The Life of Joseph Elliott

 

The Palm Beach Post                                                                                                               

Sat, Mar 06, 1926                                                                                                                          

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EARLY SETTLER DIES AFTER EVENTFUL LIFE

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Joseph Elliot, South Florida pioneer and one of the early settlers of West Palm Beach, died at his home in Lake Worth Friday afternoon. His end was hastened some two weeks ago.

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Father of fourteen children and himself the last of his family, had an eventful career.  Born in Glasgow, Scotland, June 24, 1940 he joined the British army before reaching the age of 15. His joining at that early age prevented his acceptance into the Artillerie, so he managed to be taken into the infantry. Later he was transferred to the Royal artillery and spent the greater part of 24 years in India.

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He was honorably discharged as brigade sergeant major, an office of high rank in the British army. On the occasion of his discharge, he was presented with a handsome clock and silver tea and coffee service, also a purse, by his fellow officers.

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Fighting in the Persian war at the age of 15 won him his first medal. A second medal for long service and good conduct was awarded him and personally pinned on him by Queen Victoria. A third medal for meritorious service was awarded him by King Edward VII.  This was presented to Mr. Elliott in 1906 by a British vice consul in Santa Lucretia, Mexico.

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Mr. Elliott was married to Elizabeth Ryan in nineteen hundred and six at Hydrabad, India (when she was fourteen). Six children were born at various army posts in  India, five in England and three in Florida.  Ff these, nine are still living, eight being located in Florida.

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Returning from India to England with his family, Mr. Elliott was finally discharged at Sheffield.  On entering civil life he became transition manager at Preston.  Later ne held the same position in the subsidiary of Lonrion.  He came to Florida in 1882, settling first at San Mateo, where he had an orange grove.  Later, moving to St. Augustine.  He remained there until 1893.  In that year, he came down the east coast in charge of the commissary department of the Florida East Coast Railway, then under construction.

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He was active and closely identified with the early civic life of West Palm Beach from 1894 when the population of the town was a mere handful.  As a member of the first school board in this vicinity, he held out for a school building having two classrooms and an assembly room above.  This was opposed by the other members who contended that the size of the town did not warrant such extensive provisions.  The original school building was located at the southwest corner of Clematis Street and Poinsettia Avenue becoming the court house when Palm Beach County was formed. It was razed just a few weeks ago.

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Mr. EIliott was the first contributor to the building fund of the Union Congregational church, which for several years was the only house of worship in the community. He was the first Justice of the peace in Dade County, when the county seat was at Juno, He was president of the first local fire department, then more of a social club than a fire-fighting organization, hut there were fires. He served for several years as a member of the first city council in West Palm Beach.

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In 1807, Mr. Eliott went to Mexico where he was in business for 13 yeanrs. On his return to West Palm Beach in 1910, he operated the Seminole Hotel, now the Luke Park, until 1414. During these years, he again served on the city conncil. In 1914 he purchased the Hotel Florida property in Lake Worth, which on his retirement a few years later, was taken over by his son, Joseph H. Elliott.

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Up to the time of his recent illness, Mr. Elliott retained an intense interest in the development of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. In his drives about the two cities, he wus eager to view the new buildings and other activities marking the growth of these communities, His home was one of the first houses to be built In West Palm Beach, being located on Datura street. This was recently razed to make room for the Danara Arcade building. He was credited with having raised the first rose that bloomed in the city. There are few people in West Palm Beach today who witnessed as much of the development, upbuilding and growth of this locality as Mr., Elliott.

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Surviving Mr. Elllott] six daughters, three sons, sixteen grandehildren and eight great grandchildren. The daughters and sons are: Dr. Grace F. E., Papot, Mrs. L. Gross and Mrs. Edwin M. Neil of West Palm Beach; Miss Beatrice Elliott, John Elliott, R. H. Elliott and Joseph H. Elliott of Lake Worth;  Mis. Chas. M. Milburn of Jacksonville, and Dr. Mabel Elliott, now in Tokio, Japan.  With the exception of Dr. Elliott, all of the immediate family were vith their father at the end.

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Funeral services will be held at three o'clock Sunday afternoon from the Ferguson chapel and interment will take place in Woodlawn cemetery.

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(Editor’s Note:  After the incorporation of West Palm Beach as a town of which committee he chaired, Joseph ran for mayor.  His opponent was John Sites Earmsn, who ran the Earman House Hotel, across the street from the Elliott house on Datura.  It was a close race with Mr. Earman winning by two votes – forty three to forty one.)