1870 U.S Federal Census of Kentucky: Page 36; Glasgow district; Barren County;
P. O.: Glasgow; Date of enumeration: 5 Jul 1870; Enumerator: James M.
Simmons, asst. marshall. Name: (Unnamed Morrow); Age: 3/12; Sex: Male;
Color: white; Place of birth: Tennessee; Month of birth if born in 1870:
March.
1880 U.S. Federal Census; State: Kentucky; County: Metcalfe; Town: Sartain;
Family History Library Film; 1254434; NA Film Number; T9-0434; Page number:
229C; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, 21 Mar 2004; Name: William H.
Morrow; Relation to head of family: son; Marital status: single; Gender:
male; Race: white; Age: 10; Birthplace: Kentucky; Occupation: Works on
farm; Father's birthplace: Tennessee; Mother's birthplace: Kentucky.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Juluis Morshenski.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: Julius Morchensky; "A
youngish Russian Jew.--Rosalea McCready I remember him, also, from my
visits." Marie McCready.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Sarah C. Mortimer
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: Christine Mortimer;
"Always called "Chris," she was a small woman, and a non-conformist. She
wanted to do nothing but stay in her room and work on elaborate sketches of
the human brain, about which she had some theory."
1900 U. S. Federal Census; Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Calumet Township; Film
Roll 285; Page No. 285; SD No. 1; ED No. 986; Sheet No. 12; Ward of City: 31;
Enumeration date: 13 June 1900; Enumerator: Ernest E. Ellington; Transcribed
by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, 24 May 1999; Koreshan Unity: Sallie Mortimer;
Residence: 99th Street, Dwelling 133; Relation to head of family: Boarder;
Color, white; Sex, female, Month of birth: April; Year of birth: 1860; Age
at last birthday: 40; Married: Number of years married: 1*; Mother of how
many children: 0; Number of these children living: 0; Place of birth:
Colorado; Place of birth of father: Missouri; Place of birth of mother:
Illinois; Can read, yes; Can write, yes; Can speak English, yes. (*Except for
5 married residents; all residents living in this dwelling listed their number
of years married as 1.)
1910 U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida; Microfilm Roll number: Fl
1910-H T624; Koreshan Unity; Enumeration Date: 25 Apr 1910; Enumerator:
Walter S. Turner, Jr.; ED: 80; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, Jan 1995
Sarah C. Mortimer; Sex: female; Race: white; Age 55; Marital status:
single; Place of birth: Pennsylvania; Place of birth of mother and father:
Pennsylvania; Language spoken: English; Occupation: Correspondence?; Employer
or worker: worker; No. of months not employed: 0; Can read and write: yes.
'
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Ennis D. Mosher
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Mary Jane Mosher; Born:
3 May 1848, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: Jane Mosher; "We knew her
only at Washington Heights, where she died after an operation."
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn.: Helen A. Musser.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: W. Theodore Born: 19
Oct 1875, Sweden; Died: 27 Apr 1946; arr. at Estero, February 1919 from
Minnesota.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready; Theodore Narcellis: "He
lived in the log house at Estero and was in charge of the nursery; was a
wizard with plants and most of the original plantings in our yard were started
by him, though believe the only ones left now are the Cajeput and golden rain
trees, the bamboo and a few crotons. The Surinam cherries came from seeds
which Mamma saved for me."
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1920; Koreshan Unity Colony;
Microfilm roll number: 1820221; Enumeration date: Jan 3, 1920; Enumerator:
Henry D. Silverfriend; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff; December 1994:
Theodore Naeselius; Relation to head of family: Boarder; Place of residence:
Long cabin place; Single; Age 44; Single; Year of immigration to U.S. 1904;
Naturalized; Year of naturalization: 1910; Place of birth: Sweden; Place of
birth of mother and father: Sweden; Occupation: painter/K.U. Colony.
