My Christmas Email http://www.attictrinkets.com/xemail.html Changed:7:08 PM on Wednesday, December 5, 2001Audio: http://www.attictrinkets.com/silver_bells_christmas.mid LOVE, ALICE

Are Acadian graves in Louisiana at risk? Some say yes, others say hogwash Article posted: December 19, 2001 Author: Sandra Devlin, devlin7@attglobal.net According to some, the bones of Acadian exiles interred in Louisiana are being desecrated to save a few dollars. According to at least one anonymous source, the controversy brewing in Saint Martinville, Louisiana, of Longfellow-Evangeline fame, is just so much hogwash. You be the judge. André Courville, a Louisiana Cajun related to the Acadians expelled from here in 1755, writes to say that part of St. Michael's Cemetery in Saint Martinville which held some of the original ancestors from Acadia has already been paved over for a parking lot. And, he says, many more old Acadian graves are in danger of extinction. 'We, as guardians of our ancestors tombs and genealogists, historians, hope to put an end to this destruction. The remains, history and genealogy of these tombs desperately need to be preserved for future generations to come,' says a letter from a committee calling itself Rest in Peace, co-signed by Courville and Annette Eschete. Anxious to follow up on this alarming letter, I tried without success to contact officials at St. Michael's in Saint Martinville. If what this committee claims is true, this story is urgent and important to the Acadians of the Maritimes. I alerted some fellow Maritime journalists, in the hopes that one of us could get to the bottom of this story. James Foster a newspaper reporter in Moncton, N.B. had only slightly more luck getting comment from St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church, caretakers of St. Michael's, than I did. A woman answering the parish telephone, disinclined to co-operate and who would neither give her name nor provide any other contacts, told Foster that the kerfuffle raised by Courville and Eschete is just a 'big stink.' Foster did, however, get in touch with Eric Martin, mayor of Saint Martinville, located , south and west of Baton Rouge, who confirms that the controversy is the subject of much talk in his town. Apparently, a church law allows the reclamation of old graves providing a 25-year effort is made to locate descendants and attempt to have them claim the graves of their ancestors and contribute financially toward their upkeep. It is reported that each grave site requires a $25 per year donation or $800 for perpetual care. In 1976, according to Foster's recent story, the Roman Catholic church began advertising in newspapers, searching for survivors of those buried in abandoned cemeteries and asking them to come forward. Few have been found. 'As the families died off or moved away, there was no one left around to maintain those gave sites,' Martin said. He added the ideal solution would be for either the relatives of the dead to pay for the upkeep for the sites, or for the public to chip in to defray the costs, perhaps through campaigns like Courville's and Eschete's. Eschete believes many Acadian descendants should be interested. 'This is a practice that goes on almost everywhere in Louisiana, and we feel it's time to stop this,' she says. The letter which originally reached my mail box and grabbed my attention implores: 'Please join us in helping to stop this blatant destruction of our past. Our ancestors where evicted from Acadia in 1755 and found a loving home in Louisiana. Now their remains are being evicted. Will this ever stop! ' I pondered for several weeks over whether to write about this, for fear that the alarm could be a scam, at worst; a tempest in a teapot, at least. Our present-day capabilitiy of phenomenal global communications, after all, can be used or misused to efficiently spread both urgent and bogus news. One must always be wary and vigilant. However, as the Saint Martinville mayor's comments now appear to lend at least a hint of validity and credibility to the story, I decided the issue deserves to be passed on and judged on its merits. I urge anyone reading this and feeling a compunction to act, to employ the wise adage 'caveat emptor' ... first investigate the claims thoroughly through your own personal sources in Louisiana, long before committing either moral support or financial resources to this cause. The campaign has hit the Internet in an effort to drum up interest. An on-line petition is gathering names at http://www.geocities.com/restinpeace_stmartinville/ More Atlantic Canada Research Resources Have Your FREE Query Published in Atlantic Canada Newspapers! Maritime Heritage Reading List Acadian Heritage Reading List French/Quebec Heritage Reading List More Atlantic Canada articles from The Global Gazette The Global Gazette is sponsored by GlobalGenealogy.com: Great Books | Popular Software | CD ROMs Charts & Forms | Archival Supplies | Maps & Atlases ©Copyright 1997-2001  GlobalGazette.net  All rights reserved ARTICLE - Are Acadian graves in Louisiana at risk? - by: Sandra Devlin http://globalgazette.net/gazsd/gazsd75.htm Changed:3:39 PM on Tuesday, December 18, 2001

