Five Daughters

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By 1880, the Smith family had expanded from five children to nine.  The first 5 children had all been boys. Ironically, the second 5 were all girls. 

 

The 1880 Census shows Allen Smith, the oldest child and now 17 or 18 years old, missing from the record. He was no longer living with the family. He had set out on his own sometime before the Census was taken, likely to Indianapolis or to Rushville, IN where he met his bride. It has not been possible so far to find a record of Allen in any 1880 Census. It may be that he left at the exact time the Census was taken. If so, it's possible he wasn't counted.

 

In addition to the 5 boys, the girls in the household in 1880 were Cora- age 7, Nellie- age 5, Daisy- age 3, and an as yet to be named daughter that was only 1 month old at the time of the Census. This daughter would later be named Laura.

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William is still identified as a Tinsmith. Mary was keeping house. The boys that were still living at home (Elmer, age 15; Perry and Carey, age 13) were working in William’s tin shop, while Florian at age 11 was presumably too young to be working. All the children age 7 and older were attending school. No longer with the family is the housekeeper. After all, the boys were now teenagers and likely had chores to help with running the house as well as the business.

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William and Mary's 5th daughter and 10th child, Esther, was born in February 1886.