A tale of two families

Like the epic Appalachian family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, did you know Orange and Osceola counties have their own version of two legendary families? The Barbers and the Mizells are just that – another epic American tale. Beginning in 1870, the Barber and Mizell family feud would claim the lives of at least eight people and span more than 50 years, ending in the 1940s when a marriage of descendants finally brought peace between the two families.

There are a variety of motivations to explain what fueled this family feud. With herding and driving cattle becoming a major occupation after the Civil War, increasing taxes and a period of Reconstruction stirred tensions locally and nationally. An 1870 census showed a population increase of more than 100 percent, and along with returning Southerners came Northerners that saw Central Florida as an economic opportunity. At this time, Lake County, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties were considered sparsely settled.

Mose Barber, who first settled in Florida in the 1830s, expanded his cattle operation into Central Florida. During the Civil War, Barber was said to be the primary supplier of beef to the Confederate Army. Once the war was over, some of Barber’s fellow cattlemen were taking part in the Reconstruction government, which he was not in support of. David Mizell, who had fought for the Confederate Army, was named Sheriff and Tax Collector of Orange County after the Civil War. The stage was set, and tensions ran high when Barber refused to pay what he believed were unfair taxes to the U.S. government. Sheriff Mizell responded by taking possession of Barber’s cattle to satisfy an “unpaid debt”. Barber ensued, threatening Mizell by stating that the next time he sets foot on Barber land, he would be leaving “feet first”.

The sheriff did not heed what he took as an empty threat. And on Feb. 21, 1870, David Mizell became the first casualty of the Barber-Mizell Family Feud. He was shot and killed on Barber property near the Holopaw area of Osceola County. John R. Mizell, the sheriff’s brother, was the first judge of Orange County and demanded swift justice after his brother’s death. It was whispered that David Mizell requested that his death not be avenged in his dying breath, but there were other plans in store. Issac, Mose Barber’s son, was shot and killed, allegedly while trying to escape arrest. And another son, Mose Jr., drowned within months of the incident. The lawlessness of the Florida frontier affected not just the feuding families but also family friends of the Mizell’s, such as William Yates and Lyell Padgett, who met with unfortunate ends.

According to Barber family history, a total of thirteen Barbers were killed by the Mizell family during the Barber-Mizell Family Feud of 1870, but this claim cannot be verified by public record. There is also a version that suspects a man named Gus Hunter, a bounty hunter from Melbourne, FL, was the actual gunman who killed the Sheriff that fateful day that would rewrite history. Locations forever tied to this Florida frontier history still exist today, from the Mizell family homestead in what is now Harry P. Leu Botanical Garden in Winter Park, FL, to the Yates family homestead, originally located on Taylor Creek, which has been relocated to Fort Christmas Historic Park. Interestingly, the Volusia County town of Barberville was founded by James D. Barber, a descendant of Mose Barber. And if you are feeling adventurous, you can visit the Barber Family Cemetery (Aka the Hilliard Island Road Cemetery) located about 5 miles east of Kissimmee on S530.