Ann* and Judy Riffel
Genealogy researchers and authors.
Inducted on July 28, 2019
Ann and Judy Riffel became interested in genealogy in 1976 when Ann read an article in a Bicentennial column of the newspaper that mentioned a family name. Their quest to make a connection sparked a life-long interest in genealogy for this mother-daughter team.
Their passion for genealogy led them to become active members in Le Comité des Archives de la Louisiane, a statewide archival preservation group. Judy has been Treasurer since 1982 and Editor of the society’s journal, Le Raconteur, since 1984, and Ann is currently serving as President
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The two have spent decades locating historical records of interest to genealogists and making them more easily accessible to the public. Judy has translated countless French and Spanish colonial documents while Ann has, until recently, been her trusty indexer, researcher, and proofreader. Together, they have compiled numerous articles and books on Louisiana genealogy. Among these publications are “A History of Pointe Coupee Parish and Its Families, Vol.1”, “Calendar of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, Civil Records Volume 1 1803-1819”, and “Iberville Parish Records, Vol. 1, 2 & 3” to name just a few.
Ann DeVillier Riffel was born in Krotz Springs in 1926, the daughter of Charles “Kinney” DeVillier and Anais LeGrand. Her Acadian roots run deep in South Louisiana and her ancestors include: Albert, Ayo, Benoit, Boudreaux, Bourg, Breaux, Broussard, Comeaux, Daigle, Doucet, Dupuis, Guidry, Lebert, LeBlanc, Roger, Trahan, and Usé. Judy was born in Baton Rouge in 1959 and is a graduate of Istrouma High School and Louisiana State University. She was employed at Cajun Electric Power Cooperative until 2000, when she began working full-time as a professional genealogist. She has conducted research for numerous national genealogy television shows including Finding Your Roots, Genealogy Roadshow, and Who Do You Think You Are?, and she co-hosted a local genealogy show, Roots of Faith: Ancestry, from 2014-2017. Since 2015, she has been the Lead Genealogist for the Georgetown Memory Project, a non-profit organization tracing the descendants of some 300 enslaved persons sold by the Jesuits in Maryland and sent to Louisiana plantations in 1838.
* Asterisk after a person’s name indicates that the person is deceased.