Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

;md popularity, and be was again asked to become
;i candidate for Governor, but, a-, on previous
similar occasions, he declined the well-merited
honor. He served his home city a-- councilman-
Bt-large for some years, never failing of electi n
in any instance in which he appeared a> a candi-
date. But he never became a ir public
: d the business of practical polil
He was prominent in the various presidential
campaigns of his party, and was always in req
for the chairmanship of great popular meetings,
Tlu- manly distinctii n of his figure, his ready wit
and overflowing good hum her with that
background of genial, popular, good will, which
was always his, seemed to make his selection for
the chairmanship of such occasions the most tit-
ting that could he made. The chief seat at board
or banquet or mass meetii: I
ENCYCLOPED] \ OF BIOGRAPHY
by
common
consent to be his proper place. Like the Doug-
la-, where he sat, there was the head of the table.
As commodore of the New York Yacht
Club, Mr. Smith became well known internationally
as one of the leading Amer-
ican exponents of the sport of yachting.
Under the headline "The Commodore in
Port at Last," "The Daily Advocate,"
his home paper, published an appreciation
from which the Following expressions are
quoted :
"His death makes a vacancy in the community
life of Stamford that none can till.*' "He was
respected by every class of people from the big
financiers of New York to the humblest workman
in Stamford." "The crew on his yacht adored
him, recognizing a real sailor." "His fellowtownsmen
esteemed him because they found in
James D. Smith a real man." "The predominant
impression of his life on the minds of his
fellow-citizens was the pervading geniality of his
temperament, his broadminded, warmhearted dis-
position, which knew no bounds of class or creed,
but everywhere and always marked in intercourse
with his fellow-men, wherever their lives touched
his in the wide circle of his business and social
relationships. And it is these habitual and constant
elements of his character whose sincerity and
depth have been shown in so many ways, that
rise t'.rst to the thought and sharpen the edge of
regret and sorrow for his passing away. If that
name leads all the rest, 'who loved his fellowman,'
surely that position of distinction and primacy
belonged to him whom Stamford so deeply
mourns to-dav."
Conn-7-:i 3-i
It i- not only interesting, it i> instruc-
tive to inquire, Who were tin- antecedents
of such a man? What manner of perwire
they? We find that Commodore
Smith was the worthy scion of honored
and honorable forebears. In his veins
flowed the blood of families prominent in
establishing on this continent a new reli-
gious, political and economic order of life
that in its development has placed Amer-
ica in the forefront of civilized nati
Among tlu- names prominent in Colonial
history that appear in Commodore Smith's
lineage may be mentioned William Par-
tridge, one of the founder- of Hartford;
Lieutenant James Treat; Hugh Gaylord ;
John Woodruff; Colonel Thomas Low-
cry, a Xew Jersey patriot in the Revolu-
tion.
Family names were derived from a
number of sources, such as place- of resi-
dence, personal peculiarities, occupations
and so forth. The name of Smith belongs
to the latter class, and was applied in
ancient times as it is to-day to artificers
in many kinds of metal, such as gold-
smith, silversmith, coppersmith and so
forth. Smith was one of the oldest pat-
ronymics adopted in England, being found
on record soon after the Norman Con-
quest (1066) while the practice of taking
-urnames did not become general until
two or three centuries later.
(I) The founder of the family of Smith
in America to whom Commodore Smith
belonged was Samuel Smith. According
to the Candler Papers in the Harlcian Library,
he and his wife Elizabeth were
thirty-two years of age when they came
to America in 1634. They left Ipswich,
England, and became part of the Watertown,
Massachusetts, settlement. On
September 3 of that year, Samuel Smith
was admitted freeman. He was a member
of the band of sturdy pioneers who
settled Wethersfield, Connecticut, where
he immediately became a leader. He was