What? It’s like the song where the guy (David Allen Coe) sends his newly written song off to his friend with a note, “Hey, bubba, I’ve just written the perfect country and western song.”

And the friend replies, “No, you ain’t. It don’t say nothing about trains, mama, prison, rain, or pickup trucks.”

Friends will do that.  Tell you what you’re missing. Tell you to be grateful you aren’t a songwriter. Mine will anyway. They’re the best.

I’ve noticed writers talk a lot about “craft.” Nobody comes right out and says it, but what they mean is witchcraft. When endless practice and magic come together to create a thing of beauty. There’s no better way to describe good a story.

Finding the perfect word or image is like a treasure hunt. We can only hope to display these treasures in a way that will resonate with our audience. Not everybody is trying to write a sweeping saga or an academy award winner. Some of us will be satisfied with a blockbuster hit with the masses.

A hundred years from now, they probably won’t be learning about CMA hits in collegiate music appreciation courses. It doesn’t matter to the guys who won the 1983 Millionaire of the Year Award.

Take this verse from the Charlie Daniels Band classic: “The Devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal. He was in a bind, he was way behind, and willing to make a deal.”

You can see immediately that (1) The Devil is a Yankee, because he went DOWN to Georgia. This resonates with the CMA’s largest target audience – the NASCAR belt.

(2) The Devil is probably a used car salesman, St. Landry Parish cop, or a politician. (No, mom, I didn’t get a ticket on the way down here. I didn’t even get stopped.)

In this story, you know immediately that the Devil is bad news and probably the antagonist of the story. You meet the hero second, which is unorthodox and a bit risky, but it works in this chart blockbuster.

There are six people on the lyrics credit for this song. It takes a village to raise a kid, write a song, and support the crazy people who would otherwise be working, but are trying to finish their imperfect masterpiece. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my village.

Thanks.

Even though Washington, Louisiana makes no such claim, of course we had to visit anyway.

What really intrigued me was a little research that produced a website claiming Washington is to Louisiana what Williamsburg is to Virginia.  Oh, come ON now. That’s quite a claim!

Upon close inspection, we could see that the little town of around 1200 people does have a number of outstanding examples of architecture ranging from brick three-story Federal, to board and batten cottages, to plantation-style homes.

The live oaks are big and beautiful and a few homes have been nicely preserved, but to be honest, some have seen better days. A drive up and down the back streets quickly showed us there’s plenty of squalor to cancel out the beauty.

The same website and a brochure we picked up at the local museum claim 80% of the buildings in town are listed on the National Historic Register.  If you’re counting those back streets as part of the town – well, I’m not sure about that.

But whatever.   Every place has a story, and Washington’s is more interesting than many, as we learned at the town’s nice little museum.

Washington is the third oldest settlement in Louisiana, dating from 1720.  The history of its name seems to be a bit hazy – it started out (I think) as Courtableau, as it is was located on the Bayou Courtableau, which took its name from the original land grant holder, Jacques Courtableau.  He eventually turned much (or all) of his land over to the Catholic Church, so in 1774 it became known as Church’s Landing.

Interestingly, I could find no indication of when the town was renamed Washington, and the nice lady at the Museum didn’t know either.

Washington’s glory days began in the early 1830’s when the first steamboat from New Orleans slipped into the Bayou from the Atchafalaya River. (A side note: the Atchafalaya River is the deepest and swiftest river in the U. S. today, so says the Museum lady.)

From the arrival of that first steamboat until the railroads came to town in the 1880’s, Washington was the largest inland port between New Orleans and St. Louis.

Cattle from Texas were driven to Washington for shipment south.  Sugar cane, cotton, livestock, and other raw materials produced on Louisiana farms and plantations, destined for markets in New Orleans, kept the wharf on Bayou Courtableu a very busy place. As the town grew, hotels, stores and taverns served passengers, and steamboat captains built comfortable homes for their families.

By 1860 there were ninety-one steam packets operating between New Orleans and Washington. In 1877, the total value of commerce in Washington was seven million dollars.

Then the railroad was built in 1883, and the town’s importance and size gradually diminished.

The last steamboat left Washington in 1900, and there is little today to suggest this tiny town was once a center for trade and commerce.

Today I received this information from Keith A. Fontenot, County Agent, Evangeline Parish. I am not on the program to speak at this meeting, but I will be there to distribute our annual rice entomology survey and to answer any questions you might have about pest management in your rice crop.

EVANGELINE & ST LANDRY PARISH

CROP PRODUCTION SCHOOL SCHEDULED 

Wednesday, January 4, 2012– Registration at 7:30 a.m.

Ville Platte Civic Center

Two of Evangeline & St. Landry Parish’s most economically important crops will be discussed at length at the 52nd Annual Rice Production School and 45th Annual Soybean Production School.  These production schools will be held together on Wednesday, January 4 with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Ville Platte Civic Center.

Topics to be discussed by specialists and researchers with the LSU Agricultural Center will center on updated production practices concerning both crops.

Recertification is also offered on this day to all producers or homeowners needing recertification of their Private Pesticide Applicators Card.   If you register, pay the $25.00 fee and attend the entire meeting, you will be recertified as a private pesticide applicator for another 3 year period.

These private applicator re-certification meetings will also be offered in February.  At the meetings in February you will only be required to stay 1 ½ hours to be re-certified.

The program agenda and speakers are as follows:

7:30-8:00         Registration, Coffee & Donuts

Register for Private Pesticide Applicator Re-Certification

($25.00 fee & attend entire meeting)

8:00-8:05         Welcome & Introductions – Jeffery Sylvester, President, Evangeline Rice Growers Association

8:05-8:25         Rice Varieties, Breeding Program Update – Dr. Steve Linscombe, Southwest Regional Director, Rice Breeder

8:25-8:50         Effects of High Temperatures on Rice – Dr. Johnny Saichuk, Rice Specialist, LSU AgCenter

8:50-9:15         SPCC Regulations – Dr. Ernest Girouard, Coordinator, La. Master  Farmer Program, LSU AgCenter

9:15-9:35         Rice Weed Management – Dr. Eric Webster, Weed Scientist, Agronomy Dept, LSU

9:35-9:45         BREAK

9:45-10:05       Nitrogen soil Testing, N-Star Program Testing – Dr. Dustin Harrell, Agronomist, Rice Research Station

10:05- 10:25    Rice Disease Management & Fungicide Usage – Dr. Don Groth, Pathologist, Rice Research Station, LSU AgCenter

10:25-10:45     Rice Market Situation & Outlook – Dr. Mike Salassi, Professor, Ag Economics, LSU AgCenter

10:45–10:55    BREAK

10:55-11:20     Soybean Varieties & Management Practices – Dr. Ronnie Levy, Soybean Specialist, LSU AgCenter

11:20-11:45     Soybean & Grain Sorghum Market Situation & Outlook – Dr. Kurt Guidry, Associate Professor, Ag Economics, LSU AgCenter

11:45-12:15     Worker Protection Standard for Farmers Drift Minimalization & Pesticide Re-Certification Training - Keith A Fontenot,                  County Agent, Evangeline Parish

12:15               Sign Re-Certification forms – Department of Agriculture Personnel

(must have attended entire meeting)

12:15   Lunch –  Courtesy of Ag Businesses & Suppliers listed on program

The LSU AgCenter prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disabilities, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status.  Persons with disabilities, who require alternative means for communication of program information or other assistance, should contact the Evangeline Parish Office of the LSU AgCenter at (337) 363-5646.

