In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1846
From The daily news' history of Buchanan County and St. Joseph, Mo. : from the time of the Platte purchase to the end of the year 1898 : preceded by a short history of Missouri : supplemented by biographic (1898)
DR. J. FRANCIS SMITH, the only living male descendant of Major Fred W. Smith, an illustrious pioneer, who made the plat of the original town of
St. Joseph and who gave Smith Park to the city. Mr. Smith was born in St. Joseph, December 22, 1846 and this has been his home ever since. He studied medicine and graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia in 1869, but has not practiced his profession for many years, devoting his time to the management of his estate and to real estate generally.
As printed in The daily news' history of Buchanan County and St. Joseph, Mo. : from the time of the Platte purchase to the end of the year 1898 : preceded by a short history of Missouri : supplemented by biographic (1898). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1898. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.