Biography

Smith was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, on September 10, 1792. He served in the War of 1812, the Creek Indian Wars, and served as a lieutenant under Andrew Jackson in the battle of New Orleans. From 1819 until 1835, he fought in the Tennessee militia alongside Sam Houston

Sam Houston

Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...

, where he reached the rank of Colonel. In 1835, he moved to Texas, where he established a plantation in Nacogdoches, Texas

Nacogdoches, Texas

Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...

. On April 11, 1836, Smith joined the revolutionary army as captain of the cavalry of the Nacogdoches Mounted Volunteers. After his victory at the Battle of San Jacinto

Battle of San Jacinto

The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...

, he received a promotion to inspector general by General Thomas J. Rusk.

Smith commanded the second battalion of Rusk's regiments at the Battle of the Neches. On March 7, 1840, he was promoted to brigadier general, where he took command of the Third Brigade on the northwest frontier of Mexico.

Smith represented Rusk County, Texas

Rusk County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,372 people, 17,364 households, and 12,727 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 19,867 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...

 in the Texas House of Representatives from February 16, 1846, until December 13, 1847. He was instrumental in the establishment of Smith County, Texas

Smith County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 174,706 people, 65,692 households, and 46,904 families residing in the county. The population density was 188 people per square mile . There were 71,701 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...

, named in his honor. Smith also donated the land that Henderson, Texas

Henderson, Texas

Henderson is a city in Rusk County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,273 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rusk County...

was built on.

Smith is buried at Smith Park, on the corner of S. Main and Jacksonville Dr., in Henderson.

Family

With wife: Hannah Parker (1799–1864), children:

1. Captain Henry Madison Smith (1817–1882)
2. Sarah Elvina Smith (1818–1902)
3. Unnamed Female? (~1820)
4. Frances E. Smith (1823–1854)
5. James Smith (Birth date unknown)
6. Joseph Smith (1825–1860)
7. Andrew Jackson Smith (1826–1880)
8. Isaac Newton Smith (1828-?)
9. William Jasper Smith (1830–1894)
10. Francis Marion Smith (1833–1863)
11. Barsheba H. Smith (1834–1904)
12. Sam Houston Smith (Birth date unknown)
13. Birt H. Smith (1837–1863)