The blood of martyrs has always been the seed of Christianity
April 18, 2017
Surviving the test of time: Chauvin Brothers going strong since 1870s
April 18, 2017
Genealogy can be boring but read on to determine if you ever got tangled in any branch of my family tree. If you did, you don’t have to admit it. My advice….take the Fifth Amendment!
I now confess to having perpetuated a lie all my life about my Cajun heritage. My great, great grandfather, Paul Callais (born in 1796? in Malta and died in Lafourche in 1870), disembarked to New Orleans on a ship and was known for the rest of his life as “Paul de Malt”. He fought in the Battle of New Orleans under General Andrew Jackson and his son, Mathurin (my great grandfather*) (1831/1922), eventually moved to South Lafourche with his wife Helen Cocke (1839/1883). My Mom was named after her. (*View Mathurin’s picture. See where I got my good looks from.)
They bought the property where Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Golden Meadow now stands. His son, Paul (my grandfather, 1871/1939) and his wife Irma (1881/1962) bought property one-quarter mile north of the Town of Golden Meadow. When the Town was incorporated in 1950, we were left out because some people raised a ruckus about paying Town taxes. We had always thought of ourselves as citizens of Golden Meadow, but now we were just an unnamed community in South Lafourche Parish. When postal zoning was installed we became Galliano, which was fine with us, same Cajuns and by this time a few “Texians” who fit right in, married Cajuns and some even learned to speak French. Our address, however was RFD Cut Off until zip codes were introduced and then we became Galliano. I had a picture of Paul and Irma Callais in last week’s Times taken during the Great Depression, but they were not as poor as they looked. Paul owned a freight boat, “The America,” and a grocery store.
The family created a subdivision where Dot and I now live. They raised their nine children, my mother, Helen (1908/2002) and her eight siblings, all together 5 boys and 4 girls. All but one lived to their 80s and 90s.
On my father’s side, I now know the following, and this is where I unknowingly committed the fraud. My great, great grandfather Thomas Martin was born in England in 1816. YIPES! Part of me is bloody limey. (Well! Pip! Pip! Old chap!) I’m not a full-blooded Cajun. His wife Josephine Sandras was a Cajun, though, born in Thibodaux in 1825 and that makes me three quarter pure Cajun. Close enough! My father, Roosevelt Martin (1903/1972, named after Teddy, not FDR) was one of nine children born to Eugene Martin (1879/1952) and Odile Collins (1881/1953). My great grandfather, Guillaume Martin (1846/?) was born in Chenier, Caminada.
Eugene and family moved to Leeville where their home was destroyed in the hurricane of 1915. Their final move was to Golden Meadow.
I was fortunate to know all my aunts and uncles and grandparents on both sides:
Martin: Eugene and Odile plus Theodore, Roosevelt, (they must have loved Teddy, naming two sons after him) Rosulus, Victor, Arselo, Paul, Eugene, Jr, Josephine Dantin and Nola Terrebonne. I reprint pictures of both grandparents so you don’t have to look for last week’s “Times” which was probably used to wrap crayfish or shrimp heads and thrown away.
Callais: Paul and Irma plus Lorris, Paul, Rosulus, Roy, Hecton, Elizabeth Styron, Loricia Gauthreau, Helen Martin and Elecias Griffin.
Only a few of my first cousins, some once removed still keep in touch like Judy Sanders, Nicki Bernard, Curtis “Chee-Kin” Martin, Susan Terrebonne, Larry Callais and Rosemary Richard. There are others who will probably let me know I left them out…if they admit it.
Next week, more of my early life, jobs, music and friends and then I’ll ask you to join me in my travels and interesting episodes, some funny, some poignant and sad. So stay tuned…..Oops! that was radio…… I meant…. keep reading.
I also include a picture of Dot and I on our wedding day. I don’t like to tell our age, but I will admit that the picture is over 60 years old. I don’t feel old. In fact I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap. Bye now.
