Manuscript Resources on African American History

DeClouet, Alexandre (Alexandre Etienne) and Family. Papers, 1787-1905 (bulk 1855-1888). 1.2 linear ft. Location: U:181, J:5. Sugar planter, Confederate congressman, and state senator from St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Beginning in the 1860s, DeClouet was active in the White League, an organization opposed to rights for freedmen. Collection includes financial papers, legal documents, political papers, and correspondence. Financial records of Alexandre DeClouet and his son Paul document plantation management and labor issues. Political papers include White League materials. Some items in French. Available on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 3, Reels 5-6. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 74, 258, 461, 756.

Degruy, P. H. O. Document, 1844. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Bill of sale (notarized copy) for slaves sold to Madame Charles H. Delery of New Orleans. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 104.

Denman, Rolph M. Document, 1854. 1 item. Location: Misc. D. Resident of New Orleans. Power of attorney given to I. Marsh Denman for the sale of a slave to A. Borron. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 109.

Dennis, William. Slave bill of sale, 1856 December 18. 1 item. Location: Misc:D. Resident of St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, and administrator of the estate of his father, William Dennis, Sr. Slave bill of sale documents the transfer of a slave named Henry from the estate of William Dennis, Sr., to Mrs. Lucy Morgan (nee Dennis), widow of Egbert Morgan, for $1,405. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3659.

Derouen, Eloi Joseph. Notebook, 1844-1896, 1914. 1 ms. vol. on microfilm. Location:Mss. Mf.:D Cattleman of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. Notebook containing genealogical data for the Derouen and Primeaux families; records of cattle markings and sales; a register of births of slaves; and a few daybook entries of accounts. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1953.

Desobry, Louis. Partnership Agreement and Amnesty Oath, 1854-1865. 2 items. Location: Misc:D, OS:D. Sugar planter of Plaquemine, Iberville Parish, Louisiana. Articles of agreement establishing a partnership for the ownership and operation of Irion Plantation, a sugar plantation near Plaquemine. The terms of the sale of land and slaves state that the partnership will be called 'Desobry's and Company'. Included is an oath of amnesty and allegiance to the United States signed by Louis Desobry (1865). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 893.

Devall-Hyams Family Papers and Photographs, 1824-1977 (bulk 1906-1913, 1918). 1.5 linear ft., 1 v. Location: T:31-32, J:20. Louisiana sugar planters. Collection consists of personal correspondence, legal documents, genealogies, and family photographs. Papers reflect family matters, personal activities, financial affairs, land transactions, and to a lesser extent the sugarcane crop at Orange Grove Plantation. Letters of Lillie Dickinson, Susie Devall comprise a large portion of the correspondence (1904-1913). Letters by Benjamin Devall concern military life in Georgia during World War II (1918). Photographs include an unidentified African American sugarhouse worker (undated). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4242.

Dewees, John and Family. Papers, 1785-1954. 1.6 linear ft., 4 v. Location: W:47, M:19, OS:D. Consists of correspondence, legal and business papers, printed items, and photographs concerning the Dewees and related Postell, Gadsden, Lyman, and Colcock families, planters and slaveholders near Charleston, South Carolina and Eunice, Louisiana. Includes land and slave sale documents, tax receipts, stocks and bonds, court decisions, wills, deeds, estate settlements, marriage certificates, and property settlements. Photographs include two manuscript volumes: one a photograph album and the other a memory book with photographs and newspaper clippings. There are 185 loose photographs, most portraits of family members (1851-ca. 1920). Mss. 3089.

Dixon, William Y., 1843-1874. Papers, 1860-1905 (bulk 1860-1874). 14 items (9 ms. vols.). Location: UU:119. Confederate soldier, student. Diaries record the battles at Baton Rouge (Aug. 1862), Vicksburg (1862), and Port Hudson (1863) and casualties suffered. Entries also refer to camp life 1860-1864), transportation of troops by steamboats (1863), diseases among soldiers and civilians (1860-1864), and the involvement of African American soldiers at Port Hudson. Other material relates to his education and financial affairs. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 4. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3423.

Dodard, Jean, Mrs. Document, 1832. 1 item. Location: Misc.:D. Resident of Bordeaux, France. Power of attorney given to attorney, John Garnier, by Mrs. Jean Dodard to sell her slaves. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 118.

Doire, Robert. Document, 1783. 1 item [photostat]. Location: Misc.:D. Resident of New Orleans, Louisiana. Notarized document by Doire granting liberty to his slave, Santiago Durham. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 778.

Donato, Adolphe. Letter, 1883 December 16. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of Opelousas, Louisiana, and servant to U.S. Representative Edward Taylor Lewis. Letter written from Washington, D.C., describes his trip with Lewis from Louisiana to Washington, problems encountered by African Americans in travel and housing, the city of Washington, and his own social life. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2946.

Dreger, Ralph Mason Papers, 1959-1974.  2 linear feet.  Location 53, OS:D.  Ralph Dreger, a Methodist minister and Louisiana State University professor, was extremely active in civil rights causes throughout the South.  The collection consists of manuscripts, notes, articles, and correspondence pertaining to Dr. Ralph Dreger's research.  Letters to and from authors and researchers discuss publications, request information, and ask or grant permission for quotations.  Also included are journal articles pertaining to Dreger's research, as well as his own review, "Comparative Psychological Studies of Negroes and Whites in the United States: 1959-1965".  For further information, see online catalog.  Mss. 3900. 

Duclos family records, 1855-1876. 3 ms. vols. Location: F:17. French-speaking African American merchants of New Orleans, Louisiana. Two volumes contain accounts for the family furniture and liquor stores; a third volume contains miscellaneous notes. There is also a photograph of an unidentified African American woman. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 689.

Dunbar, Archibald. Document, 1836. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of Adams County, Mississippi. Sale (notarized) of slaves formerly attached to Ashwood Plantation by Archibald Dunbar to Peter M. and Joseph H. Lapice. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 668.

Dunbar, Joseph. Document, 1812. 1 item. Location: Misc. Statements of witnesses in the case of Joseph Dunbar vs. Caleb Weeks, Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, regarding the purchase of slaves. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 133.

Duncan, Mary. Letter, circa 1862-1864. 1 letter, 1 transcript. Location: MISC:D. Daughter-in-law of Stephen Duncan and sister-in-law of Stephen Duncan, Jr. Letter from Mary Duncan, New York, to Major General Henry Halleck, General-in-Chief of the United States Army. Duncan writes seeking protection for her father-in-law Stephen Duncan's plantations and lands in Natchez, Mississippi and Franklin, Louisiana from Confederate forces and U.S. Army confiscation practices. She claims that her family's bales of cotton have been destroyed by Confederate forces and that U.S. Army forces have depredated the Duncan family's nine plantations, causing them to lose "many negroes," and her brother-in-law Stephen Duncan, Jr.'s house. Mss. 5378

Duncan, Stephen, 1787-1867. Correspondence, 1817-1877. 158 items, 2 vols. Location: S:120. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Correspondence includes letters from friends and family concerning social, political, and economic problems of Reconstruction. Papers include legal documents, bills, and receipts. A daybook includes lists of slaves present at Homochitto Plantation. Included is a diary of W. P. Duncan, son of Stephen Duncan, Jr., describing his travels in France and Italy. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061 as the Stephen Duncan Family Papers, Mss. 1403, 1793: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 4, Reel 5. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1403, 1431, 1551, 1595, 1793.

Dunham, Marshall. Photograph Album, 1861-867. 1 album (200 images). Locations: E: 65. Union soldier of the New York 159th Infantry and the 77th Colored Infantry regiments. Album consists of images made by various photographers during the Civil War. They depict buildings, structures and scenes in several Louisiana locations, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Port Hudson, and Donaldsonville, and Point Mobile, Ala. In addition, there are images of Union naval ships, officers and crew. There is also a set of twelve John Rogers statuary images created and marketed by Maurice Stadtfeld. Mss. 3241.

Duplantier, Armand Family Letters, 1777-1859. 95 items. Location: D:62. Armand Duplantier was a planter and owner of Magnolia Mound Plantation, La. Duplantier Family Letters contain items from four generations of the Duplantier family, including Armand Duplantier, his uncle Claude Trénonay, Armand’s son Armand Allard Duplantier, and granddaughter Amélie Augustine Duplantier Peniston. The letters relate to Louisiana under the French, Spanish, and Americans and the economic, political, and social conditions attendant on transitioning among the three powers; commerce with France; the succession of Trénonay; attitudes about the French Revolution; slavery and plantation matters; family news such as illness, births, deaths, and the education of Duplantier’s children; and travels in France by Amélie Duplantier. Mss. 5060.

