Photograph believed to be Antoine Andermann, builder of the 1st (1849) St. Mary's Chapel on the Ancient Domain Plantation. "He and a team of 6 builders started the 1st St. Mary's Chapel on June 25, 1849 under the direction of Fr. Jean F. Abbadie, S.J. The greatest part of the carpentry wood, the doors, the great door excepted, the windows, eight benches, the altar, [and] the bricks had been furnished by the nuns of Sacred Heart. They had made a generous abandonment of the debris of the old convent to Reverend Father Abbadie and to his parishioners; this was a savings to them of nearly $200." *

* referenced from "St. Michel, du Compte d'Acadie" par Rene de Sennegy 1877

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Photo Credit - Mel Andermann

Born as Jean-Baptiste Ludger Peytavin, known as John L. Peytavin, French professor, owner of the Ancient Domain Plantation, above which was located the 1st (1849) St. Mary's Chapel, sang in the Choir of St. Mary's ,was also the College President of Saint Mary’s Jefferson College, (now Manresa) & former President of the Louisiana’s Lawyers Association in New Orleans.

He organized the “Progressive Education Society” in Union prior to the Modern Public School System established around 1908.

From the balcony of his home (Ancient Domain), in 1904, after the expansion of St. Mary's, John L. hosted a triumphant procession in which more than 1000 people attended including those from Jefferson College and as far as New Orleans. They paraded with flags from every country at the time.

His parents were Ludger Peytavin & Marcelline Melançon. His grandfather Jean Baptiste Peytavin II & Marie Célèstine Landry were the owners of Ancient Domain at the time of the 1st Chapel’s construction.

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Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Associate Pastor at St. Michael's Parish, was Pastor of St. Mary's Chapel along with Fr. O. Renaudier, at the onset of it's beginning in 1879, until his death in 1914. He stayed in both the 1st Chapel's (shotgun) rectory behind the Chapel, & the 2nd Chapel's rectory, formerly Eugene Chauvin's house, which was later granted to the church along with 15 acres in 1886 until it was sold and moved in 1986 to Karl Nettles. Fr Kempnick was a friend of the community. He used to quail hunt with Frank L. Chauvin. His two bird dogs' names were "Kemp" & "Nick" (pronounced 'NEEK'). His sulky horse's name was Lucifer (pronounced LoosyFair).

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Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Louis Chauvin II (petit Louis – pronounced “T-Lou-ee”) was born in the old Chauvin House and lived there all his life (except for his service in the civil war), and died of pneumonia in the right rear bedroom of the house. Louis Chauvin II was a corporal and an artificer (skilled military gunsmith and ordnance repair man), and bugler, during the Civil War. He served in the Grosse Tete Flying Artillery (West’s Battery), which was composed of soldiers from St. James Parish and Pointe Coupee Parish. His brother Pierre also served with him. Louis Chauvin II was, as we heard, a true Renaissance man skilled in all of the arts and sciences. He was a skilled architect, engineer, carpenter, blacksmith, plumber, steam engine mechanic, sugar maker engineer, sugar chemist, inventor, gunsmith, boat-builder, wheelwright, and bookkeeper, and Master Builder of the 2nd St. Mary's Chapel along with his uncle Eugene Chauvin and brother, Pierre Chauvin. Louis Chauvin II started the current 1875 St. Mary’s Chapel building in his late 30’s in June of 1868 under the direction of Fr. H. Bellanger, S.M.

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Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Pierre's middle name was Optimé; pronounced “Op-Tee-May” The people of Union used to refer to him as Timé; pronounced “Tee-May” This word in French, Optimé meant Optimum, and Not Comparable. Pierre fathered 18 children, 99 grandchildren, and was known to have built several buildings in Union, including the 2-story "Man" Gravios store (1912 - now located at the end of Legion St & Hwy 44), the St. Mary's Chapel, The Livermouth (Sazburg) House, the Hymel Store, the Romeville School (1908), 1916 new Helvetia Sugar Mill for Louis (Boo-Shoot) Hymel after the old sugar mill burned, and the Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant after a storm destroyed it. Pierre also personally built the 2 side altars in St. Mary's honoring St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, along with the sacristies, and transepts in the 1904 expansion after Louis II and Eugene died. Labor bill records show that he also worked on the steeple for a sum of $550.00. The records also show that the construction cost for the expansion for the transepts (wings) cost $2,760.00 Pierre was a notable sugar maker and chemist and was in partnership with his brother Louis II, designing, building, and repairing sugar house machinery as far south as Plaquemines Parish all the way up to the New Hope Plantation above Pointe Coupee.

Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Armand Letulle was one of the lead carpenters on St. Mary's Chapel and built both phase 1 & 2 of St. Mary's - the original nave & the transept addition. His son to the right, Johnnie Letulle, helped work on phase II of St. Mary's as an apprentice. Johnnie Letulle also built the chimneys for Sam Anderman's house, now owned by the Theriot's.

Seated in the middle is Elize LeBlanc, wife of Armand.

Photo Credit - Lynn Bergeron

Olympe Chauvin, daughter of Louis Chauvin I, builder of the the famous Papevert in Union, LA, 1st St. Mary’s organist, then living in her father’s house, was a music teacher and notable dress designer who used made fancy clothing and taught music in Union, LA according to old hand written records where she taught many to read music, play piano, violin, cello, mandolin, guitar etc. Her brothers Louis II and Pierre O. Chauvin, builders of the 2nd St. Mary's, were both violinist playing with her in the first St. Mary’s choir along with other musicians, and singers like John L. Peytavin. St. Mary’s early choir at that time had a complete orchestra with cornets, cellos, violins, French horns, etc. playing very lively French music from music sheets written in France which we found in the attic of the Chauvin Estate.

Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

2nd St. Mary’s Organist, Noelie Chauvin: In about 1900, after Noelie Chauvin’s sister Louise Chauvin Letulle died in childbirth with twins in Louis Chauvin II’s house, she and her brother Frank Chauvin adopted (2) of Louise Chauvin Letulle’s daughters, i.e., Lovie Letulle and Agnes Letulle. Noelie’s sister, Louise Chauvin had earlier married Leonce Letulle. Noelie Chauvin had a piano in Louis Chauvin II's house bought by her father Louis Chauvin II and her brother Frank Chauvin. Like her Aunt Olympe Chauvin (1st Organist), she also taught music and taught her younger niece Lovie to play the piano here and also practice on the organ next door at St. Mary’s Chapel. Noelie Chauvin later married her cousin Sam Boudreaux from Union, LA in about 1908 and moved to operate the Branch Store with him along the River Road in front of the Orange Grove Plantation where the old former LA Highway 22 from Sorrento used to terminate in a “Y” Branch at the River Road which is now LA Highway 44. After Noelie moved to the Branch Store, as the second St. Mary’s Church organist, she initially continued coming to St. Mary’s Church to play St. Mary’s Church’s Organ and continued teaching her niece Lovie Letulle, still then in Frank Chauvin’s house, to play both piano and organ. Afterwards, Noelie’s niece Agnes Letulle later married Noelie’s former neighbor from Union. LA, Louis DeHass. Louis DeHaas had moved to Sorrento, LA as owner of the Sorrento Sawmill, and Noelie and her husband moved to Sorrento, LA to operate a store on this Sorrento Sawmill property. After this move, further from St. Mary’s Church, Noelie then became the organist at Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant, LA. At Noelie’s St. Mary’s funeral in the 1950s Father Wyschoff from Holy Rosary announced that Noelie Chauvin Boudreaux had played the organ in St. Amant for forty (40) long and dedicated years.

Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Sitting on the left, 3rd Organist at St. Mary's Chapel, daughter of Louise Chauvin Letulle, Louis II's & Pierre's sister. Her father was Leonce Letulle. Dresses made by Olympe Chauvin. Lovie Attended Sacred Heart Convent in Convent, La. Lovie played the organ for Noelie's funeral, and continued to play there for a very long time. Several generations later after Lovie Letulle, Olympe's neice, Noelie's niece, and Noelie's sister Louise's niece, started playing the organ.

Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Miss Maria taught catechism for parishioners of St. Mary's for decades in the PapeVert dance hall down the road.

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Photo Credit - Henry Chauvin

Description on Janice forthcoming

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Photo Credit - Fran Stein Fleniken

Paul Melancon Clement Mire Charles Chomton Camille Mire Ben Landry

J. Melancon Pierre Chauvin Gabriel Hypolite Dubourg Henry Webre

H. Jacob Xavier Sarazin Numa Jacob Joe Letulle Andre Dupepe

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