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Alphabetical List of Collections: W

Note: Larger holdings are labeled "Collection"; smaller holdings (less than 2½ inches) are labeled "Manuscript".

Wampus Cat, The. 1921

Manuscript 161

1 folder
The Wampus Cat. Express Edition. July 1921: first year, number 10, August 1921: first year, number 11. Published Monthly by The Wampus Cat Publishing Company, Inc. Leesville, LA.

Warmoth, Henry Clay (1842-1931). Papers, 1798-1934

Collection 85

Microfilm: 22 reels [35mm]
Microfilm copy of the Henry Clay Warmoth Papers from the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina Library.

Washington (Louisiana), Town of. Records, 1836-2012

Collection 517

5 feet
Washington, Louisiana, founded in 1770, is a town in St. Landry Parish and the third oldest settlement in Louisiana. Starting out as a French trading post, the Town of Washington acted as a steamboat port for various products, the largest port between New Orleans, LA and St. Louis, MO. This collection contains the minutes to meetings and financial records for the Town of Washington, a journal documenting minutes for the Board of Police, and the Code of the Ordinances for Opelousas. Washington Mayor Dwight Landreneau’s office donated the collection.

Water Resources Congress. Collection

Collection 385

42 feet

Watson Family. Papers, 1793-1930

Collection 3

10 inches
Correspondence, financial and legal records of several families from the Port Gibson, Mississippi, region. Among the themes reflected in the collection are the Presbyterian Church and its activities in Mississippi, economic pursuits especially plantation management, relations with African Americans both as enslaved people and freedmen, and health concerns including recurring yellow fever epidemics. Also included are the papers of Major J. W. Watson, U. S. Army (ca. 1865-1920) who served in Indian Wars and as an Indian agent during the 1890s and in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He wrote about the Cuban Revolution of 1917. He also wrote some virulently anti-German pieces during World War I.
The collection was donated by Dalton Watson of Waterproof, La.

Webb, Bernice (1920-1999). Papers, 1756-1991, n.d.

Collection 168

47 feet
Dr. Bernice Webb was a professor of English, biographer, and poet. Dr. Webb’s major publications include The Basketball Man: James Naismith, Beware of Ostriches, Poetry on the Stage: William Poel, and Born to Be a Loser: The Jimmy Donley Story, a biography she co-authored with Johnnie Allan. This collection consists of her working files which include genealogy, letters, journals, correspondence, writings, publications, and other professional materials. The collection also contains Robert Webb's working files, such as biographical, professional, and personal materials. William C. Schear, Bernice Webb's son, donated the collection.

Weeks Family. Collection, 1806-1971, n.d.

Collection 55

2.5 inches
This collection consists of material on the Weeks family who resided in New Iberia, Louisiana.

West Feliciana Parish. Civil Records, 1811-1855

Collection 370

Microfilm: 4 reels
Civil Parish records, 1811-1855, including successions, notarial records, partitions, marriage licenses, Police Jury minutes, poll tax records, and a book of oaths.

Wharton, Vernon L. (1907-1964). Papers, 1935-1964, n.d.

Collection 34

6 feet, 0.5 inches; oversize
Vernon Wharton was a historian, sociologist, and administrator at Millsaps College, Texas State College of Women, and Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). This collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, writings and speeches, lecture notes, clippings, and other materials. Several of these works reference African Americans, the South, Reconstruction, and American, European, and Latin American history.

Whisler, Ernest Jackson (1870-1958). Collection, 1901-1967, n.d.

Collection 31

5 inches
This collection contains literary material of Ernest Jackson Whisler, a turn-of-the-century writer of plays and folk stories under the name of Jack Whisler. His career appears to span the first half of the 20th century. Lois Whisler of Tucson, Arizona, with the aid of Paul Nolan, donated this collection.

White, Maunsel (1783?-1863). Letters, 1836-1844

Manuscript 79

1 folder
Letters to this New Orleans merchant from John Howard Payne and Andrew Jackson. Photocopies; location of originals unknown. Donated by Maunsel White.

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

Collection 330

8 feet 10 inches
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, news clippings, drafts of her articles and books, photographs, and publications.

Williams, David R. (1890-1962). Papers, 1847-1986, n.d.

Collection 27

26 feet
Williams was an architect, a government official, a city planner, a bon vivant and a Texan. Interests in architecture and engineering honed through work in a railroad foundry and correspondence study were developed at the University of Texas at Austin. Williams toured Europe in the early 1920s where he furthered his education in architecture and acquired a notable rare book collection which specialized in Renaissance architecture. Williams returned from Europe and established an architectural practice in Dallas, Texas, in 1924. During the next nine years, he evolved a style which borrowed heavily from pioneer Texas buildings which he called the "indigenous architecture." During World War II Williams worked with war housing where he made pioneering efforts in the field of prefabrication. From 1945 until his retirement in 1951 Williams worked for a number of government agencies planning hospitals, designing tropic and arctic housing, and developing special housing projects in Venezuela. This collection reflects the life and work of Williams, his wife, Lyle and his daughter, Davida. Williams was an avid amateur photographer so the collection contains an extensive subsection of photographs.

