Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog

Women's Mardi Gras getting established;
The women running with the men;
Structure and rules;
Community reaction to women's group;
Pranks;
Making suits - needle point masks;
Making the Gumbo the new way and the old way;
How they made their costumes.

Talking about the women's Mardi Gras;
Catching and chasing the chicken complaint;
Planning the route ahead of time;
Being accepted or rejected at a house;
Running at the Jean Laffite Center in New Orleans;
What is special about the Iota Mardi Gras;
What they thought about the Mardi Gras as a child;
Festival in Iota Mardi Gras day;
Money collected on the Mardi Gras run.

What they used money for and what they did when they ran out of money;
Explanation of the coupon system when they had their grocery store;
Cost of living;
Mardi Gras being Paillasse (being a clown);
The gumbo after the Mardi Gras Run;
House Dances;
Fais do do;
Changes in the language from generation to generation;
The differences between the Iota Mardi Gras and the other areas;
Roughness of the Mardi Gras.

Layout of the houses;
Outsiders coming into house dances;
What they did to pass their time during the week;
Funerals, wakes, and burying the dead;
Decorating the graves;
Doctors, medicine and midwives;
Family genealogy of Lejeune to Young;
Cutting and threshing rice;

00:00:15 - Story about her grandma and her two sisters taking a train from Crowley to Texas; She had to watch the clock so they wouldn't miss the train; She was 16; Her grandfather was sick; He died in his seventies;
00:04:35 - Her grandfather was a soldier in the Civil War; They would ride horses to Texas and bring cows back to feed other soldiers; Her grandparents were buried in Church Point; One grandma was 100 when she died and the other was in her 80s; Her mother was 71 and father was 84 when they died;
00:08:30 - Her grandma had 3 children and broke her leg; Raised 10 children with a bad leg; They called her Maman Croche; She would get the paper from Canada and pick out her kids names from there;
00:11:45 - Her husband, Ernest, passed away in 1993; She says to live long you need to work hard, make a lot of vegetables, and eat a lot of vegetables;
00:15:00 - A lady died across the street from them right after they moved; Stories;
00:19:15 - People thought is was wrong for her to work in the field;
00:21:00 - They talk about sending and receiving cards;
00:23:20 - Madame(?); She was a Blanchard; Story about her and her husband; She donated land to the church; They would go to church in Church Point;
00:29:25 - Henry Walker; L'anse Chaoui;
00:30:30 - It would take 4 hours to go from their house to visit; A lot of their family lost their land during the depression;
00:33:55 - They got electricity in 1948; Myrtle was in college and would complain that she couldn't see when she came home, but she didn't understand until they got electricity too;
00:35:03 - Grocery store; They didn't sell milk;

