Titusville Train Depot

Helen Boye' with friends on the platform of the old train station, 

Our train station through the years

Brevard Sentinal Article - Courtesy Phyllis Massey

March 26, 1936.

FDR boarding the train in Titusville
New station in the background.

Valentine Fair

February 9, 1888, the Florida Star reported a Valentines Fair put on by the ladies of Titusville for the benefit of St John's Episcopal Church.   St John's became St Gabriel's.  Upon learning they were about to receive a window of St. Gabriel as a from Mrs John Pritchard, Capt Pritchard's mother, the congregation voted to change the name to St Gabriel's
There are some great pioneer names in the article.  People coming in by steamer!

I have Pioneer Ancestors on both sides of my Mother’s (Maggie Kittles Miller) family.  The below information applies to my brother and to all my cousins that are still here in Brevard County, Fla.  We all share ancestors that helped make what Titusville is today.   They were farmers, fishermen, Draymen, orange grove owners, railroad engineers and politicians.  I will start with the earliest:

KITTLES - Mom Father’s side of family……….

1.  Stephen Ambrose Kittles (1847 – 1907) – My Mothers Grandfather, my Great Grandfather. He was a Veterinary Surgeon in Titusville for many years.  He came to Titusville in the late 1800’s and shows up on the 1900 Census living in Titusville.  He lived in a big 2 story cracker house on Orange Street where all the Kittles children were born (even my Mother).  This house is where the old Rinker Concrete Plant was off Garden Street.

2.  Stephen Ambrose Kittles II (1897 – 1977) –  He was my Mothers father, my Grandfather.   He was born in Titusville in 1897 in the ole home on Orange Street.  The 1920 census show he worked at the old Ice Plant on Tropic when he was 22.  He served in the Army during WWI .  He was a laborer, a guard at the old prison and a Florida East Coast RR engineer.  

Picture below L to R:  Gifford Kittles driving car on Orange St, Unknown baby,  baby Stephen Kittles III and Stephen Kittles II (Grandpa).                                             

HOLTON – Mom’s Mother side of family.

Edward Henry Holton (1874 – 1951) – Mable Holton Kittles Father, my Mothers Grandfather and my Great Grandfather.  He came to Titusville in 1892 after marrying Alice Griffis.  The story is he bought the ole Holton homestead at the corner of Main Street and Canaveral Ave for $89.00.  The Merckson cousins grew up in this house. The house still stands today.

Edward Henry Holton was a fisherman and a Drayman where he would take his horse and buggy down to the train station and transport passengers to wherever they wanted to go…usually a local hotel such as the Titus House or the Dixie Hotel.  

Picture below:  Edward Henry Holton (Great Grandfather)

Mabel Holton Kittles (1898 – 1994) – She is my Maternal Grandmother and was born in the Holton Homestead house on Main Street in 1898.  After her marriage to Grandpa Kittles, she became a housewife.  She was the sweetest lady and took in boarders or hobo’s off the train.  Of course she would make them work around the house for their room and board.  

Picture below L to R:  Mable Holton Kittles and her sisters, Lizzie and Agnes circa early 1900's

 

Frances Delespine Boye' connection to Brevard goes back to 1817

L-R Frances Delespine Boye', Stella Budge, Frances Amelia Pritchard Budge, Mary Haley Boye' Pritchard-  late 1891

France Boye' approx 1896 in the dining room of Pritchard House

Frances Delespine Boye'  estimated 1850s

My great- great grandmother, Frances Delespine Boye',  was the daughter of Joseph Delespine and one of the heirs to the Delespine Grant.   It was her portion on which the Capt James Pritchard family settled and built their first home in the area in 1876, James Pritchard being her son-in-law.  Her son, Frank Boye' also settled on the Grant.

After the big freeze in 1886, Capt Pritchard's family moved from the grant into Titusville, and in 1891 Capt built our family home that is now the Pritchard House Museum.   Frank Boye' & family stayed on the Grant.  Franks'  home was built of the same material used to in the Castillo de San Marco in St Augustine, and my grandfather talked about helping him build it.   The house was located where La Marimba now stands.  It was torn down when US1 was widened to 4 lanes.

