Shortly after the census, the family moved to Florida....first
to Columbia County, according to the obituary of Nancy Lee Roberts (oldest
child) (does anyone have a copy of this ?), then to Hamilton County,
Florida, where the family homesteaded and prospered. John Levi Lee,
Jr. said that they lived in Fernandina, Florida, for a short time where
John was acquainted with pirates who were common in that area.
John brought his first section of land in 1834 with William Lee,
possibly his (undocumented) brother or cousin. He purchased
more land with William in 1837. He bought land in his own name in
1835, 1843, and 1848, giving the family a total of 600 acres.
Son Wiley Lee also purchased 2 parcels of land in 1843.
| When the family settled near White Springs, John Lee "built one of the first two houses erected in Hamilton County with glass windows and doors", considered quite elaborate for the time. A young man named Jack Walls (probably related to Perry Green Wall , according to Wm Griffis, but not yet proved), a carpenter, helped to build the house and later married one of Lee daughters, Hettie Belle. | (It is possible that this house still stands. There is a 2
story log cabin, called the Lee-Fouraker House, which I was told was judged
to have been built between 1830 and 1850.
This date assessment was made by a historical architect who was working on the Historic Homes for the county. 
This cabin has been covered over with wooden, lap siding, painted, long
ago and added onto on two sides. If you lay down & look under the house,
you can see the 10"-12" logs that serve as the support for the house.) |
However, this was life on the frontier. There were indians and desperadoes.
The indians are documented, the desperadoes are not. William Griffis
gives this story of wild and wooly times:
| John Lee "was second in command and secretary of a vigilantes committee organized by himself and E. T. Roux in 1833...The committee waged literal war against a gang known as theMurielites, head by the famous brigand, John Muriel, whose Floirda lieutenant was an Irishman named Callahan. The Muriel-Callhan gang in the early 1830's was comparable to the more modern Capone gang. They stole slaves, horses, cattle and robbed for money and jewels. they killed, pillaged, burned homes and barns, captured and raped women, and generally terrorized that part of Florida now composing Columbia, Hamilton, Suwanee, Union, Bradford and parts of Madison, Lafayette, Gilchrist and Alachua counties. This gang burned the court house at Lake City and prevented the holding of circuit court in Columbia County for 18 months, and finally captured stockades held by Federal soldiers at Ferry points on the Suwannee River. After nearly 1 1/2 years of literal warfare between the Muriel-Callahan gang and the Roux-Lee vigilantes, in which many men were killed on both sides, the brigands were driven out of north Florida. Some of the gang migrated to the then little known parts of south Florida and others fled westward." |
Some time around 1836, the Hogans family who lived near Fort Moniac (near the western end of St. Mary's River), were put upon by the Creek Indians, who destroyed all they owned. The Hogans came to live near the Lee's and several of their children married each other.
Here in Florida, John helped to protect his home and family by fighting
in the Seminole Indian Wars. He is listed on the:
- Muster Roll of Capt. Samuel E. Swilley's Mounted Company of the
2nd Regiment. 2nd Brigade, of East Florida Military Command, at Fort Palmetto,
9 October 1837. He had a bay horse.
- Muster Roll of Capt. Duncan Buie's Company of the First Regiment,
Florida Mounted Brigade of the Florida Militia, at Quincey, Florida, 4
August 1840, on duty at Camp Buie as a guard.
On June 3rd, 1839, he served on the Hamilton County Grand Jury, and his nephew Benjamin Moody, and son-in-law, William Hunter, served as Petit Jurors.
He also served his God as a deacon of the Salem Primitive Baptist Church, and was a Mason.(Wm. Griffis)
By this time, the older Lee children were marrying and beginning
their own families. The young men also were taking an active role
in protecting the community:
| Muster Roll of Capt. G.W. Smith's Company of East Florida Volunteers of the 2nd Regiment, 2nd Brigade of Florida Militia, 26 Sept. 1836. | Wiley Lee, Sgt.,
Wm. Pennington, Corp., Privates John Lee and Willis Cason (future son-in-law) |
|
| Muster Role of Capt.A.A. Stewart's company of Regiment of Florida Foot Militia, April 9th, 1841: | Private Wiley Lee
Private Benjamin Moody |
|
| Muster Roll of Capt William H. Cone's Company of the 1st Regiment _____ Brigade of Florida Mounted Militia , 23 February 1841. | Wiley Lee, Sgt.
Future in-laws....Amos Cheshire, Joseph Cone, and William Pennington. |
|
| Muster Roll of Capt. John Parker's Company of 1st Lt. William H. Whitakers Detachment of Florida mounted Volunteers, Manatee, 7 October 1856 | Edward Lee |
During this time, John Lee's children married as follows:
| Nancy Ann | Joshua H. Roberts | 15 June 1841 |
| Wiley Henry | MaryAnn Elizabeth McDonald
Martha M. Pennington |
22 Aug 1839
12 October 1865 |
| Elizabeth | Amos Cheshire | |
| Levi Luther | Nancy Cason | 1843 |
| James | Elizabeth Hunter | 5 Jan 1847 |
| Mary | Edmond M. Smith | 20 Feb. 1845 |
| Sarah Moody | James B. Cone | 4 Jan 1852 |
| Avey Jane | Abraham Harroll Geiger
Jessie Byrd Hightower |
5 Mar 1852
21 Dec 1874 |
| Hettie Belle | Andrew Jackson Walls | 1858 |
| Martha M | Harley J. Cason | 12 March 1857 |
Son-in-law, Joshua H. Roberts was a Justice of the Peace in 1840, and oldest son Wiley Lee, served his community as a Justice of the Peace in 1844, as a Road Commissioner in 1846, and Tax Collector in 1848. Wiley was also the butcher for the little town of White Springs.
With so many children in the family, it stands to reason that they could, and did, have their own school. In 1847 court records, there is mention of a McDonald-Lee School at Swift Creek Bridge, as a place to hold Justice Court for the 3rd District, and in the 1860 census, William Lighton, 22, teacher, was living in the home of Wiley Lee. In 1860, there were 20 children in the 3 families (John & Wiley Lee, and McDonalds) between the ages of 6 and 15.
The McDonald's were the family of Mary Ann Elizabeth McDonald, Wiley's wife, and they had 11 children of their own.
revised 10/30/2001
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8/20/2001