Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog
This searchable database provides information on images, documents, and audio and video recordings, made between 1934 and the present.
Musical performance by Dennis McGee, Sady Courville, and Michael Doucet
Dennis McGee (first Fiddle); Sady Courville (second Fiddle); Mike Doucet (Rhythm):
Live at Mulate's 1984:
-La Reel Fruge;
-Dennis thanks the few people that are there;
-La valse qui a fini dans le coin de la maison. Sady explains how this is one of Dennis' favorite songs. Things got pretty serious when they got to the corner;
-Talking about playing "Adieu Rosa." Preston got lost with it once and Dennis never played it with him again. Dennis just celebrated his 92nd birthday. Playing 68 years with Sady. First Cajun twin fiddle record in 1928. Keeps them Young;
-Adieu Rosa (Demain, c'est pas Dimanche). One of Barry Ancelet's favorite;
-Dennis thinks the people aren't excited, they aren't dancing. Sady tells them they're eating right now;
-Dennis imitating Mike tuning his guitar;
-Mon Cher Bébé Créole. One of their records from 1928 (10:00);
-Dennis told Sady he wasn't going to sing tonight because he's sick. He gets carried away when he starts playing music;
-Madame Young. Flip side to 'Mon Cher Bébé Créole.' Dennis married Maria "Mayo" Young (Dennis' second wife), then Sady's sister after. Sady introducing Mike and himself and Dennis. Sady and Dennis playing at the festival in Lafayette. Thanking the owner and Mike. Dennis talking about her face swelling. "She died, poor thing.";
-"Madame Young" is now called "Allons Danser, Colinda." Sady talking about how the music changes throughout time;
-Old-time music their fathers used to play (reels). Called "folk music" at that time. Cajun music comes from folk music. Music from the late 1700s. Sady heard these stories from his grandmother;
-McGees and Fruges were musicians, not Courvilles. Sady gets his musical talent from the Fruges. All fiddlers (21:05);
-Fiddles were the first instruments in South Louisiana. Accordions came in the early 1900s;
-Keeping the culture alive and going. Younger people like Mike;
-Dennis says Sady talks too much all the time;
-Sady introducing "La Valse du Côteau." Songs named after communities or family members. Dennis made it first, playing the fiddle by himself in his room. A friend, Lee Miller, helped him name it;
-Dennis and Sady have been on tours to different parts of the country. Sady's hair turned white, Dennis' didn't. People think Sady's older than Dennis, when it's actually the opposite;
-La Branche du Mûrier?;
-Sady asks if Dennis is tired, he's not;
-Sady likes to play "La Reel des Deshotel(s)"
-Dennis likes to play "La Reel des Marcantel";
-La Reel des Deshotel(s);
Dennis McGee, Sady Courville and Mike Doucet
Interview with Louis Delhomme
***Date unknown, circa 1984-1985***
***Copy of AN1-221***
Louis Delhomme (1895)
Scott WWI Vet
-Trip to Panama in hit teenage years, spending summers in New Orleans to his father's first cousin who kind of adopted Louis. The year the canal opened;
-Trip during WWI quite different, army trip. About 2 years away;
-Born in 1895. Last trip to Monte-ray, California. Going to the hospital. March 24th, 1895. Doctor didn't believe his age;
-Born and raised in Scott, worked at the post office for 45 years. Retired since 1960 (24 years ago). Wife died 13 years ago. Family tried to pull him to Lafayette, but he didn't move;
Education:
-Scott High School to SLI (now USL, 1909/1910). 4 year academic course. After the first four months (first term), you chose French or Latin. He chose Latin.
-Graduated SLI in 1914. 1st grade teaching certificate, about 20 years old at that time. Taught school for one year, but didn't like it;
-Civil Service Exam the following summer for the Scott post office. Got the notice in October, he was teaching at the Martin school. He quit and started at the post office in 1915;
-Leave of absence when the war broke out. Signing up because he didn't want to go into the infantry;
-Finding out about the war through the press. Drafting. It was 1917. Opening up a night school at SLI 2-3 times a week, prepare you to join the Single Corps. 8-10 of them attended and 2-3 singed up/enlisted;
-Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Not the penitentiary. Completed the course there and shipped him overseas. Frank Daigle and 1-2 other from Lafayette;
-Louis spoke French, connections in France. New York to Bordeaux on a French boat, horrible;
-He was aware of German U-boats. Bordeaux to Single Corps Battalion in Cour Cheverney, France;
-99% of American soldiers could not speak French. Louis and Alcé Breaux from Carencro (brother to Mrs. Vianney? Mouton) helped out to find place for the soldiers to stay. Billeting soldiers;
-Letter from the Mayor of Cour Cheverney 2 years ago, he couldn't find it. Kept contact. Mother kept contact with Mrs. Labbé until his mother died. Louis got married when he came back in 1918.
-Mrs. Labbé came over for the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. Letter from her, her husband had died, daughter and son both married.
-She wrote Louis a letter from New York, she visited for the International Exposition with a group. 2 yeas after, she came down with her daughter and son-in-law and visited Louis. Coming back to Louisiana 2 years later;
-2 years ago, her son's daughter came to Louisiana with CODOFIL, stationed in New Iberia. Ex-post master from Lafayette, Ned Arceneaux and the ex-post master from Carencro, William Broussard, they and their wives visited France and met Mrs. Labbé;
-Attitude about the war. They didn't worry about it, it was overseas, not domestic (14:16);
-Louis just made up his mind, he had to go in the service. 21-22 yrs old single, no reason to not serve his country. He never used his knowledge from the Single Corps school. He served as an interpreter to the U.S. army;
-He has a hazy memory, he's 90 years old. WWI is a ways away;
-SLI for 4 years, getting the newspapers and keeping up with the war;
-America was in the war to stop Germans from taking over the world, threatening France. Necessary to fight Germans. No resistance to the U.S. declaring war against Germany;
-No going-away celebration, landing in Bordeaux, transferred into the Loire Valley. Alcé Breaux in the 10th battalion (neighboring towns). Louis was in the 9th. Alcé transferred to his outfit;
-First Sergeant. Corporal on the boat, crossing. Sergeant, then first class;
-Officer was an engineer, commanding officer for Cour Cheverney area. Offloading many Americans. Finding vacant French buildings to house the American soldiers. Paying rent to the French;
-Night of the armistice, Alcé Breaux got pneumonia, T.B. hospital, died a few years after at home? Empty buildings, part of the war;
-Wounded coming back from the fronts. Hospital in Loire? He was a patient with the flu just before he came back. Not seeing the very worst. No freshly-wounded soldiers. Interior of France. No gas. Shell-shocked soldiers?;
-Almost having to give up driving. Only son, Louis Jr. died?;
-Daily life in France during WWI. Not in army barracks, in French homes, 2-3 rooms upstairs. No military supervision. Billeting. Big celebration the night of the armistice. French people were very friendly. Brunet family. Welcome anywhere in those homes;
-No contact with the French or English army, no reason. Mostly American soldiers where he was.
-Meeting anyone who happened to be in Cour Cheverney. Louis always felt welcome, no resentment from the French people. 2 francophones in their outfit;
-Billeting quarters, keeping record of payments;
-French knew the Americans were there to defend the French from the Germans. U.S. President helped turn the tide of WWI;
-Not familiar with British tanks;
-Food in the trenches. U.S. government fed soldiers. All the wine they wanted in France. Developed a taste for wine over there. Drinking wine instead of water. No available water, musette bags. -Youth drank wine too. Difficult to wash up? Well water to shower;
-Pretty happy when he heard the war was over Nov. 11th. Came down with the flu in January, worked ceased;
-Outfit moved from Cour Cheverney to meet his original outfit to come back to the states. Left in the early spring (March) of 1918. Came back on a U.S. Navy boat, entirely different from the French boat they went over on (30:58);
-A couple of weeks to cross, food and atmosphere was rough. Summer time, left New York. Coming back was so different, pleasant;
-2 years in France, 1917-1918. Discharged in Shelby, Mississippi. Got $60 bonus, New Orleans then Lafayette by train;
-Bordeaux to New York, then discharged in Mississippi (by train). Pass to New Orleans, $60 pocket money. Pass to Lafayette or bought a ticket?;
-No reception in Lafayette, maybe not even in New York. The war was over. Celebration when the armistice was declared, none after;
-Immediate family picked him up at the station. Mr. Arceneaux went back to work where he was before. Farming for his father.
-Leave of absence from the post office, coming back to his old job. Unemployment was bad after the war;
-Mr. Arceneaux's $60 didn't last. Louis barely got a decent suit, getting money from home since his father was still living.
-Mr. Arceneaux was in the army. Single Corps a branch separate from the infantry, Mr. Arceneaux was in the infantry;
-No trouble readjusting to civilian life. Model-T Ford from storage. Horse and buggy before, pre-ATV going through water, mud, etc.;
-Going back on the job. Coming back in early spring, marrying Jacques Mouton's daughter in August. Sister of George Touchet?'s mother.
-He knew the family well, older sister. Staying with his parents until they bought their home in 1920. Son, Louis was born not long after they moved;
-Experiences in the war changing him? Drinking wine. Louis was ready to settle down. Louis Jr. born in June. Facing the unknown gave him food for thought.
-All in all, it was just a regular adjustment. Army detach service. Pretty lonely. Flu in early spring of 1918, anxiety;
-Life more or less stable at that stage. Day to day army stuff;
-Flu epidemic after the war in the U.S. Louis got the flu in France. His battalion moved before he left the hospital, came back with his old outfit;
-Locals in the war. American Legion Post #69 in Lafayette. Saint Martin Dupré's American Legion Post. Meeting veterans he didn't even know in the service. Active in the Legion after WWI;
-Louis had his Civil Service job waiting for him when he came back. He wanted to go to LSU after teaching for a few years. War put him in the army;
-Mutual Life of New York insurance company. Trying to leave the post office to go into life insurance.
-Thankful for 45 years at the post office, retirement. He wouldn't have gotten that from selling life insurance;
-Scott veterans. Moving to town or going back to the farm?;
-Cajuns that were drafted, some could hardly speak English. Reading and writing letters for them, in Fort Leavenworth (infantry). Claude Hebert, retired school teacher;
-People knew he was in the service, parents visiting him in Kansas before he left for France. Just a memory today (47:49);
-Boot camp, infantry branch. Single Corps Foundation Training in Fort Leavenworth. Boot camp, college backing, not much military training. Telegraphy, Single Corps work, Studying;
-Seeing men walking their boots off. Camp Pike in Alexandria saw the Dickens;
-Barry was born in 1951, between wars. He's only 33. Father still living;
-Louis' grandfather came from Bayou Lafourche, surprised to find Delhommes in Scott area.
-Close to the Scott Delhommes. C.J.'s father, Mrs. Dallas Hebert's father also. Not the same Delhommes;
-Country. Farming. Father had 50-acre farm. Walking to school, coming back and working in the garden. Louis' older brother milked the cows. Selling milk in Scott. Hitch up the horse and buggy and deliver milk in Scott before school;
-Before Dr. Prejean?;
-Interviewed Ulysse Arceneaux and wants to interview Claude Hebert. Louis was on the interior, he shot at no one and no one shot at him;
-Finding lodging for soldiers and paying rent to the French people. 5-10 Francs for each person each night.
-Quite a few billeting officers, U.S. soldiers sent over so quickly, needing to find lodging for them. Traveling little wars, like around the parish looking for vacant buildings. On their toes;
-Dog tents, two-man tents. Maybe on the U.S. side?;
-Officers in homes, paid more for their lodging. Louis didn't think it was just to pay rent, they should've gotten it for free.
-French demanding rent to be paid for lodging American soldiers. Lodging once they got to the fronts, but finding lodging in between;
-Château district;
-Visiting after he had the flu and waiting for the boat. 2 weeks to Paris (just another city) or Pyrenees mountains on the Spanish border. 16 of them went to the Pyrenees, wonderful vacation;
-Grotto of Lourdes, pilgrimage. Feast of the Annunciation (March/April 15).
-Taking the train, 5-6 Catholics going back to celebrate La Procession des Flambeaux, The Procession of the Candles. Book about the 3 stages where the apparition was, very sacred place;
-He never saw Paris. He saw a little of Bordeaux and the Pyrenees mountains;
Louis Delhomme
Interview with J.C. Alpough and John Stewart Rideaux
J.C. Alpough, John Stewart Rideaux
Palmetto 1/29/85 VETS
(WWI Vets. #2)
***There is a dub cassette Maxell Communicator Series C60***
J.C. Alpough:
-Drafted in the service in June 1918? He can't remember;
-Camp Funston, Kansas, then overseas in France. He got lost. He got pneumonia, then the flu. Transferred back to the states. Discharged in Camp Shelby, MS? Camp Lee, Hoboken, NJ;
-He didn't see any battles, he was lucky. Rained everyday. He's just lucky to be here;
-First time he left home, left his family;
-3rd hospital in New Orleans? Back with a hemorrhage, no good since;
-Brest, France;
-Weather was bad, cold and wet. Kansas tent/pup tents, where he took the flu;
-Meeting French people. He can understand French, but he was lost because they talked so fast. They treated him alright, he wasn't mistreated at all;
-$30/month was all they got. He didn't care if he got a penny, he just wanted to come back and be with his people. Money doesn't mean a thing. He's 90 years old;
-Wounded soldiers, none he saw killed. War was over, coming back. Some in the hospital where he was. Terrible. In danger anywhere over there;
-German prisoners. He didn't know what was going on in there;
-Meeting German prisoners, no talking with them though. Talking English as good as he can. Concerning? Eating in a kitchen, mud around the stove. Tough. Contrary?;
-Cleaning up different places. Truck. Different things everyday day. Told what to do early each morning. Paid once in French money when he was over there?;
-Meeting French people. He understands French, but they talk too fast for him;
-Worked everyday, no day off?;
-Very seldom being able to visit town. Lost in town;
-X-rays, putting him in the bed. Transferring to a big building with others. Getting in the ambulance. Transfer to U.S. Coming in back in 8 days, took 2 weeks to go. Coming back on a German ship, 60' high, 60' wide;
-Morris? Breaux. Uniform?;
-Coming home in March on a train from Camp Shelby. Paid his way to Eunice. Bought a ticket and got off at Palmetto. $60 bonus and something you couldn't do anything with for 10 years?;
-He farmed before going into the army. Walking to school, raining. Managed getting to 7th grade (15:50);
-Good parents, Catholic. 90 years old now. Live quietly, peaceful. He's got a soul to save and he's the only one who can do anything. Daughter died Jan. 2nd, it's a burden on him. Daughter was just like his mother;
-Going back to farming and got married. Public works to get a job, $100 was plenty money. Things were tight, but things were cheap;
-WWII vets;
-Not being able to vote when he enlisted into the army. Colored soldiers, coming back mixed up. Separated White and Black soldiers. He just wanted to come back home to his family and friends. Thanks God for his age;
-806 Pioneer Infantry, Mr. George Holmes was in 816 (Natchez, MS). Company #27. Here in Palmetto, Lebeau now. Birthday was June 6th, 1894, not the 16th (possibly his baptism?). Birth certificate. Old people didn't tell you too much in those days;
-Never heard a law suit;
John Stewart Rideaux:
-Seeing plenty on the news;
-Colored registering for the service. Man from New Orleans came to a meeting and got beat up and died from the injuries. Not in Opelousas;
WWI;
-Born in Jackson, LA on September 6th, 1888. Drafted, no choice but to go. Farming? Railroad fireman after the army. When he was 18 yrs old, he worked on the railroad, then army and came back to the railroad;
-Father was a cotton farmer, he'd pick cotton until he couldn't;
-Drafted and sent to Camp Funston, Kansas by train from Donaldsonville, LA. Drilling/training at camp. Tear gas training, mask leaked and messed up his eyesight. Rejected because of his hip?;
-806 Pioneer Division. Rainbow Division? First men overseas. 806 took over. Stayed in Kansas because he got rejected;
-Drilling and training the whole time he was there (31:35);
-White soldiers in his company and trained and marched together. Otherwise, separated;
-Food was plenty. Paid $7.50/month while he was there;
-Not getting along? Paying someone day and night to do for him. Taking money. He needs every dime he can get. He does the best he can. $420 from the veterans, now $362?;
-Coming back from Kansas in 1918 after the war was over and going to work. Worked until 1920, coming to Baton Rouge to work for Standard Oil until 1924, went to railroad fireman;
-Not too hard for him to find a job. Going back to his same job;
-Leaving the army, he got a bonus and paid his way back home. No camps in Louisiana. Hattiesburg, MS. Happy to get back home;
-Mr. Skip told him to go into the army and do what he was told/do the right things. Never had any trouble, never missed role call. It was like a job for him. Wanting to go back, but they wouldn't take him;
-Leaving family and friends at home, they didn't have any choice. He got his draft card, mother felt a little bad, but there was nothing she could do;
-Not being able to vote when he left for the army. Felt alright going into the army. Following orders, not doing what you wanted to do;
-Happy to see his family and friends when he got back. They didn't know anything about the war. Young people know more about the war, trained at home?;
-He wasn't scared to leave home;
-Family didn't meet him. Hattiesburg, MS. People waiting for him in New Orleans;
-Ending up in Palmetto, coming from Baton Rouge/Plaquemines. Used to have a big mill in Palmetto. Need of fireman for the boiler;
-Family in Palmetto?;
-He remembers things pretty good. No whites left at all? (44:46);
-Fireman at the Brewer's? sawmill until they closed down. Working some in Texas, coming home in 1952 on the Friday before Labor day;
-Hospital, operated on. He can't stand up on his leg;
-Tested with the gas masks, running through the tear gas. Not being able to see out of one eye, going to the infirmary to see about it;
-Stayed in Kansas, disability prevented him from doing things. Discharge papers;
-He left all his papers and everything;
-Stories and jokes. Rabbits, raccoons, opossums, deer. He hasn't hunted since he's been in Palmetto;
-Left Jackson in June 1908?. Picking cotton;
-Born in East Feliciana Parish;
-Nothing to do in the old days. Working 10 hours a day for 10 cents an hour ($1 a day). $6 a week?;
-Parents. Father never served in the army. Civil War time. Hearing about how it was;
-This country was like the other country? Texas and Mississippi as countries? United States was divided, they had to unite together. Civil War;
-Not remembering anything and not counting his money?;
-First memory he has, first welfare? in St. Louis, Missouri. 3 days to St. Louis? "Can't keep a good man down.";
-High waters/floods of 1912, 1922, 1927. He was in St. John/St. Jules for the flood of '27;
-Fireman. Mr. Dixson;
-People working in the mill/railroad sang songs while working. Happy making money. He remembers the songs, but he can't sing or recount the lyrics;
-Still a deacon in the Church (which church?);
J.C. Alpough, John Stewart Rideaux
Interview with Louis Delhomme
***Date unknown, circa 1984-1985***
***Copy of AN1-221, time code may vary slightly***
Louis Delhomme (1895)
Scott WWI Vet
-Trip to Panama in hit teenage years, spending summers in New Orleans to his father's first cousin who kind of adopted Louis. The year the canal opened;
-Trip during WWI quite different, army trip. About 2 years away;
-Born in 1895. Last trip to Monte-ray, California. Going to the hospital. March 24th, 1895. Doctor didn't believe his age;
-Born and raised in Scott, worked at the post office for 45 years. Retired since 1960 (24 years ago). Wife died 13 years ago. Family tried to pull him to Lafayette, but he didn't move;
-Education: Scott High School to SLI (now USL, 1909/1910). 4 year academic course.
-After the first four months (first term), you chose French or Latin. He chose Latin. Graduated SLI in 1914.
-1st grade teaching certificate, about 20 years old at that time. Taught school for one year, but didn't like it;
-Civil Service Exam the following summer for the Scott post office. Got the notice in October, he was teaching at the Martin school. He quit and started at the post office in 1915;
-Leave of absence when the war broke out. Signing up because he didn't want to go into the infantry;
-Finding out about the war through the press. Drafting. It was 1917. Opening up a night school at SLI 2-3 times a week, prepare you to join the Single Corps. 8-10 of them attended and 2-3 singed up/enlisted;
-Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Not the penitentiary. Completed the course there and shipped him overseas. Frank Daigle and 1-2 other from Lafayette;
-Louis spoke French, connections in France. New York to Bordeaux on a French boat, horrible;
-He was aware of German U-boats. Bordeaux to Single Corps Battalion in Cour Cheverney, France;
-99% of American soldiers could not speak French. Louis and Alcé Breaux from Carencro (brother to Mrs. Vianney? Mouton) helped out to find place for the soldiers to stay. Billeting soldiers;
-Letter from the Mayor of Cour Cheverney 2 years ago, he couldn't find it. Kept contact. Mother kept contact with Mrs. Labbé until his mother died. Louis got married when he came back in 1918.
-Mrs. Labbé came over for the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. Letter from her, her husband had died, daughter married and son.
-She wrote Louis a letter from New York, she visited for the International Exposition with a group. 2 yeas after, she came down with her daughter and son-in-law and visited Louis. Coming back to Louisiana 2 years later;
-2 years ago, her son's daughter came to Louisiana with CODOFIL, stationed in New Iberia.
-Ex-post master from Lafayette, Ned Arceneaux and the ex-post master from Carencro, William Broussard, they and their wives visited France and met Mrs. Labbé;
-Attitude about the war. They didn't worry about it, it was overseas, not domestic (14:16);
-Louis just made up his mind, he had to go in the service. 21-22 yrs old single, no reason to not serve his country.
-He never used his knowledge from the Single Corps school. He served as an interpreter to the U.S. army;
-He has a hazy memory, he's 90 years old. WWI is a ways away;
-SLI for 4 years, getting the newspapers and keeping up with the war;
-America was in the war to stop Germans from taking over the world, threatening France. Necessary to fight Germans. No resistance to the U.S. declaring war against Germany;
-No going-away celebration, landing in Bordeaux, transferred into the Loire Valley. Alcé Breaux in the 10th battalion (neighboring towns). Louis was in the 9th. Alcé transferred to his outfit;
-First Sergeant. Corporal on the boat, crossing. Sergeant, then first class;
-Officer was an engineer, commanding officer for Cour Cheverney area. Offloading many Americans. Finding vacant French buildings to house the American soldiers. Paying rent to the French;
-Night of the armistice, Alcé Breaux got pneumonia, T.B. hospital, died a few years after at home? Empty buildings, part of the war;
-Wounded coming back from the fronts. Hospital in Loire? He was a patient with the flu just before he came back. Not seeing the very worst. No freshly-wounded soldiers. Interior of France. No gas. Shell-shocked soldiers?;
-Almost having to give up driving. Only son, Louis Jr. died?;
-Daily life in France during WWI. Not in army barracks, in French homes, 2-3 rooms upstairs. No military supervision. Billeting. Big celebration the night of the armistice. French people were very friendly. Brunet family. Welcome anywhere in those homes;
-No contact with the French or English army, no reason. Mostly American soldiers where he was.
-Meeting anyone who happened to be in Cour Cheverney. Louis always felt welcome, no resentment from the French people. 2 francophones in their outfit;
-Billeting quarters, keeping record of payments;
-French knew the Americans were there to defend the French from the Germans. U.S. President helped turn the tide of WWI;
-Not familiar with British tanks;
-Food in the trenches. U.S. government fed soldiers. All the wine they wanted in France. Developed a taste for wine over there. Drinking wine instead of water. No available water, musette bags. -Youth drank wine too. Difficult to wash up? Well water to shower;
-Pretty happy when he heard the war was over Nov. 11th. Came down with the flu in January, worked ceased;
-Outfit moved from Cour Cheverney to meet his original outfit to come back to the states. Left in the early spring (March) of 1918. Came back on a U.S. Navy boat, entirely different from the
-French boat they went over on (30:58);
-A couple of weeks to cross, food and atmosphere was rough. Summer time, left New York. Coming back was so different, pleasant;
-2 years in France, 1917-1918. Discharged in Shelby, Mississippi. Got $60 bonus, New Orleans then Lafayette by train;
-Bordeaux to New York, then discharged in Mississippi (by train). Pass to New Orleans, $60 pocket money. Pass to Lafayette or bought a ticket?;
-No reception in Lafayette, maybe not even in New York. The war was over. Celebration when the armistice was declared, none after;
-Immediate family picked him up at the station. Mr. Arceneaux went back to work where he was before. Farming for his father. Leave of absence from the post office, coming back to his old job. -Unemployment was bad after the war;
-Mr. Arceneaux's $60 didn't last. Louis barely got a decent suit, getting money from home since his father was still living.
-Mr. Arceneaux was in the army. Single Corps a branch separate from the infantry, Mr. Arceneaux was in the infantry;
-No trouble readjusting to civilian life. Model-T Ford from storage. Horse and buggy before, pre-ATV going through water, mud, etc.;
-Going back on the job. Coming back in early spring, marrying Jacques Mouton's daughter in August. Sister of George Touchet?'s mother.
-He knew the family well, older sister. Staying with his parents until they bought their home in 1920. Son, Louis was born not long after they moved;
-Experiences in the war changing him? Drinking wine. Louis was ready to settle down. Louis Jr. born in June.
-Facing the unknown gave him food for thought. All in all, it was just a regular adjustment. Army detach service. Pretty lonely. Flu in early spring of 1918, anxiety;
-Life more or less stable at that stage. Day to day army stuff;
-Flu epidemic after the war in the U.S. Louis got the flu in France. His battalion moved before he left the hospital, came back with his old outfit;
-Locals in the war. American Legion Post #69 in Lafayette. Saint Martin Dupré's American Legion Post. Meeting veterans he didn't even know in the service. Active in the Legion after WWI;
-Louis had his Civil Service job waiting for him when he came back. He wanted to go to LSU after teaching for a few years. War put him in the army;
-Mutual Life of New York insurance company. Trying to leave the post office to go into life insurance.
-Thankful for 45 years at the post office, retirement. He wouldn't have gotten that from selling life insurance;
-Scott veterans. Moving to town or going back to the farm?;
-Cajuns that were drafted, some could hardly speak English. Reading and writing letters for them, in Fort Leavenworth (infantry). Claude Hebert, retired school teacher;
-People knew he was in the service, parents visiting him in Kansas before he left for France. Just a memory today (47:49);
-Boot camp, infantry branch. Single Corps Foundation Training in Fort Leavenworth. Boot camp, college backing, not much military training. Telegraphy, Single Corps work, Studying;
-Seeing men walking their boots off. Camp Pike in Alexandria saw the Dickens;
-Barry was born in 1951, between wars. He's only 33. Father still living;
-Louis' grandfather came from Bayou Lafourche, surprised to find Delhommes in Scott area.
-Close to the Scott Delhommes. C.J.'s father, Mrs. Dallas Hebert's father also. Not the same Delhommes;
-Country. Farming. Father had 50-acre farm. Walking to school, coming back and working in the garden. Louis' older brother milked the cows. Selling milk in Scott. Hitch up the horse and buggy and deliver milk in Scott before school;
-Before Dr. Prejean?;
-Interviewed Ulysse Arceneaux and wants to interview Claude Hebert. Louis was on the interior, he shot at no one and no one shot at him;
-Finding lodging for soldiers and paying rent to the French people. 5-10 Francs for each person each night.
-Quite a few billeting officers, U.S. soldiers sent over so quickly, needing to find lodging for them. Traveling little wars, like around the parish looking for vacant buildings. On their toes;
-Dog tents, two-man tents. Maybe on the U.S. side?;
-Officers in homes, paid more for their lodging. Louis didn't think it was just to pay rent, they should've gotten it for free.
-French demanding rent to be paid for lodging American soldiers. Lodging once they got to the fronts, but finding lodging in between;
-Château district;
-Visiting after he had the flu and waiting for the boat. 2 weeks to Paris (just another city) or Pyrenees mountains on the Spanish border. 16 of them went to the Pyrenees, wonderful vacation;
-Grotto of Lourdes, pilgrimage. Feast of the Annunciation (March/April 15). Taking the train, 5-6 Catholics going back to celebrate La Procession des Flambeaux, The Procession of the Candles. -Book about the 3 stages where the apparition was, very sacred place;
-He never saw Paris. He saw a little of Bordeaux and the Pyrenees mountains;
Louis Delhomme
Interview with Mr. & Mrs. Claude Hebert
***Date unknown***
***Continued on AN1-232***
Circa. 1984
Claude Hebert, Scott I
WWI Vet 1895
-Claude Hebert, born 5 miles southwest of Youngsville, a real country boy. Born Aug. 30th, 1895;
-Finished 8th grade in Milton, high school in Abbeville, 1 year of Commerce at Southwestern (certificate in 1917);
-Volunteered in WWI to be a baker. 400 bakers from New Orleans, 14 from Abbeville volunteered. Peck's Bakery in Lafayette and Wilfred David became bakers;
-They put him in an office when they found out he took a book-keeping course at Southwestern;
-Lining up and following commands in the barracks. Weeding out those who could work a typewriter, book-keeper. Digging ditches at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans;
-San Antonio, they put him in an office taking care of shoes. Then, hats, coats. Making him a Corporal and putting him with Sergeant Kennedy in the finance department writing checks;
-Captain caught a mistake of paying one guy $5 too much, paid another guy too little. No third mess up because he didn't want to lose his job;
-Armistice (Nov. 11th) until March. Writing checks based on mileage, (5 cents a mile) back to San Antonio;
-Asking the Captain to write his discharge. Promoting Claude to sergeant. Claude wanting to go back to school. Writing to his old job to get an affidavit, working for the superintendent of education in Abbeville. Working there a few months and going to LSU as a freshman until Christmas;
-Transferring credits to Southwestern and finishing 2 years later in Agriculture. Diploma. LSU;
-$100/month to go to college or to work on a farm (from the Veteran's Administration). June-Aug, living on a rice farm in Welsh. A.E. Lyon.
-Driving cattle to the dip. Offered Claude a job to run his cotton farm in Opelousas at $100/month + 5% of the crop. Claude wanted his college degree;
-Drilling and living in the barracks;
-Veterans standing up in a bunch drilling, waiting to get their checks. Don't have to drill you spent 2 years in the army, go see Sergeant Hogan. He brought his discharge.
