Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: Antonio (Toney) Proctor, born Antonio Propinos circa 1743 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was enslaved as a child. During the American Revolution, he was a body servant to a British army officer. He later worked in St. Augustine for Panton, Leslie, and Co., and served in St. Augustine’s black militia. During the War of 1812, Antonio aided Spain and for his service, was granted his freedom and 185 acres of land by virtue of a royal order from the king of Spain in 1816. Following the United States’ acquisition of Florida, he worked as an Indian interpreter for the United States Government. After Antonio helped negotiate the Treaty of Moultrie Creek and the Treaty of Payne’s Landing, Territorial Governor William DuVal stated, “Proctor’s skills proved indispensable. His services were invaluable to the United States at a period when no other person could have preserved the peace of the country.” Born circa 1805, Antonio’s son George was an architect, and began his career in Tallahassee in 1829. He left a tangible legacy as an entrepreneur and home builder for prominent Tallahassee citizens, including the Rutgers House, Randall Lewis House, Knott House, and Chaires House. In 1830, Antonio joined him in Tallahassee. Side Two: In 1839, George married Nancy, an enslaved woman. In 1844, one of their sons, John, was born in Tallahassee. During the 1849 Gold Rush, George went to California with several Tallahassee businessmen. Settling in Sonora in 1850, he purchased properties, became a landlord, and worked as a newspaper agent for the San Francisco Elevator. George’s zeal for racial equality was echoed in an editorial he wrote for the paper, stating “Let us be men.” While George was in California, Antonio’s remarkable life ended in Tallahassee at the supposed age of 112 on June 16, 1855. George died in California in 1868. During Reconstruction, John worked as a teacher, election supervisor, and customs superintendent at St. Mark’s port. He served in the Florida Legislature, first as a Representative from 1873-75, and 1879, then as a Senator in 1883 and 1885. When some politicians tried to sell West Florida to Alabama, John was instrumental in resisting the sale. John died in Tallahassee on December 15, 1944, and is buried here. By doing great things during extraordinary times, three generations of Proctor men have earned a place in history.