Size.

47 items

Geographic locations.

St. Mary Parish, St. Landry Parish, Iberia Parish, Louisiana

Inclusive dates.

1831-1880

Bulk dates.

N/A

Language.

English

Summary.

Sugar planter, judge, and politician of St. Mary, St. Landry, and Iberia parishes, Louisiana. Moore was a member of the Louisiana and U.S. House of Representatives; he built Magnolia Ridge and later owned Shadows-on-the-Teche in New Iberia. Papers consist of legal and business papers and correspondence of Moore, his daughters, and his sons-in-law. Included are bills of lading, crop production statements, slave documents, mortgages, and promissory notes. The collection also includes land grants (1860) for acreage in Opelousas, Louisiana.

Restrictions on access.

If microfilm is available, photocopies must be made from microfilm.

Related collections.

David Weeks Family Papers, Mss. 528, 605, 1655

Copyright.

Copyright of the original materials is retained by descendants of the creators in accordance with U.S. copyright law.

Citation.

John Moore Family Papers, Michael D. Wynne Collection, Mss. 2973, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, La.

Stack locations.

W:31; OS:M

October 17, 1831

Sale of land of Middleton Glaze to Aaron and William M. Prescott, near Bayou Boeuf, Avoyelles Parish;

March 27, 1833

Mortgage to the Union Bank of Louisiana on land near Bayou Courtableau owned by John Moore;

June 19, 1834

Receipt, Joseph D. Thompson, Receiver’s Office, Opelousas, Louisiana;

July 13, 1839

Document notarized by Adolphe Mazureau;

July 25, 1839

Notarized statement recording mortgages of Joseph Thompson’s property, stating that no other mortgages are held on that property. Signed by John Moore, parish judge, St. Mary Parish;

January 29, 1840

Promissory notes for 1842, 1843, and 1844; owed by John Glaze, James W. Murdock, and William M. Prescott to John Brownson, Opelousas;

August 1, 1840

Promissory note owed to John Moore in 1842, New Orleans;

November 6, 1844

Bill of lading, Kennedy, Smith and Co., Commission Merchants, Louisville, Kentucky, for goods shipped via the steamer Marengo to Mr. F. Bissell and Co., Plaquemine, La.;

Sept. 20, 1845

Appointment of William A. Riggs as attorney for Elizabeth Riggs, wife of John Mitcheltree and Francis Riggs, wife of Jasper Gall, regarding sale of land to Mary C. Moore, Grand River, Iberville Parish, La.

1845

Suit of John Brownson against John Glaze, Eliza Murdock, and William M. Prescott for recovering claimed debts;

1846-1847

Bills of lading for goods shipped by John Hull to William Jacobs, care of John Moore’s plantation, and to Mrs. M. C. Moore, New Iberia, La.;

1849

Balance sheet including crops for the year 1849, St. Landry and St. Mary Parishes, and settlement of community affairs. William M. Prescott, Willis B. Prescott, and John Moore;

August 21, 1850

Transfer of slaves, John Moore and Evelina S. Prescott to Adelaide M. Prescott; Evelina and Adelaide Prescott to John Moore;

August 27, 1850

Letter from John Moore to Willis B. Prescott, with attached crop statements of the division of proceeds among William and Willis B. Prescott, and John Moore. In the letter Moore complains about his health and comments about a speech made by Mr. Clay about slavery;

August 26, 1852

Statement of taxable property owned by William Prescott and W. B. Prescott in Avoyelles Parish;

1852

Speech of Hon. John Moore of Louisiana on the bill granting lands to Missouri, made in Washington D.C.;

1852

Record of letters written in the month of December;

May 8, 1855

Inventory of the estate of William Prescott, including individual lists of slaves and slave families; occupation, age, and value of slaves; plus lists of livestock, buildings, a sugar mill, household furniture, all amounting to $125,908.50;

1855

Partition of slaves among John Moore and his daughters, Mrs. E. S. Prescott, widow of William Prescott, and Adelaide M. Prescott, widow of Willis B. Prescott;

1855?

Inventory list of slaves inherited by various members of the Prescott family, listing their ages and monetary value;

undated

List of two lots of slaves belonging to the Prescott family with age and monetary value. Also lists spouses and small children;

February 14, 1856

Letter from Evelina Prescott to John Moore, Oakland. Comments on a partition of slaves noting her affection for certain ones whom she or her children were fond of. Claims she will send her seven year old child to school in Opelousas for $130 a year which includes room and board. Reminds her father that she shipped 25 hogsheads of sugar and 40 barrels of molasses;

1856

Letter of Robt. Field to John Moore;

1857

Letter to John Moore regarding patent issued to William M. Prescott;

February 3, 1857

Letter from John Moore to Hon. George Eustis (House of Representatives), New Iberia, La., indicating an error in a recent land entry;

May 21, 1857

Succession and partition of the estate of Willis B, Prescott, Avoyelles Parish;

December 28, 1857

Exchange of slaves between John Moore, St. Martin Parish, and Evelina Prescott, widow of William Prescott, of St. Landry Parish, in order to prevent breakup of families;

