research

Jane Honeycutt obituaries

Gale / Hugh Smith, Smiths / , /

I started searching for obituaries for Jane’s mother and father since they had died in 1962 and 1964 respectively and would have information more recent than anything I had found so far.

HONEYCUTT, JAMES MICHAEL died 19 Sep 1964
HONEYCUTT, JAMES MICHAEL – born April 26, 1875, deceased this life September 19, 1964 at the age of 89 years, 4 months and 24 days. He was married to IDA BELL RISDON about the year of 1895 and to this union was born nine children. His wife and 1 son preceded him in death. He professed a hope in Christ and in May 19, 1950, he came to Tunnel Hill Baptist Church by letter, where he remained a member until death. He leaves to mourn his passing 4 sons, GEORGE of Robbins, Tennessee, ELVIN of Norma, Tennessee, JONAH of Oneida and JOHN of Covington, Kentucky; 4 daughters, JANE CROSS of Elk Valley, MARY ANN YADEN of Michigan, FLORA THOMAS of Covington, Kentucky, DAISY YORK of Helenwood, Tennessee and a number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends. We feel our loss is his eternal gain in Glory. Tunnel Hill Baptist Church. (Source: Minutes of the West Union Assoc. of United Baptist Churches, 1964, p15)

 

Jane Honeycutt was then Jane Cross of Elk Valley. I couldn’t find anything on the internet so I emailed Trulene in Tennessee and asked her for advice.

Trulene quickly found information. Jane Honeycutt married Letcher Cross in Campbell County on  11 Feb 1946.  Letcher Cross was a WWI veteran born  20 Sept 1890 and died 1 Nov 1976.  Jane is buried beside him in Valley View Cemetery in Elk Valley in the same cemetery as John F. Smith.

It took me forever to find the Clay and John F. Smith graves when I visited Valley View Cemetery in May. I had walked the entire cemetery going down every row so I had undoubtedly walked right past these graves as well.

Cross, Janie H. – died May 17, 1979
Funeral for Mrs Jane H. Cross, 78, of Jellico , who died last Thursday at Jellico Community Hospital was Saturday at the Elk Valley Church of God the Rev. J C Murray officiating.  Burial was at Valley View Cemetery.Survivors include three sons: David Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio; Clay Smith, Rossford, Ohio; and Hugh Smith, Toledo, Ohio; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, four brothers, George Honeycutt, Brimstone, Tenn, Elvin Honeycutt, Huntsville, Tenn., John Honeycutt, Oneida, and three sisters Mrs Mary Ann Vaden, Detroit, Mich., Mrs Flora Thomas, Covington, Ky and Mrs Daisy York, Tampa, Fla.Ellison Funeral Home of Jellico was in charge.

 

Cross, Letcher – died November 1, 1976
Letcher Cross, 84, of Elk Valley, died at the VA Hospital, Murfreesboro.He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Janie Honeycutt Cross of Toledo, Ohio; three step-sons, Dave Smith of Cincinnati, Ohio, Clay Smith and Hugh Smith of Toledo, Ohio; one brother, Oscar Cross of Cincinnati, Ohio; one step-brother, Charlie Davis of Jonesboro, Tenn; five grandchildren.Funeral services were held Wednesday, November 3 at 2 p.m. at Elk Valley Church of God by the Rev. J.C. Murray. Burial was in Valley View Cemetery.Ellison Funeral Home, Jellico was in charge of arrangements.

 

From all this information I should be able to get proof of death from the funeral home in Tennessee. One down and one to go.
Janie Cross headstone.
Janie Cross footstone.

 

Information learned in Tennessee Part 4

Gale / Hugh Smith, Smiths / , /

Because of the story mom had shared with me I knew dad had been married and divorced before WWII so I looked for that while I was in Tennessee.

According to mom the sequence was marriage, repeated infidelities by his wife, divorce, enlistment in Army, birth of child long after dad had disappeared from the scene.

I found the marriage record from February 1, 1942 and noticed she was older than dad. I also recognized daddy’s hand-writing:

It was a little creepy for me, but I found a family tree on ancestry.com posted by CharlotteMcGuire62 that listed dad as the father to Stephen Hugh Smith. Dad was the first of Jeanette’s 3 husbands (Charles McGuire had been her second husband). It listed dad’s birth November 23, 1906 and his death as February 1980. Not correct but close enough that someone had knowledge about him. But then mom had said a man had contacted her after dad’s death saying he was dad’s son and wanting part of dad’s estate.

Stephen Hugh Smith was born on December 20, 1942.

I couldn’t find the divorce, but dad’s induction date into the army as October 9, 1943.

So the actual sequence of events was marriage, maybe repeated infidelities by his wife, birth of child, divorce, enlistment in Army.

I was momentarily rattled when I ran across this, but in a minute I decided I didn’t care.

My dad was such an incredibly honorable man and good father that I believe he did the right thing back then just as he did all the time with us. I will never know what contributed to him leaving Tennessee for good and not having contact with anyone from there again. In my heart I believe he would never leave a child that was his.

Mom had said he never told us because he was afraid we would start to fear that he would abandon us too. When she told me I thought it was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard because dad was the most steadfastly loyal person I’d ever known and he would never have left us. After finding out the child was born before he divorced and enlisted I can really understand his desire to keep it secret.

The only question I have is who twisted the story? Did dad tell mom the straight story and she sugar-coated it for me or did he alter the sequence of events for her. My dad was almost painfully honest, so I suspect he laid it on the line for her. And I understand the sugar-coating. It was a bit of shock, but when all is said and done I trust my dad.

I did research and Stephen Hugh Smith served in Vietnam and died at the age of 55 in 1998 so I will never know what happened.

 

Information learned in Tennessee Part 3 – the Honeycutts

Information learned in Tennessee Part 3 – the Honeycutts

Gale / Hugh Smith, Smiths / , , /

The Honeycutts

Trulene and I started to search for Janie Honeycutt in 1920. Once again, I had no success because of being too literal. Trulene found her family on the 1920 census and discovered Janie was actually Eliza Jane.

[table id=5 /] [wpdm_file id=17]

 

Some things I noticed — Ida Belle was probably 15 when they married because she was 16 when the first child was born. The Honeycutts lived on Capuchin Creek Rd. and Trulene told me it’s so remote that even today no one hardly ever goes out that far.

1910 Census

Trulene found the 1910 census next, even with a change in names. This census was taken on May 2nd where the 1920 census had been taken on January 19th so there was a slight shift in ages. If you look at the census page image note the 11 and 13 year old boys are farm laborers now but listed as still attending school. Eliza Jane could read but not write at 8 years old.

[table id=6 /] [wpdm_file id=17]

 

 1900 Census

Some observations — Ida Belle was 17 years old with a 3 and 2 year old on June 14, 1900. The census said both James and Ida Belle could read but not write.

[table id=7 /] [wpdm_file id=19]

 

1895 Marriage of James Honeycutt and Ida Bell Roysden

There’s several things about this document that annoy me. Ida Belle’s name isn’t even spelled correctly, no signature was required by the bride-to-be, and it’s almost like she was sold to him. What can I say? It was 1895 in rural Tennessee.  Ida Belle was born on 7/13/1880 and James on 4/26/1875 so Ida Belle was 4 months short of her 15th birthday when she married. The entire entry is in the same handwriting so this would back up that neither James nor Ida Belle could write.

 

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1930 Census

Trulene, being a thorough researcher, wanted to find the 1930 census to verify that Eliza Jane was no longer listed there. Despite the census taker entering the name as James Heneycutt Trulene was able to find the record.

One the 1930 census they asked the age at marriage and the put 18 and 14. That is incredibly young. Apparently the son John who was 1 year old on the previous census did not survive. Daisy, the youngest child, must have been on the next page of the census and wasn’t listed. She was born in 1922.

[table id=8 /] [wpdm_file id=21]

 

One last document I found from the Honeycutts — the WWI draft card for James Honeycutt. Look at the eye and hair color. Yellow eyes and black hair. Yellow eyes? That’s a new one and I wonder if it was true.

 

Question remains

This was all interesting genealogy of my dad’s maternal side, but it didn’t get me any closer to finding out who the father may have been to Eliza Jane’s child.

Trulene and other ladies at the historical society told me it was common practice back then that when a daughter got pregnant out of wedlock the child would be raised as the parent’s child, not the daughter’s. This was viewed as more socially acceptable.

They also told me it was common place for the girls to never tell anyone who the father was. I couldn’t understand why a case of teenage hormones had to be kept in such secrecy until they explained that more often than not the father was a married man. So the girls protected the cheating, predatory male with their secrets.

