James William Smith Family
James William "Willie" Smith left McNairy County, Tennessee around 1900 and came to Big Spring. He had two sons, Howard and Herbert. Willie Smith's family is enumerated on the 1920 Federal Census in Howard County, TX as follows:Eva Smith, HH, Widow, age 40; Employed at a dry goods store
Herbert La?, son, age 14
Howard, son, age 10
Judy says it has been passed down in her family that James William "Willie" Smith was killed when he was flirting with another man's wife and it supposedly happened on a train. Willie Smith had sisters, Rebecca b. c1868, Celia b. 1872 and Cornelia "Connie" b. 1879 who might have gone to Texas with him or joined him later on. On one photo of Rebecca, it shows her with a baby, but baby's name is not given. (no dates or place of location given either) The best we can make out of her name is Mrs. Becca V---ston. It looks like the last name starts with a V and the next few letters are so faint, can't be read, and the name ends in letters that looks like "ston".
The parents of this James William Smith were John Richard Smith and Mary Francis Burks.
Willie's Grave
If James William "Willie" Smith was killed (stabbed is the family story) on a train, was his body buried there in
Big Spring or was it sent back home on a train to be buried here in Tenn? Would a photo been taken in Big Spring to send
back home to the relatives that couldn't make it out to TEX? Some of the men look like some of our Smiths...but I
truthfully can't identify anyone. The two young boys are probably Willie's sons, Herbert and Howard with their mother,
Eva.
Howard Smith
On back the of this photo is written:
Howard Smith, Big Springs, Texas
No dates or other info.
On front, as part of the frame matting...there is oval with cameo of ladies head and next to this is stamped Willis Art Gallery.
Herbert Smith
This is the HALF PHOTO of Herbert Smith.
This photo has written on back...J.W. Smith (with that long loop after Smith that would normally look like the beginning of the word Jr., but we know Herbert isn't a Jr. Also, it appears to be an apostrophe after the word Smith as Smith', but that could be a random pencil mark. Under the name J.W. Smith is written Willies Baby and under this is written Herbert Smith (Smith is written in faint letters, but it does look like Smith)
An unidentified photo that could be of the Smith Family and could have been made in the Howard County, Texas area.
If you have any further information on the Smith family or of the Furniture store, please contact
Judy Mainord Malone, grandaughter of Norris Sidney Smith, brother of James William "Willie" Smith.
See also Businesses