The Blanchards

Joseph Abraham Blanchard - Soldier, Pilot, Fisherman

•                    Joseph was born 15 March 1863, in St. Augustine, Florida

•                    Joseph married 1st wife, Sallie by June 1885 – 3 children (1 died an infant)

•                    Joseph enlisted for U.S. Army service during Spanish-American War

•                    Joseph married 2nd wife, Lizzie in 1896, Joseph - a boat pilot (with his 2 children)

•                    1910 – married to 3rd wife, Mary as an oyster fisherman in Punta Gorda, FL

•                    1920 – Joseph (widower) a pilot for Estero Bay Corporation, Estero Island, FL

•                    1925 – married to 4th wife, Minnie (mail order bride from New Orleans), built house on Fitzhugh Ave, Punta Gorda. He was a fisherman with the wholesale fish industry.

•                    1949, Christmas Eve – Joseph Blanchard died at his home. Buried in the Lt Carl A. Bailey Cemetery, Cleveland, FL (age 80).

•                    1963, 30 Aug – Minnie Blanchard died at Flint Goodridge Hospital of Dillard University, in New Orleans (age 84).

The Blanchard House was constructed in 1925 by local builder Thatcher Johnson. The bungalow residence was built for its owner, Joseph Blanchard, a local African American fisherman, Veteran of the Spanish American War, steamboat captain, and key member of early Punta Gorda’s business community. Living in the Blanchard House with Joseph was his wife Minnie, who was also African American and worked as a housekeeper. Joseph was born in St. Augustine, Florida where he worked as a sea captain pilot from a young age along the Florida coastlines. Minnie was from New Orleans, Louisiana and was a mail-order bride.

 Joseph Blanchard passed away on Christmas Day 1949 in his home. His death certificate listed his date of birth as March 15, 1869, whereas his gravestone has both 1869 and 1879 written on it. Utilizing the 1870 census, however, gives Joseph’s actual birth date as March 15, 1862, making him 87 years old when he passed away. Minnie lived alone in the home for another thirteen years after her husband’s passing. As her health declined, her daughters brought her back to her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, to Flint Goodridge Hospital of Dillard University. Minnie succumbed to her ailments on Friday, August 30, 1963, at the age of 84. She was brought back to Punta Gorda and laid to rest next to her husband Joseph.

Following Minnie Blanchard’s death the house had various renters and finally sat empty and deteriorated for many years. In 1997, Bernice A. Russell, a friend of the Blanchard family, and local pioneer, purchased the house at a tax sale with the vision and dream of  establishing a museum of local African American history museum within its walls. Bernice Andrews Russell was born in Marianna, Florida, and was raised in Punta Gorda. She was a descendant of one of the first African American pioneer families to settle in Punta Gorda. Her deep pride in her heritage and cultural value of “giving back” fueled her life’s mission, and she dedicated her entire life to being a humanitarian, social activist, community leader, and historian for the African American community. For instance, in the 1980s, Mrs. Russell established a traveling exhibition on African American history that was displayed at Punta Gorda Railroad Depot's Segregated Waiting Room. Mrs. Russell passed away in 1999, before her Blanchard House dream could become a reality,  and upon her death, the house was donated to the Bernice A. Russell Community Development Corporation by her heirs. Formed in her honor, this corporation dedicates itself to furthering Bernice Russell’s mission.