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Mary (Toney) Smith (abt. 1783 - aft. 1820)

Mary Smith formerly Toney
Born about in Powhatan, Virginia, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of and
Sister of , , , , , and
Wife of — married 23 Jan 1802 in Powhatan, Virginiamap
[children unknown]
Died after after about age 37 [location unknown]
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Profile last modified | Created 21 Jan 2019
This page has been accessed 390 times.
The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.

Contents

Biography

Birth

Based on the date and location of her marriage, Mary Toney was probably born in about 1783 in Powhatan County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Edmond Toney and, probably, his wife Judith.[1]

Marriage

She married Thomas Smith in Powhatan County, Virginia, on 23 January 1802.[1]

Later Life

Thomas Smith appears as the head of his household in Powhatan County in the 1810 census. His household includes a female of the correct age to by Mary, along with four children under the age of 10 (two boys and two girls), who are probably their children.[2]

Mary was still living and is identified as "Mary Smith" in her father Edmund's will, which he made in Powhatan County, Virginia, on 20 May 1814.[3]

There is a household in Powhatan County headed by a Mary Smith, likely a widow, in the 1820 census. This is probably the same Mary, although the census gives an age of 45+ for her.[4]

Death

This 1820 census entry is the last known record of Mary (Toney) Smith. The circumstances of her death are unknown.

Research Notes

Disambiguation - Polly (Toney) Rattlinggourd

Some researchers across the web and genealogy sites believe that this Mary Toney who married Thomas Smith in Powhatan County, Virginia, is the same Mary/Polly Toney, born around the same time, who married Rattlinggourd Ku Nah Ti (Cherokee) Conrad near the Moravian mission at Spring Place in the Cherokee Nation, in what is now north Georgia. However, Mary/Polly Toney and Rattlinggourd Conrad were living in the Cherokee Nation and had at least 10 children there between 1805-1825, at the same time that Mary Toney and Thomas Smith were raising their family in Powhatan County, Virginia. Powhatan County, Virginia, is more than 500 miles from the Moravian mission at Spring Place in the Cherokee Nation, and it would have taken months to travel overland from Powhatan County, Virginia, to Spring Place in the early 1800s. Other than the similar names of the two women, there is no known reliable evidence to support the claim that they are the same person.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Powhatan County, Virginia, Register of Marriages, pp. 48 & 166; images, FamilySearch, FHL 33,067, DGS 7,579,028, images 155 (marriage bond granted 22 Jan 1802, Thomas Smith & Mary Toney; father of wife Edmund Toney); & 274 (Thomas Smith married Mary Toney, daughter of Edmund Toney, on 23 Jan 1802)
  2. ↑ 1810 U.S. census, Powhatan County, Virginia, p. 231 (penned), Thomas Smith; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY6-SV7L : accessed 3 Mar 2023).
  3. ↑ Powhatan County, Virginia, Will Book 5, pp. 98-100; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9PX-FD8M : accessed 28 Feb 2023).
  4. ↑ 1820 U.S. census, Powhatan County, Virginia, Jefferson township, p. 105 (penned), Mary Smith; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYY-LRW : accessed 3 Mar 2023); citing NARA M33, roll 135.

See also:

  • The Toney Family History, Henning and Rummel, pg 471, 474
  • Knorr, Catherine L, "Marriages of Powhatan Co, VA 1777/1830", pg 59




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Mary by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Mary:

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Comments: 13

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Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
There is no record of this woman or her sister ever living with or near the Cherokee or on the Trail of Tears. She was not married to a Cherokee man. No women on the Trail of Tears were were wagonmasters. This Mary was not Cherokee. Please correct her biography.
posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
edited by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Here’s a link to her marriage record: "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XRWF-13R : 6 August 2020), Mary Toney in entry for Thomas Smith, 1802.
posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Link to will of Edmond Toney, probated June 16, 1816 in Powhatan County, Virginia. Named his children including daughters Mary Smith and Kitturah Allderson. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9PX-FD8M?i=306&cat=377965

