Living the Memories of old St. Joseph

Descendents of the first Caucasian girl born in the old city of St. Joseph came to Port St. Joe last week to learn more about her past and discuss the history of the town with genealogist and writer Beverly Mount-Douds.

Beverly Griffin, now a Tampa resident, began researching her genealogy about two years ago and was amazed when she picked up a copy of Mount-Douds’ book Apalachicola to find pictures of her descendents dating from the early 1800s.

Mount-Douds confirmed, as did the 1838 census, that Griffin’s ancestor, Mary Isabelle Stewart, was in fact the first Caucasian girl to be born in the old city of St. Joseph.

"It is our family history as it has been handed down over generations," Griffin said in an e-mail to Mount-Douds. "I can remember it being told at countless family gatherings when I was a child."

St. Joseph was established during the late 1830s/early 1840s as a booming community.

In only three years the population rose to upwards of 12,000 people, making St. Joseph the most populated city in the new territory.

However, unable to compete commercially with Apalachicola, the population of St. Joseph dropped by half nearly as quickly as it grew.

To reinvent the town’s image, residents began promoting their town as a seaside resort, housing the wealthy from around the world.

Griffin's father, Robert F. Cole, wrote about the accounts of their family's history in 2006 and since then Griffin has spent hundreds of hours researching her ancestry.

While she found many records that contradicted her father’s accounts, which she has now revised, Griffin was able to put some of the unknown pieces into place with the help of Mount-Douds.

"For a few exciting years St. Joseph was a lively collection of odd and sundry souls, most of them coming to seek their fortunes here at the edge of civilization," wrote Cole. "It was into this untamed community that a British ship brought an unlikely newcomer from London, a lady of considerable culture and refinement, intent on making her home here among the rustic citizens."

Records show that Emily Louise Stewart migrated from England to St. Joseph in 1837 along with her first daughter Georgiana, age 2, and her grand piano.

Georgiana is Griffin's great-great grandmother.

"One can imagine the excitement upon arrival of the ship from England and the curiosity aroused by such unusual passengers as Emily Stewart and her two year old daughter Georgiana, followed by several husky sailors struggling with a grand piano," wrote Cole.

According to Griffin, Emily was headed to Mobile, AL, but the ship stopped in St. Joseph and although Griffin is not sure why, Emily decided to change her plans and stayed instead in St. Joseph.

"When Emily came ashore that day, she entered a world completely foreign to anything she had previously known. Florida would not become a state for another 13 years, and life on the frontier must have offered challenges she had never imagined. But Emily made a life for herself with the help of her grand piano," wrote Cole.

In St. Joseph, according to Griffin, Emily brought culture to the children of the little town at her School for Young Ladies, where she taught music, French and etiquette.

Griffin believes that Emily was pregnant with her second daughter, Mary Isabelle, when they arrived in St. Joseph because no records indicate that Emily's husband made the journey with her and Mary Isabelle was born shortly after Emily’s arrival.

In February 1838, Mary Isabelle Stewart was born in St. Joseph, the daughter of Emily Louise Stewart.

There is still speculation as to whether Emily's husband and Mary Isabelle's father, Frederick Dundas Stewart, came to St. Joseph or died in England before joining the rest of the family.

Griffin believes that he and his eldest son must have joined the family in 1840 because the census for that year shows Emily as head of household and along with her two daughters; a son is listed between the ages of five and 10.

Also, in January of 1842, Emily gave birth to a third daughter which indicated to Griffin that Emily's husband must have been in St. Joseph in 1841.

Some family members, however, insist that her husband and son died in England before joining them, Griffin indicated.

Griffin believes that shortly after the birth of Mary Isabelle, Emily closed the school and the family left St. Joseph after the Yellow Fever epidemic struck the community in 1841, moving to Apalachicola.

"The town became a ghost town," said Mount-Douds. "Many people were either lucky enough to leave or died in Old St. Joe."

According to Mount- Douds, nearly 75 percent of the population of St. Joseph was wiped out by Yellow Fever.

There is no record citing that Emily’s husband and son ever moved to Apalachicola with the rest of the family, nor is there record that they died in St. Joseph during the epidemic.

According to some historical records, however, so many people died during this time that large unmarked mass graves were dug in order to dispose of the bodies.

In Apalachicola, Emily's first daughter, Georgiana, married Thomas Wingate, who was later killed in the Civil War at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Mary Isabelle lived out her life in Apalachicola and married Charles Marks.

As for St. Joseph, in the wake of Yellow Fever, another devastating blow came to the small town when in 1844 hurricanes destroyed homes and wiped out many of the inhabitants left.

"St. Joseph disappeared forever," wrote Cole.

In its place, further inland became the town of Port St. Joe.

"But along the coast where St. Joseph once stood, only a few ancient tombstones remain to tell the tale of that once lively frontier town," wrote Cole.

Mount- Douds was able to show Griffin a typed list of all the names of Civil War soldiers buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Apalachicola and after her meeting, Griffin was able to find many of her relatives buried on this site.

"It seems like a small thing, but for us standing in front of these graves, we felt a connection to this ancestor," said Griffin. "It was a profoundly moving experience."

Mount-Douds, founder and president of the Gulf County Genealogical Society, has published three books on local history.

"I love putting the pieces of the puzzle together," said Mount-Douds. "Over 12 years ago, someone e-mailed me about the Stewart family and at the time we did not have that much information, but now we finally can put these pieces together."