Smarts in Silverhill, Alabama

     John Franklin Smart, born in 1872 in Langola, Minnesota, was an intellect, dreamer, and gentle soul who was graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1892. He then taught school in Minot, North Dakota. Each day he stoked the fire in the one-room school, and then picked up the students with a horse and sleigh. He resigned after two years because "the boys were too rowdy."

     He returned to Brainerd, Minnesota, where he married Myrtle Eleanor Gates in 1902. There he was active in civic organizations. In 1907, he was elected auditor of Crow Wing County and served until 1914.

     For several winters, Grandpa suffered from frostbite because of his walk to work, but the most terrible tragedy occurred in 1910. Their daughters, Eleanor, aged 7, and Agnes, aged 2, died within a month of each other. My grandparents were left with only one child out of four.

     Grandpa became determined to leave the North. Because he had Quaker friends living in Fairhope and because he was an admirer of Henry George's economic theory of single tax, Grandpa travelled to Fairhope in 1914 to investigate the area. He met some people from Silverhill and felt this multi-ethnic community was a great place to rear children.

     Grandpa returned to Minnesota to bring Grandma and now three boys - Uncle Elwin, Uncle Don, and Uncle Neil - to their new home on Fish River. Travelling by rail, Grandma and the boys rode in the passenger section of the train; Grandpa rode in the cattle car with the family's possessions including a piano, which they had to transport through the woods and ford four creeks to get to the farm.

     Being the great dreamer, he probably began then to visualize a road connecting Robertsdale, the rail hub, with Fairhope, which had water transportation to carry people and goods to Mobile.

     Always a public servant, Grandpa was soon appointed postmaster in Silverhill. The family - now including Aunt Dot and Daddy - moved to town into the Wilks house, which doubled as the post office. The children were closer to school. In this position, he faithfully served the community for two years until the politicians in power discovered to their horror that he was a Republican, probably the only one in Baldwin County at that time! He was quickly replaced by Pete Forsman.

     The family moved back to the farm where Grandpa continued his public service by organizing the local farmers into the Caney Brook Farmers Association and the North River Park Farmers Association and served as president and secretary until the groups merged with the Silverhill Farmers Association. (We still have his records from these meetings.)

     The five children continued to attend Silverhill School. Each day they walked the woodsy trail and forded Fish River and Perone Creek on logs flattened by Mr. Peter Lyrene. A passable road became more urgent to Grandpa and his neighbors.

     Grandpa realized early that farming was not a suitable calling for him. Public service was. Still dreaming of a navigable road, he began efforts to secure 40-foot rights of way from landowners along the woodsy trail from Robertsdale to Fairhope. To secure necessary signatures on a petition for the present location of State Highway 104, he walked, rode horseback, drove horse and buggy, and corresponded by mail.

     Grandma, one of the first liberated women, realized that Grandpa's futile farming efforts would not provide adequate income to support their family. Out of economic necessity, she revived her career as a nurse/midwife, which she had learned in Minnesota by assisting her mother and others during childbirth. Her knowledge about the process of birth and her demand for cleanliness resulted in her, rather than doctors, being called to go to homes to deliver babies and heal the sick. Her reputation grew; she became more in demand and helped provide well for the family. Grandma died in 1977. I still hear stories about her performing medical miracles.

     A result of the diligent efforts of Grandpa and others, State Highway 104 became a reality. Paving from Robertsdale to Fish River began in 1936 under the Federal Aids Project. By 1939, it extended from Fish River to 181 and was later completed to 98. Grandpa lived to see his dream come true. He died in 1960. In 2005, this highway was dedicated to and named for John Franklin Smart. His two surviving sons and all fifteen of his grandchildren celebrated the event. Grandpa would have been modest but very pleased, I am sure.

     That is history; these are my wonderful memories of my Smart grandparents: