287. Milton Loggers of 1910

Updated: Mar 28, 2022

The scene in this photo was a common sight along the rivers of northwest Florida at the turn of the last century. Rafts of logs could be seen all up and down the Escambia and Blackwater rivers. Once the logs were hauled out of the forest by oxen, they were floated down creeks and streams to the rivers and floated in huge rafts to the lumber mills in Bagdad and Pensacola. The logs were held together by the use of "dogs," which were iron spikes driven into the outside logs and connected by chains. One of the mills on Magnolia Basin was owned by Greenberry Dycus, who reopened his mill in 1866 after the Civil War. Below, is a short glimpse into the rough men who worked the rivers during this era. It was dangerous to the point that one slip of the foot sent you underneath the huge logs above and a sure enough drowning.

William Franklin Rivenbark Sr. was born on March 27, 1882, the son of Frank P. Rivenbark and Mary E. Wright. His father supported his family as a log driver in the timber business. William was living in Milton in 1917, working as a ship's carpenter for the Santa Rosa Marine Company. In 1910, he would marry Grace Whittle (1893-1984), the daughter of Ruben E. Whittle who was a Milton farmer. William was of medium height and weight with grey eyes and dark hair. He occupied a variety of jobs during his life including a laborer building roads in 1920, at a lumber mill in 1930, a night marshal for the city of Milton in 1940, and five years later had returned to carpentry. He would pass away on April 15, 1970 and was buried in the Milton Cemetery where he awaited Grace in 1984.

Henry Taylor Kelly, born July 21, 1890 in Florida and was living on Andalusia Road in 1910, the son of Zackaria "Zack" T. Kelly. His father was a widower while Taylor was working as a laborer in a Santa Rosa logging camp of which his father was a contractor. He served with the US Army in WWI, inducted as a private in Milton on 22 Jul 1918. He was discharged on December 30, 1918. Served in the medical department and remained stateside during the war. In 1920, he was a ship's carpenter and by 1940 he had become an attendant at a Naval Stores & Timber Company. In 1950, he would marry Anice Julia Jones (1919–2001). He passed away on February 4, 1970 and he was buried in the Bagdad Cemetery.

Malcolm Virgil Fleming born July 3, 1891 in Milton, the son of Laird Batey and Josephine Fleming. He was employed for the Bagdad Land & Lumber Company as a laborer. He was tall and slender with blue eyes and light-colored hair. He was inducted into the Army in Milton on June 26, 1918 during WWI and sailed for France on October 28, 1918. There, he joined a replacement detachment and was sent to the 321st Field Artillery, Battery "C". The regiment was fighting in the Argonne Forest area until the armistice was signed on the 11th of November. He and his regiment departed on May 5, 1919 aboard the SS Arizonan and he was discharged on June 3, 1919. Upon his return, he obtained a job as a ship's carpenter at his old company. In 1920, he married Flora Lee Youmans (1903-1971), the daughter of a Milton farmer. By 1930, he was an assistant manager of a sewing machine company in Mobile. He remained in sales the rest of his life and passed away on June 20, 1963 and was buried in the Pine Crest Cemetery in Mobile, AL.

Frank James Pendleton was born on February 11, 1885 in Milton, the son of John W. Pendleton and Mary J. Carnley. In 1905, he married Joella "Ella" Bray (1889–1979), daughter of Jarrette Franklin (1844-1900) and Amanda Bray. Her father was a Confederate soldier with Company "D" of the Florida 1st Infantry Regiment. He was shot in the right arm, entering below the elbow and disabling the arm. He would receive a pension as did his wife after his death on the way home from town from natural causes. As to Frank, he spent the remaining part of his life working in the lumber mills before passing away in 1955. He was buried in the Bagdad Cemetery where he was joined by Joella in 1979.