Last known address 195 Greenwich Ave..Roosevelt..LI..NY..Larry use to play piano in nightclubs on Long Island.
Uncle Larry disappeared after Grandma Smith passed away. He has never been heard from again. We have always wondered about this, what happened to him?
In Wilmington where we now live, there is a man who looks like him. The first time I saw this man, I practically jumped out of my skin. My husband says it can't be him. But, when we talked about it more, he agreed perhaps it was possible. This really bothered me, some years later, I turn around, there is the man again, in the meantime Ron had seen a picture of Uncle Larry, he says, it sure does look like him, though he looks too young, but, Uncle Larry took care of himself. I have tried to call, but, had no luck.
Recently on local TV I see a man with the same last name, I swear it looks like my uncle! We had always heard Larry was a spy during the war. Recently mom told how Larry would buy used clothing, go to Europe to sell it. Was that just a cover up? Who knows? I did find someone listed in Palm Beach, Florida with a birthdate near what we think is his. We think 1916. If you have any information, please let us know.
..The Smyth-Smith Family..
When the Smyth family came to America the name was changed to Smith. This was a story we had always heard growing up, that the spelling had been changed.
The Smith family had connections to Sullivan County, New York. Also Hempstead, Roosevelt, Bellmore Long Island where they later moved. The family originally started out in Manhatten. My great grandfather Thomas Francis Smith was born there in 1852. His parents were born in Ireland.
Picture of Thomas Francis Smith..
Smith..Smyth
John & Margaret Silver Smyth
Patrick...1810 & Mary Fahy...1814
Thomas Francis...Jan 13 1852---1908
Sylvester...Dec 1882**88?---March 4 1948
John Vincent...September 7 1912---August 23 1978
Marjorie Wilma Smith Ward...Feb 2 1942
Shawn Forrest Ward...Nov 5 1970
Kara Alayne Ward...Jan 8 1993
I have been sent quite a bit of information on the Smith family. For sure I never thought I would find them. There is some question regarding this information, but, I am convinced this is our grandfather's family. We have some of the same names, just do not agree on Sylvester's birthdate.**we show 1882 for Sylvester..this is what it shows on his tombstone, but that does not mean it is right, after looking at this a bit though I notice most of the chidren were born a few years apart, I have to attempt to get the death or birth certificate
I notice on one of the family papers it shows Sylvester with a different address on papers drawn up in 1905, if he was only born in 1888 he would only be seventeen then, unless he had gone to stay with someone else.
We had some names wrong though. But, this can easily happen. We were always told our great grandmothers were Anna Maria Dadderal, Mary Flood. This indeed is what mom has written down in my sister's baby book.**I have finally found more, I went back to the cemetery in Narrowsburg, went to the Kehl and Smith stones, looked around. Went back to leave, disappointed in not finding the Daderall.
As if someone is leading me, I go to the passenger side of my truck, I have no idea why. I look up, there it is right in front of me. Anna Dodderl. I took a picture, but, lost it. I bet the name was changed to Dodd. There were no others with the name nearby. Martin Kehl, her husband was right there too.
However, I am told it is Anna Baptista Flood, this is what the papers show. Mom says she never met these people, just wrote down what she was told.
All at once I may have found something! While glancing back over the Smith information for the tenth time I notice on Anna Flood Smith's paper it faintly says mother's maiden name Mary Fury?. I had not noticed this before, it was very hard to read, there is my Mary Flood! I can scarcely make Anna's father's name out as Michael. I will work with this a bit, get a magnifying glass. But, I bet this is it!
We had always heard the story of someone being a lawyer in New York City. We were under the impression it was an uncle. Now that may be correct too. However, our great grandfather Thomas Francis Smith was a lawyer. We always heard they owned what was once part of 5th Avenue. This looks as if it may be true. Another story was that someone was the youngest lawyer ever admitted to the bar. **looking at the papers I have been sent I wonder if this could have been Thomas Francis Smith. Thomas died in 1908, it says he was a member of the bar for 30 years, it does show him at age 18 as a lawyer's clerk.
The children of Thomas Francis Smith and Annie Baptista Flood were...
