My Cajun hometown

On August 4. 2018 I reached the age of 69. It was more of a stretch than a roach, hut I got there and it’s been quite a ride. so come ride with me daring excerpts of those years as I relate the events I en counted as a Cajun, which eventually shaped my life.

I lived through the Great Depression World War II. the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and now the war between President Donald Tramp and the Democratic Party. I witnessed the Last President who served more than two terms but died in office (F.D.R) the assassination of a President (J.F.K), the res-ignation of one (B.MN.) and a son also becoming President (G.W.B. Following G.H.W.B) the only one since (J.QA J followed John Adams, our second Pres-ident. I hope you know your presidents. No. I was not here for that one but a son folio wing a lather in public life sounds familiar. And the first Afri-can/American to be POTOS… (B.RQ)

As for Governor a in Louisiana, the asaassaination of Huey Lang in 1935, the first brother to also serve. Earl K. Long who was also the first to be sent to the Nut House by his wife. The first sent to jail, Richard Leche and the second. Edwin W. Edwards. The first to serve a second, nonconsecutive term and serenade us with a song “You are my Sunshine”, Jimmie Davis (l) and Edwards (9). the first Republican, David Treen, the first non-Caucasian, Indian American Bobby Jindel and the first woman Kathleen Blanco who lost her second term race also to a woman. Hurricane Katrina. The first son. Murphy Poster to serve after his lather. Murphy Foster. Sr. (1892-1900).

The first to serve two consecutive teams as allowed by a new law: John McKeithon, his reward for giving us the Super-down The first to run and lose three tunes. New Orleans Mayor Chep” Morrison. Too had. He would have been a good one. (Yeah! I know. I lost three times with him).

NOW the history of an area of ground in Cajun South Louisiana where I have lived all 89 of my years.

First came a rag-tag bunch of families from Nova Scotia sharing language, culture, traditions, customs,, lifestyles and religion and bonded together as a village and community for survival and safety and named for the golden rods covering the fields. Golden Meadow.

The first settlers were the York-Lush and Williams families who came down Bayou Lafourche in 1843 from Natchez, Mississippi. The York and Lush names are long forgotten bat not the Williams. Lush sold property to Abraham Griffin. Olucien Cheramie and Paul Callais, Sr.. my Great Great Grandfather known as “Paul De Malt” He had stowed away from the Island of Malta, disembarked in New Orleans just in time to join General Andrew Jackson in a little skirmish known as the “Battle of New Orleans. His property was inherited by my Great Grandfather Maturin Callais who later Bold it to the Golden Meadow Catholic Church where Our Lady of Prompt Succor now stands Maturin then bought one and one half arpents of land two miles further north where my family and I now reside in a sub-division known as the Estate of Paul Callais.

Earlier some Yankee had bought land from the Cheramies and built a big ditch known as the “Yankee Canal”. They brought pumps to “drain the swamps”. (I wonder if there was someone named Trump in that gang?) They failed and went back to Michigan. The Cajun name for Golden Meadow is “Canalle Yankee” And if a still there.

Then came the “First”

Grocery Store, Ernest Falgout. 1906; Fresh meat store. Charles Falgout 1908; School Teacher, Mrs. Herman Rebstock. 19132 Ice Factory Dan-bar Dukate (1914)- Catholic Priest Father Grail (1915); Shrimp Factory, T.K Devitte (1917): Movie House. Jefferson Rebstock (1922); Bank. People’s Trust (1922)(The Movie House lasted until 1966 but the first bank did not survive the Great Depression. Physician. Dr. John Gravois and Dentist Dr. Louis Leblanc. (both 1928). Visiting Doctors. Tetreau and Lemkowitz and Dentist. Thibodaux and Trappy. (1920’s). Continued next week. Comments are welcomed at le-roymartinl9B9Qgrnail.com

BYE NOW!

‘I lived through the Great Depression, WWII, the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and now the war between President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party.’

My Cajun hometown