15336.43 Robert 7 BIGELOW, was the
son of Benjamin 6
(Paul 5 , Cornelius 4, Samuel 3, Samuel 2, John 1) and Eunice (AIKEN)
BIGELOW,and built this Plantation along the St. John's River,
near Jacksonville, Florida. History of the Francis Richard family
and Spanish grants in Arlington 2004
(draft prepared for narrative for bus tour of historic
Arlington) Cleve(see
below)
This write up is based on a combination of documents
and hopefully will tie the history of Arlington together from the end of
the English era through the second Spanish period and after Florida became
a territory in 1821. It follows the families and the transfer of land through
the recovery period after the Civil War.
Don Francis Joseph Richard, pioneer settler of
Spanish Florida, settled on the East bank of the St. Johns in 1780. In all
he received some 36,000 acres from the Spanish Crown of which 16,000 were
located in the Arlington area (confirmed by the Supreme Court in 1830).
The grant on which he lived was on the St. Johns bluff and was known as
St. Isabel, Strawberry Hill. This area previously was an English grant,
some 7 miles along the river reported to be owned by Samuel Potts, hence
Pottsburg Creek.
Francis was born in Florence Italy, Son of Don
Juan and Dona Marie Ferry, His Father was counsel there. He married Donna
Honorine Genevieve Bianne (parents from France) a native of St. Marc, Santo
Domingo. Richard had a sugar cane plantation in Santo Domingo and owned
numerous slaves. They warned him of an insurrection and he escaped with
His family and workers on his ship and came to America.
His grants ran along the entire East bank of
the St. Johns in Arlington, beginning at Chaseville point and extending
south to Pottsburg creek with only a few gaps. One gap was for the George
Atkinson Grant which is located generally along the river northwest of the
intersection now known as University Boulevard and Ft. Caroline Road. The
grants were about a half mile in width along the river until they reached
the area known now as Arlington Road. At this point his holdings expanded
to the East and South due to his application to receive a special grant to
run a water powered saw mill in 1817. He already had a grant for the Clifton
area which is on the point of the St. Johns and Pottsburg creek and
up Strawberry Creek. This grant, known as the Strawberry Hill tract, did
not quite reach the area where he wanted to build a dam across Strawberry
Creek. The dam was completed and the mill was operational C-1819. The 1830
BLM survey shows the mill pond in place with the dam in what is now the
location of Arlington Road.
The mill pond was approximately 150 acres in
size and ten feet deep at the dam. It was in a ell shape going north along
Red Bay branch to about the location of Lone Star Rd. and East along “Mill
Creek” to the approximate location of what is now Century Blvd.. The Grant
for the mill pond and mill was about 200 acres in size (sec. 49-2-27). There
were two additional grants for timber. The largest (7,000 acres +/-) ran
north east from the Arlington boat ramp around the headwaters of Red Bay
Branch and then Southeasterly east of Century Blvd. And then south to the
Hogan area (Beach Blvd.) and west to Big Pottsburg and then generally north
to Strawberry Creek.
The other grant which is included in the 16,000
acres was for “Cedar Swamp” which lies on the East side of Craig airport.
This was for the valuable cedar and cypress found there. It was said then
to be located about a mile east of the McQueen sawmill. This would place
the McQueen saw mill in the area of Holly Oaks Lake and a possible origin
for the name “Mill Cove”
The boundaries of the “old Arlington Inc. historical
area in general are formed by the limits of the Richard holdings north of
Atlantic Blvd. And west of the Mill Creek corridor north to the river. The
remainder of the areas of influence on our history lie in “East” Arlington
which extends to Ft. Caroline.
Richard had four children, William (appearing
in some records as John William Bianne Richard), Clementine (married Gentier),
Francis II, and John Charles. The record Of John Charles birth is documented
in his baptism by the Catholic Church of St. Augustine in 1799. It shows
him to be 2 years old and was confirmed by Richard’s neighbors DON JUAN McQUEEN
and Dona Clementine Richard “neighbors on the St. Johns”. As this history
developes it will tie most of the plantation owners such as McQueen, Kingsley,
Sammis, Baxter and Bigelow in with the Richard family.
William B. Richard died young in 1810 leaving three young children, Clarilisa,
Betsy (Elizabeth) Ann (later married ROBERT BIGELOW), and John
W. Richard .
Around the early part of 1819 Don Francis Joseph Louis
Richard died and the operation of the Mill was taken over by his Son Francis.
In 1821 His Wife, died and left her last will and testament recorded in Camden
County Georgia.
The will is interesting as she named Her 3 living
children and the children of her deceased son William to receive slaves,
however in addition her youngest son John Charles got her furniture, horses,
plantation tools a boat and her gold watch. This indicates that Frances II
ran the mill and John Charles ran the Strawberry Hill plantation.
She then splits the balance of her estate four ways as above.
On Feb. 22, 1821 The President ratified the “amity
treaty” with Spain and Florida
became part of the United States. The treaty provided that the Spanish
Grants would be
honored if the land was being used by the Grantee. Francis II was forced
into court
proceedings to establish his 16,000 acre holdings. A survey was provided.
