The “Aunts & Uncles” series of biographical sketches are Artificial Intelligence (AI) compiled narratives of selected individuals from my Genealogical database. The selected AI will used the RootsMagic Individual Summary from my Genealogical Software, Roots Magic. All genealogical data is my research material acquired over the past 46 years of research. Today's Biography of Margaret Amanda Page Smart (1845-1925) was compiled with the assistance of Claude Sonnett 4 and is entitled:
Margaret Amanda Page Smart
28 April 1845 – 24 August 1925
Stanly and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina
Introduction
Margaret Amanda Page Smart lived through eight decades of extraordinary change in American history — the antebellum South, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the rise of the New South. Born in Stanly County, North Carolina, in 1845, she was the daughter of a farming family, became the wife of a craftsman, raised six children through hardship and loss, and in her later years headed her own household as a widow in the growing mill town of Concord. Her story is woven into the lives of the communities around her — the farms and churches of Stanly County, and the bustling streets of Cabarrus County — and reflects the resilience and quiet strength of countless women of her generation.
Early Life and Family
Birth and Childhood
Margaret Amanda Page was born on 28 April 1845 in Stanly County, North Carolina. She was the ninth of at least ten children born to Sion Page (1807–1887) and his wife Nancy (1805–1880), whose maiden name has not yet been firmly established, though her death certificate lists her mother as 'Nancy Dane [Dove].' The family lived in the Furr community of Stanly County, where Sion Page farmed the land.
The world Margaret was born into was one shaped by agriculture, close-knit communities, and the rhythms of rural life in the Piedmont South. Stanly County had only been formally established in 1841 — just four years before her birth — carved out of Montgomery County. In these early years, the county's economy revolved almost entirely around small farms and the families that worked them.
Parents
Her father, Sion Page (born 1807, died 1887), was listed as a farmer in both the 1850 and 1860 census records. His first name appears in records variously as 'Sion,' 'Lion,' and 'Simon' — common spelling variations of the era. He lived to the age of approximately 80, a long life for the time.
Her mother, Nancy Page (born about 1805, died 1880), is recorded in the 1850 census at age 45, and again in 1860. She passed away around 1880, when Margaret was in her mid-thirties.
Siblings
Based on the 1850 and 1860 census records, Margaret grew up in a large household alongside at least eight siblings. The family recorded in 1850 included: Allen M. Page (born about 1829), Sarah E. Page (born about 1836), Rosa A. Page (born about 1838), Lucy G. Page (born about 1839), Mary F. Page (born about 1842), Uriah S. D. Page (born about 1843), Margaret herself (born 1845), and Jno [John] F. Page (born about 1847). By the 1860 census, additional siblings appear — including Nelly Page and Solomon Page — while some of the older children had moved away. Growing up in such a large family on a Piedmont farm meant shared chores, shared meals, and a community built as much around kin as around neighbors.
The Civil War Years (1861–1865)
Margaret was sixteen years old when the Civil War erupted in April 1861. North Carolina seceded from the Union on 20 May 1861, and the war's impact was felt deeply throughout Stanly and Cabarrus Counties. Men from these communities enlisted in Confederate regiments, and families left behind faced uncertainty, hardship, and the constant anxiety of not knowing whether their loved ones would return. The Piedmont region of North Carolina, while not the site of major battles, was touched profoundly by the conflict — through conscription, supply shortages, and the upheaval of the social order that had defined life in the South.
It was during or just after this turbulent period that Margaret would have come of age and begun thinking about her own future. The war ended in April 1865 with Confederate surrender, and North Carolina — like all Southern states — entered the difficult years of Reconstruction.
Marriage to James Crowell Smart
On 25 December 1867 — Christmas Day — Margaret Amanda Page married James Crowell Smart in Stanly County, North Carolina. She was 22 years old; James was 41. The marriage record lists her father as 'Lion' (Sion) Page and her mother as Nancy Page. James's parents are recorded as Hamah and Sarah Smart.
James Crowell Smart was born on 30 January 1826, also in North Carolina. By trade he was a house carpenter and later a wheelwright — a skilled craftsman who built and repaired wagon wheels, a vital trade in a time when horse-drawn vehicles were the primary means of transportation. At the time of their marriage, the South was rebuilding from the devastation of the Civil War, and craftsmen like James were in steady demand.
Their union lasted nearly 28 years, until James's death on 1 March 1895. Together they raised a family in Stanly and Cabarrus Counties, moving between communities as work and circumstance required.
Their Children
Margaret and James had six children together, four of whom survived to adulthood. The 1900 census, taken five years after James's death, records Margaret herself reporting 'six children, four living' — a phrase that speaks quietly to the grief any mother of that era knew well.
Thomas Crowell Smart (1867–1948)
Thomas, the eldest child, was born on 4 January 1867 in Cabarrus County — though the 1868 date that appears in some records may reflect a recording discrepancy. He appears in both the 1870 and 1880 census records living with his parents. Thomas went on to marry twice: first to Mary Catharine Huneycutt (1871–1902) on 27 November 1892 in Stanly County, and after her death, to Mary Jane Barbee (1878–1949) on 27 September 1903, also in Stanly County. He lived a long life, passing away on 28 November 1948 in Albemarle, Stanly County.
Benjamin F. Smart (1870–1896)
Benjamin was born on 24 September 1870 in Cabarrus County and is listed in the 1880 census as a child in the family home. Tragically, he died young on 13 May 1896, at just 25 years of age, less than a year and a half after his father's death. He was buried at Beulah Cemetery (now Locust Presbyterian Cemetery) in Stanfield, Stanly County — not far from where his father would also rest. No marriage record has been found for Benjamin.
Minnie Sylvania Smart (1874–1964)
Minnie was born on 13 October 1874 in Cabarrus County. She married Asa Bascom Caddell (1876–1905) on 3 May 1899 in Concord, Cabarrus County. Her husband died in 1905, leaving Minnie a widow. She and her son, Charles M. Caddell (born about 1903), are recorded living with her widowed mother in both the 1910 and 1920 census records in Concord. Minnie outlived her mother by nearly forty years, passing away on 30 December 1964 in Concord — making her one of the longest-lived of Margaret's children.
Charles Sumner Smart, Sr. (1876–1962)
Charles was born on 11 August 1876 in Mount Pleasant, Cabarrus County. He married Mary Weddington Stirewalt (1880–1969) on 13 May 1900. He is listed in the 1900 census living with his widowed mother. Charles served in World War II — a remarkable fact, given that he would have been in his mid-sixties during the war, suggesting he may have served in a support or administrative capacity. He died on 6 October 1962 in Monroe, Union County, North Carolina.
Sarah Jane 'Jennie' Smart (1880–1919)
Sarah Jane, known as Jennie, was born on 11 April 1880 in Stanly County and appears in the 1880 census as an infant (recorded as 2/12 — two months old). She married William Richard Mims (1876–1900) on 30 April 1896 in Cabarrus County, when she was just 15 years old — not uncommon for the era. Her husband died in 1900. The 1900 census lists her back in her mother's household with her young son, Clarence Mims (born June 1897). By 1910, Jennie appears again with her mother, now listed as 'Jenie M. Smart.' She passed away on 26 July 1919 in Concord, at age 39 — only six years before her mother's own death.
Florence E. Smart (1882–1893)
Florence, the youngest of Margaret's children, was born on 18 November 1882 in Stanly County. She lived only ten years, dying on 8 January 1893. She was buried at Beulah Cemetery. Her short life and early death are a reminder of the fragility of childhood in the nineteenth century, when illness could take a child swiftly and without warning.
Widowhood and Later Life
The Death of James Smart (1895)
James Crowell Smart died on 1 March 1895 in Stanly County and was buried that same day at Beulah Cemetery (now Locust Presbyterian Cemetery) in Stanfield. He was 69 years old. His death left Margaret a widow at age 49, with children ranging from their teens to early adulthood still at home or nearby. Within little more than a year, she would also lose her son Benjamin.
Margaret as Head of Household
Despite these losses, Margaret proved more than capable of managing on her own. By the time of the 1900 census, she was listed as head of household in the Johns River district of Cabarrus County, aged 56, with her son Charles (age 23), daughter Mamie [likely a nickname for Minnie, age 20], and her widowed daughter Jennie Mims (age 28) with grandson Clarence (age 3) also in the home. She also had a boarder, James Davis, living with her — a common way for widows to supplement income.
The move to Cabarrus County likely reflected the family's shifting economic ties. By 1900, Concord and the surrounding Cabarrus area were booming, driven by the explosive growth of the textile industry. Cotton mills were being built across the Piedmont, drawing workers and families from the surrounding countryside. Though Margaret herself would not have worked in the mills, her children's opportunities — and the availability of lodgers — would have been shaped by this transformation.
Life in Concord (1910–1925)
By 1910, Margaret had settled into Concord proper — living on Ward 1 — and had taken in six boarders in addition to daughters Minnie and Jennie. At age 64, she was running what amounted to a boarding house, a practical and common arrangement for widows who needed steady income. The 1910 census records her name as 'Manda A. Smort [Smart],' a phonetic misspelling that gives us a small window into how her first name was spoken aloud: 'Manda,' short for Amanda.
In 1920, Margaret was 74 years old and still living in Concord with daughter Minnie Caddell (now widowed herself) and Minnie's teenage son Charles M. Caddell. A boarder named Jessie Simpson also shared the household. Despite her age, Margaret remained at the center of a busy, multigenerational home.
Concord in these years was a lively and growing city. By 1920, the city had a thriving downtown, multiple textile mills, churches, schools, and a community hall. Margaret would have seen electric lights, automobiles, and the first moving picture theaters arrive during her time there — a world utterly different from the candlelit farmhouse of her Stanly County childhood.
