USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Peterborough > History of the town of Peterborough, Hillsborough county, New Hampshire > Part 53
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Charles, b. Jan. 26, 1808; d. Oct. 2, 1826, æ. 18 yrs.
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ISAIAH TAYLOR SCOTT. He was a shoemaker. He m. Hannah Stickney, May 20, 1828. He d. May 5, 1858, æ. 63 yrs. She d. - , 1875, æ. 72 yrs.
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Mary Ann, b. June 18, 1829 ; m. Alonzo Bowers, April 12, 1853 ; c .; r. Waltham, Mass. Alfred, b. April 2, 1832 ; d. Jan. 17, 1851, æ. 18 yrs., 9 mos.
George, b. July 18, 1833 ; d. June 8, 1856, æ. 22 yrs., 10 mos.
Edson, b. Sept. 28, 1837 ; d. May 8, 1838, æ. 7 mos. Wallace, b. Oct. 20, 1746 ; m., Dec. 13, 1865, Abbie Miller, dau. S. R. Miller ; divorced in May, 1872 ; r. Haverhill, Mass.
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WILLIAM SCOTT. He succeeded his father on the homestead. He was a worthy and useful man. Any enterprise for the good of society always had his hearty cooperation and support. He was kind-hearted, well- informed, and a live man, and his loss was sincerely and deeply felt. He was universally respected, and the memory of his useful, and unselfish, and disinterested life still freshly survives him. He was cut off in the full maturity of his powers, by a typhoid fever that pre-
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Albert . Scott
ALBERT SMITH SCOTT.
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vailed extensively during that season. He d. Sept. 24, 1846, æ. 45 yrs. ; he m., Jan. 19, 1823, Phylinda Cross- field, of Keene, b. April 9, 1798 ; she d. May 23, 1839, æ. 41 yrs. ; m., 2d w., Malinda Ward, b. Jan. 18, 1807 ; she d. Sept. 13, 1862, æ. 55 yrs. He was selectman for five years, 1836, '37, '38, '42, '45.
John, b. June 2, 1823 ; d. Jan. 19, 1827, æ. 3 yrs., 7 mos. t Albert S., b. May 8, 1824 ; m. Anna Sawyer, Nov. 25, 1851.
Susan A., b. July 4, 1825 ; m. Robert Orr, Oct. 16, 1851 ; ch., (1) William S., b. Sept. 14, 1853 ; d. April 23, 1854, æ. 7 mos. ; (2) Addie P. S., b. March 19, 1856 ; d. Oct. 5, 1863, æ. 7 yrs., 6 mos .; (3) C. W. Wallace, b. Jan. 29, 1858 ; r. in Corinth, Vt.
William H., b. July 30, 1826 ; m., June 1, 1856, Maria D. Farnum, b. June 10, 1825.
Sophronia D., b. June 25, 1827 ; m. John Allyn, June 2, 1861 ; r. Washington Territory.
¡ Charles, b. April 14, 1829 ; m., Ist w., Mary S. Fuller ; 2d w., Charlotte M. Wilkins.
Kendall C., b. April 26, 1830 ; m., Oct. 9, 1851, Lucy A. Clark, b. May 6, 1830. Editor for many years of the Peterborough Transcript, and owner of the book-store and news-depot in town. He sold out and re. to Keene to engage in the sash and blind business ; on account of his health he was obliged to retire, and finally, after a long-continued consumption, he d. at Keene, Jan. 3, 1875, æ. 44 yrs., 8 mos. He was town clerk of Peterborough, 1867. He also repre- sented the town of Keene in the Legislature.
Phylinda, b. Oct. 29, 1832 ; m. S. G. Blanchard ; r. Spring Vale, Iowa.
t Walter, b. Sept. 23, 1835 ; m. Laura M. Day, Oct. 13, 1859.
Mary, b. Nov. 11, 1841 ; m. George H. Clark, b. Oct. 15, 1836 ; ch., (1) George H., b. Nov. 5, 1862 ; (2) Lucinda S., b. Feb. 22, 1865 ; (3) Willie E., b. Dec. 4, 1867 ; (4) John B., b. March 21, 1869 ; (5) Lottie A., b. Jan. 31, 1870.
t John, b. Sept. 9, 1844; m. Lucinda C. Forbush.
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· ALBERT SMITH SCOTT was b. on the Senter place, so called, where Mrs. Wilcox now lives. When he was four years of age, his father removed to the old homestead, the farm of his father, the late Hon. John Scott, where he spent the remainder of his life. This farm was sub- dued by Hon. John Scott from its primitive state, who
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ALBERT SMITH SCOTT.
cut down the timber, rolled away the logs, and built the house now standing on the same.
Mr. Scott's earliest attendance at school was in Dis- trict No. 9, and subsequently at the Peterborough Acad- emy for several terms. He was fitted for college at the "Hancock Literary and Scientific Institute," and the Phillips (Exeter) Academy, and entered the class of 1848 in Dartmouth College, in the spring of 1845. In conse- quence of his limited means, and the death of his father, which occurred about this time, he was obliged to leave college at the close of his Sophomore year, and was employed for a time as assistant-teacher under Horace Morison, in Baltimore College, Md. On his return to Peterborough he commenced the study of medicine with Prof. Albert Smith, and after attending one course of Medical Lectures at the "New Hampshire Medical Institution," Dartmouth College, he abandoned the pro fession as not congenial to his tastes, and commenced the study of law in the office. of Dearborn & Cheney, then practising attorneys in Peterborough. He was admitted to the Hillsborough County bar, N. H., in 1859. During all this period of his preparation for a . profession, he supported himself by teaching, and while thus engaged he was principal in the Peterborough Academy for several years.
He was an excellent teacher, and aided many individ- uals, through his thorough and systematic instruction, to become useful and successful teachers. He taught his first school in Wilton, before he was fifteen years of age, at $ 12 per month, and "boarded round."
It must not be omitted to mention that at this period of his life, he had an attack of hæmoptysis, from which, by a judicious use of cod-liver oil, proper exercise and regimen, he recovered ; but never to a state that gave him sure and perfect health. He has always to be care- ful, both as to body and mind. He entered upon the practice of his profession in Peterborough, soon after being admitted to the bar, and has continued in the pro- fession since, with the exception of three years, when he became cashier of the First National Bank, in Peter- borough.
He served for many years, with great efficiency and acceptance, on the superintending school committee, and rendered great service to the educational interests of the town ; he also did efficient work in the organiza- tion of the high school, and as chairman of the high school committee, during the first two years succeeding its organization.
He now stands at the very head of his profession,
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MABEL M. SCOTT.
and has a brilliant future of success, if his health will permit.
He represented the town in the years 1855, '57, and 1866, '67, and was elected Councillor for his district in 1875, '76. The degree of A.M. was conferred on him by Dartmouth College, 1868.
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Charles A., b. June 9, 1855 ; d. Sept. 9, 1855, æ. 3 mos. William A., b. Dec. 8, 1856.
Edward W., b. July 22, 1861.
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CHARLES SCOTT (Col.). He has always resided in town. He was Lieut .- Colonel in the Sixth Reg., N. H. Vols., and did some service early in the war, but in con- sequence of the failure of his health he was obliged to resign. He was appointed high-sheriff for the County of Hillsborough, July, 1865, and held the office till 1874, when the Democrats attained the accession of power in the State. He was reappointed to same office again in June, 1876, which he now holds. He has been many years moderator in town, for 1860, '66, '67, '68, '69, '70, 71, '72, '73, '74, '75, '76. He m., Ist w., July 25, 1848, Mary S. Fuller, dau. Charles and Mary Scott Fuller. She was drowned on board "West Point" steamer, on River Potomac, Aug. 13, 1862 ; m., 2d w., Charlotte M. Wilkins, Sept. 7, 1863 ; Ist w., two ch .; 2d w., two ch.
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Charles Albert, b. Jan. 17, 1854 ; d. Aug. 17, 1854, æ. 7 mos. Ella Sophia, b. July 19, 1857 ; d. Oct. 19, 1857, æ. 3 mos. Mary Luena, b. May 13, 1865. Katie Sophia, b. July 2, 1870.
WALTER SCOTT m., Oct. 1, 1859, Laura M. Day, b. March 17, 1841.
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Laura E., b. July 7, 1861 ; d. Oct. 5, 1861, æ. 3 mos. Freddie, b. Aug. 21, 1862. (50) Charles, b. July 1, 1864.
JOHN SCOTT is a printer by trade ; a member of the firm of Farnum & Scott, in job printing, &c., in town ; also one of the editors of the Peterborough Transcript ; m., May 1, 1866, Lucinda A. Forbush, b. June 26, 1846.
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Harry F., b. Nov. 2, 1869 ; d. Jan. I, 1870, æ. 2 mos. Mabel M., -b. Aug. 1, 1872.
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GEORGE W. SENTER.
THE SENTER FAMILY.
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GEORGE W. SENTER came to Peterborough in 1817. When he first came to town he was engaged in trade at the South Factory Village, but subsequently in manu- facturing at the North Cotton Factory, and still later he became a mail-contractor, and was extensively engaged in staging. He obtained the mail-contract that for the first time secured to the town a regular and permanent stage-route to Keene, and a frequent mail. He was selectman for 1832, '33. He m. Mary Steele, dau. of Gen. John Steele, Aug. 23, 1821. He was b. May 20, 1790, and d. Sept. 6, 1850, æ. 60 yrs.
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George, b. Nov. 3, 1822 ; r. California. John, b. Dec. 15, 1823 ; r. Eagle River, Lake Superior. Henry, b. Jan. 25, 1825 ; r. St. Louis, Mo. Mary Antoinette, b. Sept. 7, 1829 ; m. Samuel Mandle- baum ; one ch., Mary ; r. Detroit, Mich.
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Albert W., b. April 8, 1832 ; d. Dec. 13, 1865, æ. 33 yrs.
THE SHEDD FAMILY.
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GEORGE SHEDD was b. in Billerica, Mass., Feb. 2, 1777, and d. in Peterborough, Oct. 30, 1855, æ. 78 yrs. He m. Alice Sawyer, dau. Josiah Sawyer, of Sharon, Nov. 26, 1801 ; she d. Sept. 4, 1849, æ. 68 yrs. He came to town in 1806, or '7. His parents re. from Bil- lerica to Sharon not far from 1790. After his marriage he moved to Stockbridge, Vt., and from thence to Peter- borough, in 1807 or '8, and bought the farm which George Shedd, Jr., now occupies, and remained till a few years before the close of his life, when he sold the farm, and lived with his children.
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Sullivan, b. Aug. 18, 1803 ; m., Dec. 10, 1833, Phebe S. Dodge, of Stoddard.
Alice, b. June 3, 1805 ; d. Oct. 17, 1806, æ. 1 yr., 4 mos. John D., b. July 20, 1807 ; d. October, 1871, æ. 64 yrs. ; r. Jamestown, N. Y.
Alice, b. March 27, 1810 ; m., March 1, 1832, Joseph McCoy ; d. Aug. 9, 1849, æ. 39 yrs.
3 4 5 6 Hannah, b. July 14, 1811; m. Samuel Ryan; r. East Jaffrey.
t George, Fr., b. Nov. 4, 1812; m. Mary Dodge, of Stoddard.
7 8 Mary, b. April 3, 1814 ; d. April 14, 1817, æ. 3 yrs.
9 Phylinda F., b. May 23, 1817 ; m. James Taggart ; r. Winchendon, Mass.
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DAVID SMILEY.
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+ Daniel, b. April 25, 1826 ; m. Jane M. Nelson, Sept. 20, 1848.
