Jerrell Shofner

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Jerrell Harris Shofner (January 30, 1929 – April 11, 2017) was an American historian and professor of history at the University of Central Florida (UCF).[1][2] He wrote 16 books, many about Florida's history. He chaired UCF's history department and became a professor emeritus at the school.[3]

Shofner served in the United States Air Force between 1946 and 1960, earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. from Florida State University, and joined the University of Central Florida in 1972.[1] He served as president of the Florida Historical Society. He married and had four children.[1] He retired in 1990.[4]

Shofner wrote about Florida's Black codes.[5] He also wrote about "Militant Negro Laborers" during the Reconstruction era[6] He also wrote about the drafting of the 1868 Florida Constitution.[7] and forced labor.

Shofner's History of Jefferson County chronicles the area's development as a cotton producing region.[8] George W. Reid described his book Nor Is it Over Yet on Florida during the Reconstruction Era as an "excellent example of high quality scholarship."[9]

Selected works[edit]

  • History of Apopka and Northwest Orange County[3]
  • Jackson County, Florida: A History
  • Nor is it Over Yet: Florida in the Era of Reconstruction 1863 - 1877, University of Florida Press (1974)
  • Daniel Ladd: Merchant Prince of Frontier Florida University of Florida Press (1978)
  • Orlando: The City Beautiful Continental Heritage Press (1984)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Russon, Gabrielle (April 13, 2017). "Longtime UCF history professor Jerrell Shofner dies at 88". orlandosentinel.com.
  2. ^ "Jerrell Shofner 1929 - 2017 - Obituary". www.legacy.com.
  3. ^ a b McCarthy, Kevin M. (November 1, 1992). The Book Lover's Guide to Florida. Pineapple Press Inc. ISBN 9781561640126 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Connell, Reggie (April 14, 2017). "Apopka historian dies at 88".
  5. ^ Shofner, Jerrell H. (1977). "Custom, Law, and History: The Enduring Influence of Florida's "Black Code"". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 55 (3): 277–298. JSTOR 30149151.
  6. ^ Roediger, David R. (November 4, 2014). Seizing Freedom: Slave Emancipation and Liberty for All. Verso Books. ISBN 9781781686102 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Elfrink, Tim (November 7, 2018). "The long, racist history of Florida's now-repealed ban on felons voting". Washington Post.
  8. ^ Ellsworth, Lucius F. (June 1, 1977). "History of Jefferson County. By Jerrell H. Shofner. (Tallahassee: Sentry, 1976. xi + 630 pp. Map, illustrations, appendix, notes, bibliography, and index.)". Journal of American History. 64 (1): 157–158. doi:10.2307/1888323. JSTOR 1888323 – via academic.oup.com.
  9. ^ Reid, George W. (October 1, 1975). "Jerrell H. Shofner, Nor Is It over Yet: Florida in the Era of Reconstruction, 1863-1877". The Journal of Negro History. 60 (4): 541–543. doi:10.2307/2717023. JSTOR 2717023.