Illinois: History of Cass County, Illinois, ed. William 
Henry Perrin. O. L. Baskin & Co. Historical Publishers, 
Chicago, 1882. Cass County.

ABEL M. SMITH, fisherman, Beardstown; was born near 
Chillicothe, Ohio, in March, 1823, and in October, that 
year, his father, Thomas Smith, moved with his family to 
Illinois, and settled at Naples, in Scott Co., then a part 
of Morgan County. Thomas Smith, who was a farmer, died when 
our subject was about eleven years old. Abel M. remained on 
the farm till he attained his majority, and in 1844 went to 
New Orleans, La., where he worked at the plasterer's trade 
three years. In 1847, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 
June, that year, married Mary M. Redding, of that city, and 
worked at his trade there till 1850; then pursued his trade 
in Naples, Ill., till 1862, when he abandoned plastering, 
having become crippled by a fall which he had received in 
New Orleans, La. He then engaged in fishing, in the 
Illinois River, at Sharp's Landing and vicinity, for nine 
years. In 1873 he came to Beardstown, where he has since 
resided. At Naples, Ill., that year, he built his family 
boat, also a fishing boat, the former being sixty-five feet 
long and sixteen feet wide, the latter, forty-two feet long 
and sixteen feet wide. For the past three years he has been 
fishing in company with George Swan; they employ four men, 
and handle over 100,000 pounds of fish annually; their 
largest catch was taken in Muscooten Bay, in August, 1878; 
they dispose of their fish in the local markets, and also 
ship to St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Smith has four children-three 
daughters and one son.

Smith Redding Swan 
=
OH Scott-IL Morgan-IL LA