Clarent-Salluste-Hermycle Duval was born in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec.

Doctor in Medecine, Inventor, Ingeneer, Organist, Musician, Professor of Mathematics & Mecanics at Laval University and at the Polytechnique, he was remarquable for his versatility & his ingenuity.

His Father, Louis-Zephirin Duval was Notary in St-Jean-Port-Joli and his Mother was Louise Eleonore Verreau, sister to Hospice-Anthelme-Jean-Baptiste Verreau, Educator, who founded the first Quebec elderly residence which bore his name.

Early in life Salluste Duval was fascinated by Science, Physics, Mechanics, Music and became Master in all these Arts. As a youngster he spent hours taking watches apart and inventing new uses for them and with them. In 1866-1867, when Salluste went to study at the "Petit Seminaire de Ste Therese", he met Joseph Casavant (1807-1874, son of Dominique Casavant and Marie Desanges Lacaillade) who had studied music there with l'Abbe Ducharme, the Superior of the College, from 1834 to 1837, and had built several organs. Joseph kindled Salluste's interest for Organs and discovered that the youngster could find solutions and improvements to them. Bringing him to St-Hyacinthe with him, Salluste started a serious association with Samuel and Claver Casavant, Joseph's sons, and until his death in 1917, Salluste's designs were an intrinsic part of the Casavant's organ production, inventing the Pedal, which would be adopted everywhere, from Europe, USA to Canada.

Though he never married, his family was important to him. His brother Arthur was also a Physician and Salluste was closest to his sister Adelaide Duval who was married to Guillaume Dupil, from whom she was divorced in 1905, and had a single child, Yvonne Dupil. In later years, Yvonne married Rene LeMyre (son of Charles LeMyre (who was the seventh child of Joseph Nicaise Marsolet-Lemire and of Justine Pichon-Toulouse Papin) and Amelie Robert).