Please click here for ‘Floodgate At The Morganza Spillway Is Now Opened – Pictures’

Water from the Mississippi River rushes out of open bays on the Morganza Spillway and into a pasture in Morganza, La., Monday, May 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Water from the Mississippi River rushes out of open bays on the Morganza Spillway in Morganza, La., Monday, May 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

After 3 days, the water from the flooded Mississippi River has reached places like Butte LaRose and St. Landry Parish at the northern end of the basin, putting some houses underwater.

Towns and crop lands along the Atchafalaya River basin that are in the path of the diverted flood waters could be flooded as high as 20 feet in coming days.

On Tuesday, the Coast Guard closed a 15-mile stretch of the Mississippi River at Natchez, Mississippi, north of New Orleans.

Vessels were blocked from heading toward the Gulf of Mexico and from returning north after dropping off their freight.

These barges carry corn, wheat, soybean and others from the Midwest to ports near New Orleans, where they get loaded onto huge grain carriers to be exported around the world.

 Below are photos of the flooding along the Mississippi River.

Farmers work as floodwaters from the Mississippi river creep across their fields in Natchez, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. The Coast Guard said it closed the Mississippi River at the port in Natchez, Miss., on Tuesday because barge traffic could increase pressure on the levees. Heavy flooding from Mississippi tributaries has displaced more than 4,000 in the state, about half of them upstream from Natchez in the Vicksburg area. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River have closed Highway 61 north of Vicksburg, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Farmers work as floodwaters from the Mississippi river creep across their fields in Natchez, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Flood waters from the Mississippi River creep inland across a field of soybeans in Natchez, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. The Coast Guard closed the swollen Mississippi River north of New Orleans, halting cargo vessels on the nation's busiest waterway in the latest effort to reduce pressure from rising flood waters. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Barges operate along the flooded Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Farmers work as flood waters from the Mississippi river creep across their fields in Natchez, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Farmers work as flood waters from the Mississippi river creep across their fields in Natchez, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Flood waters from the Mississippi River have closed Highway 61 north of Natchez, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

The runway at the airport in Vicksburg, Miss., is surrounded by Mississippi river flood waters Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Flooded homes, including one surrounded by a makeshift levee that failed, top, are seen in Vicksburg, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Floodwaters surround the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Station just outside a protective floodwall in Vicksburg, Miss., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

A business outside the levee south of Vicksburg, Miss., is surrounded by Mississippi river flood waters Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Flooded crops in Vicksburg, Miss., are pictured Tuesday, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

A crane flies over a street sign near a rule measuring the height of the flood waters in feet, in St. Francisville, Louisiana May 17, 2011.(REUTERS/Sean Gardner)

Drilling the strip trial at Fontenot farm in St. Landry Parish.Rice was planted using a 42 foot wide drill pulled by a John Deere.GPS monitoring of planting plots.

The GPS monitoring system was used to line up each of the strips – each treatment was replicated twice across the field.

Drill rows in the field.

Charlie will be growing 1200 acres of rice this year.  This is the last bit of rice he is planting for this season.  Soil conditions were ideal for drilling.  A nearby field has been planted in a Horizon Ag strip trial to evaluate varieties.

LSU AgCenter County Agent Vince Deshotel vacuuming treated seed out of the drill between treatments.

Vince Deshotel vacuumed out the drill between treatments.  We also gathered seed samples and will send them off for analysis to confirm the rate of insecticide applied to the seed.

Dean Reed, Charlie Fontenot and Vince Deshotel after successfully planting our test plots.

We greatly appreciate the help of Dean Reed, Charlie Fontenot and Vince Deshotel in planting this demonstration test site.  Without excellent on-farm cooperators our programs would lack the depth on “real-world” situations. We will let you know when the rice emerges.

RWW are the most important insect pest of rice in Louisiana. Adults enter fields either before or after permanent flood.  Injury begins when adults feed on plant leaves making longitudinal scars. If scarring is excessive the field will sometimes have the appearance of being “painted” with white paint. In some instances adult feeding can be severe enough to merit an insecticide spray before application of permanent flood. Mating commences soon after adults enter the field, but oviposition of eggs occurs after application of permanent flood. Larvae hatch from eggs, feed briefly within the leaf sheath, and then swim through the flood water to burrow into the mud and begin feeding on the roots of the rice plant. This larval feeding on the roots is the primary source of damage caused by rice water weevils when they attack the rice plant. In some cases, root pruning can be so severe that plants will fall over in the field. In other cases, root pruning in not severe enough to cause lodging, but can still significantly reduce yield.

The purpose of our rice water weevil demonstration test is to compare currently recommended insecticides on commercial farms in Louisiana. This year we are restricting our test to comparison of three insecticide seed treatments (CruiserMaxx, Dermacor X-100 and NipsitINSIDE) which will be compared to an untreated check. These products were described in my last blog posting, so I won’t spend a lot of time describing them here.

Yesterday we met with Farmer Charlie Fontenot, Crop Consultant Dean Reed, and County Agent Vince Deshotel in St. Landry Parish. Charlie cooperated with us last year, and his farm had the most severe rice water weevil pressure of all locations. It will be interesting to see what we find this year. Charlie intends to plant XL745 at a seeding rate of 25 lbs per acre. We will plant two passes (reps) of each seed treatment, which will be compared to an untreated check. There is a good chance that we will plan a field meeting at this site sometime later this summer. We anticipate planting in mid-March.

After we completed our discussion about demo test plans, Bruce Schultz joined us to interview Charlie Fontenot for a feature story in Louisiana Farm and Ranch. Charlie was honored as St. Landry Parish Farmer of the Year for 2010. An accomplishment that he certainly deserves. Charlie has ramped up his production over the last few years and runs a beautiful operation in St. Landry. Look for the story in next month’s issue of Louisiana Farm and Ranch.

Today we met with Farmer Wes Simon (and his son Ethan), Crop Consultant Rustin Gilder, and County Agent Barrett Courville in Acadia Parish. 

County Agent Barrett Courville, Farmer Wes Simon and I discussing plans at the field in Acadia Parish.

This is our first year working with Wes and his father Glen.  Wes intends to plant either XL729 or XL745 at a seeding rate of 22 lbs per acre. 

Wes Simon measuring out the plot size with his tractor.

The planting arrangement will be the same as at Charlie’s farm – two passes for each seed treatment which will be compared to an untreated check. Depending on the weather this weekend, Wes will probably plant sometime next week. There is a good chance we will have a tour stop here in conjunction with the LSU AgCenter south farm tour this summer.

After we left Wes, we headed over to Calcasieu Parish to meet with Farmer Mark Stelly, Landowner Johnny Hensgens, Crop Consultant Randy Verret and County Agents Jimmy Meaux and Dusty Zaunbrecher. 

