Leon George Smith (1898 - 1986)

Born 17 May 1898 in Davison, Genesee, Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Son of Willie Swick Smith and Nettie Ann (Worden) Smith

Descendants

Died 21 Jul 1986 at age 88 in Flint, Genesee, Michigan, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Donald W Smith [send private message]

Biography

Leon was born to Willie Swick Smith and Nettie Worden in Davison, Genesee, MI on 17 May 1898 ^{[1] [2]}

He appears on the 1910 census of Flont, Genesee, MI at age 11 as Leon Smith ^[3]

He married Neva Knapp in 1922 in Wayne County, MI ^[4]

He may not have had a middle name when he entered the military during WWI. The story remembered by his grandson Donald W Smith was that they required him to have a middle name, so he chose George. It appears on his WWI service record ^[5]

Leon raised his family in the Detroit area during the 1930s depression. ^[6] He started as a draftsman in the automobile industry and later designed truck parts. During WWII, he participated in the design of the ball-turrets used on B-24 and B-17 bombers.

He died in 1986 and is buried in the MIdland City Cemetery in Midlane, MI ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ "Michigan Births, 1867-1902," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQXK-QHM : 20 February 2021), Leon Smith, 17 May 1898; citing item 1 rn 1553, Davison, Genesee, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,322,864.
2. ↑ Unsourced family history records and notes by his son Arthur L. Smith
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1910", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLPR-Y35 : Sat Mar 09 10:41:35 UTC 2024), Entry for Willie S Smith and Nettie Smith, 1910.
4. ↑ "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with images, FamilySearch ([1] : 18 February 2021), Leon G. Smith and Neva E. Knapp, 15 Jul 1922; citing Marriage, Flint, Genesee, Michigan, , Citing Secretary of State, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 4209967.
5. ↑ "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WQZ3-WW3Z : Sat Mar 09 23:26:04 UTC 2024), Entry for Leon George Smith, 10 April 1919.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch ([2] : 10 January 2021), Leon G Smith, Lake Orion, Orion Township, Oakland, Michigan Territory, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 63-61, sheet 21A, line 23, family 445, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1800.
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113363645/leon_g-smith: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Leon G Smith (1898–1986), Find a Grave Memorial ID 113363645, citing Midland City Cemetery, Midland, Midland County, Michigan, USA; Maintained by Walter Bennett (contributor 47573878).

• Paternal and maternal relationships are confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Donald W Smith and his second cousin. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great-grandparents, Willie Swick Smith and Nettie Ann Worden. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 2nd Cousins, based on sharing 203 cM across 11 segments; Confidence: Extremely High.