Terry Smittle - Sep 30, 1999
What we know so far. The earliest known Smittle in the United States was Jacob Smittle (ca. 1755-1823). Jacob was born in Pennsylvania and was married there. He mustered on Jan 4, 1784 as a private in the Washington Co. Pennsylvania Militia First Battalion under Capt. B.J. Stites. Capt. Stites was one of the founders of Cincinnati and may be a clue as to why Jacob eventually moved his family to Adams County, Ohio. Many of the men who served under Capt. Stites followed him to the area and settled down. Jacob’s wife has yet to be mentioned by name in any found documents but there is a story that her father was rather wealthy and owned approximately 3400 acres of downtown Cincinnati. Jacob shows up in several early Pennsylvania tax and census lists. The earliest document found thus far is a tax list for 1783 showing he owned one horse. Over the next few years Jacob added horses and cows but apparently sold them in 1796 to buy 264 acres of land in Greene or Washington County, Pennsylvania. After this time he became difficult to trace until 1811 when he registered to vote in Adams County, Ohio. One interesting note, a man by the name of William Rhodes owned a trading post at Fort Jackson. Mr. Rhodes kept accurate records of the people that had credit with the trading post. Listed among those was Jacob who owed 14 shillings and 6 pence as of August 27, 1789.
The daughters of Jacob were Susannah (1790-1847) who married Samuel Foster, Margaret (1800-1827) who married James S. Foster, Nancy (1801-?) who married Alexander Foster and Rebecca (1802-?). The following descendants of the six sons will be in the order of the amount of information available and the length of the family trees.
1. Henry Smittle 1804-1847
The youngest known son of Jacob is Henry. Henry married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Martins (1812-1897) around 1831-1832. Little is known of Henry, there is a record of some land purchased in Marietta, Washington County, Ohio around 1840 but no documents for backup. Henry’s cause of death is unknown, but there is a letter written to Lizzie from a doctor in Monroe Co. stating that he was waiving his fees since Henry died. Henry left Lizzie with 6 children. William Duncan (1833-1908) married Emily Bridgeman and had a daughter named Carrie. Sarah Adaline (1835-1927) married James Anderson, David Bishop (1839-1872) married Barbara Fagert, Ezekial (1840-1924) married Sarah Ann Barker, Evalina (1843) and Gratia (1846) married Charles Romick.
Duncan and Ezekial both fought in the Civil War but it is unknown if David did. Ezekial and Sarah had 11 children. David Stanton (1868-1887), Sarah Evalina (1870) married Thoburn Clegg, Clara (1871) married George Hutchison, William James (1873-1904), Charles Gottlieb (1875-1957) married Edith Goddard and later married Ida Wright Price, Adaline (1877-1934), Emma E. (1880-1881), Leroy (1884-1896), Bessie (1886-1896), May E. (1882) married Isaac Price, and Clark Jesse (1889-1975) married Samantha Ann Rush. Adaline had 4 sons but never married. Her sons were William “Russell” (1907), Paul (1910-1994) had 2 sons, Bob (1931) and James (1933-199l). Bob lives with his wife Joyce in Florida. Bill (1913) and Larry (1923) were Addie’s other two boys. Larry has 2 children, Larry Jr. and Sue. Clark Jesse and Samantha were married Aug. 23, 1911. They had 8 children. Elizabeth Zane (infant deceased), Modjeska (1912) married Harry Anderson, Sarah (1913) married Bernard Bowen, Clara (1914) married Arlie Morris, Wanda Gaynelle (1919) married Paul Van Camp, Jeanette (1920) married George Foutty, Jesse Marilyn (1927) married Samuel Lively, Clark Gary (1930) married Nancy Gano and had 2 sons, Gary and Woodrow. Gary has a son Gary Jr. and Woodrow has a son Charles.
David Bishop and Barbara were only together for a short time as David died at the age of 33. Virtually nothing is known about this man. He may have worked the river or came back sick from the war. Barbara remarried a year later to Alexander Hissom. David and Barbara had 4 children. Henry M. (1858-1928) married Elizabeth Hubbard, John M. (1862-1945) married Ida Harriet Hubbard, Ezekial S. (1865-1939) married Adaline E. (1867-1945) and Edgar Vaine (1867-1945) married Emma Grossenbaugh.
John and Zeke owned a meat packing company and were well known for being able to skin and hang a cow in twelve minutes. Zeke and Addie had 4 children. Sylvia H. (1889), Vaine Louis (1892-1942), Della A. (1894) and Robert (1927-1927). John and Ida were married Feb. 8, 1883 and had 6 children. Coral Amy (1884) married Oliver Beisel, Walter Sr. (1889-1969) married Jessie Potts and had 1 daughter, Margaret Louise, and 2 sons, Walter Jr. and Dillon Baird. Dillon Baird (1912-1980) married Maxine Anderson in 1937. They had 4 children. Dillon “Hank” Rainier (1938) has 2 daughters, Rene, and Ashley. Richard (1943 married Karen Vannoy and has one daughter, Robin (1975), and one son, Wesley (1972 ). Wesley married Anne Young and has two daughters, Charlotte Anne (1994) R Margaret Lee (2000). Dillon Baird’s 2 daughters are Cathy (1947) and Pam (1950). Walter Sr.’s other son was Walter Jr. He married Eileen Calvert and had 1 daughter, Barbara, and 3 sons. Lance, Jan (1949) and Walter III (1943) who is the State Fire Marshall for West Virginia. The remaining children of John and Ida were John, Harry, Melvin and Frank. John has a son named John
The next son of Henry and Elizabeth is Edgar Vaine (1867-1945). Edgar was 27 years old when he and his wife moved from Sardis, Ohio in 1901. Edgar sold his business in Woodsfield and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he opened a general store. In 1910, Edgar left the store in the hands of his brother Henry and moved to east Tulsa to try his hand at drilling for oil
Edgar did not have any luck searching for oil as he gave up after drilling eight dry holes. Sometime between 1916 and 1919, Edgar and two of his sons, Ross and Bob, went into the dairy business. The truck at the beginning of the Smittle homepage belonged to them.
Edgar and Emma had 11 children. Ross Edward (1896-1975) married Grace Trullinger and had 2 sons, Pat and R.E. Robert David (1898-1976) married Ona Trullinger and had one son, Robert David Jr. (1920) who has 2 sons, Robert III and David who has one son William. Nell Wave (1900-1922) who died of tuberculosis, Edgar Vaine Jr. (1902-1976) married Lilly Dearstone and had one son, Edgar III. Dallas Ray (1904-1905), Maxine Gladys (1906), Francis Glen (1908-1978) married Ruth Rogers and had one son, Danny. Geraldine Barrnette (1910), Eugene Ellsworth (1912-1982) married Louise Cravens and had 2 sons, Eddie and Gene. Lois Emma (1914-1979) and Virginia (1916-1974).
The oldest son of David Bishop and Barbara was Henry M. (1858-1928). Henry and his family arrived in Tulsa around 1904 from Texas. It is not entirely clear why the family had moved from Sardis, Ohio to the Athens, Texas area. Henry may have owned his own general store in one or both locations. His youngest son, Ezekial is buried just outside of Athens. Henry brought the family to Tulsa to help Edgar run the store. This arrangement did not last very long as apparently Edgar had a drinking problem and Henry was forced to let him go before the store went under.
