AFGS ACADIAN HERITAGE NEWS

There is an unusual oral tradition Acadians have used to define their ancestry back to the very beginnings of the colony. In some areas, it is still in use today. The unbroken chain, both paternal and maternal, allows the listener to know from what family and what area of Acadia the speaker is describing. In one string, I can be transported from 2011 New England, to the Village of Memramcook, New Brunswick after Le Grand Dérangement, to Needham, Massachusetts during the exile, to a mid-1600s farm on the north side of the Rivière Dauphin near Port Royal, Acadia.

Between each first name is the French word “à” which in English translates as “to”.
Rob à Norma à Alda à Placide à Amable à Israël à Simon à Jacques à François à Jacques à Daniel LeBlanc. This one-from-the-other linguistic tradition can be applied to any of my Acadian lines, but not without looking at my notes first. I was surprised the first time I actually heard it in practice. My cousin was speaking with a distant relative of ours at a funeral. He is the son of Thadée LeBlanc and Domithilde Boucher.

I had never met the man before, but within moments he knew how we are related. And it still amazes me today.

http://afgs-acadian-heritage-news.blogspot.com/2011/10/from-one-to-another.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AfgsAcadianHeritageNews+%28AFGS++Acadian+Heritage+News%29

EVANGELINE

Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie is an epic poem published in 1847 by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during the time of the Expulsion of the Acadians.

The idea for the poem came from Longfellow's friend, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Longfellow used dactylic hexameter reminiscent of Greek and Latin classics, though the choice was criticized. It was published in 1847 and became Longfellow's most famous work in his lifetime. It remains one of his most popular and enduring works.

The poem had a powerful effect in defining both Acadian history and identity in the nineteenth and twentieth century. More recent scholarship has revealed the historical errors in the poem and the complexity of the Expulsion and those involved, which the poem ignores.[1]

CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO READ THE ENTIRE POEM:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/library/digitalcollection/Evangeline.pdf

GENEALOGY FAIR

Librarians from the Special Collections area of the East Bank Regional Library who are familiar with genealogy research will be present to explain the library's resources.

The purpose of the fair is to encourage people to become interested in tracking their ancestral lineage, including:
*        To acquaint library customers with local genealogy organizations and how they can help people who are trying to research their ancestry;
*        To demonstrate the databases available to help patrons discover ancestors;
*        To demonstrate other resources available at the library - including books and microfilm - that can help customers locate ancestors.

The genealogy fair is held in conjunction with National Family History Month, established in 2003 and recognized by the United States Senate that year. In doing so, the senate was encouraging Americans to set aside time for family history research and education. When President George W. Bush signed the proclamation in support of Family History Month, he said, "Lessons in family lineage are often lessons in courage, endurance, and love. While tracing our roots can be challenging, the rewards can be great - affirming our pride in our history and keeping us mindful of the sacrifices of our forebears."

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, manager of adult programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or mailto:wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us

BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN

The 25th anniversary edition of “Belizaire the Cajun” will have its Lake Charles debut at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, 204 W. Sallier.

Filmmaker Glen Pitre will introduce the film. After the screening, Pitre and re-release producer Michelle Benoit, a native of Lake Charles, will host a question-answer session with the audience.

The screening is part of the Great Acadian Awakening, which features a variety of activities on Oct. 11 at the Civic Center.

Admission is free but seating is limited for the screening; your name must be on the list to enter. Reserve a seat by calling the museum at 439-3797.

“Belizaire the Cajun” is set in pre-Civil War Acadiana where a wily herb doctor must save a life, defeat murderous vigilantes, win a woman’s heart, and escape the gallows in what Variety called “one of the looniest hanging scenes ever committed to film.”

The movie was shot at Acadian Village in Lafayette, Evangeline Park in St. Martinville, south of Abbeville and other spots around Acadiana.

http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=28950

GREATER NEW ORLEANS GENEALOGY

The population of southeast Louisiana provides a rich source for genealogy studies.  However the relocations associated with Katrina has adversley affected the local community of genealogists. 
As one step to help rebuild our community, a Facebook group named the Greater New Orleans Genealogical Group has been created with the following purpose.

"The purpose of this group is to promote regional genealogy discussion in several ways. Local genealogy groups are invited to post information about themselves including meeting times and locations. Individuals can post questions which might be answered by other members. Researchers may share tips and sites for others. Sponsors can publicize events and meetings that may be or interest.
The parishes this site targets includes Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Washington. Other parishes are welcome to participate."

We are just getting started and we welcome any suggestions that would improve the concept.
Members of the West Bank Genealogical Society are invited to join this group.  Just type the group name in the Facebook search box and then select join.  Please inform your members about this group and encourage then to participate.

