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
Genealogy
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
Early Florida Confederate Regiments in the War for Southern Independence: 1861-1862
Let me shift hats from local historian to genealogist. If you really want to know how your Florida panhandle ancestor experienced the war, you must go beyond finding the same name on an index of Confederate soldiers from the general area where your ancestor lived and assuming it is the correct man and that the … Continue reading Early Florida Confederate Regiments in the War for Southern Independence: 1861-1862
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
Preserving Your Old Photos (and other Genealogy Records)
Last month we explored the joys of old photographs and postcards as a way to enhance your genealogy efforts. There are three very critical aspects of this process: 1) scanning them correctly, 2) storing them properly, and 3) creating multiple digital back-ups. We talked about the second and third steps some last month. Three digital … Continue reading Preserving Your Old Photos (and other Genealogy Records)
Photographs and Postcards: Windows into the Past
While I love doing research and identifying and documenting ancestors, I can get really excited when I discover a photograph of an ancestor or a postcard or photograph of a significant institution or building in their lives. There is something about looking at that image and imagining talking to them or watching them stroll up … Continue reading Photographs and Postcards: Windows into the Past
The Black and White of Oak Grove, Okaloosa Co, FL
This blog has proven hard to write. I am busy with both personal and family responsibilities and projects but I think also because it is painful to dig into activities of the past that don’t show off a place you feel attached to in the best light. But I am not sure how we as … Continue reading The Black and White of Oak Grove, Okaloosa Co, FL
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy 