Culbertson J. Smith

As printed in 1905

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 Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio (1905). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.