New Orleans Ancestry Blogspot

Found: Long searched for Cemetery Maps

2009-09-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

Alas, I still await the final work on indexing St. Louis No. 2, in the meantime I have had the pleasure of attending a lecture on the Irish in New Orleans during the yellow fever epidemic (specifically in 1853). Speaking was Dr. Laura Kelly of Tulane, Sponsored by Save Our Cemeteries. Needless to say, several SOC members were excited to find that St. Alphonsus (where the lecture was held) had maps of St. Joseph and St. Patrick. When I inquired about where the church had acquired the maps, an SOC Board member was already on it. He was able to establish that these maps are held in the Manuscript collection at the Historic New Orleans Collection. I will be in touch with him regarding when I can get my little hands on a copy. Finally, another step into the direction of navigating the New Orleans cemeteries. As soon as I have them, I intend to post them on my website. How exciting!! Use them. They are a boon!
I'll be writing shortly on Dr. Laura's lecture. It was fantastic!

Sharing the Past

2009-07-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

Front cover of Louisiana Life July/Aug 2009 can be viewed on their website, link below; you can also subscribe there as well.

Throughout the years that I have been researching my family and others, one of the most valuable tools I have come across is the willingness of others to share. One of the first pieces of advice that we are all given is "talk to family members". This has been extremely helpful to me over time, however, I believe the advice should include extended family, friends and historians.

My first experience was through Ancestry.com when I was contacted by several distant cousins who were interested in sharing information. With this opportunity of shared information, I realized the possibilities it held. Many of my "brick walls" crumbled upon sharing with others. Since then, I have joined several on line groups as well as local historical and genealogical societies. Just about everyone involved is willing to share and it is a vast treasure trove of information just waiting to be compiled. Although many of these memberships have cost me a small fee, they have all paid off in some way.

I would like to share one experience in particular that I feel others may find useful. Don't disregard the newspaper and magazines. I am not referring to archived material, but current issues. When you put the word out to friends and family that you are researching family history, you will be surprised what they will do for you (even those people who aren't really interested in genealogy) My grandmother ran across an article in the local paper about a man who was researching the burial places of the Louisiana Governors. I contacted the gentlemen and offered to assist him in any way possible. Through this, I was able to meet another researcher who has supplied me with untold amounts of information and sources on my family. Sometimes it's just a matter of writing to people and talking to them. Historians and genealogists are notoriously kind and helpful when it comes to family history research. One distant cousin sent me two CDs full of information on the Romaguera branch of my tree! What a treat!

In local magazines, I have found articles regarding research and even specific family histories. Again, friends and family members who subscribe to these magazines run across the articles and pass them on to me. I have gotten everything from copies of birth certificates to probate records from interested friends and family as well as tips on books and articles that may be of help. One example is the recommendation of "One Drop" written by Bliss Broyard. After having three different people recommend it; I found that my family was even more intertwined with interracial relationships than I had ever suspected. This revelation I owe to those people who recommended the book as well as passing on further information on the families (of which I am descendant) involved.

What I suggest is that you tell everyone what you are doing and you will be surprised what others have to offer, even those who are seemingly not interested in the subject in general.
Some local examples from my area: LouisianaLife, LouisianaCulturalVistas, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) and the LGHS (who put out a "register" periodically)

Treasure your Photographs

2009-07-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

At a recent family function, my grandmother arrived with a photo album in her hands. She handed it to me and told me to take a look. I opened it to find old family photos. One of my great grandfather and his friends on the day he graduated from Boys High School in New Orleans around the turn of the last century, as well as Confirmation photos of Aunts and Uncles. There was also an old photo of my great great great grandmother.
This was a real eye opener for me because my grandmother (as well as most of the rest of my family) was completely wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. According to her, she had lost all of her old photos. Because of this, I never thought to ask her, four years later, if she had been able to recover any of them. As it turned out, she had been able to salvage a dozen out of hundreds. Yet that was enough to make me happy.

"Why didn't you tell me about this!" I exclaimed. "Well," she said, "I didn't think you would care about an old picture of someone like my Aunt Ida..." I could have knocked her over the head, figuratively speaking of course. I explained to her that, as a genealogist, all of these things are important to me. They all provide clues and connections to the past. Then came the argument...the photos were faded and damaged. I insisted they be restored. She insisted it was too costly. Finally, I agreed to take the photos and pay to have them restored.

What is interesting about this is that my grandmother will painstakingly restore and old piece of furniture that is a "family heirloom" or have a painting restored without question, and yet these snapshots of the past are not valuable to her. I have ceased to attempt reasoning as to why this is.

I have many other family photos from other members of the family. Each is a treasure unto itself. I copy them, catalog them, display them and store them. I intend to do the same with my grandmother's photos. In this day, when technology can go beyond the damage of an old photo, there is not excuse not to have them restored. I encourage everyone to do this. There are many companies out there that will do the restoration or repair for you for varying prices. In addition, it is not out of the question for some to digitize them yourself if they are not in need of repair.

Please do this. Family photographs are just as much an "heirloom", in a sense, as a piece of furniture, clothing, or linens. Go on the web to sites such as
http://genealogy.about.com/od/digital_editing/Digital_Editing_Restoration_How_to_Restore_Old_Photos.htm
or ask around your community. In addition, some places such as Walgreens do some restorative work on photos.
Take care of them! In some cases, it is all that was left behind.

Beyond the Vault: Making Connections at the Cemetery

2009-06-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

What I love the most about visiting New Orleans' cemeteries, besides the architecture, is the information they hold. Visiting the cemeteries has filled in quite a few holes for me as far was my genealogy research and in some odd way, they make connections.

My first experience with this was my great-great maw maw. Yes, maw maw. Her name was Anna Costa Diliberto. I knew that she married Salvatore Diliberto and that both were probably immigrants from Sicily. I had no idea who her parents were, where she really came from, etc.

I was visiting St. Louis #3 and was actually looking for the tomb of a completely different branch of the family. Upon looking at the "map" in the cemetery office, I found a wall vault with "Costa" marked on it. I visited the spot and found the burial place of Anna, her daughter, her granddaughter and her father! This one little vault held the names and dates of three relatives of mine that I didn't even know existed until then!

This opened the door to finding that her native land was a suburb of Palermo. She came across the ocean with her sister and a cousin in 1882 and married another Sicilian in New Orleans in 1886. Later she brought over her father, presumably after he was widowed. She had five children as well. As the information started to surface, family members began volunteering information. I found out that while on a trip back to Sicily, her husband died there and she received what they called a "black letter".

How difficult this must have been to lose your husband so far away. He is buried there as they could not afford to bring his body back. 15 years later she would lose her 12 month old granddaughter, Marie, who is buried with her. As I wondered about the strength and patience of this person who was my great great grandmother, an Aunt of mine gave me a gift for Christmas. It was a photograph she had found of Anna and all five of her children. It was beautiful!

It was as though, over the course of a few months, I found Anna Costa at the cemetery and because of that, she came to life for me. Her struggles, decisions and triumphs all came together. I finally felt that, in some way, I had connected. It can happen for any of us. Just a visit to the cemetery can bring an ancestor into your life so that you may glimpse some of theirs.

Just a note to Genealogists: The Historic New Orleans Collection now has electronic obituary index available. This can be very helpful in finding the resting places of your ancestors!
http://www.hnoc.org/collections/online-catalogue.html#

A Rogue And A Harlot

2009-06-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

photo credited to http://hill.blogs.lib.lsu.edu/

Most days the research involved in my genealogical endeavors involves the very dry and factual copies of old records with the stating of names, dates and places. Once gathered, these records do create a "story" of the person's life, but it is a story of names, dates and places. It is not the story of their "life". The life they lived from day to day; how they felt, how they behaved, what their personality and demeanor was. The further back you go in time, the less likely it is that you can even guess what that person may have looked like.

Occasionally, though, you come across something that gives you a glimpse of something more than just a factual record. When you find these things, they are to be cherished. They are the little pieces that make up more of the quilt. In the case of my recent finding, I giggled every time I read it. I just couldn't help but see that in some ways, human beings have not really changed all that much. Although the translator of the record noted that "this proceeding is interesting only for the light it throws upon some moral and social conditions in New Orleans at that period." No matter... it isn't the records that "prove a life" that I enjoy the most, it is those records that prove that the life was lived fully.( although I do not agree with adultery)

I randomly came across the record in question by going to the Louisiana Historical Society's website www.louisianahistoricalsociety.org ( you have to be a member to access the Quarterly) and typing in my ancestor's surname. The following is a transcription of the record that threw me into a fit of giggles:
Index to Spanish Judicial Records of La (1942, Vol 25 issue 4 p1241)
No date.
Criminal Prosecution
Jaun Bautista Demoruelle(my ancestor) vs. one named Farge, a watchmaker.
No. 3019 1 p.
Court of Alcalde Nicolas Forstall.
No Assessor.
Escribano, Fernando Rodriguez
For using obscene language
This is a detached, undated( although undated, based on it being a Spanish records it surely falls in with the years that the Spanish ruled the colony) petition and ruling. A marginal note stipulates that it was presented by one who does not know how to sign his name. It reads in part:
Jaun Bautista Demoruelle (Jean Baptiste was his given name) sets forth that he makes a civil and criminal charge against one called Farge, a watchmaker, who lacking in the fear of God and respect for the Court, on last Monday, October 31, at about 9 o'clock at night, came out of his house, with a lighted candle in his hand, screaming: "I have surprised this rogue, Bautista San Cartier (Demoruelle), in bed with that harlot of a wife of mine. The infamous scoundrel ought to be hanged tomorrow. I shall go to ask to have him banished because he came to seduce my wife." When the plaintiff heard these insulting words, he went out of the door of his own home where he had been in bed for half and hour and on realizing that such deprecations were directed against him, he returned and took refuge in his own house. Therefore he prays Alcalde Forstall to receive the testimony of the witnesses he will present, who must declare under oath, upon what he has related as well as anything else they might know, or may have heard said about Farge, and done deliver their depositions to him to be used to enforce his rights. the unsigned ruling to this petitions reads: Let this complaint be admitted in as much as it is legal. Receive the testimony this party offers. And done deliver the depositions to him.

Jean Baptiste was never hanged or banished so it is assumed that he survived his neighbor's fury. He went on to do very well with his life and this is the only little glimpse I will probably ever have, not only of how people handled things, but how my New Orleans ancestors handled their affairs (no pun intended).

Becoming a Part of History: How a Civil War Veteran Helped

2009-05-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

above is an example of the Civil War Zouave battalion's uniform

This one was worn by the infamous "Wheat's Tigers"

* see below for picture credit

There is a sprinkling of Civil War Veterans among my family ancestors. I don't know much about any of them. The records indicate that they participated and as military records go; that's about it...So I took what I could get and added my skimpy sources. Yet, as anyone who has done genealogy long enough knows, somewhere along the way someone or something comes along and changes your skimpy sources into a story, or at least a glimpse of the story. It doesn't happen often, but when it happens it makes it all worth while.

This was the case with my ancestor Msr. Joseph Demoruelle of New Orleans. Up until 2 weeks ago he was a non descript nephew of my ggggreat grandmother, Adelaide Demoruelle. At 24 yrs. old he entered the Civil War and later married Marie Cavalier in New Orleans having several children. That was the extent of my knowledge of him.

This all changed when a fellow researcher asked me for the names of any of my ancestors buried in the rotting cemeteries of New Orleans(with the hopes of collaborating on getting funding for restoration). Coincidentally, she and I research Louisiana's Colonial governors together. To my delight she uncovered Joseph's rather illustrious past ( illiustrious by New Orleans' standards of course).

He was a Zouave, she wrote me, and he was a close friend of Gov. Nicholls having served with him in the Civil War. How interesting, she implied. It piqued my interest, but I had to ruefully admit that I truly had not an inkling of what the Zouaves meant to New Orleans. I recalled an ancestor who lost two sons in the Civil War and my grandfather who was forever changed by his service in WWII. This is where I realized that the Civil War and the wars that followed are not just what we read about in History class; but they are OUR history. They were a part of the history of my family and many others.

