| Submitter Information | Civil War Ancestor Information |
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Smith, Robert Ronald
6237 Pleasant Ave S #11 Richfield, MN 55423 United States Email Address: bob@smith.mn Web Address: http://www.smith.mn
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Smith, John W
Branch of Service: Army-Infantry Company/Regiment: Ohio Volunteers, 69th Regiment, Company I Date of Service: 2/18/1862 Starting Rank: Private Discharge Rank: Private Date of Discharge: 8/31/1862 Reason for Discharge: Supposed killed by Guerillas |
I am a member of the following:
| 1 | Carl D. Smith | Relationship: | Father | |
| Birth Date: | 10/26/1899 | Birth Location: | Green Twp, Iowa Cty, Iowa | |
| Death Date: | 6/5/1974 | Death Location: | Coralville, IA | |
| 2 | James Sanford Smith | Relationship: | Father | |
| Birth Date: | 4/7/1860 | Birth Location: | Kirkwood Twp,Belmont Cty OH, nr.Sewellsville | |
| Death Date: | 9/6/1927 | Death Location: | Wellman, IA | |
| 3 | John W. Smith | Relationship: | Father | |
| Birth Date: | 1836 | Birth Location: | Warren Cty., VI | |
| Death Date: | 8/31/1862 | Death Location: | near Nashville, TN | |
Additional Biographical Information
John W. Smith was a young farmer in the very hilly country of SE Ohio, near Sewellsville, when he volunteered for the Ohio Volunteers, 69th Regiment, Company I, at Morristown on Feb. 18th, 1862. John left behind his 25-year-old wife Nancy, with child, and 2 small children, Cynthia, age 2 and James, age 1 (my grandfather).
Just 6 months later, John disappeared near Nashville, TN, "supposed to have been killed by Guerrillas". About a month after John's disappearance, his 3rd child, Mary, was born.
I have often wondered what reasons would bring a 25-year-old farmer in Ohio, with a very young family, to volunteer for battles in distant states. I believe John came to Ohio from Virginia, a Confederate state once the war began. Did he have "southern" ties to Virginia, perhaps relatives there? Did he volunteer for patriotic reasons? Was it just "the thing for young men to do"?
His death certainly changed the lives of his family. Nine years later, Nancy married Alexander Smith (unrelated) and began a move to Iowa to join other family members. She gave birth on the trip, and an aunt who had joined them for the wagon trip died. The family returned to Ohio, never reaching Iowa until a later trip.
It seems strange for my grandfather to have been alive during the Civil War. He died in 1927, long before I was born in 1939.
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