James Thomas O'Neill Papers
Scope and Content
Over half of this collection consists of routine accounts and receipts from James T. O'Neill's plantations. A color image of the O'Neill family crest and a layout of New Hope plantation are included in materials contributed for family history by Clay Adams in 2006. Boxes 3 and 4 contain correspondence about plantation maintenance and sales, his legal practice, and other legal documents. These legal documents include deeds, letters of attorney, and sales agreements. The bulk of the correspondence ranges from 1818 to 1865. The correspondence addresses O'Neill's involvement in the Mary O'Neill suit over damages caused by the War of 1812. It also addresses O'Neill's management of the estates of A. Dunbar, R. Andrews, and E. Fernandez.
Boxes 5 and 6 contain papers related to A. Dunbar, R. Andrews, and E. Fernandez. Some correspondence and legal documentation addresses the sale of slaves. Box 6 includes hand drawn maps of Nassau townships.
Dates
- Creation: 1812-1887
Creator
- O'Neill, James T. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
James T. O'Neill (b. 1803, d. 1890) was a plantation owner, lawyer, and judge in Nassau County, Florida. Throughout his lifetime he owned land in Woodstock; St. Mary's, Georgia; Fernandina, Fla.; and White Springs, Fla. He played a major role in successfully suing the U.S. Government for damages incurred to the estate of his parents, Eber and Mary O'Neill, during the War of 1812. Eber and Mary were forced to flee their estate out of fear for their lives. The family was awarded a sum of $12,000 approximately thirty years after the suit was first filed. O'Neill studied law, eventually becoming a Nassau County Judge in 1832. He held the post until 1861.
O'Neill married Anna Gunby in 1832. They produced eleven children, eight of which survived. During his life in Nassau County, he managed the estates of A. Dunbar, R. Andrew, S. Clarke, E. Fernandez, and I. Barber. During the American Civil War, O'Neill was forced to abandon his family home in Fernandina due to the threat of military invasion. He purchased land in White Springs and established a plantation named "Rebel's Refuge." After the war, O'Neill returned to Fernandina to practice law. He died in 1890.
Extent
2.5 Linear feet (6 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Account papers, correspondence, and legal documents pertaining to the legal and business practices of James T. O'Neill. Collection offers descriptions of plantation management, legal suits, and estate management.
Physical Location
University of Florida Smathers Library Building
Subject
- Andrew, Robert. (Person)
- Barber, Israel. (Person)
- Dunbar, Asaph, 1839-1875. (Person)
- Fernandez, Eliza L. (Person)
- Title
- A Guide to the James Thomas O'Neill Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Kimberly Burroughs
- Date
- April 2011
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
- Sponsor
- Digitization funded with the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu