James Drayton McFarland was one of the settlers who chose to live at the north end of the lake in what was known as The Village of Lake Worth. He lived on the lakefront, near the present day Palm Beach Country Club.
McFarland was born in December 1833 in Wales. His parents were Scottish. They immigrated to America in 1881.
Mcfarland was on the shores of. Lake Worth as early as 1882 when he bought 20 acres of land from Harlan P. Dye for $700. Seven years later, he sold the same property to Hubbard L. Hart for $12,000. Three years later, he bought it back for
$9,000. McFarland then sold it to Col. George R. Davis for $14,000, double his original investment.
McFarland was married to Ethel ______ for five years, and they had no children. On 14 February 1895, he married Elizabeth James of Scotland. Their grandson, Allan McFarland, a retired pilot, lives in West Palm Beach.
James Drayton McFarland was a Dade County Commissioner in 1899. He was a real estate salesman and traveled around the country. He died 27 March 1916 in Umatilla, Florida.
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