Manuscript Resources on The History of Education

Paxson, Charles, died 1880. A slave girl from New Orleans carte-de-visite, circa 1864. 1 photograph. Location: MISC:S. Charles Paxson was a photographer in New York during the 1860s. He created carte-de-visite photographs and was one of a few photographers who took photographs of emancipated slaves for Major General Nathaniel P. Banks' campaign to raise funds for emancipated slaves in Louisiana. The carte-de-visite, titled "A Slave Girl from New Orleans" (1864), features the image of a very Caucasian looking African American, Rebecca, from New Orleans. Rebecca was a recently emancipated slave of her white father from New Orleans. New Orleans was under the command of the Union Army's Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. Rebecca was one of eight slaves from New Orleans to tour the North and raise funds for Banks' work in Louisiana. Carte-de-visites, like this one, were sold to raise that money and the back of the carte-de-visite states the sales money was "devoted to the education of colored people in the department of the Gulf." Mss. 5102.

A. M. & J. C. Dupont (Firm). Account books, 1887-1933. 78 vols. Location: L:16-20. Retail and wholesale merchants of Houma, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. Directors of the firm included Albert M. Dupont, Sr., Ernest D. Dupont, Julius Dupont, and Lawrence H. Dupont. Records include daily accounts of sales; current and monthly customer accounts; records of purchases and other expenses; out-of-date and unpaid accounts; records of profits and losses; payroll records; and check book stubs and cancelled checks. Included in the miscellaneous volumes are minutes to meetings of the Parish Sunday School Association of Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 511.

Abstract of wages paid to teachers employed in city colored schools, Memphis, Tennessee, 1864 December. 1 item. Location: Misc:A. Abstract signed by T. A. Walker, captain, 63rd United States Colored Infantry, listing wages to teachers in African American schools in Memphis, Tennessee, administered by the Freedman's Department during the Union occupation. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3092.

Ada C. Pollock-Blundon Association letter, 1929 Dec. 10. 1 item. Location: MISC:A. The Blundon School and Orphanage reportedly had its beginnings at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge. Signed by Gertrude Snell Brown thanking Mr. Edgar M. Hurlburt for his contribution to their organization. She reports on the number of children enrolled in the home and the seven day schools, as well as the work done on the new nursery. Mss. 4905.

Agramonte, Aristides. Notebook, undated 1 ms. vol. Location: M:18. Notebook containing notes on grammar, philosophy, jurisprudence, rhetoric, mathematics, and agriculture; and a series of questions and answers. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 974.

Allen, William M. Correspondence, 1858-1863. 22 items. Location: E:3. Farmer of Holmesville, Pike County, Mississippi. His sister, Letty, and her husband, John Houston, owned a farm in Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana. William and his brother Felix were Confederate soldiers in the Mississippi Volunteers. Pre-Civil War letters from Houston discuss farming conditions, his advocacy of secession, and local social events. Civil War letters to Allen describe skirmishes in Kentucky and Louisiana, and war news such as the shelling of Port Hudson, Louisiana. Family affairs, illness and remedies, and attendance at the New Orleans School of Medicine are other topics in the letters. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 1. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 701, 2287.

American Association of University Women. Baton Rouge Branch. Records, 1951-1994 (bulk 1980-1993). 2 linear ft., 3v. Location: UU:113. Official papers of the Baton Rouge Branch of the American Association of University Women during the presidency of Mrs. May Lee Denham. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 666.

American Association of University Women. Louisiana State Division. Records, 1925-1941. 1,167 items, 1 ms. Vol., 45 printed vols. Location: UU:1-4. Official records consisting of correspondence, annual reports, programs, and related printed materials from presidents and committee chairmen of branches in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Lafayette, Natchitoches, Ruston, and Shreveport, Louisiana. Included are mimeographed and printed material from A.A.U.W. National Headquarters. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 666.

American Association of University Women. Louisiana State Division. Records, 1948-1957. 36 items, 5 pamphlets. Location: UU:4. Records include a brief history of the association by Mrs. C. C. Henson, copies of bylaws, programs for annual meetings, letters from the general director, and association journals. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1486.

Amite County Record Book, 1851-1864, 1879, 1895. 1 ms. Vol. Location: M:21. Records of the appointed trustees of the Common Schools for District No. 2 in Amite County, Mississippi. Reports from various schools list name of parents, name and age of scholar, and amounts drawn from the public fund. Some minutes are included. For further information online catalog. Mss. 6.

Amite River Academy. Circular, 1879. 1 item. Location: EPHEMERA COLLECTION SUBGROUP V. Located in Grangeville, Louisiana. Printed circular for the Amite River Academy giving descriptive information about the school and the program for the closing exercises of the Intermediate Examination. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 7.

Anderson, Dupuy H. Papers, 1935-1996 (bulk 1958-1963). 0.3 linear ft. Location: W:97, OS:A. Baton Rouge dentist and civil rights activist. Collection consists of correspondence, photographs, political speeches, and printed items that relate to his personal and public life. Papers focus on his community service, candidacy for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish, and his involvement in the integration of East Baton Rouge Parish public schools. Mss. 5114.

Anderson, John Q. Manuscript, LOUISIANA SWAMP DOCTOR,1836-1970 (`bulk 1836-1853, 1930-1958). 352 items. Location: C:76. Writer and professor of English, University of Houston, Texas. Manuscript of Louisiana Swamp Doctor; The Writings of Henry Clay Lewis, Alias 'Madison Tensas, M.D.', edited by John Q. Anderson. (Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1962) and related correspondence and research notes. It also contains succession records for the estate of Henry Clay Lewis (1853).For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2156.

Anderson, John Q. Papers, ca. 1930-1990. 3 linear ft. Location: C:76-78, W:8, 7:51-52, OS:A. Writer and professor of English, University of Houston, Texas. Papers documenting Anderson's teaching career and writings. Includes reprints of articles, copies of typescripts of his Louisiana Swamp Doctor, and research materials for Kate Stone's diary, published as Brokenburn. Included are other writings on folklore and history, research materials of his wife Loraine Epps Anderson, and materials documenting their involvement with the Texas Folklore Society. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2162.

Anderson, John Q., Papers, 1848-1993 (bulk 1953-1973). 7.5 linear ft., 5 v. Location: X:119-125, OS:A, P:17. John Q. Anderson was a professor of English and a writer of Southern history and folklore. This collections of files, correspondence, printed material, and photographs reflect Anderson's career, current events; and they provide research material for his publications, particularly "Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate Stone, 1861-1868" and "Louisiana Swamp Doctor: The Life of Henry Clay Lewis". For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2156, 2162.

Anderson, William H. Letter, 1845 July 19. 1 letter. Location: Misc.:A. William H. Anderson in New Hope, an extinct town in Dallas County, Ala., writes Jesse W. Norris of Pickens Court House, Ala., telling how he had just traveled to several schools for young women in southern Alabama conducting examinations and attending school conventions. He also speculates on his undecided future plans. Mss. 3964.

Anonymous Civil War letter, 1863. 1 item. Location: Misc:A Letter from a teacher in North Carolina to his parents in Richmond, Virginia, telling of his work as a mechanic in order to avoid the Confederate conscript law. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1452.

Anonymous commercial journal, 1836 July-August. 1 volume. Location: M:18. Journal belonging to a son of a New Orleans, Louisiana commission merchant, probably a schoolboy. Day-to-day entries made while he was working in his father's firm describe business transactions, office duties, and bank affairs; and record personal observations, descriptions of merchandise, and a few local incidents. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2168.

Anonymous French language notebook, circa 1850. 1 volume. Location: C:45. Notebook containing French grammar notes and catechism questions. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 893.

Anonymous geometry notebook, circa 1850. 1 volume. Location: C:45. Notebook containing geometric problems and definitions. In French. For further information, see online Mss. 552.

Anonymous mathematics notebook, 1827-1829, 1892. 1 volume. Location: C:45. Mathematics notebook containing rules and examples, and also copies of poems. 'Madisonville Brick and Ship Yards, March 4, 1829' is written on the margin of a page. For further information see online catalog. Mss. 893.

Anonymous physics notebook, circa 1850-1880. 1 volume. Location: F:2. Notebook containing notes of lectures on physics and cosmography. In French. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 86.

Appleton, H. Diary, 1875-1876. 1 ms. vol. Location: Misc.:A. H. Appleton was an LSU student and cadet. His diary describes the life of an LSU student. It discusses his classes and professors, as well as his social and personal life. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4804.

