The Missing minorcans
Discovering their story and
finding their graves
THE GREATEST MYSTERY IN COLONIAL FLORIDA
964 Souls. Left in the Sands. Never Found.
Before the historic 1777 Minorcans march to freedom from New Smyrna to St. Augustine, 930 Catholic and 34 Greek Orthodox immigrants had perished—the first during the grueling 70-day ocean voyage from Menorca to the Province of British East Florida, and then under the harsh treatment of New Smyrna’s overseers, compounded by inadequate provisions and severe hardship.
The historical James Delaire survey of the New Smyrna Colony shows where the San Pedro chapel was located. The burials after the first year must have been at the chapel cemetery, which could be immediately behind the chapel. Help bring these forgotten souls home to history by finding the graves where they have laid for nearly 250 years.
Download the 2026 Investigation (PDF)
File Size: 1.4 MB
St Augustine Florida
All about St Augustine Florida.
1768-1777
Information about the Minorcans within this time period.
Minorcan Stories
Various stories focused on the Minorcan people.
BOOKS
In Memory of Father Pedro Camps
the spiritual leader of the Minorcan Colony.
This Statue Presented To Most Reverend Paul F. Tanner Bishop of St. Augustine.
By Fernando A. Rubio of Minorca and Xavier L. Pellicer of St. Augustine
April 24, 1975 in commemoration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary
of the arrival of the Minorcan Colonists in St. Augustine.
By Fernando A. Rubio of Minorca and Xavier L. Pellicer of St. Augustine
April 24, 1975 in commemoration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary
of the arrival of the Minorcan Colonists in St. Augustine.