The house on New Hope Plantation on the mainland west of Fernandina, which burned to the ground during the early morning hours of Sunday October 1943, was little more than sixty years old; but New Hope Plantation and the family of O’Neill’s have occupied a place in Florida history since the late years of the eighteenth century.

Spain repossessed Florida in 1783. An extraordinary agriculture development of the provinces during the preceding twenty years of British occupation was apparent to the Spanish governor, Vincente de Zespedes, and he determined to encourage a continuance of that development. Zespedes first suggested that Catholic Irish as well as Spaniards be invited to settle in Florida. Apparently this suggestion was not acted upon; but an edict of 1786 gave British and American families already in the province the right to remain without change of religion. Charleston and Savannah newspapers reported this edict, readers gave it a broad interpretation and the migration to Florida began. In 1790 an edict of the King of Spain established the rights of these first adventurous settlers and opened the province to further alien occupation. Settlers “shall not be molested in matters of religion,: the edict directed. “though there shall be no other public worship than Catholic.” Land could be obtained at no cost beyond small fees to notary and recorder; and, inducement extraordinary, no taxes would be levied.

Henry and Margaret O’Neill, their three children and their slaves migrated to Florida soon after the edict of 1786 was made public. An Ancestor of Mrs. Carroll of Fernandina wrote: - - - - - - - The Browards, Bellamy, Edwards, Harrisons, O’Neills, Fitzpatricks and other - - - - - - - - reached Florida at the same time - - - - - -They pitched their tents on the southern end of Amelia Island - - - - - - - -The men then went to St. Augustine to - - - - - - - - - -make terms of settlement with the authorities.” Descendants of  Thomas Mann possess a similar record. The Mann paper adds the Christopher’s and the Spences to the families previously named and states that the party made their first camp on Amelia  Island in the late 1780’s or early 1790’s.

The earlier date must be accepted, for before the middle of the year 1791, Henry O’Neill was killed in a fight with a mob of ruffians attempting to invade Florida from the Georgia side of the St. Mary’s River. A document in the Archives of the Indies in Seville indicates that the Spanish Government was not un-appreciative of O’Neill’s sacrifice:

 “Royal Order of the 24th of June 1791 --- in which his Majesty has deigned to grant to Dona Margartha O’Neill, widow of Don Enrique O’Neill, (sic) in addition to her estates, a pension which corresponds to a soldier of Monte Pio …because of the merit of the deceased O’Neill…showed in all commissions which were entrusted to him by this government and because of his zeal in bringing about public peace among the inhabitants of the river district in Santa Maria and the frontier of the territory.”

The phrase “in addition to her estate” may be interpreted to mean that the government, as further recognition of Henry O’Neill’s services, gave Mrs. O’Neill immediate title to her property, waiving the stipulation that a new settler must occupy his land for ten years before obtaining final title.

NUEVA EXPERANZA  is mentioned as the O’Neill plantation in another document of slightly later date.

Henry and Margaret O’Neill demanded beauty as well as productivity of their new home. They chose well. The site that pleased them best overlooked Lanceford Creek. When the Creek widened into a broad beautiful cove, Henry saw that ground north of the cove was high enough to lie beyond the reach of flood. Here a man could build a dry house, could shelter his wife and children in safety and comfort.

Fine trees covered the land, some so vast that four tall men reaching hand to hand could not encircle them. Flowers bloomed along the cove, and the air was sweet with the heady fragrance of jasmine. Deer, turkey and quail rustled shyly in the woods, and creek and cove promised sea food in abundance.

Henry O’Neill filed his claim. The Royal Surveyor came to Lanceford Creek. New Hope was born.

Several years after Henry’s death Margaret O’Neill married again. But she continued to live a New Hope, directing plantation affairs, overseeing servants and house, teaching her children until the little girls were grown and her son Eber O’Neill, was old  enough to assume her burdens. When Margaret died in 1811 or 1812 the girls, now married, received a share of the property. The home site was included in Eber’s portion.

About 1802, when he was twenty two years old, Eber brought his young bride, Mary Andrews, to New Hope to the house built by Henry and Margaret O’Neill. The first child of the marriage, James Thomas O’Neill, was born at New Hope on Nov 8, 1803. The daughters, Jane and Mary, were born during the four years following.

Border troubles like the outbreak in which Henry O’Neill lost his life died down occasionally but they were never wholly extinct. Southern Georgia was overrun by gangs of ne’er-do-wells, troublesome to law-abiding Georgians, hated and feared by Floridians. Moccasin Boys, the name applied to this outlaw element, crossed the St. Mary’s River to steal and to destroy. Roaming as far as the St. John’s they stole slaves and horses and cattle. They burned buildings. They ruined crops. They stirred up the Indians to a dangerous pitch.

