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Biographical/Historical:
William Russell O'Neal was born in Belpre, Ohio, in 1864 and moved to Orlando in 1885. O'Neal was a partner in the firm Curtis and O'Neal (nee Fletcher, Curtis and O'Neal). This firm's business activities included book selling, insurance, real estate, and finance. O'Neal was involved in many educational, fraternal, political, and civic endeavors during his life. He was an agent for several insurance companies and wrote fire insurance policies on property throughout Orlando and Orange County. His firm bought and sold real estate, acted as agent for absentee landlords, and sold tickets for railroads and shipping concerns.
O'Neal sat on the board of several local banks and savings and loan institutions and was a member of the Board of the Knights of Pythias Insurance Department. For many years, he was a Trustee of, and the Secretary/ Treasurer for, the Board of Trustees of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He reached the highest ranks of the Masonic fraternities as well as the Knights of Pythias. As a politician, he was a Republican candidate for Congress and Governor of Florida. He also served as Postmaster of Orlando from 1898 to 1914. O'Neal's other public and civic duties include superintendent of the public schools in Orlando, several terms as president of the Board of Trade, and service as an alderman.
Summary:
This collection contains the business papers of William R. O'Neal. It consists of letterbooks and ledgers that document O'Neal's outgoing correspondence and contain information about the multifaceted business of his firm Curtis and O'Neal (nee Fletcher, Curtis and O'Neal). The letterbooks contain correspondence dealing with the insurance, railroad, and real estate aspects of O'Neal's endeavors. There are letters that touch upon his relationship with Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and his activities as a municipal official and postmaster of Orlando, as well as his Republican politics and many fraternal activities.
The ledgers contain copies of the many insurance policies that the firm sold. Similar ledgers outline the railroad and shipping activities the firm carried out for many years. These are mostly records of tickets sold. Gaps exist in the dates of the various volumes that deal with O'Neal's activities. While most of the entries made after 1890 are typescript, there are many hand-written entries that have become illegible and much of the typed material has also faded into illegibility.
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Folder listing available. 0
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Subject Access Fields:
O'Neal, William Russell, 1864-1946
Fraternal organizations. Insurance Florida Railroads Florida Real estate business Florida
Orange County (Fla.) Orlando (Fla.) Winter Park (Fla.)
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