From a document on land development in the Gentilly area of New Orleans. Small paragraph excerpt pertaining to Mathurin Dreux
Gentilly Development History
The District’s highest ground, the Bayou Savage ridge, was the site of the first residential development, Gentilly Terrace. Mathurin Dreux, a militia officer who came to New Orleans with Bienville, acquired sizeable property on this ridge in 1727 and established a very successful plantation that remained in the family for over two generations. The ridge’s high ground had long provided access into New Orleans from the east; however, regular flooding limited development until the early 1900s. Most development of Gentilly Terrace (bounded by Gentilly Boulevard, Dreux, Peoples and St. Roch Avenues) occurred after 1935. Today
the Terrace retains the distinctive features of its original development: larger lots, each house site on a small hill, California-style cottages with arched windows and wrought iron trim, and some Cape Cod cottages.
source: http://secure.cityofno.com/Portals/cpc/Land%20Use%20Plan/Land%20Use%20Plan%20(text%20only).pdf
