Revue de Presse

...

MIAMI HERALD
Published Monday, June 11, 2001

Groups work to preserve Cuba archives
PAUL BRINKLEY-ROGERS
pbrinkley-rogers@herald.com

They are called the Notary Protocols, and to historians and lovers of ancient manuscripts this vast, moldering record of life in Cuba dating to 1578 is a treasure of knowledge more precious than any hoard of Spanish doubloons.

But the 10 million pages of the protocols -- which could shed light on early settlement in Spanish Florida and on shipments of Africans sent to the United States as slaves -- are housed in the non-air-conditioned National Archives of Cuba in Havana where heat, humidity and insect attacks threaten them.

Their uncertain fate is why an unlikely alliance of book fans, preservation experts and archivists in the United States has been quietly at work, attempting to rescue the vast collection of documents relating births, deaths, marriages, church records, tax receipts and business deals over the centuries.

Jeanne Drewes, an archivist at Michigan State University who helped ship an entire mobile book repair lab to Havana this month, says the situation with the supply strapped Cuban archives is grim. ``An 82-year-old woman was copying with a pencil on very bad paper the content of one document to preserve the intellectual content. It just broke my heart.''

Leading this effort to help -- which transcends the decades of enmity between the two nations -- are archivists at the University of Florida.

The school signed a contract in March with Archives Director Berarda Salabarría to start copying the 15.5 linear miles of the protocols, contained in 6,658 oversize tomos (volumes) and legajos (files) -- onto CD-ROM. The university still has to raise the $10 million to $15 million for the project, but it says it has won support from the U.S. government and Florida's congressional delegation, including those who vigorously oppose Fidel Castro's government.

Asked whether U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, a Miami Republican, gave his endorsement, an aide said Friday he had not. But the congressman did not block the signing after Florida Rep. Marco Rubio, R-Coral Gables, showed him a letter in March from UF Provost David Colburn telling him about the project and saying: ``We want to be sure that no one is offended if we pursue this matter.''

Díaz-Balart, however, fired back in a handwritten note: ``My position is that we should have no relation with any institution of the dictatorship -- no relation until it is with free Cuba.''

Also trying to assist is a New Orleans-based expert on jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton and several rare-book dealers who have donated repair materials. The Washington-based Marine Conservation Center, which has been helping Cuba study its pristine reefs, has been shipping old oak bookcases from the Smithsonian Institution to the Archives. Experts from Johns Hopkins and Yale universities, and from the Amherst, Mass.-based Northeast Document Conservation Center, have visited Havana to offer classes in copying and preservation techniques.

URGE TO PRESERVE

Alfred Lemmon, custodian of the early jazz collection at the Historic New Orleans Collection, began photocopying the 30,000 pages of the Fondo Floridas papers at the Archives -- an early record of Spanish settlement on the Gulf Coast -- in 1994. He said the urge to preserve negates the bad politics between the two countries.

``You are aware of the political differences by being there in Havana,'' he said. ``But when I was with my colleagues [at the Archives] we spoke the same language -- how to save those items. It just transcended politics.''

Cuba is one of several Latin American countries trying to protect documents and eager to make use of modern scanning, CD-ROM, microfilm and paper preservation techniques. In March, the Mexican government asked New York City-based Marylou Nichols to assemble experts to appraise antique books in the Mexico National Archives because Mexico's government would like to insure the collection. Officials in Cartagena, Colombia, also are seeking advice.

Cuba, the U.S. experts say, is committed to making the CD-ROM copies and even the originals available to scholars. The Notary Protocols, they say, are an important part of Cuba's patrimony and the Havana government, short on supplies, has done its best to try to preserve the documents. It regularly fumigates the 1944-vintage Archives building near the waterfront in Old Havana.

Many of the documents have been deteriorating for decades. A letter in the archives describes how officials were worried about attacks by bugs and mold as early as 1830.

``The climate in the [four] rooms where the protocols have been placed on shelves is very similar to rooms in Egypt,'' said John Ingram, director of UF's P.K. Yonge Florida History Collection. He said the university hopes to get a pilot project off the ground in January to copy 70,000 pages if it can put together the more than $300,000 cost.

``The rooms are very hot. It is like the conditions for papyrus. With a microclimate like that, the protocols could last for years. But they were assembled from all parts of Cuba where they sometimes were damaged by rain and insects.''

Some page fragments look like pieces of the Dead Sea scrolls. The ink on other pages has become nearly illegible. Ingram said that Bruce Chappell, a UF paleographer (expert in ancient script), will work on the project and help train both American and Cuban scholars to understand the writing on the pages.

