Letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (August 4, 1883)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (August 4, 1883)
Alternative Title
Letter from Beardall to Sanford (August 4, 1883)
Subject
Sanford, Henry S. (Henry Shelton), 1823-1891
Railroads--Florida
Sanford (Fla.)
Real estate--Florida
Migrant labor--Florida
Immigration
Description
A letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891), dated August 4, 1883. In the letter, Beardall responded to inquiries from Sanford as well as provided updates on relevant matters. Beardall indicated to Sanford the cost of expanding the lodge located at Belair Grove in the City of Sanford, Florida (present-day Lake Mary). He also discussed matters concerning the construction of a railroad depot in Sanford, the cost of which would be potentially shared with the South Florida Railroad Company or "persons living in the neighbourhood." Beardall also provided updates on the status of the Swedish immigrants employed by Sanford, noting that "all the Swedes who are left here are employed at the Saw mill." Finally, Beardall also offered an update on the quality of Belair Grove, writing that "it is looking better than ever I saw it by far, both in quality of new growth, crop, and color."
Beardall was an Englishman who worked for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) at its local office in Sanford, Florida. He served as an assistant to the company agent, E. R. Trafford. Beardall had worked previously for the Scottish industrialist Sir William MacKinnon before joining the FLCC. The FLCC was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford with help from a group of British investors. Located at 13 Austin Friars in London, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a ₤10,000 cash payment and another ₤50,000 in company stock. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua and Marion counties.
Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. As a result of consistently meager profits from its inception, following Henry Sanford's death in 1891 many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Beardall was an Englishman who worked for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) at its local office in Sanford, Florida. He served as an assistant to the company agent, E. R. Trafford. Beardall had worked previously for the Scottish industrialist Sir William MacKinnon before joining the FLCC. The FLCC was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford with help from a group of British investors. Located at 13 Austin Friars in London, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a ₤10,000 cash payment and another ₤50,000 in company stock. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua and Marion counties.
Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. As a result of consistently meager profits from its inception, following Henry Sanford's death in 1891 many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Creator
Beardall, William
Source
Original letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford, August 4, 1883: box 54, folder 18, subfolder 54.18.7, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Date Created
1883-08-04
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford, August 4, 1883.
Is Part Of
Box 54, Folder 18, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Florida Land Colonization Company Collection, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Requires
Format
application/pdf
Extent
468 KB
Medium
2-page handwritten letter
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Sanford, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by William Beardall.
Donated to the Connecticut Historical Society after 1901.
Loaned to the Tennessee State Library and Archives for processing until June 1, 1960.
Donated by the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in 1960.
Rights Holder
The displayed collection item is housed at the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in Sanford, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from the Sanford Museum to display this item for educational purposes only.
Curator
Fedorka, Drew M.
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Fry, Joseph A. Diplomacy and Business in Nineteenth-Century America. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 1982.
Munro, J. Forbes. Maritime Enterprise and Empire: Sir William MacKinnon and His Business Network, 1823-1893. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2003.
Collection
Citation
Beardall, William, “Letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (August 4, 1883),” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4307.