The men who fought faced a nightmare and it was real and ugly. They deserve to be remembered. Even if it was 150 years ago; it made a difference. I resolved at that point to go to the grave of any ancestor of mine that I could locate and leave a flag there in honor of their service; including those men that fought for our country's union over a century ago. ( I also resolved to thoroughly research the Zouave battalion; an article on it will be featured in June on my website, neworleansancestry.com).

These are the little things that not only connect me with the past, but connect me with my family. I feel honored to have had such brave men in my family and it is not often that we have an opportunity to show our appreciation. So, Memorial Day will be different for me in the future, but it will be different in a positive way.

*The "Wheat's Tiger" photo can be found at oldgloryprints.com

2009-05-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

I'm taking up "Genea-Bloggers" advice and reminding everyone that there are some fantastic blogs out there. Some of my favorites include:

http://bloggingadeadhorse-dmt.blogspot.com/
http://louisianagraveyardrabbit.blogspot.com/
http://graveyardstew.blogspot.com/2009/01/list-of-lists.html
http://sherifenleyrabbit.blogspot.com/

My Latest work

2009-05-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Please visit la-cemeteries .com to see my latest work on Governor A. Beauvais' Biography. I would appreciate any comments. I am considering doing a thesis on Beauvais due to the encouragement of Mr. M. Gauthier and his research assistant and additionally due to being a part of the Beauvais fact finding mission and they have been successful in so many ways. I really feel that I was only a very small part of their very big effort. Mr. Gauthier has been so kind as to credit me and post my writings and I am truly grateful.

Restoration, Once Again

2009-05-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

I have finally been able to reach people concerning the condition of the tombs in St Louis No.1 and No. 2 in New Orleans. All it really takes is telling someone to go out there and take a look. One of Mr. Martin Gauthier's la-cemeteries.com other researchers found out in person what the situation is like and is interested in making a change. Threatening or pleading with the Archdiocese is not a useful or effective tool. She managed to find out about grant money that is to be given to the state to restore nuisance or run down property. Our goal is to see if we can include some of the tombs in these cemeteries under the "run down" property title.
Many tourists and visitors go through those cemeteries daily. They are an embarassment (as are many other things!) to the city. So, here I go again on my crusade. My g-g-g-g-great grandmother, Dame Susanne Lavergne Demoruelle, is a Creole ancestor of mine, whose father helped build the city, as a French soldier. People like her are the foundation of the city of New Orleans. She and all of her children are buried in St. Louis No.1 and No.2 and most of the tombs are unrecognizable.
I will be undertaking to have her tomb and those of one of her sons and his family as well as two of her daughter's tombs included in a restoration process of some kind. I established the laws of heirship by speaking with several people at the Metairie Cemetery Office. Therefore, I am an heir to these property's and will undertake to improve them as best I can. I am going to blog the process as is unfolds so that others will be able to do the same if they want to.
There is only one website so far with a survey of SL1, that I have been using. cml.upenn.edu/nola. I will be posting shortly on my blog historicneworleanscemeteries a photograph of one of my Creole ancestor's tombs. This is one that I found to be in particularly bad condition and as soon as I find out about the details and records from the church archives, I will begin looking for funding.

Where Are The Skeletons?

