FREDERICK SMYTH - BIOGRAPHY - of Manchester NH ---------------------------------- Information located at http://www.nh.searchroots.com On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE and its counties TRANSCRIBED BY JANICE BROWN Please see the web site for my email contact. ---------------------------------- The original source of this information is in the public domain, however use of this text file, other than for personal use, is restricted without written permission from the transcriber (who has edited, compiled and added new copyrighted text to same). ======================================================== SOURCE: History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885 CHAPTER V - Page 65 FREDERICK SMYTH (bio)--The subject of this sketch was born March 9, 1819, in Candia, Rockingham County. His ancestors, as far as we have any record, were thrifty farmers, and he was early inured to the toils of farming on the homestead, in the northwest part of that picturesque town. The common school and the High School gave him all they have to give; a single term at the Phillips Academy, in Andover, Mass., completed his brief study of text-books, and his education thenceforth continued in the larger school of men and affairs. For a short time he was a partner in trade at Candia with Thomas Wheat now a distinguished physician of Manchester. The field, however, was too limited to satisfy his ambition, and in 1839 he sought and found employment in the establishment of George Porter, Esq., who did a large business in the sale of general merchandise in Manchester. During the days of his clerkship he was librarian of a reading club, of which Samuel D. Bell, John A. Burnham, John Porter, and others were members, when the "North American Review," the "Southern Literary Messenger," the "Knickerbocker Magazine," etc. were placed within his reach. This appears to have been the germ of the Manchester Athenaeum. After about two years he entered into company with John Porter, Esq., and bought out his employer. This was the beginning of a brief but successful mercantile career, which terminated with his election as city clerk in 1849. While in trade he was very scrupulous in regard to his financial obligations. In the panic of 1847 every firm doing business on the street went under, except two, and one of those was that with which Mr. Smyth was connected. Like others, he was compelled to trust out large quantities of goods, and was unable to command much capital. He went to his Boston creditors, frankly told them his situation, said he did not want to fail, and so impressed them with his evident sincerity of purpose that they promised him all the goods and time he wanted. The event justified their confidence, and to-day no man who knows him needs to be told that his word is as good as his bond. He was elected city clerk by the usual party majority, and did his work so acceptably that he was re-elected by a City Council two-thirds of whose members were politically opposed to him. The "American and Messenger," of that date said: "This is a compliment to Mr. Smyth, which has been well merited by his faithfulness and courtesy during the last year." His manifest efficiency in city affairs, and the thoroughness with which he mastered ever detail, suggested his fitness for mayor, and he was accordingly nominated, and elected to that office in March 1852. He was re-elected for two successive years thereafter, and again at a time of peculiar importance in municipal affairs, in 1864. A distinguishing mark of his first year's administration will ever remain in the trees which adorn our parks and streets. He advocated an act of the City Council, which passed in spite of considerable opposition, authorizing trees to be set on all the public streets, parks and lands, and every year since, with but few exceptions, he has personally inspected the trees, and notified the proper authorities when any of them needed replacing. With this good work some, but not all, his successors in office, have sympathized. In July and October of Mayor Smyth's first year the Whig party lost its two great leaders,--Henry Clay and Daniel Webster,--and the attention of the citizens was called to some fitting expression of feeling in both cases by a brief message from the mayor. His first election was by Whig votes over the opposition of Democrats and Free-Soilers; his second by Whig and Free-Soil votes, and an increased majority; his third with very little opposition, and his fourth with virtually none at all. During his second year the Amoskeag Falls bridge was rebuilt, and parts of Goffstown and Bedford were annexed to the city. The most honorable monument, however which still stand to his name is the part he took in the foundation of a free public library. In the first instance, the conception belongs to the late Hon. Samuel D. Bell, but it is very doubtful if that idea would ever have been realized without the active and persistent efforts of the mayor. The city government of that day was composed of men mostly practical in their ideas, but with little faith in the value or necessity of literary culture. Workingmen were opposed to all needless expenditures in city affairs, and it required tact and wise handling to get a measure which called for an annual expenditure of two thousand dollars, with a certaintly of future increase, framed into a law, and it was largely due to the confidence they had in their chief executive officer that they supported the measure. When Mayor Smyth was about retiring, as he supposed finally, at the end of his third year, the following resolution, offered by the Hon. S.D. Bell, March 7, 1854, was unanimously voted: "Resolved, That the thanks of the trustees of the City Library be presented to the Hon. Frederick Smyth for the early, decided and successful exertions made by him, as chief magistrate of the city, for the establishment of a free public library." In 1855 he was appointed by Governor Metcalf and Council chairman of commissioners for juvenile offenders, the late ex-Governor Harvey, of the United States Circuit Court, and the late Hon. Hosea Eaton, being his associates. The signal success of this institution is well known to every intelligent citizen, but many have doubtless forgotten the storm of partisan obloquy through which it was piloted to public favor. From the first Mr. Smyth thoroughly believed in it, and in his remarks at the dedication, in 1858, he said: "This institution to-day dedicated, supplies a need of the State, that incipient crime may not become confirmed wickedness; that the jail and prison may not forever harden and fix what they were designed to prevent." The importance of this occasion can hardly be over- estimated, if we look at the sad proportion of young persons on the criminal list in our and other States. If we investigate the results of means which it is now proposed to use, that society may be saved from the curse of their vicious lives, and themselves from the greater curse of mental and moral destruction, we shall find that the cost in dollars and cents dwindles in comparison into utter insignificance. He was able, also, to announce that "the building has been completed within the amount appropriated, that no contractor had failed to perform his work, that not one cent of the amount had been expended except through legitimate channels and for duly authorized purposes." Governor Haile, in the course of his reply, complimented the commission upon the fidelity with which their work was done. In the years 1857-58 Mr. Smyth was a member of the House of Representatives in the State Legislature, and was also made treasurer of the Reform School, in the good management of which he took great interest. His executive ability and reputation as a good financier caused him to be selected as the treasurer of the New Hampshire Agricultural Society, and the ten years during which he held that place were years of the society's greatest usefulness. He was also a director in the United States Agricultural Society, and a manager of the three great fairs held in Richmond, Chicago and St. Louis by the National Association, and also vice-president of the American Pomological Society, which, under the lead of the venerable Marshal P. Wilder, has done so much to improve American fruits. Meantime, men were not wanting who believed in our mayor's fitness for the highest office in the State, and in the convention which nominated Ichabod Goodwin, in 1859, he stood fourth on the list of candidates. In 1860 he was president of the State Republican Convention, and was soon after appointed by Secretary Chase one of the agents to obtain subscriptions to the national loan. In 1861 he was appointed as one of the agents on the part of the United States to the International Exhibition at London, where Her Majesty's commissioners made him a juror; by the jury he was made reporter, a position which gave him some advantages not easily obtained in knowledge of the exhibition. He wrote some private letters home, and his impressions of matters and things abroad were published in the "New Hampshire Journal of Agriculture," then under the editorial management of the writer of this sketch. It was war-time, as we all known, and he wrote, "In regard to American affairs, I do not think there is a particle of danger of any interference from England, or has ever been; most people sympathize with Americans and the North, when they understand the issue." It was found on Mr. Smyth's arrival that only three of our commissioners were present, and nothing had been done to place our department in readiness. Patriotic resident Americans contributed about three thousand dollars, and work began in earnest. Very much of the favorable exhibit we made on that occasion if fairly due to a few men, who with Mr. Smyth, did double duty. His position as juror enabled him to do much toward securing a recognition of the merits of goods exhibitied by the Langdon Mills, and by the Manchester Print Works, both of which took a medal. He was also, by virtue of his place, admitted to many social entertainments, one of the most interesting of which was that given by Lord and Lady Salisbury, at Hatfields, where he met Gladstone and Disraeli, the two foremost men of England. In company with C.L. Flint, Esq., secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, he visited France, Germand, Switzerland, and Italy, and managed to compass a great deal of sight-seeing into a brief space of time. While at Rome, tidings from home were far from assuring, and Mr. Smyth deemed it his duty not to prolong his tour. He landed at New York in September, when matters had already begun to take on a more favorable look for the Union. He was then cashier and principal financial manager of the Merrimack River Bank, of which he is now president, and also of the Merrimack River Savings-Bank. His faith in the government led him to invest largely in bonds and to accept the charter for the bank of discount, which thenceforth became the First National Bank of Manchester. At that time few monied men or banks in town cared to follow his example, but the event justified his sagacity. Mr. Smyth's course in finance has been strictly conservative; he has never dabbled in fancy stocks or in merely speculative matters for himself or for his bank, and the reputation thus acquired enabled him, as will be senn, to lift the State from a condition in which it was compelled to pay exorbidant interest to one not inferior to that of any in the Union. In May 1863 a fair was held at Manchester in aid of the Sanitary Commission. Mr. Smyth was chairman of that committee, and gave the use of his hall and his zealous personal efforts to promote its success. The sum raised was about four thousand dollars. In the years that followed he did his best to keep up with the spirit and courage of the people. With others, he went down to the battle-field of Gettysburg, and labored among wounded and dying soldiers, and, in consequence of exposure at the time, was confined to a sick-room all the ensuing fall. In May of the next year, however, he again went to the front, and after the battle of the Wilderness rendered efficient aid as before. He has since received many testimonials of gratitude from men who owed, under God, their lives to him on that occasion. In this year (1863) he was again elected mayor of Manchester, under what circumstances and to what end, let another say. The "Daily Mirror and American," of November 28, 1864 in its leading editorial, said,-- "A year ago this month the Governor and Council of New Hampshire wisely recommended the towns and cities of this State to cash the Government boynty of $302, payable in installments, and fill up their quotas. The advice was taken. It took between three and four millions of dollars of ready money to carry out the idea. It drained every bank, and made, for the time being, the best securities seems of no account in raising money. Manchester was in trouble; she needed more funds than could be had, and, with all her wealth, seemed like a beggar... In this critical condition of financial affairs the question of mayor of this city came up. The field was canvassed again and again, and each time the report would be 'Hon Frederick Smyth is the man, but he won't take it.' It was a necessity that the chief executive of the city should have the confidence of business men and be familiar with financial matters. Finally, the pressure was so great that some of our leading citizens went to him and convinced him that it was his duty to accept of the onerous position one year. He reluctantly assented, with a distinct understanding that he should not again be called upon for that place. Some ten years ago he was three times elected to fill the office of mayor, each year with increased majorities, and time had shown that his municipal record grew higher and brighter as new opportunities to judge of its merits presented themselves, and a year ago he was elected for a fourth term without show of opposition, an event unprecedented in our municipal history, or in that of any city in the State. It was a wise choice. From the