Lorimier papers, artifact exhibit to be unveiled Monday

Documents, pictures and other artifacts from several of Cape Girardeau County�s founding families are coming home, after years in a private collection in Texas, and those involved with the collection�s curation say its importance can�t be overstated.

A Civil War-era inkwell from the new Founders Collection is seen Thursday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

The first exhibit from the collection, titled �The Founders Collection: The Legacy of the Lorimier, Rodney, Whitelaw, Carmack & Jueneman Families in Cape Girardeau County,� will be unveiled at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center, 102 S. High St. in Jackson.

It�s 18 linear feet of history on display, center director Carla Jordan said.

The collection was donated by Grace Jueneman, whose late husband, Donald, was a direct descendant of Louis Lorimier, Cape Girardeau�s founder.

A trio of French porcelains from the new Founders Collection are seen Thursday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

�The family was very eclectic in what they saved,� volunteer Stan Baughn said. �They saved it all, and they documented it � that�s unusual!�

Anyone who has trekked through boxes of loose photographs with a single name written in pencil on the back knows the value of labels on each photo, giving full names, locations, dates, and, Jordan said, this prominent family was excellent about attaching important information.

The photograph collection documents buildings both existing and extinct, Jordan said, documentation of the county�s early history, and studio portraits as well.

Cape Girardeau County History Center director Carla Jordan holds a framed portrait of Rodney Gayoso Whitelaw from the new Founders Collection on Thrusday at the history center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

But, she said, it isn�t just the photographs. Original documents, including land grants, diaries, family histories and other genealogical records, are also included in the collection.

And then there�s the artifact collection. Artwork, historic porcelain pieces, textiles, clothing, glassware and small personal effects are all included, she said, and some of those pieces will also be on display at the history center after Monday�s unveiling.

But this display is really just a taste of what the full collection has to offer, Jordan said.

A piece of paper taped on the back of a frame, labeling the framed image, shows how organized the family was with their archive before gifting it to the Cape Girardeau County History Center, which will remove the notes once they are all processed and archived appropriately, as seen Thursday in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

Later this year, volunteers will take a trip to Houston to pick up furniture that belonged to family members.

As for the display, Jordan said several fleur-de-lis are hidden throughout, in honor of the collection�s French Colonial origins.

Louis Lorimier was a French-Canadian, an adventurer and trader, born in 1748 in Canada. In 1806, he founded a trading post at Cape Girardeau.

A French lace and French porcelain from the new Founders Collection are seen Thursday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

He�d married a woman with Native American blood, and Charlotte Lorimier bore him four sons and three daughters.

One daughter, Maria Louise Lorimier, married Thomas Rodney � several streets near Arena Park in Cape Girardeau bear their names, Jordan pointed out.

But beyond those street names, �Much of the French Colonial history is lost,� Jordan said. �This exhibit will change that.�

A trio of French porcelains from the new Founders Collection are seen Thursday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

In fact, the collection ranges from the French Colonial period of the County�s history to the present, with the bulk of the collection depicting 1830 to 1938.

The Cape Girardeau County Historical Society�s research team has been interpreting and cataloging the collection�s pieces, Jordan said: executive board librarian Mary Jo Shelton, librarian Beverly Hahs and collection cataloger Alice Ireland have put in a lot of hours, constructing a database of items and descriptions.

Carla Jordan holds a Civil War-era inkwell artifact as part of the new Founders Collection on Thursday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

In coming months, the documents and photos will be open to researchers, Jordan said.

She estimated at least 30 possible dissertation topics are contained in the collection, and hopes graduate students and researchers will take advantage of the collection�s availability.

A plastic sheet covers the new Founders Collection on Thursday before its unveiling Monday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

The State Historical Society of Missouri has mentored the group through this process, Jordan said, and their help has been invaluable.

And, she said, the City of Jackson has provided an archival room for processing the documents, which is helpful from a security standpoint.

A piece of colored paper with the date of an unveiling hangs on plastic covering the new Founders Collection on Thursday at the Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson.KASSI JACKSON

Jordan said she is thankful she�s been able to build good relationships with some of Lorimier�s descendants. Not only have they become friends, she said, but those relationships mean this complete collection has a permanent home.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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