Henry and Elizabeth “Bammer” had 8 children. Mart (1882) married Edith and had 2 sons, Ray and Ben. Aerial Ethelburt (1885-1960) married Harriet Edith Robertson (9/2/1891-Feb. 1994) on May 31, 1911 and had 4 children. Jack Beryl (1913-1968) married Mary Andrews (1917-1994) and had 2 sons. Terrell Allen (5/7/1937) and Jon Eric (8/4/1945). Terry married Jacqueline June Stephen in 1963 and had one son, Christopher Allen Smittle (5/2/1966). Chris married Susan Kay Kenning (12/1/1964) on Feb. 14, 1992 and has 2 sons. Taylor Allen (12/22/1993) and Cameron Joseph (11/6/1995). Jon married Marilyn and had one daughter, Karmen Dee (3/29/1967). Karmen first married Jon Brusich in 1992 and had a daughter, Jessica Ashton (3/3/1993). Karmens second marriage in 1999 to Michael Pharris produced two sons, Karson K Jack ( Identical Twins 11/3/99).
James Perry (1921-1973) married Colleen and had 3 children, James (1948) married Vicki and has 3 children, Jim (1970), Matt (1972) and Cara (1981).
Jerome (1950) married Pam and had 2 sons, Jerome Paul (1971) who has 2 sons, Jerry (1990) and Wesley (1992) and Grant (1973). Betsy is the third child.
Aerial Jr. (1915-1989) married Lillian Florence and had 2 children. Forrest (1936) who has 2 children, Kelly and Carl, and Nancy (1938). Norma (1918-1944) married Hugh Gabrial and had 2 daughters, Donna and Diane. The third son of Henry was Kelly (1887-1976) who married Ethel. Heber (1889-1965) married Ruby who died in 1918, and then remarried Didi. Lawrence (1894-1974) married Mary and had one son, Larry Jr. Carl (1892-1968) married Ruth and had one son, Dick. Darrell (1900-1988) married Margarite and had 2 sons, Darrell Jr. who has a son Darrell III and Don. Ezekial (1898-1900) died in Texas.
2. David Smittle 1781-1859
The oldest son of Jacob is David. David was born in Pennsylvania and like his two younger brothers, John and George, he fought in the War of 1812. He served as a private from July 28, 1813 to August 18, 1813 with his brother John under Capt. Morrison. He was honorably discharged at Upper Sandusky after fighting at Fort Wayne. David married Martha Foster on May 5, 1812 and had 8 children. Margaret (1813), Elizabeth (1815), Joseph Ed (1817), Susan (1819), Dorcas (1820), Martha (1821), William (1823) and Sarah (1825).
William (1823-1912) was married on Aug. 31, 1848 in Adams County to Elizabeth Newland (1828). They had 7 children. David (12/23/1851), Thomas (3/1858), Rachel Flora (7/1859), George (1860), Nora B. (1864), William Ulysses (2/1868) and Joseph 3. (10/17/1870). David of 1851 had 8 children. Armand (1876), Charles W. (1879), Flora (1880), Mary (1882), Iva (1884), Walter (1887) Minnie (1890) and David (1894). Thomas of 1858 had one son, Earl (1883). William Ulysses had 9 children. Oscar (1889), Clarence (1892), Nora M. (1897), Daisy (1899), William Ray (1902), Carl (1905), Howard (1907), Everett (1909) and Claude (1914).
David’s son, Joseph Ed (1817), was married Dec. 25, 1843 to Dorcas Secrist (1824-1917) and were the parents of 9 children. Evelyn (1856-1917), Sarah (1848-1919), Martha A. (1851-1900), Cornelius “Teal” (1853-1911), Joseph Jasper (1856-1917), George W. (1861-1878), Mary Louise (1862-1908), John Selee (1867-1960) and Spencer Orba (1871-1962). Cornelius married Annabelle? and their children as of 1900 were Sadie (1875), Ola F. (1876), Edward 3. (1878) and William F. (1880). Spencer Orba married Clara Inlow and had 9 children. Harry O’Connor (1892), Alonzo Burr (1893-1966), Elsworth Irl (1895-1963), Anna Dorcas (1898), Lela Ethel (1900), Joseph Spencer (1902), Abraham Carlton (1904), Helen Louise (1906) and John Nelson (1908-1985). John had 2 sons, Dean and John, both are still living in the Cincinnati area. Dean is a retired Air Force Colonel who has gained his own piece of fame thru the art world for his World War II aerial paintings and he is also listed in the book of Who’s Who. John Selee (1867) married Nary Ann Suiter on Nov. 15, 1889 and had 4 children. Rodney E. (1894), Laru (1894), George (1895) and Richard (1913) who had one son, Richard (1930). George had 2 sons, George and 3ohn, George Jr. had 3 daughters and John who is a magistrate in Pennsylvania has a son named John D.
