James S. Smith
James S. Smith, farmer, P. O. Plain City. James Smith, father of our subject, was born in Vermont September 23, 1793; he was a son of Samuel and Sally (Bailey) Smith, natives of Massachusetts. His father was a Sergeant in the Revolutionary war, and came to Madison County in 1817, locating in Darby Township, where he reared a family of nine children. When twenty-seven years of age, James had $140 which be invested in a house; in 1820, he married Lucy K. Jones, a native of Vermont, by whom he had one child – James S., our subject, who was born August 9, 1823, in Darby Township, where he received a common-school education. He has been a life-long farmer, and now owns 1,100 acres of land in Jerome Township, Union County. On September 9, 1853, he married Amanda Perry, a native of Vermont and a daughter of James Perry. They have four children, viz., A. E., Ada T., E. L., who died in 1874, and Merton A. These children all had the advantages of a collegiate education. Mrs Smith is a lady of more than ordinary intelligence, and takes a great interest in the cause of education.
From HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY - W. H. Beers [Chicago, 1883]