Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the Smith Family Papers
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
| Repository | Martha's Vineyard Museum Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508) 627-4441 |
|---|---|
| Call Number | RU 527 |
| Creator | Smith family |
| Creator | Smith, Amos, 1849-1937 |
| Creator | Smith, Charles, 1788-1882 |
| Creator | Smith, John, 1755-1830 |
| Creator | Smith, John Bassett, 1799-1849 |
| Title | Smith family papers |
| Date | 1795-1897, undated |
| Extent | 1 box (0.252 cubic feet) |
| Language | The materials are in English. |
| Abstract | The collection contains bills, correspondence, deeds, legal documents, receipts, and other material primarily belonging to John Smith (1755-1830); two of his sons: Charles Smith (1788-1882) and John Bassett Smith (1799-1849); and John Bassett Smith’s son Amos Smith (1849-1937). |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 527, Smith Family Papers.
Acquisition Information
The immediate source of acquisition is unknown.
Publication Information
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Gale Huntington Research Library59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-4441
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared by Lara J. Ullman and machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick in June 2015.
Creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
- Accounts
- Bills
- Deeds
- Legal documents
- Receipts
Geographic Name(s)
- Edgartown (Mass.)
- Tisbury (Mass. : Town)
Biography/Historical Note
John Smith was born on November 16, 1755, to Samuel Smith (1713-1796) and his second wife, Eunice (Vincent) Smith (1711-1763). He lived in Edgartown, Massachusetts, where he worked as a husbandman. John married Caroline Smith (1760-1853) and the pair had eight children: Samuel (1784-), Betsey (1786-), Charles (1788-1882), Tisdale (1791-), Polly (1794-), Sarah (1796-), John Bassett (1799-1891), and Nathan (1802-). John Smith died on August 5, 1830.
Charles Smith was born on September 18, 1788, to John Smith and Caroline (Smith) Smith. He was a mariner and whaleman who retired from the sea around age 40, at which point he became one of the largest land owners on Martha’s Vineyard. On April 15, 1818, Charles married Polly Daggett Davis (1795-1845). The couple resided in Tisbury, Massachusetts, and had three children: Davis (1820-1901), Mary E. (1826-1919), and Miriam H. (1829-1907). Charles Smith died on March 31, 1882.
John Bassett Smith was born on February 8, 1799, to John Smith and Caroline (Smith) Smith. He lived in Edgartown where he was a pond fisherman. On May 27, 1849, John Bassett married Lydia Wilbur (1825-1913). The pair had one son, Amos (1849-1937), who worked as a farmer and fisherman and married Ellen N. Cunliffe. John Bassett Smith died on September 22, 1891.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains bills, correspondence, deeds, legal documents, receipts, and other material created by and belonging to John Smith, Charles Smith, John Bassett Smith, and Amos Smith. Also included are material concerning Caroline (Smith) Smith’s estate, as well as material belonging to other Smith family members.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by family member and therein alphabetically by folder title.
Collection Inventory
| Box | Folder | |||
John Smith: Deed for Land on Chapaquidick from John Smith to Ephraim Marchant, 1795 March 23 | 1 | 1 | ||
John Smith: Deed to Land in Farmington, MA, from Samuel Smith to John Smith, 1816 August 31 | 1 | 2 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Accounts, 1831 | 1 | 3 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Bills, 1833 March 20 | 1 | 4 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Copy of Return of Dower, 1867 January 8 | 1 | 5 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Correspondence, 1833 | 1 | 6 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Depositions, 1833 October 14 | 1 | 7 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Inventories, 1831 | 1 | 8 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Memoranda of Debts and of Property Not Inventoried, circa 1831, 1832 | 1 | 9 | ||
John Smith’s Estate: Petitions and Subpoena, 1833 | 1 | 10 | ||
Caroline Smith’s Estate: Accounts, Bills, Receipts, and other Records, 1846-1856 | 1 | 11 | ||
Charles Smith: Bills, Receipts, Promissory Note, and a Bond, 1838-1880 | 1 | 12 | ||
John B. Smith: Bills and Receipts, 1826-1886, 1892 | 1 | 13 | ||
John B. Smith: Court Settlement, 1877 May 29 | 1 | 14 | ||
John B. Smith: Deed for West Tisbury Burial Ground Plot, 1886 May 20 | 1 | 15 | ||
John B. Smith: Financial Obligation between Benjamin B. Norton and John B. Smith, 1858 April 2 | 1 | 16 | ||
John B. Smith Letter from the Selectmen of Bethel to John B. Smith, 1867 April 23 | 1 | 17 | ||
Amos Smith: Copy of Deed from Charles Wesley Pease and Parnell C. Pease to Amos Smith, 1890 December 31 | 1 | 18 | ||
Amos Smith: Copy of Superior Court Ruling, 1891 September 29 | 1 | 19 | ||
Amos Smith: Note Regarding Taxes, undated | 1 | 20 | ||
Amos Smith: Stenographer’s Minutes, undated | 1 | 21 | ||
Material of Various Smith Family Members, 1894-1897 | 1 | 22 | ||