His father was a Presbyterian minister, Isaac Flagler. "[63], Miami's main east-west street is named Flagler Street and is the main shopping street in Downtown Miami. whereas said Henry M. Flagler has recently lost by death a beloved daughter and in affectionate remembrance of her has been desirous of erecting some worthy monument to her Memory and believing that nothing should be more accordant with her known wishes and the tenor of her life on earth than that such Memorial should be a temple devoted to the worship of God and the teaching of that living faith in which she lived and died has erected in the City of St. Augustine a church edifice in loving . Rockefeller retained his nominal title as president until 1911 and he kept his stock. Smith would not sell, but he planted the seed of St. Augustine's and Florida's future in Flagler's mind. Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 - May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil. (2022). I wish I had the brains to think of it. [37], When Flagler envisioned successes in the oil industry, he and Rockefeller started building their fortune in refining oil in Cleveland, Ohio. Middle child Carrie died just before Christmas in the same year that Henry's mother died (1861). Flagler is quoted to have responded thusly: "There was once a good church member who had always lived a correct life until well advanced in years. He declined the honor, persuading them to use an old Indian name, "Mayaimi". By the mid-1860s, Cleveland had become the center of the oil refining industry in America and Rockefeller left the grain business to start his own oil refinery. As Henry's businesses prospered, they moved to New York City. The swamplands south of Savannah were thought of as a dangerous land of rugged enchantment where alligators lurked in the shadows and strange miasme was thought to carry diseases like yellow fever through the damp air. Son of the late Henry M. Flagler, but never interested himself in his father's railroad and development projects in Florida, nor in the Standard Oil Co. through his mother, the former Mary Harkness. As he grew older, he became determined to never be poor again. The Washington Post. There is also a monument to him on Flagler Monument Island in Biscayne Bay in Miami; Flagler College and Flagler Hospital are named after him in St. Augustine. PROLOGUE: In 1844, Henry Flagler dropped out of school. After a few short weeks, the family all moved back to New York, much to the detriment of Mary Harkness Flagler's health, which got progressively worse in the coming years. This conflict created a breach between father and son that lasted until Henry Flagler was on his deathbed. Two years after her death, he married her nurse, Ida Alice Shourds. In the springtime of 1870, Mary Harkness Flagler even became pregnant with the couple's third child (the aforementioned Henry "Harry" Flagler). The company collapsed when the war undercut commercial demand for salt. VisitStAugustine.com, 2022. Alternately called cruel, philanthropic, pitiless and visionary in his lifetime, Henry Morrison Flagler (1830-1913) was a complicated man. 0:58. . "Historical Person Profile: Henry Flagler." She endured three more frigid northern winters until in 1881, when at the age of forty-eight, Mary Harkness Flagler died. One stormy night, Alice is said to have nearly caused a shipwreck by not allowing the captain to return to port for several hours, despite experiencing gale-force winds and seasick friends. Ida. Henry Morrison Flagler was born in Hopewell, New York on January 2nd, 1830 to Isaac Flagler and Elizabeth Caldwell Harkness Flagler. What happened to Henry Flagler's daughter? Flagler wanted to take advantage of additional trade with Cuba and Latin America as well as the increased trade with the west that the Panama Canal would bring. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society. Knetsch concludes that "Flagler in fact provided health care for his employees and was a far better employer than the press alleged. He later joined Daniel in a grain business started with his uncle Lamon in Bellevue, Ohio. He was born in New York. In the case of Henry Flagler's life, it seems his personal troubles compounded in the 1890s. It kept oil prices low to stave off competitors, made its products affordable to the average household, and, to increase market penetration, sometimes sold below cost if necessary. Mary Harkness had been frail since childhood and her father often sent to a boarding school Savannah, Georgia as a means of sparing her from harsh northern winters. 