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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La Houssaye, Sidonie de. Papers, circa 1880-1894. 22 volumes, 6 microfilm reels. Location: F:17, MSS.MF:L. French Louisiana author of Franklin, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. Manuscript drafts of short stories (in French) written by Madame Sidonie de la Houssaye : Volumes 1 and 2: L'etoile d'argent. Volume 2: Le fort de Keronec; Une paire de gants; Une poupee d'autrefois; Les fleurs et les bijoux de la grand'mere; Rose Blanche; Les petits vagabonds; Volume 3 Mythologies des petits enfants; Volume 4: George Gerard.For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 105. Referenced in Guides: New Orleans to 1861, Women, New Orleans 1866-, Acadiana, African Americans, French, Literature
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Lafayette, Marquis de. Pointe Coupee Parish land records, 1805-1847. 118 items. Location: 102:. French reformer and participant in the American Revolution. Correspondence, legal files, and survey documents pertaining to land along the Mississippi River in Pointe Coupee Parish granted by the United States to the Marquis de Lafayette. Most items are in English, but a few are in French and Spanish. Mss. 1521. |
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Landreth, John. Field notes book, 1819. 1 volume. Location: M:19. Surveyor. Volume contains Landreth's field notes (January-April 1819), created during his survey expedition for live oak and red cedar timber lands in Louisiana, for a commission from the United States Navy. Daily field notes include notations of directions and distances traveled, landmarks sighted, and short narrative descriptions of daily events and people met. Locations described include Franklin, St. Martinville, New Orleans, and a variety of bayous, lakes, and waterways. Mss. 5386. |
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Landry family. Papers, 1831-1903, undated. 0.5 linear ft. Location: U:198, G:15, OS:L. Residents of Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana. The majority of letters are personal and are written by various members of the family, including some relatives from Quebec. The later correspondence has a good percentage of business letters. The documents include bills, receipts, and sugar sales. Some in French. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 1, Reel 8. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 731. Referenced in Guides: Sugar, Plantations, New Orleans to 1861, Women, New Orleans in the Civil War, New Orleans 1866-, Business, Acadiana, French
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Lewis, William Young. Slave indentures, 1831. 7 items. Location: MISC:L. Notarized copies of indentures for Alabama, Louisiana, and Missouri slaves bound for Texas, notarized by William Young Lewis of New Orleans, Louisiana. These were the slaves of the following slaveholders: John James Dillard of Tuscumbia, Alabama; Isaac Turner Tinsley of Pikesville, Alabama; James Routh of Concordia Parish, Louisiana; Patrick Herndon of New Orleans; Gowan Harris of Iberville Parish, Louisiana; Edwin Waller of Palmyra, Missouri; and Samspon Blossman of New Orleans. Indentures give the name, age, and family relationships of the slaves. Mss. 4762. |