Stories from Childhood

Memories from my early years in New Orleans and Hahnville, Louisiana 1940-1946

By: Leonide Martin

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

This collection of vignettes, immersed in the magic and nostalgia of a well-loved childhood, takes readers into the vibrant abundance of South Louisiana’s customs and creatures. Surrounded by a large family that adored birthday parties and Christmas, Leonide (Lennie Lou) Martin’s early childhood was filled with adventures. Now, in her 80s, she has reached into misty memories to tell stories about nature and animals, people, and places. Her grandparents’ rural properties adjoining the Mississippi River were filled with insects, birds, reptiles, and poisonous snakes and plants. Family gatherings contained a confusing array of cousins, aunts, and uncles, while a trip to the Rockies brought encounters with strange landscapes such as mountains. Swamps, rivers, and marshes were normal, familiar places. With close relationships with her younger brother and a New Orleans cousin, she led them in exploring parks, street cars, and cemeteries, even turning Devil’s Horse grasshoppers into pets. Her special bond with grandfather “Poopsie” brought hours of delightful stories and long walks, though at times their strong wills crossed.

The Martin and Bonnabel families contained many educational and political leaders and were well-known in the area. Following family patterns, Martin went to California as a young adult to pursue a career as a university professor, which included writing many books. After retiring, she became involved in genealogy and authored a book on her family’s Acadian heritage. This allows her to realize that when the last person who remembers a family story no longer exists, neither does the story. A precious memory vanishes into oblivion, lost forever. Now, as an elder family member, she recalls many stories and places that continue to exist in her mind alone.

“If I don’t do it now,” Martin decided, “I’ll run out of time and memory. Only I can tell these stories.”

In this first book of stories from her childhood in South Louisiana, Martin covers her early years from 1940 – 1946 in New Orleans and Hahnville, Louisiana. Next in the series, she plans stories from later childhood in Lafayette and Lake Charles, Louisiana.