Biography of Louis Poullain

Bruce’s great great grandfather Louis Poullain (later Ballard) was born in France, emigrated to Western New York at age 23, and died in Langford, NY in 1887 at age 77.

The thumbnail photo above was taken in 1860 when Louis was 50 years old. The full image shows that he posed for the photo holding his mason's tools.

The village of Roeschwoog, where Louis was born, is in the Alsace region of eastern France. The Rhine - the border with Germany - is about five miles from Roeschwoog.

Three years after arriving in the US, Louis married Mary Anna Daul at St. Louis Catholic Church in Buffalo. Mary was also from Roeschwoog. They had eleven children, including Thomas, whose daughter Mary Ballard was Bruce’s grandmother.

Three of Louis and Mary's sons - Joseph, John, and Sebastian - served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Two survived the war, but Joseph died on May 5, 1864 at age 23 in the first battle between U. S. Grant and R. E. Lee - The Battle of the Wilderness - near Lynchburg, Virginia.

A researcher on the rootsweb web site wrote this about Louis:

Louis Ballard was born Louis Poullain. He changed his name after his marriage in 1836, where his surname is listed as Poullain. Louis purchased 50 acres of land in North Collins on Sep. 13, 1841 under the name of Louis Poullain, from the Holland Land Company. In the town of North Collins where he settled, Louis and his family belonged to the St Martin's Church in Langford, New York. Listed in the record books of St Martin's are the baptism, marriage and death records for the family. The family surname is not once listed as Poullain, but is listed as Boullain, Boulain, Boulein, Bolling, Bulling and Ballard. Louis and his family are referred to as Ballard on all of the census forms from 1850 to present.