Alfred G. 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, 1898. Page 460

	Scan, OCR and editing by Joy Fisher, jfisher@sdgenweb.com, 1999.

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ALFRED G. SMITH is a prominent, progressive and popular agriculturist 
residing on section  27, Alban township. Grant county.  Mr. Smith was 
born in Dubuque, Iowa, November 20, 1854, and is a son of Joseph and 
Rhoda (Garner) Smith. His father was born April 7, 1819, in Virginia.  
When a young man he removed to Indiana, and was there married to Miss 
Rhoda Garner, a native of that state, where she was born in 1823.  Not 
long after his marriage Mr. Smith went to Illinois, and after remaining 
there for a few years made the trip overland to Dubuque, Iowa. While 
passing through Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois, he witnessed the 
killing of the celebrated Joseph Smith, the father of Mormonism.  He 
lived in Dubuque county, Iowa, for some years, and then went to Bremer 
county, in the same state, where he resides at the present time.  Our 
subject's mother died in 1896, at the age of seventy-three. There were 
twelve children in the family, six sons and six daughters, all of whom, 
except one daughter, are still living.  They are all married, and one 
of the sons still resides with his father.  Our subject, who was the 
seventh child in order of birth, remained at home until his twenty-
first year, when he went to farming for himself.  He resided in Iowa 
until 1880, and then removed to Grant county, South Dakota, traveling 
the entire distance by wagon.  He filed upon his present farm in 
section 27, Alban township, and has since added materially to his 
possessions, until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres of land, 
nearly all of which is under the plow.  His farm is well improved, and 
presents a very prosperous appearance, reminding one at different 
points of some of the large country places to be found in the eastern 
states. Mr. Smith is one of the oldest settlers in Alban township, and 
has taken a leading part in its affairs, from the time of its 
organization up to the present day.  He is a Populist in politics and 
has been chairman of the township board for several terms, as well as 
township treasurer.  He is a member of the A. O. U. W.

On the 29th of September, 1875, Mr. Smith was married in Horton, Iowa, 
to Miss Anna McDonald, who was born in Kenosha county, Wisconsin, 
December 2, 1856, and is a daughter of David and Ann (Harkness) 
McDonald.  Mr. and Mrs. Smith have no children.