Homer S. Smythe Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1530-1531 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	HOMER S. SMYTHE, one of the highly honored citizens of Sanborn 
county, where he is at present serving as deputy county treasurer, is a 
native of the old Keystone state of the Union, having been born in 
Center county, Pennsylvania, on the 11th of February, 1843, and being a 
son of William and Margaret (Watson) Smythe, the former of whom was born 
in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, in 1799, while the latter was born in 
Clinton county, that state, in 1804. The father of the subject received 
a collegiate education and was a man of marked ability, having been a 
surveyor by profession and having also been identified with agricultural 
pursuits. He removed with his family to Illinois in 1863, and there 
passed the remainder of his long and useful life, his death occurring in 
the city of Freeport, in 1880, while he had there lived retired for a 
number of years. His devoted wife passed away in 1856, and he remarried 
in 1858, his second wife dying in Freeport in 1887. Of their seven 
children four are living, the subject of this sketch being the only 
representative of the family in South Dakota. William Smythe was in 
early life a supporter of the Whig party, but transferred his allegiance 
to the Bepublican party at the time of its organization and ever 
afterward was a stalwart advocate of its principles. He and his wife 
were devoted members of the Presbyterian church, in which he served as 
elder for a half century. Fraternally he was identified with the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

	Homer S. Smythe, the immediate subject of this sketch, received 
his preliminary educational discipline in the common schools of 
Pennsylvania. He enlisted as a private in Company E, Forty-ninth 
Pennsylvania Infantry Volunteers, on August 14, 1861, and was discharged 
December 21, 1864, by reason of expiration of time of service. Was 
wounded at Spottsylvania Court House, Virginia, May 10, 1864. He was 
twenty years of age at the time of the family removal to Illinois, and 
there continued to maintain his home, devoting his attention to the 
machinist's trade, until 1883, when he came to Sanborn county, South 
Dakota, where he took up a half section of government land, which he 
still owns, having made good improvements on the place, of which fifty-
seven acres are under cultivation, while the remainder is used in 
connection with the raising of live stock. Mr. Smythe has been a 
prominent figure in local affairs of a public nature since coming to 
this county, and has held official preferment much of the time, having 
served four years as register of deeds, while for the past five years he 
has been deputy county treasurer. He is a member of the Presbyterian 
church, as is also Mrs. Smythe, and fraternally is identified with the 
Masonic order. In politics he gives an unswerving support to the 
Republican party and its principles. 

	On the 21st of December, 1880, Mr. Smythe was married to Mrs. 
Julia (Rodman) Smythe. widow of W. R. Smythe, of Tiffin, Ohio, and a 
daughter of Samuel and Mary (Madden) Rodman, of Center county, 
Pennsylvania, in which state she was born January 1, 1843. No children 
have been born of this union, but Mrs. Smythe has two children by her 
first marriage: William R. who is a civil engineer at Canon City, 
Colorado, and Leon L., who is a clergyman of the Presbyterian church and 
now pastor of the church at Volga, Brookings county, this state.