Smith, Charles bio

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 605–606; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Charles Smith occupies no unimportant place among the business men of Canton. He was born in Greenfield, Saratoga County, N. Y., September 3, 1826. His father, John Smith, was a native of Vermont and a modest farmer. He died in 1884. The mother of our subject, prior to her marriage was Cynthia Hewett, and she was born in the same county as her husband. They were early settlers of Saratoga County, and there they reared a large family of fourteen children, six girls and eight boys, all of whom grew to maturity and have lived to good old ages, the age of the first to died being sixty-five years old. The Smiths and the Hewetts were both of Scotch ancestry. Charles Smith of this sketch was the sixth of the fourteen children and there were four boys who drifted westward. He passed his school days in Greenfield, his native town, and received a fair education. On July 13, 1853, he came to Canton, being then in the prime and vigor of manhood. He became a clerk in the store of Amos Smith and J. N. Olds, and has since been in business for himself.
The marriage of our subject with Mrs. May J. Woodruff, of Farmington, was solemnized in 1875. They have a large and comfortable residence finely located at No. 207 South Prairie Street. Mr. Smith may well be classed among the old settlers of the county, and he has ever taken a warm interest in its development and welfare. He is an intelligent, well informed ma possessing foresight and sagacity in business matters. He is a liberal in his religious ideas, and in politics is a devoted Republican. He cast his first vote for Henry Clay, and the last time he voted he supported Benjamin Harrison.