John Collins: Florida Pioneer

"The First Seminole War...is generally dated to 1817–18 and that led Spain to cede Florida to the United States."  

Encyclopedia Britannica

Florida historian and author Dale Cox wrote one book we've already referenced; The History Of Jackson County, Florida: The Early Years. 

We used his chapter on 'The Insurrection in Jackson County' in our blog-post Civil War Stories: The Musgroves about James Durden and our alleged second great uncles; the Musgrove brothers, Larkin and Willis (see relationship notes below).

The same author documents our second great-grandpa, John Collins, and other pioneers in his book The Early History of Gadsden County, Florida.

"William Ellis, John Collins, William S. Pope, John Tanner, and John Carnochan all reported settling in present-day Gadsden and Liberty Counties prior to the cession of Florida from Spain to the United States in 1821."

John Collins was the grandfather of our grandma Elizabeth Arissa (Betty) Collins. This is his story.

Scott's Massacre

"Chief Neamathla of Fowltown got into a dispute with the commander of Fort Scott over the use of land on the eastern side of the Flint River.

Chief Neamathla

In November 1817, General Gaines sent a force of 250 men to seize Fowltown. The first attempt was beaten off by the Mikasukis (Creeks ed.). The next day, November 22, 1817, the Mikasukis were driven from their village.  

Some historians date the start of the war to this attack on Fowltown. "

Wikipedia

Battle of Fowltown marker

 
In retaliation, several Red Stick Creek warriors attacked a supply vessel commanded by Lieutenant Richard W Scott. Besides supplies,

"...the boat carried 20 sick soldiers, 7 women, 4 children, and a guard of 20 armed soldiers. After a bloody massacre and scalping, only 7 survived, 1 woman, and 6 soldiers who escaped by jumping into the river and swimming to the opposite shore, where friendly Creeks helped them reach safety" 

Wikipedia

 Andrew Jackson was ordered to Florida, and the war ended in 1818.  

"The soldiers that passed through the area that would become Gadsden County with Andrew Jackson in 1818 were impressed with the lands they saw. These men returned home to Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky with stories of wide open spaces, rich lands, vast stands of timber and fertile river valleys. It was not long before prospective white settlers began drifting across the border into Spanish Florida to explore the land."  

The Early History of Gadsden County, Florida.

Florida Pioneers

Among those new settlers was the family of grandpa John Collins. According to Collins' family historians, he

"...sailed from Darien, Georgia, for 'The Forbes Purchase' in middle Florida (now Gadsden County) to oversee his own plantation and that of the Carnochan brothers."

Map of Forbes Purchase

 
He arrived in Gadsen County, Florida, in 1820. 

 "The years 1820-1821, however, were not good years on the Apalachicola River. Unusual severe floods destroyed the fields of Native Americans and white settlers alike. Malaria was prevalent in the swamps and the combination of sickness and flooding soon drove most of the first settlers out of the river bottoms and to new locations. 

William Ellis, John Collins, Henry Yonge and John Carnochan all soon moved to new sites in eastern Gadsden County along the Ochlockonee and Little Rivers. Carnochan, at least, continued to operate his large plantation in present-day Liberty County as well, but most of the others appear to have simply abandoned their fields on the Apalachicola." 

 The Early History of Gadsden County, Florida.

Grandpa Collins built a temporary shelter on land later given to the Red Stick Creeks as part of a peace agreement.  Chief Neamthla then prevented our grandparents from settling there. Grandpa Collins complained to authorities that:

"Your memorialist arrived in this country in the month of April, 1820, and made a crop on the river Apalachicola that year; that your memorialist, wishing to remove to a more convenient location, improved in the fall of 1823, a trace of land of upwards of twenty acres on the waters of Rocky Comfort creek, a branch of Ocklockney river, on which he built a temporary cabin; that your memorialist was prevented from further improvement of said tract on being informed that the aforesaid tract was included in the reserve made to Neamathla, the principal chief of the Seminole Indians." 

 The Early History of Gadsden County, Florida.

Last Will and Testament

On July 29, 1826, the thirty-something-year-old John Collins began his Last Will and Testament by declaring he was  "...weak in body but of sound and perfect memory...". 

He named his wife, Sarough N Collins, and his four minor children; John Forbes, Lucinda Caroline, Mary Elizabeth, and Sarough Ann Collins.  We don't know if they are listed in birth order.

His estate he split five ways, equally between his wife and children. Each child would receive their inheritance upon either marrying or reaching the age of maturity. He willed his slaves out separately.

"There are seven Negros in my possession... The names of the Negros are as follows; First to my wife a Negress girl named Nancy. Second to my son John Forbes Collins three Negros vis. Smart, John and Jim. Third Lucinda Caroline girl named Molly. Fourth Mary Elizabeth a Negro girl named Jinny. Fifth Sarough Ann a Negro girl named Becky."

He appointed his wife and his friend, Jonathan Robinson, executors of his wishes and scrawled his "X" mark, witnessed under seal by the court.

One month later, on August 10, he added a cordial to his will.

"Should there be any lawful (illegible ed.) in my family after my decease, I give and bequeath to such child a negro girl named Betsy and together with an equal portion of my estate that is not particularly given to my children. Share and share alike beloved wife and my son, John F Collins and my three daughters, Lucinda C, Mary E and Sarah A Collins."

On December 27th, 1826, the witnesses to his will swore their presence at his 'X' mark. Within a week, on January 3, 1827, Jonathan Robinson returned from vacation and took up his duties as executor of John Collins' estate.

Florida, Wills and Probate Records for John Collins 1
Florida, Wills and Probate Records for John Collins 2
Florida, Wills and Probate Records for John Collins 3 

Scott Massacre of 1817
Chattahoochee, FL 

Note: Relationships are expressed from the perspective of the grandchildren of Willis Edgar and Carrie (known as) Mae (Merritt) Musgrove. 

*Terms of relationship - grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc.  - are used here generically to include relatives such as fourth great grandfathers, great grand uncles, second cousins twice removed, etc.