AN ABSTRACT OF SELECTED INFORMATION FROM DEATH NOTICES FROM THE NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE

AS COMPILED BY MR. JONATHAN KENNON THOMPSON SMITH

Selected abstract prepared by Ms. Lucy Bryant Dunaway Zeier

Mr. Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith has granted permission for some of his publications to be electronically posted to the Tennessee Genealogical Web site (TNGENWEB.ORG). While Mr. Smith’s work has been posted on the Davidson County web page, the death notices contained in his abstraction have statewide, and in some cases, nationwide relevance.

Several of his publications involve death notices that appeared in the Nashville Christian Advocate. The Nashville Christian Advocate (which at times was given various names) was the official paper of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Many of the entries point to the person’s affiliation with the church. Obituaries were and remain a popular feature in newspapers. As a result, the Advocate included death notices for individuals of other denominations as well. In his postings, Mr. Smith has provided transcriptions (some only partial) of death notices contained in the Advocate between the years of 1833 and 1929 (not all years are currently posted and/or available). Mr. Smith also provides an index of last names in alphabetical order.

Mr. Smith’s work is voluminous and while indexed by surname (27 different indices), it is very time-consuming and tedious to review. The purpose of this abstract is to help genealogical researchers to more quickly assess the relevance of Mr. Smith’s work to their genealogical research by sorting the entries into counties and by including the decedent’s first name. This abstract draws selected information regarding individuals from death notices posted by Mr. Smith. Individuals with relevance to selected counties are grouped together and arranged alphabetically by last name. This abstract is meant to compliment, and make better known, Mr. Smith’s herculean work. Specific notes regarding this abstract are as follows:

Ø The original postings from which this material is derived, is copyrighted by Mr. Smith. The original (electronic) documentation can currently (as of 2004) be found on the TNGenWeb website for Davidson County, Tennessee: http://www.tngenweb.org/records/davidson/nca/ + various file extensions.

When I first started this project, all of his work was posted to the Madison County web page. The URLs referenced in my file, therefore, have outdated URL references. In order to make the correct link you will need to make the following conversion:

Old URL (example only): http://www.tngenweb.org/madison/smith/nca50-04.htm

New URL (example only): http://www.tngenweb.org/records/davidson/nca/nca50-04.htm

Ø Any citation you may make of these death notices should list the original work as prepared by Mr. Smith. While I have written permission of Mr. Smith to post this extraction, it would be more proper to find the corresponding entry in his work and then make your source citation.

Ø As with any abstracted work, errors may be present. It is important for anyone using this abstract to check the original entry at the above mentioned URL (web page address). Similarly, Mr. Smith also encourages anyone using his work to check the original obituary as contained in the newspaper. Regardless, information contained in obituaries is notorious for containing errors. Always verify any data contained in an obituary.

Ø I am sure I have made many typographic errors. Errors of this nature (for this extraction only) should be reported to me, Lucy D. Zeier, at: LooswhL@aoL.com.

Ø I have endeavored to be consistent in the format of my extraction – I may not have always achieved this goal.

Ø This abstract does not list or index every person mentioned in an obituary.

Ø This abstract does not necessarily mention all the information contained in Mrs. Smith’s work. His original work should be consulted.

Ø If a maiden name was provided for the deceased, two entries were made for that person in this abstract – one under her married name and one under her maiden name.

Ø Many place names, and their associated county designation, are unknown to me. As a result, I may not have associated some locations with a county. Also, some place names occur in more than one county (Spring Hill as an example). In such cases, I omitted any reference to a death that occurred there, unless the obituary specifically noted the county.

Ø Don’t forget one of the basic rules of genealogy and that is to remember your county formation dates. Some of the early obituaries are from the 1830’s. In Tennessee alone, 33 counties were formed AFTER 1833. While some of the obituaries are listed under Lincoln County in 1850s (for example), the person may have actually lived in Moore County (formed in 1871).

Ø Some of the abbreviations used in the abstract are:

d/o = daughter of f/o = father of FIL = Father In Law g/d = granddaughter

h/o = husband of s/o = son of (also sister of) w/o = wife of

If there is any question/confusion as to the meaning of an abbreviation, please refer to the original entry submitted by Mr. Smith.

Ø I have (separately) abstracted several counties of (personal) interest to me -- Bedford, Franklin, Lincoln, Maury and Marshall counties. Other abstracts I made include veterans of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the War of 1812, the War with Mexico, and others. Others may be added at a future date. Each of these abstractions are posted at different URLs as follows:

Bedford County, TN: http://www.tngenweb.org/bedford/christian_advocate.htm

Franklin County, TN: (not yet posted)

Lincoln County, TN: (not yet posted)

Marshall County, TN: (not yet posted)

Maury County, TN: (not yet posted)

Revolutionary War veterans: (not yet posted)

War of 1812: (not yet posted)

Various Indian Wars: (not yet posted)

Mexican/American War: (not yet posted)

Civil War: (not yet posted)

World War I: (not yet posted)

Ø Because of the importance of our veterans (past and present), I have included an entry for them even though the actual obituary entry may have been for one of their descendants (a granddaughter, for example).

I would like to dedicate this work to my mother, Marilyn Bryant Dunaway, and my aunt, Frances Bryant Freeland, who have always been my inspiration and who are my partners in the quest for the preservation (and sharing) of family history.

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