Tombstone Tuesday: John & Emily (Morgan) Kilpatrick

John Milton Kilpatrick headstone, Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, October, 2011.  (Photos courtesy of John Hinton; see bottom of post for copyright info.)

John Milton Kilpatrick and Emily Coleman Morgan are my 3rd-great-grandparents, the great-grandparents of my maternal grandfather Alvin Jasper Stevenson.  In a bit of genealogical serendipity, posting their headstone photos has led to the discovery of a new cousin.

A few months ago, I was discussing Kilpatricks via e-mail with a couple of cousins, and I noticed that that John & Emily were listed on Find a Grave, so I thought I'd request photos of their headstones.  A wonderful volunteer, John Hinton, posted photos within only a couple of days! (This is not necessarily typical or even expected.)  Click the name within each photo caption here to go to their Find a Grave pages.

Anyhoo, when I contacted John again to ask if I could post these photos on my blog, I noticed he had added some surname interests to his Find a Grave contributor page.  One of them was Stevenson (my mom's family).  John was posting photos from North Louisiana (where Mom's from), so I had to ask.  Yes, we're cousins!  Fifth cousins, I think.  Our common ancestor is James Stevenson, Jr.

But back to the Kilpatricks:

John was born 6 Feb. 1824 in Franklin County, Tennessee, and married Emily there on 28 Dec 1843.  He died 3 Apr. 1863 (according to his headstones; one researcher I trust has 18 Apr, so I will have to ask about the source), probably in Arcadia, Louisiana, where he lived.  Granddaughter Loda Duckworth said his father's name was Tom Kilpatrick, but I don't think this has been proven as of yet. (If you're up on the current research of this family, let me know.  I have not done in-depth research on the line.)

Emily Coleman Morgan Kilpatrick headstone, Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, October, 2011.

Emily was born 28 Dec. 1820 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, to John William Morgan and Sarah Elizabeth "Sally" Coleman. She died 14 May 1899 in either Arcadia or Athens, Louisiana.

John Milton Kilpatrick headstone (older broken stone), Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, October, 2011.

Thanks to "Tombstone Tuesday" prompts at Geneabloggers (which prompted me to "inventory" my direct line for grave info), my Kilpatrick cousins, Find a Grave, and especially cousin John, I've now "virtually" visited my 3rd-great grandparents' graves, and met a new cousin.  Happy dance!

Want more sources? See my preceding post here.

All photos courtesy of and copyright © 2011 by John Hinton, all rights reserved.  Text copyright © 2012 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Dad's Tombstone Tuesday and a treasure chest of memories

Note: This began as a Tombstone Tuesday, but being about my dad, it ended up as a Treasure Chest Thursday kind of post.  And yes, it was my "blogiversary" a few days ago, and I'm still here, but as I had the flu last week and now a cold this week (bleah!), the festivities will keep.

 

George Constant Hall headstone and military burial marker, Antioch Cemetery (within Big Woods Cemetery), Edgerly, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Nov. 2011.  Photos courtesy of cousin Janice M.  (My (living) mom's info is on the other side, so I'm just posting Dad's half of the stone.)

My dad died two years ago Tuesday.  It was the night the New Orleans Saints won the championship that sent them to the Super Bowl.  He wasn't really responsive that night, but I'm sure he hung around just to find out how the game ended before he left us; we had the TV on & kept updating him on the score.

I want to tell you so much about my dad; where do I possibly start?  He was complex, like most--well, many of us humans (I can be a bit cynical about some of them), but also a man of simple, "old school" tastes and values.  

In the last year or so of his life (he had terminal cancer but managed to hold it off for 2 1/2 years on chemo in his late eighties), I delighted in, um, "showing him off" to a few people.  I know that sounds condescending, but he was, at times, a real "character" and enjoyed telling stories, whether it was Cajun jokes at my wedding in California or to his newly-discovered first cousins once removed in Louisiana, or World War II tales of derring-do to anyone interested in the war or in planes (he was a fighter pilot in the Pacific and loved, loved, loved flying). 

He blossomed in late life as a bit of a raconteur with his Baptist church's choir, the "Agin' Cajuns," who toured area churches and occasionally went on out-of-state concert excursions.  And he could be a real ham, too.  It occurred to me a few years ago that maybe I got the performing gene (I studied music in college) from him, only I break out in a cold sweat if I actually have to talk in front of a group of people; give me a flute & I'm fine.

I didn't think of the date Tuesday until I was doing genealogy research and came across an obit for someone who died last January.  I thought, "Hmm, he died a year after Dad," then I remembered.  I was a little sad, but mostly I just miss him in certain moments here and there when I think of him: in seeing a trailer for the movie "Red Tails" and thinking he really would have enjoyed watching the fighter plane footage, in joking about "evening up" some leftover cake with my husband.  (Dad had a habit of late-night snacking on sugary food he wasn't really supposed to eat; when caught, he'd say, "Oh, I'm just "evening up" this cheesecake.  Look at how ragged that edge is there!")

