About Us

FHS LIBRARY HOURS:

Tues. through Thur. 10:00AM - 2:00PM

Researchers:  In order to best serve our patrons,  research at the library is by appointment only.   To make a research appointment with the archivist,  please email: archivist@myfloridahistory.org     Be sure to include details of your area of research, and when you would like to come in.   Appointments will be confirmed via return email.

Rossetter House Museum

Historic Rossetter House Museum & Gardens,

1320 Highland Ave, Melbourne, FL 32935:

    Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday                   10:00 am - 3:00 pm

 

Established in 1856, the Florida Historical Society is dedicated to preserving Florida's past through the collection and archival maintenance of historical documents and photographs, the publication of scholarly research on Florida history, and educating the public about Florida history through a variety of public history projects and programs, including:

  • Maintain an extensive archive at the Library of Florida History
  • Publish the Florida Historical Quarterly and books, fiction and nonfiction, through the Florida Historical Society Press
  • Manage the Historic Rossetter House Museum and Gardens
  • Operate the Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute
  • Produce "Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society" which airs on NPR stations throughout the state
  • Produce "Florida Frontiers Television" which airs on public television stations throughout the state
  • Publish Florida Frontiers Blog, which appears in Florida Today newspaper each week
  • Present the Florida Frontiers Festival, a celebration of Florida's diverse history & culture
  • Maintain a content rich web site at myfloridahistory.org, and a dynamic Facebook page at "Florida Historical Society."
  • Present the Annual Meeting and Symposium, held in a different Florida location in May each year featuring paper presentations, round table discussions, tours of historic sites, an awards luncheon, banquet, picnic, and more.
  • Our educational outreach projects and programs include active participation in events and festivals throughout the state, frequent public talks on a variety of subjects, workshops for teachers and students, history-based theatrical presentations, exhibits, and much more.

We are an independent, Member supported, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization.

 

Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute

 

fhsaiThe Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute, FHSAI, is a program of the Florida Historical Society that focuses on the intersection between history and archaeology in Florida.

The FHSAI initiatives include publishing books and articles by Florida archaeologists and promoting archaeology on the FHS Florida Frontiers radio and television programs. FHSAI also hosts a series of public talks at various venues around the state, and archaeology sessions at the FHS’s Annual Meeting and Symposium.

An important part of the FHSAI mission statement is the promotion of complementary work by other organizations.

 

Below are links to FHSAI annual magazine, Adventures in Florida Archaeology, for download in portable digital format, PDF, from 2016 to the present:

FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2016

 
fhsai

The 2016 magazine is available in PDF (portable document format) for download.

 

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FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2017

 
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The 2017 edition is available for download below.

 

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FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2018

 
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The 2018 edition of Adventures in Florida Archaeology is available for download below.

 

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FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2019

 
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The 2019 edition of Adventures in Florida Archaeology is available for download below.

 

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FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2020

 
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The 2020 edition of Adventures in Florida Archaeology is  available for download below.

 

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Public Files: 

FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2021

 

                                                     

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The 2021 edition of Adventures in Florida Archaeology is available for download below.

            

 

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Public Files: 

FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2022

 

                                                     

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The 2022 edition of Adventures in Florida Archaeology is available for download below.

            

 

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Public Files: 

FHSAI Adventures in Florida Archaeology Magazine 2023

 

 

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The 2023 edition of Adventures in Florida Archaeology is available for download below.

            

 

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Educational Resources

The Florida Historical Society houses a wide array of both primary and secondary source materials from the colonial era to present day tourism trends available to researchers and students. However, when a visit to the library is not optional, our Teacher’s Resource Page will give students and educators the ability to access as much of our archived materials as possible.
 

CLICK on the below outline links for educational resources.

FHS Classroom Resources

These modules are designed for teachers and students to be able to access and interpret primary sources found at the Library of Florida History. The Florida Historical Society has, for over a century, collected and preserved original documents and records relating to the history of Florida. Yet, the use of original documents in the classroom is often hindered by access to vetted archival repositories. This is an ongoing effort by the Florida Historical Society to create thematic modules which teachers and students are encouraged to download and use in the classroom. These modules are designed for students in grades 4-12, but can be adapted for use in both lower and upper levels. Many of these documents can be utilized outside of the social studies curriculum to connect history with other disciplines.

The first three modules (Slavery in Florida, The Civil War Soldier, and Reconstruction in Florida) in this classroom series were created with financial assistance through a grant from the Florida Council of Social Studies Endowment Board. Special thanks to Heather Pierce for creating much of the content for these first three modules.  Additional resources include books published by FHS Press with a guide.

*All documents are housed at the Florida Historical Society Library of Florida History unless otherwise noted. 

Click on the below outline links for resources:

Slavery in Florida

As early as the 16th century when Europeans began coming to Florida’s shores, slaves have been an important component of the cultural and social dynamic of the state. By the time Florida became a United States territory in 1821, slavery had become an integral part of the Middle Florida plantation economy. The system of African slavery in Florida was more closely related to other southern states of the time leading up to the American Civil War however. Florida has become part of the great cotton belt which produced a large quantity of the country’s cotton from this slave labor system. This module will focus on the decades leading up to 1861 when slavery had reached its pinnacle in Florida. Students will read and discuss primary documents relating to the institution of slavery in Florida. Each document is accompanied by suggested review questions that will help students engage with the documents in a meaningful way.

Downloads: 

Florida's Big Dig

 

This book is the story of people of vision and courage, of a small group of prominent Saint Augustine investors who conceived of the Florida waterway and began the first dredging work; of an obscure group of New England capitalists who provided significant financing and obtained a million acres of undeveloped Florida public land in pursuing what was, at best, a speculative enterprise; of innumerable citizen groups like the Florida east coast chamber associations and the larger Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association that demanded at the turn of the last century what they believed was the peoples right-a public waterway, free of the burden of tolls; and finally, of the US Army Corps of Engineers, who conducted all of the Florida waterway's early surveys and assumed the project's control in 1929 to convert what was once a private toll way into Florida's modern-day, toll-free Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
 

A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO FLORIDA’S BIG DIG

by William G. Crawford, Jr.

Synopsis: The story of Florida’s Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from 1881 to 1935: How a privately built toll way became a toll-free public waterway of the federal government.

Click on image or file link near bottom of page to download PDF of teachers guide.  The Teacher's Guide is free to use.

 

BigDigTeachersGuide-frontpage.jpg

 

 

The book in both hardback and paperback is availble from the book store of the Florida Historical Society.

 

 

 

 

PDFfile: 

The Civil War Soldier

The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict on American soil. Florida was deeply involved in every aspect of the conflict. Thousands of Floridians fought for both the Union and Confederate Armies and Navies. The primary catalyst for war was the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Many Floridians feared President Lincoln would abolish slavery, thus upsetting the social and economic system of the state.  At the center of this large-scale conflict was the Civil War soldier. Of the thousands of Floridians that went off to war, many never returned. This module focuses on the day to day experiences of soldiers fighting in and outside of Florida’s boundaries, as well as the toll paid by family members these soldiers left behind. Students will be able to build on their previous understanding of the Civil War with supplemental primary materials from those who experienced the conflict first hand.

Downloads: 

Forcing Change

It is June 1963 and fifteen-year-old Margaret Jefferson is being arrested at a sit-in at a lunch counter in St. Augustine.  The Civil Rights Movement has found its way into her hometown, and Maggie feels a deep need to be a part of it.  She believes in the ideals of the movement and the ultimate goal of equality.  She also finds the nonviolence that the protestors are committed to very comforting.

However, as the summer and fall of 1963 unfold in St. Augustine, their nonviolent protests are met with rising resistance, aggression, and intimidation from local government officials as well as the Ku Klux Klan.  Cattle prods used on protestors, firebombs thrown into the homes of families trying to integrate the schools. teenagers held in jail indefinitely.  No one is safe, it seems.

This story, told through Maggie's innocent and hopeful eyes, will help a new generation of young people to understand the strength and sacrifices of those who worked so hard for civil rights in this country.  It will also help to shine the spotlight on the role that St. Augustine, and Florida, had in the movement.

Judy Lindquist is the author of the acclaimed historical novel Saving Home, used in classrooms throughout the state to engage students in the study of Spanish colonial St. Augustine.  She teaches fourth grade students in Orange County, and aspiring teachers at the University of Central Florida.

 



 

 

 

 

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Reconstruction in Florida

The Civil War official ended in April of 1865, yet the county had been torn apart both literally and figuratively. Much of the infrastructure and economy in the southern states were devastated. Tens of thousands of wounded soldiers struggled to return home and return to civilian life but the problem of readmitting the Confederate state back into the Union was complicated and fraught with difficulty. For years after the last shots were fired, many former Confederate states including Florida were under military rule. Politicians from the north occupied public posts which angered many former Confederates. The documents contained in this module examine some of the challengers brought about by Reconstruction. Students will examine firsthand accounts of Reconstruction efforts in Florida from a variety of different angles. Challenge students to understand all sides of this complex part of American history.

Downloads: 

Saving Home

Saving Home is an historical novel set during the English siege of St. Augustine in 1702. The story is told through the eyes of nine-year-old Luissa de Cueva and her friends, ten-year-old Diego de las Alas, and a Timucuan Indian girl named Junco. Based on meticulous research, Saving Home engages readers of all ages with descriptions of Spanish and Native American families seeking refuge for more than six weeks within the walls of the Castillo de San Marcos as St. Augustine goes up in flames and a battle rages around them. This exciting historical novel has messages about life, family, and what is important that will resonate with both the young and the young hearted.”
-Author

Below is a Teachers Guide in pdf format that can be downloaded or viewedon this page

 

 

PDFfile: 

The Intersection of History and Archaeology in Florida

The Florida Historical Society has been a statewide leader in archaeological research and documentation for more than a century, and that proud tradition continues today through the Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute (FHSAI) at the Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science. Our touring exhibit "The Intersection of History and Archaeology in Florida" features a timeline that provides an overview of advancements in Florida archaeology from the 1800s to the present. A poster version of the exhibit is also available.

NOTE:  This is a 'traveling' exhibit and not on display permanently.

The Florida Historical Society Thanks Our Sponsors: 

Zora Neale Hurston in Brevard County

PDFfile: 

Curriculum Guide for Zora Neale Hurston in Brevard County, FL

Teacher's Curriculum Guide for Zora Neale Hurston in Brevard County, FL in pdf format that can be downloaded here or viewed in the below frame on this page if your web browser supports embedded pdf.


Panel 1, Zora Neal Hurston in Brevard County


 

On July 9, 1951, writer, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston wrote in a letter to Florida historian Jean Parker Waterbury: “Somehow, this one spot on earth feels like home to me.  I have always intended to come back here.  That is why I am doing so much to make a go of it.”

 

It would be natural to assume that Hurston was writing about her adopted hometown of Eatonville, Florida.  Growing up in the oldest incorporated municipality in the United States entirely governed by African Americans instilled in Hurston a fierce confidence in her abilities and a unique perspective on race.  Eatonville figures prominently in much of Hurston’s work, from her powerful 1928 essay How It Feels To Be Colored Me to her acclaimed 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Since 1990, the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.) has celebrated their town’s most famous citizen with the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.  Hurston will forever be associated with the historic town of Eatonville.

 

But Hurston was not writing about Eatonville when she spoke of “the one spot on earth [that] feels like home to me” where she was “the happiest I have been in the last ten years” and where she wanted to “build a comfortable little new house” to live out the rest of her life.

 

Unknown to most, Zora Neale Hurston called Brevard County “home” for some of the happiest and most productive years of her life. 

Panel 2, Zora Neal Hurston in Brevard County


 

Brevard County has a rich and varied history.  It is known as the site of the 7,000 year-old Windover Mortuary Pond, one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the world; the home of educator and activist Harry T. Moore, the first martyr of the contemporary Civil Rights Movement; and the launch pad for every manned space flight from the United States.  Very few people are aware, however, of the significant history relating to Zora Neale Hurston in Brevard County.

 

Hurston first moved to Eau Gallie in 1929, where she was very productive.  Here she wrote the book of African American folklore Mules and Men (published in 1935), documented research she had done in Florida and New Orleans to fill an entire issue of the Journal of American Folklore, and made significant progress on some of her theatrical pieces.

 

After returning to New York in late 1929, Hurston came back to Eau Gallie in 1951, moving into the same cottage where she had lived previously.  While living in Eau Gallie between 1951 and 1956, Hurston staged a concert at Melbourne High School (its first integrated event); worked on the project that became her passion, the manuscript for Herod the Great; covered the 1952 murder trial of Ruby McCollum (an African American woman who killed her white lover); and wrote an editorial for the Orlando Sentinel arguing against the Brown v. Board of Education decision.  Her controversial disapproval of public school integration reflects her belief in the need to preserve African American culture and communities.

Panel 3, Zora Neal Hurston in Brevard County


When Hurston was unable to purchase her much loved Eau Gallie cottage, she moved to an efficiency apartment in Cocoa, while working as a librarian at the Technical Library for Pan American World Airways on Patrick Air Force Base.  In June, 1956, Hurston moved from the apartment to a mobile home on Merritt Island.  She was fired from her job in May 1957, because she was “too well-educated for the job.”  She then left her happy life in Brevard County to take a job at the Chronicle in Fort Pierce, where she died three years later. 

 

Zora Neale Hurston is remembered as a controversial figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a talented anthropologist and collector of folklore, and a beloved novelist.  While she will always be closely associated with her adopted hometown of Eatonville, Brevard County is where Hurston spent some of her happiest and most productive years, in her cottage on the northeast corner of what is now the intersection of Guava Avenue and Aurora Road in Eau Gallie.

More information about Zora Neale Hurston’s time in Brevard County can be found in the book Zora Neale Hurston’s Final Decade by Virginia Lynn Moylan (University Press of Florida, 2011) and the television documentary The Lost Years of Zora Neale Hurston (Florida Historical Society, 2011).

Panel 4, Zora Neal Hurston in Brevard County

 
 

 

YOU BE THE HISTORIAN!

Part of what an historian does is to collect facts, analyze the information, and draw conclusions based on the available evidence.

The question for you is: Did Caroline P. Rossetter and Zora Neale Hurston know each other?

Here are some of the available facts:

  • Caroline P. Rossetter was a very successful businesswoman.  In 1921, at the age of 23, she took over her father’s Standard Oil Agency and ran it successfully for 62 years.  She began her career just months after women received the right to vote in the United States!
  • By the 1930s, Zora Neale Hurston was a very successful writer and a celebrity of the “Harlem Renaissance.”  Her presence was generally noticed.
  • Carrie Rossetter was a prominent white woman who lived at the south end of Eau Gallie’s “main street” in a very small community.
  • Zora Neale Hurston was a famous African American writer who lived at the north end of Eau Gallie’s “main street” in the same very small community.
  • Hurston’s Eau Gallie home was in an African American part of town when she lived there in 1929.  When she came back to the same house in 1951, it was now in a “white” neighborhood.  In the racially segregated south, Hurston was only “allowed” to move back into the house with the support of Eau Gallie’s white mayor, W. Lansing Gleason.
  • Carrie Rossetter was a close friend of Eau Gallie mayor W. Lansing Gleason.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  IS THERE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO DRAW A CONCLUSION?

 


 

 

Video

 

The Florida Historical Society has video resources available for education and classroom use.  Videos include theatrical, lectures and documentary programs on DVD and digital formats. Many of the videos are available from the Florida Historical Society's You Tube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/myfloridahistory

For convenient viewing, the youtube videos are also arranged in playlists: https://www.youtube.com/user/myfloridahistory/playlists

 

Ponce De Leon Landed HERE!!

Related Videos: 

Ponce deLeon Landed Here was performed live on January 12 at 2pm at the historic Volusia County Courthouse Deland FL., and January 5 at the Historic West Palm Beach Courthouse.

You Tube:  https://youtu.be/gU8nuPTjC5Q   

Image: 

Female Florida: historic women in their own words

Related Videos: 

An original theatrical production by the Florida Historical Society. Features dramatic portrayals of businesswoman Caroline P. Rossetter, environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, educator Mary McLeod Bethune, and American folklorist, anthropologist and author Zora Neale Hurston.

The playlist is on the FHS You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExw_eqRv1lAF16Ok4UffMsyfIXPozqgj

A curriculum guide in PDF format is available.

PDFfile: 

Discover Florida Lectures

Related Videos: 

The Discover Florida Lectures bring speakers to the Library of Florida History who approach the issue of "Florida Life and Culture" from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists in the state"s history and culture.

The Florida Historical Society You Tube Channel has a playlist of 11+ lectures at:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExw_eqRv1lCf52OjfRNTRJM3wpz_lilT

 

 

FHSAI Lecture Series

Related Videos: 

The Florida Historical Society Archaeological Institute presents lectures and many are recorded on the FHS You Tube Channel.

The You Tube Play List is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExw_eqRv1lDuEwGkgf0WUTeIwuUcbtgd

OpenSource Artwork

Some of our original artwork and documentation created to promote Florida History is available for download on the Florida Historical Society website, www.myfloridahistory.org

Our vector drawing with the outline of the state of Florida can be used by teachers and authors for illustrations.   Some of the materials for download like the mask with the blue palmetto leaf requests some minor restrictions.  We request that the blue palmetto leaf to not be used for a commercial book cover since it was commissioned for that.

We request that when you publish using these materials that you give the society credit, refrain from using in direct competition to the original application, and consider the below downloads as permissive"copyleft" under the LGPL license for open source use.  It is our intent that this resource be not restricted for publishing by users but also not to be restricted to future users either so while works including the drawings may be copyright, the drawings themselves are copyleft ;).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Palmetto Leaf

Attached below for download are images an vector drawings of a blue palmetto leaf that was used for a book cover by the Florida Historical Society Press.  For education and promotion of Florida History we make the source image with the object mask available for download with the request that it not be used for a published book cover. 

The original was saved in corel draw 9 with conversions to adobe 'psd' and other formats.  If you are enhancing the drawing with additional layers and wish to contribute back, please contact us.

We request that when you use our images that you give the society credit and consider this material a permissive"copyleft" under the LGPL license for open source use.  It is our intent that this resource be not restricted for publishing by users but also not to be restricted to future users either so while works including the drawings may be copyright, the drawings themselves are copyleft ;).

Public Files: 

Florida Outline

Attached below for download are drawings for the outline of Florida.  While the black and white image (bitmap) of the outline can be useful, the vector drawings of the Florida Outline will allow illustrators to add layers of information to the outline and to resize without the resolution limitations that bitmaps (images) have.

The original was saved in corel draw 9 with conversions to adobe illustrator and other formats.  If you are enhancing the drawing in Corel Draw with additional layers and wish to contribute back, please contact us.

We request that when you publish that you give the society credit and consider this material a permissive"copyleft" under the LGPL license for open source use.  It is our intent that this resource be not restricted for publishing by users but also not to be restricted to future users either so while works including the drawings may be copyright, the drawings themselves are copyleft ;).

Public Files: 

Florida Frontiers presented by the Florida Historical Society

Florida Frontiers Radio

Radio Program List
with player and
downloads
Podcast
myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/radio/podcast.xml

Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society is a weekly, half-hour radio program airing on public radio stations throughout the state. The program premiered in January 2009. The program is a combination of interview segments and produced features covering history-based events, exhibitions, activities, places and people in Florida. We explore the relevance of Florida history to contemporary society and promote awareness of heritage and culture tourism options in the state.

 


BEN BROTEMARKLE, PRODUCER AND HOST

Ben Brotemarkle became Executive Director of the Florida Historical Society (FHS) in 2008. He is the Producer and Host of Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society, as well as the Florida Frontiers public television program. Prior to taking the helm at FHS, Ben was a Professor of Humanities at Eastern Florida State College (formerly Brevard Community College) where he was named Distinguished Educator and Endowed Faculty Chair of Academic Excellence. From 1992-2000, Ben was creator, producer, and host of the hour-long radio magazine The Arts Connection on 90.7 WMFE in Orlando. Dr. Brotemarkle holds a Ph.D. in Humanities with a specialization in Florida History, and has written five books on the history and culture of the state.

 

HOLLY BAKER, ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Holly Baker is the former Archivist and Public History Coordinator at the Florida Historical Society. Holly has a Master's Degree in Public History from the University of Central Florida. As a student there, Holly created the Knights HistoryCast (the podcast of the UCF History Department) as a way to channel her passions for storytelling and history. Holly also worked on podcasts for the Florida Historical Quarterly and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

CONNIE LESTER, ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Connie Lester is Associate Professor of History at the University of Central Florida and Editor of The Florida Historical Quarterly, the peer-reviewed, scholarly publication of the Florida Historical Society. Before joining the faculty of UCF in 2005, she was associate editor of the award-winning Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. She is also Director of the RICHES Digital Archiving Project. Dr. Lester currently serves on the board of directors of the Agricultural History Society, the Gulf South History Association, and the Conference of Historical Journals. In previous years she served on the editorial board of the international journal Agricultural History.

SEBASTIAN GARCIA, ASSISTANT PRODUCER

Sebastian Garcia is currently a Graduate Student in the History Department at the University of Central Florida.  During his time as an undergraduate with a double major in History and Biomedical Sciences, Garcia relaunched Knights HistoryCast as its new producer and has taken up production for the Florida Historical Quarterly Podcast. Garcia plans to pursue a doctoral degree in history and continue inspiring a love of history in students as a professor. As Media Production Assistant for the Florida Historical Society, Sebastian helps with field production of the Florida Frontiers Television series, as well as our radio program.


 

The Florida Historical Society Thanks Our Sponsors: 

Publications

Established in 1856, the Florida Historical Society (FHS) is an independent not-for-profit entity dedicated to educating the public about the rich history and culture of our diverse state. Publishing is at the heart of the Florida Historical Society mission. The Florida Historical Society began publishing our outstanding academic journal the Florida Historical Quarterly in 1908. Since 1925, the Florida Historical Society has been publishing books, beginning with the History of Jacksonville, Florida and Vicinity by T. Frederick Davis. For 78 years, the FHS only occasionally published books, but in 2003, the decision was made to establish a more active and regular publication schedule. Today, the Florida Historical Society Press is publishing between five and ten books per year.

The Florida Historical Society Press preserves Florida’s past through the publication of books on a wide variety of topics relating to our state’s diverse history and culture. We publish non-fiction books, of course, and our goal of disseminating Florida history to the widest possible audience is also well served by the publication of novels firmly based upon scholarly research.  Teachers and students alike find that our high quality fictionalized accounts of Florida history bring the past to life and make historic events, people and places more accessible and “real.” We also publish books focusing on creative expressions of Florida history and culture such as painting, cooking, and photography.

In addition to the Florida Historical Quarterly and the books of the FHS Press, we also publish history related blogs on our web site.

 

FHS Blogs

Preservation Blog

The purpose of this blog is to highlight architectural preservation efforts throughout the state and Florida. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, historic preservation is the protection of historic structures and properties.

It is an accepted practice of local governments acting in public interest to preserve historic heritage in its built environment. By its very nature, historic preservation is also a tangible form of recycling and embodies the heart of sustainability which is defined as an initiative that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, p. 43). Green design, on the other hand, is defined by the Green Design Education Initiative (2003) as a principle that “implies an interest in design that protects people’s health and well-being.” Both Sustainability and Green design efforts will also be highlighted in this blog as they relate to historic architectural preservation.

Actively Redesigning Historic Structures

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MARCH 28, 2013 IN FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The William Johnston Building at the Florida State University, Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso

“Active Design” is a term used to describe the trend of interior designers and architects taking an active role in combating obesity. By using the design of interiors, streets and neighborhoods to increase opportunities for physical activity, design professionals can directly influence the health of their clients. In a recent article in the American Society for Interior Designers’ publication ASID Icon, Rebecca A. Clay writes about the dangers of sedentary environments and the important role that many designers are now playing to help find a solution to America’s “growing” problem. Clay states “the real goal of active design is not to make exercise more convenient for those who already do it but to increase everyone’s activity level. Putting stairways front and center is one key approach, by making stairways more visually and aesthetically appealing.” In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 38% of American adults and 17% of children are obese. A major factor in our nation’s obesity epidemic is known as the “sitting disease,” which contributes to various health consequences associated with sitting too long and too often. The animators of Disney’s “Wall-E” didn’t provide such a far-fetched vision of Americans, as we’d like to think. A 2012 study published in BMJ Open stated that sedentary behavior is on the same level of smoking as a risk factor that can eliminate as much as two years off of average life expectancy. As designers we can and should be taking these statistics seriously.

Images at left: Exterior of William Johnston Building at the Florida State University, Gold LEED plaque, Interior view of Johnston Building Atrium, Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso

Our concepts should be designed to encourage not only visual but active physical movement. So, how is this done? Clays article provides insight on several options, many easily achievable. One minor change is to include signage that says “burn calories, not electricity” near elevators which has been shown to a 50% increase in people taking the stairs. Also, planning for facilities that support exercise like showers and bike storage areas. Furniture can play an important role as well. Shoe designer Martin Keen has designed the new Locus workstation that allows users to work while poised halfway between standing and sitting, which is a posture that encourages the body to remain active. One of the most architecturally impressive ways to encourage activity within a building involves the staircase. As we often find in historic preservation, the past is most definitely prologue with regards to stairways. Many historic structures boast elaborate exterior entrance stairs and or give multi level stairways top billing once within a space. Traveling through a building was once treated as a significant part of the overall experience and not merely a means of egress. Designers should take notes from the stately brick and wrought iron matrons still standing in many cities across the US. In keeping with the initiatives of Active Design, stairs and egress ways should no longer be elusive and dark with low light and dull materials, and should instead be converted back into the awe inspiring sculptural centerpieces they once were. As we design interiors, we should seek to provide a visually enticing alternative to the elevator and escalator. Our culture today is fed technology intravenously through our smartphones and is accosted by a continual digital barrage of imagery. We should acknowledge that our clients are driven, now more than ever, by intense visual stimulation and persuade users into physical activity by heeding the advice from our historical examples and bring stairways front and center once again.

The William Johnston Building at the Florida State University campus is an excellent example of Active Design. Upon walking into the early twentieth century brick building and through a dimly lit foyer, visitors are welcomed by a surprisingly vivacious multistory atrium accentuated by metal and glass and sculptural staircases. The building houses the College of Visual Arts, Theater and Dance, the College of Human Sciences, College of Communication and Information and the Division of Undergraduate Studies. It was recently renovated by architects Gould Evans Associates and H2 Engineering, who worked together to meet the standards of the Architecture 2030 Challenge and sought to build a “carbon neutral” structure. The east facing original section of the building was built in 1913 and the west facing, newly renovated section, originally opened in 1939. The entire Johnston Building was known for many years as the Dining Hall because it housed the bakery, creamery, cannery and dining halls. In the 1980’s the building was named after William H. Johnston, an hotelier from Jacksonville, Florida. During the most recent renovation of the 1939 section of the building, many of the historic interior finishes were preserved. Salt glazed tile wainscoting in the foyer of the first floor lobby, wood ceiling beams and hand painted cork ceiling tiles. The building received a Gold LEED rating, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. “In the 1930s, sustainability was about self-sufficiency,” said lead architect Beverly Frank of Gould Evans Associates. “The campus creamery and cannery were great examples of that. Today, a major goal of creating sustainable building environments has to do with energy efficiency and a ‘building science’ approach to design and construction. A great deal of the remodeling within the existing building involved elements that are not seen or immediately evident, such as insulating the entire building with closed-cell spray foam and installing energy-efficient windows and mechanical systems.” Florida State University President Eric J. Barron rededicated the newly renovated William Johnston Building to the “20th century students who first brought these halls to life” and the “21st century students who will open its doors to the future.”

American Architectural Styles: Midcentury Modern

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON OCTOBER 1, 2012

Images and Text by Lesa N. Lorusso

American Architectural Styles: Midcentury Modern at The Burger Inn, Melbourne Florida

Jubilant over the end of the Second World War, American culture exploded with new ideological concepts. The prospect of a bright future excited Americans who began to place an over-arching cultural emphasis on good times. This newly minted euphoric cultural focus gave birth to experience-driven entertainment. Mid century crooners like Nat King Cole encouraged Americans to motor west on Route 66, and the concept of marketing vacation travel to the burgeoning middle class began with gusto. Americans proudly purchased chrome covered status symbols and whole-heartedly embraced the concept of experience-driven entertainment. Thanks to the booming automobile industry, Americans experienced a newfound mobility in a tantalizing assortment of colors. The shrewd media, eager to make a profit, encouraged consumers to dispel with expendable income. The American public happily obliged. This exuberant new ideology paved the road for architectural innovations including motels, drive-in movie theaters and roller skating burger joints. Americans hit the road in search of fun.

Located at 1819 N. Harbor City Blvd in Melbourne, FL, the Burger Inn resides as a visually energetic remnant of the fun-focused midcentury phenomenon. Lovingly restored by owner and operator Al Urezzio, the circa 1951 restaurant maintains original fixtures and charm and boasts a coveted four and a half star rating on urbanspoon.com. Brightly swathed in the undeniably delicious hues of mustard and ketchup, the Burger Inn eagerly awaits hungry diners alongside a major thoroughfare also known as US 1 in Melbourne, FL.  The quirky architectural features of this lively fast food establishment playfully beckon customers. The midcentury structure intentionally mimics the design elements featured in the automobiles that it accommodates by showcasing materials used in the auto industry.  Architectural details are ornamented with materials including metal, high gloss paint and black vinyl. Exaggerated vertical and horizontal lines in the structural support for the exterior signage and porch roof contribute to the energetic visual rhythm and movement of the architectural design. The clean and utilitarian exterior décor remains unobtrusively friendly, smiling at customers like a waiter in a white apron and crisp paper cap.

Concerns about cholesterol and saturated fat take a back seat at this family friendly destination. Patrons enjoying lively curb service also have the option to dine under the cover of a flat entablature while seated on modest benches made of poured concrete. Clientele wishing to dine alone or in a hurry find an ideal spot within the small, glass-encased interior dining section. This narrow interior location boasts original pedestal stools, vinyl seat covers and black and white checkerboard tiles. The row of small metal stools alongside the checkerboard countertop provides a front row view of the burger flipping. This is also an excellent platform to take advantage of the close proximity to the owner, always eager to impart visitors with information regarding the history of the structure. Behind the counter rests an artist’s colorful rendering of the restaurant sitting atop an original stainless steel built-in cooler. Along the back wall stands shelving stocked with paper towels, utensils and burger buns. The stainless steel interior fixtures and appliances glint in the bright Florida sun as if to wink at customers indulging in the deliciously greasy fare and thank them for stopping by.

American Vernacular Architecture: The Shotgun Style in Florida

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JUNE 13, 2012 IN 

Images above provided by State Archives of FL, FL Memory. Image left by David A. Taylor, Apalachicola, FL. Image right by Dale M. McDonald, Key West, FL.

Some of America’s most interesting forms of architecture have grown out of various vernacular styles, meaning that the concept for the structure originates not from a professionally trained designer, but rather from common citizens. Since the United States is a melting pot of cultures from all over the world, it is fascinating to see how different people blend their structural philosophies into the places they create. Structures can tell us so much about how people think, what they value and how they live. American culture is such a melting pot, in fact, that the origins of certain architectural styles can be forgotten leaving architectural enthusiasts to play the part of the archaeologist as we sift through the visual elements to discern the origins of the vernacular styles. This is the reason that many vernacular styles fascinate me so much, and one style in particular is the Shotgun Style.

Image at left by Lesa N. Lorusso, Images center and right provided by State Archives of FL

The Shotgun house is a more modest architectural relative of the New York City brownstone structure and the Charleston single house. Similar to the entry in the the brownstone homes seen in the American Northeast, the entry to the Shotgun Style house is typically on one side of the building’s facade with adjacent windows overlooking the street or thoroughfare (1). Built primarily in the rural southern regions of the United States including Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the Shotgun style is a one- or one-and-a-half-story house that is commonly supported on short piers, is typically one room wide and several rooms deep, with all rooms and their doors in a straight line perpendicular to the street. These homes are often built with a narrow gable front with a porch, often with a similar porch at the rear (3).

Image from State Archives of FL, FL Memory. Camelback Shotgun home, Tampa, FL. Photographer Dwight DeVane

There are several variations of this style, including the Double-barrel Shotgun, the Camelback, and the Double Width Shotgun. Double-barrel Shotguns are basically duplexes, or two separate Shotgun houses sharing a single, central wall to allow more houses to be built in an area. The Camelback is a Shotgun with a second story built onto the rear of the house. A Double Width Shotgun is a single structure that’s twice the width of a normal Shotgun (5).

Though the Shotgun Style home is a freestanding structure, it typically will have no windows on the sidewalls. These houses are often built so close together that windows would be impractical for light or ventilation and would severely compromise personal privacy (1). This house type is one room wide, one story tall and several rooms deep (usually three or more) and has its primary entrance in the gable end. Seen throughout the American south as well in certain parts of cities in the northeast it is easy to designate this style as an American vernacular born from urban living and the inherent structural constraints from tight slave quarters and stop right there. The truth, however is far more interesting. In fact, the true origins of this style have a rich history that trace back from New Orleans, Louisiana across the Atlantic Ocean to the western region of the African continent.

The shotgun house is believed to be an architectural hybrid that developed in the West Indies and entered the United States via New Orleans in the early 19th century (2). Through research I have found that the Yoruba people of West Africa have a word “shogon” which means “God’s House.” It is possible that the enslaved West Africans brought this term, (which could have later morphed into “shotgun”), their close-knit sense of community and intimate style of dwelling to plantations in the West Indies and eventually to America. Images at left from the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s Image and Multimedia Library. Top Image: Section of home in Fulbe Village, Africa. The Fulbe people are located in western Africa, where many slaves taken to the West Indies and America originated. Lower Image: Fulbe Village house. Notice both images use covered front porches and central entryways seen in the American Shotgun Style.

Long before mechanized air conditioning, homes built in the Shotgun Style take advantage of natural breezes that are circulated through the home via the central corridor or passageway created by opening the front a back door. This identifying feature is often given credit for the styles name since a bullet fired from the front door would travel unobstructed through the home and out the back door (4). Image by Lesa Lorusso

 

Image on left by Lesa Lorusso, Image on right from State Archives of FL, FL Memory

Nestled on 12 acres of old orange groves in Mims, Florida stands an example of the uniquely African American Vernacular style. Located on the property of the Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park & Cultural Center, this home is a replica of the home shared by American Civil Rights leaders Harry and Harriette Moore and serves today as a teaching tool to visitors of the complex. Harry T. Moore was organizer, president and state coordinator of the Florida branch of the NAACP. Moore and his wife Henrietta were educators and champions for racial equality. They were killed in a bombing at their home on Christmas Eve 1951. Although the original structure was destroyed in 1951 when a bomb beneath their bedroom floor destroyed the Moore’s home, a historically accurate replica has been rebuilt and tours are provided by knowledgeable docents.

Images on left and right by Lesa Lorusso

Like so many vernacular styles, Moore Home replica in Mims, FL is a Shotgun Style home with uniquely Floridian features including yellow body color and white trim. The featured front porch is an integral element of the American Shotgun Style and is a visual connection to the West African origins of the style that favors the intimacy of communal living.

 

 

 

 

Images by Lesa Lorusso

Within the Moore Home replica, visitors will find an interior lovingly furnished with personal items from the Moore family and is accurately equipped according to the time frame that the Moore’s occupied the home.

In addition to the replica of the Moore Family residence, the site also houses a welcome center that contains an interactive timeline of African American history, park grounds, contemplative reflecting pools with a gazebo and beautiful orange trees original to the site. It is a unique and enriching complex run by dedicated docents and knowledgeable staff of the Brevard County department of Parks and Recreation. For more information on Harry and Harriette Moore visit www.brevardparks.com/hthvm. Images by Lesa Lorusso

 

  1. Jim Kemp. American Vernacular: Regional Influence in Architecture and Interior Design. Washington, D.C.: The American Institute of Architects Press, 1990. p86.
  2. John Michael Vlach. “Afro-Americans.” America’s Architectural Roots, Ethnic Groups that Built America. Washington, D.C.: The Preservation Press: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1986. p43.
  3. shotgun house. (2006). In Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/mhbuilding/shotgun_house
  4. Christine Brun.  (2010, August 4). Shotgun House. Creators Syndicate, Retrieved June 13, 2012, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2100865341).
  5. http://www.casasugar.com/Architecture-Styles-Shotgun-House-1017383
  6. http://www.gnocdc.org/tertiary/shotgun.html
  7. www.brevardparks.com/hthvm

Architecture with a Concsience

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MAY 1, 2012 IN 

How can the design of spaces positively affect its inhabitants? Does architectural design have a moral responsibility to better the lives of end users of interior and exterior spaces? Samuel Mockbee thought so, and I agree with him. I have been a fan of Auburn University’s Rural Studio for years. The brainchild of late Architect, social visionary and Auburn University professor Samuel Mockbee, the Rural Studio takes architecture students to Florida’s northern neighbors in rural Alabama to engage in projects ranging from churches, community centers to private homes with impoverished local residents. Mockbee began the Studio in the early 1990’s as a reaction against the architectural profession’s prevailing preoccupation with matters of style and instead sought to “challenge the status quo into making responsible environmental and social changes.” He believed that architectural education should expand its curriculum from “paper architecture” to the creation of real buildings and to sowing “a moral sense of service to the community.” (1)

Several educational programs within Brevard County, FL have aligned with Mockbee’s philosophy of architectural community service. Drafting students from Satellite High School and students from Brevard Community College’s Interior Design Technology program have contributed to the design and construction of homes for Brevard Habitat for Humanity, thus effectively moving away from “paper architecture” and onto the construction site. The experience is a highlight for students who gain hands on experience and emphasizes the social impact that design can have.

Lions Park Playscape is an excellent example of community focused architecture in action. It is the fifth phase of Rural Studio’s involvement in the 40-acre, Greensboro Park. Phase Five’s project scope is to design and build a playground, as well as to add a 1/2 mile of walking trail to the pre-exisitng 1/2 mile circuit. The Lion’s Park Playscape is made up of 55 gallon galvanized drums previously used to store all natural mint oil, were donated by a Washington based company. The drums were used to create a “play maze” and durable, interactive environment. (2)

Rural Studio student designers:

Cameron Acheson, Bill Batey, Courtney Mathias, Jamie Sartory

Sources:

  1. Hursley, Timothy & Oppenheimer, Andrea. Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency. Princeton Architectural Press, NY, NY 2002.
  2. http://lionsparkplayscape.ruralstudioblogs.org

Brevard Kit Home Receives Special Interest

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JUNE 3, 2013

Brevard Kit Home Receives Special Interest

Written by Lesa N. Lorusso

Image Left provided by Rachel Shoemaker, Image Right: Photo by Lesa N. Loruss

Who says there is nothing of great historic interest in Brevard County? Thanks to the open and collaborative nature of blogging, experts have recently contacted me to share information about a rare example of a kit home has been identified right here in Melbourne, FL! Experts in the field of mail order kit homes read about the kit home featured in the “Florida Preservationist” article “The Importance of Historic Designation” published Jan 6. It seems that the adorable home in the La Bertha Lawn neighborhood near Historic Downtown Melbourne it is not the “Sears Gordon” that initial research led us to believe, but is rather from a different company altogether. Bloggers Rosemary Thornton and Rachel Shoemaker contacted me via email to share that the home is actually a “Gordon Van Tine model #620.

According to Dale Patrick Wolicki, blog author of www.gordonvantine.com “Among the early manufactures of pre-cut houses, popularly known as mail-order homes, was the Gordon-VanTine Company of Davenport, Iowa. Frequently identified as a small company whose sales were limited to the central United States, Gordon-VanTine had a much more significant role in the mail-order housing industry than has previously been credited. Evidence gathered by the author, most notably from a research trip to Davenport in the summer of 2001, suggests their involvement and influence was comparable to the larger housing manufacturers Sears and Aladdin.”

Rosemary Thornton is a blogger based in Virginia and is the author of several books about kit homes. She saw our Jan 6 article on the Florida Historical Society “Florida Preservationist” blog and contacted me to share the updated information below.

“For 12 years, I’ve devoted my life to researching these little pretties, and this is a common mistake! Eighty percent of the people who think they have a Sears Home are wrong. Typically, it turns out to be a kit home, but from a different company. Sears was the most well known, but they were not the largest company selling kit homes through mail order. To see vintage pictures of the Gordon Van Tine Model #620, visit my website, www.searshomes.org

Rosemary also contacted Bob Stover with Florida Today and wrote: “I’ve written six books on kit homes and traveled to 25 states doing research, and it was long believed that there just were not that many kit homes in Florida. And yet, in Melbourne, you’ve got three in a ROW!” To people interested in this subject, “this is quite a story,” she said.

“And how many more kit homes are lurking in Melbourne? Do the owners know what they have? Probably not.”

I forwarded this exciting new information to the homeowner and to the engineer who conducted the initial research for the Melbourne, FL home. Finding accurate information on the origins of this historic home was a difficult process and everyone is ecstatic for the new information. Florida Today author Bob Stover also covered this discovery recently. Click here to read his June 3 article about the home.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MAY 31, 2012 IN 


Photos of Cape Canaveral Lighthouse provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Image left: Capt Clinton Honeywell, Image right: view of rocket launch.

In honor of Memorial Day this week, it is fitting to review a shining example of historic preservation that holds both US government and military importance. The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is a well-restored beacon that has served seafarers and astronauts alike for over 140 years. Located presently on the property of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Brevard County, Florida the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is a beautiful symbol of our nation’s proud history. The lighthouse itself has witnessed American history unfold as it has endured Seminole Indian threats, impending Yankee invasion during the US Civil War and viewed pivotal rocket launches during the genesis of the US space program.

The original Canaveral Lighthouse was built in 1848 and was a brick structure only 65 feet tall seen in this image to the left of the newer and much taller lighthouse(2). Its light was produced by a set of fifteen lamps backed by 21-inch reflectors. Nathanial Scobie was the light’s first keeper, but he soon abandoned his position due to the threat of a Seminole Indian attack (1). The first lighthouse was built to warn mariners of shoals, or dangerous rocks extending eastward from the cape, but soon garnered criticism from sailors. Its diminutive size may have played a part in its inefficiency but whatever the cause, one sea captain remarked that “the lights on Hatteras, Lookout, Canaveral and Cape Florida, if not improved, had better be dispensed with, as the navigator is apt to run ashore looking for them (1).” Contending with growing concerns of mariners, the US government approved construction of a new tower in 1860, but plans were delayed with the outbreak of the US Civil War the following year.

After the Civil War ended the construction began on the second Cape Canaveral Lighthouse only 80-90 feet from the first brick tower and was completed in 1868 (2). The new lighthouse seen in this image to the right of the old tower is 151 feet tall and its beam shines 22 nautical miles (3). The first three levels of the new tower were designed as living quarters and consisted of a kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. The exterior staircase at the base of the tower allowed a keeper, or person assigned to maintain and operate the lighthouse, to access the top of the tower without having to go through the living area. Today there is a door at the ground level facing the oil house, which is a small brick building used to store kerosene used in lighting the beacon. This door was not original and was added in the 1930’s for the keepers’ convenience. Originally painted white, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse didn’t receive the distinctive black bands that are seen today until 1873.


Image provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Aerial photo of relocated lighthouse and keeper dwellings.

On May 10, 1868, the first-order Fresnel lens, which filled the lantern room atop the 160-foot tower, was lit for the first time (1).  French physicist Augustin Fresnel developed the Fresnel lens used in the Cape Canaveral lighthouse in 1822. The beautifully complex invention is a built-up annular lens made up of a central spherical lens surrounded by rings of glass prisms. The central portions of these prisms refract and the outer portions reflect and refract the light. A canvas drape was used inside the gallery windows during the daytime to protect the fragile lens from the strong Floridian sun cracking the prisms. Just before dusk the drape was brought down and the light was lit (3).


Image provided courtesy of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation

In the 1890’s threatening beach erosion required that the lighthouse be torn down and moved to its current location, about a mile inland (2).  The cast iron structure with a brick lining disassembled and over a period of ten months, the tower was transported inland using a rail cart pulled by mules and roman numerals were used on the interior of the structure to help in putting the iron pieces back together (3). The light was relit at its new location on July 25, 1894. The smaller, original lighthouse was blown up and used as fill material at the new site. The place where the two lighthouses stood incidentally was never lost to the sea and still stands about 400 feet from the ocean (1). In 1939 the Coast Guard took over the operation of the lighthouse, which was automated in 1967 and continues to serve as an active lighthouse. In 1993, the first-order Fresnel lens was removed from the tower. The strong vibrations from the frequent launches that began in the 1950’s were starting to destroy the exquisite lens. Several prisms had in fact fallen out of the supporting brass framework by the time the priceless lens was restored in 1995. It is now on display at the Ayres Davies Lens Exhibit Building at the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Ponce Inlet, FL (1).

Although the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was originally designed to house its attendants, living inside the metal tower during the hot and humid summer Floridian months without air conditioning must have been similar to living in an oven. The keepers soon abandoned the tower’s living area in favor of their own dwellings outside the tower and in 1876, $12,000 was given by the US government for the construction of white washed Florida vernacular dwellings for the keepers and their families (1). These dwellings housed keepers that included the Burnham, Wilson and Honeywell families and were eventually demolished in 1967 (1).

Above photos provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Top image: Keeper dwelling, middle left: Robert Burns Honeywell at center, middle right: Assistant Keeper George and Anna Quarterman, lower image: Keepers Floyd Quarterman, Clinton Honeywell.

Renovations to the Cape Canaveral lighthouse are ongoing. The Coast Guard started to conduct a thorough restoration of the lighthouse in late 1995. A canvas shroud was placed over a network of nylon lines strung from the lighthouse to protect the surrounding area while the lead-based paint was removed from the tower. As part of the restoration, a new lantern room was placed atop the lighthouse and the original was placed on display at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum (1).

Images provided courtesy of he Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Left: Paint restoration, middle: oil house restoration, right: re-installation of lantern room.

The lighthouse became property of the U.S. Air Force in December of 2000. The oil house, which lost its roof in a violent windstorm in the 1970s, was restored in 2003. The re-installation of the lantern room in February of 2007, capped off a nearly million-dollar, yearlong renovation of the lighthouse, and the beacon in the lantern room was relit on Sunday, 29 April 2007. The beacon is supported by the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, which hosts public events on the grounds each year. Recent grants awarded to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation include a grant from the Florida Lighthouse Association in October 2011. This award will fund a shell and river rock walkway from the parking lot to the oil storage facility and the lighthouse. The use of crushed shell and river rocks are indigenous to the Cape and were used during the lighthouse keeper’s era.

A video tour of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse conducted by Dr. Sonny Witt can be viewed on YouTube. View the Lighthouse tour.

  1. http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=364
  2. Field, A. Clyde, Harrell, George Leland, Parrish, Ada Edmiston. Images of America Central Brevard County Florida. Arcadia Publishing. Great Britain, 2004.
  3. http://canaverallight.org/

UPDATED  Tue, 9 Jul 2019 

FHS received an email from Gerry & Shelley P. that the above May 2012 blog had outdated information about current tours and links which was removed.  The following update was provided by Gerry and Shelley:

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation is the organization to contact in regards with visiting and touring the facilities.  Previous tour operators and schedules have changed and are no longer valid.

Please link the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation website at:

https://canaverallight.org/

You may also find updated and detailed information about availability to tour the facilities and the current renovations that are happening at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse on their website.

The phone number you have listed is incorrect. The correct phone number is:

321-307-2900

Hours are Tuesday thru Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm

Thanks for supporting the lighthouse!

 

Florida Frontiers on Florida Today!

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MAY 21, 2014 IN 

Check out a recent article in Florida Today from FHS’s own Dr. Ben Brotemarke! To read Dr. Brotemarkle’s article about the Historic Sam’s family from Merritt Island, Florida Click Here

The article is related to Brotemarkle’s “Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society,” broadcast locally on 90.7 WMFE at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, and on 89.5 WFIT at 7 a.m. Sundays. The show also can be heard online at myfloridahistory.org.

A little more about the author…

Ben Brotemarkle is author of the book Beyond the Theme Parks: Exploring Central Florida, a look at historic preservation efforts and cultural festivals throughout the region that provide residents with a sense of community and visitors with interesting vacation options.  The book received the inaugural James J. Horgan Book Award from the Florida Historical Society.  Dr. Brotemarkle’s book Images of America: Titusville and Mims, Florida is a photographic and textual history looking at one of the world’s most important archaeological digs, the home of civil rights martyr Harry T. Moore, and the launch site of America’s manned exploration of space.  His book Barberville is a photographic and textual history looking at the infamous Barber-Mizell Feud of 1870, the establishment of the rural Barberville community, and the creation of the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts where historic buildings from throughout Central Florida are preserved.  His latest book Crossing Division Street: An Oral History of the African American Community in Orlando is an interdisciplinary examination of the past, present and future of an historic neighborhood.

Prior to becoming Executive Director of the Florida Historical Society, Brotemarkle was Associate Professor of Humanities and Department Chair at Brevard Community College in Titusville. As creator, producer and host of the weekly public radio program The Arts Connection on 90.7 WMFE-FM Orlando from 1992 to 2000, Brotemarkle covered the local arts and cultural scene including theater, music, dance, film, the visual arts, and literature.  His award-winning features have been heard around the world on Voice of America Radio, across the country on National Public Radio, and throughout the state on Florida Public Radio.  Brotemarkle also occasionally produces and hosts special programs for public television.  His 1999 television documentary The Wells’Built Hotel: A New Guest Checks In was awarded the Presidential Citation of the Florida Historical Society.  His latest television documentary A Legacy of Hope: The Moore Heritage Festival of the Arts and Humanities is airing on several PBS stations.

As a part-time professional singing-actor, Brotemarkle has appeared in more than two dozen Orlando Opera Company productions, with Seaside Music Theater in Daytona Beach, and has been a featured performer in Cross and Sword–the official state play of Florida in St. Augustine.

Brotemarkle serves on the board of directors of the Florida Historical Society, the state’s oldest cultural organization and is a member of the Brevard County Historical Commission.  A board member of the Association to Preserve African American Society, History, and Tradition (PAST, Inc.), Brotemarkle helps to plan, present, and promote activities and exhibitions at the Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture in Orlando.  Dr. Brotemarkle is the Education Committee Chairman for the Moore Heritage Festival of the Arts and Humanities, organizing student workshops, public forums, oral history panels, and appearances by guest speakers.

Dr. Brotemarkle is available for signings, lectures and program participation.  You can contact him via e-mail at ben,brotemarkle@myfloridahistory.org

Florida Mainstreet in Action: The Eau Gallie Arts District

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JUNE 29, 2012 IN 


Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso, Images of EGAD. Mathers Cake Shop

In any town across America consumers will inevitably find several familiar warehouses built by national merchandisers whose primary goal is to provide shoppers the convenience of purchasing all he or she needs under one roof. Convenience has become the ruler of the day at the expense of community interaction, local craftsmanship and cultural heritage. Sounds like a country song, doesn’t it? Preservationists hum the tune of Alan Jackson’s “Little Man” as they are forced to walk through monotonous store aisles in the large emporiums as their communities neglect long standing commercial districts in favor of one-stop shopping. We lament the neglect of our local downtown treasures that remain scattered across the country in much need of repair.

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso, Images of EGAD. Image Left: Orig Gleason Bros. Real Estate Building c.1910, Center and Right: Commercial buildings

America’s downtown districts often consist of buildings that may not be historically significant on their own, other than being old. Because of their relative insignificance as separate structures, many of the older buildings in downtown districts have been defaced, unrecognizably modified or simply razed over time. These same buildings become historically significant as a collective whole, which makes it important to preserve an entire grouping of buildings, thus creating an official district. It is the collection of historic buildings, together with tree-lined sidewalks and visual charm that make a historic district a viable commercial destination. Preserved together, these old buildings can provide a powerful economic punch that is much needed in a down economy.

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso, Images of EGAD. Left: Foosaner Art Museum, Top Right: View of Eau Gallie Florist, Lower Right: Eau Gallie Civic Center

The National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program
In 1980 the National Trust for Historic Preservation established the Main Street Program in an effort to help preserve America’s historic downtown districts. More complex than preserving a single home, the preservation of downtown districts involve marketing, economic development, and urban planning efforts. As a reaction to the destruction of many historic downtown commercial buildings damaged by neglect, or in the name of modern progress, The Main Street Program promotes the link between preservation and economic development to communities. The basic goal of this program is to promote economic development through historic preservation while relying on traditional commercial values like self-reliance, distinctive architecture, personal service and local empowerment (1).


