Spanish-Language Manuscript Materials

Since 1519, when the Spanish explorer Alonso Alverez de Pineda led an expedition along the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico and discovered the mouth of the mighty Mississippi, Spanish culture has influenced Louisiana. The Spanish-language manuscript resources in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) at LSU touch upon all these sources of Spanish cultural influence. This guide to these resources includes descriptions of the papers of early colonists, Spanish-speaking people and free people of color in the nineteenth century, and residents of cities and towns like New Orleans and Natchitoches. The documents it describes came from farmers and merchants, writers and artists, women and men, the famous and the anonymous.

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Gayoso de Lemos, Manuel. Papers, 1792-1799. 41 items, 1 microfilm reel. Location: Vault:7, MSS.MF:G. Spanish governor of the Natchez District (1792-1797). Major Stephen Minor was a planter of Natchez, Mississippi. Letters of Manuel Gayoso de Lemos to Major Stephen Minor concerning general administrative issues and personal matters in the closing years of Spanish rule of the Natchez District. Includes a document by Gayoso titled 'Instructions for my commission to the Chocta Nation' (1792) and a proclamation calling for the reestablishment of peace at Natchez (1797). Partly in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 157, 859, 1673, 3099.

Gayoso de Lemos, Manuel. Passport, 1797 June 6. 1 passport. Location: Misc:G. Manuel Gayoso de Lemos was the Spanish Governor of the Natchez District (1792-1797). This passport, issued at Natchez, grants permission for John Orr, Edward Newcom, and William Buchanan to pass unmolested to the United States with seven horses. Form printed in Spanish but completed in English. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4285.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Natchez, Mississippi

Girault, Auguste, ca. 1790-. Papers, 1808-1845. 12 items. Location: Misc., OS:G. Music professor in New Orleans. Girault (earlier known as Giraud) was a native of Nantes, France. Papers include passports, a discharge from military service, and correspondence, among it a letter from Dulisse Alleye recalling two years spent in prison with Girault. In French, one item in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1145.

Gras-Lauzin family. Papers, 1783-1917 (bulk 1783-1866). 1 linear ft. Location: U:267. Don Antonio Gras was an early settler, merchant, and shipper of Baton Rouge and Natchez, Mississippi. Others in the family included Lewis Valentin Foelekel and Dr. Jean Lauzin. Papers include financial records of Antonio Gras and Lewis Foelekel; a thesis of Dr. Jean Lauzin (Paris, 1832); and personal letters from friends of the Lauzin family who lived in France. Collection also includes Civil War letters from Francis F. Palms, a Confederate soldier, and others to Henrietta Lauzin. Some items in the collection are in French and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 5, 893.

Guatemala. Ley De Contribuciones, 1895. 1 ms. vol. Location: M:20. Fair copy of legal codes of Guatemala concerning taxation of legal papers and stamps. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2583.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

Hamilton, William S. Papers, 1780-1930 (bulk 1807-1861). 3 linear ft., 14 manuscript volumes, 16 microfilm reels. Locations: T:81-87, H:21, OS:H, MSS.MF:H. United States Army officer under General Wade Hampton; slave owner and planter of Holly Grove Plantation, West Feliciana Parish; and politician who served on the first board of trustees for the College of Louisiana and a term in the Louisiana Legislature. While most papers pertain to William S. Hamilton's social, political, and professional life, some papers also pertain to John Hamilton (William S.'s father) and the children of William S. and Eliza C. Hamilton. Papers reflect the administration of United States Army troops in the Territory of Orleans and Mississippi and give an inclusive picture of national and Louisiana politics. Included are descriptions of Southern college facilities and curricula and early medical treatments in hydropathy (hydrotherapy). The papers also document conditions in the United States Army during the Mexican War, land speculation in Texas, and various aspects of plantation life and economy (including purchasing and treatment of slaves). Part of the George M. Lester Collection. Mss. 1209.

Hamilton-Barrow Family Papers, 1781-1965. 0.3 linear ft. Location UU:253. Financial papers, legal documents, and correspondence of Bennett I. (James) Barrow, a plantation owner in West Feliciana Parish, and his descendents. Documents concern land claims and disputes in West Feliciana Parish, while personal correspondence pertains to family history, and includes letters during both the Civil War and World War II. Also included are original land claims signed by Governors Miró and Carondelet. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4458.

Hardin, J. Fair, 1893-1940. Collection, 1718-1939. 2,225 items, 17 vols. Location: S-29-36, P-2, 78:66, OS:H, Map Cage, 98:H, Vault:3, Mss.Mf:H. Shreveport attorney, vice president of the Louisiana Historical Society, and author of historical articles and a three-volume history of Northwest Louisiana. Collection contains correspondence, articles, copies of speeches, research materials and related papers pertaining to historical sites or events. Included are Civil War letters, Confederate money and notes, and research notes on the Red River campaign. Also included are two bound manuscript volumes: J. W. Sims letter book (1863-1864) and a minute book (1904-1911). Earlier materials relate to Indian agents and the Caddo Indians in northwest Louisiana and settlement and land claims in the area. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1014.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Civil War, French, Jewish Community

Hart-Bonnecaze-Duncan Family Papers, 1775-1949 (bulk 1840-1875, 1905-1940). 2 linear ft., 2 mf reels. Location: T:18, OS:H, Mss.Mf:B. Baton Rouge families related by marriage. Leon Bonnecaze was a businessman and French consular agent; Samuel Hart was the first chief of the Baton Rouge Fire Department; Robert Hart served as Baton Rouge mayor in 1898-1902. Papers include correspondence and writings; legal records; financial records; ephemera; sheet music; and photographs. Papers provide some information on civilian conditions in the Civil War and on the Baton Rouge Fire Department. Partly in French and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3371, 4208.

Hero, Andrew J., Jr. b. 1839. Family Papers, 1829-1905 (bulk 1840-1890). 1.1 linear ft. (599 items, 2 ms. Vols., 4 printed vols.). Location: U:160, O:1, OS:H. Captain in the Washington Artillery of the Confederate army, and land owner and agent in Louisiana and Texas. Papers include correspondence, financial, professional, and political papers and photographs that document Hero's career and personal life. Includes some items in Spanish and in French. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reels 7-8. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 976, 977, 994, 1030, 1039.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Civil War, French

Hicky, Daniel and Philip. Papers, 1667, 1762-1846 (bulk 1814-1815). 33 items, 1 microfilm reel. Location: U:103, OS:H, Vault:1, Vault:8, MSS.MF:H. Planters of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Papers of Daniel Hicky include a land grant, a deed, and a passport. Papers of Philip Hicky mostly pertain to his involvement in the West Florida Rebellion and the Battle of New Orleans. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 720.

Hicky, Philip and Family. Papers, 1769-1901 (bulk 1769-1835). 20 items, 1 letter file book, 1 microfilm reel. Location: VAULT:8, OS:H, MSS.MF:H. Planter and colonel of East Baton Rouge Parish. Unbound and bound (in a letter file book) personal and official papers of Philip Hicky and the Hicky family. Papers pertain chiefly to the West Florida controversy and the Battle of New Orleans but also pertain to family matters and family history of the Hicky family. Some items pertain to the Walsh and Morgan families. Mss. 2007, 2035.

Hillin, James. Document, 1791. 1 item. Location: Misc. Planter in the District of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Will of James Hillin, planter in the District of Baton Rouge, La., and the attestation.. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 179.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Plantations, Baton Rouge

Hispanic American Collection. 1550-1942 (bulk 1760-1885), undated. 5 linear ft. Location: C:19-23, OS:H. Court transcripts, personal and business correspondence, poetry and plays, newspapers, legal documents, inventories, mining reports, military records, and recipes of the colonial and national periods of Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico. In Spanish. Part of the George De Forest collection. Mss. 1350.

Huguet, Adolphe H. (Adolphe Hiram), 1837-1928, Family Papers, 1850-1973. 13 items; 1 microfilm reel. Location: UU:255, OS:H, Mss. Mf.:H. Related families of Adolphe H. Huguet and William S. Pike were influential in the economy and politics of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Papers include scrapbooks, correspondence, death notices, photographs, legal papers, and other materials relating to the Huguet and Pike families in Louisiana, as well as to their relatives living in Spain and France. Some items in French and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3805.

Innerarity, John. Papers, 1800-1854. 48 items. Location: B:50. Vice Consul of France at Pensacola, Florida, and a member of the firm John Forbes and Company, which engaged in trade with Native Americans along the Gulf Coast. Correspondence documents shipment of goods, accounts, and purchases of slaves for a plantation in Georgia.Letters relating to Innerarity's French consular service (1835-1853) discuss land claims, political appointments, and the Mexican War. Some items in French and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1271, 1273.

