DUANE
Duane's take
The way this marker tells it, here's the story of John W. Smith — and friend, it is a life that barely fits inside one county sign. Born in North Carolina, this man moved to Illinois, then to Missouri, where by 1824 he was already sheriff of Rawls County.
That's not a man who sits still. And sure enough, in 1826 he came to Texas with Green DeWitt and put down roots in Gonzales. Two years later, 1828, he was in San Antonio — and once he arrived, San Antonio was never quite the same.
Banking, mercantile, brokerage, contracting — Smith had his hand in all of it, building himself into one of the dominant political figures in Bexar County during the 1836 to 1845 era. He was also an attorney for many a pioneer Texan, which tells you something about the kind of man people turned to when the stakes were high. And the stakes, in those years, got about as high as stakes can get.
Loyal to democracy and opposed to dictatorship — that's what the marker says, plain as daylight — and Smith backed those convictions with his boots on the ground. He was there at the affair at Gonzales on October 2nd, 1835, when Texas first pushed back. He was there at the storming of Bexar in December of 1835.
He was at the siege of the Alamo in March of 1836. And in October of 1842, he stood at the Battle of the Salado. Four fights.
One man. Now, somewhere in the middle of all that, life kept moving the way life does. He was divorced on January 15th, 1831, in Missouri from Harriet Stone, and he later married Maria Curbelo — a woman whose own roots ran deep, a descendant of the Canary Islanders who had come to San Antonio all the way back in 1731.
On May 1st, 1837, John W. Smith was elected the first county clerk of Bexar County. Then, on September 18th of that same year, he was elected the first Mayor of San Antonio.
And by January of 1838, he had been appointed postmaster as well. First clerk, first mayor, postmaster — the man wasn't collectin' titles so much as he was simply showing up wherever the work needed doin'. From 1842 to 1845 he served the Republic of Texas as senator from Bexar.
And that is where the story takes its turn. During the regular session of the 9th Congress, at Washington-on-the-Brazos, John W. Smith died.
His grave is located in a state park there — a long way, in some sense, from the spot right here in La Villita De San Fernando, where this marker stands at the site of his early home. North Carolina to Illinois to Missouri to Gonzales to San Antonio to the floor of the Texas Senate. Some men pass through history.
John W. Smith helped build it.
What the marker says
Great early San Antonio leader, a native of North Carolina. Moved to Illinois, then to Missouri, where he was sheriff of Rawls County in 1824. Came to Texas with Green DeWitt in 1826 and settled at Gonzales. Smith moved to San Antonio in 1828 and was soon in banking-mercantile, brokerage-contracting business. Loyal to Democracy and opposed to dictatorship, he was active in defending Texas against Mexico, 1835-42. He participated in "affair at Gonzales" (Oct. 2, 1835), "storming of Bexar" (Dec. 1835), siege of the Alamo (March 1836), and the Battle of the Salado (Oct. 1842). Divorced on Jan. 15, 1831, in Missouri from Harriet Stone, he married Maria Curbelo, a descendant of the Canary Islanders who came to San Antonio in 1731. Attorney for many pioneer Texans, he was dominant political figure in Bexar County during 1836-45 era. Elected first county clerk on May 1, 1837, and first Mayor of San Antonio Sept. 18, 1837, by Jan. 1838 he had been appointed postmaster as well. From 1842 to 1845 he served he republic as senator from Bexar. During regular session of the 9th Congress, he died at Washington-on-the-Brazos. His grave is located in a State Park there. This marker stands at the site of his early home in La Villita De San Fernando.