Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr. was born on January 25, 1809 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the son of the Reverend Anthony Garnett Smith, Sr. (August 30, 1776-January 18, 1852) and Mary "Polly" Allen Smith (December 21, 1777-April 19, 1857). The Reverend Anthony Garnett Smith, Sr. was ordained a deacon in 1811 by Bishop Francis Asbury and ordained an elder in 1812 by Bishop William McKendree of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Robert Smith, Jr. and Daniel Allen were the grandfathers of Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr., and they were veterans of the American Revolution.

Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr. married Elizabeth M. Smith (1823-1902) on May 14, 1848 in Upson County, GA. They are buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in Thomaston, GA. He has a marble grave marker.

Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr. was a veteran of the Texas Revolution. His service has been documented in the Sons of the Republic of Texas by T. Bradford Willis, DDS and in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas by his mother, Hester M. Beck Willis. In two of the three obituaries of his son, Wesley Asbury Smith, MD, Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr.'s service is mentioned: "In 1836 when the fate of Texas' independence hung in the balance Dr. [W.A.] Smith's father came over from Georgia, valiantly espoused the Texans' cause and was seriously wounded in one of the battles against the forces of Santa Anna."

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From The Atlanta Constitution, Thursday, Nov. 3, 1887,
p. 1:

"Thomaston Times; After service was over, we accepted an invitation from Mr. G. D.[Garnett Daniel] Smith, to take dinner with him. A ride of three miles or so, through a mountainous country, brought us to the home of himself and his father, Mr. [Anthony] Garnett Smith. Here we received cordial greeting from the venerable Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their sons and daughters. We found them to be relatives of some of our most esteemed friends in Forsyth. Mr. Garnett Smith is seventy-nine years old, and has made forty-one crops on the place where he now lives. He is full of reminiscences of old time, which his retentive memory recalls. He was in the war between Texas and Mexico and was on the march to the Alamo when that fortress fell; and but for a little unexpected delay, he would have arrived there in time for the battle. In that event, he would probably have shared the fate of the other troops in that ill-fated garrison, and not have lived to make forty-odd crops on the hill-sides of Upson county."

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More information on the A. G. Smith family may be found in Centennial Anniversary of Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church, Oglethorpe County, GA, compiled by Rev. Clement C. Cary, ca. 1920. Apparently this church history was reprinted ca. 1973. In the center of the reprint is an addendum which was compiled by Anthony Joseph Smith, Sr. of Florida. This addendum mentions the Colonial and American Revolutionary War service of Robert Smith of Cumberland County, VA, a transcription of the Robert Smith, Jr. Bible, and a transcription of the Rev. Anthony Garnett Smith, Sr. Bible.

The following is an obituary from the Thomaston Times on February 27, 1891 for Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr.:

"Death of Mr. Garnett Smith. Mr. A. Garnett Smith [Jr.] died at his home in this county on Thursday, 19th instant. His remains were brought here and buried in the cemetery on the hill Friday at 2 o'clock, services being conducted by Rev. D. J. Myrick. He had been in failing health for some time, his last illness being of about three weeks' duration.
He was born in Oglethorpe County in 1809, being 82 years old at his death. He came this county about forty years ago, and has since been identified with all its interests. He was a moral, upright man, a good citizen and neighbor, a faithful husband and kind father. He leaves a wife and ten children, all of whom are grown, some of them being in various place in the south and west. Our sympathies are extending these and the other bereaved relatives."

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The Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr. home is described in detail in A Rockaway in Talbot: Travels in an Old Georgia County, Volume II, by William Davidson. He refers to it as the Smith-Matthews House, built circa 1830, and he describes the interior of the house in detail. He mentions the parlor being on the right on the first floor.

