Since subscribing to Newspapers.com recently, I have found an absolutely unexpected amount of information about my Smith ancestors that surely would have been lost to time had it not been recorded in those pages so long ago.
One of the major events in my Smith history was the migration from Salt Creek Township in Jackson County, Indiana to the area known as “Little Egypt” in southern Illinois. This is where my grandpa was born. I’ll try to trace the people and places back from Carmi, IL to Salt Creek on this page.
My grandpa’s father was Vernon S. Smith. He was married three times, twice torn from wives by their premature passing. Vernon was a school teacher during The Great Depression and taught in a one room schoolhouse. He had an Associates Degree. He later went on to champion the causes of better pay for teachers and to fight waste within the school system.
Here is Vernon’s obituary. A lot had happened before this time one can be certain of.
Here is an article I found that details Vernon’s birthday gathering at his home. My dad and uncle are mentioned.
One of the defining celebrations that Vernon regularly participated in was the Isaac Smith and Alvin Wheeler Family Reunions. I will try to find articles that chronicle these gatherings. I have seen two but I am unable to find them on my computer at the moment.
Vernon was the father of 5 sons, one who died very young and two whom went on to have productive and loving lives but no children. The other two, my grandpa and his brother, would find themselves dedicated to fighting in the USMC and US Army during their formative years.
Here is a story about Vernon B. Smith, my great-grand uncle.
Vernon S. Smith’s dad died when he was very young. Daniel Robert Smith was his name and he was killed by a train in Carmi, IL around 1889. Vernon would have only been about 3 years old.
I believe that this is a photo of Daniel R. Smith. It was found among the belongings of Isaac “Ike” S. Smith of Freetown, IN and has “Smith Carmi, IL” written on the back. Dan was born in 1859 the second youngest of his 7 brothers (8 of them total). There was James, Alvin, Isaac, William, Louis, Orral, Daniel, and Hiram.
This next newspaper article shows the marriage announcement of Daniel R. Smith and Nancy J. Acton. They were affectionately referred to as “Dan and Nancy”. The “Uncle Dick” the author refers to is Richard Acton, Nancy’s father. This article was likely authored by Robert M. Smith as he refers to Richard Acton in his book The Salt Creek Colony of Little Egypt the same way.
The “Ike” the following article refers to was Isaac S. Smith, one of Daniel’s older brothers.
This clipping records (towards the bottom) Dan’s attempt to travel to southern Illinois. Looks like the waters were high that time of year. The rivers in that area were known to flood and produce very fertile farmland.
This next article records Dan and Nancy’s return from their first trip to Danville.
This is a partial re-print of the above article in a newspaper that was published 50 years after Dan’s trip.
Dan’s father was the Rev. Samuel Rice Smith, Esq., if we are to believe the credentialing afforded Sam by the newspapers. Here is his obituary.
Another shorter notice:
As I wind this page up, I’ll be sure to point you to Samuel R. Smith’s father, Isaac Smith, Sr.
This page is only about some of The Salt Creekers.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
-Chris
Tracing my Smiths - by Christopher A. Smith - © 2021 
By111 marker yDNA testing and comparison with descendants of other early Virginia Smiths, I have established Lt Christopher Lawrence Smith (1592-1638) from Lancashire as my earliest proven ancestor. Based on work of others (which you have proven wrong), I presumed Lt Smith to be the Grandson of the famous Customer Smith. But, I was always curious about disconnect of the Lancashire Smiths and the Kent area Smiths. Thanks for your hard work to correct this bad information. If you know ancestors of Christopher Lawrence Smith (1592-1638), please let me know. There’s an interesting story on how my last name got to be Mauldin, but the subject of another post.
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Hey Lemuel,
Thanks for taking the time to write. It was quite a bit of work to compile everything I needed to counter Linda G. Cheek’s book. Glad to see it’s appreciated. A few items of note… You say you match at Y111 the Smiths of Virginia that are related to Maj. Lawrence Smith. First, I can tell you that 1) you will likely match the Smiths related to James H. Smith and Ester Akins of Pickens Co, SC and White Co, GA, as well as the Smiths of Christopher Smith and Catherine Snelson, and Jackson Washington Meade Smith (Linda G. Cheek’s ancestor). I’m OK saying this. What I feel you have missed in reading my research is that the Smith/Snelson line is not related to the Smith/Fairbanks line and neither of those lines are related to the Smith/Townley line. You will need to find the yDNA markers of William Sharp Smith, if they exist online, to determine if you’re related to Maj. Lawrence Smith. I won’t restate all of my conclusions in this reply, but please go back and re-read my Customer Smythe posting as it details how the coats of arms of all the believed to be related early Smith lines in SmithsWorldWide.org’s Group R-M269-8’s trees can be sorted out to demonstrate that they are NOT all agnatic cousin lines.
Further, if you look at your ySearch.org matches, you will find a Coker line in your results. I have yet to find anyone who can explain how this Coker line of SC is related to your Mauldin and Smith lines. I suspect it would be an interesting clue to your lines’ earlier origins.
Finally, after communicating with Linda G. Cheek via e-mail, she disclosed to me that she wrote the book while she was caring for her deceased brother’s son. I’ll leave it to you to speculate her motivations in writing her book.
Lemuel, you guys have a bit of work still ahead of you if you are trying to determine your immigrant ancestor(s). What I can tell you is that your yDNA profile matches that of the “South Irish Modal Haplotype”, suggesting that your Smith line came from Ireland at some point. I also remember, from communicating with another Smith cousin of yours, that you are related to a Benton family and this can be shown in your yDNA results on FamilyTreeDNA.
Take a bit to digest all of this and let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be happy to answer them and point you guys in the right direction. I’ve already had the bridges to R-M269-8’s admins burned. There’s a Tom Smith (Hg-I, related to Job Smith) who admins the R-M269-8 group who refuses to correct the Smith/Snelson tree. It’s all so frustrating.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Chris Smith
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Wow – where do I start. I’m a NASA Rocket Scientist, so you don’t need to go 2+2 for me. I’m totally disinterested in “Coats of Arms.” Being a scientist, that crap is pure hogwash and I’m totally not interested. I want to see traceable facts. I know that I’m closely related to Pendleton, SC Smiths from DNA. I also know that I’m closely related to Williamsburg, VA Smiths from a separate DNA that nails Christopher Smith (1631-1718). Not sure that I can give actual lines because of privacy concerns. But here goes anyway: Lemuel Edward Mauldin III (me), Lemuel Edward Mauldin Jr, Lemuel Edward Mauldin, Lemuel Harrison Mauldin, William Harrison Mauldin, Frances Marion Mauldin, Rucker Mauldin, Christopher Smith, Ambrose Smith, Christopher Smith, Christopher Smith, Christopher Smith. I have Family Bible entries to prove Rucker Mauldin. I have Pendleton, SC DNA to prove Christopher Smith/Mary Mauldin. I have separate Williamsburg/Hanover Co., VA DNA to prove Christopher (married to Snelson). From there, it’s an easy path to Christopher Smith (1592-1638).
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Lemuel, I will caution you on accepting that the Christopher Smith m. Catherine Snelson line is agnatic to that of Maj. Lawrence Smith. I can find no evidence to support this claim. Until yDNA of William Sharp Smith turns up in the commerical DNA databases, SmithsWorldWide Group R-M269-8 is in error for leading you down that road. Please let me know you understand my concerns. Thanks.
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I too revere facts, Lemuel. That is why I have been able to show that the coats of arms for Maj. Lawrence Smith do not match those of the Smiths of Totnes in Devon, and neither of those match the arms of the Smythes of Customer Smythe’s agnates. Perhaps some of the mythology and lore behind the whole heraldic system is hogwash, yes, but as far as a means to identify agnatic lines, coats of arms are very useful. I will encourage you to not dismiss using them in your research. Specifically, we know that your related Smith line used a crest of “a nag’s head and bridle”. Also, are you aware of the Christopher Smith who was the heir to Cowpens, SC? I believe you may be able to find this records online in Archive.org or Google Books. Worth a look for your group, I think. Have you Mauldin/Smith folks employed autosomal DNA comparsions to prove out your hypothesized connections?
