It’s a Little Erie in the Church
Erie Patureau circa 1906
I retrieved several photos from my dad a couple of weeks ago that I didn’t know he had. I don’t know how I missed them all these years. This one is really interesting. It is from around 1906 and I think it must be the First Communion photo for my grandmother Germaine Erie Patureau (Mee Maw to us grandkids). The family was French/Acadian Catholic and they lived in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The photo had some age spots and was a bit dim, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get a good scan.
I scanned it and worked on it a while and I am really excited about the final result. I hope you enjoy it. If you know more about this photo than what I’ve said, please share it with us.
2018 Update – I always wondered how this could be a First Communion photo when Mee Maw was about 11 years old in the photo. I was pretty sure I got the age correct because of other photos of her when she was younger or older. I always thought First Communion happened when children were younger.
Then I posted the photo of my dad’s First Communion and I got some interesting feedback from a 3rd cousin. Dolores White Hebert informed me that when they were young, they had a Private First communion when they were around the first grade. Then they had a Solemn First Communion when they were around 11 years old. So this photo is more likely from Mee Maw’s Solemn First Communion, which fits with her age in 1906. No more wondering about the discrepancy that I noticed.