Pioneers in Louisiana Mirliton History – Part 2

by David Hubbell | Sep 24, 2021 | Mirliton

Pioneers in Louisiana Mirliton History

John Burns Sr. (1884-1947)

On Thursday September 18, 1941 Hermann B. Deutsch, a reporter for many New Orleans newspapers over his 50+ year career, penned the following on page 8 of the New Orleans Item:

“Each artist chooses his own medium for the attainment of beauty. Wagner worked with music, Rembrandt with oil pigments. Keats with words, Phidias with the sculptor’s chisel. Pavlova with the dance. Cellini with the goldsmith’s mallet, Genthe with camera. But John Burns of New Orleans chose a Mexican vegetable with a French name and American devotees to create beauty in the Irish Channel.”

The title of the article was Orleanian Creates Beauty in A Mirliton Arbor¹ and ran with the following picture:

Image 1: The New Orleans Item¹ Article

When I first read through this article, I was curious as to who was John Burns, what kind of mirliton was he growing, how tall was the arbor given that Mr. Burns was standing on his shed roof, and where exactly was it located in the city?

John Burns Sr.

John Thomas Burns Sr. was born on March 27, 1884 in New Orleans to John Peyton Burns and Catherine Connert and grew up in the city’s 1^st Ward. His father was originally from Canada and his mother appears to have been a native New Orleanian. Per the 1900 and 1910 Census^2,3, it was recorded that everyone from his parents down to siblings could read, write, and spoke English and that the younger members were enrolled at school. Thus, we can conclude that the family was fairly literate and educated. In his early years in 1910, John held the job of being a Clerk for the railroad. On December 17^th, 1913, John married Ellen “Nellie” Lacey. Like John, Ellen was born in New Orleans (March 15, 1884). Ellen’s father was Thomas J. Lacey originally from Ireland and her mother was Mary Smith from New Orleans. The 1930’s census⁴ lists Ellen as a homemaker who could also read and write. By 1918, when John filled out his WWI Draft Card, he had been working as a longshoreman and the couple had moved to 2419 St. Thomas Street in the neighborhood known as the Irish Channel. John was described as being of medium height at 5’ 5” and medium build with grey eyes and brown hair⁵. By 1920 John was employed as a “screwman” on the river front⁶. According to the article “THE 1907 NEW ORLEANS DOCKWORKERS GENERAL STRIKE”⁷ by Malcom Suber, “The New Orleans screwmen were responsible for tightly packing cotton bales in the holds of the ships. This critical task put them atop the labor force on the docks thus providing the screwmen with the highest wages on the docks.” A similar reference cited on Wikipedia also commented that “their work was highly skilled, required immense strength, and was indispensable to the smooth operation of the waterfront.”⁸ Thus, we can assume that despite his medium stature, John must have been a pretty strong man in his youth and earned a fairly decent wage. However, from then until 1928, John’s profession was listed in the New Orleans City Directories⁹ as simply a laborer. In 1928, his occupation is changed to that of Bridge Tender.¹⁰ The Bridge Tender is basically one in charge of the bridge ensuring its operation and safety both on the bridge and for the passage in the canal. At the time of the mirliton article, he was the Bridge Tender for the bridge at Broad Street and the New Basin Canal. Today that is basically where Broad crosses the Pontchartrain Expressway near the WLAE studios. Image 2¹¹ is a photograph of the south Broad Street side of the bridge in the last few years that John worked there. Around 1946, the city started to fill in the New Basin Canal which was eventually replaced by the Pontchatrain Expressway.

