Meldon Smith
Died August 26, 1898
MELDON SMITH
Telegraphic advice received here from Monroe, Mich., this morning conveyed the sad intelligence that Melvin[sic] Smith died at 7:00 a.m.
Mr. Smith was brought up in Niles and was known only as an honest, industrious and upright man. For some time he has been suffering from hernia and while at Monroe about two weeks ago be bacame worse and an operation was necessary, which proved unsuccessful. The direct cause of his death was strangulated hernia.
Mr. Smith leaves a mother, Mrs. Lyman Smith, and a sister, Miss Clara, both of whom were at Monroe at the time of his death; there is also a brother, Albert Smith, all of this city. The deceasd would have been 37 years old December next. He was member of the Niles Council of the Royal Arcanum and carried a life insturance policy of $3,000 in the same. For the past two years he has been in the employ of the Bell Telephone company as lineman and it was while on duty that he was taken ill. (Source: Niles Weekly Mirror, Wednesday, August 31, 1898, page 1, col. 3)