Sometimes I catch myself wondering what the hell I’ve been doing with Emmett, who has taken over my research life for the past six years. I did not go looking for Emmett; rather, years ago before Emmett, I’d started out writing about someone else, Rosa LeBarte Countryman, my great-grandmother. When […]
I have a fool-proof information gathering strategy that has been tremendously successful in every single research project: Isolate the topic Search all easily/readily available information via basic search engines Read everything (this can take weeks) Journal during the search/reading time Reflect on the information Organize the information Consult with a […]
Before I contacted the Pensacola Historical Society to find out more about Emmett Wilson, I made copious pots of coffee and immediately dissected the three articles sent to me from Peg Vignolo of the West Florida Genealogical Society. Newspaper articles are rich with information — it’s not only the details IN […]
On April 27, 2013, I called the West Florida Genealogical Society in Pensacola, and spoke with researcher Peg Vignolo. I introduced myself, and explained what I was looking for. “Nope,” she told me after checking several resources. “We don’t have anything on Emmett Wilson other than what I’d already found […]
This is a passage from the Big Book that makes me think about what it was that fueled Emmett’s alcoholism (italics mine): “I looked around me at people who seemed happy and tried to analyze their happiness and it seemed to me that without exception these people had something or […]
Here’s something new that turned up in Emmett Wilson research: A page honoring The Platonic Debating Society, which was the founding body of today’s Florida State University Debate Team. The photos come from the first yearbook published by the Florida Seminary West of the Suwannee River (which was FSU when […]
Here’s a new-to-me article about E. Meade Wilson II, nephew of Emmett, on his wedding day. (I was going back to check on articles about Emmett and siblings that may have been uploaded since my last database check, and came across a wedding announcement — which made me do a […]
Here’s another new-to-me clipping discovered through routine checking of updated databases: Emmett’s father’s obituary contains interesting information. For example, even though Dr. Wilson had been ill for several days, his death may have been unexpected, as it was a ‘great shock.’ Dr. Wilson’s death information (from a second source) mentioned […]
We all have that one friend who we know we can turn to, no matter what, no matter the time of day. The friend who knows us better than our spouses (sometimes). The friend who loves us for who we are, who accepts us, unconditionally. There aren’t many people in […]
The thin gold medal, looped with a blue silk ribbon laying across my palm was inscribed: “1st place, Interdepartmental Speech Competition.” The obverse: “Stetson University, 1904.” I coveted this medal because last year I was the runner up to my best friend Paul Carter. I never placed first in any […]
Tell my story. 