Norman McCall knows that "Ships Designed To Sink" (submarines) are not everyone's cup of tea, but during World War II he lived in one for three years. Not only that but Norman volunteered to join the Submarine Division of the Navy and was the only submarine veteran from Cameron Parish during World War II.
     Submarines were cramped for living spaces, sometimes hot and dark, sometimes dropped down into the deep like a rock, but when you talk to Norman McCall about living in a submarine, you®ll see a gleam in his eyes as he proudly tells about the accomplishments his submarine, The USS Jack, which sank more Japanese tankers than any other American sub with a total of 30 ships, during World War II.

​EARLY DAYS IN GRAND CHENIER
     Born Mar. 2, 1924, Norman McCall, spent his childhood in a small home on the bank of the Mermentau River in Grand Chenier with his parents Henry and Gladys McCall, and siblings Claude V. "Pete" McCall, Henry "T-Boy", Emma and Oma.
     Norman still remembers two toys that he had as a child, both of them homemade, stilts, and a marsh buggy made with 2 x 4s and evaporated milk cans.
     Those were the years of The Great Depression so Norman had to help the family, including milking cows morning and evening, spending hours every week weeding the garden, and helping with any other chores he could. In between that he attended school at the tiny Grand Chenier High School,
where he graduated with 21 other students.
     Most of his early years were spent on the water, since he came from a long line of boatmen. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather,

Alcide Miller, who operated a schooner, the E. O. Gladys, named for Miller®s wife, Emma, and his daughters, Olive, Oma and Gladys, in which he made
frequent trips to Galveston. Miller would carry passengers, oranges, and bales of cotton grown on the Cheniers to Galveston, and would bring back passengers, merchandise and supplies, for his dry goods store at Grand Chenier.
     Norman's father, Henry McCall, married Alcide®s daughter, Gladys Miller, and he operated a wooden single screw boat, 18' x 55', which
hauled supplies between Lake Arthur and Grand Chenier.

​THEN CAME WAR
     Norman McCall was 18 years old and going to college at Louisiana Tech, when he heard about World War II. Right away he joined the Navy's Submarine Branch. He was sent to San Diego, Calif. and went through Basic Submarine Training, Electrical School, Electric Torpedo School, and Gyrocompass School, which took about six months. From the very beginning McCall was assigned to the Submarine USS Jack.
     "I didn't tell my parents that I'd joined the Navy Submarines," he said, "but having lived on the water all their lives, they probably wouldn't have been surprised."
     Most men who joined the submarines during the war liked the fact that in a submarine they would be right on the front line of the war. They could shoot torpedoes at enemy ships and see the result. This seemed much better to them than being a member of a huge crew on an air carrier, or destroyer,
which were usually too far away to witness the result of their warfare.
     "I can still remember the first time that I went down in a sub," says Norman, "and it was scary! I wasn't claustrophobic, but I knew my life depended on the entire crew of the sub. One wrong move could be catastrophic."
     "In a submarine you lose track of time and since you're underwater most of the time, you don't know which direction you're going, unless you study the instruments on the vessel".

​THE FIRST TIME
     The first day, of the first patrol, that Norman McCall went on, he faced a new life, under water, in his new home in the Submarine USS Jack, where he would live with 83 other men, for the next three years on a submarine that was 311 ft. 5 & 1/2 inches long, and 27 ft. & 1/2 inches in diameter.
     "My job description was Diesel Electrician," said McCall. "We had three shifts, four hours on and eight off. During our work time we inspected and repaired the diesel engines, the electrical equipment on the sub, and made sure the 20 torpedoes were ready to go. The torpedoes were powered by alcohol and air."
     "When we had to make a quick dive underwater," recalled McCall, "it was like riding a fast elevator, but we soon got used to it. Before we went out on patrol, hunting the enemy, our Captain was given sealed orders. He could not open them for 24 hours, so we didn't know where we were going or which Japanese convoy we were chasing, until we got to our designated position.

​PRESIDENTIAL CITATION
     "Our submarine, the USS Jack," recalls Norman, "received a °Presidential Citation of War® for our First, Third and Fifth Patrols, which were in the Pacific, East China Sea and South China Sea.
     During the First Patrol we were following a Japanese convoy of four tankers. With speedy maneuvering, and accurate torpedoes, we were able to sink three tankers, and heavily damaged the fourth. This was a major set back for the enemy."
     "The Third Patrol was memorable because we sank four tankers in 24 hours! This was in the South China Sea. It was a moonlight night and after the battle was over, our Captain surfaced and let the crew witness the tall columns of fire from the tankers, seeming to reach up to the sky."
     "The Fifth Patrol, listed on our citation took place in three different areas - South China Sea, Philippine Sea and Celebes Sea - in which we sank at least two Troop Transports carrying 3,000 soldiers preparing to invade New Guinea. We actually made six more Patrols in the Pacific and in the South China Sea. When MacArthur was getting his troops ready to return to the Philippines, we were sent to patrol the shores around Manila and sink enemy ships that were protecting it."
​
TORPEDOS, DEPTH CHARGES & BOMBS
     "Our greatest dangers were from torpedoes shot by Japanese subs, depth charges from their ships, or bombs dropped by their planes. Japan seemed to have technology as good as, and in some cases better than ours."
     "Whenever we needed repair or supplies, such as torpedoes, fuel, food, or water, we would go to Perth, Australia and stay there for a few weeks until ready to return to battle."

​AFTER THE WAR
     Shortly after World War II ended, Norman McCall returned to Cameron and began a new life. He met Phyllis Donnateli, who was his sister, Emma's, roommate. He began dating her and they married in 1950. Soon they had two children, Doreen and Phillip Alan. But their wedded bliss ended abruptly in 1957 when Hurricane Audrey blasted ashore destroying most of the parish and taking 425 lives.
     Among the victims were Norman's wife, Phyllis, and their two children, Doreen and Phillip Alan. The tragic story of their deaths is told in my book, "Hurricane Audrey".
     After Audrey, the Bishop of Lafayette put Norman McCall in charge of the project of building a shrine in front of the Cameron Catholic Church, "Our Lady Star of the Sea". Pictures of Phyllis and daughter, Doreen, were used by the Italian sculptor as guidance for the statue of the Virgin Mary and the little girl standing beside her on the front of the church.

​BIRTH OF MCCALL'S BOAT RENTALS
     After the war Norman McCall went to work for Pure Oil Company as captain on an ex-minesweeper. When Union Oil bought Pure Oil, McCall bought a 50-foot crew boat and a 65-foot utility boat.
     In 1967 he started his own company, McCall's Boat Rentals, Inc. and gradually bought boats to build his company. While it was expanding, Norman ran for Police Jury and served one term as a juror. He also purchased a large farm in Longville and stocked it with cattle.
     As his boat business continued to expand, he built the first 4-engine crew boat in 1970, then a 5-engine crew boat in 1984, and the first 6-engine crew boat in 1989. The next year he built the first 185-foot crew boat ever delivered in the world.
     In 1996 McCall's Boat Rentals merged with Seacor Marine and now McCall boats are sent all over the world, as far away as the African Coast,  South America, Central America, Mexico, Quatar, Azerbaijan, where they support offshore oil and gas exploration and development projects.
     After his first wife's death, Norman married Joyce Colligan and they have three children, Alan, Phyllis and Joe. Norman has been, and continues to be, active in many organizations, especially the U.S. Sub-Vets of WW II, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Lions Club, Farm Bureau, American Legion and Wildlife and Fisheries. He also took up Stock Car Driving and enthusiastically pursued this hobby for a number of years.
     Since Hurricanes Rita, Gustav and Ike when he again faced destruction of his home and business, he has moved his home and business to south Lake Charles but his heart is still in the land of his birth, in Cameron Parish.

Another article on this family here.

The family book for the Michel Miller and Hiacinthe Lejeune Family, which includes this family, can be purchased at www.Lulu.com

​Not only was Alex and his wife Audrey Castille Miller lifelong residents of the Sunset, LA area but his father, Charles D. Miller and wife Alice Bernard, as well as was his paternal grandparents Dosite “Zick” Miller and Olivia Faul. All were residents of St. Landry Parish.
 
When you follow Alex’s grandfather’s Dosite Miller’s family line, then you find that he is the descendant of George Miller, Sr., of the United Kingdom, and his wife Catherine Ritter, of Frederic, MD.  On the other hand, if you follow his grandmother Olivia Faul’s (Fall) ancestry you find that she is a descendant of Jacob Miller and Anne Marie Thaison/Theigen of Germany.  Therefore Alex is a descendant of two early Louisiana Miller settlers.
 
Alex’s great-great grandparents are John Alexandre Alexon Miller (1853-1899) and wife Alicia Leger (1856-1938).  They were 2nd cousins. Their common ancestry is Jean “Valois” Savoye and his wife Marguerite Catherine Boutin.
 
Alexandre “Alex” Miller’s obituary follows.
 
SUNSET - Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in Evangeline Memorial Gardens Chapel in Carencro for Alexandre "Pop" Miller, age 80, who passed away Sunday, November 18, 2018 at Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette.
 
Interment will be in Evangeline Memorial Gardens in Carencro. The Rev. Gary Schexnayder will officiate at the services.
 
Mr. Miller was a native and lifelong resident of Sunset. He was a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. He was a farmer for most of his life who especially enjoyed growing vegetable. A veteran of the military, Mr. Miller proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He was a member of the American Legion Post in Sunset.
 
Survivors include his devoted wife of over fifty-four years, Audrey Miller; two sons, Patrick Miller, Sr. and his wife, Cheryl, and Brian Miller and his wife, Sheila; two daughters, Andrea Carlson and her husband, Brent, and Melanie Morgan and her husband, Monty; one brother, Joseph Miller; twelve grandchildren, D.J. Kimble and his wife, Angelle, Devan Miller and his wife, Nancy, Alexis Morgan, Katelyn Morgan, Madison Morgan, Patrick Miller, Jr., Gretchen Carlson, Vivian Carlson, Dutch Carlson, Kristen Sylvester, Jennifer Dunbar and her husband, Jonathan, and Heather Gregory; and fourteen great grandchildren.
 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Miller and the former Alice Bernard; and four sisters, Leverta Prejean, Emma Miller, Mildred Willingham and Anna Belle Miller.
 
A rosary will be prayed at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home.
 
The family requests that visiting hours be observed from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Tuesday and will continue from 8:00 a.m. until service time on Wednesday.
 
Pallbearers will be Patrick Miller, Sr., Brian Miller, Brent Carlson, Monty Morgan, Joseph D. Miller and Devan Miller. Honorary pallbearers will be Patrick Miller, Jr. and Dutch Carlson.
 

Purchase Jacob Miller Louisiana Family at Lulu.com
Purchase George Miller Louisiana Family at Lulu.com

Other related blogs: Three Early Louisiana Miller Settlers
Zick Miller - Two Hands On A Plow
Jack Miller's Food Products Celebrate 75 Years

JENNINGS - Imagine rolling yourself into a ball, like an armadillo, and squeezing yourself into a space barely big enough to hold your contorted body.
Now imagine that you will be stuck inside this little claustrophobic ball for eight hours at a time, breathing oxygen through a mask to stay alive and controlling two .50-caliber machine guns, all while flying over enemy-held territory at 29,000 feet, where the outside temperature is 60 degrees below zero.
 
Retired Staff Sgt. Ben Miller, 88, of Jennings, did this 33 times as an 18-year-old ball turret gunner on an Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress in the skies over Europe during World War II.
Drafted at the age of 18 in 1943 from his home in Jennings, Miller was shipped off to Logan, Utah, as a cadet for pilot training.
 
Slated to be shipped to California to finish his pilot training, the program was cut and Miller was not able to solo and gain his pilot wings. He was transferred to gunnery school and was trained to shoot down enemy fighters with the .50-caliber machine guns that gave the Flying Fortress its name. The mounting casualties in the air war over Europe forced the Army Air Force to ship Miller to England to man the ball turret on a B-17.
 
He sailed from New York to England aboard the Queen Mary, along with actor Mickey Rooney. “I saw Mickey Rooney on the deck of the ship, but I never got to talk to him,”  Miller said.
 
The Atlantic crossing was dangerous in itself, with many soldiers never making it to England. “It took us nine days to cross because we had to zigzag to avoid the German submarines,” he said. “I was flying combat missions for the 8th Air Force just a few days after landing in England,” he said.
 
On Dec. 11, 1944, Miller flew in the bombing raid on a major railroad complex in Giessen, Germany. The railroad facility was a key strategic target because it handled the transportation of vast amounts of German army resources. The city also was the location for the subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp.
 
Enemy fire wasn’t the only threat to Miller’s survival. Stuffed into his tiny ball turret gun position in the belly of the B-17, Miller’s oxygen mask froze up and cut off his air supply at 29,000 feet. He had to scramble to take off his oxygen mask, disconnect his heated gloves and jacket from their electrical connections, and open the door to the turret so that he could climb back into the aircraft with his other crew members before passing out from hypoxia.
 
