Table of Contents
Joshua Smith Personal and Family Papers, 1758-1866
A Guide to the collection at the Connecticut Historical Society
Collection Overview |
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| Repository: | Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut |
| Creator : | Smith, Joshua |
| Title : | Joshua Smith Personal and Family Papers |
| Dates : | 1758-1866 |
| Extent : | 1 linear foot (2 boxes) |
| Location: | Ms 58199 |
| Language: | English |
Biographical Sketch
Little is known of this Windham area family but an extant biographical reference tells us that a Joshua Smith was one of three sons of Jacob Smith of Colchester and was born in Lebanon and later moved to Windham. Joshua was a weaver by trade and engaged in farming. During the War of 1812 he made cloth for uniforms, and later represented Windham in the CT General Assembly in 1818. This man married Laura Allen and later her sister, Anna Barodell Allen who gave Joshua a total of seven children. Joshua's brother, Frederick, was an organ maker in Colchester.
The evidence in the collection, however, points to our Joshua Smith (1770-1821) as being a fuller and dyer in Windham but also relates that he was a very busy deputy sheriff later in life. Frederick Smith is represented in the collection but no evidence of organ-making could be found in his papers. The connections between the men in the collection and in the reference are circumstantial, at best. Further research may discover new information not found at this time.
For more information see:
Joshua Smith's Account Book, 1800-1821 (Manuscript Stacks, Account Books, Smith (Joshua))
The Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties. Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co., 1903. pp. 454-456. (RR Quarto 974.61T651c)
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Scope and Content
The collection has been roughly divided into four series. The bulk of this collection contains the papers of Joshua Smith including property deeds and maps, receipts, some correspondence, summonses, and writs of attachment (most signed by Smith and one written for Smith). Other papers include those of Frederick Smith, Sarah Smith, and Anna Smith. Frederick's papers include an early account book of his and notes on Astronomy in Lebanon, property deeds, and legal papers and notes regarding the estate of Peleg Williams which it appears Frederick was executor of. The collection ends with the papers of Sarah and Anna Smith, including verses written by Sarah, notes on the Otis family, an acrostic for Sally Smith, and correspondence from John W. Paine.
The collection has been roughly arranged chronologically and divided into four series: the papers of Joshua, Frederick, Sarah, and Anna Smith. At the folder level, assorted personal papers come first, followed by financial papers and then deeds and writs. Due to the large number of writs in the collection, they have only been arranged by year.
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Restrictions
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions on access to the collection.
Use Restrictions
Use of the material requires compliance with the Connecticut Historical Society's Research Center regulations.
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Subject Headings
Personal Names
Subjects
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Item, Collection Title, Collection number (Box #, Folder #). Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut.
Processing Details
Collection was processed by Zac Mirecki in 2011.
EAD Finding Aid created June 2011.
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Contents:
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Return to the Table of Contents Papers |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Joshua Smith notes, financial papers, and correspondence, 1802-1821 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Joshua Smith deeds, 1758, 1768, 1793-1804 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Joshua Smith deeds/ Property maps, 1805-1817, undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 4-5 | Joshua Smith writs, 1819 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Joshua Smith writs, 1820 | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Joshua Smith writs, 1820-1821 | |||||||||
| 2 | 3 | Frederick Smith Assorted papers, ca. 1818-1849 | |||||||||
| 2 | 4 | Frederick Smith account book and notes on Lebanon astronomy, ca. 1789-1796 | |||||||||
| 2 | 5 | Frederick Smith deeds, 1786-1827 | |||||||||
| 2 | 6 | Frederick Smith Papers regarding the estate of Peleg Williams, ca.1806-1837, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 7 | Sarah Smith assorted papers, ca. 1825-1866 | |||||||||
| 2 | 8 | Anna Smith correspondence, 1836 | |||||||||