Peruvia Joseph Goodness (1883-1933)

  The life of humorously named Hawaiian Territorial legislator Peruvia J. Goodness is examined today, and it is worth noting that Goodness is the first politician from the Hawaiian Islands to be honored with a profile here on the site. The following summation on Goodness and his career in the public forum will be rather brief, as information on him has proven to be difficult to come by (despite my best efforts at looking!)

  Peruvia J. Goodness was born in Hawaii on April 17, 1883, and was an adopted son of William Goodness (1828-1901). Research indicates that William Goodness was one of Wailuku, Hawaii's more prominent residents, being the founder and owner of the Bismarck Stables in that town. He had earlier served during the Mexican-American War and later saw action on the side of the Peruvian Army during a fracas between Peru and Chile in the mid 19th century.

   Nothing could be found in regards to Peruvia's childhood or education, and it is presumed that his schooling occurred on the island of Maui, where he resided for the majority of his life. His first name is also spelled as "Peruvian" by a few genealogical website listings. Goodness married twice during his short life, the first being to Maria Alo (1885-1922) and later to Victoria Alo (1883-1923) who died at age 40. One son was born to Peruvia, Reuben Antonious Goodness (1901-1970).

  Goodness was first elected to the Hawaii Territorial Legislature in 1904, at age 21. An article on his election to the legislature appeared in the Hawaii Gazette in September 1904 and is shown below. He represented the county of Maui during his service and continued to serve in the legislature well into the 1920s. A Maui News article from November 1920 denotes Goodness' service, and also lists him as serving on the committee on Public Lands and Internal Improvements and the committee on Accounts and Public Expenditures during that session of the legislature. 

From the Sept. 2, 1904 edition of the Hawaii Gazette.

  All told, Goodness served in the legislature in 1904, 1913, 1915, 1920, 1921 and in 1929. He also served in the Territorial Senate from 1923-1927, representing Hawaii's 2nd district. The Maui News also notes that he served as "Examiner of Chauffeurs" for the County of Maui in the early 1920s. Goodness died in Maui on September 23, 1933 at just 50 years old, and was shortly thereafter interred at the Iao Community Cemetery in Wailuku, Hawaii. Goodness's two wives and son Reuben are also buried here.

Iretus Wells Jacoby (1868-1944)

  A citizen of distinction in both Colorado and Nebraska, Mr. Iretus Wells Jacoby succeeded in multiple fields of interest during his life, being a miner, farmer, cowboy and state legislator. While Nebraska has fielded a number of famed politicians over the years (President Gerald Ford, Julius Sterling Morton, George W. Norris and Chuck Hagel among them), the amount of strangely named politicians hailing from the Cornhusker State isn't as great as you might imagine, with only 40 or so being discovered by me over the past ten years or so.

  Born in Mt. Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa on September 9, 1868, Iretus W. "I.W." Jacoby was one of seven children born to Samuel Rush (1823-1903) and Julia Ann Ball Jacoby (1825-1916). No information could be found on Jacoby's early years, accepting a passing noting that he removed with his family to the Lancaster, Nebraska area while still a child. 

  I.W. Jacoby married in Lincoln, Nebraska on April 1, 1890 to Ms. Sarah Jane "Jennie" Dimick (1868-1939), and this couple later became the parents of four children, Harley Northe (1895-1962), Henry Franklin (1896-1976), Julia Ann (1898-1955), and Marjorie (1900-1935).

  Jacoby is recorded as residing in Colorado during the early 1890s and was employed as a marshal during his stay here. Notice is given on his being a gold and silver miner, prospector, cowboy, Indian fighter while living here, but no source elaborates on how long he was engaged in any of those occupations. In the mid 1890s Jacoby returned to Nebraska and began a long career as a farmer and agriculturalist, and a 1945 legislative resolution honoring him notes that "agriculture was his chief interest, and that brought him his greatest pleasure." 

  In November 1923 Jacoby was elected as a Democrat to the Nebraska State House of Representative from Lancaster County, and served in the legislative term of 1924-26. Following his term in state government, Jacoby returned to farming and maintained memberships in the Nebraska State Historical Society as well as the Central Lancaster County Farmers Club. The 1924 Nebraska Blue Book (where the above portrait was found)  notes that he was a parishioner at the Methodist Church in Havelock, Nebraska. Iretus W. Jacoby died on June 12, 1944 at age 75 and was interred at the Rosehill Cemetery in Waverly, Nebraska. 

Poindexter Dunn (1834-1914)

From the June 10, 1893 edition of the New York Tribune.

   While a name like "Poindexter" usually brings to mind a freckle-faced bespectacled nerd with a pocket protector, you'd probably never guess that there was a United States Representative with "Poindexter" as a first name!  That man is one Poindexter Dunn, a five term congressman from Arkansas who also distinguished himself as a lawyer and cotton planter in his native state. One of a great many "faceless" politicians that I've located over the years, this funny named congressman continually stymied me out of a portrait of himself for many a year, and I eventually gave up hope that I'd locate one. 

  Earlier this year I finally managed to locate a picture of Mr. Dunn, courtesy of the ever useful Chronicling America newspaper archive. I'm proud to relate that the above portrait of Poindexter Dunn is (to my knowledge) the first picture of him to be available online, and the rarity of said portrait is only strengthened by the fact that not even the famed Congressional Biographical Directory (bioguide.congress.gov) has a picture of him!!!

   The son of Grey and Lydia Baucum Dunn, Poindexter Dunn was born on November 3, 1834 near Raleigh, North Carolina. The Dunn family left North Carolina when their son was about six years of age and resettled in the county of Limestone, Alabama, and it was here that Poindexter attended local schools. He later enrolled at the Jackson College in Columbia, Tennessee, graduating from here in the class of 1854. 

   Shortly after completing his education Dunn began pursuing a career in law and around this time removed to the county of St. Francis in Arkansas. Within a few years of his resettlement Dunn had built up a reputation as a successful cotton grower, and in 1858 was elected to a term in the Arkansas State House of Representatives. Early in his Arkansas residency Dunn married to a Ms. Ellenora (also spelled Ellanora) Patton, about whom little is known. Dunn later remarried to another Arkansas resident, Anna Fussell (1845-1901), with whom he had two daughters, Anna Mae Estes Dunn (1883-1939) and Dorothea Dunn (died as an infant in 1888.) 