Image provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Eau Gallie brochure circa 1950

In support of preservation is data collected by the Main Street Center in Washington DC, which states that the total public and private reinvestment in communities that have established a Main Street Program has been over $41 billion, with the average investment per community over $11 million. The program has led to the rehabilitation of over 186,000 buildings nationwide resulting in over 350,000 new jobs with $25 reinvested for every $1 spent on program administration (1). Preserving our local heritage by establishing Main Street Districts makes good economical sense.


Image provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society. Street view of Eau Gallie

The Florida Main Street Program
Throughout the United States there is a growing interest in improving the appearance and economic stability of historic downtown business districts, and Florida is no exception. The Sunshine State is not immune to the national economic dilemma facing our nation, and local activists recognize that the preservation of downtown districts is crucial to the survival of many cities. Florida has long been a destination location for tourists and many communities throughout the state have seen firsthand the economic benefits of revitalizing downtown areas.

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 mandates that every State Historic Preservation Office provide technical assistance to local governments, organizations and individuals. The Main Street Program is one of the most important methods by which this agency meets this requirement. This mandate is also reflected in Chapter 267 of the Florida Statutes. The Florida Historical Resources Act specifically mentions the Main Street Program as a method for the Division of Historical Resources to provide technical assistance (2).


Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso. Image Left: Band shell, Center and Right: Views of Highland Avenue

Eau Gallie Arts District
The Eau Gallie Arts District (known affectionately by locals as EGAD!) is the official arts district of Melbourne, Florida and is a Florida Main Street Community. The Eau Gallie Arts District gets its name from the city that was once located in the area. Settlers began coming to this area in 1859 when the pioneering Houston family established a farm harvesting sugar cane, rice and vegetables (4). Until the 1960’s there were actually two distinct cities situated on the western end of the two causeways crossing the Indian River Lagoon. The southern city was Melbourne, and the northern city was Eau Gallie. Eau Gallie is French for “rocky water.” In 1969, the two cities merged, taking Melbourne as the name for the unified municipality. However, the original downtown area of Eau Gallie has continued to be referred to by the old city name (3).


Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso. Left: Concepts on Highland Restaurant, Top: Ralph’s Art Supply, Lower Right: Eau Gallie Florist, Lower Right: Coca-Cola Cooler

The district includes the Foosaner Art Museum and Museum School (now owned by Florida Institute of Technology), administrative offices of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, HIstoric Rossetter House Museum and Gardens, Eau Gallie Public Library, Eau Gallie Civic Center, two public parks, a band shell and newly rebuilt fishing pier. EGAD is a thriving Central Florida community of unique merchants and local artisans containing art studios, galleries, eclectic furniture stores, a phenomenal cake shop (who made my delicious wedding cake), an art supply store (always willing to accommodate the needs of local design students), a beautiful Queen Anne style bed and breakfast as well as shops boutiques, churches, restaurants and professional offices and services.  I was delighted as friendly local residents stopped to talk with me as I took pictures. A businessman inquired about the blog, two sweet ladies gave me residential historical information and one kind resident tried to sell me his antique Coca-Cola cooler. (see photo if you’re interested)


Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso, Residences on Highland Ave in Eau Gallie

EGAD is a beautiful blend of historical Florida vernacular homes, mid-century commercial buildings and modern amenities. The City of Melbourne has also re-zoned a residential area within EGAD known as the “Art Overlay Zone” to allow artists to establish studios within their homes, thus providing a special enclave for working artists. This is especially dear to my heart because as property values rise (which is inherently a good thing, economically speaking) a common unintended outcome of revitalized downtown districts is the ousting of the local artisans that give these areas such depth and contribute to the unique visual character. This thriving community is a great example of the Florida Main Street Program done right.

For more information on the Florida Main Street Program click here

For more information on the Eau Gallie Arts District click here

  1. Ligibel, Ted, Tyler, Ilene, Tyler, Norman. Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice (Second Edition). W. W. Norton & Company; (February 4, 2009).
  2. http://www.flheritage.com/preservation/mainstreet/
  3. http://www.eaugalliearts.com
  4. http://www.melbourneflorida.org/gallery/eaugallie/

 

Florida Pecky Cyprus and the Bartlett Boathouse

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON AUGUST 8, 2012

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso of the Bartlett Family Boathouse and Shirley Bartlett’s great granddaughter Claire. “This Place Matters” is a slogan from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to call attention to historically important structures

Florida Pecky Cyprus and the Bartlett Boathouse, Lesa N. Lorusso

One of the most exciting things I get to do as the Florida Preservationist is play the role of cultural anthropologist. I love being able to not only photograph historical places, but also speak directly to the people who have loved and lived with the structures themselves. Nothing replaces the richness of first-hand historical accounts, and I had the pleasure of engaging personally with an owner recently. While on site to photograph a beautiful circa 1930’s boathouse made out of a rare type of wood known as “Pecky Cyprus” (more on that later), I was able to sit down and speak with the boathouse’s longtime owner and Melbourne resident Mrs. Shirley Bartlett. Her account of her property, the boathouse and the town of Melbourne provided an interesting glimpse into Florida’s past.

Originally from Newport News, Virginia, Shirley married her husband Walter Bartlett in 1943. When they met, Shirley and Walter both worked for NASA’s predecessor the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA); Shirley as a switchboard operator and receptionist and Walter as a research specialist. NACA was founded in 1915 with the intent of being an advisory committee coordinating research being conducted elsewhere. It quickly became a leading research organization in aeronautics and the new field of astronautics contributing to the first supersonic flights and the human space program. NACA passed the torch to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. (1) Mrs. Bartlett recounted that her husband’s role at NACA was so important to the government that he and his colleagues were considered essential to the war effort and not required to take up arms in WWII; a relief for their families but bittersweet for the NACA men whose brothers and friends paid the ultimate price in the war. NACA images at left provided courtesy of nasa.gov: Top Image is test pilot Lawrence A. Clousing climbing into his Lockheed P-80 aircraft for a test flight at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, Moffett Field, California. Lower image is of a flight test of a P-61 aircraft using a ramjet engine, which was used to propel missiles. The P-61 was built by Northrup and used by the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory of the NACA to test the new jet engine.

The Bartletts moved to Melbourne, Florida in 1956 when Walter accepted a position as an aeronautical engineer with the soon to be established government organization known as NASA. Shirley admits that she was nervous about leaving her life and family in Virginia, but maintains her support of her husband’s decision to move their young family. “Walter wanted to get involved with the “big missiles,” she said, referring to the space program, “and you can’t get in the way of your husband’s dreams.” Shirley’s bravery in moving to the space coast could be lost in perspective, but it is important to understand the state of the community that she relocated to with her husband and children. Brevard County was largely under developed in 1957 and was definitely a far cry from the amenities available in Virginia. “There were very few paved roads, and no curbs or gutters,” Mrs. Bartlett said. “There was Kempers in Eau Gallie and an A&P grocery and that was it. We were so excited when a Sears order store came to town because we could actually see the items we wanted to purchase!” Images at right provided courtesty of www.floridamemory.com. Top image is of an A&P grocery store in Orlando circa 1925 and the lower image is of Sears appliance salesmen circa 1955.

Mrs. Bartlett’s description of the under-developed state of midcentury Melbourne, FL leads to the significance of her home’s location and the importance of the boathouse on the property. She recalls that “there was no bridge connecting the north side to the south side of Melbourne, so everyone got around by boat.” Bartlett was referring to the towns of Eau Gallie and Melbourne, which, for more than a half-century were two cities located side by side. Eventually in 1969, with the approval of a majority of voters, Melbourne and Eau Gallie were consolidated into the contemporary known today as Melbourne. (2) Without well-paved roads and bridges connecting the two locations, most people lived near the water and used boats as their major form of transportation. For more information on the history of Eau Gallie click here

The property that Shirley and Walter Bartlett purchased in 1957 is located on the water in the Eau Gallie area. Facing the Eau Gallie Yacht basin and boathouse belonging to the prominent Rossetter family of Melbourne, FL the Bartlett’s property came with a circa 1930’s era boathouse made out of a rare wood known as “Pecky Cyprus. “ Because of the fact that, as Mrs. Bartlett mentioned, many of the area residents used boats as their primary form of transportation for many years, many older homes on the water have boathouses. In fact, from the back of the property, now owned by Bartlett’s daughter Peggy Bartlett Gagnon, you can see boathouses of various shapes and sizes along the water. Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso. Top image showing view of the Bartlett Gagnon home from the boathouse, lower image showing view of Eau Gallie yacht basin.

 

The Bartlett’s boathouse is painted a non-descript gray on the exterior and was left unpainted on the interior. Despite having been restored in the past is now in a state of disrepair. The family is currently in the process of obtaining pricing to potentially have the structure repaired and for now it houses a couple of kayaks and garden equipment. Like so many historical structures, it is only after careful examination that the unique beauty of the boathouse comes to life. The boathouse is made out of beautiful Pecky Cyprus, a rare type of wood with telltale grooves and holes. Pecky Cypress refers to cypress lumber, whether tidewater or sinker, that has holes throughout it. It is rare, since it only occurs in occasional logs, and cannot be discovered until the log is cut. It only forms from the inside out in a circular pattern following the tree’s rings. When milled, the pattern of pecky holes is random, and only lumber cut from the inside of the log will actually contain the pecky texture. (5) The direction of the grooves is randomly patterned and typically oriented vertically due to the direction the log is milled resembling Swiss cheese.  The Bartlett boathouse was built in such a way that highlights the beautiful character of the special wood, displaying the grooves in vertical, diagonal and horizontal patterns throughout the structure. Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso of Bartlett boathouse. Left image: interior door, top image: boathouse exterior, lower left image: closeup of porous Pecky Cyprus, lower right: exterior door.

The grooves occur from the porous hollowing of Bald Cypress trees by a wood-decaying fungus – Stereum taxodi. The fungus attacks the core of the trees leaving “pecky” vertical cavities over time. Interestingly, you can’t tell that a particular tree has the pecky cavities until it has been cut down. The cavities are not visible from the exterior of the tree, thus making it a rare find. What’s left today mostly comes from harvesting fallen logs at the bottom of rivers and swamp and reclaiming boards from a previous use(3) Sinker Cypress is a name used to describe cypress logs that have been submerged in water. The trees were originally cut during the late 1800s, many from virgin forests during the industrial cypress harvest in the US from 1880 to 1930. In light of today’s farmed lumber market, it is hard to believe that these cypress trees were anywhere from 150 years to over 1,000 old at the time of harvest. The advanced age of this lumber contributed to the incredibly strong and often insect repellant qualities of the wood (an important factor in Florida where high winds and termites are seasonal expectations). After the logs were fallen they were then hitched to oxen and taken to the rivers for transport to the nearest riverside sawmill. As the logs were floated down the river, many became waterlogged (especially the porous “Pecky Cyprus” or were caught in a log jam and sank. At the bottom of American riverbeds, the logs aged and were well preserved. The minerals present in the water where the log rests play a part in the color of the finished lumber. Sinker cypress is now retrieved and sawn into lumber for historic restoration and new construction by companies like Sinker Treasures, Old Florida Lumber Company and the Bruner Lumber Company. (4) Image top of Pecky Cypress log from sinkertreasures.com, middle and lower photos by Lesa N. Lorusso: closeup of wood detail.

My visit with Mrs. Bartlett was one I will never forget. I am grateful for the time that she freely gave to tell me about her own history in Brevard County and for her family’s southern hospitality. The unique boathouse on their property was a joy to photograph and is a treasure not only because of its place in Melbourne history but because of the rare and beautiful material it is made of. I sincerely hope that this structure will be preserved for years to come.

 

Resources

  1. http://history.nasa.gov/naca/
  2. http://www.melbourneflorida.org/history/
  3. http://peckyfurniture.com/
  4. http://www.sinkertreasures.com
  5. http://www.dogtrot-lumber.com/lumber/pecky.htm
  6. Interview with Shirley Bartlett, July 27, 2012

Frank Lloyd Wright and Florida Southern College

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JUNE 22, 2012 IN 

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso. Left: Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, Center: Water Dome, Right: William H. Danforth Chapel

Arguably America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright is well known for his architectural contributions in the northern and northwestern regions of the United States. This famous designer’s name conjures iconic images of the Kaufmann Residence in Pennsylvania known as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim museum in New York City, but what about his momentous contributions in the sunny state of Florida? Its hard to imagine this iconic architect reclining on a tourist strewn beach in the Sunshine State, but he did in fact design a stunning college campus in heart of Florida which has been recently designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. The beautiful campus was named the “Child of the Sun” by Wright and comprises most of the buildings of the Florida Southern College’s Lakeland campus. It remains the world’s largest single-site collection of structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and interestingly, shares a history with the famous Fallingwater residence (1).

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso. View of Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

So, how did a world-renowned architect come to design a small southern college’s campus? As with so many things in life, timing made all the difference in this unique situation. In 1932 America was in the midst of the Great Depression and Wright, at the age of 65 was on what seemed to be the downward slope of his success. Desiring to resurrect his illustrious career and national reputation, Wright founded the Taliesin Fellowship as a school of architecture at his home in Spring Green, Wisconsin and designed the Fallingwater residence in 1936 for the Kaufmann family. Fallingwater earned him national publicity with a cover spread on Time Life Magazine, which caught the eye of Florida Southern College’s president Dr. Spivey in Lakeland, FL (3). Herein lies the recipe for a momentous 20 year collaboration: Florida Southern College sought to make its campus a national showpiece and Frank Lloyd Wright wanted a signature project to boost his career back into orbit. Appealing to the famous architect’s infamous ego, Dr. Spivey sent a cable to Wright that read: “Desire conference with you concerning plans for great education temple in Florida”. Wright obviously found himself with an offer he couldn’t refuse.

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso, Interior views of of Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Wright visited the small Methodist campus and inspected the site, which included a 30-acre citrus grove filled with more than 1,000 trees. The site sloped gently down to Lake Hollingsworth, dropping about 80 feet in one third of a mile and Wright was thrilled with the topography (2).  The architect seeking to re-energize his career and a college president seeking to make his campus a renowned designation thus collaborated in the midst of the Great Depression, using student labor and local materials to create this uniquely beautiful campus.

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso.

Wright’s conceptual name for the campus he designed for Florida Southern was “A Child of the Sun” where he sought to “bring God’s outdoors into man’s indoors.” Radiating lines and circular shapes throughout the structures on campus echo Wright’s abstract concept as seen in the ceiling of the E.T. Roux Library. Completed in 1945 this building has undergone extensive modifications over the years to accommodate the needs of the growing university and the interior bears little resemblance to the original design. Today this building is no longer used as the college’s library and instead houses the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, Esplanade Gift Shop and administrative offices. Preservationists are hopeful that with adequate funding this building will someday be restored to its original beauty, as much of the other buildings on campus have been.

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso
Wright worked closely with the natural slope and terrain of the citrus grove strewn landscape using local materials and organizing a master layout that was sensitive to the land’s natural characteristics. A low-rising cantilevered esplanade extends 1.5 miles between most buildings on campus and was built between 1940-1958. The column supports are abstract representations of orange trees with weathered decorative stamped copper trim. The original plan included an integrated complex comprised of eighteen separate buildings that included a chapel, library, administration building, music building, industrial arts building, science and cosmography building, art gallery with studio workshops, seminar buildings and faculty houses. Each building was designed to be unique while intended to blend into an integrated and cohesive whole.

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso.

Frank Lloyd Wright believed this project to be the “crowning event of [his] career, a shrine to both idealism and religion” and in the end said that he was “charmed with the buildings (2).” I would have to agree with Mr. Wright. As I walked through the campus on a wonderful docent-led tour I was grateful for the patience of the tour guide as I continually stopped to take pictures and stand in awe of my surroundings. Everywhere I turned I found myself in the midst of picturesque vistas and photogenic arrays of Wright’s signature dramatic use of lines.

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso.

Wright strove to create a uniquely American architectural aesthetic in his work and each Wright designed building at Florida Southern College was to me breathtakingly original. Walking through the campus and into each building for me held the same exciting feeling of discovery I felt as I toured the ruined temple complex of Chichen-Itza in Mexico. Each building held its own architectural elements of surprise including hand poured and carefully crafted artisan blocks, colorful hand blown glass block inserts, and dramatic angles and passageways. Touring Wright’s campus feels like walking through the iconic architect’s imagination and seeing his creative vision come to life.

 

 

 

 

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso. Left: suspended stairway in Danforth Chapel, Center: Glass block inserts, Right: Wooden door frame carved to match the hand made blocks.

Click Here For more information on the Frank Lloyd Wright designed campus at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL

  1. Galbraith, Nora, MacDonald Randall, Rogers, James. Images of America The Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright at Florida Southern College. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC. 2007.
  2. Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly. Summer 2001 Vol 12 No 3. Florida Southern College: A Child of the Sun
  3. Florida Southern College Docent tour, Wed June 20, 2012.

 

Identifying American Architectural Styles Along Scenic Rockledge Drive

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO  ON JUNE 7, 2012 IN FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

tudor style mission style colonial style florida vernacular

 

 

 

georgian style eastern stick style

 

 

Images by Lesa Lorusso

A scenic trip down the winding road known as Rockledge Drive in Rockledge, Florida provides architecture fans a beautiful visual array of historical styles. This residential road overlooks the Indian River in Brevard County and is lined with sprawling oaks draped in Spanish moss and swaying palm trees. Rockledge Drive has long been a desired residential location with its plentiful shade and views of the beautiful Indian River, and is home to an architectural assortment of historical and modern styles making it a favorite for tourists and architectural enthusiasts. Akin to bird watching aficionados, the historic architectural enthusiast can be easily identified in historical areas like Rockledge Drive walking or driving slowly with their car’s caution lights flashing while they simultaneously take pictures and look at an architectural field guide. (You know who you are). Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 by John JG. Blumenson is an excellent visual guide as well as the Arch.Styles app for smartphones by the developer “Know-it-all.”

bent palm gator Images provided courtesy of the Florida Historical Society

Rockledge, FL was founded on August 7, 1887, making it the oldest incorporated municipality in Brevard County (1). The citrus trade played a major role in the economic beginnings of Rockledge as well as the lodging industry providing accommodation for tourists visiting Brevard County for its well-known wildlife, hunting and fishing industry or those using the intercostal waterway Indian River to travel further south (2).

The fascinating aspect of identifying American architectural styles is that while sometimes the designation is obvious, most often the style is a combination of elements that leave the structure open to interpretation. As I walk and drive cautiously through historic avenues and districts, I view the structures as archeological artifacts with their own story to tell. The predominant style of the building and materials used often serve as a timeline that describes the building’s various inhabitants and the evolution of the culture and society that has existed in and around the structure. Below are some images from one of my most recent meanderings down historic Rockledge Drive with my own interpretation of the structures’ predominant architectural styles.

Identifying American Architectural Styles: The Florida Vernacular Style
florida vernacular Image by Lesa Lorusso

Broadly defined, vernacular architecture is an area of architectural theory that studies the structures made by empirical builders without the intervention of professional architects (5). The Florida Vernacular style grows out of a central and south Florida building tradition that uses pastel colors, porches and multi-pitched roof lines. These elements were originally developed in response to Florida’s climate and are now the visual elements that define the well known Floridian style seen in many coastal towns within the state (4). This pink wood-frame residence on Rockledge Drive embodies much of the characteristics of the Florida Vernacular style. With its pastel pink body color and delicate white gingerbread trim, the home stands out immediately to the viewer. The steeply pitched metal-clad gable roof rises above a large wrap-around porch further contributing to the beautiful Florida Vernacular Style of this elegant southern residence. The heat of long summer days can be endured beneath the cool of the porch while overlooking the breezy Indian River lagoon.

Identifying American Architectural Styles: The Tudor Style
tudor style Image by Lesa Lorusso

The Tudor style harkens to sixteenth-century England with architectural details that are medieval in concept. Windows are often narrow with intricate muntin patterns. The most strikingly visual characteristic of the Tudor style is the use of half timbers and stucco infill seen in this Tudor adaptation with Floridian twist. Notice the wrap-around porch and metal roof which are clear influences of its state of origin. This style was popular in the US from the turn of the nineteenth century through the 1930’s (6).

Identifying American Architectural Styles: The Spanish Mission Style
mission style Image by Lesa Lorusso

The Spanish Mission style was prevalent in America from 1820-1920. Round arches are used in openings and windows within stucco walls. Roof eaves with exposed rafters often extend beyond the walls and are topped with a characteristically low pitched red tile roof. Vertical parapets are common as well as tracery and small balconies known as balconets made out of wrought iron as seen in this example.

Identifying American Architectural Styles: The Georgian Style
georgian style Image by Lesa Lorusso

This beautiful home once again combines styles in a Floridian interpretation of the Georgian style. An architectural style popular in America from 1700-1800, Georgian homes are characterized by a formal arrangement of parts. Symmetrical composition and classical detail is common with a facade often emphasized with a projected pavilion, colossal pilasters or columns and Palladian or Venetian windows. The yellow main color accented by white trim and a metal roof are what make this predominantly Georgian style building speak with a Floridian accent.

Identifying American Architectural Styles: The Queen Anne Style
eastern stick style Image by Lesa Lorusso

The Queen Anne Style is often misnamed “Victorian.” This style was popular in the US between 1880-1900 and is characterized by asymmetrical composition. Commonly used elements include towers, turrets, tall chimneys, projecting pavilions, porches, bays and encircling verandahs. Textured wall surfaces were commonly created with shingles and intricate wood trim as in this Floridian interpretation. Although most Queen Anne Style homes use an abundance of color, this example currently displays only two. Two signs in front of the property tell admirers that this building has been purchased by Brevard County with funds financed in part with a historic preservation grant provided by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, assisted by the Historic Preservation Advisory Council. I look forward to seeing this property lovingly restored and returned to its original beauty.

Identifying American Architectural Styles: The Colonial/ Gothic Revival Style
colonial style Image by Lesa Lorusso

This historical home seems to have its feet firmly planted in several architectural styles. At first glance the home appears to be similar to a New England Colonial style structure with a box-like appearance and sparse use of windows. The main part of the home appears to originally have been two rooms deep which, along with the horizontal wood siding looks like the well known “salt box” shape often seen in New England. After further study, however, several elements of the Gothic Revival style are evident. These elements include wooden pinnacles rising from the apex of the roof and very subtle gingerbread vergeboard detailing underneath the roof line. The metal roof is distinctly Floridian and the paint choice blends vibrant purple trim with a muted main color. In keeping with many of the historical homes in the south, this home originally would have had a separate kitchen seen by the brick chimney at the rear of the building. This was done to safeguard the home from accidental fires from the kitchen and to avoid adding unwanted heat during the stifling summer months.

 

  1. http://www.cityofrockledge.org/Pages/RockledgeFL_WebDocs/About
  2. Field, A. Clyde, Harrell, George Leland, Parrish, Ada Edmiston. Images of America Central Brevard County Florida. Arcadia Publishing. Great Britain, 2004.
  3. Blumenson, John JG. Identifying American Architecture A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 Revised Edition. WW Norton & Co Publishing. NY, NY. 1981.
  4. The Florida Vernacular Style Guide (www.palmbayflorida.org/…/florida_vernacular_style_guide.pdf)
  5. http://www.vernaculararchitecture.com/
  6. Ligibel, Ted, Tyler, Ilene, Tyler, Norman. Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice (Second Edition). W. W. Norton & Company; (February 4, 2009).

Identifying American Architectural Styles: Midcentury Modern

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JULY 23, 2012

3D rendering drawn by Lesa N. Lorusso with software provided by Design Within Reach and mydeco.com. Pieces include the Womb Chair and Ottoman by Eero Saarinen, Arco Floor lamp, and Nelson Spindle Clock

The History of the Midcentury Modern Style By Lesa N. Lorusso

One of my favorite architectural styles is now called Mid-century Modern. Although it has been given a fancy new name by design enthusiasts and is enjoying a new found popularity thanks to networks like HGTV and AMC’s Mad Men, this style used to be a mostly overlooked, no-name time period of design that produced fabulously kitschy yard sale finds, and encompassed the harvest gold and avocado green interior of the Brady Bunch’s kitchen. Other common names used for this style are “mod,” “fifties” or “retro.” Often identified by starbursts, a bold use of lines, organic “space age” forms, and materials such as wood, metal, laminate and plastic, it is a style of furniture, product and architectural design that began after World War II and continued through the 1960s. The design style flourished in Europe with designers including Finland’s Eero Saarinen and exploded in America with designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll and George Nelson. (1) What I love most about this style is the bold, innovative use of imaginative forms in architecture and design.

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso

After WWII there was a boom in new technologies. Soldiers returned home, Rosie the Riveter rolled down her sleeves and the “American Dream” went into full effect. Suburbs popped up across the American landscape and architects influenced by the International Style and Bauhaus movements in Europe began using new technologies to create a post war aesthetic. This new attitude in architecture emphasized new building forms and the application of new technology over traditional building types and craft. (2) Brevard County, Florida is an area of the US that experienced these changes directly thanks to its proximity to NASA and Cape Canaveral. Take a drive through communities like Satellite Beach, Florida which is nestled next to Highway A1A between the Atlantic Ocean and intercoastal waterways and you will see neighborhoods built to accommodate men and women at the helm of our country’s technological progress.

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso

As I photographed the architectural details within these neighborhoods I was able to play cultural anthropologist and speak with local residents. The midcentury crafted neighborhoods in Satellite Beach are a combination of both meticulously maintained and sometimes neglected homes. I was delighted to speak with one resident who still lived in the midcentury modern home that she and her husband built in 1960. They relocated to Satellite Beach for employment with RCA, Radio Corporation of America at “the Cape,” and have meticulously maintained their home over the years. Standing on the manicured lawn of the teal colored “mod” home, it was easy to imagine the midcentury neighborhood’s original splendor. I knew RCA by the famous dog and phonograph billboards and was intrigued to learn more about RCA’s role in the space industry. After a little digging, this is what I found. As post-war development of missile weapons progressed, a site became necessary to develop tactics and techniques for guided missile operations, train personnel, test equipment used to operate the missiles and conduct functional and tactical tests of new guided missiles to determine their effectiveness. On May 11, 1949 President Harry S. Truman signed legislation entitled Public Law 60 establishing the Joint Long Range Proving Ground at Cape Canaveral. The Banana River Naval Air Station, which had been transferred from the Navy to the Air Force on September 1, 1948 was renamed the Joint Long Range Proving Ground Base on June 10, 1949. On February 28, 1954 Pan American World Airways signed its own sub-contract with RCA for the technical functions of operating and maintaining the range instrumentation systems. This included missile flight data processing, tracking instrumentation and communication links between the launch sites and downrange tracking stations. (3)

Images from Design Within Reach, www.dwr.com. Left: Nelson Ball Clock, Center: Eames Molded Plywood Chair, Right: Noguchi Table

As our nation looked toward the future and accepted a challenge to walk on the moon we accomplished technological strides utilizing NASA and military-inspired innovations. In the design world of architecture and interiors this meant a profound use of new products like laminate, metal and plastics. Plywood and polymers were molded into sculptural furniture pieces as designers sought to bring high-end design aesthetics to the masses.

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso of the Burger Inn, Melbourne, FL. Owner Al Urezzio has recently renovated the circa 1951 restaurant which maintains original fixtures and charm (and boasts a 4.5 star rating on urbanspoon.com)

The excitement over the end of the war also placed an emphasis on good times and gave birth to the concept of experience-driven entertainment. Mid century crooners like Nat King Cole encouraged Americans to motor west on Route 66, and the concept of marketing vacation travel to the middle class laid the foundation for drive-in movie theaters, roller skating burger joints (like the still functioning Burger Inn located at 1819 N. Harbor City Blvd in Melbourne, FL) and motels across the US.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso. This midcentury Phillip’s 66 gas station showcases dramatic lines and starburst design in its concrete portico and is now the home to Complete Air and Heat Inc. on South Patrick Drive in Satellite Beach, FL. The Sign for the Waterway Motel on US1 in Melbourne is a remnant of the marketing push to vacationers driving their way across the US.

Today preservationists across the nation grapple with the difficulties of preserving this modern-era building stock. These structures make up fifty five percent of existing nonresidential buildings in the United States, totaling nearly thirty six billion square feet. The use of materials and reliance on fossil fuels make these buildings a challenge to preserve (2). Buildings older than fifty years are generally eligible for historical consideration. As post WWII structures “come of age” preservationists are striving to come up with ways to preserve the structures while maintaining important sustainable initiatives. Europeans founded DOCOMOMO (Documentation and Conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) in the 1990s, and Americans founded The Recent Past Preservation Network in 2000 to address the needs of these important historical buildings.

 

Resources:

  1. http://www.casasugar.com/Mid-Century-Modern-459591
  2. Ligibel, Ted, Tyler, Ilene, Tyler, Norman. Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice (Second Edition). W. W. Norton & Company; (February 4, 2009).
  3. http://www.spaceline.org/capehistory/

May is National Preservation Month!

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MAY 9, 2012 IN 

One of Florida’s historical gems: Lincoln Theater, Miami Beach, FL. Photo by Lesa Lorusso

Hey Floridians, May is National Preservation Month! This year’s theme is “Discover America’s Hidden Gems.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation instituted “Preservation Week” in 1971 to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts in America and has since grown into a yearly celebration observed by small towns and big cities alike with events ranging from architectural and historic tours, award ceremonies, fundraising events, educational programs and heritage travel opportunities. In May 2005 National Trust for Historic Preservation extended the celebration through the entire month, thus providing more opportunities to celebrate the diverse and unique heritage of our country’s cities and states and enable more Americans to become involved in the growing preservation movement.

Florida’s Governor Scott and Lt. Governor Carroll attended an event in Tallahassee on Thursday, May 3, 2012 to celebrate National Preservation Month and officially declare May to be Historic Preservation month in the state of Florida. Citizens gathered for this event at the newly restored 1902 Rotunda of the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee, FL which is a beautiful example of historic preservation itself with its newly restored copper dome and cupola roof.

In honor of this special month, we at the Florida Historical Society encourage our fellow Floridians to seek out activities in the community that support our country’s historic treasures. There is so much to explore! Stay tuned to this blog for continual articles on hidden historical gems here in Florida and take the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s advice and do the following:

  • Plan special tours of little-known historic sites.
  • Engage volunteers interested in contributing to a local preservation project.
  • Compile a photo archive of the hidden gems in your community.
  • Plot out walking and driving tours of the finest historic places in your town or city.
  • Encourage residents and visitors to share the gems they have discovered on your website or via social media.
  • Schedule lectures, films and slide shows about places saved and threatened.
  • Attract new supporters for local preservation projects and the ongoing work of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Do your part to make sure that our nation’s treasures will be preserved for future generations by spreading the word about National Preservation Month.

Learn more about National Preservation Month

Learn more about the Florida Historic Capitol Museum

Learn more about historic Lincoln Theatre in Miami Beach, FL

Source:

  1. Hubbard, Alma P. Rotunda Rendezvous marks preservation month. Tallahassee.com Special to The Chronicle, Tallahassee, FL 2012.

Melbourne’s Lost Treasures, By Jennifer Zegel

 

BY ADMIN ON JULY 13, 2014 IN 

MLB Lost Treas-1

MLB Lost Treas-2

MLB Lost Treas-3

MLB Lost Treas-4

MLB Lost Treas-5

SaveGreenGables_ThisPlaceMatters

Eastern Florida State College Interior Design Students and members of the community holding up the
“This Place Matters” slogan from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in front of the Green Gables House.

About the author:
Jen Zegel, NCIDQ, is a professional design consultant with a human factors point of view shaped by her commercial real estate planning & building operations background.  She formerly taught History of Design and more at Brevard Community College.  She is the 2014 Chair of the Melbourne Historic Preservation Board and this article is based on a public presentation made as part of the board’s Community Outreach Lecture Series.

Sources:
1) Smith, Tracy. CBS Interactive. “The newest thing in architecture: Something old.” CBSNews. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57585020/the-newest-thing-in-architecture-something-old/ (accessed May 10, 2013).
2) Raley, Karen, and Ann Raley Flotte. Melbourne and Eau Gallie: Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2002. Print.
3)   Daly, John.  “Green Gables at Historic Riverview Village.” John Daly, author. http://greengables.org (accessed May 1, 2013).

Micanopy, FL: The Little Town that Time Forgot

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JULY 6, 2012 IN 

What better way to celebrate the fourth of July than to visit one of Florida’s oldest and, in my opinion, most beautiful historic towns? Micanopy, pronounced: [MICK · uh · NO · pee ], is a beautiful blend of majestic oak trees standing like great southern ladies placidly waving fans of Spanish moss, Florida vernacular architecture and a commercial district proudly maintaining its historic heritage. The town was originally founded in 1821 and is believed to be the oldest inland town in Florida (1). This beautiful southern community was named for Chief Micanopy of the Seminole Nation and has graced the pages of Southern Living and wooed filmmakers for years (think Doc Hollywood and Cross Creek).

Sometimes called “the little town that time forgot,” Micanopy is located in north central Florida just twenty minutes south of Gainesville near Tuscawilla Lake and the National Natural Landmark Paynes Prairie Preserve. As early as 1539 Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando De Soto recorded a village inhabited by the Timucuan tribe on the site of modern day Micanopy. Over two hundred years later, an American naturalist and artist from Pennsylvania named William Bartram encountered a Seminole village named Cuscowilla on the site. The Seminole people were remnants of the Southern Creek Nation whose name is derived from a Creek word meaning “runaway.” The Seminoles had become wealthy by raising cattle and horses on land now known as Paynes Prairie (2). In 1774 Bartram was exploring the predominantly uncharted American southeast and travelled inland from the St. John’s River to what he called the Alachua Savanna, which was the present-day Paynes Prairie Preserve.

While studying the native flora and fauna of the area for his classic novel “Travels of William Bartram” he befriended the Seminole people who nicknamed him ‘Puc Puggy,’ meaning “Seeker of the Flowers.” (3). Keeping true to his Quaker background, Bartram originally arrived in Florida as a peace-loving British subject, returning to Philadelphia three years later as a citizen of an emerging American nation. (Interestingly, while he traveled his 2400-mile trip, the thirteen British colonies began the War of Independence) Bartram noted the numbers of Spanish cattle and horses in the Alachua Savanna, likely vestiges of the Spanish influence in that area, and believed the herds to rival those of the Pennsylvanian farms of his youth. The area now known as Micanopy was later included in a land grant made by the King of Spain in 1817 to Don Fernando del la Maza Arredondo of Havana and St. Augustine. Eventually the fertile soil was used to produce sugar cane and then citrus.

Not long after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, Edward M. Wanton was hired to promote settlement in the area, and in 1823 Moses Elias Levy established the first official American settlement. (A fascinating book on the life of Mosas Levy, titled Moses levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer by C.S. Monaco can be purchased through the Florida Historical Society’s bookstore) The first post office established in Alachua County in 1826 was named after Wanton. An American fort was built in this area in 1831 to protect settlers from hostile attack and remained until after the Second Seminole War (1835-42). Micanopy has been continuously settled by Americans since 1821 and is proud to have its designation on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The town was simultaneously referred to as “Micanope” and “Micanopy” which come from the Creek word for “head chief.” The name officially changed to “Micanopy” in 1834 (2).

Since its designation on the National Register of Historic Places, many of the commercial buildings and beautiful historic homes have been restored. A stroll down Main Street in Micanopy is an idyllic salve for frayed urban sensibilities. Main Street is an eclectic mixture of commerce including a hauntingly beautiful Greek revival mansion replete with massive corinthian columns, a museum housing the Micanopy Historical Society, and a variety of shops selling everything from antique collectibles, musical instruments, books, and ice cream to organic food and household products.

Today, this tiny jewel of Alachua County is also an enclave for employees of the nearby University of Florida. A convenient twenty-minute drive from the nearby university, Micanopy has become home to many academics that seem to matriculate well with the friendly, easy-going local residents. My “Uncle Rob,” Dr. Robert N. Pierce, was one of these academics that sought the quiet solitude of this unaffected community. Retired as Professor Emeritus of Journalism from the University of Florida in 1995, Uncle Rob served as the president of the Micanopy Historical Society. As an active member in this bucolic community, he played an integral role in the establishment of the Micanopy Historical Society’s museum located in the old Thrasher Co. warehouse and was a longtime member of the historic and picturesque Episcopal Church of the Mediator. One of the highlights of his year was reading “The Night Before Christmas” at the town sing-along during the Christmas season.

 

Understandably, some of the best ways to describe Micanopy and its residents are quaint, friendly and eclectic. Throughout its historically illustrious past with inhabitants ranging from Seminole chieftains to Tom Petty, the town remains humble and unpretentious. Like a beautiful southern lady, Micanopy charmingly invites visitors to sit down on any of the many verandahs to enjoy friendly conversation and a glass of iced tea while you take in the lovingly restored architectural surroundings.

 

For more on Micanopy click here

For more on the Micanopy Historical Society click here

For more on William Bertram and his Florida travels click here

For information on the Herlong Mansion Bed and Breakfast click here

 

Not to be Missed: Cocoa’s Architectural Heritage and its People

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MAY 21, 2014 IN 

-BEST Cocoa historical book 2.jpg_20140429.jpg

Photo Left: Tim Shortt/Florida Today

A trio from Brevard County, Florida have published a book on the architectural heritage of our own Cocoa, Florida. Michael Boonstra, Roy Laughlin and Robert Kronowitt worked together to document the architectural heritage of Cocoa, Florida from 1880-1950.

The title of the 384-page book, “Not to be Missed: Cocoa’s Architectural Heritage and its People, 1880-1950,” urges readers not to take for granted the rich architectural treasures in your back yard. “It seems as if you can use architectural history as a container or wrapper (for social history,” said Laughlin, whose earlier book, “At First Glance: An Artist’s View of Rockledge’s Historic Residential Neighborhoods,” was published in 2008 and is in its second printing. “Houses and commercial and public buildings are like conch shells. They have survived the living animals that made them and have the ability to persist indefinitely after their creators. … The book is about the buildings of the past, as well, that are now gone, as the buildings we are still using: the mysteries of the past and the mysteries of the present.”

Lyn Dowling from Florida Today spoke with the men and chronicled their involvement in the project in an article for Florida Today titled “Trio documents cocoa history in new book” on May 13, 2014, seen below:

An 86-year-old commercial artist who also worked on “At First Glance,” Kronowitt is another enthusiast. “I really love historic buildings,” the Melbourne resident said. “It has been such a pleasure to do this and to meet the people who (own) these buildings. They are so unique, and they make huge commitments to restore rather than renovate.”

A longtime preservation advocate, Boonstra, who edited the book and provided research, is one of the area’s premier historians: the genealogy librarian and archivist for the Central Brevard Library and Brevard County Historical Commission. He also added his expertise to “At First Glance.” Boonstra wrote about the book on his blog  “This book is the result of careful research that ranged from interviews with long time residents to an untold amount of consultation with original sources such as deed books and early newspapers. In many cases contemporary accounts of a structure’s construction was found in the Cocoa Tribune so exact dates, builders and architects can now be assigned to previously anonymous buildings. These records also revealed the stories of our area’s earliest residents and their level of involvement in creating the community we enjoy today. Every important section of Cocoa is included in this book with coverage on the business district, schools, the river front, the land boom neighborhoods north of town and the African American community.”

The book is broken down according to types of structures and their uses: schools, homes, houses of worship, commercial buildings, public buildings, etc. “It also includes some social history and the story of how Cocoa developed.”

To buy the book

“Not to Be Missed” is available from the Florida Historical Society, 435 Brevard Ave., Cocoa; S.F. Travis Hardware, 300 Delannoy Ave., Cocoa; or from Roy Laughlin.

Email nottobemissed2001 @gmail.com. Cost is $42.35 plus tax.

Ponce de Leon and Florida’s Fountain of Youth

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JULY 13, 2012 IN 

 

The Legend of the Fountain of Youth, or Florida’s First Tall Tale, By Lesa N. Lorusso

In April 2013 Florida will celebrate her 500-year anniversary of Ponce de León’s landing on Floridian soil. Publications across the state are beginning to publish articles that chronicle half a century of Spanish heritage including the Forum, the fascinating magazine for the Florida Humanities Council whose recent publication is titled ¡Viva Florida! Marking 500 Years of Spanish Heritage. Florida, originally named “La Florida” by Juan Ponce de León in 1513 in honor of the season Pasqua florida or Easter of the flowers in Spanish, has a rich history of explorers, conquistadores, missionaries, pirates and scoundrels that predates the earliest recordings of any pilgrim in Virginia or Massachusetts. In fact, 56 years before English Pilgrims sat down to enjoy a meal of thanksgiving with indigenous people of the New World, Admiral Pedro Menendez and settlers in St. Augustine, FL had already broken bread with native Floridian tribes (1). For me, one of the most exciting aspects of history is that it is always changing. Heroes can become scallywags and vice versa as historians don their metaphysical fedoras and unearth new truths with the excitement of discovery akin to Spielberg’s swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana Jones.

One of the most scintillating shards of historical fact that historian J. Michael Francis, professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of North Florida, recently dusted off in his article for the Forum titled “Who Started the Myth About a Fountain of Youth?” is that Ponce de León was never actually searching for a Fountain of Youth at all. That’s right folks, this popular story is the stuff of legend and, despite what our third grade teachers may have told us years ago, isn’t likely to be true. Although cultures worldwide from Europe, the Middle East and Asia have proliferated a shared tale throughout history of magical waters with powers to rejuvenate youth, there is no historical evidence that Ponce de León knew about such a spring in Florida (2).  According to Francis, it wasn’t until 1535, more than 20 years after Ponce’s 1513 voyage to Florida and more than ten years after his death in 1521 that any historian even associated him with a quest for the Fountain of Youth; and it is likely that it was written more as a character assassination to illustrate the Spanish explorer’s vanity and gullibility than to serve as an infallible historical record (2). Since the initial publication linking de León to the magical spring, however, writers throughout the ages have repeated, distorted and exaggerated the popular tale until it eventually grew legs and walked right into textbooks as historical fact. Although a search for a mythical spring of life in Florida makes for good editorial sales, the true reasons for de León’s travels in 1513 were far more human in nature. De León was forced to surrender the governorship of Puerto Rico in 1511 and set out on his expedition looking for fame and fortune to remedy the stinging effects of a bruised ego. He set sail for the Bimini islands, which he believed to be his ticket to financial Easy Street, when he happened upon the Floridian peninsula.

It is evident that the initial draw that Floridian cities like Miami, Orlando and Key West has on vacationers and investors is still strong. As in the case of Henry Flagler, the American railroad tycoon who made his mark in Florida in the 1800’s when he built several exquisite hotels in St. Augustine to capitalize on the wealthy patrons traveling to Florida to enjoy sunshine in the winter months, Florida steadily maintains its destination reputation. The present-day potential for tourism dollars continues to fuel design projects across the state making Florida a focal point for Architecture and Interior Design. Tourism in Florida provides a major economic impact and is the number one industry in the State with a record number of visitors (84.5 million). The industry directly employs approximately one million people and contributes about US $65 billion in tourism/recreation taxable sales (4).

 

Myth or fact, the Fountain of Youth story has become such an integral ingredient in Florida’s cultural heritage that it is not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. Our state’s modern tourism economy owes many thanks to the tale, which has perpetuated our state’s reputation as a destination of youthful rejuvenation. Sites throughout Florida including De Leon Springs State Park, St. Petersburg and St. Augustine continue to profit from the tale and lure visitors with Fountains of Youth. As Beth Dunlop, Architecture Critic for the Miami Herald, author and Editor in Chief for Miami Home Magazine, astutely observes: “Ever since Ponce de Leon stopped by in his ship, Florida has always been a place for fiction and fantasy, such as his search for the Fountain of Youth. For some reason, the landscape of Florida provokes more romantic schemes and dreams. It’s the blue of the sky, the power of sunshine, the way the landscape is silhouetted. It’s a place people go to reinvent themselves (3).”

Sources:

  1. O’Reilley , Barbara. “A City of Firsts.“ Forum Vol XXXV, No. 3, Fall 2011: pg 10. The Florida Humanities Council.
  2. Francis , J. Michael. “Who Started the Myth About a Fountain of Youth?” Forum Vol XXXV, No. 3, Fall 2011: pg 10. The Florida Humanities Council.
  3. Lorusso, Lesa. “The History of Professional Interior Design Licensure in Florida.” LNL Designs Interiors BlogPosted March 19, 2012, Accessed June 13, 2012.
  4. Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute, University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance. 2010. 2012.

Preserving International Heritage in Central Florida

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON DECEMBER 10, 2012 


Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso

Saigon Market is located at 1232 East Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL

I spent a significant amount of my childhood in the beautiful island nation of the Philippines. My earliest memories are brilliantly rendered with the verdant greens of a lush tropical landscape. Exotic visuals not found in the United States are resplendently organized within my mental Rolodex. As a child I called my family’s homeland “the states” due to my lack of familiarity with the location. The US was a strange concept to me and floated on the far side of the globe, remaining like a distant relative, enigmatic and unfamiliar. In fact, by my ninth birthday, I was more acquainted with Southeast Asia than I was the dairy laden farmland of Wisconsin or the pecan tree-lined streets of Arkansas that my parents knew well. Although we returned to the United States many years ago, my family and I share a collective longing for the vibrancy and unforgettable sensory experiences unique to the culture we once called home. Whenever we find ourselves overtaken by a need to reconnect to Southeast Asia we inevitably make our way to the nearest Asian market.

Walk into the lauded Saigon Market located at 1232 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL and you step through a defining portal into another world. The architecturally insignificant exterior hails from the 1970’s era of nondescript strip malls built across the US. Benign brown bricks and unassuming glass windows constitute the linear facade of this hidden local gem. Brightly lit signs break the architectural monotony by declaring the building’s wares in bright colors, and multiple languages. A lighted sign hung in the storefront of Saigon Market shouts “Fresh Seafood We Clean Fish!” above neatly stacked bags of rice. Upon entering Saigon Market you are forced to leave your mainstream American concept of cuisine and general grocery store etiquette at the door. Inside the store the abundance of sights, smells and sounds assault the senses. Unlike at Wal-Mart where the smiling face of an employee greets you, at Saigon Market lively wriggling soft shell crabs in open wooden crates wave you in.

After the sensory shock wears off, and you are able to look around the interior, there is much to take in. The store serves a vibrant Asian diaspora community in central Florida hailing from various locations around the world. Discerning consumers walk down one aisle to peruse twenty different types of oyster sauce, and then turn the corner to pick up incense while shopping for a variety of household gods. From Buddha and Confucius to Mary and Jesus, symbols of many of the world’s religious ideologies are available for purchase. All manner of meats are displayed, some distinguishable and some that seem to be vicious replicas of creatures in a science fiction movie. Roasted duck hangs succulently in a glass showcase glistening beneath special lighting while dried fish and frozen eel look on. Speckled quails eggs rest next to a herculean display of bean curd prepared in an amazingly colorful and visual stunning array. The grid-like organization of the aisles reassuringly brings visual order to the chaotic abundance of sensory stimulants. Walking up and down the aisles of this colorful cornucopia for the senses, it is easy to remember the sights, sounds and smells of a familiar part of the world so far away.

The Importance of Historic Designation

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON JANUARY 6, 2013

Sears Kit Homes in La Bertha Lawn Neighborhood of Melbourne, FLorida
Written by Lesa N. Lorusso

Historically Designated Sears Kit Home in La Bertha Lawn Neighborhood in Melbourne, Florida. Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso

It may seem that planned subdivisions and prefabricated homes were an invention of the 1950’s. Although the cookie cutter technique of community planning proliferated during the mid-century era, the true origins of planned communities in Florida actually predate Twinkies and Spam by several decades.

Florida, in fact, is the location of a few of America’s first fully planned communities. Why Florida? In a 1925 book, “The Truth about Florida”, author Charles Donald Fox explains that the early twentieth century boom in Florida eclipsed all other mass migrations, including the California Gold Rush in 1849 (2). In south Florida, Coral Gables was created in 1925 to include residential and commercial areas all built in the Mediterranean style, and now houses the historic Biltmore Hotel and nine properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places (3). Another planned neighborhood was built during the same time period on the eastern coast of the state in Melbourne, Florida known as the La Bertha Lawn subdivision.

Nestled behind the revitalized Historic Downtown Melbourne district, is the La Bertha Lawn neighborhood. Like Coral Gables near Miami, this area is a planned community built in 1924, just 31 years after Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway chugged its way into the Sunshine State. Many of the homes in La Bertha Lawn between 1908-1940 were Sears Kit Homes. 1908-1940 were the years that Sears made prefabricated homes that could be selected from a catalogue and purchased, “lock stock and barrel”, ready to be assembled on site. (…and you thought Home Depot and Lowe’s started the DIY revolution?!) The homes were shipped via railroad and contained 10,000-30,000 pieces with framing members marked to facilitate construction (2). Built on Sear’s reputation of quality, low prices and reliability, nearly 75,000 catalog homes were sold between 1908 and 1940 in 48 US states.

Image Top: Vernacular Sketch, Image Lower: Bungalow Sketch

In 1991, the State of Florida had 29 homes in the La Bertha neighborhood surveyed. Based on data collected from these surveys, there are over 6 different architectural styles in the community. The most prevalent styles are Frame Vernacular and Craftsman style or Bungalow homes (2). I recently visited a bungalow home within this subdivision on Palmetto Avenue that is proud to be a newly minted, historically designated example of a Sears Kit Home (4).

Photo by Lesa N. Lorusso
The owner of this home, Susan Miller, is an Interior Designer who has lovingly restored her property over the years and is overjoyed with the historic recognition. It was no easy task to obtain the designation proudly displayed on the front of the house that she purchased in 2002. The Sears Company sustained a major fire, which destroyed many records from the first part of the twentieth century. Also, the Sears Kit homes were very customizable making exact matches often difficult to ascertain. Ms. Miller strongly suspected that her bungalow was a Sears Kit Home for several reasons. The neighborhood’s architectural history and the home’s bungalow style were early clues. The deed to the home dates to 1930, and a neighbor insists that the home actually existed before 1930. In any case, this home was built of the style and in the time frame of Sears Kit homes. (Between 1908-1940) Next, the multi story home’s floor plans match very closely to a style known as “The Gordon” found on page 149 in the book Houses By Mail by K. Stevenson and H. Jandl. Lastly, enough of the original architectural features were also still present in the home including doors, hardware and metal roofing that Susan contacted the Melbourne Historic Preservation Board to inquire about her home’s official designation.

Photos by Lesa N. Lorusso

Thanks to the significant research efforts of Ed Browder from LittleJohn Engineering the home’s historical significance is now confirmed. This is a significant win for Susan Miller and for others passionate about maintaining historic homes and revitalizing older neighborhoods. As the economic winds shift over time, neighborhoods go in and out of vogue. An area that is now the “it” designation boasting the newest and best homes may be a run-down location in fifty year’s time. Official historic designations are emblems proudly displayed on building façade’s that declare the importance and validity of the structure and encourage others to join in the cause.

1. For more information about Sears Kit Homes visit: www.searsarchives.com
2. Powerpoint Presentation, “Sears Modern Homes in Melbourne Floriday. LittleJohn Engineering Associates. April 17, 2012.
3. http://www.citybeautiful.net/index.aspx?page=324
4. Interview with Susan Miller, Sept 6, 2012

The Past is Prologue

 

BY LESA.LORUSSO ON MAY 7, 2012 IN 

Historic Home on Rockledge Drive, Rockledge, FL. Photo by Lesa Lorusso

Shakespeare’s phrase “The Past is Prologue” is often used by historic preservationists to communicate the concept of history influencing the present by setting its context. This phrase challenges us to base our plans for future growth on our past, to look at how our society has evolved historically and to have the past serve as a guide for the future to ensure sustainability. While sustainability for the built environment is defined as an initiative that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, p. 43), green design is defined by the Green Design Education Initiative (2003) as a principle that “implies an interest in design that protects people’s health and well-being.” Therefore, as illustrated by the definitions provided, sustainable design refers to the health, safety, and welfare of the planet while green design is often used to refer to people’s health, safety, and welfare (Jones, pg. 3). Both terms are closely related to the core of historic preservation.

In fact, what better way is there to reduce, reuse and recycle than to preserve an existing building? As designers seek to further the cause for sustainability in architecture, it seems that we are often looking back to the way buildings were built in the past for instruction. The beautiful homes located on Rockledge Drive in Brevard County’s Rockledge, FL are elegant examples of sustainable architecture. Located on the banks of the intercoastal Indian River, within walking distance from the headquarters of the Florida Historic Society, these homes serve as sentinels of a past era of inherently sustainable architecture. With elements that include the use of naturally termite impervious heart of pine wood, wrap-around porches, central breezeways and careful site positioning, these buildings demonstrate the effectiveness of sustainable design from eras that viewed sustainability as common sense, not merely a marketing tag line.

While the concept of limitless resources seemed true in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is definitely not the case any more. Americans today are awakening to a very different reality. The truth is that now most of the habitable American landscape has been cultivated or built upon and communities are approaching a “closed to development” status. So now what? Now we are forced to look around and figure out ways to effectively use the resources that we have, which includes building materials and natural energy sources alike. With the cost of building materials at historically astronomical prices, it is often more cost efficient to utilize an existing building and retrofit the structure for a new purpose than it is to raze the building and purchase all new materials. (Ligibel, Tyler)

Historic preservationists in America are illustrating Shakespeare’s popular phrase in the literal sense by looking to the building practices of the past to learn how to better build homes today. A scenic trip down Brevard County’s Rockledge Drive will give a history lover and sustainable enthusiast a visual abundance of historic homes, some catalogued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and some not, which illustrate sustainable building methods from long ago.

Works Cited:

  1. Green Design Education Initiative. (n.d.). Green/Sustainable design: Frequently asked questions. www.idec.org/greendesign/FAQ.html
  2. Louise Jones, Arch.D. Eastern Michigan University, Implications Newsletter Vol 01.06 (n.d.).
  3. Lorusso, Lesa. “IND2150 Ch1 Powerpoint Notes,” Why Preservation Course IND2150. Brevard Community College, Melbourne, FL
  4. Ligibel, Ted, Tyler, Ilene, Tyler, Norman. Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice (Second Edition). W. W. Norton & Company; (February 4, 2009).
  5. World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). The Brundtland report: Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press. UN Documents. NGO Committee on Education. <http://www.un-documents.net/index.htm>.

 

 

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Requests for review copies must be submitted on publication letterhead.  Examination copies can be requested by faculty on department letterhead.  See below for contact information.

 

PERMISSIONS:

To quote or excerpt from one of our books, or to inquire about any other rights, please contact:

Ben Brotemarkle, Executive Director
Florida Historical Society Press
435 Brevard Ave., Cocoa, FL 32922
ben.brotemarkle@myfloridahistory.org

ALL REQUESTS AND INQUIRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING

 

 

FHS Press Submissions

 

 

SUBMISSIONS

The Florida Historical Society Press and Chapin House Books encourage new authors and already published authors to submit manuscripts for consideration for publication.  To submit a manuscript, please comply with the following instructions.

1.To submit a new manuscript send it electronically, either by USB Flash Drive (preferable), on a CD, or via a file sharing service such as Dropbox. Any materials including storage devices like USB drives are not returnable. Manuscripts must be created in or converted to Microsoft Word or Adobe Indesign. Manuscripts submitted in other formats may NOT be considered.

2. Manuscripts must be submitted with a Table of Contents and with each chapter tentatively titled.  Any manuscript seeking consideration must be complete and ready for editing.  Partially completed chapters, extraneous insertions, fragmentary passages and other submissions that are not part of a completed manuscript indicate that the author IS NOT ready for consideration of his/her manuscript for publication.  Materials submitted in such a fashion will not be considered.  Sample chapters will NOT be considered unless specifically requested by the publisher.

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4. Please submit an author's biography, complete with a "head shot" photograph, with each manuscript. Please include contact information--telephone number, e-mail address and USPS address.  In addition, please submit a one-to-two page description of the audience you want to appeal to, possible author appearance venues that you have direct communications with and your affiliation with any organization or group that might want to re-sale or purchase the published manuscript in bulk.

5. Please submit each chapter as a separate file. We will merge them where necessary.

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8. Notes should appear as footnotes, in Arabic numbers.  The preferred footnoting style is Turabian or the Chicago Manual of Style.  Do not use endnotes and do not underline.  Titles of journals, books and other clearly identifiable collection names should be italicized.  Insert the footnotes with the word processor so that markers are generated, don't just superscript a number and add text in content.

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11. Footnotes should restart at the beginning of each chapter, however it is most important that the footnotes were inserted with the word processor as footnotes not just text in the chapter with manual superscripts.

12. To save space, full footnote citations should be only once in a chapter.  Subsequent footnotes citing the same source should be abbreviated:

                        1.  Homer Jones, Life in the Fast Lane (New York:  Cruddy Press, 1952), 2.

                         2.  Jones, Fast Lane, 4.

13. We are a small press and receive numerous manuscripts for consideration.  The review process can take a minimum of several months. The total process up to a year.  Calling or e-mailing before the end of this period does not accelerate the review process.

14. Authors are responsible for for securing releases for privately owned photographs, oral interviews, previously printed or restricted materials, and other materials that may require the payment of fees or written permission for use.

15. Authors are responsible for generating a usable Index, if required by the publisher. You should insert the index markers with the word processor. Consider doing more than just key word searches and indexing by content also using index ranges if appropriate.  Final page numbers should be assigned after the final "blue lines" are sent to the author for review.  Failure to complete an accurate Index will result in delays to the publication of the work, as well as possible cost to the author.  If you do not know how to generate or update an index, please visit CREATING AND UPDATING AN INDEX..

MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE SENT TO:

Ben Brotemarkle, Editor

Florida Historical Society Press

435 Brevard Avenue

Cocoa, FL 32922

 

Florida Historical Quarterly

The Florida Historical Quarterly is the academic journal published four times per year by the Florida Historical Society in cooperation with the Department of History at the University of Central Florida. Each issue features peer-reviewed articles focusing on a wide variety of topics related to Florida history.

The FHQ is the primary benefit of Membership in the Florida Historical Society. To receive the Florida Historical Quarterly, you must become a Member of the Florida Historical Society. Access to the Quarterly will be available once staff has processed your Membership (generally 3 business days). For more information on Membership in the FHS, click here.

 

 

DIGITAL ACCESS TO THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY FOR FHS MEMBERS!

Digital version is released 2 weeks before the Print version

Members of the Florida Historical Society who have elected to receive the
Florida Historical Quarterly electronic edition
 can access issues using the links below. 

 

To access, you will need your Member Number as your Login and

your last name (case sensitive) as your Password.

Click here to access the Digital edition!

Click on one of the below Volumes to enter your Login & Password.

Vol. 101 No. 2

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Vol. 99 No. 3 & 4

Vol. 99 No. 1 & 2

Vol. 98 No. 3 & 4

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Vol. 98  No. 1

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Vol. 97  No. 3

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Vol. 97 No. 1

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Vol. 96 No. 2

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Vol. 95 No. 3

Vol. 95 No. 2

 

(for access membership must have been active when issue was published)

Back issues can be accessed through the searchable database here: 

FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY AT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correspondence concerning contributions, books for review, and all editorial matters should be addressed to:

Editor, Florida Historical Quarterly, Department of History,
CNH 551, University of Central Florida,
Orlando, Florida 32816-1350.
Telephone: 407-823-0261.
Email: connie.lester@ucf.edu.

Guidelines for submitting manuscripts can be found at: SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

 

Rossetter House Museum

Historic Rossetter House Museum & Gardens
https://rossetterhousemuseum.org/

The 1908 Rossetter House and Gardens

The 1892 Roesch House

The 1865 Houston Cemetery

1320 Highland Avenue   Melbourne, FL 32935 (Located in the Eau Gallie Arts District)
 Contact phone: 321-254-9855 or 

site-manager@rossetterhousemuseum.org,
 www.rossetterhousemuseum.org

 Open
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday
11:00am -4:00pm

Tour times are subject to change due to events. 

 

Rental Spaces

Lawn and Gardens (Large) Two lawns surrounded by palm trees and gardens, includes the shaded patio, and a private brides room.
Ideal for weddings and other large events of 100 guests or less.

Patio (Medium) A shady space tucked away in the Rossetter gardens.
Perfect for medium sized gatherings and events of 30 or less guests.

Parlor (Small) A bright, indoor, air-conditioned space for meetings and small gatherings of 20 or less guests.

 

Come see the spaces yourself! Schedule a free tour with us of the spaces you are interested in renting.

 

                                      Ella's Closet Gift Shop

Gifts, local artwork, and books on Florida history. Located in the Roesch House and open during Museum hours.
 

 

 

 

Contact the museum for more information!

https://rossetterhousemuseum.org/

321-254-9855

site-manager@rossetterhousemuseum.org

 

A Museum is Born

A Museum is Born...

The Historic Rossetter House Museum is a project of the Florida Historical Society, Inc. and The Rossetter House Foundation, Inc. The museum comprises the 1908 James Wadsworth Rossetter House and gardens, 1901 William P. Roesch House, and the 1865 Houston Family Memorial Cemetery.

The Rossetter Family arrived in Eau Gallie in 1902; a family already deeply rooted in Florida history with connections reaching into the colonial era. Like other Florida pioneer families they had made their livelihood on the frontier from Jacksonville to the south along the St. Johns River and coastal waterways.

 Eau Gallie was founded in the 1850s around a variety of agricultural ventures including sugar cane, rice, and citrus groves. By 1893 it had become the southern end of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway attracting new visitors from the north. When James Rossetter built his home on Highland Avenue in 1908, Eau Gallie with a population of about 200 people, had a hotel and thriving commercial district on the Indian River.

Raising a family of five children Rossetter became a leading merchant in the fishing industry and agent for the Standard Oil Company. Nearby the family graves of the Houston family plantation served as a reminder of the humble beginnings of the community. Across the street, long time Eau Gallie resident and neighbor William Roesch also raised his family, serving the community as postmaster, newspaper publisher, and mayor.

At a young age Carrie P. Rossetter took responsibility for the family home and the Standard Oil Distribution business. The oldest child at the passing of her father, in 1921, Carrie dedicated her energy to seeing her family survive with the beginning of the 1920s in Eau Gallie. Her story is one of great success against many challenges. Seventy years later, Carrie with sister Ella F. Rossetter sought to secure the preservation of their family home, family history, and legacy of the Eau Gallie area, with a bequest to make their property a historical monument.

 Today the Rossetter House and surrounding properties stand as a living reminder of Florida’s past and the people who made it home in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The Rossetter House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours are available daily during operating hours.

 

Caroline P. Rossetter

     Caroline Postel Rossetter, known as Carrie, was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1898.  Carrie's mother, Ella Maude Rogerio, was born in Palatka, Florida and is descended from early Minorcan families living in and around St. Augustine. Her father, James Wadsworth Rossetter, was an agent for the Florida East Coast Railroad, and a partner in the Indian River and Lake Worth Fishing Company.

     In 1904, a six year old Carrie moved with her family to Eau Gallie, Florida from Jacksonville, Florida. At this time, her father's fish company was one of the largest consumers of gasoline in Eau Gallie. For this reason, James W. Rossetter became the Standard Oil Agent for South Brevard County, and he began shipping gas via his fishing boat. During the early part of the twentieth century, many commercial fishing boats were coverting to gasoline and diesel engines from sail and steam power.

     James W. Rossetter passed away in 1921. Carrie, the oldest of her siblings, had been working with her father for a number of years and decided to take over her father's oil agency. At the tender age of twentythree, Caroline had assumed the responsibilities that had rested on the shoulders of her late father. She worked hard in the first few years to keep the oil agency and to make enough commission to help support her family (mother, younger sister and three younger brothers). This was during the difficult economic period which led to the Great Depression. Carrie's younger brother, James W. Rossetter Jr., helped out during these difficult years, and the family was able to pull through along with the support of the Eau Gallie communitywho had respected and loved James W. Rossetter Sr., as his family did.

     Carrie was the first woman to hold the position of oil agent in one of the largest companies in America, but that is not her only accomplishment in the business. She also remained in that position for 62 years. Caroline Rossetter built some of the first gasoline stations in South Brevard and was the sole distributor of oil to the Banana River Naval Air Station's civilian air force during the Second World War. Caroline also continued her father's interests in the areas of both cattle and citrus.

     During the later part of the twentieth century, Caroline contributed to educational institutions including the Florida Institute of Technology and to many cultural and commmunity organizations. She was on the borad of trustees at FIT from 1993 until her death in 1999. She was president of Rossetter Properties, which was dedicated to the development or real estate and promotion of the citrus, cattle, and farming industries in Brevard County through the distribution of Standard oil products. She was the director of the Sun First Bank in Melbourne from 1973-1979. Caroline was a founding member and patron of the Brevard Art Museum and a director of the Brevard Art Center and Museum. She was one of the first and longest running members of the Eau Gallie Yacth Club, and the Palm Bay and Melbourne Area Chambers of Commerce, as well as, a lifetime member of the Brevard Crippled Children's Association. Caroline was also a longtime member of the Florida Cattleman's Association and the Florida Historical Society.

     Miss Rossetter had been honored by the Brevard County School District for "distinguished and valuable service to the community", and was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce as well as the City of Melbourne for over 60 years of service to the Melbourne and Eau Gallie communities. She was also cited by Chevron U.S.A (previouly Standard Oil) for her work on behalf of the company since 1921.

      Caroline Rossetter formed the Rossetter Foundation in the 1990s to preserve her family's homestead and to maintain its historic Florida appeal. She occupied the family home from the time the family moved to Eau Gallie in 1904 until her passing in 1999. Through her many philanthropic donations to local schools and cultural organizations, and her active role as a member of the local business scence, Carrie Rossetter cemented her place in Brevard County history. She will always serve as a symbol of great success through great community sevice and superior strength when faced with diversity.

Houston Cemetery

The Houston Cemetery, located half a block south of the Rossetter House, was established in 1865. Currently, there are twelve graves remaining in the cemetery.

An interesting characteristic of the Houston Cemetery is the use of initialed footstones in addition to headstones.

Initialed Footstone: J.C.H.

 

The Houston family were among the earliest settlers in Brevard County calling their homestead Arlington in 1859 (later renamed Eau Gallie). It is believed that John Carroll Houston had his slaves build the first structure on the property of what is now the Rossetter House. The Houston's operated a refuge and staging area for blockade runners transporting goods from the Indian River to the St. Johns River during the Civil War. Houston's son, also named John, was captured in 1864 while running the blockade.

John Carroll Houston served as a Brevard County Commissioner during Reconstruction 1864-1874. He established the second post office of Brevard County in 1871.

The Houston family served as host, and hunting and fishing guides for wealthy northern sportsmen and naturalists in the late 1860' and 1870's.

 

Buried in the Houston Cemetery are:

Samuel L. Houston, June 13, 1856 - Feb. 17, 1883 (Age: 26, Son of John C. and Mary V. Houston)

John Carroll Houston, July 8, 1816 - Feb. 17, 1885 (Age: 69, First Settler of Arlington/Eau Gallie)

Mary Virginia Houston, Feb. 19, 1823 - Feb. 13, 1894 (Age: 70, Wife of John Carroll Houston)

Bonnie Houston, Sept. 9, 1899 - Feb. 19, 1900 (Age: 6 Months, Daughter of George Charley Houston and Beulah Mae (Kinniard) Houston)

Maud Bertha Young, Jan. 20, 1902 - July 9, 1904 (Daughter of Charles Young & Mary Houston Young)

Susan E. Houston, Oct. 8, 1841 - July 4, 1909 (Age: 67, Daughter-in-law of John C.and Mary V. Houston. Married to John Houston)

Maudena Belle Braddock, Jan. 2, 1910 - Dec. 3, 1910 (Daughter of Braddock and Houston)

Children of W. R. & A. L. Roesch (Four buried around a single headstone):

 

Infant Son, April 2, 1887 - April 3, 1887

Mary H. Roesch, Dec. 22, 1885 - May 6, 1887 (Age:1 1/2 years)

Infant Daughter, Born and Died Jan. 15, 1888

Daughter, Born and Died Aug. 22, 1889

Earl Leroy Roesch, Son of Wm. R. and Ada Roesch, October 7, 1895 - Oct. 25, 1895

 

 

Conclusions from the April 2010 Ground Penetarting Radar (GPR) Survey prepared by John J Schultz, Ph.D. and Joanna Fletcher, BA. Department of Anthropolgy, University of Central Florida.

Conclusions

Eighteen anomalies were marked during the survey and sixteen addtional anomalies were detected after the data was processed.  All the anomalies were similar in depth and size to the hyperbolas created by marked graves, and appear to be located within existing rows of graves.  These anomalies may also represent  nautral subsurface features, such as tree roots.  We suspect that the anomalies located in the NE and N areas of the cemetery are most likely due to tree roots since they are located near existing trees.  There are numerous anomalies found in existing rows and we suspect that these are probably represent unmarked graves.  We would not be surprised if the anomalies represented at least 20 unmarked graves. However, there is no way to confirm this without invasive testing, such as probing, which is not a recommended option at this time.

 

Roesch House

Located across the street from the Rossetter House, the Roesch  houses the Museum's offices and Ella's Closet Gift Shop.

The four bedroom, 2-story house was built by Mr. William Roesch in 1901.William Roesch married Ada Louise Houston in 1885. Ada Houston was the daughter of John Carroll Houston. The Houston's were the first settlers of Arlington in 1859 (later renamed the Township of Eau Gallie).

 

William Roesch was elected the first Town Treasurer of Eau Gallie in February 1887. He was also an early land developer subdividing and building houses on some of his holdings in town lots, known as The Roesch Cottages. In the following years William Roesch became a Merchant, long serving Mayor, Postmaster and founder of the first Eau Gallie Newspaper, The Eau Gallie Record.

Tragedy struck the Roesch Family when five of their six children died between the years 1887 and 1895. Their children are buried in the Houston Cemetery.

Rossetter History

The Rossetter family (James, his wife Ella and daughters, Caroline and Ella) arrived in Eau Gallie, Florida in 1902. Mr. James Wadsworth Rossetter purchased the property (on which the current configuration of Rossetter House now stands) in 1904. The Rossetter House is restored as it stood in 1908. The property was first settled by Eau Gallie pioneer John Houston and his family in 1859. 

James and Ella Rossetter eventaully had more children named James, Appleton, and Charles. The home stayed in the family and became the residence of only Caroline and Ella who lived there until they passed.

Before passing, Caroline and Ella Rossetter donated their family home and collection of Victorian antiques to the Rossetter House Foundation to preserve the home and contents as a monument to Eau Gallie's past. The property is owned by the Rossetter House Foundation and managed by the Florida Historical Society. 

To learn more history about this beautiful home, the Rossetter family, and the town of Eau Gallie come by for a guided tour. Times are located on the welcome page.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to call to schedule a tour?

Normally no, however for groups over six we ask that you call ahead.
 

 Is the house on the US National Registry?

The James Wadsworth Rossetter House is a historic U.S. home in Melbourne, Florida. It is located at 1328 Houston Street. On July 27, 2005, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

 

 

Directions and Contacts

How to find The Rossetter House Musuem and Gardens — 

Map of 1320 Highland Ave
Melbourne, FL 32935-7005, US
 

  • From I-95 take Exit -183. Go East toward Melbourne on SR-518/Eau Gallie Blvd.

  • Follow SR –518/Eau Gallie Blvd. (Montreal Ave) 5.1 miles. Turn right onto Highland Ave.

Parking is available immediately on the north on Hector Street (just North of the Rossetter House property)

Please begin your visit at the Roesch House (Museum Office/ Ella's Closet Gift Shop)

Site Manager
Historic Rossetter House Museum
1320 Highland Avenue
Melbourne, FL. 32935
321-254-9855
site-manager@rossetterhousemuseum.org
Benjamin D. Brotemarkle, Executive Director
Florida Historical Society
The Rossetter House Foundation, Inc
435 Brevard Avenue
Cocoa, FL 32922
321-690-1971 x201
ben.brotemarkle@myfloridahistory.org

 

Rentals

Rental Spaces

Lawn and Gardens (Large) Two lawns surrounded by palm trees and gardens, includes the shaded patio, and a private brides room.
Ideal for weddings and other large events of 100 guests or less.

Patio (Medium) A shady space tucked away in the Rossetter gardens.
Perfect for medium sized gatherings and events of 30 or less guests.

Parlor (Small) A bright, indoor, air-conditioned space for meetings and small gatherings of 20 or less guests.

See the museum website for more information: https://rossetterhousemuseum.org/rentals

Patio Rental

Patio Rental

A breezy patio in the shade amidst the Rossetter gardens.
This outdoor space is ideal for medium sized gatherings.

see the museum website for more information:
www.rossetterhousemuseum.org

 

Suited for 30 guests

Furniture available for a set up fee includes:

o   Six round tables, seat four each

o   Two rectangular tables (six feet in length)

o   30 chairs

Lighting, linens, and tents not provided

Electrical outlets are available but are limited

Restroom facilities for men and women available

The patio is wheelchair accessible

Wedding Rehearsal is optional for a fee

 

For more information or to make reservations contact us at
321-254-9855 or site-manager@rossetterhousemuseum.org

 

Roesch Parlor

Roesch Parlor Rental - Meetings and Small Gatherings

The charming Roesch House Parlor is a cozy setting for any small gathering. A beautiful room within the Roesch house, airconditioned and illuminated by four large windows that look upon the property. Warm wood floors and traditional moldings provide historical character to the parlor.

Suited for maximum 20 guests

FOR MORE INFORMATION, MUSEUM WEBSITE: https://rossetterhousemuseum.org/rentals/roeschparlor

 

Weddings

Wedding Rentals

Have the entire lawn and gardens to host your perfect wedding!

We provide outdoor space for ceremony and/or reception
including both the North and South lawns, the patio,
and a private bride's room in the Roesch house.

For More information see the Rossetter House Museum Website:
https://rossetterhousemuseum.org/rentals

~ Accomodates a maximum of 100 guests ~

~ Furniture, lighting, linens, and tents not provided ~

~ Electrical outlets are available but are limited ~

~ The patio and portions of the lawn are wheelchair accessible ~

~ Restroom facilities for men and women available ~

 

Please call for information or

to schedule a tour of the grounds.

321-254-9855

Tours

Guided Historical Tours

 $15/ person, group tours available

 

Tours are approximately one hour long. Tour includes Rossetter house, gardens, Houston cemetary, and Ella's car. The gardens are open for free to the public. To see the rest, the purchase of a tour is necessary. 

MUSEUM WEBSITE: https://rossetterhousemuseum.org/tours

Tour time are affected by museum events.

 

 

Our guided tours of the interior of the Rossetter House Mansion include an entertaining and informative discussion of the history of the area and the interesting people who made the history.  Starting in the Roesch Parlor you will discover some of the original pioneers of Eau Gallie.  Weather permitting the next stop is the Houston Family Cemetery.  Then it's off to the Rossetter House.  This incredible structure is filled with original furniture and other items from the Rossetter Collection.  Theres more!  The gardens are then explored on your way to the vintage automobile that was driven by Ella Rossetter.  And finally a surprise is waiting for you when you travel back to Ella's closet.


 Group Tours

Groups tours of 10 or more people,
scheduled and paid in advance at $10/person.

Call at 321-245-9855

site-manager@rossetterhousemuseum.org

 


 

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Thank you for your continued support of the Florida Historical Society!

Please scroll down to see what your donation helps to support.

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  • Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio  Magazine of the Florida Historical Society which can be heard on public radio stations throughout the state, with archived  programs available on our website, is provided to Florida NPR stations for free..
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FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PROGRAMS:

FHS has a number of  special programs and services that are offered free of charge to our members.  

 

  • The Friends of the Florida Historical Society  sponsors the “Discover Florida”  speaker  series at the Library of Florida History in Cocoa.  These lectures are free to the public.
  • FHS works with several institutions of higher learning to provide internships for students in the fields of history, public history, library  science and organizational management.  In addition, FHS and its Library offer assistance to young scholars who are working on theses or special projects.
  • Special events, presentations and our Annual Meeting and Symposium, which is held in May each year in a different Florida city.

 

A teenage girl at the Rossetter House Museum is inspired by the story of Carrie Rossetter, who became a successful businesswoman in 1921; just months after women received the right to vote.

An eager graduate student is thrilled to find a one-of-a-kind primary source document in the archive at our Library of Florida History.

A group of seniors gather at the FHS Headquarters to discuss the latest FHS Press book over coffee and donuts.

Hundreds of scholars, students, and history enthusiasts gather every year in a different Florida town for the FHS Annual Meeting & Symposium to experience presentations on Florida history topics, tours of historic sites, an awards luncheon, a banquet, a picnic, and much more.

As many as 83,000 people react to our engaging, informative, and interactive daily Facebook posts such as “Today in Florida History.”

More than 2.6 million public radio listeners per year enjoy our educational and entertaining program Florida Frontiers: The Weekly Radio Magazine of the Florida Historical Society.

 

All of these moments and many more are made possible by YOUR Florida Historical Society.

The Florida Historical Society is made possible by people just like YOU!

 

We are an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit institution that depends upon individual Memberships, grant funding, and generous sponsorships of particular projects and programs to survive and thrive.

Please become a Member today! You will receive our outstanding journal, the Florida Historical Quarterly, and our newsletter, the Society Report. Most importantly, you will be supporting our educational outreach efforts throughout the state.

There are also always many sponsorship opportunities available for individuals, businesses, and foundations. Please contact our Development Team for more information at 321-690-1971 ext. 217, or at membership@myfloridahistory.org.

THANK YOU!!

  • Archaeology Day Support
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  • Zora Exhibit

100 at 500 - 2018

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please use the links in the "Donate Now" Box on the right,
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https://www.charity.ebay.com/charity/Florida-Historical-Society/1892809

 

 

Sponsor

There are many sponsorship opportunities available for individuals, businesses, and foundations for our various projects, programs, and events. Please contact our Development Team for more information at 321-690-1971 ext. 217, or at membership@myfloridahistory.org.

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Volunteer

Volunteering at the Florida Historical Society and the Rossetter House Museum and Gardens is FUN!

We depend upon volunteer assistance for many of our various projects and programs.

To discuss volunteer opportunities, contact us at 321-690-1971 ext. 211 or email holly.baker@myfloridahistory.org.

 

The Florida Historical Society's Library of Florida History

For over 150 years, the Florida Historical Society's mission has been to collect, preserve and publish materials relating to the rich and diverse history of our state. The research library was officially begun in 1905 and consisted of only a few library resources. One of the first items donated to the FHS research library was a first edition of La Florida del Inca, owned by none other than Florida East Coast Railway magnate Henry M. Flagler! Over the years the Society has amassed a sizable collection of rare and out of print books, maps dating back to the 1500s, and tens of thousands of photographs and postcards from around the state. Our normal operating house are Tuesday - Thursday from 10:00am - 2:00pm, Friday and Saturday appointment only. We ask that patrons first inquire about a research appointment however, before visiting the library. 

The FHS Library of Florida History

The first library collection was housed in the  Cordova Hotel in St. Augustine, before moving to Jacksonville, Gainesville and Tampa over the course of the next few decades. In 1997, the Library of Florida History was established in Historic Cocoa Village in Brevard County, where we still reside today. Our library is housed within a historic post office, originally constructed in 1939 by the WPA. We offer patrons the opportunity to conduct in-house research during normal business hours. No research fee or membership is required to conduct research at our facility, however, due to the rarity of many of the materials in the collection, and the volume of research requests received, we request that patrons first schedule an appointment with the archivist ahead of a visit so that we can pull the material for you.

Collections Overview

The scope of the collections housed at the FHS Library consist of any type of documentary materials relating to Florida's history and pre-history. We have over 8,000 bound library volumes in our general collection. The Library also has a collection of rare books including original territorial-period government publications, first edition, or limited printed fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as early Spanish period narrative histories of Florida. The archival collection consists of over 10,000 print photographs organized by subject and by county. The Ada E. Parrish Postcard Collection is comprised of over 15,000 postcards organized geographically. We house over 1,000 early Florida maps, including a collection of 19th century plat maps, early colonial period (1500-1800) maps, county soil surveys, and many other types. The Library also has a collection of historic newspapers including the Jacksonville Times Union from 1917-1918, as well as sporadic other papers from various state and local newspapers covering the mid-19th century to the late-20th century.

The collection reflects the types of materials which are donated to the Society. We do not actively collect, nor do we house any historic obituaries, census enumerations, or other systematic records. To find historic obituaries you will need to consult regional historical societies, or individual local newspaper archives. Birth and death records can be obtained through the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Original copies of the Florida State Genealogical Society's Pioneer Descendant certificate program applications are housed at the FHS Library. They can be accessed by appointment.      

Most materials housed at the Florida Historical Society Library can be searched via our online catalog. However, for detailed inquires regarding the collection, please contact the archivist.

You can use our online catalog to search our collections.

The catalog is available through PastPerfect:
http://myfloridahistory.pastperfectonline.com/
 

 

In order to best serve our patrons, research at the library is by appointment only.  
To make a research appointment with the archivist, please email: archivist@myfloridahistory.org 
Be sure to include details of your area of research, and when you would like to come in.  Appointments will be confirmed via return email.

    

Finding Guides

Below is a list of finding guides. The referenced materials are archived in the FHS Library.

Volunteers interested in cataloging the archived manuscripts and making finding guides please contact the archivist.

In order to best serve our patrons, research at the library is by appointment only.  

To make a research appointment with the archivist, please email: archivist@myfloridahistory.org  

Be sure to include details of your area of research, and when you would like to come in.  Appointments will be confirmed via return email.

Bulow/Bucknor Papers, 1836 – 1896

 

GUIDE TO THE BULOW / BUCKNOR PAPERS, 1836 – 1896

MSS 2006

.25 cubic feet

Processed by

Mimi Klug

Jan. 2006

Biography

The Bulow plantation flourished from 1820 when Charles Wilhelm Bulow acquired 6,000 acres, until 1836 when it was destroyed by the fury of the Seminole Indians.

Charles W. Bulow, a wealthy merchant from Charleston, South Carolina established his plantation in Florida, 40 miles south of St. Augustine. He cleared 1500 acres for the production of sugar cane, 1,000 for cotton, and lesser plots for indigo and rice. Over 300 slaves were used to clear the land and erect numerous buildings. In three short years Charles W. Bulow, aged 44, died and his only son, John Joachim, inherited the vast fortune along with his mother and his sister, Emily Ann, later Mrs. William Bucknor of New York City.

The plantation prospered under John J. Bulow and it became synonymous with bounty and wealth. John J. was a dashing young man who had been educated in Paris, France. He built a great sugar mill and a large two story house where he entertained many guests including John James Audubon in 1831. John J. used to travel in state on an eight-oared barge as far as Jupiter Inlet, with his guns, nets, tent and cooks. But the period when young Bulow could live as "monarch of all he surveyed" came to an abrupt end in Dec. 1935 with the outbreak of the Seminole Indian War. Major Benjamin A. Putnam was sent from St. Augustine with a detachment of militia to protect the plantations to the south. Putnam moved his headquarters to Bulow Ville but as he and his column entered the plantation on Dec 28, 1835 they were met with resistance from John J. who fired a four-pounder at the troops. John J. was put under guard in his own home until Jan 23, 1836 when Putnam’s troops and plantation residents retreated to St. Augustine. Shortly thereafter, the Indians burned and destroyed the plantation. John J. Bulow returned to Paris and died the following year at the age of 27. He left no heirs so the estate went to his sister Emily, Mrs. William G. Bucknor of N.Y.

After the seven years of Indian war were over the Bucknor heirs of the Bulow plantation presented a detailed claim to Congress for damages in the amount of $83,475. The bill passed both the House and the Senate but never in the same session, so it finally lapsed.

In 1893, the Bucknor heirs hired John Wedderburn of the Examiner Bureau of Claims to again file a claim against the U. S. and Seminole Indians but it was dismissed in 1906 on the Government’s motion for non-prosecution.

Today, one can visit the ruins at Bulow State Park in Northeast Volusia County near Ormond Beach, Florida.

Scope and Content

An abstract of title originally granted by the Spanish Governor Kindelan, to John Russell in payment for a schooner. In 1821 this land was sold by Mary Russell to Charles W. Bulow. The abstract covers the period from 1812 to 1929.

Extracts of Charles W. Bulow’s will from Charleston, South Carolina in 1824.

A ten page petition to the Senate and House of Representatives by William G. Bucknor for the reparation of the Bulow plantation losses. It includes his itemized list of properties destroyed or stolen and their values. It also includes depositions taken in 1836 and 1837 from, among others, Major Benjamin A. Putnam, Douglas Dummett and Francis Pellicer, overseer of the Plantation.

Two Senate documents, #76 dated 1846 and #253 dated 1851. These are Reports from the Committee of Claims relating to the Bulow claims.

Five letters from John Wedderburn, general manager of Examiner Bureau of Claims written between 1892 and 1893. Wedderburn requested that he represent the Bucknor heirs in a new claim. Sent to the family was Congressional document #139; " An act to provide for the adjudication and payment of claims arising from Indian depradations." Dated 3 March 1891.

Family correspondence. Included in this collection are 18 letters from members of the Bucknor family on personal, family and business matters. 14 of these letters are addressed to William F. (Frank) Bucknor.

George Anderson Grant; adjacent to Bulow’s property. These papers were included with the Bulow papers.

Subject Guide

Bulow, Charles W. and Family

Bucknor, William G. and Family

Putnam, Major Benjamin A.

Dummett, Douglas

Pellicer, Francis

Wedderburn, John

Second Seminole War

Spanish Land Grant – George Anderson Grant

Spanish Land Grant – John Russell

Florida plantations – 19th century

Genealogy – Bulow/Bucknor family

Florida East Coast – history 19th century

Flagler County – history 19th century

Volusia County – history 19th century

Organization

The collection consists of 10 folders. Family correspondence has been put in chronological order.

Provenance

The Bulow/Bucknor papers were donated to the Florida Historical Society in April 1939 by T.E. Fitzgerald.

Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

FOLDER 1

A collection of Bulow/Bucknor family photos and genealogy chart.

FOLDER 2

Abstract of title covering the period 1812 – 1929.

FOLDER 3

Extracts from the will of Charles W. Bulow, dated 1823 and 1824.

FOLDER 4

Typescripts of depositions taken in 1836 and 1837 regarding the Bulow claim.

List of items that the Seminole Indians took or destroyed in 1836.

Senate document # 76 dated 20 Jan 1846.

Senate document # 253 dated 25 Jan 1851.

FOLDER 5

Family letters 1872 – 1891

FOLDER 6

Family letters 1892 – 1896

FOLDER 7

Letters and a Congressional document from John Wedderburn, general manager of Examiner Bureau of Claims, 1892 – 1893.

FOLDER 8

Miscellaneous material.

FOLDER 9

Printed material. Six published articles about the Bulow plantation.

FOLDER 10

George Anderson Grant. This property was adjacent to Bulow’s and was included in collection.

Burt, R. M. Papers 1901-1953

 

GUIDE TO THE

R.M. BURT PAPERS

1901 – 1953

MSS 2003

.25 CUBIC FEET

Processed By Mimi Klug, September 2003

Biographical Note

R.M. (Reynold Marvin) Burt was the son of Judge James Burt, an early pioneer of Palatka, Florida. R.M. was employed on the staff of the Palatka Times-Herald. He compiled a history of Palatka which was printed in that newspaper over a nine month in 1901. He pasted these articles and others in an old ledger, which was inscribed inside the front cover with the name "James Burt" and the date "1882." He collected other newspaper clippings all of which were related to the history of Palatka, Florida. R.M. Burt eventually moved to Miami, Florida and some of his letters to the Palatka Times-Herald in 1953 were clipped and saved.

Scope and Content

The R.M. Burt Papers consist of newspaper clippings about the history of Palatka, Florida. The articles were printed in the Palatka Times-Herald over a period of Years form 1901 to 1953. The stories cover the Seminole Indians and Billy Bowlegs, The Civil War and J.J. Dickison, steam boating on the St. John’s River, early school Days, Benjamin Putnam, and Ravine Gardens, among others.

The collection also includes a paper that Burt wrote, titled "Florida Settlement", about the Spanish and French in Florida in the 16th century.

Organization

The collection is divided into seven folders.

Restrictions

There are no access restrictions. The scrapbook is very fragile and so preservation photocopies have been make and are to be used instead of the original.

Subject Headings

Burt, R. M. (Reynold Marvin) – Archives

Putnam, Benjamin

Bowlegs, Billy

Seminole Indian War (3rd)

Florida – 16th Century – History

FOLDER 1

All items in this folder have been photocopied from the scrapbook.

"History of Palatka" compiled by R.M. Burt. 16 pages." Annotated.

"History of Palatka and Putnam County." Articles by Burt and W.A. Pratt

A biography of Benjamin Alexander Putnam.

Miscellaneous newspaper articles.

FOLDER 2

Two typewritten articles by Burt.

"Historical Points In Palatka and Putman County".

Putnam County".

FOLDER 3

Newspaper clippings from the 1920’s and 1930’s on historical matters in Palatka.

Map of Putnam County.

A program date 1924 for the unveiling of Confederate War Monument.

Three obituaries.

FOLDER 4

Ravine Gardens. Newspaper clippings from 1935.

FOLDER 5

Palatka Centennial 1953/

"Authentic History of Palatka by Robert B. Dowda.

"Founding of the Palatka Women’s Club in 1897".

Letters to the editor from Burt.

FOLDER 6

"Florida Settlement" 1518-1567. Handwritten pages. Unsigned but probably written by Burt. Recounted the efforts of the Spanish and the French to establish a colony in Florida.

FOLDER 7

The scrapbook. Originally a ledger.

Carter, W. A. Papers 1835-1842

GUIDE TO THE CARTER PAPERS

Creator: Carter, W.A. (William Alexander)

Title: Papers

Location: Miscellaneous Manuscripts

Dates: 1835-1946

Call number: Misc. Mss -- Box 4 (#93-32)

Volume: 4 folders—folders 3A, 3B, 3C &3D

Medium: Papers & copies

Restriction on access:

None

Processing status and condition:

All items in plastic enclosures and copies w/copies in same folders.

Biographical and historical note:

William Alexander Carter was born in Prince William County Virginia. He enlisted in the army on July 1, 1836 at the age of 18 at Warrenton, Virginia. He was a farmer and his Mother, Lucinda W. Lane gave him permission to enlist in the Second Seminole Indian War. He was assigned to Company A, 2nd US Dragoon. He was discharged on August 12, 1837 at St. Augustine as a Sergeant with reason given as disability. After discharge he was a sutler for the US military.

Summary & scope note:

Folder 3A

Items pertaining to the donation ranging in years 1934-1946.

Folder 3B

Item 1) 1 leaf folded addressed to J.B Mahan, Ft. Lauderdale containing a list of soldiers and the amount due to WA Carter dated Ft. Pierce? April 24, 1837? Letter is from WA Carter and states there are lots of goods at the Key and refers to a Mr. Walker who is the clerk at New Smyrna.

Item 2)Dated 11/1/1837 from a London Carter Henry at Ft. Russell to WA Carter in St. Augustine. Reports nothing much has happened since Carter left except Capt. Burke & the troops left for the Miami River.

Item 3)1 sheet writing both sides dated 6/25/1839 from WA Carter at Key Biscayne to Mr. Daly. He requests supplies to be sent by 1st boat. Daly signed a $200 note to be repaid in 90 days. Talks of problem of getting goods.

Item 4)1 sheet with writing on 1 side from Ft. Dallas dated 1/15/1840 to WA Carter, sutler at Key Biscayne from Martin Burke asking Carter to pay Lt. Sherman $14.00 and charge it to Burke’s account.

Folder 3C

Item 1)Letter is 1 sheet w/ writing on 1 side to WA Carter, sutler of the artillery, St. Augustine dated 3/11/1840 from W.A. Brown at Fort Brown E. Florida. States that Carter wants to establish a sutler store at Ft. Hanson. He wants Carter to send a wagon & then he lists the items he wants. Mentions Lt. Ridgely and Private Miller who are commissary clerks.

Item 2) 1 sheet folded with letter on 1 side & address on other. Refers to previous letter. Addressed to WA Carter, St. Augustine from Randolph Ridgely from Adj. office 3rd Artillery, Fort Peyton dated March 12, 1842. He spoke with Lt. Brown and Carter supplying goods from store at Fort Hanson.

Item3)1 sheet with writing on both sides. Promissory note signed by WA Carter, St. Augustine, March 12, 1840 to Augustus W. Walker for $180 at the office of the Southern Life Insurance Co.

Item 4)Letter on 1 sheet folded with writing on 4 sides from Randolph Ridgley, Adj. Office 3rd Artillery, Fort Peyton dated May 4, 1840. Addressed to WA Carter at Key Biscayne and recounts in detail events of April, 1840 when Indians wounded Capt. Gabriel Rains at Fort Peyton. Rains was later given a medal for the incident.

Folder 3D

Item 1)1 sheet folded with short letter on 1 side & address on other. Letter from B.D. Carr dated St. Augustine 8/29/1840 to WA Carter at Key Biscayne. Carr has items for Carter but no way to ship them. He mentions Capt. Poinsett’s name.

Item 2)Letter on 1 sheet folded with writing on 2 sides and address on back. Letter dated Tampa 1/30/1840 is from [Franklin?] Saunders and is addressed to WA Carter sutler at Key Biscayne. Talks of 260 Indians at Tampa, 72 at Ft. Clinch and others at Ft. Fanning. Talks of Capt. Beale, Fayette Robinson.

Item 3) Receipt on ½ piece of paper signed by F.O. Wyse, Lt. 3rd artillery. Received Ft. Lauderdale 4/1/1841 of Lt. Ord in partial payment of note with WA Carter for $35.01.

Subject headings:

Carter, William Alexander

Rains, Gabriel Seminole Indian War, 2nd (1835-1842)—Personal narratives.

Fort Peyton

Key Biscayne—Seminole Indian War, 2nd (1835-1842).

Forts—Seminole Indian War, 2nd (1835-1842).

Personal narratives—Seminole Indian War, 2nd (1835-1842).

Cubberly, Frederick C. Papers

GUIDE TO THE

FREDERICK C. CUBBERLY PAPERS

.35 cubic feet

Miscellaneous Collection #92-9

Processed by Debra Wynne October 2001

Biographical and Historical Note

Mr. Cubberly was born in Chillicothe, Missouri in 1869. He received most of his education in the schools of Marion Indians. He came to Florida with his family in 1889 and settled at Archer. He studied law and was admitted to the Florida bar in 1898. In 1898 he was also appointed US Commissioner, Northern District of Florida. He was appointed collector of customs at Cedar Key in 1902 and continued in that position until he resigned in February 1909. He was also city attorney for Cedar Key, Judge of Municipal court in Gainesville as well as Gainesville City Attorney. He was also deeply interested in Florida Historical Quarterly. His account of the Dade Massacre was published by Congress as a national document. He was elected Vice President of the Florida Historical Society in 1927 and President of the Society in 1932. He died in 1932.

Scope and Content

The Frederick Cubberly Papers are made up of 1 box with 27 folders. There are 22 type written articles written by Mr. Cubberly about a wide range of subjects from "Indian War Poetry" to "John Quincy Adams and Florida" to how the capital came to Tallahassee. Two other articles were written by Etta Cubberly, his wife. There is no discussion of how the author came to write the stories or if they were published or not. There are two copies of the Dade Massacre as printed by the Congressional Record in 1921. Some of the articles are signed by Mr. or Mrs. Cubberly. The papers also include correspondence between Mrs. Cubberly and Walter Marchman, Librarian, Florida Historical Society. There is also a studio portrait photo, presumably of Mr. Cubberly.

Organization

The first 3 folders contain a biography, Mrs. Cubberly’s correspondence and the photo. Folders 4 through 27 contain a typewritten article, each one being arranged in alphabetical order. There are no dates on any of the articles. Provenance

This material was donated to the Florida Historical Society around 1942 by Mrs. Etta Cubberly. Restrictions

There are no access restrictions. Papers have been refoldered in acid-free materials and metal fasteners have been removed.

Subject Headings

Education – One room schoolhouse – Florida

Tallahassee – Chosen as Capital

Daniel Boone – Florida

David Crockett – Florida

Andrew Jackson – Pensacola

Fort Dade – Indian Treaty – 1837

Ghost Towns – Florida – Columbus

Ghost Towns – Florida – St. Joseph

William Bartram - Florida – 1776

John Muir – Florida – 1898

Florida – Politics and government – Acquisition by U.S.

Florida – Politics and government – Boundary with Georgia

Seminole War – Florida history

Newnan’s Lake – Florida – 1812

Capt. Jim Foote – Smuggling – Florida – Cuba

Arredondo Grant – Florida

Osceola – Indian poetry

James B. Ransome – Poet – Osceola

John Q. Adams – Florida

Camp Izard – Florida – 1836

Fort King – Florida history

Malee – Florida – Indians – 1817

Cedar Keys – Florida history

Dade Massacre – Government document #33

Withlacoochee – Florida history

Hernando De Soto – Florida

Alachua – Florida – "Lachaway town"

Folder 1

Biography

Folder 2

Correspondence of Mrs. Cubberly and Walter Marchman

Folder 3

Photograph

Folder 4

"Acquisition of Florida By The United States"

Folder 5

"Adventures of Two Naturalists in Levy County" (William Bartram and John Muir )

Folder 6

"Andrew Jackson, Judge at Pensacola"

Folder 7

"Boundary Lines"

Folder 8

"Cedar Keys. Fla."

Folder 9

"The Dade Massacre" (Printed by Congressional Record)

Folder 10

"Daniel Boone and David Crockett in Florida"

Folder 11

"Florida Against Georgia: A Story of the Boundary Dispute"

Folder 12

"Florida Indian War Poetry"

Folder 13

"The Florida Snowstorm"

Folder 14

"Fort King"

Folder 15

"How The Capital Came To Tallahassee"

Folder 16

"Invasion of Lachaway Towns or The Battle of Newnan’s Lake 1812"

Folder 17

"John Quincy Adams and Florida"

Folder 18

"Lost and Dead Towns of Florida " (Columbus and St. Joseph)

Folder 19

"Malee-Daughter of the Prophet: A Florida Pocahontas"

Folder 20

"A Pioneer School"

Folder 21

"Seminole Indian Wars in Florida"

Folder 22

"The Siege of Camp Izard"

Folder 23

"The Smuggling Alien Case"

Folder 24

"The Story of Hernando de Soto"

Folder 25

"The Story of The Arredondo Grant"

Folder 26

"The Treaty of Fort Dade in 1837"

Folder 27

"The Withlacoochee"

 

Missing from the collection is an article titled: "Archer, Florida – 1880 to 1900"

Drane, H. J. Papers 1917-1944

GUIDE TO THE

H.J. DRANE PAPERS

1917 – 1944

.35 cubic feet

Miscellaneous Collection # 93-4

Processed by

Mimi Klug

July 2001

Biographical Note

Herbert Jackson Drane (1863-1947) was born in Kentucky and came to Florida in 1883 to take up employment as a railroad contractor. He was then engaged in the building of the South Florida Railroad. Out of the railroad construction camp grew the town of Lakeland, thus making him one of the town’s earliest inhabitants. In 1834, Drane entered the insurance business and later on he acted in an advisory capacity to the state during the administration of Governor Jennings, helping to develop uniform forms of state insurance. He served as mayor of Lakeland. Drane was the representative for Polk County in the State Legislature fr4om 1903 to 1905, and served in the Florida Senate from 1912 – 1915. Drane was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served there from 1916 to 1933. From 1933 to 1937 he was a member of the Federal Power Commission.

Drane was very interested in Florida history, especially the period during the Seminole War years. He was very influential in getting many of the Forts and battlegrounds and other Historical Sites marked. He corresponded with high Government officials, such as Lt. Col. Landers of the War College, and local dignitaries in order to achieve this end. In 1937, after leaving Federal office, he served as president of the Lakeland-Tampa Industrial Canal.

Mr. Drane married Mary S. Wright on December 31, 1885, and by her had three children.

Scope and Content

The H.J. Drane Papers consist mostly of his correspondence after he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. The bulk of the letters are in regard to the marking of Forts, Battlefields, and other Historical Sites during the Seminole Indian War. In his correspondence with John Murrie, Drane talks of the Lakeland-Tampa Industrial Canal and also the growing of Hemp for commercial purposes. Included in the collection is a 9 page paper titled "Memories Of A County Agent After 50 Years" and a 37 page autobiography. Also included in the collection are two addresses he gave: one to the D.A.R. on "Washington, The Gentlemen, and the other address given in 1944, "Masonic Memories Of Lakeland Lodge #91."

Organization

The collection is organized into 5 series:

Dade Park Memorial: Folders 1-7

Forts & Historical Sites: Folders 8-28

Lakeland-Tampa Industrial Canal and Hemp Cultivation: Folders 29-32

Memoirs, Personal Descriptions and Autobiography: Folders 33-36

Speeches: Folder 37

Arrangement

The series are arranged in chronological order.

Provenance

In a typed statement, Drane states that his letters to and from Gov. Carlton and Judge Koonce, all with relation to the Dade Battle Ground, were deposited with Col. H. L. Landers of the Historical Division of the War Dept. in 1930.

Most of his letters in this collection are copies and it is not known where his other original papers have been placed.

Restrictions

There are no access restrictions. For those papers that are fragile, preservation photocopies have been made and are to be used instead of the originals.

Subject Headings

Drane, H. J. (Herbert Jackson) – Archives

Lakeland (Fla.) – Early history – 19th & 20th centuries

Florida – History – South Florida Railroad, 1884

Florida – History – Forts – Seminoles Indian War

Florida – History – Dade Massacre

Dade Park Memorial Series:

FOLDER 1

Benjamin Harrison – Reporter, FL Times Union

Item 1 08/24/1917 Copy of letter from H.J. Drane asking for an "intimate history" of Dade’s massacre.

Item 2 08/26/1917 Typed letter from Harrison. Provides names of officers Involved in the massacre.

Item 3 08/30/1917 Copy of letter from Drane. Talks of his knowledge of the area, having walked it in 1884.

Item 4 09/07/1917 Copy of letter from Drane. Thanks Harrison for sending a clipping from scrap book.

FOLDER 2

George Safford – House of Representatives

Item 1 06/07/1920 Typed signed letter from Drane. Asks for date & place of birth of Dade.

Item 2 07/031920 Typed signed letter from Drane. Asks again for information on Dade.

Item 3 07/06/1920 Copy of letter from Safford. Gives Dade’s year of birth, 1793.

Item 4 07/13/1920 Copy of letter from Safford. Gives Dade’s place of birth: County of King, VA

FOLDER 3

Mrs. W. Himes – Ladies Civic League of Bushnell

Item 1 06/26/1919 Handwritten letter from Mrs. Himes. Thanks Drane for Introducing a bill into Congress for a Dade’s Massacre Memorial.

Item 2 07/13/1919 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 4

Item 1 03/05/1922 Typed signed letter from Cubberly. Placed an order for the memorial tablets. Says that Dade was once stationed in Pensacola, with General Jackson.

Item 2 05/05/1922 Typed signed letter from Cubberly. Located the tombstone of Dade’s daughter in Pensacola, Fannie Langhorn Dade.

Item 3 Copy of tombstone inscription on Fannie Dade’s grave.

FOLDER 5

Mrs. A.B. Storms

Item 1 05/16/1922 Letter from Mrs. Storms. Returning Gov’t Doc. #33 which Drane had lent her.

Item 2 Gov’t Document #33. The DADE MASSACRE written by Fred Cubberly. Includes maps of the4 battle ground and a list of all those killed.

FOLDER 6

Miscellaneous

Nathan Hazen – Chief Clerk Ordnance Dept.

Item 1 02/11/1922 Typed signed letter from Hazen. Says Ordnance Dept. will hold certain guns until ready for delivery.

Mrs. A.M. Roland – Dade Memorial Committee

Item 2 04/08/1922 Handwritten letter from Mrs. Roland. Two guns have arrived at Bushnell.

FOLDER 7

J.C.B. Koonce – Sect’y Dade Park Memorial Commission.

Item 1 04/16/1921 Copy of letter form Drane. Will try to get Florida to purchase land for a Memorial Park at the Dade massacre site.

