June 20, 1912Aboard the L&R trainEn route to Petersburg, Virginia This is the first time since the primary that I have extended time to myself, and I’m savoring it. It has been nonstop since the election — not a day has gone by that I could sit for an hour […]
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 […]
August 9, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland At this time in Florida politics, it was customary to hold two primaries for the top two Democratic contestants, even if the races weren’t all that close, which would be decided in late June of the election year. The winner would face the Republican nominee […]
June 2, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Here’s the thing that has puzzled me ever since I started research on Emmett Wilson’s life story: What was the main reason Frank Mayes (and The Pensacola Journal) endorsed Emmett for U.S. Congress? Frank was no dummy; he was a prescient newsman who kept close […]
May 31, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Every year, on the anniversary of Emmett Wilson’s death, I like to go back to the old notes, check in on research sources and database updates, in case there’s fresh information I didn’t have at the start of Emmett’s story. And every year, I’m always […]
May 3, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Between January 7 and 11, 1912, Emmett said he was unsure about throwing his hat into the contest for U.S. Congressman from the third district; at least, that was the official story he told reporters for the Pensacola Evening News in the January 11, 1912 […]
September 29, 20155 pmPensacola, Florida What: Emmett Wilson and Byrd Kelly’s engagement announcement. Where: Walter Kehoe’s annual summer vacation gathering at St. Andrews, Florida; August 1-14, 1911. Why/how: In June, 1911 Emmett was named (not elected) State’s Attorney for his brother Cephas Wilson’s unfinished term as State Attorney. This was […]
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, 20151:25 pmPensacola, Florida After spending several productive hours with the awesome Santa Rosa Court archivists, Nancy and I went to Denny’s for brunch to review where we were so far with Emmett’s discovery. There’s nothing like a plate load pancakes and pots of coffee to refuel and relax. […]
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 […]
Tell my story. 