Another Masterpiece By Local Author, Dale Cox

History of Jackson County, Volume 2 is now at book stores.

By Sid Riley

Many local citizens have been waiting eagerly for Dale Cox to complete and publish his latest historical account of Jackson County. Well, the wait is now over and the new book is in print and available at book stores. This is the ninth book written by the widely acclaimed author and historian…..from Two Egg, Florida!

Dale Cox is also a frequent contributing writer to the Jackson County Times, where his feature stories on the history of our area are greatly enjoyed by our readers. His work has contributed greatly to the success of our paper.

Dale has had an extensive and varied experience in the national media. He worked for many years with the New York Times organization, with many newspapers within their network. He also was the Regional News Editor for Channel 7 in Panama City. All of this media experience has added greatly to the quality of his historical writings.

He published his first book in 1986, and has been engaged in extensive historical research and writing since that beginning. His first book was “West Florida Wars”, which was followed by a book he co-authored with E.W. Carswell titled “History of Washington County”. This was followed by “Battle of Marianna”, “Two Egg Florida”, “Battle of Natural Bridge”, “Battle of Massard Prairie”, “Early History of Gadsden County”, “History of Jackson County, Volume 1”, and now…”History of Jackson County, Volume 2”. We are fortunate to have a man with his talent and his love for Jackson County among us.

Dale states that his original intent as he began “History of Jackson County, Volume 1” was to merely write the history of the county. However, as he began to develop the body of research data, he soon realized that the project was going to take more than one book. Finally, he decided to write Jackson County’s history in four eras of research. Volume one thus dealt with the early days of settlement of the county, beginning with the Indians and the early Spanish explorers. This book covered the early days of settlement in which the communities and early governments were formed. Volume 1 ended with as the Civil War approached Jackson County.

Volume 2 deals with the Civil War era in Jackson County. It includes an extensive biography of Governor John Milton which reveals much additional information about this early leader. The book describes how the county properties and wealth were distributed in this era. Cox reveals that 82,000 acres in our county were owned by only 36 owners, with some owning over 70,000 acres. Of the 10,000 residents at that time, 4,900 were slaves, owned by only 357 people. This data shows that most southern citizens were not involved in slave ownership. The society of the day was very much a “have” and a “have not” society.

The new book also describes how the sentiments of the citizens of Jackson County were very much split in regards to the Civil War, especially in the latter half of the war era. There were notable northern sympathizers in the community, and during the latter phase of the war there were bands of southern deserters conducting raids from bases in the swamps of Jackson County. It was not a good time for most of our ancestors.

If you love history, and have an interest in Jackson County, reading Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the Dale Cox collection is a “must read” for you.

Cox says he daily receives numerous e-mails from around the world, making comments or asking questions relating to his books. “The book on Two Egg, Florida has been sold widely in China”, he states. “I wish I could understand why this has been the case. The books have also been widely sold throughout Europe, and many other nations of the world. It is really quite exciting.” Dale donates most of the revenues from his books to area historical groups.

His books are sold locally at Chipola River Book and Tea, as well as national vendors such as Barnes and Nobles, Books-a-Million, Target, and others. If you wish more information on any of the Dale Cox books, or on ordering, go to: www.twoeggfla.com, or www.exploresouthernhistory.com.