrison Nugent-born, September 3, 1834 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; death date and place unknown
4. John Mathews Nugent-born August 24, 1836 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; died, April 27, 1864; place of death unknown
5. James Ravencraft Nugent-born, December 24, 1838 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; death date and place unknown
6. David Ewing Nugent-born, June 13, 1843 in Berlin, Homes County, Pennsylvania; death date and place unknown.

Jennie S. Patin died on July 4, 1937 on Camp Street home of Clara, Lillie and Hugh North Evans where she had lived for a long time. (Maybe from the time of Sarah Barr’s death, 1904, until her death in 1937)

(Death Notice for Jennie S. Patin: Times Picayune newspaper July 4, 1937, page 2 col. 8)

Jennie was an excellent seamstress according to oral family history. She sewed many of the Mardi Gras costumes of the time. The Evans house is on the Lake side of Camp almost on the corner of Camp and Louisiana Avenue. The House of Bultman at Louisiana Avenue and St. Charles Avenue handled the arrangements. The House of Bultman was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and is now a bookstore.

Jennie S. Patin, age 86, is buried at 24 Cypress Grove Magnolia, Hawthorne, G. a part of Greewood Cemetary in New Orleans, but the middle initial is listed as “K.” which is surely incorrect.

Sarah A. Barr Funeral Notice (As written)

New Orleans Daily States

“There passed into the brighter land on last Wednesday night at 8:30 o’clock at the home of her sister, Mrs. J.A. Price, number 1400 Toledano Street, Mrs Sarah A. Barr, a native and life-long resident of this City. Despite the weight of her seventy nine years. She had enjoyed good health until a short time ago, when she contracted a severe case of gippe. Her unfeebled constitution was not enough efficently strong enough to combat the disease and it was soon realized she was sinking fast toward that last long slumber. As related she passed peacefully into the grand beyond on Wednesday evening. On Friday morning at 10:00 o’clock she was laid to rest in the family tomb in Greenwood Cemetary, a large number of friends following to that last resting place and the floral offerings being numerous and beautiful, for Mrs Barr was beloved of all that knew her. The funeral services at both the house and the grave were conducted by the *Rev. John C. Barr.

Mrs Barr, who was of the Presbytherian faith was a devout Christian woman. Gentle, loving, sympathic and ever eager and willing to do good where it might assist or cheer others in need in sorrow or suffering, yet doing it unpretentiously. She endeared herself to all who came to know her. She was grandmother to Mr. Harry H. Patin, a valued employee of the Daily States.”

*John Christie Barr was a fascinating character in New Orleans religious history. For those interested in him you might want to Google his name. I have no idea if he was related to Sarah A. Barr.

Sarah A. Barr is listed as Sarah H. Barr in the Greenwood Cemetary records. She was buried in 8888 G on January 15, 1904. (Date of death January 13, 1904)

Other Obituary citations for Sarah A. Barr:

Daily Picayune, January 14, 1904, page 6, col 5

Daily Picayune, January 17, 1904, page 6, col 5

Times Democrat, January 13, 1904, page 2, col 6

Times Democrat, January 17, 1904, page 2, col 5

Item, January 14, 1904, page 2, col 4

Times Democrat, January 18, 1904, page 11, col. 4

Item, January 17, 1904, page 2, col 5

Harry Hill Patin was my maternal grandfather. He died long before I was born. I would have loved to have known him. I was told he knew everyone on Magazine Street, especially between Louisiana Avenue and Napoleon. His son, Clay was the same way. All of my first cousins on the Dessauer and Patin side seem to have inherited this same natural ebullient quality.

Harry H. Patin was raised by Sarah A. Barr and his mother, Jennie Stiffler Patin. He worked for the Daily States newspaper as a collector in Uptown New Orleans. He was active in politics and at some point was appointed to be a City Judge. He held court in the police station located on the Lake side of Magazine Street near Napoleon Avenue. I do not know if he ever met his father, but as stated above, he did have a half sister, Edna. Harry suffered from diabetes and died on September 28, 1931 from its effects. He is buried in #2 Cypress Magnolia Hawthorne G. a part of Greewood Cemetery in New Orleans.

Harry married Maryann Jamison Nelson (also known as “Mama” and “Mamie”) on October 12, 1897 in Jefferson Parish, probably in Gretna. Family Story: When it came time to marry, “Mamie” did not have any suitors, so she prayed for a husband and within a year she was Mrs. Harry Patin. Oh, the power of prayer!
 

“Mamie” as I knew her, was born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on July 31, 1874 shorty after her mother, Maryann White Nelson, got off the boat from Northern Ireland. “Mamie’s” father, James Richardson Nelson, had come to American from Tobermore, N.I. a few months before to work for Andrew Carnegie as a carpenter. He was a noted master craftsman stairmaker, who built the impressive entrance stairway at the old St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans. There are some wonderful stories regarding the Nelsons that I hope to share in another article.

According to family oral history the Nelson-White branch of our family is related to the English hero Admiral Nelson and the Scottish patriot Robert Bruce. (1990 interview in San Bruno, California with Elsie Hulseburg Lossius, the daughter of Lavania May Nelson Hulseburg)

“Mamie,” her parents and her younger siblings, Clarence, William, LaVinia, Nana, and James Nelson came to New Orleans in the early 1890s and settled in the Irish Channel. They lived on Austerlitz Street in the Irish Channel.

According to one story I heard, Maryanne Nelson and “Mamie” Nelson Patin helped to found Valence Street Baptist Church (Valence and Magazine Street) If not, at least I know they were active in it. As a child, when we lived on Camp Street, I attended Vacation Bible School at Valence. (Note: Valence Street is named after Napoleon’s victory at Valencia, Spain in 1812)

“Mamie” Nelson Patin lived with us when I was a child but died on September 30, 1945 in New Orleans at my Aunt Shirley’s home in New Orleans. She is buried at The Garden of Memories Cemetary in Metairie, Louisiana.

Harry and “Mamie” had six children, all born in New Orleans, but only three lived to be adults.
 

Harry and “Mamie” Patin’s first born was Mildred May Nugent Patin. She was born in October 1898, but unfortunately died on January 27, 1900. Her death was a great tragedy for the family. See Daily Picayune, January 28, 1900 page 4, col. 5; Daily Picayune, February 4, 1900, page 4, col 7, page 4, col 6; Daily States, January 27, 1900, page 1, col 7; Daily States, January 28, 1900, page 5, col. 6. Mildred is buried in #2 Cypress Magnolia Hawthorne G, Greenwood Cemetary, New Orleans, Louisiana.

2. On November 19, 1899 Aileen Shirley Ross Patin was born. (Harry and “Mamie’s second child) Shirley was a gifted pianist and teacher. In New Orleans, on January 5, 1921 she married Herbert Andrew Dessauer (Born: January 30, 1898 NOLA Died: February 21, 1970 NOLA) They had four children, all born in New Orleans:

They are:

a. Dr. Herbert Clay Dessauer, born December 30, 1921, a now retired Professor of Biochemistry at LSU Medical School; a Chair is named in his honor at the school; he was the first person to earn a doctorate in biochemistry at LSU. He served during World War Two as a meterologist for the Army Air Corps in the Pacific. Herb was quite a distance runner as a young man and won the Jackson Day race, among others.
 

Herbert Clay Dessauer

Herb married Frances Jane Moffatt on December 19, 1949 in New Orleans. She passed away shortly before Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. (2005) Their children are Dan Winston Dessauer, born November 15, 1952 in NOLA, Rebecca Lynn Vockroth (Husband, John) born August 18, 1954 in NOLA and Bryan Clay Dessauer, born June 20, 1958, in NOLA.

