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==North Eleuthera==
The other settlement called "The Bluff" (or simply "Bluff") is on the west coast of North Eleuthera Island.
The other settlement called "The Bluff" (or simply "Bluff") is on the west coast of North Eleuthera Island. History says the settlement was established by emancipated slaves somewhere around 1807/8. In 1866, Louis Diston Powles (1842-1911), or L.D.Powles, was appointed Magistrate of the Bahama Islands. One of his first acts was to tour the island group, after which he had a book published: Land of the Pink Pearl. One of the islands that he visited was Eleuthera where he made specific references in his book to the Bluff settlement and its black residents, most notably one John Neely, the tacit leader of the settlement.▼
In 1783, after he had served with the Pennsylvania Loyalists and the Carolina Rangers, James Kelly (1754-1808), cited as entering the Bahamas via East Florida and accompanied by Hugh Kelly was awarded 500 acres in the vicinity of Bluff, Eleuthera. James Kelly married first Susan Turner then Elizabeth Kemp and had a plantation at Bluff. A plantation house may have been built but the location of its remains is unknown.
It seems likely that the Kellys left Bluff. Indeed historic records of Kelly descendants are found at Current, Harbour Island, Nassau all in the Bahamas and Key West, Florida. Records for Kellys of African ancestry, presumably former slaves are also found in the vicinity.
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The third settlement is on Cat Island.
At the National Archives in Nassau, Bahamas, there exists a will from one Christopher Neely, a white slaveholder (a British loyalist originally from South Carolina in the colonies). In his 1807 will he makes specific references to his slaves on Abaco and New Providence Islands. In this will he states that it is his desire that his 24 slaves on [[Abaco Island]] be freed upon his death, which came within several months of his will. It is speculative at best - but not entirely unreasonable - to assume that this settlement was established by these freed slaves from Abaco Island. The (Eleuthera) Bluff settlement sponsors an annual homecoming event the second weekend of July which generally coincides with the Independence Day celebrations taking place throughout the entire Bahamas.
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