Jacob Florance Minis (1852-1936) was born on November 12, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the eldest son of Abraham and Lavinia Florance Minis. Florance, as she was known, spent much of his childhood in Savannah, Georgia. At the age of fourteen he entered Washington College (known today as Washington and Lee University). By the fall of 1870, he decided to leave college and return to Savannah, where he became a clerk (and later partner) in his father's shipping office. Florance Minis was very active in the Savannah community. He held memberships in several clubs and was the chairman and president of several organizations, including the Commercial Bank, Merchant's National Bank, Savannah Cotton Exchange, Savannah Naval Stores Association, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah Brewing Company, and others. On June 19, 1890, Minis married Louisa Porter Gilmer (1852-1921) in London, England. Louisa was born on September 3, the only daughter of General Jeremy Francis and Louisa Fredericka Alexander Gilmer. Louisa herself was accomplished, having served as president of the Telfair Hospital and the Louisa Porter Home. Florance and Louisa had no children and, after he retired, traveled extensively in Europe and beyond. They maintained a home in Savannah at 24 West Gaston Street and also had a home in Clarkesville, Habersham County, Georgia, called "Rockwood." Louisa became ill in the summer of 1921 and was taken to Boston, Massachusetts, for medical treatment. She improved for a short time, but the symptoms returned and she died at the Woman's Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 16. Florance Minis married Mary Elizabeth Haskell, Louisa's first cousin, on My 7. Florance died in Clarkesville on September 3, 1936 after a short illness.
From the description of Jacob Florance and Louisa Porter Gilmer Minis photograph album, 1905-1909. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 43886818
