Dear List, I tried to send this out ... but it must have been too large a document. I'll try sending it in four parts. Mimbs Family History - William and Lucinda Mimbs William MIMBS was born about 1850 in GA. He was married to Lucinda ROBERTS about 1867. Lucinda ROBERTS was born in 1843 in GA. She is the daughter of Jackson Roberts and Frances BROWN. The Roberts family is found in the 1850 Lee County, GA, census record (page 294-B). It is thought that William and Lucinda moved to Florida shortly before 1870. Census records seem to indicate that all of the children were born in Florida. (It is possible that the oldest child was born in GA around 1870.) William and Lucinda eventually settled in Polk County before the 1880 census was taken. They homesteaded 160 acres and began farming. The Polk County, FL, 1880 census record (page 27) indicates that William's parents were born in North Carolina. William is listed as a "laborer." The 1885 Polk County census (sheet 16) lists William as a farmer. The 1885 polk County, FL, agriculture schedule (page 643) gives us insight into life on the Mimbs homestead. On June 30, 1885, William is shown to be the owner of 160 acres - 4 acres were listed as "improved land" and 156 acres were unimproved woodland. William's farm, land, and buildings were valued at $400.00. The value of farm implements was $10.00. The live stock was valued at $75.00. William spent $50.00 on fences during 1884. All total, the farm had produced $100.00 worth of goods during 1884. William owned one horse, one milk cow, and eight chickens, which had produced 52 dozen eggs during 1884. William had cleared two acres of land for sweet potatoes. During 1884 he produced 300 bushels of sweet potatoes. During the same year, he grew five bushels of cow peas, twenty pounds of tobacco, and planted one acre in orange trees. The Mimbs homestead was located just outside of present day Lake Wales. Lucinda filed a homestead patent on December 1, 1890. The legal description of the homestead is described as the: "northwest quarter of section thirty-one in township twenty-nine south of range twenty-seven east of Tallahassee Meridian in Florida containing one hundred and fifty-nine acres and fifty-four hundreths of an acre." Today the "Mountain Lake Cut Off Road" runs through the middle of the property. During the 1880's, the nearest town to the Mimbs homestead was Bartow, about 15 miles to the west. Lake Wales, along with other neighboring towns of today, did not exist at the time. Before 1911, Lake Wales "could not be described as a wide place in the road for the there was no road" (The Lake Wales Highlander, March 9, 1916 - the first issue). "The whirr of a covey of quail or the howl of a bobcat, deer and panthers, wild turkeys and wild boar among the pine and oaks was all there was (They Built A City, page 5, Dorothy Kaucher, Ph.D., Lake Wales, 1970). During the 1850's and 60's, transportation in Polk County was by wagons drawn by oxen or mules. Mail, which arrived by boat at Tampa, was picked up by horseback twice a week. There was little incentive for a family to move to Polk County. Growth was slow. Between 1870 and 1880, the population of the county increased by only 12 people - from 3,169 to 3,181 (Yesterday's Polk County, pagge 20). In 1880, immigration to Florida began to show a marked increase. From this time there was a steady and continuous growth. In 1881, David L. Hughes and W. T. Carpenter operated general stores in Bartow. These were the only institutions of their kind in the area for many miles. Bartow could also brag of a hotel, owned by W. T. Carpenter; two or three boarding houses; and a drug store run by F. F. Bevelle. There were two church organizations, the Methodists and the Baptists. Neither of these had a building as of yet. There was a post office which received eleven mails a week; a telegraph office; two doctors; and one lawyer. On May 3, 1882, the town of Bartow was incorporated (History of Polk County Florida, page 40). Although there had been a jail in Bartow at one time, it did not exist in the early 1880's. It had fallen into disuse and decay. However, it was said that one was needed. In 1881, Hiram D. Ballard closed and sold the building and lot where the barroom had been. The cost of a liquor license had been raised so high that business became unprofitable. Drinking did not cease, though. Some citizens complained of "much firing of pistols at night on the streets, and other disorders" (History of Polk County Florida, page 39). It is interesting to note that in Polk County in the early 1880's, bacon sold for 11 cents a pound; lard, 15 cents; flour, 6¼ cents; sugar, 12½ cents; coffee, 20 cents. Except for these staples, few articles of food were sold in the local stores. Transportation was by horseback or wagon. A person could travel from Orlando to Bartow by the mail buggy for $7. The fare from Tampa to Bartow by "private subscription" was $10. The cost was only $2 by wagon if the passenger furnished his own rations. Lots in Bartow sold for $30 to $50, while land three miles from town brought from $1.25 to $5 per acre. The early 1880's brought considerable growth to Bartow. Mrs. M. L. Snoddy opened a ladies' store in 1882. Dr. J. P. Brookins, a dentist, opened the Bartow Drug House. T. M. Lybass opened a "Liquor Saloon." W. H. Pearce, near Bartow, had what was considered one of the most vigorous and symmetrical orange groves in the State. By 1882, 500 letters were mailed from the Bartow community, and probably as many received. One has to wonder if the Mimbs family ever enjoyed these "luxeries" of the day! William died on December 25, 1886, in Polk County, FL. (1) According to his grandaughter, Ida Blount, William died from cancer of the mouth. It is not known where in Polk Co. William Mimbs is buried. Lucinda is found as a widow in the 1895 Polk County census (page 495). She is listed as a farmer. Her children are all listed as students. The 1900 Polk County census also lists her as a farmer owning her farm free of mortgage. Lucinda died on October 6, 1917, in Lake Wales, Polk County, FL. (2,1) She was buried on October 7, 1917, in the Gandy Cemetery in Connersville, Polk County, FL.