Timeline for the Life and Times of: Isaac Smith (1786-1861)

(UPDATED: January 10, 2011)

Except for the theme, the Google software and site this blog uses,
copyrights include all written and graphical materials, unless otherwise noted.

All materials, written and graphical, have been researched, complied and/or illustrated by Kathy M. Galovic

Copyright 1999 - 2011

If you are an extended member of this family, branching from any of Isaac Smith's children, I would like to hear from you.

I, Kathy M. Galovic, have been gathering information and documents about Isaac Smith, who was the son of Robert Smith and his wife, Edy (possibly Edyth or Edith) ________, and his descendants since the latter part of January 1981. This is a work in progress. To quote a cousin, Jerry Smith Barrington, "As long as people live, marry, have children and die, a family history goes on."

As a young child, I always heard stories about ancestral family members but never set them down on paper; I wish I had. I remember hearing names such as B F Smith (Old Uncle Frank), G. W. Smith (Grampa George), Mary Ann Spivey, Pepper, Guthrie, Spears, Dark, Browning and many others. You see, some of my earliest years were spent in and around the beautiful hills of Alabama where many of those people were born, lived and died; and, as my family traveled visiting relatives the names rolled off my grandmother’s tongue.

I began this research shortly after my youngest daughter was born, because I wanted my children to know from where they came and what their people were like.

This specific Timeline was begun on January 9, 1999, and I have added to and subtracted from its contents as new data has come into my hands. I have speculated, estimated dates, and often—with this Timeline—have been able to pinpoint where certain offspring were born just because of where they fell in the line. I have also added some "current events" to the line to help me (and others who may read it) understand the histories as they relate not only to the family, but to the growing Union and to the parts of the country where this family resided when the events took place.

Although Isaac Smith had not been born before the end of the American Revolutionary War, during his lifetime the first sixteen Presidents of the United States (including George Washington) were inducted into office, the last being Abraham Lincoln. The United States disputed over land, battling with Spain for the Mississippi Territory, the French, English and Indians through the French and Indian War and the War of 1812 over the use of Indian lands stretching from the eastern seaboard to the Mississippi River and International Waters, and with Mexico between 1845 and 1848 for Texas.

Isaac and his wife, Rebecca, brought eleven children (that I am aware of) into the world at various locations across the south. He and his family followed new lands being opened across the south for settlement until he finally settled in Tallapoosa County, Alabama about five miles north of Youngsville (present day Alexander City). Most (if not all) of his children followed Isaac as he removed from one location to the next. He watched the first thirty-four States be admitted into the Union, but shortly before his death, eleven of them seceded to become the Confederate States of America..

Isaac Smith was a true patriot. This is not only recognized in the naming of his male children after both presidents and war heroes but also through a statement made by his attending physician, who was with him only a few days before his death. During a deposition when Old Isaac’s will went into probate, Dr. Kelly noted, "...he [Isaac] said to me in speaking of his prospects of recovery that his earthly matters were all settled but he still had a drive to live because of the difficulties of his country settled."

