Fleming family.

Settlers.

The Fleming family were early Northeast Florida settlers. George Fleming came to Florida, via Charleston, South Carolina, from Ireland ca. 1785 and became a large landowner after receiving land from the Spanish government. In 1791, he married Sophia Fatio, and they had a daughter, Mary, and two sons, Lewis and George, Jr. The family lived in St. Augustine and at their St. Johns River plantation, Hibernia. Francis Philip Fleming was born in 1841 in Panama Park, Duval County. In 1861, he joined the Second Florida infantry and served in the Civil War armies of Gens. Magruder, Johnston, Hood, and Lee. After the war, he studied law, was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1868, and became a partner in the Jacksonville law firm, Fleming & Daniel. In 1871, Francis Fleming married Florida Lydia Pearson. They had two sons, Francis P. Jr. and Charles Seton Fleming, and one daughter, Elizabeth. Fleming became a noted civic leader in Jacksonville as a member of the Democratic executive committee.

In 1888, he defeated the Republican candidate V.J. Shipman, and served as Governor of Florida from 1889-1893. Notable issues and developments during his tenure included the creation of a State Board of Health in 1889, the repeal of the Florida Railroad Commission, attempts at higher education reorganization, adjustment of state revenues, Farmers' Alliance movement, and the 1891 re-election controversy regarding U.S. Senator Wilkinson Call. After retiring from politics in 1893, Fleming continued to practice law in Jacksonville and developed a strong interest in Floridiana and local history. He worked on the 'Memoirs of Florida, ' helped to incorporate the Florida Historical Society in 1905, contributed several articles to the Society's Quarterly, and became the Society's President in 1907. Francis Philip Fleming died on December 20, 1908.

From the description of Fleming family letters, 1879-1930. (University of North Florida, Carpenter Library). WorldCat record id: 50139812