I suppose every little girl thinks her Dad is about the greatest 'guy' that ever lived. Which means that I must be normal! I always thought my Dad was about the smartest 'fella' I ever knew. He was not born into a great situation, nor did he have a wonderful childhood. His birth took place in England. I suppose it was during a time when things weren't very good in the Country. His family there were pretty average, and so it was when his father decided to make a new beginning in the 'Colonies' that change was to begin for Dad.
Having an older half brother, namely William Horton, living in the United States, Charles Smith was of a mind to give this new Country a try for a better life. So he packed up his wife and son and sailed the Atlantic to begin anew.
I'm sure the change was a hard adjustment for such a young wife, with a small child. Eliza was not only unhappy and homesick, but she wasn't willing to make things work out. She must have complained enough that Charles made arrangements, after only 6 months to return her and John back to England. The last we see of her is in the 1901 British Census where she appeared with John, living with her parents, John and Maria Chatting Bunn. Where she went, or what happened to her we have not been able to learn up to this date. We do know that John was given, or sent to his Paternal Grand Mother to raise. What his life was like during that time, we can only guess. The house hold was full of nothing but adults. His only contact with children was the visits his Grand Mother Ellen Frost Horton Smith arranged with the Bunn Family. The family was large with younger children about the same age as John. He said he always had a good time when he was able to visit. His Grand Mother would set in her buggy and wait for him. So I would surmise that the visits were not as comfortable as they might have been.
In research, it has been learned that Charles made a couple of trips back to England. If one of them was to secure his separation from Eliza is not known. So far checking into Parish Records not divorce or annulment has been proven. Charles did remarry, so it is assumed that one or the other had been arranged. John sailed back to the United States with his Grand Mother and an Aunt Annie Clarke, who came to marry her brother -in-law and younger brother of Charles who had also come to the United States. His family was living in East Liverpool, Ohio, as was Charles. His, Fred, first wife had died leaving Fred Smith with 3 children to raise. His sister-in-law came as nanny to John on the trip, and then went to help Fred with her nephews and niece. They married shortly after her arrival to manage the family and home.
My Dad went to live with his father and new step-mother. Sad to say it was not a happy household. The
step-mother, Carrie Bowman McIntyre Smith was apparently jealous of John, not being able to have any children of her own. John was a very resourceful young man, and worked hard from his youth. Carrie it seemed felt his earnings were more hers than his. She would take his pay, and give him a small allowance for his own use. One has to admire him, because he never spoke or acknowledge her poor treatment of him. When his father passed away, John took Carrie in and gave her a home until her health failed and then he saw to her hospitalization until she passed a year later.
My Dad, John Charles Smith, was a scholar. Not that he had much schooling, but because he was ever seeking more and more knowledge. He would spend hours in second hand book stores and find books that held information he felt would be of interest to him. He read everything. History, Science, Agriculture, Horticulture, Religious well, everything. When he was killed, it was hard to decide which of his Library was worth keeping and which would be returned to the book shelves to be sold to someone else. He would explore many different avenues of life.
He loved to work in his yard. Cultivate any number of different plants, so long as the weather where we lived would encourage the plants to grow and produce fruit. We had a little of everything in our yard. His greatest love was his Camellia bushes. He had many varieties, and they were larger than most grew. He
made his own liquid fertilizer and so his plants were large and healthy, be they fruit, or flower. His tree roses were of the greatest interest. The front walk was lined with them. He spent ours learning how to graft and so each rose bush turned into a fragrant bouquet when they bloomed. It was something to see. His lemon, orange and grapefruit trees produced every season, and kept us in fruit. We had figs, passion fruit and guavas to name just a few of his other cultivated varieties that made our yard a 'garden' par none. Yes! he also planted a garden each year, and we enjoyed the 'fruit' of that labor as well.
He trained himself in many fields, but his occupation was as a machinist. When it was necessary to move the family from Ohio to California, Dad was not afraid to strike out for a job, as he was well qualified to meet the challenges that the new State might offer. As it turned out, it was the Aircraft Industry. Dad fit in very well, and stayed in that capacity for many years. When things slacked off after the Second World War, Dad worked for a time in the Pottery Industry and found a great deal of satisfaction in what was needed there in the way of maintenance of the equipment.
After years away from Aircraft, Dad found his way back into it, and became very involved in Space Models.
It was not that Dad had been educated as an Engineer, but that his years of work and study had broadened his mind so that he was more than equal to any of the challenges that this new side of flight would bring. He could think and work his way through problems that became stumbling blocks to his more learned colleagues. With his personality, he never found himself outside of their respect and friendship. If it was a problem, they all knew they could ask 'Capt. John' and it would be abel towork it out, no matter how long it would take him. Shortly before his death, he took the model for the Space Module that was the forerunner of the one that landed on the moon, back to the Ohio Wind Tunnel.
