Jacob Smith: Setting the Record Straight

Old Fennimore: Sixty years after the Jacob Smith Family Arrived

This is my response to Ancestry Family Trees that have Jacob Smith dying in May of 1858 in
Fennimore, Grant County, Wisconsin. It is my belief that this is wrong.

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Jacob Smith is my 3GG. It is believed he was born in 1798 in New Jersey or New York (no confirming documents have been discovered) and also that his father was James Smith (reportedly of New Jersey), who later moved to Ohio. There are available records of the existence of both James and Jacob in Ohio. 

Jacob married Mary Catherine "Cathie" Randolph at an unknown location and date. In 1820, Jacob was living in Richland, Belmont, Ohio and in 1840 he was in Smithfield, Jefferson, Ohio. Birth records of his children also detail that the Smith's lived in Guernsey, Ohio (1822) and Harrison County (1826 until at least 1831) before ending up in Jefferson County.

In 1846, Jacob's oldest son James and his wife had their third child, John Richard, in Grant County, Wisconsin; their previous child, Alexander, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio in 1845. So, we can presume, since they all went together, that they arrived in Wisconsin in late 1845 or early 1846. Jacob and children are all reflected in the 1850 census in Grant County.

Oddly enough, there was a second Jacob Smith living in the Fennimore area at the same time my Jacob Smith lived there. It is his death date that is attributed in error to our Jacob Smith. 

This was easily disproved through two documents: The obituary of the "other" Jacob Smith and the probate documents of the same "other" Jacob Smith.

First, the obituary: 

"Mr. SMITH was born in Wayne county, Penn., March 19, 1829, son of Jacob and Sophia (WHEELER) SMITH. His father was born east of the Green Mountains, in Vermont, in 1802, and his grandfather was a clergyman of the Methodist Church, and lived in New England al his life. Jacob SMITH was the youngest son in a family of twelve children, six sons and six daughters, all of whom were given Bible names, as was the fashion of the times. The sons were called Simeon, Reuben, Daniel, Abram, Isaac and Jacob. The names of the daughters cannot now be obtained, as that generation has passed from earth. In 1824 Jacob SMITH married Sophia WHEELER, who was born in Massachusetts, her birth occurring the same year as her husband's. She as a daughter of Simeon and Polly (NOBLE) WHEELER. Her mother was a daughter of Capt. Charles NOBLE, a Revolutionary soldier, who died before the close of the Revolution, from disease contracted in the service. Melford Pratt SMITH therefore is a great-grandson of a Revolutionary soldier. The NOBLE family was long prominent in Massachusetts. Four brothers came from England in early Colonial times, and from them are descended the greater part of the NOBLES in the United States.

In 1826 Jacob SMITH, with his wife and only child, removed to Wayne county, Penn., and in 1853 the parents, with their family, then consisting of six children, came to Grant county, Wis., and settled on a farm in the town of Fennimore. Within six years after their arrival five of the family had passed away. The parents and three of their children, Algernon and Celestial and Cecilia (twins), had succumbed to sickness, and gone on "to join the great majority," The children reached maturity before they died. The mother's death occurred in 1857, and the father's the following year. There are now living of this family, Esther (the wife of O.N. SMITH, of Eau Claire, Wis.), Melford P., and Alfica (of Iowa)."

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Last Will & Testament of the "Other" Jacob Smith

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In the end, we are put in a place that the best we can narrow down my Jacob Smith's death date to between the census of 1850 to the census of 1860, where in 1860 his wife is found living with his mentally disabled son and spinster daughter in the home of their son William Custer Smith in Fremont Township, Butler County, Iowa. 

We may never know what exactly became of Jacob, but there is a high likelihood he did not ever come to Iowa with several other members of the family, but died in Grant County.

 

Smith Family: Lydia Hinmon was Unlucky in Love

Lydia Hinmon was connected to the Smith/Smull/Munson families by marriage in multiple ways. Every time I read about her, I can't help but feel she was super unlucky with love. Her parents were George Hinmon and Anna Lewis, who originally hailed from New York State and later Erie, Pennsylvania, and then pioneered to Jasper County, Iowa. The two children I was able to locate were George Richard Hinmon (1833-1914) and Lydia (abt. 1839-bef. 1885). George would settle in the Bremer/Chickasaw, Iowa County area and several of his children would intermix with ours.

While still in Concord, Erie, Pennsylvania, Lydia married William C Stuck (05 Aug 1855).  The young couple lived in Albion in Dane County, Wisconsin. In 1860, their only child, Llewellyn Jermiah Stuck was born. He would live in Floyd County, Iowa for a time as an adult, but eventually he and his wife Mary Campbell would live in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. They had many children.

