My Genealogy Hound

PHILLIP SMITH was born in Caledonia County, Vt., October 21, 1827, and is the third of five children of Francis and Nancy (Hartwell) Smith, both of whom were of English extraction. In 1837 the parents moved West to Wayne County, Ind. Phillip remained at home with his parents until the age of twenty-nine, at which time he settled on land bought two years before under the Graduation Act of Congress. Since that time he has been a resident of this county. In February, 1859, he married Mary E. Connor and by her has seven children, Ernest, Edward C., Elexia, Gertrude, Horace G., Mary and Owen. Edward and Elexia are dead. Our subject in youth served an apprenticeship at the printer’s trade. Since coming here he has followed farming, and now owns 600 acres of land. He was formerly a Republican but is now a Democrat, and has been the nominee of the last named party in this county for representative to the State Legislature twice. In 1848 he was associated with Rawson Vaile, of Kokomo, in the publication of the Free Territory Sentinel at Centerville, Wayne Co., Ind., which sheet assisted in the election of George W. Julian, the first anti-slavery member of congress from Indiana.