In the spring of 1812, the United States Government gave left-handed authorization to the invasion of East Florida and the Moccasin Boys seized upon this authorization as a go-ahead signal to themselves. For more than a year thereafter, only Amelia Island, where United States troops were stationed, and St. Augustine,  which held out against the invasion, were safe from their depredations. The St. Mary’s area was ravaged.

The rabble came  to New Hope in the night. When Eber O’Neill was awakened by the noise of   their approach, he realized he had not time to get his family off the Plantation. He remembered a hollow tree in the woods not far from the house, the skeleton of a giant oak. He and Mary dressed hurriedly, bundled quilts around sleepy children. When they stole out of the house,  shouts and the sounds men make running through woods  and underbrush told that the rabble was very close. Mary, the three children and an old servant crowded into the hollow tree. They must make no sound, Eber told them. If the little girls cried, Mary and the nurse must contrive to quiet them. Then Eber left them to lead his negroes into the woods, to scatter horses and stock, in a hope that everything he possessed would not fall into the hands of the outlaws.

Many hours later Eber returned to the hollow oak tree. The invaders were gone. Mary and the children were safe. He had saved some slaves, some stock. But fields were ravaged, and only blackened timbers and wisps of smoke marked the spot where the house had stood.

Eber O’Neill accepted disaster with a pioneer’s fatalism, wasting no time on vain regret. He sent Mary and the children to live with Mary’s  brother while he replanted his fields, built another house.

Opportunities to educate a child were not numerous on the Florida-Georgia border in the early years of the nineteenth century. When in 1815 their friend Mrs. Shaw, daughter of General Nathaniel Green, suggested that they send James to Dungeness to study under a tutor with her nephew, Phineas Nightengale, the O’Neill’s jumped at the chance. For several years James lived on Cumberland Island as a member of Mrs. Shaw’s family, returning to New Hope for brief vacations.

When Mr. Shaw died in 1820, Louisa Shaw realized that she was not capable of managing a plantation. After five years of association she had formed a favorable opinion of James O’Neill’s ability and sound common sense. So she made the seventeen year old boy manager of Dungeness. James continued his studies while carrying on his new duties, and before long he began to read law with an attorney in St. Mary’s. When his legal education was completed, he returned to Florida to practice law and to manage New Hope, his property since his father’s death. Although he gave up active management of Dungeness at that time, he continued to supervise Mrs. Shaw’s business and financial affairs until she died in 1835.

In 1832 James O’Neill married Maria Susan Gunby of St. Mary’s and during the same year he was appointed Judge of the Territorial Florida District. When Florida was admitted as a State in 1845, Judge O’Neill was appointed Judge of the United States Circuit Court. He continued to serve in that capacity until 1861.

Judge O’Neill increased his holdings a New Hope by purchasing adjoining acreage. He improved the house and grounds, bought additional slaves. New Quarters for the servants were built in a pleasant spot on the cove some distance from the house, neat frame cottages with brick chimneys facing each other in two rows. The ruins of some of those cabins may still be found at New Hope.

When Federal troops took possession of Fernandina during the early days of the Civil War, Judge O’Neill moved his family to Hamilton County where he bought a plantation. From New Hope he took with him his slaves, necessary furniture, china and carpets, food and stock. Negroes carried furniture and food up the St. Mary’s River on flat boats. Other negroes drove the stock overland to the new home, Rebel Refuge.

Judge O’Neill sold the Hamilton County property and returned to Fernandina when the war ended. Because retail merchandising seemed to offer the best chance to make quick and adequate provision for eleven children in those troubled and uncertain post-war years, he bought a drug store and a clothing store.

The O’Neill family remained in town for a year, then moved back to New Hope. The plantation had been occupied during the war and was in a run-down condition; but at least the house was intact. Judge O’Neill continued to live at New Hope until his death on July 22, 1888.

The house destroyed by fire early in October 13, 1943 was built by Judge O’Neill in 1881 close to the old house which his father had built after the fire in 1812. The old building was torn down and a wing of the new structure was built of materials taken from Eber O’Neill’s house.

Shortly before his death Judge O’Neill deeded New Hope to it present owner, his youngest daughter, Isabel O’Neill Barnwell. Mrs. Barnwell, fourth generation of O’Neill planters on Lanceford  Creek, lived on the property and operated it as a plantation until 1934 when she was forced by advancing years to discontinue this activity. But she frequently - - - - - - - - - - -

Marsha O'Neill Moore, the source for this document, writes:

The rest of the story, one page as I remember it, has been lost.

I believe the person who wrote this was Isabel Bacon O'Neill, my Great Aunt and the heir to New Hope Plantation.  She was born April 17,  1854 and died July 25, 1948.  She held on to the Plantation until some time in the 1930's I believe.  Failing health and not being able to run it anymore caused her to sell it. As for the last page I have no idea where it is. ...  I am afraid it is lost forever.  ...  Where the original story was  written down I have no idea.