Vital Information
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | George W. Smothers |
| Born | c. 16 Apr 1868 or 1869, Fayetteville, St. Clair County, Illinois |
| Died | Feb 1936, tuberculosis sanitarium, Spokane, Washington |
| Father | William Harrison Smothers |
| Mother | Mary Martha Abigail Townsend |
| Spouse | Nettie L. Walle, m. 26 Jan 1901, Belleville, St. Clair Co, IL |
| Children | Kematt Smothers (c. 1901), Lloyd Smothers (c. 1903, d. Dec 1910; see discrepancy below), Claude Smothers (c. 1904), Earl W. Smothers (11 Nov 1906, d. 11 Dec 1910, FaG #68531610), Grace Vivian Smothers / Helen V. Rundquist (16 Mar 1908, d. 31 Dec 1998, FaG #41194315), Edward Hart Smothers (c. 1910), Nettie Emma Smothers (Dec 1911) |
Biography
George W. Smothers was born c. 16 April 1868 (or 1869, per some sources) in Fayetteville, St. Clair County, Illinois, to William Harrison Smothers and Mary Martha Abigail Townsend.
George married Nettie L. Walle on 26 January 1901 in Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois. They had seven children and lived in Webster Groves, Missouri. The family suffered multiple early losses: son Earl W. died 11 December 1910 (age 4), son Lloyd died 24 September 1911, and Nettie herself died 18 December 1911 from postpartum septicemia following the birth of their youngest daughter (also named Nettie).
After his wife's death, George gave up his two youngest daughters, Grace and Nettie. Per Helen (Grace) Rundquist's 1989 interview, the sisters were separated. Nettie was adopted by the Hyatts of St. Louis and became "Jean Hyatt." Jeff Eggers (2026-03-22) notes that no record of a formal adoption has been found for Grace/Helen, and hypothesizes she became a ward of the state rather than being formally adopted, keeping her birth surname Smothers until her 1927 marriage to Gus Rundquist. This would explain why she appears in all records as "Helen Smothers" or "Helen V. Rundquist" with no adoptive family surname. Jackie (Nana) Eggers may be able to confirm. George moved away sometime after 1914. By c. 1920 he was working as an elevator operator in El Paso, Texas. He eventually settled near Spokane, Washington, where his son Claude was also living. George died in February 1936 in a tuberculosis sanitarium in Spokane.
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Smothers death | 24 Sep 1911 (Jeff Eggers / 1989 interview) | Dec 1910, interred 12/19/1910 (FaG #68531620) | Unresolved. FaG shows Lloyd interred 8 days after Earl (12/11/1910), both at Oak Hill Cemetery, Kirkwood. Two children dying the same month suggests an epidemic or accident. Jeff's date of Sep 1911 may be a misremembering in the 1989 interview. MO death certificate would resolve. |
| Nettie Walle birthplace | Lenzburg, St. Clair Co, IL (Jeff Eggers) | Evansville, Randolph Co, IL (FaG #68634001) | Unresolved. ~20 miles apart. Vault already notes "or possibly Evansville." |
| Grace/Helen adoption | "Adopted out" (general family account) | No adoption record found (Jeff Eggers, 2026-03-22) | Jeff hypothesizes Grace became a ward of the state, never formally adopted. Kept surname Smothers until marriage. Checking with Nana. |
Source Notes
Information from Jeff Eggers (2026-03-22), drawing on the 1989 interview of Helen (Grace) Rundquist by Walt Eggers Jr. FindAGrave memorials for Nettie L. Smothers (#68634001), Earl W. Smothers (#68531610), Lloyd Smothers (#68531620), and Helen Rundquist (#41194315) provide corroborating burial records. Daughter Nettie (later Jean Hyatt Eggers) is not listed on several sources because of the circumstances of her birth and her mother's death.