His most extensive publication, written with co-author Anita R. Campeau, was a book entitled, "The History of Mandeville," a 360-page overview of the Mandeville area from the American Revolution to Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville.
That book, available from Amazon, features chapter titles such as "The English Colonial
Period," "The Revolutionary War Upheaval in British West
Florida," and "The Battle of Lake Pontchartrain."
A reviewer on Amazon said this about the book:
This
is a thoroughly and meticulously researched and well-written work,
deserving to be on the shelf of anyone with either a general interest in
Louisiana, and more particularly, the "north shore" of Lake
Pontchartrain, or with specific scholarly interests in the land grants
from British, Spanish and territorial American administrations.
The
book richly describes French influences of the urban center of New
Orleans and those prosperous enough to envision having a retreat from
the epidemics of yellow and scarlet fevers, as well as cholera and other
illnesses which afflicted the urban environment. Over time the area
became accessible as a playground and respite for those of more moderate
means.
Researcher Donald J. Sharp's interest in the "Tchefuncte
Corridor" brings to life the varied families, black, white and mixed,
who populated, defended and developed the area. Author Anita R. Campeau
uses for her work platform a particular case record, Court Case No. 225,
which, with some serendipity, Sharp was able to uncover, through the
assistance and diligence and passion of Bertha Perreand Neff, late
archivist of the St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court, and the two
strong-willed women who contested age-old titles to inherited and
purchased property.
This contribution of Sharp and Campeau to the
literature stands as rich testimony to the importance and untiring
efforts of archivists, particularly the clerks of court throughout
Louisiana, and in this case, gives appropriate commendation to Clerk of
Court Malise Prieto and archivist Robin Leckbee Perkins.
The book
is organized somewhat as a series of fully footnoted vignettes of
personal histories of the families in the area, and in its approach,
brings to mind a similarly formatted scholarly work, "Interim
Appointment, W.C.C. Claiborne Letter Book, 1804-1805, edited by Jared
William Bradley,"
Interim Appointment: W. C. C. Claiborne Letter Book, 1804-1805 (The Louisiana Purchase Collection)
with its rich biographies and narratives of the interwoven lives,
conflicts and contexts of Louisiana's transitional elite who guided the
polity from Spanish and French colonial regimes, through U.S.
territorial status and eventual statehood.
At 359 pages,
including bibliography and source material, the book deserves a second
look by anyone interested in the complex history of Spanish land claims
in what was then "West Florida," or with an interest specifically in the
early history of what once was a 'bedroom' community of New Orleans but
now stands on its own footing as an economic center in its own right.
Articles with Anita R. Campeau
"Colonial History and Genealogy: Scioneaux and Allied Families,"Page 201, New Orleans Genesis Magazine, Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans, Volume XLIV, Number 175 July 2005.
"Land Grants To The French: North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain,"Page 191, New Orleans Genesis Magazine, Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans, Volume XLIV, Number 183 July 2008.
"From Lacombe, Louisiana, To Lacombe, Alberta," Page 79, New Orleans Genesis Magazine, Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans, Volume XLIV, Number 182, April 2008.
"British and Spanish Land Grants: From Bayou Castin to the Tchefuncte,"" Page 101, New Orleans Genesis Magazine, Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans, Volume XLVII, Number 186, April 2009.
