An Amputation in Georgia - Henry's Story

In my previous entry, I wrote about Louisa Ish Smathers. In order to get the complete picture, I thought a post about her husband Henry would be appropriate. 

Actually, the best clue about Henry's past comes from the pension records of his brother, Franklin Smathers. Franklin was a younger brother of Henry who enlisted in the same company and regiment as did Henry and another brother, Ruben Smathers. They were part of Company E., Ohio 53rd Infantry Regiment.

It was stated in Franklin's pension papers: 

That during the summer of 1850 and to 1858 he lived in Clarion, Clarion County PA. That during the summer of 1860 he lived in Jackson, Jackson County, Ohio, and up to about the year 1888. That during the above time he lived with his father and mother up to the time his mother died which was about the year 1856. That afterwards he lived with his father until he enlisted. That his fathers (sic) name was Jacob Smathers. That his mothers (sic) name was Polly Smathers. That his brothers (sic) names were David, Isaac, William, Jacob, John, Henry, Ruben and Lawson. 

The family was actually found instead of Jackson County, Ohio in neighboring Vinton County in 1860. Jacob had moved to Ohio with six of his children - John, Henry, Ruben, Franklin, Melinda and Lawson.

At the outbreak of the war, John went back to Pennsylvania and enlisted. Henry enlisted November 27, 1861, at the age of 23. His company muster roll for May and June 1862 states “Deserted from Camp Shiloa (sic) May 5, 1862.” However, a special muster roll taken on August 18, 1862, notes, “Sent to General Hospital at Cincinnati May 5, 1862.” He appears to have been there on detached duty as Provost Guard until Aug. 31 of that year.

Henry elected to reenlist on January 23, 1864. His vitals are given: 

WHERE BORN: Clarion County, PA 

AGE: 24 (Note that he only aged 1 year since he initially enlisted in Nov of 1861.) 

EYES: Brown 

HAIR: Brown 

COMPLEXION: Dark 

HEIGHT: 6 Ft. 

OCCUPATION: Laborer 

For details of Henry's wounds, I quote the letter of his company commander, William W. Gilbert.

I, Wm W. Gilbert, on honor, certify that Henry Smathers is a Private in my company and that on the 23rd day of June 1864 He received a Gun Shot Wound in the left Knee point which caused the amputation of his leg above the Knee point. I was a 1st Lieut. Commanding the Co(mpany) at that time and was ordered with My Co(mpany) on the Skirmish Line near the foot of Kinesaw (sic) Mountain at which place Henry Smathers Received the wound while in the line of his duty by assisting to build a Skirmish Pit. I was right by his Side when he was hit and Saw him fall and had him carried off of the field. 

Henry would die 23 years, 7 months and 15 days after he fell at Kennesaw Mountain. In Vinton County, Henry's death record would give the cause of death as gangrene. 

In my previous post, you get an idea of the hardship Henry faced. You have to wonder why Louisa chose to marry a man who obviously would find it difficult to support a family because of his wounds. His occupation on his death certificate is listed as “cripple.” 

Henry's wounding in Georgia began a chain of events that would keep a dark cloud over the family tree for several generations. But it is those very chain events that created me. For each of us who walk this earth today, the right set of circumstances in EVERY ONE of our ancestor's lives had to occur to create the next set of right circumstances, so that in the end, the right two people, your parents, would meet and create you. One missed joy or one missed sorrow, and someone else would be living, breathing, existing instead of you. What a gift then, each day really is.

Until Next Time! 

1. Franklin Smathers (Pvt., Co. E, 53rd Ohio Inf., Civil War) pension no. 896663, certificate no. 676404, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1864-1934; Civil War and Later pension Files; Dept of Veteran Affairs National Archives, Washington, D.C. 

2. Henry Smathers (Pvt., Co. E., 53rd Ohio Inf.., Civil War) pension no. 77724, certificate no. 51080, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1864-1934; Civil War and Later pension Files; Dept of Veteran Affairs, National Archives, Washington, D.C. 

