Biographies
For
Muscatine County Iowa
1889



Source: Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 244

M. H. SMITH & SON, wholesale shippers and producers of garden products, No. 114 West Second street, Muscatine, have been engaged in the business sinc 1881. M. H. Smith was born in Geauga County, Ohio, in 1844, and is the sixth in a family of seven children born to Marsh and Eliza ( Colton ) Smith, the former a native of Bennington Vt., and the latter of Cornwall, Conn. Marsh Smith was a farmer by occupation, and when a young man removed to Geauga County, Ohio, where he was married and where he engaged in farming. He took quite an active part in politics, and was for some years County Auditor of Geauga County, in addition to which he held several other county offices. His death occurred in September, 1887, at the age of eighty-eight years. His wife passed to her reward in 1885, at the age of eighty-one years. Of the family now living, Hannah, now Mrs. Bates, resides in Montgomery County, Iowa; Elizabeth married J. G. Durfee, who died in 1880; H. K., who is married, resides Geauga County, Ohio, and for more than twenty years has served as Judge of the Probate Court; T. C., also married, who resides in the same county, was for six years Treasurer of the county, and for a number of years a bank cashier, but now living a retired life; N. R., resides in Muscatine County; Eliza, now Mrs. John Brooks, resides in Geauga County, Ohio.

The subject of this sketch was reared to farm life, and educated in the district schools of Ohio. He was married in Geauga County in 1865, to Josepha R. Holcomb, a native of Ohio and daughter of F. D. and Jane ( Philbrick ) Holcomb, the former a native of New Hampshire, and the latter of Connecticut. Her father was a merchant in Ohio, and came west to Muscatine County in 1868, settling on the Island, where he engaged in farming. He now resides in the city of Muscatine. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smith settled in Ohio, but came to Muscatine County in 1868, settling in Fruitland Township, where he engaged in farming. After remaining here for three years he returned to Ohio and improved a farm, and there resided until 1880, when he again came to Muscatine County, and bought an improved farm of seventy-five acres, to which he has since added forty acres, making a fine farm of 115 acres of land, all of which is in a good state of cultivation. He makes a specialty of gardening, growing fruits and vegetables, which he ships to Chicago and other points. His farm, which lies near the Mississippi River, is well adapted to growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables. He has a steamboat landing near his house, from which he ships in season much of the products of his farm. He has a sweet potato storage house capable of storing 7,500 bushels of sweet potatoes.

During the late Rebellion Mr. Smith enlisted in Company F, 105th Ohio Infantry, and was mustered into service at Cleveland, Ohio. He was engaged in the battle of Perryville, and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. In 1864 he was honorably discharged at Cleveland Ohio, and returned to Geauga County.

To Mr. and Mrs. Smith two children have been born: Fred M., who is the junior member of the firm of M. H. Smith & Son, and Frank N., who died at the age of three years and six months. Mr. Smith is a member of Shelby Norman Post No.321, at Muscatine. In politics, he is strongly Republican, though not an active partisan. While not numbered among the old settlers of the county, he is well and favorably known by hundreds of its citizens, and is one of its most active and reliable business men.


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