Cabanocey: The History, Customs, and Folklore of St. James Parish - Paperback

by Lillian Bourgeois (Author)

Louisiana has sixty-four parishes, and many of them are as individual and different as the state itself is different from others in the Union. St. James Parish, a small parish of 249 square miles, is not only one of the oldest settlements in the state, but it is different in its population make-up and is important historically.

Cabanocey . . . is a splendid history of the Parish of St. James. . . . Lillian C. Bourgeois captured the spirit that animates the population, which is descended from French, Spanish, Acadian, German, and Creole peoples. Bourgeois writes of the population's customs, beliefs, language differences, and folklore. Cabanocey is not a collection of dry facts and dates; rather, it vividly describes how, more than one hundred years ago, the people of St. James Parish lived, who they were, and what they contributed to their parish and their state. Before the Civil War, St. James Parish was the educational center of Louisiana, and Jefferson College was the first important college in the state. Founded in 1830, it had fine buildings, a well-equipped laboratory, and an impressive library. The Convent of the Sacred Heart (1835) for girls was well-known by prominent families in Louisiana, Mexico, and Central America, who sent their daughters there. Cabanocey contains St. James genealogies and thousands of names of early settlers, including the soldiers, taxpayers, officials, prominent families, and the first settlers and their children. From the early censuses and church and court records, descent is traced for many names. The censuses of 1766, 1769, and 1777 are complete and were obtained from the archives in Seville, Spain.

Back Jacket

An Unusual Parish History

Louisiana has sixty-four parishes and many of them are as individual and different as that state itself is different from others in the Union. St. James Parish, a small parish of 249 square miles, is not only one of the oldest settlements in the state, but it is "different" in its population make-up and is important historically.

"Cabanocey", written by Lillian C. Bourgeois, is a splendid history of the Parish of St. James. It is not only fine history, but the writer has captured and expressed the spirit which animates the population descended from French, Spanish, Acadians, German, and Creole people. She writes of their customs, their beliegs, their language differences, and their folklore. "Cabanocey" is not just a collection of dry facts and dates. It gives a view of the people of more than a hundred years ago and tells how they lived, who they were, and what they did for St. James Parish.

An Educational Center

St. James Parish before the Civil War was the educational center of Louisiana. Jefferson College was the first important college in the State. Founded in 1830 it had fine buildings, a well-equipped laboratory, and a fine library. The Convent of the Sacred Heart (1835) for girls was famous, and prominent families from Louisiana, Mexico and Central America sent their daughters there. Miss Bourgeois tells interestingly of these schools.

St. James Genealogies

A local history to be of great value must list the names of early settlers and the important families. "Cabanocey" contains thousands of names-- the first settlers with their children's names, lists of soldiers, taxpayers, officials, and prominent families. From the early census one can trace descent from these names by consulting church and court records. The censuses of 1766, 1769 and 1777 are complete and were obtained from the Archives in Seville, Spain.

Author Biography

Lillian C. Bourgeois never considered herself to be a writer or a historian, but she assumed both roles when she set out to tell the story of Louisianaís St. James Parish. Throughout her life, the author heard story after story about her home parish from her five Bourgeois aunts. However, most of these tales were never recorded. Bourgeois dedicated herself to collecting and recording the stories of St. James Parish, and Cabanocey (pb [F]) was the result. Sadly, Bourgeois died shortly after turning her manuscript over to Pelican for publication and never saw the book in print.