Swamp Gold

[godisnum1]

Oh, good call! I actually didn't think of that... I happen to know a missionary chap down there who lives on the reservation. I bet he knows some good people I could talk to. It's pretty cool that they don't have to report to the government on things, but rather their tribal counsel. Makes THing alot easier down there I think.

Bran <><

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

I was sent a PM by aTN member to inform me that a group was arrested trying to dig for this gold, by Florida Fish and Wildlife, between Alligator Alley and Route 41. He gave me no further information as yet. If anyone knows any more about this arrest please PM me. thanks.
I may go out there tommorrow or Wed., the weather is supposed to be cool.

No kidding?!! Have you heard anything else on this? Do you know the time of day that this occurred?

I am not going to reveal the name of the Private Mailer. He told me that he wanted nothing in return for this information and then proceeded to leave me hanging. I dont know the time of day, date, location, NOTHING! His "information" of between the Alligator Alley and 41 covers an extremely large area. I left him my phone number, at his request, but he hasnt called me yet, as far as I know. Maybe I will remind him in a PM.

The carved Spanish silver men sounds like a different treasure and maybe night hunting in the Everglades National Park, which I am sure that the Confederate gold is NOT in.

It is either on Indian land, State land, or the Big Cypress Preserve which is off-limits gov't land. He stated the arrest was in "the Cypress."

 

[ivan salis]

hope for indain land you can cut a deal with the tribe most likely (so that its "legally" yours) -- tribal lands are a private nation by treaty whats on the lands and control of that land is the tribes --thus the tribal concuil can give the ok to recover items on "their" land --and the federal and state govt can't say squat about it either--- a "deal" with the federal or state govts over lost confederate payroll not going to happen most likely-- the federal govt would step in saying its lost "war booty" that belonged to the confederate govt and thus when they "surrendered" it became federal property -- the state would try a "grab" too being its on "state" property -- pray hard for indian land * ---Ivan

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I been thinking about this a while so I thought I'd just toss it up.

Wasn't the battle of Natural Bridge up by Tallahassee? Doesn't it seem strange that they would of carried it all that way before burying it? I mean that is one heck of a ride/march back then which would of taken I think several weeks.

Bigcypress still haven't forgotten about looking for the info for you I shared. I have been looking just can't find it yet.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I been thinking about this a while so I thought I'd just toss it up.

Wasn't the battle of Natural Bridge up by Tallahassee? Doesn't it seem strange that they would of carried it all that way before burying it? I mean that is one heck of a ride/march back then which would of taken I think several weeks.

Bigcypress still haven't forgotten about looking for the info for you I shared. I have been looking just can't find it yet.

Yes, a long ride/march. I dont think they had any plans of going back. It was a one way trip. I have heard several different versions. I believe they were trying to reach the port at Punta Gorda or a Confederate held fort.(Fort Meade?) I have to go back and search my papers. What I would like to know is where and how were they captured?

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I been thinking about this a while so I thought I'd just toss it up.

Wasn't the battle of Natural Bridge up by Tallahassee? Doesn't it seem strange that they would of carried it all that way before burying it? I mean that is one heck of a ride/march back then which would of taken I think several weeks.

Bigcypress still haven't forgotten about looking for the info for you I shared. I have been looking just can't find it yet.

Yes, a long ride/march. I dont think they had any plans of going back. It was a one way trip. I have heard several different versions. I believe they were trying to reach the port at Punta Gorda or a Confederate held fort.(Fort Meade?) I have to go back and search my papers. What I would like to know is where and how were they captured?

I will see what I can dig too for you

 

[cptbild]

It's Cptbil 'n Bugs again!
"We", my partner, "Doc", whose in Fla. right now
Are getting ready for a long trip out west!
We are going to see about opening up a couple of these, earlier "posts" ("subjects" in this "topic")
We'll be out for about 12 MONTHS!
ANYONE care to join us,
(Not! The Whole trip! No! I don't expect anyone to make more than a week or two of the trip)
But!
You'll find that I wasn't kidding about those EARLIER posts,
ie:"Silver Cave", "The Silver Mine" (bars), etc
"Come Armed", as I already (earlier) mentioned
I can guarantee that you'll find AN ADVENTURE
AND!
Hopefully, you'll go home with a back pack full of $$$$$ !
We should be out there, STARTING, around June
Join up anytime after that time!
Well!
All! ~ It's going to cost you, is some vacation time and your own personal expenses
Food/water...etc

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

It's Cptbil 'n Bugs again!
"We", my partner, "Doc", whose in Fla. right now
Are getting ready for a long trip out west!
We are going to see about opening up a couple of these, earlier "posts" ("subjects" in this "topic")
We'll be out for about 12 MONTHS!
ANYONE care to join us,
(Not! The Whole trip! No! I don't expect anyone to make more than a week or two of the trip)
But!
You'll find that I wasn't kidding about those EARLIER posts,
ie:"Silver Cave", "The Silver Mine" (bars), etc
"Come Armed", as I already (earlier) mentioned
I can guarantee that you'll find AN ADVENTURE
AND!
Hopefully, you'll go home with a back pack full of $$$$$ !
We should be out there, STARTING, around June
Join up anytime after that time!
Well!
All! ~ It's going to cost you, is some vacation time and your own personal expenses
Food/water...etc

Thank you for the invitation Cptbil.

