Leather Bound Book Cover

    The following pages were scanned and donated by Teddie Ann Stueber from a text entitled "Genealogy and Reminiscences - William Smith and Family,"  Prepared by Mrs. Margaret T. Smith 'Time Consectates' - Schiller. The book is currently in the possession of Ellen Gird Knapp, a descendant of the John Gird to whom the book was originally given.  Grateful acknowledgement is given to her for her willingness to share it's contents as well as my personal thanks and appreciation for her contribution.  The dedication is to Mr. John Gird, Compliments of Wm. H. H. Smith, Syracuse, N.Y., May 25th, 1880 Publication: Syracuse, N.Y. 1884.
     The book has been in her family for several generations and in currently in very fragile, deteriorating condition.  The entire book is a collection of correspondence from various descendants of Richard & Mary (Brush) Smith by the author, William Henry Harrison Smith, the grandson of Richard Smith. He collected data for the Genealogy, but apparently did not get it published before his death, so Margaret T. Smith ( maybe his daughter?) "prepared" the information and had it published. She probably added the section about W. H. H. Smith and his portrait. He states in the book that many of the records were destroyed by fire by the British, and that the genealogies were lost...the reason for his writing the book by using information he could obtain through correspondence with cousins, aunts & uncles who were alive when Richard Smith was still alive and had either family records or memoirs of the family ancestry & histories. The loss of these records may be the reason it has been difficult finding any "proof" of their pedigree, which links to the Smithtown family.
    The book contains poems written by Richard Smith and several of his descendants ( including his children). The poems are very interesting readings, but they also contain a good deal of historical info.
     It does seem that William Henry Harrison Smith did seek out documents to substantiate the family claim of a link to the Smithtown Smiths, and while doing so learned that all the legal documentation had been destroyed. The family Bible was lost while crossing the Prairies in 1853 - it was in a trunk with family heirlooms. They had to lighten the load to cross a swollen river and the trunk was set out of the wagon so they could get the other unimportant items out. In the rush to get across the river before the flood waters rose any higher, they forgot to reload the trunk. They did not realize their mistake until they got to California. That Bible would have been a Primary Source of information. It was the GIRD Bible, but it contained the information about the Smiths/Cranes and Brush Families, as well. In my ggGrandfather's writings (Teddie Ann Stueber) he mentions only that his Gr. Grandparents' names were Richard Smith & Mary Brush of Long Island. His Uncle John Gird who still lived on the family farm in Litchfiled, NY. had the other family information and as he was in communication with his family back East, I suppose did not think to write the information into the new Bible bought to replace the lost one, perhaps thinking the family in Herkimer County had all the info. For whatever the reason, the information was lost.