I have been looking for Miles E. Smithson who married Elenora Roberts. Elenora married three times. Miles was the first. One afternoon, not long ago, while surfing and relaxing and researching, I found this short snippet:
From the Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Virginia, published on March 9, 1912:
Column titled: Berkley Ward News
"Miles E. Smithson and wife, of Hobson, VA., are visiting officer L. E. Barnes and wife, the latter his sister, 204 Chestnut street.
Now after over a week of fussing and researching, with many interruptions, I finally decided that this Miles E. Smithson is not really mine. It took a bit, but, I finally found Mr. Barnes, he married one Clare Smithson, who is possibly/maybe the daughter of Miles Gregory (ugh) Smithson and his wife Martha Ann Halstead Smithson. Maybe, cause you know, follow up research and more follow up research is ALWAYS indicated.
From prior research, I had found the Miles, that married Elnora, enumerated in the 1910 census. They lived in Norfolk, Norfolk County, Virginia, in the household of Franklin Pierce, age 59, policeman for the city; Sallie A., his wife, age 63. Miles Smithson, age 27, married for less than a year, listed as a boarder, born North Carolina, both parents born North Carolina, painter for the US Navy yard. Elnora Smithson, wife of Miles, age 15, married for less than a year, born Virginia. A grandson, Franklin Roberts, age 11, born Virginia, both parents born Virginia is also in the household. This enumeration was done 29 April 1910. Sallie is the grandmother of Elnora and Franklin.
Until this week, other than this one census enumeration, Miles had disappeared, gone MIA, as they say. Then, I found this:
In the 1910 United States Federal Census, in Washington, Norfolk, Virginia taken May 6, 1910, Miles Smithson, age 32, making a birth year of approximately 1878, born in North Carolina. He is listed as the son to the head of household, MARRIED, but note, his wife is not shown in the household, occupation, painter at the Navy Yard. He is shown in the household of Samuel Smithson, 58, who I will discover, is actually Lemuel; and Hulda Smithson, wife of Samuel, age 55.
Now, we note, that he is not referred to as Miles E. in either of these 1910 census enumerations. I also note, this is not the first person I have found enumerated twice in the same census year. Actually, the second appearance has in all cases given me some great stuff to follow up on. Fun!
After this discovery of a second appearance in the 1910 census I redid my research, you know, review, review, review. I came up with these plausible census enumerations:
1880 United States Federal Census, recorded 29 June, 1880, Miles G. Smithson, Age: 3, Birth Date: Abt 1877, Birthplace: North Carolina, Home in 1880: South Mills, Camden, North Carolina, son, single. Father: Lemuel Smithson, age 29, Father's Birthplace: North Carolina; Mother: Mary V. Smithson, age 31, Mother's Birthplace: North Carolina. Also enumerated in the house hold are:
1.) Emma Smithson, aged 5 (who I discovered with some further research married Lemuel T Bunch, she was born 2 Dec 1874, and died 9 Mar 1943, she is buried at Bethany Cemetery Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina.
2.) Seth Smithson, aged 1 (Not found on Ancestry dot com again, as of Feb 2018)
We note: Middle initial for Miles is “G”.
Found in the 1900 United States Federal Census, Miles Smithson, Age: 20, Birth Date: Apr 1880, Birthplace: Virginia, Home in 1900: Washington, Norfolk, Virginia, Relation to Head of House: Brother. (This is an error, the head of house hold is his father. That said, see the image, it’s not very clear, is it? See below.) The enumeration continues: Marital Status: Single, Father's Birthplace: Virginia, Mother's Birthplace: Virginia, Occupation: Painter
Household Members:
L Smithson, age 48
Hulda Smithson, age 45 (She is the second wife of Lemuel)
(Note: Both Lemuel and Hulda are buried at Riverside Memorial Park,
Norfolk, Norfolk City, Virginia.)
There are several issues in this enumeration, the “brother” to head of household for sure, and no middle initial. The occupation of painter is the same as the Miles, in the 1910 census. Despite those issues I feel this is the Miles I am searching for. Note, the place, Washington Norfolk Virginia is spot on.
So, what else have I found? Well, I found a lot of data on a "Miles E.", who seems to have been born about the same time, in North Carolina, and lived and died there about 1940 and is buried at Battleboro Cemetery, Battleboro, Edgecombe County, North Carolina. After researching, I have discounted this Miles, for now.
I searched for “Miles G.” as well. I have put aside those findings, for now, as none of them made sense to me either due to place, death certificates found, dates of death, or parents indicated did not match the "Lemuel and Mary" data I am following at this time.
THE CITY OF NORFOLK
MAGNOLIA CEMETERY
Berkley & Lancaster Avenues, Norfolk, Virginia 23523
DATABASE OF INTERMENTS: 1860 to Present
Copyright. All rights reserved.
Three entries of distinct interest:
Smithson, Hollice Ormand
April 8, 1912
January 16, 1913
CP 229
Smithson, Miles G
November 27, 1876
January 11, 1913
CP 229
And this:
Smithson, Miles G
February 17, 1911
December 14, 1911
CP 191
So, first thing we note is that Hollice and the Miles G. that both died in January of 1913 are buried in the same area at Magnolia, CP 229 (Disclaimer, I am not sure where CP229 is, looking at the cemetery maps, sigh). The Miles G., died/buried in 1911 I have not be able to trace down, yet. (I have suspicions, as you can imagine, that the Miles G. that died in 1911 is another, yet undocumented child of Miles G. and Elnora. More research!!)
Note of interest: At Magnolia in this time frame, a funeral director could purchase 100 lots at the same time and use them for burials. Many of the poor were buried here and, according to the staff at the cemetery, no records were kept as to which specific grave people were buried in. Almost none of these plots are marked with headstones. When I showed up at Magnolia many years ago in search of Sallie Pierce's burial plot, I was told she is in that "area over there under that really large Magnolia tree." Sallie has no headstone. Here is the photo I took that day:
Hollice Ormand IS the son of Miles G. Smithson and Elnora Roberts, and I have a digital copy of his death certificate, which names his parents.
I have not been able to locate a death certificate for Miles G. Smithson, d. 1913, yet. I have not been able to locate any obituary for Miles G., for either date, 1911 or 1913.
The other Miles Smithsons I have located in sources and data sets available to me via Ancestry dot com, FamilySearch, and via newspaper research, well so far, nothing seems to match.
For now, I am going with the scenario that Miles became ill, passed away, and 6 days later his and Elnora's son, Hollice, dies. Oh, the grief.
So, is it Miles E. or Miles G.? For now, I am going with the middle initial of “G”. Primarily due to the death certificate of his son that states it so. Shaky ground for a researcher, of course. So. As always, the search continues.
* This post has been dragging on for well over 1 week. At times I have been totally frustrated with it. However, the research has been interesting, and made me really think and study and dig. Now I am off to discover what I have NOT found yet! More shiny hole research coming to Reflections soon. My apologies for the length of this one. I have been attempting to keep them shorter. SIGH
