Left: Sono Savoie, the former sheriff of Cameron Parish, is shown above with his grandchildren. Abt. 1970s. Judge Kent Savoie is shown being sworn in by his cousin, Judge Preston Savoy. Also pictured are Kent's mother Grace Savoie, his daughter, Rebecca, and Father Fitzmorris.
The Saga of the Savoies of Cameron Parish revealed by Nola Mae Ross
Francois Savoie, the progenitor of all the Savoie /Savo/Savoy/Savoye/Savois families in Southwest Louisiana, emigrated to Port Royal Canada from France in about 1643. He was a wellestablished landowner and farmer in Port Royal by the time the British forced the Acadians out of Canada in 1755.
“Francois Savoie,” according to a family book written by Harry J. Savoy, who has impeccable references, “was the first and only Savoie who immigrated to Acadia, thus making it almost certain that all the Acadian Savoys, are
related.”
To avoid further confusion with the spelling of the name I shall use “Savoie” in this article. Through census records we find that both Francois and his wife, Catherine Savoie, had perished before 1678. The second generation, comprised of Francoise, Germain, Marie, Jeanne, Cathrine, Andrea, and Marie, grew up, married and had large families in Port Royal.
“After Germain Savoie died,” wrote Harry J. Savoy, “most of his sons moved north across the Bay of Fundy to
what is now New Brunswick. Four of them evaded capture and deportation during the Canadian Expulsion, although the rest were deported. Germain’s youngest son, Charles Savoie, and his family of eight children were
exiled to New York. His eldest son, Francois Savoie, was separated from the family and sent to Georgia.”
SAVOIES EXILED OR IMPRISONED
From the Acadian Expulsion in 1755 to 1763, some of the fourth generations of Acadian Savoies remained in exile or were held in prisons in Halifax. Many died from diseases and heartbreak.
Among the few who survived the British exile was Charles Savoie, who is assumed to have died later in New York. The rest of his large family is buried in scattered places in New Brunswick and Quebec. Among the Savoies later
found in Louisiana were two more named Charles, in 1721 and 1732; Marie-Joseph 1726; Pierre, 1734; Jeanne, 1733;
Francois 1731; Felicite, 1736; Rosalie, 1739; Marguerite, 1741; Madeline, 1743; Guiliaume, 1745; Joseph, 1747; and Jean, 1749. From this family came another Francois Valcour Savoie, who is the ancestor of the Southwest Louisiana descendants.
He was the first Savoie to have an official documented record in Louisiana. He married Marie Landry in St. Louis Church, New Orleans, on July 22, 1765. Their sons, Charles and Joseph show up in an early Spanish Census as, “ residing on the right side of the Mississippi in the general area known as the first Acadian Coast and present day St. James.” They were listed as having been on one of the two ships that had originally been sent from Nova
Scotia to Santo Domingo in 1764 and then back to Louisiana.
FIRST SAVOIE IN CAMERON PARISH
Many of the early day Savoies stayed in the Lafayette, Youngsville, Eunice, Opelousas, St. Martinville, and Grand
Coteau area. But in the early to mid 1800s, many of the younger children of Francois and Marie (Barnabe) Martin,
moved westward from Isle St. Jean in Acadia Parish to Cameron Parish.
Believed to have been the first Cameron Parish resident was Francois Valcour Savoie, who married Aspasie Dugas
coming from Lafayette. The second Savoie to settle in Creole, in the 1850s was Valcour’s son, Ozeme Savoie,
who married Merente LaBove, and had 12 children - Joseph Ozema, Jasin Demosthene, Emile, Sousthene, Eusebe, Valsin John, Peter, Camille, Desire, Alcede, Philo, and Elodie. These children married into the families of Domingue,
Guptill, Baccigalopi, Quinn, Boudreaux, Theriot, Richard, Landry and Dupuy.
PHILO, FATHER OF JUDGE PRESTON SAVOY
Philo Savoie married Elmira Landry and their son, Preston Savoy, was a well known judge in Lake Charles. In the next generation Richard Savoy, Preston’s son, recalls, “Some time between my grandfather, Philo, and my father, Preston, the spelling of our name changed from Savoie to Savoy. We don’t know why.
“My grandfather Philo,” says Richard Savoy, “was born in 1881. He left Cameron and moved to Gueydan, where he established a Mercantile Store, which was apparently quite successful. A newspaper article told of these Savoies going to New York on buying trips. It also said Philo’s store was approved in the top 20 in the U.S. for credit.
“However after the big flood of 1940 swamped and almost wiped out Gueydan, my grandparent’s store was
destroyed. Instead of rebuilding it, they moved to Lake Charles, where they built a home on Alvin Street right
next to my dad, Preston’s, home.
Preston Savoy married Ethel Coal and they have three children, Linda Claire, Richard Lois and Edward Thomas Savoy and nine grandchildren.
“SONO” ONE OF 10 GENERATIONS
When Valsin John Savoie married Mary Ella Quinn in about 1895, they had a son named James Barney Savoie. He met and married Myrtle LaBove, (probably a descendant of the pioneer LaBove family who settled in the Creole area). There children were Marie, Lorine, Olga, Rupert, Leonard, James R “Sono” and Millie Sturlese. The last two are the only living siblings.
Sono Savoie became famous as a no-nonsense sheriff of Cameron Parish for 24 years. He is still called “Sheriff” even though he’s been retired for eight years. Sono is also a well known cattleman, who after Hurricane Audrey wiped out most of Cameron Parish, and killed hundreds of cattle, spent hours and days in the hot, sultry sun, in treacherous marshes, helping to rescue the remaining cattle and horses.
Always involved in many projects in Cameron Parish, Sono helped with anything that had to do with youth, or
improvements to the community. He was a great supporter of the annual Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival as well as youth organizations and church functions. He started the DARE program to educate Cameron children against drugs. The story of his family’s involvement in Hurricane Audrey and in Hurricane Rita, are told in my books about those hurricanes.
Sono Savoie is married to Mary Hazel Richard and they have four children, Michael, Phyllis, Anne and Bob.
JAMES SAVOIE, 10TH GENERATION
James A. Savoie of Lake Charles is also a member of the 10th generation of Savoies. He supplied information
as well as the Savoie book for this article. His father was Oscar Savoie who married Azena Broussard after coming to Creole. Oscar Savoie served on the Cameron Parish Police Jury for the term of 1934.
Oscar’s son, James Savoie, who lives in Lake Charles, is married to Cecile Bonsall from Grand Chenier and they have three children - Phyllis, Jim, and Dennis; plus five grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and one greatgreat
grandchild.
After he retired from the U.S. Postal Service, where he spent 30 years as a mail carrier, James Savoie, worked for
Coastal Refrigeration Company.
JUDGE KENT SAVOIE 10TH GENERATION
Garfield Savoie who was born in 1913, son of Elie and Emma Broussard of Creole, decided to make Sulphur his home. “My grandfather, Elie served two terms on the Cameron Police Jury,” says Judge Kent Savoie. “Then my
father, Garfield Savoie, served as Deputy Clerk of Court in Cameron. He, married Grace Boudreaux, and then he later decided to go to business school in Lake Charles while my mother, Grace, continued to teach school in Cameron.
After my father finished business school he started his own business in Sulphur, ‘Savoie’s Frozen Foods’, where he did some butchering and also rented frozen food lockers to customers.
Judge Kent Savoie, has six siblings, Ronnie (who survived Hurricane Audrey in the Catholic Church in Creole with T-Maw), Celeste Landry, Annette Maneille, Dr. E. Joseph Savoie (President of ULL), John , Elie, and Pete. Judge Savoie married Patricia Borel and they have five children - Elizabeth Dronet, Emily Sausley, Mary Ellen Burton, David, and
Rebecca, plus 12 grandchildren.
He was elected to his present job as District Judge of Calcasieu Parish in 2001, and handles both Civil and Criminal cases. He was sworn in by Judge Preston Savoy.
SAVOIE SCHOOL
Years ago Mrs. Nell Laurence Harrison, of Lake Charles wrote the following article in the Cameron Pilot, telling about a Savoie School. We do not know the name of the Savoie who gave the land and built the school, or what year she talks about.
“I was assigned as teacher of the Savoie School,” Mrs. Harrison wrote. “The school was located eight miles east of Cameron near the Murphy settlement, where three families of Murphys lived.
“My first day at this school, a Mr. Savoie came for me in a wagon with two horses. When we would come near a mud hole, or bad spot in the road, Mr. Savoie would stand up in the wagon and swing his whip at the two horses. They would jump over the bad spots and I had to hang on tightly.
“The one room wooden school had two long tables in it. The benches where the children sat had no backs. I had 39 pupils and they paid me a salary of $30 per month. My board was $8 per month. I remember that Jim Wakefield was Sheriff of Cameron at that time.”
SAVOIES CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO CAMERON
Over two centuries ago the Savoie family, had been forced to leave their homes in Acadie, Canada, drift across a barren land, with no money, no supplies - facing cruelty, turmoil, and sadness, as they stumbled south where they hoped to create new homes in Louisiana. They had heard that there was a French Governor in Louisiana, but by the time some arrived the Spanish had taken over the state.
