Dade County FlArchives Biographies.....Spivey, J. W. 1867 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Nancy Rayburn http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006128 October 27, 2015, 9:03 pm Source: Vol. II pg.117-118 The Lewis Publishing Co. 1923 Author: History of Florida, Past and Present J. W. SPIVEY. On the role of pioneers in Dade County the name J. W. SPIVEY occupies a deservedly prominent place. He came here before the railroad reached Miami, and helped develop during periods of adversity and has been a leader in permanent development work in recent years in the communities of Little River and Lemon City. At one time he was one of the principal growers of citrus fruit and vegetables. He is now president of the Bank of Little River. Mr. Spivey was born in Nancemond (sic) County, Virginia, in 1867. He w was reared on a farm and as a young man left Virginia and went to the Pacific Coast. For some years he was connected with farming and cattle ranching in California and Arizona. Beginning as a common hand, he was promoted to ranch foreman. It was in 1895 that he came to Dade County in South Florida. It was in 1896 that the Florida East Coast Railway reached Miami. He was therefore a pioneer in a wilderness country. The first building on the bay at Lemon City was erected by him. The lumber was brought on the schooner Phoenix, Captain Beard, from Jacksonville, and there being no dock the lumber was dumped in the bay and floated to the land, and then carried to the place where the building was erected. It was a two-story structure, the first floor being used as a store by Mr. Spivey, while he lived in the upper story. This mercantile business was continued there for nearly four years. Mr. Spivey in 1898 bought land about three miles north, at what is now Little River. Here he started an orange grove, and occupied the first house that was built on the west side of the railroad. A little later he undertook the development of a truck farm on a portion of the land. Four years he was accounted one of the largest and most successful truck farmers in that section. In later years truck farming was discontinued, though he still maintains a citrus grove, known as Eureka Grove, one of the highly developed and attractive places in that locality. What was formerly his truck farm, extending from the Dixie Highway on the west to Little River on the east, with a frontage of 335 feet on Dixie Highway, subdivided into residence lots, is known as Spivey’s subdivision and is being improved with wide and modern streets and a community park on Little River for the benefit of the homeowners of the subdivision. This constitutes one of the most desirable and attractive residential sections of the Little River in Miami region. Central Avenue, running west from Dixie Highway to Little River, lies between the subdivision and Eureka Grove. The entire property, embracing eighteen acres, is in the rapidly-growing town of Little River. He also owns valuable business property in the business center of the town fronting both on Dixie Highway and Everglade Avenue. Another property owned by him is twenty-five acres in the west part of the town and on Everglade Avenue. Mr. Spivey is also a property owner at Lemon City. His real estate possessions all told in the region north of Miami and adjacent to the great Dixie Highway approximate a very substantial fortune. Of this good fortune he is strictly deserving, since he refused to lose faith in years of occasional adversity, and through his individual effort has contributed to some of the permanent developments that makes this locality prosperous beyond any possible event of the future. Mr. Spivey was one of the organizers and became president of the first bank of the town, the Bank of Little River, which began business in October, 1922. The bank home is a new building at the corner of Dixie Highway and Everglade Avenue. Mr. Spivey married Miss ANNIE MATTHEWS, of Chicago. Their three sons are BARNEY, CECIL and OLLIE. five acres in the west part of the town and on Everglade Avenue. Mr. Spivey is also a property owner at Lemon City. His real estate possessions all told in the the region north of Miami and adjacent to the great Dixie Highway approximate a very substantial fortune. Of this good fortune he is strictly deserving, since he refused to lose faith in years of occasional adversity, and through his individual effort has contributed to some of the permanent developments that makes this locality prosperous beyond any possible event of the future. Mr. Spivey was one of the organizers and became president of the first bank of the town, the Bank of Little River, which began business in October, 1922. The bank home is a new building at the corner of Dixie Highway and Everglade Avenue. Mr. Spivey married Miss ANNIE MATTHEWS, of Chicago. Their three sons a are BARNEY, CECIL and OLLIE. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/dade/photos/bios/spivey224bs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/dade/bios/spivey224bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/flfiles/ File size: 5.4 Kb