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Gone, but not forgotten: First families in Newton County, Austin Garland Smith family

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Austin Garland Smith was born in 1818 in Kentucky, according to the 1850 census for Van Buren Township, Newton County. He married Nancy Whiteley around 1839, because the couple were living together at War Eagle in Madison County, Arkansas, in 1840.
They had a son under the age of five. That child must not have lived to 1850, as they are not enumerated in the 1850 census, although six other children were.
It appears the family made a quick sojourn to Texas around 1842, but came back to Arkansas by 1844.
Nancy must have died sometime before 1860, as Austin and eleven of his children were living with Nancy’s parents, but she was not among them. Since their youngest child was 1 in the census, it is likely Nancy died about 1859, possibly in childbirth.

Around the end of the Civil War, Austin married again, this time to Emeline, who was born about 1845 in Arkansas. In 1870, the couple was living with some of Austin’s older children and the three young children Austin and Emeline had together.
Austin had $320 in personal property. Austin and Emeline were last seen in the 1880 census, when they were living in Pleasant Hill Township.
Austin had fifteen children. Among them were Isaac Jasper Smith (1853-1905), who married Nancy Easter Baucom (1856-1954). They had eight children, including Rachel Jane Smith (18798-1969) who married Isom Robert Martin (1872-1929) and had six children; Samuel Andrew Smith (1891-1966), who married Della Elmira Breedlove (1899-1975), and had eight children; and Nancy Ann Smith (1891-1969), who married Richard Carroll Rowland (1877-1945), and had eight children.

Barbara LeRoy is the author of “Which Side Were They On?,” a 302 page book listing biographical sketches of the Newton Countians who were involved in the Civil War, available for sale either in the Bradley House Museum or by purchasing online at www.newtoncountyar.com. The book sells for $33.



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