Elon Smith of Ohio

Photographer: E Smith
Artistic Photographer

Elon Edmund Smith
(1848 -- 1929)

1848 Jul 30
Ohio, death certificate, Elon Edmund Smith is born to Edmund Doty Smith and Lavinia Bailey Woods
1872
Zanesville, OH, city directory, Smith as photographer NOT listed (res or Bus)
1875
Zanesville, OH, city directory, W Smith as photographer at 101 Main (bus pages); oddly there is NO listing for a W Smith, photographer, in the residential pages
1877
Union County tax role, Elon Smith (no occupation shown)
1880 Jun 28
Marysville, OH, US census, Elon Smith as “Livery Stable”
1883
Zanesville, OH, city directory, Elon Smith NOT listed

1884 Apr 03
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, item says Elon Smith family has moved to their farm west of Plain City, OH
(There are no city directory listings for this period available for Marysville, OH)
1886 Mar 25
Marysville, OH, Union County Journal, birth announcement for Mr and Mrs Elon Smith, baby boy on the 10th of March
1886 Jan 14
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, notice says Elon Smith will not buy George A Welling Hardware Store after all
1886 Nov 24
Marysville (OH) Tribune, item says Elon Smith has moved back to W English Street in Marysville, OH
1886 Dec 02
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, item says Elon Smith has rented his farm on Darby Plains and is not living at the corner of Eighth and Cherry in Marysville
1887 Sep 14 - 22
Marysville (OH) Tribune, item mentions photography by Elon Smith for the first time

1887 Oct 12
Marysville (OH) Tribune, item says S C Adams has sold his photograph gallery to Elon Smith on Oct 27 (Very confusing. The publish date of this item is October 12. And according to September newspaper items, E Smith has already started in the photography business. )
1887 Nov 17
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, item says Elon Smith will take hay, corn and wood in exchange for pictures
1888 Oct 04
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, small ad for photographer Elon Smith
1888 Dec 19
Marysville, (OH) Tribune, long, glowing article about photographer Elon Smith
1889 Apr 25
Marysville, OH, Union County Journal, small item mentions photographer Elon Smith
1890
NO Zanesville, OH, city directory listing
1891 Dec 11
Richwood (OH) Gazette, small ad for photographer Smith of Marysville

1892, 1893
Zanesville, OH, city directory, Smith Gallery at 101-107 Main; res section shows Smith Gallery, Smith and Schultz proprietors, 101-103-105-107 Main
1893 Oct 12
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, marriage announcement for (son) Harry E Smith of photographer firm Elon Smith and Son, of Marysville
1894
Zanesville, OH, city directory, NO LISTING
1896 May 28
Marysville (OH) Union County Journal, another glowing article about photographer Elon Smith
1896
Zanesville, OH, city directory, J L Smith at 101 Main (bus section)
1898 Jul 20
Marysville (OH) Tribune, item says Elon Smith has sold his gallery in Marysville to L M Baker
1900 Jun 04
Cambridge City, OH, US census, Elon Smith as Clothing Dealer

1900
Zanesville, OH, city directory,. J Lincoln Smith at 101-107 Main
1901
Zanesville, OH, city directory, J Lincoln Smith at 319 – 325 Main
1901-1902
Marysville, OH, city directory, Elon Smith NOT listed
1903, 1905, 1907, 1910
Zanesville, OH, city directory, J L Smith photographer at 319-325 Main
1910 Apr 15
Cambridge City, OH, US census, E E Smith as retired merchant
1912
Zanesville, OH, city directory, photographer Smith NOT listed
1920 Jan 21
Park Place Town, TX, US census, Elon E Smith as Telegraph Manager
1929 Jul 28
Houston, TX, death certificate, Elon Edmund Smith dies at age 80

From newspaper items and directory listings, it can be shown that Elon E Smith owned a gallery in Marysville, OH, from September 1888 to July 1898. The gallery was then sold to L M Baker.

The second gallery in Zanesville, OH, apparently operated by Elon Smith’s son J. Lincoln Smith, continued from about 1892 to at least 1910. In 1901, the gallery address changed from 101-107 Main to 319-325 Main.