U.S. Federal 1930 Census; Estero, Lee County, Florida; Election Precinct 12;
Koreshan Unity Home; Enumeration date: May 5, 1930; Enumerator: William
Howell; ED: 36-17; SD: 6; Page: 199; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff;
January 2003: Wilfried T. Naeselius; Radio set: none listed; Sex: male;
Color: white; Age at last birthday: 54; Marital condition: single; Attended
school since Sep 1, 1929: no; Whether able to read and write: yes; Place of
birth: Sweden; Place of birth of father: Sweden; Place of birth of mother:
Sweden; Language spoken in home before coming to the U.S.: Swedish; Year of
immigration to U.S.: 1880 (?); Naturalized: yes; Whether able to speak
English: yes; Occupation: Gardener; Industry: Flowers; Whether actually at
work yesterday (or the last regular working day): yes; Veteran: no.
Burial: Koreshan Unity Cemetery--lot 41; Inscription: Theodor
Nesaleas--April 1946.
THE FLAMING SWORD, Community Current Events, January 1927: "Mr. August
Naeselius of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a guest of the Unity at the present writing.
He came to visit his brother Theodore, who is a member of the Colony. Mr.
Naeselius is so impressed with our wonderful climate that he will very likely
make his future home in the sunny South."
THE FLAMING SWORD; Community Current Events by Rose Gilbert, September 1931;
" A lily Pond, in which the overflow from the fountain near the bake shop will
be drained, is being constructed by Brother Theodore Naeselius."
THE FLAMING SWORD; Community Current Events by L. W. Bubbett; February 1935:
"Brother Theodore Nasaelius has built a greenhouse in back of the old "log
House" to accommodate some of his choicest plants, where he can keep them
under lock and key. Unfortunately, however, the latter devices are powerless
to prevent that old depredator Cold from entering and destroying what it
wills!"
THE FLAMING SWORD, Community Current Events, July 1946, p. 10: "Estero is
saddened to record the death of Theodore Naeselius, which occurred at the Fort
Myers Hospital on Saturday, April 27th. He had been in failing health for
some time past, but declined to see a doctor, thinking he would gradually
outgrow the trouble. When at length he tardily sought medical aid it was
found that his case was hopeless and he died some two weeks later. Mr.
Naeselius was a native of Sweden, a painter and decorator by trade. Coming to
this country many years ago, he took up a homestead in Minnesota, from whence
he came to Estero to identify himself with the Koreshan Unity in 1919.
Shortly thereafter being greatly interested in tropical plant life, he took
over management of the Koreshan Unity Nurseries, which position he held until
the time of his death. During the years of his incumbency he worked
assiduously to build up and maintain a stock of rare tropical plants,
specializing in little known fruiting trees, becoming acquainted with hosts of
plant collectors and nurserymen throughout the state. Mr. Naeselius was 70
years of age and is survived by a brother and sister in Sweden. He was buried
in the local cemetery. Our nursery department will resume operations as soon
as we are able to locate and classify the many plants now on hand."
Notes from Evelyn Horn: Theodore Naeselius:
Theodore came to the Koreshan Unity at Estero in 1919 from Sweden. He was a
horticulturist and gardener and managed the Koreshan Unity Nursery. Theodore
introduced plants to the Koreshan Unity gardens and nursery from all over the
world. He ran a very successful nursery shipping plants and trees around the
state.
He often went on trips around Florida with Allen Andrews always looking for
new kinds of fruit and ornamental trees. His largest sales were of bamboo and
Cajeput . Nurseries around the state bought from the Unity. Theodore died
April 27, 1946, at the age of 70. He was well loved and a humorous man. He
had a large frame and build, about 5 foot 10 inches tall. He always wore tan
work clothing. He is buried in the Koreshan Unity cemetery.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Matilda M. Neff; Born:
3 Nov 1839, Cass Co, Michigan; Died: 31 Mar 1921.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: Marian Neff; "A quiet
little woman whom I always liked. She worked in the bakery and seldom said
anything unless addressed first."
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1900; Koreshan Community;
Enumeration date: 27 Jun 1900; Enumerator: A. A. Gardner; Precinct 6;
Microfilm number: 1240172; SD: 2; ED: 77; Sheet number: 16; Page number:
26: Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Matilda Niff; Relation to head of
family: partner; Color: white; Born: Nov 1839; Age 60; Widow; Mother of 3
children; Number of children living: 3; Place of birth: Michigan; Place of
birth of mother and father: Unknown; Occupation: assistant; Can read and
write: yes; Can speak English: yes.
