Sunday's Obituary - Charlotta Ruth Banks Wade Berry

Charlotta Ruth Banks Wade Berry

Charlotta Ruth Banks Wade Berry 
31 May 1895 - 9 Sep 1960


My great-grandmother, Charlotta Ruth Banks, was born 31 May 1895 in Wabash County, IL to Sarah Eva Talley and Sherman Banks (see previous story).  Charlotta grew up without her father and had four younger half-sisters when her mother remarried Frank Z. Bruce.  On 24 Apr 1912 at the age of sixteen Charlotta married Joseph Washington Wade who was twenty years older than her.  Their first child, my grandmother Doris, was born 27 Aug 1913 followed by Mildred in 1917 and Hugh Joseph in 1919.

Charlotta ca 1905 age 10

Great-grandfather Joseph was a foreman at the car shops in Mt. Vernon, IL cand they lived a good life for the times. Unfortunately, sometime around the late 1920's business slowed and Joseph lost his position.  Sometime after 1930 Charlotta and Joseph divorced and Charlotta later married Mack Berry.  Charlotta was bedridden in the last years of her life; as a little girl I remember going with my parents to her home in Granite City, Illinois.  She and her husband kept many Chihuahua's as pets and the dogs on her bed would growl and snap at me.  As I young child I was terrified of them, strangely enough I now have two chihuahua's of my own.  Charlotta died 9 Sep 1960 in Madison County, Illinois and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Sunday's Obituary - Robert Calvin Smith - Mt . Vernon, Il

Bob Smith Age 35

Robert Calvin Smith 16 Sep 1888 - 31 Oct 1958

Last week I wrote briefly about my great-grandmother Verna Merritt Smith.  This week's obituary is about her husband, my great-grandfather Robert Calvin Smith.  Robert, or Bob as he was called, was born in Mt. Vernon, IL on 16 Sep 1888 to Milton A. and Mary F. (Scott) Smith.  Despite trying his hand early on at his father's occupation as a plumber, with the advent of automobiles Bob quickly found his niche.  Smith men have always been very mechanically inclined and working with engines seemed to be his calling.  He ran a garage in Mt. Vernon for many years with several of his sons.

Bob & Verna Smith 1950's

At some point in the late 1940's or early 1950's poor health forced him to retire from his garage.  He and Verna spent a couple of winter in Flagstaff, Arizona and then Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  I like this picture of them - not sure where it's taken, but he looks very relaxed and enjoying his retirement.  On 31 Oct 1958 (my third birthday) he died in a Fort Lauderdale nursing home.  He was buried in Williams Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Sunday's Obituary - Verna A. Merritt Smith

Verna A. Merritt

Verna Anna Merritt Smith 17 Jan 1889 - 29 Mar 1972

My Great-Grandmother, Verna Anna Merritt Smith was born in Wilson County, TN 17 Jan 1889 to Obidiah J. and Florence (Sewell) Merritt.    The family moved to Jefferson County, Illinois around 1900.  Verna was the second of six children and her mother Florence died when Verna was just thirteen years old.  From all accounts, times were hard for the Merritts after their mother died.  In 1909, Verna married Robert Calvin Smith and they had eight children, one of those being my grandfather, Diamond Milton Smith.  They raised their children in Mt. Vernon, Illinois where great-grandpa Bob was an auto mechanic.

Verna A. Merritt Smith

Great-grandma Verna was quite a character and had a wicked sense of humor.  She was full of gumption right up until the end.  I like to think she got this from her grandmother, Amanda J. Martin.  Verna's husband Bob Smith died in October 1958, Verna 29 Mar 1972 in Fort Lauderdale, FL where they had lived for a number of years.  The following obituary is from the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

Sunday's Obituary - Mary F. Scott Smith - Mt . Vernon, Il

Mary Frances Scott Smith

My great-great-grandmother, Mary Frances Scott Smith was born in Mt. Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois on 17 Apr 1862 to Joseph McDonald "Mack" Scott and his wife Delilah (Hunt) Scott. She was the fourth of eight children of whom only two would live to adulthood, the other being her sister Rebecca Jane Scott who married Cyrus Edward Bullock. On 2 Mar 1886 In Mt. Vernon, Mary married Milton Albin Smith, son of Daniel and Barbara Ann (Wade) Smith. She died in Mt. Vernon on 17 Aug 1936.  She is buried in Williams Cemetery.

Smith Family, Mt. Vernon, Illinois 1920's

This is the only picture I have ever seen of her, it's taken in Mt. Vernon around the middle 1920's.  From L-R; Mary Frances Scott Smith, son Milton McDonald Smith and wife Sylvia Allen Smith, son Robert Calvin Smith, son Roy, and  Robert's wife Verna Merritt Smith, son John Smith and wife Lena (unknown) Smith.  Daughter Fannie and husband Alva Merritt are missing from the picture.  Also missing is daughter Dollie Ann Smith Hayes who died in March1923.

Mt. Vernon Register News 18 Aug 1936

Matrilineal Monday - Amanda J. Martin Sewell McGuire Clifton

AMANDA JANE MARTIN SEWELL McGUIRE CLIFTON

BIOGRAPHY

I think every genealogist has one or two “pet” or favorite ancestors.  One of my favorites is my 3x great-grandmother, Amanda Jane Martin.  She has fascinated me for nearly twenty years and my obsession has followed her back and forth through four states and three husbands in an attempt to solve all the mysteries of her life.  When I first started putting this biography on paper several months ago, I wrote how it pained me that I had no pictures of her, but how I could almost picture her in my mind.  Well, in the last month, to my great delight, I have had a distant cousin, Mike Clemmons who writes Clemmons Family History,  come forth with pictures of our shared ancestor and the pictures are very close to what I had imaged.  They are not close ups, but I am so very grateful to have them.  This biography is in no way complete, and continues to be a work in progress.

Amanda J. Martin Sewell McGuire Clifton 

 Amanda was born in December of 1845 in Tennessee, most likely DeKalb County (3) to William Nelson and Nancy (Scott) Martin.   Family history has it that Nancy Scott is related to the Scotts that came to Jefferson County, IL in the 1830’s, Daniel Scott, wife Sarah and children Martha and Joseph McDonald, but I have yet to make the connection.  The 1850 DeKalb County census records show Amanda age four living in Alexandria with parents William N. and Nancy Martin as well as a sister Mary E. age 1.  Her father William was a wagon maker.

On 18 Oct 1860 at the age 14 Amanda married Daniel William Sewell son of Daniel M. and Falby (Capshaw) Sewell.  According to an interview between Carol Smith and Amanda’s grandson Dewey Merritt, Dewey related Amanda discussing the early days of her marriage.  She laughingly told this story about her naiveté and innocence as a bride.  “The first day Will (this is what she called her husband) went into the fields to work I got out my dolls.  At noon, Will came home for lunch and I had seven dolls on the living room floor.  I didn’t know that I was supposed to fix lunch.”

Sadly this youthful marriage was not to have a happy ending.  On 5 Nov, 1861, just a little more than a year after their marriage, their only child, Florence Jane Sewell was born.  Just six months later on 31 May 1862, Daniel was killed at the age twenty-three in the Civil War at 7 Pines – Fair Oaks, Virginia.

I don’t know where Amanda went to live for the next few years, most likely with her parents, but on 25 Dec 1865 in Wilson County, Tennessee she married William Henry McGuire.  By 1870, William Henry and Amanda are living in Piney Fork, Sharp County, Arkansas.  According to the 1870 census for this county, H.W. age 22 and Amanda age 23 are living with daughter Jane McGuire (this is actually Florence Jane Sewell) age 8, daughter Mattie, age 3 and son Daniel age 9 months.

