William E. Smith

As printed in 1903

WILLIAM E. SMITH. William E. Smith, a retired merchant of Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, is the son of Peter Smith. The latter was born in Yorkshire, England, and there was reared, following the miller's trade. In 1835 he came to America, and locating at Burlington. Iowa, he bought a claim of four hundred acres, paying the government for the same, but subsequently had to purchase it at land sales. His death occurred in his seventy-fifth year near Burlington. He had been a followed of the old Whig party and was an ardent admirer of Henry Clay. His wife was Martha Ellison, who was also a native of England and lived to be eighty-one years of age. The year before his death the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage was celebrated. She was the mother of ten children, three daughters and seven sons, of whom all reached maturity.

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William E. Smith was the fifth child and fourth son of the above, and was born in Yorkshire, England, August 14, 1828. He was seven years old when his father emigrated to America, and on his father's farm near Burlington, Iowa, he was reared, attending school in a log cabin and later the schools in Burlington. He remained with his father until he was twenty-four years old, then in 1852, with five yoke of oxen, he started toward the gold fields of California, making his journey by way of the South Platte river. He engaged in mining for four years and had considerable success, then returned to New York city by way of Panama. He remained in Burlington for five years, when he again set out across the plains with a mule team. He was commissioned by the provost marshal of the Southern Iowa district to act as scout. This time he went by way of Salt Lake City to Idaho and served as a scout from Fort Douglas for about two and a half years. He then returned through Salt Lake City and Omaha to Burlington, where for six years he followed farming and stock raising. In 1872 he embarked in the lumber and grain business at Morning Sun, Louisa county, Iowa, in which he continued for nineteen years. In 1892 Mr. Smith opened a lumber and hardware establishment in Richland, which he sold to his son in 1901, and retired from his long and successful business career.

Mr. Smith became the husband of Illie Hunt on October 2S. 1866. SI e was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, near Burlington, October 19, i'it, Her father was Jesse Hunt, a native of Tennessee, who came to Des Moines county in 1833 and brought his family in 1834. He took up land from the government, and this farm is now owned by his son, John B. He lived to the age of eighty-six years and died on this farm. His wife was Delinda Kirkpatrick, a native of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of four children: Jessie, the wife of Rev. C. E.

Todd, of Baker City, Oregon, a minister of the Methodist church; Harriet, wife of Samuel Reaney. of Estherville, Iowa, a land agent; Bessie, wife of Dr. C. E. Birney, a physician of Estherville; and Fred \Y., unmarried, and owning the former business of his father in Richland. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

As printed in A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa .. (1903). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.