Jasper County Texas Archives Obituaries.....Smith, Judge Garland Jefferson August 1, 1954 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/txfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mary K. Creamer marykcreamer@yahoo.com November 7, 2025, 7:36 pm source: The Jasper News Boy. (Jasper, Texas) Thursday, August 05, 1954, page 1 G. Smith's Death A Loss To Jasper. Garland Smith, prominent Jasper lawyer, political officer holder and civic leader, died at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at his home here. He had suffered a heart attach Saturday evening. Mr. Smith, descended from a family dotted with key figures in Texas history, had lived in Jasper county since coming here in 1896 after a six-week covered wagon trip with his parents, Guy and Jennie Johnson Smith, and his two brothers. He was born March 22, 1882 in Seguin, Tex. Mr. Smith began his law practice in Kirbyville nearly 50 years ago. He had studied law at night after working on his family farm, near Jasper and attended the East Texas Male and Female college in Jasper. he passed the bar examination in Galveston in 1905 after having taught school at Kirbyville, Hemphill, Peachtree, Homer and Cairo Springs. He became Jasper County attorney in 1908 and was County Judge from 1914 to 1916. He had also been a member of the county school board and the board of legal examiners. As Jasper's first city secretary and as councilman and mayor, Mr. Smith was a progressive leader in the city's government. He was among organizers of the city in the 1920s, he authorized the city charter and it was during his mayorial administration, beginning in 1929, that Jasper's present sewage system and fire department were formed. He was one of the area's finest abstractors. He had bought the George D. Barnard and company abstract business here in 1908 and established the Garland Smith Abstract company. His thorough land transacton files are famous. He had the oldest astract business in Jasper, at 132 East Lamar street, and the oldest continuously operated business in Jasper. A lifelong Methodist, Mr. Smith had served as a member of the local church's board of stewards for over 20 years before retiring as its chairman last year. He was a charter member of the year-old Jasper Rotary club. The Rev. J.T. Moore, retired pastor, and the Rev. Clyde Woodward, present pastor, of the First Methodist church, officiated at funeral services at 5 p.m. Monday at the church. Burial was in City cemetery. Active pallbearers named were Ward Markley, Joe J. Fisher, David Henderson, P.E. Lindsey, Jack Martindale, Sib Mixson of Kirbyville, W.A. Ryall, Wesley Neal, Marion Blake Rhodes, Robert Scarborough and P. B. Seale. All friends of the family were designated as honorary pallbearers. He is survived by his wife; one daughter, Mrs. Dallas J. Matthews of Houston; one brother, Marvin Smith, of Magnolia Springs; and six grandchildren, Garland Smith Matthews, Dallas J. Matthews, III, Clara May Matthews, Shannon Swann Matthews, Nicholas S. Matthews and John Holley Matthews, all of Houston. Among famed Texas patriots are Ezekial Smith, Mr. Smith's great - grandfather and Col. French Smith, his grandfather. Monuments to both stand at Seguin. Col. French Smith was founder of that town. Correction: The Jasper News Boy. (Jasper, Texas) Thursday, August 12, 1954, page 8 Mr. Garland Smith Started Own Business. In obituary stories following the death of Garland Smith in Jasper last week, it was erroneously reported that Mr. Smith purchased his abstract business here in 1908 from the George D. Barnard and company. Actually, Mr. Smith started his abstract business "from scratch." The Barnard company name enters the picture in reference to the fact that M. Smith did business with that abstract agency in Dallas and was the company's longest continuous customer and is listed as its oldest individual customer in Texas. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/jasper/obits/s/smith433nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/txfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb