Biographies Q-Z | Duval County, FLGenWeb

Duval County FLGenWeb Banner

County Coordinator: Available

Return HOME | Return BIOGRAPHIES

A-C | D-H | I-P | Q-Z

BIOS Q thru Z

Chapin, George M., FLORIDA 1513-1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of Wars and Peace and Industrial Development, 1914, Vol. 2, 742 pages.

HERBERT BREARLY RACE.   Honored and respected by all, there is no one who occupies a more enviable position in financial circles of Jacksonville than does Herbert Brearly Race, not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the straightforward and reliable business policy he has ever followed. He is today at the head of several strong moneyed institutions, including the Commercial Bank of Jacksonville, and is familiar with every phase of the banking business.

Mr. Race is a native of Cheraw, South Carolina, his birth having occurred on the 20th of July, 1876. His parents were Asa A. and Sarah (Keeler) Race,
the former of German descent, his ancestors having come to the new world in colonial days, settling in Pennsylvania, while the mother’s people were English settlers in Connecticut, the Keeler family being there established in 1770. Asa A. Race followed merchandising in South Carolina and in 1886 removed with his family to Florida, taking up his abode in Palatka.

Herbert B. Race was at that time a lad of ten years. He continued his education in the public schools of Palatka until sixteen years of age, when he put aside his text-books and started out in the business world on his own account, entering the employ of the Southern Savings & Trust Company of
Jacksonville. He has comprehensive knowledge of the banking business with which he has become familiar in every phase as he has worked his way
steadily upward from the position of messenger to that of president. He has ever recognized the fact that the bank which most carefully safeguards the
interests of its depositors is most worthy of public patronage. He has therefore; been loyal in doing the work entrusted to him and has advanced in positions of responsibility until he now occupies a position of distinctive honor and influence in banking circles of Jacksonville.

On the 7th of September, 1901, occurred the marriage of Mr. Race and Miss Emma E. Hernandez, a daughter of L. R. and Sarah H. Hernandez, of
Jacksonville. They have one daughter, Erma Keeler Race. In his political views Mr. Race has always been a democrat but his activity in public affairs
has been not along political lines but in other fields which have direct bearing upon the welfare of the community. In 1903 he was elected governor of the Jacksonville Board of Trade and is now first vice president of that organization. He saw three years’ service in the state militia and his aid can always be counted upon to further movements for the public good. Lie is a leading member of several secret societies including the Masons, in which he belongs to the Knights Templar and the Shrine, and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and his religious faith is evident in his membership in the Congregational church. His record is most commendable. There is not a single esoteric phase in his career and his life history is illustrative of the fact that individual merit, industry and enterprise can overcome all obstacles and difficulties and reach the goal of success.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 199-200

J. W. RAST.   No higher testimonial can be given concerning the capability and trustworthiness of J. W. Rast in the office of tax collector for Duval county than the statement that he has been three times elected to the office, the last time without opposition. In this day when much is heard concerning graft and misrule in public office the record of such a man serves to restore faith and confidence. Mr. Rast was born in Middleburg, Clay county, Florida, July 17, 1864, his parents being the Rev. Jeremiah and Virginia (Blitch) Rast, natives of South Carolina and Florida respectively. The Blitch
family were pioneers of this state and representatives of the name have been prominent in shaping its history. Elijah Blitch, the grandfather, served as a member of the Florida legislature at an early day. The Rev. Jeremiah Rast, a minister of the Methodist church, came to Florida in 1857 and traveled as a circuit rider for several years. He exercised a widely felt influence for good in the upbuilding of his denomination and is now enjoying a well earned rest in Jacksonville, a hale and hearty man of eighty-five years, honored and respected by all who know him.

J. W. Rast was educated in the public schools of his native state and was reared upon a farm, his time in his youth being divided between Nassau and Duval counties. He was seventeen years of age when he started out in life on his own account, devoting his attention to farming for some time thereafter. For four years he was a resident of Madison county, where he engaged in the raising of both corn and cotton. He later came to Jacksonville and established a grocery store, which he conducted for several years.

In 1894 he became chief clerk in the tax collector's office under J. E. Johnson, and in January, 1897, he returned to the tax office under E. W. Gille, remaining in the position of chief clerk for ten years. In 1906 he was nominated at the democratic primary for the position of tax collector and in the following fall was elected to the office which he has since occupied, having been twice reelected. Public indorsement of his capable, faithful and honorable service came to him in 1912 in the fact that he had no opposition for the office.

In November, 1889, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Rast and Miss Cora Garden, of Florida. They became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living: James, Virginia, Livingston, John W., Cora, Jewell and Paul.

Mr. Rast is well known in fraternal circles, holding membership with the Woodmen of the World, the Red Men, the Foresters, the Maccabees and the Masons. He is a prominent and active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is serving as superintendent of the Sunday school. He takes a helpful interest in all branches of the church work, has been a delegate to all the annual conferences, and has seldom failed to attend these meetings. He is treasurer of the Anastasia Methodist Assembly of St. Augustine, and puts forth every effort in his power to advance the work of the church, extend its influence and promote its effectiveness as an agent for the moral regeneration of the race. His own life at all times conforms with its teachings and its principles, and his sterling worth commends him to the confidence and regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 119

FIND A GRAVE LISTINGS

J. W. Rast w/photo 18864-1928
Cora Almyra Gardner Rast w/photo 1874-1956

Children:
James Jeremiah 1891-1960 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25680310/john-walter-rast
Ann Virginia Mellanie Guy 1893-1968 = https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54779246
Livingston Bryan 1898-1927 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147554476/livingston-bryan-rast
John Walter, Jr. abt 1901- believe he died Polk County 1958
Cora Mona - age 2 1898-1900 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26513481/cora-mona-rast
Jewell Dorcas 1906-1990 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/174042707/jewel-dorcas_mizelle-willis
Cora R. - age 91 1903-1994 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76452954/cora-r_-theus
Paul Niel 1909-1969 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3926039/paul-niel-rast
Alyda Louise w/photo & obituary 1913-2015 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154486011/alyda-louise-rast

ALEXANDER RAY.   Jacksonville has been signally favored in the class of men who have occupied her public positions, for on the whole they have been loyal to duty and conscientious in meeting every obligation that has devolved upon them. Of this class of public officials is Alexander Ray, now city treasurer. He was born in Watertown, New York, August 30, 1854, his parents being Jacob and Margaret (Auchter) Ray, the former a native of the Empire state and the latter of Germany. Both died in New York city, to which they removed in 1864, the father there following the tailor’s trade.

Alexander Ray was a lad of ten years when the family became residents of the metropolis, and after attending the public schools there, he continued his
education by pursuing a night course in Bryant & Stratton Business College. He started in the work on his own account when but thirteen years of age
and has since been dependent upon his own resources, so that whatever success has come to him is the direct result of his earnest labors. He had a newspaper route in the early mornings and during the day acted as office boy in a house importing laces and millinery goods. That he was faithful, capable and reliable is indicated in the fact that he remained with that house until 1875, when the business went out of existence.

In 1877 Mr. Ray came to Florida to engage in the orange business and settled on Fruitland peninsula in Putnam county. There he engaged in orange growing until 1891, when he came to Jacksonville and entered into business connection with the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway, now the Atlantic Coast Line. He was afterward with the Florida Fruit Exchange until the memorable freeze of 1894-95. In that year he turned his attention to the retail grocery business, in which he continued until 1899. On the 1st of January of that year he entered the city treasurer’s office as chief clerk under A. M. Ives and held the position for ten years. Mr. Ives not wishing to act as treasurer for a longer period, Mr. Ray then became candidate for the office and has three times been elected without opposition. What higher compliment can be paid him? It is an indisputable testimonial of the regard entertained for him by the people, who recognize his ability and integrity as a city official. He will cotinue in the office until June, 1915, and the consensus of public opinion seems to be that he will be the choice of the people for a fourth term. He never forgets for an instant his public duties and his obligations. All are treated fairly and justly and over his official record there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil.

In October, 1888, Mr. Ray was united in marriage to Miss Arminda Tyre, a native of Florida, and they are well known in social circles of the city, the hospitality of many of the most attractive homes of Jacksonville being freely accorded them. Mr. Ray is a member of the Germania Club and a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, filling all of the offices in the local lodge and also becoming an official in the grand lodge. He is most loyal to the beneficent spirit of the craft and his efforts in behalf of the organization are a feature in its development. He stands as a high type of American manhood and citizenship and his record commends him to the confidence and high regard of all.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 118-119

CLEMENT D. RINEHART.   Clement D. Rinehart, who since his admission to the bar has been engaged in the practice of law in Florida, ranking with the leading representatives of the profession in Jacksonville, was born near Fredericktown, Knox county, Ohio, February 20, 1864, and comes of German lineage, his ancestors having been pioneer settlers of New Jersey, from which state his grandfather, Adam Rinehart, removed to western Ohio in 1816. He was one of the early residents of that part of Ohio and aided in transforming the frontier into one of the prosperous districts of the state. His son, David Rinehart, became identified with agricultural interests in Ohio and won a place among the successful farmers of Knox county. He married Harriet E. Darling, a native of that state, and upon their farm Clement D. Rinehart was reared, his youthful days being largely devoted to the acquirement of an education in the district schools and in the Fredericktown high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1883. For three years thereafter he engaged in teaching in the country schools and devoted the hours which are usually termed “leisure” to the study of law. In 1886 he entered Yale, where he pursued the law course, being graduated in 1888, with the degree of LL. B. cum Laude. For another year he remained at Yale, doing post-graduate work in law and also serving as assistant librarian of the law school, which was in itself a valuable portion of his education, acquainting him with the leading law works and their contents, thus enabling him to refer readily to any point or principle which he wished to consult. In 1889 the degree of Master of Law was conferred upon him.

It was in October of that year that Mr. Rinehart arrived in Jacksonville, and being at once admitted to the bar of this state entered upon the active practice of his profession in the city which has since been his home. He soon demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with the intricate problems of the law, and the thoroughness and care with which he has always prepared his cases has excited the admiration and won the respect of his contemporaries. His deductions have followed in logical sequence; his reasoning has been sound, and his presentation of a cause clear and forceful. In January, 1891, he became associated with Colonel Horatio Bisbee under the firm name of Bisbee & Rinehart, and through the six years of its extension the firm was accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage. From the 1st of January, 1897, until 1901, Mr. Rinehart practiced alone and continued to extend his important professional connections. In 1901 he formed a partnership with Ezra P. Axtell under the firm name of Axtell & Rinehart, which is one of the leading law firms of the city. In all the important points of law Mr. Rinehart is well informed, correctly cites precedent or principle, and is seldom if ever at fault in the citation of a point in law. His standing among his professional brethren is indicated in the fact that he has been honored with the vice presidency and the presidency of the Jacksonville Bar Association. He is also a member of the American Society of International Law, and that his interests extend broadly beyond his profession is indicated in the fact that he is a member of the American Social Science Association and of the American Political Science Association.

On the 27th of December, 1892, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Rinehart and Miss Maud Castner, a daughter of S. J. and Mary (MacFarland) Castner of Fredericktown, Ohio. They became the parents of three children, but only one is now living, Clement Castner Rinehart, who is a student at Yale. The parents hold membership in the Presbyterian church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Mr. Rinehart is serving as one of the elders of the church and has always taken an active interest in public matters concerning the moral and intellectual improvement of the people. The cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion and one who puts forth every effort in his power to advance the interests of the schools and stimulate a desire for learning in the young. He has been a trustee of the Jacksonville free public library since its organization and cooperates in many movements which have direct bearing upon the public welfare. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has been grand representative from Florida for more than a decade. His political allegiance has always been given to the democratic party and for a time he served as assistant postmaster while living in Fredericktown, Ohio. In June, 1901, he became a member of the Jacksonville city council and served until June, 1903. Beyond this he has held no political office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his professional duties. He has all of the indispensable qualities of the successful lawyer, and while his devotion to his client’s interests is proverbial he never forgets that he owes a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 137-138

HON. CHARLES B. ROGERS.   Hon. Charles B. Rogers occupies an enviable position in commercial circles in Jacksonville, being the
president of the Consolidated Grocery Company, wholesale dealers in groceries. His private interests, however, have not been allowed to exclude his active participation in public affairs, and deeply concerned in the welfare and upbuilding of the state, he has represented his district in the senate, his record there indicating his fidelity to all those interests which feature most strongly as factors in good government and general improvement.

A native of North Carolina, Mr. Rogers was born in Pittsboro, December 4, 1852. His parents were John J. and Joanna (Lutterloh) Rogers. The father
was a planter of North Carolina, who at the outbreak of the Civil war espoused the cause of his loved southland, joining the Confederate army. He was captured in front of Petersburg in 1864 and sent to Point Lookout Prison, where he died before hostilities had ended. His wife, who was also a native of North Carolina, was a daughter of Charles Lutterloh, who served as an officer in the War of 1812. She is still living and now makes her home with her son in Jacksonville.

Charles B. Rogers had the benefit of a course of study in the Pittsboro Scientific Academy, and when seventeen years of age made his initial step in the
business world by removing to Florida and entering the employ of the Florida Railway as a clerk at Cedar Keys, with a monthly salary of twenty-five dollars. He had early learned the eternal truth that industry wins and industry became the beacon light of his life. From that period to the present he has steadily advanced, utilizing his time and opportunities to the best advantage until as a wholesale merchant of Jacksonville he ranks among the most prominent business men of Florida. He was but twenty years of age when in 1872 he established a retail and wholesale mercantile business at Cedar Keys. Success attended him in that connection owing to his close application, capable management and unfaltering energy. In 1886 he sought a still broader field of labor and established the mammoth wholesale grocery business in Jacksonville which is now conducted under the name of the
Consolidated Grocery Company, of which he is the president. The business is carefully systematized so that maximum results are secured at minimum effort, which is the basis of all success in commercial lines. Mr. Rogers was formerly president of the Florida Naval Stores & Commission Company, which he and others established in 1899. Since starting in business he has closely applied himself to the control of his interests, and the methods which he has employed are such as will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny.

On the 1st of June, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of Charles B. Rogers and Miss Mary A. Coachman, a native of South Carolina, then residing at
Bronson, Florida. Their family numbers four sons and four daughters, as follows: Charles B., Jr.; Mrs. Mary F. Mitchell, of Pensacola, Florida; Edgar
H.; Mrs. Caroline Rogers Bower, of New York city; Frank; Miss Joanna E.; Alonzo C.; and Winifred.

It has been said of Mr. Rogers that “He is a man of strength and influence in his community, of high standing in the business world and popular among
all classes of people. His success in life has been due to energy, close application to business and phenomenal perseverance joined to rare native ability and good judgment.” It is not only in business lines, however, that Air. Rogers has become widely and favorably known, for he has cooperated in many movements that have resulted beneficially to city and state. He is a member of the Jacksonville Board of Trade and has been a recognized leader in democratic circles, serving for four years as a member of the city council and for several years as a member of the board of election commissioners. In 1898 he was chosen to represent his district in the state senate, where he gave careful consideration to all questions which came up for settlement, and was connected with much important constructive legislation. Along social lines his connections are with the Seminole, Country and Church Clubs and with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Episcopal church. A life of intense and well directed activity and high purpose has brought him to the enviable position which he occupies in the regard of his fellow
townsmen.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 71-72

HON. SAMUEL T. SHAYLOR. Hon. Samuel T. Shaylor holds high rank in the legal profession in Jacksonville and at the same time is widely known because of his public service which has constituted an important element in the advancement and upbuilding of both city and state. Actuated by
a public-spirited devotion to the general good, his labors have been of a practical as well as a progressive character, fruitful of good results. He was born in Alachua county, Florida, September 13, 1869, his parents being Samuel T. and Eugenia FI. (Baukknight) Shaylor, both of whom were natives of South Carolina, who in early life came to Florida and were married in this state. The father, who was a farmer by occupation, died in November, 1869, and was long survived by his wife, who passed away in 1910. Mr. Shaylor has one brother, J. Douglas, of the firm of Shaylor & Tucker, real-estate dealers, with offices in the Masonic Temple.

In the public schools near his father’s home Samuel T. Shaylor pursued his early education and later entered the institution that is now the University of
Florida, from which he was graduated with the class of 1889. He then returned to the farm and devoted about three years to the cultivation of oranges. In 1893 he came to Jacksonville, thinking to find a professional career more congenial and hoping also to find it more profitable. In this city he took up the study of law in the office of A. H. King, and in 1895 entered the University of Virginia as a student of the law department, in which he spent two years. He was admitted to the bar at Jacksonville in the latter part of 1896 and has since been in active practice. It was soon evident that he prepared his cases with great thoroughness and care and was most fearless in his devotion to the interests of his clients. This brought him an increasing clientage and his ability soon established his reputation at the bar. In 1904 he was elected judge of the criminal court of Duval county and held the office until 1907, since which time he has given most of his attention to the private practice of law.

It is said that Judge Shaylor has held more offices than any other man in the state and it is a well known fact that both Jacksonville and Florida owe much to his efforts for their development, upbuilding and improvement. For twenty years he was identified with the Florida State Troops and for sixteen years held the rank of colonel, taking a great interest in promoting the military organization and in framing the military law of the state. He was the first adjutant general of Florida of the Sons of Veterans and was the second officer in rank in the state. For several years he served as a member of the city council of Jacksonville and was its vice president, in which connection he took an active and helpful part in the relief of the fire sufferers here and in the upbuilding of the town after the memorable conflagration. His labors have always been of a practical character and in working for city and state he has looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and opportunities of the future. He has been a close student of those things affecting municipal welfare or the interests of the commonwealth and his energy has been a resultant factor for good.

In fraternal circles Judge Shaylor is well known. He holds membership with the Knights of Pythias, in which he has filled all of the chairs, and he is also connected with the Knights of Khorassan. He likewise holds membership with the Red Men, the Moose, the Owls, the Eagles and the Daughters of Pocahontas. He is a member of the Jacksonville Board of Trade and that his interests are far-reaching and largely have to do with projects for the public welfare is shown in the fact that he belongs to the Good Roads Association, to the Young Men’s Christian Association and to the Presbyterian church. He is also a member of the Alumni Association of the University of Florida and belongs to both the local and state bar associations. In all of these societies and organizations he has filled office and his qualities of leadership are widely recognized. What he undertakes he accomplishes and the motives which prompt him in all of his activities are such as will bear close investigation and scrutiny.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 502-503

L. D. Smoot. In his position as chief engineer of Jacksonville, L. D. Smooth has done much worthy of praise in the development and organization of the system of public work under his direction. He is actuated in all that he does by a spirit of progressiveness which, added to his practical and comprehensive professional knowledge, produces splendid results. He is a native of the nation's capital, having been born in Washington, August 31, 1879, a son of John D. and Mary E. (Goldsborough) Smoot. His early education was acquired in the public schools of Washington and in 1896 he entered Cornell University, which he attended for two years. He next became a student in the George Washington University, in which he remained for one year, acquiring his professional knowledge in those two institutions. In 1900 he entered upon the active practice of his profession in connection with railroad work in the extension of electric lines connecting the capital city with its suburbs. He entered the depot quartermaster's department in Washington and was given charge of road construction around the signal corps buildings at Fort Meyer, Virginia. Returning to the District of Columbia, he was connected with municipal engineering in various branches of the department, there remaining for ten years. On the 9th of October, 1911, he was appointed by the board of bond trustees of Jacksonville, Florida, to the position of chief engineer of the city, in which capacity he has since acceptably served. During his sojourn here he has principally been engaged in making topographical surveys, in establishing street and grade improvements, and in making plans for drainage, sewer and water extensions. He is also the author if a plan to place all electric light and power lines in the business section underground and bring about an entire reorganization of all the seven branches to be placed under his supervision. He has about eighty engineers under his control in all departments and has each branch of the business carefully systematized. He is making great strides for the benefit of the city and all the departments and has already accomplished substantial good.

On the 20th of January, 1900, Mr. Smoot was united in marriage to Miss Loraine P. Williamson, of Philadelphia, and they have four sons: Lloyd D., John Alden, Kenneth McLean and Williamson. During his college days Mr Smoot became a member of the Sigma Chi and he is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is both an Elk and a Mason. He has made continuous advancement in his profession and with his increasing ability has reached an enviable and responsible position as chief engineer of Jacksonville.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 57-58.

A. D. STEVENS. In a history of Jacksonville’s successful men it is imperative to mention A. D. Stevens, because his prosperity has had an important effect upon the commercial and industrial expansion of the city. His initiative spirit and his executive and organizing ability have been forces in the development of the great ship repairing business controlled by the Merrill-Stevens Company and in its expansion from a small concern into one of the greatest of its kind in the south. Mr. Stevens is a native of Maine, born in Calais, in 1862, a son of Thomas H. and Jane M. Stevens. The father came to Florida in the early ’50s, after two years in California, where he had gone in 1849, at the time of the great gold rush. He came to this state at the re-
quest of northern interests, for whom he built three sailing vessels. He decided to locate in Jacksonville and continued in the shipbuilding business here, constructing a steamboat for Captain Brock, who was the first steamboat man on the St. Johns river. Mr. Stevens remained in Florida until 1861, when he returned to Maine, where he remained until the close of the Civil war. After peace was declared he again came to Florida and formed a partnership with Captain Brock, Mr. Stevens assuming control of the shipbuilding department and continuing to manage it until his death in 1873. He was identified with a great deal of important industrial work in Duval county and in 1870 built the first marine railroad south of Wilmington, North Carolina.

After the death of his father A. D. Stevens went north in order to complete his education in Maine and Massachusetts, graduating in mechanical and electrical engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1884. He returned to Jacksonville and took charge of the city gas works, remaining in that capacity for three years. In 1887 he joined J. E. and A. R. Merrill in the organization of the Merrill-Stevens Engineering Company, which erected a plant on the site of the former factory of the Brock-Stevens Company. The marine railroad was at that time owned by the heirs of Drew Hazelton and Mr. Livingston, but in 1894 it was purchased by the Merrill-Stevens Engineering Company as a means of further facilitating their business expansion. In the beginning the company did only boiler work and repairing but gradually added to their departments, taking up ship and machine repairing. The business expanded rapidly and with the idea of enlarging the quarters occupied the company purchased two lots adjoining their property three days
before the great fire of 1901. All the buildings were entirely destroyed, but the next day the company set their own force of men at work rebuilding the plant and without a day’s loss of time work was continued. The increasing depth of the water due to river improvements increased the number of vessels seeking repairs beyond the capacity of the marine railroad controlled by the company and in order to meet the demand the concern was reorganized in 1904 under the name of the Merrill-Stevens Company, with an authorized capital of five hundred thousand dollars. At the same time the construction of a forty-five hundred ton floating dock was begun and in three years completed, since which time it has been the means of bringing to
the port of Jacksonville ship repairs aggregating in value over one and a half million dollars. The growth of the business controlled by the Merrill-Stevens Company has been little short of marvelous, for the concern, starting with twenty-five men, has been obliged to increase its working force until it now employs from five to six hundred skilled laborers. Much of the credit for this great expansion is due to Mr. Stevens, who has labored intelligently in the interests of the company, making his energy, industry and business ability forces in the growth of the enterprise it controls.

