Census Sunday: Rufus Smith
Census Sunday #3
Rufus Smith was my great-great-uncle through my maternal Smith line. Prior to this census I knew only basic facts. One interesting fact, it seems he died on his birthday on August 6, 1943. Worse birthday ever. I also know his wife's name was Della (pretty name) and they had two daughters, Ruth and Dorris (typical old lady names). I also had found a picture of him, and presumably, Della on Find a Grave.
I first became interested in Rufus when my cousin, Nichole, sent a photo of his tombstone to me and said that my Uncle Gary said he was a mystery, nobody knew who he was or how he was related to us! I easily located him on my family tree and started looking a little more into him.
Through the 1920 US Federal Census, I learned that:
He lived in Tennessee.
He was a foreman in a boiler shop.
He didn't attend school, but could read and write.
His brother-in-law and his nieces lived with him.
His brother-in-law was Baney Burgess (possibly Barney?)
Baney was a foreman in a machine shop.
His nieces were named Opal and Wynona.
This leads me to question, why did he move from Mississippi to Tennessee? Maybe the family was just following the work? I Googled 'boiler shops' since I wasn't sure what exactly one is and it looks like it is a place where boilers, which are like hot water heaters, are manufactured and repaired. No wonder I didn't recognize the term 'boiler'! I live in Florida and we don't have 'boilers' in our homes. The sun naturally warms them enough, year-round!
I also am curious as to why Della's brother lived with the Smith Family? I'm wondering if he was a widower. I'll have to look into that some more.
To learn more about Census Sunday, please click here.