moment he took the mayor's chair harmony prevailed in every department of the city government. He is a peacemaker. He believeds that a 'house divided against itself cannot stand,' and has the power of discerning almost intuitively the average sense of mankind, what is generally called common sense, and hence is a natural leader of the people." Such was the opinion and feeling concerning Mayor Smyth at home, where he was best known. But this feeling, also, had obtained to a considerable extent throughout the State, and his friends had for some time determined to present his name as a candidate for the highest office in their immediate gift. In the Republic Convention, therefore, of January, 1865, he received two-thirds of an informal ballot, which was then made unanimous by acclamation. He was elected by a majority of over six thousand, the largest majority given to any Governor for twenty-four years. He entered upon no easy task. The State was beginning to feel severely the stress of the time. Gradually a great debt had accumulated, regiment after regiment had been promptly equipped and sent into the field, the banks had advanced money quite to the extent of their courage, and nearly to that of their ability. In the open market we met the gold bonds of the government, free from taxes; the same trouble pulsed through all the arteries of the body politic, and the people of the State always careful and conservative in all its expenditures beheld with something like dismay this mountain of obligation, swollen into millions. It was almost impossible to get money for current expenses. A previous Legislature had authorized the issue of three and one-half millions of six per cent. State bonds, payable in currency; only four hundred and twenty-four dollars had been taken. Governor Smyth, in his first message, recommended the issue of bonds better calculated to meet the exigencies of the case, and that current expenses be provided for by taxation. As a matter of interest to capitalists, he took care to set forth the resources of the State, its prudent habit in expenditures and the hostility to repudiation in every form, which our people had inherited from a frugal, patriotic and god-fearing ancestry. "We must," he said, "now observe the most rigid economy in expenditure and bring the expenses to a peace basis as soon as possible. Our people are naturally economical, and hold sacred all pecuniary obligations." He compared, in a very effective manner, the agricultural products of a State which had hitherto borne the reputation of producing only men with those of some of the more fertile members of the Union, to our decided advantage. He called to mind the unrivaled water-power, with its present and prospective improvement, and urged that attention to the latent wealth of the State which due regard to our prosperity demanded. Besides these matter which had to do with the immediate restoration of State credit, he took advanced Republican ground in regard to our obligations to the freedmen and to the maintenance of the authority of the national government. He indicated in a few words the fact that our indebtedness had its full compensation. "From the outbreak of the Rebellion, New Hampshire has stood firmly by the flag; and knowing what we do to-day of the scope and aim of the great conspiracy and of the infamous means which brought about its inception and urged on its progress, can any one regret that the State was so far true to her honored name and her noble memories as to offer without stint of her name and means for the re-establishment of national authority?" In the first three months of his administration he raised over one million dollars on favorable terms, a large amount of which was obtained in Manchester. From that time forward the financial affairs of the State received the most scrupulous attention. In the haste and waste of war unavoidable confusion at times arose in accounts between the several States and the general government, and it was not only then impossible to pay our debts, but equally to get our dues. Governor Smyth's large acquaintance with men gave him influence at headquarters, and he suffered no opportunity to pass to advocate the claims of his State. As will appear from the following extract from the "Providence Journal," all States had not been so fortunate: "At the close of the war he (Governor Smyth) found the suspended and disallowed accounts of the State against the general government of over one million of dollars. These disallowances and suspensions were mainly in the expenditures growing out of earlier military operations previous to his accession to office. Governor Smyth did not busy himself to fix charges of petty larceny against one officer, or of wholesale robbery against others. He did not assume that every man who was charged with fitting out the first regiment sent from the State had stolen all that he couldn't duplicate vounchers for on official paper. On the contrary, he urged upon the accounting officers at Washington the impetuous zeal with which the State had responded to the call of the government; he represented the impossibility of complete exactness in the accounts. Under such circumstances he exerted himself to obtain vouchers where his predecessor had omitted to secure them, and to explain their absence when they could not be procured. ... In this way he saved hundreds of thousands of dollars to the treasury of the State, and put no stain on its fair fame." Among other things relating to the prosperity of the State, the Governor took up and advocated with zeal the restoration of the fisheries. He quoted the opinion of Agassiz and others, that our waters could be restocked at no great expense. In his second annual message he was able to state that the Legislature of Massachusetts had been induced to move in the matter. On our own part, it was provided by law of June, 1865, that no dam or weir should be erected on the Connecticut or Merrimack Rivers, or upon the Pemigewasset, Ammonoosuc, Winnipiseogee or Baker's Rivers, without suitable fishways below the boundaries of the State. In the following October the Governor announced, by proclamation, that the law, by its terms, was to be enforced. The attorneys of the several corporations concerned, however, on the one pretext or another, managed to delay the consummation of this useful act until a very recent period. This first year of Governor Smyth's administration was a busy one. Our soldiers were returning from the war; it was the Governor's pride to receive them with something of the enthusiasm and warmth which he felt was their due. He urged that State aid should be extended to sick or disabled soldiers, and on this ground protested against the removal of the Webster Hospital, then maintained by the general government, at Manchester. Something of this effective service in behalf of the volunteers, no doubt, pointed him out as one peculiarly fitted to serve on the board of managers of the National Home for disabled volunteer soldiers, the establishment of which, on so grand a scale, rendered State aid unnecessary. To this important place he was appointed by vote of Congress in 1866. His associates were the President, Chief Justice and Secretary of War, ex-officio; Major-General B.F. Butler; Major-General John H. Martindale, Rochester, NY; Hon. Louis B. Gunckel, Dayton, Ohio; General Thomas O. Osborn, Chicago, IL; Hon. Hugh L. Bond, Baltimore, MD; Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Major- General John S. Cavender, St. Louis, MO; Major-General James S. Negley, Pittsburgh, PA. Governor Smyth was one of the vice-presidents of the board. He was reappointed in 1872 for a second term of six years. Acting on his often-expressed idea that no man ought to take an office of the kind unless he was willing to devote to the discharge of his duties all the time and effort required, he has been a very efficient manager, traveling many hundreds of miles annually on visits of inspection at Dayton, Milwaukee, Hampton and Augusta, and to be present at meetings of the board in Washington, besides giving his personal attention to the admission of soldiers to the Eastern Branch, all this without other compensation than that which arises from a consciousness of duty done. General B.F. Butler, in a letter written from Boston, said, not long since: "I know I shall echo the opinion of all his associates when I say Governor Smyth was one of the most valuable members of the board. His accurate business knowledge, the skill and ability displayed by him in adjusting complicated accounts, caused the board to put upon him more by far than his share of the work. General Gunckel, of Dayton, Ohio, said: "Every one who visits these Homes recognized the peculiar fitness of the selections made, especially for the Central and Northwestern Branches; but few people even in Ohio and Wisconsin knew how largely this result, as well as the saving of thousands of dollars in the purchase, was due to the taste and judgement, the Yankee tact and shrewdness, of New Hampshire's ex-Governor. In the management and control of an institution caring for eight hundred disabled soldiers, and expending a million and a quarter annually, there was especial need of just such a man as Governor Smyth, and I do not exaggerate when I say that through the watchfulness and care, the courage and determination, of Governor Smyth, thousands, yes tens of thousands, of dollars were saved to the government and people." An extract from an address of Governor Smyth, at the Dayton Home, in 1868, shows somewhat of the spirit he brought to the discharge of his duties. It was on the occasion of laying the corner-stone of the Veteran Soldiers' Chapel,-- "This little church which we quarry from this beautiful stone, and begin to build, here to-day, is a token of allegiance, a signet of loyalty, both to the rightful authorities of the land and to the Supreme Ruler over all. The best and truest citizen, the world over, is he who first discharged his duty to his God, and under Him to the laws of the land. . . A memorial like this holds out no threat and conveys no taunt to a vanquished foe; it says as it means,--peace to all who will have peace,--but as a symbol of the highest authority, it also proclaims a law to be obeyed. Liberty without law is worse than worthless, for it means the liberty of the mob and of riot, and by it the weak are oppressed and the poor made poorer yet... But I hope that this building also will convey to you the idea that the four cold bare walls of an asylum is not all that the country owes or will give to its defenders. She recognizes, let us all hope and believe, the hand of an all-wise God in every act of this great drama, while compelled to take the sword to prserve a liberty unsullied by violence and law made with regard to the rights of every man, she offers to her citizens, everywhere, a fireside safe from intruding wrong, and a worship and a Bible free to the humblest." In September, 1865, the New England Agricultural Society held its annual session in Concord. Governor Smyth delivered the address, and among other distinguished gentlemen present upon the platform were the late Governors Andrew, of Massachusetts, and Buckingham, of Connecticut. In his introductory remarks, Governor Smyth said: "I cannot claim to teach you as a practical farmer, but I can claim to have made a constant endeavor, in my humble way, to keep alive agricultural enterprise and to stimulate agricultural investigation. It has always been my firm conviction that the safety of the State and the prosperity of the people require as a foundation an intelligent knowledge of agriculture; and while I have been obliged to admire the practical operations of others, and to search in fields not of my own for the results of well-managed experiments, I have learned to respect the great art which feeds and clothes us, and secures for us all the comfort and beauty of adorned and civilized life upon a subdued and cultivated earth." The address, as a whole, was received with very marked favor, and the volume of the "Society's Transactions" in which it was published met with a large sale. In some remarks following, Governor Andrew took occasion to thank the speaker for his eloquent words, and called for cheers, first for "His Excellency, Governor Smyth, and next for Governor Smyth's address." During this and the succeeding year he gave many brief talks at county and other fairs, always evincing the liveliest interest in the welfare of the State. At Milford, in the course of his remarks, he said, "I know it is often said that 'New Hampshire is a good State to emigrate from,' and perhaps it is generally believed that our young men can better their fortunes by turning their backs upon their mother State and seeking elsewhere for larger returns and richer rewards for their labors and enterprise. For one, I do not share in this feeling. I believe that ours is not only a good State to be born in, but a good State to live in, and to die in, and that one great concern of the fathers and mothers should be to awaken in the hearts of their sons and daughters a feeling of attachment and affection for, and, of pride and interest in, the homes of their childhood and the State of their fathers." In 1876 he delivered the annual address at the Vermont State Fair, in St. Albans. At the end of his first year his nomination for a second term followed as a matter of course. A Connecticut paper, in advocating the election of General Hawley, said: "New Hampshire, in her State election of the 13th inst., has nobly led the way in re-electing her patriotic chief magistrate by so handsome a majority, considerably larger than was given Mr. Lincoln in 1864;" and it is also quoted, with marked approval, that passge in his message beginning, "The question of negro suffrage is one of those defenses behind which slavery will yet entrench itself, and by which it will seek to regain some fragment of the power it has justly lost." The second year of Governor Smyth's administration was in all respects as satisfactory as the first. The State debt was funded at a lower rate of