Henry Theodore Titus | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 13, 1823[1] |
| Died | August 7, 1881 (aged 58)[1] |
| Resting place | LaGrange Cemetery, Mims, Florida |
| Occupation(s) | citrus grower, grocer, sawmill operator, postal inspector, soldier of fortune |
| Spouse | Mary Evalina Hopkins |
| Children | Edward Hopkins Titus, Catherine Howell Titus Fox, Mary Evelina Titus, Howell Titus, Henry Theodore Titus, Ellett Livingston Titus, Theodore Titus, Jr., Pierre Soule Titus, Theodocia Titus[2] |
Henry Theodore Titus (February 13, 1823 – August 7, 1881) was the founder of Titusville, Florida.
He was born in Trenton, New Jersey on February 13, 1823. He was the first of nine children of Theodore Titus, and Catharine Flick Howell.[3] He was raised in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.
In 1845, he was a postal inspector in Philadelphia.
Titus was a leader of the Narciso López filibuster expeditions that invaded Cuba in 1850-1851.
He was a grocer and sawmill operator in Jacksonville, until migrating with his family to "Bleeding Kansas" in April 1856 to join pro-slavery forces.
Resided at "Fort Titus," a double-log cabin one mile south of Lecompton, that came under artillery attack from John Brown's raiders on Aug. 16, 1856. He was wounded, captured, and exchanged for Free-State prisoners, before joining filibuster William Walker in Nicaragua in Feb. 1857. After his force was defeated at Castillo Viejo a few weeks later, Titus went to New York.
He and his brother Elliot moved to the Sonoita Valley, Arizona, where they operated various ore mines during 1858-1860.
Titus returned to Jacksonville during the American Civil War and served as assistant quartermaster in the Florida Militia.
He moved to New York with his family in 1865, but returned to Florida in November 1867, settling at Sand Point which at that time had a population of 250.[4] Titus built a sawmill, general store and hotel at that location. Titus was appointed postmaster, and soon thereafter renamed the settlement "Titusville." The name of Titusville was determined by a dominoes game with Captain Clark Rice on October 16, 1873.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
He was also the Justice of the Peace, a notary public for Volusia County, and a marine insurance underwriter's agent. Rheumatic gout kept him confined to a wheelchair during the last years of his life.