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| Mrs. Hannah Smith W. R. Smith, Photographer Gilbertsville NY |
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| Carrie Smith Died 1881 W. R. Smith, Artist Gilbertsville NY |
I find these two portraits intriquing. They are both well-worn and handled and both identified on the back, which leads me to believe that whoever wrote the messages in soft pencil, was very fond of them. The photos provided me with the surname Smith, which also appears as the photographer, and the town of Gilbertsville NY, so I started doing a little digging. By locating graves and accompanying bios and reading past issues of the USCTI Civil War Digest, I was able to make some possible connections, starting with the the earliest:
I. In 1816, James and Hannah Carpenter sold land (part of the Hannah Smith Tract of Burlington Township NY) to a black man named Cato Freeman and his wife Amelia. Cato Freeman had fought in the American Revolution. This may or may not relate to Hannah Smith in the photo.
II. There was, however a Hannah Lucas Smith b. 1805 d. Feb 18, 1879, Chenango, NY
I. In 1816, James and Hannah Carpenter sold land (part of the Hannah Smith Tract of Burlington Township NY) to a black man named Cato Freeman and his wife Amelia. Cato Freeman had fought in the American Revolution. This may or may not relate to Hannah Smith in the photo.
II. There was, however a Hannah Lucas Smith b. 1805 d. Feb 18, 1879, Chenango, NY
- spouse: Rufus C. Smith (1800-1874)
- children: William Randolph Smith (1832-1913), Leila Smith (1846-1848)
- burial: Sunset Hill Cemetery, Guilford, Chenango, NY
III. William Randolph Smith (1832-1913), son of Hannah & Rufus Smith
III. William Randolph Smith (1832-1913), son of Hannah & Rufus Smith
- in 1860 married 1st wife : Mary Jane Coye Smith of Butternut NY
- their child: Carrie S. Smith (1861-1881) age of death 20
- cemetery: Oak Hill Cemetery Geneva, Kane Cty IL
More info: b. Norfolk CT, son of Rufus & Hannah (Lucas) Smith and grandson of Corkins Smith - a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Raised, schooled in NYS. Mastered the jewelers trade, moved to Geneva IL, was a merchant (no mention of photography or art). He remarried and moved to FL. When he died, he left 2 nieces in NY. His Siblings: Rufus C. Smith (Jr?) (1840-1911), Leila Smith (1846-1848) and half sibling Marvin A. Smith (1844-1910).
More info: b. Norfolk CT, son of Rufus & Hannah (Lucas) Smith and grandson of Corkins Smith - a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Raised, schooled in NYS. Mastered the jewelers trade, moved to Geneva IL, was a merchant (no mention of photography or art). He remarried and moved to FL. When he died, he left 2 nieces in NY. His Siblings: Rufus C. Smith (Jr?) (1840-1911), Leila Smith (1846-1848) and half sibling Marvin A. Smith (1844-1910).
IV. Carrie S. Smith b. 1861 Gilbertsville NY d. 1881 Elgin IL Cemetery: Oak Hill Cemetery, Geneva IL Per FindaGrave bio, which cites her obituary in The Elgin Advocate, Saturday June 25, 1881: Carrie moved to Elgin IL the last year of her life to be with her father and step mother: Dema Reser Smith. Cause of death: "general debility" with chronic diarrhea, indigestion etc.
Conclusion: I still don't know if W.R. Smith the photographer was related to Hannah or William Randolph or Carrie. But maybe back then photography was taken up as a vocation, not a trade and maybe before he became a jeweler, he ran a photography studio in Gilbertsville NY where his daughter Carrie and her grandmother/his mother Hannah Smith (from the photo) lived.
Conclusion: I still don't know if W.R. Smith the photographer was related to Hannah or William Randolph or Carrie. But maybe back then photography was taken up as a vocation, not a trade and maybe before he became a jeweler, he ran a photography studio in Gilbertsville NY where his daughter Carrie and her grandmother/his mother Hannah Smith (from the photo) lived.
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