interest than was offered by the general government. The revision of the statues, the reorganization of the militia, measures looking to the restoration of fish to our waters, and the publication of ancient State papers are among some of the matters of general interest. I have before me an autograph letter form the late Rev. Dr. Bouton, thanking the Governor in the most complimentary manner for the interest he had manifested in the preservation of these important papers. One very pleasant incident of the year was the visit of scholars and teachers of the public schools of Manchester, on the Governor's invitation, to the State institutions at Concord. On two occasions during his occupancy of the Governor's chair he spoke at the dinner of the New England Society in New York, in brief but effective efforts, which were received with emphatic demonstrations of applause. So successful was the administration that, contrary to precedent, many of the influential and respectable journals of the State, among which were the "National Eagle," the "Concord Statesman," the "Dover Enquirer," the "Portsmouth Journal," and the "Keene Sentinel," advocated his nomination for a third term. The Governor, however, declined to be considered a candidate, and his letter to that effect was published in the "Statesman" in January 1867. A brief extract or two from some of the papers of the day will serve to show the assumptions of this sketch, not unwarranted by public opinon: Said the "Boston Journal:" "Governor Smyth's administration has been highly successful, not only in a financial point of view, which is demonstrated by statistics, but in all other respect." The "Commercial Bulletin:" "He has been as vigorous and careful of the interests of the people, as if those concerns were personal to himself, and successfully sought so to manage the financial affairs of the State that its credit stands as well as any other commonwealth." The "Daily Monitor:" "To-day Governor Smyth resigns his trust with the proud consciousness of leaving nothing uncertain or unsettled with diligence, business tact and untiring zeal could close up and arrange, nor has Governor Smyth's administration been merely a financial success; he has neglected no single public interest; himself a practical example of all the virtues which constitute a good citizen, he has interested himself in every movement which looked to the welfare of the community and the promotion of industry, temperance and good morals among the people." It is a significant fact that in a time of mucy party feeling the Governor was able to say, in his valedictory: "Whatever may have been the difference of opinion among us, there has been no factious opposition from any source to measures necessary for the public good, but I have uniformly recieved the hearty co-operation of all parties in this difficult work." Only once during his two years' administration did he consider it necessary to interpose his veto, and the House sustained him, one hundred and thirty-two to six. Another fact indicative of confidence in the executive was the appropriation, on motion of a distinguished political opponent, of fifteen hundred dollars to defray expenses incurred while on business for the State, and for which he had refused to take anything from the contingent fund. The appropriation was advocated by leading men of the opposition and unanimously voted. It was also declared by one of the journals "that no hostile criticism had been made from any source upon the conduct of affairs." It was extensively quoted, and, as far as I am aware, has never been contradicted. Mr. Smyth now found it expedient to devote his time to the interest of the banking institutions of which mention has been made, and to his personal business affairs. In 1876 he was an active member of the Constitutional Convention, when several important amendments were made to the State constitution, including the removal of the Religious Test Act. One of his marked characteristics is an unwearied industry, and it seems to be the opinion that one who does much can always find time to do more. Among the appointments he still holds are the following: president and director of the Concord Railroad, trustee and treasurer of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, director and treasurer of the Manchester Horse Railroad, director of the National Agricultural Society, vice-president of the American Pomological Society, president of the Northern Telegraph Company, president of the Franklin Street Congregational Society, trustee and treasurer of the Northern Telegraph Company, president and manager of the First National Bank of Manchester, trustee and treasurer of the Merrimack River Savings-Bank. In 1866 the faculty of Dartmouth College conferred upon him the degree of A.B. In the spring of 1878 he was appointed by President Hayes one of the commissioners on the part of the United States for New Hampshire to the International Exhibition at Paris. He left home, accompanied by his wife, in April, and reached Paris, after a few days in London, early in May. On the 14th of that month they left Paris for an extended tour, visiting the principal points of interest in Egypt, the Holy Land, Turkey and Greece, returning by way of Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Austria and Germany, to Paris in September. Some interesting extracts from private correspondence were published in the "Mirror" and "Farmer," in the course of which the condition and work of the American Missions was spoken of. He was much impressed with the value of this work to the growing civilization of Eastern nations, and has frequently expressed his opinion to that effect in various addresses since his return. Ex-Governor and Mrs. Smyth were the recipients of many attentions from ministers and consuls resident abroad, particularly at Constantinople and Athens. At Paris they were among the few invited guests at the dinner of the Stanley Club to General Grant, and were also present at the reception given by the American Legation to "General and Madame Grant." With a trio of other ex-Governors,-- Hawley, Hoffman and Fenton, -- he was made an honorary member of the Stanley Club. Soon after the return of Mr. and Mrs. Smyth from this foreign tour they visited Cuba and Mexico. The Mexican trip was exceptionally agreeable from the fact that they were invited to join the party of Major-General Ord, and so were made guests of the republic. A banquet was given their party at Vera Cruz, at which General Trevino, son-in-law of General Ord, and many distinguished official were present. The trip to the city of Mexico by rail was accompanied by a guard of honor, and they had every facility for seeing all that was most desirable in the ancient capital of the Aztecs. Mrs. Smyth, particularly was the recipient of many attentions from the courtly Mexican officers. As souvenirs of this journey they brought home quaint specimens of Mexican manufacture,--onyx tables, feather-work, images of street occupations, etc.,--to add to the interesting collection at the