I believe Henry L Smith and Martin Monroe Smith were related because both families were living in Wyoming County, New York, USA. It is just a matter of connecting Henry Smith to Ezra Smith. Somewhere in their family trees is their common progenitor.

Abner Polk Adams

Born: 7 APR 1794 in Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York, USA

Father: Asaph Adams (1759 to 1808)
Mother: Orinda Abbott (1766 to 1831)

Spouse: Lucinda Fuller (1803 to 1878)

Married: 8 SEP 1818 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA

Children:

Asaph Adams (17 MAY 1821 to 5 JAN 1910)
Royal Hubbard Adams (17 JUL 1824 to 17 APR 1902)
Andrew Jackson Adams (27 APR 1828 to 14 AUG 1880)
Cordelia Lorain Adams (16 MAR 1830 to 20 MAR 1918)
Charles Adams (17 MAR 1832 to 14 AUG 1832)
Amanda Melvina Adams (25 JUL 1833 to 18 SEP 1899)
James Adams (2 JAN 1837 to 5 OCT 1869)
Hiram F Adams (28 JAN 1838 to 26 DEC 1849)
Cassar Rodney Adams (28 JUL 1842 to 24 MAR 1914)
Abner Polk Adams (2 JUL 1844 to 11 MAR 1900)

Died: 14 SEP 1878 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA

Burial: Pike Cemetery

Obituary:

Timeline:

1808 Death of father, Asaph
1815 Death of brother, Isaac
1818 Marriage to Lucinda
1821 Birth of son, Asaph
1824 Birth of son, Royal
1828 Birth of son, Andrew
1830 Birth of daughter, Cordelia
1831 Death of mother, Orinda
1832 Birth of son, Charles
1832 Death of son, Charles
1833 Birth of daughter, Amanda
1837 Birth of son, James
1838 Birth of son, Hiram
1842 Birth of son, Cassar
1844 Birth of son, Abner
1849 Death of son, Hiram
1850 Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA
1860 Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA
1862 Death of sister, Betsey
1867 Death of sister, Lucy
1871 Death of sister, Polly
1875 Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA
1876 Death of brother, Albigence
1878 Death and Burial

Occupation: tanner, currier, shoemaker

Records:

1850 to 1870 United States Federal Census Records
1875 New York State Census Record
New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

There is a biographical sketch of Abner and his son, Asaph, on the Internet Archive website. It is in the publication entitled “History of Wyoming County, New York“, Page 260.

Another family tree member found a photograph of this family “in his father’s things”. The photo was taken in 1868 when Abner and Lucinda celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

The family tree member included a page that listed the names of each family member in the photo.

The Polk Mystery:

Abner and his youngest son were christened with the middle name of Polk. I do not know the origins of this surname in this family lineage.

Could they have been named after the famous American Revolutionary War hero, Thomas Polk (1732 to 1794)? He died the same year that Abner was born.

One of Abner’s other sons was named Andrew Jackson Adams. I am sure he was named after the 7th US President, Andrew Jackson (1767 to 1845)

Abner’s Wife:

Lucinda Fuller:

Lucinda was born on 25 JAN 1803 in Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, USA. She died on 16 NOV 1878 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Lucinda’s father was Hubbard Fuller. He was born on 28 APR 1770 in Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA. He died on 7 DEC 1823 in Hume, Allegany County, New York, USA.

Lucinda’s mother was Elizabeth Hamblin. She was born on 4 MAR 1771 in Carmel, Putnam County, New York, USA. She died on 29 MAY 1844 in Hume, Allegany County, New York, USA.

Hubbard and Elizabeth were buried in Alger Cemetery.

Lucinda had eight brothers and sisters. All of the children except the youngest were born in Otsego County, New York, USA. The youngest child was born in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Laura Fuller (1792)
Perseus R Fuller (1794)
Hiram Fuller (1797)
Sylvia B Fuller (1801)
Benjamin J Fuller (1805)
Eleazar H Fuller (1808)
John Fuller (1809)
Christiana Fuller (1812)

Abner and Lucinda’s Daughters:

Cordelia Lorain Adams:

Cordelia was born on 16 MAR 1830 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA. She died on 20 MAR 1918 in Machias, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA.

