Beatrice Milham Smith of Mansfield died Saturday, January 22, 2005, at Friendship Village Health Center. Mrs. Smith was a native of Chicago, but at the age of two, moved with her family to Wheaton, Illinois where she lived for many years. In later years, she lived in LaGrange, Illinois, Ridgewood, New Jersey, and the Philadelphia area and then lived abroad for approximately four years before moving to Hendersonville, North Carolina. She moved to Mansfield in late 1978. Mrs. Smith’s ancestors were early settlers of the Mansfield-Ashland area. Her maternal great-great-grandfather, John Gates, Sr., came to Mansfield in 1825 from Newton Sussex County New Jersey. Her great-grandfather, Jacob Gates came here in 1827 also from Newton, New Jersey and had a farm and woolen mill at what was the site of the Reformatory Dairy Farm, which, at that time, was heavily wooded. Her other maternal great-grandfather, Robinson Keffer, came to Ohio in 1835 from Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and settled in Ashland and later in Mifflin. In Mifflin, for many years, he owned and ran the Mifflin Inn, at that time a stagecoach stop for travelers. Mrs. Smith was a member of the LaGrange, Illinois Chapter of DAR, Chapter AT of the P.E.O. Sisterhood of Mansfield and the Mohican Herb Society.
There are no survivors and there will be no calling hours observed. Private graveside services will be held. Wappner Funeral Directors assisted with the arrangements.