The purpose of this blog is to share the histories, families, customs and cultures of Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish and other areas in Louisiana. Though the majority of my postings will be centered around the village of Sicily Island, I will also be incorporating other communities in the parish of Catahoula and the state of Louisiana.
The Beginning of My Remembrance
Contact info:
rootsfromthebayou@gmail.com
My other blogs:
Pathway to Remembrance - Capturing and sharing my maternal and paternal family histories. There is no death in remembrance.
Copyright Notice:
This blog is copyrighted and owned by D.E.B. All rights are reserved. No portion of the content may be directly or indirectly
copied, published, reproduced, modified, performed, displayed, sold,
transmitted, published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or
redistributed in any medium without express written permission from the owner. Nor may any portion of the content be stored
in a computer or distributed over any network or the Internet without express
written permission from the owner.
Disclosure Policy
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact rootsfromthebayou@gmail.com. This blog does not accept any form of advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. However, I may be influenced by my background, occupation, religion, political affiliation or experience. The owner of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner's. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
(This policy is valid from 01 April 2013)
Totally enjoy your blogspot. I lived in Louisiana during my impressionable years. Even though I a 1000's of miles away,still long for it.
ReplyDeletePatti
Thank you for your comment, Patti. Glad you are enjoying my blog. While I don't live as far away from Louisiana as you, I completely understand the longing.
DeleteHey Deb, Love what you've done with your blog. I was going to let you know Aunt Juanita is still living. Aunt Mary passed away September, 2012 m. to Andrew Angelle, he died in 1992. Anyway, I didn't know if you wanted to make the correction, or not. I love looking at all the old pictures...it brings back such happy and cherished memories. Let me know if you head south this spring. Hope to see you soon. Gayle
ReplyDeleteGayle, Thank you for the information. The post has been updated. Let me know if you see any other information that needs to be corrected. Thanks again for allowing me to use some of your photographs. Still planning a spring trip south. Will keep you posted on dates.
DeleteI am the widow of the great grandson of William Lego Ditto. I have many documents precivil war pertaining to the civil war and actually have the document selecting him to the legislature in 1859 to the legislature by officials in Catahoula Parrish. I am looking for a good home for these documents. Please contact me at tudeditto@aol.com.
ReplyDeleteMary Ditto
You might consider the Prescott Memorial Library at Louisiana. The Library is a U.S. Government Documents Regional Depository, one of only fifty-three in the nation, a U.S. Map Depository, and a State of Louisiana Documents Depository.
ReplyDeleteI feel certain they would be interested in your documents and would take great care of them.
Paul, I was thinking along the lines of the digital collections at LSU/Library of Congress and had not even considered the Louisiana Tech library. I appreciate you sharing this great information! I'll drop Mary an email in case she doesn't see your comment.
Deletewhat a great website for SICILY ISLAND, enjoyed visiting this website...my ancestry, benjamin f. kendrick and wife mary parmelia warner lived there during the civil war, died around the later part of 1880's ...i have dates of death but no knowledge of their burial place..
ReplyDeleteshirley eskew hunt
August 04, 2013 at 4:00pm Pacific Time
ReplyDeleteI Enjoy reading your blog and finding out I am related more than i realized. John c Hardin is my gggg grandfather. I have been researching my family history and it is good to know maybe I found where he disappeared too. If you can, please give more info.
Thank you for reading my blog and for taking the time to comment. I'll check to see if I have additional information on the Hardin family and John C., specifically.
DeleteWishing you much success in your family research!
Love your site.
ReplyDeleteI graduated from Sicily Island In 1965. sisters were Helen and Catherine
Ronnie Nelson
Glad you enjoy the blog! Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to post a comment.
DeleteLove your blog. This is so interesting. My daughter just recently bought the Knott's home. I live in Arkansas and hope to eventually retire in the Sicily Island area. Thanks for information!
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving a comment. The Knotts home place is beautiful with all the pecan trees leading up to the house. I live in Arkansas now but Louisiana will always be home. I'm glad you like the blog. Best wishes to you and your daughter.
