Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-07-05
Obituary.

Lancaster, June %, 1873. being 81
years, / month and 8 days of age.
Left an orphan when years old, a
part of his boyhood was passed in
Hadley, Mass, with an uncle. AT
16 he was apprenticed to a Mr..
Williams of Haverhill, N. H., where
five years were spent in acquiring the
trade of harness making. 0pportuni-
ties for schooling were few, during
the five years of his apprenticeship he
received six weeks of schooling. How
ever a good home was his shelter and
good trade vas the reward for his
long service. During this time he
was brought IN contact with the Meth
odistswith whom he subsequently
found his church home for more than
fifty years. Under the preaching of
Rev. Bryan Morse, of precious men,
Dry, he was brought to feel himself a
sinner and found his way to the Savior
of men.
AT the close of his apprenticeship,
being twenty-one years, he enlisted
in the service of the nation, shared
the fortunes of the soldier-through
the war of 1912, spending five years
in the service. He received a great
reputation as a drummer and as long
as the annual trainings and musters
were continued his services as drum
Major were called for and greatly
enjoyed. He suffered from illness in
the army. Still he improved oppor-
tunities afforded him to improve his
education and made commendable
proficiency in the studies useful in a
business life. A diary kept by him
during this period was lost. After
his discharge from the service, one
year was spent in Lunenburg, Vt.
He removed to this place in 1918 and
commenced business as saddler and
harness maker at the upper end of
Main Street near the present residence
of X. B. Fletcher Esq. The village
then consisted of few dwellings at
that end of the street. After a while
he moved down as far as the "stone
house" now the residence of John
Hopkinson Esq, and thirty seven
years since came with the movement
of the place, to his late residence
His place of business being upon the
spot now occupied by the store OF
w. H. Clarke, his son-in-law. He
continued his business until six or
seven years since. In business life
he was fairly successful.
In 1921 he was married to Alkaline
Perkins, who survives him. They
were joined in wedlock by their class
leader, Judge Lovejoy. Ten children
blessed their horoe and hearts with
their smiles and voices, and one
grand-child also found a home and
parental kindness with them. To
his children good advantages Were
given and with this large family he
gained in worldly goods, as the years
went on, and had enough and to spare
in his advanced age. He was the
last of thirteen children, nearly all of
whom lived to four-score years. His
eyes, too, looked upon his grand chill.
dren as they multiplied around him
and three great grand children came
and received his blessing ere he de-
parted.
In 1920 he found a place in the
Masonic Fraternity and was at his
death the oldest member but one OIL
the North Star Lodge. At about the
same time he was received into full
membership in the Methodist Church
AS before stated he had previous to
his army life gwen his heart to the
savior and had united with the class
so that really his connection with the
Methodist Church dates back ovel
sixty years. His home became tn,
resting place for the itinerant preach
ers of Northern New Hampshire
and many weary man doubtless
called down the Masters blessing.
upon brother and sister Smith anC
their children. This work was a laboI
OF love, and in these last years of the
life of father Smith, as we loved t.
call him he reioiced, in the memories
Of those days. Sometimes friends re
minded him of his liberalit,
in church affairs and expressed fears
that he might injure himself and roll
his family, for not only the preachers
but all Methodist people then largel,
preferred the kitchen of some Metho
dist brother to Office or parlor of the
country tavern, and SO in their trave
ing they heard of brother Allen Smitl
and shared his generous Methods
hospitality and generally called thei
prayers, songs, and kind words equiv
alent for meals and lodging-perhap
not exactly the fair thing, yet the.
were just as ready for the same il
their turn. Under their circumstance
one neighbor remarked to fathe
Smith, "You will be poor man; yol
give away more meals than Mr. Viii
son the tavern keeper SELLS" How
ever Eljah's God remembered hir
and the "meal and the oil" failed moi
He filled the various offices of the
church with acceptance for man
years, gave literally of his substanc
to create and keep in repair the prop
erty of the same and to sustain all its
institutions and enterprise. In hi
later years Ills faithfulness as Chris
tian suffered no abatement, and 20 tn
last he was constant attendant upo
the sarvlca of the house of God