Chasing the Past

I believe the children of James and Martha Smith to be the following:

• Green
• Nelson P
• Richmond
• Cuddy J
• John
• Nancy

I am in no way done with my research into this family. In fact, I’m only getting started. However, I wanted to get some sort of narrative down on these children. You’ll soon see how incomplete my research is.

I picked, at random, Nelson P to begin with.

I don’t know much about Nelson before his death. Nelson died about 1828 in Abbeyville, South Carolina. I’ve found no burial information. According to the probate and guardianship papers, he left 4 minor children: Maddison, Satira, Wiley, and Willis.

Two of these children, well, technically 3, are the reason I know this Nelson P Smith to be the son of James and Martha Smith. But more on that later.

I have so far found no mention of a wife. I suppose that Maddison is older as he is the only child appointed a guardian, William Campell and he is not mentioned at all in the 1834 packet of Nelson P Smith Children.

In the 1834 probate record regarding children, Satira is married to Joseph Crawford. Willis and Wiley are still going to school and being supported by said estate.

Looking back into the original probate file, we find that in 1832, Joseph Crawford is paid $50 for Satira Smith now Crawford.

Have we gotten off track? I thought this post was about Nelson P Smith, not his children!

These children prove that Nelson P Smith was the son of James and Martha? How?

In 1855, there are documents filed in Carroll County, Tennessee which go into detail about who Satira and Wiley are and their connections.

In January 1855, Wiley Smith sells his interest in his inheritance to Cuddy J Smith for the sum of $339.12. He states that his claim to this property “descended to me from the estate of my grandfather James Smith or of my grandmother Martha Smith or of my father Nelson P Smith all of whom are now deceased.”

He goes on to acknowledge his portion is 1/3 or 1/7th of the estate of his grandparents and he assigns this to Cuddy J Smith against all claims but “especially against any claim which may be set up by Brother Madson Smith who is supposed to be dead and those claiming through or under him”

In November and December of 1855, Joseph and Satira Crawford of Pike County, Georgia, appoint Abraham I Cochran as their attorney to ask for, demand, sue for, and receive to sell, transfer, and convey all property … in the hand of one Cuddy J Smith.”

They also state that she is “daughter of Nelson Smith, deceased, and granddaughter of James Smith and Martha Smith, both deceased.”

I can find no similar claims or sales related to Maddison or Willis. I do find a John Willis Smith who lived and died in Abbeyville, South Carolina.

In 1880, he has a niece and nephew, living with him. Elizer a 24 year old female and Wiley, 12 year old male. Both were born in Florida but their parents in South Carolina.

This makes sense because I have a Wiley Smith, of Florida, who died in 1872.

I do believe that this John Willis Smith is the son of Nelson P Smith. I do wonder why he did not make claim on the estate of James, Martha, and Nelson. Or perhaps he did and I just haven’t found it yet.

I have no idea where Maddison went or why he was supposed dead in 1855, nor why his brother sought to exclude him and his heirs from making claim to the estate.

While I find in the court records no mention of wife or wide of Nelson, I do find in the 1850 census an Elizabeth Cobb living next to John Willis.

Evidently, Nelson’s wife Elizabeth married the administrator of his estate, Edmund Cobb. Around 1836, they had a child Richmond. I have not dug into who John and Louisa Hinton are. Perhaps they are family of Elizabeth, or just boarders/lodgers.

Through this, I am confident that Nelson P Smith is the son of James and Martha and that Nelson had four children, Maddison, Satira, John Willis, and Wiley.

Updated 27 March 2024 — I found the bill of sale from “Willis Smith of Abbeville District State of South Carolina…” to Cudy J Smith of Carroll County. As Satira and Wiley’s documents did, Willis also refers to the same named slaves as well as his grandfather James Smith, deceased. This further ties in that John Willis Smith of Abbeville, South Carolina is indeed my Willis.

Sources:

• Ancestry.com. South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: South Carolina County, District and Probate Courts. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9080/images/004752818_00078?pId=121911
• “Carroll, Tennessee, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZF-1B8J?view=fullText : Mar 23, 2024)
• “Carroll, Tennessee, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZF-1B8J?view=fullText : Mar 28, 2024)
• “Carroll, Tennessee, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZF-1TLT?view=fullText : Mar 23, 2024),image 171 of 734; .
• “United States Census, 1880”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M695-3YT : Thu Mar 07 08:22:57 UTC 2024), Entry for Willis Smith and Mary Smith, 1880.
• Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1827-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
  Original data:Florida County, District and Probate Courts.
• “United States Census, 1850”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8Q8-DK9 : Fri Mar 08 18:53:40 UTC 2024), Entry for Willis Smith and Sarah Smith, 1850.