Sedgwick County KSGenWeb

Portrait And Biographical Album of Sedgwick County, Kan.

Chapman Brothers 1888

Pages 269 - 270  

JAMES V. SMITH, a stalwart and sturdy representative of the noble yeomanry who make up the agricultural population of Sedgwick County, is a resident on section 35, Eagle Township. He came to this county in 1870 and pre-empted 160 acres of land on section 2, Union Township, where he commenced his improvement and made his home for about two years. About that time he removed to the quarter-section west of his previous place, and remained upon that tract until 1883, when he purchased fifty-six acres of land of the railroad company, on section 35, Eagle Township, to which he removed and where he is now living. He has a fine farm of 216 acres of most excellent arable land, lying on the Arkansas River, which supplies the necessary water for stock purposes. He is giving a large proportion of his attention to the raising of sheep, and during the period from 1879 to 1885, was the most extensive breeder and raiser of those animals in Eagle Township, often having on hand as high as 1,500 head. 

     James V. Smith was born in the town of Hallowell, Kennebec Co., Me., Sept. 3, 1838, and is the son of Bowen and Lucinda (Wing) Smith, natives also of the old Pine Tree State. His father was reared upon a farm and in his young manhood had taken up the butcher's trade, but departed this life when the subject of this sketch was about three years of age. The mother died in 1882. Mr. Smith received the elements of an excellent education in his boyhood days, as is so commonly the case with the youth of New England, and remained at home with his mother until he had attained his seventeenth birthday. About that time, having been seized with the disease familiarly known as the gold fever, he made the journey to the far-off State of California, and there was engaged for five years with the pick, pan and cradle in delving in the rich placers and river bars of that State for the auriferous dust, the idol of nearly everybody. Not having made his fortune at this venture, we find him, at the expiration of that time, upon a sheep ranch in that land of the sunset, where he remained for a period covering some five years, and then returned to his home in the State of Maine. In 1864 our subject removed to Illinois and recommenced the pursuit of his former agricultural calling in Milan Township, Macon County, where for six years he was engaged in tilling the soil. He then sold out and came to this county, as noted above. 

     The subject of our sketch was united in marriage, in Macon County, Ill., June 20, 1867, with Miss Hannah Swift, a native of of Grant County, Ind., born Sept. 20, 1847, and the daughter of Stephen and Sarah (Scott) Swift. Her father, who was a native of Massachusetts, had followed the sea for some seven years in his younger days, after which he removed to Indiana and carried on farming and carpentering together, for a great number of years. He was living in Decatur, Macon Co., Ill., where he owned a machine-shop, and where he was also engaged in carpentering at the time of his death, which occurred in the fall of 1860, when he was about fifty-four years of age. The mother of Mrs. Smith, who is a native of Kentucky, is still living. Mr. Swift was a member of the Christian Church and a most estimable gentleman in every respect. His wife and three daughters belong to the Baptist communion. The mother, who has attained an age of sixty-two years, is living in Decatur, Ill., having married in 1868 a Dr. May of that city, who died in September, 1887, leaving five children, of whom two are in Illinois, two in Sumner County, Kan., and one in California. 

     Mrs. Smith is one of a family of four girls born to her parents, and of the others the following record is given: Mary, the wife of Harvey Mahannah, is living in Decatur, Ill., where her husband is one of the city officials and is a carpenter by trade; Sarah E. married James Barnett, who is the Postmaster at Colwich, this county; Jessie, who is the wife of Alvinza Craig, makes her home in Streator, Ill., where her husband is engaged in carrying on the carpentering trade. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been granted three children: Walter Scott, Alvinza Oliver and Louise Irene, all of whom are living at home. 

     Mr. Smith is a Prohibitionist in politics and an earnest and strong advocate of every legislation or method that will suppress the rum traffic. While a resident of Union Township he was induced to accept the office of District Treasurer, but he only held it a short time. In his religious convictions he is a follower of what is known as Positivism, or a follower of the philosophy of Auguste Comte, a French writer, who lived from 1798 to 1857, and who was the founder of a philosophical school of religion. A portrait of Mr. Smith accompanies this sketch.

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