A Historical Author With Deep Roots in Monroe

Sylvester Q. Breard, "Syl" to his friends, was a regular patron of the library. Being descended from one of Monroe's earliest families, he had a deep love of local history. Before he passed away in 2018, he wrote two published local history books that you can look at in the Genealogy Department of OPPL. The … Continue reading A Historical Author With Deep Roots in Monroe →

Ouachita Parish History In a Calendar

These were done in the 1980's by the West Monroe Historic Preservation Project. Each month featured a photo and info about the area's past. They are rare, but if you would like to see them, come by the Special Collections Department at the Ouachita Parish Public Library and ask!

Reported Lynchings in Ouachita Parish

I have posted before, listing reports of lynchings that have been found in Ouachita Parish newspapers. I can see the stats that show what articles are looked at and at least once a week or more, someone is looking at that list. That got me curious as to how many known lynchings there are in … Continue reading Reported Lynchings in Ouachita Parish →

History in a booklet

The Bicentennial Booklets In the 1980's Monroe was celebrating it's bicentennial. Dr. E. Russ Williams, Jr. was asked to put together some pamphlets on the early history of the area. The above is the result of all that hard work. The book. Then, Dr. Williams decided to expand on the pamphlets and combine them into … Continue reading History in a booklet →

A Tantalizing Civil War Map

I was exploring the National Archives online catalog, when I found some Confederate maps they have in their collection. One in particular intrigued me: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/171031936 A big problem is that it has no key. I can guess some of what it is, such as towns, swamps, rivers, roads, land owners, etc... What intrigues me is … Continue reading A Tantalizing Civil War Map →

Census Help for the 1940 and 1950 Censuses.

In 2022, the 1950 census will be released. It will be several months before all the names will be indexed by the big databases. When the 1940 census was released in 2012, I remember the frustration of not being able to figure out just where on the census my family could be found. I have … Continue reading Census Help for the 1940 and 1950 Censuses. →

Miscellaneous Photos and Documents on Ouachita Parish

And to go along with yesterday's post, Vernon Parish Library also has a collection of miscellaneous photos and documents they have put on Flickr. https://flic.kr/s/aHsiVtCZhU There are some things on here I have never seen before. Photos of Layton castle, the Cooley House, The Jewish Temple...even a copy of the Dedication Program for the Civic … Continue reading Miscellaneous Photos and Documents on Ouachita Parish →

The Ledger Book of George Hamilton (1801 – 1839)

One of the jewels in our crown here at the Ouachita Parish Public Library is a ledger book. Back in 2016, if I remember correctly, a gentleman brought in a ledger book found in the walls of a house down in Logtown. He was representing the owner, who wanted to know if we would like … Continue reading The Ledger Book of George Hamilton (1801 – 1839) →

Inventory of the Parish Archives of Louisiana

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015041287494&view=1up&seq=156 This is a great little history book, done in 1942, that gives a short history of the parish along with some statistics and a list of every Parish and City agency's records and where they could be found. Some of the records I SO wish I could get my hands on and look at! … Continue reading Inventory of the Parish Archives of Louisiana →

The New Madrid Earthquake of 1811-12 felt in Ouachita Parish

Wednesday I was thumbing through a book we have called, "The Muse Family of Pointe Coupee Parish" compiled by Mrs. Katie Prince Ward Esker in 1943. The Muse family is important to Ouachita Parish history. The Muse family married into the Filhiol and Dabbs, who are well known in this area. Included in the booklet … Continue reading The New Madrid Earthquake of 1811-12 felt in Ouachita Parish →