But what little dad said about his early childhood sounded like it was he and his mother and no mention of anyone else around so I wondered if she had left home after the birth of the child. Trulene said there was a chance there might be a court record if she had to apply for welfare for herself and the baby so I decided make a trip to Scott county.

 

My tour of dad’s childhood area Part 2

My tour of dad’s childhood area Part 2

Gale / Hugh Smith, Smiths / , , /

 

Link to slide show of photos and maps of the tour

Lick Fork at dad’s address in 1940

Dad’s address in 1940

There is a mine located across the street from319 Lick Fork Rd.and nothing on the 319 side of the road. I found out the mine is no longer in operation. I suspect the mine had housing across the street for the miners who worked for them and that’s why my dad’s family had lived there.

I had read an article at the historical society that mining companies would pay the miners with tokens that could only be spent at their company store. They provided housing that the miners had to pay them to rent. It was a closed economy with the mine in complete control of almost every aspect of the workers lives. I suspected the housing was not very nice.

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If you follow Lick Fork Rd.out a bit further than I went it turns into Capuchin Creek Rd.which where the Honeycutt farm was. That explains how John Smith and Eliza Jane Honeycutt may have met.

After pictures I drove out to where Lick Fork, Elk Fork and 297 intersected to followed Elk Fork to the correct church and cemetery.

Valley View Cemetery

Valley View Cemetery is just that – a cemetery nestled in a narrow valley. It was a much larger cemetery – large enough I was worried about finding the grave makers I was looking for. After getting yelled at when taking pictures at the previous cemetery I immediately walked to the back where I heard men working and asked if it was okay for me to walk around and take pictures. I could tell they thought it was weird I even asked. Go figure.

I started at one side walking the full length of the cemetery row by row. I finally found Clay Smith on the next to last row. Next to him was his father John F. Smith. I have nothing against Clay Smith but when I looked at the marker for John Smith I thought this is the man who must have been so awful to my father that he would grow up and never utter a word about his step-father to his own children. I resisted the impulse to spit on his grave and took pictures instead.

Elk Valley

I left the cemetery and took 297 north toward Jellico. I passed through Elk Valley shortly after getting back on 297. The population is supposed to be 4000 but it was barely a wide spot in the road, so I don’t know if they include a large part of the rural area.

Jellico is the town I remember my dad talking about, telling people it was where he was from. I got Oneida from the ship passenger list when dad returned from Germany since he stated that as his birth place and the funeral book when dad died also said he was born in Oneida. Elk Valley is what dad listed as his home town when he enlisted in the army. I have no recollection of him mentioning either one.

Rector Cemetery

I still hadn’t found the cemetery where the Honeycutts were buried so I went back to the motel to see if I could get a better idea of where it was located and went back toward Huntsville that evening to find it. I had no idea who these people were or what, if any, part they had played in my dad’s life, but I wanted to get pictures for the sake of genealogy.

I had to take Norma Road south from Norma on Rt 63 and find Straight Fork Rd. Whoever named Straight Fork had a sense of humor since it twisted and turned all over the place.

I found Cemetery Rd and Rector Cemetery with the help of the GPS. It was such a little road I would not have realized I’d missed it without seeing it go by on the GPS.

This cemetery was a little scary to me since I was alone way out in a rural area where the houses reflected abject poverty. I quickly found the graves, took pictures, and got back in the car to head back to civilization. It surprised me how nervous it made me. I have traveled extremely remote areas alone and not been spooked, but this place did. Maybe it was some of the scruffy men I had seen outside of houses on the way there. Maybe it was the stories my dad had told me and the impression I had of the area. Who knows, but I was so glad when I was back on 63 and headed toward I-75.

I would go back to the historical society the next day to see what more I could find out before heading home.

 

My tour of dad’s childhood area Part 1

My tour of dad’s childhood area Part 1

Gale / Hugh Smith, Smiths / , , /

Link to slide show of photos and maps of the tour

Day for Touring

I took a day off from researching to tour the area and see the places that were mentioned in my dad’s life in Tennessee. The area I drove that day was mountains with rolling, twisting roads and trees everywhere. It was wonderfully green. If I could tune at the poverty it was an incredibly beautiful area. The poverty, however, was rampant and very sad to me.

One thing I will say is that at every stop I made there was nothing but the sound of bird song. It was striking how quiet the places were and how many birds were singing.

The first stop was in Huntsville, the county seat of Scott county, to visit the Scott County Historical Society to see if they had information that might help me. Unfortunately they had a change in people running the group and had to close for a few months to get a handle on their inventory. While there I did see a lot of court record books so it might be worth a trip back in the fall when they are open for research again.

From Huntsville I headed north to Oneida since that was dad’s birthplace. Huntsville had been a long narrow town between the mountain ridges. Oneida was farther from mountains, much larger, and not a very pretty town. It may have been where dad was born, but not worth a visit in my opinion.

Lick Fork Rd.

There was no way to cut across from Oneida to Elk Valley so I returned the way I had come until I could take 297 north from Route 63. 297 is a beautiful winding road through the trees and I easily found Lick Fork Rd. running off to the west which was the address on the 1940 census.

I went past the address at 319 quite a distance until it turned into single track gravel road that I thought I had all to myself until I stopped to take pictures and had a lumber truck come barreling my way. I was barely able to get over enough to allow the truck by and decided I’d better get back to the somewhat wider pavement before another truck came along.

Trulene had helped me find that Clay and John Smith were buried at Valley View Cemetery across from Elk Fork Baptist Church. On the way back on Lick Fork I saw a church on the right and a cemetery on the left. It was a very small cemetery and no sign of their grave markers but I took a few pictures anyway just in case.

On the way back to the car an old man I had seen standing in front of a shack behind the church started yelling at me “What are you doing? Do you have permission to take pictures?” so I walked back toward him explaining that my dad had grown up in the area.

Once he decided I wasn’t a threat he ended up telling me how he came to own his house – that his father-in-law to be stepped off an acre of land and gave it to him before he married. He wanted me to come into the house to talk to “Mother” since she might know where the graves I was looking for were located.

I looked at this man with no teeth and the house that was a large shack and wasn’t sure I wanted to go in there. I wasn’t afraid of him — he turned out to be very nice. I was afraid of what I would encounter in the house. But I didn’t wish to offend so I followed him into the house.

We entered the kitchen where “Mother” was standing at the sink. Almost every flat surface was piled with junk, but what got me was the smell. I had to make a conscious effort not to gag while I talked to them.

They were both so nice to me. They explained that they had feared I was a “tree hugger” – the group of people opposed to the strip mining and clear cutting that was resulting in the top of the Zeb mountain being removed. They admitted the mining and logging had ruined the creek downstream, but there still wasn’t any call for those people to protest and block the road.

I didn’t tell them that I was indeed a “tree hugger” but instead that I was just interested in finding out information about my dad. “Mother” figured out I was at the wrong church. They lived by Elk Lick  Baptist Church and I needed to find Elk Fork Baptist Church so she told me how to get there. I had completely missed the distinction.

She asked what my dad’s name was and despite my protests she tried calling a couple people to see if they remembered him and was frustrated when their phones lines were busy. It was clear I could have stayed there all day because they were having a great time telling me stories, but I gradually extricated myself so I could continue my tour — and escape the smell.

I drove back to where 319 Lick Fork Rd. was on my GPS.

New birth certificate search?

Gale / Hugh Smith, Smiths / /

Social Security Application Request

I hadn’t been very optimistic when I paid my $27 and sent off a request to the Social Security Administration for a copy of dad’s application for a social security card that had been completed in 1939. Dad was living and working with John Smith at that point and I realized John may have been listed as the father, but I was at a loss for better ideas.

Social Security Application for Hugh Smith

Six weeks later I got the application with the sections for the each parent’s name blanked out and a letter of explanation about the privacy of information act and that I would have to provide some kind of proof of death for each parent before they could release the information.

I filed an appeal explaining that I didn’t know the name of the father — that’s why I wanted to see the application. That Jane was born in 1902 and would be 110 now so she had to be dead so the father also had to be dead. My father and his two half brothers were all dead. No one’s privacy would be violated.

Six weeks later I received notification that my appeal had been rejected so I was back to needing proof of death for a man whose identity I didn’t know.

Tennessee Birth Certificate Search

Tennessee will check birth certificates for a fee and I had sent a request to search for Hugh Smith born September 23, 1920 in Campbell County. Now I wonder if I should try again for Hugh Honeycutt born in Scott County.

I emailed Trulene and she feels 1) if he was illegitimate they probably did not get a birth certificate (that was common practice in the 1920’s) and 2) my best chance of finding out dad’s birth father would be from a female member of the Honeycutt family since they usually know the family secrets. She’s going to do some checking for me.

 

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