1775–1783 - American Revolutionary War
***UPDATED*** 17 May 1786 - Isaac Smith is born to Robert Smith and Edy.
Isaac Smith is born to Robert Smith and Edy ________________ in Camden District, Clarendon County, South Carolina on a Wednesday.
1) Old Smith Family Bible passed down from George Washington Smith (G.W. Smith), which was in the possession of Coye Smith Barnett in 1971. This record lists Isaac, his parents, some of his siblings, some of his children and some of his grandchildren.
2) Census: 1860 Federal Census Alabama, Tallapoosa, Roll 25, Book 1, Page 356 we find the State (Colony actually) of Isaac's birth.
3) Book: Marriage & Death Notices from the 'South Western Baptist' Newspaper, Michael Kelsey, Nancy Graff-Kelsey, Ginny Guinn Parsons, Published by Heritage Books, 1995, accessed September 20, 2008 (This scanned copy of the above mentioned obituary sites DoB, place of birth and death and date of death; and although it says Sumter District, Sumter was not formed from the Camden District until 1800. So that puts Isaac having been born in the Camden District. Along with an 1810 census record from Clarendon County, which was in the newly formed Sumter District, we have found Isaac's place of birth.)
4) Document: Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Smith Barrington.(NOTE: This is actually The Smith White Papers, which I have shortened to Smith Papers.)
1787
1788
7 April 1798 - Mississippi Territory is organized.
The Mississippi Territory was organized in 1798 from land disputed over by the U.S. and Spain until Spain ceded claim with Treaty of Madrid in 1795. This area extended from 31° North latitude to 32°28' N, or approximately the southern half of the present states of Alabama and Mississippi.
Although the Mississippi Territory was created in 1798, only a handful of pioneers settled there before 1810. Migration into the territory was slow in part due to the presence of the powerful Creek and Cherokee tribes in western Georgia and the Choctaw and Chickasaw in Alabama and Mississippi. In 1811, when conflicts with the French reached a point where it seemed necessary to mobilize troops and supplies quickly across the Mississippi Territory, the Federal Road was widened and improved for that purpose. This led to the Creek Indian War of 1813-14 and then to the removal of the Indians to the West. By 1820, two hundred and thirty thousand immigrants, both black and white, were living in Alabama and Mississippi, raising cotton or erecting stores, warehouses and homes. Some of these settlers came by boat, but most made the tedious trip over the Federal Road. The major arteries of the East and North had connections that led to the newly acquired lands. Traders and light travelers from the North came down the Upper Road through the Piedmont into Georgia, then traveled over the postal horse path which opened in 1806, through Athens, Watkinsville and High Shoals, to meet the Federal Road at Columbus, Georgia. Many others used the somewhat easier Fall Line Road and then met the Federal Road, traveling through Augusta, Warrenton, Sparta, Milledgeville and Macon before reaching Columbus. Crossing on through Alabama, the Federal Road ended at a crossroads known as St. Stephens [in Alabama].
1) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Mississippi Territory. Online, first accessed February 24, 2007
2) Early American Roads and Trails, Beverly Whitaker, Kansas City, Missouri, Copyright 2002. Online, first accessed March 26, 2006.
30 April 1789 - George Washington becomes the first President of the United States of America.
21 November 1789 - North Carolina enters the Union as the 12th State.
1790 - First Federal Census of the United States is taken.
(NOTE: The name Robert Smith (Isaac's father) appears 12 times in the 1790 Census of South Carolina; 86 times in the entire nation. There were 377 Smith families enumerated in South Carolina. In the entire nation, there were almost 6,000 Smith families listed. At present we do not know which Robert Smith in South Carolina is ours.)
17 May 1791 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 5 years old.
1792
1793
1794
1795
17 May 1796 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 10 years old.
4 March 1797 - John Adams - Second President of the United States.
1798
1799
1800 - Second Federal Census of the United States is taken.
4 March 1801 - Thomas Jefferson - Third President of the United States.
17 May 1801 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 15 years old.
Late 1801 to mid 1802 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, marries young.
Isaac would have been between 15 and 16 years of age when he wed his first wife, Sara Rebecca Londers (b. 24 March 1787), probably in South Carolina.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
(NOTE: This date is estimated from their children’s’ dates of birth listed in the Old Smith Family Bible record of George Washington Smith. Although I found one record suggesting Isaac and Rebecca were married in 1806 and another in 1820. I don’t believe either of these dates are correct. The 1806 date is four years after the birth of Elizabeth, their first child; and, the 1820 date is much too late. At least four or five of their children were born by 1820. I am more inclined to believe the 1820 date was accidentally inverted during the transcription. I believe the date should be 1802, unless Isaac was married to another woman before he wed Sara Rebecca Londers, which is highly improbable considering that he was very young when he married her. The Bible record passed down from his son G. W. Smith implies that Isaac’s first child, Elizabeth, was also the first child of Rebecca.)
***UPDATED*** 25 February 1803 - A daughter, Elizabeth, is born in the Sumter District, Clarendon County, South Carolina.
1) Old Smith Family Bible passed down from G.W. Smith lists her date of birth.
2) Place is from the 1810 Census Records
1804
1805
17 May 1806 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 20 years old.
***UPDATED*** 15 January 1807 - A daughter, Mary Ann, is born in the Sumter District, Clarendon County, South Carolina.
1) Old Smith Family Bible passed down from G.W. Smith lists his date of birth.
