Fr. L.J. Savy and the Vidrine Family
Fr. L.J. (Louis Jean Antoine) Savy was born on July 26, 1876, a native of the town of Montbazon in central France. He was ordained a Priest in 1902 for the Diocese of Sens, France. Three years later, he arrived in the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1905 and served as Assistant in Thibodeaux for a year before being sent to assist at St. Martin de Tours church in St. Martinville in November 1906. Subsequently, he served as Assistant at St. Landry church in Opelousas before being appointed Pastor of Sacred Heart church in Ville Platte in 1909 where he served until retiring in 1930 to return to France.[1] During the twenty years he served as Pastor in Ville Platte, improvements to the wooden church building were made. He enlarged it by adding wings on the east and west side of the building, and the Stations of the Cross were erected.
During his tenure as Pastor in Ville Platte, three significant events occurred: the creation and beginning of Evangeline Parish, the anointing and burying of the dead as the result of the Dance Hall fire in 1919, and the execution of Euzebe Vidrine in 1924, the only man ever executed by hanging in Evangeline Parish.
A few months after arriving as the new Pastor at Sacred Heart, the 1910 Census taken on May 23, 1910, recorded Fr. Savy, who was 33 years old.[2] By the next month, Ville Platte and the surrounding area would see a major change as the hard work of the movement to create a new Parish out of St. Landry Parish was brought to fulfillment. Dr. Jules Vidrine and others assisted Paulin Larose “P.L.” Fontenot in the contentious battle. When Governor Sanders was signing the bill creating Evangeline Parish on June 20, 1910, he didn’t have a pen handy, so Dr. Jules Vidrine, who was present, let him use his gold pen, which was then given to Paulin Fontenot.[3]
The transition as a new Parish didn’t happen without contraversy and difficulties. One of them involved Fr. Savy. In mid January 1911, Fr. Savy was physcially attacked by the Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court, O.E. Guillory. Guillory had heard that Fr. Savy married a couple who had attained their marriage liscense from the Clerk of Court in St. Landry Parish instead of Evangeline Parish and attacked the Priest because Fr. Savy refused to allow him to examine the marriage records.[4] This assault led to Archbishop Blenk of new Orleans closing Sacred Heart Church. The report in the St. Landry Clarion detailed the incident:
“The alleged assault of Clerk of Court O. E. Guillory, of Evangeline parish, upon Rev. L.J. Savy, of the Ville Platte Catholic Church, on Sunday, the 8th, has created an unusual state of affairs in the capital of the new parish of Evangeline, as well as the old parish of St. Landry.
For the first time in many years, there was no Mass held in the Catholic Church of Ville Platte last Sunday. His Grace, Archbishop Blenk, ordered the church closed upon hearing of the assault upon the priest, and it required the persuasive powers of a strong delegation of Ville Platte Catholics, which went to New Orleans, to finally obtain a promise, tentative in character, that Mass would be said there tomorrow, and probably the church be reopened.
Condemnatory resolutions passed by a mass-meeting of citizens of Ville Platte at the action of Mr. Guillory had much to do with the decision of the Archbishop to re-open the church. The meeting was held Sunday, and was attended by a large and representative number of people of that community. The resolutions condemning the hasty action of Mr. Guillory in striking the priest were passed without opposition.
The charges against Mr. Guillory, for assault and battery, and assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to commit murder, are still extant, and the judicial officers here have expressed a determination to press them.
The Catholic community of this section are emphatic in their condemnation of Mr. Guillory. The Knights of Columbus, a strictly Catholic order, last Sunday passed the following resolutions:
“Opelousas, La. Jan. 15th., 1911.
“At a regular meeting of the Opelousas Council No. 1173, Knights of Columbus, held this day, the following resolutions were adopted: “Whereas, it has come to the knowledge of the Opelousas Council No. 1173, Knights of Columbus, that one E. O. Guillory, on the pretense of authority as an officer of the law, has committed an unjustifiable and criminal assault on the person of the Rev. L. J. Savy, the pastor of the Catholic church at Ville Platte, La., while said priest was robed in the vestments of his sacred calling;” and “Whereas, it has been rumored that the said Guillory is a member of the order, and this untruthful report is doubtless made to give color to his false version of the affair to the effect that the priest was the aggressor therein”:
“Therefore, be it resolved, that this Council, in regular meeting assembled, deprecates in the strongest terms, this criminal conduct on the part of the said O. E. Guillory, and declares that no provocation existed for his assault on the person of the Rev. L. J. Savy, a minister of the church; and be it further “Resolved, that copies of these resolutions be mailed to Rev. L.J. Savy and also to the publishers of the several newspapers throughout St. Landry and Evangeline parishes, and to the press of the city of New Orleans. A true copy. GEORGE VIDRINE. Recorder.”[5]
During the first years of Fr. Savy’s pastorate in Ville Platte, the community of Mamou was a mission of Ville Platte. During this period, Holy Mass was celebrated in the homes of Simeo (Mayo) Vidrine and Dorsin Aucoin. Between 1910 -1912, the community raised $1,400.00, so in 1912, Fr. Savy had the first chapel constructed. By the next year, it became a Parish. On November 14, 1913 the Archdiocese of New Orleans appointed Fr. Auguste Viel the First Pastor.[6]
That fall, on August 13, 1912, Fr. Savy responded to an attack on the Knights of Columbus in the St. Landry Clarian in Opelousas. He wrote:
“In the absence of Rev. Father Engberick, Pastor of the Catholic Church of Opelousas and awaiting his return, I, Rev. L, J. Savy, Pastor of the Catholic Church of Ville Platte, and a K. of C. myself, do most emphatically protest against the above, which is a copy of a pamphlet being circulated in this community. I brand it as infamy against the truth, an insult not only to the order of K. of C., but also to the Catholic Church, as well as to all Christian churches regardless of creed. – L. J. SAVY.”[7]
In 1913, Fr. Savy invited the Sisters of Mount Carmel from Washington, Louisiana to open a convent at Sacred Heart that remained in existence for ten years (1913-1923). Sadly, it had to close because of financial difficulties and friction that developed with Fr. Savy.
