The Monroe Confederate Reunion of 1913

Back in 2018, I made a post about the above photo. You really can’t make out who anyone in the photo is, because it is scanned so small. The photo itself is very long, as you can tell. I decided to go to the Special Collections department, where the original is housed, and take close up photos of it in sections. A few people have been identified through the years. If you recognize anyone, let me know! We would like to identify as many as possible. Sorry for the glare in places. You can tell the photo is damaged, so it is protected in an acid free plastic sleeve. I have guessed at a few of these men, which are usually prefaced with “looks like”. I’m using their photos on their Findagrave memorials to compare. Some names of men I am sure are in there somewhere, but are not identified: Frank Stubbs, Thomas McGuire, Dr. D.H. Key, John M. Breard, Sr., and Judge Americanus Willis to name a few. Men and women came from all over the state to attend, so these are not just Monroe people. According to an out of town attendee, over 450 veterans attended. Using state papers in the newspapers.com database, I made a list of attendees you can view here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JI7OkimjaEWKQnGnx3mfkcfD0blXI958jxxx7EAZOcY/edit?usp=sharing

The man with the eye patch, second from the left, may be David Arrant, Jr. He died about a month after the reunion. The man in the center under the stairway with both hands in front of him looks a lot like William Tolliver Frantom or John Clayborn Dozier.

The man sitting in the middle with the white cowboy hat, second from the end is identified as Mr. Robert “Bob” Gray Owens, son of George W. Owens. He was not a veteran, but a son of a Confederate Veteran.

The young man in the black derby hat way in the back row on the right is identified as J.D. McGee, the son of a veteran. The imposing man in the front holding his hat is none other than Dr. George Humphrey Tichenor. He invented Dr. Tichenor’s antiseptic. I think the tall man to his left in the dark hat is Thomas J. Schaffer, who was the commander of the Louisiana Division U.C.V. at the time of the reunion. If I remember correctly, the man in the front with his hand on the shoulder of the lady has been identified as former Mayor Fred Endom.

The man holding out the end of the flag with the belt on in front of the blurred man is Capt. William J. Bowman. The flag he is holding out is the flag of the 31st Louisiana Infantry. The second lady from the left in the light colored dress is identified as Mrs. A.R. Taylor, financial Secretary of the LA Daughters of the Confederacy. The man in the center of the ladies is Mr. William A. O’Kelly, former Clerk of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury. The lady in the white shirt sitting next to him is identified as Mrs. Bernice Renwick Nichols Liner. One of the unidentified ladies is probably Miss Maimie McWilliams. She was elected the state sponsor of the S.C.V. at this reunion and would get married a few days later to Harold McGeorge. Another is probably a Mrs. Peter Youree who was the state president of the U.D.C. and Matron of Honor for the Reunion.

The man in the center, in front of the house with a white beard, mustache and a derby hat is Dan Breard, whom I mentioned in a post last month. The man standing in uniform with a long beard on the front row third from the left is Capt. W.P. Renwick. He was the commander of the Henry W. Allen camp, United Confederate Veterans. The guy sitting down peeking from behind Capt. Renwick looks a lot like Harvey C. Downs. He served out of Texas and his obit said he was the youngest drummer boy in the entire army!

Back row, fourth from left with the turned down hat brim is R.L. Prophit.

The man sitting on the ground is identified as George Washington Owens. He was the father of the S.C.V. man identified above. The man third from the left, bare headed looks a lot like Marion Elza Frost. The short man in the back directly under the light pole looks like it may be Jacob Allen Coon, but I could be wrong. He also looks like Mayor Fred Endom (they both have the rounded face and look similar).

The man standing in the doorway next to the lady in black is none other than Captain Alex Myatt. He lost an eye at Vicksburg and you can see if you look closely, he is wearing a bandage over one eye! The man standing next to him is Alf Wells, a veteran from Lytle, TX and a friend of the Captain. Another locally famous figure is the man in black, sitting on the front row in the derby hat. That is Mayor Andrew Alexander Forsythe. The man holding the flag of what I think is the Henry W. Allen Chapter U.C.V. is William Henry Awl. He would later become the commander of the camp. Notice Mayor Forsythe and the man standing over his left shoulder have cigars in their hands!

The man holding up the closed umbrella attached to the flag in the center is former Clerk of Court of Ouachita Parish, Mr. C.C. Madden.

The man just above the rip in the photo, who’s head is right next to the ladder of Copeland’s Cash Grocery, looks a lot like Ferdinand “Fred” Vollman.