3. Vinton County, Ohio, Death Record of Henry Cope 1888, Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, McArthur, Ohio. 

4. Military, Compiled Service Record, Henry Smathers, Pvt., Co. E, 53rd Ohio Inf.; Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Note this post first published online, March 3, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 3 March 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Pension File Stories: Louisa Ish Smathers, Disappearing Woman

“I am nearly 48 years old, a housekeeper…” These are first words that Louisa Ish Smathers gives in a deposition taken by the Special Examiner, J.W. Downtain on January 2, 1889, in Hawk, Ohio. Louisa was deposed when she applied for a Widow's Civil War Pension after the death of her husband, Henry Smathers. 

Though she was probably born sometime around 1841, the first time Louisa shows up in any public records is when she marries Henry Smathers on December 11, 1866. (Her last name is spelled Eish on the Affidavit for License.) There is no record of Louisa's existence in either the 1850 or the 1860 census. Believed to be the daughter of John Ish and Susan Bishop, the Ish siblings were apparently sent to live with other local families after John married his second wife, Susannah Dinger in 1843.

Rebecca, Peter W. and Washington Ish are all found living with separate families in German Township of Harrison County, Ohio, in the 1850 census. In all probability, Louisa is also living with another family and either was not enumerated or her last name was reported incorrectly 

That she belonged to the Ish family of Harrison County is supported by her death certificate, which lists her place of birth as Harrison County. Unfortunately, the record does not list her parents.

The only real glimpse we have of Louisa's life is from the five- page deposition. 

I am the widow of Henry Smathers, who was a pensioner under Certificate No. 51080 for loss of the left leg above the knee. I was married as Louisa Ish, to Henry Smathers in Jackson, Jackson County Ohio, December 11, 1866, by a pastor whose name I do not now remember. Neither myself or husband had been previously married. I can't give the names of any of the persons who were present at our marriage. Mr. Smathers was then on crutches, having lost his left leg, as I always understood, in Service at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. From the time we were married until the next March, we lived at Buckeye Furnace, Jackson County Ohio.

We know that Louisa was not literate because it is recorded that she signed her name at the end of the deposition with an X. Of her early years of marriage, Louisa says:

In March 1867, (we) commenced keeping house at Hamden Junction, Vinton Co. Ohio. While at Buckeye Furnace, he pounded ore, and wore what they called a peg leg, which was made at the Soldier's Home, Dayton. That one cut the leg so that he had to leave it off and it hurt the stump to wear it any way. He afterward secured an artificial leg in Cincinnati, at a cost of $175 - $75 of which was furnished by the Government, but he was never able to wear it on account of the stump hurting him so. It was even worst than the peg leg. 

Louisa gives detailed information of how Henry suffered because of his injury.

He complained of the stump of the leg (it was) an awful sight, and would sometimes have me come and hold it down with both hands, and frequently it would fly up out of my hands. It would swell up and get tender, but there was no breaking out or running sores. I never knew any pieces of bone to come out from it, but he often told me that before he came home from the service a piece of bone did come out and showed me the scar. He often said he would rather a person would gouge his eye than to run against the stump, and he would sit and hold both hands over it to keep any one from running against it. 

As part of the deposition, Louisa lists the names and dates of her children's births. Of this information, she says: 

I had seven children by Mr. Smathers, six of whom were living when he died, only four of whom were under 16 years at that time…. I have no family record of the dates, but I have carried them in my mind all the time. I don't think I could possibly be mistaken as to the date of the birth of any of my children. 

Probably the most telling part of the deposition is the matter of fact account that she gives of the events leading up to her husband's death. 

