It was not until Ft. Myers had grown in numbers that race began to play an issue.  As Ft. Myers began to grow the marriage between Nelson and Ellen became unacceptable to the towns people.  The Tillis's children were not allowed to continue their education due to their mixed heritage.  Nelson Tillis built a small wooden shack on what little property that he had left.  This shack was used by his children as a school.  Nelson Tillis went to the Keys and brought back a man named Wesley Roberts to teach his children in his make shift school.  Mr. Roberts taught the Tillis children until his death.  Nelson Tillis was forced to sell his land and belongings.  He was unable to obtain work and the towns people no longer wanted to trade or barter with him.  Nelson Tillis decided to go back to the Bahamas in order to find work.  On his way there it was presumed that he died or was killed.

    The Chaney's stated that Nelson Tillis was originally from the Bahamas.  They were unsure as to how he ended up in the Carolina's working for the Summerall family.  As soon as Nelson and Ellen married they relocated to Hillsborough County.  From there they made there way to Ft. Myers to live.

    The Chaney's  believe that Nelson Tillis and his family were left out of the history books because of racial biases.  During the 1800s blacks were looked upon as an inferior race.  Due to the fact that the Tillis's were a mixed marriage, they faced even harsher criticism.  The Chaney's continue to explain that Ft. Myers was an isolated area. It never had a strong black historical background.  They state that even today the black community still does not have a strong influence in historical writings.  They believe that Ft. Myers has always been able to hide its racial beliefs.  The Chaney's explains that during the civil rights movement of the 60s, the Ft. Myers movement never came to fruition.

    The Chaney's also discussed how it was to live in Ft. Myers for their family.  The black community was forced to live in an area known as Pinetucky.  This area is located near Cleveland and Victoria Streets.  They were then forced to move to Safety Hill.  Safety Hill's name originated from the fact that it is the highest point in Ft. Myers and is safe from flooding.  This area is now known as the Dunbar Community.  The Chaney's state that blacks were restricted to this area and were not allowed to leave there after dark.  If they were found outside of the boundaries of Safety Hill they were required to have a letter from there boss stating they were working.  If they did not have this letter they could end up in trouble with the law.  The Chaney family stresses that the situation began to ease once the schools started to desegregate.  It was a slow and long process.  They believed that this action helped open limited opportunities for the black community.   Their hope is that one day there will be equal opportunities for everyone no matter the color of their skin.

    The Chaney family was gracious to let me interview them for this project.  Their family has a rich and long history in the founding of Ft. Myers.  It is my hope that Nelson Tillis and his family are recognized for the contributions that they have made to the city of Ft. Myers as well as Lee County.