Description of the Greenfield Plantation, Duval County, Florida, 1851

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Downie Granville,
GGranville@aol.com

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The following is a letter written from the Greenfield Plantation in 
Duval County in 1851 by Bunberry Haynes and describes the local area 
around his brother Melton Haynes' plantation.

The letter follows:

I thought I would have written some time ago but through neglect have 
delayed till now.  I am still staying with Melton attending to his 
plantation business.  Crops are generally sorry in this section owing 
to the long drought. Through the month of May  and June we will make 
about twenty bags of cotton but not more than half enough corn.  We 
have plenty of game have deer, bear and panthers.  I killed a very 
large panther about three weeks ago.  We have the best bear and panther 
dogs perhaps you ever saw.  You had better come out this winter and 
look at the country.  We will show plenty of good land and mosquitoes 
and fleas enough to keep you moving but in fact I am certain that you 
can do a great deal bette here than you can where you now live.  I am 
very well pleased with the country so far as I have seen.  I am well at 
present and have enjoyed as good health this season as I ever did.  I 
have but one grand objection to the country and that is the girls are 
very scarce.  Melton and his family are well.  Give my respects to all 
inquiring friends and especially to the gals.  Give my love to your 
family.  I have nothing more at present.  I remain yours truly.

B. Haynes 

Greenfield Plantation was bounded to the north by St Johns River, on 
the east by Pablo Creek, on the west by Mount Pleasant Creek and south 
by lands of John Pons heirs and the public lands (cannot define at this 
time south boundry).

If you look on a map this is lands just to the west of Mayport.  If you 
go east on Atlantic Blvd to San Pablo road and turn north; you;re 
there.Greenfield Creek even flows down the middle of it.  I even show 
an area called Greenfield on my map at that location.

Plantation included 1000 acres not including any marsh land.  It was 
bought in1849 for $3000.  The Haynes brothers lived peacefully at 
Greenville Plantation for nearly ten years, began rearing their 
families and cultivating the farm. They had many slaves and enjoyed 
platation life.  When the Civil War began Bunberry Haynes moved his 
family to Hampton (near Stark).  In 1862 the Port Authority in 
Jacksonville told the Haynes unless they were neutral they had to 
leave.  When the Union gunboats came into the river early one morning, 
Melton Haynes hurriedly packed up and moved his family back down near 
Leesburg in the area where he had gotten his first land grants in 
Florida.  The house is reported to have been burned by Union forces.  
After the war (1866) the plantation land and out buildings were sold 
for by Melton Haynes(through an agent, for he did not return until a 
trip in 1876) for $1500. It  sold again that same year for $6000.

It is said the family would row a boat acoss the river and go to church 
at the Mayport Methodist Church.