"I thought that was my last day on Earth, but I came through and here I am today," he said. His buddies on board were able to get an emergency oxygen tank to him.
 
Life in the ball turret on a B-17 was especially dangerous. Only small-statured men could fit into the cramped space. “I flew the first five missions without a parachute because they didn’t have a chute small enough to fit with me inside that little frozen ball,” he said with a smile.
 
Enemy fire caught up with Miller and his crew on Christmas Eve 1944. “The first time I was shot down, we were hit over Frankfurt, Germany, and ended up crash landing in Belgium.” Miller said.
 
Miller had to climb out of his ball turret before they crash landed because he would have been crushed inside the bottom of the plane.        "We had to scatter and make our way back to England on our own because the Germans were all around," Miller said.
 
The B-17 had a 10-man crew, and it was every man for himself to get out of enemy-held territory because 10 American soldiers in a group would attract the attention of the enemy.
 
Miller’s luck continued as he was approached by a young boy as he made his escape from the crash site. “I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but I could tell he wanted me to follow him to his home,” Miller said.
 
When they arrived at the boy’s home, he showed Miller identification papers and a pistol given to him by the U.S. government that proved he was a member of the underground resistance and would help Miller get back to his base in England.
 
After spending Christmas with the boy’s family, Miller rejoined an engineering outfit that had seized a castle previously occupied by the Germans. Miller stayed with the engineers for nine days before being transported back to his base in England.
​
He immediately returned to duty and began flying more bombing missions. On Valentine’s Day 1945 while on a bombing raid to destroy the oil refinery and weapons factory at Chemnitz, Germany, he was shot down for the second time.

"We got hit real bad," he said. “The flak (air-bursting anti-aircraft artillery) blasted us. Two of our engines were hit and caught fire. One of my buddies caught a load of shrapnel in his leg and was banged up real bad. The shrapnel that tore his leg up barely missed me.
 
"We landed with two of our engines on fire." Having landed on the allied side of the lines, Miller and his crew were back in England on flight status in no time.
 
When asked what was the scariest part of the missions, Miller replied, "The flak exploding and spraying us with shrapnel. The flak was so close and rough that by the time we hit Belgium our formations were all busted up and scattered. The booming noise as the shells exploded was unbearable."
 
          With victory declared in Europe, Miller waited for his orders to ship him to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. Fortunately for him the war in the Pacific ended before he received his orders to go.
 
"Boy was I relieved when we got word of the Japanese surrender," he said.
 
Miller left England for Iceland, and then to Mississippi to await his next assignment before becoming an inactive reservist. He was later called up for the Korean War but was never deployed. He ended his military service in 1952 as a vehicle technician at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss.
 
Miller’s wife of 59 years, Martha, was just a young girl while he was serving his country. “I was only 9 years old when he was over there fighting,” she said. "All I remember about the war was working at my daddy’s gas station and pasting stamps in the stamp books."
 
Miller kept a diary of his days in combat. "I just wrote in it when I thought about it," he said. "There would be days I didn’t pay any attention to it." The diary is among other keepsakes from his service including his medals, letters from home and old black and white photographs.

------------------------------------------------NOTES------------------------------ 
Ben Miller is a descendant of Jacob Miller and Anne Marie Thaison/Theigen and Jacob’s son, Jean Miller and Marie Francoise Mayer.
 
Ben’s parents are Bernard Miller and Anna Marie Clement. He married Martha Blackledge.
 
More on these families at www.FamilyAtLouisiana.com. Books of interest may be purchased at www.lulu.com. 
​

Purchase Jean Miller Louisiana Family book, Vol I
and Vol II
​

​








Eunice, LA
It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that the family of Richard Douglas LeDoux, Sr., Lt. Col., USAF (Retired) announces his passing on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Eunice Manor at the age of 88. A Celebration of Life will be celebrated at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, May 01, 2018 at Ardoin's Funeral Home in Eunice. 

Burial will follow in the LeDoux Cemetery with Deacon Gary Gaudin. 

Born December 17, 1929, Chanute Field, Rantoul, Illinois, to Staff Sergeant Francis LeDoux and Pearl T. LeDoux. Because his father was a career military man Richard grew up moving to his father's duty stations at Nicols Field, Philippine Islands; Kelly Field, San Antoinio, Texas; Post Field, Fort Sill, Oklahoma and Mitchell Field, Hempstead, Long Island, New York.

On December 12, 1941, five days short of his twelfth birthday, he left New York by train for his parent's home town of Eunice, Louisiana, where he lived for the next eleven years. He graduated from Eunice High School in 1948 and Southwestern Louisiana Institute in 1952 with a BS Degree and as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

He married Bertha Lee "Teadie" Manuel on February 15, 1952 and together they went to his first duty station which was Air Force Pilot Training at Kinston Air Base, North Carolina. Their first daughter Jeanne Denise, was born at Marine Corps Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, on December 10, 1952. They next went to Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi for his second six months of pilot training and then to Gary Air Force Base, San Marcos, Texas where he completed the Air Force Helicopter Pilot School. Then he went on to Korea as a rescue pilot. While he was in Korea their second daughter, Suzanne Angelique, was born on August 02, 1954. Upon his return from Korea, he attended the Aircraft Maintenance Officer's school at Chanute AFB, Rantoul, Illinois, and graduated with a Flight Test Maintenance Officer's specialty. 

Next he and Bertha and by now their two daughters were stationed at Sewart AFB, Tennesse where he was first assigned to a Helicopter and then a C-130 squadron. While at Sewart AFB, Richard, Junior was born on April 20, 1959, shortly after his birth Richard, Sr. and his family were transferred to Japan for a three year tour. By the time Richard, Sr. had been in the Air Force for twenty years, he had served six and a half years overseas in the Far East and Southeast Asia in the countries of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. The last five years of his time in the Air Force was spent in Southern California overseeing flight testing and development of the "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program" for the Air Force.

In addition to his BS degree from SLI and a year and half in pilot training and helicopter training, while in the service he also completed a year-long Aircraft Maintenance Officer School, Squadron Officer's School, The Industrial College of The Armed Forces and while preparing for his dissertation for his Master's degree in Political Science was sent to Thailand as a helicopter instructor rendering him a thesis short of a Master's Degree.

After retiring from the Air Force, Richard, Sr. became "Jack of all Trades" giving flight instructions to fledgling flight students, aerial application ("crop dusting"), teaching at LSUE, managing the grounds and stables of quarter horse race track, repairing small tools and electrical and pneumatic equipment and advising the city administrators on disaster preparedness. However his greatest passion was for organizing and overseeing a rural water system that encompassed a one hundred and forty square mile area.

He is survived by his three children, Jeanne Gray, Suzanne Mumphrey and husband, Scott and Dik LeDoux and wife Debi; six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Bertha Lee "Teadie" Manuel LeDoux and his son-in-law, Daniel Gray.

At the request of the family, visitation will be held at Ardoin's Funeral Home in Eunice on Tuesday, May 01, 2018 from 10:00 am until time of services.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Veteran's Association, Wounded Warriors or any service organization that benefits veterans.

Military Timeline
1952 (fall): Active duty at Stallings Air Base in Kinston, NC
1953 (Dec):  Helicopter Pilot rraining, Gary AFB, San Marcos, TX
1954:  Korea, then the Artic Circle flying a helicopter in support of survey crews who were doing the locating of sites for the construction of DEW (Distant Early Warning radar sites) line locations.  Upon his return he supported the 82nd Airborne and re-supplying radio relay sites in the southeastern states.
Fort Churchill in Manitoba working on the Mid-Canadian Early Warning Radar line for three months.
Aircraft Maintenance Officer's school, Chanute AFB, Rantoul, IL (a year long course)
Sewart AFB, Smyrna, TN
Maintenance Officer for a C-130 squadron
1960:  C-130 squadron, Japan
1963:  Sewart AFB, Smyrna, TN
1965 (six months):  Instruct young Thai Air Force officers in helicopters.
Point Mugu Naval Air Station near Oxnard, California. Flight testing on the drone program, aka Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program. (18 months)
Ryan Aircraft plant, San Diego, CA.
1971:  Korea (1 yr)
1972:  England, AFB, Alexandria. Special assistant to the base commander.

In his 20 years of service, Dick served 6.5 years in the Far East and Southeast Asia and was otherwise away from home and family two-thirds of the time.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. Jacob Miller and Anne Marie Thaison/Theigen family members who gave their lives when called to serve in the United States military are listed below.
​
Viet Nam War/Viet Nam Era (1955 to 1975 with U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s)
Duplechain, Andrus (Eunice).  US Army, Killed in Viet Nam.  He is the son of Cleveland Duplechain and Pauline Manual and the 3rd great grandson of Joseph Marie Bergeaux  and Marie Victorie Miller.  She is the daughter of Jean Miller and Marie Francoise Mayer. (Andrus in photo at left while serving in Viet Nam)
 
World War II Veterans (1939 to 1945, U.S. entered in 1941)
Doxey, James Andrew "Sonny Boy". (Grand Chenier). He was killed during the Normandy invasion. He is the son of James U. Doxey and Matilda Sturlese and the grandson of Lucien Sturlese and Phelonia Miller. Phelonia is the grand daughter of Michel Miller and Hiacinthe Lejeune.

Miller, Paul Wesley (Creole, LA). USMC, 28th Regiment, 5th Marines Division. He was killed in action at Iwo Jima on March 11, 1945. He is the son of Philbart Miller and Natalie Duhon and the 3rd great-grandson of Jean Miller & Mary Francoise Mayer.

Ricard, Henry. T Sgt. US Army. Killed in action while serving as Flight Engr. on a B-24. He was shot down on June 18, 1944 while delivering supplies to the French underground. He is buried in St. James Military Cemetery, Normandy. He is first cousin to Malcolm L Miller. Henry is his mother's brother.  Malcolm's mother is Bertha Ricard. She married Octave Miller, son of Jean Pierre Miller and Caroline Guillory.
 
Civil War Veterans (1861 to 1865)
Bonsall, Issac, father John Thomas Bonsall, husband of Uranie Miller. Uranie Miller is the granddaughter of Michel Miller and Hiacinthe Lejeune and the great granddaughter of Jean Miller and Marie Francois Mayer. He was killed in action on April 8, 1864 at the Battle of Mansfield.
​
Miller, Joseph Ozincourt.  Port Hudson Hospital Ledger reports leg amputated. Presumed he died near Port Hudson as he never returned home.  Some believe he fought and died at Battle of Mansfield.  He is the son of Jean Miller and Mary Magdelaine Boutin. Joseph Ozincourt is the twin brother of Pierre Valcour Miller.

Andrus Duplechian Graduation, Mamou High School - 1970
​Viet Nam Wall, Washington, DC (below)

The settlers in the Baton Rouge area arrived in the midst of religious and political struggles that in some cases caused them to leave their Mother Country. Before their arrival in Louisiana, many lived in Pennsylvania and Maryland. They were amidst the European country’s power struggles for territory control and ownership. The problems in their homeland were similar to the problems they experienced in America. Many of those social and political issues continued during their adjustments to their new residence in America.
 
The most powerful countries of Western Europe, England, Spain and France, had financed the voyages of the early explores for many reasons. They would increase their “Mother Country’s” wealth by finding the gold, silver and spies. Furthermore, they wanted to expand their trading partners and they wanted to spread the Christian religion. (1)
 
In 1604, the French established a presence in the New World, Canada, that later became Acadia. “In 1713, when the Treaty of Utrecht was made, the French government sold out the Acadians by ceding Acadia to England - Acadia then became known as Nova Scotia. From 1713 to 1755, the British continued the persecution of those God-fearing compassionate people. They not only took their land, they forced them to take the oath of allegiance to England. But when they tried to make the Acadians renounce their Catholic religion and become Protestants, and to agree to bear arms against France, these proud unfortunates flatly refused.” (2)
 
The Acadians became prisoners of the King. Many were placed on ships, not always as a family, and sent to the Mother country, to the English colonies, who were primarily Protestant, where the Catholics were called “papists”. (3) Still others migrated to the New England area, Virginia and the Carolina’s and to Georgia.
 
The Seven Years War, a global war and referred to as the last ‘War of Religion’, (4) was known as the French and Indian War in North America, 1756-1763. They fought for property rights in the Ohio River valley. The French and the American Indians teamed up to keep the British from controlling that area.
 
“The Seven Years War ended with the signing of the treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris in February 1763. In the Treaty of Paris, France lost all claims to Canada and gave Louisiana to Spain, while Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper Canada, and various French holdings overseas.” (5)
 
With growing tensions between the North American colonies and Great Britain, the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783, created greater uncertainty for new emigrants to North American. The American Continental Army assisted by the French forced the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. (6)

​The declaration of war against the British in the Baton Rouge area was in June 1779. Spain and France supported the American Colonies in that conflict.  The Spanish seized the British posts at Manchac and Pensacola, ending British control of West Florida. All of Louisiana ceded to France in 1800. Three years later France completed the Louisiana Purchase with the United States. Spain insisted on maintaining control of Baton Rouge and West Florida until 1810. (7)

Jacob Miller Louisiana Family, Vol I of III ... Jacob Miller Photos, Vol I of III
Original Highland Cemetery article ... Jacob Miller, Jr. Marital Challenges

​The people of Europe saw for themselves the same opportunities their governments wanted to capitalize on. Furthermore, the emigrants to North American wanted to practice their faith without fear of incrimination. The French and Germans that entered North American also saw an opportunity to own relatively large farms with the land grants encouraging emigrants to settle in Louisiana.
 
