Melchor Feliú
Melchor Feliú | |
|---|---|
| ) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | August 18, 1766 [1] Havana |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Profession | Administrator (Governor of Florida) |
Melchor Feliú (?-1766) was the last governor in the First Spanish Period of Florida's history, governing from March 20, 1762 to July 27, 1763. Feliú oversaw the cession of Florida to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris on July 21, 1763 and the subsequent immigration of most of the province's Spanish and African inhabitants to Cuba. Some of the Native Americans living in the Spanish Catholic missions also moved away from Florida at this time.
Government of Florida
Melchor Feliú was appointed governor of Florida on March 20, 1762.[2]
Relations with Native Americans and strengthening defense of the colony
During his administration, Feliú, like his predecessors, continued to support the
Following the
Feliú had the thick forest between
Engineers in St. Augustine
When Feliú came to St. Augustine in 1762, he brought with him a military engineer by the name of Pablo Castelló. Castelló and mission engineer Juan de Cotilla, who had returned to Florida in 1763, became important Spanish architects in the region. Cotilla was even instructed to assist Feliú in organizing the departure of Spanish colonists from Florida.[4] Spanish inhabitants of St. Augustine, as well as Feliú himself, trusted Cotilla to assist in the sale of their properties.[4]
Cession of Florida to Britain
On July 21, 1763, Feliú signed the documents that ceded Florida to
Feliú oversaw the evacuation of the Spanish troops and almost the entire population of Spanish citizens of Florida to
The exodus of people leaving Florida began on April 12, 1763.[7] The mass immigration of the Floridanos to Cuba ended on February 5, 1764. Feliú decided to leave seven soldiers and an interpreter in Florida.[8] [note 1]
Feliú was determined to ascertain the validity of all land titles before properties were sold to British subjects. The deeds, signed by the governor and the royal treasurer, Juan Esteban de Peña, affirmed that the Spanish owners of the lands had legitimate titles and that, according to the Treaty of Paris, John Gordon and Jesse Fish had become the "true and lawful owners and possessors" of those lands.[12]
Notes
- Vicente Manuel de Cespedes. There he died.[2]
References
- ^ Archivo de Indias, ES.41091.AGI/10.5.11.661//CONTRATACION,5654,N.1
- ^ a b John Worth - Spanish Florida - Governors Archived 2016-01-30 at the Wayback Machine. University of West Florida.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-252-06753-2.
- ^ JSTOR 979041.
- ^ Flag ceremony. Published Friday, June 09, 2006.
- ^ History & Culture - National Park Service Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine. Page 11. Ralph B. Johnson.
- JSTOR 30138364.
- ^ J. Robinson, Maurice (2008). Ponte Vedra Beach: A History. The History Press.
- ^ Arnade, Charles W. (1955). "Florida Keys: English or Spanish in 1763?" (PDF). Tequesta. 1: 42. TDAR 147009. Archived from the original on 2010-06-23.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Gold 1973, p. 2
- ^ Light Townsend Cummins. The Gálvez Family and Spanish Participation in the Independence of the United States of America. Revista Complutense de Historia de América, ISSN 1132-8312, Nº 32, 2006 , p. 184
- ^ John Gordon (1772). The Case of Mr. John Gordon, with Respect to the Title to Certain Lands in East Florida: Purchased of His Catholick Majesty's Subjects by Him and Mr. Jesse Fish, For Themselves And Others His Britannick Majesty's Subjects ; in Conformity to the Twentieth Article of the Last Definitive Treaty of Peace. With an Appendix. pp. 6–7, 16–17.