The Richard Family
Page 3
Back to richard6.htm
15336.43 Robert 7 BIGELOW, son
of Benjamin 6
( Paul 5 , Cornelius 4, Samuel 3, Samuel 2, John 1) and Eunice (AIKEN)
BIGELOW, had a plantation near Jacksonville. Robert married Elizabeth
Richard, dau of Jean Baptiste (John William) RICHARD and Rebecah
E. (Rebeca Isabella) HART.
GENEALOGY OF DON FRANCIS JOSEPH LOUIS RICHARD, (cont:)
PIONEER SETTLER OF SPANISH FLORIDA 1780, NORTHEAST FLORIDA AREA
History of the Francis Richard family and Spanish grants in Arlington
2004
(draft prepared for narrative for Ann’s bus tour of historic Arlington)
Cleve
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 Sunbeam
road area 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) (married to Rebecka Hart), 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.
John William B. Richard died young in 1810 leaving three young children,
Clarilisa, Betsy (Elizabeth) Ann (later married ROBERT BIGELOW), and John
W. Richard . He (based on abstract of title of Oakwood Villa prepared in 1924)
in 1803 was granted 230 acres of land (Sec 50, twp. 2s, Rge 27 E.) by Gov.
White at the head of Pottsburg creek. (south of Strawberry Creek and east
of Silversmith Creek). The minutes of the land commission in 1823 state that
“It is proof before the Board that John (Juan) B, Richard lived on the land
and cultivated it until 1910 when he passed away. His widow moved away for
a short time but moved back in time to perfect her claim. This parcel and
his "Plantation was known as Oakwood"
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. (I believe
this is where John Richards widow, Rebecka, got the land her Father in Law
owned which became the Bigelow Plantation)
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.
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 Bluff” 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 (III), 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 affidavit by commander.
Prepared by Cleve Powell
More Richard Family info on Page 2 ................ROD
2009
Rod Bigelow
Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
Back to Bigelow Society
BACK TO BIGELOW
HOME PAGE
