Until the last few decades, there wasn’t a lot written about Reconstruction that wasn’t either heavily weighted toward one viewpoint (Southern) or the other (Northern), if it was discussed in detail at all. It may be getting a bit better with at least some professors and history writers making an attempt to be balanced in … Continue reading Reconstruction in the South & the Florida Panhandle, Part 2
Escambia County, Florida
Oak Grove in Okaloosa County, FL: It’s Importance & Development in the History of the FL Panhandle
Anyone who knows me, or follows my blogs, knows I have an affinity with the upper Yellow River area known as Oak Grove. For the last couple of years, I’ve been researching the genealogy and history of the area that will eventually culminate in a book. Some of us with family from the area like to … Continue reading Oak Grove in Okaloosa County, FL: It’s Importance & Development in the History of the FL Panhandle
Florida’s Secession from the Union and What That Teaches Us About the War – Part 2
As the nation entered 1861, South Carolina had adjourned its Convention and issued its Declaration (17 Dec 1860 - 20 Dec 1860, Declaration issued on 20 Dec 1860 and adopted on the 24th) and several more Southern states had determined to have a Convention to discuss secession (though the assumption in most cases was that … Continue reading Florida’s Secession from the Union and What That Teaches Us About the War – Part 2
Florida’s Secession from the Union and What That Teaches Us About the War – Part 1
Before I get to Florida’s Convention and Declaration, I want to share my framework for this discussion. For me, the War for Southern Independence (aka Civil War, War Between the States) was a seminal event for our ancestors. It was the second major test of our democratic skills as a nation (the first was the … Continue reading Florida’s Secession from the Union and What That Teaches Us About the War – Part 1
Women in Family and Northwest Florida History
Introduction It is National Women’s History Month. For most of us, the women in our families are nearly invisible and often history is presented in a series of vignettes that leave you with the appearance that it is men that make history. But from the earliest moments of recorded history, it has been both men … Continue reading Women in Family and Northwest Florida History
Reuben Hart: FL/AL Pioneer, Slaveholder & Enigma
It is believed that Reuben HART was born in NC around 1783, migrated to GA sometime before 1810, migrated first to south Alabama then to northwest Florida sometime around 1816-1817, then back to Alabama before 1840. In tow from Georgia to Alabama/Florida were his family - wife Nancy Ann RIGDON HART and their children Reuben, … Continue reading Reuben Hart: FL/AL Pioneer, Slaveholder & Enigma
The Little Red (or White or Log) Schoolhouse in Northwest Florida: The Student Experience
This week we will skip forward a bit and leave the system and enter the schools of our ancestors. Many of our grandparents and great-grandparents in Florida attended those famous one-room schoolhouses. Generally, this meant all of the students were in the same room, studying materials for their own level; and the older students helped … Continue reading The Little Red (or White or Log) Schoolhouse in Northwest Florida: The Student Experience
Early Northwest Florida Churches
I have to admit that one of the many things I find interesting in history is the efforts to organize churches early in human settlements. Churches served a number of purposes other than the education and nurturing of the soul; they were ways for people that were often scattered, isolated and busy trying to survive … Continue reading Early Northwest Florida Churches
Hurricanes: Occurrence and Survival for Our Northwest Florida Ancestors
I will assume most of you already know we are into hurricane season. Every year, most of us check our batteries, flashlights and canned goods just in case we have the big red “X” on our backs this year. But have you ever given any thought to how our ancestors anticipated beforehand and coped during … Continue reading Hurricanes: Occurrence and Survival for Our Northwest Florida Ancestors
The Three Seminole Wars: Florida’s Forgotten Wars, Part 2
The Second Seminole War has the distinction of being the most expensive Indian conflict, as well as the longest, in America’s long history of Indian conflicts. In 1823, the U.S. government negotiated the Treaty of Moultrie Creek establishing a reservation in the middle part of the Florida peninsula. In addition, several chiefs were allowed to … Continue reading The Three Seminole Wars: Florida’s Forgotten Wars, Part 2
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy 