Life History

Notes

• Based on Peter's name and stories of early settlers, we think Peter's father or his grandfather or both were named Pierre.  Early information refers to one Petro Pertuis and a Pierre Pertuis.  These are forms of the same name, Spanish and French respectively.
  
  The Pertuis Family Tree has some helpful information, but many missing individuals and missing details, and little external documentation.  That genealogy has the father of Peter A Pertuis as one Manuel Pertuis, whose wife was Marie Chatigny.  Manuel is placed as the son of the Chevalier Pierre Pertuis, whose wife is not known.
  
  This genealogy provides us the full name as Peter Augusta Pertuis, one sign that the information here comes from a family source.  I have also found this full name one other spotty genealogy.
  
  Manuel Pertuis
  Birth 03/24/1794 in Arkansas County, Arkansas [would have been New Madrid, Louisiana at that time], Death 1844
  Father Pierre Pertuis dit Chevallieur, Birth 1756 in Arkansas Post, Death  Unknown [known from other sources to have died in Dec 1821]
  Mother Unknown
  Son Pierre Augusta Pertuis V
  Birth 04/11/1828 in  Arkansas, USA
  Death 03/04/1900 in  Arkansas, USA
  --  Pertuis Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/10957347/person/-551305306
  
  Peter is reported born in about 1828.  He was born in the District of Arkansas of the Missouri Territory of the United States, at or near Arkansas Post, a settlement dating to 1649, in the Spanish Territory of New Spain.  This was part of what the United States came to call the Louisiana Purchase.  This area of Louisiana Territory was named the District of New Madrid at the time the United States bought this Spanish territory in 1803  from the French, who had just taken it back from the Spanish.  In 1819 that area became the Arkansas Territory, and became the State of Arkansas in 1826.
  
  "The area of the present State of Arkansas lay within the District of New Madrid, which stretched from the present Arkansas-Louisiana state line to the present city of New Madrid, Missouri. ... By 1806, the lower two thirds of the District of New Madrid was re-designated as the District of Arkansas; the area had two militia units: one cavalry company and one infantry company. Despite the small population, it appears that the early Arkansans enrolled in the militia in fairly large numbers."
  --  Arkansas Territorial Militia, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Territorial_Militia#The_Arkansas_District.2C_Territory_of_Louisiana
  
  1850 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 11 October, Arkansas Township, p 4A, Hse/Fam #59
  Mary Pertuis 55 F   Born Unknown [born abt 1795]
  Peter Pertuis 22 M Farmer $2700 Real Estate b Arkansas [born abt 1828]
  John Pertuis 16 M Student b Arkansas [born abt 1834]
  Anastasia Pertuis 8 F b Arkansas [born abt 1842]
  F K Derrisseau 26 M Farmer $120 Real Estate b Arkansas [born abt 1824]
  - page 4B -
  Elizabeth Pertuis 20 F b Arkansas [born abt 1842]
  Eugenie Dumas 3 F b Arkansas [born abt 1842]
  Joseph Derrisseau 41 M No Occup b Arkansas [born abt 1842]
  
  "Pertuis, Pierre to Eliza Lee, born of Arkansas County, on 2 Jan 1853. Married by A O Douglass, Justice of the Peace, Douglass Township. Recorded Marriage Book B, Arkansas County, Arkansas (1839-1859), page 68."
  --  Delores Lay, RootsWeb, http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ARARKANS/2001-01/0979281607
  
  Peter/Pierre and his wife Eliza appear with their three children in neighboring Desha County.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Desha County, Arkansas, 3 August, Bartholomew Township, P O Green Mount, page 20, Hse/Fam #134
  Peter A Purticus [Pertuis] 34 M Farmer $6000 Real Estate $4000 Personal born Ark
  Eliza Purticus 23 F Housekeeper born Ark
  Thos L Purticus 7 M b Ark
  Mary E Purticus 6 F born Ark
  Annastassia Purticus 11mos F born Ark
  Cicero Owens 34 M Farm Laborer Ark
  Hanna Lee 55 Female Housekeeper $2900 Personal Estate b Virginia
  
  Peter served in the Confederate forces in the U S Civil War.
  