Image 2: South Broad Street bridge over the New Basin Canal (1941-07-09)¹¹

John and Nellie had six children: Eleanor, Lorraine, James Joseph, Rita, John, and Raymond. July 17^th, 1925 was a sad day at the Burns residence when one year old John Benedict Burns passed away. The funeral was conducted from the residence the next day and the child was buried in St. Patrick Cemetery #1.¹²

John Burns appeared in the New Orleans papers a couple of times from 1913 through the 1941 article. In some of the articles he was either the main subject or in a “supporting role”. In September of 1925 he was charged with impersonating an officer after trying to extort $1 (equivalent to about $15.50 today) from a bar owner by showing him a “special badge”¹³. In this case it appeared that he had been as Bob Cratchit would say “making rather merry” before the event. In 1931, he was credited with saving the lives of those trapped in a cab on the bridge¹⁴. However, in 1932, John unfortunately made a poor choice that end up with him in the hospital due to the negligence of an intoxicated driver he rode with¹⁵. About 2 years later, he had to be called upon to help police drag the New Basin Canal when a train porter had jumped to his death from the bridge¹⁶. After this, there weren’t any more mentions of Mr. Burns excluding the mirliton article and his obituary which appeared in the Tuesday April 15, 1947 edition of the New Orleans Item¹⁷.

What Kind of Mirliton?

This question is probably the hardest to answer. The reason being is that mirliton comes in so many sizes, shapes, and colors and until Dr. Lance Hill and Mirliton.org started giving them “names” it was probably described by just that – size, shape, and color. There unfortunately isn’t a picture of Mr. Burn’s mirliton, but they are described “great green bells”. Some things we can glean from the description is that these were rather large mirlitons with a narrow top but a wider flat bottom. Even though the author called them “vegetable pears” he doesn’t describe them as pear shaped. In a lot of cases the mirlitons have a rounded bottom like a pear or avocado. He also only described them as green versus light green and there is no mention of spikiness. Based upon his description, I would venture to guess they might have looked like the Sister Morgan or Joseph Boudreaux varieties.¹⁸

Image 3: Sister Morgan Variety

Image 4: Joseph Boudreaux Variety

Arbors

The American Heritage Dictionary defines arbor as a shady garden shelter¹⁹. According to some online sources, the concept of the arbors goes back as far as the ancient Egyptians, helping to create a shady resting place in the unforgiving hot dessert. There is recorded evidence of their popularity in Ancient Greek and Rome as well as through the Medieval period in Europe. In these references they speak of vining plants covering the arbors and they seem to add both beauty and functionality to the outdoor spaces. Newspapers in the New Orleans area also describe properties for sale in the mid to late 1800s with either grape, ivy, or rose arbors. In fact, there were a lot written of arbors in the New Orleans papers of the early 20^th century extolling the virtue of the arbors to help hide unsightly fences as well as providing a nice shady and cool area to endure the summer heat of the semitropic New Orleans area.²⁰ It also would make sense that especially in newly established, closely situated neighborhood yards of the early 20^th century without many big trees, it would be just the answer for backyard privacy especially since folks probably spent more time outside then in. To note, the first house in the New Orleans area built with central air conditioning was Longue Vue House built in 1942²¹. Thus in 1940, attic and window fans were the norm. According to the Sears advertisements of the day, a window fan could range between $32- $55. At the time, it looks like a bridge tender’s salary was around $25 per month. Of course, you could put down $5 to purchase, but I am sure it would easily be a year or so to pay just one fan off at a salary of $25 per month. Thus, even in the modern age of the 1940s, an arbor didn’t just hold value for its aesthetics, but also for its functionality.

Life in the Irish Channel

The Irish Channel is a name of an older working class New Orleans neighborhood south of the Garden District and adjacent to the Mississippi River, just upstream of the French Quarter. There apparently isn’t a definite origin of where the name came from, although the popular one is associated with the influx of Irish immigrants who came to New Orleans in 1830 to help dig the New Basin Canal and in turn, they “channeled” into the area where they settled.

Image 5: Irish Channel ²²

At the time John Burns and his wife lived there, the area was essentially an 80-year-old neighborhood. Despite the name, there were other nationalities such as the Germans, Italians, and African Americans as well. The inhabitants primarily work around the Port of New Orleans in the 1900s, as was seen with John’s jobs prior to 1928. The area also garnered a reputation as being a tough area with a lot of gang rivalry that was more prevalent in the latter part of the 1800s. As with most of the city, the Irish Channel was predominantly Catholic and actually had 3 churches established in the early years for the different nationalities: St. Alphonsus for the Irish, St. Mary’s Assumption Church for the German, and Notre Dame de Bon Secours Church for the French. The churches were all consolidated in 1925 with St. Alphonsus becoming the Parish Church. It closed in 1979, but has been reopened as the St. Alphonsus Arts and Cultural Center. ²³

John Burns Sr. lived at the St. Thomas residence basically from (I’m guessing) 1914 till his death in 1947. The house number is listed as 2419 to 2409 during his lifetime and appears the twin shotgun was basically combined into one residence of 2407 sometime in the 1970s. Image 6 shows what this location looks like in the present day.

Image 6: Location of John Burn’s Irish Channel residence.²⁴

From Image 7 we get a sense of what the back property’s dimensions were. Based on a measure of the current backyard, it is about 52 feet long by 28 feet wide, but in 1941, this house was a duplex, so one can only assume the yard may have possibly been split. The article list that the arbor was 28 by 16, which would match up with about half of the available yard in the backyard. The article also stated that “…behind it is a garden where there’s a peach tree that bears, fruit, a trellised rose vine that blooms the year ‘round a big chrysanthemum, shrub, a fig tree…” “Behind the garden is the shed and behind the shed the present pride of the Burns estate, an arbor of mirliton vines.” Evidentially the backyard was packed! As a side note, I am also speculating that the house looks to have been added onto, so I imagine there may have been more room in the early days.

Image 7: Lot John Burn’s Irish Channel residence.²⁵

Per the rest of the article, we get a sense of how the arbor was constructed. Mr. Burns stated “I planted seven mirlitons last April right up against the fence there, opposite the shed and let them grow up as high as the top of the arbor now. Then I built out the arbor for about three feet, and put wires every three inches, and worked a half hour or an hour every day, spinning the new shoots around the wire, and when they went beyond that, I put on another three feet of arbor top, and spin the shoots along that, and so on till it covered the whole yard. That vine is a solid arbor 16 feet wide and 28 feet long now, and we can sit under the shade of it and enjoy ourselves.” This had to definitely be an impressive structure to behold. The amount of time to string the vines around astounds me, but I can feel his passion as I have easily spent 30 minutes retraining the direction of my vines. If a shed was approximately 6 feet tall and John Burns added another 6 feet (about 12 feet total) to it, it would also give a higher “ceiling” for the hot air to rise to. My mirliton arbor in Mobile is 8 feet wide by 24 feet long and 7 feet tall, so about half the size of Mr. Burns. I can only image the size and shade his provided. I am attaching a few pictures of mine so one might get a sense of how much shade this structure could provide, plus it must have been even more magnificent as the mirlitons hung down in the fall.

Image 8: Under the author’s shady mirliton arbor.

Image 9: The exterior of the author’s “unruly” mirliton arbor.

As a quick aside you might wonder how the Burns’ enjoyed their mirliton. Well according to Mrs. Burns, “when the mirlitons come -you see you scoop them out and stuff them with mirliton meat mixed with shrimp and sweet peppers and bread crumbs as a bit of bacon – that’s very good.” Mr. Burns also added that “Just frying a slice of mirliton with a slice of baloney sausage is mighty good too…I expect we’ll eat mirlitons this fall till we’re tired of them and maybe sell the rest. Not so bad, is it?”

