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Francis Levett letter, 1771

 

Summary

Creator:
Levett, Francis, -ca.1775
Abstract:
The Francis Levett letter, 1771, documents the experience of a British colonial settler and plantation owner in Florida. It consists of one letter which details Levett's financial plights as he asks for his brother-in-law Rev. Charles William Tonyn's payment of an overdue debt, dated May 6, 1771, from St. Augustine. He also expresses his hopes for his other brother-in-law, Colonel Patrick Tonyn the last British royal governor of East Florida, to visit him. The letter provides insight into life in British colonial Florida and the difficulties that Levett faced. Francis Levett (?-c.1775) was a merchant from London, England who moved to the East Florida colony in 1768, which was under British rule at the time. With assistance from another merchant, Richard Oswald, Levett acquired a large 10,000-acre estate near St. John's River that he named Julianton Plantation after his wife Juliana. Upon his arrival, Levett was the plantation agent for John Perceval, the 2nd Earl of Egmont. He later was appointed onto the East Florida colony's Royal Council and named an assistant judge. Levett's plantation had many problems despite its successful appearance, as the costs of maintaining the land exceeded his income. Levett was later accused of mismanagement and embezzlement from absent land grantees and spent the remainder of his life in East Florida living in scandal. After the American Revolution, Levett's surviving family abandoned their plantation and moved to the Bahamas due to the Spanish succession of the colony.
Extent:
0.05 Linear Feet 1 file
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Francis Levett letter, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Background

Scope and content:

The Francis Levett letter, 1771, documents the experience of a British colonial settler and plantation owner in Florida. It consists of one letter which details Levett's financial plights as he asks for his brother-in-law Rev. Charles William Tonyn's payment of an overdue debt, dated May 6, 1771 from St. Augustine. He also expresses his hopes for his other brother-in-law, Colonel Patrick Tonyn the last British royal governor of East Florida, to visit him. The letter provides insight into life in British colonial Florida and the difficulties that Levett faced.

Biographical / historical:

Francis Levett (?-c.1775) was a merchant from London, England who moved to the East Florida colony in 1768, which was under British rule at the time. With assistance from another merchant, Richard Oswald, Levett acquired a large 10,000-acre estate near St. John's River that he named Julianton Plantation after his wife Juliana. Upon his arrival, Levett was the plantation agent for John Perceval, the 2nd Earl of Egmont. He later was appointed onto the East Florida colony's Royal Council and named an assistant judge.

Levett's plantation had many problems despite its successful appearance, as the costs of maintaining the land exceeded his income. Levett was later accused of mismanagement and embezzlement from absent land grantees and spent the remainder of his life in East Florida living in scandal. After the American Revolution, Levett's surviving family abandoned their plantation due to the Spanish succession of the colony.

Source: "1771 Autograph Letter Signed by Francis Levett, Pioneer Florida Settler and Royal Councilor and Judge of the British East Florida Colony." Ian Brabner, Rare Americana. Accessed December 7, 2023. https://www.rareamericana.com/pages/books/3729301/francs-levett-c-1775-1728-1805-francis-levett-sr-the-reverend-charles-william-tonyn/1771-autograph-letter-signed-by-francis-levett-pioneer-florida-settler-and-royal-councilor-and?soldItem=true.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Ian Brabner, Rare Americana, LLC in 2021 (Accession no. CFM2021_14).
Processing information:

Processed by and finding aid prepared by Asmara Cortes-Caba in 2023.

Arrangement:

This collection consists of a single item.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The entire collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

Francis Levett letter, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Location of this collection:
John C. Hitt Library
12701 Pegasus Drive, Building 2
Orlando
FL
32816-8030
USA