Peter Smith

Born in Cavan, 1821

Peter Smith was born 24 November 1821 in Cavan, Ireland. Four census records and his marriage and death records indicate 1821—note that his birth was toward the end of the calendar year. Only his tombstone says 1822 (information given by his son-in-law), which seems to be an error.  

Two branches of the family—long unknown to each other—tell the same story: that Peter was orphaned on his parents’ emigration from Ireland to North America. One branch says he was two years old; the other says he was eight.

Lived in Canada, then New York, USA to 1850

The first documentary evidence of Peter Smith is his marriage on 2 March 1846 to Almira Dewey in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence, New York, as given in the Town of Gouverneur marriage records. Peter’s residence is given as “Canada West” (Ontario), his age 25; Almira’s residence is Gouverneur, her age 25. They were married by the Rev. Lucius S. Baker of Richville, St. Lawrence, New York, a Baptist minister at the church which Almira’s father, Eleazer Dewey, attended for fifty years.

In the 1850 New York Census, Peter and Almira Smith lived in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence, New York with Almira's son, Ira, age 5, and their first son together, Joel P (Perrish), age 2. Peter’s age was 28, his occupation was “Clothier,” real estate value $200, born in Ireland. Almira was also 28.

Lived in Wisconsin, USA to 1882

2 November 1854: Peter Smith bought 40 acres of land in Waupaca County, Wisconsin. [U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907, certificate #17310]

1855: Wisconsin State Census shows Peter Smith living in Waupaca County.

5 September 1859 Naturalization Record, District Court of Scott County, in Davenport, Iowa, Volume I, Page 385/8; Peter Smith, native of Ireland came into the United States under 18 years of age. (Not sure this is he, but it matches the family story.) This is the proper court for Wisconsin naturalizations at the time.

US Federal Census records show the family living in Waupaca County (town of Waupaca in 1860 and 1870; town of Lind in 1880). Peter is a farmer. His daughter Agnes is a dressmaker.

In July/August,1863, Peter Smith registered for the Civil War draft but did not serve. He was 41 years old, a farmer from Ireland, living in Waupaca.

Children: Joel Perrish (1848-1914), Baby Smith (1850-1850), Twins Adelpha Margaret (1852-1922) and Azilpha Marion (1852-1935), Francis William (1856-1936), Agnes Edith (1863-1900), and Letitia Susan (1867-1939).

In 1881, Peter Smith brought charges of adultery against his son-in-law, Leroy Hosea Harrington, who had married 17-year-old Agnes but also impregnated her 13-year-old sister, Letitia. Both girls gave birth, but there is no further record of Letitia’s son, born 5 January 1882.

Lived in New Westminster, British Columbia until death in 1885

The court case was never settled, because Peter and Almira Smith took Letitia out to British Columbia where she married wealthy Thomas Kidd from County Down, Ireland. Their daughter Agnes remained with her husband in Wisconsin and had eight more children. (Court records and newspaper reports)

18 March 1885, Peter Smith died on Lulu Island, town of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada (original death record, British Columbia Death Index, tombstone). His wife Almira died 22 June 1909 at Ladner, British Columbia.

Years after Peter and Almira Smith’s deaths, the name of William Charles Rothwell (1877-1954) was added to their tombstone. He may not have been a relative.

A descendant of Joel Perrish Smith has written two histories of the Peter Smith family, including a seven-page list of descendants down to the present day.

A direct male descendant tested his YDNA at Family Tree DNA, and more have done autosomal tests at Ancestry.com and Family Tree DNA and uploaded results to Gedmatch. A close DNA match has John Smyth and Susan McDonald as the parents of a Philip Smith in 1825. That John Smyth was born around 1800 in Bailieborough, Cavan.