The Smith Families of Butler County, Ohio

JAMES SMITH, once sheriff of Hamilton county, lived for a great portion of his life in St. Clair township. He was born December 22, 1763, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and emigrated to the West in the year 1792, in conjunction with General James Findlay, with whom he formed a partnership after his arrival, which lasted more than ten years, under the firm name of Smith & Findlay. Their store was near the foot of Broadway, on Front street. A short time after his arrival he was appointed sheriff of the county, and on the formation of the state of Ohio, he was elected to that office by the people, being the first one thus honored. So long did he hold the shrievalty that he was commonly known as “Sheriff Smith.” During a portion of this time he was collector of the revenue of the government of the United States for the Northwestern Territory and of the taxes for the county. Few men in the Northwest had more influence in the affairs of the community than he, and none; exercised it more wisely. He acted for a time as the private secretary of General, St. Clair, who was governor of the territory, and enjoyed his confidence and esteem. He was captain of the first light infantry company raised in Cincinnati, and when the second war with Great Britain broke out, went to the front as paymaster of the First Regiment, third detachment of the Ohio Militia, and was in Fort Meigs when it was besieged by the British and Indians during that war. About the year 1805 he came to Butler county, settling on the. place in section 21, St. Clair township, at the mouth of Four Mile creek. Here he remained until his death, which occurred in 1834. He was a man of much capacity, benevolence, and public spirit, and gave his children the advantage of good education. His widow and they (except two of the younger ones, who died in infancy) survived him. The late Charles K. and John C. Smith, both public men of prominence, were his sons, and James Smith, who married a sister of Almon Davis, of this county. They are now all dead.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

CULBERTSON J. SMITH.

No man in Butler county is better or more favorably known than the subject of this sketch. He was born on a farm, at a place locally known as Cherry Hill, in Wayne township, this city, on the 25th of February, 1850, being a son of John C. and Elizabeth (Jones) Smith, and is a representative of one of the well-known and prominent pioneer families of the county. John C. Smith, the father of the subject, was a man of sterling integrity, and though quiet and unassuming and a over of home and of the peaceful life of the farm, he was a man of broad culture and more than ordinary intellectuality. He was educated in Miami University and though he never entered public life his counsels and assistance were often sought by those who were prominent in public affairs. He was an intimate friend of some of the most eminent public men of his day. His father, James Smith, was a man of great force’ and prominence in the early history of Butler county. He came from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, to Cincinnati in 1792, being a companion of Captain Ruffin, General James B. Findlay and Jacob Burnett, whose names are prominent in the annals of Ohio history. For many years he was territorial agent at Cincinnati for the Northwest Territory, while he was a partner of General Findlay in the real-estate business for about ten years, in which connection he aided in locating settlers in the wilds of the present state of Ohio. He was the first marshal of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was captain of the first company of light artillery raised in Cincinnati and was in active service during the war of 1812. He was with his command at Fort Meigs at the time when it was besieged by the British and Indians. This honored pioneer came to Butler county soon after its official organization, and here he became prominent in public and civic affairs. He was collector of taxes and also revenue collector for the Northwest Territory. He enjoyed in a high degree the confidence and esteem of General Arthur St. Clair, as whose private secretary he served for a time. The town of Rossville was laid out on the lath of March, 1804, by Henry Brown. Jacob Burnett, James Smith and William Ruffin, this being the nucleus of the present thriving and beautiful city of Hamilton. About 1805 James Smith located on a farm in section 21, St. Clair township, and there passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1835, while the date of his nativity was December 22, 1763.

The maternal grandfather of the subject was William Jones, a native of Johnson county, North Carolina. He came to Butler county in a very early day and purchased and operated a large distillery near the town of West Elkton, in which locality he was one of the founders of the church of the Society, of Friends, of which he was a birthright member. He became quite wealthy, having a landed estate of about four thousand acres at the time of his death.

The mother of the subject was thus a member of the Society of Friends by birthright, and she was reared in the simple and noble faith of her ancestral church, ever remaining true to the same and exemplifying her belief in her daily walk and conversation.