Carol Patin Dessauer (Duplantis) was born to Herbert and Shirley September 12, 1923. She graduated with a nursing degree from Baptist Hospital School of Nursing in New Orleans. Her home in Chalmette was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and she died in 2006 as a result of complications from Alzheimers disease. Carol and A.J. Duplantis (deceased) were married on June 12, 1946 in New Orleans and had one child, Kathleen Jane Duplantis, born May 19, 1947. Kathy Duplantis and Harry John Maillet, born June 21, 1946, were married August 26, 1967. Their children are: John Mark Maillet, born February 12, 1970; Brad David Maillet, born August 26, 1973: Troy Brian Maillet, born October 27, 1975; and Kyle Robert Maillet, born January 16, 1978.

Carol Patin Dessauer Duplantis

b. Donald Patin Dessauer, born December 23, 1926, was successful in the insurance business for many years in New Orleans and is now retired. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War Two and participated in several important battles. Recently he donated a US flag flown during the Battle of Leyte Gulf to the World War Two Museum in New Orleans. Don lives in Metairie.
 

	Agnes, Jerry and Don Dessauer.

Don married Agnes Mae Rice (born February 25, 1928) on April 3, 1948. Their five children are: Donald John Dessauer, Michael Joseph Dessauer, Agnes Emelda “Dovie” Dessauer, Gerard Andrew (Jerry) Dessauer (Deceased) and Stephen Thomas Dessauer.

Donald (Don) John Dessauer, born March 31, 1949 and Emelda Carolyn Boudoin, born September 1, 1952, were married June 1, 1974.

Michael (Mike) Joseph Dessauer, born April 13, 1950, and Sharon Ann Davis, born June 7, 1947 were married June 24, 1977. Their children are Rhonda Michelle Cooper, born February 9, 1970 (From Sharon’s first marriage) and Christine Marie Dessauer, born May 5, 1978.

Agnes Emelda “Dovie” Dessauer was born April 11, 1951. On January 25, 1974 Dovie married Glen Joseph Scheyd, born October 20, 1949. Their children are Monique Ann Scheyd, born September 28, 1975 and Glenn Joseph Scheyd, Jr., born September 19, 1977.

Gerard Andrew (Jerry) Dessauer was born May 29, 1952. He is deceased and never married. He is a former Mr. New Orleans.

Stephen Thomas (Steve) Dessauer was born July 27, 1953. On November 20, 1976 he and Brenda Jean Wack were married. Brenda was born April 14, 1953. Stephen Patin Dessauer was born to them on July 12, 1978.

c. Jane Patin Dessauer (Luecke) was born January 20, 1931. She graduated at age eighteen from LSU with a degree in Elementary Education. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 destroyed her home in Chalmette and she now resides in Baton Rouge. Although retired from teaching, she is quite active helping others. Jane married John DeWeese Luecke (born June 10, 1927) on June 5, 1949 in New Orleans. Their children are John David Luecke, born August 29, 1953; Lauren Aileen Luecke, born June 26, 1957(died a few hours after birth) and Jean Carol Luecke, born June 3, 1958. On February 26, 1978, David Luecke married Deborah Jo Schnauder, born July 11, 1953. Jean is married and lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

Jane Patin Dessauer Luecke	Jane and Page Dew

Herbert A. “Hooks” Dessauer, Shirley’s husband, was a semi-pro baseball pitcher who went to Spring Training with the Cleveland Indians and was offered in the 1920s a professional contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, but turned it down because of family obligations. He was a Jeweler, coach and employee of the Port of Embarcation on the Industrial Canal for many years.

Shirley P. Dessauer died of cancer on May 19, 1967 and is buried with her husband, Herbert, in Garden of Memories Cemetary in Metairie, Louisiana.

