The Smith Families of Keokuk County, Iowa

Evan Smith, whose home is in Coalcreek in Prairie township, needs no special introduction to the readers of this volume, but the work would be incomplete without the record of his life. A native of Ohio, he was burn in Belmont county, May 31. 1819, and on the paternal side is of English origin, although the family was established in the new world several generations ago. His father, Thomas Smith, was a native of Virginia, burn in either Harrison or Loudoun county in 1787, and there he spent the first years of his life. In the year 1800 he accompanied his father, Samuel Smith, on his removal to Ohio, the family becoming pioneers of Columbiana county. They settled on the Ohio river and during the winter of 180.? Samuel Smith entered a section of land, which is now a part of the town-site of Salem, and there in the midst of the dense forest he hewed out a farm. When he took up his residence upon this property his home was fifteen miles from any white habitation, and the family endured all the hardships and privations known to pioneer life. His last days were spent in Washington count)', Ohio, where he died when in his ninetieth year.

Thomas Smith, the father of our subject, was reared amid frontier scenes, and early became familiar with the arduous task of clearing and improving a new farm. Soon after going to Ohio he was cured of white swelling in the leg by an Indian doctor, the red men being still very numerous in the locality. On starting out in life for himself he engaged in the manufacture of brick for seme time, but when our subject was two years old he removed to a farm and devoted the remainder of his life to agricultural pursuits. He died at Salem, Ohio, in 1850, at the age of sixty-four years, ami his wife passed away in the spring of 1860. She bore the maiden name of Nancy James and was also a native of the Old Dominion, her birth having occurred in either Loudoun or Harrison county, Virginia, in 1792. Her father was Samuel James, who was born in Wales, while her mother was of English descent, Thomas Smith and wife were married in Belmont county, Ohio, and became the parents of eleven children, eight of whom reached man and womanhood, four sons and four daughters.

Of this family Evan Smith is the fifth in order of birth and the second son, though he is the oldest son that reached years of maturity- He made his home in the county of his nativity until fifteen years of age and then removed with his parents to Columbiana county, Ohio, and later to Morgan county, that state. It was in the latter county that he was married on the 24th of November, 1841, to Miss Mary Burgess, who was born near Smithfield, Jefferson county, Ohio, November 21, 18 19, but from the age of eighteen years had made her home in Morgan county. Her parents were John and Margaret (Wood) Burgess. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born eleven children, six sons and five daughters, namely: Margaret A. and Maria, both deceased; Louisa, who was superintendent of schools for a period of four years and a most successful teacher for a good many years, is now the wife of Thomas Blackburn; Caroline, wife of Milton Haldeman, of Washington county, Kansas; Joshua P., a resident of Emporia, Kansas; Thomas E., who resides on the old home place in Prairie township, Keokuk county: Burgess, who died young; William D., also a resident of Kansas; Sarah, wife of Clinton Hampton, of Kansas; Marion, who is living in the same state; and Alva J., a surveyor of Lyon county, Kansas.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith began their married life in Athens county, Ohio, on a densely timbered tract of land, their nearest neighbor being nearly one mile distant. After residing there for about three years they returned to Morgan county, and later took up their residence in Washington county. Ohio, whence they came to Iowa in 1860. At that time they settled on the farm in Prairie township, Keokuk county, which was their home for twenty-seven years; to the cultivation and improvement of his farm Mr. Smith devoted his energies, but is now practically living a retired life. He still owns some property, but has sold much of his farming land.

For the long period of sixty-one years Mr. and Mrs. Smith have traveled life's journey together and are to-day the oldest couple in the county. By birthright both are members of the Society of Friends and have ever taken a very prominent and active part in church work. In the fall of 1861 they assisted in organizing a meeting of that denomination in their home, which was a branch of the Pennsville monthlymeeting of Ohio until the spring of 1864, when they were granted a monthly meeting which was attended by a committee from the rennsville monthly and quarterly meetings. In 1885 the membership numbered about two hundred, although they began here with only twenty-three members. Mr. Smith was one of four men who borrowed the money to erect the first meeting house, which still stands in Coalcreek. At that time many of the little congregation were just getting a start in life in their new homes and were unable to subscribe the required amount and were therefore forced to borrow the sum needed. To get the money four of the number had to sign a note, and Mr. Smith is the only one of the four living, the others having passed to their reward in the other world. Jeremiah Stanley, one of the leaders in this work, only lived to attend one meeting in their new meeting house. Most of the lumber for this structure was hauled from Washington, Iowa, a distance of forty-three miles. When erected the meeting house was thought to be sufficiently large to accommodate the congregation for many years, but in the course of three years it was found to be too small, and so in that the present building is now fifty-eight by thirty feet in dimensions. 1868 an addition twenty-eight feet in length was built to the east end. S( 1

Mr. Smith is still one of the leading members of this congregation and is a man highly respected and esteemed by all who know him.

