1644-1 Middletown, N.J. •. - -
CO)
NEWSPAPERS -
A DIVISION OF COX ENTERPRISES.INC
14520 Southwest 79th Court
Aug. 8, 1992 MIAMI FLORIDA 33158
HOWARD r<L.EIiNDERG TEL (305)235-1130
''-1.1dr tibuth'^-COunty Historical Association FAX (305)233.0522
70 Court Street
Freehold, NJ 07728
To whom it may concern,
I am in the midst of writing a book on the history
of Miami Beach. Three families critical to that
history are those of Henry Lum, Ezra Osborn and
Elnathan Fields, all residents of Middletown, NJ.
These three men came to a remote Miami Beach in
1882 and began a coconut tree plantation; in fact,
they purchased more than 65 miles of coastline for
the venture. The project failed but the three
families left their mark on our history.
In speaking with someone at the Middletown Public
Library, it was suggested that perhaps your
association might have some more information on
the three. What I have at present is fairly thin:
Mr. Lum 's obituary from the May 29, 1895 Red Bank
Register and a segment from "The New Jersey Coast
in Three Centuries" , Volume III that deals with
Mr. Lum 's son Charles, but also mentions Henry.
Any other information you can provide me about
these people -- possibly primary source material
regarding their adventure in the Miami area would
be most appreciated.
Please feel free to call me ( I f.( i- if there are
questions.
Sincerely,
Howard Kleinberg
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