Florence Eliza Goudeau was the fourth of eleven children born to Pierre Floreval Goudeau (1845-1927) and Eugenie Estelle Gauthier (1851-1918). Both her parents were born in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, and came from two well-known families there. All ten of the girls in the family had nicknames. Florence was called "Tzit" by her siblings.

From about 1870, the Pierre F. Goudeau family lived on the Cedar Grove Plantation at Borodino. The Cedar Grove Plantation was originally the home of Leon F. Gauthier II, Florence's maternal grandfather. The home was on the south side of the Bayou Road that ran alongside Bayou des Glaises. Pierre F. Goudeau farmed the land, and owned and operated a store on the Bayou.

Florence was about 18 when her father moved the Goudeau family to Lake Charles. About 1902 or 1903, Florence married P. Adam Bordelon. (The 1910 Census, dated 16 April, indicates they had been married 7 years.) Adam Bordelon's full name was listed as "Paul Adam Bordelon" in his World War I Draft Registration, but it is clear that he was always known by his middle name of Adam. His 1918 WWI Draft Registration lists his nearest relative as "Mrs. P. Adam Bordelon, wife." This WWI Draft Registration also provides his date of birth as 11 September 1875.

It is possible that Adam Bordelon bought the Goudeau store on Bayou des Glaises from his father-in-law, as he is listed in the 1910 and 1920 Census as a retail merchant. Florence and her husband can be found in those two census counts. If they had children, it does not appear that any survived childhood. In the 1920 Census, a 13-year-ol girl, Lillie Bordelon, was living in the Adam Bordelon home. Her parents may have been closely related to Adam. When Florence died three years later, Lillie would have been 16 and probably went to live with other relatives.

According to the death notice posted in the Marksville newspaper on Saturday, 20 Oct 1923, Florence Goudeau died at her home at Bordelonville, Avoyelles Parish. on the previous Thursday, which was 18 Oct 1923. However, this notice may have been a week late, as her headstone gives the date of her death as 11 Oct 1923. The date of her death is not found with the Secretary of State's office. Her earthly remains were buried in Orange Grove Cemetery in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

--by Pierre Goudeau Normand, Jr. (updated 23 Dec 2019)