She was a true Christian and a devoted wife and mother, rearing her children in the fear and love of God. Both the Smith and Jones families are of Scotch-Irish extraction.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Macken, Butler county made the first test of this system in Ohio, this being in August, 1894. Mr. Smith served three terms as prosecuting attorney and then retired to the private practice with the prestige of well-earned popularity, combined with a valuable experience nowhere else to be gained. It is no exaggeration to say that he stands today in the front rank of Butler county's attorneys, and he possesses the uniform confidence and esteem of an appreciative public. His popularity is due, perhaps, in part to his high social qualities and genial personality. He is a loyal friend, a wise and faithful counsellor, and able defender of right and justice and an honest and upright citizen. He has ever given an uncompromising allegiance to the Democratic party and has done signal service in behalf of its cause.

On the 29th of June, 1874, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Christianna Kindred, who was born and reared near Zanesville, in Muskingum county, Ohio, and who is a woman of gracious refinement.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

DAVID L. SMITH, a farmer of Reiley Township, comes from a somewhat illustrious family, his ancestors having been prominently identified with the early history of Butler County. He was born on the farm a portion of which he now owns, October 22, 1852, and is the sixth child of John W. and Catharine (Warfield) Smith. The father was also a native of this township, born April 9, 1817, and was a son of Charles G. and Phoebe (Bartlow) Smith. The land where he was born was originally entered by his grandfather, who gave it to Charles, who was married in 1816 in Indiana. The father of our subject, always a farmer, received his education in the common schools of the country, and was a man of correct habits, who accumulated a considerable fund of information by observation. A more extended history of this family appears in the biography of Joseph B. Smith, published elsewhere in this volume.

Our subject grew up on his father’s farm, and attended the public schools of the township, obtaining a fair education for his opportunities.

At the age of twenty-four years he commenced farming on his own account, having donated the three previous years of his time to the interests of the home place. When twenty-nine years old he was united in marriage with Anna J., daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah A. (Salisbury) Henry. The father, a native of Pennsylvania, was born in 1816; and the mother, a native of Butler County, Ohio, was born in 1824. The latter is now living near St. Charles, in Reiley Township, with her son Halsey. The father died on the farm in 1881. There are but two of their three children living, of whom Halsey is the eldest. He married Lizzie Clark, a native of this county, and they have four children, Flora, Sadie, Chester and Haley. Mrs. Smith was born March 25, 1862. Her father was a minister in the Presbyterian Church for many years, but failing health compelled his retirement to the farm, where he died. He was a man specially fitted by7 education and early training for his chosen profession, and his spiritual life was like a well of water within him,“ springing up into everlasting life.” He was so moved by this powerful higher life within that he was able to preach the Word with power, and his removal from his field of labor is among the mysterious dispensations of Providence, unintelligible to the finite mind. Verily, we see through a glass darkly, but the assurance is that after a while we shall “see face to face.”

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a family of three children: Effie May, born April 3, 1882; Grade Marie, born June 10, 1884; and Omar, born March 22, 1887, all of whom are now attending school from the parental roof. Mr. Smith inherited the old homestead by bequest in the will of his father, his mother having a life lease. It is a very valuable farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty-six acres, upon which are two splendid residences, one occupied by the mother and the other by the family of our subject. Commodious barns and other buildings adorn the premises and greatly enhance the value of the property. Mr. Smith unfortunately met with quite a serious accident on Christmas, 1893, which has made him an invalid since. An epidemic of hog cholera prevailed in the community and in the effort to save some valuable swine lie inhaled the fumes of white corrosive sublimate and was poisoned. However, under skillful treatment he hopes to regain his old-time vigor. Politically he affiliates with the Democratic party, and has a fairly good understanding of political economy, always exercises the right of suffrage with intelligence, and desires that legislation that will secure the greatest good to the greatest number. He is opposed to class legislation, and insists that every man should have a chance to rise untrammelled by vicious laws, and unintimidated by the threats of those in power. Religiously he and his wife are Christian people, having connection with the Presbyterian Church. They have a delightful home, from the portals of which they dispense with liberal hand a generous hospitality.

As printed in the source³. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HARRY H. SMITH, M. D.

Butler county has its full quota of able representatives of the medical profession, and among its successful and popular practitioners is Dr. Smith, who has been established in practice at Reily since 1886 and who controls a large and representative business, being known as a thoroughly skilled physician and surgeon.