Joseph Jasper was married twice, first on 4/28/1881 to Rhoda Clara Storer (1857-1900), then to Anna Violet Peterson (1874-1960). Joseph and Rhoda had 4 children. Hulda Alice (1882-1972), Dorcas (1885-1973), Harry O. (1887-1958) married Dora Darvin in 1916. Harley William (1887-1960) married Mary Ellen Baker in 1913. Harley and Mary had 3 children in the five short years before Mary died. Iva Helen (1914), Harry Eldon (1916-l983) and Franklin “Dale” (1918). Harry Eldon married Jennie Juanita Wallace in 1940 and had 2 children. Harry Eldon Jr. and Helen Joyce Harry Jr. has 2 children, Scott Allison and Deborah Melissa. “Dale” presently lives in Adams Co, with his wife Margaret Ruth. Harley William married a second time to Marie Leona Fanning Cochran. They had 2 children, Maynard Eugene (1922) who was stillborn and Ethel June (1925).
3. Jacob Smittle, Jr. 1799-1886
Jacob Jr. followed a similar path to that of his brother John Jacob was born in Virginia on Feb. 14, 1799. He married Esther Williamson on Jan 22, 1822 in Adams Co., Ohio. They had 6 children. Elizabeth (1823-1878), Priscilla, John Williamson (1829-1904) married Lorra Gordon in 1882 in San Francisco but had no children. Thomas (1832) married Eliza Paul (1837) and had 2 sons. One died at birth and the other was Leonidas W. (1863-1938). Thomas left Wright Co. and was living in Bonanza, Arkansas around 1900. Leonidas had six children. Harry (1895-1947), Opal, Myra, Nell, Ethel 5 Jessie Harry had 2 sons. Bill (1926-1993) married Nyla West and had 3 sons. Terry (1954) married Vicky Waymire and lives in Pacola, Ok. They have one son named Steven (1980) And one daughter named Terra (1978). Kevin who also lives in Ok. and has a son, Kevin Lee. Paul Gene married Diane Walker and lives in Dallas. They have 2 sons. Matt and Mike. The second son, Donald has one daughter, Karen 5 lives in Rogers, AR. Jacob’s remaining children were Susan (1835-1918) who married Don A.W. Morehouse (1822-1872) and David Joseph (1837-1917) who married Safrona Brake in 1865.
David Joseph served during the Civil War in the 6th Provincial Regiment in the Enrolled Missouri Militia from April 1, 1863 to Aug.?, 1864. Later he enrolled in the 16th Regiment of Company F in the Missouri Cavalry and was promoted to sergeant. David was discharged on June 30, 1865. An interesting side story, one day in August of 1865, David received word that his sister Susan’s house had been attacked by raiders and that they had destroyed nearly everything they could not take. Susan’s husband had yet to return from the war, so David went and brought her and the family back to a cabin on his farm.
David and Safrona were the parents of 4 children. Elizabeth (1866-1874), Eliza Jane (1867-1948) married Abraham O’Dell on Oct. 25, 1890. Alfonzo Delefit (1869-1947) married Amanda Bohan on Mar. 20, 1892. John Wesley (1873-1942) married Hattie Massey on Sept. 23, 1903. John and Hattie lived in Wright County with their 3 children Thelma, Geneva and Ora Cecil. Alfonzo and Mandy had 3 children. Nora Ellen (1893-1988) married Burl Wilson on April 4, 1909. David Joseph (1895-1965) married Daisy Johnson on Nov. 11, 1916. The last child was Susan May.
David and Daisy were the parents of 5 children. Wilbur Dale (1917-1918), Dwayne Lavon (1919-1965) married Wilma Irene Massey on Oct. 7, 1939. Louise Kathleen (1924) married Ezra Hightower on Dec. 6, 1943. Darrell Wayne (1930) married Betty Lou Coffey in 1953. Dwayne and Irene had 3 children. Judith Kay (1940), Donald Dwayne (1950) was married on June 12, 1987 to Jeanette Robertson and has 2 sons, Shae Don Mindon Joe (1987) and Devin Zedekiah (1989). Rebecca Ann (1952) married Jon Jay Medlock in 1971 and has 6 children.
4. John Smittle 1791-1878
John Smittle enlisted under Capt. Robert Morrison during the War of 1812 in the Ohio militia as a private on July 29, 1813. On one of his declarations for a pension, John at the age of 85 wrote, “We killed some Indians at Fort Wayne. The Indians had besieged the place and we went to relieve the fort.” This was around the same time the famous Tecumseh was raiding and it would be interesting to know if these were the Indians that John and his brother David fought against. John was honorably discharged at Upper Sandusky on August 8, 113. This short 42 days of service was the reason for John’s trouble in receiving a pension. He was rejected twice while trying to maintain that his travel time from home to his company and back made up the difference in days required. The Act of Feb. 14, 1871 required a minimum of 60 days to be eligible for pension. Finally, on Feb. 4, 1879 he was approved for a pension of eight dollars a month.
John married Nancy Foster in Adams Co., Ohio on Sept. 15, 1816. They had six children. Susannah (1817), Joseph (1818-1891), David (1819), Jacob (1820), Alexander (1822-1912) and John (1825). Sometime around 1837-38, after Nancy died, John and the family migrated to Wright Co., Mo. His sons David and Jacob remained in Highland County, Ohio. Joseph married Solina Paul (1831-1904) on Aug. 1, 1854 in Missouri. Their children were: Thomas 3. (1855-1926), Rachel C., Liza Jane, Alexander (1865), Mary and William Lee (1875). Thomas J. had 3 sons. Glover (1880), who had Herman (1905), Temple (1908) and Noel (1910). William Lee (1892) and Vester Jennings (1897) who had Dwight (1927) and Norman (1934). Alexander had 3 sons. Frank W. (1888), Thomas 3. (1890) and Elva R. (1896). Thomas J. of 1890 had Druel (1922) who had Michael L. (1946). William Lee (1875) had 2 sons. Jesse (1897) and Glen (1905) who had Chester (1927) and Donald (1935). Joseph of 1818 served in Camp F, 16th Regiment of Missouri Calvary from Sept. 1, 1864 to July 1, 1865.
David (1819) is shown in the 1850 Ohio Census with his wife Margaret (1820). Their children were: Sarah A. (1843) married John C. McQuiety on Feb. 3, 1859. William A. (1846), Eliza K. (1848) married John Boyle on May 12, 1877. Thomas Hall (3/22/1857) married Millie Ford on Oct. 2, 1875. Nancy E. (9/16/1860) was David’s youngest child. Jacob (1820) is also shown in the 1850 Ohio census with his wife Elizabeth (1816) and their children. Lucinda (1837) married George Overstake on Feb. 18, 1863. John (1838) married Catherine Walker on Feb. 24, 1861. John’s (1791) fourth son, Alexander, married Mary O’Dell (1820-1901) and had five children. Rebecca, John (1850), Mary, Joseph L. (1855) and Cynthia. John (1850) had one son named Eldridge (1875) who had one son Ira (1895). Joseph L. had 3 sons. John (1889), Floyd (1896-1906) and Walter Bryan (1899).
