FOREWORD
This is a genealogical history of our Stormes family in
Florida, beginning with my great-grandfather, Robert J. Stormes,
born in 1825, and ending with my father, William Haskins Stormes,
Sr., who died in 1965. Included are the histories of some of our
allied families that have been traced back to the 16th century.
We had very few family records with which to begin our search,
other than those of my own generation. Our information was obtained,
over a two year period of research, from various libraries and
archives, town and county histories, public vital statistics,
court records, and correspondence with numerous individuals.
We are especially grateful to the St. Augustine Historical
Society Library for making their records and microfilm available
to us on numerous occasions.
During this search I have been given invaluable assistance by
my husband, Bennett, and he has written the narrative that follows
with my supervision.
The main purpose in writing the narrative, aside from one of
pleasure, was to organize and give continunity to our researched
material, and to make at least a few of our forebears, insofar as
possible, come alive as persons rather than remain as mere names,
dates and places.
The narrative remains a factual one, without any attempt at
embellishment. Bibliography and reference sources have been indicated
throughout the text to support important facts.
It is hoped that the narrative will prove of interest to my
imediate family and its branches, to those who may follow, and that
those of the future will add additional chapters to the record.
Jacksonville Beach, Florida Frances Stormes Wright
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PART ONE
Robert and Genevieve
The Territory of Florida was officially created by an act
of Congress on 30 March 1822 after its transfer to the United States
from Spain. Shortly afterwards, many new settlers came into the
Territory. The largest migration was into east Florida, many coming
by way of the old King's Road from Georgia, their wagons piled high
with goods, others by ships from Charleston, S.C. to St. Augustine.
Our first known Stormes ancestor in Florida was Robert J. Stormes.
He was born in the Territory in 1825. The exact place of his birth,
or the names of his parents, are unknown. Most likely he was born
in or near St. Augustine.
The only official record of our Robert was found on the 1850
Federal Census of Brunswick, Glynn Co., Georgia. Robert J. Stormes
appears on this record, giving his age as 25 at that time, his occupation
as ship carenter, his place of birth as Florida. Also listed is his
wife, Genevieve Stormes, age 20, born in Florida. This ceasus, made
on 27 August 1850, also studies that Robert and Genevieve were married
during that year; thus their date of marriage is established as some
time between 1 January 1850 and 27 August 1850. Where they were
married is unknown, and Robert and Genevieve do not appear on any
subsequent census of Brunswick.
Genevieve's maiden name was Andreu, that of an old established
family of St.Augustine. An elderly, widowed niece of Genevieve' s,
living in Mayport, Florida when she was interviewed in 1972, related
that a seaman named Stormes had come to Mayport on a coastwise
commercial ship, married the Andreu girl, taken her with him on several
trips, and in 1851 they had an only child, William Henry Stormes.
Shortly after the birth of this son, Robert and his ship had left
Mayport and neither was ever heard of again. Presumab1y, Robert had
met with some mishap at sea. And then Genevieve, reportedly,had died
a few years after the birth of her son, and William Henry had been
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raised by Genevieve's parents and later the niece's parents.
This information had obviously been handed down to Genevieve's'
nice from her own relatives many years before, and while without
supporting evidence in its entirety, it does appear largely probable.
Also, we were later to find evidence that Genevieve had died young,
which will be related later in the narrative.
Our records of Genevieve's ancestors have been completed back to the 16th century as follows.
Our Andreu Line*
The Andreu family, like most of the older St. Augustine families,
had its origin in Florida with Dr. Andrew Turnbull's colony that came
to New Smyrna in 1768. They were an integral part of that tragic,
ill fated venture and their hardships and misfortunes in Florida were
directly attributable to it. It would seem appropriate to briefly
recount here the history of this colony for those who may not be
familiar with it.
In 1768 Florida was owned by England and the British desired to
colonize this new land that they had acquired from Spain five years
before. Their Parliament, as an inducement for settlement, offered
a bounty for the raising of silk, cotton and indigo in East Florida,
and extensive land grants were offered for development.
There lived in London at this time a prosperous physician named
Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scotchman, whose acquaintances in London
included the most influential and wealthy men.** He had previously
lived in Greece and had married Marie Gracia, daughter of a Greek
merchant of Smyrna, Asia Minor. Turnbull convinced a number of his
wealthy friends that a settlement in Florida by people accustomed to
a warm climate, and the growing of crops suited to that region, would
be a good investment, and one adequately supported by the government.
Turnbull told his friends that he was sure of recruiting a large
number of Greeks from Asia Minor to start a colony since these people
were very restive under the rule of Turkey. Also, being thoroughly
* Researched and compiled with the assistance of Mrs. E.P. Barnes,
professional Genealogist in St. Augustine.
** Carita Doggett Corse, "Dr. Andrew Turnbull and the New Smyrna Colony
of Florida."
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acquainted with the Greeks of this region, he felt confident that he
would be favorably received by them as a leader of such a colony to
the new province of Florida. So Turnbull and several of his friends
formed a Company, and Turnbull was selected, to lead the colony.
Turnbull now sailed for Greece to recruit his colonists. There
He encountered difficulty because the Turkish government opposed his
project. However, he did manage to obtain 200 Greeks. He now decided
to go to Leghorn in southern Italy for recruits. The Governor there
refused to let any Italians sign contracts with him who were engaged
in the manufacture of silk, but 110 other Italians joined the
expedition. The total number of recruits was now considerably less
than planned for by the Company. Land for 600 people had been acquired.
At this point, Turnbull learned that there had been crop failures
for three consecutive years on the Island of Minorca and that many
people there were on the verge of starvation. Minorca seemed a likely
place to obtain more recruits. So he now went there.
In Minorca, Turnbull's project succeeded beyond his greatest
expectations. Crowds of starving people thronged the decks as soon
as his three ships dropped anchor in Port Mahon, the capital of Minorca.
They begged him to take three times as many of them as planned because
they were in such pitiable circumstances. Turnbull hurriedly consulted
his partners and they immediately decided to make the colony as large
as possible for the increased commercial potential. His Company
enlarged their fleet of ships to eight, and requested more land in
Florida from their government.
Meanwhile, many of the Italian men in the expedition married
Minorcan girls, who were thus recruited for the colony. Finally,
nearly 1200 Minorcans were recruited, now bringing the total number
of colonists to nearly fifteen hundred. This was to be the largest
colony ever brought to the New World, much larger than the earlier
settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts.
This last-minute enlargement of the colony group, without adequate
planning, was undoubtedly one of the major reasons for its ultimate
failure. There was another initial problem that Turnbull seems to
have circumvented in haste. Minorca had been an English possession
since 1713, by an agreement with Spain. Turnbull had received his
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land grants from the British Crown on the condition that the settlers.
were all to be Protestants. But the Minorcans, although British
subjects, were devout Roman Catholics. England had originally promised
Spain that she would allow them freedom of their faith. Turnbull
apparently felt that this would solve the problem, so when he recruited
the Minorcans, he allowed them to take a priest and a monk with them.
The priest was Father Pedro Camps, a man devoted to his people,
who would remain with them throughout the years of hardships and
tragedies in the colony, faithfully recording their births, baptisms,
marriages and deaths, later to be compiled and preserved in his "Golden
Book of the Minorcans'."
