St. James Historical Society Collection

The St. James Historical Society collection covers 78 linear feet and spans 1695-2013 with the bulk of the materials dating 1880-1991. The collection is comprised of several series including research files, photographs, maps, ephemera, and artifacts collected by the Society.

The Society's research library of general files is comprised of folders containing newspaper clippings, magazine articles, photographs, and other documentation on several topics related to St. James Parish. The files cover topics such as plantations, schools, churches, cemeteries, stores and numerous other historic structures. Biographical files are included on noteworthy people of St. James as well as community histories of towns and settlements in St. James Parish. Other files cover topics of cultural and historical significance to the parish.

The Society's organizational files include minutes, agendas, special projects and other administrative files which document the organizations work and publications throughout the years. Also available are blueprints of the Society's buildings and cultural complex.

The Valcour Aime files were originally compiled by a local priest and later donated to the Society. The files contain research on various aspects of the life of Valcour Aime, a wealthy sugar planter in 19th century St. James parish and his vast plantation and gardens known as Le Petit Versailles. The files were originally collected in seventeen binders. The contents of the binders have been removed and placed in corresponding folders for preservation.

There are several scrapbooks in the collection which include historic photographs and news clippings on topics such as plantations, churches, schools, businesses, local families, World War I, and Jefferson College. In addition, three scrapbooks document the activities and work of the Society. Two of these scrapbooks contain news clippings kept by the society from the local papers documenting various tid-bits of local history.

The Lutcher and Moore Cypress Company Records contain property deeds, leases, right of ways, trapping contracts and maps of various company lands.

George P Meade papers and the Colonial Sugars records document the life of George Meade, a chemical engineer and longtime employee and manager of the Colonial Sugars Refinery. Meade's papers include numerous articles and handbooks authored by him on topics related to cane sugar refining and manufacture as well as Louisiana snakes. Photographs of Meade are part of this series. The Colonial Sugars records include company meeting minutes, annual reports and plans and blueprints of Colonial structures. Photographs include panoramic photographs of Colonial Sugars property and employees. There are also Gramercy Centennial photographs in addition to photographs of Colonial Sugars grounds and buildings and May Day festivals.

The Marie Pilkington Campbell series contains research files and photographs compiled by Campbell and used in her publiations: "Research notes on Acadians Cabahanoce-Verret, Jacques Cantrelle, Sr." and "Nostalgic notes on St. James Parish, Louisiana : then and now"

The Emily Chenet Guidry papers contain files of historical and genealogical research compiled by Guidry. The files primarily cover topics related to St. James parish as well as the Chenet and Bourgeois families. This series contains family photographs, although many are unidentified. Several weather journals dating from the 1950s-1970s kept by Emily's father, Alvin Chenet are included.

The Lillie Trust Gray Thibodeaux and family Papers document the Trust, Gray and Thibodeaux families of Convent, Louisiana in St. James Parish. Lillie was a teacher and musician at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Convent. Her first husband, Dr. Charles Gray, a native of England was a surgeon in the British Army as well as a U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. Dr. Gray was killed in a duel in 1874. Lillie Gray later married a local merchant from Convent, Lucien Thibodeaux. This series primarily consists of correspondence and related documents from the Trust and Gray families. Included is a typescript of a manuscript written by Lillie Gray chronicling her life and that of her family and the lives of her husbands. Of note are Civil War related documents and correspondence from Dr. Gray as well as two medals awarded to Dr. Gray by Queen Victoria for his military service in 1855 and 1857-1858. Transcriptions of the letters are included with this series.

The Jefferson College Series includes early 20th century catalogs from the school. Early photographs of the College's football team are also available.

Father Constantine Chauve, a Catholic priest from Lyon, France served at St. Joseph church in Paulina, Louisiana. This series includes photographs and articles about Fr. Chauve who served in World War I and died at the age of 107.

The Perique Tobacco series consists of miscellaneous related ephemera and stencils used to identify shipping crates and barrels.

The Post Office series includes photographs and appointment certificates from the Paulina and Lutcher post offices.

The Gramercy Parent Teacher's Association series is comprised of notebooks and scrapbooks. The notebooks kept during World War II and used for sending notes and cards to local soldiers contain lists of soldiers by name, rank and location. Letters and holiday cards sent in return from the soldiers are pasted into the notebooks. The Association's scrapbooks contain news clippings, photographs and other related ephemera documenting the Gramercy Parent Teacher Association.

The Military History series is divided into three categories: Civil War, World War I, and World War II. The contents of this series includes photographs, certificates, medals, ephemera, artifacts, memoirs and magazines related to the three wars.

Dr. Ernest N. Ezidore (b. 1883) series. Dr. Ezidore was from Gramercy, Louisiana and was the only black physician in the area in the early 1900s. He was a graduate of the medical school at Meharry in Nashville, TN. Included are three certificates awarded to Dr. Ezidore.

The Henry Chauvin series contains documents, ephemera and related materials documenting the Chauvin family of St. James parish. Included are materials from Frank Chauvin who served as Parish Treasurer. Ledgers kept by Frank Chauvin are included in the Ledgers series.

The ledger series includes miscellaneous account ledgers and registers from merchants, insurance agents and other businesses and parish departments.

Certifcates and Diplomas are comprised of miscellaneous documents received by residents of St. James parish from schools, churches and various state agencies.

Publications and Memoirs include both published and unpublished memoirs on various topics related to St. James parish. Several publications published in and about St. James include issues of the St. Jamesian magazine printed in the 1940s as well as various other magazines, directories and centennial booklets.

The series for newspapers primarily consists of papers published in St. James Parish dating to the mid to late 20th century and includes titles such as the News Examiner, St. James Voice, The Interim and the River Parishes Journal. There are also several issues of the Illustrated Sunday Magazine of the Daily Picayune from the Chauvin collection from 1907-1913. Other issues and articles related to topics on St. James parish are included. This series includes eight binders of photograph negatives from the Enterprise newspaper covering the years 1978-1989.

Photographs and Postcards include photographs of families and historic sites located in St. James parish. Some of the families featured are Ewell Millet, Le Bourgeois, Lillian Landry Brignac, Guglielmo, Poche, and Ozene Duhon. There are also many unidentified family photographs. Many of the postcards in this series, some of which are local, are from the collection of Lillian Landry Brignac.

Artifacts and Ephemera consists of store tokens, pharmacy labels, centennial buttons, funeral cards, notices and programs, ink blotters, miscellaneous business related ephemera and various other items related to St. James parish.

The audio-visual series contains interviews, demonstrations, centennial celebrations, the restoration of the Olive Jeanette, and other historical events related to the parish.

Posters and Prints collected by the Society document sites and events held in St. James as well as other locations in Louisiana.

Maps include original historic maps as well as reproductions and copies of maps of Louisiana and St. James parish.

Books which are part of this collection have been cataloged and shelved separately from the collection. The books cover various topics related to St. James and Louisiana history. Several volumes were authored by natives of St. James parish.