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Robyn’s Family History

 I never knew my grandfather William Smith because he died in 1972 when I was just 2 years old. He was born in October, 1913, in Jacksonville, FLA. From modest beginnings, he would eventually own and operate three stores--the famous "Willie Smith" pharmacy stores of the 1940s and 1950s. He married Pauline Waters in 1938 and they had two sons, William and Paul. He was extremely well-known in the community, well-loved, generous and enterprising to say the least. In addition to the pharmacies, he served as a distributor in the Southeast U.S. for Adolph Beauty Products, specifically for black women. He was also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Later in life when the pharmacies closed, he became a Methodist Minister. He is remembered fondly by many blacks from Jacksonville in that timeframe. He died a young man, only 57 years old, but he had accomplished much and left a rich legacy.

The photos below show: two photos of William Smith, one of Willie Smith’s stores, Smith with some of his workers, and one from an article in the Afro-American newspaper in 1949 on his accomplishments.

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 William's parent's were John Smith and Georgia Harris. (John is shown on left). John Smith apparently migrated to Jacksonville from Georgia sometime before 1910, where he starts appearing in Jacksonville city directories. Georgia appears to have been a native of Jacksonville. She died young,  at age 45, from pneumonia, but not before giving birth to 3 sons (William, Eugene, and Neat) and one daughter (Lillian, shown at right).

John Smith was employed by the Mason Brick Company and they are also listed as selling him his home in Eastside Jacksonville, on Harrison Street, the same house his grandchildren would go on to be raised in. John Smith was known as a quiet, conservative man, who worked up until his death in 1960.

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Tracing back from John has been almost impossible. For years I searched but found nothing. A chance encounter upon a reference in my grandmother Pauline's Bible and ordering John Smith’s original Social Security application helped to give me new names to search for. I eventually found his parents, Simon and Rachel Smith in Georgia, 1900. That is the last link I’ve found in this chain.

What Am I Currently Researching On The Smiths?

1) Everything!
The Smith line, understandably, has the been the line I’ve had the least amount of success with. The first reason, is that of course Smith is the most common surname in the world, and on top of that, I have “John Smith” to deal with. You wouldn’t believe how many black John Smith’s there were in Jacksonville! Other reasons are that there are very few descendants left to provide information and many of the Smith’s here died very young, except for John Smith. The fact that he came from Georgia and apparently had a white parent, are all complicating factors.

My search for my Smith ancestry continues. Please email me with comments, questions or tips!