< PreviousFeaturesMYTH OR FACT?1. Laffite’s vast reserve of Spanish gold was buried on Galveston Island near “Three Trees” to mark his treasure trove. This is probably the No. 1 myth about Laffite in Galveston. Experts agree that it’s highly unlikely that Laffite left any treasure on the island for several common sense rea-sons: When Laffite left Galves-ton in the spring of 1820, he couldn’t be certain it would be feasible to return. It’s doubtful that a man as intelligent as Laffite would leave behind valu-ables on a barrier island devoid of topographical landmarks and prone to being scrubbed clean periodically by tropical storms, Modzelewski said. Finally, Laffite was successful, in part, because he picked his battles. Ships carrying Spanish gold were heavily guarded and not a good target for Laffite. He’d be looking for ships carrying cargoes of food, slaves or merchandise that could be sold, traded or used for his community.2. As the “Prince of the Pirates,” Laffite commanded up to 100 ships and 1,000 men during his reign in the Golden Age of Pirates.Laffite may have been a prince of a fellow, but he would have vehemently denied that he was ever a pirate. His marauding was car-ried out, for the most part, under a letter of marque. This means that a country at war with another nation could officially authorize privateers to attack and plunder the ships of their enemies. We might call them mercenaries today. This was a common practice until it was banned in 1859. As for the numbers of ships and men, a better guess is up to seven ships, depending on what prizes he was able to capture at sea, and there may have been 150 men at Barataria Bay, and less at the Galveston headquarters.“Given the type of men who would have composed the group, documenting much about them would prove impossible,” Modzelewski said. The Golden Age of Pirates — 1560 to 1730 — with cutthroats such as the infamous Blackbeard, Black Bart and Capt. Kidd, was long over before Laffite was born.3. Laffite was a notorious ladies’ man who married twice and had a vast number of children, including descendants in New Orleans, Texas and the Caribbean islands.Unclear. Laffite never married, nor had children, at least as far as scholars have been able to determine. However, Pierre Laffite did.“We know of a woman now about 60 years old living in Tennes-see who is believed to have a solid claim as a descendant of Pierre,” Modzelewski said.4. Laffite established a luxurious lifestyle at his new home, the Maison Rouge, in the settlement called Campeche on Galveston Island.Laffite did establish a new headquarters on Galveston Island, but calling this a luxury lifestyle is a stretch. The appearance of the origi-nal Maison Rouge is unknown, Olson said. But it has been described as a two-story blockhouse with a cannon. Its probable site was 1417 Ave. A. Construction of the fortress was probably overseen by archi-tect Barthelemy Lafon, a close friend of Jean Laffite. He captained the ship, Carmelita, which brought materials to Galveston to build Laffite’s new headquarters. The small settlement on the eastern tip of the island was made up mostly of one-story frame buildings, according to Texas historian Henderson Yoakum. It held an arsenal and a dockyard for repairing vessels. Apparently the little group did prosper for the first year but after a devastating hurricane struck in September 1818, the community never fully recovered.5. After his departure from Galveston, Laffite gave up his life at sea to live a quiet life in Illinois.It’s nice to imagine a pleasant ending for such a colorful character, but this myth is probably only wishful thinking. It’s based on informa-tion from a “found” journal supposedly written by the privateer but held by his descendants for a period of 107 years after his death. It was published by a vanity press in the 1950s by a less than reputable individual.“For decades, this work became the unquestioned basis for the pub-lication of other fictional works and was the source of deep divisions among Laffite historians,” Olson said.The premise of “The Journal of Jean Laffite” is that Laffite left Galves-ton to move under a new name to Alton, Ill. According to the journal, he married, raised a family, traveled in Europe, became a benefactor of Karl Marx, and died from pneumonia in his 70s.“The journal was published by a forger, a con man, and a devious character who called himself John Andrecheyne Lafitte and claimed to have been the great-grandson of Laffite,” Olson said. Research in the past few years has all but established that the work bears absolutely no relationship to Jean and Pierre Laffite, Olson said.“Evidence mounts that Jean died as many of us may have intuitively expected — at sea,” Olson writes.The Washington Gazette reported on April 23, 1823, that the cel-ebrated Laffite had been killed in action; other newspapers published similar accounts. What’s in a name?The Laffite brothers signed their names Laffite, using a variant of the common French spelling. Their surname is commonly rendered Lafitte in documents written in English; Spanish documents sometimes use Lafit or Lafita. The Laffite brothers of Barataria are occasionally con-fused with members of the Lafitte family who were colonial-period pio-neers in the area around Natchitoches, La., according to historians. C Photo courtesy of Rosenberg LibraryLafitte’s Grove, about 10 miles west of Galveston, was a popular place for picnics and horse races. People would take a train to get there. 20 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015Luxury High-RiseIndependent Living ResidencesFeaturesJim Nonus has been fascinated by the legend of Jean Laffite since he was a small boy. He has amassed a collection of objects and documents related to the legendary pirate that includes coins, newspapers from the 1800s, books and what is likely Laffite’s signature.Ever since he was a young child, islander Jim Nonus has been fascinated by the legend of Jean Laffite. You might even call it a lifelong obsession, said Nonus, a Galveston resident, freelance artist and antique consultant.“My mother would drive me past the site of La Maison Rouge on Harborside Drive, which became the Hendrick’s Castle property,” he said. “I was instantly drawn to it.”Nonus said he developed a sixth sense about Laffite. “As a young boy, I started having terrible recurring night-mares where I was abducted from my bed and dragged in a sack by two frightening pirates in striped shirts onto a ship. I had this dream constantly till I was about 11.” The vivid, recurring dreams convinced Nonus that he Hooked on LaffiteIsland artist amasses collection of objects and documents related to legendary pirateStory by Katherine Adams | Photos by Jennifer Reynolds22 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 20153 Lots - 621 23rd St. $325,000802 16th $749,0001818 35th $297,0004806 Woodrow $279,0002009 Avenue 0 $249,0006 Park Lane $379,0002402 Avenue L $475,0002319 Avenue M $575,0002220 Mechanic $595,0002426 Mechanic #2 $450,0002410 Strand $850,000214 25th $299,0002327 45th $189,5003528 Avenue M $223,0006302 Seawall Unit 3323 $59,5002401 38th $265,00016717 Captain Hook Drive $145,0001523 21st $379,0002710 Ave P 1/2 $125,0002202 43rd $199,000811 12 St $179,000New Roof!Gulf View!Gulf View!Multi Units3 HousesDowntown LivingVictoriansCommercialIsland Living• Boardwalk• Finger Piers• Underground utilities• Gated Entry• Resort Style Pool281.794.9463 | KELLYKELLEY.COM“Galveston is my home, Galveston is my business.”KELLY KELLEY | BROKER/CO-OWNER | RE/MAX LEADING EDGEGALVESTON BAY CLUBSSNOW IN FINAL PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION! BAY FRONTBAYFRONT lots now available at Galveston’s newest exclusive subdivision, Galveston Bay Club, located off 11 Mile Rd and Eckert’s Bayou. Amazing Sunsets offered here along with unobstructed waterfront views. Call me today for details.RE/MAXLEADING EDGEFeaturespossessed an inexplicably deep connection to the legend of Laf-fite and the time period in which he lived. The nightmares have ceased, but Nonus’ intense fascination with Laffite remains. “I’ve acquired quite a collection of objects that are associated with Laffite over the years,” he said. “One of my prized posses-sions in my Laffite collection is this document with what is likely his signature.” The yellowed paper, which has some water damage, has been authenticated to Laffite’s time period, and the signature, “Jean Laffite” is written with a flourish in bold, thick letters with the word “Emperor” beneath it.Nonus’ extensive research on Laffite led him to discover more than 70 newspaper articles recounting the movements of the French in Texas in the early 1800s, as well as numerous articles focusing on the activities of the famous pirate and privateer. “News of Laffite was covered all over the country,” Nonus said. Among the collection is a story published in 1818 by Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser in Philadelphia. “Laffite brought prizes from the Gulf of Mexico,” it reports, referring to Laffite’s capture of the Spanish ship Campeche. “The ship contained 450 tons of cargo worth $350,000 and was brought to Galveston.”The articles show how active and newsworthy Laffite was, Nonus said.Because of their historic value and their firsthand accounts of Laffite and the French in Texas at the time, this part of the Nonus Collection has been acquired by The Bryan Museum, which opened earlier this year in Galveston and is home to world’s larg-est collection of historical artifacts, documents and artwork relat-ing to the Southwestern United States.La Maison Rouge, Laffite’s home in Galveston, was located at what’s now 1417 Harborside Drive. Later, a sea captain named William Hendrick, who was said to have been acquainted with some of Laffite’s associates, built a home referred to as Twelve Gables at the site, atop the remains of the Maison Rouge foundation. “I have this photo of Hen-drick’s Castle when it was empty and uninhabitable, taken back around 1948,” Nonus said. “Through the front window is the image of a man — and he sure looks a lot like a pirate.” The dark haired, mustached man, whose eerie face is visible in the photo, stares out the window. Pirates have taken their place in history as plunderers and master thieves, and they’ve enjoyed a revival with films such “Pirates of the Caribbean.” For Nonus, Laffite will never go out of style. “I’ll never stop looking for more about Laffite,” he said. “He was a legend in his own day.” COne of Jim Nonus’ prized possessions in his Laffite collection is a document with what is likely Laffite’s signature. The yellowed paper, which has some water damage, has been authenti-cated to Laffite’s time period, and the signature, “Jean Laffite” is written with a flourish in bold, thick letters with the word “Emperor” beneath it.(Above) Jim Nonus’ research on Laffite has led him to discover more than 70 newspaper articles recounting the movements of the French in Texas in the early 1800s, as well as numerous articles focusing on the activities of the famous pirate and privateer. (Right) Nonus’ collection includes a photo from the late 1940s of Hendrick’s Castle, built atop the remains of La Maison Rouge, Laffite’s home in Galveston.“I’ll never stop looking for more about Laffite. He was a legend in his own day.”– Jim Nonus26 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015Finn Mignerey holds a model ship from The Admiralty, 2221 Strand in Galveston.Photos by Stuart VillanuevaCover CredentialsName: Finn Matthew Mignerey Age: 9Hometown: GalvestonWhat do you like most about living on the island? The beach, my neighbor-hood and going downtown to Yaga’s and La King’s.What are your favorite things to do? Being outdoors and playing sports, espe-cially soccer and basketball.Why do you think so many people are interested in pirates? We have a history of pirates in Galveston, like Jean Laffite.Do you have a favorite pirate phrase? Arrrrgh!What’s your favorite thing about pirates? Their treasure is called booty.What do you plan to be when you grow up? Professional soccer player and/or an artist. CMEET OUR COVER MODEL COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 29Next >