Sadly, on Monday, April 14, 1947 at the age of 63, John Burns Sr. passed away. His wife Ellen lived on almost another 20 years and passed away on April 11, 1965. She apparently moved from the St. Thomas Street house the year after John died. At the time of his passing, John and Ellen had 5 children and 6 grandchildren. His funeral was held on Tuesday, April 15, 1947 at Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home which at the time was at 2241 Magazine St. Religious services followed at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and he was interred at the St. Patrick No.1 Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Image 10: John and Ethel’s Grave Stone²⁶

Closing Thoughts

As I got into researching John Burns Sr., I felt a real admiration for his mirliton work. As I read about the Bridge Tender’s job, it occurred to me – having to take care of both activities on the road and water plus maintenance and safety had to be quite draining and stressful at times. I can imagine that when he got his arbor started it must have been a source of enjoyment and solitude away from the day-to-day operations. From what I can tell the house had to be around 850 square feet and with 5-7 people living there, things must have been often cramped. Utilizing the mirliton as an arbor is a brilliant idea that provided both beauty, functionality, sanctuary, and food to his large family. I think in many ways I could set up my arbor in a similar way and could easily utilize it as a nice space to relax and enjoy a cold beverage especially after yard work. Hopefully this will inspire others to set up a nice backyard arbor that can work their mirliton vines into the landscape. While John Burns Sr. had seven plants, my experience has been that one mature vine could be more than sufficient to provide cover in a small area. As we are seeing, the early 20^th century mirliton growers were a creative bunch that didn’t simply just grow a plant, but utilized them in such a way that was both fun, functional, and committed to their hobby. I hope you are also inspired by the latest Pioneers in Louisiana Mirliton History, John Burns Sr.

Sources:

1. Desutsch, Hermann B. “Orleanian Creates Beauty in a Mirliton Arbor.” New Orleans Item (New Orleans, LA) 18 September 1941, page 8 GenealogyBank
2. 1900; Census Place: New Orleans Ward 1, Orleans, Louisiana; Page: 20; Enumeration District: 0001; FHL microfilm: 1240570
3. 1910; Census Place: New Orleans Ward 1, Orleans, Louisiana; Roll: T624_519; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0001; FHL microfilm: 1374532
4. 1930; Census Place: New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0193; FHL microfilm: 2340544
5. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
6. 1920; Census Place: New Orleans Ward 11, Orleans, Louisiana; Roll: T625_622; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 184
7. http://nolaworkers.org/2018/12/17/the-1907-new-orleans-dockworkers-general-strike/
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_dock_workers_and_unionization
9. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
10. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
11. Charles L. Franck / Franck-Bertacci Photographers Collection, The Historic New Orleans Collection – https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/hnoc-clf%3A1100
12. New Orleans Item (New Orleans, LA) 18 July 1925, page 2 GenealogyBank
13. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 28 September 1925, page 4 GenealogyBank
14. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 14 November 1931, page 7 GenealogyBank
15. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 22 May 1932, page 10 GenealogyBank
16. New Orleans Item (New Orleans, LA) 1 July 1934, page 4 GenealogyBank
17. New Orleans Item (New Orleans, LA) 15 April 1947, page 5 GenealogyBank
18. https://www.mirliton.org/photo/ed-landry-james-boutte-joseph-boudreaux-mirliton-varieties-dec-2010-chayote-sechium-edule/
19. The American Heritage Dictionary, Dell Publishing, 1983, pg. 35.
20. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 11 March 1934, page 21 GenealogyBank
21. https://wgno.com/news-with-a-twist/first-house-in-new-orleans-to-built-with-central-air-conditioning-still-operates-at-this-historic-landmark/
22. https://www.datacenterresearch.org/pre-katrina/articles/IrishChannel.html
23. https://readtheplaque.com/plaque/st-alphonsus-church
24. Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from 2407 St. Thomas St, New Orleans, Louisiana]. Retrieved September 5, 2021, from https://www.google.com/maps/place/2409+St+Thomas+St,+New+Orleans,+LA+70130/@29.9236126,-90.0764497,3a,75y,10.91h,75.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0i31zWsT2KcsgVUY5ECu0g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x8620a42a485e3ec1:0x9d258ff1c1881d79!8m2!3d29.9238154!4d-90.0764713
25. https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/Application.aspx?AppID=979&LayerID=19792&PageTypeID=4&PageID=8665&KeyValue=2407-STTHOMASST
26. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Louisiana Mirliton Pioneers – Part I

by David Hubbell | May 15, 2021 | Mirliton

Albert Smith, Sr. (1892-1963)

Most people have heard of a ship in a bottle or even a message in a bottle; but have you ever heard of a mirliton in a bottle? Well, if you were alive in New Orleans on December 5, 1939, you would have seen this incredible picture captured by the now defunct The New Orleans States newspaper.

