Adams County Cousins - Joseph Abner Smalley

When I began this series I stated that most if not all of Lafe Smalley's first cousins were born in Adams County Ohio. This is a cousin who proved me wrong. Joseph Abner Smalley was born 1 Jan 1879 in Grant County, Indiana. He appears to have been the only child of Joseph W. and Maria (Florea) Smalley. Joseph W. was born in Adams County and lived there until at least the 1860 census where he is listed with his parents and family. Joseph W. apparently went to Indiana within the next few years since he married Maria in Rush County Indiana 7 Nov 1866. Within the next dozen years they moved farther north to Grant County where Joseph Abner was born.

Since Joseph Abner was born in 1879, he appears as a 1 year old on the 1880 census with his parents in Liberty Township, Grant County Indiana. In the next census available, 1900, he is still at home with his parents and was enumerated by his middle name Abner. It was in 1907 on the 5th of October, the same day my father was born in Kansas to Lafe's oldest daughter, that Lafe's cousin Joseph Abner married Jennie Campbell in St Joseph, Berrien County Michigan. St. Joseph seemed to have been a tourist destination on the banks of Lake Michigan. It was the same county that Lafe's wife's parents were living in for the 1880 census.

Joseph and Jennie were living in Liberty Township, Grant County Indiana, on the 1910 census with their almost year old son John. Newspaper items about their family state they lived in the Rigdon area all their lives. Rigdon seem to be near the southern edge of Liberty Township. They are shown in Liberty Township with their family on the 1920, 1930 and 1940 censuses. The 1930 census notes they did have a radio and the 1940 census that both Joseph Abner and Jennie had completed 8 grades of school.

Joseph Abner was the right age to be included in both the World War I Draft Registration in 1918 and the World War II Draft Registration from 1942. This is a copy from the 1942 one.

On 5 Oct 1957 Joseph and Jennie celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The notice published in the Fairmount News stated that they had 6 children, 17 grandchildren and 1 geat-grandchild. It was less than 4 years later when Joseph Abner Smalley died, 9 Feb 1961. He was buried in Knox Chapel Cemetery, Point Isabel, Grant County, Indiana. His wife Jennie died in 1973 and they have a double stone.