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Archiver > OREGON-TRAIL > 2004-10 > 1098246993


From: Beth Perry Johnston <>
Subject: James and Rebecca Jane (Mathew) SMITH (was POST YOUR LINES ANYONE)
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 21:36:33 -0700
References: <008401c4922f$90aea7a0$6501a8c0@desktop>
In-Reply-To: <3948se$admac2@mxip10a.cluster1.charter.net>


At 12:13 PM 10/19/2004, pinkycwu wrote:
>Hi, would all the Smith's post their lines??
>Laura

Surnames: Smith, Mathew, Glover, Gerking, End

It's been a while since I've posted my SMITH line so guess it's time to do
it again. I'm looking for descendants of my gggrandparents, James and
Rebecca Jane (MATHEW) SMITH. James was born 14 Aug 1828 in Fountain or
Fayette Co., IN. Rebecca, who was known as Jane, was born 2 Nov 1835 in
Ohio. They were married 4 Jul 1854 in Marion Co., IA. In 1864 they left
Marion Co., IA for Oregon and ended up in Summerville, Union Co., OR.

James' sister, Samantha Caroline SMITH moved from Fountain Co., IN, where
she had married George Washington GLOVER, to the Spokane-southeastern
WA/southwestern ID border area, as did their brother, James Knox Newton
SMITH, who never married. I do not know whether they all moved at the same
time.

James and Rebecca (MATHEW) SMITH had nine children, the first five being
born in Marion Co., IA. Of the children:
--John Lewis married ?? A letter written by James Smith says when John died
"he left a wife and six children, the youngest a boy of 10 years," but I've
not yet been able to pin down his wife's name for certain, nor those of his
children.
--Mary Alice SMITH married Samuel Isaiah GERKING.
--Margaret Emily SMITH died fairly young and as far as I know was unmarried.
--Thomas B. "T. B." SMITH moved to the Adams Co., WA area in the late 1880s
along with his father and younger brothers and is listed as single in all
the censuses through 1910.
--Samantha Jane SMITH married Jacob END.
--Martha Ann SMITH married Samuel Isaiah GERKING several years after her
sister died following childbirth.
--Elvira Annette SMITH married Martin Peterson "Mart" GERKING, brother of
Samuel Isaiah.
--Laurence Houston SMITH (twin) died unmarried in 1904 in Adams Co., WA.
--Charles Milton SMITH (twin) was unmarried when he left Adams Co., WA for
Australia some years after his twin brother's death.

George Washington and Samantha Caroline (SMITH) GLOVER had seven children:
James Andrew, Nellie May, Emma Agness, William, Katharine, Charles, and
Annabel.

My number one quest for this clan is to learn who John Lewis SMITH married
and the names of his children. Number two would be to find out whether
James Smith and his sister and brother traveled to Oregon together in 1864.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has knowledge of this family and am glad
to share information I have.

Beth Johnston



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