Henry Walther Store Ledgers

Henry Walther Sr., of Gibson, was the son of Philip and Margaret Louise Walther, of Gibson, who had five sons – Henry, Charles, Philip, Jr., William, and John. Henry Walther Sr. married Emma Pratt of New York, together they had five boys and three daughters. Their sons are Joseph, Stanley, Owen, Henry, Jr., and Curtis Clifford (Bud, or C.C.) of New Orleans. Their daughters are Carline, who married William Simmons of Jacksonville, Florida; Louise, who married S.D. Griffin; and Roberta, who married Ford Seale. At the age of 26, Henry Walther Sr. built a general store out of solid cypress on the banks of Bayou Black in Gibson, in 1878. Henry Walther built the family home right next to the store. Henry Walther, named the store, “Henry Walther General Merchandise.”

Philip, Jr.’s daughter, Molly Walther also known as “Miss Molly”, owned a post office to which she made history in Gibson by serving as postmistress for 43 years – from 1920 to 1963. The post office was originally located in Henry Walther’s store. She succeeded her father who was appointed postmaster during Grover Cleveland’s administration. When she retired she sold the post office, and it was moved from the original site.

Henry's son Joseph Walther managed the store until he moved to North Carolina, in 1927. Stanley Walther, then, began to manage the store. When H.W passed away in 1936, his son Stanley Walther bought the store from the estate. Stanley ran the store under his own name. He also ran and owned a large egg and broiler business on the home site.

The merchandise sold at the store included an assortment of groceries, hardware, harness and farm implements, dry goods such as sheeting and other fabrics, clothing for men, women and children, charcoal, livestock feed, fertilizer, seeds and garden tools. Stanley took advantage of Bayou Black, which ran directly in front of the store. Whatever the store didn’t have on hand Stanley would supply through special order and have delivered via waterway or the railroad just a few blocks away. The success of the store made it one of the biggest local businesses in the area at the time. The Walther Family ran the store for 82 years – until Stanley retired in 1960. Afterwards, Stanley sold the business but retained the building. The store has long since closed its doors.



Sources:

Ellzey, B. (2008, July 2). Gibson store had it all for the residents that lived nearby. Daily Comet. Retrieved from https://www.dailycomet.com/story/entertainment/2008/07/02/gibson-store-had-it-all-for-the-residents-that-lived-nearby/26775334007/.

Wurzlow, Helen Emmeline, I dug up Houma Terrebonne, v.5, Copyright 1986.