Gen 5: Peter Smith (1803-1870) and Matilda Montgomery (1808-1874)
My Father’s Paternal Great Grandparents, Posey IN
Per the family legend, Peter was discharged from duty at the end of his term of service and immediately moved to America, where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indiana militia. This much is certain: Peter was a commissioned officer in the Indiana militia. That he came from Britain, served in the military at Waterloo, and helped defeat Napoleon is bizarre, at best. It didn’t happen. We do have the paperwork, the commission from the Indiana statehouse that made him a Lieutenant Colonel. But that is all we have regarding the family legend. And we have a sword. Someone has possession of his sword and scabbard, the leather casing that father reported was badly worn at the tip, a victim of having been dragged on the ground while hanging from the belt of a very short man. Military records indicate that Peter was part of an Illinois regiment stationed in New Orleans LA and positioned to join the war against Mexico at that time.
My initial work on the Smith family tree stumbled and came to a stone-cold stop with Peter Smith in Posey, Indiana. From time to time, over the years I would pick up any piece of research related to the family name and inevitably, I came away disappointed. I discovered, as I was growing up, that there were a lot of Smiths in the world. Leb once told my father that the “reason there are so many Smiths in the world is that every time someone named something other than Smith gets into trouble with the law, they change their last name to Smith.”
The Smith trees that I explored were of a lineage far removed from Peter Smith in Posey. I would look for the usual evidence, any item that would allow me to create a connection, a way to tap into someone else’s research. Hours of effort would often end in one word: ‘Nothing.’ I checked military records related to the British army at Wellington: ‘Nada.’ I stared with glazed eyes at any shred of evidence that had the words ‘Peter Smith’ attached to it. ‘Zip. Zero. Nada. Nothing.’ Online message boards were teaming with lost souls like me, amateur genealogists looking for a Smith that would fill a void in a family tree.
I listened several times to the recordings my father made for my sister Shelley. I heard my father say that he had his own doubts about the legend of our ‘British Colonel.’ Dad accurately offered a historical truth: the rank of Colonel and above had to be purchased by the officer seeking advancement. Dad added, “No Smith I ever knew had that kind of money.” Little did Dad know that Peter of Posey was one of the wealthiest farmers in Southwest Indiana and descended from southern aristocrats, with money.
As I later learned, Peter Smith (b 1803) did not come to Posey, Indiana by way of Great Britain. He was all of 12 years old when Napoléon lost to the British at the Battle of Waterloo and he was far from any French patisserie or British fish and chips pub. I have pondered how the story of his involvement in a European conflict could have become part of the family lore and I can’t even conger up a good guess.
I wonder sometimes if Leb knew the true roots of his family tree and chose to join his parents and siblings in efforts to bury the truth. Leb once made a comment found in dad’s recorded history, that may be telling.
“Leb did not want to learn more about his ancestors as he was afraid we would find far more horse thieves than judges.”
Was the family tree rooted in a history th at descendants chose to hide? Perhaps. I believe the quip was just a bit of Leb’s wry humor.
Peter was the son of George Rudolphus Smith (1771-1840) and a stepson of Sarah Armstrong (1784-1854). My father did not know of George Smith. The Smiths and Armstrongs were two of several prominent families in southwestern Indiana as the 18th Century turned 19 and Indiana became a state. Peter’s birth mother was Jenny Tate (1761-1810) a daughter of Zacheus Tate. The Tate (aka Tait) lineage, like the Smith lineage, was prominent in colonial history. She was George’s first wife and bore him three children: our Peter, Zaccharius and Lydia. The three youngsters grew up and grew old together, living side by side on adjacent properties in Posey County. Father George would be right there with them. The kids kept up his homestead and preserved it.
Peter married Matilda Montgomery (1808-1874) in 1825. Matilda was the daughter of James Montgomery (1783-1826) and Nancy Cook (1784-1850). Over the span of 20 years Matilda gave birth to at least 12 infants.
For those who have never studied a page from a 19th Century volume of family genealogy or riveted an eye on a page of progeny, allow me to introduce you to the efforts of D.B. Montgomery. Keep in mind, this selection only represents the family of Matilda Montgomery. D.B took each of Matilda’s siblings and created a similar sketch for each of the children and grandchildren of her brothers and sisters. He did the same for each of her aunts and uncles. These efforts are incredibly rich with history and detail involving our forefathers. D.B. personalizes the history of mankind. But I will be the first to admit, I can only handle these snippets in small doses before I finally snap, run down to the banks of the Embarrass River and douse my head in the cold spring fed waters.
The following information regarding the family of Matilda Montgomery and Peter Smith of Posey is copied verbatim from the manuscript of D.B. This entry constitutes only 2 of the 436 pages of similar detail D.B. authored.
“Matilda Montgomery, born Oct. 8, 1808; died March 10, 1874; second child of James Montgomery, Sr., married Peter Smith, 1825; he was born Oct. 17, 1803; died Dec. 15, 1870;
Children, thirteen:
- infant
- Nancy Smith, died at two years old
- infant
- America Smith, married Charles Cleveland; children eleven.
- Sarah Ann Smith, fifth child of Peter Smith, married Robert Eaton; children eight: 1, Peter Eaton, married —. 2, Harriet Eaton, married John Eaton. 3, Matilda Eaton, married —. 4, Elizabeth Eaton. 5, Louisiana Eaton, married a Mr. Jones. 6, Indiana Eaton, twin to Louisiana, married a Mr. Jones. 7, Levina Eaton. 8, Nerva Eaton.
- Mary Smith, sixth child of Peter Smith, married Robert Eaton; children three: Louisa Eaton; —, —,
- Gilbert L. Smith, died 1832, seventh child of Peter Smith, married Jane Jordan; children five: 1, Thomas J. Smith; 2, Matilda Smith; —,—, —.
- Patsy Smith, born Oct. 29, 1834, eighth child of Peter Smith, married George Finch, March 13, 1851. He was born July 18, 1829. They settled in the neighborhood of the Providence church of Regular Baptists, in Gibson county, Ind. Mr. Finch was county commissioner three years. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1901, and she carries, as the testimony of love and respect of her children, a nice gold watch presented on that occasion. Children 13: 1, William P. Finch, married Lucinda Spencer; children four: George W. Finch, Belle Finch, infant and Amy Finch. 2 and 3, Lemira J. and Matilda A. Finch, dead. 4, Isabella Finch, married James Holcomb; children five: Jefferson, Arel, Lester, Jesse, —. Malinda A. Finch, fifth child of Patsy Finch, married Charles Holcomb, a lawyer and ex-judge of Broken Bow, Neb., and a brother to ex-Governor Holcomb of Nebraska: children five: 1, Wilber, married. 2, Versa. 3, Mabel. 4, Edna. 5, Roy. James F. Finch, sixth child of Patsy Finch, married Ellen DePriest; children eight: 1, Myrtle. 2, Clauda. 3, Zelmie. 4, Roy. 5, Lester. 6, Carl. 7, Effie. 8, Edna. Ida May Finch, seventh child of Patsy Smith, married Calvin Glaspie; children five: 1, Clauda. 2, Ethel. 3, Bertha. 4, Lora. 5, Flora. Nancy Ellen Finch, eighth child of Patsy Smith, married Harry Morrison; children six: 1, Lelia. 2, Arthur. 3, Verdia. 4, Bessie. 5, Herral. 6, Lula. Oscar Finch, ninth child of Patsy Finch, married Emma Hutchinson; children three: 1, Onie. 2, Arvel. 3, —. John S. Finch, tenth child of Patsy Finch, married Nannie Rana; children five: 1, Oscar. 2, Zetteda. 3, Mabel. 4, Rosa. 5, Willis. Bertha D. Finch, eleventh child of Patsy Finch, married George Gladish; children two: 1, infant. 2, Ray. Ella E. Finch, twelth child of Patsy Smith, married Louis Seaman; children two: 1, Virgil; 2, Eunice. John W. Finch, thirteenth child of Patsy Smith, taught in the public schools; married Stella Strawn; children two: 1, Jesse; 2, Patsy.
- Thomas J. Smith, ninth child of Peter Smith, died at 21 years old.
- George F. Smith, tenth child of Peter Smith, died at 18 years old.
- Lucinda Smith, eleventh child of Peter Smith, married Wm. McGee. She died in Arkansas: children two: 1, Wm. M. McGee, a druggist in northern Indiana; married Emma McFredrica; children two boys. 1, James W. McGee, married Adaline Reavis; children three.
- James M. Smith, twin to Lucinda Smith, twelth child of Peter Smith, married Jane Stelley; children five: 1, Peter; 2, Matilda; 3, Nancy
- John Mac Smith, thirteenth child of Peter Smith, first married Julia Wilson; children two: 1, George F. Smith; married Anna Heironimous; children one- Roy Heirnoimous. 2, Thomas J. Smith, son of John Mac Smith. Second, John Mac Smith, thirteenth child of Peter Smith, married Anna McReynolds; no children.”
