I received this letter from Florence Eagle, March 5, 1992. Florence was the daughter of Thomas Henry Smith, son of Philander and Ann Smith, thought to be a half-brother of Adoniram.
Of particular interest, and shock at the time, was this:
Your grandfather is not a blood brother of my Father, Henry Smith. … Grandads 3rd wife … No 3 came to work for Grandad bring[ing] a little boy with her who was later your Grandad. … When your Grandad was very young he also took on the name Smith.
When I asked my aunt about this (can’t remember if it was Aunt Edna or Aunty Jo), she said that she had always known this but considered herself a Smith – end of story.
H. Thomas Smith is Henry (Florence Eagle’s father). He is the “Head” of the household as Philander died in 1900.
Admiram is Adoniram. Possible error in his birthdate of Feb 19, as we always celebrated Feb 18.
Orin and Julia are twins. Orin never married. Julia married William Scobie.
E. George is actually Georgina. The only birth AFTER the marriage of Leah and Philander. Georgina married her cousin, Walter Eady. They later divorced.
Philander’s marriage to Leah was delayed for legal reasons. He promised to marry Mary Jamieson, the daughter of Mary Eady, Leah’s first cousin. It seems by refusing to give up her engagement ring, Mary could prevent Philander from marrying someone else. Only when Mary finally married Arthur Humphries, did that free Philander to marry Leah. Another source informed me that Philander was actually sued by Mary Jamieson for Breach of Promise.
Leah and Philander were finally married July 16, 1887. Leah was 38 and Philander was 53.
