In our last edition of The Basile Weekly, I noted that many times, names have great significance, including lessons from history. Locally, many names of great citizens and interesting locations have been lost to history. Names of towns, parishes, schools, and streets usually reference people who were of great importance in times past. Last week’s feature on the topic of forgotten names told the story of the origin of Wilburton Lane. This week, we want to share the background of Schambers Street.
 
Schambers Street’s significance
The road that runs in front of the Basile Care Center is named East Schambers. A separate road that extends from the west side of the St. Augustine Church Cemetery is called West Schambers. At one time, the two roadways were joined and ran behind the Catholic church. When the church purchased additional land for a cemetery, the church straddled the south side of Schambers Street and the cemetery was on the north side. Eventually, the road between the church and cemetery was closed and became church property thus separating Schambers Street into two parts. According to the late Asa Buller, Schambers was an important thoroughfare when it was first laid out because it continued northwest into the woods leading to a bridge that crossed the Bayou Nezpique into Allen Parish, leading on to Elton to the south and Oberlin to the north. This was the only local crossing of the Bayou Nezpique until the mid 1930s when the Highway 190 Bridge was erected.
 
Who was Schambers? The naming of Schambers Street was to honor L. F. Schambers, Jr., Basile’s first postmaster. First Basile post office L. F. Schambers, Jr., was not only the first postmaster of the new village of Basile beginning in 1906; but he was also the first postmaster in a small neighborhood located 3 1/2 miles south of today’s Basile. The post office there was originally named Schambers (April 24, 1888)). It was common at the time to name post offices using the name of the postmaster at the location. The post office there was inside Schambers’ grocery store, located in an area known as Berwick Point or Berwick Cove.

​F.E. Garrould replaced Schambers as postmaster on January 5, 1889, and for an unknown reason, the post office was renamed as Basile on January 25, 1889. Schambers reclaimed the postmaster position on June 10, 1893, but the name of the post kept the name of Basile.
 
Leader in new Acadia parish
Anyone looking through old copies of the Crowley Post Signal from the 1880s to 1906 will quickly realize that Schambers was not only the postmaster of the Berwick Point area but probably the most active community leader there. For a time, he was the local correspondent for the Crowley newspaper, served on the Acadia Parish School Board, and actually made repairs himself to the Berwick Point school, which at two separate times was called the Schambers school. He was a deputy sheriff, a notary public, and a justice of the peace.
 
Schambers moves northwest with the Basile post office
When a new settlement was laid out just northwest of the community in 1905 by landowners and business partners J.J. Lewis, Louis Bourg, and Gus Fusilier, it was believed that the new site would be called St. Louis. In 1906 as the railroad came through and homes and businesses began to be built in the new community, the post office in Acadia parish was closed and moved to the new settlement, keeping the name of Basile. Schambers made the move as well and retained the position of postmaster, continuing to handle the mail at his store (pictured above) which he and his son Mayo moved from its original site to the new settlement. By 1911, the place was incorporated as the village of Basile with 267 citizens, and Schambers continued as postmaster until July 24, 1914.
 
Schambers was more than just postmaster
In 1909 when locals organized a grade school at the new townsite, Schambers became one of the school’s trustees. He also served the village as mayor for one year (1916), replacing the town’s first mayor Dr. E.S. Taylor during a leave of absence during his terms as mayor which lasted from 1911 to 1917. In 1922, after Mayor Walter McCain was run out of town after only a few months in office, Schambers again stepped up to serve as mayor to complete the two-year term. (Records indicate that the mayor and council were elected to two-year terms prior to 1926.)
 
Schambers family
Schambers was born July 5, 1850, in New Orleans, a mere 10 years after his family moved there from Strasburg, France in Alsace-Lorraine. He received most of his education in New Orleans during the Civil War before the family moved to LaFourche parish. In 1870, his family, led by his father, L.F. Schambers, Sr., moved to Berwick Point on a 160 acre homestead on the vast Mamou Prairie in what was then a part of Imperial St. Landry parish. The Schambers family was among the first to settle the area that stretched from what is now the town of Mamou to the present community of Evangeline near Jennings.
 
In 1876, young Schambers married Severin Fusilier. Eight children were born to the couple, including Cleveland, who would become the village of Basile’s third police chief, serving the community in the police department for 44 years. For his leadership role at the original Basile settlement in Acadia parish as well as the new village site in what would become Evangeline parish, Schambers could be given the title of “Father of Basile”. A framed photo of the leader has been a part of Basile’s town hall for most of the town’s history.

Other Blogs: 
​https://www.familyatlouisiana.com/blogs/basile-la-home-town-history

​The McCauley Family of Louisiana – 2021 Revision to the 2015 Book
 
This much improved book includes several new features. The photos are in color and printed on better quality paper. Moreover, many individual photos are printed “inline” and are placed next to information for the person discussed.
 
The oldest ancestor is Henry McCauley, born in 1740 in Ireland and his wife Catherine Camela, also born in Ireland in 1752. His descendants include 10 generations compiling 300 pages with 288 “inline” photos.
 
Furthermore, there are photo albums for families with the number of pictures for that family in parenthesis:  Hince McCauley, (8 photos), Lanzy McCauley, (4 photos) Helin McCauley, (6 photos) Lou Fontenot, (9 photos) Clarence Vidrine, Jr. (Becky McCauly husband), (20 photos), Cory McCauley, (2 photos) Nealy Joseph McCauley, (11 photos) and Agnes Marguerite McCauley, (6 photos).
 
See Video of some family photos.
Review the Table of Contents and the Index at FamilyAtLouisiana.com

​Davis, Grace M of Kirkland, WA passed away … Born second of eight children, she valued family connections and spent time and effort to maintain them even as her life led her away from her native Louisiana.
 
Graduating early and With Distinction from the Southwestern Louisiana Institute in Lafayette, Grace worked as a teacher at her alma mater, Mamou High School, until her life-long wanderlust drew her to New Orleans. There she met and married Bill G. Davis in 1949 and moved to Oklahoma, where she provided most of the support for the family while Bill got his degree in Geology. She then concentrated on their growing family, managing four children and households in foreign lands and new languages as they moved overseas from one oilfield to the next.
 
Grace and Bill finally settled in Phoenix, Arizona, where Grace became a Remedial Reading teacher at Saints Simon and Jude School.
 
Every second summer determined that her children should know their extended family, Grace would load the four wriggling, whining kids into the car and drive long days (but never more than two mph over the speed limit!) across the deserts of three states to spend time with relatives in Texas and Louisiana.
 
In 1975, Grace left teaching to work with her husband in their small manufacturing business. After he suffered a debilitating heart attack, Grace took over as CEO, dealing with mechanics and the IRS, bank managers and salesmen, each in their own jargon about their own subjects. When she needed to know something, whether about the design of an oil valve or the terms of a contract, she would study into the night until she knew it cold.
 
Grace grew that business by over half a million dollars within 10 years while tending an ailing husband until his death in 1987. In 1991, Grace sold the company and eagerly moved into an active retirement. She played expert bridge and volunteered at the Washington Adult Center, for which she was twice recognized by the City of Phoenix.
 
She served as Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and participated in Bible Study at her church; she studied literature and Party Piano at the junior college; and she traveled. One of her most memorable trips was to the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2000. Sadly in 2004, Grace suffered a stoke and agreed to move to Washington State to be near her daughter. Redoubtable as ever, she continued to engage in life as fully and as long as her deteriorating health allowed, living independently until a fall made it unsafe. In the end, most else had fallen away, but Grace’s faith had been a source of strength and support for her whole life. To the last week of her life, her continued attendance at Sunday Mass, rain or shine, made her an icon to many. To the end, she lived her motto, “Forward ever, backward never.”
 
Grace is preceded in death by her parents, Cleophas Miller and Isabelle Michot Miller; her daughter, Lynne Davis; her husband, Bill G. Davis; and her siblings Freida Miller Thomas, Quentin Miller, Roderick Miller and Ludger Miller.
 
She is survived by her children Mark Davis, Paula Davis Christiansen, and Brian Davis; by her grandchildren Ravi, Bethany, Alexis and Devon Davis; Zach and Nate Christiansen; and by her siblings Eugene Miller, Elaine Miller Richardson, and Ione Miller Villars.
 
The Funeral Mass … in Kirkland, WA, … a second Memorial Mass … in Louisiana.
(Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ, 09 Nov 2008)
---------------------------
More about her and her family in the Antoine Miller & Augustine P. Manual Louisiana 2021 Family 600+ page book.

Stephany Miller is the 6th child of Joseph Osincourt "Zan" Miller and Marie Odalie's daughter. Her siblings are: Jean Louis "John" Miller (1897-1983), Gustave Miller (1899), Adam Miller (1900-1973), Euzeb Miller (1904-1981) and Eudia M. Miller (1906-2001).

​Any additional information on Stephany Miller would be appreciated.

Any additional information on Stephany Miller and family is appreciate. Email: MurphyMillerJr@gmail.com.

This historic video shows one of the few times Cyp is seen without a cigar in his mouth. Cyp is playing the Accordion, Adam is playing the Violin and Revon Reed on the Triangle. The topics discussed include the following.

1)  Mardi Gras film of 1957; Kenny “Boula” Fuselier standing on his head and reference to the Oklahoma trip made. Newspaper article below.

Mamou Fiddlers. Cop Top Honors In Oklahoma Mamou
   Two members of the Mamou Mardi Gras Association attending the Oklahoma Folk Festival copped national fiddling honors. Cyprien Landreneau and Shelby Vidrine took first place blue ribbons and medals as best country style fiddlers at the festival.
   About 1.000 participants attended the Folk Festival in Oklahoma City to sing, dance, fiddle, play folk games and spin yarns. The Mamou group demonstrated the running of the folk Mardi Gras. a custom long are-dating the New Orleans version of the celebration.
   Those who made the trip were Paul C. Tate, R. J. Reed, Cyprien Landreneau, Alton Landreneau, Kenny Fuselier, Charles Landreneau, Shelby Vidrine, Albert Pierrottie, Acgee Hollier and Murphy DeshoteLs. Other French and Canadian groups filled in the quota and "ran" in great style, despite "angry cops" and the fiery steeds provided. (Eunice New, 11 July 1957)

2) Colinda song, the history and meaning of the song. It was banned from playing because it was considered vulgar;

3)  Discussions with both Adam and Cyp about their families.

---More about Cyprien Landreneau Family by Bert Soileau, February 2020---
We lived just a mile north of the Cyprien Landreneau family farm in Duralde and were well acquainted with them...I also was a “shirttail “ cousin as my paternal grandmother was Camille Landreneau of the Landreneau clan of Vidrine...they were a fun, warm and rambunctious family...I was friends with James as we were the same age...his friends called him “Punch” and his family called him “Boy”...I remember spending the night there and waking up to the smell of Miss Delia’s cooking...her biscuits were the lightest most flavorful ones  I have ever eaten...accompanied by her homemade blackberry jam and fig preserves.
I also recall Revon Reed from KVPI doing a live remote broadcast from the front porch. Cyprien or Sip [Cyp] as he was called playing the accordion and his brother playing the fiddle...One of the younger brothers Francis was called “Cheri”.
​
I was of course known as T-Bert. Cajuns sure do like their nicknames. Seems like Cyprien always had that stub of a cigar stuck in his mouth. He used to buy them by the box at our store.

In regards to the article about the small family grocery stores in Ville Platte;. My brother, Theo, had a milk route that included Mamou and Ville Platte. He delivered Borden’s milk...(if it’s Borden’s, it’s got to be good). I occasionally accompanied him on his route and remember well those small stores. Almost all of them were ridiculously small. Their refrigerators were usually the household type, and their milk orders were not more than perhaps 10 cartons of milk, usually in the quart size...ah, the good, ole days...
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See also: Cyprien Landreneau - A Look Back

By Mrs. H.D. Premeaux (The Cameron Pilot, Mar. 24, 1957.
Reprinted: December 14, 2001)

​This old picture of the mail boat “Eva” owned and captained by Lucian Miller [Joseph Lucien] years ago, will bring back many memories to some of the older folks around lower Cameron. The "Eva" made the mail run from Johnson Bayou to Port Arthur and carried passengers as well. ​

Who was Joseph Lucien Miller? (Not part of the original article)
Joseph Lucien Miller is the great grandson of Michel Miller and Hiacinthe Lejeune, the grandson of Michel “Micheau” Miller, Jr. and Mary Elena Broussard, and the son of Lize Miller and Mary Anne “Cece” Fawvor.

Joseph L. Miller married Adelaide Broussard in 1896 and married Eva Theriot in 1911. The four children of Joseph and Adelaide are:
Georgia Diana Miller, 1897-1923; married P. B. Petitpas
Raymond Miller, 1899-1981; married Tracy A. Stewart in 1920;
Maria Camilia Miller, 1900-1918;
Wille Ann Miller, 1905-1990; married Henry P. Leblanc
 
Joseph Lucien was the oldest of four children born to Lize Miller and Mary Anne Fawvor. His siblings are:
Mary Lillian Miller, Abraham Alva Miller and Hortence Marie Miller.

Continuing with the original article
​Some of the passengers in this picture are Mrs. Lucian Miller [Eve Theriot], Zulmer Theriot (now Mrs. Mac McCullman), Dianna Miller, Cornelia Miller, Stanville Dupuis, Joe Sturlese, Capt. Miller, Leonard Sturlese, Elodias Theriot, and Numa Theriot.
   The "Eva" was at the J. N. Miller dock at Grand Chenier on an excursion at the time the picture was made. In the background can be seen Capt. Charlie Nelson's schooner with its flag proudly waving.
------------------------------END of Blog ------------------------------------
-------------Reveiw Index (draft) of persons in the 2021 Michel Miller book
-------------Purchase this 2021 Michel Miller Family book at Lulu.com 
-------------Other Blogs - Michel Miller Family---------------------
A Ship Designed to Sink
Schooner E. O. Gladys & Riverboat Winona
Michel Miller's Granddaughter, Nathelie Miller

​Michel Miller descendant Nathelie Miller (1884-1962) is the great granddaughter of Michel Miller and Hiacinthe LeJeune.  She married Lemuel “L.O.” Wade prior to 1909 when their first child L. D. Wade was born.
 
The Michel Miller book is being revised and will be available in 2021.
 
L.O. Wade was a successful business man and his wife, Nathelie Miller, was also contributing in the community well-being. The following appeared in the Eunice News, September 1932:
 
“Mrs. L. O.- Wade Entertains With Handkerchief Shower Last Thursday
   Mrs. L. O. Wade entertained very beautifully last Thursday afternoon with a handkerchief shower for Mrs. C. W. Finley, who is leaving here to make her home' in Crowley. Mrs. Wade's living room was lovely in Rose of Montana and roses. Mrs. L. E. Wade, in her gracious manner, gave a reading entitled, "Our Old Home Town," and expressed regrets of losing such a valuable woman as Mrs. Finley. She was always ready and willing to help any good cause. Miss Eunice Wade sang very sweetly and Mrs. N. J. Amy gave a reading that was enjoyed by all. Mrs. John White presented Mrs. Finley with lovely handkerchiefs given by her many friends. The hostess served a salad course with ice tea and cake.”

​The following was written about L.O. Wade after his death:
   LO. Wade dies at age of 84 Death has claimed Lemuel O. Wade 8 of 401 S. 2nd St., a Eunice man who has played a prominent and progressive part in the community throughout his 60 years of residence here. Mr. Wade died at 10 a. m. yesterday, (Wednesday) June 30, at Moosa Memorial hospital, where he had been admitted for diagnostic surveys. He had been subject to heart ailments for some time.
 
   Wade came to Eunice in 1905. He was a native of Bowling Green. Kentucky. In 1906, he started one of the two first cotton gins, the L. O. Wade Go. In those days 10-cent cotton was viewed as commanding a good price. About 5.000 bales of cotton were ginned yearly in Eunice. Wade ran a farm on which he experimented with cotton varieties and subsequently introduced DPL-4 cotton seed to Louisiana. His cotton gin operations grew until he operated 11 gins scattered throughout Louisiana, at one time.
 
   Progress of Eunice was a prime motive in Mr. Wade's many projects, He drilled the first deep well, installed the first electric plant, and opened the first movie house. He saw Eunice grow from a tiny village of 500 people when he arrived here to a city of 12,000.
 
   Funeral arrangements were pending at press time. Mr. Wade was a member of the First Methodist Church. He is survived by a son, L. D. Wade of Eunice: a daughter, Eunice Wade of Shreveport; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. (Eunice News, 1 Jul 1965)
-----------------------------------
Email questions/comments to: murphymillerjr@gmail.com or visit 
FamilyAtLouisiana.com.

