Over the years, university officials couldn't attribute the middle initial "C" to any name. There was speculation it may have been an addition in an era when having a middle initial was something that added respectability. The Smiths had no children and university archivists hit a stumbling block when they tried to look up records in Pennsylvania, where they were from. Then, part time student and freelance genealogist Michael Webb was able to track down the answer. He traced Johnson Crayne Smith's family tree to a third cousin in Pennsylvania. Webb explains, "She gave me published accounts such as a family history book, family photos, which had his full name which is Johnson Crayne Smith. She gave me journals." Webb says he's a little baffled that the university didn't try to use genealogy. The 25-year old Webb is taking business classes at Johnson C Smith so that he can start his own genealogy service.