 |
|
The following are some of the articles "From Out Of Our Past " written by Gene Barber in 1965 and 1966.
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
[NOTE cwm - other three parts of this story has not been located at this time]
From Out Of Our Past
[NOTE cwm - other parts not found]
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
From Out Of Our Past
THE PIONEERS MAKE A LIVING - part II of the Mose and Mary Thompson story
Mose and his family moved into the old house (on the site of the later Rube Crawford place) located near Macedonia. He stayed for a year and made a crop (actually, his wife and children made the crop; G-G-G-Grandpa Thompson was like his descendent, gb, not overly fond of labor). His daughter Lizzie soon married, and Tom and Rance continued on to Alachua and settled near Melrose (called 'Banana" in those days) and Archer, respectively. They made another crop and then another until Mose and his family were firmly rooted in Baker County soil.
Although Indians were still prevalent and their raids during the Third Undeclared Seminole War were a nuisance, the Thompsons were relatively free of harassment. Taking no chances, he moved his family into the Barber stockade close by when an impending raid alarm was sounded. They often saw the glow of the Barber haystacks burning when fired by the Indians.
Moses Thompson was an artisan who fashioned iron implements in his blacksmith shop (a pair of fire dogs which he made from an iron axle prior to his move to Florida are still being used by his great-grandson C. M. Barber). He was also a cobbler and a carpenter, and these trades supplemented his farming. Rather, it supplemented his family's farming; it is said that Mose did not care for hard work.
It is only a fair judgment to his memory to note that artists such as Mose cannot always produce when they are confronted with everyday type work. Mose's handiwork shows that he was proficient in the work he cared for most. His neighbors were thankful for his talents, because they had need of shoes and farming and household utensils.
Mrs. Thompson was a hard working woman who milked her cows and made butter, forming it into half pound balls which she kept in crocks of brine. She stored her eggs in the smokehouse, small ends down in the sand. Their ripe peaches, with syrup, were converted into peach brandy which she also stored in crocks. When she had enough produce, she loaded it and one or two of her children into a wagon and went to Jacksonville to trade.
Although she was illiterate, she could out-figure in her head any clerk who was using paper and pencil. She returned home with goods and some change to begin the process again.
Mr. Thompson's trading was of a different sort. When he had made a few articles he went alone to Baldwin, and his trading took from one to two weeks. When he returned home a few days were necessary to recover from his exhaustive "trading", and he began his process again.
(gb note...he was a drunk)
Once, when he had been visiting a tavern in Baldwin he invited a big Irishman outside to try to knock him down. The Irishman accepted the invitation and promptly laid him out. Mose got up and dared him to do it again. He did it again. Mose pulled himself to his feet betting the Irishman that it would be impossible to knock him down again. After finding himself on the ground for the third time, he declined a fourth by answering, "No thanks. Ol' Mose decided he's safer down here on the ground."
There were two other homesites for the Thompsons. At some unknown time, they moved to a site located approximately four miles north of Macclenny. (then "Darbyville") on the Georgia Road (the present SR 228). A concrete well curb near a small round pond marked this site for several years.
At all times Mary Thompson continued to assist travelers and provide for her less fortunate neighbors with food and clothes of her making. Although a charitable woman she was armed with a quick temper. In her later years at her daughter Lizzie Barber's Hotel McClenny, she asked her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to read to her from her old homespun covered Bible. If they got a word wrong, she sharply corrected them.
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson became charter members of the Bethel Baptist Church in 1877.
Mose died 18 September, 1882, and Mary died 8 April, 1898. Both died at their home north of Macclenny and are buried in Woodlawn near Macclenny, Mr. Thompson being the first interment there.
They were probably the only Baker County pioneers to be so because of a slippery pole bridge and an awkward little pony.
(gb note...It was later discovered that the Thompsons had moved to their last home in the southeast corner of Macclenny. Mr. Thompson died there, and Mrs. Thompson died at the Barber Hotel McClenny where she lived with her daughter Lizzie Barber. Once when propped up on the porch of the hotel, Mr. Thompson, referring to his wife Mary and their daughter Victoria (both a bit shrewish), said, "That Mary Thompson's meaner'n hell a mile, and Victory's not slow a quarter." Bethel Baptist Church was near the present Woodlawn Cemetery and was a parent church of Macclenny's First Baptist. The cemetery land was donated by Robert and Ben Rowe and was known for a few years as the Rowe Cemetery)
A qestion often asked is, "Who was the first to settle Baker County?" The answer is not easy. Of course Baker County was populated when it became a county in 1861, but who first moved into the section that would become Baker County is open to much wondering.
The population grew slowly as evidenced by a report in a letter written by a Union private prior to the Olustee battle:
A list of residents in the area that was to become Baker County and its neighboring sections have been taken from the 1840 United States census and is as follows:
The 1830 list is being checked, and a list of earlier residents will follow in a later installment.
(gb note...don't think I ever got around to doing the 1830 list. I kept the spelling from the census rolls)
The following obituary was taken from JACKSONVILLE TIMES-UNION
and was the inspiration of a lengthy poem by Jacksonville businessman,
stationer, and writer Columbus Drew. It
was included in the book COLUMBUS DREW; SOMETHING OF HIS LIFE AND ANCESTRY AND
SOME OF HIS LITERARY WORK compiled by Alice J. Drew; the Drew Press,
Jacksonville, Florida, MCMX; library no. f811; pages 17-21. Listed under the title of "A Southern Incident" is
this obituary of Elisha Green written by his former slave, Samuel Spearing in
Jacksonville, 24 October, 1875. "Died, in Baker County, near Sanderson, on the 17th
instant Elisha Green, age 85 years and 15 days. "Mr. Green was born in South Carolina, near Georgetown;
but while he was yet very young, his father removed to Bullock County, Georgia,
where he resided until he removed to Florida in 1829. He served in the war against England in 1812 under Gen.
Jackson. He was with Gen. Jackson
during the campaign through Florida. On
Christmas Day, 1830, he commenced his settlement on the south prong of the St.
Mary's River, which was then an unbroken wilderness, inhabited only by the
Indians. He made a camp site at the
root of a large pine tree whilst preparing a shelter for his family, consisting
of a wife and six small children. On
the breaking out of the Seminole War, he enlisted and served through the war
during which he was twice obliged to send his family to Georgia for
safety. His property was destroyed and
buildings burned by the Indians, but he returned to begin again on the ruins of
his home, collecting such remnants of his stock as had escaped the marauding
savages. By hard work and careful
management, he soon surrounded himself with the comforts of life. In 1840 he bought the first slave he ever
owned, the writer of this notice, who regrets that he is not able in this sketch
to do justice to the friendship which sprung up between master and servant,
which lasted until death came between them.
As a master he was kind and just; he never separated families, nor was
he careless of their welfare in any particular. "Before the breaking out of the war he was comfortably
off, and could have retired from active work; but he preferred not to be idle,
he continued to take active oversight of his affairs until near the close of
his life. There was no work that he
required to be done that he was not always ready to take hold of himself and
lend a hand to push along. "The unfortunate were never sent away from his door
without relief from his own hands, and he often relieved others to his own
hurt, and it can safely be said that there is not a soul living that can say
that he ever did wrong to his fellowman.
And the writer can testify to many acts of kindness done to himself. "Mr. Green was a member of the Baptist church for
thirty years, and died in that faith.
His place will be hard to fill, and in the neighborhood where he was
resided for forty-five years, he was universally respected and esteemed. He left a large family of children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. "The last time the author of this sketch saw him, he
requested that two of his old servants should come and assist with his burial
if he died first. The promise was made,
and at the death the telegraph summoned them to the performance of the last act
of love and devotion which could be shown to this side of eternity. They immediately took the train and arrived
in time to finish digging his grave and join in the last solemn rites of his
remains. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou has
been faithful over a few things. Enter
thou into the joys of thy Lord." addenda: Mr.
Spearing became a member of the Florida state legislature after the War Between
the States.
Church members of today have a relatively easy life when
compared to the early fellowship of Old Providence Church. The following are some examples. On 10 August, 1833, Providence received "Brother Thomas
Ellis, the backslider who was excommunicated from Sardis Church, Camden County,
Georgia, which church being dissolved..."(Sardis near Traders Hill). The minutes continue,"...so he came to
us owning and confessing his fault with shame and sorrow, so he was restored to
full fellowship." 13 September, 1834,"...tried Brother Isaac Osteen for
that of getting drunk and playing the fiddle and other unlawful deeds...." 7 February, 1835,"...took into consideration a
difficulty and order of separation between Brother Silas Weeks and his
wife...took up the case of impeachment as knowing or being accessory to the
separation of Silas Weeks and his wife and appointed Brother Jesse Thomas to
notify Brother William Gay and Sister Martha Miller and Brother Timothy G.
