Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Aaron!

According to his obituary, Aaron was born on 2 March 1867 in Tennessee.  

His parents were William Harrison Smelser and Catherine Brown [more on them later.]  And, again according to his obituary, he was survived by two brothers, Charles in Missouri and David in Michigan, and a sister, Elva Jones of Douthat, Oklahoma.   The obit also states that three sisters were deceased:  Mrs. Elizabeth Cobble, Mrs. Emma Wright, and Mrs. Martha Farrow.

NOTE:  I see I failed to mention in the 11 January post regarding the 1900 census that another sister – Sarah C. – is listed in Aaron and Emma’s household (along with the erroneous listing of “Mary, John, and Nora.”I’ll comment about Sarah C. in the next post.

I’ve found William & Catherine Smelser and two children:  Elva 5, and “Aron” 3 in the 1870 Federal census for Greene County, TN.   I mentioned yesterday that I have not found the family in the 1880 census – yet.  And, unfortunately, the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire. So, we need to look at other sources for early information about Aaron’s siblings.

Over the past 30+ years I’ve been able to make contact with a few Smelser cousins - descendants of some of Aaron’s siblings - who have shared additional information.  I’ve also found some death certificates and other documents online.

The next post will give an overview of what I know so far about those siblings and their families.

DOCUMENTS (Have or seen):

  • 1870 Federal census for Greene County, Tennessee, Civil District No. 6, P.O. Bulls Gap

DOCUMENTS NEEDED, QUESTIONS UNANSWERED:

  • Verfication of Aaron’s birth date and place
  • 1880 Federal census for the William & Catherine Smelser family

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