Guest Register, 1907-1912 [MS-318]
Alfred O. Smith operated the Chicago Hotel in the 200 block of South Rampart Street during the first part of the twentieth century. The establishment's letterhead in use after 1910 noted that the hotel and its restaurant were:
Open all night. With its private Dining Rooms for Special Parties. A three story brick building with three halls, all rooms lead into halls. Reasonable prices for first-class service. Fire-proof safe for deposits. Hot and cold water baths. Barber shop, electric lights, fans, pianos, and ice cream soda fountains, Lemonade, etc. The Chicago Hotel has a two-fold purpose that is to maintain a high grade of morals among our boys and girls, as well as to give employment to them.
An advertisement in the 1914 Woods Directory indicates that:
The Chicago Hotel has been a haven of rest for a class of people who were far-sighted enough to realize the need of a quiet, home-like place, where they and their families could stop while in the city.
The hotel is located in the heart of the city, just one block from Canal street, the principal street of the shopping district, and in the midst of all the theatres and amusement places. The hotel is open day and night, and affords the necessary protection both morally and financially, which a stranger needs while visiting a great city.
The Proprietor of the hotel is also President of the Louisiana Park Association, an organization having for its object the erection of a large Park and Amusement Resort. The capital stock of this association is $100,000, divided into shares of $10 each. The Association invites the cooperation and support of the colored people in and out of the city in order to supply this much-needed enterprise.
The hotel relocated to 1310 Iberville Street sometime after 1914 and Smith continued to operate it there until his death in 1934. For some time thereafter his cousin, E. Bertha Smith, continued the business, but it was gone from the local directory by 1938.
The register includes manuscript entries showing the name and city of each guest (in most instances, the names appear to be signatures). Some entries also include the room number, number of days paid for, and/or amount paid. Among the registered guests were Prof. J.S. Clark (then president of Baton Rouge College) on October 24, 1909 and educator/author I. Garland Penn on December 6, 1910. The Williams and Stevens Stock Company stayed at the Chicago during April, 1910 while performing at the nearby Temple Theatre. Several visiting baseball teams also called the hotel home while in New Orleans, including the All Cuba team from Havana in April, 1911.
Found inside the register was a business card, a letterhead, and an envelope. These have been placed in an acid-free folder at the front of the book.
The register apparently was introduced as evidence in the suit of Alfred E. Milon vs. A.O. Smith, #105327, Civil District Court (1913). Milon, a resident of Nicaragua, sued Smith for non-payment of a loan. Smith claimed that the alleged loan actually was payment for Milon's share of the barbershop that Smith ran across Rampart St. from the hotel.
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Churchill Farms, Inc.
Records, 1923-1934
6 folders [MS-137]
Typewritten correspondence dealing with land purchased by Churchill farms. Topographical maps, photos.
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Clement, Randy Family Papers
Photocopies of family papers [MS-182]
In 1995, Randy Clement of Albuquerque, New Mexico, donated a group of family papers to the Special Collections Department at Tulane University's Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. Mr. Clement requested that Tulane send photocopies of the papers to the New Orleans Public Library. An inventory of those copies follows.
- Marriage Contract between Victor Sere de Villede and Marie Emma Moussier 3 November 1845 4 pp French. true copy
- Copies of church documents certified by Antonio Maria Segovia, 5 September 1854 including extract of the parish register of St. Augustine Church in New Orleans. 4 November 1845 on the marriage of Victor Sere de Villede and Marie Emma Moussier 31 August 1854 French with Spanish translation; extract from the Baptismal Register of St. Mary's Church, New Orleans for the baptism of Louis Joseph Sere on 26 April 1848. French with Spanish translations 4 pp.
- Another copy of the above document 3 pp.
- Note listing some members of the St. Maxent family 1 p.
- Extract from the Baptismal registry of St. Louis Church for the baptism of Antoinette Marie Joseph daughter of Antonio Gilbert de St. Maxent and Elizabeth Lauric. copy of 12 January 1829. Spanish 1 p.
- Certificate that Dona Antonia Maria Josefa de St. Maxent., widow of Osorno was a native of New Orleans and is of good character. 13 January 1829. Spanish, 1 p.
