The Mystery...

Was Robert Cade Smith Born February 1, 1821 or 1826?  

Was Anne Porter his Mother?  Who did she marry and when (after Robert's Father died...Divorce?)

Where were Robert Cade and Jane Ann “Jencie” Newman Married?

When and Where did he die?

Where is he buried?  Is it marked with a large sandstone with his name inscribed?

Did he die from a stroke or “lead poisoning?”

What Do (We Think) We Know? Overview.

Robert Cade Smith

February 1, 1821

Born in Ohio.  Perhaps Portsmouth.

Only known parent Anne Porter, living with him in 1870 Census.

Birthdate per Scrap of Paper "Family Record"

Birthdate per 1865 Census 40 and not over 50.  If he was born in 1826, he would have been in the 30 and not over 40 age bracket.

Birthdate per 1870 Census 40.

Birthdate per 1880 Census 59.  Aged 19 years between Census!

Birthplace, Ohio.

1870 Census Ohio.

1880 Census Virginia.  Appears to be transposed with Jane, she is listed as Ohio.

Ira Newman Death Certificate (July 9, 1915) Birthplace of Father, Ohio.

Jane Ann (Newman) Smith (August 6, 1915) listed name of Father [sic] as Robert Smith, Birthplace, Ohio.

Flora A (Smith) Brock (November 27, 1941) Birthplace of Father, West Virginia.

September 18, 1855

Marriage to Jane Ann "Jencie" Newman per Scrap of Paper "Family Record"

No other record found.

Jane Ann was listed as Jincy A, 14 years old, Born Virginia, in 1850 Census, Wayne County, Virginia, living with her father, Greenville Newman and family.

Jane was Not listed in 1860 Census, Wayne County, Virginia for Greenville Newman and family, indicating she may have been married and moved on with Robert Cade Smith.

Residences:

March 30, 1857 

Champaign, Illinois, (Birth of Henrietta Smith) per Family Oral History and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).

March 13, 1861  

Illinois, (Birth of Susan Madora Smith) per 1870 and 1880 Census and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).

April 10, 1863

Illinois, (Birth of Ira Newman Smith) per 1870, 1880, 1910 Census, Death Certificate and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).

1865

Illinois, per 1865 Illinois State Census.

February 26, 1869

Ohio, (Birth of Uriah Robert Smith)  per 1870, 1880, 1910, 1920, 1930 Census and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).

June 21, 1870

Union, Lawrence County, Ohio per 1870 Census.

May 17, 1871

Catlettsburg, Boyd County, Kentucky, (Birth of Andrew Perry Smith) per 1871 Assessment Record, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920,1930, 1940 Census, Family Oral History and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).

October 20, 1873

West Virginia, (Birth of Flora A (Smith) Brock) per 1880, 1910 and 1930 Census and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).  Her Death Certificate lists Birthplace as Catlettsburg, Kentucky.

July 20, 1877

Arkansas, (Birth of Archibald Greenville Smith) per 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 Census, Family Oral History and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).  His Death Certificate lists Birthplace as Tennessee.

19 Jun 1880

Marrs Hill, Washington County, Arkansas per 1880 Census.

April 11, 1888

Death in Crawford County, Arkansas per Family Oral History and Scrap of Paper "Family Record" (date only).  Death Location and Burial Location Unknown.  Family Oral History states Burial South and West of Mountainburg.

More Cousin Information

Per email from Cousin dated March 12, 2012, relating a conversation with Rae Smith, "I asked her about Robert Cade Smith.  She said that he rode over the mountain from West Fork to Mountainburg on business and died from a stroke.  He was buried before the family was even notified of his death.  She said she had never found his grave."

Hired Local Genealogy Researcher for Cattletsburg, Kentucky

Found a local genealogy researcher to look for Robert Cade Smith in Catlettsburg, Boyd County, Kentucky, Cabell County, West Virginia and Lawrence County, Ohio.  Why?  Boyd and Cabell Counties border Lawrence County Ohio, where we found Robert Cade Smith in 1870.  Also, Catlettsburg, Boyd County, Kentucky was listed as where Ira Newman Smith and Andrew Perry Smith were born (per typewritten "Smith Family History", dated February 27, 1977. 

Success!  The researcher found a Boyd County, Kentucky Tax Assessor Record for 1871.

Lists "Smith, Robert C "

I think this is Robert Cade Smith!