Mr. Smith has kindly furnished some of his recollections of the thirty-eight years which he has spent in the county and township, and these will certainly be of interest to the many old residents. He is able to pick out pieces of land in various parts of the county which he, with the help of his sons, first turned with the plow and made fruitful; these tracts contain mostly from five to ten acres each. As supervisor of the public roads he placed the first bridge across South English creek north of Thornburg, which served its purpose well and although under water several times always reappeared unharmed. He was one of those who selected the site and procured the title to the land on which schoolhouse No. 1 6 stands, and he also made the first wagon track on a part of the public road running east and west through Prairie township. At one time it seemed desirable that the boundaries of section [6 should be better known, and Mr. Smith devised the means of finding these. He knew of one corner that had been marked by the government surveyor in the customary way, a pit with the earth thrown up in a found shape. After measuring the exact circumference of the wheel of his wagon and calculating the revolutions it would make in going a half-mile, he started from this mark and drove in as direct a line as possible for a half a mile; here another boundary found was easily found, and this process was repeated until the whole section was practically re-surveyed.

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

WILLIAM HENRY SMITH. AW H. Smith, of South English, Iowa, is now living a retired life in the enjoyment of a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves by reason of his industrious efforts of former years. Accomplishment and progress ever imply labor, energy and diligence, and it was those labors that enabled our subject to rise from the ranks of the many and stand among the successful few. He is now one of the highly respected citizens of South English, and his long residence in Keokuk county and the active part he has taken in its development well entitle him to representation in its history.

Mr. Smith was born on the loth of March, 1840, in Preston county, West Virginia, of which state his parents. Christian and Charlotte (Cress) Smith, were also natives. There the family continued to make their home until 1856, when they came to Iowa and took up their residence in Washington county. At the end of three years, however, they removed to Keokuk county and settled in Liberty township, where the father died at the age of seventy-nine years. The mother is still living and is now eighty-one years of age. In their family were ten children, five sons and five daughters, of whom our subject was the second son and second child.

The first sixteen years of his life W. H. Smith spent in the county of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on the;: removal to Washington county, Iowa, and later to Keokuk county. When the country became involved in civil war he joined the boys in blue, enlisting August 9, 1862,, in Company II, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, as a private, for three years' service. With his command he participated in the engagements at Helena and Little Rock, Arkansas, and others, and being slightly wounded by a spent ball at Helena, he was confined to the hospital for four days. He was in active service during his entire term with exception of two months and was a good soldier, always found at his post of duty, gallantly defending the old flag and the cause it represented. At the close of the war he received an honorable discharge at Davenport. Iowa, on the 8th 01 August, 1865, and he returned to his home in Keokuk county to resume the more quiet pursuits of farm life, carrying on operations in Liberty township.

On the ist of June, 1867, Mr. Smith married Miss Jennette Lutton, a native of Pennsylvania, who was quite young when she came to Iowa. She was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1842, and is a daughter of John and Mary (Springer) Lutton, both natives of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandparents were born in Ireland, but materially Mrs. Smith is of German descent. Her parents were married in Pennsylvania, whence they removed to Iowa in 1854 and settled in Keokuk county, where they both died. They had ten children, all of whom lived to be grown, but only three are now living. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith has been born one son, Earl, now an attorney of Mason City, Iowa. After following farming in Liberty township for many years, Mr. Smith removed to South English in 1889 and was engaged in the lumber business at that place until 1902, when he sold out and has since lived retired, enjoying the fruits of former toil. He is still the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and ninety-six and a half acres of land in Liberty township, which he rents, and is to-day one of the well-to-do, as well as one of the most highly esteemed citizens of his community. He is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and also belongs to Naphtali Lodge, No. 188, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In his political views he is a stanch Republican, and religiously is an earnest and consistent member 1 if the Christian church, of which Mrs. Smith also is a member.

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

WILLIAM H. SMITH.

There are few men in the county more widely known than Mr. Smith, a retired farmer of Richland. As a farmer, a business man, and a Civil war veteran, he has always maintained that integrity of character and unwavering fidelity to purpose in life that command the respect of all who know him. He was born in Hancock county, Illinois, November 2, 1837, and is the son of Hasadiah and Lydia (Ward) Smith.

Hasadiah Smith, a man of sterling worth, was born in New Hampshire and at the early age of eight moved with his parents to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. With a bent toward mechanics, a train which he may have inherited from his practical English an. stry, he early obtained a knowledge of carpentry, which became very useful to him in later years. During the latter part of his residence in Ohio lie married Lydia Ward, who was born in Connecticut. and when rather young moved with her parents to Ohio. She died 111 Sigourney, Iowa, in 1851. By this marriage there were nine children, six of whom grew to maturity. William H. was the fourth child and the third son. Soon after his marriage, in the spring of 1837, Mr. Smith moved to a farm in Warren county. Illinois, where he engaged in agriculture, but soon afterward sold out. Later he moved to Washington county, Iowa, and after a short residence went in 1844 to

Sigourney, where lie made his home for many years. Finding here a good opening for a carpenter he soon engaged in that work, and giving excellent satisfaction, he established for himself a good business. He also undertook the making and repairing of wagons, and. in this line worked up one of the most profitable industries in the city. He achieved fair success in both lines of business. He spent his last days in Indiana, and died there in 1861.