Dupre and Metoyer and Company. Account book, 1830-1837, 1873. 1 vol. Location: F:15. General merchandise store in Isle Brevelle, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, owned by Emanuel Dupre and J. B. D. Metoyer, free African Americans. Inventory of stock of Dupre and Metoyer and Company. An entry in 1873 records a mortgage due to Oscar Dubreuil. Copies of songs and drawings by Leatter Dupre are included in the back of the book. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 834.

Dupre, Antoine. Succession Papers, 1810-1820. 6 items. Location: H:23. Farmer and resident of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Bound case papers and documents filed in probate proceedings for Dupre including an inventory and appraisal of the estate; a record of sale at public auction of land, slaves, and other properties; and receipt of remaining assets by his widow. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 965.

Dupre, Paul J. Account books, 1904-1942. 6 vols. Location: F:15. African American storekeeper of Isle Brevelle, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. General ledgers of cash sales and accounts kept by Dupre. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 835, 841.

Durieux, Caroline, 1896-. Oral history interview, 1975 March 31. 1 sound cassette (1 hour), Transcript (28 pages). Location: L:4700.13. Lithographer, painter, and educator of Baton Rouge. Durieux was a professor emeritus of graphic arts at LSU and was involved with literary and artistic programs sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. Interview concerns Durieux's work with, and the importance of, the W.P.A. Federal Art Project in Louisiana and New Orleans during the 1930s. Topics include the purpose, importance, and effect of the project and the work of African American artists. Durieux also discusses the effect of the Great Depression on art and artists; federal support for artists, and the success of the W.P.A. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4700.13.

East Feliciana Parish collection. 1819-1867 (bulk 1826-1857). 50 items. Location: D:90. Financial papers are primarily statements of merchant accounts. Legal papers include citations, indictments, affidavits, and correspondence for civil and criminal cases heard at the courthouse in Clinton, Louisiana. Of special interest are documents relating to the trial of two slaves for arson and to a case against Centenary College in Jackson, Louisiana, for payment owed to a Reverend William B. Lacy. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3599.

Eaton, John Letter, 1864. 1 item. Location: MISC:E. Colonel John Eaton Jr. was the General Superintendent of Freedmen for Mississippi, Arkansas, West Tennessee and Northern Louisiana from 1862 ? 1865. Letter to Union General William T. Sherman written in Vicksburg, Miss., proposes the distribution of military companies to assist with the relocation of freedmen from cities to plantations, to serve guard duty, and to act as an armed militia. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4106.

Edmands, John Wiley, 1809-1877. Letter, 1860 November 8. 1 item. Location: Misc.:E. U.S. representative from Massachusetts (1853-1855). Letter to William Kellogg (possibly Congressman Kellogg of Illinois) expressing the Northern Republican party position on slavery just after the election of Abraham Lincoln. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1754.

Edmonds, Anne Marie Nugent. Papers, 1890-1955. 10 items. Location: VAULT:5, MSS.MF:E. Anne Marie Nugent Edmonds was also known as Nannie Nugent and by her pen name, Nathaniel Nugent. Her papers consist of seven short literary manuscripts whose topics focus on the Old South and were based upon Edmond's own experiences before, during, and after the Civil War. A typed excerpt from "Reminiscence, 1832, On a Louisiana Plantation" centers on the author's grandfather, Judge Seth Lewis, and gives some family history as well as an examination of local customs. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4942.

Elder, John Carroll. Diary, 1862-1863. 1 item. Location: Misc.:E. Diary notes the arrival of federal troops, number and type of Union vessels on local waterways, and the presence of runaway slaves and guerrillas. Elder describes the Union bombardment of Baton Rouge, meetings with neighbors regarding Union soldiers in the area, and his refusal to sign an oath of allegiance. He mentions Union and Confederate officers in the region, including Lieutenant Grimstead and the 21st Indiana Infantry regiment. Elder also refers to church attendance, weather conditions, and planting and selling crops. Includes list of items taken or destroyed by Union soldiers. Mss. 4353.

