Perrin House Summary / Overview

The Perrin Home was designated by the Texas Historical Commission as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1968, Marker Number 13380.  As of May 2011, the marker was reported to be missing.  The Perrin House is also designated as a Landmark by the City of San Antonio.

The accompanying black and white photos were located on the Portal to Texas History and credited to the Texas Historical Commission.  It is likely they accompanied the application for the historical marker. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth495407/?q=Perrin)

Alphonse W. Perrin (also known as A.W. Perrin) was born in New York City on Feb. 23, 1848. His parents were Peter A. Perrin and Martha Brocken Perrin. There is discrepancy about the heritage of his father.  One report indicates his father was Swiss, another report indicates his father was French and census reports and his death certificate indicates his father was born in England.  The wife of Alphonse A. Perrin, Nina Carr was born in Ireland on May 18, 1843. She was the daughter of T.K. and Jean Carr. 

In 1861, at the age of 13, Alphonse Perrin was to put to sea on a freighter, an occupation he continued for 4 years.  In 1865, he went west to visit a son of the Carr family in Wisconsin. There he met his future wife, Nina Carr. He had contracted tuberculosis while at sea and on his return to New York he became seriously ill.  His family sent him to Florida for his health. When his health did not improve he decided to go to Texas, first to Galveston and then to Kerrville where he worked on a ranch. Reportedly he regained his health in 2 years and decided to return to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to propose to Nina.  They were married in Chicago in approximately 1870 and honeymooned on a Mississippi River paddleboat.  They left St. Louis on a Conestoga wagon headed for Texas and first lived in Leon Springs before moving on to San Antonio. (Sources: Historic Marker Application for the Perrin Home to the Texas Historical Commission, #1532; Paula Allen, published in the San Antonio Express-News, Sunday, March 4, 2001, who credited David Green, Tom Wilson and the Cemeteries of Bexar County Texas, Vol. 1, 1999, San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society)

In 1875, A.W. Perrin and his wife, Nina purchased from John W. and Betty (Bettsie) Judson, 540 acres of land near the Salado Creek in San Antonio from the David J. Davis survey, Abstract 208, Survey 103, which had been patented by D.J. Davis on July 28, 1845. (BCDR: Vol. 4, p.152; TGLO Patent #507, Vol. 1).  They established Hope Farm, building their home from original plans drawn by Alphonse.  Early census records indicated their farm was located on the Austin Road. Historical records (census and deed records) have also referred to the name as Perrin Road, Beitel-Perrin Road and now Perrin-Beitel Road.

A.W. and Nina Perrin had eight children:  Alphonse Thomas who died as an infant, Bertha Josephine, Frances (Fanny) who married Francis A. McClure, George Frederick who married Viola Carver, Jane (Jennie), Martha who married Moses C. Judson, Raymond, and Ruth who married (1) William Conry and (2) G.B. Cox.  Frances, Jane, and Bertha apparently did not marry.

Bexar County Tax Assessment Rolls indicate that in 1874, the Perrin’s owned 3 horses valued at $70 and 1 mule valued at $50.00  In 1875 their holdings had increased to 6 horses/mules valued at $150, 7 cattle valued at $35 and 20 goats/hogs valued at $20.00.  The farm prospered and by 1883 livestock was reported to be 13 horses/mules valued at $250.00 and 20 cattle valued at $450.00. and by 1894 there were 9 horses/mules valued at $165.00 and 40 cattle valued at $160.00.  Although it is unknown what crops were grown on the farm, during the settlement of the estate of A.W. Perrin, who died in 1922, hay bailing equipment was noted. It is likely that the family had additional help with the farming activities. In the 1920 Bexar County Census, was the Santiago Garcia family.  Santiago Garcia was 42 years of age and stated his occupation was that of a farmer.  His wife, Paula, was 28 and children were: Ysidre, age 12; Bonificia, age 10, Epifianio, age 8, and Audrea, age 1 ½.

Over the years A.W. Perrin and descendants sold off small pieces of the original 540 acres to the county and to the city for the widening of Perrin-Beitel Road and for right of ways. The initial transaction occurred on Feb. 8, 1907 when a strip of 1 ¾ of an acre was transferred to Bexar County for the widening of Beitel-Perrin Road from 30 feet to 60 feet. A.W. Perrin was paid $87.50.  (BCDR: Vol. 263, p89; San Antonio Daily Light, Feb. 10, 1907, p.11). Land for Right of ways was subsequently sold in later years. (BCDR: Vol. 1231, p.233; BCDR: Vol. 3717, p.430.

In addition to his responsibilities as a farmer, A.W. Perrin, was a Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3 in 1894 and as late as Oct. 7, 1908, (San Antonio Daily Light, Oct. 12, 1894; San Antonio Light, Oct. 7, 1908). In June 1890, A.W. Perrin was elected school trustee for District 11, along with T.P. Dashiell and H.N. Binz.  (Source: Forbes, David L., Excerpts From the San Antonio Daily Light of 1890, San Antonio Genealogical & Historical Society, 2003.)

Nina Perrin died on June 23, 1912.  Alphonse William Perrin survived his wife by 10 years and died at his home on Oct. 18, 1922. (Obituary of A.W. Perrin, San Antonio Express, Oct. 20, 1922)  They are both buried in the Perrin Family Cemetery located on the original property. It is sad to note that their son, Raymond, died on May 23, 1912, one month prior to the death of his mother. (San Antonio Light, May 24, 1912) Interred in the cemetery are 9 Perrin/Carr family members plus one individual, Juan Arispe, whose relationship to the family has not been identified. The cemetery is located at 9501/9505 Perrin Beitel Road.  In 2003, the owner of the adjacent property, Harry Affleck, contracted to have an archaeological study of the cemetery for the purpose of locating all gravesites that would be potentially impacted by the construction of an expanded self-storage unit. The intention was to erect a buffer structure to protect all the interments from construction activities.  The study was conducted by Jason D. Weston, with Principal Investigator, Steve A. Tomka.  The detailed report, Archaeological Services Associated with the Perrin Family Gravesite on Perrin-Beitel Road, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas was published by the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of San Antonio, Archaeological Survey Report, #339.

After the death of their parents, the land was divided between the surviving Perrin children through a series of land transactions. The oldest surviving son, George Franklin Perrin, purchased his sibling’s interest in 406 acres of the 540 acre tract which included the original homestead. Land deeds acknowledged and excepted the 8/10 of an acre for the family cemetery. (BCDR: Vol. 736, p358; BCDR: Vol. 742, p417).  He and his wife, Viola Carver Perrin, celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary with an Open House at the Perrin Homestead in 1955. (San Antonio Light, Oct. 18, 1955).

Compiled by Pat Ezell,

Historic Farm and Ranch Complexes Committee

San Antonio Conservation Society

December 2016