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JAMES R. SMITH
BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES R. SMITH OF KANAWHA COUNTY, VIRGINIA James R. Smith was born in Kanawha County about 1839. He was the son of Samuel Smith and Catherine Slaughter. Their only other known children were Mary, born about 1838, Catherine, born about 1845, and Samuel, born about 1853. Catherine was known to family members as "Aunt Kit", and around the turn of the century she owned a boarding house near Mankato, Minnesota, where some of James' children met their future spouses. James' father Samuel died in 1858. In 1860, James was living in a rooming house owned by Charles Slaughter, his uncle. During the Civil War, James furnished supplies to the Union Army, and after the war, opened a general store in Marmet, a town which was known as Brownstown at the time. On March 30, 1864, James married Elizabeth Van Reynolds, daughter of Ellicott and Betsy Howe Reynolds. James & Lizzie had nine children, all born in Marmet. Lula, born February, 1865 and died at 6 months; Minnie W., born April 3, 1866; James F., born about 1868; Bernice, born about 1870; Geneva, born March 19, 1872; Carrie Fenton, born May 29, 1874; Edward G., born about 1876; Percy Howe, born April 17, 1879 and Mable, born about 1881. Most of James and Elizabeth's children were involved in the transportation industry, two of their sons and three of their sons- in-law worked for the railroads, while another son-in-law operated a tugboat on the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. James died fairly young, before 1900, although the record of his death has not been found. Lizzie continued to operate the general store until her death, most likely in 1918. Both James & Lizzie were probably buried in the Ebenezer Church Yard in Marmet, but there are no stones marking their graves. Part of the graveyard was moved to make room for the West Virginia Turnpike, and many of the old markers were not preserved.
Submitted by Ken Smith (sgtssmith@worldnet.att.net) on Mon Jun 4 22:12:15 2001
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