The Puzzle of Darcus Smith

I love it when I run across an unusual name. The James, Williams, and Johns hide all their clues among thousands of other James, Williams and Johns in the databases. But when you have a name like Darcas you tend to stick out more! So this week I was researching Darcus Smith.

I was looking at her because Joseph and Mary Ann (Best) Smith had a daughter named Darcus. (the Joseph who we now know is connected to our James Smith through DNA…) Then I found a marriage license for a Darcus Smith and Jacob Best in Warren County but it was long before Joseph’s Darcus was born. So I could not help but wonder who this woman was. Ironically the last name “Best” stuck out like a flashing neon sign since Mary Ann, Joseph’s 1^st wife was a Best. The daughter, Darcus, was Mary Ann’s and Joseph’s 2^nd daughter. Could this be Mary Ann’s Mother? A Grandmother?

I had posted a message on ancestry.com about the marriage of Jacob Best and Dorcus Smith. And sure enough a response came back the next day.  She was the 2^nd wife of James Smith, was the response. The James Smith’s who was the first person buried in Smith Cemetery ! “Really” , I thought.  How could I have forgotten that! I was the person who entered the data for the Smiths in Smith Cemetery in Benton County a few years back but I do not remember entering a Dorcus Smith.

I spent several years looking at the Benton County Smith data but was unable to connect my James to it. I have several old blogs about them. I had totally ruled out any connection between my James and the Smith’s of Benton County! Several other Smith researchers and I have wrestled with this information through the years and remain in contact…(though I need to touch base with them because it has been quite a while since we talked! ) We have all freely shared what we know. I have saved the correspondences in my email, so it was time to review what they had shared with me. There she was, plain as day, among the notes of other researchers. Darcus or Dorcus Williams was the 2^nd wife of James Smith, the elder James Smith who came from Darke County, Ohio to Warren County, Indiana. Parts of Warren County would later become Benton County, Indiana! James and his second wife, Darcus, had four children; Joseph, Benjamin, Justice and Elizabeth…I’ll be darned…There is the Uncle Justice too! He is the guardian referred to in Francis Marion’s guardianship papers. I was able to find Darcus Best and Jacob in the 1850 Federal Census and “Justin” Smith is 16 and living with them. Next door to them are the families of Thomas Smith, William Smith and James Smith Jr.

Well, I’ll be darned! Of course she isn’t buried in the Smith Cemetery as Darcus Smith because she is Darcus Best! She and Jacob are both buried there. The “Needles in the Haystack” were right there for me to find if I just got them sorted out right.

There is still quite a lot for me to find out. I still do not know for sure how or where my James Smith fits into this family but with the DNA results, there is no doubt that he does!

So as it always is when doing this kind of research, the answer for one questions always leads to another new question. Was Mary Ann Best somehow related to Jacob and his family? Was my James a brother to Joseph or a cousin? The search continues …

Happy Hunting,

Jan

#52ancestors

 

Annual Fall Road Trip…

My granddaughter Elizabeth Mae Tietz was born on October 13, 1999. Mid October has become a special time for me. Time for me to visit my Granddaughter no matter where she lives at the time. When I worked I always took a few days off for a road trip. I love fall! I LOVE the colorful leaves, the crisp morning and evening air and a new crop of apples! There is an aroma in the air on a prefect Indian summer day that reminds me of heaven. I know it instantly and I want it to last for ever. I close my eyes and bask in the warmth of the sun and take very deep breaths of this wonderful aroma. I do not know if it is the smell of leaves as they die or just the changing seasons but it is an aroma that only happens on a perfect fall day.

My road trips to see Elizabeth are always that perfect fall day. In 1999 when she was born, I lived in Chicago and she lived in Capac, Michigan. When the day arrived for Grandma’s first visit to see her Granddaughter, I decided to take the long way to Capac by way of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Yes….. I know what you are thinking! It only made sense to me!  I left first thing Friday morning figuring I would have a few hours to check out a cemetery or two. All too often my travels involve side trips to cemeteries

I love cemeteries, I always have. I remember as a school girl, I would ride my bike to a small country cemetery down the road from our house. This was a very old cemetery and I visited it often. As I read the names and dates on the tombstones, I would make up stories in my head about the people in the cemetery. Some of my stories were about rich people, some were about poor people, some were old people and some were about very young people. I always pondered why they died and how they had lived.

I had moved to the Chicago area in 1994 from Phoenix. I started my genealogy journey in 1996 after the death of my father. At this time in my genealogy research, I was still working off of information that my Grandfather had told me when I was a teenager. He said “I am from Roanoke, Indiana. “

When I was eleven, we took a family vacation around Lake Michigan. We drove thru the Upper Peninsula, into Wisconsin, down thru Chicago and back around the bottom of the lake thru Northern Indiana. While in Northern Indiana, we were stuck in a traffic jam …. in a station wagon….. with no air conditioning….. on a hot summer day!  Northern Indiana, in 1966, had lots of factories and refineries and the unregulated pollution that went along with them.  I remember sitting in the back of the station wagon with the back window open, with an awful headache smelling stinky pollution and wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to live in Indiana. SO when Grandpa told me a year or two later that he was from Indiana, I could hardly believe it but my next thought was…. I can understand why you left!

Okay, so I digressed a bit but I thought some of this background information might interest you!

For my first visit to meet my Granddaughter in 1999, I took the “long route” by way of US Highway 30 through northern Indiana from the south east suburbs of Chicago to Fort Wayne. My Dad often favored the “long route” . That is where I get this from. The fall leaves were beautiful. The sun was shining and I traveled the whole distance with the window rolled down absorbing every second of the fall ride. My first stop was at the Methodist church at Nine Mile, Indiana. I had received information from the Wells County Library and the Huntington County Library that my Smiths had lived nearby. They also reported that James Smith and some of the children maybe buried in the cemetery at this church.

I found a section of the cemetery in the northwest corner which had the oldest stones. There was a pile of broken stone pieces stacked on a base. When I moved them, I was thrilled to discover that they were the Smith stones I was searching for.

All these pieces are actually one stone. The church burial records which I would later obtain from a cemetery trustee would show that James, Charles, Kisiah and a baby name Barberry are all buried in this plot. Also listed on this stone is James’s wife Susannah but the church has no record of her being buried here.

James Smith died on March 24, 1868. Charles Smith died in 1863. I believe he died while serving in the Civil War. I have been unable to obtain his records but there is a Charles Smith listed as killed from Indiana in 1863. I will continue to work to verifying this information. I believe that the loss of Charles was a contributing factor to the enlistment of Charles brother’s James W. Smith (my GGGrandfather) and Joseph J. Smith in 1864. Kisiah died in 1861. She was 19 years old. I do not why she died or the exact date which will make it difficult to obtain a death record. Barberry died as an infant and no date is listed. To date I do not know when Susannah died either. She was alive and counted in the 1870 census after the death of James but I do not find her in the 1880 Census ten years later.  She continues to be a needle in my haystack.

Many years later I had this stone fixed by Mark Davis from Stone Savers Cemetery Restoration in Indiana. The stone was so damaged that Susannah’s name is no longer visible. Some day I hope to replace it with a new stone so others family members who come looking for it after I am gone can find it.

The remaining Smiths’ buried in the Nine Mile Cemetery are in the plot to the south of this worn base stone. I noticed this stone that day but I did not record it. I noticed it because the stone looks like it is growing out of a tree. I thought to myself, “what a shame”. A tree has grown in that woman’s grave. I read the name on the stone but thought nothing of it. After returning home and obtaining burial records from the trustee of the cemetery, I realized that Mary Ann Kimble and her daughter Susanna, who are buried in this grave are the daughter and grandaughter of James and Susannah Smith. I have made many visits to this cemetery and will likely return many times more.

My fall road trip continued as I made my way to Capac. I was now equipped with pictures and lots of new information for researching my Smith ancestors. Now I get to meet our newest descendant…Elizabeth Mae Tietz.

This is my mother, Leah Smith, who I took with me to meet Elizabeth that weekend. She was thrilled to meet and hold her Great Granddaughter and so was I!  I have had many October road trips to see my Granddaughter on or near her birthday.  She now lives in southern Ohio and that just happens where our Smith/ Overly family originates from around 1800.  She will be twenty one this year and as long as Corona Virus allows it, I’ll be going on another fall road trip and…. will likely visit a cemetery and maybe a quilt shop or two…my other hobby!

Happy Hunting,

Jan

#52ancestors52weeks

 

This is a repeat of a blog that I wrote and published on a different site. It especially fit the bill for Week 24’s category of “Handed Down” It was initally called “A surprise..” because it was! I hope you enjoy it!

A surprise in the mail…

Last week I got an email from my cousin in Traverse City, Michigan. She informed me that she had dropped a little surprise in the mail to me so I should keep my eye out for it!