County Agents Jimmy Meaux, Dusty Zaunbrecher, Farmer Mark Stelly, and Johnny Hensgens discussing plans for the demo test site.

Plans for the demo field site in this parish will be very similar to our set-up in Acadia Parish. Mark intends to plant XL745 at a seeding rate of 25 pounds per acre.  Again, depending on the weather, this site will be planted sometime before early April.

Now we are headed to Breaux Bridge for their annual winter rice production meeting at 6 pm tonight at the St. Martin Parish LSU AgCenter office. I’ll discuss seed treatments for rice water weevil management.

All photos taken by Anna Meszaros.

“It must have been taken between 1904 (when she married and moved to Edgard) and 1918 when she moved back to Houma. “

Recently, there were two churches in Louisiana to have been destroyed by fire.  A post from the LALGS indicated that the records of the Immaculate Conception Church may have been saved. The church is the  oldest one in St. Landry Parish. The Diocese of Lafayette built it in 1836 however, it was established in 1756. The church records may have been saved from the fire by being stored in the rectory.

Here is link to an exterior shot of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church taken in 2006. And here is one of the interior. If you open the exterior shot in a new window you can compare the photos.

Newslink – Rising from the ashes

Sources:
Pottawatomie, Prairie Band, June 30, 1900 Kansas, 1887 Land Allotment – completed c. 1905., Henry Aten. Accessed August 23, 2010. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kansasindians/Pottawatomie%20,Prairie%20Band%20/Pottawatomie%20,Prairie%20Band.html#1863_Potawatomie_Land_Allotment_Roll

BLM-GLO Records Search, Bruno, August 23, 2010 http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/

US CENSUS RECORDS – http://www.us-census.org , August 23, 2010

Dean Reed (Helena), Sunny Bottoms (HorizonAg) and Vince Deshotel (LSU AgCenter) waiting in the shade near the weigh wagon. Charlie was busy trimming the edges so we could cut our passes.

The first step is to trim the edges of the field so that we are harvesting from a measurable area and can calculate accurate yields. 

Combine in the background is trimming the edges, and in the direct line of the camera you can see that the front edge has been trimmed to make a clean starting line for the pass.

The second step is to run a pass up the treated area. 

The combine is about to finish the first pass in the untreated area.

Along the way, the header is cutting the head (panicle) off the rice plant and separating the hull (containing the grain) from the straw.  The grains are collected in the hopper and the straw is ejected out the back of the combine. 

Rice panicle and straw being cut and pulled into the combine - there is a rotating pair of belts that moves the grain and stalk into the combine for sorting.

Rice entering the combine hopper - sorry some of these pictures are dusty, but this is dirty work!

After the pass is completed, the rice is transferred from the combine into the weigh wagon. 

Combine lined up with the weigh wagon to empty the rice out of the hopper and calculate the yield.

The weight, grain moisture, and temperature of grain are recorded.  Then the contents of the weigh wagon are emptied into a grain cart to get ready for the next round. 

The rice is emptied from the weigh wagon into the grain cart.

In the meantime, someone else has the physical job (which was tough in that extreme heat yesterday) of measuring the length of the harvested area.  This is measured with a wheel.  Dean Reed was walking the wheel in this picture. 

This process is repeated until you complete the harvest.  

Birds are often attracted to the combine and are real daredevils as they dive and dodge for grasshoppers, frogs and other critters. 

Rice and soybean farmer Charlie Fontenot anticipates that he will be harvesting for more than 20 days straight to get all the rice cut and then roll into soybean harvest.  We thank him for participating in this variety trial and demonstration test.  The rice we harvested will be fertilized and flooded up for second crop. 

Charlie Fontenot operating his Case combine.

“New Orleans music runs in my blood. It’s highly spiritual to me. I met Dwayne Dopsie and his “Zydeco Hell raisers” band at a jazz festival in Cape May, NJ. I asked him where is Curnis Andrus? Curnis plays sax in that band and he’s around New Orleans. I have no doubt that we are related. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make the trip. The surnames Hayes, Leger, Lejuene (Young), Broussard, Meche, Cheneir, Johnson, Arceneaux, Pitre, Foreman, Guidry, Harman,  Duson, Guillory, Fontenot and others, has stirred a passion in me to find out, who am I?

People who have no clue as to who you are will, in your absence, create a history for you. Sceptics, my family, and others felt that I should give up music, because they felt I would never be famous. Little did they know, I never cared about being famous. I could have went on tour with some great bands, but I turned them down to raise a family. I did a great job till the year 2001. This was the time my life spiraled out of control. It was a most depressing time for me after the Twin Towers, and the new wars starting, and I’m sure I wrote something controversial  on the internet to bring attention upon myself. I played music in the restaurant on the 120th floor.

Dec. 2009  is when I figured out what could make me important enough to receive such ( personal) attention.

I  have no problems wearing my hair long. I thought I was  suppose to be a ” Artist”.  My daughter called me Bob Marley. They are called Dred Locks. I grew them after returning from the Island of St Thomas, some 11 years ago.

For 20 years I was also a father, husband, surveyor, with a license in New Jersey real estate, music educator, carpenter, plumber, electrician, stone mason, basketball coach, martial artist, auto mechanic and ex-soldier.  My sons and I pulled engines out of cars, rebuilt and replaced them, in between many other activities.

Why am I blessed with healthy adult family, great friends, and to go down in history as an accomplished Jazz Musician / “International Recording Artist”.  What I found out is that it is in my blood, and I have a good heart.  Because I’m related to so many families in the world, I  know I have ties to the makings of  Popular  Music and World History! —————–

Benjamin Andrus Sr. was from Alexandria, Virginia.  His fathers name was Joseph Andrus, and, he had a brother named Jesse Andrus. possessed a Spanish land grant which … Virginia

Benjamin Andrus, b. 1735 in Brunswick Co., Virginia. d. 1822 in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana m. 1758 in Brunswick Co., Va. to Mary Hargrave, d/o Benjamin Hargrave …

Joseph Andrus Sr, son of Benjamin Andrews/Andrus Sr., was born  in North Carolina. He arrived at the Spanish settlement of Opelousas in Louisiana with his father Benjamin between 1777 and 1780. His movement was part of the “Revolutionary War” .  They went to British West Florida before heading to Louisiana. Joseph died 19 May 1834 in what later became  St. Landry Parish. Joseph Andrus Sr. was the father of Jesse, Joseph Jr., and John Andrus, who is my line in the the family.

Joseph Andrus served as a soldier in the Spanish garrison of Opelousas in 1785 along with his father Benjamin (Andrews) Andrus, Joseph Elah,  Solomon, James, John “Juan Bautiste”….Joseph was the father of Jesse Andrus. Here you see the Andrus family using AKAs early in our Louisiana history. Our family black Creole history starts here with Solomon and Joseph subsequent harsh treatment towards Solomon and his family.

Benjamin Andrus Sr was the Progenitor of most all the Andrus of Southwest Louisiana.

The only reason I say most is if by chance a relative from another part of the country settled in Louisiana, they wouldn’t be from Benjamin.

Louisiana soldiers in the War of 1812 – Google Books Result

Marion John Bennett Pierson – 1999 – Reference – 125 pages
Orig. under Andrus, Joseph) General and Staff (Morgan), La. Mil. … Private Andrus, Benjamin Sergeant Andrus , Benjamin Private Andrus …books.google.com/books?isbn=0806349123…

Jeff Davis communities add to region’s history Jefferson Davis …

Benjamin was the progenitor of most of the Andrus families in Louisiana … The Bullers were descendants of Joseph Buhler Sr., born in 1781 in Opelousas. …
files.usgwarchives.org/la/jeffersondavis/history/commun.txt – Cached.

APPENDICES

“David B. Lambert married Almina or Almira, daughter of Anglo-Creole Joseph Andrus, (son of Solomon) in a civil ceremony in St. Landry Parish in December 1855″.

Joseph, the son of James “Jacques” Andrus and Lucie Hayes was the father of Jesse Andrus and Joseph Jr.

-Jesse “Agerin” Andrus, and (Civil War Veteran) Stephen “Chavine” Andrus, sons of  “Dotrife” ANDRUS and ISABEL(Elizabeth) BURLEIGH were Creole. (Civil War Veteran)   Stephen “Chavine” Andrus married “Jemima” Forman. Had a son named Jesse Andrus. My grandfather Layton Andrus Sr. was born in St Landry Parish. (1908) This is around the time; they  lost records, in the fire of 1910.  I did some personal inquiries with direct family members down south, and was able to visit the tree with the mistake, and make the correction.

Black Creoles like many African Americans today, made up new names to exercise their “freedom” to create cultural identifiers.   Shalonda, Lecrecia, Kaisha, Falisha, Shanika, Alisha, Jamal, and my daughter Valisha Andrus is an example of this deep seeded feeling of connection.  It’s also easier to locate family if they were sold, kidnapped, on the “Underground Railroad”, or just married and moved away from home.—————–

James (Jacques) Andrus born 1750 married Lucy Hayes, the daughter of Bosman Hayes Sr. and Jane “Guiny” Forman. D’Autrefa Claiborne Andrus (born 1788),  and Joseph, son’s of James “Jacques” Andrus and Lucy Hayes are Anglo /Creoles born into the Andrus family of Louisiana.  The family of John “Juan Bautiste” Andrus and Anastasia Savoie is also French/Creole.

(Jesse Andrus married Jane Young) Stephen Andrus also had a son named Jesse Andrus. Jules Andrus married Ophelia Johnson and my grandfather Layton Andrus married Elnora Johnson. Jules Andrus Jr was called “Blackie”.

The Andrus Creole has been playing Zydeco and Cajun music, ancestor to America’s popular and jazz music in St Landry Parish for over 200 years it is safe to say.

Sherman Andrus (Gospel Hall of Fame Singer).. …was with Andre Crouch and the Disciples. In the mid 70′s he toured with the Imperials, and won a Grammy with Andrus, Blackwell and Co.  He’s from Mermentau, St Landry Parish. He lived in Hawaii.  He and his cousin, my uncle Dr Edward M. Abdulmumin Ph.D ( Dubois Institute) born Edward Andrus in Los Angeles, Calif., they are my witnesses.

I feel I was chosen to write these stories is because I have been in a “Civil War”, in a small way by comparison, living in Watts, Compton, and Philadelphia, army experience, and an ancient (royal) peer tournament. For the kids in the city it is a war zone in many places.

This family history is new and, unfolding as you read it.  I’m getting closer to understanding myself through these revelations.           God bless Philadelphia!

” Jesse Ben Andrus Family History”

This story starts with Thomas Andrews/Andrus/Andros de Sausmarez who was born in Guernsey.  He settled in Virginia under the name Thomas Andrews. Married Dorothy Lambert and had a son named Robert Andrews in 1663. who married Anne (Pennington) Lewis. Benjamin Andrews/Andrus moved into Southwest Louisiana.

As a child, I would ask my grandmother, where are we from? She would always say Alexandria. Of course I could never find it on the map of Louisiana.  Andrus road is Alexandria, Virginia, and this is all she wanted to remember. Correction; there is an Alexandria, Louisiana, north of Washington, Louisiana where my grandfather was born. Both the towns of Sunset and Washington have Dr Martin Luther King streets.

The Scottish Benjamin (Andrews) Andrus family records traces back from Virginia through North Carolina to St Landry Parish, Opelousas (1785), deep in the heart of Louisiana’s “Gumbo Country”. The home of America’s original zydeco (jazz) and cajun music and people melting pot. The french speaking black Creole females for the most part came from Senegal, through the Caribbean Islands.

I do have to say without a doubt, that most of my Andrus family is probably classified as White.

Before the Louisiana Purchase (1803), Louisiana went up to Canada, the states of  Montana, Mississippi, and 10 states in between, to include Iowa. This is why the Andrus family of Louisiana is related to other Andrus families around the USA.

Benjamin Andrews/Andrus , was a Protestant ” Loyalist” with ties to cattle ranchers throughout the USA, byway of the Sir Edmond Andrus Government of 1676.  These large stockholders controlled meat prices,  through these family monopoly’s. (revision Sep 2011) After considering  all the new information I have on the subject, I believe that this Benjamin Andrus was a Loyalist and his son Joseph Andrus was a British agent and slave holder who oppressed his black Creole decedents.

King George III and Queen Charlotte Sophia allowed for the execution of  Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation of 1775, which ended slavery for slaves who signed on with the British at Williamsburg VA.  Many “Black Loyalist” went to Canada, England, and Sierra Leone. With the Revolutionary War approaching, Benjamin, along with other Loyalist left North Carolina, and moved into Southwest Louisiana, Florida and Mexico.

“French colonists had accepted interracial marriages and partnerships to a greater extent than the Americans who arrived later on, giving rise to a significant population of native Louisianans with mixed ancestry. Lighter-skinned African Americans were not treated equally with white people yet enjoyed privileges that set them apart from most other black people in the South. Even after their incorporation into the United States, the French-speaking, Catholic parishes of southern Louisiana retained reputations for being more racially tolerant than those farther north.”[2-------------------------

"In Southwest Louisiana Indians have been traced back to the year 10,500 B.C. Appalousa  and Attakapas Indians lived there before the French and some African slaves. In 1699 France named Lousiana as a colony. By 1720 Opelousas Post was established to protect new settlers and their newly acquired lands. France ceded Louisiana to Spain in 1762.  Under the Spanish this post became the center of government in Southwest Louisiana."

"The black people coming to Opelousas as a result of the liberal settlement grants joined free black (indigenous) people who had come to the Opelousas district as early as 1740. These people were free because of the Code Noir that was written for Louisiana by John Law in 1724. That code granted to "manumitted slaves the same rights, privileges, and immunities which are enjoyed by freeborn persons." The freedom was extended to their offspring."