Williams, Espy (1852-1908). Collection, 1865-1908, 1969

Collection 20

3 feet
Espy Williams was one of Louisiana's best-known playwrights of the latter 19th and early 20th century. This collection centers on the literary career of Espy Williams. It contains news clippings (primarily reviews), flyers and ads for Williams's works, a few photographs, correspondence, two diaries, poetry, essays, librettos, and plays by Williams. Eunice Simonds Osgood (Mrs. Phillips E.) of Summit, New Jersey donated this collection.

Willis, Edwin E. (1904-1972). Papers, 1949-1969

Collection 46

186 feet, 2 inches
Edwin Willis was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana, member of the House Judiciary Committee, and chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee. This collection contains extensive Congressional office records including correspondence, photographs, press releases, reports, scrapbooks, and other materials. Almost all series contain constituent correspondence.

Wilson, Mary (1846-1867). Collection, 1864-1890, 1955

Collection 140

Microfilm: 1 reel
Material gathered about the visitation of Blessed John Berchmans to Mary Wilson at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, La., in 1866. The collection contains printed material including biographies of St. John Berchmans when he was canonized, the catechism used by Novitiate Mary Wilson, and pamphlets. There are also handwritten transcripts (in both English and French) of diary entries, depositions, testimonials, and letters. There are also some original letters.
This material was microfilmed by Dennis Gibson for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1974. The originals are owned by the Academy of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau.

Wilson, Shawn D. (1969 - ). Photograph Collection, 1987-1993, 2004

Collection 503

622 megabytes; 183 images
Secretary Shawn Wilson is the Secretary of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). An alumni of University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he also was instrumental in establishing the National Pan-Hellenic Council (Black Greeks) on campus and serving as the first African American SGA president and the president of the Alumni Association. This collection consists of one volume of digitized color photographs from the 50th Anniversary of Desegregation of the University in 2004 and a digitized color photograph album of National Pan-Hellenic Council events and social activities while Secretary Wilson was a student at the UL Lafayette from 1987-1993. Secretary Wilson loaned the collection for digitization and donated the digital copies.

Winslow, John (1703-1774). Letter, 1755

Manuscript 149

1 folder
Autographed letter from Maj. John Winslow of Massachusetts, written during the British campaign in Nova Scotia in the French & Indian War [the deportation of Acadians from Nova Scotia]. 3 November 1755. [ORIGINAL]

Winters, Mary Elizabeth (1890-1991). Papers, 1813-1937, n.d.

Collection 87

5 inches
This collection consists of correspondence and papers relating to the history of southwest Louisiana. These papers are mainly about the history of New Iberia and Iberia Parish. Also included is her master’s thesis submitted to Peabody College. There are other miscellaneous materials as well.

Wittenberger, Mary H. (1902-1990). Scrapbook, 1922, 1972

Collection 391

1 DVD
Mary Hollier Wittenberger graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in 1922. This collection consists of a digitized copy of a scrapbook compiled while she was enrolled at SLI. Examples of materials in the scrapbook include a listing of the 1922 graduates and a news clipping of the Golden Reunion of the Class of 1922 in 1972. Harry Higgins donated the digitized copy of the scrapbook.

Woman's Club of Lafayette. Records, 1897-1976, 1997, n.d.

Collection 79

3 feet 4 inches
The club constitution, history, original minute book and yearbooks, 1901-1976 (1908, 1910, 1930, and 1931 missing) comprise this collection. The club started in 1897 and has been active since then.

Women’s Society of Christian Service and Wesleyan Service Guild. Program, 1960

Manuscript 233

1 folder
Twentieth Annual Meeting. Louisiana Conference, Central Jurisdiction, the Methodist Church, April 21 to 23, 1960. Warren Methodist Church, Lake Charles, Louisiana. PROGRAM.

World War II. Collection, 1941-1946

Manuscript 1

6 folders, oversize
Material collected mainly by President Joel L. Fletcher from items sent him by former Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) students.

Wright, Salmon Lusk "Sol" (1852-1929). Collection, 1908-1929

Manuscript 269

2 folders
Sol Wright was a rice farmer, known as the "rice wizard", in Crowley, LA. This collection contains news clippings and a petition requesting the establishment of the Rice Experiment Station at Crowley.

Wunderlich, William E. (1897-1993). Collection, 1938-1968

Manuscript 81

3 folders
Materials related to efforts to control aquatic plants like water hyacinth. For many years Wunderlich was Chief of Aquatic Growth Control Section, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans. Donated by James Foret.

Wynne, Michael D. (1957 - ). Collection, 1764-1989, n.d.

Collection 75

1 foot, 3 inches
Michael Dayries Wynne has published around 8 books and given various talks on Louisiana history and preservation. Materials in this collection were gathered Mr. Wynne. He has a miscellanea of items related to Louisiana including correspondence, documents, flyers, broadsides, announcements, and others. There are several folders of materials related to Huey P. Long (1893-1935). Much of the 19th century documents come from the Bayou Sara / St. Francisville area. Michael D. Wynne donated this collection circa 1980.