00:00:30 - Plantations; She went with her husband Sam to visit the plantation; Sam wanted to restore the plantation; During the 1930s before the war;
00:04:45 - Other sugar plantations were indebted to the banks; Foreclosures; The Burguieres still owned their plantation;
00:05:55 - When they would visit, Uncle Jules would have them over for dinner and they would visit; They would take a Greyhound bus to get there because they didn't have a car;
00:07:40 - Jules Burguieres II graduated with her father from Tulane; He was in his 50s when she knew him; He wasn't friendly; He wasn't married;
00:09:10 - In the old days, he had a lot more help: cooks, maids, yard workers, chauffeurs, etc.; They couldn't pay black workers in the 1930s during the depression;
00:11:00 - Black workers lived on the plantation; Credit accounts with the company store; Black and white children played together; Patout's children; Jules lived in the main house;
00:14:00 - Dennis, Philip's grandfather, built the big house; Some of the family moved to New Orleans and were interested in "fancy social life"; The other brothers stayed in the country and weren't interested in that;
00:15:40 - She had an old black women who worked for her family; She tells a story about this lady;
00:18:50 - Donna mentions Leroy Yiggins;
00:20:00 - Jules II lived at Cypremort; Sam lived at North Bend; In 1911, Pat and Henry both got married and bought North Bend and Midway plantations; Florence and Inez where other plantations; Mr. Brown lived in a house at Florence and ran it;
00:22:00 - Pat and Henry were overseers;
00:23:00 - They might have had slaves before but not after they started the business in 1877; She never heard anything about the Burguieres in relation to slavery but she assumes they had slaves back in the day;
00:24:45 - Florence was Jules' daughter; Nobody knows what happened to her; She was in an institution up north; She was buried with the rest of the family; The family never discussed it;
00:26:10 - Joseph Eugene; He died in 1911; He was very smart; He was in charge of Pat and Henry when their father died; He married a girl who died in childbirth and he died a few weeks later of a ruptured appendix;
00:28:00 - Charles Patout (They called him Patout); Joseph was in charge until they came of age; The company became incorporated so people could have shares; After Henry and Patout graduated high school, they went to Europe; Book keeping school; They invested some of their money in their brother's sugar company;
00:33:10 - Jules came back from Florida and took over; Troubles with their stocks belonging to Whitney Bank;
00:34:20 - Board meetings; Sam gave her stock in exchange for taking notes at the board meetings;
00:35:50 - Lawsuit with Gregory; Letters;
00:38:30 - Gregory worked offshore and wrote letters to the company every night; 7 suits; Donald Doyle was the lawyer;
00:40:40 - The files went to J.K. Burns; He was the auditor and on the board; The transcription from the lawsuit contains the whole company history;
00:42:50 - Mrs. Pollaine (?) took over for Gregory; Always voted against things;
00:44:00 - Lee Lakey (?); Doc Pollaine;
00:45:40 - Patout's granddaughter is married to Leefe who was on the board;
00:46:50 - Ida Broussard was the sister or cousin of Dennis' wife, Elise Broussard; They called her Cousin Ida;
00:48:15 - They stayed at a hotel called White Castle for their honeymoon; Her father was an accountant; His father was a doctor; He worked for the Cypress Lumber Company and met her mother; She was one of the pioneer stenographers in New Orleans; Worked for a company that made printing machines for newspapers; He had a heart attack but he went back to work after;

00:00:15 - Introduction; Interview with Ms. Iona Bourg at the Cornerstone Retirement Community in Lafayette, LA;
00:00:40 - Iona Marie Bourg; She has never been married; She worked secretary, book keeping, and accounting jobs her whole life;
00:01:30 - She worked for the Caffery's in Franklin, LA; Sugarcane plantation in Columbia between Baldwin and Franklin;
00:02:35 - Her father was Gerson Paul Bourg (G.P. was his nickname) and her mother was Ellen Boudreaux; They lived in Lafourche parish; She was born in Baldwin in 1915 (she is 89 during this interview);
00:04:30 - Working; She had four years of accounting classes in high school, then went to USL to study book keeping and tax work; She learned a lot more through work experience;
00:06:35 - Her dad worked at the dairy in Baldwin and at Oche's (?) grocery store; Her father knew book keeping; She was two when they moved to Florence plantation; Her father did book keeping and payroll for the plantation and the store; Her and a siblings helped her father in the store;
00:08:55 - Florence is 3 miles from Louisa; Her brother managed the store at Louisa plantation;
00:10:20 - Building St. Helen's church; No air conditioning or heat; Fasting from midnight until after mass;
00:11:30 - Dennis Burguiere was married to Alice Broussard; Alice was a recluse and went to mass everyday; Trying to figure out which house Alice lived in;
00:15:40 - They moved one of the plantation houses by barge next to the ex-governer's house; She worked 7 years in the Caffery's office and never went inside that house;
00:18:00 - She played paper dolls on the front porch of the Florence house; They would make paper dolls out of the Sears catalog; Millie Miller was her playmate (She got married to Lawrence Simon from New Iberia); Millie's sister Betty would bring them expired patterns from Wormser's in Franklin;
00:19:30 - She lived across the bayou from the quarters and the plantation; The house and store were next to each other; The Burguieres owned it all; They were surrounded by sugarcane;
00:21:22 - Her sister played the organ and she sang in the choir at St. Helen's church; Playing at funerals; Poor people couldn't afford flowers so they used narcissus flowers;
00:22:05 - The quarters was where the black people lived at Florences; 10-12 small houses;
00:23:00 - They had a huge fig tree in their yard that she would climb; She was a tomboy; Her sister took piano lessons for 7 years from a woman in Franklin; She was always outside;
00:23:35 - Her mom would make fig preserves and they would eat fresh figs for breakfast; Her father had a beautiful garden; He planted artichoke; He was an excellent cook; Her mom did all the sewing, so she never learned how to cook; Her dad taught her mom how to cook;
00:25:30 - He cooked smothered okra, chicken okra gumbo (he never put sausage in gumbo), bread dressing with oysters; He probably got fresh oysters from Cypremort point; He also cooked butter beans with chicken, eggplant and chicken, fish courtbouillon, crabs;
00:29:25 - They would go crabbing at Cypremort Point; They'd go swimming at Côte Blanche; It would have made a beautiful resort; It had trees and bluffs and the water was salty; She liked it better than Cypremort Point; Her brother and his friend from Lafayette ran a restaurant out there;
00:32:00 - The Intercoastal Canal; The store burned down and they moved to Baldwin;
00:34:10 - The early days of the store at Florence; One side had groceries (canned goods, lard, cheese, etc.) and the other side was dry goods (material, thread, sewing materials etc.);
00:36:20 - In the summer, all of the plantation kids would bring an egg to her dad in exchange for cream soda and animal cookies;
00:37:30 - Other white families on the plantation; Mr. Byrd Miller, Mr. Robert Brown, Mr. Tommy Stroud;
00:39:50 - Only the black families lived in the quarters; The Rollins' were a white family that lived near the quarters;
00:41:00 - Hurricane when she was a girl; They were in the eye of the storm; It damaged the houses in the quarters; An older woman died;
00:42:25 - She would talk to the black people on the plantation; There were about 20 black families living at the plantation; Some of the children would leave the plantation and others would stay and work in the fields;
00:44:20 - She went to grammar school at Glenco; Mr. Compton Frère was the principal; Mr. John Caffery's wife Mary was a Frère; He was a good teacher;
00:46:40 - The black children didn't go to the same school at that time; There was another school in Baldwin called Sager-Brown Orphanage;
00:48:00 - Martha Chapron Boudreaux's book about Baldwin; They finished school together in 1932; She went to Franklin High School, which was 25 miles away from her house; They starting having buses the year she started school;
00:50:30 - The Miller's lived at Florence; His daughter was Millie; Fig trees and Chinaberry trees;
00:52:00 - Mr. Jules Burguiere came from New Orleans to take over after Mr. Dennis died; He lived at Louisa; She doesn't think he ever got married;
00:53:00 - The store; They would take grocery costs out of their pay at the end of every week; He would pay the bills; Kerosene lamp;
00:55:30 - Hearing frogs at night; Mosquitoes; She got tropical malaria when she was a teenager; 105 fever; Dr. Pharr from Weeks Island treated her; It stays dormant in your spleen; It affected her memory;
00:59:20 - They would go see Dr. Pharr at Weeks Island; She was driving when she was 12 years old; He moved to New Iberia;
01:00:20 - Midwifes would help with delivery; If anyone had issues, they were taken to the doctor; Story about a black couple on the plantation and the wife was dying of pneumonia; She has a vivid memory of this experience from when she was 12-13 years old;
01:01:50 - They had a black church with a cemetery; She can't remember where it was located;
01:03:40 - She taught literacy classes when she was a teenager during the depression; Teaching people how to sign their names;
01:05:50 - Jerry's brother Malcolm (Macky) and his wife Peggy help Leroy (Yiggins) out; They live in Berwick; Louisa plantation;
01:07:50 - Jerry's father worked at the store at Louisa; Jerry was born there;
01:08:50 - Looking at old photographs;