MINE ARE LISTED. YOURS?:) MOI type_Document_Title_here http://www.geocities.com/heartland/Estates/4162/recensm.htm Changed:10:06 AM on Saturday, June 24, 2000

CAJUN FRENCH SITE:) http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/unecadjine/myhomepage/business.html?mtbrand=AOL_US

ATTENTION PURPLESOLID@AOL.COM YOU ARE NOT IN MY ADDRESS BOOK. SO STOP WRITING AND CURSING ME...

The Real Story of "Evangeline" ( 1925)] Berwick Register, Decmber 16th, 1925 The Real Story of "Evangeline" She Found Her Lover, Not Dying in a Hospital, but Pledged to Another (Farmers' Sun, Toronto) When nearly 200 years ago the Acadians were deported from the country of Evangeline many of those torn from beneath the overhanging forest primeval of Nova Scotia found a new home in Florida. And near the Bayou of St. Martinville the descendants of these Acadians still live and there the tradition of Evangeline is preserved. "Evangeline," it is said, was a real character, and her fate was, in a way, even more tragic than that recorded by Longfellow in poem that will be treasured long after an unwise Canadian judge, who has described the poem as "twaddle", is forgotten. The real name of the heroine, according to a story told in the New York Times, was Emmeline. The pride of St. Gabriel in old Acadie, a lovely maiden with gentle hazel eyes and dark brown hair that fell in a cluster of curls on her shoulders. She had just completed her sixteenth year, and was on the eve of marrying a most deserving, laborious and well-to-do young man of St. Gabriel, Louis Areeneaux. Their banns had been published in the village church, the nuptial day was fixed and their long love-dream was about to be realized when the barbarous scattering of the colony took place. The quiet villagers, enraged to madness by the order of deportation, set fire to their homes and fled into the wilderness, where they were stopped by soldiers, driven to the sea-shore, and loaded pell-mell into two vessels anchored there. Louis Areeneaux was carried, wounded, aboard one of the ships. Emmeline and her foster-mother were placed in the other. This last boat dumped its human cargo on the shore of Maryland, where the refugees found sanctuary with wealthy planters. For three years they lived there and prospered. But uncertainty as to the loved ones from whom they were separated urged them on to that other settlement of the French in the far South and Emmeline's search for her lost love began. "Thus she lived in our midst," the Voerhies momoirs state, "always sweet-tempered, but with a sadness depicted on her countenance and with smiles so sorrowful that we had come to look upon her as not of this earth but rather as our guardian angel; and this is why we called her no longer Emmeline, but Evangeline, or God's little angel." The wanderings of Longfellow's heroine correspond to the dreary, tedious journey of Emmeline and her foster-mother to that "Eden of Louisiana," where "the grass grows more in a single night than in a whole Canadian summer." The settlers from the whole surrounding territory had congregated on the shore of the bayou to greet them. Many Acadian families were reunited that day. So Emmeline, the Evangeline of the refugees, looking eagerly through the crowd, suddenly grasped her foster-mother by the arm, and pointing to a tall man lying beneath the oak tree at the landing, cried out: "Mother, mother; It is he! It is Louis!" But when she rushed to his side, with her, "Louis, I am your Emmeline! Have you forgotten me?" The man turned ashen and hung down his head without uttering a word. When he did answer he could only tell the girl who had searched so long and so faithfully that he was pledged to another. St. Martinville has not forgotten Evangeline, although times have greatly changed since she first journeyed up the old bayou to the Poste des Attakapas. Longfellow's Evangeline has become "the guardian angel" of the entire Teche country. Ere another Autumn plumes the "cotton trees" with snowy crests, Evangeline, molded in bronze, will stand in a park bordering the highway where "the towering and tenebrous boughs of the cypress meet in a dusky arch and trailing mosses in midair wave like banners that hang on the walls of ancient cathedrals." -- Phil Vogler Berwick, Nova Scotia

