Every citizen has a story. When doing research online, I stumbled upon a person who wrote a letter to her aunt who was living in Brazil. When doing further research on this person, I discovered an unknown history behind this person's family who was connected to the Confederate's retreat to South America after the Civil War.
Dr. John Washington Keyes
John Washington Keyes, MD (1825-1892) was born in Athens, Alabama, and was educated at LaGrange College before being suspended for fighting.
He didn't give up his education, though. He ended up studying medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. He then went to Cincinnati, OH for his continuing education, and earned the doctoral degree in Dental surgery from the Ohio Dental College in 1850. He also earned a doctoral degree in medicine from the Medical College of Ohio.
He lived in Florida for a short time until moving back to his home state in 1857 where he practiced dentistry. He became a contributor for dental journals.
During the Civil War, Dr. John was enlisted in the Confederate Army at Mobile, Alabama in Hilliard's Legion. He then became a surgeon of the 12th Alabama Regiment. He acted as a surgeon in the St. Mary's hospital in Montgomery, AL, and was presented a horse as a "mark of esteem."
Fun Fact # 1: Dr. John caught a shark that was 8 feet long. He was 6 feet tall with physical strength.
Southerners Fled Further South
After the Union victory of the Civil War, Dr. John was determined to move to Brazil.
"I am going to Brazil whether any one else goes or not--I do not feel that I am living here--only camping--I can make money here but I must get where I can breathe."
His wife Julia was not fond of the idea of moving to a different country, but while she was in Brazil, she began to love the country's culture and the environment. Dr. John moved his family to Dixie Island in Rio's Guanabara Bay. He and other former Confederate soldiers who left the South would later became known as the Brazilian "Confederados" of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste.
Fun Fact # 2: The first American Confederate family in Brazil was Alabama State Senator William H. Norris and his family.
In the 1870s, some of his family members returned to the United States, but not his son Dr. Charles Keyes (1863-1935). Dr. Charles remained in Brazil and opened his practice in dentistry in Petrópolis and in Rio de Janeiro. He was married in 1890 in Rio to Emily Longstreth of Philadelphia, but feeling concerned about their children's education, Emily decided to move back to the US for the winter seasons to support them. She and her children were living in Germantown.
Fun Fact # 3: Emily's father Samuel T. Longstreth was a businessman in Philadelphia before moving to Rio, and lived there since 1875.
Jennie Keyes Hubbs
All of Dr. Charles and Emily's children were born in Brazil, including Jennie K. Hubbs (1899-1976). She has been writing letters to her aunt Alice Keyes Scott (1859-1944), who was living in Brazil at the time, simply to check in with her.
In 1924, she married Edward F. Hubbs, II in Philadelphia, and had two daughters: Emily and Jennie.
There's this one letter she wrote to Aunt Alice about what she was doing in Pennsylvania:
Jennie wrote the letter while living in Ambler. She and her family rented a house with six rooms in Ambler since September 1931. She used the home yard as her vegetable garden for the summer. She and her daughter Emily planned to visit her mother in Philadelphia, but it was raining very hard at the time. She asked her aunt if the Brazil rain was as heavy as the PA rain she experienced.
She did not hear anything from her father regarding his planned visit to the US, but she assumed he would visit when his health improves.
Linden Lodge
As I researched where she and her family rented the home, it turns out the home was actually located in Spring House, and it was for a long time by Daniel Foulke (1814-1888).
He was the son of Joseph Foulke, founder of the boarding school for boys. He succeeded his father as the principal of the school in 1857 until it closed down between 1859-1860. After the school closed down, he took the job as a surveyor and a conveyancer.
After his marriage to his first wife Elizabeth Foulke in 1847, he moved his family into the Linden Lodge where he lived for the rest of his life. His first wife died in 1849, and Daniel married again to Lydia Walton in 1853.
His daughter Abigail W. Foulke (1856-1933) purchased her father's property after his death. She even got married at the home to Richard Penn Pim (1850-1924) in 1904. With her husband, they managed the Squirrel Inn in Twilight Park, Haines Falls, NY while having a home in Spring House.
NOTE: I would assume "Dr. Hubb" was Edward Hubb's father, Dr. Elwood Samuel Hubbs. He must've lived in the Linden Lodge for a short time before moving out. His son Edward could've kept the place to rent with his wife Jennie.
Between the 1920s and 1930s, Colonel Louis J. Kolb purchased the former Linden Lodge and used the property as part of his farm.
Bibliography
Campbell, Bradley. "The town in Brazil that embraces the Confederate flag." BBC. Last modified June 24, 2015. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33245800.
Edmonds, Franklin Spencer. History of St. Matthew's Church Francisville, Philadelphia, 1822-1925. (Philadelphia: St. Matthew's Church, 1925): 311.
Franklin Survey Co. Atlas: Montgomery County 1934 Vol A, Plate 14, 1934.
Friends' Intelligencer 61, no. 1 (1904): 779.
Greenspan, Jesse. "The Confederacy Made Its Last Stand in Brazil." HISTORY. Last modified June 22, 2020. https://www.history.com/news/confederacy-in-brazil-civil-war.
Jarnigan, Laura. A Confluence of Transatlantic Networks: Elites, Capitalism, and Confederate Migration to Brazil. (Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2014): 42-43.
"JOHN WASHINGTON KEYES." Sons of Confederate Veterans. Accessed August 1, 2022. https://www.scvpalmbeach.com/sub-keyes-family.
Keyes Family papers, The University of Alabama Special Collections, The University of Alabama. https://archives.lib.ua.edu/repositories/3/resources/1180.
Letter to Aunt Alice from Niece Jennie Keyes Hubbs, Ambler, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1931, Box 1505, Folder 1.19, Keyes family papers, The University of Alabama Special Collections, The University of Alabama. https://digitalcollections.libraries.ua.edu/digital/collection/u0003_0000813/id/763/rec/1.
Roberts, Ellwood. Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Containing Genealogical Records of Representative Families, Including Many of the Early Settlers and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens, Volume 2. (New York, Chicago: T.S. Benham & Co. and The Lewis Publishing Co., 1904): 493.
Scott, J. D. Montgomery County 1877, Gwynedd, North Wales, Ambler, Royer's Ford, Limerick Station, 1877.
Stipes, Millard Fillmore. Genealogy and History of the Related Keyes, North and Cruzen Families with a Sketch of the Earth Norths of England. (Jamesport: Millard Fillmore Stipes, 1914): 221-222.
Taylor, Agnes Longstreth. The Longstreth Family Records. (Philadelphia: Press of Ferris & Leach, 1909): 289, 548.
"Wissahickon Valley Public Library's Ambler Gazette Collection." POWER Library: Pennsylvania's Electronic Library. Accessed August 2, 2022. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/wivp-gazett.
#pahistory #ambler #lowergwynedd #springhouse #keyesfamily #hubbsfamily #doctor #medicine #Ohio #Cincinnati #dental #dentistry #dentist #surgery #surgeon #civilwar #confederacy #confederate #Alabama #montgomeryal #brazil #riodejaneiro #Florida #South #confederados #southamerica #americana #squirrelinn #hainesfallsny #NewYork #foulkefamily