TGS Newsletter
Vol. 22 No. 4 July 2003

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    While I was listening to Clifton THERIOT, Interim Archivist at the Ellender Library of Nicholls State University, and looking at the pictures and copies of letters that he brought to show us, it occurred to me that writers of historical fiction, or family histories, or just about any writer of history could make good use of these materials. A book that I read recently had many pictures of the family that were interesting and informative, but it could have been improved by a few photographs of the surroundings from the era the author was describing. I’m sure that the letters that Mr. THERIOT read from could be used by an author to help paint a word picture of the times. Now, if you are working on your family’s history and you don’t happen to be in the Lafourche-Terrebonne-Assumption area, it might be a good idea for you to check your nearest college or public library to find out the location of the nearest archives. When you find one, keep rooting around until you find pictures, letters, newspaper articles or whatever you need to help you make it the best family history in the country.
    It was a pleasure to meet a longtime member from California with whom we had been corresponding for a couple of years. Charlotte BOCAGE from Los Angeles was in the area to attend the Jazz and Heritage Festival and sneaked away to do a little research and attend our meeting. She had nothing but good words for the work the society does. Thanks, Charlotte.
  
SEMINARS 
     I hope it’s not too late when you get this, but if you haven’t pre-registered for the Lafourche Heritage Society, Inc’s Twenty-Seventh Annual Seminar on History and Genealogy (whew) you should hurry. Checks and names must be received by July 22, 2003. Make your check out for $28.00 (each participant) payable to Lafourche Heritage Society and mail it to P.O. Box 913, Thibodaux, LA 70302. If you have any questions about late registration, direct them to Clifton THERIOT, 985-448-4629, or to Doris Mae LEDET, 985-447-7595. Only participants who have pre-registered will be included in the count for a buffet lunch. Same day registration will be accepted at the door, but will not include lunch. Registration and coffee begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2003, with the program beginning promptly at 9:15 a.m. Everything should be concluded by 3:30 p.m. It looks like they have an interesting slate of speakers. First up will be Elton J. OUBRE on Folktales in the Region’s History, Language and Culture. Next, our own Audrey WESTERMAN, CGRS, will be speaking on A How-To on Genealogical Research. Later, Irene WAINWRIGHT, Assistant Archivist, New Orleans Public Library, will cover Highlights of the New Orleans Public Library Collections. Finally, a skit will be presented by Janis MEYER LASSEIGNE and cast, entitled Thibodaux and the Surrounding Area in the Time of the Louisiana Purchase, and 100 Years Later. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
     Sometime member and Houma native Claire MIRE BETTAG, CGRS, CGL, is presenting a Louisiana Purchase Workshop on September 20, 2003, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will be held at the Louisiana (Methodist) Conference Center, 2350 Coulee Crossing Road, Woodworth, LA 71485-0378, and is sponsored by the Central Louisiana Genealogical Society and the Alexandria Genealogical Society. Where is Woodworth? It is centrally located in the heart of Louisiana off Interstate 49, (Exit 73) 10 miles from Alexandria. If you are driving from Baton Rouge, allow two hours driving time, and the same amount from Shreveport and Monroe. Topics covered will be 1. Acadians: History and Records 2. Civil Law in Louisiana as a Legal System: How it Affects Genealogy 3. Researching French Ancestors Using Resources in the U.S. and 4. Notarial Records in Louisiana Courthouses. The conclusion will take place at 4:00 p.m. after a Questions Session. It is suggested that you plan to take an extra day to visit The Heart of Spain Exhibit which will be in Alexandria at the time of the workshop. Early registration for the workshop is $30 if postmarked before 1 August, and $35 thereafter. Please pre-register before 15 September. For further information, call 318-487-8556 on Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10:00 - 4:00. Send your pre-registration check and name and address to CLGS, P. O. Box 12206, Alexandria, LA 71315-2206. For information and accommodations for the Heart of Spain Exhibit, call Judy Camp at 318-664-4500.
     Got German ancestry? You may be surprised when that French surname (LaBranche, for one) turns out to be German (Zweig). The Historic New Orleans Collection is sponsoring the lecture RESEARCHING GERMAN ANCESTORS: “The Agony and the Ecstasy” just for you and your kin. This is a rare opportunity to learn from one of our nation’s premier experts on genealogy, John T. Humphrey. He is director of the National Genealogical Society’s Learning Center in Arlington, Virginia, and has written numerous articles and authored nineteen books. Cost for the lecture is $35 in advance, and $40 at the door. The HNOC will sponsor the lecture at its Williams Research Center at 410 Chartres Street. The lecture will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2003, from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. All participants in the seminar will receive a sample family preservation kit courtesy of the Hollinger Corporation. You may reserve space for the lecture by calling 504-598-7171. Out-of-town participants may be interested in an attractive hotel offer: stay at the Bienville House, 320 Decatur Street, at a rate of only $84 per night, single or double occupancy. Call 504-529-2345 to book.
 
