Broussard

A monument in memory of Alexandre “Beausoleil” Broussard, founding father of Broussard, and his brother Joseph “Beausoleil” Broussard, was erected and is located on the grounds of Broussard City Hall. The monument honors the guerilla leader who stayed behind in old Acadie, Nova Scotia, fighting the British. He helped the Acadians move to the Côte Gelée area in 1765. Valsin Broussard (pictured), son of Don Louis Broussard and Anastasie Landry and a descendant of Alexandre Broussard, is credited for naming Broussardville. (Author’s collection.)

Valsin Broussard’s home was built in 1876, with his family settling on that land soon after the Civil War. It is the oldest house remaining in Broussard and has enjoyed continuous occupation by Valsin’s descendants, including granddaughters Nellie Bernard, Genevieve “Sweet” Bernard, and Adele Girouard. Pictured at the tire swing is an unidentified boy pushing Adele Bernard Hollier’s daughter Emma Lee Hollier. Emma was the last child to be born in the Valsin and Emma Monte Broussard home. (City of Broussard archives.)

In the formative years of Broussardville’s development, Valsin Broussard’s surveyor drew out plans for land that was donated to build the Southern Pacific railroad depot, a bank, and the Sacred Heart Church parish cemetery, where Valsin Broussard and his wife, Emma Monte Broussard, sleep in eternal rest. (Author’s collection.)

Little is known of Leonidas Broussard—just the dates of his birth, August 27, 1866, in Youngsville, and his death, October 23, 1868. He was the third of seven children born to Valsin Broussard, founding father of Broussard, and Emma Monte Broussard. (Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis J. Perret.)

Jean Hazard Bernard owned and operated a general mercantile store on Highway 89 from 1891 to 1940. It was one of several in Broussard. The Bernard family reared nine children. Daniel Bernard, the third son, attended seminary and served as the parish priest in Arnaudville, Louisiana—later rising to rank of monsignor. (City of Broussard archives.)

Claire Bernard Bonin, fifth daughter and the last of nine siblings, was born August 13, 1909, to Jean Hazard Bernard and Adonia Bernard Bonin of Abbeville, Louisiana. She lived in her family’s 1890s home her entire life. In one of many interviews, she let it be known, “I was born, raised, married, widowed, and stayed in this house all my life, and will die here.” She was known for her volunteer work with Sacred Heart Church Fair and St. Cecelia School as personal chauffeur for the nuns of the Order of Sisters of Divine Providence. Bonin died at the age of 104 on May 14, 2014. (Linda Bonin.)

Nina Marie Bernard, the daughter of Guillaume Bernard and Clara Broussard, was one of Valsin Broussard’s eight grandchildren. Nina Marie Broussard married Denis Bernard, and they reared a family of eight children. (Emma Lee Girouard Hollier.)

Carla Broussard, a daughter of Valsin Broussard and Emma Monte Broussard, is pictured here seated in the parlor of her ancestral home. The house is the oldest local residence in the National Register of Historic Places and has a continuous history of occupation by Valsin’s many descendants. (Emma Lee Girouard Hollier.)

The town of Broussard celebrated its centennial in 1984, with a parade attended by the whole town. Pictured are the granddaughters of Valsin Broussard, a Civil War survivor recognized as the town’s founding father. They are, from left to right, Bernadette Bernard, Loul Bernard, Nellie Bernard, Lydia Bernard, Adele Girouard, Lal Bernard, and Genevieve “Sweet” Bernard, a Broussard Middle School teacher. (Emma Lee Girouard Hollier.)

With help from local historians, Lafayette artist Patrick Soper and sculptor Celia Soper re-created a likeness for the Joseph “Beausoleil” Broussard monument erected on the grounds of Broussard Town Hall. The bronze bas-relief honors the memory of the guerrilla leader who fought the British and helped resettle the Acadians in Broussard. Beausoleil Broussard and his brother Alexandre Broussard died of yellow fever three months after settling into the Côte Gelée area. Valsin Broussard, their descendant, encouraged town growth by donating eight arpents of land, on which Sacred Heart Church and its cemetery are located. (Author’s collection.)

Ron’s Model Railroad Shop, owned by Ron Brown Jr., is located at 106 East Main Street, in Broussard’s historic district. Starting in 1980, this shop operated in a 100-year-old building for over a quarter of a century, bringing the joy of owning miniature trains to young and old alike. Ron’s showroom was a place of wonder, set up to scale with village shops and trains that made the room come alive with the sound of bells, whistles, and clacking wheels. (Author’s collection.)

New prosperity was brought to the Broussard community before the Civil War, when the New Orleans, Opelousas, and Great Western Railroad Company was opened up to Lafayette in 1878. Work began on the western section in 1873 and was completed in 1881, thus opening a line from New Orleans though Broussard. This brought a financial boon to the Broussard area by facilitating transportation of agricultural produce. A group of nattily attired gentlemen is pictured here waiting for the train to come in. (City of Broussard archives.)

Several groups participate yearly in the reenactment of the Acadians arriving in Louisiana, which is held in St. Martinville. These men are dressed in typical 1760s militia uniforms: black, wide-brimmed hats with gold braid, white outer coats with huge black cuffs trimmed with gold braiding, and black pants and knee-high boots. (Author’s collection.)

The Southern Pacific Railroad train with engineer C.C. Aultman, aboard No. 738, ran regularly through the town of Broussard. Thelma Toce (right), Broussard stationmaster, hands up order form 19 (a safety form) to the engineer. Engineers and conductors were required to sign order No. 31, including the agent’s copy, in the depot office before the train could be cut loose. Thelma Toce is also pictured here waiting for engineer Aultman to pick up his message packages. Like many Southern Pacific people, Toce devoted a major portion of her spare time to community service. Southern Pacific selected Toce over women employees in five divisions from Texas and Louisiana and officially bestowed upon her the title of Mrs. Southern Pacific. (Jeri Toce Dupuis.)

Thelma Toce, born in 1901 to Swedish parents, got her start as a telegrapher with Western Union in Houston, Texas, during World War I. After her training, Toce was assigned to Donna, Texas, for her first job. Shortly afterward, she was transferred to New Orleans and became the first and only wire chief for Western Union in the United States. In 1948, she regarded her biggest work opportunity as being appointed a full-time agent after working as a relief agent for the train office in Broussard, Louisiana. (Jeri Toce Dupuis.)