Family Histories
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HISTORY of JERRY ALLEN SMITH
Who am I? Born 16 July 1971,
at an Air Force Base in the metropolis of Altus, OK, my life began on the
move. Moving a total of 15 times that I can account
for in 30 years, keeping in mind that 7 were before I was age 9 and that
I spent 14 years in one place between ages 9 - 23, I grew to be independent
or self-reliant and basically a loner. I thought,
I learned, and explored things mentally on my own, drawing mostly from observations
of others. My parents were excellent. We were not a wealthy family and was not exposed to
many things I will call “stuff”; therefore, I never missed anything, nor did
I ever need for anything. Mom, Karen Lea Marsh (b. 23 May 1951
in California) was always there at home teaching, caring, and loving for my
brother, James Aaron Smith
(b. 2 Jun 1976 in OK) and I. Dad, Carey Taylor Smith (b. 18 May
1949 in Burns, Smith Co., MS) never once failed to provide what we needed
from food, clothes, shelter, to theology. It was
tough and very tight, but I am here now healthy, apparently of sound mind,
and happy. I grew up knowing that stability existed
only within the immediate family. I came to rely
heavily on my family for my foundation in life. Once
older, in high school (grad. 1989 at Union High School, Union, MS), I developed
myself off of this foundation. My independence
allowed me to silently achieve many things from semi-popularity to graduation
of college (MS State Univ. 1993 with Bachelors of Economics) to 10 yrs in
the military (SSGT Jerry A. Smith, USAirForceNG, 1989-1995 and SGT Smith,
USArmyNG, 1995-1998). Up until now, I was allowed
to think freely but was guided through my parent’s teachings; I had achieved
most everything I needed to up until this point. Now
that I had my foundation, it was up to me to do the rest.
I valued family so much, that I wanted my own.
I even turned down free education in the states for a chance at
this dream. Along the way, God blessed me with
my first son, Makenzie Taylor
Smith (b. 23 Sep 1997 in Meridian, MS), of whom I love very much. He made me a father. He
was torn away from me at age 1, when my first wife left me and took him with
her. After much battle, divorce was the final
result. This was devastating to me in all accounts. A year after trying to cope, I moved, again, to Tennessee to start
fresh. There I began to discover who I was and
fine-tune what I wanted or needed in life, through writing, poetry, and exploration
of the mind. During this time, not only did
I get divorced; I lost my family union I grew up with.
Mom and dad after 31 years of marriage were divorced. My life was falling apart, but the Lord was watching
over me still and within the same year I met Kim Marie Baker
(b. 11 Aug 1969 in Sydney, Australia) and over several, countless conversations
I started to fall in love with a woman who met my needs and wants. She, however, lived in Australia. With a will to change my situation, I left the states
and came to Australia
to meet what I knew in my heart to be a sure thing.
I knew that leaving meant that I would not see my family and more
importantly, my son. Never, was my intention
to abandon him. The move to Australia
proved to be one of the three best things I have ever done in my life. Number one was joining the miliary. Number two was
becoming a father, and three was marrying Kim Baker with children Jessica Whittaker (b. 12 Jan 1990) and Zak Whittaker
(b. 21 May 1991). And now there is one more reason,
our new child, Jarrod Austin Smith
(b. 16 July 2004 – My Birthday too). This is
where I came from in the short version. Now,
why did I do the things I done? To sound short
to some, the number one answer to why I am where I am is because “I am where
God has placed me.” Next to this, all else is
pale.
Up until my first marriage, the answer to why I done the things
I had done was due the guidance of my parents and friends (of friends I mean
the older generation of people of whom I was blessed to grow up with and
around who all had a hand in raising my brother and me, Melba and Frank Smith
– Ernest and Madaline Cannon). I regret nothing
these people ever taught me when growing up. I
learned many things about life up till now, especially through my divorce.
The Lord set this path out before me; I didn’t choose it.
I followed and have been blessed. As a
matter of fact, I have come closer to the Lord due the fact that I have been
here. I have read the bible and started believing
even better as I see him at work in my life.
Where is he going? I intend
to give my wife what she has wanted - A husband, a child, and a house. These things give her security as all women, I assume,
think. I am trying to be the best husband I can. In return I get my dream of my own family. I still dream of my own business. Kim and I dream
of owning a business on the ocean where I can fly customers to our bed and
breakfast on an Island and take them scuba diving (my other hobbies include
movies, reading, and writing). Kim will do her
famous cooking and possibly a shop for her crafts. I
dream of being able to pass down the business to all four of my children
to help them survive in this world. We intend
to travel the world. I dream of having Mickey
come to live with me at a time of his choosing so I will feel complete. My Lord has not seen fit to give me everything yet,
but I am hopeful. I could never complain just
with the family that he has given me now – and I mean my whole family.
