DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker at this site tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, the story of Niles F. Smith — and friend, this one's got some range to it.
We're talkin' a man who came a long way and left his mark on nearly everything he touched. Born in New York, of all places, Smith made his way to Texas in 1834, riding in with Robertson's colony. That's frontier Texas, raw and wide open, and this man from up north planted himself right in the middle of it.
He served as a soldier in the Texas Revolution — so right away you know he wasn't the kind of fellow who stood on the sidelines when things got serious. By 1839 he had moved to Jefferson County, and then in 1841 he settled in Sabine Pass. And once he settled, well, he didn't exactly sit still.
He held official positions in the Republic of Texas government — not just one, mind you. He served as the first banking commissioner. The collector of customs.
A land agent. That's a man with his hands in the machinery of a brand new republic, and apparently they trusted him enough to keep handing him the keys. But here's where it gets personal — where you can really see the shape of what Niles F.
Smith was building. He developed Sabine Pass. He built the first steam sawmill in Jefferson County.
And then he built the first church in Jefferson County. Same man. Same town.
From raw timber to a place of worship — that's a life with some depth to it. In 1845, when the question of annexation came before Texas, Smith threw his support behind joining the United States. That same year, 1845, Texas became a state — a moment the marker itself calls out, part of the sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood, 1845 to 1995.
And right here, at this site, Niles F. Smith is buried alongside his wife Abigail and their two sons. A man who came from New York, soldiered for Texas, governed for the Republic, built what didn't exist yet, and in the end, stayed.
That's not a bad accounting of a life.
What the marker says
A native of New York, came to Texas with Robertson's colony in 1834. He served as a soldier in the Texas Revolution. In 1839 he moved to Jefferson County, and settled in Sabine Pass in 1841. He held many official positions in the Republic of Texas government, including the first banking commissioner, collector of customs and land agent. A developer of Sabine Pass, he built the first steam sawmill and the first church in Jefferson County. Smith supported the annexation of Texas to the United States in 1845. He is buried here along with his wife Abigail and their two sons. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995