Andress Floyd

Born in Saco, Maine, in 1873, Andress Small Floyd was an American philanthropist and writer remembered above all for founding the Self-Master Colony, a refuge for homeless and downcast men in Union, New Jersey. He and his wife, Lillian, transformed a mansion into a place of shelter and support at a time before modern welfare systems were widely available.

Floyd wrote My Monks of Vagabondia, published in 1913, drawing on the lives and experiences of men connected to the colony. The book stands out for its direct, sympathetic storytelling and for the window it opens onto people who were often ignored by society.

He died in 1933, but his name remains tied to an unusual mix of reform work and firsthand social writing. For readers today, his work is interesting not just as memoir or reportage, but as a record of one man's attempt to meet hardship with dignity and practical help.