The Smyths of Portobello
Smyth/ Smith Relatives
Scotland, Canada and Ireland
Missing Smith Relatives
Dad always told us we were the last of the line. What he meant to say was that we were the last of the line to carry the Smith name from Irish John’s side. We did not know of any Smith line outside of our own.
In the 1920 US Census for South Dakota it shows all who were living with the ‘Irish’ John Smith family. The last entry intrigued us. There in front of us was an entry for ‘Patrick Smith’ who was identified as a cousin from Scotland. Another point of interest is that it showed a date when he immigrated – 1905.
US Census for South Dakota (Brule County)
“Who was Patrick?” we asked. From an early nineteenth century report we read where ‘Irish’ John was overseas visiting relatives in Scotland. In Scotland ‘Irish’ John saw a judge from South Dakota. As the story goes ‘Irish’ John kissed the judge and danced with him.
The next clue regarding Patrick’s origin came from an unlikely source. He registered for the Selective Service in Brule County during World War I. By accident we came upon the following record:
From this information we now know Patrick was born in Portobella, Edinburgh, Scotland. We know Patrick was living with the ‘Irish’ John Smith family for a few years because he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917. Patrick said his mailing address was ‘Sandusky, Wisconsin’. Sandusky is located in Sauk County. This excited us because Sauk County is where our Smith and McPhillips ancestors all lived too. Incidentally, Patrick was a World War I veteran; however, we have not found his records yet.
According to these documents Patrick said he supported his mother. Did she live in Wisconsin too? We know Patrick was medium build, medium height, gray eyes and brown hair.
Mother, Brothers and a Sister
With this information we found a family tree for Patrick Smyth/Smith. According to this tree he had two brothers, mother and sister living in Wisconsin during the early part of the twentieth century.
‘Irish’ John Smith’s obituary mentions these two out of town mourners: P.J. Smith and James Smith. In 1930 they lived in Madison, Wisconsin.
Now we looked for Smyths/Smiths living in America. According to Patrick Smith’s testimony our relatives lived in Wisconsin. Here is what we found. Living in Bear Creek, Sauk County, Wisconsin, was Thomas Smyth, James Smyth, Bridget Smyth and Louisa Smyth. Thomas, James and Bridget were siblings, and Louisa was their mother. Louisa’s maiden name was ‘King’. Bear Creek Township is where ‘Irish’ John’s mother and brother lived.
In 1920 living next to our Smyths was the Arthur McCluskey family. Several houses away lived Frank McCarville. Frank McCarville and Arthur McCluskey attended ‘Irish’ John’s funeral eight years later. We suspect Arthur McCluskey and Frank McCarville are also relatives, and these surnames are quite common in County Monaghan. What we don’t know is how they are related to us.
1920 US Census for Wisconsin (Bear Creek Township)
We know Louisa died a few years later in Bear Creek, Wisconsin. In 1930 we find the Smyth/Smith family living in Madison, Wisconsin. By this time they had changed their surname from ‘Smyth’ to ‘Smith’. Patrick no longer lived in South Dakota but was living with his brothers and sister.
1930 US Census for Wisconsin (Dane County, Madison)
We think Bridget was the only one to get married from this group. In 1930 she married Stephen Maloney. We found one lone census entry for a ‘Stephen Maloney’ who lived at 1320 Johnston Street in Madison. His occupation was barber. Bridget worked in a hair dresser establishment and we suspect that she met her future husband through this trade.
1920 US Census for Wisconsin (Dane County, Madison)
Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland
Portobello is a beach resort 5 miles to the east of Edinburgh. It is a suburb of Edinburgh and has a promenade front on the wide sand beach. The area was originally known as Figgate Muire and was used as a pasture by the monks. Portobello was named after the Battle of Puerto Bello, which took place off the coast of Panama in 1739. Portobello became an industrial town manufacturing bottles, bricks, glass, lead, paper, pottery, soap and mustard as well as developing an oyster fishery. In 1833 the town was made a burgh then in 1896 it was incorporated into Edinburgh.
Below is a picture of the Pier at Portobello as it appeared in 1890.
Our Smyth/Smith Family through the Generations
In Search of Smiths
Armed with this information we found a family tree online that seemed to fit. Here was a Smyth/Smith family who traced its origin to Aghabog Parish in County Monaghan. This was ‘Irish’ John’s neck of the woods. This tree had a Patrick Smith listed which indicated he was born in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland. What tied our cousin Patrick with this tree was the birth date listed. The Smyth family tree showed Patrick Smyth’s birth as May 1, 1891. Our cousin, Patrick Smith, gave his birthdate on the Selective Service form as May 1, 1891. Bingo! We have a match.
Also, this family knew some of our family members but could not figure out how we fit into their tree. They included the following Smith names: Frank and Eleanor, Mamie, Peter and Kittie.