Maryland was a religious free state with the passage in 1649 of the Maryland Tolerance Act. It mandated religious tolerance for Trinitarian Christians. (8) Accordingly, some Acadians that left Nova Scotia settled in Maryland. Germans who entered the Port of Philadelphia joined them.

​Some of the settlers that made their way to Maryland also made their way to Louisiana prior to the 1770s. They settled above Bayou Manchac near Baton Rouge Louisiana.

In the beginning, the German families settled below Hackett’s Point on the opposite side of the river. They sought higher ground after being flooded many times. The Dutch Highlands, between Ben Hur Road and Siegen Lane, along the Highland Road, Bayou Fountain and Ward’s Creek, was what it was called. Johann George Klinepeter was the first to settle the Dutch Highlands in 1784. Emeric Adams, Henry Thomas, George Garig, and Paul Sharp accompanied him. Hill of the Fountains, where they established themselves, is the last bluff line toward the Gulf of Mexico. (9) It was called “Hill of the Fountains.” because “…springs abounded on the highland ridge just back of the flood plains of the Mississippi River in East Baton Rouge Parish.”  German and Acadian families farmed cotton and sugarcane on this land grant property approved by the Spanish government (1779-1810). (10)

​Highland Cemetery (Part I)
Established in 1813 on Geoge Garig’s plantation, the Highland Cemetery was donated to the Congregation of the Roman Catholic Church four years later. The love for the deceased are revealed with inscriptions on some tombs that read “Budded on earth to bloom in heaven.” or “He lived as lived a peaceful dove. He died as blossoms die.” (11)
 
“Today, a group of volunteers through a non-profit group called "Historic Highland Cemetery, Inc." has been given permission by its owner, the Catholic Church, to care for her. This group commissioned an archaeologist to do a systematic study of the cemetery and to use that data to restore the cemetery to the most original condition possible in order to increase its chance of selection to the US National Register of Historic Places.” (12)
 
A Highland Cemetery plaque located on one of the brick walls reads:
 
Hill of the Fountains
The Highland Ridge which borders Bayou Fountain and extends to Ward’s Creek was settled as early as 1784 by predominantly German and Acadian folk through Spanish land grants. Be it recorded here that the names of early settlers of “The Highland” were these:  Emeric Adams, Philip Anglehart, Moses & John Babin, Simon Daigre, George Garig, John Hillen, Firmin Landry, Johann George Kleinpeter & Sons, Jacob Meuller, Lewis Ory, John Ryan, Paul Sharp & Sons, and Henry Thomas.(13)
 
Information on these named individuals, their family, their history and their journey to the Baton Rouge area are discussed below.

​Emeric Adam (1730- 1801)
Emeric or Emmerich Adam was born about 1730 in Germany and died about 1801. He arrived in Louisiana in mid-August 1774 with Jean Baptiste Ory and Phillip Englehardt on their return trip after settling Nicholos Ory’s estate in Maryland. Emeric married Catherine Kleinpeter, born about 1750, in Maryland. She is the daughter of Johann George Kleinpeter and Gertrude Hitz. (14) Emmerich Adam and Catherine’s daughter Catherine Adam married Jacob Miller, Jr., son of Jacob Meuller (Miller), in 1795. (15) The Kleinpeter’s second daughter, Eve Adam married Johann Thomas, son of Henry Thomas and Barbara Ory. (16)
 
A review of one name on this plaque reveals that several people, Emeric Adam(s), Johann George Kleinpeter, Jacob Meuller or Jacob Miller, Jr. and Henry Thomas were probably close-knit families. To add to the family’s close fellowship, Jacob Meuller (Miller), Henry Thomas and Nicolas Ory, father of Barbara Ory were passengers on the British schooner, La Britiana, which sailed from Maryland enroute to Louisiana in 1769. (17)
 
Philip Anglehart (1738-1801)
Philip Anglehart or Englehardt or Inglehardt married Magdelena Ory before 1769 in Maryland.  Philip was a witness on a property transfer “Petition to Governor” for Henry Thomas property to his two sons dated 1801. (8) Magdelena Ory’s father, Nicolas Ory was a passenger on the La Bretania with Jacob Meuller (Miller) which sailed from Maryland to Louisiana in 1769. (18)
 
Phillip Englehardt (Anglehart) accompanied Jean Baptiste Ory to Maryland in 1772 to settle Nicolas Ory’s estate. When they returned to Louisiana in 1774, they were accompanied by four more families; “…Georges Petitpiere (better know[n] in Louisiana as George Kleinpeter), his wife, Gertrude, their sons, Jean, Joseph, George, and Conrad, and their daughters, Barbara, Genevieve, Susanna, and Jeanne. Also with them was their married daughter, Catherine, and her husband, Emmerich Adam. Next were Paul Sharp, his wife Catherine, and Joseph, Jacob, Nicolas, Catherine, and Elizabeth, their children. Finally, there was Sebaseien Quidre and his wife.” (19) As mentioned earlier, Emmerich Adam and Catherine Kleinpeter’s daughter Catherine Adam married Jacob Miller, Jr. in 1795; his 2nd wife. (20)
 
Simon Daigre (Daigle) (1735-1792)
Simon was among a large contingent of Daigles that arrived in New Orleans in the late 1700’s. These families settled near Fort Bute, just north of Bayou Manchac.
 
Simon-Pierre Daigle, age 50, was probably born in the 1735 in Riviere aux Canards, St. Joseph, Acadie. He is the son of Olivier Daigle and Francoise Granger.  He first married Marie Madeleine Theriot in 1758. (21) His second wife Anne Michel and seven of his children from his first marriage came to Louisiana with Simon. Anne died at Manchac in July 1786 soon after they settled there. Simon-Pierre remarried a third time to Rosalie, daughter of fellow Acadian Charles Theriot and widow of Alexandre Aucoin in 1788. Simon probably died at Manchac in October 1792 at age 57. (22)

​George Garig (1763-1825)
George Garig was a German settler from Maryland who owned an 800 arpent plantation in Highlands. He was considered to be “…a resident of well-known honesty and one of the most skillful builders of cotton gins and presses in this territory.” In 1819 he donated one arpent of land to the Catholic Church where settlers had been burying their dead. (23)
 
He noted on his marriage certificate that he left Philadelphia on June 8, 1788 and arrived in New Orleans on August 27, 1788. (24)
 
George Garig whose name may be William George Garig, was married to Marie Barbara Thomas on July 13, 1794. She is the daughter of Henry Thomas and Marie Barbara Ory. (25) Marie. Barbara Ory is the daughter of Nicolas Ory and Anna Strassbach and she is the older sister of Lewis Ory. Lewis Ory, whose name, as mentioned earlier is found on the “Hill of the Fountains” plaque. Marie Barbara Ory’s older sister Magdelena Ory married Phillip Jacob Engelhardt, also known as Philip Anglehart, whose name is also on the “Hill of the Fountains” plaque. (26), (27)

​Johann Georg Kleinpeter (Abt. 1730- 1775)
Johann Georg Kleinpeter was born about 1730 in Strassburg, Alsace, Germany. He married Gertrude Hitz (1736-1806) about 1755. (28) She is buried at the old St. Gabriel Church. (29) There were six children born to this couple. As previously mentioned, he arrived in Louisiana in 1774 with Jean Baptiste Ory and Phillip Englehardt (Anglehart).
 
Son, Johann Baptist Kleinpeter, is credited with erecting the first steam sugar mill in 1832 on the highlands. His father erected the first cotton gin about 1790. (30)
 
George Kleinpeter, son of this couple, married Marguerite Judith Ritter. Their daughter Mary Catherine Rose Kleinpeter married George Garig, Jr., son of George Garig and Marie Barbara Thomas. See George Garig mentioned earlier. More about the Kleinpeter children is discussed under Emeric Adam above. 

​Jacob Mueller (Miller) (Abt. 1736-1807)
Jacob Miller [Sr.] stated that he is “Roman Catholic and Apostolic, and native of Germany”. (31) He and his wife Anne Marie Thaison left Port Tobacco, Maryland in January 1769 on the vessel Britian or La Britiana. The ship was destined for New Orleans. Due to inclement weather, the ship went aground on the Texas shore. Held against their will by the Spaniards at Presidio Bahia near Goliad, Texas, they were permitted to leave after several weeks of captivity. They left Golaid, TX by caravan for Natchitoches, Louisiana, a 350 miles journey, arriving in October 1769. (32)
 
“The German Families, however, apparently had not planned to settle in Natchitoches, nor was it [Govenor] O’Reilly’s plan that they do so. They therefore accompanied the English crew of the schooner [La Britiana] to New Orleans.” Arriving on November 9, the Germans were given tools and money on November 16. They were informed to settle on the site of Fort St. Gabriel de Manchak [near Fort Bute]. “[Jacob] Miller, his wife, and four children apparently settled in St. John Parish and subsequently moved to Opelousas.”
 
Jacob Miller is on the “List of Foreigners in the District of Opelousas and Attakapas and in New Iberia, May 15, 1781. (33)
 
Jacob Miller sold land located in Grand Coteau, LA to Charles Smith in 1806. Some of the land owned by Jacob Miller, and sold, was later donated to build The Academy of Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, LA. (34)
 
Given that Jacob Miller, Sr. is on the “List of Foreigners In the District of Opelousas and Attakapas and in New Iberia” dated 1781 and he was on the Militia Rolls for the Opelousas Post in 1785 and he owned land in Grand Coteau, LA, which is west of Baton Rouge about 70 miles and he died in that area in December 1807 and is buried at Saint Landry Church Cemetery, Opelousas, LA, is the name on the Hill of the Fountains plaque a tribute to him or to his son, Jacob Miller, Jr. the husband of Catherine Adam, whose father Emeric Adam is also on the plaque? 
 
A Jacob Miller who was a resident of the Highlands in Baton Rouge signed a request for smallpox vaccination in 1802 along with Paul Sharp, George Kleinpeter, Emmericus Adam, Jehan Thomas, John Rine and Mary Thomas.  Many of Jacob Miller, Jr. descendants live in the Baton Rouge area and surrounding parishes. His daughter Celestina Adelaide Miller, born in Baton Rouge, married Phillip Garig, son of George Garig and Marie Barbara Thomas and grandson of Henry Thomas and Marie Barbara Ory. In summary, there is an argument for concluding that Jacob Miller, Jr. is the man honored on the Highland Cemetery plaque. 

​Louis Ory (Abt. 1763 – 1800)
Louis is the son of Nicolas Ory and Christine Michel. The English vessel La Britiana passenger list shows a “Lois, their daughter”, age 7. (20) Based on a review of Ory family documents, it appears that it should have read “Louis,” age 7, which would agree with Louis’ approximated birth. Lois is not a family member in other references to the Nicholas Ory family. (35)
 
Louis married Margarethe Vicner in February 1791 at St. John Church, Saint John the Baptist parish, Louisiana. They had five children.
 
John / Johann Rein / Ryan / Reine (1752-1814)
Johann Reine is the son of Louis Reine and Marie Barbe Letger (correct spelling). John arrived with his parents with two other German families, Johann Schlatter, also known as Jean Chelatre and the Jacob Paille family, from Maryland in August 1773.  Louis Reine received a land grant in 1773/74 at Manchak on the west bank of the river. (36)
 
John (Jean) Reine (Ryan) married Eve (Genevieve) Kleinpetre, of Strassburg, Alsace, Germany, on June 22, 1777. Eve is the daughter of Johann Georg Kleinpeter and Gertrude Hitz. They had five children. (37)
 
Paul Sharp (Abt. 1725-1813)
Paul Sharp and his wife Catherine Ory, daugher of Nicolas Ory and Anna Strassbach, arrived in Louisiana in 1774 with Jean Baptiste Ory and Phillip Englehardt (Anglehart) returning to Louisiana after settling Nicholos Ory’s Maryland estate. See Phillip Anglehart above.
 
Henry Thomas (Abt. 1743 - 1798)
Henry Thomas, age 26, was classified as a bachelor on the British ship La Britiana. He married Nicolas Ory’s daughter, Marie Barbara Ory in 1770. Their daughter, Mary Barbara Thomas married George Garig, also named on the plaque, in 1794. More details discussed above under Geoge Garig.

​Other Names on the Plaque
Moses & John Babin
No specific information on Moses and John Babin was located. The following is a summary of the Babin family:
 
“Babins were among the early settlers of Acadia and some of the earliest Acadians to find refuge in Louisiana. Dozens of them from the Minas Basin came to the colony from Maryland in 1766, 1767, and 1768. They settled in large numbers along the river above New Orleans from Cabanocé/St.-Jacques all the way up to Natchez. In the late 1760s or early 1770s, one family from the river moved to upper Bayou Teche and created a small western branch of the family. Only a hand-full [sic] of Acadian Babins came to Louisiana from France in 1785, but they established vigorous lines among their cousins at Manchac near Baton Rouge, and a smaller line on upper Bayou Lafourche in the early 1790s. A Babin family reached the colony in 1788 on a ship from Île St.-Pierre off the southern coast of Newfoundland, but they established no new family lines. Meanwhile, during the late colonial and early antebellum periods, Babins moved from the river to Bayou Lafourche and added substantially to that center of family settlement; by the late antebellum period, some of them had settled as far down as Lockport and Montegut in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. A few Babins from the Lafourche/Terrebonne valley moved to lower Bayou Teche and the St. Landry prairies soon after the War of 1861-65. Most Babins, however, remained on the river along the old Acadian Coast, in West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, and St. James parishes. They were especially plentiful around Gonzales, Ascension Parish, during and after the war.” (38)
 
John Hillen (1820-?)
The only John Hillen located in Louisiana was living in East Feliciana, LA in 1850. He was married to Lucinda and their son was named Benton.  (39)
 
Firmin Landry (1726 – 1801)
Firmin Landry information regarding his activities in the Baton Rouge area could not be located. There is a Firmin Landry buried in Saint Martin de Tours Churchyard, Saint Martinville, Louisiana married to Francoise Elizabeth Thibodeau in Pisiquid, Acadia. They had four children. Firmin and family were exiled from Acadia to Maryland in 1755. He married a second time to Theotise Thibodeau with whom nine children were born. (40)
 
Summary
The German families that settled near Bayou Manchac inhabited an area known as the Dutch Highlands. The families had common values and customs and sometimes traveled as a group.
 
The fifty-seven German Catholics who arrived on the schooner Britain or La Britiana from Maryland were unwilling to endure the local anti-Catholic hysteria born of the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
 
Of the fifty-seven German Catholics, Jacob Miller and Nicolas Ory families traveled together on the La Britiana that left Port Tobacco, Maryland on January 5, 1769. Henry Thomas, also named on the Hill of the Fountains plaque, was a bachelor on the ship from Maryland. They were together through their captivity by the Spanish held at La Bahia near Golaid, Texas. Along with the Arcadians on the ship, they all traveled 350 miles to Natchitoches, Louisiana arriving in October 1769. These families were together for ten months. (41)
 
Nicolas Ory’s daughters married three men mentioned on the plaque, Marie Barbe Ory to Henry Thomas, Magdelena to Phillip Jacob Anglehart, and Catherine Ory married Paul Sharp. The name of Nicolas’ son, Lewis Ory is on the plaque. Henry Thomas and Marie Barbe Ory’s daughter Marie Barbe Thomas married George Garig, also named on the plaque.
 
Johann George Kleinpeter’s daughter Catherine married Emmerich Adam, also named on the plaque. Their daughter Catherine Adam married Jacob Miller, Jr.
 
In conclusion German families …” maintained group unity by migrating in kinship groups and practicing endogamy, but adhered to other cultural norms…” (42)

Highland Cemetery - Part I

1. European Immigration to America, http://www.emmigration.info/european-immigration-to-america.htm
2. “Le Grand Derangement” by Pascal Fuselier. Printed in Bonnes Nouvelle newspaper, Ville Platte, LA. Date unknown.
3. Ibid.
4. “The Global History of the Seven Years War”, Common Place, common-place.org,
5. History.com, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-seven-years-war-begins
6. Ibid, http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/american-revolution-history
7. Cultural Resouce Study. Report Number: CEMVN/PD-97/04. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, pg. 18.
8. Wikipedia.com. Maryland Toleration Act.
9. Cultural Resources Survey of the Bayou Fountain Channel Enlargement Area, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana by Tom Wells and Dayna Lee, October 1997. Prepared for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District, Contract No. DACW29-07-D-0017.

10. “Highland Cemetery, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana” by Sherry Sanford. Louisiana Genealogical Register, Volume XXXIX, No. 2, June 1992.
11. “Highland Cemetery has stories to tell”. Baton Rouge Magazine. October 25, 1992.
12. Historic Highland Cemetery, http://historichighlandcemetery.org/home.html.
13. Murphy Miller, Jr. 1999 photo.
14. The Settlement of the German Coast of Louisiana and The Creoles of German Descent, by Hanno Deiler,  (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1975), 109.
15. Southwest Louisiana Records (1750 - 1900). Rev. Donald J. Hebert. Hebert Pubications. POB 147, Rayne, LA 70578.
16. The Settlement of the German Coast of Louisiana and The Creoles of German Descent, by Hanno Deiler,  (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1975), 109.
17. The Long Road to Louisiana: Acadian Exiles and the Britain Incident” by Carl A. Brasseaux. Gulf Coast Historical Review 1, no. 1 (Fall 1985)
18. Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1945, Volume II, Spain In The Mississippi Valley, 1765-1794, edited by Lawrence Kinnaird, Pt. 1, The Revolutionary Period, 1765-1781. Printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1949.
19. “Les Voyageurs”, Vol. III, No. 4, December 1982, pp. 85-88. By Dr. Glenn Conrad, Director of the Center for Louisiana Studies at USL.
20. The Settlement of the German Coast of Louisiana and The Creoles of German Descent by J. Hanno Deiler. 1909.
21. WikiTree.com, www.wikitree.com/wiki/Daigre-15.1735
22. Acadians Who Found Refuge in Louisiana, February 1764 – early 1800s. WWW.AcadiansInGray.com/Appendices-ATLAL-DAIGLE.htm#DAIGLE
23. “Highland Cemetery, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana” by Sherry Sanford. Louisiana Genealogical Register, Volume XXXIX, No. 2, June 1992.
24. Wedding Certificate issued by Charles Burke, Parish Priest, Baton Rouge. Personal family notes also written on the document by George Garig.
25. Ibid.
26. The Settlement of the German Coast of Louisiana and The Creoles of German Descent, by Hanno Deiler,  (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1975), 111.
27. Murphy Miller, Jr. 1999 photo.
28. The Settlement of the German Coast of Louisiana and The Creoles of German Descent, by Hanno Deiler,  (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1975), 109.
29. Cultural Resources Survey of the Bayou Fountain Channel Enlargement Area, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana by Tom Wells and Dayna Lee, October 1997. Prepared for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District, Contract No. DACW29-07-D-0017.
30. “De Bow’s Review of the Southern and Western States”, Vol. XI – New Series, Vol IV. New Orleans. 1851. 616.
31. Inquest Concerning George Stelly Who was Found Hanging from a Tree. This document written in French, was obtained from the Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans. Submitted by Mrs. Roy H. Harper of Slidell, La. Translated by Michael J. Foret.
32. “The Long Road to Louisiana: Acadian Exiles and the Britain Incident” by Carl A. Brasseaux. Gulf Coast Historical Review 1, no. 1 (Fall 1985)
33. Attakapas Gazette. Date unknown. P.139.
34. American State Papers, Documents, Public Lands, Vol. III, P. 178. U.S. Govt. Doc. Section, LSU Library.
35. Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1945, Volume II, Spain In The Mississippi Valley, 1765-1794, edited by Lawrence Kinnaird, Pt. 1, The Revolutionary Period, 1765-1781. Printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1949.
36. “Les Voyageurs”, Vol. III, No. 4, December 1982, pp. 85-88. By Dr. Glenn Conrad, Director of the Center for Louisiana Studies at USL.
37. Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Church Records. 1770-1803. Volume 2. 1980. P. 618.
38. Acadians In Gray. http://www.acadiansingray.com/Appendices-ATLAL-BABIN.htm#BABIN
39. Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census.
​40. FindAGrave.com Memorial ID 116969725
41. “The Long Road to Louisiana: Acadian Exiles and the Britain Incident” by Carl A. Brasseaux. Gulf Coast Historical Review 1, no. 1 (Fall 1985)
42. ​Diversity and Accommodation; Essays on the Cultural Composition of the Virginia Frontier, edited by Michael J. Puglisi, 1997 by The university of Tennessee Press.

Highland's Cemetery is located at the LSU south exit. The plaque acknowledges Jacob Mueller as an early settler of that region. 

Emeric Adam & Catherine Kleinpeter are Catherine Adam parents. She is the 2nd wife of Jacob Miller, Jr.

Paul Sharp married Catherine Ory, daughter of Nicolas Ory and Anna Strassbach. A Nicolas Ory and wife Christine was on the La Bretana, the ship that ship wrecked off the Texas coast with Jacob Miller & family.
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Purchase books at lulu.com
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Highland Cemetery has stories to tell (published in Magazine, Baton Rouge, October 25, 1992)
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No sightings of ghosts have been reported at Historic Highland Cemetery in College Town, but should any appear they would probably speak French, Spanish or even German and tell stories of early Louisiana history that would excite the most jaded of television viewers.

For instance take Anthony Peniston. “stabbed by a porgnard [a lightweight dagger] and survived the blow but ten minutes“ in a dispute over an election. He was on 30 years old.

Or consider the romantic tale of Josephine Favrot whose sweetheart, Louis de Grand Pre was shot defending the Fort of Baton Rouge in 1810. Josephine rushed to his side in time for him to die in her arms. The poem she wrote following his death is immortalized on a plaque on the wall of the Favrot family plot.

The oldest existing cemetery in Baton Rouge located on Oxford Avenue between Amherst and East Parker, is the final resting place for many of the city’s forefathers. A walk around the small burial ground is like taking a brief course in the history of Baton Rouge, thanks to the many informative markers place by the Friends of Historic Highland Cemetery.

Established around 1815 on what was once a part of the plantation owned by George Garig. Highland Cemetery was legally donated to the congregation of the local Roman Catholic Church of Baton Rouge in 1819.

Following Garig’s death in 1825 his plantation was divided into two sections, half being purchased by Robert Penny. Although the cemetery was consecrated by the Roman Catholic Church, in 1849 Penny, a Protestant, was conveyed a 16-acre piece of the Garig Plantation, which included the cemetery. In the agreement, he requested a 30-square foot plot for himself and his family. This corner of the cemetery is known as the Protestant section.

The cemetery is maintained by the Friends of Historic Highland Cemetery, an auxiliary board of The Foundation for Historical Louisiana.

“Before the last burial, which took place in 1939, the cemetery fell into disrepair,” said Larry Firmin, president of the trustees of Historic Highland Cemetery. “Under the inspiration and leadership of Dr. and Mrs. James A. Thom, and the dedication of many volunteers, beginning in 1968/69 the cemetery was reclaimed and gradually restored to its present state.”

Firman said one of the biggest problems is maintaining the cemetery is cleaning up after vandals.

Many of the names etched on the faded headstones are names seen today on streets and businesses around Baton Rouge and southern Louisiana.

Here lie the remains of Jean Baptiste Kleinpeter, a veteran of the War of 1812 who fought with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, and lather became a planter and banker.

Gabriel Armand Duplantier, born in France and who served as aide-de-camp to General Lafayette, left military service, married and became owner of Magnolia Mound plantation. The Duplantier family sepulcher [burial vault] fell into ruins and was replaced by an obelisk.

The final resting place of Charles Daniel Comeaux, a veteran of the War of 1812, is noted by a marker near the Favrot plot. Comeaux was killed by a stray bullet while sleeping. He had just returned home from the Battle of Port Hudson and flung his cap on one of the posts of his four-poster bed. A bullet hit the bed post, pierced the cap, then ricocheted, hitting and killing him instantly.

Not only does a walk through the cemetery conjure up scenes from early Louisiana history but it also reminds the visitor how fragile life was in the days before modern medicine and sanitation.

Many tombs are inscribed with messages that echo the sorrow of parents who mourned the loss of their children: “Budded on earth to bloom in heaven.” Or “He lived as lived a peaceful dove. He died as blossoms die.”

During the time of George Garig and Robert Penny, Historic Highland Cemetery was larger than its present size and extended over to what is now Amherst Avenue. When College Town was being developed in 1927, the developer drew an inaccurate map of the cemetery, omitting certain measurements when he filed for a new subdivision. As a result of the inaccuracies many of the tombs were lost or built over during the construction of homes. A wrought-iron gazebo was erected in the cemetery in 1976 dedicated to the memory of the more than 200 people who were buried there, but whose graves have been lost.

Information about walking tours of Historic Highland Cemetery or about becoming a member of Friends of Historic Highland Cemetery can be obtained by calling The Foundation For Historical Louisiana in Baton Rouge at 387-2464.
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Information below provide by B. Parker in 1999  
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BURIALS IN HIGHLAND (PENNY) CEMETERY, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Because records were poorly kept by Catholic Church priests, and Protestant burials were not listed at all, the following list has been compiled from probates, funeral notices, family records and recollections, tombstone inscriptions and newspaper notices. There are still many omissions, so an unconfirmed list of possible burials follows the known ones. Researchers: Evelyn M. Thom and Barbara Strickland, September 1976.

