Governor of French Louisiana, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, took Pensacola for France on May 14, 1719, arriving with his fleet and a large ground force of Indian warriors. The Spanish commander of Pensacola, Metamoras, had not heard that war had been declared between France and Spain, and his garrison was so small that he felt it would be useless to resist: at four o'clock in the afternoon, he surrendered on the conditions that private citizens and property should not be disturbed and the garrison should march out with honors of war and be shipped to Havana in French vessels.Bienville left about sixty men at Pensacola and sailed away. The French were in Pensacola for only three years; they burned their settlement when they left.
The French, who had established settlements also further west at Mobile and Biloxi, held Pensacola during this period. Overall, French influences were generally dominant among the Creoles on the Gulf Coast west of Pensacola, with Spanish influences dominant among Creoles in the modern Panhandle. We believe that a hurricane drove the French from Pensacola in 1722 and the Spanish moved the town from the storm-vulnerable barrier island to the mainland.
The French Settlement
of Belandville, FL.
"French Colony in Santa Rosa County?" (Jerry Simmons) In the early years of the Great Depression, Albertino J. Beland had access to several hundred acres in north Santa Rosa County, Florida. The land was in a remote area of the Florida panhandle, but Beland saw a great opportunity for people with
similar interests and talents to begin life anew. He formed a farming colony of French-Canadians in the woods near McClellan, Florida. What eventually happened to the innovative colony is not known, except that it seems the 1930s was not a good time for such a daring venture. By the end of the decade, most of the settlers had moved away. It’s said that there’s hardly any sign there was ever a village or town there. There may be a few bricks here and there, the remnants of the creamery or the cannery, but other than that, the forest has taken root once again. (The town had a school; See the Research & Resources section on this site to learn more.)
The British Colonization of Florida, 1763 - ca 1783.
Britain gained control of Florida in 1763 in exchange for Havana, Cuba, which the British had captured from Spain during the Seven Years’ War (1756–63). Spain evacuated Florida after the exchange, leaving the province virtually empty, as most of the Native Americans had by now succumbed to the ravages of European disease and slavery. At that time, Pensacola also was a small military town.
The British had ambitious plans for Florida. First, it was split into two parts: East Florida, with its capital at St. Augustine; and West Florida, with its seat at Pensacola. British surveyors mapped much of the landscape and coastline and tried to develop relations with a new group of Native American people who were moving into the area from the North. The British called these people of Creek Indian descent Seminolies, or Seminoles. Britain attempted to attract white settlers by offering land on which to settle and help for those who produced products for export. This plan might have converted Florida into a flourishing colony, but British rule did not last.
Swedes and Norwegians, late 1800s.
Community of Svea.
Pronounced
"sweer" this
community is north of Laurel Hill. FL. The original settlers
were
Swedes and Norwegians. At the turn of the 20th century a real
estate promoter lured immigrants to Florida from Chicago. The
first homesteaders arrived at Svea in the late 1800s. They
platted out the town and recorded their dream community in what was
then
Walton (now Okaloosa) County. The platting was controversial because
the Norwegians had a name in the hat also, but there were more Swedes
than Norwegians, so they won out. Mrs. Ouida Grimes recalled
stories told by her in-laws. Svea means "extraordinarily
beautiful" - the town grew slowly - three stores, a post office and a
small cotton gin and saw mill and railroad depot provided work for a
few people. A school was built in 1937 and the town had two churches,
Svea Baptist and Svea Assembly of God. But, by the time the
churches were built, most of the Swedes and Norwegians had left.
Today, there is no sign of the train depot, the stores are
gone
and one of the churches is empty. A small cemetery remains as
do
several small houses.More can be found at the Library of Baker Block Museum and at local libraries in the book "Our Town" by North West Florida Daily News, 1992.
The Scots in Walton County, FL.
During the 1700's, Euchee Indians moved into the area and lived around Bruce Creek & Choctawhatchee Bay. Scottish settlers moved into the area soon after and befriended the Euchees. Legend says that the Euchee came from out west; their language is distinct and not related to the Muskogee language group. The influential chief in the area was Timpoochee Kinnard, or Sam Story. He was a great friend to Colonel Neill McKinnon, the influential Scottish settler in the area. Sam Story's son Jim Crow took McKinnon's daughter Harriet to be his wife. Story's Landing on Bruce Creek is where the chief had his village. (Early 1800's.)
Mixed Blood Peoples.
