Surname Saturday - Smith

Like many others, I have a troublesome Smith family in my lineage. And, like others, the popularity of the name makes the family hard to trace.

My Smith family can be traced to Richard T. Smith, who was born on either 2 Jan 1829¹ or 11 Feb 1830², depending on the document you're looking at. He died on 24 Oct 1920 in Rockdale County, Georgia¹.

Based on Census records, he married Eliza UNKNOWN around 1848, and then Rachel Garman on 18 Aug 1870³. His children from his first marriage were Paulina or Priscilla, Lucresy, Delmus, Amanda, Richard and Sarah. From his second marriage, his children were William, Mary J, James Henry, Aaron M, Louise, Louisa, Albert H, and Clarence. I descend through Louisa Smith, who married Leverett Waters. These names are based on census and Bible records. I find it curious that Louise recorded only her full-blooded siblings and not her half siblings in her Bible. It's made me wonder if I have the correct families, but at least some of the siblings from different marriages are listed together on census records.

I have a good amount of information on Richard, but not enough to find his parents. According to his death certificate, his parents were George Smith and Mary Lane, both of Virginia. I haven't been able to locate this couple. I also have not been able to find a listing for Richard in the 1850 census. At that time, he should have still been single and, hopefully, living with his parents. He was likely in Fulton, Cobb, Milton or in the surrounding Georgia counties.

Right now I'm working on tracing the lines of his children to try and make a connection with other family members. Also, I'm continuing to search the 1850 census for him. If you're connected to this Smith family, I'd love to hear from you.

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Sources

1. “Certificate of Death for Richard T. Smith,” 24 Oct 1920, File No. 29598, Georgia Bureau of Vital Statistics, http://www.flickr.com/photos/genealogyphotos/137928528/.

2. “Georgia, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960 about Richard T Smith,” Rockdale County, 1906, GCP-406, Confederate Pension Applications, Georgia Confederate Pension Office, RG 58-1-1, Georgia Archives.

3. Edna Strickland [ednab@mindspring.com]. “MILTON COUNTY, GA - VITALS MARRIAGES Alphabetical Groom.” [http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/milton/vitals/marriages/groom.txt].