Skip to main content
  Manuscript Division  Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Papers

Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS83543

Scope and Content Note

Papers related to Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) span the years 1776 to 1934 and include correspondence, legal documents, clippings, broadsides, an orderly book, photographs, and other papers.

The collection includes material concerning Lafayette's military service in Virginia and Canada, his tour of the United States in 1824-1825, his land in Florida, and his views on such topics as the slave trade and the French government. Also included is material relating to the centennial observance of his death and Lafayette's genealogy.

Correspondents include Thomas Clarkson, George Washington Parke Custis, Mordecai Gist, George Graham, Catherine Littlefield Greene, Abiel Holmes, Charles King, Henry Laurens, Antoine Vaudoyer, Marinus Willett, and William Woodford.

Dates

  • Creation: 1776-1934

Language of Materials

Collection material in French and English

Access and Restrictions

The papers of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Copyright Status

It is the researcher's responsibility to determine requirements of domestic copyright laws and international treaties and conventions.

Extent

300 items
2 containers
3 oversize
1.4 linear feet
1 microfilm reel

Abstract

Soldier and statesman. Correspondence, legal documents, clippings, broadsides, orderly book, photographs, and other papers relating chiefly to Lafayette's military service in Canada and Virginia, his tour of the United States from 1824 to 1825, his land in Florida, and his views of such topics as the slave trade and the French government, including also material pertaining to the centennial observance of his death and Lafayette's genealogy.

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged by type of material.

Provenance

Papers of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, soldier and statesman, were acquired by the Library through gift and purchase from 1907 to 1956.

Microfilm

A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on one reel. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as available.

Related Material

A related collection in the Manuscript Division is the Marquis de Lafayette Papers, 1757-1990 in Chateau La Grange, available only on microfilm.

Processing History

The papers of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, were arranged and described in 1983 and revised in 1998. The register was revised in 2009.

Title
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, Papers
Subtitle
A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
Author
Prepared by Audrey WalkerRevised by Patrick Kerwin
Date
2009
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Part of the Manuscript Division Repository

Contact:
Manuscript Reading Room
101 Independence Ave, SE
James Madison Building, LM 101
Washington, DC 20540-4683
(202) 707-5387