Florida - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Jim Taylor and Adeline "Daught" Steele

pagirl123 — 3 Oct 2007 2:21:27 GMT

Jim Taylor was my gg grandfather. Family lore states that he was born in Coffee Cty, Alabama. He married Adeline Steele sometime between 1885 and 1890. Adeline who was called "Daught", was born July 15, abt 1856-8 and according to her death certificate she was born in Laurel Hill, Florida. She and Jim lived in Laurel Hill. Her father was Peter Steele and her mother was Emily Carter. Jim and Adeline had two sons Josephus born Apr 2, 1890 and Herbert Henry born Jan 25,1896.
Family lore states that Jim Taylor worked at the post office in Laurel Hill as a mail carrier. He got into some trouble for stealing money around the time the youngest child Herbert was 9 months old. He hightailed it to Texas (Dallas area???) before he could be arrested. He left his family in Laurel Hill. Rumor has it that he was involved in oil wells in Texas. He came back to the family in Laurel Hill on Jan 22, 1913 as written in my ggrandmother's bible and stayed with them for a little while but when he couldn't persuade Adeline to move to Texas with him...he left again, supposedly for Texas. The family never heard from him again. The old folks say that Adeline would never speak of Jim. They also say that he had several different "families". The only other thing we are aware of is that he had at least two sisters, one named Ann and one named Nancy. If this sounds familier to anyone please, please reply. Jim is a big stumbling block in my research.
Rene
pagirl@epix.net

Running from the law

Jerrie_Jackson_McIngvale — 27 Apr 2003 1:48:35 GMT

Supposedly, my grandfather, Edward Charles Bates, a lawyer and judge who also dealt in real estate was run out of Florida, literally, by the law. He was involved in land deals that turned sour, they say. He and others bought up some land and decided to grow pineapples on it. The pineapples grew to ENORMOUS size and all involved thought they were going to be rich. Not realizing the soil did was not conducive to growing pineapples, when they cut into one it was mostly hollow and rotten inside. My uncles say that their father came home and told them to grab everything they could and get into their car. My one uncle grabbed his books as he loved to read. I am not sure what the others grabbed as the sherrif was coming to arrest my grandfather.

I have on record that the family was living in Tampa in 1924. I am searching for records concerning my grandfather. Trying to find who is parents were.

Edward Charles Bates, b. March 6, 1886 in CT, d. Oct. 26, 1930. Married Laura Irene Evans, dau. of Elijah Asbury Evans and Dollie Susan Cecelia Townsend in Pearl, Coryell, TX.

Children:
Dorothy Bates
Edward Bates
Evans Bates

Garden City, Florida

melissareeves_1 — 31 Mar 2005 5:37:24 GMT

Family legend is that my husband's Grandfather killed the sheriff in Garden City, Florida then hopped on a train and escaped. This would have happened between late 1890's and early 1900's. His Grandfather was named Joseph DeCalb Reeves.

I am looking for anyone who may know of this incident or has a way of looking it up.

Florida stories: Excursions to the Coast

Donna Warlick — 14 May 2003 1:23:35 GMT

Yard Brooms

Donna Warlick — 26 May 2003 8:01:30 GMT

Sister swept the yard....
When I was a child in the late 30's everyone in the country kept the yards around their houses swept clean. This was to keep debris away from the house in case of a fire. It also was to make it so that you could see snakes in the yard.
We had to sweep the yards every Saturday and to do this we used big bundles of sticks put together as a broom. My Grandmother and Grandfather would go into the woods and cut gallberry bushes for yard brooms. These would be tied with rubber intertubing and used all during the year. I think they chose gallberry bushes as they had lots of small branches that made sweeping leaves easier.
Sometime in the early 40's my Grandmother found large bamboo rakes on sale and bought two of them for us. It made raking much easier for all of us.
Having a leaf blower has certainly made yard work easier these days.

Wakulla Springs

Donna Warlick — 26 May 2003 7:57:42 GMT

My sister's trips to Wakulla Springs....

Sometime in the late 30's or early 40's our Powell grandparents took my sister and me to Wakulla Springs. They had just made a Tarzan movie there with Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan. The big diving bell they had used for underwater photography was still on the beach.
Wakulla Springs’ water is always 72 degrees and even on a hot day you will feel like you are freezing. My sister and I would run in and out of the water.
When I was in high school in 1948 and 1949 our Junior-Senior Banquets were always held at Wakulla Springs Lodge. The girls were all dressed in evening gowns and the boys in suits. We ate, and then adjourned to the main room for an evening of dancing. This was the highlight of our school year.
On my last day in high school in May 1949 my classmates and I signed in at school. We had already made plans to play hooky that day. Two of the classmates had cars so 12 of us piled into the cars and headed to Wakulla Springs. We spent the day swimming, dancing and having a grand old time. Some of us were pretty sunburned when we donned those caps and gowns for our graduation service that night but we had had a wonderful fun day at Wakulla Springs.

St. Augustine trips

Donna Warlick — 16 May 2003 1:21:20 GMT

Sister takes a trip...

When we lived in Jacksonville in the early 1940's we took a trip down to St. Augustine one Sunday. As we drove along the highway between Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine my stepfather would point out the anti-aircraft guns hidden in the sand dunes along the beach. We felt sorry for the poor soldiers who had to man those guns.
We visited the oldest schoolhouse and the old fort. We walked around the town and had an enjoyable day.
When I was in high school in Havana, Florida our Junior-Senior trips were always to St. Augustine and Marineland. We left Havana early in the morning on school buses. This was in 1948-1949. We stopped at the Suwannee River for a picnic lunch. We went on to Marineland, then spent the night in St. Augustine Beach. On Saturday we were turned loose in the town and went to the old fort, schoolhouse and other attractions. We returned home about l0.00 p.m.
Most of us had spent all our money and were some pretty tired kids when we got home.

The original recyclers

Donna Warlick — 16 May 2003 1:15:38 GMT

Saturdays in Jacksonville

Donna Warlick — 14 May 2003 1:31:38 GMT

Written by Barbara Boynton:

When my sister and I lived in Jacksonville during 1942-1945, we were given an allowance each week. My sister got $l.50 and I got 50 cents. Every Saturday morning a group of kids from our neighborhood would get together and ride the city bus to downtown Jacksonville. It cost 5 cents to ride the bus. We got off the bus and walked 2 or 3 blocks to the Florida Theater for a movie. After the movie was over we would walk another couple of blocks to a Krystal hamburger place. We got a Krystal for ten cents, a coke for five cents. The movie cost 25 cents; lunch 15 cents and our ride 10 cents so I had used up my allowance.
My sister always had money enough to buy a lipstick, book, or a box of covered almonds.
On one of these Saturday adventures there was this skinny singer named Frank Sinatra who came on doing a show for war bonds and stamps. All of the girls in the audience went crazy when this skinny fellow started singing. He was skinny, had a big nose and a big Adam's apple and I could not see what excited all those girls.
A lot of Saturdays we would know some move star or a big band would be in town for War Bond drives. We would get up early and ride in with our stepfather so we could get good places to see the parades. We saw Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Veronica Lake and others. We heard Harry James, Tony Pastor, Benny Goodman, Sammy Kaye and Artie Shaw.
After a stint at the theatre many of the big bands would perform that night at the Roosevelt Hotel where they drew large crowds and raised a lot of money.

Saturdays were the highlight of our week.

Middleburg families:Buddington,Richard,Morgan,Hill.

BarbaraCoombs44 — 18 Sep 2003 12:02:50 GMT

There is a story about my great great Grandmother and Oceola, the Indian. Once when he escaped from captivity in St.Augustine he came through Middleburg in the night and stopped on Mary Olmstead Buddington Richard's land. She is said to have heard him and went outside to see. He threated to kill her and her children. She begged to be spared, with her children. She promised Oceola that if the baby she was carrying was a boy she would name him for Oceola. His name was Henry Oceolawhen he was born.

CUDGE SPARKMAN

lavhamm1 — 17 Apr 2003 3:57:49 GMT

I have a picture of Fernando D. (Uncle Cudge) Sparkman and Frank James. It was taken at Gaitor, in now Marion County during the Civil War. It is purported that Frank, was recuperating from wounds received in a Quantrell raid. Now he oly way I can figure there to be a Florida connection for the James boys id Uncle Cudge 3 nephews, the sons of John Lee Sparkman Sr of Campville Alachua Co. His 3 sons went to Texas under mysterious circumstances. They were John Lee Jr, Wade Madison and Franklin Isaac Cheeves Sparkman.

This picture has been verified by the James Museum in Kansas as being one of 4 known photos of Frank James.

The 3 Sparkman boys purportedly were spirited from Campville with the assistance of a cousin, Elijah Byrd Sparkman of Thonotosassa, and His son the mayor of Tampa arranged passage to Texas. Apparently they were running from the law.