2) Place is from the 1810 Census Records
1808
4 March 1809 - James Madison - Fourth President of the United States.
***UPDATED*** 15 March 1809 - The first son, Robert W., is born in the Sumter District, Clarendon County, South Carolina.
1) Old Smith Family Bible passed down from G.W. Smith lists his date of birth.
2) Place is from the 1810 Census Records
1810 - Third Federal Census of the United States is taken.
17 May 1811 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 25 years old.
***UPDATED*** Circa 1811 - A son, Isaac Thomas, is born in the Sumter District, Clarendon County, South Carolina.
(Note: Some time after Isaac Thomas’ birth, Isaac Sr. earned a new moniker—Old Isaac—and the younger Isaac came to be called Isaac T. or I. T.)
Circa 1811 - Isaac Smith joins the Bapitist Church in South Carolina
Has anyone found an actual church record? If so, I would like to have a copy.
1) Book: Marriage & Death Notices from the 'South Western Baptist' Newspaper, Michael Kelsey, Nancy Graff-Kelsey, Ginny Guinn Parsons, Published by Heritage Books, 1995, accessed September 20, 2008 (This obituary sites "He jointed [sic] the Baptist Church in 1811..." and following that, "He removed from South Carolina...")
Between 1811 and 1819 - two daughters, Clara Jane and Louisa E. (Emma?), are born in South Carolina.
(Note: Since we do not have exact dates of birth for these two daughters, it is impossible to pinpoint where they were born. However, the State in which they were born surely was South Carolina.)
18 June 1812 - 1814 - War of 1812. The Creek Indian War that was a part of the War of 1812, was fought largely within the boundaries of present-day Alabama between 1813 and 1814 Andrew Jackson from Tennessee became a military hero as he led U.S. forces against the "Red Stick" Creeks.
1813
24 August 1814 - British forces burn the District of Columbia
During the most notably destructive raid of the War of 1812 British forces burn public buildings and structures, including the White House, the Capitol, the Arsenal, the Dock-Yard, Treasury, War office and the bridge crossing the Potomac River.
1815
17 May 1816 - Old Isaac turns 30 years old.
4 March 1817 - James Monroe - Fifth President of the United States.
10 December 1817 - The Alabama Territory is created.
"The Mississippi Territory is divided to become a State of the Federal Union. The territory remaining to the east of the new State of Mississippi is erected by Congress into a territorial government, giving it the name Alabama, from the great river which drains its center." William Wyatt Bibb is also appointed Governor of the Alabama Territory.
1) Document: HISTORY of ALABAMA, entered according to the act of Congress, by Albert James Pickett, on 27th January 1851, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Middle District of Alabama.
April - October 1818 - The "Red Stick" Creek uprisings.
The Red Sticks continued to form marauding bands to kill the vanguard of white settlers, who had begun to trickle into the "new" Alabama Territory. This continued through the year until the Creeks determined they should leave the Americans in quiet possession of the lands, which were surrendered with much reluctance at the Treaty of Fort Jackson. With that concession, the flood-gates of Virginia, the two Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia were now hoisted, and mighty streams of emigration poured through them, spreading over the whole territory of Alabama. The axe resounded from side to side, and from corner to corner. The stately and magnificent forests fell. Log cabins sprang, as if by magic, into sight. Never before or since, has a country been so rapidly peopled.
1) Document: HISTORY of ALABAMA by Albert James Pickett – see above for description.
Circa 1818 - Isaac Smith removes his family from Clarendon County, Sumter District, South Carolina.
1) Book: Marriage & Death Notices from the 'South Western Baptist' Newspaper, Michael Kelsey, Nancy Graff-Kelsey, Ginny Guinn Parsons, Published by Heritage Books, 1995, accessed September 20, 2008 (This obituary sites, "He moved from South Carolina in 1818 and settled in what was then Montgomery County..." However, we have found an 1820 census record in Union County with an Isaac Smith as the overseer of the Estate of J. F Gist. The enumeration fits Isaac's family, but also includes slaves. We believe this is our Isaac and that he was there learning to read, write and work numbers, learning the ways of a planter and preparing for his future.
22 October 1819 - Elizabeth L. Smith marries Joab Stewart
It is not fully understood how Elizabeth (Eliza) came to know Joab Stewart. We do know, however, that both the Smith family and Joab were in South Carolina about the same time. It is very probable that the couple met, fell in love and decided to travel to Dallas County, Alabama, where they were wed ahead of the Smith family because Sarah Rebecca was with child. It is also very possible that Isaac traveled with them to scope out the available land in Alabama.
1) Dallas County, Alabama Marriages - MARRIAGE BOOK I: 1818 - 1845
Steward, Joab to Eliza Smith 22 Oct 1819 as listed on pp. 17
2) Memoriam to Elizabeth J. Jackson (Eliza's daughter): By Lucy Jackson, the wife of Phillip Andrew Jackson, Elizabeth Jane's son. "Grandfather Joab Steward, her [Elizabeth Jane's] father, was a consecrated christian and a well-to-do citizen. He loved her with puculiar tenderness, because she was the babe of his deceased wife [Eliza]."
9 November 1819 - William W. Bibb takes office and becomes the first Governor of the Alabama Territory
14 December 1819 - Alabama enters the Union as the 22nd state.
1820 - Fourth Federal Census of the United States is taken.
22 April 1820 - A daughter, Adaline Temperance, is born in South Carolina.
(NOTE: By this time, as early pioneers but not the vanguard, this family was on the move. Even so, Adaline Temperance was born in South Carolina, probably in Union County. We believe Isaac did not leave South Carolina until after the mid to latter 1820s.)
