Charles H. BLISS was born in Shelbyville, IN in 1860. He moved to Greentown, IN at age 11 and at age 15 went to Salt Lake City to live with a brother.

He worked in coal mines in summer and went to school in the winter. He graduated from college in Salt Lake City at age 26. He then went to Kokomo IN where he taught school and wrote for a newspaper. He came to Pensacola in 1895 for his health and worked as a court stenographer. He also worked on the daily paper and then started a paper of his own, the "Silver Wave". He loved the water and wrote poems.

In 1892 he married Miss Gertrude HERMAN at Tipton IN and they raised 5 children in Pensacola. He never used alcoholic drinks or tobacco. In 1905, he was elected Mayor of Pensacola and was reelected in 1907. He died on 24 July 1907 at age 47.

(Abstracted from biographical sketch by T. T. Wentworth, published in the Pensacola News Journal 2 March 1940).

Do you have a copy of this total Bio on Charles H. Bliss from 1940? How do I get it?

This is an interesting thread. I have looked at the actual newspaper issues of Pensacola Journal, March 1-3, 1940 and the Pensacola News, March 1-3, 1940, and there is no sketch of Bliss in them.

Dean DeBolt, University Librarian and Archivist
University of West Florida, Pensacola
ddebolt@uwf.edu

I have an original copy of "Bliss Quarterly," published 1896, I think. It was passed to me after the death in 1953 of my uncle, F.F. Bingham. It has a photo of Bliss, if anyone would like to see it (if I can find the book - I have it here someplace!).
I don't think there is a biography of Bliss in there, though.

I should have mentioned that we have digitized all the Bliss Quarterlies that we've been able to gather. They are at:

palmm.fcla.edu

just do a search for Bliss.

Dean DeBolt
University Librarian / Archivist
University of West Florida Library
ddebolt@uwf.edu