Rebekah Sheats
Contributor
The annual meeting of the Jefferson County Historical Association was held at the Woman’s Club in Monticello on March 27. The evening opened with a welcome from Beulah Brinson Bird, the Association’s president. Beulah recognized attendee Dr. Jim Sledge, who served as the Association’s first president more than sixty years ago when the JCHA was founded in 1962. She also recognized Birney Linn, son of Irma Linn, the association’s first secretary.
Sledge reminisced: “When the Historical Association started, they asked me to be the president. I told them, ‘I’ll be the president as long as Irma Linn agrees to be the secretary.’ She was instrumental in getting and preserving the Wirick Simmons house.”
Beulah Bird also noted that the association has recently acquired a high-quality scanner to make digital backups of historic documents, manuscripts, and pictures. She explained, “If you have old documents or photographs, we’d love to scan a copy for preservation at the Association.” She encouraged all locals to contact the Association if they are willing to share their historical items.
Next, Executive Director Jack Carswell spoke briefly about the unique history of Jefferson County and the importance of preserving that history for future generations. He also gave a recap of the association’s 2022 activities and noted that the association has several new projects underway, including a possible future tour of homes. “We’re excited about the possibilities as we go forward,” he said.
The keynote speaker of the evening was Cindy Rowe Littlejohn, author of Palmetto Pioneers, a narrative nonfiction work on Littlejohn’s Walker ancestors who moved to Jefferson County in 1829. Littlejohn’s talk, entitled “How to Write a Family History,” offered attendees a fascinating insight into how family genealogical and historical information can be preserved and presented to contemporary readers in an engaging, interesting way. “None of the young people are interested in all those begats,” Littlejohn explained. This is why she chose to write her family history as a story rather than a genealogical table. Littlejohn discussed research tips and writing helps that aided her in her journey. To assist others interested in this history-writing process, she has created several blog posts with helpful hints and practical research aids. These are available on her blog: http://oldageisnotforsissiesblog.com
To close the evening, Carswell thanked everyone for coming and reminded folks to renew their membership in the Historical Association. “We look forward to our future, and we’ll take all the help we can get!” he ended.
Refreshments were provided by Beulah Bird and Claudette McRae.
The Jefferson County Historical Association is a Florida non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting the local history of people and communities that have existed in Jefferson County from its earliest times to the present, as well as preserving and passing on that history to future generations. If you would like to join the association or make a donation, please contact Carswell at (850) 997-1980.
You must be logged in to post a comment.