Dr. Smith is a native of Butler county, having been born on the parental homestead farm, in Reily township, on the 16th of January, 1862, a son of John W. and Catherine (Warfield) Smith, and a son of one of the early pioneer families of the county, whither his paternal great-grandfather came from Pennsylvania as early as 1790; the family being of stanch German lineage. Both the father and the grandfather of the Doctor were born in Butler county, and the name has been long and prominently identified with its history and with the record of its agricultural development. John W. Smith was one of the prosperous and highly honored citizens of Reily township, where he was the owner of a fine farm of about five hundred acres, and there he continued to reside until his death, in 1893, at the age of seventy-six years; his wife is still living at the age of eighty-five years. Mr. Smith was a man of influence in the community and was for many years an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, while both he and his wife were devoted members of the Baptist church. They became the parents of six sons and six daughters, and four of the sons and four of the daughters are yet living, the subject of this review having been the youngest of the children. __ '

"" Dr. Smith was reared on the ancestral homestead, and attended the public schools of the locality until he had attained the age of fourteen years, when he entered the high school at New London, where he continued his studies for two years, after which he was for an equal period a student in Miami University. In 1879 he began reading medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. James Robinson, of Reily, and thus continued until the fall of 1880, when he entered the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati, being graduated in this excellent institution in the spring of 1883. (Shortly afterward the Doctor located in Okeaija, Butler county, where he was in practice one year, after which he returned to Cincinnati, where he was engaged in professional work for one and one-half years, at the expiration of which, in i88ffi,he took up his residence in Reily, where he has ever since maintained his home and where he has built up a very satisfactory practice, his success and personal popularity tending to set at naught the scriptural adage that “a prophet is not without honor save in his own country.” In politics Dr. Smith is an unswerving advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, a.pd fraternally he is identified with St. Charles Lodge, No. 315, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Reily, of which he is past grand; and of Oxford Lodge, No. 67, Free and Accepted Masons. He is a member of the Butler County Medical Society and the District Medical Association, while he is also local medical examiner for several of the leading life-insurance companies. The Doctor moved to Oxford on September 15, 190 and has entered into the practice of his profession, and is meeting with encouraging and satisfactory results.

On the 24th of August, 1887, Dr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Louise Gillespie, who was born and reared in Reily township, this county, being a daughter of Robert and Caroline (Balser) Gillespie. Dr. and Mrs. Smith have one son, Parke, who was born on the 13th of August, 1890, and who is a graduate of the public schools and is now a student in the Miami University at Oxford.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WALTER J. SMITH, M. D.

The subject of this review is a native of.Butler county and is one of the able young representatives of the medical profession in the village of Reily. He was born in Reily township, on the 27th of March. 1877. and is a son of Joseph B. and Jane (Brown) Smith, who are the parents of three children, of whom the Doctor was the second in order of birth. His sister. Emma, is the wife of.Newton Samuels, of Peoria, Indiana, and his sister, Olive, is at home.

Dr. Smith was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and his early educational advantages were such as were afforded in the district schools, while later he continued his studies for one year in Miami University. In 1897 he initiated the technical study of medicine, having as preceptor his uncle. Dr. Harry H. Smith, with whom he is now associated in practice and to whom individual reference is made on another page of this work. In the spring of 1898 the subject was matriculated in the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati, where he completed the prescribed course, being graduated in the spring of 1902 and securing his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He forthwith located in Reily and associated himself with his uncle and here he has already gained prestige as a thoroughly skilled and discriminating physician and surgeon, his ability and his personality being such as to gain to him a strong hold on popular confidence and esteem in the community where he has passed practically his entire life. The Doctor is a member of the Nu Sigma Nu fraternity *of the Ohio Medical College and is also identified with St. Charles Lodge, No. 332, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Reily, while he is also identified with the auxiliary organization, the Daughters of Rebekah. In politics he gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, in whose cause he takes a lively interest, and he is a member of the Presbyterian church at Reily.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

SAMUEL SMITH, who for many years was one of Butler County’s most prominent agriculturists, traced his ancestry to Ireland, whence his grandfather, Robert Smith, emigrated to America about 1720, and made settlement in Franklin County, Pa. There he married Catherine Wallace, who bore him seven children. His death occurred at Chambersburg, Pa., at the age of sixty, and his wife died at Camden, Ohio, when eighty years old.

