CALIFORNIA LETTER

2753 Lyndale, Pomano, Cal.

Oct. 20, 1956

Dear Elder Gregory:

I am writing to you about my subscription to your paper. It did not arrive the past weekend. I do enjoy getting it. I really missed seeing it. I hope it will start coming soon.

Do you know, or are you related to Dr. Jesse Smith of Gamaliel, Kentucky? I know you are very interested in the Smith family. I am also. I would certainly love to contact some of my Smith relatives. My mother's grandfather left Smith County, Tenn., in 1860. He was a brother to the father of Dr. Jesse Smith. It is a bit complicated, I'll admit.

I hope you run some more articles on the family. I find them very interesting. I close this with the hope that my paper will arrive on time and continue to come.

Sincerely,

Barbara Frazier.

Editor's reply. We are sorry for the delay in getting the paper to Mrs. Frazier. However, we checked on the subscription and, according to our records, she should be getting the paper each week. We ask that she communicate with the paper in case any more issuses are missed.

As to the Smith families, there appear to have been some four branches. One of them was that of Daniel Smith, who was born in Chatham County, North Carolina, August 6, 1792, and came to Smith County, Tennessee, in 1811, settling on Peyton's Creek shortly after arriving in Middle Tennessee. His parents are not named in the accounts we have seen so far as we can recall. However they were Presbyterians and brought their son up in the doctrine of the Presbyterian Church. However, he was converted in 1820 and then began a struggle as to his church duty. On the one hand were the teachings and instructions of his parents, whom he loved. On the other hand he soon reached the conclusion that in matters of religious faith, one's first obligations were to God. Accordingly, he became a member of Peyton's Creek Baptist church located at the present Monoville, Tenn. This was the beginning of a very active church life which continued to near the close of the Civil War, when he died, loved and honored as but few ministers have been in these hills of Middle Tennessee. He had a son, Elder Daniel Wiseman Smith, perhaps the greatest Baptist minister of Middle Tennessee. We have many things of interest about this branch of the Smith family. There are still quite a large number of descendants of Daniel Smith living in Middle Tennessee. Our former County Court Clerk, Henry Smith, who died some years ago, was a grandson of Daniel Smith.

In the year 1807 there arrived from Chatham County, North Carolina, Malcolm Smith commonly called by the older people "Macom Smith." He became a member of Salt Lick Baptist church, in the west end of the present Jackson County and was soon ordained to the full work of the ministry. He was quite active as a miniser for many years. He was the father of Malcolm Smith, Jr.; Abraham Smith commonly called Abel Smith; and a third son, supposedly Cornelius Smith. Malcolm, Jr., married Betsy Grinad, daughter of Foster and Rebecca Sutherland Grinad. Betsy was a sister to Mrs. Luther Smith, whose husband was son of Abraham Smith. Luther Smith was a leading Baptist minister of North Middle Tennessee for many years. He has a son, Lum Smith, now more than 80 years of age and living at Pleasant Shade. The writer assisted in the funeral service for Mrs. Lum Smith on last Sunday morning at Mt. Tabor Baptist church. Abraham Smith married Martha Dillehay, by whom he became the father of 14 sons and daughters, all of whom are now dead.

As to the relationship between Malcolm and Daniel Smith, we do not know, although the two branches claimed to have been related. However, we have never been able to establish the exact connection, if any, between the two branches.

There is still another branch of the Smith family. On Peyton's Creek, not far from Monoville, a stream enters Peyton's Creek from the east, called The Smith Branch. One of the earliest members of this branch so far as our records go was Allen Smith., grandfather of the present Allen Smith, who lives at this time in the Rocky Mound section of this county and is about 90 years of age. He was married many years ago to an Andrews, an aunt of our first wife. Mrs. Smith was known as Susie. The older Allen Smith died about 110 years ago. He married Mary Wilburn, whom he preceded in death some years. Elders Henry Smith, the missionary to Japan, and his brother Levie Smith and Raymond Smith, are the sons of Milford Smith, the son of "Tip" Smith, the son of Allen Smith who married the Mary Wilburn mentioned above. This branch claims some sort of connection with the Malcolm Smith descendants, but we have not yet been able definitely to establish their exact connection.

There is still another branch of the Smith family. In the long ago William Barton died, leaving three sons, John Barton, a Baptist minister; Dobson Barton, born in 1816 and died in 1901, and married Rebecca Ann Hudson; and Eli Barton, a Presbyterian minister, who died in the State of Washington; and who married a Kirby; and Margaret Barton, who married a Davis and removed to Arkansas. The mother of the three sons and one daughter, and we do not know either her given name or her last name. William Barton died in Sequatchie Valley, Tennessee, leaving his wife, who later married a man named Smith, the ancestor of Dr. Jesse Smith and other members of the same Smith family, including Dr. Johnnie R. Smith and Howard Allen Smith, both of Lafayette.

We hope to learn much more later and to publish same for the benefit of those who desire to trace their family history. Whether this branch of the Smith family was related to either or all of the above, branches, we do not know. Any reader who has information along this line is invited to communicate with us and we shall be happy to publish your communication in an early issue of the paper.