New Jersey. Dept. of State. Division of Archives and Records Management.

Hezekiah Bradley Smith (1816-1887) was born in Vermont and trained there as a cabinet maker. Around 1840 he moved to Lowell, Mass., where he manufactured woodworking machinery. Smith received more than forty patents for his inventions.

Smith relocated to Burlington County, N.J., in 1865, purchasing about 2,000 acres and a water power site at Shreveport. He built a modern factory and a new village that included recreational and cultural amenities. The settlement was renamed Smithville. Smith's inventiveness turned to new lines of work, and he built the first steam-powered road vehicle ever driven in New Jersey. In 1881, when bicycles became popular, he began to manufacture the "American Star," a model with a seat over a high rear wheel. Smith also built a monorail "bicycle railway" to provide low-cost transportation for workers between Smithville and the county seat at Mount Holly.

Smith was elected to Congress as a Democrat and Greenbacker and served from 1879 to 1881. He was a member of the New Jersey State Senate from 1883 to 1885. Smith died at Smithville on November 3, 1887. At the time, he was involved in a patent suit with George Washington Pressey over the design of the "Star" bicycle. Smith's heirs were also involved in drawn-out litigation with the family of Agnes Gilkerson, who had lived with Smith for many years.