This day in History & Cajun Creole Census popularity

"Louisiana." From Arrowsmith & Lewis New and Elegant General Atlas, 1804. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. The Washington Post put Louisiana in its history timeline this week with its Friday, March 26th article stating, "In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was divided into the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana." Library Of Congress.



There is a popular Facebook group that is promoting Cajun's and Louisiana Creole's in the 2010 Census. Over 3,384 fans thus far....


"Dr. Milburn Calhoun of Pelican Publishing Company of New Orleans celebrates his 40th anniversary this month as owner of the family-owned, independent general trade and children's publisher." Accessed March 28, 2010

RootsWeb Down

RootsWeb Access:
2010-03-22
As of 9:30 AM MDT this morning, RootsWeb experienced a failure in WWW access to the web site. Some portions of RootsWeb are still accessible, when you approach them directly. We are working to resolve this issue.
Est. downtime: Indefinite(s)

http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/form1.html

The Bark Creole

The Bark Creole (see the ISTG) voyaged from Ireland to Pennsylvania in March of 1850. According to the author of "The Famine Ships--The Irish Exodus to America" by Edward Laxton, c. 1998, its figurehead was of a Creole Indian. I recognize a few of the surnames listed as Louisiana surnames! Here are a few of those recognized:


Wilson
Doughtery
McCreedy
Ward
Phillips
Mitchell
McBride
Creighton
Graves
McLaughlin
Morris
McEntyre
Cassidy
Peoples
McCall
Quin
Campbell

The Creole was a "veteran of 40 Atlantic crossings...a well-known ship on
both sides of the Atlantic--easily identified in port with the unusual
figurehead of a Creole Indian in full head-dress and war-livery."
On another voyage, "in December 1848, she was bound for Philadelphia out of
Londonderry...a vicious electric storm surrounded her and she was hit full
on by a streak of lightning...lost two-thirds of her sails, main and mizzen
masts, and limped back into Cork, on December 7th, 1848, after three weeks
at sea...all the crew and 221 emigrant passengers were safe."
[From "The Famine Ships--The Irish Exodus to America" by Edward Laxton,
pp.111-112.] 1998 Google Books

There are 17 references to "New Orleans" in this title. One of the most interesting was listed on p. 260 in the form of a review of the title, about Henry Ford's father.....and a voyage from Cork.

"This is a splendid book, written in fresh and accessible way, which will grip anyone with the most superficial interest in the FAmine years.... While not avoiding the narratives of the most famous emigrants in these years (Henry Ford's father from Cork and President J. F. Kennedy's great- grandfather from Wexford) he concentrates on lesser-known stories: a good example is the Wexford parish priest who led eighteen families across the Atlantic to New Orleans and then up the Mississippi to found the town of Wexford, Iowa." - Frank McLynn, The Irish Times

Would it be too difficult to travel onwards and up the Mississippi River?

Did Irish families stay on in Louisiana? I believe so :)

Acadian Memorial Festival: Bayou Teche to Atchafalaya

Acadian Memorial Festival 2010

CONTACT: BRENDA COMEAUX TRAHAN, ACADIAN MEMORIAL CURATOR, 337.394.2258

The theme of the 2010 Acadian Memorial Festival is Acadians: Bayou Teche to Atchafalaya. The festival, a museum style celebration of the Acadian Settlers in Louisiana, will be held on Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in St. Martinville. Festival Kickoff is Friday, March 19, 2010 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. 

The Acadian Memorial Foundation Board and the City of St. Martinville want to share the highlights to entice your presence. The history and stories step right out of the museum and Memorial to showcase the Acadian Cajun culture and traditions loaded with visuals and fun for all ages. 

Festival kickoff will be a Downtown Promenade around historic Church Square. Join us for an Art Walk through downtown businesses, Crawfish Boil, tour of St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church and introduction of the 2010 Festival’s honored families, Breaux and Guidry. Advance tickets for the crawfish are on sale by the L’Ordre du Bon Temps. Brief family meetings can be arranged, please contact us for accommodations. 

Festival day is old fashioned Cajun fun set in Evangeline Oak Park. Acadian costumes are encouraged. Join us for family reunions, music, cuisine, history, lectures, theatre, film, demonstrations, storytelling and kids’ activities, wooden boat parade/exhibit, antique cars, and much more. Voices of the Atchafalaya, a traveling exhibit of photography and sound, will be on display. Special guests will include author Gerard-Marc Braud and Maryannick Braud of Nantes, France and artist Georgette Bourgeois of Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Cracklins, boudin, jambalaya, fried fish, cush cush, Cajun sweets, etc. will be cooked on site. Beverages of all types will be available. Anyone interested in selling their Cajun products may rent a booth. 