ICITTE, ON PARLE FRANCAIS

The Louisiana State Museum presents
“Icitte, on parle français”
The History and Diversity of the
Cajun French Language
by Dr. Nathalie Dajko

Thursday, August 11, 2011

6 to 7 PM
The Cabildo at Jackson Square

Dr. Nathalie Dajko is a professor of anthropology at Tulane University.

DELIVRANCE - ACADIANS WHO FOUGHT BACK

Danny Thebeau is the screenplay writer, producer, director, and lead actor in 'Délivrance,' a tale of oppression and the great courage that resulted from it in the time of the Acadian expulsion at Fort Beauséjour.

The one-hour film, which has been produced through a partnership with Red Leaf Productions and Thebeau, will debut on CBC Maritimes on August 20 at 8 p.m. Another screening of the film will be shown on Societe Radio Canada at an undecided date.

Thebeau, who is of Acadian descent, says that his inspiration in producing the film came from a desire to demonstrate the great courage and bravery that many Acadians displayed at the time of deportations.
He believes that the Acadian people are too often depicted as victims and sufferers.
This was something he wanted to change.

"We were so used to hearing the stories of the martyr of the Acadians, and the poor Acadians," says Thebeau. "We wanted to tell the story of those who fought back, those who are our heroes. We're telling the story of our people."

Although the film's story is fictional, it is based on what Thebeau believes are true events.
"We try to stay true to the era. We wanted to make it a true New Brunswick film about our people; we incorporate Colonel Monckton as a character in our film. It tells a story about our history, but it's not to be tied to the reality of things, because it is a fiction."

The premise of the film revolves around Pierre-Henri Surette, one of the many Acadians deported at Fort Beausejour. Surette takes it upon himself to free him and his fellow townsmen from their incarceration.

In the film, he does this by winning over the trust of the British commander in charge of the fort. A demonstration of Surette's tremendous courage, as well as the hint of a love interest, blossom as the film progresses.

Thebeau says the film has been an ongoing project since its initial debut at the Silverwave Film Festival in Fredericton last year. An 18-minute version of the project was shown to audiences at the film festival last November. The film swept several awards at the festival, including Best Actor in a Drama, Most Unique Film, and Best Picture Edit.

The first act of the film was shot a year and a half ago, and the second part began shooting on May 14 and concluded on May 23. The film was shot in Fort Beauséjour, Memramcook, Hillsborough, and Beaumont.

DEPORTATION OF THE ACADIANS

Cermony marking the deportatio​n of the Acadiens

Translation of the French from below:
On Thursday July 28 at 5:30 pm there will be a cerermony in Dieppe, NB at the Odysee Monument on Champlain Street. There will be a display of history, music, and there will be a laying of flowers in memory of our ancestors.

Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 11:53 AM
Subject: Cérémonie de commémoration
Il y aura une cérémonie marquant la déportation des Acadiens le jeudi 28 juillet à 17h30 au Monument de l'Odyssée sur la rue Champlain à Dieppe. Brin d'histoire, musique, recueillement à 18h et des fleurs seront seront disposées en mémoir de nos ancêtres. Tous sont les bienvenus.
--
Donald Boudreau
Secrétaire-Trésorier
Fédération des Associations de Familles Acadiennes Inc.
307, rue Amirault
Dieppe  NB   E1A 1G1
fafa.acadie@gmail.com
http://fafa-acadie.org
Téléphone: (506) 532-8019

LAFOURCHE HERITAGE SOCIETY

The Lafourche Heritage Society invites you to attend its 35th Annual History and Genealogy Seminar

 Saturday, August 6th

The thirty-fifth annual seminar on history and genealogy will be held by the Lafourche Heritage Society on Saturday, August 6, 2011, at the Envie Restaurant and Banquet facility in Thibodaux. The day’s activities will begin with registration and coffee at 8:30 a.m., and will close after the last speak...er, at 3:00 p.m. The seminar will have two morning sessions, a buffet lunch, and two afternoon sessions. There will be breaks between sessions for visits to book vendors. Speakers scheduled for this event are Dr. Christopher Cenac, Sr., Neil Guilbeau, Emilie Leumas, and Jay Schexnaydre.
Christopher E. Cenac, Sr., M.D., is a native of Houma. Several years ago, Dr. Cenac began compiling years of research on the Cenac family into a book for his family. His presentation will highlight some of the documents and photographs he discovered in his research. His presentation is entitled “The History of the Cenac Family and the Early Oyster Industry in Terrebonne Parish.”

