The Autograph Book Part 3

Oleander Lee Tisdale

                 Hardscrabble Plant.[ation]

                      Baton Rouge  

                                 La

[Belle's younger sister Lee's name

was Olivia South Carolina Tisdale 

but she always went by Lee.]

When a girl is duly married

And by the bridegroom kissed

She numbered mong the many

Who never will be missed

                                    W B

[This was probably written by Sam and Belle's son Wilton Booksh, 1886-1985.]

Still the wonder grew     

That one small head      

Could carry all he knew 

                    Yours 'till I die  

                            Harry  

Aug. 19^th 91                   

                     

                          [Belle's youngest brother, Charles Hiram “Harry” Tisdale, 1874-1913]

A sin has many tools,

But a “lie” is a handle that

Fits them all.

                       Bieecher

                                                                                                  [Dec 26,1901? faded]  

                                                              To Mama

                                                              Let the road be rough and dreary,

                                                              And its end far out of sight;

                                                              Foot it bravely – strong are weary'

                                                             Trust in God and do the right

                                                                                               From “Baby”

[This is probably Sam and Belle's youngest child, Arabella Guinevere “Vera” Booksh, 1889-1979. It appears that she copied it from an autograph two pages further on.]

May God bless you all

Is my Sincere wish

         Your loving cousin

            Maud Tisdale

              New Orleans La.

Dec 25, 1893

[Maud Tisdale was the daughter of B. F. Tisdale's nephew, Nathan Tisdale, 1831-1901.]

                                                      Aunt Belle

                                                         Let the road be rough and dreary -

                                                         And Its end far out of sight

                                                         Foot it bravely – strong or weary

                                                        Trust in God and do the right

                                                                                            Minnie? Booksh

                                                                                            Dec 29/92?

[This may be Minta Booksh, 1876-1954, daughter of Sam's brother Thomas Claiborne Booksh and Erefile Minta Joffrion.]

            Dear Belle

             Life is like a game of chess 

             each holds his place, according

             to his rank but in the end

            Kings, Queens, Knights & all are 

            thrown into one common box.

            You shall ever have the good 

             wishes of

                                  Your Sister

                                  L-nnie Tisdale

[Belle had only two sisters, Mary Bernice, 1853-1886, and Olivia “Lee” Tisdale, 1864-1929. This may have been a nickname for Lee.]

M. M. Tisdale                                           
Dec. 25, 1893                                          

[Possibly Maud Marian Tisdale, 1873-1956, daughter of Nathan Tisdale, Belle's cousin.]

M. E. Tisdale
April 26^th 1892

                                   [Belle's brother, Marion Eugene Tisdale, 1871-1914.]

To Aunt Belle,

May your joys be as deep as the ocean

And your sorrow as light as its foam.

Is the wish of your

             loving niece

                   F. E. B.

Grosse Tete, La.             April 25, 1895

Iberville Parish

[This is probably Florence Edith Booksh, 1882-1969, daughter of Sam's brother, George Washington Booksh.]

There are riches laid up in Heaven for me

If earthly suffering be a guarrantee [sic]

     of such happiness.                                

                  [No signature]

New Orleans La                  Sept 7^th

When you are eating a pear

Just put on one little air

And think of me

who Howard calls VeVe

                        Vera Booksh

[Sam and Belle's daughter Arabella Gunevere “Vera” Booksh.]

“Chums”            

       Lillian and Fannie

       Rosedale L

[Lillian Booksh, 1876-1959, was the daughter of Sam's brother, George W. Booksh.]

New Orleans

     May 2, 1899

61^st day of B B J B

Dr. Marks            First

Bishop Reed      Second

Mordici               Third 

Start good     Won driving

    Odds 2 to 1             

    Band Played           

             Get Your Moneys Worth

             S. W. Booksh Jr.

[Sam Booksh Jr., 1881-1917, was Sam and Belle's oldest son. This appears to be a record of his day at the horse races. This was probably after the family moved to New Orleans. The New Orleans Fairgrounds has been in operation since 1872 and is the third oldest racetrack in the country.]

To Mr. Sam W. Booksh                           

What care I how kind you be.                 

You are not only kind to me,                   

But bring me under your general rule     

of treatment, of all women                      

                                A Friend              

                                F. C. W.             

To One I Love:

  If scribbling in albums

  Sweet remembrance insure!

  With the greatest of pleasures

  I scribble in yours.

                            Grosse Tete La.

May 7^th 1895

[No signature.]

My Dear Friend
May the flowers of love
Around thee be twined

And the sunshine of peace

Shed its joys oer thy mind

                  Your true friend

                         Elva

[A calling card of Miss Lillian Elva Booksh
 is tucked into the autograph book.

Lillian, 1876-1959, was the daughter of 

Sam's brother, George W. Booksh.

On the back is written: 

Please show to all of your friends that 

you think would patronize the school.]

Pasted inside the back cover of the autograph book is this picture that appears to have been clipped from a magazine.

1878 Booksh-Tisdale Wedding

Booksh - Tisdale Marriage

On 23 April 1878 Arabella Maria Tisdale and Samuel Walker Booksh were married in St. Joseph's Church in Baton Rouge. My great aunt said when Belle told her grandmother she was engaged to Sam Booksh, Grandma Pratt said, “You're marrying a damned Hessian!” We don't think Sam's grandfather, Carl Friedrich Böcksch, was a Hessian, but the family story is that he was a German soldier, born in Baden about 1775.

The Tisdale family was very proud of their connection to Benjamin Franklin, but the story of their Mayflower ancestor, John Howland, had been forgotten. Similarly the Booksh family was proud of their ancestor Honoré Leonard, who fought in the Battle of New Orleans, but had forgotten the story of his grandmother, Anne Coudray Leonard, who was one of the survivors of the 1729 Natchez Massacre. Both families extended far back into the English and French colonial periods.

In 1880 the census lists Belle and Sam living with his parents, Charles Booksh, age 72, and his wife Eliza Elizabeth Booksh, age 60, in the 9^th Ward of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Also living with the family are four grandchildren: Elisa Mary, age 22, and her 19 year old brother, Charles C. Booksh, children of Sam's oldest brother, Charles Edouard; as well as Mary Eliza Booksh, age 3; and S. B. David, age 4.

A Family History Mystery

Several people have erroneously assumed that this Mary Eliza was the daughter of Sam and Belle and she is listed as part of their family in several on line trees. The family bible and church records prove they only had four children, Samuel Walker Jr., Charles Leonard, Wilton Tisdale, and Arabella Guinevere. We have puzzled over who this Mary Eliza was for years, but it was only recently that the mystery was solved.

By making a list of every Mary Eliza and Eliza Mary connected to the family it was clear that the Mary Eliza listed in the 1880 census was Mary Eliza “Maimie” David.  The census taker had omitted her surname. She and Seth Booksh David were the children of Sam's sister, Eliza Elizabeth “Lizzie” Booksh and her husband, Joseph Johnson David (pronounced DahVEED). 

Seth Booksh David

Both photos were taken at the A. D. Lytle studio in 
Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Mary Eliza "Maimie" David

Lizzie Booksh was born 11 April 1855 and married Joseph David on 11 May 1875. Son Seth Booksh David was born 19 February 1876 and Belle and Sam were his godparents. Daughter Mary Eliza David was born 30 June 1877. Lizzie died 31 March 1878 and is buried in the David plot in Magnolia cemetery. Joseph David had remarried by the time of the 1880 census and is listed in the 4^th Ward of West Baton Rouge Parish with his new wife, Amelia, age 21.

Much of the research on the Booksh line was the work of Henk Wackwitz, husband of Winnie Booksh, my grandfather's cousin. I corresponded with Henk for several years, exchanging family information by snail mail, until his death in October 2002. At the Grand Reunion of the Charles Booksh Descendants in 2006 I became the caretaker of the Samuel W. Booksh Branch copy of his compiled family history. Henk was a meticulous researcher and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. I will be glad to share information with other descendants.

Another letter from Cousin Kate

Letter from Kate Tisdale to Belle Tisdale, September 19, 1871

Pages 1 and 4

Pages 2 and 3

Letter dated September 9, 1871 from Kate Tisdale to Belle [Tisdale], written in pencil on 8” x 10” paper with black border, folded to make 4 pages, good condition. Original in possession of writer. Transcribed exactly as written. 

Transcription

[Page 1]

Mobile  Sept. 19th 1871

My Dear Belle,
I know when you will see this letter you will say, “The mean witch has at last written to me.” In the first place I want you to excuse my writing with lead-pencil but my ink is so light & I am too lazy to hunt for more. at any rate I am going to do away with all ceremony with you, because you know we understand each other perfectly do we not? Richard has been here but he is now in N. O. we had a pleasant time while he was here. 

Belle you are very foolish I must say to go & fall in love with Mr. P. it shows you to be very unwomanlike & with very little pride to turn round & love a man when

[Page 2]

you have already refused him. Try to conquer that love for it bodes no good to you. I could whisper two small items in your ear that would turn your love to dislike & well as repugnance! I will tell them to you when you come over next winter, but enough of Mr. P. let us turn to pleasanter things.   1- We have got a house a very nice one & on a pleasant street.   2 - I made the acquaintance of three more beaux, very nice gentlemen to flirt & have fun and you know Belle you like those kind as well as I do, (so does quiet Marie & Mary, between you & I) I hope you still think of coming over next winter – do you not? We will have so much fun to gether – Maman has already succeeded in getting some boarders  amongst them are Mr. John Touart Mr. Guiner a Mr. Nevil

[Page 3]

who is a very pleasant young man. Last night Joe, John Touart & a Mr. Gwin spent the evening here. we played Poker until half past twelve (we commenced at half past eight) You know when we play Poker we use corn to count our stakes with, - towards eleven o'clock we commenced to cheat and the fine time we had was a caution; just as Mr. Gwin was getting up from the table to go he pick up nearly a hand-ful of corn & threw it in my face then you may be sure we all joined in, & the way the floor of the parlor was streewn with corn and the way I had to pick it up next morning was extraordinary  dont you think that was pretty behavior for grown up people? But I know you would participate in it with as much zest as I do. Let me know about what time you will leave Baton Rouge

[Page 4]

for N. O. so I count about how many weeks it will be before I will see you and Mary. Marie received Mary's letter and will answer it soon  give her my love & kisses  You must excuse this badly written as well as badly composed letter, but I have sore throat head ache and growing pains that is a catalogue is it not, Belle. I have got something to tell you very private - I have not even told it to Marie. I will tell you when I see you not before. I do not not like to trust to paper But I must stop- All send love & kisses.

Good-bye cousin                  
mine    Au revoir        
Kate Tisdale           

 More about Kate

As mentioned in my August 5, 2016 blog post, Catharina Margaretha “Kate” Tisdale was born 19 January 1853 in New Orleans, Louisiana, daughter of Bellle's uncle Nathan O. J. Tisdale and his second wife, Rosa Pailhes Roux.

This letter tells us that Kate has evidently made up with Richard, mentioned in her previous letter, and he has recently visited her in Mobile. Kate chides her cousin for falling in love with Mr. P. We  know that romance failed, perhaps because of whatever Kate whispered in Belle's ear, because Belle married Samuel Booksh in April 1878.

Kate mentions that her mother has recently taken in several boarders. “Amongst them are Mr. John Touart...” who participated in the rowdy poker game. This is interesting because in 1881 Kate married widower Louis Eugene Touart (1835-1904), who was 17 years her senior. John may have been a relative.

On the 1900 census Louis and Kate are living in Napoleonville, Mobile County, Alabama, with five of their children, Kate, Hinton, Anthony J., Clarence N., and Rupert G., and Louis's nephew Joseph. Kate is the mother of 8 children, 7 of them still living. Louis also had four children with his first wife, Isabella Bobe. One daughter was named Emma Layet Touart, so there may have been a connection to George Layet's family. 

Louis died 23 January 1904 and is buried in Mobile's Magnolia Cemetery. On the 1910 census their son Max D. Touart, age 24, Doctor of Medicine, is listed as living with widowed Kate and Hinton, Anthony, Clarence, and Rupert. Son Tisdale J. Touart, age 27, Attorney at Law,  lives nearby.

In 1920 Kate is listed along with her half-sister Marie, as Lodgers with the Leslie Bride Sheldon family in Mobile. Kate lived until November 5, 1935 and is also buried in Mobile's Magnolia Cemetery.  (See my August 5, 2016 blog post for a photo of Kate Tisdale.)

         

Cousin Kate McCaughey

On February 25 1867 Belle's cousin Kate McCaughey married T. H. Durr in New Orleans.

Durr - McCaughey 1867 Marriage Certificate

Catherine Bernice McCaughey 1849-1917

When I sat down with my Grandpa Booksh to identify photos he said that he thought this Carte de Visite photo was of Kate McCaughey, his mother's cousin. Judging from her age it would have been taken near the time that she married.

Cousin Kate, Catherine Bernice McCaughey, was born 27 August 1849 to Frances Ann Augusta Pratt. Aunt France was the oldest sister of Belle's mother, Eliza Helen Pratt. On March 26, 1850 when Kate was just seven months old her father, William H. McCaughey, died. Kate's older brother, Emilius Valerius McCaughey, died some time before 1850. Aunt France and Kate went to live with Grandma and Grandpa Pratt.

