The Barbers' side of the story

Not too long ago, I posted some details of the Barber-Mizell feud.

My ancestors didn't have a dog in that fight, to borrow an old Cracker alliteration. In fact, we were the law and order types who stepped up to the plate after things got out of hand.

So, I want to perpetuate our history of neutrality. And, since I already gave the details on the Mizells buried in Conway at Leu Gardens, I feel it only fair to tell you rabbits something about the cantankerous Barber clan.

To do so, I take you down to Kissimmee today, to a little cemetery on Hilliard Isle Road, just a few blocks east of Boggy Creek Road. It's a small burial ground, hemmed-in by suburban sprawl. I don't think it contains more than a dozen or so graves . . . at least graves with markers.

The most impressive stone, in my humble opinion, belongs to Violett S. Barber (6 Sept. 1841 - 8 June 1894). It bears the following poetic inscription:

Thou art gone away, our loved one.

Life's toilsome journey is over.

Sweet songs shalt thou sing with the angels,

On the beautiful golden shore.

Violett (nee Roberson) was the first wife of Andrew Jackson "Jack" Barber, whose uncle Moses Barber was the head of the clan at the time of the 1870 feud. The two of them had to flee to Texas when the law clamped down on the violence, leaving their wives and children to fend for themselves.

While Moses never returned to Florida, Jack did come back to live with Violett by 1880. After her death, though, he married a girl from Orlando and is buried with her at Greenwood Cemetery downtown.

More to come, when I get back to Greenwood!

References:

*1870 Census, Orange County, Florida, page 456a.

*1880 Census, Orange County, Florida, pages 456b & 457a.

*"The Way Hit Wuz," by Mary Ida Bass Shearhart.

A bird's eye view for ye rabbits

Yours truly created a Google Map of all the hopping grounds already mentioned in this blog, and will commit to updating it on a weekly basis.

Happy Hallowe'en, everyone!

View Larger Map

The Mizell Family - part 1 of 2

You rabbits who are familiar with Orlando's history have no doubt heard the name Mizell. And, even if you're not, the name still graces a fairly-well traveled road up in adjacent Winter Park.

The name originally belonged to the family that held all the reins of power in this neck of the world during the turbulent years of Reconstruction that followed the Civil War.

In this first of two posts, I want to introduce you to the fellow who established the family here in the long, long ago: David Mizell (1808-1884). When the war was over, he was elected by his friends and family to make the arduous trip up to Tallahassee to craft a new state constitution that the occupation forces would find acceptable.

This accomplished, he returned to become the first chairman of the Orange County Commission. Furthermore, two of his sons were elected Sheriff of Orange County and one as the county judge.

Basically, in the 1870s you couldn't sneeze around here unless the Mizells said "bless you" in advance. All of this, of course, led to a lot of resentment and eventually culminated in a bloody feud with the Barber cattle ranching family. But, more on that tomorrow.

Today, I wanted to show you where the founder of the family was buried at the Conway Cemetery, south of Lake Margaret at 3401 South Conway Road in Orlando.

One might think the grave of a patriarch of such a large and powerful clan would be surrounded by those of his progeny.

But, this is not the case with the Mizells.

As you will learn tomorrow, the more "interesting" members of the family are buried at another location across town.

Stay tuned . . .