Image 1: The New Orleans States¹ Article

When I first came across it in my studies, I was struck with curiosity by a number of things: what kind of mirliton variety was this, what size and kind of jug was it growing in, and most importantly: who was Albert Smith, Sr.?

What Kind of Mirliton?

This question is probably the hardest to answer. The reason being is that mirliton comes in so many sizes, shapes, and colors and until Dr. Lance Hill and Mirliton.org started giving them “names” it was probably described by just that – size, shape, and color. Some things we can glean from the photo is that there is a good chance that this variety was probably light green to white. The reason I conclude this is that by looking at other black and white photos in publications from the 1920s-30s we can see how the this compares to those that have been identified as white or light green. The other thing we can learn is that the paper describes this as an “unusually large specimen”. The 1923 publication, The Chayote: its Culture and Uses², by L. G. Hoover notes the ideal size for commercial use and home production is between 8 and 16 ounces. This falls pretty much in line with what I am familiar with from my own growing experience and with the work of Mirliton.org. The dimensions for these larger mirlitons can easily have a “width” of 4 inches and “height” of 6 inches. The mirliton also seems to have 5 deep furrows and more of a “snub nosed” top. Of course, in this case, the “snub nosed” top could perhaps have been formed due to growing in the jug, especially if it was growing just inside the opening. Oh, while its probably my imagination I feel like I can see some spininess on its surface, but before I go on, let’s look at the jug.

What Kind of Jug?

Based of off typical mirliton dimensions, even the largest of mirlitons would be dwarfed by a one-gallon jug. Additionally, we can surmise that this jug is clear. Based on what I could find online for vintage glass jugs and advertisements in the New Orleans papers of the day, I am guessing this size was a half-gallon that could have been used for common products such as syrup, vinegar, or even port wine. In any case, it would be perfect for just such an experiment, but why do it in the first place?

Fruit and Vegetables Grown in Bottles

A quick scan on histories of growing fruit or vegetables in a bottle reveal that it has been a practice for some time. The February 1930 edition of the magazine Popular Science features a photo of a Capt. John A. Gilman of the US Army Quartermaster Corp in Washington DC holding a watermelon inside a bottle (Popular Science – Google Books)³ and explains how it was done. Further searching reveals that a popular clear fruit brandy, Eau de Vie, which translates as “water of life”, often contains a whole pear inside the small necked bottle (technically this is called Eau de Vie de Poire). How long the practice of the pear in the bottle has been done is hard to say, but newspapers in the New Orleans area in the late 1930s ran several advertisements for Eau de Vie and some current purveyors of this brandy claim the practice of growing the fruit in a bottle has been done for centuries.⁴ Therefore, the idea of fruit and vegetables grown in a bottle could have easily been a popular idea floating around New Orleans area gardeners in the 1930s, especially if you were an inquisitive individual such as Albert Smith, Sr.

Albert Smith, Sr.

Image 2: Albert Smith Sr. possibly in the 1920s

On July 9, 1892, Albert Smith, Sr. was born in Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia near the Georgia/Florida border (close to Tallahassee) to William and Julie Smith. He married Ira Moore Thompson on November 17, 1915 in Brooks County as well⁵. According to Albert’s WWI Draft Card filled out on June 5, 1917, he was listed as living a little bit north of Quitman in Morven, Georgia⁶. At that time, we learn that he was employed as a Saw Mill Laborer and had one child. He is described as being of medium height with a slender build, with brown eyes and black hair. From the 1920 Census, we learn that Albert was still living in Brook County, GA in late January 1920⁷, but by the 1930 Census, he was living in Algiers, Louisiana⁸. We also learn from this that his oldest daughter, Rose, who was born on September 14, 1921 was born in Louisiana. Thus, we can surmise that sometime between 1920 to 1921, that Albert, Ira, and their two children had moved to Louisiana.

