This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: amagi71 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.ohio.unknown/13570/mb.ashx Message Board Post: James A. Smith, according to three separate census records in his adult life, was apparently born about 1823-1826 somewhere in Ohio. One record claimed that his father was from New York and that his mother was from Pennsylvania. His birthplace, middle name (possibly Albert, see below), parents names and any siblings are unknown to me. It seems likely that he left for Oregon in the late 1840's/early 1850's, and the best guess would be 1852. On February 6th, 1853 he married a Missouri native, Sarah Jane Prouty who was born in Livingston County, Missouri about 1838 and had also arrived in 1852. The marriage was not officially recorded, but was noted in an April 1853 issue of the New York Times. They lived in Umpqua (now Douglas) county at the time of the 1860 census, and in Calapooia at the time of the 1870 census before leaving for eastern Washington State around 1872/73 where they are found in Farmington, Whitman County in 1880. They had twelve children. A date or location of death for James or his wife has not yet been found, nor has any hint of where he was located before going to Oregon. Following up on some of his children has yielded no clues so far. The problems inherent in looking for someone with the name "James Smith" are obvious so I am left to ask whether any of the more experienced members of this board would have any suggestions as to where I might beginning looking to find a clue. Any suggestions would be gratefully received. In the meantime, I am left with speculating about a possible connection to the family of Archibald Smith (thought to be born in Virginia, not New York) and Hannah Ashcraft (who was born in Pennsylvania). There are some known facts about their son Johnathan B. Smith (1816-1895) that are eerily similar to that of James A. Smith. While there are no known children named James among Hannah and Archibald's children, there is an interesting five year gap between the birth of their fourth and fifth children (Catherine, b. 1822 & Samuel, b. 1827), both of whom appear to have been born in Ohio. While this may be the result of normal circumstances, or perhaps the loss of an unknown infant/child, it opens the possibility of their being another child being born during this period. In the late 1830s (1839?), Archibald apparently moved his family to Mercer County, Missouri. He may have also owned land just to the south in Livingston County, Missouri. This was coincidentally the birthplace of James A. Smith's future wife, Sarah Jane Prouty. By 1850 or earlier, Archibald's son Johnathan B. Smith was found to be living in Iowa with his own family. 1850 also finds Sarah Jane Prouty now living in Iowa with her mother, siblings and step-father, albeit some miles from where Johnathan Smith was living. James A. Smith is not found to be living with Johnathan Smith in Iowa in the 1850 census, and by 1852 is living in Oregon. By the 1860s, Johnathan Smith had also moved his family to Oregon. Interestingly, he had a son named James A. Smith, the "A" being for Albert. Like the James A. Smith of my search, he also had a son named William and a daughter named Mary Jane. Even more compelling is the fact that like James A. Smith, Johnathan Smith and his family eventually left Oregon for eastern Washington, settling in the town of St. John, Whitman County, just to the west of Farmington, Whitman County where James A. Smith and his family resided. Johnathan and his wife Melvina McKee Smith are buried in Pine cemetery, Whitman, Washington. Coincidence? Quite possibly. With no known records tying James A. Smith to any specific person or location in Ohio, and no clues to where he lived before 1825 and 1853, I can only speculate. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.