Anna's Stories - "Anna" An Early Walton County Boat - 1910 -- The Smith Family
Posted 05-17-2009 at 06:46 PM by Brenda Rees
Updated 10-27-2009 at 08:31 AM by Brenda Rees (Added First National Bank, Smith-Thornber helped establish 1904)
Updated 10-27-2009 at 08:31 AM by Brenda Rees (Added First National Bank, Smith-Thornber helped establish 1904)
"Anna's Stories" will take years to tell. We'll start easy. I'll tell you about a boat named for Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon and built in DeFuniak Springs around 1910. Pictures scanned from originals from the Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon/Sonny Hollingsworth collection will also be included. Brenda Rees, Shaping Florida (c) All Rights Reserved (LOG ON TO SEE ALL PICTURES!)
The "Anna" was named for Anna Durinda Brown Smith and Anna Smith, the wife and great-niece of L.I. Smith. Connections to Grayton Beach, Camp Walton, DeFuniak Springs, etc. The back of this picture says "WINNER OF FIRST HANDICAP July 4, 1920 Equipped with 20 h.p. 11 STANDARD MOTION Length 32'6" Breadth 8'8" DRT. 3' Speed 22 KAH. signed by
Anna Reardon
Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon's papers are vast and many were given by her only son Ernest L. (Sonny) Hollingsworth of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to the John C. Pace Library at University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida. Anna Reardon wrote for the DeFuniak Springs Herald - Beach Breeze. Sonny spent many childhood days on the beach at Grayton at the "Smith" house. His father had died in a tragic dairy accident when he was a young child.
Sonny Hollingsworth is married to my mother, Gloria. While cleaning out the attic the other day, Sonny and my Mom came across a number of additional photographs and notes from Anna. Anna's family moved to Walton County from Tyndall, South Dakota around 1903 and started one of the areas earliest dairy farms off the Freeport Road, now 331. They also had homes and property at Grayton Beach in South Walton, Camp Walton and Mary Esther. One of the original homes on the dairy property was moved and is now in Pt. Washington. The original "Smith" beach house is still at Grayton Beach. "Wiscasett" now stands alone on the former Smith Dairy on Highway 331 in DeFuniak Springs.
Anna Smith, her great-uncle L.I. Smith, and Billie Smith about 1919. L.I. Smith owned considerable property in Northwest Florida, including a home on the historic circle in DeFuniak Springs, to beach homes and resorts in Camp Walton and Mary Esther.
Anna wrote that the boat "Anna" was built by Mr. Ruby Burdick, a skilled carpenter, cabinet maker and boat builder, who lived in DeFuniak Springs from about 1900 to 1910. While in DeFuniak, he built at least two boats. One was the "Anna" and was sold to Mr. L. I. Smith around 1910. Mr. L. I. Smith had traveled to DeFuniak and visited the "Chautauqua" in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The "Anna" was named for his wife, Anna Durinda Brown Smith and his great-niece, Anna Smith.
The young, beautiful, educated and talented Anna Smith for whom the "Anna" was named.
Anna said the boat was "called a launch, but would probably qualify as a yacht today. , It had two cabins, with wide seats cushioned with leather-covered life preservers which could be used as matresses." Anna said her great uncle never learned to operate the boat so hired Mr. E.S. Buck as skipper. Mr. Buck had moved to DeFuniak in 1906 and then to Camp Walton in 1908. Anna wrote "... at Camp Walton, Mr. Buck built a home and a water front store, which housed the post office for a number of years."
The Camp Walton area appears to have been in Walton County during the Civil War and this time period, about 1851 - 1915, per my research and Sinko Atlas of Florida counties. Place names on numerous maps varied. An 1882 Rand McNally map that shows Pt. Washington, only has "Anderson" in the general area now known as Ft. Walton Beach. A 1917 State of Florida map shows Camp Walton (See my academic blogs on borders, South Walton Real Estate History and John Wesley in Spanish Florida, for more information on place locations -- Brenda Rees, Shaping Florida)
Anna Durinda Brown Smith, the wife of L.I. Smith. The other namesake for the boat "Anna."
Here are some pictures of Anna's Family, early Walton County residents.
Anna Smith. Perhaps in the front yard at the dairy farm.
