Randal Fulford of Holmes County was a young man when the Civil War started. I believe he had been orphaned as a young boy and raised by his mother and stepfather. He could read and write and did well on his farm and in raising children that were active participants in Holmes County. His life … Continue reading Randal Fulford of Holmes County and his Experience in the 4th Florida Infantry
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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
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
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
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy: My Current Projects
This post will be a little different. I’m going to talk about my current projects in history and genealogy of the Northwest Florida panhandle and then do some encouraging for readers to take on similar projects. I posted on my Facebook page a few weeks ago on the recent appearance of the original Yellow River … Continue reading Northwest Florida History & Genealogy: My Current Projects
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
The Three Seminole Wars: Florida’s Forgotten Wars, Part 1
I find that if modern day Floridians know there was a Seminole War in our past, they often have a vague notion of what is known as the 2nd Seminole War. It was a war, of sorts, then it ended and Florida became a State. Oh, and Andrew Jackson fits in there somewhere and marched … Continue reading The Three Seminole Wars: Florida’s Forgotten Wars, Part 1
Yellow River Baptist Church, Oak Grove, Okaloosa Co, FL
1840-1865 By June of 1840, the small settlement of Oak Grove had managed a small but steady community of residents. The 1840 census showed about 377 residents in the general area from what is now 85 N west to what is now known as Blackman and south to what was once known as Peaden Town … Continue reading Yellow River Baptist Church, Oak Grove, Okaloosa Co, FL
The Great Depression: The Experiences of Samuel and Nealie Bell Nichols Marsh
Researching to Tell A Story I am an advocate for doing an expansive form of family history. Not just researching, documenting and identifying your direct ancestors, but researching and identifying all of the family of your direct ancestors AND researching and understanding the historical patterns that they likely experienced and how they may have reacted … Continue reading The Great Depression: The Experiences of Samuel and Nealie Bell Nichols Marsh
Northwest Florida History & Genealogy 