Letter from E. R. Trafford to Henry Shelton Sanford (March 29, 1883)

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Dublin Core

Title

Letter from E. R. Trafford to Henry Shelton Sanford (March 29, 1883)

Alternative Title

Letter from Trafford to Sanford (March 29, 1883)

Subject

Suwannee County (Fla.)
Sanford, Henry S. (Henry Shelton), 1823-1891
Beck, James B. (James Burnie), 1822-1890
Sanford (Fla.)
Citrus--Florida
Disston, Hamilton, 1844-1896

Description

A letter from E. R. Trafford to Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891), dated March 29, 1883. Among other topics, Trafford noted the withdrawal of state lands from market near Suwannee County, Florida. He also informed Sanford that Senator Beck was in Enterprise and would be "over [at Sanford, Florida] tomorrow." He was presumably referring to Senator James B. Beck (1822-1890), a Democratic Senator from the state of Kentucky and member of Senate Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard. The letter also mentioned that there were "five steamers at the Wharf."

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 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.

Creator

Trafford, E. R.

Source

Original letter from E. R. Trafford to Henry Shelton Sanford, March 29, 1883: box 54, folder 18, subfolder 54.18.4, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

Date Created

1883-03-29

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original letter from E. R. Trafford to Henry Shelton Sanford, March 29, 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.

Format

image/jpeg

Extent

199 KB

Medium

1-page handwritten letter

Language

eng

Type

Text

Coverage

Sanford, Florida
Enterprise, Deltona, Florida
Lake Kissimmee, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Economics Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by E. R. Trafford.
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.

Citation

Trafford, E. R., “Letter from E. R. Trafford to Henry Shelton Sanford (March 29, 1883),” RICHES, accessed March 19, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4304.

Locations

Categories