The Smyth Clan of Titusville, Florida

Everett Ray Smyth Sr.
and
The Smyth Clan of Titusville, Florida

Having 5 Grandsons, 2 Granddaughters, and 4 Great Grandsons the purpose of this web site is to enlighten them all as from whence they came relative to the Smyth side of the family.
It is not intended to be an all encompassing genealogy as that has been covered in extensive detail by their Grandmother Jackie on her side of the family.
Our group of Smyths is of Scots/Irish descent and left Ireland sometime in the early 1800's.
This is known because the family settled in Butler County Pennsylvania where my Great Grandfather Henry J. Smyth was born on August 4, 1822
Great Grandfather, Henry J. Smyth married Margaret J. Wimer in 1850 exact date unknown.
To them was born 9 children as follows:...........

	Prentice	Dec. 16, 1851	Nov. 22, 1903
	Zilla Ann	Feb. 5, 1854	Unknown
	Elzena	Aug. 27, 1856	Oct. 11, 1932
	John Hale 1st	Aug. 15, 1858	1948
	Sarah	Dec. 17, 1860	Unknown
	Hannah	Apr. 7, 1862	Unknown
	William Stanton	Aug. 17, 1865	Jul. 13, 1921
	Gilbert	May 15, 1867	May 31, 1955
	Ida	Nov. 22, 1869	Unknown
My Grandfather was "William Stanton Smyth" the 7th child born, August 17, 1865

A Family Portrait of Henry and Margaret Smyth with their Nine Children is Shown Below.

Front Row:... Prentice - Hannah - Henry & Margaret - Ida - Zilla Ann
Back Row::... Elzena - Sarah - William Stanton - Gilbert A portrait of the five Smyth Sisters is Shown Below.

The 1900 U.S. census indicates Henry J. Smyths father was born in Ireland.
The 1900 U.S. census also list Henrys occupation as a farmer.
He farmed in the Butler County area of Pennsylvania until shortly after the Civil War when in 1866 he moved the family which at the time consisted of 7 children from Butler County, Pennsylvania to Jakes Prairie, a settlement a few miles north of Cuba Missouri in Crawford County, Missouri.
In 1881 he moved the family which now consisted of 9 children to Montgomery County, Kansas and the Fawn Creek Township near Jefferson and Independence, Kansas.

A Little History of Henry and Margarets four sons.
Prentice was a school teacher in Missouri but, in 1882 with most the family in Kansas he moved to Jefferson, Kansas and purchased an 80 acre farm.
Then in 1896 he went into the mercantile business in Jefferson, Kansas.
He also owned a hotel and was the first postmaster of Jefferson, Kansas having been appointed by president Mckinley.
Prentice was involved in Politics and was a registered Republican.
Prentice was mentioned in the book "History of Montgomery Kansas" by L. Wallace Duncan published in 1903.
Prentice is buried in a small cemetery at Jefferson, Kansas
After Prentice's death, his wife Laura moved back to Pennsylvania

The first John Hale was in the Land Rush at the opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893.
He was a Founder and Charter Member of the First Presbyterian Church at Ponca City, Oklahoma
The farm he obtained in the Land Rush became downtown Ponca City.
He was a farmer and a business man who influenced the founding of a college in Oklahoma.
He is entombed in the Mausoleum at the Odd Fellow Cemetery in Ponca City, Oklahoma

William Stanton Smyth obtained a 160 acre farm 7 miles east of Fort Sill, Oklahoma in the Land Rush of 1901 which he farmed until his death in 1921.
Based on stories told by my father, GranPa, William was involved in Politics and Community affairs.
AND was also a tough old Irishman according to other stories told by my father.
After Williams death in 1921, the farm was sold in 1922 to a Mr. Scaggs and his son still lives on the homestead as of 1985 when E. Ray last visited the place.
William and his wife are buried in the Lawton Cemetery next door to Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Gilbert was active in community affairs and served several years on the School Board for Maple Grove School.
Not much else is known of Gilbert except E. Ray found his grave in the Mount Hope Cemetery at Independence, Kansas. - Lot #289

