Fortunately for me, there is only one Smith line in our direct family tree.
I have a huge portrait on my wall of a mother and her four Smith children. This is a lousy image since the portrait itself is very nice. This image looks like it's from an old television, but it's in a good frame with non-glare glass. I guess that's what gives it such a strange appearance.
Emeline "Emily" Wilson was born November 10, 1833, in Kentucky, the daughter of Elizabeth "Betty" Clark and Samuel Wilson. On August 1, 1850, Emily married James Jefferson "Jeff" Smith in Grant Co, Kentucky. Jeff was born about 1829 in Kentucky, the son of Willis and Sarah Smith and died May 14, 1862 in POW Camp Oglethorpe, Georgia.
I have only two census records that show him by name:
1850 Kentucky, Grant Co, 22 July
31/31 Willis Smith, 55, farmer, b Kentucky / Sarah, 45, b Virginia // James, 21, b Kentucky; Green P, 18, b Indiana; Thomas B, 16, b Kentucky; Madison, 14, b Kentucky; Nancy J, 12, school, b Kentucky; Willis, 5, school, b Kentucky; William O B, 3, b Kentucky
1860 Iowa, Wayne Co, Howard Twp, Warsaw, 3 June
191/171 J J Smith, 31, farmer, vope 42, b Kentucky / Emelene Smith, 26, b Kentucky // J S Smith, 8, school, b Kentucky; M E Smith, school, 6, b Kentucky; S M Smith, 4, b Missouri
In 1861 Jeff went off to war. I ordered the pension file for Emily's application as a widow and it is extensive. In these papers various dates are given for Jeff's death. I imagine that even though records were kept, it's a minor miracle that they survived at all. Here is part of the record. Item 22 is the final determination of death date and location.
---NARA Compiled Military Record
Item 1: Smith, Jefferson J, Co B, 18 Missouri Inf / Sergeant / Sergeant / Card numbers 7760505, 760604, 7760805, 7760974, 7761048, 36633880, 7779-A-1881, 7779-A-1881 / Bookmark: 7779-A-AGO (EB) 1881
Item 3: S 18 Mo / Jefferson J Smith, Sergt, Co B, 18 Reg't Missouri Infantry / Age __ years / Appears on Company Muster-in Roll of the organization named above. Roll dated Cp Morgan, Laclede Mo, Nov 14, 1861; Muster in to date Nov 14, 1861 / Joined for duty and enrolled June 17, 186_, Putnam Co, Mo, for period 3 years . . .
Item 7: S 18 Mo / Jefferson J Smith, Sergt, Co B, 18 Reg't Missouri Infantry / Appears on Company Muster Roll for May & June 1862 / Absent / Remarks: Missing in action since Apr 6, 1862 . . .
Item 11: Casualty Sheet / J J Smith, Private of Company B, 18th Regiment of Mo State Volunteers / Nature of Casualty - Death, Died at Camp Oglethorpe, Macon, Ga, of wound, May 14 ' 62 . . .
Item 13: Casualty Sheet / Jeffn J Smith, Company B, Regiment 18, Mo / Nature of Casualty: Death / Cause of Casualty: Wounded at Shiloh . . .
Item 17: Casualty Sheet: J J Smith, Private, Company B, Regiment 18, Infty, Mo / Nature of Casualty: Death / Cause of casualty: Disease . . .
Items 19-20: Memorandum from Prisoner of War Records / No 116 / Smith, J J [crossed out and] Smith, Jefferson J [written] / Organization: 18 Reg't Mo I[nf] Co B / Information obtained from Records of: D B Vol 1, p 313, Vol 1, p 317; Mus? Roll 907 / Captured at ~~~~, confined at Richmond, Va, [blank] admitted to hospital at [blank] where he died [blank] / Paroled at [marked through and written in]: "Died at Camp Oglethorpe, Macon, Ga, May 14, 1862, [in red ink] June 18, 1862 [June date marked through and this statement inserted with caret] buried in Rose Hill cemetery by the sexton" / Corroborated by (report continued) Orig report of Med Dir CSA See 1773 B (EB) A G O / 1877, J L, 3.10.77 / Enrolled as Jefferson J Smith, Co B, 18 Mo Inf / CGS case recd Mar 7, 81, Holmes Dec 15 '87 / to Sig, Dec 21, '81, copied by BGE / 7779-A-1881 / Adjutant General's Office / Dec 6, 1881 / This is accepted as referring to Jefferson J Smith, Co B, 18th Reg't Mo Vols and records will be corrected accordingly / A ? Nickerson?, Assistant Adjutant General
Item 22: [Notation] S 18 Mo / Jefferson J Smith / Co B, 18 Reg't Mo Inf / Notation / Book mark 7779 A 1881 / Record and Pension office, War Department, Washington, Sept 6, 1901 / It has this day (Sept 6, 1901) been determined by this Department from the records and from evidence on file that the above named soldier died May 14, 1862. Notation of Dec 16, 1881 is canceled. / W W Gibson, copyist
---National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
Jefferson J Smith / Regiment Name 18 Missouri Infantry / Side Union / Company B / Soldier's Rank_In Sgt / Soldier's Rank_Out Sgt / Film Number M390 roll 45
I don't know how long after Jeff's death that Emily learned of it. She was not yet 30 years old and had four children at home, including a baby less than one year old. Emily managed for a while, then in March of 1868 she married a widower, Preston Riddle, whose wife had died a year before. Preston had small children still at home, and the two households became one. Preston and Emily had three children, one dying as a child, one as a teenager, and one as a young adult. The article Two Riddles tells about the girls.