Sincerely,
Jerry Allen Smith
Back to the Top
A History of James “Jimmy” Aaron
Smith
My brother was born 2 June 1976 in Lawton, OK. His life has been full of dramas since birth it’s
a wonder he is still alive. Being born with a
few medical problems (I can’t remember if one of those problems was a mental
one or not) and having three surgeries before he was even one year old,
he has proven to be fighter. Dad, Carey T. Smith (b. 18 May 1949)
has told us stories that Jimmy would forget to breathe as a baby and he had
to stay awake at night to thump Jimmy making him wake up and remember to
breathe. After things were settled down, our parents
moved us to Clinton, OK
then to Watson, OK
where dad was to pastor Sulpher
Springs Baptist Church. After a year and a bit, dad moved us to Canton, MS and then
a few months later to Union,
MS and then a few months after
this about September 1980 to a few miles down the road to Little Rock, Newton
Co., MS where we spent the most of our lives.
It was here at Greenland
Baptist Church in Little Rock
that Jimmy earned his nickname “Tex” from the church members when he showed
up for church in a cowboy outfit. From here
he began his image and rebel ways. Up until
around 1983, my brother, due to his medical problems, had not tasted any
sugar. Meaning he never tasted a Coke, chocolate
bar, or candy. If he was close to 6 or7 years
of age, I was at the age of 11 or 12, and I remember it clearly when momma,
Karen Lea Marsh (b. 23 May 1951)
bought him his first candy bar and coke – I was proud for him. He lived a relatively quiet life up until high
school, except when he was being bashed by me for always messing with my
stuff. I believe I still have photo somewhere
with him asleep on the toilet still holding his drum sticks and practice
pad. In high school he had already joined the
band and was quite good, although annoying at home, at playing the drums;
snare, bass, and most other percussion. His
only other real annoyance was his determination to perfect his image. He wouldn’t wear anything that did not have brand
name on it. His motto was “Image is everything”
from the old cannon camera ad with Andre Agassi. Jim graduated high school
in 1994. He obtained a band scholarship to Livingstone University in
Alabama. Here he learned freedom and the ability
to party. He was so good at it, he almost got
in trouble. He then
transferred to East Central Community College in
Decatur, MS . He did fairly well here, as long as he went to school. The party man inside never left him, for he is the
only man I know who can drive from MS to NC and return on a weekend ski trip
and only spend $20. It was here though that
he discovered his passion for Para-medicine. During
his travels pushing himself working, school, and partying, Jim was driving
down the I-20 and fell asleep at the wheel. The
next thing he knew was he was crawling out of his car in woods. He crawled up to the road and hitched a ride back
home. He later went back out to the crash site
(being battered and bruised) and discovered that he had flown off the road
and snapped a pine tree in half over at about the 20 ft. mark. The Lord has been watching out for my brother all
his life. He inquired and was accepted into the
University of Mississippi Medical School in Jackson, MS
and eventually graduated as a Paramedic. While
in Jackson,
he met and married a Ms. Melanie R. Loper (b. 1974) in
1998 who had a three month old son (the father had died a week after his
birth in a car accident). They packed up and
moved to Nashville,
TN where Jim worked for Sumner
Co. EMS. It was here that Jim bought his first
house in White House, TN and made me an Uncle. From
now on, Uncle UJ, Jerry A. Smith (b. 16 Jul 1971) was in
love with his nephew Austin Chase Atchison (b. Aug 1997)
and Niece Madison Rebecca Smith (b. 18 May 1999). Jimmy from here transferred to Vanderbilt University
Medical Center in Nashville, TN
to participate in pilot program to institute Paramedics as Emergency Room
(Registered) Nurses and had done this for almost 5 years.
In 2002, Jim and Mel divorced. Madison lives with
her mother, but Jim is living near by. He has
moved to Brentwood,
TN and is now dating .
Sincerely,
Jerry A. Smith – Brother of Jimmy
Back to the Top
A Brief
History of CAREY TAYLOR SMITH
LIFE AT BURNS, MISSISSIPPI
Born May 18, 1949 to Velma Earlene Taylor (b. 10
Mar 1921 / d. 7 May 1975) giving birth to her 5th child, she would have two
more during her child bearing years and Eulon John Smith (b. 18 Dec 1917 / d. 7 Feb 1988). He was born a sickly baby and Eulon said that while
he was a young child he died for an instant as his Aunt Emma
Smith Burns (b.17 Apr 1910 / d. 8 Apr 1996) held him.
Whether he was actually dead or not I only have this story to bear
witness, but whatever the case, I always believed that God had a purpose in
his life. He was named Kerry Taylor Smith by
his parents for it was to rhyme with the other boys: Jerry John
(b.28 Jun 1938 / d. 2 Jan 1964), Larry Cooper (b. 5 Oct 1942),
Perry John (b. Jun 1947), and Kerry.
However, Dr. Corsey changed the spelling to Carey without telling
anyone. All my family members called him KT for knew no different till he went to school and found out
that his recorded name was Carey. Still to this
day he is known among the family as KT. Dad also had three sisters Linda Elaine (b. 16 Jun 1945), Virginia Ilene (b. 3 Dec 1951
/ d. 1995/6), and Darlene (b. 12 Jun 1957).
Dad was born into a desperately poor family. This
time was marked by many as the end of World War II but it was marked at
the Smith house by the coming of the first refrigerator.
Because of his illness, Grandpa said he had to have medicine and things
cold. Up to that time the ice man came by and
they used ice to keep things cool. The old house was not much, a framed
building built up off the ground some 2 feet with no ceilings and just one
side was covered with planks. The floors had
no covering on them and my uncle Larry says dad used to drop forks and spoons
through the holes in the floor and he would have to crawl under the house
to get them.
