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
Family History
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
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
Celebrating Our History During a Pandemic: Taking a Step (or Two) Towards More Resilience While Having Fun!
I’ve seen a lot about the isolation and depression that seems to have gripped a lot of people during this past year. The pandemic has caused us to have to take stock in how we manage our lives day to day, how we interact with people, and how we entertain ourselves. All of that while … Continue reading Celebrating Our History During a Pandemic: Taking a Step (or Two) Towards More Resilience While Having Fun!
Updates and Links to My Posts on the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers
As I indicated in my post at the first of November, I’m taking some time from writing new material to give myself time to adjust to no longer having my Mom with me. But I am taking the time to do some updating of some of my prior posts and thought I would start by … Continue reading Updates and Links to My Posts on the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers
The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree – Part 3
My last two blog posts (Part 1, Part 2)have delved into the presence of Native ancestry in Southern lineages and the theory that the community of Barrow’s Ferry/Oak Grove in what is now Okaloosa County, Florida and Yellow River Baptist Church in the same community was settled or founded by persons of mixed blood who … Continue reading The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree – Part 3
The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree, Part 2
Introduction Last month, I began a series of blogs on Native American ancestry in the Southern family tree. This blog will continue that series. Maybe I should start by explaining how I express my own Native ancestry. I’ve had my DNA done by several providers and appear to have between 2% and 8% Native ancestry … Continue reading The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree, Part 2
The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree
I’ve not met many Southerners whose family has been down here for a while, not get around to sharing that there is a family story of a Native American in the family tree, usually a great-grandmother one or more times over (only story more common is the 3 brothers who immigrated or moved to America). … Continue reading The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree
Getting to Know a Community from the Past
1827 Map of Florida showing Barrow's Ferry (upper middle section on river) As some of you may know, a good number of my ancestors helped settle the upper banks of the Yellow River in what is now Okaloosa County, Florida. First known as Barrow’s Ferry, believed to be a name taken from one of my … Continue reading Getting to Know a Community from the Past
Herbs & Home Remedies in the Florida Panhandle
It was not so long ago that the process of health care was considerably more centered within the family and the local, surrounding community. Our ancestors did not get in the wagon, harness the horses and ride 10 or 20 miles to what was the local doctor and sometimes they couldn’t wait until he could … Continue reading Herbs & Home Remedies in the Florida Panhandle
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy 