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Records show thai the brothers, Solomon
and Benjamin Smith, purchased land
in what was later called Sandisfield, in
1751, and thai thej had previously ac-
quired a residence in Hebron, Connecti-
cut, though how long they had lived there
is not known. Solomon Smith built the
fifth house in Sandisfield, which was
doubtless of logs, as were all the houses
built at that time, but it was replaced by
a frame house in 17,"-'. M of Berk-
shire \\a< an unbroken wilderness at this
time and covered with a dense growth of
hardwood. There were no roads or
bridges and there had been little survey-
ing done. But this was a fertile region
and it attracted a. fine class of settlers. In
a few year- a large population came in
and took up land, most of them coming
either directly or indirectly from East-
ham, Massachusetts. Soon it was one of
the most thickly settled regions of West-
ern Massachusetts, and was peopled by a
very superior class of men and women.
The first settler of the town was Thomas
Brown, of Enfield, Connecticut, who came
in 1750. So fast did the population in-
crease that at the commencement of the
Revolutionary War, in 1775, there were
one hundred and thirty-five men capable
of bearing arms. The records show that
fifteen Smiths did military duty; some
doing service as "Minute Men," who were
frequently called out for longer or shorter
periods, and other- enlisted for the dura-
tion of the war. some as privates and later
winning their commissions and others
entering the service as officer-.
On February 24. [756, the Sandisfield
church was organized, Benjamin Smith
being one of a committee of fourteen to
form the incorporation. The committee
united by letter to communion with the
church. Ruth, the wife of Benjamin Smith.
and Susanna, wife of Solomon Smith.
Many others from Eastham united with
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
the church al the -anie time. The town
of Sandisfield was incorporated, March '>,
170J. The fust town meeting was called
April i, 170J. Solomon Smith wa- appointed
constable, and Benjamin Smith
and William Underwood, tithin^men.
(V) Dr. Amos Smith, the youngest
child of Solomon and Susanna I Snow)
Smith, was born October 23. 1747, at
Sandisfield. At the age of twenty-five he
married his first wife and by her he had
Tr\ phenia, Amos, Jr., Han-
four children :
nah, and Amariah. Hi' was a man of
great ability and found time not only to
operate hi- large farm but to study med-
icine a- well and gained a reputation a- a
practitioner, which was more than local.
Me was an ardent patriot and served
much time in the army during the Revo-
lution. He was a private in Captain Jacob
Brown's company. Colonel John Fuller's
regiment, which came out in response to
the "first alarm'' of April 10. 1775. His
name frequently appears on the register
of the soldiers and sailors of Massachu-
setts in the Revolution. As a physician
he was frequently called in for consulta-
tion and to perform delicate surgical op-
erations. There is a story of his courage
and determination in the account of a
single handed combat he had with a wolf
in which, unarmed, he came off the
victor. Even more courage was shown
by him in a day when the clergymen were
looked upon with almost superstitious
awe. when in full town meeting he called
upon the pious minister to give his freedom
to his negro slave, Toney. This re-
quest, the record says, was refused by the
owner. He lived in what was then known
as South 1 100 Acres in South Sandisfield.
and there he died October 6, i