Fleming Island Tutors Come To You

Along the banks of the St. John’s River in northeast Florida, Fleming Island is ranked as one of the best suburbs in the Jacksonville metropolitan area by the real estate web site Movoto. The ancestor of a knight who accompanied English King Henry II during his invasion of Ireland in 1171, George Fleming immigrated to Florida in 1785. As an Irish Catholic, he tended to side with the Spanish who controlled most of Florida after the 1783 peace agreement which ended the Revolutionary War. For his loyalty to the Spanish, Fleming received a large land grant across St. John’s River from the Spanish capital of St. Augustine. By the early 1800’s, however, the Spanish empire was in serious decline and they eventually abandoned their hold on Florida. Despite his allegiances, Fleming retained his land, establishing a 1,000-acre plantation which he named “Hibernia,” Latin for Ireland. His son Lewis, who lived in Cuba during his youth, married Augustina Cortés, a descendant of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés who conquered the Aztecs. Lewis returned to Hibernia after the death of his father and for a time his family prospered with three children born between 1822 and 1832. Unfortunately, Augustina died from complications in giving birth to her third child. Deeply saddened, Lewis threw himself into running his plantation and raising his children. He also served as a Colonel in the Seminole Wars where he was badly wounded, walking with a limp for the rest of his life.

In 1837 he remarried, this time to Margaret Seton, the daughter of the wealthy timber magnate Charles Seton. The couple had seven children, four boys and three daughters. When the Civil War broke out, the Fleming’s were firmly on the side of the Confederacy with all the sons going off to fight. When the Colonel died in 1862, the Fleming women were left behind and eventually accused of spying against Union troops and expelled from Hibernia. Like real-life Scarlet O’Hara’s, the Fleming women spent the remainder of the war caring for the sick and praying for the safety of the Fleming men. When the war ended, they returned to the plantation, finding it badly damaged and stripped of furniture and valuables. The Flemings bounced back, rebuilding Hibernia and converting it into a hotel and winter resort. In 1889 Francis Fleming, the son of Lewis and Margaret, became the governor of Florida. Over the years, the Flemings moved away and today, only a chapel and cemetery remain in what is now a quiet, residential area called, of course, Hibernia Plantation in the suburb named Fleming Island.

A Fleming’s Island tutor can adequately prepare you for the toughest academic challenges so you might take time away from the books to enjoy the beauty and excitement on Fleming Island the larger Jacksonville area. The community of Fleming Island maintains a seven-mile walking, biking and jogging path as well as Black Creek Park, Moccasin Slough Park and Thunderbolt Park. Doctor’s Lake Park on the northern edge of Fleming Island offers fishing from its 320-foot long pier and ample space for picnics or an outdoor adventure.

It’s only about a half hour drive north on U.S. Route 17 into Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is 73 acres with a variety of animals from around the world. Animal exhibits include Wild Florida, Plains of East Africa and Land of the Tiger. Wild Florida features wetlands with native animals such as alligators, black bears and bald eagles. Plains of East Africa has the usual lions and elephants but is also home to pythons, black mambas, cobras and vipers. Opened in 1914, the Land of the Tiger display is highlighted by a walk-through trail where visitors can view two Sumatran tigers and three Malayan tigers.