Marysville (OH) Union County Journal -
03 Apr1884

Marysville (OH) Union County Journal -
14 Jan 1886

Marysville (OH) Tribune -
24 Nov 1886

Marysville (OH) Union County Journal -
02 Dec 1886

Marysville (OH) Tribune -
14 Sep 1447

Marysville (OH) Tribune-
12 Oct 1887

Marysville (OH) County journal -
13 Oct 1887

Marysville (OH) Tribune -
19 Oct 1887

Marysville (OH) County journal -
17 Nov 1887

Richwood (OH) Gazette -
11 Dec 1890

Marysville (OH) County journal -
12 Oct 1893

Marysville (OH) Union County Journal -
28 May 1896

Marysville (OH) Tribune -
20 Jul 1898

No evidence has been found that Elon Smith ever went back into photography after this.

Marysville (OH) Journal Tribune -
19 Jul 1929

These examples are from Elon Smith of Marysville, OH

photographer: E Smith
Marysville, OH
example from auction site

photographer: Smith
Marysville, OH
example from auction site

photographer: Elon Smith
Marysville, OH
example from auction site

reverse of card at left

photographer: E Smith
Marysville, OH
example from contributor

photographer: Elon Smith
Marysville, OH
example from contributorr

E Smith
Marysville, OH

These examples are from J L Smith and Schultz of Zanesville, OH

photographer: Smith and Shultz
101, 103, 105 and 107 Main Street, Zanesville, OH
example from James Agnew on Flickr

Reverse of card at left

photographer: Smith and Shultz
101, 103, 105 and 107 Main Street, Zanesville, OH
example from contributor

reverse of card at left

These examples are from J L Smith of Zanesville, OH

photographer: Smith Arr Studio
101 Main Street, Zanesville, OH
example from contributor
(Note: It is possible that Smith did NOT originate this photograph. It is quite likely a copy of another photograph, sold as a "View" along with other interesting items such as local buildings, officials and other local sights.)

reverse of card at left

photographer: Smith
101, 103, 105 and 107 Main Street, Zanesville, OH
example from contributor

reverse of card at left

photographer: Smith's
Zanesville, OH
(Probably the same Smith)
example from Flickr collection of Danaroundtown

photographer: Smith
101 Main Street, Zanesville OH

reverse of card at left

photographer: Smith
Zanesville, OH
example from contributor

photographer: Smith
101 Main Street, Zanesville, OH
example from auction site

photographer: J L Smith
Zanesville, OH
example from auction site

photographer: J L Smith
101 Main, Zanesville, OH
example from auction site

reverse of card at left
(note the address is the same as the above examples of Elon Smith)

photographer Smith
Zanesville, OH
example from contributor

photographer Smith
Zanesville, OH
example from contributor

The following cards are from photographers named Smith. No connection to E Smith of Ohio has been made.

photographer: E W Smith
Pittsburg, KS
example from auction site

photographer: C R Smith
unknown location
(This is possibly photographer C R Smith of Sanford, ME)
example from auction site

photographer: Isaiah Smith
Wilmington, OH
example from auction site

photographer: Smith
Wilmington, OH
example from auction site

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name. All the Cabinet Card photographers of the 19th century found in LOST GALLERY are listed there.

Cabinet cards typically have the photographer’s name and address printed on the bottom edge or the reverse of the card. 19th century photographers moved around a lot. The basic idea here is to find WHEN a photographer was WHERE, which will help date an unidentified CABINET CARD from your family album.

This is a work always in progress.

Aditional information and New examples are always welcome. Any additional information will help narrow the time that these precious antiques were made.

All submissions should be free of glare and shadows.
Do not crop.
Leave a border around each card. The edges are sometimes an important clue to the age of the card.
Email to the address found in the profile at the bottom of this page.

Some examples on this page have been enhanced or restored for clarity and presentation here.

This page is free for educational and research purposes only but, as always, if the original owner of any of these examples objects to the use on this page, just let me know and they will be immediately removed.