Meeting: 27 July 2002
July 27, 2002 Meeting
On Saturday, 27 July 2002 from 10:00 am until 11:30 am Guedry family members convened at the CODOFIL office in Lafayette, LA to discuss the reorganization of Les Guidry d'Asteur, our Guedry-Labine family organization, and to develop initial plans for the 2004 Guedry-Labine Family Reunion in Nova Scotia. We've had many new and exciting developments. Les Guidry d'Asteur now has a strong organization with excellent leadership in its officers and committee chairpersons. We have developed a superb plan for the Guedry-Labine Family Reunion in Nova Scotia and now must begin work on the details of the Reunion. Our website has undergone an extensive modernization in which the English and French versions of the site are on parallel webpages. Visit the Guédry & Petitpas Family website and let us know what you think of it. Remember - everyone can contribute to the site. Just send me your ideas, articles, photos - we'll take care of translating, etc.
The website is at:
https://guedryfamily.guedry.org/
We thank Elaine Clement and CODOFIL for opening the CODOFIL offices on Saturday and letting us meet there. Its central location between East Texas and Houma, LA as well as the excellent facilities are ideal for our meetings.
First to the Reunion
Great news - we've been in contact with Guedry family members in Nova Scotia and they, like us, are excited about the Family Reunion in Nova Scotia in August, 2004. For several months we have been trying to identify Guedry family members in Nova Scotia so we could work with them in planning our Reunion. Through the help of Margaret Jeddry of Boston, MA (who also own a summer home in Meteghan River, N. S.) we've found the Guedry's of Nova Scotia. They live in the Clare region of Nova Scotia near Meteghan River (Digby County) and have a variety of surnames - Guedry, Guidry, Jeddry and Geddry. They're quite excited about hosting the Guedry-Labine family and showing us the Acadian culture of Nova Scotia. After several discussions about how to best meet all of our desires and needs, we've decided to have a two-day Family Reunion in Nova Scotia.
On Thursday, 5 August 2004 we'll gather in the Clare region of Nova Scotia near Meteghan River for a day of celebrating with our Guedry cousins. We're planning on meeting at the Club de Richeleau. We'll have genealogical and family history exhibits, traditional foods, music and plenty of time for getting to know each other. Our cousins in Clare will host us and show us their lifestyle, customs, foods and music. The Guedry family now in the Clare region descend from Guedry family members who survived the deportation, returned to their Acadian home and re-established roots in the Clare region.
Then on Saturday, 7 August 2004 we'll travel south across Nova Scotia to the Guedry ancestral home in Lunenburg (known as Merigueche in the late 1600's and 1700's). Here we'll be able to gather again, renew acquaintances and meet new cousins, enjoy the culture and food of the Lunenburg region and visit the ancestal lands of Claude Guedry, Claude Petitpas and their families. We'll have genealogical and family history exhibits, food, music and lots of time to enjoy each other's company. We'll be able to see the bay where Jean-Baptiste Guedry (Claude's son) and Jean-Baptiste, Jr. were captured as "pirates", transported to Boston and hung in November, 1726. Folks in Lunenburg have been working with us for several months in developing plans for the Reunion.
As we develop specific, detailed plans for the Reunions in Clare and Lunenburg, we're also considering several other activities during the period 5-8 August. For example, we may try to host a Guedry/Petitpas/Acadian historical tour in the Clare/Lunenburg regions where we'll visit historical areas related to our family and the Acadians. We're also planning on an appropriate gift that we'll leave behind in Nova Scotia to pay tribute to Claude Guedry and by which to remember our Reunion.
Several folks have written me about housing reservations for the Reunion and their concern that members of other family reunions are already reserving housing. It certainly is not too early to reserve housing for our Reunions in Clare and Lunenburg.
In the Clare region visit the Clare website at:
http://www.clarenovascotia.com
and for specific information on accommodations in the Clare region, go to the accommodations page at:
http://www.clarenovascotia.com/en/tourism/pages/index/accommodations.htm
Lunenburg has an excellent website that identifies extensive housing in their area. They have both quaint, excellent bed and breakfast facilities as well as small motels. The newest of the motels, which opened this year, is the Lunenburg Arms. Rates in August range from $129 - $249 in Canadian dollars. Visit Lunenburg's website and make your reservations early. There will be the annual Lunenburg Folk Harbor Festival in Lunenburg the same weekend as our Reunion. It'll be an added attraction for those visiting Lunenburg, but will reduce the availability of lodging. The Luenburg website is at:
http://www.town.lunenburg.ns.ca
and the specific page for dining and accommodations is at:
http://www.town.lunenburg.ns.ca/pages/tourism/food.html
Second - Les Guidry d'Asteur
As anticipated, the Guedry-Labine family members are doers, not observers. Many of our family have volunteered to help fellow family members through Les Guidry d'Asteur and to help plan the Reunions. The officers, committee chairs and committee members are listed below. Folks from throughout the United States and Canada are participating in our family activities. We can always use additional help. Let me know if you'd like to participate. If
you have a special area of expertise or a committee with which you want to work, please let us know. We'll try to accommodate each person's desires. If you see an area that we've missed and would like to lead or help with that area, please drop me a line. For example, Jack Guidry recently asked about a Guedry-Labine Cookbook. We hadn't thought of that area. Jack offered to chair the project. Keep your pots warming and recipes handy as
we're going to kick off that project shortly. Send your requests and ideas to me at guidryrmartin@gmail.com .
In the next week or so you'll see an addition to our website that will let you join Les Guidry d'Asteur. The cost of annual membership is very reasonable as you'll note. For an individual it is $12 while a family membership is $20. Benefactor levels are $50 (dit Jovial Level), $100 (dit Labine Level) and $500 (dit Grivois Level). Look for the membership form and join Les Guidry d'Asteur. This first year will be a bargain as your membership will include the period from the date of joining until December 31, 2003.
Several of our family members have written family history/genealogy books on the Guedry and Labine families. These include:
Geneva Seymour - "The Guidry Family" (Privately published, Lubbock, Texas), 1980's
Mark Labine - "La Verdure de Mirliqueche - The Story of the Guidry dit Labine Family in North America", (Privately published, Minnesota), 1988 [250 pages].
Daryl LaBine - "The Guedry, Guidry, Geddry, Jeddry, Guildry dit Labine, LaBine & LaBean Family: Descendents of Claude Guedry & Marguerite Petitpas" (Privately published, St. Catherine's, Ontario,Canada), 1999 [2 volumes, 1345 pages].
Roland ORags' Guidry - "Ancestors of John Guidry and Descendants of John Guidry & Rosa LeJeune" (Privately published, Carencro, Louisiana), 1999 [425 pages]
Marshall Villere Woolner - "Ancestors of the Guidry Family of Orange, Texas" (Privately published, Oregon), 2000 [558 pages].
Do you know of any other family histories or genealogies of the Guedry and Labine families that have been published? Let me know at guidryrmartin@gmail.com so we can add them to the compilation.
Even though several Guedry-Labine family histories have been written, very few can be found in genealogical libraries throughout the United States and Canada. Les Guidry d'Asteur would like to donate copies of the Guedry-Labine family histories to select genealogical libraries in the United States and Canada. Our first goal is provide copies to the Louisiana
State Archives in Baton Rouge, LA and the Acadian Memorial Library in St. Martinville, LA - two centers used by genealogical researchers from throughout Louisiana and North America. We could then expand to other libraries. Is there anyone in our family that would like to lead this project? Let me know if you're interested. To obtain the books (or xerox
copies of out-of-print books with the author's permission), we will need donations. Most of the books above cost approximately $50. If you'd like to help by donating to this project, let me know and we'll arrange placing a book in a genealogical library with an appropriate memo in the front.
Gayle Guidry of Lafayette, LA is busy planning a Guedry-Labine Mini-Reunion in the Spring of 2003 in the Lafayette, LA area. We'll have a Bar-B-Que, jambalaya or other mass feeding, some drink and an opportunity for family members to get together, discuss old times and the family and enjoy each other's company. Look for more on this in the near future.
Thanks and keep those ideas coming,
Marty
LES GUIDRY D'ASTEUR
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
OFFICERS
President - Martin Guidry (LA)
Vice-President - Warren Guidry (TX)
Secretary - Billy Harrell Guidry (LA)
Treasurer - Dan OChuck' Guidry (LA)
COMMITTEES
Website - Becky Boggess (IA) - Chairperson
Annie Grignon-Labine (QU) - Translator
Martin Guidry (LA)*
Genealogy - Daryl LaBine (FL/ON) - Chairperson
Bernard Geddry (AZ)
Mark Labine (MN)
Chuck Guidry (LA)
Martin Guidry (LA)*
Finance - Cheryl Guidry Tyiska (MD) - Chairperson
Paul Labine (IL)
Marshall Woolner (OR)
Chuck Guidry (LA)*
Membership - Charlene Guidry Lacombe (LA) - Chairperson
Gayle Guidry (LA) - Special Projects
Warren Guidry (TX)*
Sales - Cindy Guidry Herdt (WA) - Chairperson
Wayne Simoneaux (LA)
Jack Guidry (LA) - Cookbook Project
Billy Harrell Guidry (LA)*
Publicity - Elaine Clement (LA) - Chairperson
Margaret Jeddry (MA/NS)
Warren Guidry (LA)*
Reunion - Martin Guidry (LA)*