William "Billy" Smith, born in Yorkshire, England on July 12, 1834, crossed the Atlantic alone at the age of 15, settling for a time in Canada, where he married for the first time. By the age of 23, Billy was a widower who had not only lost his wife, but his young child, as well.

After the death of his wife and child, Billy remained in Canada for several years before moving in 1860 to San Joaquin County, where he began farming. He farmed in various parts of northern California before returning to Canada to study mechanical engineering. He married Sarah Jane Dayment on Jan. 8, 1866, in Clinton, Canada.

Sarah, daughter of an aristocratic English family, had traveled at the age of 20 to Canada from Devonshire, England, in 1864, and resided with an influential family by the name of Whitehead, whose interests included the construction of the Canadian Grand Trunk Railway across Canada.

After the birth of their son, Fred, the Smiths decided to seek their fortune in the mines of Virginia City, Nev. Packing up their belongings, including fine linens and a piano, they boarded a ship bound for the Isthmus of Panama. When they reached Panama, their possessions were transferred to pack mules and wagons. After crossing the isthmus, the Smiths boarded a steamship and sailed up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco.

However, as the ship neared San Francisco, it began to list dangerously and all the cargo had to be thrown overboard. When the passengers, mostly soldiers, were ordered to jump overboard, Mrs. Smith, clutching her infant son, jumped into one of the awaiting lifeboats below.

At a dinner celebration afterward, the captain of the ship paid glowing tribute to "one very brave little woman," and she received a standing ovation from those present.

Although the family survived the mishap, all of their belongings were lost in the ocean.

The Smiths went to Virginia City, where Billy found a job as a mining engineer. In January 1868, their son, Charles William, was born. In 1869, the family left Nevada and headed for Arroyo Grande, where Billy, using funds he'd amassed in Nevada, opened a stage line inn and post office.

In 1871, the Smiths came to Central City and homesteaded a farm 2 miles southeast of town.

In 1881, the 160-acre claim was confirmed by the U.S. Government Patent Office. By that time, the Smith family included Minnie, John, Walter and Fred. Frank, Robert, Jeanette and Arthur came later.

In addition to farming grain on the Santa Maria property, Smith's livestock included horses, cows, chickens and a hog. He also raised some of the finest riding and driving horses in the area.

One of the first community contributions made by the family was the donation of an acre of land on which the Pleasant Valley School was built. The donation was made with the stipulation that, when (or if) the land ceased to be used for school purposes, it would revert to the Smith heirs.

Unfortunately, being of good nature, Billy made some bad investments that caused the forced sale of the family home after his death.

Billy Smith passed away Oct. 18, 1901, and because he died without leaving a will, his son Frank administered the estate and settled all of the outstanding debts. At the final distribution of the estate, Sarah Jane received half of the community property, and the children received the other half in equal shares.

In May 1903, Sarah Jane's children and their spouses passed their portion of the state real property to their mother as her complete property. In 1906, Sarah Jane sold the Smith family homestead to Joe Enos, and moved her family to her new home at 619 S. Broadway.

In 1913, accompanied by three of her children, Sarah Jane moved to San Diego, where she passed away in April 1938 at the age of 94.

Both Bill and Sarah Jane are buried in the Santa Maria Cemetery.

Shirley Contreras lives in Orcutt and writes for the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society. She can be contacted at 934-3514 or at shirleycontreras2@yahoo.com. Her book, "The Good Years," a selection of stories she's written for the Santa Maria Times since 1991, is on sale at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society, 616 S. Broadway.