Smith Families in Palo Pinto County
Last week I heard from Mary Jo Hinchliffe of Fort Worth. She was asking about graves in Elmwood Cemetery, particularly that of Saul Smith and other Smiths. I checked Grace Smith's transcription book, and discovered that these were the Smiths buried there at the time the book was published in the 1970's:
And there amongst the Smiths was Saul who was born in 1799 and died in May of 1884. I have now discovered that he was born 4 December 1799 and died 17 May 1884. Saul married Nancy Tilitha (Talitha) Ann Smith (1805-1859) about 1824. They evidentially came to Texas when they were quite old, as their names appear on the 1850 census for Macon County, North Carolina, and at that time she was 44, and he was 50.
Saul and Nancy's twelve children include Joseph Bonaparte "Hog Joe" Smith who died in Victor, Erath County, Texas, in 1879. He was born in 1839 in Macon County, North Carolina. He married Florida A. Metzora Blair who was born about 1853 in Gainesville, Hall County Georgia, and died after 1880.
Another son was Tullis (Tull) who married Cynthia Russell in Fannin County, Texas. Tullis was a surveyor and moved around a great deal. They lived in Menard County and eventually in Erath County, Texas.
Other children of Saul and Nancy were Lucius Drayton Smith and John Dobson Smith.
Saul and Nancy appear to have lived in Van Zandt County, Parker County, Palo Pinto County, Erath County, and Smith County. It is thought that Nancy died and was buried in Smith County, and just for the record Smith County is named for General James Smith, a hero of the Texas Revolution and a prominent military figure in the Republic of Texas. I cannot find a connection between James Smith and Saul Smith.
Our Elmwood Cemetery Saul had a brother named Aaron Smith and another named Samuel. Samuel married Mary Jarrett Smith, and they had ten children. However, Samuel could have been Saul and Aaron's father as I have found a Samuel Smith, born 1765, in Virginia. He married Mary Jarrett in North Carolina. Perhaps some of you descendants of this Smith line can shed light on this.
I did discover that one of the common names of the Smith family is Saul.
Another Saul Smith (1806-1872) is buried in Matthews, Alabama. His third wife was Lucretia Wilson born 17 March 1843, and died 6 November1884. This Saul was the father of 13 children. One of the children was Fleming Smith, who was killed during the Civil War. Fleming's descendents are in Coffee Springs, Geneva County, Alabama. One of Saul's other sons, John Owen Smith, is father of Paul Clifford Smith. His son is Paul C. Smith, Jr.
I found Dread Smith, John Smith and another Saul Smith all of whom were from Montgomery, Alabama. This family appears to have moved to Texas, as well.
Still another Saul Smith was born on 18 April 1907 in England. He married a Polish woman.
Saul Lewis (Samuel) Smith and Echa Josephine Parmalee lived in Rochester/Palmyra, New York, and raised thirteen children.
Another Saul, Orville (Obadiah/ Orbie/Orba?) Saul, Smith, was born on 6 May 1892 in Argos, Marshell, Indiana, and married Sarah Louise Clapper.
Other Smith families in Palo Pinto County include the A. B. Smith who was married Annie Lou Smith 21 December 1887. Annie Lou was born 3 September 1868 in Tarrant County, Texas. They had twelve children.
Erby Salton Smith, born 21 May 1904, in the Sturdivant Community, was the son of William Lyon Yancey Smith, and the grandson of Francis Marion and Harriet Jane Schench Smith of Franklin County, Alabama. Yancey moved to Parker County in the late 1880's and settled at Bellew Springs. He worked as a teacher in Millsap where he met and married Lee Fox on 27 February 1901.
George Smith was born in England and came to the United States, settling in Andover, Massachusetts. He traveled through Chicago and Colorado, and met Charles Goodnight on one of Goodnight's cattle drives. He came back to Texas with Goodnight and settled in Black Springs (Oran).
Gordon Smith was the fifth child of John Henry and Margaret Ella Johnston Smith. Gordon was born 1 July 1911 in Hopkins County near Sulphur Springs. He married Lola Marie Dillin in Palo Pinto County on 23 July 1933. Gordon and Lola had fifteen children, and they lived in the north part of Mineral Wells. Gordon was a dairyman early in life, but he eventually worked for the Bateman Foundry.
John Franklin Smith was born 8 April 1855 in Ferris, Texas, in Ellis County. He was the son of Patrick P. and Martha Angeline Ellis Smith. He settled southwest of Graford, and married Anna Eugenia Crum.
John Henry Smith was born 14 September 1842 in Georgia. He fought in the Civil War. He and his brother Cicero Smith moved to Mississippi after the war, and John Henry married Martha Kite. They moved to Collin County, Texas. When Martha died, John Henry traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and married Margaret Ella Johnson. They came back to Texas in 1900. They settled in the Staggs Prairie section of Palo Pinto County in 1924.
Matthew (Matt) Sparks Smith, born 1871 and died 1931,was the son of Perry Oliver Smith who was the son of Daniel Smith. This family was listed on the Tennessee census in 1850. Matthew had six children, and two of them, Jewell and Edward settled in the Strawn area of Palo Pinto County.
Well, the Smith tale is at the least a little confusing. My husband and I both have Smith's in our families, and our youngest daughter, Christian, married Brian Smith of Young County. I don't know if Smith is the most popular name in the United States, but it is right up there!
Thanks so much to Mary Jo who started me on the Palo Pinto Smith hunt. If anyone out there has information to contribute, either about the Smith family or other families, please send it to me at P. O. Box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061 or email me at siouxcitysue@cox-internet.com
Guess I'll close now. You all come back next time, and we'll chase more tales around Palo Pinto County.