Cemetery alliance plots for the future

They have all the time in the world to make a difference in this life and maybe the next. But The Carron Cemetery Family Alliance faces the obstacle of “cultural erosion” while it defends its ever-encroached territory which is wedged between croplands two miles southeast of Eunice.
The words of William Gladstone, the 19th century British prime minister, echo the philosophy of The Carron Cemetery Family Alliance:
“Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the law of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.”
While most people seem to meander through life, not knowing where they will end up, The Carron Cemetery Family Alliance has a pretty good idea as to where folks will reach their final destination. The Carron Cemetery is considered a “family burial ground”– which means that lots within the graveyard are not sold to the public, but rather inherited by way of blood and/ or marriage.
One alliance member, John Francois, who is a writer from Lafayette, said that his mortal remains will be joining those of his mother and father. He said that among the more than 200 inhabitants of the cemetery, the notables interred at Carron Cemetery are five Civil War Veterans.
He said that his research reflected the burials of those who served in the Confederacy between 1861 and 1865: Martin Carron, Victor Jean Francois Contini-Sittig (Francois’ relative), Rosamond LeJeune, August C. Pierrotti and George Richard. He said that 1870 census reports show that three of them were once neighbors. And today, it would appear that they still are.
However, the old neighborhood is changing and the landscape has shifted near The Carron Cemetery. The historical pioneers and people that once planted the seeds of community and culture in this land are falling by the wayside to the demand of the agricultural products from the region. Alliance members strive to let people know that the culture that adds to the make-up of the Cajun prairie or the Tri-Parish area cannot be given a market value price nor sold for any amount.
Family cemeteries in the area are abundant, with nearly 100 in Acadia Parish alone and nearly 50 family cemeteries in the Eunice area. But one thing hindering the preservation of the memory of the dead is the apathy of some of the living.
Most people, according to alliance members, don’t know or care about “those people” buried in “that cemetery”, refusing to spend money on the preservation of their ancestors’ final resting place.
Margrett Fels, an organizer with the Carron Cemetery Family Alliance, said that she will one day be buried in a Carron plot. Her struggle at hand is in finding gardeners, volunteers, artists, photographers, website designers and any individual looking to adopt a Carron Cemetery Family grave.
“There’s a disconnect, which is a fallout of the modern world that we live in,” said Fels. “The same way that groups like CODOFIL were established to preserve that French language and culture, our culture is going ‘by-the-by’ without the younger generations being introduced to where, or whom, we come from.”
Alliance members hope to preserve their family cemetery and its boundaries. More than 50 years ago, the Carron Cemetery nearly vanished under the cover of overgrown grass and weeds. Today, the small embankment of rice field levees now keep the Carron Cemetery from flooding as it once did. Graves, once silted over, have now seen the light of day thanks to the alliance.
A visitor to the cemetery will follow the circle drive up to the main entryway into the graveyard. However, within the horseshoe shape of lawn formed by the circle drive, there is a mystery buried underneath a massive, white crucifix at the center of the patch of grass.
Some members of the alliance believe that there were more corpses buried in this area, east of the main graveyard. It has been rumored for many years that within the semi-circle of grass is the burial site of perhaps dozens of infants. The remains of children, it seemed, had their own special place within the graveyard.
While it can’t be proven by documentation or records, one alliance member hopes to bring technology into the graveyard and search for the truth without digging in the dirt. Alliance member and future resident of the Carron Family Cemtery, Don Fueselier, of Eunice, said that he was looking into bring out a ground-penetrating radar, or GPR, as the real estate availability with in the graveyard has become limited. By proving or disproving the rumors of the existence of mortal remains and silted-over graves within the circle drive area of the cemetery, there could be more room for family members.
“When I was growing up, I was always told that the area inside the horseshoe where the big cross is at, was full of children, babies,” said Fuselier. “You don’t see any headstones, you don’t see any tombs, nothing. But I was always told that there was nothing but babies buried in the front.”
Fels said that the organization hopes to collect more funds and continue to raise awareness about the keepers of the family cemetery. She said that she hopes that her group are not the last ones concerned about who will take care of the dead and preserve their memory.
“There’s no public money that goes to Carron Cemtery, there’s no church money that goes there,” said Fels. “This is families. Families move away, die off and some families just don’t seem to care. Some families would rather let somebody else do it and have their loved ones ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Most kids today probably couldn’t tell you who their great-grandparents were.”
The Carron Family Cemetery Alliance meets regularly at the Eunice Depot Museum and encourages residents to attend to help raise awareness. The organizer of the group, Margrett Fels, can be contacted at (225) 266-6424 or by email at ccfa70535@gmail.com for more information.