(SUPPOSITION: Family records indicate her birth but not the place. This timeline provides the place.)
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
17 May 1821 - Old Isaac turns 35 years old.
1821-22 - A son, John J., is born in Georgia.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
2) 1850 Federal Census, Coosa County, Wetumpka, pp. 293, line 637.
(Note: This census document indicates John’s place of birth but not the date.)
17 October 1822 - Old Isaac Smith and Rebecca are members of the Mount Gilead Baptist Church.
The church "located five miles southeast of Benton in Lowndes County Alabama (which was then still Montgomery County) [was] in the settlement of Brother John Browning on Big Swamp Creek."
1) TRANSCRIPTION: Mt. Gilead Baptist Church Membership - Book 1, transcribed from the second book by Michael V. Sims, May 1999
(Note: By the time the second book came into use during the late 1840s, the church was indeed located in Lowndes County, Alabama. A communiqué from Mr. Sims, dated August 10, 2007, has shed some light on the history of the Mount Gilead Baptist Church. He said, "In the very earliest years, Baptist churches like Mount Gilead did not always keep written records. They did not even have buildings. They met in brush arbors, and there was something in the church culture which did not encourage record keeping, as this suggested too much of a love of formal church hierarchy and government.
"By the mid 1820s this began to change, at least in Montgomery and Dallas Counties Alabama. The Alabama Baptist Association was organized (1822?) among the churches of Montgomery, Dallas, Autauga and Bulter Counties, among others. Mount Gilead was not one of the original four member churches, but it joined quickly after the organization of the Association. As a requirement for membership, churches had to officially be "Organized" or "Constituted" by an appointed group of preachers drawn from the Association's membership."
Mr. Sims also indicated that the original membership and minutes book for the church was actually destroyed or lost about a hundred years ago. "Several churches in the area - Benton, Collirene, Gordonville -," Mr. Sims remarked, "lost their old church books when the houses of the various Church Clerks were destroyed by fire - either in the Civil War (Benton, Sister Springs) or around 1900 (Collirene). The "transcription" from the early book was recorded on the flyleaf of the "new" book probably in the late 1840s. "What we know about the church at the time your ancestor Isaac Smith was there was either drawn from the annual Associational minutes (a fraction of which have survived) or were written down in the 1830s from the memory of the Church Clerk."
1823
1824
4 March 1825 - John Quincy Adams - Sixth President of the United States.
12 August 1825 - A son, George Washington, is born in Montgomery County, Alabama.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
2) 1850 Federal Census, Coosa County, Wetumpka, pp. 293, line 638.
(NOTE: The census document only indicates that George was born in Alabama.
SUPPOSITION: This timeline provides the place within the State where G.W. was born.)
17 May 1826 - Old Isaac turns 40 years old.
1827
June 1828- A son, Benjamin Franklin, is born in Montgomery County, Alabama.
(SUPPOSITION: With this timeline we have been able to determine Benjamin’s place of birth.)
4 March 1829 - Andrew Jackson - Seventh President of the United States.
1830 - Fifth Federal Census of the United States is taken.
20 January 1830 - Lowndes County in the Alabama Territory is created.
Lowndes County is created from parts of Montgomery, Dallas and Butler counties. Located in the south-central portion, it is considered to be part of the Black Belt.
1830 - Old Isaac is in Lowndes County, Alabama with his family for the Fifth Federal Census.
1) 1830 Federal Census, Lowndes County, pp. 267
(Note: The lines are not numbered, but Isaac is listed on the third line from the bottom)
17 May 1831 - Old Isaac turns 45 years old.
1831 - Youngest son, Andrew Jackson is born in Lowndes County, Alabama.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
(SUPPOSITION: His place of birth was not noted. However, this timeline provides the place, since Lowndes County is where the family was living at least one year prior his birth—maybe as many as ten years—until sometime between 1836 and 1837.)
14 March 1831 - Oldest son, Robert W. Smith, marries Sarah Ann Pearson in Lowndes County.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
12 May 1831 - Old Isaac is witness to the Will of William Browning in Lowndes County.
1) Lowndes County, Alabama Will Book B, pp. 18 -19
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
24 March 1832 - Tallapoosa County, Alabama is created.
Tallapoosa County is created from the Creek Indian Cession of 1832 with the Treaty of Cussetta, which opens new lands to the north and northeast of Lowndes County for settlement by free white pioneers and settlers.
18 December 1832 - Coosa County, Alabama is created.
12 February 1833 - A daughter, Louisa, is married in Lowndes County, Alabama.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
2) Marriage Book 1, Lowndes County Alabama, pp 94, May 30, 1830 - Feb. 13, 1848
3) Letter from one of Old Isaac's great nieces.
"Aunt Em and I would go out to gather black walnuts and hickory nuts, which we called hickker nuts. Louisa Em married James Lockwood in 1834. Most of the family called her Luezor, but to me, she was always Aunt Em."
1833 - Opposition between Southern planters and Northern merchants forces the adoption of the Compromise Tariff.
25 Jan 1834 - Isaac Smith purchases land in Lowndes County, Alabama.
Daniel Browning and his wife, Nancy Browning sells to Isaac Smith, 120 acres of land in Lowndes County.
1) Land Records: Land conveyance filed at Lowndes County, Alabama
2) Transcription of the record received December 9, 2005 from L. W. Rhode (transcriber unknown).
25 Jan 1834 - Robert W. Smith is a Justice of the Peace in Lowndes County, Alabama
1) Document: Same as previously described between Daniel Browning and Isaac Smith
(Note: Some family members who are researching this Smith family believe this Robert Smith to be the son of Isaac. I have my doubts, as there is a Robert Smith, who as a JP, performed the wedding ceremonies of several of Isaac’s children including his son Robert. I am more inclined to believe this was either Isaac’s father or perhaps a brother.)
26 June 1834 - A daughter, Clara Jane, is married in Lowndes County, Alabama.
Robert Smith, JP, weds William S Canterbury and Jane Smith
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
2) Marriage Book 2, Lowndes County Alabama, pp 106.
5 August 1834 - Land Grant to Old Isaac Smith of Lowndes County, Alabama.
According to the verbiage of the grant, this land is subject to sale at Cahawba, Alabama.
1) BLM RECORD: Federal Bureau of Land Management certificate number: 12969
18 September 1834 - Isaac Thomas Smith (son) marries Mary Pearson in Lowndes County.
J. Pruitt, J. P., performed the ceremony.
(Note: Some Smith descendants and historians had long believed Mary Pearson and Robert’s wife, Sarah Ann Pearson, were sisters, but we could find no documentation of the relationship. This has now been proven by the 1880 Census of Coosa County, Alabama, pp176a. They were the daughters of one James A. Pearson, who was a farmer in Lowndes County, mentioned in the Circuit Court Minutes listed below.)
1) Book: LOWNDES COURT HOUSE, By Mildred Russell, page 269
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
3) Document: Records of the Circuit Court, Minutes and Decrees Chancery Court 1852-1855: Complete Record, Pages: 399-402; 440. This document was used in conjunction with the aforementioned census to get the father's name.
21 October 1834 - Land Grant to Old Isaac Smith of Lowndes County, Alabama.
1) Federal Bureau of Land Management certificate number: 17366
28 July 1835 - Old Isaac Smith witnesses the will of John Sessions in Lowndes County.
1) Lowndes County, Alabama - Will Book B
1836 - Two of Old Isaac’s sons, are in the Lowndes County Militia.
Robert W. and I. T. Smith appear on the Lowndes County Militia Muster Rolls under the command of Captain Cornelius Robinson.
1) Alabama Dept. of Archives and History; LPR 39, Container 17, Militia Records
17 May 1836 - Old Isaac turns 50 years old.
Last half of 1836 - Old Isaac removes his family to Coosa County, Alabama.
Old Isaac moves his family from (Benton?), Lowndes County, Alabama to the Elkahatchie Community in Coosa County, Alabama. By 1830, Yellow Fever and Malaria in conjunction with rampant land speculation turned some of the population movement southwest towards Mobile and north or northeast towards the lands recently obtained with the Creek Cession.
1) Periodical: Spring Issue, 1942 of the Alabama Historical Quarterly, pp. 86
2) Research done about the history of Lowndes County.
February 1837 - Old Isaac Smith is listed in the Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church.
Old Isaac Smith is listed in the Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church as one of the eight original founding members. Rebecca, his wife, John J., his son, Joab Stewart, Jeremiah Jennings and William Canterberry, all three his sons-in-law, are also listed among the membership. Some but not all, however, are listed as founding members.
1) TRANSCRIPTION: Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church membership roster by Betty Crowder, received 2001
4 March 1837 - Martin Van Buren - Eighth President of the United States.
10 May 1837 - Panic of 1837, brought on by Andrew Jackson's destruction of the Second Bank of the United States, avalanched into other proponents, throws the national economy into a deep depression.
1) Jackson's comments to the Senate after his veto (rejection) of the bank bill began the Panic of 1837.
2) Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 194, Folder 30. Library of Congress
3) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Panic of 1837. Online, first accessed February 2, 2007
10 July 1837 - Daughter, Adeline Temperance Smith marries (1) William B. Kimbrough.
The marriage took place in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
1) Marriage Book 1 (loose-leaf); Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, pp 392.
1838
1839
1840 - Sixth Federal Census of the United States is taken.
1840 Old Isaac Smith is living in Tallapoosa County
Old Isaac Smith is living in Tallapoosa County, Alabama for the Federal Census with Joab Stewart and J. Walker as nearby neighbors. Elizabeth Smith Stewart (Isaac’s daughter) is not listed among Joab’s family, so I presume she had perished by that time.
1) 1840 Federal Population Schedule, Tallapoosa County, pp. 175
1841 - Isaac Smith is in the Fishpond Precint of Coosa County, Alabama
1) Letter: dated 18 April, 2001, (Betty Crowder to Mrs. Barrington), "In 1841, I find Isaac Smith in Fishpond Precint."
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
4 March 1841 - William Henry Harrison - Ninth President of the United States.
6 April 1841 - John Tyler - Tenth President of the United States.
Dubbed "His Accidency" by his detractors, John Tyler was the first Vice President to be elevated to the office of President by the death of his predecessor. Tyler assumed office upon the death of William Henry Harrison, who died after serving one month to the day from pneumonia, which he most likely contracted during his inaugural speech. Tyler’s assumption of the Presidency was instrumental in setting precedence for presidential succession. However, the entire Cabinet, except, Daniel Webster, resigned in protest.
17 May 1841 - Old Isaac turns 55.
26 January 1842 - Alabama’s state prison is established.
Alabama’s state prison was established by the legislature and the first convict is incarcerated.
5 May 1842 - Robert W. Smith (oldest son) draws his Last Will and Testament, appointing his father, Isaac Smith, executor.
1) Will Book B - Rockford, Coosa County, Alabama, pp 596.
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
12 May 1842 - Robert W. Smith (oldest son) dies in Coosa County, Alabama.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
