William Henry Harrison Smith

William Henry Harrison Smith went by Harrison Smith for most of his life. He was born in Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia), and enlisted on February 17, 1864, in Hartford, Connecticut, as a private, with Company B of the 31^st Connecticut Colored Infantry. He stood at five feet and five inches tall, with dark hair, eyes, and complexion, and was twenty-one years old at the time. He was sent to a division hospital on July 30^th, 1864, during a charge near Petersburg, Virginia, when he suffered a gunshot wound through his left shoulder and jaw. He was present on muster rolls again in March and April of 1865, but on May 22, 1865, he was absent sick in a hospital once again. He was mustered out separately from his company out of Fort Monroe, Virginia, and honorably discharged on June 17, 1865.¹

After his service he moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He married his wife Fannie in 1875, and was a member of the Colored Republican Voters of Carlisle.² By the 1880 Federal Census, he was living in West Chapel Alley and working as a laborer. He and his wife had two children at the time, named George and Sarah.³ In July of 1884, he was elected to the committee of the Reform Republicans of Carlisle.⁴ His home was burned due to fragments of a firecracker on the fourth of July 1893, and he moved to a different location in West Chapel Alley after that occurred.⁵ In January of 1895, the Sentinel reported that someone in his household had scarlet fever, but which member of his family is undisclosed.⁶ Smith was elected Senior Vice Commander for Post 440 G.A.R. in December of 1896, and a week later he slipped and fell on icy pavement, breaking his right ankle, which confined him to the house for a few months.⁷ In April of 1898, he addressed a company of Vale’s Regiment volunteers who attended a meeting in North Street Hall.⁸ Throughout his residence in Carlisle, he was employed at Goodyear’s Coal Yard, although when he began and ended work there is unknown.

According to the 1900 Federal Census, he was living on 96 Wood Street, in Carlisle’s Third Ward. He was working as a laborer, and was able to write, but not read. He lived with his wife and five children, George, Sarah, Elias, Mary, and Irene.⁹ Whether he temporarily moved out of Chapel Alley or census is incorrect is unknown, because in March of 1904, the Sentinel reports that he moved from 98 West Chapel Alley to 48 Baltimore Street, Carlisle.¹⁰ He died in his home on Baltimore Street on May 5, 1905, at around 65 years old. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, and two sons. He is buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.¹¹

1. Harrison Smith, U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865.
2. “The Colored Republican Voters of Carlisle…” Carlisle Weekly Herald, 2, Sep 19, 1878.
3. 1880 United States Federal Census for Harrison Smith, 229D.
4. “Colored Reform Club and Its Platform” The Sentinel, 4, Jul 16, 1884.
5. “Two Fires” The Sentinel, 3, Jul 5, 1893.
6. “Another case of scarlet fever…” Carlisle Evening Herald, 4, Jan 15, 1895.
7. “Officers of Post 440 G.A.R” The Sentinel, 3, Dec 17, 1896; “Broke His Leg by a Fall on an Icy Pavement” The Sentinel, 2, Dec 26, 1896.
8. “Local War News” The Sentinel, 3, Apr 29, 1898.
9. 1900 United States Federal Census for K Smith, 12.
10. “Harrison Smith…” The Sentinel, 6, Mar 31, 1904.
11. “Mr. Harrison Smith” Carlisle Evening Herald, 1, May 10, 1905; William Henry Harrison Smith, Find a Grave Memorial ID 130193358.

Bibliography:

1900 United States Federal Census for K Smith. Ancestry.com. 12. NARA: Washington, 2004. 1900 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com

1880 United States Federal Census for Harrison Smith. Ancestry.com. 229D. NARA: Washington, 2010. 1880 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com

Harrison Smith. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865. Ancestry.com. Historical Data Systems, Kingston, MA. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 - AncestryLibrary.com

Harrison Smith. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865. Ancestry.com. NARA: Washington, 2007. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865 - AncestryLibrary.com

“The Colored Republican Voters of Carlisle…” Carlisle Weekly Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 19, 1878. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/291999731

“Mr. Harrison Smith” Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. May 10, 1905. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270446881

“Broke His Leg by a Fall on an Icy Pavement”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Dec 26, 1896. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344138459

“Officers of Post 440 G.A.R” The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Dec 17, 1896. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344137156

“Local War News” The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Apr 29, 1898. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344247600

“Two Fires” The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 5, 1893. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343891282

“Funeral of Mr. Smith”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. May 10, 1905. Page 6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344678337

“Smith”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. May 9, 1905. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344678093

“Harrison Smith…” The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Mar 31, 1904. Page 6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344601926

“Another case of scarlet fever…” Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jan 15, 1895. Page 4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/275377530

“Colored Reform Club and Its Platform” The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jul 16, 1884. Page 4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/343915812

William Henry Harrison Smith. Find a Grave Memorial ID 130193358. Maintained by Dennis Brandt, added May 22, 2014. www.findagrave.com/memorial/130193358/william-henry_harrison-smith