J. W. Smith, of Augusta. is a Butler county pioneer who in the early days was engaged in freighting. He is a native of Tennessee, born in 1849, and is a son of James and Martha (Burkhart) Smith, natives of Tennessee. They were the parents of nine children, only two of whom are living: W. C., who lives at Seneca. Mo., and J. W., the subject of this sketch. J. W. Smith was denied the advantages of an education in his boyhood days, but attended school in later life, and even when he was forty years old went to school with his own children. By constant application, he has obtained a good education, which is today a great source of satisfaction to him, and he appreciates it more from the fact that he experienced several years of his life without an

education, and in that way came to appreciate its value to the fullest extent.

J. W. Smith began life as a freighter, hauling lead from the mines at Granby, Mo., to Sedalia, and later from Granby to Rolla. When the railroad was built between those points he and a number of other freighters were crowded out of business. He then took up freighting along the proposed line of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad and managed to keep just ahead of the terminus of the railroad, and found plenty of business in the way of hauling goods from the terminus to the next town to which it was building. For seven years, while he was engaged in this line of work, he never slept in a house.

In 1875, Mr. Smith came to Butler county, Kansas, and settled six miles southwest of Augusta, where he traded a team and wagon for 240 acres of land. He has added to his original holdings and now owns 512 acres. This is one of the fine farms of Butler county and now possesses the additional value of being in the oil and gas belt, which is being rapidly developed. Mr. Smith has followed farming and stock raising for thirty years, and was also a successful stock feeder on quite an extensive scale. He prospered and made money, and is one of Butler county's substantial men of affairs. In 1908 he removed to Augusta, where he built a comfortable home, and has since resided there.

In 1876 Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Delila Golden at Seneca, Mo. Mrs. Smith is a member of a pioneer family of Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born nine children, five of whom are living, as follows: J. C., married Miss Ollie Roundtree, and resides on the home place; Harvey, married Hazel Fuller, of El Dorado, and lives near Augusta; Mrs. Cora Higgins, of Wichita; Mrs. Ola Johnson, Rose Hill, Kans., and Virgil, a student in the Augusta High School.

Mr. Smith is a member of the Masonic lodge and has been identified with that organization for over twenty years.

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