A native of Missouri, Eli Smith moved to Texas in 1859 with his parents, who settled in this part of Tarrant County, and in 1868 he married Sarah J. Hightower. About 1876 he donated part of his farmland to the community, then known as Zion, for a Methodist church and cemetery. Residents honored him for his generosity and community service by renaming the settlement Smithfield. He remained an active Mason and a successful farmer until his sudden death shortly before his thirty-first birthday, and he is buried at this site.