Born of the Sea

A True Key West Conch Bill was born in Key West, Florida in 1945; his ancestry can be traced from, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas to Florida, including Cuba. Growing up he was involved in fishing, trapping lobster and stone crab. Life was carefree on the small island of Key West, swimming, roaming around the island with his friends. His family moved to Orlando while he was in his teens. He was never quite happy being away from the ocean. As an adult he would make several trips each year to visit his relatives and to help work the lobster and crab traps. His love and fascination with the sea continues to grow even today. Purchasing a 32 foot cabin cruiser, he was finally able to travel both coasts of Florida, Key West and to many of the islands in the Bahamas. Ernest Hemingway has long been one of his favorite authors. He is especially fond of the novel “To Have and Have Not.” He and his wife began working on his family ancestry nearly eight years ago. The Johnson side was relativity calm; the Pierce side is a different story. Several generations were ship’s captains or ship’s carpenters living and working in the Caribbean. His ancestry even included a pirate, Joseph Pierce; his grandfather x 7. Joseph accepted a pardon offered in 1718 by the British Crown. He later became a respected citizen in New Providence, where he married and raised a family. Some of the characters in this novel are adaptations taken directly from his family ancestry. Captain William Henry Pierce, the main character is based off his maternal great grandfather. Even though he was only a small boy when he knew him, he idolized and admired him.