North American Indigenous Societies

MF 4. Louisiana and War of 1812 related documents from the National Library of Scotland, 1812–1816.This microfilm collection includes selected volumes from the Alexander F. I. Cochrane Papers and Correspondence and the Papers of G. R. Gleig held by the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh. Of particular interest are documents related to the Creek War (1813–1814). See reel numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 for specific references to southern Indian involvement in the Creek War and the War of 1812. Ten 35mm microfilm reels total.

MF 6. Louisiana Documents from the National Archive of Cuba, 1716–1941.Spanish colonial officials in Louisiana documented and commented upon aspects of life under Spanish rule, including agriculture, commerce, land ownership, territorial boundaries, Indian trade and diplomacy, church-state relations, education, and immigration. Copies of these records were gathered and archived by civil and military bureaucracies. Records from local posts travelled to the provincial capitals and eventually back to Spain, where they were archived. Through a series of administrative rivalries and international tensions, some records were scattered as they moved from New Orleans to Mobile, Pensacola, Havana, and finally Seville, Spain. This collection consists of records that remained in Havana, Cuba. While largely bureaucratic in nature, they provide an important documentary resource for the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and they add considerable perspective to the events surrounding the Louisiana Purchase and the cession of Florida to the United States. See reel numbers 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 21, 22, and 27 for specific references to Spanish Louisiana’s diplomatic relations with southern Indian nations. The Catálogo de los fondos de las Floridas by Guillermo de Zéndegui (85-123-RL) is a published guide to these papers and available to patrons visiting the Williams Research Reading Room. 27 35mm microfilm reels total.

MF 7. Louisiana Documents from the Archivo General de Indias, 1682–1872.This microfilm collection of AGI documents includes portions of two collections that concern, among other matters, the Spanish colonial administration of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. These are the Papeles Procedentes de Cuba and the Audiencia de Santo Domingo. The Papeles de Cuba (Cuban Papers), formerly part of the Archivo General de Cuba at Havana, include documents relating to Spain’s Louisiana and West Florida colonies, which were administratively subordinate to the Captaincy-General at Havana. Other documents concern Spain’s relationship with the then newly created United States of America. The Audiencia de Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo Papers) include a wide variety of documentation concerning aspects of life under Spanish rule including agricultural development, commerce, land ownership, diplomacy, judicial matters, territorial boundaries, Indian trade and diplomacy, church-state relations, education, and immigration. Overall, both document groups provide insight into Spain’s long colonial presence in the Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast. 1,131 (+5) 35mm microfilm reels total.

MF 8. Documents from the National Library of Spain, 1528–1819.This is an artificial collection of documents relating to the history of Louisiana. Most of the documents are from (with a few exceptions) between the years of 1768 and 1801. The documents shed light on various aspects of Spanish administrative policies in Louisiana, as reflected in attitudes toward slavery, military matters, religion and members of the clergy, relations with American Indians, commerce, shipping, and the struggle against nature (fires and hurricanes). Three 35mm microfilm reels total.

MF 17. Louisiana Documents from the Archives Nationales de France, 1620–1819.The Archives Nationales preserves and provides access to the records of the central administrations of State (excluding the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), original deeds produced by Paris notaries, and private record groups of national interest. The two volumes Correspondance à l'arivée en provenance de la Louisiane by Marie-Antoinette Menier Etienne Taillemite and Gilberte de Forges are published guides to these series and are available to patrons visiting the Williams Research Reading Room. Both volumes provide an index listing French Louisiana’s extensive interactions with Indigenous North America. 193 35mm microfilm reels total.

MSS 12.11. Letter from C. S. Swayze to Hon. John Moore, February 20, 1853.C[aleb] S. Swayze, Opelousas, Louisiana, to Hon. John Moore, Washington City, D.C., asking his assurance that certain lands, warrants, certificates, and Choctaw scrip be returned to him in accordance with recent legislation. 1 item.

