Just as I think I’ve found as much as I can find directly related to Emmett, something new surfaces!

This!

Paul Carter and Mary (Mamie) Horne’s marriage license, dated September 4, 1912. Emmett was Paul’s best man. Source: Florida State Archives

Although I’m still missing Emmett’s scrapbook, and I have only a few primary documents that belonged to Emmett, I’ve managed to assemble an extensive collection of Emmett’s signature, beginning with my first sample (from his college days at West Florida Seminary in 1901), to the last known sample (six weeks before his death in 1918).

Here’s a few examples of what I’ve collected:

Emmett’s signature at West Florida Seminary (now Florida State University), 1901. Emmett was 18.

Emmett’s handwriting in 1911. He was States Attorney prosecuting a case in Santa Rosa county in this example.

Emmett’s handwriting in 1918. This was his signature indicating he’d paid his poll taxes. This was almost one month before Emmett died.

In the last example, Emmett didn’t follow the directions when filling out the form, which is important to note, since by this point, Emmett was poor health and likely in a continuous state of inebriety, as his signature is almost illegible scrawl.

These are only a few of the examples in my possession. Overall, it is interesting to see how his handwriting evolved over the years. Context (the documents themselves, the events, the situation in which the signature took place) is important, and I’ve taken all of that into account as I’ve examined his signature over the years.

Categories: Congressman Family

jsmith532

Professor,
Communication, Arts, and the Humanities
The University of Maryland Global Campus