urn:taro:utexas.cah.02898 A Guide to the Jean Baptiste LaCoste Papers, 1856-1908 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. July 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary LaCoste, Jean Baptiste, 1823-1887 LaCoste, Jean Baptiste, Papers 1856-1908 Materials are written in English. 8 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Composed of correspondence, business and legal documents, financial records, and printed material, the Jean Baptiste LaCoste Papers, 1856-1908, chronicle LaCoste’s business and familial affairs. Biographical Note

Born in Gascony, France, Jean Baptiste LaCoste (1823-1887) immigrated to the United States in 1848. LaCoste settled in San Antonio, Texas, where worked as a merchant and established the first ice plant in the city. In 1852, he married Manuela Menchaca, with whom he had six children. In addition to LaCoste’s business endeavors, he served as treasurer of Bexar County and supported the regime of Emperor Ferdinand Maxmillian and moved the Matamoros, Mexico, for a short time to support his cause.

Source:

Pease, S. W. LaCoste, Jean Baptiste. Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed July 1, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fla10.

 Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence, business and legal documents, financial records, and printed material, the Jean Baptiste LaCoste Papers, 1856-1908, chronicle LaCoste’s business and familial affairs. Correspondence concerns his mercantile business and local politics in San Antonio, Texas, legal and business documents relate to the sale of cotton to the Confederate Army during the Civil War as well as the purchase of land, and financial papers consist of records of transactions and account books. Additionally, printed material includes pamphlets and circulars pertaining to such products as ice machines.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) LaCoste, Jean Baptiste, 1823-1887 -- Archives. Subjects (Organizations) Confederate States of America -- Commerce. Subjects Ice -- Manufacture -- Texas -- San Antonio. Merchants -- Texas -- San Antonio. Places San Antonio (Tex.) -- History -- Sources. Texas -- Politics and government. United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865. Preferred Citation

Jean Baptiste LaCoste Papers, 1856-1908, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 2E310 Correspondence, business and legal documents, and financial records, 1856-1908 2E311 Correspondence, business and legal documents, financial records, and printed material, 1856-1908