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Routh Trowbridge Wilby/Murphy J. Foster Family Collection

Collection 330

Wilby, Routh Trowbridge (1922–2006)/Foster, Murphy J. (1849–1921). Family Collection, 1839–2002, n.d.

8 feet, 10 inches

Biography of Routh Trowbridge Wilby

Routh Trowbridge Wilby (April 8, 1922- February 7, 2006) was born and raised at her family’s home, Dixie Plantation, near Franklin, Louisiana. She and her parents, Dr. Paul W. Trowbridge and Mrs. Mary Lucy Foster Trowbridge, lived at Dixie Plantation with her grandmother, Rose Ker Foster. Routh attended Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans and married Langfitt Bowditch Wilby, an Army captain, in 1941. In 1946, Routh traveled to Japan to live with her husband, who was still on active duty after the end of World War II. While in Japan she worked as an English teacher and learned how to speak and write Japanese. Back home in the United States, Routh worked as a freelance writer, local historian, and author. She became a member of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), Pi Beta Phi, and the Junior League of Houston. She and her husband raised four children together; William, Thomas, Mary, and Elizabeth. In 1986 after their children were grown, they decided to purchase Dixie Planation from Routh’s many Foster cousins to renovate it. While cleaning out Dixie, Routh uncovered numerous letters, photographs, and other memorabilia from her family’s life in the house. Routh was inspired from reading some of the letters between her grandmother and grandfather, Rose and Murphy J. Foster, to write her grandmother’s story.

Routh Trowbridge Wilby was the author of three books, Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War (1991), Rose Ker Foster: A Biography (1997), and Friends and Helpers: A Tribute to those who worked at Dixie Plantation: 1846-2002 (2002). Clearing Bayou Teche and Rose Ker Foster were published by the Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Friends and Helpers was self-published. She also wrote Honshu Home about her life in occupied Japan, but it was never published. Rose Ker Foster tells the story of Routh’s grandmother, Rose Ker Foster, also affectionately known as “Donnee.” The book provides insight into what life was like in Louisiana between 1861 and 1959. Rose Ker Foster was the wife of Governor and Senator, Murphy J. Foster, and the grandmother of Governor Mike Foster. Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War tells the story of Daniel Kingsbury who was assigned the task of locating and clear obstructions in Bayou Teche to make it navigable by steamboats.

Biography of Murphy J. Foster

Murphy J. Foster (January 12, 1849- June 12, 1921) was an attorney, state legislator, governor of Louisiana, and United States senator. He was born in Franklin, Louisiana to Thomas Foster and Martha P. Murphy. He attended school first at Washington and Lee College in 1867 and 1868, then at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. After graduating from Cumberland University in 1870, Foster attended the Law School at Tulane University (then University of Louisiana) in New Orleans and graduated in 1871. He passed the bar exam in 1871 and became an attorney. He married his first wife, Florence Daisy Hine, the daughter of a Franklin merchant, T.D. Hine, on May 15, 1877. She died shortly after they were married on August 26, 1877. In 1879, he became a Louisiana state senator and served for three consecutive terms of four years each. He met his second wife, Rose Routh Ker, in 1880 and they married on April 20, 1881. He was elected “President Pro-tempore” of the state senate in 1888. His political career soared after he put his support behind the Anti-Lottery platform and was nominated by the Anti-Lottery League Convention as their candidate for governor. He won the election in 1892 and served as governor of the State of Louisiana for eight years (1892-1900). After his second term ended, he was elected by the state legislature to serve in the United States Senate. He represented Louisiana in Washington from 1901-1913. Following his defeat for re-election in 1913, he was appointed Collector of Customs in New Orleans. He died at his home, Dixie Plantation, on June 12, 1921.

Biography of Rose Ker Foster

Rose, the daughter of Rosealtha Routh and John Ker Jr., was born November 17, 1861 at Lake Catahoula, Louisiana. She and her sister Sarah were raised by their mother’s cousins, Oliva Wade and Alice Wade at Ellerslie Plantation. Rose met her future husband, Murphy J. Foster in 1880, through the acquaintance of her friends, the Tarltons, in Franklin, Louisiana. They married on April 20, 1881 and purchased Dixie Plantation on April 7, 1883. Together, Murphy J. Foster and Rose Ker Foster had ten children (8 daughters and 2 sons): Rose Routh Foster Milling, Elizabeth Ratliff Foster Penick, Lucy Price Foster, Mary Lucy Foster Trowbridge (Routh Trowbridge Wilby’s mother), Willa Ker Foster Hyde, William Prescott Foster, Louisiana Navarro Foster, Martha Demaret Foster Hebert, Murphy James Foster, Jr. (father of Governor Mike Foster), and Sarah Ker Foster Hayne. Rose lived at Dixie Plantation until her death on February 14, 1959.

