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Byrd "Birdie" Spilman Dewey (née Julia Bird Spilman; February 16, 1856 – April 1, 1942) was an American author, land investor, and co-developer of the Town of Boynton. She lived in Florida from 1881 until her death in 1942. Her best known work, ''Bruno'', told the Dewey's story of early pioneering days in
central Florida Central Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, in ...
. The book remained in print for over twenty years, classified as
juvenile literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
– today it better fits the classification of
young adult literature Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
. Dewey was an important figure in pioneer
South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
history, adding philanthropy, and environmental conservation to her notable endeavors with her work in the Florida
Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
. In 2013 and 2017, she was a finalist for the Florida Women's Hall of Fame.


Early life

Byrd Spilman Dewey was born Julia Bird Spilman in
Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...
, to Jonathan Edwards Spilman and Eliza Sarah Taylor. Her maternal great-grandfather was Colonel Richard Taylor, father of President
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...
. Mrs. Dewey's father was an attorney, composer and
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
minister. He wrote the 19th-century song " Flow Gently Sweet Afton". Her mother died on August 10, 1866, as the result of a fire aboard the steamboat ''Bostona No. 3'' in
Maysville, Kentucky Maysville is a "Home rule in the United States, home rule" class city in Mason County, Kentucky, Mason County, Kentucky, United States, and is the county seat of Mason County. The population was 8,873 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
. She attended school in
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
including Maysville College and the Sayre Institute (
Sayre School Sayre School is an independent, private, co-educational school in Lexington, Kentucky, US. The school enrolls 610 students from age two through twelfth grade. It has 68 full-time faculty members. History David A. Sayre, a New Jersey silversmith ...
) where she studied literature, music, art, and language skills. In 1877 she moved with her family to
Salem, Illinois Salem is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,282 at the 2020 census. History Salem was founded in 1823 as the county seat of the newly formed Marion County. It is situated halfway betw ...
, to her father's next
pastorate A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicis ...
. It was there that she met Frederick Sidney Dewey; they were married on September 25, 1877. Fred was a distant cousin of Admiral
George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, wi ...
, and also of
Melvil Dewey Melville Louis Kossuth "Melvil" Dewey (December 10, 1851 – December 26, 1931) was an American librarian and educator who invented the Dewey Decimal system of library classification. He was a founder of the Lake Placid Club, a chief librarian a ...
, the inventor of the
Dewey Decimal System The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) (pronounced ) colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. ...
.


Move to Florida

Because of Fred S. Dewey's respiratory ailments, contracted during his service in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, the Deweys moved to Florida in 1881. They arrived in
Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
where they looked at properties in the
St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...
area. They bought of land in Zellwood intending to grow vegetables and raise an orange grove. By 1883 the land proved unsuitable for vegetables and the orange trees still needed years before reaching maturity. The Deweys sold the land and moved to Eustis where Fred took a bookkeeping position. Life in Eustis was unsatisfying for the Deweys, so they moved back to Jacksonville, where Fred worked for the T.V. Cashen Lumber Company as a bookkeeper. In 1885 Byrd Spilman Dewey gave birth to Elizabeth Dewey (referred to as "Little Blossom" in ''Bruno'') who died while an infant – the only child the Deweys ever bore. In 1887 the Deweys heard of a new frontier opening to the south – the Lake Worth Country. The land surrounding Lake Worth, a long lagoon, was just beginning to open up for settlements. The Deweys filed a homestead claim for of property one mile west of Lake Worth on Lake Mangonia. They cultivated about in
coconuts The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
,
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
,
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
,
avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...
, sugar apple, and
guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...
. Fred sailed across Lake Worth each day to the tiny settlement of Palm Beach to do bookkeeping or carpentry work.


Writing career

Byrd Spilman Dewey's first known work appeared in the ''Florida Farmer and Fruit Grower'' newspaper in 1887. She contributed to the column "Our Home Circle" by Helen Harcourt under the pen name Aunt Judith Sunshine. She provided recipes and household tips on dealing with the harsh
South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
environment. In 1887 she published her first article in a national magazine, the ''Christian Union'', entitled "On Toast". She followed that article with others in the ''Christian Union'' such as "Our Perfect Home (suggested by What I Covet)" and "The Wall Furniture in Our Perfect Home"; all under the pen name of Judith Sunshine. In the period between 1889 and 1895 she published a series of articles in ''
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...
'', mostly short stories on a variety of moral and home topics. In 1891, Dewey became the first columnist in Guy Metcalf's newspaper ''
The Tropical Sun ''The Tropical Sun'' was South Florida's first newspaper, established in 1891 and based in Juno, Florida and later in West Palm Beach. Founded by Guy Metcalf, the paper was published in Juno, which was the county seat of Dade County (which then ...
''. She began publishing her weekly column "The Sitting Room" in April 1891 and wrote the column through September 1891. Her
byline The byline (or by-line in British English) on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name of the writer of the article. Bylines are commonly placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some magazines (notably '' Reader's ...
for the columns was "Aunt Judith". She also signed several poems, short stories, advice columns, and recipes with the initials J. S. The column featured housekeeping advice, philosophy on family and married life, and recipes suited for the tropical household. In 1896, she published her first work under her own name in the ''Lake Worth Historian'', a publication produced by the pioneer women of Lake Worth as a fundraiser for the Royal Poinciana Chapel.
Little, Brown & Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...
published her sentinel work, ''Bruno'', in 1899. The book sold well across the country—more than 100,000 copies during its first year of publication—and was received well in national reviews. It was featured as a standard reader in several school catalogs around the United States. The book was autobiographical in nature, with Mrs. Dewey becoming the character of "Judith" and her husband the character of "Julius". That ''Bruno'' served as an autobiography was confirmed in the 2012 biography of the Deweys, ''Pioneering Palm Beach: The Deweys and the South Florida Frontier'', where the authors were able to match land records and events to the book's storyline. Her second book, ''The Blessed Isle and its Happy Families'', was published in 1907 by the Press of the Record Company. This book told the stories of the cats and dogs that graced the Dewey home in West Palm Beach, Florida during the 1890s to early 1900s. The book had its genesis from a series of articles Mrs. Dewey published in ''Vogue'' magazine. The stories took place at ''Ben Trovato'', the Dewey homestead on Lake Worth where they had moved following the sale of their of property on Lake Mangonia. Her third book, ''From Pine Woods to Palm Groves'', was published in 1909 in serialized form in ''The Florida Review'', a Florida literary journal. This book is set at the beginning of the Dewey's adventures in the nascent Palm Beach County during the time from 1887 to 1893. Ben Trovato served as a focal point for national dignitaries including Henry Phipps,
Richard Watson Gilder Richard Watson Gilder (February 8, 1844 – November 19, 1909) was an American poet and editor. Life and career Gilder was born on February 8, 1844 at Bordentown, New Jersey. He was the son of Jane (Nutt) Gilder and the Rev. William Henry Gi ...
, and Mr. and Mrs.
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
. Several of Dewey's recipes were included in the 1913 cookbook ''Economy Administration'' sponsored by the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
during the Wilson Administration. She continued to write, typically in short story form which she self-published in small pamphlets. Her last published work during her life was in the ''Florida Naturalist'' in 1927, titled "Some Bird Notes". In 2014, all of Mrs. Dewey's known works were compiled into one volume: ''The Collected Works of Byrd Spilman Dewey''. Her cat and dog stories could be compared to the work of contemporary authors such as
Gwen Cooper Gwen Elizabeth Cooper is a fictional character portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles in the BBC science-fiction television programme '' Torchwood'', a spin-off of the long-running series ''Doctor Who''. The lead female character, Gwen featured ...
or John Grogran.


Genesis of the Town of Boynton

As Dewey's authorship earnings increased, she began to invest in land in the exploding South Florida real estate market. In 1892 she purchased a tract of land, at the south end of Lake Worth, from George H. K. Charters for . In 1895 William S. Linton, a congressman from
Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...
, offered her for her land. Linton had first toured South Florida that year with fellow Michigander
Nathan Boynton Nathan Smith Boynton (June 23, 1837 – May 27, 1911)Castello, David JNathan S. Boynton boyntonbeach.com. Retrieved September 5, 2013. was a Michigan politician, inventor, investor, hotel owner, and a Civil War Major. He was born in Port Huron, ...
, staying at the House of Refuge in Zion, Florida. Linton entered into a contract with the Deweys where he would pay them a year for four years. In 1897 Linton became insolvent. The Deweys filed a foreclosure lawsuit in August 1897 against Linton and Boynton. The case was settled out of court in October 1897 and the Deweys regained their land. The story of the Deweys' role in the founding of Boynton was featured in the Florida Legacy Productions documentary, ''Solving the Mystery of Birdie S. Dewey''. Nathan Boynton was credited as the city's founding father although he never owned the town site land. When William S. Linton became insolvent, he had sold farm tracts and town lots and accepted money. The deeds he issued to homesteaders were worthless. When the 1897 lawsuit was settled, money that William S. Linton had collected was turned over to the Deweys and they issued deeds. William S. Linton had failed to file a legal plat for the town of Boynton. Frederick S. Dewey and Byrd Spilman Dewey filed the plat for the Town of Boynton in the Dade County courthouse on September 26, 1898. In addition, they filed a plat for "Dewey's Subdivision" which contained farming tracts. The Deweys built their first house in Boynton (called Spilman Cottage), using it as a weekend home. Adjacent to the home, Fred Dewey planted the first orange grove in Boynton along the coastal canal, where today's Sterling Village development stands. They donated lots for a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
church, donated the proceeds from lot sales to pave streets, and Mrs. Dewey donated a large portion of her personal library to start the town's first library, with the books held at the local post office. The Deweys built a second home in Boynton (called Ben Trovato) where they lived from 1909 to 1911. Health concerns forced them to move to Tennessee, where Mr. Dewey entered a Civil War soldier's home in Johnson City.