Applewhite, Cornelia. Papers, 1877-1878, 1924-1925, undated 3 items, 2 ms. Vols., 2 printed vols. [on microfilm]. Location: Mss. Mf.:A. Student at Whitworth Female College, Brookhaven, Mississippi. Two notebooks containing entries on basic subjects; lists of students; and biographical and genealogical notes. Also included are a printed song book (1877); a printed volume on the history of Sarepta (1924-1925); and three pictures. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3498.

Arbour, Sidney V. Jr. Family Papers, [1855] 1900-2011. 5.75 linear ft. Location: X:27-32, OS:A. Prominent Baton Rouge, La., resident, WWII veteran and realtor. Personal papers, business and legal papers, printed material, and photographs pertain to the personal activities and business affairs of the allied Arbour Bahlinger, Kornmeyer, and Wilbert families of Louisiana. Topics include student life, WWII, oil leases, Baton Rouge real estate, volunteerism, and genealogy. Mss. 5075.

Arceneaux, William. Papers, 1964-2007 (bulk 1972-2007). 15 linear feet and 20 volumes. Locations: 4:36, 4:43, 110:4-11, OS:A, Vault:2. Louisiana higher education official. Papers consist of correspondence, business papers, photographs, printed items, and scrapbooks related to the professional, civic, and personal activities of William Arceneaux. A small amount of correspondence is in French and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog Mss. 4107.

Arndt, Hilda C. M., interviewee. Oral history interview, 1993. 1 sound cassette (45 minutes), Transcript (8 pages). Location: L:4700.0320. Faculty member of LSU's School of Social Work. Arndt discusses her decision to enter social work; her education and career before coming to LSU; the impact of World War II on day care for children; and the LSU School of Social Work faculty, students' curriculum and field experiences, and enrollment. Arndt also describes her professional activities and honors received; and compares schools of social work at Tulane and LSU. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4700.0320.

Ashley-Cooper, Anthony. Letters, 1829-1890. 14 items. Location: Misc.:A. English philanthropist and social reformer, and seventh Earl of Shaftesbury. Letters, largely social, include a defense of the 'Ragged Schools' for children of the poor. Mss. 1350.

Aswell, James B. Papers, 1892-1959 (bulk 1909-1931). 3 linear ft. (1,301 items; 18 ms. v.). Location: U:172-174, OS:A, G:1, 98:A, Vault:38. Educator and U.S. congressman. Materials pertain principally to Aswell's political career and Louisiana politics; World War I; and post-war European conditions. Included are diaries documenting Aswell's official missions to Europe and scrapbooks on his career as an educator. Diary #4 discusses the presence of Jews in Poland following WWI. Notable individuals mentioned include Huey Long, John M. Parker, Gaston Porterie, Herbert Hoover, and Al Smith. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1408, 1426, 1468, 1483, 1620, 1621.

Aswell, James B., Jr. and Family. Papers, 1868-1961, undated (bulk 1930-1955). 9.75 linear, 22 manuscript volumes. Locations: 79:85-90, G:17, N:10, OS:A, T:103-106, Vault:1. Novelist, syndicated columnist, political writer, and Louisiana State Director of Public Relations (1940-1942) from Natchitoches, Louisiana. Papers contain correspondence, political materials, printed materials, photographs, and manuscript volumes relating to the careers and personal lives of James B. Aswell, Jr. and James B. Aswell, Sr. Mss. 2453.

Badon, Robert, 1896-1998, interviewee. Oral history interview, 1995. 1 sound cassette (1.25 hours), transcript ( 41 p.). Location: L:4700.00555. Robert Badon was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana and educated in St. Martinville. He worked as a New Orleans public service employee, a county agent, and a school teacher. He was a veteran of World War I and graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in agriculture in 1918. Badon discusses early life and education in St. Martinville, his experiences as a cadet at LSU, as a county agent, and as a teacher, coach, and principal. He tells of anthrax vaccinations, introduction of fertilizer in sugar cane farming, and the spead of information in rural areas. He also relates his four months of military duty during WWI and a visit by Theodore Roosevelt to Iberia Parish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4700.00555.

