Memories of the Old Plantation Home: A Creole Family Album

by Laura Locoul Gore, Norman Marmillion (Commentary), Sand Marmillion (Commentary)

In 1936, Laura Locoul Gore compiled an account of nearly 100 years of life on a Louisiana sugar plantation named after her:"Laura Plantation." Her manuscript, only recently discovered in St. Louis, Missouri, details the daily life and major events of the inhabitants, both free and enslaved, of the plantation that she and her female fore bearers ran.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Historical, Biography, Autobiography, Family

172 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2000

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this slim volume after visiting the Laura Plantation (a 5-star tour, by the way) last April. I was hoping to get more insight into the unconventional Laura who broke free from the Creole way of life to become a true American woman. While I didn’t get that—likely because Laura wrote this for the younger generation when she was in her 70s—I did get a nice souvenir of my visit with an interesting addendum of Laura’s life after she sold the plantation, as well as the backstory as to how Laura’s memoir and the family mementos she’d saved were found in St. Louis some thirty years after her death. If you can make it to Vacherie, Louisiana, the tour of the plantation is even better.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir of her much younger life in Louisiana is wonderful to read, especially if you have viewed/toured the plantation "Laura" which is her birth place and namesake. The author lived to be 101 and wrote in age so that much of this French Creole history would not be lost.

She is not a skilled writer, IMHO, but highlights fine detailing. Enough that any subject choppiness is completely forgivable.

She is entirely of her own era. She was born on Christmas Eve in the 1861 of utmost turmoil of Civil War.

This is about sugar cane and 4 generations of resolute Catholic women and the tasks and traditions that encased their lives. It's about typhoid and cholera and arsenic. It's also about dueling, bustles, cruelty of branding and eternal habits of servitude. And of a people who lived months or years in Louisiana, but in all ways were French- speaking French and living in Europe for years at a time. And in numerous ways considering themselves to be separate and of higher cultural class from Americans. And from American planters.

Laura Plantation has been partially restored and is an excellent antebellum historical tour location site. It's one of many sugar cane plantations along the Mississippi on the old River road about half way between N.O. and Baton Rouge.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly a great read, but superb both for its historical value and as an intimate look into plantation life. The historical notes at the back flesh out the story, including some of the more unsavory aspects that Laura Locoul Gore withheld, although even then the main text is more honest than most written by someone from the "master class." In the end, I felt bad for Emile Locoul as a man stuck between two worlds, and one forced to take on plantation life despite his misgivings. Such though is the pull of family, particularly before 1900. To defy his family would have been to lose everything.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Locoul Gore complied account of nearly one hundred years of life on the Louisiana sugar plantation named after her.
There were four generations of family that lived on the Laura plantation.

Before the house was built, the area was home to a tribe of Indians. they were able to live there for the remainder of their lives.

They built their own sugar mill to process the sugar cane.
the home was built in the middle of the plantation. It is located near the Mississippi. The house sits on Eight foot pillars spaced. Trees were planted to the sides of the house; so the breezes from the river could cool the house.

There was seventeen small homes for the slaves. Instead of buying slaves. the dissidents brought in thirty women slaves, so their own slaves would increase in population.
they had their own doctor and hospital.

Since they family was of French decent, many of the young men had schooling in France.

The women were the backbone of the plantation. So many of the men died young. Laura lived to be One hundred and one.

I visited the plantation a few years ago and bought this book as a memento of my visit.

[Ameena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful memoir! If you are ever in Louisiana, do not leave without visiting the "The Laura" Plantation. The plantation is quite a sight and the house remains in the original french/cajun style. Reading Laura Locoul's memoirs are really amazing and actually seeing first-hand where she grew up and lived makes the story that more exceptional. Truly a fantastic memoir for a bright, deeply caring, and strong woman! I especially loved how the memoirs flip back and forthe between french and English, but no worries if you do not read French...over 95% of the memoirs are in English! Enjoy!