Work with the Florida Audubon Society

After her husband's death in 1919, Dewey began to work with the Florida
Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
. In 1920 she was named the field secretary, making speeches and presentations around the state in the name of conservation, animal protection, and the creation of bird sanctuaries. She continued her work until her move to Jacksonville in 1928. She occasionally visited the Palm Beach area, until failing health no longer allowed her to travel.


Inspiration for West Palm Beach Hotel and Resort

On February 13, 2020, a hotel opened on the West Palm Beach waterfront called The Ben. The 208-room hotel was inspired by the hospitality and home of Byrd Spilman Dewey and her estate Ben Trovato. Dewey's silhouette is featured in the resort's signature original artwork, showing her likeness painted onto the spines of antiquarian books. The Dewey portrait is also featured on the hotel's exclusive elevator to the top floor restaurant, bar and pool area.


Death

Spilman Dewey died in 1942 in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, following a long illness. She was interred in the Greenlawn Cemetery in South Jacksonville. She died with few assets, but a long legal battle ensued between her nieces and nephews, and her caregiver. The case went to the
Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...
and was settled in 1944; the two parties split her assets.


Honors

Byrd Spilman Dewey was a top 10 finalist for the Florida Woman's Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2017. The City of Boynton Beach renamed a city park in honor of the Deweys.


Works


Periodical articles

* 1887 "On Toast" – ''The Christian Union'' * 1887 "Our Perfect Home (Suggested by What I Covet)" – ''The Christian Union'' * 1888 "The Wall Furniture in our Perfect Home" – ''The Christian Union'' * 1889 "The Tyranny from the Other Side" – ''Good Housekeeping'' * 1890 "At other people's convenience" – ''Good Housekeeping'' * 1890 "A suitable Christmas Present" – ''Good Housekeeping'' * 1892 "You ought to know" – ''Good Housekeeping'' * 1895 "A village tragedy" – ''Good Housekeeping'' * 1895 "Who Seeks Finds" – ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' (under pen name Judith Ray) * 1904 "The Happy Families" (series of four articles) – ''Vogue'' * 1913 "Recipes of Mrs. Byrd Spilman Dewey" – ''The Economy Administration Cook Book'' * 1927 "Some Bird Notes" – ''The Florida Naturalist''


Newspaper articles

* 1891 "The Sitting Room" – ''The Tropical Sun'' * 1909 "Back Home" – ''The Maysville Public Ledger'' * 1914 "We are Ready for Vote" – ''The Maysville Public Ledger''


Short stories

* 1896 "A Lake Worth Romance" * 1907 "Peter the Tramp" * 1907 "Rebecca: A postscript to Bruno" * 1911 "Flying Blossom" * 1913 "Tale of Satan" * 1914 "O Youth Eternal" * 1917 "Who Seeks Finds"


Books

* 1899 ''Bruno'' * 1907 ''The Blessed Isle and its Happy Families'' * 1909 ''From Pine Woods to Palm Groves'' * 2014 ''The Collected Works of Byrd Spilman Dewey'' * 2015 ''Bruno – A New Edition'' * 2016 ''From Pine Woods to Palm Groves – A New Edition'' * 2020 ''The Blessed Isle and its Happy Families – A New Edition''


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewey, Byrd Spilman 1856 births 1942 deaths 20th-century American novelists American city founders American women novelists American people of English descent American women short story writers American short story writers Florida pioneers Sayre School alumni Novelists from Florida Novelists from Kentucky Family of Zachary Taylor People from Covington, Kentucky People from Boynton Beach, Florida 20th-century American women writers