  At the dawn of the Civil War in 1861, Dunn joined the ranks of the Confederacy, being elected as a company Captain, but is remarked as never seeing armed combat. Following his military service Dunn returned to his earlier law studies and in 1867 was admitted to the bar. His career as attorney was one of marked success, with the first volume of the Biographical and Pictorial History of Arkansas denoting that Dunn's "reputation as a gifted orator soon spread beyond local barriers, and pointed him out as the coming politician of his age."

   During the early 1870s Dunn began to immerse himself in politics, being named as a Democratic Presidential elector for Arkansas in 1872 and 1876. In the 1878 election year he mounted a campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, and in November won the election by a vote of 8,836 (with no opposition!) Dunn won his second term in the house in 1880, defeating Republican candidate John R. Johnson by a vote of 15, 753 to 10, 407. Judging by vote totals during the time that Dunn served in congress, he seldom faced serious opposition during his reelection bids, and during his last run for congress in 1886 was elected without any opposition whatsoever!

   Throughout his five terms in congress Dunn is remarked as being a thorn in the side of the large railroad companies that existed during the late 19th century. The Political Reformation of 1884, Volume 28 acknowledges that during the 1882-83 congressional term "due credit must be given to the men who threw themselves into the breach to save the peoples lands. During the whole vacation of Congress, the Hons. W.S. Rosecrans, of California, and Poindexter Dunn, of Arkansas,  were in Washington, and never failed to interpose an objection at the Interior Department whenever the railroads tried to take an advantage." The W.S. Rosecrans mentioned in the above passage is none other than former Union General William Stark Rosecrans (1819-1898), who was elected to Congress from California in 1880. It's interesting to see that a former Union General and a Confederate Captain worked together while in Congress to curb the abuses of railroad monopolies of the period! During the latter period of his service Dunn chaired the house committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, and was later named to a seat on the committee on Indian Depredation Claims.

From the May 10, 1893 edition of the Los Angeles Herald.

   Dunn refused to be a candidate for reelection in 1888, having served ten years as an Arkansas representative. In that same year he removed from Arkansas to Los Angeles, California, establishing a law practice here until his relocation in 1893. Dunn was later appointed by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury John G. Carlisle to a special commission "on the prevention of frauds on the customs revue" in the New York Custom's House and Appraisers Stores. In 1895 Dunn relocated to Baton Rouge, Lousiana where he took an interest in railroad construction. He finally settled in Bowie County, Texas in 1905, and died shortly before his 80th birthday in Texarkana on October 12, 1914. He was shortly thereafter interred in the Rose Hill Cemetery in that city, and was preceded in death by his second wife Ann, who had died thirteen years previously and was buried in Memphis, Tennessee.

McNary Beecher Frump (1853-1919)

   An obscure resident of Clay County, Indiana, McNary Beecher Frump served one term in the Indiana State House of Representatives during the early 20th century, and gained local distinction as a farmer and schoolteacher. Born in Clay County on May 6, 1853, McNary B. Frump was the son of John (1822-1919) and Betsey Jane Matthews Frump (1826-1901). The Frump family consisted of eleven children, of which our subject was the third born. His early years were spent on the family farm in Washington Township and he received his education in schools local to his home county of Clay.

  Mentioned by the Legislative and State Manual of Indiana as being "a diligent student" during his school years, McNary Frump embarked upon a career as a school teacher while still a young man, and continued in this profession for a number of years. One can almost wonder if schoolchildren back in the late 1870s ever gave the humorously named "Mr. Frump" a difficult time while in class!

   McNary Frump married in Clay County on December 28, 1880 to Ms. Artie M. Orman (1856-1926), and the couple later became the parents of seven children over eighteen years time. The Frump children are listed as follows in order of their birth: Gladys (died aged two months in 1881), Clifford (died at birth in 1882), Kenneth Xychus (1883-1962), Iris C. (1885-1979), Deloris Alma Frump Hoffa (1887-1973), Oldys (1889-1984) and Aurel B. Frump Schopmeyer (1898-1966).

  In the late 19th century McNary Frump gave up school teaching and began a prosperous career as a farmer in Washington Township. Described as a "progressive and successful agriculturalist" by the State Manual of Indiana, Frump is also acknowledged as having "extensive land holdings" and was a two-term president of the Clay County Farmers Institute in the late 1890s. Prior to his election to the Indiana legislature the only elective office Frump had occupied was that of Washington Township assessor, the dates he served being unknown at this time.

   Frump won election as a Democrat to the Indiana State House of Representatives in November 1906 from his home county of Clay, defeating Republican candidate William H. Guirl by a vote of 3,629 to 3,054. An electoral result from that contest is shown below.

   Taking his seat in January 1907, McNary B. Frump served one term in the legislature and during his brief service held a seat on the committees on Trust Funds, Fees and Salaries, Legislative Apportionment, and Mines and Mining. Frump is also recorded by the 1907 Indiana General Assembly Journal as introducing House Bill No. 257, which was an "act to require drivers of motor vehicles to hold a state license and providing penalties in connection therewith". This same journal notes that the bill was given to the committee on roads and was later "indefinitely postponed."

  After leaving the legislature in 1909 Frump continued to improve his farm and shortly before his death was named as a trustee for Washington Township in 1918. He died in Washington Township on July 18, 1919 at age 66 and was laid to rest at the Swalley Cemetery in the settlement of Bowling Green, Indiana. He was survived by his wife Artie and five of his children. The portrait of M. Beecher Frump (as some sources list him) was located via the Legislative and State Manual of Indiana, published in 1907.

Link Field Forehand (1877-1916)

   Possessing a name that's guaranteed to give you a chuckle, Florida legislator Link Field Forehand's life is examined today, and I'm proud to relate that the following biography on this obscure Floridian marks the first time a picture of him is available online. A lifelong resident of the Sunshine state, the mysterious Link Forehand has scant information on himself available online, but a 1915 Florida Blue Book (where the above portrait was located) came to my rescue in this regard.

  Link Field Forehand was born in Liberty County, Florida on Independence Day 1877, one of six children born to Jeremiah M. and Mary Parish Forehand. Forehand inherited his rather odd name from his paternal grandfather, also named Link Field Forehand. A few variations in spelling have also been found for Forehand's name, among them "Link Fields", "Linkfield" and the abbreviation "L.F. Forehand."

  Link Forehand's father Jerry died when his son was just eleven years old, and the young boy received his education in the public schools of Liberty County. Following his graduation Forehand, "by persistent efforts and self sacrificing", went on to enroll at the Florida State College in the late 1890s. He is mentioned as being involved in the local merchandising after leaving school and had "good success in his business." Forehand married around 1905 to a woman named Cassey (last name unknown) who eventually gave birth to a son, Calum, in October 1909. 

  In November 1914 Forehand was elected by the citizens of Liberty County as their representative in the Florida State House of Representatives, taking his seat at the beginning of the 1915 term. He served as chairman of the legislative committee on Forestry during this term and also held a seat on the committees on Indian Affairs, Insurance, Live Stock, and Privileges and Elections. Busy as a first term legislator, Forehand received write up in the 1915 Florida Blue Book, which noted that during his service he "preformed the great trust nobly and well. He was a man of forceful type, one who believed firmly and honestly. He showed utter lack of fear and appeared not in the least tender, or backward in his views, whether right or wrong." The below snippets denoting Forehand's service were featured in the aforementioned book.

  Link F. Forehand's tenure in the legislature lasted but a short time, being terminated by his unexpected death a little over a year after taking his seat. He died on March 6, 1916 aged only 38 and was interred at the Bristol Cemetery in Bristol, Liberty County, Florida. His untimely death is recorded by a notice on the Rootsweb genealogical website as being the result of "pelegra" (pellagra), a vitamin deficiency disease brought about by the lack of vitamin B3 in one's diet. 

 You Can Help!!

  It's time once again for one of those "You Can Help" segments, and in the case of Mr. Link Field Forehand, it is sorely needed! If any regular readers, Facebook fans, amateur historians or possible relatives have any time on their hands and want an interesting project to fill your time with, see what you can find in terms of information on this man! I'd appreciate anything you might be able to dig up on this uniquely named Florida legislator. As there is next to nothing on the world wide web about this interestingly named man, maybe someone out there knows more about him than what is already mentioned in his article here! I look forward to possibly hearing from you!

Uratus Lee Meade (1863-1956)

   This oddly named mustachioed character is one Uratus Lee Meade, a successful lawyer based in the town of Russellville, Arkansas. 

  Uratus Meade's story begins with his birth in Marion County, West Virginia on April 16, 1863, one of several children born to James Middleton Meade (1821-1896) and his wife Frances Elizabeth Ramsey (1828-1893). The Meade family removed from West Virginia when Uratus was still a child and resettled in Fannin County, Texas for a time. He is recorded as attending school in this county, and later graduated from the Stephenville, Texas High School in the early 1880s. 

   Soon after his graduation Meade decided upon a career in law, eventually studying his chosen profession under the tutelage of Preston Thurmond and Robert Lusk, two attorneys based in Bonham, Texas. Meade completed his studies under judge Jeremiah G. Wallace of Arkansas and  settled in this state in the late 1880s. Uratus Meade married in Russellville, Arkansas in March 1887 to Jennie May Tucker, with whom he would have four children, Lee (birth-date unknown), Vera (1890-1913), John Morrison (died aged 10 months in 1897) and Andra (birth-date unknown.)

   After being admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1893 Meade formed a law partnership with Judge Wallace, which lasted until the latter's appointment as state Railroad Commissioner in 1897. Meade continued on in a solo law practice until forming another partnership with local lawyer A.H. Ferguson in the early 1900s. In 1904 Meade entered the political arena, winning election to the Arkansas State House of Representatives from his home county of Pope. He was reelected to the legislature in 1907 and during his two terms sat on the following legislative committees: Constitutional Amendments, County and County Lines, and Mines and Mining. The roster below bearing Meade's name appeared on a 1907 legislative report made during that term.

  Following his two terms in the legislature Uratus Meade continued in the practice of law, while also having involvement with a number of local fraternal organizations, including the Royal Arch Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Meade died at the advanced age of 92 in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 23, 1956. His body was later returned to Pope County, Arkansas and interred at the Oakland Cemetery in Russellville. The portrait of Meade shown above was featured in volume seven of the Province and the States series of books published in the early 1900s. 

Copenitus Bannister Maynard (1904-1991)

From the Bastrop Advertiser, July 23, 1942.

   As the old saying goes, "everything is bigger in Texas." In the nearly 170 year history of the state of Texas many colorfully named characters have served in some political capacity within its borders. From former Texas Republic President Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar to state senate members Demosthenes F. Goss and Astyanax Douglass, Texas has had a penchant for yielding many odd named political figures in its century-plus history. Following on the heels of Dethloff Willrodt (a member of the Texas Legislature from 1899-1901) and McCamey Alexander Harris (a representative from 1876-79) we continue our stay in Texas to highlight the life of a man who's impressive name holds true to the above mentioned quotation.....Mr. Copenitus Bannister Maynard of Bastrop County!

   A descendant of a family long prominent in Bastrop County civic affairs, Copenitus Bannister "C.B." Maynard was born in that county on December 5, 1904, the son of William Edward (1858-1926) and Mollie Clements Maynard (1857-1914). It can safely be said that public service ran deep in the Maynard family, as William Edward served five terms as District Attorney of Bastrop and Copenitus Bannister (1827-1889, namesake of our subject) served as county district clerk for a number of years. While Copenitus received his unusual name in honor of his paternal uncle, he is listed by many sources of the time by the initials "C.B." Because of this abbreviation, one can wonder if Maynard ever had a difficult time explaining the origins of his outstanding appellation!

   Maynard received his education in schools local to the Bastrop area and later attended the San Marcos Academy in San Marcos, Texas. He went on to enroll at the University of Texas and graduated from that institution's Law School in the late 1920s. While still attending law school Maynard began to test the political waters, announcing his candidacy for the Texas State House of Representatives in April 1928. The Bastrop County Advertiser ran an article (shown below) on the young man's candidacy, stating that Maynard was "admirably fitted to the office to which he aspires, being a gentleman of  honor, integrity and gifted with a high order of mental power."

                                               From the Bastrop Advertiser, April 19, 1928.

   Maynard was successful in his candidacy for the Texas State House of Representatives and took his seat in January 1929. At the age of twenty-four he was one of the youngest men ever elected to the legislature in its history, and during his one term of service held a seat on the following committees: Banks and Banking, Contingent Expenses, Counties, Enrolled Bills, Insurance and Labor. 

