Читать книгу History of Jacksonville, Florida and Vicinity, 1513 to 1924 - T. Frederick Davis - Страница 8

First Settlers

Robert Pritchard, as has been noted, was the first white settler on the site of Jacksonville when he established himself here in 1791. Whether the overseers cultivating the land for the Pritchard heirs joined the Patriots in 1812 or were driven off by them is not known.

The grant made to Mrs. Maria Taylor in 1816 comprised a part of the land formerly occupied by Pritchard. Mrs. Taylor married Lewis Zachariah Hogans shortly after she procured the grant, and they at once began building a home. About Christmas time (1816) they moved across from the south side of the river and occupied their new home. The house was built of logs, but it was larger and more carefully constructed than the usual log cabins of that day. It stood near the northwest corner of Hogan and Forsyth Streets, partly in Forsyth Street, immediately west of the present Duval Hotel. Hogans cleared a field east of his house and fenced it; his eastern fence ran alongside a swamp, about where Laura Street is now. In the spring of 1817 he planted a crop from which he gathered in great abundance. The old Hogans well, situated where the U.S. Government building now stands, was a landmark remembered by citizens up to a few years ago. The log cabin gave way to a better house (frame) before the War Between the States.

L. Z. Hogans laid down his life in the Spring of 1837 in the war with the Seminoles. He left practically no estate.

The grant made to Juan Maestre, also in 1816, joined the Maria Taylor grant at what is now Market Street. Maestre took possession of his land in 1817 and built his cabin at what is now the southwest corner of Forsyth and Liberty Streets. It was a typical one-room log cabin. Maestre cleared a field and put in a crop in the spring of 1817, but he never gathered it. The "Carthagenians" took possession of Fernandina about that time, and fearing a repetition of the Patriot troubles, the Spanish garrison at San Nicholas and the Boats of the Royal Domain to which Maestre was attached, were withdrawn to St. Augustine. He therefore was taken away from his new home and lost his crop. Maestre never returned to the St. Johns.

John Brady arrived at the Cow Ford in the summer or fall of 1818, and occupied Maestre's cabin, probably under some sort of rental contract, until June 21, 1820, when he obtained title to the grant by conveyance from Maestre. Brady fixed the cabin up, built an addition to it and erected a shed for a stable. He bought a dugout for the purpose of sculling passengers across the river, as he no doubt saw the need of a ferry and figured that it would increase his income. The cabin was on the side of the road near the ferry and travelers usually rested here and fed their horses, furnishing another means of revenue for the pioneer.

John Brady moved to Alabama in February, 1823.

The First Store

Among the early travelers to the St. Johns country were two men from Georgia, William G. Dawson and Stephen E. Buckles, who foresaw that someday a town might be built at this point. They decided to remain and open a store; this was probably in 1819. They built a log house near the King's Road (south side of Adams Street, about 150 feet from the southwest corner of Market); brought down a stock of goods by sailing vessel from New York, and opened a mercantile establishment. This was the first store in this section of the country, and Dawson & Buckles worked up a good business. It was not what we usually picture as a general country store carrying all kinds of small articles; the stock comprised such goods as blankets, saddles and bridles, farming implements, buckets, and the like. Sometimes the proprietors sold out of goods entirely, for transportation by sailing vessel was slow and uncertain, prohibiting the regulation of supply and demand.

Stephen E. Buckles returned to Georgia probably in 1822. William G. Dawson died in Jacksonville October 19, 1826; he was prominent as a man of affairs, and at his death owned the 640 acres now known as Springfield and other property of considerable value.

Isaiah David Hart was the next settler at the Cow Ford; he came in January, 1821. Hart was not a stranger to this locality, for he was a Patriot of 1812. Accounts of the store that had been opened at the Cow Ford reached him while he was living on his farm near the St. Marys River; hearing of Dawson & Buckles' success and that John Brady was doing well, he decided to move here and locate permanently. On May 12, 1821, I. D. Hart bought 18 acres from L. Z. Hogans (bounded east by Market Street and south by the river), paying $72 for the 18 acres, it is said in cattle. He built a double log cabin (about where the Church club now stands, on the south side of Forsyth Street between Market and Newnan); brought his household goods here by boat and his family across country. Daniel G. Hart, his brother, came at the same time.

First Hotel

Up to this time, the traveler wishing to spend the night in the future metropolis of Florida, had a miserable experience ahead of him. John Brady was kind-hearted and offered such as he had, but his cabin afforded little that was inviting, and his guests usually slept under the trees with a saddle for a pillow. Often Dawson & Buckles came to the rescue by offering the use of the attic above the store, and occasionally in special cases spread stock blankets on the store-house floor for the comfort of some visitor. Dawson & Buckles were the first to see the need of better accommodations for those who wished to stay and see the country, and they built a frame house east of their store. (at the southwest corner of Adams and Market Streets) for a boarding house. It was constructed of lumber sawed in a sawpit and was the first frame house in this section of the country. Upon its completion in 1821, its owners sent down to St. Johns Bluff for Mrs. Sarah Waterman to come and take charge. Upon her arrival the population of the settlement increased one hundred per cent, as she brought her four daughters and two young sons with her.

