The following narrative describes the journey of the Hendrix Family from Alabama to Florida in 1872. Based on a copy of a daily diary, information provided in an article in "The Blossoming of Bloomingdale" and family recollections, the party consisted of: James Hendrix with his wife; his sons Rueben, Peter and Noah with their wives, a son Asa, and James's daughters Artemesia, Lucy A. and Margaret with their husbands. Other families probably were along as other names are mentioned in the diary. Israel Garner, the husband of Artemesia Hendrix, kept the dairy. In the diary Israel refers to Father several times and it is not known to me if this was his birth father or if he referred to his father-in-law as father. It seems that he is referring to James Hendrix, his father-in-law. The diary entries are as they were. No edits have been made. Any comments in parenthesis are for questions and or clarifications as I see them. Entries made by: Israel Garner On His Trip to Hillsborough County, Florida from Monroe County, Alabama Year 1872 Journey Began: February 21, 1872 Journey Ended: April 30, 1872 2/21/72 Traveled 14 miles. Passed through Ballville. Got dog bit. Killed him and went on. 2/22/72 Traveled 12 miles. Broke down in Murder Creek Swamp. Passed through Evergreen. 2/23/72 Traveled 20 miles. Passed through Brooklyn. Crossed Speulga and camped. 2/24/72 Traveled 17 miles. Crossed the line of Conach and Coventon. Had a fine rain. Camped on the bank of the Conuco River. 2/25/72 Sunday - Lay up 'till 2 o'clock. Crossed the river. Traveled 4 miles. Camped in an old field. 2/26/72 Had a fine day. Traveled 15 miles. Had a good road. Passed many houses. Generally fair. Camped on the side of a beautiful branch. 2/27/72 Traveled 18 miles. Passed over many beautiful sand hills. Camped at a church. Went to a house and got some milk and butter and crout. Also some peas. Had a good time. 2/28/72 Traveled 13 miles. Had a good road. Passed a beautiful little village called Clintonville. Camped in an old field. Had some rain. 2/29/72 Traveled 14 miles. Kelly (Dan Kelly, husband of Lucy Hendrix) broke down. Passed over a beautiful sandy road. Passed through a nice village called 'Lowridge." I myself went by Ozark to visit some relatives. Enjoyed myself finely. Brought my sister-in-law out to the wagon. 3/1/72 Traveled 8 miles. Had rain on us all day. I met with the wagon three miles from Newton. Spent a very disagreeable night on account of the wind and rain. Some of the tents blew down. 3/2/72 I traveled 11 miles. Had a fine day. Father broke down in Naricon Creek. Camped in an old field. Spend a pleasant night. 3/3/72 Sunday - Traveled three miles to get convenient to wood and water. A beautiful Sabbath. 3/4/72 Traveled 20 miles. Had a very pleasant day with the best road I ever traveled. Passed many nice places. Crossed some of the prettiest branches I ever saw camped. Ate our supper. Done some washing and so on. Heard the many hundreds of different noises of the frogs. 3/5/72 Traveled 12 miles. Passed through Garden, which is a beautiful little town. Crossed the Chattahoochee River. Came one mile and had to unload our wagon. Toted the things across and then swam the teams across. Camped near it. All are very fatigued. 3/6/72 Traveled 18 miles. Passed many beautiful places from four among them some of the nicest branches I ever saw. Myself and Kelly went hunting in the afternoon. Killed no game except five rabbits. Caught some fish. 3/7/72 No entry 3/8/72 No entry 3/9/72 No entry 3/10/72 Sunday - We have spent a beautiful Sabbath at Thomasville after a very stormy night. This is a very fine place. Has many fine buildings. In fact, I think it is a very nice town. 3/11/72 traveled sixteen miles. Had a very absent day with the exception of a little hard road. We passed many beautiful farms. The maple love that in the country. The fine land will make 75 to 120 bushels of corn to the acre. It is fine corn that we buy. I went to buy some meal at a mill. I got three bushels. The mill grinds the corn in 3 to 12 minutes. On my way to the mill I saw 2 mules run away with a wagon, though nothing very seriously injured. 3/12/72 Traveled 16 miles. Had a very bad road all day. Passed many beautiful farms. Corn and fodder very cheap. In the evening we passed two country stores and also one very fine country town, Montacella. Continued one mile and camped. 