My Genealogy Hound

CHARLES A. SMITH, one of the early settlers of Nebraska, was born at Madison, Wis., January 4, 1856. He came to this state at the age of twenty-one, with his mother and step-father, Joseph Pinkham, who settled on the prairie near where the city of Minden has since been located. The country was wild and unsettled, with no improvements, and it was a long time before Mr. Smith could make up his mind to remain. He assisted Mr. Pinkham, however, in building a sod house, and in arranging for the future life on the prairie of his mother and step-father, and was eventually induced by them to remain himself. He finally secured some cattle and broke the raw prairie for other persons at $2.50 per acre. He thus acquired a small capital, and in the meantime, having located a homestead of eighty acres on the north half of the northwest quarter of section 19, township 6, range 14, commenced making improvements. He built a sod house, as was the custom, living with his mother meanwhile. Before he could fully get ready for living on his own place, however, he had to mortgage his cattle to raise means to buy a stove, plows, etc., and was then ready to start housekeeping and farming on his own account. For two years he led a single life, and then, in February, 1880, was married, and life became more enjoyable. He occasionally did a little freighting and other odd jobs, to raise a little cash, which was a very scarce article in those days, and on one occasion he was obliged to sell his last hog in order to raise money to buy coal. Just before his marriage he traded his ox teams for horses, and farming became more pleasant. He prospered, built a comfortable frame dwelling, and after living on the place six years sold out and bought land nearer Minden, where he could carry on farming and at the same time reside in town, where he had built a pleasant residence. He now owns two hundred acres of fine land and an interest in a brick block on the square in Minden, and is engaged in trading as well as farming, and is financially one of Kearney county’s most substantial citizens, and very glad that he took his devoted mother’s advice to make Nebraska his home.

Mr. Smith married Miss Lilly A., the estimable daughter of George C. and Lucia A. Dutton. Mr. Dutton is a native of New York State and of English descent. He moved to Lake county, Ind., where he was engaged in the lumber business and farming until 1878, when he came to Nebraska, and is now running a stock ranch near Cozad, in Dawson county. He is about sixty-four years of age, and is in receipt of a pension for disease contracted while serving in the Union army during the late war. To the happy union of Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born two children — Clarence H., who was born February 22, 1887, and who died July 4 of the same year, and Cora B., now a little over two years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Smith is a member of the A. O. U. W. and the Sons of Veterans. In politics he is a republican.

William E. Smith, the father of our subject, died while in the service of his country, at Jacksonport, Ark., June 27, 1862, of congestive chills; his brother, a lieutenant, died soon after. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Debora Miles, and was a daughter of Warren Miles, who was born in New York State, but moved to Wisconsin and farmed near Madison until his death, in 1876. To William E. Smith and wife were born four children — two of whom died before the war; the two who survived until after the war closed were Charles A. and William H. The latter was killed in his third term as constable, while in the discharge of his sworn duty. The two brothers had always acted together in business, and were full of enterprise and always enjoyed the full confidence of their fellow-citizens.