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Below is a family biography included in The History of Coffee County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Joel B. Smith, a pioneer of Tullahoma, was born in Nashville, Tenn., September 12, 1829, and is the son of Joel M. and Charlotte (Bateman) Smith. The father was a native of North Carolina, born in 1797, and died in 1861. He was treasurer of Nashville, and United States pension agent, appointed to that office by President Van Buren. He was also proprietor of the Nashville Union, the pioneer newspaper of the capital city. The mother was also born in Nashville in 1805, the daughter of Henry Bateman, an early settler of Nashville; she died in 1876. Both were members of McKendree Methodist Episcopal Church, of Nashville. Our subject was reared in Nashville, and educated by Prof. Alfred Hume. When twenty-one years of age our subject entered the pension office of his father, buying and selling land warrants. In 1852 he was sent to Tullahoma as agent for the Nashville & Chattanooga Railway Company. After two years here he began speculating in wheat, and became proprietor of the Lincoln House and Tullahoma Hotel. During the war he was special aid-de-camp on Gov. Harris’ staff, and for a while occupied a similar position on the staff of Gen. Bragg. After the war he continued the hotel business until 1872, when he engaged in business with James G. Aydelott for eight years. At present he is bookkeeper and financial agent of the Tullahoma planing and saw mills. Our subject was married to Bettie Yell, daughter of Gov. Archibald Yell, the first governor of Arkansas, who was killed at the battle of Buena Vista, Mexico. She was born in Fayetteville, Tenn., in July, 1832. They have had eight children: William H., Archibald Y., Joel M., Frank K., Clinton, Lawson M., Lotta R. and Anna V. Our subject was the last mayor of Tullahoma before the war, and the first elected after the conflict, and has served several terms as alderman. He is a member of the Masonic order, and he and his wife both are members of the Episcopal Church. His son, Archibald J. Smith, is agent of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway at Tullahoma, a director of the First National Bank of the city, and is one of the progressive and enterprising young citizens.

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This family biography is one of 59 biographies included in The History of Coffee County, Tennessee published in 1887.  The History of Coffee County was included within The History of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren & White Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Warren, White Counties of Tennessee

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