That same year, Fr. Savy had returned to France to visit his mother. He returned to America that fall on September 6, 1913, arriving at the Port of New York from La Harve, France, and made his way back to Ville Platte.[8]
The next year in 1914, Fr. Savy built cement sidewalks around the church and school and had new pews and a confessional installed.[9]
A few years afterward, on June 29, 1918, Fr. Savy served as Deacon for the Solemn High Mass offered for Fr. Engerbrink, the beloved Pastor of St. Landry Church in Opelousas he had assisted.[10]
By that fall, the draft for World War I was conducted. On the draft card taken on September 12, 1918, he appears as the Rector of Sacred Heart Church in Ville Platte. He was 42 years old, and his physical description was given as thus: “Physical build: Stout, Height: Medium, Hair Color: Dark, Eye Color: Dark.”[11]
A year later, on November 22, 1919, one of the greatest tragedies of Ville Platte’s history would occur: the great fire in the Dance Hall located inside the G.J. Deville Building on Main Street. The official investigative report by Louisiana’s first Fire Marshal, W.M. Campbell detailed the horrible ordeal:
“On the evening of November 22, 1919, twenty-five persons lost their lives in a fire which destroyed a two-story frame building, the upper story of which was used as a dance hall, while the first floor comprised a grocery and restaurant of doubtful reputation, a clothing store and a motion picture theatre…The fire had its origin in the grocery and restaurant. It appears that the wife of the proprietor was warming some coffee at the kerosene oil stove when the tank ran dry. She instructed a boy employee to fill the tank, which he did from a can at the back of the store. When he reattached the tank to the stove, she again lighted the latter, but the burner immediately exploded, scattering burning oil over the stove and the floor…The fire began to spread to the theatre and worked its way up inside the partition wall, burned through the floor of the dance hall about in the middle of the building…At once there was a rush for the only staircase, and the panic-stricken dancers found themselves jammed in the stairway and confronted by an equally panic-stricken crowd which was madly fighting its way up in an insane attempt at rescue. The result was a scene of indescribable horror; many of those who escaped were only able to get out by walking on top of those who were already jammed in the stairway. Finally the staircase collapsed under its human burden, causing the partition wall which separated it from the clothing store to give way. Those who were not already dead or badly injured were then able to reach the street through the store.”[12]
While funerals were celebrated across Evangeline Parish, a funeral Mass attended by friends and relatives was offered by Fr. Savy for sixteen of the victims. Their bodies were arranged in the parking lot of Sacred Heart Church.[13] Among the victims was 10-year-old Andre Paul Vidrine (1909-1919) son of Pascal Vidrine and Alice Ortego, whom Fr. Savy had baptized on September 8, 1909 shortly after arriving as Pastor.
A few years ago, an article in the Ville Platte Gazette quoted Fr. Richard Vidrine, a native of Ville Platte, who shared his memories of hearing stories of the tragedy from his father, Morris Vidrine, who was only a six year old little boy in 1919.
“Fr. Vidrine stated his grandfather, who was living in the Tate Cove Community, was building his house on what is now Tate Cove Rd. in Ville Platte across from the present day Champagne’s. “When he got home,” Fr. Vidrine said, “he could see this orange glow coming from the Ville Platte direction. He said, ‘My house is on fire.’ So, he got back on his horse and went back to town. As he got close, he saw it wasn’t his house. He went on further and saw it was the dance hall that was burning.”[14]
We can imagine the glow of the fire just a few blocks away from Sacred Heart Church and Fr. Savy’s thoughts as he saw it!
The next year, Fr. Savy is listed in the 1920 Census at the age of 43 and as the Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Ville Platte.[15]It appears that by this time, he was able to return to France to visit his mother for a few months about every five years, leaving in the early summer around April or May and returning in the fall around September. This can be seen in both the pause in entries in the Sacramental records during the months of those years as well as from the records of the passenger ships.
For example, in the fall of 1921, he returned to the United Sates on September 22, 1921, at the age of 45, having departed from the Port at La Harve and arriving at the Port of New York on the ship named Lafayette on route to Ville Platte. His mother was living at St. Aubin, Chateauneuf, France.[16]
The third significant event which occurred during the tenure of Fr. Savy at Sacred Heart church in Ville Platte began in the summer of 1924. On the afternoon of Monday, May 19, 1924, Leo Robert Wiggins was murdered by Euzebe Vidrine on his way home from Mamou to Ville Platte.[17] Leo was the twenty-seven year old son of Robert Lee Wiggins, the Sheriff of Evangeline Parish and was married to Sarah Ardoin Wiggins, the daughter of, Dr. Yves Ardoin, a prominent Ville Platte physician and Nancy Thompson. He had been a friend of Euzebe. Of course, this wasn’t the first man Euzebe murdered, but the Sheriff would make sure it would be the last. The funeral Mass for Leo Robert Wiggins was celebrated by Fr. Savy the day after his assassination, on Tuesday, May 20, 1924, and he was buried in the Old Ville Platte Cemetery.
By the fall, Euzebe Vidrine was successfully convicted for the murder of Leo Wiggins (and had murdered at least four others) and was sentenced to death by hanging. That morning of Friday, August 8, 1924, Euzebe met with Fr. Savy and afterward, said, “I have made peace with God. I am praying fervently and earnestly…I am sincerely sorry for the awful sins I have committed. I hope and pray and pray that God will forgive me.”[18] In fact, the only photo of Fr. Savy known at the present time is the one of him standing next to Euzebe Vidrine on the steps of the Ville Platte Courthouse as he prepared to mount the scaffold.
