Alonzo Brown Noyes was my GGGrandfather, as well. Margaret and I are cousins, but not acquainted except through postal and E-mail correspondence.

A. B. Noyes was Collector of Customs at Fernandina, Florida, employed by the U.S. Government prior to the seccession of Florida from the Union in April, 1861.

Following secession, he became, variously, a Collector of Customs for the Confederacy, a QuarterMaster officer with the rank of Major, and the Master of Lights for the Florida District.

There exists a hand written letter, of which I possess a color copy, from Raphael Simms to A. B. Noyes, dated April, 1861. That letter addresses A.B. as "Master of Lights", and essentially discusses the change-over from U.S. control to Confederate control of the various lights in the district and the payment of salaries, etc. to various keepers. The original letter was offered on Ebay several years ago with a starting bid of $2000.00. Had it been from A. B. Noyes to Raphael Simms, instead of the other way around, it would have been affordable. The seller was kind enough to send me two color copies, free of charge.

A. B. Noyes did raise and enlist a unit of Coast Guard that bore his name. There was a "steamer", named the A. B. Noyes that was scuttled during the Federal siege of Fort Brookes (I believe). The boat was scuttled to both prevent its capture and to block the river itself.

As a former Federal officer, A. B. Noyes was not included in any of the amnesty provisions issued by President Andrew Johnson. He was required to submit a written plea for amnesty to President Johnson, which he did via a hand written letter. I have seen and read a photostatic copy of that letter in the Genealogical Library of Southern Archives in Birmingham, Alabama. The original remains in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Alonzo B. Noyes is buried in the cemetary of the Saint Peter's Episcopal Church in Fernandina, Florida. His gravesite and stone can be viewed, on-line, at
http://www.cemeterysurveysinc.com/index.php?s=Noyes