The man who conceived and began the Earth Church was named William Thomas Smith by his adopted parents. When adopted William (Billy) was three almost four years of age. The letters below indicate the process of adopting William. The notification of a child for adoption was first read as an ad in the paper. He would be the second adoption for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
The first letter to Tom's parents
Downingtown, Pa.
Dec. 1st 1916
Mr. Thomas W. Smith
Dear Sir.
Your letter of recent date, relative to the child, Calvin Pearce received this evening. I will write
at once to the Home Missionary Soc. 533 Arch St & have them find out for us, all the legal status
necessary for a full and complete surrender of this most lovable child.
Mrs. Pearce, will I know place no obsticale in your way and sometime ago when I phoned Thomas L Hooskins, Atty & Notary, of West Chester about this matter he told me that Calvin's father had absolutely no claim since he abandoned his family and left them (so far as he was concerned) to become a public charge. he said the mother by her labor had supported her children, until compelled by object poverty to seek assistence by giving one or more of her little ones into other free homes. She endeavored to compell the father to support his children, by taking him before the court, they realeased him on his promises to do so & he evaded the ruling of the court by leaving the state.
So far as I can learn, Mr. Pearce was not a drinking man until he went into the Saloon business himself, with a legacy he receaved a year or so before he left them, in that way he met a certain class of people, one of them for whom he later, left his home and family - Mrs. Pearce, is a modest, refined, woman of some beauty, & much younger than her husband. As soon as I hear from the Soc. named I will at once mail you this letter, & will arrange with Mrs. Pearce to meet us in Phila any day you may decide.
Trusting this may be satisfactory I am Sincerely,
Mrs. Wm H Kiemer
Downingtown Penna.
This letter dated a few days later
Downingtown Pa.
Dec. 4 - 1916
Rev. T. W. Smith
Dear Sir - I have phoned the Home Missionary Soc., as the quickest way to get an answer and they assured
me Calvin can be legally adopted through his mother's signature alone, since his father has been
away two years. They said for us to come there, to 533 Arch St. Phila, She said too that the mother
could the child over to their Soc., and they could then sign the papers also, that there is no doubt
whatever that the Court will give you the child,
They promised to explain everything to you at the office - If you will write me I, with the mother will meet you at Broad St Station any time you wish, giving me a couple of days to make sure I get your letter, Possibly Mr. Teany would find it convenient to come with you to the city.
The Home Missionary Soc. is a Christian Organization and if not fully satisfied it will be able
to go to the City Hall for further legal information. Trusting this will be satisfactory
I am Restly -
Mrs. Wm H Kiemer
Downingtown Pa.
The Home Missionary Society
of the city of Philadelphia
FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR AND CARE OF
DESTITUTE CHILDREN
Office: 533 ARCH STREET
January 8, 1917
Reverend Thomas M. Smith,
164 Arlington Avenue,
East Orange, N.J.
My dear Mr. Smith:-
I will be in East Orange, N.J. on Wednesday afternoon between 2 and 3, and will call and see you then.
With best wishes I am,
Very truly yours,
L.B. Abend
Children's Department
A third letter from Mrs. Kiemer:
Downingtown
Jan. 18, 1917
Rev. T. W. Smith
Dear Sir
In ans. to your letter of Dec.22 permit me to apologize for my delay, I have indeed passed through deep waters, but thanks to a Loving Father our dear girl was spared to us. Still troubled with a severe dropisical affection but we hope & trust she will be restored to her former robust health.
As to my troublesome thumb it is still twice its normal size & very tender & always in the way, but slowly improving for which I am thankful.
I wrote Miss Abend, and received a letter from Mrs. Pearce telling me that the matter of Wee Calvin's future was virtually settled, and telling me also of your Kindly remembrance in the form of Aid which came at a time of especial need. I offered to take the boy back into my home but she wrote me Miss. Abend had interested herself in them and she would have to wait and see her, though she said she would like them with me. I feel so glad that God blessed my feeble efforts to place this dear baby in a Christian home. I know you will all love him for he has such a sweet disposition.
While I live I shall watch and pray for wonderful developments in this little life, and I feel that our God will bless you and yours and make Calvin a joy and comfort, and a Son to be proud of.
You will not forget the Mother who bore him in your joy and happiness of possession, but in small ways of your own, lighten her burden, which bears all too heavily on girlish shoulders.
A lawful wife, I was left alone with three tiny children when I was 24 years of age, and because I know Mrs. Pearce's burden, the lonliness, the heartaches, and worst of all the temptations that come to a girl like her, I am her friend and my heart goes out to every woman in trouble like this, and I wish for "lots of money" that I could go out and work a wonderful work, but my Heavenly Father will bless my feeble efforts and I am anxious to get all right so I may see other dear babies in nice homes like yours, I take them, and love them and try to train them everyway, clean and so sweet that people just open their hearts and homes and take them in.
Mr. Smith I have here a photo of a dear baby I placed in another lovely home with a childless couple, members of the Hasfer Memorial Presbyterian Church. Phila. I would like you and Mrs. Smith to see these pictures and read this letter. I find I have miss laid the first part of it sometime you can return the pictures at your convenience.
Wishing you and yours every blessing I am Sincerely
Mrs. Wm H Kiemer
Downingtown
Pa.
The Home Missionary Society
of the city of Philadelphia
FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR AND CARE OF
DESTITUTE CHILDREN
Office: 533 ARCH STREET
May 28, 1917
Rev. Thomas W. Smith
167 North Arlington Avenue,
East Orange, N.J.
My dear Mr. Smith:
I am enclosing you the adoption decree for your little boy, William Smith. I do hope that the boy will be a great comfort to you , and when he grows up will appreciate the kind interest and the love you people are giving him. The cost of the adoption papers will be $6.00.
With best wishes to all, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Lucy B Abend
Children's Department.
In the border of the above typewritten letter written by the author is the note:
Ans. May 30 w closing check for $6.00
With the letter is a receipt issued June 1, 1917 received from Rev. Thomas W. Smith Six dollars for orphan papers $6.00 signed A. A. Yule
Almost four years of age the child was adopted and named William Thomas Smith - Billy Boy. Thomas, Grace and Jane welcomed Billy into the family with great passion. A review of the Smith Family Album will show a life where he traveled frequently with the family.
Thomas W. Smith
Tom claimed that few people could weather his father's stare. This was his business face; in a social situation he was friendly and humorous. Thomas Smith volunteered for duty during the "Great War". He served in London and France. Thomas told his son later that the war changed him.
Grace French Smith
Was a well educated woman. She was deeply religious and profoundly compassionate. Mrs. Smith was a well known poet with two books of poetry and numerous poems printed in publications across the country. You can view her poetry here. Grace also recorded the life of the family in pictures; the Smith Family Album can be viewed here. From an early age she was working for the rights of women, she was opposed to alcohol. Her poetry reflects the depth of her passions. She strugled to get help for the many disabled veterans following the Great War. She was horrified in the later years of the thirties when war was waged on such a great scale again.
Jane Smith — William's Sister
Tom 3yrs
William Smith — Tom 5 yrs. 1919 East
Orange, NJ
The Smith Family
A letter from Tom to his Parents reads:
Here is and earlier letter to his parents
Dearest of all parents -
I don't know exactly what to say! Frankly, your offer of a course at Yale overwhelms me. Will you never
stop thinking of things to do for me - Surely no one ever before in this world has been blessed with
such a father and mother - of that I am positive. I have taken a long time debateing, thinking it
over very carefully - I have finally come to a conclusion.
This whole thing is a thing which is very hard to talk over in a letter - If I could only have come home I could so much easier have made you understand how I feel. I am afraid I cannot in writing. But anyway, here is the gyst. Perhaps you do not realize just how much you have done for me, how much you have given me already. Asside from the financial support which we will not even mention - first of all you gave me a home - a home and family life such as few people ever know. With the home and family came a background that has helped me more than any other thing - You have given me an education in travel, in church, in school, and fitted me well for society. You have given me ideas, and convictions which have and will help me over the hardest spots. You have given me a desire for the more beautiful, the higher things, which will always give me a deeper appreciation of life.
And now I have come to an age in life when I should be starting to pay back some of the tremendous debt I owe you - certainly I should not be piling up more.
I would feel so very much more happy if you would take that money and spend it on yourselves or save it until the time you want to use it - will you do this for me?
Can you possibly understand how I feel?
