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Benjamin Franklin Flanders
4th Military &
21st Governor of Louisiana
Preceded by James M. Wells
Governor by Appointment
Served from June 3, 1867
Served to January 8, 1868
Left Office by Resignation
Succeeded by Joshua Baker
 
Military Captain - U.S. Army - 1863
Co. C, 5th Regiment
 
Born January 26, 1816
Bristol, New Hampshire
Died March 13, 1896
Youngsville, Louisiana
Cause Pneumonia
Age 80
 
Party Radical Unionist
Education Dartmouth - 1842
Profession Teacher / Businessman
 
Spouse Susan Hill Sawyer
Children 3 daughters, 3 sons
Plantation Ben Alva
Religion Episcopalian
   
Burial Girod Street Cemetery
Removed March 12, 1900
Reintered Metairie Cemetery

1867 - 1868

Benjamin Franklin Flanders, the middle figure and 4th Military Governor of Louisiana, died in 1896 at his Youngsville home, near Lafayette, called Ben Alva Farm. The name is from the Governor's first name and that of his father-in-law, Alva Sawyer.  

Flanders was appointed Governor of Louisiana in 1867 by military commander General Sheridan, immediately after Thomas Durant rejected the same appointment.  Durant declined the appointment because of the experiences of Governor Wells with control by the military authorities and his expectation of the same.

Flanders supported Radical Republicans and black suffrage.  After about six months in office, he resigned when a new military commander, Major General Hancock removed many of Flanders appointees from state offices.  Thomas Durant's fears were confirmed.

Joshua Baker was the next appointee.

Governor Warmoth, the first elected Governor of Louisiana after the Civil War, appointed Flanders as the Mayor of New Orleans in 1870.  He was then elected to the same position for 2 years and served as Mayor until 1873.   President Grant appointed Flanders Assistant Treasurer of the United States in 1873.

Governor Flanders was buried in the Christ Episcopal Cathedral Church's Girod Street Cemetery in New Orleans.  By 1957 the cemetery was uncared for, neglected, seriously deteriorated and Christ Episcopal Church had been lost to fire.  All remains in the cemetery were removed to make room for new construction.  Many family members were contacted by the city to allow individual relocation.

The unclaimed whites were reintered in a crawl space under the floor of Hope Mausoleum.  And the blacks were removed to Providence Memorial Park in Jefferson Parish. 


Girod Street Cemetery was bounded by Perilliat St. on the north, Cypress St. on the south, the jail on the east, and Liberty St. on the west.  On the west side, Girod Street ended at Liberty Street.  Girod Street Cemetery was located at the foot of Girod Street and not along a side of the cemetery.

Eventually, the southeast corner of the sprawling Louisiana Superdome facility covered what had been Girod Street Cemetery, but the cemetery had been removed many years before the Superdome project began.

This Record of Removal shows that on March 12, 1900, B. F. Flanders was removed from the Woolfley tomb in Girod Street Cemetery, for reburial in Metairie Cemetery.

The Woolfley tomb belonged to Stephanus Woolfley.  His son, Francis, was married to Relief Brown Flanders, the niece of Gov. Flanders.  Her father, Wardell C. Flanders, is the governor's brother. 

Wardell Flanders was also buried in Girod Street Cemetery.  He was removed in 1912 to the Masonic Cemetery on City Park Avenue.

 

 

 

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