This house was built in 1911 by banker and pharmacist Josiah Clyde Bright and his wife Effie Wells Bright. Their first house was at 808 St. Vincent Street, but they sold it in 1910 and built this house to accommodate their growing family. Clyde, born February 12, 1876, was the son of W.J. and Nora Mitchell Bright of Gonzales. Nora was the daughter of Eli Mitchell, one of the early settlers of DeWitt’s Colony. Clyde and Effie were married May 11,1898. Effie, the daughter of James Bailey and Josephine Henry Wells, was born February 17, 1877, in Gonzales. Effie died March 19, 1920, of the flu and is buried in the Gonzales Masonic Cemetery in the Wells family plot. On September 10, 1921, Clyde married Margaret Clark “Maggie” Sellers. Maggie, born February 15, 1891, in Gonzales, was the daughter of Jackson Robert Sellers of Georgia and Endura Belle Bissett Sellers of Gonzales. Clyde and Maggie had one daughter, Margaret Clyde Bright Spacek.
According to family members, this house was originally built in the middle of the block but was moved to the corner to make room for a house for one of the daughters. The house has a lovely staircase that leads to a central landing and large upstairs bedrooms. It originally had a porte-cochere on the east side and large inside pillars that were removed by Mrs. M.S. Spooner in the 1930’s. It is a beautiful house and is being restored by the current owners.
Clyde died December 27, 1943, and Maggie died May 8, 1964. They are buried in the Gonzales Masonic Cemetery.
For additional information see J.C. Bright House on St. Vincent Street.
