As I've been dancing with the ancestors I've hit more than one brick wall. I've previously posted about my frustration with 2 x Great Grandmamma Rebecca Ann Adcock who married John B. Smith. For a time, I thought I hit pay dirt and found her parents: William Miller and Margaret Shanks.
For a time . . .
But, alas my friends . . . sometimes the information contained in cemetery books is, well, wrong.
Such was the case with Great-Great Grandmammy Rebecca Ann . . . as I found out through correspondence with a distant PA cousin who told me that Rebecca's maiden name was Adcock.
But, I'm belabouring a point that doesn't need belabouring. Here, in this post, I'm going to paint a portrait with words about Great-Great Granny . . .
Rebecca Ann Adcock was born on December 20, 1818 in South Carolina (at least based on Census Record information which, at best, is suspect). At some point, she and her family moved to Warren County, Tennessee where she met her future husband John B. Smith.
Rebecca and John were married about 1835. This is just a guess on my part, based on the birth of their first child which occurred sometime in 1836.
Rebecca and John had the following children . . .
- Andrew Jackson (aka Bad Andy) Smith was born about 1836 in Warren County, Tennessee and died before 1868, unknown. He married Mary Jane Gribble on January 28, 1856 in Warren County, Tennessee.
- David Burdine Smith was born January 27, 1840 in Warren County, Tennessee and died December 24, 1814 in Warren County, Tennessee. He married Hannah Malury Gribble on September 9, 1848 in McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee.
- Francis Melvina Smith was born May 1840 in Warren County, Tennessee and died after 1900 in Chattanooga City, Hamilton County, Tennessee. She married Alfred P,. Gribble on November 7, 1858 in Warren County, Tennessee.
- Nancy J. Smith was born about 1843 in Warren County, Tennessee.
- John Leonard Smith was born on August 16, 1849 in Warren County, Tennessee and died January 14, 1917 in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. He married first Irena Gribble, by which he had the following children: Lucy, John B. (died young), Mollie, Francis Ida, Mary J., Euphemia, and Herman (died young). He married second Martha Lane on September 24, 1882. They had the following children: Olive Mae, Willie Octavia, Eunice Irene (died young), Osie Lee, and Clara.
- Mary Smith was born about 1853 in Warren County, Tennessee.
- Sarah Smith was born about 1856 in Warren County, Tennessee.
- Tempa (possibly Tennessee) Smith was born about 1858 in Warren County, Tennessee.
- Ardena Clementine Smith was born about 1863 in Warren County, Tennessee and died December 8, 1954 in Warren County, Tennessee. She married John C. Aldredge.
The only portrait I can truly paint with words is one based on factual evidence, i,.e., Census Records. So, based on that information . . .
- 1840 - she, her husband John B., and their children Andrew, David Burdine, and Francis Malvina are living in Warren County, Tennessee, next door to her husband's mother Nancy, and his siblings Elizabeth, Moses Riley, and Jesse.
- 1850 - she, her husband John B., and their children Andrew, David Burdine, Francis Malvina, Nancy J., and John Leonard are living in Warren County, Tennessee. There is also a Martha Hancock, age 29, living with them as well. My best guess is that this is a sister of either Rebecca or John. I haven't been able to find anything else about her, so, for now, there's just a woman named Martha living with them.
- 1860 - she, her husband John B., and their children Nancy, John, Mary, Sarah, and Tempa are living in Warren County, Tennessee. Bt this time, the older children - Andrew, David, and Francis - had married and were living on their own.
- November 29, 1869 - John B. Smith dies in Warren County, Tennessee.
- 1870 - she, her daughters Mary, Sarah, and Ardena Clementine, along with her two grandsons by her daughter Francis Melvina - John Gribble and Alfred Thomas Gribble - are living in Warren County, Tennessee.
- 1880 - she, her daughter Ardena Clementine, her daughter Francis Melvina Smith-Gribble, and Francis' two sons John B. Gribble and Alfred Thomas Gribble are living in Warren County, Tennessee.
- March 1, 1882 - Rebecca dies in Warren County, Tennessee.
And there is the brief portrait of words I can paint about my Great-Great Grandmother Rebecca Ann Adcock Smith.
One further note, on her son David Burdine's death record her maiden name is listed as Adcock on one record, and Radcock on another record. Oy!
Oh, and you might have noticed the propensity for Rebecca's children to marry Gribbles. Three of her children married Gribble siblings, and two of her children married first cousins of the Gribble siblings.
UPDATE
Since the last time I went dancing with the ancestors with 2 x Great Grandma Rebecca Adcock, I've learned a few things.
First - she is the daughter of William Adcock and Francis Ballinger. She is the granddaughter of Leonard Adcock and Jane Cantrell, and James Ballinger and Dorcas Dodson. These connections have been proven through DNA.
Second - her middle name is Frances and not Ann.
Third - the cemetery book I referenced in this post and a previous post was referencing a John Smith who married an Ann, who was the daughter of William Miller and Margaret Shanks. That John & Ann Smith were not my direct ancestors. They might be related, but it was not my 2 x Great Grandparents John B. and Rebecca F. (Adcock) Smith. Why did I think they were? Becasue, at some point, one of my distant Smith cousins took photos of the tombstones and believed they were direct ancestors. It was a simple error to make. It wasn't until I found the last will and testament of that particular John Smith that I realized there were two John Smiths, about the same age, living in Warren County, Tennessee at the same time. The children listed in his will, including a bastard son, did not match up with the known children of John B. & Rebecca (Adcock) Smith that have been proven through census records. So, a simple error made by someone doing family history, and then copied again and again and again . . . put this family historian on a false trail that was luckily proved wrong and corrected.
So, when dancing with the ancestors, do not take the work of others at face value. Prove it to yourself. Believe that it's wrong until you can prove that it is right.
First - she is the daughter of William Adcock and Francis Ballinger. She is the granddaughter of Leonard Adcock and Jane Cantrell, and James Ballinger and Dorcas Dodson. These connections have been proven through DNA.
Second - her middle name is Frances and not Ann.
Third - the cemetery book I referenced in this post and a previous post was referencing a John Smith who married an Ann, who was the daughter of William Miller and Margaret Shanks. That John & Ann Smith were not my direct ancestors. They might be related, but it was not my 2 x Great Grandparents John B. and Rebecca F. (Adcock) Smith. Why did I think they were? Becasue, at some point, one of my distant Smith cousins took photos of the tombstones and believed they were direct ancestors. It was a simple error to make. It wasn't until I found the last will and testament of that particular John Smith that I realized there were two John Smiths, about the same age, living in Warren County, Tennessee at the same time. The children listed in his will, including a bastard son, did not match up with the known children of John B. & Rebecca (Adcock) Smith that have been proven through census records. So, a simple error made by someone doing family history, and then copied again and again and again . . . put this family historian on a false trail that was luckily proved wrong and corrected.
So, when dancing with the ancestors, do not take the work of others at face value. Prove it to yourself. Believe that it's wrong until you can prove that it is right.
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