Readers, for the first time in three years, I stepped away from our friend Emmett, the year 1905, and all things work- and research-related for over a week. I stepped way back, in fact; all the way back to the War of 1812! My family and I visited Niagara Falls, […]
Emmett’s grand-niece (his sister Katie’s granddaughter) discovered a hidden cache of Wilson family clips the other day, and (God bless her), she promptly sent me copies! Today, I’ll share an interesting one about Cephas. The source is unidentified, but it is likely a West Florida newspaper, because of the way […]
Friends, today I made a random check of historic newspaper databases, and I found a set that has been recently added to the University of Florida George A. Smathers Library Archive. This one: A totally new-to-me source that I haven’t seen either in microfilm or in hard copy to date. […]
I’ve spent several hours this weekend immersed in a pictorial website, Vanished Washington: An architectural eulogy of what was Washington, D.C. I’ve found several photographs of the buildings and sites where Emmett would have seen and visited when he lived in D.C. as a Congressman between 1913 and 1917. The […]
I’m pleased to report that not only have I located Emmett’s doctors (both in Pensacola and Washington, D.C.), but I’ve also located his pharmacist. Pretty damn good History Detective work, huh? I’ll have more on the doctors in another post, but I thought I’d introduce you to the pharmacist first, […]
I have a lot of respect for people who will not let anything stand in the way of making a living, or chasing a dream. This week, while working on Emmett’s chapter about his sojourn in Sterling, Illinois in 1906, I came across someone who Emmett probably knew — or, […]
As everyone knows (especially here in D.C.), whenever there is a change in presidential administration, there’s a big turnover in political staff jobs. A new president means lots of new job openings, new opportunities. Most of the time, the turnover has nothing to do with the ability of the staff […]
On April 7, 1913, Emmett Wilson was sworn in as the youngest representative from Florida’s Third Congressional District, and the youngest congressman in the United States. Emmett knew that upon taking office, he was expected to resolve several pressing issues, namely: Reopening the Pensacola Naval Station. Procuring funding to renovate […]
Question: If Emmett suddenly appeared today, what would be the most difficult thing that I would have to explain to him about life today, compared to life in the 1910s? Answer: I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man. […]
Exactly one week ago, at 2 am, I came out of my writing cave after a few hours of solid writing to take a break, and investigate a strange sound coming out of the store room (which is right across the hall from my home office). I stepped into an […]
Tell my story. 