My Genealogy Hound

Charles Smith, Jr., is a prominent and successful farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Farmington township, Oakland County, where he owns one of the finest farms in his community, which consists of 80 acres in section 18. He was born in Germany in 1840 and is a son of Charles and Mary (Budca) Smith.

Charles Smith, the father of our subject, came to America with his wife and family in 1865 and located in Farmington township one mile east of the village of Farmington and there engaged in farming and raising stock. Their three children, all born in Germany, are as follows: Charles, Jr., whose name heads this sketch; Fredericka, who married Fred Salon, resides on a farm near Farmington village and has seven children, — Henry, Fred, Ann, Fredericka, Andrew, Lena and Ida; Lena, who married William Pauline, a farmer of Wayne County, Michigan, and has five children, — William, Henry, Fred, Minnie and Emma.

Charles Smith, Jr., received his education in Germany and engaged in farm work there up to the time of coming to America with his parents, whom he helped for a number of years after they located in Oakland County. In 1878 he purchased a farm of 50 acres in section 18, Farmington township, a part of his present property, to which he later added 30 acres. He has been actively engaged in general farming and has certainly made a success of his vocation.

Mr. Smith was married to Rachel Tamm, a daughter of Carl Tamm, who died in Germany. She immigrated to America with our subject’s people and the young folks were married on their arrival. They have reared five children namely: Minnie, who was born in 1867 and now resides at home; Etta (deceased), born in 1869, who married Louis Van Valkenburg, — they were the parents of one child who died in infancy; Carl, born in 1875, who was married August 5, 1902, to Mary Blanchard, daughter of Volney Blanchard, of Farmington township, Oakland County; Leona, born in 1878, who married Don Conroy, resides east of Farmington, and has one child, Ione; and Lizzie, born in 1881, who is teaching school at Walled Lake, Commerce township, Oakland County. Mr. Smith is a member of the German Lutheran Church. In the matter of politics, he is a Democrat.