History & Memories Edward (Archie) Smith was born at Crane Swamp west of Edgewater (called Hawks Park then), Florida, December 15, 1891. He died September 5, 1979. He had two children, a son, Edward Archie (Eddie) who married Eudine Edge and a daughter, Betty Lou (Mrs. Roy) Maedel, from Farmington Hills. Michigan.
Archie’s parents were Edward (Ed) Love and Elizabeth (Bennett) Smith. He had one brother, Millard, a circuit court judge in Titusville, Florida until his death. Archie had three sisters, Ruth McAdams of California and Maggie Clinton from New Smyrna Beach, also Mary (Mrs. Thurlow) Simmons of Oak Hill - they had a son, Alvin who now lives in Daytona Beach and their daughter, Alice Lopez married George Bennett (Benny Lopez) and they live here in Oak Hill. Archie leaves a widow, Eunice. They had a crab plant here for several years, before his retirement, on River Road. He was married five times. His son’s mother was killed in a car that threw Eddie out and he lived. The daughter’s grandfather was A.P. Gordon, the man that built the V.B. Baldwin Sr’s house. Archie built the house to the north of this one; the one Nancy Dyall lives in now. His fourth wife, Ruby Gordon left him and Archie just picked up and left, so he lost the house and property for taxes. Grover Cleveland "Cleve" Simmons moved to Oak Hill in approximately 1895. He worked in citrus and was a citrus grower. He was one of the first trustees of the First Baptist Church. He was the custodian for the Oak Hill School for many years. Cleve was a fine man. If he could help you, he would and if he couldn’t say something good about anyone, he wouldn’t say anything. He was born in Longwood, Florida and married Jeanette Moore from Edgewater. They had nine children: Pauline, Lawrence, Thomas Edward, Ethel, Frank Wallace, Albert, Wilbur, Charles and Harvey. They came here by horse and wagon. They mostly walked and the wagon carried their belongings.
Thurlow Simmons and family moved here from Mims, Florida about 1917 and moved into their house at 123 Oak Street in 1920. Thurlow married Mary E. Smith and they were in the citrus business all their lives.
Mary was born in Hawks Park, Florida in 1912 and Thurlow as born in Longwood, Florida. Thurlow and Mary had two children, Alice Mae and a son, Alvin. Thurlow died in 1966 and Mary in 1964.
Alice and Bennett had three girls, Lorna and twins, Mary Ann and Betty Lou. W.A. Simmons moved here in 1923 from Longwood, Florida where he was born in the early 1900s. He and his wife had large family, to name the ones living in Oak Hill - Charles E., Cleve and Thurlow and two daughters, one was Lizzie (living in Sanford and married to a Mr. Seaver). Both girls had large families. The boys living in Oak Hill were Thurlow, Cleve and Charles. Thurlow married Mary Simmons, Cleve married Nettie Moore and Charles E. married Lenora Coward. Charles E. and Lenora had six children: Clyde, Guy, John, Edna, Cubbedge, Nina (Simmons), Coleman and Evelyn (Simmons) McGee. Evelyn married Clifford W. (Mac) McGee. They had three sons: Clifford W. McGee Jr., Cocoa Beach; William K., Waverlyn, Mississippi; and James D., Fayetteville, Georgia. The latter two are twins. Mac’s parents were William Walter and Dovye Bryan. "Mac" was born in Chipley, Georgia, coming here in 1923. He had served 13 years as a Volusia County Sheriff and was a judge in Oak Hill. He was a member and a deacon of the First Baptist Church of Oak Hill and active in New Smyrna Beach Lodge 140 F. and A.M. He was a retired local citrus grower and carpenter with Pan Am World Airlines at Cape Kennedy. At the time of his death, he was a building inspector. He had also been on the planning and zoning board. He will surely be missed here. He is buried at the Oak Hill cemetery. Herbert Paul Lopez and Cora Bennett married. They moved here in 1924 from Glencoe, Florida. They had four sons, George Bennett, William "Bill", Herbert "Herbie" and Winston L.
Herbert built a service station and ran it until 1940, when he sold it to Bennett, moving on the river and building a fish camp, called "Lopez Fish Camp" - it is well known everywhere today. He died in 1984 leaving the fishing camp to Winston. Cora Bennett was a sister to Horace, the first husband of Gertrude (Mosby) Bennett Threlkeld. George Bennett Lopez married Alice Simmons April 13, 1939. After buying his Dad’s service station, he built a new station and is today selling groceries and many other items. They now live in her parent’s house on 123 Oak Street. They were Thurlow and Mary Simmons. The home was built by W. C. Howse - another early settler. Bennett and Alice have three daughters, Lrona, Betty Lou and Mary Ann - the latter two are twins.
William "Bill" Lopez and Addie have one son, Donald, living out in Texas. Bill and Addie live there with them. Next Page Previous Page Return to Oak Hill Home Page
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