Kingsley Beatty Gibbs facts for kids
Kingsley Beatty Gibbs (born July 25, 1810, in Brooklyn Heights, New York, and died October 18, 1859, likely in St. Augustine, Florida) was known as a quiet man with a soft voice. He is most remembered as the nephew of Zephaniah Kingsley, a well-known plantation owner. In 1833, Kingsley Beatty Gibbs married Ana Eduarda Teresa Hernández, but she passed away after three years. Later, he married Laura Williams, and they had two children together.
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Early Life and Career
Kingsley Beatty Gibbs began his career working as a clerk in the local court in Duval County, Florida. In 1835, he was elected to the city council in St. Augustine, serving as an alderman. He also served in the Florida militia in 1836 and 1837.
Running a Plantation
In 1839, Zephaniah Kingsley sold his Fort George Plantation and moved his family to Haiti. Kingsley Beatty Gibbs then bought the plantation. He managed the farm, using enslaved people to do the work. During this time, he was also elected to the local government, known as the Territorial Legislature. It was reported that he did not want Florida to become a state yet. In 1846, he was mentioned in the newspaper for helping people who were in a shipwreck. By 1851, he was living in Mayport Mills, Duval County, and worked selling insurance for the United States Mutual Insurance Company. In 1852, he sold the plantation and moved to St. Augustine. There, he served on the city council again from 1854 to 1856.
Inheritance and New Ventures
When Zephaniah Kingsley passed away in 1843, Kingsley Beatty Gibbs was in charge of carrying out his will. Gibbs inherited a large piece of land (about 1,000 acres) in St. Johns County, Florida. He also received books from Kingsley's library, weapons, a boat called the "North Carolina," and a share of Kingsley's property, which included enslaved people. Gibbs was also given the responsibility of looking after Kingsley's younger children. Around this time, he built a mill called Mayport Mill near the mouth of the St. Johns River. This mill gave the area the name Mayport, which it still has today.
His Writings
Shortly before he died, Kingsley Beatty Gibbs wrote down his memories. These writings described life at the plantation in some detail and gave insights into Zephaniah Kingsley's time. Luckily, this manuscript was found by the park manager at the Kingsley Plantation State Historic Site. It has since been published and explained, helping us learn more about that period.
There are no known pictures of Kingsley Beatty Gibbs.
Images for kids
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Kingsley Plantation in 1878, a romanticized sketch
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Slave quarters at the Kingsley Plantation as it was under Gibbs
