"Footsteps in Time: Tracing My Ancestor's Journey"

Gayle Breaux Smith was born in the heart of Cajun country in New Iberia, LA and grew up in Franklin, LA. Her Cajun roots include immediate ancestors with surnames such as Breaux, Dugas, Bourgeois, Boudreaux, and Leblanc.

Gayle and her husband John have traveled to France to search for Vincent Brault’s ancestral roots near La Chaussee and visited the port at La Rochelle, where he probably departed for Acadie. They have also traveled to areas of Nova Scotia where her ancestors once lived. South of Boston, MA, they visited areas where the Breaux family was forced into exile until her ancestor, Firmin, subsequently settled at in the area currently known as Breaux Bridge, LA. Gayle’s talk “Footsteps in Time” recounts her travels tracing the “footsteps” of her Breaux ancestors. She is passionate about sharing the stories.

Gayle and her husband John live in Baton Rouge, LA where John teaches Petroleum Engineering at LSU.