The colonists contracts with Turnbull came under the Indentured
Servant Act, similiar to those of the earlier American colonists.
essentially farmers, they agreed to work as such for a period of 6 to
? years, some with remuneration, at the end of which time they were to
be free and given 50 acres of land each, with an additional 5 acres
for each of their children. Thus, to be given free transportation to
this wonderful new land, and become land owners themselves near the
early Spanish city of St. Augustine, was a golden opportunity, they
were told.
Turnbull had previously visited Florida and selected the site
for his colony near Mosquito Inlet, where later the town of New
Smyrna would be established, named for Smyrna in Asia Minor where
his wife had been born. The colony was first called "Les Mosquitoes."
So now, in March, 1768, the colonists left Minorca in their
eight small, crowded sailing vessels. It proved to be a difficult
four months voyage, and many of the old and feeble passengers died
during the trip. Twenty-eight are said to have been buried at sea
from one vessel alone.
Things continued to go wrong from the very start. Four of the
vessels reached Florida in June, the other four having strayed to
the north, but all finally arrived. More importantly, a ship containing
500 slaves, who had been purchased and brought direct from Africa to
clear the land and do the first rough work of the settlement, was
wrecked on the southern coast of Florida, with all hands lost.
So the settlers were promptly put to work clearing the jungle-like
growth on the land. A. few crude temporary shelters, erected in advance
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for them, were greatly over-crowded. Four months provisions had been
left at the site for them, but this was totally inadequate since three
times the number expected had arrived. Hominy was cooked in huge
copper kettles in the open, and at meal time a drum summoned the
workers from the woods to line up for their share of food. Turnbull
himself lived on his own large plantation several miles away, and
placed imported overseers in charge of the work at the colony.
There was immediate friction between these overseers and the
colonists, the former having been used to working slaves. Many
beatings and other undeserved punishments were inflicted on the workers.
Language barriers were also a problem. The Minorcans spoke Mahonese a
Spanish dialect, and the Greeks and Italians spoke their own
Languages. The heat was oppresive, their clothing inadaquate, and
hordes of mosquitoes assailed them. Malaria and other diseases
became widespread.
In August, 1768, only two months after the colonists had arrived,
there was a rebellion in the colony instigated by one of the Italians
and some twenty followers. They broke into a storehouse, overpowering
the guard, and obtained firearms and casks of rum. After the rum had
been passed around, they had some 200 uncertain followers. They
seized a small ship of provisions lying in the river, with the intention
of escaping to Havana. During this trouble, the Minorcans stood
silently aside and refused to a man to take part in it. For this,
their huts were plundered, their belongings thrown out into the road,
and many were beaten.
Finally, two of the more faithful Italians escaped through the
woods to notify Turnbull of the trouble. The latter summoned military
aid from the Governor, and the rebellion was put down. A small Guard
attachment was then stationed at the colony.
Things continued to go wrong. The colonists remained in desperate
need of supplies. Malaria, scurvey, malnutrition, and other illnesses
from exposure, continued to be major health problems. Nearly half of
the colonists died during the first year. They were frequently robbed
by the Indians. Turnbull was frequently absent in England, trying
unsuccessfully to obtain additional financing and support from his
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Partners and the British government.
Finally, the colony came to a bitter end nine years after it had
been established. None of the colonists had been paid, nor had any
of them received the land they had been promised. A total of 964 lives
had been lost in the colony. So, in 1777, Governor Tonyn ordered that
they be released from their contracts, and made free to leave the
colony.
The colonists promptly left New Smyrna, most of them walking
carrying their infants and meagre belongings, along the beaches and
trough the wilderness, the 75 miles to St. Augustine, where they
fina1ly arrived, ragged, penniless, hungry."
The Governor assigned them to small lots just north of town.
were, they erected crude shelters and somehow managed to eke out a
livlyhood by fishing, gardening, and crafts. Later, most of them
would acquire their own land and raise their families in better
circumstances.
That these colonists survived those years of hardships in New
Smyrna is a tribute to their patience; endurance and determination,
and that they then went on to become substantial and respected citizens
in Florida and elsewhere through their honest endeavors against such
odds, is even a greater one. The Minorcans, at times in the past,
have been looked down upon by some, probably because of their poverty,
unique speech, aloofness, and unwillingness to engage in controversy
and violence. More recently, they have come to receive the respect
that they have always deserved. A statue of Father Camps, recently
completed in Minorca, is soon to be brought to Florida and erected in
the courtyard of the Catholic Cathedral in St. Augustine.
Briefly, then, this was the Minorcan colony at "Les Mosquitoes."
Here, now, is our Genevieve's ancestral line.
1. Jaimie Andreu, of Alayor, Island of Minorca, prior to 1550.
Married Petra.
2. Jaimie Andreu, Jr., of Minorca; married Martina ColI in 1593.
3. Marcus Andreu, I, of Minorca; married Aqueda Ponz 28 Oct. 1623.
4. Jamie Andreu III, born in Minorca 1624; married Francesca
Cardona 6 Sept. l646.
5. Marcus Andreu, II, born in Minorca 1653; married Maria Janer
1676.
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6. Juan Andreu, born Alayor, Minorca, 21 Dec. 1681; married
Francesca Lopiz, 4 Aug. 1709.
7. Juan Andreu. Jr., born in Minorca, 14 Feb. 1717; married Maria
Angela Caules, 13 Oct. 1737. They moved to Fornells and later
to Mercadel on the Island.
They came to Florida with five of their children in the ship
ELIZABETH with Dr. Andrew Turnbull's colony at New Smyrna in
1768. Juan Andreu, Jr. died at New Smyrna, and Maria, at the
age of 60, made the long trek through the wilderness to St.
Augustine when the colony was disbanded in 1777. She died in
St. Augustine, 14 Oct. 1805.
8. Tomas Andreu, born in Minorca, 1757. He was 11 years old when
he came to Florida with his parents with the Turnbull colonists.
He married (1) Francesca Alberti in 1780 in St. Augustine. She
died in 1781. Tomas married (2) Margarita Pretos, 15 Sept. 1782
in St. Augustine. He died in 1838.
Tomas originally lived with his first wife about 8 miles north
of town, on the Plantation known as Governor's Grant". He owned
4 acres and farmed. Later he moved into town and lived on
historic St. George Street. A 1787 Census indicated that he now
owned 7 acres of land. In 1793 he lived in town on the Bayfront
near where the Monteray Court is located today. Tomas and
Margarita had ten known children, one of whom was Joseph J.
9. Joseph J. Andreu, born in St. Augustine, 5 July 1801; married
Maria Dolores Mestre, 5 May 1822. "Joseph was the Jailor in St.
Augustine in 1844. On 11 April 1854 he was" appointed keeper of
the St. Augustine Lighthouse on Anastasia Island. This was
probably the first Lighthouse in Florida, converted from an old
Spanish watchtower in 1823. It was located about a mile from
the present Lighthouse which was constructed in 1874.
On 5 Dec. 1859, while painting the tower of the Lighthouse, the
scaffolding gave way and Joseph fell to his death 60 feet below.