 

[cptbild]

Grizzly Bare
Just to keep everyone from guesses
( Your "Post" of )
My Fla Treasure would be in EXCESS! of several
HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!

That is why I am keeping ALL! of the Information to myself!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

It's Cptbil 'n Bugs again!
"We", my partner, "Doc", whose in Fla. right now
Are getting ready for a long trip out west!
We are going to see about opening up a couple of these, earlier "posts" ("subjects" in this "topic")
We'll be out for about 12 MONTHS!
ANYONE care to join us,
(Not! The Whole trip! No! I don't expect anyone to make more than a week or two of the trip)
But!
You'll find that I wasn't kidding about those EARLIER posts,
ie:"Silver Cave", "The Silver Mine" (bars), etc
"Come Armed", as I already (earlier) mentioned
I can guarantee that you'll find AN ADVENTURE
AND!
Hopefully, you'll go home with a back pack full of $$$$$ !
We should be out there, STARTING, around June
Join up anytime after that time!
Well!
All! ~ It's going to cost you, is some vacation time and your own personal expenses
Food/water...etc

How was your trip? Are you back yet? Did you get a chance to look into the Florida thing?

 

[sabre15]

Grizzly Bare
Just to keep everyone from guesses
( Your "Post" of )
My Fla Treasure would be in EXCESS! of several
HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!

That is why I am keeping ALL! of the Information to myself!

Have you found it yet? What are the latest details? You were in Florida this past year werent you?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

cptbild is probably camped out in the desert somewhere.



Its been a long time since I started this post in 2005 and I havent found the gold yet. I took a seasonal job in The Big Cypress National Preserve and camped on the site for 2 months. I had a great time did some hunting and met a lot of interesting people. I will post some pictures later.


Here is a letter talking about Confederate gold on May 11,1865. But then again this gold is not supposed to exist. I got this from a very informative blog I follow about the Treasure Coast. "It is a letter talking about Jefferson Davis. There is an entire sequence of letters on the subject of the money that he was taking with him at the end of the Civil War. Notice where it talks about the boxes of gold and silver".http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/ Could this be connected in any way?

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I don't think so I think it is another stash here is the story

Of course, the reader tends to wonder, if a southerner lost his wealth during the Civil War, then, during reconstruction when conditions were chaotic to say the least, how could he possible re-make the type fortune Mr. Sylvester Mumford reportedly had? What about the time element and conditions? When Mr. Mumford first initiated his merchandise operations in the early 1800s, the need for such a business was there; it matched the pioneer spirit for growth. That growth continued through the plantation period of opulence, only to fall completely after the Civil War. How could this man, then, re-gain such a vast, quick wealth --unless some truth may be found in the following?

According to Ernest M. Andrews' "Georgia's Fabulous Treasure Hoards," Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet, fleeing Richmond on April 2, 1865, carried with them approximately $500,000 in specie, silver brick and gold ingots. The bulk of this treasure was in gold sovereigns obtained as a loan from England. In addition, there was another $200,000.00 in gold from the banks of Richmond...

This balance plus the $200,000 was "escorted by train or wagon train to Washington, Georgia, twice, the final resting place being somewhat of a mystery but believed buried around Washington, Georgia, or between Abbeville, South Carolina, and Washington, Georgia, possibly in the Savannah River."

Suppose here lies the fallacy. Suppose that amount, maybe placed in a false carriage bottom as some have conjectured, traveled further south, almost on the same, if not the same, route as president Davis and his entourage. Suppose prior to his Capture, Davis or one of his men (which is more likely) made a side trip to Waynesville to the Mumford home and transferred this money into Mr. Sylvester's Mumford's care. Could this money be the "nearly million dollars in trust to be used for the benefit of boys and girls of Brantley County?...

Another former area researcher, Lem Johnson, suggests the following: Between Lincolnton, Georgia, and Davis' capture at Irwinville (near Fitzgerald and Ocilla) the Confederate Gold disappeared. It is rumored around Brantley County that a side trip was made by one of Davis' soldiers to the Mumford estate. He supposedly left the gold with Mr. Mumford. Mr. Johnson cites that the possibility of this transaction holds truth because Mr. Mumford was sympathetic toward the Southern cause and because shortly after Davis' capture, it is noted, he journeyed to England for "business reasons." It is further believed that if he had the gold it was deposited because money, perhaps from the interest, from England began arriving to help area citizens "get on their feet again" during the reconstruction years following the Civil War.

