PRESIDENT’S CORNER
It’s official: Families
participating in Congrès Mondial Acadien-Louisiane 1999 will
have first crack at buying tickets for the final concert (
CMA closing), CRI DU BAYOU, to be held on August 15, 1999, in the
Cajundome. Tickets will not go on sale to the general public
until July 5. This will allow the Hébert families who want
to sit together to buy tickets during the month of June for the concert.
If this finale is
anything like the 1994 final concert in New Brunswick, it will be spectacular!!
Zachary Richard, who was master of ceremonies then, will again MC this
finale. Joining Zachary will be Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Steve Riley
and the Mamou Playboys, Balfa Toujours with Bois-Sec Ardoin, Geno Delafose
and French Rocking Boogie, Suroît, Blou, and Feufollet.
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A lottery was held
on April 22 at 2 p.m. to assign sections in the Cajundome to families.
Now that section 222 (located on the second deck, the first section above
the ground floor— see diagram on left) has been assigned to the Hebert
Family, tickets can be purchased individually or by groups at the Cajundome
only. Cost per ticket will be $24.00. Tickets
can be purchased beginning June 1, by phone (318-265-2100) with a credit
card or by mail (444 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70506) with personal
checks. If you are going to be in or around Lafayette on the final day
of Congrés Mondial, then surely you want to be at grand
finale concert. |
* * * * * * * * *
Jambalaya Fund Raiser Report: Net:
$2,088.82
Sponsors of the 1999 Hébert Reunion
(*New Additions*)
Fred Broussard Plumbing- -Maurice
Paul Hébert, Attorney at
Law- -Lafayette
Shucks, “The Louisiana Seafood
House”- -Abbeville
Vermilion Chemical & Janitorial
Sup.- -Abbeville
Robie’s Food Center- -Abbeville
Hébert’s Specialty Meats,
L.L.C- -Maurice. |
Wayne Hébert, State Farm
Insurance- -Abbeville
Larry Hébert’s Super Foods-
-Kaplan
Weldon Granger, Attorney at Law-
-Houston
* Hébert’s Abbeville Tree
Service*
*Hébert Electric, Inc. -
- Houston*
*Music Mountain Water - Lafayette*
*Budweiser* |
For more information on Sponsorship,
please call 318-893-2381
HÉBERT REUNION HIGHLIGHTS
The Opening Ceremonies
Our guest speaker
will be Mr. Warren Perrin, President of CODOFIL. Mr. Perrin was chosen
President of CODOFIL by Governor Mike Foster because of Warren’s desire
to foster the French language in Louisiana. Entertainment
will be provided by Nedia (Mrs. Mason Hebert) of Bridge City, Texas. Mrs.
Hebert will sing the Star Spangled Banner in French. In addition,
Les Petits Chanteurs, a group of elementary students will entertain us
with French songs.
A welcome address
will be given by Mayor R. Brady Broussard.
The program will last
about one hour.
After the opening
ceremonies, we will walk across the street to Magdalen Square, where Mr.
Perrin will unveil the marker commemorating the Reunion of the Héberts
in Abbeville.
After the unveiling
ceremonies, we will return to Magdalen Place for music and dancing
enjoyment.
A Partial History of the DESCENDANTS OF JOSEPH
dit PÉPIN HÉBERT
(by Woody Hebert, continued
from La Gazette 11)
Succession
#116, dated September 1827, of Joseph, Jr., was discovered
in the Lafayette Parish Clerk’s Office. The document makes reference
to Joseph Pépin. Although written in French we have translated
as follows:
| “Parish
of St. Martin, the twenty- first day of the month of July of the
year one thousand eight-hundred-twelve, we the inheritors:
Joseph Hebert, Agricole Hebert, deceased Celestin Hebert represented by
his wife Marguerite Duhon for their children, Francois Hebert,
Marie Madeleine Hebert, and Louis Hebert; all here present according
to our previous agreement, that the partitions that were contracted and
agreed upon in our favor to transfer by donation made to us on the
twenty-third day of the month or January of the same year aforesaid
by our father Joseph Hebert of each of their possession whatsoever,
in the order and conditions men- tioned on the said act, that we have accepted
and signed in the presence of witnesses; therefore we declare and
accept in the pres- ence of witnesses by those present and by right of
petition, that we, the inheritors have made the partition of said
possessions in a unanimous satisfaction in the manner as follows:” |
Following the above
quote are five pages of an inventory designating each item being credited
to one of the inheritors of Joseph Pépin. The significance
of this document is that is provides strong evidence for the date of death.
