John Parvost Baldwin was a young merchant who had emigrated from the Bahamas into the port of Key West on June 11, 1838, at the age of 31. It was there he met, wooed and married Miss Amelia Patronia Whalton. Walter C. Maloney in his 1876 "Sketch of the History of Key West" mentioned John Baldwin as one of the young men about town, about whom he had to say "I do not know that these young fellows ever 'painted the town red,' for they were a well behaved and orderly set of young gentlemen; but they, or some of them, were known to be in the streets very often in the small hours of the morning, serenading someone or more of the young ladies of the town. Among these young ladies were . . . Miss Whalton . . ." In 1841, 73 leading citizens of Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, signed a document recommending John Parvost Baldwin for an appointment as Her Majesty's Consul at Key West. Although Jefferson Browne in "Key West, the Old and New" says that John Baldwin was one of those enrolled in the first Episcopal congregation on Christmas day 1832, it is unlikely that he was in Key West that early. John was Collector of Customs from 1853 to 1861. During that time, he served two separate terms as mayor. John Baldwin was mayor of Key West during the turbulence leading up to the Civil War. During that period, Jefferson Browne referred to John Baldwin as one of the cultured and wealthy citizens who were nearly all pro-Southern. As mayor, John was called to chair the meeting held in Key West on December 12, 1860 to nominate delegates to the State convention to determine whether Florida should secede from the Union. At that time, John and Amelia had six children: Anne King, Stephen Mallory, Robert, Angela Elizabeth, Beltzhoover, and John. John was one of the leading citizens and his family had prospered but when Key West fell into Union hands and it became clear that Southern sympathizers should be silenced, John left and enlisted to serve with the Confederacy. He enlisted in the Home Guard in 1861 and served in the 4th Regiment, Florida Infantry, in both Company F and S. Holding the rank of Captain, he was assigned one of the five Commissary Districts of Florida, the Third District headquartered at Sanderson in East Florida. He was subsequently promoted to Major and continued on duty as Commissary of the Third District. When Union forces drew too near, he moved his headquarters to Lake City, where he continued to serve until he died of Typhoid Fever on September 22, 1864. ©2010 by Claudia Naugle