Minorcan
Stories
The Minorcans and Dr. Andrew Turnbull Arrive in New Smyrna
A colony of 1,403 Minorcan, Greek, and Italian settlers was established in New Smyrna, East Florida, during British rule but faced severe challenges, including disease and mismanagement. Many colonists died or relocated to St. Augustine, where their descendants shaped the region’s culture and history. The story highlights the hardships endured and the legacy left by these settlers.
James Grant
James Grant, Laird of Ballindalloch and the first Governor of East Florida, was a Scottish landowner and military leader whose steadfast loyalty to the British crown defined his career. His tenure as governor was marked by efforts to develop the region through strategic alliances, colonial agriculture, and the support of Mediterranean immigrants, despite facing significant challenges such as financial strain and rebellion.
Frederick George Mulcaster
Frederick George Mulcaster, a Royal Military Academy graduate and deputy surveyor in East Florida, played a significant role in colonial administration during the late 18th century. While his direct involvement with the Minorcan colony was limited to brief visits, his correspondence with Governor James Grant provided detailed observations on colonial challenges, including Dr. Andrew Turnbull’s management of the Minorcans and broader agricultural and political issues. Mulcaster’s letters reflect his dedication to the crown and his pragmatic approach to governance amidst a period of tension and transition in East Florida.
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas “Burntfoot” Brown
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas “Burntfoot” Brown was a prominent Loyalist commander during the American Revolutionary War, known for his brutal tactics and desire for revenge after suffering severe mistreatment at the hands of the Sons of Liberty in 1775. Initially arriving in Georgia as a landowner, his transformation into a ruthless military leader was fueled by the violence he endured, leading him to command the East Florida Rangers and later the King’s Rangers, where he achieved notable victories against Patriot forces. After the war, Brown faced challenges in British territories and ultimately settled in St. Vincent, where he remained loyal to the Crown until his death in 1825.
William Drayton Sr.
William Drayton, Chief Justice of East Florida, was born on his father’s Magnolia Plantation, located on the beautiful Ashley River near Charleston, South Carolina. His father was Thomas Drayton (abt 1700-abt-1769) and Elizabeth (Bull) Drayton (1712-aft-1745). William Drayton would have grown up within the top rung of British society. He would have been around enslaved people beginning as a child and taught from an early age that Black people were different and were best utilized as laborers. When he was born the British slave trade was well-established and highly lucrative. British ships left from Liverpool, Bristol and London loaded with manufactured goods, textiles, firearms and alcohol used to trade for human beings held captive by African rulers or slave traders. The enslaved men, women and children, were chained to each other on the vessel for passage across the Atlantic Ocean, then sold to the highest bidder.
Lieutenant John Moultrie
John Moultrie III was born on January 18, 1729, to John Moultrie and Lucretia Cooper in In 1771, King George III appointed John Moultrie as Lieutenant Governor of East Florida after Governor James Grant returned to England due to ill health and to claim his substantial inheritance. Moultrie continued to serve as Lieutenant Governor under Patrick Tonyn. Like his father, Moultrie was a planter and builder and oversaw the construction of the King’s Road, which extended from the St. Marys River to the New Smyrna colony in East Florida. He aligned himself with Governor Tonyn during the bitter feud with Andrew Turnbull and Chief Justice William Drayton. He died on March 19, 1798, in Shiffnal Churchyard, Shropshire, England.
Gracia Maria du Robin
She was born in Smyrna (Izmir), Turkey, in 1736, the daughter of Jean Baptiste Robin and Katerina Jary. Her birth name has sometimes been recorded as “Dura Bin,” which has been identified as an incorrect transcription of “du Robin,” likely due to errors in hearing or recording. Gracia’s family was French Levantine. There was no Greek nation, but Greek culture—going back before Socrates—was spread throughout the Levant and Asia Minor.
On August 22, 1753, at the age of 17, she married Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician who was 35 at the time. The wedding took place in Smyrna. Together, they had 12 children—nine born in Turkey and three likely born at the New Smyrna colony in East Florida.
Gracia left the high society of London to join her husband in St. Augustine, Florida, where she lived for a few years before moving to the New Smyrna colony with her children. This relocation meant leaving behind friends and the community she had established in St. Augustine. Despite the challenges, she was a strong and resilient woman who remained devoted to her husband throughout his life. Gracia and Andrew Turnbull are both buried in Charleston, South Carolina.
