Pétion’s mother died at Port-au-Prince at the age of sixty-six.

At that time Pétion was twenty-seven years old; he was of a height above the average, and perfectly formed in person; a certain degree of stoutness added to the dignity of his bearing. His brow, impassive, allowed one to guess none of the movements of his heart, nor any of the aspirations of his intelligence; only from his smile, now mocking, now melancholy, always benevolent, could one tell that here was a good man. He was accessible to the humblest, and loved to relieve every need. His house was the meeting place of the officers of the garrison: many profited by his kindness; some abused his good nature; all loved him. Since the death of his mother, which occurred at Port-au-Prince on 29 vendémiaire, Year V (20 September 1796), at the age of sixty-six, he had had brought to Léogane his two formerly enslaved men, Aly and Bellerose, Black Africans; these two faithful servants served him as valets, cooks and stewards; they often had difficulty in meeting the demands of the friends of the man they served.