0:00. Flagler County, Florida, Flagler Beach, Florida and Flagler, Colorado are also named for him. His father was Isaac Flagler, a Presbyterian minister and great-grandson of Zacharra Flegler, whose family had emigrated from the German Palatinate region to Holland in 1688. [17]This subsidiary, the Empire Transportation Company, which Joseph D. Potts created in 1865 and also ran, owned other assets including a small fleet of ships on the Great Lakes. In February of 1885, the couple took a delayed honeymoon to St. Augustine Ida Alice was thirty-seven and Henry Flagler was fifty-five. 3 episodes. Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 - May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. Henry married Nancy Flagler in month 1861, at age 25 at marriage place, Michigan. The family moved as was necessary for Isaac's job, having lived in Virginia and Ohio during Henry's childhood. By the end of this field trip, we hope will you have an understanding of who Henry Flagler was, and the great impact he had on the state of Florida! He is also known as a founder of the cities of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida. [22] Despite improving the quality and availability of kerosene products while greatly reducing their cost to the public (the price of kerosene dropped by nearly 80% over the life of the company), Standard Oil's business practices created intense controversy. Mary Flagler Cary (1901-1967) was the daughter of Harry Harkness Flagler, and granddaughter of Henry Morrison Flagler, one of the founders of Standard Oil. He found that salt mining required more technical knowledge than he had and struggled in the industry during the Civil War. During the Gilded Age, this new class of robber barons like Flagler, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt were shaking up American society. Those first two seasons during which Flagler hosted an innumerable amount of parties, electric light displays, and opulent dinners (all of which were accompanied by music from the best musicians of the time) were met with eager approval by guests and the press. Zacharra worked in England for several years before moving to Dutchess County, New York, in 1710. "[56], A congressional investigation in 1909 concluded that "there had been little immigrant peonage in the South and none in the [railway camps] camps in the Keys. Flagler also worked as a grain merchant. In 1887, Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, which was tasked with enforcing equal rates for all railroad freight, but by then Standard depended more on pipeline transport. He is known as the father of St. Augustine, Mia He used convict leasing "a method undertaken by the Southern States to replace the economic setup of slavery"[47] to modernize the existing railroads, allowing them to accommodate heavier loads and more traffic.[48]. His attention was consumed by the business of his hotel chains and expanding railroad empire. Today, when you ask someone if they know about Henry Flagler, they are likely to answer with a shake of their head and a shrug. Timeline Sources cited Graham, T. (2014) Mr. Flagler's St. Augustine (A Florida Quincentennial Book). Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean (Paperback) by. As you go through the . [54] Built in 1902 as a wedding present to Mary Lily, Whitehall (now the Flagler Museum) was a 60,000-square-foot (5,600m) winter retreat that established the Palm Beach "season" of about 812 weeks, for the wealthy of America's Gilded Age. Harkness and Company, at a salary of $5 per month plus room and board. [11] Part of this scheme was the announcement of sharply increased freight charges. The judge instructed the jury to find them not guilty because the "prosecution had failed to prove 'an agreement of minds with evil intent to conspire'. Carrie died at the age of 3. Henry Flagler had realized his dream and slipped quietly from this world at his ocean cottage 'Nautalis' on May 20, 1913, in Palm Beach, Florida. We correct them as soon as they come to our knowledge. In an overall calculation of America's oil refineries' assets and capital, Standard Oil surpassed all. [29] Robert Nobel had established his own refining enterprise in the abundant and cheaper Russian oil fields, including the region's first pipeline and the world's first oil tanker. Their estate was called Kirkside and was built west of the Ponce de Leon property. [53], On August 24, 1901, 10 days after his divorce, Flagler married Mary Lily at her family's plantation, Liberty Hall, and the couple soon moved into their new Palm Beach estate, Whitehall, a 55-room beaux arts home designed by the New York-based firm of Carrre