Alex Genealogy

11/17/2025

This is a big beautiful family photo capturing the scene of the 50th wedding anniversary of Charles Alcee GUIDRY and Marie MARTEL, who were married on December 3, 1891, in Opelousas, Louisiana. The celebration was attended by all of their living children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who traveled from across the country to honor the enduring union of this strong, close-knit Catholic Creole fam. From this union the following children were born:

1. Marie Blanche Guidry (1893–1967) m. John Claude DONATTO
2. Ethel Guidry (1894–1972) m. Odell Edward GAILES
3. Earl Guidry (1896–1973) m. Simon Gustave WYBLE
4. Lawrence Allison Guidry (1897–1976) m. Ruth JONES
5. Louise Guidry (1899–1959) m. Eddie BATTIN
6. Marie Olga Guidry (1900–1989) m. Thomas Wickliff OLIVER
7. Theophile Ross Guidry (1903–1984) m. Mary Evie LEMELLE
8. Inez Maddie Guidry (1905–1945) m. Joseph Clifford FRILOT, Sr.
9. Celeste Alexandrine "Dream" Guidry (1906–1993) m. Alvin Joseph DECUIR, Sr.
10. Vincent Roland Bertrand "Bert" Guidry (1908–1981) m. Mercedes COMEAUX
11. Matthew Millard Guidry (1910–1962) m. Grace HEBERT

11/16/2025

I just so happen to be scrolling down my news feed, minding my business, and I see my cousin Danielle giving me a shout out, and honestly, it hit me. Because when someone who has watched your journey for real speaks on the work you are doing, it just lands differently. I am literally in the middle of archiving genealogy binder number two right now, going back over those old manuscripts I digitized years ago, and to see her acknowledge that meticulous, tedious, and rigorous process meant something.

A lot of people do not understand the time, the sacrifice, the discipline, the patience, and the mental endurance it takes to do this work the right way. People see photos, they do not see the courthouse dust in your hair, the long nights transcribing every signature, the database you built page by page because you refused to let our history disappear. Many of you have watched me do this for well over a decade before the internet even cared about genealogy. You watched me drive from house to house scanning photos, building connections, and piecing together things nobody else could connect because I lived inside those records.

And then here comes this wave of folks using AI to generate false narratives and make it look easy. That is the part that gets exhausting, because the danger is not the technology, it is the misuse. People are out here fabricating lineages, twisting the record, and feeding the algorithm for attention, and the sad part is that a lot of people will not know the difference. You cannot call yourself a genealogist just because you know a few names in your family. That is not genealogy. That is not archival work. That is not preservation. This work requires integrity, methodology, respect for the record, and a deep understanding of the communities you are talking about.

And to make it worse, their misuse of AI and the theft of my content has been so widespread that I am the one getting hit on the monetization end. AI is reading things that I published, my intellectual property, and flagging me for copyright issues because so many people have stolen my work and reposted it. The algorithm does not know who the originator is, but the people do. Many of you have watched me do the work in real time. You know who was in the courthouse. You know who digitized these records before it was trendy. You know who built the template that everyone is now trying to mimic.

This is why it means something when someone like Danielle acknowledges the work. She knows the grind, the nights, the travel, the patience it takes to reconstruct history, verify narratives, and protect the truth. She has seen the meticulousness, because it is not just scanning pictures, it is understanding the deeper meaning behind them.

And speaking of pictures, those moving photos I have shared, I call them “the moving pictures.” People see them smiling, but they do not understand why I do that. Many of our ancestors were photographed under circumstances where they were not allowed to smile or were not in environments that fostered joy. So when I animate those old vintage photos, it is my way of restoring humanity. It is giving them a moment of emotion they were never afforded in a studio portrait. It is a small gesture, but for families, it brings people together in a way that transcends a simple still image.

But again, this is work rooted in preservation, not performance. I deal with oral history, I deal with documentation, I deal with manuscripts, not monetization. And it is frustrating to know that while my purpose is genuine, the noise from others has already confused the system. But even with that, I will continue to do this work because it is bigger than content, bigger than trends, bigger than clicks.

What keeps me grounded is knowing that the people who matter, my family, my supporters, my community, the ones who know the integrity behind this, cannot be fooled. They know who built this lane. They know who connected families long before it was profitable. They know the difference between entertainment and expertise. They know the real from the fabricated.