3/13/72 Traveled 18 miles. Had a very pleasant day. The worst road that we have had for some time but the best country for farming that I seen. This is between Monticello and Aucilla. We got within one mile of this ferry and Kelly broke down. 3/14/72 In camp at River ferry on the Aucilla River we have finished the wagon. Myself and D. Kelly have crossed the river. The flat has gone after another wagon. We are all across safe. The river is about a quarter (mile?) across. We drove about half mile and camped on the side of a large lake. The air is fresh and abundant with ducks. 3/15/72 Traveled 17 miles. Traveled all day in the lowest country I ever saw. There was no river mining done. The water was in our wagon some time. 3/16/72 Traveled 15 miles -- a day to long to be remembered. We had water all day. There was many places. Some of us had to take the water waist deep. To some - had to hitcht to stumps and bent one of the axles. We were detained for some time, then went on. We got within one mile of Madison. Camped for the night. 3/17/72 Sunday - Some of us went to the depot and got some refreshments. Lay up till the afternoon. Hitched up and traveled one half mile. Camped in an old soldier camp. We had rain in the evening. 3/18/72 Traveled 18 miles. Had a pleasant day with very good road. Myself and Dan Kelly left the wagon for a hunt in the afternoon. Saw a great deal of deer but killed none. We are camped at one Mr. Dickson. He tells us in a day about 7 or 8 miles from this place there is bear, panther and tiger in abundance. Kelven H. happened to the luck of getting one of his buggy axles broke this evening. He had to go five miles to get it mended. We expect to go out in the morning to hunt. Lafayette County, Florida. 3/19/72 Got that buggy done. Traveled 15 miles without any difficulty. A pleasant day with very good road. A great many if us had never seen any of the cabbage trees until today. It is a very nice tree. We did not get any on account of high water. 3/20/72 I am across the Suwanee River. I am now in Suwanee County. Thank God all of us are safely across with a great deal of difficulty and much danger. I was helping Kelly across the river and the boat got out in the current and after a long and very dangerous time we go back and got hold of the wire. After crossing the river we had to swim our team something like fifty yards across a slew. We got our mules - boat dragged it by hand some hundred and fifth yards than unloaded and carried our buggy across. We are all much fatigued. 3/21/72 Travel 12 miles. Had a fine day. Good road. Had to camp before night on account of getting water. 3/22/72 Traveled 20 miles. Good road. Water scarce and very bad when we got to it. There is a great deal of live deer in this country though they are very wild and hard to kill. We are camped by a natural well tonight. There are more holes and sinks in this country that I ever saw. There is many cows that get in the sinks and die. 3/23/72 Traveled 11 miles. Had good road. Camped on the side of the Santa Fe River. 3/24/72 Sunday morning - Crossed the Santa Fe River on a very bad flat boat and we are now in camp expecting to remain until Monday morning. 3/25/72 traveled 12 miles. Had a pleasant day. Traveled on a good road most of the way. We had some farms and some beautiful lakes. Some of the boys fished in any lake to catch some fish. 3/26/72 Stayed in camp until 12 o'clock then traveled on ten miles. Had rain all day. It has rained for two nights in succession which made it very unpleasant for moving. 3/27/72 Traveled 15 miles. Had a pleasant day's travel through some very nice country. The best farm land I ever saw. Got to the railroad. It arches which is the best place of travel I ever saw. 3/28/72 Traveled 15 miles. Had a good road. A fine day. One of my oxen gave out this afternoon. We had to camp before night. 3/29/72 Traveled 13 miles. The days are getting very warm to travel steady and if it was not my oxen would not hold out any further. They traveled up to this date 542 miles but we are not that many miles from home - we have come at the best calculation 75 or 100 miles out of the way on account of high water. We are all well tonight and getting along fine considering so many families together. 3/30/72 Traveled 12 miles. We made that till about 12 o'clock - we had to camp on account of my oxen. One of them is about to give out and have him go for 3 or 4 days. Struck camp near the Withlacoochee River in Hernando County, Florida. Some of the boys went fishing and caught a fine lot of fish while myself and P. D. H. (Peter D. Hendrix) went a fire hunting. Found eyes and shot twice. Got no meat on the account of not having a good gun or perhaps it was my fault. Our next point is flat ford on Little Hillsborough River. 3/31/72 Traveled 4 miles. Camped. Spent a pleasant Sabbath at --------- Cholafrapke Lake where there are fish, gators, ducks, crane, eagles with many other things too tedious to mention. This lake is from 1 to 1 1/2 miles wide - 25 miles long. There is a fine hammock between this lake and the river. There is much game in this hammock, bear, panther and tiger. High and dry in the pinewoods this country is not too beautiful -- unnoticed - I don't think I am mistaken - this is the finest country I ever saw. I can't except Tennessee. I saw some fine orange groves in this hammock. I can't give the name of the hammock as my memory is bad. I will give you the place of the hammock - from 1 to 1/2 miles per acre. 4/1/72 No entry 4/2/72 No entry 4/3/72 No entry 4/4/72 No entry 4/5/72 No entry 4/6/72 Still in camp at 12. Hunting oxen. Found none yet. Found the oxen - traveled - gave 29 dollars to boat them. Traveled on 6 miles to camp. Found good water. 4/7/72 Traveled 10 miles. Had a pleasant day. Saw five deer on the road. We saw some fine hammock. There is one thing I can say this is better land in Hernando County than any I know in the country I left. 4/8/72 Traveled 15 miles. Had a very warm day. Good road except for some sand. Crossed the Hillsborough River. We have just entered into Polk County. We are camped on the side of the swamp. There are tigers aplenty. One of D. H.'s got snake bit by a rattlesnake. 4/9/72 Traveled 16 miles. Had a pleasant day. Good road. The snake bit boy is well. We gave him whiskey to drink. Bound it up with salt and dough and then poured kerosene oil on it. We had a fine mess of fish for breakfast. 4/10/72 Traveled 15 miles. Had a fine day with real good road. We stopped at noon and looked at a hammock. Passed a country store then camped. This country is very low and wet ponds and feraras with many other things - not good - is tolerable fair country for stock. 4/11/72 Traveled 14 miles. Had a fine day. Crossed the Alafia River. Traveled on three miles. Got to a creek camp. Had dinner, cut some cabbage trees - had a fine supper. 4/12/72 Traveled 8 miles to one Mr. Simmons. Got dinner there. Drove out, camped, went hunting. Killed two deer. Had a good time. (Based on the information in the diary it seems they were camped close to the mouth of the Alafia River either around present day Gibsonton or Riverview) 4/13/72 Still in camp. Some of us went hunting. Killed 1 deer. Had a fine time. 4/14/72 Sunday - April 14th. Father, Reubin, Peter, David, Kelly started this morning to Manatee to look at the country. 4/15/72 Still in camp. Waiting for the return of father and the boys. Myself and Calvin Napley and one of S. D's boys went hunting this morning. I killed one deer. The day passed off fine. 4/16/72 We are still in camp. Myself and the little boys is enjoying ourselves the best we can - killing deer, 4/17/72 Father and the boys still not returned. 4/18/72 Now the time has come the old man and the boys have returned. Found no place that they are willing to spend the rest of their days. They found all the country well and doing fine. 4/19/72 Myself and father, R. S., (?) P. D., (?) and D, K. (Dan Kelly) went out on the Alafia River to look - we found some fine hammock land -- we also sighted the bay. Got us many oysters as we wanted. 4/20/72 R. J., (?) P. D. (Peter Hendrix) is up and on the Alafia to look. Myself and D. Kelly went out on the bay. We found some of the finest shell hammock. 4/21/72 Sunday - We had the pleasure of once more hearing preaching. After the service was over I quit camp and moved into a house on the account of the condition of my family. 4/22/72 Looking for tobacco and hunting. Nothing killed today except one turkey that P. D. (Peter Hendrix) killed. 4/23/72 Father and the boys went to look at the Archa hammock. Did not like it. 4/24/72 Father and the boys started out on the Alafia River to look. 4/25/72 Father had not returned. 4/26/72 Father and the boys have gotten back. Father bought a place. Crop and all for $900. (They went east from their camp into what is now Bloomingdale and the property purchased was just east of the present day Lithia Pinecrest Road and Bloomingdale Avenue intersection.) 4/27/72 Now the trying time has come for me. All the camp all gone and left me in a strange land. 4/28/72 Spent the Sabbath alone except for my one family. 4/29/72 Still alone waiting on my family 4/30/72 Things is a little better with me. I got to go hunting this morning, though I killed no deer, saw 6 - - got back about 10 found my family feeling well. One of my neighbors had paid a visit during my hunt and brought me a half quarter of fat pork and I also feel better.