"William" Arthur Smith


My father's name was "William" Arthur Smith, born in Alvord, TX. He had one sister Eva 3 years younger. They moved to Chehalis, WA. after a divorce and Eva was in first grade. My father was a man that could tackle any job that came along. He started Mother's Cookie Co. in our basement in Fircrest WA. He was pushed out of business by the Company by the same name in Seattle. We had a Model "T" delivery truck that we used for years, up until he got a Pontiac used in 1935.

He graduated in 1915 and went to Walla Walla College 2 years and met my mother
on one of his trips home to Roseburg, Or. where his mother was living and had remarried, He and my mother were married Sept. 11, 1917 in Centralia, WA. Both we children were born there. My father was a Bible student and could study with anyone. Soon after their marriage he and an other young man held evangelistic meetings in a Grange Hall north of town and were doing well, preaching "Righteousness by Faith" and the Conference came down and shut them down and my father was disfellowshiped. He continued to keep the Sabbath all through his life and later our Pastor, Elder Frank Phillips who live just down the road from dad's place and they had many personal discussions and my father was "Right on in his knowledge of Faith". I think he was too proud to come back till years later.

He had many discussions with the "Seventh Day Church of God" Ted Armstrong Sr. both in Eugene, Or. and after he moved to Pasadena, Ca. He was versed in bible study. 

He worked for a cabinet shop in Centralia as I was growing up and then was foreman for years at Rowlland Lbr. Co. in their cabinet shop. They did a little of every thing and that is where I got my start, working there sweeping the floors after school.

While working there a Rowlland's he came down with "Parkinson's" at the early age of 43 and had to quit working at 45. He continued to work his gardens which he loved and for several years had a 3 acre berry farm. It finally got too much for him and they sold out and moved to Springfield where both us children were living by then.

He lived a sad life as there were no medicines in those days to help and he died in 1967 at 72. He loved the out doors and bee's, the soil and his family. He had bee's two times and loved to just sit and let them crawl over him and he would open the hives and they would come out and land on his arms but to my knowledge he was never stung.

He had half his life taken away from him, but he never complained, loved his grandkids to come.

Love
Uncle Ardis 



From Tricia Crumley Howard

William "Arthur" Smith
bd:- 20 April 1895 - Alvord, Wise, Texas
dd - 02 July 1967 - Springfield, Lane, Oregon
Father - William G. Smith
Mother - Mary Ellen Cooper Cummins Smith May
Sib. Eva May Smith bd - 1897 - Texas dd - 1970 - Onalaska, Lewis, WA
1/2 sister - Lulu Cummins Pyke Lawson bd - 01 Sept. 1883 - AR-  dd - 12 May 
1962 - Battle Ground, WA

Marriage - 11 Sept 1917 - Multnomah County, OR - Grace Evelyn Davison - 
1887 - 1975
children- Ardis A. Smith
              Arlene L. Smith Crumley Otts

I had 1910 Fed Census - Skookumchuck, Lewis County, WA
1930 Fed Census - Centralia, Lewis County, WA
Oregon Marriage Records  1906-1970
Oregon Death Index 1903 -98
World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918 it has his signature.

 

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