Rev. Smith’s Family and Church Family Gather in His Honor in 1933
Willis D. Smith: 1853-1928 (Maternal Great-Grandfather)
I ran across an interesting news article from the August 2,
1933, issue of the Owensboro Messenger newspaper, describing a large
reunion held at the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church near Owensboro, Kentucky
honoring Rev. Willis Smith and his family. Rev. Smith had died five years
earlier, so it was a surprising discovery. The event was not a traditional
family reunion; it was more of a community celebration of Rev. Smith’s life and
his legacy as a minister of the church.
Willis Smith had died on March 21, 1928 at the age of
seventy-five. According to the article, he was the second pastor of the
Pleasant Ridge church, which was built in 1875, while the congregation was
established in 1850. The first pastor served nearly thirty years, so Rev. Smith
took over around 1880. The article states he served as pastor for twenty-three
years, which would mean he left the church around 1900. He had recently married
Cora Leachman, and he chose to move his family to the Oklahoma Territory and
eventually New Mexico to serve as a missionary and church founder. His final
child, Cora’s only child, Lorene Edith Smith, was born in Oklahoma Territory in
1903.
The Smiths eventually returned to Kentucky, and Willis
served other churches there as pastor. However, his family still had strong
ties to Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church, and the congregation obviously had great
respect and fondness for Rev. Smith, leading to the 1933 gathering.
On July 30, 1933, some four hundred people gathered at the Pleasant Ridge Church to remember Rev. Smith and to visit with the members of his family who attended.
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| Rev. Willis Smith and second wife Cora Leachman Smith |
In addition to Willis’ widow, Cora Smith, several
Smith children and grandchildren were in attendance, including:
Rev. Willis Smith Jr., wife and daughter, all of New
Hampshire.
Dr. Lucius E. Smith and wife of Louisville
Othilde Smith, widow of Albert E. Smith, and the entire family
of their daughter Frances Smith Baldwin.
Lorene Smith Jandy, husband Ed Jandy, and daughter Laurel.
In addition, there were many Smith family cousins in
attendance, including Moseley relatives, Benton family relations, and Leachman
family members. The remaining attendees were families that had attended the
church while Rev. Willis Smith was the minister.
The event lasted all day on Sunday, July 30. A church
service began at 11 a.m., with Rev. Willis Smith Jr. preaching (even though he
was a minister for the Congregational Church). The service included a baptism
for the baby daughter of a local family.
Dinner followed the service; I expect it was a potluck sort
of affair with plenty of wonderful dishes. This feast was followed by an
afternoon church service, with the sermon delivered by another of Willis
Smith’s sons, former missionary Dr. Lucius E. Smith. Music was provided by more
family members: a solo by Mrs. Frances Baldwin, Rev. Smith’s granddaughter, and
a duet by his daughter-in-law Mrs. Albert Smith and her granddaughter Frances
Baldwin.
The event sounds like it was a marvelous combination of a
family reunion and a church anniversary picnic. I’m sure Willis Smith’s family
was delighted to return to a place and people that had been so important in
their early lives.
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The Pleasant Ridge Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1955. |
The church was used less and less over the years. Most
congregants chose to attend another Presbyterian church in Owensboro. The
building was vandalized several times. It no longer seems to exist, so it was
probably decommissioned and may have been razed.
Sources:
“Family Reunion of Smiths Held”. Owensboro
Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. August 2, 1933.
“Church Which Founded First Sabbath School May Reopen.” Owensboro
Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. Sept. 11, 1955.
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