Goertner Mumford Parkhurst inherited her father's wealth, and, at her death, the three scholarship funds, totaling a vast amount, were set up.

Since the "Lost Confederate Gold" story has been investigated, another tale has also slipped into the picture; this story is being whispered about the Brantley County-Wayne County area and will be the subject of another feature.

JEFF DAVIS' GOLD

Martha Mizell Puckett wrote a fascinating book entitled "Snow White Sands". Not in print at this time, according to Chris Trowell, a member of the editorial board, this 243 page volume is packed with insights and human interest stories about Southeast Georgia. Celestine Sibley, Atlanta Journal and Constitution writer, wrote that one almost becomes apologetic when that person admits he is reading reminiscences of an old country schoolteacher. However, "for a picture of South Georgia life in the era following the Civil War and up to World War I, "Snow White Sands" is unbeatable.. rich in detail which should be valuable to future novelists and historians."

One of those "unbeatable" stories told by Mrs. Puckett adds more information about the "Lost Confederate Gold." She relates that a "loving" William (Sylvester) Mumford of Waynesville, Georgia, was with President Jefferson Davis at his last cabinet meeting held in the home of Robert Tooms in Washington, Wilkes county, Georgia. "All the gold of the Confederacy was divided equally among the members of the meeting, and each one was told when they (sic) would leave there, in a few minutes, each member would fend for himself and would use the money as he felt it should be used," tells the former teacher.

Ending their last meeting and the hope of the Confederacy, though they were not sure of this knowledge until Irwinville on down the road, they left Mumford, who better than any of the others, knew this territory. After all, his estate in Waynesville had allowed him access to the entire Southeast section of the state and North Florida. He would now make his way to the coast, connect with a British steamer anchored off shore of Florida and sail for England. His family must have known of his plans, though no mention is made of them at this point.

When Mumford reached England, his first task, according to Mrs. Puckett, was to purchase and send back to Georgia three yards of fine white muslin to every orphan child in Georgia. For those who might question this state, the original writer tells that she knows of one of the foster families who went to Screven (Number 7) to collect their cloth from the train. "Mother said it was used mostly to make shrouds for the loved ones who passed away in all this desolation, devastation and destruction," informs Mrs. Puckett.

Waste was lying everywhere during this tragic time in America history. Even though this section of the country appears not to have been directly touched according to history books, this premise is not accurate. Many of the beautiful homes in Waynesville were plundered and burned, and the Presbyterian Church was stripped of its furnishings. The Brunswick and Western Railroad rails, ripped from the ground, were heated white hot in the crosstie fire heaps and bent around the giant oaks to cool. The destruction of the rails, it is said, "was done by our men trying to keep the roustabout Union soldiers from coming up from Brunswick, Georgia, to ravish, plunder, burn and destroy the rich South basin of the Great Satilla River, but it did not stop them," continues the author.

The Yankees walked up the road bed of the B and W, swimming all the deep salt-water creeks where the men had ripped up the tracks and burned the bridges. "They were met at Waynesville by Wayne citizens of over 70 and our boys under 14 (All between were with Lee in Virginia.)." narrates the storyteller, "and a terrible battle was fought, as the beautiful monument placed on the site by our beloved 'Daughters of the Confederacy' will attest."

Inscribed on the obelisk, which is a stark white in the midst of a heavily wooded area, is "Erected 1906 To Our Confederate Dead. U.D.C. 1861-1865."

Mumford also sent to South America to get enough seed corn, by way of Great Britain, to replant the whole State of Georgia," Mrs. Puckett claims. "He also built an industrial home at Macon for the orphans of Georgia. He gave a great deal of help to Thornwell, a Presbyterian home for orphans at Clinton, South Carolina."

The area educator/historian states that she does not know whether or not Mr. Mumford ever returned to his Georgia plantation "as there was a price on his head, and complete amnesty was not given until 1898 when General Joseph Wheeler was needed so badly to lead the cavalry in Cuba in the war with Spain."

Mr. Mumford's daughter, Gertrude, went to New York City where some of the gold found its way to her hands, says Mrs. Puckett, adding, "She invested and reaped well." Judge J. P. Highsmith, who was her personal lawyer, was asked by her about what she should do with the remainder of the "Confederate Gold." She wanted it back in the hands of the people to whom it belonged. Judge Highsmith suggested the educational fund for the descendants of the Confederate soldiers in Wayne (now Brantley) County; "Miss Gertrude" set up this trust for the students in Brantley, but it has expanded because more interest was derived than could be used. A 1971 report points out that the so-called "Confederate Gold" is still rolling up more interest than the program can consume

 

[Bridge End Farm]

and more on it

What about the “Confederate Gold?” Many stories have been written about the disappearance of “Confederate Gold.” A native of Brantley County , and one who benefited from the Mumford Funds, researched the subject and is convinced that Mumford family involvement in the story is a Brantley County fantasy.

Background: According to Ernest M. Andrews’ book, “Georgia’s Fabulous Treasure Hords, “Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet were fleeing Richmond on April 2, 1865, and carried with them approximately $500,000 in specie, silver brick and gold ingots. This treasure, which became known as “The Confederate Gold“ was entrusted to Captain William H. Parker and his corps for distribution and transportation; $35,000 was given to President Davis for expenses; $39,000 to General Johnson’s troops, and the balance of the Confederate treasury plus $200,000 from the banks of Richmond was escorted by locomotive train and wagons to Washington, Georgia. The final resting place for the treasury has created a mystery and local writers have come to believe the Confederate Gold was buried in Brantley County . Others believe that it was buried around Washington , Georgia , or between Abbeville , South Carolina , and Washington , Georgia , possibly in the Savannah River .

One Brantley County author, Mrs. Martha Mizell Puckett in Snow White Sands, states that some of the Gold ended up in the hands of Sylvester Mumford of Waynesville, and eventually in the hands of his daughter, Goertner Mumford Parkhurst. Mrs. Puckett states that her cousin, Judge J. P. Highsmith was a personal lawyer to Mrs. Parkhurst and attended to her every wish. When asked, “what to do with the balance of the Confederate Gold,” Judge Highsmith suggested an educational fund be established for the descendants of noble and brave confederate solders of Wayne County , Georgia . This resulted in establishment of three separate Mumford Scholarship Funds; One-third to the Trustees of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church for maintenance and education of white orphan girls; One-third to The Georgia State College for Women; and One-third to the Board of Thornwell Orphanage, located at Clinton, South, Carolina.

Reverend A. Milton McCool, a beloved Baptist preacher in many southeast Georgia churches, including the Hoboken Baptist Church was once employed by the Sylvester Mumford family as a clerk in their Waynesville mercantile store. Milton McCool was just a young man when first employed by Mr. Mumford, and spend much time with the Mumford family. Rev. McCool states, “whether Mr. Mumford acquired his fortunes through operation of his mercantile store or whether he inherited some estate or money in New York , is not fully known.” This one thing known, however, is that during the terrible War between the States, Mr. Mumford lost his entire fortune; whereupon, he returned immediately to New York state where his friends or relatives backed him again. He then came back to Waynesville and began another business which thrived under his management. Most people knew and recognized that he was a man of wealth, but none of them, not even in their wildest dreams, not even his family knew of his fabulous accumulations during his lifetime. Regardless, his daughter inherited his wealth at the time of her death and established the Mumford Scholarship Fund, remembering the children of her homeland.

Mr. Robert L. Hurst, a retired Ware County school teacher also includes a Confederate Gold story in his book, “This Magic Wilderness.” He relates that Mr. Lem Johns, a former area researcher suggested that the Confederate Gold disappeared somewhere between Lincolnton , Georgia , and Davis ’s capture at Irwinville (near Fitzgerald and Ocilla). Possibly from the writings of Mrs. Martha Mizell Puckett, it was rumored in Brantley County that a “side-trip” was made by one of President Davis’ soldiers to the Mumford estate at Waynesville. Mr. Mumford was sympathetic toward the southern cause and shortly after Davis’ capture, Sylvester Mumford journeyed to England for “business reasons.” It is further suggested that “if he had the gold it was deposited in the Bank of England .” Shortly afterwards, money began arriving from England perhaps from interest earned to help area citizens “get on their feet again” during the reconstruction years. Goertner Mumford Parkhurst inherited her father’s wealth, and at her death established the three scholarship funds.

A Brantley County Fantasy ! Research by Wayne J. Lewis revealed additional information about the Confederate Gold story and he calls the Brantley County connection a fantasy! Mr. Lewis had a personal interest since he and his three brothers were the first (April 1953) from Brantley County to benefit from the Mumford Funds at Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton , SC. He wanted to know about the Mumford family and, since the Confederate Gold story was part of what he had heard, it became part of the story. He read the “Confederate Gold” story in the Lincolnton Georgia newspaper in the late 90’s, but it didn’t mention the Mumfords or Brantley County .

Wayne Jackson Lewis was born in Nahunta on October 2, 1940, the son of Theodore Henry and Myrtis Idell Rowell Lewis. Wayne’s father, a Brantley County farmer and school bus driver, died of a heart attack on July 22, 1951 at age 47. Wayne graduated from Thornwell High School in 1958 and Clemson University in 1962. He served on active duty with the U.S. Army for more than five years before resigning. His duty assignments included Fort Benning , GA. , West Germany , and Vietnam , and he achieved the rank of Captain. He retired from the United States Postal Service in October 2000. Wayne still has family and friends in Brantley County .

