In every
community there are certain citizens who strive
unceasingly to better the moral and civic tone of their town, and such
a
man was Daniel Seyler, of Lady Lake, whose death on October 17, 1928,
was
greeted as a great material and spiritual loss to the community of Lady
Lake,
and to the county as well.Captain Thomas H. Simmons was born of Maryland parentage, November 26, 1834, in Jersey County, Illinois. He was the owner and operator of a large flour mill in Illinois as well as large farming interests, and from 1882 until his death in 1910 spent all his winters in Eustis and was always a great booster for this town, which he greatly loved, believing it to be the garden spot of the South. He was one of the builders of Eustis, in fact he invested many thousands of dollars in Florida property in the early days, when it took a great belief in the future of the place to do so.
Mr. Simmons was educated at McKendree College, one of the oldest colleges in Illinois. He served throughout the Civil War as Captain of Co. F, 14th Illinois Infantry. He was prominent in Masonic circles; a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a man of sterling honor and integrity, of whom it may well be said “he was a Christian gentleman.”
His wife was Eliza Andrews of Virginia, and she was a very well known woman in Eustis during her lifetime; beloved by all who knew her for her wonderful personality and kindness.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p284 and 287 (p285 is blank and p286 is a portrait).
David M. Simpson
was born in Pulaski County,
Georgia, February, 1852, son of M. M. and Eliza Simpson. He
came
to Florida with his parents in the very early days, shortly after the
Civil War, settling first in Jefferson County, and subsequently moved
to what is now Mt. Dora, where he and his father both took up
homesteads. He engaged in orange growing until the freeze of
1895, and then took up
general farming, and for several years operated saw mills.Mr. Simpson and his parents were among the first people who settled at the present site of Mt. Dora, and the privations and hardships which such people as he and his parents had to put up with in the early days are in striking contrast to the modern comfort and beautiful cities which the present-day Florida people are privileged to live in. But the miraculous progress which Florida has made is due in large measure to the early pioneer work which men like Mr. Simpson did.
Mr. Simpson was a member of the Baptist Church, and his fraternal affiliations were with the Odd Fellows.
He was married at Taylor County, Florida, to Mary W. Vann and was the proud father of ten children: M. V., William D. (deceased), Jesse M. (Mrs. E. Pike), Mary Louise (deceased), J. W. Simpson, Jennie (Mrs. C. E. Stovall), Ida L. (Mrs. D. L. Sellers), Eliza F. (Mrs. John Wilder), Effie L. (Mrs. C. R. Javens), and David D.
Mr. Simpson died at Mr. Dora on the 10th day of June, 1923.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p287
JAMES
SIMPSON
James Simpson was the first child born in the present city limits of Mt. Dora, having been born on the 31st day of May, 1878, son of David M. and M. E. Simpson, both pioneer residents of Florida.
He was raised on his father’s farm and has spent practically his entire life in the citrus business, buying, selling, growing and taking care of groves. At the present time he is owner of about fifty or sixty acres of bearing orange trees in Lake County, and he was the organizer, and at the present time is Manager, of the Mt. Dora Citrus Association, which has grown to be one of the important associations of the Florida Citrus Exchange under his able management.
Mr. Simpson has taken an important part in many directions in the city of his birth. He was one of the organizers and is President of the First National Bank of Mt. Dora, which was originally the Mt. Dora Bank & Trust Company. Although only organized in 1925, this bank has enjoyed a remarkable growth. At the present the deposits are about one-half million dollars, and the bank is known as one of the most conservatively managed ones of the State.
Mr. Simpson has been one of the real builders of Mt. Dora. He built the ice plant and also erected the Simpson building, besides a number of smaller buildings.
He has served as a member of the City Council and he holds membership in the Methodist Church, and fraternally he is a Mason.
He was married at Mt. Dora to Edna Findal and has five children: Blanche B., Frances W., Gladys M., Howard J., and Mary Elizabeth.from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p287-288.