So, what would bring this man and his young family from Georgia to Louisiana? Census records indicate that both his parents and wife’s parents were from Georgia, thus he appeared to have no family in Louisiana. Records also indicate that Albert had a railroad pension from the Southern Pacific Railroad Co.⁹, but the Southern Pacific’s most eastern destination along the Gulf Coast was New Orleans. It should be noted, that the Southern Railroad did leave from New Orleans to cover parts of the South and East coasts and it appears one of the short lines off of the main, traveled through Thomasville and Valdosta Georgia with Quitman right in its path. Additionally, sawmills had their own industrial railroads connecting to the other lines. Upon further research, it appears that the South Georgia Railway was built through Morven and appears to have fed the line going through Quitman. Thus, with Albert’s work at the sawmill, it would have put him in direct contact with the railroad on a daily basis for a time and as such he probably had several contacts with news from various parts of the route. While this was possibly the case, by 1920, he and Ira were both listed as laborers on a farm in Briggs, which was also in Brooks County. The average daily rate for a male farm worker across the country in 1919 was around $3.03 or maybe $0.38/hr¹⁰. Brooks County’s main agricultural product had been to grow cotton. Income levels in Georgia during the time appear to be slightly below the national average, so there is a high probability that their daily income was lower than this. So, what news could draw him to Algiers? In a recent NOLA.com article, I learned that the Southern Pacific Co. had a “…22-block-long railyard complex in Algiers. The facility once employed 4,000 workers and built steam locomotives and other rail parts… When in operation, Southern Pacific locomotives and railcars were transported by a barge ferry from downtown New Orleans to Algiers, where they were reconnected before moving on to western states.“¹¹ Further research shows that the railroad had come to Algiers in 1852 and that this factory was built in 1920. Additionally, the following ad appeared in the May 7, 1920 edition of the Times-Picayune.:

Image 3: Wanted Ad in 1920¹²

Now, while this wasn’t the Algiers facility, it is interesting to note this hourly rate. There is a good chance that Albert could have easily seen the opportunity to possibly double his hourly wage and improve things for his family. Additionally, there was a recession from 1920-21, so there was probably even more incentive to move and look to improve one’s life. Regardless of what spurred the move, Albert appeared to have found a great opportunity with the Southern Pacific Co., which seemed to provide for him and his family through the rest of his working life and beyond.

Life in Algiers

Prior to moving to the Lawrence St. address listed in the caption, it looks Albert Smith and his young family were renting at 1723 Whitney Ave. in 1930. The best I can tell, they next moved to the Lawrence St. address, which they remained at until 1945-52. Image 4 shows what this location looks like in the present day.

Image 4: Location of Albert Smith’s Algiers residence¹³.

It should be noted that today there does not appear to be a 1303 Lawrence St., just 1301 and 1305. I am guessing it must have been renumbered at some point. It should also be noted that while Albert and his family lived here, the Greater New Orleans Bridge, known today as the Crescent City Connection, would not have been looming large behind them as it currently does, since it wasn’t built until 1958. Perhaps its impending construction is part of what led them to move one last time. Following these dates Albert and family moved to 1875 Whitney Ave. I am not sure where 1723 or 1875 Whitney were based off of the available information online. They either renumbered those properties as well or renamed that section of the road as L. B. Landry. It should also be noted that by then, Albert and Ira had a large family of twelve children; 7 daughters and 5 sons.

I was fortunate enough to correspond with one of Albert’s granddaughter, Monique Miles Logan, who through the help of her cousins queried two of Albert and Ira’s remaining daughters about his mirliton growing. The daughters remember that “…he always pickled them. He had a plentiful garden w/ okra, greens, mirlitons, tomatoes.” And that “ … (the) garden was like the Farmers Market because he shared with neighborhood.” Albert surely must have been a great gardener to be able to supply enough vegetables for his large family and the neighborhood.

