Lincoln County, West Virginia         Biography of JACOB DAVID SMITH

This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook,
E-mail address:  <vfcrook@earthlink.net>

**********************************************
***The submitter does not have a connection***
********to the subject of this sketch.********
**********************************************

This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit
organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved.

Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval
system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other
means requires the written approval of the file's author.

This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside
a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm


The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume II,
pg. 564
Lincoln

JACOB DAVID SMITH, prosecuting attorney of Lincoln
County, is one of the ablest lawyers practicing at the bar
of Hamlin, and a man whose fearlessness and resourceful-
ness have won him prestige and resulted in the conviction of
a number of criminals and the enforcement of law and or-
der in a marked degree. He was born in Lawrence County,
Ohio, April 28, 1870, a son of Jacob and Barbara Jane
(Lewis) Smith, natives of Ohio and Virginia, respectively.
The ancestors of Mr. Smith are traced back in the annals
of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and a distinguished
member on his mother's side was the historian Lewis. Ja-
cob Smith was a farmer, an earnest Christian and active in
the work of the Baptist Church.

Prosecutor Smith's educational training was commenced
in the common schools of Ohio and West Virginia, and con-
tinued later on in the summer normal school held at Ham-
lin, where he fitted himself for teaching, for eighteen years
he was an educator, during which period he studied law. He
completed his legal studies in the State University at Mor-
gantown in 1900, and passed his examinations before the
state board and was licensed to practice law. In addition
to teaching and studying law he also served as deputy
county clerk of Lincoln County during the year 1905, and
he had full charge of the office. In 1908 he was appointed
assistant prosecuting attorney, serving as such until 1912.
In the fall of that year he was the candidate for prose-
cuting attorney, but was defeated, and entered upon a gen-
eral practice of his profession. In 1920 he was again a
candidate, and was elected prosecuting attorney by a very
large majority. From 1915 to 1919 he was a clerk in the
State Legislature, attending every session, and had the
honor of being the clerk in charge of the enrollment of
every bill passed, and took them to the governor for his
signature.

On December 25, 1904, Mr. Smith married at East Bank,
Kanawha County, West Virginia, Miss Rose Alexander, a
teacher in the school of that county, and a daughter of
Houston and Sarah (Mitchell) Alexander, natives of West
Virginia and Ohio, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Smith be-
came the parents of the following children: Virginia May,
Houston A., Rose Marie and Jacob David, Jr. Mr. Smith
is a sincere member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He is a Scottish-Rite Mason, and belongs to the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the
Modern Woodmen of America.

Lincoln County has the reputation of being the cleanest
county in West Virginia, and this admirable state of af-
fairs has been brought about by the aggressiveness and
fearlessness of Mr. Smith and the sheriff, Dan Vias, both
of whom are recognized to be the best men in their several
offices this region has ever had. Mr. Smith is one of the
most conscientious of men in his profession, and stands
very high with the public generally, and particularly with
the best element. He is unwavering in his determination
to make all respect the law and live up to the requirements
of decent people.