OBITUARY: A. S. Smith, 1861 - Smith County, TX Contributed by Vicki Betts 5 August 2002 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ***************************************************************** TENNESSEE BAPTIST, September 28, 1861, p. 4, c. 4 A. S. Smith. Died, in Smith county, Texas, on 22d of June, 1861, in the 51st year of his age, A. S. Smith, after an illness of thirteen days, which he bore with patience. He was never to [sic] heard to murmur through his affliction. In 1860 he united with the Hopewell Baptist Church, near him, and he was one of her active and zealous deacons at the time of his death. His noble Christian and generous feelings endeared him to all our hearts. We deeply mourn the loss of so much worth to our church, community and State. In his death our church has lost one of her best members, and his deep-toned piety and high position among us, enabled him to do and accomplish for the church great good. He called his dear family around his bed-side, and bore witness to the truth of God's word in telling them he had no fear of death. He addressed first his dear wife; told her of her faithfulness and kindness as a wife and Christian; then the dear little children, one by one, were admonished, after this the servants too were exhorted to flee the wrath of God. Then with a strong voice sang praises to God, (a hymn which had been a favorite for many years,) showing to all around that there was a divine reality in the religion which he had so long professed. Our brother had lived a devoted Christian life for about thirty-five years. We tender our heartfelt sympathies to our afflicted sister and her dear sons, whose loss is irreparable. O husband indeed! O father indeed! and though no human hand can bind up their wounded hearts, we commend them to the mercy of Him who is the widow's husband and the orphan's father. We thank God that the older sons are and have been following the footsteps of our beloved brother, and we can say, though our brother is dead, yet he lives in our midst, and the younger sons can see the departed father's piety in the life and deportment of the older brothers. May the good Lord continue his work, and may the mother and dear sons be saved an unbroken band is the prayer of your unworthy friend, M. C. The Christian Index and Tennessee Baptist will please copy, also Baptist Banner.