Bain, Emily Johnston. Papers, 1757-2002, (bulk 1940-2000). 4.25 linear ft. Location: 106:5-6. Louisiana artist and educator who served as a Home Demonstration agent to the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and as Louisiana State Supervisor of Art for the Department of Education in addition to her teaching career. Papers comprise materials related to her education and career as a teacher and artist in Louisiana and Texas. Records include Bain’s genealogical research, autobiographical and creative writing, photographs, slides, correspondence, printed materials, ephemera, and clippings. Mss. 5172.

Baker, Neiu A. Letters, 1860. 2 letters. Location: Misc. Neiu A. Baker, a schoolteacher in Downsville, La., writes to his wife, S.J. Baker, in Longstreet, N.C., discussing her canceled trip to Louisiana; their daughter Emma in North Carolina; the land, people, and climate in and around Downsville and Union Parish; his wish to leave his teaching job for further education; and her family's reluctance to see her leave North Carolina. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4009.

Balque, Joseph. Document, 1848. 1 item. Location: Misc.:B Document (certified copy) appointing Joseph Balque, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, natural tutor to his children. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 21.

Banes, Alexander. Alexander and Nannie I. Banes Family Papers, 1888-1990. 1.3 linear ft. Location: U:252, OS:B. African American family of Waco, Texas. Collection includes photographs, correspondence, writings, and legal and financial papers. Some materials document Nannie Bane's work as a teacher in North Texas. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4392.

Barker, Bruce M. Papers, 1966-1987. 13 volumes. Location: 43:7. Physicist and assistant professor at Louisiana State University. Papers include bound research notes and offprints of articles. Topics include super-dense matter; quantum electrodynamics and quantum field theory, and general relativistic spin precession of gyroscopes and binary pulsars. Mss. 4169. 

Barrow, Cordelia Johnson, 1816-1845. Family papers, 1834-1894. 9 letters, 1 eulogy. Location: 19:10. Cordelia Johnson Barrow was the daughter of Philo S. Johnson and Anna Maria Johnson of Watertown, New York. She was educated at Mrs. Willard's Academy for Young Ladies in Troy, New York. Following her graduation, she took a teaching position in Camden, South Carolina. Later, she met her husband, Wylie Micajah Barrow, in St. Francisville, Louisiana, when she was hired as a tutor for the Barrow family. The Cordelia Johnson Barrow family papers contain correspondence from Cordelia Johnson Barrow and her descendants. The letters are generally written from either Louisiana or Watertown, New York. Included in the papers is a letter from Martha Johnson Robertson Barrow to her grandmother, Martha Johnson Pope, regarding the family's flight from Baton Rouge to Tickfaw, La., after their Baton Rouge home was taken by the Union Army. There is a eulogy for Cordelia Johnson Barrow written by an unknown author and two letters from Cordelia Johnson Barrow to her family regarding her experience traveling to South Carolina when she was a teacher. These letters describe her "dangerous" trip, including a description of New York City, the steamboat ride, yellow fever outbreaks, the railroad, and the swamp. There is also a letter from Martha Johnson Robertson Barrow to her daughter, Leila, that includes advice on home medical remedies, and a letter from an unknown brother to his sister telling of a bad storm in Baton Rouge. Mss. 5101.

Batchelor family papers, 1852-1922. 124 items (on microfilm). Location:Mss. Mf.:B. Papers are comprised of family letters, plantation and business papers, family succession papers, and material related to an Episcopal Church. A letter from Sarah E. Archer describes a Jewish wedding, ca. 1901. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1293.

Batchelor, Ruth Ker. Batchelor-Nutt collection, 1835-1960. 24 items, 2 vols. Location: B:46, F:16. James Batchelor was a planter and legislator of Amite County, Mississippi. Rushwell Nutt, his father-in-law, of Laurel Hill Plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi, was a planter, physician, scientist, and world traveler. Collection includes papers, photographs, and ephemera of the Nutt and Batchelor families and the Davenport family of Louisiana. Letters include local and family news, and one letter describes teaching in Texas schools. Included are trade card scrapbooks of 19th century companies, and an article (1960) on Beech Grove Plantation in Amite County, Mississippi. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3018.

Baton Rouge Scenes, c. 1920-1930. 14 items. Location: 111:1. Picture cards of various scenes from Baton Rouge, La., including the capitol building and Louisiana State University. For further information see online catalog. Mss. 4999.