Some Creole families have the father's or owner's first name as their surname. The Donato Bello and Sam family is an example of this. Martin Donato's were black Creole and the Bello's were another family apart.---------------------

Bosman Hayes Sr  was a neighbor. He had daughters on his property, Black and White Creole's. Mary Hayes and Lucy Hayes were creole.  Jayhawkers killed Bosman Hayes Jr  on his property, trying to steal his favorite horse, and Jesse T. Andrus supposedly died during this time. The Union soldiers dragged him 15 miles on foot, threw him in the back of a wagon for another 40 miles, and then let him go home. They said he was 80 years old, when they destroyed his property, and before he was hidden away for a few years. Hatred, envy, riots, looting, and tension was everywhere. 1858-63?  The end of slavery, and the old south was near!

Hiram Gustavus Roberts

Mr. Jesse Andrus, aged eighty years and the head of a numerous and respectable family, ... The trials of the march had brought Mr. James Hicks, an old man, ...

War crimes against Southern civilians

by Walter Brian Cisco - 2007 - History - 220 pages
The oldest, eighty-year-old Jesse Andrus, was taken fifty- five miles from his home before being released. The others spent four days in the Opelousas jail ...!

Benjamin (Andrews) Andrus lived in a Louisiana filled with different languages, cultures and races moving around, fighting for a notion of freedom.

This manifesto was written for Louisiana. A most "special purchase" from France to the United States of America, at 4 cents an acre.

Author: Charles Gayarré
Publisher: Redfield

Year: 1866 is the year published. HIS VIEWS AND PREDICTIONS. [1804. (This comes from a 700 page book is available on line. The copyright has expired.)   In a short time turn to the advantage of English manu- factiireSj on account of the great facility which this place will exclusively enjojj from its situation, to supply the Spanish colonies as far as the Equator. In a few years, the country, as far as Rio Bravo, will be in a state of cul- tivation, Nevf Orleans will then have a population of about thirty to fifty thousand souls ; and the new ter- ritory will produce sugar enough for the supply of North America and part of Europe. Let us not blind ourselves ; in a few years the existing prejudices will be worn off; the inhabitants (French/African/Indian/Spanish Creole "Red Man") will gradually become Americans by the introduction of native Americans and Englishmen — a. system already begun. Many of the present inhabitants will leave the country in disgust ; those who have large fortunes will retire to the mother-country ; a great pro- portion will remove into the Spanish settlements, and the remaining few will be lost (Creole/Negros) among the new-comers. Should no fortunate amelioration of political events inter- vene, what a magnificent New France have we lost !

Eleven riverbank strips on Bayou Plaquemine Brûlée in the area of today's Branch community were owned by colonial families who settled on their lands and became prominent in building the new Acadia Parish. These were the Andrus, Harmon and Hayes families, all of which settled in the Branch area. Branch is named for Branch Hayes. Some of these pioneer families had land holdings on Bayou Plaquemine Brûlée; others owned property fronting on nearby Bayou Wikoff, identified in early times as "the eastern branch of Bayou Plaquemine Brûlée.-----------

Our Lady of the Lake Church, Lake Arthur, 1922; Jefferson Davis ...

Another pioneer was Hiram Andrus, who moved in north of the lake in an area now called Andrus Cove, in 1832. Andrus possessed a Spanish land grant which ...

ANDRUS COVE
This community on the Mermentau River between Jennings and Lake Arthur was named for the Andrus family. There was also Andrus Cove to the south. ''Old Hiram Andrus,'' acccording  t Hildebrand, ''must have looked on rather bewildered as he sat in his  saddle to behold the first Southern Pacific trains in his wide domain.''  This almost Biblical-looking, white bearded patriarch was lord and master of all he surveyed. He could stand under the spreading branches of the great oaks which shaded his homestead in Andrus Cove and look north, south, east or west and all that he saw spreading prairies, thousands of cattle and wild horses all this was his as far as the eyes could see. Hiram and his wife Lizeme had eight children D.D., Eliza Valdetero, Tabitha Gauthier, Joe, (Benjamin C. ''Cake'' Andrus), Elise Gauthier, Emile and Pumela. According to Hiram's descendants, he had a Spanish land grant and also bought other acreage for 25 cents an acre. But when it came time to pay taxes, he gave away some of his land. His property reached from Lake Arthur to Jennings. The Andrus descendants are well known in the Lake Arthur-Jennings area. One descendant-in-law, Miriam Andrus of Jennings, recalls a family incident in which Arthur Andrus came home from World War II in a shell-shocked state and was sent to a VA hospital. The hospital got this man mixed up with another patient, calling him by another name for many years, before the family got it all straightened out. Edward L. Andrus was an all-state football player for Jennings High School and also a football hero at LSU.

St Landry Parish was officially established in 1805 after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Named after the Catholic church near the post. Named in honor of the Bishop of Paris (650A.D.) It was the biggest parish in Louisiana. The first St Landry Parish Jesse T. Andrus (War of 1812 veteran) was born 1791. He was the son of Joseph Andrus and Marie (Hayes) Andrus.

This is also the history of the name "Jesse Ben". For many years I thought my name was Jesse Benjamin. There was a mistake made at the hospital. My grandfather assured me it was Benjamin.  I even named my first born son Jesse Benjamin Jr. After seeing my birth certificate for the first time it said Jesse Ben Andrus. Mormons studied Hebrew , which made Ben OK. My family never called me Jesse. They called me "Jesse Ben".

... David Ben Jesse KING OF ISRAEL, son of JESSE BEN OBED and Unknown, was born of Bethlehem ....

I am called an African American. My skin is shades of red. I have a recessive gene that runs through my family. My aunt Irene, sister Carol “Cookie”, and my son Jamal Andre are yellow skinned Creoles, and my family has the hereditary bowlegs of cowboys.  As a kid my father would take us horseback riding on weekends in California.

Here's a document on the biggest cattle barons in Louisiana. They were able to  control the cattle market, and meat prices by having business ties to Texas, California, Utah, New York, Illinois, Michigan, and other states.

William Darby described cattle raising in Louisiana in the early 19th century: "The prairie Mamou is devoted by the present inhabitants to the rearing of cattle, some of the largest herds in Opelousas are within its precincts. Three rich stockholders have, as if by consent, settled their vacheries in three distinct prairies. Mr. William Wikoff, in the Calcasieu prairie, west of the Nezpique, Mr. Lewis Fontenot in prairie Mamou; and Mr. Joseph E. Andrus in Opelousas prairie. Those three gentlemen must have collectively fifteen or twenty thousand head of near cattle, with several hundred horses and mules. It may be presumed that Mr. Wikoff is at this time the greatest pastoral farmer in the United States." (Darby 1816).

“A great many immigrants were Loyalists escaping the American Revolution. New arrivals could petition the Spanish Governors for free land, in the area of their choice. The first known land grant to a settler in St. Landry Parish was 1776, the start of the American Revolution. The first land grant to a settler in the Opelousas area was 1782. Benjamin is said to have died in 1821. There is a probate for Benjamin Andrus Sr. dated June 23, 1822 at the Opelousas court house." He was also known as the progenitor of the Andrus in Louisiana.