Beaubassin Burial Ground The recent mention of the 17 OCT 1934 plea for recognition of the Acadian settlement of Beaubassin brought to mind facts revealed to me as a result of my genealogical research 1961-1975. The building site of Fort Lawrence at the south end of what is now called Ft. Lawrence Ridge, just west of Amherst, NS, was the precise location of the third Beaubassin Acadian church which was torched by LeLoutre and his Indians in 1750 (along with the rest of the village) in an attempt to drive the Acadians across the Missaguash River to de facto French territory. The first two churches (burned in British raids on the community), named Notre Dame de Bons Secours were located west of the Missaguash on LaValliere Isle (now Tong's Island), but because the terrain was not suitable for the purpose there, the cemetery was always located on the east side of the river near what became the location of the third church (Our Lady of the Assumption). Funerals had to be held at low tide, given the width of the flooded Missaguash when the tide was in. Since Fort Lawrence was built on this site, it imposed itself on the old burial ground. Fort Lawrence has long been gone, but in the late 19th century when the railroad west of Amherst was being built, it cut through the southern portion of the Ridge, revealing human remains, those of a portion of the old Acadian Cemetery. The place had long had no indication that it had been a burial ground, and I do not know what was done with the remains found. I do know that the greater portion of the cemetery lies behind a barn on the Trenholm Farm. The owners are aware of, and respect, that area of their property for what it is. If one were to drive south down a small road from the present Visitor's Center, just before the RR bridge (near the farm mentioned) is a monument to the site of Fort Lawrence. This of course is also the site of the last church. Recent infrared aerial photographs clearly show the village of Beaubassin including the road through the village and evidence of the foundations of the homes and barns. To this day, the are no markers whatever in the area suggesting this was the site of the Village of Beaubassin, nor any indication that the graves of many of our ancestors are located here. My ancestor, progenitor of the Acadian DeVaux family Michel DeVaux and his wife Marie-Magdeleine Martin, are likely buried there. Cheers, John (NH-USA) http://pages.prodigy.net/gydvo/index.htm "History is genealogy...genealogy is history, always." JBD ==== NOVA-SCOTIA Mailing List ==== As of January 12, 2001, there were 1080 subscribers on this list!

1934 WHEN I WAS BORN:) ME Subject: [NS-L] 1934, Urges Action In Marking Ancient Acadian Village October 17, 1934 Urges Action In Marking Ancient Acadian Village Workers excavating a ditch at fort Lawrence, near Amherst, last week discovered an interesting relic of Acadian occupation, a long-handled meat fork. The end of the handle is provided with a hook so that the utensil could be hung on a beam by the fireplace, and the length and size of the fork are evidence that the Acadians enjoyed weighty and ample pot roasts. The fork was found on the site of the ancient village of Beaubassin, said to be the largest and most prosperous of Acadian settlements. Numerous other relics have been uncovered in the past, such as keys, axes, pots and old knives. In 1715, Beaubassin contained fifty families, who had 32 acres in apple orchards and owned 1000 cattle and 800 hogs. It was then a leading trading post as well, dealing exclusively with the Penobscot and St. John Indians who traded their furs for supplies. In 1747 it was the headquarters of deRamezay's raiders who marched from the village in the winter on their expedition against Col. Noble at Grand Pre. When the settlement was burned by LeLoutre and his Micmacs in May, 1750, the records state that 121 buildings were destroyed, including the church, a mill, a brick kiln and tannery. In the hope that action may be taken by the proper authorities to mark the site of ancient Acadian village, Hon. A. S. MacMillan has directed the following letter to J. B. Harkin, Chairman, Historic Sites and Monuments Board, Ottawa: "It has been brought to my attention that the site of the ancient Acadian village of Beaubassin, at Fort Lawrence, near Amherst, can be easily traced, and that the remains of its brick kiln and tanyard can be uncovered. Numerous Acadian relics have been found here in the past. The village road can still be followed, and until recent years the depressions of several cellars were distinct. It is claimed that Beaubassin was the largest of the Acadian settlements and it was, as you know, the headquarters of LeLoutre and of several raiding expeditions. It would be fitting, therefore, to have such a site restored as far as and properly marked by various signboards, with egress for visitors provided. "I urge strongly that your Department take immediate steps towards having the principal features of this ancient village traced and marked as a valuable tourist attraction. (Sgd.) A. S. MacMillan, Minister of Highways, Nova Scotia." -- Phil Vogler

