William N. SMITH

     William N. SMITH, son of Thomas Coke SMITH, was born on 11 January 1852 in Prattville, Autauga County, Alabama. William N. SMITH also went by the name of Will.

William married Susan Rebecca BURT, daughter of Martin Ross BURT and Delilah Anne GRIFFIS, on 20 December 1877 at the residence of the bride's mother in Prattville.^1,2

William N. SMITH witnessed the obituary of Harriett E. BURT on 6 November 1896 in the Prattville Progress. The article read: "Mrs. T. W. Smith and Mr. & Mrs. W. N. Smith went to Lowndesboro last week in answer to a telegram received announcing the serious illness of Mrs. H. E. Jones. Another telegram received on Monday announced that Mrs. Jones died Monday morning. She was well known to older residents of Prattville as Miss Hattie Burt. Her remains were interred at the Jones burying ground near Lowndesboro on Tuesday."³ He witnessed the probate sale of the property of William Martin BURT on 1 August 1902 in Prattville Progress, Prattville, Alabama. The sale was held at his home four miles east of Prattville.

William N. SMITH died on 26 April 1926 in Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, at age 74.⁴ He was buried in Burt Family Cemetery, Prattville, Autauga County, Alabama.

His obituary appeared 29 April 1926 in the The Prattville Progress, published in Prattville, Alabama. Death Calls W. N. Smith -- Was long one of Autauga's most prominent and popular citizens -- The death of Mr. William N. Smith in a Montgomery infirmary at two o'clock last Monday morning came as a great shock to hundreds of friends not only in Autauga county, but throughout Alabama. While he had not been in robust health for some time, he was really ill only a few weeks.

William N. Smith was the son of Thomas C. and Jane Thompson Smith. He was born about five miles northeast of Prattville, January 11th, 1852. He was united in marriage in 1876 to Miss Sudie Burt, whose parents resided on a nearby farm. The deceased was a most successful and bustling farmer for many years. He moved shortly after his marriage to Lowndes county and afterward to the Cox Place in Montgomery county near Washington Ferry and resided there until 1900 he purchased the J. Q. Smith place, five miles east of Prattville. He sold that to Mr. D. L. Yarbrough and moved to Prattville. He went to Montgomery and purchased a home on South Court street in 1924 in order to be with his adopted daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Cone. He resided there up until the time of his death.

Three of his brothers lived to manhood but all preceded him to the grave. Oscar and Clarence Smith died many years ago and Emmette L. Smith died in Clearwater, Florida in 1916. Two other brothers died in early boyhood. He is survived by his widow who has been in dwindling health for several months.

The deceased was a kind husband, a loyal friend and a splendid [unreadable] and he leaves hundreds to mourn his death. In his death the editor of The Progress feels that he has lost one of his truest friends of life and no one feels more keenly his death. We shall ever cherish his memory and know that the world has been brighter and better than he lived.

The remains were brought to Prattville, the funeral services conducted by Rev. P. N. McDonald in the Episcopal church, of which the deceased was a consecrated member. The remains were interred in the Burt cemetery two miles north of Prattville near the scenes of his boyhood, to sleep on a beautiful elevation overlooking all the surrounding section for miles, there to await the great resurrection morn.