Orton Aurlius Smith (1880–1954) & Teckla Johanna Olive Larson (1895–1974)
A Life of Laughter, Faith, and Family on the Michigan Frontier
Orton Aurlius Smith was born on January 10, 1880, in what records alternately list as Grant Township and Victory Township, Mason County, Michigan.
He grew up next door to his grandparents and along with his twin brother Milton, helping to build the family homestead which was a place bustling with the energy of childhood, microphones of work, and the warmth of family ties.
He and Milton worked the land together until Milton moved to Grand Rapids, leaving Orton to carry on alone but not without memories of laughter and shared dreams. As a young man, Orton took on the responsibilities of farming in Victory Township, eventually buying 40 acres just east of his mother’s property, and establishing himself as a respected community member. He became known for his skill in nursing sick animals back to health – a trait showcasing both his gentle caring and boundless grit.
Orton was known for his twinkling smile and hearty laughter. He chewed tobacco, sucked on lemon drops, played the harmonica, and when fiddle music filled the air he would call square dances, though Teckla thought that was quite sinful.
Into Orton’s life came Teckla Johanna Olive Larson, born December 4, 1895, in a cozy log cabin in Grant Township. She was raised on Town Line Road, across from the cemetery, the daughter of John and Emma Larson. Teckla’s childhood was shaped by simplicity and living close to the land. She had a dry sense of humor, famously quipping that when her mother weaned her, she “weaned me good,” and she decidedly refused to drink milk thereafter.
As a teenager, Teckla traveled into the Smith household to care for Orton’s mother when she became ill which was an act of kindness that brought the young couple’s paths together. They married on October 16, 1912, in Ludington, in a simple ceremony officiated by a Justice of the Peace. Orton’s marriage forgetfulness added a story the family still laughs about: he left the license behind mid-process and, to avoid the road workers he had passed before, crossed the field on foot to retrieve it.
Building a Family Together
They began married life in the cherished family homestead before moving to North Dakota, where Teckla gave birth to their first child, Otis Cornelius, on September 5, 1913, while living on a farm in Foster County. Though they spent just two years there, news of Teckla’s father’s illness pulled them back home to Victory Township, bringing the family back to their Michigan roots.
Back in Victory Township, Orton and Teckla built a home filled with love, faith, and resilience. Their family grew rapidly: Marie Emma arrived on April 29, 1916; Giles Orton on March 29, 1918; Harold Albert on March 11, 1920; Francis Alvin on June 20, 1922; Paul Goodwin on October 8, 1925; Iva Mae on April 9, 1928; and finally Charles Leroy on October 9, 1932.
Their home consisted of two modest rooms upstairs, where the boys shared one room and the girls another. Itwas warmed by a single wood-burning stove in the front room and buffered by quilts, especially in winter when frost and snow met sleepy heads.
Despite the simplicity, their lives were filled with traditions and laughter. The weekly baptism of the bathtub at the top of the stairs with the girls first, then the boys became a gleeful memory for children. Teckla’s “Lemon Drop Game” where grandchildren popped a candy in their mouths and sucked until only a sliver remained was not about winning, but about cherishing playful togetherness. And maybe a dose of Teckla finding a clever way to quiet the grandkids.
Deeply religious, the couple anchored their lives by faith. They were devoted members of the Victory Baptist Church and later the Washington Avenue Baptist Church in Ludington. As the church evolved, meeting in a Lutheran church, then the Diamond School (that later burned), Orton and Teckla remained steadfast, eventually baptized under the care of the church leadership.
Later Years and Legacy
Orton carried his seeds of faith and family into old age, passing away on November 20, 1954, from a heart attack after a few days in the hospital. His funeral was held at Victory Baptist Sunday School, officiated by Rev. Robert Luby. His legacy, however, lived on.
Teckla lived another two decades, enduring the loss with quiet strength. She passed away on September 23, 1974, in Flint, Michigan, with funeral services held in Mount Morris and Ludington. She was laid to rest beside Orton in North Victory Cemetery, where their partnership lies honored in stone.