I forgot to paste another entry. Sometimes our Hock was spelled Hawk: Hawk, Black; 9:2 Summ '90 Hawk, Gustave; 9:2 Summ '90 Hawk, Jean Raymond; 8:20 Wint '89 Hawk, Jonathan; 3:63 Summ '84 Hawk, Mary Doyle, Mrs.; 8:20 Wint '89 Hawk, Robert; 4:61 Fall '85 Hawk, Romand; 1:19 Summ '82 Hawk, Theolin; 8:20 Wint '89 If someone who has access to the Terrebonne Life Lines publications, would you copy some articles for me? They are on the Hock family articles that I'm looking for. Roman Hock had a son Lucas Hock, who's my gr-grandfather. Hock, Annie; 6:23 Sprg '87 Hock, Roman; 2:61 Sprg '83; 8:20 Wint '89 - this is my gr-gr-grandfather! Hock, Roman, Mrs.; 1:51 Fall '82 - and his wife Hock, Theohn; 1:49 Summ '82 Hock, Theolin; 8:20 Wint '89 - Roman's brother. Hock, W.; 8:32 Wint '89 _____________________________ Frank J. Palisi, III frank.palisi@worldspan.com 770-563-6614 office WORLDSPAN Worldwide e-Commerce and Communications

If someone who has access to the Terrebonne Life Lines publications, would you copy some articles for me? They are on the Hock family articles that I'm looking for. Roman Hock had a son Lucas Hock, who's my gr-grandfather. Hock, Annie; 6:23 Sprg '87 Hock, Roman; 2:61 Sprg '83; 8:20 Wint '89 - this is my gr-gr-grandfather! Hock, Roman, Mrs.; 1:51 Fall '82 - and his wife Hock, Theohn; 1:49 Summ '82 Hock, Theolin; 8:20 Wint '89 - Roman's brother. Hock, W.; 8:32 Wint '89 _____________________________ Frank J. Palisi, III frank.palisi@worldspan.com 770-563-6614 office WORLDSPAN Worldwide e-Commerce and Communications

