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2007 L'Anse Grise Children's Mardi Gras run

2006 L'Anse Grise Children's Mardi Gras run

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1946 - Tragedy In L'Anse Grise
 
Ezra Guillory was the son of Jean Baptiste Guillory and Armantine Vizina. His first marriage was to Agnes Guillory in 1905. Ezra and Agnes had a son born on 11 August, 1929, named J. D. Guillory. Agnes Guillory died in September of 1932. One year later, in Sept of 1933, Ezra married a second time to Agnes Fontenot. To that union another son was born named Burnell Guillory. Ezra and Agnes were living in L'Anse Grise, at least by 1946.
 
On 30 July, 1946, almost a year after the end of World War II, tragedy struck the family of Ezra and Agnes of L'Anse Grise. 11 days before his 17th birthday, J. D. Guillory and a group of boys went to bayou Nezpique at a place known as the "grand pont," which was flooded at the time, to swim. It was a fairly popular place for swimming in late spring and summer after heavy rains flooded the bayou basin known as the "païs bas." J. D. Guillory apparently was the first to jump in and was caught by the current and went under and drowned. The following is the way the Ville Platte Gazette reported the incident in it's 1 August, 1946 issue:
 
 

Youth Drowned in Accident
at Bayou Nezpique

16 Year Old J. D. Guillory Drowns on Swimming Party 

J. D. Guillory, sixteen year old son of Mr. Mrs. Ezra Guillory of Vidrine, was drowned Tuesday afternoon at Nezpique Bayou.

Young Guillory and several companions were on a swimming party, and upon arrival at the Bayou, Guillory was the first one to jump in. Caught by a rapid current the man was carried down the stream and dragged under the surface. He remained in the water approximately 40 minutes before divers found his body.

Artificial respiration and heart stimulants were used for over two hours to no avail; he was brought to a local hospital where all means available were used, but failed to revive him.

He is survived by his parents and one brother, Burnell Guillory.

 

J. D Guillory was buried with his mother in the old St. Ann Cemetery. A cross, with J. D. Guillory's name, birth year and the year he drowned inscribed on it, was planted at the site of the drowning. The cross is still in it's original location 64 years later (December, 2010). It has served it's purpose; because of it, his tragic death has not been forgotten.

 

A view of the cross from in the woods, with Ambrose Road in the background. The cross is located on the south side of Ambrose Road, about 40 yards west of the bridge and Bayou Nezpique.

 

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