The Compton Family of Smith's Clove (Supplement 2)

This supplement is a follow-up to an earlier article I wrote, The Compton Family of Smith's Clove.

Recently, I was informed by Ancestry.com that I have a #DNA connection with the family tree of one the children of Mr. Paul F. Smith. When I looked at "Smith's Family Tree", I did not find a common ancestor, but I did notice that one his ancestors was named Abraham Compton. In the article, The Compton Family of Smith's Clove, I researched a family of Comptons that I also had a DNA connection to. Since I also had a DNA connection to this Abraham Compton, I thought the prospects that he might be of this family were high. So with that good news, I went searching for a connection. Having now finished the bulk of that research, I am happy to say that I have been successful in my task. I have been able to map out a pretty clear family tree, albeit limited in scope. For the most part, I used primary and contemporary sources. When none were available, I used secondary sources, but only when they are generally considered to be reliable, that is, when they are either direct transcriptions of primary sources, or when they were written by trained genealogists or historians familiar with the material at hand. Even the most reliable sources are prone to errors, a prime example being ages found in early census records, so I tried, whenever possible, to find multiple, independently derived sources to ensure the information was accurate. As with many family histories, the Internet makes readily available a long list of unsubstantiated claims, which by their very nature are unreliable, and have therefore not been considered. I have also tried to point out any errors in the sources I did use, as well as any assumptions that I made. This article presents my conclusions and discusses the evidence necessary to support those conclusions. A complete list of linked references is included at the end of this article.

A quick note on conventions: I have used U. S. Federal census records heavily in this article. Whenever a decennial date is given along with a claim, and no other source is specified, it should be considered as having been taken from that year's federal census record. Names found in brackets, indicate the original name used in the referenced record when it differs from the primary name I use elsewhere, but only when it has some significance. I am not concerned here with common misspellings or alternate spellings of names. Lastly, I have attempted to restrict the content of this article to just those individuals whom take part in the telling of this story. With few exceptions, spouses, children, and siblings that are unnecessary to the conclusions made, have been omitted.

Since the earlier article makes the case for my descent from Jacob Compton, Sr. of Smith's Clove, this article will concentrate of showing Paul F. Smith's descent of Jacob Compton, Sr.

According to the U. S. Social Security Index, Paul F. Smith was born on October 3, 1921, had his social security card issued in Michigan before 1951, and died on February 3, 2005 in Boise, Ada County, Idaho. In 1940, the last year of the available federal census records, he was 18 years old and living at 425 Benson Ave. in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan with his brother Kirklyn [Kirk], age 24, his mother Helen, age 46, and his father Bruce A. Smith, age 52. In 1830, they were living at 1151 Logan St. in Grand Rapids. Paul was 8, Kirklyn was 14, Helen was 36, and his father Bruce was 43. There were additional children.

According to the U. S. Social Security Index, Bruce Smith was born on February 25, 1888, had his social security card issued in Michigan before 1951. According to the "Michigan Death Index", Ancestry.com, he died on February 19, 1973 in Grand Rapids. According to both his World War I and World War II draft cards, filed in Grand Rapids, his full name was Bruce Arden Smith. In 1920, Bruce Smith was living at 1413 Roosevelt Ave., Flint, Genesee County, Michigan. Kirklyn was 3, Helen was 26, and Bruce was 32. In 1910, Bruce was living at 401 Front St. in Grand Rapids with his father, John W. Smith, who was 59, born in Pennsylvania, and his father was born in New York. His mother Ella J. Smith, was 56, born in Michigan, and Ella's father, John B. Reed, was age 82 and widowed. In 1900 they were living in the same location, Bruce [Brice] was 12, Ella was 46, and John [J. W.] was 49, his place of birth was once again shown as Pennsylvania and his father's place of birth was shown as New York.

In 1900, John Smith's birth date is shown as March of 1851. John Warren Smith died in 1928, and is buried in Flushing, Genesee County, Michigan. In 1920, he and Ella were in Grand Rapids. He was 68 and she was 65. There is no surviving 1890 census for Michigan, but in 1880, John Smith [Warren], was living in Montrose, Genesee County, Michigan, age 29, was born in Pennsylvania and his father was born in New York. His wife, Ella, was 26. John Smith is not found in the 1870 census.

