How I got started in genealogy?

My aunt, Betty Trahan Pourciau (1939-1996), had published her book, "St. Martin Parish History" in 1985. She was my mother's oldest sister and had done extensive research on my mother's side of the family. I came to her in 1987 asking her to teach me how to do the research for my father's side of the family.

I had done a school project for a family tree in 3rd grade and had kept it. Most of the information for the family tree had came from interviews with my dad and my grandparents. I was glad I had the information that I did because when I started doing research 3 of 4 of my grandparents were deceased. I showed my aunt the information I had.

We started with my great grandparents. I learned how to use Father Hebert's Catholic church records and finding my father's father's side was quite easy. I traced them back 7 generations before hitting a brick wall. I'm still working on tracing them back beyond 1805 when he married an Acadian girl in Louisiana.

I hit another brick wall when it came to my father's mother's side. I found her mother's information and learned that my parents were 3rd cousins related through the Mires. Her father was difficult, she only knew him by his nickname, Velie Leblanc. It took me several years to locate his family. I'll go into more detail later how I overcame the brick wall of a relative known by nickname only.