Biographical Sketch of Erasmus B. & William F. Smith, Dent County, MO

>From "History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, 
Pulaski, Phelps and Dent Counties, Missouri" The Goodspeed Publishing
Company, 1889.
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Erasmus B. and William F. Smith, blacksmiths and wagon manufacturers of
Salem, Mo.  E. B. Smith was born in Washington County, Mo., May 19,
1847, and is a son of Benjamin F. and Emily (Wells) Smith, the former a
native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Kentucky, born in 1813 and 
1817, respectively.  They were married in kentucky in 1833, and removed
from there to Washington County, Mo., in 1840, where the father was
killed by falling in machinery in the saw mill in 1860. He was a black-
smith, a farmer also, and ran a saw mill, and was postmaster at Rock
Springs at the time of his death.  He owned a good farm, and was an
industrious, honest man.  He was a member and an active supporter of 
the Christian Church, as was also his wife.  Erasmus B. was one of 
fourteen children, ten of whom lived to be grown.  He was reared in
Washington County, educated in the common schools, and was but thirteen
years of age when his father died.  He was then the eldest son at home,
and the main support of the family devolved upon him, which deprived
him of further schooling until about grown, when he spent a few months
in school at his own expense.  At the age of about eighteen, he began
for himself working on a farm, and in 1868 he went to New York, where
he took passage for California, being twenty-four days in making the
trip.  He there learned his trade, and returned home in 1869, where the
next year he married Miss Margaret Ann Griffith, daughter of Thomas and
Sarah Griffith, both natives of Wales, but whom came to the United
States when young, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, for awhile, and then 
moved to Washington County, Mo., where they are both now living.  Mrs.
Smith was born in Cincinnati, and by her union to Mr. Smith, became the
mother of two children, both sons.  The same year of his marriage Mr.
Smith returned by rail to California, where he worked at his trade 
until 1875, when he went to Nevada.  From there he went to Washington
County, Mo., in 1876, and ran a shop at Palmer until 1878, when he 
moved to Dent County, and farmed until 1884, when he sold his farm and
moved to Salem.  He here established his present business, in company
with John Gunnett and in 1885 Mr. Gunnett sold to Mr. Smith's nephew,
William F. Smith, who is his present partner, and they have since had a
successful business, with a captial of about $1,500.  In the year 1887 
they sold thirty-eight wagons, all their own work.  Mr. Smith has a 
good home in Salem, all the result of his hard work and good manage-
ment.  He also has one-third interest in the house of Smith, Tennyson
& Ramsey, at Salem, with a stock of about $3,000.  Politically a Demo-
crat, his first presidential vote was for Seymour in 1868.  He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, Lodge No. 225, took degrees in 1869,
and he and wife are consistent members of the Christian Church. William
F. Smith is the son of William S. Smith, who is the eldest brother of
Erasmus B. Smith.  William S. Smith was born in Kentucky in 1834, and
came with his parents to Washington County when a boy.  There he marr-
ied, and with the exception of a few years before the war, when he was
engaged in saw milling in Dent County, has lived there all his life.
He is a farmer, a blacksmith, and has been justice of the peace for
many years.  William F. Smith was born in Washington County, January
21, 1860, was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools.  He
learned his trade at the age of seventeen, which he has since followed
principally.  He is a Democrat in politics, and his first presidential
vote was cast for Grover Cleveland in 1884.  He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and the I.O.O.F. Lodge.  His mother, Emily (Simpson)
Smith, is the daughter of Joseph Simpson, a native of Kentucky. William
F. is one of four sons and five daughters born to his parents.  His
father is a member of the Christian Church, and his mother of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

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