Willows. In December, 1882, ex-Governor and Mrs. Smyth sailed again for Europe in the royal main steamship, "Servia," spent Christmas near London and the New Year's day in Paris. From Paris they journeyed leisurely through Switzerland in a season memorable for destructive floods in the valley of the Rhone, and went by the Mt. Cenis Tunnel to Turin and Genoa. From thence to Nice, Marseilles, and by the Gulf of Lyons across the Pyrenees to Barcelona, in Spain. In that country they spent some time visiting Saragossa, Madrid, Toledo, Cordova, Grenada, Malaga, Seville, and Gibraltar. From Gibraltar they crossed over to Tangiers, on the African coast, and returning, took ship from Malta and Alexandria. This latter city was half in ruins from the recent British bombardment. From Cairo they ascended the Nile to the first cataract, passing through Lower, Middle and Upper Egypt to Nubia, visiting on the way the old temples and tombs of Denderah, Luxor, Karnac, Thebes, Assouan and other famous places. Then, after visiting the battle-field at Tel-el-keber, they passed through the Suez Canal and landed at Jaffa, the ancient Joppa. After visiting the principal points of interest in the Holy Land,--Jerusalem, Jericho, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea, etc.,--they went on, via Tyre and Sidon, to Beirut, Damascus and the ruins of Baalbec, Cyprus and Antioch. From thence by steamer along the coast of Asia Minor, touching at Troas, Smyrna, Ephesus and other places, they reached Constantinople. After an interesting stay of some days they crossed the Black Sea to Varna, and went through Bulgaria and Romania to Bucharest. From thence, through Hungary, Austria, Bavaria and Germany, returning to Paris. During this trip, as on other occasions, they received numerous attentions, and Governor Smyth had an interesting interview with the Khedive. They brought home many articles of value, curiousities and special manufactures of the countries visited. On this occasion, also, the Governor made a successful ascent of the great pyramid and explored the labyrinth within. This occured on the last day of his sixty-third year. In February, after their return, Governor Smyth prsided at a very large meeting in Smyth's Hall which was addressed by Hon. John E. Redmond, M.P. for Wexford, Ireland. He introduced the eloquent "Home Ruler" in a brief speech, saying that he believed in "Your purpose to raise up the lowly and oppressed and weaken the bonds of the oppressor," and sharply arraigned England for her course in Ireland as well as in other lands, as he had observed it when abroad. In September of the same year Mr. Smyth tendered a reception to the Hon. James G. Blaine, the Republican candidate for the Presidency. A dinner was given at the Willows, on Thursday, September 4th, when Mr. Blaine met with some of the most distinguished citizens of New Hampshire, and in the evening the house and spacious grounds were brilliantly illuminated and thrown open to visitors. A fine military band occupied a position on the lawn, and it was estimated that fully ten thousand people passed in to see the candidate. At this very time, and in the midst of all this joy and popular acclaim, a shadow was settling over the two lives which for forty years had been as one. The beautiful lady of the house, who that night and day had entertained her guests with all her old-time interest and vivacity, was within a few day stricken with a fatal illness. To so large a degree had Mrs. Smyth been identified with her husband's public career and success that no sketch of the life of one of the most eminent citizens of New Hampshire would be complete without mention of her. Emily (Lane) Smyth was born in Candia [NH] July 22, 1822, and was the daughter of John Lane and Nabby (Emerson) Lane, and the granddaughter of Colonel Nathaniel Emerson, who fought under Stark at Bennington. Her father was a man of prominence in town. She was a near neighbor to her future husband, and was a bright and ready scholar in the schools of the district and in the town High School. Her school- days were completed at a young ladies' seminary in Charlestown, Mass., and she taught school for several terms thereafter in Candia, Chester and Manchester with marked success. She was married December 11, 1844 and brought to her new position some most admirable qualities. Her excellent good sense, intelligent comprehension of public affairs, vivacious manner, rare personal beauty and entire freedom from any affectation of pride gave her at once a popularity which, widened and extended as her husband's success introduced her into other circles. Receptions given by Governor Smyth at Concord, in which she was so conspiculously charming, are still remembered as among the leading social events of the State, and she has entertained at her hospitable board some of the most distinguished people in the United States, including Chief Justice Chase, Chief Justice Waite, and his family, President Hayes and wife, the wife and daughter of General and President Grant, Vice-Presidents Colfax and Hamlin, General Chamberlain of Maine, Henry Ward Beecher and wife, and General Butler has been a frequent guest. At home and at ease in the highest circles she was nowhere more delightful and more engaging than in the houses of her old neighbors, to whom she was a perpectual joy. Industrious and possessing great ability, she has accomplished much during her life-time that courts for truth and goodness. Her ear was ever open to the call of distress, and she was one of the most efficient workers in the various benevolent organizations of our city and State. That the impression Mrs. Smyth made upon persons of both sexes and of all stations in life was no passing and ephemeral effect, is shown by the letters of a memorial volume printed for private circulation only, but which contains most remarkable testimony to her character and worth. Governor Smyth fully appreciated the worth of his helpful companion, and for nearly forty years their mutual devotion was a noble example of the beauty and sacredness of the marital relation. Her health had for the most part been so good, and her manner was always so hopeful and cheery that no immediate alarm was felt at her condition. A few weeks, however, developed fatal symptoms, and in spite of all that the best medical science of the country and the care of skillful nurses could do, Mrs. Smyth died January 14, 1885. The obsequies at the Franklin Street Church called out an immense concourse of people eager to bring tributes of affection and to do honor to the lovely character of the departed. For many years Mr. Smyth has had an extensive acquaintance with the public men of the time. It will be remembered that six months prior to Mr. Lincoln's nomination for the Presidency he introduced him from the platform in Smyth's Hall as the next President, and with Mr. Lincoln, and in after-days with his great war minister, Stanton, he was on most friendly terms. His conservative course in finance, his reputation as a safe adviser and his general good judgement on