​In the late Pascal Fuselier’s book Du Crow’s Nest by Lisa McCauley, he said “Cyprien Landreneau died February 1st. On most local papers the last line of his obituary read: ‘Landreneau was a well-known Cajun musician.’ I believe this was an understatement. In 1965 Revon Reed, Cyprien and the late Adam Landreneau were invited to tour West Germany, Denmark, Sweden and England. The Cajuns were accompanied by two other groups of folk musicians on that five-week tour. They were all well received but the people across the Atlantic loved ‘Cyp’ as he was affectionately known. His mischievous smile and singing with his cigar stub became his trademark. The rich sound of his accordion and his distinct singing style made him unique. Cyp was not only a musician, he was a hard-working good man who loved his family and his land on the Mamou Prairie.”

Over the past twenty years I have compiled the Pierrottie family of Southwest Louisiana. When printing the books, the persons listed who married into the Pierrottie family are reported. For example, Delia Pierrottie is reported as the child of Louis Calvin Pierotti and Louisiana M. LeDoux. Later in the book, Delia is listed with the person married, his parents, and their children. For the old folks reading this, they probably know that Delia married Cyprien Landreneau. For years I have searched for Cyprien’s parents and siblings. Adding Cyprien’s parents to the family information would make complete Delia Pierrottie’s family presentation in the book. 

​Today it is not uncommon to find family history on FindAGrave.com virtual cemetery as well as other internet sites. This was not the case for Cyprien Landreneau. Nowhere could I locate his obituary and his virtual final resting place was absent of any clues leading to his parents and siblings. Recently I located Cyprien’s obituary. Unfortunately, his parents were not included but one sister was included. This one sister allowed me to continue my search successfully. Moreover, Cyprien’s half-sister, Marie Landreneau died at age 17 in1924 while a senior at Mamou High School. Marie’s obituary provided more family information. With these clues, I was able to locate more of Cyprien’s family.

​Cyprien Landreneau’s (1903-1981) parents are Armand Landreneau and Celeste Rougeau. His mother Celeste died in 1903, seven months after he was born. His grandparents are Cyprien Landreneau (1834-1926) and Eugenie Hebert (1845-1902). For more of Cyp’s family information, go to Findagrave.com and enter Memorial # 8626212. His siblings are Etna (1897-1900), Alcee and R. E. Landreneau. Your photos and other family information would be appreciated. Please notify me at murphymillerjr@gmail.com or via FamilyAtLouisiana.com.

See also: Cyp Landreneau, Adam Landreneau & Revon Reed Interview, 1965
Pierrottie Family Book and Photos

Fifty years ago Mercedes LeDoux Vidrine wrote the following article about her LeDoux family. In that article, she names family that were deceased and many who were living. Fifty years after she wrote the article, I used it and provided links to many who were deceased at the time and who have died since that time. This updated article identifies those people via the virtual cemetery genealogist know as FindaGrave.com. 

Moreover, I have provided 10 of 40 pages on the Onezime James LeDoux descendants. See attachment.

EUNICE DEMI-TASSE By MERCEDES VIDRINE (Daily World, Opelousas, LA, 01 Mar 1970)
​
The LeDoux Family Tree' EUNICE Just about everyone is getting interested in their "Family Tree' these days ... and if you've got the time (and the money) a whole new world of adventure awaits you as you start with the tree, then the branches, limbs and twigs.

I have chosen to start by research with my father's family and information given here has been checked out with Mrs. Cyprien Landreneau of Mamou, who is the daughter of Louisiana LeDoux, a sister of my grandfather, Onezime LeDoux.
My "tree" starts with Onezipe LeDoux and his wife, Marie Miller.

There were seven "branches" or offspring born to this couple that I know of. They were Oze-man, Onezime, Louisiana, Tanice, Bebe, Marit, and Onezia. Louisiana, the mother of Mrs. Cyprien Landreneau, is now Mrs. Danio Young of Mamou. Marit was married to Octave Fruge and Onezia to Felecian LeDoux.

The "limbs" from these branches (their children) include: from Ozeman LeDoux were Mrs. Wills Godeaux [Eva LeDoux, daughter of Onezime "Gene" LeDoux and Rose Lucille Pierotti] of Mamou and Mrs. Valcour Varrett [Fannie LeDoux, daughter of Onezime "Gene" LeDoux and Rose Lucille Pierotti] of Mamou.

From Onezime, who married Lucinda Young, were Arnold, Alfred, Alphan (my father), Eugenia (Mrs. Wesley McGee) and Ernest.

From Louisiana, Mrs. Cyprien Landreneau. From Tanice, Beulah (Mrs. Louis Dischler Sr.), Horace, James Lee.

From Babe, Clayton, Human "Bill", Irving, Bennie, Telia. The "twigs" from Arnold LeDoux and Adeline Ardoin are Jack (who married Rose Marie Guillory), Mary Lou (who married Dan Guillory), and Edmund, who married Erika Baum.

"Twigs" from Alfred LeDoux, who married Anaise Martel, was a daughter Pearl, who married Francis LeDoux.

"Twigs" from Alphan, who married Ella Fruge were, Elta (Mrs. Elton Frey), Joseph Edward "Boo" LeDoux, who married Priscilla Buller; Edna Mae (who married Lawrence Moncla, deceased; and Joe A. Beaugh), Rosalie, who married Gaines C. Chachere Jr.; Mercedes, who married Rivers P. Vidrine and Walter "Butsy," who married Flossie Ferro.

"Twig" from Eugenia and Wesley McGee was Mae, who married Harold Guillet.

"Twigs" from Ernest and Gladys are John, who married Virginia Montz; Geraldine, who married Hugh Meeks, and Rickey LeDoux.

"Leaves" from the Jack LeDoux twig would be Kathleen, who is married to Mike Sloans; Jack Arnold, Lucinda and Donnie. From Mary Lou and Dan Guillory are Dan Jr., David and Don. From the Edmund LeDoux twig are Karl Edmund and Lorie Ann.
 
