The items we are going to discuss in this blog can cover the gamut of things we can inherit from our parents and grandparents. They can be small or large, cloth or ceramic, valuable in terms of money or just to you for the memory. It doesn’t matter. If it is important to you then … Continue reading Protecting Our Precious Heirloom Items in Disasters and for Future Generations, Part 2
Author: Northwest Florida History
Protecting Our Precious Documents and Photographs in Disasters, Part 1
Whether you read this blog because you are a Florida Panhandle history buff or a family genealogist who understands the importance of putting your ancestors into the context of the history they experienced, my guess is you have some documents, photographs or maybe material items that you have collected or you inherited from someone in … Continue reading Protecting Our Precious Documents and Photographs in Disasters, Part 1
Upcoming Book on Yellow River Baptist Church History and a Call to Homecoming
For any of you that have followed my blog, either through WordPress or through my Facebook business page, you already know two things about me, I write a lot about northern Okaloosa County history, and I write a lot about Yellow River Baptist Church. There is a reason for both. My Mom was born and … Continue reading Upcoming Book on Yellow River Baptist Church History and a Call to Homecoming
Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Association and Its Role in the early Baptist history in the Panhandle
Have you ever wondered how the early Protestant churches in the Panhandle got their start? If we are lucky in our search for answers, the churches where we are looking will have a written history or records that will give us a hint as to who in the community was instrumental in founding the church … Continue reading Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Association and Its Role in the early Baptist history in the Panhandle
Three of the Older Cemeteries along the western side of the Upper Yellow River
We’ve come to the third and final installment in this series on burial rituals and cemeteries in the Florida Panhandle. The first two, if you missed them are here and here. In this post, I would like to present three small cemeteries that I am as intimately connected to as a person can be with … Continue reading Three of the Older Cemeteries along the western side of the Upper Yellow River
Some of the Oldest Cemeteries in Northwest Florida
Let me start by saying that I do not have connections in every county in the Florida panhandle. Both sides of my family are mostly congregated in the northwestern end of the panhandle: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Holmes counties. In the 20th century when family began moving out of the area they skipped … Continue reading Some of the Oldest Cemeteries in Northwest Florida
Burial Practices in Early Northwest Florida
This may seem like a morbid subject but as family historians it is very helpful to understand how our ancestors handled the death of someone in the family. I can’t tell you the numbers of times I’ve heard someone lament not being able to find a death certificate or even the burial location of one … Continue reading Burial Practices in Early Northwest Florida
April 1864-April 1865 Bringing the Death and Destruction to an End
In this post we will wrap up this series on the Florida panhandle during the War for Southern Independence (aka Civil War, War Between the States). We’ve looked at the conditions at home, and the motivating factors for some of the responses of the men who were expected to defend the homefront by those in … Continue reading April 1864-April 1865 Bringing the Death and Destruction to an End
Late Florida Regiments in the War for Southern Independence: 1863-1865
These later Florida regiments begin to show how the Confederacy was hemorrhaging men by this point. New regiments were formed by consolidating regiments that were no longer able to function as a regiment due to significant loss of men. In working to understand your ancestor’s experiences of the War it is critical that you trace … Continue reading Late Florida Regiments in the War for Southern Independence: 1863-1865
April 1863 – April 1864: The Independence Experiment Begins to Falter and the Florida Panhandle Homefront Becomes Chaotic
Let’s do a thought experiment to open this month’s post. It is June 1863. You are a 32-year man who was born and raised in the Florida panhandle. You are married with four children still living. Your wife is a small woman with a strong will but losing a couple of children over the last … Continue reading April 1863 – April 1864: The Independence Experiment Begins to Falter and the Florida Panhandle Homefront Becomes Chaotic
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy 