John Washington Smith was born 25 Aug 1832 in the German Township of Clark County, Ohio, to Samuel Smith and the former Louisa Welshans. His parents had married on 8 Feb 1825 in Clark County. Based on an examination of the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses for Samuel Smith, it appears that John may have been the fourth child born to Samuel and Louisa.
Even though there are several men with the name of Samuel Smith in Clark County in the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses, it is probable that the Samuel Smith living in the German Township was the father of John Washington Smith. This conclusion is based on three facts: (1) the ages of all the men named Samuel Smith, (2) the number and ages of the children in the household, and (3) the presence of men with the last name of Welshans or similar in the same Township.
In the 1830 federal census in the German Township, Samuel Smith was listed as being 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with his birth date of 21 Sep 1801. His wife, who would be the former Louis Welshans, was also 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with her birth date of 7 Jul 1807. There were three children in the home and they were all girls under the age of five years. John Welshans/Welchans was a resident of the German Township. He was 30 to 39 years old. Therefore, he was probably an older brother to Louisa Welshans. (John Welshans was the oldest son of George Welchhans and the former Rachel Thomas. He was born in 1798. He died in Clark County, Ohio, in 1860. Interestingly, Louis Welshans Smith ended up naming at least three of her children after her siblings. This included at least John, Rachel, and Cynthia.)
In the 1840 federal census in the German Township, John Washington Smith appeared for the first time. He was the boy who was five to nine years old. Samuel and Louisa Smith were both 30 to 39 years old. There were a total of nine children in the home. If all the children belonged to Samuel and Louisa, the Louisa delivered a child about every 20 months. The children included three females 10 to 14 years old (one was Cynthia Ann), two females 5 to 9 years old (Amanda and Rachel), one male 5 to 9 years old (John), two females under 5 years old (Elizabeth and Emeline), and one male under 5 years of age (unknown, he died before the 1850 federal census).
Louisa had one more child ( William Riley Smith) in or about 1843 and then she died in or about 1846. She was only 39 years old at the most when she died. Thereafter, Samuel married Sarah Northcutt on 7 Sep 1847 in Clark County, Ohio. Samuel then took his family to Wapello County, Iowa, shortly after his marriage to Sarah as their first child was born in Iowa in or about 1848. Her name was Clarinda Smith.
Amanda C. Smith was a daughter to Samuel Smith and the former Louisa Welshans. She married William B. Stamper on 26 Oct 1848 in Wapello County, Iowa. In the 1850 federal census, Amanda was listed as 20 years old. Her husband was 37 years old and a native of Illinois. Interestingly, three of Amanda's sisters are listed as living in her home. They are Rachel, Emeline, and Elizabeth, all three of whom were also listed as living with their father. They were either living with Amanda or, at the minimum, visiting with Amanda on the very day the enumerator came to Amanda's home. William Stamper died in 1885 and Amanda died on 20 May 1907 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Harmony Grove Cemetery outside of Lockeford, San Joaquin County, CA. Her findagrave.com memorial number is 62714853.
John Washington Smith is in the 1850 federal census. He was then living with his family in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa, in enumerated residence 65. John was 18 years old and a native of Ohio. His father was Samuel Smith. He was 48 years old and a native of Virginia. Samuel's wife was listed as Sarah Smith. She was 42 years old and a native of Ohio. Her maiden name, according to an article written about her son Edward J. Northcutt, was Furman. Their child together was Clarinda Smith. She was two years old and she was born in Iowa. The other children were born to the former Louisa Welshans (also known as Welchhans). They were John W. Smith (18), Rachel Smith (16), Emeline Smith (14), and Elizabeth Smith (10), and John R. Smith (7). All of the children were born in Ohio.
Samuel Smith owned land while he lived in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa. He had 80 acres of improved land and 30 acres of unimproved land. His land was valued at $500. The value of his farm implements was $77. The values were average for his community. He owned three horses, two milk cows, and 20 swine. The value of his livestock was $274. He had harvested 90 bushels of wheat and 800 bushels of Indian corn.
Cynthia Ann Smith (listed as Cinthia Ann Smith) married William Mcintire in Wapello County, Iowa, on 8 Apr 1851. They went to California and are buried there. Cynthia Ann McIntire has a findagrave.com memorial number of 122597323.
Shortly after the 1850 federal census, Samuel Smith took his family to San Joaquin County, CA. They may have arrived as early as 1851. A woman by the name of Sarah Marie Smith died on 1 Jun 1851 on the Stanislaus River in San Joaquin County. See the 4 Jun 1851 edition of the San Joaquin Republican. However, a review of the article indicated that her husband was John M. Smith. There is also some indication that they arrived in California in or about 1853 or perhaps earlier. In the death certificate of Amanda C. Stamper, the informant (her husband) indicated that she arrived in California in 1853. In any event, his covered wagon would have been part of a larger caravan of wagons headed for California following the Gold Rush.
Emeline Smith later married James Cooper Bowden in California and they were living in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, at the time of the 1880 federal census. James was listed as J. C. Bowden in the 1880 federal census. Emeline Smith Bowden was born on 15 May 1836 and she died on 8 Nov 1906. Her findagrave.com memorial is numbered 181099518.
Elizabeth Ann Smith married Nathaniel Siggons Harrold on 17 May 1857 in Farmington, San Joaquin County, CA. She was born on 14 Sep 1840 in Clark County, OH, and she died on 2 Aug 1928 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery. Her findagrave.com memorial number 111131445.
John Washington Smith is in the 1860 federal census. He is listed as John Smith. He and his family then living in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County, CA. His enumerated residence was numbered 208, but, based on the numbers before and after his, the number should have been 308. He was listed as being 27 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His is Nancy J. Smith. She is listed as being 18 years old and a native of Missouri. (Her full name was Nancy Jane Gann and she may have been born in 1839, per one researcher.) There is one child in the home. He is David L. Cook. He was 11 months old and a native of California. He was probably born to Nancy from a previous relationship.
In the 1860 federal “Productions of Agriculture” schedule, there is a John W. Smith listed in the Castoria Township, San Joaquin County, CA. He had 320 acres of improved land, valued at $2,500. He had three horses, one milk cow, one “other cattle,” five pigs, all valued at $340. He had 85 bundles of wheat, 1570 bundles of buckwheat, and five tons of hay. William B. Stamper is at the head of the list on the same page as John W. Smith, but he was not as productive as John W. Smith. The people listed are in almost exactly the same order as the census record.
Interestingly enough, John had family around him at the time of the 1860 federal census. His brother (William Riley Smith) and a sister (Amanda Stamper) were living in enumerated residence 303 and his father (Samuel Smith) and a sister (Elizabeth Harrold) were living in enumerated residence 287.
His stepmother Sarah Smith was not in San Joaquin County. She was in the Deer Creek Precinct of Josephine County, Oregon. She was living with the family of her son Edward J. Northcutt, who is listed as E. J. Northcutt. Sarah was listed as being 52 years old, a native of Ohio, and employed as a midwife. The daughter who she and Samuel Smith had together was also with her. She was listed as Clarinda Smith. She was 12 years old and a native of Iowa. The head of the household was E. J. Northcutt. He was 30 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His land holdings were valued at $3,000 and his personal property had a value of $3,000. His wife was W. A. Northcutt. She was 29 years old and a native of Missouri. There children were Charles Northcutt (5) and America Northcutt (4). Others in the household were siblings of E. J. Northcutt. They were S. T. Northcutt (m, 23. born Ohio) and Harriet M. Northcutt (f, 16, born Illinois). An article on Edward J. Northcutt related that he left Illinois for Oregon in 1851. He married the only single white woman in the Rogue Valley, Oregon, in 1853. Since he married three times, the wife in 1870 (Miranda) was not the same woman in 1860.
Sarah Smith was still in Oregon in 1870. She was then living in the Fairfield Precinct of Marion County. The nearest post office was in Salem. She was then listed as 61 years old and a native of Ohio. Her occupation was listed as housekeeper. She was living in a home that included F. D. Northcutt (m, 38, born Ohio), W. W. Northcutt (m, 36, born Ohio), and S. L. Northcutt (m, 23, born Ohio). Interestingly, S. L. Northcutt was credited with land valued at $10,000 and person property valued at $1,990. None of the other Northcutt men had any real or personal property.
There is a John Washington Smith who registered to vote in San Joaquin County, CA, on 4 Aug 1866. He gave his age as 34 years and his place of birth as Ohio. He was a farmer in the Douglass Township of San Joaquin County. The Douglass Township is to the east of the Castoria Township in southern San Joaquin County.
John cannot be found in the 1870 federal census. A page by page search of the 1870 federal census for Castoria and Douglas Townships in San Joaquin County turned up no family with John and/or Nancy Smith as the head of the family.
There is a John Washington Smith who is in the Great Register for San Joaquin County in 1871. He gave his age as 38 years and his place of birth was Ohio. He was then a farmer in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County.
John is in the 1880 federal census. He and his family were then living in the Douglas Township in San Joaquin County, CA. They were living near members of the well-heeled Drais family. John was 48 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His wife Nancy was listed as being 39 years old, a native of Missouri, and a housekeeper. There were eight children in the family and all were born in California. The children were Columbus (20), Franklin (18), Oscar (16), Edwin (14), Charles (12), Arthur (8), Laura (8), and Florence (3). Nancy Smith's brother was also living in the home. He was William Gann. He was 35 years old, single, and a native of Missouri.
John Washington Smith died on 8 May 1884. He was buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery on the same day in Block 18, Lot 27.
His obituary can be found in the 10 May 1884 edition of the Stockton Herald, on page 3, column 7. The obituary reads as follows (with additions shown with [ ] around them):
DIED
SMITH - In this city [Stockton], May 8th [1884], J. W. Smith of Farmington, aged 51 years, 8 months [,] and 14 days.