MSS 79.11 Certified copy of deed of Chitimachas land sale, attested by John Dutton, Judge, February 8, 1833.Indian Champaña Unzaga, Chief of the Chitimachas; his brother Juan Luis Unzaga; Antonio Bautista; and other Indians of their Bayou Plaquemine village selling, by mutual consent, 35 arpents of land at one of their two villages on the edge of Bayou de la Fourche of Plaquemines to Antonio Lanclo, of the same area; done before Dn. Franco. Rivas, Commandant of the Iberville District, with Franco. Franchebois as interpreter; signed by Jean Franchebois, Antonio Lanclos, Jean Bte. Dupuis, Hypolite Landry, Manuel Cuellar, Julian Lesafsier, and Franco. Rivas. Verso: 1833 Feb. 8 John Dutton, Judge, certifying copy of the original document. 1 item.

MSS 102. Butler Family Papers, 1778–1975.These family papers center around the family of Edward George Washington Butler (1800–1888), the son of Col. Edward Butler, one of the “Five Fighting Butlers” of Revolutionary War fame. The Butler Family Papers consist of correspondence (1778–1972) between family members, including letters from John Parke Custis to George Washington, and from Andrew Jackson to various family members. The Butler Family Papers also include papers of Andrew Hynes during his tenure as Adjutant General of Tennessee, and those of the Tennessee Militia for the years 1812–1815. Papers of Edmund Pendleton Gaines (1816–1832) are in the collection. Edward G. W. Butler served with Gaines during the 1825 negotiations with the Creek Indians, and many of his notes and observations of these talks are to be found in the Butler Family Papers. Printed military Orders, Acts and Registers (1815–1870) concerned with Indian treaties, and western frontier defenses complete the collection. See item-level PDF finding aid. 2,134 total items.

MSS 103. Dauberville-Bouligny Family Papers, 1618–1964. Correspondence (1733–1867), legal and military papers (1618–1860), and genealogical material of both the Dauberville and Bouligny families in Europe and Louisiana. Of special interest is a letter from Dauberville in New Orleans to M. Blondel’s nephew, concerning the value of note belonging to M. and Mme. Dublanc, which was given to the addressee by his uncle. It also mentions provision of merchandise pending arrival of ships and names various articles provided for the Choctaw trade. See item-level PDF finding aid. 189 total items.

MSS 125. Pierre-Clément de Laussat Papers, 1769–1835. The papers of the Laussat collection relate to the retrocession of Louisiana from Spain to France by the Treaty of San Ildefonso and the transfer of the territory to the United States by the Treaty of Paris. Official documents in the French period of the Laussat Papers are records of deliberations of the Consuls of the French Republic, administrative and fiscal reports, inventories of Indian goods, lists of Indian towns, correspondence, and numerous questionnaires on Upper and Lower Louisiana. Many contemporary copies of documents on the Spanish colonial period are also included. Laussat gathered documents generated by the Spanish colonial administration, which included royal decrees and the implementation of orders, regulations on local government, and official reports. For a complete description and list of items in this collection see the published guide to the Laussat Papers available from The Historic New Orleans Collection. 642 total items.

MSS 168. Shaumburg-Wright Family Papers, 1800–1896. This collection consists of correspondence, journals, clippings and genealogical notes on the Schaumburg and Wright families of New Orleans and St. Louis, MO. One letter (April 22, 1800) from Manuel de Lanzos, Mobile, to Lieut. John McCleary, Commandant of Fort Stoddert discusses Indian unrest in the area due to the deaths of Indians at the hands of the Spanish. See item-level PDF finding aid. 53 total items.

MSS 171.44. Memoria of Francisco Bouligny, August 1776. Franciso Bouligny was a notable soldier and administrator in Spanish Colonial Louisiana. Francisco Bouligny, captain of the Infantry Battalion of that Province. The essay is arranged into 11 chapters as follows: 1. Brief description of the Province of Louisiana; 2. Its Products; 3. Actual population, manners and customs of its Inhabitants; 4. Current trade and decline of that colony; 5. Trade and encroachment of the English in Manchac, causing damage to that country and its state of progress; 6. Indians; 7. Problem: which commercial activity is most advantageous to the State and to the Province of Louisiana, with attention to its actual situation; 8. Summary of all this; 9. Establishment of a General Superintendent of the Indians and new populations; 10. Plan of essential fortifications to that country, for its defense and guard; 11. Method for these and other much older works, not only without cost to the Royal Treasury, but with great advantage for the country, its inhabitants, and the State. 1 item.

MSS 178.1. Report on Spain in Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, December 16, 1762. Julián Arriaga served as Minister of the Indies for Spain from 1751–1776. This report was submitted to Sr. Arriaga, Colonial Secretary, by order of the Hon. Sr. Molinillo. Manuscript consists of four chapters, broadly dealing with the history and politics of the northern Gulf Coast and includes insights into French and Spanish relations with different Indian societies of the region. 1 item.

MSS 178.2. Estado Veridico de la Luisiana / The True State of Louisiana, 1762. Fr. Santiago Disdier, or Didié, was a Spanish priest who is believed to have lived in Louisiana in the early 18th century, perhaps in the vicinity of Natchitoches and Los Adaes. The report is divided into topical headings: Fortifications, Trade, German Population, Pointe Coupee, Red River, Natchez Post, Observations, etc. The different Indigenous nations living in and near the limits of Louisiana are described and include the Illinois, Opelousas (Appalousa), and Apaches, among others living along the Arkansas and Missouri Rivers. Disdier specifically details the benefits associated with the conversion of the Indians, the increased Spanish presence in North America, and the advantages for the French population in terms of its agriculture and trade, as well as the tax benefits for Spain. 1 item.

MSS 194. James Stirling Memorandum, March 17, 1813. Sir James Stirling (1791–1865) served as captain of HMS Brazen during the War of 1812. He went on to gain a knighthood and eventually became governor of Western Australia. Memorandum written by Captain James Stirling in London to Lord Viscount Robert Melville, first Lord of the Admiralty, regarding the condition of Louisiana and assessing the possibilities for British invasion. Stirling speculates on the possibility of creating alliances with the French population of New Orleans (p. 5), the Spanish in Pensacola (p. 10), and the Creek Indians (p. 9). 1 item.

MSS 200. Andrew Jackson Collection, 1813–1821. The collection consists of ten letters and a broadside by and about General Andrew Jackson. The letters deal primarily with events surrounding the Battle of New Orleans, and Jackson’s leadership of the Tennessee Militia during the Creek Indian uprising in Mississippi. Also included in the letters is a letter from General Jackson to Nicholas Girod, Mayor of New Orleans, praising the citizens for their “unanimity and public zeal.” The collection also contains a signed list of officers recommended by Jackson for brevet commission for gallant conduct during the New Orleans and Pensacola campaigns. 11 total items.

MSS 209.2. Manuscript account of the Battle at Point Peter, Georgia, February 5, 1841. John Floyd (1769–1839) served in the Creek War as a brigadier general in the First Brigade of Georgia Militia from August 30, 1813, to March 8, 1814, and from October 17, 1814, to March 10, 1815. Manuscript transcription, dated 1841, of an official report and cover letter dated 13 and 16 January 1815 that were addressed to Maj. Gen. Thomas Pinckney, commander of the Southern Division of the United States Army. The cover letter by Brigadier General John Floyd of the Georgia Militia transmitted the report of Captain A. A. Massias, 1st US Rifle Regiment, concerning the British attack on an American battery near Point Peter, Georgia, on 13 January 1815. The transcription was completed and signed by Thomas Pinckney’s nephew, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1812–1899), the executor of his estate. A seal is affixed. 1 item.

MSS 216.98. Mounted photograph of Kerlerec’s treaty with the Tunica Indians, probably 1886.

MSS 255. Wilkinson-Stark Family Papers, 1799–1978. The Wilkinson-Stark Family Papers are divided into two portions, the first of which contains references to Indigenous peoples. It contains letters and documents describing life in the Mississippi territory, as seen through the eyes of the Stark family. In the late l790s, Robert Stark moved his wife and four children from Virginia to Natchez to accept the post of clerk of the Supreme Court of the Mississippi Territory. In his earliest correspondence, ca. 1801, Robert Stark mentions Governor William C. C. Claiborne’s visit to Natchez, and the excitement of a reception in his honor. He describes the clearing of a road that would run through Choctaw country to Nashville, giving an early account of the proposed Natchez Trace. One of his sons, Horatio, was a soldier stationed at Fort Adams, and his letters written between 1807 and 1813 cover such subjects as land speculation, taxes, the Aaron Burr conspiracy, and a trip up the Mississippi through the rapids to a new post at Fort Madison, among “hostile” Indians. See item-level PDF finding aid. 200 total items.

MSS 309. Commission of the Osage Indian Petit Oiseau as a Spanish Captain, May 16, 1794. Printed certificate with manuscript entries and a vignette of a Spanish military officer clasping hands with an Indian chief. These figures represent Spanish colonial governor Luis Héctor, baron de Carondelet, and Petit Oiseau (Little Bird), chief of the Great Osage Nation. The commission certificate also bears the coat of arms of Spain and what is assumed to be Carondelet’s coat of arms. Signed by Luis Héctor, baron de Carondelet; witnessed by Secretary Andres Lopez Armesto. Printed view signed in print by Maverick; emblem signed in print by S. Allardice. 1 item.

MSS 315.3. Receipt for the wages of Jean Favre, translator for the Indians at Fort Tombekbe, April 29, 1755. Certification of payment for services rendered by Jean Favre, interpreter for the Indians at Fort Tombekbe. Issued in New Orleans, signed by Favre, and witnessed by Jean Charles Tizoneaux and François Dimoüy. Registered with the Controller of the Marine, New Orleans, November 14, 1757. Favre was paid by the assistant of the General Treasurer Guillaume Pierre Tavernier. 1 item.

MSS 334. Bernardo de Gálvez letter to Joaquin Ortega, November 15, 1779. In this letter Gálvez acknowledges four letters previously received from Joaquin Ortega and tells Ortega that he has given several orders regarding the transportation of livestock. The order concerns Ybarbo Antonio Gil and Father Juan Pedro Ramirez. The latter must contribute half of a total of 1,000 head of cattle. Ortega in Natchitoches had been awaiting a response from Gálvez, who suggests they should not go to New Orleans but to Nacogdoches (Tex.), and from there bide their time before driving the cattle onward. Additionally, Gálvez asks Ortega about two unnamed Indians assigned to Felix Menchaca and asks that he have them placed in Antonio Ybarbo Gil’s service, adding in a postscript note that enslaved Blacks cannot be delivered because Menchaca and Ybarbo are not going to Nachitoches or Nacodogches. Gálvez asks Ortega to inform him of the expenses incurred by Antonio Ybarbo Gil in preparation for this operation so that he can be paid. Finally, Gálvez thanks Ortega for work performed and for his good behavior. 1 item.

MSS 350. Evaluation of Luis Vilemont Report, May 19, 1799. Francisco Requena and Bernardo Yriarte were Spanish officials assigned to evaluate Luis Vilemont’s reports concerning the development of Louisiana. They concurred with Vilemont that Indians on the borders of Louisiana should be weaned from dependence on the United States and from commerce with British subjects. They urged Spain to protect the otter skin industry and use Louisiana as a buffer against Anglo-American ambitions in Mexico. 1 item.

MSS 429. Andrew Jackson Newspaper Clippings, 1823–1833. This collection consists of newspaper clippings relating to Andrew Jackson. Specific topics include Jackson’s presidential nomination, recognition of the Consul General of Spain, and Creek Indians in Alabama. 4 items.

MSS 429.1. “Civil War in Alabama” article, October 19, 1823.Article entitled: “Civil War in Alabama” mentions disputes between the Creek Indians and some intruders upon their lands. It states that an extract from a letter, published in the New York Mercantile Advertiser—which stated that the Governor of Alabama had ordered out the militia—may not be authentic. 1 item.

MSS 442.5. Report of Explorations in California for Railroad Routes, 1825–1844. Henry Frellsen (1800–1884) was a prominent Danish businessman and the Royal Danish Consul in New Orleans. The report contains both black-and-white and color drawings of North American Indians and gives information on the population, dress and ornaments, modes of worship, antiquities and arts, traditions, superstitions, pictographs, orthography, and more on the Indians of the North American West. Contains pages 9–96. 1 item.

