Louis V de la Vergne (1938-2017)

Some years ago this blog had an entry on the de la Vergne manuscript or volume, with photographs of it and Louis V de la Vergne, its possessor. Mr de la Vergne has recently died. He was a man who was generous with his time and who was fascinated with the legal history of Louisiana and his ancestors and family’s many links with it. Among his ancestry can be counted well-known individuals such as Villeré, Bermudez, and Schmidt. Mr de la Vergne was very supportive of scholars and their research, and enthusiastic about their findings.

The earlier entry explained the significance of the manuscript in the history of the Territory of Orleans and the early state of Louisiana. The volume originated in the work of Louis Moreau Lislet, one of the redactors of the Digest of the Civil Laws Now in Force in the Territory of Orleans, generally known as the first Louisiana Civil Code, which was promulgated in 1808. The volume has generated much interest and discussion. See http://www.elhblog.law.ed.ac.uk/2010/09/28/the-de-la-vergne-volume-and-louisiana-legal-history/; http://www.elhblog.law.ed.ac.uk/2010/09/28/the-de-la-vergne-volume-and-louisiana-legal-history/