SNGF: The Homes I've Lived In

Randy's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun mission is to blog about the homes we've lived in. I thought that might be a fun little trip down memory lane.

My first home was a trailer located in Bahnsen Trailer Park at 2000 Center St. in Vinton, Louisiana. I know I have a picture of it somewhere, but it's not scanned. I can remember a pic of me as a toddler sitting on the steps outside on an old rotary dial phone (it might have been one of those play phones that all kids from the 1980s had). Here is a pic of my parents in September 1985 in the living room with the kitchen in the background.

In May 1987, just after I finished kindergarten, we moved to the house where my parents still live. It is also in Vinton.

During my senior year of college in 2002, I moved into my first apartment at the Park Villa Apartments after living in the dorms at Centenary College for three years. I shared it with my friend, Emily. We had a 2 bedroom apartment on the second floor. The apartments are located at 1215 Captain Shreve Dr. in Shreveport, Louisiana, and still look the same today. I was so excited to have my first apartment.

Source: Google Maps

After I graduated, I moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to be closer to my family. I moved into a three bedroom apartment in Chateau Lafitte Apartments at 4202 Lake Street with my sister and a college friend of her's from McNeese State University. It was very spacious and was located along the Contraband Bayou. We even had a balcony overlooking the bayou. I paid more rent since I was working full-time, and I got the very spacious master bedroom with its own master bath. I remember our apartment manager being very "hot."

Source: Google Maps

For some reason, we only lived here for 6 months. I think it was because our roommate wanted to move out, and we never could find a good third roommate for the third bedroom. We moved to downtown Lake Charles into a 2-bedroom four-plex located at 731 Kirby Lane. It was in a really cute older neighborhood. The owner was crazy. He lived in the apartment next to our's. We were in the far left apartment on the first floor.

Source: Google Maps

We only lasted here 6 months as well. We got tired of living downtown because it was so far away from everything in south Lake Charles. And the owner was kind of crazy. So we moved to a 2-bedroom townhouse at 912 Shady Lane, which was also located on Contraband Bayou. Our townhouse was the one of the far left. My bedroom was where that big window is on the second floor.

Source: Google Maps

I only stayed here about another 6 months because I decided to go off to graduate school at the University of Texas in Austin. Lucky I did because this apartment was completely flooded during Hurricane Rita. My sister and a roommate lived in it at the time. In Austin, I moved to The Breakers on the Lake Apartments. They were located at 1500 E. Riverside, just a few miles from campus. I initially had a studio, and then after Hurricane Rita, my boyfriend (now husband) moved in, and we got a 2-bedroom in the same complex.They were nice apartments located on Town Lake with a pool that overlooked the lake. The bad thing was that we had mice in our 2-bedroom apartment.

Source: Google Maps

After graduate school, I got a big girl accounting job in Houston. I was so excited because my apartment was brand new. It was called Ravello at Tuscan Lakes and was located at 1750 E. League City Pkwy. in League City (about 20 minutes outside Houston). It was very fancy and had a resort style pool. We even got engaged at this apartment, so I always think very fondly of it.

Source: Google Maps

The only problem with Ravello and Houston was that my fiance (now husband) was going to graduate school 4 hours away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Again, I only lasted about 6 months because I missed him so much. I ended up moving to Baton Rouge and living with him at the Embassy Apartments at 3928 Gourrier Ave. across from LSU. They were far from my fancy apartment in Houston, but I did not care because I was now reunited with my fiance.

Source: Google Maps

We actually stayed here about 1 1/2 years. Then when he graduated, we moved into the Evergreen Apartments (now called Coursey Place) at 13675 Coursey Blvd in Baton Rouge. We were tired of not having a washer and dryer. These came with washers and dryers. We got a 2-bedroom with a screened in porch that overlooked the pond. This is where I found my cat, Boo.

Source: Google Maps

We lived here for two years until I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. The company I worked for was moving their company headquarters and offered me a job there. I moved into the Ashley Park Apartments at Brier Creek. It was just a few miles from my new job, located in the Research Triangle Park. (My apartment was not one of the fancy ones with a garage). It was a very spacious one-bedroom and had a balcony that overlooked a wooded area.