Unfortunately, Amanda’s luck with husbands was to run out again and William Henry McGuire died sometime between 1875 and 1880.  Amanda and her children returned to Wilson County, Tennessee and are found in the 1880 census.  A. J. McGuire, widow, age 34 and daughter M. H. (Mary Henrietta) McGuire, age 4 are found living with the W. N. Steed family and Amanda is working as a cook.  Also in the same census living with her parents W.N. and Nancy Martin are D.W. Guire (Daniel)(grandson) age 10 and N. L. McGuire (Nancy Lucinda) (granddaughter) age 8.  Mattie McGuire born 1867 was not found which leads me to think this child has died.  Daughter Florence, is found also in Wilson County living with the D. W. Baird family working as a cook as well.  This family is neighbors of grandparents William and Nancy Martin, the Steed family, the Merritt family, the Clemmons family and the Clifton family. 

Her oldest daughter Florence married Obidiah Merritt in 1882.  On 28 Apr 1885 also in Wilson County Amanda again remarried to Jesse Clifton.  Daughter Nancy Lucinda married William K. Clemmons in 1886.  This Clemmons family connection is important as this is where the distant cousin comes in who supplied me with the pictures of Amanda.  Around 1900 the Jesse and Amanda Clifton family and Obidiah and Florence Merritt family moved from Wilson County, Tennessee to Jefferson County, Illinois. 

Jesse & Amanda Clifton Family Mt. Vernon, IL ca 1900

The Mt. Vernon, Jefferson County census shows Jesse Clifton age 57 and wife Amanda age 53 with son W. B. age 19, son Samuel age 17 and son Jesse age 14.  Although some family history notes that Amanda had a son named Sam, sons W. B. and Samuel are from Jesse Clifton’s first marriage to Martha J. Shorten.  Son Jesse is actually a daughter Jessie G. born 10 Feb 1886 who later marries Walter Newton Shelton. 

The 1900 census states that Amanda is the mother of six children with five living.  This would make sense if her children were Florence Sewell, Mattie McGuire, Nancy McGuire, Daniel McGuire, Mary McGuire and Jessie Clifton as it appears Mattie McGuire died before 1880.  However, the same census states that Amanda and Jesse have been married for 31 years which is not true as they were married in 1885 which would be 15 years.

Jesse & Amanda Clifton Mt. Vernon, IL ca 1900

In 1910, we again find Jesse and Amanda in the Jefferson County, Il census as Jesse Clifton age 67, Amanda J. Clifton age 64 and with William B. Patterson orphan age 10.  Daughter Florence J. Sewell Merritt died in 1902 leaving husband Obidiah and six children, Novella, Verna, Amanda Louranne, Claude, Alva and George Dewey.

By 1920, Amanda is once again widowed.  Date and place are unknown for husband Jesse’s death although it is suspected to be in Jefferson County, IL.  Amanda is found in the 1920 census living in West, New Madrid, Missouri with daughter Nancy Lucinda “Lula” McGuire Clemmons and husband William.  She is listed as Mandy Clifton age 74.

After much searching, I finally found Amanda’s final resting place in Friendship Cemetery, Annieville, Lawrence County, Arkansas.  The date on her stone is 1927 which I used to order a death certificate from Arkansas, but I was greatly disappointed when no death record was found.  I did have someone take a picture of the stone for me which I was grateful to get. 

Amanda J. Clifton, Friendship Cemetery, Annieville, AK

 I obviously never knew Amanda, but I feel a deep connection to her on many levels.   She was a woman with a lot of resilience and spirit, and I suspect she was quite a character.  According to a conversation Carol Smith had with Amanda’s grandson Dewey Merritt, she did not like living in Arkansas but couldn’t afford to live anywhere else.  In his recollections he also stated that she liked to dance.  He recounted a story about her car, a Dodge with a cloth top and Bob, a relative, racing with a Ford on a rock road in Arkansas.  She enjoyed the race and shouted “Don’t let him pass us!”  She was probably in her late 60’s at the time.  Her life was a hard one, but she never let it get her down and she kept her sense of humor.   I can only hope that I have inherited a tiny bit of this grit.

