Grady McLeod shows his certificates of Pioneer Descendants
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Eighty-three years ago this July, Grady McLeod was born in a small white house on 6th Street, close to SR 24. Mrs. Young was the midwife that brought him into the world and she was also the aunt of his lifetime friend, Willard Hathcox.
"My family ran a general store on 6th Street for 35 years," he said, during a recent interview at his home on Andrews Circle. Grady attended Cedar Key School and was one of eight in the 1941 graduating class.
Another member of that class was Omega Arline, who a year later became his wife. Omega was born in Otter Creek and her heritage in the area goes back as far as Grady's.
About eight years ago, Grady began the arduous task of tracing the genealogy of both their families. After gathering mounds of information he was able to prove that both of them were qualified to apply to the Florida Genealogy Association.
He now has State Certificates which designate them Florida Pioneer Descendents. This is given to people who have proof their ancestors settled in Florida before March 3, 1845—when Florida became a state.
When questioned about growing up on Cedar Key, Grady stated, "I wouldn't take anything for it. I've lived in New Jersey, Gainesville, Miami and Tampa. Growing up we walked every-where. My father didn't own a car, said he was too smart to own a car."
Grady went on to say he's watched the state grow and develop and remembers when there was no Disney.
"Cedar Key's just been slow in coming," he said. "Plus they've run out of space for waterfront elsewhere."
He recalled that when he was in school there were only 6 homes beyond the school out toward Hodgson Hill, the area where Grady now resides. "It was mostly all woods," he explained. "Watson's Dairy was out here."
Grady left the island after graduating and went to live with kinfolk in New Jersey. That December Pearl Harbor occurred and Grady returned to the island Christmas Eve to enlist in the military.
Although Grady's father was born on Atsena Otie and was a fisherman, he steered his son away from the difficult profession. The father of two sons and a daughter, Grady attended University of Florida and was employed by an electrical wholesaler for 33 years.
He recalled the hurricane of 1935. "We had no Weather Channel back then," he said. "So it was easy to get caught out there in a boat." He told of the 1930's and a bus that would take people from the island to Jacksonville to catch a train, and he said a "vacation" back then was going to stay with kinfolk on their farms in Chiefland.
One of his fondest memories was when he was in high school and Saturday evening dances were held in the dining room of the Island Hotel. "One night we played Tuxedo Junction 45 times," he said, with a grin.
His love of the island was evident when he interrupted our interview to point out a wren on a tree that we could see through the large glass window—a tree that happens to grow through a circular area in his upstairs deck. He explained he and his wife wanted to preserve the tree and built the house around it twenty-five years ago.
Grady told how families in the area ended up marrying into neighboring families. Due to lack of mobility and the small town atmosphere it was very common to marry the girl next door and by doing so, this is what makes the Cedar Key history so unique. Many family names have been woven and rewoven into the wonderful tapestry of what we now refer to as the "locals."
His affection for life on the island was obvious when he said, "I wouldn't take anything in the world for growing up in Cedar Key, making the friends that I've made and still have. It's just sad that we've all grown old and many of us have died. The rest of us are just trying to hold it together and enjoy life." Sharing a piece of this life through the eyes of a true southern gentleman was just another bonus of living on this island. |
