Mary Blanche Blackwell

   Cause of her death was Chronic Leukemia.

  General Notes:

From Clara Fountain December 1995:
The following exerpts are also from Aunt Annie's collection. Her sister, Mary Blanche Blackwell Smith [Memama's oldest sister], wrote a 52-page autobiography for her own children entitled "Reminiscences" [no date]. She wrote a charming account of the Blackwell family who lived in Townsville, Vance County, North Carolina.
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"I was born near Townsville, Granville County (now Vance) ...This important event took place at the home of my Grandfather, John Pomphrette Blackwell, who married Mary Ann Amy Webb of Person county, North Carolina. Yes, I was born the 17th day of April 1873.
"My Grandfather Blackwell had a large farm of 2000 acres between Big Island and Little Island Creeks and as his children married off (Maurice, Nannie, Pomphrette, Rob and Addie) he gave them a part of his farm.
"He gave my father, John Pomphrette Blackwell, Jr., 383 acres of land through which Little Island Creek passed on the East. On this land my father cleared the land and built a little two room log cabin between two hills, and my mother named it 'Valley Home'. She took me from my Grandmother's to this new home when I was about three months old and named me Mary Blanche -- Mary for my Grandmother Blackwell, and Blanche for my father's cousin Blanche Webb, daughter of Great Uncle Robert Webb of Nashville, Tenn., who was a Commission Merchant for many years in that city (see notes on Robert Clark Webb).
"The Civil War had left my father's and mother's people nearly destitute. My Grandfather had 75 slaves, or about that number, and when they were given their freedom most of them refused to leave my Grandfather, and that made it hard for him for food and clothing was scarce and neither white nor black had enough to eat.
"My Grandfather B[lackwell] gave my father the [one-horse] wagon and an old-fashioned buggy built up so high that we had to climb on chair to get in and it was very wide, possibly wide enough to seat five children. We used this buggy for special occasions to bring the Presiding Elder or Preacher home with us to spend the night or the week-end. My people were Methodists (Episcopal) and belonged to Marrow's Chapel, Granville, County, NC. They are all buried there.
"My Grandmother Mary Ann Amy Webb, daughter of James Webb of Mt. Tirzah, Person County, NC, was a most remarkable woman. She was thoroughly business, and looked after the large farm during the Civil War and afterwards until her death. Grandpa Blackwell was a cripple from rheumatism -- so much that he could not walk for thirty years but slided [sic] around in an old arm chair, the bottom of which was made from old hickory splits and it was what they called a split bottomed chair. He always carried his Bible around in the arm of that old chair and he read it every day for two or three hours. Grandma called him 'Mar's Johnnie' (like the slaves did) and he called her Mary Ann. The Civil War left my Grandparents with practically nothing.
"My Grandfather B[lackwell] turned all of his gold into the Treasury at Richmond and took Confederate money. Of course every thing practically was lost and the struggle in his latter years was a hard one.
"Grandma was buried at Marrow's Chapel, NC, and Grandpa lived with us during his latter days. He died in our home (Valley Home) and we laid him to rest by the side of Grandmother.
"My dear Grandfather Blackwell, who lived with us at this time [1890] died. He was 81 years old and read his Bible without his glasses until the week of his death. He was a wonderful, patient, Christian man and we children idolized him. We pushed him around in his arm chair and we loved to do it. He was easily excited... but if he hurt anyone it was farthest from his heart and he always begged their pardon. We buried him at Marrow's Chapel by Grandma, and Mr. Flerman the Methodist Minister preached his funeral."
Mary Blanche Blackwell Smith [4.1943]
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[From Joan Garrett Bagley's files:
"One story handed down in the family concerns John's granddaughter, Mattie Sue Blackwell. Being the youngest in the family, she was often spoiled by her grandfather. He had a habit of carrying sugared biscuits for Mattie Sue; when she was hungry and wanted a snack, he would break off a piece and give it to her. Mattie Sue was three years old when he died. Family members found a sugared biscuit in his pocket."]

Mary married Reverend Joseph Edwin Smith, son of Orin A. Smith and Louisa Broughton, on 13 Jul 1892 in Townsville, Vance Co., NC.¹ (Reverend Joseph Edwin Smith was born on 3 Sep 1867 in Raleigh, N.C, died on 11 Jul 1938 in Trafalger, Johnson Co., Indiana and was buried in Calumet Park Cem, Gary, Lake Co., Indiana..) The cause of his death was Cerebral Vascular Incident (stroke).