The strength, resilience, and bravery these Acadians drew upon, during this terrible period, have been passed down through the generations. Through the years, whenever they settled with other groups of people, such as in German, Italian, or English colonies, these people seemed to adopt the social morals of these very strong acadians. They soon found themselves living the “Cajun Way of Life”. Louisiana is fortunate to have had many of these Acadian families settle in this state.
Nola Mae Ross is currently trying to find more information on the Boudreaux, Doland and Broussard families. Call her at 337-477-6243 or email nolaross@suddenlink.net.
“Francois Savoie,” according to a family book written by Harry J. Savoy, who has impeccable references, “was the first and only Savoie who immigrated to Acadia, thus making it almost certain that all the Acadian Savoys, are
related.”
To avoid further confusion with the spelling of the name I shall use “Savoie” in this article. Through census records we find that both Francois and his wife, Catherine Savoie, had perished before 1678. The second generation, comprised of Francoise, Germain, Marie, Jeanne, Cathrine, Andrea, and Marie, grew up, married and had large families in Port Royal.
“After Germain Savoie died,” wrote Harry J. Savoy, “most of his sons moved north across the Bay of Fundy to
what is now New Brunswick. Four of them evaded capture and deportation during the Canadian Expulsion, although the rest were deported. Germain’s youngest son, Charles Savoie, and his family of eight children were
exiled to New York. His eldest son, Francois Savoie, was separated from the family and sent to Georgia.”
SAVOIES EXILED OR IMPRISONED
From the Acadian Expulsion in 1755 to 1763, some of the fourth generations of Acadian Savoies remained in exile or were held in prisons in Halifax. Many died from diseases and heartbreak.
Among the few who survived the British exile was Charles Savoie, who is assumed to have died later in New York. The rest of his large family is buried in scattered places in New Brunswick and Quebec. Among the Savoies later
found in Louisiana were two more named Charles, in 1721 and 1732; Marie-Joseph 1726; Pierre, 1734; Jeanne, 1733;
Francois 1731; Felicite, 1736; Rosalie, 1739; Marguerite, 1741; Madeline, 1743; Guiliaume, 1745; Joseph, 1747; and Jean, 1749. From this family came another Francois Valcour Savoie, who is the ancestor of the Southwest Louisiana descendants.
He was the first Savoie to have an official documented record in Louisiana. He married Marie Landry in St. Louis Church, New Orleans, on July 22, 1765. Their sons, Charles and Joseph show up in an early Spanish Census as, “ residing on the right side of the Mississippi in the general area known as the first Acadian Coast and present day St. James.” They were listed as having been on one of the two ships that had originally been sent from Nova
Scotia to Santo Domingo in 1764 and then back to Louisiana.
FIRST SAVOIE IN CAMERON PARISH
Many of the early day Savoies stayed in the Lafayette, Youngsville, Eunice, Opelousas, St. Martinville, and Grand
Coteau area. But in the early to mid 1800s, many of the younger children of Francois and Marie (Barnabe) Martin,
moved westward from Isle St. Jean in Acadia Parish to Cameron Parish.
Believed to have been the first Cameron Parish resident was Francois Valcour Savoie, who married Aspasie Dugas
coming from Lafayette. The second Savoie to settle in Creole, in the 1850s was Valcour’s son, Ozeme Savoie,
who married Merente LaBove, and had 12 children - Joseph Ozema, Jasin Demosthene, Emile, Sousthene, Eusebe, Valsin John, Peter, Camille, Desire, Alcede, Philo, and Elodie. These children married into the families of Domingue,
Guptill, Baccigalopi, Quinn, Boudreaux, Theriot, Richard, Landry and Dupuy.
PHILO, FATHER OF JUDGE PRESTON SAVOY
Philo Savoie married Elmira Landry and their son, Preston Savoy, was a well known judge in Lake Charles. In the next generation Richard Savoy, Preston’s son, recalls, “Some time between my grandfather, Philo, and my father, Preston, the spelling of our name changed from Savoie to Savoy. We don’t know why.
“My grandfather Philo,” says Richard Savoy, “was born in 1881. He left Cameron and moved to Gueydan, where he established a Mercantile Store, which was apparently quite successful. A newspaper article told of these Savoies going to New York on buying trips. It also said Philo’s store was approved in the top 20 in the U.S. for credit.
“However after the big flood of 1940 swamped and almost wiped out Gueydan, my grandparent’s store was
destroyed. Instead of rebuilding it, they moved to Lake Charles, where they built a home on Alvin Street right
next to my dad, Preston’s, home.
Preston Savoy married Ethel Coal and they have three children, Linda Claire, Richard Lois and Edward Thomas Savoy and nine grandchildren.
“SONO” ONE OF 10 GENERATIONS
When Valsin John Savoie married Mary Ella Quinn in about 1895, they had a son named James Barney Savoie. He met and married Myrtle LaBove, (probably a descendant of the pioneer LaBove family who settled in the Creole area). There children were Marie, Lorine, Olga, Rupert, Leonard, James R “Sono” and Millie Sturlese. The last two are the only living siblings.
Sono Savoie became famous as a no-nonsense sheriff of Cameron Parish for 24 years. He is still called “Sheriff” even though he’s been retired for eight years. Sono is also a well known cattleman, who after Hurricane Audrey wiped out most of Cameron Parish, and killed hundreds of cattle, spent hours and days in the hot, sultry sun, in treacherous marshes, helping to rescue the remaining cattle and horses.
Always involved in many projects in Cameron Parish, Sono helped with anything that had to do with youth, or
improvements to the community. He was a great supporter of the annual Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival as well as youth organizations and church functions. He started the DARE program to educate Cameron children against drugs. The story of his family’s involvement in Hurricane Audrey and in Hurricane Rita, are told in my books about those hurricanes.
Sono Savoie is married to Mary Hazel Richard and they have four children, Michael, Phyllis, Anne and Bob.
JAMES SAVOIE, 10TH GENERATION
James A. Savoie of Lake Charles is also a member of the 10th generation of Savoies. He supplied information
as well as the Savoie book for this article. His father was Oscar Savoie who married Azena Broussard after coming to Creole. Oscar Savoie served on the Cameron Parish Police Jury for the term of 1934.
Oscar’s son, James Savoie, who lives in Lake Charles, is married to Cecile Bonsall from Grand Chenier and they have three children - Phyllis, Jim, and Dennis; plus five grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and one greatgreat
grandchild.
After he retired from the U.S. Postal Service, where he spent 30 years as a mail carrier, James Savoie, worked for
Coastal Refrigeration Company.
JUDGE KENT SAVOIE 10TH GENERATION
Garfield Savoie who was born in 1913, son of Elie and Emma Broussard of Creole, decided to make Sulphur his home. “My grandfather, Elie served two terms on the Cameron Police Jury,” says Judge Kent Savoie. “Then my
father, Garfield Savoie, served as Deputy Clerk of Court in Cameron. He, married Grace Boudreaux, and then he later decided to go to business school in Lake Charles while my mother, Grace, continued to teach school in Cameron.
After my father finished business school he started his own business in Sulphur, ‘Savoie’s Frozen Foods’, where he did some butchering and also rented frozen food lockers to customers.
Judge Kent Savoie, has six siblings, Ronnie (who survived Hurricane Audrey in the Catholic Church in Creole with T-Maw), Celeste Landry, Annette Maneille, Dr. E. Joseph Savoie (President of ULL), John , Elie, and Pete. Judge Savoie married Patricia Borel and they have five children - Elizabeth Dronet, Emily Sausley, Mary Ellen Burton, David, and
Rebecca, plus 12 grandchildren.
He was elected to his present job as District Judge of Calcasieu Parish in 2001, and handles both Civil and Criminal cases. He was sworn in by Judge Preston Savoy.
SAVOIE SCHOOL
Years ago Mrs. Nell Laurence Harrison, of Lake Charles wrote the following article in the Cameron Pilot, telling about a Savoie School. We do not know the name of the Savoie who gave the land and built the school, or what year she talks about.
“I was assigned as teacher of the Savoie School,” Mrs. Harrison wrote. “The school was located eight miles east of Cameron near the Murphy settlement, where three families of Murphys lived.
“My first day at this school, a Mr. Savoie came for me in a wagon with two horses. When we would come near a mud hole, or bad spot in the road, Mr. Savoie would stand up in the wagon and swing his whip at the two horses. They would jump over the bad spots and I had to hang on tightly.
“The one room wooden school had two long tables in it. The benches where the children sat had no backs. I had 39 pupils and they paid me a salary of $30 per month. My board was $8 per month. I remember that Jim Wakefield was Sheriff of Cameron at that time.”
SAVOIES CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO CAMERON
Over two centuries ago the Savoie family, had been forced to leave their homes in Acadie, Canada, drift across a barren land, with no money, no supplies - facing cruelty, turmoil, and sadness, as they stumbled south where they hoped to create new homes in Louisiana. They had heard that there was a French Governor in Louisiana, but by the time some arrived the Spanish had taken over the state.
The strength, resilience, and bravery these Acadians drew upon, during this terrible period, have been passed down through the generations. Through the years, whenever they settled with other groups of people, such as in German, Italian, or English colonies, these people seemed to adopt the social morals of these very strong acadians. They soon found themselves living the “Cajun Way of Life”. Louisiana is fortunate to have had many of these Acadian families settle in this state.
Nola Mae Ross is currently trying to find more information on the Boudreaux, Doland and Broussard families. Call her at 337-477-6243 or email nolaross@suddenlink.net.