On the night of the 30th of January, 1888, he was taken with a chill, in bed, and shook till 20 minutes after 1 o'clock. It was not an especially cold night, and the room was awful warm. We had set up until 11 o'clock. He had been about all winter, and that day, before he took the chill, said he felt better than he had for a long time. He had taken no medicine that winter, nor the preceding fall or summer. He said he had never had but one such chill before, and that was after his leg had been amputated and before he was discharged and the Doctor, he said called it a "digestive" chill. On this occasion, I had not gone to sleep, but he had, but woke up just as the clock was striking 12 and the chill was then coming on. He told me not to give him any water, as the old gray headed Doctor in the army had told him if he ever had another, it would be the last of him. That was on Monday night, and (he) died at 5 o'clock on Tuesday morning, one week after. 

On Tuesday morning, I suppose 5 or 6 hours after the chill had tapered off, I put mustard drafts on his side, and when Dr. Ewing came he left them on, and on Wednesday when he came back, he put a fly blister on. Mr. Smathers had complained some of his side (the left) for a week before he took the last chill, but when I put the mustard draft on it, I did not notice any discoloration. He was conscious up to the time he died. I had him up at 12 o'clock on Monday night, and he talked to me as sensibly as he as he ever did, and he died at 5 o'clock, Tuesday morning, February 7, 1888. When I put the mustard drafts to his side, the pain seem to leave there and go to his head. He never could sleep on his left side, never from the time we were married. I was not present when he died, as I had laid down about an hour before. Thomas Paul and Dinck (?) Gryden, and Lizzie Gryden and Getty Booth were all present when he died. So was Thomas Duffy. I think Bill Mayso, Tom Paul, and Bob Hutchinson prepared the body for burial. I have remained the widow of Henry Smathers, and have not cohabited with any other man.

This deposition is probably the closest I will ever come to knowing Louisa Ish Smathers and what her life with Henry was like. She died September 25, 1930. I have yet to find her in the 1930 census. 

Until Next Time. . . 

1. Deposition of Claimant, 2 January 1889, Louisa A. Smathers, widow's pension application no. 368863, certificate no. 279465, service of Henry Smathers (Pvt., Co. E, 53rd, Ohio Infantry, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934;Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veteran Affairs, National Archives, Washington, D.C. 

2. Jackson County, Ohio, Record of Marriages, Volume E, Page 49, Smathers-Eish 1866, Jackson County Probate Court, Jackson, Ohio. 

Note this post first published online, March 2, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 2 March 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Indispensable Technology for the Family Historian

Okay, before we go any further check it out. THIS IS MY HUNDREDTH BLOG POST! Woo-hoo! Par-tay! 

And now back to our regularly scheduled program. Jasia has posed the following topic for our next Carnival of Genealogy: “The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Technology. What technology do you most rely on for your genealogy and family history research? Select one piece of hardware (besides your computer), one piece of software (besides your internet browser), and one web site/blog (besides your own) that are indispensable to you”

Okay, first let me say that I am an “in the moment” kinda girl. So whatever I give as my answer today might not be the same next month, or next week, or tomorrow. I'm currently working on a genealogy where everybody LIED! I don't know if they didn't know the truth, or had something to hide, or if there is some kind of cultural going-on that I just am not getting. In any case, I am really fascinated with this family. As I try to unweave all the strands and figure out all the relationships, I have been making handy use of some pretty powerful tools and those are the ones I am going to give my big thumbs up to in this post. 

INDISPENSABLE WEBSITE: 

And the winner is (okay I really wanted to participate in the iGENE awards so humor me here) - ANCESTRY.COM. Groan if you like, but I went without this little gem of a site for almost a year. Now that I have it back, I am giving it all that pent-up love that it deserves. One of these days, I will make a very lengthy list about all the goodies I have found since my love and I have been reunited, but for my current project, it is MUY BIEN. I open up Ancestry.com on part of my screen, familysearchlabs.org on the other half of my screen and I go from census to Ohio Death Records, working my way through the information and then adding it to my database software, which I have minimized and opened on my laptop. It's efficient and methodical — my logical brain is very impressed. Granted, I am only up to the 1850 census but we are talking a lot of related families here. 

INDISPENSABLE HARDWARE: 

I vote modem, my wonderful cable speed modem. Did I mention I have a wireless router to go with that modem? Downloading all those census files and death record files would be O - H - S - O - S - L - O - W! And with the wireless router, I can sit there with my feet up, and nod companionably at my husband as he works on his own project on his laptop. We are oh so 2008.

INDISPENSABLE SOFTWARE: 

OK, this one is a little tricky. I have always used Family Tree Maker. I am currently using version 16. Family Tree Maker is familiar, it's comfortable and I have basically been happy with it. However, for this project The Master Genealogist is working extremely well. I've opened up a separate project on TMG and as I work my way through the census and the death records, I add the sources into the database as I add the individuals. Now my one criticism of TMG is that the learning curve on it is definitely steeper than on FTM. However, I am adding basically just two sources of info, and once I have each source set up in my own persnickety fashion, it isn't that hard to enter. And that's what I like about TMG, its extreme flexibility when it comes to adding sources and citations. I can do it MY WAY, and the control freak in me is very pleased. 

So there you have it — the technology that makes my research hum.

Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging!

Note this post first published online, February 27, 2008 at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 27 February 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

What Do You Call Your Grandparents?

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings asked in a recent post “What did you call your grandparents? What did your children call their grandparents? What do your grandchildren call you?” (http://randysmusings.blogspot.com/2008/02/names-for-your-grandparents.html) 

I called my paternal grandmother and her husband, my step-grandfather, Gramma and Grampa Dick when I was talking about them and they were not there. Just Gramma and Grampa when we were in person. My paternal grandfather — we didn't talk about him as a child. 

My maternal grandmother — Gramma Hoy — even though her last name by the time I came along was Runion, she was always Gramma Hoy. My maternal grandfather — I was 10 when Grampa died. He was known as Grampa Hoy.

My own children followed the same custom using the Gramma and Grampa in front of a diminutive form of their grandparent's last name. When they were very young, they called their maternal grandfather, my dad, Papaw Sonie 

In our own grandchildren, the older ones call me Grandma Terry and their younger brother calls me Maw T-U. The older grandchildren call Al, Grandpa Al and the little one calls him Papa Al. They call their maternal great grandmother Me-maw and their maternal grandparents Maw and Paw. And for Randy's benefit, these are all Northwest Ohio families. 

So how about the rest of you? Is my family typical or do you have your own customs of what grandparents are called? 

Until Next Time — Happy Ancestral Digging! Note this post first published online, February 26, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 26 February 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

The Carnival Came to Town and Other Rants

Terry Thornton posted Friday the round up for his little poetry challenge, which you can read here: http://hillcountryofmonroecountry.blogspot.com/2008/02/anthology-of-blogger-poems-2008.html.

Thanks, guys, for letting me a take a black eye for Northwest Ohio in the poetry category!

Also, the Carnival of Genealogy came to town last week. For this edition of the carnival, the topic was IGENE AWARDS 2007. Each blogger was asked to pick their own favorite post in each of five categories.

Those categories were:

Best Picture
Best Screen Play
Best Documentary
Best Biography
Best Comedy (always my favorite category)

You can read some funny, interesting, touching posts chosen by the bloggers themselves at http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/02/carnival-of-genealogy-42nd-edition.html.

Note: Yours truly did not participate in this blog because - well, I don't really have archives to go back and access. The three options I wish my blog had that the other genea-bloggers enjoy are (and in no particular order):

1. ARCHIVES - I mean real honest to goodness archives that could be accessed all year long.

2. AN RSS FEED - Now that's a right purty “Add Feed” button that sits beneath my posts that would make you think you could subscribe to my blog, but alas it's just another pretty button.

