“The Last Spanish Land Grant in Florida” subject of Genealogical Society meeting – January 18

Amelia Island Genealogical Society
Press Release
Submitted by Portegies Zwart Rob
January 10, 2022

Jean Dixon Mann will discuss “The Last Spanish Land Grant in Florida” at the Amelia Island Genealogical Society meeting on January 18.

The Amelia Island Genealogical Society will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 18 at the Community Room of the Fernandina Beach Public Library, 25 N 4th St. The meeting is open to the public. Wearing a face mask is strongly encouraged.

Our speaker this month is Jean Dixon Mann, who will present the fascinating story of the family of Domingo and Mary Fernandez who owned large plantations on Amelia Island, donated land for the Fernandina Lighthouse, but whose descendants retain ownership of probably the Last Spanish land grant in Florida, which constitutes one acre between St. Michael’s Church and St. Michael’s School between North 4th and 5th Streets. Descendants were plantation owners, not only in Florida, but also in Kenya; they were attorneys, scholars, ordinary people whose influence has been felt around the world.

Speaker Jean Dixon Mann was born only a few miles from where her Dixon ancestors came to Nassau County by 1805. She grew up in Fernandina Beach and graduated from Florida State University where she received her B.S. in Elementary Education.

Jean and her husband returned to Fernandina Beach in 1992. She was a member of the Historic District Council in Fernandina Beach for 11 years, serving as chairman for two years. She served as treasurer and member of the Board of Trustees of the Amelia Island Museum of History from 1993 to 2000. She was a founding member of the Amelia Island Genealogical Society, and served as its president from 2015-2016 and editor of The Nassau Genealogist, its quarterly publication, for more than 25 years. Jean has published six family histories and was the editor for two publications for AIGS, all of which are available in the Fernandina Beach Branch Library.