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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/3d768af2105ab6f62209d5d1faa82064.pdf
ce9164918db08599b591d98c58812b0a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Florida Land Colonization Company Collection
Alternative Title
FLCC Collection
Subject
Sanford, Henry Shelton, 1823-1891
Sanford (Fla.)
Mackinnon, William, 1823-1893
Polk County (Fla.)
Sumter County (Fla.)
Hernando County (Fla.)
Brevard County (Fla.)
Volusia County (Fla.)
Manayunk (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/107" target="_blank">William MacKinnon Collection</a>, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Sanford, Florida
Manayunk Bank, Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
New York City, New York
Washington, D.C.
Brussels, Belgium
Gingelom, Belgium
Hombourg, Belgium
Berlin, Germany
Florida Land and Colonization Company, London, England, United Kingdom
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Fedorka, Drew M.
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>
External Reference
<span>Fry, Joseph A. </span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8475473" target="_blank"><em>Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy and Business in Nineteenth-Century America</em></a><span>. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 1982.</span>
Tischendorf, Alfred P. "<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35894049" target="_blank">Florida and the British Investor: 1880-1914</a>." <em>Florida Historical Quarterly</em> 33, no. 2 (Oct. 1954): 120-129.
Amundson, Richard J. "<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/4894931414" target="_blank">The Florida Land and Colonization Company</a>." <em>Florida Historical Quarterly</em> 44, no. 3 (Jan. 1966): 153-168.
Munro, J. Forbes. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57653564"><em>Maritime Enterprise and Empire: Sir William MacKinnon and His Business Network, 1823-1893</em></a>. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2003.
Kendall, John S. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1836396" target="_blank"><em>History of New Orleans</em></a>. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1922.
Description
The Florida Land and Colonization Company (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 (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board.<br /><br />Located at 13 Austin Friars, 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. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. 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 County and Marion County. <br /><br />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. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. 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.
Contributor
<a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>
Provenance
<span>Collection dontated to the </span><a href="http://www.chs.org/" target="_blank">Connecticut Historical Society</a><span> after 1901.</span>
<span>Collection loaned to the </span><a href="http://www.tn.gov/tsla/" target="_blank">Tennessee State Library and Archives</a><span> for processing until June 1, 1960.</span>
<span>Collection acquired by the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, </span><a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a><span> in 1960.</span>
Rights Holder
<span>The displayed collection items are housed at the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, </span><a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a><span> in Sanford, Florida. Rights to these items belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about items should be directed there. </span><a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a><span> has obtained permission from the </span><a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a><span> to display this item for educational purposes only.</span>
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Original Format
7-page handwritten letter
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 19, 1879)
Alternative Title
MacKinnon to Sanford (December 19, 1879)
Subject
MacKinnon, William, 1823-1893
Sanford, Henry Shelton, 1823-1891
Description
A letter from Sir William MacKinnon (1823-1893) to Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) dated December 19, 1879. In this letter, MacKinnon discussed about his health and his recovery from an unspecified illness. He also informed Sanford that, in his absence, he had "left Florida matters" to Edwyn Sandys Dawes (1838-1903), a co-founder of Gray Dawes and Company and an eventual board member of the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC). MacKinnon added that Dawes would handle the financial arrangements and the search for subscribers while he was away. MacKinnon also indicated that he had met with Somerset Beaumont (1835-1921), a former British Member of Parliament (MP), noting regretfully that he did not have a chance to broach the subject of Beaumont "taking a share with [the] Florida venture." The letter concluded with a discussion of updates regarding a Belgian expedition of the Congo, one that included four Indian elephants shipped from British India. MacKinnon remarked that he was shocked to hear that at least one of the elephants had died in the midst of the expedition.<br /><br />With its frank discussion of personal health and activities, this letter demonstrated the relatively close relationship between Sanford and MacKinnon. It also highlighted the efforts of MacKinnon and others to help Sanford in recruiting investors for his "Florida scheme," what would become the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC). The diversity of topics covered in the letter exemplified the multitude of interconnected business and political interests shared by the two men.<br /><br />Sir William MacKinnon was a Scottish ship-owner and businessman who established significant trade networks and commercial interests in British India and later in East Africa. Among other business ventures, he founded the British India Steam Navigation Company and the short-lived Imperial British East Africa Company. During his lifetime, he was one of the leading ship-owners in the British Empire. By the 1880s, he controlled more shipping tonnage than any other individual in Britain.<br /><br />MacKinnon met Henry Shelton Sanford sometime in the late 1870s and the two began corresponding regularly in 1879. MacKinnon's interest in Sanford stemmed from the former American ambassador's close proximity to King Leopold II (1835-1909) of Belgium and the Brussels inner-circle of businessmen, politicians, and diplomats. Sanford, living in a château in Brussels, provided a valuable lifeline for MacKinnon, who sought Belgian business connections to support his expanding commercial ventures, particularly in East Africa. He was a vital factor in the formation of the Florida Land and Colonization Company, going so far as to lend Sanford £8,000 in early January 1880. He also played an essential role in helping Sanford court early participants in the investment plan. Many of the board members of the FLCC, like Dawes, were close associates of MacKinnon. With his business ventures strongly tied to British and Belgian development schemes in Africa, MacKinnon had no ostensible interest in Florida land investment. His participation in Sanford's Florida ambitions was thus directly linked to his interest in maintaining strong relations with Sanford and his valuable connections in Belgium.
Type
Text
Source
Original letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 19, 1879: box 127, folder 2, subfolder 127.2.23, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
Box 127, folder 2, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 19, 1879.
Coverage
Balinakill House, Clachan, Scotland, United Kingdom
Congo
Creator
MacKinnon, William
Date Created
1879-12-19
Format
application/pdf
Extent
727 KB
Medium
7-page handwritten letter
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by William MacKinnon.
Donated to the <a href="http://www.chs.org/" target="_blank">Connecticut Historical Society</a> after 1901.
Loaned to the <a href="http://www.tn.gov/tsla/" target="_blank">Tennessee State Library and Archives</a> for processing until June 1, 1960.
Acquired by the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a> in 1960.
Rights Holder
The displayed collection item is housed at the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a> in Sanford, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> has obtained permission from the <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a> to display this item for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Fedorka, Drew M.
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>
External Reference
Fry, Joseph A. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8475473" target="_blank"><em>Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy and Business in Nineteenth-Century America</em></a>. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 1982.
Hochschild, Adam. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39042794" target="_blank"><em>King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa</em></a>. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Munro, J. Forbes. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57653564"><em>Maritime Enterprise and Empire: Sir William MacKinnon and His Business Network, 1823-1893</em></a>. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2003.
Munro, J. Forbes. “"<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/772540825" target="_blank">Shipping Subsidies and Railway Guarantees</a>" <em>The Journal of African History</em> 28, no. 2 (1987): 209-230.
Boulger, Demetrius Charles. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2129362"><em>The Congo State or, the Growth of Civilization in Central Africa</em></a>. London: Thacker, 1898.
Transcript
BALINAKILL
CLACHAN
ARGYLESHIRE
Dec. 19. 1879
Dear Mr. Sanford
I arrived here yesterday afternoon without feeling much fatigue. The weather continues [?] and I had a long walk today to the end of the road I am walking on the hill [?]. Perhaps I did a little too much. Mrs. MacKinnon is taking great care of me. I hope she want [?] me by [?] much nursing she and her sister Mrs. Jameson deserve me to send kindest remembrances to Mrs. Sanford and you.
Before leaving London I left Florida matters in Mr. Dawes’ hands. He will do all he can in my absence and will look after the financial arrangements we talked about finding a sufficient number of subscribers to begin with.
I regret very much that my illness prevented me [?] me while I was in London. In a day or two after I have had a little time to recruit I shall write you at greater length and I shall also hope to write Brand and Morrison I think the way in which you put the matter as to [?] of cash when subscribed total [?] £40,000 and not over £60,000 should quite meet the case.
I have used the marked articles in the South Florida Journal. They quite hear out and [?] [?] out your own views.
Mr. Somerset Beaumont called on me after you left [?] at [?] [?] but we did not get into the question of him taking a share with Florida venture [?] for [?] [?] the [?] in. I returned his call but he had gone to [?] Sunday [?] country. Just as I was starting on Tuesday morning I had a note from him explaining his regret at not seeing me again.
I am very sorry about the second shipment. I cannot believe that the story Carter gives on the authority of the elephants can be true. I see it repeated in the “Globe” a cutting from which I send you [?]. My own impression is the animal died from overwork and want of the “comforts” it had been accustomed to from its youth upwards.
I see references made in the article to [?]. I am so sorry to hear Colonel Strauch is suffering so much from cold, but hope he will soon be quite better. I hope tomorrow to write him a long letter. I have a good deal to tell him. [?] no doubt has been determined by the frost, as transport was entrusted to the agency of I. C. McCracken who was much recommended to me for such work by [?] [?]. I hope [?] [?] then [?] Count John and that it meets his approval.
Please remember me very kindly to Mrs. Sanford and Believe me
Very Sincerely Yours,
W MacKinnon
If the weather keeps here and you have a day or two to spare before you start for New York you may be [?] to take a room down here?
Congo
Edwyn Sandys Dawes
expeditions
exploration
FLCC
Florida Land and Colonization Company
Indian elephants
investing
investments
land development
MacKinnon, William
real estate
Sanford, Henry Shelton
shipping
Somerset Archibald Beaumont
Somerset Beaumont