This Thanksgiving (2023), we spent time with my husband’s side of the family. A big part of our dinner table discussion involved expressing gratitude for our parents and our upbringing. Our thanksgiving reflections continued as, early the next morning, my 70 year-old father-in-law, Johnny Dean Miller, and I chatted over coffee. He explained how eagerContinueContinue reading “How to Do an Impromptu Family History Interview”
Tag Archives: family history
The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story
PART SIX: THE END The Hanging At the time convicted murderers, Jean Baptiste and William Chevis, had received their original reprieve in the summer of 1896, it had been almost a year since Dr. Duchesne T. Courtney’s killing. After T.S. Fontenot’s term had ended on June 22, 1896, H.H. Deshotels became the new sheriff andContinueContinue reading “The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story”
The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story
In case you’re wondering what is the outcome of Chevis brothers’ indictment for the murder of D.T. Courtney, here are the particulars of the trial and the other legal strategies used to get them out being hanged.
The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story
PART FOUR: MORE TRUTHS In Part Three of this series, I used creative license to try to understand what the victims and witnesses involved in the Chevis incident may have experienced, based on newspaper reports. In this post, I share the perspectives of Dr. D.T. Courtney’s accused murderers and their mother.1 Leontine Chevis Leontine didn’tContinueContinue reading “The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story”
The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story
Read Part 3 of the Chevis Boys and the Murder at Coulee Croche…You’ll learn about the points of view of some of the main actors in this incident, based on reports featured in local newspapers.
The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story
PART TWO: EXTRA, EXTRA! In my last post, I started telling you about my Aunt Olivia’s story about her two uncles who were accused of a murder occurring in Coulee Croche community of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana – Jean Baptiste Chevis (born circa 1866) and William Chevis (born circa 1879). Remember, I’m investigating this storyContinueContinue reading “The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story”
The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story
PART ONE: MURDER The weekly editions of the St. Landry Clarion and Opelousas Courier were preparing to go to press when the news broke of the up and coming physician’s impending death. The publishers really didn’t have a whole lot of time or information, which is why the story appeared on page three, some of theContinueContinue reading “The CHEVIS BOYS and the MURDER at COULEE CROCHE! Using Newspapers and Genealogy to Investigate a Family Story”
7 Reflections and Tips on Preparing to Publish your Family History
As I mentioned before, I have written a book about a man named George Wheaton. He was my paternal grandmother’s great-grandfather. I want to share what I’ve learned in the process of documenting his life and attempting to publish it in a book format. I started around the beginning of 2021, and I finished aContinueContinue reading “7 Reflections and Tips on Preparing to Publish your Family History”
Publish before Perish: Explaining My Blogging Hiatus
I have been on a long break from this blog for the last couple of years (my last post before Juneteenth was March 21, 2021!!!). Besides homeschooling my children and counseling folks, I’ve been working on my very first book about my ancestor named George Wheaton. Long story short, Wheaton was a freedman in postbellumContinueContinue reading “Publish before Perish: Explaining My Blogging Hiatus”
What does the Bible have to say about family history?
Traditionally, people have tried to avoid religion and politics in their daily conversations because, even with the most respectful and friendly participants, attitudes and moods often take a turn for the worst when there are disagreements. In these days of economic and social turmoil, however, people tend to be pretty open about their political opinions.ContinueContinue reading “What does the Bible have to say about family history?”
The Genealogy Griot 