Sunday's Obituary - Daniel Gale "Danny" Smith

Daniel Gale Smith

Daniel Gale Smith


Daniel "Danny" Smith, 65, of Mt. Vernon, died at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Illinois

Danny was born Sunday, Dec. 30, 1945, in Mt. Vernon, the son of Diamond Milton and Doris Charlotte (Wade) Smith.

Danny is survived by two sons, William Smith of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Daniel Nabors and wife Yvonne of Navarre, Fla.; a daughter, Shannon Thomas of Atlanta; six grandchildren; two special grandchildren, Chase Chelf and Alanah Chelf of Mt. Vernon; two sisters, Pat Wilson and husband Art of Mt. Vernon and Sue Stewart and husband Dwight of Mt. Vernon; several nieces and nephews including David Gale Smith, Jeremy Diamond Smith, Ted Wilson, Todd Wilson and wife Stacy of Mt. Vernon, Robert Thomas, Jennifer Clevenger and husband Ray of Centralia, Jamie Houle and husband Derek of Mt. Vernon (Danny made his home at Jamie and Derek's house, Teresa Rogers and husband Jim of Plantation, FL, and Tracy Hawkins and husband Lyndon of Apache Junction, AZ, Wade Stewart and wife Lauren of Edwardsville,IL, Paul Stewart and wife Patty of Buckner, KY and Danny Warner and wife Melissa of Chattanooga, TN; and two lifelong friends, Jeff Roberts of Sebring, Fla., and Kenny Rogers of Okeechobee, Fla.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Yvonne Warner; a twin brother, David G. Smith; and four nephews, Joshua Smith, Trent Wilson, Derek Warner and Donnie Warner.

Danny was a self-employed carpenter, and accomplished cabinet maker and woodworker, was musically talented and was a cherished brother, father, grandfather, uncle and friend.


Funeral services were held at 7:30 pm on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at Hughey Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  Mr. Marty Mills officiated.  Cremation following the funeral service and inurnment of ashes will be held at Williams Cemetery in Jefferson County, Illinois at a later date.

Williams Cemetery, Jefferson County, Illinois

Note:  This obituary was created using the original obituary from the Mt. Vernon Register News, the Hughey Funeral Home Register and my own additions.

Those Places Thursday - Good Samaritan Hospital, Mt. Vernon, IL

Here are two views of the hospital I was born at in 1955, Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  The first is a postcard circa 1943 and the hospital was called Mt. Vernon Hospital at that time which I never knew.  This picture was taken I believe from the North side.

Mt. Vernon Hosp . 1919 - 1943

Correction (July 4, 2012):  Pointed out to me by a interested reader, the first postcard is actually the Mt. Vernon Hospital operated by Dr. S. A. Thompson between 1919 - 1943 on North Twelfth Street until it became the Good Samaritan Hospital and operated by the Sisters of Saint Francis officially on January 1 1944.  The second postcard below is the second Good Samaritan Hospital built and opened by the Sisters with funding from a number of sources in 1952.  A new Good Samaritan Hospital is being built this year and scheduled to open February 2013.

This second postcard, I believe is dated circa 1959-1960 based on the 1959 Mercury in the picture.  No, I am not an expert on cars, this was noted on the card when I purchased it.  :-)  This picture is taken from the Southeast.

Good Samaritan Hosp - Opened by Sisters of St. Francis 1952

All of my brothers and sisters were also born in this hospital.  Additionally, my twin uncles, Daniel and David Smith were the first twins ever born in the hospital operated by the Sisters of Saint Frances on December 30, 1945,  their picture was hung in the lobby and moved to the new hospital when opened in 1952 and hung there for a number of  years.

