The “52 Cousins” series of biographical sketches are Artificial Intelligence (AI) compiled narratives of selected individuals from my Genealogical database. The selected AI will used the RootsMagic Individual Summary from my Genealogical Software, Roots Magic. All genealogical data is my research material acquired over the past 46 years of research. Today's Biography of John Franklin Blackwelder (1873-1950) and his wife, Mary Viola Sellers was compiled with the assistance of Claude Sonnett 4 and is entitled:
"John Franklin Blackwelder: A Florida Farmer's Life"
Early Life and Family Background
John Franklin Blackwelder was born on March 25, 1873, in Saint Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida, to Wiley Monroe Blackwelder (1840-1922) and Caroline Cornelia Gruver Blackwelder (1846-1927). He grew up in a large family with several siblings, including his sister Kizzie Cornelia (1870-1961) and brothers George Riley (1875-1955), Jesse Oliver (1879-1939), Appleton Fleming (1881-1940), and Oscar Benjamin (1885-1952). He also had a half-sister, Laura Mary Quigley McLeod (1862-1946).
John came of age during Florida's post-Civil War reconstruction era, when the state was transforming from its Confederate past into a new agricultural economy. The Blackwelder family had established themselves in the farming communities of northeast Florida, where citrus groves and general agriculture were becoming increasingly important to the state's economy.
Three Marriages
John's romantic life was marked by both tragedy and perseverance. He first married Dorcas Ann Blackwelder on September 2, 1896, in Palatka, Putnam County, Florida. Together they had two daughters: Clara (born August 1897) and Jessie Viola (born December 1899). The 1900 census shows John, age 27, working as a farmer in Deleon Springs with his young family. Sadly, Dorcas passed away in 1910, leaving John a widower with two daughters to raise.
Just two years later, on April 10, 1912, John married Emma Estelle Jennings (1882-1926) in Volusia County. Emma brought stability to the household, and together they worked the farm in De Leon Springs. Census records from 1920 show John and Emma living together as he continued his work as a farmer. Tragically, Emma died in 1926, leaving John alone once again.
Life with Mary Viola Sellers
Later that same year, on December 22, 1926, the 53-year-old John married Mary Viola Sellers, a woman 28 years his junior. Mary had been born on May 14, 1901, in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, to William Kenneth Sellers (1868-1959) and Nancy Ann Smith (1870-1913). She had several siblings, including Charles James, Hoyt Dudley, Sarah Jane, and Arnold May.
This third marriage brought new life and energy to John's household. Together, John and Mary had six children, creating a bustling family home on their De Leon Springs farm:
Myra-Lee (1921-2008)
Victor Marrion (1927-2010)
John Durwood (1928-1980)
Vera (1930-2007)
Wilbur Kenneth (1931-1963)
The 1930 census captures a snapshot of this growing family: John at age 64 (though he was actually 57), with daughter Marle (Myra-Lee), age 8, young Victor at 3, baby Derwood at 1, and newborn Vera. The household also included Rosa Tucker, a widowed servant from Alabama, and her son William. By 1940, the census shows John still farming at age 67, with Victor (13), Derwood (11), Vera (10), and Wilbur (8) still at home.
A Farmer's Life in De Leon Springs
John spent virtually his entire adult life as a farmer in the De Leon Springs area of Volusia County. This small community in central Florida was known for its natural springs and agricultural lands. During John's lifetime, the area transitioned from frontier farming to more established agricultural practices, though it remained relatively rural.
The 1915 property records show John and his second wife Emma selling lot 6, block 2 in DeLeon Springs to J.S. Driggers, indicating he was actively managing his land holdings. Throughout the decades, John weathered the challenges that all Florida farmers faced: unpredictable weather, economic downturns including the Great Depression, and the constant hard work that farming demanded.
Historical Context
John's life spanned an remarkable period in American history. Born just eight years after the Civil War ended, he lived through Reconstruction, the Spanish-American War, two World Wars, and the beginning of the Cold War. In Florida specifically, he witnessed the state's transformation from a sparsely populated frontier to an increasingly popular destination, especially as Henry Flagler's railroad opened up the east coast to tourism and development in the 1890s and early 1900s.
The Great Depression of the 1930s hit when John was in his late 50s and early 60s, with a house full of young children to feed. The census records show he continued farming throughout this difficult period, supported by Mary and whatever help his older children could provide. The family appears to have weathered these challenges, maintaining their farm through some of America's hardest years.
Later Years and Legacy
John continued working his farm well into his late 60s and early 70s. He passed away on April 3, 1950, in De Leon Springs at the age of 77, having lived in the same small Florida community for most of his life. He was laid to rest in Pinehurst Cemetery in De Leon Springs, in Section 1.
Sadly, Mary faced significant challenges after their marriage. The 1940 census records show a woman named Emma E. Blackwelder, age 38, at the Florida State Hospital in River Junction, Gadsden County, listed as inmate #5272. Given the age and surname, this appears to have been Mary, suggesting she struggled with mental health issues during her marriage to John. Despite these difficulties, she outlived John by more than three decades, passing away on August 10, 1981, in Ormond Beach, Volusia County, at age 80. Her ashes were buried in Pinehurst Cemetery between her youngest son Wilbur and her husband John, though she has no marker of her own.
John's legacy lives on through his children and their descendants. His burial site became something of a family plot, with both Emma Estelle and Mary buried there, along with his sons John Durwood and Wilbur Kenneth, and his daughter Vera. The patriarch of the Blackwelder family, John represents the hardworking Florida farmers who built their lives and communities in the state's interior, far from the beaches and tourist attractions that would later define Florida in the American imagination.
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