Cross Country Thibodeaux Travelers

During a rare free evening earlier this week, I did a little poking around Ancestry.com and my own private family tree there. It's been so long since I've been able to work on my own ancestral lines that there were dozens of "shaky leaves" or hints waiting for me.

Two of the hints were for my great-grandfather, Noel Holly Thibodeaux. Both were for city directories that had been added since I last worked on my own tree. 

The timeline for this man is a work in progress. He moved his wife Josephine (my great-grandmother) and his family back and forth between Louisiana and California several times. This was in the 1920s and 1930s before a national highway system, convenience stores and everything we expect for a road trip.

Circa 1926. One of many road trips between Louisiana and California.

Photo courtesy of my cousin, Eldridge, whose parents were along for the ride.

Though I am still searching city directories in southern California and Louisiana, here is a loose timeline of the many residences of the Noel Holly Thibodeaux family:

between 1914 and 1916 - Noel and Josephine got married. My grandfather says his parents got married in California. However, my great-grandmother was a young lady in an established Louisiana family. Did they elope to California? That would be quite a scandal, though I wouldn't put it past Noel as he looked like he was a handsome charmer. I'm still looking for a marriage record.

1917 - lived in San Bernardino, California with a child on the way.

1920 - Noel, Josephine and 2 children lived in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1922 - lived in "furnished rooms" in San Bernardino, California.

1924 - lived in Los Angeles, California

1926 - at least one trip to Lousiana, as the photo above was on a trip from Louisiana to California.

1928 - lived in Brawley, California. They had 4 kids then.

1930 - lived in Josephine's parents' house in Rayne, Louisiana.

1931 - lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. They had 5 kids.

1937 - lived in El Centro, California. They had 7 kids.

1939 - lived in El Centro, California at a new address.

1940 - lived in El Centro, California at a new address.

1944 - lived in Bell Gardens, California.

1948 - lived in Bell Gardens, California at a different address.

1950 - lived in Downey, California.

1962 - lived in San Jacinto, California, at the time of Noel's death.

I can't imagine moving around that much, especially cross-country with kids, but they did it. Hopefully Josephine had a sense of adventure and it wasn't just a chore. Here is a photo of my great-grandparents and one of the cars that took them there and back and there again:

Josephine Bourgaux and Noel Holly Thibodeaux

On the road again. And again. And again.

Hopefully this summer I'll get some more time to scour the city directories and fill in this Thibodeaux timeline. Until then, those shaky Ancestry.com leaves will continue to tease me.

[Here's a search tip: don't always trust the search box for city directories on Ancestry.com. I've found this family in two separate directories where the search said "not found," but they were there when I manually searched the books page-by-page online. This manual search isn't hard, as the directories are in alphabetical order. Put in the extra time in searching. They payoff is worth it. --A]

Book review: On the Banks of Plaquemine Brulee by Gene Thibodeaux

On the Banks of Plaquemine Brulee: Une Histoire de la Pointe de l'Eglise is a history of Church Point, Lousiana written by native Gene Thibodeaux.

My own interest in this book stems from my connection to the area. My great-great grandparents Noel Thibodeaux and Eliza Eldridge were married there. You may remember Noel as the one with the wandering eye.

Thibodeaux's book is organized into eighteen chapters, sorted by time period. The first chapter begins with the Native American history of the area. Later chapters each cover a set time period and the events that occurred during that time.

A typical chapter includes and overview of the national, state and local history of the era. Notable events, social changes and disasters are included. Readers will get a detailed picture of the region, it's economy and local flavor.

On the Banks of the Plaquemine Brulee is a history book with value to genealogists. Thibodeaux includes many names of Church Point citizens and their role in the city's history. A name index is included in the back of the book.

Numerous black and white photographs are featured in certain sections of the book. Thibodeaux also included an impressive source list and several appendixes featuring lists of names in historic Church Point groups, censuses, etc.

On the Banks of the Plaquemine Brulee is a well written, thoroughly researched look at a slice of Acadiana. It helped me get a sense of the former home of my ancestors and learn more about Louisiana. It also makes me wonder if I'm distantly related to the author through my Thibodeaux line. That's a search for another day, however. For now I'll just be content with my new knowledge of Church Point, Louisiana.


Information on ordering the book can be found here.

COG 100: There's One in Every Family

The topic for the 100th Carnival of Genealogy is "there's one in every family." One what, you ask? Well, it's up to each blogger to individually interpret and answer that question.

I'm always drawn to tall tales in family history: gossip about minor crimes, moonshiners, supposed ties to famous people, and the like. Everybody seems to have a tale, yet no one can provide a source for the information. They just heard the details as they were passed down through generations.

My own family has it's share of said lore. However, in researching our history, I noticed that many of the tall tales seem to be tied to the same ancestor. Moreover, the more I learn about that person, the more the tales prove to be true.

Who is the "one" in my family? No contest, it is my great-grandfather, Noel Holly Thibodeaux (1889-1962).

Here is the short story on Noel (known as Holly, but that confuses people so I'll stay with Noel). He grew up in French-speaking Louisiana. He never knew his father (who was the subject of my 57th COG entry). He struck out on his own as a teen, lying about his age as he crossed the country.

The collected records and interviews in my possession tell me he was a charmer. That must have been how he snagged such a pretty young wife from an upstanding Acadian family. I can't find a marriage record for them. Did her family disapprove? Did the young couple elope? Perhaps they traveled to New Orleans.

The tales tied to Noel include gambling, gunshots, kidnapping, boxing, jail time, Huey Long and "delivery fulfillment" during prohibition. At one point, he supposedly won significant southern California land holdings in a poker game. At another point, he supposedly lost his New Orleans tailor business the same way. Were either of these true? I don't know, but records put him in the right place and time for both, and the 1920 census confirms the tailor shop connection.

From 1917 through through the 1940's the Noel Thibodeaux family moved dozens of times to, from and around Louisiana and California. Was Noel looking for work or staying two steps ahead of the landlord and the law? The answer is probably all of the above.

Each family member I talk to has a different Noel Thibodeaux tale. So many so that it seems impossible that they could all be true. But you know what? The more I learn about my great-grandfather, the more these stories are fitting with the facts.

However, what makes Noel the "one" is the strong, affectionate impression he made on his family. For each tall tale I'm told about Noel, I'm also given three stories of how nice he was or how fun. The grandkids thought he was great. The facts shouldn't add up but they do, and it makes me want to learn more.

I started this research on Noel thinking he liked to embellish his life. Perhaps, but there's more than a grain of truth in each tale. I've yet to completely disprove any of the stories passed down by his kids and grandkids.

If there's one in every family, I'm glad to have Noel Thibodeaux in mine. He makes things interesting.

2010 Family Heritage Tour, Part 3

[Part 3 of 3 in a series. Part 1 here and  part 2 here. --Amy]

Yesterday was the final day in the tour of my mother's "ancestral homeland" (aka Louisiana). In the morning after checking out of the hotel, we drove out to Iota:

The town may have a big heart, but there's zero cell phone reception of which to speak. What Iota does have is a lot of rice fields:

We paid a visit to the St. Joseph church and cemetery. I've read a couple books and records that say the church was built on land my ancestors used to own. There was a big house here once upon a time.

At the cemetery, which is part of the church grounds, I showed my mom the grave site of her great grandmother, Eliza "Lizzie" Eldridge Thibodeaux Matte. At the back of this photo is also the marker of Eliza's daughter Malina Thibodeaux, who is the great-aunt of my mom.

In another section of the same cemetery, there is a marker for Josephine DeGreve Bourgaux, who is my mom's great-great grandmother from Belgium. The stone also shares the names of two of Josephine's grandchildren. Upon seeing this marker, my mom realized that her own grandmother Josephine was named for this woman:

After that, we drove around Iota, which took about 2 minutes. Then we took the slow road home.

My mom doesn't *do the genealogy* like I do, but I think she really enjoyed this trip. She had heard stories of Acadia Parish from her parents, but had never been there. Now she has pictures, memories and new cousins.  And the food...we can't forget the food!

2010 Family Heritage Tour, Part 2

[Part 2 of 3 in a series. Part 1 here and part 3 here. --Amy]

Day 2 in the 2010 Family Heritage Tour of my mom's "ancestral homeland" started early. We had a lot to do.

First, we headed out to the area where my great-great grandfather was killed in 1889. According to the newspaper articles, he stole his neighbor's wife, and flaunted the fact around town. Then he stole the neighbor's horse and that sent the guy over the edge. Anyway, here's the scene of the crime:

Last time I visited, this field was rice. I'm think these might be soybeans:

Near the scene of the crime, there was a cemetery. We stopped to see if my great-great grandfather was buried there. I've never found a grave for him and I didn't here, either:

I thought it was an interesting stop. My mom, not so much. She stayed in the car. There she is in the front seat:

For lunch, we met my mom's second cousin at Chef Roy's. We had never met before today, and this meeting was the product of a letter I sent out of the blue in March. We had a wonderful meal. She shared pictures and I feel like I hit the jackpot. I have a photo of my third-great grandmother and a possible contact with a cousin in Belgium. We'll see what happens. After lunch, we visited some more and saw some family homes.

I think my parents had a good time and my son wasn't entirely bored so it's a good day in my terms.

For dinner, we went here:

The food was fine, but really I wanted to go there for the Cajun tunes:

As you can see, I'm serious about my food, I'm serious about my live music, and I'm serious about my Family  Heritage Tours.

Next up... we'll spend some time in Iota, Louisiana before taking the slow road home.

Click here for part 3.

SS-5 Update

In my post SS-5 Waiting Game, I explained why I was ordering the SS-5 (application for a Social Security number) for my great-grandfather.

Well the record arrived today and delivered splendidly!

Here's the new information I learned from thus record:

Noel's middle name is spelled Holly. Some information I had said Hollie.

His birth year is 1889. Some records said 1886, but since Noel filled out this record himself, I'm counting it as the strongest source I've acquired so far.

Noel's father is Noel Sr.! I already knew this, but I had no record that directly said it. I had proof that Noel Jr.'s sister was Elizabeth. I had proof that Elizabeth's father was Noel Sr., but nothing that said the 2 Noels were connected. This seems obvious, but in Louisiana, Thibodeaux is a common name and you can't assume anything.

Noel had really neat penmanship. It's tidy capital letters. My grandfather and aunt write the same way.

This record was filled out June 11, 1937. It gives Noel Jr.'s residence and place of employment at that time. He was working construction in Calexico, California, right on the Mexico border. Wonder what he was building? This is a nice 1940 census substitute until I can get my hands on the real thing.

You can order SS-5s online. The whole transaction for me took less than the 20 business days advertised. It's easy, but not cheap.

SS-5 Waiting Game

I ordered my great-grandfather's SS-5 this week. For those that don't know, an SS-5 is the form one fills out to get a Social Security Number. You can request these documents for deceased individuals through the Freedom of Information Act.

It's been a while since I ordered a SS-5. So long, in fact, that this is the first one I've ordered using the new-ish Social Security Administration online order form. This is also the first time I've ordered a SS-5 for someone who is not in the Social Security Death Index.

I am hoping this form lists the names of my great-grandfather's parents. I already know who they are, but their connection is made using lots of indirect evidence. For example, I have documents that say Noel (my great-grandfather) is brother of Elizabeth. I have documents that say Elizabeth's parents are Noel Sr. and Lizzie. I do not have documents that state Noel's parents. Hopefully with this SS-5 I can document that Noel's parents are Noel Sr. and Elizabeth.

Noel Sr. was the guy who got shot in 1889. The newspaper articles don't mention the family by name, so this is where it gets sketchy. Complicating matters is the lack of an 1890 census.

I'm also hoping this SS-5 tells me where Noel Jr. was living and working at the time of his SSN application. He moved around so much! Many documents, voter records, census entries and city directories have helped me map Noel Jr.'s multiple relocations in Louisiana and California.

SS-5 records are expensive ($27 and $29) so I don't order many. However, this I felt was too important not to have such a record. Now I play the waiting game for a present in my mailbox,

Tombstone Tuesday: Malina Thibodeaux Edition

This is the grave of my great-great aunt at St. Joseph cemetery in Iota, Acadia Parish, Louisiana. If you do the math, you can see she was 23 when she died. 

 * SISTER *

MALINA

THIBODEAUX

DEC. 18, 1882

SEPT. 8, 1906

AT REST

In the picture above, you can see a partial view of a stone for Lizzie Eldridge. She was Malina's mother and is my great-great grandmother.

Malina's brief obituary that appeared in the paper stated that she had been ill for six months, but wasn't more specific than that.

For my family playing along, Malina (sometimes called Melanie Thibodeaux) was the aunt of my grandfather. She was the sister of Noel Holly Thibodeaux. I definitely see a resemblance.

Wordless Wednesday: Peeling Paint Edition

Alexander Thibodeaux (1860-1946)

Marie Olympe Arabie Thibodeaux (1858-1925)

St. Joseph Cemetery #1

Rayne, Louisiana

Best Deal in Genealogy

You know those Louisiana death certificates I ordered last week? They arrived yesterday! I sent the forms on one Thursday and the certificates came on the next Thursday. And the records were only $5 each! I need to see if there are any other death certificates I need before the Secretary of State wises up and raises the price.

Below are the death certificates I requested and received. I know you won't care, but I want to list them here so others who may be searching online will land on my blog, contact me, exchange info and live happily ever after as cousins in Genealogyland.

Julia Bourgaux Menou d. 30 Jul 1949

George Paul Bourgaux d. 26 Dec 1931

Charles Matt / Matte d. 1 July 1938 (2nd husband of my great-great grandmother who was the widow of my great-great grandfather who suffered from wandering-eye disease)

Elizabeth Thibodeaux Scanlan d. 29 March 1952 (daughter of Mr. wandering-eye disease)

Frank Scanlan d. 22 April 1946 (husband of Elizabeth)

Earl Rufus Scanlan d. 18 Dec 1933 (Homicide! Shot in a restaurant! Son of Elizabeth and Frank)

ValJean Menou d. 20 Dec 1925 (age 6 of diptheria)

Victor Menou d. 16 Nov 1954 (age 3 of accidental hanging. So sad.)

Louisiana Death Certificates

I recently ordered some older Louisiana death certificates.

You can do the same through this page of the Secretary of State's web site.

Here's the deal:

1. You can search this page for death records between 1911 and 1956.

2. If you find what you're looking for, you can fill out a form online*, then print it out to mail.

3. The cost to obtain a death record from this site is $5. A bargain!

4. You can send up to 10 requests in the same envelope.

I ordered some records for siblings of my great-great grandparents. I'm hoping they give clues to birthplaces or other little nuggets of knowledge. Always research the siblings. You find surprises that way.

The certificates I ordered were for the Bourgaux and Menou lines. I also ordered a record for Charles Matte, who was the second husband of my great-great grandmother, Eliza Eldridge Thibodeaux. How did her first husband perish, you ask? Here, let me refresh your memory.

I'll let you know what these records hold. Louisiana usually gets these documents out within a month.

* Note: I had to exit Google Chrome and use Internet Explorer to get the online applications to pop up and print. Just a heads up.

WHO DAT in the 1920 Census?

Since this is Superbowl Sunday, I thought I'd point out ancestral connections I have to the two teams in the game. I struck out with Indianapolis, since I have zero family history in Indiana. I did find a connection to New Orleans, however. 

My great-grandparents, Noel Thibodeaux and Josephine Bourgaux were born in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. They moved around a lot, probably to find work, but Noel's penchant for gambling and the temptation of quick buck may have also played a part.

Here is part of the census page on which my great-grand parents were enumerated. They lived in the 9th ward of New Orleans:

 

In the household were my great-grandfather, Noel Thibodeaux, his wife Josephine, their son Elmo, and Noel's nephew Clarence McGee. They lived on Bartholomew Street. What this census doesn't show is that there was another baby on the way. They would eventually have seven kids.

Noel and his nephew worked in the ship yards in New Orleans. I imagine many men did at that time.

Noel would also work in the ship yards in San Pedro, California, during the World War II era.

In the 1930 census, Noel and family were living with his in-laws in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. After bouncing back and forth from California and Louisiana, they would eventually stay in California, where they raised their family and are buried today. But for a short time, they were in New Orleans and that's why their featured here on Superbowl Sunday.

[Items cropped from a page of the 1920 US Census Population Schedule. Enumeration district 161, page 19B, image 38 of the New Orleans Ward 9 set. You can see this page and the complete census at ancestry.com.]

Surname Saturday: Thibodeaux

This week for Surname Saturday I am going to tell you about my research interest in the name Thibodeaux.

The Thibodeaux name is everywhere, misspelled all along the way. I am interested in the surname in 1820-1880 Acadia and St. Landry Parishes of Louisiana. That's it. No other parishes, no other time frames.

In this particular time and region there are several men named Pierre Thibodeaux. One of them is my third great grandfather. Most of the public member family trees on Ancestry say that the Pierre Thibodeaux born in 1835 is my man. I believe the 1829 Pierre Thibodeaux is the correct link, however, I've yet to prove that. Just a hunch.

So if you have an interest in these Thibodeauxs from this time frame, please drop me a line. I desperately want to get the right Pierre in my line, because from there, it's quite easy to go back further.

Return to the Scene of the Crime

Many months ago, I shared the story of my great-great grandfather and how he was murdered in 1889. You can read about it here, or just stay put for the recap: he had a wife and a girlfriend. The married husband of the married girlfriend didn't like that too much. My great-great grandfather also stole the guy's horse. Tensions escalated until one shot the other. That was the end of that.

The shooting took place at a person's saw mill. Before I went on my Acadia Parish road trip, I looked up the location of the land where the saw mill once stood. After a day of research and cemetery hunting, my father, son and I made our way through the back roads of Louisiana in search of the scene of the crime.


These buildings are younger than the saw mill, but this was the land on which the shooting took place.

The yellow grass is really rice that's almost ready for harvest. It was a indescribable sensation to ponder what once went down in this field, all while listening to the gentle sound of the rice blowing in the wind.

A building thunderstorm really added to the scene. It was like movie special effects, symbolizing the tension between my great-great grandfather and the man who shot him. We stayed for just a bit, trying to race the storm and get back to our hotel after a long day.

But before we left, my dad paused to re-enact the scene. Here he is playing the part of my great-great grandfather, uttering the line, "DON'T SHOOT!"

Oh yeah, we went there.

You know, not all my ancestors walked the straight and narrow path, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. I wouldn't be here if not for them.

Researching Acadia Parish

I haven't had much spare time this week, but the few minutes I did collect went to gathering the names of ancestors born in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, or somehow connected to the area.

I'm hoping to take a quick trip there in July, and I'd like to determine the cemetery sites of anyone who may be buried there.

My group is about 70 people. These are the names (so far) that occur in my family tree:

Arcenaux
Bourgaux
Brewer (an interesting case, indeed)
Eldridge
Guidry (part of the interesting case, indeed)
Leger
Matt / Matte
McGee
Menou
Petitjean
Scanlan
Taylor (guy that killed a Thibodeaux)
Thibodeaux (guy that was killed by a Taylor)

Based on what I've seen so far, I am probably related to any Bourgaux or Menou folks in Rayne, Iota or that general area of Acadia Parish. Those families rolled in to the country in the 1870's/1880's. The Thibodeaux's are the Cajun version of Smith. What a mess. I haven't sorted that out yet.

With the list done, I'll start consulting online resources, like Find-a-Grave and the local society-related web pages. Then I will move on to my local libraries here. I feel confident I'll have burial places for most of these folks by then.

I'd also love to find the court records of a murder case that occured in Acadia Parish in 1889. Advice? I've done zero searching. I'm just being lazy and fishing for an easy answer.

So that's what I've been doing this week. Fun stuff.

Naming Names

Craig at GeneaBlogie had the wise notion to publicize the names he was searching and see if anyone else knows something about them. This is a great idea. I can't believe I never did it before, but I'm posting them here now:

Baerecke, Barecke (WI, IL)
Bean (TN, AR)
Bourgaux, Bourgeaux (Acadia Parish LA, Gilly Belgium)
Bourland (KY, TX, OK)
Brauckman (Germany)
Brigance (TN, AR)
Brigham (TN, AR)
Clingman (AR)
Cloyd (TN, VA)
Colbert (Chickasaw, Indian Territory, OK, MS)
Degreve (LA, Belgium)
Eldridge (St. Landry LA, Milan County TX, KY)
Hood (KY, TX)
Howorth, Howarth (SC, TX)
Jones (Chickasaw, TX, NC, OK, Indian Territory)
Jost (Austria, PA)
Legoffe (France, LA)
Lenertz (IA in 1850's, MN, Luxembourg)
Lockweiler (poss. Luxembourg)
Menou (Acadia Parish, LA, France)
Moore (MS, OK, Indian Territory)
Mitchell (NC, AR)
Neilson (NC, TX)
Perkins (KY, TX, LA)
Quesenberry, Quesenbury (AR, NC)
Shokweiler (poss. Luxembourg)
Shukeveiler (or something like it)
Smith (LeSueur MN)
Sparks (AR, poss. TN)
Tate (NC, AR)
Thibodeaux (Acadia & St. Landry Parishes LA)
Turk, Tuerk (Germany)
Williamson (AR, TN)
Yost (PA, Austria)

Ok, now I have to use the word "genealogy" so search engines will pick it up and people searching for Eldridge genealogy or such will land on this blog.

