de Perier family
Trademark
UnclaimedThe de Perier family is a French lineage from Le Havre associated with naval, military, colonial, administrative, and resistance service.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
The de Perier family is a French lineage whose documented origins are connected with Le Havre in Normandy and whose members became particularly prominent as naval and infantry officers from the seventeenth century onward. The family is not a commercial brand or corporate enterprise; its identity is genealogical and historical. Two principal branches emerged during the seventeenth century. The elder branch continued through military officers and landholding descendants, while the younger branch became especially associated with the French navy, colonial administration, maritime warfare, and service in overseas possessions. According to the cited genealogical tradition, the proven line begins with Jean Perier, born in 1596, son of David Perier and Marie Beaufils. David is described as a hoyman in Le Havre, while Jean became a ship's captain. Jean's sons Jean and Étienne are treated as founders of the elder and younger branches respectively. The surname itself is relatively widespread in France, and the particle “de” does not by itself distinguish this lineage from every other family using the Perier name. The family described in the canonical article is the surviving noble line associated with Le Havre. The family gained status through maritime and military service. Étienne Perier, founder of the younger branch, served at sea during conflicts of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, fought privateers and enemy forces, and ultimately became ship and port captain at Le Havre. In 1726, Louis XV ennobled him and his descendants by letters patent in recognition of his long service. His sons Étienne de Perier and Antoine Alexis de Perier de Salvert became leading naval officers. Étienne, sometimes called Perier the Elder, served in European, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and American theaters, including campaigns involving the French East India Company. He later governed French Louisiana from 1727 to 1733, where his administration included projects intended to strengthen the colony and a military response to the Natchez Revolt. He subsequently returned to naval command and was elevated to lieutenant general of the naval armies. Antoine Alexis de Perier de Salvert, known as Perier the Younger, also had a distinguished naval career. He fought pirates, participated in the capture of the fortress of Arguin, served in operations connected with Louisiana, helped defend Louisbourg, and became director of the naval charts and plans repository. His descendants continued the military and maritime tradition. Louis Alexis de Perier de Salvert served in major engagements of the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, including operations with the French squadron commanded by d'Estaing. He was associated with the Society of the Cincinnati. Éléonor Jacques Perier de Salvert served as a naval lieutenant, wrote poetry and plays, participated in the Académie de Marine, and established Masonic lodges. The elder branch also produced officers and public figures. Jean Perier du Petit Bois fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and was severely wounded at Bergen-op-Zoom. Pierre Étienne Perier du Petit Bois held the office of treasurer general of the Navy and Colonies at Le Havre. Antoine de Perier served in several French military formations, endured arrest during the Reign of Terror, later commanded the Rouen National Guard, and lost that command during the coup of 18 Brumaire. René de Perier owned the Château de la Madeleine and served as mayor of Pressagny-l'Orgueilleux. Later descendants included Léonor de Perier, a colonel in the Foreign Legion, and Pierre-Étienne de Perier, a divisional general and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. The family's modern historical legacy also includes Madeleine de Perier, a member of the Lyon-Carter escape network during the Second World War. Arrested and imprisoned at Fresnes, she was sentenced to death by the German occupation authorities, but survived after the cancellation of a deportation convoy. She was later recognized by the French Republic as a combatant in the Forces Françaises Combattantes and received an American Medal of Freedom. Family associations remain visible in commemorative geography and institutions, including Perrier Street and the Maison Perrier hotel in New Orleans, and a Masonic temple in Saint-Denis, Réunion, named for Éléonor Perier de Salvert. The younger de Perier de Salvert line in Guadeloupe was reported to have become extinct in 2018.
