Peter Hammersmith Obituary - Bell County, TX

submitted by Janet Gardner 11/98
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This newspaper clipping is hand-dated January 1930.

Pneumonia is Fatal to Man Here 63 Years-Succumbs to Week's Illness Saturday 
Morning at Home-Funeral Sunday-Services to be Held at 3 p.m. From Family 
Residence

Peter HAMMERSMITH, 86, resident of Bell County for 63 years, died at his home, 
902 South forty-seventh street, Saturday at 3:45 a.m., after an illness of a 
week. He had been up and active until he contracted a cold which developed 
into pneumonia a week ago. He served through the civil war and came to Belton 
as a young man in 1866 and through industry, honesty, and application to his 
business rose to a position of influence and means in the community long before 
he retired from active business. Funeral service will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. 
at the family residence with burial in the North Belton cemetery. Peter 
HAMMERSMITH was born in Mannheim, Bavaria, Germany, Nov. 15, 1843. He was the 
eldest son of Philip and Susie HAMMERSMITH and was the last surviving member of 
his family. In March, 1859, at the age of 15, he left Germany and came to America 
with his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles HAMMERSMITH. The trip across the 
Atlantic was made by a sail boat, taking 44 days, landing at New Orleans. They 
proceeded to Ripley, Miss., to join other relatives and there he made his home 
until April, 1861, when he enlisted in the Confederate army under Colonel FAULKES, 
Co. B., Second Mississippi regiment. In the war he went to Corinth, then to 
Lynchburg and on the Harper's Ferry. He was in the first battle of Manassas and 
received a wound in the left hand which disabled him for service for several months. 
The doctors insisted on amputating his hand but he refused to let them do so, saying 
he would rather die than give up his hand. After many weeks of suffering he became 
too weak to go about and was sent to White Sulphur Springs, Va., where he remained 
until January, 1862, when he again joined his company. The next engagement was a 
Seven Pines (or Fair Oaks), May 31, 1862. In June he was in the seven-day fight 
before Richmond, on this occasion marching all day barefooted from Stanton to 
Richmond. On Sept. 17, he was in the battle of Sharpsburg. At Gettysburg he received 
a slight wound and was captured, being held prisoner at Fort Delaware until June 12, 
1865. After the close of the war he went back to Mississippi and stayed until October, 
1866. Leaving Mississippi, he came back to Belton, Tex., by way of New Orleans, 
Galveston by rail to Bryan, then on a freight wagon until he got within a few miles 
of Belton. The driver was not going on to Belton that day so he walked the rest of 
the way into Belton. Arriving in Belton the latter part of October, 1866 he began 
work as a shoemaker and continued at this until 1884 when he established the 
HAMMERSMITH shoe store. In 1904 he retired from the shoe business. While engaged in 
business in Belton he also served as alderman, city treasurer and school trustee of 
Belton. He was a member of the Methodist church. In 1868 he married to Miss Minerva 
BURRIS, daughter of J. C. BURRIS. She died Nov. 7, 1890. There were 11 children, 
five dying while young. Charlie HAMMERSMITH died Jan. 1, 1905. Roy HAMMERSMITH died 
March 24, 1928. The four surviving children are: John P. HAMMERSMITH and W. P. 
HAMMERSMITH of Houston and Mrs. C. E. METCALF and Byron HAMMERSMITH of Belton. There 
are six grandchildren: Roy W., Harris and May Walker HAMMERSMITH and Mrs. C. E. 
KIEVLAN of Houston; Mrs. Dillard ANDERSON of Wichita Falls and Eleanor Elizabeth 
METCALF; and six great grandchildren. He was married to Miss Laura FOWLER in 
December, 1891. She preceded him in death in December of 1911. On Sept. 25, 1912, 
he was married to Miss Bell MITCHELL, daughter of J. E. MITCHELL of Belton. In 1914 
they moved to Temple where they have since made their home. Funeral services will be 
held at the family residence Sunday at 3 p.m. conducted by Rev. T Edgar NEAL assisted 
by Dr. E. G. TOWNSEND. Interment will be in the North Belton cemetery. Active pall
bearers will be: S.M. RAY, Jr., Lattimore UPSHAW, Robert JAMES, W. Leslie MITCHELL, 
Victor MEANS of Belton, P. L. DOWNS, Jr., Chas. S. COX and E. J. SLUBICKI of Temple. 
Honorary pallbearers will be: Belton-W. W. JAMES, Ghent CARPENTER, Dr. Taylor HUDSON, 
Thomas YARRELL, S. M. RAY, A. D. POTTS, C. P. LITTLE, T. L, MEANS, W. S. HUNTER, Tom 
HUGHES, W. E. CLINE, Norman AUSTIN, R. E. TULLOCH, Fred MUEHLHAUSE, A. J. EMBREE, E. 
EMBREE, Louis TYLER, George CASKEY, A. L. CURTIS, S. W. MILLER, Dr. A. E. BALLARD, 
Dr. J. M. FRAZIER, W. A. HARGETT, Dr. M. P. MCELHANNON, W.S. SHIPP, Nute PROCTER, 
W. A. GILMER, W. P. DENMAN, A. L. MONTEITH, A. R. RAY, C. B WADE, J. M. SCOTT, W. H. 
BIRDWELL, Jesse BLAIR, Harry COCHRAN, A.G. VICK, F. W. GUFFY, B. R. STOCKING, H. C. 
GARRISON, E. M. HATCHER, J. T. PRYOR, P. T. MOREY, V. NIGRO, O.P. CARPENTER, R. E. 
SUTTON, E. E. UPSHAW, Dr. E. G. TOWNSEND, W. D. WOODRUFF, Ben BROWN, Dr. J. W. PITTMAN, 
Frank BURFORD, John DICE, Mr. KILLINGSWORTH, John WALLACE, Pink DAVIS, J. M. CARPENTER, 
Will HARTRICK, John SHEA, J. E. MITCHELL, A. Roy MITCHELL. Temple-A. L. FLINT, E. H. 
WYNNE, I. W. CULP, C. D. SEYBOLD, Y. Q. BAKER, Chas. M. CAMPBELL, W. R. BROWN, E. W. L. 
HARTMANN, Lem BURR, Col. P. L. DOWNS, F. F. DOWNS, W. E. HALL, F. L. DENISON, Frank 
DOERING, W. O. COX, Ed MCCELVEY, Dr. T. F. BUNKLEY, Dr. O. F. GOBER, Dr. A. C. SCOTT, 
Dr. R. W. BARTON, Dr. J. S. MCCELVEY, Dr. J. M. WOODSON, C. B. HUTCHISON, Rev. C. W. 
PEYTON, John R. LAYNE, Jim PATON, J. A. TALLEY, J. A. HEWETT, Capt. J. J. ADMAS, J. H. 
DAVIS, N. A. ENSOR, J. A. FLETCHER, J. C. MITCHELL, Ed KNIGHT, Joe KNIGHT, Jim KNIGHT, 
A. F. BENTLEY, all members of the Confederate veteran. A. L. LOCKWOOD, F. E. REDWINE, 
W. B. SLATON, Tahoka; T. B. BENSON, Bartlett; Eugene FOWLER, Davilla; W. B. THOMAS, 
Frank REED and F. M. ASHCRAFT, Rogers; J. W. CARTER, Walter MONTEITH, Edgar MONTEITH, 
Dr. Henry GRAVES, Dr. Marvin L. GRAVES, Kyle HAMBLEN, Houston; Dr. Vol REED, Austin; 
Seymour ROSE, Salado; M. E. MONEY, Smithville; Tom SAMPSON, Cameron; Brown F. LEE, 
San Angelo; T. J. MOSELY, Mr. STEWART, P. A. RITTER, Dallas; George A. SMITH, Waco; 
T. T. MOORE, Rogers.