Plantations

This guide describes manuscript collections documenting plantation society and economy in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) at LSU. The plantation records and personal papers of planters, factors, merchants, and others whose livelihood came from plantations provide a wealth of documentation supporting research in plantation economy, slavery, and the social history of Southern landholding elites.

The collections described below touch upon all facets of plantation life. They include the papers of tutors, preachers, lawyers, and doctors who provided services to planters. They include the letters of Northerners who visited plantations in the antebellum period and wrote home about them, and those of Union soldiers who marched past plantations and sometimes plundered them. While the majority of collections are from the prewar years, there are substantial holdings on postbellum plantations as well. The sugar and cotton plantation records in LLMVC are among its most noteworthy and famed collections, and among the earliest collections that LSU acquired.

Displaying 181 - 200 of 624. Show 5 | 10 | 20 | 40 | 60 results per page.

Dugas, Honore and family. Papers, circa 1850-1910 (bulk 1880-1891). 1.75 linear ft. Location: T:24-25, OS:D. Sugar planter of Armelise Plantation, Paincourtville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana. Business and personal papers, and printed material contain contains correspondence, financial papers and printed material documenting the sugar industry in Louisiana, shipping on Bayou Lafourche, and the social and cultural life of New Orleans. There is also a carte-de-visite photograph of an unidentified elderly couple, circa 1850. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1645.

Referenced in Guides: Sugar, Plantations, New Orleans 1866-, Business

Dunbar, Archibald. Document, 1836. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of Adams County, Mississippi. Sale (notarized) of slaves formerly attached to Ashwood Plantation by Archibald Dunbar to Peter M. and Joseph H. Lapice. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 668.

Duncan, Abner L. Papers, 1825-1866 (bulk 1841-1862) 13 items. Location: Misc.:D. Planter of Baton Rouge, La. Correspondence between Abner L. Duncan and his relatives concerning the management of his late father's estates, the deaths of family members, and issues of inheritance among family members. Also included is an exchange of letters between Leon Bonnecaze, the French vice consul at Baton Rouge, and David Farragut of the U.S. Navy, regarding the bombardment of Baton Rouge on May 28, 1862. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4199.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Civil War, Baton Rouge

Duncan, Lucius C. Letter, 1822. 1 item. Location: MISC:D. Resident of New Orleans. Letter by Duncan to Rufus Flynt, who had befriended him while at school in Monson, Massachusetts, tells of visiting at the cotton plantation of his uncle, Colonel Abner Duncan, near Baton Rouge. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1334.

Duncan, Mary. Letter, circa 1862-1864. 1 letter, 1 transcript. Location: MISC:D. Daughter-in-law of Stephen Duncan and sister-in-law of Stephen Duncan, Jr. Letter from Mary Duncan, New York, to Major General Henry Halleck, General-in-Chief of the United States Army. Duncan writes seeking protection for her father-in-law Stephen Duncan's plantations and lands in Natchez, Mississippi and Franklin, Louisiana from Confederate forces and U.S. Army confiscation practices. She claims that her family's bales of cotton have been destroyed by Confederate forces and that U.S. Army forces have depredated the Duncan family's nine plantations, causing them to lose "many negroes," and her brother-in-law Stephen Duncan, Jr.'s house. Mss. 5378

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Women, Civil War, African Americans

Duncan, Stephen, 1787-1867. Correspondence, 1817-1877. 158 items, 2 vols. Location: S:120. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Correspondence includes letters from friends and family concerning social, political, and economic problems of Reconstruction. Papers include legal documents, bills, and receipts. A daybook includes lists of slaves present at Homochitto Plantation. Included is a diary of W. P. Duncan, son of Stephen Duncan, Jr., describing his travels in France and Italy. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061 as the Stephen Duncan Family Papers, Mss. 1403, 1793: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 4, Reel 5. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1403, 1431, 1551, 1595, 1793.

Duncan, Stephen and Stephen Duncan, Jr. Papers, 1846-1899. 255 items, 11 ms. Vols. Location: U:49, F:17, Mss.Mf:D. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Duncan plantations included L'Argent, Auburn, Camperdown, Carlisle, Duncan, Duncannon, Duncansby, Ellisle, Homochitto, Middlesex, Oakley, Rescue, Reserve, and Attakapas. Correspondence, business papers, diaries, and plantation and personal records of Dr. Stephen Duncan and his son, Stephen, Jr., who also resided in New York City. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 126, 721.

Duncan, Stephen, 1787-1867. Letters, 1855, 1859-1860. 72 items. Location: U:65. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Duncan plantations included L'Argent, Auburn, Camperdown, Carlisle, Duncan, Duncannon, Duncansby, Ellisle, Homochitto, Middlesex, Oakley, Rescue, Reserve, and Attakapas. Includes letters written by Duncan to his financial advisor, Charles Leverich, related to the economic and financial activities of a wealthy planter and land owner. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4641.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Natchez, Mississippi

Dunwody, John, 1782-1862. Letter, 1851 Jan. 28. 1 letter. Location: Misc. John Dunwody, a cotton planter on Bayou Boeuf in Rapides Parish, La., writes to Buchannon, Carroll & Co., general merchants of New Orleans, making an order for foodstuffs and supplies for his plantation. Mss. 4067.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Business

Duplantier, Armand Letters, 1796-1807. 4 items. Location: Misc.:D. Armand Duplantier was a planter and owner of Magnolia Mound Plantation, La. Letters (in French) detail plantation life during the post-Revolutionary period, while referencing social and business life in New Orleans. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4914.

