Coq d’Inde is the original spelling name of the first European settlement of the French Coast of Alabama. Now verbally corrupted, the area is called “Coden“.

The picturesque bayou which meanders through this area is known as Bayou Coq d'Inde or "Turkey Bayou". The name originates from the abundance of wild turkeys which the French found in the heavily wooded areas along the bayou. A large percentage of 17th century Europeans, when first presented with the North American turkey, thought it was of eastern origin. The French, for instance, called it "coq d'Inde" ("cock of India"). They still call it "d'inde" to this day!

The first Europeans to settle in South Mobile County, Alabama were French. Landing on Dauphin Island, Guillaume Huet is listed on the census of d'Ille Dauphine dated 1 January 1721. By 1 January 1726, a census shows Guillaume Huet and wife, Perrine Rivouet, had established a plantation at Oyster Point on what is currently known as Coden. The point of land jutting into Portersville Bay on the east side of the mouth of the Bayou la Batre River was later referred to as “Pierre’s Point”.

The history of Coden can be traced back to the original settlement by Guillaume Huet in 1726 where his plantation bordered on Bayou Coq d'Inde.

Bounded on the west by the River Darbanne (now Bayou la Batre River), on the south by Portersville Bay, on the north by Bayou Hamon, and on the east by Bayou Coq d'Inde (Turkey Bayou), the large 1,279+ acre Huet plantation encompassed what would become Portersville and present-day Coden and San Souci.

Following the death of Guillaume Huet, records of the Superior Council of Louisiana reveal that the Widow Perrine Rivouet Huet was embroiled in litigation with her son-in-law, Ignace Petit. In one petition filed September 1, 1743, the Widow Huet filed a statement of cattle sold since the death of her husband. Properties listed as being owned by the Widow Huet at that time include that at Bayou Coq d'Inde.

The original Huet home most probably stood at the present location of the Cain residence on the bend in the River Darbanne (Bayou la Batre River). This site is higher than surrounding territory and in the early 1700s provided a spectacular view of the river. Surrounding pine forests and live oak trees provided shade and shelter from angry winds blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. The ancient live oak presently in front of the Cain residence would have been a feature shading the front lawn of the Huet home. The deep waters of the river ensured quick access to the Gulf for any sailing vessels, and the surrounding forests teemed with wild game and fowl. The shallow waters of Portersville Bay offered an abundance of oysters, shrimp and fish. Cattle (which were originally brought to this area from Cuba by Jean-Baptiste Baudrau dit Graveline) would soon provide a lucrative income to this plantation. Pierre Baptiste inherited this property following the death of his maternal grandmother, the Widow Huet, in 1767 and his mother, Marie Henriette Huet, in 1770.

Pierre Baptiste is recognized as the founder of present day Coq I’nde (Coden). Pierre Baptiste, and his sister Julie Baptiste, were children of Marie Henriette Huet and Jean-Baptiste Baudrau II. Being an illegitimate child, Pierre did not use the BAUDRAU surname of his father; instead he often used the last name HUET (his mother’s maiden name), as well as father’s middle name BAPTISTE.

Following the death of his mother, Pierre left the Coq I’nde plantation to pursue his occupation as Trader. Growing up on the Huet plantation, he had acquired the skills of 18th Century trading in cattle and slaves. Following in the footsteps of his father, Jean-Baptiste Baudrau II, Pierre moved easily among the area’s native tribes and settlements. As he was the grandson of Jean-Baptiste Baudrau dit Graveline and the Indian woman, Susanne, daughter of Great Chief, it is presumed that he was readily accepted by the local Native Americans. Records reveal he was found living at various Indian settlements in the area.

In 1764, when Pierre signed the Oath of Allegiance to the British King, he did so as "Pierre Huet". When the British made a survey of the Choctaw Nation in November 1771, they found Pierre near the East Abeeka settlement. Peter Hamilton's book Colonial Mobile records how the surveyor stayed overnight at the home of Trader Hewitt (British spelling of "Huet").

In1780 Pierre Baptiste purchased 623+ acres of land at “La Belle Fontaine” (present-day Belle Fontaine on the west side of Mobile Bay) adjacent to property owned by Charles LaLande and the nearby Chaquetasyamace village. In 1789 one of Pierre's young sons was baptized while he was at the Tombigbee settlement. In 1792, Pierre Baptiste returned to the old Huet plantation at Coq I’nde and filed claim with the Spanish governor as the "sole heir" of the Widow Huet. His claim was granted 22 Oct 1792.

Across from the Huet plantation, on the west side of the river, Joseph Bouzage (Bosarge) would settle around 1786 on land once owned by the Nicaise family who had moved on to Bay St. Louis. Joseph's wife was Louise Catherine Baudrau, the legitimate daughter of Marie Catherine Vinconneau and Jean-Baptiste Baudrau II (Pierre’s father). Thus, Louise Catherine Baudrau was Pierre's half-sister. Catherine's brother, Jean-Baptiste Baudrau III, was godfather to Pierre Baptiste's son, Jean Pierre Baptiste, born 1783. So apparently there was a close bond between these siblings. Perhaps it was the tragic death of their father, Jean-Baptiste Baudreau II, in 1757 that sealed the close ties between his legitimate and illegitimate children.

The Huet plantation on the east side of the Bayou la Batre River inherited by Pierre Baptiste and the Bosarge home on the west side of the river provided the foundation for the settlement along the northern shore of Portersville Bay now known as the “French Coast of Alabama“. Many of their descendants still live in this historic area of South Mobile County today where several of the oldest residents may be overheard speaking French.