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John P. Smith John P. Smith, a farmer of Henry County, residing on section 16, centre Township, was born near Elizabeth City, N. C., April 11, 1818, and is of English and Welsh descent. He is a son of Samuel and Lydia (Pritchard) Smith, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. They were the parents of two children, one of whom is living, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Smith was previously married to Gresham Overton, and by this union there were two children, both of whom are now dead. of all his family, Mr. Smith is the only one left to record their history. Josh was a boy when his parents died and was bound out to John Gregery, a painter, but not liking this he ran away, and resolved to make his own living. In 1838 he was married to Miss Julia Kenyon, a native of North Carolina, born in 1812. In 1843 they emigrated to Henry County, Ind., and in 1849 they came to Henry County, Iowa. They made the journey with teams, camping out at night, and located on land in Jackson Township. In 1836 he purchased his present farm of forty acres in Center Township, situated a mile and a half south of Mt. Pleasant. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Smith has been blessed with six children: Thomas J. enlisted in Company K, 19th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, adn was killed at the battle of Sterling Farm, in Louisiana, Sept. 29, 1863; William L. also enlisted in Company K, 19th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the following battles: That of Ft. Morgan, Miller's Ford, Brownsville, Tex., siege of the Spanish Fort and the battle of Mobile. He served thirty months and was always found at his post of duty. James M., of Ft. Madison, Iowa, also served in the same regiment. The other three died in infancy. Mrs. Smith departed this life in 1863. She was a sincere
Christian, being a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
a kind wife and mother. In the fall of 1863 Mr. Smith was again
married, to Elizabeth J. Booth, a daughter of Henry and
Elizabeth Booth, who died in Guernsey County, Ohio. They were
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. By this last union
there were five children: Rose E., who died Aug. 13, 1886;
Bertram E., Jesse B., Joseph H. and Minnie E. Politically, Mr.
Smith is a Republican, but before the organization of that party
he was a Whig. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and are greatly respected throughout the
community. Mr. Smith has lived in Henry County since 1849, and
has witnessed the changes that have transformed it from a wild,
uninhabited region, to one of the most cultivated counties in
the State.
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