
Donald W Smith
Honor Code SignatorySigned 19 Mar 2021 | 2,716 contributions | 136 thank-yous | 1,022 connections
Contents |
My father Arthur Leon Smith and uncle Mark Worden Smith researched for about 20 years in the 1970s and 80s and produced a "Blue Binder' including over 400 relatives [1] and Hiram Smith Genealogy focusing on descendandants of Hiram Horace Smith[2] I have some of their sources, including letters between family members. They hit a brick wall on our paternal Smith line at their 2GGF Hiram Horace Smith b. 1808 in either NY or VT. I have found no records, but DNA matches have led to highly probable parents for Hiram.
I re-created my father's Blue Binder [1] on Ancestry.com starting in 2018 as a public tree [3] and used Ancestry and other public records to confirm and add to the information provided. My father was pretty accurate!
I now have over 3900 relatives in my Ancestry tree, which includes many lines to ten generations in early New England colonies. I have used Ancestry ThruLines to help confirm relatives while researching shared DNA matches on Ancestry. I have notes and diagrams as I find common ancestors or possible connections with my DNA relatives,
While researching trees of a group of 43 shared DNA matches, two of trees included a fairly uncommon name: "William Otho Smith". One of them listed his father as a 'John Smith' b. 1789. Another tree in the group listed a 'Reuben Smith' and father John Smith b. 1789. I know of at least 13 DNA matches with descendants of John Smith b. 1789 through three different half-siblings of Hiram. My conclusion is that my 3GGF Hiram Horace Smith b. 1808 is an undocumented first son of John Smith b. 1789.
Another group of DNA matches led to a couple David Convis and wife Deborah Kenyon. Per census records 1790 in Kent, RI. and 1800 in Rupert, Bennington, VT it appears they had two daughters: Lucy and another unknown daughter, probably near the same age and born before 1790. The first daughter named Lucy has a well documented family. My theory is that the 'unkonwn daughter is Hiram's mother. I know of over 14 DNA matches through four different siblings of who I call 'Daughter1' Converse in my Ancestry tree.
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