His earliest memory was going to the cotton
field with the family, there only source of income.
Eulon would try to raise, pick, and gin 4 to 5 bales each year. This provided the cash to buy the necessities: flour,
coffee, sugar, etc. The family would buy on credit
from Hershel Muckleraft and then when the cotton came in, pay him off. Grandpa often said that we owed our lives to Hershel. Dad’s earliest memory was of his mama setting him
on her cotton sack (about 14 feet long) and dragging him up and down the
rows as she filled the sack with cotton. He also
remembers his first cotton sack, it was a croaker’s sack (burlap sack) with
a string for a sling, but he picked very little cotton.
Dad also recalls many other things (1) the old drilled well that Gr-Grandpa
Vander Smith (b. 9 Dec 1889 / d. 30 Dec 1970) had behind
their house in the Bethel Community in rural Smith County; (2) about 1954
his first ride to New Orleans in the back of Grandpa’s old pick-up truck
where he was thrown out and ran over; (3) being sent to New Orleans to live
with his aunt and uncle [Morris (b. 16 Nov 1900 / d. 8 Nov
1994)and Vera (b. 28 Jun 1909) Raitman, one
Velma Taylor’s sisters]. It was Morris that gave
dad the nick name Champ. He says he can still
hear him asking, “Champ, do you really want to go back up there to hockey
country?”; (4) going to school in Burns, MS and the fights and spankings
he would get; (5) the selling of their favourite mule, Shorty, to make the
down payment on a television. They were one of
the last families to get a TV in our area. The
Vilas Arender family lived down the road and they had the first TV he remembers. These were just a drop in the bucket of stories he
tells (each deserving of their own history page). Dad
was a regular Tom Sawyer.
Dad grew up, graduated from Canton High School
in 1967, and joined the Air Force about 1968 and became an Aircraft mechanic. He was Honorably discharged in 1974 as a SSGT. It was while stationed in California that he met mom,
Karen Lea Marsh (b. 23 May 1951)
while at his second job at the all male McDonalds, and eventually married
her on 20 Jun 1970. He was transferred
to Oklahoma (Altus AFB) and also entered into a seminary school to begin
preaching. This is where I came along as well
as my brother (see History of Jerry A. Smith). After
many more moves through OK and MS, he ended up
in 1980 at Little Rock, Newton Co., MS and there he remained for 21 yrs. He was the pastor of Greenland Baptist Church and
became the Director of Store Operations at TWL, Inc. Around
1999, TWL closed its doors for good due to the overwhelming growth of Wal-Mart
and dad became self-employed as an insurance salesman and part time Entrepreneur.
In 2001, he and my mother split after 31 years. He
now is remarried and living in Pearl, MS. This
is only a brief history and can and will be followed up with later histories. Dad wished to conclude as follows:
“In my life there have been
mountains and valleys. But know this for sure, that God has been the
Great Master who has moved my life to accomplish His eternal purpose. It
is the relationship that He gave me with His Son, Jesus Christ, that has
most effected and moved my life.
In the autumn of my life, I find great comfort in my family: My faithful
and adoring wife, Carla; My children: Jerry and Jimmy and their mates, Kim
and Megan; My Grand Children: Jessica, Zak, Mickey, Austin, Madison, Jarrod,
and Alexander. My step children: Kristi, Carl and Melanie.
While History has left out our family in many ways, know this: There
was a clan of people that had a zest for living. In our ignorance
we scaled life's peeks, ignoring the dangers. In our intellect we
tasted the wealth of history. With our vision we prepared each generation
for its future. And By Faith we have touched the hand of God.”
<>
Jerry A. Smith
First son of Carey T. Smith
Back to the Top
History of Karen Lea Marsh Smith
My mom is a wonderful person. Her
life began in San Bernardino, CA on 23 May
1951, the daughter of Richard S. Marsh (b. 1928 / d. 2003)
and Orlea Shirley Jones (b. 1928 / d. 2003). She was the first of three children that followed:
Richard “Ricky” S. Marsh Jr. (b. 1953 / 2003) and Annie Marsh (b. 1960). The only story of her childhood that I can remember
her telling was when her father smacked her with a leather razor strap. She told me that she never got a smack again. She was born into a family with modest means, as grandpa
was a well educated man. She graduated high school
at Eisenhower High School in Rialto, CA with a class of over 700 people.
After graduation, she began to attend nursing school. One night, while out with one of her girlfriends at
McDonalds (which was at this day and age, an all male operated McDonalds),
she met my dad. Her girlfriend was to go on a
date with one of the employees at McDonalds, but would not go alone. She said she would only go out with him on a double
date. The guy went back in and asked dad, Carey T. Smith (b. 18 May 1949)
who was working there part time while in the Air Force, to go on a double
date with him by taking out her friend, my mom.
On their date, mom spilt Orange juice
all over his pants. Mom thought this was the
last time she would see him, but apparently it sealed their fate. The following year they marred on 20 Jun 1970. Dad took her back home to Mississippi to meet his family. Being of modest means, meeting my dad’s poor family
was a culture shock for her.
