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| Artifact #91 James Joseph Smith Commencement Exercises Jeff Smith collection |
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ames Joseph Smith
Commencement Exercises for Soapy Smith's youngest son, circa 1897-1904.
The document has no date, but advertises the piano as being furnished by the Val A. Reis Music Company of St. Louis, which had a store open between 1891-1908, thus, I am guessing that James was between the age 7-16 (1897-1908). Although it is a graduation commencement exercise, there appear to be several "intermediate" classes that are involved, thus I do not know for certain if this is James' graduation ceremony.
James was born November 27, 1892, in Denver, Colorado. He was in St. Louis, Missouri with his mother when his father, Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith was gunned down (murder) in Skagway, Alaska (July 8, 1898). In the graduation commencemnt exercises, James being selected to give one of the several recitations was a big honor. Good grades were probably a factor. Additionally, he would have been an engaged student in academic activities such as elocution or speech classes and showed ability in that area. It seems likely that a teacher nominated him and others from the class for the recitations. I say elocution class because an old manual on the subject has a list of practice topics.
It is not known when he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, perhaps moving there when he married Eulaila Ann Breene in 1922. For about 70 years my side of the family had lost touch with James. Though my father, aunts and uncles did their best to find him, they were probably searching under the name "James Luther Smith," but all of his records show that his name was James Joseph Smith.
It is not known when he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, perhaps moving there when he married Eulaila Ann Breene in 1922. For about 70 years my side of the family had lost touch with James. Though my father, aunts and uncles did their best to find him, they were probably searching under the name "James Luther Smith," but all of his records show that his name was James Joseph Smith.
Artifact #91 is commencement exercises for St. Bridget's High School in St. Louis, Missouri. James is listed under "Recitation ━ 'The Boy Hero.'" I could not locate the poem so I am thinking that James may have authored it.
St. Bridget's High School opened in 1853 as a predominantly Irish school, which makes sense for his mother, Mary Eva (Noonan) Smith, sending James there, as she was Irish, both her parents born and raised in Ireland before coming to the United States. The school and church were demolished in 2003 to make way for a Kroger grocery store.
James Joseph Smith
"In a game of poker, I can put the players' souls in my pocket."
—Beausourire
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