Smith Family Richwoods

The Smith Family of Richwoods Township

(Unknown publication date)

The Smith family of Richwoods township, Iberia vicinity, were my ancestors who practiced their trade in the age-old profession of stonemasonry. My great, great grandfather was John Wesley Smith Sr., born in Kentucky in 1821, and married Nancy Stinnett in Pulaski County, Missouri in 1840, where his Smith family had moved. His father was Peter Smith and I found no record that he ever worked as a stonemason but was a ferryman on the Gasconade River in Pulaski County.

Peter left central Missouri in the early 1840s and moved to Yamhill County, Oregon with his second wife (Orpha Dean) and children and lived there until he died.

John Wesley was the only one of Peter's children who remained in Mid-America and I would assume it was because he married Nancy Stinnett and wanted to rear his children in Missouri, near her family.

After they grew to manhood, William Harrison (Left) and John Wesley Jr. (Right) [sons of John Wesley Smith, Sr.] heard there was a demand for stonemasons over in Miller County near Lenox Trading Post (early trading post/post office near Iberia). It was located on Rabbithead creek, southwest of Iberia. In 1861, the trading post was destroyed by the Home Guards (Confederate troops) during the Civil War. Wilson Lenox had the trading post and a blacksmith shop and it was there the two Smith brothers walked to try to obtain work. The store was located on the David Condra farm which passed on to Archie Condra and later was sold to Herman Golden. Today the farm is owned by Alfred Vineyard.

The Smith brothers found work plentiful in the Iberia area digging cellars with stonemason work needed in walling up the cellar foundations. Their skills were also used in building fireplaces.

It was during this time that William Harrison met and married Lucy Ann Gardner (pictured on right), daughter of Henry Paulding Gardner and Elizabeth Bailey of Barren County, Kentucky. William Harrison Smith and Lucy Ann Gardner were my great grandparents.

They married in Miller County February 1, 1863. He was born in Pulaski County 15 Dec 1841 and Lucy was born in Miller County 24 January 1843.......His brother, John Wesley Smith Jr. married Sarah Haseline Bond in Miller County and reared several children near Iberia. William Harrison and Lucy Ann (Gardner) Smith reared their eleven children in the Iberia area.

The children were:

William Daniel b. 20 Dec 1863 m. Sally Harrison
Jemima H. b. 1865 (died young)
James Paulin b. 25 Jun 1867 m. Emma Whalen
Parthenia Minnie b. 13 Apr 1869 m. 1) Rector Thompson

2) Paul Rees
Phelix Wesley b. 4 Nov 1870 m. Fannie Fike
Jessie Rosa b. 8 Oct 1872 m. Charles Aust
John T. b. 20 Mar 1875 m. Hester Smith
Jacob C. b. 1 Apr 1878 m.1) Lennie Sooter

2) Lizzie Sooter (sisters)
Charles E. b. 24 Oct 1881 m. Molly Mayfield
Henry Franklin b. 20 Jun 1884 m. Sarah E. Boyd
Gracey Mae b. 24 Sep 1886 m. 1) Henry Lollar 2) Louis May
Myrtle Clara 1889-1890

Pictured-Top (L to R): Parthenia, John T., Jessie & Wm. Harrison seated. Bottom (L-R): Fannie (Fike) and Phelix (Pea) Smith.

When Wm. Harrison enlisted in the Union Army (1863), he gave his place of residence as Oakhurst. This was an early name for Iberia before and during the Civil War. The post office was located at Lenox Trading Post, southwest of Iberia. The post office existed 1862-1871. Harrison also mentioned the name Humboldt, MO in his military records. Humboldt was located a mile north of present-day Crocker in Pulaski County.

Wm. Harrison lived to the age of 86 years. He died 28 Dec 1927 at the home of his son, Frank, in Iberia. Lucy Ann (Gardner) Smith died a year earlier in Feb 1926 at age 83 years. Both are buried at Iberia Cemetery.

Henry Franklin Smith, youngest son of Harrison and Lucy, was born 20 Jun 1884 in Miller County. He married Sarah Eliza Boyd, daughter of James and Celia Adeline (Shelton) Boyd, on 16 Dec 1906.

(Henry & Sarah pictured on left)

Their children included:

Conard Ivory (1908-1970) m. Tressie Gale
Carl Everett (1912-1912)
Gene Oliver (1914-1980) m. Verlie Wyrick
Priscilla Idolia (1919-2006) m. 1) Clark Davis 2) James Karr 3) Arthur Woodcox

4) Larry Cameron

James William (1923-2007) m. Faye Jones
Glen Raymond (1925-1970) m. Dorothy Robinson
Sharlene Jeanette (1928-1929)

Pictured on the Right: Frank and Eliza (Boyd) Smith with their children - L to R: Oliver, James, Glen, Idolia [Note: oldest son, Conard, is not pictured]

The Smiths were stonemasons by trade for many generations. My father, G. Oliver Smith (pictured on the Left), the grandson of William Harrison Smith, was the 3rd generation to practice stonemasonry. William Harrison taught his sons this age-old profession. My grandfather, Frank, and his older brother, Uncle Phelix (called Pea), were the best-known stonemasons in the Iberia area for many years.

There are many structures of stone still standing which bear the touch of their skilled hands. The Iberia Academy is perhaps the oldest building standing that was helped to be built by their talent. The old stone fence encircling the campus still stands as their handiwork.

Frank and Pea also built the native stone fence encircling the Iberia cemetery and the beautiful stonework of the Nazarene Church in Iberia which stands so majestically against the horizon, is a lasting monument of their stonemason talents.

Many foundations and fireplaces were constructed by the Smith family members. Mrs. Linda Roberts, a descendant of Phelix/Pea Smith, believes the stone fence encircling their property in east Iberia was built many years ago by the Smiths. I know that the stone steps that are still standing at the entranceway to Brays Advent Christian Church, northeast of Iberia, was built many years ago by Linda's and my great grandfather, William Harrison Smith....... As long as these artifacts of stone stand one upon the other, the descendants of this Smith family will always have this remembrances of their ancestors and will be able to touch the past which belonged to their forefathers... I am proud to be one of those Smith descendants...

Note from Peggy: Unfortunately some of the stonework of the fence, encircling the Iberia Academy campus, has been torn down during the past year. I imagine most of it will be destroyed in the future. Time marches on and progress takes over to replace many of our historical sites and artifacts! The last stonemason work I can remember my father, grandfather Frank and Uncle Pea conducting was the boy's auditorium that was begun to be built in the late 1930s and early 40s. It was never finished probably because of World War II coming about at that time and some of the young men left home to serve their country. I have a photo of my Dad, grandfather, my brother and myself standing on the cut stone foundation that was being built at that time. The Nazarene Church was built a little later, but I do not recall its construction as vividly as the Academy's boys dormitory. I may have already left Iberia when the church was begun to be constructed.

Note from Kelly (2015): The Smith brothers also constructed many bridges of stone throughout Miller County.

The last standing bridge built by the Smith stonemasons [pictured on the left] was located on 17 Highway and spanned the Dog Creek (aka: Catail Creek).

This bridge was replaced in 2012; taking with its destruction, the last of the bridges built by the Smith Family of Richwoods Township.

UPDATE (2020): All that remains on the Iberia Academy site today is the Administration building and a small portion of the wall that once encircled the entire college campus. Today, a Dollar General sits on part of the original land.

UPDATE (2022): The small portion of the stone wall that was originally built by the Smith brothers no longer remains.