M. V. SIMPSON
M. V. Simpson was born in Jefferson County, Florida, December 22nd, 1870, son of David M. and Mary W. Simpson.
He was brought to Orange County (now a part of Lake County) by his parents when only three years old and was raised on his father’s orange grove and farm, and attended the public schools.
He left home at the age of seventeen to learn the mercantile business, in which he continued until the freeze of 1895, when he went to Massachusetts, remaining there for three years following the same business, after which time he returned to Mount Dora and engaged in the mercantile business for himself, continuing in this until 1926, when he sold out.
Mr. Simpson has taken a very prominent part in the official life of Lake County. He served as a member of the Board of County Commisioner for twelve years, during nine years of which time he was Chairman of said Board. He was a member of the City Council of Mount Dora on various occasions and served as Mayor for two terms.
In 1827 he was appointed by Governor Martin to fill the unexpired term of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Lake County, as the former clerk, T. C. Smyth, had resigned from that office.
Mr. Simpson’s fraternal affiliations are with the Masons and Knights of Pythias.
He was married to Martha Pike in 1896, to which union was born one son, O. M. Simpson.from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p288.
MANUEL SLOAN
Manuel Sloan was born at Mascotte, Florida, on December 30th, 1894, son of G. P. and Reina Sloan. His father was a native of South Carolina and was a pioneer settler in Lake County, having come here before the railroads, and engaged in farming and stock raising near Mascotte until his death in 1925. His mother was a native of Georgia.
Mr. Sloan attended the Bay Lake School in Lake County, and most of his life has been spent in truck farming and stock raising near Mascotte.
He is one of the most popular and well-known citizens of the southern end of the County and has served as a member of the Board of County Commissioners since 1926; he was originally appointed to the office to fill a vacancy, but has been elected twice, in November, 1926, and in November, 1928.
Mr. Sloan is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
He was married in Polk County to Mollie Hunt and is the father of three children: Vera, Louise, and G. P. Sloan.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p288 and 291 (p289 is blank and p290 is a portrait).
ARTHUR G. SMITH
Arthur G. Smith was born on September 30th, 1863, at Rome, New York, son of Alonzo G. and Mianda Smith.
He went to school in New York state, and came to Fort Mason in 1883, and at first he worked for his uncle, C. T. Smith; subsequently he was associated with Mr. W. S. McClelland at Eustis, and still later he engaged in the grocery business there with Mr. J. M. Fuller, whom he eventually bought out.
In 1914 he erected a splendid building on Bay Street to house his rapidly growing grocery business and where the well-known A. G. Smith Company is still located, being managed by his widow and son, Harold R. Smith.
Besides his mercantile interests, Mr. Smith was always interested to some extent in citrus growing, and during most of his life in Lake County he owned a grove.
He was a very public-spirited citizen and held various public offices, including that of Fire Chief and member of the City Council.
His religious affiliations were with the Presbyterian Church, in which he took a very active interest, having been a member of the Building Committee for the present church edifice. He was one of the last charter members of the Eustis Lodge No. 7, Knights of Pythias.
His first marriage was at Marietta, Ohio, to Maggie N. Reckard, now deceased. His second marriage was to Juliet Taylor of Eustis. He had two children by his first marriage: Marie (Mrs. C. J. Manley), and Harold R., and one son, Arthur G., Junior, by his second marriage.
Mr. Smith was one of the early settlers in what is now Eustis. When he came there it was nothing but a small, struggling village of a hundred or so families, and was called Pendryville. He lived to see it become one of the important inland cities of Florida, and its growth and development has been due very largely to sturdy pioneers like Mr. Smith, who gave their best for the advancement of their adopted community.from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p291.
C. T. SMITH
Charles T. Smith
was one of the early settlers
of Lake County, as he came to this section of the state when it was not
much more than a wilderness, and steadfastly maintained his faith that
the Florida he so much loved would one day be the finest of all the
states, a belief which he lived to see firmly established, and for
which the early settlers such as he deserve the major credit.