Following the execution, Euzebe Vidrine’s body was placed in an open coffin in the jailhouse, wearing a black burial suit that Sheriff Pucheu had bought for him. Later that evening, his body was brought to the home of his mother for the Wake. Fr. Savy conducted his funeral the following day at Sacred Heart Church, and he was buried at the Te Mamou Cemetery, just north of Ville Platte on Highway 167, near the home of his mother.[19]
Five years after his previous trip to France, Fr. Savy returned to America on September 2,1926, at the age of 50, arriving at the Port of New York on the Ship named Chicago on route to Ville Platte.[20]
After serving the people of Ville Platte for twenty years at Sacred Heart Church, Fr. Savy retired in the summer of 1930, and returned to France. His successor, Fr Maurice Bourgeois, arrived on September 11, 1930.
The next year, on June 2, 1931, at the age of 54, Fr. Savy returned to America, arriving at the port of Houston, TX from the Port of La Harve, France on the ship Guadeloupe. It notes that he was last at Ville Platte on April 22, 1931[21]
The next time we hear from Fr. Savy was in a short note which appeared in the Ville Platte Gazette in March 1945. It reported that Fr. Savy was alive and well after World War II and living near Bordeaux, France:
“The Revevered Father. L.J. Savy, pastor of Sacred Heart Church here for some twenty odd years before Father Bourgeois replaced him has written Prof J.D. Lafleur that his well and happy once more that the Boches are out of France.
He says that it was literally “Hell on Earth” to have the Germans in his house for the four past years. He is happy now to be in contact with American boys there entertains some of them regularly in his house not too far from Bordeaux. He sends his regards to all his friends here in Ville Platte. The Gazette joins his many friends here in rejoicing over the good news.”[22]
At some point later, Fr. Savy returned from France to America. According to his obituary, he died on Monday, March 21, 1960 at Brighton, Massachusetts. He was 84. A visitation was held at John C. Mulry Funeral Home in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and a Solemn High Mass was offered for him on Thursday, March 24, 1960 at St. John Church in Quincy, MA. Representing the Diocese of Lafayette where he had served for so many years at the funeral Mass was the Most Rev. Msgr. John A. Vigliero, P.A., Treasurer of the Diocese.[23]
The list of those from the Vidrine Family whom Fr. Savy baptized, married, and buried is long considering that his Pastorate at Sacred Heart in Ville Platte streched twenty years. But it gives a good glimpse into how often he came into contact with members of the Vidrine Family in Louisiana and peaks interest into the fact that Fr. Savy lived near Bordeaux at the time of World War II, where the Vidrine family in France had come from.
The following Sacraments were recorded by Fr. Savy at Sacred Heart Church in Ville Platte:
Andre Paul Vidrine (1909-1922) son of Pascal Vidrine and Alice Ortego baptized 8 September 1909
Anna Belle Vidrine (1910–1988) daughter of Laurent Thomas Vidrine, Jr. and Mathilde Foret, baptized 2 October 2010
Louise Dorisse Vidrine (1911–1931) daughter of Attale Vidrine and Ida Mae Vidrine baptized 16 March 1911
Delta Hosea Vidrine (1911–2002) son of Hosea Vidrine and Lucinde Thompson baptized 7 April 1911
Levie Adam Vidrine (1911–1991) son of Adam Zenon Vidrine and Eve Ardoin baptized 10 April 1911
Nestor Vidrine (1910–1964) son of Levi Felix Vidrine and Alice Deville baptized 29 April 1911
Melday (Mindy) Vidrine (1911–1939) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 16 June 1911
Emile Vidrine (1911–1988) son of Harvey Vidrine and Celeste Soileau baptized 20 July 1911
Elaine (Helena) Vidrine (1911–1983) daughter of Arcelus Adam Vidrine and Celeste A. L. Fontenot baptized 19 September 1911
Joseph Alexis “Shoepacker” Vidrine (1911–1972) son of Pascal Vidrine and Alice Ortego baptized 21 September 1911
Ella Elisabeth Vidrine (1911–1912) daughter of Theomile Vidrine and Felonise Fontenot baptized 17 November 1911
Kerrell Vidrine (1911–1976) son of Cleophas Vidrine and Martha Marcantel baptized 4 December 1911
Agnes Vidrine (1911–2006) daughter of Kelly Alcibiade Vidrine and Josephine LeDoux, baptized 6 December 1911
Emilie Vidrine (1911–1994) daughter of Simeo “Mayo” Vidrine and Johanna McCaulley baptized 21 December 1911
Marie Wanace Vidrine (1911–2007) daughter of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amant B Fontenot baptized 27 January 1912
Aswell “Slim” Vidrine (1912–1974) son of Stanislaus Vidrine and Marie Evelina Guillory, baptized 11 February 1912
