January 25, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland While Nancy and I were still in Pensacola and talking about the adventures of Emmett Wilson in 1911, I found this little snippet from the want-ad section of April 11, 1911 issue of The Pensacola Journal, and I shared it with her: If you’re wondering […]
September 29, 2105Santa Rosa County Court ArchiveMilton, Florida One of the reasons Nancy and I decided to add a side-trip to Milton, Florida, was because of a murder case Emmett was prosecuting in 1911; i.e., U.S. vs. Frank Penton. Although Emmett was the Assistant District Attorney, and of course, it […]
September 28, 20153:45 pmPensacola, Florida Nancy and I made plans to hit the Santa Rosa County archive in Milton the next day; because we were archived out after eight hours with the Escambia County folks, we decided to visit historic St. Michael’s Cemetery. Several of Emmett’s good friends were buried […]
September 28, 20151:30 pmPensacola, Florida It was pouring rain in Old Town Pensacola; coming down in what people describe as sheets — you could see what looked like panels of water blowing sideways across the streets, the wind was gusting hard. But Nancy was steadfast and unflappable as she navigated […]
September 28, 2015Pensacola, Florida Fueled with coffee, maps, and must-have document lists, Nancy and I arrived in her truck at the Escambia County Circuit Court Archives at 120 E. Blount Street promptly at opening time, 8 am. There were few cars in the parking lot. I was jittery — not […]
September 27, 2015Pensacola, Florida I was anxious driving around Pensacola, on my way to the Hampton Inn to meet my friend Nancy for the first time in person; so much so that I was practicing what I would say to her upon meeting. She and I had a wide-ranging correspondence […]
October 21, 2021Chevy Chase, Maryland Because we have very little primary information (letters, journals, scrapbooks, personal testimony) from Emmett, the next best thing is primary information from Emmett’s friends, family, and colleagues, in addition to the secondary information (newspaper articles, books, other research). Emmett spent a lot of time with […]
October 29, 1909Pensacola, Florida Railroad commissioners named me special examiner to review the passenger rate increase of the L&N Railroad in August, in addition to my work as the Assistant District Attorney, and the cases at my uncle’s law firm (yes, I am a partner — but I am constantly […]
September 29, 2019Chevy Chase, Maryland Two things concern me about this stage in Emmett’s story, three years before he ran for office as U.S. Congressman. First, in 1908, Emmett was drinking alcoholically. I believe he knew (and his family/friends knew) he either drank more and/or could not handle alcohol as […]
March 15, 1908, Plaza Ferdinand VIIPensacola, FL Frank Mayes enjoyed visiting the Plaza Ferdinand VII park, especially on this pleasant Spring day. A soft breeze rustled the new leaves in nearby trees; the sun was warm, birds twittered here and there on nearby benches. An occasional passerby nodded greetings as […]
Tell my story. 