First Families of Collier County

This First Families section is for ancestors that lived in your County prior to 1900. If you have ancestors that you would like to have posted, all you have to do is send me the information. You can send it to me in a .rtf, .txt, .doc, .html format. (Usually Family Tree Maker and other similar programs use .rtf files)

If you have a genealogy web site of your County Ancestors, let me know and I will add a link on "Personal Genealogy Sites" so that others may visit. You MUST let me know that you are sending a file prior to sending it. I do not open attachments from unknown sources.

If you see a picture that is very small, it is a "thumbnail" picture. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Use these family pages as a springboard for your research. I have made no attempts to verify the accuracy of the information submitted. If you find what you believe to be errors, please contact the submitter. 

Please do NOT submit any information on living people, I do not post that information. It is too dangerous to post names of living people, even if the information listed says "Private". I use 1920 as the cut-off year for births. 

Fort Myers News-Press, Novembe 18, 1950 - Goodland, Nov. 17 - Mrs. Tommie C. Barfield, Collier County's first school superintendent and a leader in community life on Marco Island for nearly 30 years, died at her home here this afternoon. Mrs. Barfield, 63, was appointed county superintendent of pbulic instruction by the late Gov. C. A. Hardee when Collier was formed from Lee County in July, 1923. She held the position until ill health forced her resignation last year. In addition to large real estate holdings in this county, she owned the Marco Lodge. She was a trusted employee of the late Barron Collier and worked for the Collier Corp. for 23 years. Mrs. Barfield was born in Cordele, Ga., July 20, 1887. She was the widow of James M. Barfield. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Elsie Vogstad and Mrs. Elva B. Griffis of Marco, two sisters, Mrs. Hazel Vickers of Coral Gables and Mrs. Nona Foster, Miami; two brothers, Harvey B. Stephens of Naples and John R. Stephens of Goodland; a grandson, Jimmie Dyches, Marco, and several nieces and nephews. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by the Leo Engelhardt Funeral Home, Fort Myers.