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Thanks for your quick reply. I’m confused regarding your statement that Christopper Smith (1692-1638) married to Elizabeth Towneley (1598-1679) is a separate Smith Line from Christopher Smith (1631-1718)? I thought this was a proven fact.
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Again, please re-read my work for further information. Xpoferus Smyth of Stone Edge in Lancashire (b. 1592), the father of Maj. Lawrence Smith and the husband of Elizabeth Townley Halstead (her 2nd husband) is not related to Christopher Smith who married Catherine Snelson. This Christopher is recorded as a “merchant of Hanover”, referencing Hanover County, Virginia. If you look at SmithsWorldWide.org Group R-M269-8’s trees, they claim that Christopher Smith m. Catherine Snelson was a son of a Christopher Smith m. Mary Elizabeth Fairbanks, and additionally that this Christopher was a son of Xpoferus Smyth of Stone Edge. The Smith/Fairbanks connections is impossible as this couple (members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) only had one son, a John Smith. Tom Smith (Hg I, not even related to Group 8) and Brooke Smith are the two who keep this impossible connection alive in their trees and dismiss any new information that differs from Linda G. Cheek’s book. Also, take a look on the web for the work of Gary Ray Smith. He’s another big dissemenator of this fake lineage. Let me know if you have any questions. -Chris
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Thanks again for quick reply. I don’t have a Smith/Fairbanks connection. My line indicates Smth/Snelson preceded by Smith/Broadbibb (not Smith/Fairbanks), preceded by Smith/Towneley.
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Still trying to get this right. Here’s what’s posted on GENI regarding Smith/Broadbibb/Fairbanks. Apparently, Smith’s mother was not Fairbanks or Broabbibb, but Elizabeth (LastNameUnknown)
Father: Christopher Lawrence SMITH , of Stannihurst b: 18 MAR 1590/91 in Stonirakes, Burnley Parish, lancashire, England
Mother: Margaret Elizabeth TOWNLEY b: 1598 in Stonehedge, Colne, Burnley Parish, Lancashire, England
Marriage 1 Elizabeth (Unknown) SMITH
Children
1. Has Children John SMITH , Sr. b: ABT 1654
2. Has No Children Richard SMITH b: 1656 in Burnley Parish, lancashire, England
3. Has No Children Thomas SMITH b: 1658 in Burnley Parish, lancashire, England
4. Has Children Charles SMITH , Maj. b: BET 1670 AND 1680
5. Has Children Christopher SMITH II b: 1670 in Lancashire, England
6. Has No Children Ann SMITH b: 1676 in Burnley Parish, lancashire, England
7. Has Children David SMITH b: BET 1680 AND 1700
Marriage 2 Mary FAIRBANKS
Marriage 3 Lydia BROADRIBB
* Married: 7 JUN 1703 in Virginia 1
Sources:
1. Title: Research by John Brown – jwbrown@ite.net
Publication: Ancestry World Tree Project, Brown, Spray, Phillips and Smith Families
Note: Unknown.
Repository:
Media: Internet
2. Title: Research by Harold D. Smith – hsmith6@sc.rr.com
Note: Because my genealogy has been merged into several other family genealogies as their own work, I’ve found it necessary to add this notice to each individual in my genealogy. My work gives recognition of each persons work if it isn’t my personal research.
Note: Excellent
Repository:
Note: Harold D. Smith, 2983 Cedar Creek Run, Little River, SC 29566
Media: Internet
3. Title: Research by John Brown – jwbrown@ite.net
Publication: Ancestry World Tree Project, Brown, Spray, Phillips and Smith Families
Note: Unknown.
Repository:
Media: Internet
Text: gave 1630.