public affairs has caused his counsel to be often sought in high quarters. A truth which forms a large part of every man's experience ought never to lose its freshness. There is no royal road to success. Ex-Governor Smyth has had the advantage of good health; a sound constitution and great power of endurance; but he is one of the most industrious men in the State, and the mans by which he has achieved his position are open to every young man of equal energy, self-denial, high aim and conscious rectitude of purpose. Some of the results which he set himself to attain were beset with difficulties; but he was not discouraged by opposition or disheartened by delay. ----------------------------- GENEALOGY OF GOVERNOR FREDERICK SMITH of NEW HAMPSHIRE History of the town of Candia, Rockingham County, N.H. : from its first settlement to the present time by J. Bailey Moore; Manchester, N.H.: G.W. Browne, 1893 page 237 In 1888 Gov. Frederick Smyth, of Manchester, and a native of Candia, founded a public library in the town, naming it The Smyth Public Library.... The library was established at the residence of Frank E. Page, the librarian...The first installments of books were purchased and deposited with the librarian, and the library was opened to the public in 1889. Another large collection of books was added in 1891. The institution has given great pleasure and satisfaction to the people of the town, who gratefully appreciate the valuable token of Governor Smyth's interest in their welfare. page 503 Stephen Smyth was the son of Joseph Chase Smyth, who with his three brothers, Oliver, Biley and Jonathan, came from Brentwood to Candia about the year 1771 and settled on North Road near Hall's mountain. Stephen was one of the family of eight children: Abigail, Joseph Chase, Stephen, Betsy, Mary, Jesse, Sally, Mehitable. He bought the place on North road now owed by Jonathan Martin and married Dorothy, daughter of Isaiah Rowe, a soldier of the Revolution. They had five children, Gilman C., Sarah, Frederick, Sophia and Abraham Calvin. In 1828 Mr. Smyth sold his place and moved to that now in the possession of William S. Healey on the Burpee road. In 1833, he bought of Rev. A. Wheeler, the farm on North Road, now owned by the heirs of Mrs. Thomas Morse. In 1841 he removed to Manchester. He was a member of the First Congregational Church in Manchester. He died in 1866. Mrs. Dorothy Smyth, who was a woman of good natural abilities, was also a member of the Congregational Church. She was an invalid several years and died Aug. 2, 1852, aged 66 years. Hon. Frederick Smyth, the second son of Stephen and Dorothy (Rowe) Smyth, was born March 9, 1819 in the house on North Road in Candia, since owned many years by Jonathan Martin, Esq. and formerly by Frederick's great-grandfather. In his early boyhood he attended school in the schoolhouse in old District No. 8, built more than one hundred years ago, but is still standing and owned by him, religious services being held there on Sundays. When, at a later date, his father moved to the Burpee road he attended school in old District No. 2. In 1837-38 he taught district schools in Auburn and Hooksett, and attended the following year the English Seminary, Andover, Mass, Rev. Dr. Coleman teacher. In the Spring of 1840 he became a clerk for George Porter who kept with one or two exceptions the only store on Elm Street in Manchester at that time. Three years after he formed a partnership with John Porter, a brother to George. In 1844, he was married to Miss Emma Lane, a daughter of JOhn Lane, Esq. of Candia. She was a woman of great personal beauty, singularly lively and happy in her disposition and considerate to all. [more in this original document not included here]. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON THE FAMILY TREE OF GOV. FREDERICK SMYTH Robert Smith/SMYTH b abt 1612 d. 30 Aug 1706 [tombstone in Hampton NH, Robert Smith Dyed 1706, ae 95 years] at his son Jonathan's marriage, Robert was "of Hampton NH] 18 Apr 1644 Robert Smyth took the oath of freeman at Exeter NH He married 4 Jan 1636/37 in St. Gregory, Norwich, Norfolk, England to Susannah PORTE, dau of Thomas PORTE. She b. 10 Sep 1615 in St. Paul, Norwich, Norfolk England and d. 12 June 1680 in Hampton, Rockingham Co NH. Children of Robert & Susannah (Porte) Smyth: *1. Jonathan Smith, b. abt 1640 (see) 2. Asahel Smith, b. 1642 in Exeter NH; m. 12 Feb 1666/67 in Plymouth MA to Mary DOTY [DOUGHTY]. She b. 23 Apr 1659 in Plymouth MA; had issue 3. John Smith, b. 1652 Hampton NH; d. abt 1696 in Portsmouth NH m1) Jael Parker; m2) 26 Nov 1667 in Newbury MA to Rebecca POORE. She b. 7 Feb 1647/48 in Newbury MA: had 9 children. 4. Joseph Smith, b. abt 1653, tombstone in Hampton NH reads: "Here lies ye body of Colonel Joseph Smith, Dec'd Nov 24, 1717 in the 64th year of his age. 5. Meribah Smith, m. 2 Dec 1669 Dea. Francis Hampton PAGE; he selectman 1677-8, 1695; moderator 1689, 1695, 1701, 1703, 1705. Will 14 Nov 1706 names wife and ch: Lt. Samuel, b. 3 March 1760-1, Susanna b 20 Dec 1674, Meribah b 17 March 1679 6. Israel Smith [one source states two more children, Nathaniel, b. 1636 in Haverhill MA, and Susan b 1641 in England] Jonathan Smith, son of Robert & Susannah Smith, b. abt 1640; m. 25 Jan 1668/1669 in Haverhill MA to MEHITABLE HOLDRIDGE [HOLDRED], dau of William Holdridge a tanner who was a fellow passenger with John Cluff from London 1635 on the ship, "Elizabeth." She b. 14 Feb 1652; resided at Exeter NH. Children of Jonathan & Mehitable (Holdridge) SMith: 1. *Israel Smith, b. 16 Jan 1669/70 in Exeter NH (see) 2. Jacob Smith b 10 Aug 1673; m. Priscilla Rogers, had issue. 3. Ithiel Smith, b. 23 Sep 1676 in Hampton NH; m. Mary Clark 4. Abigail Smith, b. 22 Jan 1678 in Exeter NH; m. 25 Dec 1701 Moses Blake of Kensington NH. 5. Joseph Smith b 7 Feb 1679/1780 6. Leah Smith, b. 7 Apr 1683; m. Israel Blake 7. Mehitable Smith, b. 14 Aug 1685; m. Zacharian Clifford 8. Oliver Smith; m1) Ruth Blake; m2) Jane Yeuren 9. Jonathan Smith, b. abt 1689; m1) Mary Ames; m2) Bridget Kenniston Israel Smith, son of Jonathan Smith & Mehitable Holdridge b. 16 Jan 1669/1670 in Exeter NH d. abt 1723 in Stratham NH m. 3 July 1718 in Stratham NH to HANNAH HILL Children of Israel & Hannah (Hill) Smith: 1. *Israel Hill Smith, b. in Brentwood NH abt 1706 (see) 2. Reuben Smith 3. John Smith 4. Jacob Smith 5. Hannah Smith 6. Mary Smith 7. Deborah Smith, b. Hampton NH; m. 18 Dec 1718 in Hampton NH to Robert WADLEIGH Israel Smith, son of Israel & Hannah Hill b. in Brentwood NH abt 1706 d. 24 Feb 1748/49 Married 3 Dec 1728 in Brentwood NH to MARY HOYT, she. b 22 Sep 1709 Children of Israel & Mary (Hoyt) Smith: 1. *Chase Smith, b. 19 Feb 1731/32 Brentwood NH (see) 2. Oliver Smith b 4 Oct 1745 in Brentwood NH; d. 20 Nov 1810 in Candia NH; on list of Candia soldiers who enlisted in Capt. Stephen Dearborn's Company, in Colonel Thomas Stickney's Regiment of General Stark's Brigade which marched from Chester and joined the Continental army 3. Biley [Burleigh] Smith, b. 19 Apr 1747 in Brentwood NH; d. 3 Oct 1829 in Candia