Mr. Smith was born in Rome, New York, June 17, 1843, and received his education in the schools at Rome, entering business for himself at New London, New York.
Later deciding to come south, he spent one year in Virginia and four in Georgia before coming to Florida. He arrived in this state in 1876 and settled in Eustis, near the present Lake Woodward.
With Mr. G. D. Clifford, who was a very close friend, in fact they came to Eustis together, they opened a store, which was the first store to be opened in this section of the state. Mr. Smith later entered the dry goods business, which he followed all of his life in Eustis, and had the first Five and Ten Cent Store, which shows that he adopted all the progressive ideas of his chosen line. In addition to his store, he had an insurance business, which his daughter, Grace, now conducts. This was the first insurance business in Eustis.
Mr. Smith was a large landowner in and around Eustis, but had sold most of it at the time of his death. His first holding was a homestead at Crown Lake, which he later sold. He was always an interested worker in anything for the betterment of the town, and was one of the standbys of the Chamber of Commerce. He held public office and was Clerk and Assessor of Eustis, a past member of the City Council, and was Acting Mayor for Eustis for one summer.
His fraternal affiliations were with the Masons, and he was Trustee and Treasurer of the Methodist Church he was an ardent worker.
He was married in New York State to Elnora Peckham, and to this union four daughters were born: Nora S. (Mrs. L. A. Carver), Edith (Mrs. J. S. Harrison), Matie (Mrs. Hewett Hill), and Grace.
Mr. Smith was one of the real pioneers of this section of the county and state, being one of the band of men who believed enough in the state to enter into business and help develop the towns along a business line. His death on May 13, 1921, was keenly felt by all who knew him, as he was a real friend to every one with whom he was associated.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p291-292.
HAROLD R. SMITH
Harold R. Smith was born in Eustis, Florida, December 11th, 1895, son of Arthur G. and Maggie Reckard Smith. He received his education in the public schools of Eustis, and has been engaged in his father’s grocery business practically all of his life, and at the present time is Manager of the A. G. Smith Company, which has grown to be one of the largest independent grocery stores in Lake County.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Eustis, of the Eustis Chamber of Commerce and of the Knights of Pythias.
He was married to Ellen Gardiner of Pennsylvania.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p292.
G. B. SPIVEY
G. B. Spivey was born in 1874, son of George W. and Martha E. Spivey, who were among the earliest residents in Central Florida, having come to this section before the Civil War. His father took up a homestead about two and a half miles west of Leesburg.
Mr. G. B. Spivey received his education in the schools of Leesburg and has followed in his father’s footsteps, having spent practically his entire life in farming and orange growing. He is the owner of a twenty-five acre farm in Lake County, which he has operated for the past twenty-seven years.
Mr. Spivey is one of the well-known older residents of Leesburg and has taken a prominent part in the life of the community in various directions. He has been a member of the City Council and belongs to the Episcopal Church and to the Woodmen of the World.
He was married at Leesburg to Annie Kramer.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p292-293.
Submit Biographies
James Simpson was the first child born in the present city limits of Mt. Dora, having been born on the 31st day of May, 1878, son of David M. and M. E. Simpson, both pioneer residents of Florida.
He was raised on his father’s farm and has spent practically his entire life in the citrus business, buying, selling, growing and taking care of groves. At the present time he is owner of about fifty or sixty acres of bearing orange trees in Lake County, and he was the organizer, and at the present time is Manager, of the Mt. Dora Citrus Association, which has grown to be one of the important associations of the Florida Citrus Exchange under his able management.
Mr. Simpson has taken an important part in many directions in the city of his birth. He was one of the organizers and is President of the First National Bank of Mt. Dora, which was originally the Mt. Dora Bank & Trust Company. Although only organized in 1925, this bank has enjoyed a remarkable growth. At the present the deposits are about one-half million dollars, and the bank is known as one of the most conservatively managed ones of the State.