Aubin, Aurelius Victorin, s/o Victorin, 1850-1885, no marker
Aubin, Elizabeth, w/o Victorin, 1825-1885, no marker
Aubin, Victorin, s/o Francois, 1825-1880, no marker
Aucoin, Albert Florestin, C.S.A., s/o J. Florentin, 1821-1863, no marker
Aucoin, J. Florentin, s/o Pierre Firmin, 1798-1847
Aucoin, Julia Zeolide Doiron, w/o A.F., 1831- ?, no marker
Babin, Balthazar, s/o Gregoire, 1814-1884, no marker
Babin, Martha Buckner, 1824-1884, w/o Balthazar, no marker
Brackin, “Nettie” Brunetta Stokes, w/o Albert D., 1868-1894, no marker
Buckner, George W., s/o Lewis, h/o Margaret Phillips, 1822-1855, no marker
Buckner, Susannah, d/o Margaret Buckner,   ? -1857, no marker
Comeaux, Charles Daniel, 1817-1892, no marker
Comeaux, Charles Daniel, War of 1812, 1787-1850, no marker
Daigre, Alfred Huguet, s/o Denis Daigre, Junior, 1880-1891, no marker
Daigre, Benjamin M., husb/o Pauline Daigre, 1836-1914, no marker
Daigre, Carmelite Daigre, d/o Paul, w/o Oliver Francois, 1796-1855, no marker
Daigre, Denis Oliver, s/o Oliver Francis, 1820-1875, no marker
Daigre, Denis Oliver, Jr., 1853-1917, no marker
Daigre, Genevieve Buckner, w/o Denis O., Sr., 1821- ?, no marker
Daigre, Gordon, s/o Benjamin M., ? -1912, no marker
Daigre, Josie Huguet, d/o John S. Huguet, 1860-1884, no marker
Daigre, Mary Martha, d/o Denis & Genevieve, 1855-1858, no marker
Daigre, Olivier Francois, s/o Francois, 1793-1843, no marker
Daigre, Pauline Daigre, w/o Benjamin M.,  ?-1886, no marker
Daigre, Victor Templet, s/o Denis O. Sr., 1857- ?, no marker
Davis, Elizabeth Sharp, w/o Ersin Slaughter & Wm. Davis, ?-1825, no marker
Doiron, Henrietta Malvina, d/o J. V., 1847-1887, no marker
Doiron, John Villeneuve, s/o John Remi, 1821-1879, no marker
Duke, William Ensley, infant of Wiley, 7 mo., 1921-1921, no marker
Duplantier, Armand Allard, Continental Army, War of 1812, 1753-1827, marker
Duplantier, Augustin, son/o Armand, 1806-1860, no marker
Duplantier, Constance Rochon, w/o John Joyce & Armand Duplantier, 1766-1841, marker
Duplantier, Didier, s/o Armand, 1809-1834, marker
Duplantier, Fergus, War of 1812, s/o Armand, 1783-1844, marker
Duplantier, Guy, War of 1812, s/o Armand, 1790-1835, no marker
Duplantier, Joseph, s/o Alberic, 1844-1884, no marker
Duplantier, Josephine Joyce, w/o Fergus, 1791-1859, marker
Duplantier, Matilda Brown, 2nd w/o Alberic, 1844- ?, no marker
Duplantier, Nicholas Alberic, s/o Armand, 1806-1891, no marker
Edmonston, Lillie E. Aucoin, w/o J. Walter, 1861-1893, no marker
Edmonston, Mary Zilda Aucoin, w/o Wm. Louis,  ? – 1919, no marker
Edmonston, Sam, s/o Wm. Louis & Zilda, 1872-1883, no marker
Edmonston, William Louis, Jr., husb/o Zilda, ? – 1912, no marker
Favrot, Pierre Joseph, Galvez Expedition of 1779, LA Legislature, 1749 - 1824, marker
Foreman, John C., hsb/o Nancy Garig, 1806 - 1870, marker
Foreman, John M., infant s/o Oscar H., 1862 - 1870, marker
Foreman, John M., s/o John C. & Nancy, C.S.A., 1838 - 1905, no marker
Foreman, Linda F., d/o Oscar H., 1863 - 1866, marker
Foreman, Nancy Garig, d/o George Garig, w/o John C., 1812 - ?, no marker
Foreman, Oscar Heady, Jr., 1868 - 1872, marker
Foreman, Oscar Heady, Sr., 1833 - 1905, no marker
Foreman, Therese Addie Rowley, w/o Oscar H., 1840 - 1913, no marker
Fortin, Adele Duplantier, w/o Joseph J.G. George Fortin, no dates, no marker
Garig, George, s/o Adam, h/o Mary Barbara Thomas, ? - 1825, no marker
Garig, Guilliame, s/o George, 1815 - ?, no marker
Garig, Henrique, s/o George, 1798 - ?, no marker
Garig, Juan, s/o George, 1795 - ?, no marker
Garig, Maria, d/o George, 1801 - ?, no marker
Germany, Aurelia Ann Foreman, w/o Henry James, 1833 - 1898, marker
Hodges, Aurelius B., s/o I.B.A. Hodges, 1832 - 1854, marker
Huguet, John Stephen, M.D., s/o Juan, C.S.A., 1825 - 1891, no marker
Huguet, Mary Elvira Kleinpeter, w/o John S., 1832 - 1899, no marker
Huguet, William Pike, s/o John S., 1852 - 1853, no marker
Joyce, William, s/o John, c 1790 - 1846, marker fragment
Kleinpeter, Andrew, s/o Joseph, 1801 - 1853, marker
Kleinpeter, Benjamin Franklin, s/o John Bapt. & Rose, 1845 - 1858, memorial marker
Kleinpeter, John Baptiste, s/o George, 1797 - 1861, no marker
Kleinpeter, John J., infant s/o Andrew, 1847 -1847, marker
Kleinpeter, John L., s/o Joseph, c 1797 - 1837, no marker
Kleinpeter, Mary Rose Bouillion, w/o John Baptist, 1805 - 1878, no marker
Kleinpeter, Oscar Andrew, s/o Andrew, 1844 - 1858, marker
Kleinpeter, Zachary Pinckney, s/o Andrew, 1849 - 1857, no marker
Lener, Mary, 1887 - 1888, no marker
Lopez, Anna Euphemie, d/o Joseph Onieda, 1879 - 1884, no marker
Lopez, Henri, s/o Joseph Onieda, 1875 - 1876, no marker
Lopez, Joseph Onieda, s/o Joseph Adonis, 1845 - 1896, no marker
Lundquest, William, no dates, no marker
Lundquest, John, no dates, no marker
Maurison, Mary V., 1871 - 1885, no marker
McGehee, Ann Scott, d/o Abraham & Mary C., 1831 - 1836, marker
McGehee, Mary C., 1809 - 1836, marker
Neilson, Capt. John James, s/o James, U.S.A., ? -1813 at Baton Rouge Fort, no marker (1st husband of Pauline Gras)
Neilson, James, h/o Elizabeth, f/o Capt. John, ? - 1831, no marker
Parker, Nan Pecue, d/o John Pecue, w/o Mack Parker, no dates, no marker
Pecue, (Picou, Picaud), John Baptiste Jr., h/o Odile & Victoria Aucoin, 1829 - 1905, no marker
Pecue, Odile Elizabeth Aucoin, w/o John, 1835 - 1865, no marker
Peniston, Anthony, hsb/o Euphemie Duplantier, c 1800 - 1826, marker
Peniston, Euphemie Duplantier, w/o Anthony, 1804 - 1826, marker
Penny, Matilda G., w/o Burns & Robert Penny, ? - 1846, no marker
Penny, Robert H., s/o James, ? - 1849, no marker
Phillips, Isabella Foreman, w/o Albert, no dates, no marker
Phillips, Plaisant, Jr., 1838 - 1859, no marker
Phillips, Plaisant, Sr., husb/o Elizabeth Babin, ? - 1845, no marker
Phillips, Theodore, s/o Plaisant Sr., 1845 - 1861, no marker
Piker, Fluvia, d/o John F., c 1864 - ?, no marker
Piker, John F., s/o Frederick, 1817 - 1869, partial marker
Piker, Mary C. Foreman, w/o John F., 1830  - 1903, memorial marker
Pilant, George Zitzman, s/o Wm. Jr., 1912 - ca 1920, no marker
Pilant, Sarah Clair, d/o Wm. Jr., 1909 - ca 1920, no marker
Pilant, Marie Julia LeBlanc, w/o Wm. Sr., 1837 - 1920, no marker
Pilant, William Sr., ? - 1899, no marker
Randolph, Catherine Kleinpeter, w/o John, 1786 - 1847, marker
Randolph, Ellen M. Smith, w/o George, 1834 - 1856, marker
Randolph, John, s/o John, 1818 - 1856, marker
Randolph, John, War of 1812, 1777 - 1837, marker
Riviere, Anne Marie Renee Aime Douezan, w/o Jean Baptiste Riviere, 1766 - 1849, marker
Roberts, Constance Kleinpeter, w/o Gilbert Comeaux & Stephen Roberts, d/o George Kleinpeter, ? - 1851,
.....no marker, Kleinpeter, George, ? - 1851, no marker
Smith, Jacob, 1814 - 1857, no marker
Smith, Mary Barbara Thomas, w/o Jacob, 1813 - 1872, no marker
Staring, Kathryn J. Hillman, 1st w/o George H. Staring, 1870 - 1898, memorial marker
Stokes, James, s/o William & Nettie, 1872 - 1903, marker
Stokes, Sidney, s/o William & Nettie, 1878 - 1896, marker
Stokes, William, s/o Alexander & Virginia, 1873 - 1912, C.S.A., marker
Stokes, Willie F., s/o William & Nettie, 1870 - 1896, marker
Thomas, Antoinette Caroline, d/o Jefferson P., ? - 1857, marker
Thomas, Buffington J., s/o Jefferson P., no date, marker
Thomas, Elizabeth, widow/o Benj. Parker Thomas, d/o Gen. Philemon Thomas, mother/o Jefferson P., ? - 1841,
.....no marker
Thomas, Florence, d/o Jefferson P., ? - 1857, marker
Thomas, William E., s/o Jefferson P., no dates, marker
Trousdale, Kleinpeter, Randolph, Mary Catherine, w/o Andrew Kleinpeter, 1822 - abt. 1874

Unconfirmed And Possible Burials

Aucoin, Elizabeth Verdon, w/o J. Florentin, no dates
Bills, John A., husb/o Mary Garig, ? - 1841
Bills, Mary Garig, w/o John A., c. 1812 - 1860
Comeaux, Florestine Sylvannie Tullier, w/o Chas. D. Jr., 1825 - ? 
Comeaux, Mary Carmelite Hebert, w/o Chas. D. Sr.
Daigre, Francis Paul, s/o Denis O. Daigre, Sr.,  1850 - 1892
Daigre, Jean Baptiste Bouvier, s/o Olivier, c 1810 - 1840
Daigre, Mrs. Mary C., w/o Gilbert, ? - 1879
Davis, William, War of 1812, h/o Elizabeth Sharp, ? - c.1825
Doiron, Alzie Daigle, w/o Francis G., ? - c.1910
Duplantier, Marguerite Mary Lopez, w/o Augustin, 1815 - ?
Edmonston, J. Walter, C.S.A., husb/o Lillie E. Aucoin
Fulton, Helene de Grand Pre, d/o Gov. Carlos de Grand Pre, 1782 - 1855
Fulton, Col. Samuel, husb/o Helene, ? - c.1827
Garig, Elizabeth, d/o George & Mary B., c.1809 - ?
Garig, George, s/o George & Mary B., 1807 - 1868, C.S.A.
McDonald, Mary Barbara Thomas, w/o Joshua McDonald & Geo. Garig, 1777 - 1852
Neilson, Elizabeth, widow of James Neilson who d. 1831
Neilson, William, s/o James & Elizabeth, ? - c.1833, bachelor
Parker, Mack, husb/o Nan Pecue
Pecue, Victoria Coralie Aucoin, w/o John Pecue, 1842 - 1921
Penny, Marian A., d/o Robert & Matilda, c. 1840 - 1846
Penny, Ann W., d/o Robert & Matilda, 1835 - 1850
Penny, Lucy Ann, d/o Robert & Matilda, c 1839 - c 1846
Phillips, Elizabeth Babin, w/o Plaisant, Sr.
Randolph, George, husb/o Ellen M. Smith, (m. 5-13-1852)
Randolph, John, 17?? - 1822, father of John (1777 - 1837 )
Sharp, Joseph, husb/o Pauline Gras, Widow Neilson, ? - 1820
Sheppers, Pauline Gras, widow of Neilson & Joseph Sharp, w/o Louis Sheppers who survived her and m.
.....Her sister, Olympia, 1796 - 1822
Thomas, Benjamin Parker, husb/o Elizabeth Thomas, son-in-law of General Philemon Thomas, 1782 - 1835
Thomas, Caroline E. Trager, w/o Jefferson Plummer Thomas, d/o John Trager & Julia Kleinpeter, c 1827 - c.1871
Thomas, Jefferson Plummer, grandson of General Philemon Thomas, s/o Benjamin Parker Thomas,
.....father of 4 children buried in Highland

​

​Annie Mae, born November 5, 1918, is the granddaughter of Eugene Miller and Josephine Angeline Sturlese. Her mother, Azena is the 5th child of thirteen born to Eugene and Angeline. Annie Mae’s family achieved notoriety in several ways.
 
