The first record we have of James Smith is the 1855 New York State census. Aged 20 he was in Clay, Onondaga working as a labourer for Artemus Baum. Baum had bought the farm which straddled Lots 78 & 90, the year before for $4752 {$183,046 as at 2026}. Michael Smith, who we believe to be James' brother, had bought a plot in the same Lot78. At the time of the census James had lived there for just 2 months.

Five years later James was still working as a labourer in Clay though it is difficult to determine who he was working for. The subsequent five years must have been fairly hectic as he had married Bridget Sloan (probably about 1861) had three daughters and was farming land between Timothy Holland and Patrick King on Lot 71 in Lysander. No record has been found of him having bought the land so presumably he was renting.

The 1870 Federal Census show James having moved to a farm either next door or across the road from Jacob Trett. Trett had bought land on Lot 50 Lysander in March 1864 from Martin Crysler. The deeds describe it has being part of subdivision 4 and all of subdivision 5 as per a survey done by one J.A. Crawford. Unfortunately the map dated 1874 does not show any subdivisions of Lot 50 so the property occupied by James might have been on Smokey Hollow Road or The Sixty Road which could then be the farm mentioned in the newspaper report of his death.

December 16th 1872 the Baldwinsville Gazette and Farmers' Journal reported that "Mr. James Smith, living on the Sixty road was kicked by one of his horses on Wednesday and died next day".