My challenges are as follows:

Any indication of a Baerecke or Barecke in Chicago in 1892.
A death date for H. H. Baerecke/Barecke.
An idea of what H. H. stands for (I think it's Harry from WI but have no proof.)

Information on the following Lenertz's all born in the 1800's:
Alex Lenertz
Alexander Lenertz
Catherine Lenertz
Frank Lenertz
Henry Lenertz
John Lenertz
Joseph Lenertz
Margaret Lenertz
Mary Lenertz
Michael Lenertz
William Lenertz

Also in search of information on the Pierre Thibodeaux born in Louisiana in 1829, not the one born in 1835.

If you have any information on these folks, or you need more clarification, please email me using the email address provided in the right column of this blog.

Lenertz DNA & Thibodeaux DNA Results

I received my Y-DNA test results. It sounds like something out of the Maury Povich Show (YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!!), but it's not that dramatic.

I'm not male, so these really aren't my results. They are those of two male members of my family. They pertain to the direct Thibodeaux male line and the direct Lenertz male line. The DNA females pass down is/are different.

Both the Thibodeaux (mom's side) and Lenertz (dad's side) results put my ancestors in the "R1b Haplogroup." You can Google that in quotations and get a general answer to what it means. Loosely, they came from Europe a very long time ago, which I expected.

I was able to search for others based on my family's DNA results. For the Lenertz line, the nearest living relation was in Great Britian. We shared a common ancestor 250 years ago. All this really means (I think) is that not many people have taken DNA tests and are in the database. We should find closer connections as more people buy into this process.

The same is the case with my Thibodeaux test. The nearest relative and I had a common ancestor 700 years ago. I really thought the Thibodeaux line would have more action. Guess not.

So now my family readers are asking "what does this mean?" Short answer: nothing. I just wanted to get the DNA testing done while we were all alive and kicking. I didn't expect any shocking conclusions.

In time, I expect more people will test their ancestral DNA and we will find more in common with others. Now I have to figure out how to get our info on the Internet so others can compare their DNA to ours.

Mail Bag! Death Certificate for Eliza Eldridge

Louisiana is on the ball! I already received the death certificates I ordered earlier this month.

One of the certificates was for my great-great grandmother, Eliza Eldridge (1851-1937). For family members playing along, she was Floyd's father's mother. For regular We Tree readers, she was also the poor widow in the infamous "killing scrape" in my family tree.

She remarried, so her death certificate is under the name Matte (spelled Matt on the document).

Ms. Matte died in Port Barre, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana on August 12, 1937. The cause was "intestinal obstruction due to gall bladder condition." A contributing factor was "old age."

This certificate says Eliza was born in Milan County, Texas. This is news to me. Two censuses state she was born in Louisiana, but the 1930 census says Texas. Hmm...

The death certificate also says her father was Madison J. Eldridge, bithplace unknown. I have in my records James M. Eldridge. Maybe he was known by Madison? I'll have to explore that further.

Eliza's mother was Elizabeth Perkins. This I knew. However, the record also says that Elizabeth's birthplace was Louisville, Kentucky. News to me. The 1930 census for Eliza says both her parents were born in Kentucky.

The informant for Eliza's death certificate was her daughter Lula (Thibodeaux) McGee. Lula was living in Eunice, Lousiana at the time, so that's a nice tidbit of information for my timeline. This record also provided the undertaker's name and Eliza's burial location.

This is why getting death certificates in the mail is such a kick. My Thibodeaux branch of the tree, which I thought was so firmly entrenched in Louisiana for decades, might actually have a branch in Kentucky. I haven't done any research in Kentucky, but I'm happy to start. This goose chase will be fun.

The Whole is Equal to the Sum of Its Parts: A Thanksgiving Meme

Julie over at GenBlog is hosting a Thanksgiving meme. The task is to write about two things for which we are thankful, then encourage others to do the same. I personally am thankful for about a million things. However, since WeTree is a genealogy blog, I shall limit my meme to two family-history topics.

First, I must say I am thankful for the history keepers: past, present, and future. Everything I have learned thus far about my family is due to the fact that someone took the time to save their stories, their photos, their records and evidence that they walked this planet. This group includes archivists, librarians, and amateur genealogists. It also includes fellow genea-bloggers who have a similar passion for history and share their own ancestors' experiences. I enjoy reading your blogs. Thank you for sharing them.