Isabelle (Elisabeth) Vidrine (1912–1998) daughter of Numa Onezime “Mimi” Vidrine and Marie Zoe Vidrine baptized 27 February 1912
Lester Joseph Vidrine (1912–1980) son of Joseph Archille Vidrine and Marie Victoire Catoire baptized 29 February 1912
Alicia Vidrine (1912–2000) daughter of Edmond P Vidrine and Eudith Ardoin, baptized 13 April 1912
Ernest J Vidrine (1912–1986) son of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert baptized 14 April 1912
Melvin Nicholas Vidrine Sr. (1912–2005) son of Nason (Nelson) Vidrine and Anna Landreneau baptized 19 April 1913
Olivia Vidrine (1912–1999) daughter of Arcena Vidrine and Cifia Deshotel baptized 1 June 1912
Leroy Vidrine Sr. (1912–1996) son of Elgee “Black” Vidrine and Victoria Ardoin baptized 7 September 1912
Jean Baptiste Vidrine (1912–) son of Eloi Leandre Vidrine and Elodie Oge baptized 21 October 1912
Alma Vidrine (1912–1989) daughter of Latie Vidrine and Alida Morein, baptized 28 October 1912
Una Vidrine (1912–1993) daughter of Guillaume Vidrine and Marie Agnes Fontenot baptized 17 November 1912
Berthmance (Berkmans) Vidrine (1912–1969) son of Joseph E Vidrine and Marie LaFleur, baptized 14 December 1912
Lorena Vidrine (1912–2005) daughter of Theodore Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 15 January 1913
Effie Vidrine (1913–2007) daughter of Numa Onezime “Mi Mi” Vidrine and Marie Zoe Vidrine baptized 25 January 1914
Marie Ethel Vidrine (1922–2007) daughter of Eddie Vidrine and Edmay Pitre baptized 1 February 1913
Antonia Vidrine (1913–1913) daughter of Armand Vidrine and Antoina Coralie LaFleur, baptized 16 February 1913
Eola Vidrine (1913–1981) daughter of Laurent Thomas Vidrine, Jr. and Mathilda Foret baptized 15 March 1913
Isabelle Vidrine (1913–1994) daughter of Edmond P Vidrine and Eudith Ardoin baptized 29 March 1913
Mark Vidrine (1913–1984) son of Levi Felix Vidrine and Alice Deville baptized 17 April 1913
Marie Elma Vidrine (1913–1993) daughter of Fernand S Vidrine and Hattie Marie Delafosse baptized 17 May 1913
Marie Vidrine (1913–2000) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 26 May 1913
Edouard Vidrine (1913–1964) son of Leon “Lo Lo” Vidrine and Edvise Johnson baptized 30 June 1913
Lydia Vidrine (1913-) daughter of Reglie S Vidrine and Atille LaFleur baptized 26 July 1913
Regina Vidrine (1913–2004) daughter of Octave Paulin Vidrine Jr. and Amelia LaFleur, baptized 18 September 1913
Isabelle Vidrine (1913–) daughter of Dominique L Vidrine and Rosa Vidrine baptized 9 October 2013
Lydia Vidrine (1913–1994) daughter of Eugee Vidrine and Evelia Young baptized 12 October 1913
Avab (Evabre) G Vidrine (1913–1988) son of Arcelus Adam Vidrine and Celeste A Fontenot baptized 13 October 1913
Aclid (Euclide) Vidrine (1913–1989) son of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amant B Fontenot, baptized 15 November 1913
John Gilbert Vidrine (1914–1983) son of Gilbert E Vidrine and Regina Fontenot, baptized 26 January 1914
Josephine Gertie Vidrine (1913–1934) daughter of Appolinaire Hypolite Vidrine, Jr. and Marie Elise Fontenot baptized 21 February 1914
Aurelie Vidrine (1843–1914) son of Etienne Vidrine, Jr. and Domilise Guillory buried 21 February 1914
Marie Helene Vidrine (1914–) daughter of Thedule Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine and Regina LaRose Vidrine baptized 7 March 1914
Charles Vidrine (1914–1960) son of Terrence Vidrine and Rita Soileau baptized 8 March 1914
Eva Vidrine (1914–1998) daughter of Jean Baptiste Vidrine and Oline Reed baptized 27 April 1914
Octaire Vidrine (1913–1962) son of Davy Vidrine and Alia Granger baptized 26 May 1914
Marie Verlie Vidrine (1914–1999) daughter of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert baptized 4 June 1914
Marie Lena Vidrine (1914–1991) daughter of Joseph Raymond Vidrine and Marie Armide Guillory baptized 30 August 1914
Marie Verna Vidrine (1914–2002) daughter of Octave Vidrine and Lovenia O’Connor baptized 24 September 1914
Edvise (Edwige) Vidrine (1914–1988) daughter of Arcena Vidrine and Cifia Deshotel baptized 15 October 1914
Mabel Vidrine (1914–2000) daughter of Edmond H Vidrine and Lucille Foret baptized 24 October 1914
Emilie Vidrine (1914–2004) daughter of Attale Vidrine and Ida Mae Vidrine baptized 14 November 1914
Wayne Francis Vidrine (1914–1974) son of Armand Vidrine and Antonia Coralie LaFleur baptized 9 January 1915
Herbert Joseph Vidrine Sr. (1914–1987) son of Joseph E Vidrine and Marie LaFleur baptized 2 February 1915
Gilbert Horace “T-Gil” and “G.H.” Vidrine (1915–1967) son of Horace Vidrine and Issaure Fontenot baptized 26 February 1915
