My Genealogy Hound

WILLIAM M. SMITH, miller, grain and tobacco dealer, also dealer and shipper of livestock, Arcanum, Ohio. We could hardly do justice to the business interest of Arcanum without devoting a brief space of this work to the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, as we consider that the local interests of the town as well as the surrounding country owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Smith as conducting his many branches of business in a highly honorable manner, and supplying a market for the productions of the surrounding country. He was born in Adams Co., Penn., Nov. 16, 1829, and in the sketch of his brother, John Smith, will be found a more extended genealogy of the family. The subject of our sketch came to Ohio about the year 1836, and located in Preble Co.; here he was raised to and followed agricultural pursuits until 1858, when he came to this place and clerked in the store of his brother one year. For the next ten years he was engaged in the general merchandise and grain trade, disposing of the same in 1869; he then devoted one year to the real-estate business, the three years succeeding being agent of the D. & U. R. R.; about the year 1872, he erected his present warehouse, since which time he has successfully followed the above business, his shipments of grain in a season to the Eastern markets being upward of 200,000 bushels his purchases of tobacco being disposed of for export; his mill has a capacity of from 400 to 500 bushels a day, the production of which is shipped largely in car-load lots to the New England States; his shipments of livestock will exceed fifty car-loads yearly; and, as stated above, we consider the business as conducted by the above gentleman of great importance to the interests of Arcanum and the surrounding country. Upon the 16th of February, 1852, he was united in marriage with Maria Keltner; she was a native of Indiana, but came to Montgomery Co. with her parents when quite young. They are the parents of four sons and two daughters, viz., John W., Seges, Jesse C., Charles E., Daisy and William R.