Shirley Broussard is a weekly volunteer in the Iberia Parish Library Parkview Branch genealogy room where others of like interest gather to discuss their research or hobby. Leslie Landry who discovered the lost soldier's grave is seated on the right in the background.

Family heritage is only one piece of the puzzle 

Genealogy is more than tracing family lineage, it is a discovery of history. People who dig in archives, court house records, church ledgers and other data resources usually find something interesting about various times in history not just where ancestors came from — legacy is born with discovery.

Each month people of common interest gather at group meetings and some at set times in library genealogy rooms like the one at Iberia Parish Library’s Parkview branch. The designated genealogy room is frequented by searchers but each Wednesday from about noon to 3:30 p.m. Shirley Broussard, a volunteer, is available for consulting anyone looking for family from the area.

“We have a lot of records in here. Father Donald Hebert did some and we have some from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Father Hebert’s records go back to 1750,” said Broussard. “We got some microfilm from St. Peter’s. I looked at one and it was marriage records from the 1800s to 1972. Those records are in the process of being digitized.”

Patty GuteKunst, the staff historian at the St. Martin Parish St. Martinville Branch Library, brought up the fact that most text books and history of the United States starts with, and focuses on, the colonial period along the East Coast — the original 13 colonies. She pointed out that simultaneously while the first settlers were building the colonies known for establishing the U.S., Louisiana had an active part to play in Revolutionary history.

Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez, born in Málaga, Spain, was a military leader and colonial administrator who served as colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana from 1777 to 1783. He aided the American colonies in their quest for independence and led Spanish forces against Britain in the Revolutionary War, later defeating the British at the Siege of Pensacola and conquering West Florida. Yet most school text books neglect to include Louisiana or Florida in Revolutionary history, focusing instead on the eastern colonies, GuteKunst said.

Although on staff at the St. Martinville library, she spends Thursdays working on archival maps acquired from her ancestors that were well known surveyors along the Bayou Teche Area. She hopes to one day have them available for others to view and use as reference. On the first and third Tuesdays, she assists patrons searching genealogy in the Breaux Bridge branch. In addition to the books and online data, St. Martin Parish is available to record oral histories. They have several family written documentations including some transcribed from the original French. The new oral history service has only resulted in two testimonials to date.

There is a Genealogy Request Form on the IberiaLibrary.org website for anyone needing assistance. Simply click through the prompts from the Genealogy button on the home page. As a volunteer, Broussard, or GuteKunst, and others can assist family members with their searches. The more information available the better, but people accustom to working with records know alternative spellings that are often overlooked, or how records during specific time periods were kept. Experience is the best teacher for research and most genealogists find it is a lifetime hobby.

Cindy Hoffmeister moved into Iberia Parish believing she was destined to assist African-Americans in researching their history, often a challenge because of slavery. Knowledge of the purchasing codes and systems is an asset. A professional genealogist and landman for the petroleum industry, Hoffmeister now adds another layer of experience as a volunteer. A Louisiana native, she lived for a time in Utah and became approved as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons. They have deep archives of family legacy at their disposal. She runs the Opelousas Family History Center at the church in Opelousas. More about her background and services in a forthcoming Religion story.

Experienced researchers visit cemeteries, trace families and public records consuming great periods of time often beyond the financial means of the average resident, thus making all the more valuable the volunteer’s time to assist with public information.

New Discoveries

On any given day, someone could be in the designated rooms in libraries willing to help others. Genealogist are puzzle solvers. A new challenge is not daunting and could even be inspiring. It was in the Parkview Library where Phoebe Hayes PhD found the lack of records for accomplishments of black physicians in Iberia Parish. Her in-depth research discovered unpublished histories nearly forgotten.

One of her discoveries will result in a celebration of New Iberia as the hometown of a history maker. Nov. 3 the Iberia African American Historical Society will unveil a state historical marker commemorating the accomplishments of Emma Wakefield-Paillet M.D., the first black woman to earn a medical degree in Louisiana and to practice medicine in the state.

Digging in the U.S. Library of Congress online Leslie Landry, a New Iberia resident who frequents multiple resource rooms, was able to discover information about a forgotten Iberia Parish cemetery where a World War I veteran is buried.

“This was the first tomb that I saw, you know it was meant for me to find it,” said Landry, a U.S. veteran and genealogist. “About two weeks later I went back and put up the flag and have been fighting for him ever since. I have the letters I wrote to the Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor on behalf of Private Nathan Dunn. I had no plans to do this — zero. I found this graveyard in 1965.”

Landry not only searches his own genealogy; his personal quest is to get the public right of way opened back up to the Marcel Cemetery, often referred to as Derouen, so all families with members buried there can have access to the property. As a volunteer, he has been stopped by legal issues on property rights required to finish the progress. As a veteran, Landry recognizes the sacrifice of the young black soldier, Dunn fought in the first World War without hope of advancement but with dedication to his country, Landry said.

Norma Lester, a genealogist who has done a lot of research for the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Iberia Chapter, located old church baptismal records that had been lost in storage at the First United Methodist Church in New Iberia. In addition to helping countless DAR members, she has undertaken the task of preserving those records for future generations to access.

Genealogy is not something for everyone. It is time consuming and takes great patience, perseverance — and a gift of revelation. As Theresa Harvard Johnson shared with an audience during the 2016 New Iberia literary festival, being a historian or scribe is a calling. One third of the Tribes of Israel were assigned by Moses to be record keepers, she said. In today’s terms that includes lawyers, mathematicians and most certainly historians and genealogists. Her study on the subject is available in her book, “The Scribal Anointing: Scribes Instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven,” available at Amazon.com or on her website, ChamberoftheScribe.com.

St. Martinville as well as Lafayette Parish Libraries have regular meetings for researchers,. For beginners, “Genealogy 101,” a workshop/round table. For more information, visit LafayetteGenealogicalSociety.org or find them on Facebook.