Maynard as he looked during his time in the legislature, circa 1929.

  At the conclusion of his term in 1931 Maynard returned home to Bastrop and in that same year won election as county District Attorney, serving four years in this post. In 1931 he married in Bastrop to Ms. Mary Lucy Rivers (1907-1993), with whom he would have two daughters, Lucy Rivers Maynard (1933-1942) and Mary Clements Maynard (born 1936).

   Five years after leaving the post of District Attorney, C.B. Maynard was elected as Bastrop County judge. His tenure in this post was brief, as he soon resigned to take part in the ongoing war effort. He joined the Judge Advocate General's department at Camp Swift in Bastrop County and served here until his resignation in early 1943. Regarded as one of the largest Army training camps in the entire state, Camp Swift saw many thousands of servicemen pass through its borders during the early 1940s. Maynard's service at Camp Swift lasted nearly three years, and it was during this time that tragedy struck the Maynard family.

   On October 8, 1942 nine year old Lucy Rivers Maynard was returning home from the Bastrop School when she was offered a ride home by a soldier stationed at Camp Swift, a Pvt. George C. Knapp. Knapp, a 38 year old resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, had been employed as a gunsmith in that state and had also spent time in a mental institution there some years previously. The Bastrop Advertiser notes that Lucy Maynard accepted Knapp's offer for a ride, but at a great price. Knapp abducted Lucy and after she became frightened he began attacking her. After driving around the Bastrop vicinity Knapp deposited Lucy's unconscious body in a pasture on the outskirts of town. After committing this atrocity Knapp stopped at a filling station for gas and subsequently drove off without paying. He shortly thereafter returned to Camp Swift in his vehicle, which had been stolen earlier that day from a Captain stationed on the base. Knapp was soon placed under arrest and spent the night in custody. 

  In the meantime military police at Camp Swift had been alerted to Lucy's disappearance and a search began, with local citizens and patrolman lending a hand. The following day Lucy was discovered (barely alive and badly injured) in ravine a few hundred yards away from the highway. The Bastrop Advertiser notes that she was immediately taken to "the Orgain Memorial Hospital, suffering with severe cuts and bruises and exposure" and that she "succumbed to pneumonia, brought on by exposure" on October 8, 1942. Shortly thereafter funeral arrangements were held for the slain girl, and she was interred at the Fairview Cemetery in Bastrop.

  Authorities questioned Knapp in regards to his involvement with Lucy, and he admitted about giving her a ride. He then related that after Lucy became frightened and began screaming, he began attacking her physically. Shortly afterwards he left Lucy in a pasture and began the trek back to Camp Swift. The below newspaper article on the crime appeared in the Orange Leader on October 9, 1942. 

  

  Knapp was later court martialed and ordered to stand trial for the slaying. He was found guilty and six months after committing the murder was hanged on March 19, 1943 at the Leon Springs Military Reservation near San Antonio.

  Despite losing his daughter to such a terrible crime, C.B. Maynard pressed on and continued to serve the Lone Star state during WWII, resigning his position at Camp Swift in January 1943 and took on a position as a first lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General's Department of the U.S. Army. He was promoted to captain towards the end of 1943 and was deployed overseas the following year. 1945 saw Maynard serving in France, where he was promoted to Major. A Texas legislative resolution honoring Maynard in 1990 notes that he was part of "Gen. Omar Bradley's 12th Army" and was later awarded a Bronze Star for his "meritorious service". At the conclusion of the war Maynard participated in the early stages of planning the Nuremberg Trials, and left the Army in 1946 as a Lieutenant Colonel. 

  After returning to Texas Maynard practiced law and is also listed as being a government appeals agent for the county of Bastrop. He went on to serve as the President of the Bastrop County Bar Association for a decade and later was Director of the State Bar of Texas from 1964-1967. Two years after the conclusion of his term Maynard was appointed by then Texas Governor Preston Smith as a judge for Texas' 21st Judicial District.

Judge C.B. Maynard as he appeared in the Bastrop Advertiser, December 1973.

   C.B. Maynard served on the bench for six years, retiring at age 68 in 1975. His numerous contributions to Bastrop County and Texas were acknowledged in a 1990 legislative resolution, which noted "his outstanding career in public office" and his "dedicated efforts in public and private life to preserving and enhancing the greatness of this state." Copenitus Bannister Maynard died shortly before his 87th birthday on November 2, 1991 and was interred at the Fairview Cemetery in Bastrop, the same cemetery in which his daughter was laid to rest nearly sixty years before. Maynard was survived by his daughter Mary Clements Maynard and his wife Mary, who passed away in April 1993 at age 85.

McCamey Alexander Harris (1829-1900)

Portrait courtesy of the Legislative Reference Library of Texas website.

  Following on the heels of Monday's profile on Texas state representative Dethloff Willrodt, we continue our stay in the Lonestar State to profile another curiously named Texas legislator, Mr. McCamey Alexander Harris of Titus County. Little information exists online in regards to Harris's life, but a small biographical notice on him (featured in the Sketches of Legislators and State Officials, Fifteenth Legislature, 1876-1878) proved to be very useful when compiling information for his biography.

  Born in Talbot County, Georgia on December 1, 1829, McCamey A. Harris was one of several children born to James Harris (1795-1868) and his wife Lucretia Jones Harris (1795-1878). Nothing could be found on Harris's childhood or education, so it is presumed that he recieved his schooling in either Georgia or Alabama, where his family resided for a time.

  McCamey "Mack" Harris is recorded as settling in Texas in 1851, establishing a home in Marion County. He later removed to the town of Ripley in Titus County, marrying in 1857 to Ms. Mary "Molly" Webb (1842-1919). The couple later had two sons named Edgar and Clyde, whose birth-dates are unknown at this time.

  Harris signed on for service in the Confederate Army at the dawn of the Civil War and gained distinction amongst the ranks of Co. B. of the 15th Texas Calvary under  Gen. Patrick "Stonewall of the West" Cleburne (1828-1864). Harris later saw action with Granbury's Texas Brigade, under command of Gen. Hiram Jonson Granbury. Both of Harris's commanders were killed during the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee in 1864 but he himself served until the close of the hostilities without injury. 

