Marie Laveau Conjuring the magic and mystery behind the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans Devon Abejo LIBR 285: Research Methods November 29, 2013 Abstract The mystery surrounding Marie Laveau and her contribution to the voodoo practice in New Orleans is a subject that has been of interest to both scholars and the general public. She has been described as everything from a feminist to a civil rights leader by scholars and has been adored by the public since her death. Like most colored woman of that time she could neither read nor write. The focus will be on the distinction between the senior and junior Marie Laveau since much that is written about them is interchanged between the two of them. It is my hope that this research bridges the gaps in the scholarly work that has already been written about this dynamic duo. Introduction Marie Laveau has become a legend larger than life thanks to popular folklore and tourism. Unknown to the general public is that there are two Maries, a mother and daughter that make up this beloved historic figure. Laveau was a very common name and in her family alone it belonged to at least three woman. This research will separate the two women from each other and the legend that has encapsulated them over the years. It has become nearly impossible to separate the fact from fiction when it comes to the Voodoo queen of New Orleans. Marie Laveau is still the most well known figure in the Louisiana voodoo culture and with this fame comes wild stories about witchcraft, possession, dancing with the devil in Congo square, and the ability to use magic to evade arrest. There are very few primary sources to base facts off of and this has led to many taking a creative liberty when relating the stories of her life. Outside of the basic facts that she was a free woman of color who lived in New Orleans and was a prominent practioner of Voodoo, the rest is open to interpretation. Her life and family as well as her voodoo powers have been spun from truth to fiction by many, including the citizens of New Orleans. This is a woman who even in death is a huge tourist draw. People from around the world visit her family crypt every day that come bearing gifts, hoping that the voodoo queen might grant them a wish from beyond the grave. The time frame covered will be from the birth of the first Marie in 1783 and continue through the death of Marie the second in 1895. The primary sources such a baptismal certificates as well as interviews with friends and neighbors will be carefully evaluated. There has been some speculation on the authenticity of the interviews with neighbors and citizens of New Orleans and there will be research done to clear up the rumors in regards to the authenticity of the sources. Literary reviews Life and Times of a voodoo Queen Marie Laveau was born in 1801, or 1783 depending on whom you ask. 1 The most recent document discovered by Dr. Ina Frandrich in the Archives of the Archdiocese of New Orleans is the Baptismal certificate that gives her birthday of September 16,1801 and not in 1783. The confusion lays in the fact that the name Marie Lavaeu was the name of both Mother and Daughter who were known Voodoo practicitioners. Aside from the famous duo, there were at least 10 other Marie Laveaus who lived near the afore mentioned mother and daughter pair in the same time frame.2 It is a known fact that she was Creole, although the definition of Creole has ambiguity. 3 To some its means a mix of French and African, to others it is an adjective for things native to Louisiana. For all intensive purposes it will refer to someone of mixed ethnicity, some times also known as a “free person of color” who lives in New Orleans. The French influence which is very Janet Allured ,”The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth-century new Orleans/Voodoo queen: The spirited lives of Marie laveau.” ( H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences, 2006), 2. 2 Janet Allured, The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: 2006 2 3 Martha Ward, Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2009), xiv. 1 prevalent in New Orleans, also bleeds over into the multiple spellings of the last name, depending on who is doing the spelling. In the first version of this book ‘The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie Laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth century New Orleans" you can see that it was originally spelled with an X. In the new book version the spelling was changed to clear up any confusion as to which it was referencing. 4 For the most part whenever some is speaking of Marie Laveau it is interchangeable between the mother and daughter. Early in her life the first Marie, worked as a hairdresser and was popular with both free woman of color and white woman. This job allowed her to interact with many people from her community and beyond on a daily basis. Marie (the first Marie) was born a free woman of color and was married to Jacques Paris on July 27, 1819. 