Husband Edwin David Smith 1 2
Born: 7 Oct 1855 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 1 2
Christened:
Died: 30 Jul 1920 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 3
Buried: 4 Aug 1920 - Franklin Cemetery, Franklin, Venango Co, PA 4
Father: David S. Smith (Abt 1832-1892) 1 2 5
Mother: Mary Wallace (1830-1909) 1 2 5
Marriage: 14 Apr 1880 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 3 6
Wife Sophie Jane Rogers 6
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: Lorenzo Rogers ( - ) 6
Mother: Esther Wadsworth Butler (1828- ) 6 7
Children
1 M Frederic Echols Smith 3 6
Born: 20 Jun 1881 6
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Henrietta Hoyt ( - ) 6
Marr: 1 Jan 1920 - Chicago, Cook Co, IL 6
2 M Charles Lavens Smith 6
AKA: Charles E. Smith 3
Born: Abt 1883
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Bess McMillan ( - ) 6
Marr: 25 Sep 1909 6
General Notes: Husband - Edwin David Smith
He was born in the old William Hiland house, located at Fourth and Elk streets, Franklin, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools of Franklin, and then entered Cornell University, in 1874, passing two years in mechanical arts. At the university he was a member of Theta Delta Chi Fraternity and the Musical Association. Leaving Cornell, he went to Poughkeepsie, New York, and took a two-year course at Eastman's Business College. He was now equipped to enter upon a business career, and his first connection was with the firm of Reed & Durant, dealers in hardware and oil well supplies in Millerstown, Pennsylvania. When this business was moved to Franklin and sold to B. W. Snook, Mr. Smith, in association with J. P. Frazier and Mr. Snook, organized the firm of Snook & Company, long remembered for its important station in the local business world, and which subsequently became Frazier & Smith, upon Mr. Snook's retirement. This latest arrangement continued in force from 1876 until 1900, in which latter year Mr. Smith withdrew from the firm. It was this firm that built the Printz Block. Mr. Smith was for some time a partner of Mr. Frazier and D. T. Lane & Son in a portable crane and hoist factory, and for a number of years was interested in the Franklin Sucker Rod Factory. In 1878 he began to engage in the oil producing buisness and his identification with that enterprise was attended with gratifying success. He suffered a severe illness in 1907, and following the partial recovery of his health, he had been more or less active in his various business pursuits until some three years before his death.
Mr. Smith's activities in church circles were of the enduring and constructive type that made of him one of the leading, if not the leading, layman of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Erie Conference. He was allied with the First Church of Franklin all his life. He held at different times almost every official position in that church up until the time his health failed. For a quarter of a century he was the superintendent of the Sunday School, and for fifteen years of that period he was teacher of the Men's Bible Class. He always maintained the most intense interest in the affairs and welfare of this class. One of the fine things that he did for it was to fit up for its use a meeting place on the third story of his residence. Upon his retirement from the superintendency, the school presented Mr. Smith with a silver loving cup as a testimonial of the members' affection and esteem. Although for four years prior to his passing he had not had any official connection with the First Methodist Episcopal Church, he maintained his contact with its various activities and interests, and was a regular attendant upon all its services, except those of the Sunday School. He was to be seen in his place at the morning and evening services on Sunday and continued to be active in the Wednesday night prayer meeting. His presence in the prayer meeting was always an inspiration, for in testimony and prayer he was both eloquent and fervent, having a ready command of language and an easy and pleasing delivery. In 1904 Mr. Smith was a lay delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church held at Los Angeles, California. He was one of the best-informed men on the affairs of the Methodist Episcopal Church, both local and general, and he had collected a rich library of books on the subject; these books he gave, nearly all of them, to ministers and others, whom he thought they might help. The pastors of the Franklin church learned that in him they had a dependable friend, fellow-worker and wise counsellor.
Mr. Smith was an ardent advocate of total abstinence long before the days of national prohibition, and he gave intelligent and constructive effort to the furtherance of that cause. He was deeply interested in the moral and educational welfare of his home city, and for a year or two, about 1907, he was a member and president of the Franklin School Board, resigning the office because of ill health.
