Biography of 	Doizé, Mother Pamela Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
Submitted by 	Christi P. Malone June 1999

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Photocopy of Biography sent by Lucie Doizé Druhan to her niece, Mary Ann
Seghers. 

Please keep in mind that this was written about Mother Pamela at the time of her 
death by her youngest sister, so it sounds rather slanted in favor of all of the 
family members.  In a letter to her niece, Lucie writes, "Pamela's biography was 
a request from the nuns after she died and my sisters asked me to write it."

     Pamela Octavia Marie Doizé, daughter of Lucien J. Doizé of Baltimore, MD,
and Annie Stevens Wood of Wilmington, NC, was born in New Orleans, October 22,
1878.  She was baptized by Rev. A. Verrina, C.M. in St. Stephens Church on
November 1,1878.  Her sponsors were Charles Elder, brother of Archbishop Elder,
and Marie Stella Doizé, an older sister.  At the time of her birth there were
five children living, two having died in infancy.  Before Pamela was quite a
year old little Mary Julia, nearly three years then was taken by death.  When
Pamela was two years and two months, another little sister was born but this
little one lived only a year and a few days, and again Pamela became the baby
of the household, the petted darling of wounded hearts and by her sweet lovable
disposition, she readily earned the name of "Baby Mine", which clung to her for
several years.

     Pamela lived in a household of "grown-ups".  There was Grandma, Mrs. Mary
Frances Wood, the widowed mother of Mrs. Doizé, and Cousin Louise (Turner),
the orphan child of Mrs. Doizé 's oldest sister and Grandma's special care.
Long before Pamela was born Grandma and Cousin Louise had come from North
Carolina to make their home with Mrs. Doizé.  There was also a maiden aunt,
(Cora Doizé), a sister of Mr. Doizé 's, who had always lived with the family.
So in spite of all the love and affection lavished on the baby of the family
there were so many older ones to be considered that the little one was not
spoiled.  This was a day when children "were seen and not heard", and "self-
expression" in a child's upbringing was unheard of.  Pamela was always a quiet,
unassuming, thoroughly good child with never a tendency to show off or be
noticed.  When showing displeasure or childish temper, she had a quaint little
way, all her own, of expressing it.  She would steal quietly in the parlor and
throw all the scarfs [sic] on the chairs, used for headrests, over the backs of
the chairs, and any small chair that she could manage herself she would turn
upside down.  Anyone happening in the room would realize immediately that some-
thing had upset Pamela.  It quite amused the family though probably she was
taught to overcome this little display of temper before she was very old.

     When Pamela was five years old the three older sisters, Celina, Stella, and
Annie were sent off to board at the Visitation Convent in Richmond, VA where
Mother Justine, a first cousin of Mr. Doizé, was Superior.  For three long years
the girls remained away from home and it was one Christmas during those years
that Charlie, the only brother, and Pamela readily gave up the pleasures of a
Christmas tree and presents to send a Christmas box to the older sisters.  She
was growing into a very thoughtful and considerate child from all accounts.  One
day when still quite young, she was taken to the Exposition, which was being held
at what is now Audubon Park.  While looking at various exhibits, she pointed to
some small objects on display and turning to her father, she said, "I think Papa
those are very pretty, but I don't want you buy any for me because I know you
have just enough money for our carfare home."

     Before Pamela was six years old, a new baby came into the family.  William
was born in May 1884, and Pamela immediately became his devoted slave.  She began
then to five up some of her baby ways.  The family had been in straightened cir-
cumstances for some time and Pamela often spoke in later life of how, when she
was taken out with the baby she did not mind not having on a new or pretty dress,
because William, who was really a beautiful baby attracted all the attention, and
nobody looked at her.  There was neither jealousy nor vanity in her makeup, for
she never seemed to realize that she was considered very pretty herself with her
large dark brown eyes, clear complexion and heavy mass of light brown hair.

     The summer before Pamela was eight years old, her sisters returned home.
Sometime afterwards, Celina, who was always "Sister" to Pamela opened up a
Little private school with two or three little girls and Pamela as her pupils.
Sister called her "Pet" and Pamela became her special charge.  Many a time
Pamela exasperated the other two sisters, when she refused to let anybody but
"Sister" tie her bow or comb her hair, particularly Stella who felt she had
some rights as Pamela's nenaine.

