Louis Frédéric Paul Amelien Espérandieu was born to Paul Antoine Frederic and Sophie Adrienne (Vattier) Espérandieu in Vevy, Switzerland on March 31, 1813. He was educated at the Academy of Lausanne and was received into the Societe de Belles Lettres on November 14, 1828. He was ordained to the ministry of the Egliese nationale vaudoise (National Protestant Church of Vaud) in 1836. Espérandieu married Louise Marianne Albertine Elisabeth Chavannes (1815-1872) on August 18, 1836 and the couple had nine children: Francoise Louise Sophie Frederique (1837-), Elisa Lily (Espérandieu) Ducloux (1839-1874), Mina (1840-), Louise Sophie Mary (Espérandieu) Bolli (1842-1917), Wilhelmina Constance Adele (Espérandieu) Brownlow (1844-1920), Jeanne Henriette Berthe (Espérandieu) Cramer (1845-1926), Amelie Augusta (1846-), Emile Frederic (1848-), and William Louis (1850-1920).

Espérandieu served as Pastor of the Protestant Church of Ouchy from 1839 to 1845 when he and 160 other pastors resigned their positions in the National Church in order to found the Free Church. He then served as Pastor of the Lausanne Free Church from 1846 to 1849. Free Church members were, however, mercilessly harassed by both the Swiss government and by the general public. As a result, the family emigrated to Knox County, Tennessee, in June 1849 and settled just north of Knoxville. Espérandieu continued to preach and was naturalized as an American citizen on June 22, 1854. During the Civil War, Espérandieu was a Confederate sympathizer and was forced to leave his adopted home. He returned to Geneva after Knoxville fell to Union troops in 1863 where he was eventually joined by most of his family. They returned to Knoxville in 1871 and Espérandieu taught French at the University of Tennessee from 1873 to 1877. Espérandieu and his wife moved to St. John's County, Florida in 1878, and Espérandieu died in Florida on November 29, 1890.