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The 1848 Gillard-Duncan House
by Robert L. Schaadt
Director-Archivist
Sam Houston Regional Library & Research Center.
The Gillard-Duncan (Welder) House, built in 1848 by Dr. Edward
J. and his wife Emma DeBlanc Gillard, located on the grounds of
the Sam Houston Regional Library & Research Center, is one of the
oldest homes in Southeast Texas. The restored home, complete with
original furnishings, is open to public for tours, Monday-Friday
9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and by appointment for groups.
One of eight families with the Creole immigration from the Red
River Valley of Louisiana, the Gillard family arrived in Liberty
County in December of 1845. These French families were direct descendants
of the French nobleman and explorer, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis.
Their family entourage included their daughter Eliza, nephew and
niece Simeon and Celima DeBlanc.
Dr. Gillard built his plantation home to resemble the Red River
Valley homes of "Plaisance" and Castile." The home, strongly influenced
by the Creole style of architecture, was built of native pine and
cypress wood and was located on the M.G. White League, near Ames.
The lumber for the house was milled at their plantation sawmill
located nearby. Special features of the two-story home included
a travelers room, an enclosed stairway, marblizing and wood grained
doors. Another unique feature of the home was the upstairs school
room. The Gillard family believed in a good education for their
children as well as those of their neighbors.
The home remained in the family until 1976. In 1848 the Gillard's
daughter Eliza married Captain William B. Duncan. After her death
in 1856, Capt. Duncan married Dr. Gillard's niece, Celima, in 1858.
Following Celima's death in 1925, her son Emory Duncan lived in
the family home until he died in 1939 after which time Julia Duncan
Welder made the home her residence until her death in 1954. Mrs.
Welder, a well known local historian, is credited with the preservation
of the many family artifacts and archives.
Elizabeth Gay Bennett, granddaughter of Mrs. Welder, inherited
the home and in 1976 made a gift of it to the Texas State Library
and Archives Commission. In 1980 the home was relocated, for reasons
of security and public access, to the grounds of the center. Through
generous donations by family members including Elizabeth Bennett,
Connie Pratka, Pat O'Conner, Chessie Quesenbury, Duke Felton, Mary
Urban, Mary Welder Gay, Thelma Gay, Mrs. Emory Dugat, Pat Allison,
Duncan Welder, Jr., Ann Welder Jolly, Mrs. Duncan Welder, SR., Mr.
& Mrs. W.H. Devine, Mrs. Opal Hightower and the Mary Gay Trust,
the home was fully restored under the auspices of the Atascosito
Historical Society which maintains the home on behalf of the Texas
State Library. The house received a Texas State historical marker
in 1984. Many members of the Gillard, Duncan and Welder families
live in the Liberty County area.
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