"Cimetiere Catholique de l'Ascension, Donaldsonville, LA - Oct2021" (1Jan2022) Cities Of The Dead

This is the third of three videos shot in late October in my journey up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Donaldsonville. An interesting fact I learned about Donaldsonville is that in the 18th Century, Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands and settled in this area of Louisiana. This cemetery is accompanied by Ascension Catholic Church which was founded in August 1772. The church that currently resides on the grounds was erected in 1876. Unfortunately, I was not in tune with my physical condition as I began filming the cemetery. I really didn't become aware that I was in trouble until about half way through my search. The video ends abruptly because I was suffering from severe dehydration and heat exhaustion, and I barely made it back to my car before collapsing. I left incredibly disappointed with myself, knowing I would not be able to return to film in the near future. My hurried pace is a result of me trying to see as much as I could, knowing I was in a bad way. I've edited out some of my interactions with families as I visited, but to some up what you don't see, is a conversation about fund raising for the Landry Family tomb, the cleaning of tombs in preparation of All Saints Day, and the last conversation which I did leave in; where I am told about a probably slave that was granted a proper burial by the family that owned her. My mind was in fight or flight mode, so I feigned my way through that exchange in order to get on with it. Hers' is the final grave we visit before the end of the video.
Joseph Aristide Landry, for whom the fund-raising is happening to repair the elaborate family tomb. Landry was a U.S. Representative serving from 1851-1853 as a member of the Whig Party. He then served on Louisiana's House of Representatives. The Advocate wrote an article outlining the fund-raising efforts: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rou...Show more

Also interred in Cimitiere Catholique de l'Ascension is Confederate Congressman, Duncan Farrar Kenner. The youngest of 4 children, his mother Mary Minor died giving birth to him. The brothers were orphaned when Duncan was only 10, and only managed to survive the hardship due to a family friend that managed to save some of their inheritance. Duncan would later hire famed crypt architect, James Gallier, to build a splendid mansion. The city of Kenner bears the name of this early influential family.

The elaborate tomb I film towards the end of the video with the spires and cross belongs to Confederate Brigadier General, MG James Patrick Major. Upon being paroled, and unwilling to accept the end of the war, Major relocated to France. His end of life at a mere 40 years old was as a planter.

Like James Patrick Major, Allen Thomas Jr. was a Confederate Brigadier General. Also like Major, he was unwilling to accept defeat of the Confederacy and fled to France to seek assistance from Napoleon's armies. Upon returning to the U.S., he lived in Florida, and Waveland, MS - where he died. His remains were transported to Donaldsonville for interment in his wife's family vault.
I truly hope I am able to revisit the river parish cemeteries again soon. I feel like I opened a door and I barely had time to time to see what was on the other side. There is so much history to be found and learned from this area of Louisiana, and I feel drawn to seek more.

On to the next...

Original Source Video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7BhL02V-hcY