1916 Bonifay Directory

The Bonifay Telephone Company, organized in 1910, was equipped with a switchboard manned by an operator who knew most, if not all, of the firm's subscribers. The operator was usually a woman, and she knew what the users of the service often talked about since she could overhear their conversations. Calls were placed by calling the operator and providing a name or number, or both. The operator would complete the call by making a designated number of long or short rings, or a combination of both, on a party line.

The Bonifay Telephone Company, capitalized at $5,000, started with only a few subscribers and after six years had only 131 in the combined business and residential categories. Albert Jernigan was the company's first president. J M McLauchlin was vice president and C A Prim the secretary-treasurer. W L Sessoms and D L Green jointed the officers as incorporators and directors.

The alphabetical listing in the 1916 directory may be suggestive of the community's development up to that time.

Adkins, E L
Adkins, J R
Alford, W C
Alford, W C - (farm)
Anderson, T J
Andrews, J B
Andrews, J S
Andrews, Willie
Arnold, C L
Arnold, C L - (stables)
Banfill, G W
Bank of Bonifay
Barker, E C - Mrs (store)
Barker, E C - Mrs
Blitch, B B
Bonifay Bargain House
Bonifay Drug Company
Bonifay Hardware Company
Brett, W H
Broadacre Farm
Brock, J W
Brown, E R
Brunson, H B - Dr
Buttram, J Henry
Buttram, J Henry – (office)
Byrd, J T
Carkhuff, C - Mrs
Carkhuff, L D
Chancey, C C
Coleman, J S - Mrs
Courthouse
Cox, C M
Creel, E P

Dalton, T T
Dalton, B W - Dr
Dalton Drug Company
Daughtry, T D
Depot – (railway)
Dixon, Annie - Mrs
Drunson Hotel
Dupree, S C
Dyson, W O
Forehand, E T
Forehand, James
Fulford, C A
Gable, Jno D - Dr (office)
Garrett, J W
Godwin, J H
Green, D L
Hammond, W B
Harrell, J A
Hathaway, J A J
Hathaway, J A J - (office)
Hendon, E L
Hickman, H E - Mrs
Holmes County Advertiser
Holmes County Bank
Holt, F G
Hotel Eureka
Hutchinson, L K - Dr
Johnson, J W
Keith, George
King, M
King Merchantile Co
Leonard, J D – (market)

Lewis, C P
Lewis, W H
Lindsey, B H
Lindsey, B H – (side camp)
Lindsey, D B
Mashburn, C B - Dr
Mathis, C R
Mathis & Weeks – (law office)
Matthews, R I
Mattox, J H
Mayo, J Z
McDonald, F M
McDonald, F M – (store)
McKinnon, G C
McLaughlin, J
McLaughlin, J – (farm)
McLaughlin – (store)
Miller, C E
Miller, N D – (store)
Miller, W A
Murray, Will
Myers, C M
Nash, H S - Mrs
Neel, Ray
Newton, M C - Dr
Niles, Innis
Owens, M M
Parker, H C
Paul, D J
Pitts, D J
Pitts, Sash
Pitts, W W
Pleas, E L
Pressing Club - (Dykes)
Prim, C A

Raley, D G
Rich, C W
Rich, M
Roberts, W J
Russ, J F
Sapp, J L
Segers, Tom
Sessoms, Annie
Sessoms, W L
Stevens, J E – (market)
Still, C E
Strickland, J A
Strickland, T R
Talbot, J T
Terry, J M
Tew, P W
Thompson, E J - Mrs
Ward, Jane - Mrs
Weeks, A W
Wilcox, A M
Wilcox, J M
Williams, Bun
Williams, C M
Williams, Chester
Williams, E A
Williams, J T
Wright, T J
Yates, Levi
Young, A F
Young, W W

Transcribed by Cathy Strickland Popp from the "West Florida Footprints", No 7, 1988, which was published by the West Florida Genealogical Society, Inc.

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