-Barracks for the young boys, going live in town with Sam Garbo?, a man from Broussard he took Chemistry with at Southwestern.
-He worked most of the time and was hardly home because he was working in the lab late at night;
-He wanted to finish in Commerce, book-keeping, CPA;
-Cousin worked at Dr. R.O. Young's hospital in Abbeville. Head nurse Ms. Bass asking him what he'll do. Claude had $150 and would work until he had $500 and then go to college (1919, $500 paid for one year of college).
-Working a year and working a year, it would've taken 10 years. Borrowing money from Dr. Young? Meeting with Dr. Young.
-Dr. Young wanted to know what major, what college, and how much money it would cost;
-Dr. Young suggesting he take Agriculture because he speaks French, the language of the Cajuns. Coming back and helping them. He was a chairman of the agriculture board. Putting agriculture in all high schools in the state. Claude could get a job teaching;
-Mr. Casanova, Vermilion Parish, telling Claude to go to college in Mississippi. Teaching in Youngsville ($125/month), promoted to Carencro ($175/month);
-September, Preston Guilbeau in charge of vocational agriculture for the state. He spoke with a French accent (16:10);
-Mr. Courvin? an assistant in Haiti. Getting a man who can speak to the locals. Asking Mr. Guilbeau and interviewing Claude and Pierre Hernandez. Hiring Claude to go to Haiti for 6 years;
-Mr. Guilbeau picked Claude over the other because he was taller by 2-3 inches. Already short men in Haiti, he didn't want Haitians to think all Americans were short;
-Director of Extension in Haiti (Agriculture agents, 32 over the republic and 120 agriculture teachers). Building schools. Some teachers lived in the schools. 1925-1931;
-People were real nice, they weren't fighting like you read about now. Living cheaply. Claude always lived in hotels traveling.
-They never had kids, his wife could speak a little French, but not too much. Never renting a house. $150 a month, for room, 3 meals a day, and garage;
-He's traveled the most in the republic. Botanist studying plants;
-First month, he was put in a large room/office shared with other people. Professor of Greek and Latin asking why Dr. Freeman brought him here. Voyager (on land) vs. Naviguer (on water);
-Learning Creole words/phrases;
-Traveling on foot, donkey, horse, sailboat, steamer between ports. Going into the mountains on horseback;
-Setting up agricultural programs, running schools;
-Fairs in May. Printed catalog with different prizes. 2 fairs in one day at different places. May 1930, he slept only 5 times at the hotel. 17 days of no English, white men in the mountains;
-Living on an island off of Haiti (Grande Cayemite). Dr. Summers was stationed there. Man with leprosy, he only had two fingers left at the joints.
-Him, his baby and his wife, slept on the ground/dirt floor. The baby was in a hole. He smoked tobacco, but he didn't have any. Claude gave him some tobacco. Taking his picture with a Kodak. -Sending the picture, but the doctor didn't get to him. It got "lost";
-Why Americans were in the World War, he doesn't know. Marines occupied Haiti, 2-3 years prior to his arrival. Germans went to Haiti to buy coffee during WWI, also buying liquor and staging a mini-revolution on the other side of the island so the Germans could steal the coffee;
-English and French told the Americans the Germans were giving them trouble in Haiti. Antoine Simon (Haitian President) executed some prisoners. Murdered him, he ran away to the French Embassy.
-He was between two mattresses, but his belt was hanging out, the dog was barking, the horse and buggy was parked outside. He grabbed the wheel as he was dragged out, they cut it off.
-Then, they cut off his head and put it on an iron picket;
-Claude didn't see that, that's what the locals told him (31:28);
-Old woman took his intestines and put it on her face. Another man took his hands and put it in his mouth and said, "Look my pipe";
-Fairs at the school close to there the president was buried. Voodoo ceremony, candles, yelling, singing. Claude and the mayor received the delegation.
-White goat. Man in charge cut the goat's head and drank the blood. Claude didn't drink any blood because they could've poisoned him. He just put it to his lips. The only voodoo he attended.
-Danced, yelled, sang in Creole;
-Native chauffeur, asking Claude if he could drive. Americans teaching Haitians to drive. Returning with the mayor and his councilman. Fair next day;
-As a civilian. Having natives planting more coffee. Growing some sugar for themselves. Coffee was the main export.
-3 cents per tree from the government. 2 more cents for living trees after a couple years. Claude had to pay out that money.
-Wrapping 100 gourdes (20 cents USD. 5 gourdes to the US dollar) in newspaper;
-Leaving with 7,500 gourdes ($1,500) to go around and pay people. Inspector, assistant. Going up on the mountain to farmer's hut on a young mule who didn't know the route.
-Agent was on an older one. Trying to pull his donkey. Whipping the donkey, started to kick back. Claude fell about 15' back and he thought he broke his leg, he couldn't walk.
-Lying down next to the stream. Sending the guide to the farmer's house. 1.5 hours to get a horse for Claude to go back + 1.5 hour to come back. 4 hrs total, past midnight when he got there.
-Foot would hurt if he'd let it hang, tying it to the horse where it wouldn't hang. Women wrapped his foot in a plastic made of sour oranges and ashes.
-Sleeping on the old man's bed, brown pillow on a board. Not sleeping until 7 am the next morning.
-Having to go back to his car where he'd be picked up by a motorboat. Going in the mountain. A day to come down;
-Native carried him down on his back. White man's heavy, he eats well. 10 gourdes ($2) to pay the man for carrying him. Motorboat;
-Sending a telegram in Haiti. Telephone office (1 in town) to get a motorboat from Les Gens d'Armes/Les Guardes d'Haiti. It took a day to go get him. Getting to his car, native chauffeur waiting for him;
-Getting to the hospital in the first big town, taking his x-rays. Bones were set;
-Going to pay some money when it was raining. Agent ahead of him, he didn't have a poncho. They saw a little light and followed the trail until they got there about 9 pm. Ate a can of pork and beans (44:49);
-Dirt floor, thatch roof, mud walls. 8 other natives sleeping there. Bed in the corner (pile of banana leaves). Mr. Scott (agent).
-Sleeping next to the wall near the hole so he could get some air from outside. Using the saddle (English saddle) as a pillow, it was soft. Mosquito net about 4' high;
-Pig came through the hole because it was raining outside. Sleeping with Claude, he'd throw him out and he'd keep coming back in.
-Tying the pig outside, the horse got loose just as the he began to fall asleep and it woke everyone up. Horses were not castrated;
-Tropical storm in 1928 devastated. Farm had a landslide, on the other man's farm. Bananas and coffee together? Government sent aide by motorboat.
-Marines kept peace, Navy assigned "nurses", Claude had seeds to replant gardens. Codfish as food. Marine had a marmoset/monkey.
-Captain Swenson chewed the codfish. The monkey threw the fish off the boat. The Swede and the Cajun eats the stuff, but the monkey throws it overboard;
-Coming back to his car. Boat belonged to a Frenchman. Native lawyer standing on the boat, leaning against the side, Hitting a log and the lawyer fell overboard.
-The Frenchman put it in neutral and went get the lawyer. "Takes his bath early" conversation between Frenchman and lawyer;
-Claude joined because he was going to be drafted. Volunteering as bakers;
-Germans sunk U.S. ship (Titanic?), cause of the war. Bringing food to the English, the Germans thought they were armed. Lusitania;
-American woman and German woman at the hotel in Haiti. German woman borrowed $200 from Claude's first wife to bring her son to Haiti from Germany.
-Diamond ring for security. Husband gave Claude $100, they never finished paying on it so Claude took it and used it as his current wife's engagement ring;
-English and France in the war. Italy and other European countries fought with Germany. U.S. going to war because Germany sank U.S. ships;
-President Wilson;
-Morman from Utah, Bill Brandon on K.P. Serving time in K.P. Acting up after supper, President Wilson didn't know how to fight the war, French and English didn't know how to fight.
-Getting over there and joining the Germans, finding a German girl. M.P.'s came the next morning and arrested;
-Barry didn't go to the service;
-Broomstick with a nail to pick up paper. Soldier behind him. He wrote to his Senator, dishonorable discharge. Pictures (he was a mail clerk on the train before) back on his job distributing mail.
-Stealing. He got his job back. Talking like that scared Claude, shooting;
-Claude didn't know anything about Germans before the war. Good German friends after the war in Haiti;
-Other Acadiana natives. Claude and Mr. (Fernest?) Crochet were in the same outfit, but they got separated in San Antonio;
-Claude enlisted in New Orleans, Quarter Master Corps. Each outfit has it's own corps. New Orleans, San Antonio (Fort Sam Houston). 5 days waiting in San Antonio. Kelly Fields, airport south of San Antonio. Airplanes were unarmed (no bombing), just observation planes;
-Going to boot camp/basic training. Jackson Barracks, never drilled, just waited to get assigned and put in an office. Not drilling his outfit until after the war/armistice;
-Knowing anyone who went over, they were not in the same outfit as Claude. Never training for battle. Training once, wanting them to apply for officer training. Only 3 were high school graduates, the others didn't;
Interview with Ulysse Arceneaux
***Date unknown***
***See AN1-230 for part two of interview***
***Attached link/recording is a dub cassette Maxell Communicator Series C60. Original Memorex a little worse quality/more tape hiss/noise***
***Because the original was catalogued and the dub is linked (due to better quality), the time code may vary slightly from what is in the catalog)***
Ulysse Arceneaux (I)
Born in Carencro in 1897
-Discharge papers. Barry wants to know where they went;
-When the war broke (April 5th or 6th), the recruiting officer came to the Pillion mill in Patterson. Recruiting officer went, a lot of friends left, but 4-5 stayed because they were young and felt bad seeing them go. Big band sent them off;
-May 5th, joining the army in New Orleans a little over 18 years old. Why he didn't go the first time, he was sick with malaria and weighed 135 lbs. Afraid they would take his friend and not him;
-Jackson barracks in New Orleans, then Sam Houston in San Antonio until June. Syracuse, New York until September. New York City by train, landing in Liverpool, England and going to South -Hampton for 5-6 days. Crossing the English Channel into Le Havre, France. Feeding them boiled fish. Cold day like today/yesterday (drizzling rain);
-1st division had the kitchen. Going with the 2nd division, getting a kitchen if they want to help out and peel potatoes. Best meal he had in his life;
-40 hommes, 8 chevaux (40 men, 8 horses);
-Riding almost a day to Abbéville. Talking French to the Frenchmen, serving as a translator. The Company Interpreter. Their French was understandable. Meeting a soldier at the depot, ended up at the truck station. La gare. Asking for "la masion de court," "le palais de justice";
-First stationed in the mountains in the southern part of France, Sila Cote? Government property? Stationed there until going to the front (la demi-lune) for about 15 days;
-Château-Thierry, where they stopped the Germans. French gave up, they thought the Americans were going to kill themselves. They didn't like the other francophone, he was a Lagneaux from Acadiana.
-Ulysse never saw him when they came back. Not telling the other soldiers what the French were saying. Shooting machine guns, stopping the Germans and pushing them back. The turning point of the war;
-Big cisterns of wine, wine all over the streets in Château-Thierry;
-$2 million barrage, shooting for 2 days. Driving there. Going into Germany from there;
-November 11th, day of the armistice. Going home pretty soon. Walking from France through Belgium into Germany;
-Around Thanksgiving Day 1918, they were in Belgium. Brussels. Finding 3-4 dozen eggs for the officers, omelettes;
-Germans didn't want to speak French, the end of his interpretation;
-Ranked as a cook, paying him the salary of a sergeant. $47.60/month. He started at $15/month for the first two months;
-First leaving Louisiana. Drilling them at boot camp in civilian clothes for 4-5 days. Big shot once he got his uniform. Re-enlisting in France, ran out of blanks. He would've stayed in France another 4 years (14:50);
-Pillion mill in Patterson was harder work than the army;
-Building a supply base. Fellows who worked in the offices were working outside. Ulysse didn't have to do that, just stay with the officers and interpret the Frenchmen;
-San Antonio to Syracuse, NY with the 9th infantry. Split into 3 regiments, 9th, 23rd, and another (5-6th marines??). Recruiting people from New York and New Jersey. Norfolk, VA to do ship work. 3 from Patterson, 2 brothers (Alcé and Sidney Lagrange in the 23rd);
-Going right after war was declared, not too much news. Finding out about the war through the newspapers, posts all around the saw mill;
-Joining because all of his friends had left. They felt like slackers. Getting scared over there, bombardments. There when they shot the canons, he thought they hit him and he had a broken leg.
-"Another one coming, run to the cellar. You ain't got no broken leg." Fool or liar if they say they weren't scared;
-Kitchen in the woods in Château-Thierry, sleeping in foxholes. President Theodore Roosevelt's son was shot down not too far from where they could see the plane coming down. German plane on top of him brought him down;
-Not too many airplanes, just fighting planes (2 men: the pilot and the one with the machine gun). No bombers. He wouldn't do it again, but he wouldn't give up his memories;
-22 yrs old when he came back. Pretty rough. $60 and one's month pay, discharged in Mississippi. $100-somewhat dollars, he thought he was rich.
-Working for $1.25 at the saw mill in Patterson. Buying clothes, not enough to buy a suit for church and more because the prices went up;
-Going to visit his brother in Vacherie. Assistant Penny Mill Foreman. Getting him a job grading the molding $5 a day. Closed 2 months after. L.J.'s and working for the railroad;
-Going to be a barber. Italian boy from Pennsylvania was a barber. Cooks worked a day, then had a day off. Going to barber college in New Orleans. Working in New Orleans, then Napoleanville. -Left when there was only enough business for the other barber;
-Coming to Lafayette to see his sister, then Port Arthur/Beaumont to work for a little. Meeting his wife when his sister was working at the store. Made a date with her, going to the barber shop the next morning and meeting a guy he grew up with. Working there for a while, but he didn't like it too much;
-Fellow from Rayne said they needed a barber in town. Working in Rayne in 1920 for a while. Mr. Dorsey had a shop by the depot and offered him $25 a week and room and board for 6 months. -Girlfriend lived in Lafayette. A lot of money back then. Working until 1927, just before the high water. Working for Mr. Broussard;
-Moved from the depot to the city barber shop. Working for Mr. Broussard from 1927 until 1932. Moving to Vermilion Street. Mr. Dorsey moved on Vermilion Street and left the barber shop.
-During the Depression, cutting kids' hair for 15 cents and adults' for 25 cents. 1932 when he went there;
High water of '27 (30:53);
-The levee broke around Morganza. Bringing people from St. Martin Parish to Lafayette. The next day, they were on the side of the road. Leaving the barber shop, moving Dr. Young's office from -Breaux Bridge to Lafayette. 5-6 vehicles got stuck, motorboats to help out. Water came as far as C.O. Theriot with the nice home, the water stopped there. Right by Chrsitian Bros. house. Road to Lake Martin on the left;
-Fellows had tents, cooked there for 3 days. Dan Mouton was in charge. Moving people at night. Store across from Heymann was empty, registering them there and figuring out how many people were there.
-A lot of houses in Crapaudville were vacant since saw mills shut down. Coffee and sandwiches for them, working. Not going home for 3 days and taking naps in between shifts;
-Red cross came, 2 men and 2 women. Glad they came over to relieve them. Just coming to inspect. Taking care of their own people, get out if they didn't come to work. Staying at the Evangeline Hotel for 4 days and not doing anything. Not giving the Red Cross any money;
-Bad accommodations. Big barracks. Shower once a week with a tank. Soap yourself and rinsed/hosed off. Staying in the wooden barracks, American engineers? had that built when they got there;
-2-story building, 14 days going across to France. Nothing to drink. Wine and beer. French people sip wine. Trouble paying with American money, exchanging for French money. Asking for bottles of wine, Americans drinking wine like water;
-Country boy like him didn't know too much about money. Getting paid in francs once they got to France. 5 francs and 50 centimes for $1 USD;
-Joining the army was his first time to New Orleans. People didn't go anywhere, no roads, no transportation. Taking the train to go somewhere;
-He spoke a little English, mostly French. Everyone spoke French in Carencro. Only knew French when he went to Patterson in 1914 (ran him out of Carencro, joke). Picking up enough English working in Patterson. His two brothers lived there;
-Water boy on Plantation by the airport, 2 buckets of water, a barrel, and a little mule. 1 bucket for whites, 1 for blacks. Sugarcane. They wouldn't drink too much when they'd get to the end of the row where the water was. They'd holler from the other end of the field and he'd have to go;
-Not having an easy life;
-Brother talked to the Foreman in Patterson when he got old enough to get him a job at the mill. Started out at 75 cents a day from 6 AM to 6 PM. Raised to $1 a day. A check a day, cashing it in the office. Mr. Watson asking him what he'll do with all the extra money. He wanted to tell him he'd save it, buy the place, and can/fire Watson;
-$1.25. Grading lumber got $1.50 a day;
-Old Man Stenson's restaurant at the Golden Hotel? (Pop Stenson). He was a shipping clerk, making $75/month. He was mean, Ulysse didn't work with him. Stenson was in the lumber yard yelling. Talking bad to the waitresses? Ulysse told him something and he got mad;
-Born in Carencro where the colored Catholic Church is. The church is on their old property (44:34);
-Living in Lafayette after the war. Raised 2 miles on the other side, Bernard Road now going towards Sunset at the second railroad crossing;
-People didn't care about them when they came back, they had just been in the army. They didn't realize what soldiers had been though;
-Men who were on the fronts didn't talk about the war. Missing soldiers dead or wounded. Medics help, not soldiers next to the sick/wounded. Half don't come back. Those who talk about the war probably didn't go to the fronts;
-He doesn't like war pictures/movies because they never show how it really was. Not wanting to see video from the Normandy invasion on tv. It's not an easy thing;
-Frenchmen having their hands out all the time;
-Riding the subway for the first time in Paris, stationed in Germany. Pass/furlough. Not too many to go to Paris. Some to Berns, Switzerland. Ulysse and an older fellow shot dice and won some money. Going to Nancy, France and changing trains to go to Paris.
-He thought the Frenchmen would pull them off the train. Staying in Paris for 3 days, they weren't supposed to go. They should've gone to Berns. One fellow pulled it off before and told them what to do;
-Girls in sidewalk cafés;
-Métro, subway in French;
-Getting on the ship at Brest, came from Germany. Camp on a hill. Wash holes to clean up before going home. Staying there 4-5 days. First good bath since he was there;
-Ulysse just went once into the trenches at the "half-moon" (la demi-lune);
-They knew there were new soldiers? Sazine?, the Italian fellow. Observation port. Germans broke in, they could hear them. Rifles and hand grenades in case they came through. Getting a hand grenade ready, they turned around and went the other way. Bravery because they didn't abandon their post;
-La Croix de Guerre. He doesn't brag about that. He was scared in that trench, He knew they weren't American because he cold hear;
-Mud. Digging trenches. Holes covered up where soldiers slept. Coming at night to bring food. Backpack full of hardtack and emergency rations in case they couldn't get the soldiers food.
-Sandwiches, boiled meat. Camouflage buckets. Sometimes, coffee;
-Frenchman had it hard to dig the trenches. Digging it ahead of time;
-Sleeping in the trenches, staying wet all the time;
-People think he makes some of this up. People like all those war pictures because they maybe forgot what it was like;
-Not too much rivalry between the army and the marines, it started when everyone came back. Everyone was looking for their "coin" "couenne"???;
-Dirty-looking fellow when they came back. Water wagon is coming today, getting ready. Tent over you to go from barracks to streets. Shower. Wiping yourself in the barracks. This guy was always absent. The captain ordered the others to take him out and give him a bath. Getting a bar a soap from the kitchen;
Ulysse Arceneaux
Interview with Wade Gajan and Lionel Bourque
***Date unknown***
Wade Gajan:
-Getting drafted. Dying like flies? Aspirin and ice (freeze them to bring the fever down). Keeping him here. Trying to make soldiers comfortable. Camp Beauregard;
-Born in New Iberia in 1895;
-High school education by the time the war broke out. Father farmed plantations, making money. Sold it three times and ended up back with it three times. 500 acres;
-Going to Schriever, where his father died (of diabetes), with sugar mill (3 plantations combined). Milled by hand. Coming to see his wife by train. Nurse stayed with him, high fever of almost 104 degrees. Dr. Burken? Father was dying fast. He was not married yet;
-Mother wanted to sell the plantation. When the first world war started. $100,000 owed another hundred thousand. Just a giveaway when his father bought it;
-Coming back to New Iberia. She came live with him and his wife. Moving to his grandmother's who had just died a half a block from the Catholic church in New Iberia. She died at 98 years old;
-President Wilson? When he got out, he wanted to forget it all. It made such an impression on him and never left him;
-Drafted, Camp Beauregard. Enlisting in the army there and staying. People at the hospital didn't want him to leave, kept him until the war was over. Whistling the morning the war was over.
-Staying 2 months after the war before going home;
-Camp Beauregard only had people that got sick (fever) while they were there. Deadly. No medicine, but aspirin;
-Out in tents on the ground/wooden floor, mud on the street. Snow wold tear the tents. Stove pipes, getting wood to burn. He gets chills just thinking about it;
-He believes in destiny. Dying when you're supposed to (10:01);
-Tents coming down. It snowed that year;
-Drilling/boot camp. Boys off the farm not used to it. Boys from their homes/offices (city);
-Bad enough to go to war. The life they took going into the war. Getting on the fighting line. Soldiers taking care of soldiers;
-Not knowing what the war was about, why they were fighting. Not knowing about the Germans. So much work over here, caring for the dying;
-Speaking Creole, he understands French. Country boys. People in charge didn't know what soldiers were saying. Serving as an interpreter;
-Some just cried like babies, because of the language barrier. Hanging around Wade because he could interpret;
-Private, even in the hospital;
-Food was alright. Either ate or went without. Yankee cooks, white gravy. Not Cajun. Hard time in those days;
-First time away from home. 18-20 years old when he joined the army. 6 months to save his crop before entering the service;
-Sugarcane crop. Used to have 3-4 tenants. Current tenant does 3 rows at a time. Tractor vs. mules. Keeping his old tools and showing people;
-Getting discharged. They kept him there, then came home. Paid his trip home and a few extra dollars;
-Economy had changed a little. Father wasn't a drunkard. 2-3 bars in New Iberia. Treating his friends, giving people what they wanted. Spent $200-300 on drinks. Spending the money to get him -back home, money was nothing to him. He knew his son (Wade) was coming back;
-Returning to farming when he came back. Keeping his horses and mules (20:16);
-People wanting to learn how to ride horses. A lady from Texas who wanted to ride horses. Check rein. Telling her to sit up straight, holding the saddle horn. Taking the line off, trotting. She wasn't scare. Coming tomorrow and going in the back of the field. Getting on her horse and leaving the others behind;
-Daughter got the same way, saddles still there, but the leather's all rotten. He had one daughter;
-Business people of New Iberia were still there when he came back. Some people couldn't pass and join the army. People from the country as well as the city;
-Father hid his emotions, his mother lost weight;
-Some didn't go back to work, not too much work before the war. Men from France whipped, having seen terrible things, not wanting to talk about it;
-Using gas to an extent;
-Soldiers came back and shocked to see how much things cost, things were cheap when they left. Inflation;
-Those that stayed behind couldn't go to war, but could stay and do work;
-Hard time for soldiers to get jobs when they cam back. Doing without them while at war, no need for them when they came back. Wade's job (farming) was waiting for him when he got back;
-Relatives were doctors and lawyers. Only had one sister. Some didn't like farming;
-Kramer (mother's father) raced horses. Loreauville, renting horse and buggy. Sample suitcases. Memory of his grandfather sitting with his cane. Washing the mud off, because it would freeze the hair off the horse's legs. Abbeville;
-Feeling lonesome for the past. People dying for others. Jacques Meaux's funeral home, coffin. They had nothing?;
-Getting married. Mother and daughter would give food? Good mother and wife. Wife was one of 11 children, who all had an education and taught school. Her father was a contractor, boys worked with him building. White brick on main street;
-Seeing a lot of changes over the years (31:47);
-A lot of things come back whenever you start talking about something;
-A lot of men didn't know what rifles were, much less having shot them;
-Inspection, handling those rifles rough. Every (two) weeks. Giving the Captain the rifle the proper way. Dirty screws;
-Not learning how to shoot canons. Only using rifles, bayonets stayed on the gun even though they were scared someone would get hurt from it;
-Dying thinking about you;
-Most farm boys didn't know what a line was, uniforms, barely spoke English (Cajun French). Different phrases in Creole/French;
Lionel Bourque:
-He volunteered. The limit was 21 years old, not 18 like it is today. Wanting to join with friends (? and Labbé, a lawyer in Lafayette and his brother James);
-St. Charles College, Catholic University. Accepting people who wanted to join the service, unit there. Grand Coteau;
-Being a high school graduate in order to be an officer. 30% students sick with dengue fever (like a flu);
-Joining at USL around August. 60 days after the dengue epidemic hit them. Permit from Dr. Stevens to go home. Staying 60 days. Released, $300, no more claims on Uncle Sam;
-Good time, entertainment in Lafayette. He was going to get shipped to France in 60 days;
-Not wanting to be drafted, he wanted to volunteer (better for him). Better chance of getting promoted. Never got a chance to do so. He didn't care either;
-Commercial college in Texas. Friend over there, French trenches, torture to carry 65-70 lbs through mud in the trenches;
-Mr. Stemmon? and Lionel working for Southern Pacific Railroad. Germans were the best people because the French people didn't treat him as well as he wanted to. German family treated him the best. He was a German. maybe that's why he loved it over there (41:10);
-Relieving the French and English. President Wilson declared war;
-Dan Olivier Chevrolet? Company, cousin who worked there was an interpreter in the war. Stories about the French people. He was on guard duty one night, Lionel then stops himself for sake of what actually happened. Funny stories while in France. With officers strictly, serving as an interpreter. Behind the line, not seeing much warfare;
-After he was put as guard duty one night, place to use the restroom. Seeing if it was a man or woman in there. Halting a lady in stall;
-He spoke French. French speakers used by the officers as interpreters in France. Good job, not seeing any warfare. Dan (cousin) married a Buchanan from Lafayette and is still living;
-Not a lot of WWI veterans still living. Mr. Gajan a draftee staying at Camp Beauregard;
-Father from Cade farmed sugarcane on 80-90 acres. Only time he'd get a little money, when he'd sell it. One year, his crop didn't get 2 feet tall, he couldn't even bring it to the Billeaud mill;
-Leaving school to help his father farm;
-High school education. Commercial school in Tyler, TX after the war. Father couldn't afford to send anyone to school. Borrowing money himself from the bank. He learned bookkeeping, telegraphy, (train) station knowledge;
-Everyone wanted to be an engineer or work for the railroad, best jobs around at the time. $150/month. White-collar job made $75-80 or even less a month. 2-3 jobs, west Texas. Job in Lake
Charles, Vinton:
-Born about 10 miles from Cade, a little beyond Cade. 90 acres of farmland (50:07);
-He moved to New Iberia when he was 21 yrs old. He was in Texas for a couple of years. Coming back, never going back to Cade. Sold the farm 10-15 years ago. $10,000. Father got killed by the train, getting rid of the old farm after that. Moving back here in 1921, at 24 yrs old;
-Getting married. She was teaching school. Together 60 years. Compatible. Both like plants, seeds from all over the country. 75 cents for camellia seeds. One of the best collections of camellias, some from all over the country/Europe;
-Mr. Eloi Gerard. Oil Center is now, state senator for one term. Going around the country visiting gardens. Corsages. Shipping camellias, wholesalers in Chicago. Hobby for him;
-Getting back from Lafayette. Only two that he knew from New Iberia? Hard to travel, all gravel and brick road. Going to Lafayette in 30 minutes;
-Going back on the farm for a little while, but not for long. Going to the college in Texas, not seeing many who had come back from war. He'd really only see Claude;
-Stemmon. Rainbow division, tough. He? never stopped talking. Died 4-5 years ago;
-Few WWI veterans left;
-Living for so long;
-Volunteering for the service would be better than getting drafting. Potential of serving as an interpreter. He though 90% would've known French, only about 25% actually did;
-Not knowing much about Europe other than what he learned in school;
-Dark ages;
-Trains, automobiles traveled on dirt and gravel roads. No trains. Should do like Japanese and Europeans and use trains. U.S. jamming highways;
-Communist revolution, little interest in the Bolsheviks/Russian. Not as much interest as was in WWII (01:00:06);
-President Regan? Russians trustworthy?;
-Was cut off, not lost. Raised on a farm, 25 acres here. Old gardener who makes a garden for him. Came back with $7-8. During the Depression. Before he built where he lives now;
-Weeks and Weeks (lawyers), going after he lost his job on the railroad. Banks are all closed, can't have your money. Saving him from paying rent. Getting in touch with Mr. Hetch?, the man in charge. He finally got his money, but was asked not to broadcast it. $3,000;
-No work in 6 months, family was starving.$1 a day, one the best mechanics in town. $150 to build his home, with second-hand lumber;
-Saw mill in Patterson, Williams Lumber Co. Cypress. The mill went bankrupt, sold all homes out there. Mayor Joe Daigle, getting lumber for pretty cheap. $175 for an old two-story home 75' long, all cypress except for the floors. Camped in the building with 2 other men. 8-10 cans of nails;
-$3 more to bring the lumber to Cade? Piano, sold 75-80 oak chairs for 75 cents to $1 a piece. Bargain. It looked like a lumber yard here on his property;
-Gravel road. Gajan family. Huey Long, paving the road. Trying to get land vis-à-vis to the pavement. Headquarters in New Orleans, negotiating via telegraph. 15 acres at $100/acre. He preferably wanted the high spot. He could buy the rest of the 60 acres for $4,000, but he didn't have the money;
-Old 80-85 yr old man living in the back. He bought the most wonderful spot. Indians used to tie their canoes right there when Spanish Lake would rise. He inherited that land from his father.