The newspaper obituary of his death states, "Mr. Andreu was
highly esteemed for his many hospitable and social virtues. He
was fol1owed to the grave by a numerous concourse, and buried in
the Holy and Solemn form of the Catholic Church."
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On 29 Dec. 1859 his wife, Maria, was made keeper of the Lighthouse.
We have no record of how long Maria served as keeper, but do know
that during the Civil War, 1861-1865, the light was turned out.
Joseph and Maria had nine children, including Genevieve. One of
Genevieve's sisters, Margaret, was born in St. Augustine on 5
Aug. 1822, and is said to be the first white child born in St.
Augustine after Florida was acquired by the United States, thus
making her the first United States citizen of St. Augustine.
In addition to the above nine children, Joseph also had an
illegitmate son,. born 20 Feb. 1831 by Antonia Lorenzo. This
child was called Matias Ramon, but later, by permission of the
officials, he was legally permitted to use the name of Andreu
and thus becarne a step-son, to the Andreu household, although he
did not live with them.
Matias married Rosalia Leonardi, 4 June 1855, and grew up to
become a rather prominent citizen in St. Augustine. In 1853 he
was appointed Clerk of the City Council; also that year he opened
a dry goods store at the corners of St. George and Picolata
Streets; in 1859 he was publisher of the St. Augustine Examiner
weekly newspaper; in 1867 he was a real estate auctioneer and
broker.
Matias wi1l appear again later in our narrative.
10. Genevieve Andreu, born in St. Augustine, 3 March 1830, baptised
11 March 183O, as Genovena Culota Antonia Andreu, daughter of
Josef Andreu and Maria de Mestre. (Catholic Cathedral records.)
She married Robert J. Stormes.
Our records have also been completed for the ancestral line of
Genevieve's mother, Maria Mestre, back to the 16th century.
Our Mestre Line*
1. Martin Mestre, born Alayor, Minorca, about 1550. Married Juana.
2. Bartolome Mestre, I, born Alayor, Minorca. Married Antonia
Roca, 1597.
* Researched and compiled with the assistance of Mrs. E.P. Barnes.
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3. Bartolome Mestre Jr., born Minorca, 1609. Married Juana Fanals,
1641.
4. Francisco Mestre. born Minorca, 1652. Married Paula Sintes, 1677.
5. Pedro Mestre, born Minorca, 1683. Married Maria Quintana, 1714.
6. Bartolome Mestre, III, born Minorca, 31 July 1717. Married
Antonia Rogero, 1746. They came to Florida with five of their
eight children with the Turnbull colonists in 1768. Bartolome
died in the New Smyrna colony. Antonia made the long trek to St.
Augustine with her children when the colony was disbanded in 1777,
and died there, 25 March 1804.
7. Pedro Mestre, II, born in Mercadel, Minorca, 1748. He was 20
years old when he came to Florida with his parents in 1768. He
married Maria Andreu, 1773, in New Smyrna. They had nine children,
one of whom was born in Charleston, S.C. Pedro was a mariner and
took Maria with him on some of his trips. They lived about where
Flagler College is today in the heart of downtown St. Augustine.
One of their sons, John,was later to be the second settler at
Cowford (later to become Jacksonville) when he obtained a Spanish
land grant there on 13 Dec. 1816, and built his one-room log-cabin
at what is now the southwest corner of Forsyth and Liberty Streets.
He later returned to St. Augustine.
Another son, named Pedro Antonio Mestre (Peter Masters) was a St.
John's River bar pilot, and a charter member of the Bar Pilots
Association when that group was organized in 1820.
8. Barto1ome Mestre, IV, often referred to in Florida as Senior,
born in New Smyrna, 2 Jan. 1774, at one o'clock in the afternoon
as recorded by Father Camps. He married Mariana Lorenzo, 8 Dec.
1794 in St. Augustine. We have no record of Bartolome's death,
but Mariana died 10 Oct. 1864 in St. Augustine.
9. Maria Dolores Mestre, born 25 April 1801 in St. Augustine. Married
Joseph J. Andreu, 5 May 1822.
And so these, then, were the ancestral lines of Genevieve's father
and mother, all to be found in the old records of St. Augustine.
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Now let us turn back for a moment to Genevieve's grandfather,
Tomas Andreu.
Shortly before Tomas died he made a will, dated 1 Jan. 1838,
written in Spanish and recorded in Book 1, pp. 49-50, County Court
of St Johns County, in which left his house on St. George Street
to his son, Joseph , (Genevieve's father), stipulating that Joseph was
to possess and enjoy the house until his death, and then the property
was to go to Joseph's ligitimate children. The court records of the
final disposition of this property are most interesting, particularly
in reguards to our Genevieve.
Joseph, we now know, died on 5 Dec. 1859 when he fell from his
Lighthouse on Anastasia Island. Ten-years later, in 1869, Joseph's
heirs decided to sell the property that had come down to them from
Tomas to a Jane M. Vail. A Conveyance of this property from the heirs
to Jane Vail, written in English, is to be found in the St. Johns County
courthouse, Book 1, pp. 221-223. This Conveyance names all of Joseph's
legitimate heirs in the property. Genevieve Storms, each of whom owned a
one-eighth interest in the property. Genevieve "Storms is referred to
as deceased, late of St. Johns County. No mention is made of her son,
William Henry Stormes, who was a minor, aged 18. Evidently Genevieve had
died intestate.
Apparently the living heirs encountered something of a legal
problem as to how to handle the deceased Genevieve's one-eighth interest
in the property so that it could be sold. Finally, County Judge Nathan
D. Benedict issued orders regarding the matter. In an order dated 1
May 1869, regarding an Administrator for Genevieve's estate, Judge
Benedict recorded "..it appeared to the court that it would be for the
interest of the minor heir to said estate that the Administrator should
located." Judge Benedict then ordered that Joseph V. Hernandez act as
Administrator for Genevieve's estate.
After an inventory of the estate was made, Judge Benedict ordered,
on 7 Jan. 1870, that Genevieve Storm's estate be sold at public auction
in front of the courthouse on the first Monday in February, 1870, at
12 noon. This was done.
And now who should step forward to bid on Genevieve's portion of
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the estate but Matias R. Andreu, Joseph's illegitmate son, who not
being a legitimate heir, had not been left a share in the estate. And
it was Matias who made the highest bid for Genevieve's share, at $100.
Thus the heirs and Matias, then sold the entire estate to Jane M. Vail
for $1750.
Whether Matias, then a real estate broker, had a benevolent
interest in trying to help the ligitimate heirs dispose of the property,
or wanted to make a few dollars for himself, is unknown. Actually,
after the court and advertising costs were deducted from the proceeds
and the balance divided amoung the owners, there was not a great deal
for anyone. More significantly, no record can be found to indicate
that Genevieve's minor son, William Henry, received anything from the
sale of his mother's share, although possibly he did.
In any event, these court records establish that Genevieve had
died before 1869, and was living in St. Augustine at the time of her
death. It appears probable that she died before 1860 since she could
not be found on any census records of that year, either in Georgia
or Florida.
We do know that Robert and Genevieve Stormes had an only child,
William Henry, born in 1851, this date obtained from his tombstone.
And from the only information available, undocumented, that Robert,
a seaman by trade, was lost at sea a year or so after his son's birth,
and that Genevieve herself died while the son was very young.
There son, William Henry, was next of descent in our direct Stormes line.
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PART TWO
William Henry and Elizabeth
William Henry Stormes, as previously related, was born in 1851.
His actual birth record could not be obtained, and there is some
uncertainty about his place of birth because of conflicting secondary
records.
The 1885 Special Florida Census, on which he and his family appear
in Mandarin, gives his place of birth as Florida. If this is correct,
it was quite likely in St. Augustine or Mayport. However, there is
another census record that conflicts with this, which wi1l be presented
in a moment.
We must also resort to at least some conjecture about the early
events of his life. His father, as previously related, is believed
to have been lost at sea a year or so after William Henry's birth, and
his mother died some 5-8 years later. We do have evidence that during
this interim his mother took him to live with her parents, Joseph and
Mary Andreu, in St. Augustine. This would have been during the time
in which Joseph was keeper of the Lighthouse on Anastasia Island.
One of William Henry's uncles in his mother's £amily, Nicholas
Andreu, was only 7 years older than he and subsequent events indicate
that these two grew up together and became close friends as well as
relatives.
The 1860 Federal Census of St. Augustine, taken 28th of June of
that year, on page 32, shows the household of Mary G. Andreu, age
54, born in Fla; and living with her was Nicholas Andreu, age 15, born
in Fla; William Storm, age 8, born in Georgia, and Maria Masters, age
83, born in Florida. The Census enumerator might easily have made
a mistake in writing down Mary's middle initial as G instead o£ D,
for Dolores, and although her age was given as 54 instead of the 59
she is believed to have been at that time, this too was probably a
simple mistake. The rest of the information is accurate according to
our previous records; the age of Nicholas, the age of William Henry,
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and Mary's husband, Joseph, we know, had died before this 1860 Census,
and so had William Henry's mother, Genevieve, we feel certain. The
Maria Masters in the household was Mary's mother. Also, all of Mary' s
other children, except Nicholas, were old enough at that time to have
been married and living elsewhere and thus did not appear with her on
the Census.
Unquestionably then, our William Henry was living with his
grandmother Andreu in St. Augustine in 1860. Of equal interest is
the fact that his place of birth is showm as Georgia on this Census.
We are inclined to believe that this is the correct record since we
know that William Henry's parents were living in Brunswick in August,
1850, shortly before his birth. The 1860 Census of St. Augustine
also Shows that Nicholas and William Henry attended school that year.
William Henry unfotunately, probably had no memory of his
father, and perhaps very little of his mother. In addition, his life
was destined to be a short-lived one, but he too, like many or his
forebears, was to accomplish much and attain a position of respect
in his community against numerous odds.
It may well be imagined that our William Henry, living there
with his grandparents in the Lighthouse on Anastasia Island during
his boyhood years, was told the story of his mother's proud and
colorful heritage, perhaps that of his father also as known to his
grandparents, and that he acquired a fondness for boats and the sea,
which was later to be borne out.
His uncle Nicholas, our records disclose, married Rebecca Farrow
and moved to Mandarin some time prior to 1870, and, it seems certain,
took William Henry there to live with them. This belief, undocumented,
is given support in the interview with Genevieve's niece (Nicholas'
daughter) in 1972. William Henry would have been about 17 years old
when he went to Mandarin.
It was there in Mandarin that William Henry met Elizabeth Ann
Browm. They were married about 1874-76, and, although we have found
no record of the exact date or place of this event, Nicholas' daughter
related in her interview that William Henry and Elizabeth were married
in her parents home in Mandarin.
Elizabeth Ann was of an early Mandarin family, and we have records
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of her Brown ancestors back for three generations.
Our Brown Line*
1. John Peter Brown, born 17 March 1806, came to Mandarin from
Fulton County, N.Y. in 1828. Engaged in farming. Married Nancy
Bowden, 28 March 1833, in Jacksonville, Fla. He died in Mandarin
18 Jan. 1852. John and Nancy had 6 children, the first of whom
was John Christopher, our progenitor.
2. John Christopher Brown, born 12 Feb. 1836, in Mandarin. He
married Matilda Adlyn Haskins, 9 May 1855. They owned a river-
front home, a large orange grove, and operated a store in the
village. Apparently John took part in the last at the Seminole
Indian Wars; he is listed as a soldier in Steward's Co., 1856.
(Board of State Institutions, "Soldiers of the Seminole Indian,
Civil and Spanish-Ameican Wars. ") From 1875 to 1879 he was the
Postmaster at Mandarin. He died in Mandarin, 15 Jan. 1902, and
was buried in the Loretto Cemetery. On his tombstone is engraved:
"Co. A Fla. Infantry." Matilda died in Mandarin, 12 June 1904.
John and Matilda had 8 children, the first of whom was Elizabeth
Ann.
3. Elizabeth Ann Brown, born, 7 Jan. 1856, in Mandarin. Married
Wil1iam Henry Stormes.
Elizabeth's grandmother, Matilda, was a Leonardy, and our records
of this branch of our family go back for six generations as follows.
Our Leonardy Line **
Of the earliest Leonardis, the Archives of Rome and Florence,
state that in 1450 one Bartholomew Leonardi was sent by the Modena
Government as Ambassador to Emperor Frederick III to petition the
confirming by said Emperor the succession to the Modena throne of
Lionel d'Este. It was at this time that Emperor Frederick conferred
Knighthood upon the sai4 Bartholomew Leonardi.
* Mary B. Graff, Mandarin on the St. Johns."
** From records in St. Augustine Historical Society Library.
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Our own line, of later generations, follows.
1. Don Roque (Rocco) Leonardy, born 1672 in Modena, Italy; died
l742. Name of wife unknown.
2. Giovanni Leonardy, born 1712, in Modena, Italy. Married Jacoba
Bianchoni. He died in 1780.
3. Roque Leonardy, born 1742, in Modena, Italy. He came to Florida,
at the age of 26, with the Turnbull colonists in New Smyrna in
1768. He married (1), prior to 1771, Esperanza. Balle, in New
Smyrna. She also had come over with the Turnbull colonists, and
died in New Smyrna, 1774. Roque then married (2) Agatha CoIl
(Chato), a widow. Agatha had been born in Mahon, Minorca, 1750,
a daughter of Bartoleme ColI and Josepa Ponz.
Roque and Agatha survived the hardships of New Smyrna and came
to St. Augustine when the colony disbanded in 1777. The old
Spanish Census of 1783 lists Roque: Had wife and 3 children,
2 1/2 acres of land with a house of boards on it, his property as
evidenced by Bill of Sale under the hand of Father Pedro Camps,
and in the City has another house, his, with its grounds that
he inhabits in that part of the little plaza near the Quarters;
his occupation Wine Merchant, he has five slaves,horses, cattle,
3 cows.
And from the old Spanish Census of 1787: Wine Merchant, has 4
houses, 12 horses, 1 slave, a Billiard room and store in the
Plaza, owns 50 acres of land. He was a Lieut. of the City Militia.
