Submitted by
Rebekah Sheats
Holidays have always been a special time for the folks of Jefferson County. The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were festive occasions that have marked every household during the past few centuries. As the joyous times drew near, businesses closed and locals prepared for the coming celebrations. Even the newspapers weighed in on the action, offering barbequing tips or special recipes to brighten the festivities.
Christmas of 1937 was a typical example. In that December, the Monticello News temporarily paused its news reporting to fill two columns of the first page of its paper with a special note for its readers:
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” St. Luke 2:10
All year long, year in and year out, this, your newspaper, brings you the tidings of the world. Not all of them are joyful, certainly none so glorious as the Christmas story which St. Luke announced 2,000 years ago in the glowing words of promise above. . .
There is no other news we bring you that fills our own hearts with gladness as the tidings of another Christmas fill them. And so, a Merry Christmas to you all, and may the love and peace and hope of the Great Birthday mellow your cares throughout the year.
The Publishers
Holidays were a cherished time for one and all. Take, for example, the Gadsden family of Lloyd. Members of the Gadsden clan have resided in Florida for centuries. When Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish Florida, one of his aide-de-camps was James Gadsden. Eventually James became the ambassador to Mexico, and he arranged what is known as the Gadsden Purchase. In 1827, James bought an estate in Florida and moved with his brother Octavius to this new home a few miles from Waukeenah. James became one of the five original commissioners of Jefferson County when that county was established in 1827. But he died childless, and his estate passed to his brother Octavius.
Two hundred years later, Octavius’ descendants still made Florida their home. Ira Davis Gadsden, wife of Octavius’ grandson, was a beloved member of the Lloyd community. In the 1940s, her young grandson Jack Carswell often came to visit her for the holidays. Jack remembers the delights of his grandmother’s home during those festive times of year.
In Ira’s home, holidays started in the kitchen. Ira would begin preparations up to a month before Thanksgiving or Christmas. Fruitcake and other staple recipes often required a curing process, demanding an early start to the holiday cooking.
Other preparations followed in time. Her grandson Jack recalled:
If we wanted a turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving, my uncle would have to get it. My grandmother would start getting after him about two weeks before Thanksgiving. “You need to go hunting, Jim. You need to find us a turkey.”
Uncle Jim Gadsden hunted in the woods around Lloyd. For ducks or wild geese, he went to Lake Miccosukee. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, the larder would be well stocked with wild game. It needed to be, for the extended family all gathered at Ira’s house for the celebration of the holidays.
The Gadsden family had been prosperous in bygone days, but by the arrival of the twentieth century, that wealth was gone. Ira still pulled out the best tablecloth for the holidays. It would be freshly starched and ironed, but it would also be noticeably threadbare. Yet no one seemed to mind.
When the joyous day arrived, horseshoes and outdoor games were a favorite with the children, as well as card games such as Old Maid and Go Fish. For the adults, canasta was an enjoyable pastime. But for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, the meal was the greatest moment of the day.
Long tables were piled high with food. Roast turkey, wild duck, quail (and possibly dove) and freshly butchered pork sat surrounded by plates of biscuits and cornbread while plum preserves, blackberry jelly, and watermelon rind preserves added color to the table. Dishes of local fruits and vegetables enlarged the spread, and after the meal’s completion dessert was waiting in the form of chocolate cake, fruitcake, lane cake (with whiskey), and cherry, apple, and mincemeat pies.
With dinner over, the men took to the woods for an afternoon hunt while the women visited. The festivities (and eating) would continue throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
Food was a major part of any Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration, and it occasionally took an unexpected part in the exciting play of the holidays. The cook at the Dixie Hotel in Monticello was busy preparing Christmas dinner for her guests in 1930 when a startling discovery was made: five of the hotel’s live turkeys had absconded. Apparently the turkeys had realized the purpose behind their increased feedings and had decided to slip away before it was too late. (Or perhaps they “disappeared” to grace the table of a less-than-honest member of the small town.) History is silent as to the turkeys’ final fate.
All in all, holidays were highly anticipated occasions of setting aside the routine of normal life to enjoy some special treats and engage in pleasurable leisure activities. It was also a cherished opportunity to delight in the simple joy of togetherness. In that way, I suppose, they haven’t changed much in Jefferson County over the past few hundred years.
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