-Darby Land Co.;
-Weeks and Weeks came after and wanted to write a book about the historical significance of his land. The old man died in transit in Japan before he could write the story;
-The old Darby home, someone set fire to 4-5 years ago. Developing Squirrel Run. If only he had the money to buy the rest of the property. Youth don't know what their generation had to go through;
-Colored men, you could trust people back then, black and white (01:10:32);
-Developing the property. Engineer in Lafayette. Asking Lionel to divide the street. Brother-in-law from Lafayette (Chastant) urged him not the break up the road, part of the Old Spanish Trail.
-Changed his mind, paved the road. Cost a lot of money;
-Railroad companies took care of their employees. Not starving, making money. Lake Charles, Schriever, New Orleans. Not giving up the job. Raising livestock and a garden, he had food;
-Not a lot of money during the Depresson. Farmers didn't hurt too much, they could still eat. Kids in the offices hurt/couldn't do anything;
-Lionel stayed on the farm too long. Valuable during the Depression;
-Agricultural depression after WWI. Everything was high, no one had any money. Economy was out of balance. Some suffering;
-President Roosevelt in 1933. Federal jobs. Elevation, 32' above sea level here;
-Flood of 1927. 10' of water. 4 railroads were there (Southern Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Texas Pacific, and Santa Fe). No train could stop him?. Passing through water to go to his bed. 3' of water in the streets;
-The levee broke or there was no levee. Small levee before. It shouldn't happen again. Flood of 1940 wasn't too bad, worse west of Lafayette (rain flood);
-This past summer, something terrific;
-Only 8' above sea level above the dip. Lafayette higher;
-Spanish Lake, indians would anchor boats here. Finding arrowheads and giving them to Nelson, teacher at USL;
-He learned to really speak English well at age 8-10/15 yrs old, heard some conversation before. Learning English in school. They didn't want kids to speak French in school;
-His first teacher asked him to stay after school. She washed his mouth because he said a dirty word. Parents were in accord with that;
-When his wife was teaching school, a kid was cursing. Learning from his father who curses his mother out;
-Grandfather planting chéroquis to stop mules from going. From France. Going rabbit hunting in the briars. He shot his first rabbit. Plenty around Youngsville. Chéroquis planted as fence lines. -40' all the way down;
-Growing in a straight line, planted?;
-Dr. Chastant bought the old farm. 36-40 acres;
Wade Gajan (New Iberia, 1895) & Lionel Bourque (1898)
Interview with Stanley Arceneaux
Stanley Arceneaux (born 1897);
***Chris captured all but first and last bits of A side***
-Going to France;
-He went up to the 6th/7th grade in school. Learning English in school;
-Signing up for the army April 6th, 1917 (the first day WWI was declared in the U.S.) because he was just patriotic. He was 19/20 years old (born in 1897 in Carencro);
-Reading the newspaper and finding out when the war was declared. Going to Baton Rouge to enlist in the army and staying in the army until August 1919;
-Baton Rouge to New Orleans for a couple of weeks. Then stationed in Camp Nickels, Camp Beauregard (leaving camp in August 1918);
-How was camp? Guard duty. Milling the wood to make Camp Beauregard in 1917;
-President Wilson declaring war because the Germans sunk an American ship (Lusitania) in the English channel;
-He didn't know anything about Germany at that time;
-Staying in the New Orleans for 4-5 months before the war. Staying in Lafayette when he joined;
-Camp Beauregard, training for combat was tough. Split his company in two and drilled. Training a year;
-Rank of Corporal then. Drawing maps;
-Straight to Europe from Camp Beauregard. Hoboken, New Jersey to Marseilles, France;
-Trip to France on the President Grant, 7,000 on that boat;
-Food was good;
-Shipped out of Marseilles, landed in Brest. Camp Brest for 8-10 days, then marched a whole day to a camp in Le Mans for 5-6 months until the end of the war;
-Not seeing any battles, he was a French Interpreter;
-He liked the French, most got along with the Americans. Criticism because many couldn't speak French;
-Training a couple of weeks before sending them to the war. Trench warfare;
-Life in the trenches wasn't very pretty. He only went in the trenches to train. It was muddy, up to your knees;
-The weather was pretty bad, especially the winter. Snow on the ground. Flu epidemic (10:25);
-Experiences with wounded soldiers, not much other than seeing them coming back from the front and being sent to the hospital;
-The war didn't really make an impression on him;
-He was too young to realize what was going on, he doesn't know what he thought of the war;
-Living in barracks in France, sometimes tents, sometimes in barns on French farms. Going around the country with lieutenants to make requisitions for the soldiers;
-The U.S. government had to pay for rent and damages to properties. Tearing down the side of a barn to use the wood for heat. Repaying damages;
-Staying from November 1918 until August the following year. He was glad to come back home after he heard the war was over;
-Never met any English soldiers;
-Using gas during the war. Gas masks, taking them off just to get a whiff of the gas. Mustard gas;
-Gas wasn't too good;
-It wasn't too bad for him because he was working with the French policemen, eating with the French at their house;
-He liked the French, the crippled, women, and children?;
-War devastated the French. They came almost to Paris, through Belgium. Using taxi cabs to bring soldiers to the front. Not too many trucks at that time;
-Hauling material with the trucks. Lots of walking;
-One day, sleeping all night on a bare cement floor. Eating hard tack, walking all day long, pouring down rain. 12 hrs and 66. Hard tack and canned meat. It was tough;
-A brother in the same company with him. Separated over there. He was sent to officer training school 6 months before the war was over. Not seeing him until they came back home (19:15);
-He became a Second Lieutenant while in France;
-Enlisted man vs. Officer life, not much difference. Duties changed;
-What was it like when they came home;
-Discharged in New Jersey, Camp Merit. Coming home on a train;
-$100-something to buy his tickets and expenses to get home;
-Economy had changed a whole lot, everything was more expensive when he came back. Shirt for $1 vs. $10-12;
-Working in an automobile shop as a mechanic. Learning from a New Orleans trade school. He was only working for a few weeks when war was declared;
-Going to work on the railroad from 1922-1963 (41 years service on the railroad);
-Americans had understood where he had been, what he had been doing;
-Barry found 3 other WWI Vets from Scott: Claude Hebert, Louis Delhomme, Lucien Domingue;
-Picking peaches. Train blew from L'Anse La Butte to Breaux Bridge. Boys without legs and arms affected her. The first thing they wanted to give was a bullet. She didn't want that. She was a little girl;
-She married a WWI Vet, his time, not hers;
-Julien still in Breaux Bridge, giving up his home because no one could help care for him. Government projects;
-Picking and eating peaches. Getting sunstroke?;
-Most of the boys were from St. Martin Parish. Wounded soldiers. Lady cooking across the depot in Breaux Bridge. "Doo Doo" coming on the next train;
-Her brother had a record of 365 days of combat in WWII, he's on a pension, but he came back all in one piece. Bullets went through;
-Dying of a heart attack, got hurt in an automobile accident with a fractured skull. 52 when he died. He didn't get hurt in the war;
-Her and her momma were sick. Old French doctor (Dr. Fourgeau?) prescribed drinking three glasses of wine a day along with cold medicine? He came to the U.S. after the war, didn't know anything about the flu;
-Bernice, born after that;
-Putting the war...?;
-MPs. Transferring from one camp to another. Young boy didn't want to take orders (30:25);
-Training. Whipping one that wouldn't give in. He was as tough as a mule, from Cecila. Dupuis fellow;
-WWI drafted crippled, insane. He was almost insane?;
-Coming back from WWI, falling in love with a girl and starting a family. Army in WWI, Navy in WWII. He's 4-5 months younger. Oklahoma. Smart guy;
-Working on a farm, smothering potatoes and cooking eggs for breakfast;
-Applying for a pension, wanting to get out because he was hurt all over. Trying to work, but not being able to stay on a job. No pension because he didn't complain at the time. Her brother;
-Sending to Mississippi to get discharged;
-One telephone in Carencro. 78 Breaux, store had a telephone. No automobiles, no gravel roads;
-Born on a farm, just before you get to Canrencro on the right between the railroad tracks and the highway;
-55-acre farm where they grew cotton, corn, potaotes, sugar cane and syrup mill;
-Comeaux lived in Leroy?;
-Never having been to school, J.J. Press/French? and Gaston Hebert, never went to school, but went to USL;
-His brother went to high school, but he went too;
-J.J. never went to school and was appointed as W.P. Learning to write their name and their occupation;
-Not everyone could go, like Ulysse. Had to be somewhat disabled;
-People moving from the country to town. J.J. from Loreauville. Going to USL to learn a trade;
-Winston/Wilson has that office;
-Husband going on the railroad after the war because he had a big family and they couldn't give him what he wanted. He could work and keep what he made for himself;
-First experience making money. Selling cotton to make a little bit of money;
-Gaston learning to read. Watchman to chief of police. He was smart, too bad he didn't have education;
-No schools back in the day. Private schools;
Stanley Arceneaux (born 1897)
Interview with Leonce Broussard
Leonce Broussard:
***There is a dub cassette Maxell Communicator Series C60. The only different information is the date of 4/6/85 instead of 2/6/85 on the Memorex***
-Né le 26 de Décembre 1894 dans la campagne au ras de Maurice. Revenir à Kaplan;
-Merchant Marines pendant la guerre? 1917;
-Il faisait récolte quand la guerre était déclaré. Un an, appelé le 26 de Mai pour aller dans l'armée;
-Camp Beauregard, praquiter les canons en bois et les machines guns. Ils n'ont pas pu avoir des canons en fer toute de suite;
-Drafted. Il restait au ras de Kaplan après la guerre, 1935/1945;
-Aller à New York et traverser en bâteau. Casser des bâteaux. Augustine Victor? Irene???;
-Portrait de sa compagnie. Battery E, 141st field artillery. Le Capitain;
-Aller en France, St. Nazaire. Ils ont arrivé là et ont parti de là;
-Jamais vu la bataille. Coroneur de sa compagnie. 142 se battait, ils ont demandé pour l'aide. Le coroneur était trop vieux. Pratiqué les machines guns et les canons. 3". 75? Tirer n'importe quoi;
-Il ne parlait pas l'Anglais, apprendre dans l'armée. Apprendre quelques mots, il n'a jamais fait l'école. Il a fait l'école dans le service. Faire l'école ici après la guerre;
-Rencontrer des français. Pas comme nous autres. Du bon monde, content de voir des soldats Américains. "Il parle français." Il connaissait tous les commandements aussi;
-D'autres dans sa compagnie qu'il connaissait. Eraste Labrie? et Edias? dans la même compagnie?;
-Aller dans les tentes des docteurs?;
-Il n'a jamais tiré dessus quelqu'un et personne n'a jamais tiré dessu lui. Personne l'a bomb;
-Passer dans le gaz. Chapeau de fer, gas mask. C'est tout cassé, où tu soufflais par. Il n'a plus le chapeau;
-Avancer dessus eux. Coucher où ils se battaient. Gaz masks en tout cas les Allemands auraient tiré;
-Le vent changeait, regarder nuit et jour tant c'était sur le bord des Allemands;
-Arriver dans l'Allemagne just avant de rentrer en bataille?;
-Fouiller des trenchers creux. Il y en avait qui se tuait. Les Américains Noires, les français ne savaient pas quoi c'était des nègres (14:57);
-Partie de l'Afrique était pour la France. Pas des nègres noirs, ils ressemblent aux français;
-Il n'a pas fouillé, n'a pas été dedans;
-Les canons dessus un platform. Ils penchaient. Trencher. Les cartouches, les carabines, les capsules;
-L'hiver était mauvais. Retourner en France au début de Novembre. Des éronces. C'était mauvais;
-Les français étaient content de les voir. Des petits bourriquets dessus des charrettes/des wagons;
-Egouter les toilettes?;
-Arracher ton estomac?;
-Il n'a jamais vu des blessés, il voyait des portraits. Il n'a jamais eu peur. Il a parti de Camp Beauregard 11 PM pour aller à New York. Ils étaient supposé de répondre tout, "I don't know," où ils devenaient, où ils allaient, s'ils étaient fou;
-Les aéroplanes à 4 ailes, les petits. Pas des gros comme aujourd'hui. Il n'a pas vu de bataille à aéroplane;
-Il ne connait pas où il a été dans la France autre que St. Nazaire. Comment loin c'est, un demi-heure ou une heure?;
-Le Bon Dieu était avec lui, il pense;
-Après qu'ils ont signé la paix, le régiment 141e avait pour faire la garde le soir des canons, personne fallait les toucher. 142e était bien près. Ils ont pris a crier, l'Allemagne aurait signé l'armistice le lendemain (le 11 de Novembre);
-Un Broussard de Maurice se couchait par terre? Couhce-toi, couche-toi! Il était chanceux;
-Revenir. Tout le monde pouvait pas revenir au même temps. Revenir à New York après y rester un mois.
-Sears Roebuck, grand cabane comme ça. Des tables tout partout, toutes qualités de manger. Mettre leur linge pour être nettoyer. Un a mis ses souliers dedans, ils n'ont sortit;
-Discharged à Camp Shelby, MS après New York;
-Epidémie de flu?;
-Plus faire des portraits comme ça;
-A la garde, la cusine. En France autour de St. Nazaire;
-Ses papiers en français. Camp Coëtquidan;
-Revenir aux Etats-Unis (30:25);
-Un band avec eux quand ils sont descendu du bâteau. Toute sorte de manger. Le monde était aussi content quand l'Amérique ont gagné la guerre;
-L'homme qui a été se déguiser dans un autre pays, il n'était pas tué. Il avait disparu. C'est mieux comme ça;
-Il ne causait pas beaucoup em anglais. Maison en brique. Officer de la guerre, grand Américan. Il était à la garde, Poste #1. Il l'a arrêté, il a proche tiré aux pieds. Pas laisser les Allemands passer, peut-être un spy;
-Le monde proche tout devenait de la Louisiane. Au ras de 30 de sa compagnie parlait français. Les officiers ne parlaient pas fraçais;
-Hikes avec 50+ livres. Ils fesions expres. Des officiers criaient "attention" just parce que;
-La première fois qu'il a parti de chez lui. Aller à la poste à Abbéville. Presque pas de monde là. Il restait pas loin de la Coulée Kenny;
-Rencontrer des Allemands, il ne serait pas capable de causer avec eux. Des prisoniers et les montagnes. Faire la garde des prisoniers;
-C'était tout habillé pareil;
-Howard Romaine?, son garçon était dans l'armée. Mettre des suits d'Allemand en tout cas ils auraient échappé, les Américains les auraient reconnus et les auraient tué? 6 pris prisoniers et les -Allemands les nourissaient. Tirer les canons, ils ne savaient pas quoi faire? Les canons et les cartouches restaient là. Faire signe avec sa lettre. Ça restait au ras de Maurice. Ils avaient 200 acres de terre, ils ont perdu la moitié;
-La grosse maison à deux étages dans le village, c'était dans la campagne. Ils l'ont hâlé au village (40:43);
-Cuire avec du bois, garder le bois;
-Partir de Camp Beauregard, 2 tanks? de chars. Des gros trucks. Il fallait battre. Remplire 2 tanks? de chars. Emprunter du pain? d'un camp?;
-Arriver ici après la guerre, ce n'était pas trop dur de faire une vie;
-Une homme dur, tout a tombé pendant la Depression. 1819? 60+ années, 68?;
-Il a été à l'école, mais pas pour apprendre rien;
-Le chemin tournait, un demi-mile, le tranfers d'école passait. Il était petit, 60-something years. Forçait de le prendre. Des écoles de campagne où tout les petits pouvaient marcher. Des transfers à chevaux, pas de gas;
-Sa famille était content de le voir quand il est revenu. Ça avait 6 semaines qu'il était marié quand il a été draft. Sa femme a retourné avec son père. Cogner à la porte. Mettre tous le noms, personne a vu son nom. Il y avait un tas des Broussard dessus son bâteau. Role call, il avait pour dire, "Léonce";
-Descendre à Ibérie, ésperer le train le lendemain matin. Linzey Comeaux? Un 'tit dégot l'a conduit à Abbéville avec un vieux Model-T. Arriver en avant de la maison de court. Eric? Broussard, le shériff les a dit qu'ils ne pouvaient pas y rester le soir;
-Isaac Ardice??? qu'avait été tué. Il n'était pas dans l'armée. L'argent, un gros billet de mille piastres. Un tas des banques qui ont été broke. Tuer une soeur du shériff. Rentrer dans le clos, l'homme qu'a été tué?;
-La soeur du shériff tué. $5,000?;
-Lafayette. La 'tite maison. c'est lui qui s'a tué?, Il ne connait pas pourquoi. Une marque dans le plancher comme s'il avait lâcher le pistolet. Il était jeune, une trentaine d'année vieux;
-Il a fait récolte après la guerre quand il est revenu;
-Esperer le gas, lâcher le gas? Filer dans l'estomac. Juste une porte pour sortir. Voir s'ils pouvaient stand le gaz;
-Mettre cette enregistrement à USL dans les archives;
-L'eau salé en 1957, ouragn Audrey. 8" de l'eau. Un lac d'eau salé;
Leonce Broussard
Interview with Fernest Crochet
***Date unknown, only estimation***
***There is a dub cassette Maxell Communicator Series C60. Copy is worse quality than the Memorex tape, but the interview is more complete (there is more information) on the Maxell tape***
Fernest Crochet (born 1895) with Louis Delhomme?:
-Il était 7 mois dans l'armée, il est rentré dans le dernier draft. Le premier qu'a été lâcher;
-Il a été draft le 28 de Mai. Le Lâche le 5 de Décembre 1918?:
-Pas habitué à la guerre. Asteur, ils sont. Plus un tas des vétérans de la Première Guerre;
-Battre contre Kaiser. Aider les français;
-Son frère était dans la guerre, marié avec Mimi. Asteur, ils emmènent des soldats par helicopters. Les autresfois, il fallait marcher 2-3 jours. Les squelettes parterre. Aller dessus le front;
-Ses amis dans sa compagnie ont été imprionnier. Un parlait français, il était chanceux qu'il est pas mort;
-Marcher un jour et une nuit. Casser son cou. Passer un clos des choux. Manger un pomme de choux;
-"Chouc" parlait nègre (Créole). Ses deux amis sont morts. Ses deux frères qui étaient dans la guerre sont morts;
-Il est le plus jeune de 8 garçons et il est le seul qui reste. "Il faut le prendre comme ça vient.";
-Il est né à Loreauville en 1895. Il a pas eu une journée d'école et il a fait sa vie sans éducation;
-Venir à Scott le 5 de Février 1917 pour fouiller des canals pour 10 ans avec son beau-frère (Dugas);
-L'eau rentrait dans les bogheis. Il y avait pas de ponts. Des chemins en gravails et les pont en ciment en 1918;
-Fouiller jusqu'au pont dessus un bâteau. Fouiller à pelle et à brouette;
-Revenir, son bâteau était défait à Duson. "Boy" Prejean. Lever la rue entre Scott et Duson;
-Old-timers in Scott know the history of how they were raised. Walking to school, working in the fields when they got back, milking cows. Youth don't have to do that;
-Registering for the draft in 28 Mai 1917;
-3 mois à bootcamp (9:55);
-Flatfoot. Le vieux docteur. Marcher des milles et des milles. Venir le chercher le lendemain, partir avec son linge d'hiver. Il pouvait pas aller avec sa compagnie/tous ses amis;
-Faire la garde à la Nouvelle-Orléans, shipyard à Slidell;
-Basic training was hard June-August, les plus chauds mois de l'année. Les hommes qui tombait qui n'étaient habitué à travailler dehors;
-President Wilson. Un tas de monde ne savait pas rien du président, Louis lisait la gazette;
-Aller à Camp Beauregard, puis la Nouvelle-Orléans, Sidell shipyard. Port Arthur 3 ans avant l'armée. Il a quitté de la maison à 18 ans (1914). Son père était rough;
-Homme d'Ibérie et son retaurant. Des rafineries. Tous les Cadiens qui ont été au Texas. Sa mère est mort quand il avait 8 ans, et il courrait la maison à 10 ans à cuire du manger jusqu'à 16 ans;
-Rester avec l'homme de l'Ibérie pour 3 ans à $3/semaine. Il avait sauvé $400;
-Aller à l'Ibérie. Son jeune frère et soeur. Deux 'tits chevaux et un wagon pour aller au dépot et hâler des affaires. Son frère de 14 ans. $200 pour envoyer son frère à l'école. Il est mort, sa 'tite soeur vie toujours à Port Arthur;
-Il a fait une bonne vie, bien élevé ses enfants. Harold a resté 35 ans dans l'armée et a retire et il fait un tas d'argent asteur;
-Il ne parlait pas l'anglais du tout quand il a quitté de la maison, il a appris un peu à Port Arthur;
-Louis? lisait et écrivait des lettres pour ceux qui ne pouvaient pas lire ou écrire;
-2 bougres qui pouvait pas parler anglais du tout et les officiers étaient dur sur eux. Ils les faisaient courir parce qu'il ne parlait pas anglais. Ça braillaient;
-Rosément Forestier. Il faisait un tas des farces. 7 ans à l'école. Faire de la misère. Il a été, mais a pas rien appris. Signer un pétition pour le lâcher;
-Lui faire de la misère pendant la Seconde Guerre;
-La Salle de danses des Forestier (20:32);
-Revenir à Scott. Discharged. Ils l'ont appelé "Ernest" au lieu de "Fernest." Camp Beauregard à Alexandrie;
-Dépot au ras de minuit. Les soldats étaient respectés. La femme qui les ont donné des bons lits pour dormir. Les réveiller avec du café tout fait;
-C'est tout dans le passé. Prendre le char d'Alexandrie à Lafayette. Il n'y avait pas de réception. Il a été voir sa belle (Claudia), puis ses parents à Loreauville. Sa belle venait premier;
-Rencontrer sa femme quand elle avait 14 ans. Enregistrer. Elle avait un play à l'école. Danser dans la poussière. 65 années il sont mariés. 22 de Janvier 1920;
-Louis? has also been married for 65 years, he was married in 1919. She died in 1971. Arterial collapse. She was 71 when she died;
-Pas comme Claude Hébert? Not marrying after his first wife, he couldn't love another;
-Rencontrer sa femme avant la guerre. Elle l'a ésperé. Elle est venu au dépot et a braillé un peu. Pas de musique pour les envoyer;
-Il soignait le peu d'argent qu'il gagnait. $26/mois. L'assurance payait. Pass to go home;
-Les capitaines avaient des bottes en cuire;
-Pas dur pour reprendre son ouvrage, la même affaire comme avant;
-La guerre a changé leur vie. En boghei et des chemins de terre quand ils ont premièrment commencé à travailler, puis des Model T Fords;
-Travailler chez Landry, pas être capable d'aller sa belle-mère. 4 miles pour aller chez lui, mais le chemins étaient si mauvais;
-Young people nowadays won't keep a job if it's too hard/if they don't like it;
-Murder of Martin Begnaud et les 'tits français. Avant leurs temps. Les français l'ont tué et ont volé de l'argent. Aller en France. Revenir à Scott les prendre;
-Foreman's Dancehall in Scott. Accordion. 10 o'clock, gumbo downstairs. House parties;
-Lucien Domingue - musicien de fêtes de campagne. Plus vieux que Fernest et Louis. Il a fait 90 ans, et Mr. Hébert sont les plus vieux vétéran dans la paroisse;
-Mr. Guidry est toujours alright?;
Fernest Crochet (born 1895)
Interview with Leo Lafleur
Leo L. Lafleur:
-Born not far from Ville Platte, L'Anse des Cavaliers. Like L'Anse des Bélaires. L'Anse aux Chaudières;
-Explanation of "Anse/Cove";
-L'Anse aux Pailles named by his great-great-grandfather. Lee's army, Fredericksburg. Jean-Baptiste Lafleur;
-Between L'Anse aux Pailles and l'Anse des Cavaliers, a lot of hickory trees. Building wheels for automobiles;
-Buick dealer, wooden bodied-cars and wooden wheels. 1922;
-Going to school, father sold that place and bought a doctor's home in Plaquemines Point, near Church Point/Opelousas. Pitreville Road;
-Opelousas to Eunice (Hwy 190?);
-Big timbers. Boards were called "singles." Before Lawtell was built;
-Western? Pacific from New Orleans to Houston, frisco railroad;
-Moved to Opelousas in 1908. Creole ponies ride and swim better;
-Rasing animals. Physician and a surgeon. 1st coroner of Evangeline Parish. St. Landry Parish has a narrow strip, politics. Mamou, Chataigner, and Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish;
-Model T days;
-Living in Opelousas when the war broke out. He volunteered;
-Parents separated and mother came to Opelousas. Jersey cows in Plaquemines Point near Lawtell. Saddle horses;
-1902, (he was 5 years old). Slave to the Chachere. First cotton gins. Planting cane for syrup and giving the mill a percentage as pay;
-Adobe smokehouse always had something hanging, hams, ribs, bacon, etc.;
-Uncle Fred, had 7 girls and 7 boys;
-2.5 miles to go to school. Making it in 0.5-0.75 miles by cutting across fields;
-Moving to town when he was 4 years old;
-WWI was declared April 6th. He was a mechanic studying internal combustion engines and running a picture show on the side. Learning how to make engines run;
-Direct current;
-1919, coming out of the war. Quit his job when it was declared. Good garage. Graduate engineer from New York was an alcoholic. Promising his grandmother he'd never drink and he's kept that promise to this day. His father and brother killed themselves drinking;
-Grandmother's family drank too much, the Lafleurs drank too much. The Fontenots (from Grand Prairie/Ville Platte) were good people, but drank too much;
-Going to the 9th grade, mother got sick and he went to work. $9/week, then $15/week. Average was $12/week or $2/day;
-Labor cost 75 cents a day and he'd bring his lunch. A bucket of meat for soup and T-bone steak was 3 cents/pound. Cattle around Mamou Prairie;
-Selling timber;
-19.5 years old (born 1897). 1917. Bought his ticket and told everyone bye. Brother working a taxi. Wanting to remain a mechanic. Walking to the depot Monday evening after Easter and getting on the train;
-Getting his discharge papers;
-1909 - Boy-scouts and Episcopal Minister. Old priest from Holland, nothing to do with religion (he's Catholic);
-Discharge;
-Jackson barracks in New Orleans. Riding bicycles around the depot with Stanley Guidry (Noah's oldeest brother - Farm Bureau). Joining the Marines with Stanley;
-Driving Model T Fords, came out in 1904. Never drank, married twice. First wife (honeymoon never got good and started) died. Mrs. John White was his second wife, their best friend. Building garage and concrete building;
-1922;
-Joining the army in Jackson barracks, 12-14 Louisiana boys together on the train. Drilling in Houston, 15 cents a day April-May. 28th/29th of April, first-class privates in the marine corps.
-October, raise from 4 cents a day to $1 a day ($33/month). Corporal, first-army air service;
-Built Kelly Field?;
-Joining aviation corps. Top sergeant, old war soldier. He knew what war was. One of the best companies at Kelly Field;
-August 9th, 1,500-1,800. Cooks. Complete companies;
-Hauled them off without telling them where they were going. Walking to the coaches, baggage cars. 4 companies were going to Canada for training. St. Louis by daylight. Heavy clothes August 12th;
-Passing through Chicago (21:39);
-Toronto, Canada, Camp Lee side. Drilling for 2-3 weeks, like an English soldier;
-Drill sergeant in American/British Army;
-Stanley got to be a rigger;
-Planes made like kites out of good wood;
-Before he left, castor oil because thick and pretty. Told his boss that castor oil can't be good. Father was a doctor and would prescribe that all the time. Heating castor oil and water. Using castor oil in engines;
-Crew chief. New York and crossing on a boat. They were supposed to get to France for Christmas, but someone got measles and they were quarantined;
-Left New York Jan. 31st. French boats coming in to serenade them. Marseillaise. He understands some French, not much. He can't sing;
-Training? English or American good, not halfway;
-19 more boats in Halifax had to have icebreakers. Crossed the North Sea route. Drill around the decks so many days. Nurse and doctors on the upper decks. Adriatic (name of his boat);
-1,500 nurses and doctors. Soldiers stayed in the holes. 3 naval hammocks on top of one another. Couldn't turn over;
-Drilled 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. Each company took its turn;
-Irish Sea. Life preservers. Submarine. Englishman telling him they were entering the "green" Irish Sea. Landed in Liverpool on Feb. 17th. Liverpool was one of the 7 wonders of the world with its docks. River;
-Landing at high tide. Unloading at low tide, steep (17-18'). 4-wheeled trains and whistles. Rode to 7 miles out of South Hampton. Drilling to get their sea legs off. Getting food to the soldiers;
-Crossing over on a lighter/ferry boat. English Channel 20-somewhat miles wide (narrow);
-Weights on mines to hold them underwater. Ticklish because not knowing how to swim that good? Landing in France;
-3.5 miles of winding road and light snow after dark. Separating men (30-40 men). Taken to a camp in Dunkirk;
-Stanley and him got separated;
-Long-range gun. Trench warfare and some cavalry (but not much);
-Repairing trucks engines in Dunkirk. Staying there for 60 days, bombing 57 days out of the 60;
-He could speak French, they put him in charge of convoy. He could read some signs. Truck sergeant with the British. Royal Naval asset. Scots were there;
-Germans capturing men an mutilating them;
-Covering the front wasn't so good for the Germans;
-Stanley and him and went out on a volunteer trip to Dunkirk. Wanting to see the country and driving trucks, 25-30 people for 4 days;
-Killed company commander and soldiers after they left;
-Deans on the English Channel. Vincent Mosley (rich) was attached to the Air Force. Oxford College, England. Serving with the Americans. Post-Commander of the V.F.W. He died, a little older (90 years old now);
-Leo will be 88 years old in August. He's been a fireman all his life;
-Not meeting French people while there. They weren't supposed to associate with them, but they were nice people;
-Planes were still in use. Armistice Nov. 11th?; Sending some home around Christmas time;
-Château-Thierry/Paris. Marines and company there. Springfield rifles and ammunition. Never taking a shoe off during the battle. 8 men/squad was all a truck could fit. Arming planes and taking off to the front;
-His bunch killing a wild boar;
-Having a good time after the war. Holding together. Not going to kiss women and get drunk (he's never taken a drink in his life) (39:31);
-Mother telling him not to take any bad habits;
-Two younger brothers, one ran off to the Navy at 17 years old. Boys scouts fighting for their country;
-They (Germans) sunk a boat and they were against us. Kaisers were pretty rough to the English;
-Garage is a good garage, studying mechanics;
-Castor Oil;
-Crew chief. 5 gallons of Mobile Oil 40? to break in the engine. Really sticking pistons in those days. Various brands and various mechanics;
-No oil in the base of an airplane. No oil when going upside down/acrobatics;
-Meeting with the engineering officers. Gasoline doesn't affect castor oil, except water, it comes right out;
-His knowledge of oil helped win the war overseas. He was a good soldier, ready to go. Going to the other side of the trenches, he had a plane down the hill;
-As a boy scout, he knew the bullets couldn't pass through the hills. Eating out of cans;
-No man's land. Plane shooting down Germans;
-He could speak and read French. Working as a mechanic during the war. Wild rides/drivers making his hair go through his hat several times. Soldier from Rochester, NY;
-Getting afraid a little bit;
-Seeing some air fights, just like in the picture show. We had the best airplanes. SPAD with two 50 lb bombs, it was a pursuit plane;
-First time planes had been used in war. Kelly Field and fixing planes/motors in Canada;
-Killing more Germans. He just wanted to win the war;
-Famous fights during the war. Rickenbacker? Caching up;
-Red Barron, he knocked in down. Dough-boys killed him;
-Leo used to have a book on that;
-Preparing officers. Had to be a lieutenant to get into a plane, Cadet until then. College degree, good-hearted man, not afraid/courage;
-Flying all which ways, pilots had control;
-Seeing people get killed. German and English fighting. Crash landing in the English Channel. North Sea blow it to pieces;
-Numbing man who died shortly after (he told him he would make it to console him). Die flying a plane;
-Jumping from observation balloons;
-Between Paris and Château-Thierry. Serving with the British for a long time. Americans not being taught how the British fought;
-Shooting soldiers. Marines killed and moved on. Night fighters too. Old men;
-English Sailors. Only 19 miles from Newport/Dunkirk. Belgium was almost all under German control. Fought to get into Dunkirk;
-Shell-shocked soldiers (those who were afraid) were immediately moved out of the camp. Slapping a young soldier, he got mad and started acting like a man;
-57 air raids out of 60 nights in Dunkirk;
-Americans wanted 20-somewhat volunteers to go to Belgium. All the Americans stepped out. 50 somewhat who stayed got killed. All Americas went to the front;
-Fixing broken trucks. He didn't work on tanks. Patton in WWI;
-Tanks rolling across the trenches was a turning point in the war. One jug of gas. The tanks wasn't going too far (01:00:24);
-Meeting Germans after the war. Knocking some down in planes during the war;
-Sergeant with a 45-automatic with extra clips. Shooting wild hogs;
-Armistice was Nov. 11th, 1917, but Leo didn't come home until June 1919. They didn't have the boats. German boat that could bring 12,000 people a load. U.S. Louisville brought 3,000 back;
-Left at Brest, not going back;
-Not meeting too many civilians. Waking up early for drilling. Keeping the men straight on the way back, but not drilling too much. Coming back to New York and 12 men leaving for Fort/Camp Pike in Arkansas and then the train to Opelousas;
-$50 bonus when he got out. Ticket home;
-No reception. Just Stanley and Leo. Everyone was so excited to see them home;
-After the whole experience, he was just himself, an old Cajun. Fire department before he left for the war. Boy scout helping out before the war. Getting a job with his old boss, mechanic;
-People were trying to get organized. Good job offered in South America as an airplane mechanic, but his mother said no. Building his own garage in Opelousas. 1922. Sold it in 1960. School Board;
-Staring at THI trade school?;
-So unreal/happy coming back from the army. Given 89 pints of blood. Good fireman and gentleman. No dirty jokes/words around him. Mother wanted him to stay that way, she died in Nov. 29th, 1960 at the hospital of cancer. First wife died Oct. 7th, 1960;
-Leo had cancer, he had a hernia and found cancer after taking the x-rays. As big as a grape fruit. Apple cider vinegar and honey is good medicine. He attributes that to the cancer coming out all together in one piece;
-Giving 3 pints of blood a month;
-Serving his country;
-Times were tough when he came back from the war, no money. 1921, all the banks were broke. Opening his shop, paying $10/month. $200/month now. Leo just wanted to work. 75 cents/hour as a mechanic;
-Bootlegging - millionaires selling whiskey. Telling his mother he was a liability because he only gets enough to get by and paying rent while she takes care of him;
-House built for an ex-sailor, boy scout;
-Stanley Guidry died in 1942 of a heart attack. He ate too much. Dying going on a call to go to a fire. He loved motorcycles and chased women, Leo didn't Stanley was married twice. They were fishing buddies. He drank a little;
-Contact between Americans and French. Honky-Tonks, bootleggers made money;
-Promising his mother to come back just as he did. Dying young;
-Leo will be 88 years old this year and he eats anything he wants. He's been operated on;
-Jumping out of a boat. Miller's lake, Ville Platte. Dredge boat;
-Testing machine guns. Bombing. Shelling the road, hitting the trucks? Leo was in charge of that truck;
-Using gas. Getting mean and putting out a good gas barrage. Wind blowing back on them and killing themselves;
-Caught up in barbed wire;
-Living in the trenches terrible;
-Americans didn't stay in the same trenches long. Moving the trenches up;
-That winter was horrible, so cold. Water trucks going 10-12 miles to get fresh water. One truck got stuck with 4-wheel drive. Walking out there and not being able to push it out. Draining them and pushing them out by hand. Carrying water by hand for about 12-15 hours non-stop;
-Having to do things, not sitting on your butts;
-We were better men, could take care of ourselves;
-Heater and light he just bought;
-Leo offering Barry some coffee;
-"Too green to burn. Too tough to freeze. And if you kill one too, you got too many kills anyhow. You don't miss 'em";
Leo L. Lafleur
Interview with Linzey Comeaux
Linzey Comeaux:
-Il n'est pas assez intruit pour connaître en quelle année il est né, il a 89 ans. Il aura 90 le 25 d'Août. (Il est né en 1895);
-Né et élevé au ras d'ici. Aller à l'école jusqu'au 5ème livre. Aller à l'école juste l'hiver quand il avait pas pour aider rammasser le coton. Arrêter l'école en Mars quand il fallait rabourer le clos;
-Parler bien en anglais, l'apprendre dans l'armée;
-Il a été élevé parmi des Américains, à l'autre bord du canal d'égout où il a été élevé;
-Drafted dans l'armée en 1917 et 1918. le 25 de Mai. Sortir le 1er de Mai en 1919. Drafted à Abbéville;
-Alexandrie. 125 d'Abbéville. ? Guidry de Lafayette;
-Partir en char jusqu'à Abbéville, puis ils ont prsi le gros char;
-3 mois à Camp Sherburne à Alexandrie où ils ont drill et soigné les chevaux qui hâlaient les canons. 6 chevaux dessus un canon, pas de machines. Christmas?;
-Une journée à New York, puis monter le "bâteau à Kaiser" le 24. Des protraits de sa famille dans le bâteau tout fait en bois;
-La salle de danse dans le bâteau. Revenir dessus la femme à Kaiser?;
-Arriver à Bordeaux. Camper parterre dans des tentes. 2 soldats par tentes. Faire des faucets autour des tentes pour quand ça mouillait. Juste 4 couverts;
-Le temps était beaucoup mauvais. Arriver à New York en Août, des gros capots le soir pour se coucher;
-141e régiment, Private. Aller dessus les champs de bâtailles. Il ne savait ce qui se passait;
-15 jours à camp. 32 miles au prochain camp qu'ils ont marché. Les affaires de cuisine était dans le truck. Diner et recommencer après. Il marchait avec peu dessus leur dos;
-Il n'a pas vu de bâtaille, il était chanceaux;
-Barry a manqué la guerre, il était entre les guerres;
-Les premiers en charge étaient intruits;
-7 heures jusau'à 11 heures, la parade d'en ville (Nouvelle-Orléans?);
-Pratiquer dans les trenchers/n'importe de quoi. Apprendre comment tirer, il ne savait pas comment le tirer. Faire la garde;
-Le manger était bon, 4 cusiniers Créole. Capitaine était Français, ? Smith;
-Attaqué sur l'eau, à 4 heures. Navy capoté? Le soumarin Alleman;
-Fermer les portes;
-Ils ont attaqué deux jours de suite, le Navy les on escort (15:44);
-Descendre dans le 'tits bâteaux en tout cas ils câlaient. Dormir avec des life-preservers;
-Rencontrer des Français, à Bordeaux. Ils parlent différent. Le monde au ras de Rennes était plus aisé à comprendre;
-Les officiers n'ont pas servit des Cadiens parce qu'ils parlaient français. Il fallait être intruit, Linzey n'était pas intruit;
-Des chevaux blessés, pas de monde blessés. Soinger et sauver les chevaux;
-Portrait de lui et Léonce? (Broussard?). Des LeBlanc, des Comeaux, des Broussard. La première fois qu'il a parti de l'habitation. Impression pour sa famille, pas lui;
-Il n'était pas marié dans ce temps là. Il s'a marié à 24 ans le 22 Novembre 1919. Connaître sa femme avant qu'il a parti à la guerre;
-Le monde était affecté de voir leurs jeunes garçons partir à la guerre. Deux Landry et deux frère chez Elias?;
-Plank Broussard. Elias Landry dans le nursing home à Kaplan. Evilié Landry? Simar Simon. Jack Kaplan (le moulin à riz). Paul ?;
-Rencontrer des soldats français, ils étaient barbars;
-Une bonne parite des cabinets dans la rue? Les femmes qu'avaient pas de mal?;
-Rencontrer des Anglais, des Français, des Espagnols. Les affaires dessus la tête, pas un cap. Les Allemans aussi bons que les Français. Les Français tout le temps platinés;
-Rencontrer des Allemans, des prisoniers;
-Jardin, une paire de boeufs, deux chevaux (un avant l'autre), une chaine. 5 cheveaux dessus une charette à boeuf;
-Soinger les cheveaux en France pour un mois de temps. Déglacer une bloque pour aller un mile avec une paire de chevaux. Les chevaux plus aisé de soigner que les hommes;
-$1/jour. $14.50. Trop tard pour faire récolte. Occupé tous les jours, sac du riz;
-Ses parents avaient 80 acres de terre dessus le chemin à Kaplan quand tu vas à Rayne;
-Lâcher de l'armée, revenir carrément. Arriver à New York le 13 d'Avril;
-La guerre finit l'11 de Novembre. Ce qu'il faisait quand c'était annoncé. Aller en char, diner et retourner. Voir les Français chanter liberté et avoir une parade. Revenir après un élan, avoir la chance de faire récolte (29:58);
-Le Général faisait un tas d'argent;
-Rester en France, occupation. Travailler les chevaux;
-Revenir back. Rester 8 jours à Camp Sherburne à New Jersey. Une parade anglaise. Mississippi;
-5 sous le mile? et $60 pour un bonus. Les $60 ont pas duré longtemps;
-Arriver à l'Ibérie l'été, le 'tit dégot. 6 qu'allait à Abbéville, $2 pour les drive. Erath, Abbéville. Descendre à l'hôtel à Abbéville et coucher là. Le Constable/Shériff. Les mettre dans les mêmes chambres. Habitué à coucher parterre, dehors. Dessus les bancs sans couverts;
-Char à l'Ibérie, lui et Frank Broussard. Mr. Bonin est venu le chercher pour l'emmener chez lui. Aller à pieds, il était pas loin d'Abbéville. 5 ont resté;
-Sa famille était bien content de le voir. Pas de récéption;
-Aller au bal à Milton à une grande salle de danse;
-Le temps dans l'armée l'a fait une impression?. Simar Simon a eu si faim là-bas qu'il a décidé de jamais jeter un morceau de manger encore. Il a pas eu faim. Le hike dans le camp des français, le cheval.
-La viande à midi, persone avait de la viande. Manger des chevaux. Il mésure 5'9" et c'était plus haut que lui. Pas connaître quelle qualité de viande c'était/qu'ils mangeaient. Manger du cheval;
-Rencontrer du monde ordinaire. Tout le monde était dans le village. Rester dans le camp. Les bêtes. La première étage avait pas de plancher, just de la terre. Les maisons à 2-3 étages;
-Pas de tracas pour se baigner. Des gros bouilloir pour chauffer l'eau. Mêler l'eau. Assez chaud pour échauder un cochon? Ses cheveux tomber en pleine de main. Chauve à 24 ans;
-Le coupeur de cheveux (45:33);
-Aller à un enterrement nue tête, ça avait jamais repousser;
-6-7 noyer à Morgan City? avait tous ses cheveux;
-Son père était chauve et toute sa famille;
-Grosse épidémie de flu. La tirer dans le dos, à 14 ans. Elle avait le flu. Le bébé est mort. Plusieurs ont perdu leurs femmes. Un tas des morts. Un bougre de Milton, l'emmener en France.
-Broussard mort en France aussi du flu. New York, perdre d'autres là-bas aussi;
-L'économie n'avait psa changé de trop quand ils sont revenus;
-Mettre des masques de gas, à l'autre bord (en Europe). Un homme affecté par le gas, oppressé. Lui et sa femme sont morts;
-Shell-shocked soldiers;
-Faire des bagues/des alliances avec des marteaux. Prendre un dix-sous et le coller dessus;
-Les jeune soldats tombaient pas en amour? Un LeBlanc de Maurice s'a marié en France. Aller boire tous les soirs après le souper. Jeune fille qui jouait le piano. Deux français jeunes, choquer la vieille femme. Mecredi et Vendredi, comme le marché? Votre fille qui a attaqué/parlé les Américains;
-Du monde de l'Afrique;
-Marcel;
-Les filles de l'Angleterre qui dansaient, dessus le bâteau. La France et l'Angleterre 22 miles de distance. Des jeunes filles pas mariées?;
-Les hommes ont deux femmes en France, just une aux Etats-Unis. Les Français ont pas de direction;
-Des Français appréciaient pas les Américains, d'autres les appréciaent;
-Pas d'eau, mais du vin. Comme boire de la bière ici;
-Planter un pays de terre. 4 ans passé;
-Juste l'argent dans ses poches. Pas de cheval, aller au village à cheval et boghei. Un char avec un flat tire. Il a jamais acheté un char. 1934, les chars à Lafayette. 3-4 chars qui restaient des 34.
-L'emmener dessus le chemain à Maurice? Rester 2-3 ans à Lafayette? (59:28);
-Lafayette était pas loin du chemin à Maurice?;
-Fouiller un puit chez les Billeaud;
-Un autre Lindsey Comeaux au ras de Scott;
-Pas la couleur qu'il voulait. Aller à Kaplan toutes les semaines, Abbéville, Maurice. Il a malfait, payer en cash? Téléphoner le Linzey Comeaux à Scott quand c'était arrivé, il avait pas de place pour mettre la carte? Indian Bayou dessus la carte, supposé d'être délivré. Kaplan 2 fois par semaine. Faire une errueur;
-Celui à Scott à 2 lettres plus que Linzey, et il a pas un "z";
-Mettre cette enregistrement dans les Archives à UL;
-Aller dans l'armée, revenir avec le même linge qu'il avait dessus lui. C'est tout fini asteur. Arriver à New Jersey, steam le linge et tout est découdu?;
-Août à Avril, pas de laver? Une culotte et une chemise pour laver. Pas de linge apporté. Pas 2 paires de souliers;
-Dans les cailloux, le sable;
-Pas de tracas avec des poux. Juste le monde dans les trenchers ont eu ça;
-Couper les cheveux à la maison, dehors avec des clippers. Simon?;
-Wayne Perry, joueur de violon. Il l'a connu. Tous des Américains. Il a fait des tapes pour le Library of Congress en 1934;
-Doc Guidry a fait des records, Perry en a pas. Il le croit mort (Wayne), sa femme vit toujours;
-Bayou Sauvage, Indian Bayou en anglais. La Butte Rouge 2 miles d'ici, Leroy en anglais;
-Le magasin. Jam, compagnie de canal? Le jeune bougre voulait pas fermer la porte? Ils ont quit;
Linzey Comeaux
Interview with Ulysse Arceneaux
Ulysse Arceneaux:
Part II of interview, see AN1-223;
World War I, Stories;
-No-named man from Lafayette;
-Soldiers falling in love with French girls, none got married to them though;
-Fighting on the front. Moving right into Germany after the war was done, waiting to come home. Walking through Belgium to Germany;
-Most soldiers fell in love with German girls, staying there longer and living with the Germans;
-Officers making room for the U.S. Soldiers;
-Stationed about 12 km from Koblenz? right on the Rhine;
-Not being allowed to interact with the German girls. His encounter with a Belgian girl. He was kept overnight in Koblenz, brought to the officer the next day. Box of cigars for the captain, cigarettes for the lieutenant, candy for the first sergeant;
-Coat Marshall?;
-Officer was eating supper the afternoon they brought him back. Inviting him to eat supper. 30 days hard labor, he was doing the same thing he was doing before;
-3 officers asked if he was guilty or not. Girl was trying to sell him souvenirs and he was trying to tell her he didn't want it. 30 days hard labor;
-No pull with the officer, you were out of luck;
-Germans were way nicer than the French were to the U.S. soldiers. The French didn't appreciate them? French charging soldiers rent;
-Maybe the French didn't care to have American soldiers there?;
-Barry meets with the higher class since he's going to school;
-Higher class, the people would their hats to them. Not talking back;
-Nothing but Farmland. Man playing the bugle and giving him the news (herald) (9:50);
-A lot of sheep. All government land?;
-Going to the target range;
-Man going fishing with his wife and daughter;
-Stationed in the Pyrenees? Thanksgiving. Getting some wine;
-3 ladies ran the winery. Mother was a widow and the two daughters were in the army. Getting some wine to sell to the soldiers (instead of coffee) and giving them the afternoon off so they could have a snow fight;
-Officer finds a good looking girl. Setting up the date;
-Getting whatever he wanted, beer, wine, etc.;
-Talking to the wife of a First Lieutenant in the French army, comparing salaries (same as a sergeant). Ulysse was getting $47.60 a month? Ulysse was making a few Francs more. The French thought the Americans were all millionaires;
-Working in Patterson, LA. Getting there on Saturday, going to church on Sunday and a man shaking his hands. Never going back to work. Joining the army before going back to where he worked;
-No one helped WWI vets get housing, jobs, etc. like they did WWII vets;
-Like he had been on a long trip;
-$60 bonus for one month's pay;
-Placide working with him, 20% pension as a veteran?;
-Scar on his leg, he would've gotten some government assistance if he would've been in WWII (18:55);
-Not knowing anyone who suffered from the war, who had a hard time getting over it;
-Guys who were shell-shocked, running into the German lines, he was told that. Deserting your post and getting killed/a medal;
-Pictures of the 1927 flood?;
-Things have changed since Ulysse was little, born in 1897;
-Taking a picture a couple years ago, he was 85. Seeing daylight? in Carencro;
-Going to school in Patterson. He didn't know how to speak English. Going to a one-room country school in Carencro. Going some days depending on how much work had to be done;
-His uncle didn't believe in school;
-His mother died when Ulysse was 2 years old, lived with his Aunt and Uncle until he was 8-9 years old (his aunt died). Moving with his cousin(s);
-He was an orphan. He couldn't take living with his cousins too much. One day, his uncle told him to take the rust off the plow blades and his cousin told him to do something else. He told his cousin his uncle told him to do something first;
-Hitting him with a buggy? Throwing bricks at his cousin?;
-Going to Bayou Carencro to another cousin's. His brother took him to Patterson shortly after;
-Adventurous life;
-Ending up moving to Rayne, his daughter lives here;
-Used to be an open field with cattle. Coming here one day about 6 years before he moved. Asking his son-in-law, he said they were going to make a subdivision. Buying a lot and building within a year. Father-in-law needs to sell before he can build. Building on the corner;
Ulysse Arceneaux
Interview with Percy Blum
Percy Blum:
-Dr. McNeely's wife was Mike Broussard's daughter. Mike was in the army with them. Dorthy McNeely, she keeps all the records. Mary Alice Fontenot from Rayne keeps all the history;
-Born in 1895;
-WWI, he was in the grocery business with father? He was born in New Orleans and brought here as an infant;
-His father and uncle married sisters. Eats Roots Company?;
-He was in the National Guard. Sent to Texas with Pershing/Perkins?;
-Called up again in April. Going to camp, then guard duty on the docks and sugar refinery in New Orleans. Camp Nichols. Alexandria and built Camp Beauregard in the pine forest;
-Officer training school in Georgia. He was commissioned. Company sent over seas, he was left here as a Second Lieutenant training men how to build camps. After the armistice in 1918, coming back home;
-Only rice grown in Crowley at that time. Then, cattle and soybeans;
-Mexican border was kind of rough. San Benita about 18 miles north of Brownsville. Building camps. 8 men in a tent. No barracks. Finally put a wooden floors.
-Cleaning a patch of cactus with rattlesnakes and bumblebees. It rained so much when they got there, digging a canal to drain the campsite. Storm destroyed everything except the kitchens;
-Sergeant in the National Guard. No action because of the storm. Every other kitchen and dining hall went down;
-Schools in Marrero? Mule-pilled wagons lined up the day the storm hit. Rebuilding;
-Not mounted, infantry. Company B?;
-Chasing Pancho Villa? after raiding New Mexico. They found him inside a school. He was a bandit;
-Married after the war. His wife is older than him? Her first husband was in the A company and Percy was in the B company;
American Legion Post in Crowley, one of the biggest in the state. The old city hall (10:15);
-Mike Broussard was a company clerk in Crowley. Percy was on the road for Wholesale Grocery Company. Vincent? Daigle was a cashier for Bank of Acadia;
-Dr. Ellis owned the hospital and died. The Chamber of Commerce asked them if they'd take it as a city project. They didn't have any money;
-Armistice Day Celebrations. Raising a few thousands of dollars. Buy the hospital or Kaplan's home/mansion. Buying the Hospital. Broussard took care of the books, Daigle the money, Percy the supplies. Percy got $75/month from keeping the books and working with the head nurses. $25/month for buying supplies for the hospital. The Legion still owns the hospitals;
-Started with a 2-story building with 16 rooms and an operating room. $4/day. Nurses paid $50/month;
-Mr. Larson, president of the Bank of Commerce, loan to finish. Legion put out $8,000. $2 million + now;
-Man paying using sweet potatoes. Woman paying with guineas. They took anything;
-Dr. Peterman operating on garters?;
-Mustard out in Georgia. Paid his way back to Louisiana. Bonus of $200 or so;
-Things had changed. The government was buying so much of everything;
-Camp in Atlanta, Georgia. Yankee boys who had never eaten sweet potatoes and grits;
-First time a lot of people had been away from home. Company made up of men from all over Acadiana. More men from Crowley in his company. A lot spoke French better than English, but they knew enough English to understand commands;
-Most people around Crowley spoke English, country people spoke Cajun/French;
-2 boys from Church Point and 2 from Ossun? Older brother liked whiskey. Alexandria, Camp Beauregard. Percy was a supply sergeant. Going to Alexandria to get a quart of whiskey for $1 and he'd hide it in Percy's tent;
-Captain was afraid of snakes. Killed a big snake and wrapped it around his tent pole, he passed out;
-People who spoke French were assigned to officers and were interpreters. Mike Broussard saw some action, he was in command of a squad. Losing some officers. Dorthy would have all that.
-Mike was clerk of city court (19:46);
-Training for gas, gas masks. Only had one tent, lining up and going through the tent with the gas mask;
-Camp Beauregard Pine Forest. Conical stove with stove pipe exiting out the tent. When it'd get cold, by Pineville, pine nuts and putting them in stove. Stoves red hot in sand. Making the pipe red and catching tents on fire;
-Winter was bad that year. String of latrines on the backside of the camp. GI can in the middle of the street to urinate. Tables in the back to wash clothes. Army, yellow soap;
-Outfit in Alexandria contracted with the government to have laundry done for them. Cold showers. Pipe on the ground from the hospital. First guys got the warm water, the last got cold;
-Squad of four men, dragging a man to the bathhouse and giving him a bath. 60-70 years. 1915/1916;
-Mexican border. In the army about 1914 when the war started in Europe;
-Before President Wilson?;
-America was all for the war. Enthusiasm, patriotism. Absent today. If a man didn't work, he didn't eat. Farmers paying men dragging rice sacs 50 cents a day. A nickel back then is worth about $4 today;
-Calcasieu Mercantile? Company making $175/month. He had to furnish his own car and gas. Company for 41 years, comfortable life;
-Two bits. Pieces of paper;
-New Orleans before the war, Italian stores on every corner of every block. Flour, rice in newspaper from a big wooden barrel, to a smalle wooden tray;
-Beans, macaronis, spaghetti, all bought loose;
-Not as hard as finding jobs as they are today. Always enough work to eat. Raising livestock and gardens;
-Drivers got $18/week for Wholesale. Sent kids to school, fed them, and built houses with that money. People had to work to eat, nothing was given away;
-Patriotism before and during the war. Parades in New York when soldiers came back;
-It went wild when the armistice was announced. Captain told the soldiers about the armistice, they were going home. Army stayed in Europe on occupation after the war;
-Percy was in position of authority;
-Black soldiers were separate;
-Barry talked to a mechanic in Opelousas yesterday (Leo Lafleur?);
-They didn't get trucks in the war at first. They got them a couple months after. Mules hauled things at first. Hard rubber tires and metal springs;
-Building the Legion home in Pineville;
-Attitude concerning the French and English. Supplies and the men. U.S. sending a lot of money and not getting anything back;
-Communism was just taking root there, Bolshevik revolution;
-Reading news in the paper. German bombing supply boats - when U.S. declared war. Russia was fighting the Germans too;
-Russia didn't have a lot of things that the U.S. did;
Percy Blum
Interview with Mr. & Mrs. Claude Hebert
***Continued from AN1-222***
***There is a dub cassette Maxell Communicator Series C60***
Claude Hebert (born 1895):
Circa. 1984
-Drilling there. Quarter masters and medics didn't know how to drill. Squad was alright, but a company made a lot of mistakes;
-Marching the whole company against the building, not knowing commands;
-Sleeping in trenches, dirt falling in your face;
-Snowing in Leon Springs? 5 miles north of San Antonio. Walking his beat, light in the canteen. Square box on the landing by the canteen where they'd unload the freight. Pulling on the box until he got on the ground. Getting in the box. Maybe shooting him if they found him sleeping?;
-Lost his bayonet, drilling without it. Not punished for it;
-Reporting to the artillery company. Wanting to pay for it again, he hadn't sold it, just lost it;
-All quarter masters and medics (non-combatant) who want to go back to their outfit, won't pass. Same rank and pay they had in their outfit;
-Corporal after he got back. Extent of his fighting;
-Getting back in March;
-Everybody was busy trying to do something. Going back to the superintendent in school, $80/month. Living with his grandfather, then going to a hotel (not wanting to give his grandmother any trouble);
-Cousine Fémie (Mrs. LeBlanc). Friend Lede? Landry living at her hotel too;
-Grandfather didn't want him to pay $15/month. No welfare. He had a big garden from which he'd sell vegetables;
-Growing sugar cane and making a little money before moving to town;
-Living with them and working with Dr. Williams (superintendent);
-Finishing college at LSU. Officers were younger and less educated than him. He had to salute them. They wore leather leggings. Getting a degree so he could be an officer and people could salute him;
-Getting a Master's degree when he got back from Haiti. 1931, during the Depression. You couldn't buy a job;
-Saved $6,500. Plantation near New Iberia. Corporation of New Iberia. Southwest Louisiana Fair to the Cypress Swamp. 175 acres of land for exactly $6,500. $1,300 cash and 33 years to pay the rest at $130 a year;
-It hadn't been planted on 5 years;
-Blood Weed/Herbes à Cochon (break them and their red inside). Old barn with no roof, doors hanging. No house. Couldn't sell, maybe steal during the Depression;
-Spending his money and not having anything in 10 years. Paying more with a Master's degree;
-Farm now has 5 oil wells in the swamp (10:37);
-Land next to New Iberia sells for thousands-of dollars an acre - first time he missed being rich;
-Smoking 50-cents cigar and drink some good whiskey if he'd be rich. He wouldn't be 89 years old now;
-Coming to Scott. Got his Master's and various work. Teaching for 24 years;
-82.5 acres of land right by the Church. School given by the people that owned the land. Coco Shoe Store in Lafayette was selling it for $3,000. He could've bought it and developed it;
-Measuring the 10 acres the school had for $1,500/acre. Houses paid more than that;
-The first wife wanted to be close to the church, but she didn't want to see dead people. She didn't go to funerals, not even her father's (he was in Donaldsonville and she was in Youngsville);
-Place for sale where you don't see dead people. Bought this (1 acre of land and the house) for $5,000. Garage cost $10,000 30 years later. Addition cost $27,000 plus the cost of furniture;
-Not that things are worth more than it was in the past. Money is worth less;
-Ms. Onézia Beatle? Interviewing her and him on tv. His hobby or his life: agriculture;
-Haiti, he wasn't teaching. He'd visit the schools and give a speech in French or Creole;
-Hotels over there, walls are 8' high, and 4 more feet without a wall to allow for ventilation. Could climb into the other rooms;
-Drinking rum and talking Creole. Haitians talking about whites. They mistook even his accent as local;
-Talking English, French, and Creole. Thinking in each respective language. Not thinking in one language and translating into another;
-She doesn't have an education like him. She started at the telephone company at about 16 years old in 1914. It didn't take her long to learn, needle-system;
-Operation the telephone system, directing calls. Working at night, fire or emergency was exciting. Calling the police;
-Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Bares?;
-During the war, 14 girls before the flu epidemic. 7 after. Hard work. So many people dying. Too busy, not enough operation/work;
-WWII, working in Leesville. In New Iberia during WWI. She was born in Patoutville/Grand Marais;
-12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls;
-?, Eisenhower, Bradley, Paton, etc.;
-Soldiers coming in. Soldiers calling their families?;
-Simpler?;
Claude Hebert (born 1895)
Interview with Bob LeBlanc
Bob LeBlanc:
-St. Charles College. Finishing at Grand Coteau, Bachelor's of Science in 1915 (before the war);
-Segura Sugar Company. Tramway into the 5th ward;
-Born in 1896. 88 years old in September;
-Getting up 3:30/4 AM;
-Fooling around with an adding machine;
-Post Office in New Iberia, his cousin ? Broussard worked there. He was holding an examination for a job.