And then sometimes his words come out of my mouth or I hear his voice in my head (not as scary as it sounds).  The other night I was ready to eat dinner and my husband told me to go ahead and start while he finished using the microwave.  And before I knew it, I heard my dad's voice saying, "Yeah, I'll wait for you like one hog waits for another!"  Which I promptly repeated to my hubby, who laughed.  We already have a constant joke about Dad's saying, "that's good eatin'" about almost any critter you can name, catch/shoot and throw sauce over.

Other mealtime Dad-isms that come to mind every time there's a holiday gathering (I suppose because it always seemed to follow saying grace aloud and that's when that usually happens), are "Grab it and growl" and "Take some and leave some."  I'm guessing Dad may have been repeating my Grandpa Hall's words.  When you have seven kids in the Depression, you definitely have to grab food you want before it's gone and you might have to remind them to leave some on the table for others!

Those are just a few of the things that make me think of him often.  There are still many stories to tell about him:  I have to tell you about the time he and his brother were interrupted fishing by a truck flying off the interstate into the pond (they couldn't save the man but they did meet the Governor), Dad's "pet" alligator (yes, alligator), his penchant for cooking steaks on the car manifold while traveling, his incredible generosity and much, much more.

I miss his stories, the twinkle in his eye, his growly drawl, hearing a joke for the third (or fifth, or seventh) time, his flirting with his nurses or waitresses or whoever new was in the room (it was completely harmless, though), even his stubbornness.  (Yeah, I inherited that.  It's the Cajun/Irish-ness, I think.  But it comes with tenacity, too, not a bad inheritance.  It certainly impressed his doctors.  How many late 80-somethings do you know who fish and garden and ride an exercise bike on chemo?  He even fished once while wearing a chemo pump.  He put it in a plastic bag.)  I probably got his sense of humor, and his storytelling influenced me a lot, I'm sure.

We butted heads at times, but that became less as we both grew older.  In searching for clues about my grandpa in the last 20 or so years, I have somehow also come to understand my dad a bit more.  A year before he died, Dad told me something that let me know he had finally come around to understanding me, as well.  He had an episode of internal bleeding so bad I was told to fly home to Louisiana immediately because they didn't know if they could stop it.  I stayed a few weeks and when I left, it was very emotional because, though Dad was better, I wasn't sure I would see him again.  I might not make it home in time the next time. 

Dad told me something that day that stays with me now: "I wish you could stay a little longer.  I feel like I'm just getting to know you."  Now maybe it sounds a little sad that my dad was just getting to know me at 45, but I've lived in California since I was 25, and our phone chats were never exactly heart-to-hearts (Mom's department), so it was really more like: "Hey, I'm seeing you as your own person now, not just my daughter.  And I like what I see."  I think that was better than all the "I love yous" that he ever said to me.

I started this blog for fun, as an experiment and a way to share some info with family and possibly connect with cousins researching the same lines, and hey, maybe eventually solve the Grandpa Hall mystery!  After Dad died, blogging became a bit of therapy at times, a way to remember him.  I wish I had shown it to him, but his spirit is in it, with every story I tell about him or his side of the family (Mom gets less mention because I want to respect the privacy of living relatives--though she's thrilled whenever I write about her ancestors).  I guess I'll just have to keep writing about Dad to tell you all out there more, or perhaps I'll learn to edit digital video so one day I can post a clip and you can hear him tell a story or two himself.

Miss you, Dad.  Love you always.
--Liz

p.s. You know why a kiss over the phone Internet is like a straw hat?  'Cause it's not felt.  That one's for you, Dad. :)

© 2012, Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved

Tombstone Tuesday: William & Elizabeth (Faress) Cotter, Ringgold, La.

 W. H. [William Hadden] Cotter headstone, Providence Cemetery, Ringgold, La.  Photo courtesy of Maxine Morgan.

William Hadden Cotter and Elizabeth Ann Faress Cotter (a.k.a. Queen Ann Elizabeth Fariss or Farris) are my great-great-grandparents.  William was from Louisville, Jefferson County, Georgia, and "Lizzie" was from Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  They both died near Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana.  You can see their portraits here or read more about my Cotter line here.  

Elizabeth Ann Faress Cotter headstone, Providence Cemetery, Ringgold, La.  Photo courtesy of Maxine Morgan.

I connected with Maxine Morgan (no relation to my husband's family that I know of) via Ancestry.com, where we discovered her husband and I have Cotters in common.  Maxine, who has contributed quite a few Bienville Parish records to interment.net and USGenWeb, among other sites, graciously sent me these photos and gave me permission to post them here.  Thanks, Maxine!

Text copyright 2011 by Liz Hall Morgan; photos copyright 2011 by Maxine Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Arthur & Catherine Estelle (Legere) Hernandez

Arthur and Catherine Estelle (Legere) Hernandez headstones, St. Peter Catholic Church Cemetery, Carencro, Lafayette Parish, La., November 19, 2007, digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan.

Catherine Estelle (or Estelle Catherine) Legere or Légère ("Estelle Catharine" in Southwest Louisiana Records and Estelle in census records, but "Catherine" according to her death certificate and her great-granddaughter) was my great-aunt, the daughter of my great-grandfather Constant Legere ("Leger" in some records) and his first wife (of four), Estelle Babineau(x).  She was born 12 Dec. 1867, probably in Lafayette Parish, La.  Extracted death certificate info says she was born in Carencro (in Lafayette Parish), and her birth was recorded in Grand Coteau, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (then the nearest Catholic church to the family, in St. Landry Parish).  I think the Ossun community near Carencro, where her parents lived, is a safe bet for her birthplace, but that's just my opinion.

At age 15, she married Jean Euclide Brasseaux on 27 Dec. 1882 in St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro, but he died not long after their marriage (anyone have a date?) and they had no children that I know of.   I recall noticing Brasseaux graves in a section near (catecorner from?) the Hernandezes, but I did not check for him on that visit.

Catherine married Arthur Hernandez on 2 Dec. 1884 in the same church.  Arthur was the son of Sebastian Hernandez (of Canary Islands descent) and Euphrosine Sonnier (a Cajun).  He was born 15 Jan. 1865, in Lafayette, La., according to extracted death certificate info, where his birth is recorded in St. John Catholic Church (now Cathedral) records.  Arthur and Catherine farmed in Lafayette Parish and also reared 10 children there.  My dad remembered some of his Hernandez cousins, who were a generation older than he and his siblings.

Catherine died 4 Oct. 1930 in Carencro, and Arthur died 4 Feb. 1949 in Rayne, in Acadia Parish.  Their children included a teacher and a doctor.  More on my Hernandez cousins in a future post.

My sources include Southwest Louisiana Records by Rev. Donald Hebert; U.S. Census records and La. Death Index at Ancestry.com; and La. Deaths at www.familysearch.org.  Questions/corrections/additions welcome at hallroots [at] sbcglobal [dot] net.

Text/photo copyright 2011 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Edward Malapart

Edward Malapart, 1899-1962, St. Peter Catholic Church Cemetery, Carencro, Lafayette Parish, La., 19 Nov. 2007.

Edouard or Edward Malapart was the son of my (half-) great-aunt Marie Idalie Legere and her husband, Jean-Louis "Louis" Malapart, of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.  He was born 25 Aug. 1899 in Lafayette Parish, La. (probably in the Ossun area near Carencro--there's still a Malapart Road there) and died in 1962, though I don't know the exact date.  I don't know if he ever married or had a family; he's listed in the census as a farmer.  Idalie (Eudalie in some records) died in 1901 when her children Edward and Irma (b. abt 1901) were still quite young.

If you're related, drop me a line at the address on my blog.  I'd love to know more about Louis & Idalie Malapart and if any photos of them exist.

Photos/text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Anthony & Emily Lena (Smith) Pate

Headstone of Anthony W. and Emily (Smith) Pate, Bistineau Cemetery, Bienville Parish, Louisiana*, February, 2005.  Digital photo copyright 2010 by and courtesy of J. Marler, all rights reserved. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Anthony William Pate and Emily Lena Smith (possibly Lena Emily Smith) are my great-great-grandparents, the grandparents of my maternal grandmother Edna Maud Pate Stevenson.

Anthony, a farmer, was born to Mr. & Mrs. Willeroy Pate (her maiden name is unknown) on 11 Jun. 1812 in Smith or Jackson County, Tenn.  Emily was born to Mr. & Mrs. [Samuel?] Smith on 25 Jan. 1824 in Arkansas.  The couple was married by 1841.  They are found in census records in Claiborne Parish, La., in 1850 (and possibly 1840, though there is another Anthony Pate family who lived in Claiborne Parish) and had moved to Bienville Parish by or before 1880.  Anthony died in Heflin, Webster, La., on 13 Jul. 1894.  Emily died in Bienville Parish, La., on 11 Apr. 1896.

Their children were: Leroy Pate, Mary Elizabeth Pate Harper, Serena Pate McFarland, Jasper Grady Pate, Margaret Josephine Pate Davis, Newton King Brady Pate (my great-grandfather), Anthony D. Pate, May R. Pate Hand, Martha G. Pate, Wilberoy S. Pate, and Jerome B. Pate.

To see my entire Pate line and a photo of siblings Newt and Serena, click here.  For more on my Pate line and other Pate families, see the late Jinks Pate Lee's website here.

Questions: Where did they live between 1850 & 1880? [No, I don't think Anthony in the census in Arkansas is "our" Anthony.]  Mr. Smith [Samuel?] and his wife were born in Maryland, according to Emily's 1880 census entry, and she was born in Arkansas.  Anyone out there have a Samuel Smith or other Smith born (roughly) about 1800 in Maryland who lived in Arkansas? What was Willeroy Pate's wife's name?  See "about me" on the right side of my blog for my e-mail address.  Thanks!

*Note: Bistineau Baptist Church & Bistineau Cemetery's address is Heflin, La. (in Webster Parish), but according to Find A Grave, the cemetery's physical location, near the parish line, is in Bienville Parish.

