Samuel E. Smith

As printed in 1904

SAMUEL E. SMITH.

Samuel E. Smith, who formerly engaged in farming and more recently in the hotel and livery business, is now living a retired life in Moville, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. His business career, characterized by close application to his work, by enterprise and diligence, resulted in the acquirement of a comfortable competency.

Mr. Smith has spent his entire life in the Mississippi valley. He was born in Edgar county, Illinois, in 1840, a son of James Smith, a native of Tennessee, who on his removal to the north established his home in Edgar county, Illinois. Later he removed to Clark county, that state, and subsequently took up his above in Arkansas, where his remaining days were passed, his death there occurring in 1873, when he was sixty years of age. His wife, who was of Welsh descent, survived him several years and died in Moville at the age of seventy-eight. She was the mother of five children and with one exception all are vet living.

When a lad of nine years Samuel E. Smith accompanied his parents on their removal to

('lark county, Illinois, where he was reared to manhood upon the home farm and there made his home until thirty-two years of age. He early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist and for ten or twelve years he carried on agricultural pursuits on his own account in ('lark county, Illinois. In 1876 he came to Woodbury county and settled a mile and a half south of Moville, where he engaged in farming on six hundred acres of land for which he traded his property in Illinois. This was largely wild and unimproved but he at once began its cultivation and development and soon transformed it into rich and productive fields. At that time there were but eight voters living in the village of Moville. He built a good house upon his farm and also substantial outbuildings, carried on general farming and stock-raising and prospered in both branches of his business, becoming one of the successful men of his township. He afterward left the farm to engage in the livery and hotel business in Moville. The hotel was called the Fargo and he conducted it until about a year ago, when he retired from business life and has since occupied a comfortable home in the village, enjoying rest from further labor. He was the owner of the first new thresher in his township and was always progressive in his farm methods and in his hotel business, putting forth effective effort to please his patrons and thus winning favor with the traveling public.

While residing in Illinois Mr. Smith was a very strong Democrat and he frequently attended the public meetings which were addressed by Lincoln and by Douglas. After coming to this county he carried the first mail from Sioux City to Moville and he has always been interested in public progress and improvement here.

Mr. Smith was married in Illinois in January, 1SG2, to Miss Margaret A. Goss, a native of Edgar county, Illinois, and of English ancestry. They have ten living children and two have passed away. The family is well known

!NT OF WOO in Movffle and Woodbury coun have resided for inure than a qi fury and Mr. Smith bas ever a reliable citizen and trustworthy

As printed in Past and present of Sioux City and Woodbury County, Iowa (1904). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.