http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/la/monroe.htm has Jewish community history and photos. "Just precisely when the first Jew settled in Monroe is unknown, though early writings mention the presence of Jews in Monroe as early as 1800. ... on the eve of the Civil War, the Jewish presence was marked, and the first action taken by the Monroe Jewish community—the purchasing of land for a Jewish cemetery ... On September 28, 1861, for a grand total of $231.25, Samuel Weil and Henry Gerson, representing “Hebrew Congregation Manassas,” bought land to be used as the “Hebrew Burying Ground” from the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Texas Railroad. The cemetery was ironically named “Beth Ha-Chaim” (House of Life). The cemetery, to this day, houses the spirit of Monroe’s Jewish past. But the congregation still lacked a house of prayer, and so, from 1861 until 1870, worshippers gathered in various homes, [January 2009]
Beth Ha-Chaim Cemetery: Reform congregation B’nai Israel: 1861 (earliest stone dated 1852); source: Eric J. Brock, Historic Preservation & Planning Consulting, P.O. Box 5877 Shreveport, LA 71135-5877 (318) 797-6765, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bastrop, Ruston, Farmerville, and Winnsboro Jews also use/d this cemetery. [January 2009]
Burial list: http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/la/MonroeJewishCemeteryList.htm [January 2009]