Mr. Simpson has been one of the real builders of Mt. Dora. He built the ice plant and also erected the Simpson building, besides a number of smaller buildings.
He has served as a member of the City Council and he holds membership in the Methodist Church, and fraternally he is a Mason.
He was married at Mt. Dora to Edna Findal and has five children: Blanche B., Frances W., Gladys M., Howard J., and Mary Elizabeth.from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p287-288.
M. V. SIMPSON
M. V. Simpson was born in Jefferson County, Florida, December 22nd, 1870, son of David M. and Mary W. Simpson.
He was brought to Orange County (now a part of Lake County) by his parents when only three years old and was raised on his father’s orange grove and farm, and attended the public schools.
He left home at the age of seventeen to learn the mercantile business, in which he continued until the freeze of 1895, when he went to Massachusetts, remaining there for three years following the same business, after which time he returned to Mount Dora and engaged in the mercantile business for himself, continuing in this until 1926, when he sold out.
Mr. Simpson has taken a very prominent part in the official life of Lake County. He served as a member of the Board of County Commisioner for twelve years, during nine years of which time he was Chairman of said Board. He was a member of the City Council of Mount Dora on various occasions and served as Mayor for two terms.
In 1827 he was appointed by Governor Martin to fill the unexpired term of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Lake County, as the former clerk, T. C. Smyth, had resigned from that office.
Mr. Simpson’s fraternal affiliations are with the Masons and Knights of Pythias.
He was married to Martha Pike in 1896, to which union was born one son, O. M. Simpson.from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p288.
MANUEL SLOAN
Manuel Sloan was born at Mascotte, Florida, on December 30th, 1894, son of G. P. and Reina Sloan. His father was a native of South Carolina and was a pioneer settler in Lake County, having come here before the railroads, and engaged in farming and stock raising near Mascotte until his death in 1925. His mother was a native of Georgia.
Mr. Sloan attended the Bay Lake School in Lake County, and most of his life has been spent in truck farming and stock raising near Mascotte.
He is one of the most popular and well-known citizens of the southern end of the County and has served as a member of the Board of County Commissioners since 1926; he was originally appointed to the office to fill a vacancy, but has been elected twice, in November, 1926, and in November, 1928.
Mr. Sloan is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
He was married in Polk County to Mollie Hunt and is the father of three children: Vera, Louise, and G. P. Sloan.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p288 and 291 (p289 is blank and p290 is a portrait).
ARTHUR G. SMITH
Arthur G. Smith was born on September 30th, 1863, at Rome, New York, son of Alonzo G. and Mianda Smith.
He went to school in New York state, and came to Fort Mason in 1883, and at first he worked for his uncle, C. T. Smith; subsequently he was associated with Mr. W. S. McClelland at Eustis, and still later he engaged in the grocery business there with Mr. J. M. Fuller, whom he eventually bought out.
In 1914 he erected a splendid building on Bay Street to house his rapidly growing grocery business and where the well-known A. G. Smith Company is still located, being managed by his widow and son, Harold R. Smith.
Besides his mercantile interests, Mr. Smith was always interested to some extent in citrus growing, and during most of his life in Lake County he owned a grove.
He was a very public-spirited citizen and held various public offices, including that of Fire Chief and member of the City Council.
His religious affiliations were with the Presbyterian Church, in which he took a very active interest, having been a member of the Building Committee for the present church edifice. He was one of the last charter members of the Eustis Lodge No. 7, Knights of Pythias.
His first marriage was at Marietta, Ohio, to Maggie N. Reckard, now deceased. His second marriage was to Juliet Taylor of Eustis. He had two children by his first marriage: Marie (Mrs. C. J. Manley), and Harold R., and one son, Arthur G., Junior, by his second marriage.