MSS 512. The Bunk Book, 1900–1979. This series consists of the items Bill Russell set aside for a planned book about Bunk Johnson. Materials include photographs, clippings, tickets, advertising fliers, programs, correspondence and other papers, music manuscripts and Russell's own notes. Of interest is a clipping entitled: “Termination and the Oklahoma Indians” by Angie Debo, American Indian (Spring 1955), vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 17–24. 1 item.

MSS 557. The William C. Cook War of 1812 in the South Collection, 1801–1975. This extensive collection of original documents, rare publications, images, and artifacts was gathered over a period of forty years by private collector William C. Cook of Nashville; it was the largest collection of such materials in private hands prior to its acquisition by HNOC. Cook’s collection focuses on the War of 1812 in the South, particularly the Creek War, the war in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Battle of New Orleans. Major General Andrew Jackson, military commander during these events, is well represented, and the collection also includes various important US Army and militia documents, as well as materials concerning the participation of the southern Indian tribes and manuscripts from the British perspective. There are government reports, military manuals and histories, travel accounts, memoirs, scholarly monographs, reference works, and printed ephemera relating to the war and related subjects. Topics include American political history ca. 1800–1820; Anglo-American diplomacy and military policy; Indian ethnohistory of the American Southeast; military genealogy; early histories of the Mississippi and Alabama territories; and maritime history of the Gulf South. Approximately five linear feet, exclusive of library material that includes ca. 600 volumes. See item-level PDF finding aids.  

MSS 561.5. Letter from Roswell Post Johnson to James Monroe, November 7, 1816. Roswell Post Johnson writes to James Monroe, Secretary of State, describing his status as a former army officer and asking to be appointed to the office of Agent for the Creek Nation. Johnson offers a lengthy explanation of why certain government officials, including Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford and Georgia Congressman Richard Henry Wilde, are hostile toward him. Johnson describes the circumstances behind his conflict with Major David E. Twiggs and asserts that Twiggs persuaded Major James Wilde to initiate the duel that resulted in Johnson killing Wilde. 1 item.

MSS 574. Bernard Family Papers, 1780–1900. This collection consists mainly of the legal and business dealings of the Bernard Family—namely Hyacinth, Raymond, Honoré François Xavier, and Pierre—from 1780 to 1900 in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. Hyacinth (or Hiacinthe) Bernard came to New Orleans as a slave trader in 1783. The letters demonstrate the close ties of New Orleans to the Caribbean. Letters of subsequent family members covering the years 1803–1881 document the Bernard family’s land transactions in the Bayou Teche region and their dealings with Indians. See item-level PDF finding aid. 607 total items.

MSS 579.4.44. James Wilkinson bilingual proclamation, July 10, 1805.James Wilkinson (1757–1825) served as a general officer in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He was one of two US commissioners to formally take possession of the Louisiana Purchase, and he subsequently served as commander of military forces in the Gulf South. Wilkinson’s proclamation prohibits travel and trade with the Indian nations on the upper branches of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers without the express permission of Wilkinson. He would make a second, similar proclamation regarding trade the following month, on August 26. Wilkinson was particularly anxious to prohibit trade between the Indians and citizens of foreign countries, so that the United States and its representatives could more fully reap the benefit from this potentially lucrative commerce. 1 item.

MSS 589. Chevalier de Pradel Papers, 1719–1954. Letters from Pradel to his family in Uzerche pertain to business matters; development of the Louisiana colony and of his plantation, Mon Plaisir; the education of his children in France; and the Fort Rosalie massacre (1729). Letters from his widow, Alexandrine de la Chaise de Pradel, pertain to the administration of Pradel’s estate and relations with her daughters in France. Letters of Adelaide Cacqueray de Pradel, widow of Pradel’s son Charles, pertain mostly to the settlement of her husband’s estate and her own financialaffairs. De la Chaise family letters concern the guardianship and maintenance of the Pradel daughters. Other papers reflect Pradel’s financial affairs in France. The collection also contains photographic and typewritten copies of French archival documents regarding the military careers of Pradel and his son, research notes, and printed information about Pradel and colonial Louisiana. Of particular interest are Pradel’s description of the massacre at Fort Rosalie and the later military actions against the Natchez Indians. See item-level PDF finding aid. About 400 items.