The following shows two ways of viewing our family tree. The first shows a list of names in a simplified tree. The second view shows the family as it looked in different generations. Two views are provided to give you different ways of looking at our family genealogy.
The Irish Smyth Family Tree
Only part of this family moved to America and those that did moved to Wisconsin. Other Smyths moved to Scotland or to Canada. Below you will see our family tree. The ‘1’ in front of ‘John ? Smith’ means he is the first generation, ‘2’ means second generation and so forth. The ‘+’ sign indicates a spouse. The following list is easy to read and understand.
1 John ? SMYTH b: 1772
2 Edward SMYTH b: 1812
+ Judy KEARNS
3 Annie SMYTH
+ Peter BEGGAN
3 Lizzie SMYTH
+ Frank O'NEILL
2 Owen SMYTH b: 1813 d: 20 Jul 1882
+ Bridget GRENNAN b: 22 Nov 1828 d: 24 May 1894
3 Catherine SMYTH b: 1850 d: 7 Dec 1939
+ Michael REYNOLDS b: 1850 d: 10 Oct 1910
3 John SMYTH b: 5 Aug 1852 d: 1938
4 Owen SMYTH
5 Living SMYTH JR.
4 John SMYTH
4 Lorraine SMYTH
+ J. A. GIBBONS
4 Ruth SMYTH
+ F. J. O'DROWSKY
4 Charles SMYTH b: 1917
5 Living SMYTH JR.
3 Peter SMYTH b: 1854 d: 1930
+ Ellen CAIRNES b: 1858
4 Owen SMYTH b: 1884 d: 8 Jun 1896
3 Patrick SMYTH b: 2 Mar 1856 d: 24 Jan 1935
+ Louisa Jane Hamilton KING b: 22 Nov 1860 d: 5 Dec 1925
4 Owen SMYTH b: 1881 d: 1897
4 Thomas "Tam" SMYTH b: 15 Feb 1883 d: 3 Jun 1946
4 Louisa "Cissie" SMYTH b: 29 Nov 1886 d: Feb 1950
+ James MULGREW b: 7 Dec 1881 d: Jun 1949
5 Mary "Mayme" MULGREW b: 30 Jul 1912
+ John Warren MACKIN b: 6 Dec 1908 d: 4 Mar 1988
6 Living MACKIN
+ Living CHADWICK
6 Living MACKIN
+ Living MORAN
6 Living MACKIN
5 Isabella MULGREW b: 10 Jul 1914
5 Frances Patricia MULGREW b: 29 May 1918
+ Donald MURRAY b: 13 Aug 1923
6 Living MURRAY
6 Living MURRAY
4 Mary SMYTH b: 13 Jun 1887 d: 13 Feb 1959
+ James CAIRNEY b: 26 Oct
5 Joseph CAIRNEY b: 17 Jul
5 Mary CAIRNEY b: 26 Jul
5 James Gerard CAIRNEY b: 25 Aug
+ Marjorie MORGAN-DAVIS
+ Chitica (CAIRNEY) b: 24 May
5 Sandy CAIRNEY b: 2 Dec
4 John SMYTH b: 1888
4 Margaret SMYTH b: 1889 d: 1892
4 Patrick SMYTH b: 1 May 1891 d: 27 Mar 1960
4 James SMYTH b: 6 Apr 1893 d: 16 Apr 1957
4 Bridget SMYTH b: 15 Feb 1895 d: 2 May 1980
+ Stephen MALONEY b: 12 Aug 1885 d: 4 Jan 1975
5 Living MALONEY
+ Living WALLACE
5 Living MALONEY
+ Living CROSETTO
6 Living CROSETTO
6 Living CROSETTO
6 Living CROSETTO
6 Living CROSETTO
6 Living CROSETTO
5 Living MALONEY
+ Living NOLL
6 Living NOLL
+ Living STEPHENSON
6 Living NOLL
2 John SMYTH b: 1815
2 Peter SMYTH b: Unknown d: 1847
+ Catharine GREENAN
3 Bridget SMYTH
+ Unknown
3 Owen SMYTH
+ Did Not Marry
3 John SMITH b: 1842 d: 1928
+ Susan MCPHILLIPS
4 Peter SMITH
4 Michael SMITH
4 William SMITH
4 Mary SMITH
4 Catharine SMITH
4 Margaret SMITH
4 John SMITH
4 Genevieve SMITH
4 Elizabeth SMITH
4 Frank SMITH
Another Way at Viewing the Family Tree
The next way to view our family is by a generation chart. The first generation shows the father, mother and children. The second generation shows the next generation born to the children, and so forth. You will not see ‘Irish’ John’s family tree here. You can find that information elsewhere as this was written in previous documents.
First Generation
We assume John SMYTH is the father for this group of Smyth men. During the latter part of the eighteenth century (1796) there were 2 references in the Flax Growers List to a ‘John Smith’ from Aghabog Civil Parish, County Monaghan. The Smyths followed the Irish naming convention. Owen and Peter’s first born sons carried the name ‘John’. According to the Irish naming convention the first born son was named after the father’s father – John.
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Second Generation
Owen SMYTH (2) married Bridget GRENNAN. They may have been married in Cowdenbeath, Scotland; however, we could not find a marriage recorded in Scotland for this couple. It is just as likely they were married in Ireland before moving to Scotland. The following lists all known children of this couple.
Children
Edward SMYTH (2) married Judy KEARNS in County Monaghan, Ireland. No other information is known about this family except for their daughters’ spouses. It is assumed they stayed in Ireland and did not immigrate to other parts of the globe.
Children
Annie
SMYTH (3) b: in County Monaghan, Ireland
· Married: Peter BEGGAN in County Monaghan
Lizzie
SMYTH (3) b: in County Monaghan, Ireland· Married: Frank O’Neill in County Monaghan
John SMYTH (2), we assume, did not get married nor have any children.
Peter SMYTH (2) married Catharine Greenan in Aghabog Parish, County Monaghan. They had three children: Bridget, John and Owen. This is our family and we do not discuss this family further.
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Third Generation
In this section we do not look at the descendents of John SMYTH (2), Peter SMYTH (2) or Edward SMYTH (2). Peter SMYTH (2) is our great ancestor, and his descendents are described in previous writings. Therefore, Peter’s descendents are not discussed here. Little else is known of the John SMYTH (2) or Edward SMYTH (2) descendents. The following names are descendents of Owen Smyth (2).
Catherine SMYTH (3) did not have any children
John SMYTH (3) and spouse unknown had the following children.
Patrick SMYTH (3) and Louisa Jane Hamilton KING had the following children.
Children of Louisa Jane Hamilton KING and Patrick SMYTH are:
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i. |
Owen SMYTH (4) was born 1881 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 1897 in Aghabog, County Monaghan, IRELAND |
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ii. |
Thomas "Tam" SMYTH (4) was born 15 FEB 1883 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 3 JUN 1946 in Madison, Dane Co, WISCONSIN |
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iii. |
Louisa "Cissie" SMYTH (4) was born 29 NOV 1886 in Portobello, Scotland, and died FEB 1950 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She married James MULGREW 17 SEP 1911 in Portobello, Scotland, son of Frank MULGREW and Isabella TRAVERS. He was born 7 DEC 1881 in Leith, Scotland, and died JUN 1949 in Vancouver, BC Canada. |
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iv. |
Mary SMYTH (4) was born 13 JUN 1887 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 13 FEB 1959 in Portobello, Scotland. She married James CAIRNEY in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was born 26 OCT in Scotland, and died in Portobello, Scotland. |
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v. |
John SMYTH (4) was born 1888 in Portobello, Scotland, and died in Portobello, Scotland. |
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vi. |
Margaret SMYTH (4) was born 1889 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 1892 in Portobello, Scotland. |
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vii. |
Patrick SMYTH (4) was born 1 MAY 1891 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 27 MAR 1960 in Madison, Dane Co, WISCONSIN |
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viii. |
James SMYTH (4) was born 6 APR 1893 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 16 APR 1957 in Madison, Dane Co, WISCONSIN. |
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ix. |
Bridget SMYTH (4) was born 15 FEB 1895 in Portobello, Scotland, and died 2 MAY 1980 in Kenosha, Racine Co, WI. She married Stephen MALONEY 16 JUN 1930 in Madison, Dane Co, WI, son of James MALONEY and Francis PAGE. He was born 12 AUG 1885 in Madison, Dane Co, WISCONSIN, and died 4 JAN 1975 in Kenosha, Racine Co, WISCONSIN |
Peter SMYTH (3) and Ellen CAIRNES had the following children.
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Fourth Generation
The following charts show descendents of Patrick SMYTH (3) and Louisa Jane Hamilton KING. This will list will show descendents for their daughters Louisa “Cissie”, Bridget and Mary. We assume none of the boys had any children.
Descendents for Louisa Smyth (4) and James Mulgrew:
The following are descendents for Mary SMYTH (4) and James CAIRNEY:
Finally, we look at the lineage for Bridget SMYTH (4) and Stephen MALONEY. Bridget was born on February 15, 1895, in Portobello, Scotland. She died on May 2, 1980, in Kenosha, Racine County, Wisconsin. Stephen and Bridget married on August 12, 1885, in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. They had three children; however, we do not have access to these names.
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Final Thought
We will give you more information about this family when we find it.