John F..1876-1902
Mary (Minnie)..1878
Annie F..Oct 1880
Margaret..1886-1890
Sylvester..Dec 1882 or 1888-March 1948
The 1900 Census lists the Thomas Francis Smith family as follows
Thomas F...1862**
Loretta A...1869
John F...1876
Minnie B...1878
Sylvester..1888
Vincent F...1892
Franklin J...1893
Lavinia...1895
Eleanor...1897
Robert K...1899
**Thomas is listed as being born in 1862 not 1852.
Sylvester and Theresa Kehl Smith
Picture of Theresa, Vince with Ron, Donna, Marge Smith at Grandma Smith's place in Roosevelt.
Sylvester and Theresa are my grandparents. I am now pretty positive they lived at 195 Greenwich Ave in Roosevelt. I have looked at some online maps to determine this.
One memorable event I remember is going down there to visit, someone asked me to go to the movies with them. We went to what must have been one of the earliest movies in 3-D. I had never been to one before, for those of you who did not go through this era, you had to wear cardboard glasses they handed to you. It was like you were right there. The movie may have beenIt Came From Outer Space. I have never actually found the movie again, I do remember Nat King Cole sang for the little MovieTone show. It was really neat. Everyone was so excited about this. **I did finally find this movie while doing some research, that was the correct name, it is listed as being a very good movie!
We remember we use to love to go to our grandmothers. She would make donuts and crullers, they would be on the kitchen counter when we got there, we could take as many as we wanted. In the dining room was a window with a seat built in, sister Donna remembers crawling in there to take a nap. It was so cozy. I would go stay with Joanie Mc Cormick, she lived behind grandmas, I would go to church with them, next door were twin girls. We think across the road on the end was a potato farm.
Picture of Marge, Grandpa Sylvester, Donna Smith. This looks like the back of our yard.
Theresa and Sylvester were the parents of...
John Vincent..September 7 1912---August 23 1978
William Stanley..May 10 1910---October 25? 1931
Clyde Everette (Larry)..June 1916?
Grandma's sister was Eva Kehl, her brother was Andrew Kehl. We were always told Uncle Stanley worked with airplanes. He had helped work on or design some wooden plane. We were told this was in a Bell Lab Museum at one time. There was an accident, Stanley lost his life.
Dad and Grandma Smith were on the way up to the mountains, for some reason they kept getting wrong and heading back towards the city. When they got to Aunt Anna and Uncle Ed Gettles, they were told to go right back, Stanley had been hurt badly. They got there before he died, but, he never regained consciousness. I have a picture of Stanley that belonged to my grandparents. A little bit of paper is glued to it. This says
..A precious one from us is gone,
A voice we loved is stilled;
A place is vacant in our home,
Which never can be filled.
My sister had this put in the paper for her daughter Robin too. Stanley was 20 when he was killed, Robin was 21 when she died of leukemia.
Our home was at one time a butcher shop which Grandpa Smith ran. I am sure I remember as a child the sign being in the cellar. Grandpa Smith use to make something called Grandmother's Irish Stew, he would sell it to the local restaurants. I remember Grandpa Smith mainly for his laugh and smile, his white hair, and the way he would fix his potatos, sitting and mashing them for a long time, adding salt, pepper, and butter to them.
Patrick and Mary Smyth-Smith
Patrick and Mary came from County Galway, Ireland. Mary's mother and father were Mortimer? Fahy and Margaret Reddington. Four of their children were born in Ireland. They were Margaret Smyth..1838.. Patrick Smyth..1841..John Smyth..1843-B**..Mary Smyth..1846-B** They sailed aboard the BARK MESSENGER, landing in New York on April 24 1849. This was the time of the Great Famine in Ireland. Relatives on the same ship were Biddy, Margaret, Pat Fahy. Edward and Mary Hynes. Kitty Silver **..the birthdates are unrecorded, these are the baptismal dates which were generally a few days after the birthdate.
Born to them in the United States were William Smith..1850.. my great grandfather Thomas Francis Smith..1852..Michael Smith..1854..James Smith..1858.
In 1862 the family lived at 27 West Broadway, son James died that year on March 22 at 3 years of age, he died from scarlatina. The family burial plot at Calvary Cemetery was purchased at this time. (section 4, range 11, plot D, grave 10) Michael died one year later.
Many in the Smith-Kehl family are buried over in Narrowsburg in St Francis Cemetery up on the hill to the left in the back.
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Peace..