"Benjamin Andrus Sr. served as a soldier in the Spanish garrison of Opelousas in 1785 along with his son's,  Joseph Sr, James"Jacques", Solomon, Jean Narcisse, and John "Juan Bautiste" Andrus.

Joseph Andrus Sr. was the father of Jesse T. Andrus b.1791. Joseph was the one who had many slaves, in which he bartered for, sold, and stole.

In the year 1788, Benjamin's son Joseph and family owned 91 cattle, 13 horses and 10 arpents of land. [8.5 acres of land]. He also owned 3 slaves”. “By 1810, Joseph Andrus had accumulated 47 slaves in St. Landry Parish”.  (Creole) Jesse was about 19 years old at this time, and two years later, he would fight in his first war.

Without spiritual protection, and in some cases divine intervention, they could have died in war like many Americans from famine, disease’s, or sever injuries, to include amputations and operations from early medical practices

War of 1812 Veterans: 16th Regiment (Thompson’s) Benjamin Sr, Joseph , Joseph Elah, Jesse, John, James and Narsus (Narcisse} Andrus.

“Around October 3, 1833, Joseph being 74 years old was nearing the end of his life. He made a donation to his son Jesse T., in the form of land and slaves”. Jesse  lived in one of the outhouses on his father’s property and took care of much of the family business, property and many slaves.  Joseph made his money farming, selling cattle, furs, and the hatter’s shop.  “His rabbit skin hats would last a man a lifetime”.  He was wealthy and well liked by all that knew him.

Oubre and Leonard tell us about the Opelousas prairie, “The master/slave relationship, as well as the black/white relationship, remained relatively fluid during the colonial period and the first decade of the American period, largely because most slave holders owned relatively few slaves. As late as 1817 there were only 2,507 slaves in the entire district. In addition, as late as 1817, wealth and property could move a person into a higher class in the eyes of his neighbors.”

“The Lemelle family traces its ancestry to a free mulatto woman named Marie-Jeanne Lemelle, a native of St. Charles Parish on the German Coast who came to the Opelousas district in the early 1770s as the wife of Francois Lemelle She and her five sons and 15 slaves gradually cleared the land and made it productive.”

“The Donato family consisted of the children of white militia officer Donato Bello and Marie Talliaferro, a free mulatto woman:”

“Martin Donato, became the patriarch of the entire community of free people of color on the Opelousas frontier. He married Marie Duchesne, and they would own substantial land at Bois Mallet and a tract, referred to as his “plantation and residence” at Leonville. At the time of his death in 1848, he owned 88 slaves.”

“Marie Simien, a free black woman who first appears in the records of the Opelousas district in 1796. She had four sons at the time, aged 1 to 15. Old records show that she eventually owned property in at least four different townships, including nearly 1,500 acres at Bellevue (between Opelousas and Church Point), some 6,350 acres at Bayou des Cannes (west of Eunice), and undefined property at Prairie Lemelle. She also owned nine slaves, 40 horses and mules, and 300 head of cattle. By 1818, she had also established her son George on another 800 acres at Bayou Mallet (between Opelousas and Eunice)” ..(The family of Grammy Award winner Terrance Simien.)

For any of Andrus family member to push a 1000 head of cattle to Texas, and cultivate 1000′s of acres, they would need much help from as many Andrus, black Creoles, hired hands, and slaves, they could get. Most major family member’s went away to the best schools, and colleges. When asked their occupation before the Civil War, many Andrus Creole family members said overseer (manager),  planters and grassers.

What a time it was, for the black Creoles to create American pop music.  Some owned land, business’s, played their Zydeco and Creole music, and explored other cultures. To exist in peace with their white brother was a easier, because they had to repel different invading foreign armies, indian, and renegade attacks.

The next generation went off to fight in the Civil War. This war would decide the fate of thousands of other black Creole freemen and slaves. It would also destroy families to a point of no return, as you will see with my other publishing site. It’s not pretty, but it is well researched for you, and is Opelousas history!

Blogs “Sons Of St Landry”, “Civil War Crimes”, and “Radical Reconstruction”. Ndugu means “little brother” in Swahili.This past is what it is, but I think it helps us move on, with a new understanding that every black person wasn’t a slave, and that some of us black and white folks are related.

Copyright2009JAndrusPublishing (all rights reserved)

Planting started with two passes of CL151 seed that was not treated with an insecticide.  This untreated area borders the field road and is next to a marshy area with trees.  There is a good chance that if weevils are overwintering, they will be found near this edge of the field.

After two passes of untreated seed, we cleaned out the drill, and loaded sacks of Dermacor X-100 treated CL151.  6 passes of Dermacor treated seed was planted at the 65 lb seeding rate.  The drill was cleaned out again and loaded up with CL151 treated with CruiserMaxx.  At this point, we started planting a seeding rate trial.  CL151 was planted at a variety of seeding rates.  This will give us a chance to evaluate CL151 at different seeding rates, and also the efficacy of CruiserMaxx at a variety of seeding rates.

This site was chosen because Charlie is suspicious that he experienced stand loss from Colaspis larvae damaging seedlings last season.  If the colaspis show up this season, we will be able to compare Dermacor X-100 and CruiserMaxx activity against this pest.  Also, in the past Charlie has treated with pyrethroids for weevil management.  We are curious to see what the rww population is typically like at this site.  Of course, this year may not be a typical year.  That remains to be seen.

I asked Charlie to call me when first emergence of seedlings is observed.  We’ll take observations on date of first emergence, and then stand counts and plant height 14 days after emergence.  If colaspis are a problem in this field, the damage will be observed in those first few weeks after emergence.

We left Charlie’s at about 11 am to head over to Evangeline Parish.  On the way Dave called, because there had been a break-down and planting would be delayed until about 2 or 3 pm.  No problem, we just took our time heading east.  When the time was right, we headed over to meet Dave Morein, Brian (Dave’s son who is now farming with him full-time), and Dennis Fontenot (Consultant).  When we pulled up dark clouds were threatening and rain started sprinkling lightly as we were planting the last field.

This series of fields is bordered on three sides by Miller Lake and a thick stand of trees.  Historically, there are high populations of rice water weevils.  Dennis had scouted this field site for us last season to monitor the adult colaspis in a field of beans next to a cut of rice that had substantial stand loss from colaspis damage.  In this test we will again compare an untreated check to CruiserMaxx and Dermacor X-100 seed treatment.

When we arrived, Dave had some Dermacor X-100 treated seed still loaded in the drill. left-over from planting another field.  We vacuumed out the hopper and loaded untreated seed.  This series of fields is planted in CLXL729 at a 25 lb seeding rate.  In our test, we are comparing an untreated field, and two passes on the south side of a neighboring cut (both are the high points in this area) to Dermacor X-100, and CruiserMaxx treated fields.

We will be scouting intensively during the first two weeks after emergence to see if the colaspis larvae overwintered and may cause damage in the rice.  Dennis had GPS marked his sampling sites in the untreated rice field and we will mark those with flags and sample the area for larvae.  It will be interesting to see if there is a relationship between the adult colaspis population in the soybeans last season, and the population of colapsis larvae in the  seedling rice this season.