This collection is divided into two series; the Murphy J. Foster Family Collection and the Routh T. Wilby Research Materials. The Foster Family Collection contains correspondence, bills, photographs, ephemera, publications, and artifacts from the Murphy J. Foster (January 12, 1849- June 12, 1921) and Rose Ker Foster (November 17, 1861- February 14, 1959) family of Franklin, Louisiana. The second half of the collection, the Routh Trowbridge Wilby Research Materials, contains Wilby’s research, correspondence, newsclippings, drafts of her articles and books, photographs, and publications.

Series:

I. Murphy J. Foster Family Collection (c. 1839-1950s)  
  A. Family Correspondence (1877-1942) 1-01 through 5-06
  B. Household Bills, Financial papers, and other Household documents (1881-1930) 5-07 through 6-14
  C. Schoolwork (c. 1890s-1940s) 7-01 through 7-07
  D. Murphy J. Foster Gubernatorial and Senatorial papers (1870-1913) 7-08 through 7-15
  E. Publications (c. 1860s-1945) Box 8
  F. Ephemera (1900-1945) 9-01 through 9-07
  G. Photographs and Negatives (c. 1840s-1951) 9-11 through 9-27
     
II. Routh Trowbridge Wilby Research Materials (1839-2002)  
  A. Photographs and Negatives (1980s-1990s) 10-01 through 10-12
  B. Research Materials for Rose Ker Foster (n.d., 1839-2002) 10-13 through 12-12
  C. Drafts of Rose Ker Foster (1955- c. 1996) 13-01 through 17-05
  D. Other Works and Research Materials (c. 1920s-2002)  
    1. “The Moss Man of Labadieville” (c. 1980) 17-06
    2. Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War (c. 1870-1991) 17-07 through 18-07
    3. Honshu Home (1946-1995) 18-08 through 19-02
    4. Friends and Helpers: A Tribute to those who worked at Dixie Plantation: 1846-2002 (1920s-2002) 19-03 through 19-09
  E. Publications and Scrapbook (1933-1993) 19-10 through 19-13
  F. Oversize (1907- c. 1990s) Box 20

Inventory:

