Proud Heritage
From the Early Settlers of Florida to the Present
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Abram Bellamy surveyed Jacksonville and was a founder of the City. His son, Jack, was commissioned by the Territory to construct the St. Augustine Road from Tallahassee. His son, William, a successful planter, was the father of Emmala Brooks Bellamy , who with her husband, George Washington Parkhill, outfitted a company to fight in the War Between the States, and who gave his life at the Battle of Gains Mill.
Richard Johnson Mays and his wife Eliza settled in Madison County from Edgefield South Carolina , in the late 1820s, and R.J. founded the Baptist Association of Florida in 1854 around a six foot two inch round marble top table that the author still has in the family.
John Parkhill and his wife, Emmala Copeland, from Richmond, settled Tuscawilla in Leon County in the 1820s and engaged in a large farming operation in addition to banking.
The descendants of these families have made significant contributions to their State and Country, each in his or her own way, leaving lasting contributions.
Dannitte H. Mays, married Emmala Bellamy Parkhill in 1880. He was a successful planter, was Speaker of the House in 1897 and served in Congress from 1908 through 1912. His grandson, Colin P. Kelly, Jr., was the first hero of World War Two, giving his life for his country, as he held his B-17 Flying Fortress steady for his men to bail out over Clark Field, after attack by Japanese Zeros.
G.W. Parkhill's son was Charles Breckinridge, who became a Florida Supreme Court Justice, and whose daughter , Genevive married James Lykes of the Lykes Brothers shipping and industrial empire.
The author traces these roots and his own life as well as those around him , to portray the life and times in which those and his generations lived.
About the Author
Charles Parkhill Mays Jr is a practicing attorney in Lakeland, Florida, with a national law firm. He has a broad background in the law with emphasis on Public Finance. He is married with four grown children and six grandchildren. He and his wife spend time in the mountains of North Carolina where they have a cabin. He is an ardent hunter of wild turkey, quail, duck, pheasant, and other feathered creatures. He also enjoys golf and spending time with his family.