     Several years after the girls returned from the Convent, the first break in
some years occurred in the family.  Stella was married to Clarence A. Seghers. 
In the meantime, another baby brother, Cyril, had succeeded William and later the
last baby, Lucie, completed the family circle.  Pamela was now attending school
at the Rosary, having started when she was nine years old.  A year after Stella's
wedding, Celina was married to C. Ernest Seghers, a brother of Clarence's.  Both
older sisters had now not only left home but were living out of New Orleans.
Before another year passed, Grandma (Mary Frances Gardner Wood) was called to her
eternal reward and just a few months later, Cousin Louise went back to her
beloved North Carolina to join the Sisters of Mercy in that state.

     Pamela was now thirteen and had already revealed to her mother at the time
of her First communion that she wished to become a religious.  Her time was taken
up entirely with her studies and the little ones at home.  She read aloud to the
two little boys a great deal and Lucie has recollection of trying hard so hard to
keep awake to listen to Father Finn's works.  Lucie also remembers how when she
was older and had outgrown the crib in her mother's room, she slept with Pamela
in the girls' room upstairs.  It was Pamela who would take her up to bed at night
and sit patiently reading or studying until she dropped off to sleep--then Pamela
would be free to rejoin the family.  She cared little or nothing for outside
pleasures, and although always neat and trim in appearance, she took no interest
in dress at all.

     In the summer of 1895, Annie was married to Edmund P. Fournier.  Annie
recalls how she tried to discuss the dresses to be worn for her wedding with
Pamela.  Annie sewed very well and she wanted Pamela to have a real pretty dress 
for the occasion.  She tried to get Pamela to decide how she would like her dress
trimmed, but Pamela insisted on leaving the decision with Annie, saying she would
be pleased with anything Annie would make.  This showed how little interest she
took in clothes, although she was then sixteen, an age when all girls like to
dress up.  Annie felt rather badly about leaving home, although she was to live
in New Orleans, after so many had pulled away from the family circle.  She spoke
to her mother of delaying her wedding until Pamela was through school and could
be at home to be a comfort and help.  Mrs. Doizé then revealed the intentions of
the younger girl, urging Annie to go on with the wedding, as Pamela was waiting
only to graduate to enter the convent as soon as possible as a religious.  She
told Annie it would be harder to part with both in two years time than to give
her up then and Pamela later on.  So Annie was married and another face was
missing from the once large family group.  After that, Pamela varied her home and
school routine with visits to Annie on Friday evenings.  One summer she had
visited the older sisters, who had little ones of their own and were happy and
content in their married lives, but no diversion or distraction changed her fixed
resolve of dedicating her life to God.

     In the spring following Annie's marriage, the first great sorrow came into
Pamela's life.  Her idolized little brother William was stricken with a terrible
illness.  He was then nearly twelve years old and a faithful altar boy at St.
Stephen's Church.  His trouble was probably appendicitis, but operations were
rare at that time, so he grew steadily worse, and there was apparently no way to
help him. On May 2nd, 1896, God took him home, and for her consolation one of the priests told the stricken mother that William had never lost his baptismal
innocence.

     June 1897 finally came and Pamela graduated with honors from the Rosary. 
After various medical check-ups, Pamela was to leave in the fall to carry out her
heart's desire.  Celina had counted on having Pamela pay her a long long visit
that summer, now that her school work was over, and was bitterly disappointed
when she found Pamela would leave as soon as possible and would not make the trip
to the country first.  Pamela had some throat and nose trouble which had to be
cleared up and it was while undergoing treatment for this trouble that sometime
in the fall she was taken with diphtheria.  This of course delayed her leaving
home and the time for her departure was postponed until spring of the following
year.

     It was about this time that Charlie decided to leave.  He had always been
interested in dramatics and particularly in Shakespearean plays.  He had a
brilliant mind and a most remarkable memory, and his greatest ambition was to be
a distinguished Shakespearean actor, and so he left for wider fields in the north
and never returned permanently to the city of his birth.