Neil J. Guilbeau is a native of Sunset and is the Assistant Archivist at Nicholls State University. One of Neil’s current projects for the Nicholls Archives is interviewing local veterans on their experiences in the armed forces. His presentation will be “U.S. Veterans of Southeast Louisiana: An Oral History,” which will highlight some of the veterans interviewed thus far.

Emilie “Lee” Gagnet Leumas, PhD, is Director of Archives and Records for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and former Archivist for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. She is the current president of the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists. Lee’s presentation will be “Catholicism and French in Louisiana”

Jay M. Schexnaydre is a native of Convent. He is a genealogist and an assistant manager at Laura Plantation in Vacherie. He is currently the president of the Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans. He has compiled family trees for several of the families along the Mississippi River and has made several trips to the Family History Library for research. His topic will be “Old Creole Families of River Road.”
The seminar will be attended by book vendors offering history and genealogy selections. The Society will also have its publications available for purchase including Lafourche Country III which was published in 2010. Participants and members are invited to bring their family history charts.

To pre-register, please send your name and check in the amount of $28 (each participant) to the Lafourche Heritage Society, P.O. Box 913, Thibodaux, LA 70302. Only participants who pre-register will be included in the count for a buffet lunch. Same day registration for the seminar will be accepted at the door, but will not include lunch. The deadline to pre-register is August 3, 2011. Book vendors will be welcome at no additional cost; however, these will need to pre-register and reserve a table in advance. For further information, please contact any of the following:

Clifton Theriot at 985-448-4621, clifton.theriot@nicholls.edu

Patty Whitney at 985-447-7318, pattywhitney@hotmail.com

JULY 28TH--DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

In Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 28, 1755 British Governor Charles Lawrence signed the deportation order setting in motion Le Grand Derangement.  “From 1755 to 1763 it is estimated by historians that 7,000 – half of the entire ethnic population of the Acadians – perished during their diaspora from disease, starvation, and neglect, as well as from violence by the British.”

          “In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II signed the Royal Proclamation decreeing that every July 28th the world should pause to remember the suffering of the Acadians during the Acadian exile.”  By symbolically declaring an end to the Acadian exile, the Royal Proclamation stated: “...we acknowledge these historical facts and the trials and sufferings experienced by the Acadian people during the Great Upheaval.”

       Brenda Comeaux Trahan, Curator Director of the Acadian Memorial invites all Louisiana Acadiana/Cajuns and friends to join in the event which is dedicated to the memory of the Acadian victims who died during the years of the deportation.  A commemorative mass of reflection by Father Rusty Richard at 7:00 p.m. will be held in the mother church of the Acadians, "St. Martin de Tours".  At the conclusion of the service, the church bells will toll during a solemn "candle light" procession of the congregation to the Acadian Memorial Deportation Meditation Garden for prayers under the Deportation Cross. 

          As part of the day’s events, at 6:00 p.m. at the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville, the Acadian Museum will honor Ville Platte native and St. Martinville resident Janie Bulliard by inducting her into the “Order of Living Legends.”  Janie with co-founder Patricia Resweber, served on the St. Martinville Tourism Commission that established the Acadian Memorial. She chaired the committee that researched and created the Wall of Names and assisted artist Robert Dafford in designing the mural 'The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana'. She currently serves on the Centennial Celebration committee commemorating 100 years of the founding of Evangeline Parish including a bronze statue of Longfellow's heroine, the Parish namesake to stand on the courthouse grounds.

(Some information was taken from a letter submitted to the editor July 2008)

"IN GOD IS OUR TRUST!”

O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Read more: The Star-Spangled Banner — Infoplease.com

GUMBO ROOTS

Since the West Bank evolved with people from far and wide, the extent of our research includes everywhere. You may join this free group (must click "Join This Group" and set up your membership, then sign-in each time you visit) to contribute information, discuss genealogy, make queries, post genealogical or heritage events, lurk, or just browse the links and our calendar to the left. If you wish to join our official society, the $20 dues may be sent to us at P.O. Box 872, Harvey, LA 70059-0872. The membership year begins June 1st, meetings are held at 1:00 pm on varied days of the month since Katrina when we can get the meeting room (check the calendar on this group site for exact dates). When we cannot get the meeting room, we have research meetings in the LA History and Genealogy room at West Bank Regional Library at 11 a.m. Our quarterly publication, Gumbo Roots, is included with the membership fee. The meeting venue is still subject to change due to library scheduling practices, so be sure to watch our calendar for place and dates.

"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it
dance." --George Bernard Shaw

HAPPY JULY 4TH!

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee -- let thy will be done.

