Biographies: Loyd J. Harrison's Montgomery, La., 1968, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: September 26, 1968 Winn Parish Enterprise-News American Mayor Loyd J. Harrison, The Story Of A Man And His Historic Town by Wanda Cornelius One could reminisce on the subject of Montgomery hour after hour, but one thing is for sure, it wouldn't be long until the name of Loyd J. Harrison came up. Every city has its colorful citizens. Montgomery has had many. Famous ones at that. But few can surpass that of Montgomery's distinguished Mayor Loyd J. Harrison. Mayor Harrison is easily recognizable, once one knows his trademarks. The two main ones being his cigar and his hat, which usually hides the silver hair on top. The hat, the cane, the inevitable cigar, give this stately gent an air of dignity. Some folks might think the Mayor is arrogant at first appearance and he has every right to be. But all one has to do is to start a conversation about his favorite town and it is plain to see that he is justly proud of his city and not particularly self. DESCENDED FROM ROYALTY Briley's Memorial History tells a bit about the history of the Mayor. It says in part "Mayor Loyd J. Harrison of Montgomery, is one of a very small circle of people in Louisiana who can truthfully say he descended directly from European Royalty. The fact is he is the 15th cousin of Elizabeth II, the ruling sovereign of Great Britain. From there, through the house of Estes (Eustice) he can trace his great family line directly to the Guelphs of Italy, who came to notice in the 8th Century as opponents of the Ghibellines. A Guelph prince, siding with Germany, came into Europe in 1097 AD and founded the great princely houses of Hanover and Brunswick. This was Albert Azo II and one of his line to Wales and became associated with Lord Bacon. Eventually, the Thomas Estes of the line settled in Virginia and on Nov. 2, 1826, a descendant of this Thomas named Harriet Garnett Estes, was born. On November 14, 1850, Harriet married Judge A. V. Ragan. December 1, 1851, a daughter, Elmeany Van Hook Ragan was born to Harriet; and on June 2, 1875, Elmeany married Woodward O. Harrison, father of Mr. Loyd Harrison. This is outlined one of the greatest family trees of all times." Richard Briley III wrote about the Mayor. His name appears often in the Who's Who. These writings say Loyd James Harrison was born in Montgomery on June 15, 1885, the son of William and Elmena (Ragan) Harrison. He was a student at Louisiana Institute of Technology, La. State University, and Tulane University; he married Gussie Teddlie, August 25, 1908. Their children are: Marjorie (Mrs. S. H. Hughes); Doris (Mrs. Melvin Hall); and he was town councilman of Montgomery for 12 years, before becoming Mayor in 1934. These are the bare statistics, but in this story, this writer will try to tell the story of the man and his philosophy. In this story, a great deal will be said about Montgomery, because the man and his town are synonymous and inseparable. So engrossed is he when telling a happening of those early days in his life at Montgomery, that he can mesmerize his subject. HISTORIAN And he knows more about the history of the one-time county seat of Winn Parish, than any living man (Submitter's note: I am not sure Montgomery was ever the actual parish seat, although it was the largest town at one time, and a debate raged over locating the seat of justice there, I tend to disagree with this statement). He told Richard Briley III "the Story of Montgomery" which was printed in the Cenla Guide. These 32 pages contain more drama, more romance, more action, than the most magnificent move production, even in color and panorama. And Indians, the story says, "Bloody wars were fought for possession of the village at Buffalo Crossing and the area was controlled variously by the Natchez Indians of the Chickasaw tribes, the Nantachie Indians, Caddos, and other Indians, depending on which chief was strongest at the time. The Natchez tribe and their friendly neighbors, the Natchitoches Indians, however, controlled the village and the "abattoir" (slaughter ground for buffalo) when the pale faced explorers began to frequent the country." "Undoubtedly Cabeza De Vaca and Estevancio, the first negro slave in American, visited Buffalo Crossing during their eight years of wandering in this country between 1528 and 1536. It is known that Louis Moscoso, lieutenant to DeSoto, came here in his westward march at the time, seeking food and help from the Indians, but found them so hostile he was forced to abandon his proposed trip to Mexico..." "Therefore for 147 years no history making visits were made into