Mr. Smith was one of the early settlers in what is now Eustis. When he came there it was nothing but a small, struggling village of a hundred or so families, and was called Pendryville. He lived to see it become one of the important inland cities of Florida, and its growth and development has been due very largely to sturdy pioneers like Mr. Smith, who gave their best for the advancement of their adopted community.from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p291.
C. T. SMITH
Charles T. Smith
was one of the early settlers
of Lake County, as he came to this section of the state when it was not
much more than a wilderness, and steadfastly maintained his faith that
the Florida he so much loved would one day be the finest of all the
states, a belief which he lived to see firmly established, and for
which the early settlers such as he deserve the major credit.Mr. Smith was born in Rome, New York, June 17, 1843, and received his education in the schools at Rome, entering business for himself at New London, New York.
Later deciding to come south, he spent one year in Virginia and four in Georgia before coming to Florida. He arrived in this state in 1876 and settled in Eustis, near the present Lake Woodward.
With Mr. G. D. Clifford, who was a very close friend, in fact they came to Eustis together, they opened a store, which was the first store to be opened in this section of the state. Mr. Smith later entered the dry goods business, which he followed all of his life in Eustis, and had the first Five and Ten Cent Store, which shows that he adopted all the progressive ideas of his chosen line. In addition to his store, he had an insurance business, which his daughter, Grace, now conducts. This was the first insurance business in Eustis.
Mr. Smith was a large landowner in and around Eustis, but had sold most of it at the time of his death. His first holding was a homestead at Crown Lake, which he later sold. He was always an interested worker in anything for the betterment of the town, and was one of the standbys of the Chamber of Commerce. He held public office and was Clerk and Assessor of Eustis, a past member of the City Council, and was Acting Mayor for Eustis for one summer.
His fraternal affiliations were with the Masons, and he was Trustee and Treasurer of the Methodist Church he was an ardent worker.
He was married in New York State to Elnora Peckham, and to this union four daughters were born: Nora S. (Mrs. L. A. Carver), Edith (Mrs. J. S. Harrison), Matie (Mrs. Hewett Hill), and Grace.
Mr. Smith was one of the real pioneers of this section of the county and state, being one of the band of men who believed enough in the state to enter into business and help develop the towns along a business line. His death on May 13, 1921, was keenly felt by all who knew him, as he was a real friend to every one with whom he was associated.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p291-292.
HAROLD R. SMITH
Harold R. Smith was born in Eustis, Florida, December 11th, 1895, son of Arthur G. and Maggie Reckard Smith. He received his education in the public schools of Eustis, and has been engaged in his father’s grocery business practically all of his life, and at the present time is Manager of the A. G. Smith Company, which has grown to be one of the largest independent grocery stores in Lake County.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Eustis, of the Eustis Chamber of Commerce and of the Knights of Pythias.
He was married to Ellen Gardiner of Pennsylvania.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p292.
G. B. SPIVEY
G. B. Spivey was born in 1874, son of George W. and Martha E. Spivey, who were among the earliest residents in Central Florida, having come to this section before the Civil War. His father took up a homestead about two and a half miles west of Leesburg.
Mr. G. B. Spivey received his education in the schools of Leesburg and has followed in his father’s footsteps, having spent practically his entire life in farming and orange growing. He is the owner of a twenty-five acre farm in Lake County, which he has operated for the past twenty-seven years.
Mr. Spivey is one of the well-known older residents of Leesburg and has taken a prominent part in the life of the community in various directions. He has been a member of the City Council and belongs to the Episcopal Church and to the Woodmen of the World.
He was married at Leesburg to Annie Kramer.
from: History of Lake County Florida, Wm. T. Kennedy, Editor-in-chief, History of Lake County Florida Part II, Biographical. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Lake County, Florida p292-293.
Return to Biography Home Page
Return to Lake County Page
Submit Biographies
This page maintained by Fran
Smith. Last updated Aug 1, 2014
©2002-2014 FLGenWeb Project, Inc.