Mary Kate Moats-DeFord-Smith was born to John Samuel Moats and Rady Raby (John Moats was Vance Moats brother, Her mother, Rady was married to Vance "Moty" Moats). After her divorce with Vance "Moty" Moats because Rady was with John's child. Rady would later marry Henry Wilkerson and Kate Moats and Rady then took on the Wilkerson last name.

Mary Kate first married to William "Bill" Vurchell DeFord, having three children, John Henry, Horace Scott (Being adopted his name became: James Nelson "Scott" Casteel) and Willie Vurchell DeFord who died at birth. Widowed by the death of Bill DeFord, she continued to live at the DeFord property. Mary Kate DeFord would later give up her children because Vernal Smith would not marry her and take care of others children (He said that "it was him or her children"). Kate put her DeFord children up to a orphanage and married Vernal William Smith with whom she had seven more children. Their names are, Minnie Pearl, Bobby, Mamie, Dorothy, Janice, Vernal Jack and Billy Joe Smith.

SMITH, MARY KATE - age 96 of Knoxville, passed away Saturday morning, December 9, 2000 at Hillcrest North Nursing Home. She was of the Baptist faith. She was a former employee of Union Carbide in Oak Ridge. She was preceded in death by her husband, V.W. Smith; children, Bobby Smith, Mamie Bridges, Johnny Deford and Jimmy Casteel; sister, Dorothy Kellogg. She is survived by her children, Dorothy Kagley, Janice Newcomb and husband, James Wylie Byrd; Jack Smith and wife, Fern all of Knoxville, Billy Joe Smith and wife, Shirley of Strawberry Plains; 22 grandchildren; several great grandchildren; 5 great-great grandchildren; and 2 step grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Click Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Glenn Gamble officiating. Interment will be in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday. Click Funeral Home, Lenoir City is serving the Smith family.