Joseph T. Smith (WILLIAM BRYANT SMITH)was born Abt. 1827 in Georgia, and died unknown. He married Sophonia W. "Sou" Evans February 28, 1856 in Glenville, Barbour Co., Alabama. She was born Abt. 1833 in Georgia, and died unknown. Joseph and Sophonia's parents are unknown. Joseph has one known brother John Hunter Smith.

Their were no children during the Civil War period which indicates J.T. Smith was away during the War. They resumed having children after the war.

The last time Joseph and his family were documented in Bullock County, Alabama is the 1880 census. While one of his sons was married in Van Zandt County Texas in 1886, no other references were found of Joseh T. Smith and his wife Sophonia W. Evans until the 1900 census of Dallas County, Texas. On this census Joseph and his wife were living with their youngest son James Abner Smith and his wife Mary Docia Parker and their two children Joseph and Carey Smith. Next door was Joseph T and Sophonia's son John (F) Smith and his young wife. In 1910 James Abner Smith was living in Van Zandt County without his wife or parents but with several more children he and Mary had. Mary's mother Martha Parker was liviving with James and the children.

Children of Joseph Smith and Sophonia Evans are:

1. William Ansyln "Willie/WA/Bill" Smith, born January 04, 1857 in Russell Co. Alabama; died December 26, 1921 in Big Springs Texas.
   
   
2. J. T. Smith, male born Abt. 1858 in Russell Co. Ala1; died unknown. Probably died before 1870 since he is not shown in 1870 Russell CO Alabama census. Probably name Joseph T after his father.
   
   
3. M. F. Smith, female born Abt. April 1860 in Russell Co., Alabama; died unknown.

   Notes for M. F. Smith:
   1. M.F. (female) shown to be 5 months in 1860 and 12 years in 1870 census.
   2. She was not on the 1880 census. Since she was 20 years old in 1880 she may have already married and was living with her husband.
   3. All the censuses this family appers on before the 1880 census were listed by initials only. Without a first names census it is not known what M.F.'s name is.

4. John F. Smith, born Abt. 1866 in Russell Co., Alabama; died unknown.
   
   
5. Lucina Smith, born Abt. 1868 in Russell Co., Alabama; and I believed she died in Texas. It is known she was in Texas and often visited James Abner Smith.
   
   
6. James Abner Smith, born Abt. 1872 in Alabama and died in Van Zandt County, Texas.

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A Wiley Smith fits into this family somewhere:
Either a son or grandson to Joseph and Sophonia. I found a reference to a J. Wiley Smith at Myrtle Springs, Van Zandt Co., Texas. Our Wiley Smith is reported he married into a Famous Ice Cream producing family in Ft Worth. He had two sons that are reported to have worked for the Kansas City Star News Paper in the 1950s. I checked the Newspaper archives but they have no record of them in their archives.

Kansas City male cousins above and believed their wives to the right.

Photos: Marzelle Earnest

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