In 1860 John Smith was living in Charleston, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. He was 9 years old and living with his parents, Francis Smith who was 38 years old and born in New York, and Mahala who was 31 years old and born in Pennsylvania. According to the "Michigan Death Record, 1897-1920", Ancestry.com, Francis Willard Smith was born in 1822 and died on January 23, 1908 in Grand Rapids. His last appearance was in 1900 when was living in Flushing, Genesee County, Michigan, with his daughter Martha Smith. At the time he was widowed and 73 years old. Prior to that, in 1880, he and Mahala were living in Fallbrook, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. He was 58, born in New York and she was 51 born in Pennsylvania. As we saw, in 1860 they were in Charleston, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. In 1850, Francis Smith [Francis W.] and Mahala were living in Shippen Township in Tioga County. He was 28 years old, born in New York, and she was 21 and born in Pennsylvania. They has 2 children, the eldest, Eugene, was 4 years old. Francis W. Smith of Shippen married Mahala Compton on June 5, 1844 ("Tioga Eagle Newspaper Abstracts 1839-1850").

There was only one Compton family living in Tioga County, Pennsylvania in 1844. In 1850 we find Abraham M. Compton 4 miles from Shippen in Middlebury, Tioga County. He was 63 years old, and his wife, Mariah was 49. In 1840 they were living in Tioga Township in Tioga County and in 1830 they were living in Farmington Township in Tioga County. Next door to them in 1830 was his father-in-law, William Gee. We can be certain the William Gee was the father of Abraham Compton's wife because he and Abraham Compton travelled together from Steuben County, New York sometime between 1825 and 1829.

William Gee, was born on February 4, 1772 and died on April 25, 1839 in Farmington and is buried there in Gee Cemetery. According to the "History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania", 1897, William Gee was first taxed there in 1829. In the biographical sketches for Farmington (ibid.), William Gee was the father of eight children, Joshua, Thomas, Joseph (b. 1808), Daniel, John, Jane, Pattie, and Sally (the wife of John McCallum). It is evident from the census records that they had at least 4 other children, 2 daughter who may have died young, or gotten married in their early twenties, and 2 sons, 1 of which was under 5 years in 1830, so may have died young or may have lived with his mother after this father's death. He may also have been a grandson living in his grandparents home in 1830. As far as the 2 girls, one of them may have been named Mariah, or as some people suggest, that Mariah was Patricia Gee's middle name. The oldest son, may have been Solomon who remained behind in Steuben County with Joshua and Thomas as all three are found there in the 1830 census, Solomon in Wayne, and the others in Jersey. William Gee is first seen in Phillipstown, Dutchess County in 1800 and 1810. We can be sure this is the same person, because in the 1855 New York State census for Woodhull, Steuben County, Joshua Gee gave the county of his birth as Putnam, which was formed from Dutchess County. In 1820, William Gee was living in Jersey, Steuben County, New York a few doors from Abraham Compton, Abraham's father, William Compton, and Abraham's brother David Compton. Abraham Compton was married with 1 young daughter. In the 1825 New York State Census for Jersey, Steuben County, New York we also find William and Joshua Gee. Joshua was probably just married as he has no children. We also find Abraham Compton along with his father, William Compton, and his brothers William Compton [William Compton, Jr.] and Peter. Abraham was married and had 1 son and 1 daughter.

The earliest record I've found for Abraham Compton is in the "New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Steuben County, Vol. 9", Family Search, pp 145-146, where Abraham Compton of Wayne, Steuben County bought land on June 9, 1818 from his brother Runyon Compton and wife Margaret, also both of Wayne. On April 9, 1819, Abraham Compton and his wife Sarah, both of Wayne, sold land to Ira Lunderlin (ibid. 430-431). Then on July 5, 1819, Abraham Compton, now of nearby Bath, Steuben County, turned around and bought land from Ira Lunderlin ("New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Steuben County, Vol. 10", Family Search, pp 98-99). Later, on October 23rd of that year, Abraham Compton's lands in Wayne were seized and sold at a sheriff's sale to pay his debts (ibid. p 108). On January 19, 1820, Abraham and Sarah Compton of Wayne, sold those seized lands to William Kennan also of Wayne (ibid. p 96-97).

The above records show that Abraham was married in 1819 and 1820 to Sarah, and in 1850 to Mariah. Since he moved between 1825 and 1829 with William Gee to Pennsylvania, he must have already been married to one of his daughters. Sarah could not be one of William Gee's daughters, because we already know he had a daughter Sarah who married John McCallum. The wife shown in the 1820 census is more than likely Mariah, because numerous census records confirm that she was at least 10 years younger than her husband, and in 1820 we see this as well. Therefore we must conclude that Abraham married first, Sarah who is the mother of his first child, and who died about 1820, possibly in childbirth, after which Abraham immediately married his second wife, Mariah Gee. Remarrying quickly was not uncommon by any means when men were found to be raising a baby alone.

Abraham Compton's ancestry is detailed in the main article, The Compton Family of Smith's Clove. Together with this supplement, I have been able to show that Paul F. Smith and I are related through our ancestor Jacob Compton Sr., validating the DNA connection found by ancestry.com.