Manuscript Resources on Business History
This guide describes collections documenting business history in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) at LSU. It includes the business papers of merchants; manufacturers; planters; factors; commission brokers; and lawyers. It also contains business records of stores; companies; plantations and plantation stores; banks; hotels and inns; restaurants and taverns; and blacksmiths and livery stables. There are also materials on cotton and sugar; national and international trade; and shipping, often by steamboat. Finally, there are materials relating to labor including information about wages, contracts, and conditions.
Formats represented in these collections include account books and ledgers; bills and receipts; business correspondence; and advertising. Most of the collections are from Louisiana and Mississippi, but there are also materials from other areas of the Lower Mississippi Valley. Several collections deal with business relations between the South and the Northeast, and include records of New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Connecticut firms.
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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. Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Politics, New Orleans 1866-, Civil War, Education, Business, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, African Americans, French, LSU
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Argyle-Crescent Company. Appraisal, 1918 September 1. 1 ms. vol. Location: M:21c. The Argyle-Crescent Company was located in Houma, Louisiana. Contains an appraisal invoice of the company by the American Appraisal Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2556. Referenced in Guides: Business
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Armstrong, Frank B, Price List, ca. 1890s. 1 item. Location: A. Price list for a variety of wild birds that were stuffed by taxidermist, Frank B. Armstrong of Brownsville, Tex. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3870. Referenced in Guides: Business
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Arnold, Richard. Family Papers, 1852-1880. 0.25 linear ft. Location: 1:2. Richard Arnold and his family lived in Charleston, S.C. in the 1800s. Papers consist of receipts, promissory notes, and tax receipts of Richard Arnold, and letters and invitations to and from his daughter, Alice. Mss. 822. |
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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. |
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Atchafalaya Rail Road and Banking Company. Letter, 1835 Apr. 15. 1 item. Location: MISC:A. Two-page letter written to "H. Niles" in which the author is requesting that Mr. Niles make mention in his newspaper of the steps Louisiana is taking to improve its railroad infrastructure, specifically mentioning the charter of the Atchafalaya Rail Road & Banking Company. The letter discusses the need for railroads in Louisiana to help farmers and ranchers with transportation, since back country roads are almost impassable. It also goes into detail about the geography of the proposed rail site, local industry that would benefit, and the economic advantages to stockholders. Mss. 4930. Referenced in Guides: Transportation, Business
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Audubon, Victor Gifford. Letter, December 24, 1838. 1 letter. Locations: VAULT:53, MISC:A. Eldest son of John James Audubon. Letter from Victor, Edinburgh, Scotland, to Mrs. [Euphemia] Gifford in Dinton (near Aylesbury), England. Gives news of the Audubon family and Victor's return to the United States to see to his father's business. Mss. 5191. |
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Austin, Moses, 1761-1821. Account, 1803-1804. 1 account. Location: Misc. Moses Austin was the founder of the American lead industry and the first man to obtain permission to bring Anglo-American settlers into Spanish Texas. This account itemizes purchases of dry goods from John Stewart by Moses Austin and his son, James Elijah Brown Austin, between December 14, 1803, and February 21, 1804, at Mine a Breton, Louisiana Territory. Mss. 3940. Referenced in Guides: Business
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Ayraud Brothers. Letterhead, 1899. 1 item. Location: Misc.:A. Merchants of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Letterhead advertising 'Moss Ginnery.' For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2416. Referenced in Guides: Business
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Bailey Theatre Records, 1943-1955, undated (bulk 1944-1953). 0.7 linear ft. Location: 45:25. The Bailey Theatre, located in Bunkie, Louisiana, was owned by Robert Lee Bailey and was attached to the Blooms Arcade shopping center. The collection consists of financial records and correspondence pertaining to the theatre. Mss. 3336. Referenced in Guides: Performing arts, Business
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