NaeSmyth Cousins Newsletter
June 1999

Provided by Cousins.Nesmith.com

Volume 1, Issue 1

A Newsletter of and about Descendants of Sir Michael NaeSmyth of Posso , Scotland

Page 8 of  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 

Cousin, Can You Lend a Hand?
By Lael Nesmith-Snyder
I’m sure that many of you NaeSmyth researchers have discovered a stumbling block - a place where you’ve hit a dead end and aren’t able to fill in the blanks. It is the hope of "Cousin Lael" that this column will be a place where you can request the assistance of other researchers and find the answers you’ve been looking for. When submitting a request, try to be as thorough as possible because all clues are helpful. Send your queries to: Cousins@Nesmith.com

I’ll go first: I am seeking the place and date of death of Jonathan Nesmith, my great-great grandfather. I have determined that he belongs to the New Hampshire branch of the family. James Nesmith and his wife Elizabeth McKeen settled in Londonderry, NH in 1718-19. They had a total of nine children. Their ninth child was Benjamin Nesmith (1734-1800) who married Agnes Gilmore (1740-1815). They lived in Belfast, Maine, and Benjamin died there on September 18, 1800 and is buried in the Grove Cemetery. Agnes and four of her seven children (Benjamin, Thomas, Mary and Jenny) started migrating from Maine to Pennsylvania in the early 1800’s and some information indicates that they were in the Pittsburgh area in 1813. My great-great-great grandfather Benjamin Nesmith and his second wife Hannah Morrill moved on and finally established their permanent home in Millfield, Athens County, Ohio. Benjamin (Oct 13, 1767 – Dec 20, 1848) and Hannah (July 19, 1777 – May 6, 1855) are buried in the Nye Cemetery in Chauncey, Athens County, Ohio.

Benjamin’s family in Millfield, Ohio consisted of his three children by his first wife Martha Houston (1771-1803):

  1. Nancy Nesmith who married Jedediah Fuller
  2. Esther Nesmith who married Richard Henry Lord
  3. Benjamin Nesmith who married Judith Pettingill Davis

In addition, Benjamin and his second wife, Hannah, had six children:

  1. Martha Nesmith (b. 1806 in Maine) who married George Pratt
  2. Jonathan Nesmith (b. Nov. 18, 1807 in Maine) who married Perlina Judd.
  3. Almira Nesmith (b. 1809 in Maine) who married Samuel Humphrey
  4. Mary Nesmith (b. 1811 in Maine) who married John Frame
  5. David Morrill Nesmith (b. 1814 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
  6. Charles Henry Nesmith (b. 1820) who married Lovenia Lewis

Jonathan, the man in question, was married Nov. 18, 1841 in Dover Twp., Athens County, Ohio, to Perlina Judd, daughter of Arunah Judd and Laura Jeffers.

They had three children:

  1. MARTHA CROOKS5 NESMITH (JONATHAN4, BENJAMIN3, BENJAMIN2, JAMES1) was born September 25, 1842 in Millfield, Athens County, Ohio. She married FLAVIUS JULIUS FULLER September 23, 1860 in Millfield, Athens County, Ohio, son of AUSTIN FULLER and MARY PRATT.

Children of MARTHA NESMITH and FLAVIUS FULLER are:

  1. ARTHUR SANFORD6 FULLER, b. December 16, 1861, Millfield, Athens County, Ohio.
  2. HERMAN PARKER FULLER, b. June 13, 1865, Millfield, Athens County, Ohio. He married CELESTINE ANTOINETTE CRAWFORD September 17, 1890 in Denver, Colorado.
  3. VA ALMIRA FULLER, b. June 18, 1868, Millfield, Athens County, Ohio.   She married GRANVILLE M. WARWICK October 28, 1885 in Topeka, Kansas.
  4. EDWARD CLINTON FULLER, b. February 10, 1871, Millfield, Athens County, Ohio. He married ALICE CELENDIA HOLMES October 28, 1895 in Denver, Colorado.
  5. LEIGH ALBERT FULLER, b. June 26, 1875, Belle Rive, Jefferson County, Illinois He married JOSEPHINE CARIS September 26, 1900 in Denver, Colorado.
  6. FLAVIUS RAY FULLER, b. September 02, 1880, Topeka, Waubunsee County, Kansas.
  1. OLIVER PRATT5 NESMITH (JONATHAN4, BENJAMIN3, BENJAMIN2, JAMES1) was born February 25, 1846 in Athens County, Ohio, and died January 09, 1908 in Jefferson County, Illinois.. He married (1) LAVINA CARTER September 23, 1866 in Athens County, Ohio. He married (2) THERESA ALLEN December 26, 1875 in Jefferson County, IL, daughter of JOSEPH ALLEN and CATHERINE BARBEE. He married (3) PERMELIA ORAM WOODWORTH February 14, 1894 in Jefferson County, IL, daughter of WEBSTER ORAN and EFFIE MOORE.

Children of OLIVER NESMITH and LAVINA CARTER are:

  1. CHARLES H.6 NESMITH, b. July 26, 1867, OH; d. October 1936.
  2. CLARK WELLS NESMITH, b. January 04, 1869, Athen County, Dover Township, Ohio; d. November 30, 1874.
  3. GEORGE OLIVER NESMITH, b. January 04, 1871; d. February 13, 1871, Athens County, Ohio.
  4. FRANK H. NESMITH, b. March 11, 1872, Athen County, Dover Township, Ohio; d. September 02, 1958.
  5. JESSE H NESMITH, b. October 18, 1874; d. January 30, 1875.

Children of OLIVER NESMITH and THERESA ALLEN are:

  1. CARROLL C.6 NESMITH, b. February 25, 1882; d. July 02, 1910.
  2. VAN B. NESMITH, b. January 1878; d. August 29, 1879, Belle Rive, Jefferson County, Illinois
  3. THOMAS F. NESMITH, b. January 16, 1880; d. March 09, 1961.
  4. RED S NESMITH, b. December 16, 1885; d. June 05, 1955, Riverside, Texas.
  5. DAUGHTER NESMITH, b. December 02, 1883; d. December 02, 1883.
  6. LOUSINA NESMITH, b. June 26, 1893; d. September 21, 1893.

Child of OLIVER NESMITH and PERMELIA WOODWORTH is:

  1. OLIVER EARL6 NESMITH, b. August 07, 1899, Bluford, Jefferson County, Illinois; d. June 15, 1956, Eagle River, Vilas County, Wisconsin.
  1. JOHN FRAME5 NESMITH (JONATHAN4, BENJAMIN3, BENJAMIN2, JAMES 1) was born February 24, 1854 in Millfield, Athens County, Ohio, and died July 13, 1927 in Champaign, Illinois. He married LUCINA A. WOODWORTH April 01, 1875 in Jefferson County, Illinois.

Children of JOHN NESMITH and LUCINA WOODWORTH are:.

  1. WILEY W. NESMITH, b. August 15, 1877; d. April 07, 1939, Douglas County, Illinois.  He married (1) IDA LEVICK June 03, 1899 in Pinckneyville, Illinois, daughter of ALFRED LEVICK and EMMA SWITZER. He married (2) OPAL T. NESMITH Aft. 1930.
  2. NELLIE MAY NESMITH, b. August 22, 1879; d. February 06, 1965, Mt.   Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois. She married CHARLES ALFRED PETTIT September 15, 1898.
  3. ROBERT HENDERSON NESMITH, b. November 15, 1882, Hutchinson, Kansas;   d. April 04, 1928, buried in East Lawn Cemetery, Salem, Marion Cty, Illinois. He married ELIZABETH CATHERINE ELLIS November 15, 1907 in Mt. Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois, daughter of LOWERY ELLIS and OLIVE MCCORD.

One printed account that I’ve found regarding Jonathan stated: "He came to Ohio in 1820 and in 1873, he came to Jefferson County, Illinois, where he lived until 1882, when he moved to Labette County, Kansas." I have not been successful in locating any information in Kansas concerning him.

I have also heard that he dyed his hair to appear younger than his years because he wanted to work on the construction of the McArthur Bridge which was the first bridge to span the Mississippi River from the Illinois side to St. Louis, Missouri. That assumption has some support by the fact that his age differs in the census records from Ohio and Illinois: In the 1860 Ohio Census, Jonathan was 53; in 1870 Ohio Census, he was 62; in 1880 Illinois Census, he was 63.

Does anyone belong to any of the branches of Jonathan’s three children or perhaps one of his siblings who might be able to solve this mystery for me?  If so, please write: Lael Nesmith-Snyder at wsnyder@juno.com