Elbert 'Lum' and Etta Groves Smith

Elbert Columbus 'Lum' Smith (1877-1943) and his wife, Etta Gertrude Groves Smith (1881-1961).

Photo: James (Jim) Monroe Groves 1844-1939

In the second photo, James is the gentleman wearing a medal he received at the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The man on the left is his brother, John (b.1857).

Photo: Sarah Jane Roop (Rupp) 1850-1926

The Ancestor Effect

One more reason that genealogy is important to our families, the development of our kids and their kids, The Ancestor Effect.

Davis Families in Indiana, Lebanon P.O., Jackson Twshp, Boone Co., Enumeration Districts 125 and 126, 1880

In 1880, the township of Jackson was divided into two districts, 125 and 126, for census enumeration. In 1880, the family relationships were recorded, which is extremely helpful in piecing together the kindred puzzles. Below is a list of the Davis families of both, recorded by order of family number. As before, I'll list surname, also age and estimated date of birth, followed by notes.

District 125 (25 pages, 7 separate Davis households)

69

• Heady, Ammon, 69, 1811, farmer
• " Caroline, 48, 1832
• " Percy L., 28, 1852, farming
• " Mary H., 11, 1869
• " Mettie C., 8, 1872
• Davis, William M., 17, 1863, stepson
  

97

• Nicely, George W., 69, 1811, farming
• " Elizabeth, 49, 1831
• " Charley, 17, 1863, grandson
• Davis, Lewis, 11, 1869, stepson

102

• Davis, Thomas, 32, 1848, farming
• " Mary E., 31, 1849
• " Rosa B., 10, 1870
• " Carold c., 6, 1874

105

• Davis, Morning, 65, 1815
• " Jane, 24, 1856
• " Voorhees (m), 15, 1865

107 (family of interest)

• Mallet, Eliza, 40, 1840, widow
• " May A., 23, 1857
• " John W., 19, 1861, farming
• " Louisa I., 16, 1864

108

• Davis, Thomas J., 55, 1825, laborer
• " John R., 20, 1860, Lof..r?
• " Malinda, 17, 1863
• " Margrett, 14, 1866
• " Harriett, 12, 1868

110

• Davis, Morgan, 25, 1855, farming
• " Mary E., 23, 1857

172

• Davis, Wm., M., 26, 1854, farmer
• " Anna, 19, 1861
• " Gracey E., 8 months, Oct 1879

District 126 (21 pages, 6 separate Davis households)

2

• Davis, James H., 28, 1852, lawyer
• " Alice, 20, 1860
• " Myrtal R., 4, 1876
• " Dora A., 2, 1878
• " Lulu, 3 months, 1880

17

• Davis, Hiram, 30, 1850, farm laborer
• " Sarah, 34, 1846
• " Isabelle, 6, 1874
• " William O., 1, 1879

107

• Davis, William, 76, 1804, farmer
• " Susan, 79, 1801

160

• Davis, Ann, 78, 1802, boarder with the Mallet family

165

• Davis, James L., 44, 1836, farmer
• " Sarah, 44, 1836
• " William T., 21, 1859
• " Jesse L., (m), 5, 1875

197

• Davis, Andrew J., 31, 1849, farmer
• " Martha, 23, 1857

William and Susan Davis of the 1870 Jackson, Boone, IN census are represented here 10 years older in 1880 by family 107. Also interesting here is Morning Davis, b. 1815 KY, family 105, because one of Wm and Susan's daughters is named Nancy Morning, an unusual name which suggests a relationship.

Davis Families in Indiana, Lebanon P.O., Jackson Twshp, Boone Co., 1870

At the risk of being geeky, here they are, the 16 separate Davis households enumerated on the census record of my title.

The first number is the family number from the census and roughly indicates proximity, i.e. neighbors can be determined. Columns correspond to the following headings;
given name (surname where it's not Davis and gender where the name is ambiguous)--age--date of birth--place of birth--occupation, followed by notes if any. Naturally, names are prone to error from transcription and dates are only as accurate as memories.

