The House I Grew Up In

I grew up on the sixty as we called it. Actually, I only lived there until I was in the ninth grade. My great-grandmother, Estella Smith, owned the farm and my dad farmed the sixty as well as her other two farms. However, in March of 1959 she died and all of her property was sold.  This house had been built new for her as a young bride. I never really thought about it until I started working on the family stories. There are so many extended family pictures taken in that yard from when my parents moved there in the spring of 1941.  But, I would like to know more about the very early years. After the farm was sold in 1959, numerous families lived there including one of my very dear high school friends. The house was torn down in the fall of 2002.

As I said, there are so many pictures which were taken in that yard. Some with the porch open, some with it after it was enclosed. Sometimes it looks really rough and other times, it looks like it got a little paint.

This is a picture from 1959. It is fun to also recognize my Grandma Grisso's blue 1954 chevy in the photo.



2002

Just before the house was torn down.



 I was thrilled to find the following picture in a pile of photos.



This photo has to be closer to when the house was first built (1910). Could that be Great- Grandpa Hiram Smith with his three oldest kids. Even though his stance makes me think of my Grandpa Grisso, I think it must be Hiram, Nina, Merroll, and Neva. I could be wrong.



 



Favorite Name #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Mary, Sarah, Emma, Elizabeth, Anne

Thomas, John, William, James

I think I must like traditional names.  Even though these are all names from my own family. There are those quirky ones too.

Mentioned before in this blog is Royal. He is my 2nd great grandfather. See his story here. Suicide of Early Settler.
 
Then there is my aunt who was named Darlene Doll. Evidently, she was a darling doll.

Both of my grandmothers were named Nina.  One was Nina Lorene and the other Nina Frances. Thus, the name runs rampant in their descendants.  My grandfather also had similar names. One was Bert and the other was Albert. I can only think of one son of Albert who carried his name but none on the other side. I guess the grandma's names were a little more popular than the grandpa's names.

Someday, I hope to do a little "who was named for whom" study. The few I know are fun.  For example, my great aunt, Ardea Agnes Smith Stevens, must have been given her grandmother Mary Agnes Ford Smith's middle name.  Hiram Smith, the father of Ardea, lived to see his grandson, John Hiram Grisso, named for him. John carried both of his grandfather's names. John Martin Grisso and Hiram Lee Smith.

Sometimes when doing research I want to scream.  Please, no more Georges or Williams on my mom's side. Dad's side has more Ebenezers than I want to deal with.  Obviously, the 1000 baby name books were far in the future. Of course, it was a  privilege to be honored with having a baby named for you.

When I was eleven, I had that honor. My aunt and uncle had a little girl who they named Mary Margaret. Mary for my mother and Margaret for me. I know because they told me that. The fact that the baby's mother's name was Margaret made no difference to me. At age 70+, I accept the baby carried not just my mother's name, Mary, but also her own mother's name, Margaret.

A Favorite Photo

     This is the 2nd week for #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. This week's challenge is a favorite photo. The only thing wrong with this theme is deciding what to pick. I love the photo of Great Grandma Estella Smith and her father, John M. Vorhies, in the sleigh in 1939.  However, I might have already shown that one a couple of times. For sure, it can be seen here: Christmas 25, 2017.      
      I thought about a photo of my husband and me at his Military Commissioning Ceremony. He was the honor graduate of the class and telling a little more about that could be fun for future generations to read. I wouldn't even be concerned about publishing our picture because it is so old that no one would recognize us.
      However, I am focusing on a photo that I ran across a few years ago which surprised me.  It is a picture of my Grandpa Bert Grisso, and he is holding a toddler. The toddler is, Joe Johnson, my second cousin. Everyone was obviously at Great Grandma Smith's house. Joe was the grandson of Ardea, my grandmother's sister.  This photo is special because I came across it sometime after Joe passed away at the very young age of 58 in 2011. It was touching to see him with my grandfather. And I think his sisters would enjoy seeing it.
      This was not a grandfather who I ever thought of as gentle enough or had the desire to hold a toddler. By the look on his face, I was wrong. Or maybe Joe just brought out the best in him.

Start

Amy Johnson Crow is a well known genealogy blogger. A few years ago I discovered late in the year that she does a challenge to genealogy bloggers called “ 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks”. She has renewed that challenge for 2018. Because my blogging has slowed down, I decided this might be a good way for me to refocus. If you are interested in seeing her site, you can find it here. www.AmyJohnsonCrow.com.

 
What does “start” mean to me. I have shared at different times who my inspirations have been for genealogy. Who do I credit with getting me started? There are actually several.

Great Grandma Estella Smith
     She was my mother’s, mother’s, mother. I spent a great deal of my childhood with her. My dad farmed her land, and I had occasion to spend massive amounts of time in her presence.  She lived at the edge of town in a home that was new in the teens of the twentieth century. The house is still standing and looking quite good for being over 100 years old.
      Grandma told me stories about her aunts and an uncle who died from consumption in the 1880’s and 1890’s. These stories were my first catalyst for genealogy exploration.

Grandpa Bert Grisso
     This Grandpa is my mother’s father. I never realized until one warm summer day in 1971, that I had never had a direct conversation with him. Usually we gathered for family events, Sunday dinners, holidays, etc. Grandpa talked to the men. The ladies and kids hung out in the kitchen catching up on news and putting the finishing touches on the meal. On this particular day, I had my mom drop me off at Grandpa and Grandma’s house with my toddler and baby to visit with Grandma. However, she wasn’t home. Consequently Grandpa had to talk to me. It was a fabulous event. He told me the history of the Grisso family coming to America from Italy. I wanted to know more. When I finally got into genealogy, it was the Grisso line which interested me the most. One of the first things I learned was about family lore.  Sometimes there is just a kernel of fact in the stories we are told. The arrival of the first Grisso was far longer ago than I was lead to believe. The family is not from Italy and there are a few other details that didn’t pan out. However, the quest for Grisso information was started that afternoon. I give my Grandpa Grisso credit for starting me down this road. I have come to see why he was so proud of his name.

Aunt Bonnie
     On my dad’s side, my Aunt Bonnie, his sister, did a lot of the leg work for the DeHart branch of her mother’s family.  In 1988, she and her husband did a genealogy road trip from Oregon to West Virginia in search of the DeHart property. In the summer of 2016, my husband and I tried to find the same spot, but due to car trouble and time restraints, we  didn’t quite make it.

Aunt Cheryl     My go-to person on my Dad’s side has been my Aunt Cheryl. She was a great researcher and helped debunk several family legends. It is with such sadness that my research buddy, Cheryl, joined these other genealogy enthusiasts on Christmas Day, 2017.

R.I.P. Cheryl, and thanks for all you did. I love you.
   

December 25, 2017

                          Merry Christmas

I have shared this photo before, but it makes me think of Christmas when my mother was a young girl. Pictured are Estella Smith, my great-grandmother, and her father, my 2nd great-grandfather, John M. Vorhies. She remembers the day as would her siblings, the parents of my cousins.

Vorhies Review

 This family portrait which was taken around 1912 is very special.  It shows so many of my our ancestors. I am sorry that it is not a little clearer. In order to enlarge it and not compete with the right side panel, I have moved it to the bottom of the page.

 

Seated in the center of the portrait is Sarah Jane Withrow, mother of Ginevra Withrow Vorhies who is seated to her left. Notice that Ginevra is a fairly large woman. The family group further to her left (the viewers right) is the family of LeRoy Vorhies, youngest brother of Great-Grandma Estella Smith.  My last post was about LeRoy.  He is almost cut off on the right side of the photo. I tried to place him between side panel interruptions. LeRoy and wife Lulu had three children: Fern, b. 1905, Verl, b. 1906 and Harold b. 1911 and seated on his father's lap.

 

Estella is standing in the back row with her father, John Mac to her left and husband, Hiram Smith, to her right.

 

On the opposite side of the portrait are Eugene, Carrie, Lester, and Viola.  Look carefully, Carrie is holding the baby, Viola, born in 1912. (This is how I guessed the year of the portrait). Lester is sitting on his father's, Eugene, lap.

 

The children in the middle are: Nina, Merroll, Ardea, and Neva. Nina is my grandmother and the others are her siblings. Two of Estella's children were yet to be born.

 

There is another couple in the portrait who are unknown to me. I wonder if they are Carrie's parents. I think I see a resemblance. 

 

 

 

 

  

Eugene Vorhies (1877-1964)

From the Family Tree of Withrow/Vorhies/Smith

Estella Vorhies Smith (1876-1959) was the first born child of John Mac and Ginevra Withrow Vorhies. She was born only a month after the family came to Greene County, Iowa in February of 1876. Estella was the older sister of Eugene and Leroy. Eugene's birth 3 October 1877 was followed by Leroy's birth 2 October 1879.  As discussed in early posts,  Leroy was a month or two younger than his aunt, Sarah Jane Withrow (1879-1896), youngest child of Sarah Jane Swartzell Withrow and Joseph Withrow. Unlike the younger Sarah Jane who only reached age 17, Leroy loved a full life as did his brother, Eugene.

The focus here is on Eugene who was well known in the Greene and Carroll county area. He was a farmer and served on the board of the Farmer's Cooperative Association ( now known as West Central Co-op) in Ralston, Iowa for 30 years. He was a life long member of the Christian Church and became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1908.

By the time I was born and old enough to know Uncle Gene and Aunt Carrie, they had moved from the farm to Jefferson, Iowa. For clarification purposes, they were the aunt and uncle of my grandmother, Nina and her siblings.  This makes them my great-great aunt and uncle. They lived in a nice house on the corner of the main road going into town and a side street. That house has been replaced at some point over the years with another structure. However, when I drive by I still see their house in my mind's eye.

