The Rutherfords come to Cameron Parish (before it was Cameron Parish)! This particular blog is about the Rutherford family, not Rutherford Beach. But without the Rutherford family there would be no Rutherford Beach.
Oak Grove Community, Cameron Parish History, Louisiana
Submitted by Kathy LaCombe-Tell
Source: Cameron Parish Home Demonstration Council; May 1967 booklet
Submitted Sept. 2004
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The west end of Oak Grove was first settled around 1803 by the Demosthene LABAUVE family near the present drainage canal, originally known as LABAUVE's Bayou. There were 14 children and these are the ancestors of the present LABOVE families.
At that time there was nothing but a solid forest of oak trees all the way to Cameron. These were cut down and cleared to plant cotton and lost to the ravages of disease and animals.
The east end of Oak Grove was settled around 1840 by Mrs. Martha Yocum RUTHERFORD, a son (Ralph) and 2 daughters (Martha and Eliza) and 13 slaves. The RUTHERFORDs came from a RUTHERFORD County, Tennessee (Murfeesborough), and headed for the coast to cure Cholera that the slaves had contracted in Tennessee, and to hunt a place to grow cotton.
Mr. RUTHERFORD died on the way with yellow fever. The remainder of the family reached the town of Cameron (Leesburg) by way of Calcasieu River and made their way to Oak Grove to settle and homestead.
Mrs. RUTHERFORD established a cotton farm (farming Sea Island cotton) where the James and Johnny MEAUX homes are now located. Jacharia JONES and Peter SELLS were shipwrecked on Hackberry beach and made their way to her home. Mr. JONES stayed to become her foreman and she married him.
(Mr. SELLS married Olivia LABAUVE, daughter of Demesthene, and they reared a family. One of the children was John SELLS whose descendents still remain in Cameron.)
"Grandma JONES'" home became the center of all activities on the front ridge as she was a very civic minded person. After the Civil War, the "Regulators" passed through the country pillaging the country side and shot out all the window panes in her home. The family sought refuge under the beds.
"Regulators" were southern carpetbaggers who came from around Lafayette, and passed through the whole parish from Grand Chenier to the Texas boarder after the Civil War leaving destruction behind.
"Grandma JONES" was born in 18O5 and is buried in the RUTHERFORD cemetery on Oak Grove adjacent to the Joe RUTHERFORD home.
Her son Ralph married Mary LABAUVE, another Demosthene LABAUVE daughter, and purchased land from the Vois Nunez place east to the D. W. GRIFFITH home at 12 1/2 cents per acre so he could keep the slaves busy raising cotton. He drowned 83 years ago on a trip to Galveston, Texas, by sailboat taking farm produce (cotton, wool, etc.) to market.
Martha RUTHERFORD married James M. WELCH (originally Walsh) and they established a home at the "Bluff", near the Mermentau River Bridge. At that time there was high bluff there and a wonderful place to swim. Old "Grandpa WELCH" ran down to the river every morning for a swim.
He was the captain of a schooner which docked at the bluff to deliver and take on freight and passengers for Galveston, Tex. Martha sent one of her slaves aboard with money to make a purchase and instructed him to buy it only from "Mr. WELCH" and tell him to deliver it to her. That was how they met.
He established orange groves and farmed cotton. He was also one of the first representatives from Cameron Parish to serve in the Louisiana Legislature. He was grandfather to the Oak Grove WELCHes, MEAUXs, and GRIFFITHs!
The land was patented from 1858-1864 and surveyed by S. P. HENRY. It sold for 50 cents an acre. His son married a Harper and settled in Cameron where his descendants still live.
Issac G. Stansbury purchased the property now owned by Warren MILLER and family in 1874. Alcide LABAUVE purchased 320 acres where the present Stephenn CARTER home is for $240 in 1864. John RUTHERFORD purchased 279.2 acres in 1882 for $34.91 north of the MILLER property to Dr. DIX's clinic.
******* OTHER NOTES of interest about Oak Grove include:
School teachers who came to Oak Grove and married local residents included Mrs. Ott (Estelle) STEWARD and Mrs. Recca MILLER (Miss Ethel Stagg)
Abraham MILLER operated a cotton gin at Oak Grove years ago.
Oak Grove has several hunting clubs where many hunters come during the duck and goose season. These include the Oak Grove hunting club, built in 1958; Hawkins Hunting Club, rebuilt at Oak Grove after the one at Grand Chenier was destroyed in Hurricane Audrey in 1957, Joe RUTHERFORD's Hunting Club, and Charlie LABOVE's Hunting Club built in 1958.
Hackberry beach south of Oak Grove on the Gulf was a resort area years ago and the old PORTIE Hotel operated there. Past hurricanes have washed away old traces of the resort and the beach can be reach only by boat.
Jacque CLEMENT opened a dance hall in his home from 1915 to 1923; He also operated a corn mill.
There is the story of two girls with long hair being found hung in a large oak tree on top of the bluff following the 1918 hurricane. They were believed to have come from Hackberry beach.
Harry WELCH's grocery store was destroyed in the 1918 storm and the land sold to Mayo BOUDREAUX, Pete THERIOT and Joe MILLER. Albert SCHLESHINGER had a grocery store and hardware around 1926. Warren MILLER operated a grocery store at the Oak Grove intersection for a number of years before selling it to the Melvin TARTERS.
Story continues in The 1900s & 1910s - Journey Through Rutherford Beach History.
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