Homestead Documentation for Benjamin James
Dublin Core
Title
Homestead Documentation for Benjamin James
Alternative Title
James Homestead
Subject
Oviedo (Fla.)
Property--Florida
Homesteading
Description
The homestead documentation for Benjamin James. James' homestead was located in the southwestern portion of present-day Oviedo. James was born Savannah, Georgia, and migrated to Hastings, Florida, where he met his wife, Esther James. The couple married on January 24, 1913, at what then was called The Woods, on the eastern side of the town of Gabriella, near Bear Gully Lake. The couple had nine children, in addition to the four children from Esther's previous marriage.
On July 8, 1921, James filed a homestead for 160 acres for his growing family at The Woods. Following a hurricane devastated Miami on September 11, 1926, the James family opened their property to Floridians left homeless in the aftermath. These refugees became the first settlers of the Jamestown and included Bob and Flossie Wells, George and Nettie Davis, and Morris J. "Preacher" and Margaret Williams, the Nails, the Olivers, the Perrys, the Bryants, the Evans, the Brannons, the Walkers, and the Ryans. James is the only African American to have a Central Florida town named after him.
On July 8, 1921, James filed a homestead for 160 acres for his growing family at The Woods. Following a hurricane devastated Miami on September 11, 1926, the James family opened their property to Floridians left homeless in the aftermath. These refugees became the first settlers of the Jamestown and included Bob and Flossie Wells, George and Nettie Davis, and Morris J. "Preacher" and Margaret Williams, the Nails, the Olivers, the Perrys, the Bryants, the Evans, the Brannons, the Walkers, and the Ryans. James is the only African American to have a Central Florida town named after him.
Source
Original homestead document: Private Collection of Kathy Parry.
Date Created
1917-10
Contributor
Parry, Kathy
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original homestead document.
Is Part Of
Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
application/pdf
Extent
3.78 MB
Medium
22-page homestead document
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Benjamin James Homestead, Jamestown, Oviedo, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held Kathy Parry and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
Private Collection of Kathy Parry
External Reference
Robison, Jim."Family, Faith, Farming Built Hamlet." The Orlando Sentinel, June 20, 2004. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2004-06-20/news/0406180557_1_esther-james-jamestown-pine.
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
22-page homestead document
Collection
Citation
“Homestead Documentation for Benjamin James,” RICHES, accessed April 18, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/5419.