Macoupin County
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Biography - HANEY V. SMITH

Haney V. Smith, who, with his brothers, Lemuel B. and Edward L., form the firm of Smith Brothers, proprietors of the Bird Hill Fruit Farm, consisting of 102 acres, situated in sections 14 and 11, Bunker Hill township, Macoupin County, was born April 29, 1847, in Warren County, Illinois. He is a son of Vincent and Rhoda (Bird) Smith, the former of whom at the time of his death, February 28, 1904, was the most venerable citizen of Macoupin County.

Our subject is one of a family of 12 children born to his parents, the survivors being: Stephen, born January 5, 1841, is in the real estate business at Wyndmere, North Dakota; Haney V., of this sketch; Mrs. Hannah Boswell, of Shipman, Macoupin County; Katherine E., who resides with her brothers; and Lemuel B. and Edward L., members of the firm of Smith Brothers.

Our subject was four years of age when he accompanied his parents to the present farm, which formerly belonged to his maternal grandfather, Lemuel Bird. Mr. Bird was born in Maine and there learned the business of manufacturing paper in the early days when much of the work now accomplished by machinery was done by hand. Later he went to Massachusetts, where he married, and in 1836 came with his family to Warren County, Illinois, and in 1848 to Macoupin County. His last years were passed in the home now occupied by our subject. His family consisted of eight children, namely: Rhoda, who married Vincent Smith and became the mother of our subject; Thomas, deceased, who is in the wholesale paper business in St. Louis, Missouri; Richard, now a farmer near Vandalia, Missouri, who graduated at Dartmouth College and was prevented from entering the ministry on account of ill health; John, now a farmer near Vandalia, Missouri, who made the trip to California in 1849; Katherine, who is the wife of Dr. T. C. Patterson, of Monmouth, Illinois; Leander, a member of Company A, 97th Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., who died in a military hospital at Memphis, Tennessee, in the Civil War; Mrs. Eliza Brown, a resident of Decatur, Illinois; and Samuel, also a member of the 97th Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., who gave up his life for his country, dying at Jefferson Barracks, two weeks after the death of his brother Leander.

Our subject has lived on the beautiful Bird Hill Fruit Farm practically all his life. On account of its favorable soil and location, he with the assistance of his two brothers, has converted it into a fruit farm exclusively. A specialty is made of the growing of fine pears, the pear orchard including 5,000 trees of the Kieffer variety, 700 of Dutchess, 500 of Orange quince, 200 apple trees, and 300 peach trees. In addition, a sorghum and a canning factory is operated, the output from the latter being 30,000 cans of tomatoes a season from home-grown stock. They have a very complete equipment for an extensive canning business and the demand for the goods is constantly increasing on account of their uniform excellence.

On January 26, 1902, Mr. Smith was married to Henrietta Henessey, who was born February 22, 1857, at St. Louis, Missouri, and was left an orphan at an early age.

Mr. Smith is a member of the Prohibition party and has been very active in advancing its principles. Since he was eight years of age, he has been a member of the Methodist Church. His fraternal association is with the Modem Woodmen of America. Mr. Smith is one of the best known men in the southern part of Macoupin County, where the family has been prominent so many years. He is a progressive, reliable business man and in every way a first class citizen.


Extracted 2018 May 06 by Norma Hass from Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois, published in 1904, pages 163-165.


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