The Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies Special Collections

The Center for Southeast Studies
Genealogist Antoinette Harrell and Doris Lloyd

One of my favorite places to research is the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies in Hammond, Louisiana. My passion for genealogy goes beyond the scope of my own personal history. It's important to preserve and document the history of the communities.

The Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies preserves and promotes the history and promote the history and the cultures of Louisiana's Florida Parishes, Southwestern Mississippi, and surrounding area through scholarly research, lectures and publishing. If you are conducting genealogy research, "you may want to visit the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. You never know what  you may find that can help you with your genealogy research.

The Fajoni-Lanier Collection
The Center for Southeast Studies

I interviewed Dr. Samuel Hyde today and as always it is a pleasure to talk with him. We talked about so many topics as it relates to the Florida Parishes. My best friend Doris Lloyd  and my colleague Walter C. Black, Sr., went with me and we look through the Piney Wood and Fajoni-Lanier Photograph Collections. Although most of the photographs didn't have names on them it was good to look at the photographs of people who once lived in Tangipahoa Parish. The Fajoni-Lanier collection is mostly about the local  people. Looking at their faces, the clothes they wore,  and the images behind them say something about the photograph. The Harrell, Richardson, Gordon and Vining Family was fortunate to have a lot of old photographs of our relatives and ancestors.

I'm so happy to see that the collections was donated for preservation and not thrown away in the trash. Quite often this is what can happen when someone dies and family members go through their personal belonging. We must remember that we're throwing away our history.  Making the decision to donate your collections is preserving your history and the history of the community you live in.

I value old photographs and enjoy preserving them. Through the study of genealogy many people who live in St. Helena and Tangipahoa Parish has shared many of their photographs with me. With today technology its so easy to share with other family members and friends. Social media has allowed us to share precious memories, events and photographs of family members and friends instantly.

If you would like to donate your family collection and don't know where to start. Please contact "Nurturing Our Roots" for more information on how to preserve your family history.

 One of the main reasons that I preserve and donate my family history, photographs is because I want to preserve the family history and educate others in my family. I find it to be very important for my family and many of my family members appreciate it. Especially the younger people who want to know more about their family history. You can email me at afrigenah@yahoo.com.