This was writen by Lonnie and Ella Lunsford Sadler's daughter Violet. HI RICHARD, I DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE SADLERS ONLY THE ONES WHICH STAYED IN FLORIDA. I WILL TELL YOU THE STORY WHICH VIOLET WROTE ABOUT THE TRIP FROM ARKANSAS TO FLORIDA. 1924 FLORIDA MIGRATION THE SADLER CLAN HAD SET A GOAL OF LEAVING ARKANSAS BY THE END OF AUGUST. ON THE 23RD FRANK BACKED THE MODEL T TRUCK UP TO THE EDGE OF THE FRONT PORCH TO BE LOADED FOR THE LEAVING THE NEXT AM. THE NIGHT WAS FAST CLOSING IN AND SO MUCH TO BE DONE. The TRUCK HAD TO BE FIXED SIDE BOARD BUILT UP TO BE IN TWO PARTS HALF WAS TO BE FOR SUIT CASES, PANS FOOD AND LINENS TO BE USED ON THE ROAD. THE TOP PART WAS MATRESSES QUILTS, PILLOWS, SO WE WOULD HAVE A PLACE TO RIDE. THE TOP WAS MADE OF CANVAS WITH BAWS. SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF AN OLD CONASTOGA WAGON. AT LAST THE TRUCK WAS PACKED ALL READY FOR THE TRIP. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SLEEP THAT NIGHT. MORNING CAME, TIME FOR A LIGHT BREAKFAST AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY. FRANK, HARVEY, & SNOOKS WAS SITING IN THE SEAT THE REST, MAMA, PAPA,ME & THE DOG UP ON THE BACK, WAS RIDING HIGH ON THE BACK. WE LEFT OUT ON THE ROAD TO LA. FOR THE RAINS THAT MONTH BEFORE HAD PRACTUALLY WASHED OUT THE ROAD WHICH WE COULD HAVE CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI AT NATCHES. AFTER TRAVELING ALL DAY, WITH JUST A SHORT STOP, GAS AND A LIGHT LUNCH, WE MADE IT TO THE LA. BORDER. 150 MILES WE FOUND A CAMP SITE BY A STREAM THAT NIGHT AND AFTER A LATE SUPPER WE WERE READY FOR A NIGHTS REST. THE SECOND DAY WAS A NIGHTMARE. OUT OF ONE BOGHOLE INTO ANOTHER THE ROADS WERE TERRIBLE. LATE THAT AFTERNOON WE WERE RIDING SMOOTHLY WHEN ALL AT ONCE WE HIT A HOLE IN THE ROAD AND BROKE OUR BACK AXLE. THE TRUCK DROPPED DOWN SO SUDDEN IT FELL ON A BIG DUCK THAT JUST HAPPENED TO BE CROSSING THE ROAD. AFTER SURVERYING THE DAMAGE THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO DO BUT MAKE CAMP BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHILE THE MEN GOT ALL SET TO FIX THE TRUCK. THIS TOOK THE GREATER PART OF THE NEXT TWO DAYS. PARTS OF TRUCKS WERE HARD TO COME BY. CARS AND TRUCKS WERE JUST COMING INTO SERVICE ON A LARGE SCALE IN 1923. LITTLE TOWNS DIDN'T HAVE A PARTS STORE. WE FINALLY HAD TO GET A USED AXLE FROM AN OLD WRECK. AT LAST AFTER TWO AND A HALF DAYS WE WERE ON OUR WAY AGAIN. BUT IT WAS A SHORT TIME FOR AFTER BEING ON THE ROAD FOR ALMOST A WEEK GETTING NO FARTHER THAN NORTHERN LA. WE HAD TO RETURN BACK TO ARK. AND TAKE THE FERRY ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI. TO VICKSBURG. THE ROAD UP FROM THE RIVER WAS ALMOST STRAIGHT UP. AS WE WERE RIDING UP, THERE WAS CALLS FROM ALMOST EVERY ONE ON THE STREET. BUT WE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE MAKING FUN OF US. THE GYSPY'S WE WERE. SO AFTER A FEW BLOCK OF CALLS THE POLICE RAN UP AND TOLD US WE WERE LOOSING OUR FEATHERS OUT OF OUR MATRESS. I LOOKED BACK AND SURE ENOUGH, IT LOOKED LIKE A SNOW STORM. THAT WAS OUR INTORDUCTION TO VICKSBURG, MISS. FROM THERE ON INTO MOBILE ALA. THE DIRVE WASN'T SO BAD. WE GOT TO MOBILE TWO DAYS LATER WHERE WE HAD TO TAKE THE FERRY ACORSS THE ESCAMBIA BAY 18 MILES PUT US IN FLA. 9 DAYS AFTER LEAVING ARK. WE TOOK THE HIGHWAY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE CALLED THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL. THE