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Was your Grandmother a Casket Girl? Published: 07 July 2010 By: Shirley Gage Hodges Biography & Archived Articles 
Was your Grandmother a Casket Girl?Many people from Louisiana and that area of the United States, descend from the "Casket Girls". Before the arrival of the "Casket Girls" in the region most of the women living there were in the category of "fallen women". The first women to arrive in New Orleans from France were prostitutes who had been released from some of the French prisons. As you might imagine, people are very happy when they can trace their heritage back to the "Casket Girls" instead of some of the earlier arrivals. Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville was the French governor of Louisiana. He made continual requests to France to send over women who would come to America and marry the colonists. During the period of 1728-1751 many young ladies from France came to America. Groups of girls who were chaperoned by a priest and the Grey Nuns of Canada would come to New Orleans. So that their reputations would be protected, they would live with the Ursuline nuns until they would marry.  Image: Sister Marie-de-Jesus, “Arrival of the Ursulines and the Sisters of Charity in New France,” Painted in 1928. Photo from the Virtual Museum of Canada. Source: WGNOTV YouTube video. (http://www.youtube.com/user/wgnotv) People sometimes forget that these women were also instrumental in the settling of the United States. Often we think of the more well known groups of people like the statesmen, teachers, storekeepers and lawmakers. If your Grandmother was a "Casket Girl" make sure you are telling her story. Until next time :) Shirley Hodges, biography & genealogy lectures; email: genealogyshirl@hotmail.com Editor's Note: Shirley Hodges is the author of the popular Guide to United States Census, 1790-1930 Browse the resources at GlobalGenealogy.com:
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