Clan William: Mary Ann Munson and William Custer Smith, Part 3

Read Part 2  

Harland Smith

We left off with the death of Mary Ann Munson in 1888. She was a mere 51 years old. Many of the children had married by the time of her death, but some were still at home.

William Custer Smith found a second wife. At this time, I need to address "family lore." Within my family tree was a lovely lady who was the granddaughter of William & Mary Ann's son Harland - the guy who lived on the family farm with his wife and raced horses. She wrote an extensive letter full of her "memories," many of which were factually not true. You can read a bit about her reminisces here.

Her primary assertion was the woman W.C. married was previously married and had children. It was alluded the new wife was greedy and vengeful, casting out Harland and Fannie from the family farm. We'll get back to this lore as the story continues.

W.C.'s new wife was found in the family tree of his wife. His new wife was an unmarried "spinster" woman of 30 who was his wife's cousin. Specifically, she was the granddaughter of Mary Ann's sister Henrietta Munson Vaughn. Daughter of Sarah Jane Vaughn Simmons. The Vaughn/Simmons families had settled in Fayette County in NE Iowa. Just a few hours' buggy ride from the Smith farm in Fremont Township.

W.C. and Alice Simmons hopped on a train from Plainfield to Charles City and married March 20, 1893. They returned to the Smith farm and their lives went on. 

In the meantime, the rest of the kids grew up and married.

Edwin Smith married Kate Smull on 11 Jun 1890. The couple would fairly soon settle in Plainfield. Edwin was a laborer. They had 12 children. Wife Kate was known throughout the area for her expertise in wallpapering. 

Parker Smith, a struggling Baptist preacher, married Estella Irene "Stella" Pierson on 20 Nov 1896. After the turn of the century, they would spend the rest of their lives moving from church to church and into various leadership positions within the Baptist faith.  They would adopt one of Stella's nieces.

Young Mirt Smith

Mirt Smith married Emma Haehlen Schafstall on 22 Jun 1898 in Mower, Minnesota. Mirt was a barber. The couple would have three children. Mirt was known in the region for his award-winning chickens.  They lived in Waterloo for most of their marriage.

Mr & Mrs W. C. Smith did not have a long marriage. A massive stroke took W.C. on 16 Nov 1895 while going between the house and barn. According to the obituary, the turnout to say goodbye was a large one.

According to "family lore" as described by Harland's granddaughter, the widow stole the farm after W.C.'s death so she could leave it to her children. As I mentioned, not true. In fact I was able to find the documents that were with the courthouse and the current owner of the property. Alice, within a week of the death, sold the farm to the children for $2,040 on 22 Nov 1895. Each child owned an equal share. Son Parker managed the farm during this period at the behest of the family; my guess is Harland's departure had been caused by a similar family decision. 

Alice returned to her family and married a single Englishman named Arthur Sinderson 16 Aug 1898. She never had any children during her lifetime.

On 08 Mar 1897, Eva Smith Bryce sold her share to her siblings for $600. Finally, on 08 Dec 1898, the farm was sold to the Diedrich Dieke family for $5,040. 

This would be the end of the direct William Custer Smith-Mary Ann Munson story, but they would live on through the stories of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren's and great-great grandchildren's lives.

Click these links for more stories about William and Mary's families.

Edwin Smith Family: Evelyn Joyce Smith

WILLIAM CUSTER SMITH > EDWIN SMITH M

KATE SMULL > EVELYN JOYCE SMITH m
Marvin Guy Ripley

EVELYN BORN: 25 Apr 1914, Plainfield, Bremer, Iowa  |
DIED: 17 Dec 2002, Convoy, Van Wert, Ohio
MARRIED 1:  10 May 1940, Northwood, Worth, Iowa
MARVIN: BORN: 15 Jan 1914, Carrville, Floyd, Iowa |
DIED:  16 Nov 1990,Van Wert, Van Wert, Ohio

Evelyn graduated from the Plainfield High School Class of 1931. When Marvin was young, he and his brother Max, boxed in Charles City to earn extra money. Both were athletes. Marvin joined the US Navy in 1935. He married  Evelyn after a bridal shower in early May of 1940. They went by bus to Maine, where Marvin was currently stationed. Nine months later, their daughter, Cheryl Kay was born in a Waverly hospital and then taken to the the family home in Plainfield. Family from both sides immediately descended to meet the new addition. In 1942, while Marvin continued to serve away from home, his father, Frank Ripley, became ill and died. Marvin returned on emergency leave upon getting word.

420 Main St Plainfield

With the war on, Marvin was deployed and Evelyn remained in Plainfield, purchasing the Smith
home on Main St. It had a large garden which provided much of their food and had an outhouse. Edwin Smith granddaughter Janis Ladnier recalled a story where on Halloween, prankster liked to tip outhouses, but on one occasion, tipped it while Kate Smith was using it. Whether that is true or legend is not assured.

The war was difficult and Evelyn was not only raising Cheryl, but had adopted her nephew Harold, son of sister Verlie and her first husband Ted Michaelsen, and cared full-time for her mother, Kate. When Marvin finally returned and the decision was made to reenlist after the war, it must have been a difficult one.

Finally, Marvin received orders for shore duty as a recruiter in Ohio. They remained in Springfield, but Marvin once again went to sea. The family still in Ohio, he finally retired. They remained in Ohio for the rest of their lives, ultimately moving to the NW corner of Ohio where their daughter was living. Interestingly, Springfield wasn't very far from where the original Ripley pioneer, Col Judge David C Ripley had started out in Gallia County.

Edwin Smith Family: Vivian Katherine Smith

WILLIAM CUSTER SMITH > EDWIN SMITH M KATE SMULL > VIVIAN KATHERINE SMITH m Leland Barr

VIVIAN BORN: 07 Jul 1912, Plainfield, Bremer, Iowa  | DIED: 07 Dec 1986, Waverly, Bremer,Iowa
MARRIED:  03 Jul 1938, Plainfield, Bremer, Iowa
LELAND BORN: 02 Nov 1906, Shell Rock, Butler, Iowa | DIED:  13 Mar 1979, Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa

Vivian and Leland

When Vivian and Evelyn, her youngest sister, were young, you’d be hard pressed to find one without the other. They were found traveling here and there together, visiting various friends and relatives, attending school events, or shopping in Waverly. Vivian graduated from Plainfield High School in 1929.

Vivian met a young man from Shell Rock, Leland Barr, son of  William Barr and Marie Hufstader. In 1938, they married and she and Leland set up housekeeping in Plainfield. He made his living doing day labor. In April 1943, they moved to Waterloo where he had secured employment with Rath Packing Company, a major employer with good pay and benefits. Then, in August, Leland was drafted. He was and sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic and advanced training in October.

After a 10-day furlough, he was sent to England and spent the next two years attached to the 49th

Vivian visit Leland before he left
for Europe

Combat Engineers serving in England, France, and Belgium. While overseas, he fell into a mine shaft and was seriously injured; his legs were never the same. After the war, he was discharged as a private in December, 1945, returning to Waterloo and started work at Hartman Locker. He was rehired by Rath in early 1947, and according to Evelyn’s daughter Cheryl, he had a job  operating the large swing doors in the plant which wouldn’t tax him too much due to his war injuries. He remained with Rath until retirement.

Over the next few years, Leland spent several stints in the hospital for various medical issues including a ruptured appendix. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 1963 with an open house at their home in Waterloo at 217 Mobile St, across the street from the Linden Methodist Church, where they attended.

Leland got cancer and died in Iowa City Hospital in 1979. Vivian remained in her home briefly, but then moved to a nursing home in Waverly until she died. Though the Barrs had no children, they are remembered fondly by their nieces and nephews.

Johnathan Smull: Katie Smull

PETER SMULL > JOHNATHAN SMULL > KATHERINE MABEL SMULL m Edwin Smith

CLICK ON IMAGE TO INCREASE SIZE

Katie was born 27 Sep 1873 in Rock Grove, Stephenson County, Illinois and came to Bradford,

Kate Smull Smith, 1940s

Chickasaw County, Iowa with her parents in 1876. Her father, Jonathan Smull, a Civl War veteran, died in 1885 on their farm. Mary Jane Cooper Smull, Kate's mother, moved the family to Plainfield, Bremer County, Iowa after his death - Plainfield is the next town over. She married Edwin Smith, son of William Custer Smith and Mary Ann Munson on 11 Jun 1890. Edwin was born 06 Jun 1869 outside of Plainfield on the family farm.

Unlike his father, he was not a farmer and did various manual labor jobs during his lifetime. He died of a heart attack on 10 Jan 1939 in Plainfield. Katie lived with daughter Evelyn until Evelyn and her husband, Marvin Ripley, a career Navy man, took a posting in Ohio as a recruiter. Kate lived on her own, then briefly with daughter Verlie, then, as was described by Evelyn's daughter, "Checked herself into a nursing home in Waverly." It was while there she suffered a stroke and died on 04 Mar 1956.

They had twelve children:

1. Marie Adaline "Mary" Smith. You can read about her here. 

2. Harold Raymond Smith:  Born 16 Aug 1893 in Chickasaw County, he married Edith Elizabeth

Young Harold Smith

Blum on 23 Dec 1915 in Allison, Butler County. Edith was the daughter of Carl Blum and Katie Halm in Illinois on 13 May 1896. Harold was a buttermaker who learned the trade at the old Plainfield Creamery at age 16. He went to Ceylon, Minnesota from 1916-1929 and then to Lotts Creek Creamery near Lone Rock, where they lived until 1930. "Ill health forced him to give up his occupation," according to his obit. He held various jobs in Plainfield until his retirement. They had five children. Harold died 23 Jul 1976 in Clarksville and Edith 13 Apr 1983 in Mason City.

3. Bernice Lorraine Smith:  Pronounced, "Berniss," she was born 05 May 1896 in Plainfield. She married Andrew Jackson "Andy" Beckage on 14 Apr 1917 in Nashua, Chicasaw County. At that time, Bernice was working as an operator for the new telephone exchange in Plainfield. Andy was the son of John Beckage and Marie Moore and was born in Olyphant, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania on 09 Jan 1894. Andy worked for the Illinois Central railroad and had a good career with them, taking various postings across Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota before moving to Waverly. They had one daughter, Shirley, who married and moved to California. It was while returning from a visit to their daughter that Andy was struck with a heart attack at the Kansas City train station. He died there on 01 Aug 1947.

Bernice in California, late 1960s

One of the interesting things in researching Bernice is that I remember her ever-so-little from childhood. She went by Beckage and was buried a Beckage - yet, she had a second marriage that no one in the family discussed later. On 21 Aug 1948, she married Frank Holiday, of Orinoco, Minnesota. He was working as a cheesemaker for Hy-Grade Food Products in Plainfield. After their marriage, he quit his job, they packed up their stuff and sold their household goods, and moved to California to be near Bernice's daughter. By December, they had returned to Plainfield, he got his job back, and they moved into an apartment in Albina Boveia's house. They still visited California regularly.

The last joint reference in the newspaper to the pair was in early 1951. According to my uncle, Harold Ripley, he believed that they quietly divorced and that Frank remarried and returned to Minnesota.

Bernice lived until 20 Oct 1973, when she died in El Cajon, California. She had lived with her daughter for several years.

4. Madge Lucille Smith:  Born 17 Jun 1898 in Plainfield. She married Glenn Wesley Scoles on 19 Apr 1920 in Waverly, Bremer County. He was the son of James Francis "Frank" Scoles and Ada Tracy, born 29 Feb 1896 in Pearl Rock, Chickasaw County. Glenn was a farmer. They had nine children, two of whom died in infancy. You can read about the life of one of their twins, who married a man who survived the sinking of the USS Arizona and subsequently died in a battle at sea, here. Glenn died in Nov 1953 and Madge 27 Feb 1977, both in Charles City, Floyd County.

5. Howard N Smith:  Born 22 Jun 1900 in Plainfield. Married Gyneth Marie Boveia on 08 Jul 1921 in Floyd County. She was the daughter of Albert Boveia, born 17 Nov 1904 in Iowa City, Johnson County. Howard worked in the Plainfield area his entire life, the last 18 years working at Schield Bantam in Waverly. They made heavy equipment. Howard had four kids. He died 03 Aug 1977 in Waverly and she 15 Jan 1983 in Plainfield.

6. Grace Olive Smith:  Grace was born 06 Aug 1902 in Plainfield. She married Jesse Gulick, son of

Grace's 80th

Steward Gulick and Sarah Jane "Julie" Parker, on 09 Feb 1920 in Waverly. Jesse was born 21 Jan 1896 in Iowa. I also remember Grace as being just that, full of grace. Kind, warm, and loving. When she was six months old she had the "grip" (flu), which she survived. At age 9, she fell at school and broke her foot, keeping her out of school for six weeks. Grace and Jesse moved to Mount Vernon to farm, putting her quite a distance from her large family. The Gulick's had two sons, one of whom had a son who is on the city council in Cedar Rapids. Grace died 10 Jun 1984 in Cedar Rapids and Jesse died 14 Dec 1989 in Vinton. 

7. Nila Fern Smith: Born 15 Jan 1905 in Plainfield. Married Ralph Chester, son of Frank Chester and Anna Walter on 19 Dec 1923 in Waverly. They had one son, Lee, who married Lorraine Lynes of Plainfield. Ralph died 21 Nov 1976 in Plainfield and Nila on 06 Sep 1994.

Young Claude

8. Claude Erwin Smith: Born 15 Dec 1907 in Plainfield. He married Bertha Lucille "Lucille" Grapp on 11 May 1929 in Janesville, Iowa. She was born to William F Grapp and Augusta Mary Seiling on 14 Jan 1909 in Chickasaw County. Just two years previous to his marriage, Claude had taken a position in a drug store in Apple River, Illinois. Lucille worked at the telephone exchange as an operator in Plainfield. After his marriage, in 1931, he was working as a salesman at Boyd's Bargain Store, owned by Frank Boyd, another relative!  The Smith's took various rooms and apartments for the first few years of their marriage. Claude became a mason, paper hanger, and carpenter for the remainder of his life. They belonged to the First Baptist Church in Plainfield. The couple had two daughters. Claude died 05 Feb 1981 in Waverly and Lucille died 31 Oct 1999 in Maynard, Fayette County.

9. Verlie Lynette Smith: Born 14 Mar 1910 in Plainfield. She married first Rasmus Theodore "Ted"

Young Verlie

Michaelsen of Cedar Falls on 06 Nov 1927. They had four children, all of whom were later adopted out when the marriage failed. You can read a little more about that here.  The Michaelsen's in the early days of their marriage, lived in an apartment over the butcher shop in Nashua and then had a series of rented rooms and apartments, or houses as they added to their family, always trying to stay one step ahead of eviction. Verlie met Leo Linsey and they cohabitated as a married couple from about 1937, having three more children. The couple finally married in 1965, but separated in the late 1970s. Verlie died at Ravenwood Nursing Home, under the loving care of her granddaughter, who worked there, in Nov of 1986. 

10. Vivian Katherine Smith: "Aunt Viv" as we all called her, was born 07 Jul 1912 in Plainfield. She married Leland Barr, born 02 Nov 1906 in Shell Rock, Bremer County, on 03 Jul 1938 in Plainfield. Leland was the son of  William P Barr and Mabelle Hufstader. Leland died 13 Jan 1979. Vivien died 07 Dec 1986 in Wavery. They had no children, but were loved by all of their nieces and nephews. I'm going to do a separate post on Vivian.

11.  Evelyn Joyce Smith:  Born 25 Apr 1914 in Plainfield. Married Marvin Guy Ripley, son of Frank Ripley and Goldie Sperbeck of Charles City. He was born 15 Jan 1914 in Carrville, Floyd County. They had one daughter. Marvin, a career Navy man, died 16 Nov 1990 in Van Wert, Van Wert County, Ohio. Evelyn died 17 Dec 2002 in Convoy, Van Wert County, Ohio. I'm going to do a separate post on Evelyn.

12. Baby Boy Smith: Unknown date of birth/death. Died as infant.

William Custer Smith Family Links

Stories:

William Custer Smith (28 Sep 1831-16 Nov 1895)
The Family Farm of William Custer and Mary Ann Munson
Mystery Muddle: Who is Alice Simmons?
Connecting the Story: More on the William Custer Smith Farm

Mary Ann Munson (1837-24 Sep 1888)
Munson Family: Amos Munson
Mystery Muddle: The Amos Munson 1870 Census

Walter Smith (19 Sep 1854-23 May 1930)
William Custer Smith Family: Walter Smith

Mary Madora "Dora" Smith Lichty (23 Jul 1859-02 Jul 1941)
B. F. Lichty & Sons, Waterloo

Harland Smith (02 Nov 1861-21 Nov 1933)
William Custer Smith Family: Harland Smith
William Lowell Smith
Walter Kermit Spurgeon Gets Robbed
Going Beyond the Details - The Nashua Reporter

Eva Elvira Smith Bryce (05 Apr 1864-05 Jun 1924)
William Custer Smith Family: Eva Elvira Smith

Ella Mae Smith Cunningham (16 Sep 1866-21 Jun 1924)
All Aboard! The Railroad Men of the Wabash Railroad
A Sad Turn in the Tale of the Cunningham Family
Trail Blazing Women: Gertude Bouque Nichols

