The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-02-02
How Our Parish Records were Pre-
served During the War.
NEW ORLEANS. La, JAM. 80. 1884.

|
L. e. Bentley. Esq, editor DoNALDsoavILLl
| CHIEF.
Ny Deer Sir-Al Although one OF the most con
slant readers Of the CHIEF of all your parish
toner's, and probably the only one of them who
has kept and preserved its file from the first
| number of its first volume to date, it was onl.
l this morning, owing to absence from home, that
had occasion to peruse your issue Of January
| IL, 1884. Under the heading Of Parish Rec.
| ords, J" you have seen fit to mention my name in
| most fattering manner in connection with
the preservation Of the archives of the office
OF Recorder of Mortgages of Ascension parish,
of which had charge at the time of the de-
| struction of large portion of Donaldson
vile by the naval forces of the United States
undcr command Of Admiral Farragut, in Au-
gust, 1852.
Permit me here to correct one of the state
ments you make when you say while others
were lost during the wal, and to say to yon
without the least fear of contradiction:
That some few days after the Federal occu-
patton of New Orleans, l called upon the Hon.
]. Aristide Landry. the then president of the
Police Jury OF the parish Of Ascension. and
asked him to convene the Police Jury, as
wished to submit to them the necessity and
importance of taking such steps as would
guarantee the parish records from the destruc-
ton then anticipated.
The Police Jury upon the call Of its presi-
dent met, and met for the last time in the
Donaldsonville Courthouse.
I laid before them my fears of what could
and did happen, when almost unanimously
they passed solemn resolution, forbidding
me from removing any OF the records of my
Office from the place their predecessors had
designated they should be kept.
Tho 8th of August. 1852. came and with it the
notification BY an officer Of the United States
that the town Of Donaldsonviae would be
bombartled the Hext day.
The good people Of Ascension had called me
to the responaible position occupied. The
Police Jury. to my mind. had made mistake.
There was no time to lose. A vast amount of
responsibility had to be assumed. and / as
snmed it. end IN q couple of three-mule carts
furnished me by that true, gallant and patriotic
gentleman, Col. Trasimon Landry, placed tho
records of my Office. my wife and little ones,
and went. not to the plantation OF my old friend
Mr.. Robert Maurin, but to Palncourtville. in
the parish of Assumption.
1t IS q fact which every one knows that Pain
coartylll Was not long the safe place locked
bayou, across Lake Verret, from there back to
Mr. Anthony Solar's, from there to Napoleon
vile. from Napoieonville to the Pedeselaux
plantation, from the Pedeeclaux plantation to
the viala plantation, where Mr.. Emile Brun
furnished the place to store them away in, and
where they remained until turned over by me to
my successor, holding a commission from the
military Governor of Louisiana.
can well say that not single paper of that
office was lost during the late war. have yet
an inventory of the bucks and papers of the
odice. made by Mr.. B. n. Sims of your parish
han 's of my predecessor, Mr.. John r. Ayraud,
the 9 ims which was again used in 1855 when I
received T a second time from the same gentIe-
InaE. and this is not proof that nothing was
losI, tLen suppose will ever be guilty OF not
having Opeyed the formal instructions of the
Police Jury of Ascension. and of having pre-
served all Of its records, save probably as you
say. some few loose acts. Truly yours,
FELIX REYNAUD