In 1904 Mr. Stevens was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Lowell, of Calais, Maine, and both are well known and popular in social circles of Jacksonville. Mr. Stevens takes always an active interest in the welfare of the city and has done much through his service as a member of the city council to promote municipal expansion and development. He has also been for a number of years port commissioner and is serving in that capacity at the present time. It is hard to estimate the value to Jacksonville in standards, in precedents and in actual accomplishment of the work he has done in upbuilding the concern with which he is identified, but it is certain that its influence has been powerful enough to effect in an important way the
industrial history of this section of the state.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 720-721

JOHN N. C. STOCKTON. The man who recognizes the trend of public opinion and jumps into the popular current as a leader is frequently accorded the qualities of successful statesmanship by the unsophisticated public, while the man who advocates a cause supported by a minority and holds
principle dearer than success is often considered during his own lifetime as no more a hero than he who leads a forlorn hope. The services of John N. C. Stockton to Jacksonville and to the state of Florida can only be properly estimated by the historian of the future, who will write the facts as he finds them unbiased by either prejudice or partisan feeling. Although Mr. Stockton has attained success in a worldly way, he has ever given the best of his intellect and endeavor to the service of his fellowman. No man has been of greater service to Jacksonville, and the fruit of his earnest and intelligent devotion to duty will be reaped by generations yet to come. His activity in public life has not been for personal honor or personal gain. He has been on the side of the people in every controversy and his most earnest efforts have been made in campaigns when the odds seemed greatest against his personal success. He has ever fought for principle, never for policy, and his name will live long after the evils, which he contended against, have
been overcome and forgotten by the people of Florida, in whose service he has spent many of the happiest and most valuable years of his life.

The Stockton family held a prominent position in England before the discovery of America. About 1656 Richard Stockton, the son of John Stockton of
Ividdington, in the parish of Malpas in the county of Chester, England, landed at Flushing, New York, having left England as the result of religious persecution. Since that date the Stocktons have been closely connected with every phase in the nation’s development. Richard Stockton, the eldest son of the first American of that name, purchased a large tract of land from William Penn at Princeton, New Jersey, where he took up his residence, and where a branch of the Stockton family still lives. There have been many distinguished members of this family among whom only the most illustrious will be mentioned. In 1776 another Richard Stockton was elected a delegate to represent the colony of New Jersey in the continental congress, and as a member of that body he signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1796 his son, Richard Stockton, was elected to the United States senate. Robert Field Stockton, who won distinction in the war with Tripoli and who was largely instrumental in winning California for the United States, was in 1851
chosen to represent New Jersey in the United States senate. In 1865 John P. Stockton was elected from New Jersey to fill a vacancy in the United States senate, and in 1869 at the expiration of his term of office was reelected for another term. Among the most prominent Stocktons of the next generation was Col. W. T. Stockton, the father of John N. C. Stockton. Colonel Stockton was born at Camden, near Philadelphia, in 1812. He was educated at West Point, where he graduated in 1834. He served in the regular army in Florida during the Indian wars, but in 1836 resigned his commission to engage in planting in this state. Subsequent troubles with Indians resulted in his state calling him into service, and he responded nobly to her call. In 1849 he was honored by being appointed a member of the board of visitors to West Point. At the outbreak of the Civil war, he was among the first to volunteer his services and was made a captain in the Confederate army. When the First Florida Cavalry was organized, he was elected major, but within a year was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Acting on detailed duty, he mustered in all the Florida troops. He was wounded at Chickamauga, and captured in the trenches at the battle of Missionary Ridge. He was sent to Johnson’s island, where he was held as a prisoner of war until August, 1865. His health was permanently impaired as the result of his long confinement.

John N. C. Stockton was born at Quincy in Gadsden county, November 17, 1857. His mother was Julia (Telfair) Stockton, a native of North Carolina. His early years were spent on the farm, and the active outdoor life of his youth laid the foundation for the splendid health and strong physique which has stood him in good stead throughout his strenuous career. He received the rudiments of his education in the public schools at Quincy. As the family found itself in reduced circumstances as the result of the war, he never had an opportunity for a college education. After his father’s death, when he was twelve years old, the Stocktons moved to Jacksonville. At the age of fourteen he went to work in a retail grocery for two dollars a week, but continued his studies at night. Two years later he was employed by William Root, a wholesale grocer, at a slight advance. He remained there five
years, making himself so valuable to his employer that when he left him to engage in other business, he was receiving a thousand dollars a year. He has since been engaged in many large commercial and financial enterprises, and has not only been eminently successful in a material way, but has also been of inestimable public service.

Entering the employ of D. G. Ambler as bookkeeper in 1878, he was at the end of five years admitted to partnership under the firm name of Ambler, Marvin & Stockton. In 1885 he helped to organize the National Bank of the State of Florida and was chosen cashier. Three years later he was elected vice president and in 1894, president, a position which he held until he voluntarily resigned. He organized the First National Bank of Tampa in 1887 and was elected president, a position which he held until he resigned in 1891. He was one of the organizers of the Exchange National Bank of Tampa and was elected vice president, but resigned after the bank was well started on the road to success. In 1895 he became largely interested in the lumber and phosphate business, as a member of the firm of J. E. Bryan & Company, foreign and domestic dealers in lumber, and as president of the Levy County Phosphate Company, one of the largest concerns interested in that industry in the state. He is now president of the Ortega Company, a suburban development company, and interested largely in the manufacture of naval stores and lumber.

Mr. Stockton has always found pleasure in social service and for the public good has ever freely contributed both of his time and means. During the yellow fever epidemic of 188S, Mr. Stockton was a member of the auxiliary committee which had charge of the relief funds, and as an active member of the finance committee received and turned over to the disbursing committee from August 8 to November 8, of that year, over three hundred thousand dollars. His courage and resourcefulness in that fight against the plague won him the lasting gratitude of the community. After the epidemic, the Board of Trade, many of its members having died, was thoroughly disorganized and overwhelmingly in debt. In 1889 he was elected president of the board and energetically set to work at its reorganization. Within a year he had increased the membership to such an extent that the debt was paid off and the Board of Trade rooms were handsomely furnished.

Mr. Stockton has always been deeply interested in the political and economical, as well as the social, welfare of his city and state. He has been more or less actively connected with every state election since 1876. He has ‘always been an able campaigner, but it has been in the interests of others that he has done his most effective work. During the Hayes-Tilden campaign, though still a youth, after his day's work was done, he would go to the headquarters of the democratic committee and address envelopes or do any other clerical work that the committee desired. Four years later he worked hard helping the state committee to elect Bloxham as governor in the great fight of 1880. In 1884 at the age of twenty-six he was elected a delegate from Duval county to the Pensacola convention, which nominated Perry for governor. He was an active and enthusiastic Perry delegate and was selected by the Perry supporters as one of the tellers of the convention. After Perry’s nomination, Mr. Stockton returned home and was immediately elected
treasurer of the Cleveland organization and at once threw his whole heart and soul into the work of the campaign raising the funds necessary to carry on the fight successfully against what was at that time a thoroughly organized republican party. In 1888 he was a member of the delegation from Duval county to the St. Augustine convention in which he actively supported Governor F. P. Fleming who was nominated and elected Florida’s chief executive that year. About that time, without solicitation on his part, he was elected a member of the board of public works of Jacksonville. As a member of that board one of the first resolutions he introduced asked for the cooperation of the city and county authorities with the railroads for the construction of a viaduct over McCoy’s creek, which is now known as the Riverside Viaduct. After Governor Fleming had been inaugurated, he
urged that Mr. Stockton should be made a member of the board of county commissioners of Duval. Mr. Stockton entered upon his duties immediately with that same energy that he has always shown in taking hold of a new enterprise. As a member of this board he again urged the construction of a viaduct over McCoy's creek. The result was that the city and county authorities cooperated with the railroads, and Mr. Stockton was appointed to represent the county in the building of the first Riverside Viaduct. In 1890 he was an enthusiastic supporter of Senator Call for reelection and helped to organize Call’s following in Duval county. When the convention assembled, there were one hundred and twelve out of one hundred and fourteen delegates pledged to support Call. When the question of electing a senator came before the legislature, Mr. Stockton went to Tallahassee to help Senator Call, and after six weeks of hard fighting Mr. Call was reelected to the United States senate. Stockton fought by Call’s side because
he was in sympathy with his stand on all the great public questions of the day, but he was also deeply grateful for the senator’s kindness to his widowed mother when she needed a friend.

In 1892 after the split in the Duval democratic party Mr. Stockton went to Tampa to battle against the corporate interests and to help to nominate a governor who would be in sympathy with the people. In 1893 he was elected chairman of the board of public works, and was serving in that capacity when the people of Jacksonville voted the issue of one million dollars in public improvement bonds. As chairman of the board, he signed the contracts giving to the people its splendid electric light plant and an extended sewer system. Under his administration the site of the present City building was purchased and the paving of the streets with vitrified brick was begun. In 1896 he was elected to the state legislature from Duval county. Again in
1897 he advocated the election of Senator Call and for six weeks he led the fight on the floor against the combined efforts of the corporate interests of the country. When he realized that his election was impossible, Senator Call withdrew in favor of Mr. Stockton who came within seven votes of being elected with five votes ready to come to him if he could have got two more. Finding that the lines had become too tensely drawn, he retired from the race and urged his friends to support Stephen R. Mallory, who was elected on the first ballot, and six years later was unanimously reelected for a section term.

In 1900 Mr. Stockton was a member of the delegation from Duval county to the convention in which Governor W. S. Jennings was nominated. Stockton
was one of the first to offer a resolution in a Florida state democratic executive committee asking for a primary election for the nomination of state officers. He was not only voted down, but hissed. He took the matter before the people, and when the convention assembled at Jacksonville the primary system was indorsed and since then state and county officers have been nominated at primary elections.

So well had Mr. Stockton fulfilled his every obligation in the past as a member of the board of public works that after the disastrous fire of 1901 which practically destroyed the business section of Jacksonville, the people recognized the need of his services and again called him to the board. As its chairman he directed the expenditure of a new bond issue of four hundred thousand dollars in reconstructing the city hall, making other public improvements, and retiring the city’s floating debt. The results of his work speak more adequately than could any words.

As a member of the state legislature, Mr. Stockton introduced several important bills among which should be mentioned: a bill providing for the regulation of railroad schedules, freights and passenger tariffs, and the building of freight and passenger depots, and to prevent unjust discrimination in the rates charged for transportation ; a bill to prohibit any transportation company from contributing money or free transportation to any person for political purposes; and a bill to require railroads and other transportation companies to publish a list of every free pass issued by them. These bills which now seem to be very necessary and even conservative laws were in 1897 regarded as radical measures, and won for Stockton the name of
a fanatic and also the antagonism of the railroads.

In 1904 Mr. Stockton opposed Senator James P. Taliaferro who was running for reelection and was defeated in the second primary by a narrow margin. In 1908 he was a candidate for governor. The chief issue of the campaign was prohibition against local option. The liquor interests, allied with the corporate interests, opposed him bitterly, and Governor A. W. Gilchrist was elected in the second primary. In 1910 Mr. Stockton was again a candidate for the senate, but was again unsuccessful. It has been the ambition of John Stockton to crown his long career of usefulness in the service of his city and state with a term in the United States senate. It has been a noble ambition and the office, to which he has aspired, is one, which he is peculiarly fitted to hold as the result of his practical experience and life-time study of conditions.

An interest in governmental affairs seems to have always been a natural endowment with all Stocktons. John Stockton has had his share of this family trait and Florida will yet realize that it is good to have had such men in politics. Although he has been in public life many years, his political record is as clean and as far above reproach as his private life. The hundreds of men that John Stockton has aided in distress and encouraged in despair — and he alone knows how many they have been — will hold him in esteem, not only for his efforts as a public servant, but for those individual acts of kindness in the unseen things of life.

He has always been an active member of the Episcopalian church and was very closely connected with the building of St. Andrews church in East Jacksonville. In his public life he has exerted his every effort to improve the moral condition of the state and community in which he has lived, and in private life he has lived up to the principles he has advocated.

Mr. Stockton was married September 27, 1883, to Fannie Baker, a daughter of James McCallum and Frances Gilchrist Baker of Jacksonville. Her father was for many years judge of the fourth judicial circuit of Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Stockton have six children: William T.; Gilchrist B.; Frances B., who is Mrs. J. W. Godwin; Margaret; Jean; and Julia Elizabeth Telfair. There is an air of culture and refinement about his home and in it he finds his greatest happiness.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 190-195

TELFAIR STOCKTON. The history of a city has not to do so much with its machinery of government or even the men who hold its public offices as it has to do with those citizens of enterprise and progressiveness who recognize and utilize opportunities for the establishment of important and extensive industrial, commercial and professional connections. Telfair Stockton, characterized by notable industry, sagacity and determination, has had much to do with the upbuilding and improvement of Jacksonville in its transformation from a little river town to the state’s metropolis, with important railway and marine shipping facilities. With a clear conception of both the difficulties and the possibilities of the development and improvement
of a city through the medium of real-estate transactions, Mr. Stockton, a practical business man with keen foresight and executive ability, has laid out various important additions. Moreover, he has been connected with many projects that concern the state at large, being an active factor in the good roads and water-ways agitation which is bringing about great improvement along those lines. Florida is proud to number Telfair Stockton among her native sons, his birth having occurred in the city of Quincy in 1860.

His father, William T. Stockton, was a representative of a distinguished American family whose ancestral line is traced back to England. A contemporary biographer has given the family history as follows: “The Stocktons are of English extraction."

The family, which in point of descent ranks with the most ancient houses in England, is styled de Stoctun in ancient Latin deeds. The family name is derived from two Latin words, Stoc and Tun. The meaning of the word Stoc is ‘a place,’ the ‘Stem of a tree,’ and Tun is a word signifying ‘inclosure.’ In a pedigree of the Stockton family taken from an English history at the British museum we find the name was written de Stoctun in primitive days and in later times Stockton. This is the only change the name has undergone in eight hundred years, and is caused merely by the English spelling of the original Saxon words. The family bore an honorable part in English history and in America where ‘worth makes the man’ it has borne an equally honorable part since 1600. Their ancestors were ancient lords of the manor of Stockton, which they held under the barony of Malpas. Stockton
Manor is in the town of Malpas, in the Hundred of Broxton, in the county of Cheshire, England, and was granted in the year 1250, in the reign of King
Henry III. Besides Stockton Manor there is a place in the parish of Malpas called Stockton's Bank and a dwelling place called Stockton Hall. In the church of Malpas there are many of the Stockton memorials. One remarkable memorial was that of the Rt. Hon. Sir John Stockton, knight, lord mayor of London, 1470-71, who was knighted on the field by King Henry IV. The coat of arms granted to the Stockton family has been borne by the family during many centuries of its history in England and America. The arms are described thus: Gules, a chevron, Vair, sable and argent between three mullets, or which is thus translated: a shield covered with fine perpendicular lines, a broad chevron in the center on which is set little silver bells. Above the chevron two golden stars, and below chevron one golden star. The crest is a lion rampant, supporting an Ionic pillar. The motto of the Stockton family is ‘Omnia Deo Pendant' (all depends on God) and is founded on piety, loyalty and valor. The coat of arms is registered at the Herald’s College.

“Richard Stockton, a son of John Stockton and grandson of Owen Stockton, of the parish of Malpas, Cheshire, England, was born in 1605. He emigrated, with his wife and children, from England, previous to the year 1660, on account of either religious or state persecution during the protectorate of Cromwell, to America, and resided a few years on Long Island, at Flushing, near the city of New York. From there he removed to New Jersey. He died, leaving a widow, three sons and five daughters. His oldest son, Richard, settled in Princeton and, about 1700, purchased six thousand acres of land, of which the present town of Princeton is nearly the center. The Stocktons were the first Europeans to occupy this land after the discovery of the country by Columbus, and still hold a portion of it. Richard Stockton resided until his death, at an advanced age, in Princeton. He died in 1709, leaving a widow and six sons: Richard, Samuel, Joseph, Robert, John and Thomas. To his fifth son, John Stockton, he devised the family
seat, Morven. John Stockton was one of the first presiding judges of the court of common pleas of the county of Somerset under the royal government.
He was a man of education, wealth and great influence in the early history of New Jersey and was prominently instrumental in securing to Princeton
the College of New Jersey. He occupied the plantation, now known as Morven, which was devised to him by his father, Richard Stockton, Esq.
He was the most prominent of the six sons. He was born in 1701 and died in 1757, leaving a widow, four sons and four daughters. These four sons, Richard (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), Captain John Stockton, the Rev. Philip Stockton (the great-grandfather of the Stockton family in Florida), and Samuel Withan Stockton, were all distinguished men. The Rev. Philip Stockton, who was a chaplain in the army and fought in the battle of Princeton, was called the ‘Revolutionary Preacher.’ He studied theology with the Rev. John Witherspoon and received the degree of Master of Arts. He was a Presbyterian and was ordained a minister by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1778. He was born in Princeton, July [ir], 1746, and Miss Katherine Cumming, to whom he was married April 13, 1769, was born on April 6, 1748. She was a sister of General John Noble Cumming, of New Jersey. The Rev. Philip Stockton was a man of fortune and influence. He resided at his home, Castle Howard, in Princeton, until his death, January 12, 1792, leaving a widow and five sons, Lucius Witham Stockton, John Stockton, Elias Boudinot Stockton, William Tennent Stockton (the grandfather of the Stockton family in Florida) and Richard Stockton. William Tennent Stockton, his fourth son, was born at Castle Howard, in Princeton. He married Anna Williamson, of New Jersey, and then removed to Philadelphia and entered into partnership with his uncle, General John
Noble Cumming. He resided at his country home, Roxborough, six miles from Philadelphia, until his death in 1823. He left a widow, four sons and three daughters.”

William Tennent Stockton, the father of Telfair Stockton, was born in Roxborough, October 8, 1812, and following his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point in July, 1834, was engaged in active duty on the northern frontier in Georgia, also participating in the Florida war in which he gained distinction as a soldier and officer. Resigning his position in the army he established his home on a plantation at Quincy, Gadsden county, but so conspicuous was his ability and talent that he was many times, by election and appointment, called from the privacy of his home to fill important public positions. With the outbreak of the Civil war he promptly offered his services to his adopted state and was commissioned a captain of the regular army of the Confederacy. Promotion to the rank of major and of lieutenant colonel of cavalry followed. He was detailed to muster into service all Florida troops and with the completion of that task went immediately to the front. At Missionary Ridge he was captured and sent to Johnson’s Island, where he was held a prisoner of war until after the close of hostilities. In a volume entitled ‘‘Dickinson and His Men,” mention is made of William T. Stockton as follows: “By education, a soldier; by instinct, a hero; he belonged to that noble race of men whose names adorn
the historic page and whose character added luster and gave tone to the social life in the south. He was a typical southern soldier, the incarnate spirit of the Confederacy. His handsome face and form, his lofty bearing, now towering in the forefront of battle, now falling back before overwhelming numbers, contesting every inch of ground until, finally, overcome but not conquered, victorious even in defeat, he hurled defiance in the face of the foe, breaking his sword and throwing away hilt and blade and scabbard as a token of an unconquerable spirit. Such a picture marked Colonel William T. Stockton, the very personification of knightly chivalry.” He was married in 1839 to Sarah Strange and they became the parents of one son and
daughter, William Tennent and Harriet. For his second wife he chose Julia Telfair, the third daughter of Dr. Thomas Telfair, of Washington, North Carolina, their marriage being celebrated December 23, 1845. They had seven sons and two daughters, Richard, Warwick Rush, Thomas Telfair, Guy Henry, John Noble Cumming, Telfair, George T., Julia Vipont and Mary Stuart Stockton. The father passed away at Quincy, Florida, March 4, 1869, and in 1870 Mrs. Julia Stockton removed with her family to Jacksonville where she passed away June 10, 1892, leaving three sons and a daughter, the latter Mrs. Mary (Stockton) Young, widow of Rt. Rev. John Freeman Young, bishop of Florida.

The educational opportunities afforded Telfair Stockton were somewhat limited yet he spent considerable time as a pupil in the public schools of
Gadsden and Duval counties and in the school of experience he has learned many valuable lessons, making him a well informed and able business man.
He early took upon himself the responsibilities of business life, however, being about sixteen years of age when in 1876 he possessed a small news and book store, becoming the youngest merchant of Jacksonville. The start thus gained enabled him eight years later to turn his attention to the real-estate business, in which connection he won a clientage and conducted a business that rendered him for years among the largest and most prominent real-estate dealers of Florida. He is president of the Telfair-Stockton Company, real-estate investments, president of the New Springfield Company and is interested in a number of other corporations closely connected with those mentioned. He has been very active in the development of large tracts of suburban property and Jacksonville owes to him a debt that can never be paid for what he has done in the improvement of outlying sections of the city. Springfield stands as an evidence of his enterprise, his ability and his energy, and is today one of the finest residence districts in the city.

While promoting individual interests Mr. Stockton has been equally active in advancing projects of public welfare. His record brings to mind the statement that “peace hath her victories no less renowned than war.” Many of his important public acts have been done in an official capacity and others have been accomplished as a private citizen, cooperating with other enterprising men in bringing about general improvement. He has long been a recognized leader in democratic circles in this state and in 1902 was chosen to represent Duval county in the upper house of the general assembly. At the close of his first term he refused to again become a candidate. While acting as chairman of the board of public works from 1897 until 1899 he inaugurated the present system of parks whereby the beauty and attractiveness of Jacksonville has been greatly promoted. When General Fitzhugh
Lee, commanding thirty thousand troops, mobilized for the Spanish-American war in 1898, was encamped at Jacksonville, Mr. Stockton’s position as
chairman of the board of public works was a most important one, having much to do with arranging for the care of the troops in this city. His course won him high and unqualified praise. When Jacksonville was largely laid low by the fire fiend, millions of dollars’ worth of property being destroyed and thousands rendered homeless, he became a leading figure in meeting the crisis, laboring untiringly in that great organization which contributed so largely to public relief and brought about the rebuilding of the city on a greater and more beautiful plan. No movement which seeks to advance public improvement seeks his cooperation in vain. He sees the possibilities and opportunities laying before the state and has been most active in the work of improving railway facilities and inland waterways, ever stanchly advocating the project of deepening Jacksonville’s harbor to a thirty-foot channel so that the largest ships may enter and take produce to all parts of the world. He is equally strong as an advocate of the movement for the building of a hard surface highway from Fernandina to Pensacola by way of Jacksonville with a good hard surface road from some point on the line through
the center of the peninsula. Mr. Stockton was one of the leaders in the movement that resulted in the organization and incorporation of the Jacksonville
Real Estate Exchange in 1911, and he was made its first president and is still serving in that capacity.

In 1885 Mr. Stockton was united in marriage to Miss Florence Fitch, of Tennessee, who is a daughter of James Roosevelt and Emily (Henry) Fitch, the
former a close relative of Theodore Roosevelt, expresident of the United States. Of the four children of this marriage three are living, Florence Telfair,
James Roosevelt and Telfair Stockton, Jr. The religious faith of the family is that of the Episcopal church and Mr. Stockton takes an active interest in
its work as well as giving generously to its support. He belongs to the Elks lodge, the Country Club and the Seminole Club. He is a member of the Jacksonville Board of Trade and his identification with many organizations and movements has resulted in the material, intellectual, political, social and moral progress of the community. His position is never an equivocal one, all recognizing the fact that his influence is on the side of right, progress, law, order and advancement, while his efforts have been a tangible factor for good along many lines.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 265-267

FRANK FOLSOM TENNEY. Frank Folsom Tenney, a son of John Francis and Nancy (Folsom) Tenney, was born in Duval county, Florida, January 29, 1861, and has resided in Federal Point since 1876. He was partially reared in the north, where he was sent by his father to attend public school
in New Hampshire and Vermont. Since laying aside his text-books he has been identified with his father in his various pursuits and has attained individual prominence as farmer and fruit-grower, being also active in assisting his father in his mercantile establishment and acting as assistant postmaster. He owns and conducts the Groveland House at Federal Point, a popular winter resort, modern and up-to-date, which is largely patronized. In 1887 he married Miss Hattie Prince, of Randolph, Vermont, by whom he had four children, Francis, Louis E., Leona B. and Nancy S. Mrs. Tenney passed away in 1898 and subsequently Mr. Tenney married Miss Nettie Boynton, a native of Ohio, by whom he has one child, Florence. The eldest son of the first union, Francis, married Marie Bacon, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of three children, John Francis, Stanley
Earl and Charlotte. Louis E., the second son, is attending Florida State University, where he is taking a course in civil engineering. He is prominent and
popular in college circles. A leader in athletics, he has served as captain of the baseball team which in 1912 won, for the first time, the state championship for Florida, and in 1913 was chosen captain of the Varsity football team. The harmonious business relations between Messrs. Tenney, father and son, have been productive of excellent results which have not only brought them individual prosperity but have been a factor in the life of this region. Frank Folsom Tenney is a practical man, a man of experience and a man of action, and there are few who seem to be able to more readily discriminate between the essential and the non-essential in business matters, and his abilities have placed him in a class of men who are justly admired
for their attainments.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 229-230

JOSEPH IRWIN TRIPLETT, Jr. Joseph Irwin Triplett, Jr., is one of the younger representatives of the Jacksonville bar, but has already
attained an enviable position and a measure of success that many an older legal practitioner might well envy. He was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky, November 1, 1885, a son of Edwin and Carrie (Johnston) Triplett. In the attainment of his education he attended Shepherd College of West Virginia, from which he was graduated in 1904; the Washington and Lee University of Virginia, in which he completed a course with the class of 1906; and New York University, where he won his LL. B. degree in 1910. His thorough preliminary training well served as a foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional knowledge. Following his preparation for the bar, he at once began practice and is now a member of the well known law
firm of Dewell & Triplett, of Jacksonville. His success from the outset has been commendable and notable, showing a thorough preparation of cases and a mastery of the judicial principles involved. He is thoroughly loyal to the interests of his clients and yet never forgets that he owes a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law.

In his political views Mr. Triplett is a democrat, and although not an office seeker, is earnestly desirous of securing the success of the party because of his firm belief in its principles. He belongs to the Theta Nu Epsilon and also to the Phi Alpha Delta, the latter a legal fraternity. He holds membership with the Sons of the Revolution and his religious faith is evidenced in his membership in the Presbyterian church. He has spent an active, useful and honorable life, winning for him the high regard of all who know him.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 586-587

WILLIAM H. TUCKER.   William H. Tucker, superintendent of the electric light department for the city of Jacksonville, brings to the discharge of his present duties the knowledge and ability gained from broad study and wide practical experience, and the record which he is making in this connection is most commendable. He was born in Middletown, Connecticut, July 7, 1869, and is a son of Henry B. and Clara C. (Bacon) Tucker. The
father followed the occupation of farming, owned and operated a sawmill and also had various other business interests, including an extensive apple orchard in Connection which proved a very profitable source of income. He died at New Britain, Connecticut, November 2, 1910, and is yet survived by Mrs. Tucker, who makes her home there.

After mastering the branches of learning taught in the schools of Middletown, Connecticut, William H. Tucker attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Boston and was graduated with the class of 1891. He entered business circles in connection with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, of Lynn, Massachusetts, installing electric light and railroad plants, and remaining in that position from August, 1891, until 1896, when he was transferred to the branch office at Cincinnati as superintendent of construction, doing all their business in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. Some idea of the rapid growth of the electric business is indicated in the fact that while at one time he had charge of four states it is all he can possibly do now to take care of the electric interests in one city. He remained in Cincinnati for about a year, when he was transferred to Syracuse, New York, as superintendent of the electric equipment of the Syracuse Electric Rapid Transit Company, there remaining until 1900, when he took the position of general manager of the Norfolk Suburban Railway, just outside of Boston. About a year later that road was absorbed by the Massachusetts Electric Company and Mr. Tucker was transferred to Fall River as superintendent of division No. 4 for the latter company.

When his health failed he resigned and came to the south, accepting the position of manager for Stone & Webster of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Electric Company in 1902, remaining in that connection until 1907. When he took charge of the electric railway system in Jacksonville it was in a very unsatisfactory condition. The cars were of the old type and poorly equipped, the roadbed and tracks were bad, and the power was often off for an hour at a time. Under his management the road was put in excellent condition, improved cars were secured and the road was operated at fifty-two per cent of its former cost. In 1907 Mr. Tucker was transferred to Dallas, Texas, and after remaining there for six months was sent to Tampa, Florida, where he superintended the construction work of the Tampa Electric Company. On its completion he went to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and did the construction work for the electric road there. In 1909 he left the firm of Stone & Webster to become connected with the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company at Canton, Ohio, as superintendent of motive power, having charge of three hundred miles of road, four power houses, nine substations and five car barns.
He continued in that position until April 1, 1910, when he came to Jacksonville and was given charge of the new Talleyrand plant construction, which is one of the finest and best in the south. On the completion of the plant he was made superintendent of the city electric light department, succeeding R. N. Ellis. He now has about two hundred and fourteen employes under his supervision. Wide and varied experience has come to him in his business career and he is today one of the best known electricians of the country, of acknowledged expert ability.

On the 17th of September, 1894, Mr. Tucker was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Sullivan, of Wheeling, West Virginia, and they have one son, William H., who was born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, January 3, 1908. Mr. Tucker belongs to the Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has many friends in these organizations, to the teachings and principles of which he is ever loyal. His time and energies, however, have always been concentrated upon his business affairs, and his reading, research, investigation and experience have made him an expert in his field, enabling him to fill positions of large responsibility and importance.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 399-400

ADOLPHUS L. TURNER. Adolphus L. Turner, tax assessor, several times reelected to the office, has a record for efficiency and constancy that is most commendable. Duval county has long known him as a worthy citizen, for it was on the old Turner homestead, eight miles north of the city of Jacksonville, that his birth occurred on the 13th of March, 1869. His father, Lemuel Turner, was one of the well known pioneer citizens of Florida and his mother was a member of the Pickett family, one of the oldest in the state.

A. L. Turner acquired his primary education in the public schools of his native county and afterward entered the State Agricultural College at Lake City, Florida, being thus well qualified by liberal training for life’s practical and responsible duties. He then joined his father and brother in the operation of a shingle mill, in which business he continued successfully until the fall of 1894, when he was called to public service in his election to the position of tax assessor of Duval county. He served for two terms and then retired in favor of the late W. Bloxham Pickett, who continued in the position for three terms and was then elected sheriff of Duval county. At that time Mr. Turner was again called to the office of tax assessor, which he has held continuously to the present time, his reelections being indisputable proof of his ability, fidelity and the trust and confidence reposed in him. He possesses all of the personal and professional qualities necessary to fill an office of such importance, and no higher testimonial of his ability, loyalty and fidelity could be given than in the fact that he has been again and again the choice of the people for the position. His unfaltering attention to his
public duties, his progressive methods in keeping abreast with the rapid growth and development of taxable property, and above all his sense of equity in the distribution of the burden of taxation, which should be at once just to the state and acceptable to the taxpayer, are the primary causes of his successful administration of the office, his general popularity with all classes of citizens, and his last reelection without opposition. If efficiency in office or private business is the criterion of success and unqualified popular approval at the polls is the indorsement of a model public officer, then Mr. Turner is to be congratulated on the position he occupies today in the estimation of his fellow citizens.

On the 8th of November, 1899, Mr. Turner was united in marriage to Miss Eliza M. Starratt, of Jacksonville, and they have two children: Marie Dolores and Adolphus L. Mr. Turner belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan, and Woodmen of the World. Nor is he unknown in club circles, holding membership in the Commercial and Germania Clubs. His social nature, as expressed in friendliness and genuine appreciation of the good points of others, has made him one of Jacksonville’s most popular citizens.

[NOTE: The Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan or Dokeys are a side degree of the Knights of Pythias, somewhat analogous to the Shriners in Freemasonry. The Order was founded in 1894.]

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial
Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p.154

John James Upchurch. Since Florida became a center of interest to enterprising business me many decades ago, the lumber industry has been one of its chief sources of wealth, and among those who have made their fortunes in the conduct of the lumber business or subsidiary interests is John James Upchurch, of Jacksonville. He is a man of keep enterprise who has readily recognized and utilized opportunities that others have passed heedlessly by. His life history is the story of an orderly progression under the steady hand of one who is a consistent master of himself and whose organism is harmonious and well balanced. He possesses also a strong character and one that inspires confidence in others. He may nt have genius or any phenomenal characteristics, yet he is capable of mature judgment of his own capacities and of the people and circumstances that make up his life contacts and experiences. He is eminently a man of business sense and these qualities have won for him the position of prominence which he now occupies in Jacksonville and the state. Business, however, has been but one phase and feature of his existence and has not precluded his activity in and support of many measures which have had for their object the upbuilding and welfare of the state.

