Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-11-07
Seba Smith and fills Wife.
ERRORS aseARDfNe THEM IN THE BIS
TORY OF BUCKFIRLD.

Allow me to point out two or three
errors In the sketches Of Seba Smith and
his wife, Elizabeth Cakes Smith, which
are given In the recently published His
tory of Buckfleld.
The sketch of Mr.. Smith says that In
1899 he "began the publication OF the
Portland Courier, the first daily news
paper In Maine. Into It's columns one BY
one, almost unnoticed at first, appeared
many little gems of poetry, and some OF
these were considered of sufficient liter.
airy merit to be reproduced In the school
readers of q later period. One was q
scene the poet witnessed whilea boy IN
his native town. The burying-ground
connected with 1t 10 situated on the Paris
Hill road In the westerly part OF the
town." Mr.. Smiths poem thus referred
to Ia, doubtless, the one entitled "The
Three Little Graves" That poem, how
ever, was not 6rst published In the Port
land Daily Courier, and the graveyard
which was the scene of the poem Ii not
in Buck6eld. The poem is on pages
1l3-118 of a volume, entitled "Dew-
Drops of the Nineteenth Century; Gath
cred and Preserved in Their Brightness
and Purity" which was edited by Mr..
Smith, and which was published in 1S46;
and as to the scene of the poem and as to
the time when it was written and first
published that volume gives the follow
ing explanation, which occurs in the
course of a few prelusive lines with
which the poem Ia there introduced
1.-THE following lines were written more
than twenty years ago, and were sug-
gested by real Incidents that occurred at
the time, and all substantially as related.
The Three Little Graves we're in the
beautiful burying-ground on Mount Joy,
in Portland, Me-, and We may add now
that the mother mourner, who came to
weep sleeps by the side of her children.
The lines were published anonymously
at the time in q Portland paper, and
have appeared in various collections OF
poetry, periodicals and school-books." "
The Portland Daily Courier began pub
LEGATION on October IS, 1929, and the
above mentioned volume entitled "Dew-
Drops of the Nineteenth Century Gath
cred and Preserved in Their Brightness
and Purity" was published in 1S46, go
1t is seen that, as Mr.. Smith states 10 the
latter volume that the poem entitled
"The Three Little Graves" was first pub
lished more than twenty years previ-
ously to the appearance of that volume,
the poem could not have been published
in the Portland Daily Courier, paper
which began its existence only seventeen
years before. The cemetery containing
"the three little graves is at Congress
and Mountfort Streets, Portland, and is
the Oldest cemetery in the city; Its name
Is the Eastern Cemetery, and 1t has an
area of seven acres. Does any reader of
the Democrat know where in that GENE
terry "the three little graves" arep
That sketch of Mr.. Smith which is
given in the History of Buckf1eld contains
the inscription which "a New York
reporter" alleges to be on Mr..
Smiths tombstone at Patchogue, Long
Island, N. Y. That alleged inscription
says that Mr.. Smith was born on "Sep-
TENDER IA, 1902" which Is ten years later
than the correct, date of his birth, Sep
TENDER IA, 1902.
The sketch which the History of Buck
field contains of Mr.. Smiths wife, Eliza
beth Cakes Smith, is incorrect as to the
place where she died; it states that she
died on Long Island, N. T., whereas she
died at Hollywood, Csrteret County, N.
C. During her later years, after the
death of Mr.. Smith, she lived at Holly
wood with SOD, Hon. Appleton Oak
smith,. and it was there that she died on
November Is, 1892 (Mr. Oaksmith's
original surname was, of course, Smith,
but he changed it to Oaksmitb.) Mrs.
Smith was born on August -, 1905, and
was married to Mr.. Smith on March 9,
1928. The sketch of her in the History
of Buckfield says that she was born In
North Yarmouth, but in the sketch of
Mr.. Smith in that work she Ia spoken Of
as of Yarmouth at the time of her mar
risge. Is that statement that at the time
of her marriage she was q resident of
Yarmouth correct?
Some authorities give Turner, and
some give Bridgton, a. the place of Mr..
Smiths birth, but there seems to be no
doubt that he was born In Buckheld.
CALVIN W. LEWIS.