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James Edmundson Ingraham Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ms 056

Scope and Content

The Ingraham Papers (1854-1920) contain his business papers, correspondence, photographs, and miscellaneous materials pertaining to railroads, the Everglades and the sugar industry in Florida. Of particular interest are Ingraham's manuscripts regarding the Flagler and Plant railroads and their role in developing South Florida.

Dates

  • 1854-1920

Creator

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

Businessman, entrepreneur, and railroad company executive. James Edmundson Ingraham was born and educated in Racine, Wisconsin. He moved to Florida in 1874 and became associated with Henry Sanford in Sanford, Florida. He spent most of his career working in Florida for the railroad tycoons, Henry Flagler and Henry Plant. As part of his work for the Plant railroad along the west coast of Florida, he conducted a survey through the Everglades from Ft. Myers to Miami in 1892. From 1892 until 1897 he was employed by Flagler in various positions, and from 1897 to 1899 he served as land commissioner for the Florida East Coast Railway (1897-1899). After the turn of the century, he served as president of Flagler's Model Land Company and as an officer of several small land companies organized by Flagler. In this capacity, he promoted land sales and spurred the growth of towns in Florida for several years.

Extent

1 Linear feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Correspondence, miscellaneous materials, and photographs of businessman, entrepreneur, and railroad company executive.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Acquisition Information

Gift of Conway C. Ford and Maria G. Ford.

Alternate Form of Material

Items in the James Edmundson Ingraham collection have been digitized for America's Swamp: The Historical Everglades project, which is generously supported by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). In addition to the links that are provided throughout this guide to the collection, all materials can be browsed at the James Edmundson Ingraham page in the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please note the majority of items in this collection are not described individually. Therefore, it is not possible to search for a specific item (e.g., a letter written by a particular author). Instead, the digital collection is best accessed by selecting a folder title and browsing the images contained in each folder.

Related Material

Correspondence with and materials about J.E. Ingraham (including property records), Joshua Coffin Chase, Henry Sanford and the early railroads in Florida in the 19th century can be found in The Chase Family Papers. For additional materials pertaining to development in the Everglades, consult the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Papers, the William Sherman Jennings Papers, the May Mann Jennings Papers, and the Thomas E. Will Papers.

Title
A Guide to the James Edmundson Ingraham Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Dept. Staff
Date
December 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

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