NOTE: Edgar Graves PERSONS, 06 JUN 1858 - 10 FEB 1935

Edgar Graves Persons served as a Representative in the Florida
House of Representatives from Columbia County elected in 1899
   and again in 1905. €25

   He also served as Superintendent of Schools in Columbia County.
€21

NOTE: John Manson GILES, 20 MAR 1856 - 15 NOV 1948

John Manson Giles' father came into Kentucky from Virginia as a
young man.

NOTE: Lewis William Abraham RIVERS, 1860 - JAN 1955

L. W. A. Rivers served as Representative from Columbia County
   in the Florida House of Representatives elected in 1901,
1911-12, and 1923. €25

   The following autobiographical material was written by L. W. A.
Rivers in 1942 €6:

   "My mind this evening reverts back to the time following the
civil war.

   "We often think and talk of hard times, but we have not known
   any hard times that would compare with the condition of this
county for the first years after the civil war. Very little
coffee could be bought at any price, and most people used
substitutes.

   "We very seldom saw any refined sugar. The people used that
which was made on the farms. About one farmer in ten owned a
cane mill. He ground his cane and made sugar and loaned his
mill to his neighbors.

   "A few of the older settlers owned remnants of farm vehicles.
There was (sic) a few men who knew how to do blacksmith and
wheelright work, and they soon remidied (sic) the situtation by
repairing the old vehicles and building horse carts and ox
carts. These were made entirely of wood with the exception of
tires (which were old ones that been junked), linch pins to
hold the body and wheels together, and a few nails. About nine
tenths of the hauling and riding was done in carts. A farmer
thought himself pretty well fixed when he got a good new cart
   to take his family out to church. in.

   "My mother owned a spinning wheel and a loom and spun thread
   and wove cloth and made the cloth into garments for the family
   to wear.

"There were no sewing machines or cook stoves at that time.
   All the sewing was done by hand with needle and thread and all
   the cooking in a chimney fire place.

"The first sewing machine that I ever saw was a small portable
affair that could be set on any table and turned by hand with a
crank.

"The farming was done nearly all together (sic) with one plow.

"All the turning and most of the cultivating was done with a
turn plow called a Yankee plow. Every member of the family
above five years old had something to do.

"All the planting was done by hand and no commercial fertilizer
   was used.

   "In a few years the farmers by hard work, perseverence and
close economy began to prosper and to get better equipment and
build better houses.

"For several years after the civil war there was no public
school system in this state.

"The people in a community would work together and build a
school house of green pine poles, split boards and cover it and
ceil the cracks with longer boards, get a few planks for seats
   and someone would donate an old chair for the teacher to sit in
   and the house was ready for school.

"They did not have to see any superintenant (sic) or school
board. They just hired some one who said that he could teach
school. Three months was the length of the usual term and the
salary was around twenty dollars per month which was prorated
   out to the patrons according to the number of pupils from his
house. The teacher also got his board free be visiting all
around one night at a time.

   "I went to school in two such houses and the logs did not even
have the bark peeled off and had a dirt floor.

"The pupils big and little, old and young all bought a Websters
Blueback Speller and whatever other books they could get."

NOTE: Robert Burrell PERSONS, 06 AUG 1830 - 04 JUL 1864

Moved to Georgia shortly after 1850. €4

NOTE: Olymphia Roxanna PERSONS, 15 MAY 1833 - 09 MAY 1904

Moved to Georgia shortly after 1850. €4
Moved to Florida in 1887. €4