Baton Rouge, Louisiana Jan 31, 2025 (Issuewire.com) - The Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society (LGHS) announced today that Robert Brevelle was awarded the society’s highest honor. Presented once in a decade, the award is for a member whose actions have greatly preserved, advanced, and honored the history and culture of Louisiana. The award is named for famous explorer, Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle, who explored and claimed the entire Mississippi River basin for France. La Salle named the colony “La Louisiane” in honor of King Louis XIV and Saint Louis. La Salle built forts, trading posts, and communities from Canada to Texas.
“We are so pleased to recognize and honor Robert,” said Melissa Dauzat Collins, Vice President of LGHS. “Not only is Robert an accomplished genealogist and historian, he is the reason the LGHS exists today. Like many historical societies, we fell victim to the global COVID-19 scare losing the majority of our membership and staff. Administratively, we were experiencing difficulty in meeting the government’s 501(c)(3) and incorporation requirements, as well as, honoring our obligations to libraries, universities, and our members. The board of trustees reached out to Robert, and he quickly provided the necessary business, legal, organizational, and financial leadership. We owe our very existence and recent growth to him. He is a devout champion of Louisiana history and genealogy.”
Past recipients of the Order of Cavelier include William King Hunt (historian and founder of the LGHS ), Hale Boggs (U.S. congressman and house majority leader), Edwin Edwards (governor of Louisiana and U.S. congressman), and Nicholas Murray (writer, editor and historian). Like historic French medals, the Cavelier medal is very ornate. It is made of silver and gold and features the State of Louisiana seal and silk ribbon.
“It is an honor to receive this award from my colleagues,” said Robert. “I am grateful for the opportunity to help and work with my fellow historians and genealogists. I continue to learn so much from all of you, and together, we can preserve and share Louisiana’s beautiful history.”
Just as with path recipients, Robert’s story is fascinating with deep roots in Louisiana history. Robert is a direct lineal descendent of one of the original French settlers of Louisiana and his Native American wife from Natchitoches. His ancestors were the first Louisiana Creoles and their colonial-era land grant and plantation Isle Brevelle is internationally known as the “birthplace of Creole culture”. Isle Brevelle is also home to the U.S. National Park Service’s Cane River Creole National Historical Park. Other CENLA landmarks named for his ancestors include Bayou Brevelle, Brevelle Lake, Brevelle Lane, and Brevelle Train Station. The LGHS and Baton Rouge Historical Society have recognized the Brevelle family as one of the First Families of Louisiana.
Robert grew up in Marksville and Leesville. After graduating from Leesville High School, he attended college on a full scholarship. Additionally, he received local scholarships from the Lions Club, Fort Polk Sergeant Majors Association, New Llano Retired American Legion Post, Louisiana Independent Automobile Dealers Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Louisiana Law Association.
After earning his bachelor's degree with high honors, he went on to earn three master's degrees, and multiple professional certifications and completed postgraduate work at tier 1 and Ivy League universities on full scholarship. In his free time, Robert pursued his love of history by completing advanced programs of study in genealogy, heraldry, and history.
Today, Robert is a tribal council member of the Adai Caddo Indian Nation and serves on the board of several historical societies and corporations. He is an award winning business leader, technologist, and entrepreneur having been featured in business journals, NASDAQ News, and Yahoo Finance News and recently listed as one of the top 100 innovators and entrepreneurs in the world.
“My love of history comes from my father,” said Robert. “He is an avid reader never without a book or two nearby. He regularly took the family to libraries and historic sites. I’m following in his footsteps with my son.”
The LGHS recently signed a multi-book deal with Robert to publish literary works on Native American and colonial history of Louisiana and Texas.
The LGHS was founded in 1953 to collect, preserve, and publish genealogical and historical materials for the state of Louisiana and its people. The Society works closely with genealogy and ancestry libraries, historical societies, state agencies, research facilities, and universities. LGHS is headquartered in Baton Rouge and sponsors a spring and fall seminar each year at the Louisiana State Archives building. The Society maintains three official state registries: First Families of Louisiana (families who settled within the present boundaries of the state prior to the Louisiana Purchase), Indigenous Tribes of Louisiana (Native American tribes residing in present-day Louisiana at the time of European contact), and Creoles of Louisiana (Creoles born in Louisiana during the colonial period and their descendants). For over 70 years, the Society has published The Louisiana Genealogical Register - an eclectic collection of Louisiana records as well as historical and genealogical articles. Over 100 libraries subscribe to this journal. Other publications include historical books such as Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812, Federal Census of 1810 for Territory of Orleans, A Guide to Printed Sources for Genealogical and Historical Research in the Louisiana Parishes, Be it Known and Remembered: Bible Records (Volumes 1-5), and Early Louisiana Families. Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/Louisiana.LGHS to learn more.
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