Early Life and Times of the Montana Smith Family

A video showing the many faces of Elmer Bennett Smith

Smith Family unit History

Nosotros marking our history like shallow footprints left in snowfall, and what footling
trace we leave, quickly melts abroad…unless you lot have photos, a scanner and the Internet. Lloyd Smith

"A birth certificate proves you lot were built-in, a death certificate proves you died, photos prove you lived."

"Family stories & photos preserve precious links between our past and our time to come, events where the heritage of our ancestors are instilled within the hearts of our children."

What are people saying about this Website: (Donna Wold Barger)

Dear Lloyd,

Thank you! What a grace memory is and how overnice to take these pictures to remember.

I some times imagine that when we become to heaven our Father will have 'Family unit Nights' where He will

feature members of the family unit and their lives.  Could happen!

Dear to yous and Helen. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year's day,

Donna Wold Barger

Gertrude "Gertie" May Bennett Smith  (1885 – 1981)

This Website almost the history of the Smith Family is defended to my beloved grandmother : Gertrude "Gertie" May Bennett Smith  (1885 – 1981). Grandma Gertie Smith is pictured above peak in all three photographs.

It was her entertaining tales virtually our family, told while picking corn or piling wood, that inspired me to begin collecting and writing downward family stories.

A great big thanks goes to Aunt Addie Smith Wold (1907 – 1981), who helped me assemble together much of the original family research. And over again thanks to Aunt Addie for taping Grandma'south invaluable interview on December 12, 1974 when grandma was ninety years old.  Grandma'southward recorded interview has been the footing for much of the research and structure of this study.

And thanks to my father, Elmer Bennett Smith, passed at 97 years of age, who has been only a phone phone call away to answer my many questions equally this report took shape.

And to my cousin – Beverly Caton Pinelli – who has assisted in locating long lost details while working on her estimator. Bev has filled in many missing blanks.

Larry Bennett Smith – 2009     Celebrated Jacksonville, Oregon

Words on paper confer a kind of immortality. Wouldn't all of us beloved to accept a periodical, a memoir, a letter, from those nosotros take loved and lost? Shouldn't all of the states leave a bit of that backside?"  From an editorial in Newsweek entitled – WRITE FOR YOUR LIFE – January 22, 2007

Information technology is for exactly these reasons that I have worked these past forty years to collect and preserve this treasure trove of Smith family legends, lineages, legacies, and messages dating dorsum more than 2 centuries. ls

"May the LORD make y'all increase, both you and your children." Psalms 115:14

Telling the stories of:

Eli Smith, born: Pennsylvania, 1807. Died: Marshal County, Kansas, Perhaps in 1876 (Other listed dates of: 1866 and 1884)

Julia Ann Tuttle Wamsley Smith, born: Indiana, 1826. died: Little Deport Ridge, Idaho, 1886

John Smith (perhaps – but non sure if he is Eli'due south father)

Noah Smith, built-in: Ohio, 1833

Dwight Dewitt Clinton Wamsley, born: 1848

James Wamsley, built-in: 1849

Justina Caroline Wamsley, born: 1851

Elias Washington Smith, born: Marshall County, Indiana, 1853 died: Kalispell, Montana, 1925

Aaron T. Smith, born: Marshall County, Indiana, 1855 died: Newburg, Oregon, 1934

Flora Rhoda Smith, B. Marshall Canton, Indiana, built-in: 1857 died: Kendrick, Idaho, 1928

Leroy "Roy" Martin Smith, born: Indiana, 1866 (He was just a kid of about 10 years when his male parent died.) Roy died: Daisy, Washington, 1934

There are at least eight, perhaps more than, direct descendants of Eli and Elizabeth Campbell Smith and Joseph and Julia Ann Tuttle Wamsley and Eli and Julia Ann Tuttle Wamsley Smith, but because of deaths and remarriages, most of the post-obit report traces out only the stories of the Roy and Elias Smith branches of the Smith family. This is more often than not due to the availability of family unit information and descendents to interview.

Early DEATHS OF THE SMITH CHILREN

Elias and Ida Delair Smith had 6 children; I daughter and five sons. Three of their children died early on on.

Ida Myrtle Smith (1875 – 1880)
Paul Desmond Smith (1881 – 1886) died in a railroad train accident
Owen Manley Smith (born and died 1885)

Only three of Elias' boys reached adulthood:

Aaron Victor Smith (1876 – 1957)
Lester "Lee" Leroy Smith (1883 – 1953)
Clyde Elias Smith (1889 – 1963).

Leroy "Roy" Martin Smith, Elias'southward blood brother, and Harriet "Hattie"  Loma Smith produced 10 children: 4 girls and half dozen boys.