2009-03-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended Ms. Pat Dupuy's Lecture hosted by Save Our Cemeteries: Skeletons in Our Closets: 1850's New Orleans Personalities. I would first like to say that Ms. Dupuy is a walking wealth of information and has selflessly given so much of her time to SOC. She even took time out to show me around Lafayette No.1 in N.O. one Saturday. I was very excited about the lecture, but how much can you cram in to one hour? Well, I found out...not much. Maybe it's just me, but I wanted to hear stories of scandal and intrigue. Maybe even just interesting anecdotes. Alas, it was not to be. There were no "skeletons". I guess I should say, that if there were, she didn't mention them. What I did get from the lecture was a great snapshot of what New Orleans was like during the 1850's and it was not exactly a pretty place.
I am always curious about what conditions my New Orleans' ancestors were living under during certain periods and this lecture was fairly informative along that avenue. I also really enjoyed the fact that it was given at the Cabildo and therefore I was able to peruse their "museum". It is very well done and interesting as far as historical exhibits go and I would encourage anyone who has not been to visit. It was the seat of colonial government and along with the Historic New Orleans Collection really sheds some light on the historical timeline of the city. The SOC gives some fabulous lectures during their series and while they are typically not genealogy oriented, they often give clues. So, I attend as many as I can and will continue to do so. I would also encourage others to take advantage of any workshops or lectures that you come across. It is usually well worth it. Ms. Dupuy did have some fantastic photos of burial sites and homes that were wonderful to view.
I did attend a genealogy workshop at the Public Library and while I didn't learn anything new, I did find out that a particular branch of my family in New Orleans is well known, but no one has taken the time to research them. They have been around since the beginning and seemed to have slipped under the radar. So, there it is....another goose chase for me...you all know how that goes!

A New Orleans Soldier

2009-03-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

My grandmother often tells me that when my grandfather, David MacHauer, returned from WWII, he didn't talk about it...at all. They soon began a life together and were raising a family and dealing with responsibilities that took precedence over reliving war time memories. Yet, my grandfather still held those memories.
Today, for those of us who were not around then, WWII seems but a distant event. Although not insignificant, it is a far away time. However, there are still people out there who fought the fight and participated in the victory. Participation in that war is part of my ancestry, just as much as the Civil War and all those fought after are. They are a part of many people's ancestral stories and memories. It is a part of our Nation's ancestry.
My grandfather's memories of his service in the war are part of the fabric of my family quilt and I encourage all of those people who may still have living family members who can tell their story to ask them for it. It is a tribute to them as well as an important and valuable treasure in our family histories.
My grandfather was a New Orleans boy and a sickly one, I am told. Yet, he joined the effort as a young man and saw many of his friends and colleagues injured and die. He survived the war and went on to become a Louisiana State senator and a New Orleans Judge, yet he never forgot the war days. After he died my grandmother dusted off his written account. The only one he ever wrote. I am sharing it with you in the hopes that many of you will dust off the written accounts and share them or talk to those who were there. Please read the accounts below or click on the links at:
Dec. 24, 1944 at 12241922
Mygrandfather'sstory

December 24, 1944

2009-03-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

The following is an account written by a member of the 8th Air Force in England:

12/24/1944
During World War II, I served as a gunner on a B-17 with the 8th Air Force in England. Out crew was stationed near Lavenham, England with 487th Bombardment Group of the 3rd Air Division. I was a Ball Turret Gunner on the crew of Lt. Turnquist, 836th Squadron. On December 24, 1944 we set out on our 16th mission to bomb a small air field near Babenhausen, Germany. Because of dense fog which soaked in the fighter fields, our fighter escort was alte and we started over the continent unescorted. Our course lay over Belgium "Bulge" (Ardennes sector). Our plane was the lowest plane in the squadron, "Tail End Charley." A few minutes after the pilot informed the crew that we would soon be in Germany, the tail gunner sighted fighter planes which he mistakenly thought were our friendly escorts. This erroneous impression was soon dispelled when the fighters began to fire at us. After a few preliminary passes at the squadron, the Germans lined up in back of the squadron in what is known as the "Company Front" formation. That is they all lined up parallel with each other and came in with one solid front of 20 mm cannon fire.
The above account is what my grandfather experienced and what caused him to write the ensuing account of his experience when this happened. He was one of the few who survived.

My Grandfather's Story

2009-03-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

"Reflections of a Soldier"
Written by Stf. Sgt. David H. Mac Hauer
Our crew fired at every fighter plane we saw. A cannon shell exploded right outside my turret on the underside of the plane. I felt something go through my boot and then a terrific blow on my chest. I felt sure that I had gotten a piece of 20mm cannon right in the chest for I was stunned and all the breath was knocked out of me. Attempts to use the interphone were useless as it was shot out. I rolled the turret up in the plane and opened the hatch, but when the Radio Operator saw me motion for help, he merely gave me a hopeless gesture. Rolling the turret down again, I flipped open the turret hatch and after a brief struggle was able to bail out. I saw all four engines of the B-17 burning as I dropped out of the plane. After 5 or 10 minutes I hit the ground where several G.I.s who were passing in a truck greeted me with open arms (firearms). However, after they were convinced that I was not a German Parachutist, they took me to a hospital in Leige, Belgium. Since my flying clothes were all full of holes and my face was burned, it seemed necessary that I get a medical examination, to my astonishment, several pieces of plastic rattled to the floor. Upon looking at the 45 cal. Automatic which I had strapped to my chest under my flying jacket I saw that the plastic butt grip had been shattered and the butt itself with a full clip of cartridges had been bent inward about 3/4 of an inch. After the shock passed, I examined my clothing and found what had happened.
Evidently the fragment of the 20mm had passed through my boot (which had a large hole in it), had gone through my flying jacket, hit me flush over the heart, bounced off the butt of my .45 calibur automatic and then gone through the shoulder of my jacket, leaving a scratch on my left shoulder.
What I feel was so significant about this narrow escape from death was not only the fact that the automatic stopped the shell fragment, but also because of the following chain of circumstances.

On all previous missions, I had never filled the butt of the automatic with a clip of bullets because I generally felt it was an unwise thing even to fly with a loaded gun on my immediate person and had always kept the clip in the pocket of my flying clothes leaving the magazine of the weapon unloaded.
Most of the time I had carried the .45 on my waist and not on the shoulder holster.
That was the first time I had ever worn a parachute down in the ball turret with me since generally the turret was too crowded to get a chute down it. Fortunately however, I was experimenting and had drawn out a "backpack" instead of the usual "chest pack". This allowed me to bail out directly from the ball turret instead of having to get back into the ship to get the "chest pack" with a resultant loss of time.

So that is my "close shave" story. I will forward with this letter a clipping from the "Stars and Stripes" which described the incident.

It's Carnival Time

2009-02-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

As much as I would like to write a detailed, definitive history of Carnival, alas most of what I know is myth and I have been a willing participant all these years. I have enjoyed the parades and festivities as far back as I can remember...and I'm getting old....The highlights are the marching bands that really get your blood flowing and the massive floats, full of lights and masked riders. I have always loved the flambeaux carriers and the way that Mardi Gras bonds people from all over the world. The negative aspects...well, getting pelted in the face with too many beads, people getting excessively drunk, no toilets and nasty parade walkers that think you will kiss them for a fake flower! Ugh. I will pass the torch so to speak on the history by referring you to some websites that offer a nice overview of carnival....I also want to comment on the rich African traditions that often go unmentioned included in the Mardi Gras celebrations. Everywhere you look you will see them, from the Zulu coconuts to the skull and bones. Visit the links below to get an idea, meanwhile I am off to the parades and tomorrow I will go to church get my ashes and go to confession.
neworleansmardigrashistory
starpathvisions.com
skull & bones photos charlessilver.com

SOC Public Lecture Series

2009-02-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ms. Pat Dupuy is doing a lecture for SOC on March 7, 2009 entitled: "Skeletons in Our Closets: 1850's New Orleans personalities. Please see my other blog for more details and photos: historicneworleanscemeteries. I have never been disappointed by the fantastice SOC lectures and encourage all, who are able to, to attend.

FYI on Collecting Cemeteries

2009-02-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

I recently posted a piece on my historicneworleanscemeteries blog about Mr. Martin Gauthier that I thought would be interesting and useful to amateur genealogists and historians. I just wanted to put it out there so that as many people can see it as possible. It could possibly be very useful to Louisiana researchers.

Picture taken from freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com (Vernon,LA)

Into the Creole Kitchen(for the #6 genealogy blog prompt)

2009-02-15T10:05:00.000-08:00

Having grown up in New Orleans, the kitchen has always been a very sacred spot for the family. My family tree is replete with Creoles, Italians(Sicily), Germans, Spanish and Irish. Combine those cooking traditions with the focus on food in New Orleans and you can't go wrong. Sunday Dinner of course was a post church event and lasted long into the evening, with my great grandmother finally ranting and raving about everything from the price of milk to the homily at Mass.

