SMILEY, John A. - b. January 1, 1836 - d. June 1916

[genealogynut]

Howard Courant
July 6, 1916


John A. Smiley was born in Rockridge county, Virginia, on January 1st, 1836.  He moved to Illinois in 1848, from there to Ohio and then to Carroll county, Indiana, where he lived until he came to Kansas in 1879.  He came to Elk county in 1880 where he has lived almost continuously ever since.

In 1866 he was married to Hannah M. Ballard, who died on July 15th, 1901.  To this union there were ten children born, of whom seven are living:  Mrs. John A. Thompson of Eureka, Kansas, Mrs. F. W. Kaiser of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; Mrs. Lester DeShazo of El Paso, Texas; Mrs. F.L. Jordan of Winters, California; Mrs. W. H. Finger of Burlingame, California, John R. Smiley of El Reno, Oklahoma and Arch J. of Oswego, Kansas.

Brother Smiley heard the call of his country and served for three years in the Civil War in Company F. 20th Ind. He was badly wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.  He was a member of the E. M. Stanton Post of the G. A. R. of this city.

In his early manhood Brother Smiley professed faith in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and united with the Associate Presbyterian church.  He was for many years a member of the United Presbyterian church and for several years has been a member of the Presbyterian church of Howard, of which h was a member at the time he received the call of his Lord and Master to quit the walks of his earthly life and come over into the Land of Promise and ever be present with the Lord.  But to have known Brother Smiley was to appreciate the worth of a worthy Christian man.

The funeral service was conducted at the home of his nephew, George Smith of this city, on Thursday morning, June 29th, at 10:30 o'clock by O.L. Weir, pastor of the First Baptist church, assisted by Rev. Arch J. Jearns, pastor of the Presbyterian church and his body was laid to rest in Grace Lawn cemetery.

May the Lord console the bereaved.


                                                    O.L. Weir