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 215-217; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Capt. John S. Smith. No one is more universally esteemed
in Farmington than the old soldier whose name appears at the head of
this sketch. Whenever Farmington celebrates, Capt. Smith aids
with money and work; whenever she decorates Capt. Smith is there;
whenever any great political or other public even occurs Capt. Smith is
promptly on hand to act as master of ceremonies. His military
experience give him a special fitness for organizing and conducting
such affairs, and his comrades of the Grand Army, among whom he is a
great favorite, are certain to desire his leadership in anything in
which they bear a part. Notwithstanding the prominent position
which our subject thus occupies so frequently he is one of the most
unostentatious of men, always preferring an inconspicuous position and
never failing to withdraw from the public gaze as soon as his duties
will permit.
The father of our subject was another John Smith, a native of
Kentucky, whither his parents had emigrated from Germany. For
twenty years he was Justice of the Peace in Harrison County, Ind.
He was an intimate friend of the father of Judge Gresham, who while he
was Sheriff in that county was shot by a man whom he was trying to
arrest. The prisoner was brought before Justice Smith for
examination and bound over for trial. Mr. Smith was a wheelwright
and manufacturer of carriages. He married Nancy Grant who was
distantly related to the famous general of that name.
The parents of our subject removed to Fulton County, Ill., many
years ago, locating on a tract of land five miles west of Canton.
Mr. Smith soon sold his farm and about 1840 established in Farmington
the first enterprise of a manufacturing nature in the city. It
was a carding and cloth-dressing factory. The proprietor
subsequently removed to West Jersey, Stark County, where he engaged in
his olden occupation of the manufacture of wagons. He died in
1866 at the age of seventy-two years. He was quite prominent in
church circles. His eldest brother, a leading scientist and
electrician of this State, is the inventor of the electrical apparatus
by means of which teeth may be extracted without pain.
The mother of our subject died at the age of forty-two years,
leaving seven children named respectively, Theresa A., Elias, George
L., John Springle, Martha C., Mary and Adeline. The father
married a second time, having by his last union one son - Abner.
Capt. Smith was born at Corydon, Harrison County, Ind., March
28, 1833. His first recollections are of farm life in Fulton
County, Ill. He attended the early schools, receiving an ordinary
education, in addition to which he was caring boy in the mill, worked
with his father in the wagon-making trade and on the farm in the summer
time. At the age of eighteen years he began a regular two years’
apprenticeship as a house, carriage and sign painter, continuing to
work at his trade until the needs of his country determined him to take
up arms in her defense. He enlisted August 16, 1862, at
Farmington in the One Hundred and Third Illinois Infantry. He
assisted in recruiting a company and was elected by the boys Second
Lieutenant of Company C. The troops were drilled at Camp Peoria,
mustered into service there and sent to the front, Lieut. Smith was
retained as Post Commander at Peoria while the rest of the regiment
were in Tennessee, but in December joined them at Waterford, Miss.
Resuming his position as Second Lieutenant, the first heavy
engagement in which our subject took part was the battle at Vicksburg,
this being followed by that at Black River where he was detailed to act
as Captain of another company. At Jackson hard fighting and close
quarters were the fate of the boys, who not long afterward again met
the enemy at Buzzards Roost, Tenn., whither our subject had been sent
in February, 1864, to support Gen. John M. Palmer. At Resaca
Lieut. Smith had a narrow escape from a piece of a shell, but there, as
on other battlefields, he escaped unhurt. The many skirmishes in
which he and his company were engaged are beyond the limits of mention
in a sketch like this. The prominent battles in which he took
part after those mentioned were Dallas, New Hope Church, Noonday Creek,
Kenesaw Mountain, Roswell Mills and the battle of Atlanta. Prior
to the last he had charge of a detachment scouting through Alabama
under orders from Gen. Sherman, their object being to secure horses for
recruiting the artillery and ambulance supply and finding gout the
position and strength of the guerrillas. During the month of
January, 1864, he was aid-de-camp on the brigade staff of Col.
Dickerman.
After having participated in the engagement at Atlanta July 22,
1864, Lieut. Smith was elected Captain of company I, One Hundred and
Third Illinois Infantry, and a few days later appointed Assistant
Quartermaster, guarding stores in that city about a month. He was
the permanently detailed under Col. Garber and served as Assistant
Quartermaster, having charge of the hospital stores of the Fifteenth
Army Corps. As such, he acted at Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville,
New York City, Hilton Head, S. C., Charleston, Moorehead City, N. C.,
and Newbern, being at the latter place when Johnston surrendered.
There he was discharged by reason of the close of the war about June 1,
1865. He had fought in the whole Atlanta campaign which was rated
by Gen. Sherman as one hundred days of solid fighting. He was
never wounded but at Kenesaw had four bullet holes through his blouse.
Returning to his home our subject settled down to his trade, at
which he continued to work until 1870 when, on account of ill-health
caused by painting, he embarked in the general merchandise
business. In the crises of 1873 he suffered the loss of about
$3,000 which nearly ruined him financially and obliged him to
practically begin anew. He turned his attention to the business
of fire insurance and collections, and is at present Secretary of the
Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company. He is a Notary Public and
Justice of the Peace, having been elected to the latter position six
years since and re-elected in 1889. He has been Notary for an equal
length of time.
In 1877 our subject enlisted in the State service, becoming a
member of the Fourth Illinois National guards and being elected by
every vote of Company E to the Captaincy, which he held two and a half
years. He is a steadfast Republican, well acquainted with many of
the leading politicians of the State and very popular in political
circles. He had never sought political honors, but has done good
service for the party, having been a member of the County Central
Committee five years; he is still serving on the latter. Capt.
Smith voted for Gen. Fremont in 1856 and from that day has never failed
to cast a straight Republican ballot at every Presidential election
except during the year 1864, when he was absent from the polls by
reason of his presence amid scenes of conflict.
On three different occasions Capt. Smith has been solicited to
accept the office of Sheriff, but persistently declined. He was
one of the prime movers in organizing the Grand Army Post in
Farmington, and served efficiently as its Commander for two
years. He is a Deacon in the Congregational Church and has been
Trustee and Superintendent of the Sunday-school several years. He
is the owner of the Mason House Block in which he is domiciled and he
likewise owns a fine residence on Fort Street. He carries on a
stock farm, making a specialty of sheep, he and his wife owning a tract
of one hundred and forty acres of land.
In the fall of 1861 Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss
Harriet, daughter of Jacob Hand, formerly Supervisor of Farmington
Township and a well-known capitalist therein. Mrs. Smith was a
good, true woman who faithfully discharged the duties which she saw
before her as long as her strength would permit. She was called
hence in 1886, and two years later our subject was married a second
time, his companion on this occasion being Mrs. Caroline Wilcox.
The present Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Luther and Nancy (Wilson)
Birge. Deacon Birge is well-known as one of the original
Abolitionists of this section, who with the assistance of our subject
conducted several loads of slaves away at various times on the
underground railroad.
