HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1417.AM: William D. Smith, 1875-1898
Diary: 1898
Milford, Seward County, Nebraska: Spanish-American War veteran
Size: One item
BACKGROUND NOTE
William D. Smith, son of Moses and Martha (Bullington) Smith, was born in Madison County, Iowa, on December 25, 1875. In 1885 the Smith family moved to Seward County, Nebraska. William married Fannie J. Warner on February 6, 1896. They had a seven-month old daughter, Jean, who died on February 28, 1897. William enlisted and served with Company K, 3rd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. He became very ill while serving at Camp Thomas in Chickamauga Park, Georgia, and eventually returned home to Milford. William D. Smith died in Milford, Nebraska, on Sept. 27, 1898, at the age of twenty-two. He was survived by his wife and a two-month old daughter. William D. Smith is buried in Blue Mound Cemetery at Milford, Nebraska.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of one item, a diary kept by William D. Smith while serving with the 3rd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish-American War. The first three pages contain entries dating from August 8-13, 1898. The entries record disciplinary actions taken against members of his unit due to various absences and other infractions. Later pages record extra duty hours received by those disciplined.
INVENTORY
Diary, 1898
Subject headings:
Smith, William D., 1875-1898
Solders — Nebraska — Seward County
Spanish-American War, 1898 — Personal narratives
Veterans — Nebraska — Seward County
Revised TMM 11-25-2019
