Grandma Smith

Now here was a puzzle! Grandma Smith was born in Maine in 1833. Her daughter, Sarah F, married Otis H Wescott in 1869. (Otis was the grandpa who "went to the drugstore and never came home" and Sarah later was known as Sadie, and married a Tomlinson, so I had always known of her as Grandma Tomlinson.)

Grandma Tomlinson's maiden name was Kimball, so Grandma Smith must have been married twice - first to Sadie's father, then to Edward E Smith.

Grandma Smith was born Mary A Wall (according to her death certificate, 23 Feb 1918 - just a few weeks after Muriel was born).

In 1860, there was a Mary A Kimball (28) living with Sarah F Kimball (8) in Biddesford, ME. There was also an Edward E Smith and his family living in Biddesford (in the "Alms House").

By 1870, Edward E, Mary A and Edward E Smith (jr) were in Minneapolis. Sarah F was living with Otis H Wescott and their daughter Corah (age 1).

Was Edward Smith the "Grandpa Smith" who was the "Yankee who was a prisoner in Andersonville" during the Civil War?

My searches have found evidence that that was indeed true.

At first I didn't think it was, because the first record I found said that there was an Edward E Smith with the 1st Cavalry from Maine at Andersonville, BUT THAT HE DIED THERE. Well, of course, I knew that he didn't die there! He was still living in Minneapolis and listed in the 1880, 1900, and 1910 censuses!

A later look at the record showed that it says:

Remarks: E. E. SMITH, E2 ED[3]; Q.M.C. SAYS THIS IS NOT THE PERSON BURIED HERE[1]
Notes: BURIAL CHANGE TO UNKNOWN IN 1913 BY ORDER OF THE QMC.

And there is a record that Mary A Smith applied for and was granted a Civil War Soldier's widow's pension in 1913.

Based on the facts I've found, here's a reasonably accurate timeline:

15 Apr 1833: Mary A Wall born in Portland, ME

1850 Mary Wall is listed in the federal census, living in Dover, NH and working in a textile mill (?). Also in the same town is a Lyman Kimball, age 21, working in the mills. I am speculating that Lyman may be the father of Sarah/Sadie. I will try to verify this.

1852 Sarah F Kimball is born in Biddeford, ME

1860 Sarah F, Mary A Kimball as well as Edward E Smith and his parents and siblings are living in Biddeford

Some time between 1860 and 1862 Mary A Kimball marries Edward E Smith (son of Noah H Smith) in Biddeford

April 1863 Edward E Smith junior is born in Biddeford

January 1864 Edward E Smith Sr joins the army, Company M, 1st Regiment, Cavalry, Maine and goes to war

Some time in 1864 He is a prisoner of war at Andersonville and is "paroled" to Camp Parole near Annapolis, MD

June 1865 Edward gets out of the army

1866 Sarah (and Mary, Edward and Edward??) is living in Minneapolis (source: Sadie Tomlinson's death certificate, 1937, which states that she has lived in Mpls for 61 years)

1870 Sarah, Otis and Corah in Mpls
Edward, Mary and Edward in Mpls
Noah Smith (Edward's father) and Moses Smith (his uncle?) are living in Zumbrota, MN

1880 Otis, Sarah and their children Corah, Horace, Agnes (Grandma Libby) and Paul Wescott in Mpls.

5 November 1883 Sarah Wescott divorces Otis Wescott (Hennepin County is looking for the record to send me)

1900 Mary, Edward and Edward are living at 1501 E 46th Street

1910 Mary, Edward and Edward are living at 4620 Chicago Avenue, WITH Sarah (now known as Sadie) and Charles Tomlinson (her second husband)

1913 Mary applies for and gets the Civil War widow's pension, so Edward died between 1910 and 1913 (he is buried at Oak Hill, but we couldn't find a stone for either Edward or Mary and the record card has no date for Edward's burial... I have to look into this more)

June 1917 Grandma Lohman (Grace Libby) marries Gustav Lohman, and there is a picture taken of four generations, with Grandma Smith, Grandma Tomlinson, Grandma Libby and Grandma Lohman. (I'll try to post this picture later.)

23 February 1918 Just a few weeks after Muriel is born, Grandma Smith dies of "apoplexy." She is buried at Oak hill near Grandma and Grandpa Libby (Agnes and Edward), Sadie Tomlinson and Edward E Smith Jr. The stone is not visible at this time - it may have sunk into the ground - Ron and I plan to check further on this.

According to both Helen and Muriel, Grandma Smith smoked a corn cob pipe - to "settle the water on her stomach". When her daughter Sarah was deserted and left by her drunken husband Otis with four small children, Sarah fell into a deep depression, so the kids were basically raised by their Grandma Smith.

The Minnesota Historical Society has a photo of "Chicago Avenue near Minnehaha Creek" taken early in the century. Check it out.

The Historical Society also has a picture that includes a woman named Mary Smith - Steve thinks it may be her... you decide! (The woman in the third row, seated, in a black dress to the left of the woman in the white blouse.)

It's hard to imagine what her life was like - being a very young widow, marrying again and having a second child, only to have her husband go off to war - and captured by the enemy. Then leaving her home in Maine (where her family may have been for years) to go to Minnesota! Basically raising her grandchildren... watching her daughter suffer with an alcoholic husband (and later have another unhappy marriage). Wow.