Uncle Gene and Aunt Carrie were married in South Dakota on December 22, 1909.  I don't yet know why they were in South Dakota. I had  always thought incorrectly that it was because  Aunt Carrie was from South Dakota. She was not. Her family was as local as Uncle Gene's.  This is information I have gained from my research. However, I do have a postcard sent to her in South Dakota from her future sister-in-law, Stella Smith, dated 1906. She would have been about 15 so maybe her family lived there for awhile.  I do not know how long they stayed in South Dakota after marrying but I found another postcard from Gene's brother, Leroy and family, addressed to Scranton in January 1910.



First postcard is dated April 6, 1906.  It reads:  Dear Carrie, Received your letter yesterday.  Glad to hear from you.  Hiram has made some early garden and I have 13 hens setting. Come and see us Easter Sunday.  Write again, Your Friend, Estella Smith.
The second card is sent from Yoder, Colorado in January 1910 shortly after Gene and Carrie were married.  Notice that it is mailed to Scranton, Iowa.   It reads: Dear Brother & Sister   Please accept our late congratulations.  Yours Truly, Lula, & Leroy Vorhies

 

Eugene Vorhies lived a long life, 86 years, eight months, and 2 days. He outlived both his older sister, Estella, and younger brother, Leroy, as well as his young son, Lester.  However, his wife, Carrie, lived to be 98!




 

This is the front side of the Easter card Estella sent to Carrie Kotas in 1906 when Carrie was in South Dakota.

 

Lester, Carrie, Gene, and Viola

I would guess this picture to be from the early 1920's. Lester was born in 1910 and Viola in 1912.

A Little Closer View from the Farm Photo

 

           Card of Congratulations to Gene and Carrie Vorhies from Leroy and Lulu Vorhies.

John M. Vorhies (1850-1939)

So, John Mac Vorhies lived another seventeen years after his wife, Ginevra Withrow Vorhies, who died in 1922. Many of these years he lived with his daughter, Estella Smith. He seems to be a loving ancestor who my mother, her siblings and cousins remember fondly. 

This is one of my favorite pictures and is part of my framed collection.

John Mac Vorhies and his daughter, Stella Smith
Photo Dec. 1938 or Jan. 1939

His obituary was on the front page of the Scranton Journal.  It reads as follows.

John Mac Vorhies Buried Sunday
----------------------
Long Time Scranton Resident Buried From
 Church of Christ on Sunday
------------    

     Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon, March 19, from the Scranton Church of Christ, for John Mac Vorhies.  The funeral sermon was given by the pastor of that church, Rev. M.R. Willson.
     Music was furnished by Mrs. Wilbur Peterson, Jean Willson, Milo Lawton and J.W. Mouw with Miss Lola Legore accompanying.
     The pall bearers were Sam Hall, Jesse Loomis, Ross Amsden, Andrew Foster, Alva Madison and Gordon Mac Donald.  Interment was made in the Scranton cemetery.
     The following obituary was furnished for publication:
     John Mac Vorhies, son of John and Jane Vorhies, was born in Knox county, Illinois, April 8th, 1850 and passed to eternal realms at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Estella Smith in Scranton, Iowa, on March 17th, 1939, at the age of 88 years, 11 months and 9 days. Death came following a two weeks illness with flu and pneumonia. He was the last of his family to go, having been preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and five sisters.
     When a small boy six years of age, he came with his parents to Marion county, Iowa, where he grew to manhood.
     He was married to Miss Ginevra Withrow on May 27th, 1875 in Jasper county and moved the following year to Scranton, Iowa, which has since been his home.  To this union were born three children, who service to mourn the death of their beloved father. Mr. Vorhies was preceded in death by his faithful companion and wife in August, 1922.
     Mr. Vorhies is survived by his children: Mrs. Estella Smith of Scranton, Eugene Vorhies of Ralston, Iowa and Leroy Vorhies of Granite, Colorado.  He also leaves ten grand children and nine great grand children besides many other relatives and friends to mourn his loss.
     Mr. Vorhies was a sincere earnest Christian man, a member of the Scranton Church of Christ for over 30 years.  He enjoyed his church and gave it a faithful service, for he was truly a servant of God. 
     "Servant of God, well done!
     Thy glorious warfare's past,
     The battle's fought, the race is won
     And thou art crowned at last"

Even though this appears to be the same picture as above, I have to wonder. The pictures do have
different dates. One might say they are dressed the same in both pictures, but how many cold weather outfits
do you think they would have had. I mostly want to point out the sleigh bells. Those bells are in my basement.
They would be a wonderful heirloom to pass on to a descendant of John Mac Vorhies. Any takers?

   

News to me!

You know my goal is to share the family stories, facts, and details I already know.  However, yesterday I stumbled upon a couple interesting pieces of information that were new to me and that I wish to share. Discovering new family details is exciting for a family historian.

Since I was already in the area, I decided to stop by our local genealogy library and look at the index of  Greene County deaths. I wanted to confirm the death date of Myrtice Avril Smith, the 5th child of Hiram and Stella Smith. Sure enough, she died May 19, 1913 as her gravestone says. Out of curiosity, I decided to go to the Court House to further check some facts on this death. The cause of death was listed as pneumonia and whooping cough. She was 4 months and 19 days and had been sick for five weeks. I also found an error in the record. It says she was buried in Glidden. This is not so. She is buried in The Scranton Township Cemetery next to her parents.  Of course, in reality they are buried next to her. Stella's parents, John M and Ginevra Vorhies, both of her brothers, Eugene and LeRoy and families are all buried in close proximity. After all the years I have visited these graves, I never realized little Myrtice was the first internment in this grouping. ( The Withrows are in another section. Aurilla would have been the very first family internment.

As long as I was at the courthouse and had found these huge books of records so fascinating, I decided to look up a couple other death notes.  What could I learn about Bert and Nina's first born child Lena?   She was born on October 31 and died the same day. Interestingly enough, she was also buried October 31. The record shows that the baby was premature, only seven months developed. Now the really interesting question. There is a column in these records that lists the funeral home/mortuary involved. In this column the words "none called" is recorded. Now what does this mean? I know where Lena and her brother, who also did not survive infancy, are buried. Who dug the hole? Was there some sort of box used or not? I am so curious about this.

Lastly, I discovered something that really surprised me, and I think it is an important piece of information for all my female cousins in this familial line to know.  Great Great Grandmother Ginevra Withrow Vorhies' cause of death was carcinoma of the uterus.

Interrupting this program

Here we are descending the family branch of Hiram and Estella Smith to highlight their children. You have met Merroll, Neva, Ardea, and Myrtice. The three remaining children are Nina, the oldest, Dale and Leah, the two youngest.  Their posts will come, but for now I have some more organizing, researching, and some traveling to do. So, I am interrupting this program to bring you some random thoughts and a post on a famous relative. Watch for these amazing features coming soon. :-)

Since I seem to be in the "teasing" mood, I need to tell you about a treasure trove I am about to come upon.  I received a letter from a friend of my grandmother's first cousin. Are you with me? My grandmother's first cousin was into genealogy and much of the information on the Vorhies side came from this first cousin three times removed. She passed away several years ago leaving no descendants. She had one brother but he died in the 1930's.

The friend who wrote to me has a couple of boxes of letters, documents, scrapbooks, etc. that she has kept that belonged to this cousin. This is such a lucky break. I can hardly contain myself.

More to come on this to be sure.

Myrtice Averil Smith (1913-1913)

From different genealogy classes I have taken, I have learned to question long spaces between children.  There is an expected closeness between Neva and Ardea.  Neva and Ardea were only about 20 months apart in age.  Hiram and Stella's first child, Nina, and her next sibling, Merroll, were only about 17 months apart.  These are the usual spacings in families of the time.  However, from Merroll to Neva, approximately eight years elapsed. I am unaware of any miscarriages and am not sure I would ever be able to find this out.

Hiram and Stella did lose one child. Her name was Myrtice Averil. She was born January 1, 1913 on their 13th anniversary.  She died seven days later on January 7, 1913. When I was first sharing some of my genealogy records a few years ago, I had an uncle who said he never realized he had another aunt.  I have a paper called a Cradle Call from the Scranton Church of Christ in which the Smiths were very active. I have seen the thank you note in an old newspaper written by Hiram thanking the community for their kindness at the time of the loss of their baby. Myrtice is buried right next to Hiram and Stella in the Scranton Cemetery. 

t



At some later date, I will review this record for clarity. This record is not currently with me but in storage at another site.

Attention: Has anyone caught my error?  I have a terrific live-in proof reader, and he brought it to my attention.   Leave me a note if you see the mistake I have made.  I will admit to it and try to find the correct information.

Ardea Agnes Smith Stevens (1910-1998)

Again, I am referring to a great aunt but one I called Aunt Ardee.  She was born approximately 20 months after her sister, Neva.  In my growing up years, she lived across the road from great grandma Smith's house. She had beautiful flowers in her yard and harvested bowls full of strawberries from her garden. I was quite afraid of her garden because she said she often saw snakes there.  I loved going to her house because she was so fun loving. She was grandmother to my second cousins. I was always a little jealous. She was so cool.

Ardee was married to Uncle Steve. His name was really Clarence Stevens and he had piles of Reader's Digest Condensed books in his living room.  They had two children, James Robert and Dorothy Jean, but lost their son in 1935 to pneumonia when he was only seven years old. As a kid I remember my mother telling me that another family named Stevens (no relation) lost a child to the same malady.  This families' son was name Gene Stevens. So there was confusion in the community when Steve and Ardee lost their Jimmie. Some people thought they had lost both children.  Their daughter's name was Jean Stevens.

While looking through the Jefferson Newspaper archives, I found a piece about Jean coming home from the hospital.  It was in The Jefferson Herald on January 24, 1935. It was a Thursday.
     "Jeanne [sic] Stevens was brought home from St. Anthony hospital at Carroll on Wednesday afternoon slowly recovering in health.  Her brother, Jimmie, who was seriously ill for more than a week of pneumonia, died early Saturday morning at the home of his grandmother, Mrs. H. L. Smith.  The funeral services were held Monday at 3:30."

