González-Jones House facts for kids

The González-Jones House is a historic home in Saint Augustine, Florida. It was built a long time ago, during the First Spanish Period (1565–1763). You can find it at 56 Marine Street. It's close to other old buildings like the González–Alvarez House and the Saint Francis Barracks. This area has nine old colonial buildings that are still standing today. Most of these buildings were likely built after 1702. That's when the city was destroyed during a British attack.

Who Lived Here?

Early Owners

The house at 56 Marine Street was first known because of Juan Ignacio González. He owned a stone house on this spot before 1763. This house was even shown on a map of the city made during the time the British took over after the Seven Years' War.

During the Second Spanish Period (1784–1821), Francisco Xavier Sánchez owned the house. He was a cattle rancher. His family, the Sánchez family, owned three houses in this part of town. This included the Long-Sánchez House at 43 Marine Street.

The Leonardy and Monson Families

Another important family in this area were the Minorcan colonists. These were people from the island of Minorca who came to Florida. Roque Leonardy and Agueda Coll were part of this group. They came to Saint Augustine after leaving a colony in New Smyrna. The Leonardy family started an orchard nearby. Their sons, Juan and Bartolome Leonardy, had children who lived in at least three homes on Marine Street before the Civil War.

One of these families was Laureanna Leonardy (Bartolome's daughter) and her husband, William Monson. He was from Norway. They lived at 67 Marine Street before buying the one-story house at 56 Marine in 1858.

William Monson was a carpenter. He started adding a second floor to the house at 56 Marine. But he passed away in 1859 before it was finished. His family hired Mathias Leonardy (a cousin) and Cristobal Bravo to finish the work.

Long-Time Residents: The Monson and Pacetty Families

William Monson and Laureanna Leonardy's family lived at 56 Marine Street for 120 years! One of their daughters was Amelia Louisa Monson. She was Saint Augustine's oldest resident when she passed away in 1936 at 96 years old. Her husband was Captain Adolphus Newton Pacetty. He served in the Confederate Navy during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Later, he became the sheriff of Saint Johns County. He also owned Capo's Bath House, a famous round building on the Saint Augustine waterfront.

Amelia Monson's brothers also grew up at 56 Marine Street. William F Monson was a veteran and built several buildings in Mandarin, Florida. Anthony Vincent "Bossy" Monson started the Monson House, a hotel for tourists. In 1964, the Monson Motor Lodge became an important place during the Civil Rights Movement.

The Jones Family

When Amelia and Adolphus Pacetty's two daughters got married, their husbands moved into the house. By the early 1900s, as many as eleven people lived at 56 Marine Street, even though it only had three bedrooms! Among them were Ellen Pacetty and her husband, Harry Jones. They officially bought the house from Amelia Monson. The Jones family had four daughters: Charlotte, Mabel, Harriette, and Mildred. They mostly worked for the Florida East Coast Railway.

The second part of the "Gonzalez-Jones House" name comes from these grandchildren. Three of them lived their whole lives at 56 Marine Street. Mabel Jones was the last person to live there full-time. She passed away in 1975.

The Jones family sold the house in 1979. Since then, it has been greatly updated.

House History: Who Owned It?

Here's a quick look at some of the owners of the house:

• 1763: The house appears on the Puente map.
• 1768: Robert Bisset was granted the property by the British. He sold it to John Fairland seven days later.
• 1778: John Fairland sold it to Thomas Hall, who then sold it to Archibald Brown.
• 1785: Archibald Brown sold it to Francisco Sánchez.
• 1802: Francisco Sánchez sold it to Jose Dulcet.
• 1858: Mary Dulcet Clarke's family sold it to William Monson for $185.
• 1904: Amelia Monson Pacetty sold it to Harry Jones (her son-in-law). She continued to live there until 1936.

What the House Looked Like

Old Descriptions

When the property was sold from Sanchez to Dulcet, it was described as a "house of stone, two stories." It was on Marine Street, near the barracks. It had specific measurements using old Spanish units called varas. The property was next to land owned by Antonio Llambias and Don Miguel O'Reilly. O'Reilly lived in a historic house a few blocks north, which is now the Father Miguel O'Reilly House Museum.

Later, when the property was sold to Monson, it was described as being bordered by Marine Street to the east. It was also next to land owned by Matias Leonardy, Juan Llambias, and Antonio Llambias.

A Visitor's View

Sonny Kirkman, who visited his aunts in Florida, wrote about the Jones House in the 1930s. He described it as a "large, square, two-story house." It sat very close to the street, with only the sidewalk in between.

The house had a covered porch that went all the way across the front of the second floor. This porch stuck out over the sidewalk below. It had a swing and three rocking chairs. From the house, you could see Matanzas River and Davis Shores across the water.

The house had a square shape with four rooms on each of its two floors. The big wooden front door opened into a small entrance area. On the left, there were stairs leading to the second floor. To the right was a parlor (a living room). Straight ahead was the dining room. The kitchen was in the back corner of the first floor and had a door to the backyard.

Upstairs, there was a railing around the stair opening. A hallway ran next to the stairs to the front of the house. A central sitting room had a door leading to the front porch. There were also doors from the sitting room to two of the bedrooms. The third bedroom was at the top of the stairs. Harry Jones added an indoor bathroom on the side of the house, which was also accessed from the top of the stairs.

The Jones family also owned the lot next to the house. This gave them a large side yard. There was also a smaller yard with a driveway and garage on the other side of the house.

The Leonardy Family's Impact

The Leonardy family was very important in this southern neighborhood of Saint Augustine. They arrived in 1777. The descendants of Roque Leonardy and Agueda Coll lived in four different houses on Marine Street for more than 200 years!

For example, Juan Leonardy's grandchildren and great-grandchildren lived at 63 Marine Street until at least 1924. Another grandchild, Kate Leonardy, lived at 53 Marine Street until at least 1914. Juan's brother, Bartolome Leonardy, had a daughter named Laureanna Leonardy. She lived at 67 Marine Street for eighteen years. After Bartolome passed away, his wife, Antonia Paula Bonelly, lived with family in several of these houses. She passed away at 56 Marine Street in 1870.

Other members of the Leonardy family moved to Tampa, Florida, becoming some of its first settlers.

Images for kids

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  González-Jones House at 56 Marine Street in Saint Augustine Florida in 1902, facing north

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  González-Jones House at 56 Marine Street in Saint Augustine Florida around 1910, facing north

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  González-Jones House at 56 Marine Street in Saint Augustine Florida in 1946, facing south