Manuscript Resources on The Sugar Industry

A. Ledoux and Company. Record book, 1856-1857. 1 volume (110 pages). Location: W:53. Plantation record book kept by Samuel Leigh and Lewis F. Pulliam, overseers of the sugar plantation owned by A. Ledoux and Company, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 1, Reel 9. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 964.

Acadia Plantation records, 1809-2004 (bulk 1940-1979). 49 linear ft., 30 volumes, 8 rolls. Location: 93:7-30; J:4; 75:; MAP CAGE (UNNUMBERED CASE); 1 NORTH (ON TOP OF MICROFILM CABINET). A working sugar plantation, Acadia Plantation of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana is comprised of three major properties originally known as Acadia Plantation, St. Brigitte Plantation, and Evergreen Plantation. It was acquired in 1875 by Edward J. Gay, became the residence of Representative Andrew and Mrs. Anna Gay Price. Records are comprised of correspondence, financial and legal documents, printed items, volumes, maps, plats, and photographs. Papers document business and legal affairs of the plantation owners and operators, as well as plantation operations such as sugar cane farming, the crops of tenant farmers on the property, and the planning and development of the plantation lands throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Mss. 4906.

Allendale Plantation Records, 1900-1996. 12 v. Location: 6:64-65, U:1. Henry Watkins Allen, the 17th governor of Louisiana established Allendale sugar plantation in West Baton Rouge Parish. In 1882, John and Martin James Kahao purchased the plantation, and their family successfully operated the plantation for most of the 20th century. The collection contains correspondence, minutes, labor records, and financial and legal documents. Papers also include brief histories of Allendale Plantation and the Kahao family. Photographs are comprised of family members, plantation buildings, plantation workers, and the cane fields. Mss. 3824.

Allyn, William B. Letter, 1862 Nov. 25. 1 item. Location: Misc:A. William B. Allyn was a Federal officer serving in Louisiana during the Civil War. Written from Camp Stevens, near Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, Allyn's letter describes the surrounding countryside, the Federal policy toward captured Confederate sugar, and social relations with local planters. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2941.

American sugar refinery picture postcard, 1909. 1 item. Location:Misc.:A. Colored postcard of the American Sugar Refinery of Chalmette, La. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3625.

American Sugar Cane League. Letters. 1982 May 7-10. 2 items. Location: Misc:A. Advocacy group for American sugar producers. Letters signed by Kenneth H. Kahao as president of the league. One is addressed to President Ronald Reagan and expresses appreciation for his decision to impose import quotas on sugar. The other informs league members of Reagan's proclamations. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3631.

Andry, M. T. (Michel Thomassin), 1811-ca. 1871. Family Papers, 1840-1882 (bulk 1858-1879). 0.3 linear ft. (199 items). Location: UU:66. Sugar planter of St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes, Louisiana, and resident of New Orleans. Collection includes correspondence and legal and financial papers. Letters received by Andry's daughter Rosa from his sons describe their participation in the Battle of Shiloh, campaigns in Kentucky, and skirmishes at Camp Beauregard in the Civil War. Partly in French. Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 1. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1318.

Anonymous sugar house record book, circa 1880-1890. 1 volume. Location: F:2. Sugar house record book published by Jas. Buckley and Company, New Orleans, La., presumably to be used at Houmas Plantation, Ascension Parish, La. On the cover is a printed label: 'Sugar House Results--Houmas.' Record book is blank except for one short entry on the first page. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 48.

Anonymous sugar house record book (B), 1917-1919. 1 volume. Location: F:2. Record book of a sugar house contains production charts and inventories. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 410.

Ashland Plantation record book, 1852. 1 vol. Location: M:19. W. C. Wade was an overseer of Ashland Plantation, Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Ashland Plantation was owned by the sugar planter and politician, Duncan Farrar Kenner (1813-1887). Record book containing daily entries which describe activities on Ashland Plantation. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 1, Reel 13. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 534.

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.

Baldwin & Co. Records, 1879-1928. 7 vols. Location: G:22. Plantation store of Old Johnson Plantation in Baldwin, Louisiana. Ledgers, receipt book, payroll accounts, and records of cane produced for John Baldwin and Baldwin & Co. Available on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 3, Reel 4. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4597.

