October 2, 2015Jackson County CourthouseMarianna, Florida Sue Tindel, the Jackson County Court Archivist, is one in a million. She’s also someone I’d been corresponding with regularly over a year, and so, when I met her, I’d felt like we’d been friends for a long time. Sue is a fantastic lady. […]
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
June 1, 1904Marianna, FloridaThe Law Offices of Wilson & Wilson I sit at an empty desk in a back room at Ceph’s law office, going through case files and organizing boxes of old case documents which the law clerk brought down from Ceph’s dusty attic. The window is open, but […]
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
In the early 1900s, if you got your name in the newspaper, it was a big deal. It indicated prominence in your community. In Pensacola, these columns were mostly found in the Society section of the paper, with little headings over each news blurb; if you were a businessman or […]
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
May 19, 2020Chevy Chase, Maryland I believe there were several reasons why Emmett and Pearl’s romance ended right after Emmett graduated from Stetson University in 1904: It was a long-distance relationship. Even today, with cars and technology such as Skype and ZOOM, it is hard to maintain a romantic relationship […]
Estimated reading time: 19 minutes
May 2, 2013Chevy Chase, Maryland The more I learn about Pearl, the more I get her. And I like her, for a lot of reasons, though I wasn’t sure I would once I started digging around — but Pearl was unique, surprisingly so, and wanted to make something of herself. […]
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
May 2, 2016Chevy Chase, Maryland This research about Emmett’s junior-year dorm-mates is not turning out to be some big distracting side-adventure: I’m actually going somewhere with it! Specifically, Ormond Beach. Check this out: Question: Which of these guys had an automobile at that time? Answer: None of them. DeCottes and […]
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
East Hall Stetson University DeLand, Florida March 22, 1903 (As narrated by Paul Carter) The five of us (myself, Emmett, Sturgeon, Anthony, DeCottes) are sitting in various degrees of posture on the front porch of East Hall, a large, white frame house that serves as a dormitory for 14 or […]
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
April 27, 2016McKeldin LibraryThe University of MarylandCollege Park In the last post, I introduced you to some of Emmett’s dorm mates from when he was a student at Stetson University in 1903. Here’s the snippet from the essay in the Stetson Collegiate that I’m using as the basis of my […]
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
February 10, 1903 Dr. F.C. Wilson’s Home Chipley, Florida I’m in Chipley for a few days visiting my father, stepmother, and Grandfather Maxwell. He now lives with my father; Grandfather Maxwell is frail these days. Although Grandfather has been living with my uncle Evelyn Maxwell in Pensacola, Grandfather prefers to […]
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes