Page 30 - John Anderson

&KDSWHU&RPHRQ'RZQ±-RKQ$QGHUVRQ

visit friends from Connecticut at the New Britain colony. He also
thought he would find some of his mail there.

Mail delivery at that time came down the St. Johns River by
steamboat from Jacksonville to Enterprise and was then sent by
wagon or on horseback to New Smyrna. After being sorted out in New
Smyrna mail was brought up the Halifax River by steamboat. If the
weather was unfavorable for sailing, the mail was brought up to the
New Britain Colony from New Smyrna by a young black man, Bob
Sanchez, riding on a mule.

The appointed New Britain Colony Postmaster,
Daniel Wilson, declared his daughter Emily “his
Deputy Postmaster” and left her in charge from
time-to-time because he was busy clearing
land, planting citrus groves and building
shelters along with the rest of the colony men.
Emily usually kept the mail in her traveling
trunk for safe keeping and the mail delivery
system was at best, sporadic. The mail would
usually come in once a week, and the settlers
would all go to the Colony House to pick up
their mail and have a friendly chat with neighbors.

When Samuel Dow arrived at the Colony House from Daytona all the
men were out clearing their land for orange groves. However, Emily
Wilson persuaded Dow to wait until she called the men in because
she knew they would be eager to see the newcomer. The entire male
population of the colony stopped work to visit with Samuel Dow, and
they suggested he leave Daytona and join their colony. When he
replied that he did not have a place to stay, the men said in unison
they would build him one. Dow asked how long it would take; they told
him it would be ready as soon as he could get back to Daytona and
return with his trunk and belongings.

Two days later Samuel Dow returned to the New Britain settlement
and discovered that the men had kept their word, and a brand new
palmetto shack was waiting for him to move into on the northeast
corner of the James E. Francis property. Samuel Dow's sailboat was
used for many years by the New Britain settlers as a community boat,

18