Annie Mae's grandfather was a very successful cattleman in Cameron Parish. Born in 1857, Eugene continued the work of his father Pierre V. Miller, A Civil War Veteran. In “Eugene Miller Early King of Cattle” by Nola Mae Ross, 1989, it stated “…Eugene Miller…became the pioneer patriarch of the cattle industry on the big ridge. "Eugene Miller is a ranchman with great herds of cattle, and he devotes most of his time to riding a horse, " reported one early newspaper. Starting out with a small heard of wild marsh cattle, Miller built a cattle empire which he operates with four of his sons and five sons-in-law.”

  
My parents [Annie Mae's parents], Ozena Miller and Charles Richard, lived with my grandparents, so I remember them very well. My grandfather's life was tied up with his cattle. He had thousands of them." "I remember the cattle drives when they took cattle to summer pasture or to market. Most of the cattlemen along Grand Chenier would meet at our home and leave from there for Mulberry Ridge and Chenier Oau Tigre." "I helped my mother make the syrup cookies that they always carried in their saddlebags. Sometimes the men were gone for a month."
 
“Another granddaughter, Corrine (Mrs. Steve Canik) of Grand Chenier, whose parents were Louise Portier and Arceneaux Miller, remembers living near her grandparents. "The old homestead, which we visited often, was a large house with four big bedrooms upstairs and four more downstairs. There was a huge dining room and kitchen, plus the usual outhouses in back." Her father, Arceneaux, was a cattlemen, as were several other sons of Eugene - Severin, Prevat and Leazima [M. Miller comment: Leazima is a daughter who married Alcie Theriot] - and also sons-in-law Pete Broussard, Charles Richard, Sosthene Broussard, David Doland and Steven Carter. Two of Eugene's sons were Dr. Martin O. Miller, who practiced in New Orleans, and Dr. Laurent O. Miller, who practiced medicine in Grand Chenier from 1911 until his death in 1949.”

“Dr. Miller also told of the first pair of shoes he got when he was six. "They were quickly discarded as they were stiff and uncomfortable, with uppers and a row of buttons down the side." His daughter, Annie Laura Miller of Baton Rouge, recalls their Sunday dinners, with most of the uncles and aunts and cousins gathering at Eugene Miller's home. "We thought we were rich when grandpa got us a ball and bat so we could play baseball." Another of his daughters, Marilyn Miller, lives in New Orleans. “
 
“There is one living child of Eugene Miller - Melicia (Mrs. Sosthene Broussard), who is 93 years old and lives on Pecan Island near her son, Harris Broussard, and daughter, Florence (Mrs. Steven Broussard). She recalls attending the little Miller school and then later going to Mt. Carmel Catholic School in Abbeville, before coming home and marrying Sosthene Broussard of Creole.”
​
“Dr. Barbara Doland Coatney of McNeese, the daughter of Estelle Miller and David Y. Doland and granddaughter of Eugene and Angeline Miller, has collected a great deal of history on the family. She estimates the descendants run into the hundreds in this area alone.”
 
“The Miller family made a great impact upon the cattle raising business in Grand Chenier, beginning at a time when cattle were wild, long-horned and skinny marsh animals, and building it into a profitable industry. Eugene Miller, pioneer cattleman, had a long list of descendants who have branched out into many different professions and who are still contributing much to the improvement of the world around them.”

​Martin Richard, Sr., Annie Mae’s oldest brother, said of his oldest brother Henry “Harry” Richard: “Regarding my brother, Harry, receiving the Purple Heart.  As I recall during the battle at St Lo [it served as a strategic crossroads in July 1944. American bombardments caused heavy damage and the city was 95% destroyed. With the high number of casualties, the martyr city was called “The Capital of Ruins”], Harry was in a jeep that ran over a land mine and was injured. He was very lucky because the other passengers in the jeep were critically injured or killed. Harry was chosen as the exemplary soldier in his division or company and was sent home for two weeks vacation during the Battle of the Bulge.  Lucky again.  The group I was in along with everything the 8th Air Force could muster flew at 10,000 feet to more accurately blast a path through the German Front Lines at St  Lo allowing American troops to break through.  Normally we flew at 25 to 30.000 feet.  So he was on the ground at  St Lo and I was in the air.”
 
Martin Richard was a highly decorated veteran as well. The following was written by Cyndi Sellers in the Cameron Parish Pilot in July 2009”
 
“Martin Richard, a resident of Metairie, formerly of Grand Chenier, was among 38 American veterans receiving high tribute in France as part of this year's D-Day commemorations. He was one of three Louisiana World War II veterans chosen to receive France's highest decoration, the Legion of Honor.

The veterans enjoyed an all expense paid trip, courtesy of the French government, had their own personal military escort, and were treated royally.

On June 6, the veterans participated in ceremonies commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day, also attended by President Obama, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, and Prince Charles of England. The ceremonies took place at the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

, 
On June 22, the Louisiana House of Representatives and Senate honored the three veterans with concurrent resolutions, and afterward they were guests of Gov. Bobby Jindal in his office. The resolution recognized Richard for participating in 9 firing missions in France and 26 firing missions Germany while serving in the Army. In August of 1944 he was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire over France and was captured. He spent nine months as a prisoner of war in Grostyskow, Poland.

Richard has been honored with numerous awards for outstanding bravery and valor during the war, including the Prisoner of War medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.

He is a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and has served as commander of the South Louisiana Chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War.

The resolution closes with the words: ‘Therefore, be it resolved that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Martin Richard of Metairie upon his receipt of the French Legion of Honor medal for his military service on D-Day during World War II, does hereby record for posterity the outstanding achievements and remarkable courage of this heroic gentleman, does hereby extend heartfelt and enduring appreciation for the tremendous honor that he brings to his family, friends, and community, the state of Louisiana, and the United States of America, and does hereby recognize that the experiences and achievements of this extraordinary veteran will never be forgotten and will forever remain a source of great inspiration and pride on the minds and hearts of all who know, admire and love him.’ "
_______________________________________
Purchase your copy of the Pierre V. Miller Family book, see more details about the book,  or visit  Lulu.com for other SW Louisiana family books.

Download your copy of this blog below.

Coatney, 90, of Lake Charles, died Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in Tomball, Texas, after a brief illness.

Dr. Coatney was a native of Grand Chenier, where she received her primary and secondary education. In 1947, she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from Southwestern Louisiana Institute. Following her graduation, she took her first position as County Extension Agent out of Cameron.

She furthered her education, receiving a second Bachelor of Science Degree from McNeese State University in 1962 from the Department of Animal Science, then a MS in education from Northwestern State University in 1970, followed by a Master of Education from the same university in 1972. She then attained her
Doctor of Philosophy from Texas Women’s University in 1974. She retired after 24 and a half years as Head of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at McNeese State University and in 2003 was honored by the university with Professor Emeritus of Family and Consumer Sciences at McNeese State University.

She was a member of many professional and social organizations including Delta Kappa Gamma, Phi Kappa Phi, Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, Calcasieu-Cameron Retired Teachers Association and McNeese State University Alumni Association. She was also a charter member of the Louisiana Seafood Board.

She is survived by one daughter, Sandy Coatney Eldred and husband Frank of Spring, Texas; two sons, David Paul Coatney and wife Cheryl of Spring, Texas, and Richard Coatney and wife Nancy of Lafayette; seven grandchildren; two great grandchildren; two brothers, Bill Doland of Grand Chenier, and Bobby Doland of Houston, Texas.

Preceding her in death were her parents, David Yandell Doland Sr. and Estelle Miller Doland; one brother; one sister; and her husband, Gene Coatney.

A Mass of Christian Burial was observed Saturday, Sept. 16, at Our Lady of Good Counsel with Father Alan Trouille serving as celebrant. Interment followed services at McCall Cemetery in Grand Chenier.

DR. COATNEY IS NAMED TO POST
     Dr. Barbara Doland Coatney, a native of Cameron Parish and the holder of five college degrees in the field of home economics and education, has been named to head the Department of Home Economics at McNeese.
     Prior to joining the McNeese faculty, she was a teacher of home economics at Alexandria Junior High School and an instructor in the Northwestern State University continuing education program.
     Born in Grand Chenier, Dr. Coatney earned a bachelor of science degree in home economics at USL and a second bachelor’s degree at McNeese. She also holds the master of science in home economics education and master of science education in media education granted by NSU and the doctor of
philosophy in the field of home economics from Texas Women’s University, Denton, Tex. [​Cameron Parish Pilot, March 26, 2009 (reprinted from the March 25, 1976 edition)]

Purchase Pierre V. Miller family book.

Beverly is the daughter of Lindsey Veillon (1903-1983) and Gladys Miller (1910-1992) and the granddaughter of Gus Miller (1884-1944) and Anata Vidrine (1889-1949). Lindsey Veillon was a Chevrolet dealer in Ville Platte. Gladys Miller was described in the Clarion News in 1929 as "a young lady of charming personality and popular among the younger set. She is a graduate of the Industrial Institute of Lafayette and is a member of the faculty of the Vidrine High School." Gladys is the daughter of the late Gus Miller who constructed the lake which bears his name and covers several thousand acres of land. The lake, which is an engineering feat, is filled with sac-a-lait and other fish. 
------------------------------Obituary---------------------
​VILLE PLATTE - Funeral services for Beverly Veillon Burnham, 87, Will be held at 10AM Saturday, August 12, 2017 at our Lady Queen of all Saints Catholic Church, with burial to follow in the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Father Mitch Guidry will officiate.
Mrs. Burnham a resident of Ville Platte passed away Sunday, August 6, 2017 at Heritage Manor nursing home.Beverly was a life-long teacher having taught in both Calcasieu and Evangeline Parish Schools. She retired from Evangeline Parish after being instrumental in setting up and teaching in the local Reading Lab. Reading was an avid passion and love of hers. Her lawn and flower gardens were well known in the area for their plushness, color, and beauty. Complete strangers would stop by requesting a clipping or a bulb. Of course,the inevitable questions on ‘how to’ would follow. Bev was an incredible cook who was able to make a hot dog jambalaya taste like a gourmet treat! But, her biggest passion was the love she had for the six children she raised as a single parent. The pinnacle came when she threw herself a graduation party after her youngest graduated from LSU. She had achieved her lifelong education goal of having all six of her ‘chicks’ earn a university degree. She was as kind as she was generous as her many friends would attest to. All those who knew her loved and respected her. A life that was well lived as an inspiration and mentor. Her sage wisdom and loving guidance will be missed. Beverly was the consummate host and a true Southern Belle.
She will be missed by her son James B. Shipp and wife Brenda of Ville Platte; daughters Martha S. Miller and husband Keith of Ville Platte, Paula S. DeShetler and husband Scott of Colorado, Juliana S. Darbonne and husband Randy of Texas, Rosemary S. Benoit and husband Ben of Lafayette, stepdaughter Annette Aucoin; brother Michael Veillon of Ville Platte; sister Barbara Friedman of Bunkie; 15 grandchildren Daniel Shipp, Hope Shipp Fontenot, Kevin Shipp, Heather Shipp Dupre, James Miller, Jeremy Miller, Zachary DeShetler, Katherine DeShetler, Anne DeShetler, Justin Lafleur, Dr. Elizabeth L. Pritchett, Lia Soileau, Amy Murphy, Sarah Mowery, Tyler Stephens II, 7 step grandchildren; 31 great grandchildren, five step great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents Lindsey and Gladys Miller Veillon, husband Gerald Burnham Sr., daughter Susan Lafleur, stepson Gerald Burnham Jr., brother Charles Veillon, grandchild Christopher Shipp, step grandchild John Burnham.
Visitation will be held Friday, August 11, 2017 from 5 PM to 8 PM, with a rosary being recited at 6:30, and will resume again Saturday, August 12, 2017 from 8 AM until the time of services.
The guestbook can be signed online at www.lavillefuneralhome.net
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Evangeline Parish library or the Sacred Heart Foundation.

Printed in a local newspaper and written by Bernice Ardoin, Lifestyles Editor; printed in May 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Being a Mom:  The most important job Beverly Burnham ever had
The most important job Beverly Burnham has had in her entire life is being a mother.

Beverly will tell anyone that her family is the center of her life.

"I felt that being a mother was the most important job in the world. Mothers mold their children and have so much influence on what they become," Beverly says with a big smile on her face.