Text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: James McCoy

Headstone of James McCoy (1841-1906) and half-brother Alexander McCoy (1856-1893), Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery, Wilmington, Delaware, Nov. 2009.  Digital photo courtesy of J. Marler, all rights reserved.  (The reverse side of the stone, here, memorializes their parents.)

James McCoy was my great-great-grandfather and one of my few "Yankee" ancestors (among those born in the United States -- most are from so deep in the Deep South that Delaware seems like the frozen North in comparison).  A cabinetmaker and thread-mill worker born in Wilmington, Delaware about 1841, James moved to Louisiana between 1865 and 1871 to work as a supervisor of a cotton-thread mill in Arizona, a small community near Homer in Claiborne Parish.  (I'm fairly sure he served as a Union soldier for Delaware in the Civil War.  Wonder if he mentioned that to any of his Louisiana acquaintances?)

He married Rebecca Jane Harrell and had two children, including my great-grandmother Maggie Elizabeth McCoy Stevenson.  The family is listed in the 1880 census in Lincoln Parish, La.  Some time after Jane's death in 1881, he either returned to Delaware to live or was simply visiting family when he died there on Jan. 26, 1906.

If anyone has more info on where James lived during his life, his wife Rebecca Jane Harrell's burial place, or what happened to their son "N.," who disappears after the 1880 census (I'm guessing he died young), please e-mail me at hallroots (at) sbcglobal (dot) net.  Thanks!

Text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Hannah Kilpatrick Stevenson Dobbins

Hannah E. Kilpatrick Stevenson Dobbins headstone, Tulip Cemetery, near Athens, Claiborne Parish, La.  Photo by M. Hall, abt. 2005.

Hannah [the headstone spelling is wrong] was my great-great-grandmother.  She married James W. Stevenson (my great-great-grandfather), and later married Giles Weaver Dobbins.  She was born Nov. 19, 1848, in Franklin County, Tennessee, to John Milton Kilpatrick and Emily Coleman Morgan.  Hannah died Dec. 13, 1927, in Marsalis, Claiborne, Louisiana.

Tombstone Tuesday: Pate/Cotter, Ringgold, LA

Newton King Brady (or Bradie) Pate and Etta Orisca Cotter Pate are my great-grandparents, my maternal grandmother Edna Maud Pate's parents.  They are buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Headstone of Newton King Brady & Etta Orisca (Cotter) Pate, Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Ringgold, LA, Feb. 2005.  Photo copyright by J. Marler, 2005, used with permission.

N.K.B., or "Newt," as he was also known, was born to Anthony William Pate & Emily Lena Smith Pate 30 Dec 1852 in Sparta, Bienville, La. and died 15 March 1932 in Ringgold, Bienville, La.  He married:

Mary Elizabeth Jones 28 July 1874 in Webster Parish, La. (Child: Lilla Pate Collinsworth)  After Mary's death, he married:

Mary E. McGraw 20 Sept 1877 in Bienville Parish, La. (Children: Andrew Nelson Pate, Lofa May "Lofie" Pate, Carrie Arminty Pate, Mary Margeana "Margie" Pate Bryan, and Anthony William "Will" or "Willie" Pate)  After her death, Newt then married my great-grandmother,

Etta Orisca Cotter, 2 Sept 1886 in Bienville Parish, La.  Etta was born to William Hadden Cotter & Queen Ann Elizabeth (a.k.a. Elizabeth Ann) (Farris) Cotter 19 Mar 1859 in Ringgold, Bienville, La. and died 27 June 1937 in Ringgold, Bienville, La.  Newt and Etta's children were: Lucy Elizabeth Pate Corley, Minnie Lee Pate Wimberly, Emily "Lena" Pate Scott, James "Weaver" Pate, Zella Estella or Estelle Pate Young Giddens, Edna Maud Pate Stevenson, Ora Adell Pate Woodard, and Jasper "Brady" Pate (a.k.a. J.B.).

For more on my Pates, including Bible records, portraits and stories, click here.  For other Pate families in Louisiana and elsewhere, check out the late Jinks Pate Lee's website.

Text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Peggy Catherine Stevenson

[Peggy] Catherine Stevenson, Jan. 21, 1934 - May 3, 1934, Tulip Cemetery, in Claiborne Parish near Athens, Louisiana.  Photo by M. Hall c. 2007, privately held by Liz Hall Morgan.

Peggy Catherine (there apparently wasn't room for her entire name on the stone or it was a mistake that was not corrected) was my mom's baby sister who died due to Rh disease. The third child of Alvin Jasper Stevenson, Sr., and Edna Maud Pate Stevenson, she is one of those children who live and die between censuses and are thus easily omitted from family histories.  My mother and a cousin or two may be the only living people who remember her; no photos exist of which I'm aware.  Mom says the arrival of her baby sister was like having her very own living baby doll.

I think she probably would have had light reddish brown hair and fair skin like her siblings.  Perhaps the closest I can come to imagining her appearance is by looking at one of the earliest photos of my mom, below (cropped and edited rather clumsily, but it will suffice).

