William Smeathers
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" Smeathers (c.
1767 – 1837), also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky
and later Texas
.
Not much is known about his early days. He is believed to have been born in either Pennsylvania, Virginia or North Carolina. He may have been born as early as 1759 or as late as 1767. When Smeathers was 12 his father was killed by Indians and his mother died shortly thereafter, leaving young Smeathers to tend to his younger brother James and sister Mollie. He was married twice, the second time to Mary Winters of Tennessee. He had two sons, John and Archibald, and four daughters.
area of Kentucky, where he built Smeathers Station. Smeathers was also an early settler of Fort Hartford (present-day Hartford
in Ohio County
), and he helped to build a fort at Vienna (later Calhoun
in McLean County
) on the Green River
in the early 1780s. In 1797 or 1798 he built a home on the Ohio River
, at a site that became known as Yellow Banks, becoming the first settler in what is now Owensboro, Kentucky
. Smeathers served on first grand jury of Court of Quarter Sessions at Hartford, 1803. In 1808 he was appointed land commissioner of Ohio County
. In 1809 he was tried for murder (under the name Bill Smothers) for killing a man who had allegedly raped his sister. He was acquitted but was advised to leave the area temporarily for his own safety. He served in the Kentucky "Corn Stalk" militia in 1803, and he served in the War of 1812
as a captain in the Kentucky Mounted Spies under the command of Major Toussaint Dubois
.
rule) in 1810, and at some point he seems to have lived in Indiana. He eventually relocated to Texas, and in 1821 he helped Stephen F. Austin
explore the coast to choose a location for Austin's first colony. In 1822 he was one of the five men who established a fort, Fort Bend, at a bend in the Brazos River
near the site of present-day Richmond, Texas
; the fort gave its name to present-day Fort Bend County
. Smeathers is listed as one of the Old Three Hundred
, original settlers in Austin's colony along the Brazos River in Mexican Texas
, the first of many Americans to settle in Texas with the permission of the Mexican government. Later he was one of the first settlers in the DeWitt Colony
in the Lavaca River
valley area near current Hallettsville
. His son and three grandsons fought in the Texas Revolution
.
He died in Columbia, Texas
, on August 13, 1837.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1767 – 1837), also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and later Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Not much is known about his early days. He is believed to have been born in either Pennsylvania, Virginia or North Carolina. He may have been born as early as 1759 or as late as 1767. When Smeathers was 12 his father was killed by Indians and his mother died shortly thereafter, leaving young Smeathers to tend to his younger brother James and sister Mollie. He was married twice, the second time to Mary Winters of Tennessee. He had two sons, John and Archibald, and four daughters.
Kentucky
In 1782 he was one of the first settlers in the Rough RiverRough River
The Rough River is a tributary of the Green River in west-central Kentucky in the United States. Via the Green and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River...
area of Kentucky, where he built Smeathers Station. Smeathers was also an early settler of Fort Hartford (present-day Hartford
Hartford, Kentucky
Hartford is a city in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ohio County. It is believed to be named for a deer crossing on the nearby Rough River....
in Ohio County
Ohio County, Kentucky
Ohio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 22,916. Its county seat is Hartford. The county is named for the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary. It is a dry county, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or...
), and he helped to build a fort at Vienna (later Calhoun
Calhoun, Kentucky
Calhoun is a city in McLean County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 836 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McLean County. It is included in the Owensboro, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in McLean County
McLean County, Kentucky
McLean County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky; its population was 9,938 in the 2000 Census. McLean County's county seat is at Calhoun....
) on the Green River
Green River (Kentucky)
The Green River is a tributary of the Ohio River that rises in Lincoln County in south-central Kentucky. Tributaries of the Green River include the Barren River, the Nolin River, the Pond River and the Rough River...
in the early 1780s. In 1797 or 1798 he built a home on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, at a site that became known as Yellow Banks, becoming the first settler in what is now Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
. Smeathers served on first grand jury of Court of Quarter Sessions at Hartford, 1803. In 1808 he was appointed land commissioner of Ohio County
Ohio County, Kentucky
Ohio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 22,916. Its county seat is Hartford. The county is named for the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary. It is a dry county, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or...