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1910; Koreshan Unity; Microfilm
roll number: Fl 1910-H; 163 T624; Enumeration date: 23 Apr 1910; Enumerator:
Walter S. Turner, Jr.; ED: 80; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, January
1995: Matilda M. Neff; Sex: Female; Race: white; Age 70; Marital status:
Widow; Mother of how many children: 4; Number of these children living: 2;
Place of birth: Michigan; Place of birth of mother and father: U.S.;
Language spoken: English; Occupation: Housekeeper; No. of months not
employed: 0; Can read and write: yes; Attending school: yes.
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1920; Enumeration date: Jan 2,
1920; Enumerator: Henry D. Silverfriend; ED: 109; SD: 1; Fourth Precinct;
Microfilm roll number: 1820221; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, Dec 1994:
Marion Neff; Relation to head of family: Boarder; Age 80; Widow; Place of
birth: Michigan; Place of birth of mother and father: Ohio; Occupation:
None; Place of residence: Dining Hall & ladies dormitory.
Burial: Horseshoe Bend on the River--Koreshan Unity Cemetery--lot 7;
Inscription: Marion M. Neff--March 31- 1921.
VESTA NEWCOMB interview with Lillian Giles: Vesta mentions that her parents
first child, a little girl, died while they were living in the Figi Islands.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: James Newcomb; Born: 10
Jul 1877, San Jose, California; Died: Apr 1941, LaBelle, Florida.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready; James Newcomb: "Hattie had
charge of the dining room at Estero while I lived there. James was a tall
fellow who played one of the coronets in the orchestra and had charge of the
cows for awhile. After I recovered from the typhoid, Catharine and I used to
wander down to the stable about milking time for an extra drink of milk. He
later married Cora Newcomb (Koester) and they lived at LaBelle. Vesta and
Catharine spent a good bit of time together when we first went to Estero and
she is now the sole surviving member of those there before Doctor's death
still living on the old home grounds." (September 1966)
MEMORIES, MEMORIES--DAYS OF LONG AGO chronicled by Marie McCready with
participation by Lovelle McCready: Catharine McCready and James
Newcomb--interested in each other--Page 63. James Newcomb played second
coronet.--Page 78.
*1880 U.S. States Census Household Record; Source information: San Andreas,
Calaveras, California; Family History Library Film: 1254063; NA film Number:
T9-0063; Page Number: 349B; (www.familysearch.org); Name: N. Newcomb;
Relation to head of family: Other; Marital Status: Single; Sex: male;
Color: white; Age at last birthday: 3; Place of birth: California; Place of
birth of mother: Canada; Place of birth of father: Canada. (*Although the
name, N. Newcomb, is incorrect, I believe this person is James Newcomb. He
and his sister are living with the L.M. Brenner family. Their mother, Hattie
Newcomb, is living nearby and working as a housekeeper for, Martha A. Cain,
whom I believe has a relative living in the L.M. Brenner household.))
1900 U.S. Federal Census/Lake twp./Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Film Roll No. 283;
Page No. 115; SD No. 1; ED No. 949; Sheet No. 12; Ward of City 30; Enumeration
Date: 11 Jun 1900; Enumerator: John M. Heimbach; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle
Ratliff, 25 Oct 1998: James Newcomb; Residence: West 63rd Street; Relation
to head of family: Partner; Date of birth: Jul 1877; Age 22; Single; Place
of birth: California; Place of birth of father: England; Place of birth of
mother: Canada; Occupation: compositor; No. of months not employed: 0.
1910 U. S. Federal Census; State: Florida; County: Lee; Township: LaBelle;
ED: 77; Enumeration date: Apr-May 15-13, 1910; Enumerator: John A. ?.
Name: Jas Newcomb; Relation to head of family: servant; Sex: male; Color:
white; Age: 27; Marital status: single; Place of birth: Illinois; Place of
birth of father: Illinois; Place of birth of mother: Illinois; Language
spoken: English; Trade or Profession: Cook and maint.; General nature of
work: Hotel; Employer or worker: worker; Can read and write: yes.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Lillian (Vesta) Newcomb
19 Nov 1878, Calivares Co., California, arr. at Estero among the first group
in 1894. This family left San Francisco in May 1892 for the K.U. in Chicago.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready; Vesta Newcomb: "Hattie had
charge of the dining room at Estero while I lived there. James was a tall
fellow who played one of the coronets in the orchestra and had charge of the
cows for awhile. After I recovered from the typhoid, Catharine and I used to
wander down to the stable about milking time for an extra drink of milk. He
later married Cora Newcomb and they lived at LaBelle. Vesta and Catharine
spent a good bit of time together when we first went to Estero and she is now
the sole surviving member of those there before Doctor's death still living on
the old home grounds."
ORAL HISTORY: Oral history given by Vesta Newcomb to her friend, Lillian
Giles. Interview in possession of Koreshan State Historic Site, Estero,
Florida.
Burial: Koreshan Unity Cemetery--lot 55; Inscription: Vesta Newcomb;
Apr-11-74.
*1880 U.S. States Census Household Record; Source information: San Andreas,
Calaveras, California; Family History Library Film: 1254063; NA film Number:
T9-0063; Page Number: 349B; (www.familysearch.org); Name: Hattie Newcomb;
Relation to head of family: Other; Marital status: single; Sex: female
Color: white; Age at last birthday: 1; Place of birth: California;
Occupation: none; Father's birthplace: Canada; Mother's birthplace: Canada.
*( Although the name of Hattie Newcomb is incorrect, I believe this person is
Lillian (Vesta) Newcomb. Vesta and her brother are living with L.M. Brenner
family. Their mother, Hattie Newcomb, is living nearby and working as a
housekeeper for Martha A. Cain, whom I believe has a relative living in the
L.M. Brenner household--JN Ratliff)
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1900; Koreshan Community;
Enumeration date: 27 Jun 1900; Enumerator: A. A. Gardner; Precinct 6;
Microfilm number: 1240172; SD: 2; ED: 77; Sheet number: 16; Page number:
26: Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Lillian Newcomb; Relation to head of
family: partner; Color: white; Sex: female; Born: Nov 1878; Age 21;
Single; Place of birth: California: Place of birth of mother and father:
Canada; Occupation: assistant; Can read and write: yes; Can speak English:
yes.
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1910; Koreshan Unity;
Enumeration Date: 25 Apr 1910; Enumerator: Walter S. Turner, Jr.; Microfilm
No.: Fl 1910-H T624; ED: 80; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, January
1995: Vesta Newcomb; Sex: Female; Race: white; Age 31; Marital status:
Single; Place of birth: California; Place of birth of mother and father:
Canada; Language spoken: English; Occupation: Nurse; Employer or worker:
worker; No. of months not employed: 0; Can read and write: yes.
U.S. Federal Census/Estero/Lee County/Florida--1920; Enumeration date: Jan 2,
1920; Enumerator: Henry D. Silverfriend; ED: 109; SD: 1; Fourth Precinct;
Microfilm roll number: 1820221; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff; December
1994: Vesta G. Newcomb; Relation to head of family: Boarder; Place of
residence: Poultry yard Road; Age 41; Place of birth: California; Place of
birth of mother and father: Canada; Occupation: Maid/General
housekeeper/Koresh home.
U.S. Federal 1930 Census; Estero, Lee County; Florida; Precinct 12; Koreshan
Unity Home; Enumeration Date: May 5, 1930; ED: 36-17; SD: 6; Page: 199;
Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff; January 2003: Vesta Newcomb; Radio set:
none listed; Sex: female; Color: white; Attended school since Sep 1, 1929;
No; Whether able to read and write: yes; Place of birth: California; Place
of birth of father: Canada; Place of birth of mother: England; Whether able
to speak English; yes; Occupation: Teacher; Industry: school; Whether
actually at work yesterday or the last regular work day: yes.
COURT RECORD/Lee County Court House--WARRANTY DEED: 25 Apr 1924; Vesta
Newcomb; No. 26759; Deed Book 70, Page 209; Entry Number 1.
MEMORIES, MEMORIES--DAYS OF LONG AGO chronicled by Marie McCready with
participation by Lovelle McCready; Vesta Newcomb: "The other (cottage) was
our school for a time and then was used by Marie Fischer and now by Vesta
Newcomb." Page 57. "Catharine McCready and Vesta spent much time together." "
Vesta (Newcomb) almost never joined in such activities..."--Page 61.
SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX; United States; Vol 2; Vesta Newcomb; Date of
birth: 19 November 1879; Date of death: April 1974 in Florida; SS#:
265-60-8646.
Notes of Evelyn Horn: Vesta Newcomb
Vesta was born in Calveres County, California. At the age of 14 she joined
the Koreshan group in Chicago with her mother Hattie Newcomb, a widow, and her
brother James Newcomb. The father met with his death in the Figi Islands
while working with the railroad--a freak train accident.
Vesta served as a personal maid to Victoria. She helped with the children in
the school, worked in the family kitchen and dining hall, helped with the
mailing in the Guiding Star Publishing House and helped in the laundry. Vesta
was in charge of all the decorations and floral arrangements for the Solar and
Lunar festivals.
She loved to take long walks with friends around Estero. Her closest friends
were Florence Graham, Bertie Boomer, Edith Trebell, and Eleanor Cassel. Vesta
was one of the last four original Koreshans taking care of two Koreshan
brothers Conrad Schlender and Alfred Christensen. She was loved by all who
knew her. She had many friends around the area.
Vesta was a student of Koresh, loved poetry, and her world of books. She was
a very close friend to the Boomer family and was often a guest at Mirasol
Grove. In later years she was caretaker for the Boomer Estate in Estero.
Vesta was 95 1/2 years old at her death in Naples Community Hospital. She was
entered in the Koreshan cemetery. Death: April 11, 1974. She was a tall
person--about 5 foot 9 inches, thin, carried herself so graciously. Always
wore white for her everyday work. She dressed very nice in dark skirts and
long sleeve white blouses. Vesta had blue eyes and light brown hair, fair
complexion. Mother Hattie Newcomb died March 1932 at age 89.
Vital Records/Death: Certificate of Death, Florida; Vesta Lillian Newcomb,
Female, Date of Death: April 5, 1974; White; Age: 95; Date of Birth: 19 Nov
1878; County of Death: Collier; Location of Death: Naples Community
Hospital; State of Birth: California; Citizen of U.S.A.; Never married;
Surviving Spouse: None; SS#: 265-60-8646; Occupation: Housekeeping; Own
home; Residence: Florida/Lee/Estero/P.O. Box 57/Estero; Father: Edwin
Newcomb; Mother: Hattie Ball; Informant: Mrs. Joe Bigelow/Rt. #7/P.O. Box
564/Estero/Florida/33905; Cause of Death: Congestive heart failure; Burial:
Koreshan Unity Cemetery/Estero, Florida; Burial: 8 April 1974; Pittman
Funeral
Home/2116 Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs, Florida.
Newspaper Obit--The American Eagle/May 1974 KORESHAN PIONEER DIES
Miss Vesta Newcomb of Estero, 95, died at Naples Community Hospital after a
short illness. She was in the first group of the Koreshan Unity to settle in
Estero in 1894. She came with her mother, the late Hattie Newcomb, to Chicago
from Calvares, Calif. in 1892 where she joined the Koreshans. Her name was
changed by Koresh, founder of the Unity, from Lillian to Vesta. She did
housekeeping at the Pioneer Place. She is survived by a niece Mrs. Gordon
(Olive) Chauvin of Houston, Texas.
In a letter to the editor Alton D. Bessemer of Fort Lauderdale reminisces of
early years in Estero when "Sister Vesta was assisting her mother who was in
charge of the dining room and kitchen.... Vesta had an infinite patience with
children and it was her reading to my six year old sister that gave her a
first love for books...Her many friends will miss her."
FORT MYERS NEWS-PRESS, Thursday, October 18, 1979: "The End of an era marked
by memories by Marian B. Godown: Vesta Newcomb--the last survivor of the
original Koreshan Unity settlers--lived most of her life in Estero. She
remained in the small............in 1894 by mystic-minded Dr. Cyrus R. Teed
for almost 80 of her 95 years, watching Florida develop from a raw frontier
(where she once slept in a tent on the ground for almost a year) to the state
which pioneered the space program.
Along the way, she kept up with the latest happenings and retained her
wry sense of humor. At 90 after she took her first flight from Fort Myers to
Miami and back, she asked, "How soon can we go again?"
