BIO:  D. C. SMITH, Mountpleasant Township, Adams County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.
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History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania
Chicago:  Warner, Beers & Co., 1886
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Part III, History of Adams County, Page 490-491

D. C. SMITH, farmer, P. O. Centennial, was born November 5, 1836, in 
Mountpleasant Township, this county, son of Anthony B. Smith, who was born and 
died here.  Charles Smith, the grandfather of our subject, and his brother, 
Andrew, were born in Alsace, Germany, and there their mother died, and their 
father, Gabriel Smith re-married.  The stepmother made home unpleasant for the 
boys, so Charles and Andrew obtained their father’s permission to come to 
America, at the ages of seventeen and fifteen, respectively.  They had to work 
their way over, paying for their passage by earning the money, Charles working 
at grubbing three and a half years for this purpose, and his brother four years 
and a half at spinning.  Andrew Smith married and had children, but his family 
finally died out.  Charles Smith came to Mountpleasant Township, this county, 
and here married and reared eleven children:  John, Andrew, Elizabeth, Jacob, 
Charles, Mary, Joseph, Katie, Peter, Anthony and Adam.  They all married, and 
had, collectively, 111 children (of the grandchildren, only the last born of 
Adam Smith were twins).  Of Charles Smith’s children, Anthony died here in 1855, 
aged nearly sixty years.  Anthony Smith was a farmer and weaver by occupation; 
he married Rachel, daughter of Jacob Adams.  She died here in 1859, aged fifty 
years, the mother of eighteen children, of whom fifteen reached maturity and 
thirteen are still living.  Of these, D. C., our subject, attended school in 
this township, but is principally self-educated, especially in music.  He was a 
music teacher in early life, and still follows the profession in addition to 
farming, and is also an organist of Conowago Chapel.  He taught school for ten 
years (three terms at Conowago Chapel), and also taught himself practical 
surveying.  He was married here to Miss M. C., youngest daughter of Henry 
Spalding, and they had six children:  Paul A., Rose G., Henry S., Mary M., Helen 
M., Mark J.  The family are all members of Conowago Chapel.  Politically Mr. 
Smith is a Democrat.