When the trial ship blew up and killed the Astronauts, he stated they would have to change the fuel if they didn't want such accidents to happen again. He was right!
What was my Dad like as a man? Well he was a very gentle giant. I don't mean in size, but in his character. He always had time for us kids. He was willing to teach us, and eager to talk to us about what he was interested in. One time he worried about his eye sight, so he sought out ways to exercise his eyes and then made his own piece of equipment that he used to keep his eyesight sharp. Yes, he wore glasses, and they had a bi-focal in the lenses, but he was ever eager to keep his eyesight from becoming a problem because of the many things he did that took a keen vision to accomplish the desired results. His grafting was one of those things that needed good vision. He wore a jewelers glass on his glasses when he was doing close work. It seemed that nothing escaped his search to make things easier and his projects more successful.
One of the things I remember most about Dad was his constant searching for things to brighten our lives. He was quick to find fun things for us to do, then he would save his money so he could share them with all of us. I remember when he worked at the pottery way out of town, he discovered a place that made caramel corn.
We would drive way out to the place on Friday night and get a big bag. What fun. Now you have to remember that Dad never used the car, even to go to work. He rode the bus. So to take the car and go for that long of a drive was a treat in itself. I know I have mentioned before the way he would take all of us out to nice eating places for dinner. We were taught how to dress, how to act, and how to enjoy such things while we were growing up. Ever ready to prepare us for the finer things of life, that neither he nor our Mother had every enjoyed until much later in their lives. Living through their youths in families that were depressed, then marring into depression times, they learned to be frugal, and to make life good with the very simple things. We enjoyed camping, and hiking and having a picnic in the quaintest places. We may not have had a lot of money, but we kids never knew it, our parents were eager to see us learn the finer things of life from some of the simple things. When they were able to add the culture because there was more funds to do that, the outings became more educational. I believe attending the theater was probably the more of the interesting things we did. There were not many children in the audiences, which showed just how far sighted our parents were.
Some of the fondest things I did with Dad was our walks up town. He had a way of walking that made me stretch my legs. He loved to walk, and he wanted all of us to enjoy it too. Living in town there were not many chances to get out and hike, but he never passed up an opportunity to ask us to 'shake a leg'. Having a car was never an advantage. When we could walk someplace, that was always the way we went. Life was pretty well geared when we were kids, so we walked to get places. Both my brothers had bikes, but I never had one. I didn't drive until I was 21 and married for a number of years, so walking was just the natural part of life. Even when I could ride the bus to work, I would walk instead. It was the most natural thing to do. Why pay .15 cents when I could 'hike it'?
Well, my Dad was just about the greatest 'guy' that ever walked on this earth. He had a generous heart, a mind that was open and full of excellent advise, if you needed it. One of his talks, could either raise you to the heights, or make you want to find a hole to crawl into. You always knew he had your best interest at heart, but he could make you feel pretty bad. Knowing how far he had come on so little, it was easy to make us feel like we were not stretching far enough. I suppose that is why each of us found our own way to the satisfaction of ending up where we did.
I could have gone to college, there was the way to do that, but I had found an occupation that suited me and was happy in exploring it. It gave me all that I needed and filled me with a feeling of accomplishment over the years. I had a number of chances to educate myself much as my Dad did, and I grabbed each and every opportunity that presented itself, because I knew, from his experience, that much could be gained by extending myself. I'm grateful for the examples of my two parents. They came from very 'humble' beginnings, but they both were pretty much self taught. If they could have gone to college, I am not sure they would have become more accomplished as they were. They came from a generation that had little but their own ability to push them forward. In both their cases they did very well.
My Dad had a heart as big as all outdoors. I never heard him down trod anyone, he was ever eager to help in anyway that he could. He always was the first to encourage us to reach out and do the best that was in us, in what ever pursuit we found interest in. I don't believe I would have gone forward to study and be the teacher I have become without the great encouragement my Dad gave me, or by the examples that he set.
I am only sad that my Dads life was cut short at such an early age. He had so much to offer, but then I do not know just how much he was needed where he went either. With his heart and faith, I am sure that he has been busy and occupied with much more than he could ever have accomplished here on this side of the veil. What a wonderful reunion it will be when I once again can spend time with him, set at his feet and gain the knowledge that he has to impart from what he has learned since last we spent time together.
Yes, I was blessed to have a very special Dad who was wise to pick my very special Mother to give me and my siblings the basics of life and love. I shall remain eternally grateful to a very wise and loving Heavenly Father who made this journey in their company possible.
Written this 25th day of July 2014
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
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