VICTOR A. SMITH
The following bio was taken from page 390 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.
Transcribed by Claudia Schuster
Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator
Victor Augustus Godby Smith was born in September, 1895 to Charles Benson Smith and Calidonia Caldwell Smith. Charles was of the contingent that separated from the Church of England to form a group with a "new method" of spreading the Word of God. They went into the byways where people were not able to read and educated them by preaching. Hence, he was what came to be known as a Methodist who traveled the circuits. He was born in January of 1856, was educated in a college in Carthage, Texas and joined the East Texas Circuit in 1889. He died in 1906 while serving the Gilmer Circuit. The people who heard him preach were so deeply satisfied (his obituary says as a speaker, there was no one superior that they called him "Cornbread" after his initials. A like preacher with the initials of H.B. was nicknamed Hambone.Charles and Calidonia had three children. Vesta, the oldest married Clyde Haden, a pharmacist. During the depression they bought a drugstore from George Wright. This pharmacy on the public square in Henderson was for many years a bright spot to all, especially to teenagers. Victor went on to work his way through The University of Texas, mostly as a pharmacist. He was president of his law class, and after graduation came to Henderson to set up practice.
Lois Lucille Langhorne and Charles met and married in 1923. Lucille was a native of Henderson, born in 1902 to Joseph Henry Langhorne and Mary Gilchrist Langhorne. (Their history can be found in the story of Mrs. Agnes Langhorne Farmer, Lucille’s sister.) During the 1930’s, Victor served two terms as County Attorney. He and Lucille had two children, Victor Jr., who lived from September, 1931 to October, 1960, and Vesta Lucille. Vesta married an Air Force Officer, J.W. Cotton, in December, 1947. They served in the Strategic Air Command in Riverside, California, in Newport, Rhode Island, where Cotton was Air Force Advisor on the Staff of the Naval War College. They were in Montgomery, Alabama where he served on the staff of the Air War College and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
The Cottons had three sons. Jay was born in June, 1950 and resides in Hollywood, California, where he works for the movie industry as animator, music composer, and writer. Thomas Smith, born May 21, 1953, met and married Teresita Pecheco at Texas A & M College. Tom set up a dental practice in Henderson. He and Tere have one daughter, Angela Christina, born October 8, 1979. Jonathan was born in September of 1955 and is with Kangaroo Court Restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. Victor A. Smith died in April of 1940 and Lucille died in September of 1948, both in Henderson.
Submitted by Vesta Smith Cotton