INTRODUCTION
For the last 23 years my husband, Frank and I have been doing family history both professionally and personally in the Counties of Northampton, Accomack and Somerset MD. For although my married name is Polish, my father was Italian, and I live in New York my mother was born at Chesconnessex and her ancestors were among the first settlers of all three Counties. We have published many books on the area. My interest in family history was heightened very early in my childhood, when I sat, with my grandmother Annie Scarburgh JOYNES Marsh, on her porch, rocking in a chair, while she told me of her and my grandfather, Lewis H. Marsh’s family. The one thing that struck me about her stories of the Marsh Family was that she had said that my grandfather’s grandfather was a Northern carpetbagger who, with good Northern money, came to Chesconnessex VA, after the Civil War and bought all the land from the Wise Family. She also said that the farm she lived on was once owned by Peter Evans who had a wife Triphenia. Theirs were the graves that were no more than 30 feet from the back door. For years I looked for my Marsh Family in New England, not knowing that "North" was only as far north as Smith’s Island and the Maryland-Virginia State Line. It was almost ten years ago that a cousin, on my Joynes side told me there were Marshes on Smith’s Island who were somehow related to my own. That day opened a whole trunk full of information. By finding my Marshes there, I have also found many new friends and relations.
Along with my own family history, I also found many long forgotten facts about the Island and it’s history. In the summer of 1608 John Smith started out on an exploration trip of the Chesapeake Bay. He traveled from Cape Charles and went up the bay to the Potomac River and went up as far as present day Washington D. C. and back down to Jamestown. It was actually two trips for at one point he was very badly hurt by a stingray and had to return to Jamestown to be treated. It was during these two voyages, while looking for fresh water that he came across a group of islands in the middle of the bay. He named them the "Russell Isles," for a Doctor Russell who was then on board ship with him and had saved him from death.
This group is today what is known as Smith’s, Tangier and Watts Islands. Tangier Island is about 6 miles below the Maryland-Virginia State line and at one point all the islands below the state line were known as the "Tangier Islands" (with the "s") in Virginia’s records not Smith’s Island. These, among others, included Shanks, Old Walnut Island, Piney Island, Queen’s Ridge, Horse Hummock, South Point, and Hog Neck. The latter three being attached to the lower part of Smith’s Island in Maryland. The "s" was probably lost sometime after 1880 when erosion took its toll on these islands and the inhabitants moved to Crisfield MD, Onancock VA or Tangier Island itself. All of these islands were at one time inhabited with Smith’s Island people, who had more dealings with each other and Maryland and even went to the one church on Smith’s Island at the time which was on Old Orchard Ridge now known as "O’er the Gut."
It was during this long walk through my own personal history that I decided to link that section of Virginia to Smith’s Island MD and came across an idea. I would take the 1870 Virginia Census of these Islands and join them back together. I listed each Household and the people in it and then added their parents, any children born after 1870, where they were from and where they went. I also included who those children married.
About seven years ago, when the Smith’s Island Visitor’s Center was in planning, I suggested that some genealogy could be included there, for family history was also the history of the Island itself. There was just one question. "What was the best way to do this?" It was then that I decided to enhance the above project with interesting personal information on the residents then and load it into a computer so that visitors and Islanders alike could use it.
My sincere thanks go to my friends and fellow local historians and genealogists.
Rebecca F. Miller, friend and colleague, has repeatedly helped with searches and ideas. She is Director of the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury State University, a depository of primary records, special collections, and publications pertaining to local history and can be found on the Web at http://www.ssu.edu/Community/RCDHAC.htm.
My long time friend Philip Goldsborough of Crisfield has provided local expertise and sustained encouragement. Among other talents, Philip is an expert on maps, and his map work is included herein. His web page can be found at http://208.9.111.56/philip/.
Barry W. Miles and M. K. Miles, known in some circles as the "Renowned Miles Cousins," have generously provided a large database from their many years of research, over 10,000 names and growing, for the Internet world to use. (M.K. also contributed unrelenting urgings for me to get this project completed so I could go on to something else.) The Miles Files can be found at the Eastern Shore Library (http://www.espl.org/).
Each one held some pieces of the puzzle and together we mad a whole picture.
DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to Mr. Jennings Lee Evans, a resident of Smith’s Island and a truly extrodinary man, whose love for the people, religion and history of Smith’s Island take up almost all his time and who has shared his knowledge with me. I owe my greatest thanks and gratitude to him.
I met up with Mr. Evans almost ten years ago, when I was putting the pieces of the island puzzle together. A mutual friend had sent me some information Mr. Evans had sent him. It went back to his great grandfather Benjamin "Puxion" Evans who is listed here in household #20. It was through Benjamin’s father, John that Jennings and I are fifth cousins. I called him and asked if he would like the rest of the data I had on Benjamin, which went back to the first John Evans that lived on Smith’s Island. He did, and there’s been a relationship of sharing, mutual respect and most of all friendship ever since.
I wish to express my appreciation to him for his great tolerance, and perserverance for without him this would not be here.
Thank you Jen.!!!
Gail M. Walczyk
Peters Row
27 Thomas Street
Coram, NY 11727
PETERSROW@aol.com