RIP, Aunt Peggy.  You are still remembered with love.

Copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan.  All rights reserved.

Tombstone (-less) Tuesday: Aurore Legere

I'm taking a page from Lucie LeBlanc Consentino and declaring this a "Tombstone-less Tuesday" post.  This is the only record that I've found so far of the child "Orore," probably a phonetic spelling for "Aurore," daughter of Constant Légère and his third wife, Eudalie or Idalie Landry, and my (half-) great-aunt.   Aurore doesn't even appear in that mainstay of Cajun secondary sources, Rev. Donald Hebert's Southwest Louisiana Records.  I may check with St. John's in Lafayette or St. Peter's in Carencro (established c. 1874) to see if there is a record of her which didn't make it into Hebert's volumes.  By my calculations, based on the info above and the birth dates of the other children, she was born between October 1870 and March 1871.

The list of children excerpted above was probably printed in a church bulletin; I remember the framed original was displayed at my dad's cousin Ashton (a.k.a. "Nacoon") Legere's house.  Cousins, was it a written list, or was it done in needlework?  I can't quite remember, though I did take notes from it.  Not all the info was exactly correct, by the way, if you happen to have a copy (which is why I haven't reproduced the entire list here).  It was apparently compiled from memory by Constant or Octavie, his fourth wife, many years after some of the children's deaths, and perhaps expanded by Ashton.

Tombstone Tuesday: Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Scott, LA

Entrance to Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Scott, Lafayette Parish, La., Feb. 2009.  Digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan.

In a small town where Cajun French is still spoken, the local Catholic cemetery gate retains a bit of French heritage.  No doubt more people who rest eternally here spoke French than English, including my great-great grandmother Melasie Hollier McBride.  Now how did Mr. McBride become so fluent in French, assuming he was?  Were his mother Julienne Bogard's roots French?  These are the kinds of questions that come to mind when I look at my family tree...

Tombstone Tuesday: Legere/McBride (paternal great-grandparents)

Constant Legere and Marie Octavie McBride, my paternal great-grandparents, are buried in St. Peter Cemetery in Carencro, Louisiana.  Carencro is in Lafayette Parish (county) in the southern part of the state.

Headstone of Constant Legere and daughter Odette, St. Peter Cemetery, Carencro, La., Nov. 2007.  Digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan.

Constant was the son of Hypolite Paul Legere and Marcellite Lebert.  He was born 26 Oct. 1837 in Opelousas, St. Landry, La. and died 19 May 1923 in Rayne, Acadia, La.  He was a farmer who was married four times and had 17 children, though not all lived to adulthood.  Octavie, or "Tavie," as she was known, was his fourth wife, and they lived in the small community of Ossun in Lafayette Parish.  (Constant's first three wives, in order, were Estelle Babineaux, Idalie or Udalie (Eudalie?) Landry and Marie Irma Guidry.)

Headstone of Mrs. Constant [Marie Octavie McBride] Legere, St. Peter Cemetery, Carencro, La., Nov. 2007.  Digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan.

Tavie was the daughter of William McBride and Melasie Hollier.  She was born 31 Jan 1859 in St. Landry Parish, La. and died 29 Mar. 1946 in Lafayette, Lafayette Parish, La.  Her first husband was Cyprien Stemmann or Stemann, with whom she had four children. (The spelling has changed in usage over the years to Stemmans and Stemmons.)  Cyprien died in 1887, and on 23 Feb 1889, Constant and Tavie were married at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro.  They had five children, including my grandmother Elia Legere Hall.  Both Constant and Tavie spoke Cajun French, and little, if any, English.

Constant and Tavie Legere, c. 1920?, Ossun, La., unknown photographer, scanned photo privately held by Liz Hall Morgan.

Tombstone Tuesday: Stevenson in La. (maternal great-grandparents)

Note: "Tombstone Tuesday" is a theme used by many genealogy bloggers; you can see other tombstone posts at GeneaBloggers.

John William Stevenson and Maggie Elizabeth McCoy are great-grandparents from my mom's side of the family. They are buried in Tulip Cemetery in the Tulip community near Athens, La. Tulip is in Claiborne Parish (county) in Northwest Louisiana.

 Headstone of John W. and Maggie E. (McCoy) Stevenson, Tulip Cemetery, near Athens, La., Nov. 2005.  Scanned photo by M. Hall, slightly edited and privately held by Liz Hall Morgan.

John was the son of Hannah E. Kilpatrick and James W. Stevenson.  He was born 9 July 1871, probably in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, and died 29 Apr. 1942 in Caddo Parish, La. 

Maggie was the daughter of James McCoy and Rebecca Jane Harrell.  She was born 16 Aug. 1876 in Louisiana (possibly Mt. Lebanon or Liberty Hill in Bienville Parish, or perhaps in Lincoln Parish) and died 11 Aug. 1937 in Minden, Webster Parish, La.

UPDATE 6/1/2012: Mom now thinks the original photo posted here for John & Maggie was of a Harper couple.  Here is a photo we know to be John and Maggie:

John William and Maggie Elizabeth (McCoy) Stevenson, Crossroads, La.?, c. 1920s or 1930s.  Photo by J. Marler, of original photo privately held by M. Hall, La.

