A Tinsmith
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In the decades after the American Civil War, life changed rapidly for Hoosiers. Old ways withered in the new age of the industrial revolution. Factories sprang up and hopes rose that economic growth would make life better than that known by the pioneer generation. William's career followed this trend. He built a business in Cicero as a tinsmith and filed several inventions with the U.S. Patent Office.
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Evidence of his tin business is preserved in the earliest surviving plat map known to exist in Hamilton County. The map from 1866 (Figure 11) is hanging in the waiting room of the Hamilton County surveyor's office in Noblesville, IN. It shows land owners in each township and the names and locations of prominent business owners in each town.
Figure 12 is the excerpt of the Cicero portion of the County plat map. In 1866 Cicero rivaled Noblesville in the number of businesses. William Smith is named in the Business Directory. He is listed as a merchant of Stoves, Tin, & Hardware. His business was located on the corner block of Jackson St. and East St. Today, East St. is called Washington Ave. The site where his business was located appears to be a vacant lot today.
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The story of how the map was found is an interesting one. A pdf of the newspaper report is below.
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Figure 11: 1866 Plat Map of Hamilton County, Indiana
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Figure 12: Cicero Excerpt of Hamilton Co Plat Map 1866. Second name under "Merchants" is Wm Smith - Stoves, Tin & Hardware. Corner Lot #5 on the block between Cass and Jackson St and East and Byron St. is labeled "Tin Shop" and is the location of William's business in Cicero.
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