Usually there were from 14 or 15 family members at my grandmother's table on Sundays and you really couldn't get by without at least one uproar of some kind, but at least you could be sure that the food would be good!

As most of you know, though, the real tradition wasn't and isn't Sunday dinner. It was and is,red beans and rice on Mondays. I still believe that I could live solely on red beans and rice if I had to. When you grow up on it (and really strong coffee) you just can't live without it. My dad does the red beans these days and many think it's a sacrilege that he sometimes uses....canned beans!!!

The tradition in New Orleans surrounding the red beans was linked to "wash day". (My great grandmother never did own a washing machine and she passed away in 1984!) The idea was that if you were washing clothes and such all day, you really didn't have the time to cook a meal for the family...hence the red beans. You could go ahead and let those beans soak all day and all you had to do at dinner time was season and serve over rice....

If you are not from New Orleans, but have a chance to visit someday, make it your mission to have red beans while you're here (see if you can't get them from a local, the restaurants don't always do them justice).

The only other "can't live without it" from my neck of the woods is the coffee. I don't mean just any coffee either. I mean strong, bitter, make your hair stand up coffee. We grew up on CDM "coffee and chicory". My mom gave us cafe au lait in the mornings and if we had too much trouble getting to sleep a little whiskey with warm milk at night. Parents these days would probably balk at those practices, but hey, we're New Orleanians and we have our own way of using food and drink to our advantage. It's just always been that way.

Your Ancestors Lives are the Story of your History

2009-01-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

Genealogists, both amateur and professional, all understand that following you ancestors lives is very much like putting together a story. I often think to myself how wonderful it would be if they had the technology then that we have now. Imagine how interesting it would be if they were able to record their voices or videotape important events in their lives. Because they were not able to, we are left with the task of piecing together books, diaries, letters, documents and photos, yet sometimes this does not really tell us who they were or what their unique personalities and life stories were. With that in mind, I came across a website that will give you the ability to record your stories for future generations as well as for today's generation. It is called Story Corps and I was very impressed with their work. I urge you to check out their website and get involved. They have some fantastic community ideas and initiatives. I have provided a link to them as well as an ad for them. Be a part of the story of your history.http://www.storycorps.net/

Carnival Commences

2009-01-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Mardi Gras season is fast approaching which means more people and more parties. This is a very enjoyable new orleans tradition whether you are a local or a visitor. What can turn an enjoyable time into a nightmare is carelessness. If you are a local, you are aware of the dangers and mishaps. For first time or infrequent visitors, just a few common sense actions can keep you happy and safe. Don't carry any valuables, Don't go anywhere you are not familiar with or that seems "out of the way", don't give anyone on the street money for nothing and do not walk around alone (staying sober or at least halfway also helps) Many people come to New Orleans and think that we are all drunken, lazy, slobs, but we are decent people just like everyone else. While we may look the other way in some cases, we still do not appreciate having our properties vandalized (this includes urinated or vomited on!) So, if you are a visitor whether regularly or first time, please respect our old city and enjoy it responsibly. below I will post links for some tours that I have enjoyed as a local. They are safe, organized and reasonably priced.
Hauntedhistorytours.com
Tourneworleans

A Work in Progress: New Orleans Ancestry

2009-01-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

New Orleans Ancestry is a work in progress. I am currently considering a newsletter as well as an option for others to submit articles. In addition, I will be trying to market as much as possible. This has been a lot of fun. Most important thing of all is that New Orleans and Louisiana are two regions very rich in history and unfortunately, since their purchase by the United States, they have been "Americanized". However, our history is not "American" per se. It is a mixture of French and Spanish colonialism as well as Acadian and Canadian immigrant population. It is unique and should be shared. This is what I intend to do on my website. Especially for those who are searching for their New Orleans or Louisiana ancestors.