Second, I am thankful for my ancestors. Discovering their stories has shaped my life and put my own experiences in perspective. The whole is equal to the sum of its parts. In my case, the parts include:

Nancy Bourland (1846-1913) moved her eight children (and one on the way) to the family's new homestead in Indian Territory. Her husband passed away while stopped for supplies in Texas and never made it to the new home. Widowed Nancy went on to raise her children, complete with formal education, while running the ranch. She is my great-great-great grandmother. Her story puts my little complaints about life in perspective.

Emile Bourgaux (1866-1948) was born in Belgium but came to America at 19, likely for the same reasons as millions of other immigrants. He and his wife settled in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, where he ran a successful business until it was destroyed by fire. Bourgaux moved to another parish town and started again. He and his wife also had 13 children, at least 5 of whom died in infancy. Emile is my great-great grandfather, and I hope I have inherited some of his perseverance.

William Woodberry Williamson (1853-1942) is my easy study. He was born, lived and died in the same Arkansas county. His presence is noted in dozens of records. He was widowed three times, always with young children to raise. By all accounts, he led a straight-laced, good, Christian life. However, a single church record admonishing Williamson for playing cards for pleasure is what defines my great-great grandfather for me. Live your life in service to others, but don't forget to sneak in a little fun time for yourself.

Lastly, I have to mention the family Thibodeaux. Even in the vast ocean of Thibodeauxs out there, my little branch is unique. Though their conduct isn't always admirable, evidence of their presence on this Earth is always entertaining. If I had the time, I could probably write a book about my hell-raising great-great grandfather and the equally hell-raising son who never knew him. Perhaps I inherited a dash of mischief from this branch, but I choose to stay on this side of the law.

Each of my ancestors has a story. In time, I hope to tell them all. For now I will continue to gather informational pieces and shape the puzzles of their lives. When a picture forms, it helps me see where I've come from and prepares me for where I am going. I understand the importance of these stories and for that, I am truly thankful.

And When They Met, It was MURDER!!!

The 57th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy asks us to "share some aspect about your family history that you learned about in a newspaper." In all the items in my collection, there is one article that stands out far above the rest and is the perfect fit for this carnival.

Several months ago, I inquired about getting some obituary copies from a Lousisana historical society. Apparently, my branch of Thibodeaux ancestors was unfamiliar to the lady with whom I was corresponding. She was surprised, as she thought she knew all the Thibodeauxs in the Acadia/St. Landry parishes. I casually mentioned that my great-great grandfather died young and I knew nothing about him or how he passed. I received my obits for everyone but him in the mail, and I thought that was the end of it.

However, the lady's curiosity was piqued and she went hunting for more information on my Thibodeaux. She sent me a set of three small articles that explained just exactly how Mr. Thibodeaux died in St. Landry Parish, Lousiana on April 21, 1889. The following paragraph explains the situation:

There was a shooting and killing scrape at Chris Ruppert's saw mill Sunday morning, the 21st nlt. Noel Thibodeaux was shot and killed by Onezime Taylor. From all reports it seems to have been a justifiable act. Most men find it all they can do to support one wife but Thibodeaux wanted two, and so coveted and took his neighbor's and then not satisfied with that took his horse, and still not having enough wanted his life, and so lost his own life, as Taylor was not willing to give his life to a man who had taken all else from him.

Well, that answers my question on when and how my great-great grandfather died. The longer article explains the building tension between the two. Apparently, Thibodeaux tried to kill Taylor before, but was interrupted by others passing by. Finally, Taylor couldn't take whatever Thibodeaux was dishing out anymore, so one day he walked up, exchanged words and shot him dead. Taylor then turned himself in at the sheriff's office. Whether the Taylors were separated or not at the time was debated. However, Thibodeaux was still married so what was going on there?

The articles are written in a colorful, dramatic, slanted fashion as most were in that time. Clearly, the reporter and others were not fans of my great-great grandfather. The reporter mentions that there were two sides to this story, but doesn't include the words of anyone speaking on Thibodeaux's behalf. Taylor's $1000 bond was paid by friends and townsfolk. So many rushed to pay in support of Taylor that many had to be turned away.

The articles do not provide the final details of Taylor's fate, but they hint at acquittal. In time, I'd like to go to the parish and try to locate the records of these proceedings. Until then, I have a great genealogy conversation starter.

[The articles referred to in this piece are from the Crowley Signal. The dates were April 27, 1889 and May 5, 1889.]