Ira Smith's Hidden Gold, Terre Haute

[FinderTravis]

Not sure How far to go Back yet for his Death

this is 2 months earlier

Chronicle Tribune​

Thu, Jul 04, 1901 ·Page 8

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Maybe there still stands an old lightning topped/scarred tree on/near property where the poor fellow was standing by just after he had buried his gold under the cover of a thunder storm..? Not many would venture out it one back then without having a very good reason to.. Could catch a chill or even.. whelp, be struck by lightning..haha. Gold is also a very good conductor of electricity!

 

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[jeff of pa]

Maybe there still stands an old lightning topped/scarred tree on/near property where the poor fellow was standing near just after he had buried his gold under the cover of a thunder storm..? Not many would venture out it one back then without having a very good reason to.. Could catch a chill or even.. whelp, be struck by lightning..haha. Gold is also a very good conductor of electricity!

Must have been a Wild Night !

 

[FinderTravis]

Maybe there still stands an old lightning topped/scarred tree on/near property where the poor fellow was standing by just after he had buried his gold under the cover of a thunder storm..? Not many would venture out it one back then without having a very good reason to.. Could catch a chill or even.. whelp, be struck by lightning..haha. Gold is also a very good conductor of electricity!

Thinking about it..Have to question if he was found dead with gold and shovel in possession? why would gold even be mentioned if he had kept it such a good secret from even his closest family for all those years.. And if he did not trust banks why would he even want banknotes other than to hide the fact he was hoarding gold..

 

[jeff of pa]

At this Point All I'll add is this is Why Most treasures Rot in the Ground

too much debate & Not enough coils to the soil

1901 Minelab Detector

Hopefully Someone can Locate his Farm & Detect it !

 

[jeff of pa]

Damn ! Now yas Got me addicted to This One
Ira was 50 , which should narrow down the Ira's in the area

 

[Crow]

circa June 19 1901 He was a real Person & Was Killed by Lightning

Unless ya Think the Reporter Did the same research Or spent Months Concocting the Story

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Thanks Jeff

HAHAHAHA!

Researching these stories can get a wee bit addictive. if anything success or failure it sharpens your research skills.

You have added a bit more to the puzzle. I looked up Youngstown an unincorporated area near Terre Haute

In the records connected with Youngstown in regards to Ira smith nothing.

Yet looking on the map of properties and Owners much to my surprise there was very few owners of property in area around Youngstown owned by Smith. There was one however you can see below. A D H Smith on the corner of his block was a grave yard that still exists today.

You will see that there is grave yard on the corner of this property owned by a DH Smith. Question was this Ira smith fathers or grandfathers property?

today the cemetery still exists. below.

This helped pinpoint a location a least. But it should be cautioned that nothing is 100 percent certain. This was on the corner of the only property owned by smith near Youngstown where this alleged death of Ira Smith occurred.

There was 109 burials in the cemetery and only one smith a Nancy Smith. It is still however debatable if there is a family connection to this Ira smith.

The property on the above map still exists today. Is it still in the Smith family? I have no idea of the current owners.

Here is picture of location of where this farm once was and now still is, over the 130 odd years. below.

Ground view looking from the direction of the cemetery back north to farmhouse behind the trees

Here is looking south into the entrance to the farm.

Here is more closer view looking south.

Here is an approximate area measurement with in the confirms of the general farm area to metal detect. Note 3 large trees in which may depending on their species, may of been around when this alleged Ira Smith was around. Subject to more research.

It was perhaps in this field below Ira Smith died struck by lightening?

Is this conclusively the location of these alleged events? I prefer to keep an cautious open mind as I am not 100% convinced just yet. A family connection to Ira Smith and this D H Smith proven would go a long as identity the site where this alleged death took place.

There are many thing things that need clarification that can perhaps be solved in the local court house records if they survive or through a local historical society to fill in the blanks.

But Alas I am sitting on yacht on the other side of the globe. For me the treasure is sharpening research skills trying to get to the truth as closely as possible. At this stage there is several lose ends that need to be addressed. While the story intriguing its not dead just yet but not quite ticked all the boxes just yet either.

There is another possibility but that is a post for another day to consider.

Cheers Crow

 

[jeff of pa]

Yea I saw that Smith Graveyard on Google Map
& Also wonder / Think that was the Property.
Ira was approx 25 then so his Father may have still owned it

 

[jeff of pa]

This also. it was Labeled earlier

 

[jeff of pa]

 

[Crow]

This also. it was Labeled earlier
View attachment 2163648
View attachment 2163650

I gather smith and liberty cemetery are one and the same?

I am looking below from another direction. the cemetery about 4.5 miles from youngstown.

It was logical to call Smith cemetery as it was on Smiths portion of land. Jeff ya put a fly in ointment that night be a location also. Both cemeteries are near Youngstown.

