The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-06
Prominent Citizen and Former 6usl-
ness Man Answers Call At
ter Long and Useful
Life.
WAS PROMINENT CITIZEN
At One Time Mayor Of keokuk
and Prominent in the Bust
ness World at One
Time.

Another well known pioneer cltlzen
answered the last summons this
morning, when George B. Smythe
for over sixty wears resi-
dent and prominent citizen OF
Keokuk. passed away at 4:30
at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. d. A. Collier 326 Fulton street.
Death comes as a great shock to the
members of his family and the city.
and although his health had been grad
ually failing for some time, the end
was not thought to be so near and
the community feels greatly the loss
of this valued citizen who has been
directly concerned with the welfare
of the city for over half century
and until the time that his declining
years would not permit, was an act
i've worker, being at one time one OF
the foremost business men of Keo-
l,a. AID prominent in the public SER
vice.
Death this morning was sudden
and was due chiefly to the prostration
of his vital forces, Mr.. Smythe being
a man who had passed the eighteen
mile stone of his life and had he
lived until a week from tomorrow,
October IA, he would have been
eighty-one years old.
In Keckuk Sixty Years.
George B. Smythe was born at Ris-
Ing Sun, Indiana, October IA, 1928. AT
the age of twenty-one years he came
to Keokuk, coming to this city April
IA, 1S49.
On October 1, 1850, he was united
in marriage to Martha M. Chambers at
Fort Madison, Iowa. To this union
six children were born, five of whom
survive.
For many years he has been retired
from all the activities of business life
and has outlived his generation, his
wife having proceeded him to the bet
ter world April 81, 1903. He has been
content to spend his remaining days
with his children and up to the last
was a constant reader, many interest
ing old files and scrap books that are
concerned with the early history OF
Keokuk, being kept by him.
Prominent Business Man.
In the passing of Mr.. Smythe the
city loses one of the pioneer mer
chants he having been member o!
the firm of Connable and Smythe
wholesale grocers. Later the firm
built the large packing houses, where
the Hubinger Brothers cereal plant il
now located, and the firm of Connabl'
and Smythe, pork packers, did al
enormous business and the plant CAV
employment to hundreds of men
Many of the older citizens of Keoku
will remember this great establish
ment, one of the foremost in TIL
western country at that time and on
Of the chief and representative firm
Of Keokuk, doing tremendous bus
ness with headquarters here, in Live
pool and America.
In 1851 Connable Smythe purcha
ed the wholesale grocery business
H. w. Sample & Co., and conducted
Tor twenty years under the firm nam
Of Connable & Smythe. For the fir
three years their place of bushes
was located on the northeast cornt
of Blondeau street and the levee, q
.er which they removed to the bull
ngs across the street from that loo
lion. During this time they bong
ground and built the packing hou
and invested s125,000 and opened II
pork packing establishment of Co
nable & Sniythe, where the cere
plant now stands. In 1868 Mr.. Smytl
bought out Mr.. Connable's interest al
continued the business himself und
The name of George B. Smythe & G
although he had no partner
Was city's Mayor.
George B. Smythe was at one tir
mayor of Keokuk and also as finance