TRAVEL TO SOUTHEAST REQUIRED PASSPORTS
(Please be aware this post was written in 2003 and published at that time in the Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas) newspaper. Some of the news in this post, therefore, may not be current. Current and future posts on this blog may revisit and update news on this and other posts on this blog. If you have questions and/or suggestions, please send Mic a note using the comment page -Don’t forget to use the orange “subscribe” button to receive new posts-Thanks, Mic)
As Colonial America evolved most British colonies were located on the Atlantic coast and adjacent to one another. There were, however, two other colonies history books seldom discuss, British East Florida and British West Florida.
In essence British East Florida and British West Florida were the fourteenth and fifteenth British colonies and were separated from the other colonies on the north by lands of Five Civilized Tribes of Indians and on the west by Spanish Louisiana. These two colonies were a haven for loyalists from other colonies and remained loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. When the war ended Spain was granted control over area and the area became known as Spanish East Florida and Spanish West Florida.
Located in the Eastern half of present day Florida Saint Augustine was the capitol of both British East Florida and Spanish West Florida. British West Florida had its capitol at Pensacola and Spanish West Florida had her capitol at New Orleans. West Florida consisted of the western part of Florida, Mississippi, including Natchez and Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, coastal Alabama and the boot portion of Louisiana.
During the time of British occupation along the Gulf Coast and afterwards when the Spain controlled the area people traveling from the East by land or river had to obtain a passport to cross Indian lands or Spanish territory. These passports were issued by a multitude of officials. In Louisiana they were issued by the Royal Governors, commandants of military posts and other governmental officials. In the East passports were issued by colonial, state or territorial governors, military commanders and Indian agents as well as Alexander McGillivray, head chief of the Upper Creek Indians.
The best and most complete collection of American land passports to the Southeast have been published in Dorothy Williams Potter’s Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823: Indian, Spanish and other Land Passports for Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North and South Carolina. Priced at $40 this book is available from Clearfield Company, publishers, 200 East Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 or http://www.genealogical.com/ .
Potter’s book names thousands of people who received passports, tells why they were traveling through Indian lands and usually, without naming names, tells how many people were included in the passport holder’s family. Passports often listed more than one family which would suggest families traveling together and often indicated the travelers were moving to the new territory to live. Researchers with early Anglo ancestors living on the Gulf Coast would be wise to investigate Potter’s fabulous book.
LEARN GENEALOGY
Offered by Leisure Learning, Mic Barnette will teach an introductory course on conducting family history research. Roots of Genealogy-How To Research Your Family Tree will be held from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M. Tuesday June 10 at Leisure Learning’s 2990 Richmond Ave campus. The following week the class will tour Clayton Genealogical Library and conduct on-site census research. Registration for this class is $35. For more information and to register, contact Leisure Learning at 713-529-4414.
FAMILY TREE MAKER SOFTWARE CLASS
Paula Perkins will lead an Organizing Your Family Research With Family Tree Maker Software class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday June 12. This one-time four hour class will be held at Houston Community College’s 1681 Cartwright campus in Missouri City.
Through demonstrations, students will learn step by step how to organize, document family information and sources and publish a family book. Registration for this class is $39. For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539. Please note pre-registration is required.
SURFING THE INTERNET
Mic Barnette will lead a Surfing the Internet for Genealogy class at Houston Community College’s 1681 Cartwright campus in Missouri City. This one session class is a live four hour virtual tour of some of the most helpful and notable genealogical websites on the Internet. The class will be held Wednesday June 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Registration for this class is $39. For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539. Please note, pre-registration is required.