Wayne felt deeply indebted to the Mumfords. “I owed them so much for providing a home in which to live and the opportunity for a college education.” He talked to reporters at the Lincolnton, GA newspaper and they provided a list of people that may be able to provide information. He went to Washington , GA (where the Confederate Gold” ended up) and talked to a number of local historians-- one of whom was a retired history teacher with thirty years service. He also enlisted the assistance of the Mary Willis Library staff in Washington, GA. None of those that he interviewed had heard the story with a Brantley County connection. When the story (with the Brantley connection) was related to them it brought howls of laughter. They were unable to find any mention of the Mumford name in any record. They were able to establish that no “Confederate Gold” went missing and there was no “splitting up” of the Confederate treasury at the end of the war. The Confederacy was bankrupt at the end of the Civil War. In the final days of the war the Confederacy and some Richmond banks shipped their gold south to keep it from falling into the hands of Union forces. The two shipments were on the same train but each had its own security and they were never mixed. It is of interest to note that Jefferson Davis’s family was on the train with the gold shipments, but Jefferson Davis himself was not. The Confederate Gold and Confederate treasurer departed Richmond with substantial funds, but made numerous well documented disbursements along the way (primarily to meet military payrolls). When the Confederate treasury arrived in Washington , GA it was down to $43,000 in cash and an incalculable amount of debt. The Confederate funds were stored in a vault at a local bank. A few days after the war ended the Richmond banks decided to ship their funds back to Richmond . It was loaded onto five wagons and started its journey back to Richmond . The wagon train was robbed as it camped the first night. The robbers apparently formed the gang hastily because they didn’t have anyway to carry the loot. They stuffed it down their shirts, pants, and boots, etc. Some of it spilled out and made it easy for a posse to follow them. All of the funds were recovered but about $70,000. The funds were transferred to Augusta ; GA. Ownership of the funds was tied up in court for twenty eight years. The federal government claimed the funds because the Richmond banks had made loans to the Confederacy—thus aiding a rebellion. The courts eventually agreed and the money was deposited into the United States Treasury.

Mr. Lewis also went through the archives at Thornwell Orphanage, which contained quite a bit of materials including several handwritten letters from Mrs. Parkhurst (of which he made copies). Some of those papers stated that it was the Pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Washington DC that helped guide Mrs. Parkhurst in setting up her will. Her Pastor suggested that the President of Thornwell visit Mrs. Parkhurst in DC, which he did, and afterwards (1928) they began corresponding by letter. Mrs. Parkhurst used a large law firm in Washington , DC to make her will and serve as executor of her estate. Her will was not completed until 1937 at age 90, and she had been living in DC for about forty years at that time.

“I found her letters most interesting and informative,” commented Wayne . “There was no reference to the Confederacy or any gold in any of the materials that I examined.” The “Confederate Gold” story that is told in Brantley County seems to originate from, and be a fabrication combining the two separate gold shipments and based on the story as told in “Snow White Sands”. It is well to remember that “Snow White Sands” was written by someone who was not an eye witness and without footnotes, references or a bibliography. Numerous well documented books have been written on the subject of the Confederate Gold and the A&E Network made a documentary about it. None of these sources reference the Mumfords or Brantley County .

Character of Sylvester Mumford: Mr. Mumford had many charities and never used his name when making donations. Instead, he used the synonym “ South Georgia ”. He was an early supporter of Thornwell Orphanage (founded 1875) as a Presbyterian Home for Children. He was a devout Presbyterian about whom the minister said at his funeral "This Godly man was nearer perfection than any I have known in my long life in the ministry." Mr. Mumford was also an early member of the Audubon Society. This does much to show the type person he was. Mrs. Parkhurst absolutely adored him. When she made donations to Thornwell, she would write "for a needy girl in memory of my wonderful father."

Mr. Mumford was a successful businessman in Waynesville before the Civil War and no doubt continued after it was over. As far as Mr. Mumford losing his fortune, he obviously didn't lose his elegant home or surrounding property since he and his wife are buried on it. Mrs. Parkhurst kept the home for many years and had investment property on St. Simons and the surrounding area until shortly before her death.”

Mr. Lewis also hired the Washington DC Historical Society to research Mrs. Parkhurst (Mumford’s daughter). He got copies of her death certificate, obituaries from the local papers, her address, and pictures of her residence. Mrs. Parkhurst lived in a luxury condominium which was featured in the book “Best Addresses” describing the best places to live in the Washington area. There were several notable people who resided there including Huey “the Kingfisher” Long of Louisiana and a young Richard Nixon. Wayne also went to the cemetery where Mrs. Parkhurst is buried (in DC) and placed flowers on her grave.