______________________________________________
I received the xmas "five" and of course I thank you - It comes in handier than you might think. Pay checks will soon be coming in and then worries will be over - I haven't yet finished my training period - but it won't be long before work will be more profitable.
I went down to Balt. over Sat. Sun. and Mon. - and worked the kids at the studio to death - I have been tried to teach them everything I've learned at Arthur Murray's. So the Holidays were quite busy.
Sam and Lee have been marvelous and entertained me every minute I wasn't busy. We had stockings and a beautiful tree with lots of presents. They gave me an antique Dutch "Settie" - a fireside bench with a back that pulls down to make a table - a beautiful thing in natural walnut - they had it done over to fit my fireplace.
I have a beautiful pair of old hand wrought andirons - made in 1790 and I received for Xmas a pair of old tongs to match them - the tongs are very plain hand wrought iron, made in 1755 - This home of mine is beginning to look just like something out of the post - you're going to love it -
Yes, I of course went a Eloises and refused the situation and she asked me to keep the $25 - How
good of her -
I am in such a hurry do you mind if I stop abruptly
Richest Love
B.
William and Grace
At this time William and "the kids" opened an Arthur Murray dance studio in Baltimore, Maryland. During this period he changed his name to W. Smith-Thomas. for presence he claimed, it did become a habit to change his name; that is how I came to know him as Thomas Smithison. William was operating at Arthur Murray franchise; the only franchise that served black and white people, he loved the work. During this happy time one of his old friends, Hazel, informed his mother that William was Gay. The close relationship with his mother was greatly affected by the disclosure. He wept at the distance that grew between them, he wept at eighty-four years of age as he confided in me.
Grace Smith was having other problems, one of the most pressing is her mothers death. They had struggled together for women's suffrage; this fight they had won. Their efforts for alcohol prohibition led to an era of lawlessness during the "Roaring Twenties". The tragedies of war, the greed, the deaths and the countless numbers of vetrans returning with lifelong disabilities; and here was another great war, World War II.
This following letter is arranged so divisions are different pages.
Sept Oct. 16
"Once upon a time so say the pictures - prior to 1947! I've tried to reach you by phone dozens of
times. You, as I have not been able to write - but at last, "Pax te cum"
Peace be with you - relax - the cyclone hurricane Tornado tnsuma the storm is over. Your home is yours!!
I tamed the wild spirit by getting him into the U. K. Hospital & letting 5 doctors calm
The troubled waters. He then began to see he was abusing me & could (??) be wrong. He was killing himself. The Dr here said either he or I had to go to the hospital. He (said?) that it was to be me, until the nurse started undressing him. He had got so he couldn't sign his name. Then "presto" like magic - he agreed the doctors convinced him <Written on the side>He had many bad falls - so he was there for his back.
He could be wrong. We haven't got to the point of free discussion. I know its been hell for you
- for me. The conclusion is - he doesn't expect the money back & that's as much Concession as
I have won! but it is final.
My heart is broken in two (a heart is pictured with a line down the middle on one side is SA on the other is WS (William Smith) - to whom the letter is addressed)
He had all sorts of crazy plans until the doctors quieted him & said
he was killing me. I never would admit I had done anything wrong - though he called me an arch criminal.
Poor man - it's broken him Terribly & I must nurse him back to good health & good spirits.
His mind was sick, sick, sick. I hope you can forgive me for this past
year of "Pure hell". Please
When you wrote of settling in Chiapas
I sort of got used to (the) idea of not seeing you - Now I don't know. I dropped a note to Dr. Matt
saying nothing but you needed to see him.
I am sure you have those two checks - Tear them up. Perhaps some night I'll get you on the phone & you'll
be that near me & can chat.
Yes plan to sell & invest in other property when you have oppurtunity.
I love you dearly Bill -
Those days with you last March were the happiest days of the year for me. We must not lose each other.
I still shed copious tears because while I was trying to make you happy - I tore you all up. Well
it cost me & Sttanly each a siege in the hospital. Hope you can recover without that. Hope I
have written
nothing to further upset you. - If you write me can you use a non professional envelope? Let's not
try to go back over - Time can heal - even SA says that. I hope this letter will bring you some comfort.
I love you - my only family
Jane - Sis
Don't believe I've let my tears blot this sanble(?)