Johnson, William T and family. Papers, 1793-1937 (bulk 1830-1870). 6 linear ft., 54 volumes. Location: U:161-162, O:71-73, 65:, OS:J African American barber and planter of Natchez. Personal papers, commercial records, diaries, and music of the Johnson family reflecting the condition of cultured and educated free persons of color both before and after the Civil War. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 4, Reels 1-6. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 529, 561, 597, 770, 926, 1093.

Jorda, Jayme. Document, 1794. 1 item. Location: Misc. Bill of sale for slaves sold by Jayme Jorda to Patricio Walsh in New Orleans, La.. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 193.

Kemberling, John. Papers, 1792-1820. 19 items. Location: C:30. Official documents filed in the case of John Kemberling and his sister Barbara against John Gaynor, their step-father, relative to ownership of land in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Partly in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 132, 133.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Women

Key Ayala, Santiago. Papers, 1926-1927. 1 item, 1 pamphlet. Location: Misc. 'Los Nombres de las Equinas de Caracas' by Santiago Key Ayala: an imprint relating to the folklore of Venezuela and a presentation letter to his friend Professor W. T. Morrey. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2409.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

Kleinpeter, George and family. Papers, 1804-1918 (bulk 1824-1890). 0.3 linear ft., 1 microfilm reel. Location: B:40, OS:K, MSS.MF:K. Farmer of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. He and Augustine Daigre married about 1830 and had at least four children, William, George Augustin, Alice, and Josephine. Papers include Civil War letters from William and George Augustin to their mother; legal documents; and miscellaneous family papers. Some items in French and Spanish. Also available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 11. For further information see online catalog. Mss. 864, 1029.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Civil War, Baton Rouge, French

Kleinpeter, George, John, and family. Papers, 1786-1911. 32 items. Location: 7:57. The Kleinpeter family emigrated from Germany and eventually settled in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, where they were farmers. Photocopies of family documents belonging to the George and John Kleinpeter families of Louisiana. These include survey maps, land grants, land transfers, birth and death records, estate papers, receipts, and miscellaneous items. The Sharp family is also mentioned as they relate to the Kleinpeters. Mss. 4897.

Kneeland, G. C. Document, 1809. 1 item. Location: Misc.:K. Resident of Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Certification of G.C. Kneeland of Feliciana Parish, La., pertaining to payment for professional services rendered by Vicente Sebastian Pintado, general surveyor. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 133.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

La Villebeuvre, Jean Ursin and Family. Papers, 1803-1917, undated (bulk 1840-1880). 1.75 linear ft. Location: W: 91-93, J:4, OS:L. Jean Ursin La Villebeuvre and his son, Elie Farault La Villebeuvre, were commission merchants in New Orleans, Louisiana. The collection includes the Papers of the La Villebeuvre family and the related Jourdain, Peytavin, Gray, Forstall, Roman, Peters, Toledano, and Hyman families of New Orleans and St. James Parish. Contents include business and legal records, account books, family letters, personal papers, and photographs. Mss. 812, 1208. 

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.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Acadiana, French

Land grants memorandum, 1786-1800. 1 item. Location: Misc:A. An unsigned memorandum, with a typed translation, concerns lands grants issued to Maurice and Guillermo Conway in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Alternate title: Anonymous memorandum. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 721.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

Landry, Francois. Document, 1782. 1 item. Location: Misc. Survey of property of Francois Landry in St. James Parish, Louisiana, and certification signed by Carlos Trudeau. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 211.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

Leche, Richard W. Papers, 1804, 1889-2008, undated. Approximately 100 linear ft., 155 volumes. Location: 80:-81:, 85:, 98:L, MAP CAGE, OS:L, VAULT:1, VAULT:21, VAULT MRDF 15. Orleans Parish native and 44th governor of Louisiana from 1936-1939. Collection is comprised of Leche's gubernatorial papers, which include chiefly office files of correspondence and a variety of printed materials; pre-gubernatorial and gubernatorial campaign papers; post-gubernatorial papers; and a variety of other materials, in large part photographic items and scrapbooks, spanning the three aforementioned eras. Collection also includes papers of Elton Reynolds Leche and Richard W. Leche, Jr. Mss. 2060.

López, Manuel. Papers, 1802-1835. 0.3 linear ft. Location: U:211, OS:L. Planter of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, superintendent of the Spanish royal warehouse in New Orleans, and Justice of the Peace of East Baton Rouge Parish. Papers of Manuel López, a description of the boundaries of Distrito de la Feliciana (1802), and an inventory of the department of forts. Also included is the will of Juan Perez. In Spanish with English translations. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 721.

Louisiana State Lottery collection, 1840-1905 (bulk 1879-1890). .3 linear ft. Location: OS:L. Incorporated in 1868, the Louisiana State Lottery Company operated in New Orleans until ca. 1894 when it relocated to Honduras. It was broken up by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1906. Collection includes letters received, order and remittance forms, lottery tickets, lists of prizes awarded, broadsides, publications, and newspaper advertisements; Anti-lottery League of Louisiana memorabilia; and imprints from out-of-state lotteries. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 854.

Magruder, W.H. Nathaniel, Papers, 1921-1963. 0.3 linear feet. Location: 50:15, OS:M. Correspondence and other records related to W.H. Nathaniel Magruder's management of Central Hershey sugar refinery in Cuba. The records document Magruder's relationships within the larger management structure and his experience with organized labor interests. Mss. 3915.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Sugar, Politics, Business

Mahon, Thomas. Document, 1808 February 25. 1 item. Location: Misc.:M. A true copy of a land title, in Spanish, describing the land held in the estate of Thomas Mahon, Feliciana Parish, La. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 668.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

Mandeville, Francisca D. Document, 1798. 1 item. Location: Misc:M. Widow of Don Antonio de Marigny Mandeville of New Orleans. Inventory, a notarized copy in Spanish, of property held by Francisca Dupard Mandeville, widow of Don Antonio de Marigny Mandeville of New Orleans. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 128.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Women

Marigny, Francoise Delisle Duparc. Document, 1798. 1 item. Location: Misc. :M. Inventory (notarized copy) of property of Francisca Dupard Mandeville, widow of Don Antonio de Marigny Mandeville, New Orleans. In Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 128.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, New Orleans to 1861, Women

Martin, Wade O., Scripts. 4 items. Louisiana Secretary of State. Radio broadcast scripts and cover letters signed by Wade O. Martin. The broadcast scripts discuss the sesquicentennial observance of the Louisiana Purchase. The scripts include manuscript annotations by Martin, who sent scripts and cover letters to L. T. Longmire of Alexandria, Louisiana. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4672.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

Martínez, John J. (Juan José). Letter, 1841 Dec. 21. 1 item. Location: Misc.:M. Letter from Martinez to A. L. Granssues de Greno of Natchitoches, La., requests a marriage license for his daughter. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1464.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish

McKowen-Lilley-Stirling Family. Papers, 1797-1921 (bulk 1877-1901). 829 items (on microfilm). Location: MSS.MF:M. Thomas William Lilley founded Springfield Plantation in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. His daughter Edith married John Stirling. John McKowen, an Irish immigrant, was a resident of Jackson, Louisiana. Papers include Lilley-Stirling legal documents and financial papers; McKowen family correspondence; and legal papers, and medical correspondence of John C. MacKowen, a Louisiana physician. Other papers relate to McKowen's property in Anacapri, Italy. Some items in Spanish, Italian, French, and German. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4356.

Meullion family. Papers, 1776-1906 (bulk 1776-1866). 0.2 linear ft., 1 microfilm reel. Location: U:230, OS:M, MSS.MF:M. Free African American family of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Louis Augustin Meullion and his son Jean Baptiste (whose mother was a slave) were slaveholders; the son owned a plantation on Bayou Teche. Collection includes slave bills of sale, land sales, and other financial records; manumission papers for Maria Juana and her son Baptiste Meuillon; and an amnesty oath taken in 1865 by Miss Belazaire Meuillon. In French, English, and Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 243, 294.

Mexican Army Company record, 1846, 1876-1880. 1 vol. [on microfilml]. Location: Mss. Mf.:M. Day-by-day record of absentees from the 3rd Permanent Infantry Regiment of the Mexican Army at Guadalupe, Mexico, for hospitalization, desertion, and jail terms; and a day-by-day record of visits with patients and fees for services of Dr. Curry. Partly in Spanish. For further information, see onine catalog. Mss. 1879.

Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Medicine

Miangolarra, Juan. Papers, 1836-1916. 61 items, 1 vol. Location: C:54, OS:M. Native of Spain and a resident of Havana, Cuba, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Papers contain information concerning Miangolarra's activities as commander of the Spanish Cazadores of New Orleans and the Louisiana Defendera, battalions of the Louisiana militia volunteers in the Confederacy. In Spanish. For further information, see onine catalog. Mss. 1184, 1216.

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