Many people ask me over the year why did so many people hoard gold from that time frame?

Many rural banks failed and in effect took peoples money. So many people grew mistrustful of banks.

see 1893 panic below.

1893 Panic

Crow

 

[Crow]

Jeff I just went through the list of 207 burials at Smith cemetery. One stood out as interesting William Issac Smith 19th of June 1901. I and going to did through the records to see if find out more details.

Crow

 

[jeff of pa]

Nope Liberty & Smith 2 different Locations

Smiths is NW a Good distance.

I'll see if I Can map Them both

 

[jeff of pa]

 

[Crow]

I think we are getting close but not quite close enough we are with in sniffing range but there is several things not quite gel regards of both site showing promise both have for and against. The map i worked of library of congress below was 1858. A little too early to trace a farm owned by Ira smith.

1858 property map

I looked at 1874 map showing owners of farms Honey creeks section that includes young town but cemetery spill; over to Reilly map both below. No smiths held land their 1874 at least.

Kind of awkward as the area we need to search straddles both maps. Very little ownership by smiths in 1874.

It seems the Smith cemetery is more prominent and the liberty cemetery had falling into disuse.

Another factor Smith might have bought land or farm from after 1874 map?

No two cemeteries have an Ira smith. Yet William Isaac smith has a very similar date of death in regards to Ira smith of 1901 newspaper story?

Is there a connection I am not sure?

There is another possibility Smith never owned the land but leased it off the owner?

Hmm intriguing.

Crow

 

[Crow]

We might be looking at this all wrong? Even with the suspected sites? Ira smith might of died by being struck by lightening near Young town. He might of never lived there?

I found an Ira Smith with wife and eight kid living Linton about 25 miles south of Terre Haute. Terre Haute the largest settlement reported in the paper. in 1880 census you can see below.

He clearly states he was a farmer and had 7 children. Note one of them could of been deceased at the time of his unfortunate death making six children as the newspaper story.

So our search for the property where this alleged money was hidden perhaps around Linton?

Crow

 

[releventchair]

We might be looking at this all wrong? Even with the suspected sites? Ira smith might of died by being struck by lightening near Young town. He night of never lived there?

I found an Ira Smith with wife and eight kid living Linton about 25 miles south of Terre Haute. Terre Haute the largest settlement reported in the paper. in 1880 census you can see below.

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He clearly states he was a farmers and had 7 children. Note of of them could of been deceased at the time of his unfortunate death making six children as the newspaper story.

View attachment 2163684

So our search for the property where this alleged money was hidden perhaps around Linton?

Crow

Born in Vigo. Died in Vigo.

Moved around (See Linton) then returned.

FamilySearch.org

Discover your family history. Explore the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.

ancestors.familysearch.org

 

[Crow]

Born in Vigo. Died in Vigo.

Moved around (See Linton) then returned.

FamilySearch.org

Discover your family history. Explore the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.

ancestors.familysearch.org

Hello releventchair Well Done!!!!

Thats the person.

When William Ira Smith was born on 13 October 1839, in Vigo, Indiana, United States, his father, John Wilkeson Smith, was 29 and his mother, Mary Ann Tryon, was 23. He married Elizabeth Field on 3 March 1864, in Coles, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Indiana, United States in 1870 and Linton Township, Vigo, Indiana, United States for about 20 years. He died on 19 June 1901, in Vigo, Indiana, United States, at the age of 61.

Crow

 

[releventchair]

I gather smith and liberty cemetery are one and the same?

I am looking below from another direction. the cemetery about 4.5 miles from youngstown.

View attachment 2163653

It was logical to call Smith cemetery as it was on Smiths portion of land. Jeff ya put a fly in ointment that night be a location also. Both cemeteries are near Youngstown.

Many people ask me over the year why did so many people hoard gold from that time frame?

Many rural banks failed and in effect took peoples money. So many people grew mistrustful of banks.

see 1893 panic below.

1893 Panic

Crow

A quick look through deceased dates at Liberty finds none till around 03. Post dating the alleged Smith death.

Gold where you can see the site it is secured on is safer than a distant bank , IF it is secured well.
And given the turn of the century time frame , a lot easier to get to in foul weather , sickness or poor road conditions , civil unrest, market crash (as demonstrated prior) ect..

Smiths flock of seven (fowl , not kids) could guard gold just fine.
I'm not saying they did.

 

[Crow]

There was a property near Linton in fact two properties that might be connected to Ira Smith one belonging to J smith and G W smith that might give us location to search where this alleged money was buried? it should be noted this was an early 1858 map.

Crow

 

[releventchair]

Old Linton (Sassafrass) cemetery has a couple Smiths. Not Ira or his Mrs. though.