Rebecca Smiley (1856–1932)

Rebecca Smiley Ramseyer

23 Nov 1856 – 22 Feb 1932, born at Goshen (Indiana)

Christopher’s 2nd great-grandmother · ancestor no. 25 · generation 5
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents strong inference

Family

• Parents: John Smiley (1822–1879) and Mary Conrad (1825–1912)
• Spouse: Daniel Ramseyer (1856–1942)
• Family notes: Daniel Ramseyer + Rebecca Smiley (m. 1877)
• Children in this vault: Alvin C. Ramseyer Sr. (1880–1948)

Life and evidence

Born near Goshen, Indiana; her parents moved to Wayne County, Ohio, in 1866. “One of a family of eight daughters, six of whom established homes in this community.” Sisters living in 1932: Mrs. John Spiker and Mrs. Samuel Smucker.

Her parents: John Smiley and Mary Conrad (strong inference)

Her obituary doesn’t name them, but every distinctive detail matches John and Mary Smiley’s obituaries:

Detail	Rebecca (1932)	John and Mary Smiley
Family	one of eight daughters	Mary: “8 daughters (2 of whom died in their infancy)“
Indiana	born near Goshen	lived near Goshen from 1847
To Ohio	parents moved 1866	moved near Smithville fall 1866
Spiker	sister Mrs. John Spiker	widow Mary lived with “her daughter and family, John H. Spiker’s”
Church	Oak Grove	John a leading Oak Grove minister 1866–78

Staker (Part 5, p. 141), Find a Grave and the 1986 family tree also name them.

Her sister Elizabeth Smiley married Daniel’s brother Joseph Ramseyer (1873) — two Smiley sisters married two Ramseyer brothers.

Where they lived

• 1856 — Goshen (Indiana)
• 1866 — Smithville

In their lifetime

• 1869 — 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
• 1874 — 1874 Military service ends the exemptions

Pedigree

%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%%
flowchart RL
  n53559232["Catherine M. Zook (1801–1875)"]
  n21642344["John Zook (fl. 1820)"]
  n1612363["Barbara Elisabeth Schmucker (1770–1825)"]
  n53370897["Mary Conrad (1825–1912)"]
  n33449834["Rebecca Smiley (1856–1932)"]
  n86033669["Daniel Jacob Conrad (1798–1882)"]
  n91133157["Jacob Conrad Sr. (1757–1829)"]
  n63931845["Nathan Smiley (1797–1872)"]
  n57993883["John Smiley (1822–1879)"]
  n32215555["Anna Stutzman (fl. 1822)"]
  n33449834 --> n57993883
  n57993883 --> n63931845
  n57993883 --> n32215555
  n33449834 --> n53370897
  n53370897 --> n86033669
  n86033669 --> n91133157
  n86033669 --> n1612363
  n53370897 --> n53559232
  n53559232 --> n21642344
  class n53559232,n21642344,n1612363,n53370897,n33449834,n86033669,n91133157,n63931845,n57993883,n32215555 internal-link;

Research tasks

• Find Rebecca’s 1932 Ohio death certificate or 1877 marriage record naming her parents task/human
• Check the 1860 Elkhart County census for a John Smiley household with Rebecca about 3 task/ai

Sources

• MennObits (Gospel Herald and Herald of Truth obituaries)
• Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
• Illustrated family tree (Ramseyer, July 1986)
• Obituary, Gospel Herald, March 1932

Narratives and research

• Stories: Nathan Smiley - the Irish orphan
• History: 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt, 1874 Military service ends the exemptions, Faith traditions
• Congregations: Oak Grove Mennonite Church
• Sources: Illustrated family tree (Ramseyer, July 1986), MennObits (Gospel Herald and Herald of Truth obituaries), Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5

Research log

• 2026-11-01: History of Wayne County (1910) p. 988: ‘In 1875 Daniel Ramseyer married Rebecca Smiley, a native of the state of Indiana’; her parents not named

Record compiled 31 October 2026.

About this research

Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.