Granny Smith

[Orville Smith]

A Letter from a great grandaughter states that Emeline CHAMPION SMITH, spouse of Charles SMITH spent time in the NJ Pine Barrens as a healer/midwife known as "GRANNY SMITH" and that one of her grandmothers was a Lenni-Lenape Indian. Granny Smith would be my great grandmother. My guess of a timeframe is 1911 to 1924, but might be way off.

Has anyone any knowledge of this?

[lakesgirl]

Is the Charles Smith the doctor of the "Neutral Water Health Spa", (can't remember the actual name of the place) in Egg Harbor City? If so, you might want to contact them at the Round House. They may have some information about Granny Smith.

[TeeGate]

Any relation to Emeline Montgomery Smith or Henry Goldsborough Smith, son of the late Francis and Emeline Smith?


Guy

[Spung-Man]

Orville,

The Smiths and Champions operated a number of forest resource enterprises throughout old Gloucester County, especially sawmills within the portion that is now western Atlantic County. Pancoast Mill was built (c.1780) and operated by a Thomas Champion, and through marriage (Archibald Campbell – Abigail Champion) it became Campbell Mill (c.1800). During the 18th century Smiths operated Little Mill (c.1750) just above Weymouth, and opened a new mill on Deep Run three-miles downstream of Champion’s. It is interesting to learn in recent correspondence with you that Granny Smith was born in 1832 near Tuckahoe (i.e., Etna Furnace). A location really helps! Smiths also operated a sawmill near Etna on the Tuckahoe River adjacent to Concord Forge, and had business ties with the Wood family (i.e., the Wawa family).

The Woods were related through marriage to the Richards of Batsto fame. With iron in the Pines, nepotism worked well, at least as long as it was kept within the family! Smiths’ business ties with the Woods lasted throughout the 19th century. When Edward Randolph Wood laid out the 20,000-acre Cumberland Colony (c.1875), Jonathan Harris Smith was hired to build a steam-powered sawmill. Jonnie Smith cut the West Jersey Railroad right-of-way (c.1879) and built Richland. During the late 1800s, ER Wood had Jonnie clear the cannon range from Milmay towards Hunters Mill for a proposed heavy ordinance proving ground. Its trace is today known as Cannon Range Road. Wood’s range site was considered too remote for easy transport of test ordinance, and a deepwater port was sought elsewhere by the US officials. The grounds are today the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area.

A woodcut of Smith’s steam-powered sawmill, seed store, and residence is posted here:
A new fight over how to save the Pinelands

There are numerous accounts of 19th century Lenape activity around western Atlantic County, an area considered the wildest portion of the Pines until the railroad era. Many locals claim Lenape heritage, and have blood-test evidence to prove Native American lineage. I tend to believe them, and suggest your family lore may be credible but difficult to prove. There was one clan known as the Piney Hollow Indians, to which some Richland residents claim kinship. I would love to hear more on this topic!

For example, Mints (1968: 13 & 14, The Great Wilderness) recounted that in 1837 John Ford of Doughty’s Tavern (Milmay) “was drawing charcoal when a piece of hot charcoal dropped into his boat [old name for charcoal wagon] burning him severely… At that time there were no doctors in the vicinity and the folks had to depend on home remedies. The sore would not heal and gangrene developed.” An old Indian shaman summoned, who produced an herbal remedy mixed with bear grease, powdered charcoal, and stove polish. The concoction was packed into a hollow ten-inch-long bone, which was heated and periodically applied to the festering sore. The young coaler quickly and completely healed. Doughty’s was a coaling station for Etna and Cumberland Furnaces, so was almost certainly a familiar place to Granny Smith.

Spung-Man