E. Rays Grand Father, William Stanton Smyth was No 7 of the Nine Children and photos of him are Shown Below

William Stanton Smyth married Cornelia N. Burton on March 2, 1899 and they are Shown Below

William and Cornelia had four children, Everett Ralph - Henry Burton - John Hale 2nd - Gilbert 2nd and a daughter Ann My Father, Everett Ralph Smyth was born June 8, 1900 and a child photo of him is Shown Below

In 1901 when my Father was 1 year old, my Grand Father was in the Oklahoma Land Rush and won 160 acres
of land to develop and homestead 6 miles Southeast of Lawton Oklahoma and that is where my father grew up. A couple of pictures taken on the homestead are Shown Below

Take note of the original homestead house shown above.
This house later became a grainery and chicken house after a larger house was built.
The original house can be picked out of the portrait painted by John H. Smyth 2nd by clicking, HERE Same Photos Shown Above are Shown Below for Detail

My Father left home at age 18 and went to work in the Burkburnett Oil Field which was booming at the time A picture of My Father, Everett Ralph Smyth as a young man is Shown Below

As evidenced by the 1938 Plymouth, My Father in his late Thirties is Shown Below

Besides Burkburnett, My fathers, oil field career with Ray Oil Company led him to live in Wichita Falls, Olney and Longview, Texas where I was born on August 29, 1934.
After the East Texas Oil Boom, my father was sent to pump an oil lease in the Post Oak Community 3 miles east of Lueders, Texas.
It was in the Post Oak Community and Lueders where I grew up.
My father pumped the oil lease and then in 1937 purchased a Wichtex Oil Well Work Over Rig and went into the business of repairing oil wells.
My story of growing up with a Wichtex has been told:... HERE
My Father also purchased 4 small production oil wells in the Post Oak Community which I learned to pump in my teen years.
One of the Oil Wells is shown in the next photo.

As evidenced by the 1941 Ford, My Father in his Mid Forties is Shown Below at his Oil Well - Herrington #1

My Father in his early Fifties is Shown Below on the Left - His Good Friend Thomas Murray on Right

My Father in his late Fifties is Shown Below - His Brother John is on Left - Brother Henry is on Right

My Father died on June 20, 1962 at age 62 years and 12 Days - He is buried in Stamford, Texas

Having been raised in the Oil Fields, it was only natural that I followed and by 1961 I was running a Rotary Drilling Rig and living in Abilene, Texas.
Then in 1962, an opportunity arose that allowed me to switch careers to the aerospace industry which ultimate led me, wife Jackie and our 3 kids, Deborah, Ray Jr. and Becky to Titusville, Florida and Kennedy Space Center.
After helping put all the men on the moon and launching Skylab, I considered it time to be in business for myself and I choose Land Development and Real Estate.
As a side line I also developed Computer Software and had a software program sold in all the Radio Shack Stores here and abroad.
AND thus it came to be, I now do internet web pages and write stories for the Grand and Great Grand Children.
Additional details of how we got from "There to Here", may be read by clicking:... HERE

The future of the E. Ray Smyth Clan is in the hands of those little ones Shown Below in 2006

E. Ray Smyth Sr. with his Great Grandsons, E. Ray Smyth IV - Christian Smyth - Bentley Baker - William Baker

A related story to the one here is in the Stories For The Grand Kids and may be reviewed by Clicking:... HERE

My younger brother Don Ralph Smyth of Kentucky has done his part to carry on the Smyth name by having two sons who have contributed two Grandsons and two Granddaughters to the Smyth Clan and more about my brothers family may be reviewed by Clicking:... HERE
Additional Stories for the Grand Kids may be read by Clicking:... HERE

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