A Partial Biography
of Walter A. Smith
by Odell T. Smith
Walter A. Smith was born in September 23, 1856, and died in June 22, 1938. He was one
of the outstanding members of Enon Lutheran Church in his lifetime. His wife
was the former Mary Jane Keisler. She was born in October 16, 1853, and died July 7, 1919.
They were both buried at Enon Lutheran Church near Leesville, South Carolina.
Walter was a son of William Alexander Smith and Sarah Ann Lewis Smith.
Children of Alexander and Sarah Ann Smith:
i.
Nancy Caroline. Born on 4 May 1844. Nancy Caroline died on 8 May 1928, she was 84. Nancy Caroline married Benedict Shealy.
ii. Mary Ann (Died as
Infant). Born abt
1846.
iii. John Wesley. Born
on 10 Nov 1846. John Wesley died on 29 Oct 1928, he
was 81. John Wesley married Mary Catherine Smith.
iv. Sally Ann. Born on
28 Aug 1847. Sally Ann died on 21 Aug 1926, she was
78. Sally Ann married Emanuel Hallman.
v. James Jefferson
(1849-1936)
vi. Henry R.. Born in 1852. Henry R.
died in 1883, he was 31. Henry R. married Victoria Kyzer.
vii. Daniel Lemuel.
Born in 1854. Daniel Lemuel died on 11 Jul 1894, he
was 40. Daniel Lemuel married Victoria Hayes.
viii. Walter A.
(1856-1938)
ix. Susan. Born in 1859. Susan died in 1938, she was 79.
Susan married Willie W. Hall.
x. Emanuel Levi. Born
on 14 May 1861. Emanuel Levi died on 23 Oct 1940, he
was 79. Emanuel Levi married Jane Hall.
xi. Noah Albert
(1864-1939)
xii. Mary Catherine. Born in 1866. Mary Catherine died in
1903, she was 37. Mary Catherine married James Smith.
xiii. Laura. Born on 8
Jun 1869. Laura died on 17 Aug 1969, she was 100.
Laura married William Sherman Hall.
It seemed that Walter had a special appetite for custard and pie on these
occasions so much, that someone gave him the nickname "Custard Pie,"
as some of the older relatives recalled. No doubt he responded with a familiar
smile and gesture when called by this name.
The ladies, who prepared the food for the occasion, really knew the art of
cooking. When the table became laden with so much food such as pies, puddings,
custards, cakes, fried chicken, steak, home-made pork sausage, country cured
ham, brown biscuits, mixed bread, iced tea, lemonade- well, anyone may
truthfully say that cooking in those days was unsurpassed by any culinary art.
The older people of the community tell us that his close friends or relatives
gave Walter another nickname back in young manhood. It seems the nickname story
originated something like this - "Many years ago when pine timber was
aplenty and to waste, the pine trees were cut down and burned where land was to
be cleared for cultivation. When the trees were cut into log length for easier
handling, the able-bodied men would gather around for a "log
rolling". They tell of Walter's endurance and stamina when the men would
gather for the log rolling. It seemed that many of the logs were lifted and
carried by "hand sticks" which were placed across, underneath the log
(possibly two to four sticks depending on the size of the log.) Then the men
would grasp each end of the hand sticks, lift the log, and carry it to the heap
to be burned.
Logrolling required strenuous work. Walter would be going vigorously when his
partner in logrolling was almost exhausted. Due to his ruggedness, toughness,
and endurance in logrolling and other work to be done, Walter's friends gave
him the nickname "Rawhide."
We must mention also Walter's wife, Mary Jane. Aunt Jane, as she was
affectionately called, evidently was a hard working
lady. The writer remembers as a boy how Aunt Jane at the age of 60, would pick
cotton in the community on at least two or more of the neighbor's farms. There
one could see piles of cotton dotted here and there over the field that she had
picked.
Walter's children had the experience of hard work, too. They cultivated their
farmland altogether with mule and plow, which is rarely done nowadays since the
advent of the farm tractor. Let's mention at least one of the other types of
work the boys did, that is the job of cutting logs and cutting and pealing
pulp-wood, and hauling it to the railroad sidetrack
and loading it on freight cars.
Let's not forget Walter's daughter, Sarah who carried on the mule and plow
farming personally after the death of her first husband. It sounds almost
unbelievable for a woman to run the farm and to take care of small children,
too. Nevertheless, with a strong will and determination she accomplished her
work under almost impossible conditions.
Surely Walter's children each one had the experience of laboring to the limit
of their abilities. Here was a family who labored and enjoyed a good honest
living. Some of Uncle Walter's children are still living (1965) and working in
their senior years.
Children of Walter
and Mary Ann Smith:
i. Andrew Lawrence (1876-1945)
ii. James Franklin
(1879-1954)
iii. Sarah Ann
Elizabeth (1881-1962)
iv. Carrie Mattie
(1884-1948)
v. Bessie Agnes
(1888-1955)
vi. Clara Bertha
(1890-1973)
vii. Henry Alexander
(1893-1960)
viii. Minnie Beulah
(1896-1973)
(Originally
compiled in 1965 by Odell T. Smith, revised and submitted by David Smith)
Last updated 30 December 2019