Smith Family (Georgia) – Digging Up Your Family

Smith. John B Smith.

Back on July 8, 1876, on page four, the Spirit of the South newspaper (Rockingham, North Carolina) printed a small and humorous article that had been in several newspapers across the country:

Thirty years ago, a young man entered the city of New York in an almost penniless condition, and without a single acquaintance in the great wilderness of houses. To-day, his name is known wherever humanity dwells. It is spoken in every hamlet, is heard in every city, and is as familiar to the worker in the mines as his brother in the mills, and where language is known and ideas expressed, the name of this penniless, unknown and uncouth lad of thirty years ago is uttered. It was John Smith.

Many genealogists have had the pleasure of tracking down a John Smith at some point, and I’m sure there are many who have a John Smith as their brick wall. And for years (decades) in my husband’s family, John B Smith has been a brick wall. Until two months ago.

I honestly cannot for the life of me figure out how I found John B. Up until December no one was sure where he was buried, where he had died, when he had died, etc. I wrote about him back in July of 2012 and now I can give further info on him!!!!

While I can’t remember how I came across it, my first discovery was John B’s place of burial and headstone! (click here to go to his memorial on Find a Grave)

According to his headstone in Mount Olivet United Methodist Church Cemetery in Hunts Mill, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, John B Smith was born in 1822 in Brunswick County, North Carolina to parents William and Henrietta Smith. John B died on November 2, 1898 in Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

BUT, I had to check to make sure that was really him, right? A quick search, and some speed-reading convinced me I had found the elusive John B Smith, husband of Harriet Grant, father of nine children (possibly ten, but one needs confirmation).

According to the Estate Records, Cases 638-757, 1865-1927; Chesterfield County, South Carolina Wills and Probate Records (1670-1980) on Ancestry:

John B Smith, case #640

…The undersigned respectfully shows to this court

That John B Smith died intestate at his home in said county and state on the 2nd Nov 1898 having a small personal estate of about the value of Fifty-five dollars… (5 Nov 1898)

Guardian Bond papers found in John B’s estate file mention the names of Daniel Labon Grant, Annie Jane Grant, and Loyal (actually Lowell) Tate Grant, the children of Henry Harrison Grant and Sarah Thomas. Henry was the son of Jeremiah Grant and grandson of Malachi Grant. As far as is known, Harriet Grant is the daughter of Malachi (I just need something as absolute to prove it to myself). Also mentioned in the Guardian Bond are DB (Daniel Baity-sp?) and Flora A Grant. DB happens to also be a son of Jeremiah Grant.

I can’t pretend to know why those guardian papers were in John B Smith’s estate file, as his name does not appear on any of them. There is mention of claims to Jeremiah Grant’s estate in regards to the children, so I did go through his papers to see if John B’s name appears anywhere. No luck.

ANYWAY, if the Grants appearing in John B Smith’s estate papers isn’t proof enough, considering he married a Grant who is related to those Grants, then I don’t know how else to convince a person. And let’s not forget to mention the estate of John B’s brother-in-law.

Moving back to John B’s parents, William and Henrietta Smith. After I had posted found information on the John B Smith Descendants Facebook page, another Smith descendant took off with finding more information. Isabelle posted:

Looks like William Smith was born c. 1789 and Henrietta was born c. 1795 bith in NC. The 1860 census shows them in North West District, Brunswick Co. William Smith b 1843 and Martha J. Wallace b 1844 are listed in the same house.

An Update on John B. Smith’s parents and siblings:

As far as I’ve been able to find out so far, William and Henrietta Smith had the following children:

1) Christina Smith (born circa 1815)
– married Henry Wallace
2) Ann E. Smith (born circa 1820)
3) John B. Smith (1822- 2 Nov 1898)
– married Harriet Grant
4) Robert Smith (born circa 1829)
5) Elizabeth Ann Smith (Nov 1830 – 23 Apr 1914)
– married William Rothwell Skipper (10 Feb 1827 – 27 Nov 1910)
6) Morris (Mores/Moore) Smith (born circa 1833)
7) Joseph Smith (born circa 1835)
8) Martha Ann Smith (1838- 1 Feb 1918)
– married Joseph Champion (born circa 1832)

Tracing the boys and the eldest daughter is proving difficult, but I did find further information on Elizabeth Ann Smith Skipper and Martha Ann Smith Champion.

Elizabeth and William Skipper were parents to:

James Tucker Skipper (b 1853)
Rebecca Jane Skipper (1855-1929)
– married Noah Wellington Alford
William Albert Skipper (b 1857)
Sarah Jane Skipper (26 Mar 1859 – 26 Jul 1945)
– married Nathaniel Byrd
John William Skipper (1862 – 22 Jul 1879)
Isadora Skipper (1868 – Jun 1958)
– married William Franklin Alford
Charles Henry Skipper (28 Feb 1870 – 29 Jul 1926)
Rosa Lee Skipper (1875 – 21 Jan 1914)
– married (?) Potter

Martha and Joseph Champion were parents to:

Henrietta Champion (b 1855)
Humphrey Isaac Champion (15 Oct 1857 – 13 Jun 1934)
– married Ida Malpass (22 Nov 1872 – 15 Apr 1911)
– Six (6) children
Alice Catherine Champion (b 1859)
– married David James Byrd
Joseph Howard Champion (b 1863)
– married Martha Harris
– at least Two (2) children
Martha Jane Champion (1865 – 12 Sep 1938)
– married S. C. Griffin
Ellen Henrietta Champion (11 Apr 1867 – 24 May 1927)
– married Emmet Eli Parker (28 Mar 1870 – 23 Sep 1950)
– at least Three (3) children
Atlas Grandy Champion (10 Sep 1870 – 2 Jun 1962)
– married Mary Catherine Wood (4 Feb 1877 – 30 Jul 1947)
– Eight (8) children

Isabelle and I have spoken twice about all of this, and we both agreed that we need more valid sources. However this is a start and hopefully it will help us go back further.

Because now the Smith brick wall is William Smith.

Henry Thomas Smith, Sr

I had started to write a follow-up post last week in respect to Henry Thomas Smith, Sr, and then I realized I hadn’t yet written an initial post. I’m just going to do both here.

CAUTION: if you are the type of person who doesn’t like to find out about less than savory people in your family, you may not want to read this post. I have tried to remain as tactful as possible.

Henry Thomas Smith, Sr was born on November 11, 1873 to parents John B Smith (abt 1824-aft 1880) and Harriett Grant (1831-1882) in Richmond County, North Carolina.

Records for him remain sketchy, but I have gathered what I could to share.

In 1880, Henry is found living with his family in Wolf Pit, Richmond County, North Carolina. He is listed as Henry Smith, mulatto, male, age 7 years, born in North Carolina. The other family members listed in the household are: John B Smith (Henry’s father), mulatto, male, aged 56 years, born in North Carolina; Harriet Smith (Henry’s mother), mulatto, female, aged 49 years, born in North Carolina; Randolph (Charlie), mulatto, male, aged 21 years, born in North Carolina, laborer; Gilbert, mulatto, male, age 19 years, born in North Carolina; Mary L, mulatto, female, age 11 years, born in North Carolina; Lucy, mulatto, female, age 9 years, born in North Carolina; and Cornelia, mulatto, female, age 3 years, born in North Carolina.

By 1896 Henry was living in Georgia. A marriage record shows that he married Elizabeth Murphy in Colquitt County, Georgia on November 5, 1896.

Henry and Elizabeth had their first child, Hattie, on August 22, 1897 in Colquitt County, Georgia.

Unfortunately, I have yet to locate Henry and family on the 1900 US Census.

Between 1897 and 1910, Henry and Elizabeth had the following children:

Ann Jeanette “Nettie” on June 16, 1902

Pearl about 1906 (still searching for her information)

John Carson “Buck” on Jun 15, 1908

In 1910 the family is shown living in Precinct 8, Elmore County, Alabama (near Wetumpka). Henry, interestingly enough, is listed as John T Smith. He is male, white, age 38 years, married for 13 years, born in North Carolina, and a turpentine operator at a distillery. The other family members in the household: Eliza (Elizabeth), female, white, age 27 years, married 13 years, born in Georgia; Hattie, female, white, age 12 years, born in Georgia; Nettie, female, white, age 7 years, born in Georgia; Pearl, female, white, age 4 years, born in Georgia; and John, male, white, age 1 year, born in Georgia. An interesting note: Elizabeth is listed as having given birth to five children, of which four are still living.

The last (known) child, Henry Thomas Smith, Jr, was born to Henry and Elizabeth on April 9, 1913 in Wetumpka, Elmore County, Alabama.

There is only one known (to me) photograph of the entire family.(l-r) Elizabeth holding Henry Jr, Hattie, Nettie, Pearl, Buck, and Henry Sr. It is noted on the back that this photograph was taken in 1913 in Wetumpka, Alabama.

Not too long after this photograph was taken Henry Thomas Sr walked out and left his family. From what I understand, there may be at least one surviving letter that he wrote to his sons before he disappeared completely.

I know that Henry Sr ended up in California and remarried. However, his actual whereabouts were a mystery for me, until recently.

In 1936 Henry, who had started using Thomas as his first name, was arrested and sentenced to San Quentin. Without going into too much detail, his charge was “child stealing”. I do believe, though, he was just honestly trying to help a friend. What I know from the court records is that after he had been sentenced some information came to light that the woman he was attempting to help, her child (the one he was accused of stealing), and a handful of other friends of his had perjured themselves in court and placed all of the blame on him. Eventually the mother ended up under arrest and was sentenced to the Tehachapi Women’s Prison for her part in the whole kerfuffle.

What we learn from his intake card at San Quentin is that at the time he was 62 years of age, hazel eyes, brown and grey hair, with a medium dark complexion, and a mole on his left shoulder blade. He was 5’8, 148lbs, with a medium build. And apparently his teeth were in poor condition.

According to court records he had lived in and/or around the Sonoma and Lake Counties, California area for at least eight years prior to his arrest. During the summer months he would usually travel down to the Madera and Merced Counties, California area to work on a farm, usually picking cotton (which, for the record, I find hilarious that he left the Deep South to go to California and pick cotton). One obituary asserts that he had lived in the Merced area since 1926, which leads me to believe it is possible that he may have spent just a few months of the year in the Sonoma and Lake County areas during that time (as the “frie
nds” who spoke at his trial claimed to have known him since about 1926 or so).

At some point he married a woman by the first name of Nancy. I cannot find when or where this marriage happened, although for all I know it was common law.

Henry Thomas Smith, Sr died on May 10, 1951 in Merced County, California. The following obituaries were sent to me upon request:

Merced Sun Star, Merced, CA

May 12, 1951

Funeral Notice

Ivers & Alcorn Funeral Chapel

SMITH: In Merced May 10, 1951.

Thomas Henry Smith, husband of Nancy H. Smith. Friends are invited to attend funeral services Monday, May 14, 1951, at 2 p.m. at the Mission Chapel of the Ivers & Alcorn Funeral Home. Interment in the Plainsburg Cemetery

Merced Sun Star, Merced, CA

May 11, 1951, page 3.

Obituaries

Thomas Henry Smith

Thomas Henry Smith, 77, of Planada, died last night in a Merced hospital following a long illness.

He had lived in Planada for five months, having moved there from his home on Mariposa Way near Merced. He had lived in the Merced area since 1926. He leaves his widow, Nancy, of Planada.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Ivers & Alcorn Funeral Home.

So, that’s the life of Henry Thomas Smith, Sr. As far as I’ve found so far, that is. I look forward to finding out more, and hopefully I will be able to fill in some blanks here and there one day!

In Memory

My 2nd great-grandfather Isaac T Vincent

September 23, 1854 – December 31, 1921

My 2nd great-uncle Acra Archie Cathey

July 24, 1894 – December 31, 1944

Photo courtesy of Tracey M.

My mother-in-law Elaine Wallace Smith

November 14, 1941 – December 31, 2011

Elaine Wallace Smith

It’s been a year exactly since my mother-in-law Jessie Elaine Wallace passed away. I still remember the months before, the day, and the months following.

From my husband Brett:

One year ago today, the world lost a remarkable person. Elaine Wallace Smith may have lost her long battle with cancer, but she won at so many other things in life. Things that really mattered. Family. Friends. Dignity. Grace. A thirst for adventure and a desire to see what all this world has to offer. A great sense of humor and love of life. There is not a day that goes by that she is not thought about and truly missed.

I miss you and I love you Mom. Always.

Elaine Wallace Smith’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

This week I am posting Christmas recipes from my family. Enjoy!

My husband writes:

When I was a young, I loved Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. OK… to be honest, I still love them. Anyway, when my mother first tried this recipe out in the late 80’s- my mind was blown. It was like I had an entire pan full of Reese’s cups to myself! While I don’t know if these are actually “Christmas Treats”, my mother made sure that there was a pile of these in a silver tray on top of the Buffet in the dining room when the family sat down to dinner on Christmas Eve.

note: I didn’t have the exact recipe in front of me, so I had to use several I found online and tweak the recipe to work.

Ingredients:

1 cup graham crackers crumbs (fine)

1 cup Nilla wafer crumbs (fine)

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup melted butter

2 cups + 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix graham cracker and Nilla wafer crumbs, powdered sugar, 1 1/4 cups of the peanut butter, vanilla and melted butter in a bowl until well combined. Spread in an 8×8 glass dish. Chill. Place the rest of the peanut butter and the chocolate chips in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melting chips and and peanut butter together while stirring constantly. Once smooth immediately pour over the top of the peanut butter/graham mix and smooth out with a spatula. Chill well before cutting into squares.

What I Have Been Doing Lately

1. I had purchased several hundred photos on eBay that all turned out to be a family collection. After hunting around for a while I finally found the family to which they belong. I scanned roughly 70 of the photographs and mailed those off to the family on Tuesday. In the coming weeks I will scan the rest of them so I can get those mailed off, too. I am extremely happy that I found the family, and I am extremely happy that they are getting their precious heirlooms back. I had started a blog regarding the photos just in case I wasn’t able to find family. I will be keeping it going so you can check it out here.

2. My mom and I went up to Tennessee to visit with family again. After picking up Great-Aunt Kat we drove up to Clarksville to visit Grandmother and Granddaddy’s graves. Then we drove down to Hurricane Mills (our usual spot) and visited with Donny and Bobbie. We didn’t stay long because Bobbie wasn’t feeling well (luckily she is feeling much better now). While there we had decided that instead of buying Nan Nan’s fried pies from Cissie Lynn’s store, we would go to Nan Nan’s store and buy them directly from her. After driving out of our way (you can tell from the start of this that it ended badly) we got to the location only to find out that the location was moved. The sign (of which I wish I had taken a photo) gave the address of the new location and said to stop in and visit. So we drove even further out of the way. Come to find out the new location was the original location: the owner’s home. She (I assume Nan Nan, but it might just be named Nan Nan by using her grandmother’s recipe or something) was not pleased to see us. She seemed to be miffed that we pulled into her driveway. After telling us she didn’t really have many pies to sell I asked her if she took credit cards. No, she said, she didn’t even take them at the other location. By now I was angry. Their website (which is just their Facebook page from what I can tell) didn’t have the new address listed which caused the looooong drive. They also didn’t have payment options on the page, so I didn’t know I should have stopped for cash. But in the end, you know what? Her attitude ruined the entire thing anyway. Had she been more pleasant I may have considered driving out to an ATM and getting cash just to buy a fried pie. Will I ever purchase another Nan Nan’s Homemade Fried Pie again? Nope. (I just checked out the Facebook page, and they now have that they don’t accept credit cards and failed to use spell check…ok, that’s just me being bitter and mean)

3. A couple of weeks ago my mom and I got to meet new cousins who live here in Georgia: Valerie Craft and her mom Ruby! Valerie has the genealogy blog Begin With Craft, which is chock-full of great information and research tips. Due to the shared Craft surname we think that may be how we are related. Through DNA Valerie’s father matches up to Great-Aunt Kat an estimated 4th cousin. That means to find out how they are related we would need to go back to, at the very least, Prestly Ezekiel Craft’s father. I think it has been figured out that his name was John Craft (don’t hold me to that because I am not positive). Kat’s Craft family goes back:

Henry Corbit Craft (1895 TN-1971 TN)

John Craft (1859 TN-1936 TN)

Thomas Craft (abt 1810 NC-aft 1880 TN)

Prestly Ezekiel Craft (abt 1786 NC-btwn 1850 and 1860 TN)

Several people have that Prestly married his wife Mary Thaxton in Surry County, North Carolina. I guess I will have to look into that more.

4. My mom and I are getting ready for the Bondurant Family Association Annual Meeting next week. I’m pretty excited about it!

5. I recently applied to go back to school. I have thought about it for a while, and now with the imminent closing of the Georgia Archives to the public I decided to just do it! I applied to American Public University online school for history. Who knows, maybe I will eventually become an archivist!

6. In my genealogy research I am currently working on (ready for this? It’s like it is never-ending!):

-Who are Peter McQueen’s parents? It really is driving me crazy not knowing. The earliest I can find him is on an 1818 bill of sale for a slave named Daniel. Peter doesn’t appear on any census record (by name at least) until 1840, though.

-What happened to Spencer DeMumbrie? When and where did he die? Where is he buried? Why is he being difficult?

-Why am I unable to locate James Franklin Stalls’s grave in Oak Grove Cemetery in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky? His obituary says he is there, but there is no record of him as being buried there.

-Is the research I did on Brett’s Murphy family correct? It seems perfectly logical to me, but I was presented with something extremely different that is completely illogical to me.

-The Craft line (as mentioned above).

-The search for Eppy Willhite Craft’s death record. I will have to write a whole post for this fun headache. Let’s just say that no one is actually sure of her first name anymore, and her death cannot be found (and she had to have died unless she’s still alive at the ripe old age of about 150 years-old…which you never know, I guess).

-William Glenn Cathey: where are you buried exactly?

-Amanda Summers: when, where and how did you die and where are you buried? Oh, and who exactly is Lizzie’s father? Or do you not even know?

-And let’s just say many other research subjects, such as who are the parents of John B Smith? Where exactly was Elizabeth Brownlee from? Where is t
he Stalls family from? And many, many more questions.

I’m going to go watch movies now!

John B Smith

My husband’s 2nd great-grandfather John B Smith is, as my brother-in-law Bryan says, “a mystery surrounded by a riddle inside of an enigma”. And he is quite correct. There isn’t a lot of information about John B Smith, but maybe, just maybe, someone out there (a John B Smith descendent, perhaps?) will have a back bedroom full of information (fingers crossed!). I’m going to touch on a few points related to known information about him, but then I am going to touch on a few speculative points that may or may not be helpful in figuring out where this guy came from.

My husband’s relationship to John B Smith:

My husband

Ashley Berrell Smith (his father)

Henry Thomas Smith, Jr (his grandfather)

Henry Thomas Smith, Sr (his g-grandfather)

John B Smith (his gg-grandfather)

The first record that can be found for certain for John B Smith is his marriage record. On January 19, 1850 John B Smith married Harriett A Grant in Richmond County, North Carolina. The only other information given on the marriage bond is that the bondsman was DD Morrison. I really wish the bondsman could have been a Smith or a Grant!

I have searched and searched for John and Harriett on the 1850 census and I cannot find them anywhere. I have searched all through Richmond County, North Carolina and into Marlboro County, South Carolina. Unless my eyes are skipping over them I haven’t seen them. Yet! I’m still searching!

In 1860 I can find John B Smith on the census in Post Office Rockingham, Wolf Pit, Richmond County, North Carolina. Oddly, though, Harriett is not on the census record with him. John is listed as 35 years of age, male and mulatto (there is a reason for listing race, I promise). He is shown as having been born in North Carolina and was a person over the age of 20 years who could neither read nor write. He was a farmer, his real estate was worth $100 and his personal estate was worth $150. His children listed in the household are: Malcolm (age 10 years), Martha (age 8 years), Eugenia (age 6 years) and Randolph (age 2 years). There is another Smith family on this page consisting of father William, mother Elizabeth and children: Isabella, Penelope, Elbert, Jane and Amanda. This family is also listed as mulatto, so I wonder if William is possibly a brother to John B…or even an uncle, cousin, etc?

interesting side note: Malcolm is Malcolm Randolph Smith and Randolph is Charles Randolph Smith.

In 1870 the family is still living in Post Office Rockingham, Wolf Pit, Richmond County, North Carolina. John B Smith is listed as such, age 48 years and white. He is still a farmer with a real estate value of $100 and a personal estate value of $100. Harriett does appear on this census (though I sure would love to know where she was in 1850 and 1860), age 36 years, white and born in North Carolina. Her occupation is listed as “keeping house”, and it appears that she was able to read and write. The children in the household are: Eugenia (at home, age 16 years), Randolph (farm laborer, age 13 years), Gilbert (farm laborer, age 11 years), John (age 6 years) and Mary L (age 10 months). On this page there are two other smith families listed. The first, just above John B and family, is his son Malcolm and family: wife Mary and son Joseph. The second is listed just below: a 56-year-old Lucy Smith living with Lucy Stephens and John Smith. If the second family is related I do not know how (though it is possible that Lucy is a sister-in-law, perhaps? or not related at all, I suppose). And interesting thing to note here is that Malcolm’s family is listed as mulatto, even though his father’s family is not.

Once again John B Smith and family are found in 1880 living in Wolf Pit Township, Richmond County, North Carolina. John B is listed as such, age 56 years and mulatto (again). He is a farmer and the value of real estate and personal estate is not asked about on this census year. This does tell us that not only was he born in North Carolina, but both his mother and father were also born in North Carolina. Harriett (listed as Harriet) is shown as age 49 years and also mulatto. Her occupation is shown as housekeeping (house wife), states that she was born in North Carolina; and both of her parents were also born in North Carolina. The children listed in the household are: Randolph (laborer, age 21 years), Gilbert (age 19 years), Mary L (age 11 years), Lucy (age 9 years), Henry (my husband’s g-grandfather, age 7 years) and Cornelia (age 3 years). All of the children are also listed as mulatto. The only other Smith family listed right around John B’s is, once again, his son Malcolm. Malcolm’s family consists of himself and: wife Mary and children Joseph, Sarah, Hudson and Charlie, also all listed as mulatto.

These are all of the records that I am able to find on John B Smith. Now for the fun stuff (the speculative stuff!):

Ok, we do not know who the parents of John B Smith are, but if that could be answered it would be fantastic. Assuming that he was mulatto (whether that is mulatto from Freed People of Color or mulatto from Native American, I don’t know) then the first thing I would look for is other mulatto families in the area old enough to be his parents. Well, I did that and I found an Ellen Smith, age 40 years, in Marlboro County, South Carolina (which butts up against Richmond County, North Carolina) who is mulatto. But her husband is only 35 years of age. Which means that if she were to be John B’s mother her husband wouldn’t be old enough to be the father. So scratch that. And except for a 32-year-old Neill Smith listed as mulatto in Moore County, North Carolina, I cannot find any others in the area, but there are plenty of mulatto Smith families across the state.

Now, the other thing to keep in mind is that Harriett is also listed as mulatto in the 1880 census. It is assumed (probably correctly) that Harriett’s parents are Malachi and Penelope Grant, who in 1810 Malachi is listed as white, in 1820 listed as white, in 1830 listed as white, in 1840 listed as Free Persons of Color, in 1850 listed as mulatto and in 1860 listed as white. The only problem that I can see with Malachi and Penelope being her parents is that they were both born in South Carolina and the 1880 census shows Harriett’s parents having been born in North Carolina. Of course, amusingly enough there was a John and Penelope Grant in Wolf Pit at the same time, and about the same age as Malachi and Penelope, with John having been born in South Carolina and Penelope having been born in North Carolina, and they are also listed as mulatto.

Pretty much I am at a loss on going back further in the Smith and Grant lines. I don’t know when John B Smith, or Harriett for that matter, died or where they are buried. But maybe someone out there will have the information we are looking for in order to figure out who John B Smith’s parents are! I’m still shuffling through Civil War records, other war pensions and census records, wills and online Bible records trying to find something, anything, that will help with the research.

If you are a descendent of John B Smith and Harriett Lou Grant of Wolf Pit, Richmond County, North Carolina then pop on over to Facebook and join the John B. Smith Descendants group. You can share photos and stories and get to know your cousins!