Frank L Byrd

Frank L Byrd, born 30 May 1872, GA, died 21 Jun 1949, Halifax Hospital, Daytona Beach, Volusia CO, FL, married Pearl Graham, born about 1880, Sharon, Taliaferro CO, GA, died 25 Feb 1949, St Vincent Hosp, Jacksonville, Duval CO, FL. Both buried Espanola Cemetery, Espanola, Flagler CO, FL.

The first information on Frank Byrd, was that he was being employed by the Board of Public Instruction to teach at the Bunnell school for the term 1911-1912. He had come to Bunnell in 1911 from Hastings where he had been a cashier in a bank.

In Mar 1913, he was given credit in The Bunnell Home Builder for using his influence in the establishment of the free rural delivery mail route for the families living in the area west of Bunnell, In Jun of this same year, he was appointed the first Tax Assessor for the Town of Bunnell. In Nov 1913, there was a story in the Bunnell Home Builder saying that “Mr F L Byrd had a crew of men at work this week making extensive improvements in Bunnell water works system.”

In May 1914, there was a story in the same publication saying that “Mr F L Byrd has assumed the management of the Bunnell Hotel. The hotel has been remodeled; the rooms have been newly calcimined and painted, and it will be furnished throughout with new furniture.

Mr Byrd is considered one of the best hotel managers on the East Coast, and the traveling public may rest assured that they will be given plenty of good things to eat and a nice room to sleep while stopping at Bunnell.”

When Flagler CO was created in 1917, Frank Byrd was appointed by Governor Sidney Johnston Catts to be a member of the Board of Public Instruction, in which capacity he served until 1920. In the 1920 census of Flagler CO, he gave his occupation as “Real Estate Dealer” with his wife’s occupation being listed as “Proprietor, Hotel.” Willie Graham, sister of Pearl G Byrd, resided with the Byrd family and her occupation in the 1920 census was given as “Telephone Operator.”

In Apr 1923 he purchased the grocery and dry goods business of the Flagler Mercantile, formerly owned by B L and F L Lambert. According to a story in The Flagler Tribune, he planned to disposed of the dry goods business and to build up the grocery business.

In Aug 1925,a storage garage for 12 cars was constructed behind the Halcyon Hotel in Bunnell. The garage was of frame construction with corrugated iron. (The compiler played in this garage when he was a kid and living with his Aunt and Uncle in the Lambert House across the street from the hotel).

Mr. Byrd was active in the political life of Flagler CO since he first became as resident - - in addition to being mayor of the Bunnell a number of times, he represented Flagler CO in the lower house of the state legislature in 1923, 1925, 1927 and 1933.

Source: The First Families of Flagler by Mary Ketus Deen Holland who listed here sources as Census and Published Articles.

Additional sources used by the compiler were: The Flagler Tribune, 10 Dec 1925, 23 Jun 1949 (Obit), The Bunnell Home Builder, Nov 1913, May 1914; 1920 United States Federal Census, Bunnell, Flagler, Florida; 1930 United States Federal Census, Bunnell, Flagler, Florida; and the Florida Death Index, 1877-1998.

Please send questions, corrections or additions to Sisco Deen, P.O. Box 637, Flagler Beach, FL 32136 or email him at Sisco_Deen@hotmail.com