CLINT SMITH FAMILY, Torrance Co, NM *********************************************************** Submitted by: Peg Bryson Date: 10 Feb 2008 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** (Cedarvale, New Mexico) Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Blaine Smith came to Cedarvale in 1910 on the New Mexico Central Railroad that ran from Willard to Torrance. They brought a box car of belongings with them. Clinton married Rosa May Sells Mitchell, the daughter of William and Sophia Sells Mitchell in Andrew Co. Missouri on December 26, 1893. Rosa was previously married to Caleb Burris who died July 14, 1890 in Morgan Co., IN. Caleb and Rosa had three daughters: Sophia Elsie born February 10, 1880; Ella Bevis born July 16, 1883, both born in Morgan Co., IN and Nona born about 1886 in Buchanan Co., MO. There were five children born to Clinton and Rosa: William Charles (Bill), born November 03, 1894 in St. Joseph, Buchanan Co., MO; Lester (Buck) born March 13, 1900 in Buchanan Co., MO; Zola E. born November 21, 1897 in Graham, Nodaway Co., MO; Gladys Evelyn born 1902 in Fillmore, Andrew Co., MO and Flossie E. born April 24, 1906 in St. Joseph, Buchanan Co., MO. They homesteaded on a place about three miles west of Cedarvale. Bill, the only child old enough to homestead, took a place about eight miles west of Cedarvale, now know as O X Ranch. It was owned by Leonard Hobbs who purchased it back in the forties. They immediately drilled a well. It was about the fourth well in the community. They had plenty of water and the neighbors for miles around hauled water from there. Mr. Smith was a blacksmith by trade. He also farmed his homestead and he and Bill helped each other. The children all went to school in a one-room school house, walking about three miles. When reminiscing, Mr. Smith told his family about some of the towns he came through when he came out ahead of them. He referred to Tucumcari, calling it “Hoop-in-tooten.” He was teased about this from then on. They lived and farmed on the place until the late twenties, then they moved to Vaughn. Mr. Smith put in a blacksmith shop. He rented their place out until they came back in the thirties. Mrs. Smith died in 1939. Mr. Smith lived on the place for a few years, then sold it to Bill and moved to Colorado. His two daughters had married and lived there. He remained in Colorado until his death in 1944. Bill stayed on his homestead and married Nora Elizabeth Tonkinson on November 25, 1917 in Estancia, Torrance Co., New Mexico. They lived there and had two children. Pauline Rosa born on December 21, 1918, the oldest and then Frank Norman born on November 9, 1922. When Pauline was born, they were going to Nora’s folks in a buggy. They lived about five miles away. Several inches of snow was on the ground. They broke down many times and it took them all day to get there. All this time, Nora was in labor. They arrived there at dark. It snowed all night and there was no way they could get out to get a doctor. Her mother and mother-in-law delivered the baby. That was in December of 1919, the bad winter everyone still talks about. There were weeks when they couldn’t get to town. During the twenties, Nora and Bill moved over on Nora’s father’s place (the Tonkinson place) to stay with Nora’s father as her mother had passed away. They lived there the rest of Bill’s life. He died June 7, 1970 in Santa Fe, Santa Fe Co., NM. They had two more children later in life: Madeline Irene born May 9, 1930 and William Leon born February 5, 1935. All their children were born in Cedarvale. Nora had a doctor when Frank was born but the rest were born before the doctor arrived. There were times it was very rough during the depression. They didn’t know where the next meal was coming from. The drought didn’t help. Their oldest daughter, Pauline McCloud, still lives in Cedarvale and runs the Post Office. Mrs. Nora Smith stays there part of the time. (authored by Nora Tonkinson Smith) (Dates and other facts added by Peg Bryson - great granddaughter of Rosa Sells Mitchell Burris Smith)