Roscoe Smith (1885 - 1979)

Born 9 Oct 1885 in Owen County, Indiana

Ancestors

Biography

Sources

This writer became a little confused in finding the right person to attach the following story to and contacted Donna Davis for clarification. The following is a record of our correspondence: " Dear Mike, The tube arrived yesterday.... ( I had sent her a copy of the J.S. Snodgrass commemorative Civil War document and had mailed it in a tube to avoid having to fold it). My grandfather Artie, spoke with great love and admiration of his grandfather, John S... Was his story of his grandfather in the stuff I sent? Artie was about ninety when he wrote it.

Donna, Can you clarify for me the parents of Artie Smith? It appears my brain is in slow motion this morning. The article that I am looking at is authored by Arthur R. Smith.

Mike, I am chuckling. Grandpa was not overly enthused by his first name and went by Artie. When I visited with Great grandpa Smith Harvey, he told on Artie and let me know that it was Roscoe Artie! Trying to keep the records straight, I figured his father ought to know, so I changed mine. Grandpa Artie never fussed about it, so I figured age and wisdom had caught up with him.

Notes: the following story was shared with me by Donna Davis of Forest Grove, Or. from a booklet she co-authored and compiled in 1971 on her family history.

"As I Remember Grandpa Snodgrass" by Arthur R. Smith

John S. Snodgrass. I believe I must have been about four years old when my parents Harvey E. and Amma Florence Smith would take us children to grandpa's about every weekend. This was the old horse and buggy days. A little later as we were able to ride horseback, my brother William and I would ride double horse to Grandpa's. Grandpa had quite a large farm, possibly 180 acres. This land is quite hilly and two large creeks met and ran through the farm. We lived about three and a half miles away and would have to ford the creek four times to get there.

The farm had a maple grove of about forty acres and good pasture land along the creek bank. There was a large cliff of stone and there were times he would lose one of his cattle as it would fall over the cliff. This was sure death for any animal falling over the cliff as it was quite high. Then there was also a nice section of this land that was good farming land. Grandpa had a fine large orchard of apples and peaches. He had a fruit dryer with which he and my parents would dry the peaches and apples for winter use. They also made a lot of apple cider every fall.

When I first remember, I suppose I was four or five years old, they lived in an old house. Soon after, Grandpa built a nice house, barn and chicken house. Shortly after these new buildings were erected Grandma took sick, as I remember, she lay there in this new home possibly a year or so before her death. Grandpa lived on in this farm for the rest of his life.

He made maple syrup every year from the maple grove on his farm. My brother William and I helped gather the sugar water and bring it to camp many times, where it was boiled down to syrup. Some was boiled longer and made into maple sugar bars. This could be made back to molasses by adding water and bringing it to a boil.

Their home was a very nice one, although it did not have plumbing in it as we have today. The lower part of the house had a walkout with a very nice yard on a stony hillside. There was a nice living room on the lower level which had a fireplace within. A kitchen adjoined the living-room. When visiting Grandpa we would pop popcorn over the wood-burning fireplace. It was so homey. A pleasant evening was spent there playing checkers and other games. At this time there were only two of his children left as the others were all married. Only Lora and Hattie, the youngest, were left at home and they were near our ages. These were the days when we didn't have electric lights and had to burn kerosene or candles for light. I can remember times when we would go out to the old house to make the candles. This place had one of the nicest springs just a few feet from their kitchen...the spring being in the ledge rock. A nice spring house was built over the spring. It was only a half a dozen steps down to the spring. They had a portion of run off water going through an area to cool their milk. The water was always cool and fine to drink.

Grandpa was always good to us kids. We always ate well when visiting there. At hay making time, I was ten or eleven, I would ride the horse drawing hay shocks to the place where it would be stacked for later feed for the Stock.

In 1897 my parents moved from Gosport, Indiana to Muscatine, Iowa...and away from being close to Grandpa's. Grandpa Snodgrass visited my home in Minneapolis, Minn., in the sumertime of 1925. I don't remember of seeing him after that time. Grandpa was a very nice man. I loved him.

Note: 12-12-2004 Note: a Family Record book produced by unknown author after January 6, 1927 states that "Artie R. Smith" was married a second time to Mrs. Myrtle Ros(letter missing) on October 30, 1917, it further states that she was born November 25, 1886.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Ancestral File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:MW5X-MVP : accessed 2016-04-10), entry for Roscoe Artie SMITH.