The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-02-04
Levi Smith,
G. A. r. Vet,
Summoned
"a Year, Old Resident Buried
In Lyman Prairie Gem
etery Sunday
JEPPA LARSON CALLED
Alfred haywood Truax And
Erwin Zins Listed In
Death Toll
Levi Walker Smith

vA vvs@AOI NAAAAMA
AS 1t must to all men, death came
to Levi Walker Smith, last member
of that gallant band of men, who
formed the Grand Army of the Re
public, and gave service in civil
strife for the preservation Of the
Union. He answered the final
sounding of taps at his home in
this city ON January %, 1887, and
at the time Of death had arrived at
the ripe age of 81 years, months
and IA days.
Levi Walker Smith was born in
Clinton County, New York, Octo-
Der IL, 1912. In 1857 the family of
nine came by rail and steamboat to
the village of Eau Gale, Dunn
County, Wisconsin, where Levi was
employed by the firm Of Carson &
Rand, who were engaged In cutting
the fine timber along the banks of
the Eau Gale River.
In the spring of 1864, he and a
younger brother, Willard, decided
to enlist in the service of the I'm
ion, and thereby secure the cash
bonus awarded to volunteers at
that time. To the keen disappoint-
ment Of Levi, Willard was accept
ed, and he was rejected for physical
reasons. A few months later he was
drafted and lost both the cash bon
us and the hope of serving his
country alongside of his brother.
Levi served with Sherman and Will
lard with Grant, and they never saw
nQnI nfIrnu~ q onoiv, M on
had received their honorable dis
charge from the service.
Mr.. Smith served in the Civil
War in Co. d, 18th Wisconsin Vol
unteers, and was the last living
member of B. r. Palmer Post, G..
A. r. He was an honorary member
OF the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Mr.. Smith took the utmost pride in
his record of service to the Nation,
and the right and privilege of flag
draped casket was hts special re-
quest.
In 1859, Mr.. Smith and his bro
Their, Willard, came to Sank Cen
tire and the latter took homestead
in Lyman Prairie, which sometime
later he sod to Levi, and they re-
turned to Wisconsin.
Mr.. Smith was united in marriage
in Wisconsin to Mary Schrader,
and in short time they were
vending their way with horses and
wagon to their future home in
Minnesota.
Before the death of Mrs. Smith
in 1914, Mr.. Smith sold the farm and
purchased small home in Hobo
ken, Sank Centre, where later his
daughter, Mabel, made a home for
him until his death.
Mr.. Smith was the father of
eight children, four boys and four
daughters, of whom George, Walk
er, Fred, Minnie and Myrtle are
deceased, and Elmer, Mabel and
Mary (Mrs. George Whitney, sur
vive. The remaining children re-
side in and near Sank Centre.
Deceased was among the earliest
pioneers of Wisconsin and Mime
sofa. Reared in that exacting
school Of the frontier wilderness,
he learned the necessity of hard
and prolonged labor, and the faith
ful adherence to its simple code If
he were to wrest a living from the
wild prairie on which he chose to
make his home.
His long life of toll and service
to his nation and community re-
fleets eloquently his sterling char
acter and the fearless manner in
which he met life's problems. He
leaves a host of friends to whom
in life he was a good neighbor.
He was buried with military hon
ors Sunday afternoon, when funer-
al services were held at the Meth
odist Church in this city. The flag
draped casket was taken to the Ly-
man Prairie cemetery for inter.
ment. Rev. M. L. Brann, pastor of
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