Roderick Gilbert Smith

photographer Smith and Hooper
See Henry Thomas Hooper page.

R G Smith was in Washington, KS, during 1892 and 1893 so he is quite probably the Smith in “Smith and Hooper”.

Roderick Gilbert Smith
(1850-1924)

1850 Jul 28
New York, death certificate, R G Smith is born to Roderick H Smith and Mary Loveland Paddock
1865
Frankfort, New York, state census, 15 years old, living with parents
1880 Jun 01
Chillicothe, MO, US census R G Smith as photographer; living in boarding house
1882 Oct 03
St Joseph (MO) Gazette Herald news item says R G Smith of 4th street has returned from KC
1883 Apr 13
St Joseph Herald news item says J W Graham has taken over the R G Smith Gallery at the corner of Fourth and Edmund Streets
1885 Mar 01
Leavenworth, KS, state census, city directory, R G Smith as photographer with J S Saurman; res ne cor 7th and Delaware

1886
Leavenworth, KS, city directory, R G Smith as photographer for J S Saurman at Shawnee bet 5th & 6th; res sw cor 6th & Delaware
1887 Apr 22
Smith County Bulletin (Smith Center, KS) item says R G Smith, photographer has relocated to Smith Center, KS
1888
St Joseph, MO, city directory, R Gilbert Smith as retoucher for J S Saurman at 311 Felix; boarding at Hutton House
1889, 1890
St Joseph, MO, city directory, R Gilbert Smith as photographer for J S Saurmanat 311 Felix; bds American
House
1891 Sep 24
Washington (KS) Weekly Post item says R G Smith is now working for Hutchings and Crum; mentions nearly 20 years of experience with J R Saurmen of St Joseph, MO
1891 Oct 02
Washington (KS) Register item says R G Smith of St Joseph, MO, will operate the Hutchings Gallery in Washington while Hutchings is travelling with his railroad photo-car

1891-1892
St Joseph, MO, city directory not available
1892
Washington, KS, Hutchings sells out to R G Smith; (See article 1893 Mar 31))
1893
St Joseph, MO, city directory, R Gilbert Smith NOT listed (J S Saurman still listed at 311 Felix)
1893 Mar 31
Washington (KS) Republican item “Open Letter” from O L Hutchings complains that H T Hooper is using the name Hutchings Studio for his business; also that Hutchings sold out to R G Smith “over a year ago”
1894 May 11
Cherokee (KS) Sentinel item says R G Smith was arrested for counterfeiting; (possibly not the same R G Smith as there are no follow up stories)
1900 Jun 02
Chicago, IL, US census, “Robert” G Smith as commercial traveler; res 3338 State st (Possibly not the photographer)
1901
Chicago, IL, city directory, unavailable
1902
Chicago, IL, city directory, R G Smith NOT listed

Location is unclear for years
1901 to 1910 (possibly incarcerated?)
1910 Apr 25
St Joseph, MI, US census, R G Smith as photographer; res 208 State
1910 May thru August
St Joseph (MI) Daily Press three different ads for R G Smith, photographer at 208 State run about 35 times
1913 Mar 20
St Joseph (MI) Herald Press item says R G Smith has left for Chicago to attend photographer meeting
1915 May 15
St Joseph (MI) Herald item mentions R G Gallery in the Sesser Block
1916 Jan 11
St Joseph (MI) Herald Press item says R G Smith, photographer, has been ill
1916 Mar 20
St Joseph (MI) Daily Press item says R G Smith went to Chicago to addend Eastman School for Professional Photographers
1916 Mar 23
St Joseph (MI) Herald Press item says R G Smith has returned from Chicago

1916 September thru November
St Joseph (MI) Herald Press runs ten small ads for R G Smith
1920 Jan 06
St Joseph, MI, US census, “Robert” G Smith as photographer; res 208 State
1921
Obituary for R G Smith says he retired this year
1924 Feb 02
St Joseph, MI, death certificate, Roderick G Smith as photographer, dies at age 73 of cerebral hemorrhage

Of the nine photographers named Smith that were in the area of Washington, KS, during the cabinet card era, Roderick Gilbert Smith was probably the most likely candidate for partner of H T Hooper in Washington, KS.

St Joseph (MO) Gazette Herald -
03 Oct 1882

St Joseph Herald -
3 Apr 1883


St Joseph Herald - 15 Apr 1883


Smith Center (KS) County Bulletin -
22 Apr 1887

Washington (KS) Weekly Post - 24 Sep 1891

Washington (KS) Register - 02 Oct 1891


Washington (KS) Republican -
02 Dec 1892

Washington (KS) Republican -
31 Mar 1893

Cherokee (KS) Sentinel -
11 May 1894

It this the same
R G Smith?

This story ran in HUNDREDS of newspapers across Kansas and other states. To date, no follow up story or confirmation has been found.

St Joseph Daily Press -
1910 May thru Oct
12 times
Ten Times
Twenty Times

St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
20 Mar 1913


St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
15 May 1915


St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
11 Jan 1916

St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
20 Mar 1916


St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
23 Mar 1916


St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
25 Sep 1916


St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
09 Nov 1916

St Joseph (KS) Herald Press -
02 Feb 1924

photographer: J S Saurman
311 Felix Street, St Joseph, MO
(Note: R G Smith worked for J S Saurman in 1885 and 1886)
example from auction site (restored)

The cabinet card at the left is by Hooper and Smith. Henry Thomas Hooper was found and documented fairly well. See Henry Thomas Hooper page.

But there were at least NINE photographers named Smith that could POSSIBLY have been in Washington, KS, for a brief stay, between the years of 1892 and 1909. This is a list:

Smith, Charles P, Topeka, KS (123 miles to Washington)
Smith, Eugene Warren, Pittsburg, KS (290 miles to Washington)
Smith, Gregory, Ottawa, KS (171 miles to Washington)
Smith, Mrs M E, Chanute, KS; AKA Mrs M E Smith AND Mrs Mary Elizabeth Maters-Smith
Smith, P S, Le Roy, KS (193 miles to Washington)(the same as Peter Smith?)
Smith, Peter, Seneca, KS (71 miles to Washington)(No information found on either)
Smith, R R, Larned, KS (191 miles to Washington)
Smith, Rodrigo Gilbert Leavenworth, KS (144 miles to Washington)
Smith, W H, Pardee, KS, (Pardee is now a ghost town in Atchison county, KS)(117 miles to Washington)

The photographer Smith, of Hooper and Smith, could be any one or none of these. In order to determine which, if any, of these photographers was possibly the one associated with Henry T Hooper in Washington, KS, a timeline or biography for each was developed.

The research above shows that Rodrigo Gilbert Smith was probably the photographer who was the Smith of Smith and Hooper. The date would be about 1892.

photographer: Smith
Girard, KS
example from auction site

The card at the left was probably done by Eugene Warren Smith who worked mostly in Pittsburg, KS. Girard, Kansas, is less than ten miles from Pittsburg and the towns were connected by a rail line.

photographer: Saurman
example from auction site
(mentioned in timeline 1885-1886)

photographer: Saurman
example from auction site
(mentioned in timeline 1885-1886)

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name. Listed here are all the Cabinet Card photographers of the 19th century found in LOST GALLERY. This is a work in progress. For a look at the original postings go to LOST GALLERY.

New examples and additional information 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.

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.