Ellis, E. John (Ezekial John), Diary, 1862-1865. 3 items, 2 volumes. Location: C:97, H:14. Memoirs and diary related to the Civil War activities of Ezekiel John Ellis include a political speech and incomplete work of fiction and are accompanied by a transcript, research manuscript and photograph. Diary recounts his participation in fighting up to his capture at Missionary Ridge and his subsequent imprisonment at Johnson's Island. He comments on African-American soldiers and makes reference to literature and poetry. For further information see online catalog. Mss. 2795.

Ellis, Ezekiel Park, 1807-1884. Family Papers, 1812-1914 (bulk 1839-1866). 180 items; 5 printed. Vols. Location: U:66. Resident of Amite, Louisiana, judge, and a member of the Louisiana legislature. His sons, all lawyers, attended Centenary College in Jackson, Louisiana, and served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Correspondence includes letters to Ellis' wife during travel to court houses in the Florida parishes, and letters from his sons at college and law school (1850s). The bulk of the correspondence consists of Civil War letters from Ellis' sons. The collection includes typescripts of a few slave bills of sale, invitations, certificates, newspaper clippings, and memoranda. Printed volumes include catalogs of Centenary College. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 5. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 663.

Embree, Joseph. Family Papers, 1826-1884. .88 linear ft. (805 items, 1 vol.). Location: E:19-20. Cotton planter near Woodville, Wilkinson County, Mississippi, and soldier in the Confederate Army. Papers include letters, account statements of cotton brokers, land deeds, contracts, slave bills, receipts, and documents related to education in Wilkinson County. Includes a printed list of the 1879 Democratic state ticket. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 2, Reels 10-11. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 693.

Emmons, William R. and American Colonization Society. Collection, 1817-1983 (bulk 1817-1824). 13 items. Location: MISC:E. Author of Establishing African Homelands for Black Americans (1992). Collection pertains to the establishment of a homeland for free African Americans in what is now Liberia in the early 19th century. Papers (all photocopies) include letters by the Portuguese ambassador to the U.S., José Correia da Serra (1817-1820, in Portuguese) discussing the growing interest in the movement, the motivation behind it and the possible benefits to Portugal and Brazil. Papers include a constitution for the new settlement (June 26, 1820) and an agreement with the chiefs of Cape Mesurado, Africa for land that is now Liberia (December 1821). Also included is correspondence with Emmons concerning the Portuguese archives (1977) and the life of Correia (May 23, 1983). Mss. 3812.

Ende, Jacques F. de. Document, 1837 May 5. 1 item. Location: Misc.:E. Deposition given by Jacques F. de Ende, in New Orleans, Louisiana, reporting that his slave, Sep, had run away from his Avoyelles Parish plantation, and offering a fifty dollars reward for his return. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 537.

Escoffier, Fran?ois. Document, 1840. 1 item. Location: Misc. Free man of color. Petition of Fran?ois Escoffier to the president and members of the council of the second municipality of New Orleans for the remission of a fine imposed upon him for selling liquor to a slave. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 137.

Evans, J. Bruce, Papers, 1614-2005 (bulk 1930-1990). 31.5 linear ft., 26 v. Location: 92:82-109; OS:E; J:34-35; Vault:1. Baptist minister, religious counselor and civil rights activist. Correspondence, church records, sermons, workshop materials, printed items, photographs and audio tapes reflect Evans's ministerial career in Baton Rouge, La., at First Baptist Church and Fellowship Church. Personal papers [some items in French], business records and genealogical material document the ancestry of Evans and his wife, Anita Louise, and provide insight into the personal lives of family members. Papers also furnish histories of Bienville and Natchitoches parishes and Saline, La., and relate to Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve and to Dormon's activities as a naturalist. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4664.

Everett, Alexander H. Letter, 1841. 1 item. Location: MISC:E. President of Jefferson College, St. James Parish, Louisiana. Draft of a letter of Alexander Everett to Daniel Webster, secretary of state, concerns published remarks by Mr. Trist, American consul at Havana, and the general conduct of affairs of a prior mission to Havana for a conference regarding the slave trade. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 140.

