John Smith (1805 – about 1845)
My 3rd great grandfather
Nancy Simmons to Josephine Martin
to Edward Martin to Nina Wilcox to Margaret Smith to John Smith
As a genealogist one topic of
discussion is how do you research ancestors with common names.
Like Brown, White…or Smith! And
better yet how do you research an ancestor with the name John Smith! Yep, my 3rd great grandfather is a John
Smith. I have several leads but most are
uncertain.
John Smith married Catherine
Dingman about 1828 probably in New York but that is uncertain. They had seven children from 1829-1843 but in
the 1850 census his children are listed in the Cayuga County, New York Federal
census with only their mother, Catherine.
 |
| 1850 Victory, Cayuga, New York Federal Census |
The oldest child being 21 and the
youngest seven. So, I believe John Smith
died sometime between 1840 where he is listed in the 1840 United States Federal Census and
1850 when Catherine is listed in the United States Federal Census alone with the children.
 |
| 1840 Victory, Cayuga, New York Federal Census |
John's oldest son, Henry O Smith,
died the 26 Oct 1915 in Azalia, Monroe County, Michigan[1]
and on his Michigan death certificate his father is listed as John Smith and
mother, Catherine Dingman, both born in New York.
 |
| Henry Smith Death Certificate - Died 26 Dec 1915 |
His next son, John David Smith, died 6 Aug
1908 in Milan Twp., Monroe County, Michigan[2]
and states on his death certificate that his father is John Smith born in
Vermont. I am uncertain about this information since the informant was his
granddaughters' husband, Benjamin Auten.
 |
| John Smith - Death Certificate - Died 6 Aug 1908 |
His daughter, Mariah Smith VanDyke was
born in 1833, son Cornelius Smith born 19 October 1836, daughter Margaret Ann
Smith Wilcox born 26 Mar 1840, son Daniel Wesley Smith, born 29 Mar 1841 and daughter
Miranda Smith Libbey born 5 Apr 1843, all had their father, John Smith, born in
New York.
 |
| Maranda Smith Libbey - Death Certificate - 25 Oct 1931 |
In the 1855 New York state census
it asked what county each person was born. Catherine has four of her children
living with her in 1855 with the oldest being Cornelius who is born in
Montgomery County in 1836 and Margaret born 1840, Daniel born 1841 and
Miranda born 1843 all born in Cayuga
County.[3] Since John and his family are listed in the
1840 Cayuga County, New York Federal Census[4]
and the last child was born in 1843, we can certainly state that John died
sometime after 1842 in Cayuga County, New York.
 |
Several years ago, I spent a few days researching in Cayuga County probate records for a John Smith married to a Catherine. After hours of rolling through microfilm I found a John and Catherine Smith but as I dug in deeper to find the actual probate record, I discovered this John and Catherine did not have the same children!
All I really know for certain about
my 3rd great grandfather, John Smith, is that he was born sometime between 1800
and 1810 in the state of New York. I believe he married Catherine Dingman
sometime in 1828 or early 1829 since his first child Henry was born in October
1829. But that is uncertain because
Henry might not be their firstborn child. I am still uncertain when and where John Smith married Catherine
Dingman. I know that he had at least seven children but that is uncertain because
we do not know if they had any children that might have died young and were not
listed in census records. In conclusion, I know very little about this my 3rd
great grandfather of mine and hopefully digging deeper into New York records
might reveal more information about who is John Smith!
[1] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1897-1929 [database
on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. https://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?dbid=60872&h=3494095&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1561
[2] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1897-1929 [database
on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/60872/44471_354663-00073/1279335?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/112844346/person/220105931115/facts
[3] Ancestry.com. New York, State
Census, 1855 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations,
Inc., 2010. https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7181/004296305_00498/1655610863?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/112844346/person/220105931113/facts/citation/742272493775/edit/record
[4] Ancestry.com. 1840 United States
Federal Census, Victory, Cayuga,
New York; Roll 270; Page 308Victory, Cayuga, New York; Roll: 270; Page: 308. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2010.
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