"William McCoy" is listed in the 1850 U. S. Census Mortality Schedule and his widow Frances and one year old daughter Bernice are listed in the population schedule as living with her parents, William and Bernice Pratt. Their surname is given as "McCoy." Until I saw that census it never occurred to me that McCaughey could be pronounced as McCoy. The family always pronounced it McCoffee.

Several Masonic documents related to William McCaughey were posted to this blog on 9 September 2014.

Kate's marriage certificate identifies the witnesses as her step father, Henry Anthoine; her Uncle Jene, Eugene J. Pratt; and her Aunt Eliza, E. H. Tisdale. It includes their signatures and is signed by the minister Gaylord Lewis More.

On 31 Mar 1867 Belle and Kate's Aunt Bina, Albina Sarah Pratt, married George W. Durr. We can assume the two men were related, although I can find very little information on George and no information on T. H.

On 1 August 1870 George and Albina Durr and their two children are listed as living in dwelling 328 in Ward 3, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Eliza Tisdale and her six children are in dwelling 327 and Grandma and Grandpa Pratt and Uncle Jene are in dwelling 326. Emmett Craig, widower of Susan Pratt, with their two daughters, Katie and Mary, are in dwelling 329. So Oakland Place had become quite a family compound.

Kate McCaughey is listed twice in the 1870 census. On 6 June 1870 she is living in New Orleans with her mother, Frances, and stepfather, Henry Anthoine, and is listed as Kate McCoy. On the 29 July 1870 she is listed with her mother and a domestic servant named Martha Washington in Ward 3, Baton Rouge, at dwelling 236. In the1880 census Kate is recorded as living at 249 Treme Street in New Orleans with Henry and Frances Anthoine. She is listed as widowed. Her Aunt Bina and George Durr and their children had moved to Texas by then and are listed in Precinct 2, Wood County, Texas.

We don't know what became of Kate's husband, T. H. Durr, or why her marriage certificate ended up in Belle Tisdale's papers. Kate is listed as a widow in later censuses, but we can find no death record for T. H. Durr. Kate's married name Durr disappears from all records after 1867. Kate Bernice McCaughey Durr died in September 1917 in New Orleans and was buried in plot 718, Greenwood Cemetery on 19 September 1917 according to cemetery records.

New Orleans in 1867

Although the Civil War was over the political situation in New Orleans in 1867 was still in turmoil. The U. S. Congress passed a Reconstruction Bill early in 1867 to provide for more federal control in the South. Military districts were created to govern until violence could be suppressed and a more democratic political system established. Louisiana was put into the Fifth Military District. Ex-Confederates, mostly white Democrats, were temporarily disenfranchised, and the right of suffrage was to be enforced for free people of color. (Wikipedia and Alcee Fortier, A History of Louisiana, Volume 4)

“Our city is in a state of utter hopelessness,” Mayor Edward Heath declared in 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War. The city council had to contend with ruined wharves, hospital shortages, and hungry orphans as well as economic stagnation. In his book New Orleans 1867: The Photographs of Theodore Lillienthal, Gary Van Zante tells the story of an amazing plan for the city to take part in the Paris World Exposition, hosted by Napoleon III in 1867. The city council selected Prussian-born photographer, Theodore Lillienthal, to make 150 large photographs of the city to show New Orleans as a modern metropolis worthy of foreign investment. The photos were sent to Emperor Napoleon III for the Exposition to reassure France and other European countries that the city had not been destroyed and remained a good place to do business.

All but 24 of the 150 photographs survived and were discovered in the Napoleon Museum in Arenenberg, Switzerland, in 1994. They were exhibited at Tulane University and the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2000 and published in book form in 2008 with expert commentary by Gary Van Zante, curator of the Southeastern Architectural Archive at Tulane University, 1994-2002. For more information see The Way We Were and How an early photographer captured a shaken city.

To add to the city's woes, there was another yellow fever epidemic in 1867. It started in New Orleans and spread to Baton Rouge. An article by Judy Riffel titled “Yellow Fever in West Baton Rouge in 1867” in Le Raconteur, the journal of the Louisiana State Archives, says:

“Yellow Fever was dormant in Louisiana throughout the Civil War years. In fact, the last major epidemic had been in 1855. That eight-year grace period, however, ended in June of 1867 when the disease reappeared in New Orleans. It reached epidemic proportions in August. Deaths diminished by October with the advent of cooler weather and the epidemic ended in November.”

(John Duffy, ed., The Rudolph Matas History of Medicine in Louisiana, Volume II, Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1962, pp. 423-425)

The 1867 epidemic was second only to the outbreak of 1853. There were 50 deaths a day in September 1867. (Van Zante, New Orleans 1867)