Keystone Genealogical Library

10/14/2026

The “Monticello News,” considered the oldest continuous newspaper in the state of Florida, is 159 years young. If you love history, you’ll love this paper. This week in their history section, they tell the history behind “commodity cheese and butter,” and they also feature a Jefferson County photo from the past (the Shepard family.)

In the 1980s, my grandmother worked with the local government agency that distributed these commodities, and she would bring home the cheese and butter.

Mama would fuss, saying, “Those are for poor people, not for us!” But then she’d send us grandkids over to Grandma’s to get some. Grandma, in turn, would fuss about Mama requesting it.

We grandkids were caught in the middle—but at least there was cheese and butter. It made for some interesting family dynamics!

10/07/2026

We have finished the Korean War veterans list for Jefferson County, Florida. It is as follows, but we feel it is still incomplete. If you have a name to add, please add it in the comments below.

BY the way, the US lost thirty-three thousand lives, one was from this county.

Jefferson County Korean War Veterans

Pfc Larce Blake 1932-1966
BTRY A, 59 AAA BN
US Army
Korea

Cpl William Bowen Jr. 1925-2002
US Army
Korea

Sgt Charles Brock Jr. 1928-1977
US Army
Korea
** POW**

Smsgt Charles Bruce Jr. 1929-2010
US Air Force
Korea/Vietnam

Sgt Samuel Burdett 1920-2003
US Army
WWII/Korea

Sgt Douglas Butler 1934-1985
USMC
Korea

Charles Callier 1931-2024
US Army
Korea

CPL Richard Carlson 1932 - 1984
USMC
Korea

Sgt James Clark 1934-1973
USMC
Korea

Lt Col Sanford Clayton 1932-2016
US Army
Korea/vietnam

Spencer Conner Jr. 1934-1997
Us Army
Korea

Cpl Robert Cooksey 1930-1998
US Army
Korea

James Crosby 1912-1974
US Army
WWII/Korea

Cpl Albert Dixon 1927-1972
US Army
Korea

John Greene Sr. 1927-2012
US Army
Korea

AMM3 Ulyse Hamilton 1926-1996
US Navy
Korea

Col. Margaret Hughes 1919-2004
US Army
WWII/Korea

Pfc James Jackson 1932-1951
7th marines 1st Mar div
USMC
Korea
**KIA - Navy Cross - Purple heart**

Sgt JD Jones Sr 1930-2004
Us Army
Korea

William Jones Jr 1925-2002
USMC
WWII/Korea

SSgt Thomas Joyner Sr. 1934-1998
US Air Force
Korea

Msgt Benjamin Lewis 1927-1987
US Army
Korea

2nd Lt George Mills 1930-1921
US Army
Korea

Lester W. “Kaiser” Oglesby 1929-2020
US Army
Korea

William Pickenpaugh 1924-2017
US Army air corps/US Air Force
WWII/Korea/vietnam

SN Robert Quick 1932-1998
US Navy
Korea

FN Charles Revell 1933-2020
US Navy
Korea

3rd Cpl William Thomas “Geechie” Roe 1930-2003
7th Cavalry
US Army
Korea

Clyde Sauls Jr. 1934-2008
US Army
Korea

Pvt Lamar Simpkins 1926-1988
US Army
Korea

Pfc Amos Stokes 1929-2004
US Army
Korea

John Swilley 1932-2014
US Army
Korea

SSG Walter Teate Jr. 1923-1991
US Army
WWII/Korea/vietnam

Pfc Eugene Toole 1930-1990
USMC
Korea

Pvt Bo Tucker 1926-2007
US Army
Korea

Cpl Steve Walker Jr. 1932-2014
US Army
Korea

SFC Arthur Wilder 1920-1994
US Army
WWII/Korea

10/02/2026

Hard to believe that this was only seven years ago!

09/30/2026

Several weeks ago, we wrote about Walker’s Barn and Stables.

Before it was Joy’s Garden, behind the Monticello Presbyterian Church’s Sunday School building, there was a stable there owned by Mr. S. C. Walker, Steve Walker’s granddaddy and a cousin to my granddaddy Hamrick.

It was a place where people would hitch their wagons and mules when they came to town on Saturdays. I vaguely remember those wagons back there across from Green’s Fish Market.

I also vaguely remember two wagons that came to town past our home on East Washington Street. This would have been sometime after 1954.

If this was a stable and if my memory is correct, it was probably good fertile ground for Joy’s Garden. If anyone else remembers it, can you remember how close it was to the Sunday school building, and when the church bought this lot?

We let everyone know that we wanted a photo of the stables. We got this earlier this week. It appears the photo and caption was in the Monticello News, probably in the 1960s.

09/23/2026

The storefronts at 150 and 170 North Jefferson Street are being rebuilt and renovated, and the work has revealed pieces of Monticello’s history. Inside, the owners preserved writing on the wall of the neighboring building, now Jackie’s BrickHouse Cafe. They also uncovered a storefront sign for DeVane Furniture Company, which I remember from when I was a girl.

A photograph (circa 1900) in the Florida Memory Collection shows J. T. Budd and Sons in the building that is now CowHaus. Beside it is the vacant lot where 150 and 170 North Jefferson Street now stand. Look closely, and you can also see the sign on the wall of what is now Jackie’s BrickHouse.

09/09/2026

Over the years, several Jefferson County citizens have worked to compile a list of all the veterans who fought in World War II from Jefferson County. The list, printed from the Monticello News, is below.

08/26/2026

The Keystone Genealogical Library will be closed Wednesday, September 2. We will reopen the following Wednesday, September 9.

I apologize, but the library is now staffed by a one-person volunteer because of several illnesses and deaths.

08/26/2026

it has been a quiet day at the library with only two people who needed help, so I have been listening to a webinar from the Florida State genealogical Society, while doing some filing. They do a webinar monthly called Poolside chat.

Last month was about the veterans bounty lands that were given by our government before the Civil War. These records are vital to genealogical research and placing your ancestor in a certain place at a certain time.

If you would like to know more, I suggest you check out this website. The only way to see this particular webinar is to become a member of FSGS, which cost $25 a year.

However, for future podcasts, if you watch the podcast live, it is free. Just sign up to get the notice.

Webinar Abstract: Bounty land was the reward for service to veterans from the Revolution through the Mexican War. Applications for bounty land from veterans or their heirs are bursting with genealogical information, but researchers rarely see it because records for……

08/19/2026

08/19/2026

8/19 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1977 - The Monticello Historic District is designated as a U.S. Historic District. Located in Monticello, Florida, the district includes an irregular area of 27 blocks along Madison, Jefferson, Dogwood, and Washington Streets and contains 41 historic buildings.