----- Original Message ----- From: Wallace Smith To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] ; [email protected] Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 11:21 PM Subject: John Miller Smith Hi! everyone, Here's the story. My great grandfather John Miller SMITH (b. 31 July 1824, d. 3 Mar 1905) is buried in the Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery in the Baton Rouge area of Chester Co. SC next to his wife Dorinda HARDIN Smith (b. 9 May 1838, d. 3 Mar 1892). I am satisfied that I have accurately placed her in the Chester Co. SC HARDEN/ HARDIN family as the daughter of George HARDEN and Margaret Elizabeth WALKER, granddaughter of John HARDEN and Hannah BOYD, great granddaughter of Henry Wilkins HARDEN and Elizabeth Ellen SEALY. They allegedly had 12 or 13 children, but only 6 lived to adult years, i.e., Victoria A. (b. 19 Dec 1855), James Hamilton (b. 19 July 1861), Thomas William "Will" (b. 20 Nov 1863), John Walker (b. 25 Oct 1870), my grandfather, Frazier McC. (b. 13 Sept 1873), and Holmes Hardin (b.17 May 1877). Problem: I have not been able to find John Miller SMITH's parents, siblings. I find him on the 1870 Chester Co. SC Census, "born in SC" and the 1880 Chester Co. SC Census, "born in SC", but have not been able to find him on the 1850 or 1860 Chester Co. SC Censuses. His wife Dorinda first surfaces in the 1850 Chester Co. SC Census as 12 year old "Dorinda" in the home of her parents, George and Margaret E. HARDIN. I can find neither in the 1860 Chester Co. SC Census and they would have been married by then because the 1870 census lists three children, the oldest being 14 year old Victoria, followed by James and Thomas. Interestingly, in 1870 Dorinda is now listed as "Adeline", age 27. In the 1880 census Victoria is out of the household, already married to A. Quay Allen, but the boys are listed:James, Thomas, Walker, Frazier and Holmes.Here Dorinda is listed as "Jane", age 42. I have considered that Dorinda, Adeline, and Jane are 3 different people, but Dorinda lived until! 1892 and is buried next to John M. SMITH and both headstones say "wife of" and "husband of". Also, there is no oral family history of there being three wives for John Miller SMITH. I finally decided to search the 1860 census in surrounding counties (Union, Fairfield, Lancaster, and York) with no likely John Smith until I came across the York Census which reported a John Smith, age 28, farmer, b. York Dist. SC, wife D. A. Smith, age 23, no place of birth listed at the bottom of one page. At the top of the next page are two children: first is what looks like Amelda, age 5, M and John, age 2, male, both born York Dist. SC. This household is next door to the household of Violet Smith, age 70, Amelene Smith, age 41, Elizabeth Hand, age 26, and John Hand, age 5. I believe that Violet Smith is the widow of William Smith, b. about 1785, York Co. SC, d. after 12 Mar. 1851. Although the 1860 York Co. John Smith's age of 28 is at great variance with John Miller Smith's birthdate of 1824 ( on his grave marker), I have learned that age reporting on censuses can be off considerably. BUT, I was struck with the wife's name Here, in 1860, it's D.A. Smith. Could that be Dorinda Adeline, who was known by her nickname or familiar name of "Jane"? Could Amelda be the same as Victoria A., even though Amelda, age 5, is listed as a male? Lots of questions, lots of hypothesizing. Anyone out there know anything about the family of William and Violet Smith of York Co. that would helpme decide whether my John Miller Smith fits in with their John Smith. I would appreciate any help, ideas, connections, criticisms. Thanks in advance! Wallace Smith in New Orleans