ON SLAVERY

Ingram said African Americans should be especially interested in the trove, which includes bills of landing for shipments of slaves arriving in Havana. ``Havana was a central embarkation point for a large number of African Americans sent to Florida and other parts of the U.S.,'' he said.

Historians trying to understand early Florida history from the Spanish era, which ended in 1821, may also find clues. Most documents from that period housed in Florida settlements were destroyed by fighting and by the climate, he said.

In addition, Ingram said, ``the documents really do open up a window to many facets of life in Cuba we don't know about.''
They include, he said, wills, inventories, records of baptisms, baptisms, marriage certificates, and records kept by clergy. But 25 percent of 50 volumes inspected by UF researchers in March ``were in a very precarious state,'' he said.

CAUTION ESSENTIAL

Michigan State's Drewes -- who has been a key organizer of other efforts to save the protocols since her days as preservation librarian at Johns Hopkins University Notary in the mid-1990s -- says the UF team will have to proceed cautiously when it opens the volumes to photograph them.
``They don't copy very well,'' Drewes said, citing the fact that some libraries copying old documents in the United States have sliced them apart to do the task.

She said she witnessed how damaged some of the protocols are on one visit to Havana when a staff member at the Archives opened up an early Spanish hand-colored map. It was in tatters, full of insect holes. Drewes said she was overcome by tears.

But she applauds the UF project.

``We care about the intellectual content of these materials,'' she said.

Note de la rédaction de Genèse.

Nous nous réjouissons de cette excellente nouvelle. Une question nous vient en tête.
À quand l'opération sauvetage du fonds Papiers de Jérémie? Un trésor qui croupit dans des boîtes de carton à l'Université Gainesville, en Floride.

Comme cercueils, on a vu mieux!

Pour le bénéfice des lecteurs, nous reproduisons un extrait du document élaboré par madame Carla M Summers,


We're happy to report these excellent news. One question arises when will we start the operation "Salvaging the Jeremy Papers"? Here we have a treasure, that is languishing at the bottom of cardboard boxes at Gainesville University in Florida.

We have seen better coffins!

We reproduce here for our readers an extract from a document prepared by Mrs. Carla M. Summers, Chief Manuscripts Librarian, Smathers Library, at University of Florida

This Project seeks to preserve and make available the notarial records for the district of Grande Anse, Haiti whose capital was the City of Jeremie. The records are spread between three repositories, the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library, New York, New York; and the Archives d'Outre-Mer at Aix en Provence, France. Estimated time period for the records begins in the middle 1700's and ends at the turn of the century, approximately, 1803. Number of items is unknown. Linear footage will exceed 28 feet.

In summer, 1999, Carla Summers became interested in these vital records which document the town of Jeremie for the years before Haitian independence. These records contain documentation of events that, under French Law, required notarization and registration including contracts of marriage, wills, ecclesiastical records, actions of local councils, etc.

Three different repositories hold the complete set of these records. These records are in such bad condition that use has incomplete list of very brief annotations of the items contained in the collection. The rich and varied history that these records document is inaccessible and in danger.

The goals of this project are:

1.Contact and obtain agreements for cooperation between repositories.

2.Inventory and compile information on extent of preservation and access needs.

3.Develop and implement plans for preservation, description and enhancement of use.

4.Disseminate information concerning the holdings to interested parties.

The objectives and activities contained in these broad goals are almost overwhelming considering the extent of the materials, their decentralization, and their condition. However, the reward of bringing these vital materials into wider use and preserving them for the long term is the motivating factor.

The University of Florida has hired a temporary staff member who is fluent in French to begin the annotation of 650 documents that were acquired after the first receipt of the Jeremie Papers. These documents are unlisted and must be described and merged with the current finding aid before we can go forward with microfilming the collection. The current finding aid is also very rudimentary. A standard format for the translation and abstracting of items is being developed.

We are seeking funding as seed money to begin this project. In this first stage we will be looking to develop commitments from the institutions involved and determining the extent and condition of collections. Meetings will be arranged between curators at the institutions as well as administrative heads to negotiate participation. The collections will be inventoried according to approved archival standards. Translation will continue at the University of Florida to develop cost facts for creating descriptions of individual items.

The University of Florida holds extensive documentation of the French Caribbean including the Rochambeau Papers.

The seed money will enable the project team to develop grant requests to submit to funding agencies internationally. Without the figures and the commitments developed in this first phase, funds for further description and preservation will not be forthcoming. No individual institution can undertake such a beginning on operational funds. Interested parties must fund this work.

