Gwyn Bunch on Percy Manson Smith: Money and Soap Talk

  am very happy to announce that I am back into the field of genealogy, using my Family Tree Maker from Ancestry.com. When the old computer died and I purchased my new one, I was forced to purchase the latest program of Family Tree Maker as the old one I had would no longer load (that's how they get you). In loading the new one I seeming lost about 600 names, along with a lot of information. I called Ancestry.com but the person was not helpful. I was so distraught that I gave up adding any new information and lost the drive for genealogy.
      Recently, it was suggested that I contact Ancestry.com again, but approaching the problem from a different angle. The plan worked. It appears one of the common problems with loading a new program, with a large family list, is that sometimes the program splits the information up into separate units. I ended up with eight separate trees. It took a little time, but I successfully combined them into one tree, relocating all of my previously "lost" information. What a relief that was!
      So, I am back. One of my first chores is to go through a year's worth of emails from Wikitree, a site for building and correcting family trees. I reintroduced myself and was surprised that most were still there and active.
      A family member, Gwyn Bunch, has been helping me with her family's information on my family tree. Gywn's grandfather, Percy Manson Smith, is a 2nd cousin, once removed, of Soapy Smith's. She sent me the following, very cool, message.

My grandfather born in 1879 wrote a poem and gave it to each of his children along with a silver dollar on Christmas of 1948. It was entitled Thoughts of Yesteryear to my Children of Today I will not try to type it all but just the ending.

"When this tired old body of mine is placed under the sod, I will be listening to hear you say 'There lies one who did his level best.' Money and Soap talk - Guess what they say - One (silver dollar) for each of you to learn what they say. I wonder what great lesson they will teach you and when it will be. If you learn before I leave to go up yonder to that home beyond, tell me and if not when we meet again I will do my best to try and explain."

I think he knew very well about his cousin named Soapy Smith but did not really want to talk about him that much to his children. All these years the family has wondered what he meant by Money and Soap talk and now because of your websites we know what he meant. Praise God. His name was Percy Manson Smith and Terry is his grandson and he is named Terry Manson Hall.

 

"All the chances are with the man who owns the house. I thought they might as well lose to me as to someone else, and did the best I could to accommodate them."

— “Big Ed” Chase, Denver’s gambling czar.

AUGUST 28

1609: Delaware Bay is discovered by Henry Hudson. 1774: The first American-born saint is born in New York City. Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized in 1975.

1830: The Tom Thumb is demonstrated in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the first passenger train to be built in the U.S.

1865: Fort Reno (also known as Fort Connor) in Wyoming Territory is established.

1868: Three settlers are killed by Indians in Kiowa Station, Kansas.

1872: James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok stars in the Grand Buffalo Hunt at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Native American and Mexican cowboys present a display of roping and riding in Canada's first Wild West show. The show is a financial failure.

1881: Policeman Morgan Earp is accused of being in league with “Big Ed” Burns, a bunco man and future member of the Soap Gang.

1897: Soapy Smith in Skagway, Alaska sends $1500 to his wife Mary in St. Louis, Missouri.