- Extract of the register of baptism from St. Louis Church, New Orleans of Marie Emma daughter of Jean Batiste Mousssier and Marie Lezongard. Copy of 25 Sept 1845. French, 1 p.
- Villalobos, Spanish Consul in New Orleans certifies the signature of Luis Man, assistant pastor of St. Louis Church, in New Orleans 13 January 1829 1 p. 2 copies
- Extract of the baptismal registry of St. Louis Church New Orleans for the baptism of Victor Sere on 27 June 1827 (born 18 May 1821) copy signed by Antonio de Sedella 2 July 1827. French and Spanish, 1 p.
- Incomplete history/genealogy of Bernardo de Galvez. n.d. French 4pp.
- Partially printed receipt for sugar tax paid by V. de la Sere, Havana. 1 July 1846. Spanish, 1 p.
- Extract of the death register of the commune of Poitiers on the death of Joaquin Osorno 4 May, 1819. French, with copy of a letter from Francisco de Osorno to Josefa de St. Maxent de Osorno. copy of 5 January 182(9?) 3 pp.
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Concordia Parish Police Jury
Proceedings, 1848-1855 [MS-133]
1 folder, 14 booklets
Printed material. Proceedings of the Police Jury.
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1/24/2012
Conway and Brother
Records, 1865-1866 [MS-24]
C.A. Conway and John R. Conway operated as grocers and commission merchants in New Orleans
under the name Conway and Brother. John Conway later served as mayor of New Orleans
(1868-1870). The records comprise a single cash book in which are recorded the firm's receipts and
expenditures. Also included at the front of the volume is a financial journal of another firm, possibly
H.R. Austin & Co., for the first half of 1846. Source unknown.
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4/8/1997
Coulon de Villiers, Louis
Papers, 1754 [MS-44]
According to Stanley Arthur, Old families of Louisiana, Louis Coulon de Villiers commanded the
detachment of French troops that engaged, and defeated, George Washington's forces at Fort
Necessity in 1754. These papers consist of a manuscript copy of his account of the Fort Necessity
capture. The copy was made by A.E. Gosseling, Archivist, from records at the Archives du Seminaire
de Quebec in 1905.
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4/8/1997
W. Cox & Company
Letters, 1860-1861 [MS-49]
1 folder, 24 letters
Cotton factors in New Orleans. Manuscript letters to General William E. Ashley of Little Rock, Arkansas, dealing with cotton prices and the general economy on the eve of the Civil War. Photocopies of the original letters in the Pulsaski County [Arkansas] Probate Court. Gift of R.P. Baker, Arkansas History Commission, 1973.
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4/28/1997
Craigs, Alexander
Will, 1770 [MS-206]
Last Will and Testament of Alexander Craigs dated 1770 from Oxford, England.
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8/30/2017
Crenshaw, William A.
Letters, 1839-1841 [MS-46]
Merchant. Typewritten copies of two letters describing the 1841 yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans. Also includes a typewritten copy of a third letter, possibly from Mary Crenshaw Bowe, describing life in New Orleans. Source unknown.
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12/17/2003
Crossman School Mother’s Club
Programs and photographs, ca. 1940-1960 [MS-200]
2 folders
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3/24/2017
Cummings and Co./Cummings, Brown and Co.
Record books, 1861-1867 [MS-21]
Commission merchants of New Orleans (the firm comprised R. C. Cummings and J. G. Brown; in 1866 D. H. Cummings joined Brown as heads of the company). The records include two volumes of press copies of letters sent (1862-1866), mostly business letters dealing with the sale and shipment of cotton, orders for goods in New Orleans, and occasional inquiries into labor and real estate conditions. Includes one letter to Henry Watkins Allen in Mexico City conveying money collected by his friends in Louisiana. Also includes one volume of press copies of accounts current (182-1867) and one volume of account sales (1861-1865). Each volume is indexed. Source unknown. NOTE: the pages in these volumes are very brittle and have been damaged by acidic ink.
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12/17/2003
Daughters of the American Revolution
Sketches of Louisiana Women, 1923 [MS-168]
1 folder, 1 book
Book entitled Sketches of Louisiana Women, compiled by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Brief biographies of 11 leading Louisiana women. An additional copy is the Louisiana Division book collection under call number 361.74 D245.
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Daughters of the American Revolution, New Orleans Chapter
Records, 1948 [MS-78]
Typewritten copy of a talk delivered by Mrs. W. A. Brannan for the Chapter's birthday, January 13, 1948. The talk dealt with the history of the Chapter from its founding in 1913. Also included is a cover letter signed by Mrs. Frank V. Russell, Regent, dated January 14, 1948.
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12/17/2003
Davis, Mrs. Henry Hampton
Memorandum, 1856 [MS-94]
Mrs. Davis was a resident of Greenwood (Wilkinson County), Mississippi. This item is a manuscript
list of slaves, with probable ages, that had been transferred to her husband by his mother, Mrs.
Susan Davis, in payment of a debt. Source unknown.
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4/9/1997
Davis, Susan Gartley
Letter, 1865 [MS-126]
1 folder
Manusript letter from Susan Davis, sister of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, to her niece, informing her that President Davis has been imprisoned. Includes bits of family information. Letter is faint but reasonably legible. Included is typewritten copy of letter.
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1/24/2012
deBesons, Marechal
Letter, 1710 [MS-210]
Letter to the Count of Toulouse and include typescript with context.
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3/24/2017
DeBlanc, Louis
Will, 1825 [MS-54]
A typewritten copy of DeBlanc's last will and testament. The original document is in the St. Martin
Parish court house. Source unknown.
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April 11, 1997
Democratic State Central Committee
Minutes, 1932 Meeting [MS-222]
Minutes of the first meeting of the new Democratic State Central Committee elected for four years, held in the Gold Room of the Roosevelt Hotel, City of New Orleans, February 13, 1932.
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3/24/2017
Denegre, Edith Bayne, ca. 1864-1936
Letter, 1912 [MS-58]
Manuscript letter noting a change of location for the annual meeting of the St. Vincent's Sewing
Circle due to the threat of contagious disease at the Home. Source unknown.
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April 9, 1997
John Dilbert Tuberculosis Hospital
Records, 1916 & 1926 [MS-233]
Copy of Ordinance and Notarial Act creating the donation for the Hospital in 1916. The 1926 document is a a copy of the Annual Report of the Board of Trustees.
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06/20/2018
Disaster Relief Plan for the Greater New Orleans Area (1948-1949)
Records [MS-203]
Includes plan and correspondence relating to the creation of the plan. Contributors include New Orleans Chapter of the Reserve Officers Association, New Orleans Association of Commerce, and Office of the Adjunct General.
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3/24/2017
Dodge, Louis A., ca. 1871-1957
Telegram, 1899 [MS-60]
Telegram announcing his time of arrival from Savannah, Georgia. Source unknown.
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April 9, 1997
Dorr, Russell
Letter, December 15, 1878 [MS-191]
Photocopy of a letter written by Dorr, probably from New Orleans (but written on stationery from a St. Louis Hotel), to his mother Julie Carolin Ripley Dorr, a poet and novelist in Vermont. Dorr describes a Mississippi River voyage from Memphis, his association with James Buchanan Eads, the work to deepen the River's navigable channel, New Orleans, and the yellow fever of 1878. Donated by James H. Dorr, 2001.
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June 3, 2004
Duffel, Henry L., 1821-1906
Memorandum book, ca. 1880-1898 [MS-90]
Duffel was an attorney and planter residing in Ascension Parish. This item is a typewritten copy of
an original manuscript in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
It appears to be comprised of Judge Duffel's random thoughts along with extracts from various
publications and scattered personal memoirs. Accompanying the copy is a photocopy of a sample page
from the original. Gift of Edward D. Seghers, 1947.
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April 9, 1997
Duggan, Lida Blanche McIlvaine, 1877-1953
Papers, 1925-1932 [MS-114]
Mrs. Duggan, the wife of Dr. Timothy A. Duggan, was a teacher and housewife. These papers relate
to the schooldays of her son, Timothy Loyola Duggan (1906-1976), at the New Orleans College of
Oratory and Elocution from which institution she also had graduated. Included are two bound
volumes of dated, typewritten lessons and teachers' notes from the College. Pasted into one of the
volumes are letters, photographs, clippings, programs, and other materials relating to Timothy's
school work and extracurricular activities and to Mrs. Duggan's own continuing friendship with Lily C.
Whitaker, co-founder of the College. Most of the letters are from Miss Whitaker. Also included are
loose materials similar to those pasted into the volume. Gift, 1985. NOTE: Items 1 & 2 are in
the oversize manuscript collection with numbers O13-1 and O13-2.
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April 11, 1997
Duplessis, Martin
Letter, 1794 [MS-125]
Duplessis was a soldier and public official. This item is a manuscript letter dated 21 July 1794 to the
Baron de Carondelet, Governor of Louisiana, offering Duplessis' services for the military. Includes
manuscript endorsements of Carondelet and of J.B. Macarty, commander of the Carabineers. A
translation is attached to the original document. NOTE: Filed in oversize manuscript box O16;
photocopies are in the Duplessis collection file.
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April 11, 1997
Madeleine Duvic (1905-1992)
Papers, 1963-1971 [MS-178]
Madeleine Eulalie Cherbonnier (Mrs. Noel) Duvic was active in the United States Daughters of 1812, serving for a number of years as president of the Louisiana State Society of the organization.
The papers document her participation in the Daughters of 1812. Included are membership lists for the late 1960s,financial records from as early as the 1940s, several publications, and various programs/invitations to events sponsored by the organization.
Also included are several letters to Mrs. Duvic from various local groups (and a Christmas card from author Harnett T. Kane), programs, invitations, etc. from other area historical organizations (including her badge and ribbon from the 1965 Sesquicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans), and a credit card/receipts from D. H. Holmes department store.
Gift of Timmie Reineke (Mrs. Duvic's daughter), ca. 1993.
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4/19/2001
Edenborn, William, 1848-1928
Papers, 1881-1900 [MS-92]
Edenborn was the first president of the American Steel and Wire Co. and founder of the Louisiana
Railway and Navigation Co. These are photocopies of typewritten letters signed by Edenborn along
with some typewritten transcripts of additional letters to and from him. All were written in 1898
and deal with railroad construction, negotiations for purchases of right of way, purchases of
steamboats, and the railway and steamboat freight business in general. Also included are copies of
patents for various wiremaking machines invented by Edenborn and miscellaneous materials collected
by Glen Coleman. Gift from Glen Coleman, Kirkwood, Missouri, 1981.
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April 11, 1997
Edmonds, James E.
Papers, 1937-1943 [MS-74]
Military officer and journalist. Correspondence and bills (40 pieces) relating to his 1937 journey to Japan to do research for a series of articles on that country's importance to the U.S. cotton business to be published in the Cotton Trade Journal. Edmonds served as associate editor of the publication. The letters, mostly to Francis Hickman, the Journal's editor, were written in the Canal Zone, Tokyo, Osaka, and Bombay. In addition to Edmonds' journey the letters also deal with a subsequent dispute between him and Hickman that grew out of the trip. There are also some comments by Edmonds on the ongoing Sino-Japanese War and the political situation in Europe. The materials were separated from the suit record in the matter of the Cotton Trade Journal vs. Edmonds (Civil District Court #234,839).
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12/22/2003
Education Through Historical Preservation
[
MS-204]
2 folders
Dr. Eugene Cizek and Lloyd Sensat’s Education Through Historical Preservation. Contains Publicity and publications.
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3/24/2017
Era Club
Records, 1914-1919 [MS-25]
The Era [Equal Rights Association] Club was founded by Jean and Kate Gordon in 1896 and
reorganized in 1914 after internal dissention led to its dissolution. Women's suffrage was the group's
main goal, but it was also involved in a variety of civic and reform endeavors. The records date from
the reorganization and include the minutes of board meetings, business meetings, and open meetings,
all in a single volume. Gift of Mrs. Joseph E. Friend. NOTE: Available on microfilm LN81.
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April 11, 1997