Low and behold, a few days later I got this small box. So I opened it and this is what I found!

I’ve had only a small amount of time to research this week to see if I could find out more about this item. It appears to be a paper weight which commemorates the dedication of the ME Uniondale Church in Indiana. Today this church is the United Methodist Church of Uniondale and is still operating. Back in 1917, it was my great, great grandparent’s church, John and Emma Crites. It also shows the original church built in 1888. It is an interesting piece of our family history which has been kept for five generation now.

My cousin, Helen Jane Wilson, said that she is slowly going through her mother’s china cabinet and deciding what to do with the family items which have been kept for all these years. She told me that since I had done such a good job of uncovering who our family really was and where we came from, that she thought I might enjoy having this on my desk! And I do! It gave me goose bumps when I opened it, wondering how many family members had handled it before me…and who exactly kept it as a treasure before Uncle Fred and Aunt Hazel did! It was likely Cora Crites Smith and before that, Emma herself.

It’s a piece of our family history which I can touch everyday! Now, it is time to clean my desk up a bit so I have a place to put it.  I am sure that all of you can relate to the condition of my desk.  There are always papers, photos and old documents which represent my current mystery as I research my next family story.  Everyday there is a new fact to be found and a new story to uncover.

With that in mind this paperweight now presents me with a new mystery! I did spend some time discovering more about the company who made this paperweight. It’s the Keystone Badge Company which is still in business today in Reading, Pennsylvania. It makes many types of items for commemorating historical or milestone events.

A couple of years later I went to Uniondale to try to find John and Emma house. I found it…and that story is for a different blog. While we were in town we visited a local Antique shop. In the shop was a large panoramic photo with lots of people in it. An old photo which was not for sale but was simply on display. It did not take me long to recognize the church which is standing right down the street, visible if you stepped out the door and looked to the east. They were obviously commemorating an important event with this photo. Soon it became obvious to me why I was there that day.

 

I had to break the photo into three parts to get it all. and honestly in my excitement…I really did not do a very good job of it. I need to go back with today’s technology and try it again.

And in the front just behind the small children stands my Great Great Grandmother, Emma Crites, and her daughter Dessie and her granddaughter Velma! I have not located John Henry Crites. I need to get out a magnifying glass. I am fairly certain that her daughter Cora, who is my Great Grandmother and her husband Alvin are in the photo too.  My Grandfather Everett and Uncle Fred are probably in here as well.

The more I looked at this photo, I decided that it had to have been taken on the day of the dedication of the new bigger brick church in 1917.  I sure wish I could identify the people in this photo. This is am amazing piece of local history.  It really should be in the hands of the church.  If  you could get a list of the church membership in 1917 and work with local historians, maybe you could identify some of the people. It’s a pipe dream I know but I would still love to try.

So my “handed down item” lead me to this. I am overdue for a visit to the area for some research.

Happy Hunting,

Jan

 

#52Ancestors

For me it was kinda interesting watching this blog unfold.  Some days I know exactly what I will write and other times I don’t.  I have been trying to make myself “back off” and not writing such long blogs because “times”, they are so busy! It’s summer. We are putting my garden in, working on flower beds for two homes, our residence and a rental that we own and we’ll be leaving for our Annual Camping trip in a few days.

The Topic is Wedding  for Week 23( I am a bit behind)…I had been thinking about starting an additional Blog on Wednesday to talk about Weddings…or Monday to share Marriages records…but just don’t know if I have enough data for that topic…I know I have enough marriage records but is there enough to write a whole blog post since often I cover the same information on my Tombstone Tuesday .  I am still undecided.

So I started this Wedding blog with my parent’s wedding which made for an easy place to starand then backed up four Generation to each of my parent’s 2 time Great Grandparents.  I was pleasantly surprised how many photos I had of all these couples and had most of the dates of their marriage. (Didn’t I just say something about trying to write shorter blogs… This is just what happens to me when a story needs to be told.)

Harold and Leah  Smith

Harold and Leah were married on May 27, 1950.  It was held in Marine City Methodist Church.  Rev. Everett A Smith officiated over the wedding.

A pretty detailed description of the wedding in the announcement from the newspaper saved by my mother, Leah.

Leah’s Parents – Andrew Anderson and Addie Densmore

Andrew and Addie were married in Canada on December 9, 1909. Addie and Andrew met when Addie delivered milk to the Gus Englehart home where Andrew lived when he was not sailing. They spent their first year of marriage living and working on the Great Lakes Steamer Geo King. Their first winter, they were held up in the Chicago Harbor “keeping ship”. You can see from the photo that they got their wedding photo taken at 602 W 18th Street in Chicago.  Addie took a job as the ship cook. They eventually settled in Marine City Michigan when Addie became pregnant with their first child.

Harold’s Parents – Everett A Smith and Lillian V. Losee

Everett and Lillian were married in Flint on August 28, 1923. They settled in Burton, Michigan on Term Street. They met at a Church Revival Meeting held under a big tent. On the marriage application, Everett indicates that he is a “Battery Man” who sells batteries for automobiles to the auto industry. He continued to worked for the auto industry early in their marriage but sometime during the depression, Everett decided to attend the seminary after hearing ” God call his name”. In 1932, he had become an ordained minister for the Methodist Church.

Leah’s Densmore Grandparents – Charles Densmore and Mary Morgan Hayner

Charles Densmore and Mary Morgan Hayner were married on March 27, 1890 in Port Lambton, Ontario.

 

Leah’s Anderson Grandparents – Hans Henrik Andersen and Ingeborg Helene Jacobsdatter

Hans Henrik and Ingeborg Helene (Jacobsdatter) Andersen were married in on February 7, 1882. This is their wedding photo and the only photo we have of this couple.

Harold’s Smith Grandparents – Alvin Oliver Smith and Cora Mae Crites

 

Alvin and Cora (Crites) Smith

Were married December 24, 1892 in Uniondale, Wells County, Indiana,  It took place at the home of Cora’s parents.  Indiana has not made digital copies of marriage records available but the transcription are in the Indiana Marriage record database.

Harold’s Losee Grandparents – George Stephan Losee and Mae Eveleen Boyer

This is Mae’s Boyer’s photo taken for her wedding. I have no photo of the couple. George Losee and Mae Boyer were married on October 29, 1902 in Clio, Genesee County, Michigan where they lived. Mae died twelve short years later at the age of thirty.

Leah’s Hansen Great Grandparents – Andres Hansen and Olava Hansdatter

Andres and Olava were married on the island of Tjome on January 4, 1859. Andres was a sailor/fisherman. He drowned in 1869. Olava remarried Nils Jorgansen in February 28, 1875

Leah’s Carlsen Great Grandparents – Jacob Carlsen and Helvig Marie Kristensdatter

Jacob and Helvig were married on April 17, 1847 on the island of Tjome, Norway.

Leah’s Densmore Great Grandparents – John Densmore and Sarah Louise Reynolds

 

John Densmore Jr and Sarah Louise Reynolds were married in Darlington, Durham County, Ontario on June 16, 1856.

Leah’s Hayner Great Grandparents – Robert Wesley Hayner and Dorothy Ann Morgan

 

Robert Wesley Hayner and Dorothy Ann Morgan were married on December 30, 1862 in Grimsby, Ontario in a Wesleyan Methodist Church by Reverend Shaw.

 

Harold’s Boyer Great Grandparents – Austin Boyer and Mary Florence White

Austin Levi Boyer and Mary Florence White were married on October 14, 1882 in Thetford, Michigan. This is a second marriage for Austin Boyer. His first wife was Eunice Washborn. That marriage ended in divorce.

Harold’s Losee Great Grandparents – Newton Losee and Nellie Best.

 

Newton Losee and Nellie Best were married on August 26, 1877 in Genesee, Michigan.

Harold’s Smith Great Grandparents – James W Smith and Oella Denney

James W. Smith and Oella Denney who were married in Allen Allen County, Indiana on March 18, 1869.

Harold’s Crites Great Grandparents – John Henry Crites and Amanda McGoogan

John and Emma were married in Zanesville, Allen County , Indiana in 1873.

 

Leah’s Densmore 2X Great Grand Parents – John C Denmore and Clarissa Blake

John C. Densmore and Clarissa Blake were married May 6, 1835 in Darlington , Ontario

Leah’s Reynolds 2X  Great Grandparents – George Reynolds and Margaret Rebecca Luke

George Reynolds and Margaret Rebecca Luke were married July 24, 1836.

Leah’s Hainer /Hayner 2X Great Grandparents – Henry Hainer and Nancy Schram

Henry Hainer and Nancy Schram were married about 1837-1838 but due to the loss of many historical records the exact date is not known. It is a second marriage for Nancy after the death of her first husband, John Patterson. The Patterson children seemed to take the Hainer name.

