http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms007007 Archivo Nacional de Cuba Collection Pertaining to Spanish Colonial Rule in Louisiana and the Floridas A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Prepared by Karen Linn Femia Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
2001

Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm81017376

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2007 Finding aid written in English. 2010 April Title, controlaccess updated Collection Summary Archivo Nacional de Cuba Collection Pertaining to Spanish Colonial Rule in Louisiana and the Floridas 1770-1911 (bulk 1770-1805) MSS17376 Archivo Nacional de Cuba 800 items 3 containers 1.2 linear feet Collection material in English and Spanish Manuscript Division Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Transcripts of material found in the Cuban national archives pertaining to Spanish colonial rule in Louisiana and the Floridas. Includes correspondence of the Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Gálvez, correspondence of British traders operating under Spanish protection, in particular William Panton, material concerning commerce and political relations with the local Indian tribes, Spain’s part in the American revolution and relations with the newly independent states, and miscellaneous documents, government orders, and land grants. Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

 People Fonsdeviela, Felipe, 1725-1784--Correspondence. Gálvez, Bernardo de, 1746-1786--Correspondence. Gálvez, José de, 1720-1787--Correspondence. Navarro García de Valladares, Diego José, 1708-1784--Correspondence. Panton, William, 1742-1801. Organizations Archivo Nacional de Cuba. Panton, Leslie & Company. Subjects Indians of North America--Florida. Indians of North America--Louisiana. Places Florida--Commerce. Florida--History. Louisiana--Commerce. Louisiana--History. Spain--Colonies--America--Administration. Spain--Foreign relations--United States. United States--Foreign relations--Spain. United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Participation, Spanish. Administrative Information Provenance

Copies of the records of the Archivo Nacional de Cuba were procured circa 1913 through an arrangement with Elizabeth H. West, an archivist at the Texas State Library. An additional item, an index of correspondence, was given by the Carnegie Institution of Washington to the Library of Congress in 1933 and transferred to the Manuscript Division in 1989.

 Processing History

The records of the Archivo Nacional de Cuba are described in Guide to the Materials for American History in Cuban Archives by Luis Marino Perez (Carnegie Institution of Washington, July 1907). The collection was reprocessed in 2001.

 Copyright Status

It is the researcher's responsibility to determine requirements of domestic copyright laws and international treaties and conventions.

 Access and Restrictions

The papers of Archivo Nacional de Cuba are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

 Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Archivo Nacional de Cuba Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Scope and Content Note

Transcripts of the records of the Archivo Nacional de Cuba span the years 1770-1911, with the bulk of the material dating from 1770 to 1805. The records are in Spanish and English and concern the Spanish colonial administration of Louisiana and Florida. With the exception of a handwritten “Index of correspondence,” the items are blueprint copies made sometime before 1913 of typewritten transcripts of documents in the Cuban archive. The transcripts may have resulted from the work of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Its Department of Historical Research was dedicated to finding documentary sources for the study of American history in foreign archives and publishing a series of guides. The Guide to the Materials for American History in Cuban Archives by Luis Marino Perez was published in 1907. Records in the present collection are described in the Perez book as document numbers 347, 375, and appendix A. A copy of this guide is in the Manuscript Division Reading Room.

The Cédulas y órdenes is a collection of Spanish government orders and documents concerning trade and the administration of Louisiana and Florida. The index of correspondence of the Capitanes-Generales of Cuba was copied in 1911 before the records were sent from Cuba to Spain. It indexes legajos 1-958, “correspondientes al Ramo de Guerra,” and includes a brief description for each entry.

The file “Letters of Bernardo de Gálvez,” written by the Spanish governor of Louisiana, consists of transcripts of his copybooks of correspondence to the secretary of the Indies, José de Gálvez, and to the capitanes-generales at Havana, the Marqués de la Torre and Diego Josef Navarro. Some letters are abstracted while others appear to be full transcripts. Many of the letters relate to military matters, including the assistance given by the Spaniards to the American colonists in revolt, the plans of the Americans to capture Pensacola (1777), and the anticipated attack on New Orleans by the British (1778).

William Panton of Pensacola, founder of the firm of Panton, Leslie and Company, was a Scottish trader who held the exclusive charter from Spain for trade with Indians in West Florida. His file contains transcripts of various items documenting the history of the concession, relations with the Indians, and correspondence, primarily in English, of Panton and his agents. Panton and other traders traveled among the Indian tribes of West Florida, and their letters include personal observations and details related to their travels.

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material or topic.

 http://lccn.loc.gov/mm81017376 Container List Container Contents 1 Cédulas y órdenes, 1770-1785 1 Index of correspondence of 1766-1823 of the Capitanes-Generales of the island of Cuba, 1911 (2 folders) 1 Louisiana and West Florida 1 Letters of Bernardo de Gálvez 1 Copybook no. 2 1 Parts I-III, 1777-1779 (3 folders) 2 Parts IV-V, 1777-1781 (2 folders) 2 Copybook no. 3, 1777-1781 (3 folders) 2 Panton, William; Indian commerce; land grants, etc. 2 Legajo 1 2 Part I, 1785-1793 3 Parts II-III, 1783-1800 (2 folders) 3 Legajo 2, 1780-1807 3 Legajo 4, 1803-1805 3 Legajo 9, 1794-1830 (2 folders)