Summer heat and humidity....

It’s summer and it’s hot. The humidity is up and we are wishing for rain…but there does not seem to be any insight. So I am sitting in front of my computer. I have had quite a bit of contact in recent weeks with several other Smith researchers from Darke County. Was looking for information about…you guessed it…my Smith’s. Found a nice lady who works at the Garst Museum Library in Darke County. Her name is Nancy Stump. She has worked on researching the Smith families for her step-sister Pat for years. Pat descends from Joseph Smith who is the son of John Smith who is the son of William Smith. William Smith from Delaware, served in the Revolutionary War and was registered by someone to DAR. I really have been trying to find information about him for some time so this was a break through!

A researcher, named Nancy Stump, sent me a handful of documents about his family. Most of the document pertained to John Smith and his wife Laurana. John is the son of William Smith. There apparently was no will for William Smith. I am hoping she can find a will for Nancy, William's Wife. Am wondering if a trip to the National Achieves in Chicago might get me what I am looking for. 

Nancy sent me a petition presented to the Ohio Supreme Court by William Smith requesting compensation consideration from the government of the United States for time served in the Revolutionary War. William is 68 years old. He served in the 1st Delaware Regiment under Jonathan Caldwell and the 2nd Delaware Regiment. (did not state who the commander of this regiment was) He talks about a land certificate but the certificate number is not legible. He further state that he was a resident of the United Stated on the 18th day of March 1818. He state that he has not gifted, sale or disposed of the property granted to him. He goes on to describe what he currently owns and lists it as a schedule of property; One horse, one cow, two pots, one kettle, one chest . He further states that his occupation is as a farmer and that he is infirmed and unable to perform any work. He states that his wife Nancy lives with him and is about 67 years old and is not able to work either. William signed the document and the court certified that he presented it. It was sign by Eastin M. Clark. (Is what it looks like) The document is hand written and must be viewed with a magnifying glass…

Later looking on Ancestry.com, I was able to find a filing record # S40460 which states that there are 17 pages in the filed record. I hope that I can obtain them at the National Archive. I can not be sure if we are related to this man but I can not be sure that we are not either so…I continue to hunt.

Next I need to see when the National Archieve in Chicago is open and take time to visit it withe the information that I now have.  Happy family history hunting!

Jan