Brian James Costello (born December 28, 1966) is an American historian, author, archivist and humanitarian. He is an 11th generation resident of
New Roads, Louisiana, seat of
Pointe Coupee Parish. He is three-quarters
French and one-quarter
Italian in ancestry.
Costello is one of Louisiana's most published figures, having published as many as four books in one year. He is the sole author of 19 books, co-author of six books and numerous newspaper columns and features since 1987.[2] Among his co-authored works are Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835, published by
The Historic New Orleans Collection,[3][4] and New Roads and Old Rivers: Louisiana's Historic Pointe Coupee Parish, published by
LSU Press.[5] He was editor of The Pointe Coupee Banner newspaper in New Roads, Louisiana during 1988-1996.
He holds membership in the Catholic Writers' Guild, numerous spiritual and charitable apostolates and has been recognized as an outstanding advocate of the
Lions International charitable works since 1993. He has served as president of Le Cercle Historique, a historical preservation and archival organization, since its founding in 1992.
Costello is a Louisiana Carnival historian and advocate, having been active in the preservation and growth of New Roads and New Orleans Carnival krewes, historical documentation and
Mardi Gras parade orchestration since 1993.[6] He was chairman of the New Roads Lions Carnival parade from 1993 though 2010, and reigned as King of the Carnival in 2009.[7]
In 2009, Costello was named founding historian and archivist of the Historic Materials Collection of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library in New Roads, Louisiana. He is often featured as a consultant and documentary participant in the fields of American and European genealogy, history, culture, linguistics, antiquities and spirituality with local, national and global audiences.[8][9]
In recognition of his cultural and spiritual works, Costello was knighted by the order of European charitable chivalry the Military and Hospitaller
Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem.[10][11] in 2015, and by the Equestrian
Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 2019.[12]
Bibliography
Sole author
New Roads: A Community in Retrospect. Claitor's, 1993.
Chronicles of Carnival: A History of the New Roads Mardi Gras. Claitor's, 1993.
The Catholic Church in Pointe Coupée, A Faith Journey. Franklin Press, 1996.
Louisiana Mardi Gras, A Historical Guide to the State’s Carnival Parades Outside New Orleans. Franklin Press, 1997.
A History of Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana. Franklin Press, first edition 1999, second edition 2005.
The Life, Family and Legacy of
Julien Poydras. Franklin Press, 2001.
From Ternant to Parlange: A Creole Plantation Through Seven Generations. Franklin Press, 2002.
From Porche to Labatut: Two Centuries on the Pointe Coupée Coast. Franklin Press, 2002.
Creole Pointe Coupée, A Sociological Analysis. Franklin Press, 2002.
The House of Lejeune. Franklin Press, 2002.
A History of Carnival in Louisiana New Roads Printing, 2003.
Darby: A House and Family on Spanish Lake. New Roads Printing, 2003.[13]
Quintessential Creoles: The Tounoir Family of Pointe Coupée. New Roads Printing, 2003.
C’est Ca Ye’ Dit: Creole Folk Tales, Superstitions, Remedies, Customs, Nicknames and Linguistic Peculiarities of Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana. New Roads Printing, 2004.
Rolling for Charity: A Pictorial History of the New Roads Lions Carnival Parade. New Roads Printing, 2004.
Desolation Unmeasured… The Tragic History of Floods in Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana. New Roads Printing, 2007.
A History of Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana, The Murray G. LeBeau Memorial Edition. MargaretMedia, 2010.
Dry Goods, Cotton and Cane: 250 Years of Jewish Life, Business and Agriculture in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, Brian J. Costello and Carol Mills-Nichol, Janaway Publishing, Inc., 2022,
ISBN978-1-59641-469-3
^Ward, Gerald W. R. (1 March 2013). "Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, Cybèle T. Gontar, Brian J. Costello, and Francis J. Puig, Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835": 107–109.
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