Series I: Murphy J. Foster Family Collection (c. 1840s-1950s)
A. Family Correspondence (1877-1942): Letters provide insight into the personal lives of a family living in Franklin, Louisiana during the time period 1877-1942. While the primary focus of the letters is family life, some letters address the politics of the era, Foster’s senatorial campaigns, various yellow fever outbreaks, and life on the home front during WWI. The vast majority of the correspondence is between Rose Ker Foster and Murphy J. Foster and their children. Included in this series are letters, telegrams, calling cards, and greeting cards. Letters are sorted chronologically by year. It is important to note that many of the letters featured in the book, Rose Ker Foster, are not included in the collection. Routh T. Wilby donated certain letters to different archives in Louisiana; see Folder12-12 to read about those items.
1-01 1877 1 letter: Rose Ker Foster’s letter to her cousin (unnamed)
1-02 1880 3 letters concerning legal matters from Murphy J. Foster’s law office (Gates & Foster, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law)
1-03 1881 6 letters: 5 letters concerning the illness of Dixie Foster (brother of Murphy J. Foster) and 1 business related letter concerning the sale of cattle
1-04 1882 6 letters, 5 personal letters between Murphy J. Foster, Rose Ker Foster, Alice Wade (Rose Ker Foster’s childhood guardian), and Warren Foster (Murphy J. Foster’s brother); 1 business letter addressed to Murphy J. Foster from M. E. Harris
1-05 1883 4 letters: 3 personal letters between Rose Ker Foster, William B. Kerr (Rose’s brother), and Murphy J. Foster and 1 letter concerning a property settlement between Foster and an unnamed individual
1-06 1884 3 letters: 2 personal letters between Rose Ker Foster, Murphy J. Foster, and Don Foster (Murphy J. Foster’s brother) and 1 business related letter requesting payment
1-07 1885 1 personal letters to Rose Ker Foster from Elizabeth Ratliff (Rose’s childhood guardian)
1-08 1887 1 business related letter to Murphy J. Foster from Annie F. Leverich concerning a pending lawsuit
1-09 1888 4 personal letters between Murphy J. Foster, Rose Ker Foster, and William B. Kerr (Rose’s brother)
1-10 1889 3 personal letters from Rose Ker Foster’s sister Annie Ker and guardian Elizabeth Ratliff
1-11 1890 5 personal letters and 2 telegrams
1-12 1891-1892 3 personal letters
1-13 1893 5 personal letters from Rose and Murphy J. Foster’s children to their parents and each other, letters from Rose’s sister Annie Ker and her friend Jeanette Ballard to Rose Ker Foster
1-14 1894 2 personal letters, 1 letter (dated April 15, 1894) which mentions Rose’s resignation from the Baton Rouge Woman’s Club
1-15 1895 11 personal letters; 1 letter (dated July 23, 1895) from a J. B. Shelton with information about Rose’s father
1-16 1896 12 personal letters , 3 postcards (sent from the Foster children to Rose Ker Foster), 3 telegrams (sent by Murphy J. Foster to Rose Ker Foster), and 1 letter fragment (sent to Rose Ker Foster by one of her daughters)
1-17 1897 8 personal letters, 2 postcards
1-18 1898 14 personal letters between Rose, Murphy J. Foster, and their children, most discuss domestic matters, several letters in this folder mention the yellow fever outbreak of that year (see letters dated, September 27, 1898 and October, 26, 1898 (addressed to Mrs. M. P. Foster (Foster’s mother)from Murphy J. Foster), September 27, 1898 (addressed to Warren Foster from Murphy J. Foster), and December 7, 1898 (addressed to Rose from Annie H. Foster
1-19 1899 2 personal letters, one addressed to Rose Ker Foster from Murphy J. Foster, and the other addressed to Mrs. M. P. Foster from Murphy J. Foster
1-20 1890s 5 personal letters, 1 letter (dated September 22, no year) mentions Yellow Fever epidemic
2-01 1900 13 letters, 11 personal letters, most sent between Rose and Murphy J. Foster’s daughters to one another and to their parents; 2 business letters sent between Murphy J. Foster and M. Bosworth, esq. (an employee of Murphy J. Foster)
2-02 1901-1904 5 letters, 4 personal letters all sent between Rose and Murphy J. Foster’s children to one another, 1 advertisement letter addressed to Murphy J. Foster from U.S. Naval Academy
2-03 1905 7 personal letters; includes three letters (dated c. July 1905, August 14, 1905, August 17, 1905) that mention Senator Murphy J. Foster’s goodwill trip to Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines with Secretary of War Taft and Alice Roosevelt and several other senators
2-04 1906 5 personal letters
2-05 1907 6 personal letters
2-06 1909 4 personal letters
2-07 1910 5 personal letters; 2 telegrams (both birth announcements for Murphy J. Foster’s grandchildren)
2-08 1911 10 personal letters; 1 postcard; several of the letters between Rose and Murphy J. Foster mention Foster’s reelection campaign
2-09 1912 22 personal letters; 1 telegram; many of the letters between Rose and Murphy J. Foster mention Foster’s frustration with politics and his failed reelection campaign
2-10 1913 17 letters (13 personal letters (one letter has several newsclippings attached), 4 business letters), 1 telegram (congratulating Murphy J. Foster’s son, Prescott, on becoming a lawyer)
2-11 1914 5 personal letters
2-12 1915 6 personal letters
3-01 1916 11 personal letters
3-02 1917 34 letters and 1 wedding announcement (31 personal letters, and 3 business letters); one letter (dated November 11, 1917) addressed to Murphy J. Foster from his son Prescott, mentions his military involvement (Prescott was inspired to join the military after the United States’ entry into World War I)
3-03 1918 16 letters and 1 telegram (includes one advertisement letter, pamphlets, and membership form from the Wesley Adult Bible Classes Department, and 4 letters from Prescott discussing military life (dated January 13, April 7, July 21, and August 18, 1918)
3-04 1919 3 personal letters
3-05 1910s Undated letters and fragments (6 letters)
3-06 1921 5 letters (3 personal letters, 2 business letters) and 1 Christmas card; one letter (dated January 19, 1921) addressed to W.W. Battle, Esq. concerns Murphy J. Foster’s work as the Collector of Customs in New Orleans, LA
3-07 1921 Sympathy letters (Murphy J. Foster died on June 12, 1921): 44 personal letters
3-08 1921 Sympathy Cards (Murphy J. Foster died on June 12, 1921): 23 sympathy cards
4-01 1922-1923 9 letters (8 personal letters and 1 business letter)
4-02 1924 8 personal letters
4-03 1925-1926 9 personal letters
4-04 1927-1928 4 personal letters, 1 telegram
4-05 1929 15 personal letters, 1 telegram, 1 wedding invitation and 1 Christmas card
4-06 1930 16 personal letters, 3 Christmas cards (nearly all of the letters are addressed to Rose Ker Foster from her children, includes one letter fragment from Rose Ker Foster to daughter, Willa)
4-07 1942 1 personal letter, 1 Christmas card
     
  Undated letters and fragments: These letters are missing dates and are sorted according to who sent/received the letter. Most letters were written between 1900 and 1930
4-08 Correspondence sent/received by Murphy J. Foster (14 personal letters)
4-09 Correspondence sent/received by Rose Ker Foster (24 personal letters)
4-10 Correspondence sent/received by Rose Ker Foster (23 personal letters)
4-11 Correspondence sent/received by Rose Ker Foster (23 personal letters)
5-01 Correspondence sent/received by the Murphy J. Foster/Rose Ker Foster Family (25 personal letters and invitations)
5-02 Correspondence sent/received by the children of Murphy J. Foster and Rose Ker Foster (24 personal letters and poems)
5-03 Correspondence sent/received by the children of Murphy J. Foster and Rose Ker Foster (24 personal letters and poems)
5-04 Correspondence sent/received by the grandchildren of Murphy J. Foster and Rose Ker Foster (5 letters)
5-05 Correspondence sent/received by Alice Wade (Rose Ker Foster’s childhood guardian) (1 letter)
5-06 Letter fragments (contains partial letters and fragments sent and received by the Murphy J. Foster family)
   