Ancestor Approved

 As is usual these days, I am running way behind, but I was pleased as punch when in December Shelley from A Sense of Family gave me the “Ancestor Approved Award.” The award was started by Leslie Ann of Ancestors Live Here in March 2010.  Thank you Shelley for your recognition of my fledgling blog!

Recipients are asked to make a list of ten things they have learned about their ancestors that have humbled, surprised, or enlightened them. Then they are to pass on the award to ten other bloggers who are doing their ancestors proud.

It's kind of hard to know where to start because it seems like everything I learn about my ancestors surprises me.  Just when you think you know what to expect they knock you for a loop!  And I think it goes without saying that the lives our ancestors led are very humbling to us all.

Where to start, what to say!  Well here goes:

1.  When I first started researching back around 1994 I expected to discover that my ancestors immigrated to the United States within the last one hundred years or so.  Imagine my surprise to find most of them had been here much longer than that, in fact, many coming here in the 1700's and some in the 1600's.  I only found one ancestor, who emigrated for certain in the 1800’s from Germany, my 2x great grandfather Sarillas Lofink Neibel.

2.  It was humbling to me to realize that my ancestors were flesh and blood people with real lives, problems, loves and hardships.   Somehow I had this cartoon picture in my head, perhaps from watching old movies where the people looked and acted silly.  This truly has been one of the most mind-boggling things to wrap my head around.  These people really existed and because of them, I am here.

3.  When I first started genealogy in 1994 I was more concerned with how many names I could put on my chart and how far back I could go.  Now I care more about what I can learn about the lives of the people I discover.  I am obsessed in learning who they were, how they lived, what they thought, what they experienced.  This sea change in my thinking has been truly humbling and enlightening.

4.  I know that some people start their genealogy research hoping to find some famous and rich ancestors.  Even though I have a couple of very "minor" celebrities, I find I am more proud of the everyday, working people in my family.  I come from a long line of farmers, coal miners, mechanics, plumbers and laborers.  These are the people whose hard work made America great and they truly humble me.

5.  I was amazed and awed to learn that I had ancestors on several lines that fought in the Civil War.  Some survived, some did not.  My 3X great-grandfather, Daniel W. Sewell came from a family of five brothers.  He and one brother fought for the South; their other three brothers fought for the North.  I can't imagine a more difficult situation than fighting a war knowing that you might end up facing your own brother on the battlefield!  Unfortunately, Grandpa Daniel died in battle at the age of 23 before ever seeing his first child.

6.  The wife of Daniel W. Sewell, Amanda J. Martin married two more times, had six more children and outlived all three husbands.  Somehow she managed to persevere and keep on going.  By all accounts she was a real "pistol" who really enjoyed life.  This is humbling.  I don’t know if I would have that much gumption.

7.  I was equally amazed and surprised to learn that I had several ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War, one of those being my 5X great-grandfather Samuel Thompson Clemmons.  How wonderful to know that my family was part of the undertaking to secure our independence and create the wonderful country that I have been privileged to live in.

8.  I was shocked by the number of ancestors who were divorced.  Somehow I always assumed people "back then" didn't get divorced.  Well I'm here to tell you that yes they did!  Besides two sets of great-grandparents that I know of, it was always assumed that my great-great grandfather David J. Wilson's parents probably died sometime before 1850.  However, records now show they divorced and his mother remarried.  He went to live with his grandmother as a small boy and lived with her until adulthood.

9.  When I first began researching in the early 1990's I was very surprised to learn my great-grandfather Fred Ulysses Neibel first married Martha Ann Hunter in 1891 and they had one son Andrew Jackson in 1893.  Martha Ann died just one year later and Fred married Martha's sister, my great-grandmother in 1898.  They had twelve children, one of which was my grandmother, Alpha Laura Neibel Wilson.

10.  And finally, I am always surprised to find that I can still be surprised.  Just when you think you seen and heard it all, you haven’t!  There is always some new and exciting discovery that knocks your socks off!

Stay tuned for my list of ten deserving bloggers to pass the award on to.