Transcribed by Janette West Grimes

January 22, 1953

* Cal's Column *

________

We resume this week the publication of the Census Record of Smith County for the year 1850, with some comment on such as we know concerning same. Last week we closed out with the account of the Herod family.

The next family in the Pleasant Shade section listed in the records of 103 years ago was that of Josiah Kounce, 36 years of age; his wife, Mary Kounce, 23; son, Colbert Kounce, three; and Easter, four months old. We confess that we never heard of Josiah Kounce until we read his name in the Census Records. Nor do we recall have ever heard of Colbert (generally called Cobb) Kounce. We once knew personally Bill Kounce or Coons. He was the son of Richard Kounce or Coons, and married a first cousin of our father, a Miss Beal. The name has various spellings as Coons, Koontz, Kounce and perhaps other forms. Josiah and his wife were both born in Tennessee.

The next name of the head of a family was Abel Smith. He was sometimes called Abraham Smith, and was the son of Malcolm Smith. Grime's History of Middle Tennessee Baptists says of him:

This veteran of the cross was born in Chatham County, North Carolina, in the year of 1765. He professed a hope in Christ in 1787 and was baptized by Elder Abel Oliver in his native State. He left his moorings in the Old North State and came to Tennessee, landing in Smith County, October, 1807. He cast his membership with that old historic Salt Lick Church, situated in the edge of Jackson County. It might be remarked just here that this was one of the oldest churches in this section, having been constituted in the very early part of the century. He was ordained by this church in 1810, by Elder Miles West and others. His ministry was mostly confined to Smith and Macon Counties. He was a strong Calvinist in doctrine and his preaching was largely experimental. He raised a large family, most of whom became Baptists. One of his descendents is Elder E. L. Smith, of Mt. Tabor Church, and is a noted minister of the gospel. He was present and assisted in the constitution of Salem Association in 1822. He was always busy about the Master's business till God called him home. He passed to his reward August 25, 1827. Peace to his ashes; would that we know more of him. (1902)

From the above we learn that he was from the same county in North Carolina from which the writer's ancestors came; that is, his Gregory kin. They left Chatham County, North Carolina, in the fall of 1791 and settled on Peyton's Creek about four miles below the present Pleasant Shade.

In the Census Record the item is as follows: "Abel Smith, 44, born in North Carolina; Martha, 44, born in North Carolina; and the following sons and daughters and their ages in years, Obadiah, 21; Elizabeth, 19; Daniel J., 17; Polly E., 15; Edmond L., 13; Nancy, 11; Macom C., 10; William H., 7; Louisa H., 5; Thomas I., 5; Neil S., 2."

In my old family records of the Smiths, I note the following children of Malcolm, commonly called by his people, Macom; Malcolm Smith, Jr., married Betsy Greanead or Grinad, as the spelling was in the long ago; Abraham or Abel, as he was generally called; and another son believed to have been Cornelius Smith and supposed to have married a Miss West. Malcolm, Jr., married as given above, Betsy Greanead, a daughter of Foster Greanead and his wife, Rebecca Sutherland. It might be added here that the first George Oldham to come to Smith County married a sister of the Miss Sutherland above mentioned. Malcolm, Jr., and his wife, Betsy, were the parents of: Silas Smith, went to Missouri, after marrying Martha Cornwell; and Babe Smith, married Easter Russell. Silas and Martha Cornwell Smith were the parents of a daughter, Martha, who married D. B. Kittrell, a first cousin of our mother.

Abel and Martha Dillehay Smith had the children above listed in the census in 1850. Our own list of their children is as follows: Levi Smith, married Nicie Evans; Obadiah Smith, commonly called " Boog" Smith, married Sallie Patterson, Maggie Garrett and Martha Cothern; Daniel Smith, married Milciann Davis, Temple Ann Patterson, a sister of Sallie; and Mary Sloan; Luther Smith, married Mary Elizabeth Grinad, a sister of Betsy, above mentioned; Calvin (Cab) Smith, married Elizabeth Dickerson; Henry Smith, married Mary Ann Piper; Neil S. Brown Smith, married Cricket Thomas; Lucretia, married Mac Grissom and later William Edens; Betsy, married John Thompson; Nancy, married James Green; Polly Ann, never married; and Louisa, a twin sister of Tommy, and who died at eight years of age. Evans**, were the parents of: Bud Thomas, were the parents of: Bud Smith, married a Robinson, Knight and Mary Holland, and later killed perhaps 60 years ago by a team; William Smith, married Mary Hailey; Johnnie Smith, supposed to have married a Green; a daughter, who married a Robinson; and still another daughter, who married a Robinson, brother of the one just mentioned.

On Saturday morning , Arthur S. Williams, of Red Boiling Springs, came by the office to renew his subscription. When we read the above account of the death of Bud Smith, Mr. Williams said he saw that accident. His account is as follows: One morning when he (Williams was a bou of about twelve years of age and living then on Defeated Creek had been sent to Sol High's mill, located just above the big spring on Defeated, at or near which the hunters of a long time ago camped that he saw Bud Smith drive up to the hill with a buckeye log on a wagon, that Smith in unloading the log, allowed one of the skids used in the removel of the log from the wagon to go up into the air and that it came down across the hips of one mule which gave a jump and, with the other mule pulled the wagon forward, perhaps 20 feet, that Smith in trying to stop the team was caught between the right front wheel hub and an elm log on the millyard and crushed in the back and chest so badly that death ensued shortly afterward.

Obadiah Smith was the father of John Smith, married a Hesson; Levi Smith, married a Brooks; but we do not know which of the women he married was their mother, but presume her to have been Sallie Patterson.

Daniel Smith and his first wife, Milciann Davis, were the parents of: Jimmie Smith, married Maria Russell; William Smith, married Tilda Russell, a sister to Maria; Mary Smith, married Ben Kemp; and Letha Smith, married the late Haskell Kemp. Damiel Smith by his second wife, Temple Ann Patterson, was the father of: Rufinia Smith, married Lark Langford; Margaret Smith, married Pony Donoho and went to Texas; Joanna Smith, married a Millsap; Susie Smith, married Bob Reece; and Minerva and John Luther Smith. By his third wife, the former Miss Mary Sloan, Daniel Smith was the father of ten children, only three of whom we have listed: Henry, Hattie and Dee Smith.

Luther Smith, as he was commonly called, had a first name, Edmond, as was set out in the Census Record of 1850. Grime's History of Middle Tennessee Baptist says of him:

Elder E. L. Smith, Pleasant Shade, Smith County, Tennessee. He is of Scotch descent. He is rather low, medium size, with light complexion and slightly bald. He is the son of Abel and Martha P. Smith. He was born in the third district of Smith County, Tennessee, October 31, 1836. He was brought up on the farm. He made profession at Mt. Tabor Church, Smith County, Tennessee, October 31, 1851. He united with said church and was baptized by Eldor John Hickman. He was ordained in October, 1864, by Elders E. B. Haynie and W. H. Haile. He has been pastor as follows (dates approximated): Mt. Tabor, twenty-three years; Mt. Hope, five years; Salt Lick, five years; Union, two years; Ebenezer, five years; Sycamore Valley, eight years. All the education he has he acquired at home. He has constituted three churches. He has baptized and married a great many, but has no record. He was married to Miss Mary M. Grinad, August 20, 1854, by whom he has three children. He is in very feeble health and has retired from the pastorate, waiting for the summons home. God bless his declining days. (1902)

Luther Smith was the father of Lum Smith, still living at Pleasant Shade, married first to a Towns; second, a Miss McDonald; Martha, married an Oldham; and Bettie Smith, married Mann Sloan.

Obadiah Smith, commonly called "Boog" Smith had a son Levi Smith, as already set forth Levi Smith was the father of: Oscar Smith, married a Carter; Martha and Elizabeth, no further information. However, Oscar Smith's son, Ted Smith, is a young Baptist minister of Route one, Dixon Springs.

Cab or Calvin Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Dickerson, were the parents of : Kenny Smith, Luther Smith, married Crickett, daughter of James Patterson; Pleam Dillard (Did) Smith, married Martha, daughter of Neal W. Patterson; and later Mattie Tuck; Floyd Smith, married Laura Cothron, and died in Texas; Doak (daughter, married Buck Rose; Mattie, married Brice Gregory, son of Thomas and Sallie Gregory, and a double first cousin of the writer's father; Nota, died at 16; and Elmer, of whom we have no further record.

Tennie J. Smith and his wife, Mary Ann Piper, were the parents of Luther Smith, married Millie Jones; Louisa Smith, married Aaron Hesson and died in Dec. 1952; Victoria Smith, married Jim Russell; Joe Peyton Smith, married Louisa, daughter of Tip Smith a very distant relative; Carter Smith, married Brittain Gammon; Mary Smith, married J. B. ("Chigger") Gammon, a nephew of Brittain; Sam Smith, married Julia Kemp; and Hailey Smith, married Monroe Patterson.

Neil S. Brown Smith, who married Crickett Thomas, was the father of: Vannie, Cissie and Billie Smith.

Lucretia Smith, daughter of Abel and his wife, Martha Dillehay, was the mother of: Buck Edens, who married three Turner sisters, Frances, Sarah and Nettie; and Martha Edens.

Besy, sister of Lucretia, married John Thompson, and became the mother of: John Thompson, Jr., married Cinda Evans*; and Mary Thompson, married Martlow Whitley; and we believe there was one other child born to this couple, but the name is not recalled.

*Besty Smith {d/o Abel and Martha P. Dillehay Smith} married John Thompson and had 4 children, Martha B. 1855 Tn. B. Louisa 1857 Tn. Mary B.1860 Mo. John Thompson Jr. B. 1862 Mo. married Martha E. Evans. Brother Cal has him married to Cinda Evans. Cinda was the wife of of George Evans, Martha's brother. Besty, John Jr. Martha, George, and Cinda are buried in Davis Cemetery at Russell Hill. I am the daughter of the late Washington Thompson of Union Camp. I am the great-granddaughter of John and Martha Evans Thompson.

Correction by Ruth Kirby – Jan. 2004

Martlow Whitley was a native of this county and lived to a ripe olf age. He has not been dead very long. We recall a very funny incident connected with his life 40 years ago. The annual session of Enon Baptist Association was being held at Defeated Creek Baptist church. Brother Whitley, than apparently 65 years of age and with hair very white, had come to the Association. He was as polite and kind and considerate toward his wife of perhaps 40 years, as a man who had been married only a week. He assisted her up and down the steps to the church house and was as polite as he could be. He was given the work of writing a report on Sunday Schools, to be read before the Association. He prepared the report in good form and read it to the congregation. He was then given a speech of ten minutes on the subject of Sunday Schools. He made a most excellent talk. On the close he said, "Brethren, if you bachelors and widowers around Difficult (the place of the meeting so far as the town was concerned) will get out and go to Sunday School, you may do like I did, find you a wife." Then he sat down. He had hardly closed his speech when Sam Fitzpatrick, an able and witty minister sitting in the rear of the house, arose and said, "Brother Moderator, I want to say that that was one girl who made a mistake in going to Sunday School." The crowd roared and poor Brother Whitley's effort at reply was almost pitiful.

Nancy Smith, daughter of Abel and his wife, Martha Dillehay Smith, was the mother of: John, Robert, Riley, Lon, Harvey and Newtie Green; and one daughter, Frances, who married Tobe Kemp.

But returning to the Census Record for Smith County, for 1850, the next name listed is that of Candus L. Grissom, 22 years of age and born in Tenn. We would presume the name to be correctly spelled Candace, and she appeared to have been a widow with two children, Isaac Grissom, four; and Americus Grissom, three. They were of the same family as the late W. C. Grissom, who died some years ago at his home near Gibb's Cross Roads.

The next name on the list is that of Joshua W. Smith, 27 years of age and born in Tenn. Nest is his wife, Sally A. Smith, 28, and born in Tennessee. Their children are listed as follows: Martha J., nine; Robert D., six; Emily M., four; and Minerva A., four months old. Albert Andrews, 16 years of age, made his home with Joshua Smith. This man Joshua Smith, was the father-in-law of Neal W. Patterson, who died in August, 1919. Martha Smith, above named, married Henry Hall. Robert D. Smith went to Illinois; and Emily M. Smith married Johnnie Freeman, by whom she became the mother of: Dee, Flaura, Dr. Galen Freeman, and Moody Freeman. Dr. Freeman resides now near Bowling Green, Ky.

Other children were born later to Joshua and Sally Smith, one of them being the cripple Joshua Smith, Jr., whom we knew quite well in the years gone by.

Elmore Patterson, prominent farmer of near Lafayette, is a grandson of Joshua and Sally Smith, having been the son of Neal W. Patterson and his wife, the former Minerva A. Smith.

We are striving to gather some information on another Smith line, but we do not have as yet sufficient information for publication. This deals with the line from which Braddock Smith, Rainey, Johnnie, Robert and others descended. We would appreciate any information that may be given us on this line which runs back to pioneer days at least, and is supposed to tie in somewhere with the Malcolm Smith line above set out.

(To be continued)

Transcribers note:

** It is evident something is wrong here This sentence begins with Evans unsure who Cal

means here? The whole paragraph is hard to follow.