Oliver, our subject’s father, was the second son of Robert and Catherine Smith, and was born near Chambersburg, Pa. In Franklin County, that state, he married Miss Ann Bolton in 1794, and two children, Sallie and Robert, were born to them there. Thence they went to Scott County, Ky., where two sons, John and Bolton, were born. In 1802 they came to Butler County, Ohio, where the subject of this sketch was born, July 15, 1803. Oliver Smith entered from the Government the west half of section 30, Wayne Township, and one hundred and sixty acres comprising the northwest quarter of section 31, in the same township. Ilis wife died of asthma in 1832, aged sixty-five years, and her body was interred in the Collinsville Cemetery. He passed away when seventy-nine years old, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Sallie Burns, near Indianapolis.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, William Bolton, came from England to Pennsylvania about 1700. He learned the trade of a weaver, but afterward entered the mercantile business and carried on a store in Philadelphia. During the Revolutionary War he loaned the Government $1,500, which amount was never repaid. He was united in marriage with Sallie Grimes, and they became the parents of two sons and four daughters, one of the latter being Ann, our subject’s mother.

Our subject had one sister and three brothers, who settled in Indiana, and there died. He remained in Wayne Township, and there, May 14, 1835, was united in marriage with Miss Ann Wilson. Their union was blessed by the birth of two daughters and two sons: Mary A., Sarah J., John B. and Wilson B. Mary, the eldest, was born September 4, 1838, and died of scarlet fever April 1, 1851. Sarah J., who was born in 1840, was married May 31, 1859, to R. S. McClintock, of Bourbon County, Ky. John B., whose birth occurred in 1842, married Rachel Paullen near Middletown, Ohio, May 7, 1872. Wilson B., born in 1844, married Anna J. Patten near Millersburg, Bourbon County, Ky., June 11, 1873.

Upon the farm where they settled at the time of their marriage in 1835, Samuel Smith and his good wife continued to reside until 1873. They then retired from farm labors and removed to Seven Mile, where Mrs. Smith died July 30, 1884. Her body was laid to rest in the Collinsville Cemetery. After her death, our subject made his home with his daughter, Mrs. McClintock, and there died of paralysis, January 11, 1891, when nearly eighty-eight years of age. He and his wife had shared their joys and sorrows through nearly fifty years of wedded life, and they now lie side byr side, awaiting their final reward. When about seventeen years of age, he united with the Presbyterian Church, which had been the religious faith of his ancestors as far back as the record extends; he lived a consistent Christian life, and for more than sixty years served as a Ruling Elder in the same church.

Of the genealogical history of Mrs. Smith we note the following: Thomas Burns, of Ireland, was the father of Anthony Burns, who in that country was united in marriage with Margaret McBride. They came to America about 1775, their only child dying during the voyage across the Atlantic. They settled in Wayne Township, Butler County, where, at the age of eighty-five years, they died and were buried in the Collinsville Cemetery. After coming to this country they became the parents of eight children. Mary, the youngest of the family, was married about 1807 to Brown Wilson, who in 1800 came from England to Butler County. The third of their eight children was a daughter, Ann, who was married to our subject Mayr 14, 1835. The wife of Anthony Burns, the grandmother of Mrs. Smith, had two brothers who came to America November 5, 1775, and both served in the Revolution, being seven years under the command of George Washington. Brown Wilson was born in Knaresboro, England, February 7, 1774, and died of consumption when forty-eight mars old. His wife died near Collinsville, at the home of their daughter Margaret, when seventy-six. For more than twenty years she had suffered with cancer of the eye, and the disease finally resulted fatally.

