"The Way It Was" Newspaper Column on Baker County, Florida History, 1976 part 2 File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Gene Barber (no email address), through Carl Mobley (cmobley@magicnet.net) USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. This file may not be removed from this server or altered in any way for placement on another server without the consent of the State and USGenWeb Project coordinators and the contributor. *********************************************************************** THE WAY IT WAS ------------------------------------------------------------ William Eugene "Gene" Barber, Artist, Instructor, Historian & Genealogist authored a series of articles for the Baker County Press entitled "The Way It Was". His articles covered all aspects of Baker County pioneers lives in a colorful, entertaining, as well as, educational manner. At an early age, Gene possessed the desire and ability to interview the 'Old Folks'. He was as talented in the use of the pen, as he is with a brush, choosing his words and expressions in a way to paint an exciting and interesting story. The following are Gene's articles composed and written in 1976. Contents: * Williamsburg - The Town Killed By A Hill (in part 1) * The Florida, Atlantic And Gulf Central Railroad (in part 1) * A History Of The Canady Fort (in part 1) * The Florida Record (in part 1) * Okefenokee's Chesser Island (in part 1) * The Glen St. Mary Nursery - George L. Taber, Pioneer (in part 1) * Some Notes On The Crews Family (in part 1) * Historical Notes On The 'Georgia Bend' (in part 1) * St. George And Other Communities (in part 1) * The Burnsed Settlement And Oak Grove Church (in part 1) * The Powers Pioneers (in part 1) * Earn Harris And The Discovery Of The Taber Azalea (in part 1) * The Beginnings Of Lake Butler (in part 1) * Raiford And The State Prison Farm (in part 1) * Our Minorcan Heritage (in part 1) * Educator Waits 63 Years For High School Diploma (in part 1) * Mose Thompson (in part 1) * The Story Behind Ellicot's Mound (in part 1) * From The Diary Of Charles W. Turner (in part 1) * County History Relatively Unknown, But Unique (in part 1) * A Chronology Of Baker County's Past 500 Years * The Turner House - Among City's Oldest * The County Via The Eyes Of An 1885 Guidebook * Methodism In Baker County * Mrs. Fraser And The Yankees * 'Sugarman' And The Polecat In The Mailbox * The Beginning Of Woodlawn Cemetery * American Settlement In Spanish Florida * The Seminoles Arrive * Early Residents And Roadways * Historical Potpourri * Historical Potpourri * The British Colonial Period In Florida * Historic Barber Home Is Site Of Art Studio And Museum * The War Of 1812 To Cracker Horse Trading * How The County Figured In The Election Of 1876 * Republic Of East Fla. * Spanish Florida Seen Through The Eyes Of A Northern Visitor * Prehistoric Man In Baker County * Maryann Hicks * A Cracker Christmas * An Incident Of The Seminole War - Part one _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, Jul 1, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber A Chronology Of Baker County's Past 500 Years (In preparation for compiling a history of Baker County, to be published in early 1977 a time table of events pertinent to the area was assembled. We trust this selected sampling will generate enthusiasm for the forthcoming book. If, while reading, the reader's mind is jogged to recall other events, corrections, and additions, it is hoped he will contact us. Our data on blacks, the community of Olustee, all churches, clubs, and service and fraternal organizations need much help. Please respond by writing to P.O. Box 523 Macclenny) BAKER COUNTY, 500 YEARS 1476 - County area inhabited by Timucuam language group of American Indians, and was in the north of the province of Potano 1539 - Hernando de Soto's expedition passed either near southwest corner of county or through it into Okeefeenokee. 1564 - French founded Ft. Caroline 40 miles east of county. 1565 - St. Augustine begun by Spain 65 miles southeast of area. 1698 - Spain re-settled Pensacola, and utilized an ancient Timucua-Apalachee route as the Spanish Trail (US 90). 1702 - The English of South Carolina ravaged the Florida and south Georgia countryside, destroying the Timucua Indians. 1719 - County area completely uninhabited. 1720 - Creek related tribes (especially the Oconee) move into County and begin to farm. Possibly founded Olustee. 1763 - Treaty of Paris, ending the international Seven Years War, gave Florida to England. 1765 - Baker County was within northern limit of the hunting ground granted to the Seminole Nation by British Governor James Grant. 1773 - James Spaulding's indian trading post set up at Olustee near Ocean Pond (Lake Spaulding). 1774 - John Bartram in Cowford. River Road east of St. Marys and Trail Ridge shown on British maps. 1776 - Declaration of Independence. Area was a haven for Tories and international renegades (Dan McGirt). An English settler named Anderson lent his name to the intersection of the St. Marys' and Trail Ridge. 1778 - Minorcans arrived at Andrew Turnbull's New Smyrna Colony, and some ran away to the interior. Battle at Alligator Bridge near present Callahan. 1783 - End of Revolution. Florida returned to Spain. New influx of Seminoles into area. 1795 - Pinckney Treaty attempted to prevent Spanish Florida from harboring renegades and slave-stealers. Call made for determining boundry between U.S. and Spanish Florida. 1797 - Ellicott surveyed Georgia-Florida border, and erected mound in northeast corner of County to indicate true source of St Marys. Snow covered the ground up to 8 inch drifts. 1803 - Pres. Jefferson expressed a desire to annex Florida. Americans move into northeast Florida. 1805 - Jefferson's annual message to Congress called for warfare to acquire Florida. 1808 - Fernandina established by Spanish. 1809 - Southern slave-holding warhawks agitate for annexation of Florida. South American revolutions weaken Spain's hold on Florida. 1810 - Osceola (Billy Powell) and his mother Polly Ann Copinger Powell in vicinity. 1812- American George Matthews captured Fernandia driving Spanish, Indians, and some Americans inland toward County area. War declared by U.S. against England. 1815 - Raids made into Georgia and Alabama by Indians and international thieves. U.S. calls for punishment. 1816 - Lewis Hogan and the Widow Taylor settled at Cowford. Isaiah Hart platted and named the city of Jacksonville. 1817 - Amelia Island captured by U.S. to clear out pirates. Gen. Jackson crossed Florida border to punish Seminoles for their raids. Georgia legislator Cone argued to take in a portion of Florida including most of present Baker County. 1818 - Jackson and his forces captured all Florida posts except St. Augustine. Battle of Lake Butler (Lake Randolph) between U.S. military and Seminole Chief Bendoris. 1819 - Adams-Onis Treaty forced Spain to relinquish her claim to Florida. End of First Seminole War. Settler move in. 1820 - Florida formally became U.S. territory. 1821 - All territory east of Suwannee organized as St. Johns County. First known Baptist church in Florida established on Pigeon Creek about 15 miles northeast of County. 1822 - Duval County (including present Baker) cut out of St. Johns. Alachua Trail crossed southeastern section of County. 1823 - Treaty of Moultrie Creek, near St. Augustine, removed Seminoles from north Florida. 1824 - Bellamy Road (U.S. military) ran just south of County. Territorial site of Tallahassee selected. 1827 - Great exodus of Georgia Indians through area to Alachua. 1828 - Alachua County (including Baker) created. First U.S. Post road through area for mail delivery (U.S. 90). 1829 - First pioneer wagon train into County area. Pony express mail service. 1832 - Columbia County (including Baker) cut out of Alachua. Scattered Seminole attacks. Ft. Olustee established. 1834 - North end of County surveyed for cross-Florida barge canal. 1835 - Stage coach mail service. Second Seminole War. Severe freeze. 1837 - Burnsed blockhouse (Raulerson or Carl Brown House). Nationwide economic panic. 1838 - Florida Constitutional Convention at St. Joseph. 1840 - Mt. Olivet Methodist Church (Manntown). 1841 - Macedonia (Hicks) Cemetery. Yellow fever and violent hurricane season. 1842 - End of Second Seminole War. Armed Occupation Act took many settlers south to former Indian lands. 1844 - Ocean Pond appointment appeared on Newnansville Methodist circuit. 1845 - Florida statehood signed by Pres. Tyler on March 3rd. 1850 - Cedar Creek Cemetery. First circular sawmill in east Florida set up at Jacksonville. 1851 - Florida Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad incorporated. Eppinger and Russell Co. of New York began buying timber in area. 1857 - Railroad construction began at Jacksonville. 1858 - New River County (including Baker) cut out of Columbia. 1859- RR at eastern county line in April. At present-day Macclenny in August. At Olustee in December. 1861 - Civil War. Secession. Baker County created from New River County in February. Sanderson founded as County Seat. 1862 - Scarlet fever epidemic. Fernandina in Union hands. 1863 - Jacksonville raided and burned by U.S. 1864 - Union camp at Sanderson. Battle of Olustee on February 20. 1865 - Peace. Former U.S. soldiers settled in County. A Duval County man was elected to serve in State Legislature for Baker County. 1866 - First recorded deed 17 February from Mr. Geiger to Mr. Mott. Florida-Georgia boundry dispute settled. 1867 - John Darby and Oliver Savage bought up site of present Macclenny. Darby's Station. Residents refused to celebrate Independence Day under Union rule. 1868 - Ku Klux Klan activities at peak in County. 1869 - Williamsburg founded on RR near present St. Mary's Church. 1870 - Sanderson F and AM. First state political candidate, William D. Bloxham, visited County, Darbyville named. 1871 - Dawkins F and AM Lodge, Darbyville. 1874 - First newspaper in County by Charles A Finley in Darbyville. 1876 - Voting scandal in Baker County felt nationwide. 1877 - Courthouse in Sanderson burned. Darbyville begins movement to relocate County Seat. Bethel Baptist, Macclenny, constituted. Bethlehem Primitive Baptist, Sanderson. St. Marys Primitive Baptist Association formed. County road districts set. Yellow fever epidemic. 1878 - Last known Indians left County. New frame court house built. 1880 - Macclenny Hotel built. 1882 - Glen Nurseries. Woodlawn Cemetery. Glen St. Mary founded. 1883 - First Baptist, Macclenny. Macclenny platted and named by northern land company. 1884 - First Methodist Church, Macclenny. 1885 - St. James Episcopal Academy, Macclenny. Miles marked along Alachua Trail. Glen St. Mary road district created. Voting precinct boundries set. Petition begun for County Seat removal. 1886 - Severe freeze. Charleston earthquake felt in County. County Seat Removal Referendum. 1887 - Macclenny named new County Seat, and celebrated with fireworks and fights. Olustee Baptist Church. 1888 - New frame courthouse erected at Macclenny. Yellow fever devastated County. 1889 - Macedonia Methodist Church established. 1892 - Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist, Taylor. 1894 - Freeze destroyed County citrus. 1895 - Freeze worse than previous year. 1896 - Hurricane damage heavy. Blew away bell tower from Macclenny First Baptist Church. 1898 - Spanish-American War. Local trestles guarded by U.S. troops. 1899 - Severe freeze. 1900 - Courthouse burned. First state LDS Church Conference met at Sanderson. 1904 - Baxter Rebellion. Martial law declared. 1905 - Cedar Creek No Hell Baptist Church. Griffin Nurseries (Southern States). Macclenny's first masonry building. 1907 - Macclenny Church of Christ. 1908 - New brick courthouse. Dinkins New Congregational Church. First rural mail carrier, Macclenny. 1911 - Landfill begun for new Jail to replace calaboose. Oak Grove (Burnsed) Church. 1913 - Florida's first cattle dipping vat for control of fever tick began operation near Macclenny. 1918 - World War I. Troops guarded local trestles. Spanish influenza kills hundreds. Glen's first masonry building was a combinational mercantile and Masonic Hall. 1920 - Land boom. 1924 - U.S. 90 paved (first paving in County). First accident on the new highway ocurred near Olustee. Citizens Bank. 1925 - Austin Bus Line was first public transportation through County. 1927 - Boundry of County given in Florida law. 1929 - Macclenny Church of God. 1931 - Osceola National Forest. 1935 - Mt. Olive Congregational Holiness, Manntown. Macclenny Lions Club. 1937 - Fire destroyed the Powers block in Macclenny. 1938 - Paving begun on Raiford Road (121). 1939 - Business and Professional Womens Club. 1940 - New courthouse begun. 1941 - World War II. Courthouse construction halted and workers transferred to Camp Blanding. 1945 - End of World War II. Courthouse construction resumed. Postwar boom and increase of 'shine' activities. 1947 - Hurricane damage to roads and bridges. First Pine Tree Festival (co-sponsored by Mr. Will Knabb and the Lions Club). 1948 - Mt. Zion New Congregational Methodist. High School Band begun. Leona Knabb Chapter, Order of Eastern Star. 1949 - Olustee Battlefield put under Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials. Entire community of Baxter transported to Tallahassee by chartered bus for Fuller Warren's inauguaration. 1950 - Raiford Road Church of Christ. Faith Baptist. 1951 - Baxter Church of God. 1954 - Consolidation of County high schools. 1957 - Ed Fraser Memorial Hospital. Friendly Fellowship Club. 1958 - Northeast Florida State Hospital. 1959 - St. Marys Catholic Church. Alpha Delta Kappa. Jr. Women's Club. 1961 - Baker County Centennial Celebration. 1962 - Macclenny Art Group. 1970 - Integration of public schools. Baker County Retired Teachers Association. 1974 - Nursing Mothers Organization. 1975 - Bicentennial Committee. New jail and first permanent building for Health Department. 1976 - First mufacturing industry. Bicentennial festivities. 1977 - What we make it. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, July 8, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The Turner House - Among city's Oldest Macclenny cannot boast of many old houses. Among the several reasons for this are the following: the town site was either marshy or sandy and not conducive to building or agriculture; the major routes of the old days ran far around the area; the town was not platted, named, and advertised until 1883; the humidity and temperature extremes speed deterioration; and many of her citizens have equated progress with razing and rebuilding. Macclenny does, however, possess a few homes nearing the century mark. These are often labeled 'fever houses' by the older local populace to indicate their construction date prior to the 1888 Yellow fever epidemic. It would be well to remove split-levels, palaces, and 'Gone with-the-Wind homesteads from our minds for an afternoon, (and take a tour of these old buildings. But, do it now. One more sweep of progress will soon have the remainder of Macclenny's giant trees removed, every winding hogplum-lined rut road paved, and the last of the old Darbyville houses (as warm and sweetly musty as a grandma's bosom) sided with aluminum or leveled to the ground. Anyone having the privilege of knowing Mr. Duncan Rhoden willl often be reminded of the handsome, white-haired gentlemen serenely surveying the traffic from his porch in downtown Macclenny. His home at a site behind Hunter's Amoco Station on north 5th Street was built about 1903 by Edgar Turner and his wife the former Mississippi Lyons. Its architecture is much like that of Mr. Turner's boyhood home south of Glen St. Mary, and is strongly reminescent of rural New York and New England home (former home of the Turners). The house's site, like so much of Macclenny, was deeded to the Messrs. Oliver Savage and John Darby by the Trustees of the State Internal Improvement Fund in 1867, and had been originally granted to the Florida Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad. Col. Darby's role in the future of the lot was lost at Sanderson in the courthouse fire of 1877, but Mr. Savage lost his share in a court case in which he was sued by Messrs. Daniel P. and Frank Smith in 1876. A Sheriff's Deed, dated 1885, conveyed the lot to Mr. Carr B. Macclenny, late of Virginia, for the sum of. $110. The sheriff, John W. Vanbuskirk, formerly of Indiana, later bought the land which contained the three-year old Macclenny home. Seven months later, the fever hit the Vanbuskirk children, and the Vanbuskirk home was destroyed by fire. Completely disillusioned by their stay in the tropical paradise of healthful Florida (as per the realty advertising), they sold out to Phillip H. and Emme Ruth Dowling (nee Wolfe) and returned to Monroe, Indiana. The Dowlings had planned to build, but reconsidered and removed to Suwannee County where they made a fortune in timber and founded Dowling Park. They sold the lot in 1890 to George T. and Phenie Pearce who, in turn, sold to Edgar W. and Mississippi Turner. The Turners built the present house and sold it and its land in 1911 to Lot M. and Bertie Dyal for $700. In the same year, the Dyals sold out to Mr. Duncan Rhoden, a Macclenny merchant and son of a Confederate Veteran. Mr. Rhoden and his wife 'Miss Lila' remained there until his death. The present owner, Mrs. Carol Fish Howard, is to be commended for not only securing and renovating this Macclenny landmark, but for her plans to reconstruct its turn-of- the-century appearance; perhaps a first step in preserving the town's heritage and personality. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, July 15, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Macclenny's Old And Interesting Houses (Part II) The Hardware Brown House Macclenny's past (and that of its parent towns) is one of bitter struggles between northern land companies, millionaire financiers, and even England's international money adventurer Sir Edward Reed. Among the first of the opportunists to move in after the Civil War and buy up the Cracker's land for taxes were John Darby and Oliver H. Savage. Mr. Darby was born in Ireland, and, although little is known of his background, he moved to Baker County from South Carolina in either 1866 or '67. He established a turpentine distillery in the vicinity of present Highland's in Bradford County. He then moved his still to Trail Ridge between present Macclenny and Baldwin, and, with his partner Mr. Savage, began buying land in the McClenny area in 1867. The little village that grew around his distillery became known as Darbyville, and it was principally a community of southerners. In 1876, Darby and Savage were in a serious suit in the Duval County court, wherein they were the defendants and lost their extensive holdings. Involved were all of Section 22, Township 2 South, Range 22, East, and other lands. Shortly before, the McClenny family moved in from Virginia, and set up saw mills in the area. Mr. McClenny was supposedly related to the Smiths, Daniel P. and Frank, who were plaintiffs in the case lost by Darby and Savage. A northerner, Charles F. Shuey moved to Darbyville from Jacksonville in 1880 or '81, and established his law practise there. Mr. McClenny and Attorney Shuey entered into a partnership company calling themselves the Florida Improvement and Colonization Society. Mr. McClenny was president and Mr. Shuey was land commissioner for their group. A guidebook of 1884 stated that "the country surrounding is rapidly settling up with white people from the north (the writer, representative of the more tolerant citizens from the north, made special effort to carefully separate white from colored and always capitalized 'north' and kept 'south' lower case). Shifting the scene to Jacksonville, a Mr. Talbott of Indiana and Ohio moved to Jacksonville in 1879 to recuperate from illness. He had entered the U.S. Army in 1861 as a private and was mustered out four and one half years later as captain. He was educated at a Friends (Quaker) Seminarny, and was a successful hardware merchant in Cincinnati. In 1880, a Mr. Coloney, wholesale grocer of Gallipolis, Ohio, also moved to Jacksonville due to failing health. The two entered partnership as Cloney, Talbott, and Co. Among the more than 70,000 acres of land they purchased at tax sales, were several acres near Darbyville; in fact, only across the railroad tracks. In 1883, they platted a town and named it in honor of Hon. C.B. McClenny, who, by-the-way, had bought into Coloney, Talbott, and Co. at the retirement of Mr. Coloney. Strong rumors have it that Mr. Coloney, the original money man in the company, was forced out. The land on which the 'Hardware Brown' house sits, from the old Darby-Savage purchase, was sold by Sheriff Vanbuskirk to C.B. McClenny in 1885. A warrenty deed in 1886 conveyed a part of the land to W.H. Herndon, a young single man from the rural area north of McClenny and son of Methodist preacher William Z. Herndon. This lot was on the north side of Talbott Avenue, now Shuey Avenue, and west of present 228 North. Mr. Herndon sold out in 1886 to I.H. Johnson, who in turn sold to James L. Herndon. Mr. Herndon also purchased another lot from Mr. McClenny who then had realized a handsome profit from his sales. His original purchase of $110 had grossed $662 in two years. Mr. Herndon built the house which is still standing on that corner lot just north of the Methodist Church. He sold both his lots and house at a loss in 1895 to Mr. M. T. Howell, late of North Carolina. He, in turn, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Charly L. Hodges who had recently moved from the Georgia Bend-Baxter area after the unfortunate bloody battles in that vicinity during the so-called 'Baxter Rebellion'. After an exchange of lots between Mrs. Hodges and her brother Mr. R.L. Knabb, the Hodges sold to Mr. W.M. Brown and his wife Eunice May the lot on which the house now known as the 'Hardware Brown' house stands. Mr. Brown, late of Columbia County, gained his title from his years of merchandising hardware at the corner of Macclenny Avenue and College Street, and was later County Judge. Mrs. Brown operated a store for some years after his death on South College. We are indebted to Mrs. Geraldine Brown Roberts for the abstract deed information which fitted so perfectly with court records for Duval County and Webb's Guide to Florida. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, July 22, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The County Via The Eyes Of An 1885 Guidebook After its creation in 1861 Baker County first made national news in 1864 because of the Battle of Olustee. In 1876, our county again became known to the world because of a little election scandal that affected the national ticket. Then, in 1885, a guidebook was published extolling the various excellent points of Florida, and Baker County was included. Written by a Mr. Webb, here are some of the points he felt were worthy of mentioning. The county contained over 500 square miles of territory, or 320,000 acres. The population in 1880 was 2,312. He lists the bordering counties of Nassau, Duval, Clay, Bradford, and Columbia (Union was not created at the time). He credits the county as giving birth to the St. Marys River, and informs his readers that a portion of the 'Okeefernokee' (note spelling) lies within the county boundries. Of general characteristics, the writer states that the land is level, heavily timbered, soil productive, and compares with Bradford County. Products listed are turpentine, vegetables, and fruit. Most of the writer's opening remarks are not very enlightening, but interest comes alive when he begins to describe the communities. The four communities he lists with information are Darbyville, Glen St. Mary, Olustee, and Sanderson. McClenny merits a scant mention within one sentence under the Glen heading. Darbyville: The fare to this little town was, in 1885, $1.40 on the Florida Railway and Navigation Company's railroad, with reduced rates to those proposing to buy land. Mr. Webb states that this site was once an old sawmill settlement but became controlled by the Florida Improvement and Colonization Society. Hon. C. B. McClenny was president of the Society and C.F. Shuey, Esq., attorney-at-law, was land commissioner for the group, and they were listed as the prominent residents. The population was about 200. Charles B. Finley began publishing the Baker County Star in October of 1884. The town had three churches, but Mr. Webb declined to name them. He claims the land is high and dry and the soil the best in Florida. The land, worth from $5 to $25 per acre "is rapidly settling up with white people from the North". The aforementioned Florida Improvement and Colonization Society owned nearly 50,000 acres selected land in and about Darbyville. One of the features praised by the writer was the Hotel McClenny. Mr. Samuel H. Smith, formerly of Philadelphia, and until October 1 st, 1884, manager of the popular St. Marks at Jacksonville, was manager. Every room in the hotel was on the outside and lead directly to a broad veranda which surrounded each story making over 800 feet of covered promenade. The rates were considered reasonable, the transient rate being from $2 to $2.50 per, day. Glen Saint Mary: Mr. Webb, as did most of the northern writers in the post Civil War in the turn-of-the-century era, completely ignored the locals. Forgetting the host of Davis, Johnson, Harvey, Alexander etc. families, he states that the first settler of Glen was Miss T.M. Tilton who located there in October of '82. Miss Tilton was the postmistress and also built a hotel to accommodate the rapidly growing population and the transient public. About 15 families lived in Glen, most coming from the states of Kansas and Kentucky and New Engiand. The land was mostly owned by C.B McClenny. The fare from Jacksonville was $1.60 and the writer concluded by saying that Glen Saint Mary was considered a good place to make and save money. Olustee: One hour and 30 minutes and a fare of $2.50 took businessmen and health seekers to this village of 300 population. About 100 families lived within a 5 mile radius of the post office (postmaster, V. Edwards). The lumber mills of Eppinger and Russel, among the largest in the south, were located at Olustee. From 25,000 to 40,000 feet of timber were turned out daily, and the mills employed 126 people. Mr. Eppinger lived in New York City, but Major Russell chose to live at Olustee overseeing the mill. He also engaged in truck farming, experimented in citrus, and might have been the first in the county to attempt sugarcane on a large scale. Olustee boasted of two schools segregated, and one church (Methodist). Mr. Webb ends his Olustee sketch with the information, "Olustee was made famous by the battle of Olustee which occured during the late Civil War." Sanderson: Being the only community within the county that was populated and dominated by native-born and other Floridians, Sanderson was given last place and less than 10 lines. In 1885, either Mr. Webb was misinformed or Sanderson was not in favor with the railway company (the rail company was pushing Olustee at the time for settlement and investment), because the nearest station was at Margaretta, several miles away. Population in 1880, according to the guide book was 500, an increase of 50 in 10 years. George P. Canova and Capt. Francis J. Pons owned representative orange groves. Land was worth $5 to $40 per acre. Professor R. G. Blair was principal of the county school and H.E. Thomas was postmaster. In addition to informing the readers that this was the county seat, Mr. Webb said; "climate, water, and health excellent". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- and....An Invitation If you were living here in the winter of 1890, and ran with the right crowd, you might have received this in the mail. This extraordinary bit of Baker County's past was provided courtesy of an individual who wished to remain anonymous and concerns a certain Masquerade Ball at the Hotel Macclenny the evening of January 30 that year. Note the "You will be expected to unmask" phrase and the names of both the invitation committee and "floor managers." Also, the fact that ladies were free. Admission, of course. You Are Cordially Invited to Attend a Masquerade Ball, ---To be Given by the--- St. Marys Social Club ---AT--- Hotel Macclenny THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 30, 1890 ------------------ You Will be Expected to Unmask Before a Com- mittee of Two, Appointed by the Club to Avoid the Admittance of Objectionable Persons. -------------- COMMITTEE ON INVITATION. I.H. GATES. - F.H. MATTHEWS. - C.F. PONS. FLOOR MANAGERS. M.D. BARBER. - F.J. PONS. - F.L. BUTLER. Admission, Gentlemen. - 50 Cents Ladies Free. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, July 29, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The Background Methodism In Baker County Most local Methodists would like to believe Methodism began less than 100 miles northeast of Baker County when John Wesley preached beneath the giant oaks on St. Simon's Island. The truth of the matter is, Wesley was still a member of the Church of England when he left Georgia in 1737, and was still a member when he died. It seems more than coincidental, however, that the Wesley brothers, Charles and John, experienced a religious re-awakening so soon after their return from Georgia (Charles had been secretary to Gen. Olgethorpe and John was missionary to the settlers and Indians). Whether New World-influenced or not, the 1739 Wesley experiences in London's Aldersgate District was the accepted beginning of the Methodist movement. Methodism is distinctive in that it was not intended to become a separate denomination; its birth was almost concurrent and separate in England and the Colonies; although its founder was connected to the Colonial south, its American beginnings were in the northern Colonies; beginning in the north, it soon became a southern sect; and Methodism was probably the only sect within the Christian religion that matched its parent religion in speed of growth. The Methodist Episcopal Church of America, the first religious group to formulate a national church in the new Republic (1784), held its first conference in April of 1785 in North Carolina. It was at this conference that an appointee was sent to ne work in Georgia. In 1795, the state of Georgia, and, in time, East Florida was included in the South Carolina Conference. No doubt, when the St. Mary's appointment was established under South Carolina supervisions, Baker County forbearers had, at least, some binds with Methodism. No detailed attempt will be made to bridge the denomination's American background with our area, but two books by Dr. Charles T. Thrift are recommended, namely the Trail of the Florida Circuit Rider and From Saddlebags to Satellites. In the 1820's and early 30's, Isaac Boring preached along the routes south of our area. Boring was one of that clery breed, instituted by the Methodists, that kept preaching appointments along a circuit of missions and churches The circuit rider's transportation was his horse, his protection was his faith, and some were not opposed to giving Divine protection the added boost of a firearm, although it is not known if Rev. Boring resorted to firearms during his trips through the untamed back-country. The circuit rider performed marriages, some couples already having entered into connubial bliss and bringing one or more children to their wedding altars. He officiated at services for the deceased, sometimes over weeks old graves. He copied statistics and dates into their Bibles, delivered letters, instructed lay preachers, ordained deacons, and arbitrated disputes. Surely, some influence from Rev. Boring filtered northward along the various trails that crossed his regular route. But, no sooner had he laid the foundations for Methodism in the interior than the Second Seminole War erupted and cleared the Alachua region of settlers. After hostilities ceased, the interior was re-opened and the missionaries followed settler and trader. In 1844, Ocean Pond was listed among the appointments of the Newnansville Circuit (Newnansville, one of Florida's most important towns at that time and one of the two land offices, no longer exists). In that same year, Methodism had progressed sufficiently to warrant the formation of the Florida Conference. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, August 5, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The Split Methodism In Baker County 1845, saw the break that created the Methodist Episicopal Church, South. The year before, Bishop James Andrew of Oxford, Georgia found himself the subject of a heated controversy at the Methodist's General Conference. He had inherited slave, Kitty Andrew (later Mrs. Snell), from a friend and admirer, entrusting her to his care, education, and manumission (freeing) if (1) Kitty wished it and (2) if Bishop Andrew believed it in her best interests. Bishop Andrews, opposed to slavery, found himself in an embarrassing situation. The Georgia law, at that time, forbade the freeing of slaves except to be transported to Liberia in Africa, and Kitty requested to remain in slavery, fearful of a land she did not know. The General Conference passed a resolution asking the Bishop to desist from the exercise of his office so long as the impediment of owning a slave remained. Southern members mostly protested, to no one's surprise, but, to almost everyone's surprise, the Southerners resolution was ignored. The southern delegates later met at Louisville, Kentucky in May of 1845 to separately organize. In little more than a hundred years since its beginning, Methodism had experienced a sad schism. It took almost another hundred years to re-unite the grand sect that began with John Wesley's rules for the regulation and control of the religious life and activities of the members. In January of 1844, Florida Methodists met in their own conference. This Conference set up, among others, the Newnansville Circuit with John W. Yarbrough as Presiding Elder. The northern section covered all or parts of the modern counties of Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Hamilton, and Suwannee, and an adjoining strip of Georgia. It should be noted that very little of present Baker County was included in this appointment, but Ocean Pond Mission was listed. Twenty three year old John Ley, just admitted on trial to the ministry, traveled the northern Newnansville Circuit. At first, his rounds took him two weeks to complete, but due to his zeal and success, the circuit was soon extended to three weeks. He, as did all his contemporary pioneer missionaries, claimed to find no post office, church, or school building within the bounds of his circuit (one begins to wonder what happened to all the churches established by each of these Methodist, Episcopal, and Baptist missionaries when his other-denomination brothers happened by). Earlier (about 1840), a lay, or local preacher had begun a mission about 16 miles east of Ocean Pond on the Jacksonville-Alligator Road. Located in the settlement of Manntown, the little group found regarding the beginnings of this church, but it, as many others in less civilized areas, owed its establishment to unordained preachers who saw little need to record dates. Daniel John Mann, the settler of Manntown, was a lay preacher of the Methodist faith (the church was called for many years Mr. Mann's Church). The date of about 1840 has been corroborated by evidence and testimony made by past generations of Mann, Berry, and Reeds. In 1846, the St. Marys District was resurrected and it included northeast Florida (westward to Trail Ridge and the Georgia Bend) and southeast Georgia. The area that was to become Baker County was still largely a stepchild of the Florida Conference, receiving no official appointments, nor even included in a circuit district. When the fact of the population averaging about three persons per square mile is considered, there is little doubt as to the Conference's wisdom is not sending in a preacher. The Conference depended, instead, on the zeal of the local preachers in the remote regions, and, we are certain, continually prayed for their success and orthodoxy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, August 12, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Methodism In Baker County During Post Civil War Era That Mt. Olive (Manntown) Church was active in 1848 is known by the marriage ceremony of Mr. E.M. Futch and Miss Lydia Ann Mann being solemnized there. According to grandchildren, the structure in which the Futch couple married had been built of logs by the congregation, and was the second such building on that site. In 1851 the present Baker County area was placed in the Madison Circuit and seems to have been later included, for a while in the Jacksonville District (formed, in 1867). Civil War and Reconstruction brought problems to Methodism. New sects appeared out of the north. Splinter groups formed out of the desperation and despair of the southerners. War casualties had decimated some churches until they disbanded. As best as can be determined from scanty records, Ocean Pond (Olustee Station) Methodist Church disappeared at this time. Upper middle Florida had dominated Methodism since its introduction into this state, but in 1869 the Annual Conference was held in Jacksonville (testimony to that city's growth in size and influence). The aforementioned problems and the shift in population might have been part of the causes of a second Conference that year, held in Lake City (still considered part of middle Florida). The trials and tribulations of Reconstruction acted like adrenalin to Florida's religions. The Methodists, for instance, probably founded more churches in Florida then than in any other time. Unproved, but not unreasonable, stories among some of the staunch Methodists of the past claim that a Methodist Society was formed in Darbyville around 1877 or '78. Like rumors place the date around 1881-82 for Glen St. Mary's first Methodist Society (keep in mind, neither have been authenticated). Whenever the Darbyville Society began, it is known that in 1883 it became a part of the St. Marys mission (meaning along the St. Marys River and environs, not Glen St. Mary, and stretched along the entire length of that river). Rev. W.P.O. Cain was pastor of this circuit in 1884 and 85. Rev. S.S. Gasque was the next appointment (1886). In the FLORIDA SENTINEL (Macclenny's newspaper) of Saturday, Nov. 26, 1887, is this notation: "FAREWELL SERMON". Tomorrow at 11 am Rev. S.S. Gasque will preach his farewell sermon at the M.E. Church at this appointment, and in the evening at Bluff Creek". Bluff Creek's establishment has yet to be determined. This area north of Glen St. Mary and on the west bank of the St. Marys River had been settled by a group of Englishmen in the 1870's and 80's, and , their presence could account for the strength of Methodism there as well as a new influx of Georgians strong in that faith. (anyone with knowledge of this church would make the writer happy by sharing it with him). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, August 19, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Macclenny Methodist Church - The Final Part The earliest record of the Macclenny Methodist Church is a deed dated June 6th 1884, transferring the present property (corner of north 5th Street and Shuey Avenue) from Carr B. McClenny and wife to the trustees of the St. Mary's Mission of the Live Oak District. The sum of one dollar is acknowledged in full payment. The deed was witnessed by John McIver and A.M. Darby. As was mentioned in the previous article, Rev. W.P.O. Cain was appointed to this circuit in 1884 and 1885 and S.S. Gasque followed in 1886. During the next five years, the following ministers were appointed to the St. Mary's Mission; J.W. Folsom, E.S. Tysen, W.S. McMannen, R.H. Barnett and John White. At the January Conference of 1893 the charge was assigned to Rev. W.C. Norton. It was while he was pastor that the land adjoining the church property on the south and the building thereon, was acquired. The deed, dated 4 February 1893, transfers the said property from Ada McClenny and Carr B. McClenny to the trustees of the Methodist Church. The trustees were F.G. Williams, H.S. Reed, and M.G. Berry. A receipt, for $39.60 is attached to the deed covering the obligations of the church to date. A clause in the deed restricts the use of the property to a church, a parsonage, or other church needs. During the conference years of 1894 through 1900 five preachers, traveled the circuit, including Macclenny. They were G.G. Kennelly, R.L. Summer, C.P. Setzer, L.W. Moore, and J.E. Dodd. The next record is from the BAKER COUNTY PRESS of 8 January 1901. "METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. Services every second Sunday at 11 am and 7 pm Rev. Oliver Faus, pastor. Sunday School every Sunday at 3 pm; S.F. Bair Superintendent. Prayer meeting Wednesday at 7 pm." It is interesting to note that the two other Macclenny churches made announcements of services in the same issue and none of the services conflict. According to some of the older heads around here, one did not have to be Methodist, Baptist, or Episcopal to achieve salvation and the citizens of this little community believed in the good effect of each of the small churches, a far cry from modern religious isolationism. Sometimes between 1883 and 1903 the name of the charge was changed from the St. Mary's Mission to the MacClenny Mission of the Live Oak District. In 1903 this mission consisted of MacClenny, Baldwin, Mt. Olivet (Manntown), and Bryceville. The Quarterly Conference Roll for 1903 includes the following, names; T.J. Nixon, Presiding Elder; L.B. Thurmond, Pastor, S F. Bair, Steward and Trustee; J.E. Sessions, Steward; C.C. Fraser, Sunday School Superintendent; M.C. Berry, Steward and Trustee; Charles Eiserman, Trustee; U.C. Herndon, Trustee; and J.L. Vining, Trustee. According to the report of the Trustees at the Fourth Quarterly Conference that same year the church property was valued, at $500. There was a church at MacClenny but no parsonage. Much of this information was borrowed from a history prepared by Miss Karlie Tyler of Glen St. Mary and former pastor Bruce Pickering with, I understand, much help from the late Mrs. Ruth Cone and from Mrs. Wilma Morris' private collection of Baker Countians. After one more article on the MacClenny Church we'll let the Methodist rest for a while. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, August 26, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Mrs. Fraser And The Yankees Prior to the Battle of Olustee on February 20th, 1864, the Confederate commander sent out skirmishers and reconnaissance troops from Lake City to Impede Federal Col. Barton's advance through Florida's interior. They traveled the main Jacksonville-Lake City Road and passed at night by the home of Tom and Emily Fraser, formerly of South Carolina. The Fraser place was located near the present Hamp Register farm a few miles of Margaretta. After a skirmish on the 10th of February on the South Prong of the St. Mary's river (about 1/2 to 1 mile north of the present U.S. 90 bridge) the Southerners were mostly killed by the overwhelming numbers of Union soldiers. It is believed that only two escaped back to Lake City and it is known that one scout, Pvt. Nathan Hunter of Columbia County, was left wounded, hidden in the scrub on the west side of the Prong on the old Barber place. The Barber doublepen log house was appropriated by the Federals as their headquarters and hospital (the story is that the spilled blood stain could not be scrubbed or planed away and remained bright until the house burned in the late 1870's). However, with a medical team less than a mile away, Pvt. Hunter was slowly bleeding his life away in the frosty palmetto patch. On their way back to Camp Finegan, the first place the survivors found inhabited was the Fraser House. Since not all citizens of the area had been seccessionists and the rigors and deprivations of three years fruitless war had begun to bring out the Unionist in many former Confederates, the men were cautious in approaching. The Frasers, saddened by the loss of a son, John, in Confederate service in '62, welcomed the soldiers with food and comfort. The soldiers told the family of the wounded man they were forced to leave behind and asked them to take charge of getting him to the Confederate camp at Lake City. It was agreed that Mrs. Fraser and the youngest son, Brantley, would make the six mile trip to the Prong. The Federals would often force almost any local male into service and the nearly seventy year old Tom would have been no exception had they needed him. An old slave was also taken to help lift and drive, Mrs. Fraser hoping the Union troops would not take him. Thus, the 54 year old Emily, her 8 year old son, Bentley, (still alive during the writer's childhood), and an old slave of undetermined age set out in the freezing dark to find the wounded soldier. About daybreak, the dreaded moment arrived; the mercy party met a squad of blue coated soldiers. They questioned the three at great length. Mrs. feared the honesty of an 8 year old and the loyalty of a slave so close to liberty. Perhaps, for the first time in her life, she lied. Again and again they asked her destination, but she refused to weaken, knowing that the mission of saving the soldier was foremost at the moment. She was forced to swear allegiance to the U.S. flag; to her the banner of an invading enemy. It is creditable to Mrs. Fraser that she never passed on any bitterness, if there was any to her children. Pvt. Hunter died that night and was buried in the Fraser front yard. The following June, the soldier's father John and a slave transferred the body from its resting place beneath the crepe myrtles to old Bethel Cemetery south of Lake City. Mr. John Hunter followed his son in death a few weeks later. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, September 2, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber 'Sugarman' And The Polecat In The Mailbox Sometimes an event from the past does not have to be earth-shaking or history-changing, but can simply relate to some of the human qualities possessed by our ancestors. For such an incident we are grateful to Lt. Col. Mace Harris of Orange City; Baker Countian, retired army man, genealogist and Cracker wit. In the years preceding World War I, called 'the Great War; two of the north county's young pranksters were Henry Reynolds and Isaiah (called 'Sugarman' by the area girls) Harris. They effected the improbable task of catching a polecat (Baker County-ease for skunk) and stuffed him into the Stone-Reynolds rural mailbox. It would be somewhat of an understatement to say either Mrs. Reynolds or the rural route carrier received a surprise package that day. The mailbox was eventually cautiously approached and replaced. For reasons unknown (perhaps the thrifty Crackers couldn't toss away anything), the mailbox was stored in the cotton house and was almost forgotten. We don't know whether the culprits were punished. Other events, probably bigger than a polecat in a mailbox, began to crowd the front page of the BAKER COUNTY STANDARD. Kaiser Bill and his Hun Hoard had started to gnaw and then run across Europe. Pres. Wilson protested on behalf of the United States and kept us out of war for awhile. Isaiah 'Sugarman' sailed with the Merchant Marine and his co-conspirator Henry sailed with the U.S. Coast Guard. The War to end all wars' dragged on and Henry Reynolds wrote home near its end requesting his mother to buy some little gifts for his younger brothers. As his ship sailed the English Channel off Bristol, a German submarine torpedoed it. Henry Reynolds was Baker County's first known loss of World War I, and was soon followed by Lonnie Blair (for whom the local Legion Post was named). Years later, Lorenzo Harris called out his young nephew Mace to assist him in setting up a mailbox for the widowed Mrs. Emma Stone Harris. They went up to the old Stone place where rumor had it a good mailbox was stored in either the cotton house or corn crib. Out in the sunshine they opened the old box for cleaning and discovered that some stinks raised take many years to die. Many months of sun and air finally cleared the polecat odor, but the years never erased the loss of the lovable prankster and war hero Henry from the memories of the Reynolds-Stone-Dowling family. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, September 9, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The Beginning Of Woodlawn Cemetery - Part One This week's voting reminds one of past years when elections and their losses were subjects of some heavy fun-poking. There were recipes for gopher soup and on Wednesday mornings early risers were treated to the sight of a mock cemetery on the courthouse lawn. One year's little graveyard included the final resting place of 'your's truly'. It added to the disappointment of some, but to others it brought a smile and helped salve the hurt. Thinking of the little courthouse lawn cemeteries prompted a search for some notes from a booklet found several years ago. It described the beginnings and rules of Woodlawn Cemetery south of MacClenny. The 2 subjects are, for all practical purposes, unrelated, but both are a part of 'the way it was'. A small one-room schoolhouse was constructed by Confederate veteran Robert Rowe on the old Jacksonville-Lake City Road during Reconstruction for the many new families moving south of Macclenny. In 1877, a group of area Baptists began meeting in the schoolhouse and soon organized themselves as the Bethel Baptist Church. When one of the charter members, Mr. Moses Thompson, died in 1883, Mr. Rowe offered the use of his adjoining land for the burial. For the next four years the small burying ground was known as the Rowe Cemetery and was rapidly being filled with Macclenny's deceased. Careless interment practices and disregard for Mr. Rowe's permission to use the cemetery prompted him to threaten closing the facility to all but his immediate family. However, once a family cemetery receives one non-family burial, the die is cast; it is no longer private ground. Mr. Rowe's second thought was to consult his brother-in-law C.F. Barber, the Rev. C.S. Snowden (Episcopal). J.O. Thompson (son of the first interment), and Messrs, J.D. Merritt, W.F, Porter and T.W. Lakin (three gentlemen lately from the north) as to the possibilities and means of controlling the grounds use. They, in turn, talked with a lawyer who advised the formation of a cemetery association. The aformentioned gentlemen became charter members of the Woodlawn Cemetery Association which was incorporated by an act of the legislature of the State of Florida May 30, 1887. They secured other land from Mrs. Will Tracy and Mr. Ben Rowe, brother of Robert, donated land, and soon the Association began to plan out a serene parklike setting. The original plans called for avenues converging in the center where a fountain would play, surrounded by benches and shade trees. Some of the avenues are still used but most were filled and lost during the malaria epidemic of the folowing year. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, September 16, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The Beginning Of Woodlawn Cemetery - Part 2 Slnce last week's write-up, this column received additonal information regarding other land donors for Woodlawn Cemetery including Mr. Dave Griffin and Mr. Addison L. Tracy. All the material for the first part of this series came from a small booklet owned by the writer's great uncle and included only the three donors named. In a rules and regulation booklet printed by the Baker County Standard in 1903 are some rather surprising provisions. Among these was the meeting time; the first Friday of each May at 2 pm. Evidently the first members of the Board of Dlrectors were able to conform to that particular time. Today, such a date and time would indeed be awkward. The superintendent was given general authority and would direct how work would be performed on the grounds. No fence was allowed higher than three feet, and those built of wood were subject to explicit dimensions for pickets, rails and posts. No wood fence lumber could be undressed and it must carry "two good coats". All lot owners were requested to remove all trash from the clearing up of lots to a safe distance from the avenues and not throw same upon other lots or in the avenues. Jefferson's Manual, not Roberts' Rules of Order, was chosen as the authority upon all questions of parliamentary law. We doubt if anyone has lately, if ever, heard of Jefferson's Manual. All sounded quite proper, and it is sad that the yellow fever epidemic filled the new cemetery and voided its rules so soon after the founding. But, the association survived and remains one of the county's oldest existing organizations. Throughout the little book were penciled in notes of reminders and payments collected. "Don't forget to make form for block corners" was written on the back cover. The following people purchased and paid dues on lots: "Joseph Barton, $10; C.F. Barber, 7 lots, $105; R.W. Estes: Frank Howard; (illegible) Howard; T.J. Knabb (for Mack Monk); R. Lowde (Lowder), recpt. of $5, balance due; J.W. Rowe; I.V. Shepperd $10; Mrs. Joe Tyson, $10". These names and data were copied as written. Another reference was to "A.D. Powers, Pres., Frank Rowe, Secty." Woodlawn remains one of the area's most attractive cemeteries even though the founders plans for a dancing fountain and broad avenues did not materialize. Woodlawn, like our other burying grounds, is perhaps the only memorial some hardworking, hardplaying, good and/or bad people will ever have; brush off a grave today. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTRY PRESS, Thursday, September 23, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber American Settlement In Spanish Florida During the British Colonial period (1763-83), Gov. James Grant had decreed that the land west of Trail Ridge was to be retained by the Seminole nation as its hunting ground and that no white settler would be permitted to enter. When the Spaniards returned in 1783, that vast territory still remained virtually unsettled. Spanish officials traveling between the Cowford (present Jacksonville) and Alligator Town (correct Seminole name: Halpate Talahassee Telopha) found it unfit for anything, being far too sandy for crops and possessing no valuable mineral content. The end result was that very few located there, and probably none stopped in what we know as Baker County. The nearest authenticated neighbor on our eastern side was William Daniels, Jr. (Spanish Land Grant Claims, Vol. 1). In attempting to verify his Spanish grant claim before the U.S. Claims Bureau, he deposed that he had cultivated his land before and after 1819 in Nassau County bounded on the West by the St. Mary's River and on the South by Deep Run Creek. There are two Deep Run Creeks emptying into the north-running stretch of the St. Mary's, and, according to information given in the 1827 deposition, this claim most likely meant the Deep Creek on Baker County's east boundry (this Deep Creek was later called Big Creek during the late 1800's and known again in more recent times as Deep Creek). The heirs and relatives of Burris (or Burroughs) Higganbotham also claimed land along and near the St. Mary's near present Baker County and the Georgia Bend. Among them were Thomas, Jose, David, and Elizah Higganbotham. The Higganbothams had lived among the Spanish long enough that they often used the Spanish forms of their given names. It is interesting to note that the famed Zephaniah Kingsley (the land baron who flew the Mexican flag, married a black princess from Madagascar, bred slaves, and lent his name to Kingsley Lake) was a neighbor of the Higganbotham boys and farmed not many miles from the Baker County line. William Nelson, ancestor to several Baker County natives and who is buried at Mill Creek above Brandy Branch, was in possession of a Spanish land grant of 640 acres on the St. Mary's near Mill's Ferry (not the same as Mill Creek). He had held his land since 1817, erected several buildings, and kept it in continuous cultivation. The wingates, who have been active in politics and who were engaged in an unfortunate latterday feud with the Rowe family, were represented by their ancestor Jeremiah. He held 420 acres across the river from the Georgia Bend in three separate tracts, acquired in 1817 and 1819. Thomas and Joseph R. Prevatt lived near Pigeon Creek in Nassau County, and their descendents are legion among our modern Baker County population. Thomas later became an agent for the citizens trying to verify and retain their grants under the U.S. ownership. The index of the Spanish Land Grant Claims reads like a genealogy index of Baker County families, but it seemed that, in Spanish Florida, nobody wanted that particular area. She remained the last of the northeast Florida counties to be tamed and settled, and it was going to take a different breed of man to tackle her sand and swamps. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, September 30, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The Seminoles Arrive Sometime after 1807 and before 1813, a group of Seminoles moved into East Florida and settled on the northern edge of the old Alachua country (ancient Potano Providence). Driven from their homes and farms in Georgia, Alabama, and West Florida by American troops and settlers, and even by their own tribesmen the Red Stick Creeks, they were welcomed by the Spanish. The Seminoles would provide, it was hoped, a good buffer between themselves and the land and power hungry Americans or British (the Spaniards were 'not convinced' that the American Revolution would last). The Indians hoped for just treatment and food from their longtime Spanish friends. Among the leaders of the displaced Indians was Halpate of the Tallahassees (there are about a dozen variations and arguments regarding these two Creek words, but these will be used for this article). He stopped at a clear pond near the Spanish Trail and established his town of Halpate Tallahassee Telopha. The first American visitors, among which were Pvt. Enoch Daniels, Col., Newmans, Pvt. Elisha Green (all during the war of 1812 and the First Seminole War), James Dell, Henry Edwards, and Samuel Worthington (all Spanish grant settlers) quickly corrupted the unfamiliar Creek word Halpate into 'Alligator'. Daniels claimed in court testimony regarding U.S. land claims by the Spanish Arredondo family that the chief of the town was called Alligator and that the town was located on the northeast side of Alligator Pond which had a spring. He stayed in the chief's home for about four days and that the house sat about 300 yards east of the spring. He estimated the town to consist of about 70-80 families. The surrounding area was cultivated and cattle were tended on foot and on horse. At about the same time Bendoris, a Red Stick Creek sympathizer, moved to the southeast of Halpate (Alligator Town) and settled on a spring south of present Lake Butler. His community was not nearly as large as Halpate's. He and his men began raiding into South Georgia. Another Creek Seminole, although an Irishman by birth, was James McQueen (great-grandfather of Osceola). He led his band through the area but chose not to remain near his enemy cousins of north Florida. He died in 1811 at the extraordinary & verified age of 128 years at Cape Florida at the opposite end of the territory. His Granddaughter Polly Ann Coppinger Powell led a small faction of peace-desiring White Sticks into the southern fringe of the Okefenoke Swamp. She had earlier been confronted by Gen. Andy Jackson on the west bank of the Suwannee, but talked him out of capture and promised to go into south Florida (unfit for anything, man or beast). Probably in hopes of returning to her Georgia or Alabama home, she, instead, turned northeast and hid in the edge of the great swamp. None by McQueens' Seminoles found relative peace. Jackson's forces under Butler killed Bendoris on the north shore of Lake Butler and scattered his town. Polle Ann's group split and drifted into the Georgia Bend, some along the upper reaches of the St. Johns, and she and her children, including young Billy (Osceola) Powell, moved to the vicinity of Ft. King near present Ocala. There, she lived some few years of peace and protection by the U.S. Army from molestation by Cracker settlers, unfriendly U.S. troops, and her own Seminole enemies. Halpate's Alligator Town existed until 1818. The roving warring Seminoles were getting nearer and would have destroyed Halpate Tallahassee Telopha because he was, to them, a traitor to his people. The U.S. Army could not distinguish between a Red Stick (at war with the U.S.) and a White Stick (trying to live in peace with the U.S.) and most soldiers began using a phrase that went something like "the old good indian is a dead '." His Spanish friends were powerless against the relentless Americans who were determined to wrest Florida from them and clear it of Indians. Halpate was persuaded bv Col. Newmans to leave his new home for his own protection. Once more the weary but patient Seminoles packed a few belongings and trudged south, relocating mostly in Alachua in the hammocks and swamps near Ft. King. Seventeen years later, the aging and bitter Halpate, who would then be known as Alligator, would no longer try to befriend the Americans. He would join the grownup Billy (Osceola) Powell and would become Red Sticks in the most vengeful, drawnout, and costly war the U.S. had yet fought. _____________________________________________________________________________ BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, October 7, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Early Residents And Roadways In 1840, a big change had been made in the area's settlers. The beginning of the Second Seminole War and the great freeze of five years before had driven many pioneers back home to Georgia and other points north. In neighboring Duval and Nassau counties, the residents complained to Washington City that "starvation and murder stared them in the face." A nationwide economic panic was probably felt only indirectly by the Cracker settlers but, nevertheless, it undoubtedly brought in new faces seeking new beginnings. The Constitutional Convention at St. Joseph in '38 seemed to make statehood inevitable and many opportunists flocked into the territory. Surely, some stopped in this area. From old maps, a rather approximated and estimated roadway (it would be more appropriate to refer to it as pathway and trailway) map of our area in 1840 has been prepared. Combined with the existing census report of that year, we can get a fair picture of where some of our ancestors lived in relation to each other. Beginning at Brandy Branch (topmost community on the extreme right), Bryant Hicks was the first settler within the old Columbia County line. There was much difficulty regarding just where the line lay, sometimes taking in much of present Nassau and Duval counties. Next, below Deep Creek (also called Big Creek) was the home of Jonothan Thigpen. Both gentlemen would be dead within a year as a result of an Indian raid. Swinging southwesterly across Trail Ridge, the next settlement was that of Mose Barber. Between him and the St. Mary's River lived Mary Norton, [Thomas H. Goolsby, Daniel Nortor and, possibly, John N. Fry. At the fork of the main river and its south prong, the trail turned west and curved northward. Along its route lived Asa Wilkinson, James Hogans, and James M. Burnsed. This trail ran into the Raulerson Ferry Road, and along it toward the east lived Samuel Davis, Abner Sweat and John Canaday (before he moved his house across the river into Georgia). Adjacent to and within the loop of the Raulerson Ferry Road were found the settlements of W.H. Williams, John D. Williams, Roland Williams, William Williams, Elizabeth Thompson, Samuel R. Sweat, Auck Johnson, Mary Beasly, John Osteen, Hiram Bennett and James Dees. Mr. Dees seems to have also lived along the old Tallahassee Road to the west. The ferry was owned and operated by William Raulerson, and from the ferry a trail led north to newly established Ft. Moniac at the confluence of the St. Marys and Moccasin Branch. Within eyesight was the Archibald Hogans place, and from there the trail skirted the south edge of the Okeefenokee Swamp and led into Georgia via Blount's Ferry. The residents near this stretch were James Albritton, John Tanner, Stephen Hall, Jacob I. Blount, John F. Webb, Zachariah Davis, Noel R. Raulerson, Joseph Locklear, L. Sparkmen, L.G. Sibley, Nancy Simpson and, turning back south along the Socum Road were Elizah Wilkinson and Eilsha Wilkinson. From the Williams settlement on the Middle Prong to the Green settlement on the South Prong, one can now only guess; those census records were lost by fire in Washington. From Elisha Green's to Alligator were Shadrack Hancock, Phebe Loper, John Sapp, Joseph Wilkinson, Littleton Smith, Samuel Barber, John J.H. Davis, Grandison Barber, Isaac Daniel, Jesse Wiggins, Absalom Wood, Richard Tullis (or Tillis), James Edwards (very near Ft. Olustee), James Gibson, John Powell, Job Manning, John Parks, Benjamin Moody, John Williams, Leng Pierce, James Dees, James Tullis, Ezekial Weeks and William Carver. This is not a complete list of area residents during 1840. Some records were destroyed, some of these pioneers moved every time the wind shifted, and the census takers would often rely on hearsay information. But, as close as we can get to it, that's the way it was 136 years ago. (Note cwm: Map omitted here.) _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, October 14, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Historical Potpourri (or a collection of interesting facts not detailed enough for separate articles but too good to not mention) Almost everyone who has searched for a word's meaning in a dictionary knows the frustration of getting sidetracked by the meanings of other words and eventually forgetting the original search. Such also happens in historical research. Many of these little gems are tantalizingly mentioned in dusty records and are never heard of again. This, then, is a collection of such odd-but-true tidbits of history. Among Baker County's largest land owners was Sir Edward J. Reed and his Lady Rosetta of Hextable, County of Kent, England. Sir Edward, a Member of Parliament, once purchased, among other things, 86,496 and 45/100 acres for the sum of $1,000,000. Sir Edward was writer, editor, ship designer, and financier. He is generally known as the father of the modern British navy, and his designs were used by the turn of the century by Turkey, Japan, Germany, Chile, and Brazil. Another interesting landowner was U.S. Grant, Jr. and his wife Fannie. They bought their land from Homer G. Tabor (apparently no relationship to our Tabers). Both Sir Edward and the President's son purchased their holdings in the early 1880's, and it is doubtful that either ever visited the area. Although Hon. Fred P. Cone was not from Baker County, Baker County felt he was its own. Probably more stories are told about him and his administration than any other. At his inauguration, his sister stated that she had always wanted to slide down the governor's mansion stairs bannister. She finally had her chance and did so. And, broke her leg. Gov. Cone told state archeologist Lamme that he didn't think the state needed an archeologist; it already had a state geologist. And, the Governor, as a legislator, in the 1913 legislative session introduced a bill for women's suffrage (an unpopular, issue then). Sen. Cone, after seeing, his bill's weak chance, substituted with another containing both women's suffrage and the grandfather clause which would disenfranchise Black men. He claimed everything would work out fine since they were just replacing one vote with another. It didn't pass. Sidney J. Catts, who as a gubernatorial candidate had said, the poor man of Florida had three friends, "Jesus Christ, Sears-Roebuck, and Sidney J. Catts", had been a strong runner in Bible Belt Baker County. But, six relatives on the payroll later, he had lost some of his charm. The MacClenny Standard, in 1920, endorsed his opponent Senator Fletcher by saying the Senator had done more on behalf of the newspaper fraternity, by way of preventing the paper manufacturer from going still further with their profiteerlng antics, than any other individual in Washington. His efforts shall not be overlooked here in his home state. Two of Baker County's most interesting industries were 'The Pecan and Pony Farm' at Olustee in 1915, and a Silk Farm east of MacClenny at about the same time. The fate of the Pecan and Pony Farm has not been learned, but the Silk Farm complete with Japanese and the assistance of Mr. Ambler Dowling failed because the proprietor, Mr. C.F. Barber, had been sold the wrong kind of Mulberries to provide silkworm food (the leaves). Snow blanketed the ground here in 1795. A meteorite struck the south end of county shortly after the turn of the century so violently that it rocked buggles in the north end of the county. Glen St. Mary's first drugstore was opened in 1884 by Dr. Horace Berry, formerly of Jacksonville and a native of Boston, Mass. He also operated a drugstore on Bay Street in Jacksonville, and has been given the dubious honor of bringing the yellow fever to Baker Cnunty. His house still stands in Glen. And, Baxter, Florida is the only known community ever transported completely to a governor's inauguration and paraded for all the world to see. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, October 21, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The British Colonial Period In Florida From 1763 to 1783, by reasons of the complexities of international politics, Florida belonged to England. That twenty year period did little to leave a lasting English influence, but it did create some major history-changing situations. For instance, although they were responsible for the earlier extermination of the aboriginal Florida Timuquas, the English welcomed their relatives the Apalachees (mostly scattered remnants bonded by a common language). The Apalachees (Hitchiti, Alachua and Muscogee, among others) moved into the empty peninsula and formed a buffer zone between the loyal English Colony of Florida and the rebellious Anglo-Americans to the north and the French and Spanish to the west. Old Spanish pathways were resurrected, Indian paths improved, and new trails cut. As best as can be determined by amateur history sleuthing, the accompanying map gives a fair idea of routes and settlements in our area during the British Colonial Period. The map is not in complete accord with historians, but it agrees very well with maps and reports made during that period of our history. Some of the spelling is lifted directly from those old sources. Note that some settlements and geographic features have different names than those we are accustomed to. The settlement of Traders Hill is almost as old as the Colony of Georgia and was a rather important hub of English traffic. From it came the Ridge Trail (later called the Yelvington Trail, Trail Ridge, and highway 228), the River Road (used as an alterntative during renegade raids on the old easterly Kings Road), and spurs to the original Kings Road and the military-Kings Road, built by British Gen. Howe. Northward from Traders Hill, the trail joined an ancient Indian and trading path that ran from the Savannah River into the Creek Nation of West Georgia and West Florida. Near present MacClenny-Baldwin, the cryptic name Anderson is listed on a 1776 map by Engineer De Brahn, Capt. Collet, Mouzon, and others. This could be either a settler or a trader. To his west, James Spaulding operated an Indian trading post near Ocean Pond, and the Hitchiti settlement of Olustee. As can be noted in modern Baker County lay within the Seminole hunting grounds as assigned by Gov. James Grant in 1765. No permanent white settler was supposed to have taken up residence there or even pass through witthout written permission or passport. Without the English use of the old Spanish Trail from Cowford west, the route might have been lost and never picked up by the U.S. military forty or fifty years later. The Spanish had found it to be time-consuming and unprofitable to go the northern route and had abandoned it. The English traders kept it beat out and it was evidently still visible and remembered when the Americans took over the territory. This trail is today, of course, the approximate route of I-10. Note cwm: Map omitted here. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, October 21, 1976 Historic Barber Home Is site Of Art Studio And Museum By Hank Heatherly The establishment of a new Art Gallery and Museum at the old Barber homestead south of Macclenny is going to bring about two important objectives for Baker County. It will move the present art classes and studio of our accompilshed local artist Gene Barber, who is this year's president of the Florida Federation of Art, to larger more managable quarters, and secondly it will keep one of our county's historic homesites from the slow death of neglect. The structure located west of SR 228 on Barber Road was originally built by C.F. Barber in 1889. The large rambling farmhouse is going to be divided into two main sections, one housing a museum of local county history and artifacts and the other to house the art gallery and separate classes and offices. Working out of the gallery, under the direction of Sally Daniels of Baldwin, will be the Macclenny Art Group. Formed in 1962, the group did not officially conduct business until 1974 when officers were elected and by-laws formed. It is this group that is doing most of the restoration work on the homestead. According to Gene, the traditional motiff at the homestead will reflect the staid leanings held by the group in selection of subject matter, a fact further reflected by glancing at the paintings that hang now on the walls of the new studio. The beauty and talent evident in most of the work of local artists more than compensates for any similarity in theme. Barber indicated he would like to see more adventure and liberalization in the work turned out by the studio this season. If painters are looking for that bit of tradition, the trappings of the old homesite will offer plenty of material for them. The history of the old farmhouse is in itself quite a story. It is located approximatley 50 feet west of the original Barber homesite, which in its own right was an imposing log cabin built by Arch Barber in 1829. Next to the log cabin and fronting the original Macclenny road was another structure, which contained such varied businesses as a photo shop and book bindery, and a post office. The photo shop and book bindery was used in conjunction with the old Turkey Creek Nursery for the making of catalogues. This was during the years of 1907 to 1919. The road used to go to a small settlement on the Atlantic Coast line called Nursery, which was in Baker County also. C.M. Barber had many unusual trees imported to the nursery, some of which remain and others which were unprofitable and did not fare well with the local insects. There is one large row of camphor trees still standing, they were brought to the nursery for the production of camphor oil but proved unsuitable when the cost of production could not be kept down. Also behind the present structure is a grove of tall bamboo, which was imported for fishing poles, but this again proved a mistake when it was learned that this particular variety of bambo had too great a distance between joints to be strong enough to withstand the pull of a fish. Across the road from the nursery offices, at the site of a barn present now, once stood a huge barn that the road actually ran through, although no one seems to know the purpose for such an arrangement. The old farmhouse has seen many historic faces. The evangelist Billy Graham once ate there as a small boy and Mrs. C.M. Barber was said to have given him some advice. Whether he took this advice to heart or not is not known, Other guests have included Florida Governors Fred Cone, Sidney Catts and Spessard Holland. The bedrooms had no closets and all clothing was kept in shiftrobes, or more well known, wardrobes. And the ceilings in the bedrooms very low, much in contrast to the downstairs rooms which had high celiings and large windows for cooling effect. Originally the house had a separate kitchen and you had to risk the weather to get to it, but this has since been rectified. Eating at the old farmstead followed a strict procedure. There were four tables in the dining room, at the first sat the menfold and guests, the second held the womenfold, the third house help and the fourth the youngsters. Which is quite a change from today when the children always seem to be fed first at all gatherings. During the Baxter Rebellion as many as 100 guests were fed dinner each day of the trial at the farmhouse. The immediate area of the farmhouse still has much of its charm. The trees have air plants suspended in their branches. And there is even a large spruce tree that is doing the impossible by reaching old age in an prohibitive climate. The work being done now by Gene Barber and the Macclenny Art group is helping all of us. They are not trying to live in the past, but more, they are trying to give us something to gauge the directions of our community and keep the future in a proper perspective. Some of the functions coming up for the group include a showing at the First Guarantee Bank of Jacksonville and a show with the Beta Sigma Phi sorority Winter Arts and Crafts Show on December 4th. Also this week on October 22nd, 23rd and 24th the group is having a display in Jacksonville's Normandy Mall. The Macclenny Art Group is open to all interested persons and new members are warmly received. Curiosity about our county's past, or maybe a talent for painting that you would like to develop, or just a desire to enrich your life with art, are all excellent, reasons to stop by and join in our county's culture. Note cwm: This Studio/Museum is now closed. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, October 28, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber The War Of 1812 To Cracker Horse Trading When the British marched up the St. Marys River in 1814, for the purpose of destroying the valuable Clark sawmill on Spanish Creek, (near present Folkston) Capt. Cone's Georgia Militia successfully repulsed them. Among those Mounted Riflemen was a young man named Obadiah Garrett. After being mustered out of the Georgia Calvalry young Obe returned to his home in old Effingham County. The land along the St. Marys, unbroken and promising opportunities, remained strongly in his mind. Around 1822, he married (believed for the second time). and moved his wife to a claim northwest of Traders Hill and erected a long house on a rise near a small sand-bottom creek. The site is now known as the J.H. Johnson place. Making the move with Obe were his sister Mahaly and her family (married name unknown), a brother Charles, a brother or nephew named Charney and a brother William. They were the children of William Garrett of Virginia (Revolutionary Soldier). He moved his family into North Carolina during or before the War of Independence and later into Georgia onto bounty land. Billy Bolech (Bowlegs) and his renegade Seminoles, who recognized no treaties between the Creek Confederacy and the U.S., began to boldly venture out of their hiding places within the Okeefeenokee Swamp to raid the ever increasing white settlements nearby. In either 1830 or '32, a large number of his band skirted it. Alert at Traders Hill and quietly surrounded the Garrett settlement, Obe was about a mile away in the fields. His wife and their four small children were on the creek bank washing clothes. When he saw smoke billowing above the pines between his house and himself, he jumped on his horse and rushed home. The little house and all the outbuildings were already consumed by flames and he saw the last of the Seminoles at a great distance disappearing in the direction of the swamp. In the creek swamp among the blood-spattered palmettos he found the murdered and scalped bodies of his wife and three of the children. The surviving child, John, had escaped and hidden from the orgy of slaughter. He responded to his father's grieving cries and crawled from the underbrush. The two were soon joined by neighbors who had been spared the gruesome visit of Bowlegs. Some rode hard to warn other settlers, some went for troops at Ft. Alert, and others readied the bodies for burial. Some of the riders discovered that Obadiah's sister Mahaly and family had also been victims of Bowlegs. A mass burial and services were conducted in a nearby field now known as the Hinton Gay, or Courtney, place. Obe and his son left the burned-out farm for Traders Hill where he worked at a mill & posibly as a blacksmith. He soon remarried to Miss Mary Murray, thought to be a daughter of Richard Murray. His son John died young (legend says drowned in the St. Marys or was murdered), but Mary soon presented him with four children to ease his sadness. After Seminole hostilities ceased in 1842, the Garrett family moved to near Ft. Moniac on the Georgia side, farming and milling. When Charlton County was created in 1854 and Traders Hill became a growing and prosperous town, Obe returned there to ply another trade, horse-swapping. Four years later, a murder was attributed to two slaves. The victim Henry Jones, was a customer of Mr. Garrett's (no one took into account that the young Mr. Jones had engaged in activities which might have aggravated the unfortunate incident). Dr, C.E. Ballard, owner of the slaves, was also a highly regarded horse customer. When a resolution was signed by the adult white males of Charlton County that the slaves be hanged (as they indeed were, the trapdoor rope being taken in hand by each signer), Mr. Garrett's name did not appear on the document. Whether his refusal to place his signature with the others was due to his earlier situation of killing or to his better judgement regarding business can never be decided, but he became an unpopular citizen of Charlton County afterward. Three of his sons, William, Charles, and George, volunteered for service during the Civil War. William and Charles served for the duration of the war, but George 'retired' from active military service early in the conflict. Charles might have died in the war; his young widow married a Mr. Dobbs during the 70's and moved to Tallahassee. William married Henrietta 'Henny' Murray of Charlton. They moved to Moniac where several children were born. He later removed to the Macedonia section of Baker County, farmed, and died. George, a horse-trader, was three-times married and lived in Traders Hill, Macedonia, MacClenny, and Jacksonville. He also had a large family. one to several children by each of his wives. His last wife, a widow, brought a whole slew of Strickland gals to the household. A daughter Sarah married a Kersey (probably William or Morgan), and she later died in the 1888 yellow fever epidemic. Her newborn baby died also and was buried in the mother's arms in Woodlawn Cemetery. Old Obe lived his last years in Traders Hill watching the town die. And, when it had died, so did he. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, November 4, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber How The County Figured In The Election Of 1876 [Ed. Note: We thought this chapter would be of particular interest this week, since it not only coincides with the national election but occurred 100 years ago this week.] The occupation of Florida by Federal troops and Reconstruction forces was into its eleventh year. A national election was coming up and the vast majority of Floridians was hardly more than moderately concerned. Since the end of the war eleven years earlier, most had been concentrating on feeding & clothing themselves, oblivious to politics. However, the fact that the controlling people in Tallahassee were "not our kind of people" and blacks were given the vote and were often dominent in local politics (most southern white democrat males had been disenfranchised), those who could, went to the polls on November 7th to cast their votes for the "old way." If the republicans could be accused of using less than ethical and constitutional means to keep democrats away from the polls, the democrats were as guilty of using any means, mostly lawless, to intimidate republicans and blacks on that day. The telegraph lines were destroyed at several places & at least three trestles between Jacksonville and Tallahassee were burned on the morning of the 7th, including the one between Darbyville and the future Glen St. Mary. At 4 pm the state was unsurprisingly conceded to the republicans. Congratulatlons were sent to Lt. Gov. Marcellus L. Stearns (former U.S. soldier from Maine and former Freedmen's Bureau offical) on his election as governor. The state canvassers still had to make everything official, and the republican headquarters in New York requested they hurry because the result of the national ticket depended on Florida. George F. Drew democratic nominee for governor and another New Englander, contested the results. Crowds began to gather in the streets, emboldened by their 'almost win'. In Jackson County, local politicians attempted to transfer the republican votes to the democrat side of the returns. Telegraph lines were again cut, roads picketed with Cracker vigilantes. The general apathy which characterized the beginning of the election had changed to enthusiastic wholesale lawlessness and charges and countercharges. In a letter to ex-Senator Thomas W. Osborn, former Lt. Gov. Stearns said, "I am convinced that it was the intention of the democrats to make the returns show 100 majority for the Tilden electors and they would have succeeded in making them show 90 majority as they claim if one of their own counties had not failed them. This was Baker County - a small democratic county which gave 90 democratic majority, but was returned by the county canvassers, by throwing out two precincts. In Baker County, there was no republican candidate for the legislature but the seat was hotly contested for by democratic regular nominee, B.H. Gurganus, and an independent candidate, George P. Canova. Mr. Canova was among the most unreconstructed rebels in the county. Mr. Gurganus attempted to be a 'party man' who traveled the moderate constitutional path. The Canova faction, headed by county judge William Driggers, demanded the tossing out of two precincts which had given a majority to Gurganus. The democratic party attorneys urged the state canvassers to investigate the "fraud in Baker County", and set in motion a sweeping months-long recanvassing throughout the state. As the state and nation waited, the Baker Countians continued to fight among themselves and among their party, not caring that they, unintentionally, had set the wheels in motion that returned the state for democratic nominee George F. Drew and pushed the electoral college votes over line for Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes. In time, President Hayes put an end to the hated Reconstruction politics in the south; Dem. Gov. Drew instituted reforms to aid the state in becoming fiscally sound; ex-Gov. Stearns, an increasingly bitter man, continued to wage a hopeless battle to regain control of state politics; Mr. Canova relinquished his seat in the legislature as having been unfairly gained; Mr. Gurganus died in the 1886 yellow fever epidemic; and Judge Driggers' home precinct of Sapp, one of the 'tossed out' precincts, is now no more than a broad stretch of reforested, thinly-populated pine lands. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday November 11, 1976 Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Republic Of East Fla. The main reason for the study of history is to become acquainted with the events and situations of the past and thus, if necessary, be prepared to not make the same mistakes in the future; no argument with that. But, it's a sad waste that some history isn't included in the books just for the sake of good reading. The Patriots' War or northeast Florida which began in 1812 and lasted intermittently until they were tired of the fun was such a romantic interlude in the Florida story. Connections to our Baker County area is but hinted at in the meager records and much conjecture. Since President Jefferson's tenure, he and a large number of Southern warhawks had been itching for a fight with Spain in order to collect Florida as the spoils of the victor. The nation could be better protected if the entire Atlantic seaboard were under the U.S. flag, and, after the "Louisiana Purchase, they were all heady with size and possession. Among the legal, advertised, and moral reasons for acquistion of the Florida colony were cutting off illegal slave importation, clear out the pirates' nests, and stop the raids into Georgia and Carolina by Spanish-harbored Seminoles and white renegades. It seems that little thought was given to the facts that the indignation expressed by the enraged southern-dominated Congress was coming from slave owners and sellers, the citizens of south Georgia liked the high quality and low prices of the pirates goods, and that many of the renegade raiders' leaders were relatives or countrymen of the Congressmen. In 1811 Congress secretly authorized Pres. James Madison to plan and implement the takeover of northeast Florida. As simply as things like wars and colony-grabbing can be stated, (1) Spain had opened her erstwhile closed colony to American settlers; (2) many moved in between the 1790's and 1812 and filled the vicinity of present Nassau and Duval Counties; (3) John Mcintosh, a planter, planted by the U.S., was to incite a rebellion of the Americans against alleged maltreatment by the Spanish government; (4) the U.S. army was to move in to protect U.S. citizens; and (5) we would accept the offer of a provisional citizens government and never let go. From his home on Ft. George Island north of the St. Johns, Mcintosh sent out a call to the Cracker pioneers of Florida and the many fifth column soldiers-of-fortune to meet with him on the banks of the St. Marys River. They called themselves 'Patriots', formed the government of the Republic of East Florida, and elected McIntosh President. Gen. George Matthews of the U.S. Army camped north of the St. Marys awaiting the Patriots first blow. While there, he rounded up many volunteers from among the south Georgia fold to help 'liberate' their downtrodden countrymen in Florida. Among the volunteers were a number of Greens, Prevatts, Staffords, Daniels, Sparkmans, O'Steens, Wingates and several other whose names are now familiar on Baker County census rolls. The army crossed the St. Marys, probably near Coleraine, joined Mcintosh's Patriots, and quickly took Fernandina. That was so much fun that Matthews and Mcintosh decided to do the same with St. Augustine and all of East Florida. Taking St. Augustine has never been a picnic (the fort has never been taken by siege). To make matters worse, many of the American planters formed home militias, guerilla units, or joined the Spanish Army in order to defend themselves against the 'freedom' of having their homes burned, cattle and horses stolen, and crops destroyed by the Patriots and Georgians. Since Congress and President Madison were also picking a war with England at the same time and the St. Augustine venture was becoming expensive and embarassing, they sent replacement for Gen. Matthews, apologized deeply to the Spanish government, and retired. The Patriots mostly escaped to Georgia, many to the Bend, and Mcintosh was left to the pleasure of Spain. Whether because of coercion from Washington, a sense of mercy, or being just plain tired, Spain released Mcintosh, as one historian so well put it, "on his promise to behave." _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, November 18, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Spanish Florida Seen Through The Eyes Of A Northern Visitor After the so-called Patriots War (see last week's PRESS), northeast Florida entered into another period of pirates infestation (among whom was Jean Lafitte) along its marshes and waterways. To worsen matters for the legitimate settlers in the Nassau and Duval Counties vicinity Andrew Jackson and the U.S. had pushed the western Creeks into what became known as the First Seminole War, and it spread rapidly throughout East Florlda. No historian, expert or amateur, can describe the situation as well as the most, mundane letter contemporary of the period. Such a letter is included below. It was written in Fernandina in 1818, sent across the St. Marys to the town of St. Marys and placed in the U.S. mail (Florida was still Spanish territory, even though northeast Florida was mostly in the hands of the U.S. or freebotters). Charles Millard, the writer, was from New York. He was very observant, mentioning all the common 'trademarks' of Florida; alilgators, Indians, swamps, fruit, and the weather. He omitted, however, those items that usually begin the list for latter-day visitors, such as the prices and the laziness and ignorance of the locals. Mr. Millard, not particularly noted for his permanence around manual labor nor for his erudition, did better sticking to gator and weather. (edited) Dear Brother, My agreement is to stay on this island (Amelia Island) in Mr. Seton's store until the first of October and then go to the mill and stay on til the first of January and then I am at liberty to go where I please. My pay is $25 per month. The people are considerably alarmed about the Indians up the Nassau, but I went to bed with my gun and pistol within reach and slept very sound. Nassau River runs very crooked, with large marshes on each side from one to three miles wide. Although the mill is in the woods, I could see off across the marsh at least six miles. I saw a number of alligators up the river but did not shoot any. I had one very good chance but my gun flashed twice so I was obliged to be contented with shooting some large birds along the shore. I was three days up the river, rowed by four large negroes. This place is famous for pirates. There has been at least three or four vessels taken since I have been here. Whether they fitted out near here I cannot say. At all events, they come here to smuggle in there goods. There is one vessel off the bar now that is sunk in about six fathems water. They have four men in custody who were on board. They came to St. Marys (Georgia) and reported that the vessel was struck by a white squall and upset and that the captain and mate were wounded and that they were passengers and owned the cargo. It is now reported that the captain and mate were both murdered. It will not be ascertained until they get her up, which will be soon. There has been a number of trunks of goods found secreted in different directions along shore. The troops here are healthy except for fever and ague. They parade twice a day. They have a band of music which plays every evening until nine o'clock which makes it very pleasant here. (To be continued, telling of the wickness of the place.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS; Thursday, November 25, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Everyday Life In Northeast Fla. - A Second Part. Last week, we began a letter written by young Mr. Charles Millard, Jr. of New York from Fernandina describing the pirates, Indian War, and geography of the place. This concludes the letter. "I wrote you in my last letter by mail that you must not write until you heard from me - for that occasion I have written you as soon as possible, for I want to hear from you very much. "I had some idea of enclosing some money to you for to get me some few articles, but I concluded it might not be safe, therefore I did not do it. If you have the money to spare, I wish you would buy me two white (as best as can be deciphered these two words might be 'mosquito nets') of pretty good quality. Also one pair of shoes. Let them be made at the shop where I got one pair. You will let them measure your foot. I think your foot and mine are about of a size. Do not buy these articles until you have a chance of sending them. Send the bill and I will send you the money first opportunity. If Capt. Done, Brig-Porter, has left there, I think you will have an opportunity by the schooner Madison, Capt. Sawyer. Do not fail to write as soon as you receive this and let Father know that I have concluded to stay here so that he may write. Direct your letters to me to the care of Robert R. Henry, St. Marys. "I understand by the papers you have had warmer weather with you than we have had here. The thermometer has not been higher than ninety seven here except once, and then ninety nine. "We have watermelons plenty here. Some peaches but not very good. "I frequently hear of murders and swindlers here or at no great distance. The people here play billiards, fiddle, and dance on Sunday as much as any other day. "I heard of Mr. Lezer's son Plexer. He was clerk in the hospital under the Patriots (see the PRESS, Nov. 11) but he since enlisted in the United States service and then ran away. "Business is very dull at present. We do not average, in the store, ten dollars a day, which makes my work very litte (sounds like 1976). "Give my love to Father and all my brothers and sisters, and likewise all enquiring friends. This from your affectionate brother." Meanwhile, up the St. Marys River and 158 years later in Baker County, the official Bicentennial compilation of the county history is slowly progressing. But, very surely, the pages and chapters are falling into place and will soon be in the hands of the editors. Our project is partly funded by a grant from the Florida Bicentennial Commission, and all such works are required to be completed by the 31st of December. The local Committee and the writer intends to comply with the rules. We are pleased to report some volunteer aid and information over the past year. We had hoped for more material on area families' histories, churches, Blacks, education, and the community of Olustee. We anticipate some criticism because of a lack of sufficient coverage on these and other subjects. There is still time for a last minute offering of photographs, old letters, ledgers, maps, etc. There is no great mysterious history source book hidden away under the capitol at Tallahassee into which only the elect may look and learn. History material comes partly from public records (census, tax rolls, court dockets, etc.), and the rest comes from your attics, family Bibles, memories, and cedar chests. Our address is "County History, P.O. Box 523, Macclenny, Florida, 32063." _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, December 2, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber Prehistoric Man In Baker County