Charles Franklin Daniels was born in Alabama on February 16, 1903 to the union of Captain (name not rank) Daniels and Rosa Clark. By 1920, Charles was 17 years old and his mother was widowed and taking in washing to support her family. With the return of the soldiers from WWI, the American economy was overburdened with able bodied men looking for work. By 1923, Charles decided to enlist in the Army on September 26th and was assigned to Company "I" of the 24th Infantry Regiment. Historically, the regiment was an all African American unit that was involved in the infamous "Houston Riot" six years before in 1917 resulting in four soldiers and 15 civilians killed. However, after three years of service, Charles received his honorable discharge on September 25, 1926 as a Private First Class. The following year, he married Carrie L. Cotton in Pensacola on the 6th of December. By 1930, he was a carpenter at the Pensacola Navy Yard. For the rest of his life he would hold a variety of jobs, most in the laborer capacity. He and his wife and son occupied their home at 1115 North H Street until his death on May 9, 1957. Carrie would remarry and was buried beside her second husband in the Holy Cross Cemetery. Carrie was joined by their son Thomas Franklin Daniels in 1977.
Company "I" of the 24th Infantry Regiment, US Army
(Photo courtesy of Ophelia Ray)
Family home at 1115 North "H" Street, built 1935
Mt. Zion Cemetery, Pensacola, FL