Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County,
Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of
prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with
portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States,
and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890;
page 698-699; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Capt. Charles A. Smith. Farmington has its full quota of
live business men and the jewelry trade of this place is well
represented by Capt. Smith, the enterprising jeweler and expert
watchmaker. As his title denotes, Mr. Smith was a military man
and was for a long time an officer in Company C, of the Fourth Regiment
of the Illinois National Guards.
Mr. Smith was born on Miller Street, Philadelphia, Pa., August
12, 1851, his early home standing on the opposite side of the street
from that of Charlie Ross, the boy who was so mysteriously kidnapped
several years ago. His father, Andrew E. Smith, was born in
Pennsylvania. He is a plasterer by trade, and although nearly
seventy years of age is a man of exceptional activity and is still
following his calling with the diligence of a man of thirty. He
is a self-made man, a great reader, and what is more, remembers nearly
everything that he reads. Our subject’s mother was Mary Ann
Nancreede. Her father was Dr. Nancreede, of Philadelphia, Pa.,
and he was of French extraction. The Smiths were of Swedish
descent. The great-grandfather of our subject, Charles Smith,
helped to build the first Swedish Church in America and was one of the
Colonists who settled on the Delaware.
When a lad of six years the parents of our subject brought him
to Farmington, Ill. He attended the public schools of this place
and also the High School for one year. He then began to learn the
trade of a jeweler, being apprenticed to J. H. Snyder, who at that time
was a jeweler in Farmington, and is now of Canton. He worked for
him one year, when his employer’s health failed and he went to
California, and our subject went to Elmwood and worked out a regular
apprenticeship of two years under D. S. Brown. Mr. Smith then
returned to Farmington and worked under Mr. Conver for one year and
then went back to Elmwood to take charge of Mr. Brown’s jewelry store
while the latter took a journey to the East, and he managed it for
about nine months. By this time he had acquired a thorough
knowledge of his trade and was anxious to set out in the world and make
his way for himself. He secured a position at Wyoming, this
State, and remained there for some time. He next sought
employment in Chicago, but failing in this, came back to Farmington and
re-engaged with Mr. Conver.
In the fall of 1872 Mr. Smith went to Wapello, Iowa, and
obtained a situation in a jewelry store there. Two years later he
left it to go to Marble Rock, where he remained a short time and the
next fall made his way to the southern part of this State and in
Kirkwood was employed by D. K. Kness. By his faithfulness and
efficiency he gained the confidence of his employer, and was sent by
him to take charge of a branch store at Altoona. He managed it
admirably for a period of five years.
While at that place Mr. Smith enlisted in Company C, Fourth
Regiment, Illinois National Guards. From the rank of private he
rose to be Second Lieutenant, holding his commission under Gov.
Beveridge, and from Gov. Cullom received a commission as Captain of his
company. He possesses fine qualifications for a military man,
having a good physique, and has a resolute will, keen perception, a
quick understanding and unflinching courage. When he was acting
as captain of his company the great railroad strike at St. Louis
occurred. The strikers had in view the destruction by fire of the
East St. Louis stock yards, railway depot and yards, roundhouses,
rolling mills and the bridge across the Mississippi River. Our
subject was placed to guard the stock yards all day Sunday. The
strikers became more enrage than ever and threatened immediate
destruction. No train had crossed the bridge for days and the
strikers swore that none should pass, and that in case a company should
make an attempt, they said they would blow up the bridge with
dynamite. In such an emergency nothing but absolute courage could
save the city from destruction, and unless the reader be a military
man, and a veteran at that, he will be unable to appreciate the
unflinching bravery of Capt. Smith, as in accordance to orders he led
his company right into the centre of the bridge, passing through the
vast crowd of enraged men, whose oaths and threats filled the air with
terror that might have cowed one less resolute.
The St. Louis papers spoke of this daring act of bravery in the
highest terms, but unfortunately it appears that the reporters’ nerves
were so far overcome as to prevent them from getting the correct facts
as to the company and its valiant leader, so that their reports of the
charge of the bridge and their descriptions of the men and companies
engaged were all a sad conglomeration of confusion, and our subject did
not get proper credit for what he had done. He remained in St.
Louis until the riot was quelled and was next sent with his men to
Galesburg to subdue the rioters at that place. Having settled the
troubles there, his company and also the Altoona and Kewanee companies
went to Kewanee, where an imposing reception was tendered the brave
boys who had saved two of Illinois’ municipalities from destruction and
the State from anarchy.
In the spring of 1879 Mr. Smith came back to Farmington,
bringing with him a stock of jewelry, and in the month of June, 1879,
opened a well-appointed jewelry store and has since built up a fine
business in his line. In State and National politics our subject
votes the Republican ticket, but for local offices he supports the man
whom he judges to be best qualified for the position. He is
prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity, and is at present a
member of Farmington Lodge, No. 192, and has held various other
important offices in that connection.
Capt. Smith was married in 1876 to Miss Hattie Inez, daughter of
Gaylord and Annette (Barnes) Rider. They came to Farmington about
thirty years ago from their native Ohio. The father was a
cabinet-maker and worked in a shop at Farmington at one time. He
is now engaged in mining on the Pacific Slope. His wife died in
1888, at the age of fifty-six years. They had the following
children: Hattie, Sadie, Clara, Ida, Charles Lester, Minnie, who
died in infancy, Frank, George, Nettie, and Blanche who died when six
years old. Clara is the wife of Martin S. Mason, of Farmington,
and Charles is a horseman at Syracuse, N. Y. The rest are
residing in Farmington. After two years of wedded life Mrs. Smith
died at the age of twenty-four years. Mr. Smith subsequently
married her sister Sadie, and they have one child – Albert Leon.
