A/N, Okay, as I try to get back into the actual story, this idea popped into my head. It is either going to come across as being novel and endearing or gimmicky and annoying. So, for that, I'm sorry! But I wanted to take a little risk. Below are four essays on family history that Darrel and Patrick Curtis wrote in elementary school. As there was no spellcheck back then, I've decided to make it realistic by writing as I thought Darrel and Patrick might have written their essays, spelling mistakes and all. I've also included the feedback they received from their teachers. Enjoy!
A History of My Family
Written and Ilustrated by Darrel Curtis
Miss. Hansen 5th Grade
The year was 1719.
At the time there were a bunch of criminals and prostitutes in France. The French King, who was just a boy, named Louis XV, was sick and tired of all of the criminals stinking up his country, so he shipped them off to New Orleans.
One of these criminals was my ansestor, Pierre Courtois. Ol' Pete Courtois was a pickpocketer, thief and general nusence. Unforchunantly, he was not particularly good at any of these talents accept for annoying respectable society and good people everywhere.
The police arrested Pete and threw him in jail. They said he would have to move to New Orleans or "else." He asked what "else" was. They told him they would cut off his head using something called a gilloteen. Being very attached to his neck (ha ha!) he decided that New Orleans sounded just dandy to him.
Before going to New Orleans, the police told Pete he was going to get married! You see, the King also told a bunch of women criminals that they too would be going to New Orleans, "or else." Before sailing away, the police told the women criminals to pick themselves a husband from a group of male criminals, one of whom was Pete.
Pete was grabbed up by a woman named Marie. Pete and Marie were married and shackeled together so they could not escape. They arrived in New Orleans. At the time, New Orleans was a French city and it was sirounded by hostile Indians, swamps and small time criminals like Pete and Marie. But Pete and his new bride had no choice but to make do.
Pete and Marie had 5 children, including one Theo File Courtois born in 1741 when Pete was 41 and Marie 38. Theo File Courtois married Angeline Abbe. Angeline was born in New Orleans, but her Mama was a Spanish lady from a place called "The Canary Islands" and her Daddy was from France. Angeline's parents did not think Theo File Courtois, being the son of criminals, was good enough for their daughter. But, Theo File Courtois was very handsome, hardworking and smart, so they said, "okay!"
On July 4th, 1776 America was born. That exact same day Theo and Angeline Courtois of New Orleans welcomed the birth of a son, Jacques Christophe Courtois.
Interestingly enough, despite the example set by Pete and Marie, no other Courtois was known to be a criminal, at least, that is, what I've been told. Anyways, when he was in his 20s, Jacques C. Courtois began to have a vision. It was a vision of some woods and lakes. For a reason I don't understand, Jacques left his family in New Orleans and stared to head out to seek his vision.
Unforchunately, Jacques was good at imaging things, but not good at doing things, because soon enough Jacques found himself lost, sick and without any money. He found a stream and he decided to lie down next to the stream and die.
He then saw an angel, she was very tall with red hair and blue eyes. She told him that it was time for him to "move on." Jacques smiled at her and closed his eyes. Again, she told him that it was time to "move." Jacques looked around for the light, and got very scared when all he saw was the dark. "What sort of place am I going to?" Jacques probably asked himself. The angel again told him to "move" and Jacques was getting mighty mad at this angel, because he was trying to move towards the light, but he couldn't see anything.
Soon, he realized that the angel was screaming at him to "move" because there was an Alligator Snapping Turtle ready to bite him! Jacques jumped up and ran like the dickens. He then realized that the angel was not an angel at all, but a woman. He was in love.
Luckily for Jacques this woman was good at everything Jacques was bad at, and took care of him. Luckily for me, the two of them got married. The woman was named Sidonie Devereaux. Sidonie and Jacques lived in a place called LaFourche. While Jacques family came from France, Sidonie's family came from Canada, but they spoke French, so she could talk to Jacques without any problems. Her people were called Acadians.
Oh, yeah, I should say that Sidonie and Jacques were both Catholic. In Louisiana the Catholics there celebrate something called Mardy Graw. In Sidonie's village they celebrated Mardy Graw in a real piculular strange way. Jacques's Mama and Daddy, Angeline and Theo File Courtois, did not like Sidonie. They did not like her because they thought she and her people were swamp people. They were also poor as church mice.