As a quick aside on pickling mirliton, most recipes I have seen call for peeling, seeding and cutting the mirliton into strips. Albert’s method of pickling the whole mirliton seems very unique to me. Two of the pickled mirliton recipes I found from 1935 called for immersing the mirliton in a hot vinegar, salt, pepper (cayenne or green or Tabasco), and some pickling spices. These would be stoppered then allowed to “ripen” for 10 days indoors in a cool location. It would be interesting to try to replicate Albert’s experiment to see how one could possibly retrieve the mirliton to eat.

Sadly, on Tuesday, March 5, 1963¹⁴, at the age of 70, Albert Smith Sr. passed away. His wife Ira had preceded him in death on Thursday, January 19, 1961¹⁵. At the time of his passing, Albert left behind 12 children, 24 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. He and Ira were buried at the Christian Social Cemetery in Gretna, Louisiana.

Image 5: Albert and Ira’s Grave Stone¹⁶

Closing Thoughts

As I got into researching Albert Smith, Sr., I felt a connection to him in the sense that he had some similar attributes to that of my late Grandfather, Lucien Robert. Both had 12 children, over 23 grandchildren, grew up in rural communities and settled in the “suburbs” of New Orleans, and had huge gardens that grew a variety of vegetables in their backyard, although in my Grandfather’s case he didn’t grow mirliton. I certainly would have loved to see the abundance that was generated from his gardens and learn from his years of mirliton growing experience, not to mention his creativity and ingenuity in getting a mirliton to grow inside a glass jug. So, can we ever figure out what variety of mirliton Albert grew? Sadly, probably not. Without a better picture or written description, it would all be just speculation and as all too many families living in the New Orleans area know, many of the Smith’s family photographs, records, and keepsakes were destroyed by the floodwaters of Katrina. Despite that I am thankful to those who preserved the old newspapers and also the fact that someone in 1939 decided to print the photo. For without them, I would never have known of or gotten to “meet” one of Louisiana Mirliton Pioneers, Albert Smith, Sr.

Special Thanks

To Monique Miles Logan, her Aunts, Cousins, and all of the Smith family for allowing me to share the story of their Father and Grandfather. Thank you also to Albert Smith, Sr. for the inspiration!

Sources:

1. “Mirliton,” New Orleans States (New Orleans, LA) 5 December 1939, page 5, GenealogyBank
2. L. G. Hoover, The Chayote: Its Culture and Uses, Circular 286, United States Department of Agriculture (Washington, D.C., September 28, 1923), https://archive.org/details/chayoteitscultur286hoov/page/n1
3. Popular Science, Feb 1930, pg. 60, Vol. 116, No. 2.
4. Poire Williams – Gastro Obscura (atlasobscura.com)
5. Ancestry.com. Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: County Marriage Records, 1828–1978. The Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.
6. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
7. 1920; Census Place: Briggs, Brooks, Georgia; Roll: T625_237; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 47
8. 1930; Census Place: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0256; FHL microfilm: 2340547
9. United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1939). Monthly labor review. Washington: G.P.O.
10. The National Archives at Atlanta; Morrow, Georgia; Records of the Railroad Retirement Board, 1934 – 1987; Record Group Number: 184.
11. “Algiers Point’s empty tract could be developed if contaminated soil is removed”, NOLA.COM, (New Orleans) by Mark Schleifstein, May 6, 2020.
12. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 7 May 1920, page 18, GenealogyBank
13. Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from 1303 Lawrence St, Algiers, Louisiana]. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from https://www.google.com/maps/place/1303+Lawrence+St,+New+Orleans,+LA+70114/@29.9391452,-90.0433388,3a,75y,199.8h,84.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVCCZOql-vh2UJaxdtwiBew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x8620a651e0e21fdb:0xaa415c29ebd08d64!8m2!3d29.9388922!4d-90.0433527
14. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 8 March 1963, page 2 GenealogyBank
15. Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) 22 January 1961, page 10 GenealogyBank
16. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157156887/albert-smith