In 1768, he founded the colony of
New Smyrna, Florida, named in honor of his wife's birthplace, the ancient Greek city of Smyrna (now
İzmir) on the
Aegean coast of
Anatolia. Turnbull was married to
Gracia Dura Bin (also cited as Maria Gracia Rubini), the daughter of a
Greek merchant from Smyrna. His colony was located in the province of British
East Florida, and encompassed some 101,400 acres (410 km); it was nearly three times the size of the colony at
Jamestown. In partnership with
Sir William Duncan he secured a grant of 40,000 acres (160 km) of land on the east coast of the peninsula, with the requirement from the British government that it be settled within 10 years in the proportion of one person for every . In 1765 he sailed to
St. Augustine, the capital of the province, and secured the grant from Governor
James Grant. The land was located at what is now New Smyrna Beach about south of St. Augustine. Turnbull then returned to
England, secured financing for his forthcoming venture through bounties from the government and the Board of Trade, and subsequently sailed for the
Mediterranean to find colonists "for a Tract of Land in East Florida on which I might settle a small Colony of Greeks," as Turnbull explained in a letter to
Lord Shelburne. One of Turnbull's prospective partners in the venture was
Francis Levett, an English
factor working in
Livorno for the
Levant Company. From a powerful English mercantile family with extensive trading connections,
Levett hoped to use his influence in the Levant to supply Greek laborers to Turnbull's new colony. Levett then left London, where he had relocated, and settled in British East Florida, where he was granted a plantation by Governor Grant. His collaboration with Turnbull apparently came to naught. In June 1767, Turnbull arrived with his ships in the Mediterranean, where he visited
Mahon,
Menorca;
Livorno,
Italy;
Smyrna,
Asia Minor;
Melos,
Mani,
Koroni,
Methoni in Greece;
Crete;
Santorini; and
Corsica. He encountered opposition from
French,
Italian, and
Turkish authorities, who did not want to see their subjects leave, but after persistent efforts, he finally rounded up over 1,400
indentured servants, the majority from Menorca, and left for his new colony in East Florida. In his contract, Turnbull made promises for his colonists to work for three years, after which they would be freed and given a title to fifty acres;
however he never fulfilled this promise. Turnbull's settlers eventually succeeded in producing crops of high quality
indigo,
hemp and
sugarcane for making
rum, but the plantation suffered major losses due to insect-borne diseases and Native American raids. Meanwhile, tensions grew between Turnbull and the colonists because of his neglect and mistreatment by his overseers. The remaining colonists marched north in 1777 to
St. Augustine along the
King's Road to complain of this mistreatment to Governor
Patrick Tonyn, and permanently abandoned New Smyrna when he offered them sanctuary. In 1783 Florida was returned to the Spanish, and Turnbull left his plantation to retire in
Charleston, South Carolina. ==Honors==