Edwin Smith (06 Jun 1869-10 Jan 1939)
The Edwin Smith Family
Johnathan Smull Family: Katie Smull
  Mystery Muddle: The Many Marriages of Marie/Mary Adaline Smith
  The Cappoens/LeRoy Line: Leo Lee Linsey
  Edwin Smith Family: Vivian Katherine Smith
  Edwin Smith Family: Evelyn Joyce Smith

Rev Parker Smith (01 Sep 1872-29 Mar 1950)
William Custer Smith Family: Rev Parker Smith

Mirt Smith (09 Sep 1875-29 Oct 1936)
William Custer Smith Family: Mirt Smith
Middle Aged Miasma or Murder Most Foul?

John Smith (09 Jun 1879-28 Sep 1881) - Died at age 2 in 1881

According to on account in The History of Bremer County, the couple also had another child, whom I would presume died as an infant. .

William Custer Smith Family: Rev Parker Smith

JACOB SMITH > WILLIAM CUSTER SMITH m Mary Ann Munson > PARKER SMITH

Parker Smith was born on 01 Sep 1872 in Butler County, Iowa, near Plainfield (Bremer County) where his parents, William Custer Smith and Mary Ann Munson farmed. Parker was the seventh Smith child and took a completely different path in life from his siblings.

His mother died in 1888 and his father in 1895 and after that, he managed the family farm while it was still in family hands* and did some local traveling as a revivalist fire-and-brimstone Southern Baptist speaker. 

On 26 Nov 1896, he married Estella Irene "Stella" Pierson, in Horton, Bremer County. She was the daughter of Charles Pierson of Sweden and Eliza Rickel originally of Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. The elder Pierson's were married in 1868 but divorced prior to 1894 when Charles married Nancy "Anna" Phillips.

Parker also attended college, graduating from Southern University in Scotlandville, Louisiana. He was ordained a Baptist preacher in 1899. Finding regular work was sometimes challenging, but from 1899-1903, he was pastor of the Clark Steet Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa. He kept his options open though, and did other things to bring in income. In 1900, he and his brother Edwin opened a livery business in the Nashua/Plainfield area, though I don't think that lasted long.

In 1903, the Smith's moved on to his new church in LeMars, Iowa-the First Baptist Church. He would remain there until 1906. At some point during this time, the Smith's decided to foster and raised Stella's niece, Evelyn, whose parents had died.  They seemed to really click in LeMars, based on news reports. With mixed feelings, they took another post in 1906 with the First Baptist Church in Wayne, Nebraska. He would remain there full time until 1911.

In 1914, when his old church in Sioux City completed its new church building, the Smith's were invited to attend and preach. During the period of 1912-1923, Rev Smith substitute preached at Baptist churches in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. The family was living in Parker, Turner County, South Dakota for the 1920 census. 

That same year, he had a little bit of excitement on the road:

PREACHERS JOLTED
Parker SD - The lives of Rev Parker Smith, of this city, and Rev Mr Peterson of Turkey Valley were placed in jeopardy when the steering rod of the auto in  which they were riding worked loose at a point eleven miles from Parker. The auto was traveling at a rate of about twenty-five miles an hour at the time. The steering rod dropped down and struck the road, causing the car to swing violently up into the air and then bob up and down like a jumping jacks. Fortunately, both men escaped without serious injury.
Huron Evening Huronite July 18, 1920

Parker wasn't involved at just the church level, but was actively involved in regional Southern Baptis operations. In 1915, while at the state Baptist convention in Deadwood, SD, he was elected as "Manager for three years," for the organization. 1918's convention had him positioned as vice president. And, in 1919, Rev Smith was elected moderator of the South Baptist Association of South Dakota's next meeting.

In 1923, he picked up a new position with church in Tekamah, Nebraska. In the earlier part of 1926, the Smith's were living back in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa and then for some reason, during the period of 1926-1927, Rev Smith moved to Ravenna, Nebraska, and operated a grocery store. 

In 1928, the Smith's were living in Brownsdale, Minnesota and by 1929 had returned to Broken Bow. In 1931, he was preaching at the Baptist church in Lincoln, Nebraska and would remain there through 1932. In 1933, he was back in Broken Bow, and in 1935, Rev Smith would take his final bow as full-time preacher before retirement there. From then on, he quietly farmed, and most likely did some preaching somewhere. They would later return to Ravenna, Nebraska.

What's not known is if his wife accompanied him on all his various travels, but the couple did get back to the Nashua/Plainfield area frequently to visit family and friends.

Their foster daughter Evelyn was with them through at least 1930, where the census has her working as a bookkeeper in the creamery in Broken Bow. I have not been able to establish this to a certainty, but I believe her first marriage was to a Mr. Diedrichs and second to a Fred Wilkens. I have no other information on Evelyn.

Parker died 29 Mar 1950 in Ravenna. He had outlived all of his siblings by several years. His nephews Harold Smith and Claude Smith went for the funeral (Edwin's sons). Harold named one of
his sons after Parker. Stella would survive until 19 Mar 1955 and also die in Ravenna.

*See information on the family farm here

The Edwin Smith Family

JACOB SMITH > WILLLIAM CUSTER SMITH > EDWIN SMITH (my great grandfather)

Remember that terrible personal interview I went to a couple of months ago? Well, out of that came getting this photo. Although it's a paper copy, it's still far better than nothing. I've now seen them all.

The Edwin Smith Family, very late 1920s, early 1930s.
Madge, Kate Smull Smith, Bernice, Howard (rear), Nila, Evelyn, Harold (rear), Claude, Vivien, Mary, Verlie, Grace, and Edwin Smith

My uncle Harold Ripley, oldest son of Verlie, had never seen this photo. I've never seen Kate so young and never seen Edwin or Mary before this. I also had no idea Harold Smith was so short!

The youngest three are the ones I knew best - Evelyn, Vivian, and Verlie (my grandma). Bernice is pronounced "Berniss" and I get corrected by my uncle every time I forget and call her "Berneece." Mary's story is told here.

Edwin had done a lot of different work, but farming was never for him. Among other things, he was a day laborer, teamster, and carpenter for the railroad.

Edwin died at age 69 of a massive heart attack while working outside, according to Uncle Harold. He died 10 Jan 1939 in Plainfield, Bremer County, Iowa. His wife Kate, who reportedly put herself in a nursing home after an unsuccessful stay with her daughter Verlie, died at the Waverly Convalescent Center on 04 Mar 1956, due to complications from a stroke. She was 82.

Personal Interview: When an Interview Flops!

Where the Smiths-Smulls First Collide
James Smith & Jennie Smull Wedding
My interview subject's grandparents

JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH > JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH

PETER SMULL > JOHNATHAN SMULL > JENNIE ELNORA SMULL

I had traced a woman, who was still living and in her 90s, AND was willing to talk to me after a brief phone call. She is related to me on both the Jacob SMITH and Jonathan SMULL sides of the family so I thought this was going to be a major score. The trip would be 300 miles round trip to the southwest part of the state and would take an entire day of my copious free time.

I arrived and was let into their home by their 69-year-old son who I'm sure wanted to be there to ensure I wasn't an ax murderer. The couple I would speak to were both from the Plainfield area originally and lived there from the 1920s through the 1940s with stops in Cedar Falls and Ames. They maintained close ties to their extended family and the town where they started. They settled in another small Iowa town, where he worked as a large animal vet. The Dr., though a couple years older, seemed to have better recall than his wife.

The problem was that the Mrs.was lost in specific stories, which she repeated verbatim throughout the time I was there and then asked me repeatedly who I was and who I was related to. It reminded me a great deal of conversations I had with my great grandmother as she slipped in and out on a dime into her Alzheimer's ravaged mind.

Jennie Smull & James Smith
She is my great grandmother's sister.
That looks like a wedding cake
for an anniversary
but then look none too happy, do they? 

Her recollections and storytelling ability were naught. The Dr. was able to fill in some blanks and I was able to pull some information out of him without too much effort, but it had entirely shifted the focus of the interview. And, they were lovely and gracious people, I'd just arrived 10-15 years too late.

I spent about an hour there and got a few little nuggets on them, but little else. With the exception of a photocopy of a photo that ended up making this 300-mile trek part of the discovery of 2016 for me. I'm not going to publish that here yet.

They handed me a sheet of paper with a photo of my entire family - my great grandparents and all of  their kids, including my grandmother. It was taken, it appears, in the late 1920s  and is the only photo in existence that includes all of them. I'd never seen Edwin Smith, my great grandfather, nor Mary, who I've written about here before. And, now I've seen them.

