During the American Civil War, while based in New York City, he was successfully involved in wholesale grain and cereal dealing with the federal government.
He identified as a Radical Republican and complained in affidavits to the military Reconstruction government about treatment by local businessmen and courts.
Tibbets was involved in a number of lawsuits and complained of threats, purportedly by Ku Klux Klan members.
The project became very confused and litigated, with sons of Platt saying he was incapable of making the business transaction and suing for the 3500 dollars which he had paid Tibbets by check.
[3] In 1873 Eliza Tibbets received two new grafted orange trees to grow and test, from the botanist William Saunders, the Director of the new U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.[4] He had ordered the original cuttings from Bahia, Brazil.
The Tibbets sold buds for grafts at a "reasonable price" to fellow growers, not wanting to profit from the government's gift.
[2] In California, they raised a granddaughter, child of Harriet and James Summons, who was killed in a drowning accident in 1878, the same year the senior couple had to declare bankruptcy.