Stub Smith

Note: This page is for James Abner "Stub" Smith, major league player in 1898. For others with similar names click here

James Abner Smith

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 145 lb.

• Debut September 10, 1898
• Final Game October 15, 1898
• Born November 24, 1873 in Elmwood, IL USA
• Died November 14, 1947 in Fall River, MA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Stub Smith played three games at shortstop for the Boston Beaneaters at the end of the 1898 season. He got one base hit in the majors, in ten at bats. Earlier that season, he had played for teams in Fall River, MA and Hartford, CT, and in later years he would play minor league ball for the Portland Phenoms in 1899, Norfolk, VA in 1900 and 1901, and the New Orleans Pelicans and Shreveport Pirates of the Southern Association from 1902 to 1904. That, and an erroneous birth date, was all that was known about Stub Smith for the next century.

He was tracked down thanks to efforts from SABR's Biographical Research Committee in 2006. Through his wife's name, Helen, he was found in Pennsylvania in the 1910 and 1920 Census, working as a coal miner in West Deer Township, PA. He was also listed as having three children. His World War I draft registration card yielded his full name and birth date. His family was then traced back to Fall River, MA (his wife's hometown) in the 1930 Census, and this eventually led to uncovering his death record. His obituary confirms that he had been a ballplayer for the Boston Braves. He is buried in Fall River's Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Beaneaters team he played on won 102 games, dominating the National League. Smith played shortstop, a position which at the time on the Beaneaters was owned by Herman Long, one of the big stars of the 19th Century.

Further Reading

• "Stub Smith Found",in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, Society for American Baseball Research, September/October 2006, p. 1.