The third child of Harry and “Mamie” Patin was Harry Hill Patin, Jr. He died the day he was born, July 23, 1904. Daily Picayune, July 24, 1904, page 6, col. 5; Times Democrat July 24, 1904 page 3 col 6; Times Democrat July 31, 1904 page 2, col 7; Item, July 23, 1904, page 8, col 4. Harry Hill Patin, Jr. is buried in Greenwood Cemetary, 2 Cypress Grove, Magnolia Hawthorne G.


 

Their fourth child was Harold Clay Patin. He was born in 1905 and died on June 6, 1973. He worked all his life for the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board operating the pumps that drained storm waters from the city. The S&WB is an essential department of the city to keep it from flooding. He married Marie Gremillion and they had two sons who lived to become outstanding law enforcement officers: Harold Clay Patin, born November 15, 1939 (DEA-retired and owner of Global Safety and Securities) Harold married on June 12, 1966 Linda Ann Selle (born, August 7, 1944, Now deceased) Their children are Alison Frances Patin, born December 28, 1963 (From Linda’s first marriage) and Alicia Monique Patin, born September 26, 1971 ; Harold’s brother, William “Willie” Perry Patin was born February 15, 1942. (NOPD Detective-retired and Head of Security for Freeport-McMoran) On September 3, 1967 Willie married Libertad Ivonne Portales. Ivonne was born March 2, 1945. Their children are: Maureen Alicia Patin and Michelle Marie Patin (Twins born November 9, 1969) and Kimberley Jean Patin, born, born April 26, 1974. Harold and Willie’s older brother, Harry Hill Patin III, was born in 1936 but died at birth. Clay and Marie Gremillion Patin are buried at Cypress Grove, 16 Maple Myrtle, Jessamine C. New Orleans, Louisiana. Marie was buried August 31, 1990.

On September 9, 1910 twins were born to the Harry and “Mamie, Anna Gertrude Patin (She hated the Gertrude part) and #6. William Stafford Patin.

Anna was my mother and was so small her first crib was a shoe box. Although Anna was the smaller of the twins, her brother, William died two days after their birth. William S. Patin is buried in #2 Cypress Magnolia Hawthorne G Greenwood Cemetery New Orleans, Louisiana.

	Anna Patin Dew

My mother graduated from Sophie Wright High School and worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Depression to support her widowed mother. She married my father, Leonard Duke Dew, a native of Kentucky on February 9, 1937 in Gretna, Louisiana.

My mother died January 29, 1957 of cancer at Mercy Hospital in New Orleans, lovingly attended by the Sisters of Mercy nuns. Her cancer was speedy and she died only three months after its discovery at the age of forty six. She is buried in the Garden of Memories Cemetary next to my father.

My father was born on December 4, 1906 in Ballard County Kentucky, not too far from Paducah and died of a stomach aneurysm at Ochsner Hospital in Jefferson Parish on October 28, 1989. The Dew family genealogy extends back into early American Colonial history. The first Dew to cross the Atlantic from Herfordshire, England was Col. Thomas Dew who settled around Williamsburg, Virginia around 1636 and was Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses. The Duke represented in my father’s middle name was his mother’s maiden name. Although she was born in Kentucky, my grandmother had strong family ties to relatives in Warrenton, North Carolina and to the Dukes who migrated to Virginia from England in the 1600s.

 

	Leonard Duke

My father was a salesman all his life, or as my cousin Willie says, he was a “drummer.” (A “drummer” in the old days was a person who went from community to community selling goods. He made his presence know by beating a drum.) During World War Two he worked at Delta Shipyards on the Industrial Canal building Liberty ships. Later he owned and operated a small retail clothing and household furnishing company.

 

I was born February 1, 1941 at Baptist Hospital on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. My full name is Leonard Page Dew and I am an only child. As a kid I lived at 5122 and 3610 Camp Street, and then 1005 Tullulah Avenue in what is now called River Ridge in Jefferson Parish. I attended Howard #2 school on Camp Street, Kenner Elementary, Junior and High School. When all of the high schools in eastern Jefferson Parish were consolidated in the middle 1950s I attended and graduated from East Jefferson. (1958)

Following high school I attended the University of New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. After college I obtained a broadcast engineering degree and spent my professional career at in broadcasting as an announcer, engineer, account executive and owner/manager of two broadcast facilities. I have been in thousands of radio and hundreds of television commercials. In 1981 I worked for the ABC Television Network as a voice-over specialist.

