Reminiscing With Uncle Marks

By Gwen Provost Corona (permission to share given by Joe Carona November 12, 2021). Giving thanks to Gwen for recording her interview with Uncle Marks and for Joe giving permission to share. This work has not been edited.

At the end of Uncle Marks reminiscing, check out the table for a Who’s Who in his story.

We lived in Jeanerette on Pellerin street across from the Tibeau’s, until we moved to Lafayette in 1929. We were there for Christmas of 1929. Then in March or April of that year Papa smashed his fingers in a work accident. When he finally went to the hospital, they had to cut off his finger. Then everything seemed to be going O.K. until one night after supper Mama wasn’t feeling good. They sent me to the drug store for they knew she was dying, and they wanted to get me out of the house, that was May 2, 1930. 

Beanie’s mother and my mother got married at a double wedding. Then they had children together. Beanie was six years older than me. She and I were real close together. We liked to drink beer together. I came to Port Arthur in 1938. 

William Walker married Camilla Dooley. Camilla had a half-brother named “Minu” Pierce. She had another half-brother named “Lemon;” he looked a lot like Irene. Tommy Pierce was raised by “Minu.” Camilla Dooley had 18 children, but she lost a bunch. Her husband really sowed his “Oats.” 

I never knew my Grandfathers. Charlie Walker was a small man. Uncle Joe was bigger than the whole family. Madge’s grandmother Lyons people couldn’t speak English. 

Uncle Shorty (Carrol Carrow) said Irene was the most beautiful baby he ever saw. No one would ever come to her standard (beauty). 

Your “Mama” Billie was a cut up. They had a party at the Convent for the girls. She pulled off the funniest skit.^[1]Could that skit be the one described in “Burlesque Predominates Junior C. D A. Stunt Night,” The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, Louisiana, 6 February 1930, p. 7, col. 3; Newspapers.com … Continue reading When Beth was married in Lafayette, I tried to show you all where we lived. It wasn’t far from the Church. The Church in Lafayette had a choir where they put a board to separate the boys from the girls. When the girls bent over the boys would pinch their behinds, for they wore shorts skirts. 

The Carrow family lived at 317 Pierce St., Lafayette, Louisiana in 1930. It’s just under a mile from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

Whitney was Mama’s (Laura) brother. Willard lived with them. Mama and Beanie’s mother were close so when Laura died, he went to live with Beanie’s mother. Two of Mama’s (Laura) nieces were nuns, Sister Bernard and Sister Sylvester. Camilla and Mama (Laura) and Zanny would all chew Tobacco. The convent was a two-story building. Rosa would clean the convent. She would drop me (Uncle Marks) money to go and buy her some Tobacco. 

Uncle Bill Dooley would come staggering, and I would run in and tell Mama, here he comes staggering and she would slap my face. That was Camilla’s brother. Camilla stayed in Orange with Myrtle. Her daughter is Martha Lou from Beaumont. 

Aunt Lou had five boys, one was Vivian Bourgeois, Jerome’s father. Mama (Laura) was called “Kye” (black eyes) but she had blue eyes. We thought she had dark eyes like mama. 

Who’s Who is Uncle Marks’ Memories

Name in Memories	Full Name	Relation to Marks	Relation to Laura Walker	Relation to Camilla Dooley
Mama (Laura)	Laura Walker Carrow	Mother	Self	Daughter
Camilla	Camilla Dooley Walker	Grandmother	Mother	Self
Papa	David Marshall Carrow	Father	Husband	Son-in-law
Beanie	Do you know who this is?	2nd Cousin	1st Cousin, once removed	Grand niece by marriage
Beanie’s mother	Susane Walker	1st Cousin, once removed	Cousin	Niece by marriage
William Walker	William Walker	Grandfather	Father	Husband
“Minu” Pierce	Chapman Pierce[2]Camilla had two half-brothers whose father was Joseph Pierce. Since Thomas was not “Minu,” “Minu” would have to be Chapman. See the 1870 U.S. census, Vermilion Parish, … Continue reading	Great-uncle	Uncle	Half-brother
“Lemon”	Henry Terrazin April (Apple) [3]Camilla had three half-brothers. One was the son of her mother’s husband, Peter April (Apple) and two were from her mother’s third husband, Joseph Pierce. Since The two Pierce brothers … Continue reading	Great-uncle	Uncle	Half-brother
Irene	Possibly Irene Louise Walker, Charley Walker’s daughter	Cousin	Niece	Granddaughter
Tommy Pierce	Thomas Pierce	Great-uncle	Uncle	Half-brother
Charlie Walker	Charley Washington Walker	Uncle	Brother	Son
Uncle Joe	Possibly Joseph Henry Walker[4]Joseph Walker is described as “Tall” on his WWI draft card. “U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” images, Ancestry … Continue reading	Uncle	Brother	Son
Madge	Madge Margaret Walker (daughter of Charley Walker)	Cousin	Niece	Granddaughter
Madge’s grandmother Lyon	Possibly Felicia Bernard Lyons – Charley Walker’s mother-in-law	No relation	No relation	No relation
Uncle Shorty	Carrol Carrow	Brother	Son	Grandson
Billie	Billie Carrow Provost	Sister	Daughter	Granddaughter
Beth	Beth Carona[5]Beth is Gwen and Joe Carona’s daughter.	Great-niece	Great-granddaughter	Great-great granddaughter
Whitney	Widney Walker	Uncle	Brother	Son
Willard	Willard Walker	Uncle	Brother	Son
Sister Bernard	Do you know who this is?  Could this be one of David Carrow’s nieces?	Cousin	Niece
Sister Sylvester	Do you know who this is? Could this be one of David Carrow’s nieces?	Cousin	Niece
Zanny	Do you know who this is?
Rosa	Do you know who this is? Could it be David Carrow’s sister Henriette Rosa (Harriet) Carrow who was married to Howard Cates?
Uncle Bill Dooley	William Dooley, Jr.	Great-uncle	Uncle	Brother
Myrtle	Myrtle Bourgeois Pfaff	Cousin	Niece	Granddaughter
Martha Lou	Martha Lou Pfaff	1st cousin once removed	Great-niece	Great-granddaughter
Aunt Lou	Luvenia Dooley Bourgeois	Aunt	Sister	Daughter
Vivian Bourgeois	Vivian Bourgeois	Cousin	Nephew	Grandson
Jerome	Jerome Bourgeois	1st cousin once removed	Great-nephew	Great-grandson

If you can identify any of the mystery people, please Contact me. If you have any stories or memories to share, please send them my way. Remember, family stories are lost within three generations if they are not written down and shared.

Next week you will meet Melanie Toups Dooley, Camilla’s mother. Melanie is from one of the oldest families of Louisiana.