Albert Manucy

Who is Albert Manucy?

Albert C. Manucy was an author, historian and a Fulbright Scholar who lived in St. Augustine, Florida. Manucy was a descendant of Josef Manucy, who sailed in 1768 from the city of Mahón in Minorca to work as an indentured servant on Andrew Turnbull's plantation at what was to be the failed colony of New Symrna. In 1779 Josef and the entire colony of settlers, made up mostly of Minorcans, as well as Greeks and Italians, left the dismal conditions of New Smyrna en masse. They walked 70 miles north to the then British controlled city of St. Augustine to request sanctuary from Patrick Tonyn, the British governor of East Florida, which was granted by the courts of the province.

Born in St. Augustine, Albert Manucy witnessed the destruction of many local historic houses over the course of his residence there, a loss which inspired him to write about those remaining. He aimed to assist in developing an accurate interpretation and understanding of their history and to help ensure their preservation. Manucy received a Master’s degree in history from the University of Florida in 1934. He studied Spanish architecture in Spain on a Fulbright Scholarship.