   After returning home to Ripley, Harris began farming and served as Postmaster of this town beginning in 1874. Mentioned as being a lifelong Democrat by the Sketches of Legislators and State Officials, McCamey Harris was elected to the Texas State House of Representatives in 1875 from Titus County and took his seat in April 1876. Harris had never served in elected office prior to his term in the legislature, and his tenure in this body saw him sit on the house committees on Counties and County Boundaries, Private Land Claims, Roads Bridges and Ferries, and Town and City Corporations.

  Little is known of Harris' life after leaving the Texas Legislature in 1879. He returned to his farm in Ripley, where he died at age 70 on August 20, 1900. He was interred at the Green Hill Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, Texas in Titus County. Mary Webb Harris survived her husband by nearly twenty years, dying in 1919 at age 77 and was buried next to her husband. The portrait of Harris shown above was located via the ever-useful Texas Legislative Library website, which has furnished numerous odd named Texas legislators and state officials to post here!

The New Facebook Like Box!!!

         Funny named Iowa state representative Guy Feely, recently featured on our Facebook page.

  After fooling around with the layout of the site here I was (after a few months of trying) finally able to add the Facebook Likebox gadget! This large box (located towards the top of the page) can now be "liked" by anyone who happens to pay a visit, which will save me from having to do anymore "like us on Facebook" posts. If you are a visitor and haven't liked our Facebook page yet, now all you need to do is click like in the large box on the right side of the page and you're all set! Hopefully I'll see a few new likes within the next few weeks and thank you to any and all who've liked and visited thus far over the past year or so!

Dethloff Willrodt (1840-1932)

Portrait courtesy of the Texas Legislative Reference Library.

   As is often the case with many of the politicians profiled here, I'm sometimes left dumbfounded by the peculiarity of a certain person's name. The profile featured today is no exception, as Texas legislator Dethloff Willrodt has one of the most peculiar names I've stumbled across in quite some time. Born of humble stock in Germany, Willrodt migrated to the United States in the late 1850s to seek a new life, finding one in the vast expanses of Texas. During a life that extended nine decades, Willrodt saw action on both sides during the Civil War, learned the carpentry trade, became a successful farmer and late in life was elected to a term in the Texas State House of Representatives. Although a picture of Willrodt has been located (along with other pieces of information vital to the construction of this article) little else could be found on his life, excepting a small biography in Volume 4 of the 1916 work A History of Texas and Texans by Francis White Johnson.

  Dethloff Willrodt was born on January 19, 1840 in the village of Luetenberg, located in the Duchy of Holstein in Germany. Willrodt was the sixth of seven children born to farmer Dethloff Willrodt (died 1857) and his wife Margaret Herbst (died 1845). Willrodt and his siblings attended schools native to Holstein and upon reaching adolescence were encouraged by their father to seek out a new life in America.

   Inspired by his father's words, Willrodt began on his path to the United States in 1859, embarking from a port in Hamburg and after a few weeks reached New York. Soon after he began a trek to the county of Macoupin, Illinois to live with relatives. His Illinois residency lasted about a year, and he eventually removed from Macoupin County to Texas, where his brother Ernst had immigrated some years previously. Once settled, Willrodt began learning the carpentry trade whilst also studying at a private school to learn the English language.

  Willrodt's migration to Texas came at a time when the seeds of secession were being sown in the South, and in February 1861 Texas became the seventh state to secede from the Union. Although opposed to slavery and secession, Willrodt wasn't exempt from the Confederate Conscription Act passed in April 1862. With this act (the first draft in American history, mind you) Willrodt and others of his age group were basically "volunteered" for service in the Confederate ranks, with our subject being assigned to Waul's Texas Legion, under the command of Col. Thomas Neville Waul (1813-1903). This outfit was eventually deployed to Mississippi, and, by a stroke of luck, Willrodt never saw armed combat as a Confederate soldier, as he was taken prisoner by the Union Army at Oxford, Mississippi.

  After his capture Willrodt and other soldiers were sent North to Cairo, Illinois, where they were "given the opportunity to enlist in the Union Army." Not passing up the opportunity to do so, Willrodt enlisted in the Twelfth Illinois Calvary and subsequently saw action at the Battle of Brandy Station as well as the Battle of Gettysburg. The Twelfth Illinois later was sent to New Orleans and then Texas, where he was mustered out of service on December 20, 1865. After returning from the war front, Willrodt settled in the city of Bellville in Austin County, Texas and began a career as a farmer.

From an 1866 Illinois Adjutant General's Report.

  On February 4, 1869 he married in Bellville to another German immigrant, Ms. Elizabeth Waak (1848-1916) of Mecklenburg. This union eventually produced six children, who are listed as follows in order of birth: William (1869-1949, later a prominent local merchant), Herman (1874-1941), Ernst (1876-1960), Minna (birth-date unknown), Richard (1892-1975) and Meta (1893-1984).

  During the course of the latter half of the 19th century, Dethloff Willrodt found success as a farmer in Austin County, owning over 200 acres of land by 1884. The 1916 History of Texas and Texans notes that he gave special attention to growing corn and cotton on his property while also raising stock. This work also denotes that he was the primary organizer of the Mercantile Company of Bellville, as well as holding stock in the company.

  Around the same time as his involvement with the aforementioned mercantile company, Willrodt began venturing into local public office, being elected as a commissioner for Austin County from the First District. In 1898 he won a term in the Texas State House of Representatives from Bellville, serving in the legislative session of 1899-1901. His service here saw him sit on a number of house committees, including Penitentiaries and Public Buildings and Grounds, and his house service is marked by the History of Texas and Texans as that of a "sterling representative, and put himself behind all useful and practical legislation enacted during that term." A roster from the Texas Legislative Manual of 1899 is shown below, bearing Willrodt's abbreviated name.

  In the years following his one term in the legislature Willrodt continued to be involved in various aspects of public service, helping to establish a rural mail delivery through Bellville and also aided in formulating a new form of telephone system for the community. In August 1916 Elizabeth Waak Willrodt died at age 68 after over forty years of marriage and was buried in the Coshatte Cemetery in Austin County. Willrodt didn't remarry following her death and though advanced in years continued an active schedule, being a member of the local Lutheran church as well as maintaining an honorary membership in the Sons of Hermann fraternal organization.

  Dethloff Willrodt celebrated his 90th birthday in 1930 and died two years later on June 12, 1932 in Coshatte, Texas. His life had spanned from humble beginnings as a child in Germany to Texas statehood, to the Civil War battlefield to the presidency of Herbert Hoover. Truly a long life of many accomplishments! Following his death Willrodt was interred at the Coshatte Cemetery in Austin County, Texas alongside his wife Elizabeth, who had predeceased him over a decade earlier.

Aro Phineas Slayton (1818-1899)

   The life of multifaceted Vermont resident Aro Phineas Slayton is examined today, and during his eighty years of life this oddly named character found prominence as a Civil War veteran, lumberman, bridge designer and state legislator.

  Born in the town of Calais, Vermont on September 16, 1818, Aro P. Slayton was one of eight children born to Bucklin (1784-1858) and Sallie Willis Slayton (1783-1879), both residents of Washington County. Nothing is known of Aro's early life or education, and he married on July 22, 1846 to Ms. Lucy White (1827-1902), and the couple later became the parents of nine children over twenty-two years time. They are listed as follows in order of birth: Florence Melissa (1848-1883), Kate Ella (1851-1885), Frank Leroy (born 1853), Herbert Alverton (born 1855), Clara Irene (born 1858), Calvin Aro (born 1862), Lucy Maria (born 1865), Orrin (born 1868) and William Taft (born 1870).

   In August of 1862 Slayton joined Company H of the 13th Regiment Vermont Volunteers and became a First Lieutenant. He saw action at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 and is remarked by the Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Vol. 4 as being "in command of his regiment through that battle" and was later promoted to Captain of this regiment. He was later mustered out at Brattleboro in July 1863. The Gazetteer of Washington County further notes that Slayton "came home without a wound or scratch" but did suffer from "impaired health" due to his army service. The below portrait (found via the 1910 Pictorial History Thirteenth Regiment Vermont Volunteers) was taken during his military service and stands as one of two available portraits of him.

                                                 

   Following his return from the war, Slayton and his family removed from Calais to the town of Elmore, Vermont and it was here that he established a saw-mill, with which he built up a prosperous lumber business. Slayton also found prominence as a bridge designer and road builder during his post-war life, helping to design and construct over seventy-five bridges throughout Vermont, and was justly acknowledged as an "authority on bridge building" by many sources of the time.

  While still engaged with his lumber and bridge building interests, Slayton was elected to a seat in the Vermont State House of Representatives from the town of Elmore, and served in the legislative session of 1868-69. In 1885 he and his family removed from Elmore back to Calais, where he purchased a farm; later being named as a Justice of the Peace for the town during the early 1890s. He removed once again in 1892 to the village of Hyde Park, Vermont and died here on December 11, 1899 at age 81. The cause of death is recorded as "organic heart and liver trouble" which was acquired during his military service thirty years previously. Slayton was interred at the Village Cemetery in Hyde Park and was survived by several of his children as well as his wife Lucy, who died in 1902 at age 75.

Sprague Spooner Stetson (1841-1899)

   Sporting one of those fun tongue-twister type names that is guaranteed to make you laugh, Sprague Spooner Stetson was a resident of the village of Lakeville in Massachusetts during the 19th century. A prominent local farmer and agriculturalist, Stetson served one term in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives in the early 1880s, earning him an article here on the site. Despite his being a citizen of distinction in the Plymouth County area, little could be found on Mr. Stetson, with the exception being a small write up in the 1906 History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, authored by Thomas Weston. This book also yielded the rare portrait of Stetson shown above.

   Born in the town of Carver in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Sprague Spooner Stetson was one of three children born to Peleg Stetson (1800-1867) and his wife Priscilla Ward (1808-1871). Little is known of Stetson's early life or education, and he married at age 23 on December 13, 1864 to Thalia Weston, with whom he would have two children, George Ward (1866-1926) and Jennie (1870-1953). George Ward Stetson went on to become a noted lawyer, later serving as a special justice for the 4th District Court of Plymouth County.

  Following his father's death in 1867, Stetson inherited the family home (referred to as the "Ward Place") and in the succeeding years built up a reputation as a productive farmer in Lakeville and also held a number of local political offices during this time. In 1883 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Court for that years term and was named to a seat on the legislative committee on Agriculture. Stetson also held a membership in the Plymouth County Agricultural Society both before and after his tenure in the legislature.

   After his brief stint in state government, Stetson was appointed by then Massachusetts Governor Frederic Thomas Greenhalge to the State Board of Agriculture, serving here from 1892 to 1899. Stetson died on January 12, 1899 while still serving on the board. He was 58 years old at the time of his death and was later memorialized in the History of Town of Middleboro as being "prudent yet enterprising, conscientious in the performance of every duty, always courteous yet unassuming, and the cordiality of his manners and his thoughtful regard of others won the respect of the entire community."

                       A Massachusetts House resolution passed shortly after Stetson's death in 1899.

Piamus (Primus) Walter Jones (1844-1890)

  Hailing from the county of Baker in Georgia, the obscure Piamus Walter Jones is profiled today, and his rather odd first name is worth mention, as there are a total of three variations in its spelling floating around online! While the rare portrait of him above (located in the 1882 work entitled Georgia's General Assembly of 1880-81) has his first name listed as "Primus", his gravestone in Baker County denotes it as "Piamus". The spelling is further complicated by a listing for a "Priamus Walter Jones" on a few Rootsweb genealogical-related websites. Despite all of these spelling variations floating around, I usually consider a persons gravestone to be the final arbiter in such matters, hence why Jones is listed as "Piamus (Primus) Walter Jones in the title to his article here. 

   A lifelong resident of the Peach State, Piamus/Primus W. Jones was born in Meriwether County on May 10, 1844, the thirteenth of fifteen children born to John Jones (1802-1874) and his wife Elizabeth Strozier (1807-1892). The Jones siblings are listed as follows in order of their birth: Anne V. (1826-1920), John W. (1828-1849), Reuben (1829-1874), Franklin Chandler (1830-1891), Willis (1831-1843), Louisa (1832-1916), Orrie (1832-unknown), Emily (1833-1861), Chandler (1834-1899), Enoch Callaway (1837-1916), Desdemona (1838-1841), Morgiana (1840-1915), Piamus (1844-1890), Otis Smith (1845-1880) and Montgomery (born 1848). John Jones was prominent planter, and was "in his time the leading cotton planter of Georgia." Piamus/Primus is remarked by Georgia's General Assembly as "enjoying a happy boyhood, mixing hunting, fishing and outdoor sports with work and study" but no mention is given as to where he received his schooling.

