Mystery Monday: Mystery photo, La. Legere or Leger family

This is a copy of a photo owned by P.J. Blanchard, my 3rd cousin once removed.  It was originally owned by his grandparents, Hypolite and Oza or Ozea (Landry) Blanchard, of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and is captioned on the back "Alciae Legere, Cameron 18 miles east Grand Chanere [sic] Rd." ["Alciae" is hard to read but it's the closest spelling P.J. could determine.]

There is a Grand Chenier Rd. in Cameron Parish, and there is a Leger or Legere family in Cameron Parish in the 1920 census with a daughter Elza ("Elzea" in Southwest Louisiana Records) who was born in 1901 in or near Kaplan to Alcée Legere (possibly spelled Leger) and Ida Landry Legere.  Elza married Alva ("Alvy" or "Cap") Miller and lived in the community of Grand Chenier, in Cameron Parish.  She is related to both P.J. and I through the Legere family, but neither of us knew of her before P.J. was given this box of photos.  P.J. does remember that his father occasionally visited cousins in the Cameron area, though.

The photo mounting with what looks like a cardstock backing resembles one I have from North La. c. 1905. If it's from the same time period, the woman would probably be a generation older than Elza, perhaps her mother Ida Landry Legere or an aunt?  Is there an "Alicia" relative perhaps?  Or another "Elzea" or "Alcea" relative?  Or could it be from c. 1920 and be Elza?  Perhaps Ida Landry Legere is related to Oza Landry Blanchard, P.J.'s grandmother.  I'm still investigating this angle along with the Legeres in Cameron Parish.

Meanwhile, P.J. and I would like to know if anyone out there can help us identify the woman.  And while I'm asking, P.J. would also love to find a photo of his great-grandmother, Eve Legere Blanchard, wife of Romain Blanchard, of Kaplan, LA.  She was born in 1862 in St. Landry Parish to Hypolite "Paul" & Mary (Addison) Legere and died in Kaplan (Vermilion Parish) in 1920.  E-mail me at hallroots **at** sbcglobal **dot** net if you can help with either request.  Thanks!

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: Cross Roads champions, an update

Last August, I posted a photo of the 1924 Cross Roads School male basketball team, whose names were not written on the photo.  Here is a possibly clearer version (click to enlarge) and happily, some names to go with it:

Cross Roads Basketball Team, Rural Champions, by Langdon Photo, Claiborne Parish, LA, 1924. Scan of original photograph owned by the Hall family of La., slightly edited for clarity.

Back row, L-R: unknown coach, Isaac "Floyd" McBride, Spurgeon Pate, Ernest Cardwell, unknown coach, unknown man to far right in hat.
Front row, L-R: Cullen Lary, unknown player, Joyce Cowser, Theron Harmon, Simpson Harmon.

Crossroads or Cross Roads is a community near Athens, in Northwest Louisiana.  My grandmother, Edna Maud Pate Stevenson, a teacher, was coach of the girls' team the same year. My mom found a list of names dictated to her by my grandmother many years after the photo above was taken. She had spelled Cullen's name "Leary" but it is "Lary" in the census and Social Security Death Index, and Floyd is "I. Floyd" or "Isaac" in online trees, but another photo of him online confirms that it's him.

My McBrides are from South Louisiana, so I doubt Floyd's a relative.  Spurgeon, however, is a distant cousin of mine through the Pates.  Ernest Cardwell may be a cousin to Georgia Cardwell of the girls' team photo I posted last week, and Joyce Cowser is probably a relative of Sula Cowser on the girls' team.  Theron Harmon is the brother of Winnie Harmon of the girls' team, and also Janie Harmon, a "special friend" (as my mom would say) of my grandfather Alvin Stevenson before my grandmother came along.  Simpson Harmon may be their cousin; he could be the "Harvey S." Harmon in Claiborne Parish in the 1920 census, but I'm not sure.  The other female Harmons are probably cousins as well.

If you have young men or teachers who lived in Ward 6 of Claiborne Parish in the 1920 census, you might check the photo to see if your relative is here.  Let me know if you can add any names to the photo or clarify the relationships.  You can contact me at: hallroots **at** sbcglobal **dot** net.

Copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: an update

Cross Roads Basketball Team, Rural Champions, by Langdon Photo, Claiborne Parish, LA, 1924. Photograph privately held by the Hall family, La., edited slightly.

Update:  My mom found a list of names dictated to her by Grandmother many years after the photo above was taken.  Remarkably, in searching online to verify identities, it seems correct.  Kudos to Grandmother for her keen memory & Mom for the list.  I give you the 1924 Rural Champions and their eventual husbands:

Front row, L-R: Irene Harmon (m. Justin Caskey), Bertha Harmon (m. Lamar Nicholson), Winnie Harmon (m. C. Hicks), Georgia Cardwell (m. Ike Gore), Vera Stevenson (m. Lenton P. "Pete" Frye).

Back row, L-R: Edna Pate (m. Alvin Stevenson), Sula Cowser (m. Howard Barber), Katie Bell Craighead (m. Terry? Gamble), Myrtie White (m. Chelcy Blagg), Mrs. Dave Tarpley [née Willye Lee Kimbell], Principal.

Cross Roads is a community about 3 miles east of Athens, Louisiana.  My grandmother Edna Maud Pate, teacher and team coach, is in the hat on the left. (She knew nothing about basketball but learned the rules when she was asked to coach the girls.) My great-aunt Vera Stevenson is sitting on the right in front. I don't know the identity of the others. Edna & Vera became sisters-in-law a couple of years later, when Edna married Vera's brother Alvin Jasper Stevenson. 

See the updated boys' team photo, which includes members of the Harmon, Cardwell & Cowser families, here.

Copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Madness Monday: Mystery photo edition

This photo was found in a box of photos belonging to my paternal grandmother Elia Legere Hall (1889-1956), who grew up near Scott, Louisiana, in Lafayette Parish.  These could be relatives or friends of hers or her parents (Constant Legere or Légère and Marie Octavie McBride).  I'm not sure of the date (one fashion/costume-knowledgeable friend estimates 1901-1905), but there's a clue to the woman's identity on the back of the photo.

She writes: These little proofs are not very good but thot [thought] it would give you some idea of how we are all looking.  The boys have short hair now and I look much better than in this.  This was made about 16 mo[nths] ago.  But don't you think these three boys of mine beauties? Excuse my vanity please.
It's signed: Pae? or  Pac?  What do you think?  Pat? Initials?  Oh, and yes, I'm sure she looks much better than in that photo--hideous, right??!! LOL

If initials, I'm leaning toward "P.A.C." (Compare the "c" in "excuse" above it.)  The most prevalent "C" names in their area would probably be Cormier, Comeau(x), and Chiasson.  There are also Credeur (Caruthers) and Constantin families in the area.  None of the "C" names are closely related to our family.

Anyone want to guess at dating the photo or the ages of the people in it? 

Surnames of possible cousins: Legere, McBride, Roade, Royer, Devillier, Duhon, Dupre.  Less likely might be nieces/nephews surnamed Babineaux, Guidry, Malapart, Hernandez.  I'm almost certain it's none of my grandma Elia's siblings, and probably not a niece or nephew.  Perhaps it's a former neighbor from the Ossun or Scott area where they lived, or from Carencro, where they attended St. Peter Catholic Church.  I may post this on the Lafayette Parish GenWeb genealogy site in case anyone recognizes the family there.

Thanks for your input!