I am not sure I can be of immediate help, however, I just y-DNA tested my father for clues on our earliest male Smith & it turns out that per the Smith Surname (DNA) project, I am matched to 3 Smith kits of which a descendant of this David E. Smith (son of Cherokee Jim Smith) is a match.
Thus, my Smith family and yours are blood related somehow.

I contacted the test submitter at the time I got my results (last weekend) but have not heard back from her (I think it was her husband's kit).

The main item that stuck out for this David Smith's line in particular (over the other 2 kits) is that I recognize a small connection. This user and other trees have indicated that David's son, Richard, was b/ 1838 in Jackson Co, AL which is where my line lived in 1830. My brick wall ancestor is Patrick b/ ca 1788 TN (or VA) m/ Mary Ann Lindsey, and he is in the census there in 1830.
His father is rumored to be 1 of 2 James Smiths, both of whom look the same somewhat "on paper" (census records anyway) - both born ca 1760-1764 VA, in the 1830-1840 Jackson Co, AL census.

Here is where it gets tricky, especially in light of the DNA. One of these James (father candidates) was a Rev War pensioner b/ Oct 1760 Hanover Co, VA (per his pension app) who is *alleged* to have m/ Hannah Parker in 1787 in VA (but it looks like that marriage *might* belong to another pensioner living elsewhere) and he lived (per his pension) in Greeneville Co, SC, Sullivan and Smith Co, TN, before Madison Co, AL (there by 1809), then Morgan Co, AL and finally in Jackson by 1830. He died in 1843. All this is per his pension app (save the 1809 date, but he is found on the first census with that date).

The good circumstantial evidence in his favor is that in 1809 he was living in Madison Co, AL (MS Territory) with my Patrick's father in law, David Lindsey & then in 1830 Jackson Co, AL where my Patrick was living. But Patrick is nowhere to be found in 1809 (until the 1830 Jackson Co, AL census) and presumably is somewhere still back in TN. This led me to look closer and consider the other James candidate father. After studying it, but before the DNA, the other James, I call him KY James looked better, circumstantially.

The other James was from KY b/ ca 1762-1764 VA (b/ 1762 per 1850 Jackson Co, AL census, b/ 1764 per his grave there) & he was alleged to be 1/4 Cherokee and married a full Cherokee, Nancy Mulkey. They lived in Lee Co, VA, and Knox Co, KY, and at least one child lived in Whitley Co, KY. They were in Knox Co, KY as late as 1809 as one daughter married there in Sep. 1809. So it is unclear when he came to AL, but it was later than the other (Rev War) James, but still by 1830 census.

I won't bore you with all the details, but I know that researchers have *assumed*, but not proven to my satisfaction that it is *this* KY James that is enumerated there in 1850 with a son Brooks (b/ ca 1796-1800) as this KY James is *alleged* but unproven by the same researchers to have had a brother named Brooks also with TN / Knox Co, KY ties.

The problem is that there are 3 James Smiths b/ 1761-1770 in the 1830 Jackson Co, AL census and beyond that, at least 2, if not all 3, are known by other sources to be born in VA. Of these 2 are named simply James in 1830 and one is named James A. Smith in 1830. Researchers seem to have pinned this KY James as one of the 2 named James (with larger households), but the problem is that the 3rd James, the one named James A. Smith matches in name (middle initial) to the one who is living with the younger Brooks Smith in the 1850 Jackson Co, AL census (listed that year as James A. Smith). So this seems to point that Brooks' father was James A. Smith in 1830 and 1850 (simply as James in 1840 as one of the other James had either moved or died and the other, Rev War James was living with son James P. Smith, so no confusion that year).

Though I can rule out a relationship by DNA to the older TN Brooks Smith, *IF* the wrong James has been linked to this younger ALA Brooks Smith, such as this KY James instead of a 3rd separate James (the TN Brooks' real brother James, likely the one who married Esther McDonalds in TN in 1791), then it would seem I would have a false negative to the KY James, when it is possible I could be related to KY James, he be linked incorrectly as father of the younger Brooks, and I wouldn't be related to the TN Brooks nor his nephew Brooks, son of a different James.
That's where some confusion comes in and why it is important to establish which James is which in 1830-1850 (Rev. War pensioner James died there in 1843).

