Are there any lists of octoroon ball attendees or the woman who were displayed at them from about 1853-1857? Are they accessible from on-line or far away libraries?

Could I look up people by first name only on any records in various Louisiana parishes or orphanages or anything like that, and would they also be accessible from far away or on-line?

I am going to try to visit our history center here to ask these questions, but as I have yet to find a sitter, and my toddler--yes, she's toddling now--has taken to calling out "Ai," loudly to anyone in earshot, and my seven-year-old delivers lectures about how to do things properly to all and sundry, near and far, I wonder how productive that will be. Sigh. And thank heavens for computers and that I wake up at dawn, which is about 4:30 this far north. Zzzzz.

Thank you for suggestions and help. I'm near to finishing this project and hope to post some stuff I've written here soon.

Sincerely,

Sally Rafowicz