January 1, 2024Chevy Chase, Maryland By August, 1912, Emmett Wilson’s political campaign against his Republican challenger, Thomas F. McGourin, was strictly pro-forma. It is important to know that Florida’s Republican party was, essentially, powerless 110 years ago; although candidates from several different parties made a valiant effort to challenge Democratic […]
April 25, 2023Chevy Chase, Maryland Emmett and Paul Carter had a long, close friendship. They were best friends for most of their lives. Their friendship began in childhood, when Emmett and his family moved to Chipley, after his mother’s death in June, 1891, and his father remarried a wealthy widow […]
July 5, 1912The Raleigh HotelWashington, D.C. Walter KehoeKehoe and Wilson700-702 American National Bank BuildingPensacola, Florida Walter: Our visit to Washington is almost over; we’ll leave on the evening train out of Union Station later this afternoon. Griggs, Crawford, and myself have most of the day to go about town and […]
October 10, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland On Friday, May 11, 1912, both candidates for the second primary, Emmett Wilson and Dannite Mays, were in Apalachicola for the Florida Democratic Executive Committee meeting. The purpose of the meeting: To confirm the final votes across the district, and to name the two candidates […]
May 9, 1912Pensacola, Florida And so, the race begins again. Three weeks of nonstop activity. Live speeches in fourteen counties. It will be the most compressed, pressured project ever undertaken, and I cannot let on how damned tired I am, nor how my stomach turns over in knots whenever I […]
September 29, 20154 pmPensacola, Florida Nancy opened a thick folder tabbed “The Kelly Family” on the table. It was full of copies of newspaper clippings, death certificates, funeral service information, and the like. “How the heck did Emmett Wilson and Byrd Kelly got together in the first place.” I pulled […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
September 16, 2015The Library of CongressWashington, D.C. I admit it was a surprise finding this tidbit when I was scrolling through the archives on a recent visit to the Library of Congress research rooms: And here I was thinking — up until now — Emmett was basically an unknown, unconnected […]
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