The Mississippi River rose steadily and in April of 1927 broke through levees to cover six million acres in Louisiana. The flood drove more than 275,000 people from their homes, including Rita Curry and her baby daughter, Pat. 
One of Patricia Curry Bagwell's ancestors came down the Mississippi River in 1829 and acquired farm land in northeast Louisiana through a land grant signed by President Martin Van Buren. Another left his home in the French Pyrenees at age 19 and made port in New Orleans in 1855, where he started a business exporting flour.
Pat's family contributed to the state's development through success in farming, finance, teaching, trade and public
service. Her father spent 12 years in the Louisiana state legislature during the rise of Huey Long, and he felt the blunt end of Governor Long's political persuasion at least once.
Up River, Down River traces the Tullis, Curry, Camors and Redon families in Louisiana, as well as Pat's experiences in the St. Joseph and Monroe areas.
A peek inside
Words from the client
“My hope was that this experience would be fun and exciting for my mother. She has a love for books and history. She has tremendous historical family knowledge that only she knows. And this would be a multi-year project that would allow her to engage and share her thoughts for future generations. How fitting for her to have the opportunity to put her family history to writing.
Working with the Legacy team exceeded expectations in all areas. We moved from negotiating a deal to becoming friends and colleagues as the book was written. I believe my family developed a real personal connection with David et al, and this set the stage for an outstanding experience.
The penultimate moment will come next week when my 87 year old mother hosts a book signing at the library in her hometown of St. Joseph, LA. It just doesn’t get much better than that as it relates to life experiences.”
– Norm Bagwell, son of Pat