The Reenactment of the Arrival of the Acadians on Bayou Teche takes place at 1 p.m. on festival day. Bring your children, grandchildren and elderly family members for this opportunity to reconnect with all Cajun families! We are looking for two to four members from the Breaux and Guidry families to ride in pirogues or barges. Acadian Dress circa 1764 is required. Please contact us to make arrangements. 

All Cajun family associations should join in a huge welcome of the Acadians arrival in St. Martinville. 

Let us make this the biggest day ever! For more information or to volunteer, contact us at 337-394.2258 337-288-2681 or info@acadianmemorial.org. Please visit our websites at www.acadianmemorial.org and www.stmartinville.org for schedule updates.

[From URL RootsWeb Mailing List]

Robert "Bobby" DeBlieux

You may find a fond remembrance of Robert "Bobby" DeBlieux written by Mr. Damon Veach.
Cajuns, Creoles, Pirates and Planters, Volume 1, Number 52, TANTE HUPPE, by Damon Veach.

Tante Huppe Inn

Natchitoches Historic Foundation

Robert DeBlieux – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bobby DeBlieux: A Man for All Seasons Dies in Louisiana

Robert Buford “Bobby” DeBlieux (1933 – 2010) – Find A Grave Memorial

Robert DeBlieux Collection - NSU

Robert "Bobby" DeBlieux - URL Published in The Times-Picayune on February 2, 2010

DeBLIEUX Robert "Bobby" DeBlieux, age 77, of Natchitoches, LA, passed away Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Our Lady Of The Lake in Baton Rouge, LA. Arrangements are being handled by Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home, in Natchitoches, LA where the family will receive friends from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm on Wednesday, February 03, 2009. A rosary service will be held at 7:00 pm during the visitation. The funeral service will be held at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Natchitoches at 10:00 am on Thursday, February 04, 2010 with Rev. Stephen Scott Chemino and Rev. James Foster officiating. Bobby was a colorful character who loved life and lived it to its fullest. He never met a stranger. He was born on January 26, 1933 in Natchitoches, LA. He passed away unexpectedly due to a brain hemorrhage. Bobby was a historian, preservationist, painter, author, and businessman. He served in the United States Army from 1956-1958 stationed in Germany. He was mayor of Natchitoches, LA from 1976-1980. As mayor, Bobby was instrumental in founding the Natchitoches Historic District. In the early 1980's, he was appointed by Governor David Treen as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Cultural Development. He continued in the same position under Governor Edwin W. Edwards. During his tenure, Bobby created forty-two National Register Districts in Louisiana. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Garden Club in Natchez, MS. Bobby's historic preservation endeavors include his establishment of Museum Contents, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Natchitoches. He has also been president and a board member of the Natchitoches Historic Foundation. Bobby loved researching his ancestry as well as other families in the Natchitoches area. He contacted his French relatives and in 2002 and was instrumental in organizing a reunion in Alpes de Haute Provence, France with over 150 French and American cousins. Prior to his death, Bobby was the proprietor of is ancestral home, The Tante Huppe' Inn, Bed and Breakfast. Bobby is survived by two daughters, Cammie DeBlieux Davis and husband Randy and Dene' DeBlieux Mathies and husband David, all from Baton Rouge, LA. He is also survived by his grandchildren, William, Lindsey, and Cody Davis and Dillon and Jordan Mathies; two sister-in-laws, Mary Lee DeBlieux of Houma, LA and Pat DeBlieux of Natchitoches; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, JoAnne Weaver DeBlieux, two brothers, Jeff DeBlieux and Dale DeBlieux, and his parents, Jefferson Davis DeBlieux, Jr. and Pat Roubieu DeBlieux. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Natchitoches Historic Foundation or St. Mary's School. For online condolences, please visit www.blanchardstdenisfuneralhome.com.

Louisiana 1814

Note the Missouri Territory North of Louisiana
Spanish Territory West of Louisiana
Mississippi Territory - still in Mississippi ;)
Map from the Louisiana State Museum
http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/lsmmaps/mappic.asp?name=1997.078.047.jpg&title=Louisiana

75th Anniversary of the St. Denis Chapter DAR 1935-2010

From the Natchitoches Preservation NING

Time: March 11, 2010 at 8am to August 20, 2010 at 5pm
Location: Cammie G. Henry Research Center
Street: 913 University Parkway
City/Town: Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497
Website or Map: http://library.nsula.edu/camm…
Northwestern State University Libraries · Northwestern State University ·
Watson Memorial Library · Natchitoches, LA 71497
Telephone: 318.357.4477 ·(toll-free) 888.540.9657 · (fax) 318.357.4470 ·
Phone: 318-357-4585

An Exhibition Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the St. Denis Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, 1935-2010.

