Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Spring 1867: Purman in New Smyrna

Purman proceeded immediately to his new assignment in New Smyrna, arriving on March 13. Ralph Ely, a former Bureau agent, had organized a group of about 1200 African Americans to settle on supposed homesteads in the New Smyrna area. Purman’s investigation revealed the tragic results. Upon arriving in January 1867, the settlers found no shelter or provisions or livestock with which to begin homesteads on the worthless land. They very quickly descended into destitution and near starvation. Instead of establishing independent homesteads, most were soon contracting with local planters to work as laborers, defeating the purpose of the effort. At the time that Purman reported in mid-March, he found only 233 people scattered in the forest persisting in trying to eke an independent existence. To add insult to injury, the freedmen had essentially been embezzled out of their deposits on the homesteads. Purman blamed the organizers of this “blind and heartless” scheme.


While assessing the situation, Purman befriended Dr. J. Milton and Esther Hawks. Although inexperienced as a businessman, Hawks was attempting, idealistically, to establish a lumber company at Port Orange to employ freedmen. Purman continued to write to Esther Hawks for a few months after he left the area.

In early May, Sprague directed Purman to tour the Florida panhandle’s western counties to establish registration boards. The new Congressional Reconstruction plan called for the registration of all adult males as voters (excepting those disallowed) for purposes of holding an election to elect delegates to state constitutional conventions. Sprague instructed Purman that the each county was to have a board consisting of three members, two white and one black. Purman was then reassigned to Jackson County and reappeared in time for the Fourth of July barbecue.

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