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book on our last trip to New Orleans. We visited the Laura Planation located outside of the city. It was an excellent tour and example of a more realistic plantation home. It was more like a typical farm very much unlike the image we usually have of them being like Tara in Gone With The Wind. I have lots of pictures if anyone wants to see them. This is about Laura and her family so it's really a great snapshot of history and a rather enjoyable easy read. Recommend it to anyone that likes history and/or genealogy.

[Meri McCoy-Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like everyone else, I picked this up while touring the Laura Plantation. I decided to read it more thoroughly when the BLM protests erupted. It is a memoir of Laura who was born during the Civil War and whose family owned the plantation for 4 generations, until she was forced to give it up because it no longer was profitable. As expected, there was very little mention of slavery and where the real wealth of the plantation came from. Though it is not well written, is a small window into the limited perspectives of those who capitalized on slavery and built their family's wealth on the unpaid labor of others. What is most interesting about the book is all that is left unsaid or barely hinted at.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 1804-1891, four generations of Creole women managed this sugar cane plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana. This book tells their story. The plantation was named Laura for the author, who was the last family member to own the plantation. It was then bought by the Florian Waguespack family, who lived there for 90 years, until 1981. In August 1993, the property was bought by the commentators of the book to restore and preserve it and make it a tourist site. Sedric and I visited the plantation in 1997 or 1998 when we went to visit his family in Louisiana.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting historical look of life on a plantation, as well as the family history of those on the plantation. Having visited this plantation while on a trip to New Orleans, I could imagine myself there during this historic recollection. Very well done.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice supplement to the tour at the Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, though it can be read independently. The text does jump around a lot. While not a very cohesive narrative, the book does give the reader glimpses into Laura's life and her Creole heritage. I do feel that much is left unsaid, frustratingly at times, such as Laura's discreet lack of details about her courtship by her husband and never giving the full story why they kept their engagement secret for 6 years. The tour of the plantation gave many colorful details that could have made the book more engaging. The plantation tour also gave more attention to the lives of the slaves on the plantation and how difficult life was for them, though the book does relate one very painful story of the harsh realities of slavery, and this incident leads Laura to begin to question plantation life and ultimately leave it behind.

[Trine · Rating 4 out of 5]

By no means great litterature, but having visited the Laura Plantation and walked around in the French Quarter of New Orleans this book gives and interesting view into the lives of the Creoles and plantation owners of a bygone time.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had the best tour guide when visiting Lara. The book filled in some pieces of the story but honestly the tour hit all the best highlights.

[Grace Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir and documentation of Creole plantation life by Laura Locoul Gore was something I was very interested in reading after having visited The Laura Plantation on a trip to Louisiana myself. The tour of the plantation was amazing and I had very high hopes for the book. However, the book fell short of my expectations but it was still interesting and insightful to read. While reading I learned a lot about Laura, her family members, and the history of the plantation but I was disappointed in the lack of information about the slaves and plantation workers which were a huge part of daily plantation life. And even though I gained a lot of information about Laura and her family members, I did not feel connected or invested in any of them which often caused me to forget who people were. Despite my critics, I do believe the book did a wonderful job of letting the ordinary person into the unexpected life of a Creole plantation family and truthfully displaying this crucial part of American history.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I appreciated Laura’s memoirs for what they are, I wish she would have detailed more about plantation life, especially concerning slave owning. I also thought her written memoirs were kind of watered down and left out a lot of the juicy stuff about her family’s backstabbing, greed, and dysfunction. I finished the memoirs with really not knowing much about who Laura was. She didn’t expose much of herself. I would have like to read some of her personal reflections on how she felt about plantation life, slavery, etc. The last part of the book written by the author was my favorite part. It gave more details on the crazy inner workings of the family.

[Tina Cerda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Picked up the book in the gift shop and shelved it at home for years. It turned out to be very enlightening since I knew nothing about the Creole Culture. I am once again impressed by the quiet and determined role played by the women of the era. She is not a great writer, but the audience was her family, so that does not really matter. The book does, however, give an interesting glimpse to a long ago way of life. I am reminded that our unique American experience is a tapestry woven by many varied and disparate lives. Somehow it works - even when it feel like it’s not.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read The Laura that the plantation was named after, wrote a diary when she was in her 70's trying to tell the story of her creole ancestors and life on the plantation that she was born on.She talks very little about the negroes who were firstly slaves then workers on the plantation.She has a bad case of daddy worship and of course he treated everyone very well and was a wonderful human being.Laura came across as a self involved young lady

[Rickeclectic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir of a plantation owner. A creole family and a mostly female run plantation. Does not seem to pull any punches about the life there and the treatment of slaves (both the good and the bad). Nice pictures and interesting history. I visited this plantation (in Louisiana). It is small and seems to be a more real view of the times and places, less fogged by romanticized or demonized history.

[Cathy Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I would have read this book shortly after we visited the plantation a few years ago, but it was still nice revisiting the history of it.

I think that some of the book was a tad redundant to stretch it into a good length of book, but I enjoyed seeing all of the historical picture and photos of documents included.

[Pam Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this after visiting the Laura Plantation in Louisiana. It was written by an old woman about her memories of growing up there. We had a wonderful your guide who recounted the stories of several generations who lived on the plantation, and I was happy to see the book for sale because I wanted to explore the family further.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I visited the Laura Plantation in Louisiana last November and was so impressed with plantation’s story as a working plantation of long standing. We were told the story of this place and it’s people over the years that it was owned by the families . I heard a little of Laura’s story but now I know a great deal more and I am so glad that she took the time to tell her story of her home and family.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great book IF you have taken the tour of the plantation that is the subject. Our docent did a fantastic job when we toured this Creole plantation so the book was a great review we learned as we toured Laura Plantation.

[Alana Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - the history, biographies and autobiographies. I haven't toured the plantation, but intend to now. The author's life spanned over 100 years 1861 to 1963 which must have seen so many transitions. From wagons to station wagons.

Some parts are not so pretty.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We picked this book up while visiting the plantation mentioned in the book. Being there was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had.
The book also added so much valuable insight that made us feel like we were there again.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting glimpse into the life of a young girl whose family owned a large plantation in Louisiana. Written more like a diary, as I believe it was written originally only for her own family, but overall a fast, interesting read.

[Margery Margery Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent reference for the book I am writing. I picked this gem up at a book sale. It's full of pictures, wonderful descriptions and a lot more of life on a Plantation.

[Jessica Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eat book and info to compliment a visit here. A little disjointed.

[Nicole Bosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would probably have given this 3 stars normally. But knowing it was a family history, never written to be published, I think I should be a little lenient!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a interesting book about life in Creole Louisiana and about Laura Plantation. This lady ended up in St Louis and is buried here. It provides many detailed descriptions of her life and the life of enslaved people. Definitely worth reading.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago I took a road trip to New Orleans, and on the way, visited many of the plantation houses along River Road. I picked up this book when I visited the Laura Plantation, about which it is written. I had skipped through the book several times, but actually read it cover to cover for the first time just this week. This memoir was written in Laura's own hand, and then added to with background and history and some clarification by the couple who published it. There were lots of very old family pictures from the 19th and 20th century included. She basically tells the story passed down to her of her ancestors path to acquiring the property, her family that lived on the plantation before her, and her memories of growing up on it. You do notice she tends to focus on the social aspects of life there, and omits much that would have been enlightening about slavery, the civil war, etc. But it's an interesting look at the dynamics of her matriarchal French Creole family, and how their very wealthy lifestyle came to end due to family squabbles and inheritance law.

[MissSusie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I recently visited the Laura Plantation. This was a fascinating look at Laura’s life and life on this Creole plantation that was run for the majority by women. It covers many years of life and gives a good accounting of what life was like on the plantation.

When we visited the Laura Plantation it was a fascinating look into life there and so I had to get this book and I’m glad I did some of the stories were of course part of the tour but others were more a slice of life that I found very interesting.

You don’t need to go to the Laura Plantation to enjoy this story ( if your ever in that neck of the woods I would recommend visiting though) but if you would like to read a firsthand account of someone who lived on this actual plantation I would highly recommend Laura Locoul Gore’s memories.

3 ½ stars