Whew . . . It was tough composing a daily entry on all those Florida pioneer folkways!
On the other hand, it made it easier to get in the rhythm of daily blogging by having a ready-made subject waiting for me.
So, moving forward, I decided it would be best to adopt a very general format.
Obviously, things are going to pop up that will cause me to veer off the path from time to time. But, for the most part, I've decided to follow this weekly cycle of general post topics:
* Census Sundays - oddities and gems uncovered while perusing census enumerations
* Memorial Mondays - musings on cemeteries and the dearly departed
* Title Tuesdays - updates on my reading list(s)
* War Wednesdays - military service records discovered or rediscovered
* Throwback Thursdays - old photos and other images
* Florida History Fridays - remembering the Sunshine State "the way hit wuz"
* End-of-the-Line Saturday - highlighting my earliest-known ancestor for a given surname/line
We'll try this out for a while, anyway. Let's see how it goes before we start tinkering with it . . .
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Folkway #24 - Liberty
So, what did Central Florida's pioneers think about personal liberty?
Thankfully, this area's frontier culture was not dependent on the institution of slavery. Some efforts were made to establish plantations in western Orange County, but they failed. For the most part, the terrain was more amenable to small family farming and ranching.
Many of the earliest American arrivals to this remote frontier enjoyed its remoteness. According to Pine Castle's founder Will Wallace Harney, they knew it was time to move as soon as they could hear their neighbor's dog barking.
Unfortunately, this freedom of movement was not a liberty they thought should be extended to the Seminole Indians who preceded them to this area. This lack of compassion led to decades of bloody warfare.
To learn more about our local history, or to volunteer to help preserve it, please visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org
Thankfully, this area's frontier culture was not dependent on the institution of slavery. Some efforts were made to establish plantations in western Orange County, but they failed. For the most part, the terrain was more amenable to small family farming and ranching.
Many of the earliest American arrivals to this remote frontier enjoyed its remoteness. According to Pine Castle's founder Will Wallace Harney, they knew it was time to move as soon as they could hear their neighbor's dog barking.
Unfortunately, this freedom of movement was not a liberty they thought should be extended to the Seminole Indians who preceded them to this area. This lack of compassion led to decades of bloody warfare.
To learn more about our local history, or to volunteer to help preserve it, please visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Folkway #23 - Power & Politics
So, what was the political landscape on Central Florida's frontier?
Simply put, Democrats ruled the roost for more than a century.
It is important to keep in mind that the earliest settlers were greatly dependent on government subsidies for their survival.
At the federal level, the pioneers greatly benefited from the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. This legislation made 200,000 acres of government-owned land available for settlement. Each qualifying applicant was granted 160 acres free of charge. As with modern government programs, however, the free land came with significant strings attached:
1. The applicant had to get a permit from the Government Land Office.
2. The applicant (or his heirs) had to LIVE ON THE LAND for FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
3. The applicant had to improve 5 of the acres (by clearing it for cultivation or livestock).
4. The applicant had to build a house on the land during the first year after obtaining his permit.
5. The land had to be at least two miles away from any active military posts.
At the state level, pioneer men benefited from militia service. Whereas modern residents of Central Florida find mandated public service like jury duty to be an annoyance or inconvenience, the area's early residents enjoyed being called up for militia duty. State service ensured a steady source of cash and provisions.
So, initially, the most popular politicians were those who promised to deliver more cheap (or free) land and to continue scouring the countryside for renegade Seminoles.
As the nation careened toward civil war, most of this area's residents were skeptical about secession--not because they held lofty ideals such as abolition of slavery, but because they were worried any war might disrupt the government subsidies they had come to enjoy. It is important to note that both of Orange County's representatives to the state's secession convention voted AGAINST leaving the union.
During the Reconstruction Era, political power was largely in the hands of newcomers (called "carpetbaggers" for their peculiar luggage) and their local collaborators (called "scalawags"). Many were left at the mercy of unscrupulous bureaucrats. Pine Castle's founder Will Wallace Harney detailed how one settler named Asa Tanner was defrauded of his homestead land by carpetbaggers working in the state land office.
Perhaps the most important local official on the frontier was the postmaster. During the pioneer era, this was a plum political appointment. This also meant that the office bounced back and forth, depending on the result of presidential elections. If a Republican was elected, he would name a local member of the GOP to be the postmaster. Likewise, a Democrat would name a member of his party. Civil service reform efforts eventually ended this practice.
Simply put, Democrats ruled the roost for more than a century.
It is important to keep in mind that the earliest settlers were greatly dependent on government subsidies for their survival.
At the federal level, the pioneers greatly benefited from the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. This legislation made 200,000 acres of government-owned land available for settlement. Each qualifying applicant was granted 160 acres free of charge. As with modern government programs, however, the free land came with significant strings attached:
1. The applicant had to get a permit from the Government Land Office.
2. The applicant (or his heirs) had to LIVE ON THE LAND for FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
3. The applicant had to improve 5 of the acres (by clearing it for cultivation or livestock).
4. The applicant had to build a house on the land during the first year after obtaining his permit.
5. The land had to be at least two miles away from any active military posts.
At the state level, pioneer men benefited from militia service. Whereas modern residents of Central Florida find mandated public service like jury duty to be an annoyance or inconvenience, the area's early residents enjoyed being called up for militia duty. State service ensured a steady source of cash and provisions.
So, initially, the most popular politicians were those who promised to deliver more cheap (or free) land and to continue scouring the countryside for renegade Seminoles.
As the nation careened toward civil war, most of this area's residents were skeptical about secession--not because they held lofty ideals such as abolition of slavery, but because they were worried any war might disrupt the government subsidies they had come to enjoy. It is important to note that both of Orange County's representatives to the state's secession convention voted AGAINST leaving the union.
During the Reconstruction Era, political power was largely in the hands of newcomers (called "carpetbaggers" for their peculiar luggage) and their local collaborators (called "scalawags"). Many were left at the mercy of unscrupulous bureaucrats. Pine Castle's founder Will Wallace Harney detailed how one settler named Asa Tanner was defrauded of his homestead land by carpetbaggers working in the state land office.
Perhaps the most important local official on the frontier was the postmaster. During the pioneer era, this was a plum political appointment. This also meant that the office bounced back and forth, depending on the result of presidential elections. If a Republican was elected, he would name a local member of the GOP to be the postmaster. Likewise, a Democrat would name a member of his party. Civil service reform efforts eventually ended this practice.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Folkway #22 - Order
So, how did Central Florida's pioneers establish order on the frontier--and how did they maintain it?
As noted in previous posts, our area's first settlers did not simply appear out of thin air. They brought with them a host of traditions from their prior residences, and they tended to replicate or adapt them to suit the environment here.
Order first must be defined. What is what, and where are the boundaries? So, naming the features of the wilderness landscape was a big first step in taming it.
According to Pine Castle's founder Will Wallace Harney, the Seminoles called the area around Lake Conway "Okehitanatchee," a word he translated as "Land of Fair Waters."
Evidently, it was too difficult for the average settler to remember or pronounce. They simply called the area "Oak Ridge," for the forested highland to the west of the chain of lakes. And, when government surveyor Benjamin Whitner prepared the first official map of the area, he named the waters for his boss: Surveyor General Valentine Conway.
Before Florida achieved statehood, much of the Central Florida frontier was included in the unfortunately-named "Mosquito County." It was not surprising when pioneer settler Aaron Jernigan was elected to the new state legislature that he introduced a bill to give his new residence the more appealing name "Orange County."
With the area properly named and land boundaries defined in terms of Whitner's section, township, and range map, responsibility for maintaining law and order was vested in the new Orange County Government.
The county courthouse, which has moved several times since the pioneer era, was the repository of all the records related to frontier property transactions and the inevitable legal disputes that arose with the influx of more settlers.
The Orange County sheriff was the official who was primarily responsible for enforcing the laws passed by county commissioners and fulfilling orders issued by circuit court judges. Pine Castle has been home to at least three sheriffs over the years: William Patrick, Jim Black, and Dave Starr.
For many years, local law enforcement had no official place to keep suspects and convicted criminals. The nearest jail was up in Ocala, and it was not a top-notch facility. Many were able to escape either en route or by hoodwinking the jailer there--including the aforementioned Aaron Jernigan, who was charged with murder but fled captivity to live as a fugitive in Texas on the eve of the War Between the States.
To learn more about our local history and ongoing efforts to preserve it, please visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org.
As noted in previous posts, our area's first settlers did not simply appear out of thin air. They brought with them a host of traditions from their prior residences, and they tended to replicate or adapt them to suit the environment here.
Order first must be defined. What is what, and where are the boundaries? So, naming the features of the wilderness landscape was a big first step in taming it.
According to Pine Castle's founder Will Wallace Harney, the Seminoles called the area around Lake Conway "Okehitanatchee," a word he translated as "Land of Fair Waters."
Evidently, it was too difficult for the average settler to remember or pronounce. They simply called the area "Oak Ridge," for the forested highland to the west of the chain of lakes. And, when government surveyor Benjamin Whitner prepared the first official map of the area, he named the waters for his boss: Surveyor General Valentine Conway.
Before Florida achieved statehood, much of the Central Florida frontier was included in the unfortunately-named "Mosquito County." It was not surprising when pioneer settler Aaron Jernigan was elected to the new state legislature that he introduced a bill to give his new residence the more appealing name "Orange County."
With the area properly named and land boundaries defined in terms of Whitner's section, township, and range map, responsibility for maintaining law and order was vested in the new Orange County Government.
The county courthouse, which has moved several times since the pioneer era, was the repository of all the records related to frontier property transactions and the inevitable legal disputes that arose with the influx of more settlers.
The Orange County sheriff was the official who was primarily responsible for enforcing the laws passed by county commissioners and fulfilling orders issued by circuit court judges. Pine Castle has been home to at least three sheriffs over the years: William Patrick, Jim Black, and Dave Starr.
For many years, local law enforcement had no official place to keep suspects and convicted criminals. The nearest jail was up in Ocala, and it was not a top-notch facility. Many were able to escape either en route or by hoodwinking the jailer there--including the aforementioned Aaron Jernigan, who was charged with murder but fled captivity to live as a fugitive in Texas on the eve of the War Between the States.
To learn more about our local history and ongoing efforts to preserve it, please visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Folkway #21: Society
So, what societal patterns did Central Florida's pioneers follow?
The pioneers did not simply appear out of the sky and invent a society of their own. They lived elsewhere before coming to this area, bringing with them the affiliations and customs of their prior neighborhoods.
There were actually several waves of settlement.
The first came in the wake of the First Seminole War, when the U.S. government offered free land as part of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. Many would-be settlers staked claims to land in the Pine Castle area, but only three succeeded in perfecting their claims: county clerk Peter Hyrne and the brothers Aaron and Isaac Jernigan. Hyrne promptly sold his land to the Jernigans, leaving their extended family the only real residents here.
The extended Jernigan family included the Patricks, Hogans, Minshews, and Tylers; and had come down here en masse from the vicinity of St. Marys, Georgia. They were border people, who were used to living in close proximity to warlike Indians. So, they considered themselves perfectly suited for populating this new frontier. And, they like the lack of neighbors, because it gave them the room they needed to graze their cattle.
The second (and largest) wave came following the War Between the States, and primarily consisted of Southerners who had been left in reduced economic circumstances following the Confederate defeat. These included Judge William Randolph of New Orleans and his notable son-in-law Will Wallace Harney of Louisville, Kentucky; but also included former Tallahassee mayor Francis Eppes, who also happened to be a grandson of President Thomas Jefferson.
Among this second wave was the extended family of the legendary Granny Harris. She was said to be so "mad at the Yankees" that she walked all the way to Central Florida from their former home in Washington County, Georgia. Her close kin included the Kings, Hansels, and Tanners. They were not as high on the social scale as Randolph, Harney, and Eppes. But, they knew their economic opportunities were better here than they were in their former homes.
Smaller waves followed these. They included New Englanders who came with the construction of the South Florida Railroad in the 1880s; "remittance men" from Great Britain; and even an "Ohio Society."
The pioneers did not simply appear out of the sky and invent a society of their own. They lived elsewhere before coming to this area, bringing with them the affiliations and customs of their prior neighborhoods.
There were actually several waves of settlement.
The first came in the wake of the First Seminole War, when the U.S. government offered free land as part of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. Many would-be settlers staked claims to land in the Pine Castle area, but only three succeeded in perfecting their claims: county clerk Peter Hyrne and the brothers Aaron and Isaac Jernigan. Hyrne promptly sold his land to the Jernigans, leaving their extended family the only real residents here.
The extended Jernigan family included the Patricks, Hogans, Minshews, and Tylers; and had come down here en masse from the vicinity of St. Marys, Georgia. They were border people, who were used to living in close proximity to warlike Indians. So, they considered themselves perfectly suited for populating this new frontier. And, they like the lack of neighbors, because it gave them the room they needed to graze their cattle.
The second (and largest) wave came following the War Between the States, and primarily consisted of Southerners who had been left in reduced economic circumstances following the Confederate defeat. These included Judge William Randolph of New Orleans and his notable son-in-law Will Wallace Harney of Louisville, Kentucky; but also included former Tallahassee mayor Francis Eppes, who also happened to be a grandson of President Thomas Jefferson.
Among this second wave was the extended family of the legendary Granny Harris. She was said to be so "mad at the Yankees" that she walked all the way to Central Florida from their former home in Washington County, Georgia. Her close kin included the Kings, Hansels, and Tanners. They were not as high on the social scale as Randolph, Harney, and Eppes. But, they knew their economic opportunities were better here than they were in their former homes.
Smaller waves followed these. They included New Englanders who came with the construction of the South Florida Railroad in the 1880s; "remittance men" from Great Britain; and even an "Ohio Society."
Monday, February 23, 2015
Folkway #20: Rank
So, who held "rank" on the Central Florida frontier, and how was status conferred?
As detailed in yesterday's post, society was generally stratified by wealth. As individuals, the wealthy held more social, political, and economic influence than did the poor. But, the bulk of the population lived between the two extremes as small farmers. So, the democratic impulse of the pioneers kept the rich and powerful somewhat in-check, especially during election years.
Just as economic class was very fluid, with common laborers able to aspire to becoming wealthy planters, so too was rank.
A pioneer might be held in very high esteem at one point, only to fall from grace at the next. The best example of this was Capt. Aaron Jernigan, who organized the local militia during the territorial era and was elected to represent his neighbors in Tallahassee soon after statehood was achieve in 1845. But, in the years just before the War Between the States, he and his family were implicated in a murder scandal that forced them to flee to Texas.
Rank was generally conferred by democratic vote, or at least general consensus.
The most respected members of pioneer society were:
1. Oldtimers - whose life experience and wisdom was much respected.
2. Preachers - who, especially during the early days of settlement, risked their lives to spread the "good news."
3. Teachers - whose lifework was to improve the next generation of pioneers
4. Military officers - who organized the defense of the frontier against Indian raids and other threats
As detailed in yesterday's post, society was generally stratified by wealth. As individuals, the wealthy held more social, political, and economic influence than did the poor. But, the bulk of the population lived between the two extremes as small farmers. So, the democratic impulse of the pioneers kept the rich and powerful somewhat in-check, especially during election years.
Just as economic class was very fluid, with common laborers able to aspire to becoming wealthy planters, so too was rank.
A pioneer might be held in very high esteem at one point, only to fall from grace at the next. The best example of this was Capt. Aaron Jernigan, who organized the local militia during the territorial era and was elected to represent his neighbors in Tallahassee soon after statehood was achieve in 1845. But, in the years just before the War Between the States, he and his family were implicated in a murder scandal that forced them to flee to Texas.
Rank was generally conferred by democratic vote, or at least general consensus.
The most respected members of pioneer society were:
1. Oldtimers - whose life experience and wisdom was much respected.
2. Preachers - who, especially during the early days of settlement, risked their lives to spread the "good news."
3. Teachers - whose lifework was to improve the next generation of pioneers
4. Military officers - who organized the defense of the frontier against Indian raids and other threats
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Folkway #19: Wealth
So, how did Central Florida's pioneers measure wealth?
The simple answer is they measured it just as we do today, in dollars and cents. But, nothing is as simple as it first sounds or appears.
There was actually very little currency floating around the frontier. Only the commodity brokers who traveled from farm to farm and ranch to ranch buying livestock and produce actually carried any sizeable amounts of cash. And, even they usually carried Spanish pieces-of-eight rather than U.S. currency.
Most folks just bartered with their neighbors for day-to-day purchases.
Of course, cash was king when it came to acquiring land and cattle, the two real measures of a pioneer's wealth on the Central Florida frontier.
The problem was that many of these pioneers ended up being "land rich" and "cash poor." They might be worth a hundred thousand dollars on paper, and barely have two nickels to rub together because their wealth was tied-up in their farms and ranches.
This became a particular problem when they had to pay property taxes. Many times, when a pioneer didn't have the cash to pay his bill, the tax collector would seize a portion of his herd to cover what was owed. (It was just this situation that sparked the bloody Barber-Mizell Feud here in 1870, but that's a tale for another day.)
Frontier society was based on wealth, ranked as follows:
1. Large-scale planters - again they might have more property than cash, but they still wielded the most economic, political, and social influence.
2. Professionals - doctors, lawyers, engineers, clergy, soldiers/sailors, and (as in the case of Pine Castle's own Will Wallace Harney) journalists.
3. Small farmers - the bulk of the population, who eked out a small profit if they could avoid natural disasters.
4. Tenant farmers - enjoyed a certain degree of stability, but typically produced just enough for subsistence.
5. Laborers - owned no real property, and led a more itinerant lifestyle as they followed the work that fed them.
If you'd like to learn more about pioneer life, the Pine Castle Pioneer Days festival continues today at Cypress Grove Park on Holden Avenue. The event begins with an 8am sunrise service, featuring "circuit riding preacher" Brad Staton. For more information visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org or call 407-427-9692.
The simple answer is they measured it just as we do today, in dollars and cents. But, nothing is as simple as it first sounds or appears.
There was actually very little currency floating around the frontier. Only the commodity brokers who traveled from farm to farm and ranch to ranch buying livestock and produce actually carried any sizeable amounts of cash. And, even they usually carried Spanish pieces-of-eight rather than U.S. currency.
Most folks just bartered with their neighbors for day-to-day purchases.
Of course, cash was king when it came to acquiring land and cattle, the two real measures of a pioneer's wealth on the Central Florida frontier.
The problem was that many of these pioneers ended up being "land rich" and "cash poor." They might be worth a hundred thousand dollars on paper, and barely have two nickels to rub together because their wealth was tied-up in their farms and ranches.
This became a particular problem when they had to pay property taxes. Many times, when a pioneer didn't have the cash to pay his bill, the tax collector would seize a portion of his herd to cover what was owed. (It was just this situation that sparked the bloody Barber-Mizell Feud here in 1870, but that's a tale for another day.)
Frontier society was based on wealth, ranked as follows:
1. Large-scale planters - again they might have more property than cash, but they still wielded the most economic, political, and social influence.
2. Professionals - doctors, lawyers, engineers, clergy, soldiers/sailors, and (as in the case of Pine Castle's own Will Wallace Harney) journalists.
3. Small farmers - the bulk of the population, who eked out a small profit if they could avoid natural disasters.
4. Tenant farmers - enjoyed a certain degree of stability, but typically produced just enough for subsistence.
5. Laborers - owned no real property, and led a more itinerant lifestyle as they followed the work that fed them.
If you'd like to learn more about pioneer life, the Pine Castle Pioneer Days festival continues today at Cypress Grove Park on Holden Avenue. The event begins with an 8am sunrise service, featuring "circuit riding preacher" Brad Staton. For more information visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org or call 407-427-9692.
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