Santa Clara County
Biographies
HON. EDWARD OWEN SMITH
HON. E. O. SMITH.
The success achieved by Mr. Smith in business and the high standing he
enjoyed as a citizen indicate the possession of his part of superior mental qualifications
and furnish for the rising generation an example of what may be accomplished by
a man of determination, judgment, perseverance and energy. Born in Baltimore,
Md., he was a son of James Smith, a lifelong resident of Maryland, and his
mother was a member of the Owen family, also of southern lineage. When sixteen years of age he started out to make his own way in the
world. The journey was a difficult one, but he steadily pushed his way
forward, walking over the mountains and through the valleys until he finally
arrived in Illinois. Immediately after settling in Macon county
he entered a tract of land and later by purchase became a large property
holder. In his home town of Decatur he was a pioneer and influential citizen.
Its upbuilding was largely promoted by his indefatigable exertions. The first
opera house and business block in the city were erected by him, and in other
ways he was a prominent element in its progress.
The first time Mr. Smith came to California was in 1852,
when he brought a herd of cattle and a large company of his own, with wagons
and ox teams. Eighteen months were consumed in making the trip. More than once
the party was driven back by the Indians, but at no time did they suffer
depredations from them. They were the means of rescuing several expeditions,
including a party headed by L. J. Rose, of Los Angeles, who were
being molested by the red men. On landing in California the cattle were sold
and Mr. Smith then devoted some time to traveling through the state, up
and down the coast. After investigation he decided that, in his opinion, the
Santa Clara valley was the finest in the United States, and on returning east
frequently stated that a man should he willing to sacrifice half of his
property for the pleasure of making his home in the Sunset state. However,
having a family to rear and being necessary to the development of many
enterprises he had inaugurated, it was not for many years afterward that he was
enabled to carry out his ambition and settle in the Santa Clara valley. During
the Civil war he contributed financially to the Union cause by assisting in the
equipment of companies and regiments, and his son, James D., was a soldier
during much of the struggle. To a man of his ability and prominence
opportunities are given for public service, and his life was no exception to
this, for he was chosen to represent the people of his city in various
important and trustworthy positions, including that of member of the state
legislature. In national politics he always supported the Democratic party, but in local matters gave his influence to the men
whom he deemed best qualified to represent the people.
During 1871 Mr. Smith established his home in San
Jose and erected a modern residence on North First street,
where he remained until his death, in 1891, at seventy-five years of age.
Although it was his desire to retire somewhat from the activeness of life and
enjoy the pleasures of existence in this climate, he
never shirked any duty that would devolve upon a public-spirited citizen. On
the non-partisan ticket he was elected a member of the constitutional
convention of California and as the representative of Santa Clara county in that body he helped to revise and frame the
present constitution of the state. His name was enrolled as a member of the
Santa Clara Pioneers’ Society. In religion he was a believer in Unitarian
doctrines.
The first marriage of Mr. Smith united him with Harriet Krone, who was born in Macon county,
Ill., and died there. The children born of that union make their home in the
east. His second marriage was solemnized in Elmwood, Ill., and united him with
Mrs. Catherine (Brown) Hillman, who was born in Cummington,
Mass., the birthplace of William Cullen Bryant. On her father’s side she is of
Scotch extraction and descended from a colonial family of the old Bay state.
Her father, Hiram, son of William Brown, was born at South Adams, Mass., and
became a builder at Cummington, that state, but
afterward removed to Elmwood, Ill., where he died. He married Eveline Bradt, who was born in
New York state, of Holland-Dutch descent, and died in
Massachusetts. Of their seven children Mrs. Smith was next to the
youngest. At the age of fifteen years she began to teach school and continued
in that occupation until her marriage to Samuel J. Hillman, a native
of East Brookfield, Mass., and superintendent of a shoe manufacturing
establishment in Brookfield. After his marriage Mr. Hillman was for three
years in charge of a shoe factory at Cummington. At
the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-seventh
Massachusetts, and bade farewell to his wife and two children, the younger of whom was only three months old. The company was hurried to
the front and he died at Stafford Courthouse of typhoid fever, three months after
enlistment. Five years later Mrs. Hillman removed to Elmwood, Ill., and
there became the wife of Mr. Smith. Her son, Edwin B. Hillman, resides in
Peoria, Ill. The daughter, Miss Eveline Hillman, was
educated in music under the best instructors in this country and London, and
has since become a successful teacher of voice culture in San Jose. Her
youngest daughter, Catharine Smith, married Calvert Wilson, an attorney of Los
Angeles, Cal. She was the first on the list of those who received the degree of
Ph. D. in the Stanford University, the highest honor that can be conferred by
the university.
Possessing public spirit and a love for her home city,
Mrs. Smith has aided many movements for its upbuilding. Through her influence
several societies were organized that have erected a number of public buildings
in San Jose and have aided in the development of the place. Under her
leadership the Woman’s Club was organized and for ten years she officiated as
its president. Both in religion and politics she was in complete sympathy with
Mr. Smith, being a believer in Unitarian doctrines and a Democrat in
national political principles. She is identified with the Political Equality
Club and a believer in the granting of suffrage to all adult citizens of the
United States, irrespective of sex. Though at different times her home has been
in different sections of the United States, she finds the Santa Clara valley
the ideal location for a home and has ever been a loyal champion of its
advantages in climate, soil and possibilities.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard 17 February 2015.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages
353-354. The Chapman Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Marie
Hassard.