RSS Feed

I have a mind’s-eye vision of Jean Gaudet as a crusty old Frenchman, sun-burnt, with dark, work-hardened hands, capable of doing what had to be done to wrest a simple life from the soil. He was probably an independent old cuss. He was more than 60 years old in 1636, when he and his brother, Aubin, migrated to Acadie, traveling to a colony still far from a certain thing.
Settlement in North America was still a new and risky venture. The British colony at Jamestown was less than 30 years old. The Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth just 16 years before. It would be 40 years before Marquette and Joliette began to explore the Mississippi Valley, nearly 50 before LaSalle planted his cross at the river’s mouth to claim Louisiana for France. George Washington would not be born for more than 100 years.
Jean came to clear forest into farmland, build dikes to reclaim tidal marshes, hew timber for his home and keep a family fed while he was doing it. The work seems to have agreed with him. He farmed his Annapolis Basin lands for more than 30 years, dying at the age of 97.
He was one of my first ancestors in North America, and there was a lot of history packed into his lifetime. He and his wife, Nicole Colleson, were among the first families to settle in Acadie. Before 1636, the French who came to North America were mostly single men, contract workers who were employed in the fisheries or fur trade, and who returned to France once their stint was done.
Jean was a farmer, and he and others who came at the same time brought skills and crafts needed in building and running a colony. Germain Doucet, another of my ancestors to arrive about this time, was commandant at Port Royal. Another, Antoine Bourg, was royal notary and syndic (justice of the peace). Others, such as Rene Landry, Jean Terriot and Francois Gauterot were probably farmers. Guillaume Blanchard was a fisherman.
They had enough to eat, according to Nicolas Denys, who recorded much of the early history of the colony. In 1638, he said, “there are plenty of clams, whelks, mussels, and other mollusks and an abundance of lobsters ... some of which have a claw so large it will hold a pint of wine.” He mentions swordfish “as large as a cow,” and writes of huge flocks of wild pigeons flying over his camp. He says he was kept awake by the noise from flocks of geese and ducks nearby.
Those early Acadians led a simple life. Historian Rameau de Saint-Pere, drawing from accounts by an early priest of the colony, Ignace de Senlis, wrote:
“On Sunday, the Acadian farmers emerged from the folds of this charming valley, some in canoes, others on horseback, their wives and daughters riding behind, while long lines of Micmac, brightly painted and with colorful ornaments, mingled with them. Around the church grounds, [there were] extensive green areas, which were called les champs commune, where the arrivals tethered their mounts and left their belongings. After the service, the colonists relaxed on the champs commune, discussing crops, hunting, progress of clearing the land … a thousand and one topics about their private lives and gossiping the way it is done in all French countries.”
Judging by those accounts, those first Acadian families would fit right in with the modern groups that gather on the church lawn after Mass to talk about the weather, their gardens, the grandkids, and to maintain what apparently is a long tradition of sharing choice tidbits of gossip.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

The football scrimmage Thursday night between the Class 4A North Vermilion Patriots and the Class 3A Abbeville Wildcats turned out to be a showcase for two “rookie” quarterbacks.
Both squads were starting two quarterbacks who had little or no varsity experience.
North Vermilion found itself down to one quarterback heading into the scrimmage. Projected starter Isaiah Whitlock for NV was out due to an illness.
So, Logan Thompson, a North Vermilion sophomore, was thrown into running an offense that likes to throw the football. Before the scrimmage started, Abbeville’s defense agreed not to tackle or knock down Thompson because he was the Patriots’ only quarterback for the first and second teams.
Thompson, who carries a 4.0 grade point average in high school, was able to impress his head coach by completing more than 60% of his passes more than 100 yards of offense.
“I was highly impressed,” said Blakey of his QB who never played varsity. “He made some mistakes early, but he is a sophomore. The thing I loved about him was that he did not look phased by anything. He came in and threw the ball well.”
This season, North Vermilion’s offense is going to be a throw the ball first, then hand the ball off to running back Benny Freeman.
The two teams ran an overtime offense, where each team started 25 yards from the goal line. On the second play, Thompson connected with Ethan Guidry for a 25-yard touchdown. Guidry jumped over the defensive back to catch the ball.
Another big play was Thompson completing a pass up the middle to Jag Broussard who caught it 15-yard gain, then lost the ball and it fell in the hands of NV receiver Evan Deshotels, who ran for another 30 yards down field.
A few plays later, Thompson connect with Hunter Ricks for a 9-yard TD pass.
While North Vermilion’s offense was throwing the football, the Wildcats were trying to establish a running game with its new QB, Jasen Shelvin, and running back Blake Saddler.
Shelvin had close to 75 yards rushing, including a big run of 30 yards.
Saddler ended the scrimmage with a 20-yard touchdown run in overtime.
“We had some good plays and we had some bad plays,” said AHS head coach Roderick Moy. “We are where we want to be in a scrimmage. You don’t want to be your best now, because your are not going to be at the your best in the end of the season.”
Both teams’ defenses shined. North Vermilion had trouble running against Abbeville’s defense and Abbeville had trouble throwing against North Vermilion’s defense.
Abbeville’s defense had at least three interceptions.

