McQueen, Juan, Don, 1751-1897.

John McQueen (1751-1807) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 18 September 1751 and grew up in Charlestown, South Carolina. As a young man, McQueen was involved in land speculation and owned thousands of acres of land in both South Carolina and central Georgia. When war between the American colonies and Great Britain became apparent, McQueen sympathized with the colonists and was commissioned as Captain in the Navy of South Carolina in March 1778. As a captain in the Navy, McQueen was often entrusted by George Washington to carry dispatches to the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) in France. Following the end of the American Revolutionary War, McQueen continued to speculate land and bought land south of the Savannah River in Georgia. He moved his family to a small plantation, named the Cottage in Savannah, Georgia in 1784. In 1786, McQueen traveled to Paris, France and was invited to dinner several times by Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), who was serving as the American Minister to France, the Comte d'Estaing (1729-1794), and the Marquis de Lafayette. Upon his return to America, McQueen became involved in Georgia legislature until he amassed a great amount of debt. By 1789, McQueen was known to be a tax delinquent in Chatham County, Georgia, which caused him to take refuge in Florida to avoid tax collectors, his creditors, and the American courts. While in Florida, McQueen swore his allegiance to the King of Spain, converted to Catholicism and took the name, Don Juan McQueen. He resided and worked in Florida until his death on 11 October 1807 and was buried in St. Augustine, Florida.

From the description of Don Juan McQueen papers, 1779-1803. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 288957197