Jacques C. Courtois and Sidonie Courtois didn't care. Jacques loved his swamp bride and they made their living from fishing.
You may be wondering what the Courtois family has to do with the Curtis family of Oklahoma, well, I'm getting to that part. You see, Jacques and Sidonie Courtois had a son named Jacques. Jacques Jr. was the rebel of the family.
Little Jacques moved to Central Louisiana and fell in love with a girl named Anne Walton. By this time Louisiana was an American state and a lot of German, English, Scottish and Irish people lived there too.
Anne was not French and Anne was not Catholic. His parents did not approve of this marriage. Her parents only said yes if Jacques would become a Baptist. Luckily for me, he said yes. Jacques stopped speaking French, which was all well and good, because Anne couldn't speak any language but English. He also diecided to chop letters off his name. That is how Jacques Courtois a Catholic boy became Jack Curtis, a Baptist man.
Jack and Anne Curtis had a son named Sam Curtis in 1822. When little Sam was only 4, Jack and Anne Curtis decided to move to Arkansaw. When he was in his forties, Sam Curtis decided to run off and leave his wife and 9 children all by their lonesome, and fight under Mr. Robert E. Lee. Sam Curtis died from a cannon ball to the stomach. Sam Curtis's wife was named Flora Roberts. One of the children Sam had before being killed by the Union cannon ball was Merrill Curtis.
Merrill Curtis married a lady from Little Rock, Jane O'Brien. Jane O'Brien was originally from Ireland and also a Catholic, just like Merrill Curtis's ancestors. In Ireland, the potatoe crop failed and a lot of people died. Those who didn't die came to America. One of those people was Jane O'Brien. In 1874 Merrill and Jane had a boy they named Patrick Lee Curtis. Merrill and Patrick went to the Baptist church, while Jane Curtis went to the Catholic church.
Merrill Curtis heard that there was cheap land available in the western part of the state. He wanted his family to move again. Jane Curtis, having come to Arkansaw all the way from Ireland said "no siree, bob!" Jane Curtis moved back to Little Rock to live with her brother, Malcolm. Merrill and Patrick Curtis headed west. Merrill Curtis got remarried and had a bunch more children.
Merrill, Patrick and Merrill's new family lived in a place called The Ozarks. The Ozarks are hills in western Arkansas. There, Patrick fell in love with a lady named Elizabeth Shane. Elizabeth Shane's kin were hill people. They did not take too kindly to outsiders. Elizabeth Shane's Daddy was William Jason Shane. WJS was a mean drunk and he beat his wife and kids.
Besides not liking outsiders, the Shane family also didn't like Confederates. When they found out that Patrick Lee Curtis was named after Robert E. Lee and that his Grandpa, Sam Curtis, fought for the South, they refused to let Elizabeth marry Patrick.
Patrick and Elizabeth got married anyways and went on a daring escape through the hills, hiding from Elizabeth's family. Elizabeth had four brothers, Hubert, Hilton, Henry and Herman. The 4Hs were determined to bring Elizabeth home and kill Patrick Curtis.
The 4Hs came across a ramshackle cabin and saw Elizabeth Curtis in the window. They hid in the piney woods surrounding the cabin, ready to make their move. That night, as they was planning ways to kidnap Elizabeth and kill Patrick, they heard fiddle music being played. The 4Hs all loved the fiddle. But they ain't never heard no one play as good as right now.
They went out of the woods to see who was playing that fiddle so good. Do you know what they discovered? That it was Patrick Curtis! They were so impressed with his fiddle playing that they forgave him and decided not to kill him.
It was a good thing, because Patrick and Elizabeth Curtis had 8 children, including my Daddy, Dale Curtis.
In 1898, when little Dale was five, Patrick Curtis decided that he wanted to move again. So, the family packed up and headed west to Oklahoma. The family lived just over the border, in the hilly part of the state that looked a lot of Arkansaw.
