continued from page 14
History’s
Mysteries
The Mather-Smith Family
Descendants of Grace Mather-Smith recently visited Winter Garden and spent time with resident Rod
Reeves. One evening, the family spent time enjoying dinner at The Chef ’s Table at the Edgewater.
Pictured clockwise, left to right are:
(Mrs. Robert) Mary Beth Abel (new married name) of Sarasota
Rod Reeves of Winter Garden
Grace Riker, daughter of Ann Mather-Smith, of Sarasota
Russell Kelley, resident of Palm Beach, Florida & Paris, France; son of Jan-Ann Du Bujac Turner; grandson
of Grace Mary Mather-Smith Du Bujac Turner; grandson of Etienne Du Bujac and Bruce Cabot [star of King
Kong (1933) and Last of the Mohicans (1936)]; great nephew of Ann Mather-Smith Fischbeck.
(Mrs. John C.) Ann Mather-Smith Fischbeck, daughter of Charles Frederic and Grace Mather-Smith, born in
Oakland 101 years ago.
Kelley is transcribing his grandmother’s (Grace) diary and brought the family back to the area to see some of
the places mentioned in the memoir. One of the most well-known stories in the diary regales the day Mrs.
Mather-Smith was planning an important celebration at her Oakland home, when she realized something essential was missing. She jumped in her car and raced to Orlando. En route there, she was stopped by a local
police officer, who fined her ten dollars for exceeding the speed limit. Flinging a twenty-dollar bill at him,
she yelled: “I’m coming back in a few minutes, so here is twenty dollars. Keep out of my way.”
Photo courtesy of Rodney L. Reeves, details courtesy of Rodney L. Reeves and the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation.
14
|
WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
|
JUNE 2015