Claudine H. Thornber, Anna Smith's mother. Picture taken in Tyndall, South Dakota, the location from where several other Walton County families migrated.
Percy Warren Smith, Anna's father. Before moving to Walton County, Florida. His children included Lewis Thornber, Dorothy, Hugh Percy, Kenneth Robert, Anna Martha, and Claudine Elizabeth (Billie). Many in Grayton Beach will remember Kenneth as "Tuff" Smith who lived with his wife Alline for many years at Grayton Beach at the "Smith" house. I'll post more pictures on the "Smith" house later, probably in a separate Grayton Beach blog. It is still at Grayton.
The following excerpt is from handwritten note by Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon. This should give you some insight of the early Walton County residents who enjoyed both North and South Walton. There are more pictures and stories about their beach trips, homes and adventures.
... "My mother married Percy Warren Smith, an abstractor and former school teacher,who lived with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Smith. Hugh Thornber and L.I. Smith became lifelong friends. This uncle had been a merchant and banker in Lamar, Missouri, but had moved to Tyndall where he founded a bank, and owned considerable property.
These three families had comfortable homes, and "hired girls"; these were live-in maids, daughters of German immigrants in the area.
Hugh, Thornber, L.I. Smith and P.W. Smith were members of the Masonic Lodge in Tyndall. My parents were members of the Eastern Star there. Later, all resumed their memberships in DeFuniak Springs.
By the late 1890's, these families had wearied of the severe winters, so L.I. Smith made several trips to Florida, Georgia and perhaps other parts of the southeastern United States. My father, P.W. Smith, and my oldest brother, Lewis Thornber Smith, accompanied him at least once. They liked DeFuniak Springs, which was a winter resort then, so decided to spend winter vacation here. This they did the winters of 1900-01, 1901-02, and 1902-03. The Thornbers had reliable clerks in their store, so they came, too. The three families rented houses on west Live Oak Avenue, and attended the Chautauqua sessions.
Finally, in November 1903, all moved here. The Thornbers bought the house on Live Oak Avenue, now known as the Bert McCall house, and opened a "Racket Store" on Baldwin Avenue and 7th Street. In 1904, just before Christmas, the entire block burned, destroying the "Racket Store" and many toys and gifts which had been left there until the holiday. Hugh Thornber refunded all the money to these customers. Soon, he established a store in the block just west of the first location. The store flourished, but by 1910, the Thornbers decided to retire, so sold the store to W.K. Jennings, who took over Jan. 1, 1911." ...
(end of Anna's notes)
I wasn't aware of the term "Racket Store" until I read Anna's report. Another picture in the files identifies the Thornber store in Tyndall, South Dakota as a "Racket Store." It appears to be a general merchandise store. Will post that picture later. Here it is:
The Racket Store, Tyndall, S.D. Hugh Thornber. Written on back of picture "The Racket Store Tyndall, S.D. Owned by Hugh Thornber Picture shows Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Thornber, Lewis Smith & Dorothy Smith directly in front of store Mrs. P.W. Smith & Hugh Smith to left." (this would be Anna's mother and brother) Dorothy died as a toddler in 1900. The older P.W. Smith children were born in South Dakota. Anna and Billie were born in Florida.
Little Dorothy Smith, 1897 - 1900. Pictured with her family in front of the Racket Store in South Dakota. She died at a tender age and thus did not make the move to Florida with the rest of her family.
Further reading of Anna's notes has revealed more about the "Racket Store." Anna wrote "It was called 'The Racket Store' and was more or less franchised by a chain using this name. The idea was that each store was supposed to have a noise-maker outside to make a racket, presumably to attract customers. My grandfather preferred not to have a racket-maker, but did use the name."
In addition to boats and stores, the Smith-Thornber family was connected to early banks.
Clock, DFS 2009 The First National Bank Clock in DeFuniak Springs. Anna Smith wrote "Hugh Thornber and L.I. Smith helped establish the First National Bank in 1904. Each bought five shares of stock. Later, Uncle's shares were sold to my grandfather, so he could qualify as a director. He served in that capacity from January 13, 1910 until about the time of his death." More about the efforts to restore and preserve this clock (Take Stock in The Clock) will be posted on another blog.