Remembering Orton & Teckla
Orton and Teckla’s story is woven from the everyday threads of life—faith, family, laughter, adversity, and community. Orton’s humor, Teckla’s warmth, and their devotion to one another set the tone for generations to come. Their farm, their church, their laughter all echo in the lives of descendants who remember them fondly:
“The many descendants of Orton and Teckla Smith are grateful for the heritage, moral character, leadership, and religious background which has remained, and which we have followed.” -Their granddaughter, Carole Smith Richardson
Detailed Timeline
Orton Aurlius Smith
Born: 10 Jan 1880
Note: Birth Record states he was born in Grant Twp. Marriage Record states he was born in Victory Twp.
1880 Census: Grant Twp, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Living with his parents, Cornelius and Mary Smith who were living next door to Reuben and Sarah Smith (Cornelius’s parents.)
1900 Census: 07 JUN 1900
Place: Victory Township, Mason County, Michigan
Note: Living with his mother and two brothers.
Land Owner: Bought 40 acres just east of his mom’s farm. Farmed with his twin, Milton, for awhile before Milton moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
County Directory: 1910-1911
Place: Mason County
Note: Smith, Orton, Section 3, 40 acres, value $400, Victory Twp, Ludington RFD4.
1910 Census: 19 APR 1910
Place: Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan, USA
Note: Mother, Mary, and his brother, Charley are living in household. Was a farmer.
City Directory: 1910
Place: Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan, USA
Marriage: 16 OCT 1912 Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Charles A. Lemon was the Minister.
Marriage Return: 11 OCT 1912
Place: Victory Township, Mason County, Michigan, USA
City Directory: 1913
Place: Freesoil, Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan ($400)
Birth of Son: 05 SEP 1913
Name: Otis Cornelius Smith
Place: on Eric Erickson’s farm, Bordulac, Foster Co, North Dakota
City Directory: 1915
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
Birth of Daughter: 29 APR 1916
Name: Marie Emma Smith
Birth of Son: 29 MAR 1918
Name: Giles Orton Smith
WWI Draft Registration Card
County Directory: 1919-1920
Place: Mason County
Note: Smith, Orton, Section 3, 40 acres, value $1600, Victory Twp, Ludington (4).
1920 Census: 07 JAN 1920
Place: Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan, USA
Note: Wife, Teckla, and three children (Cornelius “Neil”, Marie, and Giles) are living in household.
Birth of Son: 11 MAR 1920
Name: Harold Albert Smith
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
City Directory: 1922
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
Birth of Son: 20 JUN 1922
Name: Francis Alvin Smith
Place: on the old homestead on Stiles Rd, Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
City Directory: 1924
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan ($1600) – 40 acres
Birth of Son: 08 OCT 1925
Name: Paul Goodwin Smith
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
City Directory: 1926
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
Birth of Daughter: 09 APR 1928
Name: Iva Mae Smith
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
1930 Census: 06 APR 1930
Place: Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Wife, Teckla, and 7 children (Cornelius, Marie, Giles, Harold, Frank, Paul G, and Iva Marie) are also in household.
Birth of Son: 09 OCT 1932
Name: Charles Leroy Smith
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Orton and Teckla’s house had two bedrooms upstairs – a big one where the boys slept and a smaller one where the girls slept. There was a large tub on the stair landing but it wasn’t used for bathing. One cousin thought it was used for making pickles. For bathing, they filled a large tub for bathing once a week. The girls washed first and then the boys. The only heat in the house was a big wood burning stove in the front room. In the winter, they slept with many quilts on their beds and when they woke up in the morning, there would be snow covering the quilts.
City Directory: 1935
Place: Ludington, Mason Co, Michigan
1940 Census: 12 APR 1940
Place: Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Wife, Teckla, children Harold, Francis, Paul, Iva, Charley, and grandson John Strader are also living in household.
World War II Draft Card
1950 Census: 17 APR 1950
Place: Victory Twp, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Wife, Teckla, and son Charles are also living in household.
Death: 20 NOV 1954
Note: 6:00pm. Died from Heart Attack.
Details: Was in the hospital from Nov 18 – Nov 20. Received copy of death certificate from Paul Goodwin Smith.
Obituary: AFT 20 NOV 1954
Place: Mason Co, Michigan, USA
Note: Funeral Services were held at Victory Baptist Sunday School with Rev. Robert Luby officiating.
