Henry T. Titus

Henry Theodore Titus (February 13, 1823 – August 7, 1881) was the founder of Titusville, Florida.

He was born in Trenton, New Jersey on February 13, 1823.^[3] He was the first of nine children of Theodore Titus, and Catharine Flick Howell.^[4] He was raised in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. He was enrolled for some time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, but did not graduate.

In 1845, he was a postal inspector in Philadelphia.

Titus was a leader of the Narciso López filibuster expeditions that invaded Cuba in 1850-1851.

He was a grocer and sawmill operator in Jacksonville, until migrating with his family to "Bleeding Kansas" in April 1856 to join pro-slavery forces. He resided at "Fort Titus," a double-log cabin one mile south of Lecompton, that came under artillery attack from John Brown's raiders on Aug. 16, 1856. He was wounded, captured, and exchanged for Free-State prisoners, before joining filibuster William Walker in Nicaragua in Feb. 1857. After his force was defeated at Castillo Viejo a few weeks later, Titus went to New York City.

He and his brother Elliot moved to the Sonoita Valley, Arizona, where they operated various ore mines during 1858-1860.

Titus returned to Jacksonville during the American Civil War and served as assistant quartermaster in the Florida Militia. He was also working for the Florida Provision Company, a business owned by his father-in-law, Edward S. Hopkins. The firm sold supplies to the Confederate Army. While transporting a load of Confederate draft dodgers to Nassau in 1863, Titus lost his steamer to the Northern blockade and was captured on the Indian River. He eluded imprisonment and later returned to Florida with his family, preceding a post-war wave of newcomers.^[5]

He moved to New York with his family in 1865, but returned to Florida in November 1867, settling at Sand Point which at that time had a population of 250.^[6] Titus built a sawmill, general store and hotel at that location. Titus was appointed postmaster, and soon thereafter renamed the settlement "Titusville." The name of Titusville was determined by a dominoes game with Captain Clark Rice on October 16, 1873.^[6] He lobbied tirelessly to have Titusville named as county seat. His efforts were realized on October 7, 1879 when a vote was taken and the result supported relocation of the county seat to Titusville.^[7]

He was also the Justice of the Peace, a notary public for Volusia County, and a marine insurance underwriter's agent. Rheumatic gout kept him confined to a wheelchair during the last years of his life.

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