Louisiana

Growing up in rural Louisiana was hard for many. Nolan Fontenot shares his story

Published

7 months ago

May 21, 2024

Growing up in rural Louisiana was hard for many. Nolan Fontenot shares his story

Editor’s Note: On writer Melinda Rawls Howell’s trips to the East Feliciana Council on Aging she’s spoken with many who have shared stories of growing up in and around the Felicianas. While not a Feliciana native, Nolan Fontenot’s stories of his early childhood growing up in another parish are similar to those told by many who grew up in the Felicianas. Here is the first of a two-part series on Fontenot’s life.

Nolan Fontenot’s stories are full of readily recalled dates and memories of family, places, other people and events. They are also glimpses of local, Louisiana, American history and of personal challenges that many families may have experienced.

When listening to Fontenot tell who and where he came from, why he settled in Jackson and went to work at institutions in East and West Feliciana parishes, his reminiscing is tinged with humor and compassion — reflecting his personality and character.

He recalls days of struggle and hardships, kindness and opportunities, growth and change, finding God and ministering to others. He still speaks with a lingering Cajun French accent and sprinkles French expressions/words in his conversation with a slight smile.

A large family in rural America

Fontenot, 86, is one of 16 children born to Feranand Joseph Fontenot and Threase Charles Fontenot. He was born April 26, 1938, during the Great Depression, into a French-speaking, Catholic family on a cotton farm in Tate Cove off Wabash Road north of Ville Platte, in Evangeline Parish.

There were three sets of twins in his family, of which Fontenot is one, and his parents “lost one child at 8 months,” he adds. The first child, Abel, was born in 1918 followed by Lee in 1919, Melton in 1921, Clamie in 1923, by Ethel who was the infant who died, then Eula in 1926, twins Harris and John in 1928, Rosella in 1931, Aline and Louise in 1932, Eva in 1943, Irene in 1936, twins Enola and Nolan in 1938 followed by the last child, Edison, born in 1939.

Growing mostly cotton, the hardship payment and more

The farm was owned by Dr. Arthur Vidine, who Fontenot describes as “very good doctor.” As a sharecropper, his father had “to give one-third of his profits from his cotton and sweet potato crops to the landowner,” he explains. In addition to those crops, he says, they raised some corn, soybeans and rice.

“We were very poor … Evangeline Parish was a poor parish“ and “then came the Depression,” he says.

Except for farming, the only other regular source of income for the family was an $8-a-month “hardship” payment. This was because they lived near “the Cabot carbon-black plant” which “had no filters” and dropped airborne pollution onto everything, he says.

“The closer your farm was to the plant the more money you were paid” and “the carbon affected the color and price we got for the cotton,” he adds.

His father plowed the cotton fields behind one of two horses they owned — Honey or Bella. As a child, Fontenot says he “couldn’t wait until he was big enough” to help plow.

He says father “walked his life away.” His father, Fontenot says, “never owned an automobile … he had a wagon and a buggy.”

For meat they had some chickens and ate “coon” sometimes, he says. They ate crawfish but his mother “did not like to cook them,” he adds.

The cattle on the farm belonged to the landowner but the family could milk the cows in exchange for taking care of them, he adds. There were two barns on the site — one could hold “1,600 bales of hay for the cows in winter, “ he says. The other one was the stables and housed the buggy and wagon.

In the town of Ville Platte, they got store-bought necessities on credit at the store of Henri Vidrine, the brother of Dr. Vidrine. He remembers his sisters’ dresses were made from the cloth from flour sacks.

The mud house, chores, siblings, school

Fontenot’s family first lived in a one-bedroom house but they eventually moved into a three-bedroom house nearby on the same farm. He calls it the “mud house.” The wood-frame structure “had walls made of mud, twigs and Spanish moss that were whitewashed inside and covered with shiplap outside,” he says.

The house had a two-sided fireplace, he adds.

Drinking water came from a cistern and a small amount of “coal oil was added” to discourage mosquitoes. The water was also “strained through cloth to remove mosquito larvae.” There was “an outhouse for the girls to use and the barn for the boys,” he says.

Like most children growing up on a farm he helped with chores. After moving to town as a youth, he briefly worked at a creamery and was hired out to dig sweet potatoes and pick cotton. As for picking cotton he “wasn’t very good at it,” he says, shrugging and tilting his head slightly and that he was “slow” and, of course, “didn’t like the heat.”

As children they “went barefoot unless it was extremely cold,” he says. One of his older sisters, Irene, who he remembers as having a ready laugh, was the one who would defend them, when needed, on the school bus. Another sister, Rosella, was in charge of washing the kids in the evening but conditions were very basic — a shared bowl of water and cloth.

He remembers one of his older brothers, Melton, married at 16 and moved away to farm a place south of Ville Platte. Another older brother, Lee, was in the United States Army for eight years serving in the military police during World War II from 1941-1945.

Lunch during the school year was often “milk pudding sandwiches made on homemade bread” and “it was good,” he says.

He remembers that his only younger brother, Edison, did not want to go to school when it was his time. He says his little brother cried and cried and, arriving at school with several big pecans in his pocket, tried to give them to the teacher so she would let him stay with his big brother. “She probably didn’t even understand him” and that his prized pecans were an attempted bribe, he says.

The radio and electricity

The family had a box-shaped radio, which was powered by a large free-standing battery and connected to a tall antenna. They listened sparingly and mostly to the French programs and music, he says.

His parents did eventually get electricity on the farm in the 1950s.

It wasn’t too long afterward that they all moved into town, he says. Fontenot’s father died at 70 in 1969 and his mother lived to be 76 and passed away in 1977.

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Louisiana

Is it legal to shoot down a drone in Louisiana? What the FAA says

Published

2 hours ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Is it legal to shoot down a drone in Louisiana? What the FAA says

Recently, there have been sightings of unidentified drones flying above New York, New Jersey and other Northern states.

In Louisiana, there haven’t been many drone sightings, except for one drone that was spotted flying in Mandeville in the southern part of the state.

Drone sightings in the U.S.

The flying of personal drones is a hobby many individuals take part in, however, after recent drone sightings, people are becoming suspicious of these drones.

After concerns increased regarding the drones flying in the northeastern part of the country, law enforcement conveyed that the drones do not appear to be a threat to public safety. However, lawmakers have in turn called for more restrictions on who should be allowed to fly drones.

In addition to this, the FBI and other agencies have begun investigating these drones, and have asked individuals to share videos, photos and other information about the drones.

While the drone situation is still being investigated, officials from the FBI and other agencies have released reports assuring citizens that the drones do not pose a threat to public safety or national security, and that the drones are not the handiwork of a malicious foreign body.

Can you shoot down a drone in Louisiana?

Say you spot one of these unidentified drones flying over your property in Louisiana, would you be allowed, under state law, to shoot it down?

Under federal law, it is illegal to shoot down an aircraft, even if it’s unmanned. The Federal Aviation Administration says that shooting an unmanned aircraft could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges from federal, state or local law enforcement.

Federal law also says that anyone who damages, destroys, disables or wrecks any kind of aircraft in U.S. airspace will be subjected to fines or be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Also, individuals who attempt to fire at a drone could potentially face charges for reckless endangerment and criminal mischief if a lawfully operated aircraft is damaged.

In relation to this, the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to deal with unmanned aircrafts through the Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018.

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Louisiana

Entergy CEO Phillip May: Project with Meta in Richland Parish only the beginning

Published

10 hours ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Entergy CEO Phillip May: Project with Meta in Richland Parish only the beginning

Kevin Janda, center, Meta director of Data Center Strategy, speaks with Gov. Jeff Landry, left of Janda, after an event in Rayville, La., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, to announce that Meta will build an artificial intelligence optimized data center in Richland Parish.

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Louisiana

Top performers from Louisiana high school state championships

Published

18 hours ago

December 15, 2024

Press Room

Top performers from Louisiana high school state championships

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Louisiana high school football season came to a riveting finish in the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans over the weekend as eight champions were crowned and prospects from around the state stepped up in their final games of the season.

The Boot is regularly loaded with future Saturday stars, and in this case, future Sunday standouts as well. Several Power 4-caliber recruits turned in strong performances in the Dome. Rivals was on-hand for all three days of action.

Here are the top 10 performers from championship weekend headlined by Rivals MVP four-star LSU DL commit Richard Anderson

FOUR-STAR DL RICHARD ANDERSON – LSU COMMIT

Richard Anderson put forth a dominant performance working inside in the trenches helping to slow down a rushing attack that’s been unsolvable for nearly four months of the season. Anderson, the No. 8 ranked defensive tackle in the Rivals250, came through with 7 tackles, including 6 TFL, a sack, and topped off a safety — in addition to occupying multiple blockers on a play-to-play basis. Anderson’s impact on the game was worthy of Most Outstanding Player consideration. The four-star LSU commitment from New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr is a force up front capable of causing havoc at 6-foot-4 and 315-plus pounds. Anderson is immensely powerful and bouncy and came away with several splash plays behind the line of scrimmage to impact this game’s outcome.

FIVE-STAR QB ELIJAH HAVEN

Elijah Haven has taken a massive leap forward from his freshman to sophomore season, and in the process anchored Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham to the state championship game and eclipsed 100 touchdowns, etching his name in the program’s record books. The five-star quarterback from The Boot completed 25-of-37 (68 percent) passes for 300 yards with 2 TD in his first state title game appearance. He also carried the rock 32 times for 153 yards for 2 TD.

Haven completed 9 of his first 10 passes making big-time throws in the middle of the field with anticipation and arm strength to attack vertically downfield, including a controversial Hail Mary in the waning seconds of the first half. The 2027 passer was superb at maneuvering within the pocket, extending plays, and improvising outside of structure. At 6-foot-5 and 200-plus pounds, Haven evades pressure at a high clip and maintains accuracy on his throws under duress. He also has the frame to break tackles and extend runs.

FOUR-STAR WR JACOB WASHINGTON – MICHIGAN SIGNEE

Jacob Washington broke through with his best game of his senior season at Marrero (La.) Shaw on the biggest stage to date. The Michigan signee came through with 8 receptions for 105 yards and 2 TD on 11 targets. The four-star WR piled up seven of his eight catches in the first half — separating at a high clip, making plays in the open field, and operating smoothly outside the numbers. Washington’s first touchdown came in the final seconds of the first half — and his second iced the victory in the fourth quarter. The future Wolverine also came through with plus blocking in the run game and finished with Most Outstanding Player honors.

FOUR-STAR WR TARON FRANCIS – LSU SIGNEE

TaRon Francis capped a productive four-year run at New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr with a state championship. The blue-chipper came through with 3 catches for 66 yards on 3 targets, including 2 TD, and finished with 91 all-purpose yards. Francis was able to easily generate separation downfield, and at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, the LSU signee is able to make big-time contested receptions in the red zone. He’s sure-handed and a big, physical receiver capable of game-altering plays on the perimeter. Francis boasts major upside.

FOUR-STAR RB JASPER PARKER – MICHIGAN SIGNEE

Jasper Parker is going to add another layer of physicality to the Michigan backfield. The four-star running back from Lousiana turned 19 carries into 174 yards and a TD — averaging north of 9 yards per carry. Parker’s 62-yard TD run in the third quarter put Marrero (La.) Shaw on top late. The 6-foot-2, 200-plus pounder barreled downhill through a host of defenders; his tough running style is tone-setting and demands the attention of opposing defenses. The Wolverines signee is a workhorse with good hands and quick feet. Playing through an ankle injury, Parker was hard to corral once he got some steam behind him.

FOUR-STAR ATH BRAYLON CALAIS

Braylon Calais saw action at multiple positions showcasing different areas of his skill set in Cecilia’s (La.) triumphant title game victory. The top-100 ATH saw snaps at running back, receiver, and linebacker — in addition to return duties — to the tune of 192 all-purpose yardage (52 rushing, 36 receiving, 88 KOR yardage). Calais returned his first kickoff of the game to the house as the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder flashed his elusiveness in the open field and his ability to change direction seamlessly. After a spring evaluation of Calais, there was plenty of evidence of his upside at receiver. He was equally as impressive toting the rock out of the backfield and working in the box at linebacker. His speed translates to both sides of the ball and he takes direct paths to the ball.

THREE-STAR DE DK MAYS – HOUSTON SIGNEE

DK Mays battled a wrist injury for the first half of the season and played his best football down the stretch, including in Baton Rouge (La.) Central’s championship game. The Houston signee filled the box score with 2 tackles, 2 quarterback hits, and 2 fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder also batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage and helped set the edge against the run at a high clip.

FOUR-STAR SAF AIDEN HALL – LSU COMMIT

Aiden Hall is a difference-maker in the secondary. Hall saw snaps at free safety and in the nickel and came up with the first big play on the first pass attempt of the game in man coverage housing an interception. Hall’s first-quarter pick-6 was complemented by a handful of tackles made and a pass defended on fourth down defending the middle of the field in the slot. The LSU commit has outstanding range and is a plus tackler in the open field.

FOUR-STAR RB JT LINDSEY – LSU SIGNEE

JT Lindsey put forth a senior season for the record books at Alexandria (La.) Senior High. The LSU signee amassed almost 2,800 yards from scrimmage this year, including 127 yards rushing in the Dome on Saturday averaging north of 5 YPC. At 6-feet and 185 pounds, Lindsey can accelerate at a rapid clip and hits the next gear almost immediately. The speedster from Central Louisiana is a threat to score from anywhere on the field, and even in his quietest game of the fall, eclipsed the 100-yard mark with some eye-catching runs. He’s a slasher with home-run ability and a physical touch to his running style.

WR KEITHON WOMACK

2026 Baton Rouge (La.) Central WR Keithon Womack put himself on the map during the surge to victory. Womack was a favorite for Nicholls State-bound QB Jackson Firmin, who made a great contested grab despite tight coverage downfield to open the game and emerged as the Wildcats’ leading receiver. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior pass-catcher broke loose for 6 receptions for 113 yards and 2 TD. Womack separated well at multiple parts of the field and displayed fantastic body control operating in tight windows. He’s someone warranting college’s attention in a big way.

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