Newberry Library - Letter Opelousas, La., to Dear Sir, 1806 Mar. 5

Title Letter Opelousas, La., to Dear Sir, 1806 Mar. 5

Creator Magruder, Allan Bowie, 1775-1822

Date 1806

Subjects Indians of North America, Land tenure, Land titles, Title examinations

Description Forms part of the Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library)
Text of letter on p. [1]-[7]
For more information, consult the Special Collections Info. File.

Summary March 5, 1805, letter from Magruder in his capacity as federal land agent, to an unknown correspondent, regarding the federal law governing the registration of land claims in Louisiana and the status of registration in his Opelousas, La., district. Magruder states that the time limit on surveys imposed by Congress is unrealistic and must be extended. He also argues that certain provisions of the law, such as the requirement that Indian titles be extinguished, reflect an ignorance of the actual situation in Louisiana. Magruder also notes that about 700 claims have been brought forward out of an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 within the district, and predicts that most will be confirmed, which will "conciliate the affections of the people in this remote part of the Empire."

Biographical/Historical Note U.S. senator, lawyer, and author. Born in Kentucky, Magruder practiced law at Lexington before his appointment as federal land agent at Opelousas, La., July 8, 1805. He was dismissed from this post in 1806, and resumed his law practice at Opelousas, 1806-1812 and 1813-1822. Magruder served on the committee to draft the Louisiana constitution in 1812 and in the U.S. Senate, Nov. 3, 1812-Mar. 3, 1813. He was the author of "Reflections on the cession of Louisiana" (1803) and had collected material for a general history of the North American Indians, which was left unfinished at his death in 1822.

Extent 1 item (2 folded sheets (8 p.)) ; 34 cm

Format Correspondence, Manuscripts

Archival Collection Title Edward E. Ayer Collection

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number Ayer MS 558

BibID 143108

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 2494px × 3985px 28.47 MB

Filename 991431088805867_Ayer_MS_558_00001.tif

Unique Identifier NL11IBGJ