These daughters were clearly living near him when he died since he left them feather beds and furniture in addition to money.

posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
edited by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Here is a link to Polly Rattlinggourd's March, 1842 Spoilation claim in the Tennessee Virtual Archive. She states that she was Removed to Indian Territory in the Colston Detachment and that she is a "native Cherokee."

https://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15138coll52/id/1754/rec/1

Her son Jackson was a witness.

posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Godsey-688 Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
I had the will Transcribed and it was written May 20th 1814 and clearly states the five daughters already had in their possession in 1814 the feather beds and furniture you speak of 2 years before their father passed away
posted by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
This Virginia woman has no connection to the Cherokee man named Rattlinggourd. His wife was a full-blood Cherokee woman who was Removed to Indian Territory over the Trail of Tears.
posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Godsey-688 Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
Mary Toney Smith Rattlinggourd was and is Edmund Toneys daughter my 5th great grand mothers sister. She is one in the same. DNA of Kiturah Toneys offspring tie back to Mary Rattlinggourd offspring. Mary Rattlinggourd Married Thomas Smith first then after his death married Rattlinggourd Conrad. Yes she as well as her sister Sarah was a wagon master on the trail of tears. My grand mother Kiturah stayed behind along the Tennessee River in and Aaround Toney Alabama and married Augusta Godsey while still in Virginia.
posted by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
edited by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Polly Toney who married Rattlinggourd was a full-blood Cherokee woman. She wasn't from Virginia and didn't have white parents.
posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Godsey-688 Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
Edmond Toney wasn't white maybe do some research on Toney Alabama and the Toney last name. If You claim Mary Polly Toney is full blood where did she get the last name Toney from ?
posted by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
Parks-2399 Kathie (Parks) Forbes
"Toney" could easily be a Cherokee name. People wrote down what they thought they heard. She was born and married before the Cherokee syllabary was invented.
posted by Kathie (Parks) Forbes
Godsey-688 Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
So you dismiss my own up bringing and knowledge of who my ancestors are as well as DNA. You've not supplied any sources to dis miss nor prove where where Mary Polly Toney came from. I grew up visiting my aunts and uncles in Oklahoma
posted by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
edited by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Karla,

Kathie actually has provided sources (at the top of this very comment thread) to demonstrate that Mary/Polly wife/mate of Rattlingourd came from different origins than Mary/Polly daughter of Edmund Toney and wife of Thomas Smith.

I have also pointed out that Rattlingourd's children (with Mary) were born before the death of Thomas Smith AND 500 miles away from Powhatan, Virginia. So it is simply not possible for the wife of Rattlingourd and mother of his children to be the same woman living 500 miles away, concurrently married to Thomas Smith.

I also see that you've created a new profile for Rattlingourd. Creation of intentional duplicates is against WikiTree policy. See https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Duplicates

I do understand that family stories are powerful. In my own family, I grew up with claims about my ancestors that, when I actually dug into the records and documentation, turned out to be inaccurate.

posted by Jillaine Smith
edited by Jillaine Smith
Godsey-688 Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer
I grew up visiting my aunts and uncles who still resided on the Rez. Word of mouth and family history is still used The Toney's were very wealthy as were. I have merged bitb Rattlinggourd profiles. I will find the needed documentation of who Mary was.Her as well as her sister Sally Hamilton died in Indian Territory oaklahoma.
posted by Karla (Godsey) Pfeiffer

Rejected matches › Polly (Toney) Rattling Gourd (abt.1785-abt.1851)

Featured National Park champion connections: Mary is 14 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 20 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 15 degrees from George Catlin, 14 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 17 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 15 degrees from George Grinnell, 26 degrees from Anton Kröller, 17 degrees from Stephen Mather, 22 degrees from Kara McKean, 12 degrees from John Muir, 17 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 19 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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