My Genealogy Hound

WILL S. SMITH, was born in Orange Co., N. Y., Feb. 18, 1851; he is the eldest son of Matthew C. and Mary Jane Smith, who were both natives of New York State; his father was captain and owner of a vessel running between New York City and Albany, on the Hudson River; he died February 18, 1857, leaving a family of five children— Anna E. (now Mrs. Dr. S. C. Wilson), Will S., Matthew C. and Frank B.; during his life-time, however, he recognized the value of an education and made every effort to secure for his children that mental culture which is imperishable; but Will was not a studious youth; the glorious fun of fishing, hunting baseball and other athletic sports, had for him a far greater charm than the problems of his arithmetic, the puzzling intricacies of his grammar, the comprehensive knowledge contained within the pasteboard lids of his geography, or even the polysyllables of his spelling-book; all told, his schooling amounted to less than four years of constant attendance; to this day, he acknowledges that it was his fault that not even a common-school education accompanied him when he embarked for himself in the struggle of life; he applied himself to several vocations and finally settled down to learn the art of printing, which business he is at present engaged in; he has worked in some of the largest cities in the country; in 1866, he, with his mother and youngest brother moved West and settled in Bloomington, Ill., where his sister and next elder brother preceded them about six months; he married Miss Sue A. Colvin, Nov. 13, 1873; she was born in this county in 1876, Mr. and Mrs. Smith visited the Centennial Exposition, and made an extended tour through the East, visiting nearly all of the largest cities, and spending some time at his old home, where he had not been for ten years; in 1878, he went to Chicago, Ill., where he and his wife are at present living.