Smith Cousins

Questions from the past still linger, but there are plenty of Smith descendants out there trying to find the answers.  I have made connections with a descendant of every child of Stephen A. Smith, except for Ella, who stayed in Alabama, and John, who had no children.

Stephen A. Smith and children

I never knew any of Molly’s family growing up, but I have corresponded via ancestry.com with a woman whose children, through their father, are descendants of Molly. (She lives in another state, but because she has an unusual surname, we found that her ex-sister-in-law was someone I knew.  Isn’t the world small?) 

I became great friends with the daughter-in-law of Billie Byars (daughter of Owen Smith--see “Beginnings and Endings”) who was an ardent genealogist.  Unfortunately, she passed away last year but left a huge legacy of genealogical research behind for her daughters.

Weaver and Owen Smith

I grew up knowing the children and grandchildren of Lou Smith Barlow.  At about age 5 or 6, I attended Lou’s granddaughter’s wedding.  Lou’s daughter and son-in-law owned a bakery and made the cake for my wedding.  Then I lost track of them.  Recently, I corresponded via ancestry.com with the daughter of the couple whose wedding I attended in the 1950s.

Lou and Albert Barlow and children
on their 50th wedding anniversary

I got some valuable information from Rosa Mae Martin, daughter of Barbara Smith, many years ago.  She was a favorite of my grandmother's, and I had found her phone number in Temple, Texas, in my grandmother's address book.  A fact she told me, that the Smiths owned a furniture company in Montgomery, Alabama, was confirmed by the Confederate pension application of Alexander Jackson Smith’s widow that I found recently.  Their son was president of the Wheeler-Smith Furniture Co. in Montgomery.  In July I had a message through ancestry.com from a great-granddaughter of Barbara's who has just started doing genealogy.

Application of Alexander J. Smith's widow
for Confederate benefits, listing her
son as president of Wheeler-Smith Furniture Co.

I went to high school with the grandson of Albert Smith.  In the past couple of years I have received messages from both him and his sister on ancestry.com.  Their father, son of Albert and Gertrude Smith, recently died in his 90's.  

Smith boys--Turner, Albert, Weaver, and John

Two of my cousins, sons of Turner Smith, live together in Tulsa.  I may have to call them up, as they reputedly have the only studio portrait of Stephen A. Smith.

There are almost enough of us to have a reunion.  Hmm…