NOTES 
    Audrey WESTERMAN has started on the next quarterly and is looking for queries and other short articles. Want to see your name in print? Send in a query, but be sure you have the relative information such as time period, approximate location and other family members. Just a name is not enough.
    Our Corresponding Secretary begs you to make sure we have your correct email address. He gets weary trying to find you when you change email providers.
    Couple of our compadres have had to undergo the surgeon’s knife, lately. Please remember them in your thoughts and prayers. Godfrey Olivier and Phil Chauvin are two that we are aware of. There may be more. On a lighter note, ask Phil about his hospital stay(s). His description of the Parker House rolls, baked potatoes, roast beef and blood sugar tests are both hilarious and scary.
BOOKS Anna THIBODAUX, 207 Greenwood Plantation Road, Thibodaux, LA 70301, is looking to buy a second-hand set of Father Hebert’s South Louisiana Records. If you have a set to sell, or know of someone who does, please get in touch with Anna. You may reach her at home: 985-448-1078, at work: 985-447-7091, or if out-of-town: 1-800-445-9796.
  
TRANSLATOR 
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CONGRÈS MONDIAL ACADIEN 2004 will be here before you know it. July 31 to August 15, 2004 will be a return to the home of the ancestors of Acadians around the world. Celebrations will include a showcase of Acadian art and culture in all its forms, a mass at historic Grand Pré, festivals, conferences, community events and family reunions. If you haven’t looked at their web sites you’ve got a treat waiting for you. Start with http://www.cma2004.com/ and follow the links to fun. First, click on Français or English, then find the tab labeled families (or familles) to locate your own surnames of interest. Not all families are going it alone, some, like the BABIN family and the SURETTE family, have joined forces to make their get-together bigger and better, hopefully. Here are just a few, more next month:
ALLAIN Reunion date(s) August 14 and 15, 2004. Place: Annapolis, N.S. (Nova Scotia). Contact: Jean Marie ALLAIN, 34 Cap Breton Road, Irishtown, New Brunswick, E1H 1W9. Phone 506-383-9184
AMIRAULT Reunion date August 8, 2004. Place: West Pubnico, N.S. Contact: Kathy AMIRAULT-BOURQUE, P. O. Box 2, Lower East Pubnico, Nova Scotia, Canada, B0W 2A0 or Neil AMIRAULT at (902) 762-3227 or 902-762-0550
ARSENAULT Reunion date and place to be announced. Contact Ginette ARSENAULT, no address or phone given.
AUCOIN Reunion date: August 4 and 5, 2004. Place: Chéticamp, N.S. Contact Daniel AUCOIN, 902-224-1242 or Lisette CORMIER, 902-224-2642 or email <<aucoin2004 at hotmail.com>> or the Chéticamp regional office <<etoilescma2004 at hotmail.com>>
BABIN Reunion date: August 14, 2004. Place: Tusket, N.S. Contact Teresa L. McENANEY, 902-742-3155 for Fund Raising and Lodging, or Earl BABIN, 902-648-0331, BABIN Family Main Contact and Fund Raising, or Cheryl MADDEN 902-648-2675, Membership Recorder. If you prefer writing, BABIN Family, P. O. Box 72, Tusket, Nova Scotia, Canada, B0W 3M0. BABINS and SURETTES will meet jointly. Try this website: http://www.tusket.com/surettea.htm or this one: http://collections.ie.ge.ca/acadian/english /eroots/a-b/babin/babin.htm
BABINEAU(X) Reunion date: August 8, 2004. Place: Amherst, N.S. Contact: Geneviève BABINEAU. Note: The BABINEAU family will also host an activity August 15. The BABINEAU family will meet with the GRANGER family. Phone 902-865-4588 for more information.
BARRIEAU/BARRIAULT Reunion date: August 13, 2004. Place: Windsor, N.S. Please note: the location and date of the BARRIEAU/BARRIAULT Family Reunion is still to be confirmed. Contact Maria LeBLANC, 560 Beausoleil Street, Dieppe, NB, Canada E1A 1C4.
BASTARACHE/BASQUE Reunion date: TBA. Place: Wolfville, N.S. Contact: Marc BASTARACHE, 250 Université av., P.O. 950, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, E1C 8N8, or Raoul BASTARACHE, 7731, ave du Mail, Montréal (Anjou) QC, Canada H1K 1Y9. No phone or email.
BELLEFONTAINE Reunion date: TBA. Place: Chezzetcook, N.S. Contact: Joyce FAWCETT Phone: 902-827-2893
BENOIT/BENNETT Reunion date: August 9, 2004. Place: Tracadie, N.S. Contact: Lloyd J. BOUCHER, Family address: P.O. Box 68, Monastery, NS, Canada, (no postal code) Phone: 902-232-2172.
BLANCHARD Reunion date: August 8, 2004. Place: Belleville, N.S. Contact: Ruth HURLBERT, P. O. Box 114 RR3, Tusket, NS, Canada B0W 3M0. The Blanchard family will have its reunion with the DULONG, FROTTEN and VACON families. Phone 902-648-0088
BOUDREAU Reunion date: August 4 - 6, 2004. Place: Petit de Grat, N.S. Contact: Josette MARCHAND, phone 902-226-0149
BOURGEOIS Reunion date: August 13 - 14, 2004. Place: Amherst (Beaubassin), N.S. Contact: Paul-Pierre BOURGEOIS, phone 506-576-9396 or Cindy BOURGEOIS, 23 Laplanche St., P.O. Box 279, Amherst, NS, Canada B4H 3Z2