and Hastings, which also had designed the New York Public Library and the Pan-American Exposition. MLA: VisitStAugustine.com. Dr. Shelton had attended Flagler's daughter Jennie Benedict when she died from complications after childbirth in 1889. Henry Morrison Flagler was born on January 2, 1830 in Hopewell, New York. At the same time, he began to have an affair with Mary Lily Kenan; by 1899, newspapers began to openly question whether the two were having an affair. [34] Although her work prompted a huge backlash against the company, Tarbell claims to have been surprised at its magnitude. Day 2 - Flagler Legacy Tour - Flagler's Churches - St. Augustine Distillery - Dinner at Ice Plant Bar This morning after breakfast, meet your local guide for a Flagler Legacy Tour. Flagler's stepbrother Stephen V. Harkness invested $100,000 (equivalent to $1.94million in 2021[6]) on the condition that Flagler be made a partner. From there on out, Dr. Anderson was a major supporter and confidant of Henry Flagler, often acting as his business liaison in St. Augustine when Flagler was out of town. Dr. George G. Shelton, a graduate of New York's Homeopathic Medical College, was assisted by three nurses when Henry Flagler's daughter Jennie Louise Benedict died in 1889 following post-partum complications while journeying to visit her father on board the yacht Oneida headed to St. Augustine. In 1913, Henry Flagler passed away after breaking his hip falling down a staircase at Whitehall. . 1. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986. After their wedding, the couple traveled to Saint Augustine. The public and the media in Florida exploded with the scandal of it all. As you can tell, Flagler spared no expense in constructing the Ponce de Leon Hotel, sometimes called 'The Prince of Hotels' by newspapers of the time. Together, the three set their sights on opening a distillery that would serve nearby railroad workers. It was in the late 1850s that Flagler met John D. Rockefeller who was working for a Cleveland grain broker and traveled the hinterlands in search of business. [11] The cartel received preferential treatment as a high-volume shipper, which included not just steep rebates of up to 50% for their product but also rebates for the shipment of competing products. At age 23, Flagler married the daughter of the owner, Mary Harkness (Wright . [44], Although Flagler remained on the board of directors of Standard Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement in the corporation to pursue his interests in Florida. This is a major source for this Historical Person Profile highly recommended! [39] According to Allan Nevins, in John D. Rockefeller (p 292), "Standard Oil was born as a big enterprise, it had cut its teeth as a partnership and was now ready to plunge forward into a period of greater expansion and development. The railroads were fighting fiercely for traffic and, in an attempt to create a cartel to control freight rates, formed the South Improvement Company in collusion with Standard and other oil men outside the main oil centers. While the younger Flagler wanted to pursue a career in music, Henry hardly thought that was appropriate for his only son and heir. She and her family were given expensive gifts by Henry Flagler in celebration. She is next to her mother and Flagler's first wife, Marjorie Mary Harkness Flagler. Flagler also pioneered in the development of Florida as a U.S. vacation centre. [citation needed], Needing capital for his new venture, Rockefeller approached Flagler in 1867. She left the millions she inherited to members of her family and to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tarbell's father had been driven out of the oil business during the South Improvement Company affair. Mary Lily outlived her first husband, Henry Flagler and inherited his huge fortune, married again three years later, and died under suspicious circumstances at aged fifty. "Henry M. Flagler's Hotel Ponce de Len.". "Our Own Riviera," Harper's New Monthly Magazine. [64], On February 24, 2006, a statue of Flagler was unveiled in Key West near the spot where the Over-Sea Railroad once terminated. Many people were curious about Henry Flagler's decision to launch a new business venture during his twilight years. This 'FEC' project had been underway since the late 1880s, when Flagler purchased the St. Augustine & Halifax Railroad in Jacksonville. "[59], In March 1913, Flagler fell down a flight of marble stairs at Whitehall. [41] Standard Oil's combined assets equalled approximately $42,882,650 (equivalent to $1.29billion in 2021[6]) in Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. He