The Smith Families of Scott County, Iowa

MADISON J. SMITH.

Madison J. Smith, better known as Joe Smith, who in the eighty-second year of his life is now living retired, is numbered among the oldest settlers of this district, having arrived in Scott county in 1835, only three years after the Black Hawk war, when the country was still inhabited by large bands of Indians and the work of progress and improvement had but just begun.

Born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on the 24th of June, 1827, he is a son of Eli H. and Mary Ann (Grandon) Smith, natives of New Jersey and Greene county, Pennsylvania, respectively. As early as 1835 the father left his native state and, making his way down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi, landed at Le Claire on the 5th of April, being among the earliest settlers to take up their above in this district. There were three hundred red men in camp at the time of his arrival and it was necessary for the family to live in an Indian tent until a cabin could be erected. He took up a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, a portion of which is now in the possession of our subject, and remained thereon until after the death of his wife, when he went to live with his son in North English. He was a farmer by occupation and also operated a stone quarry there for a number of years. The father passed away when seventy-four years of age and was there buried, while the mother's death occurred when she had reached the age of sixty-four years, her remains being laid to rest in Le Claire. In their family were thirteen children, namely: Matilda, Mahaly, Elizabeth, Susan, Cynthia, Jane, Madison J., Ira, John, Nathan, Eli, Martin and Mary. Of this number only five still survive, as follows: Madison J., of this review; Ira, residing in Scott county; Eli, a resident of Iowa county; Martin, of Missouri; and Mary.

Madison J. Smith was a little lad of seven years when he came with his parents to Iowa and here shared with the other members of the family the privations and hardships incident to frontier Hfe. As there were no schools in the district at that time, what education he received was obtained by reading and studying at night, while during the daytime he assisted in the arduous and difficult work of developing and improving a new farm. He continued to give his father the benefit of his aid until fifteen years of age, when he began working on river boats and was thus engaged until the outbreak of the Mexican war.

In the fall of 1846 Mr. Smith enlisted from Rock Island as a member of Company F, Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, and was first stationed at Jefferson Barracks for about three months. He then went to New Orleans and thence to Mexico, where he participated in all of the battles from Buena Vista to Vera Cruz. He was wounded several times and at the battle of Contreras, when General LeBega was captured, he received a bullet shot through his head. He was believed to be dead but later recovered and rejoined his regiment. He was detailed as second lieutenant in charge of a number of men engaged in clearing roads, etc. After a most creditable military record he was honorably discharged in New Orleans in the fall of 1848.

He returned home and was employed on the river for a while. He then went to DeKalb county, Illinois, where he invested in a small farm of thirty-two and a half acres. He was there married to Miss Sarah Jane Brown, on the 28th of December, 1849, who was a daughter of Eben Brown. After residing in that county for about four years, Mr. Smith sold his property and removed to Grundy county, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of raw land from the government, upon which he erected a dwelling and to the development and cultivation of which he directed his energies, at the same time engaged to some extent in the practice of medicine. He had previously pursued a medical course at Richardson College, St. Charles, Illinois, under the direction of Dr. Richards, from which institution he was graduated after three years. He then entered the Eclectic Institute of Cincinnati Ohio, from which he was also graduated after talking a course in medicine and surgery. He has his diploma from both institutions, which is rather remarkable from the fact that he had enjoyed no educational advantages whatever in his early life, all knowledge being gained through his own efforts entirely.

After residing in Grundy county, Illinois, for about eight years Mr. Smith sold his farm and went to Butler county, Iowa, where he invested in one hundred and twenty-eight acres of partially improved land, upon which he made his home for four years, dividing his time between the occupation of farming and the practice of his profession. Later he again sold out and removed to Iowa county, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred and forty acres of land and made his home for a time, after which he came to Le Claire. He had withdrawn from the active practice of medicine after leaving Iowa county, and after his arrival in Scott county was engaged in operating steamboats and rafts on the river for a number of years, continuing to make his home in Le Claire to the present time.

In the fall of 1862, again actuated by a spirit of patriotism, Mr. Smith enlisted at Dubuque, Iowa, as a soldier in the Civil war, becoming a private in Company E, Thirty-second Iowa Infantry. At Vicksburg he joined General Grant, whose acquaintance he had made during the Mexican war and at whose request he was selected for scout duty. Later he joined General Sherman and rode ahead of his army in the capacity of a scout throughout the entire march to the sea. His term of service covered about a year, after which he returned to Scott county and has since lived retired upon his small farm in Le Claire township. He is also the owner of valuable town property and as the result of former years of toil is now in possession of a competency which makes it possible for him to enjoy all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life without further recourse to labor.

As the years passed Mr. and Mrs. Smith became the parents of five children, namely: Eben, residing in Iowa county; Anna, of Cherokee; William, of Waterloo, Iowa; George, making his home in Redwood county, Minnesota; and Elias, living in Muscatine. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in Cherokee, Iowa, and on the nth of August, 1903, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Amy L. Johnson, a daughter of Sylvanus A. Johnson, one of the early settlers of this county. Mrs. Smith was born on the farm which is yet her home on the 25th of May, 1860. Her father was a native of Vermont, where his birth occurred in 1826, and he came to Scott county in 1858, here passing the remainder of his life. He was a farmer and teamster by occupation. His wife was a native of Vincennes, Indiana, and went to Illinois with her parents, Henry M. and Lucinda Smith, there, in 1848, giving her hand in marriage to Nelson Ritch, who at that time was the owner of the farm upon which our subject now resides. Mr. Ritch passed away in 1853, and in 1859 his widow became the wife of Sylvanus Johnson, whose death occurred on the 5th of February, 1875. She survived until January 6, 1898, and was the mother of four children, namely: Amy L.; Caroline C.; Minnie, who passed away in infancy; and Winnifred. Mrs. Smith has a half-brother, Henry M. Ritch, and also a half-sister, Fannie Ritch. She has passed her entire life on the farm which is now her home, Eli H. Smith, the father of our subject, having entered it at an early date and later sold it to John Williams, who in turn sold it to Nelson Ritch, her mother's first husband.

In politics Mr. Smith gives stalwart support to the prohibition party and has belonged to many temperance organizations, doing all in his power to further the cause of temperance in the community, for he realizes that the liquor traffic is one of the greatest evils against which the country has to contend. His has been a life of continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of earnest labor, and now, in the evening of life, he can look back upon a past that has been fraught with honest effort, unswerving industry and untiring energy and has at all times been actuated by principles that are in keeping with honorable and upright manhood. His business methods have ever been such as to inspire confidence and trust in his fellowmen and his personal characteristics have gained for him the respect, esteem and good will of all with whom he has come in contact.

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

WILLIAM M. SMITH.

To William M. Smith, Civil war veteran and survivor of some of its fiercest conflicts, Scott county pioneer, and formerly one of Davenport's foremost business men, must be accorded a prominent place on the list of her retired citizens; After a well spent, industrious life, it is his happy fate to enjoy the peace and leisure of retirement in his declining years.

He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1837, and is of German descent, his parents, Daniel and Barbara (Weinkle) Smith, being by birth subjects of the German emperor. The father was educated in the German schools, learned the trade of a blacksmith and entered the German army, where he served for the prescribed time. When still a young man he became a citizen of the United States, locating in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade until 1854, when he brought his family to Scott county, Iowa. In Davenport he engaged in blacksmithing for several years, and both he and his wife died in this city.

William M. Smith received his education in the schools of the county in which he was born and after the family's removal to Iowa worked in sawmills until the breaking out of the Rebellion. In 1862 he enlisted in Company C, Twentieth Iowa Infantry, his service continuing until the close of the war. Joining the regiment at Clinton, Iowa, he went into camp with it at Camp McClellan for a short time. It was then ordered to St. Louis, Missouri, and after remaining there for a time, was in active service in that state. It subsequently participated in a number of engagements, among them Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Vicksburg and Fort Blakeley. He was mustered out at the close of the war at Mobile, Alabama.

During the trying reconstruction period Mr. Smith came back to Davenport and established himself in business as a manufacturer of vinegar. In partnership with Edward Fay, he opened a store on Front street, dealing in wrapping paper and grocery sundries, and they continued together until 1882, in which year the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Smith organized the Amazon Vinegar & Pickling Company, a local company with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. For four years our subject acted as business manager, but in 1886 he severed his connection with the company and bought three hundred and twenty acres of farm land in Butler township, where he lived and engaged in agriculture until 1901, when he retired from active life and returned to Davenport.

In August, 1863, Mr. Smith married Miss Clara Goetch, a daughter of Herman Goetch, one of Davenport's pioneers. Thirteen children were born of the union, seven of them being deceased. Those living are: W. H. Smith, of Davenport, his wife having been before her marriage Miss Anna Miller; Hilda, who married Matthew Schnell, of Chicago; Gustave, a resident of Rock Island; Ella, the wife of John Jeske, of Davenport; Arthur, who is married and living in Davenport; and Freda, who married Henry Toppendorf, of Rock Island.

The social is not wanting from Mr. Smith's nature and he is identified with several organizations, among them the Legion of Honor and the Knights of Pythias lodge No. 10, of Davenport. A self-made man, he has a successful life to look back upon.

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

WILLIAM GARDNER SMITH.

William Gardner Smith during the years of his manhood in Davenport was a familiar figure in those circles where the intelligent and interesting men of the city were wont to gather. He was long closely associated with commercial interests here and sustained an unassailable reputation, owing to the fact that he never made engagements that he did not keep nor incur obligations that he did not meet. He enjoyed to the fullest extent the respect of his contemporaries and associates.

Mr. Smith was born in this city, July 19, 1861, a son of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Smith, long prominent and honored residents here. After attending the schools of Davnport and acquiring therein a good English education, well fitting him for life's practical and responsible duties, he went to North Dakota, but after a year returned home and accepted the position of bookkeeper with the firm of Smith & McCullough, furniture dealers, his father being the senior member. This was one of the oldest and best established houses of the city and after the death of Mr. McCullough William G. Smith entered into partnership relations with his father, the enterprise being then conducted under the firm name of A. J. Smith & Son. Following the father's death in 1898 the business was incorporated and William G. Smith remained at its head, occupied with the interests of successful management, until 1901, when his health failed and he disposed of the store. He was a man of good business judgment, very accurate, systematic and methodical, and his enterprise led him to continually broaden the scope of his activities and thereby increase his usefulness. A short time prior to his death he aided in organizing and establishing the E. W. Gates Lumber Company. With keen sagacity he saw and utilized opportunities that others passed by heedlessly and in his entire business career he exemplified the truth of the old adage that "honesty is the best policy."

On the nth of November, 1887, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Cora Scott, a daughter of Colonel and Mrs. Thomas Scott, of Davenport. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Smith was blessed with one child, Eugene Gardner, who is at home with his mother.

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

F. ESBIN SMITH.

F. Esbin Smith, superintendent of the Bettendorf Axle Company and a young man of more than usual ability, was born in Lima, Ohio, April 2, 1880, a son of Frank C. and Jennie (Fox) Smith, also natives of that state. As the father was made general foreman of the Fort Wayne car shops and continued in that position many years, the family removed to Fort Wayne when F. Esbin Smith was a boy. No longer filling that position, the elder Mr. Smith now resides in Cleveland, Ohio, and is connected with the New York Central lines.

After taking a public-school course, F. Esbin Smith entered the employ of S. F. Bowser & Company, of Fort Wayne, as an apprentice machinist and later as special apprentice in the car department of the Pennsylvania road. After learning his trade the young man remained with the Pennsylvania people working up to assistant general car inspector of the northwest system in which position he had charge of the inspection of all new passenger and freight cars built at car manufacturing companies. However, he was very ambitious, and in 1906 he secured a position of chief inspector of the Bettendorf Steel Car Company, and located in Davenport. Early in 1908 he became assistant shop superintendent of the Bettendorf Axle Company and in 1909 was promoted to superintendent.

In December, 1907, Mr. Smith married EHzabeth Graper, a member of a cultured Kentucky family. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a pleasant home here where their many friends are sure of being suitably entertained.

So many of the men in charge of various departments in Davenport are still young in years, although thoroughly experienced. It appears to be the desire of the heads of the various institutions to secure young men, believing that their energy, enthusiasm and new ideas will inject fresh blood and work out for ultimate good. There are few men of his age who have accomplished more in their appointed lines than Mr. Smith, who not only is fulfilling every expectation of his company but has won the friendship of his men and obtained from them the best results.

During 1910 the Bettendorf Company did some extensive building, among which is the new erecting shop, a building having three hundred and sixty thousand square feet floor area. This building and the steel materials therein was superintended by Mr. Smith and stands as the largest single building in the world and is one of the sightseeing points of Davenport.

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