"Leaves" from the Francis LeDoux are a son, Richard", who is married to Teadie Manuel.

"Leaves" from Harold and Mae Guillet are Eugenia (Mrs. Ray Chapman) and Clifford Guillet.

"Leaves" from the John LeDouxs are four offspring and from Hugh and Jerry Meeks there are Jimmy, Glen and Pam.

"Leaves" from Elta and Elton Frey are Jo Ann, who married Ronald Aguillard, and Timothy; from "Boo" are Bonnie (Mrs. Burt Sammis) and Joe Jr.; from Edna is Lawrence Theo Moncla, who married Jo Ann Dement; from Rosalie is Virginia Louise Chachere; from Butsy is Donna (Mrs. Russell Doise​) and Nicky.

From Rivers and I [Mercedes LeDoux] there are Roxanne (Mrs. Tom Britt), Robert Peter, James Gregory and Stephen Kyle.

Let me hasten to say, I am quite sure I have omitted someone or perhaps my information is wrong. If you have an additions or can add any dates or other pertinent information, please jot it down on a piece of paper and mail it to me, Box 863, Eunice. Just think all these branches, limbs, twigs and leaves come from one tree that 'dates back to the 1800's, . . and even though it goes back much further than that.

This is all the research I have to impart at the present time on the LeDoux "Family Tree."
------------------------------
Additional family information and photos of persons named above would be appreciated. Please email me: MurphyMillerJr@gmail.com.

Related Blogs
Richard D. "Dick" LeDoux - June 2018 blog
Louis LeDoux “The Lifewriter’s Digest”, 2002, By Denis LeDoux

​In the May 2020 blog (article), I stated that work on this book had begun. This blog is to let you know that the work continues. Publication may happen in 2020.
The Bergeron Louisiana families appear to be from two family lines and a family link that would tie the two together has not yet been made. There is still a chance a link of the two will be found and the book will report on one family.
The two Bergeron families currently are Nicholas Bergeron (Bef 1713- ?) and his wife Jeanne Vigere (? – 1762) and Joseph Bergeron (1520-1605) and his wife Marie Albina Pellerin (1518-1542).
George Guillaume Bergeron (1713-1762) is the child of Nicholas Bergeron and Jeanne Vigere. He married Agnes Landotor La Renaudiere in Natchitoches, LA.  This family settled in Pointe Coupee Parish. One of the descendants of this family was Valery Bergeron. He built the Delphine Plantation in the 1700 near Baton Rough.
Joseph Bergeron and Marie Albina Pellerin were from France. Some of the fifth-generation family descendants settled in Canada while a few from the sixth generation made it to Louisiana.
There is still many hours of research and data entry left to do.  If you have an interest in this publication, persons currently in the book with birth and death information, can be review in the incomplete Index.

​NOTE: To search on the Page use CTRL+F, then type in the name.

By Vera LaFleur and Ethel Chachere (The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA, September 23, 1956). Some small changes were made to the original article.

Were the legendary Lafitte brothers and their partner in piracy, Dominique You, really Bouttes?

This is the opinion of J. Herman Guillory, attorney for the heirs of Francois Zenon Boutte, who yesterday was at the courtroom of the Lafayette City Hall, interviewing Boutte’s heirs and distributing oil and gas lease checks.

Jean Lafitte and his brother Pierre commanded a band of pirates that operated in the Gulf of Mexico over 100 years ago. They had a hideout on Barataria Island in Jefferson Parish where they lay low when indignant American and foreign shippers got too close for comfort.
​
Now, there is a question as to the real identity of the Lafitte’s and their Number One pirate, Dominique You. Perhaps they were not a trio of Frenchmen who came to Louisiana by way of the West Indies. There’s a strong chance that they were really a trio comprised of Sourthwest Louisiana Acadians named Francois Zenon Routtee and two of his brothers, hundreds of whose heirs live in the French-speaking parishes of the Evangeline area. 

Guillory said he had come to believe in the course of his research that the Lafitte brothers and Dominique You were in reality the Boutte brothers. The Boutte heirs are now dividing the profits of what may be the largest distribution of mineral lease payments in the history of the oil industry. The heirs, numbering 3,287 at the last count, represent eight generations.

Checks were being given yesterday to members of the Lafayette, St. Martin, and Iberia branches of the family tree, including such names as Judice, Vincent and Pellerin.
​
Some 400 checks were given out yesterday, and eventually Guillory, a Ville Platte attorney, expects to distribute approximately 800 more in this area. Most of the heirs have been found in the parishes of Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia, St. Landry, Evangeline, Jefferson, Lafourche, and Calcasieu, but some heirs have been discovered as far away as Canada and Australia. 

About 100 heirs and representatives of others crowded the courtroom at 8 o’clock yesterday morning, when the distribution began. 

Presiding over the thick sheaf of legal forms referred to as the family tree was Miss Edith Steckler, St. Martinville. Miss Steckler has been working with Ulysses Pierrcttie of Mamou. himself an heir, and the man who has spearheaded the search for heirs for about 20 years. (Pierrottie is a great-great-great-great-great grand nephew of Zenon.) As each heir was called forward, there was a general stirring and looking about. The heirs passed through the crew of clerks and lawyers sitting inside the courtroom railing.

​First step toward getting a check was the identification of the heirs. Most of them had been previously notified of yesterday’s distribution and were ready with certificates of birth or baptism. Some also held powers of attorney for other members of their families 

2c to $400
After the identification was made, the heir had to execute the lease. In some cases this required several signatures and addresses Finally the heirs reached the final step in the process, and were handed their checks. Guillory said that checks distributed in the Lafayette area yesterday ranged from two cents to about $400. Pierrottie, Miss Steckler, Mrs. Dan Robichaux, Guillorys daughter, and Mrs. Fred E. Builliard, were among those assisting with the distribution. Guillory himself has been hospitalized for a heart condition and was accompanied to yesterday’s gathering by a nurse. The attorney left shortly after the proceedings began.
 
