re: What % if people who claim to be “cajun” actually are?

Three Marie Richard’s across the seven ships. Nice to see that some of the same names are here today.

I have a direct ancestor from Brittany who left there as the Govt began to mass murder Catholics back in 1793. Got to Cajun country in La. and got married immediately probably to a local girl. The church was named Assumption and it was somewhere in Cajun country not far from the area where Breaux Bridge and Lafayette are today.

This thread got me to thinking about my paternal family tree, I hadn't looked at it in a long time. Just finished looking at it, it goes back to 1601 to Martaize France. Some of the names : Rau, Bourg, Melanson, Daigre, Dupuis, Champagne, Theriot, Rodrigue, de la Houssaye, Leblanc.

On my maternal side, they weren't true Cajuns as they were from Belgium. They were French speaking and integrated into the Cajun Culture around St Martinville.

Looking at the passenger list I was able to find several of my family names from both maternal and paternal sides. Hebert, Guidry, Daigle, Broussard, and Latiolais. My brother also did some genealogy research and traced many of our relatives back to St James Parish. Ultimately, most of my family finally settled in St Martin Parish. Like many have stated, the French speaking ended with my parents for the most part. I am 52 and very few of my contemporaries can speak French fluently. The best most of us can do is use common expressions that our grandparents used. It amazes me how big of a mistake it was to punish people my parents age for speaking French in school. Why wasn’t it viewed as beneficial to be bilingual? That surely had an enormous part of effectively killing the language. Interesting topic nonetheless.

My parents were from Michigan and Virginia but I was born in Patterson Louisiana so I grew up thinking I was Cajun. My mom just didn't know anything about white beans.

Blood wise and by my last name you could say I’m Cajun, but that is where it stops. I don’t know a lick of Cajun French or anything else. Kinda depressing I don’t know that much about my heritage now that I think of it

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If you're whitetrash, then you did grow up cajun.

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I challenge you to go say this to Edward Orgeron's face. And please, have someone film the ensuing arse-kicking you receive, courtesy of the Shrimp Boat Captain.

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I challenge you to go say this to Edward Orgeron's face. 

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frick Edward Ogeron.

I was raised in the florida parishes, but i'd bet my paycheck i can cook jambalaya or gumbo better than most baws over on the west side of the river.