This house was probably Preston's home. I haven't done research on the original owner, but on an early plat map, the owner is shown is Emily Riddle. Emily lived here the rest of her life, apparently by herself after Preston's death in January 1896 until shortly before her own in September 1909. I have made myself a note to do some land record looking.
Emily (Wilson) Smith Riddle in Powersville, Missouri.
Property was adjacent to the cemetery, according to a plat map of the era.
1870 Missouri, Putnam Co, York Twp, Unionville, 20 August
216/216 Riddle, Preston, 45, farmer, vore 1700 vope 850, b Tennessee / Emily, 35, keeps house, b Kentucky // Sarah, 16, school, b Indiana; Mary E, 14, school, b Indiana; James A, 11, school, b Indiana; Elias, 10, school, b Missouri; Nancy A, 5, school, b Missouri; Louisa J, 1, b Missouri /// Smith, Mary E, 16, school, b Kentucky; Smith, Susan, 14, school, b Missouri; Smith, Geo J, 9, school, b Missouri
[Emily's other Smith child, John, was working as a farm hand nearby]
1880 Missouri, Putnam Co, York Twp, 5-6 July
257/261 Riddle, Preston, 55, farmer, b Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee / Emily, 47, wife, keeping house, b Ky -- -- // Nancy A, 15, dau, school, b Missouri Tennessee Tennessee; Louisa J, 11, dau, school, b Missouri Tennessee Kentucky; Rilla T, 9, dau, school, b Missouri Tennessee Kentucky; Thomas M, 4, son, b Missouri Tennessee Kentucky /// James A, 22, son, single, teacher, b Indiana Tennessee Tennessee
1900 Missouri, Putnam Co, York Twp, 16 June
147/147 Riddle, Emily, head, b Nov 1833, 66, wd, 10 ch 4 liv, owner farm 102, b Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky
Obituary: unidentified newspaper clipping, (Oct 1, 1909 hand written)
Emily Riddle was born November 10, 1833, in Grant county, Kentucky, was married to James J Smith August 1, 1850. To this union were born five children, two sons and three daughters, one of the daughters dying in infancy. The other four children were present at funeral services. Her husband enlisted in the service of his country in 1861 and died a prisoner of war, May 17, 1862.
She was united in her second marriage to Preston Riddle, March 18, 1868, and to this union were born five children, all of whom have preceded her to the better land where sorrow and pain are unknown.
She was again left a widow January 24, 1896, ad [sic] lived alone for thirteen years, when on June 24, 1909, being stricken with paralysis, she was moved to her daughter's, Mrs J H Greer, where she made her home until her death, which occurred Sept 21, 1909. She was buried at the Greer Cemetery, seven miles southeast of Clio.
She was united with the Methodist church when quite young and lived a quiet christian life, ____ by all who knew her.
She bore affliction with much patience and christian fortitude, expressing satisfaction with anything done for her. As her friends, we all feel that she has only crossed the threshold into a more glorious existence and shall strie [sic] to meet her on the plane where partings are no more and while it seems sad to see her on earth no more we abide in the submission, "Thy will, not mine, be done."
Ok, you are saying, Jeff was the Smith, not Emily, except for a while as a wife and also as mother of Smith children. That's were I am working now. I have previously written about beginning my hunt for the Smith children, starting with oldest child John Samuel Smith. I have found some information about George, the youngest, and found that Susan died as a young wife. Mary Elizabeth, who married James Henry Greer, and is our direct line, is the fourth child. More to come later on these Smith children as I continue the journey.
Emily had a hard life. Her obituary says she bore it all with fortitude and patience. She is an inspiration to me and I'm very glad to have the portrait on my wall.
ps. Emily had a sister. Betty Wilson married Henry Burns and they moved to Iowa, it seems like the same time as Emily and Jeff - and it appears a couple of other Wilson children came too. I have a photograph of Betty and am including it here.
Elizabeth Jane (Wilson) Burns,
born 7 November 1827, Grant Co, Kentucky,
died April 2, 1915, Powersville, Putnam Co, Missouri
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