Digital Commons Network^™

Excerpt, Authentic Narrative Of The Seminole War; And Of The Miraculous Escape Of Mrs. Mary Godfrey, And Her Four Female Children, Mary Godfrey, Keith Lewis Simmons

Early Visions Bucket

"An Authentic Narrative of the Seminole War, attributed to Mary Godfrey (1836), details the horrors of an African and Indian rampage along the Florida frontier, and was hawked with graphic foldouts of the carnage. Two thirds of the text deals with escalating skirmishes leading up to the Second Seminole War; the information concerning the war is relatively accurate, the details of successive disputed treaties are repeated from the perspective of the white invaders, however, and the 'savages,' are consistently portrayed as intent on a “war of extermination” against the innocent settlers."

Diary Of Captain Mervine P. Mix, Mervine P. Mix

Select Florida Studies Manuscripts

Diary and letters written by Capt. Mervine P. Mix. The diary covers the period from January 12, 1836 to August 15, 1837 and includes descriptions of naval operations, troop movements, scouting expeditions, and the Seminole. Mix also described the settlements of Key West, Tampa Bay, and Pensacola. The letter book (March 1836-February 1837) contains fair copies of Mix's numerous letters to government officials, military officers, Concord crew members, and captains of other vessels.

Letter Book Of Captain Mervine P. Mix, Mervine P. Mix

Select Florida Studies Manuscripts

The letter book (March 1836-February 1837) contains fair copies of Mix's numerous letters to government officials, military officers, Concord crew members, and captains of other vessels.

Related materials: Diary and letters written by Captain Mervine P. Mix. The diary covers the period from January 12, 1836 to August 15, 1837 and includes descriptions of naval operations, troop movements, scouting expeditions, and the Seminole. Mix also described the settlements of Key West, Tampa Bay, and Pensacola.

Excerpt, Army Surgeon's Notes On Frontier Service, Nathan S. Jarvis, Christopher Wood

Early Visions Bucket

"Nathan S. Jarvis’ Army Surgeon’s Notes records the experiences and adventures—rather than medical duties—of an army appointed doctor during the Second Seminole War. The notes are staggered and incoherent at times. Judging from the stories contained herein, explaining in detail the severe conditions Jarvis and his comrades endured, it is likely Jarvis’s opportunities to write were limited. There are nuggets of text that tell stories of struggle, survival, and treachery on both sides of the fight."

Judgment, Francis H. Ederington Inheritance From Henry Ederington Ii, November 1, 1827, J. B. Mccants

Snow Family Papers

The legal judgment written by J.B. McCants to address the question of land ownership and inheritance after the death of Henry Ederington's widow.

Account Book, William H. Mein, December 8, 1826, William H. Mein

Snow Family Papers

The account book in which William H. Mein recorded his purchases. A recipe for the cure for diarrhea is written on the final page.

Notes On A Common Starfish. Annales Des Sciences Naturelles, J. A. Eudes-Deslongchamps, John M. Lawrence

Integrative Biology Books

No abstract provided.

Article, The Florida Pirate, John Howison, Keith Lewis Simmons

Early Visions Bucket

"'The Florida Pirate' was first published in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine in 1821. This historically significant and, at the time, socially relevant, piece of fiction was written by one of the magazine’s most notable and prolific authors of “tales of terror,” John Howison (1797-1859). Howison tells the story of a black pirate captain, who is ruthless yet human; who struggles to overcome the violent oppression associated with his past enslavement; and who emerges as European powers and the United States come to terms with pressing political questions."

Little Charles, Mrs. Barbauld

Children's Literature Books

Poem for children. Printed on one side of leaf only, opposite versos and rectos blank. First and last leaves pasted to covers.

Report, Occupation Of Amelia Island, March 16, 1818, United States. Congress (15th, 1st Session : 1817-1818). House

Select Florida Studies Publications

A report compiled on March 26, 1818 detailing the status of the United States occupation of the Spanish owned Amelia Island, Florida. The report includes a series of letters between various officials of the United States Government.

Excerpt, Affecting Narrative Of The Captivity And The Sufferings Of Mrs. Mary Smith, Mary Smith, Petronella Van Doorn

Early Visions Bucket

"An Affecting Narrative of the Captivity and Sufferings of Mrs. Mary Smith tells the story of a white settler who, along with her husband and daughters, was forcefully taken from her frontier home by Kickapoo Indians in the vicinity of New Orleans. An unknown 'gentleman' tells the outrageous story filled with extreme violence, including torture, scalping, massacre, sexual submission, white racism, bravery, and chivalry to 'his friend in Rhode Island.' During this sixty day ordeal, Smith witnesses the horrific torture and killing of her husband and her children, marries an older chief, gets recaptured by the Kickapoos, and is …

Pamphlet, Narrative Of A Shipwreck, Sarah Allen, Keith Lewis Simmons

Early Visions Bucket

"The Narrative of a Shipwreck, by Sarah Allen, appeared as a pamphlet in two successive Boston editions (1816, 1817). New England readers at the time indeed must have valued this story told, ostensibly, in a female voice, set along the exotic and contentious frontier, and portraying the hardships of a shipwreck along the remote Florida coast, as well as a satisfying and miraculously happy ending."

