To survive, a plantation's self-contained community required services from carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, coopers, doctors, gardeners, seamstresses, cooks and laborers. Many were provided from on-site personnel while specialized services such as medical were shared among plantations or purchased as needed.

Antoine was listed as one of Oak Alley's gardeners specializing in the grafting of pecan trees. Although few have ever heard of Antoine, many have enjoyed the fruits of his labor. In 1846 Antoine successfully grafted a variety of pecan capable of being cracked with bare hands. He created the 'paper shell' pecan.

FYI ... $1,000 in 1848 equates to $30,303 in 2014 dollars.