The comment I have heard many times was that when she met my grandmother,
Velma Taylor (b. 1921 /
d. 1975), mom was given the seal of approval because she had great teeth.
From here, Dad was transferred from Norton AFB in CA to Altus AFB in OK. And as a bright light, this is where I came on the
scene on 16 July 1971. Mom said that they were
so poor that they could not afford a refrigerator, but it got so cold there
that they would put my milk out on the porch to keep it cold (she said some
nights it would freeze). Mom always wanted two
things: Family and Security. Funny how these
same things are all I ever wanted. The Lord
began to work in dad’s life and he joined the seminary.
With dad preaching at various places, mom never really worked anywhere
and just took care of her family. It was very
hard for her, but she stood by dad. A few years
later, my brother, James Aaron Smith (b. 2 Jun 1976) came along with many
medical problems. Mom says they don’t know how
they made it through those years other than the Lord watching over them. After moving around the country several more times
(more than I care to remember), from California
in 1970 they finally settled in Little Rock, MS
in Sept. 1980. Here we lived in the church
parsonage. Mom had her family, but still no security
(a house). She worked a few part time jobs to
help pay the bills, ranging from a clerk at Sears, a cashier at Sunflower
grocers, a clerk for the electric company, a bookkeeper for the Union High School cafeteria, and a stint
as an inventory clerk for TWL retails stores. Her
main and most important job was taking care of us kids (and did a great
job as far as I am concerned).
As Jim and I got older and were doing our own things and dad being
busy with work and pasturing, I believe mom and dad just drifted apart. In Aug of 2001, dad called and said they were getting
a divorce after 31 years of marriage. It all
happened so quickly that before Christmas mom was living in Nashville, TN close to Jimmy and me. I moved to Australia that same year. The following year, Jim and his wife divorced. The following year after this, mom’s Father died. Grief stricken, only two weeks after his death, Mom’s
brother overdosed and died. This was devastating
to my mother, but to top it off with in two months after her father died,
her mother died as well (out of loneliness). Other
than her children, Jim and I, her only living relative is her sister Annie. Mom is still living in Nashville and working for an Insurance company. To this day and even in this history I implore her
to come live with me in Australia.
She has endured many trials in her life and has triumphed; she is still
standing. I am so proud of her. She will always have her family: Her sons, Jerry A. Smith and James “Jimmy” A. Smith; Her
grandchildren, Jessica Whittaker (b. 1990), Zak
Whittaker (b. 1991), Makenzie T. Smith (b. 1997), Austin Atchison (b. 1997), Madison Smith (b.
1999), and Jarrod Smith (b. 2004). Her
security is in the Lord.
Sincerely,
Jerry
A. Smith – Karen’s oldest son
Back to the Top
History of EULON JOHN SMITH
Wow…a man that only made it to the third grade did so much
in his life and was a rascal while doing it. Yet,
his overwhelming quality was he loved his family, but I am speaking from
a grandson’s perspective. I respect him for that. He
worked and supported his huge family the best he could.
Dad says they grew up desperately poor, but I think dad and all my
uncles and aunts turned out great. I have his
last set of driver’s license and I sometimes just stare and look at him remembering. Grandpa Eulon was born on 18 Dec 1917 in Smith Co.
MS. He was the son of Vander Bill
Smith (b. 1889 / d. 1970). Eulon’s male
ancestors after his father were as follows: Jeremiah Benton Smith Jr. (b. 1858 / 1935),
Jeremiah Benton Smith Sr. (b. 1826), John Smith (b. 1793 / d.
1881), Isham Smith (b. 1760), and
Nathan Smith (b. 1730).
He came from a long line of good, tough and stubborn men who were
mostly farmers and had lots of time to make children.
As a matter of observation, I do believe that Eulon was the one who
broke the mold from farming to public work when farming just wasn’t enough
to support the family.
I remember stories grandpa would tell us while he was older. Dad remembers that Eulon was known for his fast driving. He once told me that the highway patrol stopped him,
walked up and said,” Sir, are you aware that the speed limit is 55mph?”. Grandpa replied, “Yes sir, I was doing every bit of
it!” What got the highway patrol’s first attention was grandpa using the yellow
lines in the middle of the road as a center for his truck.
He explained that he was just keeping it between the ditches. Grandpa’s
favourite thing to do was go fishing down at Cohay Creek.
While he and the oldest children were ploughing the fields, my dad,
Carey T. Smith, was to walk behind them and pick up the worms, putting them
in a Prince Albert
can, so they could knock off early and go fishing. Dad
says that Eulon taught him to swim by throwing him overboard the boat in
the local pond. It didn’t work that time, but
finally worked after several attempts.
Dad had another story: “Once while Larry was working behind the house, I
stumbled across a huge watermelon. It was on a
terrace row and covered with grass and vines, it must have weighed 60 pounds. I ran got Larry and we decided to eat it. Of course it was too big for both of us to eat, but
we enjoyed the heart of the melon with the salt. We
never told anyone that we ate the melon. When
your Grandpa was dying, he and I talked about a lot of things. One of the things was that watermelon. He said that was going to be his seed melon and he
had hid it so no one would find it. His words
were, “I ought to get up and give you a whipping right now!” Seemed like whipping was always his answer.”