Mr. Smith departed this life at his home, No. 1030 Liberty Street, Franklin, the house having been built by his father in 1866. On the occasion of his passing, a local newspaper concluded its obituary notice of Mr. Smith's career with the following:
The friend of all, with never a word of unkindness for any, Mr. Smith was universally beloved among his multitude of acquaintances, and his influence was correspondingly great. Since his death, those who knew him intimately have spoken of him as a man generous, genuine and one of the truest Christians they have ever met.
When Mr. Smith retired from the active superintendency of the Sunday School of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin, after twenty-five years of service in that office, and became superintendent emeritus, the following testimonial was inscribed on the loving-cup presented to him in 1913:
1888.-Presented to Edwin D. Smith, superintendent emeritus, from the entire Sunday School of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin, Pa., in grateful appreciation of twenty-five years of leadership.-1913.
A beautiful appreciation of the life of Mr. Smith was voiced by a close friend in the following words, which appeared in the local press.
He Was One Who Loved The Flowers
The late Ed. D. Smith, who was a lover of everything else that was good and pure and best in life, was also a lover of all things connected with the out-of-doors, although his particular hobby was wild flowers. He was experimenting to see how many varieties he could grow on his home lot, and I know had been successful with the trilliums and ginseng. A couple of weeks ago he transplanted a splendid specimen of the Canada lily, which he showed to me, and about a week later wanted to know if I could locate a spot where he could find some Turk's Cap lilies. I had not yet done so, but someone else did, and the last act of his life was to go there on Friday, the night of his death, and lift the plant and bring it home and transplant it, so that it is very probable that this little bit of exertion in a work he loved had something to do with hastening the end.
The Men's Bible Class of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin, on the occasion of the death of Mr. Smith, who was its teacher for many years, adopted the following resolution under date of August 8, 1920:
In the providence of God, our Brother, Edwin D. Smith, has been taken to his reward; and we are reminded that we, too, are soon to share this common destiny of man.
As we recall the beautiful life which he lived, true to God and to his fellow-man, brotherly, true, and an ardent promoter of righteousness-a Christian in the fullest sense, we bid adieu to Brother Smith for a brief time, knowing that, if we follow his life as he followed Christ, we shall soon enjoy his eternal companionship,
Edwin D. Smith organized this Bible Class. He was its teacher for many years. He was also superintendent of this Sunday School for several years. In all these duties, as in every worthy cause in life, he gave unsparingly of his time, thought and substance.
How we feel this great loss to the city, to the church, to the community!
As he now enriches "the church triumphant before the throne of God," so he enriched this world from which he has been taken. In a larger sense, Brother Edwin D. Smith still lives here in the good that he has done, and in the fond memories of his family, friends and associates.
"Green be the turf above thee, Friend of our better days; none knew thee but to love thee; none named thee but to praise,"
Therefore, Be it resolved by the Men's Bible Class of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin, Pa., that this unqualified token of esteem, remembrance and love be incorporated in the minutes of this class; that the same be submitted to the "News Herald" for publication, and that a copy be presented to the family of Brother Smith,
(Signed) H. A. Graham
H. W. Long
M. R. Henderson
Committee.
This memorial is fittingly concluded with an editorial appreciation by one who knew Mr. Smith intimately, and sensed the great loss inflicted upon the community by his death:
Almost no loss of money or property could be comparable with the loss which falls upon a community when it loses the presence and power of a good man.
Such a loss has fallen upon Franklin and Venango County in the untimely death of our fellow citizen and neighbor, Edwin D. Smith, who lies awaiting loving hands to carry him to his last resting place.
Yet we make a sorry mistake if we forget that, in a very real sense, we have not lost him. The long years past he has been building himself into the community, unobtrusively and quietly, but firmly and so irremovably that even the hand of death takes him not away.
All men do know that Edwin D. Smith was a good man; he had the respect and confidence of the whole community. Those whom he was associated with in his long business career, the church in whose activities he was so large a factor, the forward-looking citizens with whom his hand was linked in enterprises for human betterment, the hard-pressed and unfortunate to whom he gave aid, these all unite in testimony to his sterling character and his good works.
Tempered with a just pride that he lived so good and useful a life and so well justified the Wisdom who granted to him his years and powers, his family and friends must mourn his going, and with them is the sympathy of the whole community in unanimous tribute to the real worth of one who rests from honorable labor but leaves in his well done work a lasting memorial.