Person:Eugene Pilate (1)

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E. PILATE, (1804-1890).



Perhaps no member of this society has had a more eventful career than Doctor Pilate, who came here from Louisiana soon after the closing of the War of the Rebellion. The century had barely passed its third year when Eugene Pilate was born in Tourcoing, France. He acquired his literary and medical education in Lille and Paris. Be-coming involved in the political intrigues which ended in the overthrow of Charles X., and the enthronement of Louis Phillipe, he was forced to leave France to save his life. He fled to England, the home of his wife, and with her sailed for the United States in 1833. After spending two years in New York City he removed to Alabama. Here his wife opened a school for girls, and he, sympathizing with the Texans in their rebellion against Mexico, accepted the position of surgeon on General Houston's staff and served until the flag of a single star waved over the free republic of Texas. After the war he located in Galveston. This venture ended in disaster, and his health failing he forsook the paths of civilization and spent several years living, practicing, and trading with the Indians. Tiring of this roving life, he finally gathered his family about him in Opelousas, La., where he speedily acquired a large and lucrative practice, and where he remained until his removal here in 1866.

Doctor Pilate was modest and retiring in disposition and of wide and varied information. His professional attainments are sufficiently attested in the fact that he twice performed Caesarian section successfully on the same woman. He was a naturalist of exceptional ability. His life on the frontier gave him large opportunity to gratify his love for the wild, both in nature and life. When far past the allotted three score and ten, with net and collecting-box he often joined us in an outing to the woods, the most enthusiastic member of the party. A new bird, or plant, or insect, never failed to awaken his liveliest curiosity.

Before coming here he had almost ready for publication a MSS. illustrated in color, on the fauna and flora of Louisiana, which was unfortunately destroyed by fire. The larger part of the valuable collection of birds in the Dayton Public Museum came out of his private collection. During the twenty-four years spent in Dayton he was a valuable member of this society and died at the ripe age of 86 years, admired and respected most by those who knew him best.

The good mentor at my side kindly admonishes me to close this retrospect. I accept the hint, and reluctantly pass by others of our forbears who richly deserve mention to-night and an honorable place in this society's hall of fame.

It seems wise to spend an occasional hour with the fathers, if for no other reason than to impress on the younger men that there were giants in those days. Distance plays freaks with the landscape and levels mountains to hills. There is no occasion for pessimism, no more is there cause to wrap ourselves in the mantle of self-conceit and complacently claim everything for the present. Environment and opportunity count for much, but they count as well for the present and future as for the past. Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis. It would be unfair to measure the founders and early members by modern standards. There is no procrustean bed in science.

The status of medicine has changed marvelously since their day and the end is not yet. Through the gloaming of the old century we can even now faintly discern the sunburst of progress and development which awaits us in the new, and by which future generations will measure our character and achievements. There is danger that the society's historian, fifty years hence, may look upon us, who constitute the society of to-day, as medical pigmies. Let us guard ourselves carefully that such judgment may not be justified.

Listed as a physician that volunteered at St. Elizabeth's hospital.

Available on Archive.org

ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS



VOL. LXXVIII MARCH, 1967 No. 3

Eugene Pilate (1804-1890) *

F. MARTIN BROWN, Fountain Valley School.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

An Ohio naturalist-entomologist who is not mentioned in
Osborn's (1937, 1946) compendium is Dr. Eugene Pilate; and
his son George, who published upon Ohio lepidoptera, is like-
wise omitted. Dr. Pilate led a long and exciting life. He was
born in Tourcoing, France, on February 12, 1804. His educa-
tion was started at Lille and completed at the University of
Paris where he was granted the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Pilate was a supporter of Charles, and when Louis Phillipe was
enthroned he was forced to flee for his life. In that year, 1833.
he took refuge in England, the home of his wife, and in the
same year the young couple sailed for America. The Pilates
appear to have had the wanderlust. They settled in New York
where the doctor practiced medicine for two years. After the
stint in New York, the Pilates moved to Alabama where Mrs.
Pilate established a girls' school while her husband practiced.

When Texas revolted against Mexico, Pilate hastened to join
the revolutionists. He was appointed surgeon on General
Houston's staff. After the establishment of the Republic of
Texas the doctor settled in Galveston. He soon tired of civilized
life and traveled westward into the new country where he became
a trader and physician to the Indians. In 1852 the family re-
visited France, possibly to settle the affairs of Louis Pilate
(1816-1852) a younger brother? an outstanding French en-
tomologist. Two of Eugene Pilate's sons then remained in
France but his youngest, George, returned with the family to

* This study is an outcome of N.S.F. Grant GS-'ifi".

(57)



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58 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [March, 1967

settle in Opelousa, Louisiana. Once again settled and in prac-
tice, Dr. Pilate set about writing and illustrating a natural
history of Louisiana. This master work was all but completed
when the Civil War broke out. During hositilities a raiding
party set fire to the Pilate home and destroyed the extensive
collections, library and manuscripts it contained. When peace
returned to the land, Pilate could not face the misery that had
descended upon his beloved South. He moved to Dayton, Ohio,
in 1866 and took up residence at 14 Wilkerson Street.

Once settled in the new environment Dr. Pilate turned his
spare time to studying the natural history of the area, particu-
larly the birds and insects. Now 62 years old, he felt too
old to start any major project. Instead he divided his time
between the practice of medicine and surgery, and teaching and
encouraging George and his friends in the art of natural history.
It was this latter that brought him in touch with Herman
Strecker, of Reading, Pennsylvania, as a supplier of natural
history materials. The Pilates gathered a fine collection of
birds and insects from the vicinity of Dayton. The remains of
this is to be found in the Dayton Museum of Natural History.
George Pilate published a "List of the Lepidoptera taken in and
around Dayton, O." in Papilio for May 1872 (2: 65-71) in
which he enumerated 463 species of which 72 are butterflies
and the rest moths.

Sometime in the 1880's George left Dayton and returned to
Opelousa. There he lived until the early 1890's. He returned
to Dayton and as late as 1897 resided at 127 Commercial Street.

The Pilate correspondence with Strecker extended from 1873
to 1883, during which time about 125 letters accumulated in
Strecker 's files. In the late 1890's George Pilate added a few
when Strecker re-opened the correspondence and tried to pur-
chase Eugene Pilate's collection. By that time it had been given
to the Dayton Public Library from whence at a later date it
was transferred to the Museum. These letters have been the
primary source for the above information. They are now being
studied at the Museum along with the material from the Pilate
collection.



Ixxviii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 59

REFERENCES

OSBORN, H. 1937, 1946. Fragments of Entomological History. Part I
and II. The Spahr & Glenn Co., Columbus, Ohio.

PILATE, E[UGENE], mss, Letters to Herman Strecker, Dept. of Entomol-
ogy, Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois.

An article in "The History of the Montgomery County Medical Society,"
pp. 34-35, sent me by Mr. G. R. Shields, Head of the Social Science
Division, Dayton & Montgomery Public Library, for which I have
no date of publication or author's name.

Name: George R. Pilate
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 31 Dec 1899
Event Place: Montgomery, Ohio, United States
Age: 43
Birth Date:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1856
Birthplace: Opelousas, La.
Father's Name: Eugene Pilate
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name: Susan Broadwell
Mother's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Name: Florence S. Williams
Spouse's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Age: 36
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1863
Spouse's Birthplace: Litchfield, Ill.
Spouse's Father's Name: Thomas Carter
Spouse's Father's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Mother's Name: Helen Smith
Spouse's Mother's Titles and Terms:
Reference ID: p541 cn16607
GS Film Number: 1030845
Digital Folder Number: 004017463
Image Number: 00306



Citing this Record:
"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X871-68B : 8 December 2014), Eugene Pilate in entry for George R. Pilate and Florence S. Williams, 31 Dec 1899; citing Montgomery, Ohio, United States, reference p541 cn16607; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1,030,845.