November 29, 1857

Letter of John Moore to Mr. W. J. Davis, New Iberia, complaining of a breakage of mirrors and other household items en route to New Iberia (copy);

January 8, 1858

Letter of Aaron Prescott to Hon. John Moore, Alexandria, La., regarding a letter sent to him from John Moore expressing an interest in redeeming a mortgage owed to him;

January 11, 1858

Letter from A. D. Kelly & Co. to Hon. John Moore, New Orleans, noting sale of 25 hogsheads of sugar and 50 barrels of molasses of poor quality. Kelly claims large failures (businesses) are occurring in New Orleans with matters continuing to decline;

January 24, 1858

Letter of Evelina Prescott to John Moore, expressing surprise that her father expected to find sugar already shipped when he had advised otherwise;

February 1, 1858

Letter from A. D. Kelly & Co. to Hon. John Moore, New Orleans, noting sale of 30 hogsheads of sugar and 50 barrels of molasses. Claims sugar market remains the same;

February 3, 1858

Letter from P. Casse to Hon. John Moore, Washington, La., discussing impending availability of slaves and wonders if Moore is interested. Also discusses family matters and shipments of sugar;

March-December, 1858

Statements of John Moore with Siegel, Adler & Co., Dealers in Dry Goods, Clothing, Hardware, etc., New Iberia;

August 3, 1860

Document—land grant no. 57,025, Opelousas, La., signed by James Buchanan, giving 120 acres to John Moore;

October 10, 1860

Document—land grant no. 94,600, Opelousas, La., signed by James Buchanan, giving 120 acres to John Moore;

Document—land grand no. 95,798;

July 18, 1864

Estate of John B. Young, St. Landry Parish, listing household goods, slaves, and miscellaneous items, all sold at auction for $3,891.30 (part missing);

February 22, 1866

Letter of Henry C. Miller to Col. William Offutt, New Orleans, noting the desire of Colonel Offutt to press his claim for payment of lumber taken by the U.S. Government. Miller, the lawyer, suggests pressing the claim but at a reduced price—partial payment being preferable to no payment;

February 22, 1866

A copy of the previous letter to Col. William Offutt;

undated

Brief legal summary of plot of land near Bayou Courtableau;

January 13, 1866

Succession of David W. Magill, St. Martin Parish. John Moore and his wife had been tutors to David Magill, a minor. Upon his death, claims totaling close to $100,000 were made against the estate by various parties including the Moore family;

March, 1879

Miscellaneous receipt (bill of exchange) to M. Pollingue from Joseph Colomb;

undated

Right of transit ceded by Clementine and Urzile Prather to the great Western Rail Road Co. for transit across land in the Bayou Courtableau region;

Subject

Date

Description of relevant documents

Iberia Parish (La.)--History--19th century.

1844-1880

When Moore married Mary Claire Weeks, widow of David Weeks, he moved into the Shadows Plantation near New Iberia. He was elected to the 32nd Congress from New Iberia and as a delegate to the Secession Convention of 1861 also from that town.

Plantation owners--Louisiana.

1831-1880

Moore was the builder of Magnolia Ridge Plantation which was built by slaves and completed in 1830. Also called Oakland Plantation, it consisted of 3,000 acres devoted primarily to sugar cane. When Moore moved to New Iberia it was taken over by his daughter Evelina and her husband William M. Prescott

Prescott, William M. (William Marshall), d. 1854.

1831-1857

Married Evelina, daughter of John Moore, and entered into business operations with Willis B. Prescott and John Moore, Sugar planter and operator of Magnolia Ridge Plantation, Washington, La.

Saint Landry Parish (La.)--History--19th century.

1830-1880

John Moore was the builder of Magnolia Ridge Plantation in Washington. It was occupied by his daughters and their husbands, Willis B. and William M. Prescott. There are a number of land grants from Opelousas pertaining to land along the Bayou Courtableau

Saint Mary Parish (La.)--History--19th century.

1830-1843

John Moore was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Franklin, 1825-1834; and a member of the 26th and 27th Congresses

Shadows on the Teche Plantation (La.)

1831-1880

Moore married the widow of David Weeks, Mary Claire, in 1841 and moved to The Shadows Plantation near New Iberia. Upon his death in 1867 his internment was on The Shadows, his estate in New Iberia

Slaves--Louisiana.

1840-1856

Lists of slaves being partitioned among members of the John Moore, William M. Prescott, and Willis B. Prescott families. Lists includes names, ages, occupations, and even spouses and young children (1840-1850); letter from Mrs. E. S. Prescott to John Moore in which she comments on her affection for certain slaves at Oakland Plantation which she wishes to be included in her share of the partition (Feb. 14, 1856)

Sugar growing--Louisiana.

1831-1880

Business and legal papers of a sugar planter of St. Landry, St. Mary, and Iberia Parishes

Stack Location

Box

Folders

Contents

W:31

1

1-2

1831-1880

OS:M

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1

Land grants for acreage in Opelousas (1860)