A native of Florida, Mr. Upchurch was born at Callahan on the 10th of March, 1861, a son of Nathaniel S. and Sarah A. (Parker) Upchurch. The family on the paternal side is of Scotch descent, while the maternal is of French Huguenot origin and the first American ancestor settled in North Carolina in colonial days. In 1858 Nathan S. Upchurch, the father, removed with his family to Florida, settling in Nassau county. He was a man of notable intelligence and even in those early days was a successful real-estate agent. His wife belonged to one of the oldest families of Florida and from both ancestral lines John J. Upchurch received an admirable inheritance in the way of those sterling qualities which ever command respect and appreciation. The father, realizing the value and worth of education as a preparation for life's practical ad responsible duties, sent his son to the public schools of Callahan and when he had advanced as far as possible there, afforded him the opportunity of pursuing a preparatory course in the Bingham school at Mebane, North Carolina. He afterward entered the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee, one of the noted educational institutions in that part of the country. He started in the business world in 1882, then a young man of twenty-one years, turning his attention to the manufacture of pine lumber. He owned and operated a logging business in Callahan and so wisely directed and controlled his business interests that his patronage grew and within a few years he was enabled to extend the scope of his interests by the establishment of another lumber manufacturing plant, which he located at Race Pond, Georgia. While his business interests extended across the border, he maintained his citizenship in Florida and became a recognized leader in political circles. In 1886, Nassau county elected him as its representative in the general assembly, where he enjoyed the distinction of being the first democrat that the county sent to the legislature.

In the meantime his business interests continued to grow and develop as the result of his initiative spirit and recognition and improvement of opportunities. In 1895 he became one of the partners in the Dyal-Upchurch Company, which has since maintained a position as one of the leading business firms not only of Jacksonville but of the state. They began the manufacture of lumber on an extensive scale, greatly enlarging and improving the plant, which in 1895 was removed from Race Pond, Georgia, to Moniac, that state. Mr. Upchurch became treasurer of the new company and removed his headquarters to Moniac in order to more capably direct the growing interests of the firm at that point. The business has enjoyed an almost phenomenal growth. Year by year its patronage increased until its sales reached a most gratifying annual figure. Mr. Upchurch is thoroughly familiar with every phase of the lumber trade from the selection of the timber in the forest until it is placed upon the market a finished product. He guided the interests of the business in principle and detail, formulated his plans carefully and was prompt in their execution. As a result thereof the business kept growing and for some time Mr. Upchurch concentrated his energies solely upon this undertaking.

Georgia regarded him a valuable, worthy and representative a citizen as did Florida and three times honored him with election to the state legislature, serving during the terms of 1895 and 1896 as senator from the fourth district, while in 1899 and 1900 he represented his county in the house. In the succeeding term he was again a member of the senate and aided in shaping much constructive legislation during that period of six years. He recognized the needs and the possibilities of the state and labored not only for immediate benefits but for the future as well.

Gradually his business interests were extending not only in scope and volume but also in variety and, feeling it impossible for him to longer concentrate his energies upon a single undertaking, he removed to Jacksonville in 1907 that he might establish office and headquarters there and from that point supervise all of his varied concerns. He is constantly watchful of opportunities for profitable investment of the capital which continues to flow from his numerous commercial and industrial enterprises and the position which he has won in business circles ranks him with the leading men of the state. He is now treasurer of the Dyal-Upchurch Investment Company, president of the Upchurch Lumber Company and vice president of the Jacksonville Development Company. He is vice president of the United States Trust and Savings Bank. Of him it has been said: "He is noted for his progressive and enterprising spirit, which is of such a character that he always is as ready with his means as he is with his time and talents, wherever he recognizes an opportunity of advancing the best interests of the people of his city or his state."

On the 7th day of April, 1890, occurred the marriage of Mr. Upchurch and Miss Susie Hawkins, a daughter of Dr. T. D. Hawkins, of Kings Ferry, Florida, who died after a brief married life. Some years later he wedded Belle W. Upchurch, a daughter of W. G. Upchurch, of Raleigh, North Carolina. He has six children: George H., John J., Jr., and Frank D., by the first marriage; and Susie E., Garland L. and Marion F. by the second.

Mr. Upchurch belongs to the Seminole Club and the Germania Club. He has long been recognized as an active factor in democratic circles in the state and his opinions carry weight in its councils and form a guiding element in shaping its policy and activity. His religious belief is that of the Methodist church, to which he is most loyal. High principles have ever guided hi, in his relations with his fellowmen and in the conduct of his business affairs and it is well known that he holds to a high standard of business ethics.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 58-61.

NATHANIEL S. UPCHURCH.   Nathaniel S. Upchurch, who is living retired in Jacksonville, was born near Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1825. He is a son of Gilbert and Lucretia (Mills) Upchurch and is a representative of old colonial families, both his paternal and maternal grandfathers having served in the Revolutionary war.

Nathaniel S. Upchurch acquired his education through his own efforts and in early life left North Carolina and went to Georgia, coming from that
state to Callahan, Florida, where he engaged for some time in the general merchandise business. At the outbreak of the Civil war he accepted a contract to maintain the Cuba telegraph line and built the first line from Doctor Town, Georgia, to Live Oak, Florida. As quickly as the wires were torn down by the federal troops Mr. Upchurch and his helpers rebuilt them and continued to do so until the close of the war. When Lee surrendered it was he who announced the great news at Lake City. After peace was declared Mr. Upchurch was put in charge of the land department as protection agent for the old Florida Railroad lines and for twenty years continued to serve in that capacity, doing straightforward, beneficial and far-sighted work. At the end of that time he came to Jacksonville, where he has since resided. He retired from active life about 1900, having earned leisure and rest by many years of straightforward, honorable and well directed labor.

Mr. Upchurch married, in 1858, Miss Sarah Eliza Parker, of Florida, and they became the parents of eight sons and two daughters, as follows: Benjamin F., John J., Ella Agnes, George W., Sarah Elizabeth, Nathaniel S., Jr., Walter D., Noble A., Edward P. and Frederick B. Of these children Benjamin F., Ella Agnes and George W. are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Upchurch are highly esteemed throughout the community in which they reside, having ever displayed those sterling traits of character which everywhere gain confidence and regard.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 600

JAMES R. WALSH. James R. Walsh, practicing architect, has been a resident of Jacksonville since June 1, 1895, and is now and has been during the past eight years located in the Herkimer building. During his Jacksonville practice he has been identified with a number of prominent buildings, both since, and before, the big fire of May 3d, 1901. The church of the Immaculate Conception, on the corner of Ocean and Duval streets, and the First Unitarian Congregational church, on the southeast corner of Hogan and Union streets, are among the more prominent public buildings of his planning. Among the mercantile buildings should be mentioned three for Dr. E. M. L’Engle, one of which is on the corner of Broad and Forsyth streets, of reinforced concrete and when finished will be ten stories in height. He was also architect for the same client’s new residence at Ingleside on
the bank of the St. Johns river, one of the finest residences of Jacksonville The floor scheme of this, however, was the work of Dr. and Mrs. L’Engle and is conceded to be unsurpassed for an ideal arrangement.

We would also devote a line to Mr. Walsh’s hotel work, which has been very satisfying to his clients, planning as he did the improvements to the Everett, also the Hotel Albert and Hotel Jackson, the two latter for R. W. Simms of this city. There is probably no hotel in town more ideal in its planning and furnishings than the Jackson, if indeed it has an equal.

Mr. Simms has also entrusted the designing of his residence, now under process of construction, to Mr. Walsh. When completed this building will
no doubt top the list for residence work in Jacksonville.

Mr. Walsh was born at North Litchfield, Herkimer county, New York, on the 14th of August, 1854. Litchfield is located close to Utica, although not in
the same county, and is separated from that city by only about six miles. It was here he spent his younger days and received his earlier education, his
technical work being completed in New York. After spending a number of years as draftsman in and about New York, Mr. Walsh opened his own office in North Adams, Massachusetts, in 1881 and enjoyed a very good practice for six years, planning during this time some very important school buildings and churches. At this time it was difficult to secure good draftsmen at any but the larger centers, and owing to this he was compelled at times to devote long and late hours to get out his work. This caused physical complications which made a change imperative and in 1887 he took a position with William Collins of Troy, New York, as traveling salesman and estimator in the sash and door business. After a year of this Mr. Walsh formed the partnership of Cunningham, Young & Company, buying out his former employer. This business was successful but owing to a continuance of the physical troubles he sold out his interest and reopened his professional line at Albany, New York. This not being sufficiently successful, owing to the panic and dull times, he closed out in about a year and went to Colorado early in 1893, but found everything in the building line at a dead standstill and for nearly a year worked at mining engineering at Cripple Creek, then a city of less than two years old but with a population of about twenty-five thousand inhabitants. Here he experienced complete physical relief, the first for years. Mining engineering, however, not being his line, he accepted the first invitation to resume his profession and returned east as far as Saginaw, Michigan, in December, 1893, remaining there for about a year and a half, during which time his practice was satisfactory, considering the deplorable condition of the times. One of the buildings to his credit in Saginaw is the St. Vincent Orphan Home, a very large institution, where some five hundred orphans are cared for and educated by the Sisters of Charity.

During his sojourn in Saginaw Mr. Walsh became acquainted with some of the big lumber operators of that city which eventually developed into a scheme of establishing a milling plant in Jacksonville. This scheme proved disastrous in about a year, the big stockholders withdrawing their support because the field did not look good and was not what they were used to in Saginaw. Mr. Walsh, however, looked upon the field as a good one and established a small plant in the same line, taking in as partner J. H. Bland, the. firm being known as Walsh & Bland. This business was very prosperous for about three years when the labor unions decided to dictate the policy of the business, stating that they were going to introduce the same policy in all nulls of like description when they had Walsh & Bland subjugated. The result was that Mr. Walsh was forced to retire from the business in 1903 and again fell back on his old profession as a means of self-preservation.

Mr. Walsh is a life member and past exalted ruler of the Jacksonville lodge of Elks and was prominently identified in the securing of and establishing
their present home. He took a very active part in the erection of their present building being the architect, and also superintended the construction of same. This method was deemed advisable by the building committee owing to the depleted condition of their finances after the big fire. He is also a member of the Board of Trade and the Commercial Club and retains his membership with the Hoo Hoos, a lumbermen’s fraternal organization. [NOTE: a fraternal and service organization whose members are involved in the forests products industry]

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 186-187

GUY VARDELL WARREN. Guy Vardell Warren, president of the Guy V. Warren Company, proprietors of the Union Depot restaurant in Jacksonville, was born in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, July 22, 1869, and is a son of Lewis E. and Nancy Ann (Padleford) Warren. He acquired his education in the public schools of Sumter county, South Carolina, and Hillsboro county, Florida, and he began his independent career as clerk in a general merchandise concern, continuing active in the field of business since that time. He is now president of the Guy V. Warren Company of Jacksonville and manager of the restaurant in the Union depot operated by this concern. He has made the enterprise very profitable and by his able
management has gained for himself a reputation as a clear-sighted, energetic and progressive business man.

In Jacksonville, on the 25th of August, 1903, Mr. Warren was united in marriage to Miss Clyte Blanche Marshall, and they have become the parents of a daughter, Mildred Marshall. Mrs. Warren gives her aid and support to the woman suffrage movement. Mr. Warren is a member of the Episcopal church and is connected fraternally with the Woodmen of the World. He is a progressive democrat in his political views and active in public affairs, having served as a member of the city council from 1909 to 1911, and as a member of the democratic executive committee from 1910 to 1912. As a progressive citizen he keeps well informed on national and local issues and his constant aim while advancing his own interests is also to promote to the extent of his ability the general welfare of the community.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 642

WALTER CURTIS WARRINGTON.   With a clear conception of both the difficulties and possibilities for the development and improvement of
the city, through the medium of real-estate transactions, Walter Curtis Warrington, of Jacksonville, a practical business man with keen foresight and expert ability, has inaugurated important real-estate deals in handling both city and suburban property. Through his operations he has not only promoted his own success but has added to the city’s development, improvement and prosperity, and his fellow townsmen appreciative of his worth and ability, have called him to public office, so that he is now serving as a member of the city council.