Grandpa was always
full of wisdom and how to deal with people. Once
while over at our house eating, I watched him rattle his glass on the table
for a couple of minutes. After a minute I realized
he was politely telling my mom to hurry up and refill his tea glass. He also dispensed a piece of advice to me one day
while eating Sonic onion rings; he said, “son, don’t ever marry a fat woman,
it will cost you too much money in powder to keep them smelling good!” He always had such a way with words. He even knew how to save money on finances. Rather than use the tap water in the sink, I caught
him using other cheaper, more inventive methods to wash his false teeth. My idol. He was even a
great dancer. He used to tell me that he loved
going “jukin” because the people thought he was a good dancer at his age. Later I found out he was just trying to stand up.
I have other stories of profound statements,
but I probably couldn’t publish them. Even with
all this, I still love him. He was himself, spoke
what was on his mind, honest, and loved his family.
I remember dad telling me that he loved my grandma something awful.
Eulon married Velma Erlene Taylor (b. 1 Mar 1921 / d 7 May
1975) of Smith Co. She was the sister of his
best friend, my Great Uncle Claude Taylor. They had seven children (see History of Carey Taylor
Smith) one of which died at birth. After grandma
died of cancer in 1975, grandpa was a bit lost. He
managed to get married a couple of times, but he split up with both ladies. He lived on his own for a while in Canton at his house
on Washington St.
until he was unable to. He was put in the hospital
in Raleigh
where on 7 Feb 1988 he passed away with Dad by his side.
This is what dad had to say:
“With a third
grade education your grand father supported and raised a wife and six children
(with one child born dead). Mama said that he would walk miles to catch
a ride to work, often with weather so cold his ears would freeze and burst.
While there were a lot of things that I could disagree with him on,
he was a good daddy. Those that knew him would have told you that
he was a loyal friend and that he loved Velma Smith with all his heart. He
was quick to whip his children and slow to tell them he loved them. Yet
on his death bed he told me that he did the best he could with what he had.
He was talking about his education and training. On the night
Eulon Smith died, just before midnight he asked me to sing with him the
songs of Zion: Amazing Grace, What a Friend, and Rock of Ages. Shortly
after midnight his voice weakened to a whisper and then became silent. But
he held my hand till about 5 AM when peacefully he drew his last breath.
Daddy had left this world singing the songs the Redeemer.”
Jerry Smith - Eulon’s Grandson
Carey Smith
– Eulon’s 5th child
Back to the Top
History of VELMA ERLENE TAYLOR
Now being the grandson of Velma E. Taylor
(b. 10 Mar 1921 / d. 7 May 1975 of Cancer) I don’t remember much as I was
only 31/2 when she died. I have one
memory of her in her bed in the first bedroom to the left at her home in
Canton, MS. I remember dad ushering me into the
room to the edge of the bed of which I was only half a head taller than the
mattress and her rolling over to grab my head and kiss me on the forehead. I don’t know why this sticks, but it has. I do know that she was the daughter of Robert William Taylor (b. 17 Mar 1877 / d. 3 Dec 1953) and Virginia Belle Butler (b. 3 Apr 1881 / d. 29 Dec 1965). I know she had 6 other siblings: Elizabeth
Ola Taylor Gates (b. 13 Apr 1903), Mattie Florence Taylor
Boykin (b. 10 Feb 1905), Maggie Lola Taylor Burns (b.
1 Aug 1907), Vera Nan Taylor Raitman (b. 28 Jun 1909), William Claude Taylor (b.
9 Nov 1916), Thelma Dimple Pauline Taylor (b. 10 Mar 1921
/ d. 13 Jul 1979), grandma’s twin sister. I believe
that she lived the majority of her life in the Bethel Community of Smith
Co. MS.
I have heard stories of how she loved her Lord and how
she loved her children ( see History of Carey Taylor Smith) and would protect
them at all cost, even from her husband, Eulon John Smith (b. 18 Dec 1917 / d. 7 Feb 1988) as he
attempted to chastise them for wrongdoings. She
would go to Sharon Baptist Church on Sundays even without Eulon. She picked cotton with the family pulling her little
ones behind her on the cotton sack. But here
are some thoughts from one of her children, my dad, Carey Smith:
“How shall I tell you
of my mama? She was born to Robert
William “Bill” Taylor and Virginia Bell Butler
Taylor. She was born in Oak Grove, LA and they later moved to Burns in Smith
County MS. She was a twin.
Her twin, Thelma was a cripple all her life.
Being tied as a twin, mama always felt guilty that she could have the
fruits of life like a husband and family while Thelma, Dimple to her family,
was bound for life.
Mama was a beautiful woman. Daddy said she was the prettiest bowlegged woman
he had ever laid eyes on. She grew up and married
Eulon John Smith and gave him six children that lived.
She was fond of saying that she had loved only one man all her life.
She loved to have a good
time. The stories are too numerous to tell of
her joking around, like dropping her false teeth down and chasing all us
kids away from the house. But when it was cold
outside and the old house was freezing inside, she would warm quilts by
the wood heater and bring them to your bed and stuff them around you. Daddy said I grew up on a pallet lying beside the
bed holding Mama’s finger every night.
She was a spiritual woman. Even today, members of her Sunday School class at
Sharon Baptist Church
in Burns, MS still talk about what they learned from her. When I was little Daddy said I died, but he also
said that out on the back Mama was kneeling down praying.
He said nobody to pray like his wife. His
recollections of the events were that the minute she raised up off her knees,
Aunt Emma said, “He’s Alive”. Later in my life,
while coming home from a date, I rolled my car three times off in a ravine. When I got out and made the call to our neighbour’s
house, Daddy came picked me up. When we got home
Mama said that at the moment I had the wreck she was awakened from her sleep
and had been praying for me. Mama was a believer
in talking to God about the things of life. She
loved her Jesus!
When we would come home
from the service to visit, somehow we always managed to get there after midnight. But it didn’t matter, Mama was awake and with her
duster house coat on, would meet you at the door and we’d get a Velma Hug. There was nothing like it! You
felt her warmth, strength, and love as she pulled you to her. Then we would all go to the kitchen, where in minutes,
Mama would cook breakfast. There was no telling
her not to do it. Mama had a way about cooking
that she could make crap taste good. Old people
and young alike said no one could cook like Mrs. Smith.
At 54 years of age Mama
developed pancreatic cancer. Over the next
couple of years, it ate her life away. There
is no way to describe how difficult it was to watch this grand lady go from
5’ 10” 180 pounds to nothing. But even now, I
can remember the conversations that we had about Christ, while she lay dying
in the hospital bed. In her greatest pain, you
could hear her whisper, “Sweet Jesus”. All my
life there was nothing that Mama could not take care of.
No problems to great or small, but now as I relive watching her life
ebb away all I can do is thank God that he allowed me to be her child.
There are no words to
describe this Saint of God. Even now, her memories
bring floods of tears to my eyes. Her love was
so great, her strength so strong, her influence so positive, that I can’t
bear reflecting on it for any length of time. I
do remember this, on the day we took Mama’s body to its final resting place
at Bethel Baptist Church
Cemetery, overlooking
their first home, it was raining. A dismal day
to match the way that I was feeling. Then when
the service was over, as we drove from the cemetery the sun broke through. I do not remember it ever being any brighter or clearer. God let Mama shine her light on us one more time.”
Jerry Smith - Grandson of Velma Smith
Carey Smith – 5th child of Velma Smith
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A History of VIRGINIA
ILENE SMITH
My aunt Jenny
(b. 3 Dec 1951 / d. 1996 of Cancer) was the glue of the family. She is the one who scheduled family reunions, Christmas
and Thanksgiving holidays, and just about everything else the family did
as a whole. She has a zest, for lack of a better
word, for life. She affected every one she came
in contact with in a positive manner. I remember
she would be so organized at family functions, that she would always have
everyone’s name on their own cup, in neat little letters.
I remember she hated the sight of birds. Her
story was that when she was a little girl, she saw a chicken being laid on
the chopping block to be killed for supper. When
the head was chopped off the chicken fell to the floor and as anyone who
had done the same could tell you the nerves of the bird still move. To a little girl seeing bird run around with its head
cut off would have been too much. I am not sure
that I actually seen her ever eat chicken. When
dad would tell us boys to load up, we were heading to Aunt Jenny’s we were
always excited. I knew we would get to see our
cousins to play.
After the Smith
family moved to Canton, MS, she met and married Terry McFarland
(b. 1 Jan 1948) also from Canton, MS and they lived there for the rest of
her life. Terry was in law enforcement all his
life. He began as a deputy sheriff to sheriff
of Madison Co. and eventually became an officer in the Mississippi Highway
Patrol. He was good to her and stood by her through
all her trouble in the end. He looks tough but
deep down inside Aunt Jenny turned him into mush. Together
they produced a son, Christopher McFarland (b. 1976). Chris has now grown up and married.
Dad had this
to say about his sister: “Ginny was the first of the Smith clan to be born in a hospital. She was born during our stay in New Orleans. (Thus her Daddy called her his “little Diego” She
grew up on a farm with the rest of her family, experiencing all the joys
of picking, shelling and canning beans. Killing,
scraping and cutting up fresh pork. I do not
remember her ever liking any of that. In my estimation
she was the slowest butter bean picker ever.
After the family moved to Canton, Ginny met and married
Terry McFarland and they had one son, Christopher. Ginny
was a natural at being married. She loved it. She adored her husband and without reservation loved
her son. During the 80’s she developed an interest
in the truths of the Scriptures. She made an
in-depth study of “The Sovereignty of God” and “The Atonement Purchased by
Jesus Christ”. Finally, all life began to make
sense to her. She would need all this in the
next few years. In the nineties she was diagnosed
with breast cancer and after a two year struggle, passed at the age of 42.
At her funeral, her legacy was clear. The Center Terrace Baptist Church in Canton MS would
seat hundreds. It was filled to capacity, with
people standing inside and out. Her sister, Darlene,
sang and her brother, Carey, preached the funeral.
Her casket entered and left the building to the song of the Halleauh
Chorus. She had touched the lives of so many
with her grace, charm, and sincere care of them.
She lived and died a loving wife,
mother, and sister. She loved family and loved
to have them around. The passing of Virginia
McFarland left a void in our family which can never be filled.”
As dad said there were many
people at the funeral. As a matter of fact I
am still amazed at the respect shown to her even at death.
