I wanted to share with the entire list the information that I sent to one list member who pointed out that it is impossible to locate a tomb in St. Roch Cemetery without a deed: "The two cemetery deeds in my possession from St. Roch list all occupants and dates of burial as well as location information. St. Roch kept day books but did not record the location of burials until 1904." This is useful, but St. Roch did, in fact, keep Interment Books prior to 1904. They are housed at the Archdiocesan Archives and are available on microfilm at New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division, 3rd floor. For her article in New Orleans Genesis, Barbara Trevigne found the information about John Montagne's burial place from the St. Roch Interment Book, vol. 1 Campo Santo, 1882-1907. I looked at the original interment book at the Archdiocesan Archives, but I copied it from the microfilm at NOPL because researchers aren't allowed to photocopy the records at the Archives. I have scanned my copy, but this list doesn't accept attachments. So I'll describe it. Along the top of the page is written "Campo Santo 1885." Below that are columns--the headings are in German because this was primarily a German cemetery at the time, and it is therefore unusual that this man, Jean Montanée/John Montagne, a native of Africa, was interred here. The first column is day of death, second is Monat (month) August, then Square, No. (number), R. (row), Jahr (years/age at death), Monat (months), Race W--C (white--colored), Residenz (residence at time of death). John Montagne is the sixth name down, and it shows that he died 23 August, that his tomb is Square E, no. 2225, row I, that he was 70 years old, colored, and died at 89 Villere. This is consistant with his death certificate (vol. 87, p. 914), which says that "John Montanée, a native of Africa, aged seventy years, departed this life 23 August, 1885, at no. 89 North Villere Street [between Conti and St. Louis], cause of death Bright's disease." The death was reported by his daughter Alicia Montanée. I have pretty much given up hope of finding the location of this interment, but thought it might be useful to the list to know that St. Roch does have records that are earlier than 1904. Carolyn

Carolyn & All: I did not mean to infer burial or day books were not kept before 1904, but that burial locations were not noted in the books regularly before then and I stand by my statement. Deeds were the most reliable source of information prior to 1904 (unless of course you did know the deceased's tomb and the information was on the tomb stone and their remains had not be moved without telling you). I think if you examine the copy of the microfilm you sent me you will note the No. column is consecutively numbered. My experience tells me this is just that, a consecutive numbering of the burials in the cemetery up to that time to keep track of how many "residents" had been welcomed since the cemetery commenced in 1868 and not a plot, copping, wall vault or tomb location number. I think Barbara, like many of us when anxious to reach conclusions in research, misinterpreted her data and didn't catch the mistake before she published. The St. Roch neighborhood, in which I lived as a young child and where many of my relatives lived their whole lives and now still reside in the Campo Santo, was always an "integrated" neighborhood and cemetery. I can recall there was a "colored" section in the cemetery. I remember it have been toward the back of cemetery 1 adjacent to the back gate where the area has been renovated with new wall vaults. That path is now called St. Hubert's walk. My great grandparents and a lot of other relatives are interred in Sq. B, Sec. 3, wall vaults 21 & 22 in the original part of the wall on St. Hubert's walk. In my youth, we visited the cemetery a lot - for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, because it was a nice day or we had flowers in the garden, etc. My experience and gut again tells me Messr. Jean Montanée/John Montagne was the 2225 burial in the cemetery, that he was in the "colored" section, and that his resting place was renovated and no longer exists as it did when he was buried. Can't prove it, just feel I'm correct based on my relationship with St. Roch for nearly 60 years. I wouldn't want you to represent someone else's data as fact when it is not nor can you determine it is even convincing evidence based on Aug. 1885 day book page. Just trying to cover your back because you are too good a genealogist for that to happen. Cate ;-} -----Original Message----- From: Carolyn Long Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 2:18 PM To: Orleans Parish list Subject: [LAORLEAN] Fw: St. Roch Cemetery I wanted to share with the entire list the information that I sent to one list member who pointed out that it is impossible to locate a tomb in St. Roch Cemetery without a deed: "The two cemetery deeds in my possession from St. Roch list all occupants and dates of burial as well as location information. St. Roch kept day books but did not record the location of burials until 1904." This is useful, but St. Roch did, in fact, keep Interment Books prior to 1904. They are housed at the Archdiocesan Archives and are available on microfilm at New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division, 3rd floor. For her article in New Orleans Genesis, Barbara Trevigne found the information about John Montagne's burial place from the St. Roch Interment Book, vol. 1 Campo Santo, 1882-1907. I looked at the original interment book at the Archdiocesan Archives, but I copied it from the microfilm at NOPL because researchers aren't allowed to photocopy the records at the Archives. I have scanned my copy, but this list doesn't accept attachments. So I'll describe it. Along the top of the page is written "Campo Santo 1885." Below that are columns--the headings are in German because this was primarily a German cemetery at the time, and it is therefore unusual that this man, Jean Montanée/John Montagne, a native of Africa, was interred here. The first column is day of death, second is Monat (month) August, then Square, No. (number), R. (row), Jahr (years/age at death), Monat (months), Race W--C (white--colored), Residenz (residence at time of death). John Montagne is the sixth name down, and it shows that he died 23 August, that his tomb is Square E, no. 2225, row I, that he was 70 years old, colored, and died at 89 Villere. This is consistant with his death certificate (vol. 87, p. 914), which says that "John Montanée, a native of Africa, aged seventy years, departed this life 23 August, 1885, at no. 89 North Villere Street [between Conti and St. Louis], cause of death Bright's disease." The death was reported by his daughter Alicia Montanée. I have pretty much given up hope of finding the location of this interment, but thought it might be useful to the list to know that St. Roch does have records that are earlier than 1904. Carolyn ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message