     Pamela realized fully that with her going only the last two children would
be left to the devoted parents in their declining years.  Tante Cora, Mr.
Doizé's sister, still lived with family, but she had always led a rather isolated
life of her own, and was quite deaf and older than Mrs. Doize.  This realization
came to Pamela even more forcefully a few months later.  In January 1898, the
family moved into a smaller and more convenient house.  Pamela was all
enthusiastic about getting them fixed up and comfortable in the newer home.  It
was shortly after this that she received a severe jolt, and thought another
disappointment was in store for her.  Cyril and Lucie were playing rather
strenuously in the back yard one day, when Lucie fell and cut her head very badly
about an inch above the right eye.  The blood poured from the deep gash, seeming
very terrible at the time, though hardly worth mentioning, now, except for the
effect is had on Pamela.  She spoke of it often in after years, how she
frantically rushed for the doctor, and in a perfect panic of fright, hung over
her little sister while the doctor drew the cut together.  She spoke of how her
thoughts crowded one another, when desperately she prayed that nothing would
happen, and if [sic] it did, how would she be able to her mother.  The breaking
up of the family circle year by year, the sorrow of William's death, still so
recent, her own illness of a few months before, Charlie's leaving, and now this,
were rehearsed over and over in her mind that evening.  Then came peace and
assurance that all would be well.  In less than a month mother and sister were
arranging the little one's curls to hide the ugly scar that remained.

     The following notes are copied from a flyleaf in one of Mr. Doizé's
prayerbooks:
     "April 15th, 1897, Pamela left for the Convent.
     "Thursday, July 22, 1897, Convent of the Sacred Heart, St. Louis, MO.
     "Sept. 1, 1900, Pamela went to St. Michael's, St. James Parish, LA.
     "Feb. 24th, 1905, Friday, Pamela left New Orleans, 7:10pm for St. Louis,
     MO, from then to Albany, NY.
     "Feb. 6th, 1906, Pamela received her cross at Albany, NY."

     Of the influences brought to bear on Pamela's life a word about her
ancestors should be in order.  Among Mr. Doizé's papers is found the following
memoir:  "My grandparents on both sides were devout Catholics in every sense of
the word.  All their children with out a single exception were the same."

     On her mother's side, Pamela was descended from a long line of New England
ancestry, who were among the earlier settlers of Nantucket Island, off the coast
of Massachusetts.  They were not Catholics, but Mrs. Doizé's mother was a convert
and all her children were baptized Catholics.  Grandma Wood retained much of her
inherited Quaker severity however, with regard to the spending of Sunday and the
frivolities of the younger generation.  Much of this severity was reflected in
the character of Cousin Louise (Sister Dolores), who probably exerted quite an
influence over Pamela.  She was a pious, rather austere person, but the children
were devoted to her, and looked upon her as an older sister, as she sewed for
them and helped to take care of them.  Pamela in later [sic] life kept up a very
correspondence with her until her death in 1933.

     Other religious in the family were two Visitation nuns in Richmond, VA,
cousins of Mr. Doizé.  Mr. Doizé's youngest brother Charles was studying to be a
Jesuit when he died at the College in Baronne St., in 1873, after receiving the
four minor orders.

     But the greatest influence in Pamela's life were her own [sic] parents, true
and faithful Catholics, her father a man of staunch, upright principles and high
ideals; her quite gentle mother, always patient and self-sacrificing, but always
firm and strong in guiding the footsteps of her children in the narrow path of
duty.  Uncomplainingly, she brought twelve children into this world and with the
beautiful resignation of her Catholic faith, just as uncomplainingly she gave
five of them back to God.  Later came the supreme sacrifice when she blessed her
lovely talented daughter, who had been the baby and consolation of some of her
sadder years and sent her into God's service for the rest of her natural life. 
In 1902, during her last illness, when she knew the end was near, she told her
faithful husband and companion for thirty-six years, "Life is made up of
Sunshine and Shadow, but you have made mine all Sunshine."  Undoubtedly she
had made his life all sunshine and the lives of her children were enriched with
purer, finer ideals because of the sterling qualities of her nature.

     Mother Pamela Doizé, at the time of her death, February 7, 1938, is survived
by four sisters, two brothers, thirty nieces and nephews, and thirty-eight grand
nieces and nephews.  Of these only one has entered the religious life so far:
[sic] Sister Celina Seghers, the oldest child of Mother Doizé's oldest sister. 
She is a Sister of Charity and is at present missioned in China.

     All through her religious life, Mother Doize retained her deep love for her
family.  She was keenly interested in all that concerned each and every one.  Her
letters were always warm and affectionate, and full of understanding sympathy in
times of sorrow.  The new babies were always a source of joy to her and she kept
all the dates of the various birthdays in a little notebook.  Shortly before her
death, she wrote to her youngest sister on the occasion of the latter's birthday,
"How well I recall being all keyed up with joy when a baby's cry reached me from
Mama's room, and when I was taken in to see the much longed for little sister,
whom I did not find very pretty, she was so red faced and had so much dark hair,
but she was welcome, and she does not know how much she had been loved ever
since."

Lucie Doizé Druhan