The family was very poor and they drank a lot, but they also played a lot of music, danced and had a good time. When he was 13, Dale Curtis dropped out of school and began traveling the rails on his own to make money. He worked as a ranch hand, a farm hand, door to door salesman, and okashunaly as something called a "vagabond." Being a vagabond was illegal and Dale ended up in jail for one year. When he got out, he traveled to Muskogee County and ended up working as a hired farm hand for a widow, Effie McKinley.
There he met Laura McKinley, my Mama. The two of them got married when Laura was 15 and Dale 20. Laura's father didn't object to the marriage because he was long dead. In 1923 my brother Patrick Curtis was born and in 1925 I was born.
In conclushun, I learned a lot about my family.
1). Sometimes people don't want people to get married because they are the wrong religion, poor, Yankees, Confederates or Swamp people; but people get married anyways.
2). Crime does pay, because if Ol' Pete and Marie Courtois weren't criminals they would have never been sent to New Orleans, and I wouldn't be here today!
3). I should learn to play the fiddle in case I run into a bunch of angry hillbillies!
-Teacher's Comments
Darrel,
You certainly have an interesting family history! I enjoyed reading your essay, but you need to work on your spelling and grammar. I am giving you a C+ on your essay.
For your oral presentation, I am giving you a C-. You have wonderful enthusiasm, but your behavior during the presentation left a lot to be desired. First of all, it was completely inappropriate pretend to chop off Wade McCain's head with a cardboard "guillotine." Second of all, it was completely inappropriate to throw mud around the classroom pretending it was a "swamp." Thirdly, it was very rude of you to call Becky Wood "a swamp girl."
P.S. You will have one week of detention cleaning the blackboards and desks after school.
-Miss. Hansen
My Ant, Imogene Rose McKinley
By Darrel Curtis
Mrs. Fisher 2nd Grade
After my brother and my Daddy, my favorit person is my Ant, Imogene Rose McKinley. Ant Jeanie, as we call her, is very funny. She was born in 1903. Her Mama was Effie Lou Waite McKinley and her Daddy was Ellison Joseph McKinley. Her Daddy died when Ant Jeanie was just a baby. Ant Jeanie had two older siblings. Chessel Jefferson McKinley was born in 1893. Laura Beulah McKinley was born in 1898. Uncle Chessel died in an akcident when he was 20. Laura married Dale Curtis and became my Mama.
I love Ant Jeanie becuz she is nice and funny and laffs a lot. I wish she was my Mama.
The Trail of Tears: By Patrick D. Curtis
Miss. Hansen 5th Grade
Imagine, it is bitterly cold outside, you are sick and running out of food. Imagine, the baby is crying, but you can't comfort it. Imagine, your children are dying from hunger, but you can't feed them. This was what my family went through on something called "The Trail of Tears."
Personally, I think it was horrible that people were kicked out of their homes just because they were Cherokee. But, that is what happened. My Great-Grandfather was named Jefferson James Waite. He was born in 1833 to a White man and a Cherokee woman. When little Jefferson was only 5, he and his entire family were forced to move to Indian Territory. On the trail, his mother, Mary Sue Mann Waite died. So too, did his little sister, Betty Sue Waite and his little brother, Richard Washington Waite. Jefferson was very sad and cried.
Only little Jefferson and his father, Jesse Waite, made it to Indian Territory. Even though he was a white man, Jesse lived like an Indian. When they got to Indian territory, Jesse married a half Cherokee woman named Kate Harris. Jesse and Kate had four children. Jefferson liked Kate, but he missed his real mother.
Sometimes, when he missed his mother, he would try to remember what she looked like and what she smelled like. Sometime, if he tried really hard, he could still hear her voice singing to him a Cherokee lullaby. I would feel really bad if something that aweful happened to my Mama, Daddy or brother.
I think it was horrible what happened to Jefferson's family. It was very unfair. It made me very sad and angry.
The End,
By Patrick D. Curtis.
-Teacher's Comments
Patrick,
This is a completely inappropriate topic for an essay. I am giving you an 'incomplete' until you resubmit an essay on a more appropriate topic.
