By Eilene Lyon
Leon Leslie “Bill” Smith (1898–1985)
Leon “Bill” Smith was born in Sprague, Washington, where his maternal grandparents lived. He attended school to the 8th grade. His interests lay in hunting, fishing, and motorized vehicles.
Bill drove a truck for his father’s delivery business and a gravel truck for road construction projects. Around 1920, he rode his Excelsior motorcycle from Idaho to California, and worked there as a mechanic. He returned to Moscow to join his brother, Harry, in the Smith Brothers Garage.
“Harry soon learned to insist that Leon stay at the back of the garage in the shop. Leon had a tendency to get in a hassle with the customers. His ability to deal with people was zilch.”
In 1923, Bill married Helen Oberg; they had no children. After selling the garage in 1942, he and Helen moved to Chatcolet Lake where he did odd jobs for the people who owned cabins there.
Sources:
Smith, Laurence. “The Passing Parade.” February 15, 1990.
Ancestry.com
Myricopia 
I’m amazed at how many of these people had one or no kids at all… And some people are definitely, back of the shop types 😉
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I think growing up poor in a large family, plus losing their mother at an early age taught them that fewer kids meant a more comfortable life.
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I can understand that. Let us just say that preventing pregnancies was a tad different back then… My grandmother wanted none and had 7, 6 that lived!
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That’s very true. They seem to have found methods that worked for them.
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It would appear. Or were blessed with less 😉
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They just didn’t have sex. 😉
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That would be the most successful way… 😀
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Works like a charm!
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100% effective!
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My eye was drawn to what a cutie pie little Laurence is in the second photo.
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He really was a cutie. My cousin looked just like him as a boy. Even still does resemble Grandpa, but with dreadlocks, somewhat different!
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Hmm, “Grandpa with Dreadlocks” would make a great title for a poem or a song.
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Let me know when you post it. 🙂
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Uh oh. I do believe I’ve just painted myself into a writerly corner. 🙂
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I also am struck by how many of these siblings had no children. It may have been a choice, but I think it’s at least as likely that they either had fertility issues (especially the men) or their wives miscarried. Even today birth control isn’t that perfect.
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It does make you wonder. None of them had more than two children, which was certainly unusual for the time.
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Good little bite! I have a general question. Why is it that, in many early 20th century wedding photos (including this one) the man is seated and the woman is standing but bending towards the man?
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Did the women ever get to sit down once they had a man in their life?
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Haha! So true!
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Is this the Smith where the family name ends?
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This whole group of siblings had very few children. The next generation named Smith (3 males) had no children, so that was the end of the family name on this line.
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I’m enjoying the history and photos. It’s coming together for me.
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I hope doing it in short posts like this doesn’t lose the thread for people. I thought it might be better than a really long post people wouldn’t want to finish reading. Thanks for following along.
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I like the shorter format😊
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Thanks!
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Shayne’s question occurred to me too, though I’ve checked some of our old photos and it doesn’t apply to them. Maybe an American thing? My other question is how on earth did he get Bill from Leon Leslie? Must be a story to that, or maybe he just didn’t like either of his given names. And I did laugh at the description of him – very honest!
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When Grandpa wrote his memoirs, all these people were gone. He didn’t publish them, of course, but he really didn’t have to worry about offending anyone.
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Leon sounds like the kind of individual who would have worked in IT in this day and age.
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That’s a good likelihood. Sometimes mechanical ability doesn’t translate to digital smarts, but sometimes it does.
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His personality definitely lends itself to it.
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Put him in a room by himself and teach him to code!
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Such a formal-looking shot of the three boys Eilene. In the wedding photo, Leon reminds me a bit of actor William Hurt. I like the photo on the motorcycle. I have a vintage photo of my grandfather on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. I once sent that photo to Harley Davidson and said if they wanted it for their archives, they were welcome to use it. I never heard back from them.
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I think that is a cool photo with the motorcycle. Grandpa said it was a top of the line Harley-Davidson, and my husband thought so, too, at first. I just went with the name printed on the tank and didn’t research it. Hubby says that Excelsior is the brand and it was around for about 15 years – competed with HD and Indian.
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I guess that might be the case with my grandfather’s Harley-Davidson too then … perhaps that is why they weren’t interested in my photo.
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I expect they have a ton of photos already.
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Yes, that is probably the case Eilene.
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Eilene – I e-mailed you the vintage H-D photo in case it goes to your SPAM filter since it has an attachment.
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It came through fine. Thanks!
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You’re welcome Eilene – I thought it would be fun to share.
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