The "Anna" was named for Anna Durinda Brown Smith and Anna Smith, the wife and great-niece of L.I. Smith. Connections to Grayton Beach, Camp Walton, DeFuniak Springs, etc. The back of this picture says "WINNER OF FIRST HANDICAP July 4, 1920 Equipped with 20 h.p. 11 STANDARD MOTION Length 32'6" Breadth 8'8" DRT. 3' Speed 22 KAH. signed by
Anna Reardon
Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon's papers are vast and many were given by her only son Ernest L. (Sonny) Hollingsworth of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to the John C. Pace Library at University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida. Anna Reardon wrote for the DeFuniak Springs Herald - Beach Breeze. Sonny spent many childhood days on the beach at Grayton at the "Smith" house. His father had died in a tragic dairy accident when he was a young child.
Sonny Hollingsworth is married to my mother, Gloria. While cleaning out the attic the other day, Sonny and my Mom came across a number of additional photographs and notes from Anna. Anna's family moved to Walton County from Tyndall, South Dakota around 1903 and started one of the areas earliest dairy farms off the Freeport Road, now 331. They also had homes and property at Grayton Beach in South Walton, Camp Walton and Mary Esther. One of the original homes on the dairy property was moved and is now in Pt. Washington. The original "Smith" beach house is still at Grayton Beach. "Wiscasett" now stands alone on the former Smith Dairy on Highway 331 in DeFuniak Springs.
Anna Smith, her great-uncle L.I. Smith, and Billie Smith about 1919. L.I. Smith owned considerable property in Northwest Florida, including a home on the historic circle in DeFuniak Springs, to beach homes and resorts in Camp Walton and Mary Esther.
Anna wrote that the boat "Anna" was built by Mr. Ruby Burdick, a skilled carpenter, cabinet maker and boat builder, who lived in DeFuniak Springs from about 1900 to 1910. While in DeFuniak, he built at least two boats. One was the "Anna" and was sold to Mr. L. I. Smith around 1910. Mr. L. I. Smith had traveled to DeFuniak and visited the "Chautauqua" in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The "Anna" was named for his wife, Anna Durinda Brown Smith and his great-niece, Anna Smith.
The young, beautiful, educated and talented Anna Smith for whom the "Anna" was named.
Anna said the boat was "called a launch, but would probably qualify as a yacht today. , It had two cabins, with wide seats cushioned with leather-covered life preservers which could be used as matresses." Anna said her great uncle never learned to operate the boat so hired Mr. E.S. Buck as skipper. Mr. Buck had moved to DeFuniak in 1906 and then to Camp Walton in 1908. Anna wrote "... at Camp Walton, Mr. Buck built a home and a water front store, which housed the post office for a number of years."
The Camp Walton area appears to have been in Walton County during the Civil War and this time period, about 1851 - 1915, per my research and Sinko Atlas of Florida counties. Place names on numerous maps varied. An 1882 Rand McNally map that shows Pt. Washington, only has "Anderson" in the general area now known as Ft. Walton Beach. A 1917 State of Florida map shows Camp Walton (See my academic blogs on borders, South Walton Real Estate History and John Wesley in Spanish Florida, for more information on place locations -- Brenda Rees, Shaping Florida)
Anna Durinda Brown Smith, the wife of L.I. Smith. The other namesake for the boat "Anna."
Here are some pictures of Anna's Family, early Walton County residents.
Anna Smith. Perhaps in the front yard at the dairy farm.
Claudine H. Thornber, Anna Smith's mother. Picture taken in Tyndall, South Dakota, the location from where several other Walton County families migrated.
Percy Warren Smith, Anna's father. Before moving to Walton County, Florida. His children included Lewis Thornber, Dorothy, Hugh Percy, Kenneth Robert, Anna Martha, and Claudine Elizabeth (Billie). Many in Grayton Beach will remember Kenneth as "Tuff" Smith who lived with his wife Alline for many years at Grayton Beach at the "Smith" house. I'll post more pictures on the "Smith" house later, probably in a separate Grayton Beach blog. It is still at Grayton.
The following excerpt is from handwritten note by Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon. This should give you some insight of the early Walton County residents who enjoyed both North and South Walton. There are more pictures and stories about their beach trips, homes and adventures.
