Index To The Louisiana Historical Quarterly

Anyone who has ever worked in the field of Louisiana history realizes what a rich mine of material the Louisiana Historical Quarterly is. It is a mother lode of fascinating facts about the colorful story of Louisiana, but like most rich deposits it yielded its greatest rewards only to the greatest diggers. The historical gold in the Louisiana Quarterly was, like the real article, where you found it. But finding it called for not only the instincts of a researcher but for the manual labor of a prospector. And, too, for a great waste of time. . . . In compiling the Index, Mr. Cruise first correlated the indexes of each of the 31 volumes of the Louisiana Historical Quarterly, a staggering undertaking in itself. In addition, he himself indexed the volumes, Nos. 32 and 33, to which no index is available. Then he integrated his work into the 31 indexes, now edited into one compilation. The result of Boyd Cruise's scholarship is a book that librarians, scholars, students and mere amateurs in Louisiana history will welcome with enthusiasm. He has cut numberless hours off everybody's future research projects in Louisiana history. . . . In closing, I would like to express agreement with Weeks Hall: Boyd Cruise knows what he is doing . . . His contribution is as distinct as it is valuable. -from the Foreword

Indexes volumes 1-33 of the quarterly.

The Louisiana Historical Quarterly is a publication that covers the history and culture of Louisiana. Filled with articles, photos, and other historical documents, this journal is an essential resource for anyone interested in Louisiana history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Representing years of extensive research, this authoritative and comprehensive guide to the records generated in the Louisiana Territory during the French and Spanish colonial periods is a major reference work. Henry Putney Beers has painstakingly traced all types of documents, including land, military, and ecclesiastical records; registers of births, marriages, and burials; and private papers. Far more than a mere bibliographical listing, the book provides a complete history and description of these records and their past as well as current locations. When microfilms or other copies of particular bodies of documents exist, Beers describes the circumstances of reproduction and lists the locations of the copies.In the first part of the book, Beers presents a concise account of history and government in Louisiana, concentrating on the formation of a record-keeping bureaucracy. His detailed discussion includes information on available archival reproductions, documentary publications, and the nature and size of holdings in pertinent manuscript collections. Beers's examination of parish, land, and ecclesiastical records will serve as a vital resource. In the remainder of the book, he provides a similarly comprehensive treatment of the records of what are now Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, and Arkansas.Beers traces repositories for these documents far beyond regional confines, locating some in Europe, Canada, and Cuba. For the early migrants to the region -- the Acadians, for example -- he describes source materials at the migrants' points of origin. He also provides information on documents that have been lost or destroyed, an important service that will save researchers much time.French and Spanish Records of Louisiana will prove to be of enormous value to a wide range of people: professional historians, local history buffs, genealogists, lawyers, archivists, and librarians.