Miss. Hansen
My Family: Part II By Patrick D. Curtis
My Mama, Laura Curtis, has both white and Indian relatives. Her mother is Effie Lou Waite McKinley and her father is Ellison Joseph McKinley. Effie Lou Waite's father was Jefferson Waite. Jefferson was part Cherokee. Jefferson was born in Georgia and moved to Oklahoma when he was only five. His family died on the trip, but I gess that is okay!
Jefferson married a real Choctaw princess named Sarah Rivers. Sarah Rivers was originally from Mississippi. Jefferson and Sarah had a girl named Effie Lou Waite. Effie Lou Waite grew up speaking English, Cherokee and Choctaw. Her family settled in the Muskogee area and became farmers.
Effie Lou married Ellison Joseph McKinley in 1885. Ellison McKinley was a cattle dealer from Tulsa. At the time Tulsa was known as Tulsey Town. Ellison McKinley's brother, Irwin McKinley, took part in the land runs of 1893. Ellison did not take part in the land runs because he was too busy having a family with Effie.
My little brother Darrel is obsessed with cowboys. I didn't know where he got it from, until I learned about my grandfather, Ellison Joseph McKinley.
The END!
A/N: S.E. Hinton owns/inspires. The fabulous HappierThanMost gets all of my kudos/credit for inspiring me to create the character of Sidonie Devereaux and for giving Darrel (some distant) Louisiana heritage.
Some historical notes: Courtois, meaning "courteous" is an old French version of Curtis. Between 1719-1722 France did use forced migration to try to populate New Orleans with colonists. Most of these forced colonists were prisoners. On at least one occasion, a group of female prisoners were ordered to choose a mate from an equal number of male prisoners. Once the 'selection' was made, they were shackled together and sent to New Orleans for the purpose of building/populating the new city. After French rule, New Orleans became a Spanish city. A large number of Spanish settlers originally came from The Canary Islands, like Angeline's mother.
Darrel means Theophile not Theo File. ;)
Sidonie is Acadian. This is the period of wide spread Acadian migration from modern day Nova Scotia into Maine and Lousiana. The Acadians would become the ancestors of the Cajuns of Louisiana. There were at times tensions between Creoles (in this particularly instance the French/Spanish Creoles of the Courtois family and the Acadians like Sidonie. While Darrel doesn't name Sidonie's village, by name, it is suppose to be Choupic, where (at least as of the mid 1990s) they still practiced a tradition where young people are chased by masked runners with stick who make the kids say their prayers and then proceeds to give them a flogging. I'm not sure if they practiced this back in Sidonie's time.
Central Louisiana is described as a cross cultural zone between the French/Caribbean/Cajun/Spanish/African/Native influenced South and the British/African-American influenced north Louisiana.
If you're a student of history, you'll notice that Darrel's retelling of his family's New Orleans history has no mention of Creole, African or Native influences. This gives a pretty warped/misinformed picture of the city, but I felt that Darrel, at the age of 10, wouldn't necessarily know about those aspects. For actual information on the profound influence African slaves and their descendants had on the city,particularly the music/cultural scene check out: "The World That Made New Orleans" by Ned Sublette.
In the aftermath of the Great Famine in Ireland, a small group of a few hundred Irish Catholic refugees did settle in Little Rock, Arkansas. Much like central Louisiana is a cultural melting pot of various Louisiana influences, so to is central Arkansas were Sam, Merrill and Patrick are from. The western lands of Arkansas are part of the Ozark mountain range, which has similar culture connections to the Appalachia region. Although Arkansas joined the Confederacy, there were strong pockets of Union support in Arkansas, such as in Searcy County.
The Trail of Tears took place between 1838 and 1840, although groups of Cherokee were forced out of their ancestral homelands after that point as well. While exact stats are impossible to come by, approximately 4,000 out of an original group of 16,000 died of cold, hunger and disease.
Mississippi is the heart of the Choctaw lands.
Tulsa was located in what was then known as Indian territory, at the time it had a reputation as being a small/rough frontier town/cattle town.
P.S. Thanks for reading! I really do appreciate it, and now the next chapter will get back to the actual story.
P.P.S. I SO wish I could have included Darrel's "drawings" as part of this story. Darnit!
