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Records of the Ocklawaha Nurseries, Inc

 Collection
Identifier: Ms 158

Scope and Content

Correspondence, financial records, legal documents, shipping records, and photographs. Corporate records that document the activities of Ocklawaha Nurseries, Inc., during the period 1905-1990, with the bulk of materials dated from 1905 to 1920. The collection is comprised primarily of business correspondence pertaining to the sale of citrus trees and various types of citrus fruit by this Central Florida corporation. The majority of the sales are to Florida customers, but the records detail a long relationship with growers in several Southern and Midwestern states. There are also several business transactions with Cuban customers, including the Eastern Cuba Development Company (Eastern Cuba Plantation Co.) and various customers from the Isle of Pines, Cuba, during 1907-1920. Correspondence three decades later shows the company's attempt to re-enter the Cuban market in the 1950s, at the same time as they attempted to gain entry into the Philippines market.

The largest record series in the collection consists of alphabetical correspondence files created during 1905-1920. The folder titles comprised of alphabetical ranges (e.g., "Es-Ez") reflect the original filing scheme used by company founder, O.W. Conner. The other record series, however, include folders with full titles based on the subject or the name of an individual or organization. Many of these files document long business relationships with individual customers, organizations, and companies. Of particular interest are the numerous nurseries, fruit companies, and citrus cooperatives, including the Lake Highlands Company, Indian River Fruit and Vegetable, Glen Saint Mary Nurseries, Waco Nursery, Buckeye Nurseries, and the Florida Citrus Exchange.

The correspondence from 1905 to 1920 is a valuable source of information pertaining to citrus trees and the growing of citrus, particularly in Florida. Conner worked to maintain good relations with his customers and often provided detailed instructions on the selection and care of trees. The correspondence reveals that Conner often provided considerable advice to growers. In addition, the collection includes a "Descriptive Catalog and Price List" (ca. 1924) produced by the company that includes information about the nursery, budwood selection, types of citrus, the cost of producing a grove, planting soils in Florida, fertilization, and general horticultural matters regarding citrus. Three shipping registers from this period also provide valuable information regarding the purchases made by customers, including the types of trees, the price, the date shipped, and the number purchased.

The period from 1920 to 1990 is covered in much less detail. The collection contains only a small number of financial statements and correspondence from this period. Of particular interest is the correspondence pertaining to the Florida Orange Marketers and the Mt. Dora Growers Cooperative, as this material reveals a larger picture of the Florida citrus industry. Also well documented during this period are efforts to control pests through sprays, grove care and management, and dealings with state and federal agencies.

A small group of miscellaneous material and photographs includes several interesting items. The photographs, most of which were taken around 1949, show various aspects of operations including pickers at work in the groves, employees and machinery in the packaging plant, and crated fruit ready for shipping. Valuable miscellaneous documents include advertisements, brochures, trademarks and patents, brand labels, price lists, and a ledger spanning 1910 to 1918 that lists employees of the company and the amount of time worked by each.

Dates

  • Creation: 1905-1990
  • Creation: Majority of material found in 1905-1920

Creator

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

A self-described "seller of pedigreed citrus trees," the Ocklawaha Nurseries was established by Owen W. Conner in 1897 and later incorporated in 1924. The company ceased operations in the early 1990s, after almost one hundred years as the oldest nursery in Florida exclusively selling citrus trees. The company's properties occupied hundreds of acres at Lake Jem, Florida, divided evenly between Orange County on the east and Lake County on the west. Citrus trees for sale included orange (Parson Brown, Pineapple, Valencia, Conner Seedless, etc.), grapefruit, tangelo, lemon, lime, mandarin, and kumquat.

Founder O.W. Conner died in 1918, but Conner family members continued to serve in various positions, directing operations throughout the life of the company. These family members include O.W. Conner, Jr., O.W. Conner III, and Dorothy Conner Shipes. In addition to the Conners, other officers and managers included Sadie M. Trimble, R.J. Trimble, and T.C. Caldwell.

Extent

17 Linear feet (39 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Records of the Ocklawaha Nurseries including correspondence, financial records, legal documents, shipping records.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Acquisition Information

Donated by Dorothy Conner Shipes, President of Ocklawaha Nurseries, Inc. in 1994.

Title
A Guide to the Records of the Ocklawaha Nurseries, Inc.
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by John R. Nemmers
Date
August 2004
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository

Contact:
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755