| Summary: | "Jean Laffite (ca.1776-ca.1823) and his older brother Pierre Laffite were French pirates and privateers in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century." [Wikipedia] Though historical characters, the facts of their lives were surrounded by myth and legend. Born in France, they immigrated to the New World. By 1805, Jean Laffite operated a warehouse in New Orleans to disperse the goods smuggled by his brother, Pierre. They moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay (Wikipedia). Jean Lafitte helped Andrew Jackson and the United States in the War of 1812 against the British in exchange for pardons for him and his men. In 1815-1821 they moved their operations to Galveston, Texas, (which they called Campeche) where they spied for the Spaniards and were involved in smuggling and the slave trade. This collection consists of 5 cubic feet of research files arranged alphabetically by subject. The contents include letters, emails, photocopies from published and manuscript sources, articles, poetry, news clippings, reports and accounts. The files pertain to the lives and associates of Jean and Pierre Lafitte. Dr. Wilson was very interested in the researching the authenticity of what is now considered a forged diary of Jean Laffite. Dr. Wilson corresponded extensively with many of the significant and published Laffite historians.
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