Mrs. M. E. Smith Obituary

Newspaper clipping from  Ozona  Newspaper?? Jan 2 1948??
MRS.  M.  E.  SMITH,  92,  CROCKETT  PIONEER,  CALLED  BY  DEATH
Ozona  Resident  for  52  Years  Buried in Services  Wednesday Ranks  of  the  true  pioneers  of Crockett county and of  Texas  were thinned with the death here Tuesday  night of  MRS.  MARY  ELIZABETH SMITH, a residence of Ozona and Crockett county since 1895,, who passed her 92nd birthday  last September  20th.  Mrs. Smith  died at her home here after  a brief  illness.

Funeral services  were held at  10 o'clock  this morning  from  Ratliff Funeral Home,  Rev. Horace  M.  KING  ,  pastor of the Ozona  Methodist Church,  conducting the service.  Burial was in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Mrs.  Smith, one of the oldest  residents  of Crockett county,  who was  MARY  ELIZABETH   SHIPP,  was born in  Llano county  September 20, 1855.  Her  parents  were  Dr. and MRS.  A.  A.. SHIPP,  who came to Texas in the early days from Tennessee.

Memories  of Indian  raids  during her childhood  in Llano county, of the hardships of the civil  was  days,  of the trials of the pioneer life  in West Texas and of the later development of  Ozona and Crockett county were mingled in the mind of this pioneer mother  whose mind remained clear and whose life  was full even to her last days.

In an interview  given on the occasion of her 82nd  birthday,  Mrs. Smith  recalled the life of her family in LLano county in the early days when Indian raids were common.  Her father, a practicing physician, was often  away on  sick calls and she recalled that she, her mother and two small brothers often  would sit in the dark of their home, afraid to light a lamp for fear it would  attract marauding  redskins.  She recalled that after she was grown the Indians often would parade around their home at night looking into the  windows.  It  was impossible to keep a saddle horse and many times   children  and  wives were  hustled into a certain farm house for protection  while  the men  took up the trail of a band of  raiders.

The  SHIPP's  moved  to  Bastrop  for  a short time  and from there to Caldwell county  where  they  were  at the time  of the Civil  War.  Mrs.  Smith  recalled  that her  father  waited  on the  Confederate soldiers,  contracting  from  them  what  was  then  known  as  "camp fever"  which caused  his  death.  She  remembered  Confederate soldiers  passing  all day  in  front  of  their  home.  She recalled also  the hardships  of  the  times,  the shortage of food,  the
plundering  by  Northern  soldiers who  devastated  growing  fields  and destroyed  food  supplies  in  the home of  southerners.

After  Dr.  Shipp's  death,  Mrs.  Shipp  moved  her family to  Blanco and it was  there that  Mary  Elizabeth  met  JAMES  SMITH,  a cowboy.  They were married in  1869  and soon after  they  started west  with their  cattle,  settling near  Big  Spring.  At that time the country  was  not  fenced and they drifted as far  as New  Mexico.

The  Smiths  moved  to Ozona in 1895,  their  son having come here  five years  earlier.  Mrs.  Smith  had  been  living  in the same house here for over   fifty years,  her  daughter,  Miss Lee Smith,  living with her.  Mrs.  Smith  is a charter member  of  the Ozona  Methodist  Church and has held membership in that church for over 60 years.

Mrs.  Smith is survived by four children,  AUSTIN  A. SMITH of Hope,  NM; Mrs.  J.  L. TOOLE of  Lamesa,  Mrs. TOM  CASBEER  and Miss  LEE  SMITH, both of Ozona.  Thirteen grand children and sixteen great  grandchildren  also survive.
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There is also an obit for her in the San Angelo Standard Times
Additional items in this obit.  Died at her home at 8:45 p.m. Thursday.  Pallbearers will be  PARK  HOLT,  LAMAR  CASBEER,  J.  T. CASBBER,  and  MILTON  SPURGER,  all grandsons;  JOE  DAVIDSON  and HOUSTON  SMITH.   Fourteen  grandchildren  and  25  great-grandchildren.
 

Submitted by Betty Varner on October 11, 2003

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