DeleteThank you so much for your site. I really enjoy reading the old stories and the more recent posts. The old videos bring back so many wonderful memories of my childhood in Sicily Island. I will continue to visit Roots from the Bayou regularly. Mike Higgins
ReplyDeleteHey Mike! Hope all is well with you and your family. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Glad you're enjoying the blog and happy to know you will continue to visit. I'm still going through my grandfather's old home movies and trying to cut snips out to post. So happy to have them and to know others are enjoying viewing them as much as I do!
DeleteI am the daughter of the late Jackie Ratcliffe, founder and president of the Historical and Genealogical Assn of MS. Among her belongings, I have found several papers related to the Seal family history including abstracts of Census Bureau data and numerous ancestry.com printouts. I would love to see this fall into the hands of someone interested in continuing her hard work. Does anyone know who could appreciate and benefit from this information. I would be happy to mail it to them. /s Sincerely, Vicki Parker (preferred email contact at vicki@hgdlawfirm.com)
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Lots of history!!!
ReplyDeleteSue Gambrell
Hi Sue, Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
DeleteAs D.E.B., you are still not telling us who you are, unless I missed something else identifying you elsewhere???
ReplyDeleteHi Captain Wendy, thank you for stopping by! Other than where I was born and raised, I chose to use my 'about me' section on Roots From The Bayou to provide links for visitors to learn more about me.
DeleteMy maternal & paternal family blog, Pathway to Remembrance, gives visitors the chance to learn about my family background.
How I got started in family research can be found in the linked blog post, The Beginning of My Remembrance.
My third blog, Photos and Footnotes, offers visitors the opportunity to learn even more about me through photographs and the stories often attached to each.
For any visitors who would like additional information about me or any of my blogs, I provide a contact email address above as well.
Thanks again for stopping by. Please drop me an email if you would like more information than is provided in the links above.
Deb
My mother was from Sicily Island. Her parents werw W.E. "Buck" Smith. They owned a grocery store and meat market there.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin is Dr. Billy Coney. My family visited there often. Loved to go to Norris Springs and the hills. Spent a lot of time on Lake Louie fishing as I grew older. This is an excellent site. Distantly related to the Pecks.
Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving a comment. I believe we are actually 3rd cousins once removed. Your great grandfather Francis Marion "Frank" Smith was a brother to my great-great grandmother, Virginia Smith Blackman. Always nice to connect in some way with cousins!
DeleteMY great grandfather Frank rode an old bull to town. My brother found this site and told me about it.. Cameron Coney was my uncle and Laura Harris was my aunt. Kay Smith Thomas is my aunt and Frances Smith Thurman is my first colusin. My Name is Gene Baudoin and I live in Natchitoches.
DeleteHi Gene,
DeleteGood to hear from you again! With the information you provided I can now say for sure that we are cousins. Distant....but still cousins. I hope you've had the chance to watch some of the old home movies on my YouTube channel (link can be found on the tab at the top titled 'Old SI Videos'). You should be able to find several clips of family members in my grandfathers old movies as well as those made by Mr. Sonny. Thanks again for visiting my blog and for leaving comments.
D.E.B., I watched all those movies on YOU TUBE. You said that Mr. Sonny made some of those movies. Was that Sonny Smith? He was my uncle. I do remember that he had a movie camera. I do recognize Jack's Liquor store. I knew that whole town area like the back of my hand. I would like to make a visit back there, but I do not think I have any relations living there any more. This a wonderful site. Gene
DeleteGene,
DeleteYes, the most recent ten or so videos added were from Mr. Sonny Smith's old home movies. He apparently gave out several copies to people years ago and a descendant of one of those people contacted me to ask if I'd like a copy. I try get 'home' at least once or twice a year (I grew up in the big white house that once sat behind the bank) but it is sad to see all the changes that have occurred over the years. I'm guessing that Billy (Coney) is probably your closest kin still living near Sicily Island.
D.E.B. My uncle Richard Smith and his then wife (Freda) adopted two children, Molly and John. I don't know where Molly is, but I was told John still lives there. I remember that white house behind the bank. It was across the street from where Mr. Cameron Coney had his business after he retired from teaching. Gene
DeleteJust wanted to thank you so much for this site. I am the granddaughter of Bertha McKay Pearson, the daughter of her son, William Carey Pearson. Was just so grateful to run across your blog and learn something of my family tree. This is about the 5th time I have typed this comment...it looks like I lose it everything I try to publish it! Just delete the extras if they actually saved I am going to see if you wrote anything about my grandfathers family...Abbott Pearson is his name.
