Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

Welcome to the Free State of Avoyelles

Avoyelles Parish is located in Central Louisiana. The free state of Avoyelles .....located at the junction of the Mississippi, Red and Atchafalaya Rivers in the swampy area of Louisiana......we have earned our name by being secluded and evolving our own mindset of handling law in our own ways.....hence the name free state... .....and as national radio personality Paul Harvey described us in 1959: the fishing is so good...you have to hide behind a tree to bait your hook.
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NEWSPAPERS OF AVOYELLES

The Marksville Weekly News
P O Box 209
Marksville, LA 71351-0209
Founded in 1843, Oldest Weekly Newspaper in the State of Louisiana. Published weekly with news of general interest of Avoyelles Parish, including a weekly historical and genealogical column. Out of State Subscriptions: $28. per year. Mail check with your address to start your subscription. FAX letters to the editor, newstories and inquries to to: 318-346-7253. or e-mail to above address.
The Bunkie Record
PO Box 179
Bunkie, LA 71322

Founded 1888. Published weekly with news of general interest of Bunkie, in southern Avoyelles, including a weekly historical column by Dr. Sue Eakin. Out of State Subscriptions: $28. per year. Mail check with your address to start your subscription. FAX letters to the editor, newstories and inquries to to: 318-346-7253. or e-mail to above address.3Bunkie - best place topside God's green earth2

The Avoyelles Journal
PO Box 523
Marksville, LA 71351

Founded in 1978 by Randy DeCuir. Published Sundays and Wednesdays. Delivered free to every home in the greater Avoyelles area.16,6000 circulation. Total market coverage of Avoyelles Parish Market area....covering all of Avoyelles, all of upper Pointe CoupÈe, and parts of Rapdies, Evangeline and St. Landry Parishes.. FAX 318-253-7223

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THE FIRST COLONISTS OF AVOYELLES

Avoyelles Parish was settled by predominently direct French Immigrants and their descendants.....long before the Acadians came to Louisiana, the anestors of Avoyelles were settled here. Names such as Bordelon, DeCuir, Laborde, Normand are unique to Avoyelles... All of the first families were from France except the DeCuir family which came from Macon, Hainaut, Belgium

ORIGINS OF SOME EARLY AVOYELLES NAMES IN EUROPE:
if you wish to share genealogical information let us list your -email number with a particular....you must be willing to repond, as an person knowledgable wtih others about these families: link to * Avoyelles Family Names & Genealogies
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AVOYELLEANS OF THE YEAR

as honored by the Avoyelles Journal, Sunday newspaper which covers the parish like the aroma of cochon de lait on a Sunday morning 1976 Verdie Bielkewicz Lemoine 1977 Judge Earl Henry Edwards 1978 Raymond J. Laborde 1979 A. J. Sookie Roy 1980 Warren Constant 1981 Carlos A. Mayeux 1982 Rev. Earl Provenza 1983 Marion Roy 1984 Marion Gremillion 1985 Dr. F. P. Bordelon, JR. 1986 Marc Dupuy, Jr. 1987 William Belt 1988 Eddie Rabalais 1989 Aggie Neck 1990 Jo Hamilton 1991 Lucien Laborde 1992 Dr. Richard Michel 1993 Earl Barbry 1994 Louise Coco Schnieder 1995 Dr. Don H. Hines 1996 Rev. Bill Provosty
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OLD COPIES SOUGHT if you know were we can copy original copies of Avoyelles newspapers from the 1800s please e-mail us. We are cooperating wtih LSU to microfilm and preserve these old editions
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The little cities of Avoyelles

Bunkie, founded 1880 Best place topside God's Green Earth
Cottonport, founded 1880s,on beautiful Bayou Rouge
Marksville first noted in 1809, chartered in 1843
Mansura Chartered in 1860, named by a son of a soldier of Napolean after Mansura, Egypt.
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Fairs and Fesitvals of Avoyelles

Cochon de Lait, Mothers Day, Mansura, 20,000 average attendance. Featuring roast suckling pig, cooked over an open fire.
Corn Fest, Summer, Bunkie, 15,000 average attendance, featuring the corn industry of Bunkie...agriculture, cooking, events.
July 4th Fesitval...Marksville, the oldest continous Independence Day festival in the state of Louisiana. Started 1952. Street dance around the courthouse sqaure, parade, fireworks.
Cottonport Christmas Festival on the Bayou: Cottonport, 10,000 average attendance...one of the largest Christmas parades in the state...followed by fireworks and and festival along beautiful Bayou Rouge.

Email: laroots@earthlink.net Email: Randy P. DeCuir

Email: decuir@popalex1.linknet.net ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

DeCuir family page
Avoyelles Family Name Origins
Fort deRussy Civil War fort of Marksville

Links to other sites on the Web

Avoyelles Family Name Origins by Randy DeCuir
Bordelon Genealogy Page by Johnny Bordelon

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