In the 19th century, Alphonse was owned by a succession of business interests, commencing the first recorded being the Huteau family in 1823.
There is a double tomb in the Alphonse graveyard which, according to tradition, is that of a Monsieur and Madame Huteau. In 1862 Alphonse was sold to the Daubans, who also owned Silhouette. The British authorities contested the legality of the sale, but Monsieur Dauban was granted legal title in 1866. However, disputes over ownership of the outer islands meant that Alphonse did not legally become part of Seychelles until 1881.
Coconuts were grown for copra, while turtle meat, turtle shell and pearl shell were exploited. Alphonse was a particularly fertile island, due to deposits of guano left by huge colonies of seabirds in the past. Maize, pumpkin, banana, sweet potato, pineapple and chickens were also produced. There have been many shipwrecks on both atolls, the wreckage of some are still visible today.