  Engaged in farm work while still a young man, Jones learned the cotton planting trade from his father and became very successful, eventually becoming the owner of 2,500 acre cotton plantation in Baker County. Jones is remarked by more than one source as being a veritable king of the cotton industry, and was noted as having "carried his name into every cotton mart in the world by yearly bringing in for sale the first new bale of cotton for the season."  In addition to cotton, Jones is mentioned as raising a large vegetable crop at his residence. Because of his being the producer of the first new bale of cotton every year, Jones was labeled in his death notice as the "first bale man", a fitting tribute for a man so involved with the cotton industry.  

   A lifelong bachelor, Jones is recorded as "growing more cotton to the plow than any other man in Georgia" and with his statewide reputation as a farmer and grower, came calls for him to run for public office. In 1880 he won election to the Georgia State House of Representatives from Baker County, and served in the legislative sessions of 1880-1881, 1886-1887, 1888-1889. During the 1886 session Jones introduced legislation advocating the construction of an experimental agricultural station in Georgia, and his advocacy of this idea received a write-up in the January 1886 edition of the Southern Cultivator, Volume 44, posted below.

  Jones's tenure in the state legislator was marked as one of "zeal and faithfulness unbiased by partisan feeling", and was well respected by his Baker County constituency. Jones died at the age of 45 on February 9, 1890 in Atlanta and was memorialized in his Calhoun Times death notice as "being one of the most advanced farmers in the state." He was interred in the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta and his stone (shown below) bears the inscription "First Bag Man" which I found quite perplexing when I first saw a picture of it a few weeks ago! Not knowing of his cotton-planting activities at the time I wondered if Jones was indeed a "bag-man" (a collector/distributor for racketeers). While this proved not to be the case, the "bag-man" inscription is actually a lasting testament to his bringing in the first cotton bale at the beginning of the season. A portrait of his gravestone (found via the billiongraves.com website) is shown below.

Jones' death notice from the February 13, 1890 edition of the Calhoun Times.

Courtesy of the Billiongraves.com website.

Gibbs Woodward Skiff (1810-1894)

  After a bit of a break from writing and posting oddly named political figures here on the site, I return after a month-long hiatus with a funny named legislator from Connecticut, Mr. Gibbs Woodward Skiff of the county of Litchfield! This obscure man was a lifelong resident of the Nutmeg State and was a prominent 19th century resident of the town of Sharon, representing it in the Connecticut State Legislature in the early 1850s.

   Born on July 13, 1810 in the town of Sharon, Gibbs W. Skiff was one of three sons born to Samuel Skiff Jr. (1781-1862) and his wife Jerusha Woodward (died 1844). Gibbs Skiff is recorded by the 1881 History of Litchfield County as having "passed his early life in the customary employments of a farmer's boy" and received his education in schools native to the Sharon area. During his teenage years Skiff began teaching school in Sharon during the winter months while engaging in farm work during the summer.
  On New Years Day 1834 Skiff married fellow Sharon resident Abigail E. St. John (1811-1884), with whom he would have one daughter, Lucy, born in 1854. A pious man, Skiff was for many years a parishioner at the Congregation Church in Ellsworth, Connecticut and served as a deacon for the church for thirty-six years (1859-1895). In addition to his being a deacon, Skiff is remarked as being the clerk of the local Ecclesiastical Society for nearly sixty years! The History of Litchfield County also denotes that Skiff was "justly entitled to take rank as one of Sharon's leading and successful agriculturalists", owning over 300 acres of farmland with his son-in-law Giles Skiff.  
  While the life of Gibbs W. Skiff was centered mainly as a private citizen in Sharon, he did maintain an active involvement in local political matters, serving at various times as a town selectman and assessor. In 1851 he was elected to a brief term in the Connecticut State House of Representatives from Litchfield County.
  Throughout the latter period of his life, Skiff continued to be an active citizen in Sharon, serving as town assessor whilst also engaged in his earlier mentioned church activities. He died at age 84 on November 15, 1894 and was subsequently interred alongside his wife in the Ellsworth Burying Ground in Sharon. He was memorialized by local pastor Giles Frederick Goodenough (1871-1960) as "a man excessive in his modesty and of retiring disposition, he was strong in his tender conscience, his sound judgement and unfailing kindness of heart."
  The rare portrait of Gibbs Woodward Skiff shown atop this article was located in the History of Litchfield County, Connecticut, published in 1881 by the J.W. Lewis Publishing Company.

                                       From the Journal of the Connecticut Legislature 1851.

Moroni Orson Litz (1874-1955), Moroni Lundby Jensen (1912-1980), Moroni Price (1842-1921)

   Today's triple profile highlights the lives of three political figures with the unusual first name "Moroni". For those of you who know your history, you may remember that the name Moroni stems from the like named prophet and angel prominently featured in the Book of Mormon, and is the same angel who presented the golden tablets to Joseph Smith (1805-1844), founder of the Latter Day Saint movement and publisher of the Book of Mormon. 

  The first of these men to be profiled is West Virginia native Moroni Orson Litz. Born on August 13, 1874 in Burkes Garden, Virginia, Moroni was the tenth of fourteen children born to John Tiffany Huddle (1834-1901) and Elizabeth Emily Thompson Litz. He attended schools local to the Tazewell County area and continued his education at the Tazewell College from 1896-1897. Litz later enrolled at the University of Virginia, graduating from this institution in 1902 with his Bachelor of Laws degree.

  Around the same time of his college enrollment Litz began teaching school, eventually being named as Principal of the local high school in Graham, Virginia. In 1902 he was named to West Virginia state bar, and married in October 1908 to Judith Effler (1885-1920), with whom he would have two sons (Moroni Orson Jr. and Rawle) and three daughters.

  After attaining his law degree, Litz established a practice in the city of Welch, West Virginia, operating here for nearly two decades. In 1920 Judith Effler Litz died after twelve years of marriage and in 1922 Moroni remarried to Ms. Mabel Cain. In that same year, Virginia Governor Ephraim Franklin Morgan appointed Litz as an Associate Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state.  Litz's tenure on the court lasted until 1936, when he was defeated for reelection.

  After leaving the court Litz continued to practice law, having an office in Charleston, West Virginia for a number of years. He died at a hospital in Huntington, West Virginia on December 1, 1955 at age 81, and was shortly thereafter interred at the Maplewood Cemetery in Tazewell. The portrait of Litz shown at the top of this profile was featured in the 1929 edition of the West Virginia Blue Book.

            

Jensen as he appeared in a 1970s edition of the Deseret News.

  Hailing from Sevier County, Utah, Moroni Lundby Jensen was an educator and politician who served over a decade in the Utah State Legislature. Despite having a lengthy tenure in Utah state government, little information could be found online that details the life of this obviously prominent Utahan, with an exception being a brief write-up on the Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library Manuscript Collections Page.

  Born in the city of Ogden on January 10, 1912, Moroni L. Jensen was a son of Hans Simon and Kristiane Graversen Jensen. Moroni spent the majority of his adolescence engaged in farming and is recorded as driving a school bus while in high school as a means of income. He received his schooling at the Sevier County High School and went on to attend Brigham Young University from 1929-1930. Jensen later continued his schooling at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, graduating with his diploma in 1931. He married on March  8, 1934 to Ms. Vivian Nelson (1911-2010) with whom he would have two sons, Moroni Leon and Jerold. 

  After leaving school Jensen worked with the Red Cross, serving overseas during the mid 1940s as a field director in the South Pacific. Once back in the United States, Jensen began a lifelong involvement in Utah educational affairs, serving as a principal in the Salina area. He also began treading the political waters during this time, serving as a Salina city councilman and was later elected to a term as Mayor. During the 1960s Jensen served as vice-president of the Utah Secondary Schools Association and also was President of the Utah Education Association. He is also recorded as being actively involved in Mormon church affairs, being a past president of the Wilford Stake mission in Salt Lake City.

  Jensen was elected to the Utah State House of Representatives from Sevier County in 1964 and served in this body until 1968. In that year he ran for and was elected to the Utah Senate, where he served with distinction for over a decade. During his lengthy senate service Jensen continued an active interest in educational matters in Utah, holding a membership in the Educational Commission of the States. In 1977 Jensen became President of the Senate, and in 1980 mounted a campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Utah on the Democratic ticket.  

  In the November election Jensen was defeated by Republican incumbent David Smith Monson by a vote of 257, 460 to 125, 092. Shortly after his election loss, Jensen was felled by a fatal heart attack on November 8, 1980 at age 68. His wife Vivian survived him by nearly thirty years, dying at age 98 in February 2010. Both were interred at the Redmond Cemetery in Redmond, Sevier County, Utah.

   We continue our stay in Utah to focus on the obscure life of Moroni Price, a one term state representative from the county of Cache. Price was born in the small village of Oswestry, Shropshire, England on February 24, 1842, the son of William Daniel and Mary Jane Price. The Price family migrated to the United States when their son was an infant, and after his father's death removed to the Utah Territory in 1854 with his mother and siblings.

  His early years in the territory were spent in Salt Lake City,  and in the ealry 1860s moved to the town of Smithfield in Cache County. Price married here in March 1865 to Mary Elizabeth Raymond (1848-1910) with whom he would have four children: Alonzo Harmon (1865-1917), Tura May (1867-1874), Moroni Jr. (1869-1936) and Mary Jane (died aged one day in 1871).

   The few documents that mention Price denote that he was a longtime farmer in the Cache County area and also held the office of justice of the peace for many years. In 1896 he was elected to the Utah State House of Representatives from Cache County and served one term that concluded in 1899. In 1903 Price served as one of two Utah delegates to the National Irrigation Congress. Moroni Price's wife Mary died in 1910 at age 62 and he himself died on April 17, 1921 at age 69. Both were interred at the Smithfield City Cemetery in Smithfield Utah. The portrait of him above was featured in the March 10, 1897 edition Salt Lake City Herald shortly after his election to the legislature.

LeDoux Elgee Smith (1856-1917)

   A prominent man of affairs in turn of the century Louisiana, LeDoux Elgee Smith served eight years as Louisiana State Treasurer. Despite being a notable figure in the Louisiana state government, little information exists online that details Smith's life and exploits, with an exception being a small write-up in volume three of the 1914 work Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form.

   A lifelong resident of the Bayou State, LeDoux E. Smith was one of  five children born to Dr. Stokes Anderson and Clarissa Scott Smith, being born in Rapides Parish on July 25, 1856.  It is unknown why Smith was endowed with the unusual name of "LeDoux Elgee", but he may have been named in honor of one Charles LeDoux Elgee (1836-1864), a former Adjutant General and Brigadier General, as well as a prominent former resident of Rapides Parish.

  LeDoux E. Smith received his education in schools local to Rapides Parish and spent the majority of his adolescence working as a farmer. He married on September 14, 1896 to Virginia native Mary Diggs Fitzhugh (1854-1929) and the couple are recorded as being childless throughout the duration of their marriage.

   Little is known of Smith's life before his nomination for state treasurer, but it has been found that he served as a justice of the peace for the Alexandria Ward in Rapides Parish during the 1880s. Due to his personal popularity and keen awareness of state politics, Smith was nominated for the position of state treasurer in 1899 and was elected the next year. Serving until 1904, Smith was unable to serve a second consecutive term as treasurer due to a then existing Louisiana state law that forbade him from running again. However, Smith is recorded as having "went before the people" in 1912 and was nominated once again for treasurer. 

   In that years election, Smith faced off against Republican nominee Baxter Simeon Braswell (1883-1951). On election day Smith emerged the victor, besting Braswell by nearly 20,000 votes. A electoral result from that election appeared in the St. Martinville Weekly Messenger and is shown below.

   Smith's second term as treasurer concluded in 1916 and he died of pneumonia on January 25th of the following year at age 60. His death occurred at the Rapides Hotel in the city of Alexandria and he was shortly thereafter interred at the Rose Hill Cemetery in the Parish of Iberia, Louisiana. His wife Mary survived her husband by thirteen years, dying in 1929 at age 75 and was buried in the same cemetery as her husband. The portrait of LeDoux Elgee Smith shown above was featured in a 1902 Louisiana Department of State Report to then Louisiana Governor William Wright Heard.

A death notice for Smith that appeared in the February 3, 1917 edition of the Abbeville Progress.