Lauren C. Post

Cajun Sketches: From the Prairies of Southwest Louisiana by Lauren C. Post (1962), 1st edition hardcover (with jacket), 215 pages.

I first found and purchased a 1974 hardcover edition (no jacket) at Goodwill for $2.99 on 3/2/2021, which I read and passed forward back to Goodwill because I ended up ordering a 1962 1st edition hardcover (with jacket) from Abebooks.com (see below).

VALUE: 9/7/2023 - Ordered 1962 1st edition hardcover (with jacket) for $15.00 plus S&H and tax ($20.78) from Abebooks.com for my home library. This book is becoming more rare and valuable for any Cajun. Today, Amazon sells the newest paperback, printed in 1990, for $65.70.

Originally published in 1962. This is truly just a sketch of little tidbits of life in Cajun country back in time in the 1930's. The author doesn't really get too deep on any one subject, just enough to keep you moving along. It's sad that the days of neighborly camaraderie as expressed in this book are long gone. Sure, I know many of my neighbors, and when they drive by, our hands go up. And when I drive by, I honk and we wave. But, that's about the extent of it. Our neighborhood has a Facebook group where a few people keep up with what's going on in the neighborhood, but have never met and probably never will. Anyway, I'm no longer on Facebook at all, so I don't even know the gossip going on in this neighborhood. Is it about me now?....lol...just kidding.

There are quite a few photographs from the 1930's included in this book, along with a few family names if you are into genealogy. Unfortunately, none of my LeBlanc or Broussard ancestors are talked about or pictured. But, there are great photos of these individuals:
-Oneziphore Guidry
-Anatole Thibodeaux
-Warren Arceneaux
-Jake Lockley and his homemade creole chairs with the rawhide seats
-Madame Benoit (whose daughter is Adolphina) with her spinning wheel and homemade loom
-Sidney Arceneaux, the prairie butcher
-The Rayne-Bo Ramblers band (Eric Arceneaux, Louis Arceneaux and Leroy "Happy Fats" LeBlanc)
-Joseph Falcon (the 1st Acadian accordion player), his wife Cleoma (Breaux) Falcon and their daughter, Lulubelle
-Ray Babineaux

If you are related to any of these people, you might want to consider purchasing a copy.

MY PERSONAL NOTES FROM BOOK BELOW

CATTLE BRANDS

My 4th great-grandfather, Amand Broussard (b. abt 1754 in Acadia- d. Jan 8, 1818 in La Fausse Pointe, Louisiana), was a cattle rancher. Several years ago, I did locate and order a photocopy of his 1770 cattle brand from the Stephens Memorial Library of the University of Southwestern Louisiana. It was located in the old (unpublished) book, "Brand Book for the Districts of Opelousas and Attakapas, 1760-1888". According to this author, some family's descendents who continued in cattle ranching also continued to use their ancestors brand over the years. These records would be recorded in the new book called "Louisiana Brand Book, 1955".

RESEARCH:

Did Amand Broussard have any sons who carried on the cattle business? And did they keep and use his brand? Check to see if my local library has this book and if his brand is shown under any Broussard name. It's not likey that a son-in-law would have acquired the Broussard cattle brand. He would most likely have had to register his own brand.

LIST OF PLANTS IN A TYPICAL CAJUN GARDEN:
- Okra
- Butterbeans
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
- Popcorn
- Sweet potatoes
- Peanuts*

*My dad was born in 1930. He was about 8 or 9 years old, and living in Port Acres, when he remembers his neighbor and friend roasting peanuts to sell in a manual turn-style cement mixer with a fire set under it.

TYPICAL FLOWERS GROWN BY CAJUNS:
- Violets lined walkways
- Jasmine on either side of walk
- Cherokee rose as hedges

THE CHINABERRY TREE:

A "beautiful" tree that bloomed little 5-star lavender colored flower petals in spring. A fast grower and was an awesome shade tree, 30-50 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It was occasionally topped to provide firewood for the winter and left to regrow. Funny thing is I have never, ever seen a real Chinaberry tree in my life.

Today, in the state of Texas at least, the Chinaberry tree is considered very invasive. Little trees constantly sprout from the roots and, they say can create dense thickets that crowd out native plants. This just sounds very similar to the crepe myrtle that has to constantly be trimmed up. Also, according to the Texas Invasive Institute website online, bees and butterflies don't pollinate these flowers, for some unknown reason, and the leaf litter that drops to the ground changes the nitrogen, aluminum and alkaline levels of the soil.

You can still purchase these Chinaberry tree saplings and/or the seeds online, but probably not in the state of Texas.… (meer)