Minorcan Odyssey to New Smyrna: my imaginary account

Mahon, Minorca; Spain---I stand at the harbor looking out into the large span of protected water. I imagine the women who stood here before me, looking at the same green hills but without the Villas and waterfront homes that dot the land today. The date was March 31, 1768. She must have stood there, among the crowd of over 1200 colonists ready to board one of the eight British ships heading to New Smyrna, Florida.

Perhaps she had married an Italian husband, (by some accounts, many Minorcan women had) who a year earlier were brought to Minorca, Spain after being inspired by what they had heard from Dr. Andrew Turnbull about this new land and fabulous opportunity. Her husband was convinced and had signed on. After 7 years of indentured service, 50 acres would be theirs. The Doctor had left the men there to recruit from other civilizations in the Mediterranean, thinking the people of the British Isles would not be able to endure the heat Florida posed, but the hearty Greeks would. Once gathered, the colonists consisted of Greeks, Sicilians, Italians and Minorcans.

However, no one knew that Dr. Turnbull, a Scot enticed by the possibility of wealth and power, was only bringing provisions for a group of 400 to 600 people, not 1,255. What they did know was the British Government encouraged colonization. Again, what they didn’t know was that the Doctor had taken advantage of the the1763 Treaty of Paris which offered easy terms of settlement to those who desired land grants and these colonists were his means to the end. The Doctor had acquired land. In fact the New Smyrna Colony encompassed 101,400 acres that could grow cotton, indigo, hemp, olives, cotton, tobacco and silk.

With the adventure and new future ahead, she must have been excited and nervous but filled with hope as they left this very shore. Never did she think that in 3 years, over one half of the colony would perish. Wrenched conditions, starvation, malaria, yellow fever, Indians, alligators were all to become a part of the life that would surround her.

I imagine the disappointment when after THREE MONTHS at sea to get from Minorca to New Smyrna, Florida, they gazed over land that hadn’t even been cleared of trees and thick bush. Not what they expected. People were already upset, 148 people had died in the rough sea passage. Did she start to regret the decision to migrate yet or was it later? Sooner or later she would.

It's hard to believe that the charming New Smyrna Beach of today was anything difficult. But the beauty and raw tropical geography was overlooked by the harsh living conditions.

It was hazy what really happened; Turnbull, his partners, someone was accountable for leaving the colonists neglected. But among the leaders there was political scheming and financial difficulties. At the same time, there was the American Revolution and in the midst of turmoil, Governor Patrick Tonyn terminated their indentures. It was a mess. The men accused Turnbull of cruelty, ill-treatment by overseers, and murder.

Then I imagine, in this time of devastation, only nine years after their arrival, and nine years of mostly everything going wrong, the group of Minorcans, who had survived, meeting and deciding that their only option was to walk away.

Literally.

So, 90 colonists walked from the New Smyrna Plantation to St. Augustine in May of 1777.

Was she one of the Minorcans who hand-carried Datil Pepper seeds in her pocket, later to become a pride of some of St. Augustine’s cuisine?

It was six years later that the word reached St. Augustine: The colony was to be returned to the Spanish. The British were forced to sell or leave their homes, but the Minorcans decided to stay. Most of them spoke a form of Spanish, were Catholic and many had established successful businesses in St. Augustine. The population of St. Augustine decreased from 17,000 to about 3,000, with the remaining majority being the Minorcans.

Did “she” miss this, her homeland where I now stand? Are the Minorcans who perished forgotten? Both New Smyrna Beach and St. Augustine’s history and culture are a part of Minorca to this day.

I lived between New Smyrna Beach and St. Augustine, Florida for 26 years. Both areas are special to me. I have stood in New Smyrna at the Memorial to the Minorican colonists and read the monument. I have stood at the Fort in St. Augustine listening to the story of the hundred mile walk being recounted.

But then, it seemed like a far away land, a long time ago. Now, here I am in Minorca, seeing the people, seeing the land, imagining the possibilities. Thankful our crossing will take 10-15 days across the Atlantic and NOT 3 months! Wondering about the lives of those who left here to go to where I will be returning.