It is the understanding that the vital records of a society are the most valuable documentation available. No one questions the preservation of the birth, marriage and death records of a country's or local government's people. We should act to save these priceless documents now. Besides their considerable interest to the study of world history (this was a time of great upheaval for governments around the world), these records support the understanding of the contributions of families and individuals of Haiti. Haiti is a nation that seeks to know itself no matter what the cost. Development of a sense of oneself as a people leads to greater cultural and economic progress.

Voir Documents



UNE LUEUR D'ESPOIR

Objet: Fw: Jeremie papers
Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 23:29:37 -0400
De: "Gilles Hudicourt" A: Andrée-Luce Fourcand
----- Original Message -----
From: "William Large" To: Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 9:46 PM
Subject: Jeremie papers


Dear Officers of The Association de Genealogy d 'Haiti:

I trust this brief note finds you well. By way of introduction my name is William Wells Large. My father is from Haiti. Currently, I am the General Counsel for the Florida Department of Health. In that role, I am a registered lobbyist. One of our members of the Florida House is a Haitian-American, Representative Brutus. Perhaps I could convince him to get funding for your efforts to translate the Jeremie papers.

My father is Herve' Large of Jeremie Haiti. My Grandfather was Camille Large of Jacmel. I just found your web site last night. I have been interested in researching my Haitian Genealogy for some time. (Due to the efforts of my Grandfather, I already have much information documented.) As it turns out, live in Tallahassee, Florida. I did my undergraduate and law school training at the University of Florida. Currently, I am enrolled in a Masters degree program in Political Science at Florida State. As a student, I have access to the libraries of all the state universities, including the University of Florida in Gainesville (which is only 2 hours south of Tallahassee).If you need any research at the University of Florida, perhaps I could help. Unfortunately, I do not speak French. In the alternative, perhaps I could use my father's help in translating documents. I understand that the Jeremie papers are not open to public use; however, as a student, perhaps I could get access to them. I am very interested in joining your organization and participating in researching about Haitian Genealogy.

For your information my Jeremie' Genealogy is as follows:

1) Numa Chassagne + Theano Debuis

2) Numa Chassagne II + Marguerite Jerome(d.o. Pressoir Jerome an Meladie Lestage. My grandmother, Odette Large, who is still alive, claims that Meladie Lestage was the great grand daughter of Andre Marie de Barras)

3) Odette Chassagne + Camille Large

4) Herve' Eugene Large + Diana Widney Wells

5) William Wells Large.

1) Jacques Large + ?

2) Mathiew Large + Henriette Ambroise (grand daughter of General Magloire Ambroise)

3) Camille Large + Caroline Levy

4) Eugene Large + Anita Desplan

5) Camille Large + Odette Chassagne

6) Hervé Eugene Large + Diana Widney Wells

7) William Wells Large

I have more dates and names, which I am willing to share with anyone who asks. I am very interested in joining your organization. Does any one know anything about the origination of the Large and Chassagne names? Whatabout the de Barras story? Is there any way to document it?

Did any one in your organization know my Grandfather? He wrote several books and papers about Haiti. One of my Grandfather's papers was entitled: "Gorman et l'insurrection de la Grande Anse'." In order to complete this work, my grandfather had to review several original papers from Jeremie.

What about my father? Do any of you know him? My uncle, Robert Large,still visits Haiti regularly. He has written several books about Haiti under the pen name Josephat Large. My cousin Franz Large still lives in Haiti. My father left Jeremie in August of 1964, never to return. At the time my father left, he was unable to bring any records with him. As such, I would like this organization's help in furthering my research. Also, I would like to help this organization out, due to my close proximity to Gainesville

As both an alumnus and graduate student, I believe I could get access to some of the documents. I will be sending a check to the organization shortly so I can join. In the meantime, please send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards

William Large


ANSWER SENT TO WILLIAM LARGE


Montreal, May 29, 2001


Mr. William Large
General Counsel for the Florida Department of Health
United States of America


Subject : Jérémie Papers


Dear Sir,


I read, yesterday morning, the e-mail kindly forwarded to me by Gilles Hudicourt, the treasurer of the Association de Généalogie d'Haïti. Your entire text was very interesting, pleasant and refreshing. So, welcome to the club and enjoy the first genealogical data send to you by Didier Gilles, who I call '' Le Brave''. I would like to discuss with you the part concerning the Jérémie Papers.

Before, let me introduce myself. My name is Andrée-Luce Fourcand, founding member with Gilles Hudicourt and Ralph Chery of AGH, in May 1999. I am the chief editor of Genese. Since 1984, I am deeply involved in genealogical matters.

Concerning the file Jérémie Papers, your proposition is sitting on an light, very light misunderstanding. The AGH is looking around to find official sponsors who will contribute to the efforts for the realization of the Project to preserve and make available the Jeremie Collections (particularly Notaries minutes and documents Greffe de Jérémie). This project was written by Mrs Carlas Summers, Chief Manuscripts Librarian, University of Florida.

As you know, Sir, the memories of Haiti, are gone with the wind?! Making a genealogical research, means to travel almost all over the world (France, England, Jamaica, New Orleans, Cuba, Port-au-Prince (of course) to find out about the ancestors who where living at the colonial time. Just for the fund of Notaries, you have to share your time between Les Archives de France d'Outre-Mer, located at Aix-en-Provence and University of Gainesville, Florida. And, it is only the tip of the iceberg.

In August 1999, just a few days before I left for Aix to accomplish the second step of my own research, the AGH received from Mrs Summers the list of 29 notaries practicing in Jeremy. I said to Gilles ?during my sojourn at Aix, I will check what the archives had in this fund''. In November 1999, I send to Mrs Summer the document called : PAPIERS DE JÉRÉMIE / JÉREMIE PAPERS NOTARIAT DE ST-DOMINGUE / NOTARY RECORDS OF ST-DOMINGUE. ÉTUDE COMPARÉE DU FONDS APPARTENANT À L'UNIVERSITÉ DE GAINESVILLE, FLORIDE VERSUS LE FONDS DES ARCHIVES FRANCAISES D'OUTRE-MER, AIX-EN- PROVENCE/ Comparative study on fund owned by Gainesville University, Florida Versus the fund of French Overseas Archives, Aix-en-Provence.

On my request, she did not publish the data. I am still working on this document.

Actually, I am preparing a file. This file will be used to interest and solicit sponsors (private or public corporations) for the partial financing of the project. It will be accompanied by all the justifying pieces. Upon approval by the board of directors of AGH-Montreal, AHG-Haiti, the file will be send to the appropriate corporation.

I can tell you that, right away, an financial institution in Haiti is ready to be involved our project. And, I will do my best to obtain an affirmative answer from the Ministère de la Culture de la France, section Archives-Patrimoine. It will be great if you can convince some notable Haitian-American, like Representative Brutus. However, we would like to remain cautious not to politicize this file, AGH and Genese are resolutely a-political

I remain at your disposal for any additional information you may require and I thank you for the interest you show for our association.


Andrée-Luce Fourcand



Le calvaire de Canaan se poursuit ...

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Clonage. Le gouvernement canadien pourrait déposer dans les mois à venir un projet de loi interdisant le clonage humain et limitant l'utilisation d'autres technologies de reproduction. La nouvelle survient quelques jours après l'annonce du clonage d'un bébé d'ici deux ans par un groupes de scientifiques internationaux. Le projet de loi sera étudié par un comité parlementaire d'ici mai.


20-22 avril 2001 / Les Américains peuvent retracer leurs ancêtres

Internet ? Un siècle après leur arrivée dans le port de New York, les immigrants partis à la conquête du Nouveau Monde sortent de l'anonymat grâce à une immense base de données ouverte sur Internet.

Quelques 22 millions de noms sont recensés sur le site Ellis Island (http://www.ellisislandrecords.org), du nom de l'île new-yorkaise sur laquelle étaient rassemblés les candidats à l'immigration. Ce recensement, fruit d'un partenariat entre l'Église mormone américaine, la fondation Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island et le service des Parcs nationaux, a demandé sept ans de travail à 12, 000 volontaires mormons. Ceux-ci ont patiemment déchiffré, à partir de microfilms, les documents manuscrits de l'immigration américaine.

Le site recense les personnes arrivées à New York entre 1892 et 1924, point culminant de la vague d 'immigration aux États-Unis. Les gens à la recherche d'un ancêtre peuvent y retrouver le nom du bateau à bord duquel il est débarqué, ses dates de départ et d'arrivée, et son contact sur place s'il en avait un. (Reuters)

24 avril 2001 / Un honneur pour Alexandre Dumas

Les cendres d'Alexandre Dumas seront-elles transférées au Panthéon lors du bicentenaire de sa naissance, en 2002? Il semblerait que oui, selon un communiqué de l'Élysée, dans lequel Chirac, s'est montré « ouvert ».


7juin 2001 / La doyenne de l'humanité est morte

Décès Marie Brémont, la doyenne de l'humanité, selon le livre Guiness des records, est décédée. Âgée de 115 ans, elle s'est éteinte dans sa maison de retraite de Candé, en France. Elle était doyenne depuis 1999.


NDLR : Métro est un quotidien de format tabloïd qui est distribué gratuitement dans toutes les stations du métro de Montréal.