RootsChat.Com

Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: acircle on Friday 13 July 12 23:15 BST (UK)

Title: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: acircle on Friday 13 July 12 23:15 BST (UK)
Hi rootschat land hoping someone can help or at least point me in a new direction...I'm trying to find the parents of my great great great grand father
 I've read through family info that supposedly he was a WWII balloonist? But I don't know where/how to look up info on service personnel. I've tried Familysearch.org as well as just plane google searches on him and his wife but I get nothing.

Here is what I know of him


Lawrence Woods Smith

Birth Oct 1869
Indiana, United States

1892
Age: 23
Marriage to Eliza Jane Thomas
Kansas, United States

1900
Age: 31
Residence
Ottawa City, Franklin, Kansas

1910
Age: 41
Residence
St Joseph Ward 8, Buchanan, Missouri

1920
Age: 51
Residence
St Joseph Ward 4, Buchanan, Missouri

1936
25 Mar
Age: 66
Death
St Joseph, Andrew, Missouri, United States
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: crisane on Saturday 14 July 12 00:11 BST (UK)
There is a public tree on ancestry that has his parents as Lawrence Smith 1826-1905 and Elizabeth Speck 1854-?. Lawrence snr's  first wife Penelope Fislar 1828.
It also has a record of Lawrence snr's admittance to the Marion Branch of U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in 1889.

Like me though they can't fnd a 1930 census record for him. He would have been a widower as Eliza is recorded as dying in 1927
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: shellyesq on Friday 20 July 12 18:21 BST (UK)
If Lawrence died in 1936, he certainly wouldn't have been in WWII.  With a birth date in 1869, he would have been more likely to be in WWI, but even then, I think he would have been on the older side for a soldier if he wasn't a career military man.  Maybe he had a son who was in WWII?  I do see possible matches for WWII-era military service for son Oran.

The site seems to be having problems displaying the image at the moment, but Lawrence's death certificate is available at http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/deathcertificates/. 
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: acircle on Friday 20 July 12 19:20 BST (UK)
I'm so sorry that was a typo you are right he was WWI
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: acircle on Friday 20 July 12 21:22 BST (UK)
I got the death certificate but under parents it says "unknown" I've tried looking for Elizabeth speck via family search and roots web but nothing. though I found through family search and rootsweb Penelope Fislar there is no listed connection between her and my relative.

 Sadly I can't afford the subscription to Ancestery right now, so I can't look up anything there either.
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: shellyesq on Monday 23 July 12 18:40 BST (UK)
The 1926 St. Joseph city directory has Lawrence W. Smith, painter, living at 1803 Edmund.

Do you have an obituary for him?  If not, you could try contacting the local library & see if they would be willing to look it up for you.  There's an e-mail address for it here - http://sjpl.lib.mo.us/?page_id=126  Maybe it would contain a mention of a sibling, the first wife, etc.



Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: *Sandra* on Monday 23 July 12 19:04 BST (UK)
Illinois Marriages :- Elizabeth Speck - Marriage Date September 16th 1854  - White. Illinois
Spouse Name: Lawrence Smith


Sandra
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: acircle on Saturday 25 August 12 21:25 BST (UK)
I need help verifying his parents

What I have for him

Birth Oct 21 1861 in Indiana, United States
Death 25 Mar 1936 in Buchanan County, Missouri, USA
I got a copy of the death cert from the Missori archives and under parents it just says "unkown"

Married Eliza Jane Thomas 1892

I had heard from someone else that possible parents names might be Lawerence Smith and Elizabeth Speck but I haven't been able to find a reliable source that says this.

Thank you BUNCHES in advance for your time.

Topics on same person merged ~moderator
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: karenlee on Saturday 25 August 12 22:56 BST (UK)

Hi

Do you have this man on any Census in the USA that might show him with his family?

The 1870 Census for Redding, Jackson, Indiana has a Lawrence SMITH born about 1861 living with his parents Lawrence and Elizabeth and siblings Emma, Ellen, Michael and Sidney.

Same family in 1880 are living in Ottawa, Franklin, Kansas and there are another 3 children... Hiram, George and Victor.


Not sure if that helps at all

Cheers
Karenlee
Title: Re: Lawrence Woods Smith
Post by: Erato on Saturday 25 August 12 23:01 BST (UK)
The first child, Emma, was born in Kansas in abt. 1859 so the Smiths may have married in Kansas.