Maggie and John were married 30 Nov. 1893 in Athens, Claiborne, Louisiana, where they spent the rest of their lives, and had four children: Ethel Gertrude, Alvin Jasper (my grandfather), John T, and Vera Mae.

 

Text copyright 2010, 2012 by Liz Hall Morgan; photos copyright 2010 M. Hall (top) and 2012 J. Marler (bottom), all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: My maternal grandparents

Note: "Tombstone Tuesday" is a theme used by many genealogy bloggers; you can see other tombstone posts at GeneaBloggers.
 
Alvin Jasper Stevenson (Sr.) and Edna Maud Pate Stevenson are my maternal grandparents. They are buried in Tulip Cemetery in the Tulip community near Athens, La.  Tulip is in Claiborne Parish (county) in Northwest Louisiana.

Headstone of Edna Pate and Alvin J. Stevenson, Tulip Cemetery, near Athens, La., Nov. 2005.  Scanned photo by M. Hall, slightly edited and privately held by Liz Hall Morgan. [Note: Alvin was born on Feb. 2; the marker is incorrect.]


Alvin was the son of John William Stevenson and Maggie Elizabeth McCoy.  He was born in Claiborne Parish, La., died in Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish, La., and was a farmer.

Edna was the daughter of Newton King Brady Pate and Etta Orisca Cotter.  She was born in Heflin, Webster, La., grew up in Ringgold, Bienville, La., and died in Lake Charles, Calcasieu, La.  Edna was a schoolteacher before marriage.  She earned a two-year teaching diploma from Louisiana Normal College (now Northwestern Louisiana University), in 1922, though she had already taught for several years.  (After she completed high school in 1913, the local school board asked her to teach.)

Edna and Alvin Stevenson at their daughter's wedding in Athens, La., Sept. 1, 1951.  Scanned photo by unknown family member, slightly edited by Liz Hall Morgan.  Original photo privately held by the Hall family.

Alvin and Edna married in Ringgold on Dec. 16, 1926, and lived in Athens for most of their lives.  They had three children: my mother, my Uncle A.J. (Alvin Jasper, Jr., who died in 1995), and Peggy Catherine, who died in infancy.

"Paw Paw" was a warm, loving grandpa whom I remember fondly.  I would gather eggs with him and watch him feed the cows. When he gave me piggyback rides, he was so tall, I had to duck under the doorways of the house.  Ever-present were his cowboy hat and a twinkle in his blue eyes.  We spent every Thanksgiving at his farmhouse, and a lot of Christmases, when I was a child.  I can almost taste my grandmother's homemade melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls and her chocolate and lemon meringue pies as I write this.

Edna Pate Stevenson, with surprise cameo by Alvin Stevenson, Athens, La., 1960s.  Scan of original photo by M. Hall, edited by Liz Hall Morgan.  Original photo privately held by the Hall family.

Perhaps because my mom referred to her as "your grandmother," my family called Edna by the incongruously formal "Grandmother." [My cousins called her "Granny," an odd contrast.]  Grandmother came to live with us after Paw Paw died [I was about 10], until her death more than 11 years later.  She was sweet and had a good sense of humor, and she lived almost long enough to celebrate her 90th birthday.  I wish she'd lived longer so I could have asked her more about the amazing changes she lived through as a citizen of almost the entire 20th century.  She did, fortunately, write down some memories of her life, and she passed down many family stories to my mom.  One of my favorite memories of her is the April Fool's Day that I switched the contents of our salt shaker and sugar bowl; I heard nothing about it all day--until I went to bed and found my sheets had been salted, courtesy of Grandmother!

Want more?  You can see a circa-1921 photo of my grandmother here and read about her adventure coaching basketball here.

Copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan.

Tombstone Tuesday: My paternal grandparents

Note: "Tombstone Tuesday" is a theme used by many genealogy bloggers; you can see other tombstone posts at GeneaBloggers.

Robert Bunyan Hall and Elia Légère Hall are my paternal grandparents. They are buried in Roselawn Cemetery in Sulphur, Louisiana, which is in Calcasieu Parish (county).



Elia was the daughter of Constant Legere (Légère, in some records as Leger) and his fourth wife, Marie Octavie "Tavie" McBride. She was born in Ossun, a small community near Scott, Louisiana, in Lafayette Parish. Grandma Elia's family is the source for the rich Cajun, Acadian and French-Canadian heritage I so enjoy exploring.



Robert was born, he always said, near Richmond, Virginia. His parents were George and Georgia Hall, and Georgia's maiden name was Burnaman or a similar variant [it's hard to read], according to Robert & Elia's Lafayette Parish, LA, marriage license application of 1918. Grandpa Robert is the "mystery man" of my family tree, and I'll definitely be posting about him more in the future, as I'm still trying to find and prove his parentage. [UPDATE: See my posts about my "mystery grandpa" here.]