I’m not sure what transpired with the rain that was just starting to come down when we left the field.  I’ll be checking in with Kenneth LaHaye this afternoon.  Tentative plans are to plant at the LaHaye farm in Evangeline Parish tomorrow.  Of course, it all depends on the weather.  We also may plant in Acadia, Concordia, and Evangeline Parish this week.

Sorry I did not include pictures, I need to load my download cable in my camera bag.  I’ll try to add pictures in the next few days.

We realize that many of you are still searching for the most updated, post-disaster information from your parishes or counties, and we want to help.

With Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike, we’re operating more blogs to help the communities in the storms’ tracks.  We have to sign off on the Hurricane Gustav blog for now, but, we can direct you folks to the right places for your needed information:

• For Louisiana citizens, the state of Louisiana is routinely updating this site with press releases:  http://emergency.louisiana.gov/ You can find information on school closures, FEMA help, food stamps, POD’s, and other important post-disaster resources there.
• For Mississippi citizens, the state of Mississippi is routinely updating its Mississippi Emergency Management site with post-disaster information.
• Local media, such as radio and television outlets, typically provides updated local information.
• Visit your local emergency management/government web site for recovery effort and community information.  You can find a list of Louisiana emergency management sites here:  http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/linkpages/parishpa.htm
• For free hurricane preparedness resources, including articles on how to clean up after flooding, how to clean out refrigerators and freezers after a power outage, and how to cope with disaster, please visit us at OneStorm.
• If you still cannot find the information you need, you can e-mail me at Heidi@onestorm.org  and I will answer you as quickly as possible.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback we’ve received from the affected counties and parishes.  It has truly been a pleasure to bring information to the communities that need it most.

Sincerely,

Heidi and Chris

• FRANKLIN PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• GRANT PARISH – Monday
• IBERIA PARISH – No report
• IBERVILLE PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• JEFFERSON PARISH – Closed this week; opening next week is subject to power
• LAFAYETTE PARISH – Not ealier than Monday
• LAFOURCHE PARISH – Not earlier than Monday, probably later
• LASALLE PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• LIVINGSTON PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• CITY OF MONROE SCHOOL DISTRICT – Closed through this week (through September 5)
• MOREHOUSE PARISH – Not earlier than Friday
• ORLEANS PARISH – Closed this week; opening next week is subject to power
• OUACHITA PARISH – Monday
• PLAQUEMINES PARISH – Partial Opening Thursday
• POINTE COUPEE PARISH – No report
• RAPIDES PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• RECOVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT – Closed this week; opening next week is subject to power
• —– Algiers Charter Schools - Wednesday, September 10
• RECOVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT (outside of New Orleans – Capitol Boys/Girls Academy, Prescott Middle School, Glen Oaks High School, Pointe Coupee Central High School) – These schools will follow the same reopening schedule as their local school district
• RICHLAND PARISH – Not ealier than Monday
• ST. BERNARD PARISH – Closed this week; opening next week is subject to power
• ST. CHARLES PARISH – Closed this week; opening next week is subject to power
• ST. HELENA PARISH – No report
• ST. JAMES PARISH – No report
• ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH – No report
• ST. LANDRY PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• ST. MARTIN PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• ST. MARY PARISH – Not earlier than Wednesday, Sept.10
• ST. TAMMANY PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• TANGIPAHOA PARISH – Monday
• TENSAS PARISH – Not earlier than Friday
• TERREBONNE PARISH – Closed until further notice
• VERMILION PARISH – No report
• WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH – Monday
• WEST CARROLL PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• WEST FELICIANA PARISH – Not earlier than Monday
• WINN PARISH – Not earlier than Friday
• ZACHARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT – Not earlier than Monday
• La. School for the Visually Impaired – Not earlier than Monday
• La. School for the Deaf – Not earlier than Monday

Source:  “School Closures.”  State of Louisiana.  4 September 2008.

LCRP and LSUE classes at LSU Alexandria will also resume classes until Monday, Sept. 8.

Bengal Village will reopen to residents at noon on Sunday, Sept. 7.

Any future decisions regarding campus closures will be announced through the news media, LSUE’s mobile alert system and the LSUE Web site at http://www.lsue.edu.

All classes, public events and related activities at LSUE are suspended and all campus offices and departments will be closed, except those previously designated as required for essential operations.

For their safety and security, faculty and staff are being asked not to report for work unless they have been previously designated as essential in emergency situations. Employees should check with their supervisors to determine if they are classified as essential personnel.

Source:  “Press Release:  LSU Eunice to Remain Closed Until Monday.”  State of Louisiana.  3 September 2008.

FEMA Administrator David Paulison said the assistance was authorized under a major disaster declaration issued for the state by President Bush. The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

The assistance, to be coordinated by FEMA, can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Federal funding also is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organization on a cost-sharing basis for in the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana for debris removal.

Paulison named Michael J. Hall as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Hall said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are complete.

The Agency said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday until further notice. <http://www.fema.gov/&#62;

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Source:  “Press Release:  President Declares Major Disaster for Louisiana.”  State of Louisiana.  2 September 2008.

“Don’t go home when there’s no power, there’s no water, the roads are blocked, and trees are down,” said FEMA Administrator David Paulison.

Evacuees attempting to return home early face road blocks, traffic delays, limited water and food, limited utilities, no hospitals and limited if any health care facilities, and serious health hazards.  Those crowding the roads seeking to return home are limiting the mobility of emergency responders, utility workers and other essential personnel who must travel to their area and complete their work before it is safe for the general public to return.

Instead, evacuees should remain where they are – with friends and family, at a hotel, or at a shelter.  Shelters provide safe havens for evacuees with food and medical care while officials in southern Louisiana work to prepare for their return.

Noted Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, “The only reason we don’t have more tales of people in grave danger and more loss of life is because everybody heeded the governor’s instructions, the mayor’s instructions, the parish president’s instructions to get out of town.”  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal reiterated his point that there was work to be done before residents return.  “Obviously a huge challenge as we’re trying to get critical services back up,” said Jindal.  New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin added, “Hold tight for today.”

FEMA also reemphasized that volunteers should not report directly to the affected areas unless directed by a voluntary agency.  Self-dispatched volunteers put themselves and others in harm’s way.

Federal, state and local governments all agree: no one should risk entering the area before essential services are restored.  “Traditionally in these types of storms we get more injuries after the storm than we do during the storm. We want people to be careful,” said Paulison.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.  For more information on FEMA activities visit http://www.FEMA.gov.

Source:  “Press Release:  Officials to Evacuees:  Stay Away, Be Patient, Be Safe.”  State of Louisiana. 2 September 2008.

Acadia Parish – A dusk to dawn curfew is in place until further notice.

Allen Parish – A dusk to dawn curfew is in place.

Assumption Parish – Residents are allowed to return, although parish officials do not recommend returning. Curfew is in place beginning each night at 8:00 p.m.

Ascension Parish – Dusk to dawn curfew remains in effect until Tuesday morning. People with non-essential business urged to stay off the streets.

Calcasieu Parish – The evacuation order and parish-wide curfew have both been lifted.

