Smith Families

THE STORY OF NESHOBA BY: R. L. BRELAND Friday, October 4, 1935  
The entire name is not readable it says: THE NESHOBA...
Contributed by Dawn Chandler

SOMETHING ABOUT SMITHS

The past summer one branch of the many Smith families held a family reunion at the home of Mr. J. K. Smith a few miles southeast of Philadelphia. One of the brothers, from Texas, C. R. (Red) Smith visited here recently. On his return to Texas he wrote a letter to the Dallas, Newspaper which was published in that paper and which gave some very interesting information about that branch of the Smith family.

The letter to that paper, together with some comments thereon, follow: "Everybody is curious as to how there happens to be so many Smith's scattered over the face of the earth, and last week our old friend Red Smith who has just returned from Mississippi where he was born came to our office with some light on the subject.

"Mr. Smith visited his four brothers who live in the same community where they grew up, and it is bound to be a healthy spot, as the combined ages of the five was over 400 years. He told about some big family reunion that they had while he was there, and also said that us Texas people don't know what hard times really are as compared with that country. He said that the people had absolutely no cash money at all, and many of them will surely lose their homes this year for taxes.

"Mr. Smith wrote us a letter about one tribe of Smiths, and he said there were five more in the same section, so his letter ought to preview here most of the Smiths come from anyhow.
"The letter follows: 'Well, Mr. Editor, I have just returned from a trip to Mississippi, and I have solved the problem as to how and where came so many Smiths. Now, to make a statement like that with out giving proof would look bad, so here goes for the proof:
"Some fifty years ago, in the state of Mississippi, in Neshoba County, ten miles south of Philadelphia, between creeks of Coonshuck and Custudha, there lived six different tribes of Smiths of no blood relation. However, I did not get the record of any but my own. That one ought to be enough: Here it is:
'J. K. Smith, 12 children, 67 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren; W. D. Smith, 7 children, 58 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren; C. R. Smith, 7 children, 32 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren; P. B. Smith, 13 children, 58 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren; J. G. Smith, 11 children, 67 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren. Totals - 50 children, 282 grandchildren, 94 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great-grandchildren, making a grand total of 430. Now, how much more proof do you want - C. R. Smith.'
"The combined ages of these five brothers is over 400 years and still going strong."
Now that is interesting and we hope to have more information on this branch of the Smith family soon. Mr. J. K. Smith is the oldest of these five remarkable Smith brothers, and is 87 years old. He is one of our substantial citizens, as are all the members of this Smith family. Long may they live.