Polk County FlArchives Biographies..... CARSON, JOSEPH W. August 30, 1869 - 
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Author: The History of Florida:  Past & Present, The Lewis Publishing Co., Vol. II, page 352. 1923

     CARSON, J.W. & M.B.  JOSEPH WASHINGTON CARSON and MUNSEY BARRINGTON 
CARSON, were the men whose public spirit, energy and initiative were chiefly 
responsible for the development of the remarkable community of Frostproof.  
Their father discovered this locality of Polk County, but the practical work of 
development largely devolves on his sons.
     STEPHEN WASHINGTON CARSON, the father, was a native of Tennessee, was 
reared in Mississippi and devoted his early years, until his health failed, to 
the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.  He was an old-time 
circuit rider.  A change for his health brought him from Mississippi to 
Florida, and he arrived in this state in January, 1858, making the entire 
journey on horseback.  His first location was near Brooksville, and after he 
retired from the regular ministry he engaged in farming.  In 1871 moved to Polk 
County, locating two miles east of Fort Meade, where he took up general farming 
and citrus culture and not long afterward he discovered what is now Frostproof, 
so named later because it was proved to be comparatively immune from frosts.  
He was the first to perceive and predict the wonderful future of this section 
of the state for fruit growing.  For six years he lived without a neighbor, the 
nearest post office being for several years Fort Meade, eighteen miles away.
     STEPHEN W. CARSON married first Miss EMILY CELESTIA WHITE, of Ocala, who 
died young, leaving four small children.  Later he married a widow with five 
children, Mrs. PERMELA ANN ADELINE (BARRINGTON) WHITFIELD, a native of 
Georgia.  She is now active at the age of more than eighty-seven.  By their 
marriage they had four children, the two sons being JOSEPH W. and MUNSEY 
BARRINGTON, and the two daughters are SOPHRONIA, wife of FREDERIC EDWARDS 
OHLINGER, of Frostproof, and MARY PERMELA, wife of ORREN HAYES OHLINGER, of 
Crooked Lake, Florida.  “Uncle Wash” CARSON, as he was affectionately called by 
young and old, was both wise and good.  Nothing escaped his eagle eyes of 
blue.  He was a christian, and lived Christianity day by day.  He went to his 
reward February 17, 1907, aged almost seventy-seven.
     JOSEPH WASHINGTON CARSON was born in Hernando County, Florida August 30, 
1869, and was about two years old when brought to Polk County.  He has given 
over thirty-five years of his life to the development of the land, the 
horticulture and the business affairs of Frostproof.  As long as his brother 
lived they were closely and intimately associated in business and all the 
affairs of their lives, their relationship constituting a wonderful harmony of 
purpose and work.
     On December 21, 1904, J. W. CARSON married Miss NINA MIZELLE, daughter of 
Prof. A. W. MIZELLE, for many years a prominent educator in Suwannee County, 
Florida.  Mrs. CARSON was reared and educated in Suwannee County and was a 
teacher before her marriage.  They have one daughter, FLORENCE ROSAMOND, aged 
ten.
     J. W. CARSON started fruit growing at Frostproof with one acre, and 
gradually increased the area under his ownership and management until it is now 
over 650 acres and eventually he expects to move the total upwards to 1,000 
acres or more, having utmost faith in fruit culture as the supreme business of 
this locality.  He is a stockholder and director in the Frostproof State Bank, 
stockholder and one of the original directors in the Polk County Trust Company 
of Lakeland, is a large stockholder in the Crooked Lake Improvement Company, 
and is president and treasurer of Carson Brothers, Incorporated, a firm owning 
and controlling a large portion of the interests of the two brothers, the 
property for the most part being adjacent to Crooked Lake Townsite and 
Frostproof.  Mr. CARSON was one of the original organizers of the Florida 
Citrus Exchange, and one of the incorporators of the Frostproof Citrus Growers 
Association, and is a director in that and the Crooked Lake Citrus Growers 
Association.
     Mr. CARSON has been for many years an active leader in prohibition 
movements, and at one time was candidate for elector on the prohibition 
ticket.  In political affairs he is a democrat. The personal habits of such a 
citizen are a matter of general interest.  He does not touch, taste nor handle 
intoxicants, tobacco, tea nor coffee, chewing gum nor soft drinks.  He does not 
dance or deal cards.  His beverage is pure water and fresh fruit juices, his 
luxury luscious oranges, his necessity grape-fruit.  His one unbreakable habit 
both winter and summer in the early morning is a plunge in the limpid waters of 
Lake Clinch, and 150 yards run uphill to the old home.  His blood tests 100% 
pure American.  His medicine is fresh air, sunshine and hard work.  His 
pleasure is helping others.  He seeks the truth and takes sides on all vital 
questions, and is never found hiding out as a neutral.  He is one of the 
youngest men in Florida at fifty-three, and such plan and manner of life might 
well prove an object of emulation to others.
     MUNSEY BARRINGTON CARSON, his brother, was born January 29, 1875, and died 
of influenza November 11, 1918.  These brothers had all their financial and 
business interests in common and never regarded a dollar as privately owned by 
either of them.  Munsey was one of the prominent men in the Y.M.C.A., and was 
instrumental after untiring efforts in securing the encampment of the Florida 
State Y.M.C.A. at Frostproof.  The camp was named in his honor Camp Carson.  He 
was also active in Masonry.  He too was a man of exemplary habits and 
character, and the influence of his life is now perpetuated in a fraternity at 
the camp known as the Gideon Band, each member of which volunteers to take a 
pledge to accept Christ as the saviour, and to refrain from all intoxicants and 
tobacco and profanity, vulgarity and obscenity and do unto others’ wives, 
mothers, daughters, sisters and sweethearts as they would like others do unto 
their own.
     MUNSEY CARSON married IDA MAUD GILMAN, of Massachusetts, September 21, 
1904.  They had two children, RUSSELL BARRINGTON and MARY EVANGELINE.  MUNSEY 
CARSON was a natural leader of men, a model of purity among women, a favorite 
with children, a friend of the poor, a protector to the weak-a christian 
gentleman who knew no fear nor compromise on principles of right and wrong.
     These pioneer brothers were actively identified with seven successive 
efforts to get a railway through their chosen home land of lakes and hills, and 
secured for the most part a free right of way through Polk County for 
the “Scenic Highlands” branch of the Atlantic Coast Line without a single 
condemnation case.  They were successively active in the great asphalt road 
system enterprise for Polk County comprising over three hundred miles.  They 
saw this wonderful lake region develop gradually from their first one acre 
grove to nearly 1,000 acres before the railroad came in 1912, and then almost 
by leaps and bounds to nearly 30,000 acres before the World war temporarily 
stopped such developments.  The surviving brother, J. W. CARSON, was prepared 
to take advantage of the rebound after the war at its first impulse for forward 
movement, and has contributed to the subsequent development which at this 
writing approximates 75,000 acres in fruit, and he makes the conservative 
prediction that the area will soon reach 100,000 acres with a possible 
production of 10,000,000 boxes of the finest flavored and best keeping fruit in 
the citrus growing world, which will capture and hold the market of the United 
States on its merits and go safely to foreign markets with its wonderful flavor 
and almost indestructible “Buck-skin” peel.



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