Back                                           Andrew Lacroix

     Andrew was born in Normandy in 1766 and came to the United States at the age of 25 or about 1790 or 1791. In Gallipolis he became a whip sawyer for Monsieur Bertrand and carried on a horse mill.
     On February 17, 1797 he married Madame Serot (one of a family of 23 children), widow of Peter Serot. She brought four young children into the marriage, the oldest being only four and one half years old.
     Lacroix went to the French Grant in March 1797 shortly after his marriage. Coming at the same time were Jean Baptist Bertrand, Jean G. Gervais, Charles F. Duteil and William Duduit. He had drawn lot number 15 and he cleared his land and grew peaches. He distilled the peaches and as his business grew, he sent boats to New Orleans. He also grew apple trees and from September to March, he made apple or peach brandy.
     His life was challenging as he once fought a bear and survived and at another time he fell into a 36 foot deep well and managed to climb out unaided.
     His wife died December 16, 1824 leaving seven children of his. These included Cecilia, Zaire, Emily Catharine, Michael, Andrew and Alexander. Lacroix died September 29, 1844.