Archivist's Table Episode 4: Beyond Heroes & Villains

What do you do when the records hurt? In this deeply honest episode of Archivist’s Table, we confront one of the hardest truths in archival and genealogical work: our ancestors were fully human, and that means refusing to flatten them into either heroes or villains. As I sit with the records of my third-great-grandfather, Gilbert Daigre, Papa OG, the archive reveals two truths that must stand together. He was a father, husband, landowner, and protector. The records also show that he enslaved human beings and sponsored baptisms for enslaved children at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.As a Louisiana Acadian-Creole descendant, confronting this reality also means looking at my own skin. Because of my café au lait hue, I cannot separate this history from my body or my inheritance. Under different laws, in a different place, or in another moment of the same history, that could have been me standing on that auction block. Two hundred years of shifting laws, blurred lines, and multicultural inheritance live in that recognition, and facing it requires absolute transparency.True archiving does not allow us to fix history, hide the painful chapters, or look for an easier story. Our responsibility is to trust the evidence, preserve the whole record, and remain at the table long enough to witness the complete truth. When we stop trying to litigate or sanitize the past, our commitment to history becomes stronger than our desire to walk away. So let your ancestors be human. Preserve the whole record. Trust the evidence. And trust yourself to remain at the table long enough to hear the whole story.In This Session, We Explore:• The Record: Relying on historical baptismal and church records as a foundation for reference.• The Observation: Facing the dual, complex realities of an ancestor’s life without hiding or apologizing for the data.• The Revelation: Realizing that true archival integrity means holding space for the painful parts of history so the whole story can survive.Remember our ancestral mantra:Love them as a descendant.Preserve them as an archivist.Let the evidence lead us.