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Archiver > SMITH > 2001-03 > 0983646631


From: "darline" <>
Subject: [SMITH] Quiet ones
Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2001 13:10:31 -0600


I am one of the quiet ones. I will say this to give encouragement to those
who are looking for a hidden John Smith. I started this search with a John
Smith, bn unknown, d. apx 1897/98, at the same time his wife died, her
maiden name unknown and her surname was (misspelled)Goshen. I had two (2)
family letters with skimpy information about their death and the 5 children
left orphaned. They died in Brinkley,Monroe County, Arkansas and the baby
of the 5 was my husband's father.

I now have this:

Thomas Smith,(bn. unknown) married Mary Edry,(bn. unknown, June 13, 1797 in
Grainger Co. TN.

Child of Thomas Smith and Mary Edry is:
Archelus Smith, b. 1800, TN and died 1870, Union County, AR.

Notes for Archelus Smith:

First married Martha Warrick, Feb. 15, 1822 in Grainger, TN.

Found them in 1830 Grainger Co., TN census with their children.
Found them in 1840 Green Co., MO census with their children.
Found them in 1850 Union County, AR census with their children.
I have the names of their 13 children, their birthdates and most of their
death dates.

Martha was not on the 1860 Columbia County, AR census with Archelus and the
children, descendants of this family told me she died between 1858 and 1860.
Mary, (his mother) age 85, born Virginia and an Elbert Warrick, age 25, bn.
TN was listed with the family.

Archelus Smith married second Rebecca Jane DeRossett Payne Nov. 14, 1861.
He was age 60 and she was age 30.

They had, according to census records, three, maybe four children:

Hiram Smith,bn. 1862, Eliza Calledonia Smith, bn. 1865 John Smith,bn. 1868,
and possibly a Dora Smith, date of birth unknown. (This was our originally
hidden "John Smith"). Archelus was not on the 1870 census with Rebecca and
her children, (included the 3 Payne children from her first marriage.) He
either died 1868 after the birth of John Smith or in 1869 or possibly before
the taking of the 1870 census in 1870. I found Rebecca (listed as widow) on
the 1880 Cleveland (Dorsey) County with three of her children still with her
and two of her Payne children living in the same community as grown adults.

I found the family descendants of the Gossien (correct spelling) family.
John's wife's name was Margaret Catherine (Kate) Gossien. I have most of the
1800's history of her family from New Orleans, LA in 1817 to now.

I am still looking for the marriage record of John Smith and Catherine
(Kate) Gossien. Probably in 1885/1886, and probably in Arkansas. I have
searched most of the counties. It may not have been turned in to the County
Clerk.

I have the history of Eliza Calledonia's descendants, the history of the
DeRossett family that Rebecca was born into, and a record of what little
time Archelus and Rebecca had together. I still want more.

So, all you guys who are looking for John Smith and his descendants, take it
from me, "If they left any paper trail, you can, with diligent work, find
them, but you have to focus in on what you have and where your information
is applicable." I have looked at thousands of John Smiths and discarded
them immediately unless they had at least one credible link. I have had
wonderful help from fellow researchers, genealogy societies, libraries, and
descendants of these people who shared their family records.

Darline




Family is forever, Darline

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