Source: google maps

I lived in North Carolina for about 6 months before we decided to finally get married. The problem was that he was still in Baton Rouge. Another 6 months passed, we got married, and I moved back to Louisiana. In Louisiana, we got a 2-bedroom apartment at the Bristol Apartments located at 5960 Siegen Lane. I would put a picture, but Google Maps does not have a good one, since they are located so far back from the street. They have a long palm-tree lined entrance.

We stayed at the Bristol for 2 years until we finally decided to buy a house. This is a picture of our current house (not far from our old apartment on Coursey Blvd.). We love it here and hope to stay for many more years.

Those Places Thursday

Home of my grandparents, Benford and Merlene (Mertena) Trahan, located at 1306 Fancher St. in Vinton, Louisiana, May 1968

I was so excited when my dad texted this picture to me last week. My uncle found it on Facebook. Why was I excited? Because it is the only known picture of the home my dad and his brothers grew up in from c. 1960 to 1973. The home was moved from the property sometime in the 1970s or 80s.

It was actually the home of my great-grandparents, Bienvenue and Beatrice (Boneaux) Trahan, before my grandparents lived in it. During World War II, Bienvenue and Beatrice moved to Vinton, Louisiana, from Scott, Louisiana, when Bienvenue got a job with the railroad. The railroad provided this home for the family to live in. The home I am referring to is the house on the right with the screened in porch. According to my dad, the smaller structure on the left was used as a garage by my great-grandparents when they lived there.

On 16 Jan 1960, Bienvenue and Beatrice purchased a piece of land at 1218 Nelson St. in Vinton from Clodet and Lizzie (Trahan) Landry. (Lizzie was most likely a distant cousin of Bienvenue's, but there was no known close relationship). Sometime soon after, they built a new house there (see below).



At the time that Bienvenue and Beatrice purchased the new property on Nelson St., their only child, Benford Maurice Trahan, was a young man of 24 years who had just been discharged from the U.S. Navy two years earlier. He was married and had 3 young boys, including my 4 year-old dad. He was working as a rubber inspector at the Firestone plant in nearby Sulphur, Louisiana. Benford and his bride, the former Merlene Mertena, lived in a rental home located at 27 Eucalyptus St. in Sulphur with their three boys in 1960. (I would put a photo up from Google Maps, but I don't believe the current house there today was the same one that was there in 1960). Merlene's parents lived nearby in Sulphur.

I'm not quite sure why Benford and Merlene moved to Vinton, except that I recall my grandmother telling me that Beatrice wanted them back there. Benford was her only child, after all. And my dad and his brothers were her only grandchildren. So off Benford and Merlene moved to Vinton into the old railroad house that my great-grandparents had purchased from the railroad. I heard many times as a teenager and young adult how much my grandmother hated that old railroad house. Apparently, Beatrice had moved the kitchen from the old railroad house over to the new house to be used in the mother-in-law quarters behind the new house. Merlene couldn't believe that she was expected to live in a house without a kitchen.

In fact, after hearing so many horrible stories about the old railroad house, I was quite surprised when I saw the picture last week. Doesn't look so bad to me with a nice big-screened porch. How I wish my grandmother were still alive so I could ask questions about the old railroad house. I have a feeling that she resented her mother-in-law for persuading my grandfather to move them there and away from her parents.

A fourth boy came along in the fall of 1960 (my uncle who found the picture), and about 1961 Benford transferred into the Safety Dept at Firestone. Once all the boys were in school, Merlene found a job as a travel counselor in 1966 with the Louisiana State Tourist Bureau located in Vinton, just a few blocks from their home located in what is now the Vinton Public Library.

According to my grandmother, she inherited money from her grandmother, Blanche (Welden) Mertena, when she died in 1970. (Note to self: Need to research probate records for Blanche). On 6 Jan 1973, she used this money to purchase a piece of land at 1702 Horridge St. in Vinton. My dad was a junior in high school. Not too long after, Benford and Merlene built a new house there with all the modern amenities of 1973 (and it had a kitchen).

Eventually, Benford became the Personnel Manager of Firestone before he retired in the early 1990s.
Merlene retired from the tourist bureau around that time as well. They lived in the "new" house until Benford died in 2009 and Merlene went to a nursing home around three years ago (sadly, she passed away last summer at the age of 80).

Below is a picture of their "new" house on Google Maps (that is actually my dad's truck at the end of the driveway). The white siding on the left side of the house is where the garage was. After Benford died, Merlene remodeled the house so that her wheelchair could fit better in the kitchen. They expanded the kitchen/dining area by closing in the garage and then extended the driveway around the left side of the house all the way to the backyard.
My grandmother was always so proud of "her" house. She said if my grandfather had had his way, they would have never left the old railroad house. She always remarked how she wanted to visit it one more time after she went to the nursing home. I think she would be happy to know that there is a young couple living in it now and taking care of it. I'm sure she doesn't give a hoot what happened to the old railroad house.

Finally Visited the Old Homestead

March is flying by! I just realized I haven't posted anything since the March goals post at the beginning of the month. I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas to help my little brother move. He worked in the IT department at a casino here in Louisiana, and they recently promoted him to work at the corporate office in Vegas. The trip was a lot of fun because I had never been there before, but it sure feels good to be home again (my husband couldn't make the trip, so I greatly missed him!).

Why do I mention this and what does this have to do with my trip to the family homestead? Well, my brother lived with my parents two hours away from me in Louisiana, so my dad agreed to meet my husband and me halfway between their home and our home the night before we began our trip. It didn't make sense for my brother to drive east to get me because that would be in the opposite direction of our route. The halfway point just happens to be near the land my great-great-grandparents lived on in Scott, Louisiana, which my grandmother still owns. The land was owned by my great-great grandparents, Maurice BONEAUX and Marie Alice SONNIER, and it's possible that the land was previously owned by Maurice's parents, Dominique BONEAUX and Alida MOUTON. I need to research the land records at the Lafayette Parish Courthouse to verify this. There is currently a house and a barn located on the property. The house belonged to Maurice and Marie. The property was never sold and was passed down to my great-grandparents and then to my grandparents.

Originally, we were going to meet my dad in Lafayette, but my dad was running behind, so we drove a little further west to Scott and decided to stop at the house, since it was still daylight. When I had previously visited the area, the house was occupied by tenants, so I wasn't able to go inside. In December, my grandmother ended the lease and the tenants had to move. My husband was scared to go inside at first because the side door was unlocked and he was worried about squatters with weapons. I told him we were in the middle of the country, but he said that's how all true crime begins (in an area where you least expect it). After peeking in the windows for awhile, we decided it was safe to go inside (I was more worried about rodents).

Other than the front porch falling apart and the side door missing steps, the house was in decent shape inside. You can tell it has been added on to over the years. There is a room with several windows that was added on to the south side of the house off the kitchen. I suppose it was intended to be a second bedroom, or possibly even a living area. This is the room that the side door opens into. The floor is this room is a white linoleum tile (the same floor that is in the neighboring kitchen). Here are some pics of this room (it looks like the children leasing the house had a fun time drawing on the walls):

 

The front door opened into the living room. The living room was fairly small and had a Disney Princess poster still hanging on the wall. Makes me wonder if the family used this as a bedroom, since it was smaller than the added-on room above. The floor in the living room was wood. It could have been laminate, but it appeared to be real wood. I have a feeling it might be the original floor. The blinds were really torn up, and the floor had lots of scratches and nicks on it. There was a coat closet in the living room.

Just off the living room was the dining room. It appeared to be a little larger than the living room. It also had wood floors. The door in the picture below goes to the original bedroom.

The bedroom off the dining room had wood floors as well. The blinds in this room were torn up like the ones in the living room.

On the backside of the dining room was the kitchen. I'm beginning to wonder if the kitchen was added on later as well, especially since the bathroom is off the kitchen. I know kitchens have not always been attached to the house, and it has the same flooring as the second bedroom that was added on. There used to be a window unit above the sink, and now the window won't close. There is some insulation on the window that is stopping it from closing.

This is where the appliances used to be. My husband is standing in the doorway to the added-on bedroom.

The doorway on the back of the kitchen leads to the laundry area and a very small bathroom. There is also a back door that goes out to the attached carport. The carport is falling apart, so I didn't try this door.

