O'Brien-Barba, 1906

 

Times-Democrat, 15 July 1906.

The marriage announcement above describes the scene for the evening summer wedding between my great-grandfather Harry O'Brien and his first wife, Marguerite Barba, in July 1906 New Orleans. Marguerite's sister, Leonora, hosted the reception afterward. The clipping notes that they took a short honeymoon trip to nearby Mississippi City. I previously shared a copy of the marriage license from 7 July 1906.

Harry was 21, Marguerite was about to turn 21. He was in New Orleans to attend Soule Business College, but it looks like he also spent his time as a musician in the many jazz clubs of the French Quarter. She was a vaudeville actress at the time, and Harry was renting a room in the boarding house operated by her mother at 708 Carondelet. We were able to walk by the house during our October 2023 visit to New Orleans.

Photo by Patrick Jones. 700 block Carondelet. 27 Oct 2023.

Harry filed for divorce in 1911. Meanwhile Marguerite remarried briefly, and Harry then married my great-grandmother Blanche in February 1912. She was working as a stenographer at Bankers' National Bank in Evansville, and perhaps met at one of Harry's performances in the city.