This is another post in which I’m trying to sort out the James C and Martha Bette Smith family. Finding a lot of conflicting information. Here I want to share what is in the Montgomery County Heritage Books regarding the Smiths and compare this information with other documentation and family histories. Perhaps someone can help me with any misunderstandings I have or something I’ve missed.
There are many more articles about the Smith family in the Montgomery County Heritage Volumes. I am only trying to focus on those that give information about James C and Martha Bette Smith.
I started looking back through family histories again because I haven’t been able to completely sort out the documentation I’m finding. I thought by looking back at these histories, I could clear up some of my confusion and find some leads on where to look. Boy what I wrong!
Backing up a bit to take a look at what was in the Montgomery County Heritage Books Volumes I and II.
The Richmond Smith Family History (Vol 1, 801)
Cousins Helen Crepps and Brenda McIntyre provided an article in Volume I of the Montgomery County Heritage Book. While it was about the Richmond Smith family, they do mention his parents James and Martha. Much of this information matches what cousin Carmie said.
Family of Nelson P. Smith (Vol II, 446)
Mrs. May Smith Kingsbury details the family of Parham Bert Smith son of Cuddy J who he said is a son of Nelson P Smith. She states that there were three older children of Nelson P Smith who left North Carolina for Tennessee with Nelson P. Smith’s mother Martha about 1828.
This is where I am totally confused. While I don’t feel I can yet say I’ve done a completely exhaustive search of the children of James C and Martha Smith, I’m not sure I can agree with Nelson P. Smith having these three older children for a few reasons. All three of these documents deal only with the slaves of James and Martha Smith.
- In Wiley Smith’s bill of sale to Cuddy Jr, he states his share is 1/3 of 1/7th. I thought he stated 1/3 and denounces any claim from brother Madison which would make his claim 1/4. I am a bit confused on the 1/7th. It would seem to me to be 7 heirs to James & Martha Smith. I have only accounted for six children of James and Martha. I perhaps have missed one.
- In Nancy and Thomas Johnson’s bill of sale to Cuddy Jr, they state they are buying the same interest. I know this because they name the same slaves as Wiley and Willis.
- Green Smith sold his portion of the estate to WH Cawthon in 1848.
Why would Wiley’s portion be 1/3 or 1/7th if he and Nancy were siblings?
Why would Green Smith have any interest in this estate if Wiley and Nancy were selling their rights via Nelson P?
Why would Martha leave with her grandchildren and not stay with her son?
All of this also raises the question regarding Nelson P being born about 1780 and his siblings all being born 19-25 years later.
Some things I’ve pondered over the past couple of weeks are that Nelson P is actually the father of Richmond and his siblings. The other possibility is there are other children born between 1780 and 1799 that either died or we lost track of. At least one more could explain the 1/7th portion. Of course, this takes into consideration that his birth year is actually correct.
Richmond is certainly the son of Martha and James because in her deed to Richmond, 1849, she states “for an in consideration of the natural regard and love I have for my son Richmond Smith”
It would seem at least some of the children and grandchildren had interest in their inheritance, why were none of them interested in this land? So far, I have found no record of any sort of compensation to anyone regarding the land. It would seem that Green and Jonathan (if he is the brother to Richmond) would have had some interest in it being that they remained in Montgomery County.
I feel I have found sufficient evidence to prove that Madison, Satira, Wiley, and Willis were in fact Nelson P’s children here. What I have found roughly matches what is in the article.
I’m hoping I’m being extraordinarily dense and am just missing something and that someone can point it out to me.
Sources:
- “Montgomery, North Carolina, United States records, Aug 5, 2018,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L96S-J7NX? view=fullText : Mar 18, 2024), image 293 of 1205; Martha Smith to Richmond Smith.
- Helen Crepps & Brenda Crepps McIntyre. “The Richmond Smith Family History” The Heritage of Montgomery County, North Carolina / The Heritage Book Committee: Winnie Ingram Richter, editor … [et al.] Winston Salem, N.C. : Montgomery County Historical Society in cooperation with Hunter Pub. Co., 1981. ISBN 0894591533. Article 801 Richmond Smith
- Mrs. May Smith Kingsbury. “Family of Nelson P. Smith” The Heritage of Montgomery County, North Carolina, Volume 2. Montgomery County Historical Society. 1992. Article 446, Nelson P. Smith.
Chasing the Past 
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