"Raccoon" John Smith (1784 – February 28, 1868) was an early leader in the

Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the United States frontier during the Second Great Awakening (17 ...

.Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , entry on ''Smith, "Raccoon" John'' His father, George Smith (originally Schmidt) was of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ancestry, and may have been born in Germany, while his mother, Rebecca Bowen Smith, was of Welsh and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry. He played a critical role uniting the movement led by

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and Alexander Campbell with the similar movement led by Barton W. Stone and in spreading the message of the movement over much of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

Personal life

Smith was born in what is now

Sullivan County, Tennessee Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport– Johnson City&ndas ...

, in 1784 to a family of

Regular Baptists Regular Baptists are "a moderately Calvinistic Baptist sect that is found chiefly in the southern U.S., represents the original English Baptists before the division into Particular and General Baptists, and observes closed communion and foot washi ...

. His nickname, "Raccoon", reportedly resulted from him saying he lived in such a remote location that his only neighbors were raccoons. Smith moved with his family to what is now

Clinton County, Kentucky Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky in the Pennyrile Region along the southern border with Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,272. Its county seat is Albany. The county was formed in 1835 and ...

. He was largely self-educated, with no more than six months of formal schooling. He was baptized in 1804, and ordained as a minister in 1808. Smith married Anna Townsend in 1806. They lost two children to a cabin fire, and Anna died from shock shortly afterward in 1815. Smith remarried in December of the same year to Nancy Hurt. As a preacher, Smith began to wrestle with the

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

teachings of

predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...

and

total depravity Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...

as taught in ''The Philadelphia Confession of Faith''. His doubts regarding these doctrines meant that when he met Alexander Campbell in 1824 he was open to the Restoration Movement themes that

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

is open to all based on faith in

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, repentance from

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

and

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

by immersion. He died in

Mexico, Missouri , image_skyline = Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.JPG , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = The Audrain County Courthouse in downtown Mexico. , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

on February 28, 1868, and was buried next to Nancy. The

Raccoon John Smith House The "Raccoon" John Smith House in Owingsville, Kentucky was built in 1839. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. It was a home of "Raccoon" John Smith. It is listed as "address restricted" in the NRIS database, b ...

, in

Owingsville, Kentucky Owingsville is a home rule-class city in Bath County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,530 during the year 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat and is located roughly at the county's center, at the junction of US 60 and ...

, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Career

After meeting Alexander Campbell, Smith soon became a leader in the Restoration Movement, working primarily among the Baptists in Kentucky. Because

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as ...

s of the time were typically unpaid, he worked as a farmer for most of his life. He was willing, though, to go anywhere and preach to anyone who would listen and was successful in persuading many in Kentucky to join the movement. He also played a key role in bringing the Stone and Campbell movements together in late 1832 and early 1833. This was formalized at the High Street Meeting House in Lexington, Kentucky, with a handshake between Barton Stone and Smith. Smith had been chosen by those present to speak on behalf of the followers of the Campbells.Davis, M. M. (1915)
''How the Disciples Began and Grew, A Short History of the Christian Church''"> ''How the Disciples Began and Grew, A Short History of the Christian Church''
Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Company A preliminary meeting of the two groups was held in late December 1831, culminating with the merger on January 1, 1832.Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , Introductory Chronology Two representatives of those assembled were appointed to carry the news of the union to all the churches: John Rogers, for those associated with Stone; and Smith for those associated with the Campbells. They spent three years reporting the news to the associated churches. Despite some challenges, the merger succeeded.McAlister, Lester G. and Tucker, William E. (1975), ''Journey in Faith: A History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)'', St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, Many believed the union held great promise for the future success of the combined movement and greeted the news enthusiastically.Richard Thomas Hughes and R. L. Roberts, ''The Churches of Christ'', 2nd Edition, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001, , Smith spent three years traveling through Kentucky with Rogers encouraging congregations associated with the Stone and Campbell movements to unite.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John 1784 births 1868 deaths American members of the Churches of Christ American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Welsh descent Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Ministers of the Churches of Christ Nondenominational Christianity Restoration Movement