6

• Randolph, 27, 1815, KY, laborer (residing in Jackson family household)

37

• John W. 55, 1815, KY, farmer
• Louisa 33, 1837, KY
• Frances E. (f), 15, 1855, IN
• Mary Martha, 12, 1857, IN
• James D., 10, 1860, IN
• Andrew, 5, 1865, IN
• Leander, 3, 1867, IN

56

• Thomas J., 50, 1820, KY, farmer
• Matilda, 34, 1836, IN
• William D., 15, 1855, IN
• Mary L., 12, 1858, IN
• John R., 9, 1861, IN
• Lindy E. (f), 7, 1863, IN
• Margaret A., 5, 1865, IN
• Harriet, 2, 1868, IN

85

• John F., 36, 1834, IN, hotel?keeper
• Elizabeth J. 26, 1844, IN
• Iowa I. (f), 7months, IN

91

• Howard, 16, 1854, IN, laborer (resides with Mary E. Pollard, age 27, ??maker??)

113

• Harry, 20, 1850, IN, stone cutter (resides in hotel? of the Fullenwider family along with other boarders)

161

• James L., 34, 1836, IN, farmer
• Eliza A., 30, 1840, IN
• Sarah E., 13, 1857, IN
• William F., 1859, IN

178

• Caroline, 37, 1833, IN
• Mary E., 15, 1855, IN
• Rebecca A., 9, 1861, IN
• William W., 7, 1863, IN

208

• William L., 66, 1804, KY, farmer
• Susan, 68, 1802, IN
• William H. Sotherland, 11, 1859, IN. (grandson?)

230

• John T., 45, 1825, IN, farmer
• Orinda, 37, 1833, IN
• James H., 18, 1852, IN, farm laborer
• William M. 16, 1854, IN
• Ester C. Stewart, 18, 1852, IN

265

• Rebecca, 38, 1832, IN
• Calvin M., 17, 1853, IN
• George W., 14, 1856, IN

284

• Annias, 50, 1820, KY, farmer
• Liddie E., 28, 1842, IN
• Sarah M., 12, 1858, IN
• Willard, 10, 1860, IN
• Joseph 5, 1865, IN
• Rosetta 3, 1867, IN

309

• Catherine, 68, 1802, KY
• Martha E., 21, 1849, IN
• John 6, 1864, IN

313

• Thomas J., 38, 1832, KY, farmer
• Elizabeth, 38, 1832, OH
• Hiram A., 20, 1850, IN, laborer in mill (probably a saw mill)
• Alfred A., 18, 1852, IN, farm laborer
• Mary H., 14, 1856, IN
• William I., 10, 1860, IN
• Bauman? L., 1, 1869, IN

365

• William J., 58, 1812, KY, farmer
• Ester A., 52, 1818, IN
• Frances M (m), 22, 1848, IN
• Elzora, 15, 1855, IN
• Harriet J., 1, 1869, IN
• David D. Shelley, 15, 1855, IN (grandson or laborer?)

366

• Charles, 19, 1851, IN, laborer in saw mill
• James, 28, 1842, IN, laborer in saw mill (both young men residing with the family of the saw miller along with other laborers)

I believe my ancestors are here in family 208. Oddly enough, I don't claim any of these other Davises, who I think represent more than one other lineage. These other families I was able to piece together in a fashion while looking through the county as a whole, and I found some references to their separate family trees online, enough to tentatively eliminate them as kin. While the elder couple of William and Susan seem a little lonely here, relationships with their children are more obvious in the earlier census records of 1850 and 1860. The 1860 record I may put up, but the 1850 is a larger project of 230 pages covering District 7 (and an urban area), where it was again that I found the elder William and his wife.

Briefly for my kindred's perspective, William Davis and Susan Howard-->George Washington Davis and Mary Ann Anderson-->Nancy Caroline Davis and Robert O. Ryan-->Bertha May Ryan and Oscar C. Sparlin-->Estal E. Sparlin and Harriet Tripp-->David E. Sparlin

Update on Sarah Jane Roop

I found the census record I needed to pin down Sarah Jane's family before moving to Missouri.

U.S. Census, 1850, Plumcreek, Armstrong, PA

Roop, age, DOB

• John, 32, 1818
• Sarah, 30, 1820
• Henry S., 6, 1844
• Caroline, 4, 1846
• Phebe, 2, 1848
• Sarah Jane, 3 mo., 1850

Neighbors are:

Roop, age, DOB

• Adam, 63, 1787
• Phebe, 61, 1789
• Jacob, 21, 1829

After looking at various Sarah Jane Roops over the years, I was really comfortable with the way all the names and dates fell into place with this census record. I'm ready to say that this is Sarah Jane (b.1850) who married James Monroe Groves (b.1844).

I can now trace much of this family at this page at Family Tree Maker.