19 January 1843 - George Washington Smith (son) marries Mary Ann Spivey in Coosa County.
1) Marriage License signed and sealed by R. M. Cleveland, dated 19 January 1843, is on file in Coosa County, Alabama. It is very likely they were married on the same day, as a Justice of the Peace or a minister might not have always been available.
2) Marriage Records Book A, Rockford, Coosa County, Alabama, pp 158.
9 March 1844 – Isaac Smith lends money to James A. Pearson
James A. Pearson, an elderly slave owner from Lowndes County, writes that in 1844 he "became embarrassed in his pecuniary affairs" and traveled to Tallapoosa County, to ask his son-in-law, Isaac T. Smith, for a loan. His son-in-law's father, also Isaac Smith, agreed to loan him $196, but asked Pearson to put up as collateral three slaves--January, a blacksmith, and "Sillar a Girl and Jack a boy." When asked to sign a bill of sale for his slaves, Pearson balked, but he later agreed when Isaac T. Smith offered him a promissory note for four hundred dollars signed by father and son.
1) Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Records of the Circuit Court, Minutes and Decrees Chancery Court 1852-1855: Pages: 399-402; 440
2) Internet Document: Digital Library on Americam Slavery - Number 20184908
(NOTE: These documents help to establish and verify who was Isaac T. Smith's father-in-law and the father of both Mary C. Pearson and Sarah A. Pearson.)
22March 1844 - Land Conveyance in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
Land Conveyance in Tallapoosa County, Alabama between John H. Thomas sold land in Tallapoosa County to Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy. It appears that Isaac was making preparations to move his family once again.
1) Land Records: Land conveyance filed by John H. Thomas in Macon County, Alabama
2) Transcription of the record received December 9, 2005 from L. W. Rhode (transcriber unknown).
(NOTE: John H. Thomas—along with several other personalities—held title to at least fifteen Federal Land Grants in Alabama. He may have been a member of the Alabama Company of South Carolina (or another similar organization), who were instrumental in bringing many settlers into the Alabama Territory. He may have also been one among many who were land speculators stealing land from the native Indians.)
1 April 1844 - Indenture to Isaac Smith in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
This was an indenture to Isaac Smith by John H. Allen for $1,475.00 in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
1) Court Records: Indenture filed at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama by John H Allen
2) Transcription: Record received December 9, 2005 from L. W. Rhode (transcriber unknown).
4 March 1845 - James K. Polk - Eleventh President of the United States.
1845 - 1848 - U.S. annexes Texas; war with Mexico soon follows.
Alabamians volunteer in large numbers to fight, but only the 1st Alabama Regiment, a battalion and several independent companies actually were received into Federal Service for the war. It is not known, at this time, whether any of Old Isaac's sons or grandsons joined this regiment.
17 May 1846 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 60 years old.
1847 - Montgomery becomes the new Alabama State capital.
5 October 1847 - Old Isaac has unclaimed mail at Dadeville Post office.
Old Isaac, it seems, is a bit remiss in collecting his mail from the Dadeville Post Office.
1) Newspaper: State Guard. Vol. 1, #40, pp. 2, John Hardy, EDITOR. October 5, 1847. Notice - Post Office at Dadeville.
(NOTE: The State Guard was a newspaper, published in Wetumpka and distributed statewide (presumably). It was edited—not so good, I might add—by John Hardy. Subscribers paid their subscription fee once a year.)
24 August 1848 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, marries Mary Jane Goulding
1) Marriage Book B, Coosa County, Alabama - 1849 through 1852, pp 11, Smith, Issac to Gaulding, Mary Jane, Aug. 24, 1848, Wit: John Gaddis, J.P.
2) Bert Cantrell, direct descendant.
3) Anna Jean Smith Key, direct descendant
4 March 1849 - Zachary Taylor - Twelfth President of the United States.
2 April 1849 – James A. Pearson petitions court to revoke the Smith promissory note of 9 March 1844
James A. Pearson petitions the court, asking that the promissory note issued to him on 9 March 1844 and signed by both Isaac Smith and Isaac T. Smith be revoked. He also asks that the bill of sale be cancelled and slaves returned to him, claiming that the slave’s labor more than compensated for the Smiths’ original loan.
1) Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Records of the Circuit Court, Minutes and Decrees Chancery Court 1852-1855: Pages: 399-402; 440
2) Digital Library on American Slavery PAR Number 20184908
1 June 1849 - Land Patent to Old Isaac Smith of Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
According to the verbiage of the grant, this land is subject to sale at Montgomery, Alabama.
1) Federal Bureau of Land Management - certificate number 9727
14 December 1849 - The Capitol in Montgomery is destroyed by fire.
The Capitol in Montgomery is destroyed by fire on the thirtieth anniversary of statehood. The fire consumed the majority of Alabama’s heretofore-historical records and documents that had been stored in that place.
1850 - Seventh Federal Census of the United States is taken.
1850 - 1851 - Isaac Thomas Smith (son) dies.
(NOTE: At this time, this death is estimated, based upon the probate records I have found, as I have neither found nor seen a will or any probate records.)
10 July 1850 - Millard Fillmore - Thirteenth President of the United States.
Fillmore assumed office after Zachary Taylor died in office on July 9, 1850 from cholera morbus, which he contracted from eating a bowl of cherries and drinking a pitcher of iced milk.
17 May 1851 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 65 years old.
18 September 1851 - Benjamin Franklin Smith (son) marries Lucy Cornelius in Coosa County, Alabama
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
2) Marriage License issued by J. W. Suttle on 16 September 1851