... "My mother married Percy Warren Smith, an abstractor and former school teacher,who lived with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Smith. Hugh Thornber and L.I. Smith became lifelong friends. This uncle had been a merchant and banker in Lamar, Missouri, but had moved to Tyndall where he founded a bank, and owned considerable property.
These three families had comfortable homes, and "hired girls"; these were live-in maids, daughters of German immigrants in the area.
Hugh, Thornber, L.I. Smith and P.W. Smith were members of the Masonic Lodge in Tyndall. My parents were members of the Eastern Star there. Later, all resumed their memberships in DeFuniak Springs.
By the late 1890's, these families had wearied of the severe winters, so L.I. Smith made several trips to Florida, Georgia and perhaps other parts of the southeastern United States. My father, P.W. Smith, and my oldest brother, Lewis Thornber Smith, accompanied him at least once. They liked DeFuniak Springs, which was a winter resort then, so decided to spend winter vacation here. This they did the winters of 1900-01, 1901-02, and 1902-03. The Thornbers had reliable clerks in their store, so they came, too. The three families rented houses on west Live Oak Avenue, and attended the Chautauqua sessions.
Finally, in November 1903, all moved here. The Thornbers bought the house on Live Oak Avenue, now known as the Bert McCall house, and opened a "Racket Store" on Baldwin Avenue and 7th Street. In 1904, just before Christmas, the entire block burned, destroying the "Racket Store" and many toys and gifts which had been left there until the holiday. Hugh Thornber refunded all the money to these customers. Soon, he established a store in the block just west of the first location. The store flourished, but by 1910, the Thornbers decided to retire, so sold the store to W.K. Jennings, who took over Jan. 1, 1911." ...
(end of Anna's notes)
I wasn't aware of the term "Racket Store" until I read Anna's report. Another picture in the files identifies the Thornber store in Tyndall, South Dakota as a "Racket Store." It appears to be a general merchandise store. Will post that picture later. Here it is:
The Racket Store, Tyndall, S.D. Hugh Thornber. Written on back of picture "The Racket Store Tyndall, S.D. Owned by Hugh Thornber Picture shows Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Thornber, Lewis Smith & Dorothy Smith directly in front of store Mrs. P.W. Smith & Hugh Smith to left." (this would be Anna's mother and brother) Dorothy died as a toddler in 1900. The older P.W. Smith children were born in South Dakota. Anna and Billie were born in Florida.Little Dorothy Smith, 1897 - 1900. Pictured with her family in front of the Racket Store in South Dakota. She died at a tender age and thus did not make the move to Florida with the rest of her family.
Further reading of Anna's notes has revealed more about the "Racket Store." Anna wrote "It was called 'The Racket Store' and was more or less franchised by a chain using this name. The idea was that each store was supposed to have a noise-maker outside to make a racket, presumably to attract customers. My grandfather preferred not to have a racket-maker, but did use the name."
In addition to boats and stores, the Smith-Thornber family was connected to early banks.
Clock, DFS 2009 The First National Bank Clock in DeFuniak Springs. Anna Smith wrote "Hugh Thornber and L.I. Smith helped establish the First National Bank in 1904. Each bought five shares of stock. Later, Uncle's shares were sold to my grandfather, so he could qualify as a director. He served in that capacity from January 13, 1910 until about the time of his death." More about the efforts to restore and preserve this clock (Take Stock in The Clock) will be posted on another blog.
Total Comments 4
Comments
-
Brenda:
Great story about the Smiths. Thank you for recording Walton County history. Too often stories are lost with the passing of generations. When we finish our renovation we would love to share the Smith house with you and Lane.
Thanks again,
BillyPosted 05-20-2009 at 10:29 PM by Grayton Girl
-
Enjoy your history blogs!
What was a "Racket Store"?Posted 05-23-2009 at 10:52 AM by Dune-AHH
-
Thanks for recording all this history. It takes so much time, but we so appreciate all that you do.Posted 06-01-2009 at 09:38 PM by coon cat
-
Excellent job Brenda!Posted 06-02-2009 at 07:20 AM by kurt
Total Trackbacks 0
