Linda, Bible records are great only when they do not conflict with civil records. Civil records always trump Bible records because a lot of information in family bibles was put there may years after the fact often by folks who could not find their way home from the grocery store with a map. <grin> In 1820 Rev. Jordan SMITH was living right next to Joseph MARSHALL, Sr.(ABT 1760-AFT 1820) in Jefferson County, GA. My bet is Mrs. Ann MARSHALL (ABT 1770-1845) was a SMITH, probably Jordan's sister or cousin. Or, at least, someone out of this close bunch. I also know that Jordan is a family name all over this bunch, which includes the DANIELS, TARVERS and the rest of this close bunch in Burke, Jefferson and Emanuel County, GA. In 1845, my GGU, James Lane DANIEL (1814-1857) and his second wife, Ann PERRY (1809-1861) were the executors of the estate of this same, Ann MARSHALL. One of the legatees was Hinson QUINNEY who married Mahala Abigail MARSHALL, s/o Joseph MARSHALL, Jr. and Sarah GIBSON. AFT 1850, John PERRY (1799-1863), who I think was married to Martha PARTIN as his first wife, married Nancy QUINNEY, d/o Hinson and Mahala. In fact, Joseph MARSHALL, Jr. (1785-1852) and Sarah lived right next to my GGF, Robert W. DANIEL (1809-1865) in Jefferson County, GA in 1850. All of this bunch was close and it included the WOODS, RAIFORDS, GIBSONS, TARVERS, INGRAMS, FULGUMS and GORDONS, as well as the DANIELS, PERRYS and SMITHS. Since your Nash County, NC was formed from Edgecombe and a lot, if not most, of these folks were from Edgecombe, originally, then they is a good possibility they were related. However, I always go with the accuracy of civil records and not bible records unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary and in this case there is not. What I think has happened in not only this family but lots of families in Burke, Jefferson and Washington County, GA is -- early researchers in their haste to write their family histories cobbled these various families into something that makes no sense. They may have made sense back then when we did not have other information available to us, but not today. I think the 1843 will of Etheldred SMITH is pretty convincing proof of who Jordan's father was. All of this flows back to Green County, NC where the proof is also that Noah and Etheldred SMITH were related and of Noah's connection to my Robert C. DANIEL - they lived side by side in 1800 in Green County, NC and Etheldred and Noah are mentioned in more than several deeds and court orders with each other. However, I will not tell anyone what they should believe about their family but unless there is compelling proof to the contrary, Noah SMITH, Sr. and Rev. Jordan SMITH were brothers and children of Etheldred SMITH, as this 1843 Jefferson County, GA will indicates. I also suspect there was an earlier TARVER connection, since Etheldred was also a big given name in the TARVER family. The TARVERS were from Northampton County, NC and before that, Surry County, VA, all of which fits in with most of this bunch, even the GAINERS who were from Petersburg, Surry County, VA. I also have nothing else that even gives me a glimmer they were not siblings and all indications is they were. John R. Clarke Thomasville, GA ----- Original Message ----- From: LINDAL34@aol.com To: jclarke@rose.net Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 9:48 AM Subject: Smith We might find the solution to these Smith connections by tracing Benjamin or Benjamin A. Smith back from his death in Nash County,North Carolina, July 29, 1799. He left two excellent Bible records, one came down to a genealogist in Americus, Georgia (now deceased) and another, through Rev. Jordan Smith and his wife, Mary Gainer Smith. The first Bible record lists Benjamin and his wife Mary Thomas' births and deaths and the births of their children. The second record has some Gainer information as well as Smith, listing the Parents of Mary Gainer. I haven't really had time to do much research on this line for about 10 years, and certainly none since the coming of the Internet to genealogy (or genealogy to the Internet)! The Rev. Jordan Smith of Jefferson county's tombstone shows his birth date to be the same as the Jordan Smith who was the son of Benjamin Smith of Nash County. There was more than one Jordan Smith in North Carolina and more than one Briton or Britain. Most of the researchers of these Smith families seem to think that Benjamin Smith was an immigrant. However, there seems to have been unusual given names common to this family in very early days of North Carolina up around Scotland Neck. If you ever find a link from Noah to Benjamin I would love to hear of it. Oh. Also, There hopefully still exists a book in the Huxford Library in Homerville, Georgia called The Very Early Smiths of Georgia By Dixie Hammond's. The possibility is very good that there is information in that book that might tie these families together. I don't know of the existence of this book anywhere else but there must be other places where it might be found. I live in south Florida and don't have many ties to the South Georgia area anymore so I don't get up there much anymore. Now you have my curiosity up and I would love to check it all out but I am tied (firmly down)! to my two very aged parents who live with me now for the time being. Linda Luther (5 gr granddaughter of Benjamin Smith and Mary Thomas Smith) (3 gr granddaughter of Jordan Smith (nephew of the Rev Jordan Smith) and Temperance Gainer Smith (sister of Mary Gainer who married Rev Jordan).