The only gold that went missing was from the robbery of Richmond banks funds. Mr. Lewis commented, “I read “Snow White Sands” in the sixties and talked about it with elderly people who said it was baloney and pointed out a number of things that were wrong and outrageously so. Celestine Sibley knew how to parse words and called the author a “STORYTELLER.” She did not call Martha Mizell Puckett a historian or writer of non fiction books. Ms Sibley was a renowned southern author, journalist and syndicated columnist for the Atlanta Journal/Constitution for over 50 years.

“In conclusion, it is offensive to me that this story survives and particularly that is in the Brantley County History Book, since it is so easily discredited. The Mumfords were a lot better than the Brantley County Confederate Gold story would lead some to believe. I didn't buy a Brantley County history book because the Confederate Gold story is in it,” commented Mr. Lewis. He resides in Myrtle Beach , SC.

 

[ivan salis]

humm I wonder if mumfords post war "backing"--( money of unknown origin -- reportly from freinds and family "up north" ) could be the "missing" $70,000 of confederate money ? ( robbed from the richmond shipment ) -- any loyal southern person would know any and all confederate gold or silver type funds once found out that they were in a southern bank would be "grabbed" by US ( federal govt) -- so why not save their "own" money? so to speak

ms puckett if her cousin ( judge / lawyer -- j p highsmith) was indeed the local mumsford family lawyer * would be in a prime position to know of such things.* -- such as the later setting up of trust funds from the "confederate gold"-- as both a lawyer and a loyal southerner -- j p highsmith of course know to keep his mouth shut (to prevent any legal or governmental entanglements)--- luckily for us he told his cousin ms puckett ( and due to the gossippy nature of women- keeping her mouth shut was something ms puckett was unable to do --so the story was written down)

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Thanks Bridge End Farm. I havent had a chance to read it all and comment, but I will.


Have you found your notes on the 1861 mint Indian pennies that came out of the well in the Everglades?

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Thanks Bridge End Farm. I havent had a chance to read it all and comment, but I will.


Have you found your notes on the 1861 mint Indian pennies that came out of the well in the Everglades? Im going to post the old thread that you brought to my attention. This is very curious. I do not know this man that uses the name Dragon. Im sending a PM. He has not posted since 2006. Does anybody know him?
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,4400.0.html

Im still in touch with the man who told me the well story but he cant seem to remember the location. I need speak to him again and try to pick his brain.

No Sir, I have not I think it must be in my farm house somewhere as I have looked many times for it here. I do remember the story of it being in a paper down that way. I have not forgotten of it and once I find it will pm you the info on those pennies

 

[Bridge End Farm]

In late May 1861, Jefferson Davis, the former Mississippi Senator and the reluctant president of the seceding Confederate States of America, moved the capital of the CSA from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia to boost the morale of the Confederate troops and weld Virginia to the Confederacy. Had he known that in April of 1865 he, his cabinet and about $700,000 in gold and specie would have to evacuate Richmond to avoid capture during the waning days of the Civil War, he might have elected to remain in Montgomery. (Note: 'specie' describes money in the form of coins, usually gold or silver, as opposed to paper money. Also called hard currency. Since the gold standard was abolished in the 1930s, gold coins, aside from their higher intrinsic value and demand as collectibles, no longer have any special worth as a standard of value in world trade. Dictionary of Banking Terms.)

Davis was attending church services on Sunday, April 2, 1865 when he learned that Lee’s defensive line at Petersburg had been broken and the evacuation of Richmond was imminent. President Davis pleaded with Lee to form defense lines for just one more day and informed his cabinet that Richmond was to be evacuated and that they would take the Confederate treasury with them. General Lee advised Davis that he had until 8 p.m. to load the gold, valuables and cabinet members onto two trains which would travel southward on the only line still open between Richmond and Danville, Virginia. All the Confederate officials would board the first train, while the second train would hold “special cargo”. Navy Captain William H. Parker was placed in charge of the second train and, knowing that the special cargo was comprised of gold ingots, gold double eagle coins, silver coins, silver bricks and Mexican silver dollars, he gathered the only available personnel to provide a military guard. This guard consisted of mostly young navy midshipmen from a training ship on the James River and some of them were only twelve years old.

The two trains left Richmond at midnight and when the tracks ended at Danville, Davis and his staff began to travel south on horseback. Captain Parker and the treasure, now moved to wagons, were directed to the old U.S. Mint at Charlotte, North Carolina, which was considered the safest storage place. Unfortunately, Parker found the U.S. cavalry already in the immediate area and made alternate arrangements. The treasure was placed into all kinds of containers that had once been used for sugar, coffee, flour and ammunition. Moving to the southwest, Parker and the wagons zigzagged across the South Carolina-Georgia state line several times to evade capture. Eventually the responsibility for the treasure was passed on to the Secretary of War, John C. Breckenridge, who then placed Brig. General Basil Duke in charge. With slightly less than a thousand men in his command, Duke transferred all the treasure into six wagons and began his journey south with eight of his veterans on each wagon as guards and the rest of his command, along with the midshipmen, as escorts. In Washington, Georgia, Jefferson Davis and his cabinet met for the final time, where Davis signed his last official order, making Micajah Clark the acting Treasurer of the Confederacy.