Now, prior to y-DNA testing my Smith father, this KY James looked good as a candidate because I found a connection of my Lindsey's TN county of Claiborne which bordered the Whitley Co, KY location associated with these KY Smiths. The problem is that the y-DNA did not match me with this group of Smiths (a descendant of this James' brother Brooks tested). But if the research is wrong linking the wrong James as this Brooks brother, so in turn the wrong James as father of the younger Brooks (TN Brooks' presumed nephew) then it throws off potential DNA matches to this KY James (1/4 Cherokee) because the trees / research is wrong, though the DNA itself doesn't lie.

Originally upon seeing what I thought meant I could rule out Brooks Smith so his alleged brother KY James, it seemed to leave the other candidate James, the Rev War pensioner.

I had hoped it would be clear cut after getting the results, but then I discovered (upon review) there is an older man living in the 1830 Jackson Co, AL home of my Patrick - about 18 years older, possibly old enough to be a father, though not as old as we would expect. But both these James are head of their own homes, so who is that older man? Either way, it isn't so clear cut as I'd hoped.

That being said, one of the other 2 kits traced a line with no clear connection to this other James Smith candidate, however, some of the places rang a bell. That other line went to Fayette Co, KY,
but had ties to Buckingham Co, VA, which is where the James who allegedly m/ Hannah Parker enlisted in the Rev. and they also had ties to Smith and Sullivan Co, TN where this James had lived. This line traces back about 2 or 3 generations further, but of primary interest is the Richard b/ 1792 Sullivan Co, TN m/ Diana Braswell. Notice your line also has Richard. Oddly enough, I don't think Richard Smith was overly common back then. Patrick Smith clearly was not that common, nor were there a lot of David Smiths. (Lots of James and Johns though).

I know of no connection of my Smiths to Chattanooga, nor of this other Smith line to Chattanooga, but this Richard b/ 1792 could fit as a brother or cousin of your David b/ 1789. This line identifies the father of their Richard b/ 1792 as Thomas b/ 1741 Goochland Co, VA m/ Leah Agee. That clearly would not jive with your story about a Cherokee Jim as father of David, and since I have no way of knowing how far back our common ancestor might actually be, it is possible that perhaps this Thomas and your Cherokee Jim were brothers. Or the connection could be further up the tree.

I am trying to find connections in the data between the various lines beyond the same locations. I had actually found some naming patterns (Preston & Sidney) in your Richard (son of David)'s line with the KY Cherokee James), but the y-DNA rules him out IF this KY James is the correct father of this younger Brooks. Prior to DNA testing, I had considered that my 2 James candidates could even be related somehow themselves, but the y-DNA would seem to rule that option out as well.

I have wondered if it wasn't your David E. Smith in the 1830 Jackson Co, AL census. He would seem too young, b/ 1800-1810, but the census could be in error on the ages. Everyone seems to give your Richard's birth as 1838 Jackson Co, AL, but they don't seem to be there in 1840 and if wasn't your David there in 1830, they had to have come through only briefly - and why? En route from Chattanooga to AR? Using Google maps, tracing the route from Chattanooga to Johnson Co, AR, it is almost a straight shot from I24 towards Nashville, then I-40 all the way in. By car, today, this is the more direct route, 580 miles, 8 hrs 55 mins. It does not take you through Jackson Co, AL at all. But, if you go the alternate route, it takes you right through Jackson Co, AL. This takes you I24 W to 72W Scottsboro (Jackson Co, AL), then Huntsville (Madison Co, AL - where I live), to Corinth MS, to Memphis, TN then I40 to Johnson Co, AR. Scottsboro is probably one of the now largest cities in Jackson Co, AL and Huntsville certainly is the largest in Madison Co, AL. As of 1809, Huntsville / Madison Co, AL area was a major thoroughfare and we didn't become a state until 1819. I imagine at that time, Memphis was a pretty populated area as well. For nearly half of this route, it largely follows / is close to the Tennessee River, which may be another reason they chose this route - presumably chose this route anyway.

