Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-04-25
A PECULIAR PEOPLE.
THE LAST OF THE RACE OF
MINORCANS.
a Strange People in the Eastern Part
OF Florida Who Are Rapidly Passing
Away Their Languages Queer
Sound.

Sound.
The people of no state in the union
have had no more sudden and violent
changes in their personnel and char
acter than those of Florida. For $50
years after the discovery of the state
| by the Spaniards, in 1912, it was a con-
slant struggle between the Spanish.
the English, and, in some part, the
French, as to which should be the pre-
dominent element of the population. III
4 the Spaniards had been as bent upon
colonization as they were upon adven-
/ ture and spoilation of the aborigines
! they would have impressed upon Flori-
| da their race type and language, so
that after the lapse of quite century
after the independence of the colonies
| had been achieved these would have
as strong hold as the French charac-
ter and language have today upon the
people OF Louisiana, which was once
comprehended in what was vaguely
spoken of as 'the Floridas." Instead
of this being the case, the Spanish type
is less prevalent in Florida today than
one familiar with it's early history
would suppose, and especially in west
| Florida, where the Spanish adelantados
were wont to show their fine feathers
at Pensacola, the seat of government.
and to issue forth upon these expedi-
| tons in whose results the element of
tragedy oyershadowed those of ro-
nance. At the time the Spaniards
ceased to control Florida it is esti-
mated that no more than 1000 Of them
were within the borders of the state.
Gen. James Grant, the first English
governor of East Florida, was appoint
ed in 1863. Immediately upon the be-
ginning of his administration he set
about drawing to the state an indus
trious class of emigrants from the Brit
ish islands. Among other influences
set in motion to increase the population
was the formation of an association in
London, at the head of which was Dr..
Andrew Turnbull, to form a settlement
upon valuable tract of land near
Mosquito inlet. At an expense of $780,
900 Sir William Duncan and DR.. Turn
bull brought from smyrna. on the Med
iterranean. under indentures. 1900
Greeks Italians. and Minorcans, and
in 1867 effected settlement which they
called New Smyrna. The indentures
required the emigrants TO work a GER
tain number of years for the company
for the money spent for their passage
and support The soil was found to be
very rich. and the river and forests
"a lodi in Hob
cipal articles cultivated were indigo and
sugar. but the vine and fig were not neg
lected. Because of severe punish
ments inflicted upon some of their
number an instruction broke out
among the colonlsts in 1869 but it was
suppressed and the ringleaders execut-
ed after being tried at st. Augustine
In nine years, because of inhuman
treatment and sickness, the colonists
had been reduced from 400 to 500. In
1776 two of the colonists went to St
Augustine and placed their grievances
before Attorney General Yonge. in the
hope of securing some relief from the
intolerable abuses practiced by their
proprietors by virtue of the indentures.
Upon n civil trial of the issues at st.
Augustine the indentures were can
celled and the unfortunate colonists
were released from all obligations to
the proprietors. These latter made lib
eral offers to the Minorcans, for such
were all the colonists designated, to re-
main at New Smyrna and to contine to
cultivate the lands as freeholders; but
the unfortunates had had enough of
Or. Turnbulls slavery and the entire
colony removed to St. Augustine, re-
ceiying allotments of land in the north
crn part of the city. DR.. Turnbull, it
is conjectured, must have lost most of
the money he had invested in the en-
terprise for although the colony had
been brought to a good pitch of culti-
yation, it required great additional out
lay to effect this, and the returns in
nine years would not have been any
reimbursement. In 1870, when my
father removed from west to east Flor
ida, the Minorcans were a very numer-
Gus people indeed at St Augustine and
On the st. Johns river from Picolata to
Mayport, at the mouth of the river.
They were a very runty and swarthy
people, some OF them olive colored.
Their hair was usually jet black and
very coarse and thick. Their average
height must have been four and a half
feet. few Of them were given to ODE
aity but in the main they were a very
slender race, though as sturdy as Mex
lean bronchos. They were remarkably
clannish. seldom marrying outside of
their race circle