I14865: William J. SMITH (b. ABT 1832, d. AFT 1858)

William J. SMITH (ID #I14865)

(male)

BIRTH: ABT 1832, IN
DEATH: AFT 1858 [5364]

Father: John B. SMITH (b. 19 MAY 1792, d. 9 SEP 1849)
Mother: Elizabeth CHAPMAN (b. 3 DEC 1797, d. 30 SEP 1853)

If the William Smith age 31 b. Ohio on the Civil War draft register of 1863 in Solano Co., CA is him, that would make his birthdate about 1832. Last known in Solano Co., CA about 1858. William's guardian Josiah I. Earhart, former probate judge of Davis Co., IA, was released 01 mar 1854, implying that William had recently reached the age of 21. His brother Reuben's stepson William B. Synon recalled meeting Reuben's brother "Joseph", so perhaps that was William J. Smith's middle name. Where he was born is still uncertain, as the family must have moved from Ohio to Rush Co., Indiana sometime between about 1830 and 1835.

The William J. Smith who appears in some of the early records of Solano Co. obtained a homestead patent in the NW 1/4 of section 19, T7N, R2E of the Mt. Diablo Meridian. He had occupied the land since September, 1857, apparently before the land was offered for sale at the San Francisco Land Office, and applied for the homstead in 1863. As a final step in obtaining the patent, the Western Pacific Railroad, which had been granted most of the odd-numbered sections in that area as payment for constructing the railroad, waived its claim to his land on July 14, 1868. The application and affidavits show that William had a wife and three children as of that date (see below, at least this information matches the family of a William Jasper Smith on the 1880 census), and had built a house and two barns, fenced the property, and made about $1,000 worth of improvements. Unfortunately, there seems to be no information in the homestead application that could prove his relationship to Reuben P. Smith. The only Smith that could be same man in the 1860 census seems not to be ours.

Another possibility is the William Jasper Smith who appears on the voter registration records. As of 23 jun 1879, he was at Salt Point, Sonoma County, CA, age 44, born in Ohio. He is on the 1880 census at Salt Point with wife Delila, age 33, born in Missouri, and children George (born about 1863, possibly the George Morgan Smith on the 1930 census of San Benito, San Benito Co., CA, widower), Belle (born about 1866), James (born about 1868), and Lilly (born about 1877), all born in California. The same William J. Smith on the 1900 census of Washington Township, Alameda Co., CA, born in November 1833, age 66, with wife Delila. They had been married for 39 years (thus married about 1861) and Delila was the mother of 5 children, 4 still living. In 1920, William and Delila are in San Francisco, living with their daughter Lilian and her husband Theodore Ruge. Delilah died 24 mar 1927, age 80, and William J. died 16 apr 1927, age 93, both in San Benito Co. Whether this might be the brother of Reuben P. Smith is a complicated question. There were at least two other men named William Jasper Smith, both about the same time (one born in Virginia, the other in Missouri), who settled in California, the second (wife Elizabeth) in Sonoma Co.

However, we now know that this William Jasper Smith was in fact born in Rush Co., Indiana, as stated on the Great Register for 1892 (13 aug 1892, at Irvington, Alameda Co., California, age 58, thus born about 1834).

[5364] last known location: went to live with Reuben P. Smith at a rancho in Suisun Valley, CA, from which Reuben P. departed to relocate his wife on July 19, 1858.

                                             __
                                            |  
                       _Reuben SMITH _______|
                      | (1767 - 1840) m 1788|
                      |                     |__
                      |                        
 _John B. SMITH ______|
| (1792 - 1849) m 1815|
|                     |                      __
|                     |                     |  
|                     |_Sarah Beach CLARK __|
|                       (1773 - 1834) m 1788|
|                                           |__
|                                              
|
|--William J. SMITH 
|  (1832 - 1858)
|                                            __
|                                           |  
|                      _John CHAPMAN _______|
|                     | (1763 - 1850) m 1788|
|                     |                     |__
|                     |                        
|_Elizabeth CHAPMAN __|
  (1797 - 1853) m 1815|
                      |                      __
                      |                     |  
                      |_Rebecca PEACE ______|
                        (1767 - ....) m 1788|
                                            |__

DUTOIT: A Family from Moudon, Switzerland

William J. SMITH (ID #I14865)

William Lewis SMITH (ID #I5061)

William N. SMITH (ID #I1503)

William N. SMITH (ID #I14910)

William Owen SMITH (ID #I15155)

William Reinhardt SMITH (ID #I34092)

William S. SMITH (ID #I16313)

William Theodore Freylinghuysen SMITH (ID #I15133)

Gary Layton SNABLE (ID #I12787)

Harriet Phebe SNABLE (ID #I12789)

Harry Bonnell SNABLE (ID #I12774)

Judy Prout SNABLE (ID #I12780)

Myron Adams SNABLE (ID #I12775)

Nancy Ann SNABLE (ID #I12782)

Robert Myron SNABLE (ID #I12781)

Robert Myron SNABLE (ID #I12777)

Thimshal Blake SNABLE (ID #I12779)

John J. SNEDDAKER (ID #I27072)

Tamara "Tammy" SNELL (ID #I19580)

Honora Elizabeth SNEYD (ID #I10411)

Auraumpai Supunnica SNITVONGSE (ID #I19624)

Helen Ruth SNOW (ID #I5313)

O. H. SNOW (ID #I7304)

(Mr.) SNYDER (ID #I33754)

_____ SNYDER (ID #I20455)