Item 2 08/17/1922 Typed signed letter from Koonce. Thanks Drane for obtaining the guns for the Dade Memorial Park. Hoping to get landscaping & a road for the park.

Item 3 08/22/1922 Copy of letter from Drane. Ladies of Bushnell paid the freight to ship the guns to the Park. Drane donated $25.00 towards building the arch.

Item 4 08/25/1922 Typed signed letter from Koonce. Doing a lot of tree planting at the Park. Hopes the Federal Gov’t will take the park over as a national affair.

Item 5 09/06/1922 Copy of letter from Drane. Gives address of Dep’t of Agriculture for securing plants.

Forts and Historical Sites Series

FOLDER 8

J.C.B. Koonce – FL House of Representatives

Item 1 02/21/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Praises Koonce for his unselfish Service to FL.

Item 2 03/03/1930 Typed signed letter from Koonce. Acknowledges that Dade Park will be taken over by the Federal Gov’t.

Item 3 03/05/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Says that the War Dept. will Investigate historical sites in FL. Mentions Forts Brooks, Harrison, Myers, Thompson and Meade in his own Congressional district.

Item 4 11/03/1930 Typed signed letter from Koonce.

Item 5 11/04/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 9

Lt. Col. H.L.Landers – Army War College, Historical Section

Item 1 02/07/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Says he is removing Bill 8868 from consideration, upon Landers advice.

Item 2 Bill # HR 8868.

Item 3 02/10/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. 7 pages. Describes Dade battleground. Says that one of the survivors, Ransom Clark, gave his account of the battle to the Niles Weekly Register.

Also lists 14 Forts with a description of each: Ft. Meade, Ft. Myers, Ft. Harvie, Ft. Harrison, Ft. Brooke, Ft Drane, Ft. King, Ft. Thompson, Ft. Denaud, Ft. Delaney, Ft. Fraser, Ft. Cummings, Ft. Davenport, Ft Marion.

Item 4 List of 5 Forts sent to Drane by Mrs. Hanley. Ft. Clinch, Ft. Cummings, Ft. Davenport, Ft. Frazer, Ft. Arbuckle.

FOLDER 10

Lt. Col. H.L. Landers – Army War College, Historical Section

Item 1 02/21/1930 Typed signed letter from Landers.

Item 2 03/03/1939 Copy of letter from Drane. Sending a copy of the FL Historical Society Quarterly. Marked pp.330-356 re Seminole Council of 1834.

Item 3 03/20/1930 Typed signed letter from Landers.

Item 4 03/24/1930 Copy of a letter from Drane. Requests copy of a map of the Forts made about the time of the Seminole War.

Item 5 03/31/1930 Typed signed letter from Landers. Sending 2 copies of 1843 manuscript map of the seat of war in Florida.

FOLDER 11

Lt. Col. H.L. Landers – Army War College, Historical Section

Item 1 04/01/1930 Copy of a letter from Drane. Thanks-you for the maps. Will Give one to the Florida Historical Society.

Item 2 04/03/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Explains that "Old Fort Dade" is not to be confused with the Dade Battleground.

Item 3 04/05/1930 Typed signed letter from Landers.

Item 4 06/14/1930 Copy of a letter from Drane

Item 4 10/15/1930 Typed signed letter from Landers.

FOLDER 12

Lt. Col. H.L. Landers – Army War College, Historical Section

Item 1 10/18/1930 Letter from Drane’s secretary.

Item 2 10/31/1930 Typed signed letter from Landers. Arriving in Tampa on Nov. 11 to begin inspection of historical places in Florida.

Item 3 11/03/1930 Telegram from Drane.

Item 4 11/03/1930 Telegram from Landers.

Item 5 11/05/1930 Telegram from Drane.

FOLDER 13

Patrick J. Hurley – Secretary of War

Item 1 01/24/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Would like to change the form of H.R. Bill # 8868.

Item 2 01/31/1930 Typed sign letter from Hurley

Item 3 02/10/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 4 02/24/1930 Typed signed letter from Hurley.

FOLDER 14

H. W. Zander – Service Officer, American Legion Post #22

Item 1 12/12/1929 Typed signed letter from Zander. Would like the Gov’t to build a National Park at Fort Meade

Item 2 03/1919/29 Telegram from Drane remeeting with Zander.

Item 3 04/26/1929 Letter from Zander .. Copy of resolution memorializing

Item 4 markers on Indian war forts and battlefields.

Item 5 04/29/1929 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 6 05/08/1929 Typed signed letter from Zander.

FOLDER 15

H.W. Zander – Service Officer, American Legion Post #22

Item 1 05/11/1929 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 2 06/12/1929 Typed signed letter from Zander.

Item 3 08/27/1929 Typed signed letter from Zander.

Item 4 05/08/1929 Typed signed letter from Zander. Names several forts in the area and says that Fort Meade was formerly called Ft. Clinch.

Item 5 09/03/1929 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 16

H.W. Zander – Service Officer, American Legion Post # 22

Item 1 12/12/1929 Typed signed from Zander.

Item 2 12/20/1929 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 3 02/07/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 4 10/24/1930 Typed signed letter from Zander.

Item 5 10/25/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 17

Arthur T. Williams – President, Florida Historical Society

Item 1 03/06/1930 Typed signed letter from Williams.

Item 2 03/08/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Will send the Society a copy of a map made by the War Dept designating a large number of forts.

Item 3 03/21/1930 Typed signed letter from Williams.

Item 4 04/01/1930 Copy of a letter from Drane.

Item 5 04/21/1930 Typed signed letter from Williams. Says that the Society has been deeded land at Silver Springs to inter the remains of Osceola.

Item 6 04/21/1930 Typed signed letter form Williams to the Sec. of War requesting permission to remove the remains of Osceola from Charleston, SC to Silver Springs.

FOLDER 18

Arthur t. Williams – President, Florida Historical Society

Item 1 11/03/1930 Copy of a letter from Williams to Hon. R.A. Green, US House of Representatives. Requests marking of site where Col. Daniel Newnan fought the Indians in 1812.

Item 2 11/03/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 3 11/04/1930 Telegram from Williams.

Item 4 11/04/1930 Typed signed letter form Williams.

Item 5 11/05/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 6 11/14/1930 Typed signed letter from Williams.

FOLDER 19

Howard F. Sedgwick – Clerk, Committee on Military Affairs

All letters are in reference to H.R. Bill #8868

Item 1 01/22/1930 Typed signed letter from Sedgwick.

Item 2 01/24/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 3 01/27/1930 Typed signed letter from Sedgwick.

Item 4 02/07/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 5 02/08/1930 Typed signed letter from Sedgwick.

Item 6 02/18/1930 Typed signed letter from Sedgwick.

Item 7 02/19/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 20

Mrs. Dollie Hendley – Regent, Ft. Dade Chapter D.A.R.

Item 1 03/27/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 2 04/01/1930 Handwritten letter from Hendley inviting Drane for the unveiling of marker at old Fort Dade.

Item 3 04/03/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Item 4 04/07/1930 Handwritten letter from Hendley.

Item 5 06/12/1930 Handwritten letter from Hendley. She has been appointed Chairman of Old Trails and would like some old maps.

Item 6 06/14/1930 Copy of a letter from Drane. Will ask the War Dept. for a made around 1843 showing Forts & Trails.

FOLDER 21

Frederick Cubberly – V.P., Florida Historical Society

Item 1 03/06/1930 Handwritten letter form Cubberly. Mentions Ft. Cumming, Ft. Drane, Ft. King & Ft. Dade.

Bob Pooser

Item 2 Undated, handwritten letter from Pooser asking Drane to remember Cap’t Payne Whidden who was killed near Bowling Green in Paynes Creek

Item 3 10/22/1930 Press Release from Drane to Fort Myers press.

FOLDER 22

J.S. Hughes – Editor, Zephyrhills News

Item 1 04/01/1930 Copy of letter from Drane on locating the exact route of Fort King Highway.

Mr. McDonald – Bureau of Public Roads, Dept. of Agriculture

Item 2 04/08/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. Asks for advice on having Fort King Highway designated as a Federal Hwy..

Mrs. Allen Gates – Regent, Tampa Chapter, D.A.R.

Item 3 04/08/1930 Copy of letter from Drane re Fort King Highway.

Julien C. Yonge – Editor, Florida Historical Society

Item 4 02/22/1930 Copy of letter from Drane requesting a copy of Fla. Historical Soc. Quarterly of Apr. 1929 re: Seminole.

Council of 1834.

Item 5 02/27/1930 Typed signed letter from Yonge.

FOLDER 23

W.R. Gall – Secretary, Zephyrhills Publicity Commission.

Item 1 ? 1930 Typed signed letter from Gall re: Fort King Highway.

Item 2 07/08/1930 " " " " " " " "

Item 3 08/22/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Mrs. Mitchell McKay

Item 4 10/24/1030 Typed signed letter from McKay. Mentions Ft. Brook, Ft. King Rd. and Ft. Mellon Rd..

Item 5 10/25/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 24 

Lillian A. Scobey – Ocklawaha Chapter, D.A.R.

Item 1 04/06/1930 Typed signed letter from Scobey. Asks that Fort Mason be recognized as an historical site.

Item 2 04/09/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Miss Stella Waterhouse

Item 3 11/01/1930 Handwritten letter from Waterhouse regarding Fort Maitland.

Item 4 11/03/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Hon. Ruth Byron Owen

Item 5 11/03/1930

FOLDER 25

Joseph Bell – Spokesman for Florida stone industry

Item 1 01/25/1930 Typed letter from Bell with enclosed newspaper clipping.

Item 2 02/11/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

W.F. Eudaley – Gravestone and Marker Business

Item 4 10/25/1930 Typed signed letter from Eudaley.

Item 5 Eudaley enclosed this letter from S.R. Dula in praise of his work.

Item 6 11/05/1939 Copy of letter form Drane.

FOLDER 26

Charles Mckeand – Chamber of Commerce, Tampa

Item 1 11/03/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. All correspondence is in regard to the visit of Col. Landers.

Item 2 11/04/1930 Typed signed letter from McKeand.

Item 3 11/05/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

Major Philip Murphy – Army and Navy Club, Tampa

Item 4 11/03/1930 Copy of letter from Drane. All correspondence is in regard to the visit of Col. Landers.

Item 5 11/04/1930 Hand written letter from Murphy.

Item 6 11/05/1930 Copy of letter from Drane.

FOLDER 27

William Van Fleet

Item 1 08/18/1941 Handwritten letter from Van Fleet. Mentions Forts Cummins

& Sullivan.

Item 2 08/19/1941 Copy of letter from Drane . Mentions Ft. Cummins, Ft. Sullivan, &Ft. Gibson. Tells of the completion of the South Florida Railroad in 1884. Says that Capt. Anthony Drane was his Grandfather.

FOLDER 28

Newspaper Articles

Item 1 Battle of Fort Drane

Item 2 History of Public Library in Fort Myers, was used as officers’ quarters in Seminole War.

Item 3 Fort King Road.

Lakeland-Tampa Industrial Canal and Hemp Cultivation Series

FOLDER 29

John L. Murrie – Federal Power Commission Washington, D.C..

Item 1 09/10/1937 Handwritten letter from Murrie.

Item 2 09/12/1937 Handwritten letter from Murrie.

Item 3 09/14/1937 Copy of letter from Drane. Mentions Port Authority and Lakeland-Tampa Industrial Canal, Inc..

Item 4 09/14/1937 Handwritten letter from Murrie. The writing on the back of the second page is probably by Drane.

Item 5 09/28/1937 Handwritten letter from Murrie.

Item 6 Confidential 2 page handwritten letter regarding hemp fiber.

FOLDER 30

John L. Murrie

Item 1 09/30/1937 Copy of letter from Drane. Talks of feasibility of the Canal.

FOLDER 31

Courtesy of Lakeland Public Library:

Item 1 Copy of Family History

Item 2 Copy of Herbert Drane obituary

El Destino Plantation Papers 1786-1938

 

   

GUIDE TO THE

EL DESTINO PLANTATION

PAPERS

1786-1938

Mss. Collection #2001-02

 

 

CALL NUMBER:   MSS 2001-02

RECORD GROUP NUMBER:   Records

CREATOR:   El Destino Plantation

TITLE:   Records

DATES:   1786-1938

VOLUME:   4 document boxes (1.5 cubic feet)

MEDIUM:

RESTRICTION ON ACCESS NOTE:

PROCESSING STATUS AND CONDITION:   All the documents are encapsulated. Most of the collection is in pretty good condition. However, a few of the earlier documents were repaired with cellophane tape. For continuing preservation, the tape should be removed.

TERMS GOVERNING USE AND REPRODUCTION NOTE:   Any reproduction of this material must first be approved by archivist.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE:   El Destino was first owned by John Nuttall, a wealthy resident of Virginia and then later North Carolina. He presumably purchased it as a frontier speculation in 1828. In that same year, John sent his son, William B. Nuttall, to operate the plantation. He took with him fifty-two slaves, thirty-two of whom were rated as working hands. Those slaves were property of John and James, another son of John’s. The profits from the plantation were to be divided between the father and two sons. John died a few years later, and in 1832, William B. Nuttall bought El Destino from his father’s estate for $17,000. Besides being a plantation owner, William also had a law office in Tallahassee and was a speculator in Florida lands and bank stocks. On June 20, 1832, William married Mary Wallace Savage, a Savannah heiress who had fifty-four slaves and some other property. They had a daughter, Mary Savage Nuttall, together. However, William died on April 20, 1836 from apoplexy. Before her husband died, Mary Nuttall inherited some more property from an uncle, William Savage. She took it in the form of about eighty slaves. To employ these slaves, Hector Braden, a friend of William’s, sold Mary a plantation six miles north of El Destino. Its name was Chemonie. On May 18, 1840, she married George Noble Jones of Savannah. He bought El Destino and all but one slave from the Nuttall estate.

Noble Jones crossed the Atlantic with Oglethorpe. He was a volunteer colonist of some substance. He settled a plantation called Wormsloe, near Savannah. His son, Wimberly Jones and his grandson, Dr. George Jones maintained the prestige and enhanced the family fortune by marrying heiresses. Dr. George Jones took as his second wife, Sarah Fenwick, widow of Macartan Campbell who had sprung from a mercantile family of Charleston but who in later life was a wealthy citizen of Augusta, Georgia. In addition, Noble Wimberly Jones, son of Dr. George Jones and his first wife, married Sarah Campbell, one of the daughters of Macartan Campbell and Sarah Fenwick, who was thus his stepsister. In 1811, George Noble Jones was born to Noble and Sarah. George Noble Jones married Mary Wallace Savage Nuttall at the age of twenty-nine. By the time he was married, he was already well versed in plantation management. He helped manage a plantation in Jefferson County, Georgia which his mother and two aunts owned. In due course, Jones not only inherited a share of this plantation but also in considerable wharf and mercantile property in Savannah, bank stock and other investments, and a cottage in Newport, Rhode Island. He spent most of his time in Rhode Island and in Savannah. He would occasionally visit El Destino, Chemonie, and the Georgia plantation. After the close of the Civil War, he took up residence on El Destino. To George Noble Jones and Mary were born four children, George Fenwick, Wallace Savage, Sarah Campbell (who renamed herself Lillie Noble instead), and Noble Wimberly. George Fenwick is the only one to have married out of the four children. He married Anna Wylly Habersham in 1871 and died in 1876. He left three children, George Noble (the one who gave the Society the collection), Josephine (the late Mrs. J.A. Crisfield), and Mary Savage (the late Mrs. Clarence G. Anderson Jr.).

SUMMARY AND SCOPE NOTE:  The collection provides vital business documents from 1786 until 1903, legal documents and personal correspondence as well as plantation journals.

There are four boxes. Box I contains 40 folders mainly dealing with business documents. Box II contains 34 folders encompassing correspondence. Box III contains 40 folders dealing with legal documents, operating papers (including lists of slaves), and various correspondence relating to the collection itself and Box IV contains the plantation journals for El Destino and Chemonie There are two oversized items that are in the map case. One is a journal for the year 1862-1865, and the other is a miscellaneous document from Box III. There is also a seven-page paper about El Destino in the filing cabinet upstairs under Plantations – Jefferson County. This paper was written by the WPA.

Many of the business documents were written to or from prominent people in the Tallahassee area. Some of those people were John Gamble, O.H. Gadsden, Catherine Murat, the wife of Prince Murat, Thomas P. Chaires, H.L. Rutgers, and Hector Braden. Hector Braden who assumed control of the plantation in Mrs. Nuttall’s behalf and is the brother of the builder of Braden Castle has many letters in the Collection. In many of the letters and especially in the journals there are lists of slaves and references to their well-being. The journals give a detailed description of purchases of clothing, food and other items for slaves and the day-to-day activities on the plantation. Many of the journals were written by Jonathan Roberson, the plantation’s overseer.

ORGANIZATION NOTE:  Chronological

FINDING AID NOTE:  There is a document-by-document finding guide.

ADDITIONAL PHYSICAL FORM AVAILABLE:

LOCATION OF ORIGINALS NOTE:   Florida Plantation Records edited by Ulrich Bonnell Phillips and James David Glunt; the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis; the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah; and Rhode Island.

LANGUAGE NOTE:   The collection is mainly in English except for three documents. One is in Spanish, and the other two are in French.

PROVENANCE NOTE:   Donated January 1928 by George Noble Jones of Savannah, Georgia. The George Noble Jones Papers have gone on a whirlwind tour of the United States. In 1919, George Noble Jones, the grandson of the George Noble Jones in these records, sold El Destino. The new owner was supposed to take care of the papers until Jones removed them. However, in 1924 a group of Tallahassee antique hunters encountered the papers and one of them told Dr. James O. Knauss, Professor of European History in the Florida Woman’s College at Tallahassee. He went to the plantation to verify his source. He then contacted Jones and asked if he could take the papers and examine them. Jones said yes, but when Dr. Knauss went back to get the papers most of them were gone. The papers that he did find he put in the care of Mr. J.C. Yonge, the editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly. The papers that were missing which included the plantation journals were found later on. The manager’s wife of El Destino had sold them to a stamp dealer in New Jersey. The woman had thought that they were of great value because of Dr. Knauss’ visit. The stamp dealer then sold them to a Michigan dealer in manuscripts. The Michigan dealer then sold them to the Missouri Historical Society of St. Louis. When the Florida State Historical Society found the papers, the Missouri Historical Society wanted to publish them, but the Florida State Historical Society also wanted to publish them. So the Florida State Historical Society contacted George Noble Jones, and he claimed them as his property which had been removed without his knowledge or consent. Jones then made gifts out of his grandfather’s manuscripts. The Missouri Historical Society at St. Louis got the papers that were printed in the book, Florida Plantation Records edited by Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, Ph.D., Professor of American History in the University of Michigan and James David Glunt, A.M., Instructor in History in the University of Florida. The Florida Historical Society acquired some of the papers in 1928 that dealt with the affairs in Florida. The Georgia Historical Society at Savannah acquired the remainder of the papers, which chiefly dealt with affairs in Georgia.

 

 

 

 

EL DESTINO PLANTATION COLLECTION

BOX 1 : Business Documents

1795                Bill from Thomas Henderson to Colonel Jonathan Rhea for medical services rendered to Rhea and a number of Negroes. Last date given is November 13, 1795. Covers the period 1768-1795. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Itemizes treatments, drugs, and so forth. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1816                Indenture between John Eppinger and George Jones. Dated “District of Georgia,” April 2, 1816. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Relates to sale of 1,000 acres of land known as “Dean Forest” to Jones.

 

1816                Receipt for payment of N.W. Jones’ taxes. Dated June 17, 1816. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1828                “List of Negroes sent to Florida.” Dated March 1, 1828. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. In the handwriting of John Nuttall.

 

1828                Indenture from John Moore and wife to William B. Nuttall. Dated Leon County, June 4, 1828. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Relates to sale of lands.

 

1828                Agreement between John Nuttall, James Nuttall, and William B. Nuttall. Dated September 18, 1828. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Sets down arrangements for the operation of El Destino Plantation. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1828                Wrapper from a lease between Sarah Jones and John Finn. Probably October, 1828. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Mentions terms of lease.

 

1831                Receipt for $51 from William B. Nuttall, signed “Saml.” Dated February 23, 1831. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Most of the signature torn away.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1832                                <!--[endif]-->Promissory note from James O’Connell to E. Campbell for $25. Dated Augusta, January 30, 1832. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1832                Promissory note from James O’Connell to E. Campbell for $33.33. Dated Augusta, January 30, 1832. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1833                Copy of a grant of Indian land to Sarah Jones by the State of Georgia. Dated February 26, 1833. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1833                Copy of account of William B. Nuttall with James Hamilton & Son. Dated New York, July 16, 1833. Covers 1831-1833. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1833                Note relating to a 1788 land grant to A. Feors. Dated April 1, 1833. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1833                Promissory note from William B. Nuttall and H. Braden to Nehemiah Tilton. Dated June 1, 1833. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1834                Copy of a promissory note from W.B. Nuttall to J.C. Prioleau. Dated El Destino, February 5, 1834. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1834                Note from William B. Nuttall to the Union Bank of Florida for shares of the Bank’s stock. Dated March 1, 1834. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1834                Indenture between William B. Nuttall and the Union Bank of Florida pledging land and slaves as security for a loan of $27,600. Dated March 1, 1834. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Printed form. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1834                Another indenture, as above, for $15,500. Dated November 22, 1834. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Printed form. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1834                Agreement between William B. Nuttall and Edward Footman. Dated December 15, 1834. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to a land deal. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1835                Indenture between William B. Nuttall and the Union Bank of Florida pledging slaves as security for a loan. Dated January 24, 1835. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Printed form. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1835                Another indenture, as above. Dated January 24, 1835. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1835                Another indenture, as above. Dated May 21, 1835. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Bears stamped seal on page 3.

 

1835                A copy of the above indenture. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1835                Account of William B. Nuttall with James Hamilton & Son. Dated New York, November 3, 1835. Covers 1833-1835. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1835                Agreement between W.B. Nuttall and James Hamilton & Son relative to Nuttall’s 1836 cotton crop. Dated December 22, 1835. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1836                Protest of a bill for non-payment. Dated New York, January 27, 1836. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1836                Receipt to W.B. Nuttall from T.P. Chaires for $1,000. Dated Tallahassee, February 16, 1836. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1836                Power of attorney from Sarah Jones to George Jones Jr. Dated January 15, 1836. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1837                Bill for $15.50 due to W.T. Carroll for services in a lawsuit. Dated January, 1837. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1838                Indenture between Mary Nuttall and the Union Bank of Florida pledging land and slaves as security for a loan. Dated April 10, 1838. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1838                Account of Mary Nuttall with Hector Braden. Dated June 5, 1838. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1839                “Estate of William B. Nuttall.” Last date given is June 1, 1839. Covers 1837-1839. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1839                Account of M.W. Nuttall with Hamilton & Co. Dated New York, July 10, 1839. Covers 1838-1839. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1840                “Estate of W.B. Nuttall.” Dated April 18, 1840. Covers 1839-1840. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1840                “Estate of W.B. Nuttall Decd.” Dated April 18, 1840. Certified a true copy June 10, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1840                Bill of lading. Dated New York, October 28, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Covering letter from A. Bininger & Co. on blank leaf of printed bill of lading form.

 

1841                “Mr. Jones’ account rendered by H.W. Braden.” Dated March 15, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Receipt for $5,000 paid by George Jones to H.W. Braden. Dated Tallahassee, March 27, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Copy of George Jones’ promissory note to H.W. Braden with a long explanatory memorandum on the back. Dated Tallahassee, March 27, 1841. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Account of Mary Nuttall with Hector W. Braden. Dated April 1, 1841. Covers 1840-1841. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1841                Notice of protest of a note for $124 for non-payment. Dated Savannah, July 3, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1841                Copy of a receipt from the Union Bank to George Jones as W.B. Nuttall’s executor. Dated Tallahassee, October 25, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1842                Note from George Jones to the cashier of the Union Bank directing that Robert White be paid $100. Dated Tallahassee, February 22, 1842. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Four cuts forming a cross appear in the lower r.h. corner.

 

1842                Check for $73.50 from George Jones to T. & R. Heyward drawn on the Union Bank of Florida. Dated Tallahassee, March 3, 1842. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed check form with “Central Bank of Florida” printed thereon. “Central” has been crossed out and “Union” written in. On r.h. side are four cuts forming a cross.

 

1842                Account sheet labeled “Estate of William B. Nuttall to H.W. Braden.” Dated March 29, 1842. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Relates to Braden’s acting as agent for selling some tracts of land belonging to Nuttall.

 

1842                Account of Hector W. Braden to Mary Jones. Dated April 1, 1842. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Portion of top centerfold torn away with loss of text. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1842                Account of Hector W. Braden to Mary Jones for use of money. Dated April 1, 1842. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1842                Account of the estate of William B. Nuttall in account with George Jones and Mary W. Jones. Dated April 9, 1842. Covers 1841-1842. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1843                Letter from Dennis Paschall to George Jones. Dated September 26, 1843. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Settlement of the Estate of John Nuttall with the Estate of William B. Nuttall.

 

1844                Itemized list of charges settled with L.H. Branch. Dated June 12, 1844.1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1846                Receipt from A.A. Fisher to George Noble Jones for payment of his county and state taxes. Dated Chemoonie, 1846. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1846                Bill for medicine and soap. Dated Tallahassee, April 15, 1846. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1846                Account of money due to Mary Jones from Hector W. Braden. Dated April, 1846. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1846                Receipt from A.E. Maxwell to George Jones for payment for carriage horses. Dated Tallahassee, December 12, 1846. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1846                Receipt from J.D. Edwards to George Jones for payment for 2 yoke of oxen. Dated Jefferson County, December 23, 1846. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1848                Account of George Jones with Brody & Pettes. Last date given is April 15, 1848. Covers 1847-1848. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1848                Agreement between George Jones and his lawyer, Robert White. Dated May 1, 1848. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1849                Itemized bill of George Jones for purchase of drugs and condiments from A.A. Solomons. Dated Savannah, January 1, 1849. Covers 1848. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1849                Itemized account of Mrs. George Jones with M. Prendergast & Co. in Savannah. Last date given is November 20, 1849. Covers 1849. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Items are mostly textiles and related goods (buttons, etc.).

 

1850                Itemized bill from James Gamble to George Jones, mostly for dry goods, for 1849. Settled May 19, 1850. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1850                Bill from John Moore to George Jones for purchase of goods. Dated New York, December 24, 1850. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Account of R.H. Gairdner with John Barnes. Dated Augusta, May 1, 1852. Covers 1851-1852. 8 sheets; 14 pages of writing.

 

1852                Account of S.F. Gairdner’s trustees and Mary Jones with R.H. Gairdner. Dated Augusta, June 10, 1852. Covers 1851-1852. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1852                Account of George Jones with P.L. & E.L. Levy. Dated New Orleans, July 1, 1852. Covers 1851. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Bill for purchase of a dog. Dated July 24, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Bill for a selection of ladies hats, caps, and bonnets bought from B. Long of New York. Dated Newport, August 26, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Request from J.P. Billingsley that George Jones pay T. Turnbull $62.20. Dated October 5, 1852. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1852                Receipt from D.H. Slaton to John Evans for payment for goods. Dated November 2, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1852                Itemized receipt from Mr. Roach to Jesse Whatley for payment for goods and services. Dated November 10, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Itemized receipt from Towle and Myers to George Jones certifying payment for goods and services. Dated December 27, 1852. Covers 1850-1851. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1853                Itemized receipt from A.R. Wright to George Jones certifying payment for goods. Dated January 3, 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1853                Receipt from Jesse Whatley to George Jones for his wages for 1852. Dated Jefferson County, January 10, 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1853                Bill of lading for a shipment of cotton. Dated Newport, November 2, 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1854                Receipt from Berry & Rowles to George Jones certifying payment for supplies. Dated January 21, 1854. Covers 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Bill of lading from Beard & Denham for a shipment of cotton. Dated St. Marks, February 6, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Receipt from I. Elliot to George Jones for payment for bricks. Dated February 28, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Bill for tobacco and bottle of Worcestershire sauce from B.C. Lewis to George Jones. Dated Tallahassee, March 29, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Account of George Jones with McNaught & Ormond. Dated April 19, 1854. Covers 1853-1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1854                Note promising delivery of sweet potatoes from George Jones to Catherine Murat. Dated Jefferson County, April 16, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Dated Newport, April 21, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to cotton shipments.

 

1854                Promissory note from George Jones to Catherine Murat. Dated Jefferson County, May 20, 1854. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Order on back directing that the note be paid to R.W. White. Note is signed by Catherine Murat and countersigned by White.

 

1854                Bill from Webster & Palmes to George Jones for syrup, tobacco, and sash weights. Dated Savannah, May 23, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1854                Invoice for a shipment of rope to George Jones. Dated September 30, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Bill of lading from Beard & Denham for a shipment of cotton. Dated St. Marks, November 29, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form. Portion missing with loss of text.

 

1854                Invoice for 25 ploughs shipped to George Jones. Dated New York, December 8, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1855                Account of George Jones with McNaught & Ormond. Dated April 7, 1855. Covers 1854-1855. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1855                Receipt from Joshua Holt to John Evans for a mule. Dated March 7, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1855                Account of George Jones with John W. Argyle. Dated March 22, 1855. Covers 1854. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1855                Receipt from Morgan Granling to George Jones for fixing a cart and wagon. Received payment June 11, 1855. Covers 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1855                Account of George Jones with McNaught & Ormond. Dated Newport, Florida, December 12, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1855                Notice of arrival of a cargo of goods from McNaught & Ormond. Dated Newport, December 17, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1856                Account of George Jones with D.E. Hull. Dated Tallahassee, January 1, 1856. Covers 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1856                Order by George Jones that John Evans be paid $38.12. Dated Leon County, January 15, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1856                Shipping receipt for 7 bales of cotton by the Tallahassee Railroad Depot. Dated Tallahassee, January 19, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1856                Portion of a shipping certificate of the Tallahassee Railroad Depot. Dated Tallahassee, January 21, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1856                Receipt for goods shipped to George Jones. Dated Newport, February 21, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1856                Receipt from McNaught & Ormond to George Noble Jones for 1 bale of blankets. Dated Newport, April 7, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1856                Bill for a 5-year’s subscription to the FLORIDIAN AND JOURNAL. Dated Tallahassee, April 10, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1856                Itemized receipt from B.C. Lewis (curator of John W. Argyle’s estate) to George Jones certifying payment for goods. Dated April 12, 1856. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

           

1856                Note stating that the writer and his crew had cut a certain amount of wood on the land of George Jones. Dated Ocilla River, May 2, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1856                Account of Alfred Cuthbert. Dated June 18, 1856. Covers 1851-1854. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1856                Account of George Jones with James Hammond. Dated October 31, 1856. Covers 1855. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1856                Receipt for George Jones’ state and county taxes. Dated November 29, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1857                Itemized receipt from T. Turnbull to George Jones. Dated January 3, 1857. Covers 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1857                Itemized receipt from William Slusser to George Jones. Dated January 6, 1857. Covers 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1857                Itemized receipt from Hopkins & McGinness to George Jones. Dated January 6, 1857. Covers 1855-1856. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1857                Receipt for 7 bales of cotton from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Dated Newport, Florida, January 30, 1857. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1857                Bill of lading from Beard & Denham for a cotton shipment. Dated St. Marks, February 16, 1857. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1857                Account of George Jones with McNaught & Ormond. Dated Newport, Florida, February 28, 857. Covers 1856-1857. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1857                Bill from T. Hayward to George Jones. Dated Tallahassee, March 19, 1857. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1857                Account of George Jones with G. Parkhill. Dated March 26, 1857. Covers 1856-early 1857. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1858                Receipt (in Spanish?). Dated November (?) 13, 1858. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1859                Account of Edward Bradford with the estate of Henry Bradford. Dated 1859. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1860                Account of George Jones with Habersham & Sons for sale of cotton. Dated Savannah, January 31, 1860. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1860                Account of George Jones with Habersham & Sons for sale of cotton. Dated Savannah, January 31, 1860. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1860                Account of George Jones with R. Habersham & Sons. Dated Savannah, May 12, 1860. Covers 1859-1860. 4 sheets folded; 14 pages of writing.

 

1860                Account of George Jones with Habersham & Sons for sale of cotton. Dated Savannah, November 29, 1860. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1861                Account of George Jones with Smallwood and Easler. Dated New York, March 16, 1861. Covers 1860-early 1861. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1863                Statement of goods (mostly foodstuffs) shipped to George Jones. Covers period April-October, 1863. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1864                Pedigree of a bull. Dated “West Farms,” November 16, 1864. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1865                Bill of sale for a mare to George Jones from Lee & Co. Dated Jefferson County, January 24, 1865. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1865                Copy of a voucher for $125 from the U.S. Army to George Jones for rental of a building as officer’s quarters. Dated Savannah, November 29, 1865. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1867                Bill from Lathrop & Co. to George Jones. Dated Savannah, March 1, 1867. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1867                Itemized receipt from Lathrop & Co. to George Jones with a 2-cent stamp on the paper. Dated Savannah, April 11, 1867. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1867                Bill from Lathrop & Co. to George Jones. Dated Savannah, April 11, 1867. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1870                List of names, probably of workers. On back is list of “Meat taken up by hands since 1st Jany, 1870.” In pencil. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1871                Invoice for an “Eagle” cotton gin shipped to G. Noble Jones. Dated Bridgewater, Mass., August 12, 1871. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1871                Receipt from William P. Slusser to George Noble Jones. Dated December 12, 1871. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1872                Bill from Crawford & Lovell to George N. Jones. Lists hardware purchases. Dated Savannah, February 1, 1872. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1873                Agreement between G. Noble Jones and John Pride for rental of land. Dated Jefferson County, January 15, 1873. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1873                Account of G. Noble Jones’ receipts and expenditures. Covers November 1, 1872 to March 31, 1873. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1874                Agreement between G. Noble Jones and Barack Nellycliff for the sale of a mule. Dated January 3, 1874. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1874                Agreement between G. Noble Jones and John Pride for the cultivation of Jones’ plantation. Dated February 16, 1874. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Also, an attached printed form-certifying registration of the document with the Circuit Court, Jefferson County. Dated March 2, 1874. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1874                Bill of lading from Atlantic & Gulf Freight Line for a sack of grain (with terms and route of shipment). Dated New York, October 15, 1874. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1875                Bill for a keg of nails from Crawford & Lovell to G. Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, January 29, 1875. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1875                Itemized bill for goods from Ordinary Chatham Co. to G. Noble Jones and Alfred Cuthbert. Dated Savannah, December 4, 1875. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1877                Statement of the account of the estate of G.N. Jones. Covers January-April, 1877. 4 sheets; 7 pages of writing.

 

1877                Statement of account of the estate of G.N. Jones. Covers August, 1877. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1877                Bill of lading for the Savannah East Freight Line (Savannah is written in over Fernandina). Dated Lloyd, Florida, September 25, 1877. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1877                Account of sales of cotton for the estate of G.N. Jones from Habersham & Sons. Dated Savannah, December 19, 1877. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1878                Account of the estate of G.N. Jones from Little & Co. Dated January 17, 1878. Covers November, 1877. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1878                Account of George Noble Jones with Robert Habersham, Son & Co. Dated Savannah, January 24, 1878. Covers November-January, 1877-1878. 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Torn down the middle so there are two sheets instead of one sheet folded.

 

1878                Account of George Noble Jones with Robert Habersham, Son & Co. Dated Savannah, January 24, 1878. Covers same period. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1878                Receipt from a Mr. Brevard to Wallace Jones. Dated Tallahassee, February 2, 1878. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1878                Agreement between W.A. and Annie Willy and W.S. Jones. Relates to sale of land. Dated Jefferson County, February 12, 1878. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1878                Itemized bill from Little & Co. to the estate of G. Noble Jones. Dated Louisville, Georgia, July 1, 1878. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1878                Account of cotton sales for G. Noble Jones’ estate with Habersham & Sons. Dated Savannah, November 22, 1878. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1878                Account of cotton sales for G. Noble Jones’ estate with Habersham & Sons. Dated Savannah, December 9, 1878. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1878                Receipt for cotton shipment from the Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Mobile Railroad. Dated Lloyd, December 16, 1878. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Check for $30. Dated Bailey’s Mills, Florida, February 24, 1879. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Itemized bill from Little & Co. to the estate of G.N. Jones. Dated June 2, 1879. 2 sheets; 3 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Agreement between Wallace and Noble W. Jones and M.L. Brewer. Hires Brewer to serve as a miller at their mill. Dated July 14, 1879. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1879                Itemized bill from Little & Co. to the estate of G.N. Jones. Dated Louisville, Georgia, August 1, 1879. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Same, as above. Dated September 1, 1879. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Same, as above. Dated October 1, 1879. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Same, as above. Dated November 1, 1879. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Printed form.

 

1879                Account of cotton sales with R. Habersham, Son & Co. Dated Savannah, November 29, 1879. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1882                Receipt from Andrew Hanley. Dated Savannah, September 30, 1882. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1883                Receipt from Florida Coastal and Western Railroad Co. Dated Lloyd, May 10, 1883. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1903                Lease for some land between G. Noble Jones and F.G. Parnell and Allen Howard. Dated McIntosh County, Georgia, December 24, 1903. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Printed form. 2 stamped seals of the County Court.

 

Undated           Memo relating to Nuttall’s estate. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

Undated           Account sheet for cotton. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

Undated           Document relating to monies received by H.W. Braden for Mary Jones. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

Undated           Document labeled “Proposals and specifications for building a store in Augusta.” 2 sheets; 5 pages of writing.

 

Undated           Sketch labeled “Plan of Augusta lots.” 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

Undated           Note relating to Nuttall’s estate’s finances. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

Undated           Fragment of a list. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Split along seams.

 

Undated           Document relating to locations of El Destino lands. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

Undated           Document relating to dealings in land. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

Undated           Instructions for going from Savannah to Tallahassee. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. In pencil.

 

Undated           Note from T. Balzett relating to drafts received from H.W. Braden. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

 

BOX 2: Correspondence

 

1829                Copies of three letters. 1st from Alexander Telfair to Major Babcock, U.S. Engineers. Dated Savannah, March 28, 1829. Relates to purchase of Cockspur Island by the U.S. for a military post. 1 page of writing. 2nd from Telfair to E. Hamilton. Dated Savannah, May 6, 1829. Relates to the 1760 grant of Cockspur Island. 2/3 page of writing. 3rd from Telfair to Colonel I.A. Cobb. Dated Savannah, June 3, 1829. Relates to the deed for some land. 1/3 page of writing. All together, 1 sheet, 2 pages of writing.

 

1833                Letter from J. Hamilton (?) to William B. Nuttall. Relates to the affairs of Mrs. Burgess (?). Dated New York, April 25, 1833. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Portions of edge torn away with some loss of text.

 

1833                Letter from William B. Nuttall to his wife, Mary. Refers to anxiety over her trip, death of her aunt, exchange of slaves with his brother, business at Jackson Court and with Mrs. Hawkins. Dated Tallahassee, December 7, 1833. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1834                Letter from A. Nuttall to William B. Nuttall. Expresses displeasure with the business conducted with William and threatens to seek legal recourse if necessary. Refers to the “discontent of the Negroes.” Dated Level Green, July 25, 1834. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1836                Letter from H.W. Braden to Mrs. Mary Savage. Reports the death of W.B. Nuttall. Also mentions state of Nuttall’s property. Dated Tallahassee, April 22, 1836. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1836                Letter from H.W. Braden to Mrs. Mary Nuttall. Mentions the danger from Indians (Creek and Seminole); discusses debts, and business affairs of the Nuttall estate. Dated Tallahassee, June 6, 1836. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1837                Letter from H.W. Braden to Mrs. Mary Nuttall. Reports on the state of her plantation and upon his projected travels. Dated “Clifford near Tallahassee,” a note on the back giving the date as 1837. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1838                Letter from H.W. Braden to Lewis Webb. Discusses Nuttall’s estate. Dated Tallahassee, February 6, 1838. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. On page 3 is a note from John Parkhill to Lewis Webb. Dated Tallahassee, February 5, 1838. Testifies to reliability of Braden. Page 3 is somewhat disintegrated with some loss of text.

 

1839                Letter from O.H. Gadsden to H.W. Braden. Transmits to Braden, serving as Mrs. Nuttall’s agent, a bill for lumber used in the construction of her house at El Destino. Also reports that some land in which she expressed an interest is for sale, giving term. Mentions Union Bank stock. Dated December 18, 1839.1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1839                Letter from H.W. Braden to Mary Nuttall. Reports of his handling of her affairs. Mentions possibilities for sale of some of her slaves. Mentions also Union Bank. Dated Clifford, December 23, 1839.

 

1840                Letter from H.W. Braden to Mary Nuttall. Relates to collection of a debt owed to the Nuttall estate. Reports on the unlikelihood of reimbursement for losses of cattle to Indian raids. Also reports on the “New plantation,” Chemonie. Discusses political and social life in Tallahassee. Dated Clifford, January 26, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1840                Letter probably from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Relates to Mary Nuttall Jones’ property and debts, with much on the Union Bank. Dated Tallahassee, August 16, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. See next item.

 

1840                Letter from George Jones to H.W. Braden. Refers to Braden’s letter of August 16, which seems almost certainly to be the one proceeding this. Relates to the Florida estates and liabilities. Also reports on the “great Bunker Hill Convention.” Dated Boston, September 10, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1840                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Reports crop losses due to caterpillars. Dated Tallahassee, October 11, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1840                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Relates to crops on the Florida estates and financial conditions in Florida. Dated Savannah, November 26, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1840                Letter from W. Crabtree to George Jones. Crabtree is president of the S.O.& A., Canal Co. The letter is a request for payment with a statement of Jones’ account with the company. Dated Savannah, December 3, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1840                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Mentions the death of Mrs. Savage, danger from Indian attacks, and a difficulty in communication. Mentions Jones as coming to Florida. Dated Tallahassee, December 21, 1840. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from George Jones to H.W. Braden. Requests information as to purchase of land from Mrs. Jones two years before by Major Ward. Beneath Jones’ letter, Braden has written a reply in pencil. Dated El Destino, January 1, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from George Jones to W.H. Brackenborough. Relates to financial arrangements between W.B. Nuttall and his wife, now Mrs. Jones. Sums up the condition of Nuttall’s estate and requests Brackenborough’s services in “winding it up.” Dated El Destino, March 4, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from J. Hanfield (?) to George Jones. Relates to a debt. Dated Middletown, March 17, 1841. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter to R. Habersham & Son. Relates to reduction of a bank debt. The letter is probably from George Jones. Dated Jefferson County, March 23, 1841. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Discusses proposition to release the stock upon some slaves. Dated March, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from George Jones to William H. Brackenborough. Relates to the estate of Nuttall. Dated Monticello, April 7, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from Perry A. Barrington to George Jones. Reports on the El Destino cotton crop and the health of the slaves. Dated El Destino, June 11, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from R.L. Gamble to George Jones. Relates to obtaining certificates of patent from the Land Office. Dated Washington City, July 2, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from George Jones to R.L. Gamble. (?). Relates to certificates of patent from the General Land Office. Dated Newport, July 8, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from E.M. Huntington to R.L. Gamble. Transmits certificates of patent from the Land Office. Dated General Land Office, July 16, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from Cammam, Whitehouse & Co. to George Jones. Relates to Jones’ order to purchase “Florida Funds.” Dated New York, July 21, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from J.H. Randolph to George Jones. Requests Jones to pay a bill for medical care for his slaves. Dated Tallahassee, July 27, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from J. Clark & Son to Mrs. Jones. Requests that she remit payment on her account. Dated Boston, August 10, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Reports on his relatives, yellow fever, and various deaths. Mentions yellow fever epidemic in St. Josephs. Also reports on health of plantation personnel and crop conditions. Dated Clifford, August 11, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Discusses a claim against Nuttall’s estate by Martin Hardin (?). Also reports on the health situation, mentioning yellow fever at Port Leon. Reports on the status of the plantation. Piece missing from page 3 with some loss of text. Dated Clifford, August 18, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from Cammam, Whitehouse & Co. to George Jones transmitting the following copy. Dated New York, September 7, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Copy of a letter from Cammam, Whitehouse & Co. to J.G. Gamble (President of the Union Bank). Transmits 5 certificates of deposit for George Jones. Dated New York, September 7, 1841. 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from Cammam, Whitehouse & Co. to George Jones. Relates to financial affairs; mentions Union Bank. Dated New York, September 9, 1841. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from William Perry to Mary Jones. Reports the death of  “Brother Thomas,” various illnesses, and the cotton crop. Addresses her as “Dear Mistis.” Dated Tallahassee, September 23, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from H.L. Rutgers to George Jones. Transmits a statement which appears on page 3 of the sheet. Dated “Union Bank of Florida,” Tallahassee, October 25, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from R.E. Cunningham to George Jones. Relates to Cunningham selling some land. Dated November 9, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1841                Letter from J. Mansfield to George Jones. Relates to a receipt from Mrs. Eliza Jones. Dated Fort Pulaski, December 15, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1842                Letter from George Jones to H.W. Braden. Relates to the transfer of one of Jones’ notes from Braden to another party with possible inconvenience and loss for Jones. Dated El Destino, March 20, 1842. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1842                Letter from H.W. Braden to George Jones. Gives Braden’s side in the controversy over the transfer of the above note and presents claims for payment for services. A note in the margin signed “G.J.” tells the arrangement reached. Dated Tallahassee, March 22, 1842. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1842                Letter from G. Jones to John G. Gamble. Relates to Jones’ notes to the Union Banks. Dated April 9, 1842. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Some damage with a slight loss of text.

 

1844                Portion of a letter to the President of the Union Bank of Florida. Relates to a claim on the Bank. Dated Savannah, June 1, 1844. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Parts torn away with loss of text.

 

1844                Letter from W. Brackenborough to George Jones. Reports on Jones’ cases with Braden. Dated Tallahassee, November 17, 1844. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape. Large portions of page 3 missing with considerable loss of text.

 

1845                Letter from N.J. Douglas to George Jones. A copy of Douglas’ opinion in the case of Braden vs. Jones & wife, administrators of Nuttall’s estate. Dated Tallahassee, January 24, 1845. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1845                Letter from Braden’s attorneys to W.H. Brackenborough as attorney for George Jones. Relates to the above-mentioned case. Notes by Brackenborough on back. Dated Tallahassee, March 15, 1845. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1845                Letter from Braden’s lawyers to W.H. Brackenborough as attorney for George Jones. Relates to the above case. Dated Tallahassee, July 9, 1845. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1847                Letter from Parkhill to George Jones. Relates to business affairs. Dated Tuscaurila, January 8, 1847. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1848                Letter from Bolling Baker to George Jones. Sends a copy of Eppes’ deed (included). Dated Quincy, February 15, 1848. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1848                Letter from Parkhill & Co. to Wallace Jones. Relates to lumber purchased by Jones. Dated May 13, 1848. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1850                Letter from R.W. White to George Jones. Relates to five land warrants, a canal, the “Gamble affair,” and slaves. Dated Tallahassee, June 17, 1850. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1850                Letter from Bolling Baker to George Jones. Transmits a legal document relative to the “Title of Dr. Robertson.” Mentions the Robertson and his family had been victims of an attempt at poisoning. Dated Quincy, July 4, 1850. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1850                Letter from R.W. White to George Jones. Relates to the corn crop, cotton crop, progress of a canal, and the Union Bank. Inquires as to whether Jones would be interesting in investing in a plank road. Dated Lipona, July 17, 1850. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1850                Letter from R.W. White to George Jones. Reports on corn and cotton crops on Jones’ plantations. Mentions disciplining of a slave. Reports on Roberson’s progress on the canal. Dated Lipona, July 26, 1850. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1850                Letter from R.W. White to George Jones. Discusses corn and cotton crops on Jones’ plantation. Reports on the route of the plank road and Roberson’s progress on the canal. Dated Lipona, August 10, 1850. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1850                Letter from R.W. White to George Jones. Reports that “Whatley has again detected Jane in his corn mill with Roberson.” An account of Roberson’s wrong-doings with Jones’ slaves or employees involving misappropriation of meat, sugar, coffee and other supplies. Dated Lipona, September 3, 1850. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1851                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Relates to a shipment of cotton. Dated Newport, November 2, 1851. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from S. Spooner to George Jones. Apparently relates to a subscription for a book. Dated January 26, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from R. Habersham & Son to George Jones. Discusses business affairs and reports the results of the “Forrest divorce case.” Dated Savannah, January 29, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1852                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Relates to cotton. Dated Newport, February 4, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from Jonathan Roberson. Relates to conditions on the plantation. Dated Leon County, March 18, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from William Fludden to George Jones. Gives recipe for cement. Dated Newport, March 29, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Reports on a shipment of bacon, progress of the plank road and fears for the crop due to grasshoppers. Dated Newport, April 28, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from Jonathan Roberson. Reports on conditions and activities on the plantation. Tells of a large party of “your” Negroes being baptized in the canal above the bridge. Dated Leon County, May 21, 1852. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1852                Letter from William Delafield to George Jones. Requests information as to suitability for employment of Patrick Casey. Dated New York, May 24, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1852                Letter to “My dear Jones.” Congratulations on the birth of Noble Wimberley Jones, business affairs and reports on travels. Dated “Tours on the Loire,” May 30, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1852                Letter from J. Roberson. Discusses conditions and activities on the plantation. Mentions that Josiah Jacobs is to be hung at Newport for murder. Dated El Destino Mills, June 12, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1852                Letter from W.J.R. Habersham. Relates mainly to shipping some goods to Newport, Florida. Refers to a wedding. Dated New York, July 8, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from E.M. Croan (?) to George Jones. Relates to a Mr. Hardwick, who desires a post as overseer. Dated Louisville, Jefferson County, July 23, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from James M. Sanderson to George Jones. Relates to payment of a draft by Jones. Dated New York, July 30, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from George J. Kollock to George Jones. Refers to economic reprisals by patriotic Southerners against the North as breaking down. Also refers to a marriage and various personal affairs. Dated Woodlands, August 10, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1852                Letter from G.C. Smith to George Jones. Relates to subscription for a book. Dated Newport, August 26, 1852. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1852                Letter from J. Roberson to George Jones. Reports on conditions and activities on the plantation. Dated El Destino Mills, September 15, 1852. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1853                Letter from J. Roberson. Reports on conditions and activities on the plantation, particularly work on the mill. Dated Leon County, June 20, 1853. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing.

 

1853                Letter from J. Roberson. Reports on condition of Negroes and work on the mill. Dated July 9, 1853. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1853                Letter from J. Roberson. Reports on condition of Negroes and work on the mill. Dated El Destino Mills, July 23, 1853. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1853                Letter from J. Roberson. Reports on the condition of the hands and the mill. Dated El Destino Mills, August 23, 1853. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1853                Letter from J. Roberson. Reports on the health of himself and the hands and on the progress of work on the mill. Dated Leon County, October 9, 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1853                Letter from James Rowe to George Jones. Relates to efficiency of his corn-crushing machine. Dated Greensboro, Georgia, October 31, 1853. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1853                Letter from Beard & Denham to George Jones. Relates to a cotton shipment. Dated St. Marks, December 10, 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1853                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Transmits waybills for goods. Dated Newport, December 29, 1853. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from Albert Sumner to George Jones. Relates to the title of the “Middleton property.” Dated Newport, January 7, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1854                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Relates to a cotton shipment. Dated Newport, January 16, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from D.N. Moxley to George Jones. Requests a loan of five dollars and wants to send to Tallahassee for his trunk and some oil. Dated February 10, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Relates to shipping difficulties with a cotton shipment. Dated Newport, February 23, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from T. Johnston to George Jones. Relates to fences and the accidental cutting of some of Jones’ timber. Dated Jefferson County, March 26, 1854. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1854                Letter from J.F. Thomas. Offers to sell a tract of land. Dated Tallahassee, March 30, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Relates to inability to provide shipping for Jones’ cotton. Dated Newport, April 3, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Relates to inability to provide shipping for Jones’ cotton. Dated Newport, April 3, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1854                Letter from Bolling Baker to George Jones. Proposal to sell his land and slaves to Jones. Dated Tallahassee, May 17, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1854                Letter from John Evans to George Jones. Dated “Chemoonie,” July 16, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Discusses “Williams,” state of the Negroes, and work planned. Also mentions that Noah Thomson “…has goes deranged from drink…,” and has been taken to an asylum in New York, and that James Williams has “…killed himself drinking.” Comment son the extreme heat of the summer. Appended are two pages from the Chemonie journal covering July 1-16.

