My Genealogy Hound

DAVID C. SMITH, a prominent resident and dairy farmer of Keeney, town of Cuyler, this county, is a son of William and Lavina (Congling) Smith, and a native of Chenango County, having first seen the light of day in the town of Lincklaen, March 20, 1842. He is closely connected with the business interests of Cuyler, deals largely in real estate, and is also an extensive stock dealer.

His father was, for the greater part of his life, a resident of Lincklaen, Chenango County. He was a tanner and currier, doing a fine business, at the same time superintending the work of his large farm of 1,000 acres. He was pre-eminently a man of varied business qualifications, as few men can operate so many lines of business successfully, on such an extensive scale. In connection with his tannery, he opened a shop for the manufacture of shoes, providing employment for a great many men. In politics he was a Republican, but took no active part, as his time was fully given to his business. He was a man who always had ready cash, and he pushed his business ventures to the exclusion of everything else. He lived a long and useful life, dying at the ripe old age of eighty-six years. He was married to Lavina Congling, and had a family of ten children: George, deceased; Julia, deceased; Maria, wife of James Allen of Woodstock; Harriet, wife of William Steadson of Union Valley; William, a physician, deceased; Willis, a resident of Lincklaen; Elizabeth, deceased; Emeline, wife of William Petrie of Cuyler; Garrett; David C.; and Lucien of Woodstock, Madison County.

David C. Smith married Emeline Jones of Truxton, in 1867; four children were born to them: Nellie, deceased; Fanny, wife of William Breed of Cuyler; Richard, deceased; and Harriet, wife of Clayton Allen. Mr. Smith was educated in the select schools of Union Valley and in the De Ruyter Institute. He began teaching at the age of sixteen, and continued at that employment five years, until he attained his majority. For two and one-half years after this he lived upon the farm in South Cuyler, which he had purchased from his father. Then he moved on a farm near the village of Truxton, which he operated for four years, at the end of that time returning to Cuyler, where he bought his present property. This farm contains 26S acres of arable land. He has engaged largely in dairying, keeping from thirty to fifty cows, and at present makes it his principal business. He takes a lively interest in the affairs of the town, and is an earnest worker for the promotion of whatever pertains to its prosperity. He is a stockholder in the Central Building and Loan Association; a Republican in politics, and has served as assessor for the past fifteen years; a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and of the De Ruyter Lodge, F. and A. M. As a leading and representative agriculturist and dairyman of Cortland County, the publishers present Mr. Smith’s portrait* on a preceding page.

*An engraving was included in the original printed volume.