B. Household Bills, Financial papers, and other Household documents (1881-1930): This series contains grocery, dry goods, medical, school, and household improvement bills, tax cards, the mortgage for Dixie Plantation, insurance policies, recipes, invitation lists, and household inventories (1880s-1930s)
   
5-07 Household bills (1881-1885)
5-08 Household bills (1890-1899)
5-09 Household bills (1900-1905)
5-10 Household bills (1906-1909)
6-01 Household bills (1910-1915)
6-02 Household bills (1916-1919)
6-03 Household bills (1920-1929)
6-04 Household bills (1930)
6-05 Miscellaneous Household bills (n.d.)
6-06 Bank statements and deposit slips (1918-1925)
6-07 Insurance policies (1902-1924)
6-08 Dixie Plantation mortgage (1901-1907)
6-09 Tax cards (1920, 1929)
6-10 Automobile registration (1915)
6-11 Guest Lists for parties, mailing addresses, and unused Christmas cards
6-12 Household inventory (lists of items in Dixie Plantation) (n.d.)
6-13 Recipes and meal plans (n.d.)
6-14 Sewing patterns and guidebook (c. 1917)
   
C. Schoolwork (c. 1890s-1940s): Includes reports, poems, exams, report cards, and other school related items for Murphy J. Foster and Rose Ker Foster’s children and grandchildren
   
7-01 “The Purple and Gold,” school newspaper for Southern Female College, Vol. 1, no. 3 (December 1899) (contains poem written by Bessie Foster on pg. 1 and mentions Mary Foster on pg. 2)
7-02 School reports and papers (c. 1890-1910)
7-03 School reports and papers (c. 1912) (attributed to Martha Foster, daughter of Rose and Murphy J. Foster)
7-04 School reports and papers (1915-1916) (most attributed to Sarah Ker Foster, daughter of Rose and Murphy J. Foster)
7-05 Sarah Ker Foster teaching contract (1924)
7-06 Schoolwork for Routh Trowbridge Wilby and Elizabeth Trowbridge (sister of Routh T. Wilby) (c. 1930)
7-07 Routh Trowbridge Wilby’s thesis research on the Acadians, written while attending Sophie Newcomb College (now Tulane) (c. 1940)
   
D. Murphy J. Foster Gubernatorial and Senatorial papers (1870-1913): this section includes miscellaneous reports, notes, and invitations
     
7-08 Miscellaneous legal documents (1870-1911)
7-09 Roll of the House of Representatives of the State of Louisiana fragment (1888)
7-10 Certificate signed by Governor Murphy J. Foster appointing C.B. Sticks administrator of an asylum in DeSoto Parish (1897)
7-11 Speech, testimony, and closing argument of Senator Murphy J. Foster before the Louisiana Supreme Court concerning whether the state or the city of New Orleans has jurisdiction over wharves built near the city (November 24, 1902)
7-12 Speech entitled “The Future of the Domestic Sugar Industry” (c. 1904, includes some annotations)
7-13 Invitation for Senator Murphy J. Foster to attend a reception in the Philippines (from Foster’s Goodwill trip to Hong Kong, Philippines, and Japan) (1905)
7-14 Louisiana Supreme Court Case # 15,702: State Ex rel Miss. L. B. Wilder vs. Board of Liquidation of the City Debt, et al. (1905)
7-15 Senate notes and calling card (n.d., 1913)
   
E. Publications (c. 1860s-1945)
  Publications specific to Murphy J. Foster:
     
8-01 Governors of Louisiana: Biographical Sketches of Louisiana’s Governors from D’Iberville to Foster by A Louisianaise as A Contribution to the Exhibit of Woman’s Work, in the the Louisiana State Department, At the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, LA 1884-1885 published in Baton Rouge, LA by the The Advocate Book and Job Office (1893)
8-02 Murphy J. Foster gubernatorial addresses to the General Assembly (1896-1899)
8-03 Reports of the Bureau of Engineering for the Fiscal Year 1904: From the Report of the Philippine Commission, Part 3, Pages 192-275 (1904)
8-04 Congressional Record of the 59th Congress, 1st Session, Vol. 40, no. 104 (April 23, 1906): contains a speech on the Regulation of the Railroad Rates by Murphy J. Foster
8-05 Speech of the Hon. Murphy J. Foster, Opening his Campaign for Re-Election (October 3, 1911)
8-06 Jewish Immigration Bulletin (Vol. 3, no. 2, February 1913)
8-07 Docket no. 6730, “The Louisiana Sugar Planters Association vs. Illinois Central Railroad Company, et. al. (May 21, 1914): Attorneys Foster (Murphy J. Foster), Milling, Brian, and Saal
8-08 “The Cumberland Alumnus, Lebanon, Tennessee” (Vol. 1, no. 2: November 1920)
8-09 Louisiana Supreme Court Case, no. 14,231, Ashley Company, Limited vs. David Bradford et al. (n.d.)
     