MSS 596. Manuscript “Relation du Voyage de la Louisianne ou Nouvelle France fait par Sr. Caillot en l’Annee 1730,” between 1731 and 1758. Marc Antoine Caillot (1707–1758) was a clerk in the employ of the French Company of the Indies (la Compagnie des Indes) Louisiana offices between 1729 and 1731. An unpublished, book-length (about 33,000 words), firsthand description of New Orleans and other French colonial outposts in America, embellished with a series of watercolor illustrations, plans, and maps. The account commences with Caillot’s journey from Paris (on 19 February 1729) to L’Orient, where he embarked on board La Durance, an armed merchantman belonging to the Company of the Indies bound for America. Throughout the voyage, Caillot, an avid amateur naturalist, observes and describes the different species of fish, birds, fruits, and trees he encountered. He also describes the French settlements at Saint-Domingue, Mobile, and New Orleans, where he arrived on 13 July 1729. At the commencement of his “Relation du Mississipy,” Caillot names enumerates military, judiciary, and civil officers in charge of the colony. Caillot also details the native tribes, European enclaves on the Red River and the Mississippi River, and at Biloxi and Mobile. The tribes he discusses include the Chacouchas, Bayagoulas, Yasoux (Arkansas), Missouris, Illinois, and Natchez. Extensive notes (and several large folding maps) concern the bloody conflict between French colonists and the Natchez, especially the massacre at Fort Rosalie (28 November 1729) and its aftermath. Caillot concludes with his re-embarkation from New Orleans on Le Sainte Louis, May 4, 1731. Researchers are required to use reference copy in place of the original documents. See T070918.3068 for photographic copy, or 2005.0011.1 for transcript. HNOC has published a translation of Caillot’s manuscript. See A Company Man: The Remarkable French-Atlantic Journey of a Clerk for the Company of the Indies (New Orleans: HNOC, 2013). 1 item.

MSS 600.14. Twiss Collection of Butler Family Papers, September 29, 1825. Letter from E. G. W. Butler, Augusta, Georgia, to “My beloved Frances,” (Frances Parke Lewis), Woodlawn, Virginia. Butler states he is uncertain when he will next see her. A lieutenant has just returned from the Creek Nation and reports “all quiet.” Butler comments on the events of the day and writes that he is pleased with Lewis’s improvement on the harp, his favorite instrument. 1 item.

MSS 600.16. Twiss Collection of Butler Family Papers, October 31, 1825. Letter from E. G. W. Butler, Broken Accord, Creek Agency, to “My beloved Frances” (Frances Parke Lewis), Woodlawn, Virginia. Butler had spent the day in the Indian Council. General Gaines, appointed commissioner to negotiate with the Creek Nation for their land within Georgia, had offered the Nation $300,000. The Council agreed to sign a paper authorizing their delegation in Washington to agree if judged appropriate. 1 item.

MS 657. Fr. Valentin papers,1748–1761. Fr. Valentin, a Capuchin priest, was the apostolic notary for the Natchitoches Post from about 1755 until 1762. Valentin came originally from the province of Champagne, France. In addition to his duties at Natchitoches, Fr. Valentin provided religious services for local Indians and established a mission for a small settlement of Apalachee Indians on the Red River. These documents are not part of the diocesan records but are personal notes and letters of Fr. Valentin that may have originally been collected for publication. See item-level PDF finding aid.  23 items. 

MSS 693.1. Letter from William Tucker to Jeremiah Tucker, April 18, 1821. William Tucker writes from New Orleans to his brother, Jeremiah Tucker, in Charlton, Massachusetts, discussing the situation of the estate of their brother David Tucker, who died in St. Mary’s, Georgia, in December 1820. William mentions some letters from St. Mary’s and property that David left. He comments that a journey to St. Mary’s would be 700 miles, including 400 miles through country inhabited only by Creek and Seminole Indians. William indicates that he plans to travel by water to Mobile, and then through Alabama and East Florida to St. Mary’s to close the business there, and then go by water from Savannah to Boston. William mentions the mild winter in New Orleans and comments about green peas at the market. He mentions that Asa Hammond has gone about 600 miles up the river to Arkansas, and that Richard Hammond is trading in New Orleans but might go to Arkansas with Asa. 1 item.

