Rosewood Plantation, Jefferson County, Florida

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Capps, Jefferson, Florida, United States
Surnames/tags: Slavery Plantations Black_Heritage

Index of Plantations

Contents 1 Rosewood Plantation History 2 The Asa May House 3 Slaves 4 Sources

Rosewood Plantation History

Rosewood was a large cotton plantation which consisted of 1000 acres of land, and was located 10 miles south of Monticello on the left side of Capps Road. The original owner was Burwell Miles McBride of South Carolina. Burwell moved to Florida about 1836 and started the plantation.

There are numerous different statements in various websites and documents about how the plantation was passed down. Either Burwell gave it to Caroline (McBride) Murray, Burwell's daughter, who later passed it to her daughter, Margaret, or Burwell gave it directly to his granddaughter, Margaret Martha (Murray) May (1829-1898), and then her husband, Asa May (1820-1878).

• Some documents state that Rosewood was built by Burwell McBride after moving to the area in 1836 from South Carolina. After he died in 1848, it was inherited by his daughter Caroline Murray, who transferred it to her son-in-law, Asa May in 1855.^[1] Other records indicate that Burwell didn't die until after 1850, and was back living in South Carolina, 1850.
• Other documents state that in the 1840s, Asa's soon-to-be wife's slaves built the plantation house on Rosewood Plantation in Capps, Jefferson County, Florida. Asa and Margaret married in 1848.
• Another theory from the inscription on Rosewood's historical marker states : "This excellent example of a "Carpenter Classic" style farmhouse was probably built c. 1836 for Burwell McBride shortly after he moved to Jefferson County from South Carolina. He was the grandfather of Margaret McBride who married Asa May, a wealthy cotton planter. Asa and his wife received the house and land from Margaret's father in 1848. May was one of the wealthiest planters in North Florida, at one time owning more than 3,000 acres of land in Jefferson County alone. Rosewood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972."^[2][3] Note: It is highly unlikely Margaret received the house from her father as her father, Alexander Robert Murray, supposedly died in 1836. The marker probably meant to say grandfather, not father.

The Asa May House

"The Asa May House (aka Rosewood plantation house) exhibits characteristic of the Greek Revival style, interpreted in a provincial setting. The exterior is constructed of cypress, the interior of heart pine. The bricks used for the chimneys and piers were made on the place. There appear to be no additions and only a few minor alterations. The home was later sold to an Tung oil developer for $20,000."^[4]

The house and an acre were divided out from the rest of the plantation sometime in the 1900s and is under private ownership.^[1]

Slaves

The slaves shown below may or may not have actually resided and worked on Rosewood. Asa May owned 3000 acres of land, so they may have been on his other properties. There is no way yet to know:

In the 1850 Slave Schedule, Asa May was listed as having 11 unnamed slaves.^[5]:

Gender Age

1. Male 55
2. Male 23
3. Male 21
4. Male 12
5. Male 10
6. Male 1/12
7. Female 45
8. Female 25
9. Female 15
10. Female 10
11. Female 10

In the 1860 Slave Schedule, Asa May was listed as owning 50 slaves in Jefferson, Florida, United States.^[6]:

1. UNKNOWN, M, 60
2. UNKNOWN, F, 50
3. UNKNOWN, F, 34
4. UNKNOWN, M, 34
5. UNKNOWN, F, 20
6. UNKNOWN, F, 1
7. UNKNOWN, M, 30
8. UNKNOWN, M, 38
9. UNKNOWN, M. 10
10. UNKNOWN, M, 8
11. UNKNOWN, M, 6
12. UNKNOWN, F, 2
13. UNKNOWN, M, 30
14. UNKNOWN, F, 35
15. UNKNOWN, F, 18
16. UNKNOWN, F, 38
17. UNKNOWN, M, 18
18. UNKNOWN, M, 16
19. UNKNOWN, M, 14
20. UNKNOWN, M, 12
21. UNKNOWN, F, 10
22. UNKNOWN, F, 40
23. UNKNOWN, M, 24
24. UNKNOWN, M, 22
25. UNKNOWN, F, 20
26. UNKNOWN, F, 18
27. UNKNOWN, F, 16
28. UNKNOWN, F, 14
29. UNKNOWN, M, 12
30. UNKNOWN, F, 2
31. UNKNOWN, M, 24
32. UNKNOWN, F, 24
33. UNKNOWN, M, 0
34. UNKNOWN, M, 25
35. UNKNOWN, F, 20
36. UNKNOWN, M, 4
37. UNKNOWN, M, 22
38. UNKNOWN, F, 20
39. UNKNOWN, F, 1
40. UNKNOWN, M, 30
41. UNKNOWN, F, 28
42. UNKNOWN, F, 4
43. UNKNOWN, M, 2
44. UNKNOWN, F, 1
45. UNKNOWN, F, 30
46. UNKNOWN, F, 12
47. UNKNOWN, M, 10
48. UNKNOWN, M, 4
49. UNKNOWN, M, 1
50. UNKNOWN, F, 20

Several of their former slaves were named in records or photographs:

• Butler Jackson (bef.1865-aft.1893)
• Ellen Thompson (-aft.1893)^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Wings Group LLC on Rosewood History(https://www.wingsgroupllc.com/copy-of-lrp-property-details)
2. ↑ Rosewood Historical Marker (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=126389)
3. ↑ Florida's Antebellum Plantations 2 (http://www.dejaelaine.com/abplantations2.html)
4. ↑ Asa May House on the Rosewood Plantation in Capps. 1969 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/323377>, accessed 6 February 2022.
5. ↑ 1850 Census: "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850"
   Citing Affiliate Publication Number: M432; Line: 40; FHL microfilm: 442885; Record number: 19227;
   FamilySearch (accessed 5 February 2022)
   FamilySearch Image Image number 00238
   Asa May in Jefferson, Florida, United States.
6. ↑ 1860 Census: "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860"
   Citing Page: 41; Line: 1; FHL microfilm: 000803110; Record number: 071142;
   FamilySearch (accessed 5 February 2022)
   FamilySearch Image Image number 00345
   A May in Jefferson, Florida, United States.
7. ↑ Ellen Thompson - Jefferson County, Florida. 1880 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. (https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/35624), accessed 3 February 2022.