The Photo Was the Key

It has been so long since I've posted but I have been busy! I mentioned previously that I was able to get copies of close to 250 old family photos. I have been slowly going through and trying to identify

Beulah Mae Spees Smith

as many of them as possible. Some of them are complete mysteries. It seems as though my gg grandmother, Mae Spees, was very interested in correspondence. She was born in Missouri in 1882 and moved with her family to Lee County between 1895 and 1900. She kept in contact with all of her family and friends in Missouri and her husbands family and they sent many photos back and forth.

 Some of the photos have clues on the back but many of them do not. The photo I am writing about today did have a name on the back and it led me down a rabbit hole that led to some wonderful discoveries!

First let me give you some background information. Mae's first husband, my gg grandfather, was born about 1882 in Pontotoc, MS. This is unfortunate because there is no 1890 census. And I have not been able to find him on the 1900 census so the first record we have of him is on the 1910 census.

                      W F Smith      28 - Head of household

                                     Frank Smith    69 - father of head of household
May Smith      28 - wife

      Oda Zell Smith  1 - daughter

In the 1920 census, Mae is married to her second husband, Zach. I have not been able to find any information on his death or tombstone. The 1910 census does give me something, his father's name: Frank Smith. Of course it's only the most common surname in America! How hard can it be? This is all information I found out 10 years ago when I first began researching. After looking for a long time, I found a Smith family in Pontotoc that was likely Frank's family. He was listed as Francis Smith, son of Joshua and Jane Smith on the 1850 and 1860 census. My DNA test confirmed this connection many times over. But who was W.F.'s mother, Frank's wife? What happened to Frank between the 1860 census and the 1910 census?  Did W.F. have any siblings? What does W.F. stand for? In my mind I've always called him William Franklin but I have no reason to think this. SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Fast forward to me combing through old photographs. I pulled this photo up and noticed how young the children were compared to the adults. Also, that I didn't recognize any of the people. On the back I saw that there were indeed grandparents and grandchildren (so sweet) and that I definitely did not recognize the names. Luckily, Arch is not a terribly common name so a quick search on Ancestry for Arch and Emma Duncan and there was a match in the 1900 census!

James Archie and Emma Smith 

Now I just have to find the connection! In the Ancestry search I looked for trees that had this couple. I was so pleased to see that there were several - and, bonus, Emma's maiden name was SMITH! I seriously could not believe it! I reminded myself that Smith is a very common name and the two might not be related. I had to find proof. Another look at the trees that she was in told me that her descendants were unsure of her parentage. She was born in Mississippi in 1871 and died in Alabama in 1955. Then I found a record in the Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 that had a clue: her father's name was Frank! Coincidence? Maybe but it was looking unlikely. My next step was to look through my DNA matches to see if I was matched to any of her descendants. I found one confirmed. I do not consider one match as conclusive so I had to consider one more important piece of evidence....the fact that this photo has been passed down. In other words, why else would my great-great grandparents have this photo? All together, I am convinced that Emma Jane Smith is W.F.'s older sister.

Francis M Smith Pin

This new piece of information opened up a flood of discoveries. I found Frank's marriage record. He married M.A. Robertson 20 Jun 1866. I found his tombstone and confirmed it with the photo of his pin from the Civil War that I got from a cousin. I found his Civil War file. I found Francis and Martha Smith in the 1870 census in Pontotoc. They had a daughter named Frances. Another sister! The census also told me that Martha  was born about 1846 in South Carolina. I have not been able to find her family yet but I am still working on it. I honestly never thought I would find this much information about Frank. And all of it was because of one forgotten photograph.

The First Looneys in America

The best anyone can tell, Robert Looney was born about 1694 in Ballagilley on the Isle of Man. He came to America from the Isle of Man, Great Britain, with his wife, Elizabeth (Llewellyn) and at least two sons, settling first in Philadelphia, and later in colonial Maryland. Soon after they moved west to the new frontier and settled in Augusta County, Virginia on the James River. There on Looney Creek, Robert and his wife, raised their family and established the first ferry crossing on the James River. They built a grist mill, grew crops and raised livestock. Robert and Elizabeth had 12 children.

In 1754-55 Indian attacks were increasing and eventually developed into what we call the French and Indian War. Robert Looney built a wall around his home, creating Looney's Fort. The fort was at the junction of Looney Creek and the James River.  Fort Looney was visited in 1756 by none other than  Colonel George Washington.

Robert's sixth son, Absalom, was born about 1729. He is known for discovering a beautiful valley near the Bluestone River while on a hunting trip. It is called Abb's Valley.  

     "Abb's Valley. The valley in Tazewell County that has been written of and talked about most is Abb's Valley. . . . [It] received its name from Absalom LOONEY who discovered it while on a hunting and [ginseng]- digging expedition west of New River." 

 From George W. L. Bickley, History of the Settlement and Indian Wars of Tazewell County, Virginia, (Cincinnati: Morgan & County, 1852; Parsons, WV: McClain Printing, 1974), p.514

Absalom married Margaret Eleanor Moore in about 1750 and they, along with two other families, settled in Abb's Valley. After the Indian attacks began, one of the settlers, Robert Poage, left the valley. Absalom's father, Robert, sent for him and his family and they went to help build the fort. The third family, the Moore's (probably Margaret's relatives) were captured by the Indians and most of them were eventually killed. (For more information on this, you can read a book based on first hand accounts called The Captives of  Abb's Valley: A Legend of Frontier Life written by Mary Moore's Son, James.)

Absalom served in the Revolutionary War and his service has been proven by the Daughters of the American Revolution (Ancestor #A071512). 

Absalom and his wife had eleven children including my 5th great grandfather, Michael. 

Michael Looney Home.

 In 1783, Absalom Looney went to survey lands in the Cumberland District, "Wilderness", of Tennessee which were to be set aside for soldiers of the Continental Line.  The first court in Sullivan County, Tennessee was established in the home of his son, Moses Looney in 1780. Absalom Looney was appointed Justice of the Peace for Hawkins County, Tennessee in 1790. 

Absalom Looney's wife must have died before September 28, 1791 when Absalom Looney of Botetourt County marked his will with an "A", leaving 5 shillings to each of 4 sons and 7 daughters, and all else to his son Benjamin without any mention of his own wife. John Smyth and Stephen Holstine were named executors and he witnesses were Dan'l Givens, John Summerfield, Rich's Summerfield, and Will Givens. Absalom died in 1796. 

Absalom's "A"

Sources:

• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Looney-152
• https://www.geni.com/people/Absalom-Looney-Sr/6000000010451949545
• http://www.robertlooneybook.com
• Daughter's of the American Revolution
• http://www.mindspring.com/~mozark/LnyGen.html