Arthur Charles Smith was born at Caulfield, Gloucestershire, England, in March, 1869. Rose Jackson Smith was born at London Road and Strand in Gloucestershire, England, on November 11, 1876. The couple were married in April, 1894, in Newert, Gloucestershire.
The two eldest Smith children, Joshua born in November, 1897 and Muriel born in July, 1901, arrived into the world while the Smiths were living at Newert.
In 1903, the Smith family immigrated to the New World and established their new home in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Smith had previously lived in Chicago in 1892, where he worked for Swift's Packing Plant. He returned to England late in 1893. After spending about one year in Chicago, where another daughter was born (Juanita), they decided to leave for the open west - California or Western Canada. A toss of a coin finalized their decision and they purchased rail tickets to the end of steel, then Fort Edmonton. At first they made their home in Edmonton where Mr. Smith was a butcher.
In 1905, the Smiths tried homesteading at Smithfield. During the ensuing years, Mr. Smith was a forest ranger and was away from home a great deal. He also did auctioneering all over the territory, including many of the areas mentioned in this history book.
Many stories were related to family and friends about theses good old days. Coyotes were numerous and howled around the cabin constantly. It was no doubt a lonely life, but as time went on neighbours became more numerous. Stories were told of the wagon trek to the homestead over rough and rugged trails.
Wabamun was some four miles distant and mail and supplies were available there. The Smiths were also fortunate to have one of the few telephones in the area.
In 1908, when the Grand Trunk Railway was being built westward, Mr. Smith bought, raised, and butchered beef which was supplied to the crews building the railroad.
I'm not sure what year Smithfield School was built, but it was so named because Mr. Smith donated the land and many of the family attended the school until 1918. The old nag we rode back and forth served us well and faithfully. The surrounding territory became the Smithfield School District and remained an entity until the provincial government formed the school division. Father also donated land for a cemetery known as "Smithfield Cemetery" in which my parents buried their eldest daughter, Muriel in March, 1908.
We older ones well remember the socials held in that school. It was a true community hall with its dances and box socials. The boxes were auctioned off, usually by Mr. Smith, and I'm sure he pulled many a sneaky trick. Everyone attended these events including parents, children and babies.
Born on the homestead were two more sons and three daughters. In 1912, another daughter, Nella was buried in Smithfield. Sometime in those years our family bought a home in Wabamun where they lived at least part time. There were two daughters and a son born here. Edwin, an infant son, was buried in the Wabamun Cemetery in 1914. The Smiths attended the Anglican Church in Wabamun. There were two more daughters born in Wabamun. In 1918, the home in Wabamun was taken over as the telephone office and remained thus until 1964.
By this time, we had moved back to the homestead and in 1918 one of our greatest tragedies was the loss of the eldest son, Joshua, who at twenty-one died from influenza. He too, is buried in Smithfield Cemetery.
Following the death of Joshua, Father moved his family back to Edmonton where he had purchased the Imperial Meat Market and he, together with his two sons, Charles and Richard, operated it until his death in June, 1954. His sons carried on the business until the early 1960's. In June, 1959, his widow, Rose, passed away and they lie side by side with their three children in Smithfield Cemetery.
There are eight children of the original twelve still alive. These are: Charles and Richard and Mrs. Norah Northup of Edmonton; Mrs. Nita Taylor, Mrs. Billie Maloney and Mrs. Phyllis Frazer of Victoria; Mrs. Dorothy Janzen of Wetaskiwin; Mrs. Verah Gabler of Grande Prairie.
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