They were Helen; Ann (married Joshua Hickman); Louisa (married Wm. H. Burritt); Lydia (married Milo Pinkston); Adin. The name of the other son is not known. Mrs. Waterman died Sept. 4, 1880. Adin and Lydia figured in the LaVilla land titles.

Mrs. Waterman's boarding house, called the "Inn", was frequently mentioned in the newspaper (St. Augustine) accounts of the early court days in Jacksonville. A young barrister writing for the St. Augustine paper stated that he was glad to sit down to supper "at which a good-looking girl presided."

Joseph Andrews, brother-in-law of I. D. Hart, was the next settler to arrive at the Cow Ford. He built a frame house on what is now the south side of Adams Street, midway between Newnan and Ocean Streets.

This was the resident population when Jacksonville was founded. All resided within the limits of the town as later surveyed, except L. Z. Hogans.

Jacksonville Founded, 1822

When the actual transfer of Florida to the United States was accomplished in July, 1821, travel from the States increased, and most of the land travel to East Florida came down over the Kings road and, consequently, to the settlement at the Cow Ford. I. D. Hart had not been here long when he conceived the idea of laying off a townsite. He experienced considerable difficulty in convincing his neighbor, John Brady, of the possibility of developing a town here; but finally, though not enthusiastic about the matter, Brady consented to donate the land necessary for the streets. When all was in readiness for the survey, a question arose that nearly broke up the plan, for Brady and Hart could not agree as to the dividing line between their lands from which the survey was to begin. After considerable dispute they at last agreed to accept the claim of L. Z. Hogans that the corner tree stood on the river bank at the foot of the present Market Street, and the survey should start from there.

There is a note in an old abstract that I have examined stating that this tree was a fine old bay. The naming of Bay Street may have been influenced by this fact.

The town was surveyed in June, 1822, under the supervision of three commissioners, residents of the neighborhood, namely Francis J. Ross, Benjamin Chaires and John Bellamy. The surveyor was D. S. H. Miller, who formerly was connected with the Spanish post San Nicholas as "Captain of the Rural Militia of the St. Johns River, District of San Nicholas, and Deputy Surveyor". John W. Roberts acted as Clerk. It was decided that there should be six lots, each 105 feet square, in each block – two lots adjoining north and south (210 feet), and three lots east and west (315 feet). The survey began at the corner tree agreed upon and thence northerly a street was surveyed, eighty feet in width, the property owners on each side donating 40 feet. This was Jacksonville's first street and was given the name Market Street,.. but why it was so named seems to have become a lost record.

The next street laid off was Bay Street with a width of seventy feet. The first square designated and numbered was east of Market and north of Bay, and in compliment to Brady as the first settler present upon the land in that part of the survey, it was designated Square No. 1. The next square was across Market Street west of No. 1, and it was designated No. 2. The square north of it was numbered S; and east of that, 4. When the survey was being made of Square No. 1, it was found that Brady's house would be in the street, according to the original plan; so another tier of lots was added on the east side of Square No. 1, making this square eight lots instead of six, but saving Brady from living in the middle of the street. Thus the tier of blocks between Liberty and Market Streets is composed of eight lots instead of six.

The survey was then extended to Square No. 5 east of No. 1, the Kings road leading north from the river between them. The street was named Liberty Street, but in the old records it seemed to have been occasionally called Ferry Street also. The square north of No. 5 was designated No. 6; north of that, No. 8; west of that, No. 7; and west of No. 7, No. 9. This was the surveyor's wrong marking and was not corrected on the original plat.

From the survey of Square No. 9, the commissioners came back to Bay Street and ran off Square No. 10 west of No. 2; and north of No. 10, they surveyed Nos. 11 and 12, respectively. Again they came back to Bay Street east of Washington Street and laid off Square No. 13 east of No. 5; and north of No. 13, they surveyed Nos. 14, 15, 16 in the order named. Then they turned west and surveyed Nos. 17, 18, 19, and 20. Here they stayed their work and never resumed it.

Town Named

By unanimous agreement the town was named Jacksonville, in honor of General Andrew Jackson, popular idol of that day in Florida. The name was suggested by John Warren, a resident of the locality, but not of the town; he had served as a volunteer in the army of General Jackson during the Indian troubles in West Florida. General Jackson was not present when the town was surveyed, as some accounts have stated; in fact, there is no authentic record that he ever visited this part of Florida at all.

Street Names

The streets named by the commissioners in 1822 still bear their original names. Market and Bay cannot be definitely traced as to their meaning. Liberty and Washington indicate the patriotism of the commissioners. Newnan was named for Col. Daniel Newnan, here with the Patriots and who made the famous campaign against the Indian King Payne in central Florida; and afterward was Inspector-General of Georgia. Forsyth was named for General John Forsyth, U.S. Minister to Spain, who conducted the negotiations for the acquisition of Florida. Adams Street was named for John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State in President Monroe's cabinet, and who had a great deal to do with the cession of Florida; Monroe Street for President James Monroe; and Duval Street for Governor William P. Duval, first civil governor of Florida.

First Realty Transfer

At the time Jacksonville was platted and named the townsite was in St. Johns County. Duval County was not created until two months afterward, or on August 12, 1822. Consequently, the first deeds specify St. Johns County in their description.

The first transfer of a lot in the town of Jacksonville was from John Brady to Stephen Eubanks, conveying Lot 2, Square 1, including the margin to the river, for $12.00. The deed was dated July 1, 1822, and described the lot as follows:

One quarter acre of land lying in St. John" County, in Jacksonville, on the St. Johns River, in the front street leading from the ferry, together with the margin below sd. lot on the river side, to Hart's landing, 3rd lot from sd. ferry.

The margin on the river mentioned is now Water Lot No. 22, between Market and Liberty Streets in front of the Clyde Line piers.

D. S. H. Miller, the surveyor, acquired several lots in Square 5, maybe in payment for his services as surveyor of the townsite. John Bellamy bought the northwest corner of Liberty and Bay Streets, and John Warren bought lots in different locations. Conveyances of lots were made at intervals during the next few months at prices ranging from $10 to $25 a lot.

Jacksonville's Situation

The original survey extended to Catherine Street on the . east, Duval Street on the north, Ocean Street on the west, and St. Johns River on the south. . All along the river from the foot of Liberty Street westward to L. Z. Hogans's eastern fence (Laura Street) was a hammock through which no one ever passed; the present Main Street south of Duval was a swamp. Eastward of the ferry (Liberty Street to Catherine Street) was a high bluff; east of Catherine Street was low marsh land. North of Forsyth Street was open pine land extending back almost to Hogans Creek. The Kings road led in from the northwest, passing in front of Dawson's store and the "Inn", thence to Liberty Street east of Brady's cabin, where it turned down Liberty Street to the old Cow Ford. Amidst these surroundings, and with this artery of travel leading to the outside world by land and the St. Johns River by water, Jacksonville was launched upon its career.

The Founder of Jacksonville

When I. D. Hart arrived at the Cow Ford in January, 1821, there were already here a store and two settlers. It is said that upon arrival he pitched a tent at the foot of Liberty Street and lived there until he built his cabin and brought his family here from the St. Marys. The next year, 1822, the town was surveyed after the arrival of several other settlers. I. D. Hart was the originator of the idea and deserves the credit of being Jacksonville's founder. He lived to see the settlement develop into a town of two thousand inhabitants. At one time or another he owned nearly all the land now known as the old city, and the most of Springfield. He also owned a farm near the present settlement of Marietta; this place he called "Cracker Swamp", and he seems to have cultivated it to a certain extent with slaves and free labor. His homestead was in Jacksonville, first, in his log-cabin; then at the northwest corner of Bay and Market Streets, and finally, for many years, at the southeast corner of Laura and Forsyth Streets.

I. D. Hart outlived all of the early settlers. Both he and his wife, Nancy, died in 1861, and were buried in a vault that had already been erected by him for his family, located on a plot of ground on the east side of Laura Street between State and Orange, back from the Laura Street line about 100 feet. His tomb bore this queer inscription:

When I am dead and in my grave,

And these bones are all rotten;

When this you see, remember me,

That I may not be forgotten.

In 1896, the Hart vault was broken into by vandals who removed everything of value, including the silver nameplates. This led to an investigation by a reporter for a local newspaper, who published the fact that there were evidences that nine bodies had been placed in the vault, namely, I. D. Hart, his wife and children, and Mary E. Hart, a favorite niece.

The children of I. D. and Nancy Hart were: Ossian, Lodusky, Laura, Daniel, Julia, and Nancy. Nancy was an invalid and met the sad fate of being burned to death. Laura and Julia Streets are named for two of these children. It has been said that Ocean was formerly Ossian Street, but the Child map of 184 7 designates it as Ocean.

The fire of 1901 greatly damaged the old Hart vault and instead of rebuilding it, the remains it contained were moved to a lot in Evergreen cemetery and the vault in the city demolished.