The Three Lorettas, "Loretta, Nitsy and Rhett"

Now for a bit of history of the Rhodes women in my family named Loretta.....

My grandmother, mother and sister are all named Loretta Anita.  My grandmother was known as Loretta, mom was Nitsy and my baby sister is called Rhett....

 In my grandmother, Loretta Anita Prejean Rhodes’ family there were 9 children:

Mary Felicie Prejean Ayraud, b. Jun 23, 1878;
Louise Velma Prejean Martin b. 19 Aug 1879;
Paul Wallace Prejean b. 29 Jun 1881,
George Prejean b. 30 Oct 1882;
Rosaela Prejean Landry b. 2 Apr 1885;
Robert Lawrence Prejean b. 22 Feb 1890;
Loretta Anita Prejean Rhodes b.10 Dec 1894;
Bernard Marcel Prejean b. 3 Oct 1896;
Rowena Antoinette Prejean Stewart b. 16 Jan 1900.

My great grandfather, Robert Sylvere Prejean, also raised nephew and nieces who were the children of his brother and sister-in-law who died of yellow fever.

My great Grandmother, Clara Octavia Truxillo Prejean was known to be a very kind lady, who fed at least 75 people every Sunday, until they lost everything.

I am, on my Grandmother Loretta’s side, Isleno, all of the way back to Truxillo.  Isleno is the Spanish word meaning "islander." The Isleños are the descendants of Canary Island immigrants to Louisiana, Cuba, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. The name islander was given to the Canary Islanders to distinguish them from Spanish mainlanders known as "peninsulares." But in Louisiana, the name has evolved from a category to an identity. The name evolved to the point that when addressing the Canary Islanders of Louisiana, they would be referred to as the "Isleños", or "Los Isleños."

On my Grandfather Prejean’s side, I am Cajun, French and German. No doubt  we are related to ALL Prejeans, ready or not, and most Acadians. Your Germans settled in Louisiana in 1721 and were brought there by John Law to feed the population of New Orleans, which was incapable...

(Many thanks to my cousin, Kathie Stewart Keene (Rowena's only child) for this history lesson and who is trying to redo our genealogy all of which she lost in the bitch known as "Katrina”.)

My mother, Nitsy, also came from a large family of eight children:
Uncle Phil Rhodes
Uncle Bubba Rhodes
Uncle John Rhodes (my godfather who had four sons, Dusty, Rocky, Bumby and Sandy  RHODES)
Uncle Avery Rhodes (who died at 17 from a motorcyle accident)
Aunt Joy Rhodes Fish
Aunt Lily Rhodes Duncan
Loretta "Nitsy" Rhodes Rebstock
and Pat Rhodes LaSalle Dumond who is my godmother and the only survivor.

If I had to describe the Rhodes, I would say they were drinkers and card players and they never liked to lose.  The girls were all golfers and champions of their respective clubs in New Orleans, Thibodeaux, Houma and New Iberia.  For a great time, you wanted to be with the Rhodes family. Mom was the third girl born in her family and named after her mother.

Rhett, my baby sister, was the third girl born in our family of five kids.  We are named:

Deborah Ann (named after my Mom's favorite mule on the plantation);
Valli-Marie named for a French movie star by my dad but always called Corky because of  "corkscrew curls" when I was born;
Loretta Anita, "Rhett" Evers named for my grandmother and mother;
Jefferson Joseph "Jeff" Rebstock, III named after dad and his dad;
John Gayle Rebstock named after mom and dad's best friend.

We are all two years apart and if we ever want to get her mad, we call her "Loretta" and not Rhett.  She has two children, Ben and Amanda, who still live in Lousiana.  Rhett moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina robbed her of her home. 

Mom, Corky (standing) Rhett, Jeff, John, and Deborah

I know the three Loretta's have more in common than just their name.  They were (are) all "party girls".  If you wanted to have a good time, play cards, or have some cocktails, they were (are) your first choice.  I miss my grandmother who died while I was in college and my mom who died in Houston in 2006.  But I am so fortunate to have Rhett live here in Houston with Deborah and I.

My Grandmother and Grandfather are in the middle, Mom and Dad to the far right and Kathie Stewart Keene  in the left front, kneeling.