William Stuck fought with the Wisconsin 5th Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He began his service in late May of 1861 and lasted until the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station in Virginia which began 07 Nov 1863. He was injured in battle and died in a Washington DC hospital.

"Pressured by Washington to make another attack on General Robert E. Lee’s army in northern Virginia, and perhaps enjoying the success of his partial victory over Lee at Bristoe Station three weeks earlier, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade ordered an assault against Lee’s infantry along the Rappahannock River on November 7th, 1863. A single pontoon bridge at Rappahannock Station was the only connection between Lee's army and the northern bank of the river. The bridge was protected by a bridgehead on the north bank consisting of redoubts and trenches. Confederate batteries posted on hills south of the river gave additional strength to the position. As Lee anticipated, Meade divided his forces, ordering Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick to the bridgehead and positioning Maj. Gen. William H. French five miles downstream to engage a Confederate line near Kelly’s Ford. To counter this move, Lee shifted a force under Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes to Kelly’s Ford, where they were overwhelmed by French. At Rappahannock Station, Sedgwick’s men skirmished with Maj. Gen. Jubal Early’s Confederates before launching a brutal nighttime bayonet attack. The Federals overran Early’s bridgehead taking more than 1,600 prisoners. Defeated, Lee retreated into Orange County south of the Rapidan River while the Army of the Potomac occupied the vicinity of Brandy Station and Culpeper County. Later in November, before the winter weather ended military campaign season, Meade would attempt one more offensive against Lee at Mine Run." Battlefields.org

Second Battle of Rappahannock Station
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In 1866, she married George Harshman in Jasper County, Iowa. George was a widower with two young sons. The marriage didn't last though. George moved on to Nebraska and died in Scottsbluff in 1898.

The next chapter in Lydia's life was her marriage to widower Francis "Frank" Doole. Doole had a long marriage with Martha Shaw, but she died in 1879. They had five children. Lydia married him the following year in 1880 in Floyd County. Frank, by all accounts was cantankerous and difficult. Some of his shenanigans included plowing up the tombstone the children had placed for their mother and being arrested for running a "Blind Pig. What's a blind pig? In the Midwest, Blind Pigs started in the 1880s and were quite a problem, according to the anti-alcohol crowd. It got its name because some wily proprietor would sell tickets to a back room to see a "blind pig," and the ticket price included a drink." 

The last time Lydia is seen in records is in the 1885 Iowa State Census, when she lived with Frank and his son William. Then, she disappears. Dead? Did she divorce him and move to Wisconsin to be with her son? We don't know. Doole married my great-great aunt Sarah Smith, a lifelong spinster in 1887. She divorced Doole before their deaths.

Hoping to find someone in the Doole or Stuck families who might have the answer.  

Clan William: Harry K. Newburn, University President

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Calvin Munson > Susanna Munson > Jacob Newburn > Charles R Newburn > Harry K Newburn

Samuel was the father of my 4GG, Freeman Munson, Calvin was Freeman's oldest brother.

Harry Kenneth Newburn was the middle son of three boys of Charles R Newburn and his wife Mary Alice Bayless. He was born Jan 1, 1906 in Cuba, Fulton County, Illinois. He married Wandaleigh "Lee" Brady on Jun 16, 1928 in Burlington, Iowa.

Harry attended university at Western Illinois University, graduating in 1929. He got both his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, finally completing his formal education in 1933. 

His first jobs were in K-12 education, teaching high school and serving as both principal and superintendent in Iowa and Illinois before accepting a position as dean of the liberal arts college at the University of Iowa in 1941. 

In 1945, he accepted a position as the president of University of Oregon, where he made great strides in improving the university and elevating its position in the University system. The U of O website describes his term as 8th university president as:

"When Harry K. Newburn became the eighth UO president, he faced a rapidly growing enrollment on an under-staffed and under-built campus. Student housing was inadequate to meet the 81 percent enrollment increase from 1945 to 1946, and long-time faculty members were reaching retirement age. Convincing the legislature to allow salary increases, he enabled the UO to compete for and attract more highly qualified professors. The classroom, office, and housing shortages were met with a variety of responses, some temporary, such as Quonset huts used as classrooms, and others more permanent, such as the building of Emerald Hall and the establishment of single and married students housing. During President Newburn's tenure, the number of graduate degrees earned also increased dramatically." ~ University of Oregon  

Newburn had a good, solid career at U of O. I found this little vignette about his sense of humor (very academic, that humor): 

"The university's eighth president, Harry K. Newburn, was not without a sense of humor. In a series of letters sent during Oct. 1949, professor Eldon Johnson submitted to the dean of the College of Liberal Arts an emergency request for the creation of the class "Pipe Smoking." President Newburn responded that while the course "passes through all sixteen committees," he could not submit the request for the course to the State Board of Higher Education. He did, however, recommend the book reading list be made available in the browsing library, and that there should be lectures on the subject." ~ Oregon.edu

He held the position at Oregon until 1953, when he resigned to take a position as president with the Ford Foundation's Educational Television Foundation and taught at Arizona State University. 

In 1959, Harry took a position as president of the Montana University. This was his most challenging and clearly most frustrating professional challenge to date. Montana University, formerly known as Montana State University, had many presidents prior to Newburn coming on board. Tenures were relatively short. Newburn was known for wanting to ensure the university could attract brilliant teaching minds and wanted the salaries that would attract those types of educators. The Board of Regents did not feel that was a priority. When Newburn resigned in 1963, Time Magazine described MU as a "graveyard of presidents." Though Newburn did not publicly state why he departed, it was widely believe his growing frustration with the Regents on a number of important issues and financial support were to blame.

Off he went in 1963 to his new position as professor of education and as director of the ASU Center for Higher Education. He took the position as president of Cleveland State University from 1965-1966, returning to ASU as Dean of the College of Education and in 1969, he became president of ASU until 1971. Harry's last position was as president of Cleveland State University from 1971-1973. In 1973, he retired to his home in Arizona.

Harry had a heart attack in 1974 and was taken to Desert Samaritan Hospital, where he died four days later, on Aug 25, 1974. He was 68.

As I was reading about Harry, I noted how important the role of the wife of the president plays in the career of the president (during that time, only men were named president, so no politically incorrect terminology is intended). Wanda was a great partner and did all the right things as she raised her own three children and provided important support to Harry. I found this great article about their arrival to University of Oregon and the coverage she herself received. 

Clan William: Clifford Benjamin Paul, Chauffeur to Katherine Butterworth

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Calvin Munson > Susanna Munson > Calvin Munson Newburn > Anna Newburn > Clifford Benjamin Paul

Traveling the Calvin Munson route. He was brother to my 4GG, Freeman Munson. Several generations down, lies Clifford Benjamin Paul, noted photographer and chauffeur to Katherine Butterworth, daughter of Charles Deere, son of John Deere. Yes, John Deere, of John Deere Tractor Co.

Clifford was born 14 Feb 1892 in Canton, Illinois. He married Hulda Holm on 17 Jul 1916 in Moline, Illinois, where they resided. They had two children, Ethel Paul Armstrong and Maj Robert Lorin Paul. 

Clifford was a noted photographer, who participated heavily in the art world in Moline and exhibited and sold his works for decades. 

Now, we switch gears to John Deere, a young man who was struggling in his native Vermont, and relocated in 1836 to Illinois to find his way. His blacksmithing skills were much needed and he thrived. According to John Deere history, the settlers in Illinois found "breaking" land an arduous task. He developed a new kind of plow capable of the tough task. He was able to make 100 plows a year by 1841, and in 1843, he partnered with a fellow to produce more plows. That partnership ended in 1848 and that's when he relocated to Moline, Illinois for its water, coal and cheaper transportation. A legend was born as were several new tools for agriculture.

His son Charles Deere took over the operations of the family business and took over as President and Chairman after John Deere's death. Charles and his wife had two daughters, Katherine and Anna. 

Charles built homes for both and both were located on Millionaire's Row. Anna went on to marry William Wiman, son of a successful NYC business man and who was in his own right, quite a catch. He was formerly an electrical engineer who was previously an apprentice to Thomas Edison and later worked for John Deere Co. Their son Charles would later become president of John Deere and son Dwight Deere Wiman would become a silent movie actor, playwright, and theater producer.

Katherine married William Butterworth, son of a former US Congressman, and an attorney and businessman. Butterworth would become President of John Deere after the death of Katherine's father, Charles. They would have no children, but were philanthropic to their community. Under Butterworth's watch, the business expanded with the purchase of The Waterloo Gasoline Engine Works, which included it's Waterloo Boy Tractor in 1918. This greatly expanded Deere's business and contributed to the growth and prosperity of Waterloo, Iowa (I live in Cedar Falls, an adjoining town - and while growing up just about everybody's dad I knew either worked for Deere or worked for a company that did something for Deere).

