Manuscript Resources on Acadian History
In 1755, a group of French-speaking people were exiled from their homeland by British military tactics in a part of Nova Scotia then known as "French Acadia". Those Acadian immigrants who relocated to Southern Louisiana adapted to the unique challenges the region provided, to become known as the "Cajuns," an ethnic and cultural group much celebrated, and sometimes misunderstood.
The collection of manuscripts pertaining to the Cajuns that may be found in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) of the LSU Libraries is varied in nature, ranging from the large group of records compiled by the Acadian Handicraft Project to a single French Acadian Music Festival program. Oral history interviews, personal papers, cartoons, photographs, scripts, and other artifacts are present in the manuscripts groups. A range of dates from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth centuries are present (see chronological listing).
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1st United States Infantry Regiment of Louisiana Volunteer Corps d'Afrique, Company II. Muster roll, 1863. 1 item (21 x 30.5 in.). Location: VAULT:72. In April 1863 Brigadier General Daniel Ullman was sent by the U.S. War Department to New Orleans, Louisiana, to raise a brigade of African-American troops; Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, at Opelousas, proposed the formation of the Corps d'Afrique. Muster roll identifies Edward Carter as captain, Spencer H. Stafford as colonel, and the regiment's sergeants, corporals, musicians, a teamster, and privates. Soldiers are listed by their names, and further description includes rank, time and location of enrollment, time and location mustered into service, and pay roll information. Most soldiers enrolled and were mustered in at New Orleans, while others were at Baton Rouge, St. Mary Parish, Bayou Ramos, Fort Jackson, Fort St. Leon, and Thompson Creek. Verso of item also contains lists of deceased, discharged, deserted, and resigned soldiers in the regiment. Several soldiers are listed as being killed in action before Port Hudson. Muster roll covers the period from July 1 to August 31, 1863, while pay roll covers the period from June 30 to September 1, 1863. Mss. 5379. Referenced in Guides: New Orleans in the Civil War, Civil War, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, African Americans
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Acadia Plantation records, 1809-2004 (bulk 1940-1979). 49 linear ft., 30 volumes, 8 rolls. Location: 93:7-30; J:4; 75:; MAP CAGE (UNNUMBERED CASE); 1 NORTH (ON TOP OF MICROFILM CABINET). A working sugar plantation, Acadia Plantation of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana is comprised of three major properties originally known as Acadia Plantation, St. Brigitte Plantation, and Evergreen Plantation. It was acquired in 1875 by Edward J. Gay, became the residence of Representative Andrew and Mrs. Anna Gay Price. Records are comprised of correspondence, financial and legal documents, printed items, volumes, maps, plats, and photographs. Papers document business and legal affairs of the plantation owners and operators, as well as plantation operations such as sugar cane farming, the crops of tenant farmers on the property, and the planning and development of the plantation lands throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Mss. 4906. Referenced in Guides: Sugar, Politics, Plantations, New Orleans to 1861, Transportation, Women, New Orleans 1866-, Business, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, African Americans, French, LSU
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Acadian Handicraft Project. Records. 1936-1962. 9.5 linear ft. Location: 7:98-106, OS:A. Project launched in 1942 to preserve the language and culture of the French-speaking people of Louisiana; project was suspended around 1962. Project launched in 1942 to preserve the language and culture of the French-speaking people of Louisiana. Records consist of general office files, program files for festivals and exhibitions, and records relating to the promotion, the production and sale of handicrafts. Some itmes are in French. Mss. 1880. |
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Acosta, Juan. Papers, 1833-1876. 9 items. Location: MISC:A. Papers document land transactions in Assumption and Pointe Coupee parishes, consisting of an application to purchase land with Thomas Pinto; deeds for the sale of land to Antonio Dalferes, Thomas Lyon, and William C. Mylne; deed for the sale of land by Manuel Acosta and Thomas Fernandez to John H. Ilsley; lease of land by Nicholas Deemus to Andre Acosta; and itemized accounts of Andre Acosta. Some items in French. Mss. 552. |
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Arceneaux, William. Papers, 1964-2007 (bulk 1972-2007). 15 linear feet and 20 volumes. Locations: 4:36, 4:43, 110:4-11, OS:A, Vault:2. Louisiana higher education official. Papers consist of correspondence, business papers, photographs, printed items, and scrapbooks related to the professional, civic, and personal activities of William Arceneaux. A small amount of correspondence is in French and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog Mss. 4107. Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Politics, New Orleans 1866-, Civil War, Education, Business, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, African Americans, French, LSU
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Assumption Parish records, 1841-1920 (bulk 1841-1891). 84 items. Location: U:6, 98:. Miscellaneous legal papers stating the value of a sugar plantation and slaves, with a copy of a lease for a house, lot, and billiard table in Napoleonville, La. (1841); subpoenas in a legal suit concerning St. Elizabeth Church (1852); and a broadside titled "Synopsis of Steamboat Laws" (1867). A printed invitation to attend a meeting of the Republican Executive Committee in Donaldsonville (1887), a broadside of the regular Democratic ticket for delegates to the state nomination convention and Assumption Parish officials (1891), and issues of The Assumption Pioneer (January 23, February 13, 27, 1909) are included. Mss. 14. |
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Bertrand, Alvin Lee, 1918- interviewee. Oral history interview, 1995. 5 sound cassettes (7.5 hours), transcript (276 p.). Location: L:4700.0524. LSU alumnus and Boyd Professor of Sociology/Rural Sociology. Bertrand discusses growing up in rural Louisiana and the French language and Cajun culture. Bertrand also discusses loss of the small farm way of life, agricultural mores, and the impact of mechanization on rural life in Louisiana. Bertrand describes the general layout of the LSU campus in 1936, the creation of the LSU lakes, the LSU stadium, and student social activities. He comments on the many changes he witnessed while at LSU and details his long association with LSU and the Sociology Dept. He also discusses the development of rural sociology at LSU; his own involvement in international organizations; his work as an international rural sociologist; and his research and studies on health care needs. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4700.0524. |
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Bertrand, Alvin Lee. Papers, 1942-1988. 1 linear ft. Location: 43:65. Author and professor of rural sociology at Louisiana State University. Includes copies, drafts, and typescripts of articles for publication; reports on rural industrialization, development, settlement, and social impact studies in Louisiana and the American South; and addresses and speeches given at sociology conferences in the United States and around the world. Mss. 4787 |
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Bichot, Jean Baptiste. Petition, 1781 March 29. 1 item. Location: Misc:B. Bichot was an official of the area under the jurisdiction of the post of Pointe Coupee, in Louisiana. Item is a petition to Charles de Grand-Pré,, commandant of the post of Pointe Coupee, requesting permission to inform Madame de Rocheblave to pay her debt to Sieur du Doigt. A list of her debts is included. An endorsement by Grand-Pré, approves the action, and an addendum by Bichot records Rocheblave was informed to pay the debt. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4894. |
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Bourque, Owen. Collection on Betty Martin, 1907-2012 (bulk 1998-2010). 0.1 linear ft. Location: MISC:B. Research materials compiled by Owen Bourque on Betty Martin (the pen name used by Edwina Mary Meyer). In 1928, Martin was sent to United States Marine Hospital Number 66 (formerly the Louisiana Leper Home) in Carville, Louisiana after she was diagnosed with leprosy. Materials include chiefly photocopies and printouts of articles from magazines, newspapers, and online sources. Mss. 5367. |