Category: Smith family history
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Smith family history: Part 19
Reconstruction era – 1874-1877 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series The Scofield v. McNaught case was decided in the Georgia Supreme Court January term in 1874. I’m certainly no lawyer and will spare you my attempt to try and interpret the decision, but feel free to read through it yourself. It is interesting to…
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Smith family history: Part 18
Reconstruction era – 1871-1873 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series In the early 1870’s Atlanta was still rapidly rebuilding, including the commercial and retail area of downtown. The (first) Kimball House hotel began construction in March 1870 and was still underway in October of that year. The Kimball House was an important symbol of…
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Smith family history: Part 17
Reconstruction era – 1870-1871 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series Robert and Mary’s family was enumerated in the 1870 federal census on June 16, 1870. In addition to Robert, Mary (M C), son Eugene Everton (E E), and daughter Evelyn Alexander (E A) the census lists a 28 year old domestic servant, Lucia Turner,…
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Smith family history: Part 16
Reconstruction era – 1869 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series In early 1869 Robert Windsor Smith and his wife Mary were living in Atlanta. Mary was pregnant with their third child. Their first had died after only 3 months in 1866 and their son Eugene had turned 1 in September of 1868. Robert was…
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Smith family history: Part 15
Reconstruction era – 1865-1868 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series V. T. Barnwell’s “Atlanta City Directory and Strangers’ Guide” was published sometime in mid-1867. It includes a “Condensed History of Atlanta” section that describes the circumstances of Atlanta residents returning after Sherman’s forces had effectively razed the city. By those who returned to Atlanta…
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Smith family history: Part 14
Civil War – Aftermath Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series In early 1865 Atlanta lay in ruins, Abraham Lincoln had been re-elected, and Sherman’s forces had completed their March to the Sea, capturing Savannah. Robert Windsor Smith was registered as a deserter on March 9, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. One month later on…
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Smith family history: Part 13
Civil War Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series I’m certainly not a Civil War historian, but I will try to provide some contextual information along with comments specifically relevant to the Smith family. On September 29, 1862 Robert Windsor Smith had written to his uncle William McNaught stating: The Conscription Act has concluded to…
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Smith family history: Part 12
Mary Cleveland Wright Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series As we saw in the last post, Robert became engaged to a “Mary W.” around three weeks after his father’s death in late July, 1861. Robert and Mary would eventually be married in March of 1864, despite the concerns Robert’s mother Eveline expressed in a…
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Smith family history: Part 11
Smith – McNaught correspondence highlights Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series As I mentioned in the last post, the Atlanta History Center has in its collection correspondence between the Smith family and William McNaught. Finding this correspondence was a true stroke of luck, and I think highlights what an invaluable resource the Kenan Research…
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Smith family history: Part 10
L. Windsor Smith – Last will and estate Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series Larned Windsor Smith passed away at his property acquired from Meredith Webb Legg in Cleveland, TN on Jul 7, 1861. Bradley county records were apparently burned by Union forces so there is no record of the transaction. I was able…
Birds of Kirkwood 