General Randall Lee Gibson & Daniel H. Willis, Jr. (From Randall "Randy" Lee Willis files www.randywillis.org) Contact: randy@randywillis.org General Randall Lee Gibson b. 10 SEPT 1832 d. 15 DEC 1892 He was born in Versailles, Kentucky to Tobias and Louisiana (Hart) Gibson. His father was a prominent sugar planter in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. Young Gibson graduated first in the class of 1853 from Yale College, studied law at the University of Louisiana in 1855, and traveled Europe before becoming a planter in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana in 1858. He had three sons by his marriage to Mary Montgomery on January 25, 1868. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Gibson, a Democrat, became aide-de-camp to Governor Thomas O. Moore of Louisiana. In August 1861 he became colonel of the 13th Louisiana Regiment and soon became known for his discipline. He performed well while commanding a Louisiana brigade at the battle of Shiloh, and he distinguished himself at Perryville in 1862. In 1863, Gibson also participated in the Tennessee battles of Murfreesboro and Missionary Ridge and commanded a brigade at Chickamauga. On January 11, 1864, he was promoted to brigadier general. He subsequently fought with distinction in the Atlanta and Nashville campaigns of 1864. In the spring of 1865, he held the Spanish Fort at Mobile. He surrendered and was later paroled in May 1865 along with my great-grandfather Daniel H. Willis, Jr. After the war, Gibson returned to planting and practiced law in New Orleans. He was elected (but not seated) as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1872; he was reelected and seated two years later and served continuously until 1882. From 1883 to 1892, he served in the U.S. Senate. In 1886, my great-grandfather Daniel H. Willis, Jr. named his youngest son Randall Lee Willis after his former commander in the Civil War, General Randall Lee Gibson. I was named after my grandfather Randall Lee Willis. Gibson was an agent for Paul Tulane in founding Tulane University, of which Gibson was the first president of the board in 1885. He died December 15, 1892, on a vacation in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Yale in the Civil War; Fortier, A History of Louisiana, I. Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy, Walkelyn. My great-grandfather Daniel H. Willis, Jr. enlisted, September 29, 1861, at Camp Moore, La. in the Confederate Army. Pvt. 5th. Co. Battn. Washington Arty. La. (order of Gen. Gober, Gen. Adams) Retd. to (March 16, 1864, order of Maj. Gen. Breckenridge) Capt. Raxdale's Co. E, 16th. La. Regiment, Gibson's Brigade, Army of Tennessee. Willis was promoted to 2nd Sergt. (order of Col. Lindsay) March 5, 1865. He was a prisoner of war along with Gibson. Both were paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on May 14, 1865. Andrew B. Booth, "Records of Louisiana Soldiers and Louisiana Confederate Commands," (New Orleans, La. 1920) Vol. I: 1115. Current, ed., "Encyclopedia of the Confederacy" (also see "Army of Tennessee Louisiana Division The Association and Tumulus" by Jerry Johnson Wier, The Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana, 1999). Also see "LOUISIANA HISTORY," the journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 28, pp. 245-262 and vol. 36, pp. 389-411. The following excerpts from Daniel H. Willis, Jr.'s obituary in the "Alexandria Town Talk," 23 June 1900 describe Willis' dedication: "He participated in all the hard battles of that army and for bravery, soldierly bearing, discipline and devotion to duty, he was unexcelled in his entire Brigade. He was made Orderly Sergeant of his Company at an early period of the war. It has always been said by his surviving comrades that when any particularly dangerous service was required, such as scouting parties to ascertain the position and movements of the enemy, he was always selected for the place, and never hesitated to go, let the danger be what it may. He was for a long time connected with the famous Washington Artillery, and at the battle of Chicamauga so many horses of the battery to which he was attached were killed that they had to pull the guns off the field by hand to keep them from falling in the hands of the enemy. He was paroled at Meridian, Miss., in May, 1865, and brought home with him a copy of General Gibson's farewell address to his soldiers and of him it can be truly said that through the remaining years of his life he followed the advice then given by his beloved commander. His love for the Southern cause, and for the men who wore the gray, was not dimmed by years, but he lived and died firmly convinced of the justice of the cause for which the South poured out so much of her best blood and treasure...Before death he expressed a wish that he might see his children who were at home, especially Randall L., his baby boy, whom he had named in honor of his beloved Brigadier General, Randall Lee Gibson. He also requested that his Confederate badge be pinned on his breast and buried with him."

ME I GOT FIELDS:)) ALICE GRAND PRE LOUISIANNE http://www.angelfire.com/tx/cajunmae/index.html GRAND PRE LOUISIANNE ACADIE ANNE with THE CHAUVIN FAMILY WELCOME! COME RIGHT IN and have a "REAL" cup ... ... st.1842-1912 m.john fields feb.11,1836 at thibodaux,la. 6.}urbanie chauv ... ... 1745(?) m.demetrios fields jun.5,1869 2.}marie odilia chauvin b.nov.12,1 ... ... orchards, over the fields and meadows, the breath that gave it life? di ... GRAND PRE LOUISIANNE III http://www.angelfire.com/tx/cajunmae/page3.html