5 Rarely is Jacques mentioned other than he was the only legitimate husband of Marie and that he was out of the picture with in a few years of them being married. If we are to accept the new finding of her Baptismal certificate brought up in the Ina Frandrich book this would make her 17 years old, and that would have fit in with the societal norms for the age of matrimony. From this point on there are many different ideas on what her family was like. She had any where from 5-10 children with her companion of thirty years Christophe Glapion. Mr. Glapion was her companion for the rest of her life. They never formally married, although there have been rumors that they were married in a secret ceremony. The other option is since she was still legally 4 Ina Johanna Fandrich . The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie Laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth century New Orleans i 5 Carolyn Long, A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau 3 married to Jacque Paris, she was unable to marry Christophe Glapion. Most sources state that they were never formally married because he was a white man. Others have pointed out that besides the marriage certificate to Jaques Paris, he is scarcely mentioned again. There are no death certificates, or other concrete evidence to explain where he went. Again, this is not outside the norm for this time period since most free people of color could not read or write. The local voodoo community of New Orleans like to say that he was done away with by one of Maries spells when he angered her, or to make room for Christophe Glapion. There will be instances in research and fiction where she will be referred to as the widow Paris to create a distinction between the mother and daughter. Hey Sister, Soul Sister Women were allowed into roles of leadership due to the extremely unique social dynamics of New Orleans. 6 There were a large number of free woman of color that were heads of household. The dynamics of the city was one that by appearance alone you could not tell the social standing of someone who was creole or “colored”. It was very common for white men to have relationships with creole woman and to put them up in a home of their own to care for any children that had been born of that relationship. The man could also have a wife and a primary family at another residence and this was considered very normal for the time period. There were often octaroon and quadraroon balls to introduce men from society to woman of mixed ethnicity. These woman were just as educated as their Caucasian counterparts. 6 Sylvia Frey. “The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth-century New Orleans”. Journal of Southern History, 73(2), (2007) 454-456. Marie Laveau and her companion Christophe Glapion were defying social convention by living together as a mixed race couple and also as an unmarried couple. To some this would make her a feminist, but I think she was doing what she wanted. She did not give much thought to what others had to say about her, knowing most would not cross her for fear of retribution. It is also disputed by some that Christophe was Caucasian. There is also the chance that her marriage to Jacques Paris was still valid, and that is what she never married her long time companion. Congo Square now known as Jackson Square The dances and the music that was celebrated in Congo Square were often a throw back to those brought to New Orleans from Africa. They kept some aspects from their homeland and other aspects were lost to assimilate into New Orleans culture. 7 The people in the square were from many different parts in Africa and the voodoo rituals became a blending of traditions from all of these places. 8 This was the gathering place in the center of town where slaves, free people of color and whites alike would meet. There are many stories about Marie and the time that she spent there, but she was never bothered by the police or given any type of ticket or citation when she was there. 9 Congo Square has gone through many changes and is now the tourist destination known as Jackson Square. Located within walking distance of the French quarter, it is a far cry from the days past of voodoo rituals and African dances. The dramatization of rituals by 7 John W. Blassingame, Black New Orleans, 1860-1880. (University of Chicago Press, 2008.) 6 Laurie A. Wilkie “Magic and empowerment on the plantation: an archaeological consideration of African – American world view” southeastern Archaelogy: 137 8 Robert Reinders "The Churches And The Negro In New Orleans, 1850-1860." Phylon 22, no. 3: 241248.Historical Abstracts with Full Text, 1961 247 9 newspapers and the people of New Orleans played a big part in the taboo factor of the religion of voodoo. There were numerous attempts by people to discredit Marie and these followers. The stories were so dramatic and over the top that different sources reported anything from a rooster, cat or small child being added to the cauldron on the shores of lake Pontchartrain. 