Anatomy Of The Tube Holothurians Of The Orange Seastars And The Stone Sea-Urchins: A Translation Of Anatomie Der Röhren-Holothurie Des Pomeranzfarbigen Seesterns Und Stein-Seeigels, Friedrich Tiedemann, S. A. Böttger, John M. Lawrence

Integrative Biology Books

No abstract provided.

Atala, François Auguste René De Chateaubriand, Keith Lewis Simmons, Kline

Early Visions Bucket

"Atala was a milestone in French romanticism, the origin of a globally successful, enduring romantic male archetype. Along with its twin, Rene, this once-famous novella is set in the American Southeast and is part of a longer, semi-autobiographical epic called Les Natchez. Chateaubriand had never visited the United States, but read some early accounts, and the region in which the events take place, mostly northern Florida, is a fantastic projection of exotic ideals."

A Discourse Delivered In The New Dutch Church, Nassau Street, On Tuesday, The 21st Of October 1794, Thomas Dunn

Irish Studies Publications

A speech given before the New York Society for the Information and Assistance of Persons Emigrating from Foreign Countries on October 21, 1794.

Excerpt, Travels Through North And South Carolina, Georgia, East And West Florida, The Cherokee Country, The Extensive Territories Of The Muscogulges, Or Creek Confederacy, And The Country Of The Choctaws, William Bartram, Devin Pallone, Heather Wiseman

Early Visions Bucket

"Commissioned by the London physician John Fothergill to survey the land and catalog the flora and fauna, Bartram rambled through the southeastern colonies of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama from 1774-1777. He filled the pages of journals with notes about the landscape, encounters with its inhabitants, and his reflections on what moved him most. He sketched quirky birds and sinuous plants. The result of his journals and letters was a book known as Travels, published in 1791, and circulated widely in the US and Europe."

Excerpt, An Historical Narrative And Topographical Description Of Louisiana And West Florida, Thomas Hutchins, Michelle Sonnenberg, Hannah Gorski

Early Visions Bucket

"An Historical Narrative and Topographical Description of Louisiana and West Florida (1784) gives a base description of the coastline, river systems, and barrier islands of Louisiana and West Florida. Thomas Hutchins utilizes soundings and charts created by George Gauld, an engineer employed by the British Admiralty to survey the Gulf Coast. (Sections included here are the Preface, descriptions of the West Florida Panhandle and the Tortugas, the Conclusion, and a Table of Distances that closes the volume.)"

Poem, Triumphant Victory At Pensacola, Bernardo De Gálvez, Jonathan Tharrin, Nicole Darbois

Early Visions Bucket

"Gálvez’s poem ... is translated into English for the first time by Jonathan Tharin as 'The Triumphant Victory at Pensacola.' Gálvez creates a two-part ode glorifying the defeat of the British by his Spanish forces and the subsequent celebration of their victory"

Excerpt, Concise Natural History Of East And West Florida, Bernard Romans, Gale Busjahn

Early Visions Bucket

"Bernard Romans (b.1720) was born in the Netherlands, emigrated to America around 1757, and after a life of some controversy, died at about the age of 64. Romans, who spent sixteen years in North America (not all times, places, and activities accurately recorded), demonstrated his broad range of experiences with A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida (1775)."

Excerpt, Travels In Georgia And Florida, 1773-74: A Report To Dr. John Fothergill, William Bartram, Devin Pallone, Rebecca Givens, Erin Pollack, Rebecca Decenzo

Early Visions Bucket

"The 'Report to Dr. John Fothergill,' by William Bartram (1739-1823), recounts the naturalist’s adventure through the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, which he related back to his London patron. Fothergill funded Bartram to explore the pre-Revolutionary South in order to gather and artistically document specimens. During this period, Bartram drew animals and plants, while also collecting “nondescript” (undescribed) flowers and seeds, and Fothergill related information about how to properly package and ship the parcels overseas. The 'Report' represents a record of an active communication between two naturalist and patron, and the samples and advice were tools of acknowledgement and admiration between …

Excerpt, Report Of The General Survey In The Southern District Of North America And The Atlantic Pilot, John William Gerard De Brahm, Nicole Fritz, Heather Wiseman, Gail Busjahn

Early Visions Bucket

"Penned during a hiatus in 1771 from John William de Brahm's position as The Surveyor General of the Southern District of North America, he wrote the most popular of these volumes “Report on The General Survey.” The Atlantic Pilot, published in England in 1772, helped increase the British awareness of the coasts and geographical surroundings. Honoring the King’s orders, De Brahm made discoveries and surveyed the seas mapping and recording the safe navigation for future shipping."

Excerpt, Description Of East Florida, William Stork, Jared Dimaggio, Layne Farmen

Early Visions Bucket

"While living in Florida, William Stork wrote and published An Account of East Florida. This document was scientific and highly promotional. In this work, Stork described the local flora and fauna, but also encouraged people to settle in Florida, lauding the colony for its fertile soil, accommodating climate, and future trade opportunities."

Journal, Diary Of A Journey Through The Carolinas, Georgia And Florida From July 1, 1765, To April 10, 1766, John Bartram, Michael Sadler, Brent Jowers

Early Visions Bucket

"John Bartram (1699-1777), a Quaker, Pennsylvania farmer, and father of William, trained himself scientifically at a young age. John maintained an extensive correspondence with leading minds of the Enlightenment on both sides of the Atlantic. A life’s work in natural history earned Bartram an annual stipend of fifty pounds by King George III in 1765, and with that income, the elder Bartram and son William explored East Florida’s St. Johns River."

Excerpt, Autobiography Of Mrs. Elizabeth Pilot (Nee Digby), Born 1742, Died 1826, With A Concluding Memoir By Her Daughter, Elizabeth Digby Pilot, Deborah L. Bauer

Early Visions Bucket

"Surviving primary source documents that detail life in East and West Florida during the British Period are exceedingly rare. Such journals or diaries written by women are even more scarce. Elizabeth Digby Pilot (1742-1826), wife of a British infantry officer, wrote one of only two known surviving accounts."

An Essay On Currents At Sea, 1757, Joseph Mead

Select Environment and Natural History Publications

A thorough review of ocean currents, including their causes, effects, and significance for navigation and ecology.

Excerpt, Narrative Of The Uncommon Sufferings And Surprizing Deliverance Of Briton Hammon, Briton Hammon, Gail Busjahn

Early Visions Bucket

"In his Narrative of the Uncommon Suffering (1747-1760), Briton Hammon recounts a series of remarkable confinements and escapes, before returning to servitude under his captor General John Winslow. While sailing from Massachusetts to Jamaica, Hammon’s ship wrecks off 'Cape Florida,' where the enslaved African lives among natives for five weeks."

Journal, Relation Or Journal Of A Late Expedition To St. Augustine, Edward Kimber, Krista M. Coker

Early Visions Bucket

"In A Relation or Journal of a Late Expedition to the Gates of St. Augustine, Edward Kimber relates his experiences as a soldier in James Oglethorpe’s raid on St. Augustine. The author was originally described as “a Gentleman, Volunteer in the said Expedition.” The raid was an attempt to further expand British holdings and take St. Augustine from Spanish control, being part of the long struggle between the two empires

An Impartial Account Of The Late Expedition Against St. Augustine Under General Oglethorpe, Unknown

Select Florida Studies Publications

A book described by the author as an abstract of the authentic report of the expedition against St. Augustine.

Letters, Petition To The King, February 12, 1699, April 10, 1966, And May 7, 1700, Don Patricio Hinachuba, Don Andres, Charles Ii King Of Spain (1661-1700), Rachel Louise Sanderson

Early Visions Bucket

"The letter from Don Patricio Hinachuba to the King is presented below along with selections from two other letters. The first is displayed in its entirety because so much of its value comes from its structure. Hinachuba purposefully constructed the letter according to courtly standards. Beginning with his distinguished introduction and extreme flattery, the letter gives the impression that among the many tragedies the most important was that his people were prevented from attending mass. The final two letters have been displayed in sections for the ease of the reader and to eliminate redundancies. In his response, the King emphasized …

Excerpt, God's Protecting Providence, Jonathan Dickinson, Mikaela Perron

Early Visions Bucket

"Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal, first printed in 1699 and originally titled God’s Protecting Providence, Man’s Surest Help and Defense, In Times of the Greatest Difficulty, and most Eminent Danger, […] From the cruel Devouring Jaws of the Inhumane Canibals of Florida, is a narrative of shipwreck and captivity. Though originally written as a report to the Spanish governor, the account was published by the members of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, who believed the narrative exemplified God’s guidance, intervention, and deliverance."