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 218-219; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Foster G. Smith operates three hundred and twenty acres, of
which he owns eighty acres, situated in Fairview Township. His
entire time and attention is devoted to farming and stock-raising; he
breeds thoroughbred Shorthorn cattle and Shropshire sheep, and has a
heard of thoroughbreds and forty graded Short horns. He is justly
proud of his fine horses, and has met with success in this line
also. Both in business and social circles he is extensively
known, and though not a member of any church is active in advancing the
interests of all religious matters. He is Chairman of the
Executive committee of the Methodist Cemetery Association, known as the
Foster Cemetery.
Socially, Mr. Smith is a prominent member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, having attained the highest degree in that
order. He is a member of Patriarchs Militant, and represented
Fairview Lodge, No. 120, at the State Grand Lodge of Springfield and
Cairo, and also visited the Sovereign Grand Lodge at Columbus, Ohio, in
1889. He first belonged to Morning Star Lodge, No. 20, I. O. O.
F., at Placerville, Cal. His interest in his lodge has been at
all times great and he is well and favorably known to fraternity
circles. He belongs to the Fulton Encampment, No. 51, at
Farmington, and the Canton Oriental of the Patriarchs Militant, No. 33.
With the pioneer history of Fulton County the father of our
subject was very closely identified. He was born in Madison
County, Ohio, his family having emigrated there from Virginia. He
bore the name of Jonathan Smith, and the date of his birth was
September 11, 1808. He was united in the Buckeye State with Ann
Foster, who was also born there, and they came to Illinois in 1837,
buying two eighty-acre tracts of land at the Government land sales in
Quincy. The father had visited this county in 1833, and was
favorably impressed with the outlook here. Two years later he
came and raised a crop, and in 1837 located on section 35, where he
lived until called home.
The father became the owner of five hundred and forty acres in
Fairview Township and four hundred and eighty acres in Iowa. He
began life without means, having been left an orphan at the early age
of ten years. So well did he succeed in his efforts that, as
stated above, before his death he became the owner of one thousand and
twenty acres of land in Illinois and Iowa. When quite young he
was compelled to hire out, receiving for his services from $7 to $10
per month, and thus was his beginning made. He died February 25,
1886, after attaining to the age of seventy-seven years five months and
fourteen days. The mother’s death occurred February 17, 1888, at
the age of seventy-one years, five months and eighteen days.
To Jonathan and Ann (Foster) Smith were born nine children, as
follows: Sarah Jane, Foster G., Mary E., Ellen A,, John H.,
America A., Alice M., Martha F. and one who died in infancy
unnamed. Sarah is the wife of A. J. McCombs, and lives in
Fairview Township; Mary E. is the wife of John Broadfield, a fruit
grower of California; Ellen A. married Dr. S. B. Beer, of Fairview;
John H. married Mary A. Wyckoff, and is a farmer in Marshall County,
Iowa; America A. is the wife of W. T. Gentle, a farmer of Fairview
Township; Alice M. and Martha F. are living with their brother on the
old homestead.
He of whom we write was born April 24, 1840, on the Smith
homestead, and passed his life in the usual manner of farmers’ lads in
frontier countries. When he had reached maturity he made an
extended trip to California, in 1861, and engaged in the lumber
business and mining operations. He passed nine years there, and
finally reluctantly returned East and has since engaged as a farmer and
stock-raiser. He is highly esteemed in this community as a man of
probity and honor, and his life of industry and enterprise has brought
him success from a financial point of view and a high position in the
county which is his native home.