4. Title: “Voyages in Time – Family, Friends & Places – Smythe of Wiltshire”
Author: http://www.zipworld.com.au/~inbdds/home/smythwilts.htm
Publication: The source date for this material is very sparce, therefore use cautions when using. HDS
Note: The source date for this material is very sparce, therefore use cautions when using. HDS
Note: Unknown
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This is simply another instance where the incorrect lineages have been repeated. It’s pretty much the norm to see this Smith/Townley line misrepresented on the internet. If you want to look at credible research regarding the Smith/Townley line, take a look at the trees of Ancestry.com user “genkssst”. They did a really good job providing source documents where available on the internet. Their work is good enough for me to say they are the authority on the matter.
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Additionally, the likely brother of Maj. Lawrence Smith, Christopher Smith who (I think) taught at The College of William and Mary is not recorded to have had any children.
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Thanks for continuing this enlightening discussion. I am aware that it has not been entirely proven that Christopher Smith (brother of Lawrence) was the father of Ambrose Joshua Smith. But here’s the deal. I have very close DNA links to both Joshua (from descendants) and Christopher (from ancestors) through different people. Seems that this is enough proof to close the loop. DNA doesn’t lie.
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Sorry, Chris Smith, you are wrong about Chris Smith having no children. “On May 6, 1730, on petition of David Woodruff that Christopher Smith deceased about 13 years ago, surveyed 400 acres of land lying on the East-North-East River in Spottsylvania County, VA, but the said Christopher Smith never in his lifetime, nor his son, Ambrose Joshua Smith, since his decease sued out any patent for the said land and praying that he may leave to enter for the same. It is ordered that Ambrose Joshua Smith, son of the said Christopher Smith, deceased, have notice to attend the board at the next court to show cause when the petitioner ought not to be admitted to an entry for ye land. Virginia Council Journals, Virginia Magazine, v. 36.”
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You are assuming that the Christopher Smith listed in this record is the same one that was a brother of Maj. Lawrence Smith. Can you link Christopher Smith (the educator at The College of William and Mary) to the father of Ambrose Joshua Smith? I have yet to find such a record. I’ll also say this: the line of Ambrose Joshua Smith is incredibly muddled in the online trees, almost as badly as Maj. Lawrence Smith’s. If you want to prove, once and for all, conclusively and un-disputably, that your Smith line is or is not agnatic to that of Maj. Lawrence Smith, convince the descendants of William Sharp Smith to do a yDNA test. Also, please look at the work of “genkssst” for very well detailed records about Maj. Lawrence Smith and his brothers.
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Additionally, I am a kit curator for one of your Smith cousins. None of his yDNA matches link your Smith line, conclusively, to the line of Maj. Lawrence Smith. Please see the following SmithsWorldWide.org website. It has been updated since I’ve last delved into this subject to include some Hall matches, as well as a Rainey match.
The only way you could be led to believe that Maj. Lawrence Smith is a kinsman of yours, using your yDNA matches, is if you believe the claims of Brooke Smith. He is incorrect and refuses to change his tree. It includes the Smith/Fairbanks connection as his link to the Smith/Townley connection. We know we can prove this to be incorrect.
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/smtrees.asp?grouping=GRP-R-M269-8
Please notice that only Brooke has linked Maj. Lawrence Smith to his tree. The others have correctly listed their most distant ancestor who has the best source documents. I will agree that you guys are related to Harvey, Harmon, Henley, and Harrison G. Smith (all agnatic cousins, unsure of closeness of relationship). I can see all the yDNA matches you have in FTDNA and I know that there are no conclusive matches to agnatic kinsmen of Maj. Lawrence Smith among those matches.
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Further, when we research Lydia Broadribb, we find that she is too old to be of child bearing age at the time of her marriage to Christopher Smith and as such, despite remarrying after her first husband’s death, is an unlikely mother of any children of the Christopher Smith she married after 1703.
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I am OK saying that your Smith line is related to that of Ambrose Joshua Smith as I have a source that shows he was related to the Charles Smith who was a son of Christopher Smith and Catherine Snelson. I do not, however, feel that this is sufficient information to connect the Christopher Smith who married Catherine Snelson to the man of the same name who taught at The College of William and Mary.
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