Exhibit cases contain various scrapbooks, yearbooks and a history of the organization.

A reception will be held on April 23, 2010 from 2 pm until 5 pm in the Cammie G. Henry Research Center. Please contact the St. Denis Chapter for more information regarding the reception.

Cammie G. Henry Research Center is located on the third floor of Watson Memorial Library on the campus of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The research center is open to the general public as well as to students.

Hours of operation: Monday - Friday, 8 am till 5 pm.

PLEASE CALL AHEAD as the center is sometimes closed during these hours due to holidays, meetings, etc.

Or you can email the archivist, Mary Linn Wernet at: wernet@nsula.edu

Louisiana genealogy in my mail bag

Here are a few tidbits from my mailbag that I found interesting including an invitation to an Arkansas conference of the Preservation of African American Cemeteries (PAAC):

The 4th Annual Memorial In May Cemetery Preservation Conference of the Preservation of African American Cemeteries (PAAC, Inc.) will be held April 30 - May 1, 2010 on the campus of the University of Arkansas, Monticello in the Gibson University Center Capitol Room.


Enclosed is the registration form and schedule of the two day conference. We invite all persons interested in the restoration, documentation and preservation of your area cemeteries to please attend. If you have already met this task, we ask that you attend and share your experiences with those in attendance. Please circulate this registration form to your many social and civic organizations, churches, libraries and community groups.



Special Features of the Conference include the Awards Luncheon where distinguished individuals who have fought the battle to maintain, reclaim and preserve Arkansas Cemeteries will be honored. The Premier of the AETN documentary “Silent Storytellers” featuring PAAC and the PAAC Junior Preservation Society, the Bold Pilgrim Cemetery Documentary and Authors Janis Kearney and Ernest “Tex” Sims.

Thank you so much for your support.

Kathy



Kathy Davis, MILS

Access Services and Reference Librarian

University of Arkansas-Monticello Library

PO Box 3599

Monticello, AR 71656

Phone: 870-460-1280

Fax: 870-460-1980

Email: daviska@uamont.edu

University of Arkansas at Monticello

Celebrating a Century of Opportunity

1909-2009

West Bank Genealogy group
Gen. Research Soc. of New Orleans
Monday March 15, 2010
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
(The next reminder for this event will be sent in 3 days, 3 minutes.)
Location: Whitney Bank meeting room, 1441 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA


MARCH 15
7:30 PM
WHITNEY NATIONAL BANK
METAIRIE BRANCH
1441 METAIRIE RD.
The speaker will be Susan Tucker. Her topic is the United States Mint. This should be an informative meeting as the Mint is now open after renovations due to Katrina.

Remember that the parking lot is at the rear of the bank and is amply lighted. It can be entered from Codifer Blvd. We hope the weather will cooperate and you will be able to attend this meeting without having to wear heavy winter coats!!




NOGDCR group

"...Race, Sex, and Social Order in Early New Orleans By Jennifer M. Spear (2009) and this paper can be found in The William and Mary Quarterly. ..."

Colonial Intimacies:
Legislating Sex in French Louisiana
Jennifer M. Spear


"In order to populate the colony [we need] to permit marriages between Frenchmen and Catholic Indian women."

Father Henri Roulleaux de La Vente, 1714


"We forbid our White subjects of either sex from contracting marriage with Blacks. . . . [and] also forbid our said white subjects . . . from living in concubinage with slaves."

Code Noir, 1724


ISSUED only a decade apart, these two statements—one the request of a colonial missionary, the other a decree of the state—illustrate two very different attitudes toward marriage between French colonists in Louisiana and its native inhabitants and between those colonists and their African laborers. La Vente's statement was part of a decade long debate between secular and religious officials on both sides of the Atlantic over the propriety of permitting marriages between Indian women and French men, an issue that was never definitively settled. The Code Noir, issued in 1724 by the French metropolitan government to regulate the institution of slavery in its Louisiana colony, explicitly and expressly prohibited marital and nonmarital sexual relations between Africans, whether slave or free, and Europeans. This proscription was received by colonists with neither complaint nor praise but rather with silence.