  Publications specific to the family of Murphy J. Foster:
     
8-10 “Birthday Book” c. 1860s-1920s: handwritten book that contains birthdays, marriages, deaths, and some newsclippings for the Foster family members and extended family
8-11 “The Missionary Voice: The Child at School” (May 1912) (2 copies): one copy belongs to Willie Foster, and the other to Mrs. Paul (Mary) Trowbridge (Routh Trowbridge Wilby’s mother)
     
  Miscellaneous Publications:
     
8-12 Catalogue of Washington College, Virginia: Session of 1867-1868 (Baltimore, 1868)
8-13 Southwest Louisiana on the Line of the Southern Pacific Company (c. 1890s)
8-14 Pheasant Farming by Gene Simpson (Simpson’s Pheasant Farm, Corvallis, Oregon) (1908)
   
F. Ephemera (1900-1945): Contains pamphlets, cards, and other miscellaneous paper items
     
9-01 Grocery Account Books and Ice Coupon Book (c. 1900)
9-02 Pamphlet: “The Trend of the Times in Books” (c. 1900)
9-03 Railroad and taxicab passes (1905-1906, 1913, n.d.)
9-04 “The Diamond Dye Annual and Direction Book” (No. 14, 1916-1917)
9-05 Memorandum Book (signed Mrs. Murphy J. Foster) (c. 1918)
9-06 Program for the Franklin, Louisiana Opera House (for the week of March 3rd, 1918)
9-07 Western Union Telegraph Company Cards (4 cards for: Mrs. M. J. Foster, Mrs. Monty Hayne, Mrs. Bessie Penick, and Mrs. Paul Trowbridge) (c. 1930/1931)
9-08 Pamphlet: “Luncheon in Honor of his Excellency, General Charles de Gaulle, President of the French Republic, West Point Army Mess (August 26, 1945)
9-09 Booklet: [The Little Mermaid] by A. Anderson (n.d.)
9-10 Miscellaneous calling cards, greeting cards, appointment cards and postcards (n.d.)
   
G. Photographs and Negatives (c. 1840s- 1951): This series contains photographs and negatives from the years 1870s-1940s of Murphy J. Foster, his wife Rose Ker Foster, and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
     
9-11 Murphy J. Foster: includes 6 portraits (one tintype) of Murphy J. Foster (1850s - c. 1920)
9-12 Rose Ker Foster: includes 8 portraits of Rose Ker Foster (1900-1951)
9-13 Family portraits: includes 1 portrait of Rose Ker Foster and her 7 daughters (c. 1928), taken at Olive Roberts and Murphy James Foster Jr.’s wedding
9-14 Dixie Plantation: 9 photographs and 25 negatives (1930s-1986)
9-15 Rose Ker Foster’s ancestors (c. 1840s): 13 portraits (1 photograph printed on glass), and 1 packet of negatives for the portraits. Includes pictures of Rosealtha Routh Ker (Rose Ker Foster’s mother), David Ker (Rose Ker Foster’s great-grandfather), Mary Beggs Ker (Rose Ker Foster’s great-grandmother), John Ker (Rose Ker Foster’s grandfather), Olivia Lane Wade (Rose Ker Foster’s great-aunt)
9-16 Will Ker (Rose Ker Foster’s brother): 1 portrait (c. 1890s/1900)
9-17 Sarah Ker Foster (daughter of Rose Ker Foster): includes 5 photographs (c. 1930) from Colombia of Sarah Ker Foster and husband, Monty Haynes
9-18 Routh Trowbridge Wilby and Family (c. 1905-1917): includes 3 photographs
9-19 Routh Trowbridge Wilby and Family (c. 1920s): includes 10 photographs
9-20 Routh Trowbridge Wilby and Family (c. 1930s): includes 19 photographs
9-21 Routh Trowbridge Wilby and Family (c. 1948-1954): includes 4 photographs
9-22 Unknown Foster children and grandchildren (c. 1910s-1930s): includes 12 photographs
9-23 Unknown Events (c. 1890s/1900): 3 photographs on cardboard
9-24 Miscellaneous postcards and one painting (c. 1920s- 1930s)
9-25 Photograph of Alice Roosevelt and Secretary Taft (c. 1905) (picture taken during Murphy J. Foster’s 1905 Goodwill Trip to Japan, Philippines, and Hong Kong)
9-26 1927 Flood: 4 photographs (in poor condition)
9-27 Later Foster Family Photos (copies of photos) (1920s-1950s)
   
II. Routh T. Wilby Research Materials (1839-2002): This series contains materials from many of Routh T. Wilby’s writing projects, including drafts of Rose Ker Foster, Friends and Helpers, Honshu Home, and Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War: The Kingsbury Project 1870-1871, correspondence, photographs, newsclippings, and miscellaneous publications
     