The father of Brown Wilson spent his entire life in England, but his mother came with him to America in 1800, and here died in October, 1816. In their former home they were members of the Church of England, but united with the Presbyterian Church after settling in Butler County. Mrs. Ann Smith had five brothers and two sisters. Anthony, who died in Seven Mile in 1864, at the age of fifty-six, was married and had two children, one deceased, the other a resident of Indiana. Mathew was born m 1810 and died in 1827. Margaret, who was born in 1814 and died in 1876, left a daughter, who is now the wife of Robert Mc- Mechan, of Oxford, Ohio. Maiy, who was born in 1816, and died in January, 1868, left two sons and four daughters, all of whom established homes of their own. Brown was born in 1818 and died in 1828. Bilton, whose birth took place in 1821, passed from earth in October, 1884, in Clinton County, Ind., leaving six children. Burns was born in 1823, and departed this life April 7, 1884, leaving eight children.

Both the paternal and material ancestors of our subject were, as will be seen from the above, early settlers of Butler County. They aided in developing the agricultural resources of Wayne Township, and were people universally esteemed for upright conduct and many character.

As printed in the source³. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILSON B. SMITH. A history of the development of Wayne Township, and so of Butler County, would be incomplete without notice of Mr. Smith, who has taken a leading part in improving the agricultural resources of this section, and who to-day is one of the most influential citizens and enterprising farmers. In pushing forward the best interests of the community he has been of great assistance, and is a credit to his native county, where he occupies a high place in the regard of the people.

Upon the old homestead where his father’s eyes had first opened to the light of earth, the subject of this biographical notice was born April 24, 1844. Concerning his ancestry mention is made in the sketch of Samuel Smith, elsewhere presented. In boyhood he was the recipient of excellent educational advantages, and after completing the studies of the common schools he was for two years a student in Miami University, Oxford. Fired with the zeal of youth and patriotism, he enlisted during the late war as a member of Company D, One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Ohio Infantry, and served one hundred days, principally on garrison duty in Virginia and West Virginia. Returning home, he resumed his studies in the university which he attended in 1866-67. He then entered Iron City College, at Pittsburg, Pa., from which he was graduated in the business department in

His studies completed, our subject, in company with his uncle, Burns Wilson, visited Europe, journeying through Wales, Scotland, Ireland, England and France. He left New York on the day of the eclipse in 1869. In the fall of 1870 he took a trip through the Western States, and on his return to Ohio settled upon the farm which he has since cultivated. June 11, 1873, he was united in marriage with Anna J., daughter of Alexander Patton, and at the time of her marriage a resident of Bourbon County, near Millersburg, Ky. They became the parents of five children, the eldest of whom, Harry, is a student in the Ohio Dental College, of Cincinnati; Jennie Mary died when in her third year, in 1880; Lucile, aged thirteen, and Ruby and Pearl (twins), aged eleven, are with their parents, and carrying on their studies in the public schools.

The popularity of Mr. Smith is proved by the fact that in a township with a Democratic majority of one hundred he was elected six successive years upon the Republican ticket to the office of Trustee. He then refused further re-election, although urged to continue in office. He has never been a politician, though such positions as he has accepted have come to him unsought. For two years he was President of the School Board, and for six years served as Judge of Elections. A Presbyterian in religious belief, he holds membership in the Presbyterian Church of Seven Mile, in which he is Deacon and Trustee. His wife is also identified with that denomination. She is an estimable lady, a sincere Christian, and esteemed for her many noble qualities of heart. Through her paternal ancestors, the Pattons, and her material forefathers, the Marshalls, she is connected with some of the oldest and most honored people of the Blue Grass State. Her grandfather was an uncle of ex-Gov. William Marshall, of Minnesota, and others of her relatives have become widely and honorably known in public life.

The farm upon which our subject resides consists of two hundred and forty-seven acres, of which one hundred and eight acres belonged to the original tract purchased by his grandfather. Besides the raising of cereals, he has on his place the best grades of stock, and is making a success of that department of agriculture.

As printed in the source³. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

NEWTON SMITH is the representative of a family whose settlement was established in this county and in the township of Reiley in 1816. His grandfather, Capt. John Smith, served in the Revolutionary War, under General LaFayette, until the close of that memorable struggle, having entered the army at the age of sixteen years. He was a native of New Jersey, but came from Pennsylvania and settled here in 1816. In Pennsylvania he was married to Rebecca Griffin on his twenty-fifth birthday, he having been born in 1762. In 1819 he built the first brick house in Reiley Township, burning the brick himself. This old landmark stood until about eight years ago. He, with his estimable wife and seven children, settled in this township, having entered three hundred and twenty acres on section 20, and one hundred and sixty acres on section 29. His wife, Rebecca, died in 1819, and he lived to be eighty-eight years, nine months and fourteen days old.