Mr. Warrington is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Salem, August 9, 1879. His parents were David and Mary I. (Morlan) Warrington, who came to Florida in 1885 and settled in Jacksonville, where the father engaged in the planing mill business, continuing an active factor in industrial circles here for a number of years, but is now living retired.

In taking up the history of Walter Curtis Warrington we present to our readers the record of one who has been almost a lifelong resident of Jacksonville. Arriving here in his boyhood days, he was educated in the public schools and then entered business circles in connection with his father’s planing mill, remaining with his father for several years. He then engaged in the real-estate business on a small scale before he attained his majority. He found this congenial and profitable and has continued in this line to the present day, building up an extensive business. He now has a large and gratifying clientage and handles city and suburban property. No one is more familiar with the real-estate market or more thoroughly understands values, so that he is enabled to secure for patrons that which they desire and also makes satisfactory sales for other clients.

Mr. Warrington is now serving for the second term as a member of the city council, having been elected from the eighth ward to the legislative department of Jacksonville in 1909. He made so creditable a record during his first term that he was reelected in 1911 and served on several of the more important committees. He was chairman of the park and boulevard committee, has been a member of the tax committee, and was the means of getting the city assessment equalization. He has taken a most active and helpful part in committee work and exercised his official prerogatives in support of many movements and measures for the public good.

On the 22d of February, 1903, Mr. Warrington was united in marriage to Miss Bernice I. Butler, of Birmingham, Alabama, and they have three children, David, Isabella and Curtis. Mr. Warrington holds membership with the Woodmen of the World. He resides at No. 1344 Enterprise street and is widely known socially as well as in business and political circles.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 286

D. GORDON WATKINS. There is perhaps no life record in this volume which indicates more clearly what may be accomplished through determination, industry and business integrity than that of D. Gordon Watkins, of Dunnellon, who is, indeed, a self-made man in the highest and
best sense of the term. He is now the owner of extensive real-estate holdings in Dunnellon and his attention is largely given to the management and control of his property interests. He was born at Gulf Hammock, Levy county, Florida, March 29, 1877, a son of H. J. and Annie (Ward) Watkins, natives of Georgia and Alabama respectively. The father was reared near Americus, Thomas and Abbeville, Georgia, but was married in Alabama and came to Florida about 1872, settling at Williston, where he farmed. Both he and his wife spent their last days in Dunnellon, the latter passing away in 1906 and the former in 1908. Mr. Watkins had made farming his life work until he arrived in Dunnellon in 1893 but had lost so heavily in the great freeze that he was practically penniless and his family were, indeed, in sore straits. He became greatly discouraged and then it was that his son D.
Gordon Watkins, a youth of sixteen years, came to the rescue. The family numbered five children: H. Jackson, who is now a farmer of Gulf Hammock; Nora, the wife of Judge James Backsdale, of Dunnellon; D. Gordon; Noah V., of Midland City, Alabama; and Lilly, the wife of A. A. Crews, of Manatee.

D. Gordon Watkins remained at the place of his birth until 1893, when he came to Dunnellon, where he has since resided. When the family lost everything in the heavy freeze that destroyed all fruit the father started out in search of work, leaving the family with practically nothing. The son, then a youth of sixteen, started out and began repairing shoes and when the father returned he found the home well supplied with provisions as a result of his son’s labor. Following the arrival in Dunnellon he continued to engage in shoe repairing and also in repairing harness and in that way he gained a start in life. Subsequently he embarked in merchandising and conducted his store successfully for a time but eventually sold out and turned his attention to the management of his real-estate interests. As he has prospered he has bought property from time to time not as a matter of speculation but for rental
and he now owns about four hundred lots in the town, upon which are one hundred and forty-two houses. In addition he owns seven houses in Hernando and two in Tampa, together with vacant lots in Tampa and Jacksonville. His entire attention is given to the management of his property holdings, from which he derives a very substantial annual income. His judgment seems seldom if ever at fault in a business transaction. He always correctly values the possibilities of a situation and his energy and determination have enabled him to overcome all difficulties and obstacles in his path. His educational opportunities covered only a year and a half’s attendance at school, but he is now a well informed business man as the result of his close
application, his keen observation, his reading and his experience. Hard work, self-denial and capability have brought him to the position which he now occupies as one of the most prominent and successful business men of Marion county. In addition to bis extensive real-estate holdings Mr. Watkins has other business interests, being now a director of the Dunnellon Ice Storage & Machine Company, Inc. He is also the owner of the general store conducted by J. S. Williams.

On the 27th of February, 1905, Mr. Watkins was united in marriage to Miss Louise Messer, who was born near Madison, Florida, a daughter of J. M. Messer, of Fort Meade. The children of this marriage are: Katie Juanita, who died at the age of five months; Clyde; and Clara.

Mr. Watkins was elected county commissioner in the fall of 1912 and took the office in January, 1913. He made an excellent run in the democratic primaries, when there were five candidates in the field. He has also served as city clerk for three years in Dunnellon and has discharged his official duties with the same fidelity and ability that have characterized the control of his private business affairs. At one time he was president of the local Carpenters’ Union and his fraternal relations are with the Woodmen of the World. He supports the Baptist church, of which his wife is a member, and both are highly esteemed in Dunnellon, where sterling personal worth has won for them warm and enduring regard.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 433

CHARLES H. WATSON.   Charles H. Watson, proprietor of the hardware business conducted under the name of the Biscayne Hardware Company and well known in Miami as an enterprising and progressive business man, was born in Ocala, Florida, December 4, 1864. He is a son of William B. Watson, a native of Georgia, formerly general manager of the De Berry line of steamers plying on the St. Johns river. The mother of our subject, who was in her maidenhood Miss Hattie Brooks, died in 1866 and was survived by her husband until May, 1910.

Charles H. Watson spent his childhood and youth in Jacksonville, Florida, where he acquired a high-school education. He later took a course in Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, and became thoroughly proficient in bookkeeping. However, he did not immediately make use of this knowledge, for he began has active career as a seaman, working on vessels plying on the Atlantic coast and in the gulf of Mexico and continuing in this line of occupation until 1896. It was during this period in his career that he came first to the present site of Miami, arriving here
in 1890, before the town was founded. He took up a homestead a few miles from the bay but after six months resumed his sea-faring life. His second settlement in Miami was made in May, 1896, and for six years thereafter he worked as a bookkeeper in the grocery store conducted by E. L. Brady. In 1910, however, he turned his attention to the hardware business, founding the Biscayne Hardware Company. The business is located on the corner of Sixth street and Avenue D and occupies a double store room sixty by one hundred feet, built of brick veneer and excellently equipped, the building having been erected by Mr. Watson in 1909. The Biscayne Hardware Company is in control of one of the largest hardware concerns in Miami and enjoys a large and growing patronage which it has secured by energy and upright business methods and a modern and progressive business policy. In its management Mr. Watson is ably assisted by his eldest son, William Cecil Watson, one of the most promising of the younger business men of
Miami.

Fraternally Mr. Watson is connected with the Knights of Pythias, and he is a member of the Episcopal church. He is conspicuous among his business
associates by reason of his high standards of commercial integrity and his straightforward business methods, while in social circles he has gained by reason of his many sterling traits of character the confidence, respect and esteem of an extensive circle of friends.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 312-313

JOHN F. WHITE. John F. White, who is conducting a real-estate business in South Jacksonville, was born in Suwanee county, Florida, January 20, 1875, a son of Judge John F. and Sarah A. (Latimer) White, both of whom are natives of this state. The family is of English origin. The grandparents came from England, settling in Florida at an early date, and many representatives of the name have been well known in professional circles as lawyers and physicians. Judge White was a distinguished member of the Florida bar and occupied the bench of the third judicial district for more than twenty years, or until his death in 1901, engraving his name deeply upon the judicial history of the state. His widow survives and is now a resident of Live Oak, Florida. Judge White was a soldier of the Mexican war and again saw active military duty in the Civil war.

John F. White was educated in the public schools, in the University of Florida, and in the Emery andHenry College of Virginia. He became professor of analytical chemistry, making a specialty of fertilizers, soils and waters. For two years he filled the position of assistant professor of chemistry in the University of Florida, and his knowledge along that line is comprehensive and exact.

In 1898 Mr. White was united in marriage to Miss Mary Gamble, of Lake City, Florida, and they became the parents of three children: Latimer, John F.
and Elizabeth. In the same year as his marriage — 1898 — Mr. White, true to the military instinct inherited from his ancestors, offered his services to the government and became a soldier of the Spanish-American war, serving as sergeant of Company L, First Florida Regiment. In 1902 he removed to South Jacksonville, where he has since engaged in the real-estate business, handling exclusively properties in this city and vicinity. He has secured a good clientage and has negotiated many important real-estate transfers.

In public offices, too, Mr. White has taken an active and helpful part. Since the incorporation of the town he has served as mayor for a period of five
years, being the first elected to that office, and in the position he has made a most creditable record in his support of projects and measures calculated to advance municipal interests and bring about needed reforms and improvements. He is now a member of the city council. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. He is also one of the governors of the South Jacksonville Board of Trade and is interested in every phase of city life that pertains to its upbuilding and improvement, whether brought about through political or other agencies. He also has appreciation for the social amenities of life, and is highly esteemed by a circle of friends that is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 564

DANIEL BENJAMIN WILLIAMS, M. D.   Dr. Daniel Benjamin Williams, physician and surgeon, of South Jacksonville, whose ability is attested
by the liberal patronage accorded him, was born in Adrian, Johnson county, Georgia, August 23, 1880, his parents being Thomas and Louisa (Hutcheson) Williams, the former a farmer by occupation.

The public schools of his native state afforded Dr. Williams his early educational privileges. He was reared upon the old homestead with the usual experiences of farm life, there remaining until eighteen years of age, when he entered upon a high-school course of study. When twenty-three years of age he began preparation for the practice of medicine and matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, where he continued his studies for two years. He next entered the Atlanta School of Medicine, from which he was graduated with the class of 1907. He then began to practice in his home town, but remained there a little less than a year. In 1908 he removed to Apopka, Florida, where he continued in practice for eighteen months and then went to Cottondale, Jackson county, where he remained for the same period. In July, 1911, he came to South Jacksonville, where he took up his abode and opened an office, since which time he has won a very lucrative, gratifying and growing practice. The year of his arrival here he was appointed by Dr. S. G. Worley, chief surgeon of the East Coast Railway, of St. Augustine, as local surgeon of this system, which position he still fills. He is a member of the Duval County Medical Society, the Florida State Medical Society, and the Southern Medical Association. He is also serving as health officer and president of the board of health of South Jacksonville and does everything in his power in the latter connections to disseminate a knowledge that will prevent as well as check the ravages of disease.

