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Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy
Chapter Five: 1850 - 1859
Silas Leslie Niblack
One of the young professional men who would have an
important role in the 19th-century history of Lake City was Silas
Leslie Niblack, who was born in Camden County, Georgia, in 1825;
studied law; was admitted to the bar about 1851 and began practicing
law in Lake City, Florida. He became judge of the probate court of
Columbia County, as a Democrat successfully contested the election
of Josiah T. Walls to the 42nd Congress, and served from January
29 to March 3, 1873. He did not win reelection in 1872, but did
become a member of the State Senate in 1879. He was a successful
farmer and lawyer in Lake City until his death in 1883. He is buried in
the city’s Scarborough Cemetery, located just off East Baya Avenue.
About religion in Lake City: In 1852, the Methodist Church
bought its first property in the town. In 1856, a Presbyterian church
was organized. In 1859, church officials established the Bethlehem
Lutheran Church, which became the first Lutheran church organized
in Florida. The first church membership roster included such well-
known local pioneer family names as Feagle, Haltiwanger, Koon,
Snelgrove, and Witt.
The mayors that decade were, possibly, James McNair
Baker and M. Whit Smith, the latter of whom served as mayor
from 1859 till 1875.
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