. In 1809 he was tried for murder (under the name Bill Smothers) for killing a man who had allegedly raped his sister. He was acquitted but was advised to leave the area temporarily for his own safety. He served in the Kentucky "Corn Stalk" militia in 1803, and he served in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
as a captain in the Kentucky Mounted Spies under the command of Major Toussaint Dubois
Toussaint Dubois
Toussaint Dubois was a Montreal born Frenchman and American soldier who joined with Lafayette to fight for American independence in the American Revolutionary War.-Biography:...
.
Texas
He reportedly visited Texas (then under SpanishSpanish Texas
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. Although Spain claimed ownership of the territory, which comprised part of modern-day Texas, including the land north of the Medina and Nueces Rivers, the Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until after...
rule) in 1810, and at some point he seems to have lived in Indiana. He eventually relocated to Texas, and in 1821 he helped Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
explore the coast to choose a location for Austin's first colony. In 1822 he was one of the five men who established a fort, Fort Bend, at a bend in the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
near the site of present-day Richmond, Texas
Richmond, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,413 households, and 2,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,975.4 people per square mile . There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of 965.3 per square mile...
; the fort gave its name to present-day Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. Smeathers is listed as one of the Old Three Hundred
Old Three Hundred
The Old Three Hundred is a term used to describe the 297 grantees, made up of families and some partnerships of unmarried men, who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin and established a colony near present day Brenham in Washington County, Texas.Moses Austin was the original...
, original settlers in Austin's colony along the Brazos River in Mexican Texas
Mexican Texas
Mexican Texas is the name given by Texas history scholars to the period between 1821 and 1836, when Texas was an integral part of Mexico. The period began with Mexico's victory over Spain in its war of independence in 1821. For the first several years of its existence, Mexican Texas operated very...
, the first of many Americans to settle in Texas with the permission of the Mexican government. Later he was one of the first settlers in the DeWitt Colony
Dewitt Colony
The Dewitt Colony was a settlement in Mexican Texas founded by Green DeWitt. From lands belonging to that colony, the present Texas counties of DeWitt, Guadalupe and Lavaca were created...
in the Lavaca River
Lavaca River
The Lavaca River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It begins in the northeastern part of Gonzales County, and travels generally southeast for 115 miles until it empties into Lavaca Bay, which is a component of Matagorda Bay.-History:...
valley area near current Hallettsville
Hallettsville, Texas
Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,345 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. The town is home to the Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame and also hosts a dominoes tournament every year in January...
. His son and three grandsons fought in the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
.
He died in Columbia, Texas
West Columbia, Texas
West Columbia is a city in Brazoria County in the U.S. state of Texas within 50 miles of Eastern Columbia. The population was 4,255 at the 2000 census....
, on August 13, 1837.
Recognition
- There is a Bill Smeathers Park in Owensboro, KentuckyOwensboro, KentuckyOwensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
(Ohio CountyDaviess County, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 91,545 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of...
), where he is credited as the first settler. Kentucky Historical Marker #744 was erected in his honor at the park. - Kentucky Historical Marker #1548 in Hartford, KentuckyHartford, KentuckyHartford is a city in Ohio County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ohio County. It is believed to be named for a deer crossing on the nearby Rough River....
, (Ohio County) honors Smeathers for his contribution in helping erect a fort there and at Vienna (later CalhounCalhoun, KentuckyCalhoun is a city in McLean County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 836 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McLean County. It is included in the Owensboro, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in McLean CountyMcLean County, KentuckyMcLean County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky; its population was 9,938 in the 2000 Census. McLean County's county seat is at Calhoun....
). - A monument near Fort Bend, Texas, lists his name as "William Smithers" and commemorates his founding of Fort Bend with four other men.
- A Texas State Historical Marker on U.S. 77, 1 mile south of HallettsvilleHallettsville, TexasHallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,345 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. The town is home to the Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame and also hosts a dominoes tournament every year in January...
, lists his name as "William Smothers" and recounts his accomplishments. - It is reported that a lake in Texas was named for him; this probably refers to Smithers LakeSmithers LakeSmithers Lake is a lake in Fort Bend County, Texas.It is located ten miles southeast of Richmond. It is near the Brazos River.The project is owned and operated by NRG Energy as the cooling-water supply for a steam-electric generating station, W. A. Parish Electric Generating Station. It was...
in Fort Bend CountyFort Bend County, TexasFort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S... - Smothers Creek in Lavaca County - also known as Smathers or Smeathers Creek - is named for him.