I just realized that I’ve never shared family sketches of the two daughters of the mysterious Mr. Broadway and Mary (MNU) who later married John Dulworth and then Solomon Prewitt.

Today, we’ll take a look at the older of the two children, Margaret, called Peggy, who was born c1796, in North Carolina per the 1850 census, but in Tennessee in the 1870 census.

It turns out that by examining Peggy’s FAN (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) Club, I have a new significant amount of information about the Broadways.

To begin, Peggy married twice. Her first marriage was to Thomas Robinson on 23 December 1813 in Knox County, Tennessee. Given the lack of census and vital records during that time period, I have but two facts for Thomas. (1) He married Peggy and (2) he died before 11 March 1815, when administration began on his estate. I assume that he was at least 21 years old when he married, so born no later than 1792.

However, aside from administration being opened on his estate with William Nelson as administrator and putting up bond with William Tipton, I found no other entries pertaining to Thomas Robinson’s estate.

Peggy would have been only about 18 years old when Thomas died. Whether or not they had a child together is unknown, but I have a thought about that. More later.

Five months later, on 26 August 1815, Peggy married (2) John Andrew Smith, also in Knox County, Tennessee. This was a bit of a surprise to me, as John was about old enough to be her grandfather.

John Andrew Smith was a Revolutionary War veteran who received a pension beginning in November 1818 in Blount County, Tennessee. He was born on 7 April 1754 and lived in Fauquier County, Virginia at the time of his military service. He married (1) Margaret Allen and they had several children. More on them coming up, too!

No land records have been found for Thomas Robinson, or Peggy releasing dower rights or widow’s thirds. There is a single land sale filed by John A. Smith to James Harris on 11 November 1818 in Knox County. It was recorded on 13 May 1819. His middle name Andrew is proven by this deed, as it was how his name was recorded by the clerk.

Given that John was living in Blount County, Tennessee, I have to wonder if this land had been property owned by Thomas Robinson. I couldn’t find a record for either of them purchasing the land.

The Smith family set off for Lawrence County, Indiana not long after that and the John A. Smith family appears in the 1820 Indiana census.

John was over 45 years old with a female aged 16-25 and two females under 10 years old. Since we don’t know exactly how old these girls are, if Thomas Robinson has any living descendants today, it would be through the older of these two children.

John A. Smith last appears in the 1830 census of Lawrence County, Indiana. He is aged 70-79 years old with an adult female aged 30-39. There is one male 10-14, two females 10-14, one male 5-9, one female 5-9 and two females under the age of five years.

From this, we can determine that the oldest daughter was born c1816. However, if she hadn’t yet had her birthday, she could have been born in 1815 and then possibly a Robinson.

Aside from the possibility of a Robinson child, based on the 1820 and 1830 census records, John had a large family with Peggy. Although the ages are off slightly, the 1850 census shows three Smiths still at home with Margaret. I’ve placed them as close to the age range as possible:

1. Daughter, born c1816
2. Daughter, born c1818
3. Daughter, born c1820
4. Son, born c1823
   
5. Daughter, born c1824
6. Daughter, born c1826
7. Daughter, born c1828
8. Son, born c1831
9. Son, born c1833

Who were the other children? Thankfully, John Andrew Smith was approved for a Revolutionary War pension. In 1824, he stated that he and his wife had the following children: Elizabeth, 8 years old, Rejoice, 6 years old, Sarah, 3 years old and Alex, 1 year old.

With a bit of digging, I’ve been able to add birth dates, so now we have:

1. Elizabeth Bell, born 3 July 1815, Blount County, Tennessee; died 25 November 1894, Lawrence County, Indiana; married David Edward Leatherman, 30 March 1831, Orange County, Indiana. He was born 28 March 1812, Ohio; died 10 March 1876, Lawrence County, Indiana.

2. Son, born c1816 (between 1816-1820); died before 1824 Revolutionary War pension statement.

3. Rejoice (Joicey), born 3 September 1818, Blount County, Tennessee; died 20 August 1854, Iroquois County, Illinois; married Robert Frost, 3 April 1838, Orange County, Indiana. He was born c1819, Indiana, died after 1850.

4. Sarah, born 28 January 1821, Indiana; died 15 December 1915, St. Francois County, Missouri. NOTE: Sarah was a DAR member and was one of a handful who was able to be called a “Real Daughter.” That means she was able to join the Daughters of the American Revolution based on the fact that her father served in the war; married George Stringer, 6 September 1835, Orange County, Indiana. He was born c1816, Kentucky; died between 1870-1880, possibly in Clay County, Arkansas, where Sarah lived in 1880.

