Written by Karen Zach
Brick wall. Never heard of one. Oh, wait what am I saying? I’ve had a few but be aware they can be busted down. Smashed to smithereens or at least shoved over a little. Here is one of mine and you will see.
Any Smith researcher can attest that is one uneasy task, finding a missing link in the Smith line. At least our man was one with an unusual first name, or so we thought. I knew for sure my great-great-grandfather, Reuben D. Smith was born in New York about 1815 and that he came with his father, Simeon to Sullivan County Indiana in 1818. I also knew his wife was Mary Ann Helms born in New York and died about 1851 probably with my great grandfather Joseph. Reuben was remarried in 1854 so at least sometime before Joseph’s birth and the remarriage. Why I mention the Helms is Reuben’s mother was also a Helms, Hester Ann, and Mary Ann’s aunt, so it’s a sheer wonder I’m okay in the head and elsewhere.
So, Simeon was probably the first tough brick wall I tackled and thinking Simeon would be easy, I was wrong. Oh, was I ever wrong? Part of the problem presented itself in the fact that a cousin of ours who had one son killed in the Korean War wouldn’t give my grandfather the family bible. Instead, he felt putting it in a library would keep it safe and anyone could go there to view it. Problem was (he had passed away about 20 years prior) when we went to see it, we were told that they burned it, along with 16 other family bibles from the area. They saw no problem with that since they had them transcribed by “professionals.” The DAR, Genealogy Society and their librarians had all done a transcription however we were only given one as they said they all agreed. They did not but that was a discovery for many years later. By the way, my grandfather was sick from it whereas I was irate. Neither did us a bit of good. This bible dated back to the early 1700s.
So, from the transcription I went looking for Simeon Smith, possibly living near his father Joshua somewhere in NY. Thinking there were a few Simeons I was shocked to find there were over 200. None living near a Joshua. So, then what do ya’ do?
Well, first I checked that 1800 census for any married (I figured from Simeon’s oldest child’s 1797 birth that he probably had two young boys and a daughter so three children and his wife Hester whom I knew was born a couple of years later than he. They were buried near me and I had visited their graves so at least I did know their ages. However, I discovered there were about 70 of those 200 that were possibilities. Geez, now what?
I thought perhaps checking the 1810 census and comparing them (I don’t think you can guess nor can I how much time this took in the old days copying all the pages, highlighting some in one call others in another, etc. but just take my word for it, hours upon hours and a whole lot more) would help and it did a little. I knocked out about 15 or so because they weren’t there in the next census and I know they would have four daughters and two sons at that time.
Still, I was stuck … for many years, but then at some point, I was going to college in the town that had the bibles, 60 miles away. I had time one day and walked the few blocks to take a peek at that transcription again. This time I insisted on seeing them all even though again I was told that they were all the same. They were not. Two of them had Joshua as I’d been searching as the father. Guess what? Old Josh was long dead before the 1800 census, even though I had been checking for the Simeons living near a Joshua. George was the father. Now, talk about a common Smith name, but I went back and started from scratch and this time, as I knew from that bible (the right transcription anyway) that Simeon’s father George would have been in the 1800 but passed away in 1803 so not in the 1810 census. That narrowed it down to a reasonable 17 Simeons that were possibilities to being my ancestor. Next, I searched for Helms near there and widdled it to 5. From that, I decided to research elsewhere with this bit in mind and found where Simeon and Esther (I discovered from researching names that Esther and Hester are almost always interchangeable) bought land in 1806 in Ontario County, NY and found them in other records as search. Of course, the 1800 and 1810 had Simeon right there and George in 1800. Bingo! I finally broke that brick wall. I’ve found many such records including where they sold land in 1817 and when they and her parents (Jacob and Anna Dixon Helms) headed to Sullivan County, Indiana.
So, it was a long time coming, but it was worth the joy of crushing those bricks, one at a time and in many little pieces. Take that!