William H. Smith was six years old when his parents left their Illinois home and came to Washington county, Iowa, and seven when they moved to Sigourney. It was in this city, where he remained until he was twenty years of age, that he mainly received his education and the training for his life work. He attended the common schools of the place and there developed habits of industry and exactness that so markedly characterized his later work. When twenty years of age he started out for himself in life, and in Clear Creek township took up farming. Deeply interested with the conviction that his services were required in the war, in August he enlisted in Company I. Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for three years service, and went to the front as a private. He did some hard fighting in the long siege of Vicksburg, after which he was sent west of the Mississippi. He stood the hardships well and was never sick or wounded. When his term of enlistment expired he received an honorable dismissal at Davenport, Iowa. Shortly before.the war, October 11, 1860, he married Eunice A. Anderson, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, December 21, 1838. the third child of J. D. and Hannah (Larue) Anderson, and who at the age of eighteen moved with her parents to Iowa. Her father was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, and her mother of Virginia. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born four children: Edward, a farmer in the township of Richland: Jesse W.; Ella, who married John Brolliar, and resides in Richland; and Bert, who was the 3rd of the family, is now deceased.

After the war Mr. Smith resumed farming in Clear Creek township, but in 1867 removed to Richland township, and there farmer, and resided up to January, 1892, when he removed to Richland and retired from active work. lie has done, however, exceptionally well with his farming and now owns a large amount of stock in the Union State Bank, and also a splendid one hundred and sixty acre farm in Jefferson county. Mr. Smith's remarkable executive ability, and wise business management has commended him to the confidence of the people and he has served very efficiently for some time as justice of the peace and as trustee. In fraternal circles he is well known and highly esteemed. As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Charlton post. No. 143, lie has served on important committees for many years, and he belongs to Richland Lodge. Xo. 38. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is thoroughly well known throughout the county, where he has many warm friends. In politics he is an influential Republican.

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

WILLIAM E. SMITH. William E. Smith, a retired merchant of Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, is the son of Peter Smith. The latter was born in Yorkshire, England, and there was reared, following the miller's trade. In 1835 he came to America, and locating at Burlington. Iowa, he bought a claim of four hundred acres, paying the government for the same, but subsequently had to purchase it at land sales. His death occurred in his seventy-fifth year near Burlington. He had been a followed of the old Whig party and was an ardent admirer of Henry Clay. His wife was Martha Ellison, who was also a native of England and lived to be eighty-one years of age. The year before his death the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage was celebrated. She was the mother of ten children, three daughters and seven sons, of whom all reached maturity.

genealogical and biographical history. 449

William E. Smith was the fifth child and fourth son of the above, and was born in Yorkshire, England, August 14, 1828. He was seven years old when his father emigrated to America, and on his father's farm near Burlington, Iowa, he was reared, attending school in a log cabin and later the schools in Burlington. He remained with his father until he was twenty-four years old, then in 1852, with five yoke of oxen, he started toward the gold fields of California, making his journey by way of the South Platte river. He engaged in mining for four years and had considerable success, then returned to New York city by way of Panama. He remained in Burlington for five years, when he again set out across the plains with a mule team. He was commissioned by the provost marshal of the Southern Iowa district to act as scout. This time he went by way of Salt Lake City to Idaho and served as a scout from Fort Douglas for about two and a half years. He then returned through Salt Lake City and Omaha to Burlington, where for six years he followed farming and stock raising. In 1872 he embarked in the lumber and grain business at Morning Sun, Louisa county, Iowa, in which he continued for nineteen years. In 1892 Mr. Smith opened a lumber and hardware establishment in Richland, which he sold to his son in 1901, and retired from his long and successful business career.

Mr. Smith became the husband of Illie Hunt on October 2S. 1866. SI e was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, near Burlington, October 19, i'it, Her father was Jesse Hunt, a native of Tennessee, who came to Des Moines county in 1833 and brought his family in 1834. He took up land from the government, and this farm is now owned by his son, John B. He lived to the age of eighty-six years and died on this farm. His wife was Delinda Kirkpatrick, a native of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of four children: Jessie, the wife of Rev. C. E.

Todd, of Baker City, Oregon, a minister of the Methodist church; Harriet, wife of Samuel Reaney. of Estherville, Iowa, a land agent; Bessie, wife of Dr. C. E. Birney, a physician of Estherville; and Fred \Y., unmarried, and owning the former business of his father in Richland. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

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