Beth Brickell - William and Mary Brickell: Founders of Miami and Fort Lauderdale

Beth Brickell has gone where no one else has been before. She has written a compelling account of the Brickells, early Miamis most important family.

D R . P AUL S. G EORGE , professor of history, Miami-Dade College;
historian to the Historical Association of Southern Florida

Beth Brickell has created an important work. She has succeeded in putting a human face on two of the icons of Miami history, William and Mary Brickell. She goes on to make an excellent case for declaring Mary Brickell the true Mother of Miami. It is extremely well researched, organized, documented and written.

T IM R OBINSON , author, A Tropical Frontier: Pioneers and Settlers of
Southeast Florida

Beth Brickells new book on the history of the Brickell family in Miami is both groundbreaking and explosive, for in this book Ms. Brickell puts to rest a number of Miami myths. Her superb book is the work of one who was obsessed not only with facts but with truth. She has done an outstanding, if not incredible, job with her completely researched, exhaustively documented and factual tome.

S ETH H. B RAMSON , adjunct professor of history, Barry University, Miami
Shores and Florida International University, Miami

Thanks to Beth Brickells diligent work, the whole story of the founding parents of Miami and Fort Lauderdale can finally be told.

P ATRICK S COTT , attorney/historian, Fort Lauderdale

Beth Brickell has written a fascinating account of the life of two south Florida pioneers too often overlooked, Mary and William Brickell. This wife and husband team forged a new life in the heat and storms of the old hunting grounds of the Tequesta and Seminoles. Whether taking on William Gleason, Henry Flagler or rival real estate developers, they never flinched and helped to create modern Miami.

D R . J OE K NETSCH , state historian, Tallahassee

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2011 by Beth Brickell

All rights reserved

Front cover, top left: tintype of William Brickell, courtesy of Historical Museum of Southern Florida; top right: tintype of Mary Brickell, Carmen Petsoules Collection; bottom: Brickell Point, 2009, photo by Beth Brickell.

Back cover: Carmen Petsoules Collection.

First published 2011

e-book edition 2011

ISBN 978.1.61423.234.6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brickell, Beth.

William and Mary Brickell : founders of Miami and Fort Lauderdale / Beth Brickell.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-213-7

1. Brickell, William B., d. 1908. 2. Brickell, Mary, d. 1922. 3. Miami (Fla.)--History--19th century. 4. Miami (Fla.)--Biography. 5. Miami (Fla.)--History--20th century. I. Title.

F319.M6B76 2010

975.9381--dc22

2010049064

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For my dad and Carmen

I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO TWO PEOPLE in particular, without whom this book would not have been possible. Carmen Petsoules, a passionate advocate of William and Mary Brickell, made available to me her forty-year collection of Brickell documents and photographs that she had never shared with another historian, some of which she received directly or indirectly from members of the Brickell family. Her work gave me an important foundation to begin my own research. Moreover, her advice was invaluable. Since I am not a resident of South Florida and was unfamiliar with what had been written by others, research would have been very difficult without her guidancepointing me to relevant sources of information and making me aware of books and newspaper articles that I needed to absorb.

Other essential support came from Patrick Scott, an attorney and historian in Fort Lauderdale. I was so impressed with the conscientious and detailed research he had done for his article in the Broward Legacy, The Many Heirs of Jonathan Lewis, that I called and introduced myself. Pat immediately offered to help with advice and guidance. He also gave me documents that are not readily available in libraries and museums and read every draft of my work, pointing out mistakes and suggesting additional sources and areas that I should cover in my research and writing.

Also helping me with valuable notes and suggestions upon reading the manuscript were distinguished Florida historians Dr. Paul George, Dr. Joe Knetsch and Professor Seth H. Bramson.

An important resource for research was Denise McMahon, an Australian who, with her partner, Christine Wild, has uncovered extensive details about the activities of William Brickell and his partner, Adam Kidd, during the Australian gold rush of the 1850s. After reading what they had discovered about William in their book, American Fever, Australian Gold, and an article they wrote for Tequesta, William Barnwell Brickell in Australia, I e-mailed Denise with many questions that she very graciously answered. She also shared documents with me and pointed to online sources that allowed me to find new information about William that I may not have found otherwise.

Many librarians, historians and genealogists, too numerous to name, did research for me in Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Washington, D.C., Australia and Florida, and Im very grateful for their help. Especially important was daily help given to me for many weeks by Robin Betancourt, court records specialist at the Miami-Dade County Recorders Office/Records Library, when I was meticulously searching for deeds, plats and legal documents. John Shipley, manager of the Helen Muir Florida Collection at the Miami-Dade Public Library, gave me access to materials in the library vault that I wouldnt have known about without his help. Also, the staff of the Archives and Research Center at HistoryMiami was beneficial to my research.

I want to acknowledge and thank those who have given permission to reprint photographs: Carmen Petsoules for photos of a young Mary, a portrait painting of William, an elderly Mary with daughter Maude, a widow, Manuel Carbonells bas-relief for the Brickell bridge, The Roads commemoration plaque, several photos of nineteenth-century Brickell Point, Carmen and Butch Brickell, Carmen holding up the Mother and myself photo, The Roads 1923 auction site and Rosabelle Peacock; HistoryMiami for photos of Julia Tuttle, Alice Brickell, Maude Brickell, the Royal Palm Hotel postcard, the first Brickell house, the later Brickell mansion, the first train to Miami postcard, the Seminoles postcard, the nineteenth-century sailboat, the road through Brickell Hammock, Brickell Point with marl on the bank and tintypes of William and Mary; the James Edmundson Ingraham Papers, Department of Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida in Gainesville for the James E. Ingraham headshot; Ohio Historical Society for the illustration of the 1797 Steubenville, Ohio town square; Albury, Australia City Collection for illustration of the Exchange Hotel;