Obituary, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana --Mary Celine Laffitte Submitted by: Cheryl Laffitte --------------------------------- ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ---------------------------------------------------- Mansfield Enterprise Dec. 3, 1942 Mary Celine Laffitte, Wife of the Late Clermont Laffitte Died Tuesday, December 1 This community mourns the loss of one of its oldest pioneer citizens in the death of Mrs. Mary Celine Laffitte, who was born on January 30, 1852 at Campti, Natchitoches parish, Louisiana. The object of this writing was born Mary Celine Davion of one of the oldest families of our state; she was reared in and around Campti and Natchitoches and met Mr. Clermont Laffitte, who was to be her life's mate in after years at Dolette, while visiting relatives there, when that community was a flourishing place. Information taken from her original marriage license which she has preserved all through these years, show that she was married to Clermont Laffitte, at Dolette church by one Father Isidor, and the witnesses were Peter Wallace, Boyd Romel, and David L. Duke, who was a brother of Sam Duke, and they once lived and prospered on Chicot Island, here in Bayou Pierre Lake. This ceremony was performed on August 1, 1873. Soon after their marriage they moved to make their home at or near Gloster on what is now known as the Rambin place, and in 1891, the year that our Rock Chapel was built, they moved again and to Carmel where they lived the rest of their lives. To this union was born four children; three died in infancy, leaving only one Mr. J. O. (Peeler) Laffitte; her husband, Mr. Clermont Laffitte, died in 1935. Grandchildren who survive her are Joseph Percy Laffitte of Carmel; Miss Bessie Laffitte, who is Health Nurse at Bastrop, La.; William Clarence Laffitte, in the U.S. Army in Australia; and Robert Charles, who is a valued employee of Texas Oil Co., in South Louisiana. Also the following great-grandchildren: Mary Jo, Willie Nan and Johnnie Ray, children of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Laffitte, and Sandra Kay, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Charles Laffitte. The deceased was ten years old when General N. P. Banks came up the Red River and attacked Grand Ecore and Natchitoches; they raided the local communities and when some of the Yankee soldiers raided their home some of them broke into their old ward-robe that she has kept all these years; but first they broke it open with their guns and bayonets and then took away whatever they could use of horses, cows and meats. The ward-robe still has the holes in the doors that were made by those Yankee soldiers. The writer still recalls a conversation he had with Mrs. Laffitte some years back and she told him that "We told those Yankee soldiers that it didn't matter if they took everything we had, they could not scare us." This for a girl of ten years of age. This example of one of America's young citizens who dared the invader 75 years ago, still stands as a shining light to us--that no matter what the circumstances might be WE Americans are going to keep safe our heritage against all foes whomsoever, and when this war is over Mr. Hitler, Mr. Mussolini and "The Son of God" will all know that "WE AMERICANS" don't intend to give up to any combination of RAIDERS our heritage as handed to us by our forefathers. That's why we are fighting the whole world; that's why we are going to feed the whole world when we have whipped them; and that is why we are going to police the whole world when this war is over. A FRIEND.