My last memory of her included a funeral parade of not only around
50 cars or so of passenger cars, but I lost count of all the Highway patrol
cars that preceded us with their lights on. There
had to have been over 40. She was a remarkable
woman.
Jerry A. Smith - Nephew of Virginia Smith
Carey Smith – Brother to Virginia Smith
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History of WILLIAM CLAUDE
TAYLOR
In our family Claude, or “WC” to others,
was a figure that was larger than life and was born 9 Nov 1916. His father was 6’8” and weighed nearly 300 pounds. Claude, while only 6’3” and weighed about 280 lbs
still was a mountain of a man. He was born to
William “Bill” Taylor (b.17 Mar 1877 / d. 3 Dec 1953) and
Virginia Bell Butler Taylor (b.3 Apr 1881 / d. 29 Dec 1965). He was the only boy in a family of six girls. He grew up a farmer and learned early the value of
hard work. Clearing fields by hand and removing
stumps by digging around them and then twisting them off using mules.
The military was his life and it took
him all over the world. On one trip home he dated
a girl named Fannie Warren. When they got to
her house, he met her twin sister Annie Warren. They
married and had two children: Elizabeth
Ann (b. 18 Mar 1946) and James
Marvin (b. 19 Oct 1951). Elizabeth
married Joe Tilson and had four children: Lisa,
Pam, Amy, and Joe Taylor
(J.T.).
Claude fought in World War II as a
Tank Commander. They landed at Normandy,
fought at the Battle of the
Bulge, worked their way from Africa to Europe with General George Patton. He saw things that never leave his memory, like
losing his own crew to mortars. One night they
parked the tank and lay down outside the tank on blankets, mortars going off
all around. Two of his men lay on one side of
the tank and he and another man lay on the other side.
When he woke the next morning, a mortar round had hit the exact
spot where the other two men lay. Nothing was
left but pieces. However, he was resilient
and went on to have a successful Army career, retiring as a Chief Master
Sargent.
He moved by home to Burns and their
built a thriving chicken farm business and raised his children and four grand
children. He was an avid coon hunter and raised
some of the best hounds the area had seen. It
was here at Burns that one night as they sat watching TV that Annie Taylor
closed her eyes and passed from this life.
He married a wonderful woman, a childhood
sweetheart, Pauline. They had
many happy years together. As we write this note,
this week February 5, 2005, Pauline, suffering from dementia was put in
the Smith County retirement home and Claude was told that his heart condition
was inoperable. That makes it impossible to amputate
both legs, which have caused him so much pain. It
is hard to close these notes about a man who has meant so much to so many
people, knowing that no one can change the events that are in progress. The doctors are sending him home this week to die. A warrior, he would love to have one more battle
and go out as a soldier.
His final legacy is summed up in the
words he said. “I have done so much, seen so
much, but in the end it was and is still all in the hands of God.”
Carey Smith – Nephew to WC Taylor
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A Short Story of John Smith
The story really isn’t about him but rather his descendents. John was born in 1797 in North Carolina and died in 1881 in Newton
Co. MS. Along the way John managed to get married
three times and chalked up 17 children. I believe
he may have been part rabbit. I am very glad
he did because I would not be here to tell of this odd coincidence. Now after John had moved to Newton Co. MS, he had
a son named Reuben Anderson Smith (b. 15 Mar 1835 / d. 7 Aug 1927). Reuben married a Ms. Lillie Carey.
They had no children as it appears that she died at an early age. Now Reuben married again to Narcissa Stephens (b.
1840 / d. 1890) and had 9 children. Reuben became
a Primitive Baptist Minister as a profession in Newton Co. MS and is cited
as such in the 1880 US Federal Census of Newton Co. MS.
He eventually died near his brothers in Lawrence Co. MS.
Carey Taylor Smith (b.
18 May 1949 in Smith Co. MS) is the descendant of John Smith. He was the son of Eulon
John Smith (b. 18 Dec 1917), the grand son of Vander Bill Smith (b. 9 Dec 1889), the
great grandson of Jeremiah Benton Smith
Jr. (b. 4 Dec 1858), the Gr-Gr-Grandson of Jeremiah Benton Smith Sr. (b. 1826), who
was the brother of Reuben A. Smith
and son of John Smith. Sorry for the history there,
but had to establish the connection. Now back
to the story: Carey Smith, my father, was married to Karen L. Smith and had
two children. They separated and he remarried
again. Carey moved to Newton Co. MS in 1980 and
was the pastor of Greenland
Primitive Baptist Church
for over 20 years.
Now wait a minute, this sound familiar. Let’s look at this again but in tabular format:
Reuben Anderson Smith
Carey Taylor Smith
Descendant of John Smith
Descendant of John Smith
B. 15 Mar 1835
B. 18 May 1949
Born in MS (Newton Co.)
Born in MS (Smith Co.)
7th child
5th child
Primitive Baptist Minister
Primitive Baptist Minister
Newton Co. MS
Moved to Newton Co. MS
1880 Census
1980 Census
Beat #3
Beat #2
Married Twice
Married
Twice
1st wife Surname: CAREY
Given
name: CAREY
Written by: Jerry A. Smith
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History of Makenzie Taylor Smith
Master Makenzie Taylor Smith (b. 23 Sep 1997) is the
son of Jerry A. Smith and Julie Jo Ruth. He was born in the evening of the 23rd
at Riley Hospital in Meridian, MS. He was so big when he came out.