-He was the 13th man to apply and the only one that passed. Offered a job in New Orleans to work at Civil Service. $86/month;
-Man from New Iberia in charge, about 30 employees. All multiplication. Asking for an adding machine. Doing it in your head;
-Working from 9 AM to 4:30 PM to balance numbers. Working on it for two weeks;
-Taking Mr. Archie out and putting him in charge;
-Working 6 months when the draft came. He knew he'd have to register. He didn't want to go at all. Writing out his resignation the 19th of the month, the draft was the following day;
-Going into the Navy. They couldn't take him. Enlisting in the infantry in Jackson barracks;
-Drilling. Called into the office and cursed out by his Colonel. Got the same job for $33/month. Moving up ranks;
-Coming home to fix his business. Going to a dance in Charenton. Mother called him to tell him he had a telegraph. Going to New Orleans, 300 employees. He was made accountable;
-He only supplied clothing, not food;
-He would've been promoted to First Lieutenant when the armistice stopped. 6 months to get discharged;
-Coming back to work in New Iberia with his brother;
-Drilling. Going into the infantry. Located and getting back into service (8:37);
-He went to Poitou, France, Washington on his way the second time, train in New Orleans the third time. Every time he'd leave, he'd screw up?;
-He wanted to go overseas. He was an officer who spoke French. Organizers of the LA National Guard;
-National Guard for 8 years;
-Coast Guard Auxiliary, Lieutenant J.G.?;
-Book;
-He'd run out of a lot of material about every week or two. Chief Clerk, he was there every time that would happen. Phone call before discharge. Chief Clerk was an F.B.I. agent following LeBlanc. Praised LeBlanc for his service;
-U.S. condition pre-WWI. His brother-in-law and first cousin owned the place. 26 employees. Paying his bills. $300-400/month was rent/bills/everything;
-Finance business in his younger days;
-Banks closed for 3 days after the war. Surviving by collecting on his finance, cashing checks to get rid of the cash;
-First man in New Iberia to go into the finance business. Ridiculed for doing so. Mortgage and personally endorsing to get money;
-How serious it was at the time. People needed Model-Ts at the time;
-Making more money with the finance business;
-Insurance adjuster. Taking 10% for their profit for losses. Money poured in from insurance;
-Accountant;
-10% out of his check, paying him every 60 days;
-6 months to get discharged. Doing the same work he did before (19:16);
-3 big offices/warehouses in Chalmette. 14 total. One building was moved from Canal Street;
-Supplying men coming back from Europe;
-Attitude during the war. Not discussing, but doing the job they needed to do. U.S. citizens;
-Reason behind the war was never discussed. Doing your job, nothing more, nothing less;
-Coming back to New Iberia in 1919. Things had changed quite a bit;
-Mississippi Waterways. Colonel would come to his office every week, giving him everything he wanted. Going to lunch with him. A few days before his discharge, opening as a Superintendent;
-His brother came to him and said he needed him to come in, he had his fourth grandchild and was getting older;
-Money was very tight. A month's pay and $60 when he came home. It was gone within a week because things were so expensive. His family was wealthy, his father was Clerk of Courts;
-1916, the year after he graduated. The Bull-Moose party cleaned out everyone;
-Only/youngest child out of 12 born in New Iberia, the rest of his sibling were born in Loreauville;
-Married and had only 1 daughter, who had three boys and three girls. Two of the boys took over his business in New Iberia;
-Knowing a lot of people going. Cavalry formed in Crowley. Personal friends. He was too young to join. Some came back. Former Mayor Joe Daigle (deceased), Alonzo27:06 and James Haul?
-Few people are left;
-Memory fails him what happened 25-40 years ago;
-Flu epidemic around the end of the war (27:06);
-All sugar cane, the first piece of property that was clear;
-Barry talked to Wade Gajan (he served some time in the New Orleans/Camp Beauregard hospital). They went to school together;
-Lionel Bourque. Meeting at Don's in Lafayette. He was in the service for a very short time, not very long;
-Going to school, 20-25 people? in Grand Coteau;
-ROTC, furnishing equipment to various colleges around the state. Rotary Club, young fellow from Lafayette talking about ROTC;
-Going to St. Charles College;
-Boarding school, going from Christmas until June. Parents could only visit once a month;
-Beautiful college, it was a seminary before. 175-200 kids attended the regular college. 2 divisions: juniors and seniors;
-Captain of the baseball club;
-Taking up anything you wanted, full course;
-Lucky to get a job. $125/month. He got married on that. $10,000 policy for WWI, but he couldn't pay for it. Change it and getting the other 5 you didn't get. Canceled the first and got the second which he still has today;
-Others coming back from the war. He can't answer that, it's so far back;
-Going into the war to protect yourself. He didn't have any choice, they came and pick him up/out. Surprise;
-Sergeant and Officer Training School;
-Good experience with inventory and how to handles books. Successful business. Inherited from his brother. A third interest. Full ownership. Gave it all to the boys;
Bob LeBlanc
Folktales told by Mrs. Sidney Lasseigne/Ballads sung by Frank Blanchard
Mrs. Sidney Lasseigne:
-Le Conte à Bee Albert. Deux docteurs, un vieux et un jeune. Le jeune embarassé d'aller aux maisons. Traiter l'homme qui buvait trop de café/bière (les tasses de café/les bouteilles dehors.
-Traiter la femme avec trop de "calottrisie?" (les pieds du prêtre en bas le lit);
-Un 'tit nègre et une 'tite négresse. "To fais to(n) l'idée, to fait to(n) paquet.";
-L'homme avec les poules et le gaïm. Donner des rides à 4 ou 5 femmes. "Bourru? Descend." Toutes les poules avaient descendu, il restati juste le gaïm;
-Shop à Parks. Camille Lasseigne. Il ne se sentait pas trop bien, mais il ne savait pas comment le dire en anglais. Il a dit à la maitresse, "I don't think I smell too good."
***Copy of AN1-153***
Frank Blanchard, Wilbur Theriot:
Frank Blanchard (age 74):
-Il y a du changement dedans le printemps (chanson);
-J'ai rencontré trois jolies demoiselles (danse ronde)--les danses rondes. Chanter en dansant sans musique;
-En revenant des noces en étant bien fatigué (chanson). Toute la bande chantait (9:55);
-Le vieux buveur (Le vieux soûlard et sa femme/Mon bon vieux mari) (chanson). Apprendre dessus un graphaphone à peu près 60 années passé (Joe et Cleoma Falcon);
-Faire toute sa vie à Pierre Part;
-J'ai fait serment de plus boire (J'ai été au bal) (chanson courte);
-Je suis la délaissée (chanson des vieux);
Wilbur Theriot:
-La troisième chose (memorat). Embrasser et caresser et faire quelque chose d'autre aux filles quand ils étaient jeunes;
Frank Blanchard:
-Laquelle marirerons-nous (chanson de soirée);
-Les bals de maison et les danses (histoire orale). Des violons et des guitares aux bals. M. Clébert et M. Varisse. M. Blanchard. Principalement ds joueurs de violon;
-Jouer du violon, jouer des bals (2 valses et 2 two-step). Il a fini le bal, il était mieux que celui qui jouait le bal déjà;
-Types of dances: quadrilles et mazurkas pour ses parents, pas lui (il était trop jeune) (20:44);
-Vive Jésus, vive sa croix (cantique en français et en latin). Pour carême, le chemin de la criox;
-J'ai pris mon violon et j'ai pris mon vieux cheval (chanson). (Rye Whiskey/Travailler, c'est trop dur);
-Marbrough s'en va-t-en guerre (chanson de guerre);
-Hier après-midi le char a tué Fido (chanson);
-Avec le lait de ces moutons (chanson);
-Devine devinage qu'est-ce qu'il y a? (chanson);
-Il y a pas de Christmas pour les pauvres (chanson à D.L. Menard appris au country club) (30:04);
-Qui c'est qui va soulier tes pauvres 'tits pieds? (chanson);
-Le violon et le guitare sans chanter. Pas trop des chanteurs;
-La délaissée (violon puis chante);
-Chorisse sans titre (air de violon);
-Jouer mieux que le joueur du bal;
-Petit cochon rôti (Rosina?). Il y a plus que 40 il joue ça. Son beau-père jouait ça. M. Varisse Guillot et Clébert Labbé?;
-Jouer à deux violons, un dessus les 'tites cordes et un dessus les grosses;
-Chanson sans titre (air de violon). Appris dans les bals. Un two-step;
-Ses parents dansaient des mazurkas et des polkas;
-Un petit bonhomme pas plus gros qu'un rat (Pas voler mes pommes quand je sera pas là) (chanson);
Sidney Lasseigne, Frank Blanchard, Wilbur Theriot
Musical performance by Canray Fontenot and Dennis McGee
Canray Fontenot, Dennis McGee:
-First interests in music. Son seul oncle (frère à sa mère) il avait jouait le violon. Douglas Bellard était premier cousins avec sa mère. La tante à Douglas;
-Cigar box violins. Making each one a violin. String from screendoor wire. Wasn't loud, but made sound. The other guy went to school and became a teacher. Canray didn't go to school. Had to be good to in school to go through a grade in two years;
-Father died and he had to go to work to help support his family. The other guy went to Texas. 15 years since he's seen him. He told Canray he couldn't carry a tune;
-First violin. Uncle bought it for him if Canray would go help him work in the field. Canray was about 11 years old. Canray and that other guy started when they were 9 years old;
-Fiddle head resembled a guitar head;
-First time tuning violin. Going to see Douglas to see how to tune it. Breaking strings;
-Needing the desire to learn music;
-Accordions. Mr. Adam as well-known as Dennis McGee. Canray can play a song, but he's not interested enough to learn (5:00);
-Mother played accordion, but never played dances;
-$16 for the last accordion father bought in Rayne. That was expensive back then. Used to buy accordions for $13. Canray's brother-in-law brought Canray's father to Rayne in a Model-T.
-Father had $20;
-Passing the hat;
-Playing accordion and picking up a little extra money. Father never sang, sometimes had a triangle/fiddle player accompany him. Alphonse LaFleur a good second fiddler (white);
-Whites played for blacks, and vice versa;
-Canray playing with his daddy on table and chairs;
-Wedding dance for white people;
-Bois-sec started playing before his father died in 1938. Canray starting to play fiddle after his uncle died;
-Music changes in the 1930s. Everyone wanted hillbilly music, George Lennon, string bands (10:00);
-Playing with Bois-sec Ardoin for 40-something years. Got together in the 1940s;
-Stopped played music for 8 years and going back to play around Lake Charles for 3 years with Wilfred Latour and going back to Bois-sec. Bois-sec has his faults, but he rather Bois-sec over Latour;
-Lawrence Ardoin, Bois-sec's son, thinks he's better than what he really is. The one that died was good, and would never brag;
-Playing with Amédé Ardoin---Pineville & Death. He could sing and play well. Black people's music sounded different than white people's. Amédé (and Canray's uncle) would quit working to go play.
-Canray would usually finish his work. Seeing him in Crowley. Hurting behind his neck. Sent to Pineville because he lost his mind;
-Amédé had an older brother living in Elton (Thomas) (15:06);
-Amédé didn't recognize him. Thomas tried to play accordion, but couldn't. Amédé couldn't remember anything;
-People hated him. He played a dance in Eunice and wiped his face with a white lady's handkerchief. They beat him because the white lady did what she did;
-Amédé played in Basile at a dancehall. Guitars were rare, but one was broken;
-Amédé was a jokster;
-Amédé wrote everything he played. If an accordion played could play about 5 songs, that was a big thing;
-Dance at Canray's grandfather's big house. Amédé went play a dance for white people, Canray's daddy played one for black people. Usually, black's lasted all night;
-Canray's grandmother cooked a gumbo. Amédé came play the dance. Back then, people didn't drink in the house. White mule. Selling gumbo 10 cents a bowl;
-Amédé came take Canray's father's place playing accordion. Amédé took over the bass side from his father and then the melody side. Dancers never stopped. Amédé jouait simple. Played sitting down in that time;
-Amédé played accordion only (21:23);
-Iry LeJeune redid all of Amédé's songs;
-How Amédé learned to play music. Joe Falcon. Amédé would take two step and turn them into waltzes, and vice versa;
-Pop's superstitions about recording. Shouldn't hear dead people;
-Adam 'Kahzey' Fontenot, son père;
-Playing music until sunrise. Father got there around 12:30 AM and lady who brought two cups of coffee;
-None of Canray 6 kids can play anything (26:29);
-Canray's cousin from Lafayette played flute. Dinner in Basile at his uncle's.
-Mother couldn't understand how he could become a musician since neither parent can sing (father sings for Mardi Gras)
-Easy to know when kids'll be musicians. Almost all of his kids became musicians. Played with Isaac Hayes. Can play organ;
-Warren Ceasar. Horse kicked and he never regained his health. Stopped playing with big bands because he couldn't eat just anything (bologna, etc.);
-Traveling with Bois-sec. Started in 1966 for festivals. Only Bois-sec and Canray went to the Folklife Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. Record with Spotwood in Washington D.C. on the way back (29:13);
-People loved their music. Guy in Jennings who picked up trash for the city found a fiddle and brought it to Canray in Oberlin. Wasn't a good fiddle;
-Stopping for 8 years because he wanted a break from it. Canray gets bored with things;
-Playing with Clifton Chenier in Elton around 1969. Big election;
-Canray would play one Saturday, Clifton would play the next just accordion and scrubboard (brother played);
-Not many blacks who can play fiddle like Canray;
-Uncle had a sitter who only played blues. Lives in Texas now, never liked to hire himself out?;
-Bois-sec Ardoin (35:10);
-Son frère est meilleur joueur d'accordéon que Bois-sec, mais il a pas l'envie. Il garde pas un accordéon. Han?;
-The Carriere family from Lawtell--Bébé Carriere (violon) et Dolan (son père);
-Carrière joue le violon drôle. Comme Canray chante drôle;
-Ça me fait du mal, bassette;
-Danser avec moi/La Valse à Tante Nana?;
-La Valse de 'Tit Maurice (39:51);
-Mon Cher Bébé Créole (Reprise in different key: La Valse de Samedi Soir);
***Same as AN1-102 (timecode a few seconds different, but still very close)***
-Dennis McGee;
-Les filles de Benglaise sung (Rye Whiskey/La Valse à Mom et Pop by Shirley Ray Bergeron);
-Dennis rosining his bow and cross-tuning his fiddle;
-La Reel du Sauvage Perdu (Indian on a Stump);
-Retuning his fiddle;
-Piece of La Valse de St. Landry (La Valse de Duson/La Valse Qui Me Fait Du Mal/La Valse des Opelousas/La Valse de Stelly/Big Boy Waltz);
-Tante Aline (Viens me chercher. Similar to La Valse des Musiciens/La Valse d'Orphelin/Trop Jeune Pour Marier);
-Eunice Two-Step (50:25);
-Dennis asks if they'll have a program (Festivals Acadiens et Créoles?) this year in Lafayette and asks which month it will be;
-Valse des Frugé (Louisiana Waltz/Mon Papa by Robert Bertrand);
-Origins of Tante Aline. Aline was an old black lady;
-Interviewers getting ready to go;
***Same as AN1-016***
Ballads sung by Lula Landry and Sabry Guidry
Lula Landry, Sabry Guidry:
Lula Landry:
-Chansons et histoire orale de la chanson et de la tradition musicale de la paroisse Vermilion;
-Mme. Landry est veuve et femme de ménage:
-La fleur de la jeunesse (chanson de mariage), learned from her paternal aunt Tante Olympe (Mme. Sosthène Landry) who taught her catechism in French over the weekends. She maybe would have been able to learn more songs if she'd spent more time with her. She learned a lot of beautiful prayers from her;
-La femme d'un de ses oncles maternels, Mme. Ernest Comeaux;
-La célébration de mariage dans le vieux temps (explanation). Des gros diner et la fille rentrait dans l'église avec son beau. Les familles étaient toutes mêlées.
-Le garçon allait chercher la fille chez elle et l'emmenait à l'église avec les parents en les suivant. Revenir et aller au bal pour faire leur bal de noce (plus des violons dans ce temps);
-People didn't go on honeymoons back then, only a house/room to be alone. People didn't have time to take off;
-Le Papier d'épingle (chanson à répondre). Elle voulait just se marier pour son amour/amitié, pas pour l'argent;
-Les filles de Vermilion. Elles ne trouvent pas à se marier. Se faire publier à l'église;
-Quel petit homme (chanson à répondre). Quand il y avait des enfants, ça le croyait et ça riait. Mais souvent, elle était seule;
-Mon nouveau Beau (orignially catalogued as J'ai été au bal???). Pas tout le temps vouloir dire des affaires à papa. Mais t'as besoin de papa des fois;
-Le premier jour de Janvier (chansons farces pour enfants);
-Mon père était un jardinier (whistled and sung). Des chansons d'enfants d'école;
-Dansez, Codin (polka? ou Jim Crow parce que ça saute?). Appris de son neveu qui s'est mis prêtre;
-La Terre Nourit Tout (chanson de bamboche--Les Acadiens sont pas si fous de s'en aller sans boire un coup). Boire du vin;
-Rester entre Maurice et Rayne;
-L'alouette. Elle peut être cuit à la fin de la chanson; (Laforte : Gb-1)
-Diquet (Bicoin) et les choux (randonnée); (Laforte : Lb-1)
-Guillory Carabi;
-Bonne Marie--cantique de première communion (originally catalogued as Béni-toi même en champ d'amour);
-Je suis chrétien--chanté le jour de la communion;
-Papillon vole (danse ronde) explanation. Danses rondes quand elle était jeune. Swing around on "Papillon vole" and 'le raisin pourrit' got out. Especially during the Lenten;
-Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me (danse ronde) avec Barry Ancelet nommé endans. Il fallait nommer celui qu'aurait attrapé celui en milieu;
-La poule grise (berceuse)--pour faire dormier les bébés. Il y avait une autre sa soeur chante; (Laforte : Ma42)
-Cinq sous (learned from father);
-Ah, mon beau château--il faut nommer un garçon, elle nomme Barry. Des danses rondes et tourner en rond. Le pierre était le garçon et l'enlever du cercle;
-La Fête du Village?;
-Sur le bord de l'île;
-Après la noce à sa meilleure amie et aller chez lez nouveaux-mariés. Les 4 hommes qui chantaient autour de la table.
-Apprendre une chanson en l'entendant juste une fois;
-Isabeau se promenait (Sur le bord de l'eau par Blind Uncle Gaspard);
***Same as AN1-172***
Sabry Guidry:
-Lisa est morte aujourd'hui (chanson chanté puis joué dessus la musqiue à bouche). Son père chantait pour des enterrements, des noces, des affaires de politique, etc.;
-Albert Slessenger translated this song into French: Honoré, chérie;
-Chanson d'enfant: C'est la caille et la perdrix qui se marient (similar tune to 'Les amours et les beaux jours' by Davoust Bérard); (Laforte : Ma-13)
-Rencontrer Jimmie Rogers à Bryan, Texas;
-L'industrie de glacière. Running steam plant;
-Appointed chief engineer without much experience;
-Songs his father would sing canticles (Euphrosie Guidry Jr. 1861-1937);
-Broussard brothers' quartet. His father couldn't record because he had just has his teeth taken out;
-Maybe encountered Lomaxes or Whitfield?;
-Des chansons sentimentales;
-Arrière-grand père Alex Léger sheriff 1858-1868 pedant le Guerre de Sécession;
-Histoire de Vermilion;
-1848-25 sheriffs en 134 ans dans la paroisse Vermilion. Le premier était appointé par un Mouton de Lafayette;
-Pont Perret was the parish seat;
-Abbéville était 'La Chapelle';
-Les sheriffs (Oscar Hébert et son grandpère);
-Guidry et Léger (ses grandparents). Sabry était né dessus la plantation à Nonc Léger;
-1865-Grandpère est revenu de la Guerre Civile. Aller même quand il était marié avec le fille du sheriff;
-L'âge de son père quand son père et grand-père à lui est mort (3 et 15 ans);
-Chaussures de célibataire (bachelor shoes). Prendre Châtain et Lutain, les deux boeufs, pour aller couper des billets à la hâche à 15 ans et hâler le bois à Soloman Wild?. Vendre le bois $1 la corde et $2 pour ses souliers. Remplir les souliers avec du maïs pour faire les souliers plus grands;
-Des souliers avec des peaux de chaoui, le piègeur;
-Tirer des fusils;
-Sheriffs of Vermilion Parish: 1er sheriff appointé par Alec Mouton: Robert Perry (1844-1848), Nathan Perry (1848-1852, 1er sherriff élu), Léo Hébert (1852-1856), Eloi LeBlanc (1856-1858), Alex Léger (1858-1868), jusqu'à présent;
-Permière fois il a vu un char avec un top;
-Des embarcations qu'ils avaient;
-Son père enterrait les morts avec son hack et se gros cheveaux avec des cerceuils en cypre. Enterré trois dans une semaine mort du fouille noire? (Joseph Léger, Démonstin Léger et son enfant);
-Clarence Edwards, couronneur;
-Adam Boudreaux, un des meilleurs sheriff--homme brave;
-Marais-Bouleurs: bataille aux mouchoirs. Mouchoir rouge voulait dire qu'il était parait pour se bâttre en duel. Un capon sans mouchoir;
-Ne pas danser avec la belles des Marais Bouleurs. Des tuages. Des LeBlanc;
-Rendez-vous entre Jack Johnston et Gene Jay Jeffery;
-Lire la gazette pour le voisinage;
-5 sous pour aller faire boire les cheveaux;
-$1 en argent d'oncle Despanet trouvé dans la berceuse. Ça lui arrive des fois, le 'tit nègre qui brillait ses souliers;
-La Pointe des Cypres/La Pointe de Cypre mort;
-La Prairie Grècque à Henry;
-La Coulée Kenney, tradition de tissage. Sa mère et sa femme frappaient au métier;
-Blue Guidry faisait des métier pour chaque fille qui se mariait.
-Il élevait les gros cheveaux de Normandie (Clydesdales, Agnes et Sarah);
-Un cheval casser la pâte. Tony Hidalgo avec son fusil à deux coups, tirer le cheval et le brûler;
-D'autres sheriffs de la paroisse Vermilion;
-Poll tax receipt;
-De bons avec Sidney Boudreax (Southern Pacific Railroad, fils d'Adam Boudreaux);
-Débuts de Vermilion: danses chez ? LeBlanc, la Coulée Kenney, ses origines. Mr. Queny;
-Moulins à grue, riz, et maïs;
-Bois de marais n'égouttaient pas. Huey Long est venu et son père a dit qu'ils avaient eu besoin des égouts et des bons chemins avec des ponts;
-De bonnes récoltes de maïs dans les bassières;
-Sa mère n'a jamais vu la statue de Huey P. Long avant 1950;
-La Coulée Kenny;
-Du coton jaune;
-Tout le vieux monde frappait au métier, écardait. La grandmère à sa mère faisait des gants pour les hommes travailler dans les clos de cannes;
-Parts of a loom/spinning wheel;
-Faire du file. Il allait trop vite;
-Certaines femmes chantaient quand elles se mettaient ensemble pour écarder/faire des quilts;
-En avant marchant-chant de confirmation;
-Un petit bonhomme qu'est pas plus gros qu'un rat (Pas manger mes pommes quand je suis pas là)-chanson;
***Same as AN1-145***
Lula Landry, Sabry Guidry
Civil Rights Oral History with Robert Perry Jr. and Daniel Lee Byrd
***Check speakers***
Robert Perry Jr., Daniel Lee Byrd, Oliver Bush?:
Civil Rights Oral History:
-Robert Perry Jr.:
-Background story. Ministry background. High school educating negros. Went ;
-New Orleans in 1940. Principal 2 year in Thibodaux. Principal at Waltel? Neal? Coin Senior High School until 1976;
-Working with Mr. Bryd in the 1940s;
-LA Education Association. Mr. Byrd and Mr. Haynes. Young man enraged and had two rifles in his vehicle;
-Going to Baton Rouge to save situations;
-Equal rights in education. Sometimes having to suffer. Education and freedom;
-People becoming lawyers, doctors, professors;
-Williamstown, Massachusetts;
-Men gave their lives that ALL men may be free;
-Save the WHOLE nation;
-NAACP (6:21);
-Remembering things, not knowing the customs of the street car. He was going to give up his seat to an elderly white woman, but she refused since it would be breaking the law. She was about -80 years old and had that faith;
-Making gains in the past, there's still more to do;
-Southwest Georgia. Watermelon. Boy who was 21 years old and registered him to vote;
-Things to fight for, things to fight against;
-Steal their place to keep from perhaps being killed? Meetings at 1 AM at churches around the country;
-Opposition to civil rights. Groups (sometimes same group) had different views of what should be done;
-Louisiana had the most opportunity in the South to doing something and failed to do it because of people's views/vision. Whites, Catholics, Protestants all had opposition;
-Melding groups together, not working for just one;
-Blacks staying away from other black communities because more dangerous?;
-People coming closer together;
-Role of church in the movement. Holding people together. Martin Luther King Jr.;
-Southern Christian Leadership Conference;
-Greatest influence and left a legacy. Doing what they expected of us;
-Hoping youth with appreciate what was done for them in the past. Not forgetting what can be done for others;
-Always need for all of these organizations;
Daniel Lee Byrd:
-Personal history. Born in Arkansas and schooling. Getting married in New Orleans;
-Integrated High School. Not celebrating with the white students. Leading boys out on strike and getting suspended from school for 3 weeks;
-His father went to the principal and told him that his son better be let back in school or that he'd better not be here next semester;
-Crane Junior College in Chicago, IL 1929. Free 2-year college, money was short (13:51);
-Northwestern University and going to work;
-Racial difficulties in the South, particularly New Orleans--discrimination in department stores circa 1942;
-Need for better human relations. Married in the South with no water fountains, no places to eat, no place to buy clothes/get a meal;
-Boycott of most stores of Orleans Parish. Boycotting on Canal Street, injunction prevented them;
-Stores eventually admitted negroes and allowed them to try on clothes. Around 1942;
-Negro jobs, poor paying jobs. They would smell;
-Equal rights in education in Orleans parish. Labor strike after the school board elected to do nothing about the issue;
-Oliver Bush took offense and filed a law suit;
-Lawless Junior High School. Albert Aubert? filed a law suit for equality (although separate);
-Hitting segregation head on with the Bush case;
-Suits filed all over the country;
-Suits (around 30) filed for integration of education in secondary and elementary education Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI) & trade schools in Lafayette & Crowley, LA;
-LSU, Southern Law School;
-Negroes appyling for engineering, etc.;
-T.H. Harris trade school in Opelousas, LA. Brilliant boy took a metal stem and made a balance post for a watch;
-Baton Rouge and Greensboro suits, lost;
-Opposition among the negro population--fear of revolution and violence (20:12);
-Whites meeting in secret, at night;
-Integration of schools. Court didn't side with this as long as schools were equal;
-Separate but equal education--curriculum study. Only reading, writing, and arithmetic. No foreign language or anything else to prepare them to get a good education;
-Going to the school boards. By that time, there were some negroes on the board. They deemed it unnecessary. They chose the subjects and chose how much money to allocate to subjects. As long as schools were equal;
-Busing kids, white and black, to different schools. Negroes passing white schools to other white schools;
-Schools are no longer important now. Some whites have money to go to private schools;
-Picking on negro college faculty, passing over them;
-Movement to equalize the college system;
-Negro students passing tests day after day that whites naturally pass. Whites passing over these grades, Blacks are not passing the required subjects;
-Negroes interested in integration, as long as it does NOT affect their job or passing test. They are no longer interested in education;
-Negroes far behind whites' test scores, but still they say integration had nothing to offer them;
-Assistant Director of Teacher Information and Security (National Office) in the NAACP. Started in New Orleans, 1912. Dr. Lucas was the president (25:39);
-NAACP keeping peace with the power structure. Getting younger men. Late 1930s (1938-1939);
-Young group taking over. Local 14-19, had 1,400 members with a $1 to join. Voting out their candidates as officers;
-Violence and police brutality--vigilantes. 5-15 cases a week of police brutality;
-Judge Cox? was a former District Attorney, not standing for any police brutality. Phone calls at night;
-NAACP securing affidavits to people and taking them to Judge Cox. Judge Cox tired of them and set on the police;
-Youth council in the early 1940s. Youths wanting to be policemen. Filing suit. First black police in 1944-1945. After the Korean Conflict;
-So many things going on at one time;
-Negro and his nephew. Johnny Jones cut across a vacant lot going home in Minden, LA. Woman who left her shade up in the house, accused him of looking in the house. Lynched Johnny Jones and left him drowned, castrated, cut up. Left the youth there for dead, but he was still alive;
-Going to the sheriff, he didn't want anything to do with it. Shreveport. Unprovoked;
-Western Union, getting the boy on a plane to New York. Wife of the boy who got killed on a train. Walter getting information sent to President Truman;
-Newspaper got a hold of this information with the names. White men going to a negro bar room;
-Tried them and spun them free. Cyclone destroyed some of the property and killed some of the suspects;
-The boy was burned/castrated with a blow torch (32:57);
-Files of NAACP full of that stuff if not destroyed. Given to a university archive?;
-Living in Lagrange, Georgia in 1938-1939, Walter White would frequent him. Various experience that seem like dreams. Telling people to leave at 2 AM;
-Having been through a lot, going through more;
-Incidents during the war? Street cars and buses;
-Man in Georgia stripped because his uniform was not for a negro to wear. Another black man accused of insulting a white woman whom he had never seen before. Immediately putting him in jail;
-Colonel said they'd get him back. Got a company (without a negro) and said they'd burn down the jail if they didn't get him back;
-Man lynched in Thomasville (small town in the South). White schools and Colored schools. Man came in town and accused of molesting a lady. Proved he was not on that part of town that day. -Men hanged him and lynched him and dragged him down Broad Street. Dumped him on the Courthouse lawn to show negro children so that they would behave themselves. Never done anything about. Colonel Flipper born there;
-Things have changed, people realized their mistakes. Not getting better overnight, but because people fought for it;
-Youth need to see that this is still pertinent. Continuing to move forward, not losing momentum. Getting what is desired;
-Wasted energy, money. Instead of loving others, they're nobody;
-Froth that has burned in the cauldron, boiling over;
-Civil Rights in New Orleans;
-New Orleans pastor hanged in effigy (40:31);
-People who got involved, who wanted to do something. Going to Atlanta. MLK. Bringing MLK back here;
-Not remembering, refusing MLK a place to congregate. Going to listen to MLK;
-People from small towns in LA showing manhood;
-Hanging the pastor in front of his church;
-Citizen's Council and the Klan always worked behind the scenes (setting churches on fire);
-Moving too fast?;
-Building a church slowly. Going slow causes problems;
-People gave their lives for this effort. He doesn't think the youth fully appreciate everything;
-Only negro bathroom on Canal Street was at the Southern Railroad Station, and sometimes it was locked. Had to have a ticket to go to the bathroom;
-Different train stations;
-Fighting for it, just like opening lunch rooms (46:19);
-12-14 places where people could eat. Waiting for people to get up from their tables. Having to go in the back;
-Youth fixed that, just going sit down. Bring their lunch, sitting for 4-5 hours. Punching cigarettes in the back of girls;
Oliver Bush?:
-People are learning to live together as a result of being around each other. Debunking false stereotypes;
-New Orleans race relations used to be worse. It's not 100%, but it's better;
-Courage Black parents had to have to send their children to all white schools to desegregate;
-Making final decisions regardless of the consequences. The price might be well worth the cause;
-He would do it all again (50:48);
-No gain without pain. Someone has to do these things. Don't expect others to do something you wouldn't do yourself;
-Paying the price for progress;
-Do the youth appreciate what was done in the past for them. They're told about these things;
***TWO CHANNELS PLAYING AT THE SAME TIME***
Robert Perry Jr:
-Junior NAACP chapters in high schools;
-Only one restroom facility for all Blacks (men and women);
-No services for Blacks. Going to a filling station and they said they lost the key to the restroom. Gave it to the next guy that asked for it;
-Not selling Blacks gas. Going to visit his son at college. 11 PM, closing the bathroom. No key to the restroom. Having to take it;
-Late 1940s. Stopping outside of Mobile, Alabama at a Hamburger stand on a hill. 15-16 people in line, it was a good place. The young lady said they couldn't serve colored people there. Not stopping until they got to New Orleans;
-Blacks couldn't drive a brand new car. Had to get a second-hand car (56:13);
-Negroes not allowed to ride motorcycles in the mid-1930s. They could ride bicycles;
-Chief of police stopped the man from New York who came down;
Daniel Lee Byrd:
-Standard Oil, right next to the old state Capitol. 2 AM, letting that fellow use the toilet. Not selling to negroes.
