Forerunners courageous : stories of frontier Florida.
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 214-215).

Stories of the Florida frontier from early territorial days ito the 20th century written by a former governor of the state.

"Here are lusty stories of the Florida frontier from early territorial days. Stories of love, hate, murder, adventure, tragedy and triumph, when men and women had to overcome not only conflicts with other people but with a nature that was raw and violent. Some of the stories extend on down to the movement of Florida into the 20th Century, Each stands on its own base, with its own special interest and revealing historical reality. Here also is humor side by side with pathos; inspiration arising from the ashes of disaster. The climax comes in the last chapter, which spans the time from the arrival of the first English settlers of the state to the present. This is the story of a strong man, Richard Keith Call, and his descendants. It is also the story of a great house in Tallahassee, The Grove, and of the struggles of its devoted owners down through the years since 1825, who were often limited in means but never in imagination or determination. Beyond the facts, these tales offer revealing glimpses into the private life and thinking of the author. Known generally as an exceptionally able political leader, the former Florida governor is seen here along new dimensions as a sensitive historian and an eager story-teller, interested not just in the raw courage that early Florida demanded but also in the valor and integrity bred into later generations by frontier trials."--Dust jacket flaps.