HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thursday November 24, 2011

Time: All Day

Notes: Happy Thanksgiving
From West Bank Genealogy Society Group

HISTORIC CEMETERY DISCOVERED

Historic Cemetery Discovered In French Quarter Back Yard
13 Caskets Found As Workers Dig Pool.
New Orleans is known by some as America’s most haunted city, but what was found in the city’s oldest neighborhood isn’t folklore or legend.

A man made a historic discovery in his historic French Quarter back yard – he unearthed 13 caskets while workers dug a spot for a pool.
The discovery has deep roots in New Orleans history.
The caskets were found in the 600 block of North Rampart Street

The discovery was made when Marcello decided to hire workers to dig a pool for his back yard.
Knowing the area was the site of St. Peter Cemetery, where many were buried in the 1700s, Marcello enlisted the help of archeologist Ryan Gray from the University of New Orleans.

“Part of the reason why the cemetery was closed was because it was overcrowded, and historical accounts and complaints can't dig anywhere without hitting earlier remains,” Gray said.

Gray said the wealthier people in the city likely paid to have remains removed and reburied at the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 – the city’s first above ground graveyard.

“We suspect people left behind represented kind of the poorest and most marginalized elements of that early population,” Gray said.
As the city started developing the block, Gray said, the city basically stopped worrying about what was underneath.

Marcello said he’s not too worried either when his residents realize they are not alone.
“It's all part of New Orleans culture. I think they might even like it,” Marcello said.

The caskets are believed to be made of cypress and are intact.
More forensic work is to be done on the remains. Gray said he hopes to identify the family members if they exist and have a public reburial ceremony.
In 1984, 36 bodies were uncovered when condos were built on the block.

Read more: http://www.wdsu.com/news/29744746/detail.html#ixzz1dQZ3cVZU

CAMP PARAPET DAY

WESTBANK GENEALOGY SOCIETY

TITLE: CAMP PARAPET DAY

Date: Saturday November 12, 2011
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Camp Parapet, Arlington St. at Causeway Blvd, Metairie, LA

Notes:

Free tours of structure and grounds, historic dancers, etc. Built in 1861 as part of an extensive fortification to protect the City of New Orleans from Yankee Invasion during the War Between the States. Also, visit special vendors on grounds.

ACADIAN CROSS HOUMA

MONUMENT MARKS ANCESTORS EMIGRATION TO LOUISIANA

Published: Monday, October 10, 2011 at 11:29 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 10, 2011 at 11:29 a.m.

An international crowd gathered near the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum on Park Avenue in Houma Sunday to watch as organizers unveiled a new monument.

The cross and its accompanying map, which shows the emigration patterns of Acadians after they were expelled from Canada, is the first to be installed in the United States.

The ceremony was part of the Grand Reveil Acadien, or the Great Acadian Awakening, a 10-day French culture festival with events in four Louisiana cities.

There are 37 monuments in all. They were created by the Society of National of Affairs of Acadians and mark the landing places of those expelled by the Acadian Deportation.

The Acadians were forced out of eastern Canada when the British gained control of the Maritime Provinces during the French and Indian War. The original French settlers, the Acadians, were sent to the 13 colonies and France in the 1750s.

Over time, many of those moved to the American south, founding Acadian communities along the Mississippi and the bayous.

“The Acadians never forgot this history. How could they?” said Francoise Enguehard, president of the National Association of Acadians, during Sunday's dedication ceremony. “The objective of this monument is to remember, but also to reaffirm our nationhood.”

Thelma Babineau Richard, bearing an Acadian flag, was among those on hand for the unveiling. She traveled to south Louisiana as part of a delegation of 70 Canadians.

“These are our people. We share the same ancestry,” said Richard, who lives in Moncton, New Brunswick, Lafayette's twin city. “When we're here, we don't feel like we're in the United States.”

The unveiling ceremony drew Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, and Jean-Claude Brunet, France's New Orleans-based consulate general.

The monument was meant to commemorate the hardships the group's Acadian ancestors had faced, but also to celebrate the exodus' contributions to the region's heritage.

“I know I don't have to tell you that Terrebonne means good earth,” Claudet told attendees. “It's fortunate that a group excluded from another place came here, to a land so full of bounty.”

Staff Writer Cara Bayles can be reached at 857-2204 or at cara.bayles@houmatoday.com