The funeral will take place from the Central M. E. Church on Sunday, at 1 o'clock. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend.
Even though there are several men with the name of Samuel Smith in Clark County in the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses, it is probable that the Samuel Smith living in the German Township was the father of John Washington Smith. This conclusion is based on three facts: (1) the ages of all the men named Samuel Smith, (2) the number and ages of the children in the household, and (3) the presence of men with the last name of Welshans or similar in the same Township.
In the 1830 federal census in the German Township, Samuel Smith was listed as being 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with his birth date of 21 Sep 1801. His wife, who would be the former Louis Welshans, was also 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with her birth date of 7 Jul 1807. There were three children in the home and they were all girls under the age of five years. John Welshans/Welchans was a resident of the German Township. He was 30 to 39 years old. Therefore, he was probably an older brother to Louisa Welshans. (John Welshans was the oldest son of George Welchhans and the former Rachel Thomas. He was born in 1798. He died in Clark County, Ohio, in 1860. Interestingly, Louis Welshans Smith ended up naming at least three of her children after her siblings. This included at least John, Rachel, and Cynthia.)
In the 1840 federal census in the German Township, John Washington Smith appeared for the first time. He was the boy who was five to nine years old. Samuel and Louisa Smith were both 30 to 39 years old. There were a total of nine children in the home. If all the children belonged to Samuel and Louisa, the Louisa delivered a child about every 20 months. The children included three females 10 to 14 years old (one was Cynthia Ann), two females 5 to 9 years old (Amanda and Rachel), one male 5 to 9 years old (John), two females under 5 years old (Elizabeth and Emeline), and one male under 5 years of age (unknown, he died before the 1850 federal census).
Louisa had one more child ( William Riley Smith) in or about 1843 and then she died in or about 1846. She was only 39 years old at the most when she died. Thereafter, Samuel married Sarah Northcutt on 7 Sep 1847 in Clark County, Ohio. Samuel then took his family to Wapello County, Iowa, shortly after his marriage to Sarah as their first child was born in Iowa in or about 1848. Her name was Clarinda Smith.
Amanda C. Smith was a daughter to Samuel Smith and the former Louisa Welshans. She married William B. Stamper on 26 Oct 1848 in Wapello County, Iowa. In the 1850 federal census, Amanda was listed as 20 years old. Her husband was 37 years old and a native of Illinois. Interestingly, three of Amanda's sisters are listed as living in her home. They are Rachel, Emeline, and Elizabeth, all three of whom were also listed as living with their father. They were either living with Amanda or, at the minimum, visiting with Amanda on the very day the enumerator came to Amanda's home. William Stamper died in 1885 and Amanda died on 20 May 1907 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Harmony Grove Cemetery outside of Lockeford, San Joaquin County, CA. Her findagrave.com memorial number is 62714853.
John Washington Smith is in the 1850 federal census. He was then living with his family in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa, in enumerated residence 65. John was 18 years old and a native of Ohio. His father was Samuel Smith. He was 48 years old and a native of Virginia. Samuel's wife was listed as Sarah Smith. She was 42 years old and a native of Ohio. Her maiden name, according to an article written about her son Edward J. Northcutt, was Furman. Their child together was Clarinda Smith. She was two years old and she was born in Iowa. The other children were born to the former Louisa Welshans (also known as Welchhans). They were John W. Smith (18), Rachel Smith (16), Emeline Smith (14), and Elizabeth Smith (10), and John R. Smith (7). All of the children were born in Ohio.
Samuel Smith owned land while he lived in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa. He had 80 acres of improved land and 30 acres of unimproved land. His land was valued at $500. The value of his farm implements was $77. The values were average for his community. He owned three horses, two milk cows, and 20 swine. The value of his livestock was $274. He had harvested 90 bushels of wheat and 800 bushels of Indian corn.
Cynthia Ann Smith (listed as Cinthia Ann Smith) married William Mcintire in Wapello County, Iowa, on 8 Apr 1851. They went to California and are buried there. Cynthia Ann McIntire has a findagrave.com memorial number of 122597323.
Shortly after the 1850 federal census, Samuel Smith took his family to San Joaquin County, CA. They may have arrived as early as 1851. A woman by the name of Sarah Marie Smith died on 1 Jun 1851 on the Stanislaus River in San Joaquin County. See the 4 Jun 1851 edition of the San Joaquin Republican. However, a review of the article indicated that her husband was John M. Smith. There is also some indication that they arrived in California in or about 1853 or perhaps earlier. In the death certificate of Amanda C. Stamper, the informant (her husband) indicated that she arrived in California in 1853. In any event, his covered wagon would have been part of a larger caravan of wagons headed for California following the Gold Rush.
Emeline Smith later married James Cooper Bowden in California and they were living in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, at the time of the 1880 federal census. James was listed as J. C. Bowden in the 1880 federal census. Emeline Smith Bowden was born on 15 May 1836 and she died on 8 Nov 1906. Her findagrave.com memorial is numbered 181099518.
Elizabeth Ann Smith married Nathaniel Siggons Harrold on 17 May 1857 in Farmington, San Joaquin County, CA. She was born on 14 Sep 1840 in Clark County, OH, and she died on 2 Aug 1928 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery. Her findagrave.com memorial number 111131445.
John Washington Smith is in the 1860 federal census. He is listed as John Smith. He and his family then living in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County, CA. His enumerated residence was numbered 208, but, based on the numbers before and after his, the number should have been 308. He was listed as being 27 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His is Nancy J. Smith. She is listed as being 18 years old and a native of Missouri. (Her full name was Nancy Jane Gann and she may have been born in 1839, per one researcher.) There is one child in the home. He is David L. Cook. He was 11 months old and a native of California. He was probably born to Nancy from a previous relationship.
In the 1860 federal “Productions of Agriculture” schedule, there is a John W. Smith listed in the Castoria Township, San Joaquin County, CA. He had 320 acres of improved land, valued at $2,500. He had three horses, one milk cow, one “other cattle,” five pigs, all valued at $340. He had 85 bundles of wheat, 1570 bundles of buckwheat, and five tons of hay. William B. Stamper is at the head of the list on the same page as John W. Smith, but he was not as productive as John W. Smith. The people listed are in almost exactly the same order as the census record.
Interestingly enough, John had family around him at the time of the 1860 federal census. His brother (William Riley Smith) and a sister (Amanda Stamper) were living in enumerated residence 303 and his father (Samuel Smith) and a sister (Elizabeth Harrold) were living in enumerated residence 287.
His stepmother Sarah Smith was not in San Joaquin County. She was in the Deer Creek Precinct of Josephine County, Oregon. She was living with the family of her son Edward J. Northcutt, who is listed as E. J. Northcutt. Sarah was listed as being 52 years old, a native of Ohio, and employed as a midwife. The daughter who she and Samuel Smith had together was also with her. She was listed as Clarinda Smith. She was 12 years old and a native of Iowa. The head of the household was E. J. Northcutt. He was 30 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His land holdings were valued at $3,000 and his personal property had a value of $3,000. His wife was W. A. Northcutt. She was 29 years old and a native of Missouri. There children were Charles Northcutt (5) and America Northcutt (4). Others in the household were siblings of E. J. Northcutt. They were S. T. Northcutt (m, 23. born Ohio) and Harriet M. Northcutt (f, 16, born Illinois). An article on Edward J. Northcutt related that he left Illinois for Oregon in 1851. He married the only single white woman in the Rogue Valley, Oregon, in 1853. Since he married three times, the wife in 1870 (Miranda) was not the same woman in 1860.
Sarah Smith was still in Oregon in 1870. She was then living in the Fairfield Precinct of Marion County. The nearest post office was in Salem. She was then listed as 61 years old and a native of Ohio. Her occupation was listed as housekeeper. She was living in a home that included F. D. Northcutt (m, 38, born Ohio), W. W. Northcutt (m, 36, born Ohio), and S. L. Northcutt (m, 23, born Ohio). Interestingly, S. L. Northcutt was credited with land valued at $10,000 and person property valued at $1,990. None of the other Northcutt men had any real or personal property.
There is a John Washington Smith who registered to vote in San Joaquin County, CA, on 4 Aug 1866. He gave his age as 34 years and his place of birth as Ohio. He was a farmer in the Douglass Township of San Joaquin County. The Douglass Township is to the east of the Castoria Township in southern San Joaquin County.
John cannot be found in the 1870 federal census. A page by page search of the 1870 federal census for Castoria and Douglas Townships in San Joaquin County turned up no family with John and/or Nancy Smith as the head of the family.
There is a John Washington Smith who is in the Great Register for San Joaquin County in 1871. He gave his age as 38 years and his place of birth was Ohio. He was then a farmer in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County.
John is in the 1880 federal census. He and his family were then living in the Douglas Township in San Joaquin County, CA. They were living near members of the well-heeled Drais family. John was 48 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His wife Nancy was listed as being 39 years old, a native of Missouri, and a housekeeper. There were eight children in the family and all were born in California. The children were Columbus (20), Franklin (18), Oscar (16), Edwin (14), Charles (12), Arthur (8), Laura (8), and Florence (3). Nancy Smith's brother was also living in the home. He was William Gann. He was 35 years old, single, and a native of Missouri.
John Washington Smith died on 8 May 1884. He was buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery on the same day in Block 18, Lot 27.
His obituary can be found in the 10 May 1884 edition of the Stockton Herald, on page 3, column 7. The obituary reads as follows (with additions shown with [ ] around them):
DIED
SMITH - In this city [Stockton], May 8th [1884], J. W. Smith of Farmington, aged 51 years, 8 months [,] and 14 days.
The funeral will take place from the Central M. E. Church on Sunday, at 1 o'clock. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend.
