Cattle Industry

Florida Frontiers TV - The Barber-Mizell Family Feud

 

On February 21, 1870, Sheriff David Mizell, his son Will, and brother Morgan went onto the property of Moses Barber to serve an arrest warrant. Tensions between the Barbers and Mizells had been growing for years, and the Sheriff had been warned that if he set foot on Barber land he would be killed. When the group stopped at Bull Creek, a shot was fired from behind some bushes. Sheriff Mizell was killed, becoming the first casualty of this long-running feud.

Florida Frontiers “Florida Cattle"

Florida Today 20
Florida Frontiers “Florida Cattle”
Ben Brotemarkle

 

Even where urban sprawl has enveloped large portions of the Florida landscape, Florida cattle are never too far from view. Traveling the major interstates, highways, and particularly rural roads throughout the state, herds of cattle can be seen grazing on even small patches of land. White birds called cattle egrets often stand on or near the cows, eating ticks, flies, and other insects attracted to the large mammals.

Florida Frontiers “The Barber-Mizell Family Feud”

Moses Barber had simply had enough of his cattle going missing. He believed that David Mizell and his friends were periodically stealing from his herd. His rage reached a point where Barber publically declared that if David Mizell set foot on his property again, he would be shot.

On February 21, 1870, David Mizell became the first casualty of the Barber-Mizell Family Feud. He was shot and killed on Barber property near Holopaw, Florida, in Osceola County.

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