Natchitoches Wrap-Up

Ten questions and answers to sum up our Natchitoches adventure.

 

The ten travelers from San Franciso, Washington, DC, and New York City enjoy dinner in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
June 2015

Clementine Hunter and the Melrose Plantation

On Sunday, we started our day with a 20-minute drive down the Cane River to visit the Melrose Plantation. There are many former plantations in the area, some privately run and open to visitors and others run by the National Park Service. Melrose is privately run, with a $10 admission, and is worth every penny. While the grounds are not as developed as those at George Washington's Mt. Vernon in Virginia, the tour of the main house is as impressive.

A majestic live oak tree at Melrose Plantation.

The Old Hen

Willie Clark's third wife was the "grandmother" Carlton and his two brothers knew in their years on the farm in Natchitoches. Her name was Sarah Jane Matthews Clark, but the boys and others also had a nickname for her, "the old hen."

"A tall lady that Sarah Jane!" This is what Mr. Ficklin had to say about Sarah Jane when Carlton mentioned her to him yesterday. He remembered her! She was a well-known church going lady. Willie, as Carlton put it today, "was a Christian who didn't need to go to church." Willie also maintained the New Town Church. Carlton said he fixed it up, but he did not attend. It was a church without a full-time pastor, a church whose pastor was on the "circuit."

In my research on ancestry.com, it was clear there were a lot of Matthews family members and they all lived nearby, as well as a lot of members of the Gay family in the area (remember JC Gay?). This was a very rural black farming community, there were few Clarks, but some families were very, very large.

We had a hard time finding out anything about the church or the cemetery before heading to Natchitoches. We scoured Google maps and Andy even called a local funeral home to try to get directions, to no avail. Carlton is certain Willie is buried at the New Town cemetery.

Leave it to Ms. Shirley. By Friday evening, we had directions to the cemetery and a handwritten map of the cemetery markers. Ms. Shirley confirmed for us that Willie had died May 5, 1957, at about the age of 74. Sarah Jane died on October 4, 1959, at age 66. And, Sarah Jane was on Ms. Shirley's map. Willie was not on that map, but Carlton believes Willie was the kind of man who would have told Sarah Jane not to waste money on a gravestone.

So, Saturday morning, we made our way to New Town. Carlton warned us that we'd be on dirt roads and there really is no town. Boy, was he right. We were only about 20 minutes outside of Natchitoches, and this was the road we were on:

Muscadine, Mayhaw, and Chow-Chow

The Food. Wow.

We knew we would eat well in Louisiana. The Clark family chefs had many Louisiana food traditions handed down to them (both Andy's father and mother were born in Louisiana), which we all enjoy at family gatherings. I just didn't expect the sheer volume of gumbos, fried seafood, meat pies, and other Cajun and Creole dishes to appear on every menu at every restaurant we've entered. Natchitoches restaurant menus are not for the weak of heart (both literally and figuratively).

The first lunch spot we hit, Merci Beaucoup, offered a "Cajun Potato": Stuffed potato topped with crawfish etouffee and a jumbo fried shrimp (or two). Just in case there's not enough carbs in the potato for you, it also comes with warm french bread.

Dinner, at the Landing, involved quail and grits:

Quail and grits at the Landing

Friday Afternoon

I know you're eager for some foodie pictures. Don't worry, they're coming, but in the meantime, there's more history and local connections to share.

Leslie Clark at the NGHA

Do They Speak English in Louisiana?

 Before you get started, did you read about where we were headed and why?


Before we left home, Cole asked two great questions:

1) Do they speak English in Natchitoches, Louisiana?

2) Do I need dollars or euros for the trip to Natchitoches, Louisiana?

And, he can't quite say "Louisiana." It sounds more like, "Looziana."

So, Cole and I have been having fun trying to emulate a Cajun accent, though Cole sounds more like a character from Sherrif Callie's Wild West. Holy jalapeños!

We met Andy's dad at the airport in Shreveport on Thurday night, hopped into our rental Kia minivan (which is remarkably fun to drive), and made our way to Natchitoches.

Cole helps Grandpa with his luggage.

We are staying at the very lovely Church Street Inn, just a block from the waterfront and the main downtown area and there's no better word for a Natchitoches than, "darling."

On the terrace at the Church Street Inn

Our first full day in Natchitoches was a whirlwind! (Would you expect anything less from me?) Breakfast at the hotel and then on to see if we could get some information about Mr. Willie Clark. We still don't have a street address for the farm, but we do have a lot of great information thanks to several remarkable locals.

The Natchitoches Geneological and Historical Association

I first reached out to the NGHA by phone about a month ago and Ms. Ginny offered a number of tips to help us begin our search. After some additional correspondence by mail, Ms. Ginny suggested we head to the NGHA upon our arrival in Natchitoches. "Go to the second floor of the Old Courthouse" it simply said in her letter. We did (it's a block from our hotel) and we were met with more enthusiasm than you can imagine!

Ms. Shirley met us with a big smile and immediately called (1) Ms. Ginny to tell her we had arrived and (2) Mr. Ficklin to tell him to come to the NGHA immediately. Mr. Ficklin, it turns out, knew Willie's wife, grew up nearby, and knew others who knew about the New Town School. Mr. Ficklin arrived and immediately wanted to take Carlton to see Mr. JC Gay. He had tried to call JC already that morning and reported, "JC must be mowing the lawn. I know he went to the New Town School. We should go over to see him now." And off went Andy, Carlton, and Mr. Ficklin to go see JC. And, JC, who was indeed mowing his lawn, after meeting Carlton said,"Sure, I remember old man Willie!"
This was all before 11:00am!

Mr. Ficklin, JC Gay, and Carlton

Ms. Shirley, at the NGHA, it turns out, was born in Natchitoches, but spent 27 years living in Silver Spring, Maryland, working for Prince George's County, and ultimately decided to retire in Natchitoches. Small world, indeed. Ms. Shirley is remarkable. Not only did she spend time with us that morning, she called when we were at lunch at the Merci Beaucoup Cafe to report she had found even more information. "I'll bring it over. Order me a cup of gumbo and a meat pie to go and I'll be there in five minutes." Then, after returning to the hotel after dinner, we found she had dropped off even more information at the hotel!

Taking notes in the NGHA office.

Ms. Shirley Small-Rougeau of the NGHA with the Clark Family

NEXT

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Haul

Oh, yes, there was shopping!  This is the last post on my trip to South Korea in 2014. Just a few pics of some of the gifts and souvenirs that came home with me.

I could write a long post on what I took away from that wonderful trip, beyond the loot, and in terms of growth, family and cultural connections. But, I'll just say I very much look forward to returning again someday and I hope that it is not another 20 years before I can make that happen.

However, stay tuned, as I'm going to use this blog to share some new adventures with you very soon...

Remember those electric eyelash curlers I showed you? Yes, they made it into my suitcase!