Charles Edgar Smith

SMITH LANGWORTHY

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/16/2010 at 23:21:36

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Charles Edgar Smith
By William M Smith

Charles Edgar, or ‘Windy’ Smith, as he was known in later life, born May 4, 1845, was the first born of Isaac Sheldon Smith, born February 11, 1822, died November 27, 1898, and Margaret Ann Langworthy, born March 23, 1822, died November 11, 1847. Charles and his sister, Eleanor Smith, born August 26, 1847, died September 9, 1847, were the only two children to claim Margaret Ann as their mother. Less than two months after the birth of Eleanor, their mother passed away.
Two years and four months later, Isaac married the housekeeper, Julia Ann Shedd, born December 29, 1830, died February 10, 1913. The eight children born of this union: Margaret Ann, 1851-1939; Pheba Jane, 1852-1872; Lydia Alma, 1853-1930; Lysamore S, 1855-1856; Franklin Pinny, 1857-1858; John Shed, 1858-1933; George Washington, 1862-1941; and Elmer Otis, 1866-1893.
Charles Edgar Smith spent his early life in White Creek, New York. In 1856, he moved with his father and family to Momence, Kankakee County, Illinois. It is reported that when war first broke out and President Lincoln called for volunteers for the Army, Charles ran away to the county seat of Kankakee County in an attempt to enlist. However, his father followed him and prevented from enlisting since he was only 16 years of age. In a few months he left home again and his father let him go to Chicago to enlist, since he was so determined.
Charles enlisted September 11, 1861 at Chicago, and was mustered into service on September 17, 1861, at Camp Douglas, Illinois. He served in Company H, 42nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry for one year and honorably discharged by reason of reenlistment in the regular army, where he was assigned to Troop K, 4th U S Cavalry. He was honorably discharged November 25, 1865 at San Antonio, Texas, at the expiration of his term of service.
The fact that four years of his life were spent in his country’s service was never taken lightly by Charles. He was very active in the GAR and on every National Day, the Stars and Stripes were seen unfurled from the flagstaff in his dooryard. Charles incurred some deafness at the battle of Stone River, Tennessee, and contracted scurvy, resulting in the loss of many teeth, while a prisoner at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Charles escaped from Andersonville, and was later called to testify in Washington, DC, at the trial of Henry Wirz, Commandant of the prison. Many other stories and anecdotes of Charles’ Civil War adventures have remained in the family.
When Charles came home from the war he was so poor his clothes just hung on him. By the time he was ready to go back, the war was over. The sojourn in Illinois lasted until sometime in the year 1870. Then, we assume, the whole family moved to Kansas. There, Charles met, wooed, and wed, over her mother’s opposition, Mary Tamison ‘Tam’ Burr of Pottawatomie, Kansas. They were married November 2, 1870, and the following children were born while they lived in Kansas: Ira Sheldon, born September 17-October 18, 1871; Merrit Junius, born July 19, 1873, died May 11, 1937; and Willie Lewis, born August 23, 1875, died February 14, 1967.
After a short time in Kansas, apparently the lure of mining for silver possessed Charles because he moved his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. They spent five years there, with Charles engaged in teaming and mining. Born during that time was Julia Edna, born October 11, 1877, died November 27, 1967. After five years, Charles moved his family back to Kansas, near Burlington. They lived there, eleven years, adding the following children to the family: Cora Antoinett, born June 22, 1880, died June 25, 1934; Mary Alice Bell, born July 23, 1881, died February 28, 1855; Marshall Burr, born November 10, 1883, died February 28, 1949; and Eugene Leonard, born May 10, 1886, died November 17, 1965.
In the fall of 1891, Charles was lured by the chance to homestead160 acres in northern Minnesota and loaded his family in two covered wagons and a spring wagon. The trip from Coffee County, Kansas, to Whiting, Iowa, took almost two months. In Whiting, Charles found work with the Halloway Lane Hay baling outfit, and the family stayed on a farmed owned by Charley Cassiday where there was a vacant house. Shortly after their arrival, their last child, Laura Minty, born November 18, 1891, died May 12, 1970, was born. She was named Minty after Charles’ commander during the Civil War, General Minty.
The following spring the family moved to Whiting, and remained at Whiting or Onawa until 1896 when they moved to a farm at Holly Springs in Woodbury County, Iowa. They lived in Holly Springs until April 19, 1899, when they set off in a covered wagon for Minnesota. On the journey were: Charles Edgar Smith and Mary Tamison Burr Smith; Merritt j Smith and his wife, Loretta Bartlett Smith and their son, Merritt Othello Smith; Cora Antoinett Smith Kelsey and her husband, Wilbur F Kelsey. Charles’ diary of the trip still remains in the family. They settled near Boot Lake, Hubbard County, Minnesota, filing a claim on 160 acres of woodland. Mary T Smith was appointed first postmistress of the Savannah, Minnesota post office, a position she held for thirteen years. In 1913, Charles and Mary moved to Park Rapids, where they lived until death parted them in 1922. Charles passed away on November 3, 1922, after spending the afternoon at a meeting of the GAR post. His funeral was of a military character, conducted by the local American Legion. Mary passed away September 21, 1924, having become ill while visiting her daughter, Edna Smith Kelsey, at Smithland.