Laura Walker – three of three

My Great-Grandmother

Tragedy struck Laura’s family on 5 November 1928. Different stories were told by different people to protect those involved. One story was that twelve-year-old Marcus had been hunting with cousins. Upon return the gun was to have been cleaned. Marcus thought there were no bullets in the gun. Some said that he dropped the gun as Louise was walking up to the porch and it went off. She died shortly thereafter.^[1]Iberia Parish, certificate of death file no. 1013, Registered No. 14222 (5 November 1928), Louise Carrow, Louisiana State Board of Health. Some details for the accident were related in an untitled … Continue reading How tragic for a mother to have to bury an eighteen-year-old daughter while trying to comfort a son responsible for the death of his sister. How did Laura handle such a thing?  Marcus grieved all his life about the accident.

Louise had been a student at the Jeanerette High School.^[2]Iberia Parish, certificate of death, Louise Carrow. She was also engaged to a young man from Jeanerette. Many years later, Emily Claire Provost Broussard Dobbs met members of the fiancé’s family who spoke fondly of Louise. 

Sometime after Louise’s death, the family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana; most likely so that David could work. He had been employed at the Lafayette Lumber Company.^[3]“Obituary, Mrs. David Carraw,” The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, Louisiana, 3 May 1930, page 7, col. 3; image … Continue reading They lived at 317 Pierce Street with two of their children, Billie, Marcus and Laura’s brother, Willard Walker.^[4]1930 U.S. census, Lafayette, Louisiana, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 28-10, Lafayette City, p.2B, dwelling 40, family 46, David Carrow household; National Archives and Records … Continue reading Billie attended Walden’s Lafayette Business College and did very well in bookkeeping and shorthand.^[5]“Expert Stenographers,” The Daily Advertiser, 27 Oct 1930 – Page 3, image … Continue reading Marcus earned a bookkeeping certificate.^[6]“Bookkeeping Certificate,” The Daily Advertiser, 27 Oct 1930 – Page 7; image copy, newspapers.com. Velma had moved to Beaumont, Texas, before 1927 and was working at the Phoenix Furniture Store.^[7]“U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/5000428?pId=402492356 : viewed 25 October 2022), entry for … Continue reading She was living with her uncle Enoch Walker and his wife, Mae. In 1930, Velma lived with cousin Birdie Moriarty Dartez and her in-laws.^[8]1930 U.S. census, Jefferson County, Texas, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 123-11, Beaumont City, p.1A, dwelling 6, family 10, Valey Dartez household; National Archives and Records … Continue reading Birdie was Laura’s niece, daughter of Eleanor Walker Moriarty who died in 1907.

So many things changed in those few years. Carrol moved to Baton Rouge and worked as a railroad clerk for the Missouri Pacific Railroad.^[9]1930 U.S. census, West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 7, Policy Jury Ward 4, p. 13B, dwelling 327, … Continue reading Nora Mae married Don Poteet and was living in New Orleans.^[10]1930 U.S. census, Orleans, Louisiana, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 20, New Orleans City, p. 2A, dwelling 27, family 21, Harry J. … Continue reading They had a baby, Mary Louise (Weazie), named after the sister who had died. Did Laura have a chance to take the train to New Orleans to see her first grandchild? Was she there when Nora Mae had the baby and did she stay any time to help? 

Did Laura and David go on any trips? Did she ever leave Louisiana? Would she have taken a train ride from Jeanerette to Texas? Maybe the family went on a camping trip near Cow Bayou, Louisiana. 

While living in Lafayette, Laura and David may have had an automobile. There is an article in The Daily Advertiser on 12 March 1930 informing readers that “Mr. And Mrs. David Carrow and Misses Lily and Madee Mouton motored to Jeanerette recently and spent the day with relatives and friends.”^[11]”Personals,” The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana), 12 March 1930, p. 9, col. 1; image … Continue reading Who were Lily and Madee Mouton? Were they cousins, nieces or friends going for a ride to Jeanerette. 

A fond and funny memory of our family is that Emily Claire always mentioned that the above photo was taken before Laura Walker Carrow died! Maybe she had meant to say “shortly before she died”? She had been saying it for years until family finally questioned her phrasing. It is now a family joke to say a photo was taken before so and so died.

Looking at the photo above of Laura and David which was taken between 1929 and May 1930, Laura was not very tall; she barely reached her husband’s shoulders. Her sons Carrol, nicknamed Shorty, and Marcus may have gotten their lack of height from their mother. All her daughters were just as petite.

Laura must have been proud that her eldest daughter Velma had exercised independence by moving to Beaumont to be trained in a career and had found a job. Since Laura did not marry until age twenty-three, she may have found it acceptable that Velma was unmarried at twenty-six. She met Velma’s fiancé, Emile Provost, at least once when he visited on 30 April 1930 with Velma.^[12]“Personals,” The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana), 24 April 1930, p. 9, col. 1; image … Continue reading More than likely she met him earlier than that as Velma and Emile had a six-year courtship and Emile’s family was also from Jeanerette. Who informed The Daily Advertiser that Velma and Emile visited the family with Myrtle Bourgeois? Myrtle was Laura’s niece, Luvinia Walker Bourgeois’ daughter. Did Laura approve of Emile Provost? Did Velma and her mother discuss wedding plans for the July wedding? 

Laura died May 2, 1930,^[13]Lafayette Parish, file no. 572, Registered No. 6425, Certificate of Death, (2 May 1930), Mrs. David Carrow, Louisiana State Board of Health. two months before Velma’s wedding. She described the pain in her chest as indigestion but had had a heart attack and did not survive. In memory of her mother, Velma named her first child Laura Ann.

Laura Walker was the second child; her second child was Velma Carrow Provost; Velma’s second child was Emily Claire; Emily Claire’s second child is Patti Broussard Castille. Patti resembles her great-grandmother as a young woman and her great-aunt Louise. Velma and Nora Mae took on Laura’s looks as they grew older.  

Laura Walker Carrow, above left; Velma Carrow Provost, above right; Emily Claire Provost Broussard Dobbs, bottom left; Patti Broussard Castille, bottom right.

There is one last detail about Laura’s life that was almost forgotten to be passed on. Emily Claire remembered her grandfather, Laura’s husband, telling her that everyone called Laura “Key,” pronounced Ki. Her nickname came from her friends with whom she played baseball (yes, girls were playing baseball in the Jeanerette area during Laura’s days). She had very dark eyes; they were so dark she was called “Black eyes” which was shortened to “Key.”  The nickname is verified in Birdie’s autobiography written in 1983 when Birdie was nearing her 85th year.^[14]Mary Birdie Moriarty Dartez, “Memories, Memories, Days of Long Ago…,” 28 January 1983; pp. 5; privately held by Sindi Broussard Terrien. 

It has been over 90 years since Laura has left this world, but her legacy lives on. There are a few cherished curios that have been passed down from daughter to daughter which once belonged to Laura. The dark blue iridescent carnival glass dish that Velma kept on her bedroom dresser was passed onto Emily Claire and then to Sindi Broussard Terrien. Granddaughter Gwen Provost Carona, daughter of Billie Carrow Provost, had a dish that sat on her mother’s dresser in which her father placed his change. Did it match the one that sat on Velma’s dresser? And Laura Ann Provost, gave a pressed-glass cake stand to Sindi. Who gave the cake stand to Laura over 90 years ago? Laura must have made wonderful cakes to have such a beautiful serving piece. Sindi also happens to have David’s recipe collection. Do you have any heirlooms from Laura or her husband David? If so, use the Contact page to let me know and I will post it to the Mementos page. 

Children marry and have grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but families grow and move apart. All of Laura’s children have joined her in Heaven. Many of her grandchildren are still living and counting the number of great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren will be a challenge. They are spread across the United States—Louisiana, Texas, Utah, California, Maryland, Kentucky, and Massachusetts with at least one great-great grandchild in England. 

Come back next week to see the first part of Philomene Camilla Dooley Walker’s story.