[1] According to the LA Review of Books, "Richard grew up 'obsessed' with 19th-century American history, and his supportive parents took him to battlefields and historic houses on family vacations.

[5][6] Smith began his career as a public historian while working "as" an Ohio schoolmaster of 1848 for an Akron living history museum.

[2] After reading about the life and works of Henry David Thoreau, Smith decided to visit Concord, Massachusetts,[4] where he then moved a year later, in 1999.

[2][9] His talks and readings, either in costume as Thoreau or as himself, have taken place around New England and beyond,[10][11] including work for CSPAN and Public Radio's Living on Earth.

[7][12][13][14] He also expanded and presented his research on Native American history while he was scholar in residence at the Longfellow's Wayside Inn Museum.