John’s youngest son, John (1825), married a woman by the name of Savannah and had 6 children. Nancy, Alexander, Joseph (1849), Elijah, Jacob and Sarah. Sometime after 1870 John and his family left Wright Co. Missouri and moved to the Webb City, Kansas area. After Savannah died, John married Sarah Eddings and had one son, Sterling Price. Nancy had 2 sons, William Vanburen and John According to the story, Nancy fell in love with a vaudeville man who later ran off with the show. William had one son named Grover Cleveland who had 3 sons. Grover Jr., Lewis and Patrick. Grover Jr. had one son named Grover III. Most of Nancy’s descendants live in the St. Louis area.
Nancy’s brother, Joseph (1849), married Mary Elizabeth Hogan and had 7 children.
Sarah (1873), Green McDonald (1874), Jon (1877), Elbert, Joseph (1888), Charles W. (1891) and Fredrick (1897). Fredrick named Lola Faye DeGraffenreid on 9/27/1919 and had 2 sons. Walter and Floyd “Boe” ( 1923) who married Maxine Cartright and had 3 daughters, Penny, Carol and Debbie. Joseph of 1888 had 5 children. Edna, Lloyd (1912), Wilmer, Vivian and Anna Marie. Lloyd married Tom McGee and had 4 children. Burrell Joe (1934), Robert Irving (1937), Doyle Allen (1939) and Nita Catherine who married Terral Whetstone. Burrell married Pat Butler and has 2 children. Sharon (1956) and Stephen Joe (1958). Steve has 3 children. Lindsey {1982), Stephen D. (1987) and Andrew (1992). Robert Irving has 3 children. Mark (1962), who had Derek (1988) and Ashley (1991), Bobby W. (1958) who has 2 children. Stephanie (1980) and Scott (1982). Debbie (1960) is the third child. Doyle Allen has 2 children, Nancy, and Lyn, who has his own business in Wyoming called Smittle Services.
5. Joseph Smittle 1782-1888
Joseph Smittle was one of two sons that remained in Adams County, Ohio. Born in 1782 in Pennsylvania, Joseph lived to be 106 years old. In the book “A History of Adams County, Ohio” by Nelson W. Evans and Emmon B. Stivers, I found this paragraph. “In 1883 there was living near Youngsville in this township, a pioneer of the western country, by the name of Joseph Smittle. In August of that year, the writer attended a basket dinner given at the residence of the old pioneer celebrating his 104th birthday. He was then in full possession of his faculties, excepting his sight which was somewhat impaired. His hair was but slightly streaked with gray, and he had the general appearance of a well preserved man of not more than seventy-five years of age. He lived to be 106 years old.”
Joseph married Mary Margaret Foster. Together they had three children. William (1823), Elizabeth (1825) and Alexander (1830). William married Dorcas Smittle (1820) daughter of David Smittle and had four children. David (1851), Nancy (1854), Anna (1859) and Joseph (1861). Joseph had three children. Jesse (1880), Alfred (1885) and William (1891).
6. George Smittle 1793-’?
George Smittle was born in 1793 in either Virginia or Pennsylvania. During the War of 1812 George served under Capt. T.M. Nelson in the United States Infantry in 1814. He did apply for a pension but I have not seen the documents. Sometime after leaving the army, George moved to Rowan County, NC. He is listed there in the 1820 NC census with two children under the age of ten and a female over the age of 21, presumably his wife. George is not listed in any other federal census. The 1850 census for Edgefield County, SC lists a John P. Smittle which might be his son.
The Smittle family can now be found in most States of the Union. Hopefully, we will someday be able to find our roots back in the Old World. There are, of course, many stories, skeletons, and histories that encompass our family. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough time (or space) for them here, but I ask you to please pass down what you know of our family to the younger generations so that we can keep our heritage alive and complete. If you have any pictures that you would like to share and have added to the site, please E-mail them to me at TASmittle@aol.com.