The Chennault Plantation in Washington, GA where the Confederate gold reportedly disappeared
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It was in Washington that the bulk of the treasure was captured along with Jefferson Davis and his staff. Some of the treasure had been retained by Brig. General Duke and his men as each man under his command received as payment the sum of $26.25, which amounted to a total of about $26,250. The balance of the captured treasure was assembled and loaded into wagons for transport to Washington, D.C. However, somewhere in Wilkes County, Georgia, the wagon train was bushwhacked. The bushwhackers were stragglers from both the Federal and Confederate armies who had heard of the treasure and the “handouts” being given to soldiers. Residents of Wilkes County who witnessed the event said that the bushwhackers waded knee-deep in gold and silver coinage before loading it in all kinds of bags and sacks and riding away. It was said that many riders were so overloaded that they later discarded or hid large quantities of the coins all over Wilkes County.

The belief that Confederate gold is buried in Wilkes County has persisted since the end of the war. However, despite searches conducted throughout the years, nothing of value has ever been found there. This rumor of buried treasure in Wilkes County nevertheless spawned a legend involving a family of local repute, the Mumfords, and the location of the lost Confederate gold.

This legend was first advanced by Martha Mizell Puckett, a former school teacher and Brantley County native, who spun her tale of Confederate gold in her book, Snow White Sands. Her book alleged that New York native and Confederate sympathizer Sylvester Mumford was present at the Confederacy's final cabinet meeting in Washington, Georgia, and claimed that Jefferson Davis divided the gold among those present and instructed them to use the money as they felt best. Another account maintains Jefferson Davis entrusted the entire Confederate treasury into the care of Sylvester Mumford. A very prosperous merchant before the war, Mumford had established a cotton plantation near Waynesville. However, his business fortunes suffered great losses throughout the course of the war.

It was said that, after taking possession of the gold, Mumford transported some of the Confederate treasury southeast to North Florida and the Atlantic coast, where he boarded a British steamer bound for England. Puckett was rather vague about what Mumford did with the gold he allegedly transported to England, except to claim that he ordered enough seed corn from South America, by way of Great Britain, to replant the whole State of Georgia. The rest of the gold found its way into the hands of his daughter, Goertner “Gertrude” Mumford Parkhurst, in New York, where she lived and invested it well. Puckett claimed that when “Miss Gertrude” decided that the remainder of the Confederate gold should be returned to the people to whom it belonged, her personal lawyer, Judge J.P. Highsmith, suggested that an educational trust be established for the descendants of the Confederate soldiers.

As heir to the Mumford estate, “Miss Gertrude” allegedly made provisions to return the balance of the Confederate treasure to Southern hands after her death. In fact, when she died in 1946 at age 99 in Washington, D.C., she bequeathed almost $600,000 to the children of Brantley County through an endowment and two scholarship funds.


The Thornwell Home and School for Children as it stands today in Clinton, SC
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Initially, with one-third of her estate, the will established the Sylvester Mumford Memorial Endowment at the Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, South Carolina, which was founded in 1875 and is now known as the Thornwell Home and School for Children. The remainder of her estate was divided between two scholarship funds. The first was given to the Presbyterian Church, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in trust “for the maintenance and education of white orphan girls of Brantley County”. By 1960, this scholarship fund was creating more income from its principal investment than there were recipients for the scholarships. The church petitioned the court to expand the scope of the scholarships by including residents of counties which immediately surrounded Brantley and by defining an orphan as a child who had lost at least one parent. Due to the moral and legal concerns about restricting the fund to white orphan girls, the church then petitioned the court to open the scholarship to all ethnic groups. In 2002, the church awarded $32,000 to qualified women from Southeast Georgia, and in October 2003 there were fifteen women attending colleges or technical schools who were funded by the scholarship program.

A second scholarship, known as the Sylvester Mumford Memorial Fund, was to be awarded to students from Brantley County who attend Georgia College, then known as Georgia State College for Women. In recent years, the number of students receiving tuition assistance has fluctuated between ten and twelve.

