George Enoch Smith
b. 10 Feb 1873, Frankfort, Kentucky
d. 13 Jan 1938, Louisville, Kentucky
m. 28 Sep 1897 to Ellen "Ella" Newhouse (b. Jan 1878, d. 7 Apr 1935)
George Smith and friend, Obie Lampton (abt 1900)
I have had success in discovering most of my ancestors beyond four generations. However, the Smith line is the only line that I have yet to move into the 5th generation. This is due to the lack of family information regarding my 2nd great-grandfather, George Enoch Smith. Additionally, the extremely common name has made finding records and evidence difficult.
The only records that I can match with certainty are as follows:
Indiana Marriage Record
Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana
Date: 28 Sep 1897
Groom: George E. Smith
Bride: Ella Newhouse
1920 Federal Census
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
George E. Smith
Age 48 [est. birth year: 1972]
Occupation: Engineer
Kentucky/Kentucky/Kentucky [Native State for self/father/mother]
Ellen Smith
Age 47 [est. birth year: 1973]
Kentucky/Georgia/Germany
Benjamin Smith
Age 15 [est. birth year: 1905]
Occupation: Errand Boy
Kentucky/Kentucky/Kentucky
1930 Census
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
George Smith
Age 56 [est. birth year: 1974]
Occupation: Painter/Contractor
Kentucky/Kentucky/Kentucky [Native State for self/father/mother]
Ellen Smith
Age 55 [est. birth year: 1975]
Kentucky/Germany/Georgia
Kentucky Death Record
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Death Date: 13 Jan 1938
Full Name: George Enoch Smith
Occupation: Engineer, Plaza Hotel
Wife: Ellen Smith
Date of Birth: 10 Feb 1873
Birthplace: Frankfort, Ky.
Father: Enoch Smith
Father's Birthplace: Beattyville, Ky.
Mother: Unknown
Informant: Ben F. Smith
Now, one would think that since this death record indicates George's father as "Enoch Smith," that we could use this find further records. However, upon extensive searches, there are no records that show a "George Smith" as the son of an "Enoch Smith" that would correctly match the birth years and locations we would expect.
It is interesting that the identity of George's mother was not known by his son, Benjamin Franklin Smith, the informant on the death record. This could be as a result of three plausible scenarios:
- George's mother died at an early age and George never knew her, or perhaps, never talked about her to his son, Benjamin.
- George's parents were divorced and Benjamin Smith never knew his grandmother.
- Benjamin does not know much about either of his grandparents and even listing his grandfather as "Enoch Smith" is a mistake.
As I sift through census records, I am more inclined to believe the third possibility: that Benjamin Smith may have been grasping to satisfy the parent fields on the death certificate. It would make sense to assume that George's father was named "Enoch Smith" because George's middle name is "Enoch." Or, perhaps George's father went by Enoch later in life, while appearing on earlier census records under a different name.
The father's birthplace on the death record is very specific, being recorded as "Beattyville, Ky." This specificity could indicate that Benjamin actually does know about his grandfather. But, again, he could just be pulling this from an old memory.
In any case, things just do not add up. There are no census records to support the fact that George's father is named Enoch. So, again, we have three plausible scenarios:
- The family did not actually appear on any census records in 1880 and 1900.
- Either George or George's father went by a different name on these census records.
- George's father is not named Enoch.
I have found evidence that may support that George's father is actually Milton Smith instead of Enoch Smith. In the next part of the post, we will examine the census records to determine if this is a possibility worth considering.
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