Click here to see parents: Cornelius Aurlius Smith and Mary Etta Reynolds
Orton Smith was born in the area known as the plains in Victory Township. His father died when he was young. Orton and his brother Charlie Smith (later to become Aunt Esther’s husband – brothers married sisters) built the house that we all remember and lived there with their brothers, sisters and mother. When she moved in, Great-Grandma Smith (Mary Etta Reynolds) said ‘It’s so good to have a place of my own.’ Orton and Milton were twins. Orton was a farmer. People would come from all around to have him cure their sick animals. He chewed tobacco, sucked lemon drops, smiled a lot, and laughed and joked a lot. He belonged to Victory Baptist Church. Orton was a lumberjack for years. Orton would play the harmonica and call square dancing. Teckla thought it was a sin.
Orton and Teckla met when Orton’s mom became ill with breast cancer and Teckla Larson, as a teenager, went to take care of her. Orton and Teckla were married on October 16, 1912 by a Justice of the Peace in Ludington. They went by horse and wagon and passed some men who were working on the road. The workmen tied tin cans on the back of the wagon. Later, Orton discovered that he’d forgotten the marriage license and had to go back. He didn’t want to pass the workmen again, so Orton hiked across a field to get the license.
Orton and Teckla began married life in the Victory homestead that we remember, but lived there for only a few months before they moved to Bordulac, North Dakota to work on a farm with Grandpa’s sister, Aunt Minnie and Uncle George. While there, their first child, Otis, was born. They only lived in North Dakota for two years when they received word that Teckla’s father was sick and came back to live on the Victory homestead. The thing that we all remember best about Grandma and Grandpa was their deep religious conviction and love of God. They started to go to church when, what is now Washington Avenue Baptist Church in Ludington, started as a mission church in Victory. It met first in an empty Lutheran Church across from Diamond School (the country school that all eight children attended). This property was sold and the church moved to the Diamond School for several years, until it burned. During this time, Orton and Teckla became Christians. They were baptized in the Washington Avenue Church in Ludington.
The many descendants of Orton and Teckla Smith are grateful for the heritage, moral character, leadership and religious background which has remained, and which we have followed. – Carole Smith Richardson (their oldest granddaughter)
Teckla Johanna Olive Larson
Birth: 04 DEC 1895 Grant Twp, Mason Co, Michigan
Note: Teckla Larson was born in a log cabin on Town Line Road (what we now refer to as Uncle Otto’s house) across from the cemetery. She wouldn’t drink milk. She used to say, ‘When Mother weaned me, she weaned me good.’
1900 Census: 5 JUN 1900
Place: Grant Twp, Mason Co, Michigan.
Note: Living with parents, John and Emma. Also living there were her siblings Fred W, Albert E, Esther W, and Yarda M as well as her paternal grandmother, Elenor W. Larson.
1910 Census: 18 APR 1910
Place: Grant Twp, Mason Co, Michigan.
Details: Living with parents and siblings Fred, John, Esther, Yarda, Alma, Hilda, and Otto
Religion: Was a member of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church of Ludington. Was very religious.
Memory from Granddaughter, Joanne: She always let us as kids come and pick up all the apples on the ground and her trees and put them in crates, then putting in the back of Dad’s (Paul) old pick-up truck, then Dad would take us to the cider mill in Scottville and he would divide the money between us kids. We had a few $$ each, and it was always something we loved to do each year.
Memory from Granddaughter, Joanne: ‘The Lemon Drop Game’ Grandma always had lemon drops and each of us would put one in our mouths sitting on her couch, then we were to keep sucking them and without cheating, the last one with the tiniest of lemon drop left was the winner. We never got a prize for the game, but the lemon drops and competition were priceless.
Moved to: 1968
Place: Clio, Michigan.
Death: 23 SEP 1974 Beechwood Medical Center, Flint, Michigan.
Obituary: AFT 23 SEP 1974
Place: Mason Co, Michigan.
Note: The first funeral services were held at the Maes-Martin Funeral Home in Mount Morris. A second funeral service will be held at Dorrell Funeral Home with the Rev. Thomas Cavanaugh officiating.
Burial: AFT 23 SEP 1974 North Victory Cemetery, Mason Co, Michigan, USA
Click here to see parents: Johannes R. Larson and Emma Christina Olivia Olson
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