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Elizabeth Brandon Papers

Collection 273

Brandon, Elizabeth (1913–2002). Papers, 1934–1980, n.d.

6 feet, 5 inches; oversize

Elizabeth Brandon was a professor who specialized in the French language and Louisiana Cajun folklore. Born Elizabeth Kaplan in Wolkowysk, Poland, she was raised in a Jewish family and trained as a concert pianist. She received her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Warsaw and her Master’s in French at The Sorbonne in Paris, France. In 1935, she married physician Sylvan Brandon, with whom she had three children. After moving to Houston, TX in 1940, Dr. Brandon began to pursue a teaching career, receiving her Ph.D. in French from the University of Laval in Canada. She would teach French at the University of Houston for 33 years.

Dr. Brandon served as Professor of French and as chair of the French Department during her tenure. Her research covered a wide range of topics revolving around Louisiana history, culture, and folklore. She has published many different works and has donated field recordings to the United States Library of Congress. Dr. Brandon passed away on September 22, 2002 in Galveston, TX.

This collection contains Dr. Brandon’s working and personal papers. A large portion of the papers include written notes, in both English and French, on Louisiana history, people, cultures, folksongs, and dances. Many of these notes contain sources that she utilized for her research. Additional series include materials on linguistics and education, correspondence, publications from Dr. Brandon and other colleagues, and notecards listed in alphabetical order containing useful resources.

Series:

A. Folklore, Songs, and Dances 1-01 through 2-35
B. People and History 2-36 through 4-18
C. Language and Education 4-19 through 5-03
D. Correspondence 5-04 through 5-06
E. Publications 5-07 through 5-32
F. Miscellaneous 5-33 through 6-16
G. Notecards 6-17 through Box 9
H. Oversize Map Case 13-14

Inventory:

Box 1
  A. Folklore, Songs, and Dances
    1-01 Cajun Folksongs
    1-02 Cajun Marriage Traditions and Songs
    1-03 Cajun and Hillbilly Songs
    1-04 French Folk Song Lyrics (1 of 4)
    1-05 French Folk Song Lyrics (2 of 4)
    1-06 French Folk Song Lyrics (3 of 4)
    1-07 French Folk Song Lyrics (4 of 4)
    1-08 Joie de Vivre [Dance Halls]
    1-09 86 Songs (including variants), n.d.
    1-10 Work Songs
    1-11 Play Party Songs
    1-12 Dance Music
    1-13 Calinda, 1973, n.d.
    1-14 Essays on Calinda and Creole Dances
    1-15 Rédaction
    1-16 Prélude aux Chansons [Marius Barbeau] and La Tradition Orale au Canada [Luc LaCourciere]
    1-17 Literary Song in Café Concert, LA
    1-18 Fais-Do-Do
    1-19 Drinking Songs [mostly French]
    1-20 Chansons de Béranger
    1-21 L’Allouette
    1-22 Le Vieux Marie
    1-23 Le Talibar Blanc
    1-24 Le Talibar Blanc and Le Conte Français en Louisiane
    1-25 The Butcher Boy - The Fate of a British Broadside Ballad in French North America
    1-26 Le Galant Qui Voit Mourir Sa Mie
    1-27 La Vielle d’Argent (1 of 2)
    1-28 La Vielle d’Argent (2 of 2)
    1-29 La Vielle d’Argent (1 of 6)
    1-30 La Vielle d’Argent (2 of 6)
    1-31 La Vielle d’Argent (3 of 6)
    1-32 La Vielle d’Argent (4 of 6)
    1-33 La Vielle d’Argent (5 of 6)
    1-34 La Vielle d’Argent (6 of 6)
    1-35 Uncle Bouqui of Haiti and Joie de Vivre
    1-36 Poésies Pops de la France
    1-37 La Délaissée
    1-38 La Délaissée
       
Box 2
    2-01 La Délaissée Drafts [in French]
    2-02 La Délaissée Drafts [in English]
    2-03 J’ai Cueilli La Belle Rose Rose
    2-04 Notes on “J’ai Cueilli La Belle Rose”, n.d.
    2-05 Notes on “La Fille Aux Oranges”
    2-06 More Notes on “La Fille Aux Oranges” and Other Satirical Songs (1 of 3)
    2-07 More Notes on “La Fille Aux Oranges” and Other Satirical Songs (2 of 3)
    2-08 More Notes on “La Fille Aux Oranges” and Other Satirical Songs (3 of 3)
    2-09 Folklore and Dance [in French]
    2-10 Text of Songs, 1934, 1952-1955, n.d.
    2-11 Folk Songs and Ballads, 1954, 1955, n.d.
    2-12 Folk Songs and Ballads, n.d.
    2-13 From the Castle to the Folk
    2-14 Thesis: Ruth Judy Dickey, “The Music of a Louisiana Plantation Family, 1814-1874”, LSU, MA, 1968
    2-15 Thesis: Louise Miller, “Folk Music on Louisiana”, Northwestern University, 1940, 1974
    2-16 Genesis for Louisiana Songs Book
    2-17 Music Materials
    2-18 Louisiana Song Parallels
    2-19 Rondes
    2-20 Music Transcriptions
    2-21 Readings on Work Music
    2-22 Ethnomusicology of Marguerite d’Harcourt
    2-23 d’Harcourt Music
    2-24 Louise Olivier Collection Notes
    2-25 Pastourelle
    2-26 Informants [mostly in French]
    2-27 Chansons des Soldats et des Matelots [in French]
    2-28 Soldiers and Sailors Addendum
    2-29 Voyageur Songs
    2-30 Notes from Alter
    2-31 Lists of French Songs, n.d.
    2-32 Index of French Songs on Tape, n.d.
    2-33 Notes on Song Index, n.d.
    2-34 Notes on Songs, n.d.
    2-35 Notes on Songs, n.d.
       
  B. People and History
    2-36 Americans (1 of 2)
    2-37 Americans (2 of 2)
       
Box 3
    3-01 Coureurs de Bois and Voyageur - Fur Traders
    3-02 Canadians, Coureurs de Bois
    3-03 Coureurs and Voyageurs
    3-04 History of Louisiana (1 of 2)
    3-05 History of Louisiana (2 of 2)
    3-06 Louisiana History and Folklore, n.d.
    3-07 Notes and Draft of Louisiana History
    3-08 Notes on People of Louisiana
    3-09 Notes on Louisiana and Texas
    3-10 Women in Louisiana
    3-11 Women in Louisiana, n.d.
    3-12 Women’s Life in Colonial Days, 1970
    3-13 Louisiana Settlement and History
    3-14 Louisiana Settlers
    3-15 Colonization
    3-16 People of Colonial Louisiana [Creoles]
    3-17 Colonial Louisiana
    3-18 History of Acadians (1 of 2)
    3-19 History of Acadians (2 of 2)
    3-20 History of Acadians
    3-21 Acadian Exiles
    3-22 Notes on French Acadians and Creoles in Antebellum Louisiana (Middlebury)
    3-23 Acadians, Notes and Sources
    3-24 Notes on Cajun Culture
    3-25 French and Cajun Demographics
    3-26 Cajuns and War
    3-27 Saint Domingue
    3-28 Saint Domingue History
    3-29 Saint Domingue and Creoles
    3-30 Créoles and Emigrés
       
Box 4
    4-01 Créoles and Emigrés
    4-02 Creoles
    4-03 Blacks (1 of 2)
    4-04 Blacks (2 of 2)
    4-05 Lives of African Americans in Louisiana
    4-06 Readings on Black Culture, Music, and Slavery
    4-07 Notes on Black Culture and Music
    4-08 Marins - Soldats
    4-09 Soldiers
    4-10 Le Menu Peuple
    4-11 Le Menu Peuple
    4-12 Religion
    4-13 Spirituals
    4-14 Sources on Witchcraft
    4-15 Notes on Supernatural
    4-16 François Brassard Collection [in French]
    4-17 Notes from LSU Libraries
    4-18 LSU Research
       
  C. Language and Education
    4-19 Notes from “Les Éscrits de Langue Française”, by Edward Larocque Tinker (1932)
    4-20 Teaching Linguistics
    4-21 Linguistics (1 of 2)
    4-22 Linguistics (2 of 2)
    4-23 Le Vieux Mari and Cajun French: A French Tradition in Louisiana
    4-24 Linguistics and Literature
    4-25 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - Introduction, 1946
    4-26 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - A-B, 1946
    4-27 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - C, 1946
    4-28 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - D-E, 1946
    4-29 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - F-H, 1946
    4-30 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - I-M, 1946
    4-31 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - N-Q, 1946
    4-32 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - R-S, 1946
    4-33 Thesis: Erin Montgomery, “A Glossary of Variants from Standard French in Vermilion Parish, LA”, MA, Unpublished, LSU - T-Z, Bibliography, 1946
       
Box 5
    5-01 Notebooks with Notes on Linguistics
    5-02 Articulation between High School and College, AATF Conference, December 1970
    5-03 Versification
       
  D. Correspondence
    5-04 Library of Congress Materials and Correspondence, 1969-1974, n.d.
    5-05 Correspondence with Marguerite d’Harcourt and Marius Barbeau [mostly in French], 1956-1960
    5-06 Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1976
       
  E. Publications
    5-07 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 1-50, March 1955 (pgs. 19-29 missing)
    5-08 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 51-100, March 1955
    5-09 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 101-150, March 1955
    5-10 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 151-200, March 1955
    5-11 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 201-250, March 1955
    5-12 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 251-300, March 1955
    5-13 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 301-350, March 1955
    5-14 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 351-400, March 1955
    5-15 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 401-450, March 1955
    5-16 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 451-500, March 1955
    5-17 Elizabeth Brandon Dissertation, Pages 501-554, March 1955
    5-18 Introduction to Book
    5-19 Introduction Notes for Book
    5-20 Newspaper Clippings, 1966, n.d.
    5-21 Article from Le Soleil, 5 July 1971
    5-22 Article: Brandon, Elizabeth, “The Socio-Cultural Traits of the French Folksong in Louisiana”, Traits of the French Folksong, pg. 19-52, 1972
    5-23 Publications by Elizabeth Brandon [in French], 1955-1957, 1965
    5-24 Publications by Elizabeth Brandon [in English], n.d.
    5-25 Excerpts from Publications, 1968-1976, n.d.
    5-26 Publications from Others, 1951, 1954-1955, 1965, 1968, 1971-1972, 1980
    5-27 Books, 1949, 1955, 1966
    5-28 Comptes Rendus de L’Athénée Louisianais, 1952-1973
    5-29 Southwestern Louisiana Journal, Winter 1957 - Winter 1958
    5-30 Bound Journals, 1970, 1976, 1977
    5-31 Brochures and Literature, 1963, 1969, 1975, n.d.
    5-32 Miscellaneous Publications, 1947, 1963, n.d.
       
  F. Miscellaneous
    5-33 Introductions to Events, 1956-1958, n.d.
    5-34 Honoring Vassar Miller, 1976, n.d.
    5-35 Bibliographies
       
Box 6
    6-01 Bibliographies, n.d.
    6-02 School Materials, 1959, 1976-1979, n.d.
    6-03 Book Purchasing, 1976
    6-04 Research Notes
    6-05 Sources on Miscellaneous Acadian Subjects
    6-06 Notes in French
    6-07 Handwritten Notes and Notecards
    6-08 Miscellaneous Articles and Notes
    6-09 Sources on Notecards
    6-10 Odds and Ends (1 of 3)
    6-11 Odds and Ends (2 of 3)
    6-12 Odds and Ends (3 of 3)
    6-13 Miscellaneous Materials
    6-14 Miscellaneous Notes
    6-15 Miscellaneous Notes in French (1 of 2)
    6-16 Miscellaneous Notes in French (2 of 2)
       
  G. Notecards
    6-17 French Folk Songs, A-B
    6-18 French Folk Songs, C-F
    6-19 French Folk Songs, G-M
    6-20 French Folk Songs, N-P
    6-21 French Folk Songs, R-V
       
Box 7
    7-01 Bibliography on Songs and Music
    7-02 Louisiana Parishes, Cajun Families, and Family Origins
    7-03 General (1 of 3)
    7-04 General (2 of 3)
    7-05 General (3 of 3)
    7-06 Miscellaneous
       
Box 8
    Notecards A-M
       
Box 9
    Notecards N-Z
       
Map Case 13-14
  H. Oversize
    Prints: United States - France Alliance during the American Revolution