     I did not know that Jimmie had died in G Grandma Smith's house or that Jean was in the hospital at the time. What profound sadness for young parents.

     While looking for more clues about the other Stevens' family loss, I happened upon an article that I can not believe had ever been told to me. It seems that the Calvin Stevens family (the not related one, but friends of my parents) after having lost their five year old son, Gene, in 1935 also lost their seven year old daughter.  She died in October of that year from complications resulting from an illness early in the year which was thought to be scarlet fever.  Sorry about the interrupting paragraph in my Ardea post, I am just overwhelmed with this new knowledge.

When my great grandma Stella Smith died in 1959, there was a sale of her household goods. As loving and generous as she was, not all of her children took after her.  There was controversy as can happen when numerous siblings are involved. So, to keep everything fair, no one was to take anything. Everything would be sold on the household sale. If a family member wanted something, they could purchase it. Grandma always sat in a rocking chair and since she was a little heavy, the rockers were slightly flat on the bottom. I had spent so much time with her, and she was usually in that chair that I decided I wanted my dad to buy it for me. Somehow, Aunt Ardee found this out and said to my dad. "If Margie wants that rocker, she can have it". I don't know if it is true or not but I was always lead to believe that the only item not sold of Grandma Smith's was that rocker.  You can see why I thought Aunt Ardee was the greatest.

Ardea, Steve, Jean

I would like to do more on Aunt Ardee, but I would need some help from her granddaughters. What do you think, girls?




Ginevra Mary "Neva" Smith Walker (1909-1975)

Great Aunt Neva was the third child born to Hiram and Estella Smith. She was born in Scranton Township in Greene County, Iowa on February 18, 1909.   Recently, I wrote about the second child, Merroll.  Some family members might wonder why I haven't written about, Nina, the first child. Nina was my grandmother, and I have lots to tell about her. I decided I would introduce her siblings first. When I write about Neva and Bert one should know they were my great aunt and uncle. I always just called them aunt and uncle and will continue the title in this post.

One of my first memories of Aunt Neva was in great-grandma Smith's house. She and her husband, Bert, lived in Illinois and had come for a family visit. She immediately hugged me, folding me into her arms, and almost smothering me in her fur coat. It is that fuzzy black coat that must have made the memory so vivid because I was very young. As an adult, I learned more about why they had moved to Illinois.  For several years, Bert, farmed Estella's ( great-grandma Smith) farm. Evidently, things weren't going so well and he was terminated. I understand there was family fall out as one might expect. There are other family skeletons linked to this aunt and uncle but for now let's just let them rest.

Uncle Bert and Aunt Neva never had children. I always felt like they considered my mom as their daughter and in turn, I was like a granddaughter. These realizations affected me strongly as a kid. I was very young when I determined that as a grown-up, I wanted my own family. I wanted children and grandchildren of my own. As special as we were to her, we belonged to her sister.

Bert and Neva drove my mom to the hospital when I was born. The story goes that there was a bad snowstorm. Dad had to stay behind to milk the cows but came later. I have always loved snow and believe the excitement of the occasion coursed its way  through mom's umbilical cord and reached me as an unborn child. O.K. Laugh if you must, but I actually did a study on this once.

Neva wanted Mom to name me Sarah Jane. This did not happen but through my study of my third great-grandmother Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow, I feel like I have become very close to her.  It would have been an honor.  Aunt Neva also gave me a necklace that she always wore. I believe it belonged to her grandmother, Ginevra for whom she was named. (She is wearing it in the picture at the end of this page)

Aunt Neva's birthday was 3 days before mine. She wanted me to be born on her birthday, but instead I was born on John's birthday, February 21. John was brother to my mother and they were Aunt Neva's niece and nephew. When I was eleven John's first child was born. Oh, how I hoped the new baby would be born on February 21. Well, the new baby made Aunt Neva very happy because she arrived on February 18. On February 18, 2008 another family member was born. This time the baby born on Aunt Neva's birthday in 1956 was thrilled to welcome into the world her own first grandchild. Aunt Neva's wish came true a couple of times.

I have many, many memories of Aunt Neva.  I am not sure when they moved back to Greene County from Illinois.  Uncle John said she was his favorite cook in the family. When I was in high school, I would stay at Bert and Neva's house if Mom and Dad went somewhere overnight. In fact, I was staying with them when I was dropped off from a New Year's Night party that to this day is a momentous anniversary. (First date with the guy who would become my husband several years later)

Aunt Neva died in July of 1975 just two weeks after the husband of her sister, Nina. Of course, that was my grandfather, Bert Grisso, of whom I am speaking. I thought how hard it must be to lose a husband and then a sister so close together.



Neva and Bert Walker

Looking Back

Grandpa Hiram Smith died in 1929 as has been discussed in the past three writings.  Grandma Stella lived another 30 years as a widow. They were married at the beginning of the century and had a loving marriage as indicated by her need to stay with him while he was hospitalized.  They had seven children burying one born on their 13th anniversary only a few days after her birth.

June 13, 1901 was the birthdate of the first born child.  She was named Nina Lorene (and became my grandmother).

Merroll M. was born November 24, 1902. It seems obvious that he was named for his paternal grandfather, George Merroll Smith. I have not pursued the M. of his middle name, but I imagine I will find it to be McLaughlin, the middle name of his maternal grandfather. I will get back to you on that one.

 The Young Smith Family
Merroll, Hiram, Stella, and Nina


Genevra Mary "Neva" was their third child born on February 18, 1909.  She was followed by Ardea Agnes Oct 21, 1910.  It seems obvious that great-aunt Neva was named for her maternal grandmother, Ginevra Withrow Vorhies. (Again, some problems with the Ginevra/Genevra spelling conflict). I think Aunt Neva probably was also named for her paternal grandmother as was Aunt Ardea.  Their paternal grandmother's name was Mary Agnes.

 This family portrait has been shown before but I just want to emphasize the addition of the two little girls in the center front. Ardea is on the left and Neva to the right.  Merroll and Nina are standing behind their great-grandmother, Sarah Jane. Hiram and Stella are behind and to each side of Nina.

A Terrible Accident

In a previous post, I said the only thing I had ever known about Hiram L. Smith, my great grandfather, was that he had been kicked by a horse and died in 1929.  I had always just assumed he was kicked, died, end of story. While searching the microfilm of The Scranton Journal, I learned much more.  Great Grandpa Smith was in the newspaper weekly for three weeks. In the March 7, 1929 newspaper there was a report of his accident.  The following week detailed his death and the third week the paper printed his obituary. Guess what my next three posts will be.

From the Scranton Journal

"H.L. Smith was the victim of a terrible accident last Saturday, having been kicked by a horse which he was treating for a wire cut.  The kick must have been a vicious one, as it resulted in the breaking of a leg and two ribs for Mr. Smith.  Hiram was taken at once to the hospital in Carroll and the break in his thigh bone has not been set as yet, on account of a severe cold with which he is suffering.  This fracture is reported as a very bad one.  Friends are at a loss to find words with which to extend the deep sympathy they feel for Mr. Smith at this time, as this sad affair is a continuance of a long line of hospital experiences which have brought sadness and much expense to the Smith home.  If the good wishes of this community could prevail, this accident, which is near tragedy, would be the last, and Mr. Smith would be speedily restored to strength and usefulness."

Now I have no idea what the "continuance of a long line of hospital experiences" means.  Looks like I will need to take a trip to the genealogy library and look through earlier editions of the local newspaper. I will let you know what I find out.  

In the past few years, I have come to learn that the horse that kicked Grandpa was named "Buckskin Sally". My uncle who was only around three remembers that Buckskin Sally was supposed to someday be his horse. I think as a child he felt responsible.

Don't forget to talk often with your older relatives.  Their memories make our family stories come alive. As our family has experienced  this year, time is precious. 

Hiram Smith (1868-1929)

     All I ever knew about my great grandfather, Hiram Smith (1868  -1929) was that he died from being kicked by a horse and that his body was laid out in the living room of Great Grandma Smith's house.  As a little girl, I found this to be very spooky.  I spent a great amount of time at my great grandmother's house in that very room practicing my piano lessons.
     I had found some family notes that said he came from Oklahoma Indian Country. This was also what my mother told me. Official records show he was born in Clark County, Missouri.
     In the winter of 2007-08 (or maybe the winter before), I found Hiram's name on a family tree on Ancestry.com.  I communicated the dates and facts which I had and discovered that I'd connected to a great granddaughter of Hiram Smith's sister.

     Since then I have found out a little more.

     1868 May 26. Hiram Lee Smith was born to George Merroll (1842-1932) and Mary Agnes Ford (1847-1924) in Missouri.  He was their second child.  His older brother was named James W. and was about a year older than Hiram.
     1870  Hiram was age 2 at the time of the 1870 census. The family lived in Hurricane, Carroll County, Missouri. George was a farmer.
     1880  Now age 12, Hiram and family live in Keota, Keokuk County, Iowa.  Brother James is 13 and his sister, Melissa, is 7.

     1884  The census of 1920 indicates that Jesse, the fourth child of George and Mary, was born in South Dakota in 1884. I knew about Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. But South Dakota?  Wow! New information. Hiram would have been about 16 at this time. He was probably still with his family.  His obituary indicates that he came to Greene County around 1893.  He would have been around 25 at that time.

George, Jesse, Mary Smith

     1900 This census indicates Hiram's parents and younger brother, Jesse, were living in South Creek, Lincoln County, Oklahoma.  Now I see why my mom thought Great Grandpa might have come from Oklahoma Territory.
     
      1920 The 1920 census shows that George, age 76, and Mary, age 73, lived in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Their son, Jesse, was married with three children. It appears they all lived at the same residence. Jesse-36, Rosa-29, Beulah-13, John-10, and Carl-4.

