It is hard to believe this is the last day of 2018. In some ways, it went by too fast, and in others, it truly crept. But it will officially be gone in another few hours. I do hope everyone has had a safe and wonderful holiday celebrating with family and friends. I’ve been busy … Continue reading Yesterday and Today Along Jackson’s 1818 Route Across the Panhandle
Pensacola, Florida
Florida and the Major 19th Century “Panics”: 1837, 1857, 1873 and 1893, Part 1
When most of us think about economic downturns, we think about the Great Depression of the 1930s and early 1940s or the Great Recession of 2008. In reality, economic downturns have happened regularly throughout the history of capitalism. Some are minor but painful and sometimes multiple strands of events come together at the same point … Continue reading Florida and the Major 19th Century “Panics”: 1837, 1857, 1873 and 1893, Part 1
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
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
Questions of Honor and Courage: Individual Decisions During the Civil War
Many of us with ancestors in the Florida panhandle know there was a Union regiment of Southern men that served during the Civil War at Ft. Barrancas. Many of us have ancestors who served with that regiment and we have family stories or reasons that they served that we hold to be true. But most … Continue reading Questions of Honor and Courage: Individual Decisions During the Civil War
The Little Red (or White or Log) Schoolhouse in Northwest Florida: Creating the System
I am a student of history and genealogy but before that I was a lover of education, of pretty much every subject. And importantly for this blog, a product of the educational system in Florida. This post will be the first of a two-part series on the effort to establish that educational system in Florida. … Continue reading The Little Red (or White or Log) Schoolhouse in Northwest Florida: Creating the System
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
World War I: A Introduction to the War and Researching Florida Ancestors Who May Have Served
I find researching my Florida (and those in other states) ancestors in the various U.S. wars to be rewarding. These are major events in our ancestors’ lives, whether they served or not and the events they may have experienced can be fascinating whether on the battlefield or the home front. For the most part only … Continue reading World War I: A Introduction to the War and Researching Florida Ancestors Who May Have Served
Panhandle Photographs and Postcards
I love old pictures and postcards. I have been known to buy old photographs of people I don’t even know just because I can’t stand the thought that they are lost to descendants and languishing in an antique shop. While I have generally been able to talk myself out of purchasing photographs of unknown people … Continue reading Panhandle Photographs and Postcards
Milton and Bagdad During the Civil War
Just in case someone attempts to misunderstand what I’m going to say, let me be clear that I love Pensacola. I went to college there, I’ve lived there and I visit as often as I can. I also like Tallahassee. My paternal grandmother lived there most of my growing up years and I spent at … Continue reading Milton and Bagdad During the Civil War
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy 