Brief Life History of William Thomas
When William Thomas Smith was born on 10 June 1878, in Calhoun, Mississippi, United States, his father, James Ballard Smith, was 36 and his mother, Emily Victoria Betterton, was 24. He married Rosa Elizabeth Betterton on 1 October 1913. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Upshur, Texas, United States in 1935 and Gilmer, Upshur, Texas, United States in 1940. He died on 26 April 1963, in Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States, at the age of 84, and was buried in Gilmer, Upshur, Texas, United States.
Photos and Memories (2)
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Family Time Line
Sources (17)
- William T Smith in household of James B Smith, "United States Census, 1880"
- William Thomas Smith, "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942"
- William T Smith, "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976"
Spouse and Children
Children (7)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1881 · Construction of the Fort Worth & Denver Railway
Grenville M. Dodge oversaw the construction of the Fort Worth & Denver Railway. Work began at Hodge Junction, and eventually extended to the New Mexico border by 1888. Service began on April 1, 1888, with trains travelling between Fort Worth and Denver.
1881 · The Assassination of James Garfield
Garfield was shot twice by Charles J. Guitea at Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881. After eleven weeks of intensive and other care Garfield died in Elberon, New Jersey, the second of four presidents to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln.
1901 · Assassination of Mckinley
President William McKinley was shot at the Temple of Music, in the Pan-American Exposition, while shaking hands with the public. Leon Czolgosz shot him twice in the abdomen because he thought it was his duty to do so. McKinley died after eight days of watch and care. He was the third American president to be assassinated. After his death, Congress passed legislation to officially make the Secret Service and gave them responsibility for protecting the President at all times.
Name Meaning
English and Scottish: occupational name denoting a worker in metal, especially iron, such as a blacksmith or farrier, from Middle English smith ‘smith’ (Old English smith, probably a derivative of smītan ‘to strike, hammer’). Early examples are also found in the Latin form Faber . Metal-working was one of the earliest occupations for which specialist skills were required, and its importance ensured that this term and its equivalents in other languages were the most widespread of all occupational surnames in Europe. Medieval smiths were important not only in making horseshoes, plowshares, and other domestic articles, but above all for their skill in forging swords, other weapons, and armor. This is also the most frequent of all surnames in the US. It is very common among African Americans and Native Americans (see also 5 below). This surname (in any of the two possible English senses; see also below) is also found in Haiti. See also Smither .
English: from Middle English smithe ‘smithy, forge’ (Old English smiththe). The surname may be topographic, for someone who lived in or by a blacksmith's shop, occupational, for someone who worked in one, or habitational, from a place so named, such as Smitha in King's Nympton (Devon). Compare Smithey .
Irish and Scottish: sometimes adopted for Gaelic Mac Gobhann, Irish Mac Gabhann ‘son of the smith’. See McGowan .
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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