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GEORGE SHEDD, Jr. He lives on the homestead ; is a farmer ; m. Mary Dodge, of Stoddard, March 28, 1837, b. Nov. 24, 1812. She d. Sept. 26, 1875, æ. 62 yrs., 10 mos.
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Mary Jane, b. March 14, 1838 ; m. Henry Nay, Feb. 26, 1857. She d. March 6, 1867, æ. 28 yrs., II mos. He d. Aug. 27, 1858, æ. 26 yrs.
Ellen, b. Aug. 23, 1840 ; d. Aug. 27, 1842, æ. 2 yrs. Jerome B., b. Nov. 17, 1844 ; d. July 16, 1845, æ. 8 mos. Francis f., b. Jan. 30, 1847 ; m., Oct. 9, 1870, Sarah J. Preston, b. April 14, 1844 ; two ch.
Albert G .; b. July 29, 1852 ; m. - Gould. Jerome B., b. Oct. 27, 1854.
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DANIEL SHEDD m. Jane M. Nelson, dau. Paul Nelson, Sept. 20, 1848, b. May 28, 1829. He lives in the village, and has been much engaged in the beef business.
Clara A., b. Aug. 1, 1851 ; m. William Dane, Nov. 28, 1872.
Alice M., b. Sept. 8, 1854 ; m. John A. Peasley, Septem- ber, 1872 ; r. Fitchburg, Mass.
Hannah Y., b. Feb. 14, 1856 ; d. Jan. 18, 1874, æ. 17 yrs., II mos.
Helen S., b. May 12, 1858 ; m., 1876, Frederick G. Robbe. Lena M., b. Dec. 10, 1869.
THE SMILEY FAMILY.
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DAVID SMILEY (DR.). The following extract is from the history of Haverhill, Mass. : -
"Dr. David Smiley was born in Haverhill, Mass., April 10, 1760 ; at an early age, he was bound an ap- prentice to a Mr. Hale in this town, a shoemaker. He continued to work with his master till his seventeenth year, when he enlisted in the American army. He was stationed at Winter Hill for three months, the period of his enlistment, when he returned home. He afterward enlisted again, and was at Stillwater, West Point, and in New Jersey. He was finally placed in command of a small guard on Fishkill Mountains, where he remained until his term of service expired. He re- turned to Haverhill, and walked, in company with five others, sixty miles in one day, and spent the greater part of his wages, in the depreciated currency of the
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country, for his day's food. In 1782, he married Rachel Johnson, of the East Parish of this town, and in the same year removed to Peterborough, N. H., where he worked at his trade for about two years. In 1784, he removed to Alstead, N. H. Two years later, he pur- chased a small farm in the north-east part of Peter- borough, where he immediately moved. In 1793, he began the study of medicine with Dr. Stephen Jewett, of Rindge, N. H. His practice commenced almost simultaneously with his studies, and for many years he had a large practice. His ride extended into all the neighboring towns, and not unfrequently into more distant towns in other counties. Though not a regularly educated physician, he enjoyed the confidence of many of the most intelligent families, and commanded the re- spect of all who knew him. He resided on his own farm until the death of his wife in 1842, when he went to live with his son in the village of the same town. He gave up the laborious duties of his profession only when compelled to do so by the infirmities of age. He d. at the same place, Oct. 3, 1855, æ. 95 yrs., and nearly 6 mos."
Dr. Smiley was a Baptist, and a licensed preacher of that denomination, and an earnest and devoted Chris- tian. He preached in Bennington a number of years, and also, at different times, in Hillsboro and in this town. He was a conscientious, worthy, and useful man. From his imperfect education and the difficulties of ac- quiring medical knowledge in those times, he was never able to take such a standing in the profession as his talents would seem to have warranted; or it may be that his attempt to sustain two professions at once ren- dered success in either of them an impossibility. He was always highly respected in town. He was present at the centennial celebration of the town in 1839, and was one of the vice-presidents on that occasion.