this region by the white man from across the sea, though here as in Canada, a few adventurers slipped into the country and settled among the Indians." Following the Indians came the soldiers, and missionaries and settlers. "In 1840 Gen. Thomas S. Woodward, a veteran of the Indian campaigns came to Bon Dieu Falls and purchased a block of land...and the name of the place was changed to Creola Bluff (sometimes called "Bluffs") after a Cherokee princess who the young general loved." GENERAL WOODWARD The story of General Woodward, called the father of anglicized Montgomery, is still very much active today, as the truths and myths of this great man, have been recorded and told from generation to generation. More will be written about Woodward at a later date, along with a picture of a monument which has been erected in the magnificent old Montgomery cemetery overlooking Red River. In this cemetery, buried in the earth with majestic moss covered pine trees keeping watch, are many courageous ancestors of Mayor Harrison. Many survived the Civil War, the ruthless renegade soldiers who came through Montgomery searching for anything of value. There's Judge A. V. Ragan, grandfather of Mayor Harrison on the maternal side, who encountered the wrath of Nathaniel P. Banks, civilian soldier, desiring cotton for his idle textile mills in New England. He organized "Operation Cotton" the object of this maneuver being "to plunder the Red River Valley from Angola to Arkansas and secure a supply of raw cotton for his mills. Banks was to handle the land forces, was supported by Admiral David Dixon Porter and a flotilla of gunboats which was to precede up the Red River ahead of the infantry and cavalry, marching along either shore. JUDGE RAGAN OUTSMARTS THIEVES "Approaching the home of Judge A. V. Ragan, these bush rangers, finding the family in bed, produced a demijohn full of chloroform taken from an Alexandria drug store and sprinkled this volatile liquid through this house, putting the family into a temporary stupor. While everyone snored and slept the bandits leisurely robbed the home of its valuables. When the place had been thoroughly ransacked and the intruders had partaken of a meal in the kitchen, they set the house on fire and departed. By this time, the effects of the anesthetic had worn away and the fire blazed up and the building was filled with smoke; some members of the household awoke and aroused the others and together they all escaped unhurt, and ran into the woods for safety. It seemed at the time the Ragans were ruined but later when the stragglers were gone, and the danger had passed, the judge took his pick and shovel and dug into the earthen fireplace of his former home and uncovered a metal pot containing $ 20,000 in minted gold." (from Briley's Cenla Guide. This happened in 1864). Judge Ragan, born in Dixon County, Tennessee, on June 30, 1828, died December 12, 1889, and is buried at the Montgomery Cemetery not far from the place he outsmarted the bandits 24 years before. W. O. Harrison, Loyd's father, was buried at the beautiful cemetery on March 4, 1920. COTTON BURNED Loyd Harrison told this most amusing story of one of the adventures he and his father had, when Loyd was just a boy. It seems that they were taking 985 bales of cotton to Shreveport, loading the steamboat at the deck at Saline Bayou. But alas, the boiler blew up, spewing fiery bales of cotton and those aboard into the Red River. W. O. Harrison and his young son, Loyd escaped, minus coats, and caught another boat on up to Shreveport. Arriving there without money or cotton to sell and looking rather shoddy after the river swim, they were also very hungry. They went into the hotel dining room, but the waiter was reluctant to let them in without coats. The hotel clerk loaned W. O. his coat and his son got in anyway. "That was the best meal I ever ate in my life" the Mayor recollected. Of course, for miles and miles up and down the river, people could see the flaming bales of cotton, for it burned slowly. There was no telegraph and no way to get the message to the home folks, so they spent some hours worrying about the fate of W. O. Harrison and Loyd. The Mayor remembers the steamboats, and the nostalgic era that came with them. Merchants came and went, bought, bartered and sold along the shores of the Red River in those steamboats. Some of the passengers simply rode the steamboats for the fun of it. They would ride from New Orleans to Shreveport and vice versa, looking at the great scenery or idled their time away at the bar. Those were the days when people couldn't sell eggs in Montgomery, so when the residents with eggs to sell would