"My mother always told me it was so hard to be a good mother. After I had my children, I realized that was so true," she adds. "Ville Platte is a good place to raise a family," the retired school teacher continues. "People helped me so much. I believe that it takes a village to raise a child." "We have a close family," she said. When one is injured, they all hurt."

Beverly loves family get-togethers. "We do that often," she grinned with excitement. "My family is so supportive." 

The Ville Platte native is the former Beverly Veillon. She left her hometown at the age of 16 to attend college in Natchitoches and finished her studies at Grand Coteau. With her degree in elementary education, Beverly went to work in Calcasieu Parish and later taught in Pine Prairie, at James Stephens and Ville Platte Lower. "I loved working in the reading lab." she smiled as she reminisced back to those teaching days. "It was beautiful teaching in there," she adds.

At the age of 20, Beverly married Blake Shipp and the couple had six children: Jim Shipp, who resides in Ville Platte; Martha Miller of Slidell; Paula DeShetler of Denver, Colorado; Susan LaFleur of Ville Platte; Julie Darbonne of Kingwood, Texas; and Rosemary Benoit of Lafayette.

She has 16 grandchildren and eight step-grandchildren. Next month, Beverly will become a great-grandmother.
In 1965, after Beverly and Blake were divorced, she moved back to Ville Platte with her children. "We were living in Maplewood, near Lake Charles," she explains. "I was teaching there."

Ten years later, in 1975, Beverly married Gerald Burnham. He had two children: Junior Burnham and Annette Aucoin. "We had to add a big room onto the house, so there would be enough room for everyone," Beverly grins. "I have no regrets about having a big family," she emphasizes. "I'd do it again tomorrow if I had the chance."

Beverly's second husband passed away five years ago. "The only description I can give you is that he was a true gentleman. I just can't say enough about him." "I was blessed to have him." "There's so many rewards in being a mother," Beverly admits. "It's just wonderful."

Since her retirement from the school system, Beverly says she has two loves loves. "My kids are older now and I have plenty of time to do all the things I always wanted to do. But, I'll never enjoy anything more than being their mother," she says seriously.

President Woodrow Wilson, with Congress' approval declared war on Germany on April 2, 1917. For all who served the United States of America in uniform as well as those not in uniform, we honor and salute the service men in this article and the many men and women not mentioned in this article. Without their sacrifices, we could not enjoy the many freedoms we enjoy. 

The known descendants and family of the Jacob Miller and Anne M. Theigen who served in that war are listed below:
​
WW I Veterans (1914 to 1918 [U.S. Entry on April 2, 1917])
Doucet, Cloublia (Hathaway). US Army. Husband of Ellia Lavergne, daughter of William Lavergne and Froisine Miller, the 2nd great granddaughter of Frederic Miller and Victoria Mayer.

Guillory, Issac (Lake Charles). US Army. Husband of Hazel Fuselier and son of Theophile Guillory and Feodora Miller.  He is the 3rd great grandson of Jean Miller and Marie M Boutin.

McCall, Henry Albert (Grand Chenier), US Army.  He is the son of William Robert McCall and Catherine Norwood. He married Mary Gladys Miller, the daughter of Alcide Miller and Emma Nunez.  Alcide Miller is the grandson of Michel Miller and Hiacinthe Lejeune.

Miller, Adam. (Acadia Parish) U. S. Army Pvt. Infantry. He is the son of Aurelien Miller and Zelphie Gotte and the 2nd great grandson of Frederic Miller and Victoria Mayer.

Miller, Benjamin. (Eunice), U.S. Army. Headstone reads "Louisiana Pvt 1cl Evac Hosp 29". He served in WWI and died May 24, 1941. He is the son of Dulva Miller and Marie Ise Fruge and the 2nd great grandson of Jean  Miller  and Marie F Mayer.

Miller, Cleophas Mark. U.S. Navy, Chief Water Tender. He is the son of Emile Miller & Leonie Lafleur and the great grandson of  Jean Miller and M. Magdelaine Boutin.

Miller, Eraste (Eunice). U.S. Army. PFC Co M 103 Infantry. He is the son of Jean Baptiste Miller and Marguerite Courville and the great grandson of Jean Miller and M. Magdelaine Boutin.

Miller, Felix. (Port Arthur, TX). US Army. Texas PVT 1 Casual CO. He is son of Joseph Miller and Louisa Romain and the 2nd great grandson of Jean Miller and Marie Francoise Mayer.

Miller, Minos D., Sr. (Jennings). Major. US Army.  He is the son of Pierre Valcour Miller, Jr. and Beatrice Sturlese and the grandson of Civil War Veteran Pierre Valcour and Emelia Broussard.  

Miller, Rovelia  (Bayou des Cannes near Pine Point and Mamou, LA), US Army. He is the son of  Jean Pierre Miller and Caroline Guillory and the grandson of Antoine Miller and Augustine Fuselier. He died from the flu pandemic.

Miller, Sevenia (Grand Chenier), US Army. Pvt in 165 Inf 42 Div.  He is the son of Civil War Veteran Damon Miller and Onasia Miller. Damon is the grandson of Jean Miller and Marie Magdelaine Boutin.
​​
Miller, Sydney Dominic. Beaumont, TX).  He is son of Joseph Miller and Louisa Romain and the 2nd great grandson of Jean Miller and Marie Francoise Mayer. Brother of Felix Miller, above.
​

Mathew Hertzog Chopin. Private, US Army. Lisa Finley McCauley's grandfather.

Ubaldo Pierotti. Served in the Italian Army.
------------------Family Books-------------------------
Jacob Miller Family books, Vol I, II, and III
Jacob Miller Family photo books, Vol I, II, and III
Pierrottie, Pierrotti, Pierotti Family
​Pierrottie, Pierrotti, Pierotti Photos

​
Jacob, George and William Miller families were early settlers in southwest Louisiana. Jacob Miller, and wife Anne Marie Thaison, claimed to be “Roman Catholic and Apostolic, and native of Germany.” George Miller, and wife Catherine Ritter, probably born in Maryland, was from London and reared at Hanover, Germany. William or Guilliam Miller, and wife Anne Kevin or Caven of Ireland, was born in Scotland.
 
Both Jacob and George Miller lived near Grand Coteau after the 1750’s. William did not live in LA but, his wife and family did. William died in Pensacola, FL in 1771 and his wife died in St. Martin, LA. Two of the three known daughters, both Marguerite and Elizabeth Genevieve Miller, married and lived in St. Martin and St. Landry parishes, respectively. Marguerite married Pierre Guidry in 1781 and they had 12 children. Elizabeth married Robert Burleigh, Jr. before 1781 and they had seven children.
 
Some of the William Miller descendants married into Jacob and George Miller families. Pierre Richard, a William Miller descendant, married Eva Colligan in 1865. Eva was a descendant of both Jacob and George Miller families. Therefore, their six children are descendants from the three Miller southwest Louisiana families.
 
Many in southwest Louisiana may know of, or their parents know of, some names from the Jacob Miller family. The Chataignier Miller families included Antoine Miller and Augustine Manuel’s descendants, Antoine Salomon (sons Camille, Faustin and Salomon), Emile (sons J. Bte. “Gus” and Cleophas) Martel (sons Aliday, Martel, Jr., and Gilbert Lee) Homer (son Mayo Homer, daughter Felonise & husband Onest Sonnier), and Jean Pierre (son Octave and his son Malcolm Lionel).
 
Farther south and west in Cameron parish, Antoine’s brother and Civil War Veteran, Pierre Valcour Miller settled. From that family, the well known cattleman Eugene Miller whose son Laurent was a veterinarian and son Martin O. Miller a well know New Orleans physician and was Governor Earl Long’s personal physician. Pierre V. Miller’s son P.V. Miller, Jr.’s son Minos Drosin Miller, Sr. was an attorney who practiced in Lake Charles and Vinton. He was politically well connected. Minos’ son M.D. Miller, Jr. was a WW II pilot, shot down on a mission, presumed dead, and buried at sea. After the U.S. victory, he was freed from a Japanese prisoner of war camp. He practiced law, followed by his election as Judge of the 31st Judicial District Court of Louisiana (Jennings).
 
With so many Miller descendants, it can become overwhelming when evaluating ones family history. You may ask if "So and So" is your relative? The answer requires hours of research. Examples include Miller families in Evangeline parish. The Bonnes Nouvelles recently published “Jack Miller's Food Products Celebrates 75 Years” (June 2016) and “Zick Miller Family - Two Hands to the Plow” (September 2003). The Ville Platte Gazette listed J. Bte. Gus Miller as the Police Jury President (July 1976) and the Daily World (April 1987) printed, “Memories of Miller’s Lake revived”. Roderick Luke Miller’s obituary in the Daily World, January 2005) recounted Cleophas’ son, Rod, and his success as a family man, an attorney, and the first Republican elected to the House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish. Not all of your questions will be answered about the Miller stories published, but let us explore some of the family details mentioned about those families.
 
Dosite “Zick” Miller married Olivia Faul (also Fall) in 1901. One of the 12 children is Jacque Dosite “Jack” Miller who married Joyce Chapman in 1937. Dosite (Do za’ ta) is a descendant of George Miller, Sr. (London) and Catherine Ritter (Germany) both born in the mid 1750s. Olivia’s 2nd great grandparents are John Faul and M. Therese Miller married in 1802. M. Therese Miller is the daughter of Jacob Miller and Anne M. Thaison. Thus, all of Zick and Olivia’s descendants are George and Jacob Miller descendants. That makes “Gus” Miller, the successful Miller Lake advocate, and Jack Miller, of Jacks’ BBQ, 3rd cousins twice removed.
 
Additionally, Olivia Faul is related to Jacob Miller family via her 3rd great grandmother, Marie Barbe Miller, daughter of Jacob. Marie Barbe Frozard, daughter of M. Barbe Miller and wife of Toussaint Quebedeau, is the father of Marie Catherine Quebodeau who married Jean George Fall, great grandfather of Olivia.
 
Dosite “Zick” Miller is 1st cousin three times removed with Marie Magdelaine Boutin, wife of Jean Miller, son of Jacob. This relationship is via his great grandmother Sophie Andrus who married George Miller, Jr. Sophie is the granddaughter of Marguerite M. Boutin, daughter of Paul Boutin, Jr. and the father of Marie Magdelaine Boutin. Gus Miller’s great grandparents are Jean Miller and M. Magdelaine Boutin. Accordingly, Antoine Miller is 2nd cousin twice removed with Dosite “Zick” Miller.
 
Zick and Olivia’s grandson, Alexandre “Alex” Miller married Audrey Castile in 1964. As previously established, Alex is a descendent of both George and Jacob Miller. Audrey’s grandfather Onezime Castille married Laura Guidry, daughter of Moise Guidry and Marie Julia Miller. Julia is the great granddaughter of Charles Miller, Sr. and Anastasie Andrus. Charles is the son of George Miller, Sr. and Catherine Ritter. Thus Audrey Castille is the 5th great granddaughter of George Miller, Sr. and Catherine Ritter. Audrey’s husband is the 4th great grandson of George Miller, Sr. and Catherine Ritter.
 
Audrey Castille is also a descendant of the Jacob Miller via her maternal grandparents, Moise Savoy and Eliza Leger. Eliza’s grandparents are Honore Meche and Josephine Meche, the daughter of David Meche and Marie Rose Frozard. Marie R. Frozard is the daughter of Joseph Frozard and Marie Barbie Miller, the daughter of Jacob Miller and Anna M. Thaison. Accordingly, Audrey Castille is the 5th great granddaughter of Jacob Miller and Anna M. Thaison.

In summary it appears that some family trees have few branches. Regardless of the where one was born, cousins did marry cousins. Many, like my parents, were simply unaware of the family relationships. The automobile did not play a significant role in separating one major family from another until the 20th century. Moreover, cousins who did marry are separated by several generations. Living in an agrarian society until the early 1900s, families with different names were neighbors and in those early years, few traveled away from home. Whether you are Louisiana born or not, if your last name and your spouse’s last name is the same as an early settler, you probably married a distant cousin.

Emma McCall Arceneaux, 86, of Lake Charles, died at home on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016.
    She was a native of Grand Chenier and graduated from Grand Chenier High School in 1947. She furthered her education at McNeese State University, but finished her home economics degree at Louisiana State University. Afterward, she taught in Cameron Parish schools for seven years.
    She attended Our Lady Queen of Heaven and Christ the King Catholic Churches. She was also part of the Catholic Daughters of
America.
    Survivors include a daughter, Mona Arceneaux; a son, Robert Arceneaux; two brothers, Norman McCall and wife Joyce and Henry (T-Boy) McCall and wife Faye; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
    She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Gladys [Miller] McCall; husband, Charles L. Arceneaux; daughter, Phyllis Ann Arceneaux; son, Patrick Ross Arceneaux; one brother; and one sister.
    A funeral Mass was held on Monday, Nov. 21, at Christ the King Catholic Church. Rev. Wayne LeBleu officiated. Burial followed in
Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Grand Chenier.