 

1854                Letter from Edwin Walter to George Jones. Dated Philadelphia, August 10, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Walters is an official of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., and reports a dividend may be claimed on stock formerly owned by Dr. George Jones. The dividend had been suspended due to a “disaster” in 1841, but now is being paid.

 

1854                Letter from William Watson to George Jones. Dated Providence, August 9, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to authorization for Thomas Baikley to convey real estate. Watson is Secretary of State for Rhode Island. The letter is on a printed letterhead.

 

1854                Letter from W.H. Drayton to George Jones. Dated Philadelphia, August 11, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to proof of a deed.

 

1854                Letter from Sidney Brooks to Dr. David King. Dated August 15, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Refusal of an offer by George Jones to sell some land.

 

1854                Letter from J. Roberson. Dated El Destino Mills, September 1, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports on health of himself and the Negroes, and on progress on a dam in the swamp. Mentions purchasing some cattle. Also mentions the “Bonnet land.”

 

1854                Letter from R. Habersham & Son to George Jones. Dated Savannah, September 7, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Requests that workmen for the “Albany or So. Western Road” to be allowed to use buildings on property belonging to Jones. Reports on the death of James Johnston and a yellow fever epidemic.

 

1854                Letter from Robert Habersham to George Jones. Dated Savannah, September 19, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to repairs of a building (?). A post-script dated September 10 from Habersham thanks Jones for his concern and relates the course of the yellow fever attack on his wife and daughter.

 

1854                Letter from J. Roberson. Dated September 30, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports on work on the levee, the canal, and on lumber for the mill house.

 

1854                Letter from William H. Harison to George Jones. Dated Augusta, October 4, 1854. Reports recovery of Jones’ sister Mary from a serious illness.

 

1854                Letter from W. Buckminster to George Jones. Dated Boston, October 4, 1854. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Relates to cattle for sale.

 

1854                Letter from Gilbert Butler to George Jones. Dated Savannah, October 13, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Relates to discounting of notes.

 

1854                Letter from William H. Harison to George Jones. Dated Sand Hills, October 18, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Reports progress of Jones’ sister’s recovery and transmits some funds to Mrs. Jones and others.

 

1854                Letter to Gilbert Butler from George Jones. Dated Newport, October 19, 1854. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Relates to differences in understanding of the terms of an agreement involving Jones’ notes.

 

1854                Letter from J. Roberson. Dated November 6, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Discusses work on the levee and mill house.

 

1854                Letter from N. Hawley. Dated “Chattahoochee,” December 20, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to a sugar mill.

 

1854                Letter from B.G.M. Davis. A note on the back dates it December, 1854. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Says that he is going to Apalachicola, but will be pleased to aid as requested upon his return.

 

1854                Letter from William Epping to George Jones. Dated Tallahassee, a note gives the date as December, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to Epping’s desire to purchase for his German Evangelical Lutheran congregation, of which he is pastor, Jones’ property known as the “old St. John’s Church, now occupied by a gymnastical association.”

 

1854                Letter from J.W. Whatley to George Jones. A note dates it December, 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Requests $50 to settle his affairs at Newport, as he hopes to be in Texas by February 1. Also requests letters of recommendation.

 

1854                Letter from D.N. Moxley to George Jones. Dated El Destino, a note dates it 1854. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Requests $125.

 

1854                Letter or portion of a letter. A note on the back states “Letter to Mrs. J.L. Sheppard, 1854.” 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1855                Letter from George Jones to A.W. White. Dated El Destino, January 15, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Relates to White’s actions while acting as Jones’ agent.

 

1855                Letter from J. Roberson to George Jones. Dated February 17, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports conditions and activities, especially work on the canal.

 

1855                Letter from G.F. Headman to George Jones. Dated Savannah, April 13, 1855. 1 sheet ; 1 page of writing. Reports installations of and transmits bill for gas pipes in Jones’ new store.

 

1855                Letter from L.L. & E.L. Levy to George Jones. Dated New Orleans, April 20, 1855. 2 sheets (1 folded); 2 pages of writing. Transmits an invoice (the unfolded sheet).

 

1855                Letter from Emma Bronson to George Jones. Dated Sunny Point, Palatka, May 9, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Reports that her father is unable to provide any information about Mr. George Carroll.

 

1855                Letter from E.C. Cabell to George Jones. Dated Tallahassee, July 1, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Relates to construction of the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad, of which Cabell is president.

 

1855                Letter from J. Roberson. Dated Leon County, July 13, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Reports conditions and activities, particularly work on the mill.

 

1855                Letter from George Peabody to George Jones. Dated “22 Old Broad Street near Bank of England,” August 9, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Requests that Jones visit him and dine with him on Saturday.

 

1855                Letter from J. Roberson. Dated El Destino Mills, August 11, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports conditions and activities, particularly work on the mill.

 

1855                Letter from E. Houston to George Jones. Dated Belair, August 23, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Discusses a railroad at some length. Mentions a barbecue given for “your Negroes” on July 4 “…in commemoration of their victory over General Grays.”

 

1855                Letter from Bates, Hyde & Co. to George Jones. Dated Bridgewater, October 20, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Reminder about a bill for a cotton gin.

 

1855                Letter from Sidney Brooks to George Jones. Dated Newport, November 7, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to inability to agree on terms for the sale of some of Jones’ property.

 

1855                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Dated Newport, Florida, December 12, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to bills of lading and ships.

 

1855                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Dated Newport, Florida, December 22, 1855. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Transmits a bill, which appears on the third page, and a can of pickled oysters.

 

1855                Letter from William Robertson to George Jones. Dated Tallahassee, December 29, 1855. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Diagnosis and prescription of medicine for a woman’s illness.

 

1855                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Dated Newport, December 31, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to articles missing from a box Jones received by the schooner HAZARD.

 

1856                Letter from John Evans to George Jones. Dated Chemonie, January 4, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing with a note on the back. Reports on activities on the plantation. The note relates to some turkeys sent to Mrs. Jones.

 

1856                Letter from McNaught & Ormond. Dated Newport, Florida, February 21, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Relates to a waybill and a shipment of goods.

 

1856                Letter from R. Habersham & Son to George Jones. Dated Savannah, March 3, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to a deed from Habersham to Jones that he cannot locate and mentions the “Florida Road.” Also mentions offer of a loan.

 

1856                Letter from McNaught & Ormond to George Jones. Dated Newport, Florida, March 21, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to Jones’ claim relative to the HAZARD.

 

1856                Letter from Beard & Denham to George Jones. Dated St. Marks, March 26, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to passage on the steamers for Key West.

 

1856                Letter from John Cardy to George Jones. Dated Monticello, April 14, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Transmits ground plans for a gin house.

 

1856                Letter from J.R. Habersham to George Jones. Dated New York, June 10, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to an engine for one of Jones’ Florida estates, shipment of rope and bagging. Also comments on the danger of traveling on steamboats.

 

1856                Letter from J. Roberson. Not on back dates it June 21, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates mainly to the mill. Also mentions the railroad. Portion of the top is missing with loss of text.

 

1856                Letter from W.B. Hodgson to George Jones. Dated Saratoga, July 3, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Relates to construction of building and a wharf. Mentions various people, notably “Major Kearney.” Also mentions politics and a road company.

 

1856                Letter from W.B. Hodgson to George Jones. Dated “Nahunt by Boston,” August 10, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Reports on the “Jones-Hodgson building,” various personal comments relative to Jones’ trip to Europe, and comment on the American political situation. Mentions talk of dissolving the Union if Fremont is elected. On the first page is a large engraving of the Nahunt House (a hotel). Hodgson has a distressing habit of dropping into French in the middle of sentences.

 

1856                Letter from J. Roberson to George Jones. Dated Leon County, August 22, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports on the health of the hands and work on the levee and mill.

 

1856                Letter from William H. Harison. Dated Augusta, August 23, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports the birth of his son.

 

1856                Letter from R. Habersham to George Jones. Dated New York, September 5, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Reports on various business affairs and a violent windstorm on the Atlantic coast. Page 2 is somewhat torn, though nothing is detached.

 

1856                Letter from Bates, Hyde & Co. to George Jones. Dated Bridgewater, October 17, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.   Acknowledgement of a payment.

 

1859                Letter from James Allen to Thomas Hunt. Dated Naples, May 7, 1859. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Requests advice on Jones’ behalf as to the advisability of importing some stock or buying American stock.

 

1862                Letter from Brigadier General H.S. Wright to Colonel W.G.M. Davis. Dated Headquarters, Jacksonville, April 1, 1862. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. States that no restriction has been place on people wishing to leave Jacksonville for the interior. Mentions a proposition made by Davis.

 

1862                Letter from Colonel W.G.M. Davis to General H.G. Wright. Dated Headquarters, Provisional Forces of Confederate States in East Florida, Camp Langford, April 2, 1862. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Davis mentions his proposition and acknowledges the statement that citizens are free to leave Jacksonville. (Wright is commander of the U.S. forces in Jacksonville).

 

1862                Copy of a letter from Colonel W.G.M. Davis. Dated Camp Langford, April 4, 1862. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Summation of the military situation of the Confederate forces covering Jacksonville, with suggestions for changes in troop disposition. Also reports on Union forces, with locations of their fortifications.

 

1862                Letter from Colonel W.G.M. Davis. Dated Headquarters, April 11, 1862. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports on the evacuation of Jacksonville by the Union troops and its occupation by his own forces. Mentions a large number of Negroes and Union sympathizers as having left with the U.S. troops.

 

1862                Letter from S.R. Burritt (?) to Colonel W.G.M. Davis. Dated Jacksonville, April 16, 1862. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports on the trip of a delegation of slave-owners to Fernandina to make application for return of runaway slaves supposedly sheltering there.

 

1865                Letter to George Jones. Dated Augusta, January 21, 1865. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to payment of a draft for $1,000. Mentions a death (Molyneaux?). A large piece torn out of lower right side with loss of text.

 

1866                Letter from George Jones to President Andrew Johnson. Dated Savannah, April 9, 1866. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to occupation of his property in the city by the U.S. Quartermaster’s Department without compensation.

 

1867                Letter from George Noble Jones to Wallace S. Jones. Dated Neris, France, August 14, 1867. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Comments on political conditions in the South and on various personal affairs. Accompanying the letter is an envelope bearing diverse French and American postmarks.

 

1868                Letter from Wallace Jones to Read & Sons. Dated Tallahassee, April 2, 1868. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Orders a rifle and some cartridges.

 

1868                Letter from D.F. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated June 12, 1868. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Relates to the accounts of various people, probably hands on the plantation.

 

1868                Letter from D.F. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated July 31, 1868. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports on goods for the hands; mentions work on a dam. Reports on work being done.

 

1868                Letter from D.F. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated August 22, 1868. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports on activities and also on theft of stock and the political situation.

 

1868                Letter from D.F. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated September 13, 1868. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports on activities; also on labor troubles with the Negroes and the theft of some stock. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1868                Letter from George Noble Jones to Wallace Jones. Dated August 29, 1868. 1 sheet; 4 pages of writing. Relates to having some barrels made and to various business matters. Includes a one-page list of theatre costs and an envelope. Torn on the left side and loss of text.

 

1868                Letter from D.M. Hildreth to G. Noble Jones. Dated New York, December 2, 1868. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Informs him of the spoiling of a cask of wine ordered for him. It is written on the letterhead of the New York Hotel.

 

1869                Letter from Baring Brothers to George Noble Jones. Dated London, February 26, 1869. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Acknowledgement of a credit to his account. Badly faded.

 

1869                Letter from Baring Brothers to George Noble Jones. Dated March 11, 1869. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Another acknowledgement of a credit to Jones’ account.

 

1870                Letter from B.F. Vos to George Noble Jones. Dated Baltimore, February 4, 1870.1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports on a shipment of guano.

 

1870                Letter from W.B. Hodgson to George Jones. Dated Savannah, February 18, 1870. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Reports on the social and political situations in Florida and Georgia.

 

1870                Letter from George Noble Jones to Palmes & Lyons. Dated El Destino, March 21, 1870. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Relates to a wharf owned by Jones.

 

1870                Letter from John Lyons to George Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, March 29, 1870. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to groceries. On the letterhead of “John Lyons, Dealer in Choice Family Groceries.”

 

1870                Letter from George Noble Jones to Hodgson. Dated El Destino, April 18, 1870. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Relates to Hodgson founding a town and to the rental of their wharves.

 

1871                Letter from Hallowell Gardiner to George Jones. Dated July 12, 1871. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Comments on the death of Hodgson and on various business affairs.

 

1871                Letter from J.N. Bethea to G. Noble Jones. Dated Retreat, August 28, 1871. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Refers to Hodgson’s death; reports on the cotton crop.

 

1871                Letter from G. Noble Jones to “Rochette.” Dated New York, September 5, 1871. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. In French.

 

1871                Letter from J. Habersham to G. Noble Jones. Dated New Rochelle, October 7, 1871. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Acknowledges receipt of a note; mentions “Anna.”

 

1871                Letter from R. Habersham, Son & Co. to G. Noble Jones. Dated October 31, 1871. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Relates to a mistake in shipping.

 

1872                Letter from R.G. Lay to G. Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, January 9, 1872. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to a shipment of guano. On the letterhead of the Peruvian Guano Agency.

 

1872                Letter from Robert Habersham’s Son & Co. to G. Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, February 23, 1872. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to sale of cotton.

 

1872                Letter from R.H. Gamble to G. Noble Jones. Dated Tallahassee, June 5, 1872. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to taxes.

 

1872                Letter from M.H. Hopkins to G. Noble Jones. Dated Louisville, Georgia, July 15, 1872. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Relates to investing in a railroad. A note describing Jones’ answer is on the back.

 

1872                Letter from M.H. Hopkins to G. Noble Jones. Dated Louisville, Georgia, August 6, 1872. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Response to the foregoing letter.

 

1872                Letter from D.N. Cox to G. Noble Jones. Dated “Perry, Taylor County, Florida.” October 30, 1872. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Requests taxes for 1871. Cox is tax collector for Taylor County.

 

1873                Letter from R. Habersham Son & Co. to George Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, February 3, 1873. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Reports loss or theft of some cotton.

 

1873                Letter from D.F. Horger to Wallace S. Jones. Dated February 23, 1873. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to a method of spreading guano.

 

1874                Letter from R. Habersham Son & Co. to George Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, September 24, 1874. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to cotton.

 

1875                Letter from D.N. Cox to G. Noble Jones. Dated Shady Grove, Taylor County, March 12, 1875. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports failure to get Jones’ lands reassessed and mentions possible confiscation for non-payment of taxes. Cox is Collector of Revenue for Taylor County. Mentions difficulty of working with the county commissioners, as they are “radicals.”

 

1875                Letter from R. Habersham’s Son & Co. to George Noble Jones. Dated Savannah, May 10, 1875. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to a phosphate shipment. On a printed letterhead.

 

1875                Letter from J.H. Sappington to G. Noble Jones. Dated Perry, July 20, 1875. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to redeeming lands of Jones’ that had been sold at a tax sale and to rates of taxation.

 

1875                Letter from George P. Raney to Wallace Jones. Dated Tallahassee, December 28, 1875. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to getting lands returned that were sold in an illegal tax sale.

 

1877                Letter from R. Habersham’s Son & Co. to Wallace Jones. Dated Savannah, January 9, 1877. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Relates to “Robinson’s note.” On a printed letterhead.

 

1877                Letter M.C. Bird to W.S. Jones. Dated “Junction #3 J.P.&M.” February 13, 1877. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Requests that Jones sign a bond for him as an agent of the Jacksonville, Pensacola, & Mobile Railroad. Written on the letterhead of the J.P.&M. Railroad.

 

1877                Letter from D.F. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated March 23, 1877. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Reports on “Ely” and his activities, as well as the work on the other hands.

 

1877                Letter from A.L. Randolph to “Mr. Jones.” Dated Tallahassee, July 31, 1877. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Mentions Horger’s bill and medical treatment for Martha.

 

1877                Letter from A.L. Randolph to Mr. Jones. Dated Tallahassee, August 6, 1877. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Mentions enclosing a receipt for the amount of Horger’s bill and mentions medical treatment for Martha.

 

1878                Letter from William Bellinger to Wallace S. Jones. Dated Waukeenah, Florida, January 2, 1878. 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Discusses financial affairs. Refers to Jones’ seeking “admission before the legislature,” and wishes him luck.

 

1878                Letter from J.P. Grunthen to W.S. Jones. Dated “Waukeniah,” Florida, May 11, 1878. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Relates to taxes an agricultural report. Refers to Jones as running for the Legislature.

 

1878                Letter from W.J. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated “Chamouni,” December 23, 1878. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports on cotton.

 

1879                Letter from Leonorah Ellis to Wallace Jones. Dated Lloyd’s Mills, Jefferson County, February 4, 1879. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Solicits a loan to tide her over until established in her position as a district schoolteacher.

 

1880                Letter from B. Forrester to Wallace S. Jones. Dated Brooklyn, June 30, 1880. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Requests Jones’ endorsement for his agricultural chemicals operation.

 

1882                Letter to “Hon.W.W.M.” marked “not sent.” Dated March 17, 1882. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Business affairs.

 

1882                Letter from R.B. Whitfield to W.S. Jones. Dated Monticello, April 15,1882. Relates to employment for an acquaintance.

 

1882                Post card from William H.H., Jr. to Wallace Jones. Dated Augusta, August 26, 1882. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports his departure for North Carolina.

 

1882                Letter from Charles Pratt & Co. to Wallace Jones. Dated New York, December 9, 1882. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to a barrel of oil. On a printed letterhead.

 

1885                Letter from L. Tasco to W.S. Jones. Dated Monticello, March 9, 1885. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to getting member of a state commission to “unite in my recommendations.”

 

1899                Letter from J.H. Tucker to W.S. Jones. Dated Monticello, March 31, 1899. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to land. On the letterhead of the Continental Insurance Co.

 

Undated           Letter from George Jones to William H. Brackenborough. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to Braden and Nuttall’s estate; mentions J. Gamble.

 

Undated           Letter from George Jones to William Brackenborough. Dated El Destino, Wednesday Morning. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Relates to Braden and Nuttall.

 

Undated           Note from L. Agasuz (?) to George Jones. Dated New Port, July 23. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing. Entitled “Memorandum for George Jones Esq. of New Port.” Notes on places to see n Germany.

 

Undated           Letter from George Jones. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Rejects a proposition relative to some property.

 

Undated           Letter from W. Morgan to “Mr. Jones.” Dated “2 Brgamton Place,” October 9. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Social letter; mentions Atlantic crossing.

 

 

BOX 3: Legal Documents, Operating Papers, and Miscellaneous.

 

 

Legal Documents

 

1832                Articles of agreement between William C. Patten (agent of James Patten, executor of the estate of John Nuttall) and William B. Nuttall. Dated Tallahassee, December 24, 1832. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1834                List of errors in a legal decision. Dated January 9, 1834. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Possibly case is between Nuttall and Armistead. List is written by Braden & Baltzell.

 

1835                Judgment in the cases of Olive Aiken vs. William B. Nuttall and Olive Aiken vs. Frances B. Whitney. Dated Tallahassee, May 11, 1835. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1835                                <!--[endif]-->Certified copy of a legal document relating to a suit between Nuttall and Armistead. Dated 1835. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Signed by H.W. Braden.

 

1836                Certified copy of a legal document (bill in equity) in the case of Jones & wife vs. H.W. Braden. Dated June 10, 1836. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1837                Petition of Mrs. Mary Nuttall. Dated December 20, 1837. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Relates to Nuttall’s estate.

 

1837                Court order relative to a petition by Mary Nuttall as administrator of Nuttall’s estate. Dated December 28, 1837. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1838                Bill in chancery of John Patten (executor of the estate of John Nuttall) involving William B. Nuttall’s estate and the Union Bank. Dated November 15, 1838. 3 sheets tied with ribbon (folded); 8 pages of writing.

 

1838                Document certifying that Robert W. Pooles is Clerk of the County Court of Chatham County, Georgia. Dated Savannah, November 22, 1838. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Partially split along fold seams.

 

1838                Document entitled “N.B. Appeal to Supreme Court described by Braden who was security on appeal.” Dated 1838. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Apparently amounts received and disbursed.

 

1838                “Statement of facts in relation to the suits now pending between Hector Braden and George and Mary Jones, Administrators of the Estate of the late William B. Nuttall.” Ca. 1838. 14 sheets; 27 pages of writing. Tied with ribbon.

 

1838                “Statement of facts relating to the controversy between George Jones and H.W. Braden.” Ca. 1838. 3 sheets; 6 pages of writing. Number 7-10, 11, and 13.

 

1839                Summons to Mary Nuttall to appear before the court in the case of James Patten vs. Mary Nuttall and the Union Bank. Dated February 19, 1839. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1839                Answer of the Union Bank in the case of Patten vs. Mary Nuttall and the Union Bank. Dated May 28, 1839. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1839                Answer of Mary Nuttall in the case of Patten vs. Mary Nuttall and the Union Bank. Dated May 28, 1839. 2 sheets folded; 8 pages of writing.

 

1841                Document summoning George and Mary Jones in a case relative to non-payment of a judgment granted Martin Hardin against Mary Jones. Dated Monticello, March 11, 1841. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Summons issued for George and Mary Jones to answer a suit by William P. Duval. Dated March 24, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed form.

 

1841                Letter of administration granting administration of Mary Savage’s estate to George Jones. Dated April 1, 1841. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Stamped with seal of the Jefferson County Court.

 

1841                List of questions and things to be proved in the Braden suit, with an annotation referring to relevant letters and documents. Ca. 1841. 2 sheets; 4 pages of writing.

 

1841                Testimony of John G. Gamble and William P. Duval. Probably 1841. 6 sheets tied with a ribbon; 12 pages of writing.

 

1841                Interrogatories in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Probably 1841. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Questions to be asked of various witnesses.

 

1841                Document relating to the case of Braden vs. Jones. Probably 1841. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1841                Letter from George Jones to William Brackenborough. Probably 1841. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. Suggests points to be ascertained in the examination of various witnesses in the case of Braden vs. Jones.

 

1842                Copy of “Replication and demurrer for defendant’s Attys.” Dated “In Jefferson Superior Court, Fall term, 1842.” 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Relates to Braden vs. Jones suit. Sheets attached with a piece of cellophane tape.

 

1842                Document in the case of Jones vs. Braden. Dated “Jefferson Superior Court, next after Fall term, 1842.” 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. A note on back is “Dft. of pleas. 6 pleas.” Repaired with cellophane tape.

 

1842                Document in the case of Jones vs. Braden. Dated “Jefferson Superior Court, next after Fall term, 1842.” 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Apparently plea number 7.

 

1843                Note stating that notice of additional plea has been given. Dated January 9, 1843. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to case of Braden vs. Jones.

 

1843                Document containing cross-interrogation questions to be asked in the case of Jones vs. Braden. Dated March 30, 1843. 5 sheets; 10 pages of writing. Tied together with string.

 

1843                Testimony of John G. Gamble in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Dated April 15, 1843; certified a true copy May 12, 1843. 11 sheets; 20 pages of writing. Tied together with a ribbon sealed with wax.

 

1843                Depositions of witnesses in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Dated April 15, 1843; certified a true copy January 14, 1845. 5 sheets; 9 pages of writing. Testimony of William Wilson, William Craig, and Robert Williams. Tied together with ribbon.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1843                                <!--[endif]-->“Facts relating to the controversy between George Jones and Hector Braden.” Dated Jefferson County, February 1, 1843. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Statement of George Jones relative to Braden’s sale of Jones’ note.

 

1843                Questions to be put to witnesses in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Possibly 1843. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1843                                <!--[endif]-->“Comparative view of testimony and evidence in the case of Braden vs. G. Jones…M.N. Jones.” Possibly 1843. 8 sheets; 14 pages of writing. Tied together with string.

 

1844                Note from Brackenborough & Westcott to Hector W. Braden requesting certain letters to be used in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Dated Tallahassee, February 13, 1844. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Brackenborough & Wescott are Jones’ attorneys.

 

1844                Report on a court-ordered auction of properties by William Brackenborough as commissioner. Dated Jefferson Superior Court, March 12, 1844. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Relates to case of Jones vs. Braden. Pieces torn away with some loss of text.

 

1844                Approval of George and Mary Jones’ accounts for Nuttall’s estate and discharge of them from the administratorship. Dated Jefferson County Court, March 25, 1844. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1844                Document relative to the case of Braden vs. Jones. Dated Jefferson Superior Court, April 20, 1844. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Apparently an answer to a plea.

 

1844                Three financial statements relative to the estate of William B. Nuttall. Most recent date given is 1844. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing. First statement is money received and expended, 1840-1841. Second is Union Bank money received and expended, 1841-1842. Third is a table of the difference between specie and Union Bank currency.

 

1845                List of questions to be asked to William P. Craig, a witness in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Dated Spring Term, 1845. 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing.

 

1845                Cross-interrogation questions asked William P. Craig in the case of Braden vs. Jones. Dated Spring Term, 1845. 2 sheets; 4 pages of writing.

 

1857                Ruling of the Florida Supreme Court in the case of Asa May vs. Alvin May. Apparently taken from FLORIDA REPORTS, volume VII, 1857. 17 sheets; 30 pages of writing. Tied together with string.

 

1893                Ruling of the jury relative to the case of William H. Harison vs. Wallace S. Jones. Dated Chatham County, Georgia, December Term, 1893. 6 sheets; 4 pages of writing. Typed; fastened with brass fasteners.

 

1893                Another version of the above. Dated Chatham Superior Court, December Term, 1893. 6 sheets; 6 pages of writing. Typed; fastened with metal fasteners.

 

1893                Another version of the above. Same date. 4 sheets; 4 pages of writing. Typed carbon; fastened with metal fasteners.

 

1893                Another version of the above with pencil corrections. Same date. 4 sheets; 4 pages of writing. Typed carbon.

 

1902                Summons issued by G. Noble Jones as Justice of the Peace to Mrs. Mary Groves. Dated Savannah, January 14, 1902. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Printed form. Note by Jones on back.

 

1902                Bill from DeWitt McCrary to Mrs. W.C. Groves. Dated East Macon, January 6, 1902. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Printed letterhead. Covers period from 1897-1900. McCrary is a druggist. Attached to previous item.

 

1902                Statement of W.F. Constantine answering a suit brought against him. Dated Chatham County, Georgia, April 25, 1902. 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Typed.

 

1906                Transcript of testimony in the case of Daniel Bryan vs. the steamship BYLANDS. Dated Savannah, October 30, 1906. 17 sheets; 16 pages of writing. Attached with metal fasteners; typed.

 

1906                Petition for incorporation of the Guidon Publishing Company. Dated Savannah, December 24, 1906. 3 sheets; 3 pages of writing. Appended to the bottom of page 3 is the Court’s ruling, dated Effingham County, Georgia, May, 1907.

 

1906                Power of attorney from Mabelle H. Simkins to G. Noble Jones. Dated Kingdom of Italy, City of Rome, 1906. 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Typed; attached with metal fasteners.

 

1908                Petition for compensation for cotton seized in 1865 from G. Noble Jones and others. Dated June 24, 1908. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Printed document.

 

Undated           Two pages of legal advice relative to an estate. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

Undated           List of properties, bonds, etc. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

Undated           Page of legal advice relative to an estate. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

Undated           Power of attorney from Wallace S. and Noble W. Jones to William H. Harison. 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

 

 

 

Operational Papers

 

1838                Note from J.F. Beasley to George Jones. Dated December 5, 1838. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Transmits a load of wood and requests salt for the Negroes.

 

1849                “Account of Aron’s time…” Covers period May 28 to July 14, 1849. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1849                Agreement between George Jones and Jesse W. Whatley. Relative to Whatley serving as overseer at Chemonie Plantation. Dated December 24, 1849. 1 sheet folded; 3 pages of writing. Appended is a paragraph stating that if John Evans wishes to stay at Chemonie, Whatley will take charge of El Destino. After this appears a renewal dated December 24, 1850; also a receipt for wages dated December 26, 1850., and a receipt for money received on May 30, 1851. Small pieces torn away.

 

1852                “List of Negroes at El Destino.” Dated 1852. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1855                “Record of births and deaths of Negroes.” Dated 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. In pencil. Rather faint.

 

1855                Record of activities and sickness. Dated October 15, 1855. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Covers period from October 9-15, 1855.

 

1855                “List of Negroes at Chemonie who rec’d winter clothes & c. 1855.” 1 sheet folded; 2 pages of writing. In pencil (rather faint).

 

1856                Receipt from Daniel Felkel to John Evans for payment for putting up a brick chimney on “Chemoonie” Plantation. Dated January 1, 1856. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

1856                “A list of Negroes on G. Jones’ El Destino Plantation.” Dated January, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1856                Copy of a section of the El Destino journal. September, 1856. 1 sheet folded; 4 pages of writing.

 

1865                “Allowance list of hands at El Destino.” Dated April, 1865. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

1878                Note from W.J. Horger to W.S. Jones. Dated December 24, 1878. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports as to how many rails various people split and that Nat did not get a receipt for his cotton, but will be sent for it.

 

1879-81           Nine chits or small notes on slips of paper. One dated 1879, others dated 1881. All are requests to Mr. Jones that various people be paid for work. Each is 1 sheet, 1 page of writing. Six are glued to a sheet of paper.

 

1882                Note from J. Duncan to Mr. Jones. Dated January 25, 1882. Also on same page a receipt from J. Palmer to W. Jones dated Monticello, January 25, 1882. All together, 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

1882                Fourteen chits or small notes on slips of paper. Dated 1882. 14 sheets; 14 pages of writing (glued to 3 sheets of paper). All are requests that Jones pay various people for work.

 

1882                Note from W. Horger to Wallace S. Jones. Dated September 7, 1882. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Reports on stable work.

 

1883                Three chits or small notes on slips of paper. Dated 1883. 3 sheets; 3 pages of writing (glued to 1 sheet of paper). Requests that Jones pay various people for work. Two are torn with loss of text.

 

Undated           Bottom half of an account sheet. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

Undated           “List of Negroes belonging to the estate of Macartan Campbell…” 1 sheet folded; 1 page of writing.

 

 

Journals

 

1841-42           Journal of Chemonie Plantation

 

1851-53           Journal of “Chauminoux” Plantation

 

1862-65           Journal of El Destino Plantation (oversize)

 

1864-69           Journal of El Destino Plantation.

 

Undated           Journal (in pencil).

 

1862-63           Mill Book

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

Correspondence Relating to Collection – Chatham

 

1937                Post card from Laura Merle Sewell to Watt Marchman. Dated September 4, 1937. 1 card; 1 page of writing. Relates to Katherine Chatham’s thesis.

 

1937                Carbon Copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Laura Merle Sewell. Dated September 11, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Answer to above card.

 

1937                Letter from Katherine Chatham to Watt Marchman. Dated Bartow, September 15, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to use of the collection.

 

1937                Carbon copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Katherine Chatham. Dated September 17, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to El Destino records published in the QUARTERLY, 1929.

 

1937                Letter from Laura Merle Sewell to Watt Marchman. Dated Bartow, September 21, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed; Bartow Public Library letterhead. Relates to inter-library loan for the QUARTERLY for Chatham.

 

1937                Carbon copy of a letter, probably from Watt Marchman, to Laura Merle Sewell. Dated September 24, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to inter-library loan of the QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Letter from Laura Merle Sewell to Watt Marchman. Dated September 25, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. On Bartow Public Library letterhead. Relates to the QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Carbon copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Laura Merle Sewell. Dated September 28, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to the QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Post card from Laura Merle Sewell to Watt Marchman. Dated October 5, 1937. 1 card; 1 page of writing. Personal.

 

1937                Carbon Copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Laura Merle Sewell. Dated October 14, 1937.1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Relates to loan of the QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Letter from Katherine Chatham to Watt Marchman. Dated Bartow, November 8, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to loan of the QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Carbon copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Katherine Chatham. Dated November 13, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to loan of QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Letter from Watt Marchman to Laura Merle Sewell. Dated November 13, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed carbon copy. Relates to loan of QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Letter from Katherine Chatham to Watt Marchman. Dated Bartow, December 13, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to loan of QUARTERLY.

 

1937                Carbon copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Katherine Chatham. Dated December 16, 1937. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to the QUARTERLY.

 

1938                Letter from Katherine Chatham to Watt Marchman. Dated Bartow, March 8, 1938. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to her thesis on Florida plantations.

 

1938                Carbon Copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Katherine Chatham. Dated March 11, 1938. Reply to the above letter. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Relates to looking forward to seeing her and giving her some papers.

 

1938                Letter from Katherine Chatham to Watt Marchman. Dated Bartow, March 27, 1938. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Personal.

 

1938                Carbon copy of a letter from Watt Marchman to Katherine Chatham. Dated April 12, 1938. Typed. Personal.

 

Undated           Letter from Katherine Chatham to Watt Marchman. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Typed. Relates to her thesis.

 

 

Correspondence Relating to Collection – Fleischman

 

Undated           Letter from Joseph Fleischman to the Fair Drug Co. Dated Tampa, November 21, 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Sends some “old rare papers” relating to Tallahassee to be sold for him. On letterhead of the Globe Clothing and Tailoring Co. Also in same folder are a blank letterhead sheet and a package insurance receipt.

 

 

Correspondence Relating to Collection – Marshall

 

1925                Carbon copy of a letter to Dr. T.M. Marshall. Dated January 28, 1925. 2 sheets; 2 pages of writing. Relates to copying of the collection. Second sheet is a list of the materials.

 

 

Inventories (superseded)

 

Undated           Five superseded inventories or lists of the collection. 3 carbon copies, one partial longhand copy, one typed orginial. First, 7 sheets, 7 pages of writing; second, 11 sheets, 11 pages of writing; third, 8 sheets, 15 pages of writing; fourth, 22 sheets, 22 pages of writing; fifth, 36 sheets, 36 pages of writing.

 

 

Labels

 

Undated           Two labels apparently taken from packages used to contain portions of the collection.

 

 

Poetry

 

1854                Poem entitled “Queen of Clubs.” Dated Newport, November 27, 1854. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing.

 

Undated           Poem entitled “Early Rising.” 1 sheet; 1 page of writing.

 

 

Tax Receipt

 

1832                Receipt from Watthall Gleatcher to the Sheriff of Chesterfield County. Dated 1832. 1 sheet; 1 page of writing. Lists how much Gleatcher owns and the taxes for the items listed.

 

 

Newspaper Clipping

 

1878                List of how much certain items cost such as hay, hemp, and etc. Date on the back Jacksonville, January 9, 1878. 1 sheet; 2 pages of writing. Newspaper clipping. This may have been in a journal. There are several of these glued inside the front cover of the El Destino Journals.

 

 

 

 

Florida Historical Society

Tebeau-Field Library

Finding Guide – El Destino Plantation Collection #2001-02

Box 4 – Journals – Page 1

1841-1842

Journal of Chemonie Plantation

Folder 1

The journal starts on April 5, 1841 and ends on December 23, 1841. It tells the day-to-day activities on the plantation like plowing and replanting the corn. The overseer also noted the slaves that were sick every day. The weather report is on the left side of each page. There is also an account of cotton made and gathered on Chemonie in 1842 by E. Harvey. There is a list of Negroes at the Chemonie Plantation on April 5, 1841. On the last page there is a list of working hands and a sick list.

1851-1853

Journal of “Chauminoux” Plantation

Folder 2

There are two parts to this journal. The first part is a fragment of the Chauminoux Journal, and it has a Roman numeral 1 in pencil on the cover. The contents of this first part are of clothing and food items given to the slaves. Another page gives the births and deaths at Chemonie in 1852. There is also an inventory of the land and articles on the plantation. The second part to the Chauminoux Journal is actually a whole journal. On the front cover there is a number three. The journal starts on January 1, 1852 and ends January 9, 1853. It tells the weather report on the left side of the journal, and it gives the day-to-day activities on Chemoonie.

1864-1869

Journal of El Destino Plantation

Folder 3

This journal mainly contains the purchases of clothing, food, and money given out to the Negroes. It also contains the expenses and tax returns for both plantations and the accounts for the cooper shop, saw mill and gristmill. There is also a list of books that were the property of William Neufville. There are newspaper clippings glued on the inside cover, first page and back cover of the journal. They are mainly rates for items used on the plantation.

Florida Historical Society

Tebeau-Field Library

Finding Guide – El Destino Plantation Collection #2001-02

Box 4 – Journals – Page 2

1862-1865

Journal of El Destino Plantation

Folder 4 (oversize, see map case)

This journal starts on January 8, 1862 and ends on August 24, 1865. It is mainly about the El Destino Mills and the day-to-day work done at the mill and at the plantation. There are also several pages of accounts for people who used the mills.

On page 159, there is a reference to the Battle of Natural Bridge which was fought near the plantation. There is an acid-free folder in with the journal. Inside the folder, there are five items that were in the journal. The first one is a newspaper article that was in between pages 122 and 123. On the front, there is a piece about a boy who died in the Battle of Missionary Ridge and there is another piece by the Bureau of Conscription. On the back, there is the schedule for the railroad. The second item is a note from J.B. Crump to Jonathan Roberson asking that the wagon take the lumber and that Crump will be down on Thursday. It is dated May 9, 1864. The third item is a slip of paper with Mr. D. Horger’s name on it. The fourth item was a letter from U.B. Phillips giving a description of the journal and saying that this volume has never been printed. It is dated June 7, 1927. The last item is a typed copy of the letter from U.B. Phillips.

1862-1863

Mill Book

Folder 5

The front cover and first two pages are torn. The Mill Book was used by Jonathan Roberson. It tells who used the mill and to whom they delivered the wood to.

Undated

Journal (in pencil)

Folder 6

The journal has slave names in it and inventories of cows and horses. There is even a drawing of a kitchen. This journal looks to have been just a journal for notes. Most of it doesn’t make any sense. The overseer might have carried it for notes and then later put these things in order in his official journal.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fleming, Francis P. Papers 1694-1912

GUIDE TO THE

FRANCIS P. FLEMING

PAPERS

1694-1912 (bulk 1810-1912)

1.35 cubic ft.

SS. 1992-07


Processed 1992,

and by

Susan Hamburger

May 2001

Biographical Note

Francis Philip Fleming was born 28 September 1841 at Panama Park, Duval County, Florida, one of seven children born to Lewis Fleming and his second wife, Margaret Seton Fleming. The Flemings had three children, Francis Philip, Charles Seton (killed at the Battle of Cold Harbor, 1864), and Frederick A. With his first wife, Augustina Cortez, Lewis Fleming had two sons, George and Lewis I.

Francis Fleming’s paternal grandfather, George Fleming, emigrated to Florida from Scotland in 1785, receiving large land grants for his military service for the Spanish government; he married Sophia, daughter of Francis Philip Fatio, a Swiss immigrant. Their son, Lewis Fleming (1798-1862), was a Major on the staff of Richard Keith Call who distinguished himself in the Indian Wars; he farmed Hibernia, a St. Johns River plantation. Fleming’s maternal grandfather, Charles Seton, settled in Fernandina Beach in the early 1800s; he also descended from the Fatios. As a member of a prominent Florida family, Francis was educated at home by private tutors. When he was twenty years old he left the business world and enlisted as a private in a company of volunteers that was incorporated into the Confederate Army’s 2nd Florida Regiment during the Civil War. He became quartermaster-sergeant of his regiment in November 1862, and earned a battlefield promotion to First Lieutenant in Virginia. While home on sick leave, he commanded a company of volunteers at the Battle of Natural Bridge south of Tallahassee, Florida.

At the end of the war Fleming studied law and was admitted to the bar 12 May 1868 in Jacksonville, practicing in the firm Fleming and Daniel. He became involved in politics beginning as a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee and participated in the campaign of Governor George F. Drew in 1876. He accepted the nomination in 1888 and was elected the fifteenth governor (8 January 1889-3 January 1893). During his term he established a state Board of Health with the goal of suppressing Yellow Fever, and reformed the tax structure.

Fleming was a member of the Florida Yacht Club; commander of the R.E. Lee Camp of Confederate Veterans; aide-de-camp to General John B. Gordon, Florida Division of the United Confederate Veterans; vestryman and warden of St. John’s Episcopal Church; member of the Florida Board of Trade; member of the Seminole Club; president of the Jacksonville Bar Association; member of the Florida Bar Association; president of the Old Confederate Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home Association; trustee of the University School of Medicine of Richmond, Virginia; president and active member of the Florida Historical Society, and editor and contributor to the society’s quarterly publication.

He married Floride Lydia Pearson in 1871; they had three children: a daughter, Elizabeth Legere Fleming who married Frank Percival Hamilton; Francis Philip, Junior; and Charles Seton, both of whom practiced law. Francis Philip Fleming died in Jacksonville on 20 December 1908.

Scope and Content

The Francis P. Fleming papers consist of his personal papers including correspondence; Seton and Fleming family letters and documents, some from the Spanish period in Florida, as well as an original land grant from Canterbury, England in 1694. There are detailed letters written by Fleming describing his experience while a soldier in the Civil War, plus original muster rolls for the 2nd Regiment, Florida Volunteers, 1861-1863. His post-war correspondents include Edward Aylsworth Perry, Edward Bradford Eppes, and Henry M. Flagler. Included in the collection are his typewritten transcripts of documents pertaining to Florida history, including extracts from United States and Florida government documents about a wide range of subjects (internal improvements, draining the Everglades, public roads, Seminole Indians). There are political printed materials, 1902-1908 (circular letters, handbills, speeches, and broadsides) for Florida political campaigns of Wilkinson Call, J.M. Barrs, Duncan U. Fletcher, Albert W. Gilchrist, Park M. Trammell, and others. Also included in the collection are four letterpress copybooks, 1901-1908.

Organization

The collection is organized into five series: family papers (Seton and Fleming); Francis P. Fleming personal papers; official Civil War records; Florida history research (subject files sub-series, political printed materials sub-series, and newspaper sub-series); and business records.

Arrangement

The series are arranged in chronological order.

Language

Some of the early family documents are in Spanish.

Provenance

The bulk of the Fleming papers were given to the Florida Historical Society by Francis P. Fleming
s granddaughter, Mrs. Hester Fleming Williams, date unknown. Three additional letters were donated by Mrs. Elizabeth Fleming Ingle in 1980.

Restrictions

Preservation photocopies (Box 2, folder 14) of documents from Box 1, folders 1-7 should be used instead of fragile originals.

Selected Subject Terms

Fleming, Francis P. (Francis Philip), 1841-1908
Archives

Seton, Charles

Florida
History Spanish colony, 1784-1821

Florida History Civil War, 1861-1865 Personal narratives, Confederate Florida

Politics and government 19th century

Florida Politics and government 20th century United States

History Civil War, 1861-1865 Personal narratives, Confederate

Box Listing

Family Papers Series

Seton Family correspondence and documents

BOX 1

Folder 1

Charles Seton (Don Carlos Seton) correspondence and legal documents (land grants, deeds), 1810-1836, 1854 (some in Spanish)

Fleming Family correspondence and documents

Folder 2

Land petition of Francis P. Fatio, 1791

Letters testamentary on the estate of George Fleming, 1811

Folder 2a

Land deed (indenture), England, 1694 [oversized, in map case]

Folder 3

Lewis Fleming poetry, Fernandina, 25 September 1816

Lewis Fleming letter, 1835

East Florida proclamation, 1831 (copy)

Francis P. Fleming Personal Papers Series

Folder 4

Francis P. Fleming Civil War letters, 1862-1865

Recipients: Aunt Tilly, Miss Eliza, brother

General Edward Aylesworth Perry Civil War letters received from David Lang, 1863, and List of Killed and Wounded of the 2nd Regiment Florida Volunteers in the battle of the Seven Pines near Richmond, Va., May 31, 1862

Folder 5

Notes taken by Captain C. Seton Fleming 2nd Florida Infantry during the early part of the Campaign of 1864 in Virginia

Insignia on collar of coat [worn by] F.P. Fleming senior as Commander, Florida Division, United Confederate Veterans

Folder 6

F.P. Fleming letters to cousin Edward, and Capt. E.M. L
Engle, 1867-1868; and letter from W.A. Hardee, 1868

Folder 7

F.P. Fleming correspondence, 1872-1910

Correspondents include E.A. Perry, Edward Bradford Eppes, J.J. Thompson, W.R. Moore, S. Pasco, W.D. Ballantine, Henry M. Flagler, J.M. Dickinson, and relatives seeking genealogical information. Topics include organizing a Florida Historical Society, plus empty envelopes addressed to Fleming and to Matilda Fleming and Matilda Seton; also, includes E.A. Perry letter to Charles C. Jones, 1872

Folder 8

Condolence letters and resolutions on death of F.P. Fleming, 1908-1909

Includes memorial in The Florida Historical Quarterly, April 1909, Confederate Veteran obituary, 1909, and newspaper obituaries

Folder 8a

Proclamations on Fleming
s death, 1908 [oversized, in map case]

Folder 9

Newspaper articles and typescripts, 1859, 1892-1893

Includes obituary of Fleming
s mother-in-law, Elizabeth Leger Pearson

Folder 10

Publications by Francis P. Fleming, 1906, n.d.

Includes report and address to Florida Historical Society memoralizing George Rainsford Fairbanks, 1906; and a newspaper article,
"Steamboating on the St. Johns River in the Early Days" from his column, "Some Florida Incidents," n.d.

Official Civil War Records Series

Folder 11

2nd Regiment, Florida Volunteers Muster Rolls, 1861-1863

Includes Companies 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, C, D, E, G, H, I, M, R; Hospital Department at Richmond, Va., 1861, 1863; Field and non-commissioned staff, 1861, 1883 [oversized, in map case]

Folder 12

2nd Regiment, Florida Volunteers Muster Rolls copies and transmittal letters, 1880-1906

Includes wounded, missing, and killed

Folder 13

2nd Regiment, Florida Volunteers Muster Roll lists (copies), 1880s

Includes wounded, missing, and killed for Companies D (Captain T.W. Brevard), E (Captain John D. Hopkins), F (Captain James F. McClellan), G (Captain J.J. Daniel), I (Captain William P. Pillans), K (Captain George W. Call), and those men serving under Captain W.R. Moore. [oversized, in map case]

Florida History Research Series

Subject Files Sub-series

Folder 14

Indian Affairs (typed transcripts)

Includes essays on Native Americans in Florida, Osceola, and the Seminoles (vocabulary and names)

Folder 15

The Carib Indians essay (typed transcript)

Folder 16

Congressional documents concerning land claims (typed transcript)

Includes claims of Charles F. Sibbald, John Ponce, Philip J. Fontaine, and list of settlers in 1844

Folder 17

State political affairs, 1839-1912 (typed transcripts)

Includes separate government for East Florida, a history of Florida through Reconstruction

Folder 18

State government documents, 1831-1855 (typed transcripts)

Includes reports on survey for ship canal, banks of Florida, commercial development, Dade Institute, survey for railroad route, Florida Education Society of Tallahassee

BOX 2 

Folder 1

U.S. government documents, 1841-1891 (typed transcripts)

Includes contested elections

Folder 2

Congressional bills, 1814-1846 (typed transcripts)

Includes an act to authorize the laying out and opening certain public roads in the territory of Florida, repair of government house in St. Augustine, depredations in Florida by the U.S. Army in 1814, railroad in 1846, J.W. Simonton vs. U.S. re: land in Key West, admission of Florida into the Union, draining the Everglades

Folder 3

U.S. and Florida documents, 1847-1864 (typed transcripts)

Includes lighthouse at Bayport, post office at Fernandina, improvement of the Ocklawaha River, 1864 report of occupation of Florida by Union forces

Folder 4

Internal improvements, 1822-1837 (typed transcripts)

Includes Apalachicola and Chattahoochee rivers, and members of legislative or territorial councils, 1822, 1845-1912

Political Printed Materials Sub-series

Folder 5

Printed circular letters and broadsides, 1902-1906

Folder 6

Political handbills and broadsides, 1902-1904

Includes campaigns of Wilkinson Call, J.M. Barrs, speech of William Jennings Bryan at Jacksonville (16 February 1904), Napoleon B. Broward, Frank Clark, Telfair Stockton, and Senator Taliaferro

Folder 7

Political cartoons, 1904

Folder 8

Political handbills and broadsides, 1906-1908

Includes campaigns of E.B. Bailey, William B. Lamar, John Stockton, John S. Beard, Duncan U. Fletcher, Robert W. Davis, Albert W. Gilchrist, Park M. Trammell, Charles B. Parkhill

Folder 9

Speeches, 1902-1908

Includes drainage of the Everglades, Indian War Claims Fund, Nicaragua Canal, Panama Canal, peonage in Florida, anti-Democratic Party, purchase of the Philippines, and appropriations by Florida representatives in the U.S. House

Newspapers Sub-series

Folder 10

Civil War newspaper article clippings, 1863-1866

Folder 11

Newspapers, 1859-1902

Includes The Jacksonville Standard, 9 June 1859; The Richmond Times, 29 May 1865; The Pensacola Gazette, 27 July 1880; The Monticello Tribune, 22 November 1890; The Florida Mirror, 26 May, 2, 16, and 23 June 1894; The Weekly News (Pensacola, Fla.), 20 July 1894; and The Daily News (Pensacola, Fla.), 17 January 1902 [oversized, in map case]

Folder 12

Preservation photocopies of correspondence from Box 1, folders 1-7

Business Records Series

BOX 3

Vol. 1 Letterpress copybook, 31 May 1901-8 January 1903

Vol. 2 Letterpress copybook, 14 January 1903-4 May 1905

Vol. 3 Letterpress copybook, 5 May 1905-11 July 1907

Vol. 4 Letterpress copybook, 12 July 1907-30 November 1908

Fort Dade Papers, 1838

 

GUIDE TO THE

FORT DADE PAPERS

1838

MSS 2004

.25 CUBIC FEET

Historical Note

An E. W. Morgan, the assistant Commissary of Subsistence, signs most documents. Papers concerning the hospital at Fort Dade are signed by Doctor S. B. Arnold. The Georgia and Alabama volunteers appear on several documents as receiving food and horses from the Fort. Other soldiers are mentioned by name on documents as receiving supplies or being paid for services rendered to the US army.

Scope and Content

The collection contains 92 documents, all pertaining to the 2nd Seminole Indian War (1835- 1842), that include mainly receipts, requisitions for supplies and abstracts of provisions. The documents all date back to 1838, the earliest from January that year. Most of the documents from October of 1838 are from Fort Niagara.

Organization

This collection is divided into 11 folders arranged in chronological order and contained in one box.

Provenance

Donated to the Florida Historical Society December 27, 1976 by S. George Trager of Miami Beach, Florida.

Restrictions

No restrictions

Subject Headings

Morgan, E. W.

Arnold, S. B.

Fort Dade

Forts, Florida

Seminole Indian Wars

Alabama Volunteers- 2nd Seminole Indian War

Georgia Volunteers- 2nd Seminole Indians War

Financial Records- 2nd Seminole Indian War

Military History- Florida

FOLDER 1

January- March 1838

Contains 11 items that include requisitions and receipts for food and forage at Fort Dade. Lieutenant E. W. Morgan signs most documents but W. W. Chopman signs one receipt. Also contains requisitions for forage by the 1st Brigade Georgia Mounted Volunteers. Receipts and requisitions concerning the Georgia Volunteers are signed by G. W. Ware and by Willis Bobo.

FOLDER 2

January 1838

Contains 8 items that include abstracts of provisions and extra issues, money invoices, bills paid for services rendered, and estimates of funds required for provisions. Most of the items are signed by E. W. Morgan. Several items involving the hospital at Fort Dade are signed by Doctor S. B. Arnold. The estimate for funds required to pay for provisions and contingencies are for troops stationed at Buffalo, NY at Fort Niagara.

FOLDER 3

February 1838

Contains 9 items that include abstracts of provisions and extra issues, abstract of provisions for the Fort Dade hospital, accounting provisions received and issued, invoice of subsistence items, and receipts. Again, E. W. Morgan signs most items. However, items concerning the Fort Dade hospital are signed by S. B. Arnold. Other persons mentioned in this folder are Lieutenant John C. Casey (delivered subsistence items to troops stationed at Fort Dade) and Rufus Berker.

FOLDER 4

March 1838

Contains 10 items that include requisitions for stationary, abstracts of provisions, abstracts of disbursements for transportation repairs, abstract of accounting (purchases and expenditures), lists of camp and garrison equipment, receipts, and a duplicate of an order from the United States Army confirming a payment made by Dosheimer and Co. in October of 1838. E. W. Morgan signs items in this folder. The "11" Company, 2nd artillery is mentioned in a requisition for stationary.

FOLDER 5

March 1838

Contains 9 items that include abstracts of expenditures, abstracts of stationary issues, bill paid for serviced rendered at Fort Dade, abstract of provisions, invoices of subsistence, and receipts. E. W. Morgan signs all items in this folder. A Lieutenant S. J. Gheguire is mentioned in a receipt for his services to Fort Dade.

FOLDER 6

March 1838

Contains 10 items that include abstracts of provisions, invoice subsistence, requisition for forage, returns of forage for horses, and receipts concerning the rations at the hospital at Fort Dade. The requisitions for forage and the forage returns come for the Georgia and Alabama volunteers. All other items are signed by E.W. Morgan and items concerning the hospital at Fort Dade are signed by Dr. S.R. Arnold.

FOLDER 7

April 1838

Contains 10 items that include records of payment for services rendered, invoice of ordinances, and the requisition and proof of payment for forage. People paid for services rendered were Peter Tropher, Lt. Gheguirere, Reuben Herndon, John O’Brien, and Walker Wilmot. Also mentioned in an item concerning an invoice for forage forwarded to Lt. John W. McCrabb to be delivered to Lt. E.W. Morgan.

FOLDER 8

April 1838

Contains 8 items that include abstracts of provisions and extra issues, recorded expenditures, a record for services rendered by Jason B. Maynard, and the acknowledgement of a saddle blanket turned over to Lt. E.W. Morgan.

FOLDER 9

May- June 1838

Contains 4 items that include a receipt for public pubic property (horses and riding gear) delivered to Fort Brooke, an abstract of articles received at Fort Dade for the quarter ending June 30th, and a list of camp and garrison equipment issued at Fort Dade. Most items are signed by or mention Lt. E.W. Morgan.

FOLDER 10

August 1838

Contains 4 items that include paid invoices and bills for provisions. Mentioned, as being paid for provisions are R.H. Folger, Petro & Riot, and Gilbert & Sons. A bill for bacon and salt is signed by Henry Alexander.

FOLDER 11

September 1838

Contains 4 items that include an abstract of purchases, receipts of payment, and paid invoices. Mentioned in the paid invoices are Dorsheim & Co., and A.G. Springsteels.

Glenn, J.N. Collection

       A Guide to the Collection

Journal of J. N. Glenn

 

 

Finding Aid Created by Bill Arbogast

 

Florida Historical Society Archives and Library of Florida History

March 2011

 

(Note to researchers: The document described herein, less the appendices, was published in The Florida Historical Quarterly, XXIV (2), October 1945, as A Diary of Joshua Nichols Glenn, pp 121-161. It is accessible online through JSTORS).

 

Descriptive Summary  

 

                Provenance:  Glenn, Miss Layona, Conyers, GA.

                Title:               Journal of the First Part of My Life up to the Twenty Third Year of My Age

                Dates:             1823 – 1824

Abstract:       This is an extract of portions from the journal kept by Reverend J. N. Glenn. The period covered in this extract begins on February 1, 1823, when Glenn departed his home in Georgia to begin a journey to Florida for missionary work for the Methodist Church. It ends at the end of 1823, but an appendix lists a few activities conducted in early 1824. The journal is annotated with descriptive/identification notes provided in the margins.

Extent:          .10 linear feet.

Identification: MS ????                                    

 

Biographical/Historical Note

 

The collection includes only limited biographical information on Reverend Glenn; other information included herein is taken from the Florida Historical Quarterly paper identified above. A notation on the title page states that he had an “only son”, J. J. W. Glenn, who was a surgeon in the Confederate Army, and a granddaughter, Miss Layona Glenn of Conyers, GA, who preserved and retained the original of her grandfather’s journal.  Glenn was born in Jackson County, Georgia, on July 11, 1799, the son of James Glenn, a veteran of The Revolution. At the time covered by the journal, Glenn’s family apparently lived somewhere near Athens, GA. He departed there on the first day of February, 1823, for Savannah, with stops on the way in Athens, Lexington, Washington, Augusta, Jacksonboro, and Turkey Creek.  He sailed from Savannah on March 19 and arrived at St. Marys River, FL, on March 22. On April 1 he departed for St. Augustine by Mail boat, arriving there on April 8 after a trying journey that included stops at Fernandina, Talbot Island, and Pablo, FL. For the remainder of 1823 Glenn engaged in missionary activity including preaching, performing baptisms, and conducting marriage and funeral services. In 1824 he was appointed to Camden, SC, and departed St. Augustine. In 1826 he married Sarah Garland Wingfield of Washington, GA. He continued to serve churches without remuneration in Lawrenceville, GA, and Newton County, GA, until his death in 1879.

 

 

 

 

Scope and Content

 

The document is a typewritten manuscript titled, “A Memorandum or Journal of the first part of my life up to the twenty third year of my age.”  Following the last entry in the journal there are several “appendices” consisting of lists related to Glenn’s activities in St. Augustine. A handwritten note on the title page gives the date of February 1823. A further typed note, pasted to the title page, notes that the original diary is retained by Miss Layona Glenn of Conyers, GA, daughter of  J. J. W. Glenn,  only son of the diarist. A second, introductory page notes that the (original?) manuscript was microphotographed at the National Park Service Library, Fort Marion, on May 4, 1940. The document described herein consists of two typewritten copies, apparently transcribed from the microphotographed copy at Fort Marion. The two copies appear to have been typed at different times; the apparently older copy is on paper that is yellowed and more brittle than the supposed later copy. The older copy contains handwritten notes that do not appear on the later copy, and the older copy alone has a note on the first page stating, “The notes of identification have been supplied by Mrs. M. A. Johnson, Acting Secretary and Acting Librarian of the Florida Historical Society.”  Those notes are handwritten on the typescript and provide additional information concerning journal entries (e.g., identification of persons mentioned only by name in the text). Both copies have page numbers, beginning with the number 100, at the top of each page. The earlier copy also has page numbers stamped at the bottom, beginning with number 41 (corresponding to number 100 at the top of the page.) A discrepancy between page numbers appears to indicate that numbers 169 and 170 may have been transposed at some time.

 

The journal describes Glenn’s journey to St. Augustine and his activities there as a Methodist missionary. Of significant note is the activity of Mr. Glenn regarding the performance of marriages and baptisms: among the latter is detailed information regarding the baptism of African American slaves by name and the names of their owners.

 

The following summary of journal entries is keyed to dates and/or page numbers at the top of the pages. Information is provided on key activities for the entry periods and names/persons mentioned in the entries. Full names and titles are given when available, and identities are noted where provided by Mrs. Johnson’s notes. For names that are mentioned more than once, only the first mention is noted.

 

 

Description of Collection

 

Feb 1 to Apr 8, 1823 (pp100-117): Travel from Athens, GA, to St, Augustine, FL.

 

-          Places visited: Lexington, GA; Rock Meeting House; Washington, GA; Columly (Columbia?) County, GA; Augusta, GA; Augusta, GA; Jacksonboro, GA; Turkey Creek, GA; Savannah, GA;  St. Mary’s, GA(?); Fernandina, FL; Amelia Island, FL; Talbot Island, FL; St. Johns Sound, FL; Pablo, FL; St. Augustine, FL.

-           

-          Persons named: Brother (Br) Hardy; Br Sappington;Br J. W. Glenn; Br Jones; Br Travis; Br. Daughterty; Br Rolston; Br Manly; Brs Howard, Sneed and Treadwell; Br Sheperd; Bishop R.E. Roberts; Father Smith; Br Hamil; Miss J. Bird; Mr. Bird; Brs Chapel, Kenedy, Bass and Hill; A. Ordained Ministers A. Porifoy, P.G. Mcdonel, Elias Sinclair, Elizah Sinclair, N. Laney, J.I. Triggs, M. Mcferson, B. English, and J. Reynols; J.H. Robinson; J. Riley; A. Norman; Dr. D. Hall; Father Warwick; Mr. S. Streeter;  Capt. Richardson (Schooner Mary Mcoy); Mr. Ripley; Br Laney; Sister Besant; Capt. Houston; Mrs. Duese; John Gyles (engraver who kept a shop jewelry); Mr. (Squire) Streeter (merchant with partner, R.D. Jourohman, and operated a general store in St. Augustine – later served as sheriff); Sister Streeter; Judge Penn ( Thomas H. Penn {wife Elizabeth}, postmaster who also served as mayor and county judge in St. Augustine); Dr. A.Guthrie (St. Augustine physician); Sarah Gereez Green (daughter of John Green, baker)

-           

April 9 to June 30 (pp 117 to 141). Missionary activities in St. Augustine.

 

-          Noted Activities: Apr 10, description of Fort San Marco; April 18, description of Seminole Indians;  15 – 22 May; discussion concerning black members of the congregation.

 

-    Persons Named: Parson Andrew Fowler; Parson C. Feltch; Br. N. Laney; Revd            Mr. Frey (converted Jew); Capt. Erving; Rev. J. Summerfield; Br. J. O. Andrew (of Savannah); Br. J. Travis (of Washington); Br. Elias Sinclair; Col (Charles W.) Bulow; Br. Smith; Dr. Richard Murray (St Augustine physician); Gov. Duvall; Sr. Streeter; Minister Eleazar Lathrop (organized the first Presbyterian Church with Rev. Wm. McWhir);   Br. Wingfield; Br. Turner; Sr. Eunice; Br. Purifoy; Sr. Stone (of Savannah); Esq. Wm G, Davis (St Augustine City Marshal); Sr. Brown; Br. F.M. Stone; John Newcomer;  Mr. James Riz (President of Board of Aldermen);  Sarah Elvyra Davis.  

 

 

July 1 to Sep 30 (pp 142 to 155): Continued Missionary Activity in St Augustine.

 

-          Noted Activities: Aug 1, description of large numbers of dead fish in the river, attributed to large infusion of fresh water; Sep 6, report of negotiations for the Treaty of Fort Moultrie, including description of Seminole delegates to treaty discussions; Sep 22-25, report of a strong “gail,” possibly a hurricane.

 

-   Persons Named: Brs. Sinclair and Winn; Sr. Arnold; Capt. Hubert; Hon. J. L. Smith (Mayor of St. Augustine and father of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith); Mr. C. Hinds; Dr. Guthre; David Ackley; Sarah Huse; Br. And Sr. Rowan; Parson Lathrop; Franci(e?)s S Morgan; Brs. Bangs and Mason of NY; Hon. D. Floid (Floyd: U.S. Land Commisioner for East Florida; Treasurer of Territory of Florida); Mr. W. Smith (Waters Smith, U.S. Marshal and Mayor of St. Augustine); Judge Blair (William W. Blair, Superior Court of Florida and U. S. Land Commissioner); Mr. Wallen (Elias Wallen, merchant and Trustee of the Presbyterian Church; also St. Augustine city tax collector and Treasurer); Parson Motte (Mellis J. Motte, Episcopalian Minister and missionary); Capt. Richardson of St. Mary’s, GA; Br. Samuel Hamilton of Indiana; Mr. DuBose; Dr. Hall; Br. And Sr. Golier; Sr. Sturn; Capt. Wm. Levingston (formerly of Chareston and member of the Board of Pilotage; operated the Union Hotel); King (sic) Nehlemathla of the Seminoles; Dr. Wm. Mcroskery (William McCoskey, physician and President of St. Augustine Board of Health); Mr. Cashen; Mrs. Chairs; Br. D. Grant; Emely, Harriet, Samuel, Elizabeth and Margaret Gary; Dr. Wm. Robinson.

 

 

Oct 1 to Dec 31 (pp 156 to 167): Continued Missionary Activity in St. Augustine.

 

Noted Activities: Description of “superstitious” aspects of Catholics of the Spanish Catholics’ burial practices, the use of  Latin in the Church, and the doctrine of Purgatory.. Account of contributions from Blacks.

 

 

            Persons Named: Mr. Loring; Mr. BuBose; Br. A. Turner; Mr. A. Meal; Mrs. Burgoss; Br. Floid; N. Bostick; Br. N. Laney;  J. Dunmoody; J. Reynolds; T.L. Winn; E. Sinclair; P. L. Wade;  A. P. King; J. C. Talbot; Sr. M. A. Stone; Gov. W. P. Duval; Br. J. O. Andrew; Sr. S. Broon; Margaret Lidia DuBose; Elizabeth Peck DuBose; James Lawrence DuBose; William Lewis DuBose; Wm. Allen; Ann SimpsonPolly McRay; Wm. Simpson; Revd. Bangs; Revd(?) Mason; Mr. Beal; Sarah Ann Beal.

 

   

Appendices to Journal

 

Page 168, Persons Baptised by me, J.. N.. Glenn in A..D..1823.

 

            Apri 10,   Sarah Terecy Green, Age 1.

            Jun 15,     Jane Terecy Newcummer, Age 3.

            Jun 29,     Sarah Elvyrah Davis, Age 1.

            July 12,    Mary Ann McRay, Age 1 6/12.

            Sep 28,     Emely Ann Garey, Age 7.

            Sep 28,     Harriet Ann Garey, Age 5 1/12.

            Sep 28,     Samuel Ann Garey, Age 4.

            Sep 28,     Elizabeth Ann Garey, Age 2 6/12.

            Sep 28,     Margaret Ann Garey, Age 1.

            Dec 19,     Susannah Brown, Age 35.

            Dec 21,     Margaret Lidia DuBose , Age 8.

            Dec 21,     Elizabeth Dick DuBose, Age 5.

            Dec 21,     James Lawrence DuBose, Age 5.

            Dec 21,     William Lewis DuBose, Age 6/12.    

            Dec 24,     Polly Lewis McRay, Age 28.

            Dec 24,     William Lewis Simpson, Age 3.

            Dec 31,     Sarah Ann Beal, Age 2/12.

            Jan 18,  1824,    Robert Waterson, Age 1/12.

           

 

Page 169,        Date of Baptism          Blacks Names             Age     Owners Names

 

                           May 28                     Hannah                        45        Burnell’s – Penns, Jan 18

                           June 5                       Hariette Ann Roberts    4        Garey’s – Gildy – 12

                           Jun 5                         Sarah Ann Roberts        2        Garey’s – Moses – 10

                           July 20                      Monday                       45       Smith’s -- Betty

                           July 20                      Becky                          30       Smith’s

                           Oct 5                                    Jack                             30       Smith’s – Free  Jan 18

                           Oct 22                      Tyrah                           28       DuBose’es – Ann – 20

                           Dec 21                      Adam                          40       Cook’s

                           Dec 21                      Amy                            25       Cook’s

                           Dec 21                      Hyder                          20       Campbell’s

                           Dec 21                      Harry                           30       Campbell’s

                           Dec 21                      John                             25       Campbell’s

                           Dec 21                      Cloe                             45       Campbell’s

                           Dec 21                      Judy                            20       Smith’s

                           Dec 21                      Lucy                            40       Ferrah’s

                           Dec 21                      Nancy                          30       Ferrah’s

                           Dec 21                      Rommanah                  25       Ferrah’s

                           Jan 11 1824              Jacob                              3       Ferrah’s

                           Jan 18                       Aley                                        DuBose’s

                           Jan 18                       Dolly                           14       Du Boses

                           Jan 18                       Issac                            10       DuBoses

 

Page 170,

 

            Marriages Solemnized by me 1n A. D. 1823.

 

                        July 7     David Ackley to Sally Hughes                     St. Augustine

                                      (David Ackley, sgt., 4th Regiment, stationed in St. Augustine)

 

                        July 17   John Newcumer to Francis S. Morgan          St. Augustine

                                      (John Newcomer lived near Fort Picolata in 1818)

 

                        Dec 24   William Allen to Ann Simpson                    St. Augustine

 

Page 170,

 

            Funeral Services Performed by me in A. D. 1823 .

 

                        May 8    Colonel Charles W. Bulow                           St. Augustine

                                      (Charles W, Bulow, see Florida Historical Quarterly XXIII, 230)

                        Sep 30   The Masonic of Dr William Robinson          St. Augustine

 

Pages 171 and 178:

 

            Monies received for my Support in St. Augustine, 1823.

 

            (Note: This is a listing, with dates and dollar amounts, of individuals and organizations that made donations to Glenn’s missionary efforts. The listing detailed below omits the dates and amounts, and includes only the names and the notes of Mrs. Johnson, where applicable. One entry is identified only as, “The Blacks,” presumably a reference to a group of African-American parishioners. Unless otherwise noted, the donors are described as being residents of St. Augustine)

 

            The Young Mens Missionary S’y of Savanah.

            Mr M. E. Levy (Father of David Levy Yulee and large landowner).

            Hon J. L. Smith.

            Mr Wm Smith

            Mr J. Y. Garvey (auditor of Florida Territory).

            Mr S. Streets

            Mr J. M. Hanson (shopkeeper in 1823).

            Mr W. R. Tabor (William R. Tabor, alderman in 1823).

            Mr W. Levingston

            Mr W. G. Davis

Mr R. Loring (Reuben Loring, from North Carolina, contractor, father of Gen W. W.   Loring).

Rev’d A. Turner, The P. E.

Mrs E. Penn

Hon Wm P. Duval

Mr R. D. Jourolman (Robert D.,merchant, partner of S. Streeter, kept book and stationery store).

Mr J. Drydel (John Drysdale, attorney, alderman in 1823, county judge).

Mr G. W. Peperall (Gabriel W., legislative Council of Florida Territory, 1823).

Mr A. Stoars (Andrew Storrs, tavern keeper, administrator).

Mr J. P, Cotter 9James P., established classical school in 1823).

Mr J. DuBose

Mag (sic) Ben Chairs (Benjamin Chaires, President of Board of Aldermen).

Dr R. Murray.

Mr D. Fleshman ( Dirk Fleischman, cigar maker, wife Elizabeth).

 

 

Page 173:

 

            Monies Paid Mr S. Streeter for my Board in St. Augustine, 1823.

 

            (Note: This is a listing of amounts paid by others to support Glenn’s boarding at Mr. Streeters. The names listed are all noted in the previous lists from pp. 171 and 172).


 

Page 174:

 

            My Traveling Expenses for the year 1823.

 

            (Note: This is a listing of expenses for travel and for supplies for the church).

 

 

Pages 175 and 176:

 

            A List of Letters received and From Whome (sic) received …. 1823.

 

            (Note: This is a listing, with dates of the letters and the receipt dates, that Glenn received during the year. The names are among those already noted in the above text).

 

 

Following page 176 are two pages that appear out of sequence. One is noted as page 118 and appears to have been taken from that page in the original journal: it is a sketch drawing of Fort San Marco. The other is not numbered and appears to be a tracing, enlarged three times, of the original, handwritten title page of the journal.

 

 

At the end of the manuscript two additional pages have been attached. They appear to be an expanded version of some the handwritten notes of Mrs. Johnson’s notes that had been inserted in the text. This version includes information on the location of houses occupied by the subjects of the identification notes.

           

 

 

 

Hastings, George W. Papers, 1882-1926

GUIDE TO THE

GEORGE W. HASTINGS PAPERS

1882-1926

.35 cubic feet

MSS 2003

PROCESSED BY

MIMI KLUG

JUNE 2003

Biographical Note

George William Hastings was born in Connecticut on Jan 4, 1827. At an early age he came to Ohio. For several years he studied the printing trade in the office of the "Oberlin Evangelist". In 1852 Hastings moved to Springfield, Ohio where he purchased a printing establishment and began the publication of a journal known as the "Dollar Weekly Nonpareil", which became a daily paper the following year. Mr. Hastings and his partner, C.M. Nichols, purchased another paper, the "Tri Weekly Republic" which later became the the well known "Republic". The firm continued to prosper and acquired other daily papers in the course of time. The story of Hastings’ success is told in the fact that for 30 years he was the leading publisher of Springfield.

In 1884 Mr. Hastings moved to Interlachen, Florida because of ill health. He operated several orange groves and established a citrus nursery. Hastings began purchasing many parcels of land until he had bought up the east end of the present town of Interlachen.

George Hastings died at Springfield, Ohio in 1916. His son, Harry G. Hastings, established the H.G. Hastings Company, which became one of the largest seed houses in America. Harry also published "The Ruralist" which later became the "Progressive Farmer", the South’s most prominent agricultural bulletin.

Scope and Content

There are approximately 100 deeds, including some mortgages and leases, that pertain to Interlachen, Florida. Many of these are handwritten and date from 1881. Included in the collection are various plat maps and lists of Hastings properties. The collection also includes old photographs of people and places, correspondence with the Land Office in Gainesville, Florida, some personal papers, and a copy of Hastings’ 19 page autobiography.

Organization

The collection consists of 11 folders arranged in numerical order. They are contained in one box.

Provenance

The collection was donated in 1993.

Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Subject Headings

Hastings, George W. - Archives

Interlachen (Fla.) - Early history - 19th century

Interlachen (Fla.) - Photographs - 19th century

Florida - History - Legal Documents

Putnam County (Fla.) - Land Titles - 19th century

FOLDER 1

Family History

Item 1 Autobiography - "Sketch of the Life of George William Hastings"

Item 2 Genealogies - Hastings

FOLDER 2

19th Century photos of Interlachen, Florida and family photos.

FOLDER 3

Same as folder 2

FOLDER 4

Hastings’ correspondence with the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, and the U.S. Land Office in Gainesville, Florida. (Hastings was contesting the claim of the Florida Railway to a certain tract of land.)

FOLDER 5

Plat maps of Interlachen, FL.

FOLDER 6

A Schedule of Florida Property. Also, listings of various properties owned by Hastings. Most are undated.

FOLDER 7

Deeds dating from 1882. Warranty Deeds and other legal papers.

BOX 2

COCOA-MERRITT ISLAND BRIDGE SERIES

FOLDER 1

1913. Handwritten letter from Otto Grosse pertaining to a mass meeting to discuss a bridge from Cocoa to Merritt Island.

FOLDER 2

1915. "Method of Procedure". Handwritten and signed by Rogers.

FOLDER 3

1915-1917. Soundings, test borings, and dredge fill.

FOLDER 4

1915. Requests from various companies to furnish lumber, reinforced concrete & steel, and draw bridge. Itemized estimate of total cost $95,172.00.

FOLDER 5

1915. More requests from companies interested in bidding.

FOLDER 6

1916 Feb-May. Correspondence with Gus Edwards and local businesses concerning approval of bonds and type of bridge. A six page draft of the bridge specifications.

FOLDER 7

1916. Advertisement for sale of gold bonds to finance bridge. Gives a glowing account of Cocoa and "Merritt’s Island".

FOLDER 8

1916 July. Notice To Bidders.

FOLDER 9

1916 Aug. Inquiries & proposals from various companies.

FOLDER 10

1916 Sept. More inquiries & proposals.

FOLDER 11

1916-1917 More inquiries & proposals.

FOLDER 12

Handwritten list of contractors and payments to them.

Cocoa and Merritt Island Roadwork Series.

FOLDER 13

1915, 1916. Estimates on paving Cocoa roads. Notice To Bidders.

FOLDER 14

1917. Cost of bridge and connecting roads on Merritt Island. Also a letter from A.A. Buck suggesting using "shell from convenience of using mounds" to resurface the marl roads.

FOLDER 15

1918-1920. Includes 5 letters from Gus Edwards on the different routes across Merritt Island to New Found Harbor.

Holmes-Palmer-Ferris Papers, 1826 – 1921

GUIDE TO THE

HOLMES – PALMER – FERRIS PAPERS

1826 – 1921

 

1.35          cubic feet 

MSS  2005

Processed by Mimi Klug

Mar 2005

Biography

Thomas O. Holmes (1816 – 1879) was a prominent citizen of Jacksonville, Florida.   see doc.

He had a store on Bay Street and owned other properties in town.  Holmes was an

Attorney and he was the Agent for David L. Palmer (d. 1871) and Darius Ferris ( 1800-1849). 

Palmer and Ferris also lived in Jacksonville and were partners and entrepreneurs.  In 1841, they purchased the property around Mayport, Florida and laid out the town.  The Land had originally been part of the Dewees Grant.

Palmer and Ferris had a contract with the Federal Gov’t to provide timber for the U.S.  Navy, but in 1843 they were accused of cutting Live Oak on public lands and were brought to trial.

Ferris died at the age of 49, but Holmes and Palmer continued actively buying and selling properties in the town of Jacksonville for many years.

Palmer’s son-in-law, Halstead Hoag, served as the Mayor of Jacksonville during the Civil War.

 

Scope And Content

Included in this collection are hundreds of Property Deeds, Indentures, Promissory Notes and other legal documents.  These are mostly hand written and give the property descriptions in the town of Jacksonville, Florida in the town’s early days of development.There are also some Bill of Sales for Negro slaves in which the names, ages and relation-ships are given.

A large part of the collection is concerned with the case “Nimrod  vs  U.S.”  In 1842, Palmer and Ferris operated a large business near New Smyrna, Florida in cutting timber

and selling it to the  U.S. Navy.  The Brig Nimrod was loaded with Live Oak timber when the U.S. Agent, H. L. Thistle , accused Palmer and Ferris of taking timber from

public lands.  Thistle caused the Nimrod and her cargo to be seized and Palmer & Ferris

to be indicted for Trespass.  District Attorney Thomas Douglas tried the case before

Judge Isaac H. Bronson.  The defendants were found guilty and the Nimrod was ordered to be sold at auction.  (Palmer & Ferris then bought her for $1815.00).

In 1848, Palmer & Ferris petitioned the court for a new hearing and, with new testimony,

were found not guilty.  They were compensated for $50,285.00.    Included is a copy of

the complete transcript of the trial.  It is hand written and 196 pages long..   Also the copies of the second trial, along with the words of Judge Bronson and Att. Thomas

Douglas, are contained in the collection.   Related to the trial is a number of letters to, and from, the Honorable David Levy before he changed his name to David Yulee.

Also, of interest in this collection, is a number of pages from account ledgers during the

years 1858 – 1874 covering such items as hardware, food,  “buggy repair” etc 

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is organized into 29 Folders.  These are all arranged in chronological

order in three boxes.     The folders containing the legal papers pertaining to both trials are placed at the end of the collection.

Subject  Headings

Holmes, Thomas O. – Archives

Palmer, David L. – Archives

Ferris, David L. – Archives

Deeds – Jacksonville, FL – 19th century

Jacksonville, FL – 19th century – deeds

African-American – Slaves – Jacksonville, FL – 19th century Nimrod vs. U.S. – New Smyrna, FL – timber industry Timber Industry – Nimrod vs U.S. – 19th century – New Smyrna, FL Lighthouses – St. John’s River – Jacksonville, FL Genealogy – T.O. Holmes Family – 19th and 20th centuries Genealogy – David L. Palmer Family – 19th and 20th centuries.

Levy, David

Yulee, David Levy

Bronson, Isaac H.

Douglas, Thomas

Hoag, Halstead 

 

 

Restrictions

There are no restrictions on access.  Papers have been refoldered in acid-free materials and metal fasteners have been removed.


BOX  1    

 

 

Folder 1

13 Nov 1826             Bill of sale.  W.H. Allen to Eliz. Wiggins. Tract of land on

                                  St. John’s River.

21 Jul 1831                Bill of sale. Jacob Micklers to Maria & James Felany.

02 Jul 1832                Indenture between Louis & George Fleming, and Palmer & Ferris

                                  for $708.  re: Negro Slaves – names & ages given.

02 Jul 1832                Deed.  Fleming to Palmer & Ferris.

21 Aug 1832             Deed. Lounsbury Palmer to David. L. Palmer. Tract of land in

                                  Stamford, Connecticut.

20 Jan 1834               Bill of sale for live oak timber.  M. Hallowes to Palmer & Ferris.

15 Sep 1834              Bill of sale.  Martin Bowrosan to Palmer & Ferris for stock of

                                  cattle and hogs.

29 Nov 1834             Warranty deed . Charles Downing to George Clarke.  1,000 acres

                                  on St. John’s River.

17 Dec 1834             Deed of release. Duncan Clinch to Charles Downing.

05 Jun 1835               Assignment of mortgage of Andrew D. Lewis to David L. Palmer.

 

Folder 2

30 Apr 1836              Deed. John Warren to Palmer & Ferris.  Land in Jacksonville, Fla.

                                  Described.

27 Jun 1836               Statement of C. Downing re: sale of live oak timber to Palmer &

                                  Ferris.

08 Apr 1839              Bill of sale. Palmer to William Gardner re: Negro Slaves – names

                                  and ages given.

01 Aug 1840             Deed from Charles Bisbee et al to David Palmer. Land on St. John’s

                                  River known as Jolley’s Field, (Granted by the Spanish Govt. to

                                  Donna Ana Hogans, wife of Soloman Miller.)

05 Oct 1840              Statement of Samuel L. Burritt, agent and attorney of John Warren.

11 Jun1841                Note. John Warren and John Pons to Mrs. Sarah Ann Gregory.

02 Apr  ?                   Letter from Palmer & Ferris to David Levy.  Says H.L. Thistle

                                  is giving a lot of trouble but that they have proof that the timber

                                  they have cut is not from Public Lands.

23 Jun 1842               Quit claim deed.  Jacob Mickler to Palmer & Ferris.

22 Aug 1842             Receipt of Mrs Williiams signed by H.L. Thistle, agent for pres-

                                  ervation of timber on public lands in E. Florida.

24 Aug 1842             Letter to Palmer & Ferris from H.L. Thistle re: the taking of timber

                                  from public lands. Pay $2500 or Govt. will bring suit.

 

Folder 3

12 Sep 1842              Letter to Thos. Douglass, U.S. District Att, St. Augustine, from

                                  H.L. Thistle   re: Mr. Tiball’s Grant.

17 Dec 1842             Bill of sale by Francis D. Scarlett for a Negro slave, “Jacob”. $500

31 Jan 1843               Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raymond Pond.

01 Apr 1843              Deed Milo K. Pinckston to Elizabeth Berrie. Land in Jacksonville

15 Jun 1843               Bill of Sale by B.L. Hopkins re: Negro woman slave for $150.

12 Jul 1843                Bill of sale by Mary Deweese, administratix, to Holmes. Land

                                  in Jacksonville.

11 Aug 1843             Letter to David Levy from David Henshaw, Navy Dept., re:

                                  timber shipped by Brig Nimrod.

15 Aug 1843             Letter to D. Henshaw from D. Levy re: Brig Nimrod.

04 Sep 1843              Letter to Thos. Douglas, U.S. Attorney, from H.L. Thistle re:

                                  suing Palmer & Ferris for damages in cutting timber on public

                                  lands.  Also, an extract of a letter to Thistle from Douglas.

03 Oct 1843              Letter to  Thos. Douglas from H.L. Thistle re: cutting timber

                                 

 

Folder 4

04 Oct 1843              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Palmer & Ferris re: cutting timber.

04 Oct 1843              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Thos. Douglas re: Thistle and

                                  his lawsuit.

07 Oct 1843              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Thos. Douglas re: Thistle.

13 Oct 1843              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Thos. Douglas re: Thistle.

14 Oct 1843              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Palmer & Ferris .  Says they cannot

                                  continue operations because of interference by Thistle.

19 Oct 1843              Letter to Capt. Beverly Kennon from David Henshaw, Navy

                                  Dept., to authorize Palmer & Ferris to ship timber that has already

                                  Been cut.

20 Oct 1843              Letter to Palmer & Ferris from B. Kennon. Re: timber.

31 Oct 1843              Letter to D. Henshaw from D. Levy on behalf of Palmer & Ferris

                                  requesting release of contract for live oak.

16 Nov 1843             Letter to Hon. D. Levy fron D. Henshaw re:  case of Palmer &

                                  Ferris.

18 Nov 1843             Letter to David Henshaw from D. Levy re:  case of Palmer & Ferris.

 

Folder  5

 

22 Nov 1843             Letter to Capt. Beverly Kennon from D. Henshaw re;  TIMBER.

22 Nov 1843             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from D. Henshaw re:  landing of Palmer &

                                  Ferris’ timber at Norfolk Navy Yard.

12 Dec 1843             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Palmer & Ferris.  Re: timber

21 Dec 1843             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Palmer & Ferris.  Re;  Port of

                                  New Smyrna is blockaded.

01 Jan 1844               Letter to Hon. David Levy from E.F. Barnard.  Re:  alleged

                                  violation of the revenue laws.

11 Jan 1844               Letter to Palmer & Ferris from B. Kennon  re:  notice of

                                  authorization to ship lumber.

12 Jan 1844               Receipt for damages while the Schooner Louisiana was detained

                                  in New Smyrna.  Palmer & Ferris paid $540.

12 Jan 1844               Letter to Hon. David Levy from Palmer & Ferris. Re: request

                                  for withdrawal of suits.

13 Jan 1844               Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond ( attorney for

                                  Palmer & Ferris.

1844                           Deed to Lawrence Fatio from Palmer, Ferris & Hudnall.

 

 

Folder  6

 

17 Jan 1844               Letter to  Hon D. Levy from Raynor & Pond. Re:  foreign

                                  corn rate

23 Jan 1844               Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: cargo of

                                  timber has arrived at Navy Yard.

11 Feb 1844              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Palmer & Ferris   re: Nimrod

                                  and Thistle.

19 Feb 1844              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

13 Mar 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

23 Mar 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

28 Mar 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

29 Mar 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

17 Apr 1844              Letter to Hon. David Levy from Palmer & Ferris  re: Nimrod

29 Apr 1844              Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

 

Folder  7

 

04 May 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

08 May 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond  re: timber case

28 May 1844             Deed. Cornelius Taylor to Palmer & Ferris.  Land, excluding

                                  4 acres on which the lighthouse sits on St. John’s beach.

14 Jun 1844               Bill of sale to Lawrence Fatio by Palmer, Ferris, et al, Land

                                  in Duval County.

08 Jul 1844                Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Raynor & Pond   re: timber case

25 Jul 1844                Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Palmer & Ferris  re: timber case

02 Aug 1844             Agreement to pay Cornelius Taylor $1,500 for land near St.

                                  John’s River.

15 Aug 1844             Letter to Hon. D. Levy from Thos. Douglas  re: pending suit

                                  against Palmer & Ferris.

11 Oct 1844              To surveyor – location of tract of land near Mosquito Lagoon.

                                  Estate of Joseph Bonnelly.

 

08 Aug 1845             Letter to Hon. Jno T. Mason, Secty of Navy, from D.L. Yulee.

                                  Re:  restitution for Palmer & Ferris because of erroneous evidence.

11 Oct 1845              Deed to T.O. Holmes.  Certain lots in Jacksonville.

 

Folder  8

 

?  Dec 1845               Bill of sale for Negro slaves by Cornelius Sams to Palmer & Ferris.

                                  13 slaves, names and ages given.

01 Dec 1845             Bill of sale for Negro slaves by Wm. Hickman. Names & ages.

24 May 1846             Bond. Payment to H.Henderson on account of D. Mieler’s estate.

09 Oct 1846              Notice of judgments to Palmer & Ferris. Land in Jacksonville.

14 Jan 1847               Letter to Hon. D.L. Yulee from Ferris.  Re: Bill of Damages.

                                  Also, an added note from T.O. Holmes, and a note from D.L. Yulee.

19 Apr 1847              Deed.  Sarah Ann Gregory to Holmes.  Described property in

                                  Jacksonville.

11 Jun 1847               Letter to Hon. D.L. Yulee from Holmes.

 

Folder  9

 

26 Jan 1848               List of Slaves with a notation :  $4,693.27

31 Mar 1848             Bill of sale. Thomas A.S. Warren to Palmer & Ferris for land in

                                  Jacksonville.

25 Apr 1848              Cyprian Cross et al.  Slaves, named.

30 May 1848             T. O. Holmes, for the consideration of a Negro Slave, sold land to

                                  Mary Halliday in Jacksonville.

05 Jul 1848                Letter to Hon. D.L. Yulee from Treasury Dept. re:  Lighthouse

                                  at mouth of St. John’s River.

20 Jul 1848                Same as above.

21 Jul 1848                Letter to Hon. D. L. Yuilee from Treasury Dept. re:  title to the

                                  Lighthouse is unsatisfactory.

08 Aug 1848             Letter to John Mason, Secty of the Navy, from D. L. Yulee re:

                                  condemned cargo on Brig Nimrod

 

15 Aug 1848             1848 Letter to Hon. D.L. Levy from Secty of the Navy.

 

Folder  10

 

20 Sep 1848              John Raynor & Charles Pond to Palmer & Ferris. Land in         

                                  Michigan.

16 Oct 1848              Indenture. Isaiah G. Hart to Oliver Wood.  $200 for parcel of

                                  land in Jacksonville.

07 Nov 1848             Letter from T.O. Holmes to W. Forward re: Palmer & Ferris.

23 Nov 1848             Letter to Hon. D.L. Yulee from W. Forward. Re:  title held

                                  by Palmer & Ferris.

06 Apr 1849              Indenture. Oliver Wood to T.O. Holmes. Property in Jacksonville.

18 Apr 1849              Indenture: Sarah Gregory to Poinsett Holmes. Parcel of land in  

                                  Jacksonville.

21 Jan 1850               Indenture. Sarah Wightman, F. Dewees, and W. Dewees to Philip           

                                  Fraser.  3 lots in Jacksonville.

04 Feb 1850              Letter to T. O. Holmes re:  damages caused by seizure of Brig

                                  Nimrod.

19 Jul 1850                Deed. Isaiah D. Hart to T. O. Holmes. Land in Jacksonville.

 

BOX  2

Folder  11

 

19 Nov 1850             Deed. John Smith to David L. Palmer. Land in Jacksonville.

13 Dec 1850             Deed. Phillip Fraser to T. O. Holmes. Land in Jacksonville.

27 Feb 1851              Deed. Maria Doggett to Phillip Fraser. Land in Jacksonville.

15 Apr 1851              Deed Horace Moss to Ambler & Hoag. Land in Jacksonville.

16 Apr 1851              Deed. Horace Moss to Ambler & Hoag. Land in Jacksonville.

10 Jul 1851                Deed. John Sammis to David L. Palmer. Land  - Hazzard’s Bluff

15 Jan 1852               Deed. Maria Doggett to T.O. Holmes. Land on Bay St. & Hogan’s

                                  Creek in Jacksonville.

21 Jan 1852               Deed. Maria Doggett to T.O. Holmes. Land in Jacksonville.

07 Feb 1852              Deed. Mary Congar to John Newsom. Land in Jacksonville.

13 Mar 1852             Deed. Wm. Grothe to Paul Canova. Land in Jacksonville.

 

Folder  12  

 

27 Mar 1852             Indenture. Maria Doggett to Wm Grothe. Land in Jacksonville.

15 Apr 1852              Indenture. John R. Newsom, Mary Conger.  Land in

                                  Jacksonville.

13 Aug 1852             Affidavit.  Maria Doggett to James Harkness.  Land in Jacksonville

13 Nov 1852             Bill of sale. Estate of J. R. Newsom  to T.O. Holmes. Land in

                                  Jacksonville.

26 Feb 1853              Indenture between Isiah Hart and Charles Dibble. $300 for land in           

                                  Jacksonville.

04 May 1853             Mortgage.. R.W. Biggs to T.O. Holmes. Land & buildings in

                                  Jacksonville.

25 Jun 1853               Indenture between Paul B. Canova and T.O. Holmes.

01 Dec 1853             Mortgage. John Lewis to David L. Palmer.  Fort George Island.

                                  Also, 10 Negro slaves, names and ages given

 

Folder  13

 

30 Jan 1854               Indenture. Levi Ammerman to T.O. Holmes. Land in Jacksonville

27 May 1854             Indenture. David Palmer  & Sarah Ferris to Carolyn Henderson.

                                  Land at the White Spring in Duval County.

15 Jun 1854               Indenture. Charles R. Thompson to John Lewis Fort George Island

                                  and other islands.  Also, Negro slaves, names & ages given.

05 Jul 1854                Deed. Maria Doggett to Samuel Ellis. Land in Jacksonville.

07 Aug 1854             Deed. Tax collector to Sarah Ann Gregory.. Land in Jacksonville.

14 Oct 1854              Indenture. John B. Howell to Halstead H. Hoag. Land in Jacksonvill

14 Oct 1854              Indenture. H.H. Hoag to Daniel Ambler Land in Jacksonville.

01 Jun  1855              Indenture.. Ambler & Hoag to David L. Palmer.. Land in Jackson-

                                  ville.

 

09 Jun 1855               Letter from I.P. Sanderman to D.L> Palmer re:  Col . Lewis.

10 Jun 1855               Deed  Henry Henderson to David Palmer & Sarah Ferris. Lan   in Jacksonville.

 

Folder  14

 

25 Jul 1856                Deed from David Palmer to Abigail Nory. Land in Jacksonville

                                  on the East bank of the St. John’s river.

18 Sep 1856              Deed. Alexander F. Hunt to Ida Dzealyndski re:  land in Jackson-

                                  ville.

09 Oct 1857              Mortgage between William Caulk and Samuel Ellis.  Land in

                                  Jacksonville.

11 Jan 1858               Account book of David L. Palmer with Ambler & Hoag. Entries

                                  from 1858 to 1867.  13 double pages.

06 May 1858             Letter from F.L. Dancy to T.O. Holmes re purchase of 200 acres

                                  in Coco Swamp, Georgia.

16 Sep 1858              Mortgage. Benjamin Hopkins to Samuel Ellis. For advance &

                                  supplies of goods, wares & merchandise.  Also sale of 8 Negro

                                  slaves.  Names and ages given.

01 Jun 1859               Copy of an account page of William Caulk sent to Samuel Ellis.

16 Jun 1859               Bond. R.M. Biggs to T. O. Holmes.  Land in Jacksonville.

 

Folder  15

 

Sep 1859                   Papers related to the estate of Samuel Ellis.

    To

May 1861

 

Folder  16

 

24 May 1860             List of the sale of fixtures in the “Reading Room”in the “Brick    

                                  Building” on Bay St., Jacksonville.

31 Jul 1860                Account pages.. David Palmer. 1857 to 1860.

10 Oct 1860              Indenture. Maria DeWees to T. O. Holmes. Land in Jackson-

                                  ville.

23 Jan 1861               Petition to sell land of Eliza Jones, a minor, to H.H. Hoeg.

                                  The buildings on the property were destroyed by fire.

28 Dec 1861             Indenture. Florida Railroad Co. to T. O. Holmes. 440 Acres

                                  in Gulf Hammock, FL.

27 Mar 1865             Sale of seized land of  Redding Biggs to Elizabeth Robinson       

                                  and resale of land in Jacksonville to  T.O. Holmes.

27 Mar 1865             Sale of seized land by Redding Biggs to Mary L. Moody.

                                  And resale of land in Jacksonville to T.O. Holmes.

Mar-Oct 1865           5 letters from H.H.Hoag to A.L. Ambler.

 

Folder  17

 

13 Jan 1866               Indenture. C.L. Robinson to T.O. Holmes. Land in Jacksonville.

06 Dec  1866            Deed H.H. Phillips to David Palmer & Sarah Ferris. Land along

                                  the St, Johns River in Jacksonville.

    Sep 1867               Account pages of David. L. Palmer. 19 pages. 1867 – 1870

                                  Along with 2 pages of interest owed.

13 Jan 1868               Copy of letter from D.L. Yulee to H.H. Hoag re:  petition of

                                  Palmer & Ferris for damages of loss of Brig Nimrod.

20 Jun 1868               Letter from J.S. Thackera to H. H. Hoag.

31 Jan 1870               Letter from D.L. Yulee to D. L. Palmer re: Brig Nimrod.

27 Jul 1870                Indenture. James J. Holland to T.O. Holmes.  Land in Jackson-

                                  ville.

 

Folder 18

 

05 Oct 1871              Letter from F.L. Dancy to H.H. Hoag  re: business transactions with

                                  Palmer & Ferris.

19 Mar 1873             Certificate..  Appt. of H.H. Hoag as County Commissioner of Duval

                                  County.

01 Apr 1873              Account page of H. Henderson with D.L. Palmer estate.

20 Apr 1873              Letter from W.H. Slate to Hoag and Granger re: improvements on

                                  plantation.

01 Jun 1874               Account of the estate of D.L. Palmer with H.H. Hoag.

                                  10 ledger pages.

01 Jun 1874               Account of Emma L. Holmes with H.H.Hoag. 4 ledger pages.

01 Jun 1874.              Account of Eliza Palmer with H.H. Hoag.  8 ledger pages.

 

Folder  19

 

03 Mar 1875             T.O. Holmes acting for estate of deceased, Samuel Ellis, sells land

                                  to William Lucas.

09 Mar 1875             Copy of letter from D.L. Yulee of transmittal of papers used in a

                                  petition for relief  (re: Brig Nimrod) in the U.S. Senate.

01 Jul 1875                Account of D.L. Palmer: 1875 –1876   Four ledger pages.

01 Dec 1875             Indenture between T.O. Holmes and William M. Nicholls re: land

                                  in Jacksonville.

 

Folder  20

 

01 Apr 1876              Indenture between Andrew V. Floyd and the Mrs. Palmer and

                                  Ferris  re: land in the village of Mayport.

07 Oct 1876              Written proposition from N.M. Nicholls to T.O. Holmes  re:

                                  land in Jacksonville.

08 Feb 1877              Court order assigning Emma Holmes & Henry Holmes as adminis-

                                  trators for the estate of Abigail Hoag.

03 Feb 1879              Letter from Peter Cour to Henry Holmes enclosing tax receipts and

                                  notice of sale of land. Includes stamped envelope.

14 Nov. 1879            Deed. Sarah Ferris to Sarah Holmes. Plot of land in St. Nicholas

                                  Cemetary.

13 Jul 1880                Deed. S. Holmes to John Riley. Land in St. Nicholas Cemetary.

 

 

 

Folder  21

 

26 Nov 1881             Quit claim deed from Sarah P. Ferris to S. Lina Holmes et al

                                  Land in St. Nicholas Cemetary.

14 Feb 1882              Two Quit Claim Deeds.  Florida and Charles Enos to T.O. Holmes.

11 Aug.1882             Two Quit Claim Deeds.Harriet Ashmead to S. Lina Holmes. Land

                                  in Jacksonville.

31 May 1887             Quit Claim Deed. Two deeds involving the heirs of Holmes.

                                  re:  lots in the Holmes Division of St. Nicholas.

 

Folder  22

 

19 Dec 1911             Mortgage Deed. Edwin Pointsette Holmes to Edwin Palmer Holmes.

                                  Land in Jacksonville.

13 Nov 1916             Deed involving various heirs of Palmer & Holmes.  Re:  land in

                                  Jacksonville.

 

Folder  23

 

Item  A                      Lists of dates with a brief description of the Deed.

Item  B                      43 Checks from Merchants & Planters Bank Savannah.  1860.

                                  All signed by T.O. Holmes.

 

Folder  24

 

                                  Abstract of Title, covering a certain area of land  (lot 8 of Holmes’

                                  Subdivision of St. Nicholas) from 1821 – 1923.

                                  This document is of special interest for geneology study.

 

                                 

 

                                                               

 

BOX   3

 

 

Folder  25                  Miscellaneous

 

Folder  26                  Miscellaneous

 

Folder  27                  Miscellaneous

 

 

Folder  28                  Complete transcript of “Nimrod vs U.S.”  196 pages.  Mar 1843

                                  Judge Isaac H. Bronson

 

Folder  29                  Legal papers pertaining to Nimrod vs U.S.

 

Item  A                      Opinion, submitted to the Grand Jury, by Thomas Douglas,       

                                  U.S. Attorney.  1842

Item  B                      Opinion of the Court  1843.  13 pages

Item  C                      Decree.  Brig Nimrod to be sold at public auction.

Item  D                      Nimrod sold to Palmer & Ferris for $1815.00

Item  E                       Brig Louisiana.  Detained at Port Mosquito.

 

Folder  30                  Legal papers pertaining to the efforts of Palmer & Ferris to have

                                  their conviction overturned and to be compensated for damages.

Item  A                      Testimony of John Coffee & Francis Dancy, surveyors.

Item  B                      Testimony of John D. Sheldon, Inspector, Port of New Smyrna

Item  C                      Testimony of John Simpson, Sheriff of Orange County.

Item  D                      Testimony of Ira Carpenter, Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Keeper.

Item  E                       Testimony of Nicholas Sheppards.

Item  F                       Testimony of Dr. A. Speer.

Item  G                      A written statement by Judge Bronson saying that the two survey-

                                  ors in the first trial were mistaken.

Item  H                      Written statement by Thomas Douglas

                                  saying that there was in fact no cutting upon public lands and that,

                                  consequently, the condemnation of the  Brig Nimrod was

                                  erroneous.

 

Item  I                        Palmer & Ferris’ petition to the court for compensation.

 

Item  J                       Written statement by the Committee of Claims to compensate

                                  Palmer & Ferris for $50,285.00.

 

Item K                       Itemized list of damages.  U.S. to Palmer & Ferris.

 

Jennings, Minerva P. Papers 1908-1939

GUIDE TO THE

MINERVA P. JENNINGS

PAPERS

1908-1939

 

.35 cubic ft.

 

Mss. Collection #2001-01

 

 

 

Processed by

Susan Hamburger

May 2001
 


 

Biography

 

            Minerva Park Phelps was a descendant of John Phelps of Virginia.  She married Frank E. Jennings, member of the Florida State Board of Control and later Speaker of the House in 1921; he ran for governor in 1924.  Prior to moving to Jacksonville, Florida, they lived in Richmond, Kentucky as late as 1908.   She died after 1939.

            Mrs. Jennings was active in Jacksonville as a member of, and officer in, several women’s patriotic, social, religious, and historical organizations:

·        American Association of University Women

o       Chair, International Relations, 1927

·        Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union of Jacksonville

·        Council of National Defense, Women’s Auxiliary Entertainment Committee, Jacksonville Commission

o       Organizing Committee chairperson

o       Executive Committee chairperson

o       Woman’s Club Committee chairperson

·        Daughters of the American Revolution, Jacksonville Chapter

·        Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs

o       Legislation Committee chairperson, 1914-1917

·        Florida Historical Society

o       Committee on Revision of Charter and Bylaws chairperson

·        National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Florida

o       Corresponding Secretary, 1923

o       Board of Managers, 1924

o       11th President

o       Committee chair, memorial to Francis Philip Fatio, 1935

·        Woman’s Club of Jacksonville

o       President, 1915-1917

o       Nursing Committee

·        Woman’s Club of Richmond, Kentucky

o       Honorary President, 1910-1911

·        Young Woman’s Christian Association (YWCA)

o       Publicity Committee chairperson

 

 

She was a strong-willed and highly motivated woman who competed with contemporaries May Mann Jennings (no relation) and Margaret Young in civic work in Jacksonville.  In 1910 and 1911, Minerva Jennings traveled throughout the state on behalf of the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs to lobby among citizens’ groups to support a legislative bill regulating child labor and to increase the appropriation for the reform school at Marianna.  She worked for other progressive laws including compulsory education and the prohibition of horse racing, bookmaking, and betting.

            Jennings, as head of the federation’s legislation committee, led the women’s lobbying efforts in Tallahassee to promote child labor legislation, working closely with the Florida Child Labor Committee in 1913.

            In addition to her work on education and child labor reform, Jennings supported the creation of Royal Palm Park and attended the picnic lunch and dedication of the state park on 23 November 1916.

            During World War I, Jennings was among the leaders of the Jacksonville Red Cross branch whose volunteers sold bonds and stamps and joined the Red Cross’s first aid, nursing, relief, and hospitality committees.

 

 

 

Scope and Content

 

            The collection consists of Minerva Jennings’s personal papers and organization records pertaining to her membership and chairmanship in women’s organizations, primarily in Jacksonville, Florida.  Her personal papers contain correspondence, 1915-1939, from friends and acquaintances, including one letter from author Kirk Munroe; a receipt for shipping a horse to Richmond, Kentucky in 1908; a subject file of two articles about Seminole Indians, 1915; and newspaper clippings about her personal activities.

            The organizational records include correspondence, newspaper clippings, membership lists, conference programs, and manuals (year books) for the women’s clubs Jennings belonged to which document her associational activities.

 

 

 

Organization

 

            The collection is divided into two series: personal papers and organizational records.

 

 

 

Arrangement

 

            The personal papers series is arranged alphabetically by topic; the organizational records series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the association.

 

 

 

Restrictions

 

            There are no access restrictions.  For those papers that are fragile, preservation photocopies have been made and are to be used instead of the originals.

 

 

 

Subject Headings

 

            Jennings, Minerva P. (Minerva Phelps) – Archives

            Jacksonville (Fla.) – Social life and customs – 20th century

            Council of National Defense. Woman’s Committee. Florida Chapter

            Daughters of the American Revolution

Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs – History

            National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Florida

            Woman’s Club of Jacksonville – History

            Florida Historical Society

 

 


Box Listing

 

Personal Papers Series

 

Folder 1          Correspondence, 1915-1939

                                    Correspondents include Kirk Munroe, Louisa B. Poppenheim (with biographical sketch of her sister Mary B. Poppenheim, President-General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy), U.S. Representative John B. Hollister, and her cousin Corrinne Maguire.

 

Folder 2          Financial records: receipt for shipping a horse via Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company to Richmond, KY, 1908

 

Folder 3          Genealogical materials

                                    Instructions for providing lineage records for the Compendium of American Genealogy with a sample page, mimeographed form letter soliciting membership in the Jennings Family Genealogical Society, and a newspaper article about Richmond, KY.

 

Folder 4          Florida legislation

Annual Report for Home Demonstration Work, State of Florida, for the Year July 1st, 1914 to July 1st, 1915 by Miss Agnes Ellen Harris (carbon typescript)

An act providing for the humane destruction of any animal (typescript draft)

 

Folder 5          Miscellaneous papers

Notes on the courses in classical and general philology offered by the Department of Comparative Philology in Wellesley College, 1898-99 (printed)

                                    Foreword (meaning of the sacraments) (carbon typescript)

The Church and Women in Industry, Labor Sunday, September 1, 1918 (printed pamphlet)

“City Planning” [as applied to Jacksonville, Florida] (typescript photocopy)

 

Folder 6          Newspaper clippings, 1924-1936

 

Folder 7          Subject file: Seminoles, 1915

The Seminoles of Florida and Their Rights in the Everglades by Minnie Moore-Willson of Kissimmee, Florida (pamphlet)

“The Seminole Land Bill’s Defeat Harshly Condemned—Indians in Poor Circumstances,” by Minnie Moore-Wilson of Kissimmee (The State, Jacksonville, Fla., June 11, 1915 newspaper article


 

 

Organization Records Series

 

Folder 8          Citizens Drug Relief Association

                                    Rough minutes, 1915

 

Folder 9          Council of National Defense

                                    General plan, letters, memoranda, press releases, 1917-1918

 

Folder 10        Council of National Defense. Woman’s Committee. Florida Division

                                    Correspondence, 1918

 

Folder 11        Council of National Defense. Woman’s Committee. Florida Division

                                    Membership lists, 1918

 

Folder 12        Council of National Defense. Woman’s Committee. Florida Division

                                    Newspaper clippings

                       

Folder 13        Daughters of the American Revolution

                                    Conference program, 1930

                                    Jacksonville Chapter year books 1911-1912, 1912-1913 (2 copies)

 

Folder 14        Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs

Bylaws, committee lists and reports (1914-1915), minutes, programs (1914), projects, speeches

 

Folder 15        Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs printed publications

                                    Annual meeting, 1917-1918

                                    Charter and bylaws, 1935-1936

                                    Year book, 1923-1924

                                    Bulletin, Woman’s Club of Jacksonville, December 1938

 

Folder 16        Florida Historical Society

Folder 16A                  Correspondence,  1935-1940

Includes letters from Caritta Doggett Corse, Julian Young, AJ Hanna & Katherine Abbey about organizational issues of FHS.

Folder 16B                  Copies of correspondence in 16A.

Folder 16C                  Rough minutes, 1906-1921

Broadside, after 1932

 

Folder 17        National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Florida

                                    Membership list, 1923

Newspaper clipping

 

Folder 18        Woman’s Clubs: 

Woman’s Club of Jacksonville, Manual 1910-1911, 1914-1915, 1926-1927

Woman’s Club, Richmond, Kentucky, year book 1910-1911

 


 

Folder 19        Woman’s Clubs

                                    Newspaper clippings, 1911-1927

 

Folder 20        Miscellaneous clippings, 1915-1918

Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union of Jacksonville, Citizens Liberty League, Garden Club of Jacksonville, Third Liberty Loan Campaign Woman’s Committee, Woman’s Club Nursing Committee (1915-1918), YMCA, Young People’s Patriotic League Woman’s Organization Committee

 

Johnson, D.J. Papers 1914-1942

 

GUIDE TO THE

D.J. (DAVID) JOHNSON PAPERS

1914-1942

 

  

MSS 2009

 

.25 CUBIC FEET

 

Processed

July 2009

 


Background Note

            D.J. (Dave) Johnson was an African American Cocoa resident from at least 1913 through 1942 and was an early African American property and business owner in the area.  Remarkably, his father Peter Johnson also owned property in Cocoa and was likely one of the earliest African Americans to do so.  According to ancestrylibrary.com, the 1920 Federal Census estimates the year of DJ’s birth as 1881, and granddaughter Betty Wilson-Wright reports that he worked for a local lumber company for many years [April 29, 2009, conversation with author].  In his forties, according to Polk’s Cocoa and Brevard County Directory: 1926-1927 Buyer’s Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, D.J. and wife Nettie owned a grocery store at 227 Magnolia Street (presently Stone Street), next door to their residence at 225 Magnolia Street.  Other Johnsons (presumably children or other relatives) listed as residents at the same address include: son David J. Jr., daughter Betty, Tempe, and David L. [sic] [R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers 1926, 86].   Betty Wilson-Wright reports that an adoptive daughter/cousin named Davie Lee was part of the household [April 29, 2009, conversation with author].  Property tax records in this collection document that D.J. Johnson had purchased other real property in Cocoa at least as early as 1913.  However, he purchased the Magnolia Street property from his daughter Bertha Johnson in 1920 and, according to Steve Rajtar’s Guide to the Cocoa-Rockledge Historical Trail, opened the business there in approximately 1924. 

 Scope and Content

           This collection comprises primarily a selection of financial and legal records of D.J. Johnson.  The papers document Johnson’s marriage to Nettie Robeson (also known as Nettie Brown) at the St. Paul Baptist Church (1917) and real property ownership of D.J. Johnson, Nettie (Brown/Robeson) Johnson, heirs of Betty Brown (presumably the mother or other relative of Nettie Brown Johnson), the estate of Peter Johnson (D.J.’s father), and Bertha Johnson (D.J.’s daughter).

              In a conversation with the author on April 29, 2009, Johnson’s granddaughter Betty Wilson-Wright confirmed that he was buried at the Colored Cemetery of Cocoa (currently known as the Cocoa Hilltop Cemetery) from whence he received correspondence on at least one occasion in 1925.  However, the records in this collection do not include substantive information about dates or places of birth or death nor professional or social history.  Just one envelope in the collection suggests that, at least in 1928, Johnson may have been a member of the Florida Colored Merchants, Inc. (Sanford).  Furthermore, the limited selection of copies of supplemental documents which were obtained from the Brevard County Clerk of Courts and included here (warranty deeds and general parcel information) do not document sale or inheritance of most properties Johnson owned.  Some additional information about D.J. Johnson and his family may be located in The Florida Historical Society’s local newspapers collection, especially The Cocoa Tribune and The Script.

Provenance

               These manuscripts were donated to the Florida Historical Society by local military and nautical antiques collector Donald Ball and accepted as authentic by archivist Debra Wynne in 2008.      

Organization

            Documents are grouped by series in alphabetically arranged folders (with the exception of the donor letter and supplemental documents) and arranged chronologically within each folder.

Restrictions

            There are no access restrictions.  Documents are stored in melinex sleeves, and metal fasteners have been removed where such removal posed no risk of damage.  Documents have also been scanned and will be available via the Florida Historical Society webpage.  

Subject Headings

            African American History - 20th century

            Cocoa (Fla.) - Early history - 20th century - Real property ownership

            Cocoa (Fla.) - Early history - 20th century - Stone Street Historic District

            Johnson, D.J. (David J.) - Archives   

            Johnson, Nettie Brown (aka Robeson)

            Johnson, Bertha

            Shepard and Wahl, Attorneys and Counselors at Law - Cocoa, FL

Folder 1

            Donor letter from Donald Ball to the Florida Historical Society (2008) indicating that the documents in this collection were purchased at an area flea market.

Folder 2

            Cancelled checks – four items drawn on the Bank of Cocoa (1922-1923) and The Brevard County State Bank (1924) payable to Brevard County Tax Collector Harry Wilson (1922), Trafford and Field Realty, Inc. (1922 and 1923), and The Brevard County State Bank (1924). 

Folder 3 

            Correspondence – a letter from Brevard County Tax Collector Harry Wilson regarding Nettie Brown Johnson’s purchase of Betty Brown Heirs’ tax certificate (1922) and three letters regarding assignments of mortgage and fire insurance coverage (1928) between Johnson, a Mr. McAllister at Shepard and Wahl Attorneys and Counselors at Law, Treasurer H.G. McAllister at the Cocoa Bond and Mortgage Co., and Circuit Court Clerk N.T. Froscher.

Folder 4 

            Marriage license for the February 8, 1917 wedding of D.J. Johnson and Nettie Robeson performed by Pastor J.N. Stokes at the St. Paul Baptist Church.

Folder 5

            Miscellanea – including:

envelopes addressed to Johnson from the Colored Cemetery of Cocoa (1925), Florida Colored Merchants, Inc. (1928), the Circuit Court in Titusville (1937), and Florida Power and Light Co. (1939); and

receipts for sewer connections (1926), an information search conducted by Circuit Court Clerk N.T. Froscher (1931), and Georgia Hinton’s (Relation Unknown) Pledge for Regular Investment in Defense Savings Bonds to the Colored World War Veterans (1942).

Folder 6

            Mortgage, title, deed, and insurance documents – including:

an abstract of title (compiled by the Brevard Abstract and Title Insurance Company) and  a warranty deed for the Fannings Subdivision property (1925);

a mortgage deed and a mortgage note from the Cocoa Bond and Mortgage Company for the Lapham’s Addition property (1928);

an opinion on title for the Lapham’s Addition property issued by Shepard and Wahl Attorneys and Counselors at Law (1928);

an assignment of mortgage from the Cocoa Bond and Mortgage Company for the Lapham’s Addition property (1928);

a Satisfaction of Mortgage issued by the Title Certificate Corporation for the Lapham’s Addition property (1928); and

a one thousand-dollar policy issued by the Virginia Fire and Maine Insurance Company for the dwelling and furniture at the Magnolia Street residence (1939 – 1942).  

Folder 7

            Poll tax receipt – for 1927 capitation or poll tax of one dollar assessed by Brevard County Election District 21 and paid on May 27, 1928.

Folder 8

            Property tax notices/bills and receipts for real property at: 

South 1/2 Lot 10, Section 33, Township 24, Range 36 East of Railroad Right of Way of West Hardee’s Plot in Indian River City on Oleander Street in the original  City of Cocoa (sold by Percy Lee and Martha Kershaw and Gibbs and Cornie Stephens in 1913);

Southeast ¼ of Lot 17, Section 33, Township 24, Range 36 of Hardee’s Plat of Indian River City (later owned by Nettie Brown Johnson) in the original City of Cocoa, although one bill for taxes (for 1921) to heirs of Betty Brown and were apparently paid  at the same time Johnson paid those for the Lapham’s Addition property in 1925;

five acres ­­­­­­­at West ½ of Lot 6, South half of the Southwest quarter of Section 30 and North half of Northwest quarter of Section 31, Township 24, Range 36 of  Fannings Subdivision (purchased from William E. and Alice Stockwell in 1925);

Lot 2, Block D, Section 33, Township 24, Range 36 in Lapham’s Addition to Cocoa in  River City, including 225 Stone Street which was sold by Henry Capehart to D. J.‘s daughter Bertha Johnson in 1916 and for which she paid had 1917 taxes prior to sale to D.J. Johnson, under the guardianship of Frank Johnson, in 1920; and

160 acres at the Southeast ¼ Lot D, Block E4, Section 6, Township 1South, Range 11East in Cocoa  which were co-owned by D.J. Johnson and Estate of his father Peter Johnson. 

Folder 9

            Tax return – for personal property valued at $330.00 filed on July 1, 1923.

Folder 10

            Supplemental documents from the Brevard County Clerk of Courts and Property Appraiser – includes copies of warranty deeds and general parcel information for properties as referenced above (in Folder 8: Property tax notices/bills and receipts) in addition to:

Lots 1-13, Block 5 and Lots 1-5, Block 6 of College Park Subdivision of Sections 32 and 33, Township 24, South of Range 36 purchased by D.J. and Nettie Johnson with Henry W. and Lucile Knight from A.O. and Viva Lapham in 1923;

Block E and Lots 5-8 of Block F of Gus C. Edwards Re-Subdivision of Hendry Addition of Cocoa, sold by D.J. and Nettie Johnson and Henry W. and Lucile Knight to R.E. Parnell in 1925;

Lots 10 and 11 of Barlow’s subdivision of the South part of the North half of the Northwest quarter of Section 32, Township 24, South of Range 36, purchased by Dave Johnson from William and Alice Stockwell in 1930; and

Lot 7, Block 5 in the College Park Addition to Cocoa purchased by D.J. Johnson from E. Wright Taylor in 1930.

 

References

1920 United States Federal Census Search Result for David Johnson. Ancestry Library Edition. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com 
        
[accessed July 13, 2009].

Rajtar, Steve. Cocoa-Rockledge Historical Trail. Steve Rajtar's GeoCities Home Page. 
         http://www.geocities.com/krdvry/hikeplans/cocoa-rockledge/plancocoarock.html
[accessed July 15, 2009].

L. Polk & Co., Publishers. 1926. Polk’s Cocoa and Brevard County directory: 1926-1927 Buyer’s guide and a complete classified business
         directory. Jacksonville, FL: R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers.

 

 

Lehman Diary, 1878-1890

LEHMAN DIARY

 

 

CALL NUMBER:  Doc.  Misc.  Mss  #93-29 Box III

 

RECORD GROUP NUMBER:  Doc. Misc. Mss #93-29; folders 12&12A

 

CREATOR:  Lehman E.J. (Mrs.)

 

TITLE:  Diary

 

DATES:  1878-1890

 

VOLUME:  1 volume with Florida 2 written in gold on the brown and tan wrappers.  86 pages long with photographs and newspaper clippings.

 

MEDIUM:

 

RESTRICTION ON ACCESS NOTE:

 

PROCESSING STATUS AND CONDITION: The binding on the diary is broken.  Diary is in excellent condition and is very readable.  Photographs and newspaper articles also in excellent condition.  Entire collection has been photocopied and located in adjoining folder 12A.

 

TERMS GOVERNING USE AND REPRODUCTION NOTE:

 

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE:  Little is known about the author except that her name is Mrs. E.J. Lehman and she is from Philadelphia traveling in the South.  She is obviously well educated.  She is staying with friends in St. Augustine at the Magnolia Hotel and the Florida House. Her group of friends includes some children.  She has arthritis and is under the care of a physician, Dr. Janeway.  She then goes to Jacksonville by steamer and Harriet Beecher Stowe is on board.  They then proceed by railroad to Savannah and then on to Charleston.  There is much discussion of history of the Huguenots and the “Papists,” and visits to all communities are accompanied by a length discussion of the area churches and local history.  The author, included in her diary a number of newspaper clippings, some dated and some undated from 1878-1880 on the plight of the Indians who were imprisoned at Castillo de San Marcos and later to their move to Hampton Institute in Virginia and then to Carlisle, Penn., where there was another school for Indian children.

CALL NO: Doc Misc Mss #93-29; folders 12 & 12A

 

 

SUMMARY AND SCOPE NOTE:  The diary provides detailed description of life of a tourist in Jacksonville and St. Augustine as well as Charleston and Savannah during the late 1870’s.  The description of the Church services in St. Augustine as well as the plant life and the joys of the weather make this a most readable diary.  There is also description of some of the tourist spots in each community as well as a summary of the history of the area.  In addition there is a discussion of the railroads and steamers as well as the hotel in each of the places the author visited.

 

ORGANIZATION NOTE: Chronological beginning in Florida, January 19, 1878 and ending in Philadelphia, on April 14 of the same year.   Newspaper clippings are not chronological.

 

FINDING AID NOTE: Written 1-6-2001.

 

ADDITIONAL PHYSICAL FROM AVAILABLE: Photocopy in folder 12A.

 

LOCATION OF ORIGINALS NOTE          : Original diary is in folder 12.

 

LANGUAGE NOTE: English

 

PROVENANCE:  Donated by author Frederick Dau of Westport Connecticut on March 4, 1949.  Mr. Dau collected items pertaining to Florida history and made a substantial donation to FHS at that time.

 

Milton, John Letter Book and Correspondence 1861-1863

GUIDE TO THE JOHN MILTON LETTER BOOK

AND CORRESPONDENCE

1861-1863

 

1.75 CUBIC FT

(5 document boxes)

 

MSS 92-1

PROCESSED 1992

Finding aide completed June 2003 by Debra T. Wynne

 

Biographical Note

          John Milton was the fifth Governor of Florida (October 7, 1861- April 1, 1865).  He was born near Louisville in Jefferson County, Georgia on April 21, 1807.  He was the son of General Homer Virgil and Elizabeth (Robinson) Milton.  He was an attorney who practiced in a number of Georgia and Alabama communities and in New Orleans.  He served in Florida during the Seminole War as a captain of a volunteer company and in 1846 moved to Jackson County as a farmer.  He became active in politics and was a presidential elector in 1848 and a member of the House of Representatives from Jackson County in 1850.  He was a vigorous States-Righter who encouraged the seizure by Florida forces of a Federal military establishments and also instrumental in the early secession of Florida from the Union. 

          As Governor, he developed a very active state militia and stressed Florida’s ability to serve as an important source of food and salt for the Confederate forces.  Collapse of the Southern cause was followed by his death, April 1,1865 by a self-inflected gunshot wound at his family home Sylvania, near Marianna preferring “death to reunion.”  He was married twice.  He had 4 children by his first wife, Susan Amanda Cobb.  His first wife died on April 25, 1842 and in 1844 he married again to Caroline Howze of Alabama with whom he had 10 children.

 

Scope and Content

          The John Milton Letter book and correspondence are made up primarily of the 720 pages of his letter book.  The miscellaneous correspondence consists 3 folders made up from items found loose within the letter book.  There are 6 letters from Stephen R. Mallory, Secretary of the Confederate Navy, a letter from A.H. Bush advising him about legalities of secession and a letter from Dr. Thomas Palmer describing various battles.  Another folder contains notices written by Milton found between the pages of the letter book.

          Much of the letter book concerns military affairs and the defense of Florida.  Besides copies of letters he has sent there are copies of letters received from such prominent Confederate leaders as Judah P. Benjamin, Jefferson Davis, and David Levy Yulee written into the letter book by his secretary.  The original letter book is very fragile and should not be used.  This collection contains both photocopies and transcripts.  There is also a photocopy of his letter book from October 5, 1863 to March 9, 1865 the original is in the Florida State Archives in Tallahassee.

 

Organization

          Box 1 & 2 are original pages of the 1861-63 letter book.  Box 1 contains 12 folders including copies of correspondence about the provenance of the collection and up to page 456 of the original letter book.  Box 2 contains original pages 457 to 720 and various letters, several from Stephen R Mallory and loose items by Governor Milton inserted in book. Due to the fragile condition of the original pages researchers are to use only the photocopies. Box 3 contains photocopies our 1861-63 letter book divided into folders with the page numbers on them.  There are 13 folders in Box 3 and they go up to page 648.  Box 4 contains 13 folders with photocopies of letter book pages 649-720, miscellaneous letters as well as photocopies of the other John Milton letter book in the Florida State Archives, pages 1-69.  In addition there are typed transcripts of our letter book pages 1-100, as well as pages 600-698.  There also is a letter-by-letter synopsis of the entire letter book. Box 5 contains 7 folders. It includes the original correspondence about the donation and its provenance and assorted duplicates of photocopies in previous boxes.

 

 

Provenance

 

          Former US Senator William Hall Milton of Marianna, grandson of Governor John Milton, presented John Milton’s letter book to the Florida Historical Society in August of 1937. 

 

Restrictions:

 

          Originals are not to be used by researchers due to their extreme fragility.

 

Selected Subject Terms

 

Milton, John (1807-1865)

Mallory, Stephen Russell (1812-1873)

Benjamin, Judah P. (1811-1884)

Florida—History—Civil War, 1861-1865.

Civil War, 1861-1865—Florida.

Panton Leslie & Co / John Forbes & Co

 


 

Reid, Mary Martha Papers 1821-1892

GUIDE TO THE

MARY MARTHA REID PAPERS

1821 – 1892


MSS  92 – 16

 

.35 cubic feet


Processed By

Mimi Klug

March 2004

 

Biographical Note

     Mary Martha Reid was born in St. Mary’s, Georgia on September 19, 1812.  She was the daughter of Captain James and Mary (Thorpe) Smith.  While visiting St. Augustine in 1836, she met Judge Robert Raymond Reid, judge of the U.S. Superior Court for East Florida, subsequently (1839) appointed territorial governor by President Van Buren.  They were married on November 29, 1836.  They had two sons, William Travers

(d. 1842) and Raymond Jenckes (d. 1864).  Governor Reid died on July 1, 1841.  Mrs. Reid opened a school to support herself.  Within a year, her eldest son, William, also died. 

     At the outbreak of the Civil War, her surviving son, Raymond, joined the Confederate Army.  Mrs. Reid traveled to Richmond, Virginia to be near him, where she served with great distinction as a matron of the Florida Hospital.  On May 6, 1864, Raymond died as a result of his wounds received in the Battle of the Wilderness.  At the war’s end, Mrs. Reid made her way back to Florida and established a school in Palatka, Florida.  Her last 15 years were spent in the home of her nephew, Judge Samuel Swann, of Fernandina, Florida where she died on June 24, 1894.  The first Florida chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (organized 1897) was named for her.  In 1900, this chapter placed a memorial window in St. Peter’s Church, Fernandina.

 

Scope and Content

     The collection consists mostly of letters written to Mary Martha Reid during the Civil War.  Mrs. Reid was the Matron of the Florida Hospital in Richmond, VA.  Her friends and family lived in St. Augustine, FL and the surrounding area.  They wrote her many letters about life in that place and time.  They talked about the sadness of losing loved ones, of the hardships in daily living, and of the scarcity of goods.

     There are also twenty letters of condolence t5o Mrs. Reid on the death of her son, Raymond, in the Battle of the Wilderness.  These letters reflect the grief and sorrow felt by all the women, referring to the war as “cruel” and “horrid."  Every letter reinforces their strong belief in God.

     Included in the collection is a thirteen page account, “What I Know of the Travers Family,” written by Mrs. Reid.  Her sister, Rebecca, was married to William Travers and, after his death, became the wife of Joseph Finegan (who later served as a General in the Civil War).  Mrs. Reid had much praise for Travers and contempt for Finegan. 

     Newspaper articles, which have been transcribed, cover the years from 1821 – 1860.  These mention the Swann family business and also contain items of genealogical interest.

 

Organization

     Folders  1 –  2     Biographical information on M.M. Reid and miscellaneous poems and papers written by Judge Raymond Reid.

 

     Folders  3 – 14    Letters to M.M. Reid from family and friends 1860 – 1864.

 

     Folders 15 – 20   Miscellaneous letters and papers.  Also biographical information on

                                   William Travers.  The papers in Folder 17 have items of

                                   interest concerning James Smith, William Travers, John Forbes,

                                   Joseph Finegan & Samuel Swann.

 

 

 

Arrangement

 

     The letters are arranged in groups and then in chronological order.

 

Related Collections

     The Swann Papers are in bulk at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  (Samuel A. Swann was the nephew of M.M. Reid).

 

Subject Headings    

     Reid, Mary Martha

     Women – Florida – Civil

     Civil War – Florida – Women

     Civil War – Confederate Army – Personal Narrative

     St/ Augustine (FL) – Social Life & Customs – 1862 – 1864

     Travers, William

     Finegan, Joseph

     Fleming, Francis P.

 

Biographical Summary

 

FOLDER 1

 

     Autobiography – Typewritten.  Copy

     Newspaper obituary.  Photocopied.

     An account of the death of Raymond Jenckes Reid.  From Confederate Military History.

     Soldier Detail.  A timeline for Raymond Jenckes Reid.

 

Miscellaneous Papers, Poems Written By Gov. R.R. Reid

 

FOLDER 2

 

     “”Serenade “

     “The Sick May Dream”

     “The Authorized English Version Formed from the ‘Bishop’s Bible’”

      One handwritten item – unsigned and undated with typed transcript.

 

Letters to Mary Martha Reid from her son, Raymond Jenckes Reid, during the Civil War.

 

FOLDER 3

 

     17 Dec 1862…......Camp near Fredericksburg.  Mentions another victory, enemy dead

                                     and prisoners, town being plundered, and a flag sent to his regiment

                                     by the Gov. of FL and made by the ladies of Tallahassee.

     12 Mar 1864…….Raymond writes concerning parcels of food sent, exchange of

                                     prisoners and family death.

     24 Mar 1864…….Headquarters, 2nd FL Regiment Infantry.  Concerned about mothers

                                     health.  Mentions playing in snow.

     11 Apr 1864……..Headquarters, 2nd FL Regiment.  Signature torn off.  Mentions

                                     Mother’s improved health and her move to Hernando Grove with a

                                     doctor and his wife.

     17 Apr 1864……..Headquarters, 2nd FL Regiment Infantry.  Writes that Sgt. Cummings

                                     will be coming to Richmond and would she send some clothing back

                                     with him.

     Envelope which contained the last letter Mrs. Reid received from her son, containing a

     lock of his hair.

 

 

 

Letters to M.M. Reid 1860 – 1862

 

FOLDER 4

 

     14 Jul 1860............from E.R. Ives, chairman of the Soldier’s Relief Committee.

                                     Re:  travel to Richmond under the protection of Dr. Hunter.

     26 Mar 1861…… from S.R. Mallery U.S. Senator from FL and later, Confederate

                                     Sec. of the Navy.  Re:  military appt. for Raymond Reid.

     07 Jan 1862……...from H.B. Jenckes.  St. Augustine.  Typed transcript.  Speaks of

                                     scarcity of items and financial hard times.  Talks of social life in

                                     St. Augustine and mentions friends and acquaintances of Mrs. Reid.

     10 Mar 1862….....from H. B. Jenckes.  St. Augustine.  Typed transcript.  Says that “the

                                     Blues” are nearby and that St. Augustine may raise a white flag.  Very

                                     newsy letter about their friends’ hardships and their feelings about the

                                     war.  Adds, 2 days later, that the town has surrendered.

     26 May 1862….....from H.B. Jenches.  St. Augustine.  Typed transcript.  Again, talks of

                                     Life and acquaintances in the town.

 

 

 

Letters to M.M. Reid 1863 – 1864

 

FOLDER 5

 

     26 Feb 1863…...from C.M. Hallowes.  Almost illegible, but speaks of the writers’

                                 sorrow over her son’s missing in action.

     22 Mar 1863…..from C.M. Hallowes.  Response to Mrs. Reid’s letter of condolence.

     04 May 1863…..from C.M. Hallowes.  Asks Mrs. Reid’s help in trying to locate her

                                  son

     29 June 1863…..from C.M. Hallowes.  Hopes her son is a prisoner of war.

     13 July 1863…...from Emmie Wescott.  Mentions some names of battles and son missing

                                           in action.  Gives news of friends.

 

FOLDER 6

 

     30 Oct 1863…..from Anna Dummett.  Talks about family and friends.

     07 Nov 1863….from Mary A. Gould.  News about the war and friends.

     22 Nov 1863….from Flora in Ellisville.

     no date………...from K.P. Calhoun in Orange Springs.  Mrs. Reid’s house has

                                been occupied by the enemy but Mr. Jenckes removed all her

                                furniture.

 

FOLDER 7

 

     03 Dec 1863……from Anna Dummett in Monticello.  News about friends.

     92 May 1864…...from Medical Director’s Office, Richmond, VA

     21 May 1864…...from Cary Jones in Richmond.  News of sick sister.

     29 May 1864…...from Mary Jenckes.  Asks Mrs. Reid if she could live with her after the

                                   war.

     28 Sept 1864…...from R.P. Daniel near Petersburg, VA.  Thanks Mrs. Reid for sending a

                                   present and his shirt.

 

 

 

Condolence Letters To M.M. Reid After the Death of Her Son, Raymond Jenckes Reid

 

FOLDER 8

 

     10 May 1864…..from W.L. Perry.  Richmond, VA

     26 May 1864…..from Mary A. Gould.  Lake City

     26 May 1864…..from Fanny Williams.  Sandy Ford.  P.O.Madison

     27 May 1864…..from S.W.W. Gibbs.  Quincy

     27 May 1864…..from Sarah Whitner.  Praitie Acre, FL

 

FOLDER 9

 

     16 Jun 1864…..from C.M. Hallowes.  Bolingbroke

     18 Jun 1864…..from A. Dummett.  Monticello, FL

     19 Jun 1864…..from F. Dancy.  Ellisville

     20 Jun 1864…..from Emma Westcott. Monticello

     24 Jun 1864…..from Fanny Williams.  Sandy Ford. P.O. Madison

 

FOLDER 10

 

     04 Jul 1864…..from S.W.W. Gibbs. Quincy

     11 Jul 1864…..from Maria M. Burtchall.  Lake City

     18 Jul 1864…..from Lizzie H. McNeill.  Fayetteville

     30 Aug 1864…from Anna Dummett.  Monticello, FL

     09 Sep 1864…from Fanny Williams.  Sandy Ford, Madison

 

FOLDER 11

 

     undated…..from Mary C. Reid.

     undated…..from E.H. Brown

     undated…..from Lizzie Thackera.  Monticello

     undated…..from Minnie G.

     undated…..from Mary C. Reid

 

 

 

Letters from Robert Reid, Stepson of M.M. Reid

 

FOLDER 12

 

    

07 Jun 1862 Sanderson.  Written to his sister.
08 May 1863 Sanderson. With an added note from Robert’s wife, Mary.
12 Jun 1863 Sanderson.  
21 Jul 1863 Sanderson.  
18 Aug 1863 Sanderson.  
27 Oct 1863 Sanderson.

From Mary Reid with an added note from Robert.

 

FOLDER 13

 

04 Nov 1863 Sanderson.  
18 Aug 1863 Sanderson.  
16 Mar 1864 Camp Milton, Army of Florida. Tells about the death of his cousin,  Frank, at the Battle of Ocean Pond
26 May 1864 Sanderson.   
26 Jun 1864 Sanderson.  



Letters from F.P. Fleming to M. M. Reid

FOLDER 14

 

08 Aug 1868

Thanks Mrs. Reid for sending some mementoes of Jenckes, his “best and dearest friend”.  Handwritten

 24 Dec 1887 Will provide certain affidavits for Mrs. Reid.  Handwritten
 22 Oct 1890

Now Governor of the State of Florida.  Asks Mrs. Reid for a full sized portrait of Gov. Reid to hang in the Executive Office.  Handwritten.   

 

 

 

Miscellaneous

 FOLDER 15

 

26 Jan 1863

Letter to F.C. Barrett fro R.F. Floyd.  re:  estate of Mrs. Carrie F. Butler.

15 Mar 1864

Letter to F.C. Barrett from C.G. Memminger, Secretary of Treasury, C.S.A..

27 Jul 1864

Letter to F.C. Barrett from E.C. Elmore, Treasury of the Confederate States.

27 Mar 1891

Letter to M.M. Reid from Thos. Maxey asking for info on Jenckes’life for book that he is writing.

13 Jun 1892

Letter to Samuel Swann from Thos. Maxey.  Requests a picture of General Finegan for his book.

                         

FOLDER 16

 

“What I Know of the Travers Family:”     written by M.M. Reid.  Typewritten copy.

                                                                  16 pages.

 

FOLDER 17

 

These papers have items of interest about James Smith, William Travers, John Forbes, and Joseph Finegan.  Typewritten copies.

 

FOLDER 18

 

Transcribed notices from newspapers:  St. Augustine Herald  1821, 1823, 1832, 1833

                                                               The News  1840

                                                               The Florida News  1855-1856

                                                               The East Floridian  1859-1860 

 

FOLDER 19

 

Miscellaneous papers.

 

FOLDER 20

 

Newspaper tributes to Mary Martha Reid.

 

Rogers, C.M. Papers 1834-1923

GUIDE TO THE

C. M. ROGERS PAPERS

1834-1923

 

1.35 CUBIC FT.

 

MSS. 2003

 

PROCESSED BY

MIMI KLUG

MARCH 2003

 

Biographical Note

 

       C.M. (Clarence Mord) Rogers (1873-1933) was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. His father, D.D. (David Dunham) Rogers, established a Civil Engineering Office there in 1875, and after C. M. Rogers graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1903, he joined his father in the firm.  In the course of their careers, C. M. and his father produced hundreds of maps, surveys, and drawings - often under the most difficult conditions.  These covered the period 1880 to 1933, and the eastern portion of Florida from Jacksonville to Key West.

       C.M. honed his bridge making skills in the early 1900’s when he was engaged in the Key West extension of Henry Flagler’s railroad.  In 1911, he was chief engineer for St. Lucie County, laying out a system of hard-surfaced roads. From 1912 to 1914, C.M. was design engineer and engineer in Ft. Pierce for construction of water works, electric light plant, and sewerage system.  In 1915, C. M. Rogers started work on the Cocoa-Merritt Island Bridge and in 1919 he was again chief engineer for the Melbourne-Indialantic Bridge.

       C.M. Rogers was much respected for his integrity and character, and his opinions were sought by national, state, and community leaders.  He married Louise F. Mannl in 1905 and by her had nine children.


 

Scope and Content

     There are 21 copies of early U.S. Field Notes from which Rogers and his father worked.  The early copies were hand written while later ones were typed.  The original field notes were done between 1834 and 1888 but it is unknown when the copies were made.  Also included are ten hand-written survey maps of lands in Brevard County.  These were drawn in the 19th Century.  In addition, there are nine survey plats drawn in the early 20th Century.

     The collection deals mostly with Rogers’ construction of three bridges in Brevard County, Florida, and the laying out and paving of roads in Cocoa and Merritt Island.  The Cocoa-Merritt Island Bridge was completed in 1917.  Rogers’ correspondence includes: itemized cost estimates, methods of procedure, notice to bidders, and a hand-written list of contractors and the payments to them. Included are many letters

and proposals from various companies and some local businesses.  There is an advertisement promoting the sale of gold bonds. This document describes in detail the assets of the surrounding area, particularly the city of Cocoa.

     Later, the roads on Merritt Island were laid out and paved, and a bridge across the Banana River to Cocoa Beach was completed in 1923.  Rogers had an assistant, W.J. Weir, and this collection includes his many hand-written progress reports.

     The Melbourne-Indialantic Bridge was completed in 1921... These papers include Rogers’ correspondence with Ernest Kouwen-Hoven, the developer of Indialantic-by-

the-SeaRogers’ chief assistant was, again, W.J.Weir and his many hand written progress reports are included.

     The collection also includes papers on the drainage in West Palm Beach in 1903, the Fort Pierce public works system from 1911 to 1914, St. Lucie roadwork in 1912, and the Daytona Bridge in 1923.

     In 1915, Rogers claimed that some people, including Mayor Titus were trying to defame him. An indictment was brought against Rogers & Rogers and then annulled in 1918.


 

Organization

       The collection is organized into 6 series

                 1. U.S. Field Notes

                 2. Cocoa-Merritt Island Bridge

                 3. Cocoa and Merritt Island Roadwork                   

                 4. Banana River Bridge (from Merritt Island to Cocoa Beach)

                 5. Melbourne-Indialantic Bridge

                 6. Fort Pierce Public Works System.

 


Arrangement

       The collection is arranged by series and then in chronological order within the series.  The survey maps are catalogued and stored in the map drawers.


 

Provenance

       C.M. Rogers’ three granddaughters (Mary McFall, Elizabeth Sarver, and Julia Childs) donated these papers and maps between 1998 and 2000.

 


Restrictions

       There are no restrictions on access.

 

Subject Headings


       Rogers, C.M. (Clarence Mord) - Archives

       Florida - Surveyors - 19th century

       Florida - Construction projects - early 20th century

       Florida - Survey maps - Brevard County


 

BOX 1

 

U.S. Field Notes Series    Listed by Township, Range, Surveyor, and Date

 

Folder  1       T 17   R30     1834

 

Folder  2       T16   R33      includes  T19   R32     1835

 

Folder  3       T18   R34     Henry Washington     1844

 

Folder  4       T 23,24   R36     A.H. Jones    1844

 

Folder  5       T30   R38,39     1844

 

Folder  6       T42   R43  A.H. Jones  1845.    Resurveyed W.J. Reyes  1858 

  

Folder  7       T18   R32   F.L. Ming 1835.   H. Washington  1843Geo.Houston 1846

 

Folder  8       T20   R35, also 19/35, 19/33. Jos R. Richard, H. Washington, David Burr

 

Folder  9       T18,19   R34     C.C. Tracy.  1848

 

Folder 10      T16,17   R29,30    A.W. Randolph   1849

 

Folder 11      T10   R25    A. MacKay   1849

 

Folder 12      T18   R34    David H. Burr  1850

 

Folder 13      T18   R35     1859

 

Folder 14      T32   R40    William S. Harris  1859

 

Folder 15      T57   R42    M.A. Williams  1872

 

Folder 16      T63   R38    C.F. Smith  1873

 

Folder 17      T67   R27    C.F. Smith  1873

 

Folder 18      T17,18   R29   includes 18/30      1852

 

Folder 19      T17   R34     David H. Barr   1849

 

Folder 20      T21   R35      1844

 

Folder 21      T31   R31,32

 

 

 

BOX 2

 

Cocoa - Merritt Island Bridge Series

 

Folder  1       1913. Handwritten letter from Otto Grosse pertaining to a mass meeting to discuss a bridge from Cocoa to Merritt Island.

 

Folder  2       1915. “Method of Procedure”.  Handwritten and signed by Rogers.

 

Folder  3       1915-1917.  Soundings, test borings, and dredge fill.

 

Folder  4       1915. Requests from various companies to furnish lumber, reinforced concrete & steel, and draw bridge.  Itemized estimate of total cost

                     $95,172.00.

 

Folder  5       1915.  More requests from companies interested in bidding.

 

Folder  6       1916 Feb-May. Correspondence with Gus Edwards and local businesses concerning approval of bonds and type of bridge.

                     A six page draft of the bridge specifications.

 

Folder  7       1916.  Advertisement for sale of gold bonds to finance bridge. Gives a glowing account of Cocoa and “Merritt’s Island”.

 

Folder  8       1916 July .  Notice To Bidders.

 

Folder  9       1916  Aug.  Inquiries & proposals from various companies.

 

Folder 10      1916  SeptMore inquiries & proposals.

 

Folder 11      1916-1917 More inquiries & proposals.

 

Folder 12      Handwritten list of contractors and payments to them.

 

Cocoa and Merritt Island Roadwork Series

 

Folder 13       1915, 1916.  Estimates on paving Cocoa roads.  Notice To Bidders.

 

Folder 14       1917.  Cost of bridge and connecting roads on Merritt Island.  Also a letter from A.A. Buck suggesting using “shell from convenient shell

                      mounds” to resurface the marl roads.

 

Folder 15       1918-1920.  Includes 5 letters from Gus Edwards on the different routes across Merritt Island to New Found Harbor.

 

 

 

BOX 3

 

Melbourne-Indialantic Bridge Series

 

Folder  1       1917-1921.  Letters to obtain permits. Letters to companies and individuals interested in construction of bridge.

 

Folder  2       1917-1918. Correspondence between Rogers and Ernest Kouwen-Hoven.  Rogers agrees to do “all necessary engineering and superintendence

                     for 10% of the cost of the bridge.

 

Folder  3       1919-1921.  More Rogers and Kouwen-Hoven correspondence.

 

Folder  4       Invoices from Kouwen-Hoven’s company.

 

Folder  5       1919.  Letters between Rogers and W.J. Weir.  Includes Weir’s hand written progress reports.

 

Folder  6       Typed transcripts of Weir’s reports.

 

Folder  7       Advertisements for Indialantic-By-the-Sea.  Reprint of picture of the Melbourne Bridge.

 

Fort Pierce Public Works System Series

 

Folder  8       1911-1914. Water works and sewer systems.

 

Folder  9       1912-1913 Electric Light plant.

 

Folder 10       Typed outline of above correspondence done by Rogers’ granddaughters.  There is a brief description of the contents, grouped by correspondent.

Saint Johns Railroad Collection

 Saint Johns Railway

 Processed by:  Florence Chase Bragdon

 

 CALL NUMBER:

 RECORD GROUP NUMBER:  Records

 CREATOR:  Saint Johns Railway of Florida

 TITLE:  Records

 DATES:  1881-1884

 VOLUME:  1 document box

 MEDIUM:

 RESTRICTION ON ACCESS NOTE:  All documents are encapsulated.  Collection is in good condition.

 TERMS GOVERNING USE AND REPRODUCTION NOTE:  Any reproduction of this material must be approved by archivist.

 BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE:  The Saint Johns Railroad, consisting of only 15 miles, was charted on the last day of 1858.  The company’s prime owner was Dr. John Wescott, a New Jersey native.  The St. Johns Railroad ran from Tocoi Landing on the St. John’s River to New Augustine, a village near San Sebastian River.  The track was original built of wood and iron strap.

 In March of 1862 Union gun boats destroyed the railroad’s dock at Tocoi Landing, by burning the companies stock, ripping apart it’s steam locomotive and confiscating it’s new rails which were shipped to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

 By the late 1860’s the Saint Johns Railroad had scraped together enough money to resume operations, though the firm remained in a primitive state.  Around 1870, the railway was bought by William Astor of New York City.  The line was again rebuilt and in 1888 was purchased by Henry Flagler, and the track was converted to standard gauge.

 In early April of 1896 the railroad was finally abandoned.  The only tangible reminder of the Saint John’s Railroad existence is a St. Augustine Historical Society marker standing on Florida State Road 214.

 SUMMARY AND SCOPE NOTE:  The collection contains business correspondence between Richard McLaughlin, President and F. M. Clark, making Clark the Ticket Agent and later the Auditor.  Letter of interest include reference to “colored excursions”, pamphlets containing the Rule and Regulations, a Tourist’s Guide of Florida dated 1881-1882, receipts, tickets and coupons.  Business correspondence is dated from 1881-1884.

 

ORGANIZATION NOTE:  Chronological

 FINDING AID NOTE:  Business correspondence, receipts, tickets and coupons.

 ADDITIONAL PHYSCIAL FORM AVAILABLE:

 LOCATION OF ORIGINALS NOTE:

 LANGUAGE NOTE:  English

 PROVENANCE NOTE:  Unknown

Smith, Walt, Railroad Collections

GUIDE TO THE WALTER SMITH RAILROAD

COLLECTION

2.4 CUBIC FEET

 

PROCESSED 2006-2007

FINDING AIDE COMPLETED OCTOBER 2007 BY JIM CARTER

 


HISTORICAL NOTE

This collection consists primarily of documents relating to the Jacksonville Terminal Company and its owners: The Atlantic Coast Line, Florida East Coast Railway, Seaboard Air Line, Southern Railway and the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway. In 1916 the company began to acquire land for a modern and more impressive union station. The architect, Kenneth Murchison, designed a beaux-arts structure, which borrowed freely from New York City’s Pennsylvania Station. The multi-million dollar terminal opened on November 18, 1919. At its peak more than 100 trains arrived daily. By the late 1920’s the union station was the second largest employer in Jacksonville. However, dwindling passenger traffic caused the station to close in 1974 and the Jacksonville Terminal Company itself was liquidated in February 1978.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The Walter Smith Collection consists of seven boxes (2.4 cubic feet) of material. Additionally, there are some oversized records of the Jacksonville Terminal and the Erie Lackawanna Railroad that are filed separately in the map area. The bulk of the material was recovered from the abandoned general offices of the terminal company. Unfortunately, the offices were used as a shelter by trespassers who burned many files and allowed others to be destroyed by exposure to the elements. As a result the files are fragmented and incomplete.

Many of the documents concern the planning and construction of the new union station during the World War I period. Other records relate to the operations of the railroads that shared ownership of the terminal.

The collection contains correspondence, telegrams, blue prints, maps, photographs, catalogs, magazines and newspaper articles.

ORGANIZATION

The collection is organized by Railroad Company in chronological order. Some materials are of such a large size that they must be filed separately in the map area.

PROVENANCE

Mr. Walter Smith, a railroad historian and locomotive engineer, living in Melbourne, Florida, donated most of the collection to the Florida Historical Society.

RESTRICTIONS

Some records are extremely fragile due to age, poor quality paper, and exposure to the elements and smoke damage. A number of these materials have been placed in protective plastic covers and should be handled with care.

 

CONTENTS

BOXES AND FOLDERS

BOX ONE

JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL CO. RECORDS

Folder #1 – Copies of 1896 Ordinances concerning passenger terminals

Folder #2 - Planning for construction of new terminal 1914

Includes booklet RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS OF FLORIDA IN MATTER OF NEW PASSENGER STATION, January 1, 1915

Folder #3 – W. L. Morse, Chief Engineer, Correspondence, 1913-1915

Folder #4 – Chief Engineer vouchers for new station, 1914-1915

Folder #5 - Condition of old train shed, 1913

Folder #6 – Demolition of old train shed, 1917-1918

Folder #7 – Blue Print B, Lee Street Station, 1914

Folder #8 – Blue print C, Myrtle Street Station, 1914

Folder #9 – Blue print costs, 1916-1920

Folder #10 – Jacksonville Terminal locomotive photographs

Folder #11 – Terminal construction photographs and negatives, 1918

Folder #12 – Photos of the Jacksonville Terminal in the 1940’s.

Folder #12 – Photography costs, 1916 and 1920

Folder #13 – New Coach Yard and Passenger Station costs, 1916

Folder #14 - Passenger Yard track layout planning and costs, 1916-1917

Folder #15 – General information on coaling stations, 1916

Folder #16 – Requisitions for coaling station, 1918

Folder #18 – Disputed property boundaries with the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, 1922

 

 

 

BOX TWO

JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION

INTERLOCKING AND SIGNALING

Folder #1 – Cost Estimates for interlocking and signaling, 1913

Folder #2 – Estimates for interlocker heat, light and power.

Request for Signal Engineer, 1913 and 191 5

Folder #3 - Chief Engineer correspondence regarding interlocker, 1917

Folder #4 – Planning for Myrtle Avenue Tower, 1916-1917

Folder #5 – Enterprise Street Tower construction notes, 1918

Folder #6 – Loss of I beams for interlockers, 1918

Folder #7 – Interlocker construction progress notes, 1918-1920

Folder #8 – Specifications and bids for Lee Street Tower and Davis St., 1919-1920

Folder #9 – Interlocker progress reports, invoiced and vouches, 1918-1919

Folder #10 – Enterprise Street Interlocker: dispute over boxcar, 1918

Folder #11 – Interlocker construction problems, 1919

Folder # 12 – Bids for construction of Myrtle Avenue Interlocker, 1919

Folder # 13 – Building permits and specifications for Myrtle Avenue Interlocker, 1919

Folder #14 – Bills and vouchers for Myrtle Avenue Interlocker, 1919

Folder #15 – Additional air compressor for Myrtle Avenue Interlocker, 1919

Folder #16 – Analysis and testing of wires for interlockers, 1919

Folder #17 – Interlocker invoices and statements, 1918-1919

Folder #18 – Interlocker invoices and bills of lading, 1919

 

 

BOX THREE

JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION RECORDS

Folder #1 – Timber Requirements for passenger yard, switches and crossings, 1916

Folder #2 – Drainage, November 1916 to March 1917

Folder #3 – Drainage, March 1917 to October 1917

Folder #4 – Drainage, June 1918 to July 1919

Folder #5 – Drainage, August 1 to August 7, 1919

Folder #6 – Drainage, August 9 to August 25, 1919

Folder #7 – Drainage, October 1919 to March 1920

Folder #8 – Electrical power installations, 1917

Folder #9 – Electrical power installations, 1918

Folder #10 – Electrical Power installations, 1919

Folder #11 – Platforms and sheds, 1917 and 1919

Folder #12 – Structural steel requirements, 1917-1918

Folder #13 – Pipe and fittings requirements, 1917-1918

Folder #14 – Ornamental electrical fixtures, 1917-1919

Folder #15 – Ticket Office requirements, 1917-1919

Folder #16 – Terminal flooring, 1917-1918

Folder #17 – Skylights and steel sash, 1917 and 1920

Folder #18 – Brickwork, 1917-1919

BOX FOUR

JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION RECORDS

Folder #19 – Ornamental ironwork, 1917

Folder #20 – Deck ballast for Myrtle Street Bridge, 1918

Folder #21 – Pipe rail fences, 1920

Folder #22 – Brick smoke stack, 1921

Folder #23 – Miscellaneous material requirements, 1917-1919

Folder #24 – Marble, granite and stone for station, 1917-1919

Folder #25 – Doors, windows and lighting for Terminal, 1917-1920

Folder #26 – Track Shovel requirements, 1917

Folder #27 – Purchase of Gasoline Speeder for track gangs, 1918

Folder #28 – Rental of Florida East Coast steam locomotive, 1918

Folder #29 – Delay of passenger train by track workers, 1919

Folder #30 – Construction of station plaza, 1919

Folder #31 – Terminal paving, 1918-1919

Folder #32 – Terminal paving, 1919-1920

Folder #33 – Lee Street Viaduct, 1919

Folder #34 – Personal injury claims during construction, 1917

Folder #35 – Personal injury claims during construction, 1918

Folder #36 – Personal injury claims during construction, 1919

Folder #37 – Passenger personal injury claims, 1919

 

BOX FIVE

JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL VOUCHERS AND REQUISITIONS

Folder #1 – Chief Engineers vouchers, 1913

Folder #2 – Chief Engineers vouchers, 1914

Folder #3 – Instructions for issuing and authorizing requisitions, 1918-1919

Folder #4 – Requisitions for tools and equipment for terminal yards, 1917

Folder # 5 – Requisitions for tools and equipment for terminal yards. 1918-1919

Folder #6 – Office supply requisitions, 1917

Folder #7 – Office supply requisitions, 1918-1919

Folder #8 – Signal Department Vouchers, 1919

Folder #9 – Signal Department Vouchers, 1919-1920

Folder #10 – Job charge reports due to wartime inflation, April to August 1918

Folder #11 – Job charge reports due to wartime inflation, September to December 1918

Folder #12 – Job Charge requests due to increased costs, January to August 1919

 

BOX SIX

JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL RECORDS

Folder #1 – Beaver Street Viaduct, 1928

Folder #2 – Beaver Street Viaduct, construction bids, 1928

Folder #3 – Beaver Street Viaduct, 1928

Folder #4 – Beaver Street Viaduct, Personnel matters, 1928

Folder #5 – Paving of Beaver Street Viaduct, 1929-1930

Folder #6 – Introduction of Social Security, 1936 – 1938

Folder #7 – Proof copy of new first mortgage, new bond issue, operating and guaranty

Agreement, December 1, 1947

Includes a $1000 bond

Folder #8 – Personnel matters, 1953-1954

Folder #9 – Personnel matters, 1955

Folder #10 – Personnel matters, 1956

Folder #11 – Personnel matters, 1957

Folder #12 – Personnel matters, 1958

Folder #13 – Personnel matters, 1959

Folder #14 – Personnel matters, 1960

Folder #15 – Personnel matters, 1961

Folder # 16 – Personnel matters, 1962

Folder #17 – Personnel matters, 1963

Folder #18 – Trainmaster bulletins, 1957-1962

Folder #19 – Car movement by Florida East Coast Railway using Jacksonville Terminal

Tracks, September 1 –10, 1963

 

 

BOX SEVEN

 

FLORIDA EAST COAST AND OTHER RAILROADS

Folder #1 – Florida East Coast Railway Freight charges to the Key West Extension, 1915

Folder #2 – Florida East Coast Railway Local Freight Tariff Number 5, 1920

Folder #3 – Florida East Coast Injunction against Unions interfering with railway

Operations, 1922

Folder #4 – Florida East Coast Railway photos of the 1927-1935 era

Folder #5 – Florida East Coast Railway pickets photographs, undated

Folder #6 – Florida East Coast Railway various documents including train orders, 1965-

1969.

