Browse Items (458 total)

Three photographs of Frank Campbell, one of the enslaved people sold by the Maryland Jesuits in 1838. These photographs are included in a scrapbook from the early 1900s that belonged to Robert Ruffin Barrow, Jr., which is held at Ellender Memorial…

Fr. Van de Velde pleads with the Jesuit Provincial in Maryland to contribute $1000 for a church in Louisiana for use of the enslaved people they had sold in 1838. This is the second letter from Van de Velde to the Maryland Jesuits on the topic. He…

An obituary published in the St. Mary's Beacon, July 22, 1909, honoring the life of Louisa Mason (b. 1812), an enslaved woman owned by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus.

Testimony of Cornelius Hawkins in the 1893 case of Beatty et. al. v. Hawkins et. al. (45 La. Ann). Hawkins testifies that he had rented land to grow cotton at West Oak from Glenn Peake since 1871.

Stained glass window from Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Maringouin, Louisiana, featuring historical images of the church from 1877, 1964, and 1972. Immaculate Heart of Mary has been the center of Catholic religious life for many members…

In this letter, Fr. Jan Philip Roothaan, the superior general of the Society of Jesus, approves of the sale of the people enslaved by the Maryland Province but stipulates several conditions that must be met, including assuring that people sold could…

Fr. Stephen Dubuisson S.J. records the arguments for and against the people enslaved by the Maryland Province.

Simple versions of the transcription and translation are included below. Annotated versions may be downloaded in PDF format.

In this letter from Fr. Fidel Grivel to Fr. Charles Lancaster dated May 30, 1840, Grivel includes a brief report on the condition of the people who were sold to Louisiana. He noted that Henry Johnson said he would build a chapel for "our people" and…

In 1897, William Harris and Basil Butler donated land to the Catholic Church in Louisiana "for the purpose of assisting and advancing Christian education among the colored children" of Iberville Parish, Louisiana.

Basil Butler (b. 1824), the son…

Burial records for Holy Trinity Church include the names of enslaved and free people of color in the 19th century. Two people presumed to be slaves of Georgetown are listed in the records: 1) p. 63: Rachel, October 22, 1821 2) p. 104: Charles,…