Surnames: Smock, Shepler, Baxter, Fields, Hess, Beazel
Samuel Smock is of German descent and was born in Rostraver township, Westmoreland county, Penna, June 19, 1820, and is a son of Henry Smock.Barnet Smock, paternal grandfather, was a Revolutionary soldier. In 1793 he and his wife came on foot from New Jersey to Westmoreland county. He was a common laborer and his children were: Elizabeth Smock; Abraham Smock, Henry Smock and Mary Smock.
Henry Smock, father, was a son of Barnet and Elizabeth Smock and was born in New Jersey in 1790. He was three years old when his parents came to Westmoreland county. He was a common laborer and married a Miss Shepler. They had eleven children: Ruhama Smock; Mary Smock; Philip
Smock; Jane Smock; Lucinda Smock; Samuel Smock; Barney Smock; Isabella Smock, dead; Sarah Smock; Margaret Smock and Caroline Smock.Mrs Smock was a daughter of Philip Shepler who married Mary Baxter and whose father was Mott Shepler.
Samuel Smock was a very poor boy and on April 14, 1839, he went to learn the blacksmith trade with James Beazel of Belle Vernon; he was possessed of scant clothing and worked barefooted in the shop until he earned enough money to buy a pair of shoes. In three years he acquired his trade, owned a good suit of clothes worth $31 and had $79.42 in money. He now helped his parents to secure a home and then sought a home for himself.
In 1844 he went to Perry township and worked until 1846, saving $500. He next worked in Westmoreland county when he went to Ohio and after a short stay removed to Belle Vernon where he first worked at $25 per month, but soon bought a lot and built him a house and shop. He pursued his trade for twenty one years at that place.
At the end of that time, he had accumulated $14,000. Selling his property he bought in 1868 the farm he now owns at Smock Station, named for him. His farm contains 190 acres of excellent land costing $12,000 and for which he lately refused to take $28,000. A town is growing up on his land around the railroad station which is situated between Uniontown and Brownsville on the Monongahela dividion of the S W P R W.
Mr Smock in the spring of 1847 married Miss Mary Ann Fields, daughter of Margaret Fields of Perry township. Unto this union were born the following children: William Smock, dead; Celia Smock; Elzanna Smock, dead; Roley Smock, dead; Odessa Smock; Noah Smock and Alva Smock.
Mrs Smock died in the spring of 1847 and on March 15, 1869, he married his second wife, Miss Elizabeth Hess of Redstone township. She was born April 1, 1832. In politics he is a democrat and is emphatically a self made man who in middle age by hard work and good management attained to a
position of ease and affluence.He started early in life in absolute want, but by industry and a strict application to business overcame every difficulty in carving out for himself a successful business career, and now in advancing years is
worthily enjoying the well earned fruits of his labor.