Usually the first thing I do after getting to know someone is ask to see any old pictures they have of themselves and of their families. I love oral history, especially that wrapped around a good photograph. I was elated when I discovered the stash of photographs my mother-in-law, Lou Ella McCauley, kept. Even more exciting was the fact that she was a war bride, and I couldn’t wait to learn the story of those early years.
 
Lou Ella Fontenot grew up in the community of Pointe aux Tigres. She remembers being at school in Basile when war was declared. Everyone, she recalls, knew there was trouble in Europe, but an attack by Japan came as a complete surprise.
 
Helin McCauley, my father-in-law, was raised in L’Anse ‘Prien Noir, a community north of Duralde. He can’t recall how he learned of the war, but speculates it was over his family’s radio – they were the only household in the area with one.
 
Lou met her future husband in the summer of 1942. She was staying with her aunt Lillian [Naquin] Miller in Duralde while her uncle Murphy was away at work. Lillian had been left with 2 daughters and a farm to manage, and needed help. For entertainment, Lou would occasionally go to Piersall’s dance hall in Mamou (located on the same block as Fred’s Lounge) with her cousin “Sis” Fontenot. She remembers that Eugene Daigle, who owned a bus, would drive kids from the country to the hall each Wednesday night. The romance started when Helin asked Lou to dance.
 
Like many young couples, Lou and Helin found themselves separated by the war. Helin was drafted in 1943 and chose to join the Navy. He had originally hoped to join the Cavalry, but was informed that it longer existed. On February 26, Helin left for basic training in San Diego, CA. He had only ever ventured as far as Pollock, LA (where he worked for the Conservation Corps in the 1930s), and while the trip to California was not difficult to make, he did regret having to be so far from home.
 
Life in the Navy was not hard for Helin. He had grown up with hard work on the farm, knew how to shoot from hunting, could already swim. Perhaps the most difficult thing was getting home for leave. He would take the train, the bus, sometimes catch a ride with pilots to various bases. More often he’d hitchhike, which was safe for servicemen (and rather patriotic for drivers) despite the fact that there were fewer cars on the road due to tire and gas rationing. One trip took 17 rides to get to Oakdale, another took 34!
 
Helin’s time with the Navy was memorable. On more than one occasion, due to no fault of his own, he was prevented from joining his fellow sailors at the front line. His first assignment was on an aircraft carrier off the coast of California. Their ship was used for “qualifying”, or training, pilots and Helin’s job was to repair and maintain their airplanes. He next traveled to Brisbane and Pert, Australia (remembered vividly for it boiled mutton consumed for weeks afterward) on route to Karachi, India (now Pakistan). His ship was transporting important equipment and aircraft to the area, and the crew learned upon leaving Australia that no ship had ever made the journey past 5 days. Helin recalls that, unescorted, the boat [ship] maintained a zigzag course; history was made when they arrived unharmed in India. The crew later learned that for part of the way they had been trailed by a submarine.
 
Perhaps Helin’s most lively encounter during his time was the hazing which took place upon crossing the equator. Each initiate stood trial with a judge whose biggest complaint was, “That hair! A working soldier shouldn’t have that!” Each had their hair shaved sloppily, and was passed through various stations of punishment, including one for whippings. In the end, Helin received a card and certificate certifying his new rite of passage.
 
Helin then joined Cajou 5, located on North Island in San Diego, where he worked as an airplance mechanic through “shore duty”. Not long after, he joined a “commando squadron” at a special camp in Point McGoo. Cajou F69, as it was called, was a fighting unit whose purpose was to clear a way on Pacific Islands for landing strips. Instead of shipping out with the group (his squadron was on leave at the time), Helin was sent to 29 Palms in the Mojave Desert where a new type of rocket was being developed and tested. The closest highway was 53 miles from the air base. The war ended before any other missions could come Helin’s way.
 
While most young men from home were in the service, there were few locals in Helin’s immediate area. One day, while out for a walk, he met Octave Fruge from Gueydan. Heline approached him from behind and asked “Et-ou tu deveins, Fruge?” (Where do you come from Fruge?) Octave, never having left home before, was extremely homesick, and it’s easy to imagine how wonderful it felt for him to hear his native tongue again! The two became life-long friends, visiting each other often after the war. The only other Frenchman on board Helin’s ship was S.B. Ardoin of Mamou.
 
Louisiana French culture was certainly new to many sailors, and Helin recalled the time that some of his crew first heard French music. His family had sent some recordings of Amede Ardoin, Leo Soileau and other to his ship – at first, he said, the goup became very quiet, only looking at each other, bewildered. Eventually their feet were tapping along with the music.
 
The old saying “Distance makes the heart grow fonder” certainly held true for this young couple during the war. In March 1944, when Helin returned home on emergency leave, they decided to marry immediately. They obtained a marriage license in Ville Platte and drove directly to St. Ann’s in Mamou. Unsuccessful here, they continued on to St. Anthony’s in Eunice. It was during Lent, a time when marriages weren’t usually held, but the assistant priest performed the ceremony anyway (quick marriages were common during the war, after all). Their witnesses were two individuals who happened to be making the Way of the Cross at the moment. Helin had to immediately return to California, leaving his new wife to care for her mother at home.
 
Letters were the only means of communication the family had with Helin during their separation, so he devised a code to warn his family of impending movement. If a form of endearment was included in the greeting, such as “Dearest Lou”, they knew theat he would be shipping out soon.
 
The couple was united three months later, when Lou made the long, tiring journey to San Diego. Trains, used for transporting troops, offered little space for civilians. Lou remembers having to stand holding a strap all the way to Beaumont. The journey across Texas lasted 32 hours, after which time Lou had no further desire to ever see desert again.
 
The couple was assigned a room in an old house which, despite its simplicity, offered many amenities that the couple had never had before: a telephone, electricity, running water, a bathroom in the house with hot water… Life in the city definitely differed from their lives back home.
 
Rebecca, their first baby, was born in April. Two months later, Helin got word that he was shipping out and the couple agreed that Lou should go back to Louisiana. The train ride home for mother and baby was unforgettable. At supper one evening, an officer explained to her that she was on the wrong section of [the] train – these cars were heading to Chicago! Panicked, unprepared for such a declaration, Lou moved to the correct train cars only to find them overcrowded with no available seats. The two spent the night on the floor between two cars – well shaken and dusty by journey’s end!
 
I wondered how everyday life was affected by the war. The couple explained that farmers and their families suffered less from rationing than those in the cities. While there were plenty of eggs, milk, and meat, canning materials (metal lids, rubber gaskets) were in short supply. Sugar, a precious commodity to all and was often hidden in jars buried in the ground.
 
While in California, the couple was well supplied with meat-rationing coupons from their families, often leaving Lou the envy of other shoppers. Of course, with the men abroad, it was difficult and emotional time for wives, children, and mothers at home.
 
Aviation machinist mate 3rd class [Petty Officer] was discharged on December 3, 1945. He eventually settled in the community of Soileauwhere the couple raised five children; Rebecca (Grand Chenier), Gentry (Tampa, FL), Monica (Reeves), Malcolm (Alexandria), and Cory (L’Anse ‘Prien Noir). Helin and Lou Ella will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary next month.
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The McCauley Family book available for purchase at Lulu.com.

Wilda Anna Martel died at a Tampa hospital on October 29, 2016. She was born in Eunice, LA to Gervis P. "Slim" Martel and Ellenor Fontenot on April 23, 1935.

She is survived by her half-sister, Sandra Martel Roger and husband Nick of Tampa; three stepsiblings; one half-nephew; and four half-grand nephews and nieces.

Wilda Anna was preceded in death by her parents Gervis and Ellenor; her loving stepmother and caretaker, Lillian Martel; her caretaker and great-grandmother, Ernestine Aguillard Savoy; her half-brothers, Rawland and John Martel; and her half-niece, Tara Spicer Mramor.

She will join all her heavenly family in a reunion as God promised in Micah 4:6-7. "I will make the lame (people with disabilities) my remnant…" They are God's chosen ones, his remnants.

Funeral arrangements will be handled by Quirk & Son Funeral Home in Eunice. Interment will be in Savoy
Cemetery. A Memorial Service will be held in Eunice in March of 2017.

At the time of her birth Ellenor Fontenot and her husband Gervis Martel knew that she was God's special gift. Wilda Anna Martel was born in April 1935. Her father, 23 years old at the time and working at what men did at that age for family income. It was three years after Huey Long completed his Governorship term and was now a U.S. Senator. Huey Long was planning to challenge F.D. Roosevelt for the Presidency until his assassination in September 1935. All people were struggling to make ends meet during the depression. It was going to become more challenging for this Martel family.
 
Gervis and Ellenor married in 1931. They were probably unaware that they were 2nd cousins. Their common ancestry is Pierre Savoy (1832-1876) and Eugenie Miller (1836-1924). Eugenie Miller is a descendant of Jacob Miller and Anne Marie Thaison/Theigen.
 
Wilda Anna was almost 2 1/2 years old when her mother Ellenor died in December 1937.  Ellenor was two months shy of 22 years old. Gervis probably had help while attending to a sick wife and an infant daughter. Ellenor's father and mother, David Fontenot and Anna Savoy probably lived nearby. Anna's mother, Ernestine Aguillard Savoy was also nearby. Ernestine's husband, Julien, Wilda Anna's great grandfather, died in 1933.
 
Savoy Cemetery, Eunice, is the final resting place for all persons mentioned in this family. Wilda Anna's great grandmother, died in 1964. Prior to his death in 1994, Gervis, aka "Slim" and "Marty", made plans for Wilda Anna's burial. Her eternal resting place is between him and her great grandmother; Tante Ernestine. That  was what she was called by family member. My mother introduced me to her in the mid-1950s. It was courtesy at that time  to call her "Tante"  because my step-father Gervis called her "Tante". I did not know it at the time but Tante Ernestine was my half 3rd cousin once removed. Our common ancestry is Pierre Placide Savoy and Abelaide Babineaux.
 
Very near Ernestine's tomb is her daughter Anna Savoy Fontenot and Anna’s husband David A. Fontenot. Ellenor Fontenot, their daughter is buried nearby. Ellenor's obituary printed in the Eunice News clearly states that she was married to Gervis Martel. We may never know why Ellenor’s headstone excluded her married name - Martel.
 
My step-father Gervis never talked about the difficulties encountered after his 1st wife's death nor the challenges he faced prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Navy in October 1942. He was honorably discharged in September 1945. Many young men in his age group felt a responsibility to defend their country in WW II.
 
Gervis made pay grade E-6, 1st Class Petty Officer, Carpenter's Mate, during his 3 year hitch. The USS Carina, on which Gervis served most of his enlistment, a cargo ship, supported the Pacific Fleet. It was hit by the enemy several times. A Carpenter's Mate was responsible for the ship's repair while at sea. The USS Carina received three battle stars for WW II service, thus it saw battle action with the enemy on more than one occasion. With the skills learned in the Navy, Gervis worked as a carpenter after his discharge.
 
Wilda Anna was cared for and living in Tante Ernestine's old farm house near Eunice when I first met her in the 1950's. It was out in the country. The house seemed very large with a huge fire place. There was a walkway to the kitchen, a smaller building near the large house. My mother, Mary Lillian Naquin, married Gervis, known as "Slim" to many, in 1948, shortly after her divorce from my father, Murphy Miller, Sr.
 
Also in the 1950's Gervis was offered employment with a Tampa firm that manufactured and installed retail store decor and floor display units. He purchased property near Brandon, FL where the family relocated in 1957. Wilda Anna was still in LA. After Gervis and Lillian became FL residents, Wilda Anna too was relocated to FL. She was in a State home in Marianne, FL, then Acadia, FL. She later resided in a Fort Myers home serving people with developmental disabilities for about 45 years. Wilda Anna relocated to Tampa for health reasons in 2006.
 
Gervis Martel and family came often to visit family in LA. His brother Dewey owned the Shell station on Hwy 190. In June 1957 the Gervis Martel family stayed with Dewey and his wife Rose Sittig as Hurricane Audrey delivered its destruction to Eunice. Vellion "Popsi" Martel and his wife Virginia LeDoux were included in the family visits. Prior to their deaths, Gervis' father Etienne and his twin brother Theogene, attended a family gathering in 1952.
 
At 81.5 years old, Wilda Anna will be laid to rest in Savoy Cemetery, Eunice, LA.  Her earthly struggles are over. She will join all her family in a heavenly reunion as God promised in Micah 4:6-7 (NIRV). " 'The time is coming when I will gather those who are disabled,' announces the LORD. 'I will bring together those who were taken away as prisoners. I will gather those I have allowed to suffer. I will make the disabled my faithful people. I will make those who were driven away from their homes a strong nation. I will rule over them on Mount Zion. I will be their King from that time on and forever.' " They are God's chosen ones, his remnants.

More information on the Martel Family of Louisiana can be found on Lulu.com.