Did you find my Great Grandfather James Monroe Smith hiding in there (at #12) as a twin of Lucinda? The author (D.B.) was not aware of the additional children found in the home of James Monroe and Jane Stilley Smith. Imagine, all of these individuals sprang from one couple: Peter Smith of Posey and Matilda Montgomery. Did you notice that a guy named Robert Eaton married first Sarah Ann Smith (#5) and then her sister Mary (#6)? One assumes Sarah died ‘giving birth’ during that time period. Divorce was uncommon, although, my father believed our own James Monroe Smith (#12) “took French Leave” from his wife Jane and saw his marriage to Jane Stilley end in divorce.
Obviously, the author (D.B. Montgomery) had close ties to Patsy Smith (#8), a daughter of Matilda. The detail and delineation of Patsy’s offspring is profuse. I haven’t checked, but the Clan Montgomery Society (on the web) may still be selling reprints of this book. OK, so it isn’t compelling reading, a bit like battling one’s way through the Book of Genesis with all the begetting going on from one generation to the next. But you get the drift of how these tomes are laid out.
In that lengthy summary paragraph regarding Patsy (#8), notice the proud reference to a brother-in-law, Charles Holcomb, who happened to be the brother of a former governor of Nebraska. It’s what we do with these bits of history. We puff up our chest a tad, have an “Aha!” moment and then realize the insignificance of it all. Why has it come to a point that being the wife of a brother of a former governor is any more important or relevant than the two forgotten children of Mary Smith (#6 above) and Robert Eaton? And, oh by the way, these Eatons, they descended from the Eaton gentleman found on the Mayflower. We now worship celebrities to the point that we elect them President of our nation.
Here’s another thing I do when I leaf through such notes: Patsy Smith married a Finch, George Finch. One of my favorite performances in a movie, Network, found Peter Finch playing crazed TV anchorman Howard Beale in a very disturbing and all too real scenario: “I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Is it possible Peter Finch descended from Matilda Smith Finch? The answer in this case is ‘no’. Peter Finch was born in Britain in a long lineage of Brits. None of Patsy’s descendants returned to live in England.
But guess who I did find lounging in a hammock in the Montgomery tree branch with us? Mark Twain. More about the famous author later.
The Montgomery tree from which Matilda descended is extensive and there is no branch of the Smith tree that goes further back in time (one thousand years) than the Montgomery clan. Their recorded history flows back to the days of William the Conqueror. Our American Montgomery ancestors played a significant role in the development of the frontier, the winning of the American Revolutionary War and colonization of the New World. I look forward to revealing the characters found in the Montgomery clan, including 32x Great Grandfather Sir Roger de Montgomery (1022-1094) Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.
Peter (1803-1870) of Posey, Indiana did manage to “fight” in the American Civil War. At the age of 58, having moved to Franklin County in southern Illinois, Peter and his 16-year-old son, James Monroe Smith, mustered up a regimen of senior citizen farmers and a few young teenagers and hustled off to Cairo, Illinois, anticipating a Confederate invasion of the state. I picture a bunch of old codgers like me gathering up their medications, hemorrhoid salves, favorite liquor and musket and forging their way through the Shawnee Forest to the banks of the Ohio River. I visualize a campfire scene comparable to the famous “Beans for Supper Scene” in Blazing Saddles.
The men had the right idea. If the Confederacy could seize Cairo and control the Mississippi and Ohio River confluence, they would shut down the Union transportation system and the flow of goods and services related to the northern war effort. Fortunately for Peter’s brigade of geriatric heroes, General Grant had already cut off the Rebel soldier’s advance before they reached Little Egypt (the confluence of the two great rivers).
Peter of Posey had cousins who were decorated heroes in the Confederate army. Some were residents of Muhlenburg County KY. Others were descended from those family members that had remained in Caswell County NC. Still others were soldiers from the Smith families that remained in Virginia and South Carolina. Our family is one of those many families who had relatives on both sides of the blue and gray battle line.
Peter Smith of Posey had been born at the family plantation of Round Hill on Hogan’s Creek, Caswell County, North Carolina. To help you pinpoint the exact turf on the face of the Earth that your ancestors did till and trod please plug the following coordinates into your favorite GPS device or map: 36 degrees 31’ 07.18” N latitude and 79 degrees 22’ 29.52 W longitude. Voila! You can almost smell the brisket burning in the pit at Round Hill.
Migration Route: From Round Hill NC to Paradise KY
