Rebecca Fulton Interview Notes Viola Muse Transcription Zariah Grant Encoding and edition Brady Benefiel Encoding and edition Katherine Mezich Edition Laura Heffernan Edition Tru Leverette Edition Clayton McCarl

This document was produced as part of the Viola Muse Digital Edition, based at the University of North Florida.

https://violamuse.unfdhi.org/items/show/88 USA Florida Jacksonville Jacksonville Historical Society Viola Muse Collection (1959-18) Folder 12, item 1 Notes from the interview that informed Muse's writing of the Rebecca Fulton Narrative.

Handwritten on paper cards, 10 pages

Document transcribed and encoded following the criteria of the Viola Muse Digital Edition (violamuse.unfdhi.org), based at the University of North Florida.

Mrs. Fulton — Slavery.

Mrs. Alexander.

quichesQuiches.

__________

Mrs. Rebecca M. Fulton.

bornBorn in DarianDarien (suburb), Ga.Georgia, about __________.Muse does not complete this thought, apparently leaving a blank space, which we represent as a series of underscores, to later indicate an approximate date.

Came to Jax.Jacksonville when a small girl, more than 50fifty years.

Parents —: Louise Sams —, John McQueen ^McIntosh (white).

^_maternalMaternal Grand fathergrandfather: Felix &and Nannie Sams.

Great grand parentsgrandparents.

Great grand parentsgrandparents were first to buy property when __________ laid off Jax.Jacksonville.laid off here appears to mean laid out or apportioned, referring to the initial layout out of the city (see OED, s.v. lay off: "To mark or separate off (plots of ground, etc.); to plot out land in some way or for some purpose." A blank space, which we represent here as a series of underscores, was left after when, suggesting that Muse perhaps intended to go back and insert a name as the subject of laid off. Bought almost whole block where EmaculateImmaculate Conception (white). Catholic churchChurch stands.

They looked like mexicansMexicans. Came here, squatted on land first. Lived there &and owned it until later generations lost it to white people (.

Jax.Jacksonville was named Cow FordCowford, &and when Jax.Jacksonville was layed off, they bought the plot where catholicCatholic church is now,.

Grandfather was contractor. Many houses still stand that he built. alsoAlso musician. wasWas very witty man.

Was born — 1784 —, April 2,. grandfatherGrandfather, Felix Sams.

__________

Felix Sams born 1829. (uncle).

Felix son of Robert Sams (cousin).

__________

Bible printed 1855.

Translated out of original tongue. See The Holy Bible. In the Rebecca Fulton Narrative, Muse provides the full bibliographic data.  

Dr. WmWilliam Sams landed at Lady Island, S.C.South Carolina,The reference is to Lady's Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Muse writes Lady's Island below. and brought two sisters, SallieSally &and Hannah. Seemed to be Negro or Indian blood. Sally Hannah took unto herself — married — a Negro man. Sally was the mother (Dr. WmWilliam Sams) of twelve children,: Hanibal, Joseph, Lucius, Robert, Felix, Rebecca, Susan, ^Betty, Sally, &and Mary. Dr. Wm Sams is written above the phrase Sally was the mother, with the sense apparently being that he was the father, with Sally, of the children in question (note that only ten are listed, not twelve). For the marriage of Sally and Dr. William Sams, see p. 2 of the Rebecca Fulton Narrative. Dr. Sams moved Sally &and children from Lady’s Island, ^S.C.South Carolina, to Ga.Georgia (at opening of GaGeorgia)., to McIntosh County. Hanibal &and Joseph were killed by falling of home on Saplo Island, McIntosh County, Ga.Georgia.The reference is to Sapelo Island. See Saplo Island. Dr. Sams contracted large debt, realized he would loose all real estate, slaves, &and his children. leftLeft GaGeorgia, &and under the law of GaGeorgia, on a dark night, he left the U.S.United States in sail boatsailboat. Took sallySally &and his daug.daughter &and young boy, Robert, with him &and expected Lucius, Felix, &and older boys to come next night, but debtors ^heard &and seized them. Dr. Sams arrived at Mt.Mount Vernon, Fla.Florida, and and they worked out the debt. and they worked out the debt is written vertically in the bottom right–hand margin.

married.married seems to be the continuation of a thought started on another page which we have not been able to identify. It is followed, and possibly preceded by, struck material (see transcription view).Hanibal Henry was married &and had family in that

Henry ^(William) was taken to Irving Co.County.The reference is perhaps to Irwin County, in south–central Georgia. mar.Married &and had family in that Co.county.

Lucius married Phatro ^Palmer &and had 3three childchildren: Louis Sams, Amelia, &and Arthur Sams. One, ^Arthur, went to Ohio.

Louis) &and Amelia married a Hays. Louis married 1/2half Indian &and had two children: John &and Paul. Louis &and Carrie.

Rebecca Sams married Jeffrey Simmons &and had Jeffrey Hampton. = (Grand childrenGrandchildren were Henrietta Putnam, Susan Beadwell, Joseph Simmons )(Rebecca Smith).

Sally Sams ^married a Daniels &and had 2two children.: Josephus &and Angeline, ^who ( died 1859).

Josephus had 2two daughdaughters —: Sarah &and Bernis.

Sarah Sams Daniels had 2two daughdaughters —: Ada (Ada Daniels Walden) &and Emma.

Ada has 2two sons —: Luther &and Virgil Walden.

Felix ^Sams married Nanny Bailey &and her children ^were seven in number: WmWilliam, Joe, Sally, Louisa, Susan, Felix, Richard. Agnes (1stfirst wife). ^2ndSecond wife: Benjamin —, Elsie, Mothermother of these. 3rdThird wife: ^Georgia, Mary Felix Sams.The division of the children's names and the ways they correspond to the respective wives is ambiguous. See document image and transcription view.

Document images include the backs of p. 4 and p. 5 (numbered 4b and 5b, respectively), which are a "Short Form Contract" from the Florida Emergency Relief Administration. See transcription view. The backs of pp. 7 and 8 also involve that form, but are included in reading view (as 7b and 8b) because they contain text by Muse.

Mary Sams ^married a Brooks &and had 1one daughter. Mary lived in Key West. Sally Sams, daughter of Felix Sams, had Eliza Sams, Patterson, Matilda ^Sams Grant.

Felix Sams ^(Maternalmaternal grand fathergrandfather) grandfather of Mrs. Rebecca Fulton, Mrs. Eliza Patterson, &and Matilda Grant.

WmWilliam Sams, son of Felix, had 2two daughdaughters,: Julie Burney &and Nancy Baker.

Susan ^Sams married a^ Sullivan ^and had Alice ^Sullivan. Then she married a man named Blackman &and had Mary Francis and & Jimmy Blackman). marriedMarried— Dorsey last.

Louisa Sams — had Thomas, Rebecca, &and Joe by white man named McIntosh Sams. (McIntosh). marriedMarried — Willie Belton. ^[noNo children.

Joe ^married Isabella. Gardner and had — 3three childchildren —: Vivian, Louisa, &and Gardner Sams.

Vivian married ^Nelson Spaulding. hadHad 1one son: Nelson, Jr.

Gardner married Louise Vanderhorst —. 1One child: Gardner Sams, Jr.

Sally Sams. Eliza Sams Patterson had 3three children,: James, Willard, &and Anest. marriedMarried Dr. Warren Schell.

Anest has 3three children,: Warren Schelle., James Patterson Schell, Gwendolyn Schelle.

Susan, daughdaughter of Felix, married Sullivan, had one child: Alice. marriedMarried Randall Blackman &and had 2two childchildren.: Jimmy &and Mary Francis Blackman.

Mary Felix Sams– Wells, daughdaughter of Felix Sams, is still living, has no children.

Robert Sams _ _ ___________A blank space, which we represent here as a series of underscores, appears to have been left for completing information later. Sams married &and had Felix, Susan, Betty.

Felix Sams, ^son of Robert (cousin of Mrs. Fulton), had son named Lucius &and Robert &and Margery.

Lucius lives in Cal.California. (Dr. ^Felix Sams died in Conn.Connecticut.)

Jeffrey Simmons, son of Rebecca Sams– Simmons, had 3three children,: William, Rebecca, &and Matilda. Rebecca had Sofia, Jeffrey, Lizzie, Emma, &and Nanie Ryals. (gr.Great gr. grandchildren, 1stfirst, Rebecca).

Matilda married Davis, had 1one child, Irene Davis. Irene married Silas. Still living in Kissimmee, Fla.Florida.

__________

Rebecca Sams Simmons, had 2two daug.daughters. oneOne married Chaves (Sarah Chaves —). Sarah Chaves had one son, Louis Lawrence —. Betty Simmons, other daug.daughter.

__________

Grand fatherGrandfather Felix Sams owned property at McIntosh Co.County, GaGeorgia (DarianDarien, GaGeorgia), across from court housecourthouse, during war. Soldiers set fire to it &and thought it was white (it was fine house). After war he built 14fourteen –room house, afterwards burned, on same plot, &and his daugh–ter Mary Felix ^Wells owns ^land today. (DarianDarien, GaGeorgia).

Court HouseCourthouse still there. (Onon public square.).

__________

Mary Sams Brooks had daug.daughter, name Emma Nicholas. (Irene),. First Schoolschool in DarianDarien ^(colored) was held in grand–fathersgrandfather's house. Susan, daughter of WmWilliam Sams —, married Peck &and had 2two children.: Lloyd &and Alexander. Lloyd — had Mayme Peck —. Mayme Peck married an Adams — &and had Wilhemina Adams.

Sarah ^Simmons Kimbell —, daugdaughter of Matilda Simmons, had 3three daug.daughters: Jessie, Susan.

Matilda has daug.daughter, Irene ^Davis Silas., still living.

Cologne, S.South America. See Cologne, South America.

Sally &and sister from Haiti or one of Islandsislands nearby.

This block of text (Cologne... nearby) is physically separate from previous, written in the bottom right–hand corner of page.

Scotch on fathersfather's side, McIntosh.

Indian on mothersmother's side.

McIntosh County named from father,.

__________

DarianDarien, GaGeorgia Darien, Ga (Darian in original) is written on right side of page with a bracket that seems to indicate that it refers to the three items above (which begin Scotch..., Indian..., and McIntosh....

__________

Alonzo Jones formerly owned corcorner Main &and State.

Mrs. ^Lucretia Jones, from Church &and Main, half block toward Ashley,.

LancastersLancasters' joined her property on Main &and went to Ashley St.Street.

__________

Duval &and Ocean back 210 feet to Catholic church property —. Sams property )from Corcorner Duval to Church on Ocean —, back 210 to Catholic church.

1stFirst Sally Sams —, great grandmother.

__________

Millers on Main &and Beaver.

Colemans owned Ashley StStreet going toward Newnan.

Petty'sPettys owned on Main on east side—, Main &and Beaver.

Alonzo Jones —, block, on Main from State toward Union.

Dr. Carvin owned — Onon Ashley – near Newnan.

Mitler owned corcorner on Beaver &and Main, west side.

Judge Lee.