Vesta was the last of Dr. Teed's original adherents, following him to the
sultry Southwest Florida wilderness almost 85 years ago. Now, five years
after her death, Vesta is being honored in a special way that would have
pleased her.
Approximately 20 acres of unspoiled pine, palmetto and scrub oak woodland
on the beautiful Estero River near the boat ramp in the Koreshan State
Historic Site have been deeded to the Florida Audubon Society by George D.
Boomer in memory of "Sister Vesta" Newcomb.
It will be known as the "Sister Vesta Newcomb Preserve" and will be
retained in its natural state as a tribute to Miss Newcomb.
When Vesta died in May 1974, her death attracted scant attention. It was
a busy time at the Unity. It was preparing to host the Spring Lunar Festival
commemorating the birthday of Dr. Teed's helpmate, Mrs. Annie G. Ordway.
Vesta's two-paragraph death notice in the newspaper mentioned she did
housekeeping at the Pioneer Place. But Lillian Newcomb, dubbed Vesta by Dr.
Teed, also had worked in a variety of interesting capacities during the eight
decades she lived on the Unity grounds, 16 miles south of Fort Myers.
She was educated as a teacher. She had infinite patience with children
and enjoyed teaching, both in Chicago and in Estero.
She also learned to operate the huge Linotype machine and helped set copy
for the Unity's official periodical, "The Flaming Sword," and the original
Unity weekly newspaper, "American Eagle." She taught others to set type and
assisted in the Unity printing plant until it was destroyed by fire in 1951.
Vesta performed nursing duties (later admitting she rebelled at this),
directed the Unity Library and also helped her mother, "Sister Hattie," in
running the dining room and kitchen.
Before the turn of the century, she worked at the Unity-operated sawmill
at the southern tip of Estero Island during the sect's enthusiastic efforts to
create the star shaped community of "New Jerusalem"out of the Florida
jungle...........
Dr. Teed's dream drew converts from Illinois, New York and other northern
places to isolated Estero on the Florida frontier. Vesta was among the first
to leave Chicago in 1894 to help lay the groundwork for the budding "Center of
the Universe" city.
She was only 15 years old, a tall and slender girl with long blonde hair;
worn back from her forehead.
It took hardy souls to endure the week-long trek from Chicago. Wearing
heavy Victorian-style clothes, the travelers had to change trains seven times
before they reached the end of the line at Punta Gorda, then finished their
trip by sailboat.
Several years ago, Vesta Described the ordeal.
"We tackled with the wind this way and that way," Vesta explained, "and
we were all sick." At Mound Key, she said, they were rowed in a towboat to
Halfway Creek where they pushed north through the bush carrying their
belongings and a parrot in a cage.
We finally reached an ox-team trail," Vesta continued, "turned south over
a rustic bridge, and there we established our settlement." (At that time,
sleepy Fort Myers was a cow town with about 350 people.)
"We pitched our tents and slept for 10 months on the (sometimes muddy)
ground," Vesta said, "We cooked and ate around a bonfire." Everyone did his
share of the work.
During their first winter in the Sunshine State, the transplanted
Northerners were in for a big surprise,. Much to their disbelief the mercury
plunged to below freezing on December 28, 1894. About five weeks later, a
more disastrous freeze killer tender young shoots of vegetatio
Vesta said that although afterwards the Unity grew to be self-supporting,
at first "there were times we went hungry." One winter, she remembered, all
they had to eat was peanuts.
Fish were plentiful. The Koreshans used a fireboat (a small boat with a
fire in its prow which was pushed from behind by a steamer). According to
Vesta the mullet would jump toward the flame and land in the boat. "It was my
job then to stand on the deck of the steamer, cook the mullet on a kerosene
stove and serve it on slabs of bark to the hungry people."
After Vesta's death, Ernest Dunning, a history buff from Fort Myers,
described his delightful visit with her in the Caloosa Quarterly published by
the Southwest Florida Historical Society. "The women were all on this side of
the creek," Vesta told Mr. Dunning. "and the men on the other side." Noting a
foot bridge, Dunning asked if it was there in the old days. "Oh; no, no."
Vesta answered quickly, with a sly twinkle in her bright blue-gray eyes.
"There was a foot log."
