Son of William Burns Smith, husband of Alice Lamb. William is said to have had 14 children and was a horseback mail carrier.
"There is another family of Smiths, below Marion, which I understand is in no way related to those hereinabove noticed - I refer to the late William B. Smith and his family. He, as it is said, came when young from North Carolina, and settled below Reedy Creek Baptist Church, on an apparently poor place; he was called "Horse-swapping Billy Smith" — he was a great horse trader, and in that respect his mantle has fallen upon his sons, Nat. P. and Henry...
William B. Smith, away back in the 50's, carried the mail on horseback from Marion to Bennettsville, by way of Catfish, Reedy Creek, Harlleesville, Selkirk, Brownesville and Clio to Bennettsville, and back the same route, once a week — at which time the writer was postmaster at Reedy Creek; he went up one day and came back the next; sometimes one of his boys, James or Nat, would carry it.
The writer remembers on one occasion, the old gentleman went up; his horse sickened and died at Bennettsville, and the next day Mr. Smith came back, walking and carrying the mail bags on his shoulders, and went on to Marion that evening. I suppose he was then fifty years of age, and the distance traveled on his zig-zag route was at least sixty miles. One of the men of the present day, much younger than Mr. Smith, would not think of such a trip. Mr. Smith had much of the "get up" in him, and whatever he undertook to do, he did it, and if he failed it was no fault of his; he was accustomed to labor and hardship, hence it did not hurt him.
He lived to be over ninety years of age, and died only a few years ago, much respected. Don't know who his wife was; he raised a considerable family — four sons, if not more, James, Nathaniel P., William B. and Henry, and maybe others, these are all the writer remembers; don't know anything of his daughters, if he had any." - page 499, History of Marion County
Note:
It has been suggested that his nickname is an insult and derogatory. I disagree. He was respected by his contemporaries who gave him the nickname because he was a great horse trader.
"There is another family of Smiths, below Marion, which I understand is in no way related to those hereinabove noticed - I refer to the late William B. Smith and his family. He, as it is said, came when young from North Carolina, and settled below Reedy Creek Baptist Church, on an apparently poor place; he was called "Horse-swapping Billy Smith" — he was a great horse trader, and in that respect his mantle has fallen upon his sons, Nat. P. and Henry...
William B. Smith, away back in the 50's, carried the mail on horseback from Marion to Bennettsville, by way of Catfish, Reedy Creek, Harlleesville, Selkirk, Brownesville and Clio to Bennettsville, and back the same route, once a week — at which time the writer was postmaster at Reedy Creek; he went up one day and came back the next; sometimes one of his boys, James or Nat, would carry it.
The writer remembers on one occasion, the old gentleman went up; his horse sickened and died at Bennettsville, and the next day Mr. Smith came back, walking and carrying the mail bags on his shoulders, and went on to Marion that evening. I suppose he was then fifty years of age, and the distance traveled on his zig-zag route was at least sixty miles. One of the men of the present day, much younger than Mr. Smith, would not think of such a trip. Mr. Smith had much of the "get up" in him, and whatever he undertook to do, he did it, and if he failed it was no fault of his; he was accustomed to labor and hardship, hence it did not hurt him.
He lived to be over ninety years of age, and died only a few years ago, much respected. Don't know who his wife was; he raised a considerable family — four sons, if not more, James, Nathaniel P., William B. and Henry, and maybe others, these are all the writer remembers; don't know anything of his daughters, if he had any." - page 499, History of Marion County
Note:
It has been suggested that his nickname is an insult and derogatory. I disagree. He was respected by his contemporaries who gave him the nickname because he was a great horse trader.
Son of William Burns Smith, husband of Alice Lamb. William is said to have had 14 children and was a horseback mail carrier.
"There is another family of Smiths, below Marion, which I understand is in no way related to those hereinabove noticed - I refer to the late William B. Smith and his family. He, as it is said, came when young from North Carolina, and settled below Reedy Creek Baptist Church, on an apparently poor place; he was called "Horse-swapping Billy Smith" — he was a great horse trader, and in that respect his mantle has fallen upon his sons, Nat. P. and Henry...
William B. Smith, away back in the 50's, carried the mail on horseback from Marion to Bennettsville, by way of Catfish, Reedy Creek, Harlleesville, Selkirk, Brownesville and Clio to Bennettsville, and back the same route, once a week — at which time the writer was postmaster at Reedy Creek; he went up one day and came back the next; sometimes one of his boys, James or Nat, would carry it.
The writer remembers on one occasion, the old gentleman went up; his horse sickened and died at Bennettsville, and the next day Mr. Smith came back, walking and carrying the mail bags on his shoulders, and went on to Marion that evening. I suppose he was then fifty years of age, and the distance traveled on his zig-zag route was at least sixty miles. One of the men of the present day, much younger than Mr. Smith, would not think of such a trip. Mr. Smith had much of the "get up" in him, and whatever he undertook to do, he did it, and if he failed it was no fault of his; he was accustomed to labor and hardship, hence it did not hurt him.
He lived to be over ninety years of age, and died only a few years ago, much respected. Don't know who his wife was; he raised a considerable family — four sons, if not more, James, Nathaniel P., William B. and Henry, and maybe others, these are all the writer remembers; don't know anything of his daughters, if he had any." - page 499, History of Marion County
Note:
It has been suggested that his nickname is an insult and derogatory. I disagree. He was respected by his contemporaries who gave him the nickname because he was a great horse trader.
"There is another family of Smiths, below Marion, which I understand is in no way related to those hereinabove noticed - I refer to the late William B. Smith and his family. He, as it is said, came when young from North Carolina, and settled below Reedy Creek Baptist Church, on an apparently poor place; he was called "Horse-swapping Billy Smith" — he was a great horse trader, and in that respect his mantle has fallen upon his sons, Nat. P. and Henry...
William B. Smith, away back in the 50's, carried the mail on horseback from Marion to Bennettsville, by way of Catfish, Reedy Creek, Harlleesville, Selkirk, Brownesville and Clio to Bennettsville, and back the same route, once a week — at which time the writer was postmaster at Reedy Creek; he went up one day and came back the next; sometimes one of his boys, James or Nat, would carry it.
The writer remembers on one occasion, the old gentleman went up; his horse sickened and died at Bennettsville, and the next day Mr. Smith came back, walking and carrying the mail bags on his shoulders, and went on to Marion that evening. I suppose he was then fifty years of age, and the distance traveled on his zig-zag route was at least sixty miles. One of the men of the present day, much younger than Mr. Smith, would not think of such a trip. Mr. Smith had much of the "get up" in him, and whatever he undertook to do, he did it, and if he failed it was no fault of his; he was accustomed to labor and hardship, hence it did not hurt him.
He lived to be over ninety years of age, and died only a few years ago, much respected. Don't know who his wife was; he raised a considerable family — four sons, if not more, James, Nathaniel P., William B. and Henry, and maybe others, these are all the writer remembers; don't know anything of his daughters, if he had any." - page 499, History of Marion County
Note:
It has been suggested that his nickname is an insult and derogatory. I disagree. He was respected by his contemporaries who gave him the nickname because he was a great horse trader.
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