John Jumper

The Seminole man John Jumper lived on the New River near present-day Fort Lauderdale in the early 1890s. It is possible that he also lived on Pine Island on the Gulf Coast at some point. When Frank Stranahan, early founder of the city of Fort Lauderdale, established his first homestead in 1893 he did so near Old John Jumper's camp site. According to one source, John Jumper was born circa 1838 and died circa 1910.

Note about confidence of this information:

It is very difficult to provide contextual information about many of the Native Americans mentioned in the Expedition texts. One difficulty is that names are often spelled multiples ways in various sources, and information in those sources is often conflicting. Another difficulty is the Seminole practice of reusing names within families. There are, however, several sources stating that Old John Jumper lived on New River in the early 1890s.

Name Variations:

• Old John Jumper

Credits:

• Photo, Frank Stranahan (Non-Native) with John Jumper and Family In Native Dress, by H.A. Ernst, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Sources:

• "A Seminole Personal Document," by William C. Sturtevant, Tequesta, 1956
• Meeting Minutes, Historic Preservation Board, City of Fort Lauderdale, March 5, 2007
• Photo of coat/jacket owned by John Jumper, National Museum of the American Indian
• "Trading On The River," by Patsy West, The Seminole Tribune, March 23, 2001

References in the Texts:

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• April 12, Tuesday
• April 13, Wednesday

For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015