Flagler Family Histories
Pioneer Family Histories of Florida's First Coast
Long before the arrival of white settlers with their innovative practices, Native American tribes had already made this land their home for over 10,000 years. As history unfolded, more Native Americans and settlers alike migrated here, enriching the area's cultural blend. Uniquely, Florida holds the record for the longest duration as a U.S. Territory, resulting in an abundance of preserved records.
Throughout its vibrant history, Florida has seen multiple flags - Spain, France, and Great Britain, each bestowing land grants to immigrants. This era has left a wealth of land and census records. As you will discover, some settlers traded land grants. Achieving statehood required a certain population threshold. Consequently, Florida boasts the most comprehensive documentation of any U.S. Territory. It first became a U.S. Territory in 1822, but it was not until 1845 that it gained statehood. Terrell Thompson has painstakingly gathered a vast amount of history about 15 pioneer families who settled in Eastern Florida. We are privileged to share excerpts of his work here for your enlightenment and pleasure, with all copyrights remaining with Terrell Thompson. FLGenWeb Archives is honored to present his work to you. We express our deepest gratitude to Terrell.
Terrell Thompson's Florida First Coast Pioneer Project
The project focuses on the families who put down roots in Florida before it attained statehood as the 27th state in 1845. Terrell provides an accessible Pioneer Family Tree for your perusal.
In Terrell's words: "I am Terrell Thompson and I'm undertaking an online Ancestry Tree project titled, "Florida First Coast Pioneer Families". My research primarily involves around 15 families that settled on Spanish Land Grants on the First Coast between 1790 and 1820. Interestingly, one family arrived before 1790, before the availability of Spanish Land Grants, and one of the two families acquired land from another grantee. If you're curious to see how these families grew and spread across our state, you're welcome to "visit the site".
Editor's Note: Sadly, Terrell Leroy Thompson passed away in Oct of 2020.
Florida First Coast Pioneer Families
The bios are located in the FLGenWeb:Flagler archives, which are linked below.
- Braddock, John Cutler
- Christopher, Spicer
- Haddock, Zachariah
- Higginbotham, Burroughs
- Houston, John Carroll
- Pickett, John Seymour
- Teran, Francisco Diaz
- Vaughan, John Daniel
- Wingate, Jeremiah
- Wingate, John
Biographies
Additional Biographies.