cont...... 1839 Jan 4 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e (Edgard, Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Marcellin Rome of the parish of St. John Baptist wishes to marry Azlie Hautin and asks a dispensation from the second and third degree of relationship. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 2pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 4 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e (Edgard, Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Marcellin Rome of the parish of St. John Baptist wishes to marry Azlie Hautin and asks a dispensation from the second and third degree of relationship. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 2pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 4 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e (Edgard, Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Marcellin Rome of the parish of St. John Baptist wishes to marry Azlie Hautin and asks a dispensation from the second and third degree of relationship. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 2pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 4 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e (Edgard, Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Marcellin Rome of the parish of St. John Baptist wishes to marry Azlie Hautin and asks a dispensation from the second and third degree of relationship. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 2pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 4 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e (Edgard, Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Marcellin Rome of the parish of St. John Baptist wishes to marry Azlie Hautin and asks a dispensation from the second and third degree of relationship. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 2pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 4 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e (Edgard, Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Marcellin Rome of the parish of St. John Baptist wishes to marry Azlie Hautin and asks a dispensation from the second and third degree of relationship. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 2pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 11 Hailandière, Father C(elestine) De la Liverpool, (England) to Bishop Anthony Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Hailandière thanks Blanc for his kindness at New Orleans. They arrived last night, the 40th day of their passage. Captain Cool is an excellent man. There was a bad storm off the coast of Ireland; in the harbor there was much damage. Hailandière is going today to see Father (P.J.) Wilcock to find out if he has any way to get several priests. Hailandière will perhaps go to Dublin. In France he will deliver Blanc's letters; if Blanc wants him to do anything more he is to let Hailandière know at Rennes. He sends his respects to Father Manhoault and his assistant. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 4pp. 8vo. 1839 Jan 23 Armengol, C.M.. Father B(onaventure) Assumption, (Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) On the 10th, on coming from Mr. d'Alferez's house with Father (J.M.) Masnou, C.M., Armengol met Father (F. Charles Henry Boutelou de) St. Aubin and assured him that he would pay his first bill not later than the 14th. On the 14th St. Aubin left for his parish without saying a word. Father (John) Chandy, (C.M.) assured him that it was Judge Hubbard who should receive this money. Armengol would like to know what rights he can exercise for dispensations from banns and impediments. He asked the older priests but their replies do not agree. P.S. Mr. Chanet and Mr. King have been ill but now all are well. Classes are satisfactory. Next week the seminarians and Lazarists will begin a retreat. Yesterday was a consoling day for Armengol; a man ill with consumption received the Sacraments. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 3pp. 4to. 8 1839 Jan. 28 Flecheux, A. Pointe Coupée, (Louisiana) to Bishop (Anthony) Leblanc(!) New Orleans, Louisiana Flecheux asks Blanc to help him in educating his daughter whom Blanc saw ill, as well as his wife, on his next to last visit there. After reverses of fortune, he finds it impossible to give his children the education he wishes them to have and would like to place her in a good institution like the one at St. James, (Louisiana). He would like her to take religion, French and English, arithmetic and music. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 3pp. 4to. 2 1839 Jan 28 O'Connor, Father M(ichael), Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo Philadelphia, (Pennsylvania) to Bishop (Anthony) Blanc New Orleans, L(ouisian)a Blanc's favor of the 9th reached O'Connor day before yesterday. He is obliged for Blanc's kindness in promising to have enquiries made for Mr. (T.) Duanne. With regard to the other part of Blanc's letter O'Connor is almost sure he is the same Michael O'Connor of whom Blanc speaks. He does not thinkFather (Auguste) Jeanjean knew any other of the name at Rome. Three years ago O'Connor as a student of Propaganda applied to come to Philadelphia. The Prefect asked him to go to Natchez for which place he said Blanc had just applied for a priest who spoke English. O'Connor had already made arrangements with Bishop (Francis Patrick) Kenrick; the Prefect sent him permission for Philadelphia. O'Connor was not able to use this permission until a few months ago as his own bishop refused permission. O'Connor thought that if the Prefect of Propaganda had mentioned to Blanc the offer he made, he would also have mentioned the decision. O'Connor wrote Jeanjean immediately on being informed of the last place he had traced Duanne. In the memorandum O'Connor got from Duanne's sister, the last account of him was from Texas and he referred his friends to a Mr.Tobin acting as agent for the Texans at New Orleans. V-4-h A.L.S. 3pp. 4to. 1839 Jan 28 Ragozzy, Charles New Orleans, (Louisiana) Ragozzy received from Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc 50 piastres on account for the sum due for work done on the Seminary (of St. Vincent de Paul) at Bayou Lafourche by Ragozzy and (C.) Feutrier. V-4-h Receipt S. (French) 1p. 16mo. 3 1839 Feb 3 Mina, Father Ve. M(odest)e Bonnet Carr, (Louisiana) to Bishop Ant(hony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Last Thursday about one o'clock, after the publication of three banns, Joseph Viener and Marie Basilide Cambre, both widowers, presented themselves for marriage. Mina had told Viener that he must get a dispensation as he was marrying his first wife's cousin. The poor man thought he did not need a dispensation as there was no relationship between his family and Mathias Cambre. They had come on foot, had prepared a little supper, in the worst kind of weather, etc. After making them promise to return in a week to renew their consent, Mina married them. Mina asks Blanc to absolve him from this irregularity. He asks the dispensation for these poor unfortunate ones. V-4-h A.L.S. (French) 3pp. 4to. 1839 Feb 11 Reyne New Orleans, (Louisiana) Reyne gives permission to his Negress, Marie Clare, alias Eleza, to marry Henry, belonging to Boisdoré. V-4-h A. Note S. (French) 1p. 16mo. -------- 1 1839 Feb 12 Connelly, Pierce Ig(natius?), St. Charles (College) Grand Coteau, (Louisiana) to Bishop (Anthony) Blanc New Orleans, (Louisiana) Connelly has put off writing until he had something definitive to tell about the house Blanc has got for them. Their stubborn old friend is still in it and will fix no time for her going out of it. He thinks the best way will be to have the sale made personally to him by Madame (Julia) Bazire which will give Connelly legal possession. Connelly has taken charge of the drawing classes and so is more independent of the labours of his wife and would have no difficulty in paying for it in a year or two. His wife and little ones join in begging Blanc's benediction. V-4-h A.L.S. 3pp. 4to. 1839 Feb 14 Haudressy, Doctor (Jean Louis), St. John Baptist (Bonnet Carr, Louisiana) A copy of the proceedings of the meeting of the trustees of St. John Baptist church. Present were Haudressy, President; Antoine Boudousqui, Pierre Aym Becnel, Lzin Becnel, Armand Gravois, and Nicholas Keller; absent were Jean Jacques Haydel and Pierre Faucheux. Because of the resignation of Mr. Dours, Ludger Perret was appointed secretary at a salary of 50 piastres a year. A letter was read, dated at St. Martinville January 26, 1839 written by Father (John F.) Brasseur, to Father (Ve. Modeste) Mina, Boudousquie, Lezin Becnel and Pierre Becnel were named as a committee to study the letter and report on it. After a recess of one hour they reported. The amount of $91.25 seems to be due Brasseur according to a statement of account between him and the trustees in the minutes of a meeting on February 22, 1836. According to regulations the pastor had a right to half of the fees after they were collected. So Brasseur would have been entitled to half of $938 or $469 but only after collection. Brasseur declared that the fees amounted to $938 and he was satisfied to leave the trustees a list of the charges against different persons owed to the church for burials, masses, etc. But the committee cannot find out to whom the accounts were given. It seems that after a letter dated January 28, 1838 from Brasseur to Armand Perillat that Brasseur would have given Ursin Jacob, then president of the trustees,a file of the accounts from which he claims $394.75. In the same letter he acknowledged receiving $65 from Jacob. Jacob would not have these accounts; the treasurer declares that he never received them. However, the church has a right to half these fees so instead of owing Brasseur, he owes the church since he has either for himself or for a third party, the amount of fees during the time he served St. John Baptist in the absence of the pastor, Father Mina. Mina in his letter of February 12, 1836 to Brasseur, in saying that he had taken more money than was coming to him was not speaking without foundation; he was only repeating the opinion of the trustees. The committee thinks that Brasseur's voice could never bring the slightest reproach to the reputation of the pastor (Anthony Blanc). The meeting adjourned to February 17. Haudressy certifies the copy. D. Copy S. (French) With the above is a copy of a letter from Brasseur to Mina: -------- -------- 1839 Jan 26 Brasseur, Father J(ohn) F(rancis) St. Martinville, (Louisiana) To Father (Ve. Modeste) Mina, St. John Baptist (Bonnet Carr, Louisiana) It is nearly three and a half years since Brasseur left St. John Baptist where he served for 15 months at Mina's entreaty. He left his post at Baton Rouge, where he was happy, in order to oblige Mina. After keeping the post until Mina's return Brasseur had reason to hope that Mina would repay him with gratitude. But after turning in his accounts and after the trustees had acknowledged owing him $92.25, and after the president had taken over his itemized accounts for collection of which his part amounted to $394.65, all together $487.00, and having made 2 trips from St. James and 3 from St. Martin about this affair, what does he find out? He receives a letter from Mina in reply to one which Bishop (Joseph) Rosati had sent to Mina to ask him to advance him $50 on the accounts due Brasseur for a poor priest of his diocese. Here is the copy of Mina's letter which Brasseur saved: "1836 Feb 120 (Modest)e, Sr. John Baptist (Bonnet Carr, Louisiana) To Father (John F. Brasseur St. Martinville, Louisiana): Nothing more surprising(?) than to read the letter which Mina gave to Rosati and especially to advance $50 on the accounts (Brasseur) says are due him. The trustees claim that (Brasseur) has received more money than was coming to him. However, Mina will not get mixed up in what does not concern him personally but he will say that he did not give the money to Rosati nor does he have money for Brasseur." (End of Mina's letter). A short time after, Bishop Blanc wrote Brasseur on the eve of his departure for France, that he had received a very disagreeable letter about him from Mina's trustees. At a later time, Brasseur had heard a rumor in Attakapas which came from St. John Baptist that he had stolen the fabrique of Mina's church, etc. One of the Fathers at Grand Coteau to whom he had signed over his rights and collections from St. John Baptist, in favor of the College (of St. Charles) received the reply from Mina that Brasseur had carried away more money than was coming to him. If that is true why did not someone demand it back? But it is true that the trustees owe him $92.25. If it is true that the president took overall his accounts to make the collections of which Brasseur's art amounts to $394.75 why do they not pay him? Is that the gratitude he can expect? Brasseur some fine day will appeal to a higher authority. Mina's letter which he left on departing and which began: "Not knowing whether I will have the pleasure of seeing you before I leave," etc., etc., will be sent to him. The one beginning: "Nothing more surprising," etc. as well as his itemized accounts will be shown to him. Brasseur will even appeal to the Synod which is to take place the 20th of next month and if justice is not done he will leave Louisiana forever. After that his cause will be pleaded at New Orleans and every priest in the diocese will know about it. He believes it is Christian charity to let Mina know before he acts. The shame it will cause Mina to have his letters published perhaps will make him come to an amicable arrangement. Brasseur would rather sacrifice half of what is due him and abandon all prosecutions and return Mina's letters than to cause such trouble to Mina. Haudressy certifies the copy. L.S. Copy (French) V-4-h L.S. Copies (French) 8pp. Folio -------- cont................................ ==== LASTJOHN Mailing List ====