After I left there, I traveled back towards home, but veered even further north and went to the Willow Lawn Cemetery in Plainfield. I'd been there once before, early in my genealogy work, and took selective photos of those I knew were related. I had no idea where the journey would end up taking me then and went home with a few dozen photos.

This time, I walked the cemetery again and again focused only on those I knew were related to me and it took 2.5 hours to take all the hundreds of photos.

I'll not look at this as a wasted day.

MysteryMuddle: The Many Marriages of Marie/Mary Adaline Smith

William Custer SMITH > Edwin SMITH > Marie/Mary Adaline Smith
Johnathan SMULL > Kate SMULL > Marie/Mary Adaline Smith

This was a lesson I needed to learn. Even though a story all fits together with available records, there may be way more to the story. There are lots of sources to cull from. And those side sources can hold the key to the mystery.

Marie Adaline Smith, who went by Mary much of her life, was the first born of Edwin Smith and Kate Smull, born 04 Oct 1890 in Plainfield, Bremer County, Iowa. According to the records I could find two years ago when I first started this endeavor, her first marriage didn't occur until some time before 1939 to a Greek gent. And, her obituary clearly stated she was married to a "D. L. Elbert" at the time of her death This was a typo.

After putting all the records together, I interviewed my 89 year old uncle who has a pretty amazing memory. At the time I interviewed him, he referred to "D. L. Albert" as "someone Mary knew from when she was younger."

Recently, I had started going through all the Nashua Reporter newspaper gossip columns for Plainfield that included both "Smull" and "Smith" entries when I ran across a couple of important items that reopened the book on the mysterious Mary:

Mary Hoard of Rolfe, is here to visit her parents, Mr & Mrs Edwin Smith over the holidays.
Nashua Reporter December 22, 1910

Hoard? Where did that come from? Eventually, I was able to track down a marriage record from 04 Feb 1908 in Bremer County. Her groom was Edwin Church HOARD of Rolfe, Iowa. And, then a news item:

E C Hoard, of Rolfe, Iowa, and Miss Mary Smith of this place, were married on Tuesday of last week. They left immediately for Rolfe. Miss Smith has been our central girl in the telephone office for the past year and her many young friends will miss her.
Nashua Reporter February 13, 1908  

While living in Pocohontas County, they divorced - some time between 1915-1923. I found another news item that gave me a clue to where she went next:

Mrs Mary Alberts who has been here visiting her mother, Mrs Edwin Smith, went to Nashua Saturday to spend a few days with her sisters, Mrs Andy Beckage and Mrs Glenn Scoles.
Nashua Reporter April 12, 1923, pg 2

What? She didn't marry D. L. Albert until after the next husband I knew about. But, other news items

indicated that maybe I needed to rethink. I found a 1930 census with D. L. Albert and wife Mary living in Pocohontas County. That was them.

They apparently also got divorced and some time before 1939, Mary married Peter Burgos. Peter. Burgos was born in Foruna, Greece, and was co-owner of the Metropole cafe in Isabella County, Michigan. I still haven't figured out how they managed to meet, but marry they did and live in Michigan, they did. Peter died in 1943 at the age of 48.

Mrs Peter Burgos of Mt Pleasant, MI, is spending a few days with her mother, Mrs Kate Smith. Mrs Burgos was called here because of the death of her father, Edwin Smith.
Nashua Reporter January 18, 1939

So, what caused her to end up with Donald Lee Albert again?  Did they marry or did they just live together? I once again called my uncle and asked him to listen to my theory and confirm it. He did. And they did marry again legally, though I could not locate the record. 

Mary and "Lee" lived in Yreka, California when Mary got cancer. She had a full-time nurse who accompanied the body by train when Mary died on 19 Apr 1949. Lee wasn't well enough to make the trip. My uncle was one of her pallbearers. Lee died 09 Nov 1949 and was buried in Yreka.

Married four times, she had no children. She was married before my grandmother, her sister, was even born. I've never seen her photo and don't know that anyone has one. My dad and uncles would have been very young when she died and didn't know her either. She is the only of my grandmother's 10 brothers and sisters who survived infancy I don't at least have some recollection of. The last of her siblings died well before my children were even born. I felt like even though we'll never know her whole story, at least in this way, we can remember something of her where she would have been lost to history.

Dead men tell no tales - nor, apparently, do dead women, but the Nashua Reporter gossip column lives on to help tell the story of each of its residents. And thankfully, so does my uncle.