Scope and arrangement
The manuscripts in this collection are mostly governmental and military documents, primarily relating to Haiti and Guadaloupe, and some to other West Indian islands. The items concerning Haiti include proclamations, letters, and administrative documents issued by Toussaint Louverture, Henri Christophe, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Charles Leclerc, spanning French colonial rule, the French and Haitian revolutions, and Haiti's existence as a republic. The documents relating to Guadeloupe include letters and documents from Victor Hugues, Mathieu Pélardy, and other members of the French Municipal Administration. Other items include legal documents concerning estates in the British colonies of Antigua and St. Vincent.
Most of the item titles and descriptions are based on those given in the Calendar of Manuscripts in the Schomburg Collection, published in 1942, which contains a numbered chronological inventory of the items present in the collection at that time (see the attached PDF under Additional Resources). Where applicable, items are cross-referenced to their Calendar entries (e.g. Calendar #24).
The manuscript numbers (e.g., MS HD1) also taken from the Calendar, correspond to the original filing scheme. Items are generally grouped according to country (ie, the MS H items relate to Haiti, MS G to Guadeloupe, and MS WI to the West Indies).
Arrangement
Please note that this finding aid is a guide to the collection as it appears on the microfilm.