Autobiography Keller Paul Madere in Words and Pictures

By Keller P. Madere

In the living room were gathered my four sisters Elise, Jeanette, Nita, Rosemary, and me (Keller Paul Madere) along with my wife Carolyn and Charles Stalfort, Nitas husband. After a lot of chit chat back and forth reminiscing about old family stories and happenings, Charles (or Chuck as we know him) brought out his tape recorder. Quizzically, he posed this simple question, What can you tell me about Papa? He was referring to our father, Ernest Hubert Madere.

With feelings of unified dismay, none of the five of us were able to provide Chuck with any new information about Papa other than what he already knew. Consequently, in order for the children of Carolyn and me, namely Joni, Colin, and Lana, to have some inkling regarding where I lived, what I did, and get a glimpse into my psyche before they were born and then grew up knowing me, this tome will provide some insight. Our children will have historical and genealogical information concerning their ancestry in words, pictures, and other relative and associated odds and ends. Nowadays, family members tend to get scattered hither and yon. Children often get permanently displaced regarding their backgrounds and family records. Items like birth certificates, report cards, names of first and second cousins, aunts, uncles, close friends, associates, and similar pertinent items gets lost in the shuffle as time steadily marches on. Hopefully, this ponderous volume will soothe many misgivings our children may have about who they are, the backgrounds of their ancestors, and precisely where they came from. Amen!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496948502

Keller P. Madere

I was born, reared, and educated in South Louisiana and currently reside in Lafayette, LA. My jobs have included being a Pilot, a high school Science Teacher, an Engineer at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, a Land Developer with Flagg Development, a General Manager for a Building Contractor, and a Construction Progress Inspector.

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© 2014 Keller P. Madere. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/24/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4800-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4850-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Genealogy And Ancestral Record Prior To Birth

1932 Shaw Street. Hahnville, Louisiana

1933-1935 Brady Place Adjacent To Fashion Plantation, River Road Hwy. 18 Hahnville, Louisiana

1935-1949 Shaw Street, Hahnville, Louisiana

1949-1950 2 1/2 Story, White, Cinder Block Home, River Road Hwy. 18, Hahnville, Louisiana

1950-1951 Dormitory B, Sli, Lafayette, Louisiana

1951-1952 Foster Hall, Sli, Lafayette, Louisiana

1952-1953 Mcnaspy Stadium, Sli, Lafayette, Louisiana

1953-1954 Off Campus House, Sli, Lafayette, Louisiana

1954 Graham Air Base, Mariana, Florida

1955 Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas

1955-1957 604 West Deming Street, Roswell, New Mexico

1957 317 Bonnabel Boulevard, Metairie, Louisiana

1957-1958 Zemurray Hall, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana

1958-1959 Caffery Hall, Sli, Lafayette, Louisiana

1959-1962 2 1/2 Story, White, Cinder Block Home, River Road Hwy. 18, Hahnville, Louisiana

1962-1966 Mcilheny Apartment, Gentilly Area, New Orleans, Louisiana

1966-1968 New Orleans, Louisiana; Huntsville, Alabama; Cape Kennedy, Florida

1968-1969 2 1/2 Story, White, Cinder Block Home, River Road Hwy. 18, Hahnville, Louisiana

1969-1971 River Park Apartments, River Road Hwy. 18, Hahnville, Louisiana

1971-1973 Deroche Apartments, St. Charles Street, Hahnville. Louisiana

1973-1979 Red Brick Home With Arches, 234 Hickory Street, Hahnville, Louisiana

1979- Present 411 Orangewood Drive, Lafayette, Louisiana

FOREWORD

This autobiography was written for a number of pertinent reasons. The original prompting was due to an incident that occurred at my sister Rosemary’s home on Burgundy Road in Jacksonville, Florida during the late1990s. Gathered in the living room were my four sisters Elise, Jeanette, Nita, Rosemary and me (Keller Paul Madere) along with my wife Carolyn and Charles Stalfort, Nita’s husband. After a lot of chit chat back and forth reminiscing about old family stories and happenings was taking place. Charles, or Chuck as we know him, brought out his tape recorder. Quizzically, he posed this simple question, What can you all tell me about PaPa? He was referring to our father, Ernest Hubert Madere.

With feelings of unified dismay, none of us five were able to provide Chuck with any new information about PaPa other than what he already knew! Astounding. Consequently, for our children Joni, Colin, and Lana to have some inkling regarding the places where I lived, the different jobs I had, and a glimpse into my psyche before they were born and grew up knowing me. This volume of information should give them an insight as to who I am.

The other primary reason for writing this book was to give our three children historical and genealogical information about our family other than what they already knew. This data is provided in words, pictures, and other relative and associated ends such as school report cards, German prisoner of war camps in Louisiana, B-36 Bombers, and rockets to the moon.

In this first decade of the 21st century, family members tend to get scattered hither and yon. Children often get permanently disconnected from their backgrounds and family records. Items such as birth certificates, report cards, names and addresses of 1st and 2nd cousins, where aunts and uncles live, and similar pertinent items get lost in the shuffle as time steadily marches on. Hopefully, this ponderous book will soothe many misgivings our children may have about who they are, the backgrounds of their ancestors, and precisely where they themselves came from.

At this time, Joni is in Boulder, Colorado, Colin is in Washington, District of Columbia, and Lana is in Maurice, Louisiana. For the most part, they do not have ready access to our relatives and friends to make possible necessary fact finding inquiries about us. On July 17 of 2,007, I thoroughly enjoyed my 75th birthday, having fortunately lived well through three quarters of a century.

Whenever I, Keller Paul Madere, die, please have those making funeral arrangements promote an atmosphere of joviality and partying. Let smiles and laughter prevail with everyone having a pleasant time. Provide an ample amount of food and drinks to produce a delightful going away celebration for all the people thoughtful enough to attend! Thanks, and goodbye.

GENEALOGY AND ANCESTRAL RECORD PRIOR TO BIRTH

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The French colony of Louisiana was founded in 1699. In those days the region was very sparsely populated with French speaking creoles. Initially the word creole meant something like homegrown and was used to distinguish those born in the colony from the new arrivals. Acadians arrived in Louisiana between 1765 and 1785 after being pushed out of Acadia or the Nova Scotia area of Canada by the British military in what was known as Le Grand Derangement (The Great Disturbance). Their blood and culture became increasingly mixed with that of the Native American Indians they encountered, with immigrants from Germany and Spain, and with other French speakers in the area. Many of these acadians resettled in isolated areas in the bayous and prairies of mainly southwest Louisiana.

Thanks to my mother, Jeanne Keller Madere, our history can be traced back to March of 1721 on her side of the family. On that date, military hero Karl Frederic D’Arensbourg I, of Stockholm, Sweden brought about 300 German, Swiss, and French colonists aboard the ship Portefaix to the inhospitable beaches of Old Biloxi somewhat east of the Mississippi River. In 1765 King Louis XV of France had named Karl a CHEVALIER, i.e. a knight or nobleman. These settlers were to emigrate to Louisiana as workers or soldiers along with earlier arrivals on the ships Durance, and Saint-Andre. No provisions were made for these arriving immigrants. The Portefaix passengers confirmed the news of John Law’s bankruptcy. Thus, by the end of 1721 Bienville realized he must act to save these stranded settlers who were dying of disease, exposure, or starvation.

Bienville consulted with Darensbourg, a former captain in the Swedish army who had been put in charge of the immigrants at Old Biloxi. They decided to take inland all the remaining survivors plus a few Swiss who had arrived aboard the Deux Freres. Longboats were requisitioned to transport these survivors to the west bank of the Mississippi, about thirty miles above New Orleans. The transfer was competed by February of 1722. They joined existing settlers from 1719 along the west bank of the Mississippi River at what is now Killona in St. Charles Parish. My Mother’s lineage can be traced back to Karl D’Arensbourg who married Margaret Metzger and died on November 18, 1777.

Karl Friedrich Darensbourg eventually served for forty-eight years as the commander of the German Coast of Louisiana. He was born in the German section of Stockholm, Sweden. His parents were of noble lineage, originating from Arensbourg on the Swedish island of Oesel. As a young man he entered a military academy and was commissioned as an officer in the Swedish military. In 1721 he enlisted with John Law’s Compagnie des Indes as a captain-at-half-pay and sailed to Old Biloxi. His position as commandant of the German Coast had both military and civil duties. In this capacity he served as commander of the militia as well as cvil judge and mediator for the grievances of the colonists.

Initially the settlement’s main village was known as KARLSTEIN, after its leader. Soon, in the early 1800s, Karlstein became known as FREETOWN. Later, around the turn of the century, the new name KILLONA became official.

Killona was the name given to a plantation in the area when it was bought by Richard Milliken in the 1880s. Milliken was a native of Waterford, Ireland and in Gaelic the name Killona means Church of John. In essence this was a historical reminder of the first little chapel built by early German settlers and dedicated to Saint John. Originally it was called St. Jean des Allemands.

Today the site is on Trinity Plantation near the present town of Killona. The little church served the Germans until 1740. A new church was built on the east bank of the Mississippi at Destrehan and dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo. This church served the Germans on both sides of the river until 1772. Then, in somewhat of a turnaround, St. John the Baptist Church was completed at Edgard on the west bank a few miles upriver of the site of the original little St. Jean Des Allemands chapel.

The first villages of the Germans became known as LES ALLEMANDS-AUX-ALLEMANDS. As these settlers expanded on both sides of the river and to the back, the whole area came to be COTE DES ALLEMANDS under the French; LA COSTA DE LAS ALLEMANES under the Spanish; and simply the GERMAN COAST after 1803. By 1804 a civil district was set up. Soon it was divided into the two parishes we know today as St. Charles and St. John the Baptist.

The best known historical event associated with the German Coast is the famous march on New Orleans on October 18, 1768 to protest the transfer of Louisiana from France to Spain. In the efforts to prevent the transfer, the protest had the approval of the aged Commandant D’Arensbourg. In fact, the Germans were led by a member of his family, Captain Joseph de Villere. His wife,