Robert Wesley Smith (1836 - 1896)

Born 23 Feb 1836 in Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Lavinia (Brewster) Smith — married 14 Oct 1858 in Albert County, New Brunswick

Descendants

Died 22 Feb 1896 at age 59 in Canada

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Wanda Skidmore [send private message] and Pamela Smith [send private message]

Biography

The son of Robert Smith and Deborah Travis, Robert Wesley Smith was born 23 February 1836 Fort Lawrence, Cumberland Co unty Nova Scotia.

He died 22 February 1891 Fairhaven, Skagit County, Washingt on State, USA. Robert Wesley Smith married Sarah Lavinia Brewster on 14 October 1858 at A lbert County, New Brunswick. The Albert County Marriage Register (534) records the marri age of Robert Wesley Smith of Fort Lawrence, Cumberland County, Nova Scoti a, to Sarah Lavinia Brewster of Harvey, Albert County, New Brunswick by li cense on Oct 14 1858 by Jas Buckley, Wesleyan Minister, in the presen ce of John P Smith and Otis Cannon.

A Grave site has not been found for Robert Wesley Smith at Washington Stat e. Were his remains brought back to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia? I have n ot been able to find a grave site for Robert Wesley Smith at either New Br unswick or Nova Scotia.---Dale K Smith.

Robert Wesley Smith is the son of Robert and Desiah Newcomb (Travis) Smit h, Fort Lawrence, NS. The grandson of John �Roundhead� Smith, Fort Lawren ce and Jane Chapman, Fort Lawrence. He is also the great grandson of Natha niel Smith, Fort Lawrence and Elizabeth Duck, Fort Lawrence; William and M ary (Ibbitson) Chapman, Fort Lawrence; Nathaniel and Deborah (Newcomb) Tra vis, Amherst, NS.

1881 census Hopewell, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada Robert Smith b. age 46 b. Nova Scotia-Weslyan Methodist-Farmer; Sarah (Wif e) age 45 b. NB Baptist; John b. NS; Celia b. NS; Benjamin b. NS; Nathani el b. NS; Miles b. NS; Herbert b. NS; Bessie b. New Brunswick.

June 26, 1890, undated, partially burned LaConner (Advertisement)

• Smith, R.W.. Ad: Restaurant & Bakery, meals at all hours

From the Pioneer Book, printed 1906 Skagit County, WA: John R. Smith, o ne of the respected citizens and successful dairy farmers of the Clear La ke region of Skagit County, was born in Nova Scotia, August 28, 1858, t he son of Robert W. Smith. The elder Smith left Nova Scotia for New Brunsw ick in 1865 and continued there as a farmer until 1886, after which he pas sed two years in Maine. He crossed the continent in 1888, settling in LaCo nner, and he was a successful restaurant keeper there and in Fairhaven unt il his death in 1891. Mrs. Sarah L. (Brewster) Smith, a native of New Brun swick, died in 1902 at the home of her son, John R. Smith, leaving six oth er children. John R. attended school until twelve years old and then work ed on the parental farm until twenty-two, at that time securing employme nt with a neighboring farmer. Later he bought a farm of his own. After suc cessfully operating it for three years, he sold out and came to LaConne r, Skagit County, arriving in 1888. Here he bought a forty-acre farm and c onducted it for two years, at the end of which time he entered the dairy b usiness at Sedro-Woolley. In 1895, he went to Fredonia, the following ye ar moving to a place a mile and a half north of Clear Lake, where he has e ver since resided. June 28, 1882, Mr. Smith married Miss Mary E. Downin g, a daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Fitzgerald) Downing, who lived the li fe of New Brunswick farmers until recent years, closing their labors on ly with death. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born six children, of wh om Annie, Percy D., Jennie and Thomas C. are living. The Smith home is a p leasant one, and its maintenance, and the preparation of his children f or the duties of life, are Mr. Smith's chief care. He owns nearly 170 acr es of rich bottom land, ample for the support of his cattle and for the ge neral farming he does. His dairy herd numbers twenty-eight cows and twen ty head of young cattle, and while he devotes most of his attention to the se, he also keeps other live stock, horses, and hogs. Mr. Smith has made t wo trips out of the state since his arrival within its borders in 1888. Se ptember 8, 1894, he left on a reconnaissance of the Alberta country f or a satisfactory homestead location, and he had a pleasant trip of twenty -one days, pleasant except for one memorable snow storm. He failed, howeve r, to discover anything more promising than the prospects which Skagit Cou nty offered. January 19, 1897, he started on a gold hunting expediti on to Alaska, and he remained in the far north until the ensuing June, eng aged for the most part in work on the White Pass wagon road. This trip w as a profitable one financially, but nowhere has Mr. Smith found opportuni ties better than in Skagit County, where he is doing well and expects to c ontinue doing well. In politics, Mr. Smith is a Republican. As a man and c itizen his standing in the community is a highly enviable one, the este em and confidence of his neighbors being his in abundant measure.

Sources

• ancestry.com