Ada Castillo

White female, born in April 1864 in Missouri. She was widowed at the time of her death on 27 October 1901 in Pensacola, Florida. Her name was spelled “Castilla” and her age was given as “40s.” James R. Landrum, the coroner at the time, determined her cause of her death to be heart trouble. Her occupation was given as “sporting woman,” a euphemism for prostitute. According to her death record, she had lived in Pensacola about three years; however, this estimate was mistaken. She was buried in the Escambia County Poor Farm.

The earliest reference to Ada Castillo is a brief statement in The Pensacola Commercial from July 1887 that she had been fined $5 in Police Court for fighting. In October 1888 she was fined $5 in City Court for street walking.

An Ada Castillo appeared in the 1890 Pensacola City Directory. Her name was followed by an asterisk, indicating she was a woman of color. She resided on Main Street north of Palafox.

In September of 1898, “Charles Simpson, alias Russian Charlie, assaulted Ada Castillo with a chair at her home near Martinez’s cigar factory … inflicting an ugly wound. He was arrested.”

She started off the year 1900 being assaulted with a brick by Sarah Echols, a woman of color, during a fight. Echols was fined $32.50.

An article in The Pensacola News for June 7, 1900 reported Ada Castillo, “a lewd woman,” had been fined $25 for “soliciting unlawful trade on a public street.” The charge came after she appeared in court to witness against one James H. Smith, whom she had accused of “cursing and abusing her.” Mr. Smith was the intended target of her solicitations; he was fined $5.

A week later on June 14, 1900, Ada was enumerated in the 1900 Federal Census for Pensacola as an inmate of the City Prison. Her name was given as Ada Costello. She was a white female, born in April 1864; her age was given as 36. She was single, and born in Missouri of two parents born in Missouri. Her occupation was given as Cook, and she was illiterate.

I have been unable to find Ada in the records before 1887, or in any location previous to Pensacola. If she was indeed a widow at her death, Castillo may not have been her maiden name.

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