Joy X3

 It's been a good week for me as an amateur genealogist.  Today I want to share three kinds of joys:

1. The joy of collaboration
2. Librarian joy, and
3. The joy of an amazing ancestor

John Sadoc Smiley, 1928
Photo by Kelly Bennett,
Courtesy of Western
Carolina University

First, I am fortunate to have a wonderful, collaborative genealogy community through the free genealogy site Wikitree. Within WikiTree, there are various "projects" which focus on particular areas of interest -- I am part of the Appalachia Project, a group of the nicest, most helpful people you will ever meet.  Because I get to watch these folks in action and get advice and encouragement from them, I bravely went out in search of resources that aren't on Ancestry or Family Search.  What I found was amazing -- lovely photos of one of my most treasured ancestors, John Sadoc Smiley!

That leads me to the second bit of joy -- the joy that librarians spread all over the place.  Years ago, when I was researching Smiley, a librarian at Le Moyne College helped me find news articles about him, got me full text copies, and provided the citations.  Once again, I found myself reaching out to a librarian after finding these amazing photos of Smiley.  A helpful and friendly librarian at Western Carolina responded promptly to my email request and really went above and beyond.  I know many of us grew up with stereotypes of librarians with too-tight buns, squinty eyes behind reading glasses, and one finger to their lips as they hissed out a "shhhh!"  That is such an inaccurate picture of librarians.  They are kind, helpful, and generous.  If you are hesitating about asking a librarian for help on a project -- go for it!  They are truly amazing people.

John Sadoc Smiley, 1928
Photo by Kelly Bennett,
Courtesy of Western Carolina University

And that segues nicely into a discussion of the ancestor these librarians helped me research -- John Sadoc Smiley, a truly amazing person himself.  Clicking the link in his name will give you his whole story, but let me give you some highlights.  John was both talented and smart -- but most importantly, he was kind.  As I get to "know" an ancestor through genealogical research, I feel like I have a sense of their personality.  The picture above, with his gentle smile, perfectly captures the person I have come to know. 

He wasn't perfect, of course.  Like many of my relatives, he served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, but he seemed to be conflicted about it during the War (see his profile for the story of his possible desertion) and definitely came down on the side of the Union afterwards.  He was a leader in his church and a fierce advocate for public schooling, serving as the first Superintendent of Schools in Swain County, North Carolina.  You'll see on his profile that he was a loving grandfather.  He had twelve children (including my Great Grandmother, Rachel (Smiley) Tabor), and their progeny have grown into a large and loyal family, gathering every July in Bryson City at his home church, Cold Springs Baptist, for an annual family reunion.  This year we'll be holding our 99th reunion.  What a legacy!