There is no subject in new world history that is more disagreed on and more fraught with differing opinions than the American Indians of the period from prehistory through the early 19th century. There seems to be general agreement, however, that early man entered the north American continent from 10 to 20 thousand years ago. In addition to the older theory that most came be way of the island or land bridge between Alaska and Siberia, many more enlightened anthropologists think that others came by boat from Europe and Polynesia. Radio-carbon dating (of which the writer understands little and suggests the reader check it in an encyclopedia) places some projectile points (arrows, spears, darts) at a date of 10,000 B.C. These were found with bones in Florida springs and rivers, and, give or take a couple of millennia, show that man was, or could have been, here at that time. There are sites in Baker County where a large number of some types of points, dated 7,000 to 5,000 B.C., have been found. Three areas, Brickyard (Willingham) Branch in south Macclenny, Litered Bridge near Taylor, and Greens' Creek south of Sanderson have been particularly rich in prehistoric projectile points, certainly an indication of the habitation or visitation of early man. The Brickyard Branch site yielded mostly stemmed (a projection on the bottom for securing to a shaft) scrapers and knives (see accompanying photo, second row from the bottom plus the blunt blades above them). These tools of hideworking and butchering are good clues to a camp site. The large pockets of chert (the material from which the points were made) chips and broken points found extensively in the Powell Bluff area is a further indication of a headquarters type site. The Greens' Creek points are made of the same low grade chert containing fossils as was found throughout the Alachua country, dating from about 8,000 to 5,000 B.C. The extreme lower right point is from that vicinity, but is of a better grade material. A few points made of fossilized brain coral (bottom row, center) and quartz are occasionaly found with the poorer chert types. The brain coral can be found easily south of the county and quartz was probably obtained in trade or brought down by bands moving into Florida from Georgia and Alabama. The experts disagree on the unstemmed points in the upper left. They are called, among many other things, bird points, fish points, the most archaic points, imported western points, etc. All we know is that they are found with all other types and are scattered about the entire county, and this leads us to believe they were made by different people for one common purpose. Most of the Litered Bridge points are of the side notched (extreme right, 2nd row from top) and corner notched (3rd from left, top row) and were probably arrow heads for deer and smaller animals and large fish. To date, no very early points of 10,000 to 8,000 B.C. are known to have been found within the county, but they might be buried so deeply that they just have not been uncovered. Very little evidence of pottery has been found here and now known to be found with the earliest projectile points. Pottery sherds have been discovered in mounds near the okefenokee, near Taylor tower, between Big and Little Gum Swamps, north of Ocean Pond and along Trail Ridge south of Macclenny. The finds were small an not of high quality. Evidently the early people found local farming poor and moved on before developing towns and pottery. Note cwm: Picture omitted here. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, December 9, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS--Gene Barber A Letter From 1876 (All the mistakes and lack of punctuation is copied exactly) Mary Ann Hicks was the illegitimate daughter of a young Creek girl and an unknown father. Adopted by Leke Sparkman of Camden County, she returned to her native Florida many years later as the wife of Cherokee-Irish Eli Hicks. When reading the letter below keep in mind Mary Ann had only three months schooling and that the letter was written by her own hand. The penmanship is superb, the spelling and punctuation a bit crude, and the wording now considered quaint, but the thoughts and pain are as real as today. (copied as written) "S. of Georgia Charlton County, October 8th 1876 "Dear Son and daughter with a Sorrowfull heart I address you with a few lines that we are in moderate health what is alive of us tho in the most trouble we ever have experienced in our lives truly hoping this come Safe to hand and find you enjoying the blessing of good health We have the fatal news to write to you of the death of our beloved Son Robert he had Some money due him up at the Olustee Station and went up to try to collect it and Sum difficulty with a man by the name of George Cooper and the Said Cooper stabed him in the breast and he died in about ten or 15 minutes it was don on the 6th of (a capital S was scratched out) instant We have no Strait accounts yet the boys went up and brought him down and we bury him today up at the old place on the prong at the old burying ground where the old folks is buryed (Macedonia Cemetery) dear children it dont appear like we can ever bear it no tonge can express the trouble we are in "I would be glad to See you my dear children to Mourn with us tho as you are not with (us) you must Remember us in our tribulation do write to us as Soon as you Can and let (us) know how you are and when you expect to be here "(a capital I is crossed out) we will close by subscribing ourselves your loving father and Mother till death "Eli Hicks Mryann Hicks "To Robert H Copeland and Maryann Copleland" Mary Ann Sparkman Hicks had lost a brother in an Indian attack and saw her small son shot before her eyes during another Indian raid while living at Macedonia. Another son did not return from the Civil War. She later lost two other sons by violent deaths. She lived the last few years of her life in insanity. _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, December 16, 1976. Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber A Cracker Christmas - Part One By now, most of us are aware that much of Christmas originally had nothing to do with Christ's birth and was instituted as a holiday several hundred years after His death. The church fathers could not whip the ancient pagan habits, so they sort of joined them, or adopted them. When we preach that this festive day began as a holy day and has been corrupted into nothing more than ful-filled day, we are probably preaching in reverse what our medieval ancestors complained of. They saw what used to be a lovely pagan bash being absorbed and destroyed by the big boys in Rome. Except for the heyday of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, Christmas has never been observed with more practices of organized Christian religion. However, we can be grateful that those old naughty pagan ancestors of ours (who, by-the-way, are responsible for our language, basic manners toward one another, our sense of humor, etc. etc.) are not completely forgotten. We still celebrate their old ways in their memory. Mainly, because we like it. It is interesting, if not downright spooky, to trace Baker County Christmas beliefs and habits back to the forests of northern Europe. Sometimes, we can see an unbroken tradition for perhaps 20 thousand (a million?) years kept alive and well by genetic memory. While Adam and family were enjoying perfection in Eden, the rest of us dwelling here in the Land of Nod were getting mighty tired of long dark winters, killing and being killed, starving, and working. As near as we could determine the middle of winter and the beginning of a new solar year (viewing the heavens took the place of TV and all night was prime time), we chose that as the time to break loose. And, we broke loose for approximately two weeks (mighty near the same time period as the 12 days of Christmas). Greenery was brought into the huts and communal lodges to decorate and remind us of spring a'coming. Flowers were a bit scarce in northern Europe in winter, so berried foliage (holly and mistletoe) sufficed. So, while the rather prissy New Englanders were banning Christmas celebrations as being popish, and the Dutch and German tree decorations had not made it south yet, crackers in Baker County were twining cedar, holly, and smilax over the mantles as did their forbears. Christmas trees were late reaching Baker County, only a few families putting them up as late as the Civil War. The large influx of northerners after the war was the real beginning of our decorated trees. A little midwinter gluttony was in order for old time Celts and Teutonic tribes starved for fats and sweets. Wild hogs were killed and the choice parts served for the midwinter feasts. Crackers continue to eat smoked hog Jowls (no self-respecting cracker would pronounce that word to rhyme with 'bowels' but rather with 'bowls'), and combines it with black-eyed peas and rice for New Year's. The ancients steamed puddings of dried fruits, tallow, and honey. The English later called it plum pudding, but American Anglo-Saxons in the south improved it, and now the world knows it as fruit cake. The writer remembers the ladies beginning before Thanksgiving cutting up fruit, etc., for several nights before the fireplace, baking and/or steaming the cake ten to twelve hours in a slow burning wood stove. Extra logs were cut and dried months in advance to light the all night pagan feasts. Chain saws were difficult to come by in 10,000 B.C., so the several days chore of laying in a fire log supply was eased by attaching religious signifigance to it. Eventually, the very sane idea of retaining a fat, cured starter log for next year happened, and it became the Yule Log. Baker Countians might have lost the year to Year Yule Log practice, but most unconsciously kept the fire tradition alive by keeping the fireplace filled and stoked all Christmas Eve night. The idea was to have a warm cabin for the children to wake to (a luxury) when they dug into their stockings under their beds for an apple or orange (more luxuries). _____________________________________________________________________________ THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, December 30, 1976, Page Two THE WAY IT WAS - Gene Barber An Incident Of The Seminole War - Part One "Many have been the victims who have fallen beneath the tomahawk, or before the Indian arrow or rifle; of these some have been scalped after, and some undoubtedly before life became extinct;, but few have survived the combined effects of the rifle, the scalping knife and fire, as occurred in the case of the young lady, whose sufferings we are now about to detail." Thus began the narrative of the life and sufferings of Mrs. Jane Johns as written by a contemporary who was hoping to sell copies, the receipts of which would aid her financial plight. Mrs. Johns, her-ln-laws, and husband had connections with present Baker County families, and she and her husband, Clement Johns, lived near the banks of the north prong of Black Creek, not far from the present Baker-Clay-Duval Counties junction (Highland or Long Branch section). Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, moved to Spanish Florida soon after the beginning of the 19th century and settled on Trout River in western Duval County. In 1813, a Seminole uprising was instigated by the Spanish against certain American settlers between the St. Johns and the St. Marys in retaliation for their plots against the Spanish government. Some Americans were killed, and the Halls fled by boat down the St. Johns to Pearson's Island where, in the rain and open, Jane Hall (later Mrs. Jane Johns) was born. When the Seminoles ceased hostilites the following winter, the Halls returned to the interior and homestead on Sweetwater Branch. There, they survived the most severe portion of the First Seminole War, but were attacked in 1821 by a band of Bolech's (Billy Bowlegs) Okeefeenokee group. Little Jane lost a brother during this attack. An uncle, a Mr. Carter, was seriously maimed, and her neighbors along the St. Marys, the Lanes, were butchered by the Indians. After the 1821 raid, the Halls removed to the St. Marys River across from Ft. Alert (Traders Hill), and remained until the Seminoles again ceased their attacks. The Hall Family next traveled south along Trail Ridge to present Bradford County and settled on New River not far from present Raiford at a now defunct village called Alachua (not to be confused with the present town of that name). There, in 1836, married Clement Johns, "a young man of excellent character and of industrious habits". The newlyweds rented a farm on the Jacksonville-Alachua Road (the southern route of the Jacksonville-Tallahassee Road), and awaited the birth of Mrs. Johns' first child. The year was 1836. The month was a hot September. News had just reached Jacksonville of a Seminole raid on the Higganbotham farm west of Jacksonville. According to the Jacksonville Courier, Maj. Hart and several militarized townsmen rushed to their rescue. There, they found no one injured, but all badly shaken (more on the Higganbotham raid in a later article). The troops immediately hit the Indians' trail which had led from Brandy Branch, split toward Trail Ridge and McGirt's Creek, and aimed south toward Black Creek and Alachua County. Maj. Hart's men did not find the Seminoles, but at the McCormick farm, rented out to Clement and Jane Johns, they found gruesome evidence of their visit. "On examination, Major Hart states they found the calcined bones of a human being burned in the house. A piece of the back bone was found with some flesh upon it. The skull was to be seen, but at the touch it fell into crumbled pieces. The bones were mostly reduced to ashes. Near the house was found a quantity of hair, to appearance that of a female. They rode hard to the Lowder place, expecting the same sight. The house was untouched, dinner still warm on the table, but the family gone. The next farm was that of the Sparkmans. What they discovered there, and the COURIER'S ensuing description, would remind us that violence and sensationalism-journalism is not a product of the 20th century. To be continued