The ii older boys died early on.
Everett Louis Smith (1887 – 1894) of cancer of the ear.
Oliver Leroy Smith (born and died 1890)
Both boys are cached with their grandmother, Julia Smith (1827-1886) in Idaho.

Reaching adulthood:

Ora Olenzo Smith         (1891 – 1978)
Hazel Victoria Smith   (1895 – 1954)
Elmer Benton Smith     (1897 – 1952)
Myrtle Elma Smith        (1899 – 1982)
Edith May Smith             (1900 – 1940)
Glen Russell Smith        (1903 – 1984)
Virgil Harold Smith      (1907 – 1968)

A summary listing of the children and grandchildren of Aaron Victor and Gertrude Bennett Smith

ane.  Eva Emerald Smith, 2. Addie Winifred Smith, 3. Ila May Smith iv. Fern Dilena Smith, five. Elmer Bennett Smith, 6. Myrtle Alice Smith, 7. Violet Luella Smith, 8. Harland Chester Smith, 9. Ethel Irene Smith, 10.  Bonnie Charlotte Smith, 11. Fay Laurel Smith, 12. Ramona Adele Smith

1.  Eva Emerald Smith, b. February fifteen, 1906, Alberta Canada, d. September 12, 1956, Kalispell, Montana. Did not marry. No children.

two. Addie Winifred Smith, b. October fifteen, 1907, Spokane, Washington, d. October two, 1981 in Los Angeles, California.

three. Ila May Smith, b. December 28, 1908, Deary, Idaho, d. December 26, 1930, Kalispell, Montana

4. Fern Dilena Smith, b. July i, 1910, Piddling Carry Ridge, Idaho, d. December, 1981, while living with her daughter, Anna, in Columbia Falls, Montana.

5. Elmer Bennett Smith, b. Jan four, 1913, Large Bear Ridge, Idaho, d. Dec xv, 2010 at historic period 97, Longview, WA.

6. Myrtle Alice Smith, b. March 22, 1916, Onaway, Idaho, d. March 23, 1916.

seven. Violet Luella Smith, b. August 13, 1917.  Montana, on her grandpa Smith's homestead, Dawson Canton, later divided homestead, then in Garfield County.
d. Nov xiv, 1981, Santa Cruz, California

8. Harland Chester Smith, b. Apr 28, 1920, Kalispell, Montana. d. June xiii, 1992, Livermore, California.

9. Ethel Irene Smith, August 11, 1921, Essex, Montana

10.  Bonnie Charlotte Smith, b. March 1, 1925, Essex, Montana

eleven. Fay Laurel Smith, b. April 23, 1927, Essex, Montana

12. Ramona Adele Smith, b. Baronial 13, 1928, Los Angles, California, d. January eleven, 2002, Spokane, Washington.

Of the 33  Smith cousins, all simply i (Peter Kraft) lived to machismo. That would be remarkable in whatever day and age. (As of November 2009)

How are nosotros all continued

To explicate the relationship and to review the Eli and Julia Smith family…once upon a time in the 1870s in that location were six Smith kids living in Marshall County, Kansas. Three of the Smith kids died early on. Just Aaron Victor (1876 – 1957) and Lester "Lee" Leroy Smith (1883 – 1953)  and Clyde Elias Smith (1889 – 1963) reached adulthood. Aaron and Gertrude had 12 children and 33 grandchildren: Of the 33  Smith cousins, all but one (Peter Kraft) lived to machismo. That would be remarkable in any day and historic period.(As of November 2011) Eva Emerald Smith, (1906 –1956),Addie Winifred Smith (1907 –1981),Ila May Smith (1908 –1930), Fern Dilena Smith (1910 –1981),Elmer Bennett Smith (1913 – 2010), Myrtle Alice Smith (1916 1916), Violet Luella Smith (1917 – 1981), Harland Chester Smith (1920 – 1992), Ethel Irene Smith b. 1921, Bonnie Charlotte Smith b.1925, Fay Laurel Smith b.1927, Ramona Adele Smith (1928 – 2002)

Members of the Eli Smith family unit have lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Canada, Montana, (sometimes moving away and then returning), Arizona, Washington State, New York, southern California and eventually Southern Oregon.  Eli Smith and his mother, Mary, were both born inPennsylvania. Eli Smith and his family are listed in the 1840Miami Canton,Ohio census.

Little is know well-nigh Eli Smith himself. We have records of him living in Ohio, Indiana and eventually moving toKansas; working mostly as a farmer. He apparently owned very niggling because his name is rarely listed every bit paying holding taxes. Eli was married twice. Elias Washington Smith, born in Indiana in 1853, was the issue of Eli'southward second marriage. Various members of the Smith family left Kansas between the 1860s and the 1880s and for the adjacent 130 years the Smiths lived in Nebraska, Idaho, Alberta, Washington State, Montana, California, Arizona, and Oregon.

Chester Oscar,  Gertrude May, & Winifred Grace Bennett's,  father: Elmer Cortis Bennett, born January 20, 1860. Died, Apr 22, 1912. (Elmer Bennett Smith's namesake)

Chester Oscar,  Gertrude May, & Winifred Grace Bennett's mother: Ida Cora Call Bennett, born June 18, 1866. Died November 25, 1898 at historic period 32. Probably of a bad middle, and merely xi days later on a son was still-born on November 14, 1898. The nascence and expiry of her quaternary child most certainly had a directly bearing on Ida'due south death. From daughter Gertrude: I well think being there at the funeral in 1898.  Bitterly common cold.  The footing was frozen and how in that location was no snow.  The funeral procession…. The funeral was held at the house.  The funeral procession moved slowly over what was "rocky" road because it was frozen. I call up the engagement of her decease because the 24th was Thanksgiving.  She died the nighttime before Thanksgiving. (Her expiry was quite sudden and unexpected wasn't it?) Yes, information technology was a heart attack and she ate dinner with the states that night, that evening. She died about 2 hours later.

Ida Cora Call and Elmer Cortis Bennett with 2 year onetime Gertrude May Bennett
Elmer b. Jan twenty, 1860. Died April 22, 1912 in Ellensburg, WA. Wed to Ida Cora Call, born June 18, 1866 in New York. Died November 23, 1898 in Ada, MN nine days afterwards the birth of her son, who as well died. Ida'due south parents were William Call and Julia Jackson, sis of Luci Jackson. Married in Ada, MN in 1883.  Gertrude Bennett – historic period ii or three. Born Nov 8, 1885 in Ada, MN. died Feb 4, 1981 at age 95 in Los Angeles. In 1972 Gertrude Bennet Smith said: Afterward Mother's funeral, Father's Aunt Addie, who lived well-nigh 8 miles from the states, came and helped Begetter get things straightened out.  Mother'south things were taken care of.  I heard them talking about getting some woman to come and stay with us and I told Aunt Addie that I did not want someone to come up, I wanted to keep house for them.  I knew how Mama used to practise it, but I found out the hard manner knowing how she did it and doing it were two dissimilar things.  Only Male parent, bless his centre, let me do it.  He never complained.

The Elmer Cortis and Ida Cora Bennett children:
Gertrude May (1885 – 1981)
Gertrude married Aaron Smith
Chester Oscar (1892 – 1942) Killed by the Japanese WWII
Winifred Grace (1894 – 1964)
Photograph taken most 1900 in Ada, Minnesota. An unnamed son was still-born, November fourteen, 1898. Their female parent, Ida, died 9 days after.  Gertrude, age 12, dropped out of school to take care of her two younger siblings.

Elmer Cortis Bennett and his 2nd wife, Dora DeLair Patterson. Elmer and Dora married October 1904 in Alberta, Canada. She insisted that her three stride children (Chester, Gertrude, & Winnie) call her "Aunt Dora". Dora did actually become Gertrude's aunt by marriage when Gertrude married Aaron Smith because Dora DeLair Patterson Bennett was Aaron's mother's sister. (Ida DeLair Smith. There were two Ida's in the family which tin be a flake confusing.) Gertrude Bennett and Aaron Victor Smith were also married in Alberta, Canada a yr later in 1905.

Elmer Cortis Bennett, probably taken presently earlier his death in 1912 at historic period 52 in Ellensburg, WA from cancer. Gertrude Bennett Smith – 1972: with all of his troubles I never heard Father complain or wonder why.  He kept his faith through it all.  Not long ago I heard a minister, Jerry Faldwell, say that you don't judge a human by what he had done, but by what it took to break him.  I idea of Begetter. I recollect when Father died in 1912 and he was in Washington and I was in Idaho.  My stepmother wrote that while he was lying in that location with cancer he sang "Abide In Me".

To follow Chester Oscar's life in photos click on link Chester & Bonnie Bennett'due south Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/114431897981658921755/ChesterBonnieBennettSAlbum#To

To see more than historic Bennett photos on the Bennett side click on link: Bennett photos
https://goo.gl/photos/AVg88Ljvizpoircq6https://picasaweb.google.com/114431897981658921755/BennettPhotos#

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Source: https://smith-family.info/