Governor Patrick Tonyn
Tonyn has often been unfairly blamed for the failure of the New Smyrna colony by writers sympathetic to Dr. Andrew Turnbull, who, with his financial backers, founded the ill-fated colony. These critics argue that Tonyn’s leadership hastened the colony’s demise, but this assessment overlooks the grim realities that preceded Tonyn’s arrival. By the time he assumed office in 1774, the New Smyrna colony had already endured six grueling years of hardship. The colonists had suffered through a devastating rebellion, hurricanes that obliterated most of the palmetto huts, a lack of food and clothing, and certain years of poor indigo yields—the crop that was supposed to provide the colony’s economic foundation. Worst of all, nearly 700 colonists had tragically died since their arrival in 1768. Their graves are now hidden somewhere beneath the soil of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the land that was once the Turnbull colony. Governor Patrick Tonyn had nothing to do with these catastrophes.
Turnbull Surname Meaning, History & Origin
Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician, established the New Smyrna colony in Florida in 1767, but faced challenges in producing profitable crops, leading to the colony’s decline and eventual abandonment by 1777. The Turnbull surname has a rich history, including a notable tale of a champion named Turnbull who met a gruesome fate at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.
Spoils of War
The article delves into the historical turbulence of 18th-century Florida, centering on the harrowing saga of the Bonelly family during the Second Spanish Period. Through Antonia Paula Bonelly’s captivity and eventual rescue, it unveils a tapestry of intricate interactions among Native American, Spanish, British, and American factions, against a backdrop of political flux and ever-changing allegiances.
Secrets of Spanish Florida
A Chapter of forgotten history. The first permanent European settlement in the United States was founded in 1565–two generations before the settlements in Jamestown and Plymouth–not by English Protestants, but by the Spanish and a melting pot of people they brought with them from Africa, Italy, Germany, Ireland and even converted Jews, who integrated almost immediately with the indigenous tribes.
Her French and Corsican Ancestry
Descendants of settlers from Mahón, Minorca, journeyed to New Smyrna in British East Florida, becoming known as Minorcans. They constituted the largest group of colonists transported to America during the colonial era. Today, descendants are seeking to locate their burial sites, aiming to reinter them at Tolomato Cemetery in St. Augustine. This effort honors their legacy and highlights their contributions, including reintroducing Catholicism to St. Augustine, underscoring the importance of remembering their role in American history.
The Italians in Colonial Florida
A repertory of Italian families settled in Florida under the Spanish (1513-1762, 1784-1821) and British (1762-1784) regimes
by Bruno Roselli
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Florida Road Trip – St. Augustine
On this edition of Florida Road Trip, we’re taking a journey to the nation’s oldest permanently settled city, St. Augustine. We visit some of Henry Flagler’s old hotels and see what the colonial period was like for the city. Plus, we learn about the Brave Minorcans from Dr. Darien Andreu at 11:22 of the video. All this and more on this St. Augustine edition of Florida Road Trip.
Gottlieb Mittelberger’s Journey
Gottlieb Mittelberger’s diary on his journey from Holland to Pennsylvania in 1754 is different from the journey of the Minorcans from Mahon to St. Augustine in 1768. However, the miseries he describes on board his vessel could reflect what the Minorcans went through on their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. It is a good read on history of the time.
Florida in 1821 – A Small but Diverse Population
The new territory of Florida entered the American Union with a population that still represented the core of its colonial population under Spain. Although American settlers would quickly migrate to Florida in search of land – the population rose from 8,000 people to 34,730 in just 10 years – both Pensacola and St. Augustine retained much of their former character.
The Minorcans’ Faithful Priest
Father Pedro Camps was a priest who accompanied the Minorcans recruited by Andrew Turnbull to work his indigo plantation in New Smyrna. Despite facing numerous difficulties and abuses, Father Camps held his congregation together and ministered to their spiritual needs with devotion and courage, communicating clandestinely with his bishop in Cuba. When the Minorcans could bear it no longer, Father Camps stayed behind to care for the sick and prepare the bodies of those who died for burial, and later became the only priest in town who could speak Mahonese, continuing to serve his congregation until his death in May of 1790.
Exploring St. Augustine’s rich Minorcan heritage
The Minorcan presence in St. Augustine remains strong all over the city. The bridge connecting Vilano Beach and St. Augustine is named after Francis and Mary Usina who operated a tour boat. The statue next to the Cathedral Basilica is of Father Camps, the Minorcans’ spiritual leader who also preserved their eighteenth-century history.