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 →

Journal of the Rev. Timothy Flint part IV

The soil on the surface is generally light, fertile, and of a black colour, except in the oaklands, where it is whitish, and rather stiff and meagre clay. At intervals we see masses of those triturated marine shells mixed with the soil, which constitute such a geological puzzle to the investigation of the dwellers, … Continue reading Journal of the Rev. Timothy Flint part IV →

A Louisiana Governor Feted in Monroe

In [an earlier] article, I told about the trial of John Loslo, a Revolutionary War veteran tried for murder in Ouachita Parish. After he was found guilty, Governor Henry Johnson (served 1824 – 1828) came to Monroe to pass sentence. Gov. Johnson’s visit was the first to Monroe by a Louisiana Governor. While he was … Continue reading A Louisiana Governor Feted in Monroe →

Interesting Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

If you have ancestors who were here in 1858 or just want to see who lived where back then, this is a great map from the library of Congress: 1858 Map of the Parish of Ouachita Did you know Henry Bry visited Thomas Jefferson at Monticello? Here is a letter he wrote to President Jefferson … Continue reading Interesting Ouachita Parish History Tidbits →

The death of Judge Isaac Henry Bry

If you live in or near Monroe, you are familiar with Layton Castle. What you probably don't know, is that Layton Castle is much older than it appears. At it's heart, lies Mulberry Grove Plantation, built in 1814 by Henry Bry. Around 1910, The Layton family built the "castle" around the original plantation and it … Continue reading The death of Judge Isaac Henry Bry →