8 Generations
Many have worked on the staggering job of tracing and contacting the over 3,000 heirs of the Boutte estate, but the man who has been heir hunting for the most extensive length of time is Pierrottie who has been working on the case for some 20 years. The search has taken Pierrottie in every court house and every Catholic church in Louisiana, painstakingly looking through old records and files in an attempt to trace the various branches of the family tree through the eight generations.
 
Pierrottie, who is himself an heir, received help in his 20-year search from his first cousin, John W. Roy of Opelousas. Roy assisted in contacting and tracing the heirs after they were discovered and securing their signatures on the leases.

At one time during the twenty-year search, Pierrottie’s funds became completely depleted and his only recourse was to mortgage his personal property. Seeking the advice of a Ville Platte judge, he explained the facts of the case to him Do you play poker? the judge wanted to know. When Pierrottie looked quizzically at him the judge continued, “You have what could be likened to a straight flush, so you can hardly lose.”  Pierrottie took the advice of the judge and mortgaged his property. That was in 1945, he said. Later had to sell half of it to redeem the other half. He will only be completely reimbursed when the case is officially cleared up. Pierrottie has retained Guillory to continue work on the legal ramifications of the case. Besides Guillory, other attorneys who have represented the heirs are A. H. Reed, Corwin B. Reed, Floyd J. Reed, Jack Voyles, Nilas J. Young, Dale, Richardson & Dale, and E. Leland Richardson.

Complicated History
Pierrottie was the coordinator of the activities yesterday, calling forth the heirs in turn, assisting with the execution of the leases, and periodically switching from English to French as he explained the complicated history of the Boutte family and their island property.

He told the assembled heirs about his years of research and explained that the present lease bonus checks are small. After the land is fully developed, he said, many of the heirs will receive substantial monthly royalties as long as the oil and gas are produced.

​He pointed out that the entire tract is still not under lease. About half of it is still undeveloped.  “But we’ve got a good foundation,” he said Now we can really roll up our sleeves and get to work. If you are patient, and give me your co - operation, the day will come when we will all have our rightful share.
Heirs present yesterday represented a cross - section of the population. There were teachers, farmers, housewives, attorneys, carpenters.

Typical Hassle
Typical of the legal hassles and missing links involved in the search for heirs is one which came up in the courtroom this morning. Cyrus Provost, Lafayette, is an heir through one Doralice Judice, a niece of Zenon Boutte. Doralice was married to a de la Houssaye, and had one daughter. She later married Ludfroy Provost and had a daughter by him, Cyrus Provosts great - grandmother, Celestine. But the records of this second marriage have been lost, and Cyrus and his family have been assembling the proof of their claim. Their claim will necessitate a re-division of one share of the royalties, and will thus mean another delay in the whole case.

Returning to the background of the island property, Guillory explained that according to historians, Zenon Boutte was a member of the band of pirates led by Jean Lafitte and in fact owned half of Barataria Island, where the pirates had their hideout.

Guillory says he has come to believe that the Lafitte brothers and Dominique You were in reality three of the Boutte brothers. As Guillory explained it, historians in the past have surmised that the Lafitte brothers came over to Louisiana from France by way of the West Indies. How could these men, strangers to that territory, suddenly know all the intricate and multitudinous turns and twists of the Louisiana bayous?

It is Guillory’s presumption that they were the native Bouttes, an idea that he would like to discuss more thoroughly with contemporary historians. When Boutte. sold his half of the 2,000 - acre island near the Gulf of Mexico in Jefferson Parish, a tract of some 800 acres remained in his possession. Zenon died childless in 1863, leaving his seven brothers and sisters as his sole heirs.

Spanish Grant
He was forgotten until 1932, when it was discovered that Barataria Island was rich in oil and gas deposits. Research disclosed that the entire island had been owned by Nonc Zenon [Uncle Zenon], as the family called him, and his uncle, Jean Baptiste Boutte. (The two had been granted the island by the king of Spain.) The research also revealed that when Zenon sold his half of the island, there remained unsold and in his name a strip lying across the island from Bayou Barataria to Bayou Perrot 5 arpents wide by 6 miles long.

At first, the oil operators believed that Zenon’s uncle and former co-owner, Jean Baptiste Boutte, was his closest relative. His descendants, numbering some 265, took possession of the strip. But further investigation revealed that Zenon had left brothers and sisters, whose descendants would have inherited instead of those of the uncle, Jean Baptiste.

When oil operators became interested in the forgotten strip of land, an extensive research of heirship was undertaken. It was established that Zenon had actually left seven brothers and sisters at his death. Since Zenon died a widower, the descendants of these brothers and sisters inherited to the exclusion of the more remote collateral relatives, the heirs of Jean Baptiste Boutte, who had taken possession of the strip.

Guillory, the attorney retained by Pierrottie several years ago to continue the “heir - hunt,” explained that in 1938 about 1,200 descendants of Zenon’s brothers and sisters filed a suit in Jefferson parish against the descendants of Jean Baptiste Boutte in the form of an action to try title to the disputed tract.
After a court struggle of 19 years and three trips to the Supreme Court, the case was resolved with the recognition of the heirs of Zenon Boutte as the rightful owners of the land. In the meantime, Guillory continued, some 800 of the original 1200 who had filed the suit died, leaving large families scattered in many states of the Union and several foreign countries. The problem then was to find the present heirs and their correct names and addresses so that a valid oil and gas lease could be executed and the lands developed.