Cordelia married Henry L Smith on 13 JAN 1852 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA. Four known children were born during their marriage:

Abner Adams Smith (1854)
Isabel Smith (1856)
Jackson H Smith (1862)
Cassar Smith (1866)

Henry L Smith was born in 1822 in Seneca, Ontario County, New York, USA. He died in 1887 in Manchester, Wayne County, New York, USA.

Cordelia and Henry were buried in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Amanda Melvina Adams:

Amanda was born on 25 JUL 1833 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA. She died on 18 SEP 1899 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Amanda married Martin Monroe Smith on 5 OCT 1851 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA. Five known children were born during their marriage:

Emma Diantha Smith (1852)
Mary Lucinda Smith (1854)
Hattie Louise Smith (1857 to 1859)
Hattie Adelia Smith (1860)
Harry Ezra Smith (1865)

Martin Monroe Smith was born on 9 JUL 1825 in Wyoming County, New York, USA. He died on 6 SEP 1869 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Amanda and Martin were buried in Pike Cemetery.

Did You Notice?

Cordelia and Amanda married men with the surname of Smith. I thought Henry and Martin may have been related but have not discovered a connection.

Here is the information that I did find on each man:

Henry L Smith:

There is a biographical sketch of Henry on the Internet Archive website. The publication is entitled “Genealogical and Family History of Western New York“, Page 463.

The author stated that Henry was born in Otsego, Otsego County, New York, USA. He probably obtained this information from Henry’s son, Cassar, or one of his grandchildren.

I then found a death certificate for Henry on another family tree. This document shows that Henry was born in Seneca, Ontario County, New York, USA. His parents were listed as Henry Smith and Isabel McIntyre. This information probably came from Henry’s wife, Cordelia, or one of their adult children.

This other family tree also shows that Henry had a twin brother:

Hugh M Smith was born on 6 APR 1822 in Seneca, Ontario County, New York, USA. He died on 23 DEC 1896 in Belfast, Allegany County, New York, USA.

The transcript of the death certificate confirms that Hugh was born in Ontario County, New York, USA. This document listed his parents as Henry Smith and Isabella McIntyre.

Henry Smith and Isabel McIntyre remain a mystery. I do not know when they were born or where they died.

If you know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

Martin Monroe Smith:

Many family trees indicate that Martin was born in Galway, Saratoga County, New York, USA. I do not believe this is correct.

There is a Find A Grave memorial for Martin’s mother, Diantha Potter, that includes a short biography. Two items in this article may narrow down Martin’s birthplace.

  • Diantha’s father, John Abel Potter, died in 1822 in Wethersfield, Wyoming County, New York, USA.
  • Diantha married Ezra Smith in 1823 when she was 17 years old.
  • In 1823, Ezra was living in Portageville, Wyoming County, New York, USA. They moved to Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA shortly after they were married.

Wethersfield is ten miles northwest of Pike. Portageville is six miles east of Pike.

Martin was probably born in Wethersfield, Portageville, or Pike. It is safe to assume he was born in Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Martin’s father was Ezra Smith. He was born on 3 JUN 1797 in Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont, USA. He died on 5 OCT 1865 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Martin’s mother was Diantha Potter. She was born on 25 DEC 1805 in Galway, Saratoga County, New York, USA. She died on 5 MAR 1887 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Ezra and Diantha were buried in Pike Cemetery.

Martin’s paternal grandfather was Whiting Smith. He was born on 5 FEB 1772 in Rupert, Bennington County, Vermont, USA. He died on 24 SEP 1840 in Portageville, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Martin’s paternal grandmother was Eunice Winchester. She was born on 6 FEB 1776 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 4 JUN 1855 in Pike, Wyoming County, New York, USA.

Whiting and Eunice were buried in Portageville Cemetery.

My Thoughts:

I believe Henry and Martin were related because both families were living in Wyoming County, New York, USA. It is just a matter of connecting Henry Smith to Ezra Smith. Somewhere in their family trees is their common progenitor.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!