James Creary was born on March 12, 1818 in New York City and moved to what is now Santa Rosa County, Florida around 1842.

Creary's first wife, Mary, and daughter, Anna, along with Mary's sister, Ann Handley, died in October 1853 as victims of the yellow fever epidemic along the Gulf Coast.He had all three buried in St. Michael's Cemetery instead of the Bagdad Cemetery near where he lived. Creary remarried in 1856 and had six children.

In 1855, James Creary became a partner of Simpson and Company, a prominent saw mill company in Florida at that time.

From October to December of 1862, Creary was imprisoned by Federal troops at Fort Pickens for refusing to swear allegiance to the United States. Following the Civil War, Creary returned to work at the saw mill.

James Creary died on April 4, 1880 and was buried with his first wife and daughter in St. Michael's Cemetery. His son, James Edwin Creary, continued his father's legacy by working for Simpson and Company.

Creary's house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and his descendants continue to live in Bagdad, Florida. Creary's granite marker displays a palm frond, a symbol of victory or triumph over death.

The two other markers in the cast iron enclosure are constructed of marble, one of which is the only example of a table tomb that survives in the cemetery.

Podcast written by University of West Florida Public History Student, Ricky Gomez.