It has been said that St. Michael's Cemetery, founded in 1803, represents Pensacolas early, pre-Civil War history for the most part, and St. John's Historic Cemetery tells "The Rest of The Story". St. John's, founded in 1876, with over 10,000 monuments and many other unmarked graves, is filled with the remains of deceased citizens whose life stories tell much of Pensacolas storyits historyfrom post-Civil War, to World War II to the present. St. John's continues to be an active cemetery today, with new burials continually adding more and more stories to the heritage of this beautifully planned historical site.
Governor Edward Aylsworth Perry, Floridas 14th governor, who strengthened education and constitutional government, and ten mayors of Pensacola are interred in St. John's. Some of their interesting stories are included here. Turn of the century(1900) was an exciting time for business and building, and for the fishing, shipping, lumbering, naval stores and other industries in Pensacola. The stories of the many leaders(buried in St. John's) in these fields give fascinating accounts of their times. The stories of less heralded citizens of Pensacola, especially the strong women of the Victorian era, and since then to the present, are equally represented here. Leila Abercrombie, who helped to save Old Christ Church with her individual efforts, is a good example. Her story is presented here under Pensacolas Civic/Historical Heritage at St. John's Historic Cemetery. Another person listed in the latter category is Lola Lee Daniell Bruington, an effective civic leader and historian of her time. The account of Pauline Mirabella Robson Whitwell, businesswoman and musician, and her sea captain father and grandfather is one of the most interesting St. John's vignettes.
Pensacolas Arts Heritage is well represented in St. John's with graves/stories of artists Emma Chandler, Manny Runyan, Ada Wilson and Henry McLellan; we are reminded of our heritage in music by the graves of Edwin E. Northup, Nita Osborn Benn, Walter S. Garfield and Charliebelle Laney. A partial list of our Law Heritage is represented by Walker Anderson and Augustus E. Maxwell (Chief Justices, Florida Supreme Court), E. Dixie Beggs, Sr. and Jr., Alexander C. Blount, Forsyth Caro, John Moreno Coe, William Fisher, Ernest E. Mason, Ralph McLane, R. Pope Reese and J. E. D. Yonge. A few of the long list of leaders in Education, interred in St. John's, include those for whom schools have been named: A. V. Clubbs, N. B. Cook ,George Hallmark, Agnes McReynolds, Annie McMillan, Oliver J. Semmes, and Annie K. Suter; some of the names of well known teachers include Jesse Barfield, Buda Day Lee, Occie Clubbs, Gladys Foster and Kathlyn Monroe. Some of the outstanding builders include Stephen Fagin Fulghum, Richard Hill Turner and family, Kenneth Lynwood Fulghum, and A. V. Clubbs. Many well known literary and medical personages including Pat Lloyd, J. Harris Pierpont, M.D. (son of the composer of Jingle Bells), Carol C. Webb, M.D., and Walter C. Payne, Sr. M.D. are interred in St. John's.
Three Civil War Generals are buried in St. John's: Major Gen. Samuel Gibbs French; Brig. General Edward Aylsworth Perry, who later became Florida's 14th Governor; and Brig. General William Miller The Sons of the Confederacy has placed markers at gravesites of known Confederate veterans in St. John's. A number of Naval aviators including Lt. Comdr. John C. Waldron, USN, who lost his life at the Battle of Midway as CO of famed Torpedo Squadron 8 and Lt. Comdr. Noel Davis, USNR, who lost his life attempting to be the first to cross the Atlantic by air in April 1927 are memorialized in St. John's. C. P. Mason, VADM, USN (Ret), after a distinguished career as a Naval officer served as Pensacolas mayor for twelve years.