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Susan Missouri Gregory Smith was born January 31, 1853 and died September 9, 1928.
She was the daughter of Henry Milton and Matilda Grissom Gregory. They were married November
21, 1872 and became the parents of at least six children which reared families of their own.
Among them was Laura Aldora who married John Dickerson, my grandparents. Wade and
Missouri (Zurrie) lived at the mouth of the Dickerson Hollow near Pleasant Shade.
They are buried on their old home place.
Malissa Susan (Liss) Smith was born Oct 18, 1876 and died Nov 1, 1963. She was married to
Floyd M. Smith was born in 1878 and died in 1967. He was married to Lula Patterson and they
Laura Aldora Smith was born Aug 2, 1880 and died Oct 2, 1972. She was married to John
John Oldham and they had three children. They lived on Toetown Road near her parent's home and are
buried in the Oldham Cemetery.
had three daughters. They lived on Big Peyton's Creek Road at the site of the present home of Mrs.
Vernice Dickerson. He and Lula are buried in the Sloan Cemetery at Pleasant Shade. My dad, Dewey
Dickerson, said his uncle Floyd loved to fish and would sit on the creek bank all day long in a cold
rain to catch a fish two inches long.
Dickerson (my grandparents) and they became the parents of seven children who lived to be adults.
They lived on Little Peyton's Creek at the site of the present Mike Dickerson residence across the
creek from the old Kittrell schoolhouse. They are buried in the Sanderson Cemetery at Pleasant Shade.
Arra Ida Smith was born May 5, 1882 and died Aug 31, 1964. She was married to Samuel
Dickerson (brother to John) and they became the parents of one daughter. They resided in the
Dickerson Hollow and are buried in the Oldham Cemetery. Arra is pictured in the Samuel Dickerson
Family picture on the following page:
Umphus* Wade Smith was born Jul 23, 1884 and died Dec 3, 1955. He was married to
Ethel Sloan and they had two daughters. As above noted, they lived in Pleasant Shade and are
buried in the Sloan Cemetery. Unlike his other siblings who were farmers and homemakers,
Wade was a blacksmith. My dad said that the first carbonated drink he ever had was given to
him by his uncle Wade who kept the drinks in a tub of ice at his blacksmith shop.
* I have never heard of anyone other than Wade being named "Umphus".
It is not a family name and none of his family members know why his parents gave
him that name. I guess it could have been worse; they could have named him "Sue".
I have a story related to me by my dad about his uncle Floyd. In the 1920's, a traveling preacher held
a summer revival meeting in downtown Pleasant Shade. He was a "hell and brimstone" preacher, was
very blunt in what he preached and didn't mince his words. During one of the nightly services, someone
threw a rock through the open door into the building as the preacher was preaching. As it bounced and
came to rest near the preacher, he picked it up and said, "This is the meanest place I have ever seen. I
believe I could take a pick and hit three licks in the road outside and strike hell." Floyd liked the preacher.
So at the close of the revival, he wanted to show the preacher his appreciation for his efforts and
gave him a quarter. The preacher looked at the coin and turned it over and over in his hand and said,
"Old man, do you mean for me to have all of this?" Later, Floyd said, "I doggies, (that was his byword)
I wish I hadn't given him anything".