Roque died by drowning in St. Augustine, 1801. He and Agatha
had 12 children, one of whom was Bartolome Joseph.
4. Bartolome Joseph Leonardy, born 21 July 1782 in St. Augustine.
He married Antonia Paula Bonelli, 26 July 1808, in St. Augustine.
We will have more of the amazing life of Antonia in a moment.
She and Bartolome had 9 children, one of whom was Epifania.
5. Epifania Leonary, one of twin sisters, was barn 7 April 1809,
in St. Augustine. She married, in 1832, James B.P. Haskins.
They had 4 children, one of whom was Matilda Adyln.
6. Matilda Adyln Haskins, born 1833, in St. Augustine. Married
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John Christopher Brown.
Also on Elizabeth's maternal side, we have the amazing records
of her great-grandmother, Antonia Paula Bonelli, who married Bartolome
Leonardy.
Our Bonelli Line*
The house of Bonelli is one of the most distinguished houses
of Italy. Originally a family of Piedmont, it later became a Patrician
family of Rome and Florence, with the titles of Duke of Rome, Prince
of Salis, Count of Bosco and Patrician of Rome. One of the house of
Bonelli married the niece of Antonio Grissilieri who was afterwards
known as Pius the Fifth and who, in 1712, was canonized. He was one
of the great Popes.
Our own line follows.
1. Tomas Bonelli, born prior to 1740 in Italy. married Marie Mariani.
2, Josef Bonelli, born 1740 in Livorno, Italy. Came to Florida with
the Turnbull colonists in 1768. He married Maria Moll in New
Smyrna, 1775, and died in St. Augt1.stine, 1811. Maria was born in
Minorca, and also came to Florida with the Turnbull colonists.
Josef was granted 600 acres by the Governor on 24 Sept. 1796
near Matanzas Inlet, a few miles south of St. Augustine, where
he engaged in farming. He and Maria had 9 children, one of whom
was Antonia Paula.
3. Antonia Paula Bonelli, born 6 April 1786, in St. Augustine;
married Bartolome Joseph Leonardy 26 July 1808. Antonia was
living on her father's plantation at Matanzas when; in 1802, she
was captured by the Indians and held captive for 22 months. Years
afterwards, she gave a sworn deposition detailing this capture
and her experiences as a prisoner of the Indians. The following
is a verbatim copy of her deposition.
From: American State Papers, Class V, Military Affairs, Vol.
VI, p. 500, Published Washington, 1861.
Personally appeared before me, Joseph Sanchez, a Justice
* From records of St. l1ugustine Historical Society Library.
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of the Peace for the county of St. John's, Antonia Bonelly
Leonardy, who, being duly sworn, in explanation and continuation,
says: That at the time the Indians made the descent upon the
settlements of Josiah Dupont, Mr. Pellicer, and deponent's
father, in the year 1802, she, this deponent, was about thirteen
years of age. The persons of her father's family taken by the
Indians were her mother, Mrs. Mary Bonelly, and five children,
viz: this deponent, Joseph, Theresa, Catherine, and John; the
nine Indians set out immediately with all the plunder that they
and the prisoners could carry, and travelled by circuitous routes
and by-paths for the interior o£ the country. Deponent's £amily
were made prisoners about three o'clock in the afternoon, and
were forced to march that day and the following night until
daylight of the second day., when they halted and encamped until
the morning o£ the third day when they started again, and
travelled until sundown, and they encamped for the night, and
so again on the fourth day, and for twenty-four days from the
time of her capture. The party could not travel fast, as the
plunder was heavy, and deponent and her sister Mary, who was
eleven years old, were obliged to carry alternately their brother
John, who was about twenty months old. On the second day after
they started from the Matanzas they crossed a small river, and
afterwards they crossed the St. John's where it was very wide,
(probably a little lake); she recollects also crossing a river
called Suwannee, in a skin. The skin was stretched out by two
cross sticks, and a rim made of wood; she laid down in the bottom
very still whilst crossing, and remembers she was afraid to look
up. The banks of this river were very steep. On the twenty-fourth
day they arrived at a town called Mickasuky, the chief of which
she recollects was called Ken-ha-jah. When we were within a
short distance of the town the party halted and proceeded to make
a division of their plunder and prisoners, after which we were
turned over to some Indian women who came out to meet us; after
which the Indian men went another way to dance over the scalp of
deponent's brother. Whilst living with these Indians, which
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deponent learned were called by the name of Mickasuky tribe,
deponent experienced many hardships and cruelties, and her
trials were very severe; and the circumstances and history of
her captivity and that of her family were so peculiar and
barbarous that everything appears to be fresh to her mind, and
she does not think that anything but death can efface them from
her memory. The Mickasuky town, where deponent was, she understood
from the Indians, was about a day's journey from St. Mark's on
the Gulf of Mexico, and a considerable distance from Apalachicola,
and within the Spanish boundary of the two provinces of the East
and West Florida; deponent's mother and Catherine, Theresa, and
John, were detained seven months; and at the end of this time
deponent's father sent one Jack Forrester with three hundred
dollars to redeem the family, but the Indians not considering
that a sufficient sum detained deponent and her brother Joseph.
Deponent was detained fifteen months longer, but her brother
Joseph escaped previously to that time, and got down to St.
Mark's, from thence to Mobile, New Orleans, Cuba, and finally
he reached St. Augustine in a vessel commanded by Captain Stepen
Benet. About twenty-two months after deponent's captivity, her
father sent two hundred dollars, being the additional sum demanded
by the Indians, and she was then released and delivered up to her
brother-in-law, Thomas Pacety, who brought her to St. Augustine,
accompanied by Payne, the chief of the Seminoles, and a negro
slave belonging to said chief. Deponent further says that her
father and mother, the said Jack Forrester, the said Captain
Stephen Benet,and her brother-in-law, Thomas Pacety, are long
since dead; her sister Mary resides at St. Mary's, Georgia, ,and
that the rest of her family that are living reside in the Island
of Cuba. She has always understood that the Mickasuky Indians
were considered by the Spanish government to be under the military
jurisdiction of the governor of West Florida, and not of East.
Florida.
her
Mary Bonelly X Leonard
mark
Sworn to before me this 1st day of October 1835. John P. Sanchez,
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Justice of the Peace, St. John's County.
Excerp from Deposition following:
" ....He was in St. Augustine at the time the Indians made a
descent upon the settlements of Josiah Dupont and others at
Mantanzas, in 1802, and he saw the dead body of Thomas Bonelly,
who had been killed by them in that affair, lying in the market
place, in St. Augustine, having been brought up to to town in a
boat."
Felipe Solana
Sworn to before ,me, October 7, 1835.
Antonia was born in 1786, and thus was actually about 16 years
old when captured by the Indians. Her older brother, Thomas, was
killed in the initial attack on the homestead at Matanzas. Thomas
was 26 years old at that time, and probably killed while trying to
defend his family. This would also explain Antonia's statement in
the deposition: "The Indian men went another way to dance over the
scalp of deponent's brother."
It will be noted that Antonia made her deposition in 1835, some
33 years after her capture. This was probably because the first
Seminole Indian War began in 1835, and evidently the authorities were
trying to obtain as much evidence as possible about previous Indian
attacks, and establish military responsibilities and jurisdictions.
