Celia Smith and Mary Elizabeth Smith

Celia Smith was born April 23, 1853 in Hardy County Virginia.  Celia was the daughter of a carpenter, Jacob Smith, and his wife Nancy Entler of Moorefield, Hardy County, Virginia.  Jacob was born in Pennsylvania about 1801; his grandfather, Philip Schmidt, came from Germany in 1737.  Nancy was born in Virginia about 1808; she was also of German descent. 

In 1860, Celia was the youngest child in the household of Jacob and Nancy Smith.  Her older siblings still at home were Mary, Emily, George, and Frances.

In 1870 Celia was a 17-year-old still living in her father's household with her older sister Emily.

Celia became the mother of a daughter, Mary Elizabeth, on October 13, 1877.  Immediately after birth, Mary was placed in the home of a black family in Petersburg, Grant County, West Virginia.  Solomon Peterson, a neighbor of Celia Smith, supposedly helped her find a home for her illegitimate, biracial daughter. Elias and Hannah Green Gilbert "adopted" Mary.  Hannah Green Gilbert was Solomon Peterson's mother-in-law.

In 1880 Celia was living in the household of Sarah Weese, a widow keeping house in Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia.  She was a single 27-year-old boarder, probably helping care for Mrs. Weese's young daughters, Mary and Rose. 

In 1900 Mary Elizabeth "Molly" Smith was a 22-year-old servant in the home of Daniel W. and Margaret Belle Babb in Williamsport, Grant County, West Virginia.  It was in this community that Mary met and eventually married Homer Stewart, a local farm laborer, on April 12, 1909.

Celia died June 6, 1903.  She was moved from her initial burial site to the Smith family plot in Olivet Cemetery in Moorefield by her daughter. Mary once took her son Brownley to the cemetery to point out where his grandmother was buried.  He later did the same for his children.

Mary became an excellent homemaker, housekeeper and cook.  She could work wonders with a few simple ingredients to create meals for her family.  The Bonar family on Patterson Creek Road in Burlington, Mineral County, West Virginia often afforded Mary's services, especially on special occasions.  It it believed that on one of these occasions, Mary encountered a relative of her mother Celia Smith, as a guest of the Bonars;  she bravely made it known that she was Celia's daughter.

When Mary died in June of 1950, her oldest son, listed as the informant on her death certificate, identified her father as Solomon Peterson.  This was not common knowledge or generally accepted by others.  Mary always said that she did not know who her father was.

Mary Elizabeth Smith
on her wedding day

Mary Elizabeth Smith Stewart
~1945

Note:
In 1870 Solomon Peterson and wife Salllie Jones had four children living with them in Moorefield, West Virginia.. Sallie died before November 1874, when Solomon married again.  In 1880 Solomon Peterson and wife Mary Green were living in Moorefield, West Virginia with two of his older sons  and two of their sons.  Solomon and Mary lost two children at birth and another at age seven.  Between 1886 and 1900 Solomon Peterson moved his family from Moorefield, West Virginia to Wheeling, West Virginia.  Solomon died in 1918.

References

West Virginia Vital Records, Grant County, rural

06//11/1950:  Death of Mary Elizabeth Smith Stewart

1880 US Census West Virginia, Hardy County, Moorefield district

02/19/1945:  Celia Smith (27) was boarding with Sarah Weese and her two daughters.

1870 US Census West Virginia, Hardy County, Moorefield township, Moorefield

398/400:  Celia Smith (17) was living with her father Jacob Smith and sister Emily.

1860 US Census Virginia, Hardy County, District 2, Moorefield

nnn/641:  Celia Smith (8) was living with her father Jacob Smith, mother Nancy and four siblings. 

The Legacy of a Generation

This was the eulogy presented at the funeral of Brownley Thornton Stewart on January 8, 2011.  He was the last of eight children of Homer Wilson Stewart and Mary Elisabeth Smith to pass away.