After I retired from broadcasting, I spent some time in the sport of bowling as a coach, Executive Director of bowling’s international organization and competitior.

In 1997 I was named National Coach of the Year. I am a member of the Baton Rouge Bowling Hall of Fame and have won one world title.

 

L-R: Wendy, Ryan, Misty Dew.		L-R: Wendy, Ryan, Misty, Page.
	I have grown three children and now seven grandchildren. My children by my first wife, Mary Catherine Fornea (married February 4, 1967; divorced 1978) Cathy was born October 30, 1946) are Misty Ann Mulford, born July 3, 1970 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (children: Cody, Macy and Marypage) Ryan Page Dew, born June 10, 1974 in Baton Rouge (Ashton) and Wendy Catherine Ard, born May 12, 1974 in Baton Rouge (Harrison, Preston and Maryoona) All of my children live in Angie, Louisiana in Washington Parish. Misty and Wendy are both school teachers, while Ryan works in construction.

I am married (February 20, 1993) to Patricia (Patsy) Terrebonne Dew, who is the General Manager of the International World Games Association (IWGA) here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Patsy was born July 30, 1962 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We do not have any children.

 

Conclusion

Our branch of the Patin Family will end with Harold and William Patin. I do not know if we are related to others with the same surname, for example, there are quite a number of Patins around Baton Rouge, including some African-Americans.

There is a Paul Patin that works for the US State Department in the Diplomatic Section and certainly there are others throughout the world. Are we related? Until we can go back in time a generation or more before Paul T. Patin, we will never know that answer.

The Patin name is found in the records of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 and even in the beginnings of New Orleans itself in 1719, when Antoine Patin was a translator for the founder of the City, Jean Baptiste La Moyne, Sieur Bienville. Antoine Patin is considered the progenitor of almost all of the Louisiana Patins. Is he related to us…good question!

Harold C. Patin in an e-mail dated August 10, 2010 reminded me that he has a book by Guy Patin called Guy Patin and the Medical Profession in Paris in the 17th Century, by Frances R. Packard, MD. Harold said, “This is an English writing about Guy (Gee) and his medical writing that gives us a view of what the latest medical treatments were in the day. Guy’s writings were about 1630-1672 and he was considered one of the high intellectuals of his day in Paris. He was born in 1601 and mixed with the cream of the crop of that era. He was educated at the University of Paris and became a professor there. Guy knew and corresponded with many leaders and intellectuals of his day, including Saint Francis de Sales.”

“The order of the Salesians of Don Bosco (s.d.b.), founded by St. John Bosco in 1859, approved by the Holy See in 1874, is named after him, as are the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (o.s.f.s.) founded by Louis Brisson, and the Missionaries of St. Frances de Sales, founded by Peter Mermier in 1830. The Paulist Fathers also count him as one of their patrons. Francis was considered a “Doctor of the Church” and the most significant preacher of the 17th Century.”

When I was young and would go fishing with my dad in the mysterious marshes and swamps of South Louisiana he taught me to notice landmarks or mark the trail when we were going out on a trip. Those same indications would be an important way for us to find our way back home. During the course of this article I have tried to list research sources for any who wish to take up the quest for our Patin ancestors. I have not looked at every newspaper death notice, marriage record, or census record cited above. Because I live in Colorado and many of these records are not on-line it is logistically impossible to do so. I’ll leave it up to others to follow up on my research clues. I have marked the trail for you to follow! It is now up to you.

Que le bon Dieu vous benit!

Page Dew

2655 White Rock Lane
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
pagedew@q.com
(719) 685-5684 Home
(719) 210-5541-Cell