According to custom, an inventory and partition of property was done within
days after the death of an individual. It is therefore assumed that
Joseph Pépin Hebert died shortly before July 21, 1812.
Historically the Parish
of Lafayette was created in 1823, four years before Joseph, Jr.’s death
on September 4, 1827. It is assumed that upon the death of Joseph,
Jr., his heirs went to St. Martin Parish to retrieve the documents
to settle the estate. The documents are now located in the Lafayette
Parish Clerk’s Office.
The End
Le Coin Français
Un resumé des
évenements de la Réunion de l’Association des Hébert
du Monde:
Les cérémonies
de l’Ouverture: M. Warren Perrin, président de CODIFIL (Conseil
pour le Développement du Français en Louisiane) nous parlera.
Notre gouverneur, Mike Foster a choisi M. Perrin, comme président
de CODIFIL parce que M. Perrin a travaillé très dur pour
la préservation de la langue française et la culture acadienne
en Louisiane.
Mme Mason Hébert
(Nadia) de Bridge City, Texas va chanter le Hymne National (Star Spangled
Banner) en français. Les Petits Chanteurs vont chanter des
chansons traditionnelles en français.
M. Brady Broussard,
Maire d’Abbeville va accueilier les invités.
Après les Cérémonies
d’Ouverture nous irons à la Place Madeleine où M. Perrin
va dévoiler le monument qui commémorera la Réunion
des Hébert. Après, il y aura une dance au bâtiment
de la Place Madeleine en face du Square.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
La Famille Hébert
pourra acheter des billets pour le Concert Final du Congrès Mondial
qu aura lieu le 15 Août, 1999, au Cajundome à Lafayette.
Vous pourriez commander des billets dès le premier juin par carte
de credit ou chèque pour $24.00 - - (318-265-2100) - - 444
Cajun Dome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70506. Zachary Richard
sera l’animateur, et parmi les groupes seront: Beausoleil avec Michael
Doucet; Steve Riley et les Mamou Playboys; Balfa Toujours avec Bois-Sec
Ardoin; Geno Delafose; Suroît; Blou; et Feufollet. Ne manquez
pas ce concert formidable!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
En juin las réunion
aura lieu à Houma, Louisiane. Nous voulons encourager les
familles Hébert de cette région de faire partie de l’Association
des Hébert du Monde.
CMA CONFERENCES
(Excerpts from Bulletin du Congrês)
Please note that entry
to the conferences will be limited and there will be no charge.
We encourage you to call
in advance for reservations.
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Genetics of the
Acadian People
August 9, 1999
McNeese State University, Bulber
Auditorium
Lake Charles, LA
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Synopsis of Acadian genetics as
a result of their unique history. Certain diseases have increased
risks among the Acadian people. They range from 35% to 250% higher
than the national average. Specialists from the United States
and Canada as guest speakers. There is no cost, but you will need
to register. You can register online from the link above. Information:
Bronja Keats, PhD (504) 568-6151
Genealogy of the Acadian People
August 5, 1999
Peltier Hall, Nichols State University
Thibodeaux, LA
9 a.m to 5 p.m.
All-day workshop on
genealogy and associated interests. Renowned speakers and discussions
on the similarities of Acadian, Cajun, and French societies (genealogy,
genetics, etc). Info: Tom Butler (504) 448-4626
Sommet des Femmes Acadiennes
(Women’s Summit)
July 31, 1999
Municipal Auditorium, Morgan City,
LA
8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A gathering of Acadian women and
their allies. Bilingual discussions (French & English) concerning
their lives, dreams, and the possibility of sharing their ideas with the
entire world .
Info: Elaine Clement (318)
234-8739
Academic Conference
August 10-13
University of Southwestern Louisiana
Lafayette
Workshops discussing a multitude
of aspects of Acadian life: linguistics, poetry, history, literature,
cultural ecology, ethnology, etc. Speakers from the United States,
Canada, and France. Info: Dr. Mathé Allain (318) 482-6811 |
NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING -
JUNE
It is our plan to hold
our June meeting in Houma, Louisiana.
We would like to ask
our members in the Houma area to begin a list of families, with addresses,
so that we can send them invitations to the June meeting.
The Hébert
Clan in that area is huge; we must reach out to each family there.
Let’s pitch in and
get a movement going in all of the parishes surrounding Houma.
The meeting date has
not been decided on as of yet. The membership will be notified of the date,
time, and location in La Gazette 13.
The Board has decided
to present one of the commemorative auto license to each family in
attendance.
Woody Hébert, the
originator and sponsor of the license, has agreed
to let the Association give a CMA Hébert license
to all members who pay for its mailing (local members can pick up their
license
at the Abbeville Cultural Center between 11 a.m.-4 p.m on Tuesday-Saturdays).
We know that many states do not allow the display of additional plates
on autos, but maybe you can find a location within your car where it can
be displayed so as to be read from the outside. For your copy,
please mail a check to: Hébert Family Asso., in the amount
of $1 to P. O. Box 375, Abbeville, LA 70511-0375 and we will
mail your
license.
We do have available
for sale at $10 the full logo license.
We also have the reunion Hébert T-shirt. They
sell for $12 (L & XL) & $14 (XXL). We are holding off
ordering more until we feel we can get rid of those we have on hand.
If you think that you will be wanting one of the reunion T-shirts, it would
help the association if you bought now. We
could better determine what number of T-shirts to re-order.
Abbeville
“Gateway to the Gulf”
“The Most Quaint Town in Acadiana”
“Some Place Special on
the Bayou”
(continued from La Gazette
#11 - History of Vermilion Parish Louisiana)
Pere Megret’s next
project was plotting the his newly purchased land into town lots.
By selling lots, Mr. LeBlanc was soon paid.
Pere Megret laid his
town off like the old provincial towns of France with narrow streets and
small squares. He portioned off a large lot for the church, parsonage,
and cemetery. On the church property he constructed a small chapel.
For many years the place (village) was called La Chapelle. The chapel
was built in 1845 and destroyed by fire in 1854. A store or two opened
near the church and Abbeville was born.
In the fall of 1853,
a yellow fever epidemic swept this section. Père Megret contracted
the disease and died December 5, 1853. He is buried under the main
altar of St. John’s Cathedral in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Père Megret
had lived to see his village grow into a town; he lived to see his town
(Abbeville) incorporated in 1850; he had fought to have the parish seat
transferred from the village of Perry’s Bridge to Abbeville, and he had
succeeded, but he died before the legislature passed the law authorizing
this transfer which was done March 3, 1854.
All did not go smoothly
now that Abbeville was founded and, before 1860, the parish of Vermilion,
including its parish seat (Abbeville), had difficulty due to the fact that
its judge and jury lacked power. Something was needed; therefore,
a committee heeding the words of one Captain St. Julien formed a group
of citizens known as the “Vigilantes.” This committee of Vigilantes
constituted a temporary tribunal. Quoting Captain St. Julien:
...The summary and implacable
chastisement of all those who commit the crime of theft or
any other crime in our vicinity, the whip and the rope will be our
two arms, both withering and terrible.
Only the arrival of the
Civil War, when many of the men marched off to support the Confederacy,
caused a slack in the disorder and trouble.
Abbeville was growing
very slowly in those days. There were times when the town had no
money. In 1859, the city market place, which was located on Magdalen
Square, had to be sold at public auction because the town owed more money
than it had available. By 1883 there was not a vacant house...(to
be continued in La Gazette #13)
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