Madison J. Smith

As printed in 1910

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 History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa : Illustrated (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.