Also, the heirs of persons who had lost property in Indian attacks
could make claims against the government.
Also on our Elizabeth's maternal side, we have the ancestral
records for three generations o£ her grandfather, James B.P. Haskins,
who married Epifania Leonardy. These records provide the source of
the Haskins surname that was later used as a given name in subsequent
generations of our Stormes family.
Our Haskins Line*
The Haskins family is believed to have originated in England.
The histories of South Carolina state that the first colony to be
established there was in 1671 by a group of English, among others, who
* From wills left by the Haskins' and recorded in South Carolina.
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came direct from the Old World and settled on the Ashley River near
Charleston. Perhaps our immigrant Haskins ancestor was among this
group, although the first of whom we have record was of later
generation. Most of these early settlers became wealthy planters.
Our line is as follows.
1. Peter Haskins, planter, South Carolina. Date and place of birth
is unknown. His will is dated 27 Nov. 1766, and was probated
19 Dec. 1766. He owned a 250 acre rice plantation on the Ashley
River about 3 miles from the town of Dorchester. He married
Rebecca, maiden name unknown. His will mentions his children:
Elizabeth, Benoni, William, Sarah, Jean, Mary. He left his
plantation, first to his wife during her lifetime, then to go to
his son, Benoni, having made other bequeaths to his other child1en.
2. Benoni Peter Haskins, planter, of Prince Williams Parish, near
Chulifiny Creek in Granville, Province of S.C. Date and place
of birth unknown. His will is dated 4 Jan. 177l and was proven
4 May 1771. He married Margaret, maiden name unknown. His will
mentions his,children: James Benoni Peter, and Rebecca. His
estate consisted of the plantation inherited from his father,
plus 100 head of Black Cattle, 30 horses, 9 slaves, and much
household furniture, china and pewter.
He bequeathed to his wife, Margaret, for use during her lifetime
and then to go to his surviving children, the following things:
The use of 4 slaves named Plilis, Sibby, Hannibal and Hector;
her choice of 2 horses; 8 cows and calves; a Riding Chair; 2
Dining and 1 Tea Table; Bed Stead; Bed and furniture; 6 Sitting
Chairs; a. Cabinet of Drawers; a Writing Desk; Glass ware; Iron
Pots; 1 Trevet; 1 Grid Iron; 1 frying and 1 warming pan; Pair
Iron Tongs; Shovel and Tongs; 2 Pewter Dishes; 6 Pewter Plates;
6 Tables; 1 Tea Kettle; Tea and Coffee Pots; Cups and Saucers.
He directed that the rest of his estate and land be sold at public
auction to the highest bidder, the money lent out at interest,
and the income then divided into yearly pensions for the care of
his wife, and for his children until they reached the age of 21.
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And Benoni Peter, apparently a strict disciplanarian, specified
that his wife was to receive nothing unless she complied with
the terms of his will.
3. James Benoni Peter Haskins, planter, of St. Georges Parish,
Dorchester, S.C., (on James Island, near Charleston) The date
and place of his birth is unknown. His will is dated 13 Oct.
1803, and was proven 17 May 1804. In it, his wife is named as
Sarah Samways. His children are named by initials only, as
follows: E.B. Haskins, W.H. Haskins, J.B.P. Haskins, and "the
Child with which my wife is now pregnant."
"E.B." was identified as Eliza Bee, daughter of James and Sarah
Haskins of James Island, when she was baptised in Charleston
on 6 May 1798. And we have assumed that "J.B.P." was James
Benoni Peter Haskins, (2nd), named after his father.
The will mentions a tract of land in St. Georges, Dorchester,
"the houses in and where I now live, together with the neat
proceeds of the ensueing Crop, " and a negro slave named Peter,
all to go to his wife for the term of her lifetime, and no longer,
for the support and maintenance of his children, including his
unborn child, and then. to be divided among his children and
their heirs.
4. James Benoni Peter Haskins, (2nd), born in South Carolina about
1802. He went to St. Augustine, Fla., where, in 1832, he married
Epifania Leonardy. Our records include a copy of his Marriage
Bond to Epifania, issued in the Territory of Florida at St.
Augustine, dated 30 April 1832.
He appears on the 1850 Federal Census of St. Augustine, taken
16th of October, his age given as 45, occupation as mason, born
in S.C. The children in his household were: Susan, age 19, born
in Fla; Matilda A., age 17, born in Fla; William T., age 13, born
in S.C.; James B.P., age 12, born in S.C.
Significantly, his wife, Epifania, does not appear on this 1850
Census;: apparently she had died before that date. Also of
significance is the fact that his two youngest children were born
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in South Carolina. Evidently he made return trips to Charleston,
and possibly Epifania herself died in South Carolina. We have
no place or date of death for James.
5. Matilda Adlyn Haskins, born in St. Augustine, 1833. She married
John Christopher Brown.
And finally, on our Elizabeth's paternal side, we have ancestral
records of her grandmother, Nancy Bowden, who married John Peter Brown.
Our Bowden Line*
1. Uriah Bowden, born about 1761, exact place unknown. He is
believed to have come from the Carolinas. He became an extensive
land owner along the St. John's River in the Mandarin area.
There is record of him having owned 200 acres near San Antonio
(later Mndarin) as ealy as 1786, when he would have been 25
years old. (Spanish Land Grants in Florida, Vol. 2, p. 201.)
Uriah married Mary Gilbert, daughter of Robert Gilbert, whose
family also owned 250 acres at San Antonio adjoining that owned
by Uriah. The Gilberts had settled there in 1785. Uriah is
believed to have died in 1815,and his widow married a William
Bardin. Uriah and Mary had several children, one of whom was
John Moses, our next progenitor.
2. John Moses Bowden, born in Mandarin, 1791, baptised in St.
Augustine, when 2 years old, on 25 April 1793. He married Mary
Ann, last name unknown, of Anastasia Island, St. Augustine. She
was born in 1792. John Moses inherited much of his father's land
in the Mandarin area, and was a farmer and logger. He and Mary
Ann had several children, of whom Nancy was our next in descent.
3. Nancy Bowden, born 4 Oct. 1812, in Mandarin. She married John
Peter Brown 28 March 1833.
So these, then, were the ancestral lines of Elizabeth Ann Brown.
She and William Henry must have had a lot to compare when they discovered
that each had descended, both on their mothers sides from the ill-fated
* Mary B. Graff, "Mandarin on the St. Johns"
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Turnbull colony over 100 years before.
And Elizabeth might have told him about the time during the Civil
War, when she was seven years old, that Federal troops carne to Mandarin
and she and her family fled down the river and hid on Fleming Island
to escape them, a story that she was later to tell her children and
grandchildren. And then William Henry might have told in return of
the great agitation in St. Augustine when Federal troops had occupied
that city, when he was ten years old, and his grandmother Andreu had
been ordered to extinguish the light in her Lighthouse on Anastasia
Island so that it could not be used to aid Confederate blockade
runners. Yes, they had a lot in common, William Henry and Elizabeth.
