TGS Newsletter
Vol. 22 No. 3 June 2003

Visit our home page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~laterreb/tgs.htm

     At our last meeting on May 31, 2003, we enjoyed the slide presentation given by Gerald PATOUT, the current Head Librarian at the Williams Research Center of the Historic New Orleans Collection. He showed us the many different ways the HNOC could help genealogists and historians of this area. It was a most colorful and enjoyable show and we pelted him with numerous questions afterward. We are sorry that our President, Phil CHAUVIN Jr., couldn’t make it, but we prayed for his recovery as well as for all those who were sick and couldn’t make the meeting. We hope all of you are better and can make the next meeting, when we will be honored to hear Clifton THERIOT, interim archivist at the Nicholls State University. He will be discussing the holdings of the archives as well as the courthouse records that they are cataloguing. Please note the time and place above. If you haven’t attended one of our meetings in a while, we want to call your attention to the location. The new Main Library on Civic Center Boulevard is an excellent place to hold our meetings, judging from the comments of the rather large group of members and interested guests in attendance. The acoustics are good, and audio-visual accommodations are first-rate. We were treated to a show before and after the slide show, as the large projection screen and many window shades were quickly and smoothly lowered and raised at the touch of a button.

DEATH: One of the most respected and honored figures in Acadian Genealogy has passed to his reward. Glenn Russell CONRAD died on Wednesday, 4 June 2003 at his residence in New Iberia after a lengthy illness. Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Sylvia GAUTHIER CONRAD; four children, Martin CONRAD, Alicia C. STEWART and husband Andrew A. STEWART,  Margaret CONRAD, and Randolph CONRAD; and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Julian and Margaret CONRAD. Glenn CONRAD was born in New Iberia on 3 Sept. 1932. He received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and a Master of Arts degree in History from Georgetown University. He began his career in writing and publishing as the editor of the Federal Bureau of Investigation newsletter in Washington, D.C. A doctoral candidate in European History at LSU, he combined his knowledge and interest in French history with his love for Louisiana history in a long and distinguished career at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 1973 with the support of the university administration and the Department of History, he established the Center for Louisiana Studies. He continued to serve as its director until his death. He served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Louisiana Historical Association since 1993. Conrad was the author of 29 books on aspects of Louisiana history and culture, including two volumes of New Iberia Essays on the town and its people. Many of his works have been established as important resource tools for other scholars. Among his most important contributions to the historical literature of his home state are the multi volume reference works he edited. CONRAD was recognized as a University of Southwestern Louisiana Distinguished Professor in 1978, received the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor in 1984, the Louisiana Preservation Alliance Education Award in 1984 and the Historic New Orleans Collection Manuscript Award in 1992. He received the McGinty Lifetime Meritorious Service Award for contributions to Louisiana’s history and heritage in 1995, and was selected as a Louisiana Historical Association Fellow in 1999. In 2001 he received the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Humanist of the Year Award. He served as a member of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Commission, New Iberia Bicentennial of the Founding, New Iberia Sesquicentennial of Incorporation, New Iberia Historic District Commission, board of directors of the Louisiana Historical Association, board of directors of the Attakapas Historical Association and publisher of the Attakapas Gazette, the historical journal of the Acadiana region, and was a member of the Southern Historical Association. He received the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Civic Service Award in 1993.
CAFA: The Confederation of Associations of Families Acadian, otherwise known as CAFA (it works better when you write it in French) is still thriving after more than four years. It was formed sometime during the preparation and/or aftermath of the Congrès Mondial Acadien - Louisiane 1999, when we were encouraged to form family associations and the associations in turn then formed a “confederation.” They came together again to celebrate the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, and the party was great. We saw several friends from T.G.S. there, even though it must have been a hardship to travel all the way to Rayne, LA, for the affair. Each family put up a booth having to do with the bicentennial, more or less. Most of us just displayed our crafts and family histories. The booths were impressive and fun. If you went you were not disappointed. Friday night was the reception put on by our hosts in Rayne with free eats and drinks. There were very few leftover bottles of wine, I noticed. Saturday was non-stop booth-hopping and music and fun, including a short film presentation and a humorous interlude provided by Dave PETITJEAN, the well-known humorist. Lunch and supper were optional, so the Lafourche and Orleans Parish representatives opted for seafood gumbo and grilled frog legs at a nearby restaurant. Talk about good! Festivities were brought to a fitting close by a celebration of a Catholic Holy Mass tout en français — even the homily (sermon) was in French. That’s what you call “immersion.”
  
BOOKS: The 1870 Terrebonne Census book orders were filled last week and the Houma Courier Deaths should be going out this week. That leaves the CAVALIERS’ (Marcie and Essie) book on Assumption Parish Marriages up for printing next. It’s really complete and easy to use. Watch for it.
  
SPEAKERS AND SEMINARS: We’ve got a well-respected group of speakers who are members of our society. Audrey WESTERMAN and Elton OUBRE are due to speak at the Lafourche Heritage Society seminar which is coming up in August (the 2nd of August 2003, to be exact), and Essie CAVALIER spoke at a meeting of the Canary Islanders Heritage Society on Saturday, 7 June 2003.
  
LIBRARY NEWS: Darryl ESCHETE is the new head reference librarian in the Research Department of the Terrebonne Parish Library system. As such, he will be the contact person if you have any questions or suggestions concerning the Genealogy Section. Requests for books and the like can be emailed to him at this address: eeschete at state.lib.la You may remember his working in the Genealogy Section of the North Branch Library a few months ago. OK, maybe it was a year ago. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?
 The Terrebonne Parish Library System has a new website address: www.tess.terrebonne.lib.la.us Be sure to try it out and let me know how you like it. I tried it on Tuesday, 17 June 2003 and couldn’t get on, yet.
  
WEBSITES: At last month’s meeting, Audrey WESTERMAN recommended a search engine for Louisiana genealogy: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgen web/la/lasearch.htm (this is a good way to search for towns, surnames, plantations, etc.)
 Sheila RODRIGUE just discovered this one, although it looks familiar to me, I think they have some new features, such as the picture of the actual legal document that can be downloaded and printed. Awesome! Try it: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/Patent Search/ Sheila says “Fantastic scanned images of the actual patent! Amazing how clear they are!”
  
USED BOOK FAIR: Le Comité des Archives de la Louisiane will hold its second Used Book Fair on Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 July 2003, at the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane in Baton Rouge. Hours on Saturday will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The society has collected a large number of used books and periodicals (both genealogical and non-genealogical) and will offer them for sale at very low prices. The society is also accepting donations of used books and periodicals (of any type) to be sold at the book fair. Proceeds will go toward purchasing new books for the Louisiana State Archives Research Room. A used book sale held in 1999 netted the society over $500. For more information, contact society Treasurer Judy RIFFEL j.a.riffel at att.net or call (225) 356-4415.
  
SPAM: Let’s hope that robot hasn’t caught on, but all email addresses have been altered to make them “invisible” to the spammers’ programs. I have spelled out the word “at.”