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Post by elisabeth on Mar 15, 2008 10:53:33 GMT -6
Not, of course, the most uncommon of names. But ... was the John Smith who was around at the time of Sand Creek, and was mentioned in Hancock's reports as an interpreter in 1867, the same John Smith who turned up as a trader on the LBH campaign? Or not?
The original John Smith is generally described as quite an elderly man, so on the one hand it seems improbable he'd be forging a new career in Dakota in 1876. On the other -- not impossible. It would be useful to know, if only to avoid drawing sinister connections where none may exist. So if anyone does have a handle on this man (or men), I'd be most grateful for any info ...
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Post by crzhrs on Mar 15, 2008 15:48:39 GMT -6
Controversy surrounds J Smith and his part in Sand Creek. He was elderly so it appears doubtful he had any part in the LBH.
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Post by gary on Mar 15, 2008 17:13:41 GMT -6
According to the Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography by Dan Thrapp, John Simpson Smith died in 1871.
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Post by elisabeth on Mar 16, 2008 1:48:28 GMT -6
Thank you. So John Smith the straw-hat purveyor was another man entirely. That makes life simpler.
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