The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-01-19
A SPLENDID ACHIEVEMENT
CHOSE FARMING AS A PURSUIT
WORTH OVER 100000 WHEN
HE DlED-GAVE LITERALLY
FOR EDUCATION.

her runaway slave boys, in the per
son of George w. Smith. A lengthy
account of his career as given in the
Press-Democrat, of Broadlands, H., +
is given for the benefit of the many
readers of the Globe. In the issue of
January 6, the Press-Democrat SAYS:
The life of George w. Smith, the
aged and wealthy coored man. who
died few days ago near this village,
was unusually interesting and remark
able in many ways. The fact that
Smith had no early opportunities and
yet succeeded so well in the material
things of this world should be an in
spiration to others of his race.
He was born a slave near Selmar.
McNairy County, Tennessee, Dec. 3,
1886. AT the early age of nine years.
together with his six brothers and sis
tiers, he was sold from his mothers
side. AS chattel he brought the
sum Of $5Ol.00. 1t was his duty then
to accompany his purchasers children
to school and to act as their playmate.
During study hours he was allowed
with other slave boys if they so liked.
to sit on a bench in the rear of the
! room, Even at that age he saw that
education was something worth having
and he sat there and absorbed all that
went on. To spur a laggard the teach
er one day jokingly remarked that
even George knew the answer to
question. When asked, George did
know it, and especially all sums in
arithmetic put to him thereafter. His
/ aptness was the pride of the children.
but the slaye-owners, hearing of it.
gave the teacher orders to keep young
I George out of the school room. It
/ was then a penal oi1ense to teach a
slave to read and write, and often to
destroy the ability to write, the Offend
ing slaves first finger on the right
hand was cut off. He was considered
TOO young to'punish. The interested
teacher slipped the bright boy a book
with orders to hide it in his shirt
when he heard anyone coming. This
was the extent Of his schooling. but he
saw to it that his children received a
good training even to the extent of a
state university education, if they so
desired
Shortly afterwards he was sent to
work as assistant to tho miller. n
skilled and paid employee. He was
not assistant long; in a few years the
miller was let out and George Smith
became the miller. Milling was his
task until the spring of 1862. Then
he learned that party of Confeder-
ates were coming with the avowed
purpose of killing him because he
knew too much. SO he took down his
squirrel rifle (he was an expert marks
NAM an tramped off to Shiloh where
= he saw his first service a scout in the
. Union army under General McClell-
and. He acted as guide for General
Logan in Tennessee and Mississippi.
Losing his hea TIL he came to Spring
field, Ill, where he met and married
Mrs. Mary b. Gaines, who was a fit
: ting companion in mis- successful eff
forts to establish a home and to rear
an honorable family
, With keen foresight ne chose farm
ing for his life-work At first it was
5 on small scale; he farmed in sum
mer and chopped wood in winter. The
r day was never too cold for him to
t work, up long before daylight, he
: would often walk four miles to the
. woods, wait for daylight to come, work
until noon, eat his frozen lunch, chop
2 hole in the river ice to drink. and
3 when night would come, three to three
! and one-half cords of wood would be
, the result of his days labor.
! In the spring Of 1876 he moved ia
l the 'Broadlands tract of land and the
; following December settled on that
, part Of his farm which has ever since
been his home. At that time Broad
, lands was wet and swampy, and the
, paying for the first so acres was the
! most difficult task of his career. But
a he paid for it and continued to buy
). until his farm property, called "Thc
+ Trail" consisted of 44O acres together
with personal property of an estima
, ted valuation of $4,000. He wa,
. among the very first to adopt tile
. drainage, to appreciate the value OF
clover as crop. He was remarkabl,
successful in growing corn and in rails
= ing hogs. On account of their quality
. his light and heavy hogs were widely
: known. And during these years nj
I did not forget the meager educationa
. opportunity of the little boy sitting be
hind the school house ready to hide
his book in his shirt. He spent more
money than any other man in the
!, township and considered it well in
vested.
Physically he was an athlete. Siy
, feet and more in height, broad O
shoulder, deep in chest, supple il
! movement he had the strength Of two
u ordinary men.
} CARL 3. LEWIS WINS PRIZE.
: Chicago, Ill.-The prize offered fn
Il the best essay on "Colored Authors
Who They Are, and Their Contribu
e tons to the Worlds Literature" wa
r awarded m Mr. Carv u ou,;c A.