Manuscript Resources on Jewish History
This guide describes manuscript collections documenting Jewish history in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley (LLMV) Collections at LSU. It includes the papers of Jews, Jewish organizations, family papers with references to Jews, and other collections that document Jewish history in one way or another. Much information about the life of Jews in the LLMV can be obtained not only from the papers of Jews themselves, but also from references to them by others. Prominent Jewish figures include Isidore Cohn, Simon Gumbel, Samuel Haas, and Joseph Simon.
The collection of manuscripts pertaining to the Jewish that may be found in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) of the LSU Libraries is varied in nature, ranging from the account books of Jewish merchants to tickets for a charity event benefiting the Jewish Widow's and Orphans Home in New Orleans. Personal papers, newspaper clippings, a diary, a scrapbook, and other artifacts are present in the manuscripts groups. A range of dates from the late eighteenth to the late twentieth centuries are present (see chronological listing).
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Aswell, James B. Papers, 1892-1959 (bulk 1909-1931). 3 linear ft. (1,301 items; 18 ms. v.). Location: U:172-174, OS:A, G:1, 98:A, Vault:38. Educator and U.S. congressman. Materials pertain principally to Aswell's political career and Louisiana politics; World War I; and post-war European conditions. Included are diaries documenting Aswell's official missions to Europe and scrapbooks on his career as an educator. Diary #4 discusses the presence of Jews in Poland following WWI. Notable individuals mentioned include Huey Long, John M. Parker, Gaston Porterie, Herbert Hoover, and Al Smith. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1408, 1426, 1468, 1483, 1620, 1621. |
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Batchelor family papers, 1852-1922. 124 items (on microfilm). Location:Mss. Mf.:B. Papers are comprised of family letters, plantation and business papers, family succession papers, and material related to an Episcopal Church. A letter from Sarah E. Archer describes a Jewish wedding, ca. 1901. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1293. |
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Bringier, Louis Amadee and family. Papers, 1786-1901. 2 linear ft. and 13 volumes. Location: T:96-97, F:9, OS:B. Planter of Ascension Parish, Louisiana; Confederate officer and commander of the 4th Louisiana Cavalry and the 7th Louisiana Regiment. Papers include military records, correspondence and business papers relating to the administration of Hermitage Plantation in Ascension Parish and Houmas, Burnside, and Bagatelle plantations. Some items are in French. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 1, Reels 1-2, and microfilm 5322: Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War, Series I, Part 1, Reel 13. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 43, 139, 544. Referenced in Guides: Plantations, New Orleans to 1861, Women, New Orleans in the Civil War, New Orleans 1866-, Civil War, African Americans, French, Jewish Community
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Burns, Paul Y. Papers, 1953-2011, (bulk: 1970-2011). 4.3 linear ft. Location: Y:104-108, OS: B. Member of the faculty at LSU School of Forestry and an active member in several community service organizations. The papers of Paul Y. Burns reflect his commitment to social and economic equality for all individuals regardless of race, gender or ethnicity. The collection is comprised of files of several community service organizations of which he was an active member, and in some cases a member of the board. Material consists of minutes, newsletters, reports, correspondence, newspaper clippings, flyers and photographs related to the work of these groups to improve race relations in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mss. 5183. |
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Butler, Margaret, 1821-1890. Correspondence, 1847-1880. .5 linear ft. Location: S:24. Daughter of Louisiana judge Thomas Butler and Ann Ellis Butler. She lived at the Cottage in West Feliciana Parish near St. Francisville. The Butlers were sugar and cotton planters. Letters from family and friends reflect the life of the Butler family in the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods. Antebellum letters depict plantation life and religious life in the Episcopal church. Several family members served in the Confederate army and corresponded with Margaret, describing the life of army personnel. Later letters illustrate social and economic conditions after the war. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 5, Reel 2. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1068. |
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Caffery, Donelson and Family. Papers, 1580-1958 (bulk 1861-1909). 537 items, 39 vols. Location: C:74-75, O:23, OS:C. Planter of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana and U.S. senator. Papers consist of correspondence, genealogies, clippings, photographs, pamphlets, diaries, notebooks, postcards, scrapbooks, and financial records of the Donelson Caffery family. They concerns family matters, Louisiana politics, the Civil War, Caffery's senatorial career, the effects of the Mexican War on the sugar industry, Louisiana oil industry, plantation operations, Jewish hotel guests (v. 4,5) and the removal of Jews from Franklin (v.6). The papers of John Murphy Caffery also reflect his own navel career and the Louisiana sugar industry. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1865. |
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Cohn, Isidore. Papers, 1879-1972 (bulk 1920-1950), undated. 29 linear ft. Location: 34:136-174, OS:C, 102:69-70, VAULT:38. New Orleans surgeon and medical educator. Collection contains articles, lectures, letters, photographs, and printed material related to medicine. Includes material related to Lafcadio Hearn, LSU Medical Center, Tulane University Medical Center, and other medical organizations in Louisiana. Collection also includes audio recordings of Cohn (1955). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3425. |
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Dart, Elisabeth K. (Elizabeth Kilbourne). Collection, 1774-2005. 5.5 linear feet. Location: 121:8-10, OS:D, Vault:5. Resident and local historian in St. Francisville, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Wrote about West Feliciana subjects including the Railroad, biographies of notable figures, and tours for Grace Cemetery. Collection contains manuscript and research materials used for exhibits, lectures, tours, and writing on West Feliciana Parish. Manuscripts include deeds, correspondence, accounting records, legal papers, court cases, and receipts. Other records include published materials, copies of original materials, scrapbooks, photographs, notes, and exhibit text. Mss. 5023. Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Plantations, Women, Business, Baton Rouge, African Americans, French, Medicine, Jewish Community
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Douglas, Judith Hyams, 1875-1955. Papers, 1897-1955. 700 items, 3 vols. Location: E:56-57, Mss. Mf.:D, vault:5. New Orleans, Louisiana, lawyer and civic leader. Papers consist of letters from prominent Louisiana writers and political figures, speeches, photographs, business papers, and newspaper clippings documenting her work in organizations pertaining to child labor, woman suffrage, peace movements, Jewish refugees, the juvenile court, clubs for women, and the Mississippi River flood control programs. They also contain two copies of the charter and by-laws of Le Petit Salon (1925, 1927) A scrapbook relates to Belgian relief efforts and war service. Scrapbook available on microfilm. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1392. |
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Gumbel, Simon and family. Papers, 1851-1949 (bulk 1922-1933). 2.5 linear ft. Location: P:21-23; OS:G. Jewish New Orleans commission merchant and owner of S. Gumbel & Co. Property tax receipts of the Gumbel family; business correspondence, minutes, financial papers relating to the administration and operation of the Sophie L. Gumbel Home. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1490. Referenced in Guides: Religion, New Orleans to 1861, Women, New Orleans in the Civil War, New Orleans 1866-, Jewish Community
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