When you consider the Delespine Grant was awarded to Joseph Delespine in 1817, his descendants may have the earliest connection to Brevard County.
Polly Schuster

Descendants report

So far we have received information  from folks descended from

Capt JF & Emma Reed

Mose Metzger

Colonel Henry Titus

Neils Peter Neilsen

Herbert Tillman Metzger

The Griffis from Shiloh

Allen Alexander &  Tamar Sapp

Elbert "Uncle EB" Brook Carter

Andrew Jackson Carter

Check out the  first comment below to read about
Stephen Ambrose Kittles
Stephen Ambrose Kittles II
Edward Henry Holton
Mabel Holton Kittles

We also had these on our list already

E. L Brady

L. A. Brady

George W. Scobie

AA Stewart

M. E. Gruber

Frosher

Feaster

Coleman

Chadoin

A Norwood

Miles O Burnam

Capt James Pritchard

Frances Delespine Boye' - Frank Boye & Mary Pritchard (Mrs James)

Frank Boye

Frank T Budge

I know there are more of us out there

CARTERVILLE
The Florida Star/Vol III, Titusville, March 1, 1883 #44 What was lately know as the Carter settlement in the north of LaGrange, will have an addition to the name. Mr. William Carter and family of Lowdnes County, Georgia, brother of E.B. and A.J. Carter has recently moved in and will settle near his brothers. By attaching ville to Carter they will have Carterville, a name comprehensive and appropriate.

Published on Friday, August 27, 1915 in the East Coast Advocate and Indian River Chronicle


August 1931
FUNERAL OF OLD RESIDENT IS HELD 

Funeral services for E.B. Carter, 81, who died suddenly near Plant City last Sunday, were held at the Baptist Church in Osteen Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Mr. Carter was one of the early residents of the Mims section, having come to Turnbull north of Mims in 1876 as the age of 21. His continued residence in Florida was 60 years having come earlier than 1870 to Tampa but returned to Georgia to come here later. He was born in Echols county, Ga., August 25, 1850, and is the last of a family of 13 children. His wife preceeded him in death. He was at the home of Henry Tyler, a nephew, when he died. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Rose McCullough, Mims; a son, Elbert Carter, Osteen, and a daughter, Mrs. B.H. Farr, New Smyrna. Relatives who attended the funeral are: Mrs. B.H. Farr and three children, Mr. and Mrs. Willie McCullough, Mr. and Mrs. Elbert B. Carter and children, Mrs. P.A. Boyd, Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Boyd, Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Myer, Sydney Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Woods, Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Ganova, O.O. Carter and daughters, Fred Carter, Mrs. K.B. Osteen, Oscar Tyler, Henry Tyler, Lee Tyler, Mrs. Julia Whidden, Mrs. Mary Anne Rhoden, Mrs. Pearl Manley, Mr. and Mrs. N.R. Williams, Mrs. Pearl Collier, Mrs. E.M. Mikesell, Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Brooke, Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Brooke, Harry A. Osteen, and N. C. Watson, all of whom are either in Florida or Georgia. Pall bearers were great nephews and were as follows: Oscar Tyler, Tampa, Fla., Henry Tyler, Plant City, Fla., Lee Tyler, Ocala, Fla., Oscar Boyd, New Smyrna, Fla., (?Fred) Carter; Shiloh, Fla., P.J. Myer, New Smyrna.

Looking for a direct descendant of Elbert B Carter.  

Welcome Titusville Pioneer Descendants

Welcome Titusville Pioneer Descendants.
Please share your stories here.  Just add as a comment to this blog

Niels Peter Neilsen "Captain Peter Nelson"

Posting information that was shared with me on Facebook   I found it very interesting because the common story is that there was either a domino or checker game between Colonel Titus and Mr Rice.  Anyone have any thoughts?

My great grandfather Niels Peter Neilsen was in the poker games to name the town that was lost to Titus. Neil's wanted it named sandy cove and. Sand. Point. My grand mother was Elizabeth Louise Neilsen. She married Herbert Tillman Metzger who was born in Lagrange fl. After his death she remarried to Charles E. Raulerson who passed away in 1941 and she in 1974. She lived on garden street

What's in the news?

Old newspapers can be fascinating and reveal much about the life and times of our ancestors.
August 22, 1890,  East Coast Advocate - excerpts from  "Local News"

• Saturday last registered the lowest temperature, for that date and month since the Signal Service office has been established on the Indian River, which is July 1887
• I suppose everyone already knew what that temperature was since the paper didn't report it.
• Mr & Mrs H,B. Hersey are back in their old quarters again at the Indian River Hotel; and their bear now has a residence on the grounds east of the hotel, causing a good deal of amusement for the guests
• A bear in residence on the grounds of the Indian River Hotel?.   That was downtown, right on the river.  That was two blocks from our house!
• One of the popular young ladies belonging to the Bathing Club had a narrow escape from serious mishap last week, having ventured into water the depth of which she knew not.  As we should grieve to lose this young lady from our midst, we must ask her to be less venturesome in the future, or we shall  have to publish her name.  She is too good to succumb to an early and premeditated fate.
• The Bathing Club was at the Indian River Hotel.  Maybe she was trying to escape the bear!