I am excited to serve as a newly selected Board member of the Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. The Society is dedicated to preserving and promoting the culture of the Canary Islander descendants in Louisiana, with a focus on the 18th century settlements of Valenzuela and Galveztown. I have five Canary Islanders ancestors, and cannot think of a more fitting way to honor them.
One of the primary goals of CIHSL is to assist in the genealogy of Isleño descendants in Louisiana today. We work closely with libraries and archives throughout the state of Louisiana, including the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Become a member of CIHSofL and we can assist you with our genealogical resources, including some materials from the Canaries.
The CIHSL meets at 11 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month at the Bluebonnet branch of the East Baton Rouge parish library, located at 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd in Baton Rouge (unless otherwise noted). During the pandemic, we are meeting via Zoom, and have links to the meetings posted on our website and Facebook pages. Meetings are open to the public and membership to our society is open to all, regardless of Canarian ancestry or kinship. Meetings are free to attend and membership to our society is $15 per year. Click on the membership link for more information.
For more information about CIHSL, please visit us on our website, Facebook, and YouTube!
Photo L-R: Board member Wade Falcon, CIHSL President Chad LeBlanc, Scott Billington, and Board member Johnette Downing.