Gentieu, Pierre A., 1842-1930.

Pierre A. Gentieu was a long-term employee of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. He began working in the Hagley Powder Yard near Wilmington, Del., in June 1877, under the supervision of Lammot du Pont. In 1881 he was appointed yard clerk by Francis Gurney du Pont, who took Gentieu with him when he established the smokeless powder plant at Carney's Point, N.J., in 1890. Gentieu was serving as chief storekeeper at his retirement in 1925.

From the description of Reminiscences of one of Du Pont's employees : typescript, n.d. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86123644

Pierre A. Gentieu was a long-term employee of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company who created an invaluable photographic record of the company's Brandywine Mills at the turn of the century.

Gentieu was born to a Protestant family in Orthez in Southwestern France in 1842. He emigrated to the United States around 1859, staying first with an uncle in Brooklyn and then moving to New Orleans. As a member of the local militia, Gentieu refused to swear allegiance to the Confederacy and was shipped north at the beginning of the Civil War. He later enlisted in the 13th Connecticut Volunteers and fought in the Shenandoah Campaign under General Sheridan and in the Red River Campaign under General Banks. He later married Sarah Albina Weed of New Canaan, the sister of a fellow soldier.

In June 1877 Gentieu arrived in Wilmington to become an employee of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Gentieu was apparently able to capitalize on his service record, as both the head of the firm, General Henry du Pont, and his son, Col. Henry Algernon du Pont, had served in the war. Gentieu went to work in the Hagley Powder Yard under the supervision of Lammot du Pont. In 1881 he was appointed yard clerk by Francis Gurney du Pont. Francis Gurney du Pont took Gentieu with him when he established the smokeless powder plant at Carney's Point, N.J., in 1890. Gentieu developed an amateur interest in photography, and between 1889 and 1910 he produced several hundred views of the Hagley Yards and their immediate surroundings. He was serving as the company's chief storekeeper at his retirement in 1925.

From the description of Papers, 1858-1911. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86119139