|
FAMILLE TRAHAN
By Mitch Conover, Editor
Ensemble
Encore Vol.
VII
October -
2004
|
|
Famille
Trahan Gathering January 8 ,2005
President's Corner:
By Ray
Trahan
I can report to all that
the "Congres Mondial 2004" was a huge success, that it exceeded the
expectation of all, myself included. The event, from the Grand Opening,
until the Closing Ceremony, far exceeded the success we had hoped for.
The Reunion with the Leger Families and the Trahan Family were a great
example of what can be accomplished when families work together in unison
for a common cause. Eric Trahan and the group he had assembled, provided
all the things we had looked forward to, genealogy, tours, guest speakers,
great food, and music.
The Acadian Day at the Acadian Memorial at Grand Pre provided our cousins
from Canada, the United States, France, and other parts of the
world,
with our music, our
food, our language (still intact), and the Acadian Heritage that we all
cherish.
We had looked forward to having a gathering upon our return, and sharing
all the great stories, pictures, and great experiences we had in Nova
Scotia. Unfortunately, our meeting place was booked up, through the year,
so we have selected January 8, 2005 for the next gathering, and in Maurice
at the Woodmen of the World Hall. The gathering will commence at l0 am,
and will be over at 1:30 pm; a meal will be served at minimal cost of $5
per person (note that children under age 12 will not be charged for meal).
So plan on attending, and on bringing your family, your siblings, your
cousins, and a mend or two.
I am looking forward to getting together with all of you, catching up with
all of your experiences, and what you have been up to since your return.
Bits and Pieces:
by
Loubert Trahan
The Trahan Family and
the Leger Families (the descendents of the Richelieu and the La Rosette
Leger Families) held'a World Class reunion in Nova Scotia on August 6, 7
and 8th of 2004 near the home site of their common ancestor, Guillaume
Trahan.
This event took place at the Old Orchard Inn in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
The management and staff of the Inn went all out to make everybody
welcome. Their hospitality I would rate as Five Star, as every member of
the staff had a constant smile, and no request went unfulfilled.
The reunion began with registration on Friday afternoon, with each
individual family- The Trahan's, the Richelieu Leger's and the La Rosette
Leger's each having a registration table. That Friday evening an informal
social and gathering was held with the president of each of the families
involved welcoming the attendees. Approximately 230 attended.
The next morning, Saturday, was devoted to bus tours, all preplanned and
pre-registered. Upon returning from the tours the group joined with those
who had stayed behind, mingling and making
new
friends. Others took
advantage of the three computers set up to check up on their genealogy.
That evening a formal dinner
was served,
with 194 attending. The
loin of pork was served with aU the trimmings and was absolutely
delicious. After the meal awards were presented to the planners and doers
of this reunion, photos below describing each award. The table
decorations, flags with the Coat of Arms of each individual family as well
as the Stars and Strips and the Tri-Color of Acadie were very prominent
and became souvenirs for many who were able to snatch them before they all
disappeared.
Although Butch Leger, President of the Richelieu Leger's of Louisiana
could not attend the reunion, his video taped message was played to the
crowd,
expressing his regret in
not being able to attend, wishing all the attendees a very pleasant
reunion, and encouraging all to visit with their old friends and to make
many new friends. I think all his wishes came true.
The Sunday Mass was very well attended, although at some distance away
from the Old Orchard Inn. Rev. Maurice Leger of Shediac, New Brunswick,
was the chief celebrant, and the co-celebrants were Rev. Lee J. Kahrs of
DePeres, Wisconsin and Rev. Leger. Rev. Maurice reminded those attending
mass just what he thought the letters in ACAD I E stood for: A:
Amour, la tere, la famille, native people & attention, the Star of the
Assumption;
L
Courage, without which
our ancestors would not have survived; A: Accommodations and
adaptations to survive; D: Devotion to our family and our
faith in God
-
Dieu, who was always
there and why we are here today
-
Louisiana, Nova Scotia,
California, Texas and many other locales;
I - Ingenious and
Integrity; E: Equality, proud but equal to those more
powerful, or poor, or trodden.
