Terrebonne Genealogical Society 
  
TGS Newsletter 
May 1998 
 
Vol. 17 No. 3 May, 1998        Visit our home page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~laterreb/tgs.htm Newsletter Editor Ed Hicks, 5306 Hwy.. 1, Raceland, LA 70394-2033
E-mail: edgarhicks@worldnet.att.net                 Phone: (504) 532-3586

Membership and/or address changes:
Please send by mail to TGS, Station 2 Box 295, Houma, LA 70360-0295


NEXT MEETING Saturday, May 30, 1998

North Branch Library, Gray, LA 10:00 a.m.

Meeting April 25, 1998: Members Ed and Emily Quin from Houston were present. A guest, Stacy Thibodaux, was excited to find some new cousins.

Fred Duplechin, originally from Lafayette, treated us to a genealogy video which he put together on his d'Esplechin family, dating back to 1344 A.D. in Tournai, Belgium and the village of Esplechin, in the region known in Roman times as Gaul. Fred has video taped our seminars in the past. In 1991 he and a cousin went to France and Belgium for family research, at which time he video taped the countryside, ancestral homes, coats of arms, and documents, putting them together in a documentary format with sound and narration. It would be great for a PBS feature. He pointed out that in early Europe births and baptisms were recorded for purpose of inheritance, so most of the early birth records available are of nobility and are in private family archives and not public archives.

Robert Gordon and Aubrey LeBlanc from the Jefferson Parish Genealogical Society were there. Robert came dressed up in an authentic militia uniform of the Battle of New Orleans (early 1800's), which he explained in detail. His uniform included the straight shoes worn at the time with buckles across the instep, not laces, and could be worn on either foot. He brought a piece of hardtack and explained how it was made. It really is like concrete. The soldiers would soak it in liquid in order to be able to eat it.

Wade Usé had several "show and tell" items -- old electric insulators, an original discharge from 1863 (it belonged to a Union soldier named Wm. J. Harmount who was from Connecticut), and daguerreotypes from the Civil War period.

Phil announced that the sale of South Louisiana Vital Family Records, Volume 7, was going well. The proposed changes in the constitution were approved; from now on, only members in good standing may nominate from the floor. The Spring issue of Terrebonne Life Lines was distributed to those who were present and had not yet received their copies on collating day. Other members will receive theirs in the mail.

The Library has extended their hours, effective 1 June 1998. Watch for a change in our meeting time.

SOME HAPPY COLLATORS

On April 23 we met to put the Spring issue of TLL together and set a new record for getting it done quickly and efficiently. I purposely did not say "quietly." There were eleven of us: Dot Smith, Cecilia Richard, Lou Ostheimer, Godfrey Olivier, Ed Hicks, Theresa Elliott, Phil Chauvin, Marcie Cavalier, Essie Cavalier, Jess Bergeron, and Beverly Alford. Many thanks to all!

BIRTHS

Marcie and Essie Cavalier are proud to announce that they are the grandparents of April Marie Olivier, born 4 May 1998 at Terrebonne General Medical Center, Houma, at 11:51 a.m. weighing 9 lb. 5 oz. The parents are Richard Pierre Olivier and Amanda Marie Cavalier Olivier, and the paternal grandparents are Christian Louis Olivier, Jr. and Lynette Therese Hebert Olivier. Mother and daughter are doing fine.

DEATHS

For many of our members, April held sadness. Member Marilyn C. Hartman lost her father, Clifton Joseph Cheramie on 19 April 1998 in Galliano. Survivors include, besides Marilyn, another daughter, Elnora C. Defelice, a brother, Gustave A. Cheramie, sisters Elvire C. Rodrigue and Ella C. Arceneaux, 2 grandchildren and a great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sylvena Galliano Cheramie, his parents, Joseph T. and Eugeline Bychurch Cheramie, sisters Angela C. Leonard and Laurentia M. Cheramie, and grandchildren Mark and Matthew Alleman.

Long-time member Melva Rita Blanchard Kraemer died on 22 April 1998 in Houma. She is survived by her husband, Murphy P. Kraemer, daughters Leah Boquet of Kent, Wash., and Karen Haddad of Houma, brother Hilary P. Blanchard of Houma, sister Mildred B. Trosclair of Grand Caillou, 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Sylvain Augustus and Florida Marie Terrebonne Blanchard, son Wayne Paul Kraemer, and sister Velma Pellegrin. A retired business teacher, she was one of the first of our members to enter the computer phase of genealogical record keeping, and was helpful to many of us.

Member Meril Leonard Hebert (Mrs. Gene) lost her mother, Antoinette Trahan Leonard on 30 April1998 in Houma. Besides Meril, she is survived by sons Norman "Tookie" and Michael "Mike" Hebert; daughters Mrs. Steve (Judy) Larpenter and Elizabeth Miorana of Houma, Mrs. Tommy (Glenda) Forse of Gibson, and Sybil Stein Metz of Jackson, MS; brothers Rufus Trahan and Norman "Buddy" Giroir, sister Stella Ellender, and 19 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and 5 step-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Herman Leonard; her parents, Delpharies and Adeline Breaux Trahan; a son Herbert Leonard; 4 brothers, Allan, Leonce, James and Robert Trahan; and a sister, Bernice Marcel.

NEWS OF OUR MEMBERS

Wilma Boudreaux is recovering from eye surgery at her daughter’s home in Mathews, LA. She had a detached retina, but is looking forward to getting back to her research.

Jean Bourgeois of Lake Worth, FL, writes that she is recovering from a broken rib which she sustained in an automobile accident. Her husband had a broken thumb. They are fine, now, and feel blessed that it was not worse.

Linda Kennedy of Houston, TX, writes that she is especially interested in articles on Ascension and Assumption parishes. She and others who share that interest should watch for an important announcement which I can only hint at, right now.

SEMINARS AND REUNIONS

August is shaping up nicely. There is the Lafourche Heritage Society’s 22nd Annual Seminar on August 1, 1998 at the Howard Johnson Lodge in Thibodaux, LA, featuring Claire Mire Bettag in two sessions, and Martin Cortez and Elton J. Oubre in one each. Write the society at P.O.Box 913, Thibodaux, LA, 70302-0913, for more information. Pre-register before 27 July 1998 to get a delicious lunch.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies and The Ohio Genealogical Society have combined resources to put together a most interesting-sounding Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists entitled Immigrant Dreams: The Settlement of America, to be held on 19-22 August 1998 in Cincinnati, OH. Information about the conference is available on the OGS website at <www.ogs.org> or write the Ohio Genealogical Society, 713 Main St., Mansfield, OH 44907, phone (419)756-7294, or e-mail <ogs@ogs.org>

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