History
The de Perier family's documented lineage is rooted in Le Havre, a Norman port founded in the sixteenth century as a military base, fishing harbor, and shipbuilding center. People bearing the Perier surname lived in the area in the following generations. Genealogical accounts identify David Perier and Marie Beaufils as an early couple associated with the lineage; their son Jean Perier, born in 1596, became a ship's captain. His sons Jean and Étienne are traditionally regarded as the founders of the elder and younger branches. The elder branch developed through military service, administrative office, and landholding. Jean Perier du Petit Bois served in the Touraine regiment, participated in the siege of Philippsburg, and was wounded during the assault on Bergen-op-Zoom in 1747. His brother Pierre Étienne acquired the office of treasurer general of the Navy and Colonies at Le Havre. Pierre Étienne's son Antoine served in artillery, engineering, provincial, and émigré-related military contexts before and during the French Revolution. He was arrested under the Law of Suspects during the Terror, released after Robespierre's fall, and later commanded the Rouen National Guard. His son René served briefly as a bodyguard to Louis XVIII, became mayor of Pressagny-l'Orgueilleux, and owned the Château de la Madeleine. Later descendants included Léonor, a Foreign Legion colonel, and Pierre-Étienne, who became a divisional general and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. The younger branch was more consistently naval. Étienne Perier, who had fought piracy and in several European and Atlantic conflicts, ended his career as ship and port captain of Le Havre. In 1726 Louis XV ennobled him and his descendants by letters patent. His son Étienne de Perier entered maritime service as a child, fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, served with the French East India Company, and took part in operations around South America, West Africa, India, and the French Atlantic world. His service included the capture of Arguin and the defense of Mahé. As governor of French Louisiana from 1727 to 1733, he undertook colonial improvement projects and directed a punitive expedition after the Natchez Revolt. Returning to the navy, he captured HMS Northumberland after a prolonged engagement in 1744, commanded later campaigns, and was promoted to lieutenant general of the naval armies. He received the Grand Cross of Saint-Louis shortly before his death. His younger brother Antoine Alexis de Perier de Salvert also rose through the navy. He fought pirates, participated in operations at Arguin, supported expeditions connected with Louisiana, and led missions intended to protect Louisbourg from British attack. He became a squadron commander, commander of Saint-Louis, and director of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine. His descendants extended the family's service across the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. Louis Alexis de Perier de Salvert fought in the Duc d'Anville expedition, at Minorca and Lagos, and in the French campaign in North America and the Caribbean. As second in command of Languedoc, he served in battles around Rhode Island, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Savannah. Éléonor Jacques Perier de Salvert served at sea, participated in the Académie de Marine, wrote verse works, and founded Masonic lodges, including The Triple Hope at Port Louis. The family maintained properties and associations in France and overseas. Recorded holdings include the Monplaisir plantation in Louisiana, Moros manor in Brittany, and the Château de la Madeleine in Normandy. Its historical memory is also reflected in New Orleans and in Masonic institutions in the Indian Ocean. During the Second World War, Madeleine de Perier joined the Lyon-Carter network, which aided Allied airmen. Imprisoned at Fresnes and condemned to death, she survived when a planned deportation convoy was cancelled during the liberation of Paris. France later recognized her as a uniformless soldier of the Forces Françaises Combattantes, and she received a Medal of Freedom from the United States. The family produced multiple holders of the Order of Saint-Louis and the Legion of Honour. The younger de Perier de Salvert branch in Guadeloupe was reported to have ended in 2018.
- 2018
Reported extinction of the Guadeloupe line
[1]The de Perier de Salvert name was reported to have become extinct in Guadeloupe with the death or passing of its last recorded descendant line.
- 1958
Masonic temple named for Éléonor Perier de Salvert
[1]A temple of the Friendship lodge of the Grand Orient de France was established in Saint-Denis, Réunion, bearing the name of Éléonor Perier de Salvert.
- 1944
Madeleine de Perier's resistance service
[1]Madeleine de Perier was imprisoned and sentenced to death for helping Allied airmen through the Lyon-Carter network; she survived the cancelled deportation convoy during the liberation of Paris.
- 1892
Maison Perrier opens in New Orleans
[1]The Maison Perrier hotel on Perrier Street was inaugurated as another New Orleans memorial association with the family.
- 1890
Perrier Street inaugurated in New Orleans
[1]A New Orleans street named Perrier Street was inaugurated in connection with the memory of Étienne de Perier, former governor of French Louisiana.
- 1839
René de Perier acquires the Château de la Madeleine
[1]René de Perier owned the Château de la Madeleine at Pressagny-l'Orgueilleux from 1839 to 1864 and served as the locality's mayor.
- 1783
Death of Éléonor Jacques Perier de Salvert
[1]Éléonor Jacques Perier de Salvert was killed by an English cannonball at the Battle of Cuddalore.
- 1778
Louis Alexis de Perier de Salvert serves aboard Languedoc
[1]During the American Revolutionary War, Louis Alexis served as second in command of Languedoc in d'Estaing's squadron.
- 1744
Capture of HMS Northumberland
[1]Étienne de Perier distinguished himself in an extended battle by capturing the British ship HMS Northumberland.
- 1729
Response to the Natchez Revolt
[1]As governor, Étienne de Perier organized a punitive expedition after the Natchez Revolt, with reinforcements connected to his family network.
Products and positioning
A historical French naval and military lineage rather than a consumer, corporate, or commercial brand.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/de-perier-family · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled