SMITH, Peter died 1879

SMITH, SCHMIDT

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 9/13/2025 at 17:54:14

Sudden Death - Our Union City correspondent, under date of Thursday, gives us the following item:

Peter Schmidt [sic], a long time resident of French Creek Township, died very suddenly on Saturday evening under peculiar circumstances.

He had gone as was his custom into a root-house (in which also some meat was being smoked) to cut roots for his cattle. Not responding to repeated calls to supper his son went in search of him and entering this place in the dense smoke, stumbled over his father's dead form.

From the position of the body, the sack of turnips and the pipe which he had been smoking, it would seem that he had started to come out and had fallen with one leg across the smouldering fire which was slowly consuming a part of his clothing. Whether he had fallen from dizziness and was suffocated, or died from heart disease, no one will ever know.

His remains were interred in the cemetery, at the Stone church, on Monday morning. He leaves a wife, with six children, most of them grown up.

~Lansing Mirror, Friday, March 14, 1879; pg 3

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Peter Smith, the man whom we reported as being smothered in his smoke house, was dead when he was discovered in the building. It is supposed that he died of heart disease super-induced by the smoke, and when found he was lifeless, with one leg in the fire over which he seems to have fallen.

~North Iowa Journal, Wednesday, March 19, 1879; pg 3

Note: Peter SMITH, 1822-1879, is buried in St. Mary's, Lycurgus cemetery.