Miller to be at our next conference...(after a three month investigation the
case was finally closed) took up the case of Brother Wm. Gay and excommunicated
him...sister Martha Miller...acquitted...." 20 February, 1841, "...taking into consideration the
case of Brother Seth Howard, who has been previously cited to this church for
disorderly conduct of gambling and he has never attended, consequently the
church excommunicated him." 9 October, 1841:
"Took into consideration the conduct of Sister Mary Tucker who took
a letter of dismission from us and DESTROYED it and joined to another class of
worship, to which conduct we considered her dismissed from us." 13 March, 1842:
"...took into consideration the conduct of Brother Monday, a Black
man, the property of William Gay, for joining the Methodists, dismissed
him...." There were other charges against various members regarding
intoxication, petit larceny, profane language, adultery, and others a bit too
delicate to be considered proper in a newspaper column. The pastor was even cited for swapping a
horse blind in one eye. On the 9th of August, 1856, the clerk saw fit to record the
membership in the minutes: Eliza Prevatt, Mary Hancock, Martha Miller, Alsy
Sparkman, Mary Weeks, Carolyn Prevatt (dead), Celia Overstreet, Fanny Long
(dismissed), Elizabeth Weeks, Martin Hancock, John Combs, John Prevatt, James
Osteen (dismissed), Thomas Gaskins (excommunicated), Elias Osteen, Shadrack
Osteen (dead), Theophilus Weeks(dead), Reding Long (dismissed), Cornelius
Prevatt, William Wester, Silas Weeks, John T. Stockman, Riley Revels
(excommunicated), Mary Creuse (Crews,,,gb) (dismissed), Matilda Long (dead),
Mary Prevatt, John M. Prevatt, William Osteen (dismissed), Alsia Williams. Providence received messengers from Pleasant Grove (?Baker
County), New River, Salem, Prospect, Friendship, Black Creek, Bethlehem, Mt.
Zion, Cedar Creek (George Combs), Hopewell (Zara Davis), New Hope, and Antioch,
and continues as one of Florida's oldest Baptist Churches. note from gb: I was
among the first to be permitted to see and copy the original minutes. They were in the care of Mrs. Cecil (nee
Crews) Powell and had belonged to her first husband's grandfather Jesse Tyre.
In 1828 a son was born in Ireland to a seaman by the name of
Dorman. Whether or not this son, who was
named John, followed his father's vocation at sea is not known, but at an early
age he arrived in North Carolina, and from there he migrated to the western
frontier of Alabama. In the adjoining Florida County of Jackson lived a Florida
pioneer by the name of Andrew Elston Williams.
He was the progenitor of the large and famous Williams clan who gather
for their annual re-union in Graceville.
His daughter Jincy, one of 23 children, became the bride of John
Dorman. She was born in Jackson County,
Florida. In 1857 the Atlantic and Gulf Rail Company began
construction of the Florida Atlantic and Gulf Coast Railroad (the present
Seaboard Air Line)*. Mr. Dorman was
employed by the rail company, and he worked on the stretch of rail between
Baldwin and Lake City. It was while he worked on the railroad that he moved to a
farm north of Johnsville Station, the small community that would become
Sanderson with the coming of the rails. The railroad was barely completed when the War Between the
States broke out in 1861. Mr. Dorman
enlisted for the duration of the war. Although he lived on a farm, Mr. Dorman did not farm. but
turned that vocation over to his sons. The children of John and Jincy were: Sarah E: Born 1848 or 1851 in Florida; married John
Richard Combs, son of George. John T:
Born 5 September, 1850 in Florida; died in 1929, buried in Cedar Creek;
married Jane F. Elizabeth Davis, Daughter of John C. Jerry M.: Born 2 January, 1850, in Florida; died 8
January, 1927; buried Cedar Creek; married Ellen Combs, daughter of George (or
perhaps she was Ellen Harvey). Martha
"Mattie": born 1854 in
Florida,; died in 1929; buried Cedar Creek; married John Jackson Davis, son of
John C. Francis M.: born 1859 in Florida; died 1920; buried Olustee;
married Rachel cobb, daughter of William C. Ada: born 26 February, 1866 in Florida; died 10
August, 1885; buried Cedar Creek; married John Jackson Davis, son of John C. Mr. Dorman's descendents have been employed in a number of
varied vocations...oil, farming, and construction, among many others. From Irish seafaring to Baker County farming is a long and
interesting journey, but such is typical of many of the Baker County lines. gb note,,,the RR is now - 2001 - the CXL.
"Ain't We Goin', Pa?"
In halting almost unintelligible English she explained that she was alone and that the child was hers. She further explained that the child's father was a white man and that the baby, having white blood in her veins, should have a white up-bringing. She, as a half-white should have a better life than an Indian. Would Mr. Sparkman take the baby and rear her as his own?
(gb note...When I wrote this back in the 60's, I neglected to include a touching statement supposedly made by the young Indian woman: "Now, maybe she won't have to run like us all the time."
He answered by continuing to hold the child. She turned and was gone.
"Son, run on ahead and tell your Ma what we got."
Thus Mary Ann, the newest member of the Sparkman family had her crude and unique beginnings. She was reared as a natural-born sibling and was removed with her family into the newly acquired territory of Florida around 1825.
They settled on Brandy Branch near the old stomping grounds of the International renegade Daniel McGirt and his colony of refugees from justice
When she was about 18, Mary Ann married Eli Hicks. He was as fair as she was dark, and his eyes as blue as hers were black. His temper was as slow as hers was quick. The only similarities between this Irishman from Georgia and his Indian bride from Spanish Florida was their dark hair and their affection for one another.
Eli was born in 1812-14 in Georgia, the son of Eli and Susannah (nee Thigpen) Hicks. He came with his parents down into Florida when the territory was first opened for settlement. The first Hicks settlement was probably on the trail between Brandy Branch and Trail Ridge. Eli Hicks the Elder was living in Columbia County in 1840 (that part now Baker), but he considered Brandy Branch his home.
In the mid 1850's Eli and Mary Ann moved into Columbia (Baker) County and settled at Macedonia on the South Prong of the St. Mary's River. The land was high and sandy and the river, at the point, was lined with good springs. This was, in recent years called the Rube Crawford place and is now the home of Walt Taylor near the Macedonia Church.
At sometime in the early 1850's during the undeclared third Seminole War, Mary Ann was carding cotton. She had almost enough batts for a new quilt when she looked up and saw Indians coming. She had been white too long not to be frightened by the appearance of belligerent Indians.
She threw down her cards, screaming for the children to run. Two of the children were killed. A son named Luke was tripped on a corn stalk stump and fell. He laid still in the field until all was quiet. The Indians, thinking him dead, ran after the others, but gave up the chase when the menfolk arrived on the scene and returned gunfire.
The baby's adopted father referred to her as a "little button eyed bitch."
**gb note...I was too eager to associate my ancestors with somebody famous, and I grabbed at info regarding Dan McGirt too quickly. I had been sold a bill of goods by a volunteer Hicks researcher. McGirt lived several miles east of Brandy Branch.
Many of the Barber cattle had been stolen, but Sheriff Mizell had not made any attempt to stop the theft of them. Jack
(Andrew Jackson) Barber could tolerate this no longer, especially when one of his prize heifers showed up in the
Mizell herd. The brand on the heifer had been altered, but this did not prevent him from reclaiming his property.
Sheriff Mizell pursued him, and
Jack Barber was forced to butcher his own heifer into beef. Though he could account for the hide, there still remained
the fact that the brand had been altered. The sheriff pressed for an indictment, and Jack was sentenced to the state
prison (gb note...then at Chattahoochee, the former state arsenal).
Sheriff Mizell escorted the prisoner up the St. Johns River by boat to Palatka where he planned to take him by stage
the remainder of the way to Raiford.
On the boat, Jack asked for a chew of tobacco. The sheriff had taken all of the prisoner's possessions, including his
plug of tobacco. Sheriff Mizell rudely slammed the plug into Jack's mouth, cutting his lip. This angered "Old man
Mose" Barber, and he declared, "This day, Dave Mizell, you've started on the road to hell!"
According to some of the Barber descendents, the Mizells had desired to rid themselves of the Barbers so that they
might claim the rich Kissimmee land for themselves. Sheriff Mizell, supposedly, had rigged court cases involving
Mose Barber, Sr., in order to break him financially and morally. It was the Sheriff's habit to claim that Mose owed
costs of court regardless of whose favor the bench ruled. Mose refused to pay these costs, and the Sheriff had been
taking cattle from the Barber herds. Mose had told him that the next time he entered his herds, he would leave "feet first."
Whether or not Mose Barber killed Dave Mizell is not clear, but it is quite possible that he was responsible (gb
note...Mose was responsible. He hired a kinsman to do the deed). In later years, a man named Needham Yates
claimed to have done the actual work, and local residents believed that he had been in the hire of Mose, because
Mose would not perform such a deed himself.
The Sheriff had his son, Josh Mizell, with him when he was murdered. In order to have the young boy believe that
Indians had killed his father, the killer gave out a loud war whoop. Josh pulled his father's body onto a tussock floating
in Bull Creek and clung to the body and the tussock until daybreak and help arrived.
Judge John Mizell organized a posse consisting of Mizells, his henchmen the Keenes, and others in order to seek
revenge on the Barbers and Yates. It is said that he stated that he wanted no prisoners. Killing came easy to men
fresh from the war, and he wanted every Barber to pay for his brother Dave's death.
