In the previous blog post, I told you about finding the Edward Livingston Papers in the Special Collections of the Princeton University Library. Several letters have caught my attention, including these two: https://findingaids.princeton.edu/catalog/C0280_c2330 from Charles Morhouse. The first letter is dated in 1829 asking that his brother-in-law Robert Sterling be appointed to a local government position: … Continue reading The Murder of General Ferdinand Morgan from Charles Morhouse’s Perspective
Tag: Henry Bry
Lovers Lane Catalpas
This picture popped up on a Facebook thread a couple of weeks ago and it brought to mind the story of how those trees got there. If you are unfamiliar with the story, lower South Grand street was once lined with catalpa trees with fence boards embedded in between. It was called Lovers Lane at … Continue reading Lovers Lane Catalpas
The Layton Castle Collection
Layton Castle has a massive amount of records in it's collection. Some documents even date back to the 1790's! As the current owner of the castle has been organizing the collection, she graciously has allowed us to digitize some of the photos that came from it. A good chunk remain unidentified, but the photos are … Continue reading The Layton Castle Collection
Oldest Camellia Trees in Ouachita Parish
I found a fun little article in the September 29, 1963 Monroe Morning World, describing the oldest known Camellia plants in the parish. Three were documented. The oldest was a plant of the variety known as the Henry Bry, growing at Layton Castle. It was also known as the Woodville Red. It was brought from … Continue reading Oldest Camellia Trees in Ouachita Parish
Painting of Isaac Henry Bry
This painting hangs in Layton Castle. It is the only known portrait of Henry. I love it, due to the slight smile he has. According to the book, "Louisiana Portraits" by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Louisiana, (we have the book in the Genealogy Department) it is … Continue reading Painting of Isaac Henry Bry
One of The Oldest Ouachita Parish Obituaries I Have Found
I am testing a new newspaper database and had it search for Ouachita related articles. I found an obituary, written in French, in the Courrier de la Louisiane (New Orleans) August 13, 1821, Page 3 for Marie Agnes Suzeneau Bry, the first wife of Henry Bry. A transcript of the article is given below, along … Continue reading One of The Oldest Ouachita Parish Obituaries I Have Found
Layton Home (Layton Castle)
This next document concerns the "Layton Home", aka Mulberry Grove, aka Layton Castle. https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-wpa%3A7
Lover’s Lane
Lover's Lane in Monroe Last week's post from that 1835 trip, had me thinking about the legend of those Catalpa trees on Lover's Lane. I did some hunting on the newspapers.com website and found the two below articles. Sure enough, the legend is wrong! The trees were NOT planted by Pargoud, but by Henry Bry … Continue reading Lover’s Lane
Journal of the Rev. Timothy Flint part VI
This sort of Arcadian simplicity and equality at Ouachitta is a transmitted remain of the olden days of the country, that is, forty or fifty years since. I was exceedingly amused with the freshness of the picture of the manners prevailing at that period, as drawn by Judge Bry. Even so late as when … Continue reading Journal of the Rev. Timothy Flint part VI
Journal of the Rev. Timothy Flint Part V
Judge Bry has ennobled the ordinary money-getting pursuit of a planter, by directing it by science, experiment, and taste ; and as he is one of the most thriving of his class in the country, he is an example that theory and science are not, as planters are too ready to suppose, incompatible with … Continue reading Journal of the Rev. Timothy Flint Part V
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 