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Guide to the

John McNeese Collection

1862-ca. 2000

9.44 linear feet

Collection Number 31

Prepared by Patricia A. Threatt

February 2006

CITATION: The John McNeese Collection, Collection No. 31, Archives and Special Collections

Department, Frazar Memorial Library, McNeese State University.

Archives and Special Collections Department

Frazar Memorial Library

McNeese State University

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Biographical Sketch

John McNeese was born on July 4, 1843 in New York, NY, to William and Mary McNeese,

Scottish immigrants. Both parents died when McNeese was nine years old. McNeese’s younger

siblings moved to Scotland where relatives could care for them. Young John was sent to live

with Dr. Andrew Stafford and his family in Baltimore, Md. After attending schools in Baltimore,

McNeese served in the Union Army during the Civil War. As a Corporal in the First Maryland

Eastern Shore Regiment, McNeese fought at Gettysburg and defended Maryland Heights, above

Harper’s Ferry. After the war, McNeese moved to Menard, Texas seeking a drier climate and

relief from a case of tuberculosis.

In Texas, McNeese made his way by raising cattle, managing a mercantile business, and serving

as the Postmaster and Clerk of Court. In 1873 the nation suffered through a depression and a

drought. McNeese and four other men decided to drive their cattle to New Orleans via the Old

Spanish Trail. When they reached the Sabine River, the starving cattle ate large amounts of

deadly switch cane. Most of the cattle died between the Sabine and Lake Charles.

Nearly destitute, McNeese forsook Texas and settled in Lake Charles. At first he supported

himself as a professor of penmanship and music. While teaching near present-day Oberlin,

Louisiana, McNeese lived with the William Bilbo family. On July 4, 1876, McNeese married

William Bilbo’s daughter, Susan. The McNeese family would eventually grow to include nine

children. The couple moved to Lake Charles where McNeese studied law under Judge G. A.

Fournet and later attended Tulane Law School. In 1888 McNeese became the first superintendent

of schools in Imperial Calcasieu Parish. At the time the school system consisted of a handful of

poorly managed schools. McNeese began lobbying the state to establish a statewide system of

tax-funded public schools. In 1898, McNeese persuaded Governor Murphy James Foster, Sr. to

include a provision for public school districts in the newly revised Constitution. McNeese is now

called the “Father of Public Education” in Louisiana for his efforts to provide an education to all

of the state’s children. John McNeese died in 1914 at the age of 70 and was buried in Orange

Grove Cemetery in Lake Charles.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of materials donated from different sources. The materials range from

McNeese’s Civil War service to modern-day photographs of the McNeese family, including

biographical articles and papers, copies of military records, photographs, and books. The

collection also includes furniture from McNeese’s home and office.

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Container List

Box Folder Description

1 1 The McNeese Review, v.1,no.1, Spring 1948, "McNeese of Calcasieu" by T.R.

Ratcliffe (2 copies)

2 Louisiana School Work, v.1,no.3, June 1913, p. 4, "Tributes to Supt. John

McNeese of Calcasieu Parish"

3 Teaching certificate for Miss Myrtle Sutphin signed by Jno. McNeese 1900,

Welsh, LA (also envelope)

4 Short biography of McNeese by L.L. Squires

Biographical newspaper articles

Excerpt from a Louisiana history textbook concerning McNeese

Letter to Miss Lola Walker concerning payment of salary signed by

McNeese, 1896

Genealogical history of the McNeese Family

5 Port of Lake Charles Magazine, v.8,no.3, May 1957, p. 4, "He Freed a Great

Freedom - Public Education" (2 copies)

6 Expense vouchers - salary checks - Nov. 1, 1911, signed by John McNeese

(12 pieces)

Reports from Vinton High School, Foster School, Granger School, Wade

Nelson School on attendance and teaching during one month in 1911

Two receipts signed by McNeese, 1909, for the Parish Board of School

Directors

Certificate of attendance at Peabody Summer Normal School, 1895, signed

by McNeese as one of faculty

Teaching Certificate for W. Carroll Whitman signed by John McNeese

Authorization for School District Local Director to Mr. Eugene Lasier

signed by S. Petticrew? 1895 (donated by Mrs. Geraldine C. Shannon, et al.)

7 Account book belonging to John McNeese

8 Ledger - notes on various subjects, c1887

Program from memorial exercises honoring McNeese, May 25,

(1940-1950?), John McNeese Junior College (2 copies)

Note from Oswald McNeese (son of McNeese) concerning records sent to a

Mrs. Richard in 1962

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Box Folder Description 1 9 Civil War Records of John McNeese- photocopies:

Dept. of the Interior-Bureau of Pensions - record of McNeese being dropped from

pension because of death, June 16, 1914

Declaration for Invalid Pension, Feb. 24, 1892

War Dept. Record and Pension Division, record of service

Certificate of death, June 2, 1914

Declaration for Widow's Pension, June 24, 1914; pension certificate

Dept. of Interior-Bureau of Pensions -questionnaire, lists of children, birth statistics,

marriage dates, military service, vital statistics

company muster rolls, 1861-1865

10 Miscellaneous genealogical material on McNeese family compiled by John C. McNeese of

California, et. al.

11 Photographs of John and Susan McNeese and the family of Emma Squires, their eldest

daughter. Contents are:

Contact sheet of 1862 portrait of John McNeese (with negatives)

Contact sheet of John McNeese during early days in Calcasieu Parish (with negative)

Contact sheet of earlier portrait of John McNeese (with negatives)

Contact sheet of later portrait of John McNeese (with negatives)

Photograph of 1862 portrait of John McNeese - Civil War uniform

Photograph of John McNeese during early days in Calcasieu Parish

Photograph of later portrait of John McNeese (and negative)

Photographs of John McNeese and Susan Bilbo McNeese

Susan Bilbo McNeese (2 photographs and negatives)

John McNeese and secretary (daughter Emma) in Calcasieu Superintendent's office

(with negatives)

Mr. & Mrs. L. L. Squires, Dean W. B. Hatcher, G. W. Ford Jr., Mrs. Freda Scoggins

Thomas, Dr. and Mrs. M. V. Hargrove with a portrait of John McNeese

Lloyd, Mina, Sue, Keitha, and Emma Squires

Emma McNeese Squires

Emma Helen McNeese, Glenn E. Matter, and Keitha Squires Matter

Susan McNeese Doan

Mina and Keitha Squires and Jeanne Gauthier

Mina Squires Rhorer

Glenn and Keitha Matter

Keitha Matter

Negatives of John and Susan McNeese and views of the McNeese home

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Box Folder Description 1 12 Photographs of the families of Oswald, Stella, John T., Hawley, and William McNeese

(younger children of John McNeese). Contents are:

Oswald McNeese (with negatives)

Gravesite of Oswald McNeese

Oswald McNeese and his daughter, Marie

Genevieve Cleveland Dupre McNeese

Mr. and Mrs. Oswald McNeese

Laura, Susan, and Marie McNeese (children of Oswald)

Mrs. Laura Bishop and Mrs. Marie Youngblood (children of Oswald)

Gravesite of Stella McNeese Gauthier

Gravesite of Overton Gauthier

Overton Gauthier Jr.

John T. McNeese

Mildred McNeese (with negatives)

Home of Mrs. Mildred McNeese

Gravesite of John T. and Mildred McNeese

Hawley McNeese with Marie, Laura, and Susan (Oswald=s daughters) (with

negatives)

Willie McNeese with Marie (Oswald=s daughter) (with negatives)

Views of McNeese home, 1901 S. Hodges

Photograph of an unidentified Civil War soldier taken in Lake Charles

13 Letter from McNeese to C. D. Moss, congratulating Moss on his being named

valedictorian of his Tulane law school class, March 10, 1896 (donated by C. Murphy

Moss).

2 Bound volumes:

Edgemont: The Story of a Township by Jane Lewis Carter

Some of the Descendants of Daniel Martin (1745-1829) of Laurens County, South

Carolina and the Allied Families of Hudgens, McNeese, Rodgers and Saxon by

Christine South Gee

The Wrights of Bloomery by F. Edward Wright (p.33-35 tells of 17-year old John

McNeese living as an orphan in the home of Richard and Mary Ellen Wright of

Bloomery, Maryland. Three letters (photocopies) which McNeese wrote in later

years, 1897, to some of the Wright children are also attached.