Dr. Smiley was the son of John Smiley, who emi- grated from the north of Ireland and settled in Haver- hill, Mass., and d. there, Nov. 12, 1774, æ. 54 yrs., 3 mos. He had nine children, of whom David was the eighth.
Rachel Johnson, the wife of Dr. Smiley, was the dau. of Elias Johnson, of English descent, who was b. in 1734. Her mother, Elizabeth Bixby, was b. April 17, I738. Rachel was the oldest of six children. Olive Johnson, her sister, unm., b. Sept. 29, 1767, lived in Peter- borough, and d. here, Jan. 5, 1845, æ. 77 yrs., 3 mos. Dr. Smiley was b. in Haverhill, April 10, 1760, and d. in Peterborough, Oct. 3, 1855, æ. 95 yrs., 5 mos. He m. Rachel Johnson, Aug. 22, 1782, b. May 22, 1761 ; d.
DAVID SMILEY.
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Sept. 24, 1842, æ. 81 yrs., 4 mos. He received the pen- sion awarded to the Revolutionary soldiers by the gov- ernment.
Elias, b. July 10, 1783 ; m. Betsey Bowers, of Rindge ; r. Jaffrey ; d. November, 1866, æ. 83 yrs.
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Elizabeth, b. Aug. 7, 1785 ; m. Benjamin Skinner ; r. Wakefield ; d. Feb. 1, 1826, æ. 41 yrs.
+ Francis, b. Sept. 9, 1787 ; m., March 4, 1810, Sally Ames, Andover, Mass.
John, b. Dec. 14, 1789 ; m. Priscilla Chase ; r. Wake- field ; d. June 4, 1853, æ. 63 yrs.
William, b. June 6, 1792 ; d. July 4, 1792, æ. I mo.
Mary, b. Sept. 21, 1793 ; m. Benjamin V. Miller ; r. Nashua.
Ruth, b. Oct. 12, 1798 ; d. Sept. 6, 1800, æ. I yr., II mos.
i David, fr., b. Dec. 28, 1800 ; m., Ist w., Harriet C. Farnum ; 2d w., Harriet Page, of Manchester, July 14, 1867.
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James, b. Dec. 13, 1802 ; d. Dec. 31, 1802, æ. 18 dys.
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FRANCIS SMILEY. He was a carpenter by trade. He lived in the north-east part of the town, east of the An- drew Miller place, and near his father's residence, the same farm now occupied by his son James. He m., March 4, 1810, Sally Ames, of Andover, Mass., b. Aug. 14, 1790. He d. Feb. 19, 1867, æ. 79 yrs., 5 mos.
Fohn, b. May 14, 1811 ; m. Lydia Ham, of Great Falls ; r. Lowell.
Elizabeth, b. May 22, 1813 ; m. Robert Hovey ; r. Swan- zey ; ch. living, I. Ida J., Ruth C., and Emma J.
Sally, b. April 2, 1815 ; m. William Parker, Jr. ; r. New Boston ; ch. living, (1) Sarah M .; (2) Ellen M .; (3) Laura R. ; (4) Hermon H.
+ Benjamin F., b. April 21, 1819 ; m., Ist w., Mary L. Howard ; 2d w., Martha Kidder.
Ruth, b. Dec. 4, 1823 ; m. Hiram McCoy. David, b. Sept. 9, 1827 ; d. Oct. 10, 1852, æ. 25 yrs. t James, b. Nov. 15, 1829 ; m. Abby Woodward, of Marlboro.
DAVID SMILEY. He is a watch-maker and jeweller, and has carried on this business over forty years in this village. His skill and great mechanical ingenuity have given him great success in his business. He m., Ist w., Harriet C. Farnum, Sept. 2, 1826 ; she d. May 1, 1864,
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DAVID SMILEY.
æ. 61 yrs. ; m., 2d w., July 14, 1867, Harriet Page, of Manchester ; she d. 1875.
Harriet Maria, b. April 7, 1830 ; m. George W. Wilson. Sarah Almira, b. March 2, 1840 ; m. John G. Leonard, Jr., of Boston ; r. Bangor, Me. ; ch., (1) Mary E .; (2) Hattie F.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SMILEY. He owns and occu- pies the old farm of Dr. Smiley. A farmer. M., Ist w., Mary L. Howard, of Jamaica, Vt .; d. Nov. 21, 1864, æ. 39 yrs. ; m., 2d w., Martha Kidder, of New Boston ; Ist w., two ch .; 2d w., one ch.
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Sarah A., b. Jan. 21, 1855. Melissa E., b. Dec. 22, 1859.
Johnnie F., b. Feb. 9, 1867.
JAMES SMILEY succeeded his father ; is a farmer ; m. Abby Woodward, of Marlboro.
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Emma N., b. Dec. 14, 1861.
Charlie W., b. June 4, 1868.
THE SMITH FAMILY.
MEMORIAL OF THE SMITH FAMILY, BY J. H. MORISON, D. D.
During the first and second generations after the set- tlement of the town, the leading families in Peterborough were the Davisons, the Robbes, the Moores, the Fer- gusons, the Cuninghams, the Steeles, the Wilsons, the Millers, the Scotts, the Smiths, and the Morisons. I can speak only of those whom I happen to know something about. The three most prominent families, in the second generation, were, undoubtedly, the Steeles, the Wilsons, and the Smiths. They were closely connected by mar- riage, but had their social rivalships, and often took differ- ent sides in the public questions of the day. There were strong men among them, and the debates, so vividly de- scribed by Gen. Wilson, in front of the old meeting- house and at the town meetings, furnished a useful stim- ulus and exercise for the youths who listened to them, and who learned from them valuable lessons of wisdom as well us the use of language.
The sons of William Smith were all men of uncom- mon mind and character. Robert, the first-born of many brethren, died before my remembrance. In the
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THE SMITH FAMILY.
family, he was thought to be the least gifted. His let- ters which I have read showed good sense and an earnest purpose. He was a very devout man, and at one time proposed to become a Presbyterian minister. Of his children, Jesse was a most able and accomplished physician, and his early death was regarded as a great public loss to the city of Cincinnati. His daughter Fanny was a woman of decided ability. She was a de- voted Calvinist, and in her theological encounters with the ablest of her uncles, they did not always come off triumphant. When I was a child of nine or ten, she used to walk from Rindge to Peterborough, on Saturdays, to take the entire charge of two Sunday-schools, one in the village at the centre of the town, and the other in an old, uninhabited house near my father's. I was one of her scholars, and recited to her from memory nearly the whole of the Gospel of Matthew. Her devotional ser- vices, when she kneeled down and prayed in the school, were very impressive. She did, in this way, a great deal of good. Wherever she was, she endeavored, and usually with success, to induce the people around her to study the Bible. Later in life, she became deeply inter- ested in the anti-slavery movement, and I cannot read without deep emotion the remarkable and prophetic in- scription which she prepared for her monument.
John Smith was regarded by his brother Jeremiah as the ablest of his father's children. He was a man of vast proportions, - great in body, in voice, in mind, and in heart. He was usually overflowing with wit and mirth. He could not bear with any unreasonable pretension or conceit, and was full of expedients to put it down. A young man at a public place was boasting of the speed of his colt. Squire Smith told him that he had a pair of steers 'that would outrun him. A race was agreed upon. The animals were got ready to start. As a signal for starting a dry cowhide was rattled near them, which so disconcerted the colt, and drove the steers away so rapidly, that the colt was entirely distanced, amid the shouts and laughter of the by-standers. Practical jokes of this sort not unfrequently contributed to the merri- ment of those days, when log-rolling bees, house-raisings, huskings, trainings, brought the young men of the town together, and gave them some little variety and relaxa- tion amid their hard and continuous labors. John Smith entered into these things with the hilarity of a strong and healthy child overflowing with animal spirits. He was a man of boundless wit and humor. A joke was not spoiled for relation's sake. He was an earnest Federal- ist. When Jefferson was President, at some large
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THE SMITH FAMILY.
gathering he met a family connection who was a Demo- crat, and who asked him if there was any news. "Yes," he said, "very important news. The President has established a new office here in Peterborough, and has decided to put you at the head of it. I understand that he is going to make you keeper of the geese in Cuning- ham's pond."
