Browse Items (35 total)
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Robert Lawson McPherson oral history interview transcription, 1960
Robert Lawson McPherson (1899-1980) was interviewed on 9 May 1960 by Rush Hughes.
McPherson was born in 1899 near Stuart, Florida.
He shares memories of early life in the region. He remembers the first automobile (an E-M-F) arriving in the area and recalls the first post office being located in the Stuart Hotel. He details pineapple growing and shipping, settler named "Russian Ed" who had been shipwrecked, the House of Refuge and Mr. and Mrs. Rea, and fishing.Tags Oral histories -
Alfred B. Michael oral history interview transcription, 1960
Alfred B. Michael (1877-1964) was interviewed on 5 July 1960 by Rush Hughes.
Michael arrived in Florida in 1887 at just ten years old. His family settled on Orchid Island near Wabasso. As a young man, Michael became a trade boat captain, delivering supplies to isolated communities along the Indian River. Later, he shifted to citrus farming, planting his first grove in 1902 and founding Deerfield Groves a decade later, helping to establish the Indian River citrus industry.
Discussion chiefly focuses on operating a trade boat and citrus groves. Also interactions with the Seminoles, descriptions of frontier life, and fishing.Tags Oral histories -
Mizell George Platt Sr. and Edna Winifred Roebuck Platt oral history interview transcription, 1960
Mizell George Platt Sr. (1894-1973) and Edna Winifred Roebuck Platt (1900-1984) were interviewed on 25 November 1960 by Rush Hughes.
Mr. Platt recounts his family's move from Pine Level in DeSoto County to Indiantown in 1898 in search of open range for cattle ranching. His father, an early settler and rancher, drove approximately 3,000 cattle across the state and became the first white settler in the area, previously inhabited only by Native Americans. Mr. Platt describes their interactions with local Indigenous communities, the establishment of a post office named "Annie," and the development of infrastructure such as the Stuart-Annie Road, later known as Gaines Highway.
Mrs. Platt offers insight into life in Tropical Farms near Stuart, where her family operated a general store and steamboat on the Kissimmee River. She reflects on the self-sufficient lifestyle of the time, including homegrown food, bulk goods ordered from Jacksonville, home remedies, and traditional courtship customs. Transportation was primarily by horse, oxen, and boat.
Tags Oral histories -
Ethel Thomas Porter oral history interview transcription, 1960
Ethel Thomas Porter (1880-1966) was interviewed in 1960 by Rush Hughes.
Details life in early Stuart including ordering from catalogs, lack of refrigeration, no doctors, alligators, and learning 17 ways to cook white potatoes and hearts of cabbage palmetto. Also emphasized the importance of musician Mamie Hancock's influence on culture in Stuart and fund raising during WWII. Tells the story of Uncle Broster Kitching's establishment of Fernhill Cemetery and the first funeral held there.
Charles and Ethel Thomas Porter (1880-1966) purchased the Owl House on Colorado Avenue in about 1908. Ethel was president of the Stuart Woman's Club.Tags Oral histories -
Ethel Thomas Porter on Catherine Backus oral history interview transcription, 1960
Ethel Thomas Porter (1880-1966) was interviewed on 25 June 1960 by Rush Hughes.
Porter discussed the Catherine Fallis Backus (1863-1955), an artist who started the first flower farm in Martin County.Tags Oral histories -
Earl Julius Ricou oral history interview transcription, 1960
Earl Julius Ricou (1900-1984) was interviewed on 1 June 1960 by Rush Hughes.
They discuss Ricou family history, fishing in the early twentieth century, Gosling, the DeSteuben Dry Goods Store, Ricou's hardware store (Ricou Hardware), hurricane preparation, and Palm City as a Hungarian settlement.Tags Oral histories -
Florence A Dyer Ricou oral history interview transcription, 1960
Florence A Dyer Ricou (1898-1982) was interviewed on 1 June 1960 by Rush Hughes.
They discussed the pineapple industry, her father Harry Dyer and Dyer family history, Fernhill Cemetery history, and daily life in early Martin County.Tags Oral histories -
Belle Simmons Ross oral history interview transcription, 1960
Belle Simmons Ross (1877-1968) was interviewed on 30 April 1960 by Rush Hughes.
Belle Simmons Ross moved to Martin County in 1890 at the age of 13 with her family, led by her father, Eli Simmons. Eli was both a farmer and boat builder, and Belle herself became a skilled boat captain.
In this interview, Ross reflects on life during the pioneer era. She shares memories of purchasing supplies in bulk, participating in community social events, keeping bees, and her family's interactions with Native American communities.Tags Oral histories -
Margaret Backus Sawtell oral history interview transcription, 1960
Margaret Backus Sawtell (1907-1999) was interviewed on 5 May 1960 by Rush Hughes.
She is asked about her mother, Catherine Fallis Backus (1863-1955) and her flower farm. Also details surviving a hurricane, playing with the Terrill children from Mars Hill, having pet alligators, and social activities.Tags Oral histories -
Louise Sorensen Schultz oral history interview transcription, 1960
Louise Sorensen Schultz (1879-1968) was interviewed in 1960 by Rush Hughes.
They discuss Schultz's family arriving in Jensen in 1889 and life in early Jensen. Recalls the opening of the inlet, picnics, fishing, Hugh Willoughby, Jensen School bell, and the Stuart Yacht Club.Tags Oral histories