Being the trigger man in the veer offense isn’t easy.
You have to be able to read the defense, decide to hand off or keep the ball and know what to do to keep the chains moving on a drive.
It takes football intelligence as well as a physical ability to handle the position.
Abbeville High’s Jaysen Shelvin is that guy for head coach Roderick Moy.
“I trust him with the offense,” Moy said about his junior quarterback. “He may not put up lightning numbers throwing the ball but he’s going to make sure that everyone is in the right place and he’s going to be another coach on the field for us.
“We want to run the ball first and that’s going to be his greatest asset. That doesn’t mean that he can’t throw the ball. But the more we run the ball, the more open the receivers are going to be and the more the play-action pass will work.”
Moy has faith in Shelvin and how has he’s picked up the offense.
“He understands it,” the AHS coach said. “He’s not worried about the stats. He just wants to win.”
The 6-foot-1, 180 pound junior is in his first year as starter, but he did get some experience at the quarterback spot last year as a sophomore.
“I played quarterback for the Berwick games, the Crowley game and the St. James game,” Shelvin said. “It was a rush. It felt like I belonged there.”
The junior said he battled nerves, as well as being behind cente. He admits he made some mistakes in the pivot at first, including his first play ever at QB.
“We were doing a draw play with the quarterback and I ran into my wide receiver,” he said. “I have to admit, it was embarrassing.”
Even with the inauspicious debut, he felt good about playing the most important position on the field and is ready for his starring role this year.
“It’s extremely tough to play,” Shelvin said. “But I feel that we have a good team and we have to do our job and everyone has to give 100 percent.”
Shelvin likes running the veer offense.
“It opens me up a lot but it also opens up the passing game a lot as well,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, you have to have the right steps, you have to have the right hands and the right speed. You have to be smart with your eyes.
“That is, you have to be able to know where you are and where the defense is at all times.”
Shelvin said he worked on the position for two months straight during the offseason just to be able to get it down so he could run it the right way during the season.
The junior QB also has some high personal goals this year.
”I want to be a 1,000-,1000 guy,” he said, referring to the fact that he wants to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards passing. “And I think that I can get there.”
As for team goals, Shelvin wants to lead the Wildcats past the first round of the playoffs.
“We went into the playoff game last year with our heads too big,” he said. “We need to remember that we need to be humble and earn it on the field and show that Abbeville football is back.”

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Mary Langlinais Scalisi, 92, at 3:00PM at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church with Fr. Michael Delcambre her grandson as celebrant.
Visitation will be at St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 from 1:00PM till 2:30PM with a recitation of the rosary at 2:15PM.
A resident of Abbeville, Mary died peacefully surrounded by her family on August 22, 2021, at her home. Growing up locally, she toiled with her family in cotton fields and developed traits that would shape her into a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. At 18 years of age she married Marion Scalisi and together they built a family rooted in the Catholic faith. She could often be found behind the sewing machine, creating or mending clothes for their growing number of children, opening her home and her heart to all who would visit, and speaking in her native French when she did not want young ears to catch on. Like her namesake, the Blessed Mother, she had a servant’s heart and would never be heard complaining no matter the circumstance. Humble and patient, Mary worked with her husband at Scalisi Tailors and Cleaners to provide for their 11 children. She was truly a light to all she encountered, and even in her last days continued to bring her children and grandchildren closer to Christ.
Mary is survived by ten of the eleven children: Peter Scalisi and wife Denise, of Lafayette, Connie Scalisi Trahan of Abbeville, Miriam Lucy Scalisi of New Iberia, Dominic Scalisi and wife Maxine, of Abbeville, Patricia Scalisi Delcambre and husband Randy, of Abbeville, Martin Scalisi and wife Kay, of Erath, Theresa Scalisi Theall and husband Thad, of Maurice, Annette Scalisi Robichaux and husband Neal, of Abbeville, Nancy Scalisi of Beaumont, Texas, and T/Sgt. Joseph Scalisi, USAF (Ret’d) of Abbeville. Mary is survived by 18 grandchildren and numerous great and great great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband Marion, her father Edia Langlinais, her mother Aga Boudin Langlinais and siblings Hilda LeBlanc, Larry Langlinais, Wesley Langlinais, Audrey LeBlanc, and Vivian Culotta. Mary was also preceded in death by the sixth of her and Marion’s children, Phillip. 
Serving as pallbearers will be Jared Scalisi, Wesley Scalisi, Wayne Scalisi, Christopher Trahan, Brandon Leger and Colby Allen.
The family has requested in lieu of flowers donations be made to Sisters of Mt. Carmel at P.O. Box 476 Lacombe, LA 70445-0476; or Hospice of Acadiana at 2600 Johnston Suite 200 Lafayette, LA 70503. David Funeral Homes of Abbeville at 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangements.
To help keep the community safe we will honor the August 01, 2021, Louisiana Mandates, all families, and their guests are required to wear a face covering during visitation services. Due to Covid-19 the family also requests private graveside service. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
The family would like to thank Dr. Ronald Lahasky and his staff, the nurses, and staff of the third floor of Abbeville General Hospital and Hospice of Acadiana and its staff for the wonderful care given to mom during her illness.
David Funeral Home of Abbeville at 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangements.