“Pioneer Florida” Series in the Tampa Tribune
Recently, I stumbled across a recurring series called “Pioneer Florida” that ran in the Tampa Tribune in the 1950s. It was written by D. B. McKay, who was a former mayor of Tampa. It is full of fascinating articles about various folks who lived and worked in central Florida and the Gulf Coast of Florida during the 1800s.
The header that appears at the top of the page for most of this series in the Tampa Tribune.
Many of these articles are written in the style that we find in most genealogical journals. Some facts are explicitly sourced. Other facts are given in enough detail that finding the original source isn’t too hard.
But for me, the true treasures to be found in this series are the first-hand accounts by the children and grandchildren of these Florida Pioneers! This is primary source material that I haven’t found anywhere else.
For the last few years, I have been trying to confirm the maiden name of my 3rd great-grandmother, Harriet who married Seth Howard around 1843 in Hillsborough County, Florida.
Marriage records don’t exist for Hillsborough County before 1846, so no official record exists. As of yet, I have not located an old family Bible containing this information either. I have only found two death certificates for the children of Seth and Harriet Howard and on one of the certificates, the mother’s name is listed as “Harriet Howard” and is listed as “Not known” on the other death certificate.
But while looking through articles posted in this “Pioneer Florida” series, I found an interview of a woman named Molly Whidden who was the granddaughter of Seth and Harriet Howard.
Interview with Molly Whidden by her niece, Mrs. Sudie Knight. Published in the Tampa Tribune on January 1, 1956 on page 32 in the ongoing series “Pioneer Florida” compiled by D.B. McKay.
Within the very first paragraph, she states “Father married Susan Howard, a widow with two daughters, Virginia and Missouri. Her parents were Seth Howard and Harriet Weeks.”
Excerpt from an interview with Molly Whidden by her niece, Mrs. Sudie Knight. Published in the Tampa Tribune on January 1, 1956 on page 32 in the ongoing series “Pioneer Florida” compiled by D.B. McKay.
And just like that, I have a primary source for my 3rd great-grandmother’s maiden name. Harriet Weeks Howard died in 1892 in either Wauchula or DeSoto County, Florida. I never expected to find a primary source to my genealogical question printed in a newspaper over 60 years after her death and 100 miles away from where she raised her family.
Additionally, Seth Howard is well-researched. Genealogists have written profiles on him. His military service records have been gathered. He’s been identified on all the relevant census records. His land grants have been obtained. But check out these jewels found in the interview with his granddaughter.
Excerpt from an interview with Molly Whidden by her niece, Mrs. Sudie Knight. This item is fascinating to me. My mother’s family has been in the orange grove business for as long as we can remember and it is deeply embedded in our family story. To learn that orange groves didn’t exist in the area that my family has farmered for so many generations made me realize that not only has my family tended these orange groves, but they must have been the original planters of some of these groves in the late 1880s. It makes sense, but I had never had an awareness of this fact befofre reading this line. Published in the Tampa Tribune on January 1, 1956 on page 32 in the ongoing series “Pioneer Florida” compiled by D.B. McKay.
Excerpt from an interview with Molly Whidden by her niece, Mrs. Sudie Knight. My 4th great-grandfather, Seth Howard, hosted the neighborhood school in his barn! Published in the Tampa Tribune on January 1, 1956 on page 32 in the ongoing series “Pioneer Florida” compiled by D.B. McKay.
And check out where Molly mentions that she went to school with her older half-sisters and five of her grandpa’s kids as well as a boy named Dan Pate.
Excerpt from an interview with Molly Whidden by her niece, Mrs. Sudie Knight. She lists the other students that attended her second school with her. Published in the Tampa Tribune on January 1, 1956 on page 32 in the ongoing series “Pioneer Florida” compiled by D.B. McKay.
Daniel Pate is a whole other 3rd great-grandfather of mine on my maternal side! He was one of Molly’s neighbors growing up, so I know this is MY Daniel Pate!
I have been busy searching for all of my Florida pioneers in the Tampa Tribune by name using the date range of 1950-1960. I’ve been able to find other tidbits here and there. But I’m also enjoying reading all the interviews, even if they aren’t about one of my ancestors. One interview published was that of a woman named Liza Stewart Allen.
Excerpt from an interview with Liza Stewart Allen by Mrs. Sudie Knight. Published in the Tampa Tribune on December 4, 1955 on page 90 in the ongoing series “Pioneer Florida” compiled by D.B. McKay.
She described migrating down to Manatee County, Florida in the 1870s. She isn’t my relative, but the Dan Pate I mentioned above migrated down to Manatee with his mother and grandparents around 1865-ish from Alabama. I can get a flavor of what their journey must have been like by reading Ms. Liza’s account of her own trip.
If you have an ancestor who lived in central Florida or the Gulf Coast of Florida in the 1800s, I would try searching for them in Tampa Tribune’s “Pioneer Florida” series published in the 1950s. Like me, you might just find yourself having an everyday adventure in genealogy! The Tampa Tribune articles from this time period can be found on newspapers.com and genealogybank.com. The Florida Digital Newspaper Library does not have any issues of the Tampa Tribune from the 1950s.