ROAD WAS JUST WIDE ENOUGH FOR ONE CAR AND WAS MADE OF BRICK. THE MOST DESOLATE LAND YOU COULD EVER THINK OF AND OF COURSE WE WERE REALLY DISCOURAGED. FOR IT WAS NOT THE FLORIDA WE HAD HEARD OF. WE TURNED SOUTH DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE. THE FARTHER SOUTH WE GOT THE MORE WE WERE BECOMING PLEASED WE HAD MADE THE MOVE. FOR THE BIG BOOM OF FLA. WAS IN FULL SWING AND EVERY THING WAS GOING TO BE OUR BIG CHANCE TO MAKE MONEY. WE WERE TO GO TO TAMPA AND MEET MR AND MRS J.W. CASH WHO HAD LEFT ARK. THE YEAR BEFORE AND MR. CASH AND PAPA WERE TO GO INTO THE SAWMILL BUSINESS. CLEARING FLA. OF VIRGIN PINE AND SELLING IT TO BUILD, WHICH WAS REALLY ON THE UP, AROUND TAMPA. OUR INTRODUCTION TO TAMPA WAS VIA YBOR CITY. WE PARKED OUR TRUCK IN FRONT OF THE POST OFFICE AND PAPA WENT IN TO SEE IF WE HAD ANY MAIL (MRS CASH WAS TO HAVE SENT A LETTER TELLING US HOW TO FIND THEIR HOME AND HOW TO GET THERE) BUT WE SOON FOUND WE WERE NOT AT THE TAMPA POST OFFICE BUT JUST BEFORE GOING ON UP TOWN, A REAL ESTATE MAN CAME TO US TRYING TO SELL US AN OYSTER FARM. GUESS WE LOOKED LIKE HICKS FOR SURE. AFTER ANOTHER 2 OR 3 HOURS WE FINALLY REACHED MR. CASH’S AND SLEPT IN A BED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 17 DAYS. THE NEXT WEEK WAS A BIG MOVE TRYING TO BUILD A SHED FOR OUR COOK HOUSE OF SLABS AND A TENT FOR SLEEPING FOR THERE WASN'T ANY HOUSES FOR RENT OR EVEN TO BUY. SO WE COULD PICK OUR OWN PLACE WHICH TURNED OUT ON THE EDGE OF HORSE SHOE LAKE, ABOUT 6 MILES WEST OF SULPHER SPRINGS.THERE TO WAS WHERE PAPA PUT HIS PROTABLE SAWMILL. THIS WAS VIRGIN PINE AND VERY MUCH IN DEMAND FOR FAST GROWING TAMPA. THE BOOM FELL ON FLA. IN 1925 AND SO PAPA & MR. CASH MADE WELL IN SALE OF THEIR LIMBER. SUCESS WAS ALMOST TOO MUCH FOR MR. CASH. FOR HE TOOK UP GAMBLING, DRINKING, PLAYING THE NUMBERS, AND SPENDFING MONEY AS THO IT WAS ALL HIS, AND WOULD NEVER RUN OUT., SO HE SPENT HIS AND PAPA'S TOO, THIS FOUND US ALMOST BROKE SO WE LEFT TAMPA TO OCALA, OR CLOSE TO OCALA. FOUND US ON A BIG 23 HUNDRED ACRE FARM CALLED THE MANBY FARM (NOW OCALA STUD FARM) THE HISTORY TOLD US THAT THE MANBY FARM WAS IN THE BEGINNING A BIG PLACE, ORIGANILLY A SLAVE FARM. TH4E HOUSE WE LIVED IN WAS ONE OF THE HOUSES CLOSE TO THE TOWN IN THE SLAVE QUARTERS. AS PAPA AND HARVEY AND FRANK WORKED THE SAWMILL, ME, MAMA, AND SNOOKS WORKED ON THE FARM. THE FIRST JOB WAS DIGGING ONIONS ON A 6 ACRE PLOT. THE SECOND, PULLING WE DIG 800 LBS FOR WHICH WE GOT 400. THE OTHER 400 WENT TO THE FARM. THAT YEAR WE ATE ONIONS ALL WAYS THAT COULD BE MENTIONED. THE NEXT YEAR WE MOVED FROM THE QUARTERS TO JOHNNIE SPRINGS ABOUT 3 MILES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FARM. THE PLACE THAT WAS ONCE USED AS AN INDIAN CAMP. UNDER BIG MAGNOLIA AND CEDAR TREES. THIS WAS THE PLACE WHERE WE LIVED WHEN HARVY GOT HIS BROKEN LEG. THE FARM WAS ALL CUT OVER AND WE WERE STILL HERE ALTHO PAPA HAD MOVED HIS MILL DOWN ON LITTLE LAKE WEIR, TO A NEW DEVELOPEMENT THAT WAS BEING FORMED CALLED BUICK CITY. HARVEY WAS ON THE TRACTORS WHEN HE HIT A STUMP CAUSING THER TRACTOR TO REAR UP THROWING HARVEY UNDER AND THE CLEATS CAUGHT HIM JUST ABOVE THE RIGHT KNEE ALMOST CUTTING OFF THE LEG. HE CRAWLED ALMOST A MILE BACK TO THE HIGHWAY AND AN OLD COUPLE PICKED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. THIS IS ALL SHE WROTE. I FOUND THIS AMONG SOME OF HER PAPERS WHEN SHE DIED.