The sun., 1898-11-22
INTERESTING PAPER READ
Life Of Hon. N. B. SmitherS Pre-
sented at tie Historical So
ciety Meeting.
A SCHOLAR AND STATESMAN
the Study of Latin at the
Age of Five Years--Declined
Whig Nominati ion for Con-
eress i'm 1S84---Was Sec
rotary OF State.

rotary OF State.
An extremely interesting meeting OF
the Historical Soci,ty Of Delaw are was
held last evening at the society's house,
Market street below Tenth. Chief jus
tice Charles b. Lore presided.
The members in attendance were Chief
Justice Lore, DR.. Ii. Burr, Z. 7. Candy,
W. A. Lamotte, DR., j. P. Wales, Or. IL.
r. Bringhurst, J. M. Mather, District
Attorney L. G. Vandegrift, Deputy At
torney General P. L. Cooper, Jr., Robert
Pennington, E. P. Scoub, Rev. G. E.
Murray, Pernock Pusey, G. P. johnson,
T. Allen Hilles, E. q. Wells, John 5
Rossell, G. W. Bush, s. c. Long, Judge
Grubb, W. M. C!eaver, j. L. Carpenter,
Jr, VIM. A. Pratt, Edward Belts; assoc
ciate members, Mrs. S. q. Long and DR..
Pyle.
DR.. J. P. Wales, W. M. Cleaver and
G. B. johnson were appointed com.
mittae to nominate officers. The annual
meeting will be held on Friday week.
Manlove Hayes, of Dover, will read a
paper On William Penn at the next meet
ing.
A special feature, which held the at
tention of the members and visitors, was
the reading Of most able and scholarly
paper on the late Hon. Nathaniel Barratt
Smithers, of Dover.
1t had been prepared by the nephew
and STEP son of William T. Smithers, Of
Dover, who also read the paper, and, at
the request of the society, presented it to
them.
"The Hon. Nathaniel B. Smithers was
renowned as a scholar, statesman and
patriot. He was born in Dover, October
5, 1918. His father was Nathaniel
Snithtrs, and his mothers maiden name
was Susan Fisher Barratt. There were
eight children and all died in infancy
but Nathaniel B. Smithers and Edward
F. Smithers who became prominent as a
physician, and died in 1862 in Vienna,
Dorchester county, Md.
ellis father held the Offices of pro-
thonotary and clerk OF the peace of Kent
county, and his grandfather had been
register OF wills in The same county, and
was one of the early Methdists.
"His paternal grandmother was Esther
Beauchamp and her brother William,
vas distinguished in the ANIMALS of
Western Methodism.
ellis ancestors Oh his fathers side be-
fore the Revolution, came into the lower
counties of Delaware from Kent county,
Md, into which county they had emf
grated from England. His mother was
the daughter of DR.. Elijah Barratt OF
Camden, Del, who was the son of
Philip Barratt, who resided near Fred
erica and owned the tract of land on
which Barratt's chapel was built in
which occurred the first meeting of Coke
and Asbury from which impetus was
given to the advancement of MethOdism.
''AnotlIer son Of Philip Barratt was
one of the Judges of The State and a
member of convention which ordained
the convention OF 1852. His maternal
grandmother was Margaret, daughter Of
Edward Fisher and through him lin, ally
descended from John Fisher who came
from England with William Penn in
1852 and settled at Lewes.
"Mr. Slnthers was quick to learn and
was instructed in latin when but five
years of age. His mother died about
this time. His father remarked, his
second wife being Rachael E, Clayton.
Mr.. Smilher's first teacher was Ezra
Scovel, When he was II Years of aye
the fanii y removed to Bohemia Manor
IN Cecil county, Md. He studied in
West Nottingham Academy, and when
5 years Of age entered Lafayette, gradu
atng at II years OF age. lie later entered
the law school Of Judge Reed at Car Isle,
Pa, and sp ut one yea' at teaching a
classical school at Snow Hill, Md He
was admitted to the bar of Cumbera, d
county, Pa, in lS40 and to the bar of
Kent county in 1871,
"At that time those legal giants,
Bayard, Bates, Hall and Glpin, we're
members of the bar He became attached
to his pretty, vivacious cousin, Mary
Lizzie SmitherS, and married her in
,M..nC!, 1873. Il h":,t e., l.,-,,. man
sion at Dover now owned by George V.
Massey, Esq, but his wife becoming i'll,
and being unable 10 tend to such a 'arge
! house, hp removed to the house on state
street. His wife died February 81, 1867.
"ln 1879 he published lis first volume
of translati"ns of Latin hymns. lie was
fine Latin sch liar, and when ''The
Heather Chinee" was published by
Bret Harte, lie translated it into Latin,
and member of the bar of Kent county
wrote to the New York Herald charging
Harle with having plaguarized the poem
f!om an old Latin poem. This story
was believed by many people until Mr..
Smithers acknowledged having written
the translation from Harte's poem.
He declined the Wing nomination
for Congress in 1874 Al d was elected
clerk If the House Of Representatives Of
the State in 1915 In 1913 he was dele.
gate to the National Wing Convention.
He left the Wing party and Joined Il
third party, which carried the State in
1854, lie was chairman of the National
Republic delegation at Chicago in 1866
and was placed on the National Commit
tee In 1862 he was made secretary OF
State of Delaware and in 1863 elected tc
fill the unexpired term in Congress o
William Temple, who died. He assisted
in drawing up a bill which facilitated
the making Of the draft for recruits and
was thanked by Secretary of War Stan
ton. lie was defeated for reelection but
did not Law down his Congressiona
duties with regret as there were othe,
matters demanding his attention.
"He was a delegate tv the National
Conventions that nominated Grant and