take them in big buckets and sell them at 5 cents a dozen. EARLY SCHOOLING Mayor Loyd Harrison spoke about his early schooling, "I didn't know anything until I went go college." In those days everyone was in the same class at a one room school by the riverbank, where Old Montgomery stood. After a few years he went to Louisiana Industrial Institute, now known as Tech at Ruston. He roomed with Julius Long, who was sort of a big brother being older. "He took care of me and kept me out of trouble" the Mayor said. There he learned how to be a depot agent, printer, telegrapher, and learned how to set type fast. The Mayor admits that none of this valuable training did him any good since he didn't use it. Then he went to LSU for a while, taking pre-med. His grandfather, Dr. T. J. Harrison, an early physician in Montgomery, turned his home into a hospital, probably the first in North Louisiana, where he treated friends and foe alike. His roster of patients carried the name of many of the distinguished soldiers who wore both Union blue and the Confederate gray. His son, Dr. T. J. Harrison, also practiced medicine in Montgomery for a half century, as did two of his grandsons, Dr. Walter and Dr. Malcom Harrison. Loyd Harrison spent three years taking pre-med at LSU, transferring to Tulane for med-school. At this time Loyd's father and two brothers were running two gins and mercantile stores in a three parish area. They all got sick at once, and summoned the young doctor-to-be home to "mind the store." He never returned to med school and has "minded the store" so to speak ever since, along with other things. But while he was helping with the family business interest, his medical training was a big help for he in turn could assist his brother, Malcom Harrison and his uncle, in their practices. Dr. Malcom Harrison, with the famous Mayo brothers for ten years, resides in Houston. Mayor Loyd Harrison has had some sort of interest in politics since the age of 21. He had an opponent once, but he really didn't show much at the ballot box. Montgomery was one of the first towns in the nation to have a lady mayor, Mrs. Lula Wardlow. Under her administration Loyd Harrison served on the town council for two terms, being secretary-treasurer. He was first elected mayor in 1934 and has held that office since. MARRIED IN OLD BENTLEY HOTEL Loyd Harrison married Gussie Teddlie August 25, 1908. They were the first couple to be married in the famous Bentley Hotel in Alexandria, only recently closed down. On March 24, 1964, at the 27th annual convention of the Louisiana Municipal Association, they were awarded an engraved plaque, commemorating the occasion. It reads "Presented to Mayor and Mrs. Loyd J. Harrison, Montgomery, La., first couple married in the Bentley Hotel, August 23, 1908. The Rev. H. R. Singleton, officiating." The occasion was an honor much remembered by the distinguished mayor, and for more than one reason, for on December 4, 1967, Gussie Harrison, his companion for nearly 60 years, died. She too is buried at the old Montgomery Cemetery. "She preferred to spend her time with me, rather than stay home and keep house," he recalled. A lot of water has passed under the bridge, so to speak, since Loyd Harrison first became Mayor of Montgomery. Fire destroyed most of the buildings including the hotel, a cyclone tore its path through the town. Mayor Harrison remembers the day of the cyclone. He and his wife and son-in-law were sitting at the Harrison home in front of the fireplace and the lights went off. After the storm, they went downtown to investigate and found that a great many of the buildings had been blown to bits but the Harrison store remained intact. There was the old eight feet square jail which was quite an attraction for passersby. Torn down for progress, the mayor often wishes this historical landmark still remained, to remind the people there of the "good old days." But as long as people like Mayor Harrison live and love Montgomery, some of the good old days will always remain there, some fact, some legend. Walking among the weathered tombstones, awesome, ghostly pines with moss covered branches nearly bending to touch them, one can read the names and almost see the past. Looking beyond, one can visualize the big steamboats going by. All these things are constant reminders to people whose fore bearers are real characters in history books. Harley Bozeman, Winn Parish's own great historian, and a close friend of Mayor Harrison, describes him as a "grand old man." "He is Mr. History himself, contributing more material about Winn, Grant, and Natchitoches Parishes than any other historian," Bozeman concluded.