Wednesday's Child ~ Dalton Fuqua Denham

Dalton Fuqua Denham

Born on May 20, 1894

Died on January 24, 1900

Son of

Fuqua Ogden Denham and Ella Gertrude Lively

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Tuesday's Tune ~ O, America!

"O, America!" was written exclusively for the Celtic Woman by Brendan Graham and William Joseph Schwartz.

Listening to the lyrics, I am reminded of my ancestors who came to America so many, many years ago.  One such ancestor was my 7th great grandfather, Pierre Parcot, a French Huguenot who escaped religious persecution and came to America in 1696 seeking religious freedom.

Pierre Parcot and wife, Francoise Gendron, are named among the inhabitants of New Rochelle, New York in 1698.

French Huguenot Monument-Hudson Park, New York

The Sicily Island connection to Pierre Parcot is through his granddaughter, Frances Susan Parcot who married Thomas Steele.  Thomas and Susan Parcot Steele were the great-great grandparents of Isham Alfonso "Al" Steele who moved from Limestone County, Texas to Sicily Island ca. 1888.   Al Steele married Mary Virginia "Mollie" Blackman and they made their home in Sicily Island where they raised three daughters; Mary Allye (Edmonds), Clara Lucille (Ogden), Lena Juanita (Peck).

Pierre Parcot found freedom in America. In turn, he and his long line of descendants became true to America.  Today, we continue to answer America's calling.....

"O, America you're calling,
I can hear you calling me:
You are calling me to be true to thee,
True to thee I will be."

Catahoula Hog Dog

From an April 6, 1896 article in the New York Tribune:

Courtesy of Chronicling America

Transcription:

From The New-Orleans State.

A few weeks ago we had occasion to publish, on the authority of our friend, Colonel E. H. Lombard, a very interesting narrative regarding the celebrated hog dog of Catahoula, and so remarkable were the performances of this dog, as related to us, that many of the deacons of the church, as well as personal friends of Colonel Lombard, did him the injustice to class him as a romancer.  We are glad to be able to state, however, that Colonel Lombard's story has been corroborated in every particular by no less an authority than Wash Wiggins, one of the best-known citizens of Catahoula parish.  Mr. Wiggins says, and he has signified his willingness to be quoted, that the hog dogs of Catahoula are the most intelligent animals on the face of the earth, and as their ancestors before them were hog herders, they take to the work without any training whatever.

It is claimed that the wild hog of Catahoula is second only in the matter of pugnacity and ferocity to the roaring tiger of the Bengal jungle.  In order to get a drove of these hogs into a pen, the hog dog of Catahoula, as Mr. Wiggins informs us, operates as follows:  Keeping always in mind the direction of the pen or corral, the dog goes into the woods and flushes a drove of hogs.  Then, keeping himself invariably in front of the hogs, barks forth a challenge; the hogs accept the gauge of battle and make a dash for the enemy, and the dog, tucking his tail, if fortunate enough to have one, which is seldom the case, skedaddles toward the pen, regulating his speed so as to save at all times a distance of about thirty yards.

Should the hogs halt in their pursuit, the dog returns and renews his dare, and again he is charged, and again he slopes.  In this way he lures the hogs on until in their mad chase they follow him through the open gate into the pen, when he immediately proceeds to jump the fence on the opposite side, while his master, who has been seated on the fence during the pursuit, whistling and shooting tobacco juice at passing bumblebees, hurriedly climbs down and closes the gate on the entrapped porcines.  The faithful and intelligent dog, which is found nowhere else but in the languorous shades of the Catahoulan wilds, is rewarded with a pone of cornbread, and the next day there is a great hog-killing time, followed by feasting and revelry.

Catahoula Hog Dog aka Catahoula Leopard Dog aka Catahoula Cur

Amanuensis Monday ~ The Stories That Should Be Told, Part 10

The following transcription is from a series of recordings my father made in the early 1990s:

My mind is wandering back now to remembering Uncle Frank Smith, Mr. Joe Bryan and Pop Denham.  Thinking about one day in particular.  The old fellows, of course, had to have a little drink every evening to kind of keep them revived.  They'd sit around in Jack's Saloon and I'd usually sit around and talk to them. 

Jack's Saloon; Jack-far left

Uncle Frank, Mr. Joe Bryan and Pop Denham were all way up in their eighties.  In fact, I think Pop must have been ninety.  They were there in Jack's just sitting around and I was there talking to them.  The Methodist preacher, Brother Davis, came in and had the Bishop with him.  The Bishop for the Methodist Church in this area was a big, tall man.  

Brother Davis brought him in and introduced him to everybody and walked out of the saloon.  Of course, we were all a little bit nervous with the Preacher and the Bishop walking into a saloon with all of us sitting there.

Uncle Jack McNair said, "I noticed, Uncle Frank, when they walked in you got up.  Stood up for them."  Uncle Frank said, "Yeah, dadblame, I wanted them to see I could stand up."  Oh man, we laughed!  Uncle Frank didn't want them to think he was drunk sitting there and couldn't get up.

If there was a good way to drink, I guess those old fellows drank it the good way.  They never did get drunk but they had their little drink every day.  

Everybody back in those days knew and remembered how Mr. Joe Bryan would walk right down the middle of the road.  If a car was coming, it would either have to go around him or stop.  If they blew the horn at him, he'd give them a cussin'.  He used the road as his walkway.  It was a wonder he never got run over.  Many a time people had to just stop.  

Somebody else I spent a good many hours talking to was Mr. Gus Krause.  He could tell you a lot of interesting stories about happenings on the Island back in the late 1890s and early 1900s.  He was a very interesting old fellow to talk to.

I remember one day, we were talking and I was telling him about me and my buddies, little pals, and where we used to swim.  All of a sudden he got just as excited and said, "That was our swimming hole!"  It was the same place he and his buddies used to go swimming; about fifty or sixty years before me and my buddies.  Mr. Gus and his pals and me and my pals...same place, same happening.    Hearing him talk about it made it seem like we could have all been there together.

It was Mr. Gus Krause's older brother, Mr. Henry Krause, who told me one time about the Sicily Island hills.  He said many people didn't know it but a lot of people used to have camps and lived in those hills.

People from around Waterproof, St. Joseph, Newellton, Tallulah, Vidalia, Ferriday and all that low country had an idea back in those days that the low areas gave them the yellow fever.  It could have had something to do with it.  The mosquitoes were worse in those low areas than they were in the hills.   People had these camps in the Sicily Island hills and would move here in the spring and summer.  He even said there was a girls' academy out in those hills at one time back years and years ago.

Mr. Henry told me there were more people living here on the Island in the late 1800s than there are living here now (1991).  It was thickly populated.  Much more populated than in present times.

Gotleib Krause tombstone

There were four Krause brothers; Albert, Henry, Gus and Oscar.  Albert died at a very young age.  Their father was named Gotleib Krause.  He was from Germany.  He'd been over here, living here, when the Civil War broke out and he was in the Confederate Army.  His wife, Mrs. Caroline, was from New Orleans.  She was German.  All three of those brothers were good story tellers.  Had good memories.  They were all interesting to talk to.

Caroline Therisia Herzer Krause

If they were living today (1991), the youngest one, Mr. Oscar, would be over 100.  I expect Mr. Henry would be close to 110, Mr. Gus about 106 or 107 and Mr. Oscar about 103 or 104 years old.  They also had sisters.  One was named Lina and one was named Gertrude and one was named Katie.  The three boys lived here on the Island all of their lives.  Mr. Oscar adopted a son, Ben Westerburg.  Mr. Gus had a daughter, Augusta Taliaferro.  Mr. Henry had three boys; Markham, Albert Earl and Freddy.  Markham and Albert Earl are still alive and living on the Island today.

Albert Earl Krause, Sr.

Mr. Henry had a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Markham didn't have any children.  Freddy, the youngest of Mr. Henry's sons, had a couple of girls.

His son, Albert Earl, had three boys and three girls.  They all had children and some of their children have had children.  That's where the Krause family is marching on; through Mr. Henry's son, Albert Earl. 

My grandfather captured the 50th wedding anniversary of Henry and Earle York Krause on film.  The video can be viewed by going to the "Old SI Videos" Tab and clicking on the last video at the bottom on the left side of the page.  (There is a time delay at the beginning of the video)



Note:  Parts 1-9 of 'The Stories That Should Be Told' can be found in the Tags List on the right-hand side of the blog.

Military Monday ~ William Wesley Kendrick

William Wesley Kendrick

Born on March 3, 1919

Died on August 3, 1942

Apprentice Seaman, United States Navy, WWII

Missing in Action or Buried at Sea

Memorial Tombstone in Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing Monument

East Coast Memorial

Battery Park, New York City, New York

 From the United States Navy Casualties Books:

Apprentice Seaman William Wesley Kendrick served our country in World War II on the USS Leonard Wood.