The father of our subject, John Smith, was born in Fayette County, Pa., July 28, 1808. He was brought up on the farm, and early in life became accustomed to the work incident to that occupation. He was educated in the public schools, which afforded but meager facilities, so that his education was necessarily somewhat limited, lie was a man of natural ability, and by observation and application became well informed on many subjects. Upon attaining his majority he was married to Sarah Jones, a daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Farnsworth) Jones, who were also pioneers of the country, and came from Pennsylvania, although New Jersey was their native state. He had been previously married to Sarah Lemon, who died, leaving one child, Rebecca Ann, who became Mrs. Wynn, and died in 1873. From the second union seven children were born, five sons and two daughters, of whom John, the eldest, resides on a farm in Carroll County, Ind., and is a carpenter by ti'ade; Nicholas J. is at the same place and occupied in the same business; Daniel W. is a farmer of Hamilton County; Newton is the subject of this sketch, and with him Charles is associated in business, operating an extensive farm and dealing in stock. The latter married Mary Van Sickle, and they have two children. The commodious brick house on the old homestead affords ample room for the accommodation of two families under its spacious roof. Mary A. is the wife of Frank Van Horn, who is a farmer of eastern Colorado. Fannie is the widow of Dayton Larrimore, and lives at College Corner.

Our subject was educated in the public schools at Peoria, which instruction was later supplemented by a two-years course in a normal institution. He with his brother Charles managed the home farm of two hundred and twenty-eight acres, and are quite successful in business. Our subject was married on October 14, 1885, to Burdie Slump, of Cincinnati. Her father was for years a manufacturer of that city, but has more lately turned his attention to bee culture. Mrs. Smith was born April 5, 1860, and was brought up and educated in Cincinnati. Her parents are both deceased. Her father was twice married, and had one child by the second wife. Her step-mother is now living in Cincinnati. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one child, a son named Clarence, who was born on the old farm, January 9, 1888. The Smith brothers make a specialty of growing fine hogs for breeding purposes, the strain being the Duroc Jersey. They now have a drove of about one hundred and fifty head of thoroughbreds on the farm. They also make a specialty of fine butter, using the “ Cooley Creamery Process,” and having regular customers in Hamilton for their entire product at good prices. They have a fine herd of Jersey cows, and make a success of farming generally. Politically Mr. Smith is a Democrat, and is well posted upon the important political questions of the day. He takes a commendable interest in educational matters, and has served his district on the School Board. These brothers stand high in the estimation of the public generally, and are genial, pleasant gentlemen.

As printed in the source³. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

MICHAEL E. SMITH.

Most of the successful men of America have been the architects of their own fortunes, and it is one of the glories of our great Republic that this is true. It shows that here are afforded adequate opportunities and that our citizens have possessed the courage, determination and strength of purpose to make proper utilization of the advantages offered. The subject of this sketch is one who deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he has been dependent upon his own exertions from his early youth and has built the ladder upon which he has risen to the plane of definite success, while it has been his to retain at all times the uniform confidence and esteem of those with whom he has come in contact in the varied relations of life. He is a native son of Butler county, and a representative of one of its sterling and honored families, while he is known as a man of fine intellectuality and marked business acumen. He is today one of the influential farmers and stock growers of Lemon township and is devoting special attention to the dairy department of his enterprise.

Mr. Smith was born in Liberty township. near Woodsdale, this county, on the ist of September, i86t, and is the youngest of the four children of James and Margaret (Fitzpatrick) Smith, the three older children having been born prior to the immigration of the family to the United States. The parents of our subject were born and reared in Ireland, where their marriage was solemnized and where the father followed the vocation of farming until 1859, when they came with their three children to the United States, landing at Castle Garden, and forthwith continuing their westward journey to Ohio, making Butler county their destination. They located near Woodsdale, where the subject was born, and the father here devoted his attention to farming until his death, which occurred in 1861, the subject of this review being a child of two weeks at the time. The family were left in somewhat straitened circumstances, but by strenuous effort the devoted mother, with the aid of the older children, succeeded in keeping the family together and in preserving and improving the little property which her husband had purchased. She has continued to make her home in Butler county to the present time. She is a devoted member of the Catholic church, as was also her husband.