A. Photographs and Negatives: (1980s-1990s) Routh T. Wilby’s book signing (for the biography, Rose Ker Foster), and photographs of different locations portrayed in the biography, Rose Ker Foster, as well as some personal photos from Dixie, Ellerslie, and Ouida Plantation
10-01 Ellerslie and Ouida Plantation: 33 photographs and 1 packet of negatives (1980-1999), includes pictures of cemetery headstones from Ouida’s family cemetery
10-02 Ouida Renovation and Celebration (c. 1995): 6 photographs
10-03 Churches (c. 1995): includes 5 pictures of St. Michael’s Church in Convent, LA and Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville, LA and 1 packet of negatives
10-04 Bayous (n.d.): Includes 2 photographs, 1 of Bayou Sarah, and 1 of Bayou Teche
10-05 Hanson Canal, Franklin, LA (n.d.): includes 8 photographs
10-06 Cutting Sugarcane at Dixie Plantation (1988): 7 photographs and negatives
10-07 "Wilby Island,” Franklin, LA (1988): Includes 5 photographs
10-08 Ker Point (n.d.): Includes 4 photographs and maps
10-09 Event at Ouida Plantation during March 1999 (possibly Audubon Pilgrimage): Includes 8 photographs
10-10 Moss Ginning in the swamp (11 photographs and 2 sheets of negatives) (n.d.)
10-11 Routh T. Wilby at book signing for Rose Ker Foster: 5 pictures and 1 negative(1997-1998)
10-12 Baton Rouge West-side Women’s Club meeting (2000): (10 photographs and 1 letter)
 
B. Research Materials for Rose Ker Foster (n.d., 1839-2002): This subseries contains the research materials gathered by Routh T. Wilby in order to create her book, Rose Ker Foster. Included in this series are genealogy materials, correspondence, and newsclippings.
10-13 Murphy J. Foster family (c. 2002)
10-14 Barrow/Wade families (cousins of Rose Ker Foster) (c. 1996); includes correspondence
10-15 Towles family (the family of Rose Ker Foster’s older sister, Sarah Ker Towles) (n.d.)
10-16 Ker family (Rose Ker Foster’s ancestors) (c. 1994); includes a collection inventory for the Mary Susan Ker Papers at UNC Chapel Hill
10-17 Routh family (Rose Ker Foster’s maternal line) (n.d.)
10-18 Family, friends and acquaintances of Rose Ker Foster, includes the De La Houssaye, Tarlton, and Demaret families (c. 1997)
10-19 Nutt/Knutt Family (n.d.)
   
  Research Notes for Rose Ker Foster:
10-20 Outline of chapters and illustrations for proposed book, Rose Ker Foster (referred to as Now Daughter) (n.d.)
10-21 Drafts and notes for Rose Ker Foster’s introduction and first two chapters (n.d.)
10-22 Typed transcripts of early letters between Rosealtha Routh Ker (Rose Ker Foster’s mother) and her cousins (1839-1851)
11-01 Handwritten notes on the early years of Rose Ker Foster’s life (1860s-1880s), and early versions of the introduction of Rose Ker Foster
11-02 Handwritten notes and typed transcripts of letters between Rose Ker Foster and Murphy J. Foster, from the years 1897-1900
11-03 Handwritten notes and typed transcripts of letters (1890s-1913) (mostly about Foster’s senatorial and gubernatorial career); also includes a timeline of important events mentioned in the letters and some newsclippings.
11-04 Transcripts of letters between Murphy J. Foster and Rose Ker Foster prior to their marriage and during their early marriage (1880s-1890s)
11-05 Articles about Murphy J. Foster: “Political Career of Murphy J. Foster” by Sydney Romero and “The Louisiana Governors: From Iberville to Edwards” edited by Joseph G. Dawson III (n.d.)
11-06 Notes about Prescott Foster (son of Murphy J. Foster) and miscellaneous handwritten notes for chapters 11-19 (n.d.)
11-07 Joseph Warren Foster (brother of Murphy J. Foster) will, succession, obituary, and miscellaneous other legal documents (1927-1947)
11-08 Notes about Ellerslie Plantation (n.d.)
11-09 Notes on Dixie Plantation (n.d.)
11-10 Pictures of landmarks in Franklin and St. Mary Parish (cut out from a calendar) (c. 1991)
11-11 Pictures of Governor’s mansion, gravestones of family members, Murphy J. Foster, and family, with notes about their placement in Rose Ker Foster (n.d.)
     
