David J. Hubbell will present “Vacherie in Mourning: St. Philip Church Tornado – August 24, 1924,” at the next meeting of the German-Acadian Historical and Genea–

logical Society. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, at St. John the Baptist Parish Library, 2920 Highway 51, LaPlace. The public is invited to attend.

“In a matter of moments many lay dead or injured beneath huge timbers from the old church,” Hubbell said. “In this short amount of time, the future course of many lives were forever changed in perhaps Vacherie’s worst natural disaster, which is still remembered 86 years later through stories passed down from generation to generation.”

Hubbell learned about the

tornado and its aftermath when he began researching his genealogy

25 years ago. Since then he has spoken with survivors, many of them members of his own family, and recorded their recollections of the event.

Hubbell, of Mobile, Ala., grew up in Texas, but he often visited the homes of grandparents, Paul J. and Marie (Paille) Hubbell Sr. and Lucien A. and Jeanne (Songy) Robert. In 1985 a copy of the Hubbell family lineage going back four generations piqued his interest. He found his family deeply rooted in St. James, St. John and St. Charles parishes.

At age 16, he joined the GACHGS and began researching his genealogy. Family members shared their research to develop the various branches of his family tree and shared their oral histories.

Other connections to the German-Acadian Coast include the Hymel, Guidry, Waguespack, Haydel, Abadie, Breaux and Simon families. His study, “The Hubbell Family of Vacherie and New Orleans (Five generations of descendents in Louisiana)” appeared in the March 2010 issue of “Les Voyageurs.”

“Les Voyageurs” is a copyrighted publication of the German-Acadian Coast Historical and Genealogical Society. It was first published in March 1980 and a printed topic index covering 1980-1999 is available. The society is in the process of completing a name index of all persons featured in “Les Voyageurs” through the years.  The index and back issues from 1980-2009 are available through the society’s website, gacghs.com.

The public is invited to submit articles for inclusion in “Les Voyageurs.” Preference is given to original material pertaining to the history and families of St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes. Address inquiries to editor@gachgs.com.

Members offer genealogical research assistance every Tuesday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the library in LaPlace. Members and non-members are welcome. Annual membership dues include a subscription to the Society’s publication, “Les Voyageurs.” Annual membership dues are $20 per individual, $25 per family and $15 per library.

For more information visit about the GACHGS, visit www.gachgs.

com.