Death and Burial
Margaret Amanda Page Smart died on 24 August 1925 in Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina. She was 80 years old — an impressive age for anyone of her generation. Her death certificate lists her birth date as 25 April 1845 (slightly different from the 28 April recorded on her grave marker), her birthplace as Stanly County, her father as Simon Page, and her mother as Nancy Dane [Dove]. She is described as a widow.
She was buried the following day, 25 August 1925, at Beulah Church in Concord, Cabarrus County — the same church community that had been part of her family's life for decades. Her Find A Grave memorial notes her burial at Locust Presbyterian Cemetery in Locust, Stanly County, suggesting a connection that spanned both counties and both phases of her life.
Margaret outlived her husband by thirty years, two of her six children, and one of her grandchildren. She lived to see the end of World War I, the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, women's suffrage (granted in 1920), and the transformation of North Carolina from an agricultural backwater to an industrial state. She was, by any measure, a survivor.
Legacy
Margaret Amanda Page Smart's life traces an arc through one of the most turbulent periods in American history. She was born into the antebellum South, came of age during the Civil War, built a family through the hardships of Reconstruction and the New South, and ended her days in a city transformed by industry and modernity. Through it all, she kept her family together — raising children, providing for boarders, and anchoring her household with steady, practical determination.
She is remembered through the descendants of her four surviving children: Thomas, Minnie, Charles, and Jennie. Her grave in North Carolina stands as a quiet testament to a long life well-lived, far from the headlines of history but deeply woven into the fabric of her community and family.
Quick Reference: Vital Records
Margaret Amanda Page Smart
Born: 28 April 1845, Stanly County, North Carolina
Died: 24 August 1925, Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Buried: Beulah Church / Locust Presbyterian Cemetery, North Carolina
Find A Grave Memorial #: 60570351
Parents
Father: Sion Page (born 1807, died 1887)
Mother: Nancy [LNU] Page (born 1805, died about 1880)
Spouse
James Crowell Smart (born 30 January 1826, died 1 March 1895)
Married: 25 December 1867, Stanly County, North Carolina
Children
1. Thomas Crowell Smart (4 Jan 1867 – 28 Nov 1948)
2. Benjamin F. Smart (24 Sep 1870 – 13 May 1896)
3. Minnie Sylvania Smart (13 Oct 1874 – 30 Dec 1964)
4. Charles Sumner Smart, Sr. (11 Aug 1876 – 6 Oct 1962)
5. Sarah Jane 'Jennie' Smart (11 Apr 1880 – 26 Jul 1919)
6. Florence E. Smart (18 Nov 1882 – 8 Jan 1893)
Margaret Amanda Page Smart is my 2nd GreatGrand Aunt.
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1. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 15 May 2019); Memorial page for Margaret A Smart.; (28 April 1845–24 August 1925); Find a Grave memorial # 60570351, Citing Locust Presbyterian Cemetery; Locust, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA.
2. 1850 Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Furr, Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 38A(stamped); Line 16, Dwelling 533, Family 535, Household of Sion PAGE; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 21 July 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 645.
3. 1860 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Albemarle P.O., Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 8 (stamped); Line 18, Dwelling 92, Family 92, Household of Sion PAGE; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 21 July 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 914.
4. 1870 Census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, Township 11, Cabarrus, North Carolina, Page:#24/442B (Stamped); Line#28, Dwelling#192, Family#202, Household of J. C. SMART; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 15 May 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M593, Roll 1126.
5. 1880 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Furrs, Stanly, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 205, Page: 291A(Stamped); Lines#4-11, Dwelling#2, Family#2, Household of James C. SMART; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 15 May 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T9, Roll 0982.
6. 1900 U. S. Census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, Johns River, Cabarrus, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0023, Page: 7/178A (Stamped) Line:#28-33, Dwelling:#439; Family:#439, Househol of Margaret SMART; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 15 May 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T623,.
7. 1910 US Census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, Concord Ward 1, Cabarrus, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0047, Page:#6A/217A (Stamped); Line:#27-19, Dwelling:#260; Family:#90, Household of Manda A. SMORT [SMART]; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 15 May 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T624, Roll 1100.
8. 1920 US Census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, Concord Ward 1, Cabarrus, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 55, Page: 12A/278A (Stamped); Line:#21-24; House:#162, Dwelling:#217; Family:#225, Household of Margert A. SMART; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 15 May 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T625, Roll 1288.
9. Margrete A (Page) Smart, death certificate #365 (Death Date: 24 Aug 1925), NC State Archives., North Carolina Deaths, 1908-67, Raleigh, Wake, North Carolina.
10. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, Margaret A Smart. (28 April 1845–24 August 1925), Memorial # 60570351.
11. "Index to North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-2011," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : online 15 May 2019), Marriage: James C. Smart & Margaret Page; North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1977; Marriage Date [25 Dec 1867].
12. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, James C Smart (30 January 1826–1 March 1895), Memorial # 60561669.
Prepared by Charles Purvis · Thomasville, NC 27360 · CPurvis1@gmail.com
Family Group Sheet dated 1 June 2026
