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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