Elizabeth C. Smith

Biography

John Repinski's 3rd Great Grandmother

Elizabeth was the 1st Scottish ancestor that I discovered while researching our mother's family tree. Her history is documented fairly well thanks to a biography of Wisconsin families that I came across while doing research on this line....She immigrated to America when she was only 7 years old!

She was born in Errol, Perthshire, Scotland on July 20, 1834 Her parents (our 4th Great Grandparents) were John Moyes and Elizabeth Rogers Moyes. She was one of six children. One of her other siblings, Margeret, was born on the same day as she was, thus she was a Twin.

The U.S. Census of 1850 shows her to be about 16 years old and living in Lisbon, Waukesha Wisconsin with her mother, Elizabeth and 5 siblings. Her father is not mentioned in the census so I surmised he must have passed by that year. Through further research I discovered that her parents immigrated to America in 1840, landing in Quebec Canada and then traveling to Wisconsin and settling in the Waukesha area and that her father did pass away in 1847 (see below):

Census of 1850 information: Name Eliz C Moyes Event Type Census Event Year 1850 Event Place Lisbon, Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States Gender Female Age 16 Race White Birth Year (Estimated) 1834 Birthplace Scotland

Eliz Moyes F 44 Scotland Janet Moyes F 20 Scotland John Moyes M 18 Scotland Margart Moyes F 16 Scotland Eliz C Moyes F 16 Scotland Jas Moyes M 13 Scotland Mary Moyes F 10 Scotland

Notes from the biography: John and Elizabeth (Rogers) Moyes emmigrated to America in 1840 then Quebec. After visiting relatives in Canada, they came to Lisbon Township, Waukesha County. Children 1-Jeanette- wife of W.D. Dopp of Belmont Township 2-John who died in Dane County (perhaps this is a mistake and it should have been Dunn County) 3-Elizabeth C (twin) widow of Edward Y. Smith 4-Margaret (twin)- widow of Gilbert Dopp of Monterey, Waukesha County 5-James of Lisbon Township, Waukesha County 6-Mary, at publication, Mrs. Benjamin Dopp of Monterey, Waukesha County

Our 4th Great Grandfather, John Moyes Sr. died December 2, 1847 on his small farm in Lisbon Township,and our 4th Great Grandmother, Elizabeth lived until April 1899, and passed away in Monterey, Wisconsin.

Our 3rd Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Moyes married Edward Y Smith on Dec 2, 1853. They had 9 children including our 2nd Great Grandmother, Isadora, who married our 2nd Great Grandfather, Henry Pope. So, chances are if there are any Smith families still living in the Waukesha area, they are probably our kinfolk!!

Elizabeth and Edward's children: Julia E Smith 1856–1909 Owen C M Smith 1856–1907 Isadore S Smith (our 2nd Great Grandmother) 1859–1906 Otha A Smith 1862–1946 Margaret A Smith 1863–1920 Wallace A Smith 1865–1918 Clifford H Smith 1869–1912 Bertha N. Smith 1871–1969 Lyman A Smith 1875–1949

According to the biography, our 3rd Great Grandmother was "a self made woman", who desired an education but her parents were too poor to help her. She began working when she was just 12 years old for her board and the privilege of attending school. When she began receiving wages for her services, she gave the money to her parents to help pay for their home and raising their two remaining children still at home. She managed to obtain a good education and thus fitted herself for teaching school.

It was shortly after she started teaching school that she met her future husband, Edward Smith, who was working in the Waukesha area. Edward was of hearty old colonial New England stock, his family having helped to found and settle Martha's Vineyard in Mass. in the early 1600s.

They married in 1853 in Brookfield, Wisconsin and for eighteen months she lived with her parents while Edward hired himself out to various farmers in the area to make money for their future home. Edward eventually made enough money to purchase 80 acres of land and they eventually moved to the Waupaca area, settling in Belmont township, where Edward bought a plot of land.

On a journey that lasted 6 days in a covered wagon with their daughter Julia and some stock including a cow, they arrived to their new home and commenced to build their home.... They built a small log cabin (12 by 14 feet) and there spent their happiest years sweetened as it was by the sense of ownership and independence. The couple would have eight more children, build one of the more substantial homes in the area and end up owning more than 260 acres of farmland in the Waupaca area. Both would be highly esteemed members of their community and would contribute to the growth of this pioneer area of Wisconsin.

Edward died in a farming accident in 1888 and Elizabeth managed the farm until her death in 1923.

I and my siblings and nieces and nephew's family line to Elizabeth Moyes Smith:

1st Generation: Jennifer & Ashley Reinert, Josh & Hailey Brown, Nathanial, Ethan & Carter Repinski are the grandchildren of Marlene Deitz Repinski & Maurice Repinski 2nd Generation: Jane, John, James, Jackie & Jeffry Repinski are the children of Marlene Dietz Repinski & Maurice Repinski 3rd Generation: Marlene is the daughter of Raymond Deitz & Modesta Kosmeider Deitz 4th Generation: Raymond is the son of Henry Deitz and Grace Pope Dietz 5th Generation: Grace Pope Deitz is the daughter of Isadora Smith Pope and Henry Pope 6th Generation: Isadora Smith Pope is the daughter of Elizabeth C. Moyes Smith & Edward Y. Smith Elizabeth Moyes Smith is our 3rd Great Grandmother and my nieces and nephew's 4th Great Grandmother.

While researching Elizabeth's ancestry I also came across an interesting family tree that documents her husband's ancestry (Edward Y. Smith) back to England: https://www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.northam.usa.states.massa...

Sources

   Family Search Tree entry # KHZS-CZX 

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KHZS-CZX

Elizabeth C. Moyes in entry for Clifford H. Smith and Grace M. Hawkins, "Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911"

Elizabeth C. Moyes, "Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911"

Elizabeth C. Smith in entry for Owen C. Smith, "Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907"

Eliz C Moyes in household of Eliz Moyes, "United States Census, 1850"

Biographical Book that mentions family of John Moyes and Elizabeth (Rogers) Moyes

Elizabeth Smith in entry for Isidore Smith Pope, "Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907"

Elizebeth C Smith in household of Edward Y Smith, "United States Census, 1880"

Legacy NFS Source: Elizabeth Moyes - Individual or family possessions: death: 1923; Perthshire, Scotland

https://www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.northam.usa.states.massa... [edit]