Duperier Avenue is probably familiar to the average New Iberian, but did you know about the family behind the street?

According to “History of Iberia Parish, Louisiana by William Henry Perrin,” New Iberia was founded by Frederick H. Duperier, but it was his son, Alfred, who became one of Iberia Parish’s most well known icons for some time.

According to the Mar. 26, 1904, issue of The Weekly Iberian, Dr. Alfred Duperier played a key role in Iberia Parish’s response to another pandemic. No, not the now famous 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, but the Yellow Fever epidemic that wreaked havoc on New Iberia in both 1853 and 1867.

Dr. Duperier could often be found in his doctor’s buggy to the point where The Weekly Iberian said he “virtually lived” in it. During the “Yellow Scourge,” Dr. Duperier did more than just treat patients, getting his hands dirty by helping bury many of those who fell victim to the disease himself.

Dr. Duperier’s contributions to Iberia Parish went beyond his medical work, as he also was a frequent donor, giving clothing and food to New Iberia’s needy. His donations also paid for the creation of Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in the growing little town.

According to The Weekly Iberian, Dr. Duperier remained loyal to the United States throughout the Civil War and supported Abraham Lincoln. He was a member of the Whig Party prior to the Civil War, and he was one of the founding members of the Republican Party, which Lincoln was a member of, in New Iberia.

However, Dr. Duperier was not without his faults. The Weekly Iberian wrote that he sought to establish a party based on white supremacy in the South, despite his support for the Union and Lincoln.

Dr. Duperier had multiple brushes with death during his lifetime.

Being a doctor on the front lines of a pandemic today is dangerous, but it’s nothing compared to the 1800s. During a Yellow Fever outbreak in Iberia Parish, many doctors began contracting the illness themselves. Dr. Duperier was the only doctor in the area who survived the outbreak, according to “History of Iberia Parish, Louisiana.”

The physician’s second close call occurred when he and Emma Millie, who would later go on to be his wife, were on an island, called Last Island, when they were caught in a violent hurricane. According to The Weekly Iberian, the couple floated on an armoire for two days before being rescued. The Weekly Iberian described them as “more dead than alive” when they were found.

According to an archived document from the National Weather Service, the hurricane was so intense it leveled the resort on Last Island, killed all vegetation and split the island in two. Over 200 people died.

But he couldn’t escape death forever. On March 23, 1904 at 8:30 a.m., Dr. Duperier died of pneumonia.

His funeral was held at St. Peter’s Catholic Church where, according to The Weekly Iberian, there wasn’t enough space to accommodate all the attendees.

He’s buried in Saint Peter’s Cemetery, according to Find A Grave.