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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Dietz, Walter F. Papers, 1901-1962. 470 items, 86 volumes. Socialist party member of the Lake Charles, Louisiana, local (1903-1934); state secretary (1909-1914); national committeeman and state secretary (1928-1931). Correspondence, broadsides, financial reports, pamphlets, writings, newspaper clippings, bound printed volumes, and manuscript volumes for the national Socialist Party, the state organization, and the Lake Charles local organization. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1894. |
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Dupré, Laurent. Affidavit, 1780. 1 item. Location: Misc:D. Affidavit by Derbonne regarding gambling by Jean Poiret and Pierre Decou at the home of a man named Nicolet. The affidavit was witnessed by several citizens and certified by Charles DeClouet. An annotation by Charles de Grand-Pre commandant of the Pointe Coupee District, and dated January 2, 1781, dismisses the case because it was not proved within the time required by statute. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4895. |
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Ericson, Jean M., b. 1915. Photograph collection, circa 1890-1920. 22 copy prints. Location: 65:5. These photographs document rural and farm settings in south Louisiana and some Acadian French subjects. Mss. 3706. Referenced in Guides: Acadiana
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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. |
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Fremaux and LeBlanc Photographs, 1915. 2 photographic prints. Location: OS:F. Dealers in agricultural equipment and implements of Rayne, Louisiana. Photographic prints show men posing outside with binders. "Part of Fremaux and LeBlanc's 1915 binder sales" is inscribed at the bottom of each photograph. Mss. 5363. |