Francis W. Eppes

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Francis W. Eppes

Francis Wayles Eppes VII (born September 20, 1801 in Albemarle County , Virginia , † May 10, 1881 in Orange County, Florida ) was an American planter , as well as parish representative of the Episcopal Church , justice of the peace and politician .

Origin and family

Francis Wayles Eppes was the first child of John Wayles Eppes and Maria Jefferson Eppes, daughter of the third US President Thomas Jefferson . He was also the only one of his siblings to reach adulthood since his sister Maria Jefferson Eppes died as a toddler . In 1822 he married Mary Elizabeth Cleland Randolph, who died on April 15, 1835 after giving birth to their sixth child. On March 15, 1837, he married Susan Margaret Ware Crouch. The couple had seven children.

Live and act

youth

Francis Wayles Eppes was born on his parents' plantation . After the death of his mother Maria Jefferson Eppes in 1804, he spent much time on the plantation of his grandfather Thomas Jefferson and with his maternal aunt Martha Jefferson Randolph in Monticello . Despite the great efforts of his office as US President , Jefferson took a keen interest in his grandson from an early age and the two became very attached to each other. Eppes was also inspired by Jefferson to develop a love for learning . He has been taught at several private schools, including the New London Academy in Virginia, Georgetown College (now Georgetown University ), and South Carolina College (now University of South Carolina ). He studied law , but never finished his studies and was never admitted to the bar.

Life

After his marriage to Mary Elizabeth Cleland Randolph in 1822, he received the Poplar Forest plantation from his grandfather Thomas Jefferson . This plantation should originally have been given to his mother, who died in 1804. After the death of his father John Wayles Eppes in 1823 and Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826, Eppes held nothing in Virginia . In 1827 he bought Critta Hemings Bowles, who was his nanny , to give her freedom. In 1828 he sold the Poplar Forest plantation and moved with his family and slaves to the Florida Territory , which only became the State of Florida in 1845 .

In 1827, he and his family settled in Leon County , 12 miles northeast of Tallahassee , where Eppes built a log cabin and plantation , which he successfully operated. He called it L'Eau Noir (Black Water). In 1829 he became one of the founders of St. John's Episcopal Church , where he served as a parish councilor. He contributed $ 500 to build the Church . He was also a delegate to the Convention when the Episcopal Diocese of Florida was established in 1838 and served as the Diocese's secretary for many years. Furthermore, Eppes campaigned for the establishment of public schools and the abolition of the duel after a friend of Eppes was killed because of it.

In 1833, Eppes was appointed Justice of the Peace by the Governor of Florida, William Pope Duval , and Eppes served for six years. During this time he tried to bring order to this border area .

After the death of his first wife, Mary Elizabeth Cleland Randolph in 1835, he sold his plantation L'Eau Noir and bought a new, 1,920 acre large cotton plantation on Lake Lafayette in the Middle East of Leon County . This plantation was worked by 70 slaves . In 1837 he married Susan Margaret Ware Crouch, daughter of Nicholas Ware , a famous Georgia politician . Because of his involvement in the public service, Eppes became a respected member of the community.

politics

In 1841 and 1842, Eppes became mayor of Tallahassee . He held this office for a term of one year. During his tenure fighting Eppes and the City Council the crime . A night watch was introduced in the city to monitor the streets and comply with the law. Also were fines and prison sentences imposed. In 1841 a yellow fever epidemic broke out in the city, whereupon Eppes rebuilt the boundaries of the city ​​cemetery and established rules about its work function. At the end of his second term, a grateful township presented Francis Wayles Eppes with a silver jar engraved with gratitude for his service as mayor. Eppes also held the office of Mayor of Tallahassee in 1856, 1857 and 1866.

In 1842 he served as a speaker on the grand jury . In 1843, a fire broke out in a business district of the city and destroyed several buildings because they were made of wood . Eppes and the city ​​council then passed that all new buildings in the future must be made of masonry .

Educational policy

In 1836, Eppes, together with his father-in-law Thomas Eston Randolph and other men, unsuccessfully campaigned for the establishment of educational institutions in Tallahassee. In 1851 the Florida House of Representatives passed law establishing two colleges . One should be east and the other west of the Suwannee River . After a failed attempt in 1854 to install the Western College in Tallahassee, Eppes, as the city representative, made a new proposal to the Florida House of Representatives in 1856 for the building and funding of the West Florida Seminary, which was approved on January 1, 1857 was implemented. This educational institution is considered to be the forerunner of today's Florida State University . The East Florida Seminary, on the other hand, is considered to be the forerunner of the University of Florida . The third governor of Florida, James E. Broome , appointed Eppes as one of five members of the educational board of the WFS, of which he served as president from 1857 to 1868, from 1860 onwards.

American Civil War

During the civil war , the WFS got into trouble because many teachers and students fought against the northern states . The inflation of the confederate currency also made it increasingly difficult to pay the bills. Eppes asked both the City of Tallahassee and the Confederate Government for help to keep the school going. The city of Tallahassee successfully defended itself against the Union and was the only city in the south during the Civil War that was not occupied by Union forces. When the defeat could no longer be stopped, however, Eppes personally handed the city over to the Union.

His son Nicholas Ware Eppes was an officer in the Confederate Army during the war .

During the war, Eppes sold his cotton plantation for Confederate dollars . This and the loss of his slaves due to the prohibition of slavery after the civil war caused his fortune to dwindle. In 1868 he and the entire board of the WFS resigned due to financial difficulties. The school closed in 1869.

Last years

In 1869, Eppes left Leon County and moved to Orange County , becoming a farmer and growing citrus fruits . As a layman , he continued to be involved in the Episcopal Church , including in his home. He and other church members enabled the foundation of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando . A stained glass window is dedicated to him in the vestibule of the cathedral. Francis Wayles Eppes died on May 30, 1881, at the age of 79. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida.

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personal data
SURNAME Eppes, Francis W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eppes, Francis Wayles (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American planter, farmer, layman and community representative of the Episcopal Church, justice of the peace and politician
DATE OF BIRTH September 20, 1801
PLACE OF BIRTH near Albemarle County , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 1881
Place of death Orange County , Florida