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May 24, 2005

To whom it may concern:

In 1986, Mr. James Anthony (Pete) Vining of Thomaston, Upson County, Georgia, sent me photocopies of the family records in the Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr. and Elizabeth Murphy Smith Bible. The Bible was published by the American Bible Society in 1847.
I have transcribed these records which were somewhat difficult to decipher. I would like to add some information to the family Bible records to help put the families in historical perspective.
Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr., a veteran of the Texas Revolution, was the son of the Rev. Anthony Garnett Smith, Sr. and Mary (Polly) Allen. His grandfathers, Robert Smith, Jr. and Daniel Allen, were veterans of the
American Revolution.
Elizabeth Murphy Smith was the daughter of Charles Lee Smith, Sr. and Martha T. Glenn. Her paternal grandfather, Larkin Smith, Sr., was a veteran of the American Revolution.
Anthony Garnett Smith, Jr. and Elizabeth Mary/Murphy Smith are buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Thomaston Georgia.

Additional information on this family may be found in the "Centennial Anniversary of the Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church, Oglethorpe Co., Georgia" by Rev. Clement C. Cary and the "Howell Genealogy and History" by
Betty Howell George.

Sincerely,
T. Bradford Willis, DDS

ANTHONY GARNETT SMITH, JR. FAMILY BIBLE

Family Record
Marriages

A. G. and E. M. Smith was married 14 May 1848
E. J. and M. V. (J?) Smith were married 20 May 1875
C. S. Vining and Hattie Smith were married 15 Dec 1891

Family Record
Births

Anthony G. Smith was born 25 January 1809
Elizabeth M. Smith was born 21 June 1823
Charles A. Smith was born 26 February 1849
Carey Allen Smith was born 2 June 1850
Mary Elizabeth Smith was born 13 Dec 1851
Wesley Asbury Smith was born 26 Mar 1853
Simeon Hull Smith was born 25 Nov 1854
Martha Joanna Smith was born 23 Oct 1856
Garnett Daniel Smith was born 8 May 1858
Emma Caroline Smith was born 22 Oct 1859
Robert Lee Smith was born 20 June 1861
Ida Virginia Smith was born 7 Nov 1863
Adalade Smith was born 20 July 1865
Eliza Eleanor Smith was born 20 Dec 1867
Sarah Harriett Smith was born 17 (19?) Dec 1869
Mary Elizabeth Smith was born 20 April 1876
Emily Bayne, daughter of Charley and Eleanor Bayne, born 21 July 1895
Chas. A. Vining was born 5 May 1904
Francis Joseph Vining was born 9 July 1907
James Anthony Vining was born 28 May 1909
Hull Smith Vining was born 27 Feb 1912
Frankie Dye Vining, daughter of Charles & Hattie Vining, was born 31 Jan 1893
Linda Allen Vining, daughter of Charles & Hattie Vining, was born 14 Nov 1894
Mamie Viola Vining, daughter of Charles & Hattie Vining, was born 7 Jan 1896
Winnie Davis Vining was born 18 Jan 1898
Marion Elizabeth Vining was born 22 July 1900
Sara Harriett Vining was born 21 Oct 1914
Martha Jean Colquitt was born 21 April 1920

Family Record
Deaths

Cary A. Smith departed this life 2 Feb 1852
Mary E. Smith departed this life 21 Feb 1852
Charles A. Smith departed this life 2 Sept 1865
Anthony G. Smith died 19 Feb 1891
Elizabeth M. Smith died 27 Feb 1902
Little Linda Allen Vining died 1 Nov 1896, age 1 year, 11 months, 16 days

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1880 Census:
Name: Garnett D. Smith
Age: 22
Birth Year: abt 1858
Birthplace: Georgia
Home in 1880: District 876, Talbot, Georgia
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Son
Marital Status: Single
Father's Name: Anthony G. Smith
Father's Birthplace: Georgia
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Smith
Mother's Birthplace: Georgia
Neighbors: View others on page
Occupation: Works In Farm
Household Members: Name Age
Anthony G. Smith 71
Elizabeth Smith 56
Garnett D. Smith 22
Emma C. Smith 20
Robert L. Smith 18
Ida V. Smith 16
Adalaide Smith 14
Eleanor Smith 12
Sarah H. Smith 10
Augustus Patrick 18