Dr. Seth French (1824~1896)

Born in Potsdam, New York on May 2, 1824, Seth French served as a surgeon with the 21st and 35th New York Regiments, New York Volunteers during the early years of the Civil War. In 1863 he moved to Eau Clair, Wisconsin, but susceptibility to rheumatism caused him to seek a warmer climate. He arrived in Sanford in the early 1870's by steamship on the St. Johns River, bought 20 acres of land, and built a house there that stood from 1872 until 1954. Part of this land was later donated by his son for a school on the site and the State Farmers Market, and the street on which both are located has long been known as French Avenue. In 1876 French moved to Orange City in Volusia County and became involved in promoting the community's early settlement. He served in the Florida Senate in 1879 representing Volusia County and was appointed Florida's first Commissioner of Immigration for 1879 and 1880. About 1881 he returned to his house in Sanford. A Mason and member of the Grand Army of the Republic, he also owned citrus groves and property throughout Central Florida. He died in Sanford on January 29, 1896.

Sanford, Florida · United States