The couples would spend their winters in Santa Barbara, California, but return to Illinois for the summers. The Butterworth home in Santa Barbara is considered one of the most beautiful of the old homes still in existence there. Personal employees would make the trek with them each season. Among those was Clifford Paul. 

Hillcrest, the Butterworth Residence

The Butterworths were well-known for taking good care of their servants. The former residence is now an arts and education center. 

The servant's entrance at Hillcrest

For 39 years, his "day job" was as chauffeur to Katherine Deere Butterworth. William Butterworth died in 1936.  She left an estate of over $6 million at her death in 1953.

Paul retired after Katherine's death and lived his last years in Santa Barbara, dying there 12 May 1960.

Hillcrest's carriage house - once home to the Butterworth's horse and carriages and later
home to its automobiles. It is now the education building at the Butterworth Center

Clifford Paul's obituary:

Clan William: Charles Munson's Civil War Death

Don't believe everything you read; even on occasion, the Munson Family Record. That's what I learned today.

I'm still following the trail of my "outer" Munson cousins - the families of the brothers and sisters of my 4th great grandfather, Freeman Munson, born in Connecticut, died in Trumbull County, Ohio.

Today's story is about young Charles Munson, born about 1836 in Trumbull County to Randil Munson and Lucinda Loveless. Randil is the twin of Rilman Munson, sons of Calvin Munson, 4GG Freeman's oldest brother.

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Calvin Munson > Randil Munson > Charles Munson

The children of Randil were of an age to participate in the Civil War. Charles appears to be fourth child of six. He married Susan Fenstermaker in 1861 (Charles' younger brother Abner married Susan's sister, Sarah). Not much is known about him until he joined up with the 2nd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry.

Capt Wm Quantrill

Unlike many Civil War units, the 2nd Regiment, Company D, spent much of its time in 1862-1864 serving on the frontier of Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri with forays east into Tennessee and elsewhere. And, unfortunately, this was a very dangerous place to serve. The unit would go on, a full year after the death of Charles Munson, to take heavy losses at the hands of Quantrill's Raiders along the Missouri/Kansas border.

William Quantrill, former schoolteacher turned guerilla fighter and hired gun for the Confederacy, had been an destructive and horrific presence in the territory for some time. Among his troops were the later historic robbers, the Younger and James Brothers, who would use the tactics they learned with Quantrill to their illicit robbery careers. 

This has nothing to do with the story of Charles Munson, however, despite what we learn from the Munson Family History. That reference reads: 

"Charles: b. i May 1836 ; m. 14 Sept. 1861 Susan Fenstermaker, now deceased ; no ch.; he was a cavalryman in the late War, losing his life in the service. " My brother Charles enlisted in August1862 at Bristolville, Trumbull Co., O., where he then lived, and was a private under Capt. Caldwell in Co. D, 2nd Ohio Cavalry. He served one year ; then died, August 1863, at Baxter Springs, Indian Terr. His regiment, under Col. Doubleday, was in several skirmishes." 

The mention of Baxter Springs would lead one to believe he may have died in the Baxter Springs Massacre, at the hands of Quantrill's Raiders.  But, this battle did not occur until October of 1863, long after Charles' death. So, we have a little mash-mash of bad memory published in the The Munson Record, Vol I. If he was in the Army for a year, that would mean he entered in 1861, not Aug 1862. Both the newspaper mention and the Roster of Ohio Soldiers and his obituary say he died not in 1863 and not at Baxter Springs.

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Charles Munson Roster of Ohio Soldier Vol XI

In the Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Vol XI, Charles Munson's date of death is indicated as Aug 3, 1862. It also states he died near Spring River, Indian Territories. That is what is now northwest Arkansas. And, he died not in battle, but of "brain fever." Charles is no less heroic for dying of illness and not injury, as more people died of infection and illness in the Civil War than in battle. 

Of Charles Munson, there are two newspaper references after his death. 

Charles Munson Obit
Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, OH, Oct 15, 1862

This one was on the occasion where the citizens of Bristol, Trumbull County, raised $500 in subscription to pay for a 10-foot tall monument honoring the deaths of Bristol's heroes. It was the first Civil War Monument of its kind in Ohio. The full article can be found on Charles' profile on my Ancestry.com tree. This is an abbreviated report of the monument.

Charles Munson: Civil War Monument, 1863
Bristol, Trumbull County, Ohio
Western Reserve Chronicle, Warren, Oh, Oct 21, 1863

Civil War Memorial 1861-1863 located in Bristolville, Ohio

Click to increase size. Charles Munson referenced bottom left.