Much, however, as Squire John (that was the name he went by) loved a joke, it would be doing him great in- justice to speak of that as the leading quality of his mind. It was only the natural effervescence of a great, joyous, healthy nature. He was a man of generous im- pulses and a tender heart. His whole soul reached out towards a child, and folded itself round him like the at- mosphere of a pleasant summer's day. I shall never forget the kindliness of his greeting to me in my earliest years. If there was something terrible in his denuncia- tion of meanness or dishonesty, his severity was entirely disarmed by suffering or misfortune. For many years he held some of the most important offices in Peterborough, and, with or without office, he always exercised a great influence in the town. He had a commanding personal presence. He dressed in the plain, homespun garments common among our farmers. But no one could meet him, even for a few minutes, without feeling that he was a man of power. There probably never was a deeper sensation of grief among all the inhabitants of the town than was caused by his sudden and violent death, in the summer of 1821. His oldest son, John, who died while still young, was greatly beloved. He had a beautiful voice, and led the singing in the church. His countenance was as beautiful as his voice, and gave the impression of great sweetness and purity of heart. I never have been more moved by sacred music, or felt more strongly its power to awaken the best emotions of our nature, than during the time when he was the leader of the church choir. His brother Robert was a man of talent and of a large and liberal nature. He studied the law, I think, rather late in life, and served three or more terms in Congress, as a member of the House of Representatives from Illinois. His two remaining brothers, James and William, success- ful and beneficent merchants in St. Louis, are still living. Of the three sisters, Louisa only is now living. Harriet died very young. Jane, the wife of John Cavender, de- serves, with her husband, a longer and better notice than I can give. During the latter part of their lives their one ' object seemed to be to do good, and their days were probably shortened by the exertions which they made for
Bufford's Lith Boston.
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THE SMITH FAMILY.
the relief of the suffering in the dark days of our civil war.
James Smith, who spent most of his life in Cavendish, Vt., was also a man of mark, holding always a post of honor and influence in the community where he lived. He was a man of clear intellectual convictions, and of the most kindly affections. He was happy in his chil- dren. One of them, Sarah, wife of James Walker, filled an important place in the town of Peterborough, as a most unselfish woman, taking a leading part in every good word and work. In this respect she was said to be like her only surviving brother, William, of Cavendish.
Of Jeremiah Smith, lawyer, Governor, Judge of the U. S. District Court, and Chief-Justice of the Superior Court of N. H., I have written elsewhere, and therefore need say but little here. He would have been recognized as a leading man anywhere. As a wit or a scholar, as a statesman or a jurist, as an advocate at the bar or a judge on the bench, as a genial companion or a brilliant talker, he would have been received, indeed he was received, as their peer by the ablest and most accom- plished men in the land.
Jonathan Smith, the deacon, as he was called, was a modest, clear-headed, upright man, who read, and thought, and formed his opinions for himself, and lived and died true to his own convictions, finding his happi- ness in faithful and devout living. He was a leading man in the town, and in the discussions before the old meeting-house, but not to the same extent as his brothers, John and Samuel, were. His oldest son, Jonathan, was an eminent lawyer in the northern part of New Hampshire, and died while still a young man. His son William, a man of great intelligence and widely-extended informa- tion, lived for many years and died in the State of Illi- nois. His brother John still lives in Peterborough, holding in the church the office which his father held so modestly and blamelessly. Jeremiah lives in La Harpe, Ill. Of the three sisters, one, Charlotte, died in early youth ; Nancy m. Dr. John H. Foster, and lives in Chicago; and Caroline m. James Reynolds, and d. at La Harpe, Ill., July, 1875, æ. 63 yrs.
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