A lover of the arts and music, Vesta also read up on current events and
never missed the radio news and weather reports. When Dunning asked her if
she still believed in the theory that we live inside the earth, she replied,
"I did until the boys landed on the moon. When that happened, I knew it
couldn't possibly be true."
Vesta adjusted easily to life in Florida, principally because of two
"horribly cold winters" She spent in Chicago. In Lee County, her friendly
nature and warm concern for others won her many friends. Today, learning of
the memorial to Vesta, many who knew her are sharing their memories of her.
All remember how she loved to walk. Spry and alert even in her 90s, she
didn't let the years slow her pace as she took her daily "constitutional."
Often her friends recall, she carried a Brazilian pepper twig to ward off
pesky mosquitoes. As she did not own a car or drive, she walked many miles
delivering messages or items. Frequently on her walks she visited the ranger
offices at the entrance to the state park along the Tamiami Trail in Estero.
Vesta's close friend, Miss E. G. Rugg of Iona, reminisced about how Vesta
"could quote poetry and writing no end." She was jolly and witty, too, and
delighted in downing a glass of beer and a hamburger, thinking it was "real
naughty."
Miss Rugg's friendship with Vesta started during Dr. Teed's lifetime
when, as a four-year-old she arrived at the Unity. She recalls that Vesta
lived in the "sister's dormitory" above the bake shop when the rooms were
closed off with sheets, and later lived alone in a cottage.
"Vesta was truly wonderful," another old friend, Irene Wyka (Mrs. Raymond
C.) Holstlaw of Fort Myers, says. She did an awful lot of good for a lot of
people. Although she had a sweet disposition, she was strict. "She wouldn't
allow you to talk sassy, but she had the interests of the children at heart."
Vesta's roots in the Unity stretched back to another century and across a
continent. Born on Nov. 19, 1878, near Stockton, Cal. "quite close to the big
(redwood) trees," she was the daughter of Harriet and Martin Newcomb. Newcomb
was an English schoolmaster who immigrated to Canada where he met and married
her mother.
Because of her father's itchy foot, her parents moved from island to
island in the Pacific before settling for a time in the Fiji Islands and in
Hawaii, and later in California.
"My mother was an idealist with a religious turn-of-mind." Vesta
revealed. When she heard of the Koreshan Unity, she took the family (her
brother James was a year older) to "all those meetings" in San Francisco,
where Dr. Teed had recently set up a branch. "We were about to be received
into the Unity when my father, only 42, was killed in a train accident."
Advised by other sect members to carry on with her plans, Mrs. Newcomb
took her children to the Unity in Chicago. Vesta left her mother and brother
behind in the Windy City to "start out on this great adventure"--a new life in
a strange, far-off land. Mrs. Newcomb and James came south four years later,
Vesta said.
Vesta suffered from a heart condition. After a brief bout with
pneumonia, she died April 5, 1974, in the Naples Community Hospital. She was
buried in the Unity graveyard where almost half a century before her mother
was buried.
Because of the inaccessibility of the cemetery, Vesta's coffin had to be
moved from the hearse to a four-wheel drive vehicle for the trip through the
woods to the remote cemetery.
With the death of the last member of the original Koreshan Unity
settlers, an era in Southwest Florida has ended. As the Unity gets ready to
open a new headquarters building and research library across the Tamiami Trail
on Corkscrew Road in Estero, old timers say it seems fitting that this
memorable Koreshan pioneer should be remembered with a gift that symbolizes
her long devotion to the Unity."
THE NEWS-PRESS; A Gift of history to residents of Florida by Marian B. Godown,
News-Press Historical Columnist (not dated): When 15-year-old Vesta Newcomb
packed her bags in 1894 and left Chicago for the Southwest Florida wilderness
to help build the city of "New Jerusalem," the scenic Estero River was at the
end of nowhere.
Today, fronting on part of the untouched south side of that fascinating
river where Miss Newcomb swam as a girl, is the newly acquired Vesta Newcomb
Preserve. It is named in memory of Miss Newcomb, the last of the original
Koreshan Unity settlers, whose love for nature was almost life-long.
