Mémère Elia Guillory

Mémère was from L'Anse Grise.  She couldn't speak English.  She taught Dad how to count to ten and that was it.  That's basically all she knew.

She was related to St. Denis:

Louis Juchereau de St. Denis married Emmanuela Sanchez de Navarro

Marie des Neiges Juchereau married Louis Antonio DeSoto

Marie DeSoto married Joachim Ortego

Marie Mathilde Ortego married Philippe Fontenot

Philippe Fontenot married Marie Doralise Guillory

Marie Azelie Fontenot married Henri Guillory

Aurelien Guillory married Onezia Deshotels

Elia Guillory married Adan Hébert

Roland Hébert married Calvalene Guillory

They moved around, Dad said, when he was young.  They lived in L'Anse Jeansonne, Caney Creek, L'Anse Grise and Ville Platte.  They moved to Ville Platte when they were too old to live in the country and Dad graduated from Ville Platte High.

Dad and Mémère in Ville Platte.

Mémère died in 1969 so we didn't know her.  She had no Acadian ancestry, same as Pépère Adan, and they called themselves Créoles.  It's all a matter of what people call you and what you call yourself.  They spoke French, called themselves Créoles and their neighbors and friends did the same.  Dad did all that family history research and learned they didn't have any Acadian ancestry. They had no idea.  They just knew they were Créoles.  Mom has our Acadian ancestry.  But her grandparents also called themselves Créoles.