  Newsclippings
11-12 Franklin history (1840s-2002)
11-13 Articles about Murphy J. Foster (1910-1992)
11-14 The Jeffersonian [newspaper] Vol. 11, no. 58 (September 17, 1914)
11-15 Martha Foster and Arthur W. Herbert marriage announcement (1921)
11-16 Murphy J. Foster obituaries (1921)
11-17 Historic Preservation and Plantation Homes (1993-1999)
11-18 Weyanoke Post Office Centennial (located in West Feliciana Parish) (1994)
11-19 Articles about the publication of Rose Ker Foster (1997-1998)
11-20 Article about slavery in the South (mentions Governor Mike Foster and the Foster family) (2000)
11-21 Baton Rouge history (2002)
11-22 St. Michael’s Church and Convent (site of Saint Michael’s School) (2002)
   
  Correspondence (for Rose Ker Foster)
12-01 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (1992-1993)
12-02 Donor Forms from The Historic New Orleans Collection and LSU’s Hill Memorial Library to Routh T. Wilby (1993-1999)
12-03 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (1994-1996)
12-04 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (1997)
12-05 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (1998)
12-06 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (1999)
12-07 Audubon Pilgrimage Correspondence(February-June 1999): includes information about the restoration of Ouida Plantation, the Audubon Pilgrimage brunch at Ouida Plantation, Routh T. Wilby’s notes for her speech at the brunch, and some newsclippings about Ouida Plantation
12-08 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (2000-2002)
12-09 Letters to Routh T. Wilby (n.d.)
   
  Post Publication of Rose Ker Foster: Book talks/Book signings
12-10 Schedules for book-talks and book-signings (1997-1998)
12-11 Annual report from the annual meeting for the Friends of the Houston Public Library (Routh T. Wilby was the speaker) (1998)
12-12 Invoices and financial information about Rose Ker Foster (1998)
   
C. Drafts of Rose Ker Foster (1955- c. 1996) Early Drafts of this work were titled, Now Daughter. All drafts are undated, except where noted
   
  Early Drafts of Rose Ker Foster
13-01 “Louisiana Lady” (early article about Rose Ker Foster) and notes (1955)
13-02 “Now Daughter” (early article about Rose Ker Foster) and notes (1956)
13-03 Outline and expanded incomplete draft of Now Daughter, includes notes about Franklin, Louisiana, and the Foster family (n.d.)
13-04 Illustrations for Now Daughter, labeled with chapter numbers (n.d.)
   
  Draft 1 (not titled)
13-05 [Marked “Unfinished”] Introduction- Chapter 6
13-06 Chapter 7 - Chapter 9
13-07 Chapter 10 - Chapter 13
13-08 Chapter 14 - Chapter 18 (end of draft)
   
  Draft 2: Now Daughter
13-09 Introduction - Chapter 3
13-10 Introduction (revised) and miscellaneous illustrations
13-11 Chapter 6 - Chapter 7
13-12 Chapter 8 - Chapter 9
14-01 Chapter 10 - Chapter 11
14-02 Chapter 12 - Chapter 13
14-03 Chapter 13 - Chapter 15
14-04 Chapter 16 - Chapter 18
14-05 Chapter 19 - Chapter 20
14-06 Chapter 21 - Chapter 23 (end)
   
  Draft 3: Now Daughter
14-07 Acknowledgements, Introduction, notes, Chapter 1- Chapter 3
14-08 Chapter 4 - Chapter 7
14-09 Chapter 8 - Chapter 11
14-10 Chapter 12 - Chapter 16
14-11 Chapter 17 - Chapter 19
14-12 Chapter 20 - Chapter 23 (end)
   
  Draft 4 (not titled)
15-01 Chapter 1 - Chapter 3
15-02 Chapter 4 - Chapter 5
15-03 Chapter 6 - Chapter 7
15-04 Chapter 8 - Chapter 9
15-05 Chapter 10 - Chapter 11
15-06 Chapter 12 - Chapter 13
15-07 Chapter 14 - Chapter 15
15-08 Chapter 16 - Chapter 17
15-09 Chapter 18 - Chapter 19
15-10 Chapter 20 - Chapter 21 (contains correspondence and additional notations for Chapter 20)
15-11 Chapter 22 - Chapter 23 (end) (contains two versions of Chapter 23)
   
  Draft 5: Now Daughter (c.1996)
16-01 [Marked “Copy 2”] Table of contents listing illustrations for Now Daughter, includes additional numbered illustrations, and some correspondence from her editor, Mary Dell Fletcher, regarding draft changes (1996)
16-02 Introduction - Chapter 4
16-03 Chapter 5 - Chapter 7
16-04 Chapter 8 - Chapter 10
16-05 Chapter 11 - Chapter 14
16-06 Chapter 15 - Chapter 19
16-07 Chapter 20 - Chapter 22 (end)
   
  Draft 6: The Life of Rose Ker Foster (c. 1996)
16-08 Introduction - Chapter 2
16-09 Chapter 3 - Chapter 4
16-10 Chapter 5 - Chapter 6
16-11 Chapter 7 - Chapter 8
16-12 Chapter 9 - Chapter 10
16-13 Chapter 11 - Chapter 12
17-01 Chapter 13 - Chapter 14
17-02 Chapter 15 - Chapter 16
17-03 Chapter 17 - Chapter 18 (includes some primary documents and photographs)
17-04 Chapter 19 - Chapter 20
17-05 Chapter 21 - Chapter 23
 
D. Other Works and Research Materials (c. 1920s-2002): Includes research information for an article on Moss ginning, manuscripts, notes, and photographs from her projects: Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War: The Kingsbury Project (1870-1871), Honshu Home, and Friends and Helpers: A Tribute to those who worked at Dixie Plantation: 1846-2002.
   
