Description

Dr. Turnbull, an English physician, was married to a Greek woman from Smyrna, Asia Minor in the Ottoman Empire, who was the daughter of a relatively prominent and wealthy Greek merchant. Turnbull imagined he would not have any problem recruiting a disheartened Greek population of young men to better their lives. He promised them 100 acres of land of their own after a three year period of indentured service. Their spouses and sons would also receive another 50 acres each, he promised.

Surprised, he got few takers from the relatively prosperous Greek community of Smyrna, but learned of the disgruntled, rebellious, and suffering Maniati, the people from Mani in the southern Peloponnesus, and where he recruited hundreds. He also learned there were an unhappy lot of Greeks in southern Italy and on the islands of Corsica and Minorca. These were Greeks who had emigrated from occupied lands years ago. He not only got more Greeks but many Italians and other natives from these places resulting in 1255 to 1403 potential settlers whom he packed aboard 8 ships — tiny ships by today's standards but good size ships by the standards of the time.

The voyage took 70 days and more from the Mediterranean to East Florida. More than 150 people died during the arduous voyage from diseases which included scurvy and dysentery. From St. Augustine, Florida, they traveled to the south for about 100 km to reach their destination. In honor of his wife's origins and the Greeks who made up the majority of the people, Turnbull called this new colony New Smyrna …