History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

SAGINAW CITY.

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and the promptness and ability which he brings to the discharge
of his duty, is fully acknowledged and appreciated.
Dan PW. Smith, photographer, Saginaw City, was born at.Canton, Ohio, Feb. 11, 1843, and is a son of Frederick and Barbara
(Zantner) Smith; father a native of Copenhagen, Denmark,
and died at Auburn, Ind.; andmother of Berlin, Germany, and is
still living. In 1859, Mr. Smith learned the carriage trade at Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked at it in Indiana and Michigan. HIe also
learned to do ornamental painting, and the machinist's trade;
worked in the manufacture of sewing-machines. In 1871 he began
his first lessons in photography at Chicago, and has been in business for himself at Elkhart, Ind., Jackson, Mich., and in this city,
where he came in 1878, remaining but a short time. In May, 1879
he opened his'gallery in the "Nathan block," on Hamilton street.
Mr. Smith is undoubtedly one of the finest artists in the State,
having received ideas from such men as Anderson, of New York;
Ryder, of Cleveland; and Roche, of Chicago, affording him the experience which enables him to produce the finest work, from a tintype to water colors and crayon work. His gallery presents a very
neat appearance, and is filled with the choicest specimens of artistic
skill.
Jay Smith, druggist, Saginaw City, was born in Orleans Co.,
N. Y., in 1823. He is a son of Elisha and Sophia (Harding)
Smith. His father died in Wisconsin and his mother on the homestead in N. Y. I-He lived on a farm until 18 years of age, and received
his ducation, after which he taught school for 11 years in the same
county. In 1851 he came to Michigan, and stopped at Flint for a
short time, then he came to Saginaw City, and in 1852 bought the
store of D. Wesson, at that time the only drug store in the Saginaw
Valley. It was located on the corner of Hamilton and Ames
streets. In 1874 Mr. Smith erected the Smith block, in which his
store is now located, containing three store-rooms, at a cost of
$25,000, and also owns a house and lot in the city, where he resides. He was married in New York in October, 1 852, to Susan W.
Cochrane, and they have 7 children living. One child, Jessie,
married A. L. Marshall, a member of the firm of Morely Bros.,
hardware merchants, East Saginaw.
William 2M:. Smith, a prominent farmer of Saginaw tp., was born
on his present farm (sec. 20), Dec. 8, 1840. His parents were
John and Margaret (Swarthout) Smith, the father a native of Cambridgeshire, England, the mother, of the State of New York.
They caine to this county in 1856. Mr. Smith spent five years in
building bridges and water-tanks for railroads in the Western
States, but has been engaged in farming the greater portion of
his life, and now owns a good farm. He was married in 1871 to
Julia, daughter of John W. and Elizabeth Palmer, a native of
New York. Mr. Smith and wife are members of the M. E. Church,
and he is a Roval Arch Mason.