Dave,

I couldn't find much. I didn't find the Smarr family in the 1860 census, but I did find them in the 1870 census (see paragraph below for details).

I didn't find William Tarlton Taylor Smarr mentioned in the resource Wilson, Wilson, and Stanley's "Death Records from Missouri Newspapers, January 1861-December 1865," so perhaps that means that Mr. Smarr's 1864 death failed to attract attention in either the Lexington or the Warrensburg weekly newspapers. It could be that there were a lot of other activities going on when he was killed, or that word of it failed to get back to those two towns. Both theories could be true in his case.

I looked for Mr. Smarr's name in some of the mandatory militia unit enrollments starting in summer 1862 at either Lexington (71st EMM) or Warrensburg (40th EMM), but nothing. I see that his widow in 1870 was age 62, making Mr. Smarr probably in his 50's during those mandatory enrollments. That may have made him too old for the required enrollment, but I am not sure.

Here is the 1870 census of the Smarr family in Washington Township, series M593, roll 786, page 412 building and household 401/340, post office: Concordia, Edward Smarr, farmer, age 30, $4900 real property, $1000 personal property, born Missouri; Sarah Smarr, keeping house, age 28, born MO; Curtis, Samuel, age 16, farm laborer, born MO; Smarr, Elizabeth, age 62, born Kentucky; Smarr, Sarah E., age 33, born Kentucky; Smarr, Mary F. age 20, born MO.

Your excerpts from the Young's 1910 Lafayette County history, and the 1893 Lafayette County portrait and biographical record on page 339 are golden, and gave surprisingly detailed information, as you indicated. You may want to look into the two Lafayette County 1881 histories I mentioned, and they may be accessible online through either "The Missouri Secretary of State's Website" or the "State Historical Society of Missouri" website that has a list of old reference books you may examine online page by page. I only have a photocopy of the Civil War chapters or portions of the 1910 and 1881 Lafayette County histories, but if those book are indexed, you could search for Mr. Smarr or look for something about him in the Washington Township part of the county histories.

Sorry I couldn't do more on Mr. Smarr. I wish you good hunting.
Bruce Nichols