So yes, I appreciate the recognition. I appreciate Danielle for taking the time to speak on my work. And no matter what AI, algorithms, or imitators are doing, I am going to keep doing what I have always done,
preserve our history with accuracy, integrity, and love.

Because I started this,
I have sustained this,
And I will continue this, because this calling chose me long before any of them chose to copy it.

People are using AI to rewrite Black history. And 127,000 people believed it was real...

11/16/2025

This is the kind of content I usually reserve for my subscribers-only space, but I wanted to share a glimpse with you all. I have so much more in-depth material that I’ll be sharing exclusively with my subscribers before it reaches the public or if I ever share it publicly to keep it exclusive.

Genealogy has definitely challenged me to be more analytical while interpreting history to share my perspective. Here is an example of it being used in this slave purchase involving a wealthy planter named Elodie POIRET, wife of Victor LATASTE, and a free woman of color named Rose THIERRY. This record not only highlights how women conducted business, but more importantly, reveals a human story of compassion despite legal and social constraints.
For the "Quick readers" who don't want to read the full article, this is a document dated 1853 that involves a wealthy white women during slavery who sold a free woman of color named Rose THIERRY, a businesswoman, an enslaved woman named ANNA and her son JOE who was described as an idiot
POIRET, Elodie m. V.LATASTE to Rose THIERRY, f.w.c.

Type: Sale of Slaves
Date: 18 Jan 1853
Location: St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Source: (Opel.Ct.Hse. Conveyance)
Location of Digitized Document: (MyStuff)
Keywords: (Idiocy) (Women in Business) (Woman to Woman) (Free woman of color) (Sale of Family) (Mentally Challenged) (Psychological)
Notary: Joel J. SANDOZ

Transcription: Be it known that this day, before me, Joel H. SANDOZ, a Notary Public in and for the Parish of St. Landry, State of Louisiana aforesaid, duly commissioned and sworn, personally came and appeared Mrs. Elodie POIRET, widow of the late Victor LATASTE, of the parish of St. Landry, who declared, that for the consideration hereinafter mentioned she does, by these presents grant, bargain, sell, convey, transfer, assign and set over, with full guarantee against all troubles, debts, mortgages, claims, evictions, donations, alienations or other incumbrances whatsoever, and with subrogation to all her rights and actions of warranty against all previous owners, unto Rose THIERRY, f.w.c., of the same and state aforesaid, present, accepting and purchasing for herself, her heirs and assigns: a certain negro woman named Anna aged about thirty eight years, together with her child an idiot, named Joe, aged about sixteen years, being the same two slaves purchased by present vendor from F. MARTEL, on the 3d March, 1851, before Yves D’AVY, Notary Public, in Opelousas.

The purchaser is fully aware of the state of idiocy of the child Joe, here sold with his mother, the present vendor guaranteeing him against these defects of nature. This sale is made in consideration of the price and sum of three hundred dollars; two hundred, of which paid cash in hand, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, and the balance.......

Historical Context: While the transactional nature of the document is painful, the details speak volumes. The term “idiot” was not used casually, but rather as a legal and medical classification in the 19th century to describe individuals with significant intellectual or developmental disabilities.

What stands out most is the way the document refers to Joe as a “child,” despite him being approximately sixteen years old. In the context of slavery, boys of that age were often treated as adults and used for hard labor. That the document calls him a child suggests an acknowledgment of his cognitive condition and frames him in terms of vulnerability, not utility. It’s a rare moment where language reflects awareness of the person’s humanity, even within the dehumanizing system of slavery.

What deepens the significance of this sale is that Rose THIERRY, a distant relative of mine, was not related to Anna or Joe. Based on available research, there is no known family connection between them. Rose purchased Anna, reportedly to work in her department store, and willingly accepted responsibility for Joe, whose mental state was clearly disclosed, and who was sold without any legal guarantee or protection. This decision appears to have been more than just a business transaction. It may have been a quiet act of compassion, community care, or perhaps a desire to protect this family from being separated or sold into harsher conditions.
This record reminds us that free women of color were active participants in legal and economic life, but it also shows how individual choices sometimes pushed back against the cruelty of the system, even if subtly. Rose’s actions, though constrained by the laws of the time, suggest a moral decision rooted in empathy and foresight.

11/15/2025

Well my cousin Alex C. OZAN of Leonville, Louisiana, a rural community near Opelousas, received a lovely photo from a very beautiful woman, and let me tell you this is one of my favorite photos right here. There is something about it, the posture, the softness, the confidence. We see you Miss Nellie Arbella JONES. Circa 1910.

Moments like this remind me why I stay dedicated to digitizing, connecting, and preserving these images. These photos are not just pictures, they are echoes of a world our families lived, built, and survived. Every time one surfaces, a missing piece falls right back into place.

11/15/2025

When I tell y’all this made my day, it truly made my day. Let me give you a little fact about my cousin Yvette. Her parents opened their home to me while I was conducting all of this extensive research. Had it not been for me connecting with her parents, it would have cost me even more money to do the work I was doing.

When I first started taking this research seriously, her mother is actually the one who paid for me to continue my Ancestry subscription. And for her daughter to walk into a business in Opelousas and see this is a full circle moment. This is all behind the support and love from family who encouraged me every step of the way.

This really made my day. And I always tell people, I was born in Beaumont, Texas, but Opelousas helped raise the researcher that you all see today. Shout out to St. Landry Parish. Mary Yvette Andrus

This was a design made by Robyne Damond featuring all my direct lineages. Are we related?

11/15/2025

On Dec 14, 2019, I was stopped by the Jefferson County Sheriffs because one of my tail lights was missing due to a wreck that happened a few days ago. They asked about it, and of course, I was honest. They gave me a warning, and when I looked at the officer’s signature, it said DEVILLE! How ironic that I recently solved a century-old mystery about the DEVILLE family!

The fella featured in this post is Mr. Basilien DEVILLE, called “Gray” , born to Alexandre Defranc DEVILLE, a White planter. Defranc and Augustine had several children, many of whom were conceived during the antebellum period. In the 1870 census, Defranc and Augustine were found living together with their children. The Catholic marriages of their children confirmed Defranc’s paternity, as shown in their son Basillien DEVILLE’s Catholic marriage record:

DEVILLE, Basilien (Desfranc & Gustine GRADENI) m. 30 Jan. 1894 Annasabelle RICHARDSON (VP Ch.: v. 4, p. 63).

I’m currently in the process of discovering more about Augustine’s background, which could explain her surname, GRADENIGO. In the meantime, I thought it was pretty cool to meet a DEVILLE, a name that’s not as common in Southeast Texas.

11/15/2025

My records are true survivors!!! This is the scene I approached after going to get a bottle of water!! You all should hear how knowledgeable my son is with our history.

11/15/2025

Well my cousin Alex C Ozan received a lovely photo from a very beautiful woman. This one of my favorite photos. We see you Miss Nellie Arbella Jones. Circa 1910……..

11/15/2025

Rosella RICHARD was born on February 2, 1919, in Ville Platte, Louisiana, to Napoleon RICHARD and Marie LACHAPELLE. She passed away on June 24, 1972, in Eunice, Louisiana. Rosella married Dovic TATE.

Her mother, Marie LACHAPELLE, was the sister of my maternal great-great-grandmother, Ernestine LACHAPELLE, who was married to Francois LAFLEUR. I named my son Francois, honoring this family connection.

11/14/2025

Helen, Felician and Elnora, daughters of Aramis Auzenne and Helen Fuselier of Prairie Laurent, Louisiana. Beautiful!!!! They descendants of a long line of free people of color from out of St Landry Parish, Louisiana.

11/13/2025

This is a picture of my grandfather, Alex LAFLEUR Jr. on the right, standing next to his sister Willie El LAFLEUR THOMAS in the middle, and their younger brother, Lawrence LAFLEUR on the left, who everyone affectionately called T Bay. The photo was taken by their sister, Willie Mae LAFLEUR, who had come home from Texas with a camera, which was a big deal for the time. They were raised in Plaisance, Louisiana, deep in the heart of St. Landry Parish.

This is probably the only photograph that exists of my grandfather as a child, making it one of the most precious images in our family collection. And honestly, does he not look like the Ge**er baby? The cheeks, the eyes, the softness in his expression. It is beautiful to see a moment of innocence captured so perfectly.