He was 9lbs 1oz and about 22 inches long. He
was healthy and had all his parts. He spent the
first night in the hospital with his mother and me.
And we went home the following day. His
first address was Melvin Leach
Rd., Union, MS. The house
belonged to the James Cockerham (I went to school with his daughter). Julie has an uncle on her mother’s side of whom died
at an early age that they all loved. His name
was Mickey. Julie wanted to name Mickey, Makenzie,
but call him Mickey, after his great uncle.
<>The doctor did say he was a bit jaundice but all we
had to do was soak him in the sun a few minutes a day.
He grew up so fast. He loved his bouncer
but quickly out grew it. He had his own room
that Julie’s mother painted with balloons, and all the Noah’s ark animals
all over it. He would have thought he was living
in the clouds. Mickey took his first steps at
7 months. He was very smart.
He learned by being told things. If we
told him something was hot, he learned not to touch it.
I can’t remember what his first word was, although it is convenient
to believe it was dada. <>
At just a year old, he and his mother moved to Fulton, MS
into a house that we had bought. I stayed behind
until I could find a job in that area. After
many months of trying to find a job to no avail, Julie and I drifted apart
and eventually divorced. This situation proved
disastrous for Mickey and me. I was able to see
him on every other weekend, but as the distance was great, is was hard. I moved to Nashville, TN
and thus increased the distance. I tried to see
Mickey as much as possible but over the years it became harder and harder
for reasons I will not disclose. I have tried
to maintain contact with Mickey but over the past couple years; he has been
hard to reach. Through my father, he is allowed
to see Mickey, I find out how he is doing from time to time. I now believe his mother has disconnected the phone. To the best of my knowledge he still lives in Fulton, MS.
Jerry A. Smith - father of Makenzie
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History of Jarrod Austin Smith
<>Master Jarrod Austin Smith (b. 16 July 2004) is the son
of Jerry A. Smith (b. 16 July 1971) and Kim
Marie Baker (b. 11 Aug 1969). Yes he was born
on his father’s birthday. Kim went into labor
at 08:00 that morning. He was born in Bankstown Hospital
in Bankstown, Sydney, Australia
in the evening about 20:00. He came out 55
cm (25 inches) and weighed 3.560 grams (7 lbs 13oz), heathly and had all
his little parts. We named him Jarrod Austin for a reason.
His grandmother started nameing her children with the initials J. A. S.
(Jerry Allen Smith, James Aaron Smith). In order to maintain the tradition,
Kim and I looked for names that fit this tradition. Jarrod came to
mind when we realized that it was unique in our family and had a nice ring.
The Austin came from his Uncle's first wife's child, Austin Chase Atchison.
I love my Austin so much, and even though he is not actually a part of the
family any more, we chose to keep his name.
<>Jarrod came out purple and blue and had the umbilical cord wrapped
twice around his neck. When the doctor held him
up he instructed me to cut the cord. The very
instant that I cut the cord Jarrod took his first breath and cried. What a wonderful sound. Then
he stopped. The nurses cleaned him up and had
to clean out his breathing passages to start breathing again. He immediately gained some color and I was able to
hold him. He spent that night with his mom in
the hospital. That night he stopped breathing
again. The doctor put him in the Neonatal Intensive
Care for the next couple of days and came home on the third day.
Over the next 6 months he was a happy baby. He slept most of the time and would not open his eyes
for the first month. He hated the light. The next 5 months he was open eyed and curious. Towards the 6th month he was getting frustrated
because he wanted to move but hadn’t learned how to sit up or crawl yet. During the 7th month he learned to sit
up great and has learned to get on all 4’s. He
still has to work out the mechanics of crawling.
<>He loves to watch TV, mostly the “Prices is Right”
show with all the lights and colors. He loves
the color red and is intrigued by the emblems on people’s shirts. He loves to be roughed up and tickled. He is a very good baby and a great looking one as
well.
Jerry A. Smith - father of Jarrod
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History of Vander Bill Smith
<>Grand paw Smith as we called
him was a great blacksmith. Anytime daddy {Eulon}
needed any thing forged or made we went to see Grand Paw Smith and in his
blacksmith shop he would make it for daddy. Jerry (Jerry John)
and I used to put plough points in a bicycle basket and go to Grand Paw's
and he would sharpen them by heating in the forge and banging them out on
the anvil. When finished they were like new. I loved to smell the coal burning
and my job was to turn the bellows and heat the coal. This was about 1951
or 1952.
He was also a great wood
whittler. He once made me a rifle that looked really life like and I played
with it many years. Wish I had it now.
Once when I was a boy, long long ago, we went to town
and one of the mules that we had pulling the wagon got sick and we had
to take her loose from the wagon and Grand Paw Smith actually stepped in
and put straps over his shoulders and helped the one single mule left pull
the wagon back home.
<> <>Eulon and Velma were only 24 and 21 when I was born
so they were young as I grew up with them and Van & Ma
Larry C. Smith – Vander’s
grandson
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