NH; signed the oath of allegiance in Candia NH 4. Jonathan Smith, b. 1 Feb 1747/48 in Brentwood NH; d. 23 Apr 1808 in Candia NH Chase Smith, son of Israel & Mary (Hoyt) SMITH b 19 Feb 1731/32 in Brentwood NH d. 1810 in Candia NH m. 3 June 1754 in Candia NH to ABIGAIL SANBORN. She b. 26 June 1732 in Brentwood NH, dau of Daniel & Abigail (Prescott) Sanborn Children of Chase & Abigail (Sanborn) SMITH: 1. *Joseph Chase Smith, b. 17 Jan 1759 in Brentwood NH; d. 17 march 1842 Candia NH 2. Abigail Smith, b. 1759 in Brentwood NH; d. 5 July 1822 in NH; m. abt 1780 to Phineas Dolloff 3. Mehitable Smith, b. 18 May 1761 in Brentwood NH; d. 4 June 1855 in Kingston NH 4. Mary Smith, b. 8 May 1764 in Brentwood NH; d. 11 June 1852 in Mercer, Somerset Co. ME; m. 17 Sep 1787 in Brentwood NH to James WELLS. Had 8 children. Joseph Chase Smith, son of Chase & Abigail (Sanborn) SMith, b. 17 Jan 1759 in Brentwood NH; d. 17 March 1842 in Candia NH m. 8 June 1778 to Elizabeth GILMAN. She b. abt 1760 Children of Joseph C. & Elizabeth (Gilman) SMITH: 1. Abigail Smith 2. Joseph Chase Smith, Jr., b. 19 May 1781 in Candia NH, d. in Meredith NH: m. Betsey Bean 3. *Stephen Smith (see) 4. Betsy Smith 5. Mary Smith 6. Jesse Smith 7. Sally Smith 8. Mehitable Smith Stephen Smith, son of Joseph Chase & Elizabeth (Gilman) Smith, b. probably Candia NH; married Dorothy, daughter of Isaiah Rowe, a soldier of the Revolution. Children of Stephen & Dorothy (Rowe) SMITH: 1. Gilman C. Smith, b abt 1812 in NH; resided Missouri 2 Sarah Smith, m. Jacob S. York of Manchester NH 3 **Frederick Smyth, b. 9 March 1819 in Candia NH; became governor of NH 4 Sophia Smith 5 Abraham Calvin Smith, resided Manchester NH --------------- SOURCE: Manchester, A Brief Record of its Past and A Picture of Its Present, including an account of is settlement and its growth as town and city; a history of its schools, churches, societies, banks, post-offices, newspapers and manufactures; a description of its government, police and fire department, public buildings, library, water-works, cemeteries, streets, streams, railways and bridges; a complete list of the selectmen, moderators and clerks of the town and members of the councils, marshals and engineers of the city, with the state of the cote for mayor at each election; the story of its part in the war of the rebellion with a complete list of its soldiers who went ot the war; and sketches of its representative citizens; Manchester N.H.; John B. Clark; 1875 page 430 **** THE HON. FREDERICK SMYTH **** Frederick Smyth was born in Candia NH, March 9, 1819. He is the son of Stephen and Dolly (Rowe) Smyth--she being a daughter of Isaiah Rowe, a soldier of the Revolution--and was one of a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, of whom three besides himself survive-- Gilman C., of this city, Abraham C., who resides in Missouri, and Sarah, the widow of the late Jacob S. York of this city. He spent his early life in working upon his father's farm and acquiring an education at the district-school, and for a short time, under Dr. Coleman at Andover, Mass., and then went into trade in Candia in partnership with Thomas Wheat. In 1838 they abandoned the business and came to Manchester [NH], where Dr. Wheat is now a physician. Mr. Smyth, then ninetten years of age, became a clerk in a large dry-goods and grocery store, and subsequently went into business for himself. In 1844 he married Emily, daughter of John Lane of Candia, but has had no children. In 1849, 1850 and 1851 he was city clerk. In 1852, 1853 and 1854 he was elected mayor, each time by increased majorities, and again in 1864, when there was hardly any opposition. He has been conspicuous in connection with many improvements among which may be mentioned the planting of many of the trees which shade the city's streets, the establishment of the free public library and the annexation of Amoskeag and Piscataquog villages. In 1855 he was appointed by Gov. Metcalf chairman of a board of commissioners to locate and build a house of reformation for juvenile offenders, which they accomplished in the face of much opposition. In 1857 and 1858 he was a member from Manchester of the popular branch of the state legislature. In 1861 he was appointed by the United States government a commissioner to the International Exhibition at London, England, and acted as one of the jurors at the distribution of the awards. At that time he made an extended tour upon the continent of Europe as a commissioner of the United States Agricultural Society. In 1865 he was elected governor of the state and re-elected in 1866. In 1865 he recieved from Dartmouth College the honorary degree of Master of Arts. In 1866 he was chosen by Congress, for six years, one of the managers of the national asylums for disabled soldiers, and was re-elected in 1872 for another term of six years. Gov. Smyth was elected in 1851 treasurer of the New Hampshire Agricultural Society, and served for some ten years, when he was chosen president, holding the office several years. He is a trustee of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, a vice-president of the United States Pomological Society and one of the directors of the United States Agricultural Society. He was cashier of the Merrimack River Bank from its formation in 1856 until it gave place in 1865 to the First National Bank, of which he has been the cashier since its organization and a director since 1870. He has also been a trustee and the treasurer of the Merrimack River Savings Bank since its organization in 1858. Gov. Smyth has made a name not only in this city and state, but in the nation. He is self-made in the strongest sense of that term, and, with no money but what his own hands earned and with no education except that which he picked up at the school and academy, he has risen from the humblest sphere in life to the highest offices in the city or in the gift of the people of New Hampshire. With the principles he learned at home of love for the Bible, the church and the school-house, with a sharp, keen, well-balanced mind, with an activity and persistency that never tire, he has been able to accomplish such great results as are indicated in the preceeding sketch. Of a generous and obliging nature, with an instinctive disposition to help all who came to him for advice, for money or for position, though they came from the lowest walks of life, he has always possessed the elements of great popularity, and as mayor of the city for several terms, and as governor of the state, he has been excelled by no one in this respect. During the war he was a great worker for the soldiers at home and in the camp, doing all he could for their personal comfort. He has many warm, personal friends and stands by them to the last. As a financier, he has been remarkably successful, but, possessed, as he is, of great executive ability, would have succeeded as well in other callings in life. He stands preeminent as a citizen, ever ready to do his part for education, morality, religion or for whatever pertains to the general adornment of the city. (end)