John Smith

John Smith of Wakefield was born November 27th, 1806 in an area of Frederick County which would later become Carroll County. As a young man, he attended a local common school and later taught school himself for a period. Following his time as a teacher, Smith worked as a clerk in a store in Baltimore before returning to the family farm, Wakefield.

After the death of his father, Joshua Smith, John Smith inherited Wakefield. He married Caroline Cookson in 1848 and together the couple had eleven children, nine of them survived into adulthood.

In 1852, Smith became interested in the formation of what would become the Western Maryland Railroad. He assisted in surveying the stretch of track that was extended to Westminster in 1861 and to Union Bridge in 1862. Smith also invested heavily in Western Maryland Railroad stock, was a member of the board of directors for the company for ten years and became president of the company in 1862.

At a religious revival held at Pipe Creek Chapel under the direction of Rev. J.T. Ward in 1859, both Smith and his wife, Caroline, converted to Methodist Protestantism. This event established a deep friendship with Ward, which would intertwine Smith with the formation of Western Maryland College several years later.

Smith played a crucial part in financing the construction and operations of Western Maryland College during its earliest years. He served as the first president of the board of trustees and held that position until his death. In recognition of his long service to the college, one of the buildings that was part of the complex known as “Old Main” was named in his honor. His long-time connection with the Western Maryland railroad also inspired the original name for the school. Seven of Smith’s eleven children attended the WMC or preparatory department with five of them graduating with AB degrees. His daughter, Ada Smith, married William Roberts McDaniel, the namesake of McDaniel College.

Smith died on March 13th, 1892 at the age of eighty-six.