Individual Details

Capt. Henry Madison Smith

(17 Nov 1817 - 7 Dec 1882)

BIOGRAPHY by HM Smith's Great Grandson: Henry Madison Smith, soldier, was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, on November 17, 1817. He was the first child of Hannah (Parker) and Gen. James Smith. His father returned with his family in 1819 to Lincoln County, Tennessee, where Henry spent his youth and received his education. It is thought that Henry Smith traveled to Nacogdoches, Texas, with his father on a trip to purchase land in 1835. They then returned to Tennessee to bring the family to Texas. The family moved ahead to Texas, and Henry followed with the troops that his father brought from Tennessee and Alabama to fight against Mexico. They arrived at Nacogdoches in March 1836, and Henry served in the cavalry troop of General Smith from April 11 until July 23, 1836. In the aftermath of the battle of San Jacinto, he, with his father's troops, faced the enemy in the Victoria area with Gen. Thomas J. Rusk. Henry Smith served Texas again with the mounted volunteers under his father General Smith during the fall of 1838 against Indians. He commanded his own company in the Army of the Republic of Texas under Maj. B. C. Waters during the battle of the Neches in August 1839, where he was severely wounded. He also served as adjutant major under Cage Douglas.
Smith married Sarah Susannah Hall on January 9, 1840. He owned a league and a labor of land in Rusk County near Henderson and was one of the town's early businessmen. He moved to Coryell County in 1860 and was a large land holder near the site of present Oglesby. He served as justice of the peace and was a county commissioner of precinct one from 1874 to 1876. Deed records show that on March 23, 1874, he and his wife gave a parcel of land at Oglesby for a church and school. The Primitive Baptist Church, of which they were members, was to use it on the fourth Sabbath and the other denominations would be free to use it at other times. Henry M. Smith died on December 9, 1882, and is buried three miles south of Oglesby in Post Oak Cemetery. Biography by Reverend L. L. Stevens Parents: James Smith (1792 - 1854) Hannah Parker Smith (1799 - 1864) Spouse: Sarah Susannah Hall Smith (1821 - 1885) Children: Green Lafayette Smith (1841 - 1886) James Dekalb Smith (1842 - 1914) Susan Melvina Smith Ellison (1844 - 1929) Joseph Marion Smith (1848 - 1915) Henry Mattison Smith (1854 - 1925) Helen M. Smith (1857 - ____) William Lee Smith (1863 - 1886) Inscription: CAPT. H. M. SMITH A Texas Veteran Died Dec. 7, 1882Aged 64 years 20 days. The soldier has put his weapons down
instead of the sword he accepts the crown.
O let our grateful hearts praise and adore him who saves, forgives, and every wound doth heal. God knows it all.

Events

Birth17 Nov 1817Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Marriage9 Jan 1840Nacogdoches County, Texas - Sarah Susanna Hall
Census (family)15 Jun 1880Coryell County, Texas - Sarah Susanna Hall
Death7 Dec 1882Oglesby, Coryell County, Texas
BurialPost Oak Cemetery, Oglesby, Coryell County, Texas

Families

SpouseSarah Susanna Hall (1821 - 1885)
ChildGreen Lafayette Smith (1841 - 1886)
FatherGen. James Smith (1792 - 1854)
MotherHannah Parker (1799 - 1864)

Notes

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