Storytellers;
Copy of AN1.083;

Rose;
Il fut un temps;
Il était un beau jour d'été;
C'est dur aimer;
Deux careurs jadis;
Le flambeau d'amour;
La haut l'amour dedans ces bois;
Malbrough s'en va-t'en guerre;
Mon aimable catin;
Madelon;

Cadet Rouselle - segment;
Le cavalier et le bergère;
L'oiseau et le nid; (Laforte : Kb-3)
J'amais je t'oublierai;
Cadet Roussell;
Bonsoir Nina;
Les amants chasseurs;
En allant à la chasse;
La petite fille;
L'Exile;
L'Abondonnée;
Le marin breton;
La belle maîtresse;

L'enfant;
Marguerite;
Beau Chevalier;
Cadet Rouselle;
Le soldat condamner;
Dedans ces bois;
??
Helene;
La belle endormie;
La fille du roi;

Song Fragment;
Le jour de l'Ascension;
Rossignole sauvage;
Assise sur un rocher sauvage;
La chanson de mariage;
La chanson de mariage;
J'aime mieux la mienne;
Il me faut d'un amant;
Le cher amant est arrivé;
Elle est partie, ma bien aimée;
Unnamed;
Ma pauvre vielle;
Le pecheur s'echappe à la mort;

Sur le bord du l'eau;
Mademoiselle Amelie;
Mon père m'a donné un petit mari;
Mes amis à la table ronde;
Vive le vin;
Oh! belle dans ton jardin, il y a des jolies roses;
Il y a mes trois camarades qui s'en vienned bien désolés;
Travailler c'est trop dur;
Une jolie blonde;
On a partie de pieds jolis;
Je les ai toute rencontre;
Qui ma tout fait depenser mon or et mon argent;
La cravate;
Quand ils ont coupé le vieux arbre de pin;
J'ai passé devant ta porte;
La chanson de ma jolie maîtresse;
Un paquet d'épingles;
Beni Garcon;

Onedius Morvant; (Abbeville, LA); August 1956

Mademoiselle Emelie;
C'est par un beau lundi;
La chanson de ma jolie maîtresse;
Triste Louisianne (C'est l'amour qui m'a seduit le Coeur)

Mrs. Gutekunst; (St. Martinville, LA); October 1956
Mon chère cousin, mon chère cousine;
Il ma parti;
Bien encore;
Our hands are clasped forever;
Les jours de fete;

Elie " Lula" Landry; (Abbeville, LA); October 1956 Age 45
La chanson de marriage;
Alouette;

Mme. Onedius Morvant;
Jean Grand Galet;

Jimmy Morvant; (age 10);
Je veux marier, mais les vielles ne veulent pas;

Elie "Lula" Landry;
Quelle petite homme;
Les filles de Vermillion;

First side of tape ends here.

I'm Glad I Made You Cry;
Malbrough se va t'en guerre

(Elie Landry's mother) Catahoula, LA September 1956

Jean Boudreaux; (age 14);
Je croyais que s'amuser;

Jimmy Boudreaux; (age 10)
La fille de la ville;
J'ai demandé à ton père pour te marier;
Mon bon vieux mari;

October 1956; David Couvert; (age 15);
La cravate;

Ramond Corville; (age 12);
Les maringouins ont tous mangé ma belle ;

Denis Corville; (age 10);
Fais do-do;

Dino Boudreaux; (age 28);
Saute Crapaud;

Mme. Alexis LeBeau; April 1957; New Roads, LA
J'ai perdu ma fille;
Un petit bonhomme pas plus gros qu'un rat;
Au bord de la fontaine;
L'enfant comique;
Fais dodo, Minette;
Ma paurvre soldat unfortuné;

Mrs. Newman; May 1957; Baton Rouge, LA
Le ferron;
So You Have Come Back To Me;
Go round and round the village;
This is the way we wash our clothes;
"Lil gal, lil gal, Yes Mam";
Who's been here since I've been gone?;

Caroline Durrieux; April 1957; Baton Rouge, LA (15:45)
Ah Suzette chère;
Tant patate la cuite;
Aye, yai, yai, Caroline;
Toucoutou;
Danser Calinda
Doux, doux Solangé;
Nous n'irons plus aux bois;
Camagnon de la Marjolaine;

Gilbert Martin; April 1957; New Roads, LA; (22:10)
Tombeau, tombeau, Marie-Madeleine;
Pour un bout de temps de rose ma mie l'est m'a laisse;
Chèrie, attendie qu'il adore;
Renvoyez Saint Jean Baptiste;

Gilbert Martin; Age 69;

Achille Guerin;
Les jours de ma mort;
A la mort;

Marcellise Martin; Age 72;
Voici l'Agneau si doux;
A la mort;

Martin Smith; Age 74;
J'ai entendu la cloche du ciel qui assonnait dans Paradis;
Donnez-moi du temps pour
pénitence;

Gilbert Martin; Age 69;
La Vierge Marie;

Groupe; Ages 69-74
Lancez mes frères;
Priez Dieu dans une bonne prière;

Marcellise Martin; Age 74;
C'est Clavice quie cherchait son fidèle;
Belle tiniage;

Groupe; Ages 69-74;
Venez dit la prière;
Un bon crétienne

Jean-Paul Davide; Age 86; March 1958; New Roads, LA;
Le prisonnier évadé en habit de fille;
L'amour dans le coeur;
La fille d'un jardinier;
Adie de la mariée à ses parents;
Bouki et lapin apres fouiller;
Le petit mari;
Le flambeau d'amour;
Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre;
Joli tambour;
Le repas de noces chez le Capitaine;
Bernard;
La fille-matelot;

Henry Pascalin; Age 50;
La fille-matelot;
Amusez-vous, fillettes;

Jean-Paul Davide;
La marquise empoisonée;

Henry Pascalin;
Oh, grand Dieu, que je suis à mon aise;
Mon bon vieux mari;

Pierre Landry (Age 65); Terry Clément (Age 21); Paul Landry (Age 18) and John Clément (Age 16);
La chanson de Mardi Gras;
Gabrielle;
Jolie blonde;
Allons à Lafayette;

Henry Carter; Age 20; Waterproof, LA;
Avec mi Marie;
Way down in Columbus, Georgia;
Grand Mamou;

Nicholas Augustin Panique; Age 83; Leonville, LA;
Dans un brigatoire;
Dans un jardin solitaire;
Marie Madeleine laissez-moi passer;
Mon Dieu, faites-moi la grace;
Mouri, mouri, l'enfant de Dieu;
Allelujah, carme s'en va;
Mon Dieu, faites-moi la grace;
Tombeau, tombeau, Marie-Madeleine;
I gotta go all the way to Judgement by myself;
Mouri, mouri, l'enfant de Dieu;
Priez mes enfants;

Marie Blanchard; Age 83; June 1958; Leonville, LA;
Fais-do-do;
Lord, I'll Stay on Grieving;
Ah oui, Clément tu m'as mariée;
Tiné, t'as volé mon cochon;

Wallace "Cheese" Reed; Age 48; May 1957; Mamou, LA;
Allons danser, Calinda;

Mrs. Odéus Guillory; Age 55; May 1957; Mamou, LA;
Tu peux cogner, mais tu peux pas renter;

Chuck Guillory, Wallace "Cheese" Reed; Cyprien Landreaux, and Mrs. R. Frugé; Mamou, LA; May 1957;
Grand Texas;

Chuck Guillory and Wallace "Cheese" Reed;
Contre-danse Anglaise;
Contre-danse de Mamou;
T'es petite et t'es mignonne;

Dupree Guillory and Mrs. Odéus Guillory;
Mardi Gras;
Orchestre;
La valse de Meche;

Mrs. Rodney Frugé & M. Augustine;
La patate chaud;

Wallace "Cheese" Reed;
Je cherche partout;

Isom J. Fontenot;
Saute Crapaud, ta que va pousser;