On 7 April, 1824 a mortgage was recorded in the St. Johns County public records,
DB D page 71. The note was for $--- and was from Francis Richard II to Antonio
Alvarez, 1 Jan. 1822 Richard gave as collateral 350 acres called Strawberry
Hill, 250 acres identified as Boggy at Red Bay (sec. 49 including mill pond),
to include the saw mill, cotton gin, and grist mill houses. Also some of
his employees.
This is a good place to name the other grants
in the Arlington area. We have already
mentioned the George Atkinson Grant (sec 61-2-27 and 54-1-27) about 400
acres.
An 1812 survey shows it having planted fields and plantation homes to
the south. It was
called “Colonel Castle” but is also shown as “St. Isabel” on some maps.
Atkinson has
numerous properties shown in other parts of the State. This parcel splits
Richards
ownership in the Chaseville point area.
Another Richard named John had a grant of 250 acres (sec. 50-2-27) on
the South bank of Strawberry Creek. Records show that he died in 1810 and
his widow moved away but came back to claim the land. She claimed occupation
of the land prior to his death and it was approved. This probably was William,
Francis oldest son who died in 1810 and was some times known as John..
Just across Pottsburg creek from Clifton on the point with Little Pottsburg
is the grant
known as the heirs of Peter Bagley, 200 acres. (sec.48-2-27) . This is
also the location of
the Richard home on Oak Haven drive. Francis M. Richard shows that he
owned 10 acres in the Bagley grant in 1909 in request fo a Civil War pension.
The grant to F.J. Fatio 700 ac.s (sec. 37-2-37 and sec. ? 1-27) is known
as NewCastle.
It is located on the South bank of the St. Johns about 2 miles East of
Chaseville point.
Fatio was from Switzerland and had other holdings in NE Florida. There
is a lot of
History connected with this property as well as a Cemetery.
In the East Arlington area known as Fulton was the Sanchez grant and also
had an old
Cemetery .
The most historic area of all, St Johns Bluff,
site of Ft. Caroline, was granted to Z. Kingsley in two parcels. Kingsley’s
family had a strong impact on the history of Arlington. He also owned Land
on Ft. George Island which can be seen to the NE across the river from the
Bluff. John Sammis , Kingsley’s son-in-law was granted land by homestead
next to the kingsley grant.
The final grant with influence on Arlington is that of Don Juan McQueen
which lies between the Intracoastal waterway and Mt. Pleasant Creek. This
area is now known as “Queens Harbor.”This is included due to the interaction
that McQueen had with the Richards and the fact that he appeared to have
had a saw mill also. There is a lot of history associated with both McQueen
and the piece of land that he was granted.
In 1837 Francis II wrote a letter to John Sammis, Kingsley’s son-in-law
who had petitioned Richard to run his mill. This letter documented the history
of the times as to the prices for the many services that Richards mill provided
for the community. He gives Robert Bigelow power to act for him. Bigelow
married his niece, Elizabeth, and had a plantation home called Floral Bluff
which is located partially on the Richard grant which was known as “Parque”.
The Bigelows are buried in a family Cemetery on Floral Bluff road.
Francis Richard II died June 30, 1840 and named
his Brother John Charles Richard as Administrator. His last will and testament
were filled in 1837. He named Antonio Alvarez and Robert Bigelow as
his executors. He request that all his property be sold and that a colored
woman “Eve” was to receive $500. The balance to be split among his Son Francis
and colored children (named 13).
12-1-1840 Robert Bigelow gave an Executors deed for 5,500 acres
to John Sammis. This deed took in what is now Clifton, all of the Alderman
Realty Co. lands (Arlington Heights and Alderman Farms) and Oakwood Villa
as well as the mill compound.
It appears at about this point in time or a little
later, most of Richard and George Atkinson’s holdings in Arlington were
transferred to members of the Kingsley family or to Robert Bigelow
who married a Richard. Based on Dr. Schafers book on Anna Kingsley, The
Plantations beginning with the tip of Chaseville point and going South.
Kingsley’s Sister and her Husband, Charles McNeill . Then Oran Baxter, a
ship builder and planter who was married to Martha Kingsley. Their plantation
took the name St. Isabel. In 1847 Anna Kingsley bought a 22 acre plantation
at what is now JU and it was called “Chesterfield”, next was the Bigelow
Plantation he called “Floral Bluf” Then the Sammis tract which
retained the name Strawberry Hill.
1895 Estate of Mary Sammis showed 100 acres where the
Sammis house and Cemetery are located was earlier reserved from deed to Marple
and Hanson.
The Soldiers pension act of 1909 shows a claim by Francis
M. Richard, born 15 March 1835 in Duval Co.. He enlisted at Fort Steele at
the mouth of the St. Johns in Company “A” 3rd. reg. Florida Infantry. He
was captured at Dalton Ga. and paroled from Ft. Delaware 16 June, 1865. His
residence was shown as 10 acres in the Bagley Grant (Oakhaven dr.) R.R. Brodnar
did affidavid by commander. From: Cleve Powell <jcqlnp@bellsouth.net>
Date: 03/16/2005
This is
a draft of the history I started. I based it on a lot of facts taken from
other write-ups and I am very bad at not adding footnotes on where I get
the information. But saying that I think it is fairly representative of
the facts. I have other information I'll dig out and send you but this
is a start. Cleve
< rodbigelow@netzero.net > 
