Daniel was an enslaved worker who lived and worked at Tuckahoe during the Wight and Allen period. He is thought to have been born sometime between 1839-1843 and was one of the children of Ellen Anderson Smith (his father is unclear). By 1858, his mother had started a family with Ed Smith. His mother was the cook at Tuckahoe while he and the rest of the family worked in the fields. His siblings were Jane, Dilsey, Jordan, Nancy, Harriet, Wallace, and Andrew.
Daniel and his family lived in the North Cabin which still stands along Plantation Street. In 1858 their family of 9 was recorded as having 5 blankets among them.
After the Civil War, it seems that some of the Smith family stayed in the area. The 1870 census lists Ellen and Ed in Goochland County but Daniel was not living with them at the time. It is unknown if he lived nearby as well or if he left the area entirely.