John Smith

John Smith added the

“of Wakefield” to distinguish himself from several other men in the area with the same

name. He left his family‟s farm at an early age to teach in local schools. In those days,

no one needed a college/normal school degree to teach, and Smith never bothered to get one. He relied upon his native intelligence and instinct for business to make his way in life from an early age. He also spent time in Baltimore as a store clerk after his teaching stint. It was probably in that thriving metropolis he observed the business practices that he later applied to his own pursuit of financial success. Smith started slowly – teaching, clerking, working as an auctioneer and surveyor, and not marrying until he was in his forties. He inherited Wakefield, the family farm, in 1841. By the 1850s and 1860s his family was growing and so were his wealth and reputation. He recognized the importance of bringing a railroad into Carroll County and, with support from others, succeeded in getting tracks of the Western Maryland Rail Road laid across the full width of the county by the early 1860s. He served for a year as president of the Western Maryland Rail Road Company (1862-1863), and continued on its board for ten years and invested heavily in its stock. When educator Fayette Buell expressed interest in establishing a college in Westminster in the mid-1860s but lacked financial backing for his dream, Smith stepped in with a loan of $8,000. Others also loaned money enabling Western Maryland College to become a reality. Some people believe the college’s name was

chosen because of its close ties with Smith and the railroad, but that is unclear. The college needed financial assistance more than once during its formative years, and Smith apparently was always there to help. Even before it was officially chartered, he became the first head of its Board of Trustees and served in that capacity until hisdeath in 1892.

When he died, John Smith of Wakefield was “lovingly eulogized” by James T. Ward, a

former president of the college who had converted Smith and his wife, Caroline

Cookson, to the Methodist Protestant faith during a revival in 1859. Ward noted Smith

“took the deepest interest in the success of the College, which through all the years he

had done so much to promote.”

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.