The end of the year with its holidays focused on family and gratitude always bring me back to thinking about my ancestors and their lives and being grateful that I’ve had the time and funds to research and explore their lives for the last thirty plus years. One ancestor who I heard a lot about … Continue reading Miles Jerome King and Dorothy Marie Rice King: Military Lives Well Spent
Florida panhandle
“Family” Research – Genealogy Tips – Ancestors & Their Families
I am always surprised at the number of times I search for an ancestor on Ancestry.com and see entry after entry for a person of the same name and when you click on one of the family trees and look at the family, the person appears to be an only child, at least from that … Continue reading “Family” Research – Genealogy Tips – Ancestors & Their Families
Florida and the 19th Century “Panics”: 1837, 1857, 1873 and 1893, Part 2
This post follows Part 1 on the 19th Century financial panics and their impact on Florida. The first two, The Panic of 1837 and the Panic of 1857 were both covered here. We turn now to 1873. Reconstruction was still in force in the South and would be until close to the end of this … Continue reading Florida and the 19th Century “Panics”: 1837, 1857, 1873 and 1893, Part 2
Did Your Southern Ancestor Serve With the Union? An Exploration of the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers
The War for Southern Independence, aka the American Civil War or the War Between the States, was a difficult war as experienced by Floridians and south Alabamians. It was not just about “do I side with the Confederacy or the Union”, it was about the safety of families left behind and whether they would survive … Continue reading Did Your Southern Ancestor Serve With the Union? An Exploration of the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers
Census Records – Genealogy Tips – Getting the Most from Censuses
As I mentioned in the previous genealogy post, once you’ve finished entering what you know and what you acquire from your interviews, the records to start with are census records. Even if you obtained birth, death and marriage dates from an interview or a family Bible, it doesn’t hurt to search for the family in … Continue reading Census Records – Genealogy Tips – Getting the Most from Censuses
The Shadow Occupation in the Florida Panhandle – Ancestors Bootlegging for Fun and Profit
Sooner or later if you study and/or write about America, the South, or the Florida panhandle, you will likely find references to the making of moonshine. I did not have to find my first reference to this once shadowy endeavor, my grandfather spent a year in the Atlanta Penitentiary after being picked up for his … Continue reading The Shadow Occupation in the Florida Panhandle – Ancestors Bootlegging for Fun and Profit
“The New County of Bay, a Paradise for the Homeseeker, Agriculturist and Sportsman”, Pensacola Journal, 12 April 1914
Bay County was one of the late-comer counties in the panhandle. It was created from Calhoun and Washington Counties in 1913 at the same time that Walton County obtained a significant shoreline from Washington County. Two years later, Okaloosa County was formed from Santa Rosa and Walton Counties. Unlike the other postings in this series … Continue reading “The New County of Bay, a Paradise for the Homeseeker, Agriculturist and Sportsman”, Pensacola Journal, 12 April 1914
“Walton County – Great West Florida Empire” – 16 March 1913
If your ancestors helped settle the Florida panhandle in the early 19th century, at some point they lived in either Escambia, Walton or Jackson counties because that was the earliest panhandle counties. In 1821, Escambia was the only county in the panhandle. The following year Jackson was added. In 1823, Gadsden separated the eastern part … Continue reading “Walton County – Great West Florida Empire” – 16 March 1913
Visiting the Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee
If you are a native-born Floridian you have several thoughts when someone mentions Chattahoochee. One, it is a major river that flows into the Apalachicola River which in turn separates the Florida panhandle into east and west Florida. Two, it is a town on Highway 90 near the Apalachicola River and three, it is the … Continue reading Visiting the Florida State Hospital at Chattahoochee
Santa Rosa County – West Florida’s Garden Spot – 27 April 1913
We are back to visiting the past through sections of The Pensacola Journal. This post will look at Santa Rosa County just before a large section of the eastern part of the county went to form Okaloosa County. I will admit, upfront, that I have a soft spot for Santa Rosa County so I will … Continue reading Santa Rosa County – West Florida’s Garden Spot – 27 April 1913
