Dickerson Family

Claude A. Dickerson - (1870-1888). Section A, block C3, lot 10A, grave 4.

Minnie M. Dickerson - (1869-1963). Section A, block C3, lot 10A, grave 8.

James Edward Dickerson - (1841-1914). Section A, block C3, lot 10A, grave 7.

Celania Dickerson - (1844-1939).

James Dickerson was born in Maryland in 1841. In the 1880 U.S. Census, he and his wife, Celania Columbia Hurd Dickerson were living in Menard, Illinois and working as farmers. They listed one son, Claude, age 9.

The Dickersons moved to Pablo Beach by 1887. In the 1900 U.S. Census, he listed his occupation as grocer. In that document, they report having had two children. The Dickersons’ store was located on what is now First Avenue North in Jacksonville Beach.

James Dickerson served on the first city council in 1907 and was elected mayor in 1910. Celania Dickerson served as postmistress and contributed poetry to the local newspaper, The Pablo Beach Breeze, under the pen name, "Sad C." Her post office is now in the History Park at Beaches Museum.

James and Celania Dickerson were among the first residents to permanently live at Pablo Beach. They were beach pioneers; their house was the second building in town.

Celania Dickerson was not the first postmistress at Pablo Beach, but she ran the first post office. The previous postmistress was Eleanor Scull, wife of civil engineer William Scull, whose postal service was housed in a tent on the beach, and later Murray Hall Hotel. When Celania took over as postmistress, Murray Hall Hotel had burned down and the first post office building had been established on the beach at Second Street and First Avenue North. Celania was the postmistress from 1886 to 1909.

In addition to serving indispensably as the postmistress for the small but growing town of Pablo Beach, Celania also regularly contributed poetry to the town's first print newspaper, the Pablo Breeze. During this time, Pablo Beach had few permanent residents, as many visitors only stayed at the beach for the summer season. Celania's personal experience with the seasonally fluctuating population of the beach is reflected in a poem she published under her pen name "Sad C" in 1897, entitled "Thoughts on the Past."

Tis the last days of Summer

We'r now spending here,

Soon the beach will be lonely

Deserted and drear.