Barrow, Bartholomew, 1836-1869. Family collection of sheet music, 1848-1891 (bulk 1861-1874). 4 items, 3 vols. Location: Range 65. Planter of Eldorado Plantation, a sugar plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Collection of bound and loose vocal and piano sheet music collected by Barrow and his family. Some compositions in French, German, and Italian. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1379.

Bennett, George W. Account books and papers, 1838-1917. 16 linear ft., 346 vols. Location: W:71-87, 89; O:6-13; OS:B. Merchant, postmaster, sugar and cotton planter of Rapides Parish, Louisiana. Papers records comprised of correspondence, ledgers, daybooks, journals, receipts, leases, agreements, labor contracts with freedmen, invoice books, record books, stock inventories, and other items relating to Bennett's commercial interests. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1010.

Berbice Colony slave records, 1826-1827. 3 items, 1 microfilm reel. Location: OS:B, Mss.Mf:B. Deed of arrangement between owners of three sugar plantations in Berbice (Guyana), and lists of slaves attached to the plantations as of October 20, 1826, citing names, ages, employment, places of birth, and distinguishing marks. Also listed are children born to slave mothers on the plantations (1819-1826) with names, dates of birth, ages, and names of mothers noted. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2934.

Boucry Family Papers, 1814-1884, 1910 (bulk 1830-1884). 6 items, 3 vols. Location: 77:88, Mss. Mf.:B.Sugar planters of Bonne Esperance Plantation, St. James Parish, Louisiana. Papers include record books of Helene Boucry containing financial and genealogical information about the Boucry, Bonnecaze, Webre, and related families. Partly in French. Available 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. 790, 800.

Boudreaux, Maximilien E. Family Papers, 1856-1927 (bulk 1866-1905). 0.4 linear ft. (78 items, 15 ms. Vols., 1 printed vol.). Location: E:41. Sugar planter in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. Boudreaux and his son Rene may have practiced tenant farming in the 1890s. Papers pertain largely to the cultivation and sale of sugar cane and the purchase of merchandise, and include correspondence, cashbooks, time books, a letterbook, and a memorandum book containing genealogical information. Some items in French. Available on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 3, Reel 15. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1099.

Boyd, Overton F. (Overton Fuqua), 1891-1951. Papers, 1915-1938 (bulk 1915-1925). 0.5 linear ft. (23 items, 1 ms. vol., 2 printed vols.) Location: U:118. Son of LSU President Thomas D. Boyd and a sugar chemist and professor. Papers relate to Boyd's position as a sugar chemist at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad, British West Indies. Two broadsides pertain to the U.S.' military control of the Dominican Republic during Woodrow Wilson's administration. Included are a memorandum book containing formulae for sugar processing, notes, and a few cancelled postage stamps; and printed volumes. Partly in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1589, 1799.

Boyd, Thomas D., Jr., 1882-1964. Application, 1917. 11 items. Location: Misc.:B. Resident of Tucson, Arizona, LSU alumnus, and sugar technologist in the Louisiana sugar industry. Application and letters of recommendation for a commission in the Quartermaster's Department, U.S. Army, from Thomas D. Boyd, Jr. during World War I. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1946.

Boyd, Thomas D., Jr., 1882-1964. Papers, 1901-1924. 1,000 items, 1 ms. vol., 15 printed vols. Location: 79:50-52. Resident of Tucson, Arizona, LSU alumnus, and sugar technologist in the Louisiana sugar industry. Papers principally for the period Boyd was general superintendent of the South Puerto Rico Sugar Company, Ensenada, Puerto Rico. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2037.

Bragg, Braxton, 1817-1876. Letter, 1856 February 12. 1 item. Location: Misc:B. Confederate general in command of the Army of Tennessee during the Civil War. In reply to a request for biographical information from J. Furlong of Brooklyn, N.Y., Bragg discusses the circumstances of his situation as a sugar planter in Louisiana at the beginning of the Civil War, laments the misfortunes of his 125 former slaves, and briefly describes his military career for the Confederate States of America. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2537.

Bragg, Braxton, 1817-1876. Letter, 1875 February 12. 1 item. Location: Misc.:B. Confederate general in command of the Army of Tennessee during the Civil War. In reply to a request for biographical information, Bragg discusses his situation as a sugar planter in Louisiana at the beginning of the Civil War; laments the wartime misfortunes of his 'happy and contented' slaves; and describes his military career. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2537.