John Washington Smith was born 25 Aug 1832 in the German Township of Clark County, Ohio, to Samuel Smith and the former Louisa Welshans. His parents had married on 8 Feb 1825 in Clark County. Based on an examination of the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses for Samuel Smith, it appears that John may have been the fourth child born to Samuel and Louisa.
Even though there are several men with the name of Samuel Smith in Clark County in the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses, it is probable that the Samuel Smith living in the German Township was the father of John Washington Smith. This conclusion is based on three facts: (1) the ages of all the men named Samuel Smith, (2) the number and ages of the children in the household, and (3) the presence of men with the last name of Welshans or similar in the same Township.
In the 1830 federal census in the German Township, Samuel Smith was listed as being 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with his birth date of 21 Sep 1801. His wife, who would be the former Louis Welshans, was also 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with her birth date of 7 Jul 1807. There were three children in the home and they were all girls under the age of five years. John Welshans/Welchans was a resident of the German Township. He was 30 to 39 years old. Therefore, he was probably an older brother to Louisa Welshans. (John Welshans was the oldest son of George Welchhans and the former Rachel Thomas. He was born in 1798. He died in Clark County, Ohio, in 1860. Interestingly, Louis Welshans Smith ended up naming at least three of her children after her siblings. This included at least John, Rachel, and Cynthia.)
In the 1840 federal census in the German Township, John Washington Smith appeared for the first time. He was the boy who was five to nine years old. Samuel and Louisa Smith were both 30 to 39 years old. There were a total of nine children in the home. If all the children belonged to Samuel and Louisa, the Louisa delivered a child about every 20 months. The children included three females 10 to 14 years old (one was Cynthia Ann), two females 5 to 9 years old (Amanda and Rachel), one male 5 to 9 years old (John), two females under 5 years old (Elizabeth and Emeline), and one male under 5 years of age (unknown, he died before the 1850 federal census).
Louisa had one more child ( William Riley Smith) in or about 1843 and then she died in or about 1846. She was only 39 years old at the most when she died. Thereafter, Samuel married Sarah Northcutt on 7 Sep 1847 in Clark County, Ohio. Samuel then took his family to Wapello County, Iowa, shortly after his marriage to Sarah as their first child was born in Iowa in or about 1848. Her name was Clarinda Smith.
Amanda C. Smith was a daughter to Samuel Smith and the former Louisa Welshans. She married William B. Stamper on 26 Oct 1848 in Wapello County, Iowa. In the 1850 federal census, Amanda was listed as 20 years old. Her husband was 37 years old and a native of Illinois. Interestingly, three of Amanda's sisters are listed as living in her home. They are Rachel, Emeline, and Elizabeth, all three of whom were also listed as living with their father. They were either living with Amanda or, at the minimum, visiting with Amanda on the very day the enumerator came to Amanda's home. William Stamper died in 1885 and Amanda died on 20 May 1907 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Harmony Grove Cemetery outside of Lockeford, San Joaquin County, CA. Her findagrave.com memorial number is 62714853.
John Washington Smith is in the 1850 federal census. He was then living with his family in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa, in enumerated residence 65. John was 18 years old and a native of Ohio. His father was Samuel Smith. He was 48 years old and a native of Virginia. Samuel's wife was listed as Sarah Smith. She was 42 years old and a native of Ohio. Her maiden name, according to an article written about her son Edward J. Northcutt, was Furman. Their child together was Clarinda Smith. She was two years old and she was born in Iowa. The other children were born to the former Louisa Welshans (also known as Welchhans). They were John W. Smith (18), Rachel Smith (16), Emeline Smith (14), and Elizabeth Smith (10), and John R. Smith (7). All of the children were born in Ohio.
Samuel Smith owned land while he lived in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa. He had 80 acres of improved land and 30 acres of unimproved land. His land was valued at $500. The value of his farm implements was $77. The values were average for his community. He owned three horses, two milk cows, and 20 swine. The value of his livestock was $274. He had harvested 90 bushels of wheat and 800 bushels of Indian corn.
Cynthia Ann Smith (listed as Cinthia Ann Smith) married William Mcintire in Wapello County, Iowa, on 8 Apr 1851. They went to California and are buried there. Cynthia Ann McIntire has a findagrave.com memorial number of 122597323.
Shortly after the 1850 federal census, Samuel Smith took his family to San Joaquin County, CA. They may have arrived as early as 1851. A woman by the name of Sarah Marie Smith died on 1 Jun 1851 on the Stanislaus River in San Joaquin County. See the 4 Jun 1851 edition of the San Joaquin Republican. However, a review of the article indicated that her husband was John M. Smith. There is also some indication that they arrived in California in or about 1853 or perhaps earlier. In the death certificate of Amanda C. Stamper, the informant (her husband) indicated that she arrived in California in 1853. In any event, his covered wagon would have been part of a larger caravan of wagons headed for California following the Gold Rush.
Emeline Smith later married James Cooper Bowden in California and they were living in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, at the time of the 1880 federal census. James was listed as J. C. Bowden in the 1880 federal census. Emeline Smith Bowden was born on 15 May 1836 and she died on 8 Nov 1906. Her findagrave.com memorial is numbered 181099518.
Elizabeth Ann Smith married Nathaniel Siggons Harrold on 17 May 1857 in Farmington, San Joaquin County, CA. She was born on 14 Sep 1840 in Clark County, OH, and she died on 2 Aug 1928 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery. Her findagrave.com memorial number 111131445.
John Washington Smith is in the 1860 federal census. He is listed as John Smith. He and his family then living in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County, CA. His enumerated residence was numbered 208, but, based on the numbers before and after his, the number should have been 308. He was listed as being 27 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His is Nancy J. Smith. She is listed as being 18 years old and a native of Missouri. (Her full name was Nancy Jane Gann and she may have been born in 1839, per one researcher.) There is one child in the home. He is David L. Cook. He was 11 months old and a native of California. He was probably born to Nancy from a previous relationship.
In the 1860 federal “Productions of Agriculture” schedule, there is a John W. Smith listed in the Castoria Township, San Joaquin County, CA. He had 320 acres of improved land, valued at $2,500. He had three horses, one milk cow, one “other cattle,” five pigs, all valued at $340. He had 85 bundles of wheat, 1570 bundles of buckwheat, and five tons of hay. William B. Stamper is at the head of the list on the same page as John W. Smith, but he was not as productive as John W. Smith. The people listed are in almost exactly the same order as the census record.
Interestingly enough, John had family around him at the time of the 1860 federal census. His brother (William Riley Smith) and a sister (Amanda Stamper) were living in enumerated residence 303 and his father (Samuel Smith) and a sister (Elizabeth Harrold) were living in enumerated residence 287.
His stepmother Sarah Smith was not in San Joaquin County. She was in the Deer Creek Precinct of Josephine County, Oregon. She was living with the family of her son Edward J. Northcutt, who is listed as E. J. Northcutt. Sarah was listed as being 52 years old, a native of Ohio, and employed as a midwife. The daughter who she and Samuel Smith had together was also with her. She was listed as Clarinda Smith. She was 12 years old and a native of Iowa. The head of the household was E. J. Northcutt. He was 30 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His land holdings were valued at $3,000 and his personal property had a value of $3,000. His wife was W. A. Northcutt. She was 29 years old and a native of Missouri. There children were Charles Northcutt (5) and America Northcutt (4). Others in the household were siblings of E. J. Northcutt. They were S. T. Northcutt (m, 23. born Ohio) and Harriet M. Northcutt (f, 16, born Illinois). An article on Edward J. Northcutt related that he left Illinois for Oregon in 1851. He married the only single white woman in the Rogue Valley, Oregon, in 1853. Since he married three times, the wife in 1870 (Miranda) was not the same woman in 1860.
Sarah Smith was still in Oregon in 1870. She was then living in the Fairfield Precinct of Marion County. The nearest post office was in Salem. She was then listed as 61 years old and a native of Ohio. Her occupation was listed as housekeeper. She was living in a home that included F. D. Northcutt (m, 38, born Ohio), W. W. Northcutt (m, 36, born Ohio), and S. L. Northcutt (m, 23, born Ohio). Interestingly, S. L. Northcutt was credited with land valued at $10,000 and person property valued at $1,990. None of the other Northcutt men had any real or personal property.
There is a John Washington Smith who registered to vote in San Joaquin County, CA, on 4 Aug 1866. He gave his age as 34 years and his place of birth as Ohio. He was a farmer in the Douglass Township of San Joaquin County. The Douglass Township is to the east of the Castoria Township in southern San Joaquin County.
John cannot be found in the 1870 federal census. A page by page search of the 1870 federal census for Castoria and Douglas Townships in San Joaquin County turned up no family with John and/or Nancy Smith as the head of the family.
There is a John Washington Smith who is in the Great Register for San Joaquin County in 1871. He gave his age as 38 years and his place of birth was Ohio. He was then a farmer in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County.
John is in the 1880 federal census. He and his family were then living in the Douglas Township in San Joaquin County, CA. They were living near members of the well-heeled Drais family. John was 48 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His wife Nancy was listed as being 39 years old, a native of Missouri, and a housekeeper. There were eight children in the family and all were born in California. The children were Columbus (20), Franklin (18), Oscar (16), Edwin (14), Charles (12), Arthur (8), Laura (8), and Florence (3). Nancy Smith's brother was also living in the home. He was William Gann. He was 35 years old, single, and a native of Missouri.
John Washington Smith died on 8 May 1884. He was buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery on the same day in Block 18, Lot 27.
His obituary can be found in the 10 May 1884 edition of the Stockton Herald, on page 3, column 7. The obituary reads as follows (with additions shown with [ ] around them):
DIED
SMITH - In this city [Stockton], May 8th [1884], J. W. Smith of Farmington, aged 51 years, 8 months [,] and 14 days.
The funeral will take place from the Central M. E. Church on Sunday, at 1 o'clock. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend.
Even though there are several men with the name of Samuel Smith in Clark County in the 1830 and 1840 federal censuses, it is probable that the Samuel Smith living in the German Township was the father of John Washington Smith. This conclusion is based on three facts: (1) the ages of all the men named Samuel Smith, (2) the number and ages of the children in the household, and (3) the presence of men with the last name of Welshans or similar in the same Township.
In the 1830 federal census in the German Township, Samuel Smith was listed as being 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with his birth date of 21 Sep 1801. His wife, who would be the former Louis Welshans, was also 20 to 29 years old, which is consistent with her birth date of 7 Jul 1807. There were three children in the home and they were all girls under the age of five years. John Welshans/Welchans was a resident of the German Township. He was 30 to 39 years old. Therefore, he was probably an older brother to Louisa Welshans. (John Welshans was the oldest son of George Welchhans and the former Rachel Thomas. He was born in 1798. He died in Clark County, Ohio, in 1860. Interestingly, Louis Welshans Smith ended up naming at least three of her children after her siblings. This included at least John, Rachel, and Cynthia.)
In the 1840 federal census in the German Township, John Washington Smith appeared for the first time. He was the boy who was five to nine years old. Samuel and Louisa Smith were both 30 to 39 years old. There were a total of nine children in the home. If all the children belonged to Samuel and Louisa, the Louisa delivered a child about every 20 months. The children included three females 10 to 14 years old (one was Cynthia Ann), two females 5 to 9 years old (Amanda and Rachel), one male 5 to 9 years old (John), two females under 5 years old (Elizabeth and Emeline), and one male under 5 years of age (unknown, he died before the 1850 federal census).
Louisa had one more child ( William Riley Smith) in or about 1843 and then she died in or about 1846. She was only 39 years old at the most when she died. Thereafter, Samuel married Sarah Northcutt on 7 Sep 1847 in Clark County, Ohio. Samuel then took his family to Wapello County, Iowa, shortly after his marriage to Sarah as their first child was born in Iowa in or about 1848. Her name was Clarinda Smith.
Amanda C. Smith was a daughter to Samuel Smith and the former Louisa Welshans. She married William B. Stamper on 26 Oct 1848 in Wapello County, Iowa. In the 1850 federal census, Amanda was listed as 20 years old. Her husband was 37 years old and a native of Illinois. Interestingly, three of Amanda's sisters are listed as living in her home. They are Rachel, Emeline, and Elizabeth, all three of whom were also listed as living with their father. They were either living with Amanda or, at the minimum, visiting with Amanda on the very day the enumerator came to Amanda's home. William Stamper died in 1885 and Amanda died on 20 May 1907 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Harmony Grove Cemetery outside of Lockeford, San Joaquin County, CA. Her findagrave.com memorial number is 62714853.
John Washington Smith is in the 1850 federal census. He was then living with his family in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa, in enumerated residence 65. John was 18 years old and a native of Ohio. His father was Samuel Smith. He was 48 years old and a native of Virginia. Samuel's wife was listed as Sarah Smith. She was 42 years old and a native of Ohio. Her maiden name, according to an article written about her son Edward J. Northcutt, was Furman. Their child together was Clarinda Smith. She was two years old and she was born in Iowa. The other children were born to the former Louisa Welshans (also known as Welchhans). They were John W. Smith (18), Rachel Smith (16), Emeline Smith (14), and Elizabeth Smith (10), and John R. Smith (7). All of the children were born in Ohio.
Samuel Smith owned land while he lived in District 13, Wapello County, Iowa. He had 80 acres of improved land and 30 acres of unimproved land. His land was valued at $500. The value of his farm implements was $77. The values were average for his community. He owned three horses, two milk cows, and 20 swine. The value of his livestock was $274. He had harvested 90 bushels of wheat and 800 bushels of Indian corn.
Cynthia Ann Smith (listed as Cinthia Ann Smith) married William Mcintire in Wapello County, Iowa, on 8 Apr 1851. They went to California and are buried there. Cynthia Ann McIntire has a findagrave.com memorial number of 122597323.
Shortly after the 1850 federal census, Samuel Smith took his family to San Joaquin County, CA. They may have arrived as early as 1851. A woman by the name of Sarah Marie Smith died on 1 Jun 1851 on the Stanislaus River in San Joaquin County. See the 4 Jun 1851 edition of the San Joaquin Republican. However, a review of the article indicated that her husband was John M. Smith. There is also some indication that they arrived in California in or about 1853 or perhaps earlier. In the death certificate of Amanda C. Stamper, the informant (her husband) indicated that she arrived in California in 1853. In any event, his covered wagon would have been part of a larger caravan of wagons headed for California following the Gold Rush.
Emeline Smith later married James Cooper Bowden in California and they were living in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, at the time of the 1880 federal census. James was listed as J. C. Bowden in the 1880 federal census. Emeline Smith Bowden was born on 15 May 1836 and she died on 8 Nov 1906. Her findagrave.com memorial is numbered 181099518.
