Letter from E. R. Trafford per William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (February 13, 1884)

Letter from E. R. Trafford per William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (February 13, 1884)

Letter from Trafford to Sanford (February 13, 1884)

Real estate--Florida

Investments--Florida

Sanford, Henry S. (Henry Shelton), 1823-1891

A letter from E. R. Trafford per William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891), dated February 13, 1884. In the letter, Trafford requested Sanford's signature for two enclosed deeds. The first deed was for J. C. Thorpe and D. B. Graves, who bought a five-acre plot from the Sanford Grant land for $250. The second deed was for George E. Rogers, who bought the lot with the Sanford Grove in St. Augustine, Florida, for $350.

Trafford was a company agent for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1882 to 1886. 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 (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. 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. 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.

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.

Trafford, E. R.

Beardall, William

Original letter from E. R. Trafford per William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford, February 13, 1884: box 54, folder 18, subfolder 54.18.15, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

1884-02-13

Digital reproduction of original letter from E. R. Trafford per William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford, February 13, 1884.

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.

Original letter from William Beardall to Henry Shelton Sanford, February 15, 1884: box 54, folder 18, subfolder 54.18.16, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

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1-page handwritten letter

eng

Text

Sanford, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Economics Teacher

Originally created by E. R. Trafford and 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.

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.

Fedorka, Drew M.

Fry, Joseph A. Henry S. Sanford: 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.

1-page handwritten letter