Life in Mandarin, in addition to orange growing and agriculture,
centered on the broad St. Johns River that flowed past its doorstep,
providing the easiest means of transportation for products and visitors
to and from the town. A long boardwalk extended along the tree-lined
water's edge, parellel to the shoreline, used frequently as a promenade,
in addition to three steamship landings.
The 1885 Special Florida Census gives William Henry's occupation
as Riverman. For several years he operated a boat, believed to have
been a large launch, transporting supplies, freight, and perhaps an
occasional passenger, up and down the river between Mandarin, Orange
Park, New Berlin, Jacksonville and Mayport. Our only photograph of
him, taken in a Jacksonville studio at that time, portrays him as a
handsome, vigorous man of medium height, wearing the sideburns and
mustache of the current styles.
William Henry and Elizabeth had the following five children, all
born in Mandarin.
Adyln, born 15 Aug. 1879, died young.
William Haskins, born 18 May 1881; married Josephine
Lenore Gordon 30 March 1910.
Genevieve, born about 1882, died young.
Mable Elizabeth, born 18 March 1884; married James
Giffin Heagy 13 Sept. 1902.
John Brown, born 5 June 1886; married ~1ary Ade1la
Roche 18.Nov. 1910.
We do not know exactly when Wil1iam Henry discontinued, or
curtailed, his activities on the river, but we later find he and
Elizabeth operating a small store of general merchandise in East
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Mandarin. They also had living quarters in the store. With the
advent of better roads, commercial traffic on the river in the Mandarin
area began to decline.
A few years later, perhaps because of his love of the sea as well
as business reasons, William Henry moved his family to Mayport. Perhaps
also he was influenced by his uncle Nicholas Andreu, who with his own
family, had moved to Mayport a short time before.
Whatever his reasons, William Henry now constructed a large two
story combination store and house on Ocean Street, facing the river,
in Mayport. The first floor was used as the store, the second as
living quarters. The building was painted red. A wide porch extended
across the front of the store. Here, one could sit and watch the
activities of the shrimping and fishing fleets anchored almost at
their doorstep, while farther offshore the large ocean-going vessels
passed by going upriver to Jacksonville. And directly across the
river, on fort George Island, was Pilot Town, where lived many of
the bar pilots.
Elizabeth soon gained fame throughout the town and among the
fishing crews for the pies, cakes and bread that she baked and sold
in the store, one of the favorites being her "Christmas cake." The
front porch of the store became a rendezvous for their wide circle
of friends and customers.
And it was there in Mayport, a few years-later, that tragedy
befell William Henry in the form of a crippling illness. The exact
nature of this illness is unknown, but it left him an invalid, confined
most of the time to a chair during his waking hours. Nicholas Andrue's
daughter later related that she often went over and sat with William
Henry, holding his coffee cup to his lips so that he could drink,
while Elizabeth tended the store. He was never to recover from this
illness.
William Henry died in Mayport on 30 July 1898, and was buried
in the Mayport Cemetery. He was 47 years old.
Elizabeth continued to operate the store alone for awhile, then
sold out and returned to Mandarin. Later, she lived for awhile with
her married daughter, Mabel, in Jacksonville. Here, tragedy came again
into Elizabeth's life when Mabel died in 1918, during the influenza
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epidemic of World WW I, while her husband was overseas with the Army.
Elizabeth stayed on to help raise her five grandchildren in this family.
Finally, in her declining years, Elizabeth went to live with her
oldst son, William Haskins and his family, in Jacksonville Beach.
She died there on 18 Sept. 1942, at the age of 86, and waz buried in
the cemetery of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Loretto, near Mandarin.
The oldest son, William Haskins, was the next descent in our
Stormes family.
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PART THREE
William Haskins and Josephine
William Haskins Stormes, Sr., we know from the proceeding chapter,
was born in Mandarin on 18 May 1881. He moved with his family to
Mayport at an early age. He was an alert, energetic, industrious
boy, and his life was to be an adventuresome one replete with varied
occupations and enterprises. Like his father, he early acquired a
fondness for boats, the sea, and the sea-faring people about him.
As a boy, he attended the local schools and during his spare
time helped his mother in the store while his father was an invalid.
He was 17 years old when his father died in 1898, at the outbreak of
the Spanish-American War. These were exciting times in Mayport for
any teenager, with encampments of U.S. soldiers nearby and many Naval
boats departing from Jacksonville and Mayport for Cuba.
After the war, William Haskins obtained a job in the crew of a
large private yacht, the TRIONYX, and made at least one cruise with
this vessel to northern ports. Our records include a picture of him
wearing the yacht's uniform, taken in a Newburgh, N.Y. studio, located
on the Hudson River. He appears to have been a Bosun's Mate.
On May 3,1901 the city of Jacksonville was devastated by a great
fire that levelled the downtown district and many of the residential
areas. The billowing clouds of black smoke were clearly visible in
Mayport, 15 miles distant. William Haskins was immediately concerned
about his 17 year old sister, Mabel, who was boarding in Jacksonville
while attending school there. No communications between the city and
Mayport were possible. William Haskins hurried to Jacksonville,
somehow gained entrance to the stricken city, and spent several anxious
hours searching the blackened and still smouldering ruins for his
sister. Finally he found Mabel, safe in an unburned section of the
city.
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William Haskins attended for awhile the state Agriculture College
in Lake City (later to become the University of Florida.) After his
return to Mayport, he worked at helping to construct the long south
jetties of granite boulders, being placed there at the mouth of the
river to protect the ship channel. He was now 22 years old, a handsome,
vigorous man, quick of action, affable and friendly.
There lived in Mayport at this time a pretty, dark-haired,
vivacious girl of seventeen named Josephine Lenore Gordon. Her family
lived upriver in New Berlin and spent holidays and summers in Mayport.
That William Haskins and Josephine became good friends at this time
is evidenced by a unique record.
Josephine, like many of the girls of her age, kept a "Friendship
Book" in which her close friends, relatives and teachers signed their
names, usually with a lines of philosophy, advice, or humor. We
have her book among our records, a small volumn of handsome tooled
leather, containing many signatures. An entry dated Mayport, May 10,
1903, reads as follows: "Away over here out of sight, I'll sign my
name just for spite. Ever your friend, Haskins." And another entry,
on Oct. 11, 1904, reads: "In the tempest of life, when one needs an
umbrella, may yours be held by a handsome young fella: Haskins. Your
little friend, Nonie Baker."
Times were gayer now in Mayport after the war. The young people
went on boat rides, picnics, hunted turtle eggs, and attended dances
with their parents at which local musicians played the popular tunes
of the day on their banjos, guitars and fiddles, among the favorites
of which were the whimsical "One-Eyed Gopher" and the "Blue-Tailed Fly."
Both of these would later be sung by William Haskins to his children.
Also at this time, in south Florida, the fantastic engineering
feat of constructing the overseas railroad across the Keys from Miami
to Key West was in progress. The urgent need for construction workers
on this challenging project was widely advertised. William Haskins
decided to go there.
How long he worked on the overseas railroad at Miami is uncertain.
Probably for two or three years. But we do knoow that upon his return
to Mayport his friendship with Josephine Lenore Gordon was soon renewed.
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For they were married, in Jacksonville, on 30 March 1910.
