Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

The First St. Matthew’s Catholic Church Building

This is an early photo of the original St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. It was built in 1851 and was located on the square which is now Anna Grey Noe Park, facing Wood Street. You can see the Priest’s residence just on the right. Notice there is a priest standing just behind the fence.

4 responses to “The First St. Matthew’s Catholic Church Building”

  1. JD Avatar
    JD

    What churches were nearest to Ouachita and 10th St and also Lovers Lane between 1885 and 1920 if someone wanted to request baptismal records?

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    1. Lora Diane Peppers Avatar
      Lora Diane Peppers

      Check the Sanborn maps on the Library of Congress page. Also, there are City directories on Ancestry and at the library’s Genealogy department dating back to the mid teens.

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      1. JD Avatar
        JD

        The earliest city directory at the ancestry.com website for Monroe is 1912. Are there earlier directories at the Ouachita library genealogy department?

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      2. Lora Diane Peppers Avatar
        Lora Diane Peppers

        That is the earliest Directory I have ever seen.

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