The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-11-12

ADDAEno Ona ND1An1JR8ND0Akg
,e 0essrnl Juaph j. Rinegshl dieEi st hishea1
10 Rutiedse. Oeapge counsy, on Tuesday RtgAtI
November 3d.; in his 71st year. The sensin1
were brought to Jacksonville ON Thursday last
and there inferred with military honors. FidFid1
Camp ii Conszderase Veterans and = de1schi
nent ct the Jacksonville Light IalAuty scsis1
- !ssc0rt~s.~ nd 81. ~usdv e
!, The sanlasde A,gss published the following
sketch Of his HE: ff.
~ General J.;s.eeph J. Frnegann vac bern Il
@OloAaiA Ireland, on November 17th. 1914. an9
was accordingly. in his 71st year. He came z
the United States at the age Of nineteen, enf
seuled in New York, wAese he 'remained oul
one year, when be came 70 81. Augustine. fla
and entered the service Of the United States =
commisesfy clerk IS e.iSssF-r1T ~ ~
@In 164O or dS41 he married M4 .Rabecct
Travers, who bore him Ave children, only one
of whoaA-Csptsin r.. r. sFiDegsn4-snfvivee
him leaving .Si, Augustine, the Gsnersl see
river Known 40 Magnolia, ssd bseaa the raistnk
Of susar cane; on large scale, biz place thea
being known as Consiahtia. he operaied
large tpact OF 1sud, and was the founder a the
settlement u thai place. Desiring . widdI
scope, he leh the plantation business and cane
10 Jacksonville. where he went into the lum64I
now called Hunters mill and another on Na9-
sau river Both these mills were usder bis I'M
mediate supervision, although. distance 0i
eighteen miles separated the two. The lumber
business occupied his time for several yeaD
until the project OF q railroad between Fernan-
dina and Cedar Key attracted his attention.
General Ffnegan d Co. built and equipped that
road known for q number Of years as the
Florida Railroad, but now operated by the
Florida Railway & Navigation Company. He
was engaged in the railroad business until the
opening Of the late war, when he was cOmmis-
stoned as Captain Of the Feruandina Volunteers,
and Immediately entered the Confederate service
sagacity soon won him distinction, and accord
ipgly, in 1851, he was commissioned Colonel OF
the Florida State troops. In 1862 he received
his commission as Brigadier General of the Con-
federate Army, and WAS placed in command OF
the District of Florida. 1t was while he Was
serving in this capacity that he fought the fa-
nous battle OF Olustee, in which he was victori-
Gus, with vastly inferior forcel and succeeded
in forcing the Union troops 10 retreat to Jack
sopvillc.
I'm June, 1854, General Finegan was ordered
with his brigade to join General Lees army 10
Virginia He served with distinction in Lees
army, and q short time before General Grant
captured Petersburg he was ordered back 10
command the r orida State troops, which com
mand he resumed only q short time prior TO
Lees surrender to Grant at Appomattox. His
commission as Major General had been made
out and signed by Confederate President Davis,
but was never delivered, owing TO the fact that
the war terminated od interim.
"After the close of the war the General re-
turned to his home at Fernandina and devOted
his time and energy to the recovery Of his prop
erty, which had been sold during the war under
the provisions or the Direct Tax Act. In the
fall of 1869 he removed To Savannah. Ga, where
he again entered business circles = this time as
a cotton factor and commission merchat-in
which he remained until 1876, when he re
moved to Ruuedge, Orange county, Fla, where
he lived continuously until his death.
His first wife having died, he married the
relict of Attorney General Alexander, Of Knox
vile, Tenn-, in 1872. Mrs. Finegan, with her
daughter Mrs. N. B. Given1 survives him.