Prudhomme Family Papers Inventory (#613)

Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contact Information:

Manuscripts Department

CB#3926, Wilson Library

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890

Phone: 919/962-1345

Fax: 919/962-3594

Email: mss@email.unc.edu

URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/

Processed by

Nancy Kaiser

Date Completed

April 2001

Encoded by

Nancy Kaiser

Revisions:

Finding aid updated in September 2002 and December 2004 by Nancy Kaiser.

Descriptive Summary Including Abstract

Title

Prudhomme Family Papers (#613)1765-1997

Creator

Prudhomme family.

Extent

About 16,375 items (41.0 linear feet)

Repository

Southern Historical Collection

Language

English.

Administrative Information

Access

Use of audio and film materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Provenance

Received from Edward C. Prudhomme of Bermuda, La., in 1938; from Mrs. Edward Prudhomme, also of Bermuda, in 1948; from the Prudhomme family in 1999-2001 (Acc. 98382, 98494, 98744, 99147), in memory of J. Alphonse and Lucile Keator Prudhomme; and from Elizabeth Brown Nettleton of Shreveport, La., in 2001 (Acc. 99119).

Processing Information

This inventory incorporates parts of the inventory to the Phanor Prudhomme Papers, which was compiled in the 1960s and reprocessed in the 1980s. The 1938 and 1948 deposits have been integrated with the 1999-2001 donations to form the Prudhomme Family Papers.

Online Catalog Terms

Agriculture--Louisiana--History--19th century.

Agriculture--Louisiana--History--20th century.

Cloutier family.

Commission merchants--Louisiana.

Cotton growing--Louisiana--History--19th century.

Cotton growing--Louisiana--History--20th century.

Family--Louisiana--Social life and customs.

Freedmen--Louisiana.

Genealogy.

General stores--Louisiana.

Historic preservation--Louisiana.

Keator family.

Lecomte family.

Leveque, James A.

Louisiana--Social life and customs.

Natchitoches Parish (La.)--Social life and customs.

Oakland Plantation (Natchitoches Parish, La.).

Physicians--Louisiana--History--19th century.

Plantation life--Louisiana.

Plantations--Louisiana--Natchitoches Parish.

Prudhomme, J. Alphonse, 1838-1919.

Prudhomme, J. Alphonse, 1896-1991.

Prudhomme, P. Phanor, 1865-1948.

Prudhomme, Phanor, 1807-1865.

Prud'homme, Lucile Keator.

Prudhomme family.

Scrapbooks--Louisiana.

Sharecropping--Louisiana.

Slavery--Louisiana.

Women--Louisiana--Social life and customs.

Biographical Note

The nearly 200 year history of the Prudhomme family as plantation owners began with Jean Pierre Emanuel Prudhomme (1762-1845), the son of Jean Baptiste Prudhomme (1736-1786), a physician, captain in the militia, and planter, and the grandson of Jean Pierre Philippe Prudhomme (ca. 1673-1739), a merchant and trader who settled in the Natchitoches area in 1716. Emanuel married Marie Catherine Lambre (1763-1848) in 1782, and around 1792 he purchased land that straddled the Red River thirteen miles south of Natchitoches. He planted indigo and tobacco crops, and in 1795 introduced cotton to the region. He was the first planter to grow cotton on a large scale west of the Mississippi River in the Louisiana Purchase territory. In 1818 he began building a plantation house and in 1821 the family moved in. The house and plantation were called Bermuda until 1873, when it was partitioned by the family. The house and the land on the right bank of the Red River thereafter became known as Oakland.

Emanuel's son, P. Phanor Prudhomme I (1807-1865), appears to have taken over the family plantation in the 1840s. Phanor I was married to Suzanne Lize Metoyer (d. 1855) in 1835. The Metoyer family also seems to have owned considerable acreage in Natchitoches Parish, and may also have been active in commercial endeavors, such as cotton factorages and stores. The Prudhommes had five children: Adeline (1836-1878); J. Alphonse I (1838-1919); Emma (d. 1854); Henriette, (1848-1922); and Emanuel (1844-1934).

Besides the main plantation, materials in this collection suggest that Phanor Prudhomme I had other business ventures, including a sawmill that was widely used by his neighbors. Prudhomme's stature in the community can be surmised from an 1855 letter in which he declined the offer of a Democratic Party nomination to Congress. Near the end of his life, Phanor's property was listed for war tax purposes. This 1862 assessment shows Phanor in possession of the following: 900 acres in cultivation; 1200 woodland acres; 100 acres directly fronting the Red River; 1000 acres of pine woods; and a lot and townhouse at Natchitoches. In addition, he owned a total of 146 slaves, several gold watches, considerable silver and gold plate, a piano, and miscellaneous farm and pleasure conveyances, both animal and vehicular. His children were well educated, with his daughters attending the Ladies of the Sacred Heart School in Natchitoches (mid 1850s), and his sons the University of North Carolina (J. Alphonse, 1858-1860) and Georgetown College, Washington, D.C. (Emanuel, 1861).

Upon Phanor Prudhomme I's death in 1865, J. Alphonse I took control of Bermuda plantation and other family interests. It is not clear how the other children shared in the inheritance. J. Alphonse I married Eliza Elizabeth Lecomte (1840-1923) in 1864. The Lecomte family, like the Prudhommes and the Metoyers, owned considerable acreage, across Natchitoches and in surrounding parishes. Magnolia, Shallow Lake, and Vienna plantations were among their holdings at that time.

J. Alphonse I and Eliza had eight children: P. Phanor II (1865-1948); Jules Lecomte (1867-1916); Edward Carrington (1869-1941); Marie Cora (1871-1952); Marie Attala (1875-1958); Marie Julia (1878-1933); Marie Maie (1880-1964); and Marie Noelie (1883-1978). J. Alphonse I proved to be a highly successful cotton planter. In 1904 he received a gold medal at the St. Louis World's Fair for growing the highest grade of cotton in the South.

Materials in the collection suggest that the Prudhommes experienced a relatively smooth transition from a slave to a tenant economy after the Civil War. Many freedmen became sharecroppers and hired laborers on the plantation. Cotton planting, ginning, and pressing remained the chief operations on the plantation, but it appears that livestock, hay, and timber also were important agricultural activities, especially during the 1880s.

Phanor II assumed plantation responsibilities probably during the 1910s, but certainly by 1919 when J. Alphonse I died. Before that, Phanor II attended Notre Dame (1886-1888). In 1891 he married Marie Laure Cloutier (1871-1941). The Cloutier family owned land in Natchitoches parish, although it is not clear how much. Materials in the collection indicate that after the Civil War and into the 1870s the Cloutiers contracted with freedmen to work the family land. Phanor II and Laure had nine children: J. Alphonse II (1896-1991); Louise Vivian (1898-1904); Elisa Elizabeth (1900-1953); Marie Adele (1903-1974); Marie Leanore (born and died 1904); P. Phanor (born and died 1908); P. "Pete" Phanor III (1909-1978); Marie Lucile (1911-1976); and Louis Donald (1913-1993).

During Phanor II's tenure as patriarch of Oakland, cotton and the general store were the chief operations. Phanor II retired and sold the family business to his son, J. Alphonse II, in 1942. Materials in the collection suggest that cotton and the store remained the primary focus of Prudhomme business interests after the 1940s. Cotton farming can be tracked until around 1960, and the store records extend to 1982.

"Phonsie" married Rosalie Lucile Keator (sometimes called "Lu" or "LuLu") in 1924. Lucile grew up in Webster Groves, Mo., with her parents Mabel and Mayo Sands Keator, an engineer. She also had Keator relations living in Bermuda, La., including her grandfather, Dr. James E. Keator, and her uncle, Dr. James T. Keator. In 1920 Lucile attended St. Mary's Academy in Natchitoches, La., where she befriended classmate Adele Prudhomme and her older brother. Phonsie and Lucile had four children: James Alphonse III (1927-1988); Kenneth Andrew (b. 1929); Mayo Keator (b. 1932); and Rose Vivian (b. 1934). The children of Phonsie and Lucile were the sixth and last generation of Prudhommes to live at Oakland. All four children married and moved from Oakland.

Lucile Keator Prudhomme was an active advocate for Prudhomme and Oakland plantation history. She conducted much of the historic preservation and genealogical research activity at Oakland. Her family research interest dates to the 1920s when she joined as a charter member of the St. Denis chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Lucile would go on to join several more genealogical societies and remain active in them until the 1980s. Her concern for the preservation of Oakland began in 1940 when a museum of the plantation's artifacts was arranged in a couple of rooms in the house. Her devotion to the preservation of Oakland culminated in its being placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1979. In 1997 Oakland was purchased by the National Park Service to become part of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park.

Collection Overview

Correspondence, writings, financial materials, legal papers, genealogical, photographic, and other materials relating to the Prudhomme family of Natchitoches Parish, La. and the Keator family of Webster Groves, Mo., chiefly during the 19th and 20th centuries. Among the important members of the Prudhomme family were Phanor Prudhomme I (1807-1865); his son, J. Alphonse Prudhomme I (1838-1919); his grandson, P. Phanor Prudhomme II (1865-1948); and his great grandson, J. Alphonse Prudhomme II (1896-1992), who carried on various the agricultural operations and the general store until the early 1980s; and J. Alphonse II's wife, Lucile Keator Prudhomme (b. 1906).

Correspondence, 1828-1993, documents life at Bermuda plantation (later called Oakland), including courtship and marriage, school life, social activities, sports, weather, travel, and general news of the Prudhomme, Keator, Cloutier, Lecomte, Metoyer, and other related families. Writings, 1850-1991, include diaries, commonplace books, school composition and lesson notebooks, poetry, and sheet music. The materials in these two series chiefly illustrate the education, interests, and concerns of women, especially young women, in the late 19th through mid 20th century. There are few materials relating to the Civil War. Among them are three letters that describe the effects of the War and an 1864 diary with entries describing military life.

Financial materials, 1765-1989, include loose papers and volumes that document the financial operations of a plantation with interests in slaves, cotton growing, ginning and pressing, corn, hay, lumber, livestock, and a general store. The collection also documents relationships with other plantation owners and businesses; the accounts of day laborers, sharecroppers, and tenants, many of whom were freedmen; the records of the plantation physician, James A. Leveque; and miscellaneous personal financial records of various Prudhomme family members and several persons related through marriage to the family, but otherwise financially distinct from the plantation economy records. In addition to Bermuda/Oakland plantation, there is some scattered information about other nearby plantations, including Gente Place, Magnolia, Shallow Lake, Coco Point, Homeplace, Cognac, Vienna and others. There is a small amount of maps and plats, chiefly of the Cane River plantations and Natchitoches Parish, La.

Legal papers, 1810-1971, are comprised of agreements and indentures, deeds of property and land, judgments and suits, marriage contracts, mortgages, and wills and successions.

Genealogical materials, 1842-1993, document Lucile Keator Prudhomme's interest in family history throughout her adult life. Included are her extensive genealogical correspondence; research notes on the Prudhomme, Keator, and other related families; lineage scrapbooks created by family researchers; family mementos; records of genealogical societies in which she was active; and a small sampling of the published materials used by Lucile in her genealogical research.

Photographic materials include color and black-and-white photographs, slides, and albums of multiple generations of family members, travels, social activities, and Oakland plantation. There are some 19th-century portraits, but the bulk of the collection documents the 20th-century (1910s-1980s). Nearly all of the materials are annotated.

Also included are two audio cassettes, two 16 mm home movies, and 3 reels of microfilm of the original Phanor Prudhomme collection at the Southern Historical Collection.

Other materials, 1811-1995, relate to the social life and non-business interests of the Prudhomme and Keator families. Materials document interest and active participation in education, religion, military service, politics, historic preservation, literary pursuits, domestic arts, sports, and travel.

Many of the 18th- and 19th-century materials are in French.

Organization of Collection

1. Correspondence
1.1. 1837-1993
1.2. Greeting Cards, Calling Cards, Gift Cards, and Decorative Cards, ca. 1810-1993
2. Writings
3. Financial Materials
3.1. General Plantation Materials
3.1.1. Correspondence
3.1.2. Account Ledgers
3.1.3. Cash Account Books
3.1.4. Day Books
3.1.5. Plantation Journals and Records
3.1.6. Plantation and Store Ledgers
3.1.7. Receipts
3.1.8. Tax Statements and Other Assessments
3.2. Plantation Operations and Personal Financial Materials
3.2.1. Articles Needed Books
3.2.2. Corn Books
3.2.3. Cotton Records
3.2.4. Gin Records
3.2.5. Hay Books
3.2.6. Ice Book
3.2.7. Inventory Books
3.2.8. Licenses and Memberships
3.2.9. Livestock Records
3.2.10. Lumber and Sawmill Books
3.2.11. Market Reports
3.2.12. Order Books
3.2.13. Pocket Notebooks
3.2.14. Post Office Records
3.2.15. Press Books
3.2.16. Seed Book
3.2.17. Stock Book
3.2.18. Store Account Books
3.2.19. Succession Records
3.2.20. Time Books
3.3. Miscellaneous Financial Materials
3.3.1. Leveque Medical Accounts and Other Records
3.3.2. Miscellaneous Financial Records
4. Legal Materials
5. Genealogical Materials
5.1. Correspondence
5.2. Research Notes
5.3. Family Mementos
5.4. Genealogical Society Records
5.5. Publications
6. Maps and Plats
7. Photographic Materials
7.1. Photographs
7.2. Slides
7.3. Albums
8. Audio Materials
9. Film Materials
10. Other Materials
10.1. Address Books
10.2. Advertising Materials
10.3. Blueprints and Designs
10.4. Club Records
10.5. Day Planners and Calendars
10.6. Field Books
10.7. Invitations
10.8. Military Materials
10.9. Oakland and Other Historic Natchitoches Materials
10.10. Political Papers
10.11. Recipes, Remedies, and Instructions
10.12. Religious Materials
10.13. School Materials
10.14. Scrapbooks
10.15. Miscellaneous
11. Microfilm
Addition of 2001
1.1. Correspondence, 1828-1914
1.2. Greeting Cards, Calling Cards, Gift Cards, and Decorative Cards
2. Writings
3.1.1. Correspondence
3.1.2. Account Ledgers
3.1.5. Plantation Journals and Records
3.1.7. Receipts
3.2.3. Cotton Records
4. Legal Materials
5.2. Research Notes
5.3. Family Mementos
6. Maps and Plats
7.1. Photographs
10.8. Military Materials
10.9. Oakland and Other Historic Natchitoches Materials
10.10. Political Papers
10.11. Recipes, Remedies, and Instructions
10.15. Miscellaneous

Items Separated

Items separated include oversize papers (OP-613/1-53), oversize volumes (V-613/S1-S11), photograph albums and scrapbooks (PA-613/1-26), photographic materials (1-110/P-613, 1/OP-P-613, and SF-P-613/1-22), audiocassettes (C-613/1-2), 16-mm films (F-613/1-2), and microfilm (M-613/1-3).

Series Descriptions