Jean Sibelius (1899)

ISLETON CAJUN FESTIVAL

HISTORIC ISLETON BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO ITS CAJUN FESTIVAL

For more than 20 years, the town of Isleton CA hosted a festival over Fathers’ Day Weekend that brought as many as 100,000 to this quiet setting on the Sacramento River Delta; many were saddened to learn that the old Isleton Crawdad Festival was sold to R-Wild Horse Ranch in 2008.

But now, the quaint little community of Isleton is bringing back the crawdads and music for their newly-dubbed Isleton Cajun Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19. Historic Main Street will host a plethora of vendors of food and fancies, and three stages will present 20 bands of Zydeco, Cajun and Southern blues including Mark St. Mary, Flambeau, the Bob Woods Band, and others. A carnival for the kids, more crawdads, beans and rice, and jambalaya than you can shake a voodoo stick at, and the warm welcome of a true Delta community is enough to get anyone ready for dancing in the streets!

Carnival Rides
Crawdads & Cajun Food
Arts & Craft Vendors
Street Entertainment & Live Music

2014 WORLD ACADIAN CONGRESS!

"ACADIA OF THE LANDS AND FORESTS - In a much-anticipated announcement, officials of the fifth World Acadian Congress launched on Tuesday the first round of open applications for groups interested in hosting family reunions during the two-and-a-half week celebration coming in August 2014.

"The call for proposals of gatherings in northern Maine, northwest New Brunswick, and southeast Quebec was made at the Historic Acadian Landing Site in St. David, Maine. Years ago, Acadian ancestors raised a 14-foot marble cross in honor of the pioneer Acadian and Québécois families who settled on both shores of the St. John River in 1785. St. David sits across from the first parish of the Madawaska Territory, Saint-Basile, New Brunswick.

"It is most fitting that we come here to this spot to make the most significant announcement to date about how the 2014 World Acadian Congress will unfold in Acadia of the Lands and Forests," said Emilien Nadeau, president of the international organizing committee. "Within days of the news in August of 2009 that we would have the honor of hosting this event in 2014, there has been a high level of interest from people in Maine, New Brunswick, Québec, and from outside our region, to host family reunions in our territory. We are now soliciting proposals and have a well-defined process in place to determine where these reunions will take place."

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae  1915

MEMORIAL DAY

   "Did you know that Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day in honor of Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. It has become a day of national observance for all Americans who lost their lives serving in a war."

The Cajuns.com    Stanley LeBlanc

   We have an eye witness account of Gustave LaBauve's death in a Civil War battle, entitled "Death of a Hero."   

Gilbert LaBauve, my great-grandfather,  included it in his journal:

http://labauvegenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/05/death-of-hero.html



MAY HIS SOUL AND THE SOULS OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED, THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD,  REST IN PEACE.    AMEN.

WBGS MEETING - HISTORY OF THE CARVILLE LEPROSORIUM

        

Date:  Tuesday May 24, 2011

Time:    7:00 pm    - 9:00 pm                    

Location:   St. John the Baptist Parish Library, 2920 Hwy 51, Laplace, LA

Speaker:  Elizabeth Schexnyder

Topic:  The History of the Carville Leprosorium

Get reminders on your mobile, Yahoo! Messenger, and email.

LETTER FROM GILBERT LABAUVE

From Lawrence Earlo LaBauve Jr. via Facebook:


Gilbert LaBauve. Found this online thought it might be your family.---“[?] County, Texas, [?] juillet, 1889.” Joseph Gilbert LaBauve to “Mr. Raphaël Hebert, Ouest B. Rouge.” The letter – badly damaged and housed in the oversize folder – reads in translation:

“My dear uncle, I would tell you that I am a little ashamed to take up the plume today to write you. Only because I would have had to do it a long time ago, [?] to do it, but you knew the news [was?] the same thing. Thus, today I write from Texas. We arrived about three hours ago at the inn from which I write you. Our trip was one of the happiest. It is now four days since we left the lake. We arrived yesterday morning at Galveston, and we left again at 4:00 in the afternoon. Our expenses up to here have climbed to $225.00. We had a bad time leaving Galveston for here. I saw waves – real waves – of the sea. Mama, Josephine, and [?] all had seasickness, but I knew how to come out of it like an old sailor. You [?] our relatives and friends this news. All of the [?] family are wonderful and charge me with sending their regards to you. Embrace all my cousins for me [?]. Your devoted nephew, Jos. Gilbert LaBauve”

Yes! Gilbert LaBauve is my Great-Grandfather!   Thanks so much!

FAMILY TREE DNA

Family Tree DNA is running a 1 day special rates on genealogic DNA sampling. Here is the link to the promotion if anyone is interested in DNA.


http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=166119860113271