5. Alexander Henry, born 19 June 1823, Indiana; died 19 December 1912, Orange County, Indiana; married Elizabeth Freed, 14 December 1843, Orange County, Indiana. She was born 5 November 1823; died 13 November 1903, both in Orange County, Indiana.

From the 1850 census and DAR records, we can expand the family a bit more. (NOTE: There is a Margaret Smith, living in the same town in Lawrence County as this family. However, she was the widow of  Peter Smith. Some have confused these two ladies.)

Margaret Broadway Robinson Smith married (3) John Henry on 13 July 1849, Lawrence County, Indiana. He was born 1787, Pennsylvania and died 1854, Iroquois County, Illinois.

In 1850, the blended family was living in Loda, Iroquois County, Illinois and mis-indexed as “Hensey.” Noah and Jacob Smith were living there with their mother, stepfather and step siblings.

6. Mary, born 29 November 1827, Indiana; died 2 October 1876; married John Freed, 14 October 1848, Lawrence County, Indiana.

7. Daughter, born c1829; died 1830 – 1840

8. Noah, born c1832, Indiana; died c 1880, probably Atchison County, Missouri; married Eliza Jane Jenkins, 12 January 1862, Lucas County, Iowa.  He is enumerated with brother Jacob’s 1880 household, but his name is crossed out. Find a Grave shows a death date of 13 February 1880 and buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Atchison County, Missouri. However, there is no photo of the gravestone.

9. Jacob K., born 11 March 1834, Indiana; died 27 April 1904, Lawrence County, Indiana. Jacob was somewhat of a rolling stone, as he lived not only in Indiana, but also in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. He was a Civil War pensioner. Annie applied for a widow’s pension after Jacob died in 1904, which is how this Jacob is connected to all those places. His death certificate named his father and his marriage record calls his mother Margaret “Brooding”, but image is not the original and the transcription is likely wrong; married (1) Nancy C. Devore, 11 March 1858, Iowa (2) Annie R. Enochs, 5 April 1892, Lawrence County, Indiana. She was born 14 December 1869; died 6 December 1957, Bartholomew County, Indiana. They had no children. Annie married (2) Allen Gwinn, before 1910.

Before concluding this portion of Peggy Broadway’s FAN club study, I need to make a couple of comments.

First, I have come to believe that Elizabeth Bell Smith, if truly born in 1815 and not in 1816, is the daughter of Thomas Robinson, Peggy’s first husband, and she would have been born several months after he died. John A. Smith would have been the only father she ever knew and she went by the Smith surname.

Second, Peggy Broadway Robinson Smith Henry reportedly died on 21 February 1874 in Saltillo, Washington, Indiana. She has a memorial on Find a Grave, but it shows her buried at the John A. Smith Cemetery in Lawrence County WITHOUT a gravestone.

Yet, while looking for Jacob Smith in Lucas County, Iowa in 1870, who pops up in the home with Jacob and wife Nancy? Margaret MOSS, born 1800 in Tennessee.

Margaret married (4) Benjamin Moss, probably either in Indiana or Illinois, but no record has been found. The 1855 census of Iroquois County, Illinois includes Benjamin Moss, aged 70-80, a female 60-70, three males aged 30-40 and one male 10-20. Living right next door is Alexander Henry, who lived next door to his father, John Henry, and stepmother Margaret in Iroquois County in 1850.

Benjamin Moss was born c1784, North Carolina. In 1850, he lived in Orange County, Indiana with wife Rachel (Allen), who he married on 19 July 1848 in Orange County, Indiana. She was born c1815, North Carolina and they had a ten month old son, Benjamin, at home along with Margaret M. Roberts, aged 14, relationship unknown.

Given that the bride was a Harris, who have ties to the Smith family, Benjamin is probably the Benjamin Moss who married Ann Harris, 29 November 1814 in Warren County, North Carolina. In 1820, they lived in Granville County and had removed to Orange County, Indiana by 1830.

Benjamin Moss died before 1860 and there are no Moss families in Iroquois County in that census year. Margaret has not been found. Perhaps she was in the midst of moving back to Indiana when the census taker came around. She was not living with any of her children, at least not the day the census taker appeared at the door.

Margaret’s son Jacob and wife Nancy had moved on to Atchison County, Missouri by 1880 and Margaret is not with them.

Margaret had only one child who lived in Washington County, Indiana, her reputed place of death. That child was Alexander Henry Smith. It is possible that she didn’t like Iowa and returned home to Indiana and lived with Alex until she died.

If someone can cite a source for her death date and place, I would very much appreciate it.

On Monday, we will take a look at the first family of John Andrew Smith. There are a couple of big surprises to come.

Taking the time to research his family provides an excellent example of why the FAN (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) Club is so important in genealogical research!