William Thompson Smith

SMITH

Posted By: Sandra Somers
Date: 11/5/2011 at 00:54:50

Rockwell City Advocate
Rockwell City, IA
22 Sept. 1904

Death of W.T. Smith

William Thompson Smith was born near Saltsburg, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, April 15, 1845. When twelve years of age he moved with his parents to Fort Byron, Illinois, and located on a farm. He attended the Port Byron public schools during the winters and assisted with the work on the farm during the summers, until Feb. 11, 1864, when he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Illinois Infantry, for service in the army. He continued to bear arms in defense of the Union until August 1, 1865, when he received his honorable discharge at Springfield, Ills., having won a most credible military record.

On March 11, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Jack, and in October following their marriage Mr. & Mrs. Smith came to Calhoun County. They spent the following winter in Fort Dodge, returning to this county in the spring of 1867, locating in Lincoln Township, where Mr. Smith conducted a farm and in the winter taught school. In 1871 he was elected to the office of treasurer of Calhoun County and removed with his family to Lake City, which was then the county seat. He remained in office four years, having been almost unanimously elected for the second term. He was again honored by the people in 1876 by being elected county recorder, and the county seat having been in the meantime moved to Rockwell City, he came here January 1, 1877, to enter upon the duties of the office. He built one of the first residences in the town and the following spring moved his family here from Lake City, where he continued to make his home until 1890, when soon after the death of his wife, which occurred August 24 of that year, he went to Texas in the interest of his health which was failing, and where he had since resided. He was again married on September 28, 1891, to Miss Eliza J. Garnett of Port Byron, Illinois.
During Mr. Smith’s residence in Calhoun county, when not serving in public office he was interested in the real estate and abstract business, having been for a number of years associated with S.T. Hutchinson, of Lake City, in that line and later with A.N. Jack and J.H. Bradt in the same business in this city. He early realized the opportunities offered by this new country for making money by investing in real estate, and had always retained large holdings of land here, owning at his death, 933 acres in Calhoun County, valued at about $75,000. He also, in partnership with A.N. Jack, conducted a hardware store here for a number of years, selling out to L.W. Johnson when he went south. He was associated with Wash Lewis in the ownership of the land on which is located the part of town known as the Lewis and Smith’s addition, where he also still owned property at the time of his death. He possessed splendid business ability and by wise and judicious investments accumulated considerable wealth.

Although since going to Texas Mr. Smith’s health has been very poor, his malady being lung trouble for which he was a sufferer for many years, he became identified in the growth and business life of his home town of Blanket, where he owned the town site and was otherwise interested in the business of the place.

The body was brought back to Rockwell City for burial, arriving here last evening on the 10:52 train from Council Bluffs, accompanied by Mrs. Smith and four sons, Wilmot being unable to come on account of sickness in his family, and the other son, Rev. Merle Smith, who lives at Ackley, had arrived on an earlier train. The body was taken to the home of B.E. Stonebraker, nephew of the deceased, and the funeral will be held at two o’clock this afternoon, from the Methodist Church, with Dr. W.S. Lewis, president of Morningside College, Sioux City, in charge of the services, after which all that is mortal of W.T. Smith will be laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery, beside the remains of his first wife, father and mother and two children.