10 These rumors were never backed up by any sort of facts, even though people went looking for evidence of misconduct. These tall tales were often mentioned in the primary sources utilized by every scholarly author who writes about Voodoo in New Orleans. These reports would make it into the newspapers, with people swearing to have seen her followers dance with the devil with their own eyes. There was never any validity to these claims. The Louisiana field workers project took place between 1936-1941 and went around documenting the stories of elderly New Orleanians.11 It has been called into question the validity and accuracy of these sources. Many of these source recall the newspapers, and second hand stories they heard about the famous Marie Laveau. Theoretical Issues and Approaches The approach I took to this was to show the facts and then give a run down of who is supporting them with their previously published works. The primary goal is to give a un biased appraisal of the facts. The biggest contributions have been the work of 10 Blake Touchstone. "Voodoo in New Orleans." Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 13, no. 4 : 371-386. 1972 11 Ina Johanna Fandrich. 2005. “The Birth of New Orleans' Voodoo Queen: A Long-held Mystery Resolved. Louisiana History.” 46, no. 3: 293-309. Dr. Ina Fanfrich since she has meticulously gone through the archives in New Orleans to uncover what appears to be baptismal certificate. She has been able to get access to the records located in the archdiocese of New Orleans records and this is where the baptismal certificate was found. This was a new piece of evidence that changed the game for a lot of people who were also writing about her. I will be using the people history school of thought as the approach to this research. The very limited primary sources are interviews of regular New Orleans who had either lived by the famed voodoo queen or had known her at some point in their lives. They gave their recollections of the famed mother and daughter and the interviews were transcribed. I will also be touching upon African American history, as it is a vital part of the culture in New Orleans. This cultural melting pot has had its own rules about what is socially acceptable and that plays a large part into the story of the Marie Laveaus. This was one of the largest groups of racially mixed Americans during the time frame she was alive. It was acceptable for a white man to have a quadaroon or octaroon mistress and to support her and their children. It was also common for men to outwardly accept those children in public. This lead to even further cultural blending that is still evident in New Orleans to this day. There are many different facts that allowed for this to become the norm, when it was so outside of the normal realm of social interaction for the rest of the country. There will also be mention of feminist aspects of the history of Miss Laveau. It was very common for the house holds to be led by a single woman and she was able to make her way in society with very little resistance from others. This was common due to the abnormal living arrangements of mixed mistresses with their illegitimate children. Of the free people of color population, over half of them were woman, including the Maries. Primary Sources The Louisiana digital Library – Specifically the Louisiana Works Progress Administration http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm/search/collection/LWP/searchterm/marie% 20laveau/order/nosort I found this site after I had emailed the Louisiana Folklore Society. I had asked them if they knew of any type of finding guides for Marie Laveau or New Orleans voodoo. Although they had no finding guides available, this was one of the sites that they suggested to find resources. There are typed up interviews that were conducted in the 1930’s of people who had grown up in New Orleans and their recollections of the times. One-thing that stood out to me was that it was always called “recollections”. I believe this is something that is indigenous to the South. There are also photographs and recorded interviews. The recorded interviews are all in Creole and there is no transcript in English so I wasn’t too sure what they were talking about. I was able to look through a good amount of the material and it was all very interesting and a large part of it was very relevant to my research. There were pictures of other Voodoo practitioners who were considered contemporaries of Laveau, but sadly no photos of either the senior or junior Marie Laveau. The actual materials are housed at several institutions in Louisiana including Louisiana state university, University of New Orleans and Loyola to name a few. There is not a finding guides set up on this site, but you can use the search box to navigate to the sources you need. In order to view the source materials I would need to travel to New Orleans and to make advanced appointments to view the material. There are meetings of the Louisiana Historical society and the Louisiana Folklore society of March this year and I plan on traveling to attend. At that time I will make appointments to view the material since I will still be a student and have affiliation with San Jose State University. Since there is a good amount that is available digitally I was able to get a good understanding of what materials they do have. Although I’m sure viewing them in person is much more impressive. There has been some question raised as to the authenticity of the documentation put together by the Louisiana Works Progress Administration as to weather or not they falsified the stories that were told to them. Those questions are raised with both the hard and digital copies. Ancestry records – Baptismal certificate, death certificate and census records I used this source after reading several books and articles for the previous assignments mentioned finding these documents. I thought I they were readily available them I would be able to find them using Ancestry.com. I was able to locate both her Baptismal and death certificates through ancestry.com. This also listed possible family members and showed the census records that her children had signed. I found it interesting that her daughter Celeste listed her occupation as painter. I had never looked at census records before and was surprised by what I found. At the bottom of the page there is a space for the census taker to list out white males, white females, colored males, colored females, males foreign born, and then there were two spaces that struck me as odd, one for the blind and one for the insane. It is as if that is all there is to define those people, not that they were anything else other than that handicap. The records were actual copies of the physical documents. I spent a lot of time looking from person to person that was in her family. This documentation is available online through ancestry.com, but if I wanted to view the actual records I would have to travel to New Orleans to the city records department, or in the case of the baptismal certificate to the archdiocese office. There is no finding aid for this material since it is located in different places, but the digital collection is very robust. Having all of this material available digitally makes viewing much easier. I wouldn’t question the authenticity that it belonged to one of the Marie Laveau’s, but when speaking of her most people speak of the mother and daughter interchangeably. New Orleans newspapers on Microfiche from 1787-1974 http://nutrias.org/~nopl/info/louinfo/chronolist.htm#1800 This is a listing of the newspapers either on microfiche or actual papers at the public library. The most interesting listings were “New Orleans Assorted," "New Orleans Negro Newspapers" and "New Orleans Newspapers." I found this interesting since so many free people of color were illiterate that they have their own newspaper. Although these sources aren’t on Voodoo specifically I do anticipate finding information about Voodoo located in the pages, I had read several quotes in various books that came from newspapers, so it would be a matter of cross referencing them to find the whole articles. This collection is housed in the New Orleans public library and I would have to travel there to view the documents. There were several finding aids listed, but they were for physical documentation that were onsite. There were some really great sketches for outfits worn during Carnival in the early 1900s that were extremely beautiful, even though it has nothing to do with my research I would love to view the originals of these. Very little of this collection is available online, sadly. In order to view the documents depending on what they are an appointment needs to be made. Some of the more rare ephemera you need to prove that you are a researcher before being granted access to view the documents. Library of Congress – African American Odyssey http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aohome.html The library of Congress was one of my first searches since I knew that they would have a lot of material related to African American history. This is a collection that the library of congress has put together. It groups several collections, like the Frederick Douglas papers, narratives from former slaves and the Jackie Robinson collection together digitally. This is a collection of photos, ephemera, manuscripts and letters. The collection is at the library of Congress in Washington DC. There were several finding aids available as well as keyword searches. These items would give me an insight on things that were happening during that time period. It is very difficult to find anything written about or for African Americans during the early 1800s since most people of this demographic could not read. To view the source material I would need to travel to Washington DC and make an appointment. I did view the digital material; it looks likes scans of photos of the original material so I did not question the authenticity. Maps http://www.notarialarchives.org/robinson/guide.htm There were several places that had maps that I found that would be useful to my research. This was one of the easier to read and well-scanned maps. I wanted to look at the area of town that Marie Laveau lived in during the early 1800s. I tried using the king database and then the library of congress database. Although library of congress had a lot of maps, there were very few that were of this time period and of New Orleans, Louisiana. I then found the Notarial archives of Louisiana and they had the nicest maps to look at. There were several that were of each parish and then broken down even further so that you can really look at the details of the map. It even gives a basic outline of each of the structures that were on each block. This site was not set up well and I am not entirely sure what the purpose of it is, how it is different than the other records offices. It is located in New Orleans and it lists the hours and phone number on the web site. This is yet another source that requires travel to visit. It does not specify if you need an appointment, but it always better to call ahead and ask. The digital selection is a good starting point, but I am assuming that there is a lot more actually on location. Tentative Chapter Outline Chapter 1 The life and times of Marie Laveau This chapter will be an over view of her family tree. It will list out and show what primary sources there are including her baptismal certificate and the birth certificates of some of her children. It will also explore her parental lineage as well. Chapter 2 Who do the voodoo that you do so well This chapter is dedicated to explaining the rich history of voodoo in New Orleans. It will also outline some of the other major players and will touch upon some of the newspaper articles written about the rituals done at lake Pontchartrain around the time that the Maries were alive and practicing voodoo. Chapter 3 All the single ladies This chapter will explore the social and economical landscape of early 1800 New Orleans in reference to the large number of female headed households. It will investigate the socio economical impact of the influx of free people of color living and working in New Orleans. Chapter 4 Facts and fiction This chapter will lay out all of the interviews that were done with residence after her death about her, her family and her household. It will also discuss the rumors and any facts to back up the afore mentioned rumors that some of these interviews were faked. Chapter 5 breaking the law, breaking the law This chapter will discuss the laws from late 1700-late 1800 regarding voodoo practices as well as the different laws that effected Congo square. The rumors of Marie being above the law will also be explored. Chapter 6 Maps etc. This chapter will have her family tree as well as maps of the area that she lived as well as pictures of her final resting place as well as pictures of places mentioned in the book. Chapter 7 Fiction and beyond This chapter will be a brief summary of all of the times she has appeared as a fictional character in a book, movie or television show. Even now over one hundred years after her death she is still making appearances on television, most recently being portrayed on the popular television show American Horror story. Chapter 8 Bibliography This will be a listing of all of the sources Timeline for Marie Laveau project Research March 2014- March 2015 I will be attending both the meeting of the Louisiana historical society and the folklore society of Louisiana in March 2014. Chapter 1 April 2015 Chapter 2 May 2015 Chapter 3 June 2015 Chapter 4 July 2015 Chapter 5 August 2015 Chapter 6 September 2015 Chapter 7 October 2015 Chapter 8 December 2015 Editing and revisions May 2016 Celebrate! June 2016 Resource Requirements Travel from San Francisco to New Orleans $398 Hotel for 2 weeks (room rental through air BnB) $700 Transportation to archives $115 Photo copy and scanning $50 Digital camera $100 Travel scanner $125 Hard drive $50 Total $1,538 Conclusion The facts and the fiction have long since become inseparable in the case of the famed Voodoo queen. Janet Allred summed it up best in her review of Martha Wards books “voodoo queen the spirited lives of Marie Laveau” “Her power was indeed legendary, but legends can take on a life of their own and must be tested carefully against evidence”12 Since there is so little evidence, the stories become the bulk of what we have left. The mystery that surrounded her in life has followed her into the after life. Local Legend goes that the tomb that draws tens of thousands of visitor a year is not really where she is buried. Locals say that her final resting place is a secret so as to not to disturb her in the great beyond. We may never know the truth about who this woman was, but she has left behind an abundance of stories that are still entertaining people over one hundred years later. I do believe that all of the pieces to the puzzle have yet to be uncovered. “the big easy” is a city full of secrets and with time and dedication to researching the archives, the truth about the legendary woman will be revealed. 12 Janet Allured The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth-century new Orleans/Voodoo queen: The spirited lives of Marie laveau. ( H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences, 2006), 3. Bibliography – Since the primary sources are very limited for my research, I have broken up the bibliography in a way that makes sense for this proposal. I have separated out books, book reviews, articles, archives and websites. Some sources are scholarly, some are not, but all are important to finding out everything that has been written thus far. Books Fandrich, Ina Johanna. The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie Laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth century New Orleans Lafayette, LA: University of Louisiana at Layfayette, 2006. Ward, Martha. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau. Jackson: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2009. Articles Allured, Janet “The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth-century new Orleans/Voodoo queen: The spirited lives of Marie laveau” H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences, , 1-5. 2006. Anderson, Jeffrey E. Conjure in African American Society. LSU Press, 2007. Anderson, John Q. 1960. "the New Orleans voodoo ritual dance and its twentieth-century survivals." Southern Folklore Quarterly 24, no. 2: 135-143. Historical Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed October 8, 2013). Bell, Caryn “The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth-century New Orleans.” Labour / Le Travail, 61, 278-280. 2006. Bell, Caryn Cossé. "A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau." Journal Of Southern History 74, no. 2 476-478. May 2008. Blassingame, John W. Black New Orleans, 1860-1880. University of Chicago Press, 2008. Bross, Heidi. 1989. The voodoo queen: women in Vodun. Amherst, Mass: [s.n.]. Burns, Khephra. 1992. "The queen of voodoo". Essence. 23. Butler, Brooke. 2011. The other Magic Kingdom: New Orleans Voodoo and tourism. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Davis, 2011. Carbon, John Joseph. 1983. Marie Laveau: a full-length Voodoo opera. Thesis (Ph. D.)-University of California, Santa Barbara, 1983. Fandrich, Ina Johanna. The Birth of New Orleans' Voodoo Queen: A Long-held Mystery Resolved. Louisiana History. 46, no. 3: 293-309. 2005. Jacobson Jordan, Tatia. 2009. Fashioning and refashioning Marie Laveau in American memory and imagination. Tallahassee, Fla: Florida State University. http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-06292009-223709/. Johnson, Sylvester. 2010. "The Black Church". 446-467. L'Hotsky, Tina. 1983. "Marie Laveau Is Calling Me". BOMB. (6): 22-24. Martin, Kameelah L., Darryl Dickson-Carr, and Jerrilyn McGregory. 2006. Conjuring moments and other such hoodoo African American women & spirit work. Thesis (Ph. D.)-Florida State University, 2006. http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07062006004223. McGee A.M. 2012. "Haitian Vodou and Voodoo: Imagined religion and popular culture".Studies in Religion-Sciences Religieuses. 41 (2): 231-256. Morrow Long, Carolynn . A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007. Long, Carolyn Morrow. 2005. "Marie Laveau: A Nineteenth-Century Voudou Priestess".Louisiana History. 46: 263-292. Neidenbach, Elizabeth Clark. 2005. The woman, the legend, the power: fictional representations of Marie Laveau in twentieth-century literature. Thesis (M.A.)--College of William and Mary, 2005. Reinders, Robert C.. "The Churches And The Negro In New Orleans, 18501860." Phylon 22, no. 3: 241-248.Historical Abstracts with Full Text, 1961. Jewell, Parker Rhodes. n.d. Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen. Ann Arbor, MI: MPublishing, University of Michigan Library. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.0499697.0016.207. Saloy, Mona Lisa. 1981. "MARIE LAVEAU". The Black Scholar. 12 (5): 22-23. Sussman, Rachelle. 1998. Conjuring Marie Laveau: the syncretic life of a nineteenth century Voodoo priestess in America. Thesis (M.A.)--Sarah Lawrence College, 1998. Touchstone, Blake. "Voodoo in New Orleans." Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 13, no. 4 : 371-386. 1972. Wilkie, Laurie A. "Magic and empowerment on the plantation: an archaeological consideration of African-American world view."Southeastern Archaeology :136-148 1995. Book Reviews Anderson, Jeffrey E. 2009. "The Voodoo Queen Unearthed: Three Recent Biographies of Marie Laveau". Nova Religion. 13 (1): 110-114. Chireau, Yvonne. 2004. "[Review of] Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau". Journal of American Ethnic History. 24 (1): 154-155. Clark, Emily. 2005. "[Review of] Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau".The Journal of Southern History. 71 (2): 443-445. Clark, Mary Ann. 2008. "VOODOO QUEEN: THE SPIRITED LIVES OF MARIE LAVEAU - By Martha Ward". Religious Studies Review. 34 (2): 123. Dessens, Nathalie. 2008. "[Review of] A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau". Caribbean Studies. 36 (1): 166-170. Frey, Sylvia. “The mysterious voodoo queen, Marie laveaux: A study of powerful female leadership in nineteenth-century New Orleans”. Journal of Southern History, 73(2), 454456. 2007. Kern, Louis J. 2007. "[Review of] A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau". The Journal of American History. 94 (1): 277-278. Long, and Caryn Cosse Bell. 2008. "A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau". The Journal of Southern History. 74 (2): 476. Long, and Louis J Kern. 2007. "Book Reviews - A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau". The Journal of American History. 94 (1): 277. Powers, Madelon. 2008. "[Review of] A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 49 (3): 348-349. Ward, and Alecia P Long. 2005. "Book Reviews - Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau". The Journal of American History. 92 (1): 209. Web Sites "voodoo ." Luis libraries . http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm/search/collection/ACC (accessed November 29, 2013). "RootsWeb: FOLKLORE-L [FOLKLORE FAMILY] The Spirits of New Orleans Part I: The LaLaurie House." RootsWeb: FOLKLORE-L [FOLKLORE FAMILY] The Spirits of New Orleans Part I: The LaLaurie House. http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/FOLKLORE/2001-04/0987056483 (accessed December 5, 2013). "folklore society." http://www.louisianafolklore.org/. http://www.louisianafolklore.org/ (accessed December 2, 2013).