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 1839, Guernsey county
From The history of Jasper county, Missouri : including a condensed history of the state, a complete history of Carthage and Joplin, other towns and townships : together with numerous portraits of prominen (1883)
STEPHEN SMITH was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, June 19, 1839. When four years old he moved to Belmont and Morgan counties, and when fourteen, in 1851, removed to Warren county, Iowa. Coming from Warren county to Alba, Jasper county, Mo., in 1867, he returned after two years to Taylor county, Lowa; returning to Alba the second time in June, 1875. In the fall of 1861 he married Ruharaa Groom, of Warren county, where she was born in March, 1843. The names of the children are Charlie and Jerry. Mr. Smith twice enlisted in Warren county, Iowa, but was both times rejected, because of inability to pass the medical examinations, illustrating that the " spirit was indeed willing, but the flesh weak," poor in body but right loyally rich in good will. Mr. Smith is the present postmaster of Alba, a position he has acceptably filled for seven years. He, with others, laid out the town of Alba last year. He is a Mason, also an. Odd Fellow, and with his wife, members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Smith has been in the mercantile business for fourteen years, and is now interested in the mining company of Smith, Mateer, Sonnichson Haworth, & Smith, who are securing paying leid and silicate in the Alba mines.
MARTIN SONNICHSON". Scheeswig-Holstein, was the birthplace of the subject of this record, who was born Oct. 16, 1857, formerly a dependency of Denmark, but now of Austria. Bidding farewell to his fatherland, he embarked May 12, 1873, from Hamburg for free America, and landed at St. Louis in June, 1873. Spending a short time in Illinois, he took up his above in Jasper county in 1881, and has since been interested in the Alba Mines, operated by the company of Smith, Sonnichson, Mateer, S. A. Smith & Haworth. Three shafts of 95, 50, and 4:0 feet, respectively, have been sunk, with little return until December, 1882, when the company are beginning to be rewarded for not wearing in well-doing in good " shines," in miner phrase, of lead and silicate.
As printed in The history of Jasper county, Missouri : including a condensed history of the state, a complete history of Carthage and Joplin, other towns and townships : together with numerous portraits of prominent (1883). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
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