Socrates Smith

SMITH, APLIN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 3/20/2007 at 23:38:41

Source: History of Monona County-1982

Family of Socrates Smith
Socrates Smith was born 28 May 1813 in Lyons, Wayne county (it was at that time Monroe County and later still Ontario County) New York. He was the first child of Ebenezer Smith (1760 CT-1844 NY) and his third wife, Sally, the daughter of Silas Aplin. (Ebenezer was the son of Abner (1730 CT-1834 MA): Abner, the son of Daniel of Massachusetts) Ebenezer, his father and seven brothers all served in the Revolutionary War. Settling for a time in Arcadia, NY, Ebenezer, worked as a farmer, miller and distiller before his death, 16 March 1844, in Newark, NY
Socrates Smith was married in New York to Amanda Dickenson 28 February 1838 and had at least two daughters by this marriage. They were in time divorced.
“Soc” engaged in horse trading and the speculation of wheat early in his life. In 1847 and 1848 he raised and distilled peppermint in Wayne County, but from 1849 to 1853 he was again dealing in horse trading. In 1853 “Soc” held the dubious distinction of being the overseer at the Chambers plantation near Montgomery, Alabama, and simultaneously ran a small plantation of his own. With the outbreak of the Civil War “Soc” sold his land and came North to Dubuque traveling to Sioux City with a surveying team. He was employed as a surveyor in Yankton, South Dakota, before finally settling in Kennebec township, Monona County.
On 12 May 1867 Socrates Smith was married to Ellen, daughter of Seth and Sophia (Leach) Smith. Ellen was born in Lorain County, Ohio, 8 May 1841, and was an “old maid” schoolteacher at the time of her marriage” she being well past the age when most women were expected to marry> Ellen taught school on the Omaha Indian Reservation where her father was a government gunsmith and blacksmith.
Socrates and Ellen were the parents of five children, four of whom lived to adulthood. They were Uretta, Charles Francis, Lycurgus Demosthenes (L.D.) and Inez May. Of these, Uretta married Dr. William W Gingles, Charlie married May Boslaugh, L.D. or “Dee” married Clover Tallman and Inez married Benjamin G. Davies.
“Soc” and Ellen lived out their lives in Monona county on the farm that had been the property of Ellen’s father Seth, “Soc” died 29 January 1895 his wife having preceded him on 11 September 1892. Their descendents that continue to live in Monona county and own the original property homesteaded by Seth Smith are Evan Davies and Mrs. John (Louise Gingles) Falk.