A history of Tennessee and Tennesseans, Volume 5
By Will Thomas Hale, Dixon Lanier Merritt
The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago and New York; 1913

Pages 1218-1220

Mrs. Bonnie S. Maxwell. Among the old and honored pioneers who paved the way for the development of Obion county and the position that it occupies socially and financially at the present time, the name of Alexander W. Smith stands preeminent. He was a native of the Emerald Isle, but when a young man left Ireland with a brother to seek his fortune in the United States. They landed at New York in 1818 and the brother located in that state. Alexander, after some time in New York, made his way to South Carolina, locating in Chester district. Here he married Esther Graham, who was a relative of the celebrated Scottish chief, William Wallace. In 1840 he removed with his family to Tennessee and located in Tipton county, where he purchased two hundred acres of land and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a strict conformist and adhered to the dogma and teachings of that sect. He died in 1870, aged seventy-two years, after a long and useful life, during which he wielded great influence upon the destinies of his adopted county. Alexander and Esther (Graham) Smith were the parents of four children—three sons and one daughter.

One of his sons, James G. Smith, was the father of Mrs. Bonnie S. Maxwell. He was born in South Carolina, September 18, 1828, and became a resident of Obion county, Tennessee, in 1850. He was a well-educated gentleman and was a remarkable man in various respects. As a young man he taught school for several years, employing his spare hours in the study of law. Into this subject he went deeply, and soon after his admission to the bar he became recognized as one of the leading attorneys of west Tennessee. For fifty years he practiced his profession in Obion county, and at the time of his death on August 5, 1905, he was the oldest lawyer in the county. His funeral was a notable one in one particular. While many of his friends and acquaintances were in attendance, it was remarked that all the lawyers in the county had closed their offices on that occasion, in order to give them an opportunity to pay their respects to one whom they universally loved as a man and admired as an attorney. James G. Smith was everybody’s friend. If he found a young man who desired to become a lawyer he was always ready to extend his aid, and a number of young attorneys owe him a debt of gratitude for his kindly words and advice, as well as more substantial assistance. Even the children on the street received his attention and he was universally popular. When the trouble between the north and south culminated in Civil war he espoused the cause of the Confederacy. On one occasion he was ordered to take the oath of allegiance to the federal government, but refused to do so. For his refusal he was treated as a prisoner of war and confined for some time in a military prison at St. Louis, Missouri.

On January 3, 1854, James S. Smith and Sarah E. Allen were united in marriage, and to this union were born six children. Wallace S., born October 3, 1854, became the wife of H. H. Crockett on March 16, 1871; Bonnie S., born June 2, 1856, was married to John B. Maxwell on March 24, 1875; Wm. A., born September 26, 1858, married Miss Sunie Pressley on April 17, 1889; Dora S. married Rev. Thos. P. Pressley and is now deceased; Lutheran A., born January 8, 1863, married Miss Annie Faulk on February 19, 1896; and Fitz James, born October 16, 1864, attorney in Union City, Tennessee.

John B. Maxwell was for many years a conspicuous figure in the affairs of Obion county. He was a native son of Tennessee, having been born on April 21, 1855, in Henry county, where his father was a well-known and influential citizen. After securing a good education he decided to enter the field of journalism, and for some time he was editor of the Troy Times. He was also deputy clerk of the county court and was a factor in politics. As an editor he always advocated measures for the advancement of the moral, material and social interests of Troy, and as a citizen he commanded the esteem and confidence of his fellow-townsmen in a marked degree. His death occurred on September 5, 1901, and was a distinct loss to the town where he had so long lived and labored. As stated above, he was married on March 24, 1875, to Miss Bonnie S. Smith, and to this union were born nine children, two of whom passed away in childhood. Those living, with the dates of birth, are as follows: Basil B., February 4, 1878; Luther M., July 17, 1882; Martha M., September 24, 1887; Fitz L., March 10, 1890; Dora W., December 7, 1892; Stonewall H., June 16, 1895, and John B., October 16, 1897.

In looking back over the lives of such men as Alexander W. Smith, James G. Smith and John B. Maxwell, the reader of the present generation may find a career worthy of emulation. They encountered many difficulties during the pioneer days, but with courage and fortitude overcame them and left to their posterity a better community and an untarnished name. A record of their deeds and achievement leads one to believe with Longfellow, that:

“Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of Time.”

Death-Certificate, Obion County TN
Registration District No. 672, Reg. No. 753, stamped 18732
Full-Name: Mrs. Bonnie Smith Maxwell
Date-of-Death: Aug 26, 1934
Place-of-Death: 6th Civil District, Obion County TN
Date-of-Birth: June 2, 1856
Birthplace: Tennessee
Marital-Status: widow of J. B. Maxwell
Father: J. G. Smith, born in SC
Mother: Sarah Allen, born in TN
Informant: Luke Maxwell of Union City, TN
Burial: Troy Cemetery