My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I would like to fix this little house up. I don't want to live in it myself because it would be way too small for us, but I really like it and don't want it to fall apart. Next weekend I think I am going down there with a mop and a broom and some cleaners to see what I can do. Of course, there is probably lots more work that needs to be done than just cleaning, but it's a start. The house probably needs to be leveled. Someone probably needs to check it for termites too. We definitely need to paint. The porches obviously need to be fixed. We need to build a wheelchair ramp to help my grandmother get in the house. Overall, I think we probably need a home inspector to check it out and gives us his advice. My grandmother and sister are the only other two people even remotely interested in this house.

In the meantime, my grandmother is getting the whole property surveyed. She thinks it contains around 40 acres, but it has been so long since someone in the family familiar with the property was living, that we need a surveyor to help us. None of us live right in the area either, which makes it more difficult. I live about one hour east, and she lives about one hour west.

UPDATE: I previously mentioned a new blog on here about the land in Scott. For personal reasons, I've decided to make that blog private for now. Please email me at jtrahan81 at gmail.com if you would like to be a follower.

My Great-Great Grandparents' Home

In a previous post, I featured the two homes of my great-grandparents, Bienvenue and Beatrice Marie (Boneaux) Trahan, after they moved to Vinton, Louisiana. The home featured above is the home that Beatrice grew up in. It is located near the corner of Hwy 93 and Wyman Road in Lafayette Parish in Ossun, Louisiana (just outside of the town of Scott). The home remains in the family, though it is leased by a non-family member who lives in that area.

Beatrice's parents were Maurice Boneaux and Marie Alice (Sonnier) Boneaux. Maurice and Marie married 10 Sep 1908 at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Scott. Beatrice was born 26 Aug 1910 and baptized at the same church.

According to my paternal grandmother, there was another smaller house on the property, which Maurice's father, Dominique Boneaux, had built. This makes sense, as the 1910 census shows Dominique and Alida (Mouton) Boneaux, Maurice's parents, living next door to Maurice and Marie. That smaller house is no longer standing.

Bienvenue and Beatrice lived on the property with Maurice and Marie after they married in 1929. Bienvenue and Beatrice are the parents of my paternal grandfather. I'm trying to remember if my grandfather was born in this house featured here or in the smaller house (I'll have to ask him again). I know he was born in his grandmother's house, though I can't seem to remember if Marie moved into the smaller house after Bienvenue and Beatrice married, or if Bienvenue and Beatrice moved into the smaller house. I know Maurice died in Sep 1934, and I think this is when Marie moved into the smaller house. My grandfather was born in 1935. Questions, Questions!!

UPDATE: I talked to my grandfather this morning. I had a few things mixed up. There was an older house on the property, which was probably inhabited by Dominique and Alida. They were his great-grandparents, but they both died before he was born. The older house was torn down, and Bienvenue and Beatrice built a new house on the property. This new house is where my grandfather was born. This new house was sold many years ago and moved off the property. He verified that the house that is featured here was his grandmothers' house. I thought his delayed birth certificate said he was born at his grandmothers' house, but since his grandmother owned the property Bienvenue and Beatrice's house was on, maybe that's what that statement meant. I am going to have to double check the delayed birth certificate. Of course, as we all know, delayed birth certificates are in fact, delayed, which leaves some doubt about them being 100% correct.

My Great-Grandparents' Home

I've just realized that my hometown of Vinton, Louisiana, has street views on Google Maps. This is very exciting!

Below is the home of my great-grandparents, Bienvenue and Beatrice (Boneaux) Trahan. They lived on Nelson Street in Vinton from the late 1950s until the late 1990s. They are the parents of my paternal grandfather. When my great-grandfather moved to a nursing home in the late 1990s, my grandparents sold the house to someone outside the family.

Before Bienvenue and Beatrice moved into the house above, they lived in a railroad-owned house at the corner of Highway 90 and Fancher Street in Vinton. My great-grandfather worked for the railroad for many years. They lived there from the early 1940s until they moved into the house above. The railroad house is no longer standing, but it is featured in the background of the picture on the far left in my blog banner. Bienvenue and Beatrice eventually bought the house from the railroad and sold it to my grandparents. This is where my dad grew up until the early 1970s.

Now if they would only get street views for Port Huron, Michigan on Google Maps! I'm eagerly awaiting!