ReplyDeleteHi and Welcome to my blog. I'm glad you were able to find information on your Pearson family. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I haven't researched the Pearson family yet but I will add them to my list of families. Hopefully you were able to find a couple of posts about Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Bertha from several months ago. Your cousin, Karen, provided lots of photographs and information. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteD.E.B,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I have corresponded with you, sorry to repeat, I am the GGGGrandson of Elisha Swift Blackman(mon). Just a foot note, but Elisha and Octavia are not buried in Oak Grove, my cousin C. W. (Woody) Eubanks put the head stones there. Sadly, we are not sure where they are buried.
Hi Jim,
DeleteI sent you an email. Let me know if you do not receive it. Thank you for the information. I have updated the Blackman post for accuracy.
I would love to be able to post a pic of my grandparents. Loma Dean Guice and Leona Hackney Guice. How can I do that?
ReplyDeleteI would be happy to include a photograph of your grandparents on the Guice post. I'll need you to email the photograph to the email address at the top of this page.
DeleteWanted to take a moment to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog. I'm a Weeks descendant also and your posts gave me quite a bit of information to add to my tree. Veloyce
ReplyDeleteHi Veloyce,
DeleteThank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Happy to hear that some of the Weeks information was helpful. I am not directly kin to the Weeks family. However, my brother is married to the granddaughter of James David Weeks, Sr.
Hi D.E.B. I really enjoy your blogs! I am descended from Thomas Hardin and Lucy Billups through John Calvin Hardin Jr.'s son Barry Baker, and I've been trying like the dickens to get the ancestry pinned down beyond Thomas and Lucy, specifically the paternal line. There seems to be a total lack of information regarding Thomas' parents and ancestors, so I was curious as to whether or not you had any more info going back in that direction. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are enjoying the blog. I have quite a few 'brick walls' in my research so I know the frustration. Unfortunately, the only information I have on the Hardin family is what is included in the post. If I come across any additional information I will be sure to update the post and leave you a comment as well. Good luck with your family research!
DeleteEnjoy your site. I am having trouble researching info on Martha "Mattie" Jane Mitchell. I found a mention of her on your site. She is my great grandmother. Limited information has stopped my search..wish I only had a photo or more info on her. Keep up the good work! Linda
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely loving this blog! My dad, (Fred Michael) Mike Chambless was born in Sicily Island, son of Fred Francis and Barbara Nell (Passman) Chambless. As a kid I remember going to Old Pine Cemetery every time we visited, and I knew where all the family was buried. I went to Vacation Bible School at the Methodist church there one year! Thank you so much for all the work you've put in here!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, glad you are enjoying the blog. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I believe we are actually 4th cousins 1x removed. Your great-great grandfather, Francis Marion Smith, was a brother to my great-great grandmother, Virginia "Jennie" Smith Blackman. Always nice to find new cousins! :-)
DeleteI was hiking along big creek in the si hills and found many relics left from the gravel mining railroad. Do you have anymore info
ReplyDeleteHi Skinner. Thank you for commenting. I don't have any additional information about the gravel mining railroad other than what has already been posted. If I come across anything else, I will let you know.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi D.E.B. I was getting worried about you. As I haven't seen many updates to your blog in a while.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Catahoula Parish and will be moving back in a few months.
I have enjoyed your Blog over the years and have found some of my family members on your site.
Have a Happy Memorial Day!
JMB
DEB, What a great amount of information. Thanks for all your hard work. I am a descendent of John Lovelace through his daughter Nancy, who married Michael Hooter. Happy New Year! R
ReplyDeleteHello D.E.B.--I am the grandson of Andrea Filpi, who emigrated from Sicily somewhere around 1890. I have been unable to obtain an immigration records from the government but believe that he entered the US through New Orleans. I had heard that before he moved to Chicago (prior to 1900) he had settled in Catahoula, La. Recently, I came across an Ancestry teaser that indicated that he resided in Sicily Island, La. I imagine that his brother Guiseppe also resided there for a while. Does anyone have any records about Adrea and/or Guisepe Filpi in Sicily Island. --Bob
ReplyDelete