Samuel Small (1826 or 1827 – October 30, 1883) was a Baptist minister and state legislator who lived in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

. He was one of several African Americans who served in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

representing Marion County, Florida and Ocala during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. The era was a hotbed of secessionist ferment before the American Civil War. He was born in South Carolina and brought to Florida as a boy. Soon after emancipation he became pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church. He served as Marion County Voter Registrar in 1867 and 1868, and a county commissioner from 1868 to c. 1872. Eric Foner documented him as a literate farmer who was born in 1826 or 1827 and came to Florida before the Civil War. He represented Marion County in the state house in 1874 and 1875. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Ocala. He was enslaved on the Osceola Plantation. It was a former Spanish land grant later owned by John M. Taylor. Taylor's son

R. Fenwick Taylor Robert Fenwick Taylor (March 10, 1849 – February 26, 1928) was an American lawyer and a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court for 35 years, 18 of them as chief justice. He was first app ...

served on the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

for 35 years, 18 of them as chief justice.

References

External links

Findagrave entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Samuel 1820s births 1883 deaths Members of the Florida House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives