Topic starter
20/12/2006 3:17 pm
A little known fact, always mentioned by Doc when he narrates: the purchase agreement documents were not signed in DC or France, but rather in New Orleans - in the Cabildo. This is the building directly to the upriver side (left in photos) of the St. Louis Cathedral. Today it is part of the Louisiana State Museum, and houses quite a few river artifacts, and Napoleon's death mask.
23/12/2006 3:29 pm
Another little know fact about the Louisiana Purchase is that Robert Livingston negotiated the Purchase as Minister to France under Thomas Jefferson. Additional claims to fame for Robert Livingston are; he helped prepare the Declaration of Independence, he swore George Washington in as President and he financed Robert Fulton and the North River Steamboat. He was very politically active during the early years of US History, both nationally and in NY state.
My wife and I learned of all these connections during a tour of the CLERMONT Historic Site last year.
07/01/2007 7:59 pm
Not necessarily Historical but a cute story anyway!
Subject: A GOOD LAWYER
There are times that lawyers are a god-send, especially if we have to
deal with the bureaucracies. This is a lawyer to LOVE!
Only in Louisiana - you have to love this lawyer. It's too good not to share!
Everyone who has ever bought a house will enjoy this.
A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client who lost his house inHurricane Katrina and wanted to rebuild. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to the parcel of property
being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to
1803, which took the Lawyer three months to track down.
After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:
Actual letter):
"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we
note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we
compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented
the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the
proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can
be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."
Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:
Actual Letter):
"Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been received. I
note that you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years
covered by the present application.
I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly
those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased, by the U.S., from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application.
For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the
land prior to U.S.ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain.
The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made inthe year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Isabella.
The good queen, Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful
About titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of
the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus' expedition.
Now the Pope, as I am sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana.
God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to
before the beginning of time, the world as we know it AND the FHA.
I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have
our damn loan?"
HE GOT THE LOAN.
08/01/2007 7:58 pm
Your point is well taken, Judy. I would like to add that the signing of the Purchase treaty is memorialized by a fine, larger-than-life bronze relief bust located on the grounds of the Missouri state capital at Jefferson City. It depicts Livingston, Madison, and Monroe (I think), as well as the French emissary, as they signed the treaty document. The statue is on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River, which creates quite a dramatic backdrop.
The base of the statue reads: "The signing of the treaty, 1803."
A few years ago I was admiring the statue when man a woman came by and studied it for a moment. The woman turned to the man and asked, "What treaty is it?"
The gentleman, obviously a product of our public school system, thought about it and replied: "I think it was the Declaration of Independence."
As a former history teacher, it was all I could do to keep from beating them over the head with a high school history book!
08/01/2007 8:41 pm
Hi, Michael:
Your history, and anecdotes Re: the 'Louisiana Purchase etc.' are interesting. As retired teachers, Judy Patsch and I are well aware of the comments you quote with the couple studying the memorial and wondering "what treaty?" Up until just a few years ago here in Cincinnati a number of people would look with questioning eyes when the DELTA QUEEN was mentioned. "Oh, that's the big white boat down at the landing that runs to CONEY ISLAND in the summer, isn't it?" Some are surprised when you tell them the ISLAND QUEEN went POOF! in 1947.
Cheers,
R. Dale Flick
09/01/2007 3:09 am
Dale, Roddy's question whenever he gota question such as that was, "How did these ppeople even GET here?!"