MSS 717. Account of voyages to Santo Domingo and Louisiana and a newly discovered country, undated; between 1720 and 1722. Mr. Chevalier de L***, apparently a young officer of the army of the Company of the Indies, authored an unpublished account of his travels to Saint-Domingue, Louisiana, and the Illinois Country in 1720–1721. The first book begins with the writer’s departure in August 1720 and describes his trans-Atlantic journey aboard a company ship sailing from Port-Louis, his layover in St. Domingue, his serious illness aboard the ship, the presence of 90 girls aboard another company cargo ship bound for Louisiana, his arrival at Biloxi in January 1721, his meeting with Bienville and subsequent disappointment regarding a promotion from cadet to first lieutenant, his continuing illness and hospital stay at Biloxi, conditions in the colony, and encounters with local Indians. The author joined an expedition to ascend the Mississippi River to Fort Crevecoeur and the Illinois Country, and he provides an ethnographic picture of the Illinois Indians. He departed with Bernard Diron d’Artaguiette in June of 1721 and returned downriver to New Orleans and Biloxi, where he again became very ill. He returned to service in August 1721 and joined a detachment to the village of the Kapina. He describes their customs and manner of dress, as well as their interactions with the French. The unfinished third book includes his descriptions of Indian customs, and includes ethnographic observations on dress, diet, methods for timekeeping and calculation, as well as their economy, diplomacy, and religious rituals. The work is intellectually arranged in three books, but physically handwritten in six bound notebooks, or cahiers. The notebooks have been digitized. For the purposes of this guide, see notebooks “Second Cayer,” “4me [quatrième] Cayer,” and “6me [sixième] Cayer.” 

MSS 734. Essai sur les moyens de transporter a la Louisiane la Peuplade du Canada en cas qu’on prit le parti de le ceder aux Anglois ou de l’abandonner, November 1758. This unsigned 40-page manuscript is an anonymous proposal for the transfer of Canada’s French-speaking population to Louisiana if France loses or is forced to abandon the territory to the British during the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War). The author estimates that Canada’s current population “may number as many as sixty thousand souls” and suggests that moving them to Louisiana would: first, help prevent England’s spread into the Mississippi Valley; second, allow for the establishment of large-scale agricultural enterprises in Louisiana; third, open new routes for trade; and fourth, expand the beaver-pelt trade (and break the Company of the Indies’ monopoly on said trade). The document shows that the French feared losing Canada in 1758 and suggests that the Crown saw resettlement to Louisiana as a way of preserving its tenuous hold on the Mississippi Valley (these fears were ultimately realized in 1762, when France relinquished all of Canada to the British). The essayist presents 27 possible encouragements that could be used to entice French Canadians to resettle in Louisiana, including freedom of trade with Indians, exemption from taxes, and withdrawal of the Company of the Indies’ exclusive privilege for the importation of beaver pelts. The book has been digitized. 1 item.

MSS 787. Commission of the Indian Espahi of the Talapuche (Tallapoosa) Creek nation, March 27, 1792. A manuscript peace commission between the Spanish government and an Upper Creek Indian of the Talapuche (Tallapoosa) nation. Signed by Governor-General of Louisiana and West Florida, Luis Héctor, baron de Carondelet, the document names the Upper Creek leader, Espahi, “Chief of the Great Medal” and commands “all those in charge of the posts of this province, officers, soldiers, and neighbors . . . as well as to the Indians of his nation and others with whom he comes across to show respect and obey him.” The commission states that Espahi resided in the “village of Decolome,” but this was almost certainly the Creek town of Colome (alternately spelled Kolomi or Colomino), located on the west bank of the Tallapoosa River in the present-day state of Alabama. 1 item.