Robert was a brick mason and contractor, and he and Elia raised seven children in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana, some of whom are still living. They moved to Sulphur, Louisiana, in the early 1930s and lived there until their deaths.



Elia & Robert Hall, Oct. 1946, Sulphur, LA. Cropped from larger photo taken by a family member & digitally edited a bit for clarity by me. [If you're wondering, Grandpa apparently has a cigar in his mouth.]

You can read more about my Irish Protestant grandfather and Cajun Catholic grandmother and their relationship in a previous blog post here.

Top two photos and text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan; bottom photo courtesy of the Hall family.

Tombstone Tuesday: New Orleans edition

Tomb with surnames Dunbar, Hacker and Conseil at St. Louis Cemetery #3, New Orleans, Louisiana. The family is not related to me; I just thought the tomb and the marker in French were interesting. Digital photos taken by the author in Oct. 2009. (Transcription and translation at the bottom of the post.)

Geo. W. DUNBAR.

né à North Bridgewater, Mass.
le 26 Mai 1816.
décédé à la N[ouv]elle Orleans
le 5 Juin 1878.

George W. Dunbar
born at North Bridgewater, Massachusetts
26 May 1816.
died at New Orleans
5 June 1878.

Mme G. W. DUNBAR
née CHARLOTTE ZULMEE HACKER
décédée le 7 Mars 1910
à l'âge de 88 ans.

Madame [Mrs.] G. W. Dunbar
born Charlotte Zulmée Hacker
died 7 March 1910
at the age of 88 years.

[Note: A history of North Bridgewater, Mass., found at:
http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofnorthbr02king/historyofnorthbr02king_djvu.txt
gives George's name as "George Washington Dunbar" and marriage date as 17 June 1843. A quick Internet search lists sources that state he worked in manufacturing and his family lived on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, and that Charlotte summered with Mr. & Mrs. Conseil at their house in Biloxi, Mississippi, c. 1906. Relatives?]

WILLIAM CONSEIL
décédée [sic] le 16 Janvier 1913.

William Conseil
died 16 January 1913. ["sic" note due to feminine form for "died" -- could it be Mrs. Conseil buried here? Just a thought.]

Text/images copyright 2010 by the blog author.

Tombstone Tuesday: New Orleans edition

While on my honeymoon in October, I managed to sneak in a little genealogy (yes, I am incorrigible :) ). The New Orleans tour bus stopped for ONLY 10 minutes at St. Louis Cemetery #3. (Horrors!) So I took some photos in the limited time I had, and here are some of them. I am not related to any of these people, but thought I would document some while I was there in case it helps someone else. I will eventually contribute the info to Find a Grave or another online repository.



Some of the wall vaults [at left, above] at St. Louis #3, which opened in 1854, are in rather a state of disrepair, and signs concerning renovations have been posted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which operates the Catholic cemetery. [Please note that I had only a few minutes in the cemetery and saw only the wall vaults nearest the entrance. I have no info on other parts of the cemetery. Tombs in the front part of the cemetery looked like they were in mostly good repair.]

From what I understand, in the past, families have owned burial plots in New Orleans cemeteries, much like owning any other piece of property. Unfortunately, the ownership info may not be communicated to other family members, younger generations move away, and the burial places may then suffer from neglect. According to an an archdiocese official quoted in this 2008 USA Today article, after 50 years of "no activity" [no burials? no correspondence from owners? no signs of upkeep?], the archdiocese may post a public notice for one year, then restore and sell a plot if no descendants of the tomb owners are found. The remains in the ceded tomb, I presume, are relocated and their location noted in cemetery records. New tombs built in New Orleans Catholic cemeteries require a one-time fee for perpetual care.


A notre fils cheri, René Bertonière, décédé le 2 Avril 1870, à l'age de 11 mois et demi./To our dear son René Bertonière, [who] died 2 April 1870, at the age of 11 1/2 months.

If you have relatives buried here in the older wall-vault section near the cemetery entrance, or suspect you do, you may want to check Find a Grave, the Sacramental Records of the Archdiocese of New Orleans volumes or other sources (see the bottom of this post for more) to see if your relatives are listed, and perhaps call the archdiocese for more info. If you wish to take over an ancestral tomb, however, fees for renovation and/or perpetual care can be rather expensive. [And I'm not sure that's even possible unless you are a legal heir of the deceased; I assume property laws as well as cemetery laws/ordinances govern this kind of thing.]

I'm not sure if the laws vary from parish to parish (Louisiana's version of counties) or city to city in Louisiana, or if there are statewide policies about control of neglected gravesites. I'd appreciate more info from readers. I do know there was controversy over the deeds to gravesites being "repossessed" in St. Martinville a few years ago, where a similar law applied.



By using software to crop the photos & adjust the saturation and contrast, I can make out a few names here and there. In the section pictured above, names and surnames include: Pierre Mallet and Marie Estelle Mallet, Gonzales, the G. Villeneuve family, George Victor Durand or Duband, Barry or Harry F. Ratwall?, Fenasci, Houlne, and Ernest Turpin.