Leah’s Morgan 2X Great Grandparents – David Morgan and Charlotte Fox

David Morgan married Charlotte Fox in Canada prior to the birth of Dorothy Ann Morgan in November of 1841.

Harold’s Smith 2X Great Grandparents – James Smith and Susanna Overly

James Smith and Susanna Overly were married in Darke County, Ohio on December 9, 1830

Harold’s Crites  2X Great Grandparents – Jesse Crites and Elizabeth Myers

Jesse Crites and Elizabeth Myers were married in Tuscarwas County, Ohio in February of 1849

Harold’s Denney 2X  Great Grandparents – Walter Denney and Mary Nancy Young

Walter Denney and Mary N. Young were married April 27, 1842 in Jefferson County, Ohio

Harold’s McGoogan 2X Great Grandparents – William McGoogan and Hannah Robart

William McGoogan and Hannah Robart were married on August 18, 1853 in Allen County, Indiana.

So much for a shorter blog!   I love that I can put a face to some of these thousands of names in my tree.  I wish I could share this with my parents but I am thrilled that I can share it with my children and grandchildren.

Happy Hunting,

Jan

#52Ancestorsin52Weeks

Alvin and Cora (Crites) Smith are my Great Grandparents. They were born and raise near Fort Wayne, Indiana in a small farm community called Nine Mile, Indiana. All their family members lived near them.

Alvin and Cora remained in Indiana until sometime in late 1919. Grandpa Everett told me that he graduated from High School in Roanoke. I do not know exactly how old boys were when they completed their schooling back then. I am assuming 16 or so which would have made it around 1920. He had a post card picture of the Roanoke High School in the dusty old box of pictures. I’ve been told that Uncle Fred, James Fredrick, Grandpa younger brother finished his school in Flint, Michigan.

Sometime between 1919 and 1920, Alvin must have gotten restless. There was a lot of talk about the new Automotive Industry as it began to really take off. He must have decided that he wanted to do a different line of work. He was working with a dairy farmer in Indiana delivering milk …..

Listen in as Alvin talks to Cora….

“They say the work is really stable.”

“I can make more money and would not have to work so hard.”

“It will be better for the boys.”

“They will be able to work there too when they are done with school.”

“We will have a bright future to look forward too.”

“It is not that far from Indiana.”

“We’ll be able to get our own car.”

“We can drive to Indiana to see our family when ever we want.”

Can’t you just hear him trying to convince Cora to leave all of her family in Indiana and move 195 mile away to the small town of Burton, Michigan, just outside of Flint.  Flint  Michigan was the location of a flourishing Buick plant with many new jobs.

Alvin convinced her so they moved. All their household belongings were loaded into a rail car including the Smith cow and the dairy equipment that Alvin owned.  As he told Cora, “We’ll take the cow and the Dairy equipment just in case the “Automotive Thing does not work out.” Alvin and James Fredrick rode in the rail car to the Flint area with the belongs and the cow while Everett and Cora rode to Burton in a motor car.

Not only did the Automotive thing work out, it brought about radical changes to society and the industrial revolution.  Alvin’s brother, Frank , followed them to Flint and he is found living with Alvin on Term street in Burton in the 1920 Federal Census. Frank Smith later brought his family from Indiana to the Burton area after he was also able to get employment at Buick.  Working at Buick/ GM became a bit of a family tradition.

Frank retired after more than 30 years of working at the Flint plant. Frank’s son, James W Smith worked at Buick for 35 years and so did his son, Lawrence F. Smith. Eventually Buick became a part of General Motors and James W. Smith, Frank’s son, transferred to a GM plant in the Fort Wayne area of Indiana which is also the location where his son Lawrence worked before he retired.

In 1925, tragically, Alvin died of a heart attack while working on the factory line at Buick # 3 according to his obituary. One of the first deaths recorded at the Flint Plant. Cora, and her son, Everett and James Fredrick (Fred) remained in the Flint area. Uncle Fred started worked at Buick right after he graduated from high school and worked his entire career  there.  He and his wife Hazel lived in the home build by his Mother and Dad on Term street all his life. He and Hazel raised two daughters, Louise and Helen Jane. This true family story came to me through my cousin, Helen Jane.

I am certain that this decision was as “uncertain” for my ancestors as it is right now with Coronavirus, racial inequality, unemployment, business failures, our broken medical system and a government that is in shambles.  We are Americans!  We need to vote and we need to come together as we have done in the past to fix the wrongs permanently and learn to live in our new reality.

Happy Hunting,

Jan

#52Ancestorsin52Weeks