  U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
  P.A. Pertuis
  Confederate, Private
  18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry, Company F
  
  In the 1869 Tax Rolls, Pierre is listed in Beauregard Township of Chicot County, Arkansas.  Chicot County is south of Desha County, and borders Louisiana on the south.  The next year, in the 1870 U S census, the township is still Beauregard, but the county is Drew northwest of Chicot County.
  
  U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918
  Tax Year 1869
  P A Pertuis
  Beauregard Township, Chicot County, Arkansas
  Occupation Stallion Keeper
  Abstract # 130, 1 yr, $10
  
  In 1870, Peter and Eliza are in the same area, but a little father West across the Drew County line.  Their post office for the location is the same.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Drew County, Arkansas, 8 August, Beauregard Township, P O Green Mount, page 5 (scan 569), Hse/Fam #44
  Pertise [Pertuis], A P 42 M W Farmer $1200 Real Estate $1600 Personal b AR Cannot read or write [b abt 1828]
  Pertise, Eliza 32 F W Keeping House born AR Cannot read or write [b abt 1838]
  Pertise, Tomas L 16 M W born AR [b abt 1854]
  Pertise, Mary E 13 F W born AR [b abt 1857]
  Pertise, Petter A 5 M W born AR [b abt 1865]
  Pertise, Willie 3 F W born AR [b abt 1867]
  Pertise, Mattie 1 F W born AR [b abt 1869]
  
  I have not found a report for Pierre and Eliza in the 1880 census.  There is one child reported by one genealogies as born in 1876, named Henry L, probably Henry Lee, after Eliza Lee's maiden name.  I would expect to find him in the family's enumeration record for 1880.  I had already found burial information for Henry and his wife and their son Henry L Jr.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Lincoln County, Texas, 5 June, Smith Township, District 12, page 4B, Hse/Fam #61
  Pertuis, Peter Head  W M Aug 1828 72 Married 47 years [abt 1853] AR Unknown Unknown Farmer Owns
  Pertuis, Eliza Wife W F May 1837 63 Married 47 yrs [abt 1853] 11 children/4 living AR VA TN
  
  Peter and Eliza are a little north over the Lincoln County line by 1900, and have no one else in their household.  Yet 15 years later, when Eliza applies for a military pension, she reports that Peter died in March 1900.  There is no date on the particular page of the census, but the census date was 1 June 1900.  So either Eliza reported his date of death wrong (either at his time of death or in her application), it was recorded incorrectly on his military records, or this transcription is wrong.  There was no image available with this transcription by Ancestry.com
  
  Arkansas, Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1935
  Piere [Pierre] A Pertuis
  Eliza Pertuis
  Residence Lincoln County, Arkansas
  Served Arkansas Infantry, Lincoln Regiment
  Death Date 4 Mar 1900
  Widow applied 1915

Sources

• 1. 1860 Federal Census, Desha County, Arkansas
  • 3 August, Bartholomew Township, P O Green Mount, page 20, Hse/Fam #134
• 2. 1870 Federal Census, Drew County, Arkansas
  • 8 August, Beauregard Township, P O Green Mount, page 5 (scan 569), Hse/Fam #44
• 3. 1900 Federal Census, Lincoln County, Texas
  • 5 June, Smith Township, District 12, page 4B, Hse/Fam #61
• 4. 1850 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 11 October, Arkansas Township, p 4A, Hse/Fam #59
• 5. Ancestry Trees
• 6. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
  • Name: Date: 2007;;
• 7. Arkansas, Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1935
• 8. RootsWeb Email Archives
• 9. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 10. U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918
  • Tax Year 1869
• 11. 1910 Federal Census, Desha County, Arkansas
  • 7 May, Dumas, District 36, Sheet 1B, Hse/Fam #17
• 12. Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
• 13. 1920 Federal Census, Desha County, Arkansas
  • 7 January, Randolph Township, District 43, Page 7A, Hse #156, Fam #166
• 14. 1930 Federal Census, Desha County, Arkansas
  • 15 April, Dumas, District 21-14, page 14B, College St, Hse #342, Fam #387
• 15. 1940 Federal Census, Desha County, Arkansas
  • 15 April, Randolph Township, District 21-16, Page 9A, Hse #170, Own $1600, Farm
• 16. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942