Ewing, Inc. American Red Cross nurses at Louisiana's Old State Capitol photograph, circa 1910-1930. 1 panoramic photograph. Location: 104:-105:. Group shot of American Red Cross nurses outside of the Old State Capitol. African-American nurses are standing at the right side of the group. Mss. 5372.

Fair, James. Papers, 1833-1838. 4 items. Location: Misc:F. Owner of Grove Hill Plantation in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Papers pertain to Fair's mortgage of Grove Hill Plantations and its slaves. Land conveyance documents the sale of the plantation by Mrs. Maria Jones to Fair and an appraiser's certificate. There is also a questionnaire for stockholders of Citizens' Bank of Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 668.

Farrar, Alexander K. Papers, 1804-1931 (bulk 1831-1870). 2.25 linear ft. Location: UU:229-231; OS:F. Planter and lawyer of Kingston, Adams County, Mississippi, and Mississippi state senator. Personal, professional, and plantation papers concerning Farrar's law practice, including settlement of several estates, and his plantation and business interests. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 532: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 3, Reels 6-10. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 782, 850, 1348.

Farrar, B.G. Papers, 1863-1870 (bulk: 1863-1865). 13 items. Location: Misc:F. Brevet Brigadier General Bernard G. Farrar, Colonel of the 6th U.S. Colored Artillery (Heavy). Letters, orders, and affadavits relate to recruiting African-American soldiers, anticipated attacks, and plundering of plantations in the Natchez and Vidalia area. An 1870 letter to Farrar from J.W. Alfvord, General Superintendent of Education, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands relates to the education of the freedmen. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4764.

Favret, Joseph, 1873-. Oral history interview, 1974. Index (2 pages), 3 sound cassettes (1.75 hours). Location: L:4700.0015. New Orleans native, centenarian, and a veteran of the Spanish American War. Favret discusses his experiences in Cuba during the Spanish American War and the sinking of the Maine. He also recalls the New Orleans race riot of 1900 and Robert Charles; and mentions New Orleans mayor Robert S. Maestri. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4700.0015.

Featherston, James. Papers, 1863-2000, undated (bulk 1963-2000). 1.50 linear ft. Location: Z:5, OS:F. Materials relating to the career of James Featherston, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and LSU journalism professor. Collection contains correspondence, journalism articles, book reviews, photographs, and items related to his professorship at LSU. Mss. 4812.

Featherston, Richard. Document, 1849. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of Madison Parish, Louisiana. Sale (notarized copy) of land and slaves of Richard Featherston to Henry R. W. Hill of New Orleans. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 668.

Ficklen, John R. Papers, 1832-1907. 44 items and 6 volumes. Location: U:98, G:6. Resident of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and member of the Department of History and Political Science at Tulane University. The bulk of the material consists of notes, rough drafts, and correspondence relative to Ficklen's work on the history of the Reconstruction period in Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 144, 209.

Finnall, William. Document, ca. 1800-1865. 1 item. Location: Misc.:F. Resident of New Orleans, Louisiana. Incomplete contract between William Finnall, and George Ann Botts and Abner Robinson relates to posting slaves as security for a bond. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 145.

Fisk, Clinton B., 1828-1890. Letter, 1865. 1 item. Location: Misc. Union general in the Civil War, assistant commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands at Nashville, Tennessee. Letter to a Dr. Kirk contains an optimistic report on Reconstruction in the South, and describes his work in rehabilitating freedmen and his educational plans. He refers the South's opposition to Northern clergymen. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1428.

Fitch, Henry B. (Henry Bates). Hermitage Plantation pay and muster roll, June 1864. 1 item. Location: OS:F. Pay and muster roll for contraband slaves working on Hermitage Plantation. The pay and muster roll lists 118 named slaves and records the hours they worked, their monthly pay, the amount paid, amount due, etc. These freedmen are listed with their adopted surnames. Plantation was operated by Henry B. Fitch. Mss. 4881. 

Fletcher, James. Letter, 1799 Apr. 24. 1 letter. Location: Misc. James Fletcher in Providence, R.I., writes John Turnbull in New Orleans, La., regarding business dealings in slaves and dry goods. Mss. 3916.

