they made up the ever increasing number of 'cousins ' who were a constant factor in mayfair life for the next one hundred years there are numerous published drawings of mane claudette 's plantation house and even several photographs in old books , now out of print it was large even for the period and , predating the ostentatious greek revival style , it was a simple colonial structure with plain rounded columns , a pitched roof , and galleries , much like the house in saint-domingue it was two rooms thick , with hallways bisecting it from north to south and east to west , and had a full lower floor , as well as a very high and spacious attic floor the plantation included two enormous gargonmeres where the male members of the family lived , including lestan in his later widowhood , and his four sons , all of whom went by the name of mayfair ( maurice always lived in the main house ) marie claudette was every bit as successful in louisiana as she and her ancestors had been in saint-dommgue once again , she cultivated sugar , but gave up the cultivation of coffee and tobacco she bought smaller plantations for each of lestan 's sons , and gave lavish gifts to their children and their children 's children from the first weeks of their arrival , the family was regarded with awe and suspicion mane claudette frightened people , and entered into a number of disputes in setting up business in louisiana , and was not above threatening anyone who stood in her path she bought up enormous numbers of slaves for her fields , and in the tradition of her ancestors , treated these slaves very well but she did not treat merchants very well , and drove more than one merchant off her property with a whip , insisting that he had tried to cheat her she was described by the local witnesses as 'formidable ' and 'unpleasant , ' though still a handsome woman and her personal slaves and free mixed-blood servants were greatly feared by the slaves she purchased in louisiana within a short time , she was heralded as a sorceress by the slaves on her land , it was said that she could not be deceived , and that she could give 'the evil eye , and that she had a demon whom she could send after anyone who crossed her brother lestan was more generally liked , and apparently fell in at once with the drinking and gambling planter class of the area henri mane landry , her husband , seems to have been a likable but passive individual who left absolutely everything to his wife he read botanical journals from europe and collected rare flowers from all over the south and designed and cultivated an enormous garden at riverbend he died in bed , in 1824 , after receiving the sacraments in 1799 marie claudette gave birth to the last of her children , marguerite , who later became the designee of the legacy , and who lived in marie claudette 's shadow until marie claudette 's death in .