I am interested in locating my Smith ancestors, Angus and Adeline Smith, who resided both in Charleston and on Sullivan's Island (last known address was at 33 Wall Street on Sullivan's Island c. 1886). I am thinking that I would like to see if you can find them in the 1860 (he was active in the Charleston area during the Civil War) & 1880 census records. They were married sometime in the 1850s, in Charleston. I found them in the 1870 Christ Church Parish census (do not have actual copy of census record, but got info from another person) and they were listed as follows:

Angus Smith, born in 1827, in Scotland, m. Adeline Lawrence, born 1834. Children were: John Gray Smith, age 19 (my g. grandfather...have death certificate); Angus Smith (have death certificate), 8, and born in LA; Elizabeth, 16; Adeline, age 11; Mary, age 3; Abraham, 7 months. I have found that Elizabeth married a man named John Oscar Moisson on July 2, 1873 and they lived on Sullivan's Island. They had the following children together: Joel Oscar Moisson, born on Sullivan's Island, Elizabeth Virginia Moisson, Thomas O'Keif Moisson, Leonnie Moisson, John Ervin Moisson, and George Marks Moisson.

There was an older son born to Angus, possibly from a first marriage whose name was James or Joseph Smith.

The youngest child of Angus and Adeline Smith, Jeannette A. Smith, born c. 1875, on Sullivan's Island, was orphaned sometime in 1886. She spent two years in an orphanage before her brother-in-law, G. Del Guidice, took her in to live with him and his family, in 1888. So, this means Angus, head of household died, or maybe both parents died around the same time?

Angus Smith was a deep sea diver and salvage engineer, by profession. It is my belief that he was THE diver who, along with his partner, David Broadfoot, also from Scotland, brought the Hunley up from Charleston Harbor twice during the Civil War. He worked closely with General Beauregard, keeping in touch with him even after the War. In addition, he continued to hold on to most of the salvaging contracts conducted in Charleston Harbor, after the War, and became quite wealthy doing so. However, after the early 1880s, information on him is generally lost from most of history. The only indication of this family is found in the information concerning Jeannette A. Smith being taken in by the orphanage in 1886, while living at 33 Wall Street, on Sullivan's Island, where she was born.

Angus Smith was actually, Capt. Angus Smith, and he ran the North Atlantic Blockade in 1861, having been caught by the North. His ship, the "Adeline," and all of its cargo was confiscated by the North, but he and his crew were freed because they were all Scottish and English citizens could not be taken prisoner (documented). Several of his sons were deep sea divers, including my g. grandfather, Capt. John Gray Smith m. Elizabeth Josephine Knapp, who was captain of several tug boats in Charleston Harbor, among other occupations.

I hope that this extra information can help locate my ancestors in the census records. Thank you so much for any help you can give me. I will gladly cover all of your personal expenses.

Sincerely,Patricia Jordan