William Smith was a Ghanaian civil servant who worked in Freetown, Sierra Leone as a registrar for the Mixed Commissionary Court. Due to his position and through his marriage to wealthy Freetown Creoles, Smith became a prominent figure in Sierra Leone. Smith had fourteen children, including Adelaide Casely-Hayford

Adelaide Casely-Hayford

Adelaide Casely-Hayford, née Smith , was a Sierra Leonean Creole advocate, an activist for cultural nationalism, educator, short story writer, and feminist. She established a school for girls in 1923 to instill cultural and racial pride during the colonial years under British rule...

, his most well known child. Smith was also the grandfather of Dr. McCormack Easmon

McCormack Easmon

McCormack Charles Farrell Easmon, OBE was born in Accra in the Gold Coast where his father, John Farrell Easmon, a prominent Creole doctor, was working at the time. He was educated - for six months - at the CMS Grammar School, Freetown in Freetown and later at St. Paul's Preparatory School in...

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Background

William Smith was born in Cape Coast

Cape Coast

Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of 82,291 . From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the...

 in 1816 to William Smith Sr and a Fanti princess who was the daughter of a Chief. William Smith (1795–1875) was from Yorkshire, England and worked for the African Company. Smith grew up at Cape Coast until his father was appointed a Judge for the Mixed Commission in Sierra Leone.