3. DIRECT CONTROL OF MY BLOG - Do you know how many times I see my post in actual print and I groan out loud? I wonder why I used that verb, or wow, could I have said that in a MORE awkward manner. Then there is the occasional punctuation error (have I mentioned that I am punctuationally and grammatically challenged?). When those little errors creep into my post I have to send an exclamation marked e-mail to the editor or just suck it up and leave it as it is. Neither appeals to me. I just want to be able to go in and FIX IT!

All righty then - now that I've gotten that off my chest, you all have yourselves a nice day. (Oh, and you just know that I'm definitely going to want to go in and change that last sentence!)

Until Next Time - Happy Ancestral Digging!

Note this post first published online, February 25, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

Squawkers and other regionalisms

I was talking to a lady in Pennsylvania the other day and I was asking about her family’s roofing business. She stopped dead in her tracks and said suspiciously, “Are you from Wisconsin?” Of course, I’m not from Wisconsin. Except for a brief stint in West Virginia during my freshman year of college, I’ve lived in Northwest Ohio all of my life. I’m not bragging, I’m just saying. She told me I said the word “roof” just as her Wisconsin cousins did which according to her was wrong, wrong, wrong.

I had said the “oo” in roof like someone saying the word "foot." She said the sound “oo” like some saying the word "boo." It’s not the first time I’ve been taken to task by a Pennsylvanian on how I said the word roof. A tax teacher, a transplant from Pennsylvania, told me that we locals also say the word “wolf” incorrectly. Our wolf rhymes with our roof, and their wolf rhymes with their roof. Big deal, right? 

I looked the words up in the dictionary, and it turns out their way of pronouncing those words is the preferred way, but our way is listed in the dictionary as well. So take that Pennsylvania! 

I began to think about other regionalisms that we might have. The biggie that I came up with is one that most of us will deny doing, but if we aren’t thinking about it, we do it anyway. Simply put, instead of saying Washington, we add an “r” so it comes out Warshington. I was in sixth grade before someone pointed this extra “r” out to me. We also “warsh” our hands, dishes, and clothing. People who don’t add the “r” get all creeped out by this and take on an oh so superior attitude on this. (See http://ctbob.blogspot.com/2008/02/mccain-please-stop-saying-warshington.html.) 

Like saying, Washington without an “R” adds sixty IQ points automatically. Whatever! Most of us also say the word “aunt” the same way we say the word for the little bug that you squish between your fingers with a Kleenex if you find one in your house, and WARSH out all the cupboards and then spray insecticide if you find more. 

Locally we say the word “creek” two different ways. Some of us say the word so that it rhymes with leak, while others say the word so that it rhymes with brick. I’m not sure which way I say it. I think I do it both ways – I don’t like to be too predictable.

Many of us call the little maple seedlings that blow all over during the spring “squawkers.” It was such a common term with all the people I grew up with that I was startled when I mentioned the word while working in another county and they looked at me as if I was crazy. I was insistent that they needed to look it up in the dictionary. They did. To my chagrin, it wasn’t there.

Why “squawkers” you ask? Because when you pick them up off the ground, put them in your mouth, and blow on them, they make a squawking sound. Okay, put like that I can see why people looked at me incredulously. You know what those people in the other county called them, helicopters. Helicopters? At least we get points for originality. 

If often takes outsiders to show you what your regionalisms are. If you think of any more oddball things that we do in this neck of the woods, please share. You know how odd things appeal to me. 

Until Next Time – Happy Ancestral Digging! Note this post first published online, February 21, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 21 February 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Confessions of a Three Year Old Descendent

“Papa Al is cwazy,” the three-year-old whispers to me just loud enough for his grandfather in the front seat to hear. 

“Hey!” his grandfather says loudly with mock sternness. 

This starts a giggle fest with the boy in the back seat. “I can’t stop waughing,” he tells me between gasps. “When I keep waughing I get da hiccups and den I frow up!” Um … Papa Al … consider yourself WARNED! 

Note this post first published online, February 21, 2008, at Desktop Genealogist Blog at The News-Messenger Online http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS02

© 21 February 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder