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John Jackson Smith was a community leader in Mississippi and Texas. He was a commissioner appointed to form Scott County, Mississippi and made donations of land to assist Hillsboro in remaining the county seat. Later in life he settled the area now known as Smith Bend on the Brazos River in Bosque County, Texas.
He was a politician, holding appointed and elected offices in both Mississippi and Texas. He was an author on a report prepared at the Southern State Convention in 1849 that has been identified in other articles as being part of the Road to War for the State of Mississippi. He assisted with the establishment of the Southern Railroad in Mississippi.
He also often acted as an agent for the Choctaw during the period after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.
John Jackson "Jack" Smith was born 22 Aug 1799 in Edgefield, South Carolina. He passed away in 23 Aug 1867 in Smiths Bend, Bosque County, Texas and was buried at Coon Creek Cemetery.[1]
He was the son of John Smith and Martha Jones. Martha was the daughter of John Jones, who was white, and Mary Jones, who was full Choctaw.
Three of the children of his daughter, Emily Smith, applied for membership in the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma through the Dawes Commission. Burton S. Burks, Thomas S. Burks and Seaborn Jones Burks each made application. Burton S. Burks was initially admitted to the Dawes Rolls but legal representatives of the Choctaw Nation later overturned the enrollment and Burton never appealed it. Thomas and Seaborn were denied membership based on the fact that neither had ever enrolled with Choctaw tribal authorities.
Two of the children of his sister, Ann Smith, also applied for membership under the Dawes Commission. Anderson McCarty and Everett Edward McCarty were both denied membership for reasons similar to the Burks children. The application of Everett Edward McCarty included an extensive affidavit made by Tom York who was a member of the Choctaw Nation. Tom had known the Smith family in Mississippi, including Martha Jones Smith. He said that Jack, Ann and their mother all spoke Choctaw and he thought his mother and Martha Jones Smith were some relation.
He married Margaret Katherine Butler in 1818 in Mississippi.[2] They had twelve children: John Jones Smith, Martha Margaret Smith, Ann Smith, Seaborn Jones Smith, Anderson B. Smith, Elizabeth Smith, C. Burton Smith, Thomas Jefferson Smith, Emily Smith, Martin Van Buren Smith, Gipson Smith and Laura Smith.
He was living with his family in Hinds County, Mississippi in 1825 when he was issued a land patent for 80 and 4/100th acres of land.[3] On 04 Feb 1828 the Mississippi Legislature approved an Act that formed Rankin County from the part of Hinds County west of the Pearl River. The area of Hinds County he and his family were living in would probably have then been in Rankin County, which is the birthplace identified for his children John, Martha, Ann and Seaborn even though they were born before the formation of Rankin County.[4]
He and his family were residing in Scott County after it was formed and the rest of his children were born there. During the time he was living in Scott County he acquired significant land holdings in that county. Many of the land conveyances to him were through tax sales held by either the Sheriff or Tax Collector. Land Conveyance Listing
In 1838, along with Moses Thomas, John Beard and Hugh McDaniel, he made a donation of 20 acres of land to the Board of Police for the town of Hillsboro. He signed the conveyance for himself and as agent in fact of John Beard and Hugh McDaniel. The consideration for the conveyance was, "...location of the Town of Hillsboro, the county cite in and for said County and the advantages accruing to us by reason of said location where it is now established, as well as for the benefit of the said county..."[5] He and his wife made an additional conveyance in 1841 of 10 acres of land to the Board of Police citing the same consideration.[6]
He purchased several hundred acres of land in the bend of the Brazos River in Bosque County, Texas in the early 1850s. His son, C. Burton Smith and his wife, Isabella Hearne, moved to Bosque County to establish residence on the land after their marriage in 1855. Burton died on 05 Jul 1856 when he drank water from the river after a bear hunt.
On 21 Jul 1856, after the death of Burton, he and his wife signed a Power of Attorney allowing their son, Anderson B. "Dick" Smith to sell and make conveyance of lands, to execute bonds for titles or any other thing they could do if they were present for their properties in Mississippi.[7]
He and his wife left Mississippi and settled in Bosque County, Texas on the land on the Brazos River. They built a double log house, with a gin not far from it, and cotton was raised on the land. The area became known as Smith Bend.
He donated the land that is now Coon Creek Cemetery where his son, Burton, was the first burial. Many of his descendants have been buried in Coon Creek Cemetery.[8][9]
In 1833 he was appointed one of the Commissioners to organize Smith, Scott and Neshoba Counties in Mississippi. The counties were established from part of the territory that had been acquired by the United States at the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.[10][11]
He was appointed to the Committee of Vigilance and Correspondence for Scott County at the Convention of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi held in Jun 1834. The purpose of the County Committee was to correspond with the Central Committee and call meetings of democratic citizens of the county as requested by the Central Committee. The purpose of the Central Committee was to hold meetings at the capitol of the State, correspond with County Committees on political emergencies and direct the calling of public meetings.[12]
In November 1843 he ran for Mississippi House of Representatives as a Democratic candidate and won that election. In this election the Democrats added four Members of Congress, Democratic Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer and secured a majority in the State Senate and House of Representatives. The Mississippi Free Trader described the results of this election as a "Great and Glorious Victory!!" and stated that the results were "...complete triumph of Democracy in this State, and of the supremacy of the Constitution over unauthorized acts of corrupt Legislators and mercenary Bankers." [13]
Beginning in 1846 he was involved in efforts to form the Southern Railroad. The positions he held included the sale of stock in Scott County, writing resolutions and being elected a Vice President of meetings. The Southern Railroad was incorporated by Acts of the Legislatures of Alabama and Mississippi. Here's a link to information on the Southern Railroad [14][15][16]
At the Southern State Convention, In Relation to the Slavery Question, held October 1849 in Jackson, Mississippi he was appointed to a committee to prepare and report matters for the Convention's action. Four members were appointed from each Congressional District and four for the State at large. He was appointed for the State at large and has been attributed to assisting in preparation of the Majority Report that was adopted by the Convention. Here's a link to the full report[17][18]
A meeting was held 15 Mar 1851 in Scott County, Mississippi to form the Southern States Right Assocation for Scott County. After the meeting was called to order he was elected a Vice President of the meeting and was appointed to bring other members to the Association. At this meeting Seaborn J. Smith made a speech about the wrongs and injustices done to the South and he was also appointed to a committee to draft a Constitution and By-Laws for the Assocation.[19] [20][21]
In the spring of 1861, after an election held 23 Feb 1861 over succession from the United States, a Committee of Public Safety was organized in Bosque County, Texas he was appointed to a committee to write resolutions.[22]
Along with Charles Fisher, John Johnston Sr., Hugh McDonald and Jesse Clements he submitted a letter to T. Hartley Crawford, Commission of Indian Affairs dated 18 Feb 1844. In this letter it was stated that they had been acting as agents for the Choctaw Indians for 10 years and knew their feelings and wishes on the subject emigration. They requested that no contracts be made for the removal of the Indians until their claims were settled.[23]
A claim was submitted on his behalf by Bryan & Cochran in 1850 seeking payment for 17 Choctaw who died while en route from the Choctaw Nation East to the Choctaw Nation West. He had left Vicksburg with 167 Choctaw and boarded the Steamboat Dispatch 10 Feb 1850. After boarding the boat cholera broke out among the Choctaws and 17 of them died from it. One was interred at Little Rock, three were interred 30 miles above Little Rock at Benedicts Landing on the Arkansas River, four were interred about 150 miles above Little Rock at Slisnenlls [spelling] Landing on the Arkansas River, three were interred about 250 miles above Little Rock on the Arkansas River at a wood yard, and six were deceased when they arrived at Fort Coffee. His claim was supported by the affidavit of Elijah Whiting, Captain of the Steamboat Dispatch. Payment of $159.36 was allowed on his claim. .[24]
He and Ely S. Mitchell prepared a proposal, dated 28 May 1851, to the Choctaw Agency for removal of Choctaw remaining in Alabama and Mississippi to the Choctaw Nation west of Arkansas. They proposed that they would not remove any Choctaw who did not intend to remain in the Choctaw Nation. This proposal was submitted to the Choctaw Agency by John Drennen under his letter of recommendation dated 30 May 1851. His recommendation included, “In regard to the parties proposing I would remark that Mr. Smith is a citizen of Mississippi who is represented as having sufficient pecuniary means to enable him to carry on such emigration successfully. He also lives in the immediate vicinity of the Choctaw Clan, by far the most numerous of any of the clans now East, and from the best information I can obtain he has more influence with them than any other man in that country. He is moreover in my opinion an honest man and will not emigrate any except with the express understanding that the emigration is “bona fide” as expressed in their proposition.” and “…I would farther say that I deem the plan proposed by them much more eligible than the one now in operation…”
A letter of recommendation was also submitted in support of the proposal by Thomson McKenney on 08 Jun 1851. Thomson McKenney was concerned that most Choctaw who had emigrated the past winter had returned and that the people engaged in the removal had “resorted to all mean turns” and were looking out for their own interests. Thomson McKenney was also concerned that if the Choctaw did not relocate, they would become extinct in a few years.
A contract was issued to Ely S. Mitchell 21 Jun 1851 for emigration of Choctaw.[25]
Images can be viewed at Choctaw Agent Correspondence
In 1866 he petitioned President Andrew Johnson for a pardon. The petition for the pardon was submitted with endorsements from J.R. Hilton, Chief Justice of Bosque County, J. W. Throckmorton, Governor of Texas and Simeon Stansifer, who was a brother in law to Anderson B. Jones. The pardon was signed 12 Dec 1866 by President Andew Johnson.[26] [27] A full transcript, images of signatures and signed Amesty & Pardon can be seen at John Jackson Smith Amnesty & Pardon
It is not clear what drove him to make the petition for the Amnesty and Pardon but it could have been activities he was involved in prior to the Civil War, including the Majority Report that he assisted in authoring at the Southern State Convention in 1849 enforcing states rights and demanding that Congress not abolish slavery or his actions on the Committee of Public Safety could also have been factor. A resolution he assisted in authoring demanded that anyone proven loyal to the Lincoln Government be executed as a common spy.
Addison Kirkpatrick, who resided in Aquilla, across the Brazos River, included an excerpt in Early Settlers Life in Texas authored by him, "In this connection there are a few other incidents I wish to mention. The carpet baggers would fine a man whom they thought had money, by preferring some charge against him. At one time Mr. Smith, of Smith's Bend on the Brazos river and Jep Walling, were charged with some offense of which they were totally ignorant, the carpet baggers thinking they could get a few hundred dollars to drop the suit. But the old Texans were to sharp for them and had business in North Texas where they stayed until the scoundrels were sent out of the country. These old men stopped at my home a day or two on their trip and were determined not to be plundered of their money."[28]
Notes made by Tammy Kirkpatrick:
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Categories: Rankin County, Mississippi | Scott County, Mississippi, Slave Owners | Scott County, Mississippi | Hillsboro, Mississippi | Mississippi House of Representatives | Bosque County, Texas | Bosque County, Texas, Slave Owners | Smith Bend - Coon Creek Cemetery, Smiths Bend, Texas | Notables