Soapy Smith Speaks

A colorful historical character, Soapy Smith, provided a great story from the Old West, and considerable food for thought in my previous blog entry. To follow up on this subject, his great-grandson and namesake, Jeff Smith, has graciously agreed to answer some questions here, about his search for truth regarding his famous ancestor. When you were researching your great-grandfather Soapy Smith’s life, what were your favorite discoveries? I would say my favorite discovery was the…

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Alias Soapy Smith

Recently, I was contacted by Jeff Smith, the descendant of a well-known colorful Western pioneer, who went by the name of “Soapy Smith”. In plain terms, Soapy was a con-artist who found creative ways to secure an income while dodging the law in the Western United States and Alaska. His name evolved from a scheme in which currency was hidden in cakes of soap and sold to gullible customers willing to gamble on its placement.…

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Who Are You?

Family history is a hot topic. On Friday evenings, a television show called, “Who Do You Think You Are?” features well-known actors or actresses, who embark on a journey of self-discovery by searching for clues and stories about their ancestors. This is an exciting prospect for anybody who is interested in family history. The bad news, as has been discussed by my local genealogy society, is that the personalities featured on the show have the…

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