William Smith was born September 5th 1852 in Bellmont County, Ohio, near the town of Barnesville.  He was brought to Wayne County Illinois, by his parents, when an infant, settling on a farm in Arrington township, where he lived the remainder of his life.  He was married to Mary A. Marshall, November 3rd, 1872.  To this union were born eleven children.  Dora M:  James M:  Laura:  Martha:  Stella A:  Myrtle E (deceased);  Nora I:  Grace O:  Jacob O:  Harry (deceased):  Charles F:  Two brothers survive him, Malen who resided in Arrington Township, and James A. of Kingfisher, Oklahoma.

 William Smith departed this life, Monday morning, October 15th 1900, just as the alluminary of the day began to appear, sending her rays of light to kiss away the night.  The angel of death with soft tread, crossed the threshold of the Smith home, and carried away the life of husband, father, brother and my dear friend.  He died within fifteen feet of where his father died, thirty years before, leaving him and his two brothers wife and stepmother, with a small home, to battle the world.

 The deceased took the small legacy left him, and married a devoted wife.  Together through industry and economy, using his small portion as a nucleus, gathered a home for his wife and children in this life and a sufficiency for the wife to live on after he had gone.

 After cooly and diliberately arrangeing his affairs, he then turned to the writer and his brother and asked them to sing, "Unclouded Day", and then pray with him.  This was a week prior to his demise.  He expressed to his brother and family the morning before he died, his willingness to go.  His suffering was of long duration, and severe:  yet he bore it all with manly fortitude, never complaining, allways submissive.  In his death, his family has lost a devoted father, the comunity an energetic and trustworthy citizen.

 Peace be to his ashes.   J.B.L.