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Leon County, Florida Biographies
John Miller
was born in 1798 in Duplin County, North Carolina where he was a merchant and postmaster. He migrated to Florida
but returned briefly to marry Sarah Eliza Houston in 1850. John died in 1865 and is buried in Leon County.
William Bailey
was a Georgian that came to Jefferson County in the 1820s. His acquisition of Leon County land began in 1850. By
1860, Bailey still owned plantation property in Jefferson Co. on the Aucilla River.
The Union Bank building in Tallahasse was purchased in 1847 by William Bailey and Isaac Mitchell after it closed
in 1843 due to the Panic of 1837, Seminole Indian Wars, and unsound banking practices. William Bailey also served
on the Tallahassee Railroad Board of Directors 1861-1865. William Bailey was also a general during the Civil War.
He died in 1867.
Charles Bannerman
was originally from North Carolina
John S. Winthrop
was a native of New Bern, North Carolina. Information shows that in 1860, Winthrop was still a legal minor. Due
to the SS Home wreck of 1837, Winthrop was due to receive a large property inheritance originally going to Henrietta
Smith, his great-grandmother and mother of the deceased Mrs. Hardy Croom of Goodwood Plantation. John Winthrop,
like other planters, would feel the effects of the American Civil War and lose plantation land. Winthrop eventually
built a fine home in Tallahassee in 1890. It was located at 610 N. Monroe Street
Blakely Plantation came into existence when Miles
Blake came from North Carolina in 1826. His wife Susan's son, Joel Blake
established Ingleside Plantation east of Blakely. Isham, Walter, and Joel Blake, Susan's sons, served in the Civil
War with Company K of the 5th Florida Infantry
William Bloxham
was born July 9, 1835 in Florida and listed as 24 years old in 1860. He was one of, if not the first, to abandon
cotton in 1879 in favor of intensive farming. Bloxham served as Florida Governor from 1881 through 1885, and again
from 1897 through 1901. Bloxham died March 15, 1911. In 1884 the William D. Bloxam plantation was sold to Charles
J. F. Allen of Louisville, KY for $8241.
Frederich R. Cotten,
the son of Spencer D. Cotten of Tarboro, North Carolina, moved with his wife Elizabeth to Leon County in 1841 from
North Carolina. On May 26, 1845, Cotten participated in the first state wide election for state representatives
and was one of six elected from Leon County.
Cotten died July 7, 1878.
William Carr
was originally from Virginia. Outside of agriculture, Carr was a stockholder with the Georgia Railroad and Banking
Company in 1838. In 1840 Carr was a complaintant in a land case before the United States Supreme Court. Carr was
also one of the first teachers at the all black McBride School.
George Alexander Croom
was born October 7, 1821. He married Julia M. Church on February 13, 1843. He died July 5, 1890. In 1883 Casa de
Laga was sold to H. D. McColloch of Wisconsin. McColloch then sold the plantation 6 months later to Professor E.
Warren Clark of Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island and Austin M. Purvis of Philadelphia. Clark would eventually turn
the plantation into a game preserve. In 1891, a Charles T. Wilson of Cincinnati opened the Lake Jackson Hunting
Lodge on the property.
Joseph Chaires
was the son of Benjamin Chaires and cousin of Green Chaires.
Benjamin Chaires, Sr.
was an early arrival in Leon County and one of the wealthiest land owners in Leon County. Benjamin Sr. passed away
in 1838. Benjamin was the brother of Green H. Chaires of Evergreen Hills Plantation and Thomas Peter Chaires of
Woodlawn Plantation. Benjamin Chaires is listed as a voter in First Florida Election of 1845.
Dr. William Bradford
- born in 1829 in Enfield, North Carolina, he became the doctor for the slaves at Pine Hill Plantation.
