The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-30
SMITH FAMILY IN
OTHER COUNTRIES
Variations Of lis h0nored and Well. Dis.
tributed CoInoneu.
THEY ARE MANY AND INTERESTING
Some Ofthe Three Variations Would
Hardly BE Recognized by English
and Yankee COusins..The Con.
siderably Numerous subdivisions Of
John Smith.

| all large cities in America and in Eu-
rope tells US that the Smiths are
numerous. We find this family, which
Is or a steady march of increase, oc-
| cupying more space in the city d,rec-
tories than any other family. In the
New York city directory there are fifty
| three columns devoted to this family
Added to this number are thirty col
umns of Smiths in Brooklyn. with
| thirty-tive columns of Smiths in Balti-
more and as many more In Washinar
ton, and in all other large American
cities the Smiths lead in point Of nu-
nervousness. Hence the question
| whence came SMITH"
The commonaess of the name Smith
is accounted for by the fact that an
ciently the term "a Smith" was not
confined to workers. but was APP
piled to any person engaged in smith
ing. In entering en- the subject of this
! patronymic, any writer must feel over
powered by the magnitude of it, as II Is
closely connected with the personal
identity of many thousands, enjoying
as 1t does the eminence of being the
commonest of all English, French, and
German surnames, and associated as II
has been with anecdotes, statistics, and
archaeology. The Smith family sup
plies a subject which requires no COM
mon handling. a new ology, named
smithology, will undoubtedly prove as
instructive and interesting as many
existing ologies.
| IN OTHER LANDS.
In France Mi. Smith figures as lie
| Feyre; in Germany, Schmidt or
Schmitt; in Holland, as Smit; in Italy,
| Fabbroni and Fabromess; in Scotland,
| the Gowans: in Wales. Goff and Cowan.
| In Cornwall Smith pecam- Angowe.
The Celts, whether Highland or Hiber-
mans, took Ill to trade names. prefer
ring personal, local. or patronymical
designations. Still we have Mcintyre.
son of Smith; in Wallaehia. ovacs Is
Smith. Add to the above Ferrari, Fer
racino, Ferrars, Ferretli, Ferrum, Fari,
all ironworkers. A family bearing the
name Fairie has been located in Ruth
erglen. near Glasgow, Scotland, for
over 600 years, as limited in this rhyme:
| Nae man can tell, nae man has seen,
When the Fairies haena in Ruglen been.
All are members of the mighty race
of Smiths and have dealt largely in
iron and smith work In general. The
word smith is from the Anglo Saxon
| "smitan, to smite." hence the motto
of u noble Smith family in England is
"Smte on, quoth smith," that is, for
any one who strikes as with a ham,
mer or blacksmith. Thus the poet
becomes versesmith. though he had
only to cudgel his brains. Besides
Smith, pure and simple, there are
Smithsons, TO which the Gaelic Mac
Gowan (son of SMITH corresponds, as
well as Smithman, which in French Is
Lefevrehomme, and GrOssmith, who, II
they have not corrupted their spelling.
are good set-off against the Fabrucci,
or little Smiths. of Italian celebrity.
The first Smith landed in America in
1851. and that they have become num-
erous in this country and in England
will he seen in the register general of
England, when, from 1898 to 1854, 1885,
O37 We're recorded as having been born,
or having died.
The Joneses, who have been fast
treading on Mr.. Smiths heels, number
in like circumstances 2S2,9O0 This will
show that the alarmist has good reas-
ons to raise the cry of Smiths in
danger" In addition to Smith proper
there are many families passing under
other surnameS who are members of
this mighty army.
Smithlett is neat diminutive while
Smythy and Smythiners have decidedly
the smell of blacksmith shop about
them. In their desire to get away from
the common plebeian and now descrip
tive Smith many families have Smyth-
still further and changes Its name into
Smith. 1t is difficult to understand
how III came to supplant the "" 1t
1t Is said that an English Baronet
Smith in the transition period. having
substituted ~ for "i," was so delight
ed with his escape from Smithdom
that he added a title to each stroke
of the ~ and thus produced the "ij'
of existing Smith.
Anpthar found rananf1y
in New York state. The head of a
house, one Farmer Smith, being a stout
and portly man, obtained the name Of
John Jolly among his neighbors; his
sons have since assumed this sobriquet
as a surname. and by this name alone
is the family recognized, they are
Smiths no longer. The common of the
descriptive Smiths in America are the
Schmidtschmidts. Goldsmith, Gold
schmidt Cor Orfevre. in French), Sill
versmith. Coppersmith, Locksmith,
Whitesmith, Blacksmith. Arrowsmith,
Speersmith, knyfesmith. Nasmyth or
(Nailsmith), Hydlesmith (or Soldier
smith,, Messerschmidt German for
Knlfesmith); Brownsmith Is a brown
bill maker. corresponding to the family
name of 'Brownbill," which is a Saxon
foot soldier, meaning Brisbane.
From Smith, pure and simple, come
these names: Smyth. Smythe, Smeyth,
Smeith. Smit, Smite. Smyte. and Smids.
There are thirty towns in these United
States named for Smith, while in the
city directories Smith with every
Christian name under the sun exists.
We all know Smith. and have a great
regard for him; an excellent fellow Is
Smith. but in speaking of this cosmo-
politan citizen we cannot tell which
Smith is wanted.
URBAN SMITHS.
There are forty columns of Smiths in
the Chicago city directory. OF TINS
vast army Chicago leads, with 377 John
Smiths: Philadelphia follows with 3l5;
New York city has 80; Baltimore. 265;
Brooklyn, 229; Detroit. SO; Denver, 50;
Pittsburg. 90; San Francisco. SO; New
orleans, 81; Milwaukee, 46: Boston, 127;
Minneapolis, 55: st. Paul. 46; ST. Louis,
1876; Kansas City. Mo-. SO; Buffalo. SO;
Cleveland, SO; Washington, 20. All
told, these number 2.497 plain. common.
every day John Smiths, who, with their
families, would populate good-sized
town.
1t is impossible to identify the man
wanted by aid Of the city directories,
as we find them by the hundreds each
with the same Christian name, and pur-
suing the same avocation.
1 am acquainted with O family Of
John Smiths living In a Chicago fiat
with a John Smiths over and a John
Smith directly below. The first floor
Smiths were so tormented with mes
sages, parcels. and letters. that they
fled. aye, fitted in self-defence. The
baptismal name Of John is Of Norman
importation, but has rarely passed in
to a surname, and is the most popular
Christian name with the family of
Smith John has been the source of
various modified forms of a consider
able number Of names, some OF which
are the most common In the whole
circle OF nomenclature. Its Welsh
genitive form. Jones. substantiates this
assertion as being the second most
I, ;.l~ l..