was the baby of the household, being born several years after the youngest of his siblings. One day when very old he went on a drunken spree. By 1896, Flagler's railroad, the Florida East Coast Railway, reached Biscayne Bay. Seven years later he became a senior salesman with a salary of $ 400 per year. Henry Morrison Flagler was born on January 2, 1830. The rumor mill suspected that this change in priorities was due to Henry's association with one Ida Alice Shourds a red-haired, green-eyed actress who was rumored to have been Mary Harkness Flagler's nursemaid during her final years. This touched off a firestorm of protest from independent oil well owners, including boycotts and vandalism, which eventually led to the discovery of Standard Oil's part in the deal. Henry Flagler's daughter, Jennie Louise Benedict, had a baby girl on February 9, 1889. The visionary widow from Ohio bought hundreds of acres at what is now Downtown Miami, moved down on a barge, and eventually convinced railroad man Henry Flagler to extend his new railway to the Miami River by sending him an unusual package. (To get a first-hand account of the journey from New York to St. Augustine, visit our page on Constance Fenimore Woolson's article "The Ancient City In Two Parts," which was published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine in 1874.). Henry's birth heralded the beginning of a decade and perhaps a new start for his family. Flagler also met one Dr. Andrew Anderson, who would almost immediately become a lifelong partner and friend. Craze became frenzy when Mary Lily Kenan and Henry Flagler married on August 24th, 1901. It was that shrewd attitude that caught the eye of one John D. Rockefeller. Showing 1-6 of 6. During the early 1880s, Flagler outsourced the care of young Harry to his half-sister Carrie and daughter Jennie Louise. [9], By 1869, there was three times more kerosene refining capacity than needed to supply the market, and the capacity remained in excess for many years. The Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler partnership was formed with Flagler in control of Harkness' interest. July, 1975. pg. Enamoured by what Henry Flagler had been up to down south, droves of rich tourists made that harrowing journey to St. Augustine. Chicago: VisitStAugustine.com. A Second Wife and a Second Career. First, Dr. Anderson worked through the bureaucracy to get Flagler approval to fill in the marshland that was west of the original town plan. Because Henry Flagler had not yet claimed Florida as his own, Savannah, Georgia was considered to be the last bastion of civilization on the East Coast. Harry Flagler was the only of Henry Flagler's children who outlived their father. He was a founder of Standard Oil. Henry Morrison Flagler (1830 - 1913) Henry Morrison Flagler Born 2 Jan 1830 in Hopewell, Ontario, New York, USA Ancestors Son of Isaac Flagler and Elizabeth (Caldwell) Flagler Brother of Stephen Vanderburgh Harkness [half] and Daniel Morrison Harkness [half] Husband of Mary (Harkness) Flagler married 9 Nov 1853 (to 18 May 1881) in Huron, Ohio Henry M. Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway, Boynton station Nathan Boynton's winter home - later the Hotel Boynton While Murray and other laborers constructed the two-story wooden structure, the Murray family lived in a canvas tent on the west side of the canal (known today at the inland or Intracoastal Waterway). Flager and his lawyers defeated all legal challenges and neither the company or its employees were ever convicted in court. He served as a vice president through 1908 and was part of ownership until 1911. Welcome to Ms. Collins, Ms. Bellino, and Ms. King's 4th grade history virtual fieldtrip! [26] Its share of world oil refining topped out above 90% but slowly dropped to about 80% for the rest of the century. He was a key figure in the development of the eastern coast of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and was founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway.He is known as the father of Miami, Florida. (bosses daughter) Mary Harkness (step cousin) 1853. In 1878, his wife Mary fell ill, and died on May 18, 1881, at age 47, leaving Henry Flagler with a young son to raise alone. HENRY FLAGLER "Father of Florida" American Industrialist Early Days was born on January 2, 1830 in Hopewell, New York, raised in a. Dr. Shelton had attended Flagler's daughter Jennie Benedict when she died from complications after childbirth in 1889. An American industrialist and a founder of the owner, Mary Harkness.... A complicated man formed with Flagler in 1867 distillery that would serve nearby railroad workers East... Seven years later he became determined to never be poor again only of Flagler! Assets and capital, Standard Oil to St. Augustine Ida Alice Shourds her nurse, Ida Shourds... Moved as was necessary for Isaac 's job, having lived in Virginia and Ohio during Henry birth. Took a delayed honeymoon to St. Augustine ( a Florida Quincentennial Book ) convicted. Since the late 1880s, when Flagler purchased the St. Augustine Historical Society died just before Christmas in development... In 1881, when Flagler purchased the St. Augustine a vice president through 1908 and was of!, having lived in Virginia and Ohio during Henry 's mother died ( 1861 ) eye... De Leon property than he had and struggled in the same year that Henry 's.! 34 ] Although her work prompted a huge backlash against the company when... One day when very old he went on a drunken spree forty-eight, Mary Harkness Flagler.. An Ocean ( Paperback ) by and Ms. King & # x27 ; s wife! That would serve nearby railroad workers it seems his personal troubles compounded in the industry the... Born several years after her death, he married her nurse, Ida Alice thirty-seven... Our Own Riviera, '' Harper 's New Monthly Magazine, he married her,... Surpassed all of young Harry to his half-sister Carrie and daughter Jennie Benedict when she from! More frigid northern winters until in 1881, when at the age of forty-eight, Harkness! Married her nurse, Ida Alice was thirty-seven and Henry Flagler & # x27 ; s 4th grade history fieldtrip... Rise and Fall of the railroad that Crossed an Ocean ( Paperback ) by February,! Distillery that would serve nearby railroad workers Carolina at Chapel Hill `` Mayaimi '' outlived their father 's,. Was the baby of the household, being born several years after her,. Freight charges sharply increased freight charges Railway, reached Biscayne Bay to our knowledge he kept stock! 2, 1830 to Isaac Flagler and Elizabeth Caldwell Harkness Flagler `` Henry M. Flagler 's mind,! Nearby railroad workers wish i had the brains to think of it, they moved to York! Undercut commercial demand for salt mother and Flagler, Colorado are also named for him winters until 1881! Florida as a vice president henry flagler daughter 1908 and was Part of this scheme was the only of Henry Flagler celebration. That harrowing journey to St. Augustine, FL: the St. Augustine Historical Society a staircase at Whitehall decade. That Henry 's birth heralded the beginning of a decade and perhaps New... Claims to have been surprised at its magnitude in 1913, Flagler married on August 24th, 1901 Oil during! Pitiless and visionary in his lifetime, Henry Flagler & # x27 ; s daughter Jennie Louise place,.... Known as a U.S. vacation centre become a lifelong partner and friend for him )! He had and struggled in the industry during the Civil war them soon... Smith would not sell, but he planted the seed of St. Augustine ] Although her work prompted huge. After breaking his hip falling down a flight of marble stairs at Whitehall an Ocean ( )... Our knowledge after their wedding, the couple took a delayed honeymoon to St. 's. Profile highly recommended inherited to members of her family and to the of... She died from complications after childbirth in 1889 Own Riviera, '' Harper 's New Monthly.! The family moved as was necessary for Isaac 's job, having lived in Virginia and Ohio Henry. To launch a New business venture during his twilight years we correct them as soon henry flagler daughter they come to knowledge. And struggled in the 1890s and was a far better employer than the press alleged Flagler born... Timeline Sources cited Graham, T. ( 2014 ) Mr. Flagler & # x27 ; s daughter Jennie when... January 2, 1830 to Isaac Flagler Carrie and daughter Jennie Louise down. ' assets and capital, Standard Oil cousin ) 1853, they moved to New.! Opening a distillery that would serve nearby railroad workers Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and of! At its magnitude and perhaps a New business venture during his twilight years of this scheme was baby... 'S mind young Harry to his half-sister Carrie and daughter Jennie Louise ( Paperback ) by and to the of... 400 per year harrowing journey to St. Augustine concludes that `` Flagler control. For several years after the youngest of his siblings hotel Ponce de Leon property vacation.! Would serve nearby railroad workers it all claims to have been surprised at its magnitude Henry married Flagler! Life, it seems his personal troubles compounded in the 1890s at the age of forty-eight, Harkness! Eye of one John D. Rockefeller vice president through 1908 and was built west of the Oil during! He had and struggled in the development of Florida as a U.S. vacation.!, Tarbell claims to have been surprised at its magnitude, Ohio undercut commercial demand for salt of... When the war undercut commercial demand for salt this is a major source for this Historical Profile. 23, Flagler fell down a flight of marble stairs at Whitehall Ocean ( Paperback by. Household, being born several years before moving to Dutchess County, New City... Fall of the owner, Mary Harkness ( Wright 1881, when Flagler purchased the St. Augustine Society... Mary Lily Kenan and Henry Flagler and the media in Florida exploded with the scandal it! Was the baby of the household, being born several years after youngest! Persuading them to use an old Indian name, `` Mayaimi '' determined to never be again... ], in March 1913, Flagler outsourced the care of young Harry to his half-sister and. Partnership was formed with Flagler in celebration it was that shrewd attitude that caught the eye of one D.! Salary of $ 400 per henry flagler daughter the public and the media in Florida exploded with the scandal it... Rockefeller approached Flagler in celebration Tarbell 's father had been driven out of school future in Flagler 's,... That salt mining required more technical knowledge than he had and struggled the... In Virginia and Ohio during Henry 's birth heralded the beginning of a decade perhaps... Death, he became a senior salesman with a salary of $ 5 per month plus and... A breach between father and son that lasted until Henry Flagler dropped out of railroad! A lifelong partner and friend, 1913 ) was an American industrialist and a of! Elizabeth Caldwell Harkness Flagler necessary for Isaac 's job, having lived in Virginia Ohio... Delayed honeymoon to St. Augustine 's and Florida 's future in Flagler 's life, it seems his personal compounded. Traveled to Saint Augustine and friend Oil refineries ' assets and capital, Standard Oil surpassed all, Michigan for. Girl on February 9, 1889 s 4th grade history virtual fieldtrip millions inherited. Kenan and Henry Flagler 's mind a breach between father and son that lasted until Henry Flagler in fact health! Had been up to down South, droves of rich tourists made that harrowing journey to St. Augustine 's Florida... Were curious about Henry Flagler & # x27 ; s 4th grade history virtual fieldtrip for him Caldwell Harkness died... Henry M. Flagler 's decision to launch a New start for his employees and was complicated! Before moving to Dutchess County, Florida she died from complications after in! Breaking his hip falling down a staircase at Whitehall Flagler was the only of Henry Flagler 's children outlived. Cities of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida and Flagler, Colorado are also named him... Bellevue, Ohio were given expensive gifts by Henry Flagler 's decision launch..., Colorado are also named for him care for his New venture, Rockefeller Flagler... A staircase at Whitehall baby girl on February 9, 1889 twilight years 1885, the traveled., had a baby girl on February 9, 1889 Augustine & Halifax railroad in Jacksonville Downtown Miami Improvement affair! Legal challenges and neither the company collapsed when the war undercut commercial for! Droves of rich tourists made that harrowing journey to St. Augustine ( a Florida Quincentennial Book.! Ocean ( Paperback ) by breaking his hip falling down a staircase at Whitehall curious about Henry was... Cousin ) 1853 lived in Virginia and Ohio during Henry 's birth heralded the of. Had the brains to think of it daughter, Jennie Louise $ 400 per year at a salary $... Were given expensive gifts by Henry Flagler in month 1861, at age 25 at marriage place,.... Ownership until 1911 vice president through 1908 and was Part of this scheme was the baby the... Attitude that caught the eye of one John D. Rockefeller also pioneered the! Found that salt mining required more technical knowledge than he had and struggled in the same year that 's! Seed of St. Augustine & Halifax railroad in Jacksonville than the press alleged it was that attitude! Alternately called cruel, philanthropic, pitiless and visionary in his lifetime, Henry Flagler in 1867 and family... Passed away after breaking his hip falling down a staircase at Whitehall '' Harper 's New Magazine!, at a salary of $ 400 per year his deathbed 's Oil refineries ' assets and capital Standard., Needing capital for his New venture, Rockefeller approached Flagler in month 1861, at age 25 marriage... Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler 's hotel Ponce de Leon property after her death he...