     1924 I found this newpaper article from April 3, 1924.

              " Hiram L. Smith was called to New Mexico by telegram last Friday, the message announcing the very serious illness of his mother.  He left at once, but found the good mother dead upon his arrival.  Mr. Smith attended the funeral and arrived home Tuesday night."

     1929  Hiram died March 19

     1930  Mary has now been gone about 6 years and George is still living in the home of his son, Jesse. Jesse's son,Carl, is now age 14, but also living in the Smith household was their son,  John, age 20 and his wife, Viola.

      1932 George, Hiram's father, died in July about 90 years of age.

                   Fast forward about 80 years.

      2013 When driving to Arizona in January of 2013, we tried to find the cemetery in Tucumcari, New Mexico.  Find a Grave does not show George and Mary buried there, but I thought they must be. However, we could not find their graves because we couldn't even find the cemetery.

     2014 In January we drove right by Tucumcari, New Mexico. Rats, I really had hoped we could stop.

     2014 Finally, success. December 29, 2014, we found the grave of my great great grandparents, George and Mary Smith.  Only a few years ago, I didn't even know their names.  As I stood there looking at their stone, I suddenly wondered if my mother, Mary, had been named for this ancestor, her great grandmother.

    

 

    



     

    

Moving On

     My first blog series featured the family of Sarah Jane Withrow (1834-1922). I am not done with Sarah Jane nor with her daughters, Ginevra (1855-1922) and Anna Josephine (1857-1920).  I am still searching for their niece, Nellie Frederick (abt1881-?). After spotting the news article about her visiting her cousin, my Great Great Uncle Gene Vorhies (1877-1964 ) See post On the Track of  Nellie. I am happy to report that I have found a couple more references to her. She is listed as an out of town attendee of Anna Josephine's funeral. Anna was her aunt.  I have also found her as a teacher in Jefferson around 1900. These are clues for me to follow. But, I want to move on.  I think it might have been easier to write about the older ancestors. Moving down the family tree means more branches going in multiple ways. Which one will we take? I am leaning toward Hiram Lee Smith. ( 1868-1929)  Most of my second and first cousins remember his wife, our Great Grandma Estella Smith(1876-1959).  I spoke of her on the About Me page.

     On January 1, 1900, Estella married Hiram. Their marriage announcement is in the blog post titled  January 1, 1900.  
      They are very nice looking young people. The back of Grandpa Hiram's photo says 1899. There is only a name on Grandma's but it looks like it might be around the same time.

Estella Mae Vorhies Smith

Hiram Lee Smith
1899

The Family Grows and Grows

     My side of the family tree and that of my first and second cousins, is through the daughter of Sarah Jane and Joseph Withrow.
Their daughter, Ginevra, was their second born, first married, and last to pass away.  Ginevra was born in Butler county, Ohio, on March 5, 1855.  She moved with her parents to Iowa in 1866.  (I learned this date from her father's obituary. Before I just knew it was between 1860 and 1868 based on census reports and the birth of her sister,  Viola Emma.)  Clues, Clues, Clues. See why this genealogy "stuff" is such fun, but I digress.
     Ginevra married John Mac Vorhies May 27, 1875 in the Jasper county area. They moved with Ginevra's parents and siblings to Greene County in 1876.  They had three children as I have mentioned before. Estella Mae born March 21, 1876; Eugene on October 8, 1877, and Leroy on October 2, 1879.   In time I might tell some of what I know about these offshoot branches but for now I am working on direct line descendants and ancestors.
       I want to share a family portrait that I think is priceless. The copy is not the greatest on this blog. Also, I made the photo large enough to get some idea of faces so the photo extend over the edge of the writing field. Just another one of those technology tricks I have yet to learn. Although, I admit I have seen this on many other blogs.

 So, who are these people and why do we care? 
       Our existence is a result of them. Let's honor them with just a little of our time and attention.

     Seated in the center of the portrait is Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow, who started this family along with her husband, of course. She is about 79 here.  Seated to her left is a large woman in a white blouse with a black neck bow. This is Grandma Ginevra, her daughter. Her approximate age is 58. Her husband, John Mac is behind her to one side and their oldest child, Estella, is on John Mac's right.  I guess their ages to be about 63 and 37 respectively. To Estella's right is her husband, Hiram Smith approximately 46 years old, and their four children who are circled around Grandma Sarah Jane Withrow.  The oldest is Nina about age 11, then Merroll about age, 10.  The little one to Sarah Jane's left is Neva about age 3 and to her right little Ardea about 2.
      The families of Eugene are seated to the right of Grandma Withrow  and Leroy's family is to the left. I know the identity of all in the photo except for the older couple next to Eugene.  (If anyone would like me to expand on these family, I will be glad to share what I know. Let me know.)
      I do not know the exact date of this photo but Viola, baby of Carrie and Eugene, was born in 1912. I am guessing ages based on this.
     My first cousins and I branch from Nina. My second cousins branch from Ardea and Merroll. Great Aunt Neva never had children. After this family photo was taken three more children were born to Estella and Hiram. I do not believe there are any descendants from these children.


      

January 1, 1900

   

     At the turn of the century, Ginevra and John Mac Vorhies were about to see the first of their three children marry.  Estella, my great grandmother, was married on January 1, 1900 to Mr. Hiram Smith.

     When my husband and I lived in Springfield, Illinois, we had a friend who was a judge. He preferred not to marry young couples that wanted to marry on January 1, 2000 thinking it was too faddish.  Personally, I thought it was cool that my great grandparents were married on the first day of the 20th century.

     I wonder who witnessed this marriage. Were Estella's grandparents, Sarah Jane and Joseph Withrow in attendance? My guess is that they were since they lived so close.

     The following is the newspaper article about the marriage:

      "Mr. Hiram Smith and Miss Estella Vorhies were married at the residence of the bride's parents Monday evening at 7 p.m., Rev. Snodgrass  pronouncing the ceremony.  This union is in every way a strong and happy one.  Mr. Smith is one of Scranton's exemplary young men.  His character is irreproachable, his industry indefatigueable and his manner that of a gentleman.  His wife has been one of the community's most highly esteemed girls.  In her youth she has borne well her part in society and church work, and she is especially well qualified for the responsibilities of womanhood.  Her parents rank amount Greene county's best and most substantial citizens, and it goes without our saying that Mr. Smith has drawn a splendid prize from the matrimonial lottery.  From such an auspicious beginning it is not enthusiasm to predict a happy and successful married life for these new sailors upon the matrimonial voyage.  May their bark sail in pacific waters for many years, and anchor, when anchor it must, in the harbor of comfort, safety and blessedness is the wish of their many friends amount whom The Journal wishes to be permitted a humble place."

      Wedding write ups were somewhat different a hundred plus years ago. I think you would agree.

     

Anna Josephine and Ginevra

     Unlike five of the seven children born to Sarah and Joseph, two of their daughters lived long lives.  Anna Josephine and Ginevra both lived into their 60's. They married, raised families, and shared the care of their aged mother, Sarah.  I have read in some of the Jefferson historical papers about visits Sarah made to her granddaughters in Jefferson.  These are strangers to me.  The mother of those granddaughters was Anna Josephine. 
     Anna Josephine married Willam Cromwell and raised seven children just like her parents.  I have not done much research on this branch of the family.  In time, I will turn my attention to this branch if one of my third or fourth cousins or anyone else is interested. 
     What I have discovered is that the youngest daughter of Anna and William was born in 1899 and was named Beatrice Ruth. She  married Norval Pound and they had three children.
Alan (1917)
Victor (1921)
Mignon (1922)

     Oh, have my third and fourth cousins perked up their ears?

     When I was a kid, one of my best friends was Margo Pound.  We knew we were distantly related but no one seemed to know exactly how.  Now I know!  Sarah Jane is her 2nd great grandmother and my 3rd great grandmother. We share a common ancestor.  We are third cousins once removed. I am one generation farther removed from our common ancestors, Sarah and Joseph Withrow. 
     Everyone with me? What is this illusive once removed term? We are not of the same generation.  How can this be? We are only one month apart in age.  Let me explain.
     Anna's daughter, Beatrice, was the youngest of Anna's children.  While the daughter of her sister, Ginevra, was the oldest of Ginevra's children. Ginevra's daughter, Estella, and Beatrice, first cousin to Estella, were almost 20 years apart in age. Already the generations are off.
     I tried explaining descendants in paragraph form but it became a little confusing. So, here is a chart which might help.

                                            Sarah( mother)

   Anna Josephine          (sisters)          Ginevra
      Beatrice              (first cousins)         Estella
         Alan/Victor      (second cousins)        Nina&siblings
            Jane/Margo/Vic/etc. (3rd cousins)     Mary&siblings
              Michelle, Mike, Todd, Jane's girls (4th) Margie

Because I am one more generation removed from Sarah Jane, I am a third cousin once removed of my friend, Margo, her siblings, and her first cousins.

     Here is my paragraph. You might want to skip it or muddle through to see if your head spins or you might find it clarifying.

     Beatrice and Estella were the grandchildren of Sarah Jane and Joseph.  They were first cousins. Beatrice's children and Estella's children were great-grandchildren to Sarah Jane and Joseph. So, Sarah was great grandmother to Alan Pound, Victor Pound, my grandmother Nina Smith Grisso, and many others. Alan and Victor were second cousins to my grandmother, Nina, and her siblings.  The children of Alan and his brother, Victor, are third cousins to Nina's children one of whom is my mother, Mary. The generations are not aligned. So this is where the once, twice, etc. times removed comes in. Margo is my mother's third cousin and my third cousin once removed. Her children are my fourth cousins. (Got that Michelle, Mike, and Todd)
     So, there you have it. My third and fourth cousins share a common ancestor with me. We have all descended from Sarah Jane Swartzel Withrow and her husband, Joseph.
     My first and second cousins branch off with Ginevra and John Mac Vorhies.  There is much more to come with them.