Michael Smith, to whom this sketch is dedicated, passed his youthful years in Butler county, devoting himself to farm work during the summer seasons while during the winter terms he prosecuted his studies in the public schools of Woodsdale, thus continuing until he had attained the age of twenty years, and having in the meanwhile completed the curriculum of the normal school. He then went to Kansas, where he attended the State Normal School in 1881-2. At the expiration of his year of study in that institution he returned to Ohio, and during the winter of 1883-4 was a student in the Normal School at Ada. He had thus qualified himself for effective pedagogic work, and he thereafter engaged in teaching during the winter months and in farming during the summers for a period of seventeen years, save for an interim of two years, during which he was employed as clerk in & hardware establishment in the city of Hamilton. In 1890 he was married, and in 1898 he purchased a portion of the old homestead farm upon which his wife was born, while she inherited a further share of the same, and this constitutes their present place of above. From August, 1900, to December, 1902, Mr. Smith was employed as bookkeeper for the Otto Coke Company, of Hamilton, and he then removed to his farm, where he has since resided. The farm comprises one hundred and eight acres, is improved with excellent buildings, including an attractive two-story frame dwelling, and is one of the valuable places of this section of the county. To the farm the subject now gives his undivided attention, raising the cereals and other products best adapted to the soil and climate. He is a man of marked executive and business ability, and his success is certain to be cumulative, since he is familiar with all details of the industry under whose discipline he was reared, and is unflagging in energy and fertile in expedients. In politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, with which he has been affiliated from the time of attaining his majority. Though never animated with ambition for official preferment he has ever lent his aid in furthering the party cause, and is well fortified in his political convictions, while he is essentially public spirited and progressive.

On the 2d of July. 1890. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Minnie Long, who was born on the farm on which they now reside, the date of her nativity having been February 15, 1871. She is a daughter of Edward and Sarah (Mulford) Long, who are now. deceased, both having been born in Butler county. Her mother was a daughter of John and Mary Mulford, who were born and reared in New Jersey, where they continued to reside for some time after their marriage, finally coming to Ohio and numbering themselves among the pioneers of Butler county. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have four children, namely: Harry, who was born on the 20th of March, 1891; Cecil, who was born on the 5th of June, 1895; Mary, who was born on the 4th of February, 1898, and Charles, who was born on the 1 8th of March, 1900.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

T. A. SMITH.

the wants of his patrons enables him to supply the demands with unerring certainty. Since the opening of the Jefferson it has been a favorite resort of the people of Hamilton and has been the scene of some high-class amateur theatrical and literary entertainments. It brings within its comfortable and capacious seating capacity the elite of Hamilton and the surrounding country territory.

Mr. Smith is a native of Hamilton, born on the 6th of August, 1867, a son of Thomas G. and Lou (Hermann) Smith. He was reared and educated in his native city. For a few years after leaving school he was employed in various avocations, though he never those a profession. In 1889 he was appointed on the police force, and in recognition of his clerical ability he was assigned to duty as clerk to Mayor John Dirk. His services were so satisfactory that he was continued in that position through the administration of Mayor L. M. Larsh, and two years during the administration of Mayor Charles S. Bosch. This service led up to the time of his assuming charge of the Globe Theater, as previously intimated.

Mr. Smith is active and energetic in his chosen calling and deservedly popular with all classes of citizens. He is an affable and courteous gentleman, generous and openhearted, a over of innocent sports, and, withal, an intelligent and influential citizen of high standing in the community.

Tom A. Smith was united in marriage, on the 29th of May, 1889, to Miss Emma D. Dirk, of Hamilton, and a daughter of Mayor John Dirk, deceased. Her father was also a native of Hamilton, born in 1848, and a prominent citizen — soldier in the Civil war — mayor, constable, councilman, and died a member of the board of managers of the Ohio penitentiary, appointed by Governor McKinley. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of two sons, Clyde Dirk and Tom Cody. Mr. Smith is a prominent member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, a past exalted ruler of Hamilton Lodge, No. 93, and a member of the grand lodge of the United States.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.