Hermance Vidrine (1915–1994) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 21 May 1915
Marie Gertie Vidrine (1915–2011) daughter of Arcelus Adams Vidrine and Celeste A. L. Fontenot baptized 23 July 1915
Antoine (Anthony) Vidrine (1915–1977) son of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert, baptized 16 August 1915
Marie Hazel Vidrine (1915–2009) daughter of Rene Vidrine and Laura Odette Vidrine baptized 5 September 1915
Murphy Vidrine (1915–2004) son of Octave Paulin Vidrine, Jr. and Emelise LaFleur baptized 5 September 1915
Rose Vidrine (1915–1984) daughter of Archille Cerille Vidrine and Regina Rosa Hutchins baptized 5 September 1915
Hilda Vidrine (1915–2004) daughter of Levi Felix Vidrine and Alice Deville baptized 26 September 1915
Heslie Toby Vidrine (1915–1995) daughter of Theodore Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine, Sr. and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 8 October 1915
Irene Vidrine (1915–2007) daughter of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amanthe B Fontenot baptized 26 October 1915
Effie Vidrine (1915–2010) daughter of Guillaume Vidrine and Marie Agnes Fontenot baptized 21 November 1915
Enie Vidrine (1915–2003) daughter of Edmond P Vidrine and Eudith Ardoin baptized 11 December 1915
Tessie Marie Vidrine (1915–2008) daughter of Jean Baptiste Vidrine and Oline Reed baptized 2 January 1916
Roy C Vidrine (1915–2007) son of Cleophas Vidrine and Martha Marcantel baptized 8 February 1916
Nita Vidrine (1916–2008) daughter of Appolonaire Hypolite Vidrine Jr. and Marie Elise Fontenot baptized 2 March 1916
Hermance Vidrine (1916–2003) daughter of Aldes Kevin Vidrine, Sr. and Marie Bertha Guillory baptized 14 March 1916
Herrence Vidrine (1916–1973) Elgee “Black” Vidrine and Victoria Ardoin baptized 25 June 1916
Ina Vidrine (1916–2005) daughter of Edmond Vidrine and Lydia Ortego baptized 1 July 1916
Avit Vidrine (1916–1937) son of Arcelus Adam Vidrine and Celeste A L Fontenot baptized 30 September 1916
Darius Vidrine Sr. (1916–1965) son of Kelly Alcibiade Vidrine and Josephine LeDoux baptized 1 October 1916
Lonia Vidrine (1916–1962) daughter of Terrence Vidrine and Rita Soileau baptized 22 October 1916
Thelma (Phelma) Vidrine (1916–1998) daughter of 29 October 1916
Helen Vidrine (1916–2000) daughter of Joseph Paul Huldon “Yule” Vidrine and Edith Smith baptized 31 October 1916
Drouet Warren Vidrine Sr. (1916–2004) son of Henri Jean Vidrine and Rose Marie Perrodin baptized 11 January 1917
Elise Vidrine (1917–2004) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 2 March 1917
Delta Vidrine Sr. (1917–1984) son of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert baptized 12 March 1917
Lou Eva Vidrine (1917–1918) daughter of Octave Vidrine and Lovenia O’Connor baptized 28 March 1917
Elsie Mae Vidrine (1917–1991) daughter of Pascal Vidrine and Alice Ortego baptized 23 August 1917
Arthur Havely Vidrine (1917–2003) son of Renee Vidrine and Laura Odette Vidrine, baptized 19 October 1917
Alfred Vidrine (1917–1932) son of Levi Felix Vidrine and Alice Deville, baptized 12 November 1917
Attale Vidrine (1917–1961) son of Louis Paul Vidrine Amant B Fontenot, baptized 25 November 1917
Joseph Woodrow Vidrine (1917–1973) son of Pierre Evit Vidrine and Beatrice Sensat baptized 8 February 1918
Ida Vidrine (1918–1919) daughter of Edmond P Vidrine and Eudith Ardoin baptized 30 March 1918
Morris J Vidrine (1918–2006) son of Joseph E Vidrine and Marie LaFleur baptized 1 April 1918
Didier (EJ) Vidrine (1918–1968) son of Raoul Vidrine and Eude Deshotels baptized 9 April 1918
Avie Vidrine (1918–2007) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 24 April 1918
Marie Marjorie Vidrine (1918–2006) daughter of Theodule Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 10 June 1918
Loris Jean Vidrine (1918–1966) son of Mark Maximilian Vidrine and Elina Dupre baptized 22 June 1918
Eliud (Elius) Vidrine (1918–1976) son of Marcena Vidrine and Estelle Guillory baptized 22 July 1918
Andre Vidrine (1898–1978) son of Josien Vidrine and Azelie Guillory married Melina Joubert daughter of Ernest Joubert and Corine Vidrine 13 August 1918
Dominique Vidrine (1918–) son of Cleophas Vidrine and Martha Marcantel baptized 14 August 1918
Marie Emma Lou Vidrine (1918–1999) daughter of Leandre J Vidrine, Sr. and Linda Brignac baptized 30 September 1918
Mary Birdie Vidrine (1917–1992) daughter of Artelius Vidrine Jr. and Rita Manuel baptized 4 October 1918
Mary Bernice Vidrine (1917–2002) daughter of Artelius Vidrine Jr. and Rita Manuel baptized 4 October 1918
Azelie Guillory (1835–1918) wife of Andre Zenon Vidrine buried 18 October 1918.