-Negro pay is just as much as White pay. Negroes buying gas to take a leak. Use the Courtesy Card. Charging gas on this car. No one was looking;
Robert Perry Jr.:
-These were the things they had to go through, they were strong. Not letting it affect their children. Children going to Sunday school/church by street car/ferry.
-Policeman telling them to get out of Audubon Park. He was embarrassed for his kids, not himself.
-His son wanted to go ride the train and he said it wasn't running today. Right when he said that, it came down the track. He felt terrible;
-They would've made money off of negroes;
-Hoping youth appreciate what poor parents did to give them an education. Difficult for that now;
-About 20 seats on the side. Screen to separate Blacks and Whites. College students would steal them in the 1940s. Blacks having to ask to move the screen, but Whites could move it. Sitting in the White section was illegal for Blacks to do (01:02:58);
-Knowing one man who never sat down on the street car, he always stood up;
-Davis vs. Orleans Parish School Board--ended segregation per se in intrastate commerce. Public service;
-Reservations to ride the train, nothing but colored people. Having White friends get Blacks train tickets;
-Chicago coach. All the colored people rode on there;
-Going to New York from New Orleans. First call for dinner, colored people dining. Waiter giving better treatment to some (01:07:05);
-People are people;
-Reverend Alexander tried to even the cafeteria at the city hall. Bounced him down the steps. When Morrison came. Victor H. Schiro was the mayor then (between 1961 and 1970);
-Largest NAACP membership in Louisiana was about 15,000-16,000 in the 1940s when they were the most active. Struggle was the greatest;
-Doing something about it. Struggles bring people's support. Example of building a park;
-40+ branches in various cities around Louisiana. 1946;
-Southern Christian Leadership Conference never took here;
-President. Opposition to getting together. Support from the churches;
-Catholic churches. St. Francis strictly all White parish, not stopping there if Blacks were Catholic, go to your parish. Now, it's all colored. Youth morning mass. Black cultural influence on the music and vestments, liturgical practices (01:12:54);
-Integration of Catholic schools. Archbishops Rummel and Cody (Chicago). Cody was offered to integrate the Catholic schools, but he turned it down because it was too early for him. Teuro? very much a catholic;
-When Teuro died, Thurgood Marshal did part of his eulogy along with the Archbishop. Differences in archbishops;
-Attorney Teuro always felt like he owed something to his people. Going to Howard, stuided law, and owed his people. Not charging anything for any Civil Rights law suit in Louisiana;
-Mr. Teuro's place to do it. Walter White getting something for his people. Going to no ends to get things for his negro people. He'd do the same for a White man in the same situation because he thinks he deserves the opportunity;
-Teacher salary suit. Old Courthouse/Old Post Office. The Judge appreciated his authenticity and knowledge. Courtroom was as quiet as a mouse and packed as sardines. Standing room only.
-Order the whole time;
Daniel Lee Byrd:
-Voter Registration drives in the late 1940s. Black leaders/machine;
-Blacks losing their right to vote? A few always voted since Reconstruction. Tricky registration form;
-Byrd personally going 17 times to register;
-Answer all the questions correctly (how many bubbles in a bar of soap/peas in a peck?);
Robert Perry Jr.:
-Byrd worked with the boy scouts from 1942-1947 as Scout Executive. He didn't feel like a man over here because he couldn't vote. Getting registered in his boy scout uniform (01:22:25);
-Poor ignorant people. Told not registering negroes today. Tellling things just to prevent their registration;
-Getting the ballot and not using it, like women;
-$180 just in fees alone;
-Of the 95 that voted, only 43 colored voted. 300-something people in that precinct, of that 200 are colored;
-Voting vs. giving away hams. People would show up to get the ham regardless of the weather. Not voting;
-Man dragging his wife out of the car. The nature of people;
Daniel Lee Byrd:
-Living through prejudice without voting--cause of lack of voting?;
-Leadership among negroes has died out in Louisiana. A few politicians getting a few dollars and jobs out of it;
-Dedicated leadership gone. Youth that would be leaders thinks there are no longer any important problems to solve?
-Lady with briefcase full of money. Giving a dollar to everyone who votes. She didn't have a dollar bill after 2 days. She wasn't voting for the one she was doing that for;
-Campaign to make youth aware of issues that still need to be fought for (01:28:34);
-Teaching less about 1814 in the schools and more of 1940 and 1978-1979;
-High school students 18 years of age should be registered to vote, understanding the responsibility to vote;
-Orleans Parish Progressive? someone in there wanted something for himself and it almost killed it;
-Young pastors with the same sort of leadership. Most powerful influence;
Robert Perry Jr.:
-Only a few ministers can be depended upon. Minister has one day a week to systematize his people. Showing the minister that they are bringing outsiders to join, selling point. Filling the church for a meeting with people who may join, selling point;
-Southern University uprising. People making a grab for power. Having to close the school. Some people involved never finished college;
-Rev. Robert Tucker trying to persuade students;
-School never really recovered from it;
-Later than when the two students were shot;
-He was the editor of the LEA Journal. Trying to see what was happening. Collecting money. People never received benefits, because of selfish people;
-Youth disillusioned. It took a long time to recover;
-Power struggle, money;
-Students very impressionable and emotional, particularly young women. Fathers follow;
-Gift of gab;
-Volunteering to file this suit because he saw the inadequacies in the school system (buildings/facilities/working materials);
Robert Perry Jr., Daniel Lee Byrd, Oliver Bush?
Interview with Lazard & Leila Daigle; Musical performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux, Edgar Benoit and Eric Benoit
Lazard Daigle, Lelia Daigle:
-Conte de 'Tit Jean un conte du vieux temps;
-L'homme coursé par le gros chat (farce). L'homme marchait dans le bois et s'est assis dessus une bûche et s'est aperçu du chat qui le suivait. Ils ont parti à la course;
-Conte de l'ours. Un ours avait des petits ours dans un bois creux. Courir après les petits ours et la mère est venu. Attrapé par la tcheue. Quoi-ce qui bouche le trou? (farce);
-Attraper des chaouis, et vite les lâcher (farce);
-Bouki et Lapin et l'ours qui dormait. Ils ont attapé l'ours par la queue, l'ours s'est réveillé (conté par Barry Ancelet);
-'Tit Jean et son cheval ont sauté le trou--la fin?;
-Non of these stories are written down, it's all in their heads. Keeping kids' attention;
-Barbe-bleue et Barbe-rouge (conte merveilleux). Son père contait ça. Ils s'est bâttu, séparé la barbe, et amarré la barbe à une branche. Un a été dans un trou dans la terre qui ressemblait à un autre pays. Il était ennyuant et voulait sortir et revenir. Un gros oiseau l'aurait sorti si il l'aurait donné à manger (du mouton). Juste assez de moutons pour sortir;
-Sa femme dit c'est tout à fait comme ça c'était conté;
-Garder ce qui reste du conte;
-Gagner la fille du roi;
-Les enfants n'ont plus le temps pour écouter des histoires comme ça. Ils oublient ces histoires;
-Un 'tit garçon allant à la boutique pour chercher un chaudière avec trois pâtes;
-Le gros maringouin et la chaudière;
-Le traceur de chevreuil (conte fort);
-Le fusil crochi. Un homme a été à la chasse aux canards au Marais Rond (conte fort);
-Tac-tac et la mule--gêler;
-Barry écrire un livre avec tous les contes qu'il entend;
-Du monde qui lit en français;
-Fouiller pour des contes;
-Statue de Saint Antoine. L'homme a mis de l'argent pour si quelque chose arrive. Le portrait grouillait? Il est revenu pour l'argent, ils ont changé la place du statue, "Antoine éyoù ton père" (22:53);
-Il n'y a pas trop des contes des prêtres ici en Louisiane;
-Le hobo Catholique (farce). Un hobo a été chercher du manger, mais il n'en été pas donné parce qu'il n'était pas catholique. Un autre hobo a été et ils ont demandé si lui. il était Catholique. Il dit, "mon père était un prêtre et ma mère était une soeur.";
-Beau-frère de Houston. Il était fâché après les chemins de gravois/des clous?;
-Un autre conte de 'Tit Jean qu'il ne se rappelle pas. Il y avait des cheveaux;
-Old Blue. L'homme est mort et il avait trois garçons. Ils ont payé tous ses dettes et tout qui restait pour partager entre eux c'était 17 cheveaux.
-Son meilleur garçon aurait eu un demi (9 cheveaux), son deuxième meilleur garçon aurait eu un tiers (6 cheveaux), et le troisième garçon aurait eu un 9ème (2 cheveaux).
-Ça ne convenait pas. Leur oncle est arrivé avec pour partager les cheveaux avec l'aide du Vieux Bleu. Le père à Barry contait quelque chose comme ça;
-D'habitude, il travaillait dessus l'éléctricité, mais il ne peut plus faire ça parce qu'il oublie des fois ce qu'il fait. Arranger une machine à coudre, l'éléctrcité, etc.;
-Chasse-galerie--il ne connait pas grand chose de ça. Du train fait des chaines qui cognenent ensemble et des drôles de cries. Ça voyage/reste alentour d'une région. Le monde dessus la galerie se sauvait dans la maison quand ils entendaient ça. Les enfants arrivaient = "la chasse-galerie arrive";
-Feux follets sort de la terre/des herbes pourrit, comme un gaz qui fait une 'tit lumière qui voyage. Rester au bayou avec leurs deux plus vieux enfants. Marcher le soir et voir un feu-follet au bois;
-Un tas des marais avec de l'eau dans le temps. Il y avait plus qu'il y a asteur (38:50);
-Le monde a peur des feux follets;
-Les Ghosts (revenants);
-Entendre de Madame Grand Doigt;
-Leurs familles ne faisaient pas leur enfants peur;
-Grichine?--un revenant qu'aurait venu si les enfants auraient fait du train;
-Tataille;
-Cauchemar/couche-mal dans un record;
-Du monde qui croit en revenants;
-Fouiller de l'argent;
-Du monde habillé commes des ghosts. Chasseur de ghost;
-Vinesse et Melvin LeJeune avaient eu peur et s'étaient sauvés;
-Le fouilleur avec son shove;
-La niche à Joe LeJeune;
-Faire peur aux noirs à la Pointe Noire avec une tête de mulet/un mulet sans tête?;
-Mr. LeJeune planter des gombos avec des files endedans;
Lazard Daigle (72) & Lelia Daigle (64)
***Copy of AN1-141***
Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux, Edgar Benoit and Eric Benoit:
-Lake Arthur Stomp (4 parts);
-Lake Arthur Stomp (Variation);
-Change of Tuning;
-Lake Arthur Stomp (Variation);
-Swing/Blues;
-Valse à Deux Temps (Untitled);
-La Valse à defunct Andy;
-Untitled Two-Step;
-Rêve du Diable;
-Fi Fi Poncho;
-Jolie Blonde. Barry calls it "La Valse du Vieux Chêne" (1:03:06);
-Chère Tout Toute;
-Valse à Bascom;
-Lake Arthur Stomp (Variation with two violins);
-La Dernière Valse (Two violins);
-Valse à Bascom (Two violins);
***Copy of AN1-007***
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and the Hebert Brothers
***Copy of AN1-037***
Sidney Hebert (Harmonica and Accordion) and the Hebert Brothers with Sammy Boudreaux (Guitar), Antoine Hebert (Violin), Eddie Hebert (Triangle), Doris Hebert (Snare) and Don Montoucet (Accordion):
-La valse de grand chemin;
-Chère Tout-toute (4:43);
-Chère Tout-toute (reprise with harmonica) (8:56);
-Untitled Waltz (Cowboy Waltz turn/bridge?);
-Cher bébé créole (12:56);
-Drunkard's Waltz;
-Untitled Waltz (1st part sounds like Cowboy Waltz, 2nd part sounds like Eunice Waltz/Crowley Waltz/Lafayette Playboys Waltz/Mon Vieux Home) (18:11);
-Untitled Polka (Joe Falcon's version);
***Recorded over two days: 08/19/1977 and 08/20/1977***
Musical performance by Nathan Abshire and Folktales told by M. Daigle
***Copy of AN1-136***
Nathan Abshire, Ola Abshire, Louis A. 'Vinesse' LeJeune:
-L'Ile aux Chiens, le bayou qui sépare les paroisses Vermilion et Acadie;
-Jean LaFitte à l'Ile aux Chiens (trésor enterré). La robe de la reine de l'Angleterre pleine des diamants;
-Il faisait des bougres fouillaient de la terre et les tuer pour faire des revenants garder le trésor;
-Un revenant à l'Ile aux Chiens (gardeur de trésor);
-George Couche?, un français;
-Nathan a vu un revenant là en plein jour. Nathan (17) et George allait marcher à l'île et l'ont vu. Nathan would go during the day, but never at night;
-Lights and all kinds of things;
-Junior Benoit et le chêne à Rayne;
-40 ans Nathan n'a pas retourné à l'île. Tout le monde de là est mort. Le français était habitué à ça. Ils croyaient que les revenants les auraient dit où c'est enterré;
-Dans les livres;
-A ghost doesn't have a head;
-La chasse-galerie. Un homme qui avait deux chiens avec des chaines. Il marche et il siffle;
-Asteur, il y a trop des affaires, trop de monde;
-Feux-follets--un bébé mort pas baptisé. Toute la nuit, les feuxfollets jouaient dans le bois. Son frère a parti à cheval après les feuxfollets. Du sang dessus song couteau quand il a été le chercher le lendemain;
-La boule de feu;
-Model-T Ford. 10-15 pieds du bayou. La boule de feu à Riceville, il y avait de l'argent là;
-Dédé Anderson;
-Bayou Blanc a trouvé de l'argent en rabourant dans une chaudière;
-Les pirates ont volé l'argent et l'ont enterré là;
-Nathan a trouvé de l'argent à Crowley. 2-3 monde qui ont demandé à Nathan d'aller fouiller pour l'argent en bas d'un chêne. Ce n'était pas pour lui;
-Madame Grand Doigt--un conte;
-Cauchemar/couche-mal;
-Expérience de l'oreiller avec $600 dedans. Du vieux monde de Riceville où ils allaient se couchaient. L'annoncement/avertissement de l'argent par une vieille femme toute en noire. Elle n'a pas peur des morts, mais Nathan a peur es morts;
-L'homme noir sans tête;
-Aller veiller son frère à Riceville. Le pont de Riceville tout en bois. Une affaire noire est tombée dans l'eau et a trempé eux-autres;
-Des avertissements;
-La deuxième noce à la mère à Nathan. Regarder dehors et voir un homme (le père à Nathan?);
-L'avertissement d'Albert qui avait fait un accident. Il était dans un wreck et la police est venu les dire qu'il était à l'hôpital à Jennings;
-Le monde asteur ne regarde plus pour des affaires comme ça;
-L'avertissement à Scott avec défunct Chuck Guillory;
-Commencement dans la musique;
-Nathan se cherche une bière pour faire du bien à son estomach;
-L'accordéon de son oncle à 6 ans qui coutait $3.50. L'autre bord de Morse. Son oncle a attrapé Nathan après jouer son accordéon;
-Home brew
-8 ans commencer à jouer pour le public;
-Les salles à ? Guidry, le grandpère à Lionel LeLeux;
-Ecouter Amédé Breaux;
-Ça ne voulait pas que Nathan apprend à jouer de la musique;
-Influences--mère, Olivier Broussard (oncle), Lennis Abshire (père) jouait des reels dessus l'accordéon;
-Il a gardé des polkas;
-Premières chansons comme 'Ton petit bec est doux' et 'Fi Fi Poncho';
-Jouer double;
-La vie d'un musicien est dur, rain or shine. Nathan a marché 20 miles pour aller jouer avec Lionel pour faire $3. T'étais chanceux d'avoir un ride pour 1 mile;
-Se coucher chez Lionel Leleux;
-Doc Broussard et 'Tit Nèg Schexnayder;
-L'argent dans le temps;
-$3 était du bon argent.15 sous de café aurait duré une semaine. $5 pour 2 livres de café asteur;
-Le vieux whiskey à Meillon ?;
-Nathan boire du whiskey;
-Des bals de maison à lampe de coal oil. Caché dans le chemin avec des barils de bière et de whiskey. 10-15 sous la bouteille de bière, 25 le patassa (half pint);
-Nathan a vu une bataille une fois à un bal de campagne. Une discorde avec deux hommes solides;
-Les Marais Bouleurs. Voir une bataille à Boscoe;
-'Tit Nèg Schexnayder avait pour mettre son guitare devant lui pour se protèger quand il jouait avec Amédé Ardoin;
-Amédé Ardoin--homme de couleur. Jouer 2 deux accordéons avec Amédé. Bon joueur et chanteur. Quelque danses de lui comme 'La Valse à Eunice,' 'Lacassine Special,' et 'Basile Breakdown' (Eunice Two-step);
-Iry LeJeune--redid a lot of Amédé's songs;
-Amédé Ardoin played a different beat than Nathan did;
-Alphonse 'Bois-sec' joue le plus près à Amédé;
-Vinesse n'a jamais joué avec Amédé;
-La mort à Amédé Ardoin à Pineville, Louisiana;
-Angélas LeJeune--there was no one else like him according to Nathan. Il a influencé Nathan le plus pour son style;
-Des joueurs de violon: Bascom Mouton jouait des reels, des danses anglaises (Vinesse ne les a jamais appris);
-Angélas a été recordé en 1932. Nathan peut proche plus jouer ces danses;
-Gueydan Breakdown (Port Arthur Blues/Tiger Rag Blues) et Jolie Petite Fille (Chère Toutoute) était la première plaque à Nathan en 1932. Ils ont passé une semaine en ville (Nouvelle-Orléans) et -Bluebird de New York est venu les recorder;
-Le même temps que Amédé Breaux, Angélas LeJeune, Joe Falcon, Ernest Frugé (une autre bon joueur de violon), Mayeuse LaFleur;
-Gueydan Breakdown. Nathan ne va pas la siffler parce qu'il n'a pas de dents. Il va la jouer;
-Choosing his first to songs to record, similar to Chère Tout Toute;
Nathan & Ola Abshire, Louis A. 'Vinesse' LeJeune
***Copy of AN1-140***
Lazard Daigle, Lelia Daigle:
-L'Anse de la Pointe Noire--étymologie et descriptions. La vieille/vraie Pointe Noire est plus au nord-est d'ici;
-Sa mère lui disait il y avait deux hommes noir qui restaient là "La Pointe des Noires" à "La Pointe Noire";
-Né ici dans l'Anse. Ses parents et lui étaient élevé ici;
-Le monde d'ici se bâttait. Voir des bâtailles beaucoup souvent;
-Les batailles de la région: Marais Bouleur vs. Pointe Noire;
-Couper les harnais et les queues de chevaux;
-Marais Bouleaur/Mire/Bosoce;
-Ils se comprenaient mal. Le tracas prenait quand le monde se connaissaient pas;
-Du monde était tué dans ce bâtailles;
-Dans les bals de maison, il n'y avait pas de salle de danse;
-Avoir peur des Marais Bouleurs (reconnaissable par leur grande barbe). Plus comme ça, tout le monde se mêle;
-Les niches du vieux temps: couper les queues de chevaux et mettre des roues de wagon/boghei dessus une cabane;
-Au bal le samedi soir. Des bals de maison quand il était jeune, des salles de danses avant qu'il s'est marié;
-Les constables à Church Point. Mettre du piment dans le plancher, cogner une maison;
-Un homme a mis du piment dessus lui;
-Les querelles entre les familles. Il y a toujours un 'tit brin de ça asteur par rapport à leurs grandparents. Ça s'adonne mieux;
-Peut-être 100 ans ils querellent;
-Les constables à Church Point;
-La Salle à Ester Hébert à Ossun, Martin Webre le constable là. Il se promenait avec deux bâtons pour tenir la paix;
-Church Point était brute dans le temps, bâttre dans le village même;
-Expérience personnelle: Mr. Richard essaie de me mettre en prison;
-Querelles entre les Mèche et les Mélancons à l'autre bord du Marais Bouleur au ras de Vatican;
-Pas de Mèche ni Mélancaons;
-Janice appelé Langlois pour les choquer. Langlois--tribus des sauvages;
-Janice nommé Langlois vs. LeJeune nommé Tchoupilotte (tribu des sauvages qui picochait les autres);
-Une bataille à la Pointe Noire (Grand Rond)--bataille formelle (avec témoins). Albert. "Mets pas la main, laisse-les bâttre.";
-Le témoins faisait sûr que l'autre n'avait pas un couteau/fusil. Bâttre jusqu'à un tombe, des fois, arracher un oeil;
-Une bataille chez Nonc Edward (un tué). Tout le monde était fâché. Il seignait et tu pouvais voir ses os et une trou de balle au ras de son nombril;
-Le docteur Perret/Parrot (Américain qui parlait manière français);
-Des bals à Richard sans constables/sans lois;
-Un bal de maison arrangé sans savoir (niche) d'autres niches au bal;
-Son père n'aimait pas les bals par rapport au tracas qu'aurait devenu;
-Des fois, ils détruisaient les maison;
-Bataille à coup de pistolet. Les vieux pistolets 44 qui claquqaient comme un fusil;
-La Pointe Noire n'était pas plus mauvais que les autres places (comme le Marais Bouleur);
-Plus mauvais que Kaplan?;
-Querelles entre familles pour plusieurs générations;
-Des mariages entre ces familles qui s'adonnaient pas;
-'Tit Jean (homme avec un cheval sans apparence, Little John);
-Sauter le trou du Roi, l'homme qui pouvait faire ça aurait eu la moitié de son argent et sa fille;
-Son père aurait conté plus;
-Contes dans le vieux temps et maintenant;
-Tout en anglais pout ses enfants. Ils contaient des contes dans le temps pour faire passer le temps;
-Fabrique les contes à mesure, mais se rappelle de la plupart;
-Aller veiller sans radio et tv, il fallait conter des contes;
-Ils connaissaient plus d'habitude;
-Bouki & Lapin et le puit (Tar Baby pour guetter le puit). Foutre des coups pieds et de tête et rester pris. Lapin dans son pays?;
-Conter des contes pareil comme à un enfant;
-Faire des histoires plus grandes;
-'Tit Jean et le diable (Brave Tailor). Le diable/géant arracher des arbres. 'Tit Jean n'était pas assez fort, il a commencé à haler plusieurs arbres à la fois.
-Le Diable dit qu'il aurait ruiné sa terre comme ça. Le Diable voulait tuer 'Tit Jean car il était jaloux.
-Le Diable a pris un gros bâton et a sacré un coup à l'ombre que le Diable croyait était 'Tit Jean. 'Tit Jean a bien dormi;
Interview with J.E. Marcantel and Revon Reed
***Recording date unknown***
Revon Reed:
-Joli jument roan (rougâtre avec des tâches blanches). Il avait peur de quelqu'un aurait joué une niche (comme couper sa queue);
-Il arrivait tout le temps après que le bal avait commencé et tout le monde avait rentré. Cacher son cheval et partir avant les autres. Ça allait bien pour 5-6 mois;
-Le bougre se fâchait aisément. Son cheval était peinturé tout vert;
-Il a arrêté la musique et voulait savoir qui c'est qu'a peinturé son cheval. Un gros coquin cadien 250 livres de muscles s'a levé et l'a confessé. Elle était paré pour une deuxième couche;
-Camel LeDoux de Duralde. Son jument, Maîtresse avait juste une oeil. Il soulait. Passer à Mamou et chanter sa chanson.
-Passer l'église. Retourner chez lui. Basile "Baz" a découvert quelque chose de blanc. Un gros machoir de cochon pour le néttoyer?;
Barry Ancelet:
-Deux frères au bal. Un aimait danser et l'autre boire. Celui qui buvait resait au bar et l'autre dansait.
-Celui qui dansait s'est fait cogné et était parterre. Il est monté dessus le bandstand.
-Le gros bougre de 250 livres qui a frappé ton frère? "Boy, tu l'as mis, ein?";
J.E. Marcantel:
-Vrai conte: Il était parti voir une fille dessus le chemin à Crowley. Hwy 26 ou Rue Jour? Des bouteilles volaient???
-Bâttre comme des chiens à Lawtell, le lendemain (Dimanche). Un homme est rentré avec un clin d'oeil? Ils ont frappé la même porte hier au soir. La bâtaille s'a repris;
-Coco d'oeil dans le fond du puit;
-Dirty. Des contes cochons;
-La fille qui a mangé des navets. "Mange pas trop de ça." Number 1, 2, & 3;
Revon Reed:
-Le mal élevé. Le prêtre arrive et demande àyoù sa mère était. Elle est part avec un Sears-Roebuck magasine et elle ne connait pas lire.
-Son père était parti piquer un bout de temps? Il a mis ses bottes en élastique et ça n'a pas mouiller en 3 mois.
-C'est pour une truie. "C'est pas la peine tu l'appelles, c'est moi qu'est next.";
J.E. Marcantel:
-Gamewarden/Revenue. "Who's your daddy?" "Give me $20 and I'll tell you." He wasn't coming back.
