John C. B. Smith was born on February 3, 1859 to Thomas Smith (1829 – xxxx) and Narcissus Jane May (1835 – xxxx) in New Columbia, Massac County, Illinois.
In the 1850 census, his 22 year old, unmarried father, Thomas, was living in Massac County, Illinois with 24 year old James and Queentina Smith who are suspected to be his brother and sister-in-law. Thomas’s future bride to be, Narcissus Jane May, lived three houses down from them. On October 24th of the same year, 1850, Thomas Smith and Jane May were married.
In the 1860 federal census, J.C.B. was one year old and the family still lived in Massac County, in the Georges Creek area. His older brother, DeWitt Smith, and J.C.B. were the only children home at that time. His father, Thomas, was a merchant with real estate valued at $1000 and personal property valued at $2000.
By the 1870 census, Thomas and Jane had moved the family to Harrisburg in Saline County, Illinois. DeWitt, 16, and J.C.B., 11, have been joined by a little brother, Thomas, who is three. Thomas was listed as a dry goods merchant. In the household, Julia Linch (Lynch) is keeper of the house and Malvina Emary (Emery) is a domestic servant. Thomas had real estate valued at $4,500 and $1,500 in personal property, so the family was doing quite well for the times.
J.C.B. was educated at the Evansville Commercial College and at the Southern Illinois Normal University at Carbondale, Illinois.
J.C.B. married Julia C. Weber on February 26, 1880 in Saline County, Illinois. She was born June 24, 1860 in Galatia, Illinois, the daughter of Archibald F. Weber (1834 Saline Co -1877 Saline County) and Mahalia Rhine (1838 in Gallatin Co – 1912 Stonefort, Williamson Co).
The Weber’s had six children: Jeanette J. (1857-1879), John Franklin (1858-1922), Susan Julia (1860-1929), Cordelia E. (1862-xxxx), Henry Logan (1865-1929) and Edward (1869-xxxx). When the mother, Mahalia, died in 1912 she left daughters, Mrs. J.C.B. (Julia) Smith, Mrs. J. L. (Cordelia) Ridgway of Stonefort, sons H. L. Weber of Galatia and John Weber of Woodruff, Oklahoma. Mahalia was buried in Galatia.
At census time in 1880, J.C.B. was 21, Julia was 20 and they lived in Bolton in Saline precinct. This is called Stonefort today. The town is on the border between Saline and Williamson County and is split between the two counties. J.C.B. had graduated from Southern Illinois Normal School and was the principal and a school teacher in Bolton. He was an officer in Masonic Lodge #495.
J.C.B. Smith was admitted to the Williamson County bar in 1887 and began practicing law in Marion in February, 1889.
Smith served as Worshipful Master of Marion Masonic Lodge #89 in 1890, 1897, 1905 and 1910.
A fire at a lumber yard in Marion on N. Market Street on March 1, 1894 burned the nearby barn, its contents, and a fine carriage belonging to J.C.B. Smith indicating that he lived nearby, likely in their home at 306 N. Madison Street.
By the 1900 census, the family had moved to live in Marion, Illinois. J.C.B. was listed as Jacob C. B. Smith for some reason. He and Julia were 41 and 39 years old, had been married 20 years and had four children May, 19; Tommy, 17; Ettie, 15; and Ella, 7. They had lost one child by this time. Smith was a lawyer and they owned their own home.
The Egyptian Press noted on Dec 11, 1901 that “William H. Warder and J.C.B. Smith do most of the abstract work for the county; both being expert, careful and safe.”
George Pillow went into partnership with attorney J.C.B. Smith in 1907 and they shared a law office at 201 Public Square. This is reflected in a 1907 directory listing for Pillow and Smith, lawyers, and insurance abstracts of title. This office would have been just west of the old City Hall building, where Sherman’s Department store was for decades.
J.C.B. was in partnership with George W. Pillow and George R. Stone in the partnership of Pillow, Stone and Smith until 1910 when he retired from the firm, Stone was his son-in-law having married his daughter May.
In the 1910 census J.C.B. and Julia lived at 306 N. Madison Street. Only Ella and their last new daughter, Gladis, were still at home.
During the WWI years, 1917-1919, J.C.B. served as a director for the Marion State and Savings Bank and also was Secretary of the Marion Building and Loan Association, with offices in the same suite. J.C.B.’s brother, DeWitt Clinton Smith, served as Assistant Secretary from 1899 to at least 1904.
In 1919, when the booklet, Williamson County in the World War, was written Smith was described thusly, “Attorney J. C. B. Smith has taken quite an interest in the affairs of the city and county. He is an advocate of improvements. As a member of the Masonic order, he is active in its interest. As a professional man he can always be relied on, and in this as in other things, he stands to the front in the esteem of his fellow members of the bar.”
By the 1920 census, only their daughter, Gladys, 17, was still at home, J.C.B. and Julia were 60 and 59 years old respectively. He was a lawyer in his own general practice with an office in the State and Savings bank building, later known as the Hotel State.
In 1922 they were still living at 306 N. Madison Street, but by 1928 they had moved to 406 N. Madison.
Between 1922 and 1927, Smith sold his title abstract business to Ray Miller and his uncle Sandy Miller who continued operating the business for decades under the name Miller Abstract and Title Insurance.
Smith’s wife, Julia, died on May 18, 1929 at the age of 68 years old. She was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery.
In the 1930 census, J.C.B., aged 71, was living in East St Louis with his daughter, Gladys, and her husband, Earl R. Horan.
John C. B. Smith died the same year. He was returned to Marion and buried in Old Rose Hill Cemetery next to Julia. An obit and exact date of death are yet to be found on him.
Notes on the Children:
May Smith Stone was born Nov 2, 1880 in Stonefort and married George R. Stone, a Marion lawyer. She died on August 11, 1946 in Marion and was buried in New Rose Hill.
Thomas Smith was born in December of 1882 and died in 1950. He was buried in Rose Hill.
Ettie Smith was born in December of 1884 and died around 1892 it is believed.
Ella Smith was born in April 1893
Gladys Smith Horan was born in 1903 and married Earl R. Horan.
(Sources: Williamson County in the World War; 1905 Souvenir History, Federal Census Records; Marion City Directories; Marion City Cemetery Records; compiled by Colleen Norman)