Thursday, June 24, 2010

Thomas Jefferson Smith


Thomas Jefferson Smith was born in Genesse County, New York May 10, 1832 to Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Covel Smith. When he was 14 years old he left home to work on the Erie Canal. A little later he engaged in "running rafts" down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers to the Mississippi. He was promoted to pilot of these rafts until the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1856 he married Caroline Cadey of New York, she died seven years later, leaving her only child Flora Smith. In April 1861 he signed up for the New York Regiment for 3 months, and then on November 14, re-entered the service in Company K,49th N.Y. for three years. He was mustered out of the of the service in Washington D.C. on account of wounds in 1863. In 1864, at Berlin, Wisconsin he was married to Persis French. They had six children Effie Smith who married Charles P. Evans, Caroline Smith who is married to R. Frank Carley, Mary Smith who married Clyne, Noami Smith who was married twice to a William Plummer and then a Louis Hintz, Frank Thomas Smith who was married to Agnes K. Ellenwood and then to Getrude L. Keeler, and Hattie Smith who was married to a Napoleon Harriman and then to George Biller.

Thomas and Persis lived in central and southern Wisconsin all there married life, living 20 years in Steven's Point, Wisconsin. Thomas died when he was struck by a rail car. He had been sick most of the winter and his obituary reads that he was in a feeble condition, having week vision and poor hearing.

Thomas was "a man of good principles and high standing; a loving husband and father, and generous to a fault". He died on Monday May 20, 1901, just ten days after he turned 69 years old. His funeral was at the family home 753 Patch Street on Friday May 24, 1901, with Reverend N.F. Clark officiating. Those of his family in attendance were his sister Elizabeth Phelps of Berlin, Wisconsin.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother Benjamin Cyrenius Smith. Other siblings that I have been able to find are Hannah Smith b. 1821, Louisa Smith b. 1833, Joshua Smith b.1836, Hugh Smith b. 1839, and the above mentioned Elizabeth Smith b. 1842.

Resources that I have used to do research on this family have been the United States Census records for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900. I also have used numerous accounts listed int he Stevens Point Daily Journal, and the Stevens Point Journal. I have also had information on Benjamin Smith and Thomas Jefferson Smith Sr. given to me from the Juneau County Historical Society, in Mausten, Wisconsin.

The newspapers have been the most beneficial in helping to piece together family relations as the newspaper was known to write down all the comings and goings in town. Who was visiting from where and who they were going to see. how long the stayed in town and if they had a wonderful time. Small town newspapers are a great resource of information.

Thomas Jefferson Smith is my great-great grandfather on my father's mother's line.
The above picture is of Mrs. Thomas Jefferson, her daughter in law Agnes Ellenwood Smith and my grandfather, Frank T. Smith and one of his daughters in 1911 near Insmont, Colorado.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Gertrude Lucille Keeler Smith


Great Grandma Smith is how I knew her, I really am not sure what other people called my great grandma. Did they call her Gertrude, I can't imagine that they called her Trudy since that was what they called her daughter. Anyway, she was born on 12 Dec 1894 in Geneva, Nebraska to Frank Augusta Keeler and Mary Russell. She has two older siblings Florence Roselin and Arthur Irvin Keeler. When she was a young girl she contracted tuberculosis, they did not think she would live to be 16, but she did. She married a man quite a bit older than herself,18 years older, a widower Frank Thomas Smith. They married in Denver, Colorado on 15 October 1915. He had six children from his first marriage and Gertrude was just shy of 2 years older than Thomas' oldest son Plase. There are differing stories that descendants of the oldest children given, such as, the children were sent to live with relatives; which are supported by geographical and census information. I am not sure what the complete stories are about the relationships of the older Smith children and Gertrude; I do know that she had a relationship with the youngest of the children Sidney Smith.

I first met my great grandmother when I was twelve in 1984. She lived in a very nice trailer in Canon City, Colorado. She had been widowed or divorced from her second husband Clarence, I think his last name was Smith too. Anyway, my grandmother collected Hummels. She had lots of them. She also liked to crotchet. I love that my grandmother was very independent. She had three children he first son Kenneth died at birth, my granmother Gertrude Louise Smith, and her last son Frank K. Smith. She was very proud of her children and my grandmother, although she complained about it loved taking care of my great grandmother from five trailers down. Gertrude lived by herself until just a few weeks before she passed away. I loved talking to her because she had lots of stories to tell, but she would also listen to my stories. She was willing to let you sit in silence too. She loved her children and she was pretty feisty. At her petite size and advanced age she would still let you know who was boss and when you were not being respectful. She did not make me it the oysters in the oyster soup, she would feed me. She always had a Boston Terrier dog. She was a lovely lady. I cherish the relationship I had with her. She died my freshman year of college, during finals week. but I remember going to visit her in the hospital and I remember her asking my grandma Trudy, her daughter, to pluck the hairs from her chin. At 19, I thought that was silly that this sickly little old lady would be worried about the hairs on her chin; now I don't think it is such a silly request. She is the reason I started doing genealogy research. I wanted to know who her family was and where we all come from and how we meshed together. She use to say to me, "You're the girl who doesn't drink or smoke, keep it that way, you are a nice girl." She died on 13 May 1991 in Canon City, Colorado and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.
Do you know my Great Grandmother, what stories does you family have of her, good or bad I'd love to hear or read them.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Telling Their Stories

So I have a big bag full of family history documents and newspaper articles. I have used them to help research my family back a little bit, and I am still adding to the bag of paper. So I had a thought today that I would start a blog that would have stories of my ancestors and that some of my distant cousins could add their stories in the comments. So let's give it a try. I'll start later with some of my first stories. Welcome to the blog.