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he resided in Westfield and, from 1863 to
1873, in New York, returning to West-
field to give entire attention to operation
of the plant there. In 1874 a fire swept
away all the buildings except the old
distillery, but they were immediately re-
built of brick and much more substanti-
ally. In 1878 the business was incorporated
under its present title, with James
O. Smith as president. He died in New
York, October 20, 1880, at the age of
sixty-seven years. A man of progressive
ideas, he favored a liberal policy in edu-
cation and every movement calculated to
advance the race. During his early years
in the town, he served as selectman but
did not care for ofiicial station. He was
independent of party direction, and in-
sisted on capability in candidates for
ofifice, as a requisite for his vote. While
in New York, he affiliated with the
Anglican Church. His wife, Mary Ann
Smith, was born May 12, 1807, at Cornwall,
New York, daughter of Michael
Smith, granddaughter of Michael Smith,
born in 1750, a soldier of the Revolution
and a colonel in charge of the fortifica-
tions of New York in the war of 1812.
Michael Smith, Jr., was born in 1783. and
died October 10, 1876, in Westfield. Mary
Ann Smith, wife of James O., died April
8, 1900, in New York, and was buried be-
side her husband in Miner Cemetery.
Alfred Owen Smith, eldest child of
James O. and Mary Ann, was born June
20, 1836, in New York, and was a small
boy when he accompanied his parents to
Westfield. He was educated in the Middletown
public schools and in the school
of Daniel H. Chase, one of the most
famous of its time. He early turned his
attention to the business of the J. O.
Smith Manufacturing Company, was its
president from 1880 until his death, which
occurred July 3, 1893. His system of
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
bookkeeping is still in use by the estab-
lishment. He was a member of the
Church of the Holy Trinity, of which he
was for many years a vestryman ; was a
member of St. John's Lodge, No. 2, Free
and Accepted Masons ; of Washington
Chapter, No. 6, Royal Arch Masons ; and
a charter member and past commander
of Cyrene Commandery, No. 8, Knights
Templar. In politics Mr. Smith was a
Democrat, and while he did not seek
political preferment, as a matter of civil
duty, he served as first selectman of Mid-
dletown. He married. May 6, 1858, Ellen
E. Wilcox, who was born in South Farms,
daughter of Gustavus Vasa and Huldah
(Spencer) Wilcox. Gustavus V. Wilcox
was baptized in June, 1797, at the East
Guilford Church, resided in Madison in
early life, subsequently engaged in farm-
ing in the town of Middletown, where he
died June 10, 1858. He married (first)
January 26, 1823, Lucy Lee, of Middletown,
who died about ten years later. As
early as June 30, 1836, Huldah Spencer
was his wife; on that date she was admitted
to the First Church of Middletown.
She married (second), November 23, 1862,
Charles Hurlburt.
Edward Arthur Smith was born in Middletown
and was educated in the public
schools of Brooklyn, New York, and of
Hudson in that State, and Meriden, Con-
necticut. He was also a student at the
Russell Military Academy of New Haven.
In 1887 he was graduated from Yale Uni-
versity with the degree of Ph. B. He early
turned his attention to business and was
employed by N. C. Stiles and the Stiles
and Parker Press Company, of Brooklyn,
and the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn,
which made the Wade torpedo. The
first torpedo was produced in 1893. Soon
after, he entered the employ of the J. O.
Smith Company, of which he was made