On the 23d of October, 1907, Dr. Williams was united in marriage to Miss Flossie Giddens, of Sparks, Georgia, and they have two children, Lamar and Julian. Dr. Williams holds membership with the Woodmen of the World. Lie is interested in local progress and is serving as city clerk of South Jacksonville, in which office he is proving capable, faithful, prompt and reliable. He has made a creditable record in his chosen calling and he is intensely interested in anything which tends to bring to hand the key to the complex mystery which we call life. His professional duties are always discharged with a sense of conscientious obligation and it is well known that he is most careful and accurate in the diagnosis of his cases.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 558-559

FRANK P. WILLIAMS. Frank P. Williams, of Jacksonville, dealer in wines and liquors and one of the commissioners of Duval county, was born in Nassau county, Florida, August 12, 1875, a son of William H. and Polly (Higginbotham) Williams, both of whom were natives of Nassau county, representatives of pioneer families of that part of the state. In the paternal line the ancestors came from Georgia and were farming people connected
with the agricultural department of the district in which they settled.

Frank P. Williams was educated in the public schools of Nassau county, pursuing his education in a log schoolhouse, to which he walked a distance of five miles. When not busy with his text-books his time was largely occupied with the work of the farm, and on leaving the fields he came to Jacksonville on the 10th of October, 1892. For four years thereafter he engaged in clerking in a grocery store and then embarked in business on his own account as proprietor of a meat market, which he conducted for seven years. He then engaged in the grocery business continuously until January, 1911, since which time he has concentrated his energies along mercantile lines upon the sale of wines and liquors. His attention, however, has been divided between commercial pursuits and activity in office. On the nth of April, 1909, he was elected a member of the city council from the eighth ward and
made so creditable a record in that position that he was reelected on the 18th of April, 1911, and is still serving in the legislative body of the city. He is chairman of the relief committee and has done important work on various other committees.

On the 22d of April, 1897, Mr. Williams was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Buffkin, of North Carolina, and they have become the parents of three children: Rhoda, Frank P. and William Taft. Mr. Williams is a man of most generous spirit, as is indicated in the fact that he has reared five children of his sister, Henrietta Buffkin, who died January 26, 1908. These children are: Crandall, Orlean, Lizzie, Benjamin and Lucille. The family are connected with the Second Adventist church. Mr. Williams belongs to the Board of Trade and is interested in its various projects for the public good. He is also connected with the Woodmen of the World and with the Owls. He takes a very active interest in all public affairs and his cooperation is an element in their success.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 721-722

EUGENE EDGAR WEST. A man of great natural ability, Eugene Edgar West has won success in business since he made his initial step in commercial circles. His advancement has been uniform and rapid and has been truly merited, for after all that may be done for a man in the way of
giving him opportunities for obtaining the advantages which are sought in the schools and in books he must eventually formulate, determine and give shape to his own character, and this is what Mr. West has done. He is persevering in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and has gained a most satisfactory reward. His life is exemplary in many respects and he has supported interests which are calculated to uplift humanity while his own high moral worth is deserving of warm commendation. Jacksonville is proud to number him among her citizens. He is a southern man in the best sense of the term. His birth occurred in Brooks county, Georgia, July 1, 1857, and he comes of Scotch and English origin, his paternal ancestors having been
pioneer settlers of North Carolina, where representatives of the name participated in the Indian and colonial wars, while a number of the family fought for American liberty in the War of the Revolution. Mr. West also had numerous relatives who were in the Confederate army and his oldest brother was killed while on active duty near Richmond, Virginia. James West, the father, was a splendid type of the ante-bellum planter and southern gentleman. He was born in North Carolina in 1811 and in 1830 removed to Georgia, where he wedded Mary Ann Hunter, a native of that state. Nature endowed him with a strong mind and though he may not have had the school advantages of many, in the school of experience he learned valuable lessons and became a man of wide influence in political circles as well as in private life. In 1850 he was chosen to represent his district in the state senate and was the author and champion of the bill which created Brooks county from portions of Lowndes and Thomas counties. During the Civil war he became a member of the State Militia. In 1863 he removed from Brooks to Madison county, where his remaining days were passed upon the home farm. His fortune was largely swept away by the Civil war but he always remained a hospitable host and a kindly, charitable man, noted for his kindness to, and consideration for, his slaves as well as for his equals.

The exigencies of war having destroyed the fortunes of the family, the four sons of James West were thus thrown upon their own resources. They had wise home teaching and a beautiful environment which developed kindly consideration for, and helpfulness toward, each other. These traits have been manifest throughout their entire lives and their love and labor for each other have been notable and touching. They started out without capital save health, strength, energy and determination, and fortune has been won by all. The eldest surviving son, W. S. West, is now a distinguished lawyer of Georgia and also one of the prominent representatives of democracy in that state, having served almost continuously as a member of the legislature
since 1892. He has taken a prominent stand in regard to many vital and significant legislative problems and for ten years before he secured its enactment was the champion of the uniform text-book law. He was also a strong advocate of bills to erect a new passenger station for the Western & Atlantic Railroad in Atlanta and to provide for the next leasing of that road at sixty thousand dollars per month. His labors were also largely instrumental in securing the passage of the bill resulting in the establishment of the Agricultural, Industrial and Normal College in South Georgia
and at the session of 1905-6 he presided over the state senate as its president, in which connection he added new laurels to those which he had previously won. Another son of the family, Abram Hunter West, of Jacksonville, has large interests in plantations, in lumber and in manufacturing industries and enterprises of various character, having gained a most creditable position in business circles. The third son, John W. West, is extensively connected with various industrial and commercial enterprises and like the others has been conspicuously successful.

The record of Eugene E. West is in harmony with that of his brothers. He had only such educational opportunities as he could obtain in private schools of Madison and Brooks counties but his ideal home training stimulated his ambition and directed his energies, and upon the excellent foundation of character, of ability and enterprise, laid in his home surroundings, he started out to build the superstructure of success. Nature endowed him with a strong constitution. Moreover, it is well known that power grows through the exercise of activity and his intelligently directed labors have constituted the source of his continuous advancement. He was first associated with his brothers in a business way but when he had reached a point that would make such a course practicable he branched out independently in connection with the manufacture of turpentine and lumber. He gave unfaltering attention to the development and control of the business and, as the years have passed by, has gained a place among the substantial and prosperous residents of the state. His judgment has been seldom if ever at fault, he has recognized and utilized opportunities that others have passed heedlessly by and has secured results in the coordination of seemingly diverse elements which he has brought into a unified whole. Something of the nature and extent of his business interests at the present time is indicated by the fact that he is president of the Ellaville, West Lake & Jennings Railroad and is extensively engaged in the lumber and turpentine business under his own name. He is likewise part owner of the West office building as well as other
valuable real estate in Jacksonville and is a stockholder in the Heard National Bank of this city.

On the 28th of February, 1889, Mr. West was joined in wedlock to Miss Louise Frances Brady, a daughter of John W. and Louisa A. (Lourcey) Brady, of St. Augustine. They became the parents of five children, three of whom are living, E. E. West, Jr., Joseph Hunter West and Lois Evlyn West.

Mr. West belongs to the Seminole and the Osceola Clubs and his fraternal relations are with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Travelers Protective Association and the Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoos, which is a social organization among lumbermen [NOTE: a fraternal and service organization whose members are involved in the forests products industry]. He is an active democrat but is interested in politics solely for the purpose of supporting its principles and assisting in the election of the best men for office. His life has been one of continuous activity in which has been
accorded due recognition of labor and today he is numbered among the substantial citizens of northern Florida. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of the state and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and cooperation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the country or advance its wonderful development.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 68-69

COLONEL WILLIAM B. YOUNG. The American citizen ever has high respect and honor for a brave and loyal soldier, and it is only the most narrow-minded and bitter partisanship, whether in north or south, that does not recognize the nobility and the courage of the soldiers of the Civil war, whether fighting for their loved southland and the principles for which it stood or whether upholding the opinions advocated by the Federal government at Washington. A name that graces the annals of Confederate history is that of Colonel William B. Young, now a well known and successful attorney of Jacksonville, where he has made his home since January, 1880. Through the intervening years he has maintained high rank at the bar here and ably served upon the bench of the fourth judicial circuit for three years. His birth occurred in Marengo county, Alabama, in 1842, and in the acquirement of his education he attended the Furman University of South Carolina and the University of Alabama, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June, 1861. In the meantime the country had become engaged in Civil war and immediately following his graduation he joined the Marengo Rifles, a volunteer company, for the Confederate service, of which he was elected second lieutenant. This became Company A of the Eleventh Regiment of Alabama Infantry, under the command of Colonel Sydenham Moore, and was mustered in at Lynchburg, Virginia, in the latter part of June, 1861. Lieutenant Young’s first battle was at Seven Pines, where the loss of his regiment was heavy, and in the engagement at Gaines’ Mill, on the 27th of June, 1863, he was shot in the breast, being disabled for further duty through the succeeding two weeks. By that time he was promoted first lieutenant, and with the exception of a few months spent on the brigade staff served in that rank with his company through the campaigns including the battles of Second Manasses, Harper’s Ferry, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Salem Church, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run and Bristoe Station. In March, 1864, he was made captain of a picked company of forty-two men, selected as sharpshooters, and designed for service on the picket line and positions of greatest danger. With this command he fought through the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Courthouse, Hanover Junction, Second Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, and about Petersburg, including the battle of June 22d. In July, 1864, he was appointed adjutant general of the brigade, then commanded by General J. C. C. Sanders, in Mahone’s division, and he served in this capacity at the battle of the Crater, the fight near Deep Bottom early in August, the battles at Ream’s Station and on the Weldon Railroad, until he was painfully wounded in the Petersburg trenches in October. He was not able to return to duty until December, and after that he was in all the engagements of his command to the end, fighting at Hatcher's Run in February, 1865, and afterwards on the Howlett House line until the evacuation of Richmond. During the retreat to Appomattox he served in the
rear guard, and finally he was among the heroes surrendered by Robert E. Lee.

Following the close of the war Colonel Young returned to Alabama, where he took up the study of law and at Montgomery, in March, 1868, was admitted to the bar. Removing to the far west, he practiced for two years in California and then returned to his native state, following his profession in
Greensboro until January, 1880. At that date he arrived in Jacksonville and entered upon active connection with the practice of law in this state. His experience and ability enabled him to rapidly win recognition as an able, learned, forceful and resourceful lawyer, and he continued successfully in private practice until 1889, when he was appointed judge of the fourth judicial district of Florida, remaining upon the bench for three years. In 1892, while he was serving in the capacity of circuit judge he was tendered an appointment as one of the judges of the state supreme court by Governor Francis P. Fleming, which offer, however, he declined. He resumed the private practice of law instead and again was accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage.

In July, 1889, Colonel Young was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Rankin at Atlanta, Georgia, and they became the parents of one son and two
daughters: Fanny, William and Margaret. Colonel Young is a member of the Seminole, Country and Yacht Clubs and is popular in those organizations. His interest in military affairs has never abated, and upon the reorganization of the Jacksonville Light Infantry in 1880 he was elected captain,
remaining in command until the organization of the First Battalion of Florida State Troops, of which he was appointed major, serving until June, 1888, when he resigned. In 1905 he was appointed a member of the governor's staff and subsequently was appointed judge advocate general of the National Guard of Florida, remaining in that position until, at his own request, he was placed on the retired list in the spring of 1912, with the rank of Colonel. Florida numbers him among her representative and honored citizens and Jacksonville claims him as one of the distinguished representatives of the bar.

Source for Biography: Chapin, George M., Florida, 1513 - 1913, Past, Present and Future, Four Hundred Years of War and Peace and Industrial Development, (c) 1914, Volume 2, p. 514-515