Originally published in 1931, Old Families of Louisiana was compiled in response to a demand for a comprehensive series of genealogical records of the foundation families of the state--families whose ancestors settled with Bienville in New Orleans at the time the famous old city was laid out in the crescent bend of the Mississippi River. This book also answers the call for information on those who came to Louisiana when the golden lilies of France, the castellated banner of Spain, the Union Jack of Great Britain, or the flag of fifteen stars and fifteen stripes waved over the land.During the compilation of the original data it became apparent that the present book would be greatly augmented in interest and value by the addition of genealogical records of other prominent foundation families besides the French and Spanish. For this reason, information was included on the English, Scottish, and Irish lineages whose representatives now form an integral part of the present-day population of Louisiana.In the seventy years since its first publication, Old Families of Louisiana has exceeded the original scope intended. In order to set a limit to its range, it was agreed that only those families settling in Louisiana before and up to the time of the beginning of the American domination in 1803 should be included. Old Families of Louisiana traces the genealogy of such traditional Louisiana families as Fortier, Claiborne, Kenner, Percy, Wiltz, Chalmette, Landry, Derbigny, Butler, St. Martin, and Wilkinson.

A register of French Americans in Mobile, Ala.

The Favrot family is among the most venerable in Louisiana, with a continuous presence there dating to 1728. From the French colonial period, through four decades of Spanish colonial rule, followed by U.S. statehood, secession, and the Civil War, and ultimately into the modern era, the Favrots have remained influential. The family's story offers a lens through which to view the complex and often-turbulent history of Louisiana. This book traces the story of eight generations of the Favrot family, with a focus on the direct line from Joseph-Claude to Henri Mortimer, Jr. The narrative is based in large parts on material from the Favrot Family Papers, which are housed at Tulane University's Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. From that foundation, the book places the family's personal experiences and observations into the broader context of Louisiana history.

Forest Hill boasts one of the largest nursery industries in the country, despite its tiny population. In the early days, the community was a summer retreat for plantation owners. The lumber industry rolled into town with the railroad, which eased the transportation of virgin timber. By 1901, the nurseries had emerged after Samuel Stokes began selling a variety of plants from his woods. Today, more than two hundred nurseries are in operation, many by the families who founded them. Author Chere Dastugue Coen reveals the deep roots of this horticultural hub.

In the tradition of the modern classics The Tender Bar and The Liars’ Club, Blaine Lourd writes a powerful Gothic memoir set in the bayous and oil towns of 1970s Louisiana. In this rags-to-riches memoir of finding your way and becoming a man, Blaine Lourd renders his childhood in rural Louisiana­ with his larger-than-life father, Harvey “Puffer” Lourd, Jr., a charismatic salesman during the exploding 1980s awl bidness. From cleaning a duck to drinking a beer, Puffer guides Blaine through the twists and turns of growing up, ultimately pointing him to a poignant truth: sometimes those you love the most can inflict the most pain. Set against a lush landscape of magnolia trees and majestic old homes, haunted swamps and swimming holes filled with wildlife, Lourd gets to the heart of being a Southerner with rawness and grace, beautifully detailing what it means to have a place so ingrained in your being. Just as the timeless memoirs All Over but the Shoutin’ and The Liar’s Club evoke the muggy air of a Southern summer and barrels of steaming crawfish, so does Blaine’s contemporary exploration of what it means to find yourself among the bayous and back roads. Charting his journey from his rural home to working the star-studded streets of Los Angeles as a financial advisor to the rich and famous, Blaine’s story is about the complicated path to success and identity. With witty grace and candid prose, he pays homage to family bonds, unwavering loyalty, and deep roots that cannot be severed, no matter how hard you try.

The Bringiers were among Louisiana's most prominent families during most of the 19th century. Though bits and pieces about the family and their many plantations frequently appear in studies on antebellum Louisiana and the Old South, Creole Genesis: The Bringier Family and Antebellum Plantation Life in Louisiana tells--for the first time--the story of three generations of the Bringiers, from their rise to prominence during Spanish regime until their fall after the Civil War.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a dramatic historical novel of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives. “An absorbing historical . . . enthralling.”—Library Journal Bestselling author Lisa Wingate brings to life startling stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as newly freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold away. Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous era of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Hannie, a freed slave; Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now destitute plantation; and Juneau Jane, Lavinia’s Creole half sister. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following roads rife with vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of stolen inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage west reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope. Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt—until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, is suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled live oaks and run-down plantation homes lie the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.

From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be. When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana's and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.) Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.