William H. Smith Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 622-625

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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WILLIAM H. SMITH, a prominent farmer of Faulk county, where he operates 
a fine farm in township 118, range 68, is a native of Northampton 
county, Pennsylvania, and was born April 2, 1861.

He has identified himself with the development of Faulk county, and is 
an early settler of that vicinity, end of the rising young men of that 
region. His estate bears evidence of his thrift and the painstaking 
care exercised by him in the management of its affairs and the labors 
incident to farm life.

Our subject's father, J. S. Smith, was a native of Pennsylvania and was 
a farmer by occupation. The mother of J. S. Smith was a native of 
Germany. Our subject's mother, who bore the maiden name Mary Ott, was 
born in Pennsylvania, and was reared on a farm. The parents moved to 
Michigan in 1870, where the father engaged in farming. Our subject was 
the second born in a family of six children and received a liberal 
education, completing his schooling at the college in Albion, Michigan. 
He resided with his parents until he reached the age of twenty-two 
years, when he left home and farmed one year in Michigan for himself, 
and in December, 1883, went to Faulk county, South Dakota, and filed on 
the northeast quarter of section 33, township 118, range 68, and the 
following March moved his family to the new home. He erected a twelve-
by-sixteen-foot shanty, and a board barn at the end of the dwelling, 
and with two cows, a wagon and plow, began his work on his farm. The 
first season he cropped six acres of oats and twenty acres of wheat, 
which yielded well, returning four hundred bushels of oats, and an 
average of twenty-seven bushels of wheat per acre. His farm now 
comprises one thousand acres, of which about three hundred and fifty 
acres is under cultivation and the balance is used for pasture for his 
cattle. He engages in mixed farming and from 1889 to 1892 was in the 
sheep business. He keeps one hundred head of cattle and eighteen head 
of horses, and a good well with windmill attached furnishes an 
abundance of water, and facilitates the work. His residence thirty-two 
by thirty-two feet is one of comfort and convenience and his barn, 
seventy-two by fifty six feet, supplies shelter for his stock and 
grain. He rented his farm and resided in Faulkton while he was serving 
as county treasurer from 1896 to 1898. 

Mr. Smith was married at the age of twenty-two years to Miss Mary F. 
Howard, a native of Michigan, and daughter of Russell and Emmiline 
(Morse) Howard. The family were Americans by birth and the father was a 
farmer by occupation. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Smith, named in order of birth as follows: Emory Howard, Roy, Lulu, 
Ralph and Alph, the two latter twins. Mr. Smith is prominent in secret 
society circles, and holds membership in the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen, the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of Maccabees. He has 
been called upon to fill various official positions and has discharged 
his duties with rare fidelity and gained the confidence of the people. 
In 1894 he was elected county treasurer and his popularity is best 
evidenced by the fact that he was again elected in the same capacity in 
1896, serving in that-important position altogether four years. He has 
been deputy assessor two terms, and as an interested worker for 
educational advancement has been school clerk for the past nine years. 
He is a Republican and stands firmly for the principles of his party. 
Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Smith will be found on another page.