-Still happens in parts of Virginia. Tennessee, Alabama. Oklahoma and Tennessee are wet. Other dry counties;
-Ruston is dry, LA Tech. Monroe is wet;
Barry Ancelet:
-Before I-20, so many people died because they got drunk in Monroe and were killed on the way back to Ruston;
Musical performace by Varise Connor & Lionel Leleux/Interview with M. Schott
Varise Connor, M. Schott:
***Copy of AN1-098***
Varise Conner (Violin), Michael Doucet (Violin), Lionel LeLeux (Background), Unknown Rhythm Guitar Player
-Valse sans titre de Walter Aguillard in D;
-Aguillards from Eunice;
-Fi Fi Foncho (4:04);
-Step it Fast (T'en a eu, t'en auras plus);
-Step it Fast (fragment) (7:25);
-Lafayette Playboys Waltz/Eunice Waltz/Crowley Waltz/Mon Vieux Home/Scott Waltz in A;
-Untitled Waltz in G (10:02);
-Swing (Carroll County Blues?) (Lionel seconding?);
-Untitled Blues (14:19);
-Memphis Blues;
-Drunkard's Waltz (18:06);
-Drunkard's Waltz (reprise with Lionel's 'rub-a-dub-dub' style);
-Jack Daniels to freshen Varise's memory;
-Untitled Two Step (22:09);
-Evangeline Waltz (Lionel playing lead);
M. Schott:
-Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana (24:26);
-Oliver Bush desegregating New Orleans public schools;
-Preserving American history;
-J.K. Haynes: "Written history won't reflect what I tell at this time.";
-Daniel Byrd and Robert N. Perry--Humiliation of Jim Crow segregation in New Orleans. Boycotting;
-Mr. Byrd in charge of education problems for the national office of NAACP. Mr. Perry a concerned school principal, boy-scout leader, LA education association;
-Street cars--the only public transit;
-Blacks not having the right to vote;
-J. Carolton James one of the first Blacks getting the right to vote in Lafayette Parish after Reconstruction. WWII Veteran;
-Voter registration drives. J.K. Haynes;
-Vaneur? D. Lacour (Civil Rights Attorney)--Whites decide to let a few Blacks in St. Landry Parish vote (29:50);
-Education protest--Carolton James, a young teacher;
-Johnny Jones, an attorney from Baton Rouge--child victimized by the education system;
-Parents who wanted better opportunities for their children. J.K. Haynes organizing demonstrations;
-Daniel Byrd and the Oliver Bush Case;
-Myrtle Cane/Kain?, first Black student entering Crowley High School;
-Wilfred Pierre, USL in the early 1960s;
-Catherine Bonner from Jonesboro, LA--professional librarian working on her Ph.D;
-USL first university to be desegreated in the state. Dr. J.R. Oliver from Egan, LA--administrative vice president of the university;
-Catholic Neumann Center with Msgr. Alexander Sigur of Crowley, LA. Pastor at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Lafayette;
-J.K.Haynes says USL was the easiest to desegregate (36:02);
-Attorney Murphy Bell--Southern University in Baton Rouge. Little dignity accorded to Black lawyers in the courts;
-Marion Overton White from Plaisance, lawyer in Opelousas;
-Annie P. Johnson from Jonesboro, working for Civil Rights;
-Pat Rickels asking the question, "Why did you want to pick at the library?";
-The Black community of Jonesboro defending itself;
-A.Z. Young, voter's league member--voter situation in early 1965 Bogalusa. LA Dept. of Health & Human Resources, Civil Rights office for that office;
-Annie A. Smart?, welfare mother before A.Z. Young;
-In 1969, 350 welfare mothers going to Washington D.C. to talk to their senators about welfare reform;
-What did the Civil Rights Movement mean after all? Was it worth it?;
-(Black?) Choir Singing Hymn (We Shall Live In Peace?);
Tall Tales told by Don Montoucet
***Copy of AN1-117***
-Grandmère Louloutte Gautreaux mariée avec grandpère Pierre Jacques Montoucet;
-Des ouragans, de la tonnerre, des affaires pour déranger quand quel qu'un allait après de l'argent;
-T'emmenais un serpent avec toi et quand le train commençait, tu le tuait. Ça te quittait tranquille et tu pouvais continuer chercher;
-La chaudière à Jean. Commis voyageur chez la grocerie des Judices à Scott.
-Dropped a map while asking for directions. Old balck man picked up the map and Mr. Judice read where the money was buried;
-La Terre des Boudreaux asteur;
-Mr. Judice et Dédé Anderson ont fouillé l'argent;
-Pierre Jacques Montoucet a fouillé l'argent dans le même trou, mais il a pas été assez creux. Ils ont just fouillé 4 pieds de fond;
-J.I. Boudreaux knows more than Don, probably his grandfather;
-Jean Lafitte (les pirates) et l'Isle de Cypre?. Pas de bayou;
-Les pirates ont fait cet argent dessus le black market et ont venu enterrer l'argent ici;
-L'homme de couleur ('Nonc John') qu'est mort au dessus 100 ans (5:08);
-Cave d'argent, ils ont jamais pu la retouver quand ils ont retourné. Plus creux et la terre monte. Comme un cerceuil;
-Supposé d'avoir plus d'argent;
-Mr. Elmo Broussard (le meilleur soudeur) a la chaudière comme une auge pour faire boire ses animaux et il voulait faire un trou au fond pour la nettoyer tous les temps en temps.
-Il pouvait pas la couper avec son welding torch. Don aimerait que quel qu'un retourne pour essayer encore;
-Fait avec une certaine qualité de fer. Width of half an inch. 6 ft. diameter;
-The following neighbors saw the pot empty;
-L'homme de couleur et M. Judice split l'argent en deux. L'homme noir était pauvre, mais Mr. Judice avait un business et avait un peu d'argent;
-Pirates ou Vigilantes? (9:48);
-Dieu Donné Montoucet from Southwest Louisiana:
-True tales: L'homme avec la mémoire courte, son souffle et la belle fille;
-Cyrus Guidry of Guidry's Hardware n'a pas eu une heure d'école. Engagé à l'école à Carencro comme un janitor. Fired because he didn't have an education;
-Cyrus a nettoyé le board qu'avait des informations important là dessus;
-Ouvert une forge et était le meilleur forgeron à Lafayette. S'il aurait eu une éducation, il aurait toujours été un janitor;
-Ses amis Laodés? Hébert, Adolphe Domingue faisant des courses en ville (15:22);
-Cyrus peut pas parler anglais, il va se faire embarassé. 'Make it two' was all he had to learn how to say in order to get a plate lunch, beer, etc;
-Le commis voyaguer parle à Cyrus en anglais;
-Cyrus n'a pas d'éducation, mais peut parler un 'tit peu d'anglais et est pas un coullion;
-Il a la bonne tête;
-Le défunct père à Don aurait jamais essayé à parler anglais;
-'Signe pas rien';
-Une lettre de Texaco;
-Manger des écrevisses qui sentent bonnes;
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***
Shirley Fontenot reads Bouki et Lapin
Shirley Fontenot:
-Reads 'Bouki et Lapin et le petit bonhomme en goudron";
-Lapin dit au bonhomme de sortir du chemin pour qu'il puisse manger ses choux;
-Bâttre avec le bonhomme, il reste pris avec le bonhomme;
-Le maître des choux a trouvé Lapin collé au bonhomme;
-Bouki jetant Lapin dans les éronces ou le noyer comme punition;
-Lapin aimerait être noyé. Bouki l'a garoché dans les éonces;
-Lapin dans son pays, il riait;
Musical performance by Jean Augustin Marse
*** Copy of AN1-154***
Jean Augustin Morse (Catalogued here as "Marse"):
-Over the Waves;
-Origins of learning. He never took a lesson from anyone. His father played fiddle as well as his uncles. Tous des cadiens;
-Allons danser, Colinda;
-Gabriel (Rosalie);
-Father played reels and quadrilles. His father would play Missouri Waltz;
-His grandson joins him on rhythm guitar:
-Country tune--La vie de la fourchette;
-Jolie Blonde (La fille de la veuve/Ma blonde est partie/La Valse de Jolly Roger/La Valse de Couillon);
-Rangers Waltz;
-J'ai passé devant ta porte;
-When It's Springtime in the Rockies;
-Mon vieux hobo (Doc Guidry et Vin Bruce);
-Origins of learning. He was 5-6 years old when he started learning a little bit with his father. His father would tune his fiddle and he broke his father's good fiddle while learning;
-Starting with a fiddle of his own;
-He was proud his son would play music;
-Les bals. Il a arrêté après qu'il s'est marié (about 1954);
-Sitting in with bands;
-He'll die playing music, it's in his blood;
-Playing music when he goes camping. It passes the time with a few beers;
-Saute crapaud;
Jean Augustin Morse
Folktales told by Wilson "Ben Guiné" Mitchell
Wilson "Ben Guiné" Mitchell
***Copy of AN1-096***
-Haler le char (continued);
-Chapelet a sauvé sa vie;
-Origin of his nickname;
-9 Baseball players: Batiste, Rodney, et Adlia Clément, Ervin Babin, Noeud? Cormier, "La Mulâtresse" Poteau Clément, "Vieux Tchoucou." Polin LeBlanc, André Derouselle;
-Baseball practice. Ben et le professeur;
-$20 for a pair of shoes;
-St. Martin, Iberia, Jeanerette (4:55);
-Moonshine, but they didn't drink because they knew their parents would whip them;
-Homerun/last man down. Ben never struck out and was never worried to bat;
-All players dead now;
-Baseball Club: Régis Sting gambling and betting he'll win a game. Each bet $40 ($80 total for winner) (anecdote) (8:22);
-$50 contre $20;
-Ben staying on base, not running. 3 had already made it home;
-Early days in Parks;
-Ben's padna à l'école? Ben connait pas lire (19:10);
-First black man to ride in car (Model-T) over here. Cost him $200 from Mr. Elie Broussard from Breaux Bridge;
-Ben and friend went to Lafayette. $350 for brand new car over there;
-Not making a lot of money?;
-Mr. Lasseigne's car lot is worse. Went about 6:30 (pm?) (26:51);
-Saint John, buying a house with wife and making an honest life;
-Trouver un fatchin;
-Vieux homme qui piochait. Bon Dieu visite 'Si Bon Dieu Veut'--why dogs do not talk and only bark (etiological tale) (30:51);
-Moi, (v)oulai mouri, "Caesar pas là" (conte) (37:33);
-Le millionnaire/homme riche et Charlotte (domestique) à la porte du paradis (conte religeux) (41:32);
-Slavery;
-Buried Charlotte as she was when she died. Went to purgatory and ran quickly to heaven;
-Millionaire had a big funeral when he died;
-Charlotte was dressed so nicely, the millionaire didn't recognize her;
-Millionaire wasn't allowed to run to heaven;
-Devil wanted millionaire to dance. Devil didn't think millionaire could dance;
-Millionaire hadn't eaten supper yet. Ate cat. Went to hell;
Wilson "Ben Guiné" Mitchell
Folktales told by Mrs. Eurazie Roberts and Ed & Bee Deshotel
Mrs. Eurazie Roberts:
Rydell;
contes
Mrs. Eurazie Roberts, Rydell:
-Ma vieille et sa soeur dans le temps? Tous les maitres avaient des nègres. Tuer un chaoui et le brûler. Mon nègre est smart.
-Parier une somme d'argent. Lever sa tête et dire à son maitre, "You've got the coon.";
-Elle a été né à Pont Breaux;
-Déménager à Parks en wagon;
-Le cheval/mulet qu'est tombé dans un trou dans un marais et s'est noyé;
-Le millionaire riche pendant le Guerre Civile. Cacher son argent. Des petits avec une nègresse (Alida).
-Son bébé dans ses bras et enterrer son argent dans la terre. Tiré Alida qu'avait le bébé -dans ses bras et les deux ont tombé dans le trou. Quelque chose là. Fouiller l'argent;
-Promettre quelque chose avant de mourir. Protéger/soigner;
-Faire l'école 3 mois par ans jusqu'au 7ème livre. Son père avait l'argent pour l'envoyé, elle et son frère, à l'école à Bâton Rouge? Travailler dans le clos. Il avait besoin de quelqu'un pour l'aider. -Find a way to keep his money?;
-"Quand t'es bête, t'es bête.";
-Son père récolter des cannes dessus 1 arpent?;
-White people dirty, stole from blacks (14:09);
-So much trouble for blacks to get the right to vote, ses parents étaient bien jeune;
-Des nègres et des blancs galoper? (courir pour une position?);
-Chasser des cheuvreuils. La pâtte cassée avec son cou cassé avec une balle. Le chevreuil grâttait son oreille avec sa pâtte arrière quand l'homme a tiré;
-Elle a appris tous ces contes de son père;
-Ces contes vont crever parce qu'elle n'a pas des enfants pour les raconter à? ou les jeunes ne parlent pas français;
-Blank space;
-Alida;
-La femme qui crie des ronds? Arrêter de travailler pour les blancs et pas avoir (a)rien à manger. Un gombo ce soir. Cuire dans le foyer.
-Dépendre dessus les nègres le soir? Le gombo se sentait bon, descendre voir. Bragging the next day how he ate a good gumbo, but telling where it was. Le gombo des rats (vrai);
-Elle est trop vieille pour parler mal, elle parle bien. Mais dans le temps, les blancs et les noirs ne se parlaient pas bien;
-So many things come to mind, but not all at once (26:45);
-Continuing talking about the rat gumbo;
-Le monde est pas comme ça? Tout manger à la même table. Les restants aux noirs?;
-People are just like who they work for. They aren't the same people, but born the same way?;
-Bouki trop pauvre pour nourir ses petits. Lapin faire récolte de maïs. Un va prendre tout en haut de la terre et l'autre va prendre tout en bas de la terre.
-L'année passée, Bouki avait pris tout en haut, et Lapin tout en bas. Cette année, Bouki voulait tout en bas et a donné tout en haut à Lapin. Lapin a pris tout le maïs;
-Bouki demander de la charité pour nourir ses petits. Lapin voulait pas.
-Mais, l'année prochaine, ils planteront des patates et Lapin prendra tout en bas de la terre et donnera tout en haut à Bouki.
-Bouki était ok avec ça. Bouki a pris toutes les lianes et n'avait rien pour manger. Lapin a pris toutes les patates;
-Lapin a laissé Bouki choisir;
-She forgets how the rest of the story goes, but she thinks Lapin gives Bouki some sweet potatoes as charity;
-Bad memory;
-Les graines de Mamou est bon pour des poings?;
-Le mengulier est bon pour la fièvre. Pas une graine;
-She's a traiteur;
-Teas. Mixing so many things together;
-Thé d'olier? bon pour des coliques;
-Traiter pour la brûlure, les dates? (rings on your body), et ? (35:02);
-Va pas enpouler?;
-John Villes? était un vieux garçon. Elle le faisait des biscuits et il l' montré comment traiter en échange. 25-30 years;
-Taking tweezers and going into to his eyes to treat him. She didn't mind that;
-He could see after she took out some and she'd stop before she'd hurt his eyes. He'd come back when he needed more treatment;
-He would teach her how to treat for burns, but she couldn't help anyone/pray the prayers before he died. Only after he died could she start treating;
-Des dates à la lune déclinant. She doesn't treat for that when the moon is "increasing";
-Delivering about 200 babies around Parks, by herself (41:21);
-She didn't want to say that her daughter was delivered by a mid-wife. She claims she saved the baby's life.
-The doctor told her she wasn't due for another 3 months. The doctor didn't pay too much attention, but she was still having cramps. 5 minutes after the doctor left, she got a call;
-As a mid-wife, you have to be ready 24/7 for whenever people call and need her help. She takes her bath every morning and can get ready in 5 minutes/in a hurry;
-She didn't want to go, but someone coaxed her into going. She got there on time;
-The baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck choking it, it was as black as that purse.
-She pushed the baby back in. The mother passed out and she slapped her with her left hand while holding the baby with the other hand.
-The husband and the mother-in-law didn't want to slap her. "It's not time to go to sleep, you're having a baby!";
-Call the doctor right away. She put the baby in the grandmother's hands. The mother passed out again, she slapped her to wake her up again. She had to finish delivering (the placenta?);
-The old lady knew she was lying when she said it was only 7 months. It's a lie like saying she could catch the moon with her teeth. The baby was a big 9-month-old;
***Copy of AN1-092***
Bee Deshotel (54), Ed Deshotel (54),
Bee Deshotel:
-Jean l'Ours et la fille du roi. Tout ça il avait, il croyait était le meilleur (50:15);
-Blank space;
-Le meilleur entendeur, souffleur, etc. Il a gagné la fille et le roi lui a donné tout ce qu'il avait, et Jean l'Ours a donné tout ce qu'il avait au roi;
-Bee a appris cette histoire avec son père;
-Jody McBrown, un vieux sauvage (57:40);
-Blank space;
-130 years old, gold bracelet, gold tooth, earrings with name on it. One day, he disappeared. Narcisse went to hunt squirrels in McBrown's yard.
-Big owl would come scare squirrels away each time Narcisse would try to shoot. Shot the owl down, it was Jody McBrown. Brought Jean Louis to see the owl.
-He was so old, he was given the choice to be whatever he wanted. So he chose to be an owl to take care of the squirrels in his yard and make sure no one killed them;
-Minette et ses roulettes. Un des plus vieilles histoires;
-Minette voulait du lait pour ses roulettes. La vache voulait du foin pour du lait. La faux voulait du vent et du lard pour du foin; La truie voulait des glands pour du lard.
-Le chêne voulait du vent pour des glands. La mer a donné du vent pour le chêne;
Ed Deshotel:
-Le pont du Nez Piqué (conte puis chanson) (01:06:00);
-Les bêtes disparaient. Une petit s'assiait dessus le pont pour pêcher. Le pont soufflait, en vie? C'était un cocodril.
-10 tirages d'un gros canon pour le tuer et 100 paires de gros mulets pour l'ôter. Le bayou a baissé 3 pieds et le monde l'a séparé en morceaux.
-Gave 50 barrels of grease and enough meat for the year. 500 pairs of shoes and boots from hide. Now a cement bridge;
-Song (01:10:35);
-Lying tradition with examples;
-Le chien de chasse à perdrix et les serpents sonnette. Tiré le serpent et le chien a resté comme s'il y avait toujours une perdrix.
-Jouer avec le serpent. Le serpent a charmé le chien à lui emmener son manger, et le chien a crevé de faim;
-La grosse cabri. Elle a donné 50 gallons de graise et un 'tit brin dans une tasse;
Bee Deshotel:
-'Tit Lou et Prospère (pêcheurs). Faire l'amour avec à la femme à l'autre et se révenger;
-Le cheval de chasse à perdrix. Pareil comme le chien. Goujon caille qui pèsait 25 livres dessus la drague. Le cheval a sentit la perdrix dans l'estomac du goujon (01:21:34);
-Bouki et Lapin (2 malfaiteurs) dans la grocerie. Bouki se faisait un cochon avec lui même et pouvait pas sortir de la grocerie.
-Il s'a caché, le marchand a trouvé Bouki et l'a fait travailler toute la journée;
-'Pas proche'. Le vieil homme qu'a demander à le jeune fille qui le carressait d'aller se coucher. Elle a dit ,"Pas proche," il avait pas de chance;
-Les jumelles (Hébert) qui se ressemblaient, leur parents pouvaient pas les distingué. "Celle-là à la droite ressemble plus à l'autre";
***Only estimate of month and year was included in original notes, no specific day***
Interview with Ervine "Dick" Richard
Ervine "Dick" Richard
-More of a style we have now;
-45 years;
-Voir son oncle proche jamais. Il avait pas de char, c'était tout en wagon;
-Dick a été élevé à Richard;
-Apprendre la musique lui même en écoutant les bands jouer dans les salles de danses;
-Des accordéons;
-French/accordion music had died during the war. It came back. That's when Joe Falcon made his band, just after the war;
-Roy Morgan and Preston Breaux (Amédé's son) played guitar with Joe Falcon;
-Best singers. Iry LeJeune was the best in "Cajun" and in English;
-Knowing Iry since he was a little kid. He couldn't play marbles too well because he couldn't see that well;
-Iry starting on harmonica, then accordion. Dick was playing fiddle;
-L'emmener aux bals de maison et le faire jouer quelque danses (6:24);
-Wilson "Phil" Granger a joué La Valse de Duralde dessus le violon et Iry l'avait chanté;
-Wilson played with Iry for years;
-Des vieilles danses;
-Faire des valses avec des two-steps (des bons musiciens);
-Il a appris un tas d'Amédé Ardoin. Dick et Iry avait le même âge et Dick a jamais connu Amédé Ardoin;
-Iry a fait un tas des danses lui-même;
-Iry chantait le Two-Step de Perrodins;
-Iry faisait les paroles et usait des vieilles aires. Mettre des bonnes paroles et faire une bonne histoire;
-Commencer en les bals de maison. Il était bien populaire. Il voyait pas et jouait bien;
-Pas de bands dans les bals de maison, peut-être un 'tit fer. Pas souvent une guitare;
-J.B. Fuselier was playing fiddle with him when Iry got killed;
-Guy that looks like Vinnis (LeJeune?) on Iry's album photo;
-The night Iry got killed (12:06);
-Greenwing Club in Eunice. Dick went meet him. Iry pulled him up to play with the band, even though Dick hadn't brought his fiddle.
-Dick got the news he got killed the following morning after changing a flat tire on the side of the road;
-J.B. Fuselier was NOT driving. On Hwy 190 between Eunice and Basile;
-Dick played with Lawrence Walker for 4 years;
-Lawrence disait que "Si c'était noir, c'était pas blanc." ou "Si c'était blanc, c'était pas noir.";
-Un bon homme pour brailler pour;
-Dick jouait steel guitar avec lui et Edouard Juneau? (de Rayne) jouait violon. Juneau était gauché;
-Du monde croyait que Lawrence jouait trop doucement. Mais Dick dit qu'il pouvait joeur vite s'il voulait;
-Un bal à Cow Island. Perdre l'éléctricité et jouer le bal avec des lampes de coal oil. C'était juste Lawrence et les tambours. Le violon, la guitaire, et le steel guitar pouvait pas jouer sans amplification (14:54);
-Lawrence could play a dance all by himself, he didn't need any back-up;
-Joe Falcon devenait d'entre Scott et Rayne. Lawrence was from Bosco(e). Nathan Abshire from Gueydan and Basile. Mayeuse LaFleur from Basile. Dewey Balfa (and others) from Mamou;
-Why is there so much talent around Pointe Noire/Richard/Church Point like Iry, Steven LeJeune/Angélas LeJeune/Alphé Bergeron;
-Jumping on the bandwagon, seeing others play and wanting to do the same/not wanting to miss out;
Ervine "Dick" Richard
Interview with Mr. & Mrs. Westley 'Kit' Dennis and Norris Mitchell;
Westley "Kit" Dennis:
-Il a été élevé beaucoup différent qu'aujourd'hui;
-Il ne se rappelle pas de quand il est né;
-La Guerre Numéro 1;
-Piocher du coton. Travailler avec sa soeur dessus les mêmes rangs. Ils commençaient aux mêmes bouts et être sûr de ne pas faire une manque;
-"Monte dans le chêne et coupe-moi une branche." Elle l'a taillé pour la manque qu'il a fait dessus le rang;
-3 frères et 2 soeurs plus jeune que lui. Aller travailler;
-Mr. Bertrand et sa laiterie. L'engager cet après-midi. Il allait au village pour vendre du lait et l'a ramassé en revenant;
-Herser le mulet avec une herse à deux bras. 50 sous par jour;
-"Laisse pas le mulet passer la guide en bas de sa queue, tu pouarrais jamais la hâler." Ceci est arrivé le lendemain.
-Lâcher cette guide et attraper l'autre. Une grosse poussière. Mr. Bertrand est venu l'aider;
-Herser 2.5 jours. Samedi matin, près du jour saint. Payer pour 3 jours, il l'a coupé 15 sous pour ça qu'avait arrivé.
-Ça lui a resté 35 sous pour son amusant. Le Dimanche au soir, ça lui restait 15 sous pour Lundi;
-Plus rien pour même 40 sous;
-Sa mère contait des contes;
-"La tortue et le lapin." Le lapin faire une course avec la tortue. La lapin connaissait qu'il allait plus vite que la tortue. Le lapin a dormi trop longtemps et la tortue a gagné;
-"Bouki et Lapin--le puit d'eau douce." Lapin volait l'eau de Bouki. Bouki l'a découvert et l'a confronté. Bouki voulait tirer le lapin dans le bayou, ça l'aurait noyé.
-Jeter Lapin dans les éronces, ça aurait dériché sa peau fine. Bayou aurait été mieux selon Lapin. Bouki l'a tiré dans les éronces où son nid était;
-Manger du miel, pour bâptiser des petits;
-"L'oie, le mouton, le gaïme, (et la pintade?)." Il l'a oublié (12:06);
-Il en avait plusieurs contes, mais il ne se rappelle pas d'eux;
-L'homme aveugle, celui sans bras, et celui sans jambes. L'aveugle tuait des canards, celui sans jambes les attrapait? et les donnait à celui sans bras;
-Veiller et passer le temps avec des contes;
-Il a plus de mémoire comme d'habitude;
-Pourquoi les chiens ne parlent plus, ils peuvent juste japper;
-Des jokes, mais c'était la vérité. Faire des contes que les jeunes vont pas croire;
-Mother's first gingham (à petit careaux) dress. Faire des bottes avec des pitre de maïs. 3 sous;
-Aller au bal quand il avait jeune;
-L'accordéon;
-Qualités de danse: des glides, des mazurkas, des polkas, des valses, des baisse-bas, des quadrilles;
-Le vieux monde dansait les valses et les mazurkas à deux temps;
-Chanter en français;
-Des musiciens. Son frère (Sosthène Céléstin) et l'accordéon simple, pas français. Ses neveux joue l'accordéon français et la guitare;
-Des bals de maison;
-11 familles dessus la Plantation Montgomery (sharecroppers). Faire des bals le Samedi;
-Né et élevé dessus la plantation. Travailler la part;
-Des 11 familles, son papa travaillait 3ème?;
-Une joliement bonne habitation. Pas extra, mais le monde faisait avec;
-Ramasseries de coton;
-Le temps d'esclavage. Triste. Avoir des passes du boss pour aller chez une autre famille dessus l'habitation. Ceux sans passe étaient fouetté (21:05);
-La vigilance, ôter le droit du monde de couleur. Les blancs venir le soir et faire du mal aux noirs;
-Le vieux oncle à sa mère (Nonc Rosemont?);
-Il avait au ras de 10 arpents de terre. Il ne gênait personne. Le p'tit magasin et shop aux lames de charrue au village. Aller au village à cheval le matin avec 3 lames de charrue.
-Le monde le connaissait bien, ils l'ont dit qu'ils se seraient venus le foutter ce soir. L'homme lui a donné de l'ammunition, mais il ne fallait pas dire de qui il a entendu ça.
-Il a mis de la mousse noire en bas. La poudre et d'autre mousse noire. Chargé comme une cartouche;
-3 filles et sa vieille femme. Le leader était un Judice. Un de ses filles travaillait pour Judice;
-Ils ont arrivé le soir. "Rosemont, ouvre la porte." Il a tiré et a tué les deux hommes à la porte et un cheval aussi. Les autres étaient blessé et se sont sauvés;
-Alcé? Landry;
-Ils se sont revenus, mais il n'avait pas de temps pour recharger. Marais de jonc à coté du magasin.
-Les filles et la femme ont rentré dans la maison et ont renversé la maison pour essayer à le trouver. "Tuez pas mon papa, s'il vous plait."
-Mettre les 3 lames de charrue dans le foyer. Ils ont pas fait rien aux filles. Bouleversé la maison;
-Tuer en-dedans le marais?;
-Eraste Patin et Alcé Landry;
-Il gênait pas personne;
-Le monde peut être jâloux et canaille, dangereux;
-Né dans la Louisiane. Travailler dûr était la plus grande chose pour lui. Bâttre un peu avec ses amis;
-Il avait 9 ans. Son papa allait au village tous les Samedi après-midi avec son pair de mûlet (March et April, les mois de leur naissance). Le monde qui allait au village à pieds. Aller au magasin à Mr. Léon Couvillion (31:49);
-Les rues étroites, plus en terre. Un Breaux;
-"Stay in the wagon Jack, hold the mule." Staying in the wagon while his father went in the store. Des rues trop étroites pour des barouches et des bogheis.
-Avancer le wagon? Des Bergerons avec leur rawhide. Cogner son papa;
-Couper des bâtons et l'autre faisait quelque chose avec son boghei;
-Ile des chérokis. Tous les samedi soirs, tous les blancs allaient au village. Bien brun, des bâtons. Descendre du wagon, son papa l'a poussé et le monde bâttonait;
-Gang plow;
-Dépasser la bande. Gârocher encore après le wagon. Arrêter chez Jean Madame Jacques (un vieux homme de couleur).
-Son boss était un arpent de sa maison. Rentrer dans la maison. Cogner avec un bâton;
-15 jours après ça, ils ont tiré après la maison. Les bâlles ont passé juste en haut du lit et au ras de l'armoire. Ils auraient tué le monde s'il en avait là-dedans;
-Plus mauvais même que ça dans le temps. Il avait juste 9 ans. Le monde étaient traité plus mauvais;
-Le monde noir appartenait aux blancs. Les noirs n'avaient pas de droits (40:42);
-Son nom est Dennis. Le maître de son grand-grandpère était un blanc nommé "Dennis." Les ésclaves prennaient le titre du maître. Dans tout le sud;
-Ses parents parlaient français et l'anglais. Son père parlait plus d'anglais que sa mère;
-Sa mère était un "Chevalier" avant elle s'est marié;
-"Faire de la misère à Kit." Sa mère lui a donné son 'tit nom. Du monde qui le connait bien et ne connait pas son vrai nom;
-Chanter, plus vieux que lui. Il chantait un tas quand il était jeune. La musique dans les bals;
-Chanson il a gardé longtemps, mais il a oublié la musique. Quelques paroles: "Dédé tirer pas moi, c'est moi, Dautrive qui était après voller les poules";
Mrs. Dennis:
-Oublié des contes. Des fois avec des animaux. Il y a si longtemps qu'elle ne les a pas conté;
-Elle les aimait;
Norris Mitchell:
-Ancelet Clan (5 fils?);
-Rooster et Mouton (see above story). Le guaïm chante, "Moi main droit?" La pintade dit, "Vera?" L'oie dit, "équand, équand." Le mouton dit, "Jamais payer?";
Interview with Mr. & Mrs. Walter & Evelia Boudreaux
Mr. & Mrs. Walter, Evelia Boudreaux:
-Moonshining. Working 5 stills. Baling hay/straw during the summer for the winter. There was a drought and no hay could be made for the animals. Barrels and barrels;
-Neighbor boiling at night. Mrs. Boudreaux had never seen that;
-Faire du moonshine pour toiu-même. Tu peux pas le vendre sans payer une taxe;
-Fait avec du maïs, du sucre;
-'Tite grocerie où du monde venait chercher 5-6 sacs de sucre pour ça le soir;
-Du monde riche qui était pauvre ont devenu riche par vendre du whiskey;
-Walter's uncle, Régis (catalogues as "Regis Boudreaux"), got caught by the FBI;
-Aller à un bar/bal? avec Régis et son ami. Les chevaux travaillaient dans le clos le jour et les garçons les prenaient pour aller au bal le soir. Le chien à boeuf (bulldog). Tuer le chien;
-Régis shot the dog. Going to the dance the following Saturday. John Déjean, went to court and Régis spent 11 months in prison in St. Martin;
-He stayed there and spent the weekends at home. Going back to jail Sunday night;
-Il y a tout le temp eu des canailleries;
-Buried treasure (7:47);
-Mrs. Boudreaux was born on her grandfather's property just about one mile from here. Buried treasure at one of the corners of the barn.
