Laura Treadway-Petrus, 1871-1941
Laura was born April 17th, 1871 (Jane McManus reports 1869) in Provencal, Louisiana. (death certificate gave place of birth as Mississippi). Laura's parents were James Wilson Treadway and Amanda Sellars.
Laura married Ferdinand Petrus in Alexandria, Louisiana. The 1900 census indicates they had been married 15 years (the 1910 census indicated 24) so the marriage date must have been around 1885.They moved to Skidmore in 1907.
Laura was apparently a bit eccentric and was known to have a fiery disposition.
And Grandpa Pete, he would be gone a lot of the time and especially after he died, well Grandma Pete was out there by her self and Mrs Cobb lived way across the track way over here by Mamas, it must have been half a mile, when Grandma Pete would need her, if she was sick or something, she would put up white flag and poor ol' Mrs. Cobb, across the railroad she'd go to check on Grandma Pete. A lot of the time Grandma Pete would do that just to get her over there to talk (laughing). Papa liked Grandpa Pete, oh he liked Grandpa but he didn't like Grandma! She was such a rough old bird you know. He said "the meanest old thing that ever lived."
Grandma Pete, she had a terrible temper, she had an awful temper. Yeah, Julius, he always kind of liked her, for some reason, her and him got along, they were so much alike (laughing)... He'd wash the dishes and she'd dry em and she'd say "Lookee here, you left something on there." "Well I don't give a damn, just dry it off" he'd say. He would talk back to her. None of the rest of us would dare say anything to her like that. Now, I know it used to tickle me so the way he'd talk to her. And she just kinda... she thought it was cute. I know she did cause she would kind of grin. She loved Julius better than anything.
She [Laura Petrus] was a church member and a good Catholic. Before she would go to church some mornings she would come by and she'd sit on the horn! Papa would say "That damned ol heifer!" There never was another like Papa I'll tell you right now! (laughing) -- Annabelle Priour/Thiele.
This purse belonging to Laura Petrus was given to me by Edward "Baby" Petrus.
Laura died January 30, 1941 at the age of 69 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Skidmore, Texas. Her death occurred at 4 pm in her home. The official cause of death was recorded as "angina pectoris" in the death certificate.
Email comments and suggestions to Keith Petrus at ckpetrus@mac.com
