~ Biographical Sketch ~

     John Smith was born on Wednesday, August 31, 1864 on Pumpkin Ridge (Goshen) near Turkey River in Millville Township, Clayton County, Iowa, son of Leeson A. Smith Sr. and Elizabeth Farley.¹ No middle name has been found for John.

According to the US census of June 21, 1870, John was living at home with his parents in Millville Township, Clayton County, Iowa. He was five years old.²

John appeared on the Millville Township census of June 1, 1880 in the household of his parents. He was recorded as 16 years old.³

John was one of the family members included in the 1885 Iowa state census in Mallory Township, Clayton County. Leeson A. Smith Sr. was head of the household.⁴

At age 26, John married Sarah Louisa Minger on Sunday, November 2, 1890 at the bride's home, on Pumpkin Ridge (Goshen) near Turkey River, in Goshen Ridge. Sarah was 22 years old. She was the daughter of John Minger and Elizabeth Hassig. Rev. William R. Bundy officiated. Witnesses at their marriage were Nettie Smith (sister of John) and Frank Minger (brother of Sarah).^1,5

John and Sarah lived their entire married life on the Pumpkin Ridge (Goshen) near Turkey River in Goshen Ridge. They lived the first years of their married life on his parent's farm in a second house which had been built on the property. It was here that their first three children were born -Irvin, Hattie and Sadie. The family then moved to another farm just a short distance away where five more children were born - Emmet, Grace, Ernest, Ferman, and Irene. Sarah and John, and their eight children lived in a log house on this farm until 1908 at which time a new house was built. As of 2006 this home still stands.

This new farm home was entered from the porch which led to the dinning room. Left of the dinning room was the kitchen and right of the dinning room was the parlor. Straight through the dinning room and to the right was the stairway to the second floor, and to the left was the main bedroom which was used by John and Sarah. There were several doors leading off of the parlor, this was described as a "wall of doors. One was a "cut-away" that also led to the main bedroom and another lead to the basement. The kitchen was very small with built-in cupboards. The cook stove was heated with wood which had been chopped to the appropriate length. When his son and daughter-in-law, Ferman and Berdina, moved in to help him, he resided in the two rooms on the right side of the house. One memorable piece of furniture that his granddaughter, Darlene (Smith) Julson, recalled was a standing dish cupboard of a plain design in his bedroom. The upper section had framed glass doors, the middle had drawers, and the lower section had wood doors. She also recalled a wooden washstand and bowl. There was no in-house bathroom, but of course they did have an outhouse. His granddaughter, Darlene, also recalls that when John was a widower, he used a horse blanket for his bed. It was a heavy blanket that was made from the hide of a horse and backed with a felt like material. The felt extended beyond the size of the hide and the edges were cut in a large zigzag pattern. John's great-granddaughter, Julie (Smith) Bergeron is the current owner of the horse-hide blanket. Upstairs in the farm house were numerous little bedrooms and storage. John's granddaughter, Millie (Moser) Philbrook, remembers that she used to go upstairs to play with the "little boy" toys and trains that belonged to her cousin, Donald Hyde (Donald was raised by his grandparents).

John had a good orchard on his farm and was especially noted for the pears which he grew in it, and which he sold to other people. He also sold honey from the bees which he raised on the farm.^6,7

John was 33 years old when Sarah gave birth to their son Emmet Willard, on Wednesday, March 2, 1898, in the family's log home - on the "John Smith Farm" on Goshen Ridge, in Turkey River, Millville Township, Clayton County, Iowa.

John appeared in the Millville Township US census of June 13, 1900 as head of household. He was now 35 years old and farming on his own farm which was mortgaged.. The household also included Sarah, his wife. They had been married for ten years. She was 31 years old caring for her five children; Irvin age eight, Hattie age seven, Sadie age five, Emmet age two, and Grace who was only four months old. All of the children had been born in Iowa.⁸

The April 28, 1910 census of Millville Township shows John as head of household. He was 45 years old. He was farming in a general manner and employed hired help.. Sarah was 41 years old. They had been married for about 19 years by now, and had the following children, all living at home: Irvin age 18, Hattie age 17, Sadie age 15, and Emmet age 12, Grace age ten, Ernest age eight, Ferman age five, and Irene who was three years old. Except for the oldest and the two youngest, the children were attending school. This was the first marriage for both John and Sarah. They were living on their own farm and were paying off a mortgage.⁹

On November 6, 1912, his son, Irvin, married Lillian Penhollow.^10,11,1,12

On October 22, 1913, his daughter, Hattie, married Edward Moser.^13,14

In 1914, his daughter, Sadie, married William Holub.^10,1

In 1918, his daughter, Sadie's second marriage was to Harry Smith.^15,10,16

John and Sarah were still living in Millville Township at the time of the February 23, 1920 US census. He was 55 years old and was farming on his own farm, to his own account in a general manner. The farm was free of mortgage..¹⁷

On February 28, 1923, his daughter, Grace, married Homer Donnan.¹⁰

In July, 1924, his daughter, Irene, married Wilbur Earl Hyde.^1,18

On March 4, 1926, his son, Ernest, married Grace G. Hutchins.¹⁹

On November 30, 1926, his son, Emmet, married Grace Elda Lenhart.^20,21

According to the Turkey River section of the Thursday edition of the local newspaper, "John Smith and wife visited at the Wilbur Hyde home near Dubuque on last Sunday." Although the newspaper clipping was undated, the date would have been Sunday, October 23, 1927 as there was a congratulatory note regarding the birth of Wilbur and Irene's baby boy on October 18th. John and Sarah most likely were there to see baby Donald, their daughter Irene's new baby boy. Irene died five days later.²²

Upon their daughter Irene's death on Oct 28th, 1927, John and Sarah raised her infant son, Donald Earl Hyde, as their own. He was nine days old when his mother died. At the time, Sarah said,"No one else shall have him." Irene's young daughter, Betty Lou, was raised by Irene's in-laws.⁷

John was 63 years old when his mother, Elizabeth, died on July 22, 1928.²³

On March 5, 1930, his son, Ferman, married Berdina Mildred Schrunk.^10,1,24

By the time of the 1930, Millville Township census, John and Sarah were still farming in a general manner. He was 65 years old and she was 61. They owned their own farm and were fortunate to own a radio set. Their grandson, Donald Earl Hyde, was now two and a half years old.²⁵

He became a widower at age 75 when his wife, Sarah, died on August 22, 1940 in Pumpkin Ridge (Goshen) near Turkey River in Goshen Ridge.^26,1,7

John is listed as a survivor in the obituary of his half-brother Charles Smith who died on Thursday, September 11, 1941. He was noted as living in Turkey River, Iowa at the time.²⁷

On July 8, 1946, his daughter, Sadie's third marriage was to Rolla Hurlburt.^10,16

John is listed as a survivor in the obituary of his sister, Mary Effie Smith.²⁸

John died on Tuesday, March 1, 1960 in Riverview Hospital in Guttenberg, Clayton County, Iowa, at age 95. The record of death at the Clayton County Court House indicates that he died of Cochenia corcinomatosis[sic] (cancer - cachexia carcinomatosis). He had been in the Riverview Hospital for one year and five months. His son, Ferman, was the informant. John had been a widower for nearly 20 years.^29,1,30 He was laid to rest on Thursday, March 3, 1960 in the Goshen Church Cemetery on Pumpkin Ridge near Turkey River in Millville Township, Clayton County, Iowa. Services were conducted by Rev. Saunders, of the Methodist church.^30,1
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