"Minorcan" Ethnogenesis and Foodways in Britain's Smyrnéa Settlement, Florida, 1766—1777

Established by Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician and entrepreneur, the Smyrnéa settlement was an agricultural enterprise that existed from 1766 to 1777 during the British occupation of Florida. Turnbull recruited approximately 1,100 indentured servants from the Mediterranean island of Minorc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Historical archaeology 2012-01, Vol.46 (1), p.28-48
Main Authors: Fradkin, Arlene, Grange, Roger T., Moore, Dorothy L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
18th century
Agricultural history
Archaeology
Archives
Colonialism
Cosmopolitanism
Cultural identity
Diet
Economic history
Florida
Food supply
Foodways
Historical archaeology
Marine fishes
Meats
Minorca
Plantations
Pork
Scotland
Smyrnéa
Social Sciences
Subsistence hunting
Turnbull, Andrew
U.S.A
United Kingdom
Wild animals
Zooarchaeology
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Summary:Established by Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician and entrepreneur, the Smyrnéa settlement was an agricultural enterprise that existed from 1766 to 1777 during the British occupation of Florida. Turnbull recruited approximately 1,100 indentured servants from the Mediterranean island of Minorca along with an additional 300 from Greece, Italy, Corsica, and Turkey. Within the Smyrnéa settlement, the developing cohesion of these various Mediterranean groups over time eventually led to the emergence of a distinctive "Minorcan" cultural community on the Florida frontier. Although common geographic origin, intermarriage, and common religion were major factors contributing to this melding of cultures, the sharing of anxieties and hardships, especially chronic food shortages, also was a significantly strong unifying force. Analysis of the zooarchaeological assemblage from the Turnbull Colonist's House site, the first residence to be discovered, indicates that British food supplies were insufficient and that the colonists took the initiative in obtaining additional protein by fishing and hunting locally available wild food resources.
ISSN:0440-9213
2328-1103
DOI:10.1007/BF03376858