Given this claim that the source of these scholarships was in fact a portion of the lost Confederate treasury, researchers throughout the years sought to confirm the veracity of the Mumford legend. However, their work created great doubt that any lost Confederate gold ever existed in the first place. Of particular note, Wayne J. Lewis researched the connection between the Confederate gold and the Mumford estate due to his personal interest in the legend. In April 1953, he and his three brothers were the first children from Brantley County to derive benefit from the Mumford funds at the Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, South Carolina, after their father died from a heart attack in 1951 at age 47. Lewis graduated from Thornwell High School in 1958 and then from Clemson University in 1962 before serving on active duty in Germany and Vietnam with the U.S. Army. He resigned his commission as a captain after almost six years and he retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2000 and still has family and friends in Brantley County.

Appreciative of the home the Mumfords provided and his opportunity for a college education, he set out to discover the facts behind the Confederate gold. He researched the archives of the Thornwell Orphanage and found no reference to the Confederacy or gold in any of the handwritten letters from Mrs. Parkhurst. He also interviewed local historians and librarians in Washington, Georgia, none of whom had heard of the gold's connection to Brantley County. Moreover, he was unable to find any mention of the name Mumford in any record of the period.

After exhaustive research, Lewis concluded that gold from the Richmond banks and the Confederate treasury had in fact been evacuated from Richmond and shipped south to prevent it from falling into the hands of Union forces. However, although the banks and the Confederacy had shipped their gold on the same train, each had its own security forces and the gold was never commingled. Although Jefferson Davis's family was on the train with the gold shipments, Lewis wrote that Jefferson Davis was not. The treasurer of the Confederacy was on board and made numerous and well-documented disbursements along the way to meet military payrolls.

Arriving in Washington, Georgia, Lewis reported that the Confederate treasury had dwindled down to about $43,000 in cash. The funds were then stored there in a vault at a local bank, and within days after the war ended, the Richmond banks had their funds returned to Richmond on five wagons. However, this wagon train was robbed on the first night that it stopped to make camp, and the robbers improvised ways to carry the loot: stuffed in their shirts, pants, boots and whatever else would hold their plunder. Unfortunately for them, their booty leaked and made it easy for a posse to follow. All but about $70,000 was recovered and transferred to Augusta, Georgia, where ownership of the funds was tied up in court until 1893. The courts eventually agreed with the federal government, who claimed the funds because the Richmond banks had aided a rebellion by making loans to the Confederacy.

Lewis concluded that the Brantley County Confederate gold legend was probably fabricated from a combination of the legend told in Snow White Sands and the actual gold shipments after the war. Indeed, no one who was an eyewitness to the events ever documented that the gold was actually lost. Martha Mizell Puckett, the author of Snow White Sands, had failed to include footnotes, references or even a simple bibliography to support the presence of gold in Brantley County.

In conclusion, historical research has determined only $70,000 of the gold belonging to the banks in Richmond is missing, but not lost, as it was accounted for in the robbery during its shipment back to Richmond. What remained of the Confederate treasury, in the form of gold and other valuable coins, was disbursed as payroll to Confederate troops during its transport south. By the end of the war, nothing remained in the coffers of the Confederate treasury except for its incalculable amount of debt.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

In conclusion, historical research has determined only $70,000 of the gold belonging to the banks in Richmond is missing, but not lost, as it was accounted for in the robbery during its shipment back to Richmond. What remained of the Confederate treasury, in the form of gold and other valuable coins, was disbursed as payroll to Confederate troops during its transport south. By the end of the war, nothing remained in the coffers of the Confederate treasury except for its incalculable amount of debt.

I shouldnt comment on this until I read it in its entirety but the treasure that I am referring to lost in the Everglades is indeed payroll.

"Chased by the enemy, we buried our payroll at a point in the Everglades at a junction of two creeks, where the land rises like a camel's back. The money is buried in the west hump of the rise." quote Confederate paymaster

 

[ivan salis]

yes but look at the date * when the lost everglades payroll event occurred big cy (1863 / 64 time frame)-- its source wasn't from the "last confederate treasury" money train being brought down south (which happened at the very close of the war) ---- many folks are totally unaware of david yulee ( former 1st senator of florida / 1st ever jewish member of congress ) actions in the souths fiscal dealings abroad ---the everglades payroll money came from funds raised in nassau (the bahama's) from the selling of confederate "war" bonds to mainly english backers with what at the time was very high rates of interest should the south win. -- this gold was badly needed to buy florida cattle from large florida beef farmers which was then drove north to the rail head at baldwin and shipped north to the army ( many florida cattle farmers started to balk at taking only "confederate paper money" in 1863, and they started demanding gold so no matter which way the war went they would be "paid"for their beef ) -- the south also used the nassau money brought over by blockade runners ( like the scottish cheiften and katy dale -- which were sunk in the hillsbrough river near tampa *) some of the money was for local payroll and expense's andexcess funds were often shipped north as well ----- the confederate "beef buying" fort was inshore---that is until until it and the blockade runners were attacked**** by union forces -- (note --- as a added bonus often the blockade runners often held 50,000 in gold "on hand" to buy needed supplies upon arrival in nassau (the bahamas)