Mary Blanche Blackwell was born in the home of her grandfather, John Pomfret Blackwell, in Townsville, North Carolina. At the age of 5 she began school in Townsville; her teacher was Miss Clementine Wilson and classes were held in the home of Dr. William R. Wilson. She boarded there and went home on the weekends. When she traveled home, she went on horseback, accompanied by Mary Blackwell, a black servant of her father's. Her horse's name was "Fannie"; it was given by her grandfather, Richard J. Wortham, to her mother, Sallie Wortham, as a wedding present. After one year, she then went to public school near her grandfather's home. Two years later, she went to school in Townsville, boarding at Ed Taylor's for five months. Afterwards, she walked to and from home in Townsville to school. Her teacher, Carr Moore, was a Presbyterian minister. She attended that school until she was sixteen. She continued her education at Greensboro Female College for two years, graduating when she was nineteen.

Blanche and Joseph Edwin Smith were married at the home of J.P. Blackwell, Jr., by Rev. John R. Hall, the paster of Morrow's Chapel (Methodist). She and her husband, a Baptist minister, lived first at Mt. Olive, NC, where she taught school for nine months. Then they moved back to her father's home where their son Ralph was born. They moved to Henderson, NC for three months, then back to her home until her mother's death in 1893. Their next stop was Stem, NC for one year, then to Creedmoor for two years. Carl was born there. Then they moved to Louisville, Kentucky, while Joseph attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Roy was born at West 9th St. After one year, they went to Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Joseph commuted to-and-from Louisville to attend classes and preach sermons on Sunday. After a year there, the next stop was Letts, Indiana where Vernon was born. They remained there for three-and-half years. Concord, NC was their next home and the birthplace of Edwin. Then on to Charlotte, NC for three months of evangelistic work. Mt. Airy was next, along with the birth of Mary.

After three years, they moved to Franklin, Indiana for three months of evangelistic work. There Joseph was hired by the State Board. Next stop, Gary, Indiana, where Joseph was instrumental in the building of Central Baptist Church. They remained in Gary for 22 years. They made one last move back to Franklin in 1929 where they lived at 550 West Jefferson St. After their deaths, they were buried in Gary at the Calumet Park Cemetery.

Blanche began working on her family genealogy in the 1930s when she joined the Daughters of the American Revolution, claiming descent from Lt. Col. John Webb, her gr-gr-grandfather, who fought five years in the 7th and 5th Virginia Regiments, Continental Line.

Mary Blanche died of "chronic leukemia."592