O'Neill, James T.

Plantation owner and judge.

O'Neill owned Woodstock, St. Marys, Georgia and New Hope, Fernandina, Florida. He was a judge in Nassau County, Florida, 1832-1861. His father built New Hope plantation near Fernandina in 1792. During the Civil War, O'Neill built another plantation at White Springs, Florida, and called it Rebel's Refuge. In 1865, he returned to Fernandina to practice law.

From the description of Papers, 1812-1887. (University of Florida). WorldCat record id: 30602349

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.

From the guide to the James Thomas O'Neill Papers, 1812-1887, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)