One Township's Yesterdays Chapter XXIX  

SMITH

DAVID SMITH came in the 'fifties to the region east of Lake Maxinkuckee. He took up land from the government. The farm that he so entered is the one now occupied by ERNEST E. BENEDICT. In the 'seventies, there were forty acres in the name of the D. SMITH Estate, east of Maxinkuckee on the township line. David's father, CHARLES SMITH, lived in Green Township, while David was just over the line in Union.

CHARLES SMITH was the grandfather of DAVID H. SMITH, ] Township Trustee and business man of Culver. David was his father.

The younger "Dave" was born near the eastern boundary of the township. He had small advantages as a boy, and his formal education comprised about three years all told of our present-day type of schooling, in a quite primitive form, however. He studied penmanship under an instructor who came around and conducted "night school." Dave did very well at this and won a prize for his work. Just before Dave was born, his father went off to serve in the Civil War. That was in '64. The Smith family were living in Union Township at the time. Dave never saw his father. Much responsibility fell to him after his father was gone. He had a great deal of the work on the farm to do then, just as soon as he was old enough to make himself useful. And he began real young. Later he broke away from farming and engaged in several different enterprises. He became a contractor and built, among other structures, the Rutland schoolhouse. He remembers when the Nickel Plate Railroad was being built.

D. H. SMITH was born seventy years ago in Union Township and is still alert and active in civic as well as church, social and business affairs.

NATHAN CLIFTON, who has been mentioned hitherto in our history, married a sister, POLLY SMITH.