It lists 1 White Male Over 21 years old (Robert Cade Smith), and 2 Children Between 6 and 29 years old (Susan Madora Smith, would have been 10 years old and Ira Newman Smith, would have been 8 years old at that time).  Apparently wives were not counted and children under 6 (Andrew Perry Smith) were not enumerated, either!

More Cousin Help!

I received more help in the form of more Family Oral History related about Robert Cade Smith, typewritten by one of his Grandchildren in 1985, Rae Smith, Daughter of Andrew Perry Smith and Flora Gertrude Gilbreath as told by another Grandchild, Effie [Smith] Hays, Daughter of Ira Newman Smith and Francis Mandanie Clark, from information she received from Murat [Smith] in 1964.

So, my extrapolation of this information is:

Murat [Smith] (1901-1982) [Son of Andrew Perry Smith and Flora Gertrude (Gilbreath) Smith] believed:

Robert Cade Smith and wife Jane Ann Newman Smith came from Kentucky to Champaign, Illinois in 1877 [maybe 1857 or earlier, since that is the year Henrietta Smith was born and died].

A baby girl, Henrietta Smith died and is buried in Champaign [City or County?, Illinois].

They then moved to Independence, Kansas or Missouri???

From there, they moved to Savoy, [Washington County, Arkansas] near Fayetteville.

Robert Cade Smith built the barn on the Andy Howe Place on Highway 16, West of Fayetteville circa 1879.

Then they moved to Oak Grove, near Springdale [Washington County, Arkansas].

Our father, A[ndrew] Perry Smith, went to school in Springdale, maybe to a Mr Dodson.  Andrew Perry Smith went to Lutheran Sunday School in Springdale.

Then the [Robert Cade Smith] family moved to Crawford County, North of Alma and lived in the Chester, [Crawford County], Ark[ansas] area among the Shipley's.  Dad A[ndrew] Perry [Smith] remembers an older man, Jim Shipley, and Uncle of Garvin Shipley.

Uncle Arch (Archie [Archibald] Greenville Smith) was born in 1877, somewhere in Crawford County, Arkansas.

Grandfather Robert Cade Smith, died 1883 [1888, per Scrap of Paper "Family Record"], and is buried in a cemetery, which is South and West of Mountainburg, Arkansas.

Murat [Smith] remembers Daddy (A[ndrew Perry Smith]), saying that George Ferrell, the husband of [Susan] Medora [Madora] Smith Ferrell, carved a headstone for Grandfather [Robert Cade Smith] on a big sand rock.

Cousin Help!

I have received some help from one of my cousins.  How Excellent!  They took some Smith Family Oral History and had it typed February 27, 1977.  Was it Correct?

So, how does this compare to has been collected, so far?

Extrapolated from the typewritten page above:

Robert Cade Smith born in or near Portsmouth, [Scioto County], Ohio (Portsmouth is the County Seat of Scioto County which is located approximately 50 miles to West of where Robert Cade Smith was living in the 1870 Census).

Born February 1, 1826 [February 1, 1821 per Scrap of Paper, "Family Record"]

Died April 11, 1883 [April 11, 1888 per Scrap of Paper "Family Record"] in Arkansas.  Buried near Mountainsburg, [Crawford County], Arkansas. 

Married [Jane] Jincy [Jencie per Headstone] Ann Newman, daughter of Greenville Newman.

Jincy Ann Newman was born in Parkersburg, [Wood County], Virginia (in 1863 became West Virginia).

Born April 12, 1836

Died August 8, 1915 at Woolsey [Valley per Death Certificate], [Washington County], Arkansas

Children:

Henrietta Smith 

Born March 30, 1857

Died November 16, 1857 Buried Champaign [County], Illinois 

Susan Medora (Dora) Smith [Madora per Scrap of Paper "Family Record"] 

Born March 13, 1861

Married George Ferrel July 16, 1879

Died March 19, 1900

Ira Newman Smith

Born April 10, 1863 in Catlettsburg, [Boyd County], Kentucky

(Born in [Champaign County], Illinois per Death Certificate) 

Married Mandainey Clark, [Francis Mandanie] born February 5, [1877] died August 29, 1953

Died July 8, 1915 [July 9, per Death Certificate and Headstone] 

Uriah Smith

Born February 26, 1869

Married Addie Johnson born March 18, 1876  died October 9, 1957 (Buried at Oliver Cemetery, Mt Vernon, [White County], Arkansas) 

Died July 4, 1934 [July 3, 1933 per Headstone]

Andrew Perry Smith

Born May 17, 1871 in Catlettsburg, [Boyd County], Kentucky

Married Flora Gertrude Gilbreath who died January 14, 1952

Died July 24, 1949

Flora J (Florrie) Smith [Flora A per Death Certificate, Obituary and Headstone]

Born October 20, 1873

Married Wade Brock who died December 11, 1958 [1957 per Death Certificate and Headstone]

Died November 27, 1941

Archie Greenville Smith

Born July 20, 1877 in Arkansas

Married Elizabeth (Love) Gilbreath on July 7, 1901 she died April 12, 1955

Died March 21, 1962

Found Them! (I Think)...

1865 Illinois State Census for West Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois.  A bit sketchy since they only listed the head of household by name and a tick mark for each of the rest of the members of the house within age brackets.

Let's see...twelfth person from the top, R C Smith, 1 Male and 1 Female 10 years and under.  1 Female 20 and not over 30.  1 Male 40 and not over 50.

Does this fit?  Hmmm...

If Robert was born in 1821, he would be 44...that fits.

If Jane was born in 1836, she would be 29...that fits.

If Susan Madora was born in 1861, she would be 4...that fits.

If Ira was born in 1863, he would be 2...and that fits.

100% Correlation!

No Luck!

Did Not find Robert Cade Smith and Jane in 1860 Census!  Searched using R C Smith, R Smith, Robt C Smith, Robt Smith.  Switched to Jane Smith, used J A, J, Jane A, Jane Ann, and Jane.
Maybe websites other than Ancestry.com...???

Places and Timeframes...Success!

Now, I have Places and Timeframes to search for my Smith Family in other Census records  derived from their Birth Dates and Birth Places which they provided in the 1880 Census.

What do we have?  Where to Look?

The information we have in the 1880 Census:

1.  Robert C 59 (1821), Ohio

2.  Jane 44 (1836), Virginia

3.  Susan M 19 (1861) Illinois

4.  Ira N 17 (1863) Illinois

5.  Uriah 11 (1869) Ohio

6.  Perry 9 (1871) Kentucky

7.  Flora 6 (1874) Virginia

8.  Archibald 2 (1878) Arkansas

In the 1870 Census there are two possibilities:  Ohio and Kentucky.

In the 1860 Census perhaps Illinois.

In the 1850, 1840, and 1830 Census records I don't have a clue, because, according to my scrap of paper, Robert Cade Smith was not married until 1855.  My guess would be either Ohio or Virginia or both (or neither).

Found them!  It looks as if this is the correct Census record for the Smith Family, since it included Robert Smith, Jane, Dora (Susan Madora), Ira, and UriahThe 1870 Census for Union, Lawrence County, Ohio lists Robert Smith 40, Steamboat Carpenter (how exciting!), born in Virginia [?], Jane 33, born in Ohio [?], Dora 9, born in Illinois, Ira 7 born in Illinois, Uriah 1, born in Ohio and Anne Porter 57, born in Ohio Living with Son.

I believe there may have been some inconsistencies with this Census!  Robert should have been 49 instead of 40.  Robert and Jane's Birth Places are reversed.  Anne Porter, if she was Robert's mother, would have been either 17 when she gave birth to Robert if he was indeed 40...or 8, if he was actually 49.  Perhaps her age was slightly off, or...?

"Owl Holler" What Now??

What to do now?  Who were these people in the scrap of paper? Were they "my" people?  I thought I recognized my Grandfather's name, it was pretty close (Archa instead of Archie), but for the rest, I admit, I did not know who they were.  They all had the last name "Smith",  and their birth dates are all from 1800's.  I made the assumption (I know, I know) that they are related (to each other? to me?), but how to find out more information?  I contacted a friend who used to work with me.  His wife does genealogy (at the time, I did not even know how to spell the word).  What luck, she volunteers at our local Family History Center.  We met at the FHC and she gave me advice on how to proceed. So, I began a research journey that has not ended.

The first thing that she suggested was, starting with me, write down the information (names, birth dates, and places) for the people in my family that I knew, or thought I knew.  This is where to begin searching for ancestors?  Being the stubborn person that I am, I decided to do both...I wanted to find out who the people were on my scrap of paper...okay, so off I went...

I think the first document that was found is the 1880 Census for Arkansas, Washington County, Marrs Hill Township.  Success!??

What information is in this Census?  The date on the page was Jun 19, 1880...Where is Marrs Hill?  Where is Washington County?  Arkansas?  ...Okay, I had a pretty good idea where Arkansas is located....  I had only heard stories about "Owl Hollow (Holler?)" and I didn't know where that was, either.

Found nearly all the names on the paper.  Henrietta was born and died in 1857 (so sad to lose an infant), so she wasn't included, but everyone else was there and a new member of their family. 

 R C Smith became Robert C, Jane, Ira N, Uriah, Perry, Flora E, Archibald G, George Ferrel (who was this?  Oh, son-in-law), Susan M and Robert S.  Names seem to match pretty well, now we have approximate birth dates (which match the dates on my scrap of paper), occupations and places.  Cool, Birth Places, now we are getting somewhere...

Occupations, Robert - Farm Laborer, Jane - Keeping House, Ira - Works on Farm, and George Ferrel - Farmer.  What's the distinction between Farm Laborer, Works on Farm and Farmer?

Birth places...sticking with immediate family...let's see... Robert in Ohio, Jane in Virginia, Ira in Illinois, Uriah in Ohio, Perry in Kentucky, Flora in Virginia, Archibald in Arkansas, Susan in Illinois.  Oh, somebody has been moving around... a lot! 

But wait, there's more...Birth places of their parents (Father/Mother).  Robert's - Ohio/Ohio, Jane's - Virginia/Virginia

Whoever gave the information to the Census taker (Enumerator), of course reflected Ohio/Virginia for their children.  George Ferrel was born in Tennessee and his parents Virginia/Virginia.

Smith Family Record Transciption

After examining the paper, with the help of magnification and light, the following represents my best efforts as to deciphering what it contains:

“Family Record

                                                      1826

R C Smith Was Born Febuary 1, 1821

Jane Newman Was Born Aprile 12, 1836

R C Smith Was Meriid to Jane Newman September 18, 1855

___reta Smith Was Born March 30, 1857

Susan M Smith Was Born March 13, 1861

_vey N Smith Was Born Aprile 10, 1863

Uriah Smith Was Born Febuary 26, 1869

Andrew Pery Smith Was Born May 17, 1871

Flora F Smith Was Born October 20, 1873

Archa G Smith Was Born July 20, 1877

Deaths Henneta Smith Departed this Life November 16, 1857

Death R C Smith Departed this life April 11, 1888

Death Madora Ferrel Died March 19, 1900

Uriah Smith died July 4, 1934"

Here is what I think the information means:

Robert Cade Smith was born February 1, 1821

Jane Ann Newman was born April 12, 1836

Robert Cade Smith was married to Jane Ann Newman September 18, 1855

Henrietta Smith was born March 30, 1857

Susan Madora Smith was born March 13, 1861

Ira Newman Smith was born April 10, 1863

Uriah Robert Smith was born February 26, 1869

Andrew Perry Smith was born May 17, 1871

Flora A Smith was born October 20, 1873

Archie Greenville Smith was born July 20, 1877

Henrietta Smith died November 16, 1857

Robert Cade Smith died April 11, 1888

Susan Madora Smith died March 19, 1900

Uriah Robert Smith died July 4, 1934

I noticed the 1826 lightly floating over the top of R C Smith's birthdate of 1821.  More on this later....

The Beginning...

My search for Robert Cade Smith began when I was going through the belongings that were left to me by my parents, after their passing in 1997.  I found an old and worn scrap of a piece of lined paper with what appears to be an old style of writing, written either with a quill or fountain pen, entitled "Family Record."  It has led me from Ohio to Champaign, Illinois to Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and finally to Arkansas.

How old is this paper?  It appears to be manufactured...in what time period?  
What can we tell from the handwriting?
What can be identified from the pen/quill and ink used?

Who wrote this?  It appears to be almost all in the same hand, same ink, (written at one time - perhaps copying the information from one source - Family Bible?????) 

It looks like the pen and ink are the same from the beginning of the document "Family Record to the Death of Henrietta Smith, November 16, 1857".  It must have been created after that November 16, 1857 and before the next entry which was the Death of R C Smith, April 11, 1888...which may be the same hand, but looks like different pen and ink.  So, created between 1857 and 1888...

The next entry appears to be written in pencil in another hand which is the Death of [Susan] Maroda (Smith) Ferrel, March 19, 1900.

The last entry is another pen, ink and hand for the Death of Uriah Smith, July 4, 1934.