3,000 Name
“After months of inquiry, a family tree consisting of over 3,000 names representing eight generations was finally constructed containing the correct names and addresses of the present living heirs. And it was to these heirs in the Lafayette, St. Martinville, and New Iberia areas that Guillory made distribution of oil bonus and trapping lease funds yesterday in the city hall, securing their signatures to an oil and gas lease for the California Company, which is presently developing Barataria Island. Distribution began on July 25, upon completion of the family tree, and to date the signatures of approximately 60 per cent of the interests in the oil and gas rights to the land have been secured. Heirs hold portions ranging from .000002 (1-500,000) to 0417 (1-24), the latter being the result of a double - cousin marriage with both sides being heirs. The majority of the checks presently being distributed is small, but it is expected that after the land is fully developed, they will be increased substantially. The entire royalty paid by the oil company will be received by the heirs. A one - eighth over-riding royalty will be paid the attorneys by the oil company itself. Barataria is proving to be a profitable island in more ways than one. Besides the oil production, the island is a rich trapping area, and a substantial stand of cypress timber exists there. Whether the Lafitte brothers were Bouttes or the Bouttes were Lafittes is a fine puzzle to tickle the fancies of historians of Louisiana’s colorful past, but Boutte or Lafitte, the fact remains that their descendants are today beginning to receive shares in a treasure far greater than their pirate ancestors ever imagined.

Other Pierrottie blogs
Ulysse Gabriel Pierrottie, A 33 year battle for his family's rights
Mary Pierrottie Soileau
Jane Bertrand Ortego
​Sister Cesira Pierotti
​Louis David "L.D" Verrette Obituary
Betty Lou Deshotel Hollier Obituary
Donald Joseph Pierotti Obituary

​Books
​Pierrottie / Pierrotti / Pierotti Family
​Pierrottie, Pierrotti, Pierotti Photos
Dominique Martel Southwest Louisiana Family

Constantino Pierotti Video

​Download your copy below:

With the decline in religious organizational membership, 73% in 1950 vs 52% in 2018, in the last several decades, an equal decline in the proud ownership of Godparent title may also have occurred.  If so, this lost golden nugget in the Cajun Culture, and other close religious family units across our global nation, may result in second chance hope to many needy children in our two parent work-acholic, soccer mon and football dad, busy schedules.
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Many remember how proud they were when the newly selected Parrain and/or Nanny or Nanan of a recent newborn was announced! Or perhaps telling everyone that they, your Godparents were joining your family for Sunday dinner. If your parents had a Living Will, and most people did not, back in the 1940s, 50s and into the 1980s, your Godparents would be those chosen to care for you should your parents die unexpectedly. I wonder if we have lost these two people so very important to the family, and especially the children’s success.

Cleveland Duplechain and his wife Pauline “Do” Manuel were my Parrain and Nanan. When asked in 1943, they never envisioned the role they would play in my life. If there were better Godparents, then mine were certainly near the top of list of the substitutionary parental role of Parrain and Nanan.
Cleveland Duplechain (1912-1995) is the son of Francois Duplechain and Corise Rozas. Corise Rozas’ great grandmother is M. Victorie Miller, the granddaughter of Jacob Miller and Anne M. Thaison.  Since Jacob Miller is my 3rd great grandfather, my Godfather Cleveland Duplechain are 2nd cousins twice removed. Our common ancestry however if Solastie Rozas (1812-1874) and Adelaide Reed (1817- ?) Our relationship was not known until the 21st Century.

My parents, Murphy Miller, Sr. and Mary Lillian Naquin, married in 1938 and divorced in 1948, before I was age 5. There were probably problems long before the divorce. We moved from our Eunice rental home to my paternal grandmother’s home in Basile, LA. Her name was Evenia Sonnier Miller. We called her Me'me're' Miller.

While I do not recall visiting with my Godparents prior to living in Basile, I am sure they visited me in Duralde where I was born. My father was left with the responsibility of raising my two sisters and me after the 1948 divorce. He married several times, probably to find someone to care for his children while he earned a living as a carpenter.
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In was in those years between 1948 and 1955 that my Godparents Cleveland and Pauline became the persons I looked to for love, warmth, and comfort that only great Godparents provide. On many Sunday afternoons they went visiting, or “visite” in Cajun. They frequently came to my Me'me're' Miller Basile home in their Studebaker truck. While the visits were relatively short, they were adequate to fulfil my need for the comfort they provided. They never left without leaving me a gift or a “Cadeau”. It was generally money, probably $0.25. A gift of this type was incredibly special and made a great impression on me. After all, I never recalled a visit from my sister’s Godparents apart from our first Cousin Lou Fontenot McCauley. Lou was my younger sister’s Godmother and we periodically saw her at her mother’s, my Aunt Myrza’s home for Sunday dinner.

Better yet were the weekend sleep overs at my Paran and Nanan’s Duralde home. One of my classmates was Nelda Duplechain, my Paran’s niece. She too lived in Duralde but the school district for Basile and Mamou schools were near where my Godparent’s lived and where Nelda’s parents lived. So I would ride the Basile school bus with Nelda to her home and my Paran came to pick me up there.
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Life on the Duplechain Duralde, LA farm was different from my Basile surroundings. Pauline or “Do” made fresh bread every night. We ate bread with our supper. Generally, we drank fresh milk from the cow milked early that morning. We never drank from glasses and always used cups. I think of them as cornbread cups used to eat cornbread and milk. Electricity was available in rural Louisiana in the early 1950’s. Electric power resulted from President Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Program implemented in 1935. With electricity, milk moved from a gallon jar in the cistern cool water below ground to keep it cool to the electric refrigerator. When stored in the cistern, the milk jar was tied with a string at the top around the jar rim. When needed it was pulled up to serve cool after milking the cow in the morning or the previous day. With electric power and a new refrigerator, milk could be kept longer than a day.

Unlike my grandmother’s Basile home, my Godparents had indoor plumbing. That was a real treat since I was the one who had the clean the chamber pots each morning at Me’me’re Miller’s house. This choir was not necessary at my Paran and Nanan’s home.

Living on the farm was not a vacation, however. Sometimes when I arrived shortly after the bus ride from the Basile Elementary School, my Paran plowed his field with a mule and the plow pulled behind. It was a special treat for me when he allowed me to ride on mule’s back while he plowed the ground that would provide food for the table and sales at the farmer’s market. While this was fun, the next day was less fun. We worked in the fields picking cucumbers, peppers, and other vegetables for sale in the local market. I tired of that choir very quickly. I am not sure if I was much help. It seems odd today to remember how unpleasant the hard work seemed since my sisters and I were required each summer to pick cotton in the summer heat so we could afford to purchase the necessary school clothes to return to September fall semester later in the year. Our cotton-picking earned income also allowed us several seating's at the Basile movie theater, “the show” at $0.09 per ticket.

Unlike the 2020 daily lives of rapid news on events around the world, not knowing the world’s problems has self-contained tranquility. Listening to the TV, radio and the internet news feeds can be depressing where one loses hope. My Godparents visits enabled me to have hope for happier times. Paran and Nanan were cheerful, caring, and provided needed encouragement. As I look back, I realize that just a simple warm touch, a hug and caring words went a long way when the mother and father is absent from the home in a loving relationship.
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My Godparents, Cleveland Duplechain and Pauline Manual had four children:
Herbert J. “Black” Duplechain (1932-2019) married to Madine Berzas (1933-1995)
Vernon C. Duplechain (1936-2018) married Debra Duplechain
Barbara H. Duplechain (1942) married Willius G. Reed in 1959
Andrus F. Duplechain (1949-1970). Killed in action in Viet Nam.

-----------------------Related Articles ------------------
Basile, LA
Memorial Day Tribute - Andrus F. Duplechain
​---------------- Download Your Copy Below ----------------------------------

My great grandmother is Therese Alcina Fontenot. She married Ernest Sonnier, Sr., a son of Onezime Sonnier and Lucie Fontenot.  I have Fontenot ancestors on both of my paternal great grandparents.  Let me explain. 

My father Murphy Miller, Sr.’s mother is Evenia Sonnier, daughter of Ernest Sonnier, Sr. and Therese Alcina Fontenot. Evenia Sonner, my Ma-mair or grandmother’s parent are as stated above.  Evenia married by Salomon Miller, son of Antoine Salomon Miller and Ophelia Fuselier. I wanted to find out how many Fontenot/Miller related marriages occurred in my direct paternal-maternal ancestry, i.e., my father’s mother’s family.

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It did not take long, using the reports in my Legacy software that this is the only Fontenot/Miller related marriage on Evenia Sonnier’s mother ancestry. Looking at Therese A. Fontenot’s husband, Ernest Sonnier, Sr.’s, ancestry, I noticed that his parents are Onezime Sonnier and Lucie Fontenot.  Lucie Fontenot is the daughter of Francois Ignace Fontenot and Lucie Joseph Derouen.

There are no other Fontenot/Miller related marriages in Evenia Sonnier’s ancestry family.  It does however beg the question about the kinship or cousin relationship of my great-great grandparents, Ernest Sonnier, Sr. and Theresa A. Fontenot.  This led me to run the Legacy Relationship Report.  The results follow.

Their closest relationship is fourth cousins and they both share common ancestry who is Jean Louis Fontenot and Louise Angelique Henry, their great-great-great grandparents, or in genealogy speak, their 3rd great-grand parents.  But what does this mean and how can I better understand cousin marriages.

​The Table of Consanguinity found in Wikipedia, also known as a relationship chart, enables a better understanding of family relationships.  While this chart

shows up to third cousins, it gives you some idea on how close or distant you are from family relatives.

Well if both Ernest Sonnier, Sr. and his wife went to a family reunion where they visit their common ancestry, Jean Louis Fontenot and Louise Angelique Henry when Ernest Sonnier is 30 years old, how old would his and her 3rd great grandparents be?  Ernest, born in 1861, is 30 years old in 1891.  Jean L. Fontenot, born in 1686 would be 205 years old at this family reunion while his wife Louise A. Henry, born in 1699, would be 192 years old.
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Marital Restrictions
According to Wikipedia, cousins are not included in the lists of prohibited relationships set out in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in Levictus 18:8-18 and 20:11-21 and in Deuteronomy.  Additionally, all marriages more distant than first-cousin marriages are allowed in Roman Catholicism.
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States also have prohibitions regarding who you may marry.  A Wikipedia chart below illustrates.

Laws regarding first-cousin marriage in the United States 
DARK BLUE (FL, GA, etc) - First-cousin marriage is legal
LIGHT BLUE (ME, NC) Allowed with requirements or exceptions
ROSY PINK (MN, IL, IN) Banned with exceptions
RED (LA, MS, AK, etc) Statute bans first-cousin marriage
BROWN (TX, OK, ND, SD, NV) Criminal offense
Some US states recognize marriages performed elsewhere, especially when the spouses were not residents of the state when married
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Summary
In the 21st Century the likelihood of marrying a close cousin has been diminished with modern transportation and education and the change in how we earn a living.  Unlike the 19th and early 20th centuries when the United States was predominately an agrarian society, young adults with better educations move to where employment opportunities are located.  Thus, marrying a cousin is less likely than their parents or grandparents who grew up in the same local.

​Releated Blog: The Pierrottie and Martel Marriages
Books: Pierrottie / Pierrotti / Pierotti Family (2016)
Pierrottie, Pierrotti, Pierotti Photos (2012)    
Chachere Family of Louisiana (2013)