Patureau and Landry Families in 1921

I got this photo from Box 301 in June of 2024.  Box 301 Collection was a box that was in my Aunt Wana’s attic for many years.  We don’t know how many years, because it was discovered about ten years after her death.  Some attics are just dusty with nothing of value in them.  Aunt Wana’s attic was a treasure trove for old photos.  Both Box 301 Collection and the Tin Can Collection are from that.  I’m hoping more treasures will be found in other cousin’s attics and/or homes.  And of course, I hope they would be willing to share them with me.  I would be sharing with them if the reverse were true.

I recognize this event in the history of my dad’s family.  Other photos were taken on the same day with various groupings of family members.  Since they were all wearing the same clothes, it’s pretty easy to determine that it was the same event.  That event was the baptism of my dad’s first cousin in 1921 in Lafayette, Louisiana.  My dad was Robert Joseph Landry, Jr. and his first cousin was Therese Wynhoven Mouton.  They were known by various names.  My dad was known as Bob, Bobbie, Pluto, and Pappy.  His cousin was known as Therese, Tez, or Wynie. 

They were cousins because their mothers were sisters.  Those sisters are sitting in the forefront of this photo with little Tez.  Tez was the first grandchild of the Patureau family.  She was the daughter of Emma Patureau Mouton who is holding her here.  Her father was Toby Mouton.  He is the tallest person in this photo.  Emma was the oldest child of Vincent Maximilian Patureau and Marie Therese Landry Patureau.  Max is on the right edge of the photo.  Not that you would be able to tell, but that looks like him and the suit he was wearing that day.  I’m not sure if I took a bad photo of this photo.  He might be showing up in the original photo, and I didn’t get it all.  Maybe my cousin can help me out with that.  Marie Therese Landry Patureau is not in the photo because she passed away in 1909.

My wonderful grandmother is sitting next to her sister Emma.  Her name was Germaine Erie Patureau, but she usually went by Erie.  But she was known to us cousins as Mee Maw.  She was the best.  Of course we could be a bit prejudiced.  I’m sure all of her sisters and brothers were wonderful people as well.  This was the year that my grandparents got married.  Erie Patureau married Rob Landry in November of 1921.  All the rest of the people in the photo are relatives of theirs.

Standing on the left in the photo is Zim Landry Landry.  She’s a Landry that married another Landry, but she was around a 3rd cousin to my grandfather.  She’s in the photo because she was married to my grandfather’s older brother Joe Landry.  He’s standing next to Zim and a little behind her.  Another Landry brother is in the background in the middle of the photo.  That was Louis or Louie Landry.  He was married to Clemence Babin, who was Marie Therese Landry Patureau’s half-sister.  Clem is in front of him and she is looking around the head of one of the Patureau sisters.  That sister is the youngest one that survived to adulthood.  Her name was Sylvie Patureau and she married Son Marionneaux from Plaquemine.  They lived in Plaquemine and many family members still live in that area.  I don’t know what that big round thing on her dress is.  When I look at it, it makes me think a child is standing in front of her.

The next Patureau sister (with a noticeable necklace on) is Marie Therese Patureau.  That is a popular name in the Landry and Patureau families.  To differentiate her, she was always known as Bee.  To the right of Bee is one of the older sisters Lydwin.  She was known as Win and she never married.  Everyone always seemed to say really nice things about her.  I think she was very giving and loving with the family.  And finally we get to one of the Patureau brothers.  I know that younger brother Vincent was at this event because he was in another photo.  He may be the person cut off on the left edge of the photo.  Again, I hope I didn’t leave off someone inadvertently.  I must be more careful.  But you can see older brother Rome on the right with the thin tie.  He was younger than Emma, but older than Win.  He’s standing next to one of the most important family members of the group.

When I’m looking at her now with her arms crossed, I get the feeling that she’s saying, “Don’t forget about me, young man!  I’ve been waiting patiently for you to acknowledge that I’m even in this photo.”  Sorry, Grandma Belite, we definitely don’t want to forget about you.  Grandma Belite is my great great grandmother Marie Amelie “Belite” Bujol Landry Babin.  Her maiden name is the not-so-common Acadian name of Bujol.  She was known as one of the beautiful daughters of the Widow Bujol.  She was married twice.  Her first marriage occurred shortly after the Civil War in Brusly, Louisiana, when she married the local war hero Trasimond Landry.  Their first daughter was Marie Therese Landry, later known as Patureau.  After Trasimond died at a somewhat young age, Belite married her second husband Magloire Babin.  They were the parents of Clemence Babin, later known as Landry.

I think that ties everyone together quite nicely.  It’s a nice photo of the combined Landry and Patureau families.