After mass many stepped forward and gave moving testimonials of what this
reunion meant to them. Many hankies were needed to dry some very moist
eyes.
After the mass, many journeyed to the St. Famille Cemetery for the
dedication of the Memorial
Marker erected by the three
families to honor those of their ancestry; another moving experience. This
site of La Famille was discovered as the land was being cleared by a
developer, while digging footings for homes in the area. After careful
search of church and death records, it was determined that approximately
300 of our ancestors are buried at the cemetery that was located near the
site of the destroyed St. Famille Catholic Church. A walkway of paved
stones inscribed with family names lead to the erected monument. The
foundation in charge of acquisition of the land, and improvements to La
Famlle Cemetery are still in need of donations to payoff the debt balance
around $5000. We encourage all who can do so, to make a donation.
On Monday most visited the Grand-Pre Historic Site and Welcome Center for
"Louisiana Cajun Day." And what a day it was. A day dotted with many
moving speeches, presentations, and naturally Louisiana Cajun Music and
dancing. Not to be forgotten was the array of Louisiana cooking served to
the waiting crowd. Chef Roy Lyons of Crowley, La. did an outstanding job
of preparing jambalaya and fricassee. You could see many from Louisiana
helping with the serving of the food.
Of course no trip to Nova Scotia can be complete without dining on
lobster, scallops, mussels;
or
even that. British or
Scottish mainstay
-
fish & chips. The chef
and his staff at the Old Orchard Inn are to be commended on their
excellent fare.
Special Notice:
Loubert, in the interest of providing a better and faster service to all,
has acquired a new e-mail address
lgtrahan@cox.net To insure continuity and smooth
transition to all, Loubert will maintain the old e-mail address in
addition to new address, until December 15,2004, so there are two ways to
reach him!
Genealogical Tidbits:
St Famille Cemetery is
the likely resting place of Guillaume Trahan (the son), and Alexandre
Trahan. Both of these sons of Guillaume and Madeleine Brun settled with
their families at Pisiguit (today known as Windsor), the location of St
Famille Cemetery. Jean Charles and his family would settle at Grand Pre,
and are likely buried somewhere in the area, as the distance separating
the two cities is 20 to 25 miles.
Seeing the pavement of stones leading to the Memorial the Trahan and Leger
Families erected was inspiring, and noting the names of the donors
reminded me of the pride this family has in its heritage. I can say that
between Crowley and Kaplan, the stones were evenly divided, and noted
numerous names from other cities throughout the State of Louisiana and
from across the land ( even California).
I would join with Ray and Loubert in asking members to donate to this
project. I note the pride families take on All Saints Day in taking care
of family tombs, and remind all, that St Famille is also a family burial
site. No donation is too small, and for $35 you can donate and have a
stone marker to commemorate an ancestor or a parent. I would also take
this time to commend Don Landry of Metairie for being the first person to
bring St. Famille to the attention of Acadians in Louisiana.
.
Note: Forms for donations will be available at meeting, or may be
downloaded from Sainte Famille web site,
www.saintefamille.com. and if you can not download the order form, you
may do so by going to our own "Buy-A-Brick" page.
Directions to
Woodmen of World Hall in Maurice, Louisiana:
If you are traveling on U.S. Highway 167 from Lafayette to the South, turn
right at Red Light in Maurice (Hwy 92), and proceed approximately 1/4
mile, and Woodmen of World Hall will be on your left.
If you are traveling North on U. S. Highway 167 from direction of
Abbeville to Lafayette, turn Left at Red Light in Maurice (Hwy 92), and
proceed approximately 1/4 mile, Woodmen of World Hall is on your
Left.
If you are traveling East on Hwy 92 toward Maurice, the Woodmen of World
Hall is on your Right as you approach city limits. |
|
|
|
TOP OF PAGE |
|
|