French Archives and Depositories. Papers, 1644-1808

This collection consists of photocopies, transcripts, and microfilm of correspondence and other documents found in various French Archives and Depositories. The bulk of these materials were collected by the Illinois History Survey under the leadership of Clarence W. Alvord and Theodore C. Pease in the early twentieth century. The Survey collected the materials in the course of preparing two series of Illinois history, The Centennial History of Illinois and Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, from about 1907 through 1939. The selection of the material therefore reflects the research aims of those works.

The contents of this collection were described in more detail in the Manuscripts Guide to Collections at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1976). The relevant pages are attached here in PDF format for download.

There are also calendar cards for this collection that have been digitized and are available to view on the Internet Archive: Illinois Historical Survey French Archives and Depositories Calendar Cards. The calendar cards are arranged chronologically and include the date, format (photostat, transcription, and/or microfilm), series information, and a brief content description of each document.

Brief list of contents:

Archives Nationales. Papers, 1671-1808. 3319 items including items in one bound volume and on four reels of microfilm. Transcripts, photocopies, microfilm.

Ministère des Affaires Étrangères. Papers, 1720-1766, 1773. 225 items, including items on 20 reels of microfilm and filmstrips. Transcripts, photocopies, microfilm.

Archives, Service Hydrographique. Papers, 1706-1737. 23 items including items on 1 reel of microfilm. Photocopies, microfilm.

Bibliothèque Nationale. 1644, 1666-1756. 136 items. Transcripts, photocopies.