We have come to the end of a generation with the passing of the last living son of Homer and Molly Stewart.  They raised six sons and one daughter right here in this community, in this church, during the depression.

 

Those who knew them would agree that the Stewart brothers epitomized brotherhood, fatherhood, and neighborhood.  The work ethic and values instilled in them by their parents served them well.  They supported and cared for each other, their families, and their neighbors.  They served their country.  They shared everything they had.  They earned the trust and respect of all who knew them.  I believe the community benefited from them living and working here.

The advice and life lessons they gave to their children, and anyone else who would listen, has served us all well in our lives.  The variety of skills they taught us and the motivation to get the best education possible prepared us for life even in the worst of times.  The Stewart family is truly blessed to have such a heritage and role models.  We got to enjoy their collective wisdom and unique personalities; we really had six dads.  While we miss them, we have so many memories and are much the wiser for having them in our lives.

Now the torch has been passed to our generation.  We, as a family, are obligated to preserve the legacy and pass it on; we have big shoes to fill, but they gave us the tools to be successful citizens.  I only hope and pray we can do as good a job as our fathers and grandparents did.  I want to challenge us all to be the best we can be; let’s make them proud of us. 

The Stewart Brothers
(l-r:  Stanley, Wilson, Brownley, Kendall, Ernest, Pearl)

Molly and Homer Stewart

Sipper Stewart

Homer Meets Mary

Homer Wilson Stewart 03/02/1871 - 12/18/1953 (82)

Father:  Fortune Stewart ~1808 - 08/01/1888 (80)

Mother:  Rebecca Payne 11/1838 - 07/04/1910 (85?)

Homer started as a farm laborer in rural Grant County West Vriginia.  He later became a tenant farmer, providing a home and loaned farm for his family.  He was known for his work ethic and his hardy laugh.

Mary Elizabeth Smith 10/13/1877 - 06/11/1950 (73)

Father:  unknown (possibly Solomon Peterson)

Mother:  Celia Smith 04/23/1853 - 06/06/1903 (50)

Mary was a housekeeper and an excellent cook.  It was while she was working in the home of Daniel and Margaret Belle Babb that she met Homer Stewart.

Homer W Stewart and Mary E Smith were married on 04/12/1909 by Rev. J. T. Reed in Hardy County West Virginia.  Homer and Mary had eight children:

Wilson Alfred Stewart (10/07/1909 - 12/14/1992) farmer (sheep breeder); avid reader

Charles Edward Stewart (12/03/1910 - 12/03/1910 perished in delivery)

Pearl Daniel Stewart (12/11/1911 - 11/10/1999) coal miner; quilting was his hobby

Homer Ernest Stewart (09/04/1913 - 12/1984) grocer; avid hunter

Kendall Smith Stewart (08/18/1915 - 12/31/1979) (US Army WWII) local store, farmer

Brownley Thornton Stewart (04/07/1917 - 01/06/2011) (US Army WWII) carpenter/general contractor

Stanley William Stewart (05/13/1919 - 12/23/2003) (TEC 5 US Army WWII) logger, construction, farmer (horses); hunter, motorcyclist

Mary Elizabeth Payne "Sipper" Stewart (08/23/1921 - 12/30/1937...only 16 years old) 

The family experienced the tragic loss of the youngest child Sipper in 1937.  As you can imagine being the youngest and only girl she was very loved and spoiled by the rest of the family.  At the tender age of sixteen she died of lung cancer.  No one seems to know how that could happen, but it was detected late and progressed quickly.

Then the family was called upon to address yet another challenge.  Three of the sons served in World War II.  Kendall served in Australia, Brownley went to England, and Stanley was sent to the Philippines. There was no other family in the county who made such a sacrifice; even the other families noted the significant contribution.  All three returned home not too much for wear:  Kendall had suffered from malaria, Brownley had broken his leg, and Stanley was an escaped prisoner of war.