The Online Catalog allows searching and browsing of information about the Florida State Archives’ holdings of over 48,000 cubic feet of state and local government records and historical manuscripts. The catalog provides descriptions of over 3,400 collections and lists the contents of containers and folders in many of those collections. For assistance with accessing and using State Archives collections, call our Reference Staff at 850.245.6719 or email us at archives@dos.myflorida.com.
Ruby Pearl Diamond, daughter of Julius and Henrietta Williams Diamond, was born on September 1, 1886, in Tallahassee, Florida. The Diamonds were a prominent Jewish family in Florida politics and society, and Julius owned a retail business in Tallahassee. Ruby Diamond graduated from the Florida State College for Women in 1905 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry. In the 1920s, the Diamond family home was demolished to make room for Tallahassee's first service station and they lived in various hotels in Tallahassee, including the Floridan Hotel. A philanthropist throughout her life, Diamond donated her time and money to various educational, historical, and Jewish charities. She assisted underprivileged families through her "Diamond Vegetable Basket" project that provided seed and fertilizer so they could grow their own food. In 1937, Ruby and her brother Sydney helped establish Temple Israel in Tallahassee. Ruby Diamond died on March 8, 1982.
Summary:
This collection contains photographs of Florida politicians, prominent Tallahassee religious leaders, various images of Tallahassee such as panoramic views of the Florida State Capitol and downtown, and some photos of Pensacola. Included is a photograph of the State Militiamen, also known as the "Bloxham Rifles" or the "Governor's Guard," on the steps of the Capitol during the Spanish-American War. In 1955, Ruby Diamond placed the photograph in the Tallahassee Democrat to attempt to identify some of the soldiers in the photograph. The collection also includes a newspaper article and photographs that document the snow in Tallahassee during the winter of 1957-1958. Furthermore, this collection includes two photos of the Florida Supreme Court Justices Rivers Buford, Glenn Terrell, William H. Ellis, J.B. Whitfield, Armstead Brown, and Fred Davis.
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