3) Marriage Certificate (same document as above) signed by Daniel D. [Tucker?], O.M.G. on 18 September 1851
4 March 1853 - Franklin Pierce - Fourteenth President of the United
States.
May 1854 - A Final Decree on the case of the promissory note written by Isaac Smith and signed by both him and his son, Isaac T, is given in favor of James A. Pearson.
1) Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Records of the Circuit Court, Minutes and Decrees Chancery Court 1852-1855: Pages: 399-402; 440
2) Digital Library on American Slavery PAR Number 20184908
2 May 1854 - Old Isaac purchases land in Shelby County, Alabama.
Land Conveyance in Tallapoosa County between Isaac Smith and his wife, Mary Jane, to William Bice for land in Shelby County worth $270.00.
1) Land Records at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
1855 - Old Isaac Smith acts as the executor of the estate for his son, Robert W. Smith.
Isaac Smith petitions the court to divide the estate because it is not meeting the demands of its financial obligations.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
(NOTE: I have not yet seen this record, so I do not know the date the petition was made.)
September 1855 to December 1856 - Yellow Fever takes a large toll in Alabama.
(NOTE: I suspect that Mary Jane Gaulding Smith may have succumbed to this particular outbreak.)
17 May 1856 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 70 years old.
December 1856 - A land record shows Isaac with a new wife—Lucy L. M.
1) Land Records in Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
4 March 1857 - James Buchanan - Fifteenth President of the United States.
15 March 1857 - The Estate of Robert W. Smith sells for $15,193.06.
Isaac Smith, executor of Robert W. Smith’s Will, enacts a claim against the Estate for the sum total of $16,669.23, which is paid, leaving a balance of $1,476.00 in Isaac’s favor.
1) Will Book 1: 1838-1866, Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, (4 July, 1861), pp 170, Entry dated 4 July, 1861, Last Will and Testament of Isaac Smith.Isaac’s will mentions a ruling in his favor against Robert’s Estate, "I also bequeath to the heirs of Robert W. Smith a certain debt on judgement against the estate of the said Robert W. Smith now on record in the Probate Court in Coosa County, Alabama in my favor."
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
3) Transcript: Transcript for the sale of the properties. Transcription of the record received December 9, 2005 from L. W. Rhode (transcriber unknown).
23 May 1858 - Adeline Temperance Smith Kimbrough (daughter) marries (2) Brisso O`
Brien.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
4 July 1858 - Andrew Jackson Smith (youngest son) marries Adaline DeLoach in Coosa County.
1) Marriage Book C, Rockford, Coosa County, Alabama, pp 121, Smith, A. J. to Deloach, Adaline, July 4, 1858 Wit: B. T. Smith, M.D.
2) License/Marriage Certificate on file in Coosa County, Alabama
1859
1860 - Eighth Federal Census of the United States is taken.
1860 - War is in the Air -
The feeling of war is in the very air during 1860, and the military spirit runs high. It is believed, however, that Old Isaac was not pro secession -- even though he owned a number of slaves. We know from comments he made on his death bed that he was very concerned about the tension between the North and the South, and after the war broke out he still considered himself a citizen of the United States.
1) Book: History of Coosa County, Alabama, by Willis Brewer (Southern Historical Press, Inc. 1990)
2) Transcript: Deposition taken from Dr. James A. Kelly after Issac Smith's death
28 August 1860 - Federal Census in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
Isaac Smith is shown with his wife, Lucy L. M., Joseph McLendon (physician) Mary McLendon, Ida McLendon and his granddaughter, Dora Canterberry.
1) 1860 Federal Census Schedule 1 - Free Inhabitants, Tallapoosa County pp. 162? – part of the page number is blurred
(NOTE: Many Smith descendants believe Dr. Joseph McLendon may have been Lucy’s brother, and further that he may have been in the employ of Isaac as the acting physician for his slaves.)
11 January 1861 – Alabama secedes from the Union.
Alabama Secession Convention passes an Ordinance of Secession, declaring Alabama a "Sovereign and Independent State." By a vote of 61-39, Alabama becomes the fourth state to secede from the Union
18 February 1861 - Jefferson Davis is inaugurated president of the Confederate States of America.
Davis is inaugurated president of the Confederate States of America on the portico of the Alabama State Capitol Building in Montgomery.
4 March 1861 - Abraham Lincoln - Sixteenth President of the United States.
12 April 1861 - The Civil War begins.
Civil War begins when Confederates acting upon instructions telegraphed from Montgomery, fire at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
17 May 1861 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, turns 75 years old.
21 May 1861 - The Confederate Congress meets for the last time in Montgomery.
4 July 1861 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, draws his Last Will and Testament.
Isaac Smith appoints his sons B. F. Smith and John J. Smith his executors.
1) Will Book 1; Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, (1838-1866). Page 170
2) Probate Records: Declaration and petition on file in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
3) Probate Transcriptions: Transcription of the record received December 9, 2005 from L. W. Rhode (transcriber unknown).
4) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
24 July 1861 - Isaac Smith, son of Robert and Edy, dies in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
He died at the age of 75 years, 2 months and 7 days.
1) Book: Marriage & Death Notices from the 'South Western Baptist' Newspaper, Michael Kelsey, Nancy Graff-Kelsey, Ginny Guinn Parsons, Published by Heritage Books, 1995, accessed September 20, 2008 (This obituary sites DoB, place of birth and death and date of death.)
2) Document: Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Smith Barrington.)

