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Note: Left Virginia for California 1870 census has MO as birthplace Charles Stephen, our grandfather whom we never knew, was born in Smyth County (1), Virginia, March 28, 1835. He was the ninth child of Andrew Smyth and An n Taylor Ustick. He arrived on this earth with a built-in heritage: he had pa rents and eight older brothers and sisters to welcome him; he made the family unit of eleven complete. He was born in the time of a great folk movement when hardy pioneers and families were caught up in the dream of the west and broke trail, singly and in caravans, to find it, explore it and make it thei r own. these two circumstances profoundly influenced his early life. He fou nd pioneers in his own family. His father, Andrew, felt the lure of the trai l. He traveled Daniel Boone's original Wilderness Road, through the Cumberla nd Gap from Virginia to Missouri, numerous times, very likely as one of the e arly scouts. In 1843, while on one of his trips, he died and was buried in J ackson County, Missouri, just south of Kansas City. Charles's brother, Isaac Parsons Smyth, eleven years his elder, rode the California trail, bringing b ack factual stories of the beauty, fertility and gentle climate of the countr y north of San Francisco Bay: the area of Sonoma and Santa Rosa(2). His ent husiasm stirred the imagination of other members of the family so they too wa nted to share the dream and live in this beautiful land. It all came true bu t it took time, courage, planning, cooperation within the families and a cert ain number of hardships to make it so. Three sisters went west in the early 1850's(3). Sometime in 1852 it became the turn of widowed mother Ann and Cha rles, then seventeen, possibly with other family members, to start their migr ation. There are few records as to routes, times and parties, but they did a rrive in the fall of that year. Charles and his mother, thus, became the fir st of our direct ancestors to arrive in California. They lived in the area o f Mark West Creek, just north of Santa Rosa, presumably with various members of the family. Here Charles roamed the land on horseback, obtained the groun dwork of his education in the public schools and finished his teens. He was a bright lad and did well in school. Education became a serious matter leadi ng to his enrollment at the University of the Pacific, Santa Clara, one of th e first universities in existence in California. He graduated in 1859, top s tudent of the second graduating class and 24 years of age. During these year s he was elected a member of the Archanian Literary Society(4). This society , interested in the pursuits of literature and oratory, was founded at the co llege in 1854. It had as one of its mottoes, "Seize the laurels of knowledge which are on the heights." Charles's own ideals were similar and he found h is place in the academic life. Honor and respect became his in a satisfying career of teaching and administration. Lest you begin to think he was all bo oks and ideals, it was not so. He had time to enjoy a full rounded life, soc ial as well as academic, for, though modest in demeanor, he was a genial pers on with many friends throughout the state. His first wife was Margaret A. Ra ney, whom he married March 4, 1862, three years after his graduation and alre ady into his teaching profession. She lived for only a year after their marr iage. It was six years later when he was 33 that he married one of his stude nts, Frances Amanda Davis, May 21, 1868, this providing grandparents for us a nd one of the loveliest grandmothers that anyone could ever have. They were married in the chapel of the Pacific Methodist College, Vacaville, where Pr ofessor Smyth was a member of the faculty. Frances addressed him as "Mr. Smy th," but despite this custom and formality, they had seven children. Wife an d children accompanied him where his career took him. He was professor of ma thematics for seventeen years at Pacific College, Information for this article came from Solano County Archives; Solano Press, 1864. http://www.thereporter.com/Current/Conti/Archive/conti062997.html There were 190 students at the Pacific Methodist College in Vacaville. Of these, 118 were male and 72 female. There were 110 boarding as many came from out of town and out of the county. Of the total 190 students, 109 were from Solano County. The Rev. W.T. Lucky, was president of the college and professor of Moral and Intellectual Science. Charles Smyth was the mathematics professor. Samuel B. Morse, the languages professor. Miss E. A. Stevenson was in charge of the Primary School. Miss S.M.E. Goddard taught piano and French. And Charles G. Brunelius taught music
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