Duplantier, Armand Family Letters, 1777-1859. 95 items. Location: D:62. Armand Duplantier was a planter and owner of Magnolia Mound Plantation, La. Duplantier Family Letters contain items from four generations of the Duplantier family, including Armand Duplantier, his uncle Claude Trénonay, Armand’s son Armand Allard Duplantier, and granddaughter Amélie Augustine Duplantier Peniston. The letters relate to Louisiana under the French, Spanish, and Americans and the economic, political, and social conditions attendant on transitioning among the three powers; commerce with France; the succession of Trénonay; attitudes about the French Revolution; slavery and plantation matters; family news such as illness, births, deaths, and the education of Duplantier’s children; and travels in France by Amélie Duplantier. Mss. 5060.

Dupuy, Dugregiy. Family papers, 1852-1910. 64 items. Location: Misc. The Dupuy family were planters in Iberville Parish, La. The papers include eleven letters from Nicholas J. Hoey of New Orleans to Dugregiy Dupuy in Iberville Parish, four other business letters received by Dugregiy Dupuy, a petition against Joseph D. Dupuy for payment of $1,440 borrowed against his plantation and slaves, a program for the sale of Live Oak Point Plantation and 261 slaves, state and parish tax receipts for Prosper O. Dupuy, and a handful of other records concerning other Dupuy family members. Mss. 3816.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, New Orleans to 1861

Eggleston-Roach Papers, 1825-1903. 285 items, 6 vols. Location: U-51, OS:R. Planters of Wilkinson County and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Mrs. Elizabeth Eggleston of Vicksburg smuggled goods through Union lines to Confederate soldiers. She was subsequently imprisoned and banished from Vicksburg. Diaries and personal papers of members of the Gildart, Eggleston, and Roach families. Horace Nelson Gildart's diary gives an account of a journey through England and Ireland; Dick Hardaway Eggleston's diary records activities on Learmont Plantation. Included are correspondence and orders of Union military authorities concerning Elizabeth Eggleston's activities during the Civil War. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 4, Reel 5. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 832.

Elder, John Carroll. Diary, 1862-1863. 1 item. Location: Misc.:E. Diary notes the arrival of federal troops, number and type of Union vessels on local waterways, and the presence of runaway slaves and guerrillas. Elder describes the Union bombardment of Baton Rouge, meetings with neighbors regarding Union soldiers in the area, and his refusal to sign an oath of allegiance. He mentions Union and Confederate officers in the region, including Lieutenant Grimstead and the 21st Indiana Infantry regiment. Elder also refers to church attendance, weather conditions, and planting and selling crops. Includes list of items taken or destroyed by Union soldiers. Mss. 4353.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Civil War, African Americans

Elliot, William St. John, 1800-1855. Papers,1824, 1835-1858.5 items. Location: OS:E. Cotton broker, planter, and owner of D'Evereaux Hall, Natchez, Miss. Among other properites in Adams County, Miss., he also owned Saragossa Plantation. Indentures and deeds for land in Adams County, Mississippi, purchased by William St. John Elliot from Stephen Duncan, Samuel A. Moore, and Henry Chotard; and a land survey of a plantation in Tensas Parish, La., owned by his wife, Anna F. Conner Bell Ruffin Elliot. Also includes a plat of land in Adams County owned by various members of the Conner family. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1147.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Women, Natchez, Mississippi

Ellis, E. John, Thomas C. W. and family. Papers, 1829-1936 (bulk 1870-1920). 9.3 linear ft., 72 volumes, 30 microfilm reels. Location: G:5; MSS.MF:E; OS:E; U:52-65. Sons of Ezekiel Parke Ellis, a judge and state legislator from Amite, Louisiana. E. John and Thomas C. W. Ellis were practicing attorneys who were active in Louisiana politics. Both men served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Papers consist of correspondence, legal documents, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and business papers of three generations of the Ellis family. Civil War correspondence includes letters by E. John Ellis from prison camp at Johnson's Island, Ohio. Politics occupies a large place in the correspondence and speeches of 1856-1861 and in the correspondence of the Reconstruction period. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reels 21-22. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 136.

Ellis-Farar Papers, 1768-1871 (bulk 1804-1833). 308 items. Location: S:1; OS:E; Vault:21. Richard Ellis, planter of White Cliffs, Homochitto, and Laurel Hill plantations, Natchez. His children included Mary (who married Captain Benjamin Farar), Jane, and Abram. Papers document plantation management and include deeds, vouchers, correspondence with overseers, and receipts. Jane took a special interest in managing Laurel Hill. Personal correspondence deals with education, plantation life, and family news. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 3, Reel 10. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1000.

Embree, Joseph. Family Papers, 1826-1884. .88 linear ft. (805 items, 1 vol.). Location: E:19-20. Cotton planter near Woodville, Wilkinson County, Mississippi, and soldier in the Confederate Army. Papers include letters, account statements of cotton brokers, land deeds, contracts, slave bills, receipts, and documents related to education in Wilkinson County. Includes a printed list of the 1879 Democratic state ticket. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 2, Reels 10-11. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 693.

Embree, Joseph. Family Papers, 1826-1900, undated (bulk 1830-1860). 1.0 linear ft. Location: E:20, OS:E. Planter at Woodville, Wilkinson Country, Mississippi, and Clinton, East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Includes receipts and bills for business and household expenses, statements of account from cotton brokers, labor contracts, and land deeds. Family papers include correspondence, miscellaneous printed items, and undated writings, as well as the business papers of Joseph’s father-in-law, Benjamin Rawlins. Mss. 692.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Civil War, Business

Ende, Jacques F. de. Document, 1837 May 5. 1 item. Location: Misc.:E. Deposition given by Jacques F. de Ende, in New Orleans, Louisiana, reporting that his slave, Sep, had run away from his Avoyelles Parish plantation, and offering a fifty dollars reward for his return. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 537.

Referenced in Guides: Plantations, African Americans

Pages