Breaux, John B. Papers, 1933, 1938, 1963, 1970-2004 (bulk: 1987-2004). Approx. 781 linear feet . Location: Room B6, Map Cage, Vault:54. Correspondence, briefing books, bills, reports, testimony transcripts, research files, news releases, printed materials, audio-visual and electronic files, photographs and memorabilia documenting the political and U.S. Congressional career of Louisiana Representative (1972-1986) and Senator (1987-2004) John B. Breaux, and the work of his office. In addition to Senate and House files, contains materials related to his campaigns, the Democratic Party, and the Washington Mardi Gras. Topics include, among others, flood control, abortion, transportation, energy, the environment, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and healthcare, consumer protection, wetlands conservation, base closures in Louisiana, commerce, trade, and agriculture policy, especially for sugar and rice. For additional information, see the online catalog. Mss. 4922.

Browne, Charles Albert. Report, 1932. 1 item (16 pages). Location: Misc.:B. Agricultural chemist. Report by Dr. Browne (1870 -1947) on the Chanpatia factory of the Champarum Sugar Company, India, containing historical background, drawing of factory compound, photographs of personnel, and interior and exterior of buildings. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1951.

Bruce, Seddon, and Wilkins Plantation Records, 1741-1865 (bulk 1847-1854). 607 items, 6 ms. Vols. Location: S:124-125, J:20. William Webb Wilkins, James Coles Bruce, and James Alexander Seddon, partners in the ownership of sugar and cotton plantations, a saw mill, and a cooper's shop in Saint James Parish and Carroll Parish, Louisiana. Papers include legal documents, bills and receipts, correspondence, and manuscript volumes related to plantation operations and slave matters. Included are photocopies of a Union Army-issued circular and broadsides regarding slave employment and the subsistence of federal troops. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 1, Reels 9-10. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2668.

Brusle, Charles A. Papers, 1854-1905. 32 items (includes 3 vols.). Location: U:20, F:11. Sugar planter of Plaquemine, Iberville Parish, Louisiana; and Confederate army officer; state legilator; tax collector; and sheriff. Papers include a diary, a record book, and scrapbook, primarily concerning Brusle's activities in the Civil War and in politics. Diary contains an account of his trip to the Creek Nation, Indian Territory, to muster a regiment of Creeks into the military service of the Confederacy under orders from General Benjamin McCulloch. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 3. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 558, 1605, 1627.

Burguières, Jules M., Jr. Papers, 1699, 1816-1957 (bulk 1911-1915). 2.5 linear ft. Locations: 78:1-2, OS:B, J:30, E:65. Sugarcane planter and researcher, land developer. Papers consist of correspondence, research notes, clippings, photographs, and financial records relating primarily to Jules M. Burguières, Jr.’s involvement in the sugar and timber industries of Louisiana and Florida. Some research material in French and German. The estate papers of Joseph E. Burguières are also included. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1927, 2026, 2134, 2264, 2525.

Burruss, John C. Family Papers, 1825-1882. 407 items. Location: C:56,Mss. Mf.:B Methodist minister of Virginia and planter of Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Correspondence, and personal and business papers of the Burruss and Edward McGehee families. Papers relate to the Methodist Church and plantation operationst, including sugarcane growing, rice planting, the construction of a sugar mill, and African American laborers. They also reflect Confederate military life, and civilian life during the Civil War. A group of poems concern the 1845 presidential election of James K. Polk and George M. Dallas.For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1514, 2296.

Butler family. Papers, 1663-1950 (bulk 1813-1915). 16.5 linear ft. Location: S:2-S:11, OS:B, 65:, Vault:2. Cotton and sugar planters in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Papers include letters, personal papers, financial and legal documents, photographs, and printed items. Papers discuss the Civil War; plantation life; Thomas Butler's judicial and political career; and antebellum life in the Gulf South states. Included is correspondence from prominent Louisiana residents and others. Letters from Anna Butler who lived in the White House (1849-1850) Collection also contains manuscript and published music, including the music of John Thuer. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 5, Reels 13-27. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 893, 965, 1026, 1076, 1217, 1240, 1309, 1353, 1381, 1640, 1649, 1913, 1938.

Butler, Margaret, 1821-1890. Correspondence, 1847-1880. .5 linear ft. Location: S:24. Daughter of Louisiana judge Thomas Butler and Ann Ellis Butler. She lived at the Cottage in West Feliciana Parish near St. Francisville. The Butlers were sugar and cotton planters. Letters from family and friends reflect the life of the Butler family in the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods. Antebellum letters depict plantation life and religious life in the Episcopal church. Several family members served in the Confederate army and corresponded with Margaret, describing the life of army personnel. Later letters illustrate social and economic conditions after the war. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 5, Reel 2. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1068.

Butler, Richard, 1777-1820. Papers, 1795-1899. 1.25 linear ft. Location: S:2, OS:B, Vault. Richard Butler, army officer and sugar planter, was the son of American Revolutionary War figure Colonel William Butler and Jane Carmichael of New Orleans. Papers include correspondence, financial papers, and plantation records. A diary describes Butler's travels from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Natchez, Mississippi, to deliver army dispatches. Included are two letters from Andrew Jackson to Butler. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 5, Reels 2-3. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1000, 1069.

Butler, Robert Ormond. Papers, 1848-1888. 1.5 linear ft. Location: S:25-26, OS:B. Medical doctor in New Orleans and Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, and sugar planter and molasses producer in Terrebonne Parish. Papers include correspondence, financial papers, legal documents, printed items, and photographs related to Butler's business and professional lives. Available on microfilm 5322: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 5, Reels 3-4. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1068.

Cabassa, Luis G. Letter, 1917 April 3. 1 item. Location: Misc.:C. Inquiry addressed to the Dean of the University of Louisiana by a pharmacist of Caguas, Puerto Rico, as to fees and course of study in chemistry and sugar manufacture. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3616.

Caffery, Donelson and Family. Papers, 1580-1958 (bulk 1861-1909). 537 items, 39 vols. Location: C:74-75, O:23, OS:C. Planter of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana and U.S. senator. Papers consist of correspondence, genealogies, clippings, photographs, pamphlets, diaries, notebooks, postcards, scrapbooks, and financial records of the Donelson Caffery family. They concerns family matters, Louisiana politics, the Civil War, Caffery's senatorial career, the effects of the Mexican War on the sugar industry, Louisiana oil industry, plantation operations, Jewish hotel guests (v. 4,5) and the removal of Jews from Franklin (v.6). The papers of John Murphy Caffery also reflect his own navel career and the Louisiana sugar industry. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1865.

Carleton, Mark. Record books, 1883-1901 (bulk 1883-1885). 2 volumes. Location: F:19. Scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture who studied sugar cultivation and fungi. Record books include field notes and data of experiments related to sugar production conducted in Nebraska and specimens of fungi identified in Kansas. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 57.

Carroll, Daniel R. and family. Papers, 1864-1948. 191 items, 1 volume. Location: T:6, OS:C, VAULT:21, VAULT MRDF 13. Owner of Ackbar Plantation, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Carroll was also a cotton broker in New Orleans. Papers include personal letters, scrapbooks, and genealogies of the Carroll and Parker families. Some papers document plantation management, including sugarcane growing, rice planting, the construction of a sugar mill, and African American laborers. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1514, 2296.

Chaffe record books, 1887-1895. 3 ms. vols. Location: H:23. John Chaffe & Sons, a cotton and sugar trading concern in New Orleans, was succeeded by Wm. H. Chaffe & Co., Limited. Wm. H. & J. C. Chaffe's Shingle Mill was a manufacturer of cypress shingles and lumber in Eugenia Louisiana. Collection includes a cotton market report book (1887-1893), an order book (1894-1895), and daily report forms (1893), respectively, for the three Chaffe businesses. For further information, see online catalog. Mss.1139.

Chaney, Thomas R. Papers, 1863-1916 (bulk: 1893-1900). 0.3 linear feet. Location: U:310, OS:C. Papers consist primarily of business correspondence, but also include photographs, plantation map, and a commemorative booklet printed after Chaney’s death.  The majority of the correspondence is from Benjamin Pring to Chaney reporting on the operations at Oneida Plantation in St. James Parish. Mss. 5162.

Chilton, St. John P. Papers, 1951-1977. 3 linear ft. Location: 7:8-10; OS:C. Professor and Chairman of Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, LSU. Personal and professional papers pertain to sugar technology, local politics, genealogy, and other matters. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2454.

Choppin, A. R. (Arthur Richard), Research reports, 1927. 1 volume. Location: W:5. Unbound volume of research reports and materials compiled by A. R. Choppin for a dissertation on 'The use of aluminum compounds in the manufacturing and refining of sugar.' For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2600-73.