http://simmons.b2b2c.ca/Names.htm

>From an article I wrote for the Louisiana Historical Soc. English Linage in Lafourche Interior By Rowland Caldwell, Jr This article is written from notes taken by my mother the late Katherine Tabor Caldwell John Mills was born in Virginia in 1758 removed to Pennsylvania and removed to Pointe Copee Parish in Louisiana. He married Parine Marioneux April 16,1781 in Pointe Coupee Parish. He founded the present village of Bayou Sarah in 1790. He first settled in the Natchez District near Second Creek, where he was in partnership with Isaac Johnson in a sawmill. After the mill was destroyed by a spring flood, Mills move to the Bayou Sarah region in 1738. He entered into partnership with Christopher Strong Steward and set up a trading post. In a short time the settlement at the mouth of bayou Sarah became the most important flatboat stop between Natchez and New Orleans. The village that sprang up around the trading post took the name of the bayou. John and Parine had four daughters and one son. One of John and Parine's daughters Elizabeth married in 1814 to William Fields. Another daughter Parine Mills named for her mother married Hudson W. Tabor in 1816. Mr. fields came from Rhode Island and Mr. Tabor came form Claiborne County Mississippi. William and Hudson were in partnership together in St. Francisville. John Mills with his son-in-laws bought land in Lafourche Interior near Thibodaux in 1818. Some records indicate William Fields had Land in Lafourche in 1814. William and his wife move their residency to the Lafourche Interior in 1818 and Hudson and his wife moved in April of 1819. William was the first or one of the first people of English lineage to have land in the Lafourche Interior. There is no record that John Mills moved to Lafourche, but he visited his daughters from time to time. Mr. Fields started buying, moving and selling land as he move south along Bayou Lafourche. He settled around Lockport. In 1820 he sold land about 3 miles south of Raceland to Dr. William W. Pugh. Dr. Pugh name the land Hope Plantation. William Fields and his wife Elizabeth had 11 children. Hudson Tabor stayed in the Thibodaux area. His land was one mile south of town on the east bank of Bayou Lafourche. Hudson was a sugar planter farming his and his father-in-law's land. Hudson was justice of the peace, sheriff and post master for the Lafourche Interior. Hudson and his wife had six children. In 1826 Hudson wrote letter of resignation as postmaster and recommended his successors S. S. Dozer. in 1827 the Post Master General appointed S. S. Dozer post master of Thibodaux Thus Mr. Dozer became fist postmaster o Thibodaux. in 1820 two of Hudson's brothers came to Lafourche from Mississippi. William U. Tabor with his wife Mary Tabor Tabor, and Isaac Tabor and his wife Susannah Bullock Tabor In 1823 Hudson's father and his third wife came to live in Lafourche. William U and his wife move to the Chackbay area and had 11 children. Isaac was a Methodist minister and he and his wife left Lafourche area in 1835. Isaac first removed to St. Landry parish then removed to Texas. He and his wife had 8 Children. In Oct. of 1827 Hudson died leaving 6 minor children. Hudson father, William, died March 1844 at he age of ninety. His probate and an obituary gave is age and a veteran of the American Revaluation. By oral history William was in the third infantry or New York and jined January of 1775. William U. and his brother Isaac died in 1860. William Fields died in 1888. By 1835 ore and more people of English lineage meved into the Lafourche Interior. Most coming from the East through the Felixianas. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

St Croix: 1604-2004 http://www.happyones.com/franco-american/st-croix/index.html

a little genealogy this...cast y'all eyes way down to see Cajun dictionary:) it is slow to load becaus of some fun pics i stuck in it:))alice GRAND PRE LOUISIANNE IX http://www.angelfire.com/tx/cajunmae/page9.html

~ A CAJUN ~ RENCH ~ ENGLISH ~ LANGUAGE Le Coin Cadien Cajun Corner June 1998 written by Earl Comeaux We're a little bit amused when we see outsiders and "Americans" laugh at our Cajun French with its blend of English words. As we have pointed out in before, many things were unknown to the world or to the Cajuns when our ancestors left France, and as a result, Cajuns have adopted the English word for some things, like the telephone and the airplane. Some outsiders mimic Cajuns for this supposed flaw in their language, and have the impression that Cajuns are speaking a pidgin language, part French and part English. These same folks would half die of shame if someone was to point correctly out to them that the King's English is, by the same logic, really pidgin French. You don't believe it? Then listen to this: The original language spoken in England was a combination of the German tongues spoken by the invading tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes. This language has not survived, but it became the basis of the English language. In 1066 William the Conqueror, a Norman (from the Northern coast of France) defeated Harold at the famous Battle of Hastings, and with the Norman conquest, French became the official language of England. For over 220 years French remained the official language and it so influenced the English language that today nearly 40% of the words in the English dictionary are of French origin. The French words which came into the English were for the most part prestige or learned words. The everyday words of Anglo-Saxon origin remained. For example, we speak today of cows, sheep, calves and hogs, all Anglo-Saxon words. But when they are prepared for the table they become beef (boeuf - bull), mutton (mouton - sheep) and veal (veau - calf) from the French. We speak of a lunar eclipse (from the French "la lune" -moon) and not of a moony (from the Anglo-Saxon) eclipse, and we refer to a solar system (from the French soleil - sun) and not of a sunny system. Since no other foreign invader ever again set foot on English soil, the Norman invasion of the language was the last violent change in the English language. Since then the language has become more stable through the invention of printing and the advent of the dictionary. English today is a Germanic language in structure and basic words, but almost 80% of its vocabulary comes from other languages. Besides the French there are contributions from the Hindu (khaki), Arabic (alcohol), Greek (gym), Latin (optic), Indian (opposum), Japanese (kowtow), Yiddish (kibitzer), Gaelic (clan), Norwegian (ski) and Spanish (ranch). The English, like the Cajuns, have simply taken into their language whatever foreign words they find serve a useful purpose. Since almost half of the English words are of French origin, learning French is easier for someone who speaks English. Many words are identical in spelling but differ only in pronunciation. Examples are table (pronounced in French as tahb), agriculture (ah-gree-cul-tour), baton - bah-ton*), court (coor) and pardon (par-dohn*). This similarity led one well-known Englishman to exclaim when studying French that French was just "English mispronounced." Not all words which are similar in spelling mean the same thing in both languages, and this has caused some embarrassment to neophyte French or English speakers. But we'll go into that some other time. You should get the point by now; no one who speaks English as a basic tongue has any right or reason to laugh at anyone who speaks Cajun French. * the "n" is not pronounced, but nasalized You can see a copy of my bilingual (English/Cajun) comic strip, entitled, "Bec Doux et Ses Amis" and hear the dialog by clicking here.This changes weekly. Copyright by Earl J. Comeaux 307 Abshire Drive Kaplan, LA 70548 Tel: (318)643-7086 Email: ecomeaux@kaplantel.net THE CENSUS TAKER Sign Guestbook      Read Guestbook Bayou Home III This page has been accessed 1058 times. This page was last updated Sun Mar 21 01:01:28 1999 EDT