Beyond Isaac's Life:

7 July 1861 - Declaration of Death, Proclamation of Heirs and Petition
B. F. Smith and John J. Smith, Executors, after proclaiming the heirs of Isaac Smith, Petition the Probate Court to set a day for the reading of the will.
1) Probate Records: Declaration and petition on file in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Probate Transcriptions: Transcription of the record received December 9, 2005 from L. W. Rhode (transcriber unknown).
3) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
(NOTE: The transcribed copy I have, shows the July 7 date as the day the petition was "Sworn and subscribed" before the Honorable Allen D. Sturdivant. However, that date is a bit confusing, especially when considering that the Executors state that Isaac "departed this life on the 24th day of July AD 1861." If that be the case, why would the judge sign the petition before Isaac’s death? I believe the date should be July 27, 1861 or perhaps 7 August 1861.)
25 July 1861 - Receipt for coffin and case
Receipt for coffin and case in the amount of $15.00 (fifteen dollars), which was paid on 1 January 1862 by B. F. Smith and John J. Smith. The receipt is both signed and marked PAID IN FULL by E. C. Pearson.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
2) The receipt (Photocopy)
(Note: I have a photocopy of this receipt, which I received in 1993 among other family related papers from Bettye R. Lesley, another direct descendent through George Washington Smith. However, I do not know who holds the original receipt.)
7 August 1861 - An order of the probate court is made.
1) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington
(NOTE: I do not know what this order contained, as I do not have a copy of that proceeding from the probate courts. However, it is mentioned on September 12th, when a guardian was appointed for Isaac’s orphaned and underaged grandchildren. This may have been the actual date when Isaac’s will was read and the court gave instructions to the Executors about what they should do next. SEE: entry for July 7 1861.)
12 September 1861 - Guardianship is appointed for Isaac Smith’s minor, orphaned grandchildren.
The Honorable Allen D. Sturdivant appoints William M Minyard, Esquire, to act as the guardian for Isaac’s grandchildren: to wit; Albert Smith, Nancy Jennings, John J. Smith, Jr., Wade H. Smith, Didema Canterberry, Louisa Canterberry, Dora Canterberry, Thomas Lockwood and Sarah Lockwood.
1) Appointment on file at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama. I have a transcription.
1 October 1861 - Will of Isaac Smith is contested.
The will of Isaac Smith is contested—filing a petition to "try the validity of said instrument of writing as such Will," were to wit: Jacob Cooper for his wife Jane Cooper, John Caldwell for his wife Rebecca Caldwell, Henry B. Jennings, Robert Jennings, Albert McKay for his wife Frances McKay, Daniel Whetstone for his wife, Mary Whetstone, Thomas Barnett for his wife, Margaret Barnett, John Canterberry, Nancy Lee Jennings, John Bailey for his wife Elizabeth Bailey, Monroe Lauderdale for his wife Rebecca Ann Lauderdale, John Walker for his wife Louisa Walker, William M. Jackson for his wife, Elizabeth Jane Jackson, D. C. Smith, Daniel Whetstone for his wife, Sarah Whetstone and Amanda Jennings—17 people in all.
1) Petition on file at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington. A transcription is included in these papers.
10 October 1861 - An obituary for Isaac Smith appears in the "South Western Baptist Newspaper."
1) Book: Marriage and Death Notices from the South Western Baptist Newspaper; compiled by Michael Kelsey, Nancy Graff Ffloyd, Ginny Guinn Parsons; Heritage Books, 1995, accessed September 20, 2008
11 October 1861 - List of Appraisement.
An appraisal of Isaac Smith’s personal property is filed in the Probate Court. The appraisers included O. P. Dark, R. H. Ware and R. C. Young.
1) Appraisal on file at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
1 November 1861 - Inventory of the Estate of Isaac Smith.
(Note: I have a photocopy of a transcript. However, I do not know who holds the original or who made the transcription. These two pages came to me with the Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Smith Barrington, but I make no assumptions about them.)
2 November 1861 - A Deposition is taken from Dr. James A. Kelly.
A Deposition is taken from Dr. James A. Kelly as to Isaac Smith’s mental factors and competence to create a will.
1) Deposition on file at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
10 December 1861 - Isaac’s Will is final, recorded in Will Book 1, 1838-1866, Pages 170-173.
1) Will on file at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama (I have a copy.)
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
7 January 1862 - Order to Sell Slaves for Division.
Benjamin F. Smith and John J. Smith, Executors for Isaac Smith’s Will, appear before the Honorable Allen Sturdivant, Judge of Probate, to pray for an Order of the Court giving directions by which they should sell certain slaves mentioned in the eighth and ninth clauses of Isaac’s will. Allen Sturdivant, Judge of Probate, gives the immediate Order.
1) Application on file in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
24 March 1862 - Account and Report of Sale from the Estate of Isaac Smith.
Account and Report of Sale from the Estate of Isaac Smith is filed by B. F. Smith before the Honorable Allen D. Sturdivant, Judge of Probate
1) Accounting on file in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.
8 October 1863 - The "Decree on final settlement of accounts" for Isaac Smith is given.
1) Probate Document on file in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
2) Smith Papers compiled by Jerry Barrington.

Some Questions:

What was this family's route to Alabama, and were they accompanied by other families?

When and where were Clara Jane and Louisa E actually born?

Who is the Robert Smith, JP that performed wedding ceremonies for several of Old Isaac's children in Lowndes County, Alabama?

If anyone who reads this finds errors or can fill in blanks.... PLEASE... comment or email me at wylloweepinleaf@hotmail.com

PLEASE NOTE: This is copyrighted material (see copyright information at the top of this page).

Therefore, if you include any portion of the information from this blog in your own compiled genealogy or historical sketches, please cite this blog as your reference:

Isaac Smith and Family of Alabama, Kathy M. Galovic, Merrillville, Indiana, c2011.online http://smithsofalabama.blogspot.com/