Clan William: Mary Ann Munson and William Custer Smith, Part 2

See Part 1 here.

William and Mary Ann Munson Smith set up house in Fennimore, Grant County, Wisconsin. The couple farmed during their time in Wisconsin. On 19 Sep 1854, they had their first child, Walter Clarence Smith. The next surviving child was Mary Madora "Dora" Smith, born in Hazel Green, Grant County on 23 Jul 1850. The third, was Harland Smith, born 02 Nov 1861 in Grant County. Finally, the fourth Wisconsin baby, Eva Elvira Smith was born on 05 Apr 1864 in Fennimore.

Butler County, Iowa Fremont Township Plat Map, 1895

In 1866, the Smith family packed up and moved to Fremont Township, Butler County, Iowa. On 16 Sep 1866, their fifth child, Ella Mae Smith was born in Fremont Township. The Smith's then purchased a farm one mile west of the town of Plainfield, in Butler County, from the widow of former Horton postmaster Amos Head. Head had cleared the land and made it livable. The Smith's purchased 140 acres of prime farm land for $800.00 on 01 Nov 1866. The farm was right on the county line between Butler and Bremer county. The couple worked together to build their house and barn. They had a large family to house and more were on the way.

In addition to the children, the couple also housed William's mother "Cathy"  and his mentally disabled brother, Isaac, and spinster sister, Sara. Along came sons Edwin (06 Jun 1869), Parker (01 Sep 1872), Mirt (09 Sep 1875), and baby John, born 09 Jun 1879 and died 28 Sep 1881. This would complete their family.

The house is the one William & Mary Ann Munson Smith
built. The people are the next family who lived there.

The couple completed their house and barn and as the older ones grew, they married off.  

The original farm and farm today. The house is long gone. The Dieke family have owned
the property for over 100 years and the farm is recognized as a Centennial Farm.

By 1880, William's mentally disabled brother, Isaac, was living in Wisconsin again, with another Smith brother, John. Mother Cathy is believed to have died in Fremont Township before 1880 and was probably the reason Isaac was sent to the oldest brother. Sister Sarah Jane was finally married off to a widower with a disastrous marriage record and history of alcohol abuse and violence, Francis "Frank" Doole, on 27 May 1887 in Floyd County. She did not get a happy ending.

Oldest son Walter had married Isabell Monteith in 1876 in Plainfield. Isabell was one of three Monteith sisters who married into the greater Smith family. The Monteith's hailed from Scotland and settled in Wisconsin.

Daughter Dora married a young businessman originally from Somerset, Pennsylvania, but had moved to Waterloo, Iowa on 21 Jun 1878 in Janesville, Iowa. His family made an indelible impression on the City of Waterloo through the next several decades. The couple would reside in Waterloo and husband Claude Lichty would build a manufacturing company which ran successfully during his lifetime.

Son Harland and Fannie had been married in a double ceremony with Harland's next younger sister, Eva Elvira on 21 Aug 1881. Son Harland and William loved to race horses and built a horse racing track on the property at it's southern side. They traveled the state racing horses and held races on their property. Harlan and his wife Fannie Magoon lived on the farm with the Smith's after their marriage in 1881. Fannie fed the chickens and worked the farm. She did the laundry in a vat on the lawn. Harland, reportedly, was far from industrious and just wanted to race his horses.  

Eva Elvira, who married farm laborer Arthur Marion Bryce on 21 Aug 1881 in a double ceremony with her brother Harland and his wife Fannie. The Bryce's moved on to Fort Dodge and then returned to Plainfield, where Arthur died young in 1886 and Eva did not remarry.

Daughter Ella Mae married farmhand and later railroad man Howard Cunningham on 30 Aug 1885 in Bremer County. They moved to Moberly, Missouri, one of the hubs of the Wabash Railroad.

Plainfield, Bremer County, IA sometime between 1874-1880

William and Mary Ann seemed to have a lot of friends in both Nashua and Plainfield, though Plainfield was where they went most often. Their mail was delivered to the Plainfield post office and that's also where they saw the doctor and did their shopping. Plainfield and Nashua were both thriving farm towns, with just about everything a family could need in those days in the 1880s.  

In 1888, Mary Ann took sick. She was expected to recover and though she was sick, no one expected her to die. She died on 24 Sep 1888. She was 51 and her youngest child, Mirt, was 13 years old. 

Life would change for the Smith family after Mary Ann's death. Family lore would prove false after a long research road.

Part 3 - After Mary Ann Munson Smith

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

Clan William: Smith/Munson Family: Minor Discoveries

I've spent the last bit pouring over the newspapers now available through various small libraries here in Iowa. It's been exciting and illuminating. Solved mysteries. Added to the knowledge base I've accumulated in my new genealogy brain, and basically, allowed me to continue working without leaving my house!

So little is known about my 2nd great grandmother, Mary Ann Munson. She died quite young, at 51, but nowhere had I found any information about what happened. I had suspected cancer, but it could have been anything. I finally found this short item about her death in the Waverly newspaper:

One of the biggest mysteries thus far was the identity and relationship of William Custer Smith's second wife. After a fruitless search at courthouses in several counties, I discovered a small news item that said they had taken the train to yet another county to marry.Subsequent news items confirmed that she was the Alice Simmons I had suspected and is Mary Ann Munson's cousin through aunt Henrietta Munson Vaughn's side of the family.

W. C. seemed to be a popular guy, based on my notes from various items placed in the paper. In 1890, he had quite the birthday party.

The people of Plainfield and vicinity gathered at the home of Wm Smith last week Wednesday evening and gave him a surprise, it being his birthday. A fine hanging lamp and center table was presented to him, besides other presents.
Waverly Democrat, Waverly Iowa
Thursday, October 23, 1890

I had no idea that two of the Smith children had a double wedding! Eva and Harland married their respective spouses, Arthur Bryce and Fannie Magoon on August 21, 1881. The information was available, I just hadn't noticed until I saw the article! Eva only had Arthur five years before he died, but Harland and Fannie had 52 years together.

I watch "Who Do You Think You Are" pretty religiously and I think the celebrities that discover their family are always so stunned by how attached they become to these people they never met. I have the same feeling every day that I do this. Maybe that's why it's important.

Clan William: The Family Farm of William Custer Smith & Mary Ann Munson

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson > Amos Munson > Mary Ann Munson m William Custer Smith

and...

Jacob Smith > William Custer Smith m Mary Ann Munson

Butler County, Iowa Fremont Township Plat Map, 1895
Click image to increase size

William Custer Smith, my 2nd great grandfather, hailed from Harrison County, Ohio. He was born 04 Oct 1831, the middle child of seven born to Jacob Smith and wife Mary Catherine Randolph. His family moved to Grant County, Wisconsin in 1846. William and his bride, Mary Ann Munson, whom he married 20 Jun 1853 in Grant County, moved to Iowa in fall of 1865. Mary Ann died in 1888 and WC married Mary Ann's cousin, Alice Simmons in about 1893, two years prior to his death. WC died in Plainfield, but the death was registered in Butler County.

WC Smith Obituary November 1895

Family lore reminds us he had a farm and that his family's social life revolved around Plainfield, Bremer County.  But, his land (120 acres) was actually in Butler County, right at the edge of the Bremer County border. The Plainfield post office served the farm. The farm reportedly had a horse race track because WC, his son Harland, and grandson William Lowell Smith were all avid horse racers.

It's such a thrill to make document discoveries after some serious sleuthing. One of my questions involved, "What became of the land?" In a note of remembrances authored by WC Smith granddaughter, Alyce Smith Rasmussen (daughter of WC Smith's son Harland), she had claimed that the widow Alice took the land, bounced Harland out, took all the personal effects, leaving the children with nothing. You can read about that claim here.

According to county deed documents, this was all patently untrue. WC Smith's widow sold the land of William C. Smith to the children of WC Smith after his death: Walter Smith, Dora Lichty, Harland Smith, Eva Bryce, Ella Cunningham, Edwin Smith, Parker Smith, and Mirt Smith for $2, 040 for the property described as: The East half of the Southeast quarter and the Southeast quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 24, Township 93, N. Range 15 West. This deal was closed 22 Nov 1895, just days after WC's death.

WC Smith Widow Alice's sale to WC Smith Children, 1895
Click image to increase size

But, wait, there's more.On 08 Mar 1897, WC Smith daughter Eva Bryce sold her share to her siblings for $600.

Finally, on 08 Dec 1898, the remaining siblings sold the property to Diedrich Deike for the sum of $5,040. Parker Smith had been managing the farm during the time from his father's death to the time of the sale. Diedrich and Minnie had seven kids and the family still owns this property.

Final Sale of Property to Diedrich Dieke

My thanks to the staff of the Butler County Recorder's office, particularly Roxann, for assisting me in my quest to solve the mystery.

You can read more on the Smith-Munson Family Farm here.

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: Eva Elvira Smith

JACOB SMITH > WILLIAM CUSTER SMITH  m Mary Ann Munson > EVA ELVIRA SMITH

L. Scott Baker & Ethel Bryce Wedding

Eva Elvira Smith was the final child born to William Custer Smith and Mary Ann Munson while they lived in Wisconsin. She was born in Grant County, Wisconsin on 05 Apr 1864 and in the fall of 1865, moved with her parents and sibling to a farm near Plainfield, Bremer County at the edge of Butler County.

On 21 Aug 1881, she married Arthur Marion Bryce, a divorced man with one daughter. Arthur and Eva would have two children, Ethel Marion, born in 1882 and John W. born 24 Feb 1884. Arthur died on 11 Jan 1886.

In 1897, Eva sold her interest in the Smith family farm, previously repurchased from Willliam Custer Smith's second wife and widow, Alice, to her siblings for $2,000. She sold her share back to the siblings for $600.

In 1906, Eva moved to Illinois where her daughter Ethel and son-in-law Lafayette "Scott" Baker were residing. The Baker's relocated to Waterloo in 1910.

Ethel had met Scott while working in the Plainfield school. Scott was the principal and Ethel was his assistant and teacher. Scott was referred to as "Professor Baker." Baker was a native of Island, Nemaha, Nebraska born 16 Apr 1880 to Mr & Mrs Jesse Baker. His family then moved to Fremont County, Iowa. The young couple was married by Ethel's uncle, Rev. Parker Smith, a Baptist minister, on 13 Jan 1906 at Eva's home in Plainfield. They had their only child, Jesse Bryce Baker, in Illinois, on 12 Jan 1907.

Jesse, Ethel, and Scott Baker

Eva's son John also lived in Waterloo in 1910 with the Baker's and plied his trade as a barber. He eventually moved to Fort Dodge and in 1914 was living in the Hotel Logan there and still barbering. He remained there and married Miss Addie Latham on 17 Dec 1921 in Waterloo.He would remain in Fort Dodge for his life and die on 24 Sep 1931.

The Baker's remained in Waterloo until about 1922, when they moved to  Lincoln, Nebraska and then Denver, Colorado. It was in Lincoln that Eva died on 05 June 1924, the first of the Smith siblings to reach maturity to die (young John died at a age 2 in 1881).  Just two weeks after Eva's funeral, which sister Ella Mae Cunningham attended, Ella Mae would die in Moberly, Missouri (read here and here).

While in Denver, Scott died in April of 1944. He was buried at the Fairmont Cemetery in Denver. Ethel moved to California, where son Jesse was living. She eventually married Mr. Al Kramer (of which little is known).

Son Jesse married first Leona Vanderpool in about 1927 or 1928 while living in Denver. They had one daughter born about 1928. They divorced.

Jesse & Inez

He then married Inez Pearl Garrison who had divorced George Howard Wilcox and had two sons, William and George, Jr., at the time of the marriage. Jesse and Inez would go on to have four more children. Jesse in 1930 was an engineer for a radio corporation and in 1940 was a traveling salesman for a mercantile company. Jesse died in Los Angeles County 21 Sep 1971.

Ethel, Jesse's mother, survived him, living until 19 Apr 1977, where she died in Sunland, Los Angeles County, California.

Inez moved in the early 1970s to Bellingham, Washington. She married Arie H. Sluys, her third husband, on 08 Jul 1977 in Whatcom County, Washington. Arie died 25 Oct 1988 and Inez died 12 Mar 1999.