Virgil Wilfred Vidrine (1918–2002) son of Wilfred Bertha Vidrine and Erita Vidrine baptized 2 December 1918
Wilson Vidrine (1918–1989) son of Ferdinand Vidrine and Celeste Guillory baptized 11 December 1918
Melday Vidrine (1918–1997) daughter of Elgee “Black” Vidrine and Victoira Ardoin baptized 16 December 1918
Abel “Chip” Vidrine Jr. (1918–1975) son of Abel Vidrine Sr. and Bernadette Maurice Welsh, baptized 27 January 1919
Marie Hilda Vidrine (1918–2016) daughter of Rudolph Vidrine and Leah Marie Catoire baptized 10 February 1919
Wilfred Vidrine (1919–1970) son of Terrence Vidrine and Rita Soileau baptized 22 March 1919
Andrew Vidrine (1919–1974) son of John Edwin Vidrine, Sr. and Lelia Miller, baptized 17 April 1919
Clara Vidrine (1919–2009) daughter of Octave Vidrine Lovenia O’Connor baptized 3 May 1919
Joseph Elie “T-Lee” Vidrine (1919–1999) son of Pascal Vidrine and Alice Ortego baptized 17 May 1919
Early Vidrine (1919–2000) son of Alexandre Vidrine and Eva Ardoin baptized 27 July 1919
Joseph Walance (Wallens) Vidrine (1919–1968) son of Materson Vidrine and Celesta Dupre baptized 28 July 1919
Joseph Elie Vidrine (1919–1920) son of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert baptized 28 August 1919
Hester Vidrine (1919–1997) daughter of Leon Vidrine and Elodie Deshotels baptized 16 September 1919
Winifred Ann Vidrine (1919–2009) daughter of Norman Joseph Vidrine Sr. and Gertrude LaFleur baptized 18 September 1919
Andre Paul Vidrine (1909–1919) son of Pascal Vidrine and Alice Ortego buried November 1919
Loyce P Vidrine (1919–2004) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 12 December 1919
Joseph Frederic Vidrine (1919–1999) son of Yves Vidrine and Leah Vidrine baptized 17 December 1919
Irene Vidrine (1920–1981) daughter of Raoul Vidrine and Eude Deshotels baptized 17 January 1921
Melvin Vidrine (1920–1993) son of Levi Felix Vidrine and Alice Deville baptized 14 March 1920
Daly Vidrine (1920–2003) son of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amant B Fontenot baptized 29 March 1920
Eva Mae Vidrine (1920–1960) daughter of Terrence Vidrine and Rita Soileau baptized 8 May 1920
Walter Vidrine (1920–1984) son of Marcena Vidrine and Estelle Guillory baptized 6 August 1920
Paul Elrick Vidrine (1920–2006) son of Mark Maximillien Vidrine and Elina Dupre baptized 9 August 1920
Joel Walter Vidrine Sr. (1920–2004) son of Remie R Vidrine and Bertha Marie Soileau baptized 6 September 1920
Eloi George Vidrine (1920–2008) son of Leandre J Vidrine, Sr. and Linda Brignac baptized 8 September 1920
Marie Youfa (Y.F.) Vidrine (1920–1958) daughter of Jules A Vidrine and Mary Camille Catoire baptized 13 October 1920
Charles Vidrine (1920–1996) son of Wilbur Vidrine and Irma Reed, baptized 19 October 1920
Lillie Marie Vidrine (1920–2000) daughter of Adam J Vidrine, Sr. and Armide Tate baptized 17 November 1920
Isabelle Vidrine (1920–1999) daughter of Emar Vidrine and Emma Fontenot baptized 23 November 1920
Joyce Vidrine (1920–2009) daughter of Ambroise Joseph Vidrine and Adele Catoire baptized 21 January 1921
Myriam “Marion” Vidrine (1920–1968) son of Joseph J Vidrine and Lelia Ardoin baptized 31 January 1921
Theodule Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine Jr. (1921–1994) son of Theodule Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine Sr. and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 7 May 1921
Vernice Vidrine (1921–1988) daughter of Heard Vidrine and Marie J Fontenot baptized 26 May 1921
Ozelma Vidrine (1921–2010) daughter of Fernand S Vidrine and Hattie Marie Delafosse baptized 20 October 1921
Austin (Ostin) Vidrine Sr. (1921–2007) son of Materson Vidrine Celesta Dupre, baptized 1 November 1921
Marie Agnes Vidrine (1921–2002) daughter of John L “Rouge” Vidrine and Ada LaFleur baptized 5 December 1921
Anna Belle Vidrine (1921–2010) daughter of Aldes Kevin Vidrine, Sr. and Marie Berta Guillory, baptized 14 December 1921
Anna Belle Vidrine (1921–1990) daughter of Jules Marie Vidrine, Sr. and Emilie Ardoin, baptized 14 December 1921
Joyce Delia Vidrine (1921–1980) daughter of Regile A Vidrine and Regina Savant baptized 18 January 1922
Octave L Vidrine (1922–2007) son of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amant B Fontenot baptized 27 February 1922
Essie Vidrine (1922–2006) daughter of John Edwin Vidrine Sr. and Lelia Dupre baptized 13 April 1922
Marie Rose Vidrine (1922–) daughter of Leandre J Vidrine Sr. and Linda Brignac baptized 6 May 1922
Marie Viola Vidrine (1922–1971) daughter of Rudolph Vidrine and Leah Marie Catoire baptized 8 June 1922
Numa Lee Vidrine (1922–1995) son of Numa Onezime “MiMi” Vidrine and Marie Zoe Vidrine baptized 20 July 1922
Hadley Vidrine (1922–1950) son of Marcena Vidrine and Estelle Guillory baptized 28 July 1922
Lionel Wade “Buck” Vidrine (1922–1988) son of Theodule Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine Sr. and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 15 August 1922
Bernice Vidrine (1922–1998) daughter of Levi Felix Vidrine and and Alice Deville, baptized 23 September 1922
Marie Armide Vidrine (1922–2014) daughter of Yves Vidrine and Leah Vidrine baptized 24 September 1922
Foster Vidrine (1922–2015) son of Josien Vidrine and Elimene Vidrine baptized 16 October 1922
Adam Bernard (Burke) Vidrine (1922–1993) son of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux, baptized 21 November 1922
Russell Alphonse Vidrine (1923–2016) son of Ferdinand Vidrine and Virginia Sebastien baptized 17 February 1923
Zetta Marie Vidrine (1923–1987) daughter of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert baptized 6 April 1923
Paul Howard Vidrine (1923–1989) son of Wilbur Vidrine and Irma Reed baptized 7 April 1923
Joyce Vidrine (1923–2003) daughter of Horace J Vidrine and Aimee Soileau baptized 21 April 1923
Marie Maebress Vidrine (1923–2018) daughter of Edovic Joseph Vidrine and Aimee Fontenot baptized 6 May 1923
Joseph George Vidrine (1923–2007) son of Leandre J Vidrine Sr. and Linda Brignac baptized 22 September 1923
Hewitt Vidrine (1923–2006) son of Adam J Vidrine Sr. and Armide Tate baptized 19 November 1923
Mary Katherine Vidrine (1923–2005) daughter of Rene Onesime Vidrine and Marie Elisabeth LaFleur baptized 16 December 1923
Joseph Nathan Vidrine (1923–2001) son of Aldes Kevin Vidrine, Sr. and Marie Bertha Guillory baptized 28 December 1923
Clovis Bill Vidrine Jr. (1923–2015) son of Clovis C Vidrine, Sr. and Isabelle Foret baptized 4 January 1924
Cleveland A “Cleve” Vidrine (1923–1988) son of Avit Pierre Vidrine and Lydia LaFleur baptized 19 January 1924
Joseph Hudy Vidrine (1924–) son of Antoine Preston Vidrine and Marie Ida Joubert baptized 23 January 1925
Prudence Vidrine (1924–1925) daughter of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amant B Fontenot baptized 15 February 1924
Leroy Marshall “Hump” Vidrine (1924–1989) son of Marshall Laurent Vidrine and Odette Smith baptized 8 June 1924
Rabel Vidrine (1924–2018) son of John William Vidrine and Ida Brunet baptized 8 July 1924
Annetriet Vidrine (1924–2004) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux, baptized 30 July 1924
Euzebe Vidrine (1898–1924) son of Arcille Sony Vidrine and Aureline Fontenot, buried 9 August 1924
Corine Vidrine (1924–2005) daughter of Andre Vidrine and Melina Joubert, baptized 15 September 1924
Marie Una Vidrine (1924–2018) daughter of Henry Ceville Vidrine and Edna Soileau baptized 16 September 1924
Vernel Vidrine (1924–1991) son of Numa Onezime “Mimi” Vidrine and Marie Zoe Vidrine baptized 28 October 1924
Adley Edmond Vidrine (1924–1997) son of Edmond P Vidrine and Eudith Ardoin, baptized 12 January 1925
Mary Elouise Vidrine (1925–) daughter of Adam J Vidrine Sr. and Armide Tate baptized 20 February 1925
Pearl Vidrine (1925–1998) daughter of Fernand S Vidrine and Hattie Marie Delafosse baptized 7 April 1925
Berna Mae Vidrine (1925–2015) daughter of Matterson Vidrine and Celesta Dupre, baptized 27 May 1925
Howard Joseph “Blue Eyes” Vidrine (1925–1980) son of Edgar Paul Vidrine and Onezia Mary Manuel baptized 4 August 1925
Godwin Vidrine (1925–1996) son of Joseph Paul Huldon Vidrine and Felecia Soileau baptized 22 August 1925
Leandre J Vidrine Jr. (1925–1998) son of Leandre J Vidrine, Sr. and Linda Brignac baptized 27 October 1925
Marie Claudia Vidrine (1925–2013) daughter of Theodule Helaire “T.H.” Vidrine and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 26 November 1925
Ella Mae Vidrine (1925–1996) daughter of William Murphy Vidrine and Linda Mounier baptized 17 December 1925
Beverly Lucille Vidrine (1925–) daughter of Phillip Henry Vidrine, Sr. and Pattie Henry Clark, baptized 25 December 1925
Theresa Joycelyn Vidrine (1926–1996) daughter of Rene Onezime Vidrine Marie Elisabeth LaFleur baptized 20 February 1926
Gussie Vidrine (1926–2019) daughter of Marshall Vidrine and Eulie B Fontenot baptized 27 November 1926
Thilman Vidrine (1926–1989) son of John William Vidrine and Ina Brunet baptized 30 November 1926
Zoe Vidrine (1926–2013) daughter of Numa Onezime “Mimi” Vidrine and Marie Zoe Vidrine baptized 17 December 1926
Dudley Vidrine (1926–2005) son of Andre Vidrine and Melina Joubert baptized 23 January 1927
Lillie Mae Vidrine (1926–2009) daughter of Renee William Vidrine and Odette Thompson baptized 29 January 1927
Marie Hilda Vidrine (1926–2001) daughter of Gilbert E Vidrine and Regina Fontenot baptized 11 February 1927
Eldridge Benoit Vidrine (1927–2017) son of Levie F Vidrine Sr. and Marie Lela Buller baptized 5 March 1927
Donald Lewis “D.L.” Vidrine (1927–) son of Louis Paul Vidrine and Amant B Fontenot baptized 12 April 1927
Marie Allie Vidrine (1927–) daughter of Jean Bercier Vidrine and Ada Marie Vidrine baptized 1 May 1927
John Edwin Vidrine Jr (1927–1995) son of John Edwin Vidrine, Sr. and Lelia Dupre, baptized 10 May 1927
Marie Lena Vidrine (1927–2003) daughter of Joseph Maurice Vidrine and Marie Edna Sylvester baptized 18 June 1927
Allen Joseph Vidrine (1927–2010) son of Edovic Joseph Vidrine and Aimee Fontenot, baptized 11 July 1927
Lloyd “Red” Vidrine (1927–2011) son of Leon Vidrine and Elodie Deshotels baptized 15 October 1927
Hazel (Halery) Vidrine (1927–2007) daughter of Melton Vidrine and Genevieve Landreneau baptized 31 October 1927
James Cilton “Jimmy” Vidrine (1927–2008) son of Clovis C Vidrine, Sr. and Isabelle “Zib” Foret baptized 10 November 1927
Joseph Arcile Vidrine (1927–1999) son of Joseph J Vidrine and Lelia Ardoin baptized 11 November 1927
Berna Belle Vidrine (1927–2001) daughter of Yves Vidrine and Leah Vidrine baptized 19 November 1927
Elvina Vidrine (1927–2002) daughter of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 23 November 1927
Golbert Vidrine, Sr. (1908-1934) son of Jules A Vidrine and Mary Camille Catoire married Mildred Vidrine 23 December 1927
Aldes Kevin Vidrine Jr. (1928–1976) son of Aldes Kevin Vidrine, Sr. and Marie Bertha Guillory, baptized 21 April 1928
