Ward L. Smith
Goodspeed's History of Southeast Missouri
Biographies of Scott County, 1888
Capt. Ward L. Smith, a prominent citizen of Scott County, Mo., was born in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1826. He is a son of Noah and Catheline (Vrooman) Smith, natives of the Mohawk Valley. Catheline Vrooman's ancestors came to America from Holland in the seventeenth century. Noah Smith's father, Oziel Smith, settled Syracuse, N.Y., when the place was called Salt Point, and remained there until his death. Several of his sons were in the War of 1812, and two of them, George and Oziel, were colonels. The latter was captured by the Indians from whom he escaped, and afterward located at Buffalo, where he died. George died in Rochester, N.Y. in which city two of his sons are now practicing law. Noah, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a politician and traveled extensively. He died in Phoenix, near Syracuse. His wife died in Oran, at the home of her son, Ward L. He had been married previous to his marriage with Catheline Vrooman, and by both wives reared twelve children - six girls and six boys - of whom two are living, Ward L. and Edwin R., now living in Syracuse, N.Y. One son, Oziel H., was in the Rebellion under McClellan. He died in Diehlstadt, Scott County, Mo., in 1879. His widow now resides in Michigan. When twelve years of age Ward L. ran away from home and went to sea. He spent his thirteenth birthday, on the bark "Tuscaloosa" a whaling vessel, just off the coast of Cape Horn. Soon after the crew was cast away at the peninsula of St. Joseph, Patagonia, where they were captured by the Patagonia Indians and held nineteen months, when they were rescued by the Spanish and taken to Rio Negro. There the Captain got a boat and took the crew to Rio Janeiro, where they were sent by the council to their respective homes. Mr. Smith landed at Mobile, and went to sea again, first as sailor, then as boatswain, second mate, chief mate, and in 1848 he became captain, after which he helped to build two vessels in Mobile, Ala., and as captain of the last one built, the "Sarah E. Meagler", crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the latter part of 1854 to Chesburgh, France. During the Crimean War, Capt. Smith took service as a transport in the French Government service, and was sent to Algiers, Africa and from there to Constantinople and the Black Sea; was in the French service from late in 1854 to 1856, the most of the time in the Black Sea at Sepastpol, Karnish, Balaklava, Sulina, etc. After his discharge from the French Government, he went up the river Danube and his was the first American vessel that ever entered that river. He hoisted the first American flag that was ever seen at Galatz and Ibrial. Capt. Smith chartered his vessel to load with wheat at Galatz for Marseilles, France, to which place he took his cargo, and owing to some difficulty with the French Government, his vessel was seized and he was kept at Marseilles until 1858, when he returned to Mobile and went to sea again until 1861. Being ordered to leave the Confederacy he did so and came up the river to Memphis, Tenn., where he was put in prison. On being released he went to Cairo, Ill, where he worked for the Government as a master mechanic. In 1868 he removed his family to a farm in Mississippi County, Mo., but the next year came to Scott County and located at Sylvania, now Oran. The next year he purchased a saw mill at Caney Creek, which he has since operated very successfully. He owns about 1,000 acres of land, 200 of which are cleared, the rest being covered with fine timber. In 1860 he was united in marriage with Miss Ann W. Williams, a native of Clay, N.Y. She has a brother in St. Louis and two brothers who are editors of prominent papers in New York. She died on September 11, 1887, aged fifty-four years. They had no children, but reared an adopted boy William W., who died in 1883. Mr. Smith's niece, Carrie Murray, resided with him. Mr. Smith is a Universalist. He and his wife were both members of prominent Universalist families. Mrs. Smith was instrumental in organizing the Universalist Church at Morley, in which a memorial window is dedicated to her. Mr. Smith contributed the material of which the church is built. He has been a member of the A.F. & A.M. since 1848.
Submitted by Connie Perkins
Poster-#-157-
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