Embedded Files
Privateers were ship owners who received a government license to attack enemy commerce.
Privateers were ship owners who received a government license to attack enemy commerce.
One St. Augustine resident who served the British as a privateer was John Macklin. He captured three ships as prizes and for a time, his exploits provided a good living for himself and his wife, Mary. Soon, however, he was inducted into the Royal Navy and posted away from St. Augustine, never to return. Macklin ended up in debtors’ prison after the war.
Mary, abandoned, was taken in by another family in St. Augustine and left with them at the war’s end. She never saw John again.
“The first time he went out in the Polley he took a prize of slaves which he brought to St. Augustine.”
“The first time he went out in the Polley he took a prize of slaves which he brought to St. Augustine.”
—Mary Macklin, on John’s privateering
—Mary Macklin, on John’s privateering
More Related Resources:
"Mary Port Macklin Journal (1751-1823?)", from UF Digital Collections
British Empire and Florida: A Guide to Sources, from UF P.K. Yonge Library
Page updated
Report abuse