Saturday, March 26, 2022

Women's History Month - Day 26

 

 Frontierswomen of Central Florida


Lake Sophia, aka, Lake Lotus of Altamonte Springs

A Women’s History Month Tribute

By Richard Lee Cronin, CroninBooks.com

26 March 2022

Day 26

CitrusLAND is observing Women’s History Month by honoring extraordinary Central Florida frontierswomen. And as we celebrate Women’s History Month throughout March, we are also featuring each day a History Museum, listing their days and hours of operation.

See also our featured History Museum in this Post

 

Sophia Charlotte #Sjoeborg of Altamonte Springs

Unless you found mention of her in Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes, my popular encyclopedia of 19th century pioneers who settled 300 plus central Florida lakes, you may not have heard of this extremely courageous frontierswoman. Sophia was a Swedish immigrant who came to America in 1870 with Josef Henschen. Henry Sanford had employed Josef to encourage many fellow Swedes to relocate to Sanford, Florida, where they could find work with him.

Most immigrants arriving in 1870-71 with Josef Henschen settled near Sanford at Upsala, a new town established for the Swedish immigrants near Sanford. But not Sophia Charlotte Sjoeborg, as she applied for a homestead, miles from Sanford, in the wilderness of Orange County.

Sophia applied for her homestead of 160 acres on June 9, 1875. Her land, located on the west of present-day Lake Lotus in Seminole County, was originally called Lake Sophia as per a survey done in 1890 (below), completed when this area was part of Orange County.

 

Lake Sophia as identified in 1890; Present-day Lake Lotus

 

By 1887, when John G. Hower of Cleveland designed his town of Forest City in West Orange County, the largest of lakes on his town’s southern border was by then named Lake Lotus.

Sophia Charlotte Sjoeborg, born 1805 in Upsala, Sweden, prepared a Last Will and Testament in Orange County which provides a Florida history of a brave female pioneer who dared to settle in a remote wilderness of Orange County. Upon her death in 1882, she willed portions of her property to Josef Henschen, and another portion to Reverend Dr. William Henschen of Evanston, Illinois. A biography of Reverend Henschen says he was a Methodist preacher and newspaper editor and had settled briefly in Florida around 1884 (Likely came to check out Lake Sophia).

Sophia was 77 years of age when she died here in Orange County, Florida. Her lake was renamed soon after, and Lake Lotus Park occupies a portion of the land first owned by Miss Sophia Sjoeborg of Upsala, Sweden. The park is accessed via Maitland Boulevard west of Forest City Road.

 

[Further reading: CitrusLAND: Ghost Towns & Phantom Trains and Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes, each by Richard Lee Cronin]

 

Beatrice #Smyth

Beatrice Smyth died at her birthplace of England at the of age of 101 in 1968. After a long-distance courtship lasting nearly six years, Beatrice had married an American cousin, Arthur W. C. Smyth, in 1893. Beatrice (Smyth) Smyth then relocated to Orlando, Florida, living at the Orange County seat of government until shortly after the death of her husband in 1905.

American born Arthur W. Catesby Smyth became known to his family as ‘the traveler’, a fitting moniker he earned beginning in 1888. While visiting family at Nottinghamshire, England, Arthur and English cousin, Allan MacDowell Smyth, devised a business plan to sell Florida oranges in England as well as neighboring European countries France and Germany.

In the fall of 1888, the Smyth cousins set sail from England, and according to the ship’s registry, their destination was listed as Orlando, Florida.

Within a year the Smyth partners acquired land for a packing house at Thomas E. Wilson’s, Town of Sylvan Lake. In 1890, the cousins added a second packing house at Gertrude and Church Streets in downtown Orlando, adjacent to the South Florida Railroad terminal. A third packing house at Palm Springs (now the intersection of SR 434 & Markham Woods Road), was established months prior to a tragedy striking the Smyth Orange Brokerage Company. Allan McDowell Smyth, only 34 years of age, died suddenly in July of 1891.

 

Smyth & Barnaby Orange Packers, Orlando, Florida

 

While the Smyth cousins had been building their business, Arthur W. C. Smyth had been in a long- distance courtship with Allan Smyth’s younger sister, Beatrice Alice. The lovebirds communicated often, and as most any young girl deeply in love often does, she saved every letter her American cousin had written. The couple exchanged letters for two years prior to marrying over the summer of 1893, letters providing an extraordinary insight into the Smyth’s and Orlando history.