-Her mother had a dream after it was found. The following morning, she told her dream to her family and her father told her that there was a treasure buried there;
-Sur la terre d'un des grand-oncles à Mr. Walter? Du monde qui restait là. Un cousin à Mme Walter s'a marié avec un de ses grande-nièces.
-En bas la maison, il y avait de l'argent enterré gardait par un mauvais serpent. Ils n'ont jamais pu tuer le serpent;
-Arracher un chêne qui tenait l'argent. Le chicot. Couvrir le trou. Quelqu'un travaillant dans le maïs. La charrue approcher des briques.
-Fouiller et sortir un carré en brique avec quelque chose en dedans? Walter a vu le trou, pas loin du chêne, du trou, et du sepent (tout dans les entourages);
-Le monde voyait des affaires en foulliant. Le père à Mme. Walter les contait ça. La Mauvaise Prairie pleine d'argent enterré (pays perdu). La terre restait tout le temp trempe. Chercher les veaux. -Buter dessus des caveaux de briques, mais rarement, ils étaient paré pour fouiller.
-Aller chercher des outils et jamais retrouver les caveaux. Aller paré, fouiller et voir le temps qui venait mauvais (c'était un ouragan/des gros boeufs qui soufflaient du feu);
-Des revenants/des feux-follets (voyeager le soir) (14:57);
-L'homme à garde-soleil. Un homme qu'avait manière perdu l'idée et se promenait avec un garde-soleil.
-Il voyageait caché parce qu'il n'aimait pas le monde le voit. Le monde en avait peur de lui. C'était un homme même, pas un revenant. Il ne fasait pas de mal;
-La chasse-galerie;
-Un bonnet est pour un enfant. Un garde-soleil est pour les femmes. Elle s'a fait un après qu'elle pouvait plus mettre un chapeau pour travailler dans le jardin;
-53-54 ans. Le beau-père de la soeur à Walter--La maison aux esprits, personne pouvait rester là. L'homme qui restait coucher là.
-S'assir dessus un banc le soir, ôter ses souliers. Quelqu'un assis auprès de lui. Il s'a sauvé. Faire une belle course;
-Son père aller à la chasse le soir emmener le chien avec eux. Ramasser de bâtons avec du fer au bout pour être sûr de tuer ça ils auraient vu.
-Cléopha et Cléophé? "Coff" Le train qui se fasait, ils ont eu peur et ont parti à galoper dans le même rang. Le permier n'allait pas assez vite pour celui en arrière (19:52);
-Prendre du temps pour traverser dans un autre rang l'aurait mis plus en arrière/aurait pris plus de temps;
-Son papa serait 93 ans, il avait 9-10 ans quand il est arrivé. Conté pour une histoire/conte. Mais c'était vrai;
-Nommer des enfants avec des mêmes lettres/sons;
-Walter and Evelia Boudreaux;
-Evelia avait 7-8 ans quand elle a appris l'Anglais à l'école. Ses parents connaissaient quelques mots en Anglais. Parler français dans le voisinage;
-Un ami qu'a eu une enfant qu'est mort à 5 ans et 10 mois. La parler en anglais pour qu'elle apprend pour être capable de parler au monde au village. Mais parler français avec son mari;
-Son born 7 years and 2 months after. Il a appris le français avec le voisinage. Le vieux monde parlait tout en français à la grocerie;
-Les acadiens avait des grosse familles. Elle a 2 enfants. Elle devrait en avoir 4, mais elle a perdu des juemeaux;
-Les jeunes apprennent le français à l'école. Barry a été à Pierre Part cet été. Des contes des prêtres à une grocerie. Fille de 6-7 ans qui parlait en français;
-Le prêtre et ses chats. Partir dessus un vacances. La cuisinère ne les aimait pas. Les fouetter "en nom du Père et du Fils et du Saint-Esprit."
-Faire la signe de croix. Le prêtre est revenu. Les chats étaient des démons. Appeler les chats faims. Elle a fait la signe de croix et les chats se sont pris à se sauver. Tuer tous le diables dans sa maison. Maline (27:43);
-La réligion. Les acadiens sont tous des Catholiques. Leur belle-fille est Baptiste, elle éléve leur enfants pareille except la plus vieille (Méthodiste).
-Des fois, ils viennent à la messe avec eux et font bien pareil qu'eux;
-Le bébé s'a couché ici tant les parents ont été voir un play à Baker. Elle allait à l'école à Baker;
-Le chapelet à Grandma. Un petit chapelet d'un ami, apprendre le chapelet le matin;
-Ils avaient 6 enfants et ont perdu un 'tit garçon. Dans les 6, 3 ont été baptisé. Les premiers étaient baptisés Catholique, et celui qu'est mort aussi.
-Il a été baptisé la veille qu'il est mort. Elle priait toujours que l'enfant aurait été baptisé Catholique avant de mourir.
-Il a été baptisé le Dimanche et est mort le lendemain. Sa prière a été éxaucé;
Des acadiens Protestants, ils changeant. Leur garçon et sa femme allait à l'église.
-Il s'a acheté un char et son plus vieux garçon a pris le char pour sortir un soir et l'a wreck. Demander s'il avait de l'assurance;
-Elle a l'esprit canaille;
-L'oreiller au milieu du lit. Les mariés ont ostiné un soir et ne parlait pas à l'autre. "Bon Dieu te béni." "Bon Dieu me béni? Voit/ôte? l'oreiller!";
Mr. & Mrs. Walter, Evelia Boudreaux
Abbeville, LA French Acadian Festival
Sur le beau Bayou Teche (Poème):
Mme. Milton Nunez:
-La berceuse et la grosse chaise (Sung and played on Harmonica):
M. Sabry Guidry:
-Déménager aux Texas (Port Arthur) pour faire une vie;
-Casey Jones (Engineer who died April 30th, 77 years ago today);
-Mon bon vieux mari (Le vieux soulard et sa femme);
-Lisa est morte aujourd'hui;
-Un petit bonhomme pas plus gros qu'un rat (Pas voler mes pommes quand je suis pas là);
Otis Adam (Désiré Trahan?):
-Chère Alice (La Valse à 'Tit Dom Hanks);
-J'ai été au bal hier au soir;
Mme. Vincent:
-La noce à Josephine. Son grandpère la chantait et la racontait pour eux (13:20);
-J'ai fait longtemps la vie de fille;
-Vehicle with the license plate 128-523, their lights are on;
-Dead air;
Mme. Walter Landry (jouer Piano et chanter):
-J'ai passé devant ta porte;
-Brasse-donc le couche-couche;
-Attrapez-moi mes vieux souliers (Les Blues de la Louisiane) (24:09);
-Dans le coeur de la ville (Dans le coeur de Basile);
Mme. Emeline Broussard:
-La petite Jacqueline (dedié à toutes les intructeurs/instructices du français des pays étragners et à tous ses amis).
-Ecrit quand Jacqueline Kennedy était au Paris;
M. Bourque (M. Claby Meaux?):
-La perdiole/Le premier jour de Mai (son père chantait ça. Il l'a oublié et la rappris des son frère de Texas); (Laforte : Bb-5)
Otis Adam (accordéone. Il les fabrique aussi):
-Chère Tout Toute (Announced as "La valse de grand chemin") (36:41);
-Bosco Stomp (Quelqu'un Qu'est Jaloux/Cajun Stripper);
-La Valse des Cherokis (Midland Two-Step);
Lennis et Ophé Romero:
-Ton papa ma foutu (j'eté) dehors (de ma maison);
-La Jolie Blonde (Ma Blonde est Partie/La Fille de la Veuve. Jolly Rogers Waltz/La Valse de Couillion/La Valse de Gueydan are all similar songs);
M. Claby Meaux (Accordéon):
-Fi Fi Poncho (La 'Tite Anna à Ozènne Meaux);
-Played on a new accordion made by Otis Adam. He also gave an accordion to his friend from Houston who buys his rice (helps support him);
Musical Performance by Gervis and Vorice Stanford
Gervis (Violin) and Vorice Stanford (Rhythm Guitar and Vocals?):
-La Valse des Musiciens (La Valse d'Orphelin/Trop Jeune Pour Marier. Also, Viens Me Chercher/Tante Aline);
-La Valse de Grand Chemin;
-Evangeline/Saturday Night Special/Two-Step;
-La Valse des Grands Bois (Crowley Waltz/Louisiana Breakdown/La Valse de la Belle/Crying Waltz, etc. (Old Traditional Songs with various names);
-Jolie Blonde (Ma Blonde est Partie/La Fille de la Veuve. Jolly Rogers Waltz/La Valse de Couillion/La Valse de Gueydan are all similar songs) (two violins) (11:37);
-Evangeline/Saturday Night Two-Step/Special (two violins);
-Seconder;
-Chameau One-Step/Lake Charles Two-Step;
-Kaplan Waltz (Chère Petite/La Valse de la Pointe Noire);
-Bosco Stomp (Quelqu'un Qu'est Jaloux/Cajun Stripper);
-J'ai été au bal hier au soir? (Maybe a tune he learned from J.B. Fuselier or Leo Soileau);
Gervis and Vorice Stanford
Folktales by Bee Deshotels and Songs sung by Jami and Vicki Trahan
Bee Deshotel:
-Conte de Pascal et Nonc Olide. Travailer dans le riz dans les mèches au ras de Cameron. Pascal a eu du trouble avec un homme au bal et il l'a cogné avec une bouteille.
-Ils se sont sauvés et il y avait une bicycle dehors. Nonc Olide guidait et Pascal pagaillait. Passer la lumière à Homewood avec la loi qui les suit.
-La bande de vache entre Basile et Elton. Ils ont tué 2 gros vaches et 1 veau avec le bicycle. Arrêter à lumière à Mamou. Perdre une roue.
-Nonc Olide s'est sauvé au moulin à coton des Landreneau. Il cherchait Pascal, il était pris par les bretelles quand il a volé après avoir arrêté à la lumière.
-Il s'a coupé et est tombé, mais la loi les a ramassé. Les garder en prison. Voler des moutons à Bluebush. Envoyé à Angola, ils travaillaient dans le bord de bois.
-Faire des roues avec des lianes de soco et de la bagasse de canne pour faire un sulky. Voler un bourriquet et croisser la Rivière Mississippi.
-Arriver à Simmsport et vendre le sulky et le bourriquet pour du linge et naviguer au Méxique. Ils ont tiré Nonc Olide dans la jambe et Pascal dans la figure (il a une cicatrice);
-La chasse aux écureuils avec les chiens de M. Blanc. Tirer l'écureuil. Du trouble avec la queue de l'écureuil (joke);
Jami and Vicki Trahan:
-Jump rope and clap rhymes;
-A Sailor Went To Sea, Sea, Sea;
-Learned at school;
-Rockin' Robin;
-Crazy Old Man from China and Reprise;
-Jump Rope:
-Oscar, Oscar? Do You Love Vicki? Yes, No, Maybe So, Certainly;
-How Many Children Will You Have?;
-Where are you getting married?;
-Sky Blue, Sky Blue, is this true?;
-A Sailor Went To Aye, Aye, Aye;
-When I was One (12:14);
-Have You Ever Seen A Bus Driver;
-Cinderella, dressed in yella;
-Teddy Bear. Teddy Bear, Turn Around;
-George Washington never told a lie. Chuck stole a cherry pie;
-London Bridge is falling down. Explanation of how to play the game while singing this song;
-The Ants Go Marching One By One;
-Once Upon A Time;
-Love keeps us together? sung in a group;
Jokes:
-Coke, Okie Doke?;
-Lady who doesn't want to have a baby. Doctor tells her not to use the bathroom. Lady gets big, fat.
-She went to the bathroom and a bunch of dead babies came out? "You killed my brothers, but you didn't kill me"?;
-Two guys in Texas couldn't pronounce the name of the town and they ask the waitress where they are, she says slowly, "Dairy Queen.";
-Guy goes to get a hotel room. Its haunted. "Now I gotcha where I wantcha, now I'm gonna eat ya."
-He gets scared and runs out of the window and kills himself. Another guys does the same thing. A kid gets the room, finds the monkey in the closet with a banana;
-I don't wanna go to college anymore, more, more;
-Acka Backa Soda Cracker;
-Ms. Lucy had a baby, named him Tiny Tim. "Euh," means the little kid dies;
-Baby, baby suck your thumb;
-"The Burning of the School" (not an official title) is a parody of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (from Wikipedia).
-"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, Teacher hit me a ruler. Mary at the door with a loaded 44 and she ain't my teacher no more, shut the door!"
Bee Deshotels, Jami and Vicki Trahan
Extraits de Musique Acadienne pour F345
Jolie Blonde:
a. Belton Richard (accordion and vocals)
b. Wallace LaFleur (vocals) and Dewey Balfa on fiddle
c. Dewey Balfa (vocals and fiddle) with Marc Savoy (fiddle) and D.L. Menard (rhythm guitar)
Les Flammes d'Enfer:
a. Austin Pitre
b.Delton Broussard
c. Joel Sonnier
-Iry LeJeune: La Valse de 99 ans (Mementau Waltz. 50 piastres, mes 2 culottes et mon Pick-up Truck) (7:11);
-Jolie Catin (Eunice Two-Step/Eh, Ma Jolie Fille/Cypress Inn Special. Bayou Teche Two-Step);
Lacassine Special (Dans les Misères);
a. Iry LeJeune
b. Joel Sonnier
c. Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine (guitar and harmony vocals) (Marc Savoy on accordion and Michael Doucet on fiddle?)
Lawrence Walker:
-La Valse du Malchanceux;
D.L. Menard:
-La Porte en Arrière (14:35);
Canray Fontenot:
-Les Barres de la Prison (baisse bas?);
Will Bolfa:
-La Valse des Balfa
Dewey Balfa:
-La Valse de Bambocheur (Evangeline Waltz);
***Coverage Temporal and Spatial are estimates!***
Folktales by Hubert Reed
Hubert Reed:
-Pascal devenait de Mamou, un grand bougre maigre qui faisait récolte;
-Une sarboucane de 6 pieds et 100 pieds de long (sa plus petite). Il avait deux autres, une de 150' et 200' de long;
-Tirer des carvelles? de chemin fer pour sa flèche;
-7 miles de haut. Tirer en avant comme tirer des canards;
-Tirer un lapin de 2 miles de loin. Hâler son souffle une heure de temps pour faire de la pression;
-La grosse, il fallait mettre une bâle de coton et hâler son souffle 3 heures pour 6,000 livres de pression;
-Minute-men aéroplanes. Sortir assez chaud, rouge. Toucher, et le feu prenait;
-Le vrai Pascal a tué un homme?;
-Il a croisé la mer dessus son bicycle 3 fois. Il avait une belle en France qu'il allait voir toutes les semaines;
-Il allait 900 mph, comme les gros bâteaux qui hydroplane;
-Double-wheel (combine wheel) incase he got a flat, gave him more pressure;
-Cogner un flying-fish, les manger;
-Manger les sea gulls aussi. He liked raw meat. A flying fish almost came out of his ears, good chance he had an ear plugs (cement blocks);
-Nonc Olide is semi-retired. He's in heaven working in the bar/saloon;
-La palette en acier. Boire son "morning drink";
-Du whiskey au Paradis;
-L'eau du bayou;
-900 sq. ft.;
-Peur que le Diable reviendrait;
-La fourchette a fondu, assez chaud;
-Vivre un bon bout de temps ("forever and ever");
-Il a laissé la vieille tante ici, 990 livres asteur. Bercer 1,000 berces la secondes (tu peux proche pas la voir). Comme un évantail quand elle a chaud;
-3 speeds: 500, 750, et 1,000;
-She's bald like a cue ball;
-Enterrement de 6 semaines. Des carencros ont eu bal en haut et ont manqué de la manger. Ils ésperaient son demi-frère Hélaire Carrière (6:30);
-Chèque de 6 pieds carré pour signer son nom, ça prenait un page écrire son nom entier;
-Ecrire en Latin, l'envoyer au Pape en Italie;
-Charette à boeuf 100' large et 200' long et 700 roues, un petit et bas. 50 paires de boeuf qui hâlait;
-Des rues de 100' haut. Tomber dans la boue, des mauvais chemains. Faire des bons chemins;
-Huey/Earl Long;
-Chemins en acier;
-Nonc Olide avait 123 ans, sa fête aurait été le lendemain (32 de Février. Février avait des grands jours. To compensate for daylight savings. 25 hours in a day and 1 minute was 2 hours long);
-Union, strikes;
-Tout mêler les fêtes dessus l'almanac. Congrès le fait;
-2-3 qui vote dans le village pour les members de Congrès. La vieille nègresse qu'a le saloon, son nom est comme Zibré (barré comme un Zibré);
-Oter l'anchor chain du bâteau;
-Le monde brailait quand Nonc Olide est mort, l'eau à la ceinture? au tour du cerceuil;
-Les femmes l'aimait mieux qu'il aime du vin;
-Girlfriend ponces comme une vache et l'autre a 2 buttes comme un chameau. Nydia et Rodia;
-Déviser le water-well tank, sucer l'eau avec une canne de highball. Manquer l'eau pour 2 semaines, elle avait soif (11:47);
-Elle peut manger aussi. 7 cocodrils, 2 cabris, 1 mouton et 3 douzaines des oies pourrits pour son desert (son déjeuner). 2 fourches à riz avec 7 dents;
-Une éclaire sort de passer. Attraper un éclaire dans son sulky. Culottes chaud;
-Tonnerre et l'éclaire (kiss) fait l'amour il y a longtemps (2,000 ans). Ça le fait rôter. Pas d'enfants;
-Monter 50' plus haut pour arriver au diable. La diablesse est malade, il y a 6 ans. Une corne du diable est tombé a cause de la maladie de sa femme. Mais un petit repousse;
-How does he come up with all these stories and how does he know where he wants to take it. It's all by the seat of the pants. Barry asks him a question and Hubert answers him;
***Recording date estimated and location estimate using AN1-262B***
Fiddle songs performed by Alan Ardoin/Folktales by Hube Reed
Alan Ardoin:
-Perrodin Two-Step;
-Jolie Blonde (Ma Blonde est Partie/La Fille de la Veuve);
-Cajun Fiddle;
-Pauvre Hobo;
-Westphalia Waltz;
Hube Reed:
-L'histoire des maringouins de Texas qui se brossaient les dents. 2 jeunes de 6 pieds haut. Le monde les croirait des aéroplanes et les tirera.
-$5 des toothpicks à Mamou Wholesale. Comme des picket fences. Ils l'a reconnu de la Grande Chênière, ils l'ont attaqué.
-Il avait plié leur becs et ils ont commencé à voler avec la maison. Il a atterit au ras d'en Ville (Nouvelle Orléans), Pontchartrain beach. Pareil comme un helicopter.
-Le monde le croyait un sauvage/nègre/dégo/chinois/japonais. Sept qualités de sang (comme un tortue a sept qualités de viande);
-Il a quit son ouvrage parce qu'il n'aimait pas aller au Texas;
-Trop de sable au Texas. Les chapeaux d'onze gallons des cadiens (ça tient la tête frais, l'eau coule des fois, et tu peux te noyer);
-Les maringouins on tout des becs croches. Il n'a pas digest ?, ça sortit comme un Kennedy silver dollar;
-Les State Troopers passe une loi pour avoir des bald? tires. Indecent exposure, hub cap was missing and nuts were showing. Port Arthur (10:41);
-Gros pays;
-Tramp meilleur qu'un hobo. Il a retire d'être un hobo. Pauvre Hobo et Tramp dessus la rue (des chansons);
-Il fait comme s'il est aveugle. Ses lunettes a pas de vitres et il ferme ses yeux;
-Gros coeurs à Grand Mamou;
-Jim vient pour la fête des mères, il doit sortir de son parachute. Il reste dessus la lune, dessus le bord brillant. Son frère Mayo reste dessus le bord noir;
-De la bonne terre dessus la lune. Il a planté une graine de moutard, la semaine prochaine, ça ressemblait comme un gros chêne des mers. Les feuilles 16 pieds de large et 24 pieds de longs;
-Les lapins gros comme des éléphants. Ça mange 3 feuilles et ça gange 15 livres;
-Vendre la peau de lapin. Les oreilles pèsent 20 livres, des radars;
-Hube va là pour Christmas avec Nonc Olide dessus un Mickey Mouse balloon. Sac de hamburgers, l'eau du bayou Louis/Duralde;
-Une gorgée de l'eau du bayou va t'ôter la soif pour 15 jours. Des écrevisses et des patassas pour leur diet. Les écrevisses sont petits (200 livres). 7 pèsaient 7 livres chaque. 119.5 livres et 2 onces bien trempe;
-Backhoe pour fouiller un trou;
-Passer l'hiver ici;
-Opération de coeur de caouenne qui vit 300 ans;
exhibitonisme;
les pouces croches;
Contes de Pascal;
Alan Ardoin, Hube Reed
Folktales by Witness Dugas and Tanisse Faul
Witness Dugas
April 6, 1981;
Lafayette, LA
-L'homme à la chasse et son nègre. Il a tiré un chaoui, 10 pieds de queue. 7 pieds, 5 pieds. Laisser pas de queue;
-Tirer un cheuvreuil droit dans le front. Casser sa pâtte et le tuer. Assembler la tête et la pâtte;
-Un tas de contes, des cochonneries. Juste en des hommes, des garçons;
Tanisse Faul
Apri 7, 1987;
Cankton, LA;
-Le monde usait des chevaux, des mulets, des bourriquets;
-Le mangé. Ils mangeaenit des cheuvreils, des écureuils, des lapins, des chaouis, etc. Des cercelles?, des grues. Il y avait des platins partout où le monde chassait;
-Des choux, des moutards, des navets, des radis;
-Des chevreuils autour de Grand Coteau;
-Faire du pain de maïs dans le foyer de la cheminée. Cuire avec des braisses dans le four;
-Des patates douce dans la cendre. Veiller et manger des patates;
-De la viande de cochon salé (8 jours). Boucanner et Sécher;
-Un gombo z'herbes et de la soupe maigre (fait avec du jardinage). Des jours où tu mangeais pas de viande;
-Des parcs de boucherie, ça tuait 2 fois par semaines. Donner la viande fraiche à tout le voisinage;
-Mettre les affaires dans le freezer asteur;
-T'avais pas d'argent, mais t'avais pas besoin de l'argent dans le temps. Cher de vivire asteur;
-Manger du riz peut-être 3 fois par ans jusqu'à qu'il avait 15 ans, User du pain de maïs;
-Manger du gombo avec de la bouillie;
-Les parents venir veillier et passer du temps avec eux;
-Cuire du riz réglé 60 ans;
-Récolter du riz. Le riz te gonfle. Vivre trop bien, ils peuvent pas stand le soleil. Le riz est mauvais pour la vue. Les lapins portent pas des lunettes;
-Le monde vit trop riche asteur;
-Le boisson (proche tout du gin et du whiskey. Un peu de vin);
-Les cafés, juste du monde qu'avait l'âge qui pouvait rentrer. Les parents pouvaient donner du whiskey aux enfants, mais les jeunes pouvaient pas rentrer là-dedans.
-Les femmes n'y allaient pas non plus;
-Fermer les cafés;
-Boire juste les fins-de-semaine, pas un tas buvait réglé;
-Acheter un demi-bouteille de whiskey pour 15 sous à Sunset de Ab Andrus. Ça coûte $8-9 aujourd'hui (in 1987);
-De la bière dans des barils de 10 gallons. Le goûter à l'âge de 9-10 ans. Miller. Son frère et d'autres hommes ont été à la pêche, et ils ont ramené un p'tit brin dans le baril.
-Charles l'a fait goûter;
-Les puits d'huiles (12:16);
-Des bougres de Texas se sont venus et on lease de la terre à Bosco(e);
-L'homme a donné $300 pour le lâcher, juste pour le tester. Il a lâcher tout. $300 par mois;
-Des bon puits de gaz et d'huile;
-Le premier puit à Mermentau;
-Changer la vie. Faire du bien;
-Manger des écrevisses souvent. Ils restaient 2 arpents du Bayou Bourbé? Attraper des poissons dans les troux;
-Ta ligne collait pas à la terre une année en pêchant des écrevisses;
-Seiner et attraper 6-7 gros ouaouarons, le monde d'Arnaudville. Des lumières au long du bayou;
-La pêche à ligne;
-La pêche à la main (Maurice Lavergne et Ernest? Venable). Attraper des poissons dans les troux. Des serpents ne te mordent pas en bas l'eau;
-Barry's cousin says you leave the snake along and move on to another hole;
-Manger un tas de poisson toutes sortes de manières;
-Aller en bas des figuiers/des arbres et pêcher des goujons dans le bayou. Il n'y a pas assez d'eau asteur;
-La vieille maison en brique, ce bord du pont;
-Aller cuire et boire et jeter leurs cans/bouteilles;
-Des course de chevaux;
-Courir en 16-18 secondes. 14-15 était un bon cheval. Par 4 arpents;
-Courir par 2 chevaux en ligne;
-Ammarrer les chevaux. Les vieux chevaux de clos;
-"Baille a fait sa course."
-Billeaud Smith à Sunset. Les Bearb. En arrière, Mr. Alphin Richard. Ils ont tué le vieux homme et ont laissé la vieille femme. La course est devenu croche;
-Richard à Church Point. Plus de tracks asteur. Les gros sont plus croches;
-Billeaud Smith était un bon cavalier. Un p'tit jument (Poulin), la meilleure ici (22:50);
-Ammarrer une course avec Poulin. Billeaud était payé pour bien perdre. Parier des poulets, des vaches à lait. Tourner en bâtaille. Jugé à l'oeil, 2 hommes à chaque bord du track;
-Il y a tout le temps eu du monde croche;
-Des course le Samedi/Dimanche après-midi. Asteur, c'est le soir;
-Des jeux de cartes. Pidro (51 points). Des grandes nuits avec 5-6 games. 7-up. ? Jack;
-Gambler avec des graines de maïs. Parier. Perdre un tas d'argent et des amis. Emprunter de l'argent. Tuer un cochon;
-Jouer de Samedi jusqu'à Lundi matin. Pas de moyens d'aller à la messe;
-La chasse-galerie. Un homme qui a été à la messe dans la prairie. Les chiens ont coursé des lapins, la messe était juste bien commencé. Dans l'air asteur;
-Son frère et son beau-frère l'ont écouté passer. Passer tous les sept ans;
-Juif errant. Homme riche et avait tout ce qu'il avait besoin. Deux gros chiens, crier après. Ils lavaient la vaisselle.
-Les restants de table pour les chiens. 5 sous dans sa poche, marcher jusqu'à la fin du monde. Ces affaires sont 30 sous asteur, pas 5 sous;
-Romain Castille, 5 sous de gâteau. Il a essayé de se noyer. Il marche sur la mer comme tu marches sur le blacktop;
-Les jeunes le croient pas. Donner exemple aux autres;
-Le monde croit plus en Dieu, ils se croient Dieu;
-L'homme dans la lune (32:09);
-Punition. Il coupait du bois. Un sac de bois. Une tête. Il hâlait du bois le Dimanche;
-Un pauvre qui coupait du bois et allait pas à la messe. Travailler tous les jours pour faire sa vie. Rencontré un autre et leur conversation. Il avait pas le temps pour la messe;
-Montrer des exemples;
-Il comprend pas pourquoi le monde croit pas en Dieu. Comment les plantes peuvent profiter.
-Il fait des miracles tous les jours. Le soleil se couche. La pluie. Les hommes peuvent pas faire ça;
-L'homme qui voulait des enfants. Il plantait du maïs. Dieu passe et lui donne de la pluie. Chaque fois qu'il demande pour.
-Le voisin n'avait pas de pluie (sec). Des champignons et pas de maïs;
-La Grande Sécheresse. Il a fait 2 bales de coton. Ramasser 2 autres bales après la pluie;
-Son père restait au Belleville? chez le frère de sa maman. Ils étaient Catholique. Le Bon Dieu n'a pas besoin de la pluie pour faire récolte;
-Des feux-follets. Des gros papillions blancs. Ça éclaire quand ça fait noir. Du monde qui se perd le soir et ne se trouve pas avant le lendemain;
-Des couteaux. Se perdre dans les bois;
-Une qualité de lèche. Au ras d'Alphin Richard. Briller comme du feu;
-Les âmes des bébé pas baptisés;
-Ça vole et brille;
-L'argent enterré. La Guerre Civile. Des pirates;
-Enterrer dans un jar/une chaudière en bas d'un certaine qualité arbre avec un marque;
-Un nègre pour soigner l'argent?
-Des gros boeufs/des mulets;
-Du monde qu'avait trouvé de l'argent, un demi-frère à son papa. Batise Courvelle? et Cap? Léger. Acheter de la terre à Roanoke;
-Un anneau, une bague en or, un diament, un 50-sous, etc. Il aurait quoi c'était enterré?;
-Mme. François Michot. Vieille fille et vieux garçon. Rester là. Elle faisait du savon et l'emmener dans le poulailler. Ç'avait défoncé. Raconter l'affaire au nègre et passer le soir;
-Fouiller tout le tour de la chaudière? C'était pour eux, pas Mme. Michot;
-Le nègre l'a donné au blancs;
-Garder une corne de bête. Des papiers (wills);
-Une selle de dame. Morceau de brique? De l'or;
-Cette place ici. Un vieux nègre, le grandpère Henry ? dans le temps de la guerre. 3 loads de sol, tout enterré dans un trou;