1607-1675 24 Howard Kleinberg Fonds July 28, 1992 (Miami 's 96th birthday)
To: Dr. Joe K:netsch
Department of Natural Resources
From: Howard Kleinberg
(305) 235-1130 (home and office)
(305) 233-0522 (fax)
All histories I have read credit Henry Lum of Middletown , N. J.
with coming to what is Miami Beach in 1870, noting coconut
trees growing in the wild, going back home and planning and
plotting for 12 years to buy up acreage to begin a commercial
coconut business.
Same histories say he came back here in 1882 -- some say he
already purchased land, some don 't -- and bought up chunk of
what today is South Beach to begin his plantation. By all
accounts, land Lum was supposed to have bought was in Township
54S, Range 42E, Sections 3 and 4. I cannot find a Lum purchase
there that early. I find several Henry Lum transactions,
particularly the sale of parcels to son Charles Lum on May 26,
1886, and to daughter Mary Lum on Nov. 3, 1892. But when did
Lum obtain the land, and from whom?
I find that on Jan. 6, 1883, Henry Lum purchased 100.88 acres
in Township 53, Range 42, Section 34, which would be north of
where Lum was supposed to have made his initial investment. I
really need to find Lum 's total experience and deeds in both
Townships 53 R42, 54 R42 and 55 R42, the latter on Key Biscayne
where Lum may have bought earlier but we don 't know it.
Also, the Osborn family -- father Ezra, daughter Susan, wife
Mary, individually and in partnership with Elnathan Fields,
acquired significant chunks of land in these three townships as
well as further north. I 'm only interested in the three
townships. I am enclosing a listing of transactions I have been
able to trace through records but need to know more about.
There are some strange things in these reports. As an example,
the Dade County Book of Deeds, Vol . 1 carries an entry for Feb.
13, 1884, that has Henry Lum purchasing a tract from the U.S.
government on Jan. 22, 1887, in Section 24 of 53-42. According
to my Section Map , Section 24 is in the ocean. Is there a
mistake somewhere? Something similar occurs on a purchase of
March 2, 1885, in 53-42, Section 35. That also would be in the
ocean.
Also, as I mentioned to you, I am curious about the Florida
Coast Line Canal and Transportation Company. Could you send
some info on it, including a listing of its officers?
From what I can tell thus far, Lum was not the first to
purchase land on today 's Miami Beach for growing coconuts;
Osborne and Fields were. That would be contrary to all that was
written about this subject in the past. But perhaps mistakes
have been made along the way. Perhaps Lum bought first on Key
Biscayne, or something like that. Or perhaps all those charts
were wrong.
What follows is a chart I have put together on information I
have been able to gather. There are too many holes,
particularly in 54-42 Sections 3, 4 and 10.
• I 'd appreciate any help. Thanks.