Arthur’s duties multiplied following the death of his partner, so when it came time to pack fruit, Arthur W. C. Smyth could be found in Orange County, a hands-on packer, rotating between one of his three packing houses. Once the final box of citrus left the County via train, so too did Arthur. With all current season orders filled, Smyth went in search of orders for the next season.

In the summer and early fall of 1892, Arthur traveled to Strasburg, Germany; Paris, France; and Glasgow, England. While in England, he divided his time between courting Beatrice Alice Smyth and selling citrus to such local firms as L&H Williams of Glasgow. Then, in late August 1892, Arthur boarded the ‘City of Rome’ steamboat for a return trip to New York, where, after a layover at Richmond, Virginia to visit his own family, he was off again, this time to Indiana, closing on a sale of 1,500 boxes of citrus at Evanston, Illinois.

Arthur slept aboard the train and worked days hopscotching through the midwestern States on his way to Chicago, timing his arrival in the Windy City to attend the opening ceremony of Chicago’s World’s Fair. The fall 1892 event coincided with the 400th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in North America. Orange County was represented at the Florida Pavilion of that World’s Fair.

Arthur’s busy travels were always timed to have him back in Orange County once the citrus was again ripe for picking. Now you know why his family nicknamed him, ‘the traveler’.

Beatrice Alice Smyth married Arthur W. C. Smyth and settled at Orlando after Arthur was able to build them a home. “The $5,000 I put aside last summer for your house and furniture,” he wrote in an 1893 letter to Beatrice, “is entirely independent of the business.” By the year 1900, Arthur, Beatrice, and three Smyth children lived on Main Street in downtown Orlando, walking distance from the Smyth Packing House on Gertrude Street.

Beatrice, after becoming a widow in 1905, returned to England with her three children, where she lived until her death in 1968 at the age of 101.

[Further reading: Citrusland: Ghost Towns & Phantom Trains by Richard Lee Cronin]

 

Sarah #Stanaland Sellers of Emeralda Island

The historic Sellers residence is said to be the oldest house in Lake County, but the home is also the oldest house in original Orange County. The land upon which it was built in 1863 was, until 1887, Orange County. Towns Eustis, Mount Dora, Sanford, Tavares and nearly every other town in Orange and Lake Counties, did not even exist yet when the Seller family built their home.

Even the distant county seat of Orlando was but a tiny village of four acres only six years young. Fewer than 1,500 citizens lived in ALL of Orange County, and travel was at that time limited to “real” horsepower. Also, when the Sellers’ moved into the house after it was first built, travel to Ocala was more convenient than to the county seat of Orlando.

Fourteen (14) years before this home was built, Reverend Willets D. Sellers purchased the land on which the house now stands. Ten (10) years after the home was built, Widow Sarah Sellers, in 1874, sold the property. Widow Sellers therefore was the head of household in this remote corner of Orange County for a decade.

Reverend and Sarah Sellers came to Florida from Brunswick, North Carolina, where generations of Sellers had lived dating to before America’s Revolution.

Reverend Willetts died May 16, 1858, and by 1860, Widow Sarah (Stanaland) Sellers was living with her son Daniel (1828-1884) in Orange County. The home shown with this blog was built three years later, in 1863, on land Widow Sarah Sellers owned until 1874. Sarah died in 1886.

Truly a courageous frontierswoman, Sarah Sellers homestead was so close to the Marion County border that her family was listed in the 1860 Marion County census rather than Orange County’s. Her land deeds for a residence that is today in Emeralda Island however were properly recorded at Orlando.

 


1863 Sellers residence at curve on Emeralda Island Road

[Further reading: River Gateway, Chapter 27, “Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County by Richard Lee Cronin].

 

History Museum of the Day


Museum of the Apopkans

The Apopka Historical Society was organized in 1968 and incorporated in 1971. The Apopka Historical Society are the caretakers of the artifacts representing the history of Apopka and Northwest Orange County. The Museum of the Apopkans is the physical building that houses these artifacts and is owned by the city of Apopka. The city provides support for the museum in maintaining the building and grounds and utilities.

122 E. 5th Street, Apopka, Florida

407-703-1707

Tuesday thru Friday 12 PM to 5 PM

 

Questions or Comments: Email Rick@CroninBooks.com

 

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