Born into slavery in 1743 on the British-controlled island of Jamaica, Antonio “Tony” Proctor would go on to lead an incredibly storied life. Of note, he supposedly witnessed key events during the American Revolution. As an adolescent, Proctor first appears on the North American continent enslaved to a British Royal Army officer serving in Quebec. He would travel with this officer further south into what would soon become the United States sometime after bearing witness to the Battle of Quebec during the French and Indian War. Once in the Thirteen Colonies, Proctor was reportedly a witness to both the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington as an ally of the British forces. It is unknown exactly how or when Proctor made his way to East Florida, but he eventually settled in St. Augustine. It is likely that he may have gone there at some point seeking freedom, as the British were offering manumission as a reward for supporting their war efforts during the American Revolution. After the war, when Spain regained Florida, the Spanish would work to support the various newly emancipated individuals and those who ran away. (Spain had slightly different concepts of slavery and of race than the British Empire or the United States.)
Spanish Land Grant Recordings.
According to existing records, Proctor is believed to have lived in St. Augustine from sometime during the British Period (1763-1784) all the way through to the mid-to-late Territorial Period (1821-1845) before moving to Tallahassee. While there is no record of when exactly Proctor became a free man, we know that sometime around 1798 he married Serapia Edinborough, and had six children over the course of their marriage. By the early 1800s, Proctor appears in the historical record as well-established and working for the Trading firm Panton, Leslie and Company. Proctor was exceptionally notable as a skilled interpreter with the indigenous populations of Florida. While he could not read or write, he had an exceptional understanding of the Spanish and Indigenous dialects, which proved a very valuable skill. In fact, a report from the early 1810s detailing a council between a Seminole camp and a Black man from St. Augustine is commonly believed to have been an account of Proctor discussing alliance negotiations on behalf of the Spanish government. The Spanish hoped to enlist the help of Florida’s native peoples against the Americans during the War of 1812, as American settlers encroached upon the Spanish border of Florida. According to the report, the Black man believed to be Proctor explained American intentions to the Seminole leader King Payne as follows:
“These fine talks are to amuse and deceive you, they are going to take your country beyond the St. Johns, the old people will be put to sweep the yards of the white people, the young men to work for them, and the females to spin and weave for them. This I have heard and this I tell you.”
This invaluable knowledge and understanding of the indigenous languages of Florida had garnered Antonio Proctor a role as an emissary for Spain, and may have even aided him in a potential espionage role during the war. For such services, Spanish Governor Jose Coppinger gifted Proctor 185 acres of land in 1816. This uncultivated orange grove sat just five miles west of St. Augustine, situated east of the property of Philip Edinburg, a fellow free man of color. Although Proctor and his family never lived on the 185 acres, it was a choice piece of land. Antonio Proctor and his family instead lived at their residence on St. Francis Street beginning in 1820, selling the 185-acre land grant in 1824. They remained in the house on St. Francis Street until 1830. By that time, however, Proctor and his son George were already established in Tallahassee, with Proctor owning property in Leon County.
Official translated record of Antonio Proctor’s Land Grant
While ties to St. Augustine never fully vanished, Proctor and his family continued to rise in prominence while living in the state’s new capital. While Antonio Proctor would eventually pass away at one hundred and twelve years old on June 16, 1855, his legacy of achievement carried on with his descendants. His son, George, ran a successful contracting business until the late 1830s. George Proctor’s son, John, later became a Florida state senator. In a time when African Americans were seen as inferior and as property, Antonio Proctor and his family broke both racial and class barriers under not one, but three nations. Utilizing his wit and vital skills in linguistics to secure a better life for himself and his family despite the societal odds being stacked firmly against him, Antonio Proctor stands as an incredible historical figure, one worthy of recognition and remembrance as we celebrate Black History Month.
Written by: Shelby Fox, Information Specialist
Edited by: Robert Covert, Collections Manager and Editor-in-Chief
Sources:
Karen G. Harvey, Antonio Proctor: A Piece of the Mosaic, El Escribano vol. 17, 1980.
Proctor, Biographical Files, St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library
Spanish Land Grants in Florida, Claims Confirmed K-R, vol. 4.
Warner, Lee H. Free Men In An Age of Servitude: The University Press of Kentucky, 1992.