Ford, Hezekiah. Letter, 1815 Apr. 23. 1 item. Location: Misc.: F. Hezekiah Ford in Madison County, Mississippi Territory, writes to his brothers describing the difficult journey from Virginia to Mississippi that he just completed with his sister and brother-in-law, musing on what to do with himself next, asking his brothers to conclude his business in Virginia to raise money needed to survive in the wilderness, and remarking on the high prices for slaves and cotton. Mss. 3989.

Fournier Family Photograph Album, 1885-1920, 1 v. For the most part this album is comprised of 19th century tintypes of unidentified individuals, presumably of Fournier family members (ca. 1885-ca. 1930). The photographs also include a few carte-de-visits, and copy prints of selected tintypes. Mss. 3540.

Fraly, James J. Letter, 1854 May 25. 1 item. Location: Misc.:F. Letter by James Fraly written from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Mary S. Fraley in Hamburg, Tennessee, concerns clear title to the ownership of a slave. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3802.

Freedmen's Bureau document, 1864 Dec. 1. 1 item. Location: Misc.:F. Order by the Office of Superintendent and Provost Marshal of Freedmen, Natchez, Mississippi, signed by Lt. Col. A. L. Mitchell, for use of livestock on Home Farm. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3365.

Freedmen's Bureau circular, 1865 July 14. 1 printed vol. Location: E:Imprints. Photostatic copy of printed circular from Headquarters, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, State of Louisiana, New Orleans, pertaining to freedmen and the circulation of Emancipation Proclamation. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 150.

Freeman, Theophilus. Document, 1839. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of New Orleans. Bill of sale for for the sale of a slave by Theophilus Freeman to Fran?ois A. Tete of Assumption Parish, Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 537.

Frellsen, Henry, ca. 1800-1884. Plantation diary, 1878-1884. 1 vol. (101 pages). Location: G:17. Native of Denmark who fought in the Greek War of Independence (1824) and moved to Louisiana (ca. 1840). He was the Danish Consul in New Orleans, a cotton factor, and the owner of Fairview Plantation, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. Entries document Frellsen's operation of Fairview Plantation. Weekly reports detail crop and weather conditions; record maintenance of a sugarhouse, machinery, and levees; and list farmhands (including children) and their wages. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3497

French-Clarke family. Papers, 1809-1861 (bulk 1830-1920). 1.3 linear feet, 16 volumes. Location: 1:32-35, OS:F, 98:F. Largely composed of correspondence between members of the French family of Baton Rouge and extended family regarding Baton Rouge, family news, health, and genealogy. Legal documents include bills of sale for slaves, land documents, wills of the French and Clarke families. Personal financial records, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings of current events, especially pertaining to the opening of the state capital and Louisiana State University campus life in the early 1900s. Ledgers and printed items relate to Julia Edwards Clarke and her husband William's employment at the Louisiana State School for the Blind. For further information, see online catalog, Mss. 3494.

Fuqua, James O. (James Overton). Papers, 1857-1878. 118 items, 1 ms. vol. Location: Misc:F, UU:67. Slaveholder, property owner, and Confederate soldier of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. He was a member of the Baton Rouge law firm Fuqua and Callahan. His son, Henry Luce Fuqua, served as governor of Louisiana (1924-1926). Financial papers including receipts for Fuqua's purchase of slaves and receipts for state, parish, and Baton Rouge municipal taxes paid by Mrs. Fuqua. Papers of the law firm Fuqua and Callahan pertain to legal cases and other business matters. A letterpress copybook records Fuqua's legal correspondence. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 893, 1438.

Furber, Sarah. Letters, 1843, 1844. 2 items. Location: Misc. Teacher from Massachusetts. Photocopies of letters from Sarah Furber at a school in Plaquemine (probably the Iberville Female School Society, incorporated in 1842), Iberville Parish, Louisiana, expressing opposition to slavery and personal discontent with Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1306.

Gaines, Ernest J. Letters, 1960-1967. 3 items. Location: Misc:G. Louisiana writer. Letters from San Francisco addressed to Gaines' friend Gus Blaisdell, editor of the New Mexico Quarterly, discuss writing, mutual friends, and Gaines' personal life. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3514.