I am the great grandson of Menzo Smith who lived in Wayne County. Menzo Smith was born 4/28/1839 in Ontario, NY, son of David Smith, whose father was Shubael Smith. Menzo is the father of Walter Smith, whose son is my father, Howard Smith.
Menzo served in the Civil War with the 111th NY Infantry, Company A from Sept 1864 to June 1865, per military records I sent off for. There are no family stories of combat, but I did some research several years ago and found that the 111th saw a lot of combat in the war. My uncle Arnold Smith, a retired farmer at least 95 years old living in Palmyra, NY, recalls that family lore holds that Menzo didn't work much after the Civil War. He read a lot, reported Arnold, and that Menzo often took the trolley to Rochester to buy books, a number of which I have, given to me by my Aunt Dorothy Smith. My father remembers Menzo as an old man with a white flowing beard. Menzo died 12/28/1928.
In the information from the Fairport Herald newspaper of July 9, 1913, a trolley stop 22 on the R. S. & E. line is referenced. It would appear that my great grandfather and grandmother lived near the trolley stop. My father, who was born in Palmyra, told me that the R stood for Rochester, the S for Syracuse, but he was unsure what the E stood for. The Transportation Museum in Rush NY informed me that the E stood for Eastern. Dad remembered a stop 28. The museum told me that stop 22 was 1 to 2 miles west of Macedon, NY and stop 28 about 1/4 miles to the east of the same village.
The July 9, 1913 article says that Menzo Smith, my great grandfather, attended the historic reunion in Gettysburg. The year is correct for the Grand Reunion. See the following URL for a little history of the reunion:
http://www.nps.gov/gett/getttour/sidebar/reunion13.htm
Also in the 1913 Fairport Herald paper, the Mrs. Walter Smith is my grandmother, who lived to be 103. The first name of my great grandmother, Mrs. Menzo Smith, also mentioned in the newspaper, was Hannah.
If you know anything further about Menzo Smith or his relatives, I would appreciate it if you would forward any historical references you might have.
Gary Smith
April 17, 2005