3 Two books containing some handwritten notes by McNeese:

“Part of Civil Code of Louisiana written by John McNeese in New Orleans 1885"

“Revised Civil Code, 1870"

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Box Folder Description

4 Two scrapbooks labeled "for Stella," one to Oswald contains mostly clippings,

some photos, Lake Charles and Louisiana in general, and some handwritten

notes about the family; the other scrapbook contains mostly clippings about

McNeese State University, clippings concerning the death of Mrs. G.L. Doan

(Sue Squires), daughter of Emma and L.L. Squires; VHS tape of presentations

made about John McNeese at the Bloomery Church in Maryland by Jerry

Wilson, Mrs. Laura McNeese Bishop, and others, October 2005

5 1 Letter from O.B. Jenkins to Miss Hattie Graham (Mouton) concerning

employment in Jennings school, 1893

Letter from John McNeese to Mr. Porter concerning employment in

Sugartown, 1901

Memo from John McNeese to Kaufman concerning a School Board bill,

[1897?]

2 Certificate of grammar to Mrs. Hattie (Graham) Mouton, 1896, signed by

John McNeese

Lake Charles American Press article concerning donation of Mrs. Mouton

items, March 1982

3 Photocopies of tax receipts (originals in Box 6) of Mrs. Hattie (Graham)

Mouton, 1890-1894

4 Oswald McNeese documents:

Baptismal certificate

Glee Club clipping

Letter to Adj. Gen. of the U.S. Army volunteering for 1917

Documents showing appointments in Army and Officers Reserve

LSU football certificate

Louisiana Civilian Volunteer Defense Plan

Proceedings of an Army Retiring Board

Other biographical information

5 Letters from John McNeese to his daughter Emma (Mrs. L.L. Squires), 1905

6 Letters from John McNeese to his daughter Emma (Mrs. L.L. Squires), 1909,

Jan. 1910 - April 1910

7 Letters from John McNeese to his daughter Emma (Mrs. L.L. Squires), May

1910 through Sept. 1910

8 Letters from John McNeese to his daughter Emma (Mrs. L.L. Squires), 1911 -

1913

9 Wedding invitation and marriage license of L.L. Squires and Emma McNeese

10 Miscellaneous McNeese Correspondence

11 Letters from John McNeese to Mr. E.F. Gayle, May 1903 – Feb. 1905

12 Letters from John McNeese to V.E. Simmons, Dec. 1900 and Jan. 1902

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Box Folder Description

5 13 Abstract of Title for property at Reid and Iris Sts. owned by McNeese family

14 Teaching certificates for Amy McMullen signed by John McNeese 1894, 1895;

unsigned certificate 1919

15 Information and photographs of area where John McNeese was raised

(Bloomery, Maryland) - album donated by Jerry and Eleanor Wilson

6 House Resolution No. 16 by Messrs. Locke, Howell, Gordon and Powell,

Resolution of Respect on the death of Mr. John McNeese of Calcasieu

Parish, originated in the House of Representatives

License for McNeese to practice as Attorney and Counselor at Law, July 7,

1887

Oswald McNeese's high school diploma signed by John McNeese

Tax receipts from 1890-1894 for Mrs. Hattie (Graham) Mouton

1969 copy of 1897 map of Caroline County, Maryland, showing location of

Bloomery where McNeese lived with the Wright family

7 Emma Squires' Bible, two small and one large embroidered cloth doilies that

were in the McNeese home, cuff link with a photo of Susan Bilbo McNeese

(?)

Book of letters, 1889-1914 to T. J. Carroll, donated by Causey family

Letter from Emma McNeese to T. J. Carroll’s daughter, Effie Carroll

Sullivan, donated by Causey family

Two photographs of Emma McNeese, donated by Causey family

Antique mirror, two chairs from the McNeese home and the office chair from

John McNeese's office. One chair has been reupholstered.