1

Why did the idea of relationships between Europeans and Indians and between Europeans and Africans engender different reactions and lead to the formation of different sexual policies in French Louisiana? Why was it at least possible to have an open debate about Indian-European relationships and their place in the colonial project while African-European ones received no public contemplation? The answers to these questions demonstrate how sexuality could be used to construct and maintain boundaries between colonizer and colonized or, conversely, as the ultimate instrument of assimilation. Sexual politics—a vital concern of policy makers—were never uncontested. The struggles over métissage illuminate conflicts between secular and religious authorities and between colonial and metropolitan interests as each sought to shape the colony's development. Métissage also reveals tensions between officials and the colonial population they sought to
govern. Influenced by demographic, economic, cultural, and imperial circumstances, authorities sought to legislate sex in attempts to further their colonial goals and to control colonial populations. As a tool of colonial policy, sex was not solely a private matter, nor one of population statistics, and least of all one of European men's "natural" urges; rather it was intimately linked to the formation of the colonial state.1

2

Public debates and colonial ideologies about sex in early America are far easier to uncover than private practice. Did legal or administrative policies prohibiting relationships between particular partners mean those relationships did not take place, or were those policies prompted by the prevalence of such relationships? Does an absence of prosecutions demonstrate that laws were effective in eradicating prohibited relationships, or were local communities more tolerant than policy makers?2 It is the private nature of sexual relationships, particularly ones that were illegal or against social convention, that makes statistical evidence regarding them difficult to obtain. For colonial New Orleans and Louisiana more generally, the picture is also complicated by its reputation, well established by the early nineteenth century, as a site in which relationships between Euroamerican men and non-European women were widespread and generally accepted.

Louisiana Book News group

"Louisiana Book News for the Week of March 9, 2010

Jenny Pavlovic* watched the disaster that was Katrina from her home in Minnesota, believing that she could be of help to the rescue operation of animals headquartered at Lamar-Dixon in Gonzales. She arranged travel to Baton Rouge and found accommodations, but what she didn’t expect was to be enamored by Kate, a rescued cattle dog.

8 State Hurricane Kate: The Journey and Legacy of a Katrina Cattle Dog follows Pavlovic from her assembling sponsors in Minnesota, to the long hot days at Lamar-Dixon and her bureaucratic nightmare to “foster” Kate to their life together afterwards where Kate slowly comes out of her traumatized shell and enjoys life again. The title comes from Pavlovic’s drive back home through eight states, just ahead of Hurricane Rita.

It’s unclear where Kate came from since conflicting stories of her rescue include the 17th Street Canal and Plaquemines Parish, and equally elusive is her quality of life before the storm. But with Pavlovic’s care, Kate blossoms in Minnesota.

And yet, the mystery of Kate’s owners haunts Pavlovic, who travels back to New Orleans and Plaquemines Parish in an effort to find answers.

The experience doesn’t just teach Pavlovic the realities of disasters and its impact on animals left behind, but creates an amazing web of friendships throughout the country, people who aid her in helping raise a dog with health and emotional issues. Through this web other animals are assisted as well.

Animal lovers will cherish this first-person account of the storm, and appreciate the resources Pavlovic lists in the back. There’s even mention of Lafayette in chapter 17, when a man in Florida adopts a female blue heeler from the Roicy facility and volunteers amazingly help transport the dog across state lines.

For more information, visit www.8StateKate. net or watch the video at www.youtube. com/watch? v=l_ge2g0GDjw. The book has received numerous awards, including the 2009 Gold Medal Winner Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award.

Pavlovic continues to search for Kate’s identity and owners.

*Jenny Pavlovic will attend the Louisiana Library Association meeting in Baton Rouge this weekend to promote her book.

Book Events
Free tree seedlings will be given away at South Louisiana libraries and museums through the month of March. The trees were donated by the Arbor Day Foundation to a LA Maison, a nonprofit hurricane recovery group, to aid in replanting trees lost to the storms of the past few years. For information, visit www.louisianabookne ws.com/trees. html.

Nicholls State University's annual festival of the arts, titled Jubilee, will be held in March and April at various venues in Thibodaux. The festival includes free cultural events such as guest lectures, demonstrations, crafts, film screenings, art shows, musical performances, plays and more. For information and detailed schedule, visit www.nicholls. edu/jubilee.

Eunice's Big Read of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury continues with events, including a book discussion on Fahrenheit 451 by Holly Bell, assistant professor at LSU Eunice, on Tuesday, March 9, and UL professor Barry Ancelet discussing Aspects of Preserving Our French Culture — The 'New' Cajun Dictionary on Friday, March 12. For a complete listing of events, visit www.lsue.edu/ thebigread or call 550-1380.

Opelousas High School Creative Writers will perform original poems and stories written throughout the school year under the direction of Jessica Bonnem at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11, at Casa Azul Gifts in Grand Coteau. The free event includes an open mic that’s available to all ages. This event is sponsored by The Thensted Center and Frederick L'Ecole Des Arts. For more information, call Patrice Melnik at (337) 662-1032 or casa.azul.gc@ gmail.com.