We have Josephine's paternal ancestral line for three generations.
Our Gordon Line
The origin of the Gordon family was in Scotland. Several of
them came to Virginia in the 17th century. Later, some of their
descendents spread out, among other places, into North Carolina.
Possibly our immigrant ancestor was among the early settlers in
Virginia, although the first of whom we have record at this
writting were the following.
1. Caleb Gordon, born in Virginia about 1820-25. Our first record
of him comes from Nash County, North Carolina, where he married
Mildred Wheelis (Terrell), a widow, on 18 Feb. 1845. (Ruth
Smith Williams, Early Marriages of Nash County, North Carolina,"
p.52.) Mildred had first married Pleasant D.,Terrell on 7 Feb.
1842.
We next find record of Mildred Gordon on the 1870 Federal Census
of Nash Co., age 43, living with five of her children, but no '
mention of Caleb, so he must have died prior to 1870. Caleb and
Mildred's first child was Robert Daniel, Sr., our next progenitor.
2. Robert Daniel Gordon Sr., believed to have been born in Nash
County, North Carolina about 1846. He is said to have left home
at an early age and gone to sea. We next find him in Florida,
at the age of 32, where he married Frances Louise (Buchta) Smith,
a widow, on 7 Aug. 1878, in New Berlin. The 1880 Federal Census
of Mayport shows Robert and Frances living there at that time.
Robert was a bar pilot on the river for many years, and member
of the Bar Pilots Association. He died in Jacksonville on 14
Dec. 1912 and was buried in New Berlin, l7 Dec. 1912. He and
Frances had five children, the fourth of whom was Josephine Lenore.
3. Josephine Lenore Gordon, born in New Berlin 10 Aug. 1886. Married
William Haskins Stormes.
Our William Haskins and Josephine continued to live in Jacksonville
after their marriage. He was working now in the office of the Supervisor
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of Registration. During World War I, he operated during his spare
time, with a single large touring car, a passenger service for servicemen
stationed at Camp Johnson a few miles from Jacksonville. Later, he
worked on naval vessels in a Jacksonville shipyard.
William Haskins and Josephine had the following ten children.
William Haskins, Jr., born 26 Jan. 1911. Married Mary
Lou Katrina Ricks 16 June 1940.
Frances Gordon, born 24 Nov. 1912. Married Silas Bennett
Wright, Jr. 6 Oct. 1940.
Robert Gordon;. born 17 Aug. 1914. Married Diane (Marshal1)
Love 3 Jan. 1948.
Josephine Lenore, born 27 Jan~ 1916. Married Frank
Cunningham Taylor, Jr. 10 Dec. 1939.
John Paul, born 24 Feb. 1918. Married (1) Ve1na Evans
15 June 1941. Married (2) Elizabeth (Bivona) Addis
10 Nov. 1958.
Mable Elizabeth, born 4 March 1920. Married Myron
Allen Green 11 May 1941.
Moses Brown, born 22 May 1921. Married (1) Betty Roberts
12 Dec. 1948. Married (2) Gloria Theresa Bayer 25 May 1953
Albert Doran, born 16 Oct. 1923. Married Regis Crockett
22 May 1950.
Vincent Henry, born 21 April 1925. Married (1) Juanita
Hamrick 26 Nov.----. Married (2) Jeannette Knight (Cook)
Mi11er 19 Jan. 1970. He died 27 Feb. 1970.
Sidney Belle, born 14 Oct. 1930. Married Richard Dean
Tibbetts 6 May 1951.
William Haskins, either during or right after the war, opened
a grocery store in the northeast Springfield district o£ Jacksonville
in which they lived. This was a neighborhood type of store with, daily
deliveries being made to his customers.
Several years after the war, a few of his close friends moved to
Pablo Beach (later Jacksonville Beach), and told of the opportunities
there in this small but rapidly growing resort community. William
Haskins too believed that he would have good opportunities there so,
in 1922, he closed the store in Jacksonville and moved his family to
Pablo Beach.
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He now opened a large combination grocery store, fish market
and bakery in the heart of town. He daily baked fresh breads, pies
and cakes for the store. Always a public-spirited man, he ran for
and was elected to a term on the town's City Council. He helped
organize one of the first Boy Scout troops in the Beaches area and
was active in their affairs.
Josephine too, during the time she could spare from the care of
their large family, was active in civic and church affairs. She
organized the first Sunday School in St. Paul's By-The-Sea Episcopal
Church and was a teacher in the School for many years. She was an
active member of the Civic League (later the Woman's Club.)
William Haskins' store venture at the Beach was unsuccessful,
principally because of the unpaid debts incurred by his customers to
whom he had extended prolonged credit. He next operated for awhile
a small bakery in Quitman, Georgia, remaining there during the week
and returning home on week-ends.
During the great depression of the 1930's William Haskins knew
extremely hard times, as did many others. His household now consisted
of, in addition to he and Josephine, ten children, and his elderly
mother, Elizabeth, who lived with them. William Haskins never wavered
in his determination to provide for them all to the best of his ability,
obtaining work wherever he could, as a carpenter, as a concession
operator on the boardwalk, often fishing on the beach for food, and
somehow managed to make ends meet. Josephine stood steadfast beside
him during these critical times, always cheerful and smiling.
As the depression waned, there was increased building activity
at the Beaches, and William Haskins took part in it, now becoming a
builder and contractor. He soon built a large, two-story frame house
with eight bedrooms for his own family at 224 Fifth Street in
Jacksonville Beach. He built fine new homes for several other families,
remodeled others, and did work on several public buildings.
A few years later he sold the home on Fifth street, and built a
new modern brick home for his family on a large wooded lot on Penman
Road in adjoining Neptune Beach. He was now 64 years old, and continued
in business until the age of 73, then retired. These were retirement
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years, yes, but he was by no means inactive. He had planted citrus
trees, and a large garden behind the house, that he now tended daily,
and raised chickens, ducks and turkeys.
Josephine helped plant ornamental shrubbery, and the front yard
of this home soon became a veritable showcase of colorful azaleas
and other flowers as the result of their handiwork. They were visited
often by several of their children and grandchildren who lived nearby.
William Haskins and Josephine celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary in their Penman Road home on 30 March 1960. Present for
this occasion were nine of their children and ,their spouses, and ten
grandchildren. They also had five other grandchildren. Open house
was held and numerous friends called to extend best wishes.
Two years later, on 10 March 1962, Josephine died there in Neptune
Beach, at the age of 76. She was buried in Warren Smith Cemetery in
Jacksonville Beach.
William Haskins died three years later, on 18 Aug. 1965, at the
age of 84. He too was buried in Warren Smith Cemetery, beside
Josephine.
And so this, then, is the story of our ancestors in Florida, a
heritage deep-rooted in the history of Florida itself, and one of
which we can be proud.
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Partial Index
Page
Andreu Line 2
Bonelli Line 16
Bowden Line 22
Brown Line 14
Gordon Line 28
Hasklins Line 19
Leonardy Line 14
Mestre Line 8
Andreu, Joseph, fell from Lighthouse 7
Bonelli, Antonia, captured by Indians 16
Turnbull Colony 2
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