WHO IS SOUTHERN PRIDE WEB DESIGN?

Why the name Southern Pride you ask?  It is a celebration of my colorful heritage and deep southern roots, going back many generations. This site is about heritage, not hate, and is a loving tribute to my mother who always believed in me and my work. As a  girl, I saw pictures of my Great Grandmother in long white dresses on a backdrop of Palm Trees and Live Oaks covered with Spanish Moss, in turn of the century Florida.  This history has always intrigued me, I would love to go back in time and experience that hard, but fulfilling life, when a mans word, faith in Jesus, honor and honesty were more important to him than the almighty dollar, as times are today.  In our home growing up, there were pictures of my great, great grandfather Captain Tom Hardee, dressed in his confederate uniform. Captain Tom and his 4 brothers were a rare family, all fought in the Civil War.

Originally the Hardee’s came from Ireland – then to Virginia, later settling in South Georgia. Their father Thomas Sr had a plantation, some of the structure still stands today. Captain Tom had his leg shot off at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run. After the close of the Civil War, he became a Tax Collector / Tax Assessor in North Georgia. All the Hardees were the recipients of land grants given by the State of Florida to Confederate Veterans. The largest parcel was Captain Tom's in the area of Coconut Grove south of Miami. Hardee Road is named after the family and is close to where the original estate was located, the land was very fertile, tomato crops were raised. The land later was parceled off and sold to builders and developers during the Boom land rush.

During the depression, Captain Tom was forced to take the land back due to the economy of the day. After the War the other three Hardee brothers migrated South to the Cape Canaveral, they all owned orange groves, and lived on the same road along the river.  One of the Hardee boys sons was Cary Hardee who became the Governor of Florida – Hardee County is named after the Hardee family.

Captain Tom passed in early 1900’s his son, my great grandfather; Joseph Johnston Hardee was the executor of his estate, Joseph became the 2nd Tax Collector and Assessor of Dade County. In the early 1900's he met my Great Grandmother Nina Ogg who was quite the progressive woman of the day – as she was a college graduate from Indiana, that had come South to teach school at a small school house in Perrine Florida. She taught my Mom about astronomy and loved to garden, all of which have been passed down to me.

My mother’s father was Shannon Hardee, the only son of Joe Hardee and Nina Ogg Hardee. Shannon was a shrimp boat captain and lifeguard in the Daytona Beach area of Florida, and was lost at Sea when my mother was 2 years old. Around Thanksgiving in 1939, he was shrimping off Titusville, and a northeaster blew up, he was lost in the storm. It was in the days before radios and radar. After three days his boat washed up, but he was never seen or heard from again. My mother is the last Hardee in this lineage, and I feel it my obligation to pass the history down, as the Hardee line stops here, with her death.

Southern Pride is a way of life for me, growing up on the East Coast of Florida are great memories. My Grandmother, Edith, Shannon's wife, remarried when my Mom was five a wonderful man Charles "Babe" French, I loved him dearly. They took time with me as a child, I would go and visit them all summer, I could not get there fast enough. My Grandma and Granddad would take me fishing and crabbing, and I would shrimp with my granddad in the Halifax river. When we got home, we would spend all night sizing the shrimp and separating them to freeze for a year of shrimp salads. This was our way of life, fishing and shrimping to provide food for the family throughout the year.

My grandmothers brother, Uncle Herbert was an interesting fellow, he was a gator hunter and hunting guide in Silver Springs. I was very blessed to have had these wonderful people in my life, and I miss them dearly. Oh, if I could go back to those days of childhood innocence. My Mother is Sandee Hardee, she grew up in Daytona in the 50's. She was a championship baton twirler and worked at the Dog Track in Daytona from the time she was 14 to 20, she performed the half time show twirling her baton. The owner of the dog track, Mr Kirkpatrick told her she could go to any college and he would pay her tuition. She chose the University of Tennessee, where she was the head majorette. That is where she met my dad, Van Poole. She has had a very blessed life, as I have had.

My mother passed on to me the loving grace of Jesus, that her grand mother had passed to her. She was a great mother, mentor and inspiration. It is with deep sorrow, I have to update this web page; my loving mother Sandra (Sandee) Hardee passed away on April 9, 2010. She was never able to see this tribute to her on this earth, she does from heaven.  I was working on it as a surprise when she was ill, and passed before I was finished. She always believed in me and my web design business, and being an entrepreneur, had always encouraged me to work for myself. She did write this about her family before she left us. I will always love and miss you Mom.

My brother Mark and I had a lot of fun growing up. We were raised in South Florida. At that time, it was still "wild". There were big green parrots living wild in the trees, large tortoises, monkeys and air boats. We lived close to the Seminole Indian Tribe, my first boyfriend in elementary school was Vernon Tiger. We never watched TV, we were too busy playing outside building forts, climbing trees and having a grand time. When he was in his early 20's he chose the sea as his livelihood. He is now a master Captain for SeaBulk Tankers. He goes out to sea for three months at a time, and he is always sure to bring his surfboard in case they are in a port that has a good break nearby. About four years ago he bought and is restoring a 1923 Chesapeake Buy boat. It is so cool, and in the future he would like to charter surf expeditions to awesome surf spots in the islands.

I am very blessed to have two wonderful sisters in my life, Kim and Kelley. Kim and I have always been very close, we have many times comforted each other through life's many ups and downs. That is what being a sister is all about. Kim is very blessed to have a wonderful daughter Shannon, named after our Grandfather.

I hope you have enjoyed the snap shot of my life growing up in Florida. It is my hope with my web design skills, that I can be a blessing to your business, and to help your business prosper.

The Lord has so blessed my life, it is my desire to pay it forward.

Peace & Happiness ~ Cyndee Poole