  1. “The Moss Man of Labadieville” (c. 1980)
17-06 “The Moss Man of Labadieville” by Routh T. Wilby (c. 1980)
    see Folder 10-10 for additional photographs of Moss Ginners
   
  2. Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War (c. 1870-1991)
    This book tells the story of Daniel Kingsbury who was assigned the task of locating and clearing Bayou Teche of obstructions to make it accessible by boat. Routh T. Wilby found the original correspondence, surveys, and progress reports that this book is based on at Dixie Plantation.
17-07 Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War (1991) proof copy
17-08 The University of Southwestern Louisiana Publishing Contract (n.d.)
17-09 Illustrations used in Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War (n.d.)
17-10 Maps of Mr. Kingsbury’s route through the Teche (1 transparency and 3 maps) (n.d.)
17-11 Photographs of plantations along Bayou Teche and other important landmarks (18 total) (1970s-1980s)
     
  Photocopies of Correspondence from Daniel M. Kingsbury (1870-1871)
    Letters are numbered 1-62, and detail Kingsbury’s progress along Bayou Teche
17-12 Letters, no. 1-10
17-13 Letters, no. 11-20
17-14 Letters, no. 21-30
17-15 Letters, no. 31-40
18-01 Letters, no. 41-50
18-02 Letters, no. 51-62
     
  Miscellaneous notes and draft copies of Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War
18-03 Handwritten notes for Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War(n.d.)
18-04 Original Manuscript, Acknowledgements through page 30 (includes a letter from Glen Conrad to Routh T. Wilby about the publication of the manuscript (1991)
18-05 Original Manuscript, page 31- end (page 77) (n.d.)
18-06 Photocopies of the “Survey of the Bayou Teche” (dated May 1870)
18-07 Draft copy of Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War and notes (n.d.)
   
  3. Honshu Home (1946- 1995)
    This unpublished manuscript tells Routh T. Wilby’s own personal story of her time living in occupied Japan with her husband, Captain Langfitt B. Wilby, and son, William “Bill” Wilby. The Wilbys lived in Japan for one year while Captain Wilby finished up his term of service in the Army. This story is based on Routh T. Wilby’s own personal recollections and diaries from 1946-1947.
18-08 Manuscript of Honshu Home: Introduction - Chapter 5
18-09 Manuscript of Honshu Home: Chapter 6 - Chapter 10
18-10 Manuscript of Honshu Home: Chapter 11 - Chapter 15
18-11 Manuscript of Honshu Home: Chapter 16 - Chapter 19
18-12 Manuscript of Honshu Home: Chapter 20 - Chapter 24 (end)
19-01 Correspondence regarding the publication of Honshu Home (1948, 1993-1995)
19-02 Photographs of occupied Japan (c. 1946-1949)
   
  4. Friends and Helpers: A Tribute to those who worked at Dixie Plantation: 1846-2002 (1920s-2002)
19-03 Draft of Friends and Helpers
19-04 Notes for Friends and Helpers and correspondence sent to former workers at Dixie Plantation (2002)
19-05 Short biographies of workers from Dixie Plantation with photographs (2002)
19-06 Reception for Friends and Helpers at Dixie Plantation includes photographs (2002)
19-07 Correspondence regarding the publication of Friends and Helpers(2002)
19-08 Notes on Dixie Plantation workers; includes early photographs (n.d., c. 1920s-1940s)
19-09 Newsclippings about Friends and Helpers (2002)
   
E. Publications and Scrapbook (1933-1993)
19-10 Scrapbook (compiled by Routh T. Wilby, c. 1933)
19-11 Preservation in Print, Volume 20, no. 6, published by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans and the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office (August 1993) - See article: “Andrew and Our Antebellum Home” by Routh Trowbridge Wilby (p. 22). It is an article about Hurricane Andrew’s effect on Dixie Plantation.
19-12 A Tourist’s Guide to West Feliciana Parish: A Little Bit of Heaven Right Here on Earth by Anne Butler (1983) - contains a few of Wilby’s personal notes and was used for background research for Rose Ker Foster
19-13 My Ancestors by Minnie Ker Ringgold (Dec. 1941) - contains a few of Wilby’s personal notes and the addition of some newsclippings and obituaries. This book contains the genealogy of the Ringgold family and allied families (Williamson, Wilmer, Ker, Baillio, Routh, Bowie, Nutt/Knutt, Ratliff, Fauntleroy, Barrow, Brandon, Dahlgreen, Stratton, and Walker)
 
F. Oversize (1907- c. 1990s)
20-01 Bookcovers for Rose Ker Foster (5 copies)
20-02 Bookcovers for Clearing Bayou Teche after the Civil War (4 copies)
20-03 Promotional brochures for Rose Ker Foster (30 copies)
20-04 Three writing slates (dated Mary 23, 1907)