Needless to say, this is probably our best clue as to finding spots en route where they may have stayed briefly or had records recorded prior to landing in Johnson Co, AR.

It is also further confused by the fact that your David is on both the 1837 and 1838 Johnson Co, AR tax lists. If he was there in AR in 1837, what is he doing in AL in 1838 when son Richard was born? Do you know the source for Richard's date and place of birth? Could either be off? I can't find them in 1840 or David after 1850. Have you?

Your Richard's birth is given as Blue Springs Cove, and I know there is a Blue Springs Cemetery where some Smiths are buried, but again, they seem to be of this KY Cherokee line that the y-DNA seems to rule out.

Beyond all that, I keep thinking that David's middle name and Claiborne's names might hold further clues. Editon is certainly unusual and so is Claiborne, at least Claiborne is for that era.
I wonder if either could be maiden names of the mother or something?

The Richard b/ 1792 in Sullivan Co, TN I mentioned that matches my father and a descendant of your Cherokee James and David lived in 1830-1840 Gibson Co, TN. I come from mostly Baptists and perhaps a few Methodists (and some Quakers) but these Smiths were LDS and moved to Utah by 1850.

My Patrick, by the way, named one of his sons, my ancestor, David L. Smith. (The L presumably stands for Lindsey, the mother's maiden name). After that, each generation in my direct line has a David, until you get to my dad who is not the David, but his brother is. But my dad gave the David name to one of his sons (my half brother). Based on dates, excluding the other 2 kits we match,
my Patrick and your David could be brothers, sons of the same James. Whether that could be the same James as m/ Hannah Parker, or a different James, who knows. (I have no knowledge that James m/ Hannah Parker was thought or known to be Cherokee).

I have edited this somewhat since my original post, but I now think that due to the age range, the possible naming pattern (if my Patrick's son David was dually named after Patrick's FIL and Patrick's possible brother), due to the ca 1830-1838 Jackson Co, AL connection and that both have been alleged to be sons of Cherokee James Smiths, that your David could be a brother to my Patrick.

Furthermore, if my analyzation of the 1830-1850 James Smiths holds up where we go from 3 in 1830 to 2 in 1840 (Rev War James in home of son James P. and presumably the James A. Smith, father of the younger Brooks that I think is different than the KY James who has been misidentified as that Brooks father), and that Rev War James died there in 1843, leaving only the 1850 James A. Smith, father of Brooks, I think it is the KY / Cherokee James who died or moved from Jackson Co, AL between 1830 and 1840. And I wonder if he didn't go to Chattanooga then vs. Chattanooga before Jackson Co, AL. If you wikipedia Chattanooga, it was incorporated in 1839 as Chattanooga from Ross's Landing. And it was a Cherokee holding camp during the Trail of Tears. KY James m/ Nancy Mulkey was not only alleged 1/4 Cherokee who married a full Cherokee, but he was an Indian trader. So he might well have had reason or business to move there ca 1830-1840 or more precisely ca 1838-1839. Also, no matter which James is which in 1830 Jackson Co, AL, none of the men's oldest females seem to fit the alleged Nancy Mulkey who is alleged to be mother of all his older, known identified / suspected children. At best, she either died before 1830 which means she didn't make the Trail of Tears as claimed anyway, OR she was the 2nd, much younger, wife and thus not mother to all his children as claimed. Furthermore if the wrong James has been misidentified as father of Brooks, not only did the real KY James m/ Mulkey likely move away, possibly then (ca 1830-1840) to Chattanooga, but he likely died elsewhere besides Jackson Co, AL anyway. And identifying his real location and which is which is key to finding additional clues that might be had such as through other potential children, including males who might have testable male descendants today.

But much of what I have seen linking the KY James as brother of the older Brooks and thus father of the younger Brooks is at best circumstantial evidence of being neighbors. There's no will or otherwise that seems to clarify the relationships. And we know there are at least 3 distinct James Smiths of a certain age in 1830, so 3 clear families, so being neighbors alone isn't good evidence of a relationship.

I'd love to discuss the line further. I really want to break down my own Smith brick wall and since our lines are related, maybe we can help each other out in this.

Briana5555