The 20-acre tract, just west of the boat ramp in the Koreshan State
Historic Site, was recently deeded to the (unreadable) Audubon Society by
(unreadable) George D. Boomer of New York City and Estero. Basically, a
wildlife sanctuary, it will be retained in its natural state and used for the
purpose of research and teaching. Already busloads of pupils have studied the
variety of plants and trees in the preserve.
At the request of the Florida Audubon Society, environmentalist Bill
Hammond, former head of the Audubon Society of Southwest Florida, and current
president Charles Foster took an inventory of the undeveloped river front
woodland. They were aided by Charles Lee, vice-president of conservation for
Florida Audubon and Craig Hartman, biologist at the Lee County Nature Center.
They found that the property, which runs one-eighth of a mile long,
contains original upland very suitable for wildlife habitat. Sixty percent of
the tract is pure Pine forest, which the rest Palmetto and Scrub Oak,
according to Foster. There's natural upland and lowland, including a marsh
near the river and a fringe of Mangroves. The acreage also includes "pioneer
trees" such as Camphor, stands of tall Bamboo, and large moss-draped Live
Oaks, Needle Grass and Leather Ferns.
Exotic (imported) plants grow around the remnants of an old homestead
where Georgine Boomer, mother of George Boomer, lived for many years. Dock
pilings along the curving and historic river speak of the time the Estero was
the lifeline of the fledgling Koreshan Unity colony, founded by Dr. Cyrus R.
Teed.
Twelve-foot-high river banks line a portion of the northern boundary.
This area--ideal for gopher tortoises--will be used in experiments to help the
burrowing gopher tortoise make a comeback.
There used to be a colony here, Hammond says, but it was poached out.
Although not endangered, the edible gopher is declining very fast. Plans call
for releasing gopher tortoises with high school students assisting in the
project.
The land in the sanctuary was owned originally by the Unity. It was
acquired by Mrs. Boomer (once a member of the Unity) over half a century ago.
It is said that history doesn't linger long in this century. But through
a gift of unspoiled land next to the state park in Estero, another bit of
Florida history is being preserved--in the name of a modest woman pioneer.
THE FLAMING SWORD, August 1933, Community Current Events, p.13: "Mrs. James
Newcomb and daughter, Margaret, of LaBelle were visitors here on the 8th.
Mrs. Newcomb was here again on the 14th. She has since left for Jacksonville
for a short visit with her son, Edward Koester. From there she will go by
steamer to New Jersey to spend the rest of the summer with another son, Julius
Koester."
(Margaret Newcomb was adopted--information from Evelyn Horn)
Vital Records/Death: Certificate of Death, Florida; Vesta Lillian Newcomb,
Female, Date of Death: April 5, 1974; White; Age: 95; Date of Birth: 19 Nov
1878; County of Death: Collier; Location of Death: Naples Community
Hospital; State of Birth: California; Citizen of U.S.A.; Never married;
Surviving Spouse: None; SS#: 265-60-8646; Occupation: Housekeeping; Own
home; Residence: Florida/Lee/Estero/P.O. Box 57/Estero; Father: EDWIN
NEWCOMB; Mother: Hattie Ball; Informant: Mrs. Joe Bigelow/Rt. #7/P.O.
Box564/Estero/Florida/33905; Cause of Death: Congestive heart failure;
Burial: Koreshan Unity Cemetery/Estero, Florida; Burial: 8 April 1974;
Pittman Funeral
Home/2116 Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs, Florida.
THE FLAMING SWORD; Community Current Events by Alafae Stephens; July 1933:
Sisters Vesta Newcomb and Cora Stephens, Brothers Claude Rahn and Laurie
Bubbett, and the writer motored to LaBelle on June first to attend the high
school graduation exercises. Miss Olive Newcomb, niece of Sister Vesta, was
one of the charming graduates. Olive was the president of her class."
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Albert E. Norton,
husband of Emma Teed Norton
THE FOUNDER AND HIS FAMILY (Family portrait): VIII. Emma Teed, Jan. 8, 1857;
m. Albert E. Norton; machinist; res. Norwich, N. Y. and had Mabel, d. y.
THE FOUNDER AND HIS FAMILY (Family portrait): VIII. Emma Teed, Jan. 8, 1857;
m. Albert E. Norton; machinist; res. Norwich, N. Y. and had Mabel, d. y.