Jack Barber was back from the penitentiary by this time, and he was with Mose Barber when John Mizell rode out for
him. Mose and Jack had extraordinary horses and escaped through Boggy creek. The posse bogged down and lost the two Barbers.
Unfortunately, the posse happened up on Isaac and Little Mose Barber (sons of Moses, Sr.) and others thought to be
called Little Arch, Little Joe, and Henry were with them, but being young boys they were allowed escape. Isaac was
killed immediately. Each man in the posse was required to empty his shotgun into Isaac's body so that it would be
more difficult, if not impossible, to accuse any one man of the murder. It has been estimated that twenty shotguns
were fired into Isaac's body that night.
(gb note...I saw the shredded black frock coat that was worn by Isaac when he was shot. It was owned by his
widowed wife's second husband's daughter-in-law...isn't that confusing?)
At the time of the shooting, two brothers, Dick and Sam Bass happened onto the scene. They were directed to take a
shotgun and each shoot the body in order to implicate them and assure their silence. With his life threatened if he did
not obey, Dick Bass shot Isaac's bullet riddled body. Sam Bass was frightened and knew that he could not follow suit,
so while Dick was performing his unwanted task, Sam broke from the crowd and rode to the Isaac Barber place to tell the widow.
When Sam Bass had informed Isaac's widow of her husband's fate, she armed herself and Sam and waited for the
Mizell posse. The men arrived, and John Mizell was heard directing the men to round up the cattle as he came into
the yard. Harriet Geiger Barber stepped out onto the front porch and that church-founding, God-fearing woman
blasted John Mizell and his men with language that Sam Bass said, in later years, that he had never before nor since, heard the like.
The posse turned and left, never to bother her again. However her cattle were stolen, along with those of her
brothers-in-law and father-in-law Mose Barber by the Mizell, Shiver, Bass, and Savage families.
A gruesome reminder of that incident was a shot-shredded black frockcoat that Isaac Barber had been wearing on the
night of his assassination. His widow Hattie kept it for years. He was murdered on March 20, 1970.
Little Mose Barber was held overnight while the posse was deciding what to do with him. Remembering that no
captives were to brought to jail, they decided to put him to the bottom of Lake Conway (part of present-day Orlando).
He was bound, weighted down with plow shares
(?"shears"), and railroad irons, rowed out to the middle of Lake Conway and rolled overboard. Being exceptionally
strong, he freed his hands and came to the surface. He grabbed the side of the boat. His fingers were beaten with
gun butts and oars and he was pushed under. He had to be shot to cease his struggling.
His body surfaced later, and his murderers were eventually brought to court but acquitted. His widow Penny
Alexander Barber lived in poverty in the edge of Jacksonville for the rest of her life.
Mose, Sr., and Jack rode to north Florida and stopped with Mose's widowed daughters-in-law Elizabeth, Victoria, and
Penelope. Mose told them that their cattle and land were down in Kissimmee and that if they wanted them, they could
go get them; he wanted no part of that country again. He still owed a large amount of taxes on his land there, the
Mizells still wanted his blood, and John Mizell still had control of the Reconstruction courthouse there.
Mose announced that he and Jack were riding to Texas and swore to never return. Jack came back to the Kissimmee-Orlando area, but Mose never returned.
Isaac was killed on the 20th of March, 1870. Little Mose was killed the day after. Mose's widow Rebecca Clements
Barber (2nd wife) claimed that he died on or about the 27th day of November, 1870. Jack was fortunate enough to
live, in spite of the Mizells, until 1916.
(gb note...There are a number of stories about Mose's end. Some are written up in my "the Way It Was" columns of
the '70's and '80's. Jack never talked about the subject).
The birth and growth of a post office is synonymous with the birth and growth of the community which it serves. The
post office of the city of Macclenny is no exception. To better understand the beginnings it is best to lay a foundation of
pre-post office history.
American settlers had begun to drift below the St. Marys River into this section during the latter years of the 18th
century. Such mail as came into this Spanish colony for the Americans was handled through the poor Spanish postal
system at San Fernando on the north-east, Spanish Cow Ford (San Nicolas) on the east, or one of the small
Franciscan missions scattered throughout north Florida. The most trustworthy delivery came by settler wagons and
chance riders from Traders Hill or Fort St. George on the Georgia side of the river.
(gb note...re/ the above paragraph: It was suggested by a student of the missions that some mail might have been
distributed to Anglo-American settlers from the missions. A later student of the mission's history said that would have
been very far-fetched. Ft. St. George might or might not have been a thrown-up fortified spot on the banks of the St.
Marys River due north of the present Burnsed Church. All I did was to report what the experts told me.)
The English-inherited desire for communication and ties necessitated a more organized and regular mail service for
the Americans. With United States acquisition of Florida, and a new influx of pioneers, private lines began pushing mail
routes into the territory's interior.
The pony express rider was the first mail carrier through the north Alachua County area, later to be known as Baker
county. From Jacksonville, he made his way across this sparsely settled section toward Tallahassee (gb note...this
was supposed to have read "toward the interior.")
(gb note...the pony express story has later been pooh-poohed by serious historians, but the Barber family said that old
Barbers' Station was an early horse-changing stop, and they called it something other than "pony express." They
could have confused it with the later stage coach line that came through in the 1830's)
S. Augustus Mitchell of Philadelphia caused a survey to be made of the Florida Territory in the late 1820's, and his
published map of 1834 showed the east-west mail route to be far south of the present one (US 90/I-10). The
north-south mail route came down from the King's Highway via Trail Ridge and present SR 228. This very old
thoroughfare was called "The Alachua Trail." However, the center of settlement near the St. Marys prompted a new
east-west line just north of the present-day Macclenny.
THE JACKSONVILLE COURIER announced that this line owned by James M. Harris of Jacksonville began in January
of 1835. The Harris Line was responsible for mail which was handled at Barbers' Station for this section of eastern
Columbia County (a parent county of Baker).
THE FLORIDA TIMES reported in November of 1844 that the U. S. weekly mail arrived at Barber's every Monday at 7
o'clock pm. This schedule remained in effect until the disruption of service during the Civil War. Throughout the
conflict mail service was sporadic in the new county of Baker.
From THE FLORIDA TIMES came the announcement, "Proposals will be received at the contract office of this
department until 2 pm of October 31, 1865, for carrying the mail of the United States from January 1, 1866, to June
30, 1867 in the State of Florida on the routes and the schedules of departures and arrivals herein specified:" The
schedule was from Jacksonville to Baldwin to Barber's and Ocean pond to Lake City, 60 1/2 miles and back six times
a week or daily if connecting route so run."
The end of the war triggered a new flow of settlers composed of Northerners and displaced Southerners into the
county. Among these was Capt. Carr B. McClenny of Virginia. He found that the tiny site of Williamsburg just east of
the St. Marys River on the railroad had lost its crude postal service to the new settlement of Darbyville.
(gb note...Moses E. Barber, the founder of Barbers' Station was awarded the office of postmaster in the 1840's)
Capt. McClenny found that a turpentine still and a store with mail facilities were run by John Darby. And, there, in
the late 1870's he found Mr. Darby's daughter Ada attractive, and the two were soon wed and in possession of the
Darby holdings.
(gb note... "Captain" was an honorific settled on Mr. McClenny after the war. Likewise Mr. Darby was often referred to
as "Colonel." later research showed that the gentlemen had known each other before the war. An added incentive for
McClenny's trip to this area was his wartime and POW friendship with H. Rance Williams who was a pioneer with his
parents here in the early 1850's.)
Although dubbed Darbyville in the early 1870's, the 1880 railway itinerary of the Florida Atlantic and Gulf Central
Railroad used the name "Macclenny." The Post Master continued to use the name Darbyville until 1882.
Mr. Darby was post master in his "Big Store", a huge two story frame structure facing the railroad just a few feet to the
rear of the present post office. General Merchandise was sold on the ground floor, and the second story was used
for clothing. A large hitching shelter was on the rear facing the present day Florida Avenue.
Capt. McClenny's enterprises office, which stood at the site of today's Standard oil yard, served as the post office
under make-shift conditions, and McClenny served as post master. His brief service was terminated by his death
during the 1888 yellow fever epidemic.
(gb note...Capt. McClenny's 1888 death was an incorrect piece of reporting; he lived at Cadillac in Alachua County
until his death in the 1920's)
Immediately after the fever epidemic, the first official post office was established and remained at this site until about
1890. It was then moved into a small frame building on the southwest corner of 5th Street and Railroad Avenue. An
interesting, although unfortunate, incident occurred in this location; in April of 1898 Francis Pons shot and killed sheriff
Job W. E. Driggers, ending a long-standing personal feud.
During the period from 1890 to 1896 there were two post masters. The first was J. D. Merritt who was a corpulent
man using words sparingly and answering with a set face and a shake-of-the-head "No." The second was Mrs.
Mamie Snowden, wife of the Rev. Snowden, builder of the local Episcopal Academy. A short, sandy-haired, pleasant
woman, she always asked, "Something wanted?"
(gb note...Mrs. Snowden was widowed; the Rev. Snowden had died in the fever epidemic)
The next post master was a man who had come down from New York, and then Virginia , with his father Charles and
Capt. McClenny. A Republican, Walter Turner was appointed in 1896. Mr. Turner was known as the man "you
could set your watch by." His schedule and his punctuality in opening and closing the post office became legendary.
(gb note...Actually, the Turners' route to Macclenny was more circuitous than this, but his father had known Capt.
McClenny and had learned of the town of Macclenny from him)
On the south-east corner of College Street and Railroad Avenue stood a two story frame structure. This building
stood directly on the street with its corner cut off. A post supported the corner of the upper story, and double doors
opened on either side of the post into the ground floor. A milliners shop was run by the Miller family on this ground
floor, and Macclenny's first permanent arrangements for dentistry was soon to move into the second floor. Mr. Turner
purchased this building in 1896 and moved the post office into these quarters.
(gb note...the dentist was Dr. Ulphian Turner)
In 1908 the first examination was given for rural carrier. Taking the examination were Lee Wester, Owen K. Garrett,
Earnest V. Turner, and C. M. Barber. Mr. Garrett was appointed as first official rural carrier and remained a horse and
buggy carrier until 1912. A number of temporary carriers were used until the next appointment, including a man
named "Buggs."
Another feature of the carrier service was the delivery to Stokesville. George Garrett with his horse and buggy made
the trip along the "Georgie Road" (we Crackers always pronounced it in this manner) to the Thrift settlement and right
on to Stokesville on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. He made deliveries along the route from 1912 to 1916.
James S. F. Stephens, a minister, was appointed as rural carrier on the 15th of March, 1913. Mr. Stephens was the
first local carrier to make motorized delivery. Unaccustomed to the new machine, he drove a brass upholstery tack
into the steering wheel as a rudder. He used this tack rudder to keep a straight course until the 16th of October 1917.
In 1916 Mr. Turner died, and his son Earnest V. Turner was soon appointed as post master. This term was for two years duration.
1918 saw a new appointment to post master. He was J. Oliver Milton. During 1922 the Powers building, later
destroyed by fire, was used for a post office. This structure was in the west mid-block of 5th St. between Macclenny
and Railroad Avenues. Mr. Milton built a masonry building to the west of the Turner building, and into this fourth
building on this site he moved the post office.
On September the first, 1918, Earnest R. Rhoden was appointed rural carrier. He started his service with a Model T
Ford automobile, a service to last almost 31 years.
A fire in the Milton building caused new post master Gus O. Rhoden to move the post office to the house which has
the present address of 245 N. 6th St. He built a small room onto his house for this purpose.
Another move back to the Turner building was in 1931. A number of temporary post masters served until 1933 when
another fire, which destroyed the Turner building, forced a move into the west mid-block of College Avenue between
Macclenny and Railroad Avenues. More temporary post masters saw this inconvenient situation through until the
facilities were brought back to the Milton building about 1935.
Eva Jones was appointed post master on October 25th, 1935. She received her permanent appointment on June 25th,
1940. Mrs. Jones and her staff moved into the Stokes building on east Macclenny Avenue, July 1, 1942.
On May 2, 1949, Mr. Rhoden retired as rural carrier and was immediately followed by Lonnie Jones. Both Mrs. Jones and Mr. Jones are incumbent.
In 1961 Macclenny's growth demanded a more satisfactory housing for its postal facilities. In that year the contract
was let for a structure of contemporary design. Designed by Alfred G. Remmerer of Jacksonville and constructed by
Rochester and Jackson of Macclenny, the post office moved into the new quarters December 30, 1961. A grateful
public attended a dedication ceremony at 10 o'clock am on May 5th, 1962.
With a sometime erratic, oft-times uncomfortable history of over 140 years, the post facilities of this locale have
reached a culmination in this building, almost on the site of one of its predecessors.
(gb note...This clipping was in very bad condition, and I might not have copied it as it was written. An amusing
anecdote regarding my research: Ms. Eva and Mr. Lonnie invited me into the office to pore over old records. There
was a stack of file cards on the past employees with the abbreviations "temp" for temporary, "perm" for permanent,
etc., and they were written up with last names first, then first names, and last were the abbreviations. Mr. Lonnie read
one off in his famous Jones slow-as-syrup-in-January voice just as it was written but not seeing the first name, "Uhh,
now here's one; Uhh, Mr. Jesse O. Temp. [well, it was amusing to me]. In the period from the early 1830's until about
the mid 1870's mail for the area was handled from Barber's Station. Moses Barber was post master in the 1940's)
A treaty negotiated in 1795 by Thomas Pinkney for the U.S. between the U.S. and Spain called for, among
other things, a survey of the boundary between U.S. territory and Spanish Florida. The thirty-first parallel was
agreed on, and Andrew Ellicott was engaged by the American government to run the survey.
He arrived in Natchez 27 February with an escort of about twenty men. The rebellious and trying attitude of the
Spanish governor Gayoso prompted Ellicott to ask for, and receive, further detachments under lLt. Percy Smith Hope.
In a tense atmosphere, Ellicott began his work and trip 9 April. Governor Goyoso joined him later. The
Governor's lack of cooperation and severe Indian attacks forced Ellicott to retreat from the Appalachicola,
where he began the survey, to St. Marks. From St. Marks, he sailed 18 October around Florida to St. Marys, Georgia, where he was joined by a small party who had traveled overland from the Flint River.
Camp was pitched on Point Peter on the St. Marys river. While on the St. Marys, he reported a deep snow
measuring eight inches in some places (and there were no atom bombs to blame for such unusual weather).
The surveying party made its way up the brown waters of the St. Marys by way of Traders Hill, turned south
toward Trail Ridge, then along the edge of present day Baker County, and finally north by the future site of North
Prong Church and on up to the edge of the Okeefeenokee.
There in the northeastern corner of today's Baker County, Ellicott considered the beginning of the St. Marys
River to be, and he erected a mound. He made no efforts to connect east and west by a serveyed line but
reported that the disputed boundary began in the west at his beginning on the Appalachicola and ended at his
considered source of the head waters of the St. Marys.
Thus, rooted in Baker County soil is a tiny spot that played a starring role in fixing an international boundary line.
(don't think there was a part II. Will continue to search)
It is assumed that because of the absence of supermarkets, all the early pioneers raised their own stock.
Traditionally, many of the settlers kept large herds of cattle and several hogs.
In 1864 Private Woodford, US Army, commented on the multitudes of pigs, (pineywoods rooters) in the eastern and
central sections of the country. He claimed that their noses were the largest part of their bodies.
A year later, THE JACKSONVILLE TIMES reported that contrary to a popular rumor, cattle were plentiful in post-war
Florida, the woods being full of them, some, the article further stated, brought $15.00 a head.
Because of all county records being destroyed by fire in 1877, no marks and brands are recorded before then, but
doubtless many prior to that date were re-recorded. A list of those who registered their marks and brands from 1877
until the turn of the century gives an idea of the early stock owners. This list came from the Marks and Brands
registration book in the clerk of court's office.
(gb note...after this was written I began to find courthouse records prior to 1877. The courthouse burnings stories
were popular in the South after the war. Many of those stories were true, but just as true was their being used as
excuses and cover-ups for mismanagement [especially by carpetbaggers and newly appointed blacks; the
carpetbaggers were out to benefit themselves and the unfortunate and misused blacks were mostly incapable at that
time to run governments]. The "burnings" also hid the fact that many locals, being ousted from their jobs, took the
records home with them or destroyed them. It was also a good way to erase the past so that land could be wrongfully
claimed and the stories of "our plantation before the war but taken for taxes" could be related with little fear that the
imaginary plantation could be checked out)
The list: R. W. Cain, Richard Osteen, Nathan D. Pease, Sarah Jane Daugharty, John O. Thompson, John Sapp,
Noah Davis, J. D. Williams, B. H. Rowe, A. W. Rowe, Robert L. Rowe, Aaron Dowling, Elizabeth Raulerson (name
crossed out and replaced with William J. Raulerson at his request), James D. Dowling, Aaron Dowling, Isaac Davis
(transferred to R. L. Davis), Louis Perkins, Henry Givins.
Mrs. Lydia Summersil, Oscar Powell, Ham Dugger, E. Dyess, Eliza Dinkins, Jerry Parks, W. H. Rouis (?Rewis),
Andrew J. Green, J. H. Raulerson, Alfred Roberts, John Jones, James T. Jones, Amelia Dees, W. H. Yarbrough, H. G. McPherson, Elizabeth C. Altman, J. E. Rowe, Mary A. E. Dyess, Joseph Eddie
Combs, D. H. Rowe, W. H. Durrence, C. E. Bumpus {"!" entered after name by James D. Chalker, the writer of the list).
J. B. Rhoden, J. O. Bessent, Mary V. Blair, Leonilla Pierce, Mattie I. Hatcher, D. C. Griffing, Georgian Durrence, Louis
H. Hogans, G. C. Brown, M. J. Rosier, Riley Rhoden.
(gb note...For the uninformed, a "mark" was a distinctive cut in a cow's or hog's ear or ears. Some of the few cuts I
recall hearing were crop, swallow, and bit. It was a bloody operation and invited infestation of screw worms. THE
NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE reported in 1865 or '66 [I lost my copy due to vandalism} that Moses E. Barber still
possessed many thousands of head of cattle in Florida. It also reported that, "despite Mr. Barber's immense wealth,
he and his family lived in total squalor." The newspaper writer probably had never had his home destroyed and taken
over by an invading force.)
The many Combs citizens of baker County are descendents of George Combs who was born on 11 April, 1816, in
Georgia. His first marriage was to Mary Ann Lowry Ellerbe who was born on 18 February, 1830, in Georgia, and died
26 January, 1911, in Baker County. Mr. Combs died 8 November, 1894, in Baker county, and both were buried at
Cedar Creek Cemetery north of Sanderson.
Mr. Combs' parentage is unknown, but there is a possibility that he was a son of John Combs and his wife, Patsey
Hammock who were married `14 November, 1811 in Wilkes County, Georgia. George Combs stated in the 1870
census that his father was from South Carolina. A John Combs, who could have been a brother of George was a
member with his wife Jincy and another Combs woman named Celia of the Providence Primitive Baptist church of
Union county. William Combs, a possible brother, is buried in an unmarked grave at Taylor.
George Combs moved his family into this area about 1840, and his home place was near Lighterd Bridge, now in the Osceola National Forest.
Besides a large family, he seemed to keep a number of relatives in his household. In 1850, Theophilus and Sarah
Williams lived with him. In 1880 the following were among his household: Clarence Raulerson (nephew, born 1860 in
Florida), Elmias Rhoden (female, born 1869 in Florida), Mary Harvey ( granddaughter, born 1875 in Florida), Elizabeth
Cason (sister, born 1822 in Florida), Jane Rhoden( born 1840 in Georgia) and Jacob Raulerson( born in 1880 in Florida).
Mr. Combs was a Confederate soldier, farmer, and a staunch Primitive Baptist. As a member of Cedar Creek
Primitive Baptist Church, he was a messenger from that body to a conference at Providence Church on 21 May,
1870. While many memories of him have faded from the minds of his descendents, his primary trait which remained
with them was his "establishment in the faith."
His family was as follows: Martha, born in 1839 in Georgia, married James Long, son of Jesse; Jane, born in 1840 in
Florida, buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, married John Herndon, son of William; Mary Lou, born in 1841 in Florida; John
Richard "Dick", born 1 August, 1844 in Georgia, died 2 July, 1928, married (1) Mary Ella Thompson, (2) Sarah Dorman.
James J, born 1845 in Florida, died 13 October, 1895, married Martha Harvey, daughter of Richard; William D., born
in 1847 in Florida; George Jackson 'Jack", born in 1849 in Florida, died 18 July, 1914, buried in Cedar Creek
Cemetery, married (1) Lucinda Cason, (2) Amanda "Mandy" Raulerson Green, daughter of Nicabud Raulerson.
Sarah "Sake", born 1850 in Florida, married David Jackson "Jack" Dugger, son of Robert D.; Ellen, born 1854 in Florida, married Jerry W. Dorman.
(gb note...George Combs was a CSA scout and guerilla fighter. He engaged in activities around Sanderson after the
war that would have sent him to the US Army gallows had he been caught. He was much smarter than the US troops
and officers in the area and continually successfully dodged them until Reconstruction was ended. For a few years,
Cedar Creek Baptist Church was pastored by Elder Dr. Koon who had been Baker County's rep to the Secession
Convention before the war. He was a CSA member, and when he returned from the war, his message from the pulpit
was, "I've been to Hell and seen it. Hell's here on earth of mankind's making. God wouldn't make such a place.
Therefore, Brethren, THERE AIN'T NO HELL!" His church was called for many years afterward the "Cedar Creek No-Hell Baptist Church.")
The writer has been working with Mr. Robert Hurst of Panama City on the Hurst genealogy. Although incomplete and
lacking authentication in some parts, here are some of the results of our research.
Jacob Hurst, son of William Hurst, Sr., was born 1750-60 and was probably a descendent of the early Carolina
German settlers. He served in the Revolutionary War from the Wilmington District, North Carolina. In 1820, he was
living in Screven County, Georgia, and in 1830, he was found in Thomas County, Georgia.
He had at least seven children, among them were:
Bryant, born 1790-1800 in Georgia, married Jerreshea (last name unknown) who was born in 1800 in Georgia. Bryant
lived in Screven County in 1820 and in Thomas County in 1830. The 1840 census found him in Madison County,
Florida, and he later moved to Hamilton County in 1850. They had at least eight children.
Major was born 1790-1800 in Georgia. He lived in Screven County in 1820 and in Thomas County in 1830. He had
three children.
Daniel, born in 1800-01 in Georgia. He was in Thomas County in 1830, in Madison County, Florida ,in 1840, possibly
in Hamilton County, and. for certain, in Charlton County, Georgia.
His first marriage was in 1824 in Screven County to Mariah Roberts who was born about 1803 in Screven County.
His second marriage was to Jemima Rollins who was born in 1813 in Georgia.
Daniel, whose descendents number among the residents of Hamilton, Columbia, Baker, Union, and Duval Counties,
Florida, and Lowndes, Echols, Ware, and Charlton Counties, Georgia, was the father of several children. Among whom, were the following:
THE FAMILY OF DANIEL HURST, JR.
Daniel Hurst was a "traveling man", who lived throughout northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. As was noted in last week's article, he was born 14 February, 1836, in South Georgia. His first marriage is unknown, but there was one child born to this union. He was Jack Hurst who is buried in Jacksonville, Florida. He was married but to whom is unknown to the writer.
Daniel moved, evidently, with his father, Daniel, Sr., to Charlton County, Georgia ,where he met and married Mary Ann Drawdy. She is believed by descendents to have been the daughter of Daniel Drawdy who was living in the same vicinity with the Hursts.
Mary Ann was born in 1833 in the present area of Ben Hill County, Georgia. She earlier had married J J. Summer and then her cousin Levi Drawdy, Jr. She moved to Kissimmee after her marriage to Daniel
There were two children by this marriage:
William "Bill": born 22 July, 1866, in Columbia County, Florida, died 21 July, 1934, buried at Swift Creek.
Matthew "Math": born 4 March, 1868 (probably in Baker County), died 1 January, 1930, married Emily J. Vining, who was born in 1875 and died in 1930. Both are buried at Swift Creek.
Mr. Hurst then married Eliza Ann Jane Durrance formerly of Echols County, Georgia, but who was living with her parents William and Lourania Prescott Durrance in Charlton County. William Durrance was probably a son of Joseph Durrance, and Lourania was the daughter of Moses Prescott of South Carolina. Eliza had the following
children prior to her marriage to Mr. Hurst:
Luraney: born 12 January, 1855, died 8 September, 1921, married Henry J. Hodges, son of William. Both are buried at North prong.
Elizabeth L.: born 1856, died 1927, married John Riley Hodges, son of William. Both are buried at Santa Fe, Bradford County, Florida.
Hettie: born 1 January, 1861, died 14 March, 1928, married Ivey D. Thomas, son of Mitch.
Willie Ann: born 1 January, 1861. No further record.
William: born 22 July, 1868 in Columbia County, died 21 July, 1934, buried at Swift Creek.
The younger children often used the surname "Hurst."
Children from the marriage of Daniel and Eliza Anne Jane were:
Nathan H." born 27 October, 1869, died 2 May, 1940 at Glen St. Mary, married Wealthy Ann Hodges, daughter of James J,. She was born 30 July, 1870 and died 16 July, 1948. Both are buried at Swift Creek.
Lewis: born 27 may, 1871, married Nola Vining.
George W.: born 24 May, 1871, died 20 March, 1940, married Martha "Pret" Hodges, daughter of James J.
Both are buried at Swift Creek.
Nettie Candacy: born 20 January, 1875 at Little Creek in Columbia County, died 8 February, 1920, at Glen St. Mary, married George Cidney Kirkland, son of Irvin (George was born 29 October, 1861 ,and died 17 July, 1928). Both are buried at oak Grove in Baker County.
Virginia "Jenny": born 24 May, 1873, died 28 March, 1929, married William Paul Mikell, who was born 8 March, 1867 and died 5 April, 1943. Both are buried at Swift Creek.
Martha Ella: born 7 October, 1877. Married K. Shaw.
Daniel and his family lived for a while near the Okeefeenokee Swamp where he was engaged in trapping and hunting. After a stay in the area of Benton in Columbia County, he moved his family into the south area of Baker County near the Union County line. This is known as Possum Trot.
After Eliza's death, Hr. Hurst moved into Jacksonville where he married a Mrs. Turner who had one daughter.
He died in Jacksonville and was brought back to Swift Creek for burial with his third wife Eliza.
(gb note...This added item is not to offend, but I copied down everything people told me, and I feel it would be an injustice to their memories if I just shoved some of those items under the rug. Some descendents told me they had heard that Mr. Hurst married the unwed Ms. Durrence to claim her children as reasons for not being conscripted into the Confederate Army. It might or might not be true. I rarely found the name Louraney spelled the same way twice; we must remember that most of our Cracker ancestors were illiterate [that means unable to read and write or to read and write well...it did not mean stupid], and the various spellings of a name came from the recorders' attempts to spell names as well as they could. Daniel, Jr. and Daniel, Sr., were legendary
hunters - called Nimrods in the old days. The Hursts I knew were either very witty and jolly or, quite frankly, the opposite)
South of Sanderson is a small swampy area known as Tiffen Pond. As is the case of all local place names there is a story behind the naming.
In a search for the ancestry of the Mizell family the writer discovered a family known as Tippens living in the section of
Columbia County that is present day Baker County in the mid 1830's. They were John Underwood Tippens, his wife
Nancy (nee Mizell), and three or four children.
Mr. Tippens was born c. 1795, a son of Philip and Mary Underwood Tippens of North Carolina. His wife was a
daughter of David Mizell of Camden (now Charlton) County, Georgia. Her first cousins were the ancestors of the large
Mizell family of Camden and Charlton Counties, Georgia. Her brothers and sisters were the ancestors of several
large families scattered from Union County through Hillsborough Counties, Florida, including a brother David who was
killed in a long standing feud with a local family, the Barbers.
Mrs. Tippens' brother David lived near Alligator (Lake City). His home place was strongly fortified and the Tippens
family decided to go there when they learned of an impending Indian raid. The year was 1838 (some stories say
"1841"), and bands of Indians were engaged in slaughtering the area residents.
They left their home at "Tiffen Pond" and headed for David Mizell's stockade. Near the Elisha Green place the Indians
attacked. Mr. Tippens was shot from his horse and died on the spot where he fell. Mrs. Tippens was scalped and left
to bleed to death.
The children, the youngest six months old and the oldest three years old, were chopped in their heads with
tomahawks and slung to the ground.
Mr. Green was away in the army on a campaign against the Indians in the Alachua area. Mrs. Elizabeth Green and
the Green children defended themselves against the small group of Indians but lost some outbuildings during the
attack. She and the children found Mrs. Tippens and the three year old girl Cornealia still living the next morning.
Mrs. Tippens died soon after she was discovered. Little Cornealia survived and died in 1926 at the age of 88.
Mrs. Green buried the dead in one of her wagon bodies in present day South prong Cemetery This 128 years old
grave of Joshua Underwood and Nancy Mizell Tippens and their babies is located immediately north of Mr. Joe Jones'
grave (it would be quite appropriate to have this area marked to prevent a fresh grave being placed over the Tippens
family).
Cornealia was reared by her uncle and aunt Byrd and Sarah Ann Mizell Sparkman of Alachua County. She married a
Mobley in 1861.
This was just one such tale of many in the sadly neglected history of the Southern frontier.
(gb note...The names John and Joshua have been found in the old stories of Tiffens Pond. This writing made it seem
that South Prong Cemetery was in existence at the time of the Tippens family burial. In fact, the Tippens family was
the first interment and thus was the beginning of South Prong Cemetery. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Cornealia
Tippens Mobley lived at or near Middleburg. I had heard she always wore a little cap to hide the scalp mark on her
skull. For many years a piece of iron was sticking out of the ground at South Prong to mark the Tippens grave.)
(cwm note�William L. Mobley, b. 1809 or 1801, GA, d. 1889, bur. Keystone Cem.
A recent event on the edge of the great Okeefeenokee Swamp was the annual reunion of the Chesser family. Several
hundred members of that clan return each year to "the land of the trembling earth" from which their forebears came.
Two known Chesser brothers entered Tattnall County, Georgia, from South Carolina. They were John (born c. 1770)
and Thomas Samuel (born c. 1775). The Chessers of Charlton county, Georgia, and Baker, Nassau, Putnam, and
Alachua Counties, Florida, are believed to have descended from Thomas Samuel and his wife Louisa (born 1776 in north Carolina).
Thomas Samuel and Louisa had the following known children:
Sarah: born 1800 in South Carolina; lived single with her sister-in-law Martha Chesser in Alachua County, Florida.
Unknown son: born c. 1802 in South Carolina; married 7 November, 1824, in Tattnall County, Georgia, to Sarah D. Gordon.
William Thomas: born 1814 in Tattnall or Appling County, Georgia; married Mary Elinor Kirby, 25 August, 1833, in
Tattnall County; buried in Sardis Church Cemetery in Charlton County, Georgia.
Sometime about 1842 the Chessers moved south. All the known children of Thomas Samuel, except Thomas
William, moved down into Alachua County, Florida. From there they migrated out into various sections of the state.
William Thomas moved into the Okeefeenokee Swamp in 1842. The area of high ground about six miles inside the
swamp and southwest of Folkston was soon to be known as Chesser Island. The hardwood hammocks were
cleared, crops planted, pecan trees set out (many still survive after 120 years), and the Chessers set about to
establish a self-sustaining community.
The children of William Thomas and Mary Elinor (sometimes called "Mary Ellen") were:
Thomas Tennyson: born 13 February, 1839, Tattnall County, Georgia; married Lucretia Dedge.
Martha Emeline Jane: born 14 July, 1844, in Charlton County, Georgia (she and all the rest of the children were born
on Chesser Island); died 29 June, 1921; buried at Sardis; married Thomas P. Petty (called "Tom").
Moab Columbus "Buck": born 1845; married Hettie Osteen.
William M. "Bill": born 14 October, 1848; died 25 February, 1902, in Baker County, Florida; buried in Brandy Branch
Cemetery, Nassau County, Florida; married Zilphia Hicks, daughter of Eli and Susannah (nee Thigpen) Hicks.
John Edward: married Easter Crews of the Bend section.
Samuel Arthie "Sam": born 17 February, 1854; died 11 October, 1924; buried at Sardis; married Sarah Altman,
daughter of Jacob, Jr. (closely related to the Baker County Altmans).
Robert Allen: born 14 May, 1859; died 27 February, 1929; buried at Sardis; married Lizzie Eugenia Altman, daughter of Sarah.
Hardy: born c. 1860; died single as a youth; buried at Sardis.
(gb note...Some Chesser historians give a later date for the family's move into the swamp; I concede to later and,
doubtless, more correct research. I was going by some contemporary records of certain members of the family and
the law and oral history of Uncle Tom Chesser, the last Chesser to live in the swamp. John, 1770 and Thomas
Samuel, 1775, supposedly had a sister named Emeline who married a Copeland from St. Marys. Another unmarried
sister lived in Alachua County and was the mother of children but without benefit of clergy, so I was told)
Thomas William Chesser and his wife Mary Elinor and their children formed an ideal self-sufficient community within
the Okeefeenokee. They grew all their foodstuffs, raised sheep and cotton for their clothing (and, as pioneers, they
spun and wove their clothing materials), and set up an old-style civil defense system.
They bought nothing which could be made by hand by themselves. Metal was brought into the swamp to be
fashioned in their smith for wagon fittings and plow gear. Cattle were killed for food, and the hides were tanned and
made into shoes and other leather wearing apparel as well as saddles and bridles. Even ropes were braided at
home. Some essentials such as salt were bought "outside." However, money was never used, if possible; the
Chesssers were great trappers and they bartered pelts for "outside supplies."
Tom, Buck, and their brother-in-law Tom Petty were conscripted into the Confederate Army. Free and independent
swamp folk could never adjust to the regimented military life, so they deserted above the swamp. They came down
through the swamp, getting cut badly by briars, eaten by mosquitoes, and narrowly escaping gators, cats, and bears.
These men lived out the duration of the war in the swamp, surviving on game they shot and supplies left at a
designated place by the family. Their excess game was left to be picked up by the hard-pressed family who left salt
and other provisions. A time for the exchange was set as well as a place. The men and the family did not meet
during this time, and so they never had to lie when the military asked if they had seen the deserters.
Whenever troops of either army (US and CSA) moved near or other danger was eminent, a large conch shell horn
was blown at the "big House." The runaways removed themselves deeper into the Okeefeenokee.
The conch horn continued its purpose as an alarm after the war. Whenever a member of the family was overdue in
the swamp; or gators, cats, or bears were menacing the horn was blown. All were to stop whatever they were doing
and run to the "big House' for instructions.
Children were cautioned to never blow the horn in play. If one disobeyed this order, the punishment was severe.
Sam and Allen remained on the island after their parents died and their brothers and sisters had moved out. Sam's
log house was remodeled by his son Tom and is still standing in almost perfect condition. Tom, the last Chesser to
leave the island, moved out in 1958. Allen's house is not standing, but a small shelter which stood near by remains
on the edge of a pecan orchard. Martha and her husband Tom Petty settled near the St. Marys River.
Hardy never married and died at 23 years of age. Returning home from plowing, he stopped at a huckleberry bush to
pick some berries. As he was backing out of the tangled bushes, a rattlesnake struck him, and he died shortly after.
William "Bill", the ancestor of the Baker County Chessers, settled on Trail Ridge southeast of Brandy Branch in Baker
County. From the Baker County Judge's office the following homestead exemption items were listed for 4 March, 1886:
(gb note...35 years after this writing, one could not recognize the Chesser homeplace from what was described back
in 1965. Those in control, in their infinite wisdom, have allowed the fields to grow up in pines and hammock, the
once inviting road to the Tom and Ivy Chesser house has been closed off, and the other Chesser homesites are
obliterated. At least, members of the Chesser family are utilized as guides and information people at the Tom and Ivy
house. I predict the government will continue moving away from using the Chesser name and more and more tout it
as a generic farmstead. Come by the nursing home sometime in the future and tell me if this isn't so)
Baker County could have well been named Crews County when the great number of families of that name who lived in this area is considered. A listing of the Crews families in this section of southern Charlton County down through Baker and Union counties is as follows:
A. (Archibald) Graham: born 1823, died 1905 (son of Roger), married Honor (Civility) "Sis" (?Davis) (cwm Bradley, dau. Henry & Honor); Bartley: born 1822, married Mary Elizabaeth (?Johns); Elias: born 1834 (son of Samuel), married Rebecca; John: born 1804, died c1865, married Catherine (Prevatt); Joseph: married Eliza A.; Mack (Calvin McDonald): born c. 1820, married Sarah Jane "Janie" (Stokes); Mary: born 1820; Rebecca: born 1830; Samuel: born c. 1785, married Elizabeth; Samuel (P.): born 1809, married Mary E. Jones.
A. Graham (there were two by this name), the elder, was born either in the south section of South Carolina or the
north section of Georgia in 1823. He died in Charlton County, Georgia ,12 July, 1905 and was buried at Emmeus
Church, St. George, Charlton County. His wife was believed to have been a Davis. Her name was Honor but she
was called "Sis." Their children were:
Reubin: married Marcena "Ceny" Wilkerson, daughter of James; buried at Macedonia.
Jack (Jackson H.): married Mary E. Hodge; buried Lyons Cemetery, Charlton County.
Elbert Barkley (or Bartley)(Barney) "Pink": born 14 July, 1863; died 1 September, 1958; buried at Oak Grove; married (1) Ellender "Ellen" Bennett, daughter of John G., (2) Sarah Magnolia (nee Thomas) Hodges.
Henry: married Smiley (Emily H.) Stokes (2) Emily Hodges; buried in Boones Creek, Charlton County.
Jimmy: married Lizzie Barber, daughter of Gifted; buried in Boones Creek.
Victoria "Tory": born 6 July 1870; died 22 December, 1929; buried Oak Grove; married Josh Hodge.
Honor: did not marry; buried Boones Creek.
All the above children were born in Charlton County, Georgia.
Bartley Crews, the elder, was born in 1822 in Georgia. His wife was named Mary Elizabeth (perhaps Johns). She
was born in 1835 in Georgia. Their children are:
Elizabeth: born in 1854 in Georgia; Catherine: born in 1855; Bartley: born 1856 in Georgia; and Isham: born in
1859 in Georgia. (also Phillip 1857, Joseph 1860, Samuel Lee 1864 & Angeline 1866)
Elias: born in 1834 in Florida. married Rebecca (?Crews) who was born in 1842 in Georgia. They had the following children:
Berry L.: born in 1860 in Florida; Mary E.: born in 1863 in Florida; and Susan: born in 1869 in Florida.
John (B.) Crews, who was born in 1804 in South Carolina, a son of Alexander and Lucy, died in Baker County c 1865. His
wife Catherine (Prevatt) was born in 1818 in Georgia and died c. 1875 in Baker County. Their children were:
Mary A. (Ann): born in 1831; Samuel: born in 1834 in Georgia; Lidea (Lydia Ann): born in 1836 in
Georgia; Daniel Webster 1838; Henry Clay: born in 1839 in Georgia; William Rester: born in 1841 in Florida; Sarah Ann:
born in 1843; John B.: born in 1847 in Georgia; Joseph: born in 1848 in Georgia; Elias: born in 1850 in Florida and Roger C. born 1858.
John's sons John and Joseph are probably the John and Joseph Crews who married the daughters of John D.
Williams - Mrs. Sarah Prevatt and Nancy, respectively. Joseph John Crews, Sr. lived near John D. Williams .
Joseph M. Crews was born in 1821 in South Carolina. His wife Eliza A. was born in 1819 in Georgia. They had the
following children with them in 1860.
Paul H.: born in 1845 in Florida; Otterbein: born in 1846 in Florida; and Virginia: born in 1850 in Florida.
Mack (Calvin McDonald) Crews, born c. 1820 is buried in Boones Creek Cemetery, Charlton County. His wife was Sarah Jane (Stokes). Their children were:
Burton (Calvin): born in 1852; died in 1934 in Baker County; buried in Oak Grove; married Georgia Ann Bennett, daughter of John C. Bennett.
Polly (Ann), born 1858, died ca 1921 buried Sardis, unmarked: did not marry (but had 6 children).
Sarah Jane, born 1862, died 1943,buried Oak Grove: married Dave Carpenter.
Calvin C., born 1864, buried Boones Creek. (married Ella Elizabeth Kirkland)
Willis, born 1866: did not marry. (blind)
Andrew Jackson "Ander", born 1868, died 1961 and buried Boones Creek; married Minnie Margaret Raulerson.
Luacian (Lucian) Hardy, born 1869: married Sarah Crews, daughter of John C. (Cone); buried in Boones Creek.
Pomp (Jacob Henry) born 1870: married Teeny (Elizabeth) Rhoden, daughter of Berrian; buried in Boones Creek.
Newt (William Newton), born 1874: died 1941 and buried at Palatka.
Courtney Elizabeth, born ca 1877, died young.
Berry, born 1879, died 1965 and buried in South Prong: married Sallie Crawford, daughter of Bart.
Jeff (Jefferson Earl), born 1883, died ca 1938 and buried Boones Creek: married Miss Norman (Kate).
all the above children were born in Charlton County. Their father Mack was a brother to A. Graham Crews.
Mary Crews, born in 1825 in Georgia, was living in the area in 1850 with these children:
Rebecca Crews, a widow of a South Carolina Crews, was born in 1830 in South Carolina. Her two children living
with her were:
Samuel Crews came from Beaufort District, South Caroline, to Georgia and then into this section c. 1845. His wife
Elizabeth was born in 1791 in South Carolina, and died after 1870 in Baker County. Their son Samuel (Lemrod) was born in
1830 in South Carolina and died in 1895 at Baxter in Baker County. He married Harriet Raulerson, daughter of
Nimrod. Harriet was born in 1831 in Georgia. Samuel, Sr., probably had other children, but thy are not known at this
time. (cwm: other children were Joseph, Rebecca Elizabeth, Cornelius, Sarah, Elias, Esther & Susannah)
Samuel (P.), son of Alexander Crews, was born in 1809 in South Carolina and died 26 September, 1865. He is buried in a small cemetery between Lake Butler and Starke (Crews cemetery). His wife Mary E. Johns was born 29 March, 1820, and died 11 January, 1877. Their children were:
Mary A.: born 1839 in Georgia
Martha: born 1841 in Georgia
Nancy: born 1843 in Georgia
Samuel P.:" born 1844 in Florida
Mary Jane: born 1846 in Florida; died 8 February, 1916; buried Elzey Chapel, Union County
Archibald Hardy: born 1849, died 1918, buried Elzey Chapel; married Tinny "Tincy" Hendricks
John Bryan: born 1851, died 1931 buried Crews cemetery, Union County. Married Celia Elizabeth Sapp.
Arsula A.: born 1854, died 1884 buried Crews cemetery. Married A.W. Browning.
Susanna: born 1861, married George Findley.
(gb: just discovered a part at the bottom is missing)
Possibly the largest family in Baker County is the Rhoden Clan. Gleanings from early census reports and court house records have produced the following information regarding this family.
The earliest ancestors of the Baker County and Charlton county Rhodens, known to this writer, was William Rhoden, a Revolutionary Soldier, of Barnwell District, South Carolina, and his wife Mary who was born c. 1760 in Barnwell District and died after 1850 in Ware County, Georgia. William was born c. 1750, probably in Barnwell District, and died in, or prior to, 1813. His widow was living with her daughter Elizabeth in Ware County in that year, and she stated that she was a widow.
Their known children were John, born 1810 in Georgia, whose wife was Sarah (known as Sallie); James J. (called Jamie), born 1805 in South Carolina, whose wife was Melinda; and Elizabeth who married William Dowling.
Sarah and her husband William Dowling, a son of Jabez, moved first to Lowndes County, Georgia and them to Volusia County, Florida, where they lived until their deaths. William was an uncle to John D. Dowling who settled in the Taylor section and whose descendents live there still.
John and Sallie moved from Barnwell District to Wayne County, Georgia. After the birth of their first child, Isham, they moved to the area of Coffee County. A few years were spent in Lowndes County, and they
moved to the Traders Hill section of Charlton. Finally, they moved to Baker County, Florida.
Most of the Rhoden families entered Florida prior to the Civil War, but some were still moving into Baker County in the 1870's and 1880's from Charlton County.
The children of John and Sallie were:
Isham J.: born 18 march, 1829 in Wayne County, Georgia, died 13 November, 1901 in Baker County, Florida, married Ann Ellen "Amy" Cathcart who was born 6 January, 1833 in North Carolina and died 10 August, 1909 in Baker County. They are buried in North Prong Cemetery.
John" born 1830 in Georgia, married Lindsey who was born in 1826 in Georgia.
George: born 1833 in Georgia, married Susan who was born in 1849 in Georgia.
Hansford Duncan: born 18 March, 1847 in Coffee County, Georgia; buried in Edgewood Cemetery in
Jacksonville; married 28 November, 1865, to Martha Ann "Mattie" Mobley, daughter of Edward. She died 5 April, 1900, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery at Macclenny. His next marriage was to Kate (nee
Roberson) Price on 7 January, 1903 (Mrs. Kate Rhoden was honored at the Olustee Battle Centennial service as a Confederate Soldier's widow).
Henry: born 1846 in Georgia, married Jane Brown who was born in 1850 in Florida and who died of cancer.
James' early moves are not known, but he and his wife Melinda moved to Florida with their family about the same time as John. Their children were Levi, born in 1830; William, born in 1831; Richard, born 1836; Bryant, born 1839; Hansford, born 1841; and Jane, born in 1843. All were born in Georgia (a more complete record of this family will follow in a later installment).
(gb note...Some of this info came from Mr. Duncan Rhoden and his step-mother Mrs. Kate Rhoden, son and wife of Hansford Duncan Rhoden, respectively. Some items are from Mrs. Nita Rhoden Rowe, granddaughter of Isham Rhoden. I haven't found the second part as mentioned in the last paragraph; perhaps it wasn't done)
John W. Jones came to Columbia county, Florida (now the area of Baker) around 1833 or 1843. All records report the date as 1833 with the exception of the 1850 census which subtracts 10 years from ages of all the household and places the Florida immigration as 1843
(gb note...The 1850 census is, in my estimation, as sloppy as any government project done today. It is notorious for incorrect data)
His father was William who was born c. 1762 in Virginia and died in 1834 in Columbia County, Florida. The subject John W. was born in 1798, probably in Effingham County, Georgia. His wife Sarah A. was born in 1807 in Georgia.
In 1860, as a resident of New River County (the parent county of Baker), he owned 42 slaves. his real property was valued at $11,500.00, and his personal property was $26,000.00
When the Florida Secession Convention met in Tallahassee in 1861 Green A Hunter and A. J. T. Wright were elected from Columbia County as representatives. Mr. Jones contested Mr. Wright's seating and was awarded Mr. Wright's place as a delegate from Columbia. Mr. Wright had already voted for secession, and Mr. Jones was too late to cast a
vote. Whether or not he was in favor of secession is unknown, but he became known as the "too late delegate."
As an added note, the three "co-operationist counties" of Suwannee, New River, and Clay preferred to wait until Georgia's decision was known, thus showing that this area's economy was greatly dependent on Georgia.
Mr. Jones' descendents were active in cattle raising and agriculture. At least one son John Paul was a Confederate
Soldier in Company D, 1st Florida Cavalry. It is not known to the writer if any other of his sons were members of the
CSA. As a member of 8th Florida Infantry, John Paul participated in the Second Battle of Manassas and the capture
of Harper's Ferry. He was later found in the 2nd Florida Cavalry, which fought in the Battle of Olustee.
In Folio 80 of the book of Proceedings of the County Commissioners of Baker county is recorded 6 February, 1882, A
bond for return of digest laws which carries the name of John Paul Jones as a co-signer with Judge Richard D. Davis, W. A. Drake and recorded by Francis J. Pons, Clerk of Circuit Court.
Children of John W. and Sarah Jones were:
Mary J., born 1835; Eugenia, born 1837; Pauline, born 1838; John Paul, born 20 October, 1835, married Mary R.; James, born 1840; Polk, born 1842 (all the above children were born in Georgia, and the following were all born in Florida),Dallas, born 1843; Calhoun, born 1844; Philip, born 1846; and Joseph, born 1847.
An interesting fact about Mr. Jones is that he kept two legal residences - one in Columbia County and another in the
southern end of the present Baker County.
(gb - I'll just sit back and wait and see if any more of these old clippings will show up. There should be about 15 more
floating around out there somewhere)
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
"The houses between these places are few and far between, in fact, it is a brand new country and for my part, I can't see what there is in here worth sending an army after."
Bryant Hix (Hicks), Jonothin Thigpen, Moses Barber, Mary Norton, Thomas H. Goolsby, Daniel Norton, John N. Fry, Asa Wilkinson, James Hogans, James M. Burnsed, Samuel Davis, Abner Sweat, John Canady, W. H. Williams, John D. Williams, Roland Williams, William Williams, Elizabeth Thompson, Samuel R. Sweat, Auck Johnson, Mary Beasley, John Osteen, Hiram Bennett, James Dees, William Raulerson, Archibald Hogans, James Albritton, John Tanner, Stephen Hall, Jacob I. Blount, John F. Webb, Zachariah Davis, Noel R. Raulerson, Joseph Locklear, L. Sparkman, L. G. Sibley, Nancy Simpson, Elisha Wilkinson, Elisha Green, Shadrack Handcock, Phebe Loper, John sapp, Joseph Wilkinson, Littleton Smith, Samuel Barber, John J. H. Davis, Grandison Barber, Isaac Daniels, Jesse Wiggins, Absalom Wood, Richard Tullis, James Edwards, James Gibson, John powell, Job Manning, John Jarks, Benjamin Moody, John Williams, Leng Pierce, James Dees, James Tullis Ezekial Weeks, William Carver.
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
Excommunications and Membership Roll of Providence Church
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
"yeh, Let;s go." With some misgivings, and a great deal of confusion in his mind, Mr. Sparkman caught up the child to his chest and handed his rifle to one of his boys. As he stepped off toward the river, he stopped short. From the high gallberries stood a short stocky Indian girl.
Another bit of info that came up after this first series of newspaper columns was that the group of Indians in that particular area were known to be Cowetas, originally from the Georgia-Alabama border above the present Atlanta. When quizzed by me about the name of the Indians, Aunt Molly replied, "...Sump'n like Coweters 'r sump'n." Aunt Molly also described the father as "a Southern man.")
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
(gb note...I copied what the old timers told me even though I knew that Raiford was
not the home of the state prison until the '20's. Mizell undoubtedly used the railroad for transportation from Palatka to
Jacksonville and then to Chattahochee).
Jack's Uncle Mose Barber insisted on traveling with them to protect Jack
from being the victim of foul play.
Sheriff Mizell was shot in the back. (gb note...Mizell is buried in Leu Gardens in Winter Park).
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
(gb note...Uncle John Barber of Palatka said, "His body RIZ")
(gb note...Little Mose's son Mose, Jr. had been gator hunting on the north bank of Lake Okeechobee when he received
news of the shootings. He rushed to Lake Conway in time to see his father's body dragged from the water. Someone
asked, "Who is it?" Another answered, "It looks like Little Mose Barber to me." Another added, "S---, it looks like a
g--d----- bear to me." Mose, Jr. blasted away into the crowd and fled. His life story is a book in itself)
(gb note...Victoria noticed that both men had two saddlebags each FULL OF GOLD)
The young widows had no means to repossess their property by force (and legal arguments were out of the question
in Reconstruction Florida. All would have to remain under the control of the Mizells.
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
(gb note...I'm afraid this is confusing - as much to me as to the reader; I don't know whether this meant after her marriage to Daniel Drawdy or Daniel Hurst or whether her move to Kissimmee was after she had divorced one of the other. It's been too long ago for me to remember what I intoned to say here. I'm certain some of the Drawdy historians can set us straight on this)
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
m. (1) 5/21/1829 Sophronia Dean in Hamilton Co., FL, b. 1806, GA, d. bef. 1860
m. (2) 1863 Cornelia Ann Tippen, b. 12/27/1835 Tattnall Co., GA, d. 3/24/1924, bur. Keystone Cem. Hillsborough Co., FL; dau. John Underwood Tippen/Nancy Mizell. Cornelia was the mother of at least 7 children)
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
1 horse, $55.00; 10 head stock cattle,$60.00; 8 head goats, $7.00; household and farming tools, $50.00
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
Charity: born in 1837 in Georgia; Rebecca: born in 1845 in Georgia,; and Isham: born in 1846 in Georgia.
Thomas: born in 1854 in Georgia; and Joney: born in 1855 in Florida, married a Raulerson.
Pliny Smith: born 7 November, 1837 in Georgia; died 13 September, 1896; buried same as parents; married Mary P. Pauline)(Poore)
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber
Both are believed to be buried in North prong Cemetery.
From Out Of Our Past
By Gene Barber