I'M PROUD TO BE A CAJUN! Johnny Janot really says it All... I'm Proud To Be A Cajun! Yes, I'm proud to be a Cajun because of the way I was raised; and it's a very important part of my life. It is a way of life that is a blend of mystery, love, pride, and tradition.  Trying to explain it to someone who knows nothing of the Cajun culture would be difficult. So much of it is carried in one's heart and mind; and it's so hard to put into words.  But perhaps a few of these things might help to explain; and it will certainly bring a picture to mind to anyone who has been raised the way I have. It's watching my grandmother rock in the evenings while the black rosary beards slip through her work-worn hands. It's the sight of acres and acres of lush green rice; and it's the smell of chopped green onions, parsley, and bell pepper in a pot of gumbo simmering.  It's watching my mama make the sign of the cross and saying prayers over a sprained ankle or snake bite. They call it treating, and I've seen it work.  It's the sound of tires crunching on a gravel road. It's the soft melody of my parents conversing in the age old dialect. It's seeing Nan and Peecat sitting on their front porch and knowing that they will always be there. But one day, they're not; and you realize that something precious is slipping away. It's a wedding dance where money is pinned to the bride's veil and the groom's suit for the privilege of dancing with them. And it's staying up all night at the funeral home because you don't leave the dead by themselves. This is the last thing you can do for them.  And it's grown men and women calling their parents mama and daddy and not being ashamed of it. And it's a gigantic feast at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  The men eat first so they can nap and the women eat last so they can talk before putting everything away. And it's the sweet sea smell of boiling crawfish and crabs. And it's watching my grandfather, straight and tall, going to the French dances. It's the solemn sound of the big church bell tolling once for every year of life of the loved one passed away.  It's watching mama and Aunt Willie stuff long casings with a rich boudin mixture; and it's the sweet smell of strong brewed coffee and homemade bread. It's my daddy working all day in the garden with his back straight as he hoes row after row. It's tombstones shadowed by moss covered oaks, all white-washed and ready for All Saints Day. It's the wonderful sound of Soodie, "will you be my baby's Nanny?" Yeah, it's kind of hard to explain; but, again, it's a pride and love that I carry in my mind and heart. It's a wonderful race of people, and it makes me sad to see so much of it fading away.  I just hope I can preserve enough of it to pass on to my own children; and they, like me, will be proud to be a Cajun; 'cause, after all, Cajuns are tough. We're made of good stuff. Life may be rough; but we're gonna make it, sure enough! © 1991 Swallow Records THIS WAS RECORDED BY: JOHNNY JONOT, he has been gone from us a long time now....so it is up to us to not let this fade away. alice

What Is A Cajun? What shall I say about a Cajun? They are utterly impractical, never predictable,. Something irascible, quite inexplicable, Cajun.. Strange blend of shyness, pride and conceit. And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat.. He's spoiling and ready to argue and fight,. Yet the smile of a child fills his soul with delight.. His eyes are the quickest to well up in tears,. Yet his strength is the strongest to banish your fears.. His faith is as fierce as his devotion is grand.. And there's no middle ground on which he will stand.. He's wild and he's gentle, he's good and he's bad,. He's proud and he's humble, he's happy and sad.. He's in love with the ocean, the earth and the skies., He's enamored with beauty wherever it lies.. He's victor and victim, a star and a clod,. But mostly he's Cajun and in love with his God.. Author Unknown ~ACADIAN LADIES~ ~Black of hair, fair of skin are these lovely Acadians. figure shapely, smile so bright, and they dance away the night.~   ~Beauty rare, as all have seen these magnificent creatures from Acadie. flirting lightly with the gentelmen, dancing and whirling with lovely bends.~   ~Hair is flying, long and free, these laughing ladies from Acadie. fresh of face, mild of manner, yet they do have a little temper.~ ~A man is blessed to marry a "Cajun" Queen, a beautiful lady from Acadie. she is always interesting, ever mild, but has been known to be a little wild.~   ~These lovely ladies of Acadie, included as one of them, is me. dancing wildly into the night, having fun until daylight.~ BY:Tulsabutterfly

CAJUN NO DUSTY ROADS JUST COOL BAYOUS THE CENSUS TAKER It was the first day of census, and all through the land each pollster was ready ... a black book in hand. He mounted his horse for a long dusty ride, his book and some quills were tucked close by his side. A long winding ride down a road barely there, toward the smell of fresh bread wafting, up through the air. The woman was tired, with lines on her face and wisps of brown hair she tucked back into place. She gave him some water ... as they sat at the table and she answered his questions ... the best she was able. He asked her of children. Yes, she had quite a few -- the oldest was twenty, the youngest not two. She held up a toddler with cheeks round and red; his sister, she whispered, was napping in bed. She noted each person who lived there with pride, and she felt the faint stirrings of the wee one inside. He noted the sex, the color, the age... the marks from the quill soon filled up the page. At the number of children, she nodded her head and saw her lips quiver for the three that were dead. The places of birth she "never forgot" was it Kansas? or Utah? or Oregon ... or not? They came from Scotland, of that she was clear, but she wasn't quite sure just how long they'd been here. They spoke of employment, of schooling and such, they could read some ... and write some ... though really not much. When the questions were answered, his job there was done so he mounted his horse and he rode toward the sun. We can almost imagine his voice loud and clear, "May God bless you all for another ten years." Now picture a time warp ... its' now you and me as we search for the people on our family tree. We squint at the census and scroll down so slow as we search for that entry from long, long ago. Could they only imagine on that long ago day that the entries they made would effect us this way? If they knew would they wonder at the yearning we feel and the searching that makes them so increasingly real. We can hear if we listen the words they impart through their blood in our veins and their voice in our heart. Author unknown. CAJUN~LYNX PASS A GOOD TIME CHER Boudreauxs in the sauce factory There was a factory in Eunice that produced the world's best cajun sauce. The factory was owned by a Yankee entrepreneur, but it employed a dozen local boys, all related, brothers, cousins, uncles, all of them Boudreauxs. Well, one day the owner came in and saw Claude Boudreaux standing on a chair with both arms arched above his head. He was hollering "I'm a lightbulb, me! I'm a lightbulb, me!" The owner was furious, but he calmly said, "Get off that chair and get back to work or you're fired." Claude didn't miss a beat, arms arched over his head started hollering again, "I'm a lightbulb, me! I'm a lightbulb, me!" So the owner had no choice. "Okay, Claude," he sighed, "you're fired." Claude got down from the chair, picked up his lunch box and started heading out the door. The other 11 Boudreauxs grabbed their lunch boxes and started to follow him. "Wait," the owner said to them, "I only fired HIM! I didn't fire the rest of you." But one Boudreaux turned around and said to the owner, "Well, Beb, we gotta quit. Can't be workin witout dat light, no!"