The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-12-30
AN OLD FAMILY.


A Name which Has Survived Many
Changes, Troubles aaa Tsnptatlens.
The Smiths are numerous tribe.
Who hath not known . Smith, They
are an old family. History makes
no mention Of the time when there
were no Smiths. Thcy take their
name from the trade Of their founder.
as do most families in some way or an
other. The Fletchcrs were arrow
makers, ~ their name signifies. and
the Taylors, the SINNERS, the Butch
ers. the Brewers and other familiar ex-
amplcs. Probably the riyinal Smith.
old Smith. father of the first Smith"
boys" was Tubal Cain, who ran
large establishment where swords and
armor were fabricated in quantitie,
to suit. Tubal was II familiar figure to
school-bovs Of thirty years ago. and
they delighted to read sin concert"
that Is, in dissonancc. that by the fierce
red light of the furnace bright the
strokes Of his hammer rang. But we
digross, and have been led into tho di-
gression by reflections on tn, antiquity
OF tho Smith pedigree. That it is an
cient Is evident; that the family
is still numerous and flourish.
ing is made equally apparent by
the great gathering OF tho Clan
Smith at Peapack, N. j.. when three
thousand Smiths. descendants of Zach
ariah Smith. who settled there cen-
tury or more ago, reported for pleas
ure. One Is readily prepared to accept
the statement of the reporters. that
when the three thousand SIN this sat
down to dine together, three thousand
Smiths feeding AS one, the scene beg
CARED description. Among SO many
people there were OF course many types
of the genus Smith. There were Smiths
with raven tresses; Smiths with golden
locks-called rcd hair BY brunette
Smith girls-tall SIN this. short Smiths;
radicals who firmly believe all Smiths
are created free and equal; patrician
and exclusive Smiths, from Smithbor-
ough, who wish it distinctly UNDER
stood that they are the same in blood
with the Smiths Of Smithville, but in
worldly circumstances far different.
All these and many more were present.
Lizzie Smith-lives there a man with
acquaintance so circumscribed that he
has not known Lizzie SmithP--read a
poem written for tho OCCASION" In
this poem she remarked
The Smiths are hero with much to boast
" honorei names: y mighty host
OF poets. authors and divines:
Their words appear in golden lines.
-
The family tree 10 spreading still.
And smiths are crOwdinx vale and hill.
Three cheers for all good SIN this, we say,
And greet ng give them all to-day.
Really. we don't know why the Smiths
have not good reason to feel that he
poet was only stating the facts. For
the Smiths have g ven to the world
many men of tirst-ciass talent, il they
have not swayed empires or written
popular novels. America has special
reason to remember the Smiths. for tho
name IS intimately associated with h r
history from tn, tims of that never to
be forgotten club meeting ut which
Captain John Smith came so near be-
ing inundated by tho first families Of
Virginia. Probably the doubts which
are cast upon the authenticity of his
narrative are due to tho host lity of the
Browns or some other clans a little less
numerous than the Smiths. That
'Smiths are crowding vale and hill"
hardly needs demonstration, but il it
did, the circumstance remarked by ono
speaker at Peapack. that on the bor-
ders of Cayuga Lake dwell four hundred
Smiths, who hold reunions annually.
would be accepted as evidence. The
Smith. may fairly claim to be one OF
our Oldest fam lies. Boston Transcript.