Giles B Smith of Mechanicville, NY

[update - 27 May 2016 -  to my chagrin, Giles is not linked directly to the Vincent line as first thought -  initially had him as the son William J Smith of 1801 but that would have made him 11 yrs of age during the war! Giles' father was William of abt 1792 (FindaGrave #91990716) the son of John T Smith & Hepzibah Carey, 2 of John's brother married Rogers girls who are Vincent descendants, so, related the long way around?!]

Giles B Smith, also known as Daddy Smith, was the oldest living pioneer resident of Mechanicville, and he died at 95 doing what he loved, caring for the yard.  In fact, he insisted on the activity as part of his daily exercise.

1835-1930

Born 1835 in a log cabin in Halfmoon with 8 other siblings, he loved to tell the younger folks true tales of Indians and early life.  His family was the 4th generation of Smiths of colonial, pre-revolutionary days; direct descendants of the Smiths who settled in Dutchess County in the early 1600s and his forefathers were Quakers

He farmed in Halfmoon for 50 years and served in the Civil War for 3 years.  He then moved to Mechanicville where he abandoned farming.  He took odd jobs until he settled on landscaping.  His last job was caretaker of the city parks and was appointed Superintendent of Streets and Parks.

He was a staunch democrat and it was a great source of pride for him that he had voted 74 times – never missing an election.  The first presidential candidate he could remember was James K Polk but his first vote went to James Buchanan; he voted in 19 presidential elections.

He remembered the history of Mechanicville, details long lost to many.  Such as it was the first place in the country to make sulfur matches at the Terry Match Factory.  Later the factory was turned into a grist mill.  Mechanicville was also the first place in the area to have a tannery near the bank of the Tenadoah [Thenendehowa] Creek - farmers from miles would bring in a hide to have them cured (took about a year) and these hides provided the shoes and boots for the family.  The first woolen mill was in Stillwater and his mother had the first carpet with flowers woven in, only stripes before.  And true to history, many payments were done in trade, that is, folks would leave a bit of hide, wool, or grist in exchange for having items made.

Hudson View Cemetery, Mechanicville, NY

He celebrated his 90th birthday reliving a moment he shared with his wife when he was 30.  He had promised his young bride that he would one day take her to the circus.  When the time came, they hitched up the wagon and rode to town to witness the Walter L Main Circus - the same company he went to see 60 years later!






The Saratogian, Wed, 25 Jun 1924 - 90th Birthday
The Saratogian, Tues, 26 Jun 1928 - 93th Birthday                   Go Figure
The Saratogian, Thurs, 3 Jul 1930 - Obit