MSS 797.2. Allen B. Magruder letter to “Dear Sir” regarding the documentation of land claims. Magruder opens his letter with the question of how changes in a country’s sovereignty affects the property rights of its inhabitants. He asserts that the United States is bound by prior settlements with Louisiana’s and Florida’s former colonial regimes as enumerated in various treaties, as well as the customs and experience of the local populations. Thus, properties that might appear to be improperly titled in the eyes of the law may still be validly held according to the customs of the country. Magruder enumerates the different parts of a colonial land grant, starting with the patent or complete grant, which should include a date and a note regarding the way the land was obtained from the government, but which might not in itself document actual occupancy and settlement. He also mentions the order of survey, as well as the survey itself. There is also the “Riquette” or requete, which was the petition for land from the claimant that would usually be endorsed by the local post commandant. He states that documents of land sales, including lands purchased from Indians, must also be considered, and balanced against the other evidence of a claimant’s rights to a particular land parcel. He also mentions cases where land title documents are notated with a confirmatory act. Magruder runs through different permutations of this process and chain of documents in numbered paragraphs, considering the validity of claims submitted under varying circumstances and levels of documentary support. He ends by stating “in my next communication I shall proceed to the Third part of this Enquiry in relation to the claims acquired subsequent to the Change of Sovereignty.” 1 item.

MSS 807.3.10. Letter from Lucius Campbell Duncan to Donath, June 18, 1836. In this letter, Lucius Campbell Duncan defends himself against accusations of neglect. And to discuss prospects and costs for a suit against Nicholson and others regarding payment of notes. He also writes, in response to accusations of failure to respond to Donath, that “many letters in several different mails from this place have been destroyed by Indians.” 1 item. 

MSS 807.4.20. Letter from Donath to Lucius Campbell Duncan, June 13, 1836. Duncan’s letter has not been received. Donath wonders if letters he refers to have been captured by the Indians and asks Duncan to send duplicates. He has received a copy of the opinion of the Supreme Court that will not liberate Nicholson and Elkins from obligation to pay the heirs. 1 item.

MSS 997.2.52 “How We Beat the Creeks,” undated; likely 1980–1989. Poem by Everette Maddox. 1 item.

MSS 1009.7Isaac McKeever papers, 1809-1828. A group of seven publications related to the War of 1812, the Seminole War, and Andrew Jackson, including four Congressional publications with messages from Presidents Monroe and Madison; Report of the Secretary of War, on the Petition of William Linnard, Military Agent for the Middle Department...., 1809; The Light of Truth: an Account of Some of the Deeds of Andrew Jackson, 1828, an Anti-Jackson campaign pamphlet; and The Speech of the Hon. James Tallmadge, Jun. in the House of Representatives on the Seminole War, 1819. 7 items.

SC 1.1.192 E-189: Carlos Laveau Trudeau Land Surveys, October 26, 1798. Survey of a lot measuring 1000 arp. square in the Feliciana District, about four miles east of the Mississippi River, in the “Pasage del Viejo Tonica”: land of the former or old Tonica [Tunica tribe?]. Bounded on the left and below by vacant and King’s land, on the right by land of Hamilton Polock, above by land of Wm. Willkof[?] and Pedro Waker [sic]: Bayou Bingaman runs through the lot. Surveyor: Carlos Trudeau. Vendee: John Eldergill. Includes plan, plat and certificate (copy). 1 leaf; 20.5 x 34 cm. plat 18 x 17 cm. 

SC 1.1.6 A-44: Carlos Laveau Trudeau Land Surveys, April 4, 1803. Survey of land measuring 35 arpents by usual 40 in Bayou dela Fourche de Placaminas. Antonio Lancló purchased this land from Chetimachas Indian chiefs. Surveyor: Rafael Croquer. Vendee: Antonio Lancló. Other Information: Jacovo Chlatre, Chicachas [Chickasaw?] Nation, Champañe (Chief of Chickasaw Nation) Barbara Chlempetre [or, Chlampetre]. Includes plan and plat. 2 leaves; 43 x 32 cm. plat 19.5 x 19.5 cm.