Birthdays: John F. Smith, 1942, Winn Parish, LA
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************


 



From:  July 23, 1942 Winn Parish Enterprise

Last Confederate Veteran To Celebrate 98th Birthday

The last Confederate veteran of Winn Parish, Mr. John F. Smith of Sikes, La.,
will celebrate his 98th birthday, July 28.  His sister, Mrs. Ann Campbell, who
will be 96, August 1, will also be one of the honorees at this celebration. 
Their younger brother, Percy Smith, who would have been 94 this month, passed
away last October.

As has been the custom for a number of years, friends of Mr. Smith and Mrs.
Campbell will gather at Mineral Springs Church near Sikes, the same location 
Mr. Smith's parents settled on about 100 years ago, and have a day of
rollicking good fun.

For a man who has fought in the Civil War and lives as long as Mr. Smith, one
would imagine his hair to be white, but this is not the case.  His son, P. W.
Smith, of Sikes, stated that his father's hair seems to get blacker as he
grows older.

Last year Mr. Smith visited Vicksburg, Miss., where his name with the names of
all the other veterans, is engraved on the walls of a building dedicated as a
monument to the veterans.  Here he attracted untold attention and was
interviewed by a Vicksburg reporter.  His son plans to take him to Vicksburg
this week before his birthday celebration.