Here is a collection of photos of my father's ancestors that were passed down through the generations. The oldest ancestor I have a picture of was my great-great-grandfather Auguste Ducloisel Bertrand, born in 1837. He was a Civil War Veteran and wounded Prisoner of War who returned home disabled but thankful to be alive.

The fun thing about old photos is that they allow you to become a virtual eyewitness to what is in the scene. In your imagination, you can travel back in time and peek over the shoulder of the photographer. This photobook is like a virtual time machine. Go back in time to see my father's ancestors in the late 1890s. My father had an uncle who fought in World War One and brought back pictures to show his family. Those photos of his military camp were passed down to me. Look and see what he and his fellow soldiers were doing.

If you are intrigued by a true representation of what my ancestors experienced and photographed in the "olden days," you will enjoy this book and have a glimpse into the daily life of South Louisiana natives.

MY FAMILY TREE I have also worked on my family history and genealogy over the years, and have traced my family roots to Western Europe, back to the 1700s. Our country's origins include French, German, Irish, Basque, Italian, and Dutch surnames.

South Louisiana area towns of interest are Lawtell, Mallet, Prairie Ronde, and Opelousas.

Items of interest to look for are the hair and clothing styles, as well as home architectural design styles and farm life.

The following family surnames from south Louisiana are now found around North America. Here is a list of my father's ancestors' surnames from Western Europe and Canada going back seven generations:

Bertrand, Ledoux, Andrepont, Frutel, Sittig, Pitre, McDaniel, Chachere, Fontenot, Joubert, Broussard, Vige, Aucoin, Contini, Ewald, Vaucherey, Langlois, Thibodeaux, Cochran, Guillory, Benoit, Catoir, La Jeunesse, Sonnier, Rougeau, Dumond, Le Stage, Aymond, Jeansonne, Brignac, Rondot, Demouy, Doucet, Evans, Watson, Sedat, Trahan, LeFebre, and Culeret.