Elizabeth Ann Smith married Nathaniel Siggons Harrold on 17 May 1857 in Farmington, San Joaquin County, CA. She was born on 14 Sep 1840 in Clark County, OH, and she died on 2 Aug 1928 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. She is buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery. Her findagrave.com memorial number 111131445.
John Washington Smith is in the 1860 federal census. He is listed as John Smith. He and his family then living in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County, CA. His enumerated residence was numbered 208, but, based on the numbers before and after his, the number should have been 308. He was listed as being 27 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His is Nancy J. Smith. She is listed as being 18 years old and a native of Missouri. (Her full name was Nancy Jane Gann and she may have been born in 1839, per one researcher.) There is one child in the home. He is David L. Cook. He was 11 months old and a native of California. He was probably born to Nancy from a previous relationship.
In the 1860 federal “Productions of Agriculture” schedule, there is a John W. Smith listed in the Castoria Township, San Joaquin County, CA. He had 320 acres of improved land, valued at $2,500. He had three horses, one milk cow, one “other cattle,” five pigs, all valued at $340. He had 85 bundles of wheat, 1570 bundles of buckwheat, and five tons of hay. William B. Stamper is at the head of the list on the same page as John W. Smith, but he was not as productive as John W. Smith. The people listed are in almost exactly the same order as the census record.
Interestingly enough, John had family around him at the time of the 1860 federal census. His brother (William Riley Smith) and a sister (Amanda Stamper) were living in enumerated residence 303 and his father (Samuel Smith) and a sister (Elizabeth Harrold) were living in enumerated residence 287.
His stepmother Sarah Smith was not in San Joaquin County. She was in the Deer Creek Precinct of Josephine County, Oregon. She was living with the family of her son Edward J. Northcutt, who is listed as E. J. Northcutt. Sarah was listed as being 52 years old, a native of Ohio, and employed as a midwife. The daughter who she and Samuel Smith had together was also with her. She was listed as Clarinda Smith. She was 12 years old and a native of Iowa. The head of the household was E. J. Northcutt. He was 30 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His land holdings were valued at $3,000 and his personal property had a value of $3,000. His wife was W. A. Northcutt. She was 29 years old and a native of Missouri. There children were Charles Northcutt (5) and America Northcutt (4). Others in the household were siblings of E. J. Northcutt. They were S. T. Northcutt (m, 23. born Ohio) and Harriet M. Northcutt (f, 16, born Illinois). An article on Edward J. Northcutt related that he left Illinois for Oregon in 1851. He married the only single white woman in the Rogue Valley, Oregon, in 1853. Since he married three times, the wife in 1870 (Miranda) was not the same woman in 1860.
Sarah Smith was still in Oregon in 1870. She was then living in the Fairfield Precinct of Marion County. The nearest post office was in Salem. She was then listed as 61 years old and a native of Ohio. Her occupation was listed as housekeeper. She was living in a home that included F. D. Northcutt (m, 38, born Ohio), W. W. Northcutt (m, 36, born Ohio), and S. L. Northcutt (m, 23, born Ohio). Interestingly, S. L. Northcutt was credited with land valued at $10,000 and person property valued at $1,990. None of the other Northcutt men had any real or personal property.
There is a John Washington Smith who registered to vote in San Joaquin County, CA, on 4 Aug 1866. He gave his age as 34 years and his place of birth as Ohio. He was a farmer in the Douglass Township of San Joaquin County. The Douglass Township is to the east of the Castoria Township in southern San Joaquin County.
John cannot be found in the 1870 federal census. A page by page search of the 1870 federal census for Castoria and Douglas Townships in San Joaquin County turned up no family with John and/or Nancy Smith as the head of the family.
There is a John Washington Smith who is in the Great Register for San Joaquin County in 1871. He gave his age as 38 years and his place of birth was Ohio. He was then a farmer in the Castoria Township in San Joaquin County.
John is in the 1880 federal census. He and his family were then living in the Douglas Township in San Joaquin County, CA. They were living near members of the well-heeled Drais family. John was 48 years old, a farmer, and a native of Ohio. His wife Nancy was listed as being 39 years old, a native of Missouri, and a housekeeper. There were eight children in the family and all were born in California. The children were Columbus (20), Franklin (18), Oscar (16), Edwin (14), Charles (12), Arthur (8), Laura (8), and Florence (3). Nancy Smith's brother was also living in the home. He was William Gann. He was 35 years old, single, and a native of Missouri.
John Washington Smith died on 8 May 1884. He was buried in the Stockton Rural Cemetery on the same day in Block 18, Lot 27.
His obituary can be found in the 10 May 1884 edition of the Stockton Herald, on page 3, column 7. The obituary reads as follows (with additions shown with [ ] around them):
DIED
SMITH - In this city [Stockton], May 8th [1884], J. W. Smith of Farmington, aged 51 years, 8 months [,] and 14 days.
The funeral will take place from the Central M. E. Church on Sunday, at 1 o'clock. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend.
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