Guide to the Archival Collections.pdf - Missouri History Museum

ack to St. Louis and at age 36 she began to write. Some of her published works include The
Awakening (1899), At Fault (1890), A Night in Acadie (1897), and Bayou Folk (1894), as well as
numerous poems and short stories. Until the early 1960s, she was best known as a local colorist,
since most of her short stories dealt with scenes from Creole Louisiana. With the recent interest
in women's studies, her works, and primarily her novel The Awakening, which concerns a
woman's sexual awakening, have been reexamined extensively.
This collection consists of holograph manuscripts and published copies of many of Kate
Chopin's short stories, poems, and translations from the French of Guy de Maupassant's short
stories. The collection also includes some correspondence from friends regarding The
Awakening, 1899; two commonplace books or copybooks, 1860 and 1867-1870, the latter of
which contains a diary of her 1870 wedding trip; an original manuscript book, 1894-1896, which
also includes diary entries; and two account and memoranda notebooks that record her
manuscript submissions to publishers, giving title, publication, date accepted/published/amount,
1888-1895 and 1888-1902. The collection also includes biographical information on Kate
Chopin, copies of scholarly essays by Per Seyersted and Bernard J. Koloski, and papers on Kate
Chopin by participants in the 1974 Chopin seminar. Papers were lent to Father Daniel S. Rankin
for research by the Chopin family. Father Rankin turned the bulk of them over to the University
of Pennsylvania Special Collections. This body was then transferred to the Missouri Historical
Society at the wish of the Chopin family. The addition was found in a storage locker owned by
Father Rankin in 1991, and forwarded to the Missouri Historical Society by the University of
Pennsylvania Special Collections. Boxes 4 and 5, which contain "at risk" original manuscripts
should not be routinely retrieved. They may be viewed by researchers only where examination of
photocopies (found in the first three boxes) proves insufficient for research purposes.
Finding aid available. See also guide to the Per Seyersted Collection at the archives reference
desk.
Cite as: Kate O'Flaherty Chopin Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0274
Chouteau Family.
Papers, 1752-1946. 62 boxes; 1 volume; 3 oversize folders
The collection consists primarily of correspondence, bills, accounts, inventories, contracts of
engagement with various men, packing accounts, bills of lading, and other business papers of
Auguste Chouteau, Pierre Chouteau, Sr., Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and Rene Chouteau, relating to
their activities as fur traders, merchants, and financiers of Missouri. Includes letterbooks for Fort
Pierre and Fort Tecumseh, South Dakota; Fort Union, North Dakota; and the Upper Missouri
branch of the company. A more detailed description of the different Chouteau family papers,
which have been interfiled with one another and arranged chronologically, follows: The Auguste
Chouteau Papers (1,965 manuscripts) include personal and business papers of his trade with
Montreal and Michilimackinac dated chiefly 1800-1811; business with Cavelier & Fils at New
Orleans; and papers concerning his management of personal estates of friends and relatives.
From 1818-1821 there are papers relative to his payment of pensions to revolutionary soldiers
and their widows and orphans as agent for Missouri. After his death there are papers of Henry
Chouteau concerned with management of his father's estate as well as his own business affairs in
the firm of Chouteau & Valle. From 1801-1814 are a group of papers dealing with affairs of
Coursault Brothers, merchants at Cap Francais, who later moved to the United States, and
married into the Chouteau family through the Pauls. They deal chiefly with their business
dealings in France and personal family letters. Additional manuscripts, dated 1818-1840, include
a statement of merchandise and property, part of the estate of Auguste P. Chouteau, and the