Hargrave loves researching Kaplan history

Donella Hargrave

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Somebody once said that the search for one’s self starts out at home with the family – or, in this case, perhaps it starts in researching history with the family.
A long standing tradition, of helping her father gather information on family lineage and the history of Cossinade, led Donella Hargrave to follow in his footsteps and recognize her own ambition as a history enthusiast and writer.
Donella LaBry Hargrave is the daughter of Cossinade and Leleaux natives Ewell LaBry and Ella Mae Leleaux.
She began her education at Maltrait Memorial and later graduated from Kaplan High. She continued her education at USL, now ULL, where she mainly studied art.
Her art expertise steered the way for a job as Ink Supervision at Garan’s plant, where she remained until the business shut down operations.
Donella has proudly spent her entire life, with the exception of a year or so, in the Kaplan area.
As early as her high school years, Donella played an active part in helping her father research their family’s history. She can recall looking over Father Hebert’s church books, which were set up in volumes according to the year.
Her father was slowly gathering information for his now published book aptly entitled, “The History of Cossinade.”
It was along this journey that Donella unintentionally began to collect information about Kaplan.
“When I was helping dad finish up his book, I was going around and collecting photographs related to Cossinade for him, and people were giving me random photos of Kaplan from different time periods. After a time, it really got me interested,” she explains.
Toward the end of the assemblage of Ewell’s book, Donella took a more dominant role in the process due to her father’s advanced age.
At the time her mother, half jokingly, recommended that she start a book of her own comprised of Kaplan’s history. The combination of that suggestion and her lifelong experiences with genealogy and history spurred her to set out to become a writer – not of just one book, but of several!
The first book idea transpired from helping her dad research Abshire Cemetery in the community of Cossinade.
Growing up, Donella’s family had always spoken of a mysterious mass grave located in Abshire Cemetery which dated back to 1863. It wasn’t just a family legend; it was a community folklore which stemmed, in part, from truth.
For over a century, youth of the area have been drawn to the cemetery by tales of the ghost Irma and the constant search for her unmarked grave.
Whether or not there was truly an “Irma”, and despite the fact that there is little documented evidence pointing to ghostly occurrences, one thing is certain – the 11 men buried in the mass grave were real and Donella ensures that their tale will live on.
The book, entitled “Mystery of Abshire Cemetery,” tells the story of 11 ‘Jayhawkers,’ a term which arises from the Civil War nickname given to men who either refused to fight or who abandoned their post or, more generically, a term used to describe outlaws.
The different versions of events which chronicled the Jayhawkers’ connection, their death, and how they came to be buried in Abshire Cemetery are only a few of interesting events that are explored in the book. She also touches on the mystery of Irma and how her association to the men came into existence.
As the historian of Chic a la Pie, it was an easy decision to begin compiling the information she already had on hand into a book about the history of Mardi Gras. In the book, she will divulge the history and customs of the holiday from ancient times straight through to modern day – including the history of Chic a la Pie. Donella reveals a tidbit from her unpublished book: the screened mask that is so popular in today’s celebrations actually originated in Austria.
Hargrave is also trying to assemble her father’s memoirs of his service in World War II and also the joys of his early baseball days. Ewell LaBry was a part of Kaplan’s first softball team, and he has kept many of the photos and documents from that experience. Based on her father’s information, she has embarked on the tedious journey of creating a digital scrapbook in hopes of one day turning them into two separate published works.
For the time being, her main project is a book she will entitle, “The History of Kaplan.” The book will not only just narrate the history of Kaplan’s inception, but it will also specifically follow the people whose signatures appear on the 1902 petition to make Kaplan a village. Along the way, many interesting facts and stories from Kaplan’s formidable years will be disclosed.
For example, she reveals the minutes from the first town meeting in which, among other things, members voted to prohibit the use of a slingshot in the village of Kaplan.
Donella has organized her book based on industry. She speaks of each occupation individually and discusses the people connected to it. She can tell, based on census and draft records, who was listed as being employed by a bar tavern or saloon, or anything else for that matter, and for what time frame they were employed as such.
From that information, she weaved together family history, documented facts, and oral accounts into a well-balanced tapestry depicting Kaplan life from 1902 until 1930.
The photos that accompany the document are astounding. Seemingly for every subject matter, she has managed to find photos of the people and the blossoming town to allow readers a second hand view of what was emerging every step of the way.
In gathering her information, virtually every source available was used. Access to the Kaplan Museum, library databases, church records, and online resources certainly helped, but Donella wasn’t satisfied with only that.
She turned to the help of others such as Harvey Adams who collected charred documents and records from the Vermilion Parish courthouse, which burned in 1884, and created an index from what could be salvaged.
Vermilion Parish Burnt Remnants is a valuable resource showcasing what little there is left from a time period in which many records were lost forever.
Donella also turned to some of the information left behind by Amanda Hanks, deceased former librarian and author of “Louisiana Paradise.”
In regards to Amanda Hanks and Ewell LaBry, Donella remarks, “I like to think that I am carrying on their legacy, and hopefully, I will be able to do them justice!”
The search for information is not over, and she urges anyone with stories or photographs of Kaplan, between 1902 and 1930 – or even a bit beyond, to contact her at 643-1417.
She is anxious to learn and welcomes a good conversation.
For more information on what her books will entail, one may have to await their publication – however, if asked, Donella may be willing to disclose a bit more, maybe.
Donella lives in Nunez with her husband, Wayne “T-Black” Hargrave. Jointly, the couple has six children and eight grandchildren.