East Baton Rouge Parish – Curfew in place from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. until further notice

Iberia Parish – Officials are discouraging residents from returning until further notice. Curfew is in place from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Jefferson Parish – Residents may re-enter beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Curfew will be lifted Wednesday morning.

Lafayette Parish – 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in effect Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lafourche Parish – Parish is open to re-entry. A curfew in place from 10:00 p.m. to dawn due to of lack of electricity.

Orleans Parish – Tier 1 workers are allowed into the parish. Residents will be allowed back in the city begining Thursday at 12:01 a.m. A dusk to dawn curfew is in place until further notice.

Plaquemines Parish – No timeline has been set for re-entry to the parish. Only those with special passes are allowed in. A 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew is in place.

Pointe Coupee Parish -  An 8:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. curfew is in place until further notice.

St. Bernard Parish – Residents could be allowed re-entry beginning Wednesday at 6 a.m. A 24-hour curfew is in place.

St. Charles Parish – Resident will be allowed to enter Wednesday. Only those with Tier 1 and Tier 2 passes will be allowed in until then. A 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew is in place until further notice.

St. James Parish – Only utility personnel and damage assessment teams are being allowed in the parish. A 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew is in place until further notice.

St. John Parish – Officials have not indicated when residents will be allowed to return. Curfew is in place from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. through Wednesday.

St. Martin Parish – The curfew has been lifted. Residents asked to exercise caution in returning.

St. Tammany Parish – Residents can return Wednesday at 6:00 a.m. Curfew is in place Tuesday night from dusk to dawn.

Tangipahoa Parish – Parish is open to re-entry. Curfew is in effect from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m..

Terrebonne Parish – Officials say a tentative plan to allow residents to return beginning Friday at noon. A 24-hour curfew is in effect.

Washington Parish – The parish is open to all residents. The curfew has been lifted.

Source:  “News Release:  Re-Entry/Curfew Information.”  State of Louisiana.  2 September 2008.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has ordered a parishwide “pedestrian, vehicular and other means of conveyance curfew” beginning at 4 p.m. Monday It will remain in effect until Hurricane Gustav has passed through the area, Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said.
Advertisement

Voluntary evacuations have been urged on residents in St. Landry. Other curfews in effect:

• In Vermilion, a curfew in Kaplan and Abbeville begins at 10 p.m. Vermilion is covered by a mandatory evacuation order.
• In Iberia, also subject to parishwide mandatory evacuation, a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew is in effect.
• In St. Martin, a parishwide curfew begins at noon Monday. Lower St. Martin is under a mandatory evacuation. Upper St. Martin, despite automated phone messages heard earlier today, is subject only to a recommended evacuation.

Source:  “Storm Update:  St. Landry Curfew Begins Monday; Other Curfews Listed.”  The Advertiser.  31 August 2008, 5:00 PM.

Reported by The Advertiser:

Contraflow traffic continued running smoothly through Lafayette, though a slight bottleneck was reported near the LeBeau exit in St. Landry Parish.

Both southbound and northbound lanes of I-49 began heading north from Interstate 10 in Lafayette to La. 10 in St. Landry Parish at 4 a.m.

In Lafayette, one lane of northbound traffic on Evangeline Thruway continued north on I-49, while two lanes were diverted to the southbound lanes.

State troopers are dealing with some backups near the end of the contraflow zone in St. Landry Parish, State Police Troop I spokesman David Anderson said.

He said troopers are working to clear that backup.

“We’re urging local residents not to use I-49 or any of the evacuation routes,” Anderson said. “Please use city streets to traverse in and around the Acadiana area.”

Interstate 10 is still open in both directions and appears to be moving smoothly, Anderson said.

The current plan calls for contraflow to end by midnight tomorrow.”

Source:  “Traffic Slows in St. Landry.”  The Advertiser.  31 August 2008, 7:32 AM. ]]> http://tropicalstormgustav.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/louisiana-further-school-closure-information/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:15:04 +0000 Heidi VanderVelde http://tropicalstormgustav.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/louisiana-further-school-closure-information/ The following public schools have confirmed they will be closed Tuesday:

• All Lafayette Parish public schools
• All Iberia Parish public schools
• All Vermilion Parish public schools
• All St. Mary Parish public schools
• All St. Martin Parish public schools

St. Landry Parish public schools, Ascension Day School and Westminister Christian School will decide Sunday if they will close.

Private School Closings:

• St. John Berchmans
• Episcopal School of Acadiana
• Lafayette Lutheran School
• Academy of the Sacred Heart
• Acadiana Christian School
• Holy Family Catholic School
• Cathedral Carmel School
• Our Lady Fatima School
• St. Cecilia School
• St. Pius School
• Sts. Leo-Seton School
• St. Genevieve School
• Carencro Catholic Elementary School
• St. Thomas More Catholic High School
• Youngsville Christian School

Immaculate Heart of Mary School will wait until Saturday to decide if they will close.

Source:  “Storm Update:  Most Acadiana Public, Pariochal Schools Closed Tuesday.“  The Advertiser.  29 August 2008.

Genealogy Meeting from:

Genealogy meeting features poetry reading
By William Johnson
wjohnson@dailyworld.com

Art and genealogy will come together Saturday when Dr. John Doucet, a writer, historian and scientist, will share some of his poetry based on historical themes and genealogical research.

Doucet will be the featured speaker at this month’s meeting of the Imperial St. Landry Genealogical and Historical Society, which will be held at 10 a.m. in the conference room of Doctors’ Hospital in Opelousas. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Society President Estelle Perrault said the society doesn’t usually meet this time of year because of the holidays but is making an exception in this case.

“We have never before met in December, but this was a time his very busy schedule allowed him to visit us and we jumped at the opportunity,” said Perrault, who called Doucet a renaissance man.

She said Doucet, in addition to his work as a professor of genetics and director of the University Honors Program at Nicholls State University, is author of 13 plays and has been awarded the Louisiana Native Voices and Visions Playwriting Award and the Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship in Playwriting.

“He has published over 100 poems worldwide. His historical works includes The Cheniere Caminada Story, as well as the editorship ofLafourche Country IIand the forthcoming Lafourche Country IIIcollections,” Perrault said.

Doucet said his new book of poetry, Highway One Revisited, will be published in the spring and he will be happy to take order at the meeting.

While this meeting will focus on Doucet’s poetry, he is primarily known for his groundbreaking work designed to find the causes of many inherited diseases by using Acadian DNA.

Acadians are unique in that they can all be traced to a group of 300 people who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1607. Until about World War II, they lived in relative isolation, rarely marrying outside their own group.

The Acadians have one other important attribute. As good Catholics, they have a detailed 400-year history of church records listing every marriage and birth.

Doucet said, as a group, Acadians are no more prone to disease than anyone else. What makes them special is this documented genealogy.

“Genealogy is crucially important in our work. This allows us to learn more about diseases and their cures by following them in specific families,” Doucet said.

While Doucet has spoken about this work with the local genealogy group several times before, this week his talk will focus one of his other talents, particularly his poetry.

“A lot of my poetry is based on historical topics, some on genealogical investigations into my own family. I thought that would be a good fit for this group,” Doucet said.