Dr. Edward Bradford
was born August 2, 1798 and was a descendant of Oliver Cromwell. As a planter, Edward, along with his brothers,
is said to have been among the more progressive agriculturalists and more sincerely paternalistic (in the best
sense) slave masters. Edward Bradford took turns with his brothers, Richard, Thomas and William in hosting an annual
holiday celebration, for the slave populations of Water Oak Plantation, Walnut Hill Plantation, and Edgewood Plantation
every 4th of July. This included a massive barbecue and, when held at Water Oak, fishing parties on Lake Iamonia.
No whites were allowed to partake of or interfere with these festivities. Records from 1840-1866 show transactions
with commission merchants and New York cotton brokers evidence that a prosperous business was transacted at Pine
Hill.
Dr. Edward Bradford was a signee to the Southern Rights Association of Centreville District on secession from the
Union for the protection of Southern interests and the vindication of Southern rights to preserve and protect the
Constitution in its purity.
Dr. Edward Bradford would go on to establish Horseshoe Plantation east of Lake Iamonia. Edward Bradford died in
1871. This area of plantations would later be known as Bradfordville.
Thomas Anderson Bradford
was born born February 13, 1790 in Enfield, North Carolina. Thomas had a daughter, Sallie G. Bradford born in 1835
and died in 1867
Richard Henry Bradford
was born November 15, 1800 in Enfield, North Carolina.
The Bradford brothers took turns hosting July 4th celebrations with massive barbeques for their slaves. When it
was Richard's turn to host the celebration he included fishing parties on Lake Iamonia. No whites were allowed
to attend these events.
During the Civil War, Richard was Captain of a company of the 1st Florida Regiment. He left with his regiment for
Pensacola, Florida in the fall of 1861. On the night of October 9, 1861, while leading an attack column in the
assault on Federal positions during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island, on Santa Rosa Island, Florida, he was shot
and killed by a sentinel of the 6th New York Volunteer Infantry. His body was returned for a hero’s funeral, and
was buried in the cemetery at Pine Hill Plantation. He could well have been the first Floridian killed in Confederate
action
Green A. Chaires'
father was Major Benjamin Chaires who laid out and named the area of Jacksonville in 1822. Chaires is also listed
as a voter in First Florida Election of 1845. During Florida's Territorial Period (1821-1845), Green Chaires, along
with brothers Benjamin of Vendura Plantation and Thomas Peter of Woodlawn Plantation moved to Leon County establishing
very large plantations. Green Chaires' first plantation started large and eventually grew to 20,000 acres and had
a large home on Lake Lafayette. During the 2nd Seminole War of 1835-1842, Chaires' wife and two of his children
along with several slaves were massacred and the home was destroyed.
Aside from being a plantation owner, Green Chaires built the state's first plank road, which connected Leon County
plantations to the Gulf Coast shipping communities of Newport and St. Marks. Also on the transportation end, Chaires
was on the 1861-1865 Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Railroad.
Francis Wayles Eppes,
VII was a grandson of Thomas Jefferson. Eppes came to Leon County in 1829 with his wife Mary. He served as Intendant
mayor of Tallahassee and is noted for initiating the proposal to begin an institution of higher learning in Tallahassee,
eventually to become Florida State University.
Eppes sold his plantation during the Civil War for worthless Confederate money and lost the remainder of his investment
and slaves by 1865. Eppes left Tallahassee for Orange County, Florida to begin citrus farming. |
Francis Wayles Eppes
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Hardy Croom
The Croom family of Lenoir County, North Carolina began purchasing land in North Florida in the 1820s, including
plantations in Mariana, Quincy and Tallahassee. Hardy Croom, a planter and recognized naturalist, discovered the
rare Torreya tree. He began amassing the land for Goodwood, purchasing about 640 acres of the Lafayette Land Grant
in 1833.
On Saturday, October 7, 1837, Hardy Croom and his immediate family boarded the steam packet liner S.S. Home in
New York City bound for Charleston when it sank during the 1837 Racer's Storm. Hardy Croom and family were killed
in the wreck. His brother, Bryan Croom, inherited the property.
Bryan Croom began as owner of Goodwood completed construction of Goodwood in the 1840s. By 1845, Bryan owned 2,500
acres of land in Leon County alone, making him one of the wealthiest men in the territory.
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Hardy Croom - 1837
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G.W. Holland
was a signee to the Southern Rights Association of Centreville District on secession from the Union for the protection
of Southern interests and the vindication of Southern rights to preserve and protect the Constitution in its purity.
Holland was married in 1839 to Margaret Whitaker.
Joel C. Blake
was 29 years old in 1860. He married Laura Parish, some relation to his mother. Joel's Ingleside Plantation came
into existence when he purchased land to the east of Blakely Plantation. Blake joined the Confederacy and was killed
on July 2, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg.
James A. Kirksey
was born in 1804 and died in 1878. Though not a large plantation owner, James Kirksey was involved in state politics
as an election inspector in 1845, and also a delegate to the Florida Secession Convention on January 10, 1861.
Joseph John Williams
was the son of General William Williams and Delia Haywood.
J. J. Williams was the only surviving son of William and Delia when William died. Aside from agriculture, Jospeph
John Williams was a voter in the 1st Statewide Election, Monday, May 26, 1845. Williams was also a Florida state
representative from Leon County in 1860. He had a total of 5 plantations in 1860 including Hickory Hill and Betton
Hill. His total cotton production was 1113 bales from 3900 acres of land. The total value of Williams' holdings
was $121,000 and his slaves were worth $150,000. In today's value, his holding would be $2,109,030 and slave value
at $2,614,500.
On November 19, 1876, Williams died from a heart attack in Raleigh, North Carolina while on a visit to see his
mother. She had died the day before. Joseph John Wiliams had a town home at 217 N. Calhoun Street which was built
in 1839 for W.P. Gorman. It sold to Dr. English, a Harvard mathematics professor who came to Tallahassee for his
health. He later sold to Williams as a town house for his family. The house was demolished in 1955.
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Governor John Branch
Arrived in Florida in 1832 and served as Florida Territorial Governor while living at Live Oak for 15 years
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Daniel B. Meginniss
- was born in 1820 in Maryland. Meginniss is shown as a voter in the First Florida Election in 1845.
Amos Whitehead
- was from Burke County, Georgia. On June 18, 1858 he married Miss Margaret M. Bradford, daughter of Dr. Edward
Bradford of Pine Hill Plantation at Pine Hill. The Rev. Dr. Nash officiated.
Capt. William Lester
- of Burke County, Georgia. He was born December
24, 1790. In 1834, prior to coming to Florida, Lester became the head of a vigilante committee called "The
Regulators" during the funeral of a Mr. Roundtree. In May 1846 the Superior Court the grand jury investigated
the deaths of two Georgia citizens at the hands of The Regulators. Judge Scarborough instructed the grand jury
not to indict The Regulators for murder, but to issue a warning that they would be indicted the next time. The
grand jury called on the officers of The Regulators to dismiss the body which was no longer needed for the purpose
it was organized.
William Lester was a signee to the Southern Rights Association of Centreville District on secession from the Union
for the protection of Southern interests and the vindication of Southern rights to preserve and protect the Constitution
in its purity as the basis of Federal compact.
By 1870, Capt. Lester owned 5000 acres of land in Texas, Georgia, and Florida.
Lester Cemetery had an ormanental iron fence. An obelisk marked the location of Captain Lester and his wife Rhoda's
graves. A total of 11 interments with brick vaults were at this cemetery before its removal.
In 1997 the Lester-Lauder house was razed to the ground to make way for commercial interests.
Richard Keith Call
was born October 24, 1792. Call was a friend and assistant of General Andrew Jackson and accompanied him to Florida.
His monies were made in the land office and he promoted land in Leon County to northerners. Call, a Democrat, was
Governor from 1836 to 1839. He later was a Whig. The Grove, Richard Keith Call's home, is on the National Register.
Colonel George W. Scott,
merchant and farmer, came to Leon in 1852 from Pennsylvania. He was said to have a model farm. Scott fought in
the American Civil War as head of "Scott's Cavalry".
In 1868 Scott ran for governor as a Democratic-Conservative but was defeated. Scott experimented in a variety of
crops and planted 12 acres of sugar cane, cabbage, collards, rutabagas, Dutch turnips. Scott also created a 16
foot overshot waterwheel from a pond going to corn, sugar and cotton processing.
Scott came up with a revolutionary fertilizer which combined cottonseed with bone meal. Bone was obtained by black
farm hands who earned a gallon of cane syrup for every 100 pound sack of animal bones. The bone were crushed with
a heavy cast iron stamp powered by a waterwheel and the meal mixed with sulphuric acid. This was then mixed with
cottonseed cake to make a final product.
In 1870 Scott moved to Savannah, Georgia and then Atlanta, where he built his business. By 1887, the Gossypium
Phospo made by the George W. Scott Company had become one of the most noted fertilizers in the south. (Tallahassee
Weekly Floridian, Jan. 28, 1886)
Around 1884 or 1885 the Scott plantation was sold to a J. P. Castleman who had moved to Tallahassee from the Dakota
Territory.
Colonel George Taliafero Ward
was born in Kentucky in 1810 and moved to Tallahassee in 1825. In that same year Ward became Register of the Land
Office, succeeding Samuel R. Overton. From 1838-1839 Ward served on the Legislative Council from Leon County and
attended the Constitutional Convention.
He inherited the land now known as Southwood from his father, George W. Ward. In
1844 Ward married Sarah Jane Chaires of the wealthy Chaires family of eastern Leon County and had at least three
daughters, Georgima, Anna, and Mattie as well as brothers. Sarah Jane would inherit other properties that were
later incorporated into Southwood. In 1845, Ward voted in the First Florida Election
In 1852, Ward ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor on the Whig ticket.
A duel took place between George Ward and a man named Alston just outside Tallahassee. Prince Achille Murat (Prince
Murat) was Ward's second and Dr. Randolph of Tallahassee was the attending physician. Mr. Alston hit George Ward
first, breaking his leg. Ward hit the ground as Alston walked toward him, still shooting. One shot broke George
Ward's arm. When Alston got directly over Ward, Alston had no shots left while Ward still had one. |
George Ward
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Alston evidently then folded his arms and declared, "I believe he will kill
me after all." Ward fired his last shot and missed. Ward demanded more guns and insisted that Murat prop him
up so that the contest might continue, but he fainted before his instructions could be carried out. It was later
agreed to continue the duel, but before Ward recovered sufficiently to fight, Alston was killed in another duel.
In April 1861 Ward ran for and was elected to the Confederate Provisional Congress. Later in the same year he was
elected colonel of the Second Florida Infantry Regiment. In 1862 Ward's unit was sent to Virginia where Ward was
shot and killed on May 5, 1862 at the Battle of Williamsburg. In 1862 the Ward family was presented the Confederate
Battleflag. Fort Ward at St. Marks, Florida was named after George T. Ward.
The original mansion built in 1865 at Southwood was destroyed by fire. In 1939, George Henderson, grandson of Colonel
John and Mattie Henderson, moved the family home from downtown Tallahassee to the old foundation of the original
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George W. Parkhill
was a physician by trade and a native of Ireland. He left Richmond, Virginia on April 15, 1827, with his brother-in-law
William Copland in a stagecoach headed south to Florida to examine and purchase land, leaving his wife and 2 year
old son behind. Parkhill worked as a postmaster and banker in Tallahassee.
Parkhill joined the Confederate Army August 20, 1861 as a Captain and died at the Seven Days Battle near Gaines'
farm and Richmond, Virginia between June 25, 1862 and July 1, 1862.
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