Folder #7 – Atlantic Coastline Railroad blue print of main line Jacksonville, 1916

Folder #8 – Atlantic Coastline Railroad blue print of proposed signal change, 1919

Folder #9 – Atlantic Coastline Railroad passenger files and records, 1953-1963

Folder #10 – Southern Railway general passenger and freight files, 1959-1963

Folder #11 – Florida railroad timetables from Official Guides, various dates

Taylor, A.M. Collection

A. M. Taylor Collection

     Processed by:
Bill Arbogast
 

(Note: This is a listing of the papers and other affects of A. M. Taylor that are in the collection of the Florida Historical Society. The first 13 items are contained in marked boxes. The items from 14 to 22 consist of bound books and other materials not appropriate for boxes; they are shelved individually with the collection. Researchers are advised that the categories listed are not mutually exclusive, and some materials may overlap categories.

 

Biographical Note

 

Abram Morris Taylor was born September 1, 1862, in Morris County, New Jersey, the son of Mr. And Mrs. George William Taylor. He was a graduate of the College of the City of New York and was apparently an actor for a brief period in New York City. He began visiting St. Augustine, Florida, in 1884 and he settled permanently there in 1889. He was married to Lorena Florence Tugby who died in 1932. Their only child, Edith Everett Taylor, was married to Verle A. Pope.

 

Taylor’s early career was with Henry Flagler’s hotel system, notably as manager of the Casino at the Hotel Alcazar. He also managed and was a co-owner of the Jefferson Theatre in St. Augustine and was active in a number of civic and service organizations. He served as an official delegate to a number of national and international commemorative events, and he was President of the Peoples Bank of Savings of St. Augustine.

 

In 1910 Taylor campaigned for appointment as the Collector of Customs for the Port of St. Augustine. During World War I he was appointed Fuel Administrator for St. Johns County. He ran unsuccessfully for the Florida State Senate in 1916 and 1920; he was elected to the senate in 1924 and re-elected in 1928 and 1932. In his later years Taylor was a Commissioner of the Florida Inland Navigation District, and he played a role in the development of the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida.

 

Taylor died May 20, 1942.

 

With few exceptions, all public references to Taylor use only his initials, not his given names.

 

 

Box 1, Personal Life and Ventures

 

 

 

General Description: This box contains materials related to Taylor’s personal and family life, and independent business ventures not related to the major themes of his work for Henry Flagler’s hotel system, his political life, the Florida Inland Navigation District, and his various civic and fraternal volunteer efforts.

 

 

Folder 1-1, Family Information

 

            Materials related to the personal family matters of Taylor, his wife Florence, his daughter Edith, and Edith’s husband, Verle Pope. Includes news clippings, obituaries, and correspondence.

 

Folder 1-2, Real Estate – St. George Street Property  (1910-1934)

 

            Materials related to the purchase of a lot on West St. George Street in St. Augustine, and the subsequent development of the property into residential and retail space. Includes warranty deeds, mortgages, insurance policies, abstract of title, architectural specifications, and news clippings.

 

Folder 1-3 (Copies of materials in Folder 1-2)

 

Folder 1-4,  Real Estate – Various Properties (1927-1942)

 

            Materials related to several properties, including a beach house at St. Augustine Beach, and apparently investment properties of the Aiken Park Corporation, Davis Shores sub-division, Wildwood Park, and other properties not otherwise identified.  Includes warranty deed, insurance policies, news clippings, and correspondence.

 

Folder 1-5 (Copies of materials in Folder 1-4)

 

Folder 1-6, Real Estate – Various Properties (1919-1939)

 

            Materials related to several investment properties at the Bulow Grant, Seminole Grove, Tropical Park. Clarendon Springs Water Co., and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Includes tax assessments, sales certificate, mortgage assignment, warranty deed, and correspondence.

 

Folder 1-7 (Copies of materials in Folder 1-6)

 

 

 

 

Folder 1-8, Jefferson Theatre/Realty and Theatre Company  (1907-1911)

 

            Materials related to Taylor’s involvement with the Realty and Theatre Company, also known as the Jefferson Theatre. Much of the material is related to a law suit/criminal charge against Taylor for the embezzlement of funds from the company – a charge for which he was eventually exonerated. Includes news clippings, sales records, correspondence with architects, architectural drawings and blue prints, bylaws of the company, and an open letter from Taylor regarding the accusations against him.

 

Folder 1-9 (Copies of materials in Folder 1-8)

 

Folder 1-10, People’s Bank for Savings, St. Augustine (1929-1938)

 

            News clippings, correspondence and reports related to Taylor’s presidency of the bank, and the bank’s reorganization in 1938.

 

Folder 1-11 (Copies of materials in Folder 1-10)

 

 

 

Box 2, Working for Flagler’s Florida Hotels

 

 

General Description. This box contains materials related to Taylor’s work for Henry Flagler’s hotels and other entertainment venues in St. Augustine. Materials include correspondence, programs, handwritten notes, tickets, financial records and receipts, temporary payroll records, and news clippings.

 

 

Index

 

This is a record book marked “Index” with alphabet tags marking individual pages. Taylor used this as an address book, presumably while working for Flagler’s hotels. The addresses are mostly for persons located in East Coast and major Mid-West cities, but they also include some local (St. Augustine) persons. Notable among the persons listed are Henry Flagler and George Pullman.

 

Folder 2-1, Happenings at the Hotels (1896-1927)

 

            Programs, announcements, admission tickets, and dance cards for events at the Casino, Alcazar, Poinciana, Breakers and Cordova.

 

Folder 2-2, Happenings at Various St. Augustine Venues  (1894-1929)

 

            Announcements, tickets, programs, schedules, etc., related to activities and events at the Casino, Cordova Hotel, Alligator Farm, Florida East Coast Golf Club, and some unidentified venues. Some have handwritten notes (presumably Taylor’s) on the backs.

 

Folder 2-3, Handwritten Notes (1895-1930)

 

            Handwritten notes (a few typed) related to employment requirements for events, payrolls, and other expenses, and correspondence related to those matters. Some appear to be informal records of hotel guests (reservations, etc.).

 

Folder 2-4, Receipts for Supplies and Services, St. Augustine Hotels (1900-1929)

 

            Receipts for supplies and services at the Casino, Alcazar and Ponce de Leon. Includes City, County, State and IRS Tax Stamps for bowling alleys at the Casino and Alcazar.

 

Folder 2-5, Performers at the Casino (1906-1909)

 

            Correspondence and promotional materials regarding performers requesting or being considered for bookings at the Casino and Alcazar.

 

Folder 2-6, Programs at the Casino (1895-1903)

 

            Newsclips and programs regarding events at the Casino.

 

Folder 2-7, The Casino and Alcazar News Notes (1900-1906)

 

            Newsclips, mostly of a social nature, regarding events at the Casino, Alcazar and Ponce de Leon Hotels.

 

Folder 2-8, Invoices for All Florida East Coast Hotels (1901-1917)

 

            Invoices and bills for goods and services at various Florida East Coast Hotels, including those at Nassau. .  Includes invoices for produce, lumber, cigars, alcohol, travel, furnishings, etc., and some payroll expenses for employees at the Hotel Colonial Golf Course.

 

Folder 2-9, Contracts and Programs, Casino (1900-1910)

 

            Programs and contracts for entertainment at the Casino. Includes printed and handwritten materials, most undated.

 

Folder 2-10, Distinguished Guests at the Casino (1902)

 

            Newsclips related to distinguished guests at the Casino. Includes reports of a visit by Admiral Dewey.

 

Folder 2-11, Handwritten Correspondence (1898-1911)

 

            Handwritten correspondence concerning indebtedness, maintenance needs at the St. Augustine Tennis and Golf Club, and applications for employment at the Casino.

 

Folder 2-12, Newsclips of Happenings at the Casino (1902)

 

            News clippings of happenings at the Casino, mostly reports of events with some including extensive guest lists.

 

Folder 2-13, Activities at the Ponce de Leon (1902-1934)

 

            Programs of activities and events, menus, news clippings, etc., related to the Ponce de Leon Hotel. Includes a report of a speech by Taylor on January 5, 1901).

 

Folder 2-14

 

            Copies of materials in Folder 2-13

 

Folder 2-15, Entertainments at the Casino (1900-1908)

 

            Programs, descriptions of entertainment acts, correspondence, contracts for appearances, etc., at the Casino.

 

Folder 2-16, Travel Opportunities related to Flagler’s Hotels (1908-1909)

 

            Schedules and news clippings for the Florida East Coast Railway, news clippings re travel to the Royal Palm Hotel, notices for automobile tours, etc. Includes a news clipping re, “Cuba by Rail.”

 

 

            .

 

Box 3, Civic Organizations and Public Service

 

 

 

General Description. This box contains materials related to Taylor’s involvement with civic organizations and his various other public service activities. It includes materials concerning the Elks Club, the Masonic Order, the St. Augustine Yacht Club, and several other service organizations. Also included are materials related to St. Augustine Birthday celebrations, Taylor’s participation in the Florida exhibit at the 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair, and the Florida delegation to Avilles, Spain, for the dedication of a new tomb for Pedro Menendez, the founder of St. Augustine.

 

Folder 3-1, St. Augustine Birthdays and Ponce de Leon Celebrations (1907-1931)

 

            Includes news clippings, programs, correspondence, and photographs related to the celebration of the founding of St. Augustine by Pedro Menendez and the landing of Ponce de Leon at St. Augustine. Also includes materials related to the visit of a Florida delegation to Avilles, Spain, for the dedication of a new tomb for the remains of Pedro Menendez.

 

Folder 3-2 (Copies of materials in Folder 3-1)

 

Folder 3-3, Public Service: Colorado Historical Society and the Battleship Florida Silver Service (1910-1943)

 

            Correspondence related to Taylor’s service on the Florida Historical Society Board, and the donation of his papers to the society. Correspondence, programs, newsclips, etc., concerning the purchase of a Silver Service for the Battleship Florida.

 

Folder 3-4, Civic and Service Organizations (1902-1939)

 

            Materials related to Taylor’s participation in the Elks, Shriners, Boy Scouts, YMCA, Rotary, Exchange Club, and Business Men’s League, mostly news clippings.

 

Folder 3-5 (Copies of materials in Folder 3-3)

 

Folder 3-6, St. Augustine Yacht Club (1907-1940)

 

            Correspondence, programs and news clippings related to the St. Augustine Yacht Club and Taylor’s participation in the club. Includes originals and copies.

 

Folder 3-7, Dedication of the Tomb of Pedro Menendez, Avilles, Spain (1924).

 

            News clippings and photographs related to the Florida delegation to Avilles, Spain, for the dedication of a new tomb for Pedro Menendez.

 

Folder 3-8 (Copies of materials in Folder 3-7)

 

Folder 3-9, Spanish Language Accounts of the Florida Delegation to the Menendez Tomb Dedication (1924)

 

            Spanish language news clippings and a program related to the dedication of a new tomb for Pedro Menendez in Avilles, Spain.

 

Folder 3-10, Century of Progress/Chicago World’s Fair (1931-1934)

 

            Correspondence and other materials related to Taylor’s role in the Florida exhibit at the World’s Fair. Includes his official badge for the Fair.

 

Folder 3-11, World’s Fair Scrapbook (1933)

 

            Pages from a scrapbook of the Florida exhibit at the World’s Fair prepared for Senator Taylor. Consists primarily of photographs.

 

Folder 3-12, World’s Fair Scrapbook (cont.) (1933)

 

            More pages from the scrapbook described for Folder 3-11.

 

 

Box 4, Political Life

 

General Description: This box contains materials related to Taylor’s early ventures into elected politics, his campaign for appointment as Collector of Customs for the Port of St. Augustine, his service as World War I Fuel Administrator for St. John’s County, and his campaigns for the State Senate beginning in 1916. The folder also contains materials regarding Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential campaigns of 1936 and 1940, and requests for support from other political candidates and causes. There are some materials related to specific issues such as the duties and qualifications of state officers, and a State Senate controversy over the appointment of a County Solicitor.

 

Folder 4-1, Collector of Customs, (1910)

 

            Correspondence and other materials related to Taylor’s campaign for appointment as Collector of Customs for the Port of St. Augustine. The bulk consists of letters to President Taft recommending Taylor for the position.

 

Folder 4-2 (Copies of 4-1)

 

Folder 4-3, Fuel Administrator, St. John’s County (1917-1919)

 

            Correspondence, news clippings, reports, regulations and Federal Certificate of Appointment related to Taylor’s service as Fuel Administrator.

 

Folder 4-4 (Copies of 4-3)

 

Folder 4-5, Campaign for State Senate, 1916

 

            Campaign materials, correspondence, etc., related to Taylor’s unsuccessful campaign in 1916 for the State Senate.

Folder 4-6 (Copies of 4-5)

 

Folder 4-7, Political Campaign for State Senate, 1920

 

            Campaign materials, correspondence, and news clippings related to Taylor’s 1920 campaign for the State Senate.

 

Folder 4-8, Political Campaigns of 1924, 1928 and 1932.

 

            News clippings and correspondence related to Taylor’s 1924, 1928 and 1932 political campaigns.


 

Folder 4-9, Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 and 1940.

 

            News clippings, correspondence and campaign materials related to the presidential campaigns of Franklin Roosevelt. Includes a “Roosevelt for President” button.

 

Folder 4-10, Political Campaign Materials, Various Candidates (1929-1932)

 

            News clippings and other materials related to campaign activities of candidates for local and national offices other than Taylor.

 

Folder 4-11, Candidates Seeking Support (1910-1940)

 

            Correspondence from various candidates seeking Taylor’s support.

 

Folder 4-12, Duties, Qualifications and Compensation for State Offices (1925-1931)

 

            Correspondence and legislation regarding the duties, qualifications and compensation for various state offices, including the reorganization of the judicial system and creation of a Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

 

Folder 4-13, Case of Senator Whitaker and County Solicitor Givens (1929)

 

            News clippings, correspondence and other materials related Senator Pat Whitaker’s refusal to confirm the appointment of Morris Givens as county Solicitor for Hillsborough County.

 

Folder 4-14, Petitions for Support of Various Causes (1925-1939)

 

            Correspondence and other materials related to requests for Taylor’s support of legislation and various political causes. Topics include compensation for a wrongly convicted “negro” (sic), jury service for women, and Everglades National Park, among others.

 

Folder 4-15, Miscellaneous Materials regarding the State Senate (1925-1940)

 

            News clippings, correspondence, lists of candidates, resolutions, letters of introduction, Senate roll call information, etc., on subjects not covered by other folders in the Political Life category.


 

 

Box 5, Political Life (cont.)

 

General Description: This box contains materials related to Senate activities organized by subject, including forestry, agriculture, gambling, horse racing, hunting, fishing, transportation, public education, health, welfare, military affairs, and taxation.

 

Folder 1, Florida Forestry and Agriculture (1927-1932)

 

            Correspondence, reports, legislation, news clippings, pamphlets and photographs related to forestry, the Florida Forest Service, the Southern Forestry Congress, agriculture, fire prevention, and related subjects.

 

Folder 5-2 (copies of 5-1).

 

Folder 5-3, Gambling and Horse Racing (1929-1931)

 

            News clippings, correspondence, legislation, etc., concerning gambling, the establishment of pari-mutuel betting and a State Racing Commission, Sunday baseball, and related topics.

 

Folder 5-4, Hunting and Fishing (1925-1929)

 

            Correspondence, petitions, legislation, etc., concerning hunting, fishing, trapping, licensing, taxes on ammunition, and related topics.

 

Folder 5-5, Roads, Bridges and Transportation (1929-1931)

 

            News clippings, correspondence, legislation and pamphlets concerning roads, bridges, tolls, motor vehicle and gasoline taxes, and other transportation matters.

 

Folder 5-6, Public Education, Health and Welfare (1925-1931)

 

            Legislation, correspondence, reports, pamphlets, etc., concerning education, health, workman’s compensation, libraries, the Florida Historical Society, State Colleges and Universities, juvenile courts, medical practice, causes of mortality, and the regulation of marriage, barbering, cosmetology and hair dressing.

 

Folder 5-7, Florida Military Department (1923-1930)

 

            Legislation, correspondence and new clippings concerning Florida military affairs, appointment of officers, regulation of military units, and related topics.

 


 

Folder 5-8, Taxes (1929-1931)

 

            Legislation, correspondence, news clippings, reports, etc., related to general taxes, property taxes, amusement taxes, sales tax, etc., other than taxes related to those topics covered by other headings listed above.

 

 

Boxes 6-13, Florida Inland Navigation District

 

General Description. Boxes 6 though 13 contain materials related to Taylor’s activities as a Commissioner of the Florida Inland Navigation District. The Commission was established to coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the Atlantic Intercostal Waterway through Florida. Materials in these boxes are, for the most part, arranged chronologically . However, some materials are arranged by subject matter and span time periods other than those of other materials in the same box. Researchers are advised to keep that in mind as they search for materials on a particular topic.

 

Box 6, Florida Waterways, 1895-1939

 

This box contains materials related to Florida Waterways but not specifically connected to the Florida Inland Navigation District.

 

Folder 6-1, Various Materials re Florida Waterways and Canals (1895-1932)

 

            Pamphlets, announcements, maps, Congressional hearings, reports, etc., concerning various aspects of Florida waterways., including the Across Florida Canal, the Florida Canal and Transportation Co., the Florida State Canal Commission, the Atlantic-Mississippi Barge Canal, the Everglades Drainage Commission, the Florida East Coast Canal Commission, and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

 

Folder 6-2 (Copies of materials in Folder 6-1)

 

Folder 6-3, Florida Canal Commission/East Coast Canal Commission (1926-1928)

 

            Correspondence, reports, telegrams, etc., re the Florida State Canal Commission, the East Coast Canal Commission, and the Florida Canal and Transportation Co.

 

Folder 6-4 (Copies of Folder 6-3)

 

Folder 6-5, Waterway Conventions and Openings (1927-1937)

 

            Announcements, pamphlets, reports, correspondence, etc., re the Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association, the Caloosahatchee-Okeechobee Cross State Waterway, the Florida Waterway Congress, and the opening of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

 

Folder 6-6 (Copies of Folder 6-5)

 

Folder 6-7, U.S. Congressional Hearings and Legislation (1914-1939)

 

            Federal hearings and legislation concerning Florida waterways.

 

 

Box 7. Florida Inland Navigation District (1927-1928)

 

General Description. This box contains material related to the activities of the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) from its creation in 1927 through 1928.

 

Folder 7-1, Legislation Creating the Florida Inland Navigation District (1927)

 

            Legislative bills, acts, amendments, and associated correspondence related to the FIND. Some documents contain brief, handwritten notes.

 

Folder 7-2 (Copies of Folder 7-1)

 

Folder 7-3, Correspondence of the FIND  (1927)

 

            Letters, telegrams, reports, minutes of meetings, etc., related to the activities of the FIND. Includes discussions of the organization, duties and finances, and a detailed report on the appraisal of Florida east Coast Canal properties to be acquired by the FIND.

 

Folder 7-4 (Copies of Folder 7-3)

 

Folder 7-5, Correspondence of the FIND (1928)

 

            Letters, telegrams, financial statements, reports, etc., of the FIND. Includes materials related to the in the right-of-way (ROW) for the Intracoastal Waterway, an agreement between the FIND and the Florida Canal and Transportation Co., descriptions of rights-of-way to be acquired, a discussion of objections to the purchase of ROW by Robert Ransom, etc.  Some materials have handwritten notes on them.

 

Folder 7-6 (Copies of Folder 7-5)

 

Folder 7-7, Newsclips related to FIND (1928)

 

 

            News clips covering FIND matters. Includes originals and copies.

 


 

 

Box 8, Florida Inland Navigation District, 1928-1932

 

General Description: Materials related to FIND activities for the years 1928-1932. Includes correspondence, reports, financial statements, and discussions re the disposal of spoils materials from the dredging for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

 

Folder 8-1, Correspondence of the FIND (1929-1930)

 

            Letters, telegrams, reports, press releases, financial statements, etc. Includes materials re bonds, rights-of-way, notices of publication, the Palm Valley Bridge (numerous items), deposit of spoil material, tax assessments, financial conditions, etc.

 

Folder 8-2 (Copies of Folder 8-1)

 

Folder 8-3, Correspondence of the FIND (1931-1932)

 

            Letters, reports, minutes of meetings, etc., related to right-of-way procurement, taxing districts, spoils material disposal, condition of the Intracoastal Waterway, qualifications for FIND commissioners, etc.

 

Folder 8-4 (Copies of Folder 8-3)

 

Folder 8-5, Minutes of the FIND (1930)

 

            Minutes of the FIND Board of Commissioners. Includes originals and copies.

 

Folder 8-6, Grants for the Disposal of Dredged Materials (1930)

 

            Grants from property owners Wilfred Besnick. Jno. H. Pitts, Southern Real Estate Corp., and Robt. E. Suggs.

 

Folder 8-7 (Copies of folder 8-6)

 

Folder 8-8, FIND Newsclips (1929-1931)

 

            Originals and copies of news clippings.

 

Folder  8-9, FIND Financial Statements (1930-1932)

 

            Statements of Condition, Receipts and Disbursements, etc. Includes originals and copies.


 

 

Box 9, Florida Inland Navigation District, 1932-1933

 

General Description:  Materials related to FIND activities in 1932 and 1933. Includes a lengthy report on an investigation of alleged improprieties in the Office of the Chief Engineer for the Intracoastal Waterway.

 

Folder 9-1, Correspondence of the FIND (1932)

 

            Correspondence, newsclips, reports, invitations for bids, etc., related to FIND activities. Includes references to the Palm Valley Bridge, spoils disposal, rights-of-way, delinquent tax certificates, and expense accounts.

 

Folder 9-2 (Copies of Folder 9-1)

 

Folder 9-3, Correspondence of the FIND (1933)

 

            Correspondence and reports related to FIND activities. Includes references to spoils disposal, finances, and proposed levees along the right-of-way.

 

Folder 9-4 (Copies of Folder 9-3)

 

Folder 9-5, FIND, Minutes of Board of Commissioners Meetings (1932)

 

            Published minutes of the meetings of the FIND Board of Commissioners.

 

Folder 9-6 (Copies of Folder 9-5)

 

Folder 9-7, FIND, Minutes of the Board of Commissioners Meetings (1933)

 

            Published minutes of the meetings of the FIND Board of Commissioners.

 

Folder 9-8 (Copies of Folder 9-7)

 

Folder 9-9. Investigation of Engineering Costs and Operations (1932-1933)

 

            Correspondence and reports related to alleged improprieties in the Office of the Chief Engineer. Includes discussion of the services of Resident Engineers George A. Graham and J.B. High in Volusia County.

 

Folder 9-10 (Copies of Folder 9-9)

 


 

Box 10, Florida Inland Navigation District, 1933-1939

 

General Description: This box contains materials of FIND activities from 1934 to 1939. Most correspondence and reports are from the year 1934, but financial reports cover the period from 1933-1939 and news clippings cover the period from 1934-1939.

 

Folder 10-1, Financial Reports of the FIND (1933-1939)

 

            Reports on FIND finances, including Financial Reports, Statements of Receipts and Disbursements, Reports of Audit, and Treasurer’s Reports.

 

Folder 10-2 (Copies of Folder 10-1)

 

Folder 10-3, Minutes of the Board of Commissioners, FIND (1934)

 

            Published minutes of the meetings of the FIND Board of Commissioners. Originals and copies.

 

Folder 10-4, Correspondence of the FIND (1934)

 

            Correspondence, reports, etc., related to dikes, spoils areas, minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee, damages caused by dredging operations, tax liens, and rights-of-way surveys.

 

Folder 10-5 (Copies of Folder 10-4)

 

Folder 10-6, FIND Newsclips (1934-1939)

 

            News clippings related to FIND activities. Originals and copies.

 

 

Box 11, Florida Inland Navigation District, 1935-1941

 

General Description: Correspondence and reports for the FIND for the years 1935-1941. Correspondence and reports are for the years 1935 to 1939. Financial reports cover the years from 1935 to 1941.

 

Folder 11-1, Correspondence of the FIND (1935)

 

            Correspondence, telegrams, etc., related to meetings, proposed legislation, notices of hearings, procurements, payments of claims for damages, and other activities.

 

Folder 11-2 (Copies of Folder 11-1)


 

Folder 11-3, Correspondence of the FIND (1936-1937)

 

            Correspondence, etc., related to meetings, elections, tax assessments, spoils areas, condition of the Intracoastal Waterway, and other activities.

 

Folder 11-4 (Copies of Folder 11-3)

 

Folder 11-5, FIND Financial Vouchers (1935-1941)

 

            Vouchers/Statements of Accounts for expenses reimbursed to Taylor for FIND business.

 

Folder 11-6 (Copies of Folder 11-5)

 

Folder 11-7,  Minutes of the Board of Commissioners, FIND (1935-1939)

 

            Published minutes of meetings of the FIND Board of Commissioners.

 

Folder 11-8 (Copies of Folder 11-7)

 

Folder 11-9, Correspondence of the FIND (1938)

 

            Correspondence, certificates of appointment, reports on legislation, elections, conditions of the Intracoastal Waterway, inspection trips, and other activities.

 

 

Box 12, Florida Inland Navigation District, 1939

 

General Description: This box contains materials of the FIND primarily dealing with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

 

Folder 12-1, Correspondence of the FIND (1939)

 

            Correspondence, reports, telegrams, etc., concerning FIND meetings, applications for permits, notices of public hearings, the St. John’s River Improvement Association, and proposed legislation.

 

Folder 12-2 (Copies of Folder 12-1)

 

Folder 12-3, Reports on the Condition of the Intracoastal Waterway (1939)

 

            Reports on the waterway from Fernandina to Key West, by the U.S. Engineer Office.

 

Folder 12-4 (Copies of Folder 12-3)

Box 13, Florida Inland Navigation Commission, 1940-1942

 

General Description: Materials related primarily to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and the Okeechobee Cross Florida Waterway.

 

Folder 13-1, Correspondence of the FIND (1940)

 

            Correspondence, reports, etc., regarding meetings, notice of public hearings, elections,a proposal to connect the St. John’s River with the Indian River, and other FIND activities. Originals and copies.

 

Folder 13-2, Reports on the Condition of the Intracoastal Waterway (1940)

 

            Reports on the waterway from Fernandina to Key West by the U.S. Engineer Office.

 

Folder 13-3, Minutes of the Board of Commissioners, FIND (1940)

 

            Published minutes of meetings of the Commissioners of the FIND. Originals and copies.

 

Folder 13-4, The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (1940)

 

            A booklet on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Includes maps.

 

Folder 13-5 (Copy of Folder 13-4)

 

Folder 13-6 Reports on the Condition of the Intracoastal Waterway (1941)

 

            Reports on the condition of the Intracoastal Waterway from Fernandina to Key West, and the Okeechobee Cross-Florida Waterway by the U.S Engineer Office, and a report of the Florida Waterway Congress. Originals and copies.

 

Folder 13-7, Correspondence of the FIND (1942)

 

            Correspondence, reports and an Invitation to Bid, regarding activities of the FIND.

 

 

Item 14, Record Book, St. Augustine Store, 1889-1905

 

This item is a cloth-bound account book, 11.5” x 7”. It appears to be a record of expenses of a store in St. Augustine that is associated with Taylor’s wife, Florence (Tugby) Taylor. There are several references in the book to a Thomas Tugby and a William Tugby.  Listed expense items include insurance payments and taxes for the “Tremont House’ (possibly a hotel), numerous entries for individuals and firms in New York, Hecht Brothers, and other individuals and firms that appear to be related to jewelry and/or fine arts concerns.

 

 

Item 15, Ledger Book, “P de L 1907”

 

This is a small (7.5” x 4.5” ledger book with a pencil notation “P de L 1907” on the front cover. There are only eight pages with entries, consisting of personal names and institutions with accompanying sums (possibly dollars and cents) ranging from 1 – 1250. This appears to be a listing of expenses and/or receipts.  One entry in the amount of 980.90 is identified as “Voting Contest.”  A folded-in item, a blank western Union Telegraph message form has the notation, “Voting Contest – Headquarter’s P. d L.” and “Jefferson Theatre.” Some entries appear to be for supplies: e.g., Garcia y Vega, Star Clothing Co. and St. Augustine Ice Co.

 

 

Item 16, Register, 1888, The Alcazar

 

This item is a large (16” x 11.5”), leather and cloth bound volume with “Register, 1888, The Alcazar” embossed on the spine.  It is a register of guests at the Alcazar Hotel from Nov. 24, 1892, to Nov. 5, 1895.  Some entries indicate guests staying at the Cordova Hotel. Some of the registered guests include Henry Flagler, H.B. Plant, Mrs. Samuel Colt (Hartford, Conn.), and W.J. Otis (Chicago).  The daily entries in the register are annotated with the local temperature reading taken at noon, 6 pm, and midnight.

 

Following the final entry for the Alcazar Hotel, the register is used for a listing of patrons at the St. Augustine Casino Turkish and Russian Baths. Entries include the rooms used by patrons and a notation of the fees paid. Bath entries begin with the date of Jan. 20, 1898 and end on Apr. 8, 1899. Mrs. A.M. Taylor is listed as a frequent visitor.

 

The last few pages of the book are used to list the number of bath and face towels sent to and received from the laundry, from Jan. 1911 to Mar. 1911.

 

 

Item 17, Scrapbook, “Political Chips,” 1928

 

This item is a small scrapbook of news clippings, mainly dealing with the Florida gubernatorial campaign of 1928. One of the candidates was Sen. John S. Taylor of Largo, no apparent relation of A.M. Taylor. Clippings are from the Tampa Tribune, Jacksonville Journal, Orlando Reporter Star, Miami Herald, Pensacola Journal, West Palm Beach Independent, and Florida State News (Tallahassee).  Items are in reverse chronological order, beginning on June 11, 1928, and ending February 29, 1928. One item is erroneously dated 1925.

 

The scrapbook pages are attached to the cover/binder with string. The final 26 pages have become loose and are now contained in an envelope inserted at the back of the book.

 

 

Item 18, Receipts and Disbursements, Osceola Club of St. Augustine, (1899-1925)

 

This is a large (19.5” x 10.5”) leather and cloth-bound book with the title embossed on the spine. A single smaller sheet titled, “Certificate of Indebtedness issued Feb. 1st, 1901, as follows.” is pasted on the inside of the front cover.

 

The first regular entry is dated Dec. 5, 1899. Receipt entries appear to be the names of club members, with amounts received for the following defined categories: Dues, Fees, Rent, Bar, Pool and Billiards, and Total. Disbursement entries are to individuals and enterprises in the following defined categories: Bar, Cigars and Tobacco, Bar Fixtures, Pool and Billiards, Rent, Gas and Fuel, Periodicals and Stationery, House Furnishings, Help, License and Insurance, Water, and Total. The final entry is dated April 15, 1925. Handwriting styles suggest three successive individuals made entries.

 

 

Item 19, Metal Box, “St. Augustine Yacht Club, J.W. (DeMint?), Secretary”

 

This is a small (11”x 5” x 3.75”) metal box with the above title handwritten on an affixed label. A more recent, typed label bears the wording, “Records, St. Augustine Yacht Club, A.M. Taylor Collection.”  The box contains the following items:

 

  1. Ledger. A leather bound, 6.75” x 4”, booklet with the first inside page inscribed, “St. Augustine Yacht Club Record of proceedings of the House and Executive Committee, 1905.” It contains 11 pages of entries related to the minutes of meetings, records of expenses, and other notations. The last entry is dated April 10, 1907.
  2. Unmarked manila envelope, 10” x 4”, with “vouchers for State and County Taxes from 1877 to 1881, inclusive.”
  3. Unmarked manila invelope,10” x 4”, bound with a glued paper strip annotated as “Leases: (1) “Wm. J. Watkins, Mayor, to Bartolo Genovar, Esq.”, (2)T. (?). A. Pacetti, Mayor, to B. Genovar, Esq,” and (3) “Ass,t of above to A.E. Douglass et al., Trustees, St. Augustine Yacht Club.”
  4. Manila envelope (10” x 4”) with handwritten notation, “Trustee papers…”  It contains a slightly smaller envelope with a Fire Insurance Policy for $2000.oo (Policy #3801820) written by the Phoenix Assurance Co. of London, 22 March 1892.
  5. Unmarked manila envelope (10” x 4”) containing various recorded transactions regarding Yacht Club property, 1871 – 1888. It includes a copy of the Club charter dated 1888.
  6. Unmarked manila envelope (10” x 4”) with insurance policies from the Hartford Fire Insurance Co., 1883-1886.
  7. Unmarked manila envelope (10” x 4”) containing an agreement between B. Genovar and the Yacht Club for lease of property, 20 Mar. 1876.
  8. Small (4.25” x 5.75”) hardbound booklet, “List of Members and Yachts, St. Augustine Yacht Club, Season of 1906-7.”
  9. Same as h. for Season of 1911-12.

 

 

20. Checkbook, St. Augustine Yacht Club, 1911-1924.

 

This is a leather and cloth-bound book, 8.5” x 11.25”, with, “Receipts, St. Aug. Y.C.” embossed on the spine. The title stated above is labeled on the outside of the front cover.

 

The item is not a checkbook, but rather a receipt book with tear-out receipts, and retained and annotated  stubs. Entries are for payments of dues from Jan. 1911 to Aug. 21, 1924. Entries appear to be in three distinct handwritings for 1911-1916, 1916 and 1917, and 1917-1924. Dues appear to have been assessed at different rates (different categories of membership?) in amounts from $5 to $22.

 

 

Item 21, Record Book (Treasurer), St. Augustine Yacht Club, 1894 – 1917.

 

This is a leather and cloth-bound book, 15.5” x 6.5”, labeled as above on the front cover. The spine is embossed “Cash.”

 

The left pages in the book appear to receipts/income amounts. The right pages appear to be expenditures/operating expenses. The first entries begin on page 2, are dated from Dec.25, 1894, and are headed with the notation, “W.W. Dewhurst, Treasurer. There is a change in handwriting styles beginning on May 1, 1916. The last regular entry (p 119) is dated Jan 18, 1918.  There are three subsequent stray entries: Club Flags *p 160, Yacht Launch (p 187), and Yachts (p 191).

 

 

Item 22, Membership Book, St. Augustine Yacht Club, 1875 – 1884.

 

This is a cloth bound book, 15.75”x 10.75”, labeled as above on the outside front cover. Entries begin on Mar. 21, 1874, with the “Original Organization” meeting of the Club. Subsequent entries include listings of officers, members, and resignations. Some pages are severely water stained and are barely legible. There are a few inserted loose pages from the 1920s.

 

 

Item 23, Minute Book, St. Augustine Yacht Club, Dec. 1894 – Feb 1926.

 

This is a leather and cloth-bound book, 14” x 8.5”, labeled as above on the outside front cover. It includes an inserted, handwritten loose sheet of a handwritten list of books – possibly a list of books in the Club library. Regular entries begin on p 3 and are primarily minutes of the Annual Meetings of the Club; but some special meetings, committee meetings, and reports are also included.  Minutes are handwritten until Jan 3, 1917, then are typed or mimeographed. Of note are a Jan 25, 1895, note of the total destruction of the Clubhouse in the storm of Sep 25, 1894; the announcement of the death of H. M. Flagler on Mar. 4, 1914; and the election of A.M. Taylor to the position of Commodore on Feb 11, 1920.

 

AttachmentSize
File A_M_TaylorFindingAid.rtf97.81 KB

White, Pleasant Woodson Collection 1848-1890

Pleasant Woodson White Collection

Processed by:  Florence Chase Bragdon

 

CALL NUMBER:

RECORD GROUP NUMBER: Records

CREATOR: Pleasant Woodson White

TITLE: Records

DATES: 1819-1865

VOLUME: 6 document boxes

MEDIUM:

RESTRICTION ON ACCESS NOTE: All documents are encapsulated. Collection is in good condition.

TERMS GOVERNING USE AND REPRODUCTION NOTE: Any reproduction of this material must be approved by archivist.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE: Pleasant Woodson White was born in 1820, the son of a Methodist minister. He studied and graduated from Emory College in 1848 and began practicing law in Quincy, Florida.

In 1849 White married Joseph Leonard Smallwood’s niece, Emily, also purchasing Smallwood’s home in Quincy, Florida, which is located at West King Street and Madison Street (SR65) in Gadsden County.

White was commissioned a Major in the Confederate Army in 1861 and as Chief Commissary Officer for Florida commanded the depot at Quincy.

White became active in politics and served as Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit from 1869-1879. He also served as Commissioner of Lands and Immigration from 1881-1885.

White died in 1919. The White House in Quincy, Florida is marked with a Florida Historical Marker.

SUMMARY AND SCOPE NOTE: The collection contains over three hundred letters of personal and military correspondence between Pleasant White and his family and various military personnel through out the Confederate Army. Also document box 6 contains a set of press books by White.

ORGANIZATION NOTE: Chronological

FINDING AID NOTE: Personal and military correspondence, press books and diploma from Emory.

ADDITIONAL PHYSICAL FORM AVAILABLE:

LOCATION OF ORIGINALS NOTE:

LANGUAGE NOTE: English

PROVENANCE NOTE: Unknown

 

PLEASASNT W WHITE DOCUMENT BOX 1: Family letters from 1839-1869, photograph of White and letters from Captain A M Allen, Commissary Officer of Ft Sumter, Major H C Guerin, Head Commissary Officer of South Carolina and Captain James McKay, who was in charge of cattle gathering and shipping from Tampa.

PLEASANT W WHITE DOCUMENT BOX 2: Letters from C F Stubbs, agent to John E Cummings in charge of main commissary depot in Atlanta, Georgia and Major A G Summer.

PLEASANT W WHITE DOCUMENT BOX 3: Letters from Major A B Noyers, officer in charge of the Second District Commissary of Florida.

PLEASANT W WHITE DOCUMENT BOX 4: Letters from Major A B Noyers, officer in charge of the Second District Commissary of Florida. Major A G Summer, Head of the Fourth District Commissary of Florida, Major Jonathan P Baldwin, Senior Officer of the Third District Commissary of Florida. General Joseph Finegan of the Confederate Army, J D Locke, Chief Commissary Officer of Georgia. Statements and reports of provisions and a letter from James A Seddon, Sectary of War.

PLEASANT W WHITE DOCUMENT BOX 5: Miscellaneous letters

PLEASANT W WHITE DOCUMENT BOX 6: Press books

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 1

Finding Guide—MSS Misc. Box 1

 

 

 

Accession # Description Fold #
#93-1 Pickell Journal on Cross Florida Barge Canal 1A-1D
 #93-2…

1831 Original & copy

Duncan Clinch Letter…

2
#93-3

1837 Original & copy Sasnett-Robert E. Lee Letters…

3
#93-4

Henry Flagler Letters

2 letters, #93-4A

&4B[1893, 1906?]

4  
#93-5 Receipts for Transport 5
#93-6

1864 Trip to Miamia-Joseph Day

6A&B
 #93-7 Judge F. Bethune Weather Journal 7A&B
 #93-8 A.S. Baldwin Weather Journal [1844]   8A&B

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 2

MSS Misc Box2

Finding Guide---Misc. Mss Box 2

Florida Historical Society

 

 

                                                             

Accession # Item Folder#  
#93-10 John W. Phelps Journal (5/8/1838 & 7/8/1842).  Misc. items re:  Lt. Phelps & removal of Cherokees. 1A-C
#93-11 Hester Perrine Walker's Journal & items pertaining to the death of Dr. Henry Perrine on Indian Key in 1840. 2 A-C
#93-12 misc. letters: 1) From O. Bronson, St. Augustine (1868);  2)From A. Andrew to D. Fairchild (1934);  3) From G. Rockett of St. Augustine re:  German POW'S (1944). 3
#93-13 2 manuscripts (1 written & 1 typed) for story " Airplane tracks & whiskey sacks" by Hallett Ervin. 4
#93-14 Autograph book (1850-1860).  Appears to belong to "Emma" signed mainly by girls at a boarding School in New England (should be de-accession). 5
#93-15 Misc. items:  1) Letter from George E. Merrick, Miami Postmaster;  2) Letter from L. K. Palmer, Tampa Postmaster;  3) 2 receipts from Petersburg, VA for slaves;  4) Certificate of Incorporation for FL Tropical Fruit from NJ dated 1891 and recorded in Dade Co. 1895. 6
#93-16 2 letters from Socrates Beach to his sister describing his 1876 visit to Florida to recover4 his health.  Also photocopies & items pertaining to donation. 7A-7B
#93-17 2 letters & a telegram:  1) 1900 letter from Robert Gamble re:  St. Marks & other forts in Tallahassee.  2) 1925 telegram from JM Bryan Simpson re:  real estate papers in Jacksonville;  3) Ada Simpson from Ceres Land in Inverness to IRS in Jacksonville requesting an extension.

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 3

Miscellaneous Manuscripts

Box 3

 

Folder 1                       Letter—George M. Brooke to C. Seaton Fleming—1924        

Letter—Francis Richard to John L. Sammis—1837

Letter—Helen Kirby Putnam to Kate Putnam—1847

 

 

Folder 2                       Confederate States of America ballot 1861

                                    Photograph of Jefferson Davis

                                    Signature of Judah P. Benjamin-- 1857

                                    Letter to Fla. Governor James E. Broome—1878

Letter contains details re: Mexican War & description of trip from NY to Mexico via Key West—1847

Letter from Cordell Hull to Fla. Senator J. Hardin Peterson—1935

 

 

Folder 3                       Letter to Lt. Col. Gates from Lt. Col. Tomkins re:

                                    Relocation of Ft. Lauderdale—1839

                                    Document certifying S.L. Hancock as physician in

                                    1868 Cork, Florida.

 

 

Folder 4                       Letters date from 1906-07 to Francis P. Fleming pertaining to the Florida Historical Society.  Authors are Clarence B. Moore, Samuel Swan, & Fredrick W. Hoyt.

 

 

Folder 5                       2 letters to F.P. Fleming from William D. Bloxham dated

                                    1902 & 06 re: FHS.

                                    Letter to F.P. Fleming from Julien Younge about his interest in Florida History dated July 23, 1907.

Letter to FP Fleming from Henry Webster re:

FHS buying his Father’s papers dated 2/28/1907.

Letter to C. Seaton Fleming from Hunter Liggett re:  World War I.  Liggett was Gen. Pershing’s chief of staff.    

Letter from Jeanette Thurber Connor accepting Board position on FHS dated 7/2/1914.

 

 

Folder 6                       3 letters from Enoch J. Vann of Madison, Fl. to F.P. Fleming re: donation of Gov. Perry’s papers to FHS. Letters date from 11/1905—1/1906.

                                    1letter from H.J. Anderson to F.P. Fleming re: donation of Judge Perry’s letters to FHS.  Letter dated 9/2/1905.

                                    1 letter from B.F. Chilton to FHS dated 10/20/1905.  He states he is forwarding relics from W.E. Connor.

 

 

Folder 7                       Letter from Fla. Gov. William Pope Duval dated 1/27 1829 from Tallahassee to Samuel L. Southward, Sec. of Navy Washington City.

                                    2 letters from John Y. Detwiller of New Smyrna to F.P. Fleming re: items to be donated to FHS.  Letters dated 2/05/ & 8/29 1906.

 

 

Folder 8                       Letter from Henry Perrine re: Cholera epidemic in New York.  Dated Tammany Hall, 1832.

                                    Letter to A.B Smith dated 2/11/1858 from Palatka for his brother.  Author is staying in a boarding house for invalids.

                                    Letter dated 11/15/1902 from G.L. Baltzell to George Wilson, editor of Jax Times Union re: attending meeting of FHS. 

 

 

Folder 9                       Letter from Catherine M. Smith dated 3/20/1855 to Hannah Ann describing steamboat trip on Darlington from Enterprise to Palatka.  Smith comments on cruelty of slavery.

                                    2 Letters from dated 11/10 & 11/22 1902 from Stephen R. Mallory, US Senator to George Wilson re:  attending FHS meeting.

                                    2 documents on letterhead of FHS to Francis P. Fleming from Van W, Sheilds, Treasurer.  Contains information on FHS finances.  Document dated 9/29/1905.  Letterhead has officers of FHS listed.

                                    1 letter dated 4/10/1907 from W.A. Blount to F.P. Fleming re:  FHS.

 

 

Folder 10                     9 Items concerning Duncan U. Fletcher dating from 1912-1926.  Fletcher was U.S. Senator from 1909-1926.      Includes photograph & correspondence.

 

 

Folders 11-12B            3 folders of items pertaining to Harrison M. Reed donated by his son.  Includes certificate of his election as Governor & list of accomplishments.

 

 

Folder 13A & 13B       Diary of E.J. Lehman is an 86 page diary of a woman from Philadelphia who visited Florida in 1878-79.  Folder 13A contains diary and 13B contains a photocopy.

 

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 4

MSS Misc Box4

Finding Guide---Misc. Mss Box 4


Accession #                                                    Item                                                                Fold. #

            #93-30                                     David Levy Yulee—Letters & documents                              1      

            #93-31                                     George W. Wilson—Letters re: Founding FHS                      2                

            #93-32                                     W.A. Carter Letters                                                  3A, 3B, 3C & 3D 

#93-33                                     Misc. letters from 2nd Seminole Indian War, &                       4

                                                Civil War

            #93-34                                     1 letter & 1 document from Civil War                                       5

            #93-35                                     6 misc. items from the Civil War from GMP Holt                    6

who was a machinist at Columbia, GA arsenal from                  

Wakulla County                    

            #93-36                                     5 misc. items --souvenirs from Cocoa, land grant                     7

                                                            1851 Duval Co. & letter from architects of Ponce de

                                                            Leon hotel in St. Augustine.

           

#93-37                         1 letter from Morris S. Miller dated 1836 from Ft. King, Fla. /            8

with transcript & photocopy.  Andres Burgevin Land grant from

Sebastian Creek near St. Augustine in Spanish dated 1820 w/

photocopy.      Legal document copy of bond dated 1851    btw

Arthur Burney & Biggs of  Jax. w/ photocopy.

 

            #93-38                         Misc. letters & documents.  An  1851 letter from Stephen Mallory    9

                                                when elected to US Senate looking for room in Washington D.C.

                                                Letter from Louis Hillhouse dated 1891 from Lake Worth

                                                discussing agriculture. Civil War document dated 1/17/1865 with

                                                William E. Owens asking for light duty due to medical condition.

                                                10 sheets entitled Florida Uniform Exam Questions used to grade

                                                 teachers.  Sheets on all different subjects, dated 1897-98.

 

            #93-39                         Numerous documents relating to Buckingham Smith.  Includes          10

                                                photostats of original documents in collection of NY Historical

                                                Society’s collection an article from 1860 History Magazine re:

                                                Buckingham Smith.  Also souvenir from 1941 unveiling of tablet

                                                In St. Augustine dedicated to Buckingham Smith.

 

            #93-40                         Correspondence between James Branch Cabell &FHS.  8                  11

                                                typed letters signed by author dating from 1942-1949.

 

            #93-41                         Diary by Robert O. Beatty of NY visit to Florida phosphate

                                                mining & shipping facilities.  Includes diagrams & discusses

                                                Tampa, Lakeland, Mulberry.  Diary contains 39 pages & index

                                                of people he met.

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 5

Finding Guide—Misc. Mss Box 5

 Accession #                                                Item                                                        Fold. #

 

 #93-42                 Palm Beach County—Misc. documents                                              1

                               Promotional newsletters from Burguieres & Chipley,

  land developers dating from 1928-1930 talking of

  opportunities available in Palm Beach Co.   36

  numbered sheets w/ 2 copies of #21.

  

2 undated bus tour routes of houses in Palm Beach.                            2

  Budget statements signed by Palm Beach Town

  Manager.  Includes money disbursed from 1931-1942.

  Copies of documents in folder #2

 

#93-43                4 Miscellaneous items:  1) 1835 article on St. Augustine                       3       

                            with line drawing.  2)  1892 schedule of Jacksonville,

                            St. Aug. & Halifax River railway.  3) 1853 letter from

                            General Joseph H. Hernandez.  4) Nov. 1878 copy of The

                            Florida Star (Volume 2, No. 22).

 

#93-44                3 letters from Anthony Florida dated from 1885-1892                          4

                            2 letters from Wm. Stripling to J.B. Hunt of Perry, GA;

                            1 letter from Pauline Pugh to Geo. Hunt of Heard, GA.

                            Contains transcripts & copies.

 

#93-45                Thomas S. Williamson daily record book, typescript, &                     5-8

                            letters about the donation made by Marjorie Kinan

                            Rawlings in 1941.  Letters also include genealogy about

                            Williamson family.

 

#93-46                Correspondence of Marjorie Kinan Rawlings and the                          9-11

                            Florida Historical Society from 1937-1942 re: donation

                            Williamson daily record book & other donations to

                            FHS, as well as her participation in the Society.

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 6

Miscellaneous Manuscripts

Box 6

 

Folder 1                Andrew Jackson letter to Joseph M. White dated 12/29/1825.  Comments on “deeds of public men.”

 

Folder 2                7 letters from prominent men of Jacksonville to

                             Frederick T. Davis re: his book on history of Jacksonville.  Includes Letters from Marcus Fagg,

                             R.P. Daniels.

 

Folder 3                Souvenirs from Brevard Hotel, Cocoa, Fl. from 1960.

                             Includes room key, stationary & menu.

 

Folder 4                200 page tax book from Cocoa, Florida dating from 1912-1914.

 

Folder 5                Legal documents, Mississippi Territory includes subpoena for Anton Colon, Gov. of Pensacola, to appear, dated 8/1816.  Uriah Blue is defendant & Elijah Lloyd is plaintiff.  Most of document is in Spanish.

 

Folder 6                Hyman Eastman 5 letters written in Jacksonville from 1850-1852.  Reports on tourism & costs of running a rooming house for “health tourists.”        Includes lengthy letter from Calvin Oak.

 

Folder 7                Conch fisherman of Riviera Beach, Florida.  Written in 1938 by Veronica Huss for the WPA Federal Writer’s Project.  10 page typescript with original photographs.

 

Folder 8                Union Bank of Tallahassee document undated & unsigned.  22 page legal opinion relating to bank.

 

Folder 9                Robert Raymond Reid diary from 1833-1835.  Typescript done by the WPA in 1939.  Excellent detailed account of life in Territorial Florida.  Reid, at this time was Judge of District of East Florida.


Miscellaneous Manuscripts Box 7

Miscellaneous Manuscripts

Box 7

 

Folder 1                4 various documents including instructions for making paper cartridges, a letter from Josephus Anderson, editor of the Florida Christian Advocate in Leesburg.  Program from 1909 graduated from Ft. Pierce Jr. High graduation. A 14 page typescript by Myrtle Hilliard Crow on the history of Kissimmee.

Folder 2                Information on John Gorrie contained in correspondence with Laurel Buxton Hobbs & FHS in 1941.  Also contains pamphlets & articles about Gorrie.

Folder 3                Pamphlets & election material on Governor David Sholtz.

Folder 4                Typescripts & photocopies of various articles about General Duncan Clinch. Includes biographical information.

Folder 5                The Blount family of Pensacola --documents, campaign literature, & biographical information on W.A. Blount & Thomas M. Blount.

Folder 6                Judah P. Benjamin—various articles ranging from 1914-1951.

Folder 7                William Bartram—printed material including publicity for books about Mr. Bartram, programs for events celebrating his birth.  Also 35 page pamphlet about John Bartram’s house and garden in Philadelphia.

Folder 8                2 typescripts made from John Cabell Breckinridge’s diary from 1866-1868 about his time in Europe after he fled US when Civil War was over.  Diary has hand written corrections.  Used for A.J. Hanna’s book Flight to Oblivion.

Folder 9                Kay E. Gilmour souvenir collection  of 30 brochures re: Miami Beach, Cuba & Key West from 1941 trip to south Florida.  Also includes 9 photographs from the area.