Azema Demarais Collection
Collection 521
Demarais, Azema (1832-1881). Collection, 1724-1995, undated
1.5 feet; oversize
The Demarais (a.k.a. Demares, Demarets, Demarest) were plantation owners in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Louis George Demaret purchased land in the Attakapas region in 1786. Martin Navarro, whose daughter married Demaret, was a Spanish nobleman who served as an Indendant-General for the province of Louisiana during Spanish rule. The genealogy of the Demarais and Navarro lines also includes the Senette, Murdock, Roundtree, and Glaze families, who also settled in Louisiana.
This collection initially consisted of a portrait and a land grant. Azema Demarais, the granddaughter of Louis George Demaret and raised at the old family home on the Bayou Teche, is the subject of the portrait that is currently displayed in the Jefferson Caffery Reading Room. There is a little damage on the left edge facing the portrait, which according to oral family history, was inflicted by a Union soldier. The 1786 land grant is written in Spanish. An addition donated in 2023 contains photographs of descendants, birth and marriage records, correspondence (including a copy of a 1788 letter), and various genealogy materials relating to the Demarais and Navarro families.
Azema Demarais's great granddaughter, Azema Demarais Rountree Smith ("Tottie" to the family), owned the portrait and land grant, which were left to her son, Herbert Leary Smith, Jr. He, in turn left the items to his cousin, Charlie Etta Smith Crutsinger LoConte. Her husband, Louis LoConte, acts as the legatee for the estate of Azema Demarais Rountree Smith and Herbert Leary Smith, Jr. Louis LoConte and his daughters, Paula Frazier and Amanda Michanczyk, donated the painting and 1786 land grant. Dr. Manuel Morales of the UL Lafayette History Department and Dr. Leslie Bary of the UL Lafayette Modern Languages Department translated and transcribed the land grant from Spanish to English. In 2023, Amanda Michaenczyk donated a significant addition to the collection, which now consists of correspondence, genealogy charts and other research materials, photographs, articles, and transcribed or copies of official records.
Series:
| A. | General Family Records | 1-01 through 1-05 |
| B. | Demarais and Navarro Families | 1-06 through 1-11 |
| C. | Murdock and Roundtree Families | 1-12 |
| D. | Murdock and Glaze Families | 1-13 through 1-19 |
| E. | Photographs | 1-20 through 1-22 |
| F. | Artifacts and Miscellaneous | Map Case 47-03; JCRR |
Inventory:
| A. General Family Records | |||
| 1-01 | Transcription of 1786 Land Grant, by Drs. Manuel Morales and Leslie Barry (See Map Case 47-03 for photocopy source) | ||
| 1-02 | General Family Records – Official Records, 1917-1973 | ||
| 1-03 | General Family Records – Transcribed Records and Family Descriptions | ||
| 1-04 | General Family Records – Correspondence and Research, 1938-1995, undated | ||
| 1-05 | General Family Records – Notes and Memos | ||
| B. Demarais and Navarro Families | |||
| 1-06 |
Early Navarro History Includes transcribed 18th-century documents, genealogy data, images, and book chapter |
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| 1-07 | Demarais-Navarro – Official Records, 1764-1838 | ||
| 1-08 | Demarais-Navarro – Transcribed Records and Correspondence, ca. 1849-1967 | ||
| 1-09 | Demarais-Navarro – Genealogy Records (family records groups for individuals), 1995 | ||
| 1-10 | Demarais-Navarro – Descendant Descriptions, undated | ||
| 1-11 | Demarais-Navarro – Articles, Essays, and Bibliographies, 1911-1972, undated | ||
| C. Murdock and Roundtree Family | |||
| 1-12 | Murdock-Roundtree – Genealogy, Family Descriptions, and Correspondence, ca. 1957-1977 | ||
| D. Murdock and Glaze Families | |||
| 1-13 | Murdock-Glaze – Official Records, 1724-1880 | ||
| 1-14 | Murdock-Glaze – Correspondence, 1942-1957 | ||
| 1-15 | Murdock-Glaze – Correspondence, 1967-1968, undated | ||
| 1-16 | Murdock-Glaze – Transcribed Records and Correspondence, ca. 1690-1955 | ||
| 1-17 | Murdock-Glaze – Notes and Memos | ||
| 1-18 | Murdock-Glaze – Descendant Charts and Descriptions, 1853-1968 | ||
| 1-19 | Murdock-Glaze – Articles and Maps | ||
| E. Photographs | |||
| 1-20 | Photographs, 1 of 3, ca. 1870-1930 | ||
| 1-21 | Photographs, 2 of 3, ca. 1870-1930 | ||
| 1-22 | Photographs, 3 of 3, ca. 1870-1930 | ||
| F. Artifacts and Miscellaneous | |||
| 1. |
Portrait of Azema Demarais, n.d. Displayed in Jefferson Caffery Reading Room |
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| OVERSIZE | |||
| Map Case 47-03 | 1. Land Grant, New Orleans (in Spanish), 20 July 1786 | ||