Hey History Buffs …
Read up on the Life of Captain Thomas Wesley Smith, a man with a mission who left a mark on the town of Montgomery for generations to come.
Early Life & Arrival in Montgomery
Captain Thomas Wesley “T. W.” Smith was born on July 25, 1829 in Logan County, Kentucky. T. W. Smith married Margaret Arnold, daughter of Methodist minister Pleasant M. Yell, on November 12, 1835. T. W. and Margaret Smith came to Texas in 1847 with his brother Joe Smith. They parted ways in East Texas and T. W. Smith went on to Montgomery while Joe continued westward on to California. In 1850, The Smiths settled in the flourishing town of Montgomery, TX. At the age of 21, T. W. Smith was commissioned as sheriff of Montgomery County, one of the youngest sheriffs to wear a badge in the great state of Texas. While Sheriff, Smith organized deputies to effectively stop cattle rustling in Montgomery County.
The Shelton Smith House
In 1858, T. W. Smith purchased the Benjamin Rigby homestead (2214 acres) from owner and master architect John E. Shelton, land that had originally been part of a 1831 land grant from Mexico. John Shelton was a good friend of T. W. Smith. John Shelton had purchased the homestead from John F. McCuffin in 1855 and he used his energy and talent to build the Main House that stands today. Shelton sold the homestead to Smith on February 2, 1858 for $425. For this reason, the homestead at 811 Caroline Street is commonly known as the “Shelton Smith House”.
Family, Business & Community
From 1858–1872, T. W. and Margaret Smith lived in Montgomery in the house that John Shelton built. Together, they raised eight children: Eliphlet Arnold who married Allie Spiller of Esperanza, TX; Wesley J. who married Ella Bass of Waverly, TX; Owen Arnold who never married; Willie L. who died in 1883 as a young man; Margaret “Maggie” who married John Caldwell; Estelle who married William Watson; Leila Lois who married S.A. Crawford; and Irene who married John Pace. During this time, Smith had renovations done to increase the size of the home and the use of the land. He also had a slaves’ quarters built at the back of the property. As the town prospered, so did the Smiths. In December 1855, T. W. Smith formed a partnership with his good friend, John C. Shelton, creating a mercantile business called “Shelton and Smith” which was to last until January of 1860. A year later, Smith reached an agreement to buy out Shelton, assuming full ownership of the storehouse in return for a fee of $300 to be paid by January 1859.
The 1868 Incident
It was in this store on that on December 28, 1868, a young clerk who worked for Smith insisted upon payment by four desperados who were preparing to go on raiding party in Mexican land. Smith had instructed his clerk to resist any instance of wanton and brazen looting such as had been done in the past. The four men—Carles “Tex” Brown, Bob and John Oliver and their older half-brother, William McGrew—died on that “scouting raid”. The young clerk learned an important lesson from Smith about staying on the straight and narrow.
Cigar Manufacturing in Willis
Over the years, T. W. Smith made his fortune primarily as a cigar manufacturer. When the railroad came to the town of Willis, Texas, T. W. Smith saw an opportunity to grow his business. In 1872, T. W. and Margaret moved their family to Willis and there they became as prominent as they had been in Montgomery. The Smith family engaged in raising tobacco in their fields as well as operating cigar factories in Wilis. In 1873, Smith built the “Old Crawford House” and an opera house in Willis, Texas. Later that year, Smith was appointed as a Captain for the Confederate Army and he fought in the Civil War. He returned home from the war, thankful to be united with his wife and children and ready to get back to work. Captain Smith, together with his son Owen, established a large tobacco plantation and they built the first brick cigar factory.
In the 1890s the town of Willis became known for its tobacco industry. The Smith cigar factory employed more than 100 workers at its peak of operation. During his later years, T. W. Smith turned over the cigar business to his son, Owen Smith. During the peak of cigar manufacture in Willis, a cigar rolled in the Smith factory was named the “Leila Lois Cigar” for T. W. Smith’s daughter. The US lifted the embargo on Cuban tobacco in 1898, and in the face of cheap labor in Cuba, Owen Smith’s cigar factory closed. Owen said, “The reason the cigar factories closed was because the Cuban employees who worked for them wanted to form a union. The union activities were squelched by the employers and thus making the Cubans angry, so they rolled up gun powder and asafetida in the next shipment of cigars.” When the reports came in from the buyers, the tobacco industry ceased to exist in Willis.
Legacy & Personal Rituals
Margaret Smith passed away on April 6, 1899. T. W. had a large family burial vault built at the family cemetery in Willis. After his wife’s death, T. W. had a wicker rocking chair placed by her casket in the vault and there he would spend his Sundays rocking and reading the newspaper. Smith had a tremendous fear of premature burial and he left specific instructions with his children that at his death, his casket was to be left open both at the home and inside the vault for a period of time before closing it. A hammer was to be placed beside the casket in case he needed it for use in opening the vault from the inside. Captain Thomas Wesley Smith died March 20, 1902. Over time, the rocking chair and the hammer have been removed from beside Margaret’s and T.W. Smith’s caskets inside the vault.
A Lasting Impression
In addition to his accomplishments, Captain Smith was a merchant, planter, private backer and a Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge from 1868 to 1872. He was instrumental in providing the railroad ties and labor to build the railroad between Willis and New Waverly. Though T. W. and Margaret Smith moved from Montgomery to Willis in their later years, the Smith’s homestead at 811 Caroline Street in Montgomery, TX remained a Smith family residence until 1924. The home is now open for the public to enjoy as The Caroline House Bed and Breakfast, a Texas historical landmark. Come enjoy a slice of Texas history, kick off your boots, and make yourself at home here at The Caroline House in Montgomery, TX.
Research by:
N.W. Martin, author of “A History of Montgomery”
(unpublished Master’s thesis, Sam Houston State Teacher’s College, Huntsville, 1950)
Fadi Rizk, author of “Thomas Wesley Smith Memorial”
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64821448/thomas-wesley-smith