While some marble markers are bolted to what appears to be cement or plaster-covered brick wall vaults, others are not. Either the material adhering the marble to the vault has eroded or the marker has just fallen in some cases, breaking on the ground and taking with it valuable genealogical information. The archdiocese may have the marker info in its records, but it still makes me sad to see broken markers.

Names or surnames on this wall that I can decipher from the photo above include: Louis Talazac?, Gostino Biagini, Angelina Guil_ _, Edler family, Louise Edler, the Charles Vautier family, Louis C. Vautier, Harold F. Lesslie, and Pearl Amelie Cenbrun Lesslie. Note there is a sign here regarding renovations.



Section of wall vaults with archdiocese sign. Here repose the Francisco Esteva family; Katy Schleiniger, William Schleiniger, and Mary Butsch?; and the Lalosevich family.



In multicultural New Orleans, here we have the probably French-German Auguste Kitzinger next to Italians Ginotti F. Ferruccio (born in Rome, his marker states) and a Zambella, who in turn were laid to rest next to the undoubtedly Irish John C. Murphy and possible wife Maud L. Murphy, who are neighbors to C. Booth, who perhaps has English roots.



This broken marker is for Miguel F. Cross, who died in 1919 at age 18? years, and ----el Cross, who was born in 1866? and died 6 May 1868.

For further research:
You can find more info on New Orleans burial records available at the New Orleans Public Library here, or about St. Louis Cemetery #3 and other NOLA cemetery records available through LDS (Mormon) family history centers at the LDS library catalog online. You can find many photos of St. Louis #3 and other cemeteries at the New Orleans Cemeteries website and at Wikimedia Commons. Additionally, Save Our Cemeteries is a group doing wonderful preservation work in New Orleans, including tomb restorations at St. Louis Cemetery #1 and #2, and Lafayette Cemetery #1.

Tombstone Tuesday: Tombstone Trekking Tips Edition

(Yes, it's Wednesday now. Better late than never!)

Tip #1: If a cousin offers to take you to a cemetery, go! Don't worry that you don't have "enough" time to spend there or don't have all your genealogy info with you, just GO.

I was in Scott, LA, in February, visiting recently-discovered second cousins after a mutual cousin's funeral. One of them offered to show me where her grandfather (my great-uncle) and grandmother were buried. It was late in the day, and I didn't have all my info with me, but I went anyway and took my camera. Here are my great-uncle and great-aunt's graves.


Mrs. Euclide (Eugenie Légère) Légère, Nov. 6, 1863 - Feb. 13, 1939
Euclide Légère, Sept. 22, 1863 - Jan. 16, 1949
Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Scott, LA, Feb. 2009.
[Note: Hebert's Southwest Louisiana Records gives Eugenie's birth as 15 Nov. 1862 and Euclide's as Sept. 22, 1862. These years are probably correct; it's possible that Eugenie was baptized on Nov. 15. I need to follow up on this.]

(Tip #1a: Tombstones aren't always correct.)

Serendipity then rewarded me--or perhaps it was our dearly departed cousin smiling down on us. As I looked up from the Légères' gravesite, I spotted another familiar name: McBride. I walked over and found the grave of my great-great grandmother, Melasie Hollier McBride! I didn't even know she was buried in Scott! (See Tip #1.)



Mrs. Wm. McBride, née Melasie Hollier, Dec. 11, 1825 - Aug. 19, 1925
Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Scott, LA, Feb. 2009.
[Note: Southwest Louisiana Records gives her birth as Dec. 11, 1830. See Tip #1a.]

Tip #2: Look on both sides of the headstone.

I made time for another brief visit to Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery before I left Louisiana. This time, I happened to approach my great-great grandmother's grave from the opposite side, and found two great-uncles who were buried with Melasie. She was their grandmother, and their names were listed on the reverse of her headstone, which I neglected to investigate on my first visit. And no, I didn't know they were buried in Scott, either! [It was a last-minute trip, and I hadn't expected to have any genealogy time.]



Fabian [or Fabien] Légère, Dec. 1, 1896 - Dec. 5, 1916
Henry [Joseph Henri, a.k.a. "Pete"] Stemmans [or Stemmann], Oct. 4, 1877 - Oct. 17, 1942
Reverse of headstone for Melasie Hollier McBride, their grandmother.
Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Scott, LA, Feb. 2009.

Both were sons of Marie Octavie "Tavie" McBride, who married Cyprien Stemmann, and then Constant Légère. Euclide Légère of the top photo in this post became Tavie's stepson.
[Note: Southwest Louisiana Records gives Fabian's birth as Dec. 1, 1895.]

More Tombstone Tips to come -- learning the hard way so you don't have to!

Tombstone Tuesday

Rusted Cross, St. Peter Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Carencro, LA, Nov. 2007. Digital photo by author.

This cross sits in front of a Civil War headstone for Valerien Prejean, so it probably marks the grave of a Prejean family member. I recently uploaded 70+ photos taken in the same cemetery to the Find A Grave website. Some of my Legere relatives and allied families are buried there, in the heart of "Cajun Country" near Lafayette, LA.