Adam J “Red” Vidrine Jr. (1928–2007), son of Adam J Vidrine, Sr. and Armide Tate, baptized 27 June 1928
Harold Vidrine (1928–2012) son of Joseph Gauthier Vidrine and Atile O Vidrine baptized 10 July 2018
James Donald “Jimmy” Vidrine (1928–1995) son of Theodule Hilaire “T.H.” Vidrine, Sr. and Regina LaRose Fontenot baptized 9 August 1928
Madeleine Vidrine (1928–2015) daughter of Golbert Vidrine Sr. and Mildred Vidrine baptized 9 September 1928
Marie Ida Vidrine (1929–1999) daughter of Golbert Vidrine and Martha West baptized 14 October 1929
Harold J Vidrine (1928–2011) son of Numa Oezime “Mimi” Vidrine and Marie Zoe Vidrine baptized 27 October 1928
Joseph Mervin Vidrine (1928–1929) son of Joseph Maurice Vidrine and Marie Edna Sylvester baptized 3 November 1928
Prudence Vidrine (1928–2011) daughter of Marshall M Vidrine and Eulie B Fontenot baptized 10 December 1928
Ewell Lancs Vidrine (1928–1991) son of Adam Paul Vidrine and Emma LeDoux baptized 18 December 1928
Isiah Vidrine (1929–) daughter of Edgar Paul Vidrine and Onezia Mary Manuel baptized 4 May 1929
Gerald Marshall Vidrine (1929–1968) son of Marshall Laurent Vidrine and Odette Smith baptized 6 November 1929
Hersey Vidrine (1929–2008) son of Joseph Calvert Vidrine and Merice Deshotel baptized 6 November 1929
Joseph Dalvis Vidrine Sr. (1929–2005) son of Horace J Vidrine and
Aimee Vidrine baptized 11 January 1930
[1] The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana) · 24 Mar 1960, Thu · Page 4, https://www.newspapers.com/image/536630779/
[2] 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Census Place: Police Jury Ward 7, Saint Landry, Louisiana; Roll: T624_530; Page: 33B; Enumeration District: 0117; FHL microfilm: 1374543, Ancestry.com, Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
[3]Rev. Jason Vidrine, La Famille de Vidrine at 275 Years, Vidrine Family Publishing, 2019, p. 202.
[4] The Weekly Messenger, St. Martinville, LA, January 21, 1911, Image 1, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064454/1911-01-21/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&index=0&rows=20&words=J+L+Savit&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=L.J.+Savit&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
[5] “Archbishop Closes Church”, St. Landry Clarion, January 21, 1911, Image 1, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064250/1911-01-21/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&index=3&rows=20&words=J+L+Savy&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=L.J.+Savy&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
[6] See “History of St. Ann Church – Mamou, LA” https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm69MH_St_Ann_Catholic_Church_Mamou_LA
[7] St. Landry Clarion, August 31, 1912, Page 4, Image 4, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064250/1912-08-31/ed-1/seq-4/
[8] New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Year: 1913; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 23; Page Number: 19, Ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
[9] “History of the Parish” www.sacredheartvp.com
[10] “Rev. Fr. John Engerbrink Passes to the Great Beyond”, The Star Progress, Opelouas, LA, 22 June 1918, Sat, Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image//?terms=The%20Reverend%20Father%20L.J.%20Savy&match=1
[11] U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
[12] “Residents Recall the Great Dance Hall Fire of 1919”, Ville Platte Gazette, https://www.evangelinetoday.com/news/residents-recall-great-dance-hall-fire-1919
[13] “History of Sacred Heart Church”, www.sacredheartvp.com
[14] “Residents Recall the Great Dance Hall Fire of 1919”, Ville Platte Gazette, https://www.evangelinetoday.com/news/residents-recall-great-dance-hall-fire-1919
[15] 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Census Place: Ville Platte, Evangeline, Louisiana; Roll: T625_612; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 62, Ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
[16] New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line], Year: 1921; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 12; Page Number: 145, Ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
[17] Aurelis Mayeaux, V.L. Dupuis, and J. Hugo Dore, The Life of Euzebe Vidrine (Ville Platte, LA, 1924), p.28.
[18] Aurelis Mayeaux, V.L. Dupuis, and J. Hugo Dore, The Life of Euzebe Vidrine (Ville Platte, LA, 1924), p. 34.
[19] See also Rev. Jason Vidrine, La Famille de Vidrine at 275 Years, Vidrine Family Publishing, 2019, pp. 211-220.
[20] New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line], Year: 1926; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 7; Page Number: 168, Ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
[21] Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004, The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston, Texas, 1896-1951, Ancestry.com. Texas, Passenger Lists, 1893-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
[22] “Father Savy Alive and Well”, The Ville Platte Gazette (Ville Platte, LA), 22 March 1945, Thurs, Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/474399844/
[23] The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, LA) · 24 Mar 1960, Thu · Page 4, https://www.newspapers.com/image/536630779/; See also The Boston Globe (Boston, MA) · 23 Mar 1960, Wed, Page 32, https://www.newspapers.com/image/428674381/