The Friends of the Lafayette Public Library will be hold its semiannual book sale that’s free and open to the public Thursday through Saturday, March 11-13, at the Main Library, 301 W. Congress St. downtown. Books cost 50 cents an inch for paperbacks, $1 an inch for hardbacks with various pricing for VHS, DVDs and books on tape and CDs. In addition, a silent auction will take place in the library’s browsing room until March 26 and the books will also be listed on the Friends' Web site. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The sale is open to Friends members from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and memberships may be purchased at the door that evening for $5, $10 for a family. For more information on the sale or the silent auction, call 501-9209 or visit www.friendsofthelaf ayettelibrary. org.

The Friends of the Terrebonne Public Library will also host its annual book sale March 11-14 at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive in Houma. The sale is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 12 and 13, and from 2 to 5 p.m. March 14. Books sell for 75 cents per inch from March 11-13, and $3 a bag March 14. Friends members may purchase books from noon to 6 p.m. March 11 with memberships sold at the door.

Humorist Peggy Kline, author of Treating Yourself Like Royalty, will be the keynote speaker at the Fourth Annual Ladies Night Out Breast Center Gala, hosted by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at Terrebonne General Medical Center, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 12, at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd. in Houma. For information, call (985) 873-3588.

Tulane University Writer-in-Residence Amy Hempel will speak at 7:30 p.m. March 15 in the Kendall Cram Room of the Lavin-Bernick Center on Tulane's campus in New Orleans.

The Lafayette Lutheran School students will perform at noon Saturday, March 20, at Barnes & Noble, 5707 Johnston St. in Lafayette.
Jerald and Glenda Horst, author of The Louisiana Seafood Bible: Crawfish, will sign copies of their cookbook Saturday and Sunday, March 20-21 at the Annual Isleno Fiesta in St. Bernard Parish.

As part of the Second Northwest Louisiana Artists' Triennial Competition at the Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College, 2911 Centenary Blvd. in Shreveport, there will be poetry readings and book signings by northwest Louisiana writers. Julie Kane, Northwestern State University professor and prize-winning author of Jazz Funeral and Rhythm & Booze, and Ashley Mace Havird, award-winning author of Dirt Eaters, will read from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 21. For information, call (318) 869-5040.
Walter Isaacson of New Orleans, former editor of Time magazine and president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, will deliver the Hubert H. Humphrey Lecture in Public Affairs at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 22, in the McKernan Auditorium at the LSU Law Center in Baton Rouge. Isaacson’s topic will be Einstein's Creativity: On Science and Authority. Isaacson is the author of Einstein: His Life and Universe, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and Kissinger: A Biography, and co-author of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. His most recent book, a collection of profiles and articles from his work as a journalist, is called American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers, and Heroes of a Hurricane. Isaacson will also offer an informal discussion about journalism and public affairs at 5:30 p.m. March 22 in the Holliday Forum of LSU’s Journalism Building, moderated by Regina Lawrence, the Kevin P. Reilly Sr. Chair & Professor of Mass Communication and Political Science. The event is open to faculty, students and the general public.

Dr. John Doucet of the Biology Department at Nicholls hosts a series of talks from the contributors to the forthcoming book Lafourche Country III from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, March 22, at the Ellender Memorial Library, Room 322, in Thibodaux.

Cheré Coen is the co-author of Cooking in Cajun Country and the upcoming Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets. She teaches writing at UL’s Continuing Education. Write her at chere.coen@lusfiber .net."

Genealogy group to focus on Acadian heritage
By William Johnson • wjohnson@dailyworld.com • March 10, 2010

"South Louisiana's rich Acadian heritage will be explored during Saturday's meeting of the Imperial St. Landry Genealogical and Historical Society.

The 10 a.m. meeting at Opelousas General Health System's South Campus, the former Doctors' Hospital, is free and open to the public.

The forum's guest speaker will be Brenda Comeaux Trahan, curator-director of the Acadian Memorial and Museum in St. Martinville...."

For more information, contact Perrault at 942-3332 or